i got a four-week extension on my assignment, which is why i managed to write this. there are more hints as to what lena really is. if you can catch it, congratulations! also, you can cry the headcanon that lex really loves lena out of my cold, dead, and lifeless hands.

now read, ponder, and enjoy!

If there was anything that the humans had done right, it was coffee – and scotch. Lena wasn't sure if she would be able to cope in her mortal vessel if she didn't have coffee, or get through her headaches and late night stays in the office without scotch. The inconveniences of being a mortal, she supposed.

And thankfully, her brother shared similar appreciation for both things with her.

There was a coffeemaker of his own invention sitting in his kitchen; she had one in her own kitchen back in National City. She took comfort in the fact that there was only two of this coffeemaker in this world – a solidification that his adoration for her did not waver, despite his loss of memory of her presence in his life before he came upon this realm, before he came upon Lana Lang.

In one of the cabinets, a full stock of scotch bottles could be found, ranging from Glen Grant and Jura Tastival to Laphroaig Quarter Cask and Benromach. Sure, there were whiskeys and vodkas among his collection – his favorite was vodka – but she could more than make do with the scotch.

Now, in this present moment, with the newly risen sun shining unforgiving rays into the penthouse – she'd gotten a little too used to the dim environment in the underworld – she was in front of the coffeemaker, brewing a pot of much needed caffeine fix. She had a plane to catch in two hours, and she knew for a fact that her nerves would not allow her a wink of sleep on that thing.

When the coffeemaker dinged at completion, she poured herself a cup, sat at the island, and sipped on it with a hum of appreciation.

"Good morning."

She shook her head, her eyes still closed. "Mornings should be outlawed," she grumbled.

Lex chuckled. He had always been amused with her utter dislike for the hours before the clock struck noon. Really, she had only recently discovered that she disliked mornings when she came upon this realm. The sounds of a cabinet opening and pouring of coffee filled her ears in the following few minutes, and then the stool next to her was occupied.

"Thanks for making the coffee."

"I needed it." He hummed; a loud slurping noise followed. "Don't slurp," she chastised. "It's unbecoming."

"You've seen and heard me do worse."

She opened her eyes but didn't look at him. Instead, she stared at the marble island top, thinking about the shenanigans they got up to before, and the shit that he always had a tendency to pull and put Hades in exasperation. Yes, she had seen and heard him do worse, but he didn't know. What he referred to was the snores, the loud sex, the curses, and the guffaws.

"I wish you'd stay longer," he said quietly next to her, a sigh of regret escaping. "I get lonely here."

Lena turned to her brother. "You have Lana." If he noticed the inflection of slight irritation in her voice, he didn't make a point of it.

Instead, he just blinked, a small smile appearing on his face. "She's just a friend," he muttered into his cup, looking into the dark liquid slushing inside it.

"Not for long," she commented. At least she hoped it wouldn't be for long. Otherwise, this whole venture would have been for nothing. The entire purpose of him drinking from the River of Lethe was so that he could become a mortal and spend a life with the woman in question.

Also, Lana would be a fool to not see how great a man her brother was, man or demon.

He lifted his gaze from the cup to her, wistful. "I sure hope so."

They were quiet for a long while, allowing themselves to just be in each other's company, as they always had. Lena wasn't sure if she had ever loved another person like she did Lex; she had always loved being with him; he had a way of making her feel important – or perhaps she was important to him. She really couldn't be sure, and she was never brave enough to ask. Not wanting to lose that illusion, and now there was no chance of asking him, because this was not her Lex.

In an hour, she had changed into clothes that were suitable for a two-hour flight, and he was standing at the door, jangling his keys and looking unhappy.

"I shouldn't have agreed to you moving to National City," he grumbled as she pulled her suitcase with her from the bedroom and closed the behind her.

She hummed. "I would grow to hate you if I spend any more time with you," she said with a teasing smirk, following him into the elevator.

It was true, but it wasn't because he would annoy her. Lex annoyed her on an almost daily basis, and she had never hated him for that. She actually welcomed it. But here's the thing, they were in a mortal world, he was a pretend mortal who was unaware of his own actual immortal identity, and she was an immortal who had to pretend with him, only she was fully aware of who and what she was.

