“I can't begin to tell you girls how disappointed I am in you,” Ms. Ramsey was saying, her voice assuming that same tone all adults used when they were lecturing, “Cheryl, you have been just like my real daughter ever since I married you father almost ten years ago, and you other girls have been almost as close. I thought I knew you, but clearly, after today, I see I was wrong.”
Cheryl just sat there, staring at the sand. Normally, she wouldn't have sat there for a minute letting Beth lecture her. Their relationship wasn't nearly as close as stepmother liked to think. But after what had happened today, she had no grounds to argue.
“I had no idea you were all lesbians! I mean, I know you are all eighteen year old high school graduates, bound for college in the fall, but I am still shocked at your choices! You all had boyfriends, dates to the prom, I mean how did this happen? I don't understand...” Beth Ramsey's voice failed her.
Allison, Cheryl, Susan and Brenda just looked at each other guiltily. They didn't understand either.
“I...I know its a new day. Being...gay doesn't have the same stigma it used to...but...” Beth paused to recollect herself, “Girls, we are stranded on a desert island! We need to be working together if we have a chance of being rescued! Now, you are all adults, and I don't have a say in what you do this your personal lives, but if there is to be anymore...romance on this island, you have to be responsible about it! Do it during your free time, in a private part of the island! No...hanky panky when your supposed to be working on keeping us alive and getting us off this rock! Am I understood?”
“Yes, ma'am,” all the girls said, heads hung low.
“Good, now I have to work in the cave sorting through the supplies we managed to save from the boat. You all have jobs to do. Please...just...work, OK?” And she walked away.
Beth wiped her forehead, that late afternoon Greek sun still roasting her fair skin. She was wasn't that much older than these girls, only in her early thirties, but she just didn't understand them! She had heard that this new generation liked to experiment more with homosexuality then hers had, but she'd never seen it in action before. It was shocking!
If only she'd been there to supervise. She could have kept the girls from jumping each others bones, she was sure of it. But she'd been in the cave that they used to store their supplies, organizing them. Even so, she should have heard them. It wasn't like the girls were even trying to be quiet about their sodomy! If she'd gotten their soon enough, she could have stopped the debauchery before it really had gotten started!
Yet, it hadn't been until she'd stuck her head out of the cave to take a break that she'd heard their hysterical cries. So strange. Maybe the caves walls were made of something other than limestone, some rock that muffled noise. The cave was such an odd place, with all those faded carvings and lines on the walls. She had never liked it, had refused to sleep there. Despite what Daphne Clark said, the cave was strange.
* * * * * *
Aphrodite was furious. Her entire plan ruined by that woman! It had been such a good plan! All four girls, life long friends and heterosexuals brought to the brink of having wild, animal like sex with each other. That wasn't easy to do! It had taken all of her abilities and the knowledge plus the desires stored in Daphne Clark's brain to pull it off. And that woman had ruined it in seconds!
Even though she hadn't actually given birth to any of the other four women, was far to young to have done so in fact, she was a mother figure to all of them. Her mere presence reminded all four of the morality they had lived their entire lives under. Just seeing Beth Ramsey had filled them with almost as much guilt and shame as if their own parents had been their to witness their lesbian lovemaking. The spell of lust Aphrodite had been weaving had collapsed immediately.
Even with Beth's interference, Aphrodite knew she was on the edge of victory. The inhibitions Aphrodite had stripped away had not yet returned. The mores she had broken in the young women's soul had not returned. Aphrodite knew that fires of lust and desire she was ignited in them still burned. Even without Aphrodite's presence those fires could very well erupt on their own. With the goddess present to fan the flames...it was guaranteed the young women would erupt in an orgy of lust. Except...
Beth Ramsey could crush all that again in a heartbeat. She could keep them on the straight and narrow with a disapproving glance. There was no question about it. For Aphrodite's plan to work, Beth Ramsey would have to disappear.
And it had to be fast. Keeping the island unseen in the middle of the Ionian sea took a lot of energy, energy she couldn't replace properly unless she got these girls to worship her properly, by having sex dedicated to her as the ancients had. If that didn't happen soon, the island would pop back into the mortal world and these women would be whisked away from her. It could be centuries before she had another opportunity to escape her bonds!
But even the great Aphrodite didn't know to get rid of Beth. There were limits even to the powers of a god or goddess. Even in the old days, there wasn't much she could to do someone who wasn't her worshiper. That was why religion had been such a dangerous game back then. Those who chose to worship the gods could be given both great rewards but great punishment as well. Those that refused to acknowledge them were largely beyond their reach.
Oh, Aphrodite could inflame Beth Rasmey's libido and limit her self control, she was the goddess of love after all, but no more than a few glasses alcohol would. That had been plenty for the others, but in this case it wouldn't be enough. Beth was much more experienced sexually, more confident in her heterosexual identity than the rest. Older, she was more stable. Aphrodite would never get her to experiment, especially not with a group of women she still considered children in her heart of heart.
It was so frustrating! Beth's lack of belief would shield her from most of what Aphrodite could do to her. That was why, in the old days, gods and goddesses had usually acted through agents. If you needed to smite a village of unbelievers, it was easier to order your followers to do it, giving them the tools to do the job. It was the main reason behind religious wars.
And the only real follower Aphrodite had on the island, in fact in the world, was Daphne Clark. She would have to do. Hopefully the mousy brunette would be up to the challenge.
* * * * * *
The rest of the day passed in uncomfortable silence. There was none of the playing and light banter that had existed between the friends since elementary school. All four girls were too embarrassed to look one another in the eye, too filled with shame at what they had done or that they might have enjoyed what had been done to them. In truth neither of the young women knew what they thought about the strange events of earlier in the day. The question of whether the other three were embracing the lesbian experiences or were horrified by them was too big to tackle. And, of course, they would rather have thrown themselves naked off a cliff than confront Ms. Ramsey about the issue. The look on her face could have scared off a mountain lion.
Oddly, only Daphne Clark seemed relaxed. She bounced around the campsite, helping make dinner while whistling an unknown tune, not even seeming to notice the suspicious looks Brenda was shooting her. Afterward, Daphne was the only one trying to make small talk. The rest were lost in their own worlds.
Soon, the Greek sun set, and the women slept around the campfire. With a warm night and a cloudless sky, no one wanted to sleep in the cave, despite a few cryptic warnings from Ms. Clark about a storm coming. Something about the place gave them all a chill. After the day's exhausting events, it wasn't a surprise everyone fell asleep quickly.
All except Allison. She tossed and turned, unable to get a moments sleep. When they had crashed around the fire, she had picked the spot furthest from Cheryl. She wasn't certain she could control herself close to her friend. The sound of the redhead's laughter, the taste of her toes, the sight of her body's futile struggle for freedom still swam through the cheerleader's head. She had owned her, controlled her, and Allison had wanted to do so again, badly. But with mama hen so close, giving into those needs would be disaster. Distance had seemed a good thing.
