Hera Strikes Back Ch 05

Aphrodite's Curse

Book 4

Hera Strikes Back

Chapter 5

Helen giggled as her eyes fluttered open and she awoke. The hot, wet tongue lapping at her toes, made her smile, and as she sat up in her bed, and looked down at her feet, she yawned. There, taking loving licks up her sole to gently wake her, was one of her many thousands of servants, Donkor. He, like his master, Anubis, the Egyptian God of the Dead, was Jackal headed. Helen had to admit that his having that long dog tongue had its advantages. He whimpered and whined as he ran sloppy kisses up to her ankle, and when Helen stretched out her foot, and wiggled her toes, she made sure to scratch behind his two upright ears. He immediately started to pant and whine even louder once she hit his magic spot.

"Such a good boy, Donkor," Helen purred. "You are such a good boy! Yes, you are..., yes you are!"

Donkor looked up from the end of the bed, and his coal-black canine face broke into a grin as his Doberman-like ears twitched and perked up. His thin lips curled back into a smile, revealing his white fangs, as his happy tongue dangled out of the side of his mouth. He was a good boy! And nothing pleased him more than praise from his Mistress.

Helen smile even wider once he stood up straight. He, like all servants in Egypt, whether in the land of the living; or here, in the land of the dead, was naked. Gloriously, and completely naked. Her eyes lazily ran down his body and she could not help but lick her lips. He was stunning, and, if not for his off-putting Jackal head, he could have easily have surpassed Paris' beauty back in Troy. He was tall and muscular; ripped and hard as Achilles, and his cock was firm and long as the boys she used to watch back in Sparta. I really must tell Persephone of this Egyptian tradition when I return to the underworld. Slaves are so much more delicious when they are unclothed.

"Now Donkor," Helen said, "go and prepare my breakfast. I wish to eat on the Veranda this morning."

Donkor nodded and said, "Oh yes, Great Goddess of the Dead, Noble Queen Persephone! I live only to serve."

"That's right," Helen said as she smirked, "I am Persephone, the Goddess of the Dead, and your Queen; and it is wise you not forget it! Now..., go fetch my breakfast. But Donkor..., today, I would like something other than cheese and beer! I am most displeased with my food and drink options here, and you know, Lord Anubis does not want—"

"Oh, Divinity," Donkor cried, "No! The Great God Anubis, hallowed be his name, does not want you displeased. He has told us all that your pleasure and complete bliss is our only command, our lives and wills devoted to nothing satisfying your every whim for all eternity. Please! Please tell us what you wish, and it shall be done."

Donkor was so completely and totally devoted; Helen had to sigh. This level of service she could get used to in a hurry. Back in Greece, even when she was the pampered kidnapped Queen in Troy, she had servants, of course, but she never had ones as devoted as this. Perhaps him being part dog is the trick here? Hmmm, that is something to ponder.

None of her "human" servants back home had ever been able to truly satisfy her, or understand her desire for utter perfection, like Donkor. Her simple girlish requests back in Greece were always fulfilled just short of the excellence her body and soul craved. When she requested a gown made of hummingbird wings, what had she gotten instead? Some gold and silken monstrosity not fit for a dung bearer to wear. She had her slaves whipped into a bloody pulp for that offense! When she asked for pearl infused wine, what did she receive instead? Some moldy vintage fit only for pigs, served in a goblet of pearls, not infused with dissolved ones! How was that request unclear? No, here in Egypt, luxury reined, and for once, she felt utterly and completely at home.

As she glanced across her simply stunning bedroom; decked out in black basalt columns carved into giant palm trees, golden glittering fountains of perfume, and a perpetual shower of lotus blossoms dropped on to her alabaster bed from dozens of servants above, she caught her reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. She truly was a vision! Why should she not demand perfection? She was, after all, the most gorgeous mortal woman who ever had lived! Why, just look at that beauty in the mirror! Those long luscious legs, those gorgeous full rounded breasts. That long luxurious mane of black, lustrous hair; somehow looking even more stunning in the perpetually dim lighting of the Egyptian Underworld. Thousands of men on Earth had craved her body. Many more thousands had died in the Trojan War, killing and murdering each other in a frenzy to return her to King Menelaus. Turning over and glancing at her reflection once more, she caught sight of her ass and giggled. If my face launched a thousand ships, how many triremes should this magnificence launch? Finally, here in the Egyptian land of the dead, I can live as I should!

