Aphrodite's Curse Ch. 086

As Demetrius sailed up the Nile on the Eastern edge of Africa, far to the west, on the very edge of the known world, Orion looked down on a desolate and alien landscape rocketing beneath him from the winged back of Pegasus. Despite the grim atmosphere of this distant corner of the world, since his interaction with Athena, Orion had been ecstatic as he felt progress was finally being made on his task. The constant aching in his sealed balls drove him on, but taking Athena's advice, he did NOT conjure Hecate nor did he return to Delphi and subject himself to further torture by his ex-girlfriend Pythia. Armed with the information on how to castrate an immortal, he no longer needed Pythia now so once again he left her high and dry. He could not help but chuckle to himself as he imagined the fury of Pythia raging against his continued absence and being denied her revenge as he sailed off on his journey.

Obtaining the fang of Ariadne would require every skill he ever honed as a hunter. Her tragic story was well known throughout Greece, and the venom of her spiders were highly sought for their torturous teasing properties. A beautiful princess of the incredibly wealthy King Midas, and a demi-goddess in her own right, her vanity had, as is so often the case with the Gods, led to her tragic downfall. A skilled weaver of almost Olympian God-like skills, her claim that her creations outshone all others on earth, surpassing even the great Athena herself, had caused the rage of the Goddess to be uncorked and poured out over her in a deluge.

Cursed by being transformed into a hybrid Human/Spider monster by Athena, Ariadne was also banished from all normal human civilization. Sent beyond the Atlas Mountains past the remote western edge of the Sahara, for centuries she had lived alone. Ariadne was desperate for Human companionship but was feared by all living creatures save one, Spiders. As decades turned to centuries and centuries melted into millennia, slowly the human part of Ariadne melted away and her more monstrous qualities from her spider blood became dominant.

Now, having been separated from her beloved Greece for so long, her memories of her former glory grew dim and her appetites became more bestial as her soul grew blacker and more decayed with each year's passage. Blood, and best of all, Human blood that had been tortured and boiled in pain was all that she craved now. Through her still potent magical powers, she ensured that a steady harvest was supplied to slake her unquenchable thirst when she was discovered by the few humans living in this area. To the primitive tribes in this desolate land, she was worshipped as a Goddess, and their regular sacrifices to her kept her well-fed.

Unknown to Orion was the fact that despite her transformation into a monster, her normal human womanly needs not only remained intact, but had grown exponentially over time. Her venomous spiders, so sought after for their unique properties for causing suffering, were actually her children. Ariadne, through her primitive human priests, demanded not only a constant supply of female victims to slake her hunger for blood, but she also demanded male victims to mate with so that she could reproduce. The poor hapless victims were first tied naked in the jungle for her to find, toy with, milk and then impregnate. Planting her eggs inside the warm bodies of her male sacrificial victim, her fertilized eggs would grow and feed on their host before rupturing out of their stomach a week after implantation. This horrifying detail was yet unknown in the outside world, and had Orion been aware, it is no doubt his cheery disposition would have been far more muted.

For hours he and Pegasus had flown over the sun scorched desert with no sign of any life spotted for miles. Truly they had flown "off the map" as even caravans from the prosperous cities of North Africa dared not to venture this far south. Not a drop of water was anywhere to be found and the further they flew the few Oases that dotted the landscape grew more and more infrequent. Each mile also brought more stifling heat and as the rest of the world slipped relentlessly into winter, in these lands it was perpetually summer. Sweat pouring off of his brow, Orion had just begun to grow worried until he finally spotted what he was looking for. There in the distance, like a giant blanket of thick green silk in a sea of brown rock was the edge of the endless jungles of Africa. Here is where the Sahara ended and the dark continent began, and he and Pegasus now would finally be able to land and find water.

Landing on the soft burning sand, both man and horse looked at the green darkness before them in wonder and trepidation. It would be impossible to find Ariadne by flying over the jungle as the canopy of trees were so incredibly thick they blocked out almost all light from the jungle floor from the sun overhead. The rest of this journey would have to be on foot, and once a base camp was established, Orion would once again head out alone. Hacking and cutting through twisting vines, after an hour of hard slogging, Orion's ears pricked up at the most delicious and tantalizing sound imaginable, soft gurgling running water!

