AMERICAN PAGAN

Feature Writer:
 Unknown
Feature Title: American Pagan
Uploaded: 09.03.2012
Story Codes: Paganism, Drug use, Tarot

American Pagan – Chapter 1: Visitation

Henry Martin was channel surfing when he heard the doorbell ring. He shook his head and shut off the set. Why do they call it “Reality Television,” when everyone on it acts so unrealistic? He wondered.

He opened the door, and found a woman standing there. She was about his height, with brown hair and gray eyes. She had no visible wrinkles on her small oval face. It was hard to tell any more as she was wearing an overcoat and holding white umbrella against the cold November rain. In her other hand was a small black gym bag.

She smiled at him warmly. “Hi, I’m cold out here. Mind if I come in?”

Reflexively he stepped back, allowing her entrance. Her car must have broke down, he thought.

She stepped in, closing her umbrella. “Brrr! It’s cold out tonight.”

“Um, do need to use the phone?”

“I’m sorry! I was so cold, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Livia. I represent the Church of Love.”

That name seemed to ring a bell, then suddenly clicked. “That’s in the old strip mall two blocks from here.”

She nodded. “That’s right. We just moved in, and I’m trying to get some new members.”

Henry headed for the door to let her out. “I’m sorry. I’m not much into religion.”

“I understand,” she said putting her hands together in a praying motion. “But please! At the last six houses, no one even opened the door for me. I’m frozen stiff. Could you just let me warm up in here for a few minutes. No religion talk I promise.”

He looked at her skeptically. She seemed harmless enough. “Sure. Would like some hot tea or cocoa?”

She held up her small duffle. “I have some teabags with me. If you could provide me with some hot water.”

“No problem.”

He walked down the hallway next to the stairs, to the kitchen.

Livia took off her overcoat and followed him. As she was walking down the short hall, she said, “a bag is enough for two cups, why don’t you make one for yourself too?”

“Sounds good.”

Henry was filling up a second cup from a hot water dispenser, when she entered the room. He almost dropped the mug.

Livia was wearing a white linen toga. It was short, going halfway up her thigh. And it was sheer. It did little to cover her generous assets. Her large breasts pressed against the top, her small erect nipples were obvious. The toga drew tight at the waist, showing off her narrow waist. Around her neck was a copper chain. Dangling from the chain was the international symbol for female: a circle with a small cross underneath. She looks like a character out of “History of the World, Part 1,” he thought.

He stood there with his mouth open for a few seconds. His slacks suddenly felt uncomfortable, as he got a sudden erection.

Livia seemed oblivious to his reaction. She walked over and sat at the kitchen table.

“This is a big house. Do you live here alone?”

It took a couple of seconds for it to realize what she said. “Um, my daughter is asleep upstairs.”

“I see. And your wife?”

That altered his mood instantly. He set the mugs in front of her. “My wife … She … she passed away six months ago.”

The woman put her hands up to her mouth. “I’m so sorry! Was it sudden?”

“She was hit by a car while she was out jogging. They never caught the driver.”

Tears formed in her eyes. “You poor man!”

Before he knew what happened, she was hugging him. His head nestled in between her large breasts. She said “I assume you haven’t had sex in six months. Am I right?”
Henry suddenly caught himself. Why am I opening up to a complete stranger, one who looked like she escaped from the set of “I … Claudius”? He pulled away. “And what business is it of yours?” he asked frostily.

Livia raised her hands. “I’m sorry. I get empathetic too quickly. It’s a fault of mine. Let me explain. I am the Church of Love’s priestess in this town, and am reviving the church of Aphrodite/ Venus.”

“I see,” said Henry, slowly backing away from her.

Livia resumed her seat, dunking her teabag into the two mugs. She gestured for Henry to take the other seat across from him. Reluctantly, he complied.

“One of the main tenants for the church is that Love, whether the emotion or the act, is essential for all people, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

“And modern science has proved this. Did you know men who don’t have sex regularly are more likely to have prostate or testicular cancer?”

Henry nodded. “I seem to have heard that somewhere.”

Livia handed a mug to him, taking a sip from the other. “Try this. I think you find it delightful.”

Suspiciously, he took a sip. His eyes lit up. It had a spiciness to it that seemed to hit the spot. “This is wonderful! What’s in it?”

She smiled. “It’s an old recipe. I can give you the recipe later. I don’t have it with me.”

Too quickly the mug was empty. He was tempted to ask for another, but decided it was time to get this fruitcake out of here. “Well, you’re all warmed up. Time for you to go.” He stood up and escorted her to the door.

At the entryway, Livia stopped and pointed to the adjoining living room. “I left my coat there.”

“You’ll need that, for sure,” he said. They walked over to the matching couch and recliner, where the overcoat lay.

As he was reaching for the coat, Livia grabbed his hand. “Mr. Martin, we need to talk.” She sat down on the couch, and guided him to set next to her.

“I got your last name off the nameplate out front. What is your first?”

“Henry,” he said automatically.

“Henry, I feel that me coming here was divine providence. The goddess sent me here to help you.”

Sitting close to her, the man smelled a scent on her. It was similar to the tea, but different. His penis in his pants was rock hard, harder than he’d been has quite a while. “Help me with what?” he asked hoarsely.

“You’ve been in mourning and in pain for far too long. Until you start copulating again, you’ll never be right.”
She reached down grabbed his crotch. Henry let out a gasp.

“Ooh! What a big hard cock! And those balls! Their so full, they feel like they’ll burst.”

Livia leaned back and spread her legs, revealing that she was wearing no underwear.

“Look at this juicy pussy. My clit is so hard. I want to be filled by you. I want to scream and cry out as you pump me full of your sweet cum.”

Henry tried to break free of the lust he was feeling. “And what do you want from me?”

The priestess shrugged off her toga. If anything, she looked even better without it.

Her creamy natural breasts were full and pert. At least DD’s. Her tummy was firm and flat, and her hips formed a perfect symmetry with her breasts. “Nothing at all. All I want I to release all the sexual tension and despair that is bottled up inside you.

It is my duty as a priestess.

He offered no resistance as she unzipped his pants and freed his aching cock. It sprung out stiff like an iron bar.

“You could go upstairs and beat off,” she whispered, “but where’s the fun in that? You know how much fun it is to slide your dick into a horny girl.” She ran her fingertips lightly up and down the underside of his rock hard shaft. “Would you like to go bed with me?” she asked gently.

“God, Yes!” he cried.

“Thank Venus!” she exclaimed.

Livia helped him out of his shoes and slacks, and Henry went upstairs wearing just his shirt and socks. Once in his bedroom, she relieved him of those last pieces of clothing.

The priestess opened her little duffle.

“Just lie down on the bed, and let me do all the work,” she said, with a wink.

She pulled out four cones of incense and a little base for each them. She placed one in each corner of the room, and lit them with a lighter.

The same spicy fragrance filled the room.

“What are those for?” He asked.

She pulled out a small statue of beautiful naked woman holding a cloak. She placed it on the head board of the queen-sized bed.

“Our church believes that sex is a sacred act. It’s an act of worship. I am just setting the stage so our lovemaking will be especially pleasing to my goddess. For now, this bed is an altar, and what happens here will be a sacrifice to Her.”

Just a few minutes ago, he would have said this was all nonsense, but there was something about this that all rang true. He tried to think of something to say, but nothing would come out. His erection had not come down, instead it was even harder than before. It was a dark red, and bigger and longer than he ever remembered seeing it. Henry had not had an erection so hard it hurt since high school.

“Please hurry!” he gasped.

She smiled at him.

“Just one more thing, and we’ll be ready.” She pulled out a vial and uncorked it. She poured the oil inside onto his aching cock.

He let out a gasp.

“Oh my God!” he cried.

The pain he felt before from his erection just doubled. His member turned from dark red, to purple, and grew an inch in both length and width. He had never been this big before.

Just then a small child’s voice rang out, “Daddy, I need a drink of water.”

It was his eight year old daughter, wearing Bratz pajamas.

“Melissa,” he croaked. But he didn’t think he could stand up. “We forgot to close the door.”

Livia smiled. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of her.”

She went into the bathroom, pulled out a Dixie cup, and filled it with water, and took it out into the hallway. As she drank, the priestess talked to her softly, so Henry could not hear.

“You’re Melissa, right? My name is Livia.”

“What cha’ doin’?” the young girl asked, not seeming to notice, or think odd, her nudity.

“You know how sad your daddy has been since your mother died?” She nodded.

“Well, I am going to cheer him up so he’ll be happy again.”

“I miss my mommy.”

Livia hugged her.

“I know you do. But life goes on, even after bad things happen. I’m teaching your father that.”

“Can I watch?” She asked innocently.

The priestess answered instantly.

“I don’t see why not. Just stay in the shadows so your daddy can’t see you.”

The blue-eyed blonde girl nodded in agreement. The priestess placed her Venus amulet against the child’s forehead and said a few Greek words.The girl laughed.

“That tickled.”

“Just a little gift from me, to you, said Livia.”

When she got back to the bedroom, Henry was still in pain from his raging erection. Sweat was pouring down his body. He had been tempted to jerk off, but something held him back.

“Sorry for the interruption,” said Livia. “You have an amazing child.”

The man didn’t consciously hear what she said. His vision was crossed and blurred, giving a look of unreality to everything around him. She seemed to glow with silver light.

“Please,” he cried hoarsely.

“Sorry. Of course.”

The priestess climbed onto the bed and straddled his swollen cock, with the tip just splitting her labia. She said a few word in a language that Henry didn’t understand, probably Latin or Greek, and then plunged her whole body down onto his penis. He cried out, panting. Livia said a few more foreign words, before pulling out again.
Henry did not expect a priestess of a sex cult to have such a tight vagina. But, she felt almost virginal in tightness. Why am I not coming? he wondered. I am so close, but I’m not. After three full impalements, Livia stopped, with Henry’s erection completely buried in her. She then slowly rotated her hips, grinding herself into him. She started chanting something in time with her movement. Henry reached up to grab her glorious breasts that were swaying in front of him.

Don’t!” She cried. “Don’t touch me during this sacred act.”

“Please!” He cried in desperation, “I need to come so badly. Please, let me come.”

“You thought this was all hooey, didn’t you?” She asked, still grinding her hips. “You thought the goddess Aphrodite was just a myth, and I was delusional, didn’t you?”

Henry nodded his head, ashamed.

“But you believe now, don’t you? You believe in the goddess.”

Panting, he nodded. “I do!” He panted. “I really do!”

“Then cry out to your goddess, she will give you release.”

The man yelled, “Venus! Please! Let me come!”

The priestess stopped grinding, said two more words, reached back and touched his balls, lightly.

Henry cried out as it felt like his whole dick exploded. A geyser of cum shot out of his cock, completely filling Livia. It gushed out, covering his whole crotch. Livia came at the same time. She threw her head back, and cried

“Yes! That’s it! Show your love for the goddess. Fill her with your cum.”

As he bucked again, she pulled out. A long rope of cum jetted up at least three feet, soaking his chest. For the third and fourth spurts, the priestess had her mouth down to catch the load. She skillfully swallowed every drop. Finally, his penis stopped coming. It went limp, and faded from purple to red, then its normal skin tone. Still panting, Henry lay there like a beached fish.

“That was amazing!” He finally said.

“What just happened?”

Livia was laying on top of him, lapping up the sperm from his body. He she looked at him.

“I channeled the goddess. She came and took possession of me. For a few minutes there, I WAS Aphrodite.”

Again, he was at a loss for words. He watched as she continued to clean him off with her tongue.

“You don’t have to do that. I’m going to have to shower anyway.”

The brunette shook her head.

“Sperm is sacred to the goddess. If you are going to offer it to her, she wants it all.”

After she was satisfied that she had done a thorough job, she lay next to Henry.

“Is that offer of a shower open to me too?” She asked.

“Certainly, if you don’t mind company.”

Livia smiled.

“That’s the best type of shower.”

As they washed each other, Henry finally asked a question he was reluctant to ask.

“Did you drug me?”

She nodded.

“Nothing that affects you mentally. Everything you did, you did of your own free will. The tea, incense, and oil all had an herb that works like a natural Viagra.”

“That’s an understatement. I have tried Viagra before, and nothing like that happened.”

“Why don’t you market it. You would make a fortune.”

“The herb is common in the Mediterranean area. Most people think of it as a weed, of no use at all. But with the proper fermentation and drying, it becomes a potent sex enhancer.”

“How did you find out about it?”

“One of the modern founders found an ancient text buried in the ruins of a temple to Aphrodite in Greece. It was hidden in a secret compartment. The priestesses hid it there, just before the Christians burned the temple down. The recipe, among other things, were in the book.”

They got out and dried each other off, using the same towel.

“Up for another round?” asked Henry. His penis was showing signs of reviving.

She shook her head.

“Sorry. Anything more tonight would be anticlimactic.”

“You’re probably right.”

Livia went downstairs and put on her toga. Henry, still naked, followed her down.

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

She looked up from putting on her shoes.

“Two things. First, my church could use a donation. It is tax deductible.”

He nodded. He went to his desk, pulled out his checkbook, and wrote a check for about half his current balance. The priestess put the check into her duffel without looking.

“And the second?” Asked Henry

“When you come for services…”

“You’re sure I’ll come?”

“You believe in the goddess, don’t you?”

He pondered for a moment.

“After what just happened, how could I not?”

“If you didn’t truly believe, you would not have come until I was done. Then you’d have to beat off to finally get some relief.”

Henry nodded. “You were saying?”

“When you come for services, bring your daughter with you.”

“Melissa?” He then remembered her surprise appearance. “Oh God! She saw, she saw…”

“She saw everything, I think.”

The man put his face in her hands, embarrassed. “What do I tell her?”

“Answer her questions honestly. She’ll be more accepting than you think.”

“Why do you want Melissa to come with me?”

Livia looked him straight in the eye.

“Melissa is a remarkable girl. She is going to grow up to be a woman of incredible beauty, intelligence, and will. This can be an dangerous combination, especially during the teenage years. She will need a female mentor who will be able to channel all her gifts, to make her one of the greatest women of this century.”

Henry was stunned for a minute.

“You’re serious?”

She nodded.

“Venus gave me vision when I saw her. I think she is the true reason the goddess led me here. I gave her a blessing, but that only goes so far.”

“But you did cure me of my depression.”

Livia kissed him. More than chaste, but not a full-on french kiss.

“I’m glad. I knew I could help you.”

She grabbed her bag, and headed toward the door.

“When is the next service?” asked Henry.

“Sunday morning at 10am.”

“Why then?”

She shrugged.

“There is no designated day for worship. There are a few holy days, but they are dictated by the planet Venus. It just makes sense to have our services at the same time as everyone else.”

As she was about exit, she put on her heavy overcoat and opened her umbrella. “See you on Sunday.”

“You know, you never told me your last name.”

She smiled.

“The same last name that all our priests and priestess take: Love.”

 

American Pagan – Chapter 2: Manifestation

The next Sunday, Henry and Melissa arrived at The Church of Love at 9:30am. Henry didn’t have much experience with these things, but it seemed that they should arrive early for the 10am service.

The church was in a small strip mall, across a busy street from a Walmart. Their were two other shops, one on each side, a Chinese take-out place, and a nail salon. They lived only two blocks from the temple, so Henry figured it would be simpler to walk the short distance there, rather than try to find a parking spot in the small lot.
The glass doors and windows of the exterior were all mirrored, making it possible to see out, but not see in. “The Church of Love” was printed in large letters on the double doors.

Inside, Livia was waiting, to greet everyone who came. She was wearing a full length robe, that covered a lot of more skin than her toga, but was just as sheer.

On her right was another priestess, long brown hair and brown eyes. As with Livia, she was exceptionally beautiful. She seemed younger than the other priestess, but was hard to pin it down. She was possibly in her mid to late twenties. She wore the same robe and copper necklace that Livia did.

On the other side of her was a young man, with blond curly hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He had piercing blue eyes and a muscular chest. He was very handsome. If he was woman, Henry might have called him dreamy. Unlike the two women, he had no necklace and wore just a tunic.

Livia’s eyes lit up when she saw Henry and his daughter arrive.

“Ah! Mr. Martin. I had been praying that you’d come. And you brought Melissa, too.”

He nodded. “That’s right. I had to come and see what was going on. And please, call me Henry.”

The priestess squatted down to Melissa’s level. “Hi, Melissa. Do you remember me?”

The blonde girl nodded. “You were the naked lady who made daddy happy on Thursday night.”

She laughed.

“That’s right. My name is Livia.” She gestured at the younger priestess. “And this is Altena. She is in charge of the children’s program. Last week was our first service, and we had no children. So Altena is anxious to teach you the same things I’ll be teaching your daddy.”

Altena held out her hand and the child solemnly shook it.

“I am very pleased to meet you, Melissa. Let me show you where our classroom is.”

