AO 4 Epilogues 1&2 (Patreon)

Epilogues

Izzy Stormheart looked up at the white stone building in front of her. The entire structure was pristine to an extent that did not look natural.

There wasn’t a speck of dirt on the white stone that was so bright, it nearly blinded her when it caught the sun, nor the actual gold doors.

She hoped they were just gold plated, otherwise she had no idea how she was going to open them.

A woman in a pink gauzy dress opened the door from the other side before Izzy’s hand touched the handle.

They couldn’t be that heavy.

“Coming in for worship?” The woman was beautiful, and Izzy wasn’t even into ladies. The woman’s teeth cut a perfect line; her eyes were bright like gems and her skin completely clear of blemish or dirt.

“Think this is the right place. Just here to deliver a letter.” Izzy held out the letter. This wasn’t a place for her. She’d track mud all over those white tiles.

The woman smiled and held the door open wider. “That’s not a letter for me. Come, bring it to the altar.”

Izzy hesitated. She was fresh off the boat, simply trying to pay her debts to House Aldis.

With a small crew, she’d made the trip back and hadn’t even started using her loot. This was her first stop.

“Maybe it’s best if you do that.” Izzy held the letter out again.

The priestess of Aphrodite shook her head. “Come on. Our goddess insists.”

Izzy groaned but took in a deep breath and marched through the entryway. The altar was visible from the door. She didn’t need anyone to guide her.

Instead she clomped straight down the aisle, her steps echoing in the giant room and dirt falling off her boots as she moved.

They had made her come and dirty the floors. It was on them.

“Here you go.” She slapped the letter down on the pretty white marble altar, ready to get out of the space and back to her boat.

“One moment please.” The voice was unlike anything Izzy had ever heard.

It trailed in through her ears and turned her will to mush.

Izzy stopped turning and faced the altar and the woman that hadn’t been there a moment ago. She was beautiful.

For her, Izzy would switch teams.

The goddess Aphrodite picked up the letter with delicate hands that Izzy desperately wanted to feel move all over her body.

There weren’t words for the woman’s form. It was perfect; there wasn’t a thing Izzy could think to change about the way her curves caught the silk toga and it cinched at her waist, opening a vent to see one tantalizing leg.

Izzy slurped. She actually fucking slurped up a little drool that had started to form.

The goddess had been running her finger over the letter and paused to give Izzy a heart wrenching smile.

Goddess, she’d do anything for another of those.

“It’s fine. Stare if you like. I’ll need a moment to read this.” Aphrodite cut the letter open.

Izzy hadn’t tried it herself, but one of the sailors had found it and broke a knife trying to get into the letter.

Then again, this was an actual goddess.

Izzy tried to look away and failed. But what the hell. The goddess had said that she could stare. The pirate’s eyes raked over the goddess, whose silky blonde hair cascaded all the way to the floor before pooling out in artful twists and curves.

“Ah?” The goddess seemed surprised. “What a pleasant turn of events.” She closed the letter and tapped it against her hand before her eyes fixed on Izzy.

Izzy felt like she was going to melt into a puddle of love.

“You deserve a reward for this, and I would like to send a response. I’ll pay up front for both of them.”

Izzy knew what reward she wanted.

But then she shook her head, nearly slapping herself. A goddess wouldn’t do that with such a slob like herself.

She looked down at what she was wearing and the trail of dirt she had tracked in, desperately wanting to go clean every spot she had left.

“Oh. I wouldn’t worry about that ever again.” Aphrodite sat down on the altar in a fluid motion that made Izzy ache to go and grab her. As if the goddess knew exactly how Izzy was feeling, she smiled. “Do you know what I’m the goddess of?”

“Love.” Izzy answered without hesitation. “Lust?” Came out next with a slight question to it.

“Both of those.” The goddess laughed and Izzy’s brain went fuzzy. “Beauty too and the often forgotten one. I’m the goddess of water, the sea and seafaring.”

“Oh.” Izzy said dumbly. “That’s a little better.”

