Love and Fortune Ch. 14

Author's Note:

This is Chapter 2 of Book 2 of the Love and Fortune series! If you're new, feel free to start at the beginning of Book 1, but know that Book 1 is mostly laidback sexytimes, without much of a gripping plot. If you'd rather start with the action, feel free to jump in at Chapter 13 (the start of Book 2, which is more about adventure and conflict).

This Chapter Contains: a revisionist history of the Trojan War, jealous goddesses and their machinations, a celestial kidnapping, a call to a modern-day mythic quest, a very serious nudist community gathering, Chaos Magic, all the usual haremy indulgence, and a private flight with delicious perks. As always, you've been warned.

Chapter 14: The Call

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO

The city of Troy was burning.

The war, at stalemate for years on end, had turned suddenly in favor of the Greeks. The trick by which they'd earned their victory would no doubt go down in legend. The victors would write it into the annals of history: a masterstroke of subversive genius. It would be one of their greatest tales of war and strategy.

But in the moment? There was fire. There was death.

"You caused this."

Eris didn't turn at the accusatory voice. Her eyes remained fixed on the carnage, her dark hair and golden robes flapping in the scorching wind. It was a vision of pure destruction -- of discord writ large. And from high above, where she hovered, unseen by all who fought below, she could see it in all its blazing glory.

She shrugged, her lips curling into a small smirk. "And? Wars happen. Mortals bicker. With or without me, cities would burn."

"Without your golden apple, perhaps this one wouldn't have."

That made her laugh. She turned at last to her accuser, the lead in a lineup of Living Goddesses who hung in the ether nearby, their expressions set in varying states of anger and disappointment.

"Oh, come on," the Goddess of Discord said. "Are we still on about that?"

"Ask that to the men fighting below. To their wives and children. You've doomed many thousands. And for what?"

Great Cosmos eternal, did Eris ever despise Artemis and her self-righteousness.

The Living Goddess of the Hunt wore the leathers and the bow of her vocation. Though her face was stone-hard, there was a softness to her voice that betrayed deep sorrow. That latter emotion stood out all the more in the dark-skinned deity on her right: Zawadi, Living Goddess of Love and Fortune, here all the way from the heart of Africa tonight. At her left, Parvati leaned further into the sternness Artemis showed, her own sharp gaze even more disapproving.

"So many of us have been turned against one another in the years of this war," Artemis said. "Living and mortal alike. Our champions and followers have been divided in a conflict they never needed to be part of. All because you wanted to cause strife and discord. All because of your ridiculous prank."

Eris rolled her eyes. "Am I the one who started it? After you all snubbed me from that fancy wedding? I was well within my rights to have a little revenge. Really, you all should have seen it coming."

"This was a disproportionate retaliation for a mere oversight," Artemis snapped back.

"This war? I didn't even start that. Just tossed an apple. The rest? That was good old human nature... and no small part of your own vanity."

Everyone present recalled the day that had led to the war. It had been intended as a celebration of a beloved devotee as he took a wife. Many of the Living had come to preside, their own followers tagging along to offer gifts and good wishes. It should have represented a special moment of peace. Instead, it had become a moment of division.

Eris had snuck into the festivities, not caring that she hadn't been invited. She was the Goddess of Discord, after all -- the thought of someone like her crashing the party was a frightening prospect to many of its high-strung organizers, who would no sooner have invited a Bedlam Spirit or a Nuckelavee. But Eris had come, and she'd brought a party favor of her own.

The goddesses present had all vied for that golden apple, each one claiming her right to the prize. Eventually, in the interest of fairness, the choice had been left to one humble, mortal guest at the party, surely one without any biases or prejudices. But the Living had all tried to sway him, each one offering to make him their devotee in exchange for his judgment in their favor. In the end, the decision was made, and a goddess of beauty had come out on top.

But the discord Eris had sown that day was far from over. Her golden apple was a seed that had grown into a terrible tree. The goddesses' squabbling had led to a rift between their devotees -- and in time, that rift had sparked a war. Now, Troy burned.

Thinking back on it all, Eris couldn't help but laugh. What a perfect outcome. What a wonderful display of the nature and the folly of the other Living. They'd all been so caught up in their vanity and their pride, they hadn't realized she'd played them all. A humbling like that would do them good, she'd thought in the aftermath. Perhaps they'd learn to take her more seriously from now on.

But Artemis and her companions didn't seem to have seen it that way then, and they certainly didn't see it that way now.

"All you have ever brought is ruin." It was Athena who spoke now, her voice as sharp as her weapons and wit. She wore the bronze plates of the warriors she championed -- many of whom had fought and fallen in the conflict below. "You are a blight on the Living, Eris. You sow chaos and destruction wherever you go. You care nothing for the lives you ruin and the hearts you break."

"Yadda, yadda, yadda," Eris retorted, rolling her eyes. "Hey, at least it was your devotee who ended the war before it really started to drag. Came up with that 'hollow horse' idea. Shouldn't you be down there praising him, not haranguing me?"

"I'll be with him soon. He misses his family, he's known a lot of pain, and he'll have a lot of trials ahead of him before he will know the peace he deserves. But you're not thinking of that. You're not ever thinking of anything but your own amusement."

"And you wouldn't know amusement if it hit you between the eyes, 'Thena," Eris shot back. "Be honest. Were you really enjoying that dull, dry party before I spiced things up? Were you enjoying the world as it was, either? You're a war goddess, not just the wise professor you like to sell yourself as first and foremost. Don't tell me you didn't like all the action once the spears and shields came out."

Athena's eyes flashed with anger. "I'm a goddess of strategy. Of cunning, and cleverness. Not of bloodlust and violence."

"And I'm a goddess of freedom. Of letting go. Of breaking down barriers and letting people be their true selves. And of having some damn fun every now and then. But you'll never understand that, will you? I always have to be the villain, don't I?"

"I have heard enough." Parvati's hard judgment cut through the air, silencing both Eris and Athena. She stepped forward, her dark eyes full of scorn. "You are a danger to the world, Eris. You always have been. Whatever twisted way you see your actions, we of the Living have seen enough of them. I think I speak for all of us as I say this: we want nothing more to do with you. Consider yourself excommunicated from our sisterhood and our ranks. From now on, you should not bother involving yourself in our matters and those of our devotees."

A silence fell. No Goddess around could find words to protest the Living Goddess of Power and Harmony's decree -- not even Eris. She stared at Parvati. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her lips.

"If that's the way you'd have it, so be it," she said. "I'll leave you to your boring little sisterhood. I'll be more than fine on my own. Parvati, I'll bet that even you, in all your vigilance, haven't noticed the little seeds I've been spreading around the world in my downtime. Seeds of my influence, set to grow everywhere they can find purchase."

She looked to the Olympians present. "Unlike you, I've never been satisfied keeping my reach limited to just this part of the world. I've been whispering in the ears of men and women all over the globe. I've made people question the ways of old and seek new answers. Already, little sects in far-flung lands are coming to know me by new names, under new contexts. So if I can't be part of anybody's pantheon?" The goddess of discord grinned. "Then I'll make my own -- where it's all me, myself, and I."

"Such actions sound ill-advised," Zawadi warned. The African goddess's expressive eyes seemed almost sad. "Many like us have tried such ploys for power, only to see them backfire. You'll only find yourself weakened, your energy divided and darkened all along. Please. Think better of this."

But Eris just shrugged. "It's rich to hear that from you, Zee. Haven't exactly committed to any pantheons down there in wild Africa, have you? You've been going it alone from the start. You don't need other Goddesses to muck and meddle with your business. Perhaps neither should I.

"Maybe I'll be stronger without you all," she boasted. "Maybe I'll find devotees who can appreciate my gifts. Maybe one day, when the world really needs me... I'll show all of you what I'm capable of."

"Or maybe," Artemis said, "you'll only bring more ruin. And you'll only have yourself to blame."

The Goddess of Discord stepped back from the others, her smile widening. "We can play the 'maybe' game till the sun burns out. But none of us can know, can we? Goodbye, sisters. You'll hear from me again -- maybe sooner than you think."

With a golden flourish of light, Eris vanished. The remaining Living Goddesses were left staring at the spot where she'd been, their minds a tumult of thoughts.