The two walked over to the door on the left side of the entry room and went through it.

Livia spoke again.

“And this strapping young man is Bernard. He is one of our acolytes. When he finishes his training, he’ll go out and start his own temple.”

The man greeted Henry politely and gave him a printed sheet of paper. Livia pointed to the door on the far wall.

“We’ll be starting services in a little bit. Go in and say hello to the other people who are already here.” Bernard pointed toward a small side room, next to the door. “If you wish to disrobe, you can store your clothes in there.”

Suddenly, Henry felt uncomfortable. “Um … maybe later.”

The acolyte held up his hands. “No pressure, just an option.”

Through the door was a room about the size of a racquetball court. The floor was covered in short-pile bright blue carpet. At the far end was a small stage with a plain wooden lectern. On the front of the lectern was the copper Venus female symbol. In front of the stage was an altar covered with a copper-colored fabric. On each of the four corners of the stage, burned a white candle. At the end of the altar, under the lectern, was larger version of the small idol Livia had put on the top of his bed: A beautiful naked woman, with long hair, holding a shawl in one hand and a mirror in the other.

Surrounding the altar and stage were ten loveseats all the same shade of blue as the carpet.

There were two other couples already in the room. They were a middle age husband and wife, and a lesbian couple who looked to be in their thirties. Both couples were naked.

The hetero couple was Richard and Elaine. The lesbians were Lily and Francine. The four were the only attendees at the first service. They had both invited friends, and were hoping they would come.

“You should have been here, last week!” Enthused Richard. There was a feeling of love and openness. We all bonded like we were a family. It was like we were all high, but we weren’t. You just had to be there.”

Lily and Francine were both Wiccans. They came when they saw a posted flier at a supermarket, with the mistaken idea that this was a Wiccan church.

“This may not be our brand of pagan,” said Francine. “But they worship a goddess, and they believe in the power of love. We like that.”

Nobody said anything about him not being naked, which make Henry more comfortable. When they asked him why he came, he just said that Livia visited him at his home and invited him and his daughter.

They were all excited that a child was here. “Richard wanted to bring the boys,” said Elaine. “But I wasn’t sure they’re ready for this.”

“Maybe they can come next time,” said Henry.

A few minutes later, both set of invitees arrived at the same time. A gay couple, Leroy and Bruce, guests of the lesbians, and Geoff and Alice, another married couple, were friends of Richard and Elaine.

It turned out that the married couples had been trading spouses for several years, and were looking to expand their horizons with this church.

Leroy was black and a dentist, and Bruce was an accountant. Both were intrigued by their girl friends’ description of the church. Both of them looked relieved to see someone else still dressed. A few minutes before ten, Livia and Bernard, and pretty redheaded female acolyte he hadn’t seen before, entered the room. Livia talked to Henry.

“What do you think so far?”

“You’re using that spice of yours, aren’t you?” All the men were sporting erections, and all the women were also showing signs of arousal.

She nodded.

“It’s in the candles. Not as intense as incense. Last time, we used incense and things got a little carried away.” She put her hand on his crotch. “I see it is affecting you, as well.”

He nodded.

“But you are right. It is less intense. Thank you.”

“Hey, we aim to please.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, what’s with all the copper? The only mention of metal with Venus in mythology is her silver mirror.”

The priestess nodded. “You’ve been reading. Good. But also look up alchemy. Alchemists have connected the seven heavenly bodies they could see, with the seven known metals. The sun was gold. The moon was silver. Mars was iron…”

“And Venus was copper,” finished Henry.

“That’s right. There is much we still don’t know about the ancient church of Aphrodite. Until we learn more, or the Goddess speaks to us directly, we are winging it.”

Livia walked to the lectern and addressed the congregation.

“It is good to see you all here today. We’ve more than doubled in a week, which is impressive. If you all could take a seat, we will get started.”

Each couple sat in a loveseat. Henry sat down in one, by himself, but was quickly joined by the young red-head acolyte.

“Hi, I’m Ember,” she whispered. “We don’t like our worshipers to be alone. Unless you would prefer Bernard?”

“You’ll do fine,” said Henry.

“I do have a few duties, which will take me away from you, briefly.” she said.

“I understand,”

“Right now is one of these instances.” Ember stood up and took the stage.

“If you’ll look at the paper you were given, we’ll start things off with a couple of hymns.”

The speaker started playing the familiar tune of “What the World Needs Now (is Love, Sweet Love)”. Probably a karaoke sound track, mused Henry. Like so many sing-alongs, the results were mixed. Some people acted like they were singing, others sang softly, and some who shouldn’t have, sung full volume. Henry had a pretty good voice, and sang at a moderate level. Above it all was the clear pure soprano of Ember. It was obvious why she was assigned the job of song leader.

After they finished the first, Ember segued way to “Love Train.” Several members of the congregation really liked this song, and tried to start an improvised conga line. Unfortunately, it ended before it could work up any steam.

The red-head returned to Henry’s side, and Livia retook the stage. She put a single page of notes on the lectern, then started her talk. “Today, I am going to tell you a story about our goddess. One I’m sure you’ve never heard. It is entitled “Phoebus and the Priestess.”

“Long ago, on a small Greek island was a group of Aphrodite worshipers. They were led by a priestess who was famed for her beauty and wisdom. One morning she was alone in the temple praying and masturbating, when, without warning, the goddess herself took over her body.

“The priestess was led out of the temple area, to a small sylvan glade around a small pond. Sitting on rock by the pond was a young man with curly brown hair, named Phoebus. He was very fair in the goddess’ eyes. In his left hand, he was holding a dagger to his chest. It was obvious he was about to kill himself.

“‘Don’t do it!’ Cried the disguised goddess.

“‘Why not?’ He replied, ‘I have nothing to live for.”

It was then that she noticed that he had lost his right hand. It was recent, since the wound was still wrapped in bandages.

“‘How did this happen?’ She asked.

“It was an accident. I was sparring with my fellow soldiers, when one accidentally used a sharp blade, instead of a dull training blade, and cut off my hand.”

“‘Now I can no longer be a soldier. And since my wound was not the result of battle, I will not receive a pension.”

“‘What did you do before you became a soldier?’ She asked.

“‘I was a baker. But you can’t knead dough with just one hand.'”

Henry started when he heard this. “I’m a baker,” he whispered.

“Really?” Asked Ember.

He shrugged.

“I operated and maintain the bread making machines. No commercial bakery has kneaded dough by hand for a hundred years.”

Livia continued.

“For a moment, the priestess was stumped at what to say to lift this young man’s spirits. “I know one thing you can still do with just one hand,” she said, stepping out of her robe.

“Up to this point, Phoebus was so engulfed in his own misery that he hadn’t noticed the priestess’ beauty. And she was beautiful. One of the fairest women of her age. And with Aphrodite inside her, she positively glowed. His ardor was instantly kindled. She removed his toga, and laid him on the soft grass. There, she mounted him, and made sweet love to him.

“As her passion rose, Aphrodite’s disguise gradually fell away, and her divine nature was exposed.

“Enraptured, Phoebus could not move. He was lost in awe of this vision, and his erection would not go down. He filled her with his seed three times, before she was satisfied.

“When she climbed off of him, he rolled over and laid face down at her feet. ‘My goddess!’ he exclaimed.

“Aphrodite pulled him to his feet. ‘Don’t harm yourself, ‘ she said. ‘I have much work for you.'”

Livia looked up from her notes.

“Now, what does this story teach us? That despair is never the answer. And Love, in all its forms, dispels despair.”

Suddenly, a strong wind blew through Livia, though it was felt by no one else. Her bearing changed. She stood straighter. Her skin seemed to glow.

“But that is not the end of the story. Phoebus was given a silver cap for his stump. On the cap was two little hooks. Eros, Aphrodite’s son, entered Phoebus, and taught him mastery of the bow. He became captain of the guards for the temple.” Livia voice had changed; it had an echo to it, which was not possible, since she wasn’t using a microphone.

“And who was that priestess, who was unnamed in the story? Why she was none other than Sappho, the famed poetess and high priestess.”

She looked out at the mesmerized audience. “That part of the story has not been told for more than two thousand years.”

The priestess’ body was suddenly surrounded by an aura of silver flames. Her shoulder length hair flared out, and she seemed to grow a foot in height, but that may have been just an illusion. The candles surrounding the stage became three times brighter than normal, illuminating her with an almost theatrical brightness. A murmur went through the audience. “Venus. Aphrodite. The goddess!” were all heard. Many of the people, including Ember, fell to their knees.

The deity looked down at her followers. “I came to give my blessing to this new group of believers, and to see the child who I saw briefly a few days ago.”

Everyone was so in awe, her words did not register. Finally, Bernard, the acolyte, broke his gaze away, and headed out the back door. About thirty seconds later, Altena and Melissa showed up with Bernard. They were both naked. The priestess instantly fell to her knees. The girl, though, laughed and ran straight up to the vision. She didn’t seem to recognize her as Livia.

The goddess smiled down at her. “Hello, young one. What is your name?”

“Melissa,” she said shyly.

She put a hand on to of her head, and said some words in Greek. “Now you obey you father and teacher. Alright?”

She took this order seriously. “Okay,” she said after thinking for a few seconds.

“Go back to your teacher. Learn all you can from her.”

The girl slowly backed off, not wanting to break off looking at the deity. When she got back to Altena, the two stood in the back of the room. The door opened, and the two were supposed to leave, but Altena could not tear herself away.

Once the door had closed Livia/Venus said, “Now, show your love for me, by showing love for each other.”

Ember grabbed Henry’s hand. “Hurry! I want to be on the altar!” She dragged him down to the front, and sat down on top the altar, then lay back.

Somewhere along the way Henry had lost all his clothes. They lay in a heap by his seat. Similarly, so had his chairmate’s toga.

The altar, not surprisingly, had a thin mattress on top, under the copper fabric cover. Ember spread her legs, and he entered her. Both cried out from the impalement. The sensations seemed doubly intense. Neither looked at the other, though. Their eyes were fixed on the goddess standing above them. Ember had placed herself on the altar so there was room for another on the right. Soon the space was filled by Alice, who was being loved by Bernard, the other acolyte.

Henry’s vision was focused entirely on the transformed priestess. He didn’t see all the other people engaged in sex around him. He could hear them, though. The lesbians were eating each other out, as were the gay men. Elaine was being penetrated by Geoff, and Richard was inside Altena.

Like before, Henry had trouble getting release. But it didn’t feel the same. The pain from before was not there. He started pound his partner harder, and it became evident that the same was true for her. As he listened, he realized that everyone was having the same problem. Everyone was moaning, but no one was climaxing. Finally, everyone seemed to reach a critical point and, as one, all the congregation came. The goddess threw open her arms, exulting in the energy she was receiving. Her worshipers’ gift.

Everyone was panting and covered with sweat, when the deity spoke again. “Alas, I must be going. This vessel is weakening, and I don’t want to tax her too greatly. My blessings on you all, and farewell.” Another wind blew through Livia. She immediately changed back to her normal appearance, and collapsed on the stage.
People rushed to help her, but she raised her hand. “I’m alright,” she said. “Just worn out.”

Impulsively, Ember stood up, and started singing the song “Venus,” but slowly, reverentially. Not at all like Bananarama.

“Goddess on the mountaintop. Burning like a silver flame. A sonnet of beauty and love. And Venus was her name.”

Others who knew the words joined in. Others hummed along.

Once they were done, Livia, who was sitting up, said “Thank you for attending today’s service. Be sure to invite more people. May Venus go with you through the week.

The group gradually broke up. Turned out there was a side room with a shower, where people could rinse off the sweat and other bodily fluids that were drying on them. It wasn’t very big, so everyone had to hurry through, using it. As they were leaving, Henry overheard Bruce question to his partner, Leroy, if what they saw was real, or some kind of special effect. “Do these people look like they have the money, or technical know-how, to pull off a stunt like that? No, we just saw a bonafide miracle, or at least a supernatural manifestation.”

After he had showered and dressed, Henry found Melissa, also dressed. They headed toward the front door. By the door going outside was a small bucket marked “Donations.” Inside was a lot of bills and a couple of checks.

“We’re going now!” He called. “See you next week!”

“Wait! Don’t go!” Called Livia. She walked out into the foyer, still looking wan and weak. “Please stay for lunch. I have a lot to talk to you about.”

Henry shrugged. “Who am I to turn down a free lunch.”

 

American Pagan – Chapter 3: Ramifications

Lunch turned out to be take-out from the Chinese restaurant next door. Livia was famished. She wolfed down a quart of General Tso chicken by herself.Henry ate a little out of several boxes: sweet and sour chicken. Broccoli and beef, and cashew shrimp. Melissa loved the egg rolls and crab Rangoon, eating only a little of the rest.
All of the temple staff, except Livia, were out their temple clothes, and were wearing normal street clothes, tee shirt and jeans. In those clothes, they looked like everyone else.

Henry broached the subject as delicately as possible with Altena. “So, why were you and Melissa naked when you came in to the temple?”

The priestess shook her head. “It was the darndest thing. I had originally intended to tell Melissa the story of Phoebus, just like the adults, when suddenly a thought occurred to me. This is an all girl class. There may be more children next week. Now would be a good time to teach Melissa about the female body, and all the changes that take place at puberty. We had taken off our clothes so she could see for herself, when Bernard burst in. He told us that the goddess wanted to see Melissa.”

“I see.”

Henry turned to Livia. “What was it like, having the goddess inside you?”

Everyone turned, in interest. “Exhausting,” she said with her head bowed. “I feel like I just gave birth, then ran a marathon. Completely wasted.”

She looked up, and smiled weakly. “But it was also exhilarating. To feel Her power and Her love coursing through me. It was incredible.

“She also spoke to me. Told me many things. Things I’ll need time to sort out. Right now, I’m too tired. I need to sleep.” She stood up and prepared to leave the table.

It was then, that Henry noticed that Livia was wearing a set of wide copper bracelets. They were about three inches wide, and did not seem to have any kind of clasp or opening. “What are those?” he asked, pointing.

Altena answered. “Livia, is a high priestess now. Those are a sign of her position. She will never take them off in this life, except to bathe.”

Livia smiled, nodded, and walked down the hall a side room, to a bedroom.

“Was that because of what happened today?” asked Henry.

Ember nodded. “Being inhabited by Aphrodite, is a sign of her being especially favored. It is the only way to become a high priestess. She is only the second person in modern times to be so honored.”

“Who was the first?”

Altena shook her head. “If you were here last week, you would have heard this story.”

“Sorry.”

She shrugged. “Twenty-three years ago, Livia Brown was a graduate archeology student. Her doctoral professor was Dr. Anna Baxter.

“She, and another student, Eric Savage, a graduate student with bright red hair, were exploring the ruins of an ancient Aphrodite temple in the outskirts of Athens. It was said to have been the last temple, after Roman Emperor Constantine declared the Roman Empire to be Christian. The priestesses had barricaded themselves inside, and the Roman centurions burned the place to the ground, with them inside it.”

“How horrible,” said Henry. He turned to Melissa. “Honey, maybe you should go to the other room.”

“That’s all the scary stuff,” said Ember. “She won’t be scared by anything else in the story.”

“Livia, at that time, was married to an English professor, Dr. Richard Brown. He had come to Greece with her, but had decided to stay behind at the hotel, with their daughter, me.”

Henry’s jaw dropped. “You’re Livia’s daughter?”

Altena nodded. “We don’t publicize it, nor do we try to cover it up.

“Anyway, my dad had gone with the team to several other ruins in the days before, and was not as enthralled by them as everyone else was. ‘You’ve seen one pile of rubble, you’ve seen them all,’ was the words he used.

“That day, as soon as they had entered into the ruined temple, Anna went into a trance. She walked over to the remains of a supporting wall. She pushed on a symbol etched into it. There was a click, and a hidden compartment was revealed. Inside was a scroll, perfectly preserved after almost seventeen hundred years.

“While this was going on, neither Livia nor Eric had paid any attention. They were examining the remains of a fresco near the entrance. Livia was the first to notice that the professor had some relic in her hands.

“She called to her, but Anna did not answer. She walked behind what used to be an altar and idol, and climbed up some crumbling steps. She put the scroll on what used to be a podium, and opened the scroll.

“What happened then, was much like what happened today. Venus/ Aphrodite entered into Anna, transforming her.

“What happened next, Livia is not sure. Aphrodite spoke to her. Changed her. Filled her with love.

“The next thing she remembers is being naked on her back, on the ruined altar, being loved by Eric. She says that the goddess looked directly into her soul, and told her that she had a new mission in life.”

“When both she and Eric came, the goddess left Anna. Leaving the professor wasted.

She, exhausted, staggered back to the hidden compartment, and pulled out a pair of copper bracelets, just like ones you saw Livia wearing, and declared herself the new high priestess.

“When Livia got back to her Athens hotel, she told Richard that she could no longer be married to him. She loved him, but she also loved all humanity, and would need to love all people.

