Hercules spent that night restless with the tremors of fear that shot through him. He had to grant Megara's wish to immortalize Harmonia in her place, and that meant none of the gods could stop him, not even if his father had tried.
But that didn't mean he wouldn't have to struggle twice as hard when he got the nectar for Harmonia not to grab Megara and make her drink it. It didn't sound right, but he somehow had to eliminate any chance that she might die.
He had to because he couldn't ever relive that night .
Before he could recognize the warnning signs, Hercules was back on the cliffside in uptown Thebes. There was her pale and shattered body stretched out and bloodied, a stream of blood streaming from one corner of her mouth. This was worse, more gruesome than he remembered. Had he blocked it out before?
"No, no, no!" Hercules dug his metaphorical heels in, trying to resist and back up from that mental image. He knew– hoped?-- he was imagining this, but it was only growing worse. When he blinked, he could see her in the same broken form but surrounded by the similarly broken forms of Harmonia and their two boys.
He heard an inhuman scream before he realized that was his own voice in his ears and knelt over them. Why did this have to be his first glimpse of his sons? He gathered them all beside their mother, Moni on one side and the boys on the other. He could hold them all into his arms, but that wouldn't bring them back.
Even if he went to the Underworld, could he retrieve them all?
"It's really too bad, isn't it?"
All the muscles on Hercules's back tensed at the sound of Hades's voice.
"What did you do?" Hercules demanded, not turning to regard his uncle even though, with all his willpower, he wanted to rip this image of his dead family from his mind.
"Oh, you don't know?" Hades chuckled, and the heat of his flames drew nearer. "I didn't have to do a thing. You did it for me. Ya got greedy, nephew. You couldn't just have the girl. You had to have the girl and then you had to make her carry all your little demigod halfbreed spawn. Now they'll all come downstairs to live with me!"
Hercules's blood boiled hotter than Hades's flames. "I know this is an illusion, Hades! You did the same thing to Meg before!"
"I'm just here to show you the future. That's what you've been after all this time, right?" Hades's voice was light and airy, as if he wasn't dropping thousand ton bricks on Hercules's head.
"Moni's going to be all right," Hercules countered, dreading that even he didn't believe Megara and the twins would join her.
"Act fast, Wonder Breath," Hades said. "You've set all this in motion but can't stop it."
Greenish light spread out before Hercules's eyes, and the dread and horror dissipated.
He lay in the wakening dawn with a strange blue-violet light in the corner of his eyes. That final image haunted his mind, and the only sounds were morning birds and Megara's steady breathing.
That was until he heard Harmonia's soft, huffing whine beside him.
He turned to comfort his daughter and saw the light coming from her. Her little face scrunched up in concentration as if she'd been working extra hard on something, which must have been wrenching her father from a nightmare.
"Moni, you saved me!" Hercules gasped and tugged his daughter into his arms. "How did you do that?"
Harmonia's expression was strange as if she knew what she wanted to say but didn't know how to say it. Aside from that light, there was something different about her.
"Do you know what happened?" Hercules asked her.
Harmonia's face was unchanged.
Soft groans from Megara distracted Hercules from his eerily intelligent daughter. He and Harmonia were now intensely focused on Megara as if any noise she made might mean danger.
Maybe Hercules hadn't imagined it when he thought Harmonia was his co-conspirator. It was a strange thought, but he didn't believe Harmonia was quite as instinctive and helpless as the average child of her age.
Megara rubbed her eyes. "Damn, Apollo, put it away…"
Her grumpiness made Hercules laugh. There was that same feistiness he loved from her whenever he saw it. "Meg…" he whispered, "You should get up because we're having breakfast in the courtyard."
"Ughh… how about nah?" Megara groaned.
Harmonia chirped with laughter, almost as if she was unaware of what her father had been through.
Hercules cupped Megara's cheek in one hand and studied her unbloodied face. She was glowing, just not how he wished she would. "Would you go out in the sun for us?" he asked her.
"If it means that much to you…" Megara sighed. "But you'll have to make me."
"We'll all go together!" Hercules quickly scooped Megara and Harmonia both into his arms. He didn't want them lying there anymore. It was too close to his nightmare.
He carried them out to the garden and paused now and then to kiss both of them on the forehead.
"You could've transported us there by now," Megara reminded him.
"I want to spend as much time as possible with my arms full of my whole family."
Megara gazed up at him, and he knew she was trying to understand what had him so rattled. Her intuition and how intimately she knew him would help her land on the answer soon enough, but he was determined to distract her before she could uncover the root of his distress.
He brought his family to the shade of an almond tree. The white flowers were not in bloom, but he could imagine them. He wished he could give Megara another of those flowers to remind her of the night they… well… maybe it was best not to dwell on that night.