"We must ready ourselves," Parvati warned. "Or destruction like this could erupt the whole world over."

Artemis nodded, her expression hard. "Yes. We must be vigilant. Today marks one of the worst catastrophes in the human world since the sinking of the city people now call Atlantis. But what's coming could dwarf either."

"We should root out these places where Eris has sown her seeds." There was fire in Athena's voice. "And we must warn the local Living in every such place. We cannot let Eris spread her influence unchecked. We must find a way to counter her."

Zawadi's response was one of resigned weariness. "I hear your frustration, Athena, and I share your worry. But such is not our duty as Living Goddesses. We cannot interfere directly with the mortal world and its courses, no matter how much we might wish to. We can only guide and empower those who follow us. That is the way of things."

"Zawadi is right." Parvati's beautiful face was grimly set. "It would be a desecration of our duty to prevent any Goddess from taking up devotees. That custom is as integral and sacred to our nature as anything. All we can do is trust in our own devotees, and in the other Living. May positive energy prevail."

None could disagree with that. They all knew the truth of it.

They also knew that the days ahead would require their utmost vigilance and strength. The world was changing. But the Living would go on.

"I will watch over my people," Zawadi said, her kind eyes solemn. "And I will do all I can, in the ways I know best. But I fear for the world."

"As do we all," Athena concluded.

And, leaving the burning city behind, the small council of Living Goddesses dispersed into the dark night.

***

PRESENT DAY

The sun was setting over the Aegean, bathing the Greek Islands in golden light. A warm evening breeze blew through the trees -- and around the small beach where the Living Goddess stood, the island of Karpathos was preparing for sleep after another peaceful day of small battles, small victories.

Nike loved her homeland, as she always had and would forever.

The Goddess of Victory stood still and resolute, her bare feet sinking into the sand, the wind stirring her long hair and thin white robes. Her beauty would have been a sight for mortal eyes, but none were around -- and even if any were, they would no more have seen Nike than the wind itself. Invisible, intangible, the Goddess was like a force of nature: a presence that could not be touched, but touched everything. A part of the land and its natural magic.

Nike had no devotees.

That was not for any lack of belief in her, or want for what she could offer. Many in Greece still revered the Olympians -- and everyone, in some way, longed for victory in something. But Nike would never take on a champion, never bestow her gifts on any mortal. Too great was the risk of that person being corrupted; too great was the risk of her power being used for evil.

What she could grant, after all, was something many of the world's cruelest mortals would have gone to terrible ends to have.

She could assure success in any venture, any contest, any struggle. The winner of a war; the champion of a tournament; the victorious voice in a debate -- she could give them all the edge they needed. In any other hands but her own, such a gift would surely be abused. She had seen it happen before. She had seen the ruin it had wrought. She would not allow it to happen again. What the world did not need was more victory for the privileged and greedy.

And theirs, much to her dismay, were always the voices she heard the loudest.

Grant me the power to win. Whether or not they prayed to her directly, their lust for victory was a constant in her ears. She heard them in the boardrooms, in the halls of power, in the private chambers of the wealthy and the elite. Politicians. Businessmen. Generals. All of them seeking her favor, seeking her power, seeking her blessing. They never cared about the cost or the consequences; only about their own gain. Make me the victor, their minds begged her, and I will do great things. I will change the world. I will make it better.

But Nike knew better. She knew that such people rarely sought to improve the world. They only sought to control it -- to use it for their own ends. She was long since done being the patroness of such people. For them, whatever would be, would be. She would not lend them her advantages.

Nike's gifts came instead to the deserving, though they rarely understood why or how. She granted small victories to the downtrodden, to those who faced oppressive odds stacked against them. To those who desperately longed for just one good break. The young man who needed that job interview to go well so that he could support his family. The woman battling for her life against addiction, who needed the strength to say no to temptation. The child sitting alone in the schoolyard, longing for just one friend to appear. Nike was there for them all, in her own way. She danced invisible around them, feeling their prayers for victory, for success -- and granting them what she could. Didn't the world need underdogs to win, after all? Didn't the world need hope?

Today she had flown over Karpathos, flitting from household to household, blessing those who needed her. She had granted a small victory to a young mother, helping her stand up to her abusive husband. She had helped a meek man find the courage to speak his mind against those who would silence him. She had lent a child the strength to face her bullies. Small victories, perhaps, but victories nonetheless. And in a world where the powerful seemed to grow stronger every day, every small victory mattered.

As long as she existed, this would be her mission.

Taking off from the soft sand, Nike flew. A setting sun and waning moon lit up a world that, for all its rot and corruption and cruelty, could be a beautiful place. Stars twinkled above her as she soared over the sea and land, feeling the elements on her skin.

But then she felt something uncanny. No -- worse than that.

A force was pulling her down to earth, tugging at her essence like some great magnet. She struggled against it, but it was too strong. She was made helpless before she could even think of fighting back.

What in the Great Cosmos was doing this to her? No mortal had the power; no Living Goddess had the intent. Even Eris, the greatest troublemaker of the Living, would never have mounted an attack against a Goddess as beloved and respected as Nike. She rushed to perceive what she could in the short time she had the chance to: the energy was tied to a spell. A magick of some kind. A trap for her essence. And someone had set it with clear, wicked intent.

It occurred to her why.

No! No sorcery like that still existed in the world! All of the authorities and institutions of Earth had long since abandoned any such pursuits. And devotees of the Living were unobtrusive in the use of their own patrons' magic. So who, now, had this power?

She panicked.

Her shriek went far and wide, a sound of fear and despair. She was Nike, the Living Goddess of Victory, the one who granted success to those who deserved it -- and she was about to be captured, bound, and made to serve a new master. What intent that master would have for her was something she dared not imagine. But she knew it could be nothing good. And she had no devotees. No champions who would come to her aid. No one to protect her from the darkness that now threatened to swallow her whole.

Desperate moments called for desperate measures.

"Devotees of all Living." She projected the psychic message with all her deific fortitude, knowing it must be heard by any mortal who could sense her kind -- anyone at all who might just be able to help. "Hear my call. I am in peril! I am in need of your aid. Find me. Free me. Please -- for the sake of all that is good in the world!"

Then, with a final cry of anguish, Nike was gone.

***

Ben never slept alone at the Haven. That night, in Belle's wide bedroom, with its colossal mattress decked in lavish silks and satins, he lay surrounded by plenty of the women he adored. With the window open and the moonlight shining in from outside, the scene was peaceful -- made even more so by the soft sounds of his lovers' breathing as they slept.

He should have been exhausted. The afternoon's physical exertions would have worn most people out. But Ben was a devotee of Zawadi, blessed by magic boons. Little could exhaust him, least of all anything like what he'd spent the back half of the day doing.

Not that it all had been idle pleasure. He'd done his fair share of 'homework' in the library. He had read from volumes that Priyanka and Ruby had passed him, perusing the valuable arcane knowledge within... while one or multiple pairs of unfailing, dutiful lips remained wrapped around his cock.

It was still the Haven, after all.

Sometimes the women switched. Sometimes one eager companion would turn the pages for him, or point to something that caught her own attention on the page. But most of the time, they kept themselves too occupied with his body to offer much more than their presence. Not that he minded that. Magic attunement, heightening his focus more than any man-made drug ever could, meant their would-be 'distractions' were just another thing to pay attention to and enjoy alongside the books.

The experience beat any scholarly pursuit he'd ever undertaken. Back in college, whenever he'd hit the stacks of the library to find study material or references for a paper, it had rarely ever been anything but dull. The old campus building was stuffy and dim, and the studious people who frequented it were about as sensual and vivacious as the furniture. The library's resources had been dry and uninspiring; the learning he'd done among these books had been sterile and boring.

He much preferred the library here: splendid and comfortable and stocked with knowledge vastly more interesting. Methods of magic, pantheons of Living Goddesses... and plenty of sexual matters that any university professor of his would've scoffed at. For once, he got the appeal of gathering knowledge. Of sitting in a great big library for hours and reading, the way he'd heard authors and intellectuals wax poetic about.

Ruby, Pri, and Nakessa made for quite the 'study group,' too: all ready to help him along in his research and titillate him in between. The session got even better when Efi and Rasha strode in, all smiles, and didn't speak one word in question before joining in. They'd shared their own thoughts. They'd shared more. They'd worked their hot lips up and down Ben's shaft and their hands all over his skin... and escalated from there. Soon Ben was fucking them atop the tables and against the bookcases. And in time, all together, they'd tumbled all the way back to the bedroom in Belle's central house.