“Richard probably would have fought for the marriage, but that all changed when she told him that she was pregnant, and he was not the father. Eric was.”

Ember spoke up. “Nine months later, I arrived.”

Again, Henry was dumbfounded. “You’re her daughter too?’

She nodded. “And Altena is my half-sister.”

“Wow!” was all he could think to say.

The red-headed acolyte smiled. “And now history has repeated itself.”

“How’s that?” asked Altena.

“Aphrodite spoke to me on the altar. She told me that I was going to become pregnant. The child is was going to be a special, sacred child, and Henry is the father.”

Altena and Bernard both hugged Ember. Altena put her talisman over her half-sister’s stomach and said a few Greek words of blessing.

“Mom is going to be so disappointed she wasn’t here to hear the news.”

Henry was stunned.

“Don’t you use birth control?”

Altena shook her head.

“Our fertility is at the mercy of our goddess. And, as you can see, pregnancy has not happened since the last time we had made love before Venus.”

Bernard shook his head.

“All the goddess told me was that I was to stay here in Omaha, and that I would, in time, become a priest of Eros.”

“Not Aphrodite?” Asked Henry.

The acolyte shook his head.

“Women are devoted to Aphrodite/ Venus. Men are priests of Eros/ Cupid.”

Altena interjected. “The two have always been together. Eros is Aphrodite’s son, after all. They are both devoted to beauty and love.”

“Did the goddess say anything to you?” Asked Bernard to Altena.

“Just that I was to go back to Chicago, and my mom was to stay here.”

Ember was shocked. “That’s not the plan!”

“Our plans are not the same as the goddess’.” Said the priestess.

“Livia was only to be here about a month, to help get the church started. She was then to go back to our base church in Chicago, leaving my sister in charge. But I guess that is not to be.”

Bernard changed the subject.

“Did the goddess speak to you, Henry.”

He nodded.

“But I want to talk it over with Livia first.”

“She spoke to me, too,” said Melissa. Everyone turned to look at the child. They had almost forgot she was there. She had been sitting quietly, taking in everything that was said.

“What did she say, Sweetheart?” asked her father.

“She said she loved me very much. And that I am to obey you and Livia.”

“Livia too?” Said Bernard. “That’s unusual.”

“She also said that she put another message in me, but I wouldn’t hear it until I’m older.”

Everyone pondered that.

“Keep your mind open. When her message is ready, make sure you listen well,” said Altena.

It was later that night, around ten pm when Livia came to Henry’s house. She looked much better than she did at noon. She was wearing her priestly robes under the heavy coat. Melissa was in bed, asleep. Henry escorted her into the kitchen table, and gave her a can of Coke to drink.

“Do you have anything diet?” she asked. “We love priestesses have to watch our figure.”

Henry pulled out a Diet Coke, and handed it to her. “I am glad you came,” he said. “I have a special request to ask of you.”

Livia arched an eyebrow. “What kind of request.”

“Could you watch Melissa tomorrow?”

“Sure, no problem. But why?”

“You, or rather the goddess, told me not to let Melissa go back to public school. I have no idea why. She didn’t say.

“And I have to work tomorrow. And being in a commercial bakery, with all the heavy machinery is no place for a little girl.”

Livia looked relieved. “I am glad you got that message. I was afraid I’d have to fight you on what I was going to tell you.

“The goddess told me many things, some of which I am trying to sort out. One thing I know for sure is that Venus wants me to be Melissa’s teacher.”

Henry pondered this for a minute. “That meshes with what she said to me. I am sure you’ll do a great job.”

“I’m not. I’ve never taken education classes. I suppose I could do a adequate job in English and excellent job teaching History. But when it comes to the Math and Sciences, I suck.

“Maybe, some of the other clues that I have to decipher will help.”

“Would you like me to help?” he asked.

Livia looked relieved.

“Yes, please. The main vision plaguing me is one she gave me of six playing cards. But they were not regular playing cards, they were too narrow. The dimensions were off. And the back of the cards had an odd green and white diamond design.”

“What was on the other side?”

“They were each numbered, not from one to six, but from zero to five.”

Henry scratched his head. “You know what that sounds like? A tarot deck.”

“Tarot? You mean fortune-telling cards?”

He nodded. “I had a bakery co-worker, Gary something-or-other. He didn’t stay with the job very long. He was all into them. I seem to remember that the first card of the deck was numbered “0”.

“Now all I have to do is find the specific deck shown in my vision.”

“There’s a new age bookstore a couple miles away. They’re bound to have all kinds of tarot decks.”

She nodded. “Melissa and I will visit there tomorrow.”

Henry put his elbows on the table, and rested his chin on his palms. “Any other mysteries?”

Livia shook her head. “That was the main one. The whole experience was overwhelming. More of it may come back to me, goddess willing.”

“Did She tell you anything about Melissa. What makes her so special?”

The high priestess closed her eyes. “I’ll try to paint you a picture. Imagine, Melissa’s life is a road. There are many branching paths she can take. Some lead to dark places, where she could get corrupted by drug abuse, or she could be the corrupter, leading millions into darkness.”

“Sounds like Adolph Hitler.”

She nodded. “That was my impression too.

“Other paths, though were truly breathtaking. She could be the one who could lead the world into a golden age of peace and brotherhood.

“A few of them lead to a relatively ordinary life. Where she marries, has kids, but does nothing of worldwide significance.”

“That’s better than the first option.”

Livia smiled. “I agree.

“A lot of the paths are guided by her outer environment. Who she meets. Who she doesn’t. What the goddess is trying to do, is eliminate as many dark paths as possible.

“My blessing last Thursday, and the goddess’ blessing today. Has already eliminated a dozen of the worst paths. And keeping her out of public school will do even more good. I’m not quite sure why, on that one.

“In the end, we can’t eliminate them all. There will be some choices that Melissa will have to make on her own. We need to do all we can to assure she makes the right ones.”

Henry leaned back in his chair. “Whew! That is quite the responsibility.”

Livia stood up, walked behind him, and put her hands on his shoulders. “We at the Church of Love are here to help you. And not just here in Omaha. Once I explain the situation to the churches in Chicago, New York, and L.A., all their resources will be here for you, too.”

Henry nodded. “I appreciate that.”

The high priestess draped her arms around his neck, her erect nipples pushing into his back. “There’s just one more thing, before I go.”

The man decided to play innocent. “What’s that?”

“Ever since I woke up … No, before that. Even while I was asleep, I had the goddess’ energy built up inside me. I had the most incredible dreams. I can remember in detail what it was like to have Phoebus inside me. I remember making love to other gods and goddesses. Even Ares, the god of war.”

As she had been talking, Livia’s hands had been wandering down his shirt, until they reached his crotch.

“So, you’re really saying is that your encounter with the goddess has left you horny as hell.”

Pushing the table aside, she swung he leg around, so she was seated on Henry’s lap, facing him. “Gods, yes! Would you mind helping me return this energy to her?”

Henry smiled. “It would be my pleasure.”

Livia practically sprinted up the stairs.

He followed her up at a more leisurely pace.

When he got to his room, the high priestess was already naked, her clothes in the hallway, and setting up the incense and idol.

“Does sex with you always have to be a religious experience? Can’t it ever be just sex?”

Livia shook her head. “Sex is always a sacred event, when you are a priestess. When you are joined with another in ecstasy, it gives you access to the goddess’ presence.”

As Henry undressed, she told him, “put your clothes out in the hallway. This sanctified room is to be completely free of clothes.”

He complied.

As soon as the incense was lit, Henry felt the effects take hold. His penis became as hard as an iron rod, and turned a bright red. “At least its not as painful as the last time.”

Livia shrugged, as she ran her fingertips across his impressive tool. “The first time I dosed you four times. This time, it’s just once.”

Henry pondered. “Four?”

She counted off on her fingers. “The tea, my perfume, the incense, and the oil.”

“Ah! I forgot about the perfume.”

“Also, the herb, with repeated use, is supposed to give men greater stamina and size, permanently.”

“Like I said before, you could make a mint with this stuff on the open market.
She climbed onto the bed. “Since it is all my pent up sexual energy that’s being sacrificed, I will be the one laying on the altar.” She laid down on the bed, with her
hands behind her back, and her legs spread wide.

Henry climbed on top of her. He angled his hips so he could slide into her easily.

“Wait a second,” the high priestess said. She looked up at the statue of Aphrodite and said a few words in Greek. “Go ahead, lover. Impale me.”

And that is exactly what he did. Livia let out a coo of pleasure as he entered her. “oh, yes!” she cried. “You always feel so good.” She wrapped her legs around his buttocks, and used her feet to help guide Henry in the speed and depth of his thrusts.

After few minutes, he decided to mix things up. He rolled her over, and mounted her from behind. That didn’t seem to be a favorite of hers, so she changed over to both of them laying side by side on the bed. This evolved into Livia on top, like the first time. Henry didn’t mind. There was nothing he liked better than to see a truly aroused woman writhing on top of him. Soon after she was on top, the high priestess came. Her vagina clamped down on his member, hard. He was sure that it would set off a orgasm, but it didn’t. This must be part of his increased stamina, he mused. She shifted position, without getting out of him, and started riding him so her rear was facing Henry’s head. It was at that point that she saw Melissa, standing in the shadows of the hallway, watching.

Livia smiled and gave her a wink. “Alright!” she cried. “I’m so close to another. Wait for me!”

She started bucking her rear up and down frantically on his now aching erection. This time, when she came, he did too. He cried out, and sprayed his load into her womb.

“She turned around, laid down beside him, and kissed him with passion. “Oh lover! You were magnificent. You were just what I needed.”

“Glad to be of service, ma’am,” he said in a country drawl.

She laughed. “Let’s go shower.”

In the shower, he saw that Livia was still wearing her new copper bracelets. “I thought you could take them off when you shower.”

She shook her head, “Altena got it wrong. The only time I can take them off is when the bracelet needs cleaning. We don’t want the insides to get all tarnished and gross. And believe me, they are not easy to put on or take off. I had to scrunch up my hand real hard, and lost a layer of skin getting them on.”

“I like how they look on you. They make you look like Wonder Woman.”

Livia snorted. “Sorry to disappoint you. But these bracers are nowhere near strong enough to play ‘Bullets and Bracelets.'”

After they finished their shower, and had dried each other off, Livia put back on her sheer robe. “I hope to have some news for you about the cards in a few days.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” said Henry.

“I’ll drop Melissa off at the temple, on my way to work; around eight thirty a.m.”

“We’ll be looking forward to it,” said Livia.

 

American Pagan – Chapter 4: Divination

It wasn’t until Wednesday that Livia came back to Henry’s house. Again Melissa was upstairs in bed. This time, she was carrying a small plastic bag, along with her usual mini-tote.

“Did you get much success?” asked Henry at the doorway.

“Partial,” she said. “Some answers, but still a lot of questions.”

Once they got into the kitchen, they sat down. The high priestess pulled out a pack of cards out the plastic bag.

“I went with Melissa to that bookstore you told me about. I told the clerk about the back design I wanted. She lead me right to them.”

“Are you sure they are the right ones?”

“Positive. I also asked her for a good book for a beginner learning how to read tarot cards. What I found was very helpful.

“I also invited her to next Sunday’s service, and posted a flyer in their window.”

Henry scratched his head.

“I’ve done some research. Tarot cards were developed in the fifteenth century, probably in France. They have nothing to do with Greece or Ancient Rome. Why did the goddess use that imagery in your vision?”

“I have no idea. Evidently she has been expanding herself beyond her place of origin.”

Livia pulled out a green box. “When I got home. I sat down and opened the pack. Right on top was card number zero.”

She pulled out a card with a young man with long blond hair on it. He is playing a recorder, and walking confidently towards the edge of a cliff. Beside him is a little white dog. On the bottom, it says “The Fool”. Next to the title is the number “0”.

“What does it mean?” asked Henry.

“When I first saw the card, I saw Melissa’s face on the card. That lasted for a few seconds. I blinked, and then I saw that it was not her.”

“So you’re saying this card represents Melissa?”

She nodded and pulled out a book, entitled “The Tarot Explained.” “Listen to this: ‘The Fool represents the idealism and innocence of youth. It also can mean blind optimism, recklessness, and overconfidence.”

Henry flinched. “That sounds like Melissa, especially if what you told me before is true.”

“The first twenty two cards, numbers zero through twenty-one, are called the Major Arcana. The cards after are called the Minor Arcana. They look a lot like modern playing cards. As a matter of fact, the minor cards evolved into our modern deck. The only major card to survive was The Fool. It evolved into the joker.”

“I seem to remember Brian telling some of that.”

“According to this book, the Major Arcana is sometimes called ‘The Fool’s Journey.’ It tells the story of the young and naïve lad who sets out into the world, and all the things, both good and bad, that shape him into the mature man he becomes.”

“So the next five cards are going to tell us what Melissa is going to encounter?”

“That’s my assumption, yes; especially with that initial vision.”

Henry leaned forward. “So what is the next card?”

Livia reached in the box and pulled out the next card. “Meet number one: ‘The Magician.'”

On its face was mature man, smiling, with a brown beard. His head was covered by the top part of a buck’s head, with a full rack of antlers. In front of him, on a table, is a set of four objects.

“What does he represent?” asked Henry, with some trepidation.

“He is a teacher. He knows many things, and helps teach the Fool how the world works.”

“No visions, with this card?” asked Henry.

“No. Hopefully this symbolizes the teacher we need so badly to teach Melissa.”

“At least it is a helpful card.”

“The next one is where it gets really spooky.”

Livia pulled out card number two: The High Priestess. On it was an ageless woman with long black hair, holding a crystal ball in one hand and a book in the other. The full moon shines over her head. Her face on the card looked just like Livia’s.

“You’ve got to be kidding. This has to be some kind of joke,” said Henry.

She shook her head. “This deck has been around since 1991. At that time, we were just starting this church.”

Henry looked at the card a little closer. “It’s not a perfect likeness. You have dark brown hair, not black. And from what I can see, she is kind of willowy, while you have the curves of a Playboy playmate.”

The high priestess kissed him. “You’re so sweet. But before I became a priestess my figure looked just like that woman on the card. It wasn’t until I became one of the goddess’ servants did I get these curves.

“The likeness is startling, isn’t it? When I first looked at this card, I saw a mirrored surface, reflecting my face. When I looked again, I saw the artwork, and again saw myself.”

“What does this card mean?”

Livia looked in the book. “While the Magician is the disseminator of knowledge, the High Priestess teaches wisdom, intuition, and spiritual enlightenment.”

Henry scratched his head. “So the Magician, whoever that will be, will be her teacher in book-learning, you will be spiritual advisor and councilor?”

“That’s one way to look at it. All these cards have multiple meanings. But while the Magician is a powerful male force, the High Priestess is his balance in the feminine direction. That much is certain.”

Melissa’s father pondered for a minute. “What’s next?”

Card number three was marked “The Empress.” It had a mature, happy woman, wearing a crown. She is sitting at a spinning wheel under a shade tree.

Livia handed it to Henry. “This is a mother-figure, comforting and nurturing.”

He looked closely at the picture. “I think she’s pregnant.”

“Pregnancy is one of the many meanings that can come from this card. All these cards have many meanings. I am giving you the ones I think are most common and applicable.”

“I bow to your intuition, high priestess.”

Livia did not quite know how to react to that. “Still, I don’t have any insight to who this card could be referring to.”

“Could it be my deceased wife, Lisa?”

That caused her to pause. “It could be. I had been assuming that these cards were talking about Melissa’s future, not her past.”

Henry looked at Livia. “Let me guess. Since that one was the Empress, the next one will be the Emperor.”

She held up the next card, “very good.” It showed a mature man with graying blond hair and a full beard, sitting on a throne. He has a laurel wreath on his head and is wearing a purple robe.

“When I saw this card first I saw you on the throne.”

Henry blinked. “Me, an emperor? I don’t look anything like him. I have brown hair, and I’m only thirty-five.”

“It’s not about looks. Okay with my card is was partially about looks. But mainly, it is about the role you play in the Fool’s journey. The Emperor is the father-figure. He is a provider and disciplinarian. He provides practical wisdom. He is secure, successful, and stable.”

He considered that. “That described me pretty well, except for the successful part. Since Lisa died, I’ve had to be both mother and father.”

“I’m sure we priestesses can help you with the more nurturing part of raising her.

“This brings us to the card number five, and last one in my vision.”

Livia turns over the Hierophant card. It looks like a dour catholic priest, wearing a golden miter. In front of him are two kneeling boys with the tops of their heads shaved. They are praying. One is frowning, the other grinning.

Henry frowned. “What’s a hierophant?”

“It’s a Greek word, for a sacred explainer of mysteries.”

“And what does this card mean?”

“It means conformity, captivity, mindlessly following of ritual, clinging to old ways, that kind of thing.

