This is a work of gay-themed romantic fantasy. Many Chapters contain explicit descriptions of sexual activity (guess what kind) not all of which is consensual or between adults. If reading material of that nature upsets or offends you or is illegal in your location (be it city, county, state. Province or Country) then please take some responsibility and do us both a favor by clicking away now. Otherwise, enjoy yourselves.
CHAPTER FIVE: Blood/Bonds
"Oh my God, Dude!" Chase Carpenter exclaimed, "you came home COVERED in blood?"
"Mine and the Eagle's," the blond gymnast replied. "It was totally gross!"
"How bad did your Father `shit' himself when he saw you?" Chase's brother Corey asked Brad. The three were enjoying Sundaes at Good Time Charley's--the same place Brad and Chase had bought cones the previous day. "I'll bet he completely freaked out..."
"He did," Brad agreed, "and it got worse when Dionysus tesseracted in--wearing just some nasty, stained Boxers!"
"That's an image I could totally do without!" Corey commented.
The boys hooted. "What happened then?" Chase wanted to know.
"Mr. Cooper told my Dad he was fired unless he sent me off the Island," the blond gymnast told his friends.
"Since you're here your Dad clearly said NO!" Corey observed.
"Bro'--didja see Brad is Bonded?" Chase said, pointing out the Bracelet the young man now wore. "That complicates things..."
"Since Prometheus has been restored to the Pantheon, his people have the same rights and protections guaranteed to all other Pledges," Brad told the Carpenter boys. "Dionysus CAN'T exile me from Olympus Island! Only my Patron can..."
"What happened then?" Corey asked, getting swept-up in the story.
"My Dad told Dionysus that if he wanted to fire him, that was his right..." Brad replied. "Then Athena pops in via her own Tesseract and tells Mr. Cooper that if he's dumb enough to give my Dad the boot she'd pick him up before he could bounce..."
"Bet that didn't go over well..." Chase commented.
"Dionysus got pissy which made Athena explain in EXCRUCIATING detail how contracts work and then Dionysus said my Dad couldn't go to work for her if he was still working for HIM... Then Athena said Robb can still QUIT if you mistreat him--and I'll hire him on."
"Is `Big D' really THAT stupid?" Chase asked.
"He's hardly the sharpest tool in the shed," Brad allowed, "and Athena told him as much!"
"Bet Dionysus didn't like that!" Corey observed.
"Nope!"
"Still," Chase commented, "even if your Dad is Pledged to `Big D', he can still make trouble..."
"I know," Brad told the Carpenter boys. "I hate feeling like I've caused so much trouble! Honestly, if I hadn't been Bound to Olympus Island I'd probably have taken the first Ferry back to Seattle..."
"So," Corey said. "I've got to go meet Dennys Cooper in a couple of hours. Will you guys go with me?"
"Are you sure that's wise?" Brad asked. "'Big D' hates me--at least he does now. If I show up at his place he's not going to react well..."
"I agree!" Chase said. "Maybe we should leave Brad out of this?"
"I kinda feel like he needs to be there..." Corey said.
Brad put his hand on Corey's and gave it a friendly pat. "You DON'T have to `Bond' with him buddy..." he said softly.
"That's what I keep telling him!" Chase put in.
"You guys don't get it!" the younger Carpenter exclaimed. "If I don't Pledge to Dionysus then Dad might not get the promotion he's been working for since we moved here! He might be stuck at Tier Two for the rest of his working life!"
"That's not your problem bro'!" Chase said.
"What happens if I refuse Dionysus's Bond?" the younger Carpenter exclaimed. "I might never be offered another..."
"If it came to that I'd speak to Prometheus on your behalf..." Brad told his friend. "Corey--you are smart, and kind--not to mention handsome as fuck! The Gods will be lining up to get a piece of you! Trust me... Besides", he went on, "your Father's Patron is Hephaestus and your Mom's is Hestia. Hephaestus is just as likely to promote your Dad just to spite Dionysus if `Big D' tries to make trouble..."
"So--have you been to HR yet?" Chase asked.
