Bared Before the Gods Read online

  Then both of us were left gasping for air, utterly satisfied. Mal took me into his arms and carried me up onto the river bank, and we both collapsed into the soft grass. I felt weakened and vulnerable when he finally released me, and I cuddled close to him, seeking the natural comfort a woman takes from a man’s body. He nuzzled my neck, moving my wet, dark hair out of the way.

  I realized now that Mal was quickly becoming more than just my best friend in this second life as Lucia. We'd been in dozens of crazy adventures with near-death experiences throughout our careers, and none of them ended in sex. I had never jumped into his arms for comfort, either. Turning into a woman was changing things between us, no matter how hard I fought against it, especially after the first time we had made love.

  It wasn’t just Mal, either. I felt differently about him than I ever had before, if I was honest with myself. He had never kissed me like that before, with the raw animal need to possess and own a mate, and I was surprised at how much I liked it. How I liked feeling like I was his. Like I was his woman. I snuggled closer to him still, enjoying the rise and fall of his chest. Lukas would have been horribly embarrassed to see me acting this way with his friend, but I was no longer Lukas. I was Lucia, now. And Lucia was not ashamed to be with Mal.

  Even something as simple as his touch was enough to fill me with maidenly desire now, and a heat stirred in my loins again. I knew it was wrong to fall in love with my best friend. I knew that I could never truly be a woman, even if I was right now.

  And yet, I wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms forever, with his manhood buried deep within my throbbing core.

  Chapter 8

  I stumbled out of the pool, my bones feeling like pudding. I wondered if this was what true contentment felt like. But that pleasant feeling quickly vanished as Hermes appeared before me.

  I barely registered his hands trying to snatch the crown away from me, and I managed to hug it to my nude form, screaming at him to stop.

  Surprisingly, he froze, giving me a curious look.

  “It’s Lukas, isn’t it? I knew it.”

  Suddenly the world swirled away from me as everything came crashing down. He knew. He knew!

  After all of our hiding, all of our struggling to get the crown and return it to Zeus, the stupid messenger god was going to rat us out.

  No!

  I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

  I had just realized that I was in love with Mal. I realized that I loved my transformed body and the new power that it contained. I loved my curves and the way they filled me out. I could feel that this was right for me, more right than my male form had ever been. I didn’t even miss my dick anymore, the floppy thing being more trouble than it was worth.

  So, I did something insane. I looked at the god and affixed him with the strongest glare I could. Let him try to intimidate me or call upon Zeus to strike me down. I wasn’t going to go down again without saying what I needed to say.

  “Yes, it’s me,” I gasped, looking at him with eyes that were wide and pleading. “Look, I know I was wrong. I know I blasphemed the gods, and I see that I was served my just rewards. But I’ve learned! I understand now how my pride was making me take those around me for granted and not being thankful for everything I’ve been given. I knew I resented all of you for how my childhood went.

  “But Aphrodite has given me a gift, and I have accepted it wholeheartedly! I want to live in this form and continue to learn, as I have been. It’s like I’ve been given an entirely new chance at life, so I won’t let you take this crown. I must give it to Zeus myself and apologize for everything I’ve done wrong!”

  Emotions burned through me, a new combination every few moments. Fear, defiance, love, loss. I had already lost my life once because of my idiocy, I and I hoped that I wasn’t about to do it again—I’d seen how trifling with the gods was a poor idea. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Mal, figuring out my new body, and I couldn’t do that if I was going to be struck down by lightning.

  I heard Mal sputter behind me, and he came to stand beside me. “You want to stay as a woman?”

  I nodded, hardly believing my own courage at admitting the deepest, darkest secret that I could. I realized suddenly that Mal could have been horrified by it or argued that he wanted his old best friend back, and my stomach dropped. Was this the moment where my brave exclamation turned into a terribly ironic rejection? Had he just been paying lip service to how he felt about my new form? But rather than a look of horror, a slow smile spread across his face.

  “I would like that very much,” I admitted. “As long as I can remain with you.”