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“Not necessarily. As a priestess, I have to conform to the teachings of our church.

Sometimes you have to conform to the rules if you want to stay out of jail. Personally, I would have no trouble having sex with believers on street corners, to advertise our faith, but I would be in jail almost instantly.”

“So, you are saying that Melissa will be a wild child, who will need to learn to conform to societal norms?”

“That is one of dozens of interpretations. There may be opposition by the old guard churches, who want to shut us down, and Melissa is the key to stopping our persecution.

“With the first five cards, I got the distinct impression that each card corresponded to a person. With this one though, I got nothing. It could be a person, but most likely, it is a situation or an ethical dilemma.”

Henry pondered. “So, of the six cards you saw in your vision. You have three of them nailed down. One may be referring to my late wife, and two, the Magician and the Hierophant, are complete blanks.”

Livia nodded. “That’s about right.”

Henry stood up. “Well, you’ve given me a lot to ponder.”

The high priestess stood as well. She grabbed the bottom hem of her short toga, as if to pull it over her head. “If you like, we can spend some time worshiping the goddess. She may give us more insights.”

He shook his head. “I am overwhelmed, and not really in the mood tonight.”
She didn’t seem offended. “I understand. Maybe next time.”

Later that night, as Henry was trying to go to sleep, he started thinking about what he had refused that night. He got an erection, and started to masturbate.

About halfway into it, he suddenly stopped. He remembered what Livia said about all kinds of love being sacred to Venus. Should he be masturbating, without an idol or incense?”

Suddenly all desire to jerk off went away. He rolled over and went to sleep.

“I need to talk to my clergy tomorrow,” he muttered.

The next day he called the Church of Love during his lunch break. Ember answered.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Ember. Good, just the girl I wanted to talk to. Could I come over and speak to you for a few minutes after I get off work?”

“Sure. We’ll just hold on to Melissa when you come over, so we can talk.”

“Sounds great.”

He arrived at the church around the usual time. The front door was locked. Bernard was the one who opened the door.”

“Hey, Henry. Melissa and Ember went to the grocery store. They should be back soon.”

“And Livia and Altena?”

“They are out talking to businesses, finding places to hang our flyers.”

“I see. In a way, it is fortunate that you’re here alone. I have a question, and it is probably best if I ask it to a man.” He proceeded to ask his question about masturbating at home.

Bernard thought for a few seconds, stroking his beard, then replied. “If you were a priest or priestess, it would be a definite no-no. We could masturbate on the altar, and that would be okay. But to be honest, I rarely, if ever masturbate. There is almost always a worshiper or a priestess who will tap my sexual energies.”

“So I don’t need an idol at my bed?” he asked.

“I’m sure the goddess would appreciate it, and might shine a blessing on you. And seeing the whole Melissa situation, you probably need all the blessings you can get. I’ll see if I can find a spare around here. They are all made by a company in New England, and are pretty expensive.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

At that moment, Ember and Melissa came back from the Walmart across the street.

The acolyte’s arms were full of groceries. Even Melissa held a small bag. “Sorry we’re late,” said Ember. “We got a little carried away shopping.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” said Henry. “I hope you didn’t buy bread.”

Ember shook her head. “We have almost a loaf left. Why?”

“I have three loaves for you in my car.”

“That’s very nice. You didn’t steal them from work, did you?”

“No way. The bakery over-produces loaves all the time. Employees take them home to their families. I asked my boss if I could take some to the church I had just joined. And he said ‘sure’.”
Ember smiled. “That was very nice of you and generous of your boss. May the goddess bless both of you and your families.

“Why don’t you help me put up the groceries?”

Bernard escorted Melissa to a side room on the other side of the temple. “Let’s work some more on that puzzle.”

Henry turned to Ember. “That was very smooth.”

“Thank you. But, I really would like your help putting up the groceries.”

As they started putting away the boxes and cans in the kitchen, Ember said, “Now, what do you want to talk about?”

“About your pregnancy: I am the father, and I’d like to be responsible.”

The red-head leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Aren’t you the noble one! That’s so sweet. But as far as I’m concerned, Venus is as much responsible for me being knocked up, as you are. I had loved hundreds of men, and this is the first time this has ever happened. It is said that priestesses of Venus don’t get preggers unless the goddess wants them to be.”

“I see. But I still want to help raise this child.”

“Just be extra generous with your donations to the church. You will find that the tax write-off for charitable donations is a lot better on the tax form, than trying to deduct child support payments.”

He nodded. “I see.”

“Is there anything else?” the acolyte asked.

“Have you spoken to Livia lately?”

“Not really. Since she channeled Aphrodite I’ve felt a little intimidated. She has this aura about her. She’s had a sacred experience, and I don’t know quite how to talk to
her.

“And I really need to talk to her.”

“What about,” said Henry, sitting down at the kitchen table. All the groceries had been put away.

“The goddess spoke to me when we were on the altar. Some things I don’t understand.”

“Why don’t you tell me? I might be able to give some insight.”

Ember looked skeptically at him, but sighed and sat down next to him. “Venus said that I should give up on becoming a priestess for a while.”

That stunned Henry. “Really?”

She nodded. “She didn’t say it as an order, but more like a strong suggestions. But I don’t want to quit. I love being in Her service.”

“Did you ask her why?”

“It wasn’t that kind of meeting. Think back to when she spoke to you, telling you to pull Melissa from school. Did she give you an opportunity to ask her questions?”
Henry held up his hands. “Point taken. Did she say anything else?”

“Two things: First that if I did quit, I would have the opportunity to rejoin later.”

“That’s encouraging.”

“But the last thing she said has me puzzled. I have turned it over in my mind. I’ve lost sleep thinking about it.”

Henry didn’t speak. He waited for her to spit it out.

“She said I’d give up being a priestess, but I’d get to be an empress. Now does that make any sense to you?”

Henry’s was surprised, to say the least. “It makes a lot of sense. You really should have talked to Livia. She’d have explained it all to you.”

For the next fifteen minutes, he told her about Livia’s vision, and how they were finally able to interpret it.

“So, the goddess wants me to be this Empress? Does that mean we should get married? You are the Emperor.”

“Not necessarily. You could stay on as our nanny. There doesn’t need to be any kind of romantic relationship at all, unless we want one.”

“But I’m not any kind of mother figure. I’ve never been a mother. Until now.” She paused and stroked her still flat belly.

“It makes sense though. One of the possible meanings of that card is fertility and pregnancy. You fill the card’s requirements.”

“She didn’t say I had to.”

“I’m sure there may be other women who could fill this role in Melissa’s life, but Aphrodite seems to think you’d do the best job.

“And think of this: How effective a priestess, or even an acolyte, will you be if you defy your goddess’ wishes?”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Ember admitted.

She leaned back and stretched her arms. “Living with you would not be the worst fate in the world. You were the best sex I’d had in a while. It may have been the goddess’ presence, but still…”

“And you were one fantastic fuck, yourself.”

“Whoa! Better not say that word around Livia!”

“What word?”

“The f-word. She does not like that word at all!”

“Why?”

“I’m going to end up quoting her, but my mom thinks that the f-word refers to raw animal sex. The kind that cats, and dogs, have in back alleys. It is all instinctual, no love involved. It goes against everything we stand for. If there were such a thing as blasphemy, to Livia, it is that word.”

Henry nodded. “I see. I’ll try to watch my language around her. But, what about you? What do you think about the f-word?”
Ember thought for a second. “Not quite as strong as mom, but I still don’t like it. It is not a kind word. It is almost never used in love. About the nicest usage is the way you just used it.”

“I meant it in a sexy complimentary way. No disrespect was intended.”

The acolyte leaned over and kissed him. “I know that. And I took it in the spirit it was offered.”

He kissed her back. In just a few seconds, the intensity of the kiss escalated. When they finally broke, they were both out of breath.

Ember leered at Henry, and stroked the erection that was bulging in his pants. “Why don’t we go find out how we are together, without having the goddess herself standing over us.”

The baker nodded. “Sure thing.”

She headed towards the back room. “I’ll be back in just a minute.”

True to her word, in less than sixty seconds she was back. Gone were her jeans and shirt. Back was the sheer toga of a priestess. Barely seeing her nipples and red pubic hair, through the fabric, increased his arousal, greatly.

Ember took his hand and led him to the door that was the entrance to the temple.

“Aren’t we going back to your room?”

The acolyte laughed. “You wouldn’t want that. My room is not much larger than a closet. My twin bed takes up all the space. My shelves are full of books, and knickknacks. I would have trouble finding a place to put my idol.”

“So, your bedroom is just for sleeping?”

“Exactly; if I have sex, it would be either on the altar, or at someone else’s house.”

They had reached the main temple entrance. Ember shucked off her toga. “You need to disrobe, before you go inside. For worship services, it is optional, but not for this.”
The acolyte went on in, while Henry hurriedly undressed.

When he entered, Ember was already on the altar, on all fours. She posed provocatively, showing off her generous tits and ass.

He must have been gawking, since she said, “do you like what you see?”
Henry blushed. “Your body is just like your mother’s.”

She shrugged. “Most priestesses have great figures. It is said to be a gift from the goddess.”

He climbed up onto the altar. “That makes sense. After all, she is the goddess of beauty, as well as love.”

“It would be a shame if I lost all this when I quit.”

“But you’re doing it at the goddess’ personal request. You shouldn’t be punished for that.”

“We’ll see.”

The altar was the size of a full-size bed. Like last Sunday, it was well padded, and covered with a shiny copper-colored cloth.

Henry was kneeling on the altar, but Ember grabbed his hand, and pulled him down, so he was lying beside her. “We have time,” she whispered. “Let’s take time and savor it.”

He decided to follow her lead. He leaned in and kissed her lips deeply. With a free hand, he stroked her hip and thigh.

The acolyte let out a gasp. “We, sacred ones, are also more sexually sensitive and responsive than most. Oh yes!” she moaned as he stroked her breasts.

He leaned in ran his tongue over her erect points. His hand went down and stroked the delicate flesh between her thighs.

Ember cried out again. “Oh wow! I said we were to take it slow but you seem eager go forward to the main event.”

The baker stopped. “If you want, I can go slower.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve gotten feedback that I’m too eager, and tend to rush into sex, rather than take time to explore all the sensual possibilities. I have been making the effort to slow my pace. But it seems we have a similar proclivity. That is promising.”

Henry got up from his side laying position. “So, how do you want to do this?”
Ember got back on her hands and knees. “I have always been partial to doggie-style; how about you?”

He crawled behind her ass. “It’s one of my favorites too.”

She lowered her head, until her large breasts just touched the altar. “Does that angle work for you?”

Henry pushed his penis tip between the lips of her vulva. “That looks about right.”
A thin dribble seeped out of her lips. “Good.” she panted. “Now fill me, stud.”

He thrust his hips forward, “Yes, Ma’am!”

The acolyte cried out arching her back. “Oh yes! That’s it!” She slowly started rotating her hips.

“Careful.” Henry cautioned. “Let it build slowly, unless you want me to finish quickly.”

“So sorry,” she said. “I’ll let you take the lead.”

He pulled out slowly, until just the head was still in her, then shoved his cock back into her abruptly.”

She moaned her pleasure.

He repeated the slow pull out and quick shove, three more times, until he’d reached his limit. “I’m about to come,” he warned her.

The red-head started gyrating her hips again. “That’s good. I’m ready to come too. So fill me with your cum.”

Henry frantically got as many strokes in until he let go. He shoved his hips against her ass, and sent a jet of sperm into her womb.

That set her off. Her pussy clamped down on his cock, and her whole body shuddered.

They both collapsed on the altar. “That was wonderful,” sighed Ember.
A smattering of applause broke out. Livia, Altena, and Bernard were standing by the entrance.

Ember raised her head. “What are you all doing here?”

Livia shrugged. “We just got back from posting flyers, and saw the clothes by the temple door. We were curious and decided to see who was doing what to whom.
Very inspirational, dear.”

Henry was relieved to see that his daughter was not in sight. “Where’s Melissa?”

“She’s still working the puzzle. She wanted to know when you’d be ready to leave, so
I set off to track you down. I saw your clothes by the entrance, so I decided to take a look.”

Ember shook her head. “They are not much into privacy. But then again, neither am I.”

Henry smiled, and whispered into his lover’s ear. “Looks like we’ll have to have another round, some other time.”

“Like, maybe, tonight?”

He hugged her. “I’d like that.”

The couple climbed off the altar.

“Go get Melissa,” he said to Bernard. “We’ll be leaving soon.”

Ember spoke to Livia. “I need to speak to all of you in the kitchen. I have made a major decision.”

Henry was still dressing, when Melissa appeared.

“Why did you take so long?” asked young blonde?

“I’m sorry, sweetie. But Ember needed my help in making a major decision.”

“What kind of decision?”

“It looks like she’ll be living with us for a while.”

 

American Pagan – Chapter 5: Beautification

That evening, all four members of the temple staff showed up at Henry’s door. Each was holding a box of Ember’s personal possessions. Melissa jumped up and down, assuming that this was the start of a party.

“You don’t have much stuff,” said Henry.

The red head shrugged. “The life of an acolyte is a simple one.”

“There is a guest room, second door on the right, upstairs. That will be your room.”

Livia snorted. “Yeah, right. Like you’re not going to be tapping that ass every night.”

“Henry and I have decided to take it slow,” said Ember.

The high priestess pulled out her pocketbook. “I’ll bet either one of you, one hundred dollars, that in the next month, that you will spend exactly zero nights in that guest bedroom.”

Henry held up his hands. “I don’t want to take money from my church.”

“Then give it back as a donation.”

Ember shook her head.

“This relationship is too new. We are still establishing what it is going to be. You may be right, but then again, I may spend almost every night sleeping alone. My main job here is to help raise Melissa. So, no bet.”

The five, including Melissa, went up to the spare bedroom, and unceremoniously dropped their loads on the bed.

Bernard opened the box he was carrying, and fished out a small statue. “I tried to find a spare idol for you, but there were none. But we’re letting Em keep hers, so you can use it.”

“Thank you.”

“I do have a spare Eros statue for you. Consider it a house warming gift. It is good to have both the male as well as the female side of sensuality in your bedroom.”

“This is great, Bernard. Thank you.”

Henry had never seen a Eros/Cupid statue before, and it didn’t look like the Valentine’s Day cherub he expected. It was a copper statue of a naked young man. He was holding a bow and arrow, and had small wings in his back, that could not possibly give him enough lift to fly. Contrary to their size, those were working. Cupids feet barely touched the ground. Only his tiptoes touched the base. He took both idols and carefully placed them on the headboard of his bed.

“I have some refreshments downstairs, if you wish. It is nothing special, mind you.”

The small party filed down the stairs, and into the living room. Henry brought out a large bowl of freshly popped popcorn, and bottle of cheap champagne, and a can of Coke for Melissa. He passed out wine glasses to the adults.

Livia took the glass away from Ember. “Uh uh, you’re pregnant. Remember.”

Henry smack himself. “That’s right. I keep forgetting. There is no sign of your condition.”

Altena patted his arm. “It’s perfectly understandable. Most girls would have no clue just four days into the pregnancy, let alone anyone else.

He went back into the kitchen and brought out a glass with ice in it and a can of Diet Coke.

Everyone snacked and made small talk until the bottle was empty and the popcorn was gone. The guests were about to leave, when Altena whispered in her mother’s ear. Livia smacked her forehead. “I knew we were forgetting something.

“Can we go up and change in the guestroom?”

“Help yourself,” said Henry.

Altena and her mother went upstairs, leaving the rest behind.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“You’ll see,” said Ember.

A few minutes later, the high priestess and priestess descended the stairs, dressed in their priestly robes. Each had a incense holder in her hand, with a cone of unlit incense on it. Livia handed a box of wooden matches to the homeowner.

“If you would do the honors.”

Still mystified, Henry lit the two cones of incense.

“Don’t worry,” whispered Altena. “It’s a different kind of incense.”

And indeed it was. It had a sweet flowery scent to it, instead of the spicy scent of the other kind.

Livia spoke. “I should have done this the second time I came here, but I spaced. This is a ritual that blesses the home and all who live in it.”

Walking around the living room, the priestess chanted a set of Greek words, Then walked to the entry closet and repeated the same words.

Ember whispered to Henry. “They are saying ‘Goddess bless this room.”

“Why isn’t Bernard participating.”

Bernard whispered back. “I’m just an acolyte. You have to be a full priest to perform ceremonies like this.”

They went down the hall to the kitchen. There, they opened all the drawers and cabinets. Every space in the kitchen was exposed to the chant and incense. From there they went to the dining room, then upstairs to the bedrooms. Again, all the closets and drawers and bathrooms were blessed. Livia pointed up to the door in the ceiling, that had a pull rope dangling.

“I assume this leads to the attic. Could you open it for us?”

Henry pulled the lid open and a steep set of stairs unfolded. The two climbed up and blessed the attic.

