The Pilgrimage Ch. 07

Aphrodite chose that moment to pop in. "Hello Shannon; I'm Aphrodite. I know you've had problems in the past believing in me. As you can see; I'm as real as you are. I'd be very happy to be your patron goddess as long as you're sure that's what you really want."

Once again Shannon was shocked. Everything was happening so fast that she felt a little overwhelmed by it all. She took a few deep breaths and steadied herself as she calmed her mind. Finally she spoke. "I'm sorry Aphrodite. Things have been happening so fast tonight that I'm a bit shell shocked by it all. This isn't a spur of the moment decision for me. I've been thinking of asking you to be my patron goddess for more than a year now. I just hadn't figured out what I needed to do to make it happen. See I think I finally figured out why you were letting Erica go through all the hell that she did. I believe that you knew what was gonna happen to Earth and wanted to make sure she was prepared for the future that awaited her. As I look at my little sister tonight; I see the beautiful and talented young woman she was destined to be. She's a self-assured, confident woman who has finally come into her own. Erica loves and respects her new colleagues and friends. Especially Morrigan and Princess Vanessa. She would gladly give her life for any one of them and I have absolutely no doubt that they would do the same for her.

You asked me if I was sure about wanting you to be my patron goddess. The simple answer is that I've never been more sure about anything in my life. I realize that environmental protection isn't exactly your area of expertise. But as a goddess you have ways to provide me with the knowledge and skills to be the very best environmental engineer anywhere in creation. Which is exactly what I want."

Aphrodite smiled. "All right then, it's decided. I gladly accept your petition. You're right; my knowledge and skills have an entirely different area of focus. But all the other gods and goddesses who have information that will improve on your already impressive knowledge have agreed to help. I'll just be a conduit that will allow them to pass their gifts directly on to you. Some of the knowledge and skills you'll be receiving come from highly advanced civilizations both past and present. I'll filter out any redundancies so that you don't become too overwhelmed by it all. By the time you wake in the morning you'll have a full grasp of everything you're gonna learn tonight. As an added bonus; Venus and I will be giving you every scrap of knowledge we have about sex including all of our talents and abilities. The whole process is gonna take about five minutes so sit still, relax, and just let it happen."

Shannon had learned years ago how to put herself in a meditative state of mind. She leaned back, closed her eyes, deepened her breathing, and cleared her mind; filtering out everything but the two fingers Aphrodite had resting on each of Shannon's temples. Shannon sat there quietly for a little more than five minutes as her mind absorbed the information that Aphrodite was passing on to her. Shannon was so deep in her meditative state that she didn't notice when Aphrodite removed her fingers from Shannon's temples and the knowledge stopped flowing into her brain. It wasn't until Erica spoke to her telepathically saying, "Sis it's done, you're all set," that Shannon finally opened her eyes. Shannon's first reaction was, "HOLY SHIT! There's so much in my head right now that I don't even know where to begin in order to understand it all!"

Aphrodite smiled. "Don't worry about it Shannon. Let your mind absorb it all as you sleep. It's easier that way. Now I have a big favor to ask of you. My last high priestess was killed years ago. I need a new one. You have everything you need to take on the challenge should you decide to accept. Normally a priestess or priest wears enchanted robes; but you'd be a special case. Because of your duties to Morrigan AND your role as my head priestess I would gear you as a Paladin with some of the same abilities as your sister. Your duties to me would be extensive but I'll make sure they don't affect your duties to Morrigan in any way."

Shannon looked at Morrigan who nodded her head with a grin. Shannon then looked over at Erica who also nodded her head with a a smile of pride for her big sister. Shannon turned back to Aphrodite and spoke. "You present your request as a special favor to you, My Goddess. But to me it's much more than just that. It would be an honor and a privilege to serve my goddess in such a unique way. I humbly accept your offer and I swear by the heavens to serve you to the very best of my abilities, Aphrodite."

Aphrodite smiled. "I was hoping that would be your reply. The knowledge and skills that Venus and I shared with you gives you everything you need to know to fulfill that role with ease. Now, it's time for you to receive your gear. If you'll just stand; we can get that last part done and out of the way."

