All This And Olympus Too

"And the heart is hard to translate
It has a language of it's own
It talks in tongues and quiet sighs
And prayers and proclamations in the grand days
Of great men and the smallest of gestures
In short shallow gasps."

All This And Heaven Too by Florence + the Machine

Hercules sighed as he closed the door of his villa. Even though he had been away only for the beginning of the afternoon, it sure did feel like a longer time. He had never experienced the same kind of mayhem he had witnessed in this press conference (and that was quite telling in itself, considering he was a hero who had witnessed all kinds of monster attacks and battlegrounds): everybody tried their best to get his attention and the reason why? Mostly they were not interested in how the ending of the world had been averted, BUT they wanted to know all about the mysterious woman he had been seen with. Hercules was more than happy to share his newly-found love, but on the other hand he also knew, that he wasn't eloquent enough to put it into words how much his beloved meant to him, at least not in a way, that these scoop hungry writers wouldn't twist it around and make it sound like something entirely else.

So honestly he was feeling quite beat when he finally arrived back to his villa.

"Another day at the office, huh?" Meg leaned against a nearby column and gave him a sympathetic look. Her hair was down and as she came closer, he noticed that it was still partly wet: she had obviously taken a bath while he was away. Also, she wasn't wearing her signature lavender-colored chiton anymore, but had a pale blue fabric intricately wrapped around her as a dress. Hercules could only guess that it had originally been a bed sheet, but how she had turned it into a dress and even more so, how she could make it look so good, was a complete mystery to him.

"You could say that again," Hercules replied, pulling her closer to him. Without a second thought, he kissed her and she hummed against his mouth as her eyes fluttered close. A spark of desire was ignited inside of him as he felt her body pressing against him and the over-powering smell of her filled his nostrils. Never before had he experienced anything like this: he had seen plenty of both beautiful mortals as well as goddesses, but never had any of them had the same effect over him as Meg had. He had to fight against the urge to carry her into the bedroom or better yet, just make love to her right there without caring who might interrupt them.

"Hey there," Meg smiled coyly at him after they pulled away from the kiss.

"Hi. Gods, I missed you," he sighed.

"You do know that you were only gone for a couple of hours, right?" Meg replied playfully.

"Seriously felt like a longer time. I swear that time must have stood still or something. You've got your hair down. It looks really pretty," he continued as he admired her, gently running his fingers in her hair.

"Yeah, I took a bath and needed to find something else to wear. I felt that I still reeked of the Underworld," Meg shuddered at the thought.

"I noticed. I mean I noticed you took a bath and you'll welcome to do as you please here: it's your home now too," Hercules told her fondly.

"Hmmm. I haven't got a real home for a few years now," Meg pondered aloud and Hercules felt momentary sadness coming over him. He still had hard time grasping what she had exactly experienced while she had to work for Hades.

"Well, you've got one now. And we have to buy some new clothes for you as well, so you don't have walk around dressed in a bed sheet," Hercules gently jabbed at her.

"What, you don't like my fashion statements?" Meg bantered back and Hercules laughed.

"Well, I find it incredible that you look that good wearing just a bed sheet," he truthfully told her.

"You do know that's literally the only thing I'm wearing at the moment?" Meg smirked at him and Hercules felt himself blush. The thoughts from before came back with a renewed intensity.

"Oh Gods," he simply gasped, feeling his own tunic getting uncomfortably tight because of that thought. Meg simply laughed at him.

"Easy Wonderboy, we don't know when Phil is gonna come rushing in," Meg replied to him, more than a little bitter of those times that Phil had walked in while they were trying to spend some time together.

"Actually, Phil took Pegasus and went to visit his mother. They should be gone for the rest of the afternoon," Hercules told her.

"Wow, Phil's mother, huh? That must be quite something. Not sure if I should admire her or be afraid of her. Wait, does that mean what I think it means?" Meg asked him, looking hopeful.

"That we got at least couple of hours for ourselves?" Hercules clarified.

"Yes, that," Meg agreed. She bit her lower lip, looking at him under her long lashes and that was the breaking point for Hercules: he lifted her into his arms all the while kissing her. He carried her into the bedroom (with his haste, he was a little less graceful and he did bump his elbow to a corner or two, but who was there to count) and they spent an afternoon doing what lovers most often do when left alone.

