Aphrodite's Curse Ch. 079

As Pegasus flew south Orion's spirits rose. Having successfully killed and skinned the Griffon, his next mission was to give it as a sacrifice to the Furies and then return to Delphi to hear the rest of the Oracle's message. As the air grew warmer and once again trees, still blazing in all their autumnal colors came into sight, his beautiful female passengers squealed in delight. All having grown up in the icy plains of the north, such leafy abundance was unknown to them and they were eager to begin their new lives in the civilized and rich Greek world.

Flying over the first major Greek city of Byzantium, Grid's two companions giggled excitedly as they looked at the wonders beneath them. Markets, abundant food, running water were all on display and these were delights they did not know existed. Setting Pegasus down outside the city gates, the two blonde beauties rushed off her back and hurriedly gathered their belongings. No more mud huts, smelly Vikings and raw meat for them, they (with the help of the considerable gold they took from the Griffon) would become women of leisure in this new world. Each kissed Orion goodbye as they scampered inside, eager to experience all of the pleasures that civilization could bring them. Grid however did not join her friends.

"Are you not going with your friends?" Orion asked. He was sad to see the other two blonde beauties leave, as he had enjoyed their bodies immensely on the trip, but, where he was going they could not follow.

Looking up into his eyes with a determined stare she answered. "No Orion, I am going with you to the furies. You will need my help and only after you are safely in Delphi will I start my new life." As Orion opened his mouth to protest, she placed her fingers on his lips. "There is no use arguing Orion, you are stuck with me for now."

Orion was moved, and had to admit he certainly did not mind having a few more nights of horizontal entertainment with this gorgeous viking girl, but he could not allow her to join him in his journey. It was far too dangerous and having to worry about her safety, as well as his, he knew she would be a distraction. Rather than argue however, Orion bit his tongue.

As they journeyed on to the furies, Orion discovered that Grid eventually wanted to go to Athens and become a devotee of Athena. Being an exceptionally intelligent girl, as well as ravishingly beautiful, the choice made sense, and with her newfound wealth she would live like a queen. Each night, under a clear and cool Agean sky she would pepper Orion with questions about Athens as well as the Greek Gods before they rolled around like horny eels on the soft leaf strewn ground. Orion smiled as she asked her questions, attracted almost as much to her ravenous mind as he was her ravishing ass. As she ran her fingers through his hair as he softly kissed her left inner thigh, Orion grew sad as he knew this was their last night together. Tomorrow they would be at the base of the dark mountains of the Carpathians and the entrance to the land of the Furies and they would have to part ways. He would have to be devious to prevent her from following him into the mountains, but a plot had been hatched in his mind.

As they flew towards the mountains, the air turned sharply and decidedly chilly. The cold matched the atmosphere, as a more evil looking place did not exist anywhere on earth. The furies were feared by all, even the Gods, and those who came to worship or sacrifice rarely had good intentions. At the base of Mount Erebus, a temple of solid black volcanic rock had been erected and the Priestess to the Furies stood watch as those seeking vengeance came forth with their sacrifice. Blood flowed almost continuously into a great roaring fire with a seemingly unending line of revenge seekers coming forth. The burning sacrifices created a great deal of smoke, which was dark green and black and smelled of sulphur. Evil intentions infused the smoke and added to the considerable gloom of the place. As Grid and Orion saw this scene beneath them, he felt her grip his stomach and scoot closer to his back.

His mission would not involve the temple so he flew on towards the mountain directly. Seeing the mountain now up close, he realized that Pegasus would be useless here as the entire surface was covered in mile upon mile of twisted grey and black branches bristling with thorns. He gulped as he saw the vast thicket before him, wondering how on earth he would ever be able to traverse such an awful terrain. Landing now, Grid clutched him tightly and shivered as she looked at the dreadful forest.

Apart from an endless maze of sharp thorny branches, the entire area appeared to be choked in perpetual sulfur scented fog. Despite being a gloriously clear and crisp Autumn day, here at the foot of Mount Erebus it appeared almost dark as night. Grid, despite being terrified by the sight, was determined to go with Orion. She was a Viking and her nordic blood, although chilled by the sight, was not so afraid as to prevent her from moving forward. She knew Orion was worried about her and did not want her to go with him, but he had seemingly acquiesced and did not argue. Now with both of them standing at the base of the mountain, the entrance to the thicket was clearly visible. Twelve feet high and seven feet wide, a small opening in the tangled branches opened up and peering at the entrance it was pitch black inside. It would take all of her courage to enter with him, but she was determined.

