Page 34 of A Goddess Unraveled (Olympus Rising)
Lexi clung to Misty’s harness as the horse sped toward home. While the beast was perfectly capable of flying, Lexi preferred to feel Misty’s muscular hindquarters grinding against her buttocks and the sound of hooves pounding the dirt.
There was something erotic about riding bareback, although Lexi hadn’t thought of it that way until she met Hades. Now she was living the life of a goddess and having regular sex with the god of the dead. Six months in, and the images she was able to conjure still sent chills up her spine.
Her fantasy life was a far cry from the life her family had imagined for her. They would have had her married off to a boastful, stuffed shirt wannabe from her parents’ list of potential suitors. Or worse, an arrogant god who thought monogamy was some type of disease.
Of course, every fantasy had its version of stuffed shirts, and Hecate, goddess of sorcery and apothecary, held that position in the underworld. She was okay, in a mother-in-law sort of way, but she definitely had a different idea of how Lexi’s time should be spent, like sitting through intensive lectures about the gods and requiring Lexi to practice her gifts until her fingers went numb.
Fortunately, Hecate had a sense of humor. She liked to pretend she didn’t, but it was there, and it saved Lexi. Otherwise, she would have to find better places to hide from the matronly goddess.
Hecate also liked to use Lexi as her delivery girl. Today, Lexi was responsible for a bunch of fresh arugula, green onions, and cherry tomatoes for the palace nymphs. Fiona, who was a whiz in the kitchen, relied heavily on Hecate’s gardening skills.
The other package Lexi carried held her monthly dose of wild yam powder, a medicinal she used as a contraceptive. She may have agreed to be Hades’s lover, but she had no intention of getting knocked up. At least, not until she actually felt like a goddess. Besides, she had a long time to think about it, and she was having too much fun riding the waves of passion.
The palace bridge came into view, reminding Lexi that she would soon be with Hades again. It also reminded her of another bridge she had yet to cross. Persephone would arrive soon, and Lexi was worried as hell. The nymphs gushed about Persephone’s kindness and grace, but Lexi couldn’t decide if this made her feel better or worse. Would Persephone’s goodness trump anything Lexi might bring to the table? Was Lexi destined to play backup for all of eternity? Sometimes she wondered if she was crazy-in-love or just plain crazy.
While most girls lost their virginity to their high school sweetheart or the boy next door, Lexi had celebrated her college graduation by climbing into the back of a limo and doing the deed with a near total stranger. Sure, she had made it with a god, but she couldn’t exactly brag about it.
Now Lexi couldn’t imagine her life without Hades. And his mate was about to arrive to burst their romantic bubble. She didn’t want to see him in the arms of another woman, sharing a secret smile or a lusty kiss. Yet that was her reality. She was the mistress. The other woman. The meager demigod. But she still had a heart.
Misty snorted, distracting Lexi from her desperate thoughts, and she focused on the bridge and the figure waiting for her there. He wore a powder-blue shirt and heather-gray pants, his white robe slung over one arm. Even from a distance, Hades’s elegant bearing gave him the appearance of royalty, and Lexi waved excitedly as she let the subject of mates and mistresses drop from her mind. For now, she was still his sole desire.
As soon as Misty arrived at the stone bridge, Hades hurried to Lexi’s side, offering his arm as she dismounted. The rapid ticking of his pulse inside her hand made her own heart flutter as they smiled at each other like silly kids on the playground.
“Hello, my sweet,” he said. “I have thought of you every moment since I left for the gates. You look stunning in that blouse.”
Lexi glanced down at the silk shirt she wore. It was made from fabric Hades had purchased from a merchant in India. He said the vibrant colors made him think of spring. Blythe, one of the palace nymphs, had told Lexi that Persephone didn’t like the fabric, so the nymphs stored it away until another purpose could be found. In a moment of weakness, or perhaps stupidity, Lexi let Blythe’s bright eyes and bouncy enthusiasm convince her it was a fine idea to have a blouse made from the fabric.
