Divine Job Benefits

"Mmm, you're right about that, but you're also wrong," she said, reading his mind once more. Scott blinked. Aphrodite paid no heed to his surprise. "I'm not here to jump you. It's a nice thought, but you'd die. Happily, I'll grant, but you're a mortal and I'm a goddess. It's not like the old days. We're too removed now. As much as I'd truly like to give you what you long for, no mere mortal would last more than a couple of minutes. Don't dwell on it. But I do like you. I like you a lot. And what you did for me started something that will bring on the greatest resurgence of my power in centuries."

"What I started? All I did was get my ass kicked."

"Scott, you stumbled over an important ruin. The archaeologists don't even know it's there...but they do now because of the investigation into the attack. Additionally, you fought for love. You stood in defense of love as a principle. Not only did you point the modern world to my shrine and all the learning it will eventually yield, you re-consecrated the shrine through sacrifice. I am grateful, Scott. I owe you much more than the favors I have already traded...and I am glad to honor this debt."

She rose from her chair to slowly stroll around the foot of his bed as she spoke. "You're Scott Murphy, recently turned twenty-one years old and ill-used by love. Your first sort-of girlfriend was a three-week drama-fest when you were sixteen. You had a six-month run with Tricia after graduation, lost your virginity at nineteen in exactly the sort of awkward but adorable scenario one might expect, and then she broke up with you for a big, hunky football player...or so you think. Actually, she broke up with you because she didn't know what she wanted. She regretted that, too. Take it from the goddess of love: she's not a bad person, but you're better off.

"You've had crushes and sporadic dates. Lots of almosts and maybe-somedays and two after-party hook-ups. One of the things I like about you most, Scott, is that you can handle rejection. You don't pull that shit where you're 'nice' to a girl and then get upset when she won't put out. You don't resent girls for not going out with you. You're still friends with some of those crushes even now. You know how to suck it up and move on."

She stepped closer to his side. "The other thing that I like about you so much is that you stick up for love. The scum from your class beat you because you support love for everyone, whether they are like you or not. They mocked and harassed some guys holding hands on campus and you shut them down. They didn't like that.

"Nobody else heard. It wasn't like you knew the men who were harassed. You weren't trying to impress anyone with your courage. You just saw two people who were happy together and didn't deserve to be shit on. And you didn't back down when that hate turned on you."

Scott slowly nodded. "Yeah," he mumbled. That one moment led to weeks of harassment followed by a beating in a foreign country. "Yeah, that's about it. Haven't decided exactly what I'm gonna do about that yet."

"Take revenge, obviously," the goddess scoffed. "You're not the only person they've hurt. You need to demolish every one of them, and that professor who enabled the whole thing, too.

"But let's put that aside for now. Scott, I know about your romances and your desires. That's my purview as a goddess. I know your heart, and I can work out some other things from that, but I am not omniscient. You told the doctors that you have no family. Why not?"

"I've got more 'family of choice' than family by blood. My housemates are good people. Living together can get a little irritating, but we're basically good. As for family, they, uh...they went to prison while I was in high school. Drugs, theft, assault, all kinds of shit. Lowest end of organized crime, both of 'em. You can't really say it was crimes of desperation, either. Even when things were going good, they'd do something stupid or even hurtful. I gave up trying to talk to them. Finished school as a 'ward of the state.' Never really clicked with any foster families, either, so...it's always been just me and whatever friends I've made. Got plenty of those, though."

"Wow. You don't seem like you carry much bitterness in your heart."

He shrugged. "I didn't want to be like them. Still don't."

"Is that why you step in to help people? That's how you wound up in that field the other night."

"I guess. Maybe I know what it's like when nobody steps in to help."

Aphrodite's face broke into a broad, glowing smile. It almost made him ache. "Yeah, you do. You definitely do. So what's your life like apart from the lack of romance?"

"I've got a lame job and a tiny room in a shared house while I get through college on loans and scholarships. I hang on by every bit of financial aid I can get from the state or whoever. I know I don't look it, but I get sick all the time. I live with being sick. Between all the medical debt and student debt and..." He sucked in a deep breath. He knew he could admit this. "It's scary. It's scary all the time. But I've gotta keep going. Lots of people live with all the same shit. Lots of people have it worse. I can't do anything but keep going."