  Mal glared at Hermes with a challenging stare, and stepped between us protectively. My heart swelled, and I almost couldn’t believe what was happening. I was possibly the most selfish person he knew, prone to bragging and accepting stupid challenges, yet he cared this much about me. Enough to risk his life before a god.

  Mal’s broad shoulders blocked me from Hermes’ intense gaze as he continued: “I know you may be the fastest god in existence, but you’ll have to kill me before I allow you to wrest the crown away from her. She intends to do right. Let her return the crown to its rightful owner herself!”

  “You would risk your life for her, after all she’s done to you?” Hermes’ eyes danced with amusement at the mortal standing so defiantly before him.

  Mal nodded. “She’s done nothing to me except be a great friend. We’ve been on more adventures than most can dream of, and I would never give that up!”

  His words appeared to stir a hint of a reaction in Hermes, and he looked us over carefully. “You two are awfully passionate, aren’t you?”

  I grinned, the only expression I could give, wondering if we’d just changed the god’s mind. That had to be impossible, right? He was sent by Zeus to spy because of the king of the god’s suspicions. There was no way that he was going to just let me go. But I answered anyway. “I suppose dying and coming back to life can do that for you. It’s the simple truth.”

  “Yeah, but what’s his excuse?” Hermes nodded towards Mal.

  “I’m in love,” he answered before I could, surprising me to my core.

  Love? Did he say, “love”? I must have misheard, right?

  Hermes cocked his head, amusement flashing across his face once again. “Very well. I’ll tell you what: you return the crown as an offering at Olympus without a word, and I’ll go back to Zeus and tell him that Lukas really is no more. It would seem that he died that night on the mountain.”

  “…really?” I asked. I couldn’t believe it, and I stared at him in amazement. It had been a long shot, and I couldn’t believe he was actually going to let us get away with this.

  The god grinned at me, his lavender eyes sparkling. “What can I say? I’m a romantic. I’m sure Aphrodite banked on that. She always was a sneaky one.”

  I didn’t think about it. The next thing I knew, I was rushing forward to throw my arms around him in a hug. “Thank you! Thank you so much.”

  He disentangled from me, laughing and blushing. I didn’t think that I had ever seen a god blush. That was interesting.

  “This is on you now. Just remember to keep learning and don’t return to your old ways. I’d hate to tell Zeus that somehow Lukas has come back.”

  I nodded, and the god gave me a little salute before disappearing in the blink of an eye. I wondered what it was like to move that fast, but that thought was quickly forgotten as I turned back to Mal.

  Goodness, he looked so handsome, standing there with the sun pouring down on his wet hair and glistening muscles. I returned to him, throwing my arms around his shoulders and pressing another kiss to him. My body was sore from everything we had done and all the craziness of the day, but I felt like I could stay like this forever, wrapped in the warm comfort of my lover’s embrace.

  And who knew, perhaps I would.

  Chapter 9

  Mal and I walked home together, somehow finding our way without ev
en paying attention to where we were going. We held hands and reminisced about our fantastic stroke of luck with Hermes. Neither of us could believe that we had been spared. I couldn't believe that I was being given another chance at life, however foreign the experience might be. I was a woman, and I was with Mal. It was all that mattered to me. I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure I got it right this time.

  Soon, we could see our village in the distance. But just before we entered the village, Aphrodite suddenly appeared before us.

  “Lucia!” She ran towards me and threw her arms around me, nuzzling my face with her soft, intoxicating aroma dizzying me. “I was watching the whole thing! That Hermes is something else, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah, he is. How did you know he would let us go?”

  “I didn’t, honestly. When I made you into a girl, I pulled from Mal’s interpretations of what his perfect girl might look like. I only did it to have some fun, but it seems to have all worked out!” She giggled, and I found it near impossible to be mad at her. Aphrodite had toyed with our lives, but it had been for the best. I don’t think it could have worked out any better. “I’m sorry, I know how much you hate gods messing with people’s lives, but I couldn’t pass up on creating the perfect love. Friends into lovers. There was no way it could have failed.”