Phil was in the kitchen, eating a snack by himself when the kid finally showed up. Herc was pretty much always on the good mood, but now he was chipper even on his own standards, which was quite suspicious in itself.

"Hi Phil! So how did it go with your mother?" Hercules greeted him, starting to grab something edible together as well.

"She was being her old charming self. We actually did some flight training for combats on our way back with Pegasus. He could pull the stops more gracefully, so we should practice on that," Phil replied, eating more of his delicious grasswhich*.

"Pegasus could also learn to FLY more gracefully," Meg, who had just entered the kitchen, still arranging something that looked suspiciously much like a bed sheet, quipped.

"Says someone who has fear of flying," Phil retorted back.

"Hey, I'm working on it!" Meg looked at him while still fiddling with her garment.

"I'll help you with that," Hercules offered and he tightened the bindings from behind.

"Thanks, Wonderboy," Meg replied, giving him a light kiss on his lips as a reward. The way Herc's eyes lingered on her told Phil more than enough of what the two of them had been up to while he was a way.

"Oy vay, you two being so sappy it makes me sick," Phil muttered to himself as he continued to eat his dinner.

"Yet it doesn't affect your appetite," Meg pointed out.

"You're threading on a thin ice sister. Speaking of thin, you should get some real clothes," Phil pointed out, trying not to linger too much on the fact that Meg was basically wearing only a thin layer of cotton.

"Herc said the same. Yet it doesn't seem to bother him as much," Meg smirked at her lover.

"Yeah, well, you're officially Herc's girlfriend now so you cannot go prancing around half-naked. Or could you? It could bring us more publicity…" Phil pondered aloud.

"Phil, no!" Herc seemed genuinely shocked and so was Meg, but for other reasons.

"We never talked about that press conference. They were asking questions about me?"

"You bet it, sister. They were more interested in you than they were in Herc's heroic deeds of late, considering he just stopped the end of the world from happening. You have to remember, Herc's been the most wanted bachelor in the Grecian world, so him suddenly having a love interest is kind of a big deal," Phil replied to her as he went to clean his dishes. Hercules looked really uncomfortable because of the chosen topics: him being the most wanted bachelor and Meg being a public point of interest.

"I'm not sure if I feel comfortable of being a public figure," Meg grimaced at the thought.

"Well, you can't go to public before we get you some proper clothes. But it's a package deal sister: if you want to be with Herc, you have to accept that his profession makes him a public figure, which makes even his private life a public matter," Phil lightly patted her hand as he walked by her, leaving the kitchen.

Meg bit her lower lip as she considered what Phil had just told her.

"I'm sorry," Hercules cut her racing mind short.

"For what?" Meg asked, genuinely confused.

"I- I should have told you about that press conference. And I'm sorry that I dragged you into this publicity mess…" Hercules looked so guilty that Meg felt bad herself. She was the one who had been working behind his back for his enemy and he was the one feeling guilty over such trivial matters?

"Hey, it's okay: I'm not especially thrilled at the prospect of becoming everybody's point of interest, but Phil's right, it is a package deal. And I'd much rather have the whole package: luckily there's some parts that I don't have to share with others," Meg suggestively whispered to him before kissing him on his mouth.

"Now, let me help you with that dinner so we might get something edible together tonight," Meg moved next to him, helping him to fix something to eat.

After the dinner, they moved outside to the porch to watch the evening sky and the stars.

Meg was sitting in Hercules' lap, a quilt pulled over their shoulders. She felt happy, content: only a few days before she thought that she would never be able to feel that way. It felt… Strange, to say the least.

"Hmph," Meg had a speculative look on her face as she looked at the sky and then back at Hercules.

"What is it?" Hercules had a smile on his face: by her smirk, he could tell that she was feeling playful.

"No, I just reached a conclusion."

"And that is?"

"Before, I said I like this constellation of you, but now I've reached the conclusion that I do like the real deal even better," Meg whispered to his ear as if telling a great secret to him. Hercules laughed shaking his head.

"Well, that is a relief to know," he told her, pulling her even closer to him. He loved to see this more playful and relaxed side of her. He sighed, enjoying the moment.