Aphrodite hummed. “For delivering this letter, I’d like to offer you my blessing. As a pirate, I can only imagine that you’d enjoy some of my aspects.”

“Wait. I’d have water powers?” Izzy asked.

“You’d have some control over the sea and also water.” Aphrodite clarified. “As well as other gifts.”

Izzy licked her lips. She’d never seen what a pirate could do with such powers. Most of them had minor blessings and were just physically far more capable with a strange quirk, like making a person drunk with a look or talking to crocodiles.

“I’d give you the greatest blessing that I can in exchange for you sending a return letter.” Aphrodite tempted her further. “I’ll never revoke it either, no tithe needed. Just return the letter and perhaps stick around to ensure that Hecate does as she promised.”

“You know the maid?” Izzy asked, sounding stupid even to herself.

The goddess threw her head back and let out a laugh that melted Izzy’s mind. “The maid? No, she’s no maid. Just deliver the letter to Hecate. She offered to build me a temple on that continent.”

“Oh.” Izzy nodded. “I’ll take the blessing.” The offer sounded almost too good to be true.

“Wonderful.” The goddess’ smile was radiant as she stepped forward and grabbed Izzy by the chin. “May my blessing be upon you.” She kissed Izzy’s forehead before a blinding light encompassed the pirate.

Even with her eyes closed, the light didn’t fade, like it was inside her mind just as much as outside.

Small patterings sounded around her and she waited until the light faded to open her eyes.

In a ring around her was dirt and grime. Something shiny caught her eyes and she grabbed the thread only to realize it was her own hair that had grown out from under her cap. It was a white so fine it looked more like pure silver in the bright sun.

The goddess was gone, but the priestess from earlier came up with a mirror.

“Sister, I’m so glad you’ve joined us.” The priestess held up the mirror, and Izzy recognized the clothes, but not the woman wearing her clothes.

Not to mention the colors had been restored and they were completely free of dirt.

“Fuck me with a cannon cleaning rod.” Izzy blurted out. “What did she do to me?”

“She blessed you.” The priestess had a soft grace to her, nothing like the goddess, but now Izzy recognized it. The woman’s movements and looks were a small echo of the priestess. “Would you like to learn how to use it?”

“I fucking would, otherwise I’m more likely to turn an entire street of men into slobbering dogs and have to hose them down with my new water powers.” Izzy tried said water powers and pulled some from the fountain, twisting the water through the air and smashing the lip of the fountain before dropping the water all over the wooden benches. “Whoops.”

“The goddess has given you a powerful blessing. Please take a few days to acclimate. And it seems she gave you something else.” The princess picked up a pink perfumed envelope with a gold ribbon tied artfully around it. “Do you need this?”

“Yep. I think I got paid in advance and it’s probably a poor idea to stiff a goddess.” Izzy took the letter and stuffed it into her jacket.

***

Martin lay ragged on the ground, everything burning inside of him from the brief encounter with Hecate trying to kill him.

Freya smiled down at the pitiful human. “It was good that you had begun worshiping me.”

“You saved me.” Martin took a breath and pulled himself back to his feet.

He stood amidst the braying and howling of his human test subjects in the dungeon of his castle.

Yet, he was either deaf or dumb to their cries because he didn’t twitch at all when they picked back up or a particularly painful one cried out.

Freya knew a wretch when she saw one. However, he was a useful wretch. She twirled her hand and Hades stepped out of the darkness. The man was tall, covered in a beard and pissed that she’s forced him to retrieve a soul.

All of the gods were in a poor state. Cut off from the rest of the worlds, they were having to make due.

“I not only saved you, I came with a gift.” Freya smiled at the craven man and gestured towards Hades. “You see, we are so interested in your work that we wanted to give you the best material that we could.”

Freya couldn’t directly attack Hecate and she had thought the bitch was nearly dead. Who knew her dimming spark would reignite. No matter, this mortal might finish the job for her. Well, with a shove in the right direction.

“Goddess, thank you for answering my prayers.” The woman spoke, and Martin frowned.