Right now, he would have been content. Only, he was finding it hard to sleep.

Maybe all that new knowledge was keeping his head spinning. Maybe he needed more time to process it all. Maybe his curiosity still burned. Or was it something else? Something harder to pin down?

Ben got up. It was a bit of a challenge to slide out from the very well-occupied bed without waking anyone, but he managed it -- he had super-luck, after all. He took one last look at the beauty he left behind him. Rasha and Efi's bodies intertwined in the dim light. Alicia, who'd joined them, with her arm around Nakessa's side, her long hair sprawling out over the pillows like a river of black ink. Belle at the edge of the bed, softly snoring; Aimee sleeping right alongside her. He felt it as always: the communal, shared love of this place. He loved it. He always would.

But perhaps, right now, he needed a breath of fresh air.

He remembered something Eleni had wisely told him a while back: how everyone, even people engaged in the most perfect of relationships, sometimes needed a private moment. As he gently closed the door, he knew that all the women here would later welcome him right back. But now, the Kenyan night beckoned, starry and cool and clear.

Under the moon, the Haven's foliage was silver-tinted. The late hour's calm quietude was only occasionally punctuated by the brief cry of some animal out in the distance. Up overhead, he could see the faintest shimmer of the magic dome that warded the community from prying eyes. And as he strolled barefoot across the silvery grass, he passed houses and buildings that he knew were full of sleeping Zawadist acolytes.

To be alone here, perhaps for the first time since he'd arrived, was a surprisingly welcome feeling. Even as he walked by himself, his Goddess's magic, pulsing at his wrist, accompanied him in its own way. In that manner, he could never truly be alone. That was comforting.

But the feeling of restlessness remained. And of something being... off.

And it was suddenly, swiftly growing.

Ben's bracelet hummed, then throbbed, then practically shook against his wrist. His body stiffened. His head jerked upward as something like a psychic shriek took hold of him. His mind rang with a sudden presence: as brief as the sound he'd heard, or hallucinated, yet powerful enough in its impression to leave his head pounding.

Ben whipped around. He saw nothing in the immediate vicinity. Nobody else was awake at this hour to disturb the tranquility. Whatever he'd heard -- whoever's distress he had just picked up on -- must have been miles and miles away. But it was a voice, and he had sensed its plea. He could tell it was a woman's.

No. A Goddess's.

He fell to his knees, gasping. He hadn't been prepared for such a shock. But what did it mean? Who had called out to him, and why? What did the goddess need? She hadn't given a name. Not a clue of where to find her, or what had happened. Today, after all he'd learned, that seemed especially frustrating. To have knowledge, and still be unable to help...

A new presence rolled in like a wave.

He turned just as the warm celestial light that heralded her entry began to fade. Before him had come the resplendent form of Zawadi, his own beloved patroness. She stood in the darkness of the Haven, her long braids swaying in the breeze, her gorgeous dark face gazing at him with deep concern.

"Ben. Are you alright?"

He nodded. "I'm fine. I... just had this feeling. I don't know what it was." Slowly, he got up, striding toward his Goddess with an awe and reverence he never failed to feel in her presence. It only struck him for a moment that she was here in her physicality. That was a rarity. It would have been an impossibility, were it still not so soon after the Late-Summer Rites and their influx of power and devotion. "You're..."

"Here in physical form. Yes. It's a bit of a strain, but not an impossible one right now. I felt I had to come here physically. This matter is too important. I can explain what you just felt." She paused, her eyes full of a somberness and concern that seemed to mirror his own. "But I feel you can already intuit the gist."

"Was I right, then, to think that... a Goddess is in danger?"

"Yes. And I know just which. Nike, the Living Goddess of Victory." She came closer to him, the heat of her presence almost palpable. It was a reminder of the precious energy she was burning through just by standing here in corporeal form. "My connection to my sisters is not as direct as, say, that of the connection the women in the Haven share with one another. I rarely speak or interact with any of them, and have not done so in decades. Still, I am aware enough to feel their presence across the Earth. Even more so after the energy boost I recently received during the Late-Summer Convergence. I knew of Nike's distress the moment I felt her light go dim. I have never seen or felt something like this before."

Ben's mind raced. A Living Goddess laid low? The idea was shocking, but after what he'd heard and felt, it seemed a fitting conclusion. "What happened to her? Is she..."

"No Living Goddess can be killed," Zawadi assured him. "But captivity is another matter. And that, I fear, is the fate that Nike has met."

"Where did she go? What do you think did this to her?"

His patroness's head shook. "That, I cannot yet determine. Her light went out over Karpathos -- an island off Greece's coast. But I cannot tell whether she remains there, or has already been spirited off to somewhere else." She met Ben's eyes, her own full of solemn resolve. "I am not omniscient, Ben. None of the Living are. Even from us, many things can be hidden. I have no more insight into this situation than any other being. I only have my intuition -- and the help of my devotees."

"Do you think we can help?" Ben asked, determination rising in his heart.

It took Zawadi a moment to reply. "Ben. Once, we had a conversation. We discussed your role as a devotee. How you should never feel obligated to be a champion against those who would do harm in the world, even bearing the boons I give you." The bracelet on his wrist hummed in agreement. "Never would I ask you -- even now -- to step into a situation that is not of your concern and be a hero. Even now, that is not your role, or the role of my other devotees. And yet..."

"And yet," Ben echoed, "I think it's my concern. Our concern. Maybe it's the concern of every devotee in the world." He looked up at his Goddess. "What happens to one of the Living must affect us all. Right? Who would we be to sit on the sidelines? If we can help, we should."

Zawadi's smile was bright in the moonlight, but it wasn't without sadness. "That is what I love best about you, Ben. You are so eager to help and to serve. To be a good man. It's admirable. But to follow this path may also put you in great danger. Whatever or whoever can capture a Goddess -- and remember, my devotee, that neither of us yet know what or who -- would surely be a formidable foe.

"I know where your confidence comes from. The luck I grant has made most tasks easy for you so far. You have risen above most mundane obstacles without any ado. But there are other things in the world, Ben, which can challenge even one such as yourself. Things you are not familiar with." Her expression was serious. "There is magic you have not encountered. Magic which could match or surmount your power, and mine. While my gifts of good fortune may make the normal life of a mortal feel like child's play, with everything rigged in your favor, that changes when you step from the mundane world into the wider world of magic.

"While I know you are brave, strong, and clever, I cannot say you would remain safe if you chose to leave the Haven and intervene. Nor can I say your companions would, if you asked them for their help. So if you choose to do nothing, Ben; if you and your acolytes choose to let this matter lie... I will not begrudge you. I will respect your decision and remain your patroness, helping you in your own endeavors of love and good fortune and peace. I will shield you, Belle, and all your lovers in the Haven from any fallout of this affair, for my strength here is great, and the ability to do so would be within my power."

Ben listened to his patroness's offer. It felt almost tempting. Sitting out the whole ordeal, not having to risk his life, and instead enjoying the company of the Haven and its many lovely denizens? That seemed like a proposition that few would be willing to pass up.

"But if you do choose to act," Zawadi continued, "I will help you however I can. The choice, I believe, is yours."

He felt like he was at a train station, watching a train begin to roll off toward some faraway, wondrous, and potentially scary place. Now he had to decide whether to get on board or let it leave without him. But there was one more factor.

And it didn't seem a coincidence that his bracelet buzzed right then, announcing new presences. He turned, watching Belle and Nakessa stride toward them: both nude, both beautiful, both full of purpose in their expressions and their strides. The bracelets on their wrists caught the light of the moon.

"Actually, my Goddess," he spoke, still as reverently as always, "the choice isn't just mine."

Belle was already nodding along. "I felt it too, Ben. It shocked me right awake. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew a Goddess in pain when I heard one. And I knew to come find you here." She looked up at Zawadi. "And that I'd see you as well, my Goddess."

