The Forgotten Witch

14 ~ Lexi

* Steam Warning *

Lexi awoke to her bright-eyed children bearing birthday gifts. Ely presented her with a lovely breakfast that he prepared without any assistance from the nymphs; a bowl of berries and nuts he had collected with Lars on their last outing. Elm's gift, the one she'd kept secret for so long, came in a much larger package. It was a potted tree, and Hades carefully navigated it to the bedroom, setting it inside a large ceramic tray on the balcony.

"It's a Bonsai tree," Elm explained proudly. "Melinoe got it started and helped me trim each branch into those pretty shapes. Then we hid it in the wine cellar. It's supposed to be like your tree in Olympus, Momma. See the lanterns? There's one for each of us kids. Lacy and Sella helped me make them."

Elm gestured proudly at three wire-framed lanterns hanging under tufts of emerald greenery, and while the tree was beautiful, Lexi had some concerns about Melinoe's involvement. Of course, she would never let Elm know this. "It's a fantastic present," Lexi gushed as she hugged Elm tightly. "You have your father's artistic eye."

"I wanted him to light the lanterns," Elm went on excitedly. "Then they'll stay lit all the time and you can remember us when we're not here."

"Oh, Elm. I could never forget you, but I understand the sweet thought behind it. Thank you, so much."

While Elm and Ely pranced around the tree, Hades lit the lanterns one by one, and Lexi found herself holding her breath as she watched each tiny lamp flicker to life. Surely, Melinoe would not be so obvious as to sabotage the tree. She had been playing the good witch recently, but after she released a Scottish brownie inside the palace during Lexi's first year there, Lexi had not let her guard down. When nothing strange or magical happened, Lexi allowed herself to be dragged into the dancing circle and enjoyed a bit of silliness with her children. She was probably fretting over nothing.

The day progressed with Elm and Ely keeping Lexi company while the nymphs decorated the palace for her party, and when the afternoon sky had faded to dusk, Lexi was allowed downstairs. The great room had endured the most embellishments, with a seemingly endless strand of lanterns strung across the rafters, flickering with the eternal flame. Lexi counted twenty-nine in total, beautifully crafted into the shape of bird cages, the same design as the lanterns adorning Lexi's birthday tree. The industrious nymphs had made a surplus for the party, and Lexi couldn't help thinking of the grove in Olympus as she walked under the twinkling lights.

The first guests on the scene were Odessa and Poseidon, along with young Valencia, who hurried through her greeting to join Elm upstairs.

"The palace looks magical, tonight," Odessa said as she pointed to the lanterns over their heads. "You should keep them up all year-round."

"That's a great suggestion. They do add a festive mood to the room."

"I still say Hades should think about adding more windows to this space. Windows he can actually see out of." Poseidon gestured to the multi-paned window overlooking the backyard patio. Each diamond-shaped pane was lined with a thick bead of lead, and the beveled-edge glass distorted the images outside. Lexi had to agree it was more decorative than functional.

"I think the palace was designed with practicality in mind," she said. "If the monsters of Tartarus were to escape, we might have a fighting chance here."

Blythe skipped into the room, announcing the next guest. "Persephone, Eros, and Alex have arrived, my lady."

"Come find me when you're done playing birthday queen," Odessa said as she kissed Lexi on the cheek and tugged Poseidon away. A moment later, Persephone and Eros strolled over, arm in arm, but Alex didn't bother to join them. He shouted his greeting to Lexi as he blew past, flinging his wings wide on his way to the patio door.