Fleeting Love: Chapter 1

Jon flopped down on his bed extremely tired. He'd just gotten through another day of Aphrodite's games and needed a nap. Today, the game was that if Jon looked at any girls feet he would be shrunken and teleported onto that girls foot. After that, he had to stay there for half an hour. Despite his best efforts not to look, it happened three times. The first girl wasn't so bad, Jon just sat on top of her foot angry with himself for looking so quickly. Jon accidentally slipped between the second girls toes and got mashed by them. He was left very sore by the time it was over. Aphrodite mixed it up with the last girl. Jon was admiring her anklet when he suddenly found himself tied to her ankle with it.

The last couple months were, for the most part, nonstop games. Jon became incredibly used to being shrunken. It worried him slightly, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Jon spent nearly every day with a girls feet. He could fill a book with the stories from Aphrodite's games. Once, he had to spend the day in a girls flat. He climbed in and found that the insole was coated with a layer of talcum powder. Jon got covered in the stuff and when the girl took her foot out, he made talcum powder angels. Jon chuckled at the memory, it was one of his more favorites. He was sad when that girl moved, she had very nice feet. Another time, he'd been turned into a girls right flip flop for a week. Thankfully no game was ever as bad as the one with Ingrid and Bridget Aguilar.

Jon still had the occasional nightmare about that one. Since that game finished Jon stopped talking to Bridget. He couldn't look at her the same way anymore. He just tried his best to forget about her. Jon himself had changed quite a bit since then. His hair was longer and had become curly. He kept his promise and started working out after school in the gym with some friends when Aphrodite allowed it. Jon wasn't buff or anything, but he was pretty toned now and could run much further before tiring. He also grew a few inches. None of that really mattered though, it was all in the past. Jon's mind was more focused on the fact that today had been the last day of school!
Summer was officially on.

He knew Aphrodite would be controlling a lot of his time, but he hoped she would let him hang out with his friends some days. " Hello, Jon-Jon. How was today's game? " The goddess of love, Aphrodite, chimed in Jon's head. " About as fun as any of the others. " Jon sighed. " Oh, don't be such a downer. It's summer! The time for fun! And I have plenty of fun ideas. " " If anyone knows about your " fun " ideas it's me. There only fun for you. " " Careful, Jonathan. I don't like your tone. Anyways, I just wanted to check in and tell you to get plenty of sleep tonight. I have a surprise for you tomorrow. " " What is it? " Jon asked already feeling nervous. " You'll have to wait and see. Until tomorrow, Jon-Jon. " Jon sighed again. " No breaks for me. " Jon got off his bed and trudged out to the living room.
* * * *

A woman sat on her marble throne rubbing her lower lip in thought. A man suddenly appeared at the base of the stairs leading up to her throne. " You summoned me? " he said curiously. " Aphrodite is doing exactly what I thought she was going to do. She's going to do it tomorrow, but I want you to wait a day before you do what we discussed. " The man started to pace and brought his hand up to his chin. " Aphrodite isn't going to be happy with me interfering in her business. Zeus will not be either. He's going to call a meeting of the gods to find out why I did it. What am I supposed to say? " " Do not worry. I will tell him the truth at the meeting. He will be mad, but as long as you get Jonathan away from Aphrodite it will be worth it. " The man stopped his pacing. " So be it. I shall wait a day before enacting your plan. I do hope this proves to be as rewarding as you seem to think it will be. " With that, the man disappeared. The woman leaned back in her throne. " Yes, so do I. "
* * * *

Jon woke up groggily, rolling over onto his back and staring at the ceiling. He continued staring for a few minutes, then slid off his bed. " Might as well get Aphrodite's surprise over with as quickly as possible. Aphrodite? You there? " " Get yourself something to eat, and take a shower. Then I'll show you your surprise. " Jon walked into the living room, seeing the digital clock on the entertainment center that read quarter to ten. His mom probably already left for work. This was confirmed by his mothers purse being gone from its usual spot by the front door. Jon made himself a bowl of cereal, eating it quickly. He showered and toweled off even quicker. Jon strode back into his room, deciding what he was going to wear for the day. " Don't worry about clothes, Jon. I'll take care of that. " Aphrodite suddenly spoke.

In the blink of an eye, Jon found himself staring out at the ocean. The sound of waves splashing and people talking filled the air. Jon spun around to see hundreds of people walking by him casually, loaded down with bags. They were all chatting with the people around them, smiling and laughing. " Where the hell am I? " Jon was very disoriented by all of it. He noticed then that he was wearing clothes. A pair of white loafers on his feet, tan khaki shorts, and a light blue polo shirt. Upon further inspection, Jon saw the shirt had two designs on it. On the right breast there was a white sun with a blue heart at its center. Written on the left breast were the words " Foot Masseur " in a white, fancy font. " Foot masseur? " Jon whispered confused. " Look! There's the ship! " someone shouted.

Jon looked up from his new threads and saw a few people pointing in the direction that the crowd was walking. He followed their line of sight to a cruise liner docked further down. There were multiple balloons tied to the ships many railings. On the side of the ship was the same sun-heart symbol on his shirt. Over the symbol were the words " S.S. Aphrodite ". " Aphrodite? What's going on? " Jon was seriously confused now. " No need to speak with thoughts, Jon. I'm right here. " Aphrodite's voice sounded from behind him. Jon turned and saw the goddess of love standing nonchalantly, twining a lock of hair around her finger.

Aphrodite was wearing a long, flowing white dress that went down to her ankles. A golden pair of sandals adorned her feet, her golden ruby necklace still hung around her neck. Her hair fell freely around her shoulders. " This is the surprise? What even is this exactly? " Aphrodite took a few steps forward so she was standing directly in front of Jon. Jon noticed he was a couple inches taller than the goddess. He also felt the aura of power that radiated off of her. He was slightly intimidated by her. Messing with this woman would not end well for anyone, Jon knew that for a fact. " THIS is your reward for winning the game with Ingrid. " Aphrodite said raising her arms in a grand gesture. Jon cringed at the mention of Ingrid's name. He would be completely happy if he never saw that crazy bitch again. " Soooo... You got me a ship? " Aphrodite's arms dropped to her side, she gave Jon a dull stare. " No, you fool, " She put her finger on his shirt right over the words ", I got you a summer job aboard MY ship. "

Fleeting Love: Chapter 2

" A summer job? Why would you give me a summer job? " Jon asked.

" Firstly, you get to have all the feet you could possibly want. Secondly, it will be so much easier to keep an eye on you. " Aphrodite replied with a smile.

Jon looked back towards the cruise liner " When did you even get a ship?"

Aphrodite moved in front of Jon, admiring her ship. " I conjured it quite a few years ago. It's been a successful cruise line ever since. I wanted one, because there's something romantic about being on a ship on the open seas, especially at night with all the stars. It makes my job as the goddess of love so much easier. Loves practically happens by itself. "

" I suppose that makes sense. So, is this job mandatory? "

" I'm not going to force you do it. It's a job offer. But you have to at least see the ship before you decide and hear your job description. Come on, let's go. "

Aphrodite began to walk with the flow of the crowd. Jon walked by her side. " I assume you were smart enough to look at your shirt and read what it said, yes? "

" Foot masseur? "

" Yes! Very good, Jon-Jon. While you are working on the ship you will handling any foot massage related requests. With all your experience you must be quite good. During the day you'll walk around the pool deck and give a foot rub to anyone who asks for one. At night, you'll do special sessions with passengers in their rooms. Your hours are 10 AM to 2 AM. You get half hour breaks throughout the day, no more than four. Depending on what the passenger pays for, you could spend a couple hours with them or the entire night. The night officially starts at 8 PM. "

" I'm only giving foot massages to women, right? "

" Yes, Jon. We only offer foot massages for women. The same goes for private sessions. "

The pair finally made it to the large ramp that lead up to the ship. They passed under an archway that had a banner from it that read " Welcome Aboard! ". As they walked under it two large buff guys that stood on each side simultaneously said " Good afternoon, Miss Aphrodite. "

" Hello, boys. " Aphrodite grinned at them.

Jon looked over his shoulder at the two monsters. " Security guards? Is that really necessary? Can't you just mind control whoever's doing something bad or teleport them off the ship? "

" The whole point of this ship is so that I don't have to do so much work. It's supposed to run by itself. "

" Yeah, I guess that makes sense. "

" Right. Let's go see your cabin. " Aphrodite lead Jon through a maze of hallways and staircases, eventually they arrived at cabin 378.

" Here we are. Your new home away from home. " Aphrodite pushed open the door and moved aside so Jon could see. The room was decent sized, not big but not small. It was positioned between two other rooms so there was no windows. The bed was large and up against the left wall. It had blue sheets like the color of Jon's shirt. There was a bathroom in the far right corner of the room. Another door, Jon assumed was a closet, was set in the right wall. " Don't just stand there. Go inside. " Jon walked in with Aphrodite trailing behind. Aphrodite sat down on the bed. " It's not the nicest room, but it does it's job. Open up the closet. " He did as she asked. The closet had more shirts and shorts like the ones Jon was wearing. " If you need anything other than your work uniform just ask me. I doubt you'll remember how to get here later tonight so there's signs you can follow or I can just teleport you here. "

A loud horn suddenly blared. " Ah! Looks like we're about to set sail. Let's go see where you'll be working. " Jon and Aphrodite went through another maze of hallways, brushing past passengers and ship workers. Ten minutes later, they arrived on the main deck of the ship. There was a giant pool in center of the ship. Balloons were tied on the railings, pool chairs, and anywhere else you could think of. Passengers walked around checking the place out. Most were still carrying luggage, a few were already laid out on the chairs or swimming. Two large structures were built at the front and back of the ship. Tables and chairs were arranged all throughout the deck. " This were you'll be working. This entire deck is your workspace. The place you report to is right over here. Come on. "

They walked to the far structure. Ship workers greeted Aphrodite respectfully as they passed. " Do these people know who you actually are? A goddess I mean. " Jon asked.

" A privileged few do. Many think I'm the president of a wealthy company. Either way they know I have power. " Aphrodite replied happily.

Jon couldn't deny that Aphrodite had an imposing presence. She just kind of oozed power out of every pore on her body. Aphrodite must scare even the people who don't know what she really is. " Through here. " Aphrodite gestured towards twin glass doors. The doors led to waiting room type area. There were blue lounge chairs scattered around. The entire front wall with the doors was glass. A large front desk was a few feet past the doors. It had the sun/heart symbol on it and a woman stood smiling behind it.

" Good to see you again, Miss Aphrodite. And this must be the new guy you were telling me about. What's your name, sweetie? " she said.

The woman was of average height with curly brown hair that hung loose around her head, not quite touching her shoulders. She wore a blue jacket with the symbol on the left breast and a white blouse underneath. Jon could see she wore a little bit of make up, but not too much.

Jon extended his hand to her " Jonathan Bennett. Everyone calls me Jon though. And your... Clarissa. " Jon said reading her name tag. It also said she was a staff manager.

Clarissa took Jon's hand in a firm grip and they shook. " Yep, that's me. In case you haven't figured it out, I'm your boss. But don't worry, Aphrodite already made it clear you're a special case. I couldn't fire you even if I wanted to. I doubt I'll ever want to though. You seem like a good kid. " Jon's first impression of Clarissa was that she was nice and peppy, she also spoke very quickly.

" Well, Clarissa can take care of you from here on out. If you need anything you know how to reach me. I have to get back to my office. " Aphrodite snapped, disappearing in a plume of smoke.

Jon stood still, looking at the dissipating smoke with a stunned expression. " Did she really just do that in front of Clarissa? " he thought in disbelief.

Clarissa gave a short laugh, holding her hand to her mouth." Don't worry, Jon. I know what Aphrodite really is. In fact, I'd be so bold as to say we're friends. "

" Are you serious? Hasn't she ever done anything bad to you? "

" She does the occasional prank. Some worse than others. "

" How long have you known her? " Jon asked, not believing what he was hearing.

" Three years. I applied for a job as a bartender and Aphrodite took a shining to me. Now, here I am a staff manager. Being cool with the boss has its perks. "

" Wow, lucky you. "

" Aphrodite told all about what she's done with you. I don't think I've ever met someone with a foot fetish. Might have to have you give me a foot rub sometime. These heels are killer on my feet. Oh! Speaking of that, did Aphrodite fill you in on your job? "

" Sorta. "

Clarissa reached under the desk and came up with a bottle of lotion, plastic stool, and a clipboard. " The stool and lotion are for the massages obviously. The clipboard is take orders for the night sessions or you could give them the phone number and they could schedule it later. There's also directions for the ship. That's for when you get hungry and such. People just wave you over when they want a massage. There are a few other guys working at the same time, so you won't get overworked. We only offer massages for girls. Did Aphrodite tell you your hours? "

Jon had taken the stool, lotion, and clipboard. He put the lotion and a pen in each pocket. " Yep. "

" Okay! If you have any questions ask Aphrodite or I'll be here all day. We're about to depart. Get out there, champ. You're gonna do great! " Jon took a long breath and walked out the door.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 3

Jon strolled in front of the deck chairs along the main decks railing. The ship had set sail a little while ago. It took Jon a few minutes to get used to the feeling. He hadn't been on a boat in years. When he got his sea legs he decided to just start walking until someone asked for a massage. In the meantime, the breeze felt nice and the smell of the ocean was pleasant. Many passengers were still carrying their luggage, checking out the ship before they found their cabin. Some were all settled in and were relaxing in the chairs.

" Hey! Excuse me! "

Jon's reverie was broken by a woman waving him over. The woman looked on the younger side, Jon guessed she was in her late twenties'. She was red-headed, natural not dyed, and wore a blue bikini.

" Yes, ma'am? " Jon asked walking up to her.

She sat in a deck chair with large sunglasses on. Jon noticed her face was heart-shaped, something he'd only read about in books before now.

" Are you one of the masseurs? "

" Yes, I'm a foot masseur. Would you like a massage? "

" That would be great. "

Jon set down the stool in front of the woman's chair. He put the clipboard on the ground and pulled out the bottle of lotion. " Do you want lotion? "

" Please. "

Jon squeezed some lotion into his hand, looking at the woman's feet for the first time. Her feet were of average size, around 7 or 8 maybe 9. Her toes were unpainted and long, slightly bulbous. The nails were trimmed perfectly and her soles blackened with dirt. Jon could feel his member stiffening already. He started to rub the lotion into her toes.

" So, what's your name? " the woman asked leaning back in the chair.

" Jon. "

" Aren't you a little young to be working on a ship like this, Jon? "

Jon froze a moment. He hadn't even thought about that. He was only 16, it didn't make sense that he was working on a cruise liner. A lie quickly formed in his head. " Yes, I am. My mom works on the ship and there really wasn't anywhere I could stay for a few months, so she got me a job onboard. As long as I do my work and stay out of trouble, I get a room and free meals. "

" Thats quite the deal. "

" Yeah, I'm lucky. "

The woman put her head back down. Jon continued to rub her feet for ten minutes, his erection growing larger.

" Alright, times up. " Jon said standing up awkwardly.

" That was amazing! Where'd you learn to do that? "

" Just taught myself I guess. If you enjoyed that we offer nighttime sessions for a fee. All you have to do is call the service number or I can put you down for one right now. "

" I'll definitely think about it. "

Jon smiled and walked away with his things. As he headed for the bow of the ship he saw another man carrying the same things as him. The man gave him a short nod and kept walking. " So I'm really not the only masseur. " Jon thought. He walked all they way around the bow and back to the pool area when someone tapped his shoulder.