Pegasus was very nervous and anxiously pawed the ground, seemingly begging her master not to enter. Petting her neck, Orion gathered his bag, the hide of Griffon, a full quiver of arrows and bow and began to approach the thicket. Turning to Grid he suddenly stopped and smacked his head with his open palm.

"DAMN IT! I almost forgot my amulet. Could you see if it is still in the saddle?"

Climbing onto Pegasus's back, Grid rustled through the saddle but found nothing. "I don't see it Orion!" she cried back to him as he irritatedly approached. Still sitting on the saddle her mouth flew open in shock when he suddenly pulled her wrists down under Pegasus's neck and quickly tied them together. Cursing him she struggled to get loose as he whispered into the horses ear. Before she could escape, both she and Pegasus had been launched into the air on the way to Athens. She had been tricked, and although she was pissed, she grinned as she realized he only did this because he feared for her safety. Turning back as they flew into the sky, she laughed and continued to curse as Orion winked and waved from the ground.

There was no amulet and Orion had instructed Pegasus to drop Grid off at the temple of Athena and then return to the foot of Mount Erebus a week later. The maze of sharp sinister branches was tight and Pegasus would have been shredded to pieces had she entered. Walking into the gloomy underbrush, Orion's senses were on high alert as he had no idea when or where he would encounter the furies so he had to be ready. Checking his bag for the small puzzle he had received from Hecate, he smiled as he felt it in his hand. Everything was here, so he was as ready as he was ever going to be and carefully crept into the green darkness.

As Pegasus flew, Grid finally was able to untie her hands. Now hundreds of miles away from Mount Erebus, she first gently tried to steer Pegasus back but it was no use. This was no dumb beast but a highly intelligent creature and she had one master and that was Orion. Try as she might, nothing she could do would stop her on the mission to Athens. Giving up trying to force Pegasus she began to whisper into her ear.

"Look Pegasus, I know you want to obey Orion, but we need to go back. I feel that if we do not he will be killed. I just sense it!"

Pegasus continued on, but did listen. She, like Grid, loved Orion and did not want to see anything bad happen to him and the more she talked the more she made sense. This was no weak puny girl but a strong woman and perhaps she was right, perhaps she could help Orion. For hours Grid made her case and even though Athens was now finally coming into sight, the golden rays of the setting sun causing the Parthenon to glow before her eyes, Pegasus suddenly turned. As the horse changed direction in mid-air and headed back towards the North, Grid wept in relief and petted Pegasus's mane.

Now approaching nightfall, the already dark maze Orion was struggling through grew even darker. Beyond the confusing labryinth of twisting thorns, the air itself seemed infused with hatred and he found himself growing weak and delusional the farther up the mountain he climbed. Prayers and offerings to the furies were non-stop over the earth and none were made will good intentions. Revenge, furious hatreds, and blood feuds all inspired individuals to ask for the furies to strike down their enemies and the focus of all of those offerings constantly collected on this mountain turning the very earth itself black and the air thick with rage.

Orion found it hard to concentrate, as his own emotions grew stronger, a stew of blind fear and even blinder rage invading his thoughts. Throughout the whole day his sense of dread grew as he kept seeing movements of something in his peripheral vision. Never lasting long enough to determine what it was, the vision was stark white and very rapid, suddenly darting out of his line of sight when he turned to see it. Not knowing whether this was his mind playing tricks on him, or whether the hunter was now the hunted, he decided that rest was desperately needed and soon he would need to make camp. Hacking through the maze was exhausting but he pressed on while there was still some light shining through the branches, which was quickly fading as the sun began to set.

Now that night had fallen, the journey grew impossibly difficult. Not being able to see his hand in front of his face, his body was cut and sliced constantly by the thorns of the thicket which he could not avoid in the complete veil of black. Finally, he groped into what appeared to be a clearing and the whole area opened up. Looking up he saw that the clearing was still completely shrouded in the thorny cage, but now a valley was beneath this canopy that was slightly lit through a full moon shining through the branches. Exhausted and dizzy, he felt around on the muddy black earth beneath his feet and found a relatively dry spot to lay down and sleep. Lying down he almost instantly fell asleep, confident that he would continue his journey in the morning.