She sat up now on her bed, and glanced over at Donkor, now fully erect, his hungry ravenous eyes devouring her. And it appears, my beauty has not dimmed at all, I see!

"Please Mistress," Donkor begged, as his dog tongue dangled from his drooling mouth. "What do you wish to have for breakfast. I..., I only wish you true satisfaction."

"You are such a good Doggie," Helen giggled as Donkor began to throb. She pointed over to a side table, carved from a single twenty million carat diamond, and said, "It is a bit complicated, so, generous soul that I am, I wrote out my request on that parchment. I know it is sometimes hard for you to remember."

Donkor rushed to the table, lifted the scroll and began to read. As the words passed over his eyes, he felt his stomach grow queasy. This would be a heavy lift.

"Uh, I see you request eggs again this morning. Now, once they are obtained, I assume they are they are to be poached like usual?"

"Yes, Donkor, but..., lightly this time." She wrinkled her nose and frowned as she said, "Yesterday's breakfast was an excrescence. And do not forget the Hollandaise sauce this time!"

"Of course not, Mistress," he gulped as he continued to read the insanely long, and highly detailed instructions. He grimaced as he looked back up at her, and added, "This, er, might take a little time. Is there something I can get you while you wait?"

"Just some coffee," Helen sighed. "I will have it on the veranda."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Oh, and make sure you bring cream. And this time, the coffee should be from beans individually harvested by the beauties, unknown to man. There is a blue mountain in Macedonia, I believe, and on the top of this..."

Donkor took notes as Helen continued.

"...And, the cream should only be milked only from a Crimson cow, preferably one that was raised on the planes of Syria and, of course, only if it has been daily washed in the sacred wine from the Temple of Artemis. Crimson cow cream is the best, but only if it has been taken under the light of a new moon, preferably during the Solstice. Otherwise, it tends to curdle, you know. Now, I do not want to be picky, so, one day, or other, on either side of the new moon will do. Now, as to the container for the..."

"Yes, Mistress," Donkor said as he continued writing.

"...the maids performing this milking should all be unblemished and achingly beautiful, of course, as nothing ugly should ever pass my lips. Oh, and this is very important! It is imperative, that for five years prior to them milking the crimson cow, they should have sacrificed a single dove, daily to..., ...and only with a dagger that has been purified with morning dew that has been collected from blooming roses that grow on Mount Athos."

"Yes, Mistress," Donkor continued as sweat now ran down his snout. He looked up when she finished speaking, and said, "Is that all?"

Helen paused, and placed her forefinger under her chin as she stared up at the mosaic of herself that had been installed in the ceiling. Instantly distracted by the vision of her own beauty hovering over her head, she sighed when she saw that the blue topaz used to represent her eyes were slightly the wrong shade. But..., she had to admit that the rubies used for her lips were accurate.

"Mistress?" Donkor repeated, "Is that all?"

Helen shook her head as she refocused, and sneered. She glared back at her servant and stood up. "Yes. I guess that shall have to do while I wait for my PROPER, breakfast. Until then, I will waiting on the Veranda."

"Yes Mistress," Donkor said.

"Oh, and one last thing, Donkor," Helen said. "Have the other slaves prepare my bath. I shall wash after breakfast. I know it took some time to gather all of the sandalwood required, and press the twenty thousand Jasmine blossoms required for the bath oil, so I wanted to give everyone a heads up. After all, I am not unreasonable!"

Donkor grinned as he watched her incredible and perfectly round ass jiggle and sashay across the room as she headed towards the two crystal doors leading to the veranda. Drool flowed from his mouth like water at this most erotic sight, and he wiped his jowls with the back of his hand. He cleared his throat, and said, "Yes, Mistress. I will inform the God Sokaris to begin all of the preparations."

"Do not delay on that coffee, Donkor," Helen commanded, "I am thirsty."

"Yes, Goddess."

Helen nodded, and walked out onto her veranda, sighing appreciatively as she sat down on her lounge chair. It, like everything in her apartments in Anubis' palace, was extravagant in the extreme. Constructed out of a carved elephant tusk, and covered in leather made of albino alligator hide, she sighed as she felt the smooth skin caress her ass. Gator skin just feels wonderful on my naked flesh! I should never get dressed! Well, until tonight that is.

