A God Called Bruce Pt. 03

"I was looking for answers and I thought the Fates might be able to help me, so the next time the Fates came to put the wind up Zeus for some reason I simply followed them home."

"You have been on their home planet?"

"They don't have a home planet, more a home space. You've been there. They create in their home-space any environment they want, for whatever they want to do. For you it was an ice sheet at first and a French brothel next. For me it was a meadow they created as soon as they became aware that I had followed them. They were very confused.

"Nothing had ever followed them home, they didn't think anything could. All they could see of me was the fawn, but not my past or future. They had never encountered a creature whose fate they could not see. What intrigued them more than anything though was that someone actually wanted to talk to them, this had never happened before.

"They appeared as three women, which I think is their preferred form. I greeted them and walked up to each of them rubbing my head against their leg. This unexpected show of affection rattled them to the core. Not what I did, but how they found themselves reacting to my gesture. Right then they realised that they were capable of affection, love even, something hitherto unknown to them. It was a monumental discovery.

"Since then I have visited them often. They love me, as I love them. Lachesis is the smartest of the three. She suspects I can read their thoughts, but it doesn't worry her. There is no more to it than what I've told you, except that my very existence proves to them the reality of other universes. The thought intrigues them. You should take the Fates to another universe soon, they would like this."

"Later perhaps. For now, would you like to come on the Grand Tour with the Big Six and visit the planet of the deer?"

"I will plant it into Zeus' head to take me along. Now I'll go, Demeter will call you shortly."

Kia disappeared and no sooner had she gone when the medallion started to flash. I grabbed the charm and found myself in what looked like a suite in a modern five star hotel. Demeter was dressed in a skimpy, colourful designer frock. It was evident that she had given the underwear a miss. Her hair was undone and hung to her shoulders, her feet were bare. I had never seen her look more seductive. I was about to walk up to her and take her into my arms when she shook her head and motioned me to sit at a table, laden with snacks, fruit and wine.

"I have missed you," she said after I had poured the wine. "I gave you my charm, why didn't you call me out for a bit of fun? Don't I excite you any more?"

"It's not that," I said. "It is just that apart from a romp in the hay there is nothing I can offer you. Somehow the idea of ringing up a Goddess and asking if she fancies a fuck seemed a little crude. Besides, you told me there could only ever be a few stolen moments between us. I decided to wait for you to make the next move."

"Alright, I accept that, but before I put it to the test there is something I want to tell you. We have spoken to our brothers. We expected a lot of opposition to your plans from Poseidon and some reluctance from Hades.

"To my surprise Poseidon was more than enthusiastic. He wants to meet you. Apparently his sons Gadeirus and Arion have told him much about you and your exploits. He seems to like your spirit.

"Hades is a different matter. The idea of taking him out of his universe looks like a trap to him. He thinks you, or whoever is behind you, is trying to get all of us out of Olympus and take over. Be careful with him. He can destroy you if he so desires and there is little we can do about it if he so chooses."

"You worry too much. Leave Hades to me, I can handle him." I emptied my glass and looked at her. "So, what are we going to do? Shall we go to the bedroom, or do you want me to bend you over the table?"

The bedroom it was. While we were making love I had the feeling there was someone else in the room. Demeter didn't seem to notice. Then I caught a fleeting glimpse of Lachesis. She was watching us screw. This excited me no end. I kept pounding into Demeter with renewed ardour until she asked me to slow down. She was exhausted.

"You really have missed me," she said when it was all over. "Next time don't wait so long."

I awoke in my own bed next morning having no idea how or when I got there. It was becoming routine. I showered and made my way to Bruce with some apprehension.

Today was the big day.

We all met in the vehicle for a last minute briefing. I instructed Endora to give the Big Six, or the Six-pack as Bruce called them, access and to admit Kia as well.

When that was out of the road I told the others to get the vehicle ready for the big meeting and wait in the lunch room until I called them. Bruce did his catering bit and disappeared. I awaited the arrival of the Gods.

About an hour later the girls arrived, followed within minutes by the boys and Kia. I greeted everyone and bade them help themselves to the refreshments. Kia curled up in the chair next to me. Poseidon was the first to speak.