"What's troubling you?" Megara asked. Though her voice was tired, it was firm enough that he answered immediately.
"Bad dreams. I want to be out in Apollo's light to wash it away."
It was more like wishing it away, but nobody was compelled to grant him that wish.
"The best cure for a bad dream is to tell someone what you saw so that you can hear a rational explanation for it."
"Mm… yeah, but it shouldn't be you that I tell." Hercules kissed her forehead. "I've decided that today will be the day I give Moni the gift you requested."
"Today?" Uncertainty flickered through Megara's eyes for only a moment before she said, "Good… right, this is the best thing to do."
Hercules kissed both of them again, his hands cupping the backs of both their heads. "Meg, I saw something… In a dream. The way you did when you were carrying Moni. I need all of you to be immortal with me. If I can save even one of you today, I must."
"I think you're right," Megara said, stroking Harmonia's hair. "How will we do this?"
"I've gotta call the cupbearer down from Olympus," Hercules sighed. "Once she knows it's to fulfill an oath, she's going to let Moni have the nectar she needs." His eyes lingered low-lashed on his wife, hoping that she would ask for some nectar to drink herself.
"We have to get Moni to the better side of eternity before we say or do anything extra," Megara said patiently.
"But you would… right?"
"I'll do whatever is prudent at the time."
Hercules decided if Meegara didn't want to show how she cared, he would have to care twice as much for both of them.
"I won't leave any opportunities on the table," Hercules told her. He leaned Megara against the tree and rested beside her with Harmonia in his arms. "Moni broke into my dream, Meg. She's got real power already."
"Maybe it has something to do with us deciding to help her become a goddess. Her fate was always meant to bring her this."
Hercules kissed the top of Megara's head. "I love how dedicated you are to our daughter."
Megara rested her head on his shoulder while Harmonia took this opportunity to drum on her mother's belly.
One of the twins inside began to kick back at her, and Harmonia chirped with delight.
"They'll be such good friends," Megara said with a tired smile.
The emotion that clenched his throat didn't stop Hercules from wrapping an arm around Megara's shoulders. He rubbed her arm and Harmonia's back. "I'm going to summon someone, all right?"
Megara nodded, preoccupied with how the other twin played with Harmonia as well.
Hercules watched for one more lingering moment before he summoned Rhea, and his sister Hebe, who was the cupbearer of Olympus.
Hebe was there with the golden liquid tumbling about in a crystal vial within minutes. She had lilac tinged skin and dark reddish hair curling at the ends like an ionic column. Her dress was olive green, and she carried a krater with graceful curling handles atop her head. Hercules only knew she was Hebe because of the occasional visit to Olympus and her inclusion in Heraions.
"Gramma's not coming because she's gotta hold back Dad, but she says congratulations and yadda yadda. Are we seriously doing this for a baby?"
Hercules blinked a few times, absorbing the rudeness of her comment. "For my baby," he retorted.
Harmonia put on her fiercest little face and waved a finger at Hebe while making vaguely scolding noises.
"That's right, Moni, tell her," Megara snickered.
"Look, I'm the goddess of youth and all, but maybe we should have some kind of cutoff for who gets to be immortal. Has she even done anything?"
"Have you?" Megara shot back. "You're his full sister, and we've never seen a hint of you rolling into town when something hectic is going on."
"Because I don't leave Olympus. Why should I?" She eyed Hercules. "Why would anyone?"
Hercules took a step between Hebe and his family, flaring his shoulders to their widest breadth. "I'm gonna pretend you didn't dishonor my family to my face. Since you're my sister. You get one chance to make this right by handing me the nectar. Do not get me angry."
"Ugh," Hebe said and handed the small vial to Hercules. "Great, another niece to serve at parties."
Hercules ignored her and knelt beside Megara and Harmonia. He wanted to make Megara drink this instead, but he'd made a promise. "Okay, Moni, will you drink this juice for me?"
Harmonia went cross-eyed, looking at the nectar in its vial.
"Aren't you curious, Moni?" Megara cooed at her. She dipped her finger in it and let Harmonia lick it off her finger. Hercules would wish for thousands of years that she'd gone ahead and licked it herself.
That excited Harmonia and she grabbed the vial to start drinking independently.
For a moment, Hercules's mind wandered to the fact that twenty or so years prior, he had been the baby drinking from a vial to lose his immortality. How odd now to reverse the process. Or perhaps this was the Fates' sense of humor.
Harmonia got even more excited the more nectar she got. The slight pink blush around her cheeks started glowing first, and then her dainty peach-toned skin was all gleaming. Laughter bubbled out of the girl, and she clapped her hands.
Hercules was in awe, and tears half-blinded him. "You're safe now," he whispered to her and kissed her brow. Their auras collided and intersected, granting him access to an echo of Harmonia's thoughts.
