Melinoe wished she had brought her glass of port when she left the palace. Not only was she surrounded by accusers who had refused her a fair trial, but Zeus always made her want to sedate herself. On top of that, Hades felt it was too risky to transport Josef in a vial, which meant they had to walk to the Lethe with Josef on a tether. The only up side was that Zeus and Hecate had taken his chariot to the dock to wait for them, while Ink, Hades, and young Ely accompanied her on the path.

"What did you do before you were dead?" Ely asked Josef as he led them with his outstretched sword.

"I captained a Viking ship. I explored new lands. Josef the Vanquisher, they called me." Josef's voice had dimmed to a whisper, but the evening quiet allowed it to carry, and Melinoe detected a hint of melancholy in his tone.

Ely glanced at his father with a quirked brow. "What does vanquisher mean, Daddy?"

"To defeat or subdue completely."

Ely's inquisitive gaze turned back to Josef. "What did you vanquish?"

"People, mostly."

"You killed them?"

"If necessary. Most of them tried to kill me back."

"How did you kill them? Did you use a weapon, or did you use your mind power like you did with my mommy?"

Hades's head snapped to Josef as he stopped in the middle of the path. "What did you do to Lexi?" he growled.

"Nothing of consequence, your eminence. Her godly prowess bested me at every turn. You are fortunate to have won her favor. Never have I felt such a need to possess another..."

"Enough!" Hades spat.

"I apologize for my insolence, your lordliness, but condemned men rarely hold their tongues." Josef chuckled weakly as Hades dragged him forward, and the conversation appeared to be over, until... "Before I am banished," Josef continued. "I wanted to say that I think the design of your home is inspired; vaulted ceilings with oak rafters, fires burning behind every hearth, private staircases and nooks. Plenty of space to seek entertainment."

"I suggest you don't remind me how long you were entertained in my home," Hades said. "The only reason you have not been turned to dust is because I'm using you to teach Melinoe a lesson."

Josef clammed up for the remainder of their journey, and by some miracle, so did Ely. Melinoe predicted it was Hades's sour mood that had silenced everyone, and she did not have to speculate why his scowl had deepened. Hades suspected something happened between Josef and Lexi. She knew this by the way his eyes blazed like torches, shedding nearly enough light to navigate the trail by.

When they reached the dock, Charon waved them forward, appearing much to self-righteous for Melinoe's liking. But Charon was not the cause of her sudden misstep on the path. She was focused on the dark water of the river, flashing back to the only memory that survived the incident. That lone dock.

According to legend, Melinoe had given the slip to a palace nymph and hid herself. No one knew how she ended up in the river, but half the day had passed before the search party found her wandering the forest in a near catatonic state.

"I'm still not likin' this setup," Charon said as he gave Melinoe his scrutiny. The ferryman had steely eyes that could pierce even the thickest skin, and he tended to wear his beard too long. He was Melinoe's least favorite god in the underworld, and even then, there was rumor he wasn't a true god. He appeared at Hades's service as soon as Hades had need of him. Although Charon had never demonstrated supernatural powers, that didn't stop the damnable man from living forever. "Last time you borrowed my punt..." he went on. "...you let it float downriver. I had to chase after it and lasso the infernal thing."

"Just give her the oars," Hades said grumpily. "She doesn't need to punt."

"Fine, but she best take care. This ain't no jokin' matter."

Charon glared at Melinoe accusingly, but she ignored him as she shrugged out of her cloak and handed it to Ink. Then she unfurled her wings, daring Hades to deny her that safeguard. Hades hesitated long enough to cause Melinoe's stomach to clench before he pointed downriver.

"You are required to see Josef to the last dock," he said. "You know the one. And you will stay with him until he turns to dust. We will follow you there on foot. Repeat these instructions."

"I will ferry Josef to the last dock. I know the one," she said with a bold wink. "Then I will watch him turn to dust."

"And what will this task prove?" he asked, still holding her in his stubborn gaze.

"That I should always uphold the bylaws or there will be hell to pay," she offered snidely.

"Try again."

"That with great power comes great responsibility."

"Melinoe," Hades growled. "What else? Dig for it."

Melinoe gritted out her last and final answer. "That I can't take my shit out on others because it only brings up more shit."

