D.B.Blackwood

Heyo! Hope you enjoy this next chapter! I'm trying to post every week on Monday, at 7:00 PM, Eastern Time (ET), so tune in next week!!

When Seph and Sam arrived at the first store, priority number one became finding the right outfit for Sam’s first official ‘not-a-date.’ Per her usual antics, Seph made sure to tease her mercilessly the entire time, because as she explained it “you just look so darn cute when you blush.”

One particular outfit had been recommended by a store employee, and Sam wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but opted to try it out regardless. The deep navy blue skater dress was incredibly chic, in a trendy yet elegant way. It had been paired with a simple set of sneakers, low top socks and a dark denim jacket. Sam dutifully put on the outfit, sure that it wouldn't be her style, but when she turned to the mirror she was shocked. “Holy shit” she mumbled softly.

“Oh-ho-ho, this one’ll be good” Sam overheard Seph say, presumably to the shop employee. 

Curse that damn soul connection. Sam looked over herself again in the mirror and was pleased to see that the stylish clothes worked really well with her honey blond hair, and her rich brown eyes. She kept her pasty white skin throughout the transformation, and although she felt like a tan was in order, it certainly didn't look bad. Despite the growing sense of unease, Sam opened the door and came out to see the ladies. 

“Holy shit” they both said simultaneously, before the employee covered her mouth. 

“Baby sister, this is the one!” Seph hummed in a slight shock. “Oh my god, you look so... Cool!”

“Thanks!” Sam beamed at the compliment. She could definitely get used to that proud sensation. 

After regaining her composure the shop employee added “I agree, this look is really good on you. It compliments your hair style, and it's casual but still very trendy.”

“Look at you, you little trendsetter,” Seph said before turning to the shopkeep, “We are definitely getting this. Do you have anything in a similar mode?”

In an instant the two were off in a whirl, chatting and undoubtedly conspiring to find more clothes for Sam to try on. Is that a bad thing?

**

Sam was happy that she’d asked David to come by at 7PM, because Seph had to be physically dragged from the stores in order for them to have time to get ready. Sam couldn't really complain though after being the happy recipient in literally thousands of dollars in clothes. She wasn’t totally sure where the money came from, but she just hoped that it wasn't magic that would result in tanking the economy. Add it to the list of things I need to ask her when we find time, Sam thought to herself. 

“Everything is perfect, Samantha” Seph chided, gently taking her by the shoulders and forcing her to sit. “It looks great. You look great. Would you stop fretting? You're gonna drive yourself into a panic.”

Seph was of course addressing Sam’s compulsive need to check that she wasn't forgetting anything, and the troubled pacing around her apartment that accompanied it. 

“You're right, I need to get my mind off it” Sam agreed as she smoothed out her skirt. She was still getting used to the feel of essentially being naked from the waist down, as she had always worn pants before. “Hey, speaking of which, I had some questions for you.”

“Let's hear it hon, lay it on me” Seph said with genuine interest. 

“So, I really enjoyed today. It was incredible, I felt so at peace, and so whole... yet I can’t help but think that I’d never really had much of an interest in these things before.”

“Heh, that's not really a question, but I’m glad to hear it. You deserve to get some value out of your life.”

“I guess my question is… You said you can't change peoples’ minds. So is this an effect of the change, or…”

“Sweetie” Seph sat up straight, suddenly serious in a motherly tone “no, absolutely not. Your soul is that of a woman, and the person you have become was predestined the moment you were created. I could see that plain as day, but you have so much trauma and repression weighing you down it was like a fog keeping you from seeing the truth. I haven't done anything to your noggin other than giving it what it had been craving all your life, even if you didn't quite know it yet.”

That made sense to Sam in a profound way, and she knew the words were the truth. “So many other trans people go through their lives second guessing their gender. I guess I’m fortunate to have someone who could tell me the truth in black and white terms.”

Seph scoffed “far from it! Gender is a spectrum in every sense of the word. It has a wide range of feelings associated with it, each as beautiful and unique as the next. Some people are born with bodies that match the ‘colors’ of their soul, and some people just need a little help to get there. And I didn't tell you your gender, I just gave you a body that matched up with it, and hoped that you would see the truth for yourself.” Seph grew quiet and uncharacteristically nervous before continuing. “To be honest, I was a little worried that it wouldn't work, and that you’d ask me to change you back.”

“What?!” Sam grew incredulous “how could I have possibly not been absolutely ecstatic about this?! I could finally enjoy my body and live comfortably, that's not something one can ignore!”

