Chapter 28: Stygian Shores

The next morning the layer of sapphire keeping us locked in the room was gone, so I had a fairly good idea of what to expect. When Athena and I went downstairs to break our fast I was subjected to a display of the smuggest looks I'd ever seen from my women. The look Yume was giving me was slightly more neutral than those of the others but her wagging tails gave her real feelings away.

And now, after sleeping with Athena, I finally understood what they'd been on about. I was still furious with Athena, still couldn't quite forgive her for the way she'd treated me all these years and especially for her not choosing me. Actually knowing why she hadn't chosen me hadn't made it better. It'd made it worse in a way, knowing that it'd had nothing to do with my actions or personality, not even with me not being powerful enough, but simply because the gods were biased against the stats I excelled in. But on the other hand I could no longer ignore the overwhelming attraction I felt for the gorgeous blonde. I'd stopped seeing her as an aloof deity and now she was just a woman I shared a complicated, passionate relationship with.

“Good morning," I said to my girls as we approached the table.

“I'll bet," Selene muttered.

There were two empty spots at the table, one between Alisha and Yume and the other between Selene and Anna, and I walked up to the chair between Selene and Anna and pulled it out for Athena, kissing both girls on the forehead as I did. Only when Athena was seated did I sit down in the other chair and gave Alisha and Yume a kiss each.

“I see you two aren't covered in scratches and bruises," Yume said. “I have to assume you managed to get along last night.”

“I'd say they more than got along," Anna said, not quietly enough.

I felt like my cheeks were on fire and Athena was clearly blushing as well but the traitorous goddess decided to make things worse: “Well, the lack of bruises wasn't for lack of trying but because I heal quite fast.”

I started to glare at her but then my eyes widened when I felt a foot creeping up on my inner thigh. I looked around discreetly and none of my women were giving me surreptitious smirks. Athena did, though.

“Pervert goddess," I mouthed at her and she grinned at me, the rubbing intensifying. Apparently whatever spark we'd lit last night hadn't been extinguished yet.

I had no illusions that the others wouldn't notice what she was doing but clearly Athena was taken by surprise when Alisha's hand shot forward and grabbed her ankle.

She tried to pull her leg away but Alisha had eaten the body-forging fruits as well. They weren't as effective on someone physically weak like her but they were still enough to stop a similarly built woman. Of course Athena was a goddess and if she'd flexed some of her supernatural powers she could have gotten away but clearly she wasn't trying too hard to pull away.

I wasn't quite sure if she simply didn't want to make a scene or if she liked the idea of being caught in the act but either way she didn't resist as Alisha leaned forward and traced her hand along her leg, all the way from her ankle to her thigh.

“You have some rather shapely legs," Alisha said, the fluttery touches of her fingers making Athena shiver and gasp.

“Th-thank you," the goddess stuttered out.

“Maybe once we reach our destination I could admire them some more while you show me where exactly our lover hurt you?" Alisha suggested, reaching all the way under the table so she could give Athena's inner thigh a squeeze.

“Th-that sounds like a wonderful suggestion," Athena squeaked out.

“Lovely," Alisha said, letting go of Athena's leg and sitting back up straight. “Then I suggest we break our fast before heading out, yes?”

“Y-yes," Athena said, righting herself as well.

And so we ordered some food for Athena and me, the others already having mostly empty plates in front of them.

“So," I asked once I had some scrambled eggs and... let's call it ham... on my plate. “What did you girls get up to after your little prank?”

“Wouldn't you like to know?" Yume teased.

“Anna and I scouted out the town a bit more," Selene said, making me sit up and take notice. “We bought some more supplies but we also heard something interesting.”

“Oh?" I asked.

“Apparently there's some sort of commotion at the docks, some sort of problem," she said. “Can't tell you what it was, nobody spelled it out. Not sure if they even know, really. Anyway, Melinoe apparently went there personally to see if she could help fix whatever the problem is.”

“So she's still safe and free..." Athena muttered.

“I doubt the Holy Maiden's influence extends all the way down here," I said.

“Truthfully, so do I," she said. “But I was still worried.”

“Still doesn't thrill me, though," I said. “If there's some problem with the docks I hope Melinoe will be able to fix it on her own. Otherwise we might end up having to help before we can get ferried over.”

“Whatever it is, I doubt it could be that b—" Selene began but I shushed her.

“No," I said. “Don't say it, you'll jinx it.”

“No need to worry about jinking things when you're around, Tailor," Athena said.

I rolled my eyes.

“I thought you'd get along better now," Anna said.

“What?" I asked. “She's still a bitch.”

“And he's still an insolent ass," Athena countered.