A small smile managed to lift Hades's pinched lips. "Close enough, and I suggest you use your journey on the Lethe to think about it. You don't have to be that lost little girl anymore. It's time you grew into the strong woman you've become."

Melinoe felt like her insides had turned sour as she gazed through her veil at the sober faces on the dock. When had this turned into an intervention?

"Can we get on with this?" Zeus said through his course whiskers. "I smell like spit-up and axle grease."

Melinoe hated that Zeus was there, watching her being chastised. He probably wished she would fall into the river and forget about him, but he wasn't getting out of that. Not while she had a breath left in her. Hades held out his hand to help Melinoe onto the boat, and when she had arranged her wings to fit behind the seat, he handed her the sash with Josef attached to it. Her lover's essence had faded to a pale glow, and his wings were slouched forward. He looked tired, which didn't become him.

Hiking up her dress, Melinoe wrapped the sash around her leg, leaving both arms free to steer. Then, when the oars had been placed inside the boat, she motioned for Charon to push them off. The current tugged the boat into the stream, and Melinoe gripped the sides as she felt that first rush of fear. Quickly, she grabbed the oars, but she barely had to use them. The river seemed to know the way, but she held them tightly just in case. She needed something to do besides sit in awkward silence across from Josef. Their relationship was at an end, and she had never been comfortable with sentiment. Of course, Josef needed to talk.

"Hades doesn't seem too bad," he said quietly as he watched the landscape pass by. "I can see your infatuation with him. Had I found him earlier in his eternal life, we might have enjoyed each other's company."

"Hades is a bastard," she huffed.

"Today he is a bastard. But in a week, he will be creeping back into your fantasies."

"What did you and Lexi do inside the bedchamber?" she asked, detouring him away from the painful truth. "Did you bed her?"

Josef's smile was barely visible on his pale form, but he continued to look straight ahead as they passed by the meadow. "We had a tryst on the hearth, but I will take the details of our encounter with me."

"What did you do on the hearth?" Melinoe prodded. If she got a confession out of Josef, maybe she could use it as leverage. "I brought you here to seduce her. The least you can do is confirm whether you managed it or not."

Josef clicked his tongue. "I can see the cogs working in your head. You want to blackmail Lexi with tales of her indiscretion. Well, I won't be party to your schemes any longer."

Melinoe felt a grimace grow on her face as she watched the first dock pass by, dotted with cattails, and she lifted her veil to glance at the shadowed figures moving along the shore. Hecate's orange cloak flashed brightly, even in the dark, and it looked as if Hades had hoisted Ely onto his shoulders. Did Ely believe she deserved punishment? Did Elm?

"How old were you when you fell into the river?" Josef asked.

Grudgingly, Melinoe blinked away the figures and returned to Josef's banter. It was his last moments of existence, and the least she could do was indulge him. "Thirteen."

"And do you remember anything about your life before you fell in?"

"No."

"Not even the reason you were at the Lethe in the first place? It's a dangerous river for a young goddess. It makes me wonder why you were there."

"A few memories have come to me in dreams, but I don't believe them. And you should know by now, Josef, that I am never afraid to take risks."

"Maybe you should be, eh?" He offered an obnoxious smile, but he didn't give her a chance to reply before carrying on. "I remember being thirteen - believe it or not. I was hated by my father and disowned by him. It was the hardest blow I ever felt. I would have thrown myself into the Lethe back then if I'd had the chance."

Melinoe surveyed Josef's wavering form, wondering how to interpret his comment. "Are you suggesting that I threw myself into the river to forget about Zeus?"

"It is not out of the realm of possibility, is it?" He finally looked at her as he continued with his assessment. "I'm only taking the information I know about you and forming a hypothesis. Whatever the reason, you suffered a traumatic incident in childhood, erasing your formative memories. No matter how painful they were, you miss them, don't you?"

Melinoe shook her head, wishing she could disagree with Josef, but she couldn't. Maybe she was crying that day on the dock. Maybe Zeus had refused to see her again. "It doesn't matter now, anyway," she said, guiding the boat past another dock. "Too much water under the bridge, as they say."

"Fair point."

She and Josef sat quietly for the remainder of the journey, which she attributed to his inability to vocalize now that his spirit had dissipated into a breathy fog, and when the last dock came into view, she readied the rope.

"So, what typically happens when spirits arrive at the final dock?" Josef whispered.

