Hera Stries Bac

Aphrodite's Curse

Book 4

Hera Strikes Back

Chapter 8

Peander could not look away. With his eyes wide, he was completely transfixed by the incredibly bizarre scene acting out before him. Squatting down on the snowy drifts around the fire, now red with fresh Viking blood, he was frozen in place as he gawked at the sight. The tree "creature" he had tried to help was now slowly and relentlessly morphing into human form. For hours the tiny golden statue he had inserted into its knothole, vibrated and pulsed like mad, knocking around inside the trunk with increasingly loud thumps and hollow echoes. Inside the creature, the tiny statue worked its magic and the tree shook and twisted as it was finally released from its curse. Bark became supple soft skin, roots stretched into tender delicate feet, leaves spread out into long blond hair and branches shuddered as they formed into arms and hands. It was simply the most amazing thing young Peander had ever seen in his life.

Now, hours after this bizarre transformation began, with one final ear splitting shriek, the rest of the bark burst off of the creature and a flood of hot, sticky sap showered Peander and the ground around him. He flinched and covered his face as the tar-like liquid splashed over his body, burning his flesh. When he opened his eyes, and turned back towards the tree, it was gone. In its place, a gorgeous woman lay panting on the ground. He blinked as he tried to focus his eyes. He could not believe what he was seeing. The woman was the most beautiful vision he had ever seen, her naked body shivering and shaking as hot sticky sap dripped off of her mouthwatering flesh.

She sat up and stretched her newly freed arms and flexed her freshly mobile toes. She grinned as she pointed at him, and said, "Thank you! Thank you so much! That seems to have done the trick nicely."

"Who..., who are you?" Peander said.

"My name is Urd," the woman said as she stood up and ran her newly freed human hands over her nude sticky body. "And, I thought I would be trapped in that form fo..., fo.., fo..., unf!"

Suddenly barking and shaking, she shrieked, "Holy Fuck!" as she squatted down. With her pink, sap dripping pussy still gushing, her face twisted in strain as she bore down. With one loud grunt, PLOP, the tiny 'statue' of Apollo slid out of her cunt and fell into the snow. She giggled as she finished her sentence, "Forever!"

Urd lifted the tiny gold figure up to her face and smirked. "My, my, my, this little thing seemed is fantastic. I would love to borrow it from you for a while for more, entertaining purposes, but, playtime is over now. My pussy simply can't take anymore stimulation." Grinning, she pointed the statue at Peander and said, "I suppose you want this back?"

"Yes...," Peander said as he stepped forward, took Apollo in his hand and put him back in the box. The God was shrieking uncontrollably, but remained silent. What he just experienced could never be described, but his cries fell on deaf ears. Poor Apollo still was frozen.

"So..., how? I mean, what? I mean..., how did you get into that state?" Peander said as he turned back to Grid, his mind a whirl of questions.

She started to answer but paused as glanced around the snowy ground. Seeing the blood and gore painting the white snow, and the lifeless heads of several Vikings gazing up at her with their grey still eyes, she smiled. "Nice work! These fuckers got what they deserve."

"They did," Peander said. "But, how did you get into that form? Who did this to you?"

"That fucking Valkyrie bitch, Brunhilde did this to me!"

"Oh...," Peander said. "But, why?"

"Well..., let me say this," Urd said, "a good piece of advice to take is, don't fuck around with the Valkyries. They mean business."

"What was her beef with you, though?"

"I fucked Thor."

"That wasn't smart."

"No, it wasn't, but it wasn't my idea. He seduced me, if that is what you could call his sloppy skills!"

"Well..., maybe you should have resisted. Jealous Goddesses are not something to fuck around with."

"No shit, but, what could I do? He is a God after all, and I was...," she paused as she glanced down at her sticky, gooey, and newly freed human body. She smiled and added, "and mercifully am again, just a poor witch."

"A witch?"

"Yes," Urd said. "Although, little good it did me in that tree. My powers are great, but, they cannot fight the divine."

"How long were you in that Tree-form?"

"A long time — years, I think!" Urd said as she shuddered. "It is hard to keep track of things when you are a vegetable, you know. But now, at long last, I am free." She narrowed her eyes as she added, "and although I was cursed for a long time, and my human mind was warped in boredom as it stewed in my own sap, I did have time to reflect on my tormentors. And let me tell you, my sexy little savior, I have some serious scores to settle."