When Shannon stood; Aphrodite continued, "Erica is a combat paladin and a member of Morrigan's battle crew. Her gear was chosen to enhance her fighting abilities during battle. However, as my high priestess and my personal paladin; you speak for me when it comes to my other priestesses and worshipers. So I'm gonna gear you as a holy paladin. You'll be stronger than Erica in the areas I need you to be and weaker in those that I don't. The reasoning behind this is actually quite simple. You're only allowed to have a certain amount of power. So if I increase one ability then I have to decrease another one to keep things balanced." Aphrodite waved her hand and a full set of golden plate mail appeared on Shannon's body along with a fifty two inch two handed sword in a scabbard that hung from Shannon's back. "This gear is a complete matching set. Each piece compliments the other pieces and there are certain bonuses for wearing the full set. It was last worn twenty five billion years ago by my high priestess Reyna. All the Olympian gods and goddesses had a part in it's forging. It's the Holy Plate Mail of The Olympians. I've had some of the original enchants modified and now there's nothing even close to it anywhere in all of creation. It makes you immune to physical and magical attacks; grants you immortality like Morrigan and her battle team and is extremely effective against demons and other evils. That two handed battle sword you're wearing is also part of the full set. Her name is Stryker and she'll utterly destroy any enemy that's foolish enough to get in your path. There's other enchants and properties as well; too many to list tonight. But don't worry about them right now. By morning you'll understand all of it. It's getting late so I'm going to get out of here now. If you need anything, just give me a call." With that, Aphrodite was gone.

Morrigan smiled as she took Megan's hand. "It's time we got out of here as well. You two make sure to report to my quarters by zero eight hundred and bring Matt and Little Erica with you; they need a good breakfast too. I hope you don't mind but I expect they're gonna get spoiled rotten." Morrigan and Megan ported out and headed for Megan's quarters leaving Erica and Shannon alone to catch up.

Shannon removed her gear and sat on the sofa beside Erica. She leaned in and gave Erica a soft kiss on the cheek then sat back her beautiful emerald eyes glistening with unshed tears as she struggled to contain the rollercoaster of emotions she was experiencing. When she finally spoke it was with a trembling voice. "I'm sorry for abandoning you in that hellhole. But I had to get out of there. If I could've taken you with me; I would have. But you were only thirteen and there's no way that monster was gonna let that happen. The day I left, you had gone to school and mom was off somewhere. I didn't have any classes that day so I was just relaxing in my room and studying. He came into my room drunk off his ass; running his mouth like he always did, calling me a whore; telling me I was nothing but a lazy little bitch. The same old shit he was always spouting off. I finally looked up at him; flipped him the bird and went back to studying. The next thing I know the bastard is on me tearing my clothes off. I was a virgin, Erica. Our fucking father took that from me. Afterwards, he laughed and told me that was how I was gonna pay my way from now on; by him fucking me whenever he felt like it.

As soon as he left the room; I stuffed a few clothes in a bag and went out the window. Harold saw me in the park crying. I couldn't tell him the truth; it was just too humiliating. So I lied and said my father threw me out because I wanted to finish collage. When he invited me to stay at his place; I knew exactly what he really wanted. But anything was better than going home. A few months later we got married. Things were never great, but they weren't exactly horrible either. I did my best to be a good wife even though Harold was a two pump chump in the sack. He was usually finished in about a minute. On a good day he might go a minute and a half before dumping his load. He was very vanilla when it came to sex. Missionary only; nothing else. Not even oral. According to him. 'only whores did those things.' I was okay with it though; I wasn't there for sex; I was there for security, ya know?

Anyway his parents started pushing us to give them some grandchildren. I wasn't thrilled about having kids at the time but I went off the pill just to keep everyone happy. A few months later I got pregnant with Matt. When we found out it was a boy his parents were thrilled. Then I ended up pregnant again. When Harold found out it was a girl; he went ballistic and stormed out of the house saying he wanted a good looking wife not a fat baby making machine. His mother came to my house the next day. She begged me not to keep her grandchildren away from her and her husband. I told her I would never do anything like that. We talked for several hours while she played with Matt. She told me that the real reason Harold left was because he was gay and in love with another guy. I think I shocked her when I said I wasn't upset about it at all; that the heart wants what the heart wants. Harold and I weren't exactly a match made in heaven, but his parents were really good people. It really saddens me that Matt and Little Erica will have to grow up without them in their lives."

