Chapter Seventeen

"I won't let you use me to bait him!" Meg shouted desperately punching and kicking at Hades. He pulled her over to his planning table, one hand holding hers tightly while the other picked up the carved figure of herself. "Hades!"

"You don't get a choice babe," Hades hissed at her gripping her chin and bringing his face close to hers. His skin was so cold in comparison to Hercules. There was no warmth, tenderness or even the slightest bit of compassion in his touch. "I have told you countless times that I own you. I can do what I want with you. Do you realise how lenient I have been these past few years? You think you have suffered? You are free to come and go as you please, you have private chambers to call your own. Do you realise Pain and Panic just have a hole in the wall? That I could have kept you chained to the wall in my own chambers?" Meg could feel the fear threatening to envelop her; was this the fate that awaited her now?

"I won't hurt him." She whispered not caring about the tears which spilled from her eyes. "Please Hades, it isn't his fault! You could keep him from fighting – send him away!" She tried to think of how she could protect Hercules, but she knew how desperate Hades was for his uprising to succeed. "Keep my soul," Meg refused to give to relent. "I'll…please Hades – I'll do anything!"

"He needs to die Megara." Hades face seemed to soften marginally. "You'll thank me eventually. He'd only hurt you, they all hurt you eventually."

"NO!" Meg screamed as he disappeared in a puff of dark smoke. "HADES!" She sprinted from the room, hiking up the hem of her peplos to stop herself from tripping on the fabric. She was free to come and go as she pleased but the Underworld was a terrifying place for someone living. Nor had Hades been particularly open about where the exit to the Underworld was. I'll never find it in time, she thought fighting back waves of panic. She should have refused all along. Please Zeus hear my prayer, she begged. I don't care if I never get my soul back just please don't let Hercules be hurt!

Thick smoke curled around her, enveloping her tightly and almost suffocating her. Meg held her breath at the overwhelming stench of sulphur, her lungs bursting for air. When the smoke cleared she sucked in a deep breath, she was standing in the middle of a stadium with equipment all around her.

"Meg!"

"Hercules! Don't listen –" The smoke enveloped her but for a split second, when it cleared she was half sitting on one of the stadium rows, thick smokey bonds wrapped around her legs, waist, arms, ankles and her mouth. The bonds were as cold as ice and as Meg looked down she was horrified to see her skin turning blue, as if she was beginning to freeze. As Hercules looked at her she shook her head, desperately shouting against the bonds.

"Let her go!"

"Here's the trade-off. You give up your strength for about…twenty-four hours, ok? Say, the next twenty-four hours and Meg here is free as a bird and safe from harm." Hades stood beside her, his sharp fingertip stroking her arms. Meg looked at him pleadingly shaking her head, until she realised how it must have looked to Hercules. He would think she was afraid for herself, not for him. He had no idea that she had spent the past three years serving the God of the Underworld, that she was one of his minions. "We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What do you say?" Meg turned her head to Hercules, forcing herself to look brave and to shake her head. She couldn't let him think she was frightened for herself, but how could she convince him to not take this deal? Hades please, but she knew the god would not let anything stand in the way of his take over. "Come on."

"People are – are going to get hurt aren't they?" Meg tried to nod her head emphatically, but was dismayed when she saw Hercules was focused solely on Hades.

"Nah…I mean you know it's a possibility. It happens because you know if there's a war…what can I tell you? Anyway what do you owe these people?" Hades gripped Meg's chin, bringing his face closer to hers and making sure she was facing Hercules. "Isn't Meg, little smooch face, isn't she more important than they are?" Meg tried to shake her head but Hades's grip on her chin was firm.

"Stop it!"

"Isn't she?" NO! Meg tried to scream but she couldn't seem to convince Hercules that she wasn't worth it. Please! She begged him.

"You swear she'll be safe from any harm?"

"Fine, okay I'll give you that one. Meg is safe; otherwise you get your strength right back. Okay, we're done. What do you say, we shake on it?" Hercules seemed to hesitate and Meg shook her head once more, pleading with him with her eyes. Don't do it, she begged him. Please Hercules I'm not worth it! "Hey I really don't have like time to bat this around, I'm on a schedule here. I need an answer, like now. Going once," Hades held up a finger and Hercules looked around. He met Meg's eyes and she shook her head once more, struggling against the bonds. "Going twice." Hades held up a second finger. "Going –"

"All right!" Hercules cried holding out his hand as if he could stop Hades. Meg's shoulders slumped forwards, she waited for the bonds to release but she remained constrained. Of course, she thought as bitter tears spilled down her cheeks. The deal isn't sealed yet.

