Hades opted for his pale blue robe as he readied himself for work. He knew he would be meeting Lexi at the gates when she returned from Olympus, and she always preferred him in blue, claiming it reminded her of the shirt he wore the day she realized she was falling for him. A flutter erupted in his chest at the thought of Lexi having such feelings for him, a feeling she had not experienced with any other prior to their meeting. He was her first and only true love.

Before leaving his chamber, Hades decided to contact Rhea. Until Lexi came to live with him, Hades had been a rather irresponsible son, letting too much time pass between conversations with his parents. It was shamefully easy to take loved ones for granted when you knew they would always be there. But, his mother had been on his mind since his exchange with The Fates, when they had unceremoniously dangled Rhea's thread of life in front of him threatening her imminent demise, an exchange he had chosen to leave out of his communications with Z. Not even Lexi knew.

"Good morning, Hades. To what do I owe the pleasure of this communication?" Rhea beamed at Hades through the glass, reassuring him she was still in command of her corporal form.

"Can a son not have a reason for calling other than to check on his parent's wellbeing?"

"Of course, he can, but I suspect there is something else motivating you to reach out, as I have been well nearly every day of my long life." Rhea tapped the base of her chin with the back of her hand as she fluttered her eyelashes. This made Hades grin.

"I may have had a particular thought provoking me, which came to mind after I saw Lexi off this morning. I wondered if she had mentioned to you that we have pushed the wedding date back to spring to accommodate her pregnancy."

"No, she had not."

"I suspect she meant to, but she has been plagued with a variety of personal setbacks and distractions. Her father was involved in an accident and we spent most of our recent visit at the hospital."

"Oh, dear. How serious is his condition? Was she able to help him?"

"Yes, she was. Her gifts appear to heed no limits."

"She is a gift to us all." Rhea's smile reached to her rosy cheeks, and her eyes twinkled with the sage wisdom of her years. "It is proof of your worth that you have earned her unerring devotion, Hades. I hope you never underestimate your gift as a humble and committed mate. There are many who believe you have cultivated those divine traits because you have not been exposed to the excess and arrogance promoted here in Olympus. Surely, you can see some truth in that."

"Perhaps." Hades shrugged, feigning indifference. Three years ago, he would have traded places with any god in Olympus, but now that he had Lexi, a goddess who not only pledged herself to him but had given up the benefits of Olympus to stay with him for eternity, he would not change a thing about his life. "I suppose I should get to work. I am glad to see you are well. Will you consider joining Lexi and myself the next time we visit her family? I would like to see you again, as well as Cronus, if he is willing."

"I am sure we can arrange that. Please, give Lexi my kind regards. Pleasant day to you, Hades."

"The same to you, Rhea."

Hades tapped the glass and turned away before it went completely dark, not wanting to see Rhea's image fade to black. He left his chamber, taking the long route to the staircase on the opposite side of the hallway. As he did, he took in the images posing inside the framed portraits of his family, replicas of those that hung in the palace of the gods. They had been the first things installed once the final stone of his palace was laid in place. 

He stopped in front of the rendering of Hestia, the sister whose intelligence and forward thinking facilitated the design and raising of his grand home. Next came Hera, her round, cherubic face reminding him of his youth when she would make off with one of his possessions and hide with it, forcing him to search for her. Demeter hung beside her sisters, staring determinedly ahead, already serious at the tender age of thirty.

Further down the wall were the faces of his brothers, Poseidon, with his arresting blue eyes and cocky attitude. He never failed to abscond with any and all goddesses who showed an interest in Hades. Their rivalry had become legend, until Hades was sent to the underworld and forgotten. Then came Zeus, who held himself so far above everyone that Hades never truly knew him until the incident involving Persephone. 

The final three portraits were of him and his parents. How many of them would make the effort to attend his wedding and help him celebrate his marriage to Lexi? Rhea was sure to join, although the thought that she might be in spirit form sent a shiver up his spine. How long did Lachesis say she had, one hundred and twenty-eight days, give or take? That would put her death coming before the birth of his child.