She smiled as she walked over to Peander, and ran her fingers down his chest. "So..., my gorgeous naked hero, slayer of the Viking hordes, will you help me? Will you help me take my revenge?"

"On Brunhilde and the Valkyries?" Peander said as he gulped. "I will be honest with you, Urd. I just escaped from them myself. They were going to...," he flinched as he cupped his balls. "Well..., I want to get back home to Greece, intact. I think a better idea is, you forget all that and come with me."

"Greece, eh? I have always wanted to go to Greece," Urd said. "Get away from this world of snow and barbarian nonsense. It is a thought."

"Well, come with me then," Peander said. He looked over his shoulder back towards the vast open plane, and added, "We will get help. The Valkyrie Mist said she would help guide me back to Greece. She told me to meet her —"

"Mist! The Valkyrie Mist?"

"Yes, she told me to meet her at the Well of Urd," Peander said. "And..., uh, well? Here I am."

Urd and Peander jumped as from up on the slopes they heard a loud laugh.

"Well done, Peander!" Mist shouted as she walked down into the clearing. "I am very impressed."

Urd dropped to her knees and said, "Oh glorious and beautiful Goddess, Valkyrie Mist! I offer my life to thee."

Peander shrugged and glanced over at Urd before glancing back at Mist. "I am confused. What? What is this all about?"

"Destiny, my dear sweet Greek," Mist said. The Valkyrie walked over to Urd, and placed her hand on top of her head. "Arise, daughter. You have been saved. The ancient runes once again have been proven right."

"What? What is this?" Peander said.

"It was foretold," Mist said. "A man from the south would come, and release this dear servant from her torments." She shook her head as she looked down at Urd, and said, "Brunhilde is such a fucking cunt. I am so sorry, Urd. I am sorry you had to suffer like this."

"It was terrible, glorious Mist," Urd said as she choked back tears. "Year after year, stuck transformed into that tree, nothing but a fuck toy for those horned, smelly bastards!"

"Yes...," Mist said as she hissed. "But now, you are free. I could not save you, as no Valkyrie can countermand another's spell, but I thought Peander might be able to. That is why I sent him to meet me at the 'well' of Urd. Only he could counteract Brunhilde's spell."

"Well! That bitch! To turn me into a well for those stinky fuckers to shove their meat—"

"—That is all done now," Mist said. "Now, I suggest we all prepare to make our way to Greece as Peander suggests." She grinned as she glanced over at Peander, looking especially sexy to her, completely naked and covered with flecks of blood and gore. "He is quite resourceful. And, it appears our young hero here is destroying the myths we all heard about the men of the south."

"Which myth is that, Mist?" Peander said.

"The myth they cannot fight."

"Oh yes," Urd interrupted. "He can fight!" Pointing at the dead Vikings in the snow, she added, "You should have seen in at work. My wooden throat screamed for joy as I watched him cut down my rapists."

"Again..., impressive," Mist said as she ran her hand down Peander's back and squeezed his ass. "But one myth about the men of the south has proven to be absolutely true."

"Oh? Which one is that?" Urd said. Mist leaned over and whispered, and Urd broke into uncontrollable giggles.

Peander blushed, and looked down at his naked body, and said. "Mist..., I don't mean to press, but, aren't the other Valkyries going to come looking for me when they find out I have gone missing?" Pointing at Urd, equally naked, he said, "if we are going to make this journey, we are going to need clothes, and, if possible, horses. Greece is many thousands of miles away."

"Yes," Mist said. "You are correct. And sadly, although I bought us some time with my lie about coming to find you myself, they will eventually come looking for me too."

"So what are we going to do, Mist?" Urd said. "I certainly don't want to face the wrath of Brunhilde again. Odin knows what she would do next time; turn me into a slug, or a worm, or who knows what."

"Well," Mist said as she pointed over to a large thicket of trees. "Right through that patch of forest there is the camp of the tribe who has tormented you for so long. They have more than enough clothes and horses and supplies for us to make the trip to Greece in luxury." Mist cooed as she said, "And I for one cannot wait to get to Greece. These rough furs will soon be replaced by fine silk."

Urd shrieked out a loud laugh. "Oh glorious Gods of Chaos! For so long I have dreamed of this day. Swift and divine vengeance will be poured onto my attackers."

"Well..., at least for now," Mist said. "My powers are still strong, but, I expect them to be taken at any moment. Once Freya and the other Valkyries realize I am not coming back, and have betrayed them, they will no doubt strip me of my powers."