"They are instructed to jump into the river and float downstream. During their journey, they forget their past life and are taken to the headwaters of Oceanus where they go on to their next existence."

"Oh. Am I to understand I won't be getting that service?"

Melinoe frowned at him. "No. Your essence will evaporate into dust and you will cease to exist."

"So, no afterlife for me, then." Josef nodded solemnly, resigned to his fate. "And those names tattooed on your arms... They aren't just the names of old lovers, are they?"

Melinoe sighed, wishing they would arrive at the damned dock already. "No, Josef. They are the names of each incubus I have created and turned to dust. And when you are gone, I will etch your name into my skin so that I never forget you. Does that make you love me any less?"

"Not in the slightest," he said, although she wasn't sure if he was wearing a smirk or not. He was fading fast.

The boat finally pulled up to the dock, and Melinoe grabbed the hitch when it came within reach. As she secured the rope, she kept an eye on Josef, wondering when his feathery form would succumb to the pull of the river.

"I feel strange," Josef said as he held out a pale hand. "Will you hold me as I go, Melinoe?"

Fighting an annoying lump in her throat, Melinoe carefully switched seats to sit next to Josef, taking his hand in hers. Strangely, she could still feel him. It was as if his body had become transparent, but the strength was still there. This made her uncomfortable, especially when he brought his mouth to her ear and she felt the slightest warmth.

"What will you remember most about me?" he said.

Melinoe knew the answer Josef was looking for. He had always been proud of his manhood, which Melinoe never enhanced with magic. She didn't have to. The rogue came equipped that way.

"Only you can make me feel without touching me." Melinoe gifted him with a rare but genuine smile, although Josef didn't seem impressed with her answer. In fact, he looked disappointed. Hadn't she given him the perfect afterlife? The ability to come and go as he pleased. To engage in sexual exploits to his heart's content. She brushed her fingers across his cheek, still amazed at the solidness of his form. Maybe he would have to jump in.

Josef caught her hand, squeezing her fingers painfully. When she tried to pull away, Josef held firm as his cheeks flushed, tinting his skin a darker shade of gray. "You have never played fair," he said with a much stronger voice than before, and the boat rocked as he pulled her into his chest. As his large wings came around her, panic flooded Melinoe's veins. How dare he grab her with such force.

As she prepared to slip into her ethereal form, Josef hurled himself backward off the boat, taking Melinoe into the Lethe with him. On impact, his grip loosened and she broke free, but when she attempted to use her wings, they had become like heavy weights, pulling her head under. She tried to evaporate, but her mind was muddled, and she couldn't focus on the mantra. Gasping for air, Melinoe struggled to get to the dock, fighting against her wings and the ankle-length dress tying her feet together.

Swimming had never been one of Melinoe strengths, and as she floundered, she caught sight of Hades as he skidded to a stop on the dock. "Take my hand!" he said as he reached for her.

Melinoe's first instinct was to refuse the bastard, but she was shaken and confused, so she let him haul her out of the water. Hades remained mute as Melinoe sat in the center of the dock in a puddle of her own making, her only consolation coming from the solemn expression on his face. Ely and Ink arrived, huffing from their run, and Ink opened up Melinoe's cloak to lay it across her shoulders.

"Are you okay, Melinoe?" Ink asked as he crouched next to her. "Do you know who I am?"

Melinoe grimaced, but her teeth were chattering so much she probably just looked pitiful. Her face was no longer hidden by her veil. It had torn loose during her scuffle with Josef and was probably floating into oblivion with him. "Shut up, demi boy."

Ink grinned. "Oh, good. She remembers me."

"It looks like your incubus had the last word," Zeus said as he stomped onto the dock, making it shake. Hecate joined him, looking grave. Melinoe ignored everyone and stared downriver, looking for the traitorous devil who had drenched her. All she saw was golden hair drifting in the current.

"I'm going to follow him and see how far he makes it," Ink said. "I'll report my findings to the palace if everyone wants to head back."

"Thank you, Ink," Hades said as he crouched beside Melinoe, resting a sympathetic hand on her arm. "Are you strong enough to make the trip back on foot, or would you like to ride in Z's chariot?"

"Fat chance," Melinoe said, glancing at Hades's hand. She tried to remember the last time he touched her, but she couldn't, although she knew there were plenty of times. Sure, he had been a bastard tonight, but he told her she would always mean something to him. A comrade in arms, a nemesis, and... What else?

