Chapter Text
"Yeah, something about, baby, you and I
You and I, you, you and I
Oh yeah, I'd rather die without you and I."- You And I by Lady Gaga
Meg had taken Creon's decision seriously and she left everyday early in the morning and usually was back late at night.
It was strange, to say the least, as Hercules had gotten used to being the busy one in their relationship, but he wasn't complaining either. He had seen a transformation in Meg, even though she was often tired, she was much more determined than before. There was a spark in her gaze he hadn't seen before. There was no question about it: she was flourishing and he couldn't be any prouder of her.
It was one of these mornings when Meg had already left, when Hercules, Cassandra and Icarus were idly spending their time at his villa.
It started as a joke, as Cassandra had proposed that maybe he should given them a sightseeing tour of Thebes. To her chagrin, both Hercules and Icarus both jumped at her idea. As they left the villa, Hercules thought he heard Cassandra muttering to herself something in the lines of: "If I'm serious, they don't even listen to me, but when I'm joking, my word is suddenly the law. Seriously?"
The day was beautiful, but hot: there was still much re-building to do after all the turmoil the city-state had been through. Hercules was still proud to show his new home to his friends. And luckily they were mostly left alone and not followed by hordes of fanatic fan girls.
The city was impressive, but it wasn't city itself that made biggest impression on his friends. Icarus was quite taken with a certain cat called Snowball, who had survived several fires and Icarus claimed he shared a connection with the cat as he himself had survived flying too close to the sun. This incident ended with the owner of the cat chasing Icarus with broom and he had to promise to leave the cat (and its owner) alone. Cassandra admired all the temples dedicated to oracles of different deities.
Hercules had to admit, he had missed their shenanigans and he was having quite lot of fun. That was until a certain point, when he witnessed a concerning conversation.
"Have you heard Creon's latest craze? He made his daughter his substitute ruler!" a sturdy, bearded middle-aged man complained to his speaking companion.
"A girl ruling a city-state? Creon's house is certainly on a downfall," the elder man made brittle with his age shook his head.
"Yes, the Gods themselves have decided that women are inferior compared to men. Remember the times of our founding father Cadmus? Those days are certainly gone. It's only question of time when Creon will lose the throne," the other man complained.
Hercules gritted his teeth together, squeezing his balled fists as if itching to fight the men. Cassandra placed her hand on his arm, shaking her head in concern.
"I know hearing that upsets you, but please don't interfere. This is a fight Meg must fight by herself. If she can change people's opinions, she must do it on her own and earn it by her own accomplishments," Cassandra explained.
Hercules sighed, feeling the tension unwinding.
"I know, you're right. Thanks, Cassandra," Hercules meekly offered. It was then that Icarus joined them, looking evidently way too carefree and obviously trying to hide something behind his back. Both Cassandra and Hercules gave him a meaningful look, making him shrug.
"Icarus, you're the worst liar I know. Okay, Herc might the worst, but you're right there on the same line only a little after him. So what are you hiding?" Cassandra tapped the ground in an agitated manner.
Icarus sighed, offering them a scroll of newspaper.
"Fine then. But don't believe the word Homer is saying!" Icarus dramatically wailed and Cassandra snatched the paper from him, Hercules reading it from behind her back.
There it was. The biggest headline.
"KING CREON OFFERING HIS DAUGHTER TO MIGHTY HERCULES – IS EVEN HE POPULAR ENOUGH TO SAVE HIS CURSED HOUSE?"
"Creon offering Meg to me?" Hercules wheezed out, not believing his eyes.
Cassandra's eyebrows were in a worried line as she scanned through the main article.
"Yeah. I know. Homer has reached a new low with this scoop," Cassandra shook her head.
"Herc, buddy, we know the real story and it went nothing like that," Icarus patted Hercules' hand, and he shook his head.
"I know Ick. But most of the people haven't heard the real story and they might believe this – "Hercules was loss at words.
"Donkey shite?" Cassandra kindly offered.
"Exactly. In his story, he's suggesting Meg is some meek damsel with no will of her own!" Hercules exploded.
"Anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who has ever met Meg knows that nothing could be farther from the truth," Cassandra replied and Icarus nodded furiously beside him.
"Exactly, buddy! This story is mere gossip, nothing more, just leave it," Icarus continued and Hercules had to agree with their reasoning to a certain point. He could only wish Meg hadn't heard any of it.
Later that day, when it was almost late at night, Meg finally returned back home, finding Hercules sitting on their bed in a manner which he might have thought was casual. For Meg, it was obvious he was hiding something.
"What is it Wonderboy?" Meg asked, crossing her arms at her chest.
"Wha- I, I don't understand what you mean –", he begun, obviously trying his best to hide a news scroll behind his back. Which Meg quickly snatched from him and started reading it.
Her eyebrows almost met her hairline as she read quickly through the article.
"Wow, got to hand it to this Homer guy, no-one has been able to showcase me as clueless and helpless as he has. A true damsel, I would say," Meg finally breathed out, sitting next to Hercules on the bed.
"Which is why I didn't want to concern you with this. I know how hard you work. And I'm so proud of because of it," Hercules replied, draping his arm around Meg.
"Thanks, I appreciate it Wonderboy. But in my position, I can't afford not knowing things, it's important to keep me updated. Even if I don't like it, you should tell me. Okay?" Meg carefully explained, moving closer to him.
"Got it. I'm sorry honey," he offered, but she simply shook her head.
"Don't be. In fact, don't say anything: I've done enough talking today," Meg moved closer, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Then what should we do?" Hercules wondered aloud, earning a sly grin from Meg.
"Oh, I've got some ideas," she breathed to his ear before kissing him hard on his lips.
He felt all his tension melting away as all his senses were filled of her: there was nothing else left to feel that night pure bliss.