“My goddess.”

  She giggled, “Yes, that did excite me. I can be jaded in some ways, when you’ve lived an eternity and have the same ahead of you then things can get too predictable. But never when taking a champion, every single one is different, and I’m very glad to have you.”

  She kissed me lingeringly, which I returned with almost a desperate ardor.

  She got up, and was simply dressed again, in that same ridiculously hot and scandalous silk sheer dark blue dress.

  “I must go, before someone gets curious. We don’t usually spend a whole lot of time out of Olympus.”

  I nodded reluctantly, “Will I see you again?”

  I hated the way I felt in that moment, as if I’d be destitute and my soul might just shrivel and die if she said no. I’d known her for less than two hours, yet I loved her already, she was my goddess.

  She looked at me warmly, “You’re mine now, so of course you will. Not often, at least physically, but you will see me every night in your dreams. My will and mind are vast, but I only have one body, and it will feel just as real in that place of dreams, for both of us. My body will be yours to worship for all the days of your life in that place. As I said, I am generous and loving with those who are mine. Plus, we still have a whole lot more of those deliciously naughty fantasies of yours to play out.”

  Right, as long as they didn’t let her down or betray her, and I was sure I wouldn’t be doing that. I also took that to mean she could host several lovers every night in their dreams, all separately from each other. The vast will and mind part, but I didn’t dwell on that. Strangely, it also didn’t make me jealous in the least, whereas thoughts of having to share any other women would have.

  As a rule, my lovers were mine, or they stopped being mine. I didn’t share. But, she was Aphrodite, and while very much a woman she was also a goddess. That changed the rules, and it was outside of my possessive instinctual response somehow.

  She winked, “Good luck, Levi. Don’t die, I’m really looking forward to the return on my investment, and of course, your company at night. Think of me often. Your thoughts really are delicious, and I’ll hear them all.”

  She disappeared in a flash of light.

  Without her in it, the small house felt cold and empty for a long moment, but I shook off that negative feeling and headed for the shower. I’d never been one to wallow in self-pity, and I’d adjust and bounce back quickly. Still, I needed that shower badly. The goddess had squirted like a porn star, and I was a sticky and sweaty mess.

  My mind spun, as I washed up and went to bed. It was a surreal night, to say the least. Of course, all lingering doubts were erased, when I fell into my dreams and took my goddess into my arms. She was delightfully submissive to my wishes, and I pleasured her quite firmly before I took my time and explored her body quite thoroughly. The night of loving seemed endless, and with her blessing or because this was a dream, my stamina and virility was endless.

  It was insane and impossible, but at the same time it was greatest night of my life. I felt… honored, and grateful for the opportunity to be hers, as bizarre as that might sound. Her gifts were a part of that, but at the same time I’d have done it just for the privilege of her company. She was breathlessly loving and invitingly generous in bed, and she truly delighted in my attentions and my thoughts. Especially when I worshipped her with my thoughts and tongue at the same time. I lost count of the number of times she came for me and trembled around or against my tongue and cock. I also lost count of the number of times I emptied myself between her lovely lips, tight wet paradise, between her tits, and even once or twice in her tight rounded ass.

  It was almost too much. The thought that I’d have her as my goddess and bed playmate every night for the rest of my life in my dreams. Literally, in my dreams.. So good, that I’d almost forgotten what had brought her to my door. Almost forgotten there was a threat against my life and that I had enemies. My father’s enemies. My father who was a god, as were his enemies.

  Almost.

  Chapter Three

  Perfectly symmetrical.

  The mirror in the bathroom showed my reflection, as I tried to determine what had changed, and those were the two words that came to mind. Perfect symmetry. I still looked like me, people would recognize me in my driver’s license and old pictures, they were very subtle changes. I’d already alluded to the fact I was about a solid seven on the scale, an eight to women who like light brown hair and hazel eyes, but in that moment, I knew those nines and tens were my new range.