Nakessa's quick mind was at work, too. "If we can help, I feel we must. None of us should stand to hear a cry like that without doing what we can." The Kenyan beauty turned to her Goddess with as much respect as Ben. "Zawadi, I know you have always told us to be cautious. To never let ourselves feel pressured into becoming crusaders or champions. And I have always been grateful to you for that. But this demands an exception to that policy. Something awful has befallen another of the Living. We cannot sit idle, like an island of lotus-eaters, while the world outside falls apart."

Zawadi gazed upon the three of them, her face a portrait of pride and love. "Then help you shall. Tomorrow morning, you will have much to discuss. But I will be with you, my devotees -- in spirit, if not always in person." She stepped back. "Now, I fear I have pushed myself to the limits of my energy reserves. I must go. But none of you will be alone in this matter. Ever. May love and fortune be with you."

With a final, warm smile, she faded from sight.

Belle broke the silence. "Well, loves. I think we'll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"A big discussion, for sure," Ben said. "We'll need to get our bearings. But I'm sure we can handle whatever's ahead." He looked at the two of them -- the cousin whose gift had brought him into this world of Living Goddesses and magic, and their mutual Kenyan lover, herself a devotee, both of them close to his heart in their own special ways. "We can, can't we?"

A moment of uncertainty made his heart pound. Belle and Nakessa didn't smile -- not yet. But they did come close, each taking him by one hand. Gently, together, they began to guide him back toward the house.

"Whatever's coming, we're in it together," Belle promised as they went. "But for now? You need to sleep. We all do."

The spacious bed and the slumbering women atop it were a welcome sight as the three reentered the bedroom. Belle and Nakessa gently guided Ben back toward its center. Even now, as a great weight seemed to loom above him, he felt less burdened than before. Maybe it was his lovers' presence. Maybe it was the comfort of Zawadi's closeness, and the promise of her continued guidance and help. Maybe it was simply the relief of knowing he wasn't alone, and would never be.

Whatever the reason, the sleep he'd been missing soon came. And he welcomed it.

***

The next morning was a whirlwind of activity and discussion.

News of the situation traveled fast. Those who'd sensed the psychic call told those around them, and those told others. Soon, every resident acolyte in the Haven had heard of Nike's plight. While the urgency of it was lost on no one, panic or disorder never took. Belle's leadership, calm and measured, was to thank for that. But others helped, too. Eleni's naturally comforting presence and worldly wisdom kept heads cool. Njau reminded her fellow Havenites of their community's strength. Yes, this was going to be their first test of that strength. But they didn't feel unprepared.

Before long, all of the Haven had organized into a full-scale gathering.

Ben took a seat at one of the long, communal tables in the open-air space behind Belle's house, settling between Eleni and Lenore. Across the table, Priyanka and Ruby both offered him quick, reassuring smiles. Ben smiled back. Having them here in silent support really did help -- as did Zawadi's ever-present, assuring aura. But apprehension still gnawed.

He couldn't help feeling that this would be his first real challenge as a devotee.

Since he'd put on that bracelet, life had seemed like one long string of fun and fucking around. Joy had been easy to come by. Girlfriends had amassed like coins in a prized collection. Though it had all been fast-paced, exhilarating, and at times almost overwhelming, he'd never felt it had demanded much of him, or put much pressure on his shoulders. When super-luck steered and fun outcomes seemed a given, he'd never sweated the details.

Coming to the Haven had begun to change that. As much as living in the incredible Zawadist community had multiplied all the fun and joy and pleasure, Ben had also found himself more thoughtful, more inquisitive, and more curious here. He'd started to wonder about the world of magic beyond the bubble of his own experiences. He'd learned more, considered more, and wanted to do more than he ever had before. And, naturally, he'd entertained the more troubling thought that perhaps that magical world wasn't always sunshine and sex. Perhaps, outside the Zawadists' warded sanctuary, things were more dangerous and uncertain. It was a notion he'd never truly had to face -- not yet.

But now something very big had hit him very fast.

Belle's voice rang over the assembly, drowning out his thoughts. She had taken center stage on the house's wide back deck, facing the gathered Havenites. "Everyone. Thank you all for gathering here on such short notice. I'm sure all of you know by now, but last night, many of our minds were wracked by a terrible event. A Living Goddess -- Nike, the Greek goddess of victory -- was captured and taken by an unknown force. The details are hazy, but I know we all felt the shock to some degree. I know we've all been wondering what this means for us here. What we ought to do. Maybe even how we can help."

"What can we do about it?" The voice was Aimee's. The freckled, spectacled girl was standing beside Njau at the edge of the table, looking worried. "We don't know where she is. We don't know who or what took her, or why, or how. I'm... just a person. I mean, we're all just people. I'm not saying we shouldn't try to help. But I'm not sure what we can do."

"We can't do much until we learn more," Belle said, her voice a calm and collected anchor for her community. "That's for certain. And for us to learn more, what must be done is clear. Some of us are going to have to go out on an excursion. To Greece, where Nike was taken captive."

This announcement brought a murmur to the assembled crowd. Ben glanced over at Eleni. The heiress was quiet, but her eyes spoke volumes. Ben recalled that she'd mentioned spending time in Greece before, and he wondered if that had anything to do with her contemplative expression. He didn't get a chance to ask; Belle spoke again.

"We have to be careful. That's the most important thing we can do, no matter where we go from here. We're also going to have to take great care in selecting who goes. The mission is important, and plenty here could help. But the Haven can't sit unwatched or unguarded. And, well -- some of our most powerful and insightful people are also some of the people who are most important to our safety, our prosperity, and our way of life here."

Ben nodded. He understood the dilemma. With some threat out there that had targeted a Living Goddess, it was reasonable for the Haven, a community of devotees, to worry about their safety. He eyed Njau and saw the stoic Maasai woman meet his gaze. He knew she was a formidable warrior who could handle herself in almost any situation. He knew that if she went, she would meet any threat head-on. Yet the thought of the Haven without her seemed a great loss. She was the community's most powerful guardian. In her gaze, and the subtle aura of her mind as it touched his, he felt that she understood this, and had made up her mind already. Njau would not go.

He looked back at his cousin and realized the same about her just as she voiced it aloud. "The Haven is my pride and joy. Most of all, it's my home. When I founded this community, I promised I'd do anything for its safety and wellbeing. And I meant that." Belle's voice was solemn. "Because I made that promise, I can't go with any of you on the trip. I can't abandon the Haven during a time of potential danger. Not even for a short time. I'm needed here." She glanced over at him. "But you, Ben?"

His heart thumped. Before he knew it, he was standing. He felt the eyes of his girlfriends on him; of all the women of the Haven he'd come to love and cherish. Eleni's hand brushed his thigh, and in his mind he felt Lenore's psychic encouragement. His bracelet thrummed.

"I'm in. I want to help, Belle." But even as he said it, humility and apprehension hit him. "I'm no warrior or champion or hero. Honestly, it still amazes me how readily you've all accepted me as co-leader of this community. When I think of myself, I just think I'm... some guy. Nothing special. But I did talk with Zawadi last night. Just seeing her there reminded me that I'm not just a nobody. None of us are." He looked at Belle, who smiled. "And, as a devotee of Zawadi, with her blessings on my side... I'm ready to do whatever I can. I'm going."

There wasn't an eruption of cheers. No applause. Yet the women of the Haven seemed to look at him in a new way, as though seeing something in him he'd never seen before in himself. There was admiration. There was respect. There were hints of worry and concern, yes -- but also faith. They trusted him. They believed in him. And it made him feel more empowered and confident than he ever had in his life.

Eleni rose to her feet beside him, her green eyes intense. "If I may," she spoke to Belle and the throng, "I'd also like to volunteer for the journey. I've traveled to Greece and the Mediterranean many times before. In fact, I'm half Greek, on my mother's side. Perhaps you didn't know that." She smirked over at Ben. "I know the language and culture. I have contacts in high places there, too. Friends and allies I could reach out to for aid, support, or just roofs over our heads. I believe I could be of service on any journey there. I'm not a fighter, either... but something is already telling me this won't all be about fighting."

Ben looked at the beautiful, worldly Frenchwoman he loved. He felt a pang of desire for her, even at that moment. More than that, though, he felt gratitude that such a capable person might be joining him -- just as grateful as he'd ever been for Eleni's companionship, patronage, and support. If anyone else objected, he supposed he'd hear them out. But if it was his choice, he'd gladly have the half-Greek heiress by his side.

