Chapter Text
In the midst of a tranquil, sunny garden, a rift tore through space. Birds and insects silenced their cries, and the universe seemed to hold its breath. Through the rift echoed a surprised yelp, and then a body shot through it, bouncing off the ground and coming to rest ten feet from the portal. The rift sealed itself up with a pop, air rushing in to fill the vacuum left behind.
The figure groaned and opened their eyes. Everything hurt. They had been standing in their bathroom, ready to get in the shower, when a loud roar overpowered the sound of running water. There was a bright flash of light, and they were launched sideways into a sunny garden. The figure sat up, checking themselves for blood. They were covered in dirt and grass stains, with at least a dozen scrapes and bruises that would no doubt be three or four colors by the morning. Gingerly touching a few spots, they were satisfied they had no major injuries, at least as far as they could tell. They stood, wincing. The sound of bird calls and buzzing insects had resumed, but they could hear something floating above the sound of nature. A harp, played with skill. Someone else was in this garden.
Stepping carefully, spending as much time searching the ground for hidden sticks and rocks as they did moving towards the sound of music, the figure made their way around several tall shrubs and through a trellis arch, its frame covered in layers of dark green vines. Sitting on a patio were three women, each utterly distinct, and utterly gorgeous. The first was a dark-skinned woman with fiery orange hair, sitting more-or-less upright on a chaise lounge, with a second woman in her lap. This second woman was a bit older, with olive skin and rich brown hair, that the first woman was slowly braiding. The third woman, playing the harp, was covered in glowing tattoos that sparkled in the sunlight. Her hair, bright purple, seemed to pulse in time to the music. She looked up from the harp and smiled.
“Melly, darling, we have a visitor.”
The dark-skinned woman rose, her partner sitting up and swinging her legs off the lounge. It was clear now that this woman was a warrior; her muscles were well-defined, and her every movement looked like that of a jungle cat. A coiled spring, ready to pounce.
“Please,” the figure said, their voice unsteady, “I j-just showed up in your garden, I-I have no idea where I am or how I got here, aside from a possibility I really don’t want to consider.”
The dark-skinned woman had drawn closer, and eyed the figure up and down. The figure, suddenly aware they were completely exposed, shrank back on themselves, trying to cover everything.
“That much was obvious. Kathirat, can this poor mortal borrow your coat?”
The olive-skinned woman rose, and grabbed a brown woolen pea coat from the back of the lounge. She strode over to the figure and placed it on their shoulders.
“Easy, now, dear. Come and sit, and we’ll talk you through everything.”
The figure nodded, then shuffled over to the lounge and sat down.
“I’m dead, aren’t I?”
There was silence for a moment, until the harpist spoke up.
“Yep! ‘Bout as dead as you can be! Train jumped the tracks and plowed right through your apartment!”
“Asherah!”
The dark-skinned woman glared at Asherah, who rolled her eyes and gave a playful grin.
“What? It was a freak accident, and if it were me, I’d want to know how I died, especially if it was as bizarre as that!”
“It was also a sudden death, Asherah dear, so perhaps we should be a bit more sensitive to the poor girl?” Kathirat looked upon the figure with kind eyes. The figure froze.
“We’re goddesses, darling. We can see what you truly are. Who you truly are. Appearance,” she said, her face changing from young to old, and back again, “is malleable. Your soul is not.”
“Technically, that’s not entirely true, you see the soul is a product of –” Kathirat cut Asherah off.
“Asherah, my beloved, would you please not butcher every metaphor past all recognition in the name of accuracy?”
The figure, a girl, to the goddesses at least, even if their outward appearance was not remotely feminine, giggled.
“I’m sorry, it’s just when I pictured dying, I was expecting a lot more either empty darkness or terrible burning.”
Kathirat sighed.
“Yes, your world certainly has its fair share of misery-driven religions. In truth, if you truly believed in them, you would have wound up there. But your soul, it seems, had another idea. A second chance at life, where some of your dreams could come true.”
The girl stared at Kathirat, the wheels spinning in her mind as she processed what the goddess was saying.
“Wait a sec… What’s the catch?”
The three goddesses shared a guilty look.
“We would not be asking this of you if we had another choice. Given the circumstances, we would prefer to give you a happy, peaceful life in a charming small town where your days are filled with love and gardening.”
There was a pause before Kathirat continued.
“Yours is the first soul not of our worlds we have seen in a while, and your passions and interests in your previous life would make you well-suited for what we need you to do. We can reward you once the task is complete, and we will do our best to assist as we can along the journey.”
“What do you need me to do?”
Kathirat hesitated, so Asherah spoke. Her voice was much calmer than she had been earlier, impressing the gravity of the request.
“The three of us, Kathirat, Melqart, and myself, are lovers. We’ve been together for literal aeons. But there is a fourth member of our family, and she’s… missing.”
“Yes.”
Asherah blinked.
“I-um… What?”
The girl nodded.
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
“You don’t need any time to decide?”
The girl gave a pained laugh.
“Please, I spent thirty years of life hiding in a body I was too scared to change for fear of what I might look like. I spent a lot of that time hiding away in stories like this one, full of adventure, and magic, and goddesses, and damsels in distress. I found solace in worlds that weren’t quite so cruel, and now you tell me I don’t have to go back? Yes, I’ll do it.”