" Excuse me. "

Jon turned to see a pink robe covered woman's chest. He tilted his head back, his mouth opened in surprise. The woman standing before him was huge! She must be at least over six feet tall! Now, in his time knowing Aphrodite Jon had become quite used to seeing giant women, but he was usually tiny. This was the biggest woman he'd ever seen at normal size. " Y-yes. How can I help you? "

" Are you one of them foot masseurs, darlin'? " She also had a heavy Southern accent.

" Yes, would you like one? "

" If it's not too much trouble. "

" It's no trouble at all. Where are you set up? "

" Right over here. " The woman smiled down at Jon and turned away.

The giantess was blonde and her hair was cut stylishly short around her head. She wore a pink robe over a pink bikini, her skin was deeply tanned. It was then that Jon noticed a soft smacking sound. As she sat down on a deck chair, Jon saw her enormous feet in pink flip flops. The woman's feet were huge! " They must be as big as Alexis' moms " Jon thought wide eyed.

" Oh, by the way. My names Sandra. Yours is? " she asked extending her hand.

" Jon. " He answered shaking her hand.

" Nice to meet you, Jon. May I say you're quite a cute young man. "

" Um, thanks. " Jon replied awkwardly. He set the stool down at the foot of Sandra's deck chair.

" Oh, sweetie. You're gonna have to scoot back. I'm a little too big for these chairs, my feet hang off the edge. " Jon scoot back a ways and Sandra put her large foot up on stool. It was right in front of Jon's crotch. " Perfect! You don't mind do you? "

" No... This is fine. Do you want lotion? "

" No, just start rubbin' "

Jon guessed Sandra was in her late thirties early forties, but her feet were no worse for wear. Her nails were perfectly pedicured and the sole of her foot was unblemished. He started to rub her long toes. Sandra's foot was wide, the muscles tensed in pleasure as Jon rubbed. Before too long, Jon's member started to grow. In minutes it made contact with Sandra's heel. " Oh, what is that? " Sandra moved her foot out of the way and saw Jon's erect penis pitching a tent in his shorts.

There were a few moments of awkward silence, then Sandra's toes grabbed his member. Jon shivered from the sudden touch. " Someone's happy to see lil old me." Sandra leaned as close to Jon as she could while still holding him down. " Do you have a thing for feet? " Jon slowly shook his head. " Well ain't that adorable. I've never met a man with your... tastes. Don't you offer nighttime sessions? " Jon shook his head again in answer. " Great! Put me down for one at 9 tonight. I don't want anyone other than you. " She let go of Jon's near-bursting member.

The entire time she was holding his penis she'd been massaging it with her toes. " You can go now. We'll continue this tonight. " Jon picked up his things quickly, making a hasty escape. The erection in his shorts made him walk funny. He heard Sandra laugh behind him. " What did I just get myself into? " Jon wondered. A mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation began swirling around in Jon's stomach. It was going to be an interesting night.
__________________________________________________________

The rest of the day passed without any exciting events. No woman got Jon's attention like Sandra did. He rubbed the feet of woman of different ages, ethnicities, and sizes. Jon was in absolute heaven. Towards the end of the day a familiar face called him over.

" Yoo hoo! Jon-Jon! "

Sitting in a deck chair off to his right was Aphrodite lounging in a deck chair. The goddess was in a two piece white bikini, the top and bottom pieces were connected on the front by interwoven gold rings. Her blonde hair was done into long braid that hung over her shoulder. The only piece of jewelry she wore was her gold necklace with a large red ruby.

" Aphrodite? What are you doing out here? Do you want a massage? " Jon asked walking up to her.

" No, you're not worthy to touch the feet of a goddess yet. I came down here to check up on you. How'd you like the first day of your new job? "

" Honestly? I really enjoyed it. I think I'll stick around for awhile. "

" I knew you would love it. The days not over yet, though. You have nighttime session tonight. This Sandra woman seems eager to have you all to herself. She's been thinking about it all day. "

" Wait, were you watching me? "

" I check up on you occasionally. Anyways, Sandra paid a very pretty penny for a special session with you. "

" What do you mean by special? "

" You'll have to wait and see. It's almost eight, you should get going. " Aphrodite suddenly disappeared with a strong breeze from the ocean.

Jon waited until nine in the ships staff center with Clarissa. The two chatted about current events, it seemed Clarissa really didn't want to talk about Aphrodite. She kept changing the subject whenever he asked about her. When nine o' clock neared Clarissa told Jon Sandra's room number. Sandra had booked Jon for close to the entire night. She gave him a new bottle of lotion and he was off. Almost fifteen minutes later, Jon finally found Sandra's room. He knocked twice and waited.

Sandra answered the door in a pink silk robe that only went down to her mid thigh. " Hey, cutie you're late. Come on in. " she said with a grin. Sandra's cabin was much larger than Jon's. It had a dresser, two night stands, and a balcony that opened to the side of the ship. You could jump right into the ocean off of it if you wanted. Sandra's bed was bigger than Jon's too. Sandra shut the door, locking it behind her. " You ready to have some fun, Jonny boy? "

Fleeting Love: Chapter 4

" Yeah... Sure. Do you want to get right to it? " Jon asked.

" Yes, let's do it on the bed. "

Sandra strolled over to the bed and slowly laid down, propping her back on the headboard. Jon sat down at the foot of the bed in front of Sandra's large feet.

" Okay, I have to ask. What size shoe do you wear? "

" Sixteen, sugar. Bet that's a first for you. "

" You'd win that bet. "

Sandra started to wiggle her toes quickly. " I payed for a foot massage, Jonny boy. Let's get to it. "

Jon squeezed some lotion into his hand and started rubbing her long toes. Sandra's skin was incredibly soft to the touch. Her sole had many wrinkles, they went from her heel to just below her toes. This was obviously a woman who took care of her feet. Sandra's long toes curled around Jon's fingers as he rubbed them. Sighing in pleasure, Sandra undid the knot on her robe. It fell away to reveal she was only wearing a bra and panties.

Like everything else about her, Sandra's boobs were quite large. Jon also noticed for the first time that Sandra was muscular. Lean muscle could be seen on her stomach, arms, and legs. She took care of her entire body, not just her feet. Jon member started to stir in his shorts. He continued to rub for twenty minutes until he noticed something strange. Sandra's toes seemed bigger. He took one hand away to see better. It wasn't just her toes, her entire foot looked larger.

" You're being paranoid. All of Aphrodite's tricks have gotten to you. "

Jon went back to rubbing for awhile longer. He stopped again and Sandra's feet looked even bigger than before. When he first sat down her feet only came up to his mid-chest, now they were almost level with his shoulders. He adjusted his position, thinking he must've gotten closer while he was rubbing. Jon froze, something was wrong. His feet weren't touching the floor anymore, they had been planted on the floor. He reached his foot down, the tips of his toes touched the floor. Jon felt more room in his shoes as well.

" Oh, shit. Please, not now. " he thought realization dawning on him.
Jon pulled on the front of his shirt, it was considerably bigger on him. " This is what Aphrodite meant by a special session. I gotta get out of here. " Jon rose to his feet. He was definitely shorter. " Sandra, I'm sorry. Something came up, I have to leave. I'll schedule another session for tomorrow. Free of charge. "

He started to walk to the door. A hand gripped his arm and whirled him around. Sandra stood in front of him with a smirk on her face.

" She said you would try to leave. "

" What? Who? "

" You're boss, Aphrodite. After you left this afternoon, she came to me personally and explained some the special things you could get with the nighttime sessions. Aphrodite can do some amazin' things. I went with the one that made it so the longer you're turned on the smaller you get. "

Jon was lost for words for a few moments. He doubted Aphrodite would let him out of this and he didn't exactly want to leave. Sandra had some very beautiful feet, he couldn't pass up this opportunity. After all, he did agree to stay on the ship for a day.

" Okay, I'll stay. Don't want your money to go to waste. " he grinned.

" Good. I woulda made you stay anyway. Sit at the foot of the bed and face me. "

Sandra laid down on the bed again, leaning her back on the center of the headboard with her long legs in front of her. Jon took his too big shoes off and crawled onto the bed. He sat down facing Sandra, her monstrous feet waving in front of him. Her foot came down on his crotch and started massaging it. All of Jon's muscles clenched in ecstasy.

" This should speed things up. " Sandra smiled with a laugh.

Jon's member was rock hard and near bursting. " Can't take much more of this. " he thought happily.

A few moments later, Jon exploded in his shorts. Immediately afterwards he started to dwindle in size. His head dipped inside his shirt and his legs receded into his shorts.

" Oh my lord! It worked! "

Using her foot, Sandra lifted up Jon's shirt. Inside Jon had been reduced to slightly under a foot tall. He fell out of his shorts still weak kneed. Jon leaned on Sandra's foot for support, breathing heavily.

" Aren't you the cutest lil thing? "

Sandra brought her left foot over her right and patted Jon's head with her big toe. Jon caught his breath and stood up.

" Wasn't ready for that. " Jon panted.

Sandra's foot rose up to its full height in front of him. Jon was a few inches shorter than it.

" Darn, you're still too big. I think I can fix that. " Sandra pushed her massive foot down on Jon, pinning him to the bed. " You can stay down there and rub until you're just the right size. "

Jon's body was covered from his stomach all the way down. His crotch was pressed up against her soft sole. He tried to move his body into a more comfortable position.

" Stop wigglin' it tickles. "

Jon stopped, he was still in a very compromising position. " Oh, well. Might as well make the best of this. "

Jon started working his fingers into Sandra's second toe. He rubbed each of her toes extensively, when he finished with one Sandra put the other one on him. All the while Jon continued to shrink. He felt himself getting smaller, his legs sliding up Sandra's sole slowly but surely. By the time he finished with each foot he was at most two inches tall.

" Much better! Now we can play a game. " Sandra's monumental foot scrunched up, making her wrinkles protrude. " If you can climb all the way up to my toes, you get a break. If you can't, I put you in my sandal and bring you with me to get a drink. "

" Challenge accepted. " Jon shouted.

He walked up to Sandra's imposing sole. Jon wasn't worried about this game, he was prepared. While he'd been working out at a local gym before summer started, he took up rock climbing. The reason for it was for situations exactly like the one he was currently in. Jon figured knowing how to climb well would be an important skill for when he was shrunken. He knew climbing a fake rock wall and climbing a woman's foot were two very different things, but it didn't hurt to know how.

Jon reached up and grabbed one of Sandra's wrinkles in each hand. He placed his feet where he could get a good grip and started his ascension. He moved slowly knowing that if he rushed, he would fall for sure. Every now and again Jon would slip, but quickly catch himself. Hanging high above him were Sandra's gigantic toes, looking down on him much like he thought Aphrodite did. When he was about halfway up Sandra's foot suddenly thrashed, making him lose his grip except for one hand.

" Whoa! Whoa! What was that? You're cheating! " Jon yelled as he regained his position and slapped her sole.

" Sorry little guy. I'm very ticklish. "

He made it to the top without another incident. When he crawled in between her big and second toe Jon realized he had gotten smaller on the climb up. Sandra's toes stood tall around him, about a foot taller relative to Jon's perspective.

" Would ya look at that? You did it! And you look so cute down there between my toes, but you won the game. I'm nothin' if not a woman of my word. "

Sandra brought her foot up towards the head of the bed as far as she could. She stuck her hand out palm up below her toes.

" Hop on, sugar. "

Jon jumped onto her outstretched hand, he landed unsteadily and fell on his butt. " Hahaha! You couldn't be any cuter if you tried. "

Sandra leaned back on the pillows behind her and stuck Jon in her bosom. " You can spend your break in there. Snug as a bug. "

Jon's erection remained persistent. As he sat between Sandra's mountainous breasts he could still feel himself shrinking. There was silence for a few minutes until Jon heard a loud rumble in Sandra's chest and she started to snore. Tilting his head back, he saw her head was lulled to the side as she snored loudly.

" Can't really blame her. It's been a busy day for everyone. "

Jon considered trying to leave, but knew better. Getting off the bed would be hard enough; navigating his way back to his room at this size would be impossible. It didn't seem that Aphrodite was going to make him big any time soon. He got comfortable in Sandra's bosom, quickly falling asleep himself.

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Jon woke up in complete darkness. He felt like he was standing, but he couldn't be sure.

" Where am I? " he thought.

The words echoed in his head. He decided to try his luck and took a step. His foot landed on solid ground or whatever it was he was standing on. Touching his chest and legs, Jon discovered he was wearing no clothes.

" Hello? Is anyone there? " he called out.

The only answer was his own echo. " Where the hell am I?! Aphrodite! "

There was still no reply from anyone. " Shit. Might as well try to find a way out of here. "

Jon moved slowly, scooting one foot forward to make sure there was something underneath him and waving his arms in front of him. He didn't really think he would fall, but you never knew with Aphrodite. Something about this place made Jon lose all sense of time. He thought he'd been walking for at least an hour, but he wasn't sure. He stopped a moment, hoping to see anything that would mean a way out and that's when he saw it.

Off in the distance, a source of light hung in the air. Forgetting his caution, Jon took off in that direction. When he arrived at the source he found it was a black square in the wall. The light came from the lines making up the square. Upon closer inspection, Jon saw that the lines were actually jagged cuts that lead somewhere that was brightly lit. He shoved on the square with all his strength and it fell out onto a tile floor. Jon hoisted himself out, landing roughly on the square. Now visible in the light, the square was brown and made of a foam-like material. The prison he had been trapped in was a platform flip flop under a coffee table.

" Oh, my god. No. T-this can't be... " Jon whispered realizing where he was.

" Jon! Over here! Hurry! " a female voice said in a loud whisper.

Jon looked up and saw a tiny, naked Bridget crouched underneath the couch. He scrambled to his feet and ran under the couch.

" Bridget? What's going on? "

" What're you talking about, Jon? I should be asking you that. How were you holding my moms foot up like that? "

" What? That was weeks ago, Bridge. I ended all this. "

" Jon, fifteen minutes ago my mom tried to step on us. You stopped her and told me to hide. Eventually, she did step on you. When she lifted her foot you were passed out. She put you in her flip flop and started looking for me. I've been waiting for you to get out. "

" This isn't possible... "

" I don't know what happened to you, Jon. You must've hurt your head. We have to escape right now. Ingrid left the sliding door open. I think she's still in my room. Let's make a break for it. "

Jon hadn't been listening to a word Bridget said. He was trying to figure out how he ended up back in the Aguilar's apartment.

" Aphrodite! This isn't funny! Get me out of here! " he yelled in his head.

Bridget grabbed his wrist, breaking him from his thoughts. " We have to go. Now! "

Bridget started to run for the door with Jon trailing behind her, who was still having trouble accepting what was happening. They were making good progress when Jon felt the ground shaking beneath him and heard a familiar smacking sound. A giant caramel colored foot slammed to the ground in front of them. Bridget and Jon stopped running at the same time, Bridget moved close to Jon with fear in her eyes. The sliding door was slammed shut and the curtain pulled in front of it.

Standing over them with a vicious sneer was Ingrid. " I was beginning to think you little bugs weren't going to fall for this trick. I thought too highly of you. "

" Run! " Jon yelled.

They didn't even take a few steps when a giant shadow fell over them. Jon looked up and saw the massive sole of Ingrid coming down on him for a split second and then there was darkness once again...

__________________________________________________________

Jon woke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily.

" Good morning, Jon. How was your first nighttime session? " Sitting on the edge of his bed was Aphrodite in all her glory.

She was wearing another long white dress with her hair done up in braids and curls. Looking around him, Jon was happy to find he was back in his own cabin and normal sized. The dream he'd had was very realistic and terrified him.

" Are you alright? You don't look so good. "

" Yeah, I'm fine. "

Jon got off of his bed and went into the bathroom. He was naked, but he didn't really care. Aphrodite had seen it all before.

" The nighttime session was great. I had fun. " he said splashing water on his face.