Belle concurred. "Eleni, you're a brilliant woman and a true asset to this community. If Ben doesn't object, I think having you along would be a wonderful idea." She looked at Ben. "What do you say?"

"Absolutely." Ben didn't think twice. He reached out and clasped the heiress's hand, squeezing it gently. "Looks like we're going to Greece."

"Not exactly a vacation," Eleni reminded him with a cock of her head and a subtle shrug. "Although... we may find our ways to have fun. Who knows?"

Before Ben could dwell on what she meant, Nakessa's voice brought him back to attention. "We should have a representative of the Haven on this journey. Belle's side of it, that is -- one of our best and brightest, who has been here from the start. Belle cannot go. I cannot go as well, for that reason. I am her assistant. As always, there will be many tasks here for me to see to. But that does not mean you will not have a voice from the Haven with you."

A murmur went through the crowd. Nakessa's eyes roved over the assembled Havenites, then alighted on a face just down the table. Priyanka stood and smiled the moment she knew she was being called.

"I nominate Priyanka," Nakessa said. "She is an excellent representative. Intelligent. Quick-thinking. Loyal and brave. She will look after your well-being as much as Belle or I would ourselves, Ben, and she will also make sure that the Haven's values and virtues are represented on your journey. Priyanka -- would you like to go?"

Priyanka nodded, smiling. "I'd be honored. Thank you, Nakessa."

"And we'd be glad to have you," Eleni added, her eyes trailing over the Indian girl's voluptuous figure. Pri blushed. "Ben?"

"Yeah." Ben cleared his throat, realizing how easily he'd gotten distracted. Priyanka could certainly have that effect. "Couldn't imagine a better pick. Pri, if you're up for it..."

"Always." Pri's smile grew.

"Then that's that." Nakessa gave a nod and stepped back, giving the floor back to Belle, who stepped forward and nodded to her. "A party of three, set to travel."

"Wait!"

Lenore's sudden cry surprised everyone. Ben turned. The pale-haired girl was standing now, both hands resting on the table, her expression intense. "I'm going too. Sorry -- didn't mean to yell. I just feel like I can't sit this one out." Lenore held up one arm, her lesser bracelet catching the light. "I'm a devotee, too. Maybe not the full package like Belle or Ben, but I've got this bracelet. I've got Zawadi's luck and her magic, and I know I'm meant to help her cause. Zawadi's done amazing things for me. I wouldn't have gotten away from my shitty dad, or gotten to know all of you, if it weren't for her. I owe her. So I have to do my part. And I can be useful -- trust me. I can scrap. I can steal. I can sneak and spy... get into places, and get out fast when things get hairy. Tell me off if I'm out of line. But if I'm not..." She faced Ben with adoration and pride in her eyes. "If you're going, Ben, I'm going to be right there next to you."

A moment of silence passed. Ben was unsure what to say. He knew Lenore could be stubborn and passionate. He loved her for that. He didn't think he knew a fellow devotee of Zawadi, either, with as fierce a loyalty and dedication to the African goddess. Her words had moved him. But could he say yes? Was she ready for this journey?

He glanced at his cousin. He saw that she was already nodding.

"Make that four, then," Belle said proudly. "You're far from out of line, Lenore. Can't think of any more loyal a companion to go with my cousin than you." She looked to Eleni and Pri, but before she could even ask, both had voiced their approval.

"Four it is, then." Eleni looked at the Havenites. "Anyone else?"

To say no one else looked eager to go would have been a lie. Ben's eyes swept across the faces of the women of the Haven, and saw in each of them a readiness to take the plunge and face whatever dangers might be out there. Shaheen looked at him, and he sensed the fire in her heart; the desire to follow and support him wherever he went. Rasha and Aya were the same -- as were Alicia, Ruby, Yuki, and many others. But all understood that anyone more would just mean greater numbers, not greater effectiveness or capability. With their chosen four, Ben felt sure he and his companions could do what was needed.

"Babe," Shaheen spoke up, meeting his eyes. "You know we've all got your back. I know I do. I also know a trip to a Greek island with you sounds like a damn good time, even if it wouldn't be all fun and games. If we get another chance to go, sometime when there's no mission?" The lean black girl beamed. "Please, take me with you and make me feel like Aphrodite herself. But this time? I'd better hold back. I'd be dead weight, anyway... sexy or no." A playful shrug. "Trust me. Here at the Haven, all of us are gonna root for you so hard and count down the days till you're back. You know that. Right?"

"Right," Ben agreed, smiling. "Thanks, Shaheen. I'll bring back a souvenir."

"Boy, you'd better." Her sultry laugh, low and sexy, warmed his blood.

Nakessa spoke next. "And if you need any of us along the way, whether for assistance from afar, or just companionship -- you need only reach out telepathically. We'll all be a thought away. Remember -- you have a community behind you. If anything goes awry, know you are not without allies. As surely as Zawadi will be with you, so will we."

Ben felt ready. He sensed that his three companions were as well. But as they all exchanged glances and nods, Belle interjected. "We're not quite finished yet. There's one more thing to discuss."

"The threat," Njau said, her stoic voice clear and sharp. Coming to the forefront of the table, she folded her arms and surveyed the assembly. "It's true. Some enemy is out there, and they have captured a Living Goddess. It cannot stand. But dispelling such a menace is not a task to take lightly. We must know what it is before we can know how to fight it. And we must find out what has become of the Goddess Nike.

"Champions of the Haven, do not rush headlong into danger. Be scouts before you choose to be soldiers. Find the foe, learn its strengths and weaknesses, and discover its intentions. Find allies, too, if you need them." Her light smirk broke her serious expression. "I know the gifts you possess, Ben. Your allure. Your charm. Your ability to win hearts and bodies with little more than a glance and a few words. That is no frivolous asset. Do not underestimate it. Use that gift to find those who may be willing to fight with you, if a fight does come. There is no better way to win an ally than to win their heart, and there are few in this world who will not give their hearts to you, Ben Sheridan. I know this from experience."

A low murmur of approval met Njau's words. Ben's face grew hot.

She continued. "And remember, always, to use your mind to its fullest potential." The Maasai protectress pointed at him with two fingers. "We have trained. I have helped you sharpen your psychic defenses. Should someone or something strike at your mind, remember what you've learned and what you can do. Do not let anyone take your free will, your judgment, or your ability to think for yourself. They are the most precious things you own."

Ben gave a quick nod. "Of course, Njau. I'll remember our lessons. And I'll stay vigilant."

The African woman smiled. "Good, Ben. I know you will."

With that, Belle seemed satisfied. "We'll help you prepare for departure, then," she said. "And in the meantime, our champions ought to get some rest and relaxation before setting out. I'll secure your way to Greece by plane."

"Let me help with that," Eleni offered, taking Belle by the hand as they stepped away from the table. "I can pull a few strings. And, like I mentioned -- I might know a few people who could help us once we're there..."

She continued to speak, but the conversation moved to a distance, and Ben could hear no more. His eyes trailed over to the rest of the women as they rose and began to mingle, all content to know the decision had been made and the plan set in motion. Many of the Havenites, he imagined, would go about their day now, knowing their community would be well-represented.

He was still standing there at the table when Alicia came up to him. He'd barely noticed her approach. But now, as she brushed against his side, he felt the warmth of her body and the love of her mind.

"Hey," she said, smiling up at him. "What're you standing around for? Gotta get packing for your trip. You'll need help with that. Can I come along and make myself useful?"

"Of course," Ben replied, smiling and turning to face her. "But if you need to get anything else done first..."

"Nothing I won't put on hold to help you get ready." She smirked. "In fact, we can even put packing on hold if you'd rather..."

"Yes." He took her hand in his, his bracelet tingling as it brushed against her own. "Yes, I'd rather."

In time, he would be ready. He, Priyanka, Eleni, and Lenore would all set out on their quest. But while he had the time? He wanted to make sure every second counted. Every lover he had. Every moment of pleasure, peace, and comfort that could be had at the Haven. When the time to leave came, he wanted to be able to say that he'd made the most of it. So he didn't object when, as he hurried with Alicia to the house and its closest available bedroom, multiple others followed and joined in. Not that he expected anything else. Not that he'd ever want to stop them.