"As I said, Scott, Apollo healed you...of everything. By the time you wake up in the morning, you may be the healthiest mortal in the world. Short of accidents or violence, you will stay that way. When you're an old man, you'll still be fitter than a star athlete. And after your talk with Ares, I wouldn't worry much about violence, either." Her smile grew gentler. "All those troubles, and you're lonely, too. Aren't you?"

"Yes. I miss...I miss having a girlfriend." He wasn't afraid to admit it. "I know I need to stand on my own. I can do that. Feels better not to be alone, though."

Aphrodite nodded. Something in her demeanor changed then, adding a little more business and seriousness to her warmth and light. "I told you what you have done and what it means to me. I am here to offer you a choice of rewards. To be honest, I already know how you'll choose because I know your heart and your desires, but consent is important to me. I want you to know that. This choice is yours to make. Either way, your lonely days are over.

"If you wish, I will grant you the 'happily ever after' people dream of. You will soon find love, deep and meaningful and exciting. I am nothing if not the best matchmaker in the world. I will find you a love that will never grow old and never lose its spark. Should the whims of fate part you through tragedy, I promise you will not suffer for long. You'll forget about this meeting, but I will not. I'll look after you."

"Why wouldn't I want that?" Scott asked. "I don't want to forget you, but the rest sounds wonderful."

She smiled with amusement. "It's not a 'yes or no' choice. That's only one of two options. The other is more involved."

Bigger questions finally caught up with him. "Wait. If you and the other gods are real, does that mean you run...you're really gods? You run the world?"

"I'm glad you asked before I went on," Aphrodite laughed. "The answer is yes and no. We're real. We certainly consider ourselves gods. But we're not the sort of omnipotent being you probably have in mind. I wouldn't ask you to abandon any such beliefs, and I'm not offended if you don't literally pray to me. That's as humble as I can be, by the way, so don't ask for more." She winked. "We are real. We are otherworldly and powerful, and we influence the mortal world. Yes. All that is true.

"We should also be specific about my domain and my interests. I'm the goddess of love, as you know, but not the familial or brotherly kind. I'm the goddess of romance, desire, crushes...and lust and sexual pleasure. Everything from true love to one night stands. I am the goddess of erotic love, Scott. The fun stuff. That brings us to my other offer.

"From time to time, every god and goddess has had their heroes, champions, Earthly agents. I need such an agent. A herald. I want you."

Scott knew from experience the heavy "thud" in his chest couldn't be a heart attack, because it felt good rather than bad. The sparkle in her eyes reminded him of how she could read his emotions.

"Athena's champions usually accomplish great heroics or intellectual advances. Ares makes his champions into peerless warriors. A champion of Hephaestus creates great inventions. And Hera..." Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm going to level with you: the surviving myths have it wrong. Hera is great. Zeus is the problem, but I digress.

"My heralds engage in a little traditional heroics here and there. A little saving the day, a little making the world a better place. But the vast majority of their triumphs are romantic... and sexual. To the rest of the world, it's all very small scale. Individual. Private. To those involved, it's incredible, even life-changing."

He swallowed hard. "You want me to seduce people for you?"

"Sometimes. Other tasks may be more straightforward, like acquiring or delivering something for me. My requests will be infrequent, and I very much mean 'requests.' Consent is important to me. I promise to never give you a job against your morals...or especially your attractions in any intimate tasks. In the meantime, you'll be free to enjoy the gifts and benefits of being my herald. Sex and pleasure are at the core of my role and my being as a goddess. Even many of the tasks I set before you will be a reward. Enjoying yourself is a core aspect of the job."

He swallowed hard. "Didn't we just talk about my lame romantic track record?"

"If you accept, you will receive every blessing of the goddess of love. Sex appeal beyond your wildest dreams. Animal magnetism. Perfect instincts. That little nudge of good fortune to bend circumstance in your favor, even when you push your luck. An ability to establish intimacy and brush away inhibitions no mortal can match, and more than enough prowess to put it all to use. You'll be one of the greatest pleasures on Earth without even trying. Women will find as much ecstasy in sucking your cock as you receive from their mouths, if not more."

