Megara: Ancient History

Distance

It takes a long time to get back to the Cellar. Ethos is weak, hobbling along, and I'm not exactly in pristine condition myself. But it doesn't matter. He's alive. From there I'm able to send for an apothecary, and we sit in the back corner, leaning helplessly against the wall.

"Megara," Ethos says after we've been sitting there for a long while. "You are far too good for me."

There's not many men who would admit that, and I wrap my hand around his. I refuse to think about my deal I made with Hades. I don't have to think about it until I have to think about it.

Right now, I don't have to think about it.

"Megara. I didn't win the bet."

"That doesn't matter," I say.

"It does," he argues. He tries to sit up and grimaces. "I can't pay you."

I look at him oddly. I thought he'd understand that I... I wasn't expecting payment anymore. There was no amount of money that could pay for what I'd done anyway. I didn't want him to pay. I didn't want his closeness to be bought.

"You don't have to pay me," is all I say.

"No." He looks at me sharply. "I have to pay you."

I'm not going to try that hard to stop him from paying me, so I only shrug. But then he stands up and starts limping away from me, and I scramble to follow him.

"Ethos- where are you going?"

"I'm going to go make things right, Megara," he says.

His hand hovers over his back, and I know what he means. He's going to go get Hesta's Bounty, and he's going to pay me out of that. As if a portion of that bounty is enough to pay for thirty years of service.

He doesn't know that I know about the zeusflower, though. And I don't want him to. Not when Hades is the one who told me about it. So I give him the chance to tell me.

"How?" I ask. "How do you plan on making things right?"

He looks at me for a second, then swallows hard. "I'll find a way."

"Don't go," I say softly, taking his hand. "Don't go."

"I have to, Megara."

He pulls his hand away and gives me one last look before heading to the door. I don't stop him, even though I desperately want to. I'm fully aware that he stopped called me Meg.