That had just put her closer to another source of trouble. Right now, only a few yards from where she was laying, Susan's bare feet were sticking out of her sleeping bag, wiggling wildly in the night, and they were driving Allison crazy! They were much bigger than Allison's, long, probably size 10 or 11, but looked just as soft. Her high arches and long toes seemed to be calling her! They were so close, Allison could smell them, not the disgusting smell or dirty shoes and socks, but something spicy and...intriguing. Allison couldn't help but wonder, would they taste the same as Cheryl's, feel the same under her finger tips? Would Susan's laughter be as sharp, as out of control as Cheryl's was? Would she surrender her soul as fast?
And the way they moved...Susan was waving her feet wildly, almost hypnotically, back and forth, toes wiggling in the breeze. She must have been dreaming, Allison thought, but about what?
* * * * * *
Just like before, Susan was stuck to a tree, the sap binding her skin to the bark like superglue, except now it was worse. Instead of just one arm stuck, it was both of them, fastened high over her head, stretching her out like a rubber band. Her legs too were tapped, spread wide opened with the sides of her calves stuck to neighboring trunks. She looked like an upside down 'Y'. And that wasn't even the worst part.
The worst part was she was completely naked, every inch of her bronze skin on display. Even her blond hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, just like she wore during volleyball games, leaving her neck and shoulders exposed.
“Oh god, no, not again,” the muscular blond whispered. “I hate this!” Six feet tall, abs of steel and star player on a state champion volleyball team, she should have been strong enough to tear herself free from a bunch of plants, but the more she struggled, the tighter the hold on her arms and legs became. In the end, all Susan could do was hang there, waiting
“That's not true,” said a strange, airy voice, “You love being helpless, vulnerable. That's why you're having this dream.” It was Brenda, stepping into view. At least it looked like Brenda, with her generous curves, short brunette hair and short legs. She had the oddest expression on her face, mischievous...naughty, so unlike the straight-laced girl Susan knew.
“Fuck you,” Susan spit, coming close to hitting her target, “Let me go and I'll show you how much I love this.” She tugged on her bonds again, feeling like King Kong when he was chained on stage. The urge to cover herself was overpowering as Brenda's devilish gaze seemed to hover over her most private of places. She couldn't even close her legs!
“Temper, temper,” Brenda said softly, “Somebody's cranky! Here, this will make you feel better.” She pulled out a small white feather. Susan gasped, eyes pulled to it like it was a gun. Smile growing even wider, Brenda reached out and began sliding the plume over Susan's firm belly.
“he eheheheheheh eheh n onononononono ehe eheheeheheehe e e eheh e ehe eheehehehe” Even in her own ears, Susan thought her laughter sounded silly, bouncy. Try as she might, however, she couldn't stifle the involuntary giggles. As the downy barbs glided across her stomach, Susan could feel her abs ripple at their touch.
“That's a good girl, giggle for mommy,” Brenda continued, “As I was saying, you like being helpless. When your in the gym there is so much pressure on you, pressure to do the right thing, to win the game. When you lose, its all your fault, and the guilt is tremendous.”
The worst part of being tickled was that it stole your true emotions from you. Susan was angry that Brenda would do this to her again, furious that she'd tickle and taunt her. She wanted to yell at her friend, scream at her, vent her rage. Maybe that would shock Brenda back to her senses, convince her that Susan was serious.
But all Susan could do was giggle and toss her head from side to side and giggle, giggle like some girl flirting with her new boyfriend on her first date. Her own body was betraying her.
“grrrhr r rhr eh ehe eheh eheh thaahaahahah t tha ahahahahaaattttsss ha aha ahahh nawwwtttt hahahah truueee e eee,” Susan closed her eyes. Every time the edge the feather came close to her belly button, the tickling sensation jumped! She shook her head, trying again to distance herself from it. It didn't work.
Brenda just smiled evilly and kept brushing the feather across Susan's flat tummy, up and down, side to side and in circles. She dragged it everywhere, from her ribs to her waist and from side to side. While she never went over her belly button, the feather tip of the plume always seemed to be close by.
“Hush little girl. Just laugh for me. Laugh for your mistress. Goochie, goochie goo, little Susie!” Brenda just kept teasing, sawing with the feather's edge across Susan's waist.
“he eheHEHE EH ehehE E EHEHHEH eee HEHEH H EHEHEHEHEH NAWWWWWWOOOO HE ehe ehe ehehheh hatteheheh eheheh thiisssishisisissss heeheheh waannnn ehehe e wannttt hahahah totogohohohohoh gohohohoho!!!”
Tears started to well up in her eyes, blinding her. Her arms and legs were getting sore from madly trying to pull her arms and legs free.
“But you do,” a new voice continued, familiar but not Brenda, “When you're bound, you have no control over what happens to you now. There's no responsibility, no guilt. No matter what I do or how much you enjoy it, its not your fault is it? Ironically, you are much more free now that your helpless. Its like a bad Russian novel.”
Brenda was gone. Cheryl was in her place, slender, about Brenda's height but without the large boobs and voluptuous hips. Yet with her long, red hair going down to the small of her back, flashing green eyes and willowy breasts, she was no less attractive.
He ehe nawwwoo he eh yooouuuu heheh edOOHOOOHHOOON HA AHA AHA W AH AH OOWWWUUTT HA AHAHAHAHA GEEHEHEETTTTT HAHAHAHA I I ITT HAAHAHAH OOO HOW HOW OOO WWWWWUUTT HA AHAHAHAAA!!!” Susan had been about to protest, but Cheryl had simply slipped the tip of the feather into her button, twirling it around and around, forcing Susan's laughter to skyrocket.
“Never question me, Susan deer. You know I'm the smart one. You're just the dumb jock.” She swirled the feather clockwise for a minute, then went the opposite way. Cheryl made sure the feather's fine edge was scraping against the sides of Susan's flesh.
“HE EHEH EHEHEH EHEH E E E E E NAAAWWTTTT AHE EHE EH EHEH EHE E E E NAWWTTT EHE EHEHEHEH DUUUMMMMBB B HEHEH EHEHEH EHEHHEHEHEH NAWWWTTTT STUUHUHUHUH U STUUHUHUUPPPUIIDDDDDD HE EHEHEHHEH!!!” Susan shrieked, her laughter changing, becoming more and more shrill. It was too much, it was too much!
“You doubt my hypothesis?” Cheryl continued, apparently oblivious to the suffering she was causing with one downy plume, “Well, let me demonstrate.” She took out a second feather and began stroking it over the inside of Susan's muscular thigh. It was just as soft as its counterpart, but now a new feeling swept over Susan, warring with the tickling.
“oooohhhh hoh hoho o o HE EHEH EHEH ooOoo hhoho hohoho hu uuuuu h h hooooo h he eheheh huuhuuhuuu!!!!” Moans of pleasure slipped out of Susan's lips along with loud guffaws and giggles. The electric tickling from her belly button now competed with the wispy erotic pulsing coming from her thighs. She shook her head from side to side as if trying to deny these new sensations, but there was no point as long as she could feel each strand sliding across her firm leg. Biting her lip seemed no good either.
“See,” Cheryl said in her most smug voice, “If you weren't bound, this wouldn't feel nearly as good. If you were just standing there, letting me feather the inside of your thigh, your morality would be warring with your libido. Foolish questions of right and wrong would push out the pleasure. Guilt would squash these wonderful feelings. In the end, you might feel obligated to stop me even though this feels so good.”
