A Goddess Unraveled

~59~

The path of souls looked different this time. The trees were fuller, the leaves greener, and the scents sweeter. Even Hades's favorite birdsong filled the air, which he hummed under his breath. He knew why the forest decided to show off for him today. He was holding a beautiful goddess in his arms, a goddess who accepted him despite his ominous reputation and grim title.

Hades's thoughts buoyed his spirits, putting a skip in his step, and Lexi smiled up at him as if she'd noticed this too. "While I do love being in your arms, you can put me down now. I need to get my bearings."

"As you wish." Hades set Lexi on the path, and she immediately craned her neck to peer up into the tree branches.

"I've never heard that birdsong before," she said. "What kind of birds are those? I can't see them."

It took a moment for Lexi's words to register. Was she hearing his birds, or a birdcall she had heard and locked away in her subconscious? "What does the song sound like?"

Lexi whistled the tune, mimicking his birds perfectly, and Hades stared at her, his mouth drying as it hung open. How had she tapped into his joy so quickly when it took Persephone many seasons to do it? Was it Lexi's unspoiled youth that opened her to the unseen? Or, perhaps, a gift he and she possessed in kind?

"Is it a pair? They sound happy," Lexi went on, still straining for a glimpse of the mysterious songbirds.

"You will not see them, Lexi. You will only hear them. They are a manifestation of my own making. Birds I enjoyed as a youth in Olympus, although they no longer visit there. You will learn that earthbound animals do not exist in the underworld, but that does not mean you won't find life here. It just won't come in the forms you're expecting."

Hades took her hand and squeezed it, braving a tidal wave of emotion that crashed through him like the Waikiki surf. Lexi brought out feelings in him that were razor sharp and exquisite, and he envisioned her courageous, feminine side complimenting his demanding, masculine one. Life would not be mundane with such a goddess beside him.

As they neared the end of the path, the river came into view, and Hades could hardly contain his excitement, so eager was he to introduce Lexi to her new home. And, with Misty to fly them there, they might avoid a sermon from Charon, who could talk a buzzard off a fresh kill. But Charon was not the one who arrived to delay their departure.

Hecate had spied Hades, and she bustled up the path toward them, her fiery orange cloak billowing and her blue eyes blazing. Hades knew she would not be pleased with his extended absence, and he took in a cleansing breath as he prepared for her verbal assault.

"Here you are, Hades. Your presence was sorely missed. What is this I hear about you bringing a goddess to the underworld?" Hecate barely made eye contact with Hades as she voiced her complaints. It was Lexi she had locked in her scrutinizing gaze.

"How did you find out so quickly?" Hades asked, already knowing Zeus was behind it.

"Don't play naïve. It does not suit the ruler of the underworld."

Hades surrendered to the accusatory quirk of Hecate's pale brows and argued no further. "Hecate, I would like to introduce Alexandra Maxwell, daughter of Zeus and Lilith Maxwell. Her family calls her Lexi. Lexi, this is Hecate, goddess of many wondrous things, but her specialties are herbalism and sorcery."

Hecate waved off Hades's flowery introduction and continued her analysis of Lexi, who stood like a marble pillar next to him, staring at Hecate like a stunned animal. "And what skills does Lexi bring with her? How will her presence benefit our efforts here?"