I tried to avoid them. I really did. Always do. It's why I took this road today.

 

   "Where're you running off to, retard?" Kraus sneered from somewhere behind me. Or at least I think it was Kraus.

 

   "Hold up a minute," an unfriendly voice soon followed. Was that Kraus? Again. I'm not sure which. They both sound eerily similar to each other.

 

   I turned around, with a sinking feeling in my stomach, to come face to face with two faces I'd rather forget. Kraus, and his twin brother, who I've yet to learn the name of.

 

   I would reply, except I am mute. I'm not retarded, but I could write the names at least two guys who are. (Well, one of them, really.)

 

   I instinctively pull out a notepad and pencil, only to have the notepad smacked to the ground with a brisk slap.

 

   I raise my gaze, full of a silent fury to Kraus. Or at least the one wearing a green shirt today-- who just knocked my favored means of communication to the ground. I'm met with a shit-eating grin.

 

   I do know sign language, but unfortunately it's wasted on most people. As long as they can read, I find this notepad to work well enough in most scenarios.

 

   "Pick it up," green Kraus mocked, pointing at the notepad.

 

   I purposefully leave it on the ground. A minor insult, but... I guess I'm just not in the mood to 'talk' right now.

 

   "Pick it up," the other Kraus clone demanded, in a much meaner tone.

 

   In the same instant, my pencil is snatched away from me and held at a distance.

 

   "What's the matter, fag? Cat got your tongue?" the pencil-holding Kraus taunts. There's no point in distinguishing between the two. They're equally ugly, equally mean, and equally trash human beings.

 

   I reach my hand out in an attempt to grab my pencil, and it's roughly grabbed by the Kraus without a pencil.

 

   You might be thinking these are just a couple of bullies, and that I'm just some unfortunate highschool misfit. But these aren't your average, everyday bullies. These are advanced bullies.

 

   The Kraus with the pencil makes his move. With my hand caught, I watch in abject horror as the pencil is embedded into the top of my hand, almost dead-center. Not sticking all the way through, but far enough to hit bone. I screech in pain, to the best of my ability. It might have sounded rather pathetic, in all honesty. But pain is pain, and my reaction is the same as any other person.

 

   Just like that, they both run off, probably afraid of getting caught. Either that, or they feel like maybe they've gone too far this time. I am unsure which. I crouch to the ground, in agony, and remove the pencil. Blood is pouring out at an alarming rate, and I'm honestly pretty terrified of passing out from blood loss, it makes me squeamish. I do my best to staunch the bleeding with pressure, using the bottom of my t-shirt.

 

   I was walking home from school when I got jumped. A different path than normal. This is a road devoid of very many houses, the next one might be a quarter mile up ahead, if I had to estimate.

 

   I'm in trouble. I...

 

 

---

 

 

   I was hiding in the bushes, watching my current host suffer. I don't necessarily enjoy when innocent people like him have to deal with the bad luck I bring, but I have to watch. I must. It gives me the energy to persist in this world, and the people I haunt are essentially random.

 

   I watch the two assholes run off after getting their fill of torture for the day, and I watch as the guy they stabbed grabbed his hand in pain and sank to the ground. My life essence fills with energy, granting me at least another three days in this realm. It makes me wonder, do vampires enjoy the blood they drink to persist? Maybe I'll ask one someday...

 

   My eyes widen as he slumps to the ground, losing his strength. That's enough for me. I don't want him to lose too much blood, after all. I wish I were more cold-hearted sometimes, but I'm not.

 

   So, I step out of the bushes, prepared to help my host...

 

   ... who also happens to be my best friend.

 

 

---

 

 

   "Ben!" a sweet, warm voice calls to me from not too far away.

 

   I turn with surprise to the source of the shout, and I'm immediately relieved to see Athena running to me, worry etched across her face. The amount of times she seems to show up after tragedy is beginning to make me suspicious... but also, I'm not the kind of person to curse my own blessings.

 

   I smile as she slows her approach, although my expression is quite pained. I eagerly show her my hand.

 

   "Oh my gosh! Sweetie, are you okay!?" Athena hurriedly blurted out when she got a better look at my injury.

 

   I merely nodded in response. Stripped of pen, paper, and effectively my sign language as well. What else could I do?

 

   So, that's when the water works started. I turned my head away, to try to hide the fact that I was ready to cry. A poor attempt to hide the obvious.

 

   "... I'm sorry," Athena quietly whispered to me.

 

   Not what I expected to hear, honestly. I never dared blame her for my bad luck... but, is it possible she blamed herself? I turned to her, and she looked awful. Remorseful. About as bad as I did.

 

   I shook my head 'No' in an attempt to try and make her feel better. That she shouldn't blame herself. Honestly my options of communication were quite limited. I didn't want to move either hand away from each other.

 

   But then, Athena said something to me. Something I didn't expect. Something to catch me off guard.

 

   "Ben. Do you feel like anyone loves you?" Athena asked. A very strange, serious tone in her voice.

 

   Honestly, I was stunned at her question. While she knew I was depressed, and had halted me from harming myself on multiple attempts, I couldn't hide the fact that my life had been pretty shit for awhile now. She was the only light in my world, the only person who seemed to care about my well being. This little pencil incident was part of the small stuff in the grand scheme of things. The second I get home, I would get to look forward to more abuse.

 

   "... y... o...u...?" I attempt to rasp out. Honestly, I'm not even sure she heard what I attempted to say. But she'd become quite adept at reading lips in the time we've spent together this past year.

 

   That caught her off guard. She raised her hand to her mouth and cried as well. I knew she was a sentimental person, but...

 

 

 

---

 

 

   It hurt.

 

   It really hurt to hear that.

 

   Ben's an amazing guy, and I actually do care for him deeply, despite being the actual source of all of his problems. Long ago, I was once told back in Hell not to develop any human emotions otherwise my existence would become problematic. Now I see why.

 

   But, I'm ready to make things right. I'm going to put him out of his misery... or, rather... into it.

 

 

---

 

 

   "Ben, listen carefully, I want to make you a deal," Athena eventually said, once she composed herself, "I hate watching you suffer so much, so..."

 

   I nodded in agreement, my curiosity piqued.

 

   "Would... um... you like me to," Athena mumbled, obviously flustered. Embarrassed, even.

 

   She looked me in the eyes. Hard.

 

   "...make all of your problems go away?" Athena finished.

 

   An insane question. Who could truly guarantee something like that? I decided to play along. Maybe for her sake, since she seemed so genuine with her query.

 

   I nodded "Yes" followed with a pained smile.

 

   Athena half-smiled back, and touched my hand. Barely a second later, it was miraculously healed. I always knew she was an angel. I just knew it!

 

   I flexed my hands. They felt good as ever. I wasn't going to question her powers. Like I mentioned earlier. I don't want to curse my blessings. If I had a goddess for a friend, I was damn well not going to say no to that. Not a damn thing ever goes right for me in this world, this world that won't even let me voice my own fucking opinion.

 

   [Athena. That was amazing!] I spoke to her, with hand signs. She was a smart girl. She learned sign language specifically for me when we first became friends. [You are incredible! I'm a little scared, honestly, but I think I'll manage.] I furiously signed, with a huge smile on my face.

 

   Athena blushed.

 

   "Aww. You're welcome, Ben!" Athena happily replied, followed by a bit of sadness, "But... we have a new problem."

 

   [... And...? What's wrong?] I signed. Butterflies in my stomach.

 

   "Well... you're officially in my debt, now," Athena mumbled, "something you've previously never been in."