She wasn't all that clear at the moment, but her joy was infectious.
He laughed along with her as they brushed foreheads and noses together. As small and dainty as Harmonia's features were, he sensed her resilience, which gladdened his heart.
Over his shoulder, Hebe held out her hand. "I need my vial back now. If you want more, come to Olympus for it."
Hercules narrowed his eyes.
Harmonia had drunk every last drop of the nectar. If he were going to get any more for them, he'd have to leave Megara behind. It was unacceptable.
"Maybe you could leave some for us here," Hercules suggested, handing Hebe the vial. "I would rather not leave my wife to visit Olympus just for nectar."
"Oh, no, you don't! You'll use some of it for your big, bloated mortal. Our father was very clear that–"
Hercules was on his feet, towering over his sister before he felt himself move.
From the look on Hebe's face, she'd never seen one of her brothers angry before.
"What. Did you say... about my wife?"
Hebe's mouth dropped open. "I meant, like… come on, look at her, she's all…"
Hercules didn't have to explain his rage ; it was making his aura hum and ring. "How… dare you?" He raised his hand and, for the first time, contemplated smacking a woman.
This was his sister. Didn't that mean he owed her some loyalty?
"Herc," Megara said softly, "is just a kid with a childish perspective."
"I know for a fact she's older than me!" Hercules snarled. "You've been a teenager since before I was born, right? And even so, you don't have a shred of empathy. You don't caree about your sister in law or your niece and nephews. Most of our relatives are immortal, so why don't you accept that it's different from mortals?"
"But, like, you picked her!" Hebe protested. "Nobody made you screw a mortal!"
Hercules stopped his hand an inch from her neck. His nightmare flashed behind his eyes. He would not give in to his fury. He wouldn't become that nightmare in the flesh.
"I have heard that so many times, I'm out of patience for it," he said, coldly calm. "I'm out of patience with you . Get more nectar. Now. Meg needs some, too, and when she's gotten some, our boys will too."
Hebe looked at Megara with a distinct look of, "I'm glad that's not me," before she looked back up at Hercules. "I can't do that. Gramma told me it's only for one person as the Fates ordained. And besides, I wouldn't give her nectar when she doesn't deserve it. She hasn't got a Telos the way we do. She's just…." She flinched away from Hercules. "I mean, she can't be a goddess. There'd be no point to her because we don't need her."
"I need her!" Hercules snapped back. "Olympus doesn't get me unless it gets her! Are you ready to be responsible for that?"
Hebe was about to retort when Rhea appeared beside them. "Children. Do you really need your grandmother around to resolve your issues?"
"I'm leaving!" Hebe announced. "He's crazy!"
"I'm not crazy! She's dangling immortality in front of Meg and won't give it to her when she needs it so much!"
"Herc, please calm down. We don't need to cause trouble with your family. We have an immortal Moni; this is a victory."
"Yeah, but I'm not done fighting. This could be our last chance to do something and save you from Hades! I'm not letting some brat get in my way!" He made a quick swipe for Hebe's nectar jar only to find it was empty. " Hebe …" he snarled in a warning tone.
Rhea put a hand between them, and her ancient, nigh-primordial power dwarfed the gods from generations after her. "You will have peace between you," she said.
"Peace?" Hercules bunched both of his hands into fists. "Excuse me? She's the one who came here, insulted my wife, and is treating Meg like she isn't even worthy of Olympus!"
"Hebe, go home," Rhea ordered. "I will address your manners later."
"She can't go!" Hercules seized Hebe's arm. "You've got to give Meg nectar before you leave. You don't understand what it's like to watch her die… I can't do it again!"
Rhea took Hercules by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. "You must release Megara to the flow of fate."
Hercules's eyes widened with the too-vivid memories of her drifting in that sickly green river. "She's not going back into the 'flow.' Nevver. I won't let her."
"He's traumatized, Rhea; I hope you can understand and forgive him," Megara said from her place against the tree, cradling their glowing daughter while looking so tired Hercules saw her dangling on the precipice of the vortex.
"No, please…" Hercules returned to Megara and wrapped his arms around her and Harmonia. "You have to be on my side fighting for this. You've got to help me save you."
"She must live by her Telos," Rhea said, and she was gone with a rush of air.
Hercules buried his face in Megara's hair. "We need to keep you alive… please…"
"I'm here now," she replied, kissing the tip of his nose. "We should take Moni to the League. Let them see their new little goddess."
Searching her face, Hercules saw that Megara had already settled the matter in her mind. "You've gotta strive for your Telos. Do you know what it is?"
"I'm sure when I need to know, I'll know. For now, I think it'd be nice if we enjoyed my time with you one day at a time."