" I'm glad to hear that because you're already scheduled for another one tonight. "

" Who is it this time? Sandra again? " Jon asked leaning in the doorway.

" No, no. This is a special one for an old friend. You would be wise to treat her well. "

" Yeah, sure. I can do that. "

Aphrodite stood up and walked in front of Jon. " There is definitely something wrong with you. Tell me what's the matter. "

" I had a bad nightmare. It's nothing. I'll get over it. "

" Hmmmm, okay. If you keep having these nightmares tell me. I can make your sleep dreamless. I want you at 100% percent. I have some things I need to attend to. Take a shower, you're still filthy from last night. You slept in late and your shift starts in half an hour. Don't be late. " Aphrodite walked away, dissipating into wisps of smoke as she went.

Jon's day passed without any significant events after that. He had to run so he wasn't late. Clarissa congratulated him on his first successful nighttime session when he arrived and gave him his supplies for the day. He gave numerous massages throughout the day, but his mind was miles away. Jon's thoughts were focused on the dream he had that morning. It made him think of the time he'd spent imprisoned by Ingrid. Those were the darkest days of Jon's life so far.

After Aphrodite pulled him out early he tried not to think about it, but it always came back to him. Ingrid's punishments mentally scarred him gravely, to the point Jon didn't know if he would ever completely heal. As eight o' clock drew near Jon leaned on Clarissa's desk, trying to remove himself from the dark place he'd put himself in. Aphrodite had left a message with Clarissa that he was to report to room 116 precisely at eight. At 7:45 PM Clarissa gave him a fresh bottle of lotion and he was off. Jon found the door with little difficulty, but it had taken awhile and he didn't know what time it was.

" It's 7:58. Wait. I'll tell you when to knock. "

He stood there awkwardly in the hallway for a full minute. " Knock now! "

Jon rapped his knuckles on the door twice. " Foot masseur. " he said monotone.

The door opened quickly and Jon only had time to register a short, black haired woman answered before she rushed forward, hugging him around the chest.

" Jon! " she cried as she hugged him.

" Um, excuse me? Do I know you? "

The woman unburied her face from his chest and smiled up at him. " It's me, foot boy. "

He was thoroughly confused for a moment, but he suddenly recognized her. " Alexis?! Is that you? "

Fleeting Love: Chapter 5

Jon picked Alexis up in a bear hug. " No way! I can't believe its you! I haven't seen you in forever! " he said happily.

Alexis looked down at him from in the air with a smile. " I know you big goof! Put me down. We have a lot to catch up on. "

He set her down and took his first good look at her. For the most part, she barely looked different at all. Her skin was still lightly tanned, her smile as perfect as ever. Her black hair was a bit longer than he remembered. Alexis was wearing a black V-neck blouse and a short floral print skirt with black, pink, and green. He was quite happy to see that she was barefoot.

" We can admire each other later, Jon. Come on. "

She grabbed his wrist and led him into her room. Alexis's room was an exact copie of Sandra's, the only difference was her black suitcases in the corner. Alexis pulled him out to the balcony on the side of the ship. There was a glass table with two chairs waiting for them. The railing was made up of four horizontal white bars with two vertical bars supporting it.

" Mmmmmm, the sea breeze smells amazing doesn't it? "

Jon was busy looking up at the sky. Hundreds of stars were spread out across the black canvas. " Yeah. It's beautiful tonight. "

When he looked back at Alexis she was taking a seat at the table so he sat down too. " So, what're you doing here? I thought Aphrodite erased your memory of the weekend we spent together. "

" She did erase my memory for awhile, but a couple days ago she gave it back. She made me an offer to come on this cruise liner free of charge without my parents. She made them think I'm at a gymnastics camp. Then she said if that didn't sound good enough, you were going to be on the ship too. Since I had my memory back, I really wanted to see you. I accepted. "

" Wow, she really gave you your memory back? That doesn't sound like the Aphrodite I know. "

" Yup. She told me I should wait a day to see you. Give both of us time to settle in and get used to it. Now it's your turn. Tell me everything that's happened to you since our weekend. "

" Are you sure? It's some pretty... boring stuff. "

" Yes, Jon. I want to know everything. "

Jon looked up at the sky nervously. " I'm not sure if you know who wants me to talk about that. "

" You don't need to worry, Jon. Aphrodite promised that she wouldn't spy on us. She trusts me, so you can tell me anything. "

" Alright. " Jon said wearily.

For the next hour Jon told Alexis everything he'd been through since their weekend. He left some of the worse details, but when he got to the part about the game with Ingrid an anger boiled up inside of him. He told the story, not leaving out a single detail. The more he said the angrier he became. By the end he was all but yelling. Throughout the story, Alexis looked increasingly horrified.

When he finished Jon turned to the ocean, he couldn't bring himself to look at Alexis. As he started to calm down, he realized he had been breathing heavily the entire time. His story only dug him deeper into the dark place. Without his noticing, Alexis came around the table and put a hand on his shoulder.

" Jon, I'm so sorry that happened to you... "

" It's fine. That's all in the past. "

" No... You can't let Aphrodite keep doing this to you. "

" What am I supposed to do? She's a goddess. She could throw me in Hades or turn me into a girls foot for the rest of my life. "

" I'll make you a deal. If you can spend the rest of the night without thinking about all that and have fun. Tomorrow, me and you will start looking for a way to make sure Aphrodite leaves you alone. For good. "

Jon thought about it for a moment. " Okay, you have a deal. "

" Then come with me. " Alexis smiled.

She led him back into her room and stopped in front of the bed. Alexis put her hands on Jon's shoulders. " You know now that I have my memory back, I remember how I felt about you. To be totally honest, Jon. I really like you. "

Alexis stood on her tip toes and kissed Jon. Jon was taken by surprise, but didn't stop her. When she stopped kissing him Jon's brain went fuzzy momentarily.

" Where did that come from? " he asked smiling.

" I started to realize I liked you that weekend. When Aphrodite erased my memory, I forgot that I did. Whenever I saw you after that, I got a weird feeling that I didn't understand. Now that I have it back, I know what it was. The feelings for you I never got to say. "

Jon tentatively placed his hands on her hips. " Since we're being honest. I've had a crush on you from freshman year. It wasn't just about your feet either. You're funny, smart, and gorgeous. Although you're feet didn't hurt my appeal to you. "

Alexis laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. " Well, I'm glad we both feel the same way. I was kinda worried you didn't. "

" Don't be silly. How could any guy not like you? "

" Don't sell yourself short. You're a great guy. Now that you know I like you, I can be really honest. I like you even more small. "

Jon began to dwindle in size, while Alexis appeared taller by the second. His shrinking hands fell off of her hips. Soon enough, the top of Jon's head was just below Alexis' knee. His clothes hung loosely off him like he was a toddler trying on their fathers clothes. Alexis knelt down in front of him with a big grin on her face.

" Brings back good memories, right? "

" Actually, it does. "

She reached her hands into his baggy shirt and grabbed him under the arms, lifting him out. She set him on her hip with her arm around his back, really making him feel like a child.

" So, you're kind of my boyfriend now. "

" Yep, I guess so. "

" You look like the kid I'm babysitting for the night though. "

" That's alright. My babysitters totally hot and I have a big crush on her. "

" I think you're gonna enjoy this next part. "

" I'm guessing your sudden ability to shrink me is Aphrodite's doing. "

" Yep, it's just for the night. Don't worry. I won't hurt you little man. "

" I didn't think you would. "

Alexis set Jon down on the bed and sat with her legs stretched out. She put her petite, beautiful feet in front of him. " I've been waiting for those little magic hands for three days. I got a pedicure and everything just for you. "

" You didn't have to do that. I'd love your feet no matter what. "

" Hey, you're doing all the work. The least I can do is make them pretty. "

" They're always pretty. "

" Okay. Stop with the flattery. Get to massaging! "

Jon plopped down in front of Alexis' feet. He was significantly bigger than them this time. Sitting in front of Alexis' feet brought back good memories. Jon admired Alexis' dainty feet for a few moments. For the most part, they hadn't changed at all. Her toes were lengthened perfectly going down from the big toe. Each toe had a little bulb of skin at the top, which Jon found oddly cute. The soles of her feet were slightly wrinkled, but enough to drive Jon crazy. Her feet were the same slightly tanned skin tone as the rest of her. You could tell her feet were freshly clean and pampered. Her toenails trimmed and painted a bright red, just like all those months ago. Alexis' big toe came forward suddenly and poked him in the stomach.

Without hesitation, Jon grabbed the toe with both hands.

" You can look at my foot and rub at the same time, foot boy. "

" You bet I can. "

Jon spent the next twenty-five minutes meticulously rubbing Alexis' feet. While Jon became continually more aroused, Alexis sighed in pleasure. The point came when Jon could no longer contain his arousal and exploded onto the bed. Alexis looked down and started to laugh. " Glad to see you haven't changed. "

" Hardy har har. I know. It's a problem. "

" Hey, you promised you'd have fun. "

" The problem wasn't not having fun. The problem was having too much fun. "

Alexis' only reply was a smirk. Jon spontaneously shrank down to a couple inches tall.

" What was that for? " he yelled.

Alexis put her foot down on the bed, her big and second toes were spread out wide. " I'm giving you a break. Do you remember the seat of honor? "

Jon grinned and sat down between her toes. He held onto her toes as she lifted her foot back up. Jon slid into the space in between her toes.

" Let's see if there's anything good on. "

The two spent another hour watching TV. As a show ended, Alexis yawned loudly.

" Tired? " Jon asked turning around.

" Yeah. Long day. Hop off of there. "

He jumped from between her toes and landed on his side. When she was sure he was clear, Alexis grew him to about two feet tall.

" Come up here. I wanna cuddle with my new boyfriend before I go to sleep. "

Jon crawled to the head of the bed and laid down on his side. Alexis wrapped her large arm around him affectionately, bringing him close to her chest.

" Do I have to be shrunken for this? It'd be better if I was big. "

" No, I like being in control. "

With that, she turned the lights off. Sometime later, Jon heard her snoring softly. He snuggled up against her chest and fell asleep with a grin on his face.

__________________________________________________________

Jon awoke for no apparent reason. His eyes just snapped open. He didn't have to go to the bathroom or was uncomfortable. It was still nighttime and Alexis was sound asleep. Jon carefully crawled out from under Alexis' arm. As he hopped off the bed he saw it was a bit past 12:00.

He paused when he looked out the sliding door. A bright light was coming from below the balcony. Jon walked over to his crumpled pile of clothes and tugged on his much too large shirt. It was probably cold out and he didn't want one of the people in the other cabins to find him naked on the balcony.

" I really should have made Alexis make me normal size. " he thought reluctantly.

Luckily, he was tall enough to push open the sliding door with all his strength. Once outside, he climbed on the support bars for a better view. Jon looked at the water in awe. A giant circle in the water was glowing a brilliant blue.

" What is that? " he whispered.

Unknown to Jon, on the other side of the ship a massive wave was forming and heading right for the ship. The wave slammed into the ship, tipping it tremendously on its side. Jon clutched at the bars frantically, but he couldn't get a grip in time. He flew right over the railing and dropped into the circle of glowing water with a loud splash. The second he made contact with it, the light disappeared. The ship eased gently back to its normal position. Not one thing or person was disturbed by the tidal wave. Meanwhile, Jon was being pulled into the dark ocean depths by an unseen force. His struggles were futile...

Fleeting Love: Chapter 6

Jon's eyes flung open. He sat up and started to cough uncontrollably. When he stopped he continued to pant and looked around. He was sitting on a beach, there wasn't a person to be found besides him. The tide lapped at the sand lazily. Jon stood up, trying to recall what had happened to him.

" I was on the balcony of Alexis' room... Alexis! God, she must be freaking out! Okay, I was on the balcony and... the ship tipped on its side! I fell into the water! Where the hell am I? "

Looking out at the ocean, Jon only saw water as far as he could see. Jon turned around to see some of the tallest trees he'd ever seen. The trees were packed close together in a dense jungle.

" Aphrodite! Aphrodite! What the hell is going on!? " he yelled at the sky.

Not surprisingly, the goddess did not answer. " This has to be another one of her games. She must want me to find something on this island. "

Jon looked down at himself. He was still about two feet tall and only wearing the shirt of his uniform, which hung on him like an oversized dress. The shirt itself was somewhat damp from being in the water.

" Guess I should start walking. "

Jon trudged along the beach, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He didn't want to go into the jungle, who knew what animals were hiding in there. He doubted Aphrodite would kill him, but for some reason Jon felt Aphrodite wasn't behind this. This was way too theatrical, even for her. Eventually, Jon realized walking on the beach was getting him nowhere.

Whoever put him on this island obviously wanted him to go into the jungle. When he found a gap in trees that was fairly clear of bushes and low branches, he moved in. Jon watched where he stepped carefully, he didn't want any nasty surprises. While he walked he was suspicious of every sound he heard. His imagination turned the rustle of leaves to a jaguar about to pounce on him. The crackle of dry leaves to an islander about to stab him with a spear.

" I've been watching too much TV. " he whispered to himself.

After walking for quite awhile, Jon stopped to lean on a tree. The beach had been a little hot, the jungle was hot and humid. His shirt was soaked in sweat. " I've been walking for hours and haven't found shit. Aphrodite! This isn't funny! Get me out of here! " he yelled.

Just then, Jon suddenly felt a woosh of air behind him. He turned to find his shirt stuck to the tree by a slender wood pole with feathers at the end. When he looked closer, he saw it was tipped with a metal point.

" An arrow- "

A crashing sound made him look in the direction the arrow came from. A large figure was running through the shrubs quickly towards him. " Oh, shit! " he cried.

He grabbed the arrow with both hands and yanked it out of the tree. Jon took off running away from the figure. As he ran, he could still hear who or whatever it was bounding behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, the figure was gaining on him! Jon's shrunken legs couldn't keep pace with his tall pursuer. Suddenly, something wrapped around his ankles. His momentum launched him forward, making slam onto the ground hard. He felt his teeth bite into his lower lip, drawing blood.

A hand gripped his arm and flipped him over onto his back roughly. Jon's mouth dropped open in shock. Standing over him was the tallest woman he'd ever seen, taller even than Sandra. The woman had to be at least 9 feet tall. She was darkly tanned, you could tell she spent a lot of time in the sun. Her hair was long and black. She was wearing a cloth shirt like garment that covered her breast, but left the rest of her stomach exposed. Her crotch and thighs were covered by what looked like brown fur animal pelts. Knee high rough brown leather boots were on her legs. A red piece of cloth was wrapped around her wrist and a thin black headband kept her hair out of her eyes. Other than that a bag was hung diagonally across her chest, a quiver of arrows was on her other shoulder, and a bow was in her hand.

The woman's lip curled in a snarl and she grabbed the front of Jon's shirt, lifting him off the ground slightly. " How did you get on this island, man! "

Jon continued to look at her in stunned silence. She shook him violently. " Answer me! Do you speak English? "

" Y-Yes! "

" How did you get on this island?! "

" I was on a ship! I fell off of it and woke up here! "

" Liar! I heard you call out to Aphrodite! And you reek of her magic! Did she send you here to spy on us? "

" You know about Aphrodite? "

" Yes, fool! You look the age of a young man, but are the size of a child. Only a Greek god could do that. Did she make you small so you could sneak around easier? What are your orders! "

" You got it all wrong! I don't work for Aphrodite! I was working on her ship and I was shrunken, but not to come here! I don't even know where here is! "

" Enough of your lies! You know this is the Isle of Amazons and Aphrodite sent you here! If you do not wish to tell me why, so be it. I'll take you to the city. Queen Thermodosa will decide what to do with you. "

The woman opened her bag and pulled out a length of rope. She took both of Jon's hands and put them together at the wrists. Jon struggled against her.