Cheryl was playing with her prey now. She slowed down the feather in her belly button, and sped up the one caressing the inside of Susan's thigh, moving it higher and higher.
“Am I wrong, Susan? Am I?” Cheryl demanded as if the question was rhetorical, “If I am, then I should stop? Do you think I should just put my feather away?”
Susan just gurgled, confused but titillated. It ticked, it tickled, but it felt so good. She should want it to stop, shouldn't see? Didn't see?
“That's why you like being helpless,” a new familiar voice continued, “When you're helpless, there's no confusion, to choice. All you have to do is feel and enjoy. Isn't that right?”
Now it was Allison. She was a foot taller than the other two, nearly as tall as Susan herself, and drop dead gorgeous. She had spent as much time working on her body as Susan had, but instead of strength, she had built it for pure sex appeal. With her blond hair styled in the current fashion, she could have been a supermodel.
Susan stared at her new tormentor, their blue eyes meeting. Allison's were so deep, enchanting. She opened her mouth to speak, but Allison filled it with a kiss, a hot, wet deep kiss. Somehow, even as there tongues touched, the feather brushing the inside of her thigh never stopped. Susan's eyes opened wide, heart pounding. It felt as if her very nerves were going to explode.
“See, you don't want this to stop, but you can't let yourself like it. That's why you love being tied up. Now this can go on for as long as I want and it's not your fault.” Allison said with a naughty smile. Her eyes moved up and down Susan's tight body rapidly, lustfully.
“Go to hell,” Susan said simply as she caught her breath, rebellious to the end. Deep down though, part of what fueled that rebellion was the knowledge that it wouldn't change anything, wouldn't make Allison stop. She was like a dog on a leash, barking at cars. There was no chance she'd have to try and bite the fender.
“Still not convinced?” Allison said with a mock pout, “Well, lets see if this brings you around.” Allison took both feathers and started stroking them between Susan's legs. Susan's body exploded, sexual energy and hysteria bursting from the area and the speed of light, overwhelming any and all other thoughts the young woman might have had.
“HA AHAHA AHAH AHAHAHAH OHOHOOOOHHHHH AHAH AHAH H H AHAHAH OOOOHOHOO HAHAHHH U U OOOOOOOO HA AHAHAHA AHAHA AHAH AH AHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“You like this, don't you baby, you like this a lot,” Allison said simply, her soft voice somehow cutting through the firestorm that erupted from Susan's mouth. Allison started tracing the tips of both feathers along the crease formed where Susan's legs met her torso. It tickled in a way that Susan had never imagined possible, tickled and more.
“You need this Susan, you need it so much, let you could never ask for it, never allow it to be done to you. You'd have to fight it. But when you have no choices, all you can do is let...it...happen,” Allison leaned in and started nibbling on Susan's neck, emphasizing each of the last three words with a moist kiss.
Susan didn't answer, she couldn't have answered. Laughter and guttural moans were all that existed in her mouth and throat. And at that minute she was glad, so glad that she was helpless, that she didn't have to make a choice about whether this should continue or not. All she had to do was lie there and be.
And it got even worse. The two feathers found Susan's labia, began sliding up and down, getting wet from the glistening moisture that was pouring out of Susan's slit. Her body started bouncing up and down, vibrating, quivering. Sweat was pouring off of her naked body, down her breasts, her ass, her chiseled legs.
“Yes! Yes!” she screamed or wanted to. Susan could feel it coming, the wall the darkness that marked her climax. It was a level she'd never reached before with another human being, only by herself in the shower, but this one would be far bigger. IT WAS COMING!!!
And then it wasn't. Seconds before her climax gripped her, Susan felt the feathers stop their dance. Disappointed and empty, Susan managed to open her eyes, to give Allison an angry, accusing look.
“Oh, I'm sorry dear,” Allison said in a funny voice, “There is one problem with being helpless. You don't always get what you want if somebody doesn't feel like giving it to you.”
“Pl...pl....please,” Susan asked meekly, urgently, body practically glowing with sexual tension.
“No,” Allison said smugly, “I'm in charge right now, and I don't want to.”
“You...bitch” Susan snarled, her voice filled with pent up emotion.
“You want to cum, princess? You can't be submissive. Don't wait for someone to give to you. Reach out, take what you want. Don't give anybody any choice. Be dominant. Be in control.”
And Susan felt her bonds vanish, her arms and legs freed. In a frenzy, she reached out for Allison, wrapping her arms around her sweet, soft flesh, her lips tasting her delicious skin. Susan felt Allison struggle breifly, trying to break away. Then her resistance faded, and she began melting beneath Susan, yielding her to, submitting. A joy overwhelmed Susan, far more ecstatic then the feeling over being helpless.
In that instant Susan knew. She wasn't some helpless pussycat, waiting around for a master to feed. She was a lion! She needed to hunt her prey, to take what she needed from their tasty ripe body. She was powerful! She was taking! It was...electric! It was orgasmic! It was...WASSSS!!!!
Then, it was all wrong. Susan could feel the delicious, soft body flowing away from her. Heartbreak, disappointment and longing swept over her. Eyes opened, she was back at the campsite, lying in her sleeping bag with her feet sticking out the ends. Need still raced through her blood. Her desires remained unquenched.
But now Susan knew what she needed to do to satisfy herself. And it would be sweet.
* * * * * *
As Allison watched Susan's feet dancing, mesmerized by the very sight of them, she heard a noise in the bushes. Jerking her head, Allison turned just in time to see Cheryl slip off into the brush. Curious about the redhead's intent, Allison looked around. Brenda was gone too. She had been so involved in the ankle show, she hadn't noticed the full figured girl leave.
Well, well, well, Allison thought, the two geeks were having a romantic rendezvous. She was tempted to join them, turn it into a threesome. A threesome with her tickling the both of them into oblivion, of course. Then Allison had second thoughts. She wasn't completely sure that was what the two had in mind. And, even if it was, mama hen Beth Ramsey would wake up at the first sound and disrupt their little party. That was a humiliation Allison didn't want to relive.
Besides, it was Susan's feet that were calling her! Dominating a couple of nerds was one thing, but taking control of the best athlete in school...the idea made her wet! If only they were alone. Alone! A plan, fully formed, popped into Allison's blond head. Rolling out of her sleeping bag, careful not to wake Susan, Allison crept over to Beth.
“Ms. Ramsey, Ms. Ramsey,” Allison whispered, “Cheryl and Brenda have gone off by themselves!”
“Huh...what...who...” It took Brenda a moment to wake up, her eyes focusing on the here and now.
“Cheryl and Brenda!” Allison whispered again, “They've gone off on their own! I think they might be...fooling around or something.”
That snapped Beth out of it. Her motherly instincts took over and she was up in a flash. She slipped her white robe over her silk pajamas, put on her slippers and left in the direction Allison indicated. The cheerleader could only smile. Now to get those feet!
Allison didn't notice Susan's half opened blue eyes staring at her through the darkness or that Daphne Clark's sleeping bag on the far side of camp was also empty.