With his stomach tightly wound, Hades took the stairs to the foyer, but he was stopped on the first floor landing by a strange scene occurring outside the window. A centaur approached the palace, trotting across the bridge at a determined yet careful pace, and it was not just a centaur. There appeared to be a satyr slumped over his back. As Hades made for the door, Blythe burst into the foyer, skidding to a stop in time to prevent herself from colliding with him.

"My lord. Please, forgive my clumsiness." She bowed, still teetering on her feet from her abrupt halt.

"You are far from clumsy, Blythe. You managed to avoid treading on my shoes. I assume your intentions are to see to the centaur and satyr approaching the palace."

"Yes, sire. I was cleaning up from breakfast and only just noticed them."

Blythe swung the door open, and she and Hades stood inside the frame waiting to greet the pair. While Hades was not acquainted with every centaur in his realm, he recognized this centaur as being the mate of Pesca. He based this assessment on the fact that Pesca was slouched across the centaur's back.

"Greetings, your lordship." The centaur stopped in front of Hades and lowered his long neck in a show of respect, speaking to the stones of the bridge. "I have come to you with a humble request, if you will permit me to speak."

Hades stepped forward and touched the centaur's shoulder, prompting him to lift his head. "You may speak freely, friend, but first may I have your name?"

"I am Emeron, from the northern herd, led by Veldar and his mate, Delphine."

"What brings you, Emeron?" Hades asked, although he guessed it had something to do with Pesca, who appeared not to have taken Lexi's advice to rest after she was returned to her herd. Her hair was matted, her complexion pale, and her eyes were rimmed in red. Blythe scooted around Hades and spoke softly with Pesca as the satyr clung to Emeron's mane.

"It involves Pesca, my lord. She has been ostracized by her herd. They discovered the reason she came to the palace. Once the truth was confirmed that she and I have been involved in a secret affair, the elders sent her away." Emeron paused, turning his head to look at Pesca as she stroked his neck. The gesture appeared to take a great deal of energy on her part. "She traveled the forest all night in her weakened state, making her way toward my herd. It was her brother who finally arrived to tell me she had collapsed under a tree. He had followed her to make sure she was safe."

"And you are here asking if we can look after Pesca until she recovers?"

"I am, your grace. I would not ask if I had not already exhausted my resources. My leaders have empathy for our situation and considered offering sanctuary to Pesca, but they fear it will set a precedent for the other members to flout herd codes and obligations. I admit, Pesca and I have defied the rules of our herds by allowing our affair to continue." Emeron raised his head, a look of resignation on his face. "I am not asking for clemency. I am only asking for temporary shelter for Pesca."

Blythe was already helping Pesca off Emeron's back as Hades nodded his agreement. "Of course. As your lord, I have encouraged the inhabitants of our world to come to me with concerns. And now that we have been blessed with the grace and compassion of your future queen, Lady Lexi, I expect the exchanges between the gods and the inhabitants will be more frequent and congenial."

As Hades delivered his oration, Blythe guided Pesca through the palace doors, and before they disappeared into the shadow of the foyer, Pesca acknowledged both Hades and Emeron with a weary nod of her head. While Hades had never entertained a satyr in his home before, he knew Lexi would be pleased he had offered it to her friend.

"Tell me, Emeron, where do you see your relationship with Pesca progressing from here?" Hades asked. It was in his nature to ask difficult questions of the deceased, and he saw no difference here. The living had to answer the same questions.

"I cannot imagine my life without Pesca. I love her with all my being." Emeron's expression was not hard to read. His large, black eyes twinkled with emotion as he stared through the open door of the palace. "I know it will be difficult for us, and we will never experience the joy of nurturing an offspring, but I would give up everything to be with her, including my rights as a member of the herd."

Hades felt an immediate kinship with the centaur, having experienced the pain of separation from family and the challenges of pursuing a relationship fraught with obstacles.

"I admire your commitment," Hades said as he patted Emeron on his muscular shoulder. "You and Pesca have my full support."