“Au contraire” Seph said wistfully. “Society has a cruel way of scaring people in your position into the fear of being different. So many trans people live out their lives without fully being able to live authentically, because of the real and perceived threats that your society imposes on them. That's actually one of the things I’m hoping to change, as your people fall into my domain.”

That gave Sam pause “trans people are part of your domain?”

“Of course! It may not have been the intentional wording from my creation, but I am a goddess of transitions, primarily the seasons, harvests, and all manner of necessary changes; to include gender transition. Being in charge of the transition that mortals face as they die is especially useful to me as Queen of the Underworld. I get to see them coming,” she winked. 

“Huh” Sam said simply as she considered the ramifications of that statement. Lots of things changed over time, that was pretty vague wording to define her domain. Sam wondered what the limits of that would be, and what she meant by ‘the intentional wording from my creation.’ 

Soft knocking interrupted their chat and instantly Sam’s heart was threatening to knock its way out of her chest. She was excited to see David in a romantic sense, but she was also terrified of having to come out to him. How on earth am I going to get the strength to do that?

“Calm” Seph reminded Sam, and she squeezed her shoulder. “You got this, just be yourself.”

Slowly Sam rose and made her way over to the door. Remembering to open it considerably slower this time, she calmly opened the door to reveal David. He was looking especially dapper, and Samantha couldn't remember a time when he had looked this put together. His hair was combed, his face was shaved, and he was dressed in a button down shirt with a simple sweater over top and a pressed pair of jeans and clean sneakers. Against her request, he had a bottle of wine under his arm.

Desperately trying to think of something cool to say, she commented “don't you clean up well.” She knew that was the right move when a bashful grin made its way across his face and he raised his unoccupied arm up to scratch behind his head.

“Wow, so do you. You honestly look incredible, Samantha- that's a much better look than Max’s dull get up.”

Now it was Sam’s turn to blush as she thanked him for his complement. 

Their shock was interrupted by Seph’s forced cough and “Well, are you gonna invite him in, or is the plan to just make googly eyes in the hallway all night?” Gods, she knew exactly how to tease her.

“Come in, come in! Let me grab that wine that I asked you not to bring” Sam chided, trying to save face and throw in some banter for spice.

David laughed nervously, but tried to play it off “Yeah, I guess I didn't want to totally clean Max out of his beer supply.”

David settled on the couch, and Seph made her formal introductions while Sam searched for a corkscrew. 

Coming back into the room, Sam found that Seph and David were getting along amicably, talking about Judaism of all things. “That’s incredible, how do you speak Hebrew if you're not Jewish or from the region?” David asked, blown away at her fluency. 

“Yeah, I’ve just picked up a lot of things in my life, from knowing different people and traveling the world.” It wasn't technically a lie, but boy was that an understatement of the truth. Sam and Seph shared a quick glance that conveyed it's going to be very difficult to dance around the truth all night, unless we tell him.

Sam had hoped to have dinner and the movie before telling David, but if she was being honest with herself; the lying and dancing around the subject would be eating away at her. If she had to sit through a meal and an entire film, her anxiety was going to work her up into a frenzy. 

Her hands were shaking now, and the glasses were gently clattering against the bottle in an unmistakable rhythm, so Sam set them down gently before she broke them. “I gotta tell him Seph, I can't wait any longer.”

Seph looked at her and gently replied “I think that would be for the best.”

David, now confused and a little unnerved asked “tell me what? What's going on?”

“David” Sam started, taking up a seat next to him and trying her best to make eye contact. “I've been lying to you. It was a white lie, while I built up the confidence to say this to your face, but a lie, nonetheless. Max didn't go fishing with his dad in Montana… He never left the city. This is going to sound outlandish and unbelievable, but please; bear with me and I’ll give you any proof you need or answer any questions you have. I’m not Max’s half-sister. Up until recently, you knew me as Max.” 

David scoffed dismissively “You're maybe five feet, five inches, tops. You're telling me you lost at least 7 inches in height, probably 100 pounds in muscle, and transitioned in the last week? I can't believe that. What is this?” he looked at Seph to gauge her reaction. 

Gently as possible, Seph tried to explain “You're right that this wouldn't be scientifically possible with the transition process of the day, but Samantha transitioned through magical means, and I can prove it.”

David's expression soured “if this is a joke, it isn't fucking funny. Where’s my best friend?”

Sam felt herself losing him to doubt, and started to internally panic. “I’m… I’m right here David, you gotta believe me. I’ve been transgender my whole life, I just didn't know how to confront it. Didn't you think it was weird that I couldn't shower at the gym, or how uncomfortable I was with my body, or hugging, or affection at all, for that matter?”

