Perhaps bringing Lexi to the cave of Hypnos for a romantic interlude was not such a good one. She was still learning about the underworld, and the inhabitants were right out of her books of myths. Hades had to keep reminding himself that she was raised by mortals, but he loved the times when Lexi's god-like bravery showed up to surprise him, like now as they entered the cave and her curious gaze lifted to the ceiling.

There, the lesser hydras huddled together, hanging from the jagged rock by clawed tentacles like a living chandelier. He counted ten but there were likely more, wrapped tightly inside iridescent wings. Their sequin-like scales glimmered green, blue and purple, casting a colorful display of light across the cave walls. The sight always held Hades in awe, and it had been a long time since he could share it with someone new.

"They don't look like dragons," she said. "They look like scarab beetles with octopus tentacles. It's grotesque and fascinating at the same time."

"Good. I had hoped you would appreciate them for their unusual beauty rather than fearing them."

Lexi dropped her gaze to scrutinize him. "Should I fear them?"

"They can be bothersome when they swarm, but they'll give us no trouble once I sedate them. Watch closely and tell me what you see."

Hades took in a deep breath, conjuring his godly gift and letting it fill his lungs. Then he exhaled slowly toward the ceiling, releasing a fine vapor. Mortals could not see it, but Lexi watched the cloud rise to envelope the hydras. In a synchronized movement, they executed a group shudder before settling once again.

"I knew you were hot, but did you just blow steam from your mouth?" she asked.

"Not exactly. It's a vapor that carries sedative properties. I use it to calm the anxious souls who pass through the gates. It puts them into a relaxed state, allowing them to embrace the transition without fear."

Hades knew by her slightly furrowed brow that she was preparing a question. "That's a fitting gift for you," she said. "Have you ever used it on me?"

"No, I have not," he answered truthfully. "In fact, you possess a calming nature of your own. If the gates became crowded and I needed your help, I know you would do well."

"That reminds me. You promised to take me to work with you. I want to help, if I can."

Hades knew Lexi was anxious to find a purpose in her new life as a goddess, but he did not want to subject her to the tortured souls who couldn't let go. How would it affect her purity? Would she become jaded, like him? Would she leave him to find her higher purpose?

He reached for Lexi's hand and pressed her knuckles to his lips. Her touch had become like a salve. "Do we really want to discuss my work, right now? I had something more enjoyable in mind. The river is only knee deep here, and the rocks are smooth. Why don't we see what we can accomplish now that we have rid ourselves of clothing?"

Hades led Lexi out of the cave and walked her under the falls. Her body sparkled as the water drenched her bare skin, and droplets collected on the peaks of her breasts, making them look like jewels. As he took in her beauty, his pulse sped-up, and he smiled at his good fortune.

"I will do anything to make you happy," he said as he held her eyes steady with his own. "The depth of my feelings for you staggers me."

Lexi raised her hand to his face, brushing his cheek with her thumb. "Every day I spend with you convinces me I made the right choice. If this is eternity, then I'm all in."

Her gaze faltered, giving away her embarrassment. She admitted to being a sap for poetry but claimed to have no talent for it herself. She was sorely mistaken, and her honest sentiment helped to wash away Hades's doubts, at least for now. Catching her thumb with his hand, he sucked it into his mouth, circling it with his tongue as he hardened against her stomach. He needed to be inside her, to share that depth with her.

Taking her lips, Hades kissed her passionately, the cool spray on his skin heightening his awareness and drawing out a confession. "I was only half a god when we met," he said as he licked moisture from her mouth. "I was longing for something without knowing what it was. Finally, you came along and made me realize it was desire."

Lexi searched his face at point blank range. Was she thinking about the goddess who shared his heart? He prayed not. Lexi didn't know that Persephone was never truly his. That her duties had always kept them apart, and although they felt love for each other, their desire had faded like sun-bleached statues. Would the same problem challenge them when Lexi's gifts manifested? What were the chances her destiny was here, in the underworld? Hades had been ignoring these questions because there were no good answers.

Lexi slipped her arm around Hades's waist, dragging him away from his damned thoughts and tugging him out of the falls. Clearly, her thoughts were not on Persephone as she lowered into a crouch and tasted him. He knew she enjoyed getting him off this way, and she never complained when he spilled in her mouth, claiming he tasted like milk and whiskey. He caressed her hair as she lavished him with her tongue, drawing out a full body shudder. The kind that bristled under his skin and beckoned him to give in, but Hades had other plans.

Placing his fingers beneath Lexi's chin, he nudged her, and she looked up at him with a rosy-cheeked smile. "Turn around, my sweet."

Still blushing, Lexi acquiesced, lifting from the water and bending over the smooth rock. Beneath the perfect ivory globes of her buttocks, her womanhood awaited him, shimmering like something precious. He took her slowly, indulging in her warmth and savoring the pleasure that seeped into his bones. When Lexi submitted so willingly, trusting him with her virtue, the feeling was like no other. Did her unapologetic curiosity ignite his desire? Was it her youth that seduced him, reminding him he could still be seduced? He felt beguiled and vulnerable around this enchanting goddess, and all he wanted was more.

Grasping Lexi's hips, Hades took her with determined thrusts as his emotions crashed over him like a waterfall. He took her wet hair in hand and wrapped it around his palm. Then gently, he pulled on it, tugging her head back and drawing a sultry cry from her throat. Like untethered beasts, they sated their hunger, groaning through a mutual release that came with such force Hades nearly lost his footing on the slick stones of the riverbed.

Drenched and spent, Hades clung to Lexi in a desperate embrace, and when he felt her pulse slow, he pulled her under the falls. They kissed and laughed and splashed each other, riding the high of their endorphins. Misty dipped her head over the rocks, snorting into the water as she joined the folly, and Hades reveled in the simple perfection of the moment. It wasn't until Lexi became quiet that he felt the need to question her.

"What troubles you, my love?"

She tried to look unconcerned, letting go of her lip before she thought he noticed. "It's probably nothing, but I feel like we're being watched. Maybe Styx found us and doesn't approve of our conduct in her river."

Hades couldn't keep the grin off his face. "First of all, I am lord of the underworld, so this is my river. And secondly, no one is forbidden from enjoying the water's protective properties. But just to put your mind at ease, I will call for Styx and see if she is nearby."

Hades quickly surveyed the gorge for signs of the nymph, and before he could call her name, he noticed movement behind Misty. The horse noticed it too, and she cracked an annoyed hoof on the rock. When Hades saw the horns, he knew it was no sea nymph hiding among the crags, and he leaned in to speak covertly at Lexi's ear.

"I believe I have found our spy."