" Stop fighting, man. I will not hesitate to kill you. If you try to run I will kill you for certain. "

Jon stopped moving. " You said this was the Isle of Amazons? Twenty minutes ago I didn't know amazons existed. I know Aphrodite, I've been her plaything for months. Nothing more than that. She didn't send me here to do anything. I got here by total accident. Please, you have to believe me. "

" You say you fell off Aphrodite's ship. Aphrodite's ship isn't allowed within ten miles of this island. You don't look like you have the strength for a ten mile swim. Especially at your size. "

" Ten miles? How the hell did I get here then? "

" That is exactly what I want to know. "

The amazon finished tying Jon's hands together then undid the cloth from her wrist. She tied it firmly over his eyes, leaving him in darkness.

" Listen, you could just let me go. Just give me a boat and I'll go. "

" There is no chance of that happening. I do not know what you have already seen. You could have stolen something and hidden it. No, you are going to the city. "

Jon felt himself being lifted into the air. His waist was dropped onto something roughly, his arms and legs were dangling. " I think she just put me over her shoulder. " he thought incredulously.

The amazon turned and started to walk. Jon tugged at the rope that bound his hands. There was no way he was getting out of it. He lifted his hands to his eyes and pulled up the cloth with his thumb. Below him he saw the ground, the back of the amazons legs, and her butt.

" Jeez, she's carrying me with no problem. I am a shrimp compared to her so it's not that unbelievable. "

The woman was only supporting him with one hand on the small of his back. Admittedly, he was sporting a minor stiffy. " I really hope she doesn't notice. "

Jon remained quiet for awhile, trying not to piss off the amazon. He periodically checked their progress and at some point they had gotten on a dirt path. Becoming very bored, Jon decided to try striking up a conversation.

" So, what's your name? I'd rather not refer to you as Amazon. "

The amazon didn't answer. " Come on. Even if I was working for Aphrodite, which I'm not, what harm could you telling me your name be? "

" Phoebe. "

" Alright. Nice to meet you, Phoebe. I'm Jon. "

" Be quiet, Jon. "

" Okay, but I have one more question. How far are we from this city? "

" Not far. "

Jon sighed and fell silent again. Not long after that, Jon heard a new female voice call out. " Phoebe? Is that you? "

In the distance he could hear multiple voices chattering and smell meat cooking.

" Yes, Asteria. It is me. "

" What's that on your shoulder? Didn't you just come sell the other day? "

" It is a man. I am bringing him to Queen Thermodosa. "

Jon heard steps running closer to him and Phoebe.

" What? Why? "

" I believe he is an agent of Aphrodite. He called out to her and reeks of her magic. "

" Oh, my. Wait a minute. I thought you said he was a man. He's the size of young boy. "

" He's been shrunken. Probably to get around without difficulty. "

As the two talked the sounds of many people talking grew louder.

" Can I escort Phoebe? "

" Fine, but just to the temple and then you come back. You're not getting out of guard duty that easily. " a deep female voice answered.

" Yes, ma'am. " Asteria fell in beside Phoebe.

Asteria waited a few moments, then started to talk again " So, what did he say? "

" He insists he does not work for Aphrodite and claims to be her plaything. Says he fell off her ship and washed ashore here. "

" Not the best liar is he? "

" I'm not lying! It's the truth. " Jon piped up.

" Quiet. "

" Ahhh! He speaks! Does he have a name? "

" It's Jon. "

" Did I not just tell you to be quiet? " Phoebe said with anger creeping into her voice.

" Don't get mad at him, Phoebe. I did ask him. "

The two amazons started to talk about Asteria's guard duty. When Jon heard the hustle and bustle of crowds of people, he deduced they were in the city. He could smell fire, freshly cooked meat, and other scents he didn't know. Every voice he heard was female.

" I really am on the Isle of Amazons. " he though bewildered.

Aphrodite's innocent offer to work on her cruise ship had become very strange, very quickly. He was being taken to see the queen of the amazons for fucks sake! What Jon really wanted was to be back on Aphrodite's ship in bed with Alexis.

" Of course. Right after I get my first girlfriend, I wind up on a mythical island. Just my luck. "

Eventually the sounds of the crowd started to fade away. All Jon heard was the amazons foot steps and the clank of metal. A few minutes later, a new female voice called out.

" Halt! What is your business at the temple? "

" I have come to show this man to the queen. I believe he is Aphrodite's spy. " Phoebe answered.

There was a moment of silence. " So be it. I'll take you inside. "

" I'll see you on your way out of the city, Phoebe. " Asteria said.

" Goodbye, Asteria. "

The new amazon lead Phoebe without a word. Jon noticed that Phoebe suddenly felt very tense. He was bounced on Phoebe's shoulder while he assumed she went up some stairs. The creak of wood sounded off ahead of him. Afterwards their foot steps echoed.

" What is this? " yet another new voice said.

" This sister believes she has found a spy of Aphrodite. She wishes to take him to the queen to see what is to be done with him. "

There was another creak of wood. " I am truly sorry to intrude, my queen. But this is a matter for your judgement. "

" There is no need to be sorry, Clonie. What is the problem? "

Phoebe heaved Jon off her shoulder and set him on his feet. He was spun around, then forced onto his knees. The cloth was removed from his eyes. Jon had been brought into a large chamber. The entirety of it was made of grey stone. Small barred windows were on the walls to his left and right with torches between them. Tall, grey pillars lined the chamber around him. He was kneeling on a purple carpet. Amazons clad in bronze Greek armor stood on both sides of the carpet. They each had a helm, a cuirass shaped to their chest, greaves, a sheathed sword, and a spear in hand. Every one of them was scowling at Jon.

At the head of the room was a woman seated on a grey throne. She was exceptionally large like every other amazon in the room, she looked about Phoebe's size. Her long black hair was done into a tight braid that hung over her shoulder. She wore a dark purple robe with black leather armor underneath. Black cloth pants covered her legs down to her knee and black leather boots went from her knee down to her toes. The whole time he'd been inspecting his surroundings she looked at him curiously, tapping a finger on her armrest.

" So that's Queen Thermodosa. Jon thought.

" And who is this? " she finally asked.

" This sister found him. She believes he is an agent of Aphrodite. " Clonie replied.

" It would appear he is. What is your name, sister? " Thermodosa pointed to Phoebe.

Phoebe put a fist to her chest and bowed. " Phoebe, my queen. "

" Phoebe, tell me how you came to capture this man. "

Phoebe began to recite her story. Apparently, she was a hunter. She was hunting in the jungle when Jon came into her sight. She waited, but when he yelled for Aphrodite she knew she had to capture him. Then she recounted their short conversation. Thermodosa rose from her throne. " You claim you are Aphrodite's plaything, man? "

" Yes, I am. "

" For a spy, you are not a good liar. The gods are not allowed to interfere in the lives of humans. Aphrodite should have told you a better lie to tell. "

" I'm not lying! It's all the truth! "

The amazons nearest to Jon pointed their spears at him. " At ease. At ease. I cannot take what you say to be true on good faith. You have obviously been touched by Aphrodite's magic. We cannot allow you to leave this island, but we cannot kill you for you may have valuable information about Aphrodite. Our goddess is busy in Olympus. We will keep you here until she can come. She will decide what to do with you. "

" What?! No! Please! You have to believe me! Please, let me go! "

" No, you are now our prisoner. There is a problem however. Our cells are too large for you and if Aphrodite does send more agents to look for you they'll look in the city first. "

" If I may, my queen. I do not live in the city. I live in a cabin in the jungle. It is very hard to find if you haven't been there before. My hunting hawk recently died. It had a large cage that I was going to sell. I think it is big enough to hold this man. Perhaps I can hold him there until the goddess is free to return. " Phoebe suggested.

Thermodosa thought about it for a few moments. " It sounds like a good plan. My soldiers will escort you back to your cabin. When our goddess returns they will come and take the man. Phoebe, whatever happens make sure he does not leave this island alive before the goddess returns. "

Phoebe put her fist to her chest and nodded. She reached down and brought Jon to his feet.

" Wait! Wait a minute! Who's your goddess? " Jon yelled.

" Athena, of course. " Thermodosa said returning to her throne.

The cloth was wrapped around Jon's eyes again, leaving him blind. Phoebe lifted him onto her shoulder and carried him out of the temple.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 7

" What do you mean you don't know where he is?! " Alexis yelled.

" Exactly what I said. He's completely disappeared. I can't even locate him. There are very few ways that could happen. Also, you would be wise not to yell at me. " Aphrodite replied.

The two were in Alexis' room. Alexis sat Indian style on the bed, Aphrodite leaned against the wall with her arms folded on her chest. Earlier that morning, Alexis had woken up to find Jon gone. He wasn't on the balcony or in the bathroom. The only sign he had even been in the room was his shorts, boxers, and shoes in a heap at the foot of the bed. Alexis called for Aphrodite, who quickly appeared.

She assumed Aphrodite had made Jon start work, but the goddess said she hadn't done anything with him. After that Aphrodite lapsed into silence with a determined look on her face, then paled. She proclaimed that she didn't know where Jon was.

" Sorry, I'm just worried about him. What are these ways? "

" More than likely another god has taken him to spite me. As the goddess of love I have many enemies. "

" Another god? "

" Yes. Did you think I was the only Greek god still around? Hmmm... I have to go to Olympus. Call a meeting of the gods. Do not worry, Alexis. I will find our Jon and have him returned safely. "

With that, the goddess disappeared in the blink of an eye. Alexis' vision became blurred by tears. " Please be okay, Jon. " she said putting a hand over her eyes.

__________________________________________________________

The ride to Phoebe's cabin was very long. After he was taken out of the temple, two soldiers were chosen to escort Jon and the huntress. A horse drawn wagon was brought for them to use. The soldiers took the front seat and the reins. Phoebe climbed into the back and set Jon on the wooden bench next to her. The wagon was bumpy and the bench incredibly rough on his bare legs.

As they rode back through the city, Jon could hear amazons talking about him.

" What is going on? "

" Why is that man so small? "

" Where are they taking him? "

Jon remained quiet, deep in thought. Of all the islands for him to end up on, he washes ashore the Isle of Amazons. That couldn't be a coincidence. The obvious choice was Athena had done it. It was clear Aphrodite wasn't welcome on this island and it didn't make sense for her to put him here. No, it had to be Athena. The question was why? Why did she want him here? She could want information on Aphrodite, but Jon didn't know shit about her. He would have to ask Athena when he saw her.

Jon was fairly surprised to learn about the other Greek gods. The thought had crossed his mind, but never lasted long with Aphrodite's constant games. If Aphrodite was real, all the others must be real too. With gods like Hades and Ares he was almost glad Aphrodite found him. Her tricks and games were hard to forget however.

After awhile, the sounds of the city faded away. They were replaced with the rattle of the wagon and insects buzzing. Jon decided to try his luck once more. " Phoebe, please I'm telling the truth. This is all a big misunderstanding. I haven't done anything. "

" The queen has already spoken. You are our prisoner. Now be quiet. " she said monotone.

The rest of the ride went without any talking. Eventually, they had to leave the trail and go into the jungle. Phoebe's cabin was deep inside so there were no paths to it. Jon was placed back on Phoebe's shoulder for the hike. Sometime later, Phoebe suddenly spoke up. " Here it is. Will you two remember how to get here? "

" Yes, sister. Do you want any help locking up the prisoner? "

" No, I can handle him. "

" We shall return when the goddess arrives. " The two soldiers footsteps slowly disappeared.

Phoebe stomped up what felt and heard like wooden steps. Something soft swept over him. Jon was set on a rough wooden surface and the blindfold was removed. Phoebe's cabin was one large room made entirely of wood. There was a bedroll laid out in the far corner with a roughly sewn red blanket thrown over it. Three oil lanterns were nailed to the walls throughout the room. A large cloth was hung in an uneven doorway. A basket full of animal furs and cloths sat near the doorway. Folded up cloth, assorted baskets, and various ropes were in the corner nearest the door. Finally, the birdcage Phoebe had talked about stood in the corner of the wall he was leaning on.

The amazon stood in front of him, gazing down at him with interest in her eyes. Jon's eyes wondered to his dirty feet. A rope with two round stones was tied around his ankles. " Holy shit! Is that a bolas? "

" Yes, it is. " Phoebe answered crouching down.

She pulled a small knife out of her boot and cut the rope of the bolas, freeing his legs. The rope around his wrists was also cut. Jon rubbed at them and his ankles.

" Stand up. " the amazon said rising to her full height.

Jon did as she asked. Phoebe walked over to the cage and undid the lock. She came back to Jon, put her hands under his arm pits, and hoisted him up.

" Whoa! Whoa! Come on! Please, don't put me in there! Why would I run? I'd die out there by myself. "

Jon was shoved into the cage. The lock was clamped back into place. The cage was too small for him to stand up, so he had to bring his knees up to his chest and sit. If he moved too fast, the cage swayed uneasily.

" This thing is way too small for me. Isn't there a better option? "

" No. I do not know what you are capable of. You could be a trained assassin or worse. This is your home until the goddess returns. "

" You've got to be kidding me. If I could do anything, don't you think I would have by now? "

Phoebe walked over to the bedroll and dropped her bag on the floor next to it. She leaned her bow and quiver on the wall. " I'm going to cook us some dinner. Do not try anything funny. "

The amazon brushed the cloth out of her way as she left the cabin. Jon sighed at his own misfortune. His eyes went to the cages lock. There was a large rusty padlock hooked over the latch. Jon didn't much care, he had no plans of escaping. He wasn't lying earlier, he truly didn't like his chances alone in the jungle.

After all, he was only two feet tall and his survival knowledge was slim to none. Besides even if he could escape, the amazon didn't seem to have any qualms about killing him. No, Jon would wait and get some answers from Athena. He had to know why he'd been brought here. He wished his cell was just a bit more comfortable.

Sometime later, Phoebe returned with some cooked meat stabbed on a knife. As she walked through the doorway, he saw it was dark outside. The huntress walked up to the cage and held up the knife.

" Take it. "

Jon hesitated, looking at the knife suspiciously.

" If I was going to hurt you I would have already. I do not know how long you are going to be out here. If you do not eat, you might die of starvation. The queen would not be pleased. "

Jon still didn't move.

" I could always force-feed you. "

Carefully, he reached out and took the meat. Without eating any food all day, he was quite hungry and quickly ate it.

" That is all I can spare for now. You are a prisoner after all. "

Phoebe walked to her bed and kicked off her boots. Jon couldn't help but take a look. Not surprisingly, her feet were the largest he'd ever seen. He couldn't venture a guess what size they would be. Phoebe's feet were long and slender. The second toe was longer than her big toe. He was surprised to see her feet were relatively clean and her toenails trim. Jon's member began to stir at the sight of them.

" I hope you did not try to contact Aphrodite again. Her magic cannot touch this island. Nor can any other gods. Neither can they set foot here without the goddesses permission. Except of course for Zeus and Poseidon. "

" Well, you don't need to worry. I didn't try and don't plan to. "

" You are smarter than any other man I have met. "

" I suppose I'll take that as a compliment. "

The amazon suddenly started to undress, not even caring about Jon. He turned his head, but stole glances out of the corner of his eye. When she was completely nude, she went around the room and blew out the lamps.

" Try to get some sleep. " Phoebe said laying down on the bedroll.

" Isn't it kinda early for bed? "

" You do not have to go to sleep. I am though. Good night. "

" Doubt I'll be able to in this thing. "

Phoebe didn't reply. Jon sighed and adjusted himself so he was remotely comfortable. It took some time, but eventually sleep found him...

__________________________________________________________

Jon's eyes slowly blinked open. A gigantic brown wood entertainment center with an old TV was in front of him. Below him was an expanse of polished wood. Something soft was pressed up against his back. His feet were dangling in open air.