“Gods above, we can't even tell you to get a room anymore because you already did," Selene said.

**

Soon enough we were back on the road, knowing we'd have to camp outside once more before we would reach Charon's docks. The road to the docks was apparently patrolled rather well because aside from some hobgoblins trying to waylay us we managed to go the entire day without being attacked.

Last time we'd fought hobgoblins we'd had the three adventurers with us and so Athena had needed to hold back for fear of giving her identity away. To be fair, she'd clearly been holding back before we'd met the adventurers as well. Now, though, she no longer had to worry about them and, moreover, after last night she seemed to have something to prove, fighting right at the front with her spear, Palladion. Not the conjured version she could invoke as a miracle, mind, but the actual physical spear, her mythic-tier weapon. It was paired with her equally mythic-tier shield Aegis and she was a monster when she wielded them both. Aegis was damn near unbreakable, to the point where she didn't even flinch when a hobgoblin struck her with a savage two-handed blow from his warhammer, while Palladion twirled and thrust at speeds I could only follow because I'd gotten used to following Yume's supernaturally quick movements. The tip of the spear left glowing white afterimages in its wake and I had assumed they were merely an aesthetic effect until a hobgoblin ran into one of those afterimages and lost its head to it. The weapon itself was even more deadly than that though, as neither shield nor armor nor bones offered even the slightest bit of resistance to its attacks.

“You're just showing off now, aren't you?" I asked when the last hobgoblin dropped.

“Fuck you, Tailor," she answered, then a slight blush touched her cheeks. “Did you like it?”

I had to admit I couldn't wait until the next time we had some room to ourselves. But on the other hand I was painfully aware of the fact that I hadn't actually discussed Athena with my four lovers. Of course with hindsight I could now tell that they'd been trying to push me towards her from the beginning but we still hadn't had a chance to talk about it yet. I also wondered if Athena was aware of the fact that Alisha had invited her to a threesome this morning and, moreover, that she'd accepted.

When we made camp we could easily make out the docks as well as the throng of people standing there and waiting. We'd had the choice of traveling through the night to reach the docks in the early morning or getting a good night's sleep and reaching them around noon of the next day. The throng of people that kept growing instead of shrinking clearly indicated that whatever was wrong with the docks hadn't been fixed yet and so we assumed that arriving earlier wouldn't help anyway. Either they had some logistical problem in which case it might be solved the next day or they had some sort of monster problem, in which case we needed to be well rested to take care of it.

After dinner I found myself sitting with Alisha. She got cranky if she went without touching me for too long and so we sat by the river, me holding her in my arms as she munched on a piece of dragon berry.

“Aren't you going to tell me you told me so?" I asked quietly.

“About what?" she asked innocently.

“About Athena," I grumbled.

“I'm just glad you finally realized it," she said. “She's been fucking you with her eyes ever since she had us hauled to the Adventurer's Guild and from the way you two have been arguing I'd been expecting to catch you two having angry sex for days.”

I didn't say anything.

“So, what finally made you open your eyes?" she asked.

I considered for a moment how much to tell her before I remembered that Alisha had already made Athena agree to a threesome. “She's a lot like you," I finally said.

“Oh?" she asked. “In what way?”

“The things you enjoy in the bedroom," I said, a tad smugly.

Alisha stayed quiet for a good long while and I was worried I'd said something to upset her but then she sucked in a breath in shock. “Gods below!" she gasped out. “That's why she kept coming down to argue with you all this time?”

Her ability to piece things together sometimes managed to amaze even me.

“I always thought she was interested in you despite the way you treated her, not because of it. So, what did you make her do? Did you make her lick your boots again?" she asked, a shiver running through her at the thought. “Or did you just make her suck your cock?”

“The latter," I said, then added in a near whisper: “I took her virginity.”

Alisha let out a shocked gasp and her hand shot into her undergarment.

“Hera's bush," I muttered, “did that actually excite you?”

“My lover deflowered a goddess," Alisha spelled out. “The same cock I've taken countless times... Just the thought of it...”

I smiled, then placed a hand over her mouth before I whispered into her ear: “When she sucked me I told her she'll never be as good a cocksucker as you.”

“MMHHHNG!!" she screamed into my hand as she came with her hand between her thighs.

When I was sure she'd finished screaming out her pleasure I took my hand away from her mouth, seeing her saliva and a bit of fruit juices on it, and licked it off.

She kept breathing hard a while longer before she asked: “Hera's bush, huh? Whatever happened to Athena's bush?”

“Can't swear by something that doesn't exist," I said and saw Alisha biting her lip.

“Did you taste her?" she asked.

“I did," I said. “You'll love her.”

“Think she'll like playing with me?" she asked.

