A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and put this on story alert!

Meg stood outside the entrance to the Underworld and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Bad memories of the place flooded her mind. She wiped her face, which was still streaked with tears, wishing she didn't look so vulnerable.

Slowly, she stepped through the black arch and followed the narrow path to the River Styx. Charon was in his row boat waiting, the black robes draped off his bony shoulders.

"Hello Charon," Meg said in a subdued tone.

Charon tilted his head in acknowledgement of her presence.

"Could you please take me to Hades?"

Charon gestured her to get in and she hiked up her skirt to get on board. Silently, Charon rowed them through the river until they reached the palace.

Meg stepped off and hurried to the throne room, hoping Hades would be there. He was.

"Nut Meg!" he exclaimed, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "I take it your little mission was a success?"

She glared at him. "Yes."

"Well? Where is he?"

"I talked with Hermes and he tells me that he and his wife are on Mount Olympus."

Hades stared at her. His face curiously blank. "I take it Hercules wife was made immortal, then?"

Meg didn't trust herself to speak. Her throat felt constricted.

"That's a tough blow, my little Nut Meg."

"Shut up!" she hissed. "Just shut up. Stop throwing this all in my face! Don't you think I'm miserable enough? Do you get some sort of sick pleasure watching others around you in pain!" Meg's voice kept rising until she was shrieking at the Lord of the Dead and at that moment she didn't care if he blasted her into a million pieces. Maybe if she were dead, Hercules betrayal wouldn't hurt so much.

Hades didn't even seem fazed by her outburst. "Are you done?" he asked. "Because I have some news for you now."

When she didn't say anything he continued.

"I was visited by the Fates and they gave me a prophecy. It seems yours truly will have to save the world from danger," he grimaced. "Unfortunately, I will also need Wonder Breath's help."

"What?" she asked startled.

"I'm not happy about it either, but I suppose I could work with him long enough to get the job done."

"What exactly did the prophecy say?"

Hades told her the entire prophecy.

"It almost sounds like you will have two beings to contend with."

"Maybe," Hades shrugged. He rose from his throne. "Well, a deals a deal." He glided across the floor and Meg stared at him wondering what he was doing.

He looked back over his shoulder. "Well? are you coming?"

Meg followed him. "Where are we going?"

"To see your children of course."

Meg's chest tightened and she had to restrain herself from walking faster. She was anxious to see her beautiful children. Hades seemed to take his bloody time walking to wherever he was going and Meg bit her lip in frustration. She just knew he was doing it on purpose and it took all her will power to not snap at him again.

Finally, they reached their destiny to the River Styx where he summons two souls. Both were child sized and see through, but Meg would know them anywhere. "Phil! Kira!"

The apparitions turned to look at her and smiled. "Mommy!" they shouted and ran toward her only to run right through her. She shivered at the cold feeling of their bodies passing.

The children looked confused and Meg felt her heart break all over again as she realized she couldn't touch her beloved children. She gave Hades a desperate look.

He shrugged unsympathetically. "Sorry, Nut Meg. The only thing you can do is talk to them."

Meg let out a shuddering sigh. "Fine. Let me take them somewhere private though."

"Fine by me. I have a world to save." With that he winked at her and walked away, whistling merrily.

Meg glared daggers at his back before turning her attention back to her children. She wished she could take them by the hand, but had to be content with staying close.

"Come on, children. Lets find a nice quiet place so we can think, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," Kira sniffled. "Why can't I touch you?"

How do you explain to a six year old that she was dead? "I don't know, baby?" she lied and temporarily forgetting herself, reached out to touch her hair only for her hand to pass through her daughter's head.

Kira giggled. "That tickles."

Meg smiled sadly. She led them to a garden, which wasn't much to look at, but knew how the minds of little children were. "Would you two like to play in the garden?"

"Yes!" they both said excitedly. They ran forward and started chasing each other, shrieking and laughing.

Meg sat down on a stone bench and watched them play. For the first time since that fateful day Hercules went mad, she smiled. It was good to watch her children at play again even if they were dead. She knew she would never tire of watching them.

She didn't know how long they played. It might have been minutes, hours, even days. The Underworld did that to people, made them forget about time. Eventually, the children became weary of playing in the garden and sat down next to their mother.

"Mommy, where are we?" Phil's lower lip stuck out and he gave her sad doe eyes.

Meg swallowed thickly. "You are in Hades domain, the Underworld."

"We're dead aren't we?"

She stared at her eight year old son and nodded, a tear escaping her eyes. "Yes."

"Are you dead?"

"No," she whispered.

"Did you come to visit us?"

She nodded unable to speak.

"Where's Dadda?" Apparently they didn't remember their own father killing them.

"H-he couldn't make it, sweetheart."

"Will Dadda come soon?" asked Kira.

"I don't know."

Phil reached out and gently placed a hand on her cheek. All Meg could feel was a soothing coldness. "How did you do that?"

"It's easy if I con-conce," Phil frowned as he struggled with the big word. "Conce-"

"Concentrate?" Meg guessed.

"Yeah."

She lifted her hand to his face and concentrated really hard. Her hand came into contact with something cold. It didn't feel like skin, but it was better than watching her hand go through.

"Cool ain't it?" Phil smiled proudly.

"Yes it is."

"Will you stay with us, Mommy?" Kira asked softly.

"Always," Meg promised.

Not a very exciting chapter, but I wanted to focus more on Meg's time with her kids. I'll try to make the next one more exciting and longer.