Breaking through the brush, both Orion and Pegasus sighed as they saw it. There in front of them was a small pond overflowing with cool, clean water fed from stream inching up from the south. All around this pond stood countless flowering bushes and fruit trees heavy with scent and fruit and just waiting to be harvested. Pulling down a Pomegranate branch into his hands, Orion broke open the pod and with one hand fed Pegasus while with the other he thrust the ripe red delight into his own mouth. Ravenously devouring the juicy red treat, Orion quickly stripped off and dove into the water.

Pegasus whinnied with joy as she lowered her mouth into the pond and began to drink her fill. Sighing with relief Orion slipped beneath the surface and drunk in the water as the cool stream chilled his overheated body. Here they would set up camp and Pegasus would have plenty of food and water while he continued on his quest further into the leafy green darkness. For now, however, he and Pegasus had earned a rest and he decided his journey would begin in the morning.

As he leaned up against a cold smooth rock and enjoyed finally being cool, Orion slowly drifted off, chuckling again as he descended into the land of sleep as he imagined the fury of Pythia. His dream was accurate as far away in Delphi, she howled in rage as it became apparent he would never return. Far more upset even than Pythia was Hecate, who in her dark foreboding palace shrieked in impotent rage as she saw that her plans for Demetrius were slipping from her fingers. Once again she had been double crossed, first by Artemis and now by Athena and her anger boiled in her veins as she tried to think of a new way to capture the nemesis of her son.

Stewing in her rage and alone in her chambers, Hecate was weaving a path of destruction through her palace. The sounds breaking glass and splintering wood echoed through her dark halls as she rampaged through her kitchen, smashing and cursing everything in sight. Her poor petrified servants trembled and hid, desperately wanting to stay out of her sight when she was in this state of unrestricted madness. Over the din of destruction, Xicar her chief servant heard a knock on the main palace door, barely audible over the symphony of disaster being performed by Hecate. Opening the door, Xicar was astonished when he saw the glowing handsome body of Apollo standing on the stoop.

His mouth opened wide but Xicar could not speak. Hecate did not get many visitors, and certainly even fewer divine ones. A pariah amongst the other Gods, her palace was far off the normal social circuit, so having Apollo suddenly show up was highly unusual.

"APOLLO! I, well, I am honored you have come, please, please come in!" he stammered. Apollo forced a grin on his face and entered. This was truly no social visit as he was here on a mission and that mission was to get the blood of Medusa. He shuddered at what price Hecate would extract as her reputation preceded her but for now, Apollo had to fake as much charm as he could in order to get what he had come for.

"Xicar, looking as fit as ever I see!" Apollo lied as the withered bony servant smiled adoringly at the false compliment. "Is Hecate about? I have business with her."

"Yes, yes of course. Let me go fetch her." he grinned as he hurriedly ran down a black hall towards her chamber. His mind racing along with his feet, he hoped that the sudden appearance of Apollo would bring a smile to his dark Mistress's mood. Her desire for vengeance on Demetrius had completely consumed her and this latest twist had sent her into a blind rage. Her son Alexandros was tortured and teased for the next thousand years because of him and she had no greater desire than to torture and destroy the one man who brought about his downfall. Apollo's sudden appearance may be a sign that fate, always a fickle bitch, was turning once again in her favor.

Hecate's eyes grew as wide open as Xicar's had when she learned of her unexpected divine visitor. Now narrowing her face she twisted it into a smirk as she knew Apollo well, and knew that if he was here he wanted something and he wanted something very badly. Waving her hand over her body, she instantly robed herself in black leather, making sure to look as darkly alluring as possible. Hecate was a clever Goddess and knew that she had a part to play in the drama about to unfold and for that she needed to be clad appropriately. Walking into her main receiving hall, she looked at Apollo with a false smile of disdain as she could sense his unease.

"Well well well Apollo, you certainly are slumming today aren't you?" she laughed as she approached him. "Now, I know you are here for something, so, what is it you want?"

Apollo glowered back and responded. "No one could ever accuse you of being chatty Hecate! Yes, you are correct, I am here for something. I am here for the Blood of Medusa."