"Why would I need to go to Human Resources?" Brad replied. Then: "oh wow, since I was `Pledged' I'm not on my Dad's account anymore!"
"Yep," Chase agreed. "You `officially' have a salary and you qualify for your own residence! Probably won't be more than a Studio Apartment--but even Studios are good sized and super-nice here..."
"The socioeconomic thing here freaks me out," Corey said. "At least only the Pledged have to worry about Tiers' which determines where they live and how much credit' you get at the shops and restaurants Everybody else just gets a Salary...."
"I guess you'll be a Tier Four' like me," Chase observed. "'Baby bro' is a Tier Five'--which means he is a Pledge Dependent. Pledging gives you a one Tier boost."
"I wonder if that will give me enough cash to go to HomeStyle and buy some bedroom furniture for myself..." Brad mused. The young man suddenly realized it was Dionysus who had ordered the removal of the furniture from Robb's secondary bedrooms but why he'd done so remained a mystery.
"You looked like you were a million miles away..." Corey said. "What's up?"
"Prometheus gave me access to all his knowledge," the young man told his friend. "I just realized it was Dionysus who made my Dad remove all the furniture from the secondary bedrooms in his house... I don't know why though."
"In other words you may know who', what', when', where' and how' but not why'!" Chase commented.
"You have tangible knowledge but not the intangible," Corey put in. "You know what people do but not the underlying motives..."
"Bro' you are such a Nerd!" Chase teased.
"Crypto-geeks to the end!" Corey and Brad said together.
"Corey--are you SURE you want me to go with you?" Brad asked again.
"I am," the younger Carpenter replied. "If--when--things go South, I want witnesses..."
Brad wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry when he saw The Arbor, home of Dionysus. It was an elegant Georgian Mansion of white brick with massive green lawns dotted with spreading trees. There were large, well-tended gardens but the effect was entirely spoiled by a horde of cheap, poor-quality plaster nudes garishly (and in many cases poorly) painted to resemble actual humans. "I'll bet the neighbors hate him!" Brad observed.
"Zeus and Hera live just up the hill..." Corey said. "Neither of them are particularly pleased with `Big D's' decorative choices!"
"You think THIS is bad..." Chase quipped mysteriously, "wait `til you see the inside! It looks like the very worst of Vegas in 1976!"
Brad was surprised to find the carved mahogany front door opened by Campbell Bishop, the young jock who had picked him up at the Ferry Terminal. Today Campbell was clad only in a stained yet well-stuffed jock strap. Brad smelled stale sweat and sex on the handsome redhead but kept his mouth shut. "I didn't realize Mr. Cooper was expecting THREE of you. The redhead observed, "and maybe you shouldn't be here Brad. Himself' has been in a rage since he got home this morning! He didn't tell me what happened but Dionysus is completely pissed--in every sense of the word..."
"Brad freed Prometheus!" Corey announced.
"Fuck--ME!" Campbell was utterly astonished.
"I would, but it looks like somebody beat me to it!" Chase quipped. His nose wrinkled. Campbell took the slight in stride, not responding as he led the other three young men deeper into the mansion. They passed large elegant rooms although the wallpaper was garish and the decoration looked like something out of a 1970s "Porn Palace' complete with neon lighting and sculpture, loud, clashing colors and lots of furniture that had clearly seen better days. Brad saw many more of the cheap plaster statuary that was just as badly painted dotting every room. This place is HIDEOUS! He thought to himself as they were escorted upstairs and into Dionysus's private Bedchamber.
The room looked like a pornographic nightmare with wood-paneled walls, a mirrored ceiling complete with the largest waterbed Brad had ever seen. Thick, avocado-green shag carpets covered the pristine wooden floors and one wall was covered in mirrored tiles etched with a gold design. The room reeked of sex, sweat and spilled alcohol. Brad saw a mirror with a razor blade and several lines of white powder he knew to be Cocaine sitting on a side table. Brad suddenly found he also knew the nightstand contained "Black Tar" Heroin, White and Red Lotus * and enough uppers and downers to make a large pharmacy envious--not to mention LSD, Pot and other assorted narcotics. Completing the collection of awful kitsch was a large brass-and-crystal lamp festooned ("Yes FESTOONED"!) with fake greenery and a brass nude Nymph inside the crystalline curtaining.