When they came down, Altena asked. “Do you have a basement? Even a root cellar?”

“Nope. No basement.”

“Did we miss anything?” Livia asked earnestly.

“Well you didn’t do the garage,” Henry joked.

Livia gasped. “That’s right, the garage. We should do the car as well.”

Again, they opened all the cabinets of the garage. They also opened the doors, hood, trunk, glove compartment of Henry’s ten year old Toyota. They blessed every square inch.

The two placed the remains of the incense by the front door, and let it burn out, as they went upstairs to change back into their normal street clothes.

As they descended the stairs, Henry said, “You sure are thorough.”

“That is specified in the instructions.”

“I got some sad news today, Henry. I’ve already shared it with everyone else. Anna, my friend, and founder of this church, has gone to be with her goddess in the Elysium Fields.”

“She died? Oh Livia, I’m so sorry.”

Tears trickled down the high priestess’ cheeks. “She’d had a stroke last Sunday in New York, about a half hour after services. She’s been in the hospital ever since.

“She was in her seventies, but still.”

Ember suddenly turned pale. “Mom, New York is an hour ahead of us right?”
Livia looked confused. “Right.”

“So the time she had her stroke was about the same time Venus manifested in you.”

She covered her mouth. “You’re right.”

Henry spoke everyone else was thinking. “I guess the goddess only wants one high priestess at a time.”

Altena shook her head. “That wasn’t true, in the past. Many Greek cities had a high priestess, all serving at the same time.”

“But there were more worshipers back then,” said Bernard.

“I will need to pray to the goddess about this,” said Livia, at last.

After the visitors left, Henry and Ember put Melissa to bed.

As they were tucking her in, the blonde girl looked up at the new household member, and said “Are you going to be my new mommy?”

Ember flushed.

“Honey, you have only have one mommy, I can never take her place. For now, I am just your new housekeeper. If it progresses any further than that, you’ll be the first to know.”

Melissa seemed to accept that. She nodded her head. The two adults both kissed her forehead, and then turned out the lights. They headed down stairs to clean up the mess the visitors left behind. As they were loading the dishwasher, Henry asked, “Is that all you see your roll in household being, the housekeeper?”

Ember nodded.

“In part. I just wanted to keep it simple for her. Did you really want me to tell her that I was also your girlfriend/ mistress?

”Point taken.”

Once the dishwasher was running, they went out to the living room. Henry used a manual vacuum to clean a few crumbs on the carpet, while Ember wiped off the counters. Once everything was straight, they went up to Henry’s bedroom. Once they were inside, he closed the door.

“I see you learned your lesson from the first two times”, said Ember, with a smirk.

Henry sighed. “I like to keep the door open, when I sleep. It helps me keep an eye on her, and makes me feel more secure, knowing where she is.”

She patted his arm.

“That’s perfectly understandable. When we are ready to sleep, we’ll open the door.”

Henry pointed to the walk in closet and the chest of drawers next to it.

“That contains all of Lisa’s old clothes and stuff. I kept meaning to throw it out, now I’m glad I didn’t. They should fit you fairly well. She was about the same height as you. She had a much smaller bust than you, but I think most of her other measurements are the same.”

Ember made a quick scan of the clothes.

“You don’t know much about women’s clothes, do you?”

He flushed. “Um, not really.”

“Lisa was quite a bit taller than me. None of her tops or pants fit me. I may be able to fit into some skirts and panties. But why anyone wears panties is beyond me.” She paused. “Maybe when you wear a short skirt; so as not to shock everyone.”

Henry pointed at the third drawer down. “Did you check the lingerie drawer?”

She pulled it open. “Same problem. All her tops are too small. And while the bottoms may fit, they are all are part of matching sets.”

“What about that baby doll nightie? The top is loose enough that it should fit you. And the bottom has string ties. That should fit you too.”

Ember found the outfit. “It might fit. Pink has never been my color.”

She flashed him a mischievous grin. “Would you like me to try it on?”

“Very much so.”

She dropped her jeans to the floor.

“No, no! Go change in the bathroom. I want to see the end result all at once.”

The ex-acolyte shrugged and went to change in the other room.

A few minutes later, Ember called out. “I’m ready!”

Henry had stripped down to just his underwear and socks. “Come on out.”

She walked out with the filmy lingerie on. She tried to strike a sexy pose, wearing the loose teddy and thong bikini bottom, but seemed nervous.

“Is something wrong?”

Ember seemed flustered. “This is weird. I feel … embarrassed. No … self-conscience is a better word. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this way before.”

“When was the last time you’ve worn something like this?”

“This is my first time, unless you count my usual toga.”

“That explains it. This is new to you, and that’s why you’re so uncomfortable.”

“It would be better in black, or even red.”

Henry nodded. “The pink does clash with your red hair.”

“So, can I take it off now?”

He stood up. The bulge in his underpants showed that he liked her look. “Here. Let me take it off for you.”

Henry reached up under the nightie and fondled her freckled breasts.

She gasped and closed her eyes from his attention.

He ran his hands down her torso. When they reached her hips, he pulled both strings on the side of the thong underwear. The skimpy panty fell away.

The redhead kissed her lover. He returned it, their tongues intertwined.

The baker, grasping her waist, lifted her off the ground. He carryied her to the bed, and laid her down.

“I never realized you were so strong!” she exclaimed.

“I carry heavy loads all day. Not that you are a heavy load…”

She cut him off with a kiss.

Henry reached down, and pulled off his briefs.

Ember look up at the two idols, and was about to say something, but stopped. “That’s right. I don’t do that anymore,” she whispered to herself.

“Don’t do what?”

“I was about to ask Venus to consecrate our union. But I can’t do that…” Tears started to form, but he cut them off by pushing his cock into her.

Her eyes widened. “Oh my! Henry! You are so … so kinky.”

This puzzled him. “In what way?” he asked, as he slid out for another thrust.

“We’re having sex with me while I’m still dressed. Oh, yes!”

He laughed. “I wouldn’t call wearing see-through nightie, dressed.”

“But as an acolyte … All sex was done nude.”

Henry started speeding up the pace. “Really?” he grunted.
“Uh huh! Love is all about making contact with … with other people as intimately as possible. Yes, yes, yes, lover! Harder!”

The man pounded her as hard as he could. All talk fell away, as carnal passions rose.

The red head cried out as she came. Her whole body shook in orgasm.

Henry followed soon after, spraying her already pregnant womb with more sperm.

As he pulled out, Ember purred. “Oh yeah! You are so fine, lover. I don’t think I could ever get tired of you.”

He lay next to her, catching his breath. “So, your mom took your announcement that you were quitting well?”

Ember nodded. “I told them about my vision, first. And once I told her about me being the Empress, that settled things.

“‘At least you will become a priestess in the future, ‘ was her response, once she had a moment to digest what I told her.”

Henry objected. “But that’s not what She said. Venus said you’d have the opportunity to become a priestess again.”

“I know. But I didn’t want to make her coping harder.

“Anyway, they had only had one request, before I left. Want to guess?”

He pondered for a minute. “I haven’t a clue.”

“They want me to continue leading singing at services.”

“None of them can sing?” asked Henry.

Ember shook her head. “My mother and half-sister are fair singers, at best. And Bernard is completely tone-deaf.”

“I guess you agreed to their terms.”

“Of course I did. I love singing. I was about to ask for the same thing, before Bernard brought it up.”

Henry turned to face his lover. “You do have a beautiful singing voice.”

She leaned forward and kissed him. “Thank you. I’ll have to hear you sing some time.”

The next Sunday, attendance at services was even larger. Every loveseat was filled. More friends of the previous attendees were there, as well as the girl Livia talked to at the new age book store, and the one salesgirls at Victoria’s Secret where Ember went shopping on Tuesday.

Both Henry and Ember were nude from the get go, this time.

The lingerie salesgirl brought her boyfriend, but the book girl came alone. Bernard sat with her, at first, but Livia quickly took her place.

“I didn’t know Livia was bisexual,” said Henry.

“We all are. It is a requirement,” said Ember. “To the goddess, love is love. It doesn’t matter who the attraction is to.”

“So, you’ve…”

“Had sex with girls? Oh yeah! All the time. Last Tuesday, Altena and I went on visitation at Lily and Francine’s place. You know the two lesbians from last week. They had some friends over. We ended up having sex with all four of them. It got really wild, to say the least.”

Henry looked concerned. “So, which do you like better? Men or women?”

The former acolyte kissed him. “Don’t worry. If it were up to me, I’d be strictly into guys. But it wasn’t up to me as a servant of Aphrodite.”

“You poor thing,” he said, teasingly.

“It wasn’t so bad,” she said. “Each gender has something to offer. After a few times, you come to realize that the goddess is right, love is love, regardless of the gender.”
A new realization dawned on the baker. “That means that Bernard is also bisexual.”

Ember nodded. “That’s right. A few days ago, he went to Lenny and Bruce’s apartment on visitation. He did both of them.”

Henry shook his head. “I had been thinking of being a priest as a possible alternate profession. But I don’t think I could do that.”

“When you dedicate yourself to Venus or Cupid, your perspective changes.

“You wouldn’t be allowed to join our clergy anyway. You have a conflicting responsibility, with Melissa.”

While they had been talking, Livia had been having an earnest conversation with the salesgirl, who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She was completely dressed, and had long brown permed curly hair, and a pair of wire framed glasses. She stood up, and almost like she was in a trance, she started to undress.

Again the incense-laced candles were burning at all four corners of the stage. Their effects were obvious on every unclothed member of the congregation.

Ember took the stage, and gave a brief explanation of her changed status.

Few looked surprised. Gossip travels fast, just like in any church, mused Henry.
She then led the congregation in singing “I Kissed a Girl,” and “Love Me Tender.”
Livia then took the stage. “I was going to tell you another story about Venus, but an urgent situation came up that needs our attention.

“Earlier this week I went to a bookstore. In there I met a very helpful young lady named Gloria.”

The high priestess motioned, and the woman that had been sitting next to her. She climbed onto the stage.

She stood next to Livia, with her hands clasped so they covered her crotch

Livia whispered in her ear, and Gloria put her hands on her thighs.

Now that she was naked, it was obvious that the clerk was a good thirty to forty pounds overweight. She had roll of fat across her belly, cottage cheese thighs and butt, and large sagging breasts. She also had acne scars on her face that she covered with pancake makeup, with marginal success.

Livia continued. “As I talked to her in the store, I could tell she was very sad. It turns out she was close to despair. Tell them, dear.”

Gloria bowed her head, and started talking at a level barely over a whisper. As she continued, she got louder. “I … I was about to kill myself. I’d bought a fifth of vodka and a bottle of sleeping pills. That night, I was going to park my car in the garage, keep the engine running, and end it all.”

“And why would you want to do something like that?” asked Livia.

Tears trickled down her cheek. “I have no friends. Nobody, not even my mom, loves me. I am fat and ugly. I am twenty-five years old, and no man has wanted to touch me, let alone make love to me.”

The high priestess hugged her, and again whispered in her ear.

“Thank you for being so honest with us, Gloria.

“Aphrodite teaches us that we are all beautiful. With some, their beauty is buried deep inside and needs to be released. If you’d like I can help you release that beauty.”
Hope glimmered in her teary eyes. “You can do that?”

Livia nodded. “But it will be you that will make it happen. You will have to pour yourself out to Venus. Tell her your pain, your need. If you do this, without holding anything back, She will fill you and bring out the beauty that is already inside you.”

“Really? She’d do that?”

“Oh yes! But you have to seek her with all your heart.”

“I’d like that,” she whispered.

“And another acolyte is born,” said Ember, softly.

“Really?” asked Henry.

“I’ve seen it happen several times before. If she is sincere, she will, within a few weeks, be barely recognizable; and completely devoted to the goddess.”

Livia continued. “And as to having no friends, you have a whole new family, who care for you very much.”

All over the temple, heads nodded.

Bernard climbed on the stage. He reached out and caressed her scarred cheek. His baby blue eyes locked with her brown. “I can see the beauty that is inside you. If you’d like, I’d very much like to make love to you.”

This stunned her. “Really? With me?”

“Really.” He held out his hand, and after a moment of hesitation, she took it.

Hand in hand, they walked down the steps of the stage. At the bottom of the stage, he took her in his arms and gave her a deep, passionate kiss.

Her legs gave out, and Bernard took her up in his arms.

“I must be dreaming,” whispered Gloria.

He took her to the altar and laid her under Aphrodite’s idol, and took off his toga.
When she saw what was about to happen, she panicked. “I-I can’t! Not here, in front of everyone!”

Livia looked down on her. “This is the first step. Give yourself over, body and soul to Venus. Make your intentions open to the world. If you don’t do this, you are not serious.”

She took over a minute to decide. She looked at Bernard, and saw his true desire for her. She then looked at the congregation. They all were looking with support and acceptance. No sign of scorn or judgment was evident. Finally she looked up at the idol and Livia. Both were watching patiently, to see if she really wanted to transform her life.

Gloria laid back and spread her legs. “Let’s do this,” she said.

Bernard looked confused. “Do what?”

“Take me. Fill me. Make me a vessel for my goddess!” she cried.

He smiled. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

He climbed up on the altar and crawled between her legs. With his erect member at the gates of her virgin womb, he kissed her deeply. She responded, thrusting her tongue into his mouth.

The male acolyte shifted his hips, pushing his penis into her.

She cried out. “Oh, Yes! It’s so good.”

Gloria writhed as he moved inside her. “It-It’s incredible! So much better than my toys!”

Livia, also naked, climbed onto the altar. Her gaze locked on the clerk’s eyes. She said something in Greek, and then kissed her.

After being stunned for a second, Gloria returned the kiss, fueling her passion even higher.

Without Henry noticing, Ember had also climbed on the altar, beside the woman, and started nibbling and sucking one of her breasts, and caressing and tweaking the other…

She pulled her face away from Livia. Her head thrashed back and forth. “Oh yes! Coming! Yes! So good! So good!”

Bernard pulled out. Spent.

The high priestess looked at her. “Have you had enough? Do you want more?”

“Not enough,” she panted. “More. More!”

Livia looked around. “Anyone want to help our sister?”

Henry stepped up. His erection proclaimed his intent.

Gloria’s eyes lit up. “Come on. Fill me. Make me one with Venus.”

Once he had entered her, Livia pushed the initiate’s head back to the padded altar, and then straddled her face.

Panic swept over her. “I-I’ve never done anything like this!” she cried.

The high priestess started chanting in Greek. Gloria stopped protesting, and eagerly opened her mouth.

Livia lowered her labia just above her mouth.

The initiate stuck out her tongue and licked her slit.

The teacher sighed. She whispered softly, so only Gloria, Ember, and Henry could hear. “That’s very nice. Now try again, but this time flick my clit at the end.”

She thrust her tongue deeper on her second attempt, and true to her instructions, gave Livia’s clit a strong flick.

The high priestess moaned, “Oh, yes. That’s very good.” She lowered her pelvis, until Gloria face was buried in her pussy. The initiate happily munched and licked away at her teacher’s muff.

Henry, meanwhile, was thrusting and withdrawing from the girl’s vagina, at slow and deliberate pace. He was pacing himself so he wouldn’t come too soon. Two weeks ago, he wouldn’t have the ability to control his orgasms this effectively. But since he had the power bestowed on him by Venus, he had control he’d never had before.

From the way she was twitching and writhing, the black-haired girl was either having either multiple orgasms or one long orgasm.

Eventually, even Henry’s control gave way, and he cried out, and pumped a load of semen into her. Another man, Richard, stepped up to fill the insatiable girl.

A sated Livia climbed off of her and switched places with Ember. The red-head climbed on top of Gloria’s face, and let the initiate practice her new skills on her. Elaine, Richard’s wife, took the other side of the girl’s breasts from the high priestess, and licked and nipped at the breast on her side.

In turn, each man and woman, except the gay men, took turns at Gloria, trying to satisfy her. They did not succeed. If anything, her passion was escalating with each lover.

Bernard was about to take a second turn, when Livia raised her hand. “Enough! It is getting late, and our new sister need to spend some time in prayer, and self-gratification.”

Grudgingly, everyone got dressed and left the worship hall, leaving just Gloria, Livia, and Bernard. Henry, who was the last one to leave looked back, and saw the high priestess showing the initiate how to pray, on her knees, in front of the altar, with her arms spread wide.

“Was your initiation like this?” he asked Ember, as he dressed in the cloakroom.

“Oh no. I was raised in the church, and my need for transformation was minor. For about a week I was super horny, and spent almost all my time at prayer. I gained two cup-sizes and slightly wider hips, but that was all.

“Now Gloria is going to need more of Aphrodite’s favor. Until she is finished, all she will do is pray, masturbate, and have sex. She will eat and sleep at the altar, under the goddess’ gaze. A bedpan will be set out for her to use. It will be Bernard’s duty, as he is the only acolyte left, to empty it.”

