Lexi sat in the sewing room with her feet propped on a footstool and her belly buried under a layer of koala print fabric. She had been feeling gentle contractions all morning, but that was nothing new, and she chose to keep them from her overanxious fiancé. Hera had already prepared her for false contractions, which were supposed to be mild and irregular. Lexi hadn't even bothered to time these.
While Blythe and Lisbon cut koala fabric, Lexi picked through a collection of snaps and buttons sitting on the end table. From her position in the velvet wingback, Lexi watched the activity outside the window, where she had a clear view of the bridge and forest beyond. Lars had left his post to speak to Cole, who stood at the edge of the tree line. Cole usually relieved Lars mid-morning, but currently the two appeared to be engaged in a disagreement, based on the number of times Lars pointed to himself then at the palace. Finally, Lars returned to the bridge while Cole disappeared into the forest.
Lexi tsked to herself. She knew Lars had refused to trade with Cole because he suspected she would deliver soon, at least that was her interpretation of their chat this morning. Lexi didn't ask how he came to that conclusion, given that he wasn't an obstetrician or a god or even female, but she appreciated his dedication just the same. She decided to take him some fruit so he wouldn't go hungry, since he was probably missing lunch with his herd, and after unearthing her wide body from the wingback, Lexi excused herself from the room. In the kitchen, Fiona helped her fill a satchel with oranges and apples, all while admonishing Lexi to be careful on her journey across the bridge.
After making a pit stop to the bathroom, Lexi tucked Lars' lunch to her hip and trudged across the foyer. As she reached the front door, she heard Fiona cry out in pain. This prompted a detour back through the expansive dining room and into the kitchen where Lexi found Fiona sobbing into her hands.
"What is it Fiona? Are you injured?"
"No, my lady." Fiona cried as she pointed to the scrying mirror on the wall. "I just received a call from the palace with news of... Gaia preserve us." She lifted her dress to her face, crying hard into it.
"Tell me the news, Fiona." Lexi spoke clearly and slowly, knowing the nymphs often let their emotions run amuck.
"Rhea's body was found unresponsive in her bed chamber. They cannot wake her."
"Oh, no. The prophecy." Lexi whispered her horror as she held onto Fiona, who was slowly sliding down a cabinet to the floor.
Lexi's thoughts ran amuck as she stared at the inconsolable nymph. Was Rhea's spirit still with her body waiting to be reunited, or had it already gone to Elysium to join the souls of the fallen gods? Should she call the palace back and ask for more details? Were there any gods in Olympus who saw spirits? Oh, hell. She was wasting time. She needed to start closer to home.
"It's going to be all right," Lexi said as she pressed a kiss to Fiona's forehead. "I will make it all right."
Lexi left the kitchen and made for the stables through the great room door. She knew the nymphs would impede her progress if she told them what she was up to, so she chose not to tell them. Foregoing a saddle, Lexi climbed onto a stallion named Rupert, knowing he was sturdy enough to accommodate her and her babies. After taking stock of her equilibrium, she urged Rupert into the air. Lexi was only airborne a minute before she brought Rupert down in front of Lars, who greeted her with wide-eyed confusion. It was an endearing look for him.
"Lars, I need you to accompany me to Elysium. There's an emergency."
"You shouldn't leave the palace in your condition. Hades asked me to keep you in my sights."
"That's what you'll be doing. You can follow me on foot. Please, we need to hurry."
Lars glanced at the palace door. "Have you told anyone where you are going?"
"No. They would tell me not to go."
"And they would be right. You should let someone else take care of the emergency."
"The emergency is a matter of life and death. Only I can help. No one else has the gift. Do you understand?"
Lexi hated to play on Lars' sympathy, but they were running out of time. He nodded and that's all Lexi needed before she urged Rupert into the air again. She wasn't sure what she planned to do if she found Rhea's spirit in Elysium. There was a thought her gifts might give the titaness a connection to her body, or somehow send her back to Olympus. Lexi wasn't so worried about Rhea's spirit. Spirits could stay forever in the underworld. She was more concerned about Rhea's physical form and how it was responding to being soulless.
By the time they arrived in Elysium, Lexi had experienced three strong contractions. Based on her internal clock, they were about six minutes apart. She didn't want Lars to know what was happening to her body, so she pretended everything was fine. As they walked through the field, Lexi called out for Rhea while Lars held tightly to her hand, helping her navigate over obstacles and around holes. Three more contractions later, and Rhea's spirit had not appeared, which was when Lexi stopped to rest against a tree.
"This place is huge," she said as she panted. "I thought maybe Heracles or Macaria would respond to my shouting. They might have seen Rhea. Or maybe they're with her right now."
Lars looked down at Lexi after she finished her breathy rant, and she saw concern written in the added creases around his eyes. "You are in labor. You cannot hide that from me. I am taking you back to the palace."
