"You think she's... you know...?"
"Dead?"
"No, dumbass. Pregnant."
"Do NOT let her hear you say that."

Serena wished she was. (Dead, not pregnant). Dropping in the middle of a budget meeting was embarrassing enough, but now she was laid up on the couch in her spacious office, feeling like she was going to throw up just from blinking. It did not feel like any illness she'd ever had, though. And the glow emanating from her sapphire ring had alerted her that Herc was using her powers.

Apparently, f*** all of them.

It was draining, in all senses of the world. Serena felt like a squeezed lemon at best, busy reconsidering her choice to get herself a battery-operated demigod. She felt miserable now, even though the draining feeling was gone. And she really, really wanted to know what happened. Hercules owed her one hell of an explanation.

It was moments after he had left Javi the strong he felt his ‘summons’ she wished to speak with him. Was it due to the siphon she was calling him? ”Master?” he questioned out loud even though only pigeons were around. Hercules was between leaps from building to building. Most of the birds saw the shirtless behemoth falling towards them and scattered. It didn’t matter there would be no dent in the roof where he landed. Hercules embraced the feeling of being needed and vanished pulling on master William’s reserves a bit more due to Serena giving off a tired vibe.

The giant appeared before the couch where his most recent master laid out on a couch. ”I felt I was needed!” he reached his hand up ready to call his club from where he left it. On a roof halfway across the city. It was easier to store it on a roof somewhere than keep blowing holes through the young master William’s house.

Looking around the hulk stood shirtless looking around for danger. There was none. It was an office and judging by how she was laying on the couch hers. Though he wasn’t sure. ”You look exhausted!” Hercules roared puffing out his chest and placing his hands on his hips adopting his ‘stern’ voice. It was just louder and less relax.

”Have you been sleeping enough? Eight hours is the recommended amount from what I’m told now! Have you been up all night? That won’t do at all!”

>>”I felt I was needed!”

"Shhhh..." Serena would have snapped a cone of silence on Hercules the moment he appeared, if she had any juice left. As things stood, she had to resort to words, like a damn parent.

>>”You look exhausted! Have you been sleeping enough? Eight hours is the recommended amount from what I’m told now! Have you been up all night? That won’t do at all!”

"You tell me" Serena frowned, peering up at him from the couch. "I was minding my own business, and then someone yanked all the juice out of me. Assuming that was you? Care to explain?"

It took a lot to silence a god, especially when he was describing how to stay healthy. Eight hours of sleep, drink plenty of fluids and eat a well balanced diet along with exercise. He was a peak example of what could happen when you took care of yourself. The god’s mouth however clamped shut when she asked him what had happened. Why she felt like this.

”It was agreed upon.” Hercules said standing up and looking around the room for anything that would help her. Water, food, maybe a blanket. Anything to not make eye contact. The last thing he wanted was to hear a lecture from one of his masters. ”I... might have focused on pulling more magic from you this time around.” he offered finally.

His barreled chest bare as imperfections from the fight could be seen on his body. Dried blood, motor oil, and some soot. ”There was a school bus full of children being shot at and a armored vehicle being robbed.” he started to explain without tripping over his words. He was an honest god after all, and this was all the truth.

”As humanity’s protector I decided to intervene. I even received an interview! A truly enjoyable event! I might even be on the news later!” Hercules said flexing, clearly proud of his good deeds. ”You saved a bus full of children today!” he smiled warmly.

”Now, is there anything I can do for you master? I feel partially to blame.”

Serena closed her eyes, wishing she could shot out this god-sized personification of a hangover. Of course it had been him. She had never felt drained like that before, and she had participated in enough committee meetings. Apparently, a bus full of children had been at risk. Serena wished she could care about that.

"You are entirely to blame" she groaned as he waxed poetic about getting interviewed. That had to be a reporter's wet dream, interviewing a glowing demigod. "I need a goddamn drink..."

If she said he was entirely to blame than he was. Hercules knew the repercussions of using his strength and his powers. He was a god tethered to mortals and the only way he could use his immortality for the sake of them was to draw from them. A heavy burden. One Hercules was eternally grateful for. ”So I am...” he finally replied. Hercules detested lying. Even in jest... unless it was one of his jokes.

”Then a drink you shall have!” Hercules looked around the room doing his best to locate a beverage for his master. She didn’t specify what she needed to drink so the demi-god would have settled with anything. Better to bring her something than nothing at all. ”Allow me to fetch you a ‘goddamn’ drink.” Hercules said putting the emphasis on the words as she did to show her the Prince of Olympus was a good listener.