“Sounds rough for her,” said Henry

His lover nodded. “Grueling. She will expend a lot of calories and sleep up to twelve hours a day.

“But, some of our most ardent and faithful priests are born this way. Bernard, for example, went through a similar ordeal.”

“Really? I find it hard to believe that such a handsome, buff man would have been in need of such a ritual.”

“Believe it. There are pictures of him before he joined our clergy, but it is his story to tell, not mine.

“We can both expect to get a call from the church several times this week. They will need us to help Gloria through this time.”

Henry and Ember went to the children’s room to pick up Melissa. It turns out that more children arrived after they dropped her off. Richard and Elaine brought their twin sons Rick and Jason, who were about her age, and Geoff and Alice took their daughter Valerie to the class. She was two years older than Melissa.

“How was class?” asked Henry.

The blonde girl smiled. “Great! I like not being alone in class all the time. I miss not being around kids my age.”

Ember nodded. “That makes sense.”

“I tried to talk them into coming and joining me, studying here at the church. But they didn’t like that almost all my classes are taken on the internet.”

“Don’t worry,” said Henry. “A new teacher will be coming soon.”

The eight-year old nodded. “That’s what I hear. I hope she arrives soon.”

“So do I, kiddo. So do I.”

Henry was surprised that it wasn’t until Wednesday evening that he got called to come in and service Gloria.

Altena opened the door for him.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to just give me a key? That way I don’t have to wait for someone to hear me. And you don’t have to stop what you are doing to let me in.”

The priestess nodded. “That makes sense. I’ll bring it up with my mom.”

Henry disrobed and entered the temple. Altena and Bernard were in the process of helping Gloria take a sponge bath.

When the initiate saw Henry’s naked form, she looked at him with mixture of fatigue, relief, and lust. “Are you here to fuck me?” she whispered with an intensity that almost scared Henry.

Altena slapped her hand, like she was little child. “You are not to use that word. Henry is here because he loves you and cares about you. Isn’t that right?”

The baker nodded.

“He is not here just to have animal sex with you.”

Gloria bowed her head. “I know. I’m sorry Mr. Martin.”

He held up his hands. “It’s Henry, please. And it’s okay. I’m not offended.”

Though it had only been three days, Gloria’s transformation was already evident. She had already lost at least ten pounds, and the acne scars were all but gone.

Henry waited for them to finish cleaning her. It was evident that they were not trying to wash her hair. It was a tangled mess.

The former clerk sat on the edge of the altar, her legs spread wide. “Please. Come fu- fulfill my needs. I’ve missed your big thick cock. I need you inside me so bad.”

He climbed onto the altar, his penis only at half-mast.

Gloria dived onto it, licking and sucking, trying to bring his erection to full bloom. What she lacked in skill, she made up with enthusiasm. Soon, he was fully erect.

Altena then took charge. “Gloria, you still need to work on your technique on top.”

“Henry, would you please lay back.”

When he did so, the sex-crazed girl was on top of him. She straddled his member, and expertly, with her hands, guided him inside her.

“Very good,” said the priestess. “But now, you need to work up a rhythm. Franticly bouncing is ineffective. You could hurt Henry, besides.”

That made her pause. Gloria pulled out slowly. With a slow pace, she started riding his cock.

“Now use your hips also. Thrust forward as you go in, backward as you go out.”

She let out a grunt. “Oh yeah! That’s much better.” The initiate started speeding up the pace.

Henry reached up and grabbed her flabby breasts. “Very nice,” he gasped.

Gloria’s efforts soon had her sweaty again. Her tangled hair flew every which way as she rode his erection.

“I’m close to coming,” he warned.

Altena touched her shoulder. “Now is the time to decide. If you are close too, keep the same pace. If you are behind, slow down. Give yourself time to catch up.”

“N-No! I’m close too.” Gloria exclaimed. She continued riding him hard.

“I’m coming!” cried Henry. His hips thrust up, pouring his semen into her.

That set her off, as well. She cried out. Shaking, she fell off him, onto the altar.

As he sat up, the young priestess patted his shoulder. “Thank you, Henry. My mom will arrange for your next session.”

The baker walked back to the foyer. Livia was waiting for him.

“Is Saturday morning okay?”

He nodded, as he got dressed. “What exactly is Gloria going through?”

The high priestess paused. “She is bathing in the goddess’ presence. This is repairing her damaged skin, and giving her the body she has always wanted.”

“I just realized that she wasn’t wearing glasses.”

Livia nodded. “That was the first change she experienced. Venus doesn’t always fix eyesight. But in her case, she decided it was important to her self-image.

“Now in exchange for all this energy, Gloria is feeding the goddess with her praise, and sexual sacrifices.”

“So, it’s a feedback loop.”

“Exactly. Aphrodite gives her healing and increased libido. And Gloria gives her back worship and even more with sexual energy, from her partners.

“This will continue until the goddess deems her worthy to be a representative of her.”

“I was expecting to have been called in earlier,” he said.

“You would have, last week. But our numbers almost tripled in between Sundays. I wanted to meet, and get to know our new members, so I called them in first.”

“Were all of them willing to help?”

“A couple of the gay men were, at first, not willing to have sexual relations with a woman. But I told them they were doing this out of love, and all but two were willing to either have anal sex with her, or at least let her perform oral sex on them.”

Henry buckled his belt. “That’s good.”

Livia changed the subject. “How are things between you and my daughter?”

“Ember and I are fine.”

“And the sex?”

He almost rebuffed her, but then realized who he was talking to. “You were right. Ember hasn’t used the guestroom at all.

“We’re doing great. She is having some trouble adjusting to life as regular civilian, not an acolyte.”

“That’s to be expected.

“You know she came in and helped Gloria this morning.”

“Yeah, she told me. She said she could really feel the presence of the goddess when she went down on her.”

“Ember’s spent all of her life in and around the temple. She highly attuned to Venus’ presence.”

“I would imagine so.”

Henry then changed the subject. “Why didn’t you tell me about Gloria, at the bookstore?”

Livia spread her hands. “I’m bound by confidentiality, like all priests. I didn’t know that Gloria was willing to go public about her pain until just before I took the pulpit.”

Henry nodded. “That makes sense.”

 

American Pagan – Chapter 6: Prestidigitation

Ten days after Gloria’s initiation started, there was a knock on the main entrance of the temple. Livia went to answer it. At the door was an elderly man, at least in his seventies. He was wearing a heavy coat, appropriate for the brisk December cold, and carrying a stout walking stick. Since believers were coming in and out of the temple, at all hours, to help in the initiation, all the clergy were wearing their priestly garb all the time. Livia was wearing her sheer full length robe. She did not recognize the man, but thought he looked harmless enough. She opened the door and stuck her head out.

“May I help you.”

The older man looked a bit sheepish.

“I hope so. I walk by your church every day, getting my exercise. For the past few weeks I’ve seen your sign on the door. And I’ve been wondering what kind of church this is. Today, I couldn’t take it any longer. I decided, what the hell, let’s knock on the door and see what’s what.”

Livia opened the door wide. “Please come in.”

Wiping his feet on the concrete outside. He came in. “Thank you.”

The high priestess took a good look at him. He was not a tall man. Five foot seven, approximately. He had a large nose, lively grey eyes, and sported a neatly trimmed white goatee. He was not wearing a hat, and his white wind-blown hair bore a strong resemblance to Albert Einstein’s.

“So, are you a big student of religion?”

The man smiled.

“Young lady, I am a student of almost all subjects. I have found that an inquiring mind keeps old age away.”

She nodded. “That sounds very wise.”

He looked around the nondescript foyer. “So, what kind of church is this, anyway?”

“We are devoted to Aphrodite/Venus and Eros/Cupid.”

His eye lit up. “A renewed ancient religion! Excellent! I see you use both the Greek and Roman names. As well you should. Besides the names, their worship and practices were virtually identical.”

He tended to run his thoughts and ideas together in a stream of consciousness that Livia found a bit dizzying.

“So, can you show me around? I’d be most interested.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but a sacred ceremony is going on in our worship area. Believers only are allowed.

“The only other thing I have to show you is our children’s room.” She opened the door to reveal a room that could be used as a third grade classroom in any school.”

He waved his hand. “Don’t you worry about it. I can come back another day and see you sanctuary. But I would like to learn more about your beliefs and practices. It would be most fascinating.”

“It would be my pleasure,” said Livia, offering him her arm. “I am Livia, by the way.”

He took it, as she lead him to the clerics’ dining area. “Of course it would. What priest, or priestess for that matter, would not bend over backwards to find a new convert.”

“And what older gentleman would not give up his eyeteeth to spend sometime with a younger woman…”

“A most attractive younger woman,” he added.

She chuckled. “You’re an old flirt.”

Livia sat him down at the small table by the kitchen. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name.”

“And I’m sorry I didn’t give it to you. I am Dr. Joshua Klingman.”

“A doctor? A medical doctor?”

He snorted. “Hardly. I have a PhD in mechanical engineering. I used to teach at Creighton University before I retired.”

This information peaked Livia’s interest. She had been looking for a teacher, for Melissa. This one seemed a bit too advanced for her, though. Both in age and education level.

“You say that you are a student of religions. What is your religious background?”

“I was raised an Orthodox Jew. But I have long since lapsed. I am an agnostic now.”

“What do you do with your time, now that you’re retired?”

“I’ve been retired for fifteen years. And when you have an inquiring mind, you find all kinds of things to occupy you time.

“I have a small shop, two blocks from here, that I open on weekends. I also open on appointment, or even if someone knocks on the door. I live in the rear of it, you see.”

“What kind of shop is it?”

“A magic shop; I sell illusions, both big and small.”

Livia started. “You’re a magician?”

“I am more of a retailer, rather than a practicing illusionist. But I have been known to perform for parties of all types. Are you looking to hire a performer?”

“Not exactly. I do have a story to tell you though. I think you’ll find it amazing.

“But, before I start, I have forgotten my manners. Would you like a cup of hot tea?”

“That would be lovely. The sunshine disguises the fact that it is fearfully cold out there. They say it will get down to the teens tonight.”

As she got the water to boil, the high priestess start telling her about Melissa and the vision she had about her, when she saw her at her home.

Just as the teakettle started to whistle, Bernard and Altena walked into the kitchen, both stark naked.

Bernard was talking. ” … my libido is a strong as any man, maybe stronger. But if we don’t have more members come in … Oh! I didn’t know we have visitors.”

Livia made introductions. “Dr. Klingman…”

“Please, call me Josh.”

“Josh, this is Bernard and Altena. My fellow priest and priestess.”

“I’m just an acolyte, actually,” said Bernard.

“Josh here, is a retired teacher, and a magician.”

The two regarded him with renewed interest.

“We’re very pleased to meet you,” said Altena warmly, shaking his hand.

“Wha-what’s going on? Why are all of you so interested in my hobby?”

“I’m sorry,” said Livia. “I was about to tell you about it, when they walked in.

“Altena. Bernard. I don’t think Josh is not quite used to so much casual nudity. Why don’t you two go get on some clothes on, while I bring him up to speed.”

Josh watched the young priestess’ curvaceous butt as it swayed down the hall. “Oh, if I were twenty years younger…” sighed the professor.

“What do you mean?” asked the high priestess.

“If I were younger, I’d make some serious moves on that fine piece of womanhood. You too, of course, Livia.”

“What’s to stop you now?”

“Let’s just say it has been a while since my line and tackle have worked property.”

“Impotence?!” she exclaimed. “You poor man! You definitely need this cup of tea.” She put the teabag in the cup and poured the steaming water in after it.

“It’s not so bad,” said Josh. “In my youth I made some foolish choices, letting my little head do the thinking. Today, I don’t have such distractions.”

“But don’t you miss the surge of arousal in your bloodstream Feeling your loins swell with desire?” she asked, setting the cup in front of him.

“Sometimes; like today,” he sighed. “But what are you going to do?”

He took a sip of the tea. “This is very good. I don’t think I’ve tasted this blend before.”

“It’s an old recipe,” said Livia.

“Now, you were telling me about this girl, Melissa. This vision you saw of her, and her life.”

“Right. And that just was the first time. A few days later, during services, I had an even stronger, supernatural vision…”

The high priestess proceeded to recount the time Venus took control of her body. Altena and Bernard, both in their priestly togas, quietly joined them. They added some details that Livia had left out.

Josh listened with great interest. “You know, if you told this to any of my Christian friends, they would say that you had experienced a demonic possession.”

Altena cut in. “But have you ever heard of a demon that would make everyone in a room horny, or prophesy into half a dozen minds simultaneously?”

He shook his head. “I can’t say I have. A most benevolent demon, if that is what it was.”

“It was the goddess, Aphrodite!” said Livia fervently. “I saw her. She was in me. I felt her love, and her mind. She had nothing but our goodwill at heart.”

The retiree held up his hands. “I believe you. I was just pointing out how others might interpret it.”

Livia resumed. “Anyway, one of my visions that Venus gave me then, was that of six elongated playing cards, numbered zero to five.”

“Sound like tarot cards” said Josh.

“You know tarot cards?” asked Bernard.

“When I was in my teens, I became fascinated with divination. I explored all types of fortune telling: Ouija boards, phrenology, palmistry, and of course, tarot cards.”

“Do you remember the first six cards of the Major Arcana?”

“It has been a while. I know that first card, numbered zero, is the Fool.”

“That’s right,” said Livia. She brought out her pack, and proceeded to list each card, and their interpretation of them.

“And you say you knew nothing about tarot cards before the goddess gave you this vision?” asked Josh.

“I knew of their existence, but nothing else.”

“Remarkable.”

“From what I remember, and what you said was in that book, I’d say your interpretations are spot on.”

Livia got up to pour him another cup of tea. “Does that include you being the Magician?”

“I never said that. It does make me curious. I have been looking for a new challenge. If I could meet Melissa, I might be willing to be her teacher.”

“She’s here in the building, doing lessons online. Some of them are quite good. But nothing can compare to personal tutelage,” said Livia.

“I’d like to go meet her.

“I’d prefer you get approval from her father first.”

“Of course, you’re right,” said Josh.

“He doesn’t get off work for two hours,” said Altena.

The teacher started to stand. “Maybe I should come back then.”

Livia set the second cup of tea in front of him, and gently pushed back down. “Why don’t you stay with us and chat. I find you a very fascinating person. I bet you’ve had many experiences in you what, eighty years?”

“Eighty-two, actually.” He proceeded to tell them how he’d met his wife Ellen, and how she died suddenly, of a stroke, just a year after his retirement.

“Did you and Ellen have any children?” asked Livia.

“Our little Rose. She was a quite a flirt. Loved to show off, and had a beautiful singing voice. In high school, she caught the acting bug. She starred in a dozen school productions. When she graduated, she moved to New York to try and make it on Broadway. She had just gotten a small role in an off-Broadway production when she was killed in a senseless mugging.”

Everyone expressed their condolences.

“That’s alright. I’ve gotten over it a long time ago. She was such a bright spark in my life. I prefer to remember all the good times, and not dwell on the bad.”

Bernard put a hand on his shoulder. “You are a very wise man.”

Livia picked up Josh’s empty teacup, and took it to the sink. She motioned to Altena to follow her. She whispered a few words to her daughter, and they headed back to the table.

The high priestess smiled at her new friend, and started undoing her robe. At the same time, her daughter slipped her toga’s straps off her shoulders. “You know, Josh. Altena and I were thinking of taking a bath, and wanted to know if you’d like to join us?”

The older man gulped, suddenly feeling like an innocent school boy, being corrupted by an lascivious teacher. “Who, me?”

Livia nodded. Both let their flimsy garments fall to the floor. They embraced each other, rubbing their erect nipples against each other. “Uh huh. Imagine what if would be like, sandwiched between us. Our sudsy bodies rubbing against your naked flesh…”

“Are- are you serious!?”

The older woman smiled. “Not really. One deficit of this place is the fact there is no tub, just a small shower. It’s a tight squeeze to get two in it. Though there is something to be said for tight squeezes.”

Altena nodded. “But if you have a large tub at your place, we’d be happy to join you.”
Livia walked up to Josh, and put a hand on his knee. “We were just seeing if we could get a rise out of you.” She moved her hand up to his crotch. “And it looks like we succeeded.”

A look of wonder appeared on his face. “It-it’s a miracle.”

“Actually, it’s the tea.”

“The tea?”

“Like I said it’s an old recipe. It was found in an ancient scripture for worshiping Venus. Our founder discovered it several years ago. It works like a natural Viagra.”

“Better. Could I have the recipe?”

“The main ingredient is not from around here. We’ll be happy to make more for you any time you want.”

Livia sat on Josh’s knee, running her hand over the bulge in his pants. “You know, your first erection in decades is not something that should be wasted. Why don’t you come with me and Altena, and put your hard-on to good use.”