His heart dropped another heavy "thud" on him.

"No woman will ever regret fucking you, no matter how things play out. No jealousy issues. No heartbreak when you move on. The benefits scale up from here. You will have all of my blessings to play with at your leisure whenever I don't have a task for you, which is to say most of the time. You can seek partners out or let them come to you. You can play any role you like: be the suave seducer, the irresistible animal, the wide-eyed innocent ripe for seduction. I think you'll like switching roles at your whim. The only time you'll go to bed alone is if you choose to do so."

Their eyes remained locked as her words hung in the air. Scott's heart thumped in his chest. His breath grew heavy. And though he'd developed a hard-on early in their conversation, Scott now felt very conscious of just how stiff his cock had grown under his thin hospital blankets.

She noticed, too. Her lips spread in a kinky grin. "I'm guessing you're interested."

"I'm listening," he replied. He couldn't help grinning back, but he needed to know more.

"This is for life, Scott. People talk about altruistic roles like medicine being a calling, and this will be the same. I'm not only freeing you to follow your own desires; I'm asking you to follow them without restraint. Your desires don't even have to be altruistic in the slightest, though knowing you, there'll surely be some of that. Put your trust in me and go wild. But understand: you will be the Herald of Aphrodite, Scott. Twenty-four seven, for the rest of your life. Don't worry about your financial woes and your job prospects. This will be your job now. Even when I have no task for you, I will never be far away."

"What's the catch?" he asked.

Aphrodite laughed. "Believe it or not, I'm underselling the pleasures ahead and the scale of your role. This is the sober and realistic pitch, not persuasion. But yes, there are limits," she admitted.

"We need to keep this relatively quiet. You're bound to become popular in some circles, but I can't have you becoming a celebrity. You won't be able to have children, either. We can't create a line of people like you. On the bright side, between that and Apollo's blessing, you'll never have to worry about that pesky safe sex stuff. Your lovers won't even think twice about it.

"The real catch is that you don't get to do this for a while and then retire. This is a lifelong commitment, Scott. No settling down into an ordinary day job with a wife and a white picket fence. You will find lasting love, I promise you, but it'll be part of all this. Your love life will be nothing like the traditional monogamous ideal.

"I am calling you to a life of adventure, Scott," she said with gentle seriousness. "With all the bumps and bruises that entails. Damn the rules. Damn the social standards. I want you to follow your desires, even when it's naughty or scandalous. Especially when it's like that. Put your trust in me and go for it.

"And you'll have haters. You will have lovers beyond anything you ever hoped to find, but you will have haters. This won't always be safe."

"I've already got haters," Scott said.

"You do. And I love you for it," she grinned.

His heart soared. How could it not, hearing that from her? "What else? Are there rules?"

"Promises. My rules are promises. You will never violate a woman's consent. I will show you how to be certain. You will only lay with those grown to adulthood both by your society's standards and in their hearts and minds—women, as they are your desire, but have no fear of attracting those too young or too vulnerable. And you will cause no harm to those you lay with, emotionally or physically...indulgence in rough play aside."

She was right. How could he say no? "When do we start?"

Aphrodite's smile shined even brighter than before. "You'll do it?"

"You knew I would," he laughed. His ease with her still surprised him. As blown away as he was by her raw beauty and sexuality, he never felt tongue-tied or intimidated. He already felt like she was a trusted, intimate friend.

"I know your heart and your desires, but I take nothing for granted. You'll do it?"

"Yes. I can't believe I'm the guy you want for this, but how could I say no?"

"You are, Scott," she assured him. "I don't want someone arrogant or cocky. You're perfect for this because of your history and because of your doubts. I want someone who will appreciate this from the beginning and grow into the role. The pleasures I have described are only the beginning of what awaits. I want you, Scott."

Aphrodite leaned in. The mere caress of her hair as it dangled onto his skin meant as much to him as any affectionate touch he'd ever felt. Her face came in closer. "We start now," she breathed across his lips. "Like this," and then she kissed him.