 

   I was confused. Who wouldn't be? Perhaps it had something to do with her powers.

 

   [I don't know how to respond to that. May I pay this 'Debt' off somehow?] I signed. I didn't want to offend her. No, not her. Anyone else, I didn't give two shits about. But Athena was quickly becoming my whole world.

 

   Athena sighed, and hugged me out of the blue.

 

   "Ben, don't run," she breathed into my ear. Suddenly, I found it near impossible to move my legs. Not that I planned on running. I was scared, but I trusted her.

 

   I would sign back, but she was hugging me, so it would fall on 'deaf ears.' So, I merely returned the hug. My heart was racing with anticipation of what she wanted of me.

 

   "There's no simple way to put this, Ben, are you ready?" Athena said to me, backing up a bit.

 

   [Blow my mind, Athena. You're the only person who cares about me. I'd jump off a cliff for you if you wanted me to.] I signed.

 

   "Well, would jumping down my throat also work?" Athena mindlessly blurted out, looking slightly embarrassed.

 

   I wheezed. [Hilarious...] I signed. Somehow I didn't expect a joke. But she wasn't laughing.

 

   Athena sighed, and touched my chest. My world-view grew exponentially, as everything around me soared high like redwood trees. Her joke from earlier was starting to make a little more sense. Still, unable to run, I looked up to her, in her new skyscraper-esque glory. Perhaps she really was a goddess after all.

 

   Athena looked sad, and bent over to pick me up. Very gently, as if she'd done it a million times, she deftly engulfed my body with her thumb and pointer finger, and lifted me high into the air to better converse with me. Perhaps it's hard to read sign language from someone the size of a Tic Tac. Just a wild guess.

 

   "Ben... I'm a demon," Athena said, nonchalantly.

 

   At first, I had believed her to be a goddess. But... Demon? Wasn't that supposed to be a bad thing?

 

   Suddenly, I felt afraid. Very, very afraid.

 

   [Please don't hurt me...] I signed, albeit very shakily.

 

   In all honesty, this time, Athena looked like the one who was afraid of me.

 

   "No!" she near shouted, before lowering her voice a bit for my sake, "No... Ben. Everything will be okay. I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I physically have no choice anymore. I have to claim your soul, because I healed you. If I don't, your afterlife will be a Hell worse than the life you've lived so far. But... if I were to swallow you..."

 

   Athena raised me up to her enormous lips, and whispered, "You'll be mine for eternity."

 

   Athena lowered me back out at arm's length again, to judge my response.

 

   [I'm... going to die?] I signed. This was hard to take in. I've contemplated suicide before, but Athena was the only thing stopping me from doing that. How was I supposed to feel when she's the method of death I'm supposed to succumb to?

 

   "Everything will be okay, Ben. I promise. I know it's hard to trust demons, with all the bad rep we get. But, I genuinely care for you. Your afterlife matters MUCH more than your Earth one. If I claim your soul, I'll make sure you live in a paradise. I can only do this by swallowing both body and spirit at the same time... and..." Athena spoke softly.

 

    "No one will ever fuck with you again. You'll be under my rule, forever. And I don't plan on making it an unpleasant one. I implore you. Take my offer," Athena whispered, sounding serious as a heart attack.

 

   From this point of view, looking up to her light blue eyes, I noticed something. They had a yellow glint to them. An unnatural, imperceptible glow. Had that always been there?

 

   [I am... scared, Athena. I'll close my eyes. Do what you will with me. I'm not sure if I can force myself to enter something my instincts so powerfully warn me not to enter. I'm going to trust you.] I signed out what felt like my last will and testament, and closed my eyes.

 

 

---

 

 

   I don't think I've ever been so hesitant to devour a human before now. We demons are selfish entities, for us to claim a soul is grand prize, indeed. Their soul is ours to do with as we please, stolen from the reach of God or the devil himself. They're ours to torment as we see fit.

 

   So why do I feel such pity for the little guy cowering in my hand, covering his eyes? When I first latched onto him almost a year ago, I never thought I'd grow to like him so damned much. He was already tormented on a daily basis before my arrival, and it got worse when I showed up and manifested as a female since I'm already half succubi. He never knew it was me draining his luck, of course. Yet he treated me as a friend. And entertained me on numerous occasions, without even speaking.

 

   I carefully held him with two fingers, and lifted him up to my lips.

 

   A thought did cross my mind. I told him I wasn't going to hurt him earlier, yet here I was, preparing to devour him. While it was a white lie, in the large scheme of things, the afterlife is the thing that truly matters. Once I own him, this little rite of passage will never even have mattered.

 

   I sat Ben in the center of my tongue, and wondered how he was feeling. There was a possibility he might be feeling degraded, and the thought unnerved me. I've never been eaten before, but I guess the point is still clear... it's a complete domination of one being over another.

 

   I wanted to make it quick and easy, for that specific reason.

 

 

---

 

 

   I couldn't believe what was happening. So much had happened so fast. I absolutely lost my shit once I felt Athena tilt her head backwards. Her tongue was an immense force, irrefutable in its strength. The air was hot, and muggy. And I was positively coated in her saliva. I felt... subhuman.

 

   Her throat grappled me with a powerful swallow. I lost my nerve. This was terrifying! In a panic, even though I was already well within her throat, I tried my best to press my arms against the esophagus to halt my descent downwards into what was a dark abyss.

 

   Pointless. Futile. Her muscles continued to contract automatically and dragged me downwards, and I had no feasible way to counter my new fate.

 

   Of course, in the back of my mind, I still believed her. She obviously wasn't human. But that didn't mean that dying still wouldn't be painful. The groaning abyss below me was still a real threat. And I'll be honest, pain never felt good no matter how much I've been subjected to it.

 

   A few moments later, and I have a very brief freefall and land on a hot, warm fleshy surface. The smell of this organ is abhorrent, and being in pitch darkness at the same time, as well as knowing my death is practically assured... I screamed. Not that it was a scream worth anything. I ran around in panic, only to have my foot slip from underneath me, causing me to faceplant into bile.

 

   I was the embodiment of fear. I cried in the darkness, whimpering for comfort, and receiving none; despite the close proximity of the one person who showed me any true compassion.

 

 

---

 

 

   I observe my surroundings. On the asphalt at my feet, I see Ben's blood had seeped into the road. It makes me furious how shitty he was treated. Nearby, I see something else, that really stirs something within me.

 

   Ben's notepad. The one he initially used to communicate with me before I learned human sign language. Ahh, the memories. Once he's absorbed, I think I'll...--

 

   A vision of my next host enters my mind. A new soul to bring misery to, and extend my stay in the real world.

 

   I giggle with glee to myself as I retrieve the notepad. It will make a nice memento for my nightstand.

 

   As I make my way home for the day, I begin to fantasize of the ways I can tease Ben and cheer him up. It won't be long, now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   I awoke, lying on my back on what felt like grass. As I opened my eyes, I noticed the sky above was an incomprehensible mixture of blue, red, and purple, which swirled about endlessly. It reminded me of the storms of the planet Jupiter. I knew I should have been afraid in this foreign environment, but then again, I felt like I knew where I was.

 

   "Finally awake, Ben?" a cheerful, familiar, feminine voice spoke to me, directly into my mind.

 

   I shot up, and spun around, taking in my surroundings, looking for the source of the voice.

 

   The landscape I was met with took my breath away. I was met with what appeared to be infinite grassy hills, in all directions, with blue and red grass. I was definitely not in Kansas anymore.