"Leave me here. I'll take myself home," she said miserably.

"Melinoe, you need to recuperate somewhere safe. Let me take you home in my chariot."

Melinoe parted her hair to squint at Hades. Did he just offer to give her a ride in his chariot? That was a good thing, right? "Okay."

Hades had Zeus take him back to the palace while Hecate kept Melinoe company on the dock. Fortunately, Hades returned before Hecate could finish her sermon about holding onto things that didn't serve a god's purpose, although Melinoe hadn't been listening to any of it. She couldn't even remember her journey home when she and Hades arrived in her courtyard. Had Hades talked to her? Had she answered? Was she in shock? Maybe that's why she couldn't remember where they had been.

As soon as Melinoe walked in the door, the scents of dusty books and melted wax brought her back to place. She was home, which was in the underworld. And she had fallen in the Lethe river. But she was a goddess, which meant she would be fine. Melinoe hurried to her fireplace, which had died during her absence. Had she been gone that long? She knelt to start a fire under the cauldron, hoping to find her bearings again, while Hades watched her.

"You might want to relax for a few hours," he said. "Can I get you anything?"

"No," she grunted as she got her flint lit and touched it to the kindling. "I need to do things. Normal things."

"Okay."

Rather than leave, Hades circled the room, glancing around like he had never seen the place before. Of course, he had seen the place. They had fucked on the hearth numerous times. Or was it someone else she had fucked there? It wasn't Thanatos. So, who else could it have been?

"I don't remember seeing this cobalt glass collection," he said. "Where did you pick these up?" Hades pointed to a trio of long-necked bottles decorating her hutch, forcing Melinoe to look away from her fledgling fire.

"I got those in Stockholm not that long ago...maybe forty years."

Melinoe thought she saw Hades smile, but she wasn't paying attention to him. She was busy trying to light her damned fireplace. Maybe it was her clothes. They were still damp. Melinoe stood and shrugged off her cloak. Then she pulled off her boots. Finally, she shimmied out of her dress, and that's when Hades got distracted from her glass collection.

"Melinoe, is that really necessary?"

"My clothes are wet and I'm trying to get this fire lit." She crouched down and cracked her flint again, sending a spark into the tinder.

"I have always found it safer to wear protective clothing when starting a fire from flint. I recommend you put on something dry first."

"Fine. You pick something out for me. I'm going to look for a fermented beverage." Melinoe caught Hades shaking his head as he walked down the hall and disappeared into her bedroom. As she stared after him, she wondered how he felt about entering her private chamber. Would he recognize the dresses that he had torn off her body in the heat of passion? Would he recognize her bed?

Melinoe found her bottle of brandy, although she couldn't remember leaving it on the harpsichord bench, and there was a glass sitting next to it, so she filled it. Hades returned rather quickly with a plain black dress with quarter-length sleeves. It was her favorite for lounging around the house.

"I hope this will do," he said, holding it out to her.

Melinoe ignored his arm as she took a sip of brandy. It tasted off, but the burn felt good, and he waited patiently, averting his eyes. Gods did not treat nudity with disdain, so Melinoe had to assume he could not look upon her bare flesh without arousal. This gave her some comfort as she pulled the dress out of his hand and took her time putting it on.

When she was fully clothed, Hades handed over her tortoiseshell hair clip with abalone inlay - a gift he bought her in Indonesia. "I also found this on your dressing table," he said. "Your hair is a tangled mess."

He returned to the great room, and Melinoe followed him as she twisted her hair on top of her head. Did he have a reason for giving her that clip? Did he want to remind her of their affair? The crackle of flames drew her attention to the fire that now blazed in the hearth.

"Did you do that?" she asked, her temper flaring.

"No, you did. I know you don't want the eternal flame corrupting your brews."

She glanced at Hades before dropping her gaze to the brandy in her hand. He had remembered her rule. Melinoe settled into the welcoming cushions of her couch and watched Hades stare into the fire. He didn't appear eager to leave. When she had sipped enough from her glass, she inquired.

"Are you trying to tell me something, Hades?"

He turned to her, and the gold in his eyes twinkled. "I'm not sure what you mean?"

Melinoe pointed to the clip in her hair. "Why did you choose this clip? I keep half a dozen on my dressing table."

