Cephalon's Champion Ch. 04

"That's what I thought," Ata crowed. "You are weak after your ordeals. Vulnerable. Making this the perfect opportunity to teach you a lesson."

The tone made me nervous so I mustered as much authority as I could with my compromised position and said, "Ata, get off me right now."

Shaking her head, she 'tsked' at me. "Nuh uh sister. While I may be your vestment, you're my goddess, as such, I have a few rules I think you need explained. Lessons to be taught." Reaching down, she bounced one of my tits in her hand, before bending over to nuzzle it with her lips.

Arousal at her unusually dominant attitude surprised me, flooding through my system like a stampede.

"First," she said calmly. "Never, ever, kick me off of you like that again." Fingers, traced along the side swell of my breast. Her coloration brightened to a pure lavender. "I am your armor, it's my job to keep you safe. I can't have you suddenly unloading me in combat, no matter how good an idea it seems at the time."

Slinking along my stomach and between my legs, she curled her fingers into my pussy. Her obsidian flesh pressed into me and my body curled around her, instinctively welcoming her into my folds. She continued pleasuring me while also keeping up her lecture. "Trust is paramount. What we do is dangerous and without your belief in me, we will never be successful and you will only put us in greater danger."

"It's not that I don't-" she silenced me with a finger to my lips. Swirling the hand between my legs she effectively rendered me mute for a few seconds.

"Right now it's my turn to speak. You'll have your chance later. Now what was I saying?" she asked, tapping on her chin while doing the same to my sodden labia.

It was strange, on one hand, what she was doing to me wasn't exactly unpleasant, on the other, my instincts railed against my helplessness, making me want to writhe and escape her confines.

What followed was a systematic orgasm, Ata taking nearly as much pleasure in her dominance as I did while she stroked me off. I spilled my joy between her fingers while the two goddesses had a shallow discussion of their families in the background. She had tamed me like an adopted stray, dulling my claws and curbing my fierceness with warm attention and consistent petting. It also had the side effect of depleting what meager energy I'd gained during my forced nap. Ata shuddered at our conjoined orgasm, her thighs tightening around me involuntarily. We breathed deeply together, comrades in the twilight of our mutual climax.

"Now that about wraps up the first lesson. I think we're ready to move on to the second."

"Noooo," I whined, clawing piteously at her hand that remained nestled between my thighs.

"The second thing you need to remember; the single most important thing to consider in any situation, is you life."

I tried to speak but she silenced me with another tongue searing kiss.

"You are far too reckless. Both with Surt and then Athena, you placed victory above your well-being. You must understand that it isn't a victory unless you can walk away from it. This," she placed her hand over the whitish flesh of the mending wound. "This can, at best, be classified as a draw."

Athena might beg to differ, I thought sullenly.

She read my disagreement and her expression firmed, determination settling there like a teacher dissecting a non-compliant student.

"I see you're gonna be stubborn. Fixing that should be fun." Her predatory smile did not bode well.

Deep breathes hauled oxygen into my deprived body, already preparing for the marathon trial to come. Shifting positions, Ata maneuvered me so my legs bowed over her shoulders to dangle down her back. Filling her nose with my scent, she licked her lips, relishing the task to come.

Maybe if I...

Sneaking my tails along the ground, I slithered them towards the part of her foot that lied flat on the ground. They flashed forward.

Rocking to the side, Ata dodged my tails and countered by squishing them flat to the deck, effectively imprisoning them. "Nuh, uh," she chimed into my snatch.

A strange smell drifted through the air, distracting me from my predicament. Mentally I tracked it through the air back to its origin. Athena and Destiny had abandoned any pretense of conversation, focusing on the two of us. Destiny was biting her bottom lip and surreptitiously cupping and rubbing her clothed pussy. It was from there that the smell originated. Upon noticing my attention, she promptly removed her naughty hand and turned her head away, but continued to watch with her peripherals. Athena was less bashful, openly appreciating our performance and was a bucket of popcorn away from having the full theatre experience.

Ata, noticing my attention, or lack thereof, followed my eyes to see what'd distracted me. "What are you looking at?" she questioned Athena with a smug look on her face. "See something you like?"