Orion slept deeply but was assaulted by vivid and terrifying dreams. In his dream he was being chased by something, and could feel his heart racing as his feet sank in quicksand as he struggled to escape. Apart from his own heartbeat incessant buzzing grew louder and louder, deafening his ears and maddeningly relentless. Right as the phantom beast was about to strike, Orion was unceremoniously woken when suddenly he was hoisted into the air by his ankles. Popping his eyes open his pupils grew wide and the horrifying sight before him.

There before him were all three of the Furies, and words could barely describe the terror they inspired. Incredibly tall, they towered over Orion as Tisiphone (the oldest of the three sisters) grabbed him and held his ankles in her bony hands shaking him violently. At least twelve feet tall, their bodies were skeletal and emaciated as every bone of their bodies was clearly visible as they grinned at the sight of their new prey. Each were winged with large leathery black flaps springing from their backs that fluttered in delight at their unexpected treat. Peering unbelievably at the sight, Orion saw that their clothing appeared to be moving and as he squinted he saw that instead of leather or cloth, their gowns were made of live writhing poisonous snakes. Overcome with horror, his bladder let loose and his loincloth grew dark as he peed in terror, his mouth agape, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. No man nor God could look upon the Furies without being overwhelmed with bone chilling terror and now that he was in their presence, he realized that all of the stories about them had actually been understated.

This reaction appeared to delight the dreadful furies and all exploded in laughter as they fed on terror as the other Gods feed on Nectar. As their mouths opened swarms of angry bees flew out and swarmed around their heads before landing on Orion. He sweated and twitched as he felt the tiny insects crawl over his skin, tormenting and teasing him as any second they could begin to sting relentlessly. As their prey trembled and shook, Tisiphone addressed her sisters, her words garbled by the bees that swarmed from her lips with her words.

"My my, this is a handsome one isn't he!" she cackled as her two sisters (Alecto and Megera) smirked while watching her dangle him by one leg. Running her razor sharp nail down his leg she drew blood in a long thin line, and when it came to his loin cloth she sliced it clean off along with his tunic. Orion could do nothing as his ruined clothing dropped to the muddy black earth and he was stripped completely naked in front of them. As his dick and balls flopped out, she laughed even harder.

"Oh yes! Here is the source of so many prayers for vengenace to us. How many heart broken girls have asked for our divine justice to be brought upon THIS!" she grinned as she tickled his balls with her skeletal and sharp hands. Once again Orion released his bladder as being this close to the ultimate Goddess of Vengeance and Hatred was too much for his mortal senses to bare.

Megera, equally horrifying in appearance as her sister spoke up. "Oh I can see why Pythia was so swept away by this one! He certainly is a hottie!" Reaching out with her boney fingers she lightly stroked his nipple which despite his terror grew hard. Alecto joined in and stroked his ass while Tisiphone held her left arm aloft while Orion continued to dangle in her right. Slowly a branch began to twist and dip from the dome canopy of thorns towering hundreds of feet overhead, growing and expanding as it descended. Once the branch reached them, Tisiphone grinned and looked at both of her sisters.

"Now is the time to REALLY get started!" she laughed as she removed a snake from her waist and suddenly lashed Orion's ankle to the overhanging branch. The snake, now tied in a knot tightly around his ankle, ran its forked tongue over his bare sole. His other ankle was snake-tied in a similar manner and as his wrists dangled over the earth, another thorny hedge inched forward at Tisiphone's command and with two more snakes, Orion's bondage was complete. Now suspended, naked and spread-eagle the three furies stood in front of him grinning wildly, their malicious glee unrestrained.

Orion, despite his desperate situation, now got ahold of himself. Pushing his terror down into his stomach, he gulped hard and faked a smile. "Oh glorious Goddesses of Vengeance and Justice, as you can see I have brought you a gift!" Nodding with his head towards the pelt of the Griffon on the ground, he tried to muster all of the charm he could.