Helen yawned and stretched as she gazed out over her incredible view of Egyptian underworld. No matter how many times she peered out over the impressive landscape, it never failed to stir feelings of awe. She hated to admit, but in terms of the afterlife, the Egyptians obviously knew what they were doing; much more than her Greeks. If she ever returned home, she would have to inform Hades that he was being seriously outclassed by his Egyptian counterpart.

The Land of the Egyptian dead was enormous, an infinite plane of soft violet sand spreading out in all directions. Soaring overhead, a great cobalt blue dome, hundreds of miles in the air, enclosed the realm of the departed. Its surface was smooth, like glass, and in the center of this giant ceiling, a huge glowing gold Ankh illuminated the mind-bogglingly large chamber beneath. The Ankh was not overly bright, and the land of the dead had the appearance of perpetual twilight, or dawn, everything glowing light pink and soft purple.

Anubis' palace, like the land of the dead itself, staggered her mortal, human imagination. Located in the center of Duat, the Capital city of the kingdom of the Dead, the number of rooms in the palace could never be counted. They were more numerous than the sands of Egypt itself, and each filled with treasures and delights she could barely fathom. Anubis, she found, was a soul after Helen's own heart, and his love of luxury and excess was almost as strong as her own. Well..., almost.

Anubis provided Helen the perfect apartments inside his enormous dwelling, and located them at the very pinnacle of his pure black, marble and onyx constructed home. From her veranda, all of Duat could be observed, as well as the vast planes beyond the city of the dead. Thousands of feet below her veranda, Helen watched the giddily happy dead, cavort and play in the sapphire lined streets of the city. Everything in Duat was a cavalcade of color, and the joyous sounds of singing from the deceased rose up and teased her ears. This is so unlike the grim, grey world of the Greek dead! We Greeks have this all backwards!

As the roar of grinding stone filled her ears, Helen looked off into the distance towards the sound. There, on the horizon, she watched a hole open up in the dome, and a blazingly bright river of glowing gold pour out onto the plane below

"That is so lovely! I have never seen anything so beautiful," she cried as Donkor returned and walked out onto the veranda with her coffee.

"Yes, Goddess," he replied, "a batch of the newly dead has just arrived."

"I am sure they are most anxious to join the happy throng below," Helen answered.

"Of course, your majesty," Donkor said. "That is..., if they make it."

"Oh?" Helen said. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Donkor said as he pointed out to the edge of the city, "you have seen the walls that surround Duat, have you not? We don't let just anyone in here, you know."

"Strange," Helen said as her eyes spied the fortifications, "I hadn't noticed them at all, until you pointed the out to me just now." Pointing up at the Ankh, she added, "There are so many beautiful things to look at, I remain quite distracted whenever I come out here. I must say, they are not very attractive."

"No, Goddess," Donkor said, "they are not. But..., they have their purpose. Duat is very exclusive, you know."

Helen smiled. She immensely enjoyed hearing that. She was a girl who loved exclusivity. She squinted as she gazed down into Duat more closely, her curiosity now piqued. The city was huge, and formed into an enormous circle, with Anubis' palace in the center. Below; fountains of flowing beer and wine, turquois orchards of heavy laden fruit trees, and innumerable gardens were everywhere. Despite millions residing within the city walls, it was not crowded, and all living there seemed deliriously filled with joy. Such a paradise should be exclusive.

On the boundary of the city, however, she saw the unscalable walls of Duat, and now that she really studied them, she was surprised she had never really noticed them before. They were hard to miss. They stood in twelve interlocking, and increasingly large concentric circles, completely enclosing the city, and were a forbidding sight. Constructed of black iron, and rising one hundred feet in the air, they were ringed with towers and threatening razor sharp spikes lining the battlements, and seemed completely out of place compared to the paradise they enclosed. Between each encircling wall, were a host of other menacing sights, and Helen gasped when she saw them for the first time. There were rivers of fire, pits of snakes, moats of alligators and a whole host of forbidding and dangerous defense mechanisms. Storming Duat would be impossible, and, as it was paradise inside, obviously this was designed to keep the unwanted out, and not the happy inhabitants in. How different than the Greek land of the dead. No one ever tries to visit Hades before his time!

"Have the walls of Duat ever been breached before?" Helen said as she reflexively fiddled with Archimedes' key hanging from the chain around her neck. "The defenses look quite formidable, but..., surely there have been some living souls, or non-Egyptians who have snuck through."

"I do not think so, Goddess," Donkor said. "Duat is reserved only for the worthy Egyptian dead, and only if they pass through the various gates of destiny. There is no other way inside. No man has ever been born that could break in."