"Tell me," he said with a booming, but not unfriendly voice, "you have had the temerity to summon the six of us, are your balls really as big as they say or is it all bravado?"

"I summoned no one," I said, "I merely invited you because I need to show you something. As to the size of my balls, that is up to others to determine."

"My boys like you, I trust their judgement. I will hear what you have to say."

Hades just stared at me, not saying anything. I took this as my prompt and told them about the project and that I wanted to take them to four new worlds so they could see for themselves.

"Olympus, and all you are aware of," I concluded, "is a very small part of what there is. There are any number of worlds out there to explore and to create beautiful peaceful civilisations in by avoiding the mistakes of the past. A challenge worthy of the most powerful Gods there are. All you need to do is claim it."

"This could easily be a trap," shouted Hades. "Who is to say you are not luring us to who knows where in order to take over our realm?"

"There is that risk, I admit. It's not very real though. Zeus has seen one of these worlds. He knows they exist. I could have easily kept this to myself and have as much power as I wanted without having to fight anyone. These worlds need you. That is why I am inviting you."

"Who do you think you are you puny human? I am Hades. I can utterly destroy you with a wave of my hand."

I looked him square in the eyes and said: "Yes you could, but you are not going to."

"Give me one good reason why I should not wipe you out right now." Hades' voice was low and menacing.

"I will give you not one, but two good reasons why you will not do this. For one, you would be wondering for the rest of eternity what you might have missed out on."

He seemed to contemplate this for a minute.

"And the second reason? What would be my second reason?"

"You are not about to demonstrate in front of your siblings that your balls are smaller than mine."

He just stared at me and it looked as though he might lose control any second and do something to me. Time to bring out the big guns. I lit a cigarette and put Lachesis' cigarette case on the table in full view.

I thought their eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. Only Zeus didn't seem surprised. For a moment no one said anything. Eventually Hades said very quietly: "You have powerful allies. I concede. I will come. You win."

"No, Hades, you win. You all will win out of this, let me show you."

I told Endora to tell the others that they were needed. When they arrived I said: "You all know my crew. They will come with us." Turning to Vulcan I added: "Please take the controls Vulcan, first stop the primordial planet."

Vulcan was being an arsehole. "Aye aye Captain," he barked and saluted like a soldier.

We arrived on the ledge a short time later. Zeus was the first one out when the doors opened. He went some thirty feet away from the vehicle and mumbled something in this strange language he had used before. A minute later we saw the dragon in the sky flying towards us. He put down next to Zeus and the two greeted each other like old friends. The girls and Kia went to join Zeus and the dragon, Poseidon disappeared and Hades looked at the quadrupeds in the valley below. He seemed at peace for once so I strolled over to him and said: "Beautiful, aren't they?"

"Fascinating creatures. This is a beautiful world. Thank you."

"Where is Poseidon?"

"He has gone to see the ocean. He is not much interested in things on land."

Within a half an hour Poseidon was back "This is wonderful," was all he said. I rounded up the others, said goodbye to the dragon and asked Vulcan to give us two orbits around the space station. I knew the Gods would not be all that interested in technology. I wanted them to see it nevertheless. Gadeirus did his best to explain what they were looking at. I don't think they understood much.

Next stop was the deer planet. As soon as we touched down Kia dematerialised. There was no one there to greet us. Poseidon went looking for the ocean. The rest of us had something to eat and drink while we awaited developments. About half an hour later Kia turned up with hundreds of the deer creatures in tow. They were popping up all over the place. Zeus communicated with their leader for a while. The others talked to groups and individuals. It was like a big social get together. Poseidon returned from the ocean and we said our goodbyes after promising to come back for a visit.

"They have a wonderful way with their philosophies. There is much wisdom to be gained here," said Zeus when we were back in the vehicle.

I instructed Vulcan to keep the craft in orbit around the last planet while I explained to the Gods the problems the people had. I appealed to them for help.

"Take us down," said Zeus, "we will see what we can do."