 

   "I'm nearby, Ben. I was just hiding my true form from you, I wanted to see your reaction. Face a little to the left, if you would," the voice spoke sweetly.

 

   I turned to the left, a bit, as instructed. I wanted to imagine the voice belonged to Athena, but it didn't. While it certainly spoke like her, it sounded much different, almost like she had a Celtic accent now. Perhaps I was being naive-- there was no reason she would sound the same as her human proxy in the real world. I was about to meet the real Athena.

 

   "--Perfect! Are you prepared, Ben? Usually the humans I bring here aren't guests. They're victims for my amusement. But, don't worry. I look more human than demon. I'm half succubus, after all!" 'Athena' telepathically spoke to me, with a bit of a giggle following it.

 

   I nodded in affirmation, to nothing in particular. I felt like she would materialize in front of me any second, now. And, I was half right. Except she was much larger than I expected.

 

   A cloud of black smoke burst across the landscape, and I noticed an incomprehensibly large female form, far off in the distance, yet still close enough to see all of her features. She must have been two-hundred feet tall, easily.

 

   My mouth dropped in pure awe. While her face looked nigh identical to Athena, she looked... a little older. Like the difference between a sixteen year old, and a twenty-four year old version of herself. And she was more beautiful, somehow. On Earth, she was cute. But here, she was breathtaking. I was only seventeen, myself, but I was still a guy with a man's eye.

 

   Her skin was very light, a pale, radiant cream-like color. Her face was angelic, and her eyes were no longer cerulean as they were in the real world. Here, they were a gorgeous topaz color. And her long, jet black hair was wavy, and styled into a loose bun. Her bangs framed her face, and the sides of it as well. She wore no makeup, but she didn't need it. Her genes were perfect enough.

 

   My eyes nearly popped out of my head once I noticed she was completely nude, save for a luxurious ruby choker-amulet around her neck. Her body was perfectly formed, and shapely. Her breasts were perky, likely C-cup sized on a human scale. And I could tell from her hips that her backside boasted a plump, medium-sized ass. She had the form of a perfect woman, something maybe 1% of Earth's female population had the fortune to possess.

 

   That was the extent of her human features. She had quite an array of exotic features, following that. I noticed, atop her head, she had two jet black curved horns protruding out, and curling backwards like a stereotypical demoness.

 

   Her body, was lightly decorated in a myraid of black, ever-so-slowly swirling tattoos, except for her face.

 

   And from her knees downward, her legs were replaced with obsidian black furred goat legs, almost like a satyr. Just another trait that further pushed home the fact that I wasn't communing with another human.

 

   After my initial shock, I turned my head away almost two seconds later. She was nude. I didn't want to ogle her-- that was rude!

 

   "Aww! Are you turning away to give me privacy? You're... so... adorable!" Athena squealed.

 

   I heard a loud snap, probably her fingers, and the next thing I knew, I was standing atop her gigantic hand, faced directly in the direction of her pert breasts.

 

   I stumbled backwards from bewilderment, and almost fell off her hand. I landed on my ass, and looked up to see her smiling down at me, with a pure, genuine smile etched across her face.

 

   "What's the matter, Ben? Demon got your tongue?" Athena taunted me.

 

   I began to sign back, but one of her fingers pinned my entire body down, albeit very lightly.

 

   Her face was still beaming, but I felt like that was rude. I was trying to 'speak,' after all.

 

   "Why are you using sign language, Ben?" the demoness cooed at me.

 

   I felt like I was being made fun of. So, sassily, I decided to speak back.

 

   "Because, I can't freaking--" I stopped. Her face was still frozen in that same smile.

 

   Words. Real, words!

 

   I was too stunned. She had fixed my ability to talk!

 

   I wanted to cry from happiness.

 

   "I'm sorry, Ben? What were you... saying?" Athena taunted me again, and smirked at my bewilderment.

 

   "T-thank y--!" I tried to yell up to her, but her hand flew straight to her left nipple, with me pressed directly against it. Once the shock of what happened wore off, I felt the beginnings of an erection forming in my pants.

 

   Through the mass of her hand and tit flesh, I heard her speak, "Let's go ahead and get the introductions out of the way, Ben. I know you have reservations about my nudity, but let me let you in on a little secret. I don't care. I love you as a friend, but I own you now. And I have highly sexual tendencies thanks to my heritage. And, no, I'm not going to put any clothes on, anytime soon. Get over it."

 

   With that, she lightly rubbed me back and forth around her areola for a half minute, to further tease me. I wanted to breathe, but quickly found out that it wasn't necessary any longer. I must have truly died, after all. Back in her stomach on the outside world.

 

   Athena eventually pulls me away after treating me like a toy.

 

   "One last thing, Ben. My name's not actually Athena. We demons safeguard our names because it gives priests power over us. But since we're here, and you're my property now, there's nothing you can possibly do to harm me... well, not that I would expect you to ever have tried to, since you're such a sweetheart," Athena blew a kiss at me. I pretended to catch it and stick it in my pocket, causing her to laugh quite loudly.

 

   "W-w-what should I c-call you?" I spoke back, shakily. Unsure of whether it was from being unused to my own voice, or from the intimidation of the immense power she now held over me.

 

   "My real name is Jaliel Na-Mura. But if you want to keep calling me Athena, I don't mind," Jaliel spoke to me.

 

   "They're... um... both, pretty names," I struggled to speak.

 

   I didn't expect that would turn the tides of this teasing battle between me and Athena. She let out a cute gasp from shock. So I pressed the envelope a little further, to try and gain an upperhand again.

 

   "And I didn't know a demon of your size could still make such a cute sound," I taunted Athena.

 

   I was instantly assailed by a huff of hot breath. She... she blew on me!? The winds were powerful, and I tumbled around on her hand.

 

   "Very funny, Ben. But, thank you. That was sweet," Athena quit tormenting me with her breath, and smiled at me again.

 

   Once I regained my stability, I grinned back at her.

 

   "So... I'm sure you've got questions. So hit me with just one for now. You've got forever to ask the others," Athena replied with a slight laugh. I hadn't thought of that. I was about to spend eternity, my soul at Athena's command.

 

   "So... on Earth. What are you doing now? And did I die?" I asked. Perhaps it was two questions as one, but somehow... I felt like she wouldn't mind answering them either way. She was trying her best to intimidate me here, but I've learned how she operates. She has a kind soul, especially for a demon. And, right on cue, she proved it. She didn't even complain, and answered my two questions at the same time.

 

   "Well, I've got a new host to make miserable, and I'm glad it's not you this time. It's someone who could actually stand to be taken down a notch. But right now, I'm at home, lying on my bed reading a book. Your body is probably somewhere digesting in my large intestines by now. Sorry," Athena joked, "but yes, while you technically did die, I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't know I could keep you here with me spiritually. It also put an end to your bad luck; because here, nothing happens that I cannot control."

 

   With that answer, Athena pointed to the far distance, and snapped her fingers. An immense, highly advanced looking city rose from the ground below, complete with flying shuttles going to and fro. A complete civilization, created from a single thought. Something every human can do, but only in their mind. But I might as well have been living in Athena's mind now. And because of that, she was essentially a goddess here.

 

   "Wow..." I watched in sore amazement, growing ever and ever more aware of just what kind of situation I was now in. I found myself extraordinarily grateful that she adored me as much as she seemed to.

 

   "Cool, huh? That's a city completely full of robots, so don't worry about this next part," Athena stated, as she snapped her fingers again. Somehow, I felt like the snap was only there for a dramatic effect.