  Subtle changes, that had taken the small tiny flaws away. Flaws of symmetry that would only be noticeable to the subconscious, and she’d made my face perfectly symmetrical. It wasn’t just my face either. My toned body and muscles had always been fairly consistent, but now my toned musculature looked like a perfect mirror from left to right, and I think my skin and hair looked healthier. The two major changes were my flat toned stomach now had a perfect six pack, and my cock, well it was bigger.

  Not a whole lot bigger, and I’d been pretty proud of the old one, but she’d clearly added two inches to the length, and about an inch in circumference to the girth. Eight inches, and fat. It was still me, but a perfect me. She hadn’t really changed my looks at all, just perfected what had been there already.

  I jumped in the shower and considered her orders. I had bills and rent to pay, food to buy, and beer to drink. Last I checked, being her Champion didn’t include a salary, just mind-blowing sex while I worshipped her and some powers. Which meant I needed to go to the superstore for my shift, which was in about an hour.

  But she’d also told me to avoid human females as much as possible, which was hard to do when the superstore was filled with females of all ages and varying attractiveness all day every day. What would happen if I worked a register, would they all give me their number, or would something far more scandalous happen as they flirted and started flashing their tits at me, or something.

  I didn’t know.

  Point being, I decided to volunteer for stock duty, which would weird out the general manager since it was the least liked job and the new folks usually got stuck with it, but it was what it was. I wasn’t going to ignore Aphrodite’s warning and advice, and it just seemed prudent. It was hard work, but I’d be able to hide in the back all day long.

  Which only left the female employees to worry about, a couple of which I’d fantasized about more than once. Still, the idea of abusing my blessing to nail a couple of hot co-workers fell flat against my libido. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them anymore, or that they paled in comparison to my goddess which they did, but the idea they wouldn’t really have a choice if I turned on the charm.

  Just the idea of it felt creepy, and a little too close to rape for my tastes. Even if they were willing now, they wouldn’t have been before, if that makes sense. So, I’d deal with it the best I could. I also wondered when Aphrodite’s daughter would show up, and I could just imagine how hot she would be with the goddess of beauty as her mother as well as being her champion as well.

  My naughty goddess described her as a handful, I had to say I was curious. Did you hear that, my naughty goddess? I knew she did of course, and I knew it turned her on.

  Point being, before I got off on a tangent with flirting with my goddess through prayer, I’d be away for a little less than nine hours, what if she showed up when I wasn’t home? Maybe I should’ve made time for some of these questions last night, but I was insatiable, and by definition the goddess of love was quite insatiable as well. And more than a little bit naughty, come to that.

  Let’s just say we didn’t talk all that much last night, outside of naughty words and encouragements.

  There was also the worry of my enemies, were they close? Just how much time did I have to prepare, find, and trigger my abilities. Even then that would only give me a fighting chance in hell.

  I got dressed in the slacks, shoes, white shirt, and tie. Then I headed for work, not quite sure I was doing the right thing, but at the same time what else could I do? Bills to pay, and those cases of beer wouldn’t buy themselves either. Not that I drank a whole lot, but I enjoyed a beer or two after work, no more than that. Just enough to relax and blow off the annoyances of retail, so I didn’t take work home with me.

  I didn’t actually like getting drunk, a chill buzz was more my speed.

  Well, I didn’t cause any accidents on the way to work, so maybe this allure I was supposed to have toward women was far more subtle than my male mind had come with up. Regardless, I did draw a few intrigued stares from members of the opposite sex as I bee lined it to the back, punched in, and went to see my manager in the back office. None of them chased after me, so that was good.

  Apparently, it would still take some effort on my part. Women needed that attention and connection as a rule, before giving into base desires based on looks alone. Men were visual, women were cerebral. All it meant was they’d be so attracted to me I couldn’t really blow it as long as I was moderately charming and not a pig. At least, that was the impression I was getting with limited exposure. It was also somewhat of relief.