If she had to spend every day with him, she would be constantly reminded of that fact, and she was afraid she would grow to hate him for landing them in these positions.

There was a mountain of paperwork waiting for her assessment sitting on her desk when she came back to her office. She had just gotten off the plane and didn't even bother going to her penthouse, opting to come into the office instead. It was enough to say that these paperwork was enough of a reminder that she wasn't in the Underworld anymore, and her job wasn't as simple as being a guardian alongside Cerberus.

As she put another folder on top of a growing pile of completed assessments, Lena was beginning to wonder if she made the right decision of coming into work after she had suffered through two hours of nothing but fear that she might crash and burn in what was nothing more than an enormous tin can thousands of miles aboveground. But then again, even if she didn't come in today, she would see the same thing tomorrow, and that didn't seem comforting as well.

She had done her studies on human inventions within two days before coming to this surface, so she understood that planes were the safest ways to travel, but she deeply disagreed with it. In her opinion, there was no way that being stuck in the air for hours, trusting your life in the hands of a pilot, could be safe.

She was fully aware that she couldn't so easily die, as they put it. The worst that could happen was that her powers would be out of commission, and she would have to spend a few days in the healing pool to recuperate, but still.What was more irking was that she definitely had way more efficient and safer ways to traveling. Teleportation, transforming and take a run, portals – so many ways. However, her identity was more important, and to use those ways would be raising suspicion, thus she had to subject herself to fucking planes.

She was in the midst of her multitasking between assessing paperwork and wallowing that she noticed a sticky note at the corner of the phone.

CatCo interview requested. Contact Kara Danvers - 202-555-0119

The name wasn't necessary, because she would recognize that number easily. First of all, Lena was extremely good with numbers. And secondly, she had spent hours staring at that number over the weekend, inadvertently memorizing it, before she actually texted the number and saved it in her contact list.

Pressing the intercom, she summoned, "Jess, can you come in for a moment, please?"

"Of course, Miss Luthor." She closed her eyes, sighing. While she was all for being polite and formal, Jess had been an exceptional secretary, and she had been imploring the woman to call her by her first name for years – to no avail. Her door opened and Jess stepped in. "Yes, Miss Luthor?"

Putting the subject of addressing aside, Lena raised the note in the air, having plucked it off the phone. "What is this?"

"CatCo called yesterday, asking for an interview with you," Jess relayed. "That's the journalist you should be contacting to give a response."

"Interview about what?"

"The establishment of LexCorp in National City," Jess said. "I can call and reject it for you if you want."

Lena stared at the sticky note for a second before she shook her head. "No need. I'll call her myself."

Jess nodded. "Is there anything else, Miss Luthor?"

"How about you start calling me Lena for a change?"

"Not going to happen, Miss Luthor," Jess said, although this time with a friendly smile.

Lena sighed, smiling in return. "I'll get you to relent one day, Jess."

Jess shrugged. "I look forward to it. If there's nothing else, I'll get back to my desk."

The CEO nodded in approval and watched the door close behind Jess. And then she picked up her cellphone, dialing the number she knew by heart. She rose from her chair and made her way to the balcony, staring out at the city but not paying attention to it, listening to the dial tone connecting to the journalist – Olympian – she had grown fond of within two conversations.

"Hello?"

"You could have just called my cellphone, you know," Lena started in way of greeting, her lips tugging into a wider smile at the sound of Kara's voice.

"I – uh – You know, seems more formal this way," Kara stammered again. Lena had never heard of a goddess being nervous before, and she found this very refreshing. "I wouldn't be calling on the basis of being friendly if I had directly called you."

Lena's eyes zeroed in on the CatCo building, imagining Kara in it, her phone to her ear and her eyes darting in nervousness. "I wouldn't mind."

"Wouldn't mind what?"

"If you're calling to be friendly or ask for your job."

"Oh." Silence stretched across the connection, and Lena could imagine Kara frozen in place. "Well, I will keep that in mind, Miss Luthor."

"Lena."

"What?"

"You can call me Lena."

Kara was quiet again. And then she said, "I will keep that in mind as well…Lena."

"Good."