He nodded and stood up. “I just wish my Ellen were still alive. I felt so useless the last five years of her life, not being able to fulfill her needs.”

Altena knelt down in front of Josh. “I’m sure you found other ways to get her off.” She unzipped his pants, and unbuckled his belt.

“W-wait! I’m not…”

The priestess undid the top button of his slacks. The pants fell to the ground, leaving exposed and impressive pup tent in his boxer shorts. “It sure looks like you’re ready. You are very nicely endowed, Dr. Klingman.”

Livia pushed her chest into Josh’s face. “Do you like my breasts, Josh?”

“Y-yes. They are an impressive set of mammaries.”

“Then why don’t you touch them?”

Trembling, he slid his dry hands over the pale silky orbs. The high priestess closed her eyes and moaned. Almost without him noticing, Altena undid his boxer shorts. They slid down to his feet, with his pants. The high priestess grabbed her cell phone and showed it to Josh. “Before we go out to the temple, I want to introduce you to the last member of our group. This is Gloria. We took this picture of her ten days ago. Since then she has been going through an initiation and a transformation. When it is over, she’ll be an acolyte, like Bernard. She has spent every minute of this time in the temple.”

“I see,” said Josh, only half hearing what she said. Having Altena caress his penis was proving most distracting. He stepped out of his pants, ready to go wherever these two sirens wanted to lead him.

“Wait!” cried Altena. “You’re not quite ready. Clothes are not allowed in the temple during initiations.” She quickly untied his shoes, and removed them, along with his socks.

Meanwhile, Livia took off his shirt. Soon he was as naked as the priestesses.

“Now, we’re ready,” said the younger priestess.

“I see you are still wearing those copper bracers,” he said to Livia.

“That is a symbol of my status of high priestess. They never come off.”

“I see.”

The three walked into the temple. Bernard, who was also naked, followed behind. Coming through the side door, Josh got a profile view of the idol of Venus, and the altar in front of it. The smell of incense filled the room. It’s aroma reminded him of the tea he had just drank. Kneeling before the idol was Gloria. She was naked, of course. Her arms were spread out to the idol, whispering a fervent prayer to her goddess. She started at the sound of the door opening. She turned to see who was arriving.

“Ooo! A new one! Good! I need filling badly.”

Josh stopped in his tracks. “This isn’t the same girl that you showed me. Is it? She looks so … so…”

“Different?” offered Livia.

“Exactly! She looks like she’s spent several thousand dollars in plastic surgery and spa treatments. The weight she lost could not have taken place in ten days. Three months, maybe.”

Gloria did not seem to hear a word he said. She walked up to Josh, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward the altar. “Come on, stud. Let’s get busy. My empty pussy needs to be filled.”

Livia restrained her. “Not so fast. This is Josh’s body you’re talking about, not some plaything. He has a choice to make, and it is totally his. No campaigning.”

The initiate pouted, but obeyed.

“As you can see, Josh, there are three women here who are ready and willing to make passionate love to you. While Altena and I are more skilled, Gloria more than makes up in her enthusiasm. So the question is, which one do you want?”

This stumped the professor. “Now I know how Paris of Troy felt,” he muttered.

Bernard, Altena, and Livia chuckled, while Gloria looked confused. “I’ll explain later,” whispered Bernard.

“Frankly, the prospect of copulating with any of you three makes me feel like a dirty old man. And since the lovely Livia is highest rank, and the closest to my age, I’ll choose her.”

She hugged him, rubbing her nipples against his chest. “Like Paris, you choose wisely.”

“The result of him choosing Aphrodite resulted in the Trojan War,” said Josh.

“That was not the goddess’ fault. Paris used her favor foolishly.”
Gloria was not happy. “Why didn’t he choose me. I’m the hottest, not to mention the horniest.”

Bernard comforted her. “Don’t pout. I’ll take care of you.”

Livia sat on the edge of the altar. “So, what is your favorite position?”
The old man smiled. “The classic missionary is fine with me. Ellen and I never went for anything complicated. Besides, being able to look at your beauty is the best reason of all.”

“Aw! Aren’t you sweet!” said Livia, as she laid back and spread her legs.

“I still can’t believe I had three young girls fighting over me,” he muttered to himself.

The initiate climbed onto the altar, next to the high priestess.

Livia recited some Greek words, which were echoed by the initiate. “Okay, I’m ready,” said the senior cleric.

“Did you just call me a sacrifice?” said the startled Josh.

“You know Greek?” exclaimed Livia.

“I went to a boarding school, where no man was considered educated unless he knew Latin and Greek. I must admit, I am out of practice.”

“You are. I told Aphrodite that our love was a sacrifice to her.”

“Ah! I stand corrected.”

“Now love me, damn it. Are you teasing me?”

“I just keep expecting me to wilt.”

She snorted. “Not with this incense, it won’t. Now, quit stalling and fill me!”

He pushed his cock into the high priestess’ aching hole. She let out a sigh. “You feel nice!” she cooed.

“Oh God!” he cried. “It’s so good! I’d almost forgotten how sweet it is!”

Josh started pumping his aged cock in and out of Livia’s vagina. She wrapped her legs around him, trying to control the pace.

Meanwhile, Bernard loved Gloria. She was laying on her side, with one leg dangling off the edge, and the acolyte holding up the other above his head.

Altena, without a partner, sat on the floor, as close to the altar as possible, and masturbated to her goddess.

“I’m about to come!” cried Livia, a few minutes into her session.

“Not far behind you, love,” said Josh.

Together, they came, crying their ecstasy out.

The professor collapsed onto of the cleric.

“That was nice timing,” he said. “Rarely do I remember me and Ellen finishing at the same time.”

“Venus helps with that. She likes everyone to release their sexual energies at once. It’s easier for her to absorb.”

A couple minutes later Bernard and Gloria finished, with the initiate crying “Yes! Yes! Oh goddess, Yes!”

The acolyte stepped back, obviously tired. “Girl, you’re wearing me out!”

Gloria slipped off the altar, raring to go. She sauntered over to the relaxing Josh. “Would you like to do me? It’s my turn.”

“I’m sorry my dear, I’m afraid it will be quite some time before I’m ready for…” He gestured down at his crotch. Down there is dick was a half mast and rising. “I’ll be damned,” he muttered.

“You were saying?” asked the insatiable initiate.

Josh sighed. “Very well, since you are so eager, I’ll oblige you.”

Gloria got down on her knees. “MUCH obliged,” she said, as she started licking the underside of his cock. She then swirled around the head. In mere seconds, the eighty year-old was fully hard again.

Livia slipped off the altar, and saw her daughter on the floor. “You poor thing,” she said semi-mockingly. “Were we neglecting you?”

Altena shrugged. “One of us was bound to be left out. With the girls outnumbering the guys, it was bound to happen.”

“It looks like one boy will be out for a while. That just leaves you and me.”

The priestess smiled. “And I was just about to come. What are we going to do?”

The high priestess pulled Altena to her feet. “I have some ideas.”

Gloria climbed onto the padded altar, on all fours. “Do me from behind,” she said, wiggling her newly firm ass. “I like it from behind.”

Josh saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”

Gloria stopped. “Unless you want to do something else. I’m trying to not be so bossy. My teachers say it is something I need to work on.”

He smiled. “No, this is fine. Your opinion was an inspiration to me.” He climbed on top of sacrificial table. “Now let’s see if you can lower your rear a bit.”

Gloria cried out her call out for the goddess’ blessing, just before Josh entered her.

The mother and daughter got onto the crowded altar, using only a third of the area. They sat face-to-face, their legs wrapped around each other. Both of their nipples and their clits were touching. They joined hands, raising them above their heads. They sang out a prayer of praise to Aphrodite, they kissed, then started grinding against each other. They hugged each other in a tight embrace, getting their erogenous areas as close as possible. The initiate gyrated her hips, with Josh’s cock inside her. That made it unnecessary for him to do anything but hold onto her ass, so he didn’t slip out. As her level of excitation rose, so did her pace. She came hard, crying out her exaltation to the room, followed quickly by her partner. The two priestesses took their pace a little slower. They acted like a single entity, their bodies writhing together. They moved in perfect sync with each other. Their moans and cries came simultaneously. They worked together, letting their orgasm rise slowly, letting themselves hang on the edge for several minutes. When they finally peaked, they didn’t stop at one. Another climax hit before the other subsided. Gradually the orgasms grew in frequency and intensity, reaching a crescendo where they both stopped breathing for about thirty seconds. They both gasped for air, and then finally came apart from their embrace. Everyone else in the room was watched their performance. They broke into applause, including Henry, who had arrived, unnoticed. Gloria went up to the sweat-covered Altena.

“Can you teach me how to do that.”

“It takes a lot of cooperation, and practice.”

Henry, who was naked, like everybody else, talked to Livia. “You know, I didn’t know if you and your daughters ever had sex. I’ve never known how to bring it up with Ember.”

“Of course we do. It’s not like we’re going to get pregnant.”

He looked at the stranger in the room. “I see we have a new member.”

“This is Dr. Josh Klingman. We think he is our Magician.”

The older man shrugged. “Well, I do own a magic shop, and I used to be a college professor. So I guess I fit the bill.”

“Has he met Melissa?”

Livia shook her head. “We wanted you to meet him first. Get your approval, before he meets her.”

Henry nodded. “Makes sense. What say I get my clothes on, and we’ll meet in the kitchen.”

“Sounds good.”

Gloria butted in. “I’ve been waiting all day for my stud muffin Henry to come.” She reached over and started stroking his semi-erect penis. “You two can talk about boring stuff, after I get my ride on the Hank Express.”

“That’s okay. I understand,” said Josh. “I know how hard it is to say no to that minx.”

Gloria grabbed Henry’s arm and dragged him to the altar. “I’ll see you in a few,” he called.

Ten minutes later, the baker staggered into the kitchen, still buttoning his shirt. “I’ll be glad when this initiation is over,” he said.

Livia, who was keeping Josh company, shrugged. “It should be over in the next few days. Almost all her physical changes are complete.”

“It’s still hard to believe that that girl changed so much, in such a short time,” said Josh.

Henry nodded in agreement.

“So, you are interested in teaching my daughter.”

“Possibly. Until I meet her, I won’t know if I can work with her.”

The two talked for a few minutes, with the older man telling about his background, philosophy of teaching.

Henry, who had no experience in questioning teachers, found Joshua Klingman to be an agreeable intelligent man, whose love of knowledge could do nothing but good for his daughter.

“Provisionally, you have my approval. After a few weeks, I will have to review how you and Melissa are getting along. But for now, I think you will be great for my daughter.”

“Fabulous! Let’s get her in here, so I can meet her.”

Livia stood up. She’s in my office, on the other side of the temple, in my office.
The high priestess’ office turned out to be very cramped, with barely enough room for a desk, chair, and a small side table to hold a desktop computer.

Melissa was sitting at the computer, playing a video game that involved shooting colored balls at advance strings of balls. When she heard the door open, she paused the game. Livia was the first through the door. “Is my daddy here?”

“I’m here, baby!” he announced.

She bolted out of her seat, pushed her way past the high priestess, and hugged her father.

“Melissa, I want you to meet Dr. Klingman. He wants to be your teacher.”

She looked past her father to the old man behind him. “You’re a doctor?”

He nodded. “But not a medical doctor, a PhD. As my daughter said ‘He’s a doctor, but not the kind that can do you any good.”

“I thought you were to be a magician.”

Josh shook his head. “Everyone seems to know I was coming before I did.

“Yes, I run a magic shop, and know a few tricks.”

“Can you show me one?

“I can. But we’d need to go into the kitchen and get some sugar packets.”

The two walked down the hallway, with the other two adults following behind.

“What was that game you were playing?”

“It’s called ‘Luxor’. It’s a lot of fun. Once I am done with my lessons, I can play it until my dad gets here.”

“Do you know where the name Luxor comes from?”

The eight year-old shook her head.

“It was the capital city of ancient Egypt.”

Melissa smiled. “So that’s why the art looks so weird on it!”

“We can look at the game tomorrow and see what else from Egypt is on it.’

“Really? My game will be part of my lesson?”

“Uh huh.

“What lessons were you working on the computer?”

She scrunched her face. “Multiplication. Memorizing the six times numbers.”

Josh nodded. “Memorizing can be a pain. But after you learn them, you’ll use them for the rest of your life, and you’ll never have to learn them again.”

“I just have to learn up to nines, right? It’s just like the addition tables, right?”

“That’s right. To multiply bigger numbers you just have to use the numbers you’ve already learned.”

“That’s a relief.”

By the time they got to the kitchen, Melissa had forgotten about the magic trick.

After ten minutes, Henry broke into their conversation, that had migrated to the metric system. “Honey. It is getting late. We need to go get some supper.”

She sighed. “Okay, Dad!”

“Don’t worry. We’ll continue our talk tomorrow.”

“I’d like that,” she said.

After the father and daughter had left, Livia said, “now, as to your payment…”

The professor waved it off. “I don’t need money. My pension and investments have me quite comfortable.

“What I do need is a new challenge, and I think the young lady is just the ticket.”

“But we have to pay you something,” she protested.

“Tell you what, keep feeding me that tea, and we can call it even.”

Livia smiled. “You really like our special tea, don’t you?”

He nodded. “I, myself, didn’t realize how much I missed having an erection. It stifled my masculinity. It made me feel like a eunuch, almost. I don’t think women realize how important a man’s hard-on is. Even if it doesn’t lead to sex, an occasional erection is like a friendly reminder that you are still a man. I don’t think I realized this until you, and your lovely tea, brought it back.”

The high priestess shook his hand. “Dr. Klingman, I believe we have a deal.”

Gloria’s initiation finally ended on Saturday. She woke up around noon, disoriented.

“How long have I been here?” she asked.

Bernard, who had been cleaning up, answered. “Thirteen days.”

“That long? What about my job?”

“You called in and quit at the book store. Don’t you remember?”

The brunette shook her head. “It’s all so fuzzy. Why am I naked?”

“Try to remember. It will all come back to you.” The acolyte went to tell Livia that their new member had ended her initiation.

The three priests, all dressed in their priest clothes, returned quickly, with Altena carrying a new toga.

Gloria tried to cover herself, when they walked in. The priestess handed her the toga. “Here, put this on.”

“Do you remember more?” asked Bernard.

She slipped the garment over her head. “It-it all seems like a dream. Did I really have sex with fifty people at once?”

Livia nodded. “Last Sunday. It was very inspirational.”

Altena walked up and hugged her new Sister. “Let be the first to welcome you into the priesthood of Aphrodite, Acolyte Gloria.”

She shook her head. “I’m no priest. I just wanted Venus to make me pretty, and people to like me. I never said anything about devoting my life to her.”

Livia put her hands on both sides of Gloria’s head, then pulled hers close, so she could not break free of her gaze. “Think back. Remember all the hours you spent in prayer. Remember being in the presence of the goddess; her love and goodness. What did she say to you, about your future?”

The brunette acolyte shook her head, trying to concentrate. “It feels like a dream. I try grasp it, but it slips through my fingers.”

Bernard grabbed her hand. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll remember more after you get some sleep.”

“I am tired,” she said, as she stepped out of the temple, for the first time in thirteen days.

The male acolyte guided the dazed woman to Ember’s old bedroom.

She lay down on the bed, and was soon fast asleep.

Altena was outside the bedroom door, and after he closed it, she asked “what’s going on? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“It happened to me, but to a lesser extent. Her mind has compartmentalized her initiation experiences from all her others. Our sister has gone through a big change. Before us, she had lived a solitary, virginal existence. Since, she has been interacting with dozens of people. She had more sex than most people have in a year. The sudden change has overwhelmed her.

“I’ve seen some of this before,” said Livia. “What do we need to do to help her, Bernard?”

“For me, a good night’s sleep as all it took. Dreams are very good a sorting and integrating memories.”

“And if she’s still confused, when she wakes?”

“Walk her through the initiation. Bring up incidents she is skipping over. In a day or two, she’ll be ready to start her priesthood classes.”

 

American Pagan – Chapter 7: Exaltation

Four Months Later

“I don’t understand, what exactly is this ‘Exaltation of Venus’ business?” asked Henry, as he drove out of Omaha, in the late afternoon sun.

Ember, patting her baby bump, looked across from the passenger’s seat. “I told you. It is one of days sacred to Venus.”

Henry sighed. “I know. But why today, of all days.”

Melissa leaned over into the front seat. “It is the day when the planet Venus is farthest from the Sun. You see, Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth. As a result, it is never in the sky in the middle of the night. It either follows the sun down at dusk; it’s called the Evening Star then, or precedes it up at dawn. Then, it is the Morning Star. In either case, it is never more than 45 degrees away from the Sun. Usually it is much closer. Tonight, Venus, the Evening Star, is at its furthest from the Sun and highest in the sky. Thus it is exalted in the sky. That is why it is called the Exaltation of Venus.

“Did Dr. Klingman teach you that?” asked her father.