  “At least one of us was confident.” I rolled my eyes.

  “I’m so proud of you, both of you!” She sighed with happiness, grabbing my hands in her own. “If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask! I put you in this body, and the least I can do is help you live in it. I’m sure you’ve realized being a woman isn’t easy.”

  “You can say that again.” We both giggled, and Mal smiled, shaking his head.

  “As an apology for messing with your lives, even though it worked out, I hereby bless your line for all of eternity. No harm will ever befall any of the children you may have or yourselves. You all will die of old age and be filled with happiness throughout your time. You will have all you have ever wanted. And that includes your current family, Mal.” Aphrodite winked at him, and his face brightened. I knew that it meant to world to have his family included in this blessing. They had supported him all his life and to not have to worry about any harm coming to them would really lift some weight from his shoulders. He had always been concerned with protecting them, and now he could rest easy.

  “Thank you so much. You have no idea how grateful I am for such a blessing to my family and me. We will place many offerings for you throughout our lives.” Mal had the sincerest expression on his face that I had ever seen. He was genuinely thankful, and seeing him that way filled my heart with joy.

  “I also promise never to make you, Lucia, a man again. You have chosen to stay as a woman, and as a woman, you will stay.”

  “Yes!” I exclaimed, jumping for joy, straight into Mal’s arms and kissing him.

  “May I walk with you?” Aphrodite asked. It seemed like an odd request, but of course, we agreed. Aphrodite told them about life in Olympus and how boring she found it. I was not surprised she had meddled in my life, because she was probably looking for something to do. Either way, I was glad she did.

  “Well, here we are.” We had just arrived at Mal’s home. There didn’t seem to be anyone home.

  “I guess I’ll be on my way then. Oh! Lucia! Have you gotten the chance to see all that your body can do yet?” she asked with a wink in my direction.

  “Um, not exactly.” I blushed. “I haven’t exactly had the time to explore every little nook and cranny, though I think I’ve got the gist of it.”

  “She’s had time to explore herself a little…” Mal volunteered, and I slapped his shoulder with a squawk of protest.

  “Well, you shouldn’t leave it all up to her. You should be helping her discover her body as well!” Aphrodite scowled playfully. “You know…Maybe I should come inside, teach you a thing or two?”

  Aphrodite was extremely close to me now, her ample bosom pressed against my own. She had a seductive smile on her face that I found hard to resist.

  “If Mal is okay with it…” I murmured. But what could be better of having the goddess of love show me the ropes of my new form?

  “Oh, I’m sure you won’t protest, right Mal?” She raised an eyebrow at him, and he looked at me. I nodded, and he smiled.

  “The more, the merrier! And if it will help Lucia, then why not?”

  “Perfect! Let’s go inside then!” Aphrodite let herself into Mal’s family home and led the way to Mal’s room as though she’d been here a million times before.

  “You sure you’re okay with this?” he asked me, barely a whisper.

  “Let’s not pretend you aren’t excited. I saw your manhood spring to life the moment she mentioned it.” I rolled my eyes playfully.

  “Well, yeah. I think a threesome is something every guy hopes for, and it’s not every day the goddess of love and beauty offers a mortal man sex… in a threesome, no less. Think of the stories the bards might tell! Of course, I am interested. But I would never dream of agreeing if it displeased you even a little bit.”

  I kissed him to quell his worries.

  “If it bothered me, I would have said no. Besides, she is gorgeous, and even I can’t resist my attraction to her. It seems my desire may not just be secluded to men after all.” I winked at him.

  “The cot won’t do; there isn’t enough space…” Aphrodite snapped her fingers, and the cot was replaced with a large canopy bed, fit for a king. “You can keep the bed when we’re done.”

  Mal and I stood in the doorway, shocked.

  “That’ll be a little hard to explain to my parents.” He chuckled.