Erica wiped the tears from her eyes. "Let's get one thing straight, Sis. You don't have ANYTHING to apologize for. We both know there was no way you could protect yourself AND me at the same time. You took the only real option open to you at the time, and I'm glad that you did. I knew the instant I found out you were gone that something bad had happened to you; though I didn't know what. I do know that when you left, you scared the fuck out of that old bastard so much that at first I thought he had killed you. I mean he was really jumpy as hell for weeks afterwards. Every time he heard a car pull up out front, or a knock at the door; he'd run and hide in his bedroom. Shelly told me you were hiding out at Harold's place a couple of days after you left, so I knew you were okay. But every time I saw him jump after that I wondered why he was so nervous. I knew he was one sick son of a bitch; but raping his own daughter is one of the last things I would've thought of at the time. Looking back on it now though; it really doesn't surprise me at all. I only wish I had known about him raping you back then because I would've found a way to kill that motherfucker in his sleep.

Earlier I was spending some time with Princess Vanessa. Just to get to know and understand each other better, ya know? She's a wonderful person; kind, compassionate, loving, and she has this amazing inner strength that you can't help but admire. She told me that you can't let the past haunt you. I realize now just what she was trying to tell me. We're all starting over. New lives in a new society on a brand new world. Everything's fresh and new. We can't completely forget the past. But that doesn't mean we have to let it define who we are now. Nothing we can say or do can change what that sick fucker did to us. The best we can do is to look at it, deal with it, and then move on.

You've already met three of the most loving people you'll ever know. In the morning, you'll meet some more. I realize that you haven't had time to process everything. But you're a leader now. You're duties and responsibilities are gonna be challenging, satisfying, and rewarding all at the same time. There's more to it than just that though. You're gonna discover that you, Matt, and Little Erica have become a part of Morrigan's extended family. People you haven't even met yet are gonna welcome you with open arms and treat you like a long lost sister or daughter. My best advice is don't overthink it. Accept it for what it is; a relationship built on mutual love, respect, and trust.

When Morrigan put herself in harms way to protect me; I didn't know what to think or even how to feel. I was even more shocked when Vanessa and the others popped in to help. There was no hesitation; no questions asked. Before I could blink they disarmed that piece of shit and had him in cuffs. I was terrified and confused. But the one thing I knew without a doubt was that I loved and trusted my queen with every fiber of my being.

You're my sister, Shan, and I love you just as much as I do Morrigan. As soon as a saw you I could sense your emotions; the loneliness, the sadness, the worry, and the fear. The joy of us reuniting pushed them aside but they were still there bubbling just under the surface. I hated the thought of you feeling like that. So I asked Morrigan and Megan to pop in and talk to you. I wanted you to see what I see; feel what I feel. I wasn't expecting things to go as far as they did; but it doesn't surprise me any either. It's just how Morrigan and Megan are. Morrigan only works with people who share her values and are the very best in their chosen field. Believe me when I tell you that you weren't hired because of your relationship to me. You got the job because Morrigan saw something special in you. You earned it on your own merits; never think otherwise."

"I understand what you're saying, Sis. But don't sell yourself short. Everyone I've met tonight loves you. Morrigan trusts you. She knows you wouldn't have bothered her if you didn't already know that I was up to the challenge. I can accept that you didn't expect Aphrodite to make me her high priestess. But you'll never convince me that you you didn't know Morrigan would hire me the instant she met me. Anyway it's late. We both have a busy day tomorrow. Why don't you spend the night here with me. That way you can help me get the kids ready in the morning. I really don't want to end up being late my first day on the job. Besides I need you to show me where I'm supposed to go because I've never been there before."

"Okay I'll spend the night. But I have to warn you; I sleep in the nude. I haven't slept in the same bed with anyone since my transformation and I'm still not used to my new body. About the only thing I do know is that I'm definitely bisexual. I have no idea how my body is gonna react to sleeping next to such a beautiful woman; even if you are my sister."

