Wrapped in silk and warm, powerful arms, Megara's mind reeled on the edge of consciousness. With all the sudden changes the two of them had undergone in the last day, her dreams were a jumble of conflicting mental horizons. She had married a god but only consummated that relationship with him when he'd already lost his godhood. He'd lost it for her; now, she was all he had.
The responsibility of that realization weighed heavily on her. She now had to be worth his sacrifice so he could be with her.
Was that even possible?
She now existed as the reason that a son was in rebellion against his father, that father was the King of Olympus… If his vendetta against her remained intact, she could scarcely hope to stay alive for much longer. Where would that leave her husband?
All of this should frighten her from extricating herself from the drama and retreating to the sidelines. So far, that was the way she had always insulated herself from the horrors of life in Thebes. Mortal girls– especially Theban mortal girls– had to know when they risked Tartarus for reaching too high.
Did that advice still apply if someone had reached down for her? If he relied on her presence so much, she was obliged to stay with him, even if it meant following him back to greater heights.
Perhaps a hasty retreat would have been the smart thing to do, and it would have insulated her from some of the struggles she would encounter in the future.
She was too accustomed to doing the smart thing, playing it safe. This one time, for love, she preferred to take a risk. He needed her more than she needed to control every aspect of her life, and she'd prove that before she had a chance to doubt herself too much.
The more aware she grew as wakefulness returned to her, Megara recognized his arms were still around her. There was a warm spot atop her head where she discovered he'd been weeping into her hair. Hercules's hands traced up and down her body, pausing on her arms and her hips as he pressed their bodies together.
If she ever thought that she might have made the wrong call, Megara resolved to remember this moment.
Seemingly noticing her stir, Hercules kissed her forehead. "Thank you," he whispered. You've done so much. Thank you for still being here…"
Megara forced her eyes open even though she was too groggy to see his face.
"You're so adorable when you're just waking up," Hercules whispered and kissed her forehead, hair, and the top of her ear. He only paused to enjoy her squeaky little early-morning cries."I've been watching how innocent you look when you're asleep. And when you open your eyes for the first time, all groggy with that soft, adorable voice…" He cradled a hand under her neck and pulled her head up to him for a kiss firm on her lips.
He may not be a god anymore, but Hercules's kisses were still divine.
Megara let herself melt into the purity of his affection and pressed herself closer to him, just in time to remember she wasn't wearing clothes. The blankets around her were the only barrier between her body and his, and they did nothing to block his heat or his scent…
"You're the only person I know who loves me as both my new self and who I used to be," Hercules whispered.
She recognized a flaw in that logic, but her groggy mind struggled to reorient her around it. "We… um…" she blinked a few times to rid herself of her grogginess. "Other people haven't seen you yet. I'm sure you'll be popular again, Golden Boy."
Hercules chuckled brokenly. "Maybe, but you're the most loyal girl I ever met, and you're mine!" he curled a hand under her head and pulled her close so he could kiss her cheek. "I know we must go out into the world now, but I'll always want to bring you back here."
"Or we could set up our own space now that you live on Earth with me," Megara suggested. After all, we were already building you a home-style temple; why shouldn't we use it?"
Hercules nodded thoughtfully. "I'd like that… what sorts of things would you want to take from here to enhance our new home?"
"The wine fountain is nice…" Megara shrugged. "The only vital thing for me to take from here is you."
Hercules dragged in a heavy gasp and leaned down to kiss her firmly on the forehead. "How do you always say exactly the right thing?" he whispered, pulling her more tightly against himself. "Even when I'm down at my worst, you make me smile." He trailed kisses from her forehead, along her cheek, and down to her ear. Each time, she found herself squeaking from the contact and shuddering.
He may be mortal now, but he still had godlike power over her.
"I… I think finding ways to adjust to bad circumstances is how I've survived this long," she whispered. "I'm happy to teach you my methods…"
"Heh… thanks…" Hercules murmured directly into her ear. "You're already the one reason I'm not losing my mind over this situation. I've lost my immortality, family, and home, but I don't care about that." He took her hand, interlacing their fingers, and then propped himself over her, resting his forehead against hers. "You've made losing everything feel like a victory."
Megara gripped his hand in return, squeezing despite the immense power differential. "Maybe it's because you finally have what you wanted," she whispered.
Hercules snickered in a manner dangerously similar to how she laughed. "And what I want is you…"
"You wanted a purpose," she countered. "The things you did before never felt like they mattered, but now you have the chance to make significant choices and…" she stopped when one of Hercules's hands moved from holding himself over her and instead traced her lips.
Gazing down into her eyes, Hercules's thick ginger lashes fluttered low over his azure eyes. "You're enough purpose for me," he whispered. "The other stuff is a bonus." Having made this point, he left kisses all over her face while leaving one thumb to lightly stroke her bottom lip.
The tickling and tingling sensations that overcame Megara drove thought away until Hercules lightly pulled her lip lower and whispered, "Open your mouth," directly into her ear.
Megara automatically accepted his instructions, and as a reward, she earned a deep, passionate kiss from an erstwhile god. He cradled the back of her head and stroked a line down her body with his free hand. It was all so overwhelming that she didn't react when she felt him move his caresses from her side to her chest.
"Last night, you showed me a new way of communicating, and I've got a message for you," Hercules whispered against her lips. He stretched her arms over her head and held them with one hand while the other traveled across her chest.
"What– why?" Megara gasped.