“If she doesn't I'll spank her till she does," I said.

In response Alisha squeezed her thighs together as if she was getting aroused again.

“Or would you rather I spank you instead?" I asked.

“M-maybe.”

“A pervert saint and a pervert goddess," I said. “I can't wait.”

“And a pervert rogue," she said. “Can't forget that.”

I chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

**

Later that night I was sitting on my watch shift, having Syr telling me that she told me so, when I heard a rustling sound from behind me and turned around to see Athena approach.

“You can still sleep a while longer before I'll come to wake you up," I told her.

“Couldn't sleep," she said. “Too much going through my head.”

I nodded. “Did you sleep well last night?”

She looked away in embarrassment. “I don't think I've ever fallen asleep that easily.”

I smirked. “So, was there anything you wanted?”

“There was," she said, pleasantly but with no sultry undertones. “I wanted to talk about those quintessence techniques some more.”

“You're not going to let this go, are you?" I asked.

“Absolutely not," she said. “Do you know how long it's been since I've learned something that was genuinely new to me?”

I smiled. “Alright, fine. You've already felt the power inside me so now you need to meditate so you can find it within yourself.” I paused. “Though that might be difficult for you.”

“Why?" she asked.

“You need to shut everything out," I explained. “All sounds, all sensations and all the thoughts running through your head.”

“That might indeed be difficult," she said, then looked up at me, her cheeks reddening a little, and I could almost see her thinking of a way to quiet her mind. Sadly this method wouldn't work in this situation.

“We'll try it the way I learned it," I said. “You sit down and try to meditate. I'll keep a hand over your dantian and check if you're doing it correctly.”

She bit her lip as I mentioned my hand resting on her dantian. Apparently I'd really awakened some twisted desires in this former virgin goddess.

Either way she sat down with her legs crossed and I sat down across from her. I reached out a hand to lay on her middle dantian and she let out a fluttery breath as my hand touched the bare skin of her cleavage.

And as we sat there I got a really good look at what Athena described as her mind constantly racing. Her little movements and exhales were so obvious she might as well have been keeping up a running commentary of her state of mind as she sat there. For a while I felt her chest rising and falling in motions that were just too precise and mechanical, as if she was focusing so hard on her breathing that she was doing it consciously. Then I could see her eyes flicking back and forth underneath her closed eyelids, as if she had created some complicated system in her mind that she was trying to keep track of. Then I saw her taking deep, ragged breaths as cold sweat broke up on her brow, clearly worried about her kin and the future. Then I could feel her calming down as a sweet scent perfumed the area and I saw her cheeks reddening and I had a pretty good idea what it was she was thinking about.

And then, finally, she stilled. I wondered idly how long it had taken and Syr informed me that my watch shift was technically over and that it was Athena's shift now. I didn't want to interrupt her when she'd finally found the peace of mind she needed for this process, though, so I just sat there, listening to the world around us as my fledgling mystic sense felt out the fluctuations of Qi inside the goddess.

Just like Alisha, Selene, and me, Athena went through all the same phases we had. She became warm to the touch and sweat broke out all over her skin, then she suddenly felt cool to the touch and a plume of mist escaped her lips on each exhale, her breathing became heavy and labored and then her breath was being accompanied by the whistling of the wind. And only when all that had gone by could I feel the Qi inside her stirring.

And the first thing I noticed was that it felt weird. Or rather, it felt familiar. I'd been feeling this power for ten years. Every time I'd felt a Chosen One, paladin or cleric channeling a divine miracle it was this exact power. Were miracles created by a god's life force?

But that didn't make any sense. If she could already manipulate life force then why had it taken her so long to feel out her own elixir sea? I was starting to form a theory on why this might be but first I needed to... “That's it," I told Athena. “You did great. That's it exactly.”

“Y-yeah?" she asked as she was pulling and pushing her own Qi this way and that. “It feels weird, like I'm a puppet tugging its own strings.”

“Yeah," I said. “Thought so.”

“Huh?" she asked.

“This is the same energy you use when you or your clerics conjure up miracles," I said. “The feeling is unmistakable.”

“But that would mean I've been using this power all along," she said. “And yet it feels so new.”

“Mhm," I said. “I think you've always been able to channel this power intuitively but only in ways that fit your status as a goddess, as codified miracles. I think what you achieved right now is the ability to use this power any way you want instead of as these rigid miracles.”

I saw her brow crease, though her eyes were still closed. “That would explain how Saints are able to develop their own miracles. I would only provide them with this power while they supply the shape and form of the miracle.” She opened her eyes. “Fascinating.”

I smiled at her. “It is. Now go back to touching your Qi. I want to at least show you the simplest tricks before I go back to sleep.”

