His First Goddess
"We can bring you to the true world, Loret. But if you're prepared."
The words spread through the quiet like a splat in absolutely still water.
Loret's eyes passed over them—fourteen women who were not so much mortals as shards of forgotten divinity. Each shone with a soft radiance, as if they bore the light of a thousand unsung myths. In each of their eyes, he glimpsed time itself, an unfathomable depth etched by ages beyond his capacity to conceive. Their bearing bore the weight of long-lost histories, and their strength—weak though it was—still vibrated beneath skin that appeared chiseled from perfection.
But something nagged at him. One question would not release him.
He took a deep breath. "So… the world is over, and you simply take me? Like that?"
Some smiled, others nodded with serene humility. A few looked near amusement, like they'd been waiting for this very doubt to crop up in him.
His brow creased. "And the people? The ones they left behind? The ones who lived here—are they just… abandoned? You took this world as your charge. Why leave them behind?"
The air changed at his words.
Faces relaxed—not with guilt, but with something richer. Understanding. Pride.
Isis moved forward first, her presence soft, radiant like moonlight on calm water. "For them," she said, her voice full of a lullaby's gentleness, "we already have an idea."
Loret blinked. "A plan? What sort of plan?"
Frigg replied. Her silver-blonde hair surrounded angular, peaceful features, and when she spoke to him, her voice held the subtle force of a queen. "We banded together the last shred of our remaining power to transport every last living person from this world to the original Earth. They are safe. But in the process… we sacrificed everything.
"You… what?" Loret's voice stuttered, his chest constricting. "You were able to do that?"
They nodded together.
"You relinquished your divine power?" His shock was evident. "Why would you…? I thought creatures such as yourselves lived to be powerful. That you'd never give it up."
Skadi's icy laugh pierced the air. "Generally, we wouldn't. But occasionally, even we surprise ourselves."
To him, that one action made them feel more godlike than all display of power ever could. At that instant, their value—not as goddesses, but as people—rocketed in his esteem.
Then—
"Where are you wandering, Loret?" Persephone's voice taunted, silk over steel. Her eyes captured his, lips twisted in that sly, knowing smile.
"I just… I don't grasp all of it," he confessed.
Skadi folded her arms. "Then it's time to tell me."
Her gaze focused on his. "You must choose."
"…Choose?"
Gia sighed. "Skadi, for goodness' sake, explain it properly."
Loret's bewilderment grew. "Choose what?"
Gia's tone softened. "One of us will accompany you to the new world. The others will sleep in your soul until you're powerful enough to rouse us, one by one."
"I thought you were all coming," he said softly.
"We are," Gia said. "But having relocated the souls of this world, our bodies can't keep up. Your new body won't be able to support fourteen divine presences simultaneously."
"So one of us," Skadi defined, "will travel with you from the start."
His mind reeled. Too much, too soon. "You want me to take one of you?"
A chorus of good-natured grins answered him.
"Correct," Amaterasu answered, her voice lively and teasing. "Choose your favorite."
He scanned them. Fourteen goddesses. Fourteen types of beauty. They all wore their own weight, their own type of lethal allure.
Aphrodite's wink was calculated.
Hathor's lingering lick of her lips was crudely enticing.
Frigg's nod was serene and maternal.
Xi Wangmu leaned her head to one side, eyes gentle and contemplative.
Nyx yawned, as if only slightly interested, but her gaze never wavered from him.
They were all observing. Trying him.
He let out a sharp breath. "…I can't. It's like choosing one would be a rejection of the other thirteen. I won't do it."
A wave of laughter swept through the room.
"Adorable," Aphrodite whispered, lips curling.
"Mmm… seductive," Hathor laughed low.
"He's nice," Xi Wangmu said softly, "but too good for his own good."
"Hopeless," Nyx drawled.
"Honorable," Frigg suggested.
"Dumb," Skadi added, smiling.
"Innocent," Persephone teased.
"Brave," Isis spoke softly.
"Soft," Hera muttered.
"Hesitant," Nuwa noted.
"Human," Sofia smiled weakly.
"Cute," Amaterasu added her voice.
"A little lost," Gaia said warmly, her voice taking a motherly tone.
And then Aphrodite—smiling so broadly it was almost wicked—spoke up, "Mine."
Each head swung in her direction.
"Aphrodite?" Frigg's brows shot up, her voice playful.
"Yup. We talked about this eons ago," Aphrodite proclaimed with unapologetic pride, moving forward as though claiming her prize. "I won. Fair and square. He's mine first."