Dionysus, flanked by a couple of very-young looking nearly naked men lay on the reeking bed. He was fingering one of his boy's assholes while swigging directly from a half-full bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. The "God" was fat, hairy and smelled just as bad as the rest of the room. His nose was red and marked with "gin blossoms" and his skin (all of which was on display) had an unhealthy pallor. Brad realized this God had abused his Host to the point that he was not long for this world. If his bad diet and alcohol abuse didn't kill him, cirrhosis of the liver probably would. He gave the three new arrivals a bleary-eyed stare. "What are you doing in my room?" he slurred.
"You ordered Corey to come here," Brad said bluntly.
Dionysus took a moment to digest this. "I did, didn't I..." he finally decided. "You though," he said to Chase, "can go! I don't need you here--but YOU can stay..." he said, transferring his gaze to Brad.
"I'm not leaving--my Lord..." Chase said, offering the proper respect due a God but still speaking resolutely. "My brother asked BOTH of us to witness this meeting so, by the Covenants made between God and Man, we choose to remain!"
"Let me see your right wrist boy!" Dionysus snapped. The football jock obligingly did so, revealing his Bond to Ares. "If you're Pledged to Ares why are you acting like one of Athena's bitches?" he asked, giving Corey a bleary-eyed stare. "I thought the God of War didn't hire pussies!"
"Ares has changed, my Lord..." Chase responded politely but coldly.
"Ah well--if you're gonna get all legal' on me..." Dionysus said. "Stay then! You can watch the fun!" He crooked his finger at Corey. "C'me ere boy!" he growled. "NOW!"
Brad knew Dionysus had flexed his Godly power as his young friend walked jerkily over to the bed. Corey tried with all his might to resist but couldn't: step after reluctant step dragged the reluctant young man to the God's bedside. As Brad and Chase watched in mounting horror as Dionysus grabbed the young man's wrist. There was a brief flash and everyone saw he now wore a wine-red band. Will he or nill he, Corey was now Bonded to Dionysus.
"You can't do that!" Brad exclaimed.
"It's not legal!" Chase chimed in. "I'm gonna file a complaint!"
"Legal, schmegal!" Dionysus said dismissively. "Take off your clothes boy, lemmie see what I'm workin' with here..." Silent tears erupted as Corey began undressing, unable to refuse his Master's order. "Aw--the whore boy is CRYING!" the God teased. "You think THIS is bad? Wait `til I pimp that whore ass of yours out to anyone with the dough! You're gonna be quite the little money maker for me whore boy! Now--get up here an' get my dick hard so I can breed that boy ass of yours!"
Then Dionysus turned his attention to Brad even as Corey silently followed his new Masters orders.. "You're gonna be fun to break..." he announced. "When I'm not using you like a little whore I'm gonna squeeze your brain like a sponge and get out all the knowledge Prometheus gave you! You're gonna tell me everybody's juicy, dirty little secrets! Loki promised he'd make me King but with you in my service I won't need his help!"
"I--will--NEVER--serve you!" Brad snapped.
"Wanna see about that--BOY?" Dionysus sneered. He flexed his Godly Power and grabbed control of the young Gymnast's body. "Come here!" he ordered. "It's time your servitude began..." He turned his attention to Chase. "And, you," he growled, "make ANY trouble and I'll make your precious baby brother SUFFER! Got it?"
"Do what he says..." Brad told Chase. I'll handle this!" The young man let Prometheus's knowledge flow into him and he found he had half a dozen ways to kill a man with his bare hands. Even as he reached the bedside, Brad knew what he was going to do. Then it was up to the Fates.
"Give me your hand boy..." Brad offered Dionysus his left arm. "The RIGHT hand you stupid fuck!" Slowly, the young man offered the "correct' appendage, even as his other hand shot forward, smashing with all the force he could muster in a carefully-aimed blow. The palm strike didn't kill Dionysus but the force rocked the God's head back hard enough for him to break his neck on the ornamental ironwork of the gigantic waterbed. He died so quickly he barely had time to get a surprised look on his face.