Ben's mind, body, and soul would have to be ready. Right now, the best way to make that happen? Letting his Havenites take care of him. Alicia. Shaheen. Aya. Nakessa. Yuki. They would serve him and adore him for a long time before he got around to packing.

***

Jianjun let the warm water of the shower run over her lithe form. Eyes closed, arms stretched up and folded above her head, the tattooed young woman enjoyed the steam and spray. Not always in life had she had access to hot showers, or time enough to savor them -- but since the brothel takeover, she'd been taking every chance to indulge. This could be her morning routine now, if she wanted. And, as often, she could be joined by another body if she wanted something more -- though right now, she'd opted out. Any potential companions were still waking up.

After the past week, she could afford to take a few moments to herself. Things had settled. Systems had changed. A new equilibrium had set in. Her working girls had seen a few clients and made good money. Jianjun had made sure that a few stray gangsters who'd run from the brothel were apprehended and punished, but that was little more than a few quick errands on her part; chaos magic did most of the heavy lifting. She'd come back from each to a welcome in bed, or on the couch, or over the table, or wherever else the whim struck. Her sex life was on fire. And her goddess was overjoyed for it all. Everything seemed to be in perfect order -- in the most perfectly chaotic way.

Only something was suddenly nagging at the back of her mind. Some strange sensation that made her frown, and break out of her reverie.

She'd learned not to ignore these things. Her goddess-given powers could sense trouble like the world's best radar. And something was beginning to feel very wrong. She opened her eyes. Straightened under the shower. Shut off the tap. The water went quiet, and her mind cleared a moment. It wasn't the usual sense she got as discord brewed under her influence. It was something else. Something...

The Chinese punk heard the scream loud and clear in her mind. A sharp, anguished cry from somewhere far, far away... yet her head picked it up like an antenna. The sound cut her to her core, agonized, hopeless, and fading fast. Her eyes wide, Jianjun clapped a hand over her mouth and held her breath, shaking. What the hell?

It took her a moment to recover. It took more to get her bearings, and to understand what was going on, at least as much as she could. That hadn't been a physical scream, and it hadn't come from anywhere close. It had to have been a goddess. One of the Living. Someone powerful enough to reach out to her from a great distance, in her hour of greatest need. The goddess had called out in pain. And then the voice had gone silent. A horrible silence.

She stepped out of the shower. Her heart hammered. When was the last time she'd felt this kind of anxiety? Had she ever?

"Shit. Eris. Eris? Are you there?" She called out in her mind. Her patroness usually responded immediately, but there was a pause now -- as if the Living Goddess of Discord had been caught just as off-guard. When she did appear, taking form in the center of the bathroom, Eris's eyes seemed full of a concern not befitting her.

"I'm here. Fuck, Jianjun. That's not good."

"What the fuck was that?" Jianjun wrapped herself in a towel as the deity shimmered there. "Who was that? What just happened?"

"Hold on. I'm tracking it. That energy feedback's too damn familiar... yes, definitely one of us. The light's gone. Oh, fuck. Nike." The name seemed to strike Jianjun like a blow to her gut, even without her knowing the connection. Eris looked mystified, if not distraught. "How?"

"Okay. You need to explain." The punk girl's voice was shaky, but her tone was firm. "Who's Nike, and why did we both just feel... that?"

It was a moment before the Goddess of Discord spoke, as if her thoughts were distant. "She's one of the most important Living of us all," Eris murmured, seeming to gather her composure and return her attention to her follower. "Not that she ever liked to be front-and-center. It's just that what she grants is something everyone wants. Victory. She can ensure triumph, glory, success... however she sees fit. And now it seems like she's been..." She paused, then exhaled. "Her light's gone out. I can't sense her. Something or someone just took her out."

Jianjun frowned, taking the news in. She hadn't registered the name at first, but if Eris gave any impression, Nike seemed well-known among the other Living. And from what Jianjun understood, she'd been an important one. Not a niche deity, not some little-known, scarcely-worshipped goddess like Eris -- a powerful Living Goddess who granted real, tangible power. Victory. In anything. Fuck; Jianjun could imagine how that would appeal to a lot of people. The prospect of always, inevitably winning. There was a Goddess for that?

"Took out," she repeated. "As in... killed?"

"No." Eris at least seemed firm in that conviction. "The Living don't die. But they can be captured." The deity shook her head in dismay. "But Nike? How? Why?"

"How would you imprison a goddess?" Jianjun pressed. She didn't understand. "You'd need to have some kind of power to match, wouldn't you?" She was realizing why this frightened her. Since she'd taken that jade amulet, since she'd had her Goddess by her side, she'd felt invincible. Like no one could touch her. No one could take away her freedom or threaten her -- not when Eris could grant her so much magic and might. But now someone, somewhere, had the means to capture and subdue a Goddess? She felt like some apex predator seeing a hunter's gun for the first time, aimed and locked on -- and it made her blood run cold.

"Only someone with strong, strong magic could pull it off," Eris said. "I don't know anybody like that in the world. Not in any place I've ever manifested. Sorcery is rare these days. It's out there, yes, but nobody in league with Merlin or Solomon or Circe exists in the present. Or... I don't know. Maybe I don't know the world so well anymore. Either way, this isn't a small feat." Jianjun saw her patroness's expression change to a steely-eyed, focused resolve.

"So what do we do about this?" The young devotee didn't want to wait around, even if the threat seemed far-off and distant. If she had a chance to take action, she wanted to seize it. She wanted to be a step ahead of whatever was out there. Passivity wasn't her way. Hiding wasn't, either. If there was a hunter out there, she wasn't about to wait around to end up in one of his traps. He was going to get a taste of her teeth long before that.

"Something," Eris murmured, nodding. "We should do something, yes. That was a cry for help. Maybe it went to every devotee in the world -- of every deity. But it went to you, too, Jianjun. We can't ignore that. We're not do-gooders; never have been. But I know you. When somebody's been done wrong, you step in and fuck up the bastards responsible. When a fight's brewing, you don't stand down. I can see it in you even now."

Jianjun felt the same. The instinct to help, the desire to fight back against an injustice... yes. She felt it. She'd always felt it, in one form or another. But this was different than messing with petty mobsters and freeing a bunch of working girls. There were bigger forces at work here; forces that could bind and smother the Living. What were the stakes here? Big ones. That felt like a given.

Something seemed to change in Eris's expression then. A realization. A shift in the angle. Jianjun caught on fast, even as the Goddess of Discord voiced it.

"Think about it. We can't be the only ones who're going to get involved if this turns into a fight. A mission. That call went far and wide. Devotees are going to be racing to Greece to answer it, all with their own motivations. Some with a hero complex; some who feel obligated; some who just want to take out the trouble before it gets to their Goddess next. Parvati's going to send someone. Zawadi's going to send someone. And the Mediterranean's crawling with Artemis's little band of huntresses. Out of all those devotees, whoever goes to find out what's happened to Nike, somebody's going to end up being the big damn hero. Somebody's going to win a lot of credit and a lot of favor with all the Living."

"And you want in on that race," Jianjun realized aloud. "You want it to be me."

"Think about it." Eris was smiling now. Her eyes flashed with golden light. "We're a couple of misunderstood outsiders, Jianjun. An anarchist and her Goddess of Discord. The Living don't think me worthy of anything but scorn. They've never seen the good of what I bring; of the kind of world my followers make. But now we've got a chance to prove what we can do. To show we're something much more than a nuisance."

"You want us to make a splash," Jianjun said. And she nodded, because the same desire was welling up in her. She could feel it now. The ambition; the fire. "And you want to win some credit for us both."

"With all the other Living watching," Eris agreed. Her eyes glimmered. "We have a chance here. You've got more than what it takes to take on the problem. You're probably tougher than a lot of the goody-goody devotees out there. And you don't play by anybody's rules. When shit needs to get done, you do it. No matter how dirty." Her grin turned to a smirk. "I mean, you just overthrew an entire Shanghai syndicate."

"Heh. True." Jianjun smirked. Eris was right, of course. And she knew how to play to Jianjun's pride. "Made a fun little sex club out of their best assets, too."