“Blythe is amazing. She can sew, cook, sing harmony, play backgammon. So far, I haven’t found a single thing she can’t do.”
Just then, the palace door opened, and Cerberus bounded through it, plopping onto his hindquarters to wait for his master. Behind the oversized canine, the ever-cheerful Blythe smiled from the open doorway.
Lexi waved at Blythe, who broke into a bout of giggles then quickly disappeared behind the door, leaving Cerberus to his own affairs. Lexi didn’t mind that the nymphs were never far away. She’d grown fond of each one and considered them to be better friends than she’d ever had at school.
Hades wove his arms around her waist, and he kissed her as he reached under the loose fabric of her blouse, trailing his fingers over her skin, causing a cascade of goose bumps.
“I think the nymphs are expecting us for dinner,” she said. “If you keep that up, our soup will be cold by the time we eat it.”
“I would rather eat you. What do you say to that?”
“I’d say you were a wicked god with an insatiable appetite. It’s one of the things I love about you.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Hades, we’re on the bridge.”
“Indulge me. I just want to see how this shirt looks as a dress.” Hades began a slow descent to his knees, tugging Lexi’s riding pants down to her feet. All further protests were squelched as he pressed his mouth over the fabric of her panties, blowing warmth against her skin.
She drew in a gasp. “We really shouldn’t . . . Melinoe could be here any— Mmm . . . Oh, gods.”
Lexi offered her weak pleas but allowed Hades to have his fun, and a rush of air circled them as her powers were triggered. Suddenly, he glanced up and schooled a grimace as he rose from the bridge.
“I’d take you right here if Melinoe weren’t walking up the path.”
“Oh, damn.” Lexi stiffened as she turned toward the forest where a cloaked figure was emerging from the trees. “How did you know she was coming?”
“Let’s just say I’m sensitive to her vibrations. While I was on my knees, I had an image of Cerberus ripping your head off.”
“That’s awful. Does she do that on purpose?”
Hades shrugged. “I assume it’s a disturbing byproduct of her gifts, of which I have long been the unfortunate recipient.”
“Well, I’m glad I’ll never have to face her at the gates. Tormenting mortals in their dreams then confronting them when they die is a horrifying thought.”
Hades brushed Lexi’s flushed cheek with the back of his hand. “Even as a mortal, you would not encounter Melinoe at the gates. Your soul is too pure, almost too pure to be a god’s. But we have time to work on defiling that.”
Lexi fondled his backside as she brought her mouth to his ear. “If wanting you makes me impure, then you defile me every time you touch me.”
Melinoe made the short journey across the field with effortless grace, as if her feet never touched the ground, and arrived at the bridge where Lexi and Hades waited to greet her. As usual, she had shrouded herself in black, giving off a sinister vibe, and Lexi wouldn’t have been surprised if she kept a scythe hidden inside her clothing.
But Melinoe was no reaper. There was a raven-haired beauty beneath that gothic wardrobe. Her ivory face glowed against dark eyes heavily lined with kohl, and lips as crimson as blood, captivating even when she appeared as a phantom behind a veil. Yet, as far as Lexi could tell, beauty was the only trait Melinoe shared with her mother, Persephone. Her moodiness had surely come from Zeus, the father who refused to claim her.
“You two seem to be enjoying each other’s company. Please, don’t let me interrupt.”
Melinoe’s words held an acerbic tang as she stepped onto the bridge, her veil failing to hide a scowl as the air crackled with enough electricity to lift the hairs on Lexi’s arms. The goddess of nightmares made no attempt to slow her pace, sweeping past them with a toss of her gloved hand, as if they were annoying apparitions, and Hades tsked at her retreating back. Even Cerberus offered a look of distaste from one of his heads.
Blythe, on the other hand, hurried outside to greet Melinoe with an animated wave. The nymphs, being perpetually happy, never seemed to notice Melinoe’s gloomy personality. Or, at least, they never talked about it in front of the gods.