 

   Six natural disasters at once tore the city asunder. From the east, a tornado twirled up out of thin air, and it was powerful. From the south, a raging wildfire quickly spread into the city. From the west, a tsunami flooded in, complete with an ocean behind it to supply it. From the north, a vast array of tanks shot their shells at random into the city. From below, a huge earthquake swallowed some of the streets and buildings. And from above, a meteorite quickly made its way down, hurtling at astronomical speeds. All of the forces combined wrecked the city in the blink of an eye. And how did Athena clean up the debris? With a miniature black hole, which followed her finger where ever she directed it to go.

 

   She had thoroughly proven her point to me. This place, my afterlife... it was her own little dimension, in a sense.

 

   I turned back to her, fear etched on my face. She grinned at me as usual, but it was a soft, caring kind.

 

   "I know you're afraid of me, Ben. But eventually, I hope you'll come to get used to all of this. I just wanted to show you that I can do whatever I want to here, but above that, I also want you to know that harming you or torturing you is not something I desire. You really made an impact with me on Earth. I just want you to experience happiness, for once," Athena stated softly, and a thornless, black rose appeared in my hand.

 

 

 

 

   While sleeping was pointless in the afterlife, I still kind of missed how relaxing it was. So I asked Athena if I could still retain my sleep cycle, and while she pouted from having a little less time to spend with me every 'day,' I told her that a fraction of infinity is still infinity, and that I'd still be here to keep her company when I woke up.

 

   I awoke in an enormous, extravagant king sized bed, which I had previously insisted was 'too much,' but Athena wasn't taking no for an answer. With limitless resources available to her, I supposed I should get ready for an afterlife of luxury. Perhaps dying wasn't so bad after all.

 

   I hopped out of bed-- stretched and yawned like normal. Walked over to the window. So far, so good. Stepped out onto the balcony, and...

 

   I was a half mile in the air. Priceless.

 

   My bedroom was at the top of a very tall stone tower. What was I? Rapunzel?

 

   "Good morning, Ben!" Athena's voice boomed across the bizarre landscape.

 

   I turned my head towards the direction I felt the 'sonic boom' coming from, and almost slapped myself for not originally noticing something, someone, so stupidly huge that it brought logic to its very knees.

 

   Athena was lying prone on the blue and red plains, propped on her elbows, smiling at me. Except her face was nearly three times the size of the tower. Yeah, that huge.

 

    Another intimidation tactic, perhaps? I've noticed she's quite fond of toying with me, almost more than when I knew her human form-- though I'm sure having immense power will do that to someone. Either way, I wasn't going to let her get the best of me, so I tried to play it off nonchalantly.

 

   "Is today a big day for you, or something?" I said-- just a stupid joke to break the ice.

 

   And of course, Athena took things to the next level with her reply.

 

   "Yeah, it is. Right now I'd say it's one of the bigger shits I've taken in a long time. Probably all that protein I got from that dork on the road yesterday," Athena joked back, darkly, then proceeded to stick her tongue out at me.

 

   "D--Damn, Athena," I said with mock defeat, and fell to one knee, dramatically clutching my chest with my right hand from having been beaten so brutally by words. I hadn't given it far too much thought until now. I knew she had swallowed me, but for some reason I seemed to not think about what would actually happen to my old body after death. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I've got forever to repress that image in my head. It's also kind of humiliating-- I mean, I didn't even get a gravestone!

 

   After seeing that her huge size wasn't going to scare me today, Athena shrank back to her normal size, which was still titanic anyhow.

 

   "Come down from thy castle, Great Lord Ben," Athena playfully commanded me.

 

   I looked behind me, and noticed the bedroom door was gone. Not that I particularly wanted to descend hundreds of stairs right after waking up.

 

   I turned back to the balcony, looking down at Athena again.

 

   "Umm..." I started, confused on what to do next.

 

   "Not the stairs, you bozo! That'd take ages! Go on. Jump! I got'cha!" Athena shouted up to me.

 

   I didn't think twice. There was no way she would let me die here, even if I did end up hitting the ground somehow. It was about when I reached sixty percent of terminal velocity, that I asked myself a very important question.

 

   Why didn't she just teleport me down to her hand like yesterday?

 

   I soon found out why. Athena's arms were already outstretched, reaching up to catch me. But it didn't last long. Once I was off of the balcony's edge, a couple seconds later, she laid on her back, and lifted her legs up, towards her head.

 

   I didn't have to be a rocket scientist to calculate my trajectory. I was heading straight for her ass.

 

   I don't know what went through my mind at that moment. Yeah, I could appreciate a nice ass like the next guy-- but this... this was on a whole new level I'd never even thought about. All I could think to do was panic. If I entered head first, I would have almost no way to wiggle back out of her asshole.

 

   Fortunately, my fears came true. (Wait, what? Fortunately?)

 

   In no time flat, I slid into home base with seconds to spare. It was an easy entry. She probably manipulated physics or something to get rid of friction, or something stupid like that. Either way, my world view had instantly vanished now as I plunged deep into what was normally an exit only for most women.

 

   I instinctively screamed once I was entrapped in her large intestine. Though on the outside, I'm sure not a peep was heard.

 

   I felt my world turn upside down again, as Athena situated herself in a different orientation. I felt the muscles of her rectum grapple me like a bouncer kicking out an underage teenager holding an alcoholic beverage from a night club.

 

   I was pushed out back into the light, and landed on her hand, safe and sound. The next words I heard from Athena were something I never thought I'd heard be said in a single sentence, stringed together. Like, ever.

 

   "Hey Ben, I just shat you out in two dimensions simultaneously," Athena snorted.

 

   I didn't have any retort for that. I wanted to be mad, but when I thought about how I could be burning in Hell or something, I decided this was much, much more preferable.

 

   "Athena, you're such a riot," I deadpanned.

 

   I was only met with a prankster's smile, like always.

 

   "Say, Ben, since you wanted to sleep, do you also still want to eat food, too?" Athena said, with stars in her eyes. She really seemed to like spoiling me. But I didn't feel like a pet, at least.

 

   I thought about it. Food was always fun. And here, I'm sure I could eventually eat anything and everything I've ever wanted to try, but was often too broke to get.

 

   "Um, sure!" I replied. I was curious on what she would come up with this time.

 

   "Awesome, what's your favorite restaurant? I'll recreate one for you to eat at today," Athena offered, sounding jovial as always.

 

   "Oh, uh, wow... I don't know. I guess I'm kind of homesick for Daisy's," I answered. It was a local joint where Athena and I lived at... Err... I guess where just Athena lives at, now that I think about it.

 

   "I see, I see. I can do that... Hey! Wait! That's the place that usually had a cute cashier girl, right? I'll put a clone of her in there for you! Oooh, and I'll make her wear leggings or something, too! She was always such a prude with that long dress," Athena monologued, already getting ideas in her head to try and embarrass me.

 

   I was about to retort, but Athena vanished and Daisy's was open for business in front of me. She even recreated the street it was on, as well. Buildings and all.

 

   "Go on inside! I'll be there with you in spirit. If you want to speak with me, just talk with your mind with the intent for me to hear you. That way you can keep your lecherous thoughts separate when you finally see more of what's-her-face," Athena spoke to me, telepathically.

 

   "Wait, I'm going in alone? You don't want to shrink down and come eat with me?" I offered. I was getting nervous. I always had a crush on the cashier at Daisy's but never did anything about it. Athena was not bad looking herself, but for some reason, I felt like it would have ruined things if I made any moves on her. She never made any hints of fancying me, so I'd just assumed she wanted to stay friends. And, I guess I was okay with that. She was always great to be around, regardless.