“Do I know you?” He asked.

Freya dismissed their comments. “No matter. An opening was made for me to intervene. Do you know this man? The King of Garrish?” Freya gestured to Martin.

Carmilla shook her head but relief was evident on it. “Not personally, Goddess. I know of him.”

“Good. Then Martin, I understand you have nearly perfected your method of altering souls and spheres. Demonstrate to me what you want done and then I will bless you with the same alteration.” Freya gave the mortal the kind of smile that would melt their hearts and turn them one and all into putty for her to mold.

Martin however just licked his lips and turned to Carmilla. “I see. A new subject.”

“I am a powerful mage in my own right. No alterations will be necessary.” Carmilla went to stand, but Martin slapped her hard enough to knock her over.

“DID I SAY YOU COULD STAND IN MY PRESENCE?!” Martin screamed and the earth shook her hard enough that Carmilla stumbled back to her knees.

“I a—“

Martin touched Carmilla and her tongue fell out before her throat swelled. He’d used magic to make her mute.

She wheezed and coughed, unable to speak.

“Better, but you keep staring at me with those defiant eyes. When I saw you were bald, I knew you’d make for good material. Hold onto that defiance and survive the transformation.” Martin got down low. “But know that I will crush you if necessary.” He grabbed her head and shoved his thumbs into her eyes. “This is for looking at me that way. You are no longer a princess, but my minion.”

Carmilla screamed. There was no pitch to the noise, instead it was just like ragged, forced breaths as she tried.

Freya smiled slightly. What a wicked human. It was the kind you needed to drag a wounded goddess down to her knees. Oh the sweet prayers he’d offered up to Freya had made her pay attention to this section of the world once again.

Hades huffed. “Disgusting.”

“Now, don’t be a prude. He’s quite effective.” Freya watched as the man started to break the woman that had gotten so close to becoming queen.

She was very good material, very proud.

Freya hoped to insert a few suggestions along the way for her to really hold onto some hate for Arden Aldis, perhaps Hecate too.

“I have no love for Hecate, but these mortals…” Hades made a face of disgust.

“Well, Hecate’s aspects border on our own. If we want to be stronger, we cannot allow her more power. So, the simple answer is to purge the temples of hers that have started to crop up in the neighboring nation.” Freya leaned on Hades and rubbed his arm. “You’ll help me with this, won’t you?”

Hades’ disgust faded when looking at her. “Of course. Then, can you help me with Aphrodite?”

“I’ll do you one better. We’ll kill her too. I’ll take her powers and you can happily enjoy her for the rest of her days or… would you prefer me?” Freya tempted the god. He was already half wrapped around her finger.

The hoarse screams in the background were ruining the moment, but Hades wasn’t the one to care about such things. He almost kissed her. “After.”

“Of course.” Freya smiled as he disappeared. She turned back to see Carmilla covered in blood and trying to crawl towards her. “Dear me. Are you okay?”

The woman mouthed ‘help’.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you.” Freya held her ear out. “I was never good at reading lips.” She lied.

Carmilla tried and failed to speak repeatedly.

“What are you doing? Bothering our new patron with your current disgusting.” Martin scolded her as several hooks of stone shot from the ground and stabbed into Carmilla, dragging her deeper into the dungeon leaving a trail of blood where her fingernails broke as she tried to claw her way forward. “We have to break you all the way down so that we can build you into the perfect being. Of course, the perfect being obeys me absolutely and has no will of its own. Goddess, will I lose my will if I break hers?”

Freya waved his concern away. “Nonsense. I’ll just do the magical alterations. You can keep your mind. A goddess won’t need to break you down for that.” He was already a broken man.

“Perfect, come along Baldie.” Martin’s tone was downright chipper as the screams trailed deeper into the dungeon.

Freya spat on the floor and disappeared. She needed to go line up a few more of her plans. This continent was completely under her control, but seemed to be slipping. She couldn’t let that happen.

AN - Honestly, I hesitated on this one. Rest well knowing that Carmilla is getting what she's always deserved.