Inside the palace, Lexi handed off the garden supplies to Fiona, then Hades walked her to the dining room. With Thanksgiving a few days away, the table had been staged to impress. Lexi knew this was for her benefit. The nymphs were constantly trying to make her feel at home, and she loved them for it.
They had set out a wicker cornucopia spilling over with oranges, apples, and pomegranates. Maple leaves decorated the plates, and the wineglasses were trimmed in silver.
On both ends of the table, candelabras stood like gnarled trees, the wrought iron limbs stretching their bony fingers around black candles. They were macabre but beautiful, and Lexi assumed they’d been put out to impress Melinoe and her morbid tastes. Then Lexi blanched when she noticed the tablecloth. It featured centaurs and minotaurs wielding spears as they chased each other around the bottom hem—another choice presumably made for Melinoe’s benefit. But she didn’t seem impressed as she reached, single-mindedly, for a carafe of wine and floated into her chair.
“I take it there’s been no word from the bearded wonder about your request to spend this feasting day with your family?” Melinoe said, gesturing at the table.
Lexi knew she was referring to Thanksgiving, and she knew the ‘bearded wonder’ was Zeus, although Melinoe used a different nickname for him every time the omnipotent god’s name came up.
“We should hear back any moment,” Hades offered smoothly. He had been a lot more confident about the outcome of their request than Lexi, especially after Zeus had been threatening every form of torture imaginable since the moment Lexi arrived in the underworld.
“The council meeting is tomorrow,” Melinoe said, allowing the wine to slowly fill her glass as if she was running an experiment. “Do you really think his cronies would challenge him? He’s done worse things than ask another god to break the rules on his behalf.”
Hades relaxed into his heavily upholstered high-back chair as Blythe ladled soup into his bowl. “This is Mnemosyne we’re talking about. A Titan, not a god. And she’s Lexi’s mother. I’m not worried.”
It turned out that Zeus’s rage-fueled request that Mnemosyne erase Lexi’s memories in order to subdue and bind her to the mortal realm had come back to bite him like a dog scorned. All Lexi and Hades had to do was threaten to expose his egregious actions to the Council of the Gods, which Mnemosyne was all too happy to corroborate and present at tomorrow’s council meeting.
“It sounds like you’ve worked your magic once again, Hades.” Melinoe lifted her veil just high enough to sip from her glass. “Then I suppose you two have already packed for your visit to the land of the mortals. Who’s invited? I might have to join you if Ares is planning to attend.”
“It’s not that kind of visit, Melinoe,” Hades told her. “Thanksgiving is a family bonding holiday celebrated in a specific region. I doubt Ares would find an interest in it. Although, I am certain Z will be there. So, if you want to see a fight . . .”
Lexi reached over and tapped Hades’s arm playfully, and Melinoe rolled her eyes.
“I have no interest in family gatherings,” Melinoe offered. “If anything of importance happens, I’ll just have Kade fill me in.” She turned her dark eyes on Lexi, who knew exactly which of Hades’s offspring she was talking about. Kade was the son Hades shared with Melinoe.
Lexi had not been introduced to any of Hades’s offspring yet, but she knew Melinoe had given birth to two of them, a boy and a girl. The girl, Kylie, hated her mother and had escaped to Olympus to get away from her. The boy, Kade, was a typical cocky god who left the underworld to find more goddesses to screw.
“Kade will be at my parent’s house for Thanksgiving? When were you planning to tell me this, Hades?” Lexi attempted to look more inquisitive than accusatory. She knew Hades didn’t like sharing his long and polygamous history with her.
“Today?” Hades’s golden eyes sparkled as he blinked them at her. The rogue.
Melinoe abandoned her wine to chuckle. “I’m sorry if I spoiled the surprise. Hades thought it would be best to introduce you to our delinquent son in a setting you’re more familiar with. On your own turf, so to speak. He’s quite thoughtful that way.”
Lexi had been trying not to feel like the third wheel whenever she was the last to know about things. It was bound to happen. She knew it would take more than a few months to find her place among the gods.