The three goddesses looked at each other, before Kathirat nodded.
“Well, in that case, I suppose we can be a bit more formal in our introductions? I am Kathirat, goddess of love, sexuality, and family.”
The dark-skinned woman thumped her chest once.
“I am Melqart, goddess of justice, defender of the innocent, and patron of the Justicars.”
“I’m Asherah,” the third woman said with a magical flourish, sparkles shooting from her hands, “goddess of magic, dreams, and glitter. All the glitter.”
The girl stood up, her discomfort momentarily forgotten.
“Then I am Aurelia, and I am willing to help you find your goddess on two conditions.”
Kathirat motioned for her to continue.
“First, I need to do this in the right body. This one is not me, and it’s got a whole host of issues anyway. I’d be dead in a month. Again.”
Aurelia took a breath.
“Second, once I save the goddess…”
“Hatalle, goddess of the sun–”
Melqart was interrupted by Asherah.
“--And light of our lives!”
Melqart rolled her eyes, but smiled faintly.
“Yes, that too.”
“Right. Once I save Hatalle, I want to have a night with you all.”
“A night…? With us…?”
Melqart’s eyes narrowed. Aurelia shrugged.
“Hey, how many chances do I get to ask three gorgeous goddesses for a date?”
Kathirat and Asherah both laughed.
“And this date would entail…?” Melqart pressed.
“Dinner, dancing, and sleeping in the same bed. I wouldn’t dream of insisting on anything more, but I do want to cuddle with the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Hatalle too, if she agrees.”
The three goddesses looked at each other. Aurelia didn’t know if they were actually telepathic, or merely knew each other well enough to seem like it, but they all seemingly agreed at the same time.
“Very well, Aurelia. When you return our Hatalle to us, we shall arrange this date.”
Melqart glared at Aurelia. Kathirat noticed the tension and spoke.
“Well, Aurelia, dear, since you’re already standing, if you’ll hand me my coat, we can get you that body now. Any requests? You aren’t the first champion we’ve summoned, so we do have a standard package we provide. Improved senses; immunity to mental control, disease, parasites, and infection; proficiency with whatever weapons and armor you use, a strong affinity for magic, and knowledge of all language and writing.”
Aurelia blinked.
“Wow, you really have done this before.”
She thought for a moment.
“Okay, can you make it so my body is 100% efficient? So whatever I consume is digested completely? I really, really don’t want to experience a world without modern plumbing.”
“That’s a reasonable request. Anything more? Before I forget, as your body will be changing in size and shape, you will have your muscle memory adjusted. You shouldn’t have any difficulty moving or fighting in your new form.”
Aurelia nodded.
“Can I keep my height? It’s the only part of me I really like. Oh, fuck, I’d be even taller in heels…”
Kathirat smiled. Aurelia was drawn in by her warm, motherly face, as the goddess embraced her.
“Of course you can, my dear. Now, just close your eyes, the flash is a bit bright otherwise.”
Aurelia shut her eyes, and bright light seared across her vision anyway. She could feel her entire body burning and freezing at the same time. Every hair on her body was ripped from its socket, every blemish and mole burned away in holy fire. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to block out the light, as Kathirat worked her magic. The goddess whispered in her ear,
“Easy, it’s almost done. You’re such a good girl. Hold tight to me.”
Her bones shifted, her pelvis was wrenched apart and her shoulders contracted. Her chin shrank and her jaw softened. She could feel her teeth realigning into a perfect array.
“Now for the final touch, darling.”
Her chest burned. Fat and muscle roiled under her skin, and her pectoral muscles gave way to soft, supple breasts. They expanded, squished as they were against Kathirat’s frame, but Aurelia could tell they were big. Then, the last step. A bizarre sensation in her core, a feeling of suction, as her penis was sucked up into her body. It twisted and changed, until she was left with nothing but a smooth slit between her legs, and a strange feeling of emptiness inside her.
And like that, it was finished. In truth, the entire process was almost instant, but when the body undergoes such a drastic change, the mind slows time down to process the experience. For Aurelia, the agony had lasted for hours. For everyone else, it was a brief flash of light and a few murmured phrases in the girl’s ear.
Aurelia opened her eyes as Kathirat released her embrace. She looked down at two large breasts, the same hairless creamy color as the rest of her now perfect skin.
“Holy shit.”
“Gotta say, Kath does great work!” Asherah grinned, now leering at the woman in front of her.
Aurelia, remembering the feeling of her hair being torn loose, reached up, panicked. She felt long tresses, falling down her shoulders, and shut her eyes before drawing them around to her front. She opened her eyes to the long, blonde hair. Her’s had been dark brown and short, but now…
“Mirror. I need a mirror, please.”
Kathirat, still smiling, waved a hand. A full-length mirror appeared behind the four women. Aurelia spun and stared. She said nothing. She did not move. Slowly, as the goddesses looked on with growing concern, tears began to fall on the stone patio.
Asherah came up behind Aurelia and spoke softly, resting a hand on each shoulder.
“Aurelia, babe, do you like it? Is it okay?”
Aurelia gave a shuddering gasp.
“It’s perfect.”