Cackling in delight, Hecate clapped her hands. "Oh Apollo, I do so appreciate directness. Now, what on earth does a powerful God like you need with the Blood of Medusa? Are your considerable powers failing you now?"

Apollo bristled at the suggestion, and had not wanted to spill too many details of his plans, but now decided that it best to go ahead and tell Hecate about his plot. She was well known as a lover of revenge, and perhaps knowing his plans, she would not demand too much a payment for the blood. Certainly there was no love loss between Euphrosyne and Hecate and as Apollo described his plans for Euphrosyne, Hecate's eyes glistened with malicious delight. Imaging the beautiful and popular Euphrosyne, naked, spread shamefully wide and frozen into stone to serve as a fountain in Apollo's garden she smiled. Seeing her stone breasts perpetually coated with wine, her frozen pussy forever teased and exposed, as she painted the scene in her head, the images filled her with unimaginable joy. Hecate was an extremely malicious Goddess, and nothing pleased her more than tales of revenge, especially on those who she did not like and Hecate certainly did NOT like Euphrosyne.

"Delightful, simply delightful!!!" she gushed as Apollo finished his story. "It seems you and I have a similar desire, and perhaps we can work out an arrangement."

Apollo listened cautiously as he knew he was about to learn "the price".

"I, like you, have my own plots." she continued. "There is a lowly human, Demetrius, who I must punish. He brought shame and torment to my son, and for that I will have his balls!!!! Now, you bring me Demetrius, and I will give you the Blood of Medusa. This seems a fair trade now doesn't it?"

Apollo grinned and stroked his chin. It was indeed fair but he worried about pissing off Zeus. It was apparent that the plucky human was fast becoming a favorite of his, and he did not need any grief from the king of the Gods. Seeing his consternation, Hecate upped the ante of her pitch.

"And Apollo, let me throw this in as a sweetener. As you know, I am the Goddess of Prophecy, but do not have the same powers as you. I may be magically weaker, but little goes on that I do not know about. If you bring me Demetrius, not only will I give you the blood of Medusa, but I will also tell you the location of the secret spring where Euphrosyne and her two sisters like to go skinny dipping. Now, imagine Apollo, you can catch them all naked and helpless and with the blood you can freeze them all at once! Imagine the possibilities of THAT scenario dear Apollo? Three naked wet frozen Goddesses all under your total control."

Hecate was a good saleswoman and Apollo was quickly convinced. He nodded his agreement and prepared to leave before turning back to Hecate. "Well, Goddess of the Dark Arts, If you truly are as good as you say you are, perhaps you can direct me where to FIND Demetrius."

Hecate smirked again, enjoying this brief sense of superiority over a more powerful Olympian. "Surely a God like you can figure THAT out on your own can't you?" she laughed as she dissolved into a green mist while Apollo frowned and stormed out the front door.

Back on Olympus, Ganymede felt slightly queasy as he heard the cacophony of laughter coming from the Grace's patio. The Muses had arrived several hours ago and already were feeling quite drunk as the wine had been flowing all day like a river. Ringing her bell, Euphrosyne once again summoned her "slave" out to her service, and snickered as she saw Ganymede's blushing face emerge from the palace.

The Muses were spectacularly beautiful and Ganymede had begged Euphrosyne all morning to be allowed to wear something to cover his nudity at her garden party. After showering her feet with kisses she finally relented, but what she allowed him to wear was hardly worthy of his pleas. Now clad in the briefest of loincloths, he grimaced as the catcalls and hooting of all nine of the Muses embarrassed him as he struggled with a huge brimming amphora. Being naked might not have been as revealing as this, and as he began refilling Clio, the gorgeous Muse of History's goblet, he jumped when he felt her delicate fingers begin running up his inner thigh.

"Hey now! That is my property!!!" Euphrosyne joked as she smacked Clio's hand away from Ganymede's body.

"You are such a selfish bitch Euphrosyne! I mean, we all have slaves, but only YOU and your sisters have a GOD as a slave!" she laughed while enjoying seeing Ganymede squirm. "And such a sexy God Slave too, and from the looks of your newly coifed hair, quite talented. I might need to BUY him from you, girl!"

