Just keep breathing, Charles.
Use that poker face.
Everything you’ve known about the world has just been blown to smithereens, but that’s fine.
Just resist the urge to run away.
Or sit down and never get up again.
“We really should be getting some food into you. That will definitely help. Here, Eleusis Eatery has the best muffins, and I can say that because I made them! We supply most of their baked goods,” Demi explained enthusiastically. She was clearly working overtime to manifest the positive energy that Charles was lacking.
A vague sense of guilt pricked at his heart, knowing that Demi was doing her best to impress and make him feel comfortable, but it was dulled by the intensity of the change happening all around him.
For all his talk of being a rational, logical man, Charles was now undergoing the biggest worldview shift he could possibly conceive of.
The Gods were real.
Purgatory was a real place, a real city that was alive all around him.
If he was to believe his eyes, then magic was also real, the lightning bolts streaking across the sky were not weather related, but powered by the moods of a temperamental king.
“Charles? Do you want a muffin?” Demi asked, her smile nervously too large.
Charles cleared his throat. “Sure, yeah.”
If I eat anything right now it’s not gonna stay down.
Besides, who knows what’s in those muffins.
Demi turned when she heard the hesitation in Charles’ voice, took his hand in hers and looked deep into his eyes. Everything around them kind of went foggy, and it felt again like her voice was in his head. He took a deep breath, suddenly feeling something like a calmness take over again, and he reminded himself that he loved Demi, guilty that he’d ever thought to himself she might be drugging him.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay? This is a lot, I know.”
He coughed. “No, yeah, I’m fine. Let’s eat.”
Demi didn’t move.
“Why don’t we go back to the bakery? I can show you around the place, and I can make you something at home without all these... without anyone else around?”
Charles paused for a moment before nodding wordlessly, hoping beyond hope that Demi wasn’t about to teleport him anywhere again. Walking was overwhelming enough, but being whipped from one location to another at the speed of lightning was purely mind-boggling. Besides, feeling the ground underneath his feet gave Charles some semblance of normality. At least they weren’t floating on a cloud or anything.
“Is the... bakery nearby?” he asked as they started out down the street again.
“Just around the corner, I promise. Come to think of it, my sister might be there, but you’ll love her. If I tell her that we need some time just for us, she’ll get the hint.”
“Great. I’d love to meet your sister.” Charles swallowed down a wave of nausea. Meeting a girlfriend’s family was nerve wracking at the best of times, but the circumstances definitely had Charles off his game. As soon as Demi slipped her hand into his and their fingers intertwined, however, something approaching a numb calm took over, and he was able to tune out the noise around them.
Demi led the way through the crowds, and Charles kept his gaze trained on her figure, on the curve of her hips, and her slip of waist pivoting around the busy streets. The more he focused on her, and ignored all the new and unbelievable visions around him, the more comfortable he became.
She looked back at him with her big brown eyes as they approached what he could only assume was the ButterNut Bakery, and a switch inside him flipped.
It was a curious thing that happened to him sometimes, but this wasn’t the first. Occasionally, when larger than life forces were burdening him, Charles would sink into a deeply sexual place to distract himself. With his mind occupied with sensuality, there was no room for any other stressors, and something about the way Demi looked at him sent him right there. Maybe she knew exactly what she was doing, maybe she sensed that he needed that kind of a diversion, and that turned him on all the more.
Suddenly, nothing else mattered, and all he wanted to do was slip that dress off her shoulders and watch it tumble down to the ground around her feet, revealing the perfect curves that lay beneath. It didn’t escape his notice that everyone in purgatory seemed to defer to her, to almost bow in spirit as she passed.
She’s a goddess, and I’m the one who gets to go home with her.
That’s the important thing to remember here...
And that happens to be wildly hot.
Demi pushed open the door to the bakery, and the smell of sweet pastries wafted over. Charles was vaguely aware of the lush decor, humidity in the air, and blooming exotic flowers covering almost every inch of wall space, but it was Demi that he really couldn’t take his eyes off of.
“Well, here we are. My little pied-a—”
Knowing they were finally alone, Charles took his opportunity, pushing Demi up against the nearest pillar and kissed her passionately. She responded immediately in kind, but only briefly before smiling and pushing him away slightly.
“What’s gotten you all hot and bothered?”
“You,” Charles replied, eager to avoid any serious talks for the moment and just disappear into each other’s bodies.
“Well, we can finish the tour another time, then.” Demi pulled him back in, pressing up against him.
Great.
This is great.
As long as we’re kissing, I’m barely thinking about the fact that gods and goddesses really do exist.
I wonder what else is out there that I haven’t yet seen.
A voice from the other side of the room interrupted them.
“Look at you two lovebirds go. Is this how you expect to pull in more business, Demi?”
Immediately, Demi and Charles separated, and started straightening themselves out.
“Hera, sorry about that. I didn’t think you’d be here. I guess I wasn’t really thinking at all. Um, hi! This is Charles. Charles, this is my sister, Hera.” Demi stumbled over her words, clearly flustered and blushing.
Charles ran a hand through his messy hair and turned to look at his girlfriend’s iconic sister. She was almost as beautiful as Demi. Shorter and more cherub looking, her hair color lighter, and the back of her draped dress seemed to float behind her as she walked.
It’s definitely floating.
Of course it’s floating.
“Of course I’m here, Demi. Someone has to take care of the shop while you’re off gallivanting. Ah, so this is the famous Charles. I’m so glad I finally get to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you, but Demi’s been keeping you hidden away topside.” Hera glided across the room and held out her hand to shake his, a wafting smell of vanilla and fresh apples coming with her.
“Nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard... one or two things about you, but I’m definitely learning more about Demi’s life and the entire universe today than I ever thought possible,” Charles said, with more honesty than he’d intended.
Finally having separated himself from Demi, he had the chance to look around the bakery more. Beyond all the greenery covering anything, there was an incredible display case of cupcakes, croissants, cookies, and pastries Charles had never seen before. The variety of colors was incredible and yet everything still fit into a carefully curated aesthetic.
“What are your impressions of purgatory, so far? I’m sure this is all very overwhelming for you, but you’re still here, so that’s a good sign.”
Charles swallowed, feeling his anxiety start to soar again with the simple and yet not so simple question.
“Well, I wouldn’t know how to leave even if I wanted to!” Charles said with an awkward laugh that he hoped came across as more of a joke than a sincere concern. “In all seriousness, purgatory is... is nothing like how I thought it would be. Everything I’ve seen so far is very lovely. I guess I thought it would be a bit more bland, or something. This bakery is gorgeous, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Everything Demi touches turns to gold.”
He threw an arm around Demi’s shoulder, proud of his own ability to keep it together.
Hera tilted her head and smiled sweetly at the couple.
“Thank goodness she doesn’t actually turn everything to gold. Midas is still trying to get that under control. You two are so cute. He sounds like a keeper to me. Oh, and Charles, if you need an escape from Demi’s snoring tonight, there’s a gate back to the topside just around the corner. As long as you can handle the Sphinx who guards the entrance, of course,” Hera said with a wink.
Charles laughed, but he was only half sure it was a joke.
“I don’t snore! She’s only kidding, Charles. Don’t worry. Besides, it’s not like we’ve never spent a night with each other. Just not... here. Do you want to come upstairs and see the apartment?”
He nodded with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, trying to remember that going upstairs meant finally actually getting to be alone with Demi. Truth be told, with less people around it was easier to wrap his head around everything. Being inside was already making him feel markedly more comfortable.
“Don’t just hide away up there all night! I have more questions for Charles the Banker, here.” Hera flashed them both another knowing smile as Demi led him through the back of the shop and up the stairs to the apartment she shared with her sister.
Just as he was starting to feel normal again, like he was just going to visit any other human girlfriend’s home for the first time, Demi opened the door at the top of the stairs and everything changed again.
What was most striking about the place was just how big it was. There was no way that the impressive square footage of the home he was standing in matched what the building looked like from the outside. Somehow, the interior had been enchanted to be bigger, with twelve foot ceilings and airy views of the sprawling city outside. Greenery grew everywhere, the hardwood floors were covered with intricately designed carpets, and sparkling mosaics lined the walls that ivy didn’t cover.
“Wow, Demi... this place is…”
“It’s pretty different from the lake house, I know, but I think differing tastes in couples can be a good thing!” Demi exclaimed nervously.
“No, it’s beautiful. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I mean, nothing here is like anything I’ve ever seen before.” His head started swimming again, and he held on tightly to Demi’s hand.
She seemed to sense that he was feeling uneasy, and led him over to a nearby daybed.
“Here, sit down. Let’s talk.”
Charles started to panic. He couldn’t talk. If he said out loud everything he was actually thinking, he could lose Demi forever. The last thing he wanted to do was let her know how weak he was feeling, how inadequate he felt next to her.
“Sure, let’s talk,” he said gruffly, but instead, he took her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap, gripping the back of her neck as he pulled her close.
She moved along with him, her hips flexed forward to meet his hard erection, intuitively understanding that talking was the last thing he wanted to do. What he wanted was to feel close to her, turn his brain off and just be with the woman he was swiftly falling in love with without all the noise of the strange world he’d just discovered.
With her thighs wrapped tightly around him, Demi kissed him deeply, running her hands through the back of his hair until it really worked. All other worries disappeared and lust successfully took over.
“Everyone here was staring at you today, as we walked through the streets. I could tell, everyone wanted to know who you were, this hot human on my arm,” Demi cooed.
Charles grunted, resentful of the reminder of their surroundings. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up easily, turning and throwing her down on her back on the daybed beside him with the intention of disappearing into her curves again. Instead, his eyes met hers and his heart almost stopped, swept up in the emotion of the moment.
He loved her.
And he was in trouble.
The same hands that wanted to dig into her hips and have their way with her, suddenly loosened their grip and grew tender, stroking their way up to her face, slipping a thumb over her full bottom lip and slightly pulling open her perfect mouth for another kiss.
She’s a goddess.
A goddess who wants me.
Charles pulled the dress that was already hiked up around her waist up over her head, exposing her perfect breasts. She looked so vulnerable and powerful all at the same time.
Staring into his eyes carefully, Demi slowly started undoing the buttons on his shirt and ran her fingernails lightly against his skin, sending a delicious sensation running across his shoulders.
Whatever was happening around them, he did love her, and he knew he had to do his best to remember that. He was pulled to Demi like a magnet, and as long as he could be convinced that it wasn’t some mind control trick on her part, then he needed to take a leap of faith.
Behind it all, however, Hera’s words echoed in his ears. There was a gate back to the topside just around the corner. He could make his escape any time he wanted to, as long as he could get by the Sphinx.
This is bigger than me.
Bigger than Demi.
I’m meant to be here.
There’s a reason you’ve never felt this kind of love for anyone else.
Don’t run, Charles.
Don’t run.