Lexi stood in front of the scrying mirror waiting for Odessa to appear. Tara had answered Lexi's call and voiced her enthusiasm for becoming involved in the new council, which Lexi had mixed feelings about. Tara's age was one factor, having been born two hundred and nineteen years ago, when Lexi and Odessa had capped the age limit at two hundred. On the other hand, Lexi recognized Tara's fiery spirit as an asset, something that could be helpful during negotiations, as long as she kept her fists out of the conversation.

"Good evening, Lexi." Odessa greeted Lexi with a friendly smile, which Lexi was growing fond of. "Did you receive my message? I sent it by courier two days ago. I was starting to worry."

"I have been with my family in Boston for the past three days, but the nymphs delivered your message as soon as I returned this afternoon and I read it right away."

"Oh, good. What did you think? I have readied a formal outline of our agenda to be presented to the council."

Lexi had already decided to give Odessa the green light on the agenda, but she wanted to voice her thoughts first. Correction, voice Hades' thoughts first. "I believe it's a good starting point, but Hades thinks we should call ourselves The Legacy Council rather than The Legacy Court. He thinks 'court' sounds too autocratic. I have to agree with him. I don't want our title to be the first thing the council finds fault with. We have enough on our agenda they can criticize."

Odessa nodded. "Excellent point. I will change it and make sure they know the name is not engraved in stone. Is there anything else Hades has an opinion on? I know you value his input, as I value yours."

"Thanks, Odessa. I feel the same about you. Hades did have an extreme reaction to our last objective about reinterpreting the bylaws. He spewed wine all over the hearth."

Odessa laughed, which took the form of a throaty warble. "I can picture him doing that. Actually, I can't really picture him since I have only seen a portrait of Hades, but your descriptions of him help. Do you think that last objective will be disputed? The bylaws are a touchy subject for the gods."

Lexi took in a sharp breath, forcing it into her cheeks on the exhale. This was an important issue for her, and she was determined to hound the council about it until she broke them or vice versa. "I would really like to leave it and see what their response is. If that is the only thing they fight us on we will remove it from the agenda and I will tackle it personally."

"Okay." Odessa stared at Lexi for a moment, her expression wary. "Why do you feel so strongly about changing the bylaws, Lexi? They don't keep the gods from living fulfilling lives, and most of them don't affect you in the underworld."

"To be perfectly honest," Lexi said, attempting to justify her inflexibility on the subject. "I am especially interested in one particular bylaw. The one that prohibits Hades from entering Olympus. I still believe there are other bylaws that need serious revision, but if you don't think they will impede our ultimate goal, we can skip that objective altogether."

"I share your views on that bylaw, Lexi, and as we discussed before, the antiquated verbiage of the bylaws could be promoting complacency in the gods. I definitely think we can find one or two that will prove this point, and I see no problem leaving it. In the meantime, I'll do some digging at the palace of the titans to come up with a rebuttal should we need one."

Lexi wanted to reach through the mirror and hug Odessa around the neck. The more she got to know the goddess, the more she felt they had the right stuff to do great things together. "Brilliant. I'll be in Olympus the day after tomorrow. Let's plan to have lunch at The Argonauts Table at mid-day."

A twinkle lit up Odessa's eyes as she beamed excitedly. "I would love that. I have been wanting to talk to you about something else..." She paused to glance over her shoulder before finishing in a whisper. "...about Poseidon."

"Oh? Now you have me intrigued. I look forward to it." Lexi offered a friendly wave before touching the mirror, hiding her mischievous grin until the glass went dark. She knew better than to get her hopes up about a love affair between Odessa and Poseidon, given Poseidon's playboy history, but signs were pointing in that direction.

With Hades taking the night shift at the gates, Lexi had the entire evening to spend how she wanted, and she made her way downstairs to see what the nymphs were up to. It was no surprise that Blythe was waiting to meet her in the foyer. The sunshine blonde nymph always seemed to know when Lexi was nearby, and often appeared out of the ether, offering her assistance with a smile.