"Oh my GOD!" one of the naked boys screamed. "What did you do?"
"Never mind and furthermore the plea is `self-defense'!" Brad said with a brightness he didn't feel. It didn't bother him that nobody would likely get the reference to an obscure 1960s song lyric. He was much more concerned about what was going to happen to him even as a wine-red mist oozed out of Dionysus's nose and open mouth and began moving about the room, checking each of the young men before drifting on.
"Is that thing going to hurt us?" Corey wanted to know as the mist coalesced near him. "What is it anyway?" The spiritual essence spent a good amount of time near the younger Carpenter before flowing onward.
"That's Dionysus's Immortal spirit," Brad told the other young men as the essence moved toward him but seemed to dismiss him almost at once. The same happened with Chase.
"What the FUCK...?" Campbell, still just wearing his stained jock, came into the room as what remained of Dionysus gave him a good, long going-over before rejecting the redhead as a Host and passing out of the room. He saw Dionysus's body sprawled on the bed. ""I'm calling the Cops!"
Chase held up his right hand and pointed at his Ares Bond. "I've already done that..."
Some time later Brad stood cuffed but otherwise naked before the assembled Olympians. "I am ready to pass sentence on this vile murderer!" Zeus announced.
"Sire--please!" Brad's father begged. "That's my Son and he's still a child! Bradley, at the very least, deserves a hearing..."
"As is my Right according to your Divine Covenants that established Olympus Island I hereby request a hearing before the Olympians assembled!" Brad announced in a ringing voice.
Zeus frowned, realizing he had been boxed in AGAIN by this mortal. "Very well," he grumped. "You want a trial, you've got one!" The King of the Gods let his hooded gaze passed over his Royal Subjects trying to choose a Prosecutor. He quickly rejected Athena; although she usually fulfilled the duty of Prosecutor as the Goddess of Law and Wisdom, she'd betrayed him once by helping the insolent pup free his ancient enemy. Ares was out since he might be called as a witness. Many of the Goddesses were "bleeding hearts" who wouldn't do the job and most of the Gods were either too stupid or already in Brad's corner. That left but one; his best hope of achieving a conviction was obvious. "I nominate Hades as Prosecutor!"
"I choose Prometheus as my Advocate!" Brad announced.
"Denied!" the King of the Gods announced almost gleefully. "Prometheus has no official standing with the Olympians!"
"Because SOMEONE is dragging his Godly feet..." Brad taunted.
"When Bradley wins his freedom would you rather have it be said you lost because of my brilliant legal mind or because a `mere mortal' beat you at your own game?" the Titan asked mildly.
"Very well--you will act as his Advocate!" Zeus announced. "Hades, call your first witness!"
"I call Mitchel Blaylock to appear before this Tribunal!" One of the young men, looking dewy-eyed an innocent, stepped out of the crowd. He was now well-dressed in a charcoal gray suit and gave every sign of being in mourning for his lost Master. "Do you swear by your Bond to tell the Truth, the Whole Truth and nothing but the Truth?" Hades intoned.
"I do..." Mitchel's voice was soft and tremulous.
"What happened at the Arbor at approximately 4:15 PM today?"
"That--that HORRID creature MURDERED my Lord Dionysus!" He pointed an accusing finger at Brad. "He killed poor Dionysus for NO REASON!"
"No further questions your Honor!" Haden sat down.
"The witness may depart!" Zeus announced from the high seat.
"Excuse me your Honor," Prometheus interrupted. "I have some questions for this witness before you send him away..."
Zeus gave the Titan a black look, but again he was blocked by the rules he himself had created. "Ask then!" he growled.
Now Mitchel started to look uncomfortable. "Do I have to answer, Lord Zeus?" he quavered.
"You do!" the King of the Gods answered. "Get to it Prometheus! We're wasting time!"
Sarcasm oozed palpably from the Tian as he spoke to the King of the Gods. "Thank you Father Zeus..." Zeus growled and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees. but Prometheus didn't seem to notice; he walked slowly back and forth. "Mr. Blaylock--did Bradley Fox simply attack Dionysus out of nowhere?"