Before waiting for a response Hercules burst through the door his muscles bulging as he looked around the office space of his master’s subordinates. A few of them stopped what they were doing and stared, there were many mouths ajar.

”You there! Point me to the refreshments!” the god boomed pointing to a tiny woman with rounded glasses. The woman jumped and pointed down the corridor past some glass walled rooms. It was there Hercules spotted the break room. ”Ha! Excellent! Mas-Serena! I shall be back with refreshments at once!” he didn’t walk but ran lumbering down the hallway true to his word only having to slow down and move a mail cart out of the way (very gently).

Minutes later Hercules returned back into his master’s office with a handful of beverages one of them even happened to be a small decanter he happened to find in another office. There were options. Anything for his master! ”I have milk, orange juice, water and whatever is in this!” the amber liquid ‘sloshed’ around in the glass before setting them all down in front of her clearly proud of his haul.

"Wha..." Serena looked up too late, as Hercules had already barged out of the office, probably scarring the entire staff for life, and making half of them question their sexuality. Serena groaned and closed her eyes again. She could already hear people whispering things like where did he even come from...

>>”I have milk, orange juice, water and whatever is in this!”

"What am I, a kindergarden class?" Serena glared up at him, gesturing at the bottle of whiskey. "That one."

Alright, so drinking alcohol while drained might not have been the smartest idea, but if she had to choose between passing out and dealing with Hercules sober, she knew what she was going to choose.

"So, let me recap... You saved a bus full of kids from someone shooting at them, and then you gave an interview?... You didn't mention me, did you?"

The gentle giant raised an eyebrow at her choice then looked to the other drinks. ”I don’t believe you are...” he was under the impression it was just for children. Elizabeth filled him in on the rankings of schooling in this era. ”However, Milk is good for growing bones and keeping them strong and this.” he took and started to drink the orange juice, ”Is supposed to keep your immune system up!” he said reciting the lines from memory when he tried to get William to consume something other than coffee. The boy consumed too much.

Hercules didn’t say anything about her consuming alcohol at this time of the day. Anytime was a good reason to celebrate. Mortals had such short lives.

”Allow me!” Hercules offered finding a glass nearby and pouring heavily into the glass then offering it up. ”Well, it started as an armored vehicle robbery from my understanding of the events but it led to them shooting at a bus full of children after Javi the strong and I stopped the bus from going over the edge of the bridge. Worry not though! They felt the heft of my club! Truly deplorable men! Can you believe it? Shooting at children.” Hercules started to glow the more he thought about it draining more from the master in front of him.

”Willi- my other master said it do nothing but put my master in danger if I reveled who I serve so I have not mentioned you... unless you’d like me to start mentioning you.” glossing over his slip up of naming his other master, one he discussed to Serena multiple times he continued ”It might draw attention to you! If you want it you shall have it!” the demigod promised before asking, ”Do you require ice?”

>>”I don’t believe you are... However, Milk is good for growing bones and keeping them strong and this. Is supposed to keep your immune system up!”

Serena groaned and rolled her eyes. Alcohol. She needed lots of it, to deal with this mess. Her bones an immune system could get in the damn line after she'd dealt with getting the literal life sucked out of her by an overeager demigod.

>>”Well, it started as an armored vehicle robbery from my understanding of the events but it led to them shooting at a bus full of children after Javi the strong and I stopped the bus from going over the edge of the bridge. Worry not though! They felt the heft of my club! Truly deplorable men! Can you believe it? Shooting at children.”

Alright, yeah, at least that was a good cause. Serena was a downright bitch by factory setting, but she was not a monster. Children being shot at was not okay. Good thing Hercules and... that other guy were there. She still grumbled, not ready to let go of her righteous annoyance just yet.

>>”Willi- my other master said it do nothing but put my master in danger if I reveled who I serve so I have not mentioned you... unless you’d like me to start mentioning you. It might draw attention to you! If you want it you shall have it! Do you require ice?”

"Give that to me" Serena sat up to snatch the glass from his hand, and downed half of it in one go. "Alright, listen up. Never, under any circumstances, talk about me in an interview. Got it? Last thing I need is press getting up in my business, asking how I acquired a glowing mountain as a familiar. Mystics are not out that way yet."