She tried to fight it, but a shudder ran across her body at Kara saying her name. Somehow, she made it sound…exotic. Lena ran her hand over head, tugging a ponytail over one shoulder. She didn't know what else she was supposed to say, but she certainly did not want to hang up.

"So…" Kara drew it out. "Am I in for the interview or…?"

Lena blinked, and then she frowned, not at Kara but at herself. Whenever she called someone for an appointment, she had always checked her schedule with Jess first to figure out when she would next be free. But this time, she had let Jess go without so much as checking, leaving herself unprepared. She just called Kara because she wanted to.

She swallowed. "I will check my schedule and text you the details, Kara."

Kara took a breath, and Lena didn't want to presume that she was disappointed, but she sounded disappointed with that one sigh, which brought some kind of joy to Lena. "Okay, I'll wait."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Lena was reluctant, but there was still paperwork on her desk and she still had to call Jess in later. So, "Goodbye, Kara."

"Goodbye, Miss – Um, Lena."

There was that shudder again. Lena left the call connected for a few seconds, before she emitted a chuckle and ended it. She stood there, her vision focused on the tallest building in the city. If she could, she would go over there in a second just to catch a glimpse of the Olympian. Alas, she was hiding her identity, and just leaping over there would raise suspicions in the goddess, and that wouldn't do her any good.

When she was back in the Underworld that time, she was tempted to search the scrolls of any mention of Kara, but she refrained from it. But she didn't have to look to the scrolls to get the understanding that Kara Danvers – or whatever her real name was – was highly dangerous – not only to her and Lex, her mission, but also to herself.

There were individuals who had come close to gaining a permanent place in her heart, but she had always extricated herself before it went any further. Her mother's tale with her father was enough to drive her way from forming any commitments with anyone. But Kara, well, Lena wasn't sure that if Kara chosen to embed herself in Lena's heart in the future, she would be able to stop it.

And that was dangerous.

But then again, Lena, being what she was, had always embraced danger like a well-known enemy.

Lena (4:09 p.m.): I am available on Thursday evening. 5pm, to be exact.

Kara (4:24 p.m.): Good. I'll be there.

Lena (4:25 p.m.): I'll let Jess know.

Kara (4:32 p.m.): Jess?

Lena (4:32 p.m.): My secretary. I believe you spoke to her.

Kara (4:32 p.m.): Right, I did.

Lena (4:46 p.m.): I look forward to seeing you.

Kara (4:59 p.m.): Me too.

She could sense him when she was just five floors away from her penthouse. A sense of foreboding crawled into her senses, and she gripped the strap of her purse tighter, waiting for the elevator to reach her floor. When it did, she stepped out into the living room, and he was sitting on her couch, treating himself to the scotch she had kept in her supply when she moved here.

Lena dropped her bag on the empty armchair, and stood next to it, staring at him. She didn't think she had seen him dressed in human clothing before, and to be frank, he looked quite good in his polo shirt, bomber jacket, and beige khaki pants.

"Your Majesty," she addressed.

Hades didn't look up from the magazine he was reading, specifically the article that Kara had written about her. He only closed his eyes, sighing in exasperation. She could already hear the diatribe that she had just heard from his wife last week in her head. "Lena, there is no need to address me as such."

Ah, she supposed why Jess was so stubborn on being formal with her. Like it or not, Hades was still the king in the Underworld, making him her king. It did not matter how fond he was of her and how friendly they were with each other; she was still going to address him respectfully, if only to keep decorum of formality and a reminder to herself that he was her ruler at the end of the day.

"I thought you do not like this realm, Your Majesty."

He nodded. "You are correct." He slowly put the magazine on the coffee table and looked up at her. "Lena, you can sit." Only then did she take a seat on the armchair she had left her bag in. "That is a nice article," he commented, nodding towards the magazine.

So that was what he was here for. She nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Cora has informed me of your visit and what it entailed," Hades explained. "As you might be able to deduce, I do not usually make it a habit to visit this…festered place." His lips curled in disgust as he turned to look out at the city, lit and busy in the night. "But I feel that this matter with Kara requires me to come and discuss with you. I wanted to meet you two days ago when I returned from my errand, but it is to my understanding that you were visiting Lex, and I did not feel it appropriate to be in his presence, what with his temporary loss of memory."