"We're the dark horses," the goddess said, stepping close. "But we can win. And I'm going to give you every tool you need to be my champion in this situation. To go after this threat, find the source, and fuck up whoever took down Nike. Other Goddesses and their loyal little followers are going to want to get the job done themselves, but we aren't going to trust any of them. We can be the ones. We can do this by ourselves. And once it's done?" The goddess laughed. "Hell, we might just earn enough of the Living's trust to get me back into the pantheon."

"The pantheon?" Jianjun raised an eyebrow. "Like, your sisters from Greece?"

"Not just them. I'm talking the whole club. All the Living. I haven't had a seat at their table in centuries. But if we can do something big and heroic, they'll change their tune. They'd have to. They don't understand how amazing our magic can be. Right now, they think we're just twisted fire-starters." She snickered. "Which, yes. We might be. But our fire doesn't just burn things down; it changes them. Wrecks the old and brings in the new. Chaos does that. That's us, baby. So if they want to underestimate us? Fine. Let them. We'll surprise the shit out of all of them."

The young punk felt a rush of adrenaline. This was exciting, challenging -- everything she'd ever wanted. Where a moment ago she'd felt anxious and uncertain, now her pulse was pounding with the urge to leap into action. She hadn't woken up expecting to take a trip all the way to Greece to investigate a Goddess's abduction... but what the hell? The work here in Shanghai was done for now, anyway. Sticking around was just for the indulgence of it. If Jianjun was honest? She would rather be on the move. On to the next thing; the next place to start the sweet fires of chaos burning. This was the biggest chance she'd ever gotten -- a chance to do what she did best on a bigger scale than ever. And Eris was going to be right there with her, every step of the way.

"So." The Chinese girl's voice dropped, quiet and intense. "When do I go?"

"Depends." Eris cocked a hip, glancing through the beaded curtain through which she could see from the bathroom into the bedroom. Sleeping girls lay there on the bed. Jianjun's playthings and lovers; the beautiful young women whose lives had changed for the better since their mistress came into their lives. "I wouldn't object if you wanted to get a good, long goodbye in. Better to travel in high spirits."

"Agreed," Jianjun murmured. Then she shook her head, grinning. "So we'll go. Just like that, huh?"

"Just like that," Eris confirmed. "Jianjun, I can't guarantee this is going to be safe. But then, you're no one to run away from a risk."

"My whole life long, no." Jianjun shook her head. "Risk? Fuck, yeah, I'm all in. Safe, secure -- that's for squares."

"That's my devotee." Eris kissed Jianjun hard on the lips, and the punk reciprocated. By the time the Goddess of Discord was pulling away, she was fading out as well; golden ribbons of light shimmered and swam around Jianjun, caressed her skin, then dissipated into sparks and left a warm, comforting presence in her mind. Her Goddess had gone, leaving Jianjun to her morning, and the decision about her next step.

"Alright then, Eris," the Discordian said aloud. She grinned. "Greece it is. But first things first..."

Before she'd even made it over to the massive bed, she heard Meili stirring. The black-haired waitress, petite and slim, lifted herself on her arms and looked over with bleary, curious eyes.

"Jianjun...?"

"Morning, doll."

"I... I heard voices," the girl murmured. "Did someone come visit?"

Jianjun nodded, then shrugged. "Eh. Sort of. I had a talk. She suggested some morning activities for us."

"Mm?" Meili didn't look any more certain, but the moment Jianjun's hands came down on her bare shoulders and squeezed, the question was forgotten. Meili's lips parted; Jianjun's claimed them. Then her fingers claimed a breast, squeezing and fondling, thumbing the former waitress's nipple until it was stiff. Jianjun didn't let up; she knew what she liked, and Meili had quickly come to love to receive. Others were already stirring behind her, too. The bed would be awake and full of moans soon enough, and the young devotee of chaos intended to get a lot out of her morning before she went.

"Got a lot ahead of me," she said to her bedmates, as she climbed onto the mattress and settled on her knees. "And a long way to travel. But don't you girls worry. We can make the time. C'mon. Send me off?"

And as her girls crowded around her, ready to worship and pleasure her until she couldn't take any more, Jianjun couldn't help thinking: what a way to kick off the trip of a lifetime.

***

Alicia made sure Ben packed the right clothes for Greece. Used to the Haven and its casual nudity, Ben almost forgot that he'd have to cover himself in other places -- or that the temperature could be different there from the Haven's constant, magically-maintained seventy degrees. That aside, he'd never been to Europe before, unless he counted one layover in Amsterdam. But he trusted his lover's judgment.

That was all, of course, in between indulgent and emotional rounds of farewell sex.

Even now, as he zipped up his small and practical duffel bag, Alicia's touch lingered on him with a degree of longing. On his other side, Aya's was the same. And while Shaheen, Nakessa, and Yuki had since left the bedroom for other duties, memories of their bodies and their adoration freshly lingered. They'd all made him feel so ready, so loved, so empowered... all while being so understanding that he had to leave, and that it was for the best. He felt like he was ready to take on anything. All the same, he would miss them when he went.

"Last time we packed for a trip like this," he reminisced to Alicia, "it was with everyone."

"Last trip we took was from America to here," the raven-haired girl replied, her smile bittersweet. "Not exactly the same stakes. You've got devotee duties this time." She gazed at his bracelet, running a finger over it. "I can't even imagine how it feels."

"Honestly, it feels a lot of ways," he replied, glancing between her and Aya. "Part of me is really excited. I get to see a new part of the world. Probably learn so much about more of the Living. Meet new people, too. But then... the threat feels real. Nike's a Living Goddess just like Zawadi, and something was able to make her disappear. That's... nothing I'd ever thought about, to put it one way. So I feel nervous. Anxious. Maybe even a little afraid." He paused, resolute. "I just know I have to do this, no matter how I feel. I can't leave someone in trouble without helping -- person, Goddess, whoever. Not when they called to me."

Aya ran a hand along his side. The Middle Eastern beauty's touch was soothing as always. "You're doing what's right. Don't discount that. We're Zawadists, yes. None of us are required to concern ourselves with saving the world. We have our own little world here at the Haven. Deciding to put yourself out on a limb for a Goddess in need -- a Goddess not even your own? That's purely you. And it's a side of you I've quickly come to love.

"We may not have known each other for long." She smirked, recalling the night not long ago he'd arrived in the Haven with his small entourage; a night during which he'd fucked the beautiful olive-skinned woman alongside her sister and many others, hardly needing much more of an introduction. That was Zawadi's way. "But I've enjoyed how fast we've bonded. There's much of your cousin in you. The same big heart. The same selflessness. I feel I know you well enough to say I'm proud of you for this. And I can't wait to see you again when it's done."

Ben smiled back. His fingers brushed along Aya's cheek, tracing the contours of her face. He felt the pull of their mutual lust, as strong as ever, even now. If he wanted, they could draw this out longer. If he wanted, it wasn't too late to resign from the mission and stay here in the Haven's safety, with Aya, Alicia, and all the rest of his girlfriends. Zawadi would not begrudge him. Neither would any woman here.

But no. That wouldn't do. He couldn't turn his back on Nike. That wasn't the person he was or wanted to be. He settled for a long, slow, passionate kiss with Aya, then one with Alicia. Both returned his affection with love, tenderness, and respect.

"Yes. Going is the right thing to do," he told them when the last kiss ended. All three had to pull back before desire overwhelmed them. "It's risky. But it's a risk worth taking. Besides, I've got a hunch about this -- that it'll be the best chance we'll ever get to interact, maybe connect, with other Goddesses and their devotees. To learn. The world's changing. We all felt that at the Late-Summer Rites. Magic's coming further to the forefront. It's going to be better to have alliances -- relationships -- than stay locked up here in the Haven and hope the outside never finds its way in. We'd just end up worrying, or making bad guesses about whatever other devotees or communes are out there. Maybe even cause them to do the same about us."

The two women nodded in understanding. "Spoken like a true leader," Alicia murmured.

Ben's blush and grin gave away how flattered he felt. "Just trying to make the best decision for everybody. Believe me. Impostor syndrome's real strong with me."

"Well, it shouldn't be." Alicia pressed her forehead against his. "You're amazing, Ben. You just have to own it. You've earned all our love and respect. You can earn that from anyone else you'll meet, too."

Ben's hand trailed down to the small of her back. He loved her dearly. But the temptation had abated now. "Later," he promised her, his tone making clear what he meant.

