Chapter 53. Dealing with the Devil
*Aphrodite*
*Past Life*
They thought this was to ruin Hephaestus, but it wasn’t. Nor was it against his Destined. They were collateral damage. I couldn’t allow Selene to have her way. Unless the person was Fated to her, they should always want me over her. I had struck out three times. Chaos, Apollo, and now Endymion. What was so great about Selene? I literally take on the looks of everything every person finds attractive. She was a nobody that could only wield power at night.
I wandered around Hep’s forge, which would be my home for a time. It was dirty, I would have to clean it up and make it worthy of my presence. Reminder to self, hire cleaning help. Suddenly, I doubled over, screaming in pain. I had never felt pain like this in all my life, not even when giving birth. He must have met her. It was soon, but it wouldn’t last long. He wouldn’t be free of me that easily. Selene was going to lose her puppet.
What I didn’t expect was for their session to last almost two days. God, he had stamina. Maybe he could fulfill me while we were together. I curled up on the floor, writhing in pain for that time. There were short breaks between the murderous amounts of pain, engulfing all my senses.
Finally, Hep was back. “Welcome home, dear husband.” I smiled sweetly at him. Didn’t matter to me that I didn’t particularly want him, it just mattered to me that I seduced him. Going however long, without any sex at all, would be too much torture for me. “I know you don’t want to be bound to me, but perhaps we can make the best of this?” I bit my lip trying my best to flirt with this ugly reject before me. I had no idea he knew it was his bond I had tampered with. I figured as long as he didn’t know that, I would be home free. Not like the little wretch would know, anyway. My eyes traveled his body, taking in all the muscles, trying to find something to make me wet. Suddenly, his hand struck my face.
“You manipulative whore. You don’t want me. I don’t know what your goal is, but I’m going to make your life an absolute living hell. That was*my* bond you fucked with. That was*my* chance to feel loved and accepted. Something I’ve never gotten in all my years. Do you think I would want to give you the satisfaction of orgasms? You stole that from me, you heartless bitch. Do you want to be fucked and get your rocks off? Like hell. Not with me. I will make you wish I would touch you. I will make you hate me as much as I hate you right now.”
I took a step back, truly fearing him at that moment. “I didn’t take her from you. I didn’t do anything to her. I don’t even know who she is.” In honesty, only one part of this was untrue. I knew who she was, but I didn’t sever the bond, only masked it on her part.
“Whatever you did to it, she never felt the bond. Now she’s dead. She couldn’t bear to live on knowing she would never be able to reciprocate my feelings. You killed her. You killed her with your scheming and manipulation, you bitch.” He grabbed me by the neck and suddenly we were in a tavern that smelt of sex.
He pulled me into a room that had multiple collars and cuffs. “Kinky,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood. “I did not break the bond. I masked it. If she was stupid enough to kill herself over it, it’s not my fault.” His other hand came crashing down on my face again.
“Shut up, you bitch.” He clasped a set of cuffs on my wrists and a collar on my neck. Only then did he let me go. They were a strange metal, slightly magical, and I couldn’t pull them off. There was a symbol on the cuffs. Hearts, how sweet. “Oh, Father… You need to show yourself. NOW.” His voice boomed. He actually demanded that Zeus show up? This isn’t good.
“What now? You aren’t happy with her punishment?” He seemed bored. My brother helped me orchestrate all this in the first place. At least, he helped me get a punishment that wasn’t completely horrific.
“It isn’t severe enough. I’m adding to it, and you’re going to agree to it. Her actions cost me the love of my life, and you wed me to her? I don’t care what she offered you, but she messed with my fated bond and cost the life of my Destined. Her punishment is too lenient.” He had to be kidding. Too lenient? Being forced to only be able to be at his beck and call for however long he and Zeus felt it necessary was too lenient?
“I have to be married to him, possibly bear him children, and I can’t cheat or I will experience pain beyond belief. He can fuck anyone he wants and I have to feel that same pain. What more do you want?” I pouted.
Hep pulled out a contract writing my name at the top. He wrote a bunch of rules and conditions I couldn’t see. He wouldn’t let my eyes even peek at it. “Sign this and I’ll be satisfied.” He put the contract in front of Zeus, who read over it carefully. “I own her until such time my bond is fully restored.”
I was shocked, “You can’t do that! I’m a goddess, not a slave! Brother, tell him he can’t do this!” Panic filled my voice. I knew he could if Zeus signed off on it. He wouldn’t do that, would he?
“You’re a bitch and a whore,” he spat at me. “You deserve every bit of pain. I pray to Fate you will be bonded some day and they cheat on you every day after you fall madly in love with them. I hope every ounce of pain makes you hate me and I hope you are fated to a mortal that is denied immortality and you have to feel them die. Until then, this is the only acceptable punishment.” His eyes blazed with fire.
Zeus looked bored at this point. “Request granted.” I was stunned. I couldn’t believe this. All of my planning was for what? I never thought I would be in this position. I’m a fucking goddess for Fate’s sake. The room started spinning. I ended up in a ball on the floor, wailing. “Oh shut up, Aphrodite.” Zeus now looked unamused, almost as angry as Hephaestus was.
“You can’t do this, Brother! Please, you can’t do this to me!” I needed to think quickly, trying to think of anything that would get me out of this. “He’s your most hated son. He stopped you from having your way with your wife, for fucks sake. Why are you going to take his side over mine when I’ve let you do anything you’ve wanted with me…” I wasn’t winning in the begging department, so maybe the seduction department would do me better. “Take this all away and I’ll be at your beck and call for the next hundred years.” I batted my eyelashes at him. Not that I wanted his dick for the next century, but the only cards I had to play with was his depravity. I then looked towards Hephaestus, crawling on the ground towards him, my eyes fixated on his. “You know I could help ease the pain of her being gone… I know I must look just like her.” Zeus was a sick fuck. I knew he would get his rocks off watching his sister fuck his son.