Lexi forced herself to eat, hoping to appease her family, but she wasn't hungry. She was in pain. Hades would surely use this poorly-timed excursion to Boston as a point in some future debate. But Lexi had no excuses. She insisted she was fine before they left the palace, when she had been secretly monitoring contractions.

Submitting to her body, Lexi set down the half-eaten bagel and resumed her previous position on the hospital bed; head down and backside in the air. The position brought back erotic memories of multiple orgasms, but that wasn't the picture she needed in her head while her family listened to her pant. A baby wanted to be born, and Lexi was anxious to accommodate her.

The sex of their offspring was still undetermined, but Lexi knew she was female. The little spirit had been coming to Lexi in dreams for most of her pregnancy, delivering her name on whispers – Juniper. By Lexi's calculations, she had conceived in the Asphodel Meadows near a patch of spreading Juniper. Lexi remembered the day vividly, particularly the wine that spilled on her dress and the resulting nudity.

A strong contraction swooped in during Lexi's daydream, and she felt her son's comforting palm on her back. Just like Hades, Ely had a deeply tender side and was always there to lend a hand, along with some inspired wisdom. It was hard to believe Ely and his sister were approaching their eighth birthday. They may have well been thirty.

"You're breathing like Cerberus," he said. "Are you thirsty, Mommy?" Ely's plastic sword clattered to the floor as he made a grab for the water pitcher, but Elm beat him to it, snatching the cup as well.

"Too slow." Elm started pouring, knowing Ely wouldn't make a scene. Too many years the boy had endured the label 'crybaby'. Now, Ely kept his emotions in check around his sister.

"Be polite, Elm." Lexi had her say without lecturing. She had important things to do, and when the water was in her hand, she managed to take half a sip before a contraction hit. Thankfully, Hades was there to snatch the cup from her as she submitted to her body.

"That was closer," her mom announced. "Should I call the doctor?"

"No. I'm going to have this baby without them. I want Hades to deliver."

"Do you think that's wise, pumpkin? The hospital has to think about liability," her dad interjected, using an ancient nickname he only pulled out on special occasions.

"Anything can be resolved with a little tact and a little more money," Lexi said. "Isn't that a quote of yours?"

He nodded reluctantly. "It's something I borrowed, but your point is well taken. We are merely servants, your highness."

"Don't start that crap, Dad." Lexi gripped the sheet between her fingers as another wave of pain took over. This one was followed by the need to push, and she groaned through the entire contraction. "I don't think this kid is planning to turn before making her grand entrance. Are you up for this, Hades?"

"I am at your beck and call, my lady. I'll just wash up."

Hades straightened his shoulders and gave her a confident smile as he walked to the bathroom, and Elm moved in closer, perching on the edge of the bed to watch Lexi's condition deteriorate. Ely maintained an unflinching vigil at Lexi's side, still ignoring his breakfast sitting on the table, while Lexi's parents stared at the scene like the world was ending.

Lexi hadn't planned for a full-on family affair with this birth. How much trauma might be inflicted on her children's young minds if they watched? Or her parents? "Why don't you two take the kids for a walk," Lexi said, glancing pointedly at the door. "If the doctors ask, tell them I'm laboring comfortably."

Her dad didn't have to be asked twice. Despite his concern for the hospital's liability, he snapped into action, swiping the plastic sword off the floor and handing it to Ely. "I need to use the little knight's room. Will you help me find it, Ely?"

"But mommy needs her back rubbed," Ely told him.

Lexi touched Ely's hand, smiling through her pain. "Thanks to you, my back feels better. Help your grandpa so he doesn't get lost."

Ely nodded, brushing his overlong hair out of his eyes. "I will."

"We won't be far," said her mom, looking stricken as she reached for Elm's hand. "Let's find a vending machine. I feel a chocolate craving coming on."

Elm hopped off the bed without a backward glance, lured by the promise of sweets, and Lexi adjusted herself into a reclined position, breathing easier for the first time since they arrived at the hospital. It was just she and Hades, bringing back memories of the twins' birth. Rather than a hospital bed, she had labored in a stream, and instead of pillows at her back, she had a rock. Strangely, she missed that stream and rock.

With her impressionable audience gone, Lexi focused on the baby forcing her way into the world, and when Hades returned, she was digging her heels into the bed as she hunkered through another contraction. Hades piled pillows behind Lexi's back before taking his position at the end of the bed, and Lexi watched his eyebrows lift and lower as he monitored the progress from his vantage.

"I see the baby's buttocks. Although I can't say what position the legs are in yet. There are several variations of breech."

Lexi barely acknowledged his ramblings. She was too busy connecting with the babe who insisted on coming three weeks early with her rear in the air. Another hard contraction later, and Hades had his answer.

"Frank breech. She looks good."

"She?"

"Yes. From this angle, the signs are clear."

The next few minutes passed in a blur, with more pain and groaning and a few curses. It wasn't until Hades delivered Juniper and she was wailing her first breaths that the hospital staff arrived. In true godlike form, Hades smiled proudly at the floor nurse gawking from the doorway.

"You're just in time," he said as he cradled his newborn daughter. "You wouldn't happen to have a bottle of champagne on hand, would you?"