  My boss did look at me like I was nuts, but he had no problem with me chasing the new guy out of the stock room and putting him on my usual register job for the day. So far, so good.

  I got to work.

  It was about three hours later and I was outside the back of the store breaking up empty boxes and feeding them to the compactor. It was boring work, but it was also easy and mindlessly repetitive, allowing my mind to wander a bit. Embarrassingly enough I’d tried a few things that had failed miserably, like trying to pick up hundreds of pounds, and move things with my mind.

  Searching for what made me different and a demigod.

  I could see why it was so difficult to stumble on without help, and why I hadn’t found it on accident over the last five years. It both took a trigger to release power, and I didn’t know what the power was. So, looking for the power was almost a waste of time. I’d have to try at random, and assuming I did try out a power I actually have, I’d also have to stumble across the right trigger at the same time.

  It was impossible, like guessing the combination of a safe with two combination locks.

  I froze as I heard soft footsteps approaching, and I turned to face the slightly open coral fence door that was open just a few feet wide.

  A gorgeous redhead that had silver highlights stepped through the fence. She was severely beautiful, with a thin face, high cheekbones, full pouty lips, and copper eyes. Her body was on the lissome side of perfectly proportionally. Not quite lissome, she was curvaceous, but her tits and hips were just a little too small to be perfect on her five foot nine body. She was gorgeous though, incredibly beautiful, and I waited tensely for her to introduce herself.

  I kind of hoped she was Aphrodite’s daughter, because I wanted to fuck her. She was beyond alluring.

  She sniffed deeply, and then wrinkled her nose, “I can smell the slut goddess on you, but that won’t save you.”

  Well, damn, not her daughter, an Empusa maybe? I got the sense Aphrodite’s blessing wasn’t working on her, and I also got the sense the temptation to fuck her brains out was being dulled by that blessing. A normal man with no blessing couldn’t have resisted her at all.

  The woman grinned, “It would’ve been more pleasant to fuck you to death, but this will fun too.”

  Her body shimmered and shifted right before me. Bright red and yellow feathered wings grew out from her back and spread out that looked like flames. Her hands changed into long and vicious looking claws, and horns came out of her head as her facial beauty was both marred and enhanced by sharp ridges and lines. Yup, definitely an Empusa demon, my enemy had found me.

  So I did what Aphrodite told me to if I met one. I couldn’t risk running around her, not with her blocking the entrance to the fenced in compactor, so I did the only thing I could reasonably do. I turned quickly and jumped up with all my might, grabbed the top of the compactor and pulled myself up. I almost made it when I felt her sharp claws rip into the back of my leg and tear through the slacks, skin, and flesh of my calf.

  Fortunately, she wasn’t able to get a grip on my leg, and she’d only barely gotten me with those wicked claws.

  I suppressed the grunt of pain that left me as the wound felt like fire, but I wobbled to my feet and ran the length of the compactor and jumped over the fence. I hit the ground hard on the other side but balanced as my legs collapsed and I rolled to bleed off the momentum. It hurt, especially with a torn-up calf, and I took off at a limping run for the back door. I looked back and immediately regretted it, as the Empusa was in flight and dove for me from above.

  I immediately stopped, and while she tried to adjust by pulling in her wings to adjust her interception to my new spot, she overshot and landed with a piercingly angry shriek. I didn’t feel all that smug about that though, because now she was between the superstore’s back door and myself as she spun around with her arms and claws wide. Her wings snapped out wide, and her face was twisted in a rictus of hate and twisted demonic joy.

  Well, shit. What now?

  She took a step forward when I heard the roar of the car, which turned out to be a bright pink Audi convertible. The thing was hideous and a crime against Audis everywhere, but it was what it was. It also hit the Empusa from the side, and the demon’s legs broke like matchsticks, and she was sent flying off. The demon shrieked in anger as she snapped her wings out to prevent hitting the concrete as the car came to a screeching halt.