When he tried to move his arms, he found them held at his sides. A sticky substance clung to the hair on his arms. Jon looked down to see a large white piece of tape across his midsection. He noticed a familiar scent filling his nostrils.

" No... " he thought, a chill creeping through him.

To his left and right was a wrinkled, caramel colored surface. Up above him, five monstrous toes loomed over him.

" Nooooo!! " Jon screamed.

" Ah! Sounds like someone's awake! " Ingrid said happily.

She twisted her foot so her sole was facing her. " Hello, Jonathan. "

" Let me go! I won this game already! "

" Oh, the game is just starting. We're gonna spend a long time together. " With that, Ingrid drove her foot into the floor. Jon felt agonizing pain and blacked out.

__________________________________________________________

Jon's imprisonment with Phoebe was nothing compared to his time with Ingrid. For the most part, Phoebe acted like he wasn't even there. Every now and again they would talk for a short time, then it was back to silence. He didn't really count when he asked her for something. Even though she was his jailer, Phoebe wasn't mean to him without reason. He was careful to never give her a reason.

Every night, nightmares of Ingrid haunted him. She tortured him in many different ways. If it continued much longer, he worried for his mental health. In the morning, the huntress would feed him and leave him a leather flask full of water while she went hunting. She'd only be gone a few hours.

When nature called, Phoebe would tie up his hands with a long rope and hold one end while he went into the bushes and did his business. Not very sanitary, but he couldn't be picky. Jon had also gotten many bug bites in his time on the island. After two days of not washing himself in the humid jungle, he began to smell awfully bad. Phoebe took him to a nearby river to clean off.

This time she tied the rope around his waist so he could wash effectively. All the time he cleaned off, the amazon sat on the river bank with a small smile on her face. Afterwards, Phoebe wouldn't return Jon's shirt. She said it was a ragged, foul mess and she would find something better without Aphrodite's symbol.

The next day she gave him a shirt that was still big, but not as bad, and leather boots that were much too large. They were better than nothing however. To be honest, his situation wasn't nearly as bad as he originally thought.

__________________________________________________________

One night, four days after his capture, Phoebe came back from hunting very mad.

" Catch anything good? " Jon asked from his cage.

" No. " she growled limping over to her bedroll.

She threw down her bag and her bow roughly. He automatically knew something was wrong. Phoebe's bow was her most prized possession, she had carved it herself. She always took great care of it.

" Whoa. What's wrong? "

Phoebe flopped down on her bedroll and started tugging off her boots. " I was hunting a deer for the better part of the day. When I finally had the kill shot, something snapped a twig and it got spooked. It ran away and I chased after it. I was so focused on following it, I didn't see a hole in the ground. I think I might have sprained my ankle. The deer got away and both my feet hurt terribly. " she said rubbing at her foot.

Jon's member hardened as she spoke. " I-I can help with that. " he said trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.

" I cannot ask you to do that. You are my prisoner. "

" Come on. I think I've earned the right to get out of the cage. And I wouldn't leave you here alone hurt. It's the least I can do for all you've done for me. "

Phoebe thought it over for a few moments. " Fine. If you try to run, I will hunt you down like a dog. I do not care if I am injured. "

" I promise I won't try anything. I just want to help. "

Shakily, Phoebe stood up and moved towards the cage.

" Yes! This just got ten times better! " Jon thought happily.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 8

Phoebe slowly opened the cage. Jon guessed she was still weary to let him out. Once the cage was open, the amazon stumbled back on her bad ankle.

" I kinda need your help to get down. Unless you want me to sprain my ankle too. "

She carefully reached in and grabbed him under the arms, then set him on the floor.

" Do you have any bandages? They'd help if you did sprain your ankles. "

" The small basket. " Phoebe said pointing to all the supplies in the far corner.

Jon went to the basket she pointed at and got a roll of bandages. Phoebe had gone back to her bedroll and laid out. He approached her feet, trying to hide his erection. Every night for the past four days when Phoebe went to sleep, Jon admired her large feet whenever they peeked out from under the blanket. Four days without touching any woman's feet had left him with an incredible urge. Especially after months of Aphrodite's games.

" Hold up the bad ankle. " he said unwinding a length of bandage.The huntress held up her right foot. Jon started to wrap up her foot with care. " Intro To Sports Med finally pays off. "

Phoebe's foot was gigantic. At his size, standing up her foot would come up to his waist at least. A few minutes later, he finished and ripped the bandage from the roll.

" You're gonna have to take it easy for awhile. Don't stay on it for very long and no running. Give me that extra pillow. "

Phoebe tossed it to him. " How long must I rest? I need to go back out and hunt. "

" No, no, no. You can't. You have to rest at least 4 weeks. "

" No! Hunting is my livelihood! If I do not hunt, I do not make money. "

" I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. If you try you'll just make it worse. No, we'll think of something else. " Jon said putting the pillow underneath her injured foot.

Her other foot suddenly kicked out, pushing him back. " How do you intend to stop me, puny man? "

" I don't! I'm just telling you what's best for you! If you want to make it worse, go for it! " he yelled.

Phoebe's eyes softened slightly. " I am sorry, Jon. I am not used to a man speaking to me in such a way. "

" It's okay. I understand. "

" Thank you for your help. I appreciate it. "

" Well, that's not all I can do. I have other talents. You said your feet hurt, right? "

Phoebe nodded with a confused expression.

Jon moved up to her left foot. " Don't kick me again. "

He started to work his hands into her sole. Her skin was somewhat rough and calloused. Nothing too bad and Jon had expected it to be much worse. Her sole had multiple wrinkles spread across it. There was no chance his hands would fit around her wide foot, so he grabbed the sides and worked his thumbs in. As he rubbed, Phoebe sighed in pleasure.

" Dear gods... That feels amazing, Jon. " she said getting more comfortable.

" I've had a lot of practice. "

" Is this what you meant by being Aphrodite's plaything? You had to give her foot rubs? "

" Kind of. Not only her. "

" You must enjoy it. "

" What? Why do you say that? "

" You have a large grin on your face and your penis is erect. "

Jon froze in place. He looked up to see the amazon looking back at him with a knowing smile. Looking down, he saw his member was poking up into his shirt.

" Uhh... Yeah, you caught me. I have a foot fetish. " he said continuing the massage.

" I assume that means you like feet, correct? "

" Yes. "

" I have never heard of a man that likes feet. You become more and more interesting. "

" Thanks, I guess. "

" There is no need to be embarrassed, Jon. On this island, men are trained to worship women. It does not seem strange to me. In fact, I like it. And this massage is fantastic. "

" So, men are slaves here. "

" For lack of a better word, yes they are. Not many are on the island. We let them stay on the island for when a sister wants to have a child. Every child born on this island is a girl. The goddess made it so long ago. "

" Wow. That's... Interesting. " he said failing to think of a better word.

" Mmmhmmm. " Phoebe answered.

Jon spent the next hour rubbing her feet. When he finished her left foot he moved to her right foot and massaged it cautiously. By the time he was done, his member was near bursting. He moved away from the bedroll and exploded onto the wood planks. The huntress chuckled from the head of the bedroll.

" Sorry, I don't have much self control. " Jon said shyly.

" It is fine, Jon. I do not mind. I find it flattering. "

" Heh, heh. Alright. Think you're up for putting me back in my cage? "

" No, I thought you could share my bed for tonight. Payment for the massage. That cage must be quite uncomfortable. "

" Oh, okay. Thanks. "

Phoebe stood up shakily and blew out the lanterns. Jon laid down on the bedroll. It was infinitely more comfortable then the the cage. Phoebe returned to the bedroll and laid on her back, propping her foot up on the pillow again.

" Do you want that pillow? "

" No, it's okay. Just the bed is nice enough. "

" Well, thank you for the massage. "

" You're welcome. "

" Good night, Jon. "

" Night, Phoebe. "

He turned on his side, facing away from the amazon. It took some time, but eventually he drifted off to sleep.

______________________________________________________________

" Phoebe! You awake? " someone yelled.

Jon sat up, rubbing at his eyes. Phoebe was already up and grabbing a length of rope.

" Hold on! " she called back. She turned back to Jon. " Oh, you're awake. The soldiers are here to take you to the city. The goddess has returned. "

" What? Already? "

" Yes. I need to tie your hands up again. They do not trust you as I have come to. "

" Alright. Let me put my boots on. "

Jon went over to the cage and pulled on his too large boots. He definitely wasn't going to miss the cage. Phoebe tied up his hands and lead him out of the cabin. Asteria, the amazon from the other day, was standing outside with another amazon he didn't recognize.

" Phoebe? What happened? " Asteria asked seeing her bandaged ankle.

" I was out hunting and I was careless. There is no need to worry. I just need rest for a few weeks. "

" Okay. We're here to collect the prisoner. The goddess is here. "

Jon trudged down the steps of Phoebe's cabin. He walked up to Asteria. " Before you take me, I have one request. "

" You don't get to make requests, man. " the other amazon growled.

" Let's at least hear him out. Last request. "

" Thank you. I want someone to take care of Phoebe while she heals. She can't be very active, so she can't hunt. "

Asteria was quiet for a moment, then a small smile crept across her face. " Don't worry, little man. I'll take care of her once I deliver you to the temple. "

" Thank you. "

The other amazon stepped forward. " Enough chit chat. We need to put a blindfold on you and get moving. The goddess is waiting. " She pulled a strip of cloth from her belt and tied it around his eyes.

Asteria picked him up and set him on her shoulder. " Goodbye, Phoebe. " Asteria said.

" Bye, Phoebe. Thanks for everything. " Jon called.

" Goodbye. " Phoebe called. She may have been his jailer, but he had come to like her. A part of him was going to miss that cabin. Now, however, he had to worry about who he was going to see. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and courage.

__________________________________________________________

The ride back to the city was incredibly long, just like he remembered. Asteria sat in the back of the wagon with him while the other amazon had the reins. When they arrived at the temple, he was lifted out of the wagon and the blindfold removed. Asteria and the amazon left with the wagon and two soldiers took him through the temple. They brought him to large wooden doors where the queen stood with two more soldiers.

" Come, man. The goddess awaits in the Sacred Garden. "

The doors were pushed open to reveal a curving stone staircase that went outside of the temple, with trees and vines hanging low on both sides. The small group marched up the cracked steps with the queen at the head. She wore the same black leather armor from the other day without the purple robe. Her arms were bare with black leather bracers on her wrists.

Fifteen minutes later, they came to a tall stone wall at the top of the stairs. It was overgrown with vines and moss, a metal gate was built into it. Thermodosa approached the gate.

" Guards. Stay here. The goddess wishes to speak to this man privately. " She placed a hand on the gate, which swung open by itself. " Enter, man. "

Jon walked through the gate, Thermodosa trailed behind him. Once they were both inside, the gate closed. The Sacred Garden was a giant walled courtyard with no roof. There were three pillars to the left and right of Jon, damaged and covered in vines. The ground was stone, but grass had grown through cracks. Planters were spread throughout the courtyard, all of them overgrown. Statues of men and women in various poses stood sentry across the garden.

Each was wearing armor and had a weapon of some kind. On the far side of the courtyard was a white marble fountain with running crystal blue water. Atop the fountain was the largest statue of them all. A blinding flash of light suddenly exploded out of thin air in front of the fountain. Jon was forced to look away.

When he looked back, the light had faded enough to reveal a person standing where the light came from. A normal sized woman stood on the spot. Her size was the only thing normal about the woman however. The woman wore a long, white dress that revealed nothing except for her arms. A bronze helm adorned her head, only showing her eyes and mouth. Golden bracelets were on each of her wrists. An owl was perched on her shoulder. The woman looked exactly like the statue.

Thermodosa put her hand on Jon's shoulder and shoved him forward. " Do not make the goddess wait for you any longer. Walk. "

He walked towards the woman who could only be Athena. Thermodosa brought him in front of the goddess, then kicked his knee out from under him.

" Bow in the presence of the goddess. " she said getting down on one knee.

After a moment, the goddess spoke. " Welcome to the Isle of Amazons, Jonathan.You may rise. I apologize for any rudeness my daughters have done to you. "

" My lady? " Thermodosa asked, confusion on her face.

" Remain silent, my daughter. I have important matters to discuss with this man. "

Thermodosa stood up, placed a fist on her chest, and backed away.

" Um, thank you. Nothing too bad happened. Worse has been done to me. "

" Yes, I already know. "

" What are these important matters you mentioned? "

" First, let's remove those bindings. " Athena raised her hand and the rope fell limp from his wrists.

" As you have figured out, I am the one who had you brought to this island. At the cost of some favors, a few other magical beings helped. "

" Why did you want me here? "

" Most importantly, to get you away from Aphrodite. I have been watching what she's been doing to you for some time now. And I decided I would help you. "

Jon tried to say something, but was at a lose for words.

" I won't lie to you, Jonathan. I have an ulterior motive in helping you. I want to teach Aphrodite a lesson. Long ago, Zeus made it a rule that we gods cannot meddle in the lives of mortals anymore. Our time had passed. Mortals needed to move on and continue growing. Aphrodite has never obeyed that rule, as you now know. After all this time, she has become arrogant. Ruining mortals lives for fun. She has never been caught in the act. She hides her tracks well, but then she found you. "

Jon suddenly found his voice. " What do you mean? "

" Aphrodite has taken an uncanny liking to you. Unlike any other mortal before you. She talks to you on a near daily basis. She gives you what you want... most of the time. She hasn't killed you or driven you insane. "

" Yet. " he thought sarcastically.

" No, not yet. You are special for some reason. Admittedly, that's one of the main reasons I chose you. With your help, we can put an end to Aphrodite's games. "

Jon's mind was reeling from everything Athena was telling him. " So, the reason you brought me to this island is to stop Aphrodite? And you need my help to do it? Me? A mortal? "

" Yes, you are the closest person to her that she has the least to fear from. What could a mere mortal do to her? More then she knows. Before I tell you anything else of my plan, you must decide. Will you help me teach Aphrodite a lesson? Or just continue being her slave for the rest of your life? "

He opened his mouth to speak, but paused. Would he put an end to Aphrodite's games? The goddess of love had given him his deepest desires. She also had put him through some terrible experiences. Namely, his imprisonment with Ingrid. A more important concern struck him.

" Wait. If I do help you, won't Aphrodite be furious? She'd torture me for real. "

" I promise she will never harm you again. You'll never hear from her again. "

" How can you make that promise? "

" It's all part of my plan. I'll explain more once you make your decision. "

Jon contemplated on the offer further. Freedom from Aphrodite did sound amazing. He would be in control of his own life again. He and Alexis could be happy together without worry. Hopefully, taking part in Athena's plan would bring him back to her. The thought was enough to seal his decision.

" Alright, I'm in. What's your plan? "

" Excellent. I warn you now this is likely going to be a long term plan. Now, I'm going to trust you with forbidden information. If you tell anyone I do not deem worthy, there will be serious consequences. I swear it. Do you understand? " Athena said quietly.