"I like it. It reminds me of Indonesia. The Borobudur Temple is still imprinted in my mind."

"Is that all you remember about Indonesia?" Melinoe tweaked her eyebrows, and Hades caught her meaning immediately. She based this off the grimace that found his lips.

"I am not reminiscing with you," he said coolly. "You and I cannot go back to where we were. Not after what happened with Lexi and the hurtful things you did to her, whether or not you ever admit to it."

"Admit to what, exactly?" Melinoe gritted her teeth, wishing he didn't always have to ruin their conversations with talk about Lexi.

"The Bonsai on the balcony. The elm in the grove. The spirits running rampant through the palace. Do I have to spell it out for you again?"

Melinoe glanced into the fire as a strange feeling came over her. It wasn't deja vu, but something similar, like Hades was repeating himself. She just couldn't remember what he had said before.

"Melinoe?" Hades stared at her as he waited for her to respond, which made it even harder to remember. Was he talking about the elm that everyone worshiped because Lexi had planted it? Melinoe hated that tree.

"I seem to be having a small memory lapse," she admitted finally. "When did I do these hurtful things to Lexi?"

Still scrutinizing her, Hades explained. "On her birthday. You helped Elm prune a Bonsai before she gave it to Lexi as a gift. Do you remember that?"

Melinoe offered an uncertain nod. She remembered all the trips she and Elm took to the meadow to do ceremony. They were calling up spirits, but Melinoe would never admit to that. "I remember spending time with Elm. She's the only one who gets me around here."

"So, you remember the Bonsai?"

Melinoe bit her lip as she tried to pry the memory from her brain, but all she kept getting was the elm. "I remember the elm in the grove. That's all."

"Do you remember what you did to the elm? When was the last time you visited the grove?"

Tossing back a large swallow of brandy, Melinoe adjusted herself on the couch. She wanted to ask Hades to leave and stop his questioning, but she needed to shake the foreboding feeling that she had lost a memory, even if it was a bad one. The last time she visited the grove was to bury the bones of a cat she knew in the mortal world. Or was she burying something else?

"I haven't visited the grove in at least five years. And I didn't bury the cat under Lexi's precious elm. It was a maple."

Hades pursed his lips, but she couldn't tell if he was frustrated or worried. Did he really care whether she had lost memories in the Lethe? He knew the risks of using that as a punishment. Was he punishing her for the cat?

"Tell me about these spirits?" she asked. "The ones you said were running rampant."

"You used magic to place spirits in the Bonsai tree, including your incubus, Josef." Hades now looked more worried than frustrated as he stepped closer to her. "You brought him to the underworld to cause havoc in my home. Then you saw him down the Lethe in a punt. He's the one who pulled you into the river. Do you remember falling into the river, Melinoe?"

Melinoe blinked her eyes at him, uncomprehending his story. She hadn't seen Josef in well over a year. "I remember falling into the river. I remember waiting alone on the dock for someone to find me, but no one came. I had to walk through the forest alone."

Melinoe tucked her knees to her chest and pressed her forehead to them. She didn't like reliving this memory, but it was the only memory she had from that day. The only one she knew was real. She felt Hades's warm palm on her shoulder as he tried to comfort her. How long had it been since she felt his touch? When had she started to cry? She never cried.

Lowering her knees, Melinoe lifted her head and drained the brandy from the glass. Then she gave her full attention to the burn as she turned to Hades. He looked like he just came from a funeral. "I'm perfectly capable of finding my way through the woods now, and of conjuring a proper fire. I'm not thirteen anymore. You can go, Hades."

"Melinoe, you're not quite yourself yet. Why don't I summon Hecate to stay with you?"

"No." Pushing herself off the couch, Melinoe stood in front of her hearth, letting the fire's life force warm her skin. "I'm fine. I'll let you know as soon as I find those memories. Go home to your wife and kids."

As if commanded by an unseen force, Melinoe turned to stare at the hallway leading to her bedroom. It was lit by a single chandelier. Its mate hung over her bed. She found the pair in a Moroccan bazaar during a trip with her lover, Josef. At least she remembered that. She missed those trips. She missed Josef.

"I'm tired," she said. "I think I'll rest for a while. You know the way out, I assume."

Depositing her brandy glass on the hearth, Melinoe made for her bedroom. That's just what she needed to sort this whole thing out. A nice long rest.