  The creature circled once, and then flew off with an angry cry.

  An upbeat and dulcetly pleasing voice said, “Get in, she’s going for reinforcements! Oh my goddess, you so owe me a new paint job, and don’t you dare drip blood all over my baby.”

  I limped around the car to the passenger door. The blood was oozing and I needed first aid, but I wasn’t bleeding all over the place at least. It also burned, like the Empusa’s claws had been poisoned or at least extremely unsanitary.

  “Who are you,” I asked as I collapsed into the seat. So much for my job, I’d probably get canned for just disappearing, but my life was on the line.

  She was gorgeous, and she looked right around my age at twenty-one or so. She had long and straight black hair that looked like liquid midnight silk running down her curvaceous body. Her eyes were the same stunning blue as the goddess but without the flecks of white in them. She had the face of an angel, a soft innocent beauty save her slightly pouty lips, that gave rise to a need to protect. Her body was lushly curvaceous with rounded D cups over a flat stomach and tight curvy waist. She was all soft and tight curves, and her body was a pure sinful temptation.

  Beyond that I was sure she was Aphrodite’s daughter, or at least I could sense the same blessing on her, even if I didn’t entirely understand how I was doing it.

  She said, “Ginny. Virginia Morgan, but call me Ginny. Oh gods, I almost got here too late. Why in the world did you go to work today?”

  “Bills?” I replied, though the excuse sounded kind of weak to my ears, given the stakes.

  She sighed, “I get it, but that was stupid. You probably drove past, or even someone like us went to the store and felt you, felt our goddess’s blessing on you. That kind of thing is noted, and the enemy probably got curious about a new player in town and sent that redheaded bitch to check it out. You’re lucky she tried to take you alone, if she’d gone for reinforcements first, you’d have been fucked.

  “I’m my mother’s daughter. I can give you advice, hook you up with a trainer to find your power, but I’m not a fighter myself. First things first, I’ll take you home and we’ll get that cleaned out.”

  “Except for hitting people with cars.”

  She giggled, “That doesn’t come up a lot. So, Levi?”

  I nodded, “Yes, Ginny?”

  She asked, “I bet you’re loving the first day of your new life. It’s pretty awesome actually, and don’t stress the money. Mom was right, you’re really cute. I think I’m going to enjoy this, if we survive.”

  “Do we get paid then?”

  She giggled, “No, but it’s easy to make money for people like us. Just don’t take advantage.”

  “I’m not following.”

  She shrugged, “Show a nice rich heiress a good time,” she suggested teasingly, then she broke down in giggles. “Your face was priceless, just messing with you. Though some of our kind do take that route. You’d be surprised how easy it would be for you make thousands of dollars a day as a gigolo. But there are other options. You could make it as a model now, and there’s the matter of your other powers when we find it. Other things too, mom has a lot of allies.”

  “Wouldn’t being a gigolo be abusing the blessing?”

  She looked at him, then back at the road, “No, abusing your blessing would be picking up women selfishly and leaving wreckage behind. I’m talking about making some middle-aged woman’s day, and enriching her with romantic and warm memories, as well as pleasure. That has a value, and is not abusing it, but I can already tell that you’re not that type. It would kill you, leaving pieces of your heart behind for cash. I don’t do that either, if you’re wondering.”

  Okay, I could see that, and she was right. Abusing it meant leaving wreckage in my wake, it didn’t mean I couldn’t use it to make connections that fed both ways. She was also right about me not being able to take that route.

  “Am I that transparent?”

  She replied, “It’s the blessing. You’re the type that doesn’t go in for casual sex, and the blessing enhances that, makes it obvious to those who can read mom’s magic. It’ll also make it far more effective on women who are likeminded. It’s likely a slut with commitment issues would run the other way when she saw you coming, that much yummy goodness would panic her.”