As she spoke, an unnerving energy seeped into the air. Jon found he was shaking slightly. " Yes, I understand. "

" Good. Now, you have extensively seen what we gods can do. Have you ever wondered where our power comes from? We do not have them naturally. Each god has an object of power. That is where the magic comes from. We gods must always have this possession with us to use our powers. Every item allows some different powers. Think. What item does Aphrodite always have with her? "

He searched his memory for all the times he'd seen the goddess in person. There was one thing that she wore consistently with all her outfits. " Her necklace. The gold one with the red ruby. "

" You're a bright young man. Correct, that's Aphrodite's object. Without our items, we are powerless. Although, we are still immortal. So don't get any ideas. I just want to teach her a lesson, nothing more. If one of our items is stolen, we all fight to get it back. Unless, it's taken as a punishment. This is where you come in. "

" You want me to steal from Aphrodite?! That's suicide! "

" Calm down. Keep listening. Aphrodite breaking Zeus's rule is more than enough for a punishment. We just need to prove it. If Zeus ever arrives when you're around, she would immediately change your memory to cover her tracks. If you take her necklace before he arrives, she wouldn't be able to do anything. Once Zeus saw the truth in your memory, he would have no problem with punishing her and giving you immunity from all the gods. "

" How am I supposed to get close enough to steal her necklace? Aphrodite is far from stupid. She'd read my mind before I could even move. "

" That's where this comes in. "

Athena lifted a fist in front of Jon's face and opened it to reveal a chain dangling from her fingers. The chain was made of a dark metal and had a small coin attached to it. The coin had strange symbols etched on it that Jon didn't recognize or understand.

" What is it? "

" A Chthonian coin. Chthonian's are one of the few things that can kill a god. Their purpose is to make sure the gods never turn against humanity. If we ever did, they would be sent out to stop us. It would be a gruesome, long war. If the Chthonian's failed, they had a back up. These coins. Our magic doesn't work on mortals who wear this coin. They would give all of these to the mortals in the hopes of stopping us. I managed to get one. "

" Wow. So, you send me back to Aphrodite's ship with this and when she shows up I grab her necklace? "

" No, it's not that simple. If you are wearing this, she won't be able to read your mind. She will be automatically suspicious. You have to wait until she is totally at ease. I have an idea, but I'll explain that another time. Before we even attempt this, you need training. "

" Training? "

" Aphrodite's magic won't affect you directly while you are wearing the coin, but she can still use her magic in other ways. The plan would have a better chance of success if you had some skill in combat. "

" Alright. I'll give anything a try to help make this plan work. "

" We will wait awhile for you to train. When I feel you are ready, I'll return to the island and explain the rest of the plan. Then it begins. "

" Okay. "

" Thermodosa. This man is no longer a prisoner, he is a guest to the island. Arrange a place for him to sleep and the best trainer available. "

Thermodosa put a fist to her chest. " Yes, my lady. "

" Goodbye, Jonathan. Best of luck with your training. "

" Wait. Be honest. Did you have anything to do with the dreams I've been having? The ones about Ingrid. "

A smile broke out across Athena's face. " Indeed, I have. I struck a deal with one of the Oneiroi, Icelus. He is the god of nightmares. "

" Why though? "

" To help convince you. "

Jon hesitated a moment, then started to walk out of the garden with Thermodosa.

Athena watched him leave. " I truly hope this ends well. " The goddess disappeared with a strong gust of wind.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 9

Aphrodite floated above the water just off the Isle of Amazons. She was certain Jon was somewhere on the island, but she couldn't set foot on it. When she had learned of Jon's mysterious disappearance her first guess as to who took him was Athena. The two had never gotten along in there long lives. Aphrodite loved to mess with her, which drove her mad.

As to why Athena took him, she still didn't know. Sending an army onto the island would be so simple. Those thuggish amazons could fight well, but even they couldn't handle a few thousand soldiers. Sadly, that wasn't a possibility. Zeus wouldn't have gods fighting against each other. The punishment for starting a war would be severe. No, Jon was stuck for the time being. Hopefully, he'd find a way to escape on his own. Jon was smart for a mortal. If anyone could do it, he could.

" You will regret this Athena. " she said shimmering away.

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Jon followed the soldier, staying close behind her. The meeting with Athena had ended the previous day. Thermodosa had not been pleased with Athena's orders. The whole descent back to the temple, she walked with barely controlled anger. It was pretty frightening.

She ordered her soldiers to bring him to the city barracks. Two soldiers lead him on a long walk that spanned most of the city. The city mainly consisted of two to three story buildings. The buildings had open windows and either wooden or no doors. Every building was a different shade of brown stone. Hundreds of amazons walked the dirt streets. They all wore a wide variety of clothes.

Some wore leather armor, others wore fine robes and animal pelts. The rest were guards in bronze armor. Almost everyone carried some kind of weapon. Swords and knifes were predominant. During the walk, Jon saw for the first time the size these women could grow to. Looking around, he guessed the average height for amazons was about 8 to 9 feet tall. Some were even larger than that. Among the " normal sized " amazons on the street, Jon saw one that must've at least been 12 feet tall.

Multiple street vendors were set up in front of the buildings selling everything from fruit to swords. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the barracks. The barracks was a low and long building made out of gray stone. The soldiers opened the door to a wide open dining hall with long tables and benches. A few random soldiers walked around or sat at the tables.

" There are always some soldiers staying here. Find a room that's unoccupied. A soldier will come in the morning to take you to your trainer. Other than training, you are free to come and go as you please. Don't try anything funny. "

With that, the soldiers left him. As he walked towards a doorway, the amazons in the hall gave him strange looks. He went down a hallway with doors on each side. Each room appeared to be a bedroom. Jon found one that looked open and closed the door behind him.

The small room only had a bed on a frame, a flat topped chest next to it, and a oil lantern on the chest. He was very grateful to see an actual bed. He took his boots off and hoisted himself onto the bed. The rough sheets were actually quite comfortable. Jon laid in silence thinking about the days events for awhile.

Four months ago, he never believed in Greek gods. He had met two now and was part of a plan to stop ones twisted games. Jon's life had become much more exciting then he ever would have thought possible. The next morning, a soldier woke him up. She told him to eat something and they'd be on their way.

Jon went out to the dining hall and ate some bread, a banana, then washed it all down with cool water. Now, he followed the soldier on another walk through the city. Today, he noticed some amazons had men trailing behind them. All the men he saw wore raggedy clothes, but looked in good health. Seeing other normal humans still much bigger than him was unsettling. Being two feet tall was getting old.

One of the men made direct eye contact and gave Jon a solemn nod. The best he could think to do in response was nod back with an awkward smile. The soldier took him to a two story brown building. There were narrow open windows on the second floor. Other than that, the building was average and nondescript compared to the other buildings. With a lot of effort, the soldier pushed open the door.

" Your trainers in there. She doesn't like men very much, but she's the best available. Try not to get killed. "

" Gee, thanks. " he said as she left him.

Jon entered the building slowly. The entrance of the building had a large wooden table in the center of the room. The ceiling covered the first and second floor of the entry. A staircase with a metal bannister led up to the second floor which had large balcony looking out to the entry. The walls and floor were same brown color. Sunlight flooded in through the high open windows.

Suddenly, an amazon walked through an archway in the far wall. The amazon was about the same height as Phoebe, if not slightly taller. She had straight, brown hair that went all the way down to the small of her back. A brown cloth garment covered only her breast, revealing her muscular abdomen. She wore a ragged cloth skirt and was barefoot. The amazon scowled when she saw him.

" You must be Jonathan. " she said approaching him.

Jon watched her feet as she stepped in front of him. " Um, yes. You can just call me Jon though. You must be my trainer. What's your name? " he said snapping out of his reverie.

He held up his hand for a handshake. The amazon just starred at his outstretched hand.

" I am Evandre. Come. We will start immediately. "

Evandre turned away and walked back through the archway. Jon had to jog to keep up with her long strides. His first impressions of Evandre were she was very intimidating and seemed like a no bullshit type of person. The amazon led him down a long hallway to another archway that went out to a courtyard. There were rafters high above without any roofing, so sunlight streamed down.

In the center of the courtyard was a large walled in area. The wall was wooden and stood about 5 feet tall. A man was leaning against the wall next to a built-in gate. The ground of the courtyard was dirt. Evandre walked to the gate with Jon trailing behind her.

" This is Nathan, my servant. He is going to help me assess your skill level. Have you had any previous training? "

" I took karate lessons when I was younger. "

" Hmmm, let's begin. " Evandre undid the bolt on the gate. " Take off your boots, Jon. You aren't trying to seriously hurt each other. "

Jon tugged off his boots and entered what he could only assume was a fighting ring. Nathan went to the center of the ring and turned to face him. Nathan was of average height, but even then he was considerably taller than Jon. He looked to be in his late thirties- early forties and was bald headed. He was very muscular as well. An ugly scar slashed across his left cheek.

Fear started to creep into Jon's stomach. He wasn't sure he'd even be able to beat Nathan in a fight at his normal size.

" Take it easy on him, Nathan. We're just seeing what he can do. " Evandre called leaning with her elbows on the wall surrounding them.

Nathan nodded. " You're move. " he said watching Jon carefully.

Jon put his fists up. He had only been in two fights in his life. Once in elementary school and another his freshman year of high school. He wasn't a super experienced fighter, but he could hold his own. Except now he was facing a seemingly experienced fighter and was only two feet tall.

" Here goes nothing. "

Jon ran at Nathan and punched upwards, hoping to hit him in the stomach. Nathan easily sidestepped out of the way. Jon's forward momentum made him go sprawling onto the ground.

" You're going to have to do better than that. That was far too slow. " Evandre called.

Jon jumped up and began throwing a barrage of punches. Nathan swatted each of them away like they were annoying flies. Realizing he was getting nowhere, Jon faked a punch and kicked out at Nathan's knee. The kick connected, but Nathan didn't flinch. Instead, he caught Jon's heel and kicked his other leg out from under him.

Jon landed in the dirt on his back. Nathan offered him a hand up, which Jon accepted grudgingly.

" This is getting nowhere. Let's see how you are at defending. Don't give him any debilitating injuries, Nathan. I still need to train him. " Evandre called.

" Get ready. " Nathan said.

Jon put up his fists again. Nathan suddenly rushed forward and kicked right through Jon's guard. Jon took the full force of the kick right in his stomach, knocking the air out of him. He landed on his back, gasping for breath. Nathan raised his foot over Jon's chest.

Realizing what was coming, Jon rolled out of the way just as his foot stomped down where he'd been. As Jon started to get up, Nathan's fist slammed into his face. Jon went down on his hands and knees.

" You can give up whenever you want. " Nathan said standing over him.

" Fuck you. " Jon replied getting up shakily.

" So be it. " Nathan sighed.

Nathan grabbed a handful of Jon's shirt and started to punch him repeatedly across the face. Jon grabbed the hand that was holding him, trying to stay up and conscious. After a few more vicious punches, however, he fell limp to the ground. All he could see as his vision swam was Nathan's stoic face looking down at him. The world went black...

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Jon woke up in great pain. His whole body was sore in multiple places. When he tried to open his eyes, the left one protested in pain. Refusing to open. The left side of his face throbbed in pain at the slightest movement. The events leading up to him passing out flooded back into his mind. He sat up quickly and immediately regretted it.

" Ahhhhh... " he groaned laying back down.

" Take it easy. You took quite the beating. " a female voice said to his right.

Sitting on a large wooden stool beside him was Evandre. Looking around him, Jon realized he was laying on a bed in an unfamiliar room.

" What happened? " Jon said.

" Nathan beat you bloody. You passed out. Most people would have been knocked out by Nathan's punches. You must have a high threshold for pain. "

" Did you see what you wanted? "

" Yes, you are not a good fighter. You are not the worst I have seen either. You are quick thinking and fast to react. I can work with that. Although, your size does you no favors. "

" Was having Nathan beat the shit of me really a good way to start my training? " he said angrily.

" I needed to see what you could do. It will help me decide on how to train you. And it was a good way to toughen you up. You need to learn to take a hit. "

" Couldn't you have eased me into it? "

" The queen orders were to train you as quickly as possible. That's what I intend to do. We're done for the day. Nathan can take you home whenever you're ready. " Evandre stood up and went to the door. " Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow. " With that, she left.

Jon laid in the bed for a few more minutes, letting his anger settle down. Despite the obvious disadvantage he had against Nathan, he was still mad at himself for getting beaten so easily. He was also mad that his first lesson with Evandre was getting his ass kicked. Jon slowly leaned up out of the bed. His boots had been left next to the bed. He pulled them on and went out into the hall.

Following the hall, Jon walked into the entry. Nathan was standing by the front door.

" Are you ready to go? " Nathan asked.

" Yeah. " Jon said sullenly.

Nathan pushed open the front door and Jon followed him out. In front of the building was a wagon with two horses hitched to it. Nathan climbed into the front seat and took the reins. Painfully, Jon climbed into the back of the wagon with a lot of effort. The wagon started to move shakily.

" You're staying at the barracks, right? " Nathan asked.

" Yeah. " Jon replied.

" Listen, I'm sorry for earlier. Disobeying Lady Evandre's orders doesn't end well for any of her servants. "

" Did ya have to beat me this badly? "

" I admit I got carried away. "

" You can say that again. " Jon said touching his swollen face.

" I hope you didn't get the wrong idea about Lady Evandre. It takes her awhile to warm up to people, especially men. She is taking the task the queen gave her very seriously. She's going to be hard on you. As long as you give your training all that you have, she will give you the respect you deserve. "

Jon remained silent for the rest of the ride. When he returned to the barracks, he stopped in the main hall and ate roasted chicken with carrots. He drank som sort of berry juice with his meal. The soldiers looked at his swollen face with mixed expressions. Jon didn't care what the amazons thought tonight. He walked back to his room and laid in his bed for the rest of the night.

" It's gonna be a long few months. " he thought finally falling asleep.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 10

The next five months of Jon's life passed by in a blur. The second day of Jon's training wasn't as bad as the first. Evandre started him on a consistent training regimen. Running around the city, sparring with Nathan, lifting metal balls of assorted weights. Every day he worked out a different part of his body.

By the end of each day, he was extremely tired and sore. Evandre let him take some days off to rest and recuperate. As the training went on, Jon noticed on his resting days he started feeling really good. He just felt in shape. Jon's life was anything but boring, however.

One night, during his second week of training, an unexpected visitor came to his room in the barracks. Jon was laying on his oversized bed resting, when someone knocked on the door. He was immediately suspicious. No one had ever come to see him while he'd been staying at the barracks. All of the amazons didn't like that he was allowed to walk among them freely and they couldn't do anything to him. Wearily, he cracked open the door.

Standing outside was Phoebe's friend, Asteria. She was wearing a rough tan shirt with the sleeves cut off and a low V. Loose fighting, brown pants covered her legs and were tucked into brown leather boots on her feet.

" Asteria? " Jon asked confused.

" Hello, Jon. I didn't think you'd remember me. " she said smiling.

" I'm pretty good with faces. So, what're you doing here? " Jon realized he had never seen Asteria without her armor on. She had short cut, light brown hair and dark blue eyes. He guessed she was about 6 inches shorter than Phoebe.

" We should talk about that in private. May I come in? "

" Uh, sure. "

Jon stepped out of the way as Asteria came in and sat on the bed. Where the bed was much too big for him, it looked just right for her. He was reminded just how small he was.

" I heard you've been training with Evandre. How's that going? "

" You know Evandre? "

" I've heard of her. She's one of the best warriors on this island and a highly regarded trainer. Many sisters believe she could be the next queen. "

" I didn't know about all that. "

" Yes, she is quite impressive. Let's talk about why I'm here, " Asteria patted the bed next to her ", take a seat. " Jon climbed up onto the bed next to the amazon. " As you know, I've been taking care of Phoebe while her ankles healing. The other day she told me something interesting about you. "

" What? "

" You give a really good foot massage. "

" Um, yeah. I've been told I do. "

" Not only that. You like feet too. " Jon didn't have a response to that. " It's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, that's why I'm here. Would you mind giving me a foot massage? Walking to and from Phoebe's cabin is hard on my poor feet. " she said giving him puppy dog eyes.

Jon wasn't about to turn Asteria down. It had been days since he'd given Phoebe that massage. The only feet he saw were Evandre's during training and he doubted she wanted a foot rub. He was forced to look at her feet from afar.

