Lexi played with the hem of her dress as she confronted Zeus about her parentage. She had never felt intimidated by her godfather, despite his tendency to act like a self-important know-it-all. But now that she knew he was commander-in-chief of the Greek gods, there was a smidgeon of uncertainty in the back of her head.

"When were you planning to tell me?" she asked boldly, keeping her voice low and her eyes pinned on him.

"When it was time for you to know," he answered flatly.

"Is that how we're doing it? Fine. Answer me this, then. Is there some golden age when a demigod realizes she isn't completely human?"

Zeus transferred his weight from foot to foot, glancing at the mortals in the room like he thought they might overhear. "There will come a time when your godly gifts reach their peak. Usually, around age thirty. This is when the aging process stops, and you will retain your powers for eternity."

"So, I could reach sixty before I realized I still looked thirty? Would you have told me then, or would you have kept on enjoying the Nova Scotia seaside at my expense?" She crossed her arms and stared into his face, expecting to meet with stony eyes. But his expression was placid, almost meek.

"You make me sound like some tyrannical monster. I don't expect you to stay here now that you know your lineage."

Way to avoid the question. Lexi glanced across the room at her dad. he held tightly to her mom's waist as they talked with another couple. He didn't know, and the thought of telling him made her nauseous. "I'm not going anywhere because I know about my lineage. If I have eternity, I'm spending the first part of it here, with my family."

Zeus bobbed his head automatically as he followed Lexi's gaze to her dad. "We'll see what happens. For now, let's go back to the way things were, even if it's for one more day."

Lexi shook her head, but not to rebuke him. Her godfather had a way of making her feel guilty for being angry with him even when he deserved it. "It's not that easy. You lied to me about pretty much everything. The dynamics have changed. It's going to take me some time to figure out where we stand."

Zeus's jaw stiffened as he dropped his gaze to the floor, and Lexi let him have his moment while she stared at Hades. He was standing near the wet bar nursing a flute of champagne, looking tempting in a white button-down shirt and smoky gray pleated pants. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since they returned from the river, and his penetrating gaze reminded her of an owl keeping track of a mouse he planned to catch for dinner. She was dying to know what had triggered his grin after he talked to her mom.

"When will I notice my godly gifts?" she asked, turning back to Zeus.

"I expect your gifts will reveal themselves before your twentieth year."

 "How will I know what they are?"

 "They could come in any form."

"Would my gifts have stayed dormant if I hadn't found out?"

"Probably not. But again, they could manifest as anything."

"So, you have no idea what my gifts might be?"

"I have ideas, but it would do no good to guess at them."

Frustrated with the brusque tone of theirconversation, Lexi changed topics. "Why do you have a problem with me liking Lu... Hades?" She had been working up to the question, and she offered Zeus her debate face as she barreled on. "I should be able to consort with whomever I choose. Isn't that how it works with the gods?"

Zeus straightened his shoulders and took his turn to stare at Hades. When Hades noticed this, he lifted his champagne in salute, which had Zeus scowling into his beard. "Yes, more or less. But Hades has an agenda. He's been on the hunt for a goddess to warm his bed while Persephone is in Olympus, and I'll be damned if he's going to take another one of mine."

"So, he's looking for another mate?" she squeaked.

"No, a consort. Persephone is his mate. Gods may engage with multiple partners, but we take only one mate."

The pain that grabbed Lexi felt like a horseshoe to the gut, and her gaze, once again, flicked to Hades. He offered her a smile, the one that usually made her melt, but she didn't feel melty at all. In fact, her back had gone rigid. He said he wanted more than sex from a woman, but he definitely seemed interested in getting into her panties. Did he want a friend with benefits, or had he come to take her virginity then disappear like a puff of smoke? Was she okay with that?

A couple of hours ago, Lexi didn't care about the fallout from a romp in the hay with this sexy-as-sin god of the underworld. When did her heart get involved and complicate things? Did it happen when she realized he had more to offer than luscious lips? Did his wit and unpretentious attitude endear her and make her care. Suddenly, Lexi's birthday dinner, combined with that large slice of double chocolate cheesecake, turned sour in her stomach.