* * * * * *
` Cheryl entered the dark cave, lit only by a flickering candle. The place looked so different by day, when it was just a dry spot used to hold the supplies they had collected. At night it was just plain spooky.
“Brenda,” she whispered, “What are you doing here? It's got to be after midnight! We're all supposed to be asleep!”
Brenda was standing by the back wall, wearing the flannel shirt and sweat pants she had worn to bed every night on the trip. She had moved some stacks and was looking intently at some markings carved into the stone. She didn't seem to have noticed Cheryl come it, but wasn't startled to hear her voice.
“Just validating a theory,” Brenda said softly, tracing something with her index finger. She looked kind of comical, dressed so funny, but with a highly analytical look on her face. Cheryl thought that was what Spock would have looked like as a lumber jack.
“Come on, we've got to go!” Cheryl said urgently, “If my stepmom finds us here, she'll think we snuck off to...you know! After...after earlier, I don't think I could handle that conversation again!”
“Come, look at these markings,” Brenda continued as if Cheryl hadn't spoke, “Fascinating! Tell me, haven't you seen them before?” She had her scientist face on, carefully studying the evidence in front of her.
“What markings? Ms. Clark said all that was just from water erosion,” Cheryl did creep farther in, against her better judgment. She looked like a thief sneaking into a bank vault when she knows the police will be here any second. Cheryl did not want to be caught in here with Brenda! The urge to run was almost overpowering.
“A base canard. I can think of at least three things wrong with that statement,” Brenda snorted, “These carvings are old, mostly worn away, so inspect them carefully. Don't you recognize them?” She obviously expected Cheryl to do so.
And, after looking, Cheryl thought maybe she did. The curved symbols, half erased by time, the weird crossing lines and indentations were familiar. In Greece they had toured many old temples with the rest of their classmates. Cheryl had made note of the markings, wanting to put something like them in a book she was writing. But they had seen so many ruins in during there trips! Which one?
“Let me help,” Brenda said. She picked up a stone and began to connect the markings, finishing one symbol here, adding a few squiggly lines there, restoring them to what they must have looked like centuries ago. Before long, it was evident.
“Aphrodite!” Cheryl exclaimed loudly, then covered her mouth and began whispering, “Aphrodite, the goddess of love. We saw that small temple on the coast...”
“Exactly,” Brenda said authoritatively, “I'm thinking this was a temple of hers in ancient times. And I think that explains what happened to us yesterday.”
“It does?” Cheryl asked, mystified.
“Absolutely. Why would the ancients put a temple to a goddess of love in the middle of the sea? This place makes more sense for Poseidon or one of the other water deities. There must have been something here connecting this place to the ancient Greek's ideas of love. Maybe there was some kind of natural aphrodisiac in the food or water. The ancients saw everyone who came here started screwing each others brains out, so naturally they figured Aphrodite was involved and made her a shrine.”
“And that's what made us lose control yesterday? An aphrodisiac?” Cheryl asked, stunned.
“It's only a hypothesis, but it does fit all the facts,” Brenda's voice was now completely emotionless, “I can think of several chemical compounds that could do that. Human sexuality is very chemical actually. Stimulate the right glad, make enough of the correct endorphin and you can get a person hornier than a cat in heat. Unprepared, we would have had little chance of resiting its effects..”
“So we're not all lesbians?” Cheryl asked hopefully. It would be nice to have that burden lifted.
“Of course not. We're victims! And you know what? I think Ms. Clark knows about it,” Brenda practically spat, “I think that spinster wants us all drugged out of our minds so we'll have some giant orgy, then she can join in. Probably the only way she can get some. I never thought she was so sick!”
“So what do we do now,” Cheryl asked, too much new information to process.
“Simple. We find what the aphrodisiac is in and avoid it. Probably something the four of us ate but your stepmother didn't. That would explain why she was the only one who kept her head yesterday. All we have to do is get together and compare everything we've eaten here. As long as we're scientific, some common factor will emerge.”
“Unless,” Cheryl spoke slowly, ideas forming as her lips moved, “It wasn't some chemical. If this is a shrine to a goddess, what if there is some magic left behind? Some force that's tampering with our minds? Maybe even...”
“Magic Cheryl? Are you serious?” Brenda sounded exasperated, “Don't let your imagination run away with you. The Greek gods were no more real than Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny! They were fairy tales told by an ignorant people. They left no unexplained magic behind. They were just stories, only believed by the ignorant.”
“I'm just saying we should keep an open mind about this,” Cheryl said meekly, “Even science doesn't know everything. Maybe the old stories were based on some kind of truth we just don't know?” She was beginning to get a bad feeling about this. In every myth she had ever heard where a mortal bad mouthed the gods, it turned out badly for them. She couldn't help but feeling that somebody was listening.
“Open mind!” Brenda snapped, the strain of the last few days finally getting to her, “Are you listening to yourself? Those stories were made up by drunk priests trying milk fools out of their money! They weren't based on anything! And the stories furthest from reality I'm sure are the ones about Aphrodite! Can you imagine a blond, strumpet airhead as a goddess? If she was based on anything, it was a common gutter whore!””
As the last word slipped from Brenda's lips, the ground began to rumble and a sense of pure dread washed over the chamber. Both girls clutched the walls, fearing an earthquake. The truth was much worse.
“FOOL!” a feminine voice echoed from out of the very stones themselves, “YOU DARE DISRESPECT ME IN MY OWN PLACE OF WORHIP! FOR THAT YOU WILL PAY!!!.”
The cave continued to shake, and some of the markings on the wall started to glow. They started out a dull rose color, but soon intensified to a hot pink. Brenda looked around, terrified, her eyes seeking some place to hide. Before she had the chance to take a step, her lower abdomen started glowing pink as well. Her face lit up in pure emotion and she hunched over.
“Brenda!” Cheryl cried. She tried to get to her friend, but with the ground rising and falling like the deck of a ship, all she could do was hold on to the wall and pray.
“MORTAL! I SHALL CURSE YOU IN FULL! WE WILL NOW SEE WHO THE WHORE IS!” the voice rang out again, deafening.
The light glowing from Brenda's abdomen grew brighter, and the heavy girl fell to her knees, forehead touching the ground. Cheryl couldn't see her face, but strange moaning sounds issued from her mouth over the rumbling rocks.
“OOOHOHH O OOH HOO O OOOH NO NNN NN O O OOOO I WON'T WON'T DO UUUUHHHH OH GAWWDD!!!!! DOOOONN'TTT DOONN''TTT MAKEEE OOOHHH MAKKEEE MEEEEE!!!! OH OH YEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!! I I OHOOOHOOHH APPHRODITTTEEEEEEE! OOOHHH YEEESSS!!! PLEEAAASSEEEE OOHOHOHO MISTREESSSSSSS!!!! IIII NEEEEEEEEEEED!!!”
Brenda moaned and groaned, her deep guttural noises audible over the chaos in the small chamber. Her bottom, thrust up into the air was quivering, shaking back and forth. Her entire body, in fact, seemed caught up in some kind of seizure.
“Brenda!” Cheryl screamed again. The tremor was still too strong. All she could do was hope her friend was alright. Somehow, Cheryl didn't think she would be.
