Many days had passed since Lexi's visit to Elysium and her failed attempt to reunite Rhea's spirit with her body, but that incident was far from her mind when she woke. It was the day of winter solstice, and Lexi was roused by the scrying mirror. The nymphs picked it up downstairs, and Lexi leaned over to kiss Hades, whispering into his ear.

"Today, I become your queen."

Hades pulled Lexi into his arms, returning her gesture with a barrage of kisses. "Today we make it official."

After awakening her with his dexterous tongue, Hades filled her with his powerful manhood and brought her swiftly to climax. Blythe called through the speaking tube just as Lexi found her release.

"Your graces, Lady Odessa is on the scrying mirror. She requests that Lady Lexi speak with her without fail, preferably in a private location."

Still panting through the luxuriant quiver left in the wake of Hades' impassioned lovemaking, Lexi offered him an apologetic shrug.

"I shall hide myself in the bathroom and not come out until you bid me," Hades said as he kissed Lexi on the forehead. He slipped out of bed and helped Lexi to her feet, making a pass by the cribs to peek on the babies. When he had vanished into the bathroom, Lexi called to Blythe.

"I will take the call up here. Thank you, Blythe."

"Very well, my lady. Do the babes need anything?"

"No. They appear to have remained oblivious to our conversation."

"Pleasant day to you, my lady. I expect it will be a monumental one."

"Pleasant day, Blythe. I believe it will, as well."

Lexi grabbed her robe and hurried to the mirror to address the gaunt face of her friend. "Good morning, Odessa. I hate to tell you this, but you look like hell."

"Oh, Lexi. I have had the worst night of my life," Odessa said as she dragged her fingers through the unkempt tresses at her temples.

"I believe you. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I am sorry to intrude on the morning of your marriage. It is inexcusably rude of your maid of honor, isn't it?"

"We are still best friends, even on my wedding day. I am all ears."

"It has been three weeks and I still cannot come up with an answer for Poseidon. This morning I woke up to the sound of birds in my bedroom."

"Birdsong in your bedroom? That doesn't sound so terrible."

"They are lovebirds in a cage delivered by one of Poseidon's satyrs."

"Oh, that kind of birds. You have to admit, that's pretty damn romantic."

"It is the most romantic thing I have ever heard of in my life!" Odessa shouted through the mirror. "Poseidon is the most handsome, unrelenting, sentimental god I have ever known."

"And you have weighed the pros and cons, like we talked about? If the rewards outweigh the risks, you're halfway there."

"Yes, yes. I weighed the risks and hurled them out the window. I love him, Lexi. I want to marry him."

"But..."

Lexi's pronouncement hung in the air like the stench of a forgotten pair of riding pants, and Odessa's face drained of all color until she looked as pale as a soul.

"But... he is in love with someone else."

Lexi's chest tightened, and her hand crept up to rest over her heart. "Odessa, I don't see how that's possible. Poseidon has not made any trips to the mortal world, and he has assured me he has been celibate since he started courting you."

Odessa nibbled her bottom lip while her eyes darted around, as if she didn't want to look Lexi in the face. "I believe he has been honorable, but that does not mean he isn't harboring romantic feelings for another."

Oh, dear. Lexi knew what Odessa was driving at, and she felt the impact of Odessa's revelation like the point of a sword at her temple. Had Lexi inadvertently doomed her friend's relationship with Poseidon by allowing him to shadow Lexi like a nymph? This would definitely not do. Lexi had to think of something to say that would convince her friend to follow her heart without restraint. To dispel the doubts plaguing her.

"Do you think this romantic interest is a threat to your relationship with Poseidon?" Lexi asked.

Odessa finally met Lexi's eyes and released her lip. "My head is telling me yes, but my heart is telling me no."

"What feels better? Listening to your head or your heart?"

Odessa took very little time to respond. "My heart."

"Then I suggest you go with that. Eternity may seem like a long time, but it is only long when you are not enjoying it."

A slow smile grew on Odessa's face and the color returned to her cheeks. "Oh, thank you, Lexi. Your friendship means everything to me, and I have learned that you don't offer advice until you have secretly passed judgment on the one asking for it. It is both judicious and compassionate. I have never had a friend like you."

"And I have never had a friend who I considered family. You are dear to me, Odessa, and I want to see you happy. Will Hades and I see you and Poseidon at the wedding then?"

Odessa appeared to come to life, and she slapped her hands to her cheeks. "The wedding! I'm so unprepared. I have to call Poseidon's palace straight away. To thank him for the birds. Oh, dear. We were supposed to sail to the wedding together, but I've been so distracted. I hope he hasn't..."

"If you don't take a breath you're going to pass out, Odessa. I saw it happen once at a debate."

Odessa giggled into her hand. "Too right. I need to breathe. And, my dress. I need to get dressed."

Lexi smiled as she waved to the vanishing face of her friend. Hopefully, her advice would be enough to see Odessa and Poseidon through the uncertainties that were sure to follow their engagement, and Lexi pushed away the guilt trying to take root inside her. It seemed she and Odessa had both learned a lesson. Odessa had learned to trust, and Lexi had learned that retribution did not require an eternal sentence.

Lexi glanced into the cribs to find both babies sleeping soundly, and she took it as their gift for her wedding day. She made for the bathroom where Hades was taking a bath. She loved finding Hades in the bath, and he gestured her into it. The tub smelled of patchouli, a favorite of Hades, which contributed to his earthy scent. She dropped her robe on her way over and stepped into the water, crawling toward him to rest her cheek on his chest.

"Is everything all right with our dear love struck Odessa?" he asked as he stroked the contours of her back.

"It didn't start out that way, but I believe she had a revelation that will turn her day around. And I, too, benefited from the revelation." Lexi lifted her head and kissed a drop of water off his chin. "How is your day starting out?"

Hades smiled. "Like I'm having the best dream of my life and I don't have to wake up."

Lexi's heart thudded inside her chest, as if it had grown three sizes. "You say the most beautiful things. Are you sure your godly gift isn't poetry?"

Hades planted a kiss on her forehead. "It would not take a scholar to be inspired by you, my lady."

"Okay. Now, you're just showing off."

Through the gap in the bathroom door, Lexi heard Blythe call through the speaking tube in the bedroom, but the nymph's voice was too far away to understand. A moment later, Blythe called into the bathroom. "Your graces. Another call on the scrying mirror."

"Who is calling?" Hades asked, his words clipped and commanding.

"Charon. He says to excuse the intrusion on your wedding day, but he wants to know how many boats are expected in port for the wedding."

"Two yachts, two sailboats and one fishing boat."

"I will relay the message. Pardon the interruption."

"How do you know you are interrupting?" Blythe's giggle echoed through the tube before it cut out, and Hades looked down at Lexi where she rested on his chest. "Are you sure you want to have the wedding in the underworld? It may be more trouble than it's worth. We can still make it work in the grand hall of the palace of the gods."

Lexi snuggled against him as her fingers traced the firm muscles of his abdomen. "I wouldn't have it anywhere else. This is our home, and a wedding is the perfect celebration to welcome our friends and family. I don't believe Gaia intended for the underworld to be the forbidden place it has become, and I want everyone to see that."

"I love you more than you will ever know," Hades gushed as he swept her into his arms, forcing her full breasts against his chest and causing her nipples to leak. At that moment, Ely told them he was being sorely neglected in the bedroom.