" Sure, I'd be happy to. "

" Great! Help me with my boots? "

Jon hopped off the bed and moved in front of the amazons long legs. He put his hands on both sides of her giant boot and pulled with all his strength. It took a couple minutes, but he got the boot off and went to the next one. Asteria hooked her feet under Jon's armpits and lifted him up onto the bed. Sitting between her feet, Jon's head only came up a few inches over them.

" Go ahead and start. " Asteria said smiling down at him.

He moved back a bit, taking his first good look at Asteria's feet. Her feet were pale, Jon assumed it was from wearing boots often. Her toes were short, compared to the rest of her large foot. The nails on her toes were well kept. All in all, it appeared Asteria took very good care of her feet.

Much like Phoebe, Asteria's feet were too big for Jon to get a good grip on. So, instead he rubbed circles into her sole. Asteria's toes clenched happily as he rubbed. After rubbing each of her soft soles from top to bottom, Jon moved up to her toes. He worked his fingers into every one of them. Asteria leaned back and sighed in pleasure. When he finished rubbing her toes, he found himself wanting more.

" You don't mind if I take it further do you? " Jon asked.

" Not at all. This is fantastic, Jon. " Asteria answered dreamily.

Jon reached up and planted a kiss on her big toe. A smile grew on Asteria's face. Jon took that as a sign she wasn't against it. He continued to kiss all of her toes. This went on for a few minutes, then Jon pulled his oversized shirt off. He wrapped his legs around her foot, locking his ankles over the top side, and started humping her tremendous sole.

His member repeatedly poked into her soft skin, driving him wild. Not able to hold it in any longer, he exploded onto her sole and fell off her foot. As Jon panted on the bed, Asteria rose up and looked at the sole of her foot.

" That was fun, Jon. We're definitely going to have to do that again. " She pulled a rag from her pocket and wiped off her foot. " Phoebe told me to bring this. Now I see why. Are you going to be okay? " she asked pulling her boots on.

Jon nodded, still breathing heavily. " I have to go. Take it easy, little guy. I'll come back in the next few days. " Asteria stood up, went to the door, looked back with a grin and left. Jon just laid on the bed catching his breath.

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Jon shifted the blade to his other hand. This was it, his last fight with Nathan. He had been training for about two months now. He felt like Jonathan 2.0, stronger, faster, better. When he proved he could put up a good fight in hand to hand combat, Evandre said it was time to start training with a sword. She gave him a pair of pants that actually fit and a sheathed sword on a belt.

The sword itself was made of a dark metal. It was long and thin without a cross-guard. Evandre told him it was his job to keep the sword sharp and in good condition. The first few days with the sword were hard. Nathan was just as good with a sword as he was with his fists. Jon's hands now had multiple small cars from their skirmishes.

After another month, Evandre said it was time for the test to see if Jon could move on to the next part of his training. He was given two days to rest and prepare himself. Now, he was staring down Nathan with his sword in hand. This fight would go on until one of them gave up or was incapacitated. Anything and everything was allowed.

" Are both of you ready? " Evandre called.

They both nodded in response.

" Begin! " she yelled.

Jon immediately took a defensive stance. He knew from experience that attacking Nathan head on was idiotic. The only times he'd beaten Nathan were when he started out defending. Nathan wasted no time going on the offensive. He charged Jon, slashing quickly. Jon blocked or parried each cut. He parried a strike coming from his left, sending Nathan's sword wide.

Jon, realizing this was his chance, shot out his blade and left a long cut on Nathan's bicep. Nathan darted backwards and inspected the cut. It wasn't very deep, but it was going to affect him. Any attack coming from that arm would now be weaker and hurt Nathan at the same time. Nathan switched the sword to his other hand and moved forward.

The two then engaged in a flurry of blows. Jon was forced to go on the retreat. The injury wasn't making Nathan as cautious as he thought it would. If anything, it was making him more aggressive than before. Nathan made a large downward slice that Jon caught with his sword.

The two were caught in a struggle to overpower the other. Normally, Nathan would overpower him with little resistance, but now Jon had the upper hand. Jon had two usable hands to Nathan's one. However, after a couple minutes of this Jon felt himself losing the struggle. Nathan gave one more push and Jon's sword went spinning away. Jon leaped back as Nathan swung his sword in a downward arc.

Unfortunately, he was too slow. Nathan's sword bit into the skin above his eye. As Nathan's sword swiped blood onto the dirt, warm blood began dripping into Jon's left eye forcing him to close it. He stumbled back a few steps putting a hand over his eye. Nathan leveled his sword at Jon's chest.

" I'm only going to tell you once. Give up. " Nathan said evenly.

" No. " Jon spat.

Nathan dashed at him for another attack, slashing horizontally. Jon's short stature made it easy to dodge under the blade. He got behind Nathan and kicked out at his knee. He dodged a backslash and kicked at his knee again. When Nathan slashed a third time, Jon grabbed his arm and was lifted up with it.

He jumped onto Nathan's back and wrapped his arms around Nathan's neck, choking him. Nathan grabbed at Jon's hands, but Jon wasn't letting go so easily. Realizing it wasn't working, Nathan grabbed Jon's wrist and flipped him off his back. He landed hard on the dirt.

Still dazed, he scrambled away from Nathan. He looked around him and found his sword lying on the ground. Jon took it and stood up. The bleeding from the cut over his eye had slowed down some, but he didn't want to risk opening his eye. Jon and Nathan started to circle each other.

Nathan was favoring his injured arm, keeping it away from Jon. Jon was pretty much blind on his left side because of his eye. They both had their wounds to worry about. Jon had a plan to end this fight quickly. Nathan's main advantage was the height difference, without that the fight would be much easier for Jon. He needed to get behind Nathan again. All it would take was one good stab to the back of his knee and he'd be down.

Jon had a feeling Nathan had already caught on to that tactic after Jon had tried kicking out his knee. It was still Jon's best option. Jon ran at Nathan and dodged his first slash. Nathan kicked out, hitting Jon square in the chest. Jon went flying back and landed in a cloud of dust.

Nathan stabbed down at the ground, Jon rolled out of the way just in time. He rose up to see Nathan's exposed knee and lunged at it. Jon's sword stabbed deeply into the side of Nathan's knee. Nathan grunted in pain and fell to his knees. The two started to exchange sword blows. Nathan was fighting a losing defense.

Their swords clanged together again and Nathan's sword flew from his hand. Jon pointed his sword at Nathan's chest.

" I'll only tell you once. Give up. " Jon said.

" Never. You'll have to kill me. " Nathan said defiantly.

Jon raised his sword and smacked Nathan in the side of the face with the hilt. Nathan fell to the ground, unconscious. Evandre started to clap slowly and opened up the gate of the fighting area.

" Well done. You've officially finished this part of your training. When Nathan is healed you will still practice with him from time to time. You can have a few days to heal and then we'll start the next part of your training. " she said picking up the unconscious Nathan. Jon picked up Nathan's sword and followed Evandre." Let me patch both of you up and then I'll take you to the barracks. "

Evandre cleaned the cut on Nathan's arm and the wound on his knee. She then bandaged his arm and set his knee with two pieces of wood. The cut over Jon's eye got the same treatment and a bandage was wrapped around his head. Evandre pulled up in front of her building with a wagon twice the size of the one Nathan usually used. She patted the seat next to her in the front of the wagon. Jon climbed up next to her.

" Do you think Nathan's gonna be alright? " he asked as the wagon started bumping along.

" Nathan's a lot tougher than you know. In a few weeks time, he'll be good as new. " Evandre said.

" Oh, that reminds me. I've been meaning to ask. Do you know how Nathan got on this island? "

" Yes, I do. Nathan was a sailor who worked on a fishing vessel years ago. He was a young man then, a rookie. One night, the sea was very rough. He fell off. Poseidon took mercy on him and sent him here. He was out in the jungle for weeks before he found the city. After a healer brought him back to good health, some soldiers took him to the arena. He fought as a gladiator for a year until I bought him. "

" Bought him? "

" Yes. I had to buy him from the games master. Nathan was an excellent fighter in the arena, so I wanted him. He became my best servant. "

" Don't you mean slave? "

" No, I do not. I pay my servants. They can quit whenever they want. They don't even have to live in my home. "

" Wow. I didn't know that. I assumed all amazons saw men as slaves. "

" I respect men who can fend for themselves. Men who aren't immediately submissive to a woman who's twice their size. A fighting spirit. " Evandre said.

Jon lapsed into silence after that. His mind had wandered to Alexis without warning. His girlfriend who must be terribly worried about him, who had no idea if he was alive or dead.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 11

Alexis sighed and rolled onto her side. It had now been at least a month since Jon disappeared. Aphrodite still didn't know anything about what happened to him. She said she had her theories, but couldn't prove any of them and without proof couldn't attempt to get him back. Alexis had been in a depressed state ever since Jon seemed to fall off the face of the Earth.

She rarely left her cabin, except to get food or fresh air. She just wasn't in the mood for having fun on the cruise. Lately, Aphrodite had started trying to cheer her up with little success. First,she tried getting her to meet new guys. When that failed, she made a guy look exactly like Jon.

Once Alexis discovered that was actually all it was, she became even more depressed. What Alexis really wanted was Jon returned safely to her. Just then, there was a knock on her door.

" May I come in? " the voice of Aphrodite echoed in her mind.

" Sure. "

The goddess of love materialized next to her bed. Today, she was wearing a short toga and knee high gladiator sandals. Her hair was curled and hung loosely around her shoulders. Her hands were hidden behind her back. As usual her golden ruby necklace glimmered around her neck.

" Hello, darling. Still as moody as ever, I see " she said frowning with mock sadness.

Alexis didn't feel the need to respond.

Aphrodite sighed " Well, I have brought you something that should make you feel a bit better. "

She moved her hand from behind her back and held it out for Alexis to see. Standing in her palm was a five inch tall boy. He couldn't be more than a couple years older than her. He was wearing the same work uniform Jon used to wear. He had long black hair that fell over one of his eyes. The boy grinned when he saw her.

" Who is this? " Alexis asked sitting up.

" Parker. Your new personal servant. " Aphrodite smiled.

" Mistress. " Parker said bowing.

" Isn't he adorable? And very well trained I might add. " Aphrodite said.

" Aphrodite, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but I don't need a personal servant. "

Aphrodite set the tiny boy down on the bed and he immediately ran to Alexis' feet. Parker grew a few inches and started rubbing her feet with a large smile on his face.

" I know how much you love a good foot rub. Parker is a first class masseur. He can control his size and you can control it as well. He lives to serves you. "

Alexis opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when she felt Parker rubbing her foot. Parker's foot massage felt amazing! She was tempted to sit back and let him rub, but she shoved him away with her foot. Parker gave her a sad look.

" Aphrodite, I'm sorry. I don't want a servant. I just want Jon back. "

Aphrodite's face turned from a smile to a grimace.

" Listen, little mortal girl. I am growing tired of your endless talk of Jon. Do you not think I want him back too? I am the reason you two are even together in the first place. Your depressing attitude is beginning to bring me down. If you are going to continue being like this, I need to get some kind of entertainment out of you. If you don't take Parker and cheer up, I might just have to make you play some games like Jon did. Does that sound fun? " the goddess boomed.

While Aphrodite had been talking, an unsettling aura had seeped into the air. Alexis felt incredibly small and powerless in front of Aphrodite, even though the goddess had done nothing to her.

" I guess you'll be keeping Parker then? " Aphrodite said sweetly.

Her demeanor changed on a dime. Alexis just stared at her, wide-eyed.

" Good. I'm glad we have an understanding. I really do like you, Alexis. I would hate it if I was forced to do something neither of us would enjoy... Remember that. "

With those words echoing in Alexis' head, Aphrodite vanished in a puff of smoke. Parker began rubbing her foot again. Alexis was too frightened to stop him.

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Jon pushed open the door to Evandre's house. The door was weighted to give you a workout just walking into her house. Evandre had given him four days to rest after his fight with Nathan. The cut over his left eye was an angry red scar now. One of the amazons at the barracks had told him he was likely going to have the scar for awhile.

He didn't really mind as long as his vision wasn't impaired. Truthfully, he thought he looked kind of badass with the scar. Last night Nathan had come to the barracks to tell him the last part of his training was starting tomorrow. Nathan's bicep was wrapped up tightly. He wasn't supposed to put too much stress on it for a week or so.

Jon walked down the hall to the fighting ring. What he saw in the ring made his mouth drop open.

" Whoa. " he said climbing down the steps.

Standing in the ring was the biggest amazon he had seen yet. She was at least 15 feet tall, her head was a couple feet short of the rafters overhead.

" Good morning, Jon. This is Bremusa. She is going to be your sparring partner for the last part of your training. Get in the ring. "

Nathan opened the door for him.

" You won't be needing your sword. " he said.

Jon took his sword off his belt and put it up against the wall. Nathan shut the door behind him as he entered the ring. Bremusa knelt down and extended her pinky finger to Jon.

" Hello. "

Bremusa looked younger in age, probably close to Asteria. She had long, curly blonde hair with blue eyes. She was wearing a tan cloth garment that seemed to barely hold her giant cleavage and only covered the upper portion of her chest, revealing her midriff. A skirt of the same cloth covered everything below her waist going down to mid thigh. Her humongous feet were bare on the dirt.

Jon took her pinky in both of his hands and shook. " Nice to meet you. "

" Oh, aren't you a little cutie. " she said grinning.

" Bremusa, contain yourself. This is important. " Evandre said sternly.

The grin fell from Bremusa's face as she rose back to her full height.

" Okay, Jon. Our goddess has ordered this training specifically. She believes if it does come to a fight with Aphrodite she will make herself larger because of your... special preferences. Aphrodite does love irony. Bremusa is one of the largest amazons on the island and the only one willing to help. You're going to practice dodging her attacks until you become so accustomed to it, you never get touched by her. "

Jon nodded his head. " Sounds easy enough. I've already had plenty of practice dealing with giantesses. "

" Then let's get right to it. Take it easy at first Bremusa. "

Bremusa nodded and poised herself. Jon did the same.

" Gimme your best shot. " he laughed.

Bremusa raised her large foot and brought it down on top of Jon. She moved so slowly though, Jon easily rolled out of the way. Bremusa swung her hand down, trying to swat him. He jumped to the side and her hand made dirt fly into the air. She kicked her leg out and almost hit Jon. Missing his own leg by inches.

" Alright. You're pretty good. Time to up the difficultly, Bremusa. "

Jon looked back to Bremusa just as her hand slammed into him. He flew back and landed roughly in the dirt. Without any time to move, she stomped her foot down on him. All the air in his lungs escaped in a painful gasp.

" You're not that good, little guy. " Bremusa laughed.

Jon struggled under her massive ped. His member rubbed against her surprisingly soft sole, making it stir.

" Oh! What's that I feel? I think he likes this, Evandre. "

" That's enough. Let him up. "

With a sigh, she took her foot off of him. Jon stood up and saw everyone was staring at him... with their eyes pointed downwards. Bremusa covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. Nathan started to laugh heartily. Evandre's mouth quirked up in an odd smile. Jon looked down to see his member pitching a tent in his pants.

" Well you're just full of surprises, aren't you? " Evandre said barely containing her laughter.

" Oh, great. " Jon thought and tried to cover his crotch pathetically.

__________________________________________________________

Jon sighed and rubbed the wet cloth on his face. He had just finished another training session with Bremusa. He'd been practicing with her for about a month now. His dodging skill was much better than before. Bremusa hardly ever caught him.

Things had been pretty crappy since Evandre found out about Jon's foot fetish. She made sure Bremusa never let her feet touch Jon for long. Somehow, Evandre had also learned of Asteria's nightly visits and ordered her to stay away from Jon until he left the island along with any other amazon not specifically commanded to interact with him. That was weeks ago though, Jon hadn't touched a woman's feet in so long and he was ready to burst. He threw the rag down and went out into the hall.