Lena inclined her head in understanding. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"I have to say I did not see this complication coming," he said in regret. "I never would have expected you would be staying in the same city as Kara."

"Coincidences arise at times."

He gave her a look. "You and I both know that there is no such thing – not in the grand scheme of things."

"And what is the grand scheme of this?" she asked, looking back at him.

"I have been failing to reach the Fates so far," he said, as if it wasn't a big deal.

But it was. To bring the Fates into this would be magnanimous; would mean more than what it was supposed to be. Plus, Fates weren't supposed to interrupt in the lives of the immortals. It was a rule. They were only supposed to deal with human destiny, and god only knew the shit they had spun for the humans over the ages and eras.

Lena simply did not want to comprehend what they had spun for her and Kara. She wasn't sure if she could trust them to spin and allot anything good.

Hades must have sensed the bewilderment in Lena. "I do not want to believe that to be the case either, my child, but I have to take everything into account."

She thought of how everything in her seemed to lighten up whenever she thought of Kara. She thought of how unprepared she would become when she was speaking with Kara. She thought of how she had almost been driven speechless when she first saw Kara.

She didn't want to bring it up, but seeing as he brought the Fates into the fold, she had to question this as well. "Do you think…Eros might have something to do with this?"

From the look on his face, he was already considering this. "To my knowledge, no one in Olympus knows of your presence," he started, "but as we know, the Olympians can be tricky and cunning, and they take joy at the pain of others."

If anything, he had just solidified that there would not be a happy ending for any of them, if the deduction he had come up with was proven to be true.

She took a deep breath, averting her gaze from him and to the magazine that was open to the page where Kara's article was printed on. It elated her to know that Kara thought so highly of her. "What are you here to say exactly, Your Majesty?"

Hades pressed forward, supporting his forearms on his knees, his fingers steepled. "I implore you to remember the purpose of you being here. I have personal experience in how…enlightening Kara can be, and she is a joy. But until the worst outcome presents itself, you have to keep your identity an absolute secret, and you cannot reveal yourself to anyone, not even your brother."

"That is what I am planning on."

He nodded in approval. "Good. I am certain that you will have further dalliances with Kara. I wish that they will be in your favor. I would hate to see my two favorite children cross each other." He displayed a rare smile.

She froze, eyes snapping back to him. "Your Majesty." This was the first time he had outwardly expressed his adoration for her, calling her his child.

He stood up and walked over to her, leaning down to kiss her on top of her head. "You are, quite possibly, the one thing that makes me the proudest," he whispered. She could hear the smile in his voice. "And I cannot wait for you to come home."

When she looked up, he was gone. One might think that it was all just an illusion, but the glass of scotch and the open magazine on the coffee table said everything she needed to know.

Her conversation with Hades loomed over her head over the next three days, even when it was already Thursday. Lena was not easily scared, but the idea that the Fates and Eros might be involved in this whole thing put the fear of Tartarus in her. Hence, she couldn't quite focus when Kara was sitting in front of her, pen set on her notepad and asking valid questions that Lena was finding difficult to give answers to.

"Lena, is this not a good time?" Kara asked, noticing her wavering concentration. "We can set up another appointment if you want."

They take joy at the pain of others.

"No, sorry, I'm quite tired."

"Oh, well, I only have one more question. Is that okay with you?" Kara was frowning, still looking mildly concerned.

Lena nodded, hopefully the smile on her face was convincing enough. "Go ahead, Kara."

"Do you think it is coincidence that your brother decided to build a branch in National City when you are ready to come out of the dark, as one might say?"

You and I both know there is no such thing – in the grand scheme of things.

Coincidentally, it was true that Lex had announced that he would like to branch out into National City when she met with him and told him of her desire to use the LexCorp name to bring the Airmaker to the public. Coincidentally, Lena also expressed her desire to be able to work somewhere away from him, under the guise of wanting to be independent from him, though not entirely. Coincidentally, Kara lived in the same city.

But was it all a coincidence? Or was it the Fates or Eros playing with her, and consequentially, Kara?

Lena knew where her capabilities reached; she also knew what being what she was entailed. She was the very signifier of danger, and wherever she was, there was danger. So far, there was none yet, but she had never been optimistic in that sense. She was still waiting for it, so she could protect her brother and keep him away from trouble as much as possible.