Her eyes widened. “I'm so sorry, how long have I been keeping you?”

Three hours or thereabouts. “Not that long," I told her. “We'll do this and then I can get some sleep.”

“Y-yeah," she said. “Thank you.”

**

We ended up working for so long that Yume woke up, intending to relieve Athena from her shift. I had managed to teach the goddess how to use a Qi Burst at least and I was pretty sure Yume had ended up teaching her even more during their shift. When the little fox had seen us together she'd gotten an excited look on her face, her tails swishing wildly, and she had barely calmed down when she'd realized that we were training and not fucking.

The next morning we headed to the docks. I had expected more monsters or possibly bandits to show up this far from the town but apparently the docks had their own group of guards to keep the roads safe and so we managed to arrive without further incident. I honestly thought it was a bit of a shame. I was a little curious to see what Athena had managed to pick up from Yume last night.

Either way, when we arrived I realized that the throng of people we'd seen had gotten even larger and, more importantly, that they weren't people, technically speaking. Dozens upon dozens of ragged cloaks floating in the air as if invisible people were wearing them. Hades shades, the newly dead, all of them waiting to be moved across the Styx, all of them with two coins held in ghostly hands that jingled whenever they moved just so. Clearly whatever problem the docks had was severe enough that nothing was moving one way or another.

As we passed the throng of people Selene said: “They seem so sad. Not angry or hateful, just sad.”

“I told you," I said. “The dead here aren't malicious. They're just dead. Although we have a special realm for the wicked. But I don't know where they are.”

“Over there," Athena said, pointing to an enormous cage full of beings. They looked similar to the shades, except much more of them was visible. And all of them were either growling like animals or howling in impotent fury, but so quietly I could barely make it out. From the way Athena was wincing she clearly didn't have any trouble hearing them, though.

“Gods above," I said.

“All of them are bound for Tartarus," Athena said. “Except the ship that takes them there only travels every few weeks.”

“What about the Heroes?" I asked.

“Look closely," she said. “They're here, too.”

And so I did. At first nothing jumped out at me but then I noticed it. There weren't just shades around us. There were a few normal people around. Not many, but we certainly weren't the only living people at the docks. Except what I hadn't noticed was that some of the normal-looking people were glowing ever-so-slightly, as if a light was illuminating them from behind. They didn't look transparent or miserable, they looked perfectly fine. But I knew, didn't suspect but knew, that these would be those who had died as Heroes.

I was a bit curious and wanted to talk to them, wanted to know how they'd died, but I held back and led our group past the throngs of shades to the docks. We could have just gone through the shades since they couldn't touch us and vice versa but it seemed rude to do so. The dead Heroes clearly had no issue seeing or touching the shades though and neither did they have any problems seeing or touching the living. It fit with what Athena had told us and I wondered if that meant that she could actually touch the shades. Not that we wanted to find out.

It took quite a while to make our way past the throng of shades. There were quite a few of them. Apparently whatever the problem was had been going on for quite a while now.

When we finally did reach the docks I saw dozens of boats moored there. Some were small, just enough space for a ferryman and one or two passengers, some were larger and some were genuine naval vessels, capable of transporting goods as well as dozens of people. Or, I supposed, that entire cage full of shades bound for the depths of Tartarus.

More important than the many different sizes on display was the fact that all of them were moored, with not a single one out on the river.

A group of people in dark robes similar to that of the shades but entirely visible and tangible underneath those robes stood behind a man who was clearly their leader. His robes were also dark but woven of fine cloth and with silver piping. His hood was pulled back, exposing the face of a handsome older man. In one hand he held an enormous oar, though from the way he was holding it the thing seemed to serve him more as a walking cane. I just knew this man was Charon.

Across from him and his ferrymen stood a gorgeous woman with a slight frame, with frazzled black hair down to her shoulders. She wore a black toga and a sweet scent of fruit surrounded her. And she was clearly arguing with Charon. I supposed this woman was Melinoe.

“We can't leave all these people stranded here," she told the ferryman.

“And we can't risk crossing as things stand.”

“I don't disagree, but..." she trailed off.

“I see a few Heroes among the dead," Charon said. “Maybe they would be willing to help?”

“They've just died fighting for what is right and you expect them to fight again?" she asked.

“I don't see how else we can solve this," he told her. “Unless you want to head back to your town and put out a quest.”

“That would stall things even longer," she said. “Alright, fine, I'll ask.”

He simply nodded at her before she turned away to walk off.

Except when she turned around and saw our little group her eyes immediately fixed on Athena and her gorgeous face broke out in a radiant smile.

“Auntie Tina!”