A Goddess Unraveled

~54~

Lexi's hands trembled as she ransacked her jewelry box. Why she chose to search there first, she couldn't say. She didn't wear much jewelry, and many of the pieces had been gifts from her Uncle Z. Now that she knew who he really was, she wondered if they'd been forged in Olympus, like the gold lightning bolt pendant.

Would she even need jewelry where she was going? Did the gods dress up in the underworld? Would Hades give her gifts? Ugh.

Abandoning her jewelry collection, Lexi spun in a circle, taking in the contents of her bedroom and cataloguing eighteen years of life while the clock counted the minutes until it changed forever. Dizzy and overwhelmed, she staggered to her bed, folding her legs under her and rocking back and forth. It was something she did when she dealt with crazy. And this situation definitely qualified.

During her tearful goodbye with Jackie O, Lexi had to suppress the urge to jump on her horse and ride until they reached the border. After that, she told everyone to back off, locking herself in her room to make them think she was prepping for her trip to Olympus. They'd soon find out how wrong they were. Lexi's phone sat idle on her bedside table, and she reached for it, scrolling to the message she never read from James.

Heading to lacrosse practice. Just wanted to say hi.

He played lacrosse? How had that subject not come up before? Probably because her mind was focused on Hades's poetic speeches and golden-eyed hotness. With her stomach clenching ever tighter, she read another text from James that was sent a couple of hours later.

I have time to talk after noon, Nova Scotia time. If you're interested.

Lexi slid the phone across the bed and rolled onto her side, hugging her knees to her chest. What the hell was she doing? She was about to leave her perfect life, disobeying Zeus, father of all gods, and accepting the hand of Hades, god of the underworld. All because he had given her a taste of ecstasy. How had she become addicted so quickly? Was it in her nature as a god? Could a mortal like James even satisfy her cravings?

Hades told her if she followed him to the underworld she could see how it suited her. Did that mean she had the option to leave if she didn't like it? She should have confirmed that with him before plotting this insane scheme. Would Zeus track her down and drag her to Olympus anyway? What would be her punishment?

Knowing her time was short, Lexi uncoiled and pushed off the bed. She assumed she wouldn't need money, but shewent for her purse and pulled out her wallet. Inside, she kept a photo of herfamily. One they had taken during their vacation to Scotland. She rememberedthe sheep being everywhere they went, and she had decided they were herfavorite animal. Would there be sheep in the underworld? Did they have souls?

She smiled as she stared at the photo, specifically at her dad. He'd insisted on speaking in an exaggerated Scottish drawl during their entire visit, which got pretty annoying, but he claimed to have had more fun on that trip than any other. Lexi shuddered as another image surfaced, the one of her dad's shocked expression when he learned the truth about her parentage. She felt a sudden surge of anger towards her mother. Was Lexi's conception the result of a one-time fling? Based on what she knew about Zeus, she didn't think so.

Stuffing the photo into her pocket, Lexi shook off the feelings trying to derail her from her mission. Running away with Hades was serious business. She walked to the mirror and inspected her reflection, making sure her outfit suited the underworld. She decided to change into her favorite jeans, softened by a hundred wash cycles. It made sense to choose comfort over elegance if they were trekking the wilderness. Would they be trekking the wilderness? Hades mentioned fields.