"Um..." The young man on the stand looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I don't know..."
"Do I need to invoke the Bond you just swore by?" Prometheus asked. Now there was a definite air of "threat" in his voice.
"OK, OK!" the kid gulped. "Dionysus asked for his hand!"
"And why did he do that?" Again Prometheus's words were mild.
"Um--so Dionysus could Bond him...?"
Prometheus pounced. "Did you have ANY indication Bradley Fox WISHED to be Bound to Dionysus?" he asked. "Keep in mind your Sworn Oath Mr. Blaylock..."
"I--didn't see or hear anything one way or another..." Mitchel hoped this was close enough to the truth to avoid punishment.
"Are you sure Mr. Blaylock?" Prometheus tapped his right wrist. "When Dionysus announced his intention to Bond my Client didn't Bradley say, and I quote, `you can't do that'!?"
"Um--that doesn't mean he didn't want it..." Mitchel Blaylock was sweating profusely now. He knew which way Zeus wanted the trial to go and it wasn't going according to plan.
"When I call the other witnesses to the Stand we'll clear that up..." Prometheus said. "You may step down--but remain available if I need you," The young man exited with due haste then Prometheus called the second young man in Dionysus's bed who was rather more forthcoming about what had happened to both Brad and Corey.
Campbell Bishop came to the stand next but the Prosecutor didn't get much that was useful out of him either and then it was Prometheus's turn. "Mr. Bishop, did your Patron say anything about wanting to bond Corey Carpenter against his will?"
"He said he was going to Bond Corey `one way or another'..." Campbell admitted. "Word on the street said Corey had decided to accept the Bond so it would help his family."
"But you don't know if Corey ever FORMALLY agreed to be Bonded?"
"From what I heard--which wasn't much--I think he had changed his mind!" Campbell admitted. He exited the stand since there were no further questions.
"I have no more witnesses at this time..." Hades said. "I reserve the right to call additional witnesses should the need arise however!"
"Very well--call your first witness Prometheus!" Zeus announced.
"I call Corey Carpenter to the stand..." The younger Carpenter came up and was duly sworn in. "Now Corey--did you wish to be Bonded to Dionysus?"
"God no!" the younger man replied. "Especially after I saw everything in that room--I just couldn't do it..."
"So, it is your testimony he bonded you against your will?"
"It is."
"And then what happened Corey?"
"He told me to take off my clothes and then suck his cock!"
"And did you want to do either?" Prometheus asked.
"Not no, but HELL no!" Corey exclaimed. "He grabbed my mind and FORCED me to do it! It was totally GROSS!"
"No further questions your Honor..." Prometheus sat down.
"I have no questions for this witness," Hades said, refusing to rise. "Call your next witness Prometheus!"
"Very well," the Titan said. "I call Bradley Fox to the Stand and hereby request Your Honor Compel him to tell the Truth!"
"You want ME to compel YOUR OWN witness to tell the Truth?" Zeus was astonished. "I've never heard of such a thing!"
"The Court needs to know my client speaks nothing but the truth!" Prometheus replied calmly. "Will you do it Sire?"
"Why would I refuse?" Zeus asked. "The Compulsion will still hold while Hades asks his questions!"
"I'm willing..." Brad said confidently.
"For the duration of your testimony you are hereby compelled to tell the Truth!" Zeus announced. "May the Gods have mercy on you!"
"I don't need Mercy," the young man replied confidently. "ALL of you need to be assured I'm telling you the Truth..."
Once the Compulsion was cast, Prometheus began asking his questions. "First, Bradley--did you desire a bond with Dionysus?"
"No, my Lord," the young man replied. "I did not--no more than Corey did. We were BOTH Compelled against our will!"
"Objection!" Hades said tiredly. "The witness is providing information which was not requested..."
"But his answer is Truthful!" Prometheus countered. "Unless you meant to insinuate Father Zeus is incompetent to preside over this trial..."
"The answer will stand!" Zeus growled. "Next question!"
"Why did you attack Dionysus?"
"Because," Brad replied, plainly and bluntly, "he had mentally-dominated me and was about to force me into a bond that I didn't want!"