The prince of power released the glass as it was grabbed only to make sure not a drop was spilt. It be a waste, especially if that was what Serena required. ”Understood. Very rarely do I talk of my other masters in the presence of others unless they asked me specifically to mention them.” the god bowed and took a step back.

”The last thing I would want is your life to become endangered for something I have done or said.” he said truthfully standing upright still shirtless. ”We are connected after all and it would bring me great displeasure for anything to happen to you.” he added. Even seeing any of his masters drained like this was a constant reminder that he was harming them.

”Familair?” this caused Hercules to roar with laughter. ”Me a familiar!?!” the thought brought him great joy at the idea. Him a god, slayer of monsters, and titans. A mere familiar. ”I’m sorry master but that is humorous. I am a god. Several thousand leagues above a mere familiar. Surely you jest.” he flexed. It would take a thousands familiars to compare to him.

Serena was slowly getting used to Hercules meaning all the ridiculous crap that came out of his mouth. It was an adjustment. Usually men like him who made boastful claims were just putting on a show. But somehow, this glowing hunk of ego actually kept his word, in her experience. If she said he took something seriously, he would. Which was a rarity in itself.

She rolled his eyes at his portesting the term familiar, though.

"Alright, fine, but it's not like there's a name for what you are. You call me your master - somewhat problematic, by the way - and you are... what? My personal god?" she chuckled, shaking her head.

Placing his hands on his hips and still flexing he thought a moment on what term she should use. He was a servant. Also a god. His curse bound him to the masters and they him. It allowed him to regain his god like strength and a handful of other abilities. So what would he be other than a servant? Familiars from his understanding wanted to help who they were contracted to. Hercules only did it because the masters gave up so much for him.

”If you can come up with a better name for it I am willing to rethink our titles. I am a god, contracted to a master or several. Without my masters I would not exist on this plane nor would I have my godly might!” he flexed a bicep and then looked back to Serena. ”As I stated before, I am whatever you want or need me to be.”

”What I am though is a god. A demi god, a son of Zeus. Slayer of monsters and titans and protector of mortals. It is what I have always been. What I haven’t been ever, is a familiar. They are several thousand leagues beneath me and they require far less magic than I.” she had heard the titles he wielded before. Hercules knew he had told her this before so why was it so difficult to understand? Maybe he wasn’t clear enough?

”The curse as it was given to me called me a slave to mortals. Bound to the masters that I would serve. What else should it be called then?” the look of confusion on his face was apparent. Maybe it make more sense if he recited the parts of the curse he could recall in the original language. Then again he doubted Serena nor his other masters would be able to understand it.

"Yeah, okay, what you definitely are not is a slave" Serena clarified, downing the rest of her drink and holding out the glass for a refill. If she was already having a splitting headache, she might as well be buzzed. "A white woman keeping a slave in this day and age is not good PR, believe me. Unless I'm in a whole other line of business. But I'm not." She would have made a good dominatrix, with the attitude she had. But that was beside the point. "And I'm not in the market for minions or henchmen or whatever people in movies have. And I'm not putting you on payroll so you're not an employee." He sighed. Decisions, decisions.

Hercules refilled the glass when she held it up to him. She was clear in her meaning. Hefting the decanter he gave her another heavy pour then took a step back listening as she went over possible titles. She didn’t need or want a slave. She also claimed that he wasn’t one. How else would you describe being bound to a master?

”As I have stated. I have been many things, to many masters over the centuries. You need a role to fill I fill said role. I am no henchman.” Hercules boasted having most of his information of this era be movies. Several of those were mob movies. He actually completed duties tasked to him. Henchman failed.

”I am a god, an immortal and whatever you, my master wants I shall become so long as our pact is in place. I will be whatever you need me to be. Be it friend, lover or servant.” he made sure not to say slave. It was a touchy word in this era. Elizabeth kept correcting him as well. It was all frustrating to the descendant to Olympus.

”Do you require a meal with your drink?” feeling responsible for her current predicament.

Serena blinked at him. Sometimes she still doubted this guy was for real.

"I don't do friends. Or servants. And I'm definitely not going to have a... lover bound to me." Again, that was weird. Way too weird. "... wait, do the others do that?" Because then this whole mystic thing was suddenly way, way too many steps down the line towards a kink cult.

Serena sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Let's just go with bodyguard, shall we?" That was nice and neutral. She shook her head at his question. "Nah, I'm good. Just... uh. This was a lot, at one go."