The incredible rush she sent through his body left him with no doubt whatsoever about the deadly danger of sex with her. His heart never pounded harder or faster. His skin never felt so sensitive, nor had he ever tasted anything as exquisite as her lips and her tongue across his. One of her hands slid downward along his chest, deftly moving under his thin hospital blanket and then under his gown to caress his impossibly hard cock.

He thought he would come that very second, but he didn't. Something else incredible happened then: he grew. Scott never pulled out a measuring stick to check his size before, but he knew he was at least average. As Aphrodite touched him, he became much more than that, and much more sensitive, too.

Despite riding edge of orgasm from the very first brush of her fingertips, it didn't happen. She had his body completely under her control. It only lasted a few moments, but it felt like an eternity. Then she escalated. Aphrodite's kiss withdrew. She winked at him when his eyes fluttered open. "One last step. Don't feel bad about how quick this is. You're only mortal."

Scott wasn't sure what she could be talking about, but Aphrodite swept away the blanket from his waist to reveal his newly-enhanced cock in her hand. Every stroke had his whole body shaking as if he were in orgasm but for the lack of semen pumping from his tool.

He had one last look at her incredible face before she turned, bending over his cock, and took it into her mouth. The pleasure was more than he could bear. He came hard, shuddering with every pump, and lost consciousness well before his climax was finished.

* * *

Scott's eyes snapped open to find his room lit up by the sun outside his window. He looked down at himself in the bed to find the blankets perfectly arranged over him. He felt like a million bucks.

Looking around and listening, Scott could hear voices out in the hallway as ordinary business carried on in the hospital. He found a glass of water within easy reach on the nightstand, along with a simple note bearing a hand-drawn heart. It read: "On the Job Training starts now. Lesson One: Safety First. I promised you will never violate consent. This is why."

A knock on the door interrupted before he read the rest. Reflexively, he folded up the note. "Mister Murphy?" asked a woman's voice, the accent even thicker this time than the others he'd spoken to. "Are you awake?"

"Yes?" Scott looked up. "Come in."

The nurse was pretty enough, but Scott felt an entirely different reaction than he expected at the sight of a pretty face. His guts lurched. Though he didn't feel nauseous or worry about getting to the bathroom, it was a feeling he couldn't possibly miss. The last thing he wanted was sex. Appropriately enough, the nurse flashed him the smile of someone who'd been working all night and had plenty of other things on her mind, too. "How are you today?" she asked, clearly having rehearsed it. "Do you need anything?"

"I feel fine," said Scott, already adjusting to the signals from his gut. "Better than I expected."

The nurse turned to his charts and the monitor equipment. Behind her back, Scott flipped the small note open and read the rest: "Some people don't like sex or romance. Some don't like men. Some are not in a healthy space. Some have other reasons. A decent person respects 'no' as an answer, but you won't even need to wonder.

"You will not feel this often. Everyone else is fair game.

"Go to the bar at the Athens Orion Hotel. Order a drink. This is Lesson Two: How to Solve Your Problems with Your Cock. Do what comes naturally. Have fun. -A"

"The doctor will be here soon," the nurse said in careful English. "Do you feel ready to leave?"

* * *

Someone from the embassy did him the favor of collecting his luggage from the hostel and bringing it over, along with voucher information to arrange his flight home. The hospital staff let him into one of the rooms with its own shower stall to clean up. That led to a new surprise: he looked better than he ever had in his life. He found new muscle tone and no flab, along with a face smoother than the closest shave he'd ever had. No one seemed to have noticed the changes. Scott decided not to point them out. He needed to get out of the hospital and get on with his life.

By the time he was ready to go—and then through with the hospital paperwork, plus the call to the airline—it was already lunchtime. Concerns about money were already heavy. He had a part-time job and some minor scholarships, but this trip was a major expense, taken only to help squeeze in the extra college units. He'd saved for months to cover the costs and now he was here beyond his original plans.

He couldn't get a flight until tomorrow afternoon. That meant he'd need a place to sleep tonight, along with meals and other expenses never accounted for in the budget that he'd already maxed out...and here Aphrodite wanted him to go to a bar in a five-star hotel.