"I need a break from this bullshit." Lexi pushed up from her chair and made for the stairs. She knew it was rude to abandon her party guests - again - but she refused to pretend things were hunky dory when they weren't. As soon as she shut herself inside her bedroom, she collapsed onto the bed and hugged her pillow, willing her eyes to stay dry.

Why did she have to get hung up on a god, for pity's sake? And not just any god. Hades! Who knew he was hot as fuck? And the way he talked about the underworld, with fields and wildlife... that didn't fit the descriptions either. What about the burning fires of Tartarus, the lost souls floating in limbo, Charon punting along the River Styx with a fresh load of dead? Did Hades use flowery descriptions to lure unsuspecting consorts into his lair?

Lexi stretched for her phone on the nightstand. She needed to refresh her memory about this god who had dazzled her, and Wikipedia was the closest resource. The message icon was lit when she swiped the screen, and when she saw the name James aka Oxford, she bit her lip. His message read like a cruel joke.

I hope you're having the best birthday ever.

Impulsive Lexi wanted to throw her phone across the room, but level-headed Lexi took three deep breaths and sent a reply back. A censored reply.

Thanks. It has been the strangest one, for sure.

Lexi hit send and shoved her phone under her pillow. She didn't need another detail to juggle, especially one that lived an ocean away. She also didn't need the internet to tell her about Hades and his wonderful world of death. What did humans know about the gods, anyway? What she needed was fresh air.

The cool night greeted Lexi like a blast of espresso as she opened the balcony doors, and she realized how much her body ached. Not just her muscles, but her brain felt wrung out too, like she'd been laboring over college entrance exams. She reclined on the chaise, crossing her arms over her chest to block out the chilly breeze, but it was no use.

Lexi shivered as she closed her eyes and tried to shut off the valve, the one that tended to stay open and flood her head. As far back as she could remember, her brain had this obligation to process every bit of data it came across, to figure out scenarios and solutions, or anticipate potential disasters. Was she headed for a disaster with Hades? Could one simple hookup result in a lifetime of regret?

A few minutes into her unproductive respite, Lexi heard a deep voice lilting below her, releasing lyrical words on the breeze. She knew exactly who owned those sultry vocal cords, and despite her anger and confusion, a thrill rushed through her as she strained to hear the message.

"Smitten by her passion, his heart was forced to take heed

Could there be another to conjure such emotion in him

A light in the darkness that smothered his world

The promise made him wary, but her beauty made him brave

Would she grant him the serenity he sought to replace his madness

Or would she find another to offer her divine gifts to

His heart didn't sleep as it waited to be dealt its fate."

Lexi blinked her eyes open and knelt on the cushions to peer over the balcony railing. Hades stood in the courtyard, wearing a sheepish grin, his hands in his pockets. She still wanted to see him as sexy and successful Luke Carrington, but she needed to face the truth. He was a god, mysterious and mythical, and her vision of uncomplicated sex drifted further out to sea.

Lexi offered him a weary smile, which almost turned into a yawn. "Can't anyone get a little peace and quiet around here?"

"I apologize. Would you like me to come back later?" Hades lowered his gaze but not before she saw the disappointment in his eyes.

"No, the damage is done. I will probably be awake all night trying to figure out what to do with the information that's been dropped in my lap."

"Is there anything I can do to help? I have been told I'm quite good at psychoanalysis."

"I'm not sure. I've got a few questions that my psychoanalyst might have trouble answering honestly. And, right now, I need honest answers."

"All I have are honest answers. It has been my job for eons."

Hades stared up at her, his eyes pleading like a puppy at the pound. Whatever godly juju he had working for him, Lexi was helpless to it. She climbed off the chaise and crouched to feel for the folding boat ladder she kept underneath. It was a gift from her brother after she broke her ankle jumping off the railing. Lexi hung it over the side, and Hades climbed up so easily she could have sworn he used magic. He immediately caught her in his golden gaze, and she backed into the chaise. Damn him and that golden gaze.