"Oh no!" Urd said.

"Yes, it is true," Mist said. "The Valkyries are known for many things, but forgiveness is not one of them. I have cast my lot with you two, but, I am sure a golden future awaits us all in Greece."

"But..., you are giving up your powers as a Goddess to escape to Greece?" Peander said. "Are you sure that is a good idea?"

"Yes, I am," Mist said. "But, my powers are not gone yet. I have a few tricks still up my sleeve, and...," she added as she pointed to Urd, "and some of those tricks are going to fall on the fuckers who tormented you."

Urd smiled.

"So, enough of the yapping," Mist said. "I think we have an important date with destiny now."

*****

"Hera!" Athena cried as she watched the Queen of the Gods fly into the plaza of the Acropolis. "You..., you are fully restored!"

"Yes, I am," Hera said as her face beamed. "A unexpected 'gift' from my husband."

"Incredible, and that, coupled with the astonishing device Archimedes has just made, makes today even more incredible," Athena said. "I really do think the day is finally turning around."

"About damn time, actually," Hera said. "So, I came as soon as you summoned. What earth shattering new invention has our young genius built?"

Athena smiled even wider as she turned to her temple and called out, "Archimedes, bring down your creation."

"Creation? What is this all about?" Hera said. "Is this what you intimated at, Archimedes? I was intrigued by what you proposed, but, it seemed so hypothetical."

"It is, glorious Goddess," Archimedes said with a smile.

"Just watch. It is amazing," Athena said.

Archimedes walked forward down the stairs of the temple of Athena, his face beaming in pride as he held an object in his hand. "Yes, great Goddess. My theory about the staff of Chronus has been proven!"

"Already! Oh glorious great Gods of Chaos, things are finally going our way!" Hera exclaimed. "I thought it would take months for you to repair it. So, my staff is restored?"

"Well..., not exactly," Archimedes said. "It is not as it was, but, in some ways, it may prove to be better. Much, much better."

"What is all this now?" Dionysus said as he walked over to the gathering.

"Archimedes had done the impossible," Athena said. "He has..., well, let me not steal your thunder, Genius," she said as she turned to Archimedes. "Tell them, tell them all what you have created."

"Yes, we are all very curious," Dionysus said.

"Well...," Archimedes began as he glanced over the plaza. As before, he always grew a bit nervous during public speaking, especially in front of the Gods. "When I created the ring for Demetrius, I had to shatter the staff of Chronus, but, I was able to take many of the pieces and form them into a sphere. Well, several spheres actually."

"A sphere?" Dionysus said. "What is the importance of that?"

"The spheres are hollowed out, great Divinity," Archimedes said. "And as such, the effect of the time bubble is contained within the structure. You see, once the opposing positive ions of one side of the sphere create friction from the negative ions on the other side, a gravitational wave is created inside the two hollowed out halves and the mass of the energy released in the vortex is directly related to the exponent of n taken to the 10 power of..."

"Let's dumb it down a bit, Archimedes," Hera said. "I doubt Di-Di, or anyone else, gives a shit about the details. Just tell us what this thing you have created DOES!"

"Well, in theory," Archimedes said, "when the sphere opened, a time vacuum is created inside and whatever is sucked into this vortex goes into a time bubble. There, a second of time passed may be like a thousand centuries out here."

"It is just like the staff of Chronus, Mother," Athena said.

"Impressive," Hera said as she held out her hand. "May I see one of these delightful devices."

"Absolutely Divinity," Archimedes said as he placed one of the spheres into Hera's hand.

"This is it?" Hera said as she lifted it up to her eyes. "It is so small."

"Don't be underwhelmed by its size, Queen of Heaven," Archimedes said. "It is still quite deadly."

"That's what guys always say, right Ganymede," Dionysus joked as he elbowed Ganymede in the stomach."

"But..., how can such a small object be so deadly, Divinity," Grid asked as she stepped forward.

"Excellent question, Girl," Hera said as she turned to Archimedes. "I am curious to know the answer to this question myself. I hate to say it, but, I am a bit put off by the size."

"Well, Goddess," Archimedes said as he took the sphere out of her hands and held it up to the crowd. "You will notice the dimples on the surface."

"I was going to ask about that," Pethio said. "What are they for?"