  “Just tell them it was a blessing from the Goddess Aphrodite and to place an offering for me, and they can consider it paid! You, my chosen lovers, will never want for anything.”

  I entered the room and collapsed onto the bed; its softness seemed to swallow my body whole and wrapped around me.

  “Ah ah ah! Clothes off first!” Another snap of her fingers, and we were all naked. Apparently there were perks to being a goddess. Mal’s muscular body was accentuated by the engorged member I knew only too well, and his hands flew to his crotch to cover it in his sudden nakedness. Aphrodite stood confidently. Her large breasts hardly moved and were perkier than I believed possible at that size. Her hips flared out like a perfect hourglass, and her thick thighs intrigued me. She had not blessed me with such divine gifts, but who was I to complain when she was giving us the chance to enjoy the body of a goddess? She’d already done so much for me…

  “Mal, will you please get onto the bed?” she asked calmly. Mal obeyed and climbed onto the bed behind me. “Lucia, have you gotten the chance to appreciate his manhood yet?”

  I shook my head, my eyes brimming with lust as I gazed at Mal’s delicious body. His shaft stood at full attention.

  “Well, you were a man once, pleasured by women. Make Mal feel good. You know the ways of men better than most…”

  I crawled over to where Mal was kneeling on the bed, excited to do as I had been commanded. I lowered myself on my hands and knees in front of him and kissed the tip of his erection. He smiled down at me, approvingly, and I opened my mouth, placing him inside of it. I coated his head with saliva, swirling my tongue all around until it was well covered. Then I licked up and down the sides of his length, tasting every inch, and he moaned appreciatively. His member had the faint smell of sex still on it from our lovemaking in the river. The water hadn’t washed it all away.

  When I felt he was well coated, I took him back into my mouth as deeply as I was able. Being a novice in the ways of fellatio if not the ways of men, I couldn’t take all of it, but I placed one of my hands at the base and began moving my mouth and hand in opposite motions, trying to work his whole shaft as I pleasured him. He seemed to enjoy this and started moaning, and his eyes closed tightly as he focused on the warmth of my mouth wrapped around him.

  “Ahhh!” A so
ft, wet tongue had licked the junction of my thighs, surprising me with an unexpected burst of attention. I turned behind me to only see Aphrodite’s eyes peeking out from behind my round bottom. She grinned at me and licked again, and I released another cry of pleasure. Were gods and goddesses blessed with super saliva or something? Mal wasn’t making the same noises…

  Aphrodite used her tongue to massage my nether regions, gliding it up and down my slit before separating my legs to gain better access. She then closed her lips around my pleasure bud and sucked, making me cry out in ecstasy. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I’d thought there was nothing better than Mal’s hot, hardened rod inside me, but Aphrodite’s mouth felt even better as she set to her task with enthusiasm benefiting the queen of love. She ravaged my core, flicking her tongue mercilessly until I was a writhing mess. I could barely concentrate on keeping myself focused enough to pleasure Mal at the same time.

  Suddenly my knees gave out from under me as the shudders that had been building crescendoed. Like a throbbing, beating drum, from somewhere deep inside, my release called to me. Moisture pooled between my legs, anticipation reaching its inevitable climax, and my delicious release tore through my like a typhoon, rocking me to my core with the ecstatic pleasure of release. It happened so suddenly and so quickly that had it not been for the intense feeling of joy shooting through me and the vibrations from my body, I might not have even known it was coming. I writhed in the ecstasy of the goddess’s tongue, lost in the sensations of my climax.

  Aphrodite rose, licking her lips, and flashed me with a self-satisfied grin to rival any I’d ever seen before.

  “Now Mal, why don’t you lie down?” she urged. Mal was quick to follow her instructions. “Lucia, I want you to climb on top of him and face him.”

  I did as I was told, straddling Mal, and I could feel his member rubbing against my already slick slit. I ground against it, relishing the pleasure in the aftershocks of my release, and Mal licked his lips eagerly. Aphrodite also climbed onto Mal but facing me, her knees on either side of his face. That distracted him quite a bit.