We landed in exactly the same spot as before. The villagers did not panic this time but came to greet us. The old man I had spoken to led the villagers carrying the token I had given him. He walked straight over to Zeus and prostrated himself before him. Zeus was touched to see his likeness on the plaque. The old man again asked for help. As before Endora translated.

Zeus assured him that everything would be alright. He instructed Demeter to heal the ground and make it fertile again and Poseidon to heal the oceans. The others disappeared as well, I had no idea what they did.

Zeus manifested a mountain of food and soon the villagers were having the first decent meal in who knows how long. While the villagers were having their picnic I saw the parched ground turning green. The trees sprouted new leaves and the scorching temperature had dropped to a comfortable balm. The villagers looked at all this in wonder, many were crying.

About two hours later the Gods were back and declared that things had been taken care of. We took our leave from the villagers and promised to return. Shortly thereafter we were back on Olympus.

"This is a new dawn for the Gods," declared Zeus. "We will be great again, perhaps greater than we have ever been. It is obvious the Fates have an interest in this, we will do nothing further until they tell us what they want us to do."

"You boys," he turned to us, "carry on as you were. You are doing a great thing for all of us. Let us go and have some rest. It has been quite a day."

All six of them and Kia disappeared without a further word. I instructed Endora to lock the place up again. "Zeus can still go to visit his dragon," I said, "that's all. Otherwise, only the six of us, no one else, until further notice."

Endora acknowledged my command. We all went to Bruce's place for a drink. Without thinking I lit a cigarette and put the case and lighter on the table. The others were as horrified as Bruce when they saw it, all except Vulcan. He picked the case and the lighter up and had a good look.

"Lachesis is very beautiful," he said.

"How do you know? And how come you aren't afraid of it? Bruce told me no God would be game to touch it."

"I had to touch it. I made the fucking thing. Lachesis commissioned it a long time ago. Of course I didn't know it was for you. You weren't even born when I made it. They are Fates, they can see far into the future, maybe into eternity itself."

"Weren't you afraid of her? It seems all the Gods are afraid of the Fates."

"She never told me who she was until the very end. She also told me I would see the case again some time in the future and that the man who carried it would take me to a place in the sky made of metal and cure me of my lameness. She said I would be cured at the same time as Hestia, whatever that means."

"I am sorry to disappoint you Vulcan, but I don't know of such a place."

"You will. The Fates are never wrong. It will happen one day."

"I hope so, my friend. For your sake, I really hope so."

I had another beer and then the day was catching up with me. I went home and straight to bed. I must have passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow for I remember nothing further.

Chapter 28: Panacea

"Get up! You have to take Hestia to the doctor today," rang in my head as soon as I woke up.

Shit, I had forgotten all about Hestia's appointment. I thanked Kia for reminding me and hopped into the shower. It wouldn't have looked right to turn up at the doctor's surgery in a tee shirt and shorts, I needed to spruce up a bit. I climbed into sports combination instead, Harris tweed jacket, light grey trousers, black shoes, white shirt, no tie. Bruce stared at me when I arrived for breakfast.

I told him I had a few things to do in Sydney, I was taking the day off. With this out of the way I went home again. At least Bruce and the others would not get worried and come looking for me, today of all days. I called Hestia through Demeter's charm and instructed her what to wear when she arrived. A chiton with nothing underneath was hardly the thing to wear in Sydney if one wanted to stay inconspicuous. I even made her wear underpants. Turning up bare arsed at the doctor's wasn't the thing to do either.

I had told Dr. Sangster Hestia was a relative of mine and well known in her country, so discretion was a prime concern. We had negotiated a generous fee for the examination, enough to make sure he cancelled all appointments for the day.

We arrived at his surgery in Macquarie Street just before ten. Hestia was scared. She would not let go of my hand even when she was in the chair and the doctor was poking her, examining her twat. If Dr. Sangster thought it odd for a male relative to be present he did not mention it. He took X-rays and an ultrasound. Three hours later we were through.