Lexi bit her lip, not wanting to admit defeat. "I don't think this is the real thing. It's just false... Oooh." Lexi bent forward as a contraction took control of her body. This one would have been impossible to hide. When she righted herself, Lars scooped her into his arms.
"Home."
"No, Lars. I need to find Rhea's spirit. I need to help her."
"You cannot help me now, dear one." The soft, feminine voice lilted inside Lexi's head, which meant she was connecting with a soul, and she glanced around until she saw Rhea's spirit gliding toward them.
"Lars Stop. Rhea is here. She has found us."
Lars stopped walking but his eyes were locked on Lexi and not on the glowing image of Rhea as she floated in front of them. "I am at peace, Lexi, but it appears you are in need of assistance. Come, let us get you to the river."
Although Lexi didn't think a river was required to have a discussion, she didn't want to upset Rhea and have her vanish, so she agreed. "Lars, listen to me. Rhea wants us to follow her to the river. Please, give me time to talk to her. Then we can go back to the palace. I promise."
Grudgingly, Lars followed Lexi's guidance as Rhea's spirit led them through the trees. When they arrived at the edge of a stream, Lars lowered Lexi to the ground while Rhea instructed Lexi to get into the water.
"This is a tributary of the river Styx," Rhea explained. "It is quite shallow at this point. You will have no trouble giving birth here. I gave birth to Poseidon in a river similar to this."
"I am not going to give birth here. I can't..." Lexi was silenced by a hard contraction, and Lars offered his arm for support as she powered through the pain.
"Oh, I believe you can and you are," Rhea said. "Your babes are telling me they are perfectly content to be born right here."
Lexi stared at Rhea, wondering how she was able to communicate with her unborn children, but now was not the time to discuss the abilities of a deceased titaness. "Hades..." Lexi croaked. "Hades needs to be here. He's going to help deliver... He needs to see his children... Ugh."
As Lexi gritted her teeth against another contraction, Lars unhooked his belt and dropped his gear onto the shore. "I have witnessed four births. I will help you deliver your offspring safely."
While Lexi was grateful for Lars' presence, she didn't exactly want to get naked in front of him. It was now that Lexi regretted not telling anyone where she was headed. Hades would be furious, and he would be crushed. "Someone has to tell Hades. Please, Rhea can you go to him and tell him?"
"I am afraid I am relegated to stay on this side of the bridge, but I may know of a way to alert him. I will contact Heracles' spirit and have him send a message to his corporal form in Olympus. He can then contact Charon through the scrying mirror. Will that suit you?"
"Yes, thank you." Lexi allowed Lars to help her into the water, and as she made to sit down, a burst of warm liquid erupted from between her legs. She knew what that meant. It meant they were not going anywhere until her babies were born. It was time to get naked.
"Lars, help me out of my dress."
Lars appeared to know precisely what Lexi meant as he moved to stand behind her. It took him a few tries, but he managed to unzip her dress with his large fingers. He pulled it over her head, dislodging the clip Sella had used to hold up her hair. Her panties were next, and she managed to get them to her ankles on her own, then Lars handled the rest. Offering both his arms, he helped her sit down, taking a position in front of her. Lars stared at her body unabashedly as if he had never seen a naked goddess before, but Lexi was not in a state to feel embarrassed. She was in full delivery mode, and the next contraction she felt made her want to push.
"Oh, gods. Oh, gods."
Rhea joined them at the riverside, hovering over the shore as she offered support. "Heracles has heard my request. Not to worry, Lexi. Hades should be along shortly."
"But how will Hades find us!" Lexi shouted unnecessarily. "This place is huge!"
Rhea smiled. "I expect he will be able to follow your cries, but I will go to the bridge and wait for him there. Will you be okay without me?"
"Yes. Lars is here. Thank you, Rhea. Ouch!"
Lexi gripped Lars' arm as she hunkered through another contraction, barely aware of Rhea's spirit as it vanished among the trees. Digging one heel into the side of the riverbed and pressing the other against a boulder, Lexi found her stride. Lars praised her when the baby made progress, and stroked her fingers during rest periods. And when the head had been delivered and Lexi's body felt like it had split in two, Lars promised her next contraction would be the last. Of course, that wasn't true. She had another baby waiting to be born.
"The baby is coming," Lars said, stating the obvious, and Lexi used him as a point of focus while she caught her breath, watching sweat beads drip into his bushy eyebrows as he held his hands under the water, anticipating the birth.
"Arrgg!" Lexi groaned as she pushed with all her might until she felt a strange wiggling between her legs. Lars lifted her newborn out of the water and grabbed Lexi's dress to use as a swaddle. Then he did something Lexi had not expected. He drew the fluid from the baby's mouth and nose with his own mouth, sucking and spitting until the child uttered its first cry of life.