"I wouldn't worry about all that Erica. I sleep naked too and I haven't had anything to keep me company except my own fingers for months. A little 'sisterly love' would really be appreciated and would go a long way toward helping me focus better in the morning. Besides, I'd be more than happy to show my hot little sister how much fun being a woman can be if you're up for that kind of action!"

"All our lives all we've had was each other. I've always had a crush on you, Shan. You've always been my vision of the perfect woman. There's nothing about you that I don't already love. But I'm scared, Sis. I don't wanna do anything that'll change our relationship."

"I can understand that, Sweetie. Once we make love; there's no going back. I guess I owe you the same honesty you've shown me. I love you Erica and not just as a sister. One of the reasons I was so hurt when that bastard raped me and stole my virginity was because I was saving it for you. See I was hoping that when you were old enough that I could convince you that we should give each other our cherries. Not because I wanted you to remain a guy, but because I wanted to give my virginity to the one person I loved more than life itself. That piece of shit took the most precious gift I could ever give you. I can't change what happened. But what I can do is to show you how much joy being a woman can bring to you. I won't do anything you don't wanna do, Sis. But our goddess is the goddess of love; she can see into our hearts, and she knows the love we feel for each other goes far beyond sibling love. Aphrodite would never chastise us for loving each other. If anything, she would bless our union and protect our relationship. Whatever you decide to do; know this; I will always be your sister and I will always love you."

Erica was speechless. Her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open for what seemed like ages to Shannon. Finally Shannon quietly asked, "are you okay, Sis?"

Erica quickly nodded. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes to calm herself. She slowly opened her glistening eyes and looked at Shannon taking Shannon's hands in hers. "I'm fine, Sis, really. I um... you surprised me, that's all. I had no idea you feel the same way I do. Nothing can ever stop me from loving you both as a sister and as a beautiful, sexy, woman. The only question I have right now is what the fuck are we doing sitting on the sofa with our clothes still on? I'd show you how to magically clean yourself; but you're not quite ready for that yet. Why don't we brush our teeth, get undressed and shower together; then we can go from there, okay?"

"Okay, but I don't wanna undress myself; I want you to do it, and I wanna undress you. I can't wait to see those big, beautiful boobs of yours."

"My boobs aren't THAT big, Shan. They're only a large C cup; courtesy of Aphrodite. The truth is I think your boobs are just perfect, but you're her High Priestess so don't be surprised if you wake up with a bigger set of boobs in the morning yourself. She has a habit of doing unexpected things like that. I love the idea of stripping each other. The only problem is that we might never make it into the shower if we start off that way."

"OOH, I'd love to have bigger tits! I don't want anything really extreme, but a C or D cup would be great! Mine are only a modest B cup right now." Shannon giggled then continued, "oh and we can solve your little problem by undressing each other IN the shower. That way we can't forget about it," she giggled again.

Erica laughed. "You really are quite the kinky little bitch aren't you, Shan? Well I guess tearing each others clothes off in the shower is one way to make sure we get clean even if we end up fucking each other brainless while we're at it. It sure as hell sounds like a lot of fun anyway." Erica created a doubled ended strap on with tapered seven inch dildos that were as big around as her wrist at the mid point. Each dildo held a sliding cock ring attached to a slim seven inch anal sub dildo. She held it out to Shannon and said, "I know you cant give me your virginity but will you please let me give you mine? The dildos all vibrate and when we slide the smaller one in our assholes, it locks the cock rings against our clits and they also vibrate. The speed of the vibrations is controlled by how hard and how fast we're fucking each other. But I wanna wait until we're in the bed to use it, okay?"

"Now who's the kinky one, huh girl?" Shannon giggled then continued, "An orgasm or two in the shower then only Aphrodite knows how many more in the bed. I love it! But I gotta tell ya; I've never had anything in my asshole or my mouth before. Like I told you; Harold was extremely vanilla when it came to him having sex with me. I may not be able to give you my hymen; that ship sailed years ago. But you definitely get my oral and anal cherries tonight." She pulled Erica to her feet then continued, "come on let's see how wet we can get each other and I don't mean from the water," Shannon giggled again.