Lexi's Fate (Book 2 of A Goddess Unraveled)

~28~

Aristaeus brought Jackie O and Zenith out of the stable and was letting them frolic with each other when Lexi and Hades arrived. Lexi had never seen Jackie O so playful, and she felt a bit guilty for having to break the two lovebirds up.

"Jackie O should have enough divine semen in her to get to Olympus and back." Aristaeus smiled as he proudly patted Jackie O's hind quarters, like he had been the one responsible for the divine semen. Lexi wasn't going to go there. Instead, she hugged him.

"Thank you, for helping us."

"Just promise you won't hold me responsible if the situation takes a bad turn. Have you thought about how you are going to revive her if she doesn't handle the journey?"

Lexi looked at Hades, clenching her jaw when she thought of Zeus' adamant refusal. "Do you think I can do it?"

Hades seemed apprehensive to get involved, crossing his arms and tapping his elbow with his fingers. It's not like she had asked him to share his wine collection with the minotaurs. "You appear to have the firepower to accomplish the task, but you haven't learned to regulate it. Therefore, I would like to adopt the same stance as Aristaeus and ask that you not hold me responsible for misleading you."

Lexi huffed. Men only seemed to offer their opinion when they knew they'd come out smelling like a rose.

"Why don't you ask Zeus again?" Aristaeus gestured toward the path where Zeus and Kade had just emerged. The smirk on Zeus' face did not give Lexi much hope for coercing him into helping her. He could be such a butthead.

"Are you still considering this ill-fated mission with your horse, Lexi?" Zeus' voice boomed, causing the horses to startle. "I don't think you realize the seriousness of what you are undertaking. She could die by your will."

"Not if you followed us and revived her. Aristaeus said she should survive, but just in case there's trouble..." Biting her lip, Lexi stifled her rant when she realized how desperate she sounded.

Zeus snorted through his nose, making him sound a lot like a horse. "I know how much Jackie O means to you, but you are asking a great deal of me. However, I might consider it if you are willing to make a trade."

Lexi's eyes narrowed before she even instructed them to. "What kind of trade?"

"I will help see your horse safely to the underworld if you promise to visit me in Olympus and stay for... ten turns of the hourglass."

"That's ten days! Or is it ten hours?" Lexi said, recalling the often contradictory methods the gods used to keep time. 

"Ten days."

Lexi glanced at Jackie O before lowering her eyes to stare at the ground. "I don't think I'm ready for a visit to Olympus. When do you want me there?"

"You can ride home with Persephone when she returns in the spring."

A heavy sigh escaped her as she deliberated. Lexi hadn't given a single thought to visiting Olympus, but she had no reason to before. She knew from Hades' tales of his childhood that Olympus was a wonderland of decadence and grandeur, an overload for the senses where gods were tempted to indulge themselves without consequence. Lexi turned to Hades, hoping he would have some sage advice to offer. His answer was clearly written on his face. His complexion had gone ashy, as if the blood had left it, and that persistent sparkle in his eyes no longer shone like flecks of gold in the sunlight. Spring was too soon. They needed more time to solidify their bond.

Lexi took hold of Hades' hand as she offered her rejection to Zeus. "I'm sorry, but I won't leave Hades in the spring. He'll need me. I will just have to help Jackie O myself, if she requires it."

Another snort escaped Zeus, and Lexi saw anger flare in his stony eyes. "Suit yourself, but I don't want to hear a single word spoken about Jackie O if she does not survive. Her fate is in your hands, literally." He turned and stomped toward the path, stirring up dust as his feet pounded the ground. The butthead. 

A twinge of guilt took root inside Lexi's chest as she watched Jackie O and Zenith nuzzle each other. Was she acting out of selfishness? "Maybe I should let Jackie O go to Olympus with Zenith. They seem to have made a love connection. Who am I to deny them?"

Hades tightened his grip on Lexi's hand, using it to pull her toward him. "She would still miss you, Lexi. And if her health took a turn for the worse in Olympus, you would be forced to visit her there."

"And their love connection won't last forever," Kade put in. "I predict the effects will wear off as soon as these two are out of pheromone range of each other. Out of sight, out of mind. Isn't that the saying?" He offered a friendly nudge on Lexi's arm before walking over to Jackie O to pat her head. "I will follow you and Hades to the underworld and help in any way I am able. If she needs to be flown back to the mortal world, I can do that."

Lexi tried to imagine Kade carrying a full grown horse in his arms. Even with godly strength, she had a hard time believing he could pull it off. "She weighs over nine hundred pounds, Kade." 

"That's no problem. I am stronger than I look." Kade chuckled as he made for the path. "Let me run the plan by Zeus. He wasn't too thrilled when I asked Aristaeus here without consulting him. He's a stickler for formalities, but I'm sure he will give his stamp of approval, since I will be bringing him back a minotaur. Am I good to join you for a few days, Hades?"

"Of course. The palace is your home, too. You are always welcome."

As Kade disappeared down the path, Lexi heard Hades force out a raspy sigh. She took this as a sign he was not completely comfortable with Kade's plan to join them. It could simply be about the hunt and facing backlash from Lexi, knowing how she felt about it, but it had become pretty clear there was a testosterone-driven rivalry between Hades and Kade. Whether or not Hades was worried about the hunt, Lexi suspected he was also concerned that she would be tempted by Kade's enchanted penis. And with Persephone's arrival only one day away, he could be fearing she would be tempted as well.