The girl nodded. “He even has a model, called an orrery. It shows how the planets move. Makes it easy to see how it works.”

He smiled. “I knew we did the right thing, hiring him.”

“Especially after what happened at your old class?” said Ember.

Henry glared at her.

“What happened at my old class?” Melissa asked.
“It’s complicated.”

The voice from the GPS in the car called out. “Turn right in a half mile.”

Grateful for the distraction, Henry said, “‘Lissa, can you look out for where we turn?”

Ember lightly touched her lover’s hand. “You need to tell her.”

He nodded. “I know, but not now. We’re here.”

A break in the long line of hedges, on the right, finally appeared. At the break was a drive, and wrought iron gate. Standing at the gate was Grant Phipps, one of the many new members. He was a big man, standing about six foot five, but was also very kind and gentle. He had unruly mop of brown hair. While he wasn’t retarded, he was not the brightest of men. He worked as janitor in the church, and groundskeeper for this new property.

Grant looked through the window. “Hi, Henry.”

“Hey, Grant. Is everyone here?”

“You’re one of the first.” The large man pushed the button on the remote he held. The gate opened, letting Henry’s new gold Ford Taurus into the grounds. – —
Much had happened in the four months: Altena had returned to the home church in Chicago. Gloria had stabilized emotionally, and was performing her duties as an acolyte with enthusiasm.

The church in just five weeks had outgrown its capacity on the strip mall. As a stopgap, the church had a second service on Sunday night. After a brief search, they found a small empty protestant church just two blocks from their current location. By week eight they had a rent-to-own agreement with the bank, and moved in, in time to hold services that Sunday.

The worship area was much larger than the old one, and with the pews removed, it could hold one hundred loveseats. There is much wasted space behind the pulpit, since they had no need for a choir or a baptistery. There was debate among the clergy about whether to undertake a large renovation, or build another church, custom suited for their needs, from scratch.

At work, Henry got a major promotion. His boss decided it was time to retire, and advocated, to the owners, that Henry be his successor. The parent company agreed, and he got a new job, with more responsibility, but also a new salary, that almost doubled his salary. Overnight, the baker’s pay woes disappeared. Henry attributed his change of luck all to Venus.

Melissa’s class now included four other students. Dr. Klingman hadn’t anticipated having more than one pupil, but quickly embraced his new charges.

The drive went for a quarter mile before it stopped in front of a large ranch style house. Five cars were parked alongside the drive. Henry pulled up, and parked behind the last car.

As they were getting out, Livia came running up, and gave her child a hug. “How are my daughter and granddaughter?”

Ember hugged her back. “About the same as I was when you saw me two days ago.”

A deeper voice broke in. “How about someone you haven’t seen in almost a year.”

She turned around and saw an older man, with bright red hair, wearing a priest’s robe.

“Daddy!” she cried, and jumped into his arms.

Livia talked to Henry. “May I present the senior priest of Eros, Eric Love.”

The man broke free of his daughter’s embrace to shake his hand. “So, you’re the one who knocked up my little girl,” he said with a grin.

“Guilty as charged.”

Eric, while obviously older than Henry, had an ageless quality that people, such as Dick Clark and cruise directors possess. It made it hard to peg down his exact age. The only thing that betrayed his age was few gray hairs interspersed with his red.

“So, are you going to make an honest woman out of her?”

Both Ember and Livia exclaimed their dismay together.

He smiled and raised his hands. “Just kidding! It’s something a father has got to say at least once in his life.

“And you must be Melissa.”

She nodded and shook his hand. “That’s me.

“I like you pendant.”

Around his neck there hung an arrow with wings on it.

“That’s the symbol of Cupid.”

The girl nodded. “I know. It’s just the first time I’ve actually seen one.”

“What brings you away from New York City?” asked Ember.

“I’m giving away another one of these pendants.”

Ember gasped. “Bernard is becoming a full priest?”

“I thought you’d already know.”

Livia cleared her throat. “I’ve been trying not to overplay it, given her recent loss of her status.”

She held up her hands. “No! I’m good! Good for him.”

Melissa pointed to the western sky about halfway up from the horizon. “There’s Venus.”

The Sun had just gone behind the trees, and the sky was starting to darken.

“Where?” asked several people, at once.

The blonde girl pointed, and everyone tried to follow her line of sight. Finally, they saw it, small and white, high in the sky. “Don’t worry; it will get brighter as the sky gets darker.”

“That’s right,” said Livia. “It is the third brightest object in the sky, behind the San and Moon.”

“Is my teacher here?” asked Melissa.

Bernard shook her head. “Not yet. He should be here soon.”

“Darn! I wanted to show him Venus.”

Henry stroked her shoulder. “Be patient.”

Gloria came running out of the house. “Welcome to my old house.” She greeted and hugged the Martin family.

“This is your house?” asked Melissa.

“It was. I grew up here. It belonged to my mom, until she died a while ago. Her death led to the crisis that caused me to become a priestess. It was much too large for me, when I was single, and doesn’t fit into my lifestyle now, so I donated it to the church.”

Livia patted her shoulder. “And we’re very grateful for it. We have not yet decided what to do with it.”

Eric broke in. “As a matter of fact, we have.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

“I’m sorry. I got here only ten minutes before you, Henry. I haven’t had the time to tell anyone.

“The consensus of the leaders of the churches is that the international headquarters of the church should be moved to here. The house will be converted into the main office.”

“You’re kidding!” exclaimed Bernard.

“It only makes sense. Our only high priestess is here, by order of the goddess herself. How can the church run if its head is in one city and the headquarters is in another?”

Livia sighed. “I was afraid of that. I am not an administration kind of person.”

“Don’t worry. Anna was the same way. Her office staff covered the paperwork for her. All you’ll need to do is sign some forms, from time to time. Your job will be our spiritual leader.”

She smiled. “I can handle that.”

“Would anyone like a tour of the property?” asked Gloria.

“Sure,” said Henry, who had never been here before.

“You did bring some food for the potluck, didn’t you?” the new acolyte asked.

Ember opened the back door of the sedan. “We bought some chicken. I was going to make some potato salad, but it didn’t work out.”

Henry put his arm around her shoulders. “She’s getting better, but all this domestic stuff is new to her.”

“At least I have all of his ex-wife’s recipes to work off of.”

Ember led the group around the house, showing a newly planted garden. Tiny sprigs of green were just starting to poke out of the ground.

“What are you growing?” asked Henry.

“We’re trying to grow the herb that we make our incense from. We’ve tried to do it in other cities, with no success.” Livia pointed at ground. “It only grows in Greece and Turkey.”

“It looks like it’s growing here.”

“So far; I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

A twelve foot high hedge surrounded the property. The only breaks were at the front gate, and a small gap behind house. “Where does that go?” asked Martin, pointing to the latter.

“There are trees behind the hedge,” said Gloria. “I used to sneak through and play back there, when I was a girl. Now Grant has cut a proper opening, so we can initiate Bernard into the priesthood.”

“There’s going to be about a hundred people. Can they all fit back there?”

“Initiating priests is a ceremony only conducted by the clergy. So that won’t be a problem,” said Livia. “But you can go back there now, and look around.”

Henry, Melissa, and Ember all walked back to through the gap. On the other side of the hedge was a group of tall elm trees. Unlit tiki torches lined a short path that led to a clearing…

“Looks cozy,” was all Martin could think to say.

Walking back, they saw more cars pulling in, including Melissa’s teacher. The girl ran to greet him.

Looking up, Venus shone brightly in the western sky. – —

As soon as everyone arrived, the potluck supper started in the spacious kitchen. Though it was early April, it was still too cool in the evening to be really comfortable outside. So, most of the activities took place indoors. People spread out in the kitchen, dining and living room.to eat their meal.

After everyone had their fill of food, the kids, including Melissa, were ushered to a game room, where there was a pool table, pinball machine, and a TV with both movies and video games.

Altena, Eric, Gloria, and Bernard excused themselves, saying that the initiation of Bernard had to be done before Venus set, which was around 9:30. They headed into the backyard.

The forty or so, remaining adults retired to the large living room. Individual groups of friends clustered together. Henry and Ember sat with the two couples, Richard, Elaine, Geoff, and Alice, who had been early members with them. They talked about the challenges of raising kids.

Someone broke out a guitar and started playing tunes. People started singing along. Some couples started making out and engaging in light petting. No serious sex; just light and affectionate play.

Suddenly, the door from the outside flew open, and in bounded Eric, with more energy than you’d think a man his age would have. He was naked, with his penis fully erect. His skin seemed to glow, and red hair flickered and sparked, like branch, whose flame had just been blown out.

The rest of the priest and priestesses followed in behind him. They were also naked, and obviously aroused.

“Woo hoo!” Eric cried. “Let’s get this party started!” He made a long leap into the middle of the living room.

The mood of the room instantly changed. Erotic energy filled the room. All the people ripped off their clothes and started to lick, nibble, and suck their partners’ various body parts.

The clergy members joined the tangled bodies. Licking and copulating with any body part that was not already being used.

Groups started overlapping into each other. Soon the forty odd people were a roiling mass of flesh; moaning and crying out. Bodies, glistening with sweat and cum, writhed as each person randomly copulated, orally, anally, or genitally, with the lover closest to them at the time.

In the middle of it all was Eric. He moved through the tangled mess of bodies effortlessly, copulating at will with the women, and some of the men, in the orgy.

Eventually, the moans gained in volume, and the web of bodies shuddered as if it were giving birth. The whole mass came together, and the individuals flailed, extricating themselves from the other orgy participants.

Eric rose from the group as energized as ever. “That was great! Best group sex I’ve had in centuries.

“But my time with this body is short. Let me see the girl I’ve heard so much about.”

Henry knew that Eric must be channeling Cupid, like Livia did with Venus a few months before. He also knew that the girl he was talking about was Melissa.

A chill went up his spine. What did a sex god want with his daughter? Though exhausted, he struggled to his feet, untangling his limbs. Following Eric down the hall, to the rec room, where the kids were.

At the door, Henry found Melissa standing over the collapsed body of Eric. He was normal again, but utterly spent. He was snoring gently.

Henry knelt down to his daughter’s level. “Melissa, honey, are you okay?”

“Sure, dad; I’m fine.”

“What happened?”

“We were watching ‘Finding Nemo’ on the TV, and Eric opened the door. Only it wasn’t Eric. Someone was inside him, like what happened to Livia.”

Her father nodded. “It was Cupid.”

She nodded. “I thought so.

Anyway, he called my name, so I walked, over. He looked at me, and whispered “a young Psyche,” Then he collapsed.

“I see.”

“Daddy, who is Psyche?”

A voice answered from behind him answered. “She’s Cupid’s wife.” It was her teacher, Joshua Klingman. “She was the most beautiful woman of her age. Cupid fell in love with her, but his mother, Venus objected. She gave Psyche a set of very difficult tasks for her to complete.”

“Like Hercules?” asked Melissa.

“Yes; but she didn’t have great strength to help her; just her beauty.”

“How did she do it?”

“That’s a long story. We’ll go over it in class. But in the end she proved her worth, and Jupiter gave her a magic potion that made her immortal; in essence a demi-goddess.”

Henry stood up. “So, Eros thinks Melissa look like his wife.”

“She may be the most beautiful girl of this age,” said Josh.

“You really think so?” said Melissa, obviously thrilled at the prospect.

“Either that, or he saw the determination and bravery that Psyche showed when she was tested.”

“Oh,” she said, less excited.

Henry looked down at the collapsed priest. “We need some answers. Let’s wake him up.”

“Don’t do it!” exclaimed Livia. “He is worn out. I know I was. Take him to his room. We can talk to him when he wakes.”

With Bernard and Grant’s help, Henry got Eric to bed, in his room, two doors down.

All the party members, except for Henry, Ember, Melissa, and the clergy, left. Henry wanted some answers before he left.

Melissa went to sleep in one of the spare bedrooms. The remainder sat around the kitchen table.

“You said that you’d found out why Venus told us to pull Melissa out of school, Henry,” said Livia.

He nodded. “Melissa’s teacher quit the day after we pulled her. She had a sick parent that she needed to care for. Her replacement was teacher who had just moved into town from Lincoln. He seemed to be a good teacher, but it was discovered that he was molesting the girls in his class.”

Gloria gasped. “You’re kidding!”

“Why hasn’t this been all over the news?” asked Bernard.

“The school board has been working hard to keep it quiet. They’ve shelled out a huge amount to settle with the parents of the girls.”

“I am so glad we pulled her,” said Ember.

“Definitely; who knows what something like that would have affected Melissa,” said Livia.

“How did you hear about it?” asked Ember.

“I ran into one of the mothers of Melissa’s old classmates in the grocery. She told me all about it.”

Henry grabbed his lover’s hand. “Before I forget, Ember and I have an announcement to make.”

Everyone in the kitchen focused their attention on the couple.

After a dramatic pause, Ember blurted out. “Henry proposed to me. We’re getting married!”

People applauded. There were handshakes and hugs all around.

“Will you let me officiate?” asked Livia. “It is not often that one gets to marry their own child.”

Henry smiled. “We were about you the same thing. Of course we want you to marry us.”

“We should hold the ceremony next exaltation,” said Bernard.

“But that be early morning next time?” asked Henry.

“Those are great!” said Ember. “We stay up all night, waiting for Venus to rise. We can get married at dawn, when the Venus is at its highest.”

After a few hours of talking about marriage preparations, Ember decided to join Melissa on her bed.

Gloria and Bernard decided sleep on the sofa’s in the living room.

Both Henry and Altena decided to monitor Eric, waiting for him to wake. They sat on either side of him, as he slept in the guest room. Both fell asleep in their chairs, as they waited…

Six hours after he passed out, Eric woke. Henry instantly bolted up.

“Altena, he’s up!”

“How are you feeling?” she asked, with a yawn.

“Hungry.”

She laughed. “I bet. I remember how famished I was. All of our potluck guests left their leftovers, just for you”

“Just what I need,” he said with a smile.

As he feasted, Bernard and Gloria were roused.

“What was it like?” asked the newest priest.

“Indescribable. I felt all that power and life energy inside you.”

“Did Eros tell you why he decided to come at this time?” asked Henry.
Eric shrugged. “He had been talking to his mother about a new group of believers, and he got curious. He decided to see for himself.”

“I don’t remember Cupid taking over people in any of the myths, do you?” asked Livia.

“No,” said Eric. “This is something new for him.”

“You know,” said Gloria, “I thought Eros would be like Aphrodite. After all, they are mother and son, and they are both gods of love and beauty. They are nothing alike.”

Eric nodded. “Venus is more about the emotional side of love, while Cupid is more about the physical, sexy, side of love. The word ‘erotic’ stems from his name, so that gives you some idea where his head is at.”

Gloria nodded. “Cupid gave me a choice. He asked if I wanted to bear his child.”

Henry’s jaw dropped. “He did?”

Livia nodded. “He did the same to me too.”

“What did you say?”

“I said no,” said Livia. “My two daughters are plenty and my duties as high priestess keeps me plenty busy.”

Gloria blushed. “I said yes.”

“You did?!” everyone exclaimed at once.

She nodded sheepishly. “How do you say no to a god?”

“I understand,” said Eric. “Eros asked my permission before he took over. I couldn’t say no.”

Bernard spoke up. “I overheard Lily and Francine talking. They both said yes to Cupid’s offer.”

Livia said. “They’d been looking to have children. Finding the right surrogate had been a challenge.”

Gloria whistled. “Who knows how many others were impregnated. It looks like we’re going to have a baby boom in nine months.”

Livia stood up. “Before I forget, Eric, I need to inform you that you are now a high priest.”

The red head slapped his forehead. “You’re right. It didn’t occur to me.”

“Personally, I’m relieved. It’ll be nice to have someone else help make decisions for our church.”

“And we were both with the church since its inception, so it makes sense.”

Eric smiled. “We’re going to need a set of copper bracers for me.”

“It’s already taken care of. Gloria?”

The young acolyte nodded and went out to the garage. She returned with a set of wide copper bracelets.

“How did you… ?”

The high priestess grabbed the set. “I had spare ones, but they were too narrow to fit you.”

Gloria butted in. “My dad used to have a small workshop in the garage. So while she was bemoaning their size, I offered to try to expand them.”

Looking at the adjusted bracers, you could see some hammer dents on them.

“I’m not real handy with tools, but copper is a real soft metal, so it was easy to stretch it wider.”

“You did a great job,” assured Eric.

He scrunched his hands as narrow as possible, as Livia slid the copper bands around his wrists.

Everyone applauded and hugged him.

After Eric had finished eating, he stood up, stretched and yawned. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am still tired. I’m going back to bed.”

Everyone agreed. Bernard and Gloria returned to the sofas. Livia went to the master bedroom to sleep, and Henry joined his lover and daughter in the other bedroom.

Soon, everyone was asleep.

THE END