Sorry if this part was a bit slow. I needed to reset things a bit and add a little exposition, and this seemed the place to do it. Part 8 will be much more action filled
Cheryl just sat there, staring at the sand. Normally, she wouldn't have sat there for a minute letting Beth lecture her. Their relationship wasn't nearly as close as stepmother liked to think. But after what had happened today, she had no grounds to argue.
“I had no idea you were all lesbians! I mean, I know you are all eighteen year old high school graduates, bound for college in the fall, but I am still shocked at your choices! You all had boyfriends, dates to the prom, I mean how did this happen? I don't understand...” Beth Ramsey's voice failed her.
Allison, Cheryl, Susan and Brenda just looked at each other guiltily. They didn't understand either.
“I...I know its a new day. Being...gay doesn't have the same stigma it used to...but...” Beth paused to recollect herself, “Girls, we are stranded on a desert island! We need to be working together if we have a chance of being rescued! Now, you are all adults, and I don't have a say in what you do this your personal lives, but if there is to be anymore...romance on this island, you have to be responsible about it! Do it during your free time, in a private part of the island! No...hanky panky when your supposed to be working on keeping us alive and getting us off this rock! Am I understood?”
“Yes, ma'am,” all the girls said, heads hung low.
“Good, now I have to work in the cave sorting through the supplies we managed to save from the boat. You all have jobs to do. Please...just...work, OK?” And she walked away.
Beth wiped her forehead, that late afternoon Greek sun still roasting her fair skin. She was wasn't that much older than these girls, only in her early thirties, but she just didn't understand them! She had heard that this new generation liked to experiment more with homosexuality then hers had, but she'd never seen it in action before. It was shocking!
If only she'd been there to supervise. She could have kept the girls from jumping each others bones, she was sure of it. But she'd been in the cave that they used to store their supplies, organizing them. Even so, she should have heard them. It wasn't like the girls were even trying to be quiet about their sodomy! If she'd gotten their soon enough, she could have stopped the debauchery before it really had gotten started!
Yet, it hadn't been until she'd stuck her head out of the cave to take a break that she'd heard their hysterical cries. So strange. Maybe the caves walls were made of something other than limestone, some rock that muffled noise. The cave was such an odd place, with all those faded carvings and lines on the walls. She had never liked it, had refused to sleep there. Despite what Daphne Clark said, the cave was strange.
* * * * * *
Aphrodite was furious. Her entire plan ruined by that woman! It had been such a good plan! All four girls, life long friends and heterosexuals brought to the brink of having wild, animal like sex with each other. That wasn't easy to do! It had taken all of her abilities and the knowledge plus the desires stored in Daphne Clark's brain to pull it off. And that woman had ruined it in seconds!
Even though she hadn't actually given birth to any of the other four women, was far to young to have done so in fact, she was a mother figure to all of them. Her mere presence reminded all four of the morality they had lived their entire lives under. Just seeing Beth Ramsey had filled them with almost as much guilt and shame as if their own parents had been their to witness their lesbian lovemaking. The spell of lust Aphrodite had been weaving had collapsed immediately.
Even with Beth's interference, Aphrodite knew she was on the edge of victory. The inhibitions Aphrodite had stripped away had not yet returned. The mores she had broken in the young women's soul had not returned. Aphrodite knew that fires of lust and desire she was ignited in them still burned. Even without Aphrodite's presence those fires could very well erupt on their own. With the goddess present to fan the flames...it was guaranteed the young women would erupt in an orgy of lust. Except...
Beth Ramsey could crush all that again in a heartbeat. She could keep them on the straight and narrow with a disapproving glance. There was no question about it. For Aphrodite's plan to work, Beth Ramsey would have to disappear.
And it had to be fast. Keeping the island unseen in the middle of the Ionian sea took a lot of energy, energy she couldn't replace properly unless she got these girls to worship her properly, by having sex dedicated to her as the ancients had. If that didn't happen soon, the island would pop back into the mortal world and these women would be whisked away from her. It could be centuries before she had another opportunity to escape her bonds!
But even the great Aphrodite didn't know to get rid of Beth. There were limits even to the powers of a god or goddess. Even in the old days, there wasn't much she could to do someone who wasn't her worshiper. That was why religion had been such a dangerous game back then. Those who chose to worship the gods could be given both great rewards but great punishment as well. Those that refused to acknowledge them were largely beyond their reach.
Oh, Aphrodite could inflame Beth Rasmey's libido and limit her self control, she was the goddess of love after all, but no more than a few glasses alcohol would. That had been plenty for the others, but in this case it wouldn't be enough. Beth was much more experienced sexually, more confident in her heterosexual identity than the rest. Older, she was more stable. Aphrodite would never get her to experiment, especially not with a group of women she still considered children in her heart of heart.
It was so frustrating! Beth's lack of belief would shield her from most of what Aphrodite could do to her. That was why, in the old days, gods and goddesses had usually acted through agents. If you needed to smite a village of unbelievers, it was easier to order your followers to do it, giving them the tools to do the job. It was the main reason behind religious wars.
And the only real follower Aphrodite had on the island, in fact in the world, was Daphne Clark. She would have to do. Hopefully the mousy brunette would be up to the challenge.
* * * * * *
The rest of the day passed in uncomfortable silence. There was none of the playing and light banter that had existed between the friends since elementary school. All four girls were too embarrassed to look one another in the eye, too filled with shame at what they had done or that they might have enjoyed what had been done to them. In truth neither of the young women knew what they thought about the strange events of earlier in the day. The question of whether the other three were embracing the lesbian experiences or were horrified by them was too big to tackle. And, of course, they would rather have thrown themselves naked off a cliff than confront Ms. Ramsey about the issue. The look on her face could have scared off a mountain lion.
Oddly, only Daphne Clark seemed relaxed. She bounced around the campsite, helping make dinner while whistling an unknown tune, not even seeming to notice the suspicious looks Brenda was shooting her. Afterward, Daphne was the only one trying to make small talk. The rest were lost in their own worlds.
Soon, the Greek sun set, and the women slept around the campfire. With a warm night and a cloudless sky, no one wanted to sleep in the cave, despite a few cryptic warnings from Ms. Clark about a storm coming. Something about the place gave them all a chill. After the day's exhausting events, it wasn't a surprise everyone fell asleep quickly.
All except Allison. She tossed and turned, unable to get a moments sleep. When they had crashed around the fire, she had picked the spot furthest from Cheryl. She wasn't certain she could control herself close to her friend. The sound of the redhead's laughter, the taste of her toes, the sight of her body's futile struggle for freedom still swam through the cheerleader's head. She had owned her, controlled her, and Allison had wanted to do so again, badly. But with mama hen so close, giving into those needs would be disaster. Distance had seemed a good thing.
That had just put her closer to another source of trouble. Right now, only a few yards from where she was laying, Susan's bare feet were sticking out of her sleeping bag, wiggling wildly in the night, and they were driving Allison crazy! They were much bigger than Allison's, long, probably size 10 or 11, but looked just as soft. Her high arches and long toes seemed to be calling her! They were so close, Allison could smell them, not the disgusting smell or dirty shoes and socks, but something spicy and...intriguing. Allison couldn't help but wonder, would they taste the same as Cheryl's, feel the same under her finger tips? Would Susan's laughter be as sharp, as out of control as Cheryl's was? Would she surrender her soul as fast?