Wild and unrestrained laughter erupted from the three Furies as the swarm of bees emanating from their mouths began to swarm all over his helpless nude body. "Oh Orion you sweet tongued fool! I can see now how you got so many young women to drop their panties for you!" Tisiphone sarcastically shouted as she held up the pelt. "Your gift is quite luxurious , come, feel Sisters!" As he hung helplessly he watched as they all began running their hands over the fur of the Griffon Skin. Watching, he stared intensely at his bag on the ground and he wished he had been able to remove the puzzle before he was captured. Hecate noted that the furies are incapable of multi-tasking and if he could only get them distracted by the small mysterious cube he might be able to escape. His mind churned as he tried to think of something he could say to get them to open the bag and as he opened his mouth to speak, they all turned to look at their prey.

"You are quite the pussy hound aren't you Orion?" Tisiphone smiled as she walked slowly towards him. Orion used all of his charms to not gag or pee on himself again in terror as she now crouched down beside his head. The snakes hanging from her waist as a skirt all writhed and stretched forward and ran their tongues over his face. This coupled with the relentless tickling of his feet and arms by the serpents used to bind his wrists and ankles was maddening. "I bet you might even use that fabled tongue of yours on US if we asked, hmmm? Would that be pleasing to you pussy hound? Would you lick and suck us to satisfaction?"

It took great resolve to not scream, but Orion was a bullshit artist of the first rank and he willed a fake lusty smile onto his face and licked his lips. His reaction was hysterical to the furies as they knew he was disgusted and horrified by their appearance, but enjoyed tormenting him even more. Leaning forward, Tisiphone held her face inches from his cock and smiled. Her icy cold breath running down his shaft shrank his dick even farther and although his mouth could fake arousal, his penis certainly was more truthful.

"Sister!" Alecto cried. "It appears our boy toy here does not appreciate your charms! Just look at him, flat and limp as a blood leech!"

Looking at Orion's pitiful limp package Tisiphone giggled. "Yes, he certainly seems less than enthused. Perhaps he is too fearful. Perhaps he thinks we are going to kill him and that is making him soft. Well, he worries too much, although eventually I am sure he will wish we DID kill him!" Orion shuddered as this last statement elicited another round of cackles from the furies. As he tried to open his mouth to speak Tisiphone suddenly shrieked.

"SHUT UP FUCKER!!!! Those lying lips of yours have earned you this punishment and now must be sealed!" As she screamed a torrent of new bees erupted from her mouth and instantly flew to his own mouth. Swarming all over his lips, his whole body winced in pain as they began to use their stingers to sew his mouth shut. Now silenced, he watched in horror as the three furies approached him and began stroking and teasing his body with their bony fingers.

"Oh sister, we are going to have so much fun with this one!" Megera stated as she lightly licked his exposed balls. Despite all of this attention, Orion remained soft. Disappointed at his continued lack of erection, all of the furies now removed their snake gowns and began running their hideous and withered bodies over his naked frame. If this was meant to inspire lust it did not work as he silently screamed into his sealed mouth at the horror of this scene. Everywhere he looked he saw grey wrinkled and emaciated female bodies around his own. Tisiphone, now naked, squatted down by his head and stroked her own sagging breasts as he shivered in his bondage.

Stroking her own pussy with her bony hand, her juices dropped out as ice cubes onto the dark earth. She and her sisters, were very aroused not only by the handsome boy they had naked and helpless before them, but also by the years of vengeful punishment they were going to inflict on his firm young flesh. Stroking herself furiously, torrents of her own frozen nectar shot out of her as she licked his nipple.

"I think we should be insulted sisters!" she laughed as she lifted his limp cock off of his stomach. "You would think a lowly mortal like him would be overwhelmed by our beauty!" she sarcastically laughed as her sisters joined in the joke. "Perhaps we need some assistance in getting him ready to serve us."

Grabbing her skull-like face, she pulled her jaw down hard and her mouth opened extremely wide as she threw her head back like a giant yawning dark cavern. It was an eerie sight as he could not help look as all three now tilted their heads back and their whole faces became open dark holes ringed with sharp yellowed fangs. Suddenly from the center of each of the furies throats came a deafening buzzing of thousands of bees that rocketed out of their bodies like a solid mass of squirming moving terror. Swarming into a cloud, the bees descended and covered every inch of his body, leaving only his eyes and nostrils clear.