 

   "No, silly, it's your time to shine! Or, are you worried about how I'm going to feel?" Athena questioned me.

 

   "Err..." I was at a loss for that one.

 

   "Haha! Aww. Don't worry about me! Think about it. You're already mine-- I own your soul, after all. I don't mind sharing my man with someone who isn't even technically here," Athena replied.

 

   Ah, so that's how she viewed "us." Damn, I didn't even know we were in a relationship yet! But, I had no qualms about it. She's literally the last woman in the world for me, now. She's also hot, fun, and kind. I've still yet to figure out how dating a demoness who rules my afterlife would go, but I'm just assuming she's going to be the one wearing the pants in this relationship. Just a hunch I've got.

 

   "I don't know.. it feels weird," I tried to argue.

 

   "Just go in and order something. You don't have to fuck her on the dining table, haha. Well, I mean, not if you don't want to. I don't really mind either way. I know you died a virgin, because you never dated anyone. Not even poor old Athena, your old buddy, your old pal who was always flirting with you... Typical oblivious male," Athena chastised me.

 

   "I'm... sorry, I didn't want to take a chance and possibly ruin what we had going if you were to reject me," I replied back, still standing in front of the restaurant's door like a weirdo.

 

   "Well, you worried for nothing, nerd. But it's all good now! Now. Go inside already. I want to watch you struggle--... oops," Athena snickered.

 

   So, that's what this was all about. My new girlfriend was literally sending me into a phantom restaurant just to watch me get tongue tied around some cute lass. That is also another sentence I never thought I'd have strung together in my mind.

 

   And so, with an exasperated sigh, I opened the doors, ready to make a fool of myself for my voyeuristic demonic overlord girlfriend.

 

   "Hi! Welcome to Daisy's!" the nameless cashier smiled at me, positively beaming. So damn cute.

 

   It was so weird. She looked full of life, and lively as ever. But deep down, I knew this was an illusion. She had no soul, and that wasn't the true cashier I once knew. But she was every bit as gorgeous, and could've passed for the real one if I didn't know any better. Not to mention, today she wasn't dressed like a nun. She was wearing a cute, frilly tank top, which stopped at her upper waist, to allow a full frontal view of her leggings-clad shapely hips. I never would've guessed she was so thicc.

 

   "H.. hey!" I answered. To the near empty restaurant. Just me, her, and some hidden cook in the kitchen. Way to put the pressure on me, Athena. Now I don't have anyone nearby for her to get distracted with serving. All attention's going to be on me.

 

   I walk up to the counter, prepared to order my usual.

 

   "Um... iced mocha.. eggs and.. french toast.." I mumbled my order, staring at the register. With a sharp, quick glance at her nametag: Allie.

 

   "E.. Excuse me, sir. I didn't quite catch all of that. Was that a mocha coffee, scrambled eggs, and a side of two french toasts?" Allie repeated to me, to make sure she was entering the order in correctly.

 

   Wow. She was very good at listening to beta mumble.

 

   "Girls tend to pay extra close attention to guys they think are cute," Athena chimed in my mind.

 

   "Yes ma'am, that's right," I replied nervously, relieved I didn't have to speak much more.

 

   "You're a trainwreck, emotionally, Ben. Why don't you get this flustered around me, anymore?" Athena sarcastically huffed in my mind. I elected to let it slide. Perhaps she was trying to get under my skin and make me slip up. I never was the most socially adept butterfly.

 

   "That'll be $8.58, sir," Allie broke my train of thought.

 

   "Ahh, sorry," I replied. I instinctively reached to my back pocket, which actually was empty, but I felt a wallet manifest out of nowhere just in time.

 

   "Nahh... I'm not THAT cruel," Athena sent to my mind. Another prank, and I'm quite sure infinite more are to come in due time.

 

   I decided to show some appreciation to Athena since she didn't actually screw me over.

 

   "I was about to freak there. Thanks for not making me look like a broke dork," I praised Athena.

 

   "Want to know something crazy? She would've covered you if you didn't have the money this time, just so you would make your way back in to repay her later and see her again. I actually used to talk to her about you sometimes. She's a really sweet girl. I wonder how she'll react once she learns you've gone missing," Athena solemnly spoke to me.

 

   "Huh... The things you learn after you're dead..." I sullenly replied to Athena.

 

   Somehow, hearing Athena's short story, I decided to be more friendly. Yeah, she was a cute girl. But she was only human, and still worthy of my attention. What's the point in being shy, honestly?

 

   I gave her the money I owed. There was a fair amount left in the phantom wallet Athena had supplied me with.

 

   "Okay, sir, we'll get that cooked up in a jiffy for ya," Allie practically sang to me in her southern accent.

 

   "Y-you can call me Ben, if you like," I responded, and tried to sound just a bit more friendly.

 

   "Ben! Sure thing, bud!" Allie replied, beaming again.

 

   "She already knew your name, just so you know..." Athena tried to guilt me again.

 

   I glance around. There's a tip jar near the register with a very cutesy paper decorated with flowers and the words " (: Tips are always appreciated, but never expected. <3 "

 

   It was... empty.

 

   While Allie was turned around making my coffee and placing the order with the chef, I surreptitiously placed $10 inside the jar, and made my way to a table in the corner, as usual. I don't know why, it just felt safer there, despite the lack of other patrons in the establishment at the time.

 

   "She saw you do that through the reflection of the coffee machine. Girls are sneaky like that," Athena tried to shake me up a little.

 

   Was she taunting me, or teaching me? I put my head down, into my arms, on the table and waited to be served. I can't deal with girls, especially cute ones. I felt like even looking in their direction was offensive to them, somehow.

 

   "Don't be so hard on yourself, Ben. You're cute, and it's not a crime to make brief eye contact," Athena tried to comfort me. I guess I was unable to hide anything from her if she really wanted to find out.

 

   By this point, I'd figured it out; she was definitely teaching me. She didn't want me to get attached to this replica of Allie. She was just trying to help build me up through a little simulated social contact.

 

   A minute or so later, Allie brought my coffee to me. And sat down across from me.

 

   "I hope you don't mind if I sit with you, Ben. Is that okay? You... just seemed so sad, sitting alone over here by yourself," Allie spoke to me, with a sincere concern present in her voice.

 

   I sat up, a little too quickly, possibly startling Allie in doing so.

 

   "A-Athena?" I tried to mentally call out. I was at a loss. I didn't know what to do.

 

   "Hey, serial killer. Someone's trying to make friends with you, so answer her, don't be a dumbass," Athena sarcastically replied to me. She didn't sound mad, at least.

 

   "S-sorry," I squeaked out, "you caught me off guard, there."

 

   "... Well, I guess any words are better than no words, as long as you're not being a creep or an ass," Athena tutored me.

 

   Allie regained her composure, and was all smiles again.

 

   "No problem! Sorry for sitting here so suddenly. I just thought you could use a little company, plus we've been kind of dead today so far. The boss won't mind," Allie explained.

 

   "She knows you're charitable from the tip you left, usually a trait found in the more kind souls of the world. Plus, I used to chat you up a bit to her. Just in case I ever ended up finishing my possession on you. I wanted you to have another option in town after all the misery I brought to you," Athena said. She sounded a little sad.

 

   "Athena... this is becoming a depressing breakfast," I eventually replied to my owner, who also happened to be in a relationship with me. Talk about complex.