"Beautiful Goddess of the Sea," Archimedes said, "that is to keep the structure from collapsing under the enormous gravitational pressures contained inside. You see, if we assume the speed of light is constant, and given that mass too is constant and bears no relationship to—"

"—Archimedes dear, remember," Hera said. "KISS"

Archimedes blushed. "Of course, Divinity." Holding the sphere up, he said, "Inside this tiny ball a literal alternate universe has been created. Time, distance, even matter itself, obey different laws inside. Not only has time been dramatically slowed inside, but, large objects are shrunk down to near infinitesimal tininess once they are sucked inside. The dimples give the structure enough strength to not collapse in upon itself and thereby create a black hole." He gulped as he added, "that was the most worrisome part of this project, I must admit."

"I am curious, Archimedes," Ganymede said as approached. "What is this black hole you speak of? And more importantly, what would happen if one were created?"

"Well...," Archimedes said as his face dropped. "It is hard to explain, but, I will say this. If I had accidently created one when I created these spheres, our conversation right now might be a bit more difficult. You see, all light, matter and energy would have been sucked into the singularity and the entire planet and solar system most likely would have been destroyed in one giant suck."

"Giant suck," Dionysus giggled.

"It figures you would laugh at that, perve," Athena said. "What are you, an infant? But somehow, from what Archimedes explained to me, this giant suck, would truly suck. And not in a good way."

"Excellent work as always, Archimedes," Hera said as her eyes brightened. "So..., if I get the gist of what you are saying, whatever object gets pulled into this sphere goes into a near timeless void." Her eyes flashed, as she paused and thought about the ramifications. "Interesting..., this might be quite useful in our mission to replace our manna. I was curious how we were going to be able to collect enough divine pre-cum in time to repair our forces."

"Divine pre-cum?" Ganymede said. "Oh Glorious Goddess of Heaven, whose intelligence and wit shake the earth to its core, whose beauty rivals the most extravagant plumage of the noble—"

"Enough of all that blubbering, Ganymede," Dionysus interrupted. "What is all of this talk about divine pre-cum?"

Hera smirked as she glared at Dionysus, and said, "You know, I think perhaps you should volunteer to be the first test, Di-Di. Great Lords of Chaos knows, those balls of yours seem to never empty." Turning to Archimedes, she said, "So, have you tested this yet?"

"Not yet, Goddess," Archimedes said. "I am afraid to test it on myself, as..., well, I don't know what effect it this void will have on mortal flesh. As for a divine test subject...,well, I will leave that to—"

"Grid! Grid! Thank the merciful Lords of Chaos you are here!" came a feminine voice from across the plaza of the Acropolis. Every eye turned to the noise.

There, still in female form was Loki. Behind him (her) was Thor, naked and in chains.

"As promised, I have delivered your 'slave' to complete his tasks," Loki continued as he giggled. "And..., with a few days to spare." He grimaced as he added, "But first things first, I am having these horrible cramps, and blood is shooting out of my Hooha! I must find an apothecary! I have been told of this miraculous elixir called Pamprin and, I must have some right away!"

Athena turned to Grid, and glowered, "Do you know these people? They seem to know you. How dare they barge into our meeting here atop the sacred Acropolis."

Grid smirked, and said, "Oh yes! I know them. I know them only all too well."

"Well, Priestess," Athena glowered. "It is highly unusual for just anyone to waltz up onto this sacred ground, you know. Who are they?"

"Well," Grid said with an evil grin crawling across her face. "The 'slave' there is going to be our first test subject for Archimedes creation. We were looking for a divine test subject, well, I can think of no better candidate."

*****

Tammy and Sherry sat together in Sherry's Chevette and stared over at the low, windowless building across the parking lot. The conversation they were having was entering its second hour, and was fast coming to a head.

Sherry's makeup was running and sweat poured down both girl's backs, both from nerves but mostly from the heat. Despite having the air conditioning on, the inside of her car was scorching. She was sure an egg could fry on the dashboard in 5 minutes if the car was off, which mercifully, it wasn't. Phoenix in August is literally as close to Hell as you can get.

Sherry reached for the keys in the ignition and prepared to leave. She couldn't wait much longer. Her car would overheat if they didn't drive or shut off the engine soon, and plus, the pink neon sign towering over the lot screamed at her to come inside. Goddess Hecate's temple of wisdom, now accepting applications for membership.

"Are you absolutely, positively, 100% sure you want to do this?" Tammy said. "We can still turn back, you know."

"No," Sherry said. "My mind is made up. That fuckhead must pay, and this is the way I will see justice done!"