"You're angry with me," he said matter-of-factly. "What did Zeus say to you?"

Lexi maintained her vigil next to the chair. Her body had a mind of its own when Hades was close, and she needed to stay wary despite the lust-tainted adrenaline pumping through her veins. "He said you've been looking for a goddess to fill the gap left by Persephone. He thinks you're using me."

Hades exhaled a resigned sigh, like he had been caught in a lie, and Lexi's knees nearly buckled under her. "And you believe him, I suppose?"

"I don't know what I believe, Luke. I mean, Hades. Aw, fuck. I don't know what to call you."

"I would prefer you call me Hades."

"Fine, Hades. I'm going to level with you because that's the way I do things. I like you, which may have become obvious over the course of the weekend, but I don't know you. And I'm not counting all the myths I've read about you. I wish they didn't exist so I wouldn't be able to make comparisons. All I'm counting is this weekend." 

She held his gaze a moment longer then glanced away, steeling herself for the second half of her confession. "I'm new to all of this, so I don't know if I'm feeling lust or... something stronger. I was okay with the lust for a while, but now I'm not so sure it's the best move. Tomorrow, you'll be gone."

Hades took a step closer, and his hand flexed as if he wanted to reach out to her, but he read her apprehension and held his position. "Lexi, I never intended to hurt you. I realize that I made a grievous error in my initial approach. I followed protocol rather than instincts, a damn selfish move now that I think of it. And cowardly, too. I spend a lot of time alone with only my thoughts for company, and those thoughts often lead me to desperation. My palace nymphs will attest to this, having swept shattered glass from the fireplace hearth on many occasions."

"Have you given any thought to kickboxing or martial arts?" Lexi suggested lightly. "I hear they're excellent forms of stress release."

Hades's radiant smile brightened the balcony, which had Lexi's pulse fluttering. Damn him and that radiant smile. "I have dabbled in martial arts, but those forms of stress release pale in comparison to the touch of a female. And, if I may be so bold, you touch me like no other."

He took another small step forward. Now, only an arm's length away. "I am not telling you this to coerce you or earn your sympathy. I am telling you the truth because that is what you asked for. I cannot guarantee a liaison between us won't result in chaos, but I am willing to take that risk with you. As long as you want me close at hand, I will strive to be there when you reach for me."

Hades stretched out towards her, and she let him take her hand, triggering a torrent of delicious chills than ran up her arms. Lexi realized she was holding her breath when she felt a knot liberate itself from her ribs. She wanted to fall into his embrace and be touched by him, but not quite yet.

"Hades, are you using me to fill a gap?" she asked plainly.

Hades's expression stilled, and she read a flicker of doubt in his eyes. Was he doubting his agreement to tell her the truth? "That sounds like such a temporary fix, like plugging a leak with melted wax. Our relationship is just dawning. Think of yourself as the sun, and I am the horizon, lifting you up so you might reach your full potential."

"Sure, when you say it like that, everything sounds magical," she said, feeling a touch annoyed. "But, can you repeat your answer in modern English?"

Hades smiled as he gave her hand a squeeze. "Any man foolish enough to use you as a gap filler is not worthy to stand in your presence. How was that?"

"Better."

"Lexi, I believe what we've started here could become something great. Something everlasting."

"Everlasting? As in eternity?"

"We are immortal. We have eternity to find answers, to achieve goals, to seek pleasure. And if one can find love during his immortal life, then he has nothing more to seek."

Lexi couldn't resist cracking a smile. If she was reading him correctly, he was falling too. It was all the flowery speech that gave him away. Would that be her future if she let this handsome god continue to seduce her; a life of poetic confessions and mouthwatering kisses? Granted, not a terrible life, but a complicated one. Hades had said all the right things, and her bedroom was just a few feet away. If she really had eternity, what was one night of pleasure-seeking in the grand scheme of things?

Playlist Song: As The World Falls Down by David Bowie

https://youtu.be/r1UEfgwiULo