 

   "That's the fun thing about being here in my world, though! All those what-if's you have stored away in your brain, I can help you go through them now. It's really enlightening after you forget the fact that you're now a turd in the town sewers underneath her restaurant by now," Athena joked. Ahh... Typical, optimistic, hilarious Athena.

 

  The next several minutes flew by as I made small talk with Allie. Something I never thought I'd ever do. The time quickly came where my order was ready. It felt like I wasn't even waiting on food.

 

   "Allie-- Order's up," the mysterious chef spoke from the kitchen.

 

   "Ahh! Coming!" Allie yelled back, before returning her attention to me, "I'll be right back with your breakfast. Mind if I sit with you while you eat?"

 

   "She's coming onto you pretty strong, Ben. Just so you know, I'm not controlling her actions here," Athena informed me.

 

   "Yeah, that's fine, Allie," I replied with a smile.

 

   Allie left to grab my order. She seemed to be in a fantastic mood.

 

   "Well, Ben. Feel bad for shying away from her all this time?" Athena questioned me.

 

   "I kind of do, actually. This isn't even a real conversation, yet I felt like it could've been," I answered.

 

   "Well, you got that right. It's not a real conversation, but she's acting exactly like the real Allie would have. I wonder how she'd act if she came back and you were too tiny to eat your food? Would she help feed you?" Athena mused.

 

   "W... Wha... Wait! No, Athena!--" I began to protest. Too late. The very next instant, I was nearly half an inch tall, on the table where my head was previously at earlier.

 

   And, on cue, Allie had already made her way back, and noticed I wasn't sitting where I originally was.

 

   "Hmm... did he go to the bathroom?" Allie wondered out loud.

 

   And proceeded to sit the plate down on the table-- almost directly on top of me.

 

   I may have had no death to fear, but somehow I felt like being crushed under a plate would still be a negative experience, even in this world.

 

   "Allie! Wait!" I screamed out, trying to get her attention. I think it worked.

 

   Allie halted herself in the nick of time, and searched for where my voice was coming from in the restaurant.

 

   "Ben? Hello? Where are... you..." Allie slowed her speech, as her eyes finally informed her where I was.

 

   "AAACK! BEN! I... you're... tiny! And, and, I almost killed you!" Allie was already profusely apologizing, fretting about what to do next.

 

   "A reasonable reaction," Athena noted.

 

   Allie sat my food down a little ways away from my position, and just stared at me. Incredulously.

 

   "Are... are you okay? What happened?" Allie leaned in closer, as I slightly backed up instinctively. It's still a work in progress, dealing with giant women moving towards me.

 

   Allie must've realized her newfound position over me, and the implications that meant.

 

   "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I'm... not going to hurt you," Allie promised. She looked supremely concerned with my well being.

 

   "I'm okay, Allie! And I don't know what happened. This just... well, came about all of a sudden out of nowhere," I replied. I wasn't going to tell her the truth. Somehow, I felt it would be less believable than 'I don't know.'

 

   "Would you believe that she has a giantess fetish, Ben? A sadistic one?" Athena informed me.

 

   "A... what?" I asked.

 

   "It means she has sexual fantasies of being huge, and dominating tiny people in a myriad of ways. Don't be surprised if she crushes you under her ass for pleasure," Athena replied, sounding wary.

 

   I looked up to Allie, who seemed to still be taking all of this in with a look of amazement on her face. I never would've imagined something like that in the dark recesses of her mind.

 

   "But she just said she wasn't going to hurt me!" I answered Athena.

 

   "Well of course she's not going to; it's one thing to act out fantasies in your mind, but entirely different to go through with them. Allie must be realizing that, herself now. Right now, she's probably considering all her options of how to assist you from here. A complete one-hundred and eighty degree turn from how she would normally handle this situation in her fantasies at night. If I were to let this continue, she'd probably take you home with her and safeguard you," Athena explained.

 

   Allie finally regained control over herself, and smiled at me again to show she meant no harm.

 

   "Well, that's... strange! But, I'll help you get through this, Ben. Are there any family members or friends you want me to call for you? And... Well, I guess your food is a little too big for you to chew now..." Allie babbled on, constantly bombarding me with promises of assistance, while taking a seat back at the booth with me, where I previously was sitting. She rambled on, her mind already going a million miles an hour on how to help me out. Honestly, it was very endearing to watch.

 

   "Oooh, I wonder if she'll offer to chew your food for you, and let you slurp it from her tongue?" Athena joked.

 

   "Athena. That's... depraved," I replied.

 

   "Alright, alright, let's do this again," Athena announced.

 

   Suddenly, I felt what I imagined time to be reversing, and I was normal sized again, and Allie was making her way to my booth to bring me my food. Again.

 

   "Got your food for you, Ben!" Allie explained, and sat down across from me again with my food.

 

   I breathed a sigh of relief. Athena was going to be a handful. I just knew it. But, I guess that's always been her nature. Impish.

 

   I spent the next half hour enjoying my meal, getting to know Allie a bit better, as well as the occasional... well, frequent, interruptions from Athena. Finally, I decided it was time to leave eventually. As I said my goodbyes, and made my way through the exit, a few steps outside, and I turned back around to see Allie smiling and waving at me.

 

   "Come back soon, ya'hear!?" Allie happily wished me farewell.

 

   That was the last I heard from her as the restaurant and the street it was on disintegrated into dust, and scattered into the wind, as if it never existed in the first place. Honestly, it was a little terrifying watching that from such a close distance.

 

   Athena phased into existence once again, standing behind me.

 

   "How was breakfast?" Athena asked, playing innocent.

 

   "I think I'm going to cry," I replied, a bit lackluster.

 

   "I've got a big enough shoulder to share," Athena answered sweetly, as helpful as ever.

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

   Day Three of Infinity

 

   "They're so... uh..." I was at an extreme loss for words.

 

   "-- Bouncy? Buoyant? Big?" Athena jubilantly tried to finish my sentence for me, as she lay on her back on the field with her arms behind her head, sunbathing.

 

  At Athena's request, we were playing a rousing (or more like arousing) game of 'Massage My Tits So You Can Get Used To Female Nudity,' or MMTSYCGUTFN, for short. Really rolls off the tongue, I tell you what.

 

   "This... umm... feels like I'm... molesting you," I finally managed to speak up for myself, while I dutifully stroked Athena's already well-swollen nipple.

 

   Good. It only took me thirty minutes to get around to saying that. I'm such a paragon of confidence.

 

   "I mean, if that's how you want to roleplay this... I didn't know you were so kinky, Ben," Athena sarcastically replied. She's always a hoot.

 

   Athena randomly scooped me up in her hand, and sat upright.

 

   "Everything alright, Ben?" Athena asked me, perky yet still concerned.

 

   "Oh, yeah, sorry. Hey, may I ask you some things I'm still confused about?" I asked. I wasn't expecting her to deny me, at any rate. It's still proper etiquette.

 

   "May I? Ben..." Athena replied coyly, and raised me up to her lips for dramatic effect, "I'm gonna need you to loosen up. You don't have to ask my permission to ask a question. I'm not a tyrant, cutie pie."

 

   She lowered me back to talking distance again, and I breathed a sigh of relief. She was right. I was actually starting to get a little too anxious around her. I couldn't stop thinking about the vast power she held over me. So, I tried to repress my thoughts, with other thoughts. I had legitimate questions, after all.

 

   "Have you eaten others besides me?" I asked.