She grinned, as she said, "Oh, I would not be so sure about that, Donkor." She took a sip of her coffee, and held out her hand. "I would not be so sure about that at all. Properly motivated, who knows..." Her smile grew wider as she thought of poor Archimedes, desperate in the world of the living, still caged and without the key. She lifted the necklace out of her cleavage and dangled it before her face, as her grin grew even wider and she grew damp. Oh Archimedes, I bet you want to plow your meat into those living bitches in your palace so badly. But alas, it is not to be. Your balls continue to belong to me, even now in the land of the Egyptian dead! I wonder how you will try and scale these walls. It should be quite entertaining to see you outwit these Egyptians!

"Goddess, you seem amused by something," Donkor said as he watched Helen lost in thought. "It fills my heart with joy to see a smile on your face."

"Yes, but my smile shall fade if I do not get breakfast..., now!" she barked as her grin turned into a scowl. Donkor bowed, and as he turned to leave, she added, "Oh, and inform Lord Anubis that I shall meet him in the playroom this afternoon at five. If he still wishes to please me, he should not be late! You may inform him I have a new game for us to play today."

"Yes, divinity," Donkor said as he turned to scurried out of the room. "I shall inform Lord Anubis, once I check on your breakfast."

Minutes later, in the kitchens of the palace, Donkor nervously approached the God Sokaris. Second only to Anubis in the land of the Dead, the Hawk-headed God of funeral rites was always busy, and remained on hand to supervise all activities in the palace. And this of course included the kitchen.

"Donkor," Sokaris squawked, "I assume the GODDESS is awake?" His black feathers bristled and his beady bird eyes rolled in his head as he spoke. He was not a fan.

"Yes, Dread God Sokaris, God of the funerary rites, sacred keeper of the holy dead, knower of the secret rituals of embalming, bearer of the..."

"Enough!" Sokaris squawked, as he glared down at Donkor's hand and saw the scroll. "I assume that is her Majesty's request for a 'simple' breakfast. Well..., since we do not wish to keep her royal tummy waiting, let me see it." He grimaced as he saw Donkor's expression, and added, "I can assume Cream of Wheat ain't going to cut it today?"

"No, Lord Sokaris."

Sokaris snatched the scroll, unfurled it and began to read. His eyes grew wider and wider as he took in the insane, and highly detailed instructions. Three Ostrich eggs, pouched lightly in a pure gold saucepan, with gold mined only during summer, and only from the eastern slopes of the Atlas Mountains. The eggs, which should be exactly 9.2785654 ounces in weight, should have been kept on fresh snow before preparation. This snow must be brought from the Himalayan mountains on pure white alpacas, that have been bathed in the milk of..."

Sokaris lowered the scroll, and squawked, "That bitch is fucking crazy!"

*****

"Hera!" Hades barked. "All of these other issues you are discussing are fine, but, it is high time we discuss the plans for our invasion of the Egyptian Underworld! Our vengeance cannot wait. I know I plan on skull fucking that dog-headed mother fucker Anubis into a pool of tar once I get my hands around that furry canine neck of his!" His frown turned into a malicious glower of glee, as he added, "And then, the shit I am going to do to that bird-headed fuck Sokaris will turn your hair white! First I am going to pluck out every feather off of his body, and then dip him into a vinegar and salt glaze, before firing up the—"

Hera, shaking her head back and forth as Hades sharp words snapped her out of her daze, frowned as she glared down at him. "It is not time for that..., yet!"

"But Hera," Hades cried as he pointed over at the dumbfounded and shell-shocked Archimedes. "Notwithstanding the attack on our home, my honor is at stake. You know..., I owe it to Archimedes to put forth my best efforts to help him with his problem. I am a God of my word, and Anubis kidnapped Helen and has that poor boy's key in the Egyptian underworld. I promised Archimedes a well-deserved reward for helping me, and that Egyptian bastard SNAFUED the plan!"

Hera looked down at Archimedes, still staring at the blank space where just moments before Demetrius had stood, and said, "Well..., yes. That needs to be dealt with, but...," she continued as she glared back at Hades. "It was you that let that tricky bitch Helen tease this boy so relentlessly that he needed to be locked up in the first place. And then, you were so fucking slack, you allowed her to steal his key right out from under your nose!" She shook her head, and added, "None of you boys could ever control that girl."