"Why am I restraining you, or why am I touching you?" Hercules was unbothered as he continued to explore and massage her. "The answer to both is so you can be the only focus for a while. If I let you, you'd be too tempted to try and spoil me in return. So I won't."
"Oh, I–" she began, but suddenly he'd replaced his hand with his mouth, and the massage continued. Rather than address his comment about keeping her the center of attention, all she could do was scream with pleasure.
This only encouraged him. He'd thoroughly consumed all her senses, and she could not resist or participate. Seemingly sensing that, Hercules released her arms and trailed his free hand down her body. He never let his attention to her chest. She had no idea to contemplate what he would do before his fingers had trailed between her thighs.
"Of all the accomplishments I have to my name, I'm counting this at the top," Hercules whispered, then went back to work, making Megara feel like she was floating.
On one level, it was disconcerting to realize how out of control she was and surrender to him. Why was it so easy for her to let herself float away like this?
"So cute," Hercules whispered, "all those noises you're making… adorable…" He curled an arm under her, intensifying every affectionate motion. It seemed he would be content leaving her pleased with nothing for himself, but guilt welled up in her at the thought of simply accepting that.
"Herc, you…" she gasped, her mind wandering off mid-sentence.
"You don't have to speak. Your other noises are just as easy to understand," he remarked, never letting up.
"I don't–" she broke off, interrupted by her cries of delight. She gripped his shoulders, the only anchor she had to reality. "Herc! I don't want to do this alone!"
"I'm here," he reminded her.
"Not the same thing!" she insisted.
"No?" A teasing edge to his voice made Megara think he might not have lost all that prince-of-Olympus confidence along with his immortality and status. "Well, if you're so worried about being alone, I could consider giving you some company… Now that you're my wife, I've got to take care of you, right?" His grin stretched wider. "My wife…" he repeated with a gleeful chuckle. "My wife…"
"Yes, yes, that's me," Megara replied while he positioned himself between her thighs. "If you repeat that anymore, I'll start to think there's something wrong with you."
"Nothing's wrong… I just love my wife!" Hercules's smile concentrated into pure determination. "I'll have to catch up with you, hon. Wait for me if you want us to go together." Somehow, his voice remained even and casual, as if he were talking about an actual trip they were talking about, something innocent.
"I'll help you catch up," Megara promised, guiding him closer with one hand. "See? I'll make it so easy for you. Will you please… put us back together?"
Something in the way she made her request switched up his attitude. He groaned, releasing her hands to grip the bed sheets instead. "This is you making it easier? I won't be able to control myself…"
"That's my job," she whispered back.
"No, your job is to get spoiled like the gorgeous princess you are," Hercules insisted. This time, when he positioned himself over her, Hercules had a reinvigorated expression of determination, firmly setting his jaw. Hercules opened his eyes again, and this time, that same intense focus she'd seen before overtook his features. He pushed inside her without another word.
"Oh!" Why was she surprised? She'd asked for this.
Hercules appeared equally shocked for a moment, but then he smirked at her. "Sure, you don't want to slow down again?" he teased.
"Don't bother pretending either of us can slow down anymore."
"Heh!" Hercules's last vestiges of innocence erupted from this burst of laughter, but then he focused once more. "I'm not hurting you am I?" The way he worked his jaw let her know how difficult it was to hold back.
"No, no," she insisted, despite how raw she was from the night before. She couldn't scare him off on day two! "I like it!" she assured him, though her mouth was hanging open, ready to scream again. "Herc, I love it." Now she smiled and thought perhaps she'd broken through to him.
"Me too, Meg." He pressed in deeper, and this time, he kissed her. He gripped her hand, lacing his fingers between them, and plunged into a rhythm of rocking his hips into her as deep as he could go. His swift and decisive movements pushed away all thoughts Megara had of ever directing the morning's proceedings.
In reality, she could only cling to him and let him overwhelm her senses.
"You'll be my goddess," he whispered, pressing close against her while he continued to move. "You're already as beautiful as a goddess… more beautiful than any goddess… you'll stay like this forever… I'll worship you for eternity…" Hercules accompanied each declaration with a greater intensifying of their intimate embrace. "Sorry," he whispered.
"For what?"
"I have to try…" He hooked his elbows under her knees, angling her hips upward and plunging forward with greater intensity than before. Why was he sorry for this?
Megara couldn't think deeply enough to contemplate what he was driving at. Instead, she had to focus on him driving into her.
"Doesn't… hurt?" he panted.
Megara shook her head, struggling to hold onto at least one shred of her sanity long enough for him to catch up with her.
"I'm sorry, Meg," he murmured again, "I can't stop…"
"Don't stop."
"But I–" he started, but Megara stopped his mouth with a kiss.
That was all he could take.
He didn't move off her until both of them were spent, and each had swallowed the screams of the other. Then Hercules threw himself heavily onto the pillows but never released her hand. "Meg…" he panted, "are you…? I didn't… I mean…?"
"I'm fine," she assured him, wondering if those questions were about to become a routine between them. "How about you? You're the one who did all the work."
"That's how I like it," Hercules admitted with a lopsided grin. "You know I thrive on accomplishments… especially when I get my laurels from you." He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her palm.
"Let me get some of those laurels now and then, okay?" she gasped out through laughter. "We're in this together. That's what we promised Aphrodite."
"All right, all right… but I'll still do most of the work."
Maybe it was nonsensical, but they indulged in their shared laughter. There was no stopping them now.
Something had changed forever. She rubbed her cheek against his while his arms wrapped around her. The rest of the world melted away. No matter what, she could be happy as long as she could find refuge here.