"Later," Alicia agreed. She kissed him on the cheek -- then turned to the doorway, just in time to see the new companion who'd arrived there.

"Ready?" Eleni's voice came. The French heiress looked stunning in the first clothes Ben had seen her wear in a while: green blouse, black slacks, and a small golden necklace, with her short blonde hair half-pinned back. A suitcase of her own was slung over one shoulder. "I don't mean to rush you, but our flight from Jomo Kenyatta is in three hours."

"Ready," he said, rising and taking his bag. "Aya? Alicia? You two need anything else from me before I go?"

"Nothing you didn't just give us," Alicia replied, beaming wide. "Go. Be amazing. Meet amazing people." Then her expression became more serious. "Help that Goddess, Ben. I know you can."

He nodded. Then, letting Eleni take his arm, he walked out the front door to the waiting car and the journey ahead.

***

The Shanghai Pudong International Airport was busy. Hundreds of flights arrived and departed daily -- but bustle or crowds never dragged Jianjun down. Chaos magic and its spiraling influence let her slip past most of the passing people unnoticed, distracting and diverting anyone who might have slowed or hassled her. No one saw the lithe young punk girl walking past security and passport checks. With that little jade charm around her neck, she had no trouble getting anywhere she needed to go on her own terms.

She hadn't shown up with a ticket. She knew she wouldn't need one. She'd thought about boarding the first ordinary flight to Athens she could. Making a seat open up for her would be easy with Eris's magic. Make some dupe miss the boarding. Slip in among the passengers. Take his seat. No one would bat an eye. It would have fit her style: quick, easy, and simple.

But Eris's influence had soon turned Jianjun away from public terminals and passenger flights. It clued her in to a passing man in a business suit, hurrying his way towards a private terminal with a phone to his ear. The tattooed punk couldn't help but smirk as she picked up on her Goddess's intent. Forget commercial travel. This guy had his own long-range business jet -- and he was about to head straight from Shanghai to Athens.

Now, this was her style.

She would learn soon enough that his name was Chen. Not that she cared much. A high-flying executive, with his own company plane and a pilot on retainer. The perfect unwitting travel partner. A rich asshole, too, from what she could tell. All the better for Jianjun, who had no qualms about making him her stepping stone.

Chen never saw the young woman with her messy black hair and leather jacket as she tailed him and snuck aboard. Chaos magic would ensure he never quite realized she was there at all. It would keep his perception narrow and his mind roiling with business concerns. Even now, he kept talking into his phone all the way up until takeoff -- whereupon he hung up and demanded a drink from the cute assistant who'd met him at the gate. Jianjun was impressed; not just by the service. More so by the young woman herself, in her skirt-suit and heels. Poised, professional, and on point. The perfect assistant for a jet-setting exec, Jianjun supposed. But also, whether or not Chen appreciated it right now, a sexpot and a half.

Jianjun sat near the back of the plane, listening to the engines rev as the aircraft's wheels came up off the ground. She didn't worry about a seatbelt. Not like turbulence posed any threat to anyone with a Living Goddess watching over them. She kicked back, ready to enjoy the ride. Ready to let her mind wander. To think about the mission, and about the future.

"Not bad accommodations, hm?" Eris's voice floated to her, and Jianjun turned her head to see the goddess lounging in an adjacent seat with a smirk on her face. "We'll get to Athens a lot faster this way. Probably faster than a lot of our rivals, too. Then it's on to Karpathos."

"Heh. Yeah. Not too bad at all. You're sure this guy's going where we need to be?"

"Even if he weren't already, we'd have no problem getting him to fly there." Eris shrugged. "Chaos. Not much that it can't do. But as luck would have it, this prick's gonna be in Greece on business for a while. He runs an AI startup. I'm sure it's all very important in that mind of his. The way he likes to live and lord over everyone else certainly gives the impression he thinks it is. He's probably gonna make life miserable for a lot of poor bastards who have to wait on him hand and foot the whole time he's in Greece. Fuck. If we only had the time..."

"Oh, yeah. We'd mess up his little business trip pretty good. But you're right. Priorities." Jianjun smirked, turning her eyes to the man and his assistant, the latter of whom was coming back around to check on things in the cabin. "Kind of a looker he's got here with him, though."

The slow, appreciative turn of Eris's head made it clear she agreed as the young woman passed by. A smirk lit up her face. "Figured you'd think so. Wouldn't have put you on this plane if there weren't a few perks in it for you. Enjoy the trip." With one last knowing chuckle, the Goddess of Discord vanished.

The Chinese punk licked her lips as the assistant turned her way -- and, in a little subconscious flash of magic, noticed Jianjun sitting there for the first time. She didn't speak up. Didn't raise any alarm to Chen or anyone else. Instead, she walked in those heels all the way down to where Jianjun sat, leaving her completely distracted boss behind to scroll through his phone in blissful ignorance.

"Can I get you anything?" the young woman said, as perfectly professional with Jianjun as she'd been with her boss. "A drink?"

"What have you got on board?"

"Scotch. Bordeaux. Champagne."

"Mm. Champagne, then." Jianjun had to admit this was nice. Most stowaways didn't get the same treatment as the paying passenger. But then, she wasn't your average stowaway, and she didn't exactly have to keep a low profile. Not, at least, from common idiots like Chen.

It was only a minute before the assistant returned, bottle in hand. A flute glass was filled to the brim, bubbles popping. Jianjun took it with a smile and a nod of thanks -- but before the pretty assistant could turn, Jianjun beckoned her right back. "Sit. Pretty comfy back here. Mmm, got a name?"

"Yilin." Whatever apprehension the woman might have felt was gone in a second. Yilin sat. Swirling, seductive chaos magic was starting to work over her mind, evaporating her professional poise. A sort of friendly relaxation took its place. This extra passenger wasn't a worry. In fact, she was cute. More worth spending time with than the other man on the plane. "Ah. I'm not used to taking it easy on flights with the boss."

"Doesn't seem like he needs much of your attention right now." Jianjun's eyes flicked over to the other end of the cabin. "Or that he appreciates it. Mm. Not like he deserves you anyway, right?"

"The job pays well." Yilin's posture relaxed a little more. Her legs crossed, the skirt riding up. Jianjun liked what she saw. "I'm..."

"Lucky to have it? Give me a break. You deserve better." Jianjun lifted her glass to her lips. "But hey. Not here to judge. Just passing through. I'm Jianjun. Thanks for the bubbly, babe."

Yilin blushed. "You're welcome. Are you... heading to Athens too?"

"Karpathos, actually. But Athens is a stop. Your boss's jet is my quickest way there, so... here we are." She smirked. "Long flights, am I right?"

"Boring, yes." Yilin seemed to catch on quickly to the hint of an invitation in that. "You know... if you wanted..." She paused. Glanced forward to the front of the cabin, where Chen still sat, oblivious, his earbuds in and his laptop screen glowing. "He can't hear us, right?"

"Doll, he won't notice a thing that happens back here." Jianjun reached out, laying a hand on the assistant's thigh. "Go on. Tell me. What did you have in mind? Like you said. Boring flight. Unless..."

"Unless we can make it fun." Yilin smiled. And her resistance fell away. And they kissed. And they worked their way from that to a lot more.

Demure little Yilin ate pussy like a professional. Jianjun enjoyed the hell out of her tongue, lips, and fingers, all while sipping champagne and watching the clouds pass by. Jianjun thought nothing of the sounds she or Yilin made, or of Chen just yards away; magic made him as oblivious as a rock, even as his assistant serviced their stowaway. The mission ahead of Jianjun, daunting as it was, was easy to push to the back of her mind. That was later. For now she had time to kill -- by riding Yilin's mouth, drinking all of Chen's champagne, and enjoying the most fun she'd had on a flight in a long, long time.

Eris, now just a voice, made it clear she approved. "Told you. Perks. We'll sort out the uglier stuff when we get to Athens. Till then? Like I said a while back, babe -- I'm gonna make this fun every chance we get."

"Good." Jianjun's back arched. "Oh, shit. This is what we do best. Mmm, fuck."

"Enjoy it, Jianjun," Eris purred. "Enjoy every bit of her. And just imagine how much better it's all going to get for us once we're the ones who save the fucking day. You and me, babe. We've got a whole world to make our own. Starting now."