A Goddess Unraveled

~38~

Uncle Z was complaining even before he closed the door to the study. "Lexi, I do not want you cavorting with my brother any longer. I must insist."

"You must insist?" Lexi offered him a scowl that could rival his own. "Are you forbidding me from hanging out with Luke?"

"His name is Hades. He is the god of the underworld, and you need to remember that."

"Is that supposed to scare me? He already explained what he does as a god, and I think it's an honorable profession. He deserves much more credit than he's given."

Uncle Z huffed as he paced the room, folding and unfolding his arms like a pouty, overgrown child. So, nothing new. "Lexi, you are young and naïve. You have no idea what you're getting into. Hades will use you to satisfy his lust and return home without a second thought for your welfare. I suggest you quit this nonsense and stop throwing yourself at him."

Damn. Was she that obvious? "You think I'm throwing myself at him?"

"Your interest in Hades is apparent to all of us, and I know you have little experience with men, which is why it is ludicrous to give your virtue to a god."

Lexi's face burned with humiliation. How dare he bring her virginity into it. "First of all, I believe Luke does care about my welfare. And, second, don't lecture me on who I should or shouldn't give my virtue to. You have had sex with every goddess known to man, and an endless list of mortals."

He didn't deny it, but he avoided the accusation as he ranted on. "Don't forget that you are mortal, and there are risks involved when cavorting with gods in the bedroom."

"There are risks involved when cavorting in the bedroom, period. What's your real point? Am I going to burn in hell if I have sex with Luke?"

Uncle Z's lips hardened into a frown. Maybe because Lexi wouldn't back down. Or maybe because she didn't use Luke's true name, but she wasn't ready to yet. It made things weird. She still hadn't accepted that her Uncle Z was Zeus. 

"Of course, not. The underworld is not hell, but the likelihood of you conceiving from a union with a god is much greater than average, and you are still an innocent. You have barely begun to experience life."

"Ha! You mean my life as a servant to the gods? Sure, I can hardly wait to get started on that glamorous career." She folded her arms to mimic his stance. "Listen, Uncle Z, I love you with all my heart. You have been around my whole life, and you should know by now that I have always considered the consequences of my choices. I'm probably the most responsible person you know, but I'm not a little girl anymore. I want to experience romance, and I have the right to choose who I do it with."

"Then choose to do it with a mortal. That young man, James, seems interested in you. He was the only guest to give you a gift."

"Yes. James does seem interested in me, and I'll probably give him a chance to prove he's not a butthead in disguise, but I have already made up my mind about this. I want Luke to be my first, and don't you dare tell my parents."

Uncle Z threw his hands up and sparks flew from his fingers as the air crackled with electricity. Lexi jumped back to avoid the spray while Uncle Z rushed around the room, tamping out embers as he rambled on. "You are the most stubborn child I have ever... Please, Lexi. I will do anything you ask if you'll reconsider. Do you want another horse? I will find you one even better than Zenith."

As Lexi listened to his pleas, her anger subsided. Her godfather didn't seem so powerful when he tried to bargain with her. She waited for him to brush an ash off the couch before giving him a bear hug around his barrel-sized chest. The moment she touched him, an electric current jolted her off the ground, but she didn't let go. She wanted to prove she was tougher than he gave her credit for.

"I appreciate your concern," she said. "But this is my birthday, and I deserve to give a gift to myself. Remember, in the mortal world, there are things called condoms."

Lexi made a swift retreat from the study, leaving her Uncle Z open-mouthed and mute. With any luck, she would make it to her bedroom without his size-fifteen feet rattling the floorboards behind her. He had always micromanaged Lexi's life, which she let him get away with because he was a stubborn mule. Today, however, he had crossed the line.

Lexi had crossed the line, too. Telling him she planned to lose her virginity to Luke was the adrenaline talking, for sure. But Uncle Z had asked for it when he tried to counsel her on suitable sexual partners. Granted, she had made the decision to hand Luke her v-card while she was arguing with her Uncle Z. Usually, she gave serious decisions like that twenty-four-hours of deliberation, but she didn't have that kind of time.

With no sign of angry gods on her heels, Lexi jumped into the shower for a quick rinse from her swim. Then she dressed in her party clothes again. There was no sense wasting a magnificent outfit, especially when Aphrodite had dubbed it so. Instead of blow drying her hair, she applied a dollop of product, gave the ends a squeeze, and clipped her auburn tresses into a messy bun, letting a few strands float around her face. C'est magnifique.

Lexi arrived downstairs as guests were mingling. Burt stood next to the bar, holding a bottle of white wine. Only he wasn't drinking from it. A bow was attached to the cork, and he held it out to Lexi as she joined him.

"This is for you, Lexi. A birthday gift from the vineyards of Mount Olympus. Drink it in good health."

"Thanks. I've never received a bottle of wine as a gift."

"Well, there's a first time for everything. Isn't that how the saying goes?" Burt's smile was slow to reach his mouth, maybe on account of all the wine he'd been drinking, but Lexi was distracted with another first she hoped to achieve before the weekend was over. Seeing Luke naked.

In the middle of her fantasy, a thunderous crack echoed outside, and Lexi stared through the sliding glass door. The sky had gone dark, but there were no storm clouds on the horizon. "Did you hear that, Burt? It sounded like thunder."

Burt appeared nonplussed by the noise as he propped himself precariously against a barstool. "It was probably Zeus. He and Hades went down to the beach to exchange viewpoints, which typically ends with one or both losing their temper. Huh, it feels strange to use their real names in front of you. You can call me Dionysus, by the way."

Lexi wasn't in the habit of being rude, but Burt's words were merely background noise as she slid the door open and ducked onto the porch. She needed to stop a fight.