Aphrodite's Curse
Book 4
Hera Strikes Back
Chapter 4
"I don't know about you, Hephaestus," Hades growled, "but I am getting fucking tired of waiting out here. Time is getting away from us!"
"I agree, Uncle," Hephaestus said as he pointed over to the locked doors of Athena's temple. "What in the hell are Hera, Circe and Athena doing? They have been holed up in there for almost a week! Don't they know we could be attacked again at any moment?"
"Yes, and whatever special project they have Archimedes working on cannot possibly be this important," Hades said as he swept his hands out over the smoldering ruins of Athens. "I mean, come on! Look at the massive shitstorm raging all around us! We need the world's best engineer working on shoring up our defenses, and rebuilding the temples, not lounging around in Athena's temple all day! This is complete and utter bullshit!"
"Hey Guys," Dionysus said as he walked across the plaza of the Acropolis to join them. Under his arm he had a large amphora of wine, one of the few that survived the initial attack. He said, "The fates are at least being kind to us in one measure today; just look at what I found hidden in the basement of my shrine. Holy Mother Gaia and the Great Lords of Chaos, but I am so damned parched, finding this was a sight for sore eyes. Damn, but do I need a drink right now."
"You always need a drink," Hephaestus said as he glared over at Dionysus.
"Well," Dionysus said as he pointed down into the burning wreckage of the city, "if there was ever a better time to start drinking than now, I can't think of it. I say, watching the world go down in flames is a lot more palatable when you have a buzz on!"
"Drinking is not the answer, nephew," Hades scolded.
"Well, I get it depends on the question, doesn't it, Uncle?" Dionysus winked back. "And I also say, since we are completely fucked anyway, let's at least enjoy the ride down into the abyss. Why get so uptight about a grim dark future we cannot possibly control?"
"Hmmm...," Hades said as he conjured up a goblet and held his hand out. "Here..., fill me up, Di-Di. Maybe I will have that drink after all. I have been feeling my manna draining to dangerously low levels as each hour passes, so who knows, maybe you are right? Perhaps I should just get my drink on, lay back and enjoy the slide into oblivion."
Dionysus smiled as he filled Hades goblet, and the Lord of the Dead finished his drink in one loud, wet gulp. Hades wiped his mouth, and growled, as he added, "This whole clusterfuck in progress has turned my normally sunny disposition completely sour."
"Normal sunny disposition!" Euphrosyne cried as he walked over to join them. "Uncle Hades, no one ever has ever accused you of having a sunny disposition. But I must say, you seem especially dark today, even for you!"
"Euphrosyne!" Dionysus cried as she walked into view. He held out a brimming goblet of wine to her, and said, "I already got your drink right here, girl." He glanced over her shoulder and looked around the plaza as he added, "And..., uh, where are your sisters? I think they might—"
"—No thanks, Cuz," Euphrosyne said as she pushed the goblet away. "I think I want to keep my wits straight today." She glared over at Hades, and added, "And it does not help our situation at all to get drunk off our asses. We Gods must stay sober today; there is a war on!"
"I don't know, Euphrosyne," Hades said. "Look around and tell me what you see? Everything is going to shit right now. It is the end!"
Hephaestus stepped forward and said, "Give me a shot of that, Di-Di." He frowned, and added, "Well, I hope you and Hades are happy. You guys have so fucking depressed the shit out of me with all of this doomsday talk, I guess your mission accomplished! I will end up drinking with you after all."
"There we go, boy, that's the spirit. You know how much I hate to drink alone," Dionysus said as he passed a freshly filled goblet to the Fire God. He raised his glass in a toast, and said, "Well..., here's to the Apocalypse!"
"So this is it then?" Euphrosyne said as she threw up her hands. "This is your plan? Getting tanked and wallowing in self-pity? Holy Mother Gaia, no wonder we got our asses kicked by those bird headed mother fuckers! Our so-called great and supposedly all-powerful uber-masculine Gods have decided to just give up and toss in the towel. Well..., thank Lord Chaos himself that Goddess Hera still has her wits about her, and is in charge. I, like her, am not ready to pack it in. There are far too many things still on my bucket list I want to check off before I fade away into that sweet night."
Dionysus stepped forward and whispered into Euphrosyne's ear, "You know, it is funny you should say that. I still have a few things on my bucket list you can help me with—"
Euphrosyne crossed her arms, raised her eyebrow, and said, "—Di-Di, I don't think this is the—"
"—You see," Dionysus continued, "I dated this Indian Goddess a few years ago, and holy fuck man, the handjobs she could give with all those arms were simply unbelievable..., but, I digress. You see, she had this book called the Kama Sutra and—"
"Di-Di, puh-leeze!" Euphrosyne snapped as she turned back to talk to the Fire God. She said, "Now come on, Hephaestus! I know my cousin Di-Di here is a drunk, and Uncle Hades is naturally morose and subject to fits of depression, but I know you are not one to give up to a bunch of animal-headed freaks. Surely you want to continue the fight? You are the God of Fire after all!"
"I do, Euphrosyne, but..., you know, maybe they are right?" Hephaestus said. "I mean; I feel my powers draining away by the minute. And, well, with no way of rebuilding our temples, Hades has a point. The future does seem pretty damn bleak. Perhaps it really is all over. It was prophesized the day of the Gods would come to an end one day. Perhaps that day is today."
Dionysus came over to Euphrosyne again, and said, "And..., you know, if you could just plant that delicious big booty of yours on my face, while Thalia whipped out those heavy hangers, Holy Gaia! I am sure one of you could switch off with Aglagea and then all four of us could—"
"Di-Di!" Euphrosyne yelled. "I don't care if it is the end of the world, which it isn't by the way, but this foursome fantasy you have conjured up in your head, involving me and my sisters, ain't happening! You just need to move on down to whatever is next on your end of the world, doomsday, fire and brimstone, bucket list and check that off! My ass is off your list!"
Dionysus smirked, and added, "Well..., do you think Calliope and the muses would be open to—"
*****
The day dawned white; brutal, cold and stark. Everything before Peander's eyes was a sea of swirling, icy, frozen snow. He shivered as he rubbed his arms with his quivering blue hands, desperate to keep warm as he kept trudging through the deep drifts. The wind, like knives of ice slicing into his flesh, blew steadily from the north, whipping over his naked shivering body unrelentingly like an avenging fury. He turned towards the sunrise; a tiny dim orb of pink rising on a desolate, lifeless artic wasteland, and shook his head. South, remember, I just need to keep heading south. "Now, if my left arm is pointed towards the sun, then, Greece should be that way," he said as he pointed straight ahead.
He looked down at his exposed body, and grimaced. His balls, already blue from being teased and denied by the Valkyries, were now even bluer. In fact, they were purple. Ice will do that to exposed flesh, especially exposed, freshly shaven testicles. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, however, his erection was still as thick and strong as ever. Freya's long lick on his cock, back her tent, had done quite the number on him. He could never get off, or even touch himself, the pain too much to bear. Maddeningly, the silky sensations of the gorgeous Nordic Goddess of Love's tongue lingered on his member, teasing him constantly and never resting. Oh glorious Graces, please help me! If only I could rub one out!
After his short prayer, he shook his head clear as he tried to concentrate, and keep moving. The bitter cold; biting deep into his bones was excruciating, but did keep him moving. He had to keep walking; for to stop meant sure death. He had to keep heading south. South, hopefully, lead to the well of Urd, which the Valkyrie Mist said led home. He gritted his teeth, tensed his back and stepped into the knee high snow.