"Just enjoying the show." Shifting slightly, Athena then spoke directly to me. "You're ravishing. Cuttingly beautiful, thorns and petals in exquisite harmony, making even roses jealous with their grandeur," she crooned with an accompanying saucy wink.

It was liberating to feel no shame, even blatantly exposed with flowery words raining down.

I have a feeling that this would mortify who I'd been before.

Winking right back, I pumped my hips, letting my labia mush against Ata's chin. "You just wish you were her."

"Angels wish they could sup from your heavenly cup."

I chuckled, impressed she managed to keep a straight face whilst spewing such nonsense. "Promises, promises."

Ata, miffed that my attention had wandered to her friend, recaptured my notice by buzzing my clit with her lips before massaging and rolling it. My body received her message loud and clear, tuning into her with absolute clarity.

Black strands of hair wiggled happily along the metal deck, an involuntary consequence to Ata working my clit like a speed bag, but gently. Quips and cocky words regressed to moans and animalistic grunts of enjoyment.

"Ata fuck... ing hell," I cried out through hitched breathing, once more tumbling over the edge. Exhausted muscled bounced and clenched in weary surrender to her will. My body was done, a marathon runner stumbling across the finish line in equal parts relief and joy.

Ata, however, was a determined taskmaster, and wasn't quite done with it yet. She was gentle while she set me to the ground, arranging me just so. My eyes were wild and my breath heaved as I came down from my post orgasmic high.

"I trust you've taken those two lessons to heart."

I didn't have the strength to do much more than wiggle my fingers in assent.

Fortunately, this appeared to be good enough for Ata. Sprawling out on her side, she propped herself up on her elbow, her hand supporting her head. She lazily traced shapes into my naked side.

"What are you doing? Please no more," I begged. "I will let you protect me and be more cautious while fighting. Just let me rest."

"Sorry," she whispered soothingly, sounding genuinely apologetic. "But there's still one more lesson.

I groaned, despair taking me in its hairy clutches.

"Although, it's less of a lesson and more of a personal message," she admitted enigmatically. Her fingers were cool and soothing against my angry, overworked pussy. She leaned in close, crafting an intimate space that made it feel like we were the only two people in the world. "Thank you for being there for Athena. For saving my friend. It means the world to me."

Her sincerity and tenderness reached into my chest and squeezed my heart. "Then... mercy?" I asked hopefully.

She chuckled. "I don't think so."

"Darn," I said.

She took her time, evenly building up my arousal. Unhurried, she worked in silence with a sly smirk that seemed much more at home than her previous sternness. A knot I hadn't known I was holding in relaxed.

She's okay. We saved her friend and we made it out alive.

I'd been a little worried by her seriousness, she'd been on edge ever since Destiny's appearance, but she seemed back to her old irreverently bubbly self and that was reassuring. Despite my exhaustion, I could feel my arousal returning, a tiny bud poking its head out of the soil after a forest fire.

This body is amazing.

Ata cuddled with me and the short respite was enough for my libido to retake control of my flesh from the jaws of exhaustion. She was gentle, caring, and kind this time, using her hands to say what was too big to put into words.

Her love.

Her care.

Her devotion.

When I finally orgasmed, it was together with her arms curled around me, her gemstones glowing citrine and lavender against her dark stone skin.

I patted her arm affectionately. "Love you too sis." Curling my tails around her, my body gave up its hold, eyelids drooping and dragging me down into the depths.

A ten minute siesta later and I managed to conjure enough energy to open my eyes, haul myself up with the help of the rail, and sit there with my back against that same rail. Destiny looked like she couldn't quite decide between mortification and interest. Athena had a serious look on her face as she approached me. She held a worn looking jug in her hands, it was an earthy burgundy color with copperish yellow engravings of revelry on the sides. Presenting it to me she knelt on the ground. I took it from her carefully, narrowing my eyes in examination while rotating it to look at it from all angles. Stepping back, Athena spread her arms wide, bowing her head while half-kneeling.

"She just curtsied," I said to Ata.

"Yep." She just curled in deeper to my side like a snuggly dog.

"To me."