The verdict when it came was not good. Whilst an operation was possible he was not in favour of going ahead. The prognosis for a satisfactory outcome was poor. What followed was a lengthy dissertation on her condition and what could and could not be done. The upshot was that he could create a vaginal orifice that could possibly accept a penis, but that would be all. She would never be able to have children or, perhaps more importantly, derive any pleasure from intercourse or masturbation. There was also a big chance problems with urination would develop. He advised against surgery. The risks were simply too big for what would, at best, be a doubtful result.

Hestia was devastated. I paid the surgeon and we took our leave.

Back home Hestia fell apart. I poured her a stiff drink, which calmed her a little.

"This isn't over yet," I said, "Lachesis said you would be cured."

Immediately Hestia brightened up. I explained to her what Lachesis had said to Vulcan.

"Lachesis does not lie, if she said this, it will come true. She knows. I shall just have to wait."

"Maybe I should ask Lachesis," I said, "though I doubt she will tell me much more than she told Vulcan. For now, would you like to come with me for a meal?"

"I would love to."

I took Hestia to the Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel for some chilli coconut crab, their signature dish and quite a sensation. Hestia enjoyed the meal and the surroundings. After the meal we went into town to buy a box of cherries for Kia before returning to my place. Hestia thanked me for what I had done and left. She seemed happy. I changed into my usual outfit and went to see Bruce.

Bruce was not home, but Marge was. As soon as she saw me she popped her tits out and said: "I think you could do with a bit."

I took her on the dinner table in the back yard. It was nice.

We were sharing a bottle of Marge's prize wines when the others arrived. I didn't know what Vulcan had been up to, but whatever it was had not done his gammy leg a lot of good. His limp was more pronounced and he was leaning heavily on his stick. I felt sorry for him and Hestia. Knowing that one day they would be cured wasn't good enough. I wondered if there was something I could do to speed matters up. I needed to talk to Lachesis. But would she tell me? Probably not. When Vulcan had told me the story I had the initial impression he was talking about a place like that artificial planet we had been to. It was reasonable to assume that there were medical facilities in that world though perhaps not capable of treating Gods.

When I asked Endora she confirmed that part of the complex contained a huge, very advanced hospital. All surgery and medical treatment was done by machines and the facility was fully functional. There was nothing in the data base concerning the treatment of Gods. We would have to supply the data ourselves.

"Who is the God responsible for medical treatment?" I asked when there was a quiet moment.

Marge answered. "There are six of them now, each handling an aspect of medicine; Hygieia, Meditrina, Panacea, Aceso, Iaso, and Aglaea, all daughters of Asclepius, the original God of healing."

"Where can I find Asclepius? He seems to be the one I want to talk to."

"That might be a bit difficult," said Marge. "Zeus killed Asclepius with a thunderbolt, probably ordered by the Fates."

"What for?"

"Asclepius got so good at healing he started to raise the dead. Zeus maintained he had to kill him because Asclepius was going against the natural order of things. We never believed that it was his decision. We all felt Zeus had been ordered to do so by a higher authority."

"So who is looking after anatomy and surgery these days?"

"That would be Panacea, she is the Goddess of cures. If you want to have someone cured you might want to see Iaso as well, she is the Goddess of recovery."

"Tell me Marge, what do I have to do to see Panacea and Iaso?"

"Talk to Hera. They all report to her."

I needed to talk to Hera anyway about today's fiasco at the doctor's. I grabbed Demeter's charm and asked to speak to Hera. Before I could say anything more I found myself sitting with her at a table in her atrium. She wore a simple chiton without embroidery and no jewellery other than a plain fibula that held the dress together. She looked delicious.

"Have some Ambrosia first," she said. "You need to recharge your batteries if you are to be any good to me after your tryst with Marge."

"How dddid yyou......" I stammered.

Before I could collect myself and complete the question she laughed.

"I am Hera, the supreme Goddess of Olympus. Did you think you could fuck a Goddess on a barbeque table, out in the open, here on Olympus, without me knowing about it?"

She was still laughing, I guessed she was not angry with me. Instead of saying anything I drank the Ambrosia as told and waited for her to continue.

"Why do you want to talk to me?"

I told Hera what happened at Dr. Sangster's surgery and how devastated Hestia was afterwards. I next told her what Lachesis had said to Vulcan and that I felt I ought to do something to hurry things along.