"Yes!" Hades held out his hand and Hercules grasped it. Golden light pierced the night's sky and Meg watched in horror as Hercules' tanned skin lost all colour, becoming a sickly shade of grey. "You may feel just a little queasy – it's natural. Maybe you should sit down," as if to demonstrate the mistake Hercules had made Hades sent a heavy weight crashing in to him, sending him flying through the gym. Stop it! Meg wanted to cry but she was still bound and gagged. "Now you know how it feels to be just like everybody else. Isn't it just peachy?" Meg's heart tore as she saw Hercules struggle to lift himself from the weights, his rippling muscles now useless. "Oh. You'll love this, one more thing. Meg babe," Hades clicked his fingers and pulled her closer, his hands wrapping themselves around her waist. "A deals a deal, you're off the hook!"

"No," she whispered, "please…just leave him alone!"

"By the way Herc is she not, like a fabulous little actress?" Hades spun her around as if they were lovers at a dance, his hands raising her arms high in the air before pulling her close once more.

"Stop it!" Meg pleaded trying to push him away.

"W – What do you mean?" Meg looked towards Hercules but her voice had fled and she could only look at the floor as her cheeks burned with shame.

"I mean your sweet little chickie-poo here has been working for me the whole time. Duh."

"Y – You're lying!" His voice was so weak and hoarse.

"Please," Meg turned to look at Hades. "Leave him alone – please don't do this!" Behind her she could see Pain and Panic throwing drinks at Hercules. "Stop it!"

"I couldn't have done it without you sugar, sweetheart, babe." Hades brought his face closer to her, almost as if he were about to kiss her.

"No! It's not like that," Meg looked over at Hercules desperately trying to make him see the truth. "I didn't mean to…I – I couldn't…" But what could she say? She had no choice? Surely if she had fought more, or even refused and taken whatever punishment Hades had bestowed on her. But she had been weak. A coward. Selfish. "I…I'm so sorry," her voice cracked and Hades pushed her aside as he jumped in to his chariot.

"Well, got to blaze. There's a whole cosmos up there waiting for me with, hey, my name on it. So much for the preliminaries, and now on to the main event." Meg collapsed on to the floor, burying her face in to her hands. She had her freedom back, but at what cost? There has to be a way to stop Hades. She tried to tell herself, but how? She looked at Hercules, he was lying on the floor with Pain and Panic dancing around him in glee. He cannot fight, he'll die. Looking up at the sky Meg felt her whole body begin to fill with lead. What had she done? I've plunged the world in to darkness and for what? She asked herself bitterly. Why had Hades given her back her freedom only to be so cruel?

As Hercules stood up and left the stadium Meg silently followed him. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but what could she say? Where could she even start? He would never understand, she thought feeling herself shrink. In the distance a towering cyclops stomped around Thebes; demolishing temples, buildings and anything that stood in it's way. I was a fool to ever trust Hades, to sell him my soul. To fall in love. Her eyes darted towards Hercules whose eyes were firmly fixed upon the destructive cyclops.

"Where are you going?" She cried running in front of him and placing her hands on his chest. His skin was so cold, where had the warmth gone? "Without your strength you will be killed!"

"There are worse things." Dull blue eyes looked down at her, his handsome face twisted in to a mask of disdain. Meg felt as if he had struck her and she could do nothing as he pushed past, stumbling down the stairs.

"Wait!" She called but he acted as if he had not heard her. Desperately she looked around, where was Phil? Where had he been the whole time that deal had been going on? Where was Pegasus? Why was he all alone? Her eyes darted around trying to spot any trace of where the winged-horse or satyr could be. Was it possible Hades had gotten to them first? A panicked whinnying pricked at her ears and Meg hurtled in the direction of the sound, stumbling upon the stables. She was shocked to see Pegasus tied up, but relieved that he was at least still alive. Was Hades that cocky? He had taken Hercules' strength, but did he think that would be enough? There's still hope! She thought moving cautiously towards Pegasus who kicked out at her. "Easy horsefeathers," she held up her trembling hands but the horse continued to buck. "Stop twitching," she tried to untie him but it was hard as he fought against her. Did she smell of the Underworld? The steed had seemed to dislike her from the moment he had met her, could he sense what was wrong with her? "Listen! Hercules is in trouble," Seizing one of the bonds she pulled the horse's head close to her own. "We gotta find Phil, he's the only one who can talk some sense in to him!"

