The Forgotten Witch

28 ~ Lexi

Zeus put Ely in charge of Josef while he repaired the front doors. Granted, a seven-year-old was not the best choice to guard an incubus, but Josef was no longer the formidable spirit he had once been, and his pale essence kept Ely company next to the nymph's bathtub while Lexi received medical attention from Hecate. Lexi's natural healing ability had already begun to do its work, so she was mostly humoring Hecate as they discussed recent events.

"I am sorry about the trouble Melinoe has caused you and your family," Hecate said as she wrapped gauze around Lexi's hand. "I wish I could say it all has to do with her dark gifts, but that would not be accurate. Melinoe has a plethora of unhealed wounds, which has caused her to be a spiteful and jealous goddess. Persephone and Hades suffered her tempests for many turns."

"Well, I think we can rank this one as a category five."

"Do you know where that jealousy stems from?" Hecate asked, her eyebrows reaching upward. "Has Hades told you about Melinoe's fall into the Lethe?"

"He mentioned it once. He said she young...about thirteen. And she lost all her memories."

"That's right, and she was never the same again. Hades had been a father figure to her up until that day, then he became a handsome stranger who helped her through those dark times. Did he tell you about the crush Melinoe developed while she recovered?"

Lexi's mouth popped open as she stared at Hecate. "No, but Hades didn't go into great detail about the incident."

"Oh. I should probably not divulge, then. I'm sure he had a reason for keeping that detail from you."

Hecate turned to organize the medicines on the counter while Lexi processed this new information. She had only been eighteen herself when Hades crashed her birthday party and swept her off her feet. If she had met him at thirteen, she would have surely crushed on him, too. The revelation made her sick.

"Don't you think now would be a good time to discuss that detail?" Lexi said as she held her trusted friend in a curious gaze.

"Yes, and I will let you do that with Hades later tonight." Hecate offered Lexi a friendly wink as she continued to clean up her workstation. "How would you like to see Melinoe atone for her crimes? Have you thought of a fitting punishment?"

Lexi pursed her lips as she glanced at the gauze wrapped around her injured arm. How had Hecate known she was thinking of punishing Melinoe? Lexi had been working hard to erase the image of Melinoe tied to the burning tree until it was only a charred pinprick in the back of her mind, but Hecate was excellent at guessing what was on Lexi's mind before Lexi even knew it was there. Did she know Lexi's thoughts were not always benevolent?

"Part of me wants to help Melinoe get over her emotional pain so she will stop tormenting us, and part of me wants to beat her with a stick until she learns her lesson."

Lexi's comment had Hecate laughing, which was a relief. "I would wonder about you if you didn't feel that way. None of us are perfect. In fact, gods are like humans with the burden of enormous power, so our responsibilities are even greater. But we have eternity to find a balance. Melinoe has yet to find hers."

Lexi wasn't optimistic about Melinoe's chances for finding balance, and she had only endured eleven years of the mischievous witch. "What other unhealed wounds does Melinoe struggle with?"

"There are plenty," Hecate said, tucking her hands into the pockets of her orange robe. "She hates both her parents. Persephone has never forced paternity onto Zeus. And Zeus denies his involvement to this day. The lines became especially blurred after Melinoe's incident in the Lethe."