Lexi's Fate

~64~

Lexi felt cheered by the sun shining in her bedroom window. It was the one aspect of Olympus that made her feel like a normal person. For eighteen years, she had woken to the sun, or at least the clouds, reassuring her the world was still turning and her life was pretty damn miraculous. Learning that the gods were real and she was one of them had turned that world upside down, but having Hades as her ally offered a great comfort, and she hugged her pillow as memories of her dreamtime dalliance with him surfaced. He made love just as passionately in her dreams as he did in real life.

Eager to start her journey home, Lexi slipped out of bed and her panties fell to the floor. It didn't surprise her. Apparently, she had been more of a participant in her orgasmic dream than she realized. She stood at the window and watched a bevy of birds flit from tree to tree, chattering like women at a knitting circle. She could add birds to the list of things she missed when she was in the underworld, but she would never complain about it to Hades. He wanted desperately to please her, and she hated to disappoint him. Maybe she could talk him into taking a trip to Point Pelee to watch the migration next spring.

After splashing her face in the wash basin, Lexi stood in front of the mirror to check her reflection before dressing for the day. She felt better than she thought she would, considering the amount of alcohol she had consumed at the orgy, although a bath might be in order before she reunited with Hades. As she took in her naked form, she gasped when she saw bite marks on her shoulder. What the holy fuck was that about? She remembered Hades biting her in her dream and how it had turned her on, but dreams were a product of the imagination. They didn't cause injury.

Lexi's heart started to gallop, keeping time with the birds skittering outside her window. How had she acquired the marks? Had she rubbed against a tree during her ride on the horse? Did she receive them during the party? Had Poseidon grabbed her a little too hard when she told him she wanted to leave? Poseidon! Could he have something to do with this? She wasn't that drunk, was she? Both Hades and Kade had warned her of the tactics the gods used to get what they want, and she had read all the stories. Dammit. She had to find Kade and get the fuck out of there.

Lexi threw on a dress, packed her travel bag, and rushed out of her room, flying down the hallway like the palace was on fire. Before she reached the main hall, she skidded to a stop, nearly running into Kade. His handsome face boasted a swollen lip, and his cheek was purple with a fresh bruise.

"Holy crap, Kade. What happened to you? Did you piss off the wrong goddess last night?"

"No, I pissed off the wrong god last night." Kade didn't offer his usual grin. In fact, he looked dead serious as he surveyed Lexi from head to toe. "Are you okay, Lexi?"

"Um, I'm okay. Why do you ask?" Lexi didn't like the direction their conversation was going. It veered too close to the unsettling suspicions growing inside her.

"Do you want to know which god gave me this?" He pointed to his face as he attempted to raise his eyebrows. "It was Poseidon. When I noticed you were missing from the orgy last night, I asked around and found out he had arranged for a chariot to bring you here. That's when I noticed Poseidon was missing too."

Lexi lowered her head, breathing a gut wrenching curse, "Aw, fuck."

"I immediately flew to the palace to check on you and arrived just as Poseidon was leaving your room. When I confronted him about what he was doing there, he couldn't provide a legitimate answer. So, I decked him."

Lexi's eyes bulged as she stared at Kade's pitiful face. "You hit Poseidon, the god with the worst temper in Olympus?"

"That's just a rumor. He's actually not a bad guy. But, yeah, we exchanged a few blows before he stormed out of the palace. I figure he's waking up with a decent shiner."