"Very well..." Prometheus took a moment to breathe. "Is there anything you need the Court to know before I release you for Cross Examination?"
"Dionysus has been plotting to take the throne!" The Courtroom exploded in a storm of exclamations, forcing Zeus to gavel the gathering back into silence. With a peal of thunder and several slams of his staff on the marble floor. "He said he was going to squeeze my head like a sponge to get everything he needed to topple Father Zeus! Chase, Corey, Mitchel and Brandon all heard him say it!" Once again the Courtroom erupted into a chorus of shouted exclamations and questions., forcing Zeus to restore order. Brad had deliberately left out Loki's involvement, deciding to save it for later should he need an ace-in-the-hole.
"No further questions of this witness!" Prometheus announced. "My Lord Hades, do you wish to Cross?"
"No questions!" Hades said. "Your Honor--I move we dismiss all Charges against Bradley Fox!"
"But one more witness needs to be heard!" Prometheus protested.
"Call your final Witness!" Zeus grumped.
"Very well," the Titan said. "I call--DENNIS HARDY!"
"Objection! Relevance?" Hades leaped to his feet. "What does the Manager of Bacchanal have to do with anything? My God Prometheus! You already won the day! Why do you wish to ruin it?"
"I think ye need ta hear from the victim' o' the crime' yer Honors!" a voice from the back of the room announced in a warm, sonorous Tenor. The man who spoke was tall and broad with wavy, auburn hair and merry green eyes and his accent was decidedly Irish.
The King of the Gods looked DECIDEDLY unhappy. "I can't say I'm particularly with the latest Incarnation of Dionysus!" Zeus observed. He would have clearly preferred to be consulted in the Elevation. "You ARE Dionysus then?"
"'Tis I, me Lard..." (Bradley found himself smiling at the musical accent.
"Take the Witness Chair then!" Zeus grumped.
Dennis Hardy sat and was sworn in then Prometheus stepped up to question the newest Olympian. "Did your previous Incarnation Bond Corey Carpenter against his will?"
"He did!" Dennis said clearly. "Turned tha poor Lad into one o' his Satyr-boys, he did!"
"And did he plan to do the same to Bradley Fox?"
"Until tha little fecker `offed' him, yes..." the new Dionysus replied. "Me previous Incarnation wished ta Bond Bradley but he dinna' choose tae make him a Satyr!"
"And did your previous Incarnation plot to dethrone Zeus?"
"He did!" Dennis replied, "an', sure an' it saddens me ta say so, but me previous Incarnation has been workin' with that foul git Loki for these past ten years or more!" Again the Courtroom exploded forcing Zeus to gavel them down. "Me previous Incarnation helped suborn one o' yer own `loyal' Subjects, me Lard, by promisin' Sheila Kingsbury her husband would ne'er be with Robert Fox as me sweet Sister Aphrodite intended! He even persuaded her tae replace her eldest child with a Changeling an' Bonded him just tae cause more trouble!" Again the Courtroom erupted and Brad found himself glad he hadn't been the one to deliver the news.
"Your Honor..." Prometheus said, "Dionysus had admitted to bonding and sexually assaulting Corey Carpenter! Both are capital offenses according to the Covenants of Gods and Man which rule Olympus Island! Further, he attempted to do the same to my Client--a second capital offense! Finally, he plotted with another Pantheon to place a spy in our midst, thwart the Divine Will of my Lady Aphrodite by destroying the love-match she made between Robert Fox and Ward Kingsbury. Lastly, the previous Dionysus plotted to dethrone you and take the position of King of Olympus! Bradley Fox did us all a SERVICE! He doesn't deserve to be punished!"
"For the duration I'm still King..." Zeus said coldly. "NO ONE, especially you Prometheus, decides the Law here! That is MY right AND my burden! There are mitigating circumstances in that two Mortals were assaulted and one was Bonded against his will, Only I, as King of the Gods, have that right... Because of that Bradley Fox will not pay with his life! Even so, Deicide CANNOT GO UNPUNISHED!"