"Tell me, Kara, do you believe in fate?" She couldn't stop herself before the question escaped her, and as she watched Kara's face transformed from curiosity to a mixture of bewilderment and anguish, she was starting to regret it.

The blonde tapped her pen against her notepad, considering her answer for a few moments. "I used to not," she said with a melancholic smile. And then there was a faraway gaze in her eyes. "But now, I think fate will always have something to do with our lives, no matter what, who, or where we are."

She was speaking from experience, Lena could see as much. She wanted to pursue further, but she knew that her initial question had drawn Kara into a dark place, so she refrained. "I suppose you can say that it's not a coincidence," she said as an answer to Kara's question. "I think that the world wants me to move here and be on my own – independent from my brother. I think that I'm meant for more than to be my brother's shadow, which is why I'm here, chairing an office of my own and starting my venture under the LexCorp brand."

Kara nodded and jotted down notes. She closed the notepad and smiled at Lena, her previous forlornness gone, and Lena thought that she was a better actress than she had thought. "Thank you for agreeing to this, Lena."

"You're welcome."

The Olympian stood up, putting her materials into her backpack and shouldering it. "Well, I'm off, then. I don't want to interrupt your dinner plans or anything."

"Oh, I'll probably be here late," Lena said, waving her hand dismissively.

Kara stopped in her tracks, frowning again. "You don't eat dinner?" She sounded absolutely appalled.

"Sometimes I forget, but don't worry, I'll get Jess to order some takeout for me."

"Lena." Kara now looked absolutely disbelieving and disapproving. "It's dinner."

Lena raised her brow. "My, Kara, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you're worried about me."

Contrary to her expectation that Kara would stammer and stutter again, the woman pivoted on her feet. "Yes, I am! You have to eat!"

For a moment, Lena allowed the surprise to show on her face. Other than Lex, Hades, and Persephone, she didn't think anyone would be worried about her. This reaction from Kara had done nothing but spur her fondness for Kara, which wasn't good.

"Promise me you'll eat," Kara insisted.

Lena suppressed the urge to do as she asked and adopted her usual persona of nonchalance. "I think it's still too early in our friendship to make promises."

"Lena." She was whining at this point, and for a second, Lena wanted her to whine for other reasons, which she suppressed as well. "Promise me."

The half demon could only nod. What else could she do when confronted with a look like that? A look of genuine concern and frustration. "Okay, okay, I'll eat." Kara narrowed her eyes, pinning Lena down with her gaze. "Kara, I promise," she stressed.

"If I find that you're not eating, I swear that I'll…" Kara drifted off, trying to search for her words as she swung her fists in the air.

"You'll what?" Lena implored.

"I don't know. I'll figure it out. But I'll make damn sure that you eat."

"I'm half tempted to not eat just to see what it is you'll figure out."

"Lena." It was honestly refreshing to hear Kara's voice saying her name in such a variety of tones.

"I promised I'll have dinner, and I do not make it a point to break promises."

Kara huffed, and then nodded again. "Good." She adjusted her glasses and waved. "I'll be going then." Lena watched as she made her way to the door and then paused with her hand on the handle. She looked back at Lena, an indiscernible look clouding her blue eyes. There was a long moment of just staring one another before Kara asked, "So you believe in fate then?"

The CEO's eyes widened a fraction, her fists clenching on her lap. Luckily, Kara couldn't see her below the waist. She leaned back in her chair, exuding an air of tranquil. "Like you said, I think it'll always have something to do with our lives, no matter what, who, or where we are."

And Lena, despite her unwillingness to believe in the idea that her life was in the hands of three elderly women who had done more than enough wreckage with humanity, was deathly afraid of it.

if you think lex is the real plot point of the story, you are wrong. there's more coming, and i cannot wait to throw the plot twist at y'all, because i am evil.

i love writing hades. he's just such a sweetheart.

also, i realize that the feedback on this fic hasn't been as good as i would have thought, not that i expected it to be any good, but you know, i'm vain in some ways. is there anything that y'all don't like about this fic? except for the slowburn and stuff? please do let me know in the comments!