And the way they moved...Susan was waving her feet wildly, almost hypnotically, back and forth, toes wiggling in the breeze. She must have been dreaming, Allison thought, but about what?
* * * * * *
Just like before, Susan was stuck to a tree, the sap binding her skin to the bark like superglue, except now it was worse. Instead of just one arm stuck, it was both of them, fastened high over her head, stretching her out like a rubber band. Her legs too were tapped, spread wide opened with the sides of her calves stuck to neighboring trunks. She looked like an upside down 'Y'. And that wasn't even the worst part.
The worst part was she was completely naked, every inch of her bronze skin on display. Even her blond hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, just like she wore during volleyball games, leaving her neck and shoulders exposed.
“Oh god, no, not again,” the muscular blond whispered. “I hate this!” Six feet tall, abs of steel and star player on a state champion volleyball team, she should have been strong enough to tear herself free from a bunch of plants, but the more she struggled, the tighter the hold on her arms and legs became. In the end, all Susan could do was hang there, waiting
“That's not true,” said a strange, airy voice, “You love being helpless, vulnerable. That's why you're having this dream.” It was Brenda, stepping into view. At least it looked like Brenda, with her generous curves, short brunette hair and short legs. She had the oddest expression on her face, mischievous...naughty, so unlike the straight-laced girl Susan knew.
“Fuck you,” Susan spit, coming close to hitting her target, “Let me go and I'll show you how much I love this.” She tugged on her bonds again, feeling like King Kong when he was chained on stage. The urge to cover herself was overpowering as Brenda's devilish gaze seemed to hover over her most private of places. She couldn't even close her legs!
“Temper, temper,” Brenda said softly, “Somebody's cranky! Here, this will make you feel better.” She pulled out a small white feather. Susan gasped, eyes pulled to it like it was a gun. Smile growing even wider, Brenda reached out and began sliding the plume over Susan's firm belly.
“he eheheheheheh eheh n onononononono ehe eheheeheheehe e e eheh e ehe eheehehehe” Even in her own ears, Susan thought her laughter sounded silly, bouncy. Try as she might, however, she couldn't stifle the involuntary giggles. As the downy barbs glided across her stomach, Susan could feel her abs ripple at their touch.
“That's a good girl, giggle for mommy,” Brenda continued, “As I was saying, you like being helpless. When your in the gym there is so much pressure on you, pressure to do the right thing, to win the game. When you lose, its all your fault, and the guilt is tremendous.”
The worst part of being tickled was that it stole your true emotions from you. Susan was angry that Brenda would do this to her again, furious that she'd tickle and taunt her. She wanted to yell at her friend, scream at her, vent her rage. Maybe that would shock Brenda back to her senses, convince her that Susan was serious.
But all Susan could do was giggle and toss her head from side to side and giggle, giggle like some girl flirting with her new boyfriend on her first date. Her own body was betraying her.
“grrrhr r rhr eh ehe eheh eheh thaahaahahah t tha ahahahahaaattttsss ha aha ahahh nawwwtttt hahahah truueee e eee,” Susan closed her eyes. Every time the edge the feather came close to her belly button, the tickling sensation jumped! She shook her head, trying again to distance herself from it. It didn't work.
Brenda just smiled evilly and kept brushing the feather across Susan's flat tummy, up and down, side to side and in circles. She dragged it everywhere, from her ribs to her waist and from side to side. While she never went over her belly button, the feather tip of the plume always seemed to be close by.
“Hush little girl. Just laugh for me. Laugh for your mistress. Goochie, goochie goo, little Susie!” Brenda just kept teasing, sawing with the feather's edge across Susan's waist.
“he eheHEHE EH ehehE E EHEHHEH eee HEHEH H EHEHEHEHEH NAWWWWWWOOOO HE ehe ehe ehehheh hatteheheh eheheh thiisssishisisissss heeheheh waannnn ehehe e wannttt hahahah totogohohohohoh gohohohoho!!!”
Tears started to well up in her eyes, blinding her. Her arms and legs were getting sore from madly trying to pull her arms and legs free.
“But you do,” a new voice continued, familiar but not Brenda, “When you're bound, you have no control over what happens to you now. There's no responsibility, no guilt. No matter what I do or how much you enjoy it, its not your fault is it? Ironically, you are much more free now that your helpless. Its like a bad Russian novel.”
Brenda was gone. Cheryl was in her place, slender, about Brenda's height but without the large boobs and voluptuous hips. Yet with her long, red hair going down to the small of her back, flashing green eyes and willowy breasts, she was no less attractive.
He ehe nawwwoo he eh yooouuuu heheh edOOHOOOHHOOON HA AHA AHA W AH AH OOWWWUUTT HA AHAHAHAHA GEEHEHEETTTTT HAHAHAHA I I ITT HAAHAHAH OOO HOW HOW OOO WWWWWUUTT HA AHAHAHAAA!!!” Susan had been about to protest, but Cheryl had simply slipped the tip of the feather into her button, twirling it around and around, forcing Susan's laughter to skyrocket.
“Never question me, Susan deer. You know I'm the smart one. You're just the dumb jock.” She swirled the feather clockwise for a minute, then went the opposite way. Cheryl made sure the feather's fine edge was scraping against the sides of Susan's flesh.
“HE EHEH EHEHEH EHEH E E E E E NAAAWWTTTT AHE EHE EH EHEH EHE E E E NAWWTTT EHE EHEHEHEH DUUUMMMMBB B HEHEH EHEHEH EHEHHEHEHEH NAWWWTTTT STUUHUHUHUH U STUUHUHUUPPPUIIDDDDDD HE EHEHEHHEH!!!” Susan shrieked, her laughter changing, becoming more and more shrill. It was too much, it was too much!
“You doubt my hypothesis?” Cheryl continued, apparently oblivious to the suffering she was causing with one downy plume, “Well, let me demonstrate.” She took out a second feather and began stroking it over the inside of Susan's muscular thigh. It was just as soft as its counterpart, but now a new feeling swept over Susan, warring with the tickling.
“oooohhhh hoh hoho o o HE EHEH EHEH ooOoo hhoho hohoho hu uuuuu h h hooooo h he eheheh huuhuuhuuu!!!!” Moans of pleasure slipped out of Susan's lips along with loud guffaws and giggles. The electric tickling from her belly button now competed with the wispy erotic pulsing coming from her thighs. She shook her head from side to side as if trying to deny these new sensations, but there was no point as long as she could feel each strand sliding across her firm leg. Biting her lip seemed no good either.
“See,” Cheryl said in her most smug voice, “If you weren't bound, this wouldn't feel nearly as good. If you were just standing there, letting me feather the inside of your thigh, your morality would be warring with your libido. Foolish questions of right and wrong would push out the pleasure. Guilt would squash these wonderful feelings. In the end, you might feel obligated to stop me even though this feels so good.”