 

   "Uh-huh! Hundreds!" Athena merrily replied, almost as if it was something to be proud of. I forgot that she was still a demon, when her personality seemed so... girly.

 

   I looked around, and gestured to the vast plains around us.

 

   "Then... where are they?" I asked, genuinely confused.

 

   Athena lowered me to her perfect stomach, underneath her massive breasts.

 

   "They're all in my stomach, bud," Athena replied flatly, while I almost broke out in a cold sweat, "I shrank them further, and they all sit in there, forever digesting because they were all horrible, shitty people when they were alive... So, you wanna go see them?"

 

   Damn. Talk about sadistic.

 

   "I... um... wouldn't I be stuck in there, too?" I decided to entertain the notion. I was rather hesitant to go in there again, and with obvious reason.

 

   I felt my feet give way to air, as Athena teleported me five feet above where I was, and fell back on my ass into her soft hand, to prove her point.

 

   "I'm not going to leave you in there, sweetie. You'll be fine. I'll give you the ability to see in the dark, and I'll just choose not to digest you as well," Athena happily explained. If anyone was nearby listening to that without seeing her, they'd think she was an insane person. But I believed her. If she said she could control her organs, I wasn't going to question that after everything else I've seen so far.

 

   I really felt hesitation about it, but I also wanted to start trusting her with my entire being. And I felt like this was going to be a really good way to help accomplish that. I can't live out eternity with someone I harbor even a slight bit of doubt about. I mean, I could, but I feel like it'd be more fulfilling to give her my whole heart.

 

   And so, I squashed my insecurities for once, and I smiled at her. And received one back in kind.

 

   "Okay, I'm interested, and I trust you'll take care of me, Athy," I called Athena by her old nickname I gave her when I first met her.

 

   Athena made a freaking adorable face upon hearing my words.

 

   "Aww! Ben, of course I'll get you back out! And I haven't heard that nickname in ages," Athena giggled.

 

   And so, for the second time, I was carefully placed into her mouth. This time, she shut it closed, leaving me in darkness, standing on her tongue.

 

   A few seconds passed. And, right on cue, my eyesight kicked into overdrive, and I was able to see as if I were in a dimly lit room.

 

   "So do you want to do the honors, or do you want me to?" I hear in my mind, from Athena.

 

   "I think... I'll do it," I replied.

 

   "You're a braver person than I am-- and I'm not even really a person, per se," Athena replied, and kept her mouth as still as she could manage.

 

   I walked to the back of her mouth, and peered into her throat. It was pitch black, and extraordinarily intimidating, but I felt like my vision worked best the closer I got to things in the darkness.

 

   I took a deep breath, and hesitated for a second. Then, I jumped into the abyss. Athena reflexively swallowed me, sending me on my merry way down. Again.

 

   Once I arrived in the stomach, which was much larger than it was my first time, I glanced around. Hundreds of naked people were lying around, moaning and writhing in agony, and some even screamed in terror, begging for forgiveness, endlessly. Perhaps their clothing couldn't stand the acid. Or, perhaps Athena thought they didn't even deserve clothing. 

 

   "They're relatively new inmates, the loud ones. Don't worry, I let them all out occasionally. But I take away their ability to run away, and one-by-one, I just swallow them all again, and they have to watch helplessly, just so they don't forget I don't give a damn about their well being," Athena darkly replied. It almost struck fear in my heart... almost. I was on her good side. The only person here out of hundreds of miserable souls, and yet she valued me over them a thousand-fold. I was humbled. 

 

   "Everyone in there-- murderers, crooks, bullies, wife beaters, etcetera, they're all just pure scum. Do they all deserve eternal punishment for a finite transgression? Perhaps not. But, I'll be honest, Ben, I can't help myself. I want them to suffer, even if it's unjustly. I want to create woe... I want pure misery," Athena explained herself to me, reminding me of her other half-- a demon of misery. 

 

   And, just like that, I was brought back to Athena's hand on the outside. I felt overwhelming relief. And I wanted to express it.

 

   "Athena..." I began.

 

   "Yeah, Ben?" Athena spoke, already switching gears back to her happy self. She's really good at her emotional management.

 

   "Thank you for treating me so nicely," was all I could think to say. I could've been on the inside of her stomach as well, if she truly acted like a real heartless demon who didn't care about human lives.

 

   I was brought up into a spontaneous, very passionate kiss. Suddenly, my thoughts were seized of all their negative vibes. I found it easy to forget about the people in Athena's gut, and found myself lost in her embrace. And the funny thing is, I don't even think she was using her powers to make me feel this way.

 

   I was lowered after a few moments.

 

   "You're welcome, love! And I guess I should thank you for being such a decent human, because I was beginning to think all humans were more bad than good," Athena replied.

 

   I was placed on the ground at her feet, or rather, her hooves, while she stood up to her full, immense height.

 

   "Speaking of bad humans, I've got a surprise for you. I decided to go ahead and eliminate my host and his accomplice in the human world," Athena stated.

 

   She reached her hand to the sky, and two figures fell from the heavens and landed in her grasp at a slow pace. When she brought them down to my level, I was actually taken aback. I never thought I'd see... the Kraus brothers again.

 

   "Funny thing is, Ben, I couldn't tell them apart. I didn't know which one I was supposed to be making miserable, so I gave up and ate them early," Athena explained.

 

   They looked afraid, until they saw me.

 

   "Ben-fag! Who's this giant whore?" one of the ambiguous Krauses yelled at me.

 

   I was at a loss for words, but Athena wasn't.

 

   "Thanks for making up my mind, red shirt. You're the one who's going to get the worse afterlife," Athena threatened.

 

   Red shirt Kraus began to scream as he was lifted into the sky, and burst into spectacular flames.

 

   The remaining Kraus and I just watched in shock, but I was the only one who had the guts to ask the question first, without fear of retaliation.

 

   "Uh... What happened to him?" I asked Athena.

 

   "I've put him in a stasis dimension for later use. We'll go over his punishment later. As for this one, well, Ben, you already know what's going to happen to him," Athena said, with a hint of excitement in her voice.

 

   Kraus looked at me in fury.

 

   "You! You're in kahoots with this bitch?!" he yelled at me.

 

   I was actually rather brave. I finally felt like I had an upper hand. I was so going to enjoy this.

 

   "No, Kraus. I'm not in her kahoots. But you might be, soon," I cryptically replied.

 

   "Ben... that was such a lame comeback," Athena sighed, and slapped her forehead with her free palm.

 

   "What the fuck are you on about, Ben-d Over?" Kraus sneered at me. I think he was the one who put the pencil in my hand.

 

   "Enough," Athena stated, and silenced Kraus. He seemed to have lost his ability to speak.

 

   "Will you do the honors, again, Ben?" Athena sent to my mind. I think I knew exactly what she meant.

 

   "I'd love to," I replied telepathically.

 

   And so, Athena raised both me and Kraus up to her mouth, and unceremoniously dropped us inside. Mouth shut.

 

   Of course, I could still see in the dark, but the Kraus ahead of me could not. He began to panic, probably realizing he was going to be eaten again.

 

   I awkwardly walked up to him, and gave him the hardest, most solid kick I could manage while standing on a squishy tongue.

 

   The job was partially finished, except now, it was Kraus clinging to the back of Athena's tongue, trying to scramble up to safety, but failing to gain any decent grip to climb. And so, he just held on for dear life, still unable to speak or shout insults at me. Funny how I was the one bullying the silent kid, now.