She bobbed her head as she turned her attention to a bowl of pureed acorn squash. As the room filled with weighty silence, Lexi felt a paw plop across her shoe. Cerberus had taken his place at her feet, and the breath from all three heads warmed her legs as he waited for a handout.
She reached for the basket of bread and broke off three pieces, lifting the tablecloth to look at a trio of begging faces. “This is going to cost you one extra lap around the west tower.” She tossed down the bread, watching three mouths scramble for their prize, and when she looked up, Hades was grinning at her.
“I see the nymphs have been preparing for Persephone’s arrival.” Melinoe gestured to a long strand of thick paper snowflakes swooping across the crown molding. Garlands of holly with bright red berries dangled vertically every few feet. “Are you anxious to meet the queen of the palace, Lexi?”
The veil may have obscured Melinoe’s face, but Lexi knew the smirk was there. It wasn’t simply that Melinoe had a jealous streak and had been chilly to Lexi since day one. It was no secret that Melinoe hated her mother, and it came down to one sore subject.
Despite Persephone’s apparent kindness and grace, she had never forced Melinoe’s paternity on Zeus, and that wound had been festering for centuries. But that wasn’t Lexi’s problem, and regardless of Melinoe’s agenda, Lexi refused to let herself be antagonized by the bitter goddess.
“Who wouldn’t be anxious to meet her?” Lexi said. “I’ve been reading stories about the gods my entire life, and I love the tale of Persephone and Hades. Not many people can say they’ve met their favorite storybook characters.”
The scowl that replaced Melinoe’s smirk said plenty, and she looked down at her soup, although she made no move to eat it. “Don’t tell me you’re not the least bit concerned that you’ll be tossed aside like roadkill when she arrives?”
“Melinoe . . .” Hades’s voice rumbled like an ocean storm. Distant but still powerful.
“It’s okay, Hades,” said Lexi. “Of course, I’m concerned. I’m not an emotionless zombie. I’ll tackle the situation with my eyes on the horizon and my head in the game, like I do everything else.”
Lexi spooned soup into her mouth, keeping her gaze lifted to watch Melinoe. Why did she always wear that damned veil? It was unnerving. Did she do it to be mysterious? Maybe she used it as protection, the way some people used sunglasses or beards. What was she protecting?
Lexi had noticed that Hades held himself a little stiffer when Melinoe was around, and one eye always seemed to be on her, observing in silence. Still, there was something about Melinoe that Hades found attractive. They had made babies together. Or maybe the loneliness had simply gotten to him.
“Who’s ready for stuffed peppers?” Fiona scurried into the dining room, balancing a full tray on her palm. She was followed by Blythe, who shared a sympathetic smile with Lexi as she picked up the empty soup bowls. Lexi wondered if the nymphs had timed their entrance to interrupt the thorny conversation. They were incredibly perceptive.
Melinoe managed to finish off two carafes of wine during dinner, changing the subject to the Acheron River, where a group of young satyrs had been seen bathing outside their territory. Lexi knew the Acheron River was also called the River of Pain, and it made her wonder what kind of karma the satyrs were bringing on themselves by bathing in it.
When the enchanted sky began to darken, and the mournful cries of the underworld creatures echoed out of the forest, Melinoe left, promising to return after Persephone finished her winter visit and making it sound a lot like a threat.
True to his nature, Hades remained polite until Melinoe stepped off the bridge, at which point he grabbed Lexi’s hand, a full carafe of wine, and led her up six flights of stairs to the dome room, the highest point in the palace. It was a favorite hideout of his when he needed to brood about something. She’d been invited a number of times to view the sky from the velvet chaise—or take part in more lustful activities.
“I hope you have a good reason . . . for dragging me all the way up here . . . after that heavy meal,” Lexi said between breaths. “I might decorate the marble floor in orange and green.”
Hades smiled as he filled her glass with wine. “I always have a good reason for bringing you up here, oh enchanting one. I’d like to finish what we started on the bridge before we were so rudely interrupted.”