David paused before acknowledging “Max definitely struggled with all that, but how am I supposed to believe that was you?”

“Please don't use that name anymore” Sam crumbled a little. “It honestly grates on my ears to hear it...” Sam could feel the trauma bubbling to the surface that she’d been trying so hard to come to terms with. Trying and failing not to cry, she choked out “...please.”

“I wont say that name anymore, but please- explain how you found a magic solution to this, because you were right to say this is unbelievable.”

“I guess that's my cue” Seph halfheartedly joked. “I am a goddess, the one your ancestors called Persephone. My kind and I are beginning to return from our multiple millennia hiatus to try and right the wrongs of humanity’s most powerful elite.” Seph looked to Samantha to gauge her reaction to the interaction and found her eyes trained on David. Seph had known that David was important to her, but the pleadingly hopeful look in her eyes made it clear that she needed his companionship on some level. 

Turning back to David with this in mind, Seph continued “Samantha has agreed to become my Arch-Priestess, and to help me achieve these goals, as well as to try and make the world a better place in general. It is within my power to change one's form, and gender transition is specifically included in my domain, so in an earnest attempt to improve her quality of life, I magically brought on her transition.”

David sat in stunned silence for a moment before replying “that's not easy to believe, can you… prove any of this?”

In an instant the three of them were sitting in an open field. The furniture remained, but endless fields of adolescent grain surrounded them. 

“What the fuck?!” David shrieked, standing up on the couch cushions to get away from the foreign ground.

“This is my domain, the physical realm at least. I’ve brought you here to see first hand my power and anything else you wish me to conjure.”

“Hey, wait a second!” Sam blurted angrily. “If you could just bring us to your domain at any time, why’d you have to smack my head against the pavement when you brought me?!”

Seph chuckled at her priestess’s question while David half listened and used his remaining brain cells to try and reason a scientific explanation for his predicament. 

“My dear, the answer to that question is three-fold. First, I was in a significantly weakened state, so bringing only your mind to my domain and leaving your body in the mortal realm was a significant power savings, for which your body needed to be unconscious. Two, in your ethereal form, time dilation makes your conscious’ absence exponentially longer, so our hour-long chat took four earth days, and I needed someone to take care of your body while you were away.”

Sam nodded skeptically. She wasn't totally sure what all of those things meant, but they sounded real enough and Seph seemed confident, so she didn't press the issue. “And the third reason?”

Seph smiled “Well, the Oracle of the Fates foresaw it, and I didn't want to test them.”

Sam let out a long sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose between her index finger and thumb. 

“This time I could bring your bodies and all the furniture along because your faith in me as my bonded Arch-priestess makes me exponentially stronger.” Turning to David she asked “Seen enough David? Shall we go home?”

“Go home! I want to go home!” David half-screamed, still not entirely calmed down from the sudden realm travel. 

In another instant they were back in the apartment, and all three took a moment to let their eyes adjust to the change in light. 

“Seph” Sam called, looking at David and worrying for his sanity “remember that discussion we had about ‘not freaking people out when you exposed them to the reality of gods?’”

“Of course” Seph replied, waiting patiently for her to continue, then turning to see David, she acknowledged. “Ahh, I see what you mean. Rats, I’ve really ruined movie night haven't I?”

**

Two glasses of wine, and about thirty minutes later, David was breathing normally again, and Sam rubbed circles in his back as he stared into his third glass of wine. “So deities are real?” he said, finally breaking the silence “Umm, which ones?”

“Hmmm, thats a good question actually- I don't really know the full answer to that. Most of my kind are split into their pantheons or family groups, and they rarely interact with each other, let alone other pantheons. It's also tricky, because there are some of us who are known by multiple groups throughout history, but by different names. Funny story with that, the one you call Jesus is actually part of my Pantheon. Dionysus’ and his legacy on earth was the result of a thirty year bender where he came down and tried to spread good will, by turning water into wine and whatnot. Gods, the message he was trying to preach sure got butchered in the two thousand years since he left.”

David and Sam both looked up at Seph in utter shock as she drank from her glass. “What?” She asked, clearly not understanding the gravity of that statement. 

Then, in an instant the mood shifted and the three burst out into laughter. It wasn't necessarily hilarious, but they laughed uncontrollably all the same. 

“That is sure to be a great story that I’d love to hear sometime” David laughed “but in the meantime, I’m going to go microwave this pizza which is almost certainly cold.”

D.B.Blackwood

As always, I sincerely appreciate feedback! Lemme know how I'm doing and if there's anything I can do better!!