The other eight muses cackled in delight while Ganymede squirmed in his tiny covering, now lewdly tented by Clio's constant stroking of his fully exposed ass. Continuing to pour, he sweated and strained as the constant teasing of the last few weeks, combined with the erotically charged atmosphere out here in the gardens had once again made him extremely hard. Trapped in the leash Euphrosyne had left on his cock, he knew he just had to endure until his bet was paid off.

The arrival of the Muses certainly did not make his erotic torment lessen any. As Goddesses of the arts, they were sexy, smart and very attractive and every God on Olympus wanted to bed them. Clio especially excited his appetite and as he filled her goblet he could not take his eyes off her open cleavage yawning tantalizing in front of his hungry eyes. His service to the Graces was turning out to be more difficult than he would have imagined and having spent all morning bathing, dressing and massaging each of them had him completely lightheaded as the blood flow to his brain was severely suffering from being diverted southward.

"He is NOT for sale!!!! But, I may let you borrow him for a bit, but you will have to WIN him." Euphrosyne joked back to Clio. The Goddesses were longtime friends and despite a certain amount of rivalry between them, their affection for one another was genuine. Clio rolled her eyes as she saw that once again she was being drawn into another of Euphrosyne's seemingly infinite games. She alone among all of the Goddesses loved gambling and was a master at all manner of card games or other contests of chance and she knew she was being set up. Despite this knowledge however, borrowing Ganymede was definitely a prize worth winning, so she was intrigued.

Looking at the Graces, Euphrosyne particularly, Clio had been amazed at their appearance. Every hair on their heads was perfectly in place having been combed and brushed to perfection by expert hands. Their skin glowed and shimmered as it was obvious that great care was taken by their body servant on preparations. Most impressive to Clio however was the spectacular pedicure that Euphrosyne sported. Each toe had been lovingly painted like a masterpiece, not simply a single shade but a tiny burst of alternating colors and designs that continuously changed appearance in the early afternoon sun. It was obvious that Ganymede was responsible, and she smiled as she imagined her own glory being magnified by his artistic talents.

Euphrosyne, sensing Clio's growing desire, decided to offer her a taste of what she might win. "Ganymede!" she ordered. "Conjure up your paints and give my good friend Clio here a pedicure like you gave me this morning. It is quite obvious she is very impressed by your skill, and, being the generous and loving Goddess that I am, I am going to gift it to her."

Clio clapped her hands in glee while the party erupted into further laughter, fueled even further by more wine being consumed by all. Ganymede sighed as he heard her orders and felt his tiny silk loincloth creak as it stretched out further. Holding his hand out, his paint palette formed in his left hand and he slowly dropped to his knees. Stretching her beautiful slim foot out Clio placed the ball of her left foot right on the center of his chest and felt her pussy grow moist and hot as he held it up to his face.

"This is going to be a REAL treat! Thank you Euphrosyne, you always know just what I like. You win, like you always do, so go ahead and cut the cards, we will play." she cooed as Ganymede lightly kissed each toe in preparation for her pedicure. Feeling his strong hands begin to massage the scented silky oils into her flesh, she squirmed. It would take hours for him to complete his masterpiece on her toes and she intended to enjoy every glorious second as her body quivered as she felt his thumb run down the center of her sole, sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. As he tried and concentrate on his job, with her free foot she began toying with his loose hanging loincloth, now right at the edge of structural integrity. When she felt the garment break loose from the pressure and then dangle off of her toe she smiled. Winking to Euphrosyne she grinned. "Well, it appears your SLAVE is quite dedicated to his work!!!"

Euphrosyne waved her hands over the party, and a table appeared before them. She left Ganymede underneath it to his job while she conjured up a deck of cards and began to deal. She loved cards and more than the game, she loved WINNING. Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry sighed as she received her hand. "Look Euphrosyne" she grimaced. "Go easy on us, as you know there is no one who can ever beat YOU at cards." Winking back, Euphrosyne continued to deal, ordering more wine from another of her servants.

Just a few minutes into the game one of the beautiful Nymph servants of the Graces slipped into the gardens trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Silently walking up behind Euphrosyne, she bent down and whispered into her ear. . "Domina, I hate to interrupt, but Lord Dionysus is at the front door and wishes to speak with you privately."