"Therefore, it is my decision, as King of the Gods, that Bradley Fox must be Bonded to at least TWO `loyal' Olympians within the next three days or be forever exiled from Olympus Island?"
"Do Athena and Hephaestus count as `loyal' Olympians?" Brad asked. He knew the question was loaded but presenting it in this public forum Zeus didn't dare accuse either of being disloyal--not without pushing the two Gods even farther into the "enemy' camp...
Zeus ground his teeth. "They are acceptable!" he finally ground out.
"Fine!" Brad said. "I choose them! They may Bond me at their leisure..."
"No time like the Present!" Hephaestus announced. "Let's have the wrist kid..." Brad obligingly proffered his right wrist and he found himself wearing a steel-colored bracelet, the symbol of his Bond with Hephaestus.
Athena next added her Bond and Brad now wore her parchment-colored band as well as the other two. "So tell me Bradley..." she said. "Why did you choose the two of us?"
Brad smiled. "Truthfully, my Lady," he said. "I owe you for your kind assistance in battling the Eagle and I'm attracted to Science and Engineering so both of you can assist me in my career goals!"
"Logical thinking Bradley," Athena observed. "I believe you shall be a most worthy Pledge! Have you decided what your Bond Gift is to be?"
"A favor to be named later, if you please..." Brad replied.
"And I suppose you want the same from me?" John Forge, the mortal Incarnation of Hephaestus rumbled.
"If you don't mind Sir..." Brad replied.
"Well John, do you have something you need Bradley to do?" Tina Wyse, the name Athena used among Mortals, asked. "If not, I have an assignment for him..."
"I was just going to use him as a `gofer' in the Forge," the mortal Incarnation of Hephaestus replied. "If you have something you actually NEED him for, then of course I'll happily defer to you..."
Athena nodded. "Our new Dionysus is going to need to be trained in the use of his Godly abilities," she observed. "Since Bradley has access to all of Prometheus's knowledge I think He would be an excellent Tutor!"
"Maybe he should write a book!" John Forge suggested. "Godhood for Dummies!"
"That's actually not a bad idea!" Athena agreed. "Bradley, you may add that to your current assignment!"
"Maybe somebody better tell the new Dionysus," the young man said.
They found the new Dionysus talking to Corey. "Lad, I'm truly sorry what me predecessor did ta ye gainst yer will," he said in his rich brogue. "Sadly, tis not within me power ta undo what was done ta ye--but I'll never force ya tae serve me!"
"Thank you my Lord!" the newest Satyr said softly.
"Maybe he should stay with you for a while..." Athena said, injecting herself into the conversation. "Corey knows even less about his new abilities than you do!" The new God nodded. "May I present Bradley Fox, my newest Pledge? He can assist you in mastering your new abilities. Corey's as well..."
END CHAPTER FIVE
*Don't know what Red and White Lotus are? Check out my story The Dover Brothers (in Adult Friends here on Nifty) if you want to find out! And, yes folks, Olympus Island IS set in the "Doververse!"
END CHAPTER FIVE
AUTHOR'S NOTES
I have to start out with an apology to Amberwind; I mistakenly assumed this was a female but HE politely informed me otherwise. I should have asked before making an assumption so I guess I only have ONE confirmed female Fan.
Shout-outs to Mark, Konstantin, Jack, Alex, David, Francois, Christopher, Hugh, Brayon, Will, Jeff, Justin, Grant, matthew from Australia, Carber, Matthew (this one with a Capitol and, last but by no means least, Kenneth. If I missed anyone I do apologize: I am not used to the high volume of e-Mail this story generates. One more shout-out to Risha who just dropped me a note even as I was writing this! Thanks to all of you for your kind words and encouragement. This work is for you.
Big thanks, as always, to my Editor, Chief Critic and general support staff "Marko the Magnificent" in Pittsburgh and Jerry who proofreads the chapter.
Questions, comments, suggestions and constructive criticism are always welcome. Drop me a note to HonableRonable@gmail.com or RonVenable@hotmail.com and I WILL respond--even if it is just to thank you for taking time to write! Likewise, if you want to be notified when new content is available you can use one of the above addies and I'll notify you as soon as Nifty publishes.