"Good evening, Lady Lexi," Blythe said as she curtsied. "Can I be of service? Are you still hungry? Fiona saved you a serving of spaghetti squash and rosemary balsamic reduction from the evening meal."

"I ate plenty, thank you. If I'm not careful, I will outgrow everything I own."

Blythe gave Lexi's belly an affectionate pat. "You are eating for two now, mistress. It is okay to disregard your figure for a while. I wondered if you would like to consider a maternity wedding dress. We have plenty of fabric to accomplish it."

Lexi stared down at her belly, which bulged against her shirt. It appeared to have grown since she last checked, or maybe the increase was merely a result of stuffing herself at dinner. While she held no judgment against pregnant brides, Lexi had a vision of walking gracefully down the aisle, not waddling down it.

"No. I would like you to make the dress with the original measurements. Hades and I decided to push the wedding back to spring to give my body time to recuperate after the birth. We still need to choose a venue."

Lexi shuffled into the great room and plopped onto an overstuffed chair, crossing her legs under her. Blythe followed, alighting on the arm and observing Lexi with a motherly expression. This was accompanied by a hint of impatience, reminding Lexi of Hecate, but she would never point this out to Blythe.

"I hope you are not worried about Lord Hades finding you undesirable as your body changes, my Lady," Blythe finally offered. "I have never known him to judge someone based on appearances. Besides, he compares your beauty to the landscapes found only in the heavens. He told me so himself."

Without meaning to, Lexi snorted. She had never thought of her looks as anything more than appealing. A pretty face, but one that could get lost in a crowd, unlike Hades, who had the stunning features of... well, an Olympian. "Hades has a way with words, but I have never known him to be insincere. And, I'm not too worried about my figure. I have always been very active and I know I'll bounce back. I am more concerned about the aftermath... about motherhood."

"Ah, I see. An understandable concern. You are still very young, but you carry yourself like a goddess many years your senior, and your wit and intelligence are remarkable. I am sure Lord Hades was drawn to these traits. Did you know his daughter, Jocelyn, was your age when she had her first child? And, if I may speak frankly, she had not reached your level of maturity by then."

"You're talking about Phineus, aren't you? The son Jocelyn had by Poseidon. He owns The Argonauts Table in Olympus."

"Yes. Jocelyn brought Phineus to the underworld often when he was a youth, and Hades grew fond of his grandson. They got into a lot of mischief together."

"Why did Phineus stop visiting?"

"Well, as you may have learned from reading about your ancestors, he ran into a bit of trouble with Zeus and spent time in the mortal world paying a penance. Zeus eventually allowed him to return to Olympus, of course, and they have since mended the bridge that separated them. It was after his experience facing death by starvation that Phineus devoted his life to offering food to the gods."

"I suppose he wouldn't have much interest in visiting the underworld these days, huh?"

Lexi's tone definitely came out resentful, which she had not intended, and Blythe rested her hand on Lexi's shoulder. "You have been busy since you arrived home, my lady, and I can see how the distressing events of your visit with your family have exhausted you. Why don't you retire to your chamber and I will bring up a cup of chamomile tea."

Blythe hopped off the chair and extended her hand to help Lexi up. The exuberance that emanated from the nymphs never failed to cheer Lexi no matter what mood she was in. It was this way with the other inhabitants as well. The centaurs, the satyrs, and the minotaurs all treated Lexi with kindness and respect, and she believed any god who visited the underworld would feel the life more than the death. Had no other gods entertained the idea of living there permanently? Certainly, one of Hades' offspring had considered it. Or did the council nix all requests because most gods could not fulfill their duties within the confines of the underworld? A compromise had been made on Lexi's behalf, and Kade seemed to enjoy free rein between the two worlds. Surely, other concessions could be made.

As Lexi made her way up the curving staircase, following the path of sconces flickering with the eternal flame, an idea took root. An idea that rivaled The Legacy Council's grandiose agenda. If she was not able to bring Hades to Olympus, maybe she could bring Olympus to him.