Cheryl was playing with her prey now. She slowed down the feather in her belly button, and sped up the one caressing the inside of Susan's thigh, moving it higher and higher.
“Am I wrong, Susan? Am I?” Cheryl demanded as if the question was rhetorical, “If I am, then I should stop? Do you think I should just put my feather away?”
Susan just gurgled, confused but titillated. It ticked, it tickled, but it felt so good. She should want it to stop, shouldn't see? Didn't see?
“That's why you like being helpless,” a new familiar voice continued, “When you're helpless, there's no confusion, to choice. All you have to do is feel and enjoy. Isn't that right?”
Now it was Allison. She was a foot taller than the other two, nearly as tall as Susan herself, and drop dead gorgeous. She had spent as much time working on her body as Susan had, but instead of strength, she had built it for pure sex appeal. With her blond hair styled in the current fashion, she could have been a supermodel.
Susan stared at her new tormentor, their blue eyes meeting. Allison's were so deep, enchanting. She opened her mouth to speak, but Allison filled it with a kiss, a hot, wet deep kiss. Somehow, even as there tongues touched, the feather brushing the inside of her thigh never stopped. Susan's eyes opened wide, heart pounding. It felt as if her very nerves were going to explode.
“See, you don't want this to stop, but you can't let yourself like it. That's why you love being tied up. Now this can go on for as long as I want and it's not your fault.” Allison said with a naughty smile. Her eyes moved up and down Susan's tight body rapidly, lustfully.
“Go to hell,” Susan said simply as she caught her breath, rebellious to the end. Deep down though, part of what fueled that rebellion was the knowledge that it wouldn't change anything, wouldn't make Allison stop. She was like a dog on a leash, barking at cars. There was no chance she'd have to try and bite the fender.
“Still not convinced?” Allison said with a mock pout, “Well, lets see if this brings you around.” Allison took both feathers and started stroking them between Susan's legs. Susan's body exploded, sexual energy and hysteria bursting from the area and the speed of light, overwhelming any and all other thoughts the young woman might have had.
“HA AHAHA AHAH AHAHAHAH OHOHOOOOHHHHH AHAH AHAH H H AHAHAH OOOOHOHOO HAHAHHH U U OOOOOOOO HA AHAHAHA AHAHA AHAH AH AHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“You like this, don't you baby, you like this a lot,” Allison said simply, her soft voice somehow cutting through the firestorm that erupted from Susan's mouth. Allison started tracing the tips of both feathers along the crease formed where Susan's legs met her torso. It tickled in a way that Susan had never imagined possible, tickled and more.
“You need this Susan, you need it so much, let you could never ask for it, never allow it to be done to you. You'd have to fight it. But when you have no choices, all you can do is let...it...happen,” Allison leaned in and started nibbling on Susan's neck, emphasizing each of the last three words with a moist kiss.
Susan didn't answer, she couldn't have answered. Laughter and guttural moans were all that existed in her mouth and throat. And at that minute she was glad, so glad that she was helpless, that she didn't have to make a choice about whether this should continue or not. All she had to do was lie there and be.
And it got even worse. The two feathers found Susan's labia, began sliding up and down, getting wet from the glistening moisture that was pouring out of Susan's slit. Her body started bouncing up and down, vibrating, quivering. Sweat was pouring off of her naked body, down her breasts, her ass, her chiseled legs.
“Yes! Yes!” she screamed or wanted to. Susan could feel it coming, the wall the darkness that marked her climax. It was a level she'd never reached before with another human being, only by herself in the shower, but this one would be far bigger. IT WAS COMING!!!
And then it wasn't. Seconds before her climax gripped her, Susan felt the feathers stop their dance. Disappointed and empty, Susan managed to open her eyes, to give Allison an angry, accusing look.
“Oh, I'm sorry dear,” Allison said in a funny voice, “There is one problem with being helpless. You don't always get what you want if somebody doesn't feel like giving it to you.”
“Pl...pl....please,” Susan asked meekly, urgently, body practically glowing with sexual tension.
“No,” Allison said smugly, “I'm in charge right now, and I don't want to.”
“You...bitch” Susan snarled, her voice filled with pent up emotion.
“You want to cum, princess? You can't be submissive. Don't wait for someone to give to you. Reach out, take what you want. Don't give anybody any choice. Be dominant. Be in control.”
And Susan felt her bonds vanish, her arms and legs freed. In a frenzy, she reached out for Allison, wrapping her arms around her sweet, soft flesh, her lips tasting her delicious skin. Susan felt Allison struggle breifly, trying to break away. Then her resistance faded, and she began melting beneath Susan, yielding her to, submitting. A joy overwhelmed Susan, far more ecstatic then the feeling over being helpless.
In that instant Susan knew. She wasn't some helpless pussycat, waiting around for a master to feed. She was a lion! She needed to hunt her prey, to take what she needed from their tasty ripe body. She was powerful! She was taking! It was...electric! It was orgasmic! It was...WASSSS!!!!
Then, it was all wrong. Susan could feel the delicious, soft body flowing away from her. Heartbreak, disappointment and longing swept over her. Eyes opened, she was back at the campsite, lying in her sleeping bag with her feet sticking out the ends. Need still raced through her blood. Her desires remained unquenched.
But now Susan knew what she needed to do to satisfy herself. And it would be sweet.
* * * * * *
As Allison watched Susan's feet dancing, mesmerized by the very sight of them, she heard a noise in the bushes. Jerking her head, Allison turned just in time to see Cheryl slip off into the brush. Curious about the redhead's intent, Allison looked around. Brenda was gone too. She had been so involved in the ankle show, she hadn't noticed the full figured girl leave.
Well, well, well, Allison thought, the two geeks were having a romantic rendezvous. She was tempted to join them, turn it into a threesome. A threesome with her tickling the both of them into oblivion, of course. Then Allison had second thoughts. She wasn't completely sure that was what the two had in mind. And, even if it was, mama hen Beth Ramsey would wake up at the first sound and disrupt their little party. That was a humiliation Allison didn't want to relive.
Besides, it was Susan's feet that were calling her! Dominating a couple of nerds was one thing, but taking control of the best athlete in school...the idea made her wet! If only they were alone. Alone! A plan, fully formed, popped into Allison's blond head. Rolling out of her sleeping bag, careful not to wake Susan, Allison crept over to Beth.
“Ms. Ramsey, Ms. Ramsey,” Allison whispered, “Cheryl and Brenda have gone off by themselves!”
“Huh...what...who...” It took Brenda a moment to wake up, her eyes focusing on the here and now.
“Cheryl and Brenda!” Allison whispered again, “They've gone off on their own! I think they might be...fooling around or something.”
That snapped Beth out of it. Her motherly instincts took over and she was up in a flash. She slipped her white robe over her silk pajamas, put on her slippers and left in the direction Allison indicated. The cheerleader could only smile. Now to get those feet!
Allison didn't notice Susan's half opened blue eyes staring at her through the darkness or that Daphne Clark's sleeping bag on the far side of camp was also empty.
* * * * * *
` Cheryl entered the dark cave, lit only by a flickering candle. The place looked so different by day, when it was just a dry spot used to hold the supplies they had collected. At night it was just plain spooky.