"Yep."

"Why?" I asked, baffled by what was going on. I looked at the artifact that thrummed, pulsing with strands of old magic.

"Just wait for it."

"What is she doing?" I asked as Athena knelt down in front of me.

"Don't talk to me. Talk to her."

"What are you doing?"

Despite her attempt to keep the moment solemn, my natural proclivity for irreverence managed to coax a smile from her.

"This is my offering and formal petition to join your pantheon. I would be perfectly content being a lower echelon goddess beneath you, of course," she said in a manner that made me think my leadership wasn't the only thing she wanted to get under.

"You thief!" Destiny screeched.

Both Athena and I cocked our heads at her undignified interjection.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she began to shuffle side to side at our combined attention. "Sorry. It's just... that. I was planning on doing the same thing."

"Can I only have one other goddess in my pantheon? A sort of 'first come first serve' thing?"

"No," she said hesitantly.

"Ahhhh," I said, understanding dawning. "She stole your thunder."

"I mean... kinda. Yeah. I wanted to be your first," she said in what I thought was unintentional innuendo.

God do I want to do wickedly naughty things to you.

"What do you think? Do we let the ladies into the clubhouse?" I asked the content golem next to me.

"I don't know... Only one of them came with a gift."

"That is true," I said in an overly reasonable tone. "Athena here was thoughtful enough to bring me this... Nice..." I looked to Ata for some assistance.

"Wine jug."

"This nice wine jug." It took a moment for the implication of that to sink in. "Wait a second. Wine jug? Like thee wine jug?"

"I would assume so. Why, is there another wine jug you know of?" she teased.

"So that's what she was doing." The troublesome artifact sat innocuous enough in my hands. "Thank you for trusting me with this," I said to Athena. Flexing my claws, I reached within myself for the power I'd used to free Athena. Responding sluggishly, I felt the cracks in my soul, residual damage where what'd been removed didn't quite fit perfectly back in place. Regardless, I bore down, willing my obsidian nails through the magically enhanced ceramic. Reluctantly, the jug succumbed. My fingers curled inward, slicing the jug into strips. Heating, the jug grew bright as the structure of the magic became unstable. It fought me for a second, struggling like a living thing before crumbled into seven distinct pieces, the magic waving out of them in chaotic tendrils.

"That takes care of that," I said, tossing six of the pieces into the ocean. The single remaining piece had a carving of a man drinking from a cask of wine, a crazed smile on his face. "Here you go. I can think of no better guardian than you," I said to Athena, offering her the shattered artifact.

Rising, she took the piece with trembling hands. "Thank you."

"Now, don't get a big head. I know like ten people, tops, in this world so it's not that big of an honor."

Ata snorted.

Smiling with Athena, I recognized a growing reverence in her eyes.

Why do people keep looking at me like that, I'm nothing special.

...

Well, I mean, I am pretty great. But I don't deserve that sort of admiration.

"So, anyway, back to the matter at hand. Destiny, you got any loot for me."

"... No," she squeaked in a mousy voice. "I didn't know... if you give me some time."

I decided I'd had my fun and any additional teasing would just be cruel. "I'm joking of course you can be in my pantheon, I'd be happy to have you. Both of you."

With those words, the atmosphere stirred, something just out of sight quickening. The feeling faded and when I looked at my soul with my internal sight, I discovered two new spheres of light budding up next to mine. One was a brilliant clear white with threads that spun out of it in every direction making it look like a three dimensional spider web, the other was a burnished copper with crimson cracks running through most of the surface, like dirt that's been battered down by a relentless storm.

"Congrats on the pantheon," Ata whispered sleepily into my gobsmacked ear.

Far away, in a cave on the side of a volcano, scaly hands worked a rudimentary hammer and chisel, diligently sculpting crude piece of art. Feline features took shape with every blow. A crowd below watched with fidgety reverence, the sound of rock on rock ringing out in the cavern. Claws ticked against the packed volcanic floor. Then, with his work completed, the chieftain raised the totem high and released a ringing cry.

"Bast!"

The echoing scream reverberated through the mountain halls and into the thin air.

~ End of Book 1 ~