Her words seemed to take effect, the horse stopped bucking and waited for her to untie him. She gripped his mane tightly, feeling sick as Pegasus bolted from the stables and leapt in to the sky. She knew that the height and speed of this ride was nothing personal, but it still did little to stop her stomach from dropping. Closing her eyes Meg pressed her face in to Pegasus's mane, trusting that the horse would know where to go. As he descended she forced herself to open her eyes, she could just spot Phil in the darkness making his way down a spiral staircase and to a ship being violently tossed within the ocean. She looked behind her at the sky, how much time did they have? Would they know if Hades had succeeded?

"Phil!" She called out as Pegasus got as close as he could to the satyr. "Phil, Hercules needs your help!"

"What does he need me for when he's got friends like you?" Meg didn't pause to loathe herself, there was no time.

"He won't listen to me -"

"Good! He's finally learned something." Phil turned towards the shop but Pegasus cut off his path.

"Look...I know what I did was wrong but this isn't about me it's about him." Phil looked as if he was trying to ignore her, as if he didn't care. "If you don't help him now Phil then he'll die." Her words worked and she was relieved when the satyr dropped his bag and allowed her to help him in to the saddle. She felt she should explain what was happening, what she had done, but she couldn't bring herself to voice her treachery. Tears skimmed down her cheeks and she was sure they fell on to Phil but he mercifully remained silent.

Hercules was not hard to find, the cyclops towered over Thebes, but Pegasus seemed to find him even without the giant target. At the sight of the city Phil let out a low whistle, Meg could tell he wanted an explanation but she couldn't find the strength to give one. Not just yet. As Pegasus landed Phil leapt from his back, running over to the barely concious Hercules. Meg was sickened to see him covered in bruises, how he had not yet broken anything was a miracle. Either that or the cyclops knew exactly how to torment him, to prolong his pain. She prayed it wasn't the latter.

"You were right all along, Phil. Dreams are for rookies." Hercules, Meg wanted to run to his side but the look of loathing in his eyes was enough to make her step back. She looked away ashamed, her hand resting on Pegasus. She screamed as the cyclops picked Hercules up, threatening to bite his head off.

"No!" She screamed picking up a rock and throwing it at the cyclops, but it didn't even distract him. She looked around for anything that could help, but a scream of agony tore her eyes back to the cyclops. She was frightened at what she would see, but a smile broke out across her lips as she saw the cyclops holding his eye and Hercules running around his legs tying them up with a rope he had found. As the cyclops tripped up the sound of marble cracking caught Meg's attention.

"Hercules! Look out!" Without a second though she rushed at him, pushing him out of harms way. The breath was knocked from her as the pillar crushed her ribs, the ground scraping her face. The earth took on a deafening silence, there was no longer screaming or the roar of fire. Instead there was...peace. A deafening peace.

"Meg!" She felt someone trying to lift the pillar, she opened her mouth to tell them to leave it but she couldn't find her voice. Just leave me, she thought. "What's happening?" Managing to crack her eyes open Meg was filled with wonder as she watched a golden light embrace Hercules. His skin flooded with the light, turning golden brown once more.

"H - Hades deal is broken," she gasped managing to turn on her back. She bit back a cry of agony not wanting to let Hercules see how much pain she was in. "He promised I - I wouldn't get hurt." She could barely breathe, her lungs felt as if they had been impaled and each breath she drew brought a fresh wave of agony.

"Meg...why...why did you - you didn't have to -"

"People always do...crazy things...when they're in love." His hand was so warm, or was she just unnaturally cold? Tears blurred her eyes but she couldn't even find the strength to blink them away.

"Meg...I...I..."

"Are you...always this articulate?" She teased and somehow managed to squeeze the hand which gripped her own. "You haven't got much time. You can still stop Hades." She had to tell him that if he fought Hades then he would win, that Hades would fail in his plans. At least in the Styx he can't hurt me, she thought in relief.

"You're going to be alright. I promise." Her eyes were closed but Meg managed a small smile and nod, as if she knew she would be. She couldn't let on that she was drawing her last breath, what if he stayed with her?

"Go," she breathed only letting out her cry of pain when she had heard Pegasus take off. Phil moved a broken piece of the pillar behind her head, he sat beside her, but neither spoke. Tears slipped down Meg's cheek as she drew in each shuddery breath, how many more did she have? "I - I'm sorry," she croaked feeling the darkness embrace her. "I...I did love him..." She couldn't hear Phil's reply, she couldn't hear anything. Nor could she see or even feel.

I wasn't even free for twelve hours, she thought bitterly. But...at least I knew love. She drew in her final breath, finding peace that at least Hercules was fighting. That there could only be one outcome. Goodbye Wonderboy.