“Brenda,” she whispered, “What are you doing here? It's got to be after midnight! We're all supposed to be asleep!”
Brenda was standing by the back wall, wearing the flannel shirt and sweat pants she had worn to bed every night on the trip. She had moved some stacks and was looking intently at some markings carved into the stone. She didn't seem to have noticed Cheryl come it, but wasn't startled to hear her voice.
“Just validating a theory,” Brenda said softly, tracing something with her index finger. She looked kind of comical, dressed so funny, but with a highly analytical look on her face. Cheryl thought that was what Spock would have looked like as a lumber jack.
“Come on, we've got to go!” Cheryl said urgently, “If my stepmom finds us here, she'll think we snuck off to...you know! After...after earlier, I don't think I could handle that conversation again!”
“Come, look at these markings,” Brenda continued as if Cheryl hadn't spoke, “Fascinating! Tell me, haven't you seen them before?” She had her scientist face on, carefully studying the evidence in front of her.
“What markings? Ms. Clark said all that was just from water erosion,” Cheryl did creep farther in, against her better judgment. She looked like a thief sneaking into a bank vault when she knows the police will be here any second. Cheryl did not want to be caught in here with Brenda! The urge to run was almost overpowering.
“A base canard. I can think of at least three things wrong with that statement,” Brenda snorted, “These carvings are old, mostly worn away, so inspect them carefully. Don't you recognize them?” She obviously expected Cheryl to do so.
And, after looking, Cheryl thought maybe she did. The curved symbols, half erased by time, the weird crossing lines and indentations were familiar. In Greece they had toured many old temples with the rest of their classmates. Cheryl had made note of the markings, wanting to put something like them in a book she was writing. But they had seen so many ruins in during there trips! Which one?
“Let me help,” Brenda said. She picked up a stone and began to connect the markings, finishing one symbol here, adding a few squiggly lines there, restoring them to what they must have looked like centuries ago. Before long, it was evident.
“Aphrodite!” Cheryl exclaimed loudly, then covered her mouth and began whispering, “Aphrodite, the goddess of love. We saw that small temple on the coast...”
“Exactly,” Brenda said authoritatively, “I'm thinking this was a temple of hers in ancient times. And I think that explains what happened to us yesterday.”
“It does?” Cheryl asked, mystified.
“Absolutely. Why would the ancients put a temple to a goddess of love in the middle of the sea? This place makes more sense for Poseidon or one of the other water deities. There must have been something here connecting this place to the ancient Greek's ideas of love. Maybe there was some kind of natural aphrodisiac in the food or water. The ancients saw everyone who came here started screwing each others brains out, so naturally they figured Aphrodite was involved and made her a shrine.”
“And that's what made us lose control yesterday? An aphrodisiac?” Cheryl asked, stunned.
“It's only a hypothesis, but it does fit all the facts,” Brenda's voice was now completely emotionless, “I can think of several chemical compounds that could do that. Human sexuality is very chemical actually. Stimulate the right glad, make enough of the correct endorphin and you can get a person hornier than a cat in heat. Unprepared, we would have had little chance of resiting its effects..”
“So we're not all lesbians?” Cheryl asked hopefully. It would be nice to have that burden lifted.
“Of course not. We're victims! And you know what? I think Ms. Clark knows about it,” Brenda practically spat, “I think that spinster wants us all drugged out of our minds so we'll have some giant orgy, then she can join in. Probably the only way she can get some. I never thought she was so sick!”
“So what do we do now,” Cheryl asked, too much new information to process.
“Simple. We find what the aphrodisiac is in and avoid it. Probably something the four of us ate but your stepmother didn't. That would explain why she was the only one who kept her head yesterday. All we have to do is get together and compare everything we've eaten here. As long as we're scientific, some common factor will emerge.”
“Unless,” Cheryl spoke slowly, ideas forming as her lips moved, “It wasn't some chemical. If this is a shrine to a goddess, what if there is some magic left behind? Some force that's tampering with our minds? Maybe even...”
“Magic Cheryl? Are you serious?” Brenda sounded exasperated, “Don't let your imagination run away with you. The Greek gods were no more real than Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny! They were fairy tales told by an ignorant people. They left no unexplained magic behind. They were just stories, only believed by the ignorant.”
“I'm just saying we should keep an open mind about this,” Cheryl said meekly, “Even science doesn't know everything. Maybe the old stories were based on some kind of truth we just don't know?” She was beginning to get a bad feeling about this. In every myth she had ever heard where a mortal bad mouthed the gods, it turned out badly for them. She couldn't help but feeling that somebody was listening.
“Open mind!” Brenda snapped, the strain of the last few days finally getting to her, “Are you listening to yourself? Those stories were made up by drunk priests trying milk fools out of their money! They weren't based on anything! And the stories furthest from reality I'm sure are the ones about Aphrodite! Can you imagine a blond, strumpet airhead as a goddess? If she was based on anything, it was a common gutter whore!””
As the last word slipped from Brenda's lips, the ground began to rumble and a sense of pure dread washed over the chamber. Both girls clutched the walls, fearing an earthquake. The truth was much worse.
“FOOL!” a feminine voice echoed from out of the very stones themselves, “YOU DARE DISRESPECT ME IN MY OWN PLACE OF WORHIP! FOR THAT YOU WILL PAY!!!.”
The cave continued to shake, and some of the markings on the wall started to glow. They started out a dull rose color, but soon intensified to a hot pink. Brenda looked around, terrified, her eyes seeking some place to hide. Before she had the chance to take a step, her lower abdomen started glowing pink as well. Her face lit up in pure emotion and she hunched over.
“Brenda!” Cheryl cried. She tried to get to her friend, but with the ground rising and falling like the deck of a ship, all she could do was hold on to the wall and pray.
“MORTAL! I SHALL CURSE YOU IN FULL! WE WILL NOW SEE WHO THE WHORE IS!” the voice rang out again, deafening.
The light glowing from Brenda's abdomen grew brighter, and the heavy girl fell to her knees, forehead touching the ground. Cheryl couldn't see her face, but strange moaning sounds issued from her mouth over the rumbling rocks.
“OOOHOHH O OOH HOO O OOOH NO NNN NN O O OOOO I WON'T WON'T DO UUUUHHHH OH GAWWDD!!!!! DOOOONN'TTT DOONN''TTT MAKEEE OOOHHH MAKKEEE MEEEEE!!!! OH OH YEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!! I I OHOOOHOOHH APPHRODITTTEEEEEEE! OOOHHH YEEESSS!!! PLEEAAASSEEEE OOHOHOHO MISTREESSSSSSS!!!! IIII NEEEEEEEEEEED!!!”
Brenda moaned and groaned, her deep guttural noises audible over the chaos in the small chamber. Her bottom, thrust up into the air was quivering, shaking back and forth. Her entire body, in fact, seemed caught up in some kind of seizure.
“Brenda!” Cheryl screamed again. The tremor was still too strong. All she could do was hope her friend was alright. Somehow, Cheryl didn't think she would be.
Sorry if this part was a bit slow. I needed to reset things a bit and add a little exposition, and this seemed the place to do it. Part 8 will be much more action filled