Loret's eyes widened as she froze. "W-Wait—
A rosy shimmer spread across the room, cloaking the air in a soft rose light. Aphrodite's motions turned into fluid poetry—hips moving with impossible ease, her hair shining like spun silk, her very essence emanating raw, unbridled magnetism. The aroma of roses swirled around him, heady and dizzy. His breath froze in his throat.
"Hell yeah," she whispered with a sweetness that was hazardous. "Let's go, my husband."
She came at him before his brain could even register the words, pulling him into a hug so swift it was more tackle than hug. His face came to rest against the mounds of her breasts, buried in the heat that dispersed his thoughts like panic-stricken birds.
"Mmm, you're warm," she whispered in his ear, embracing him tighter, her soft humming voice causing shivers to run down his back. "Tell me, darling… are you happy I'm the one who'll be living with you?"
He attempted to answer—truly attempted—but the soft, cushy captivity she had him in left his voice a mere muffled protest.
"W-Wait, I—"
"Dumbass," Nyx interrupted drolly. "Let him breathe, Aphrodite."
"Oh!" Aphrodite laughed and released her grip with a slow, elegant ease. She didn't flush—of course she didn't. To her, this was second nature.
When Loret finally dropped his head back onto the pillow, his cheeks flushed scarlet. His eyes were wide, breathing erratic, his chest jerking up and down much too rapidly. He was embarrassed, his face showing it, but there was more in his expression, something he wasn't yet willing to acknowledge.
The rest of the goddesses' laughter echoed across the room.
"Well, at least we know he's not disappointed," Skadi grinned.
"I still think I'd be a better choice," Hathor sighed longingly.
Aphrodite gave her a wink. "You'd smother him. I cushion him."
Frigg laughed. "She's perfect and you know it."
Skadi groaned. "Yeah, yeah. More resin and mischievous than you, Hathor.
Hera crossed her arms, lips curling into wry amusement. "Still, Aphrodite has her charm."
Loret remained in Aphrodite's arms, blinking up at her as though not sure if she should pull back or remain.
"You okay?" she whispered, fingers weaving through his hair with soft care. "Still breathing?"
He nodded, speechless.
"Good," she drawled out with a slow, understanding smile. "Because we have to bind now."
"Bind…?"
Her smile became teasing. "Mhm. Soul binding."
He blinked, torn between confusion and suspicion. "What does that mean?"
She leaned close enough her breath tickled his lips. "Sex, darling."
"WHAT?"
"You're adorable when you freak out."
Hathor let out a deep, dramatic sigh. "Knew it. Knew you'd say it like that."
"Jealousy doesn't become you, sweetheart," Aphrodite said without even looking at her.
"Shut up. He's not yours yet."
"Not yours either.
Frigg's voice cut through with dry humor. "Yes, Loret. Soul-bonding through union is the way Aphrodite will stay awake in the new world. The rest of us will sleep inside you until you're strong enough to take more of us."
His heartbeat thudded in his ears. "So… I need to… one at a time… bind with all of you?"
The goddesses shared conspiratorial smiles, their eyes glinting with amusement and unspoken secrets.
No," Isis answered quietly, her words warm but firm. "Only with Aphrodite at this time. The others are already half-bound to you by your blood. We'll slumber in your soul, waiting. When you wake us one and all, you'll have to repeat the ritual you're going to do with Aphrodite."
"Oh." He swallowed hard, the gurgle clear in the silence that followed.
Nuwa's slender and dainty fingers sketched the air, and trailing them, a small wooden cabin came into being out of glowing light—a warm refuge and bathed in the soft flush of pink.
"Okay, off you go," she offered with a wicked smile. "Bolin that woman in love. We'll take care of saving the world."
"HEY!" Aphrodite's loud voice was tempered by her sulky pout. "Not in heat. In love."
With a smile, she pulled Loret's hand and led him towards the radiating portal. His steps were hesitant, his red face revealing a blend of fear and expectation. He looked back forlornly, his eyes flicking between the tranquil goddesses as if hoping to be rescued.
"Don't forget to kill him," Amaterasu teased, her lips curving in mirth.
Aphrodite's laughter boomed out, full and assured. "Please. I can stop myself."
The door closed softly, locking them in.
Silence fell. The thirteen remaining goddesses shared contemplative glances.
Sofia let out a slow breath. "Did we… do the right thing?"
Isis's calm smile never wavered. "She understands her limits. Now, concentrate."
They nodded together. Eyes closed, they extended their hands in tandem. A soft radiance started to accumulate about them, air trembling with some long-forgotten vibration—low, then swelling like hallowed music.
"Soul transfer… begin."
The chamber trembled. Far down within the mountain, the ground creaked with a groan, yet the small cabin behind them was untouched. Within, the silence was shattered by soft, gasping moans—tokens of pleasure and the first awareness of something much more divine.