Meg too wanted to simply enjoy the moment, but her racing mind kept interfering with that. She still had hard time believing that her Wonderboy would rather choose a mortal life with her on the Earth over the immortal life with his godly parents. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out: "You think you will regret it?"

Hercules seemed stunned as he had been having lighter matters on his mind. "Regret what?"

"Choosing mortal life? Choosing… Me," Meg's voice was quiet as she finished the sentence.

Suddenly Hercules understood. He had been insecure his whole life: he understood Meg's feelings perfectly well. He gently placed his hand on Meg's jaw tilting her face towards him.

"How could I ever regret it? I wished to find where I belong and now I know I belong with you. Not with the gods on mount Olympus or my birth parents, I belong with you," Hercules gently stroke her face, mesmerized by her beauty.

"Your mother Hera, back at Olympus, she said you were willing to risk your life to save me. I never asked you but… How did you… How did you get my soul back?" Meg asked, her brows knitting together as she contemplated the thought aloud.

"I went to the Underworld. I made a deal with Hades: my soul for yours. He thought I wouldn't be able to make it as a mortal, so he agreed. He thought he could trap us both to the River Styx," Hercules sighed.

"You swam in the river Styx in order to get my soul back?" Meg looked at him dumbfounded.

"Yes."

"How did you know that would work?"

"I didn't. I just knew that I couldn't live in a world that didn't have you in it. I just couldn't," Hercules replied.

Meg threw her hands around him and kissed him deeply. Hercules eagerly kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her. He felt yet again that feeling arousing in him: the hunger to kiss her more, to explore her body, to love her in every way possible.

As Meg pulled away, Hercules noticed tears in her eyes, and brushed them away gently with his hands.

"What's wrong?" He furrowed his brow in concern.

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just so… Happy. I was concerned that you were starting to regret the decision of choosing me and mortal life," Meg whispered. He gently tilted her head so she was looking at him.

"When I was a kid and I learned about my biological parents, I always thought that I would feel complete, that I would be happy, when I had earned back my place at mount Olympus. There was always like this nagging voice telling me that I didn't belong. But later on I realized, that it wasn't a place, or status as a god or even my family that would bring me happiness. Being with you fills me with happiness, Meg. I feel complete when I'm with you, that I won't have to struggle to be anything else that I am," Hercules wasn't the type to give elaborate explanations, but for once, he felt like he needed at least to try to give one.

"So, now I know that my place isn't on mount Olympus, my place is with you, wherever may that be. In river Styx, on Earth, wherever. I love you, Meg," he sighed, still struggling to put into words how much she really meant to him. Meg remained silent for a few moments, obviously considering his words.

"I love you too," Meg replied quietly. It took a moment for her words to register into Hercules' brain. He looked down at Meg, still pressed against his chest and looking uncharacteristically timid.

"You know, you said moment ago that you love me. So, so now you know. That I love you too," Meg's voice was quiet, but sincere. Hercules still wasn't sure what she had experienced in the past, but he could see that telling him that she loved him was a real struggle for her. And that made him appreciate it even more.

He smiled at her warmly and pulled her in for another kiss. She sighed quietly against his mouth. How could he tell her how much he truly loved her? He would try his best to prove his love for her every day they were together: they had time.

When they pulled back from the kiss, she placed her head again against his chest and he let his hand run through her hair, still savoring the softness of her auburn hair.

"I'm the luckiest man there is to have you in my life, you know?" He gently whispered to her ear.

"I thought it was the other way around," Meg replied to him with a smile, her eyes starting to droop from the weariness she was feeling.

"Believe me: I am the lucky one," Hercules quietly whispered to her ear.

It was getting chilly outside: he placed another kiss on the top of her head and gathered her in his arms, carrying her back inside and into the bed.

*sandwich made of grass. Awesome pun, isn't it? It was really late at night when I was writing this and that one episode of Hercules the TV Series came to my mind where Phil is eating that cake made of grass and soil. So yeah, couldn't resist this little pun.

A/N: It's finally here, let's throw some confetti! Yay! And in my mind, this is direct continuation to my other fic, For the Gods Have Fashioned Us For Love. So this will be my multi-chaptered fanfic and I do plan to make our old pals Hades, Icarus and Cassandra among the others appear in this fic.