 

   Athena's throat quivered in anticipation of its next meal. I wasn't going to disappoint it. I even valued her throat more than Kraus's life. That's how much of a shit I gave now.

 

   So, I crawled towards him for stability, so I wouldn't slip and fall down Athena's throat, myself. Because somehow, I felt that would have been anticlimactic.

 

   Wordlessly, I pried Kraus's fingers away from Athena's tastebuds. He instantly lashed out a hand to grab me, to drag me down with him. I backed up in the nick of time, as he lost his grip and plummeted into the dark cavern behind him.

 

   I took a moment to watch the throat do its work, and burn the image in my mind. I just... stood there. I was still safely up top, while Kraus slowly made his way down to his ultimate fate. I caught a brief glimpse of his hand still reaching upwards, trying to grab something, anything, but failing.

 

   "Having fun there, Ben? Learning to enjoy the misery, too?" Athena asked me, and then proceeded to spit me out back onto her palm.

 

   "Maybe I am," I replied. And I think somewhere deep down, I meant it.

 

   "Well, we're only half done," Athena informed me.

 

   That's right. The other one still had yet to be dealt with.

 

   "I actually... don't plan on eating this one, Ben. I've got something else in mind," said Athena.

 

   "Oh?" Was all I could manage to say. What could possibly be worse than stewing in a stomach for all eternity?... Wait. Nevermind. A lot could be worse.

 

   "Yep! Tell me, Ben. Would you put Kraus past raping a woman?" Athena blurted out.

 

   My face instantly turned into a scowl. I didn't answer her.

 

   "Well... He did. Or one of them, did, rather. Either way, we both know someone who would love to get some revenge for her own sake. You'd never guess it by looking at her, but women are strong. Some can still put on a smile even if you rip it off their face," Athena explained.

 

   It was then, that Athena sat me on the ground, and formed my old city again. We were standing in front of a country-side house. It seemed... vaugely familiar, although I strictly remember never having set foot inside before.

 

   "Is that..." I began, before Athena shrank herself down to my size, as well as disguising herself into her human form.

 

   "Yep. It is," Athena answered vaguely, then proceeded to knock on the door with a friendly beat.

 

   A few seconds later, we see the nearby curtains fly apart, very briefly. Whoever lived here was a master of not answering strangers. But for good reason, after what she'd been through. Or at least, I'd assumed this was the girl Kraus had fucking raped.

 

   Apparently, we passed as people worth answering. The door swung open, Allie ran out to greet us, and hugged Athena as if they were best friends.

 

   Somehow, I had a feeling, but damn, it hurt to learn she'd gone through that.

 

   "Athena! And, Ben! Hi!" Allie greeted us, overjoyed to have company for once. Even if unexpected. "Did you enjoy your breakfast the other day, Ben?"

 

   So, she retained her memories here?

 

   "I did, thank you. I'll absolutely be back to eat again," I answered her as friendly as I could manage. Allie smiled an enormous smile in turn.

 

   "So!" Athena broke the reunion, "can I have a second alone with Allie for a second, Ben?"

 

   I was a little disappointed to be dismissed so quickly, but I'm sure Athena had her reasons.

 

   "I'm going to offer her the chance to enact vengeance on Kraus, but she doesn't know I've told you what she's been through. She wanted to keep it a secret," Athena explained to me.

 

   "Got'cha," I said to Athena, and began to walk off a short distance. I didn't make it very far before Allie interrupted.

 

   "Why are you sending him away? I don't mind him being here one bit!" Allie expressed herself, doing a poor job of hiding her disappointment. It felt nice to have my presence desired so obviously.

 

   Athena whispered something in Allie's ear, and Allie became a lot more reticent.

 

   I sat down at the end of the driveway, while the girls talked for a bit. It was actually quite a long wait, probably about twenty minutes, before Athena and Allie returned.

 

   I wanted to ask what happened, but Athena was blushing. Something I rarely ever saw.

 

   "Everything okay?" I asked Athena mentally.

 

   "Ben, this girl is cruel. The Kraus I swallowed will likely be in less torment than what Allie just did to the one we assumed had his way with her," Athena replied.

 

   Well now I was pretty damn curious. We all headed back inside and hung out for a few hours, and Allie was acting like her normal self again. It wasn't until that night, after we left, when Athena finally explained the other Kraus's fate.

 

 

 

---

 

 

   "So... uh... what did she do?" I casually brought up the minute we had some alone time.

 

   "Well, first off, I'm glad you weren't there. And she was relieved you weren't there, either. Do you really want me to just tell you, or would you like the full experience? I warn you, it might scar your mind," Athena warned me.

 

   "How so?" I asked.

 

   "Well, I can replay Kraus's memories in your head, so you'll see what he went through, all without having to experience it yourself," Athena offered.

 

   This sounded like a really bad deal to me. But my morbid curiosity got the better of me.

 

   "Let me see. I'll accept the consequences," I answered. Athena merely laughed in response.

 

   "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you," Athena replied.

 

 

---

 

 

   I was synced with Kraus's eyesight. The events of earlier were playing out in my head.

 

   I was stuck in Kraus's body, and carelessly placed into a glass jar by Athena, and then I was handed to Allie, who looked at me with disgust. I'd never seen her make such a face before.

 

   "You're a piece of shit, Kraus, and my friend Allie is going to put you back where you belong," Athena spoke to me from the top of the jar.

 

   Allie looked at me, then turned her head away. As if I wasn't even worth her attention anymore.

 

   The girls walked out the back door of the house, and Allie sat the jar I was trapped in on the ground.

 

   I couldn't look away, because apparently Kraus couldn't look away. I was forced to watch Allie undress herself enough to expose her ass, and hover it above me.

 

   No...

 

   Was I really about to have my mental, pristine image of Allie ruined by what followed next?

 

   As if a sign of affirmation, a fart blew down on top of me, confirming my fears.

 

   Allie then took a shit into the jar, which trapped me underneath the mass. It wasn't small, either. I didn't know she had it in her.

 

   I struggled to free myself, and could barely move an inch. More than half of the jar was filled with feces now. The second she was done, she screwed a lid onto the jar, and placed it in a hole in the ground. A fairly deep hole, at that. And all went dark, as I assumed they buried the jar with dirt.

 

   Stuck in the ground, forever immortal, trapped, and eternally suffocating in the shit of a phantom girl he'd previously raped. That was the other Kraus's fate.

 

 

---

 

 

   "Once we left, of course, I dispelled Allie and the city she lived on. But Kraus is still out there, still in that jar, and I'm going to leave him there. As far as souls go, you and him are the only ones not in my stomach right now," Athena casually explained to me. "I told Allie where she was, and even though she knew she wasn't real, she still wanted to get revenge on Kraus for her actual still-alive self. The jar is buried in an unmarked grave out in the fields somewhere, now, with nothing but grass above it."

 

   "All for the sake of misery, right? Athena, I'm actually... impressed," I cheered her on, and smiled darkly.

 

   Athena looked surprised, and smiled back.

 

   "Am I tainting you, Ben? When did you become so morbid? I love it!" Athena squealed, and hugged me, still in her human form.

 

   I didn't reply. She was right, I was becoming a different person. One more in tune with her personality. So, I merely hugged her back.

 

   "Ahh, I almost forgot, Ben. Didn't you die a virgin?" Athena whispered into my ear, completely shattering any shred of composure I thought I had.

 

   I broke out into a cold sweat.

 

   "Let's go ahead and fix that," Athena finished her thought. Ahh, yes. Virginity sex on a whim. Would I expect anything less from her?