Evandre was standing by the front door with her arms folded across her chest. " I hope you're not in a hurry to get back to the barracks. I have a surprise for you. "

" Ah, seriously? I'm really tired and I just wanna go to sleep. "

" Come on. Humor me. "

She pushed open the door. Standing outside of Evandre's house was Bremusa, looking very happy. Today, she was wearing black cloth garments and black boots. Her blonde hair was done up in a ponytail.

" Bremusa? I thought you already went home? " Jon asked.

" Evandre asked me to stick around. "

" I was thinking you're due for a little reward, Jon. You've been working hard and made a lot of progress. I won't force you to, but if you want you can go home with Bremusa and... have some fun. "

" You're serious? This isn't some joke? "

" No, Jon. This past month was a test. We wanted to see how long you could go without giving in to your fetish. Our goddess thinks it will be important for you to be able to resist it. Like I said though, you've been doing well. I asked the goddess and she agreed that you deserve a reward. So, here she is. Take it or leave it. "

Jon thought about it for a moment, but he already knew the answer the second Evandre had asked.

" Yes! " he said with a big, goofy grin spreading across his face.

" Yay! " Bremusa yelled and scooped him up.

Her hands made a makeshift seat that she placed him in.

" Thanks, Evandre! I really appreciate this! "

" No need to thank me! You kids have fun, but don't get too crazy! We're still training tomorrow! " Evandre called as Bremusa began walking away.

Bremusa laughed and nodded to her. They traveled in silence for awhile. Almost everyone on the street stared at them with curious looks.

" Don't mind them, Jon. " Bremusa suddenly spoke up.

" What? Oh, no. I don't. Do they always do this when you come to the city? "

" They're not staring at me, silly. They're staring at you. You've caused quite a disturbance on our little island. "

" Oh, really? "

" Yes. We haven't had a male guest to the island in many years. Especially one who was so closely involved with Aphrodite. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but more than a few want you dead. "

" What?! Seriously? "

" Yes. Some believe you actually are Aphrodite's spy. They would have already killed you if you weren't under Queen Thermodosa's and Lady Evandre's protection. "

" Jeez. I knew some of you didn't like me, but killing me? I didn't think about that. "

" You have nothing to fear. Our goddess needs you. Anyone foolish enough to go against the queen and Evandre would never consider disobeying her wishes. "

" Well, don't I feel safe and cozy. Can we change the subject? "

" Of course. "

" So, Evandre said you're one of the largest amazons on the island. Does that mean there's a larger one? "

" Yes, there are two larger amazons on the island. Alcibie and Derimacheia. "

" Both of them are bigger than you? "

" Alcibie is a few feet taller than me. Derimacheia is at least twenty-five feet tall. She is also one of the first amazons. She lives on the far side of the island with her slaves and a small group of amazons. "

" Twenty-five feet? Wow. Must look kinda odd being so old, huh? "

" No. She doesn't appear that much older than Lady Evandre. She's only four years older. "

" Wait,wait,wait. Evandre is one of the first amazons? She doesn't look older than 45. "

" You don't know, Jon? Amazons physically age very, very slowly once we grow out of adolescence. Amazons who grow to my size are rare. Evandre is more than one hundred years old. "

" Whoa... I feel stupid for not thinking about that earlier. It makes sense, I suppose. "

Bremusa giggled to herself. They didn't say much more after that. Bremusa lived just outside of the city, so the trip wasn't very long. After branching off from the main road and walking for awhile, they arrived at her home. Bremusa's home was a long, tall wooden building with a slanted roof.

Torches were placed on its walls and in poles spread around it. As they approached, a man in a brown toga came out of a small cabin that was off to the side.

" Good evening, Miss. I see you have brought a guest. Should I get you both something to eat and drink? " the man called up.

" Jon? Would you like something? " Bremusa asked.

" Sure. I'm starving. "

" Yes, Robert. Bring us some meat and water. We'll be in the house. Once you've done that, you and the others are not to enter until we come out. "

" Right away, Miss. "

Robert went back to the cabin.

" So you have slaves too, huh? "

" Yes, I do. Some things are hard to do at my size. I treat them very well, Jon. Better than most. "

" Hey, I'm not judging. Just making an observation. "

" Hmmm, sure. I'm going to put you down now. "

She lowered him to the ground, where he hopped out of her hands. Bremusa crouched down in front of the door to her home and undid a huge bolt lock.

" Come on in. " she said opening up the double doors.

Jon walked past her into the building. The building was pretty much empty on the inside. Support beams were positioned down the length of the building. There was a large mass of fur pelts laying in the center of the building, which Jon could only assume was her bed. Lanterns were hung around the pelts and wooden tables surrounded it.

As he inspected the building, Bremusa crawled inside on all fours.

" Please, take a seat at any table. Robert will bring the food soon. " she said laying down on the pelts.

Jon scrambled up onto the table closest to Bremusa. His feet dangled in open air inches above the ground.

" Man, I can't wait until I'm normal sized again. This sucks. " he thought with a sigh.

They made small talk for a few minutes, but stopped when Robert and another man came in with their food. Robert set a plate with what looked like a steak and a knife in front of Jon. The other man brought a large slab of meat over to Bremusa that he needed both hands to carry. She took it from him with two fingers and popped it into her mouth. Jon's eyes widened at that, the slab of meat could've fed a normal-sized family for a few days. Bremusa ate it in a single gulp.

At that moment, a third man entered rolling a barrel in front of him. He rolled the barrel to the table Jon sat at and heaved it to a vertical position. Prying the lid off with a knife, he produced a metal cup with a handle and filled it with water from the barrel. Jon accepted it with a nod. Robert and the third man lifted up the barrel and carried it over to Bremusa. She picked it up with ease and drank some.

" Thank you, boys. You can all turn in for the night. No need to wake us up in the morning. We'll wake when we're good and ready. "

" Yes, Miss. " Robert nodded with a grin.

All three servants left through a smaller door built into one of the large double doors. Jon started to cut up his steak, thankfully it wasn't very tough. Although it was a bit more cooked than he liked. Bremusa watched in amused silence as Jon ate his food. Once he was done eating, he jumped down from the bench and went over to Bremusa's pile of furs.

" So, do you wanna... get to the fun part? "

" Of course, little man. Go ahead and get comfortable. I'll do the same. "

Bremusa reached down and started to pull off her immense boots. Jon kicked off his boots and fumbled with his belt. Once she finished with her boots, she removed her shirt. Jon couldn't help but stare at her incredibly large breasts. It took a few minutes for them to get completely undressed, he took even longer because his excitement made him mess up multiple times. When Jon was done, Bremusa wrapped her hand behind him and lifted him up to her face.

" Shall we get started, little one? " she said with a grin.

" Yeah. "

She set him down by her feet on the mound of pelts. He took a moment to look at her feet. At his current size, Bremusa's feet dwarfed him by a considerable amount. Even if he reached up as high as he could, her toes would still be an arms length out of reach. Bremusa's gigantic sole had very few wrinkles and her toes were slender.

" So, uh, how should I do this? "

" Climb up onto my ankle. I have an idea. "

Bremusa put her foot down flat next to the ankle of her right foot. Jon scrambled onto her left foot, which she lifted up so he could get on her ankle. Once he got on, he straddled it and looked up to the grinning Bremusa.

" What'd you have in mind? "

Bremusa's grin widened as her left foot rose above him and suddenly dropped on top of him, covering everything but his arms and legs. Her heel was pressed up against his crotch in a slightly uncomfortable way, but made his member stir at the same time.

" Start rubbing. " Bremusa said seductively.

She raised her foot a bit so Jon could massage it properly. Jon reached his small hands up and began kneading her soft skin. Bremusa sighed in pleasure at his touch. He continued to rub for awhile, even though he could only reach the upper and middle parts of her sole. He became more and more aroused by the minute.

Eventually, Bremusa smushed her foot down on him, sandwiching him between her gigantic peds.

" Making you 'pop' is taking much longer than I thought. Let's make it a bit more interesting. "

She started to rock the heel of her foot on his exposed crotch. Jon couldn't resist it any longer. He grabbed her foot in both arms and began kissing it passionately while moving with the motion of her heel. In moments, he came onto her smooth heel and went limp. Laughing, Bremusa took her foot off him and picked him up in one hand.

She brought him back up to her face, still giggling. " I hope you're not spent already. We haven't even begun to have fun yet. "

Still breathing heavily, Jon grinned. " This is nothing. " he panted out.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 12

Jon's eyes suddenly snapped open. Sunlight filtered through the slot window above his bed. Slowly, he sat up and stretched his arms with a yawn. He sat in silence for a moment and looked down at his scarred hands. It had been roughly five months since Jon had come to the Isle of Amazons. He felt and looked like a different person than the one that had washed up on the beach.

Jon stood up and went to the chest on the opposite side of the room. Opening it up, he pulled out a small hand mirror. The scar over his left eye wasn't red anymore, but was still noticeable. In the last few weeks of his training he'd started sparring with Evandre. She told him it wasn't required, but that she wanted to push him to his limits.

Evandre was a fierce and very capable fighter. It took days for him to even be able to put up a meager defense. Eventually, the day came when Evandre decided they were ready for a real fight with real swords. Jon was incredibly nervous, he doubted he'd last a minute against her in an all-out fight. In the end, he put up a good fight but Evandre won by a large margin.

In the process he'd also gotten a new scar along the line of his jaw, which was now covered with a little bit of stubble. His hair was long enough to start falling into his vision now and the top was fairly sun-bleached. Jon's formerly somewhat pale skin was now tanned. Possibly the biggest change was Jon was now muscular. The muscles in his arms and legs were defined even when he wasn't flexing them.

Jon sighed and tossed the mirror back into the chest. Yesterday, when he'd arrived at Evandre's for training she told him to wait a moment because she had news. Athena and Evandre had spoken and agreed that Jon was as good as he was going to get with short term training. If they waited much longer to enact Athena's plan, Aphrodite likely would be too suspicious of him for it to work. They decided that yesterday would be his last day of training and today was his last day on the Isle of Amazons.

Evandre seemed oddly sad that he was leaving. He didn't think they'd become that close or Evandre the type to grow attachments to people, especially a random boy that she was pretty much forced to train. As he was leaving, Nathan stopped him and said good-bye. Evandre kneeled down in front of him, she was still quite taller than him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

" Well, Jon. To be honest, I didn't expect much when you first came to me, but you proved me wrong in every way. You were one of the best students I've had the honor of teaching. Remember what we've taught you. Good luck. "

Jon couldn't help himself, he leaned forward and hugged Evandre.

" Thank you for everything, Evandre. "

There was an awkward moment where she didn't say anything and didn't return the hug, but after a few moments she sighed and patted him on the back.

" You're welcome, Jon. " she had said.

Jon sat back down on his bed. Despite everything that happened on this island, a part of him was going to miss it and all the people he had met here. Suddenly, Athena appeared in front of Jon. She was wearing pretty much the same outfit he'd seen when he met her the first time. A long, white dress that only showed her arms and the bronze helm that concealed most of her face.

" Hello, Jon. "

" Athena. "

" Are you ready to leave? "

" I guess, but before we do I have a favor to ask. Can you make sure everyone who I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to gets the message? I would appreciate it. "

" Of course. It is already done. "

" Thanks. So, what's this plan you've got? "

" I'll tell you about that in a moment. First, let's move somewhere more private. "

The area around them changed from Jon's room to trees and bushes with dirt underfoot.

" The jungle? Why out here? "

" Because that's out here. "

The goddess pointed behind him. Jon turned to see what looked like a bunch of logs tied together to make a platform.

" Is that a raft? Do you expect me to paddle all the way back to Aphrodite's ship? "

" Of course not, Jon. It's part of the plan. "

" Alright. Please enlighten me. "

" As I already told you, you cannot simply wear the Chthonian coin at all times. Aphrodite would instantly know something's wrong. When she retrieves you, she will most likely read your mind. If she sees any of the things we've talked about she'll kill you on the spot. So, we have to make it so you don't remember anything and you can't have the coin until you've been on the ship for a few days. "

" You... want to erase my memory? Is that safe? "

" It is entirely safe. I'm not going to erase your memory, more like rewire your brain. I'm going to have your memories of everything that happened since you arrived on this island. Do not worry, I will return them when this is all over. In their place, I will give you false memories of being held prisoner here. Aphrodite will be slightly suspicious I expect, but with no tangible reason for it. She'll let it go with time. I'll make it so you subconsciously know your mission, a desire you are unaware of. When an opportunity to take Aphrodite's necklace comes you will put on the coin and your memory will return. "

" You can do all of that? "

" Jon, please. I am a goddess. I can do almost anything I want. "

" ...Alright. I'm trusting you. This all sounds very risky to me, but if this is your plan it's what we're gonna do. Go ahead. Rewire me. "

" Hold on. We have to make all of this more believable. Remove your clothes. "

" Whoa, what? "

" If you were a prisoner here, why would we give you clothes to wear? I'm asking as a courtesy to you. I can remove them myself. "

" Alright, alright. I'll do it. "

Jon pulled off his shirt and pants. He was already barefoot because he never put on his boots before Athena arrived. He no longer cared if anyone saw him naked, he was desensitized to it now.

" Now let's make you a little bit dirty. "

Athena waved her hand and Jon felt something start to coat his skin. Looking down, he saw his hands and feet were now covered in dirt.

" Is this necessary? "

" We have to make it look like you've been living out here for awhile. You need to be skinnier too. Less well-fed. "

Jon felt a tremendous pang of hunger and his stomach growled loudly. His muscles seemed to diminish under his skin.

" Oh, God. I think I'm gonna be sick. "

" The nausea will go away after a few minutes. On the good side, I think we're about done here. "

" Why'd you make my muscles smaller? What was the point of all that training if you were just going to get rid of them. "

" A prisoner wouldn't be quite as muscular as you were and the main point of the training was for you to learn the technique and skill of combat. Honestly, Jon did you think a fight with Aphrodite would come down to your strength? She may look like a five foot tall woman but she could give herself the strength of ten men. "

" Well that's comforting. "

" Do not worry, Jon. I have the utmost faith in you and I will be helping you as much as possible. "

" Alright. Let's do this. "

Athena stepped forward and placed her hands on each side of Jon's head.

" Are you positive this is what you want to do? This is your last chance to walk away. If this does go wrong, Aphrodite will torture you for the rest of your life. "

" If I don't do this she'll torture me for the rest of my life anyways. I made my decision. Do it. "

" You are brave for a mortal. Good luck, Jonathan. I'll see you when this is all over. "

A bright, white light flashed in Jon's eyes and then there was nothing...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jon's vision slowly returned to him. Sometime during the blinding flash of light he had fallen on one knee. He had also gotten a splitting headache.

" Ahhhhhh... What happened? "

Jon looked around him, holding his head. He was still in the jungle, the raft seemed fine.

" Aphrodite? Was that you? " he called out in his mind.

There was no reply from the goddess.

" What was I expecting? I haven't heard from her in months. She probably thinks I'm dead. "

Jon went over to the raft and grabbed the length of rope he'd tied to it. He put the rope over his shoulder and started dragging the raft behind him.

" It's time to get off this god damn island. " Jon said angrily.

He could hear the ocean lapping at the beach nearby. It was time to see if his idea would even work, if not he wasn't going to last very long. The amazons had told Jon that Aphrodite could not set foot on this island and that her magic couldn't reach it. He had hypothesized awhile ago that if he could get far enough away from the island, Aphrodite might be able to save him. On the other hand, there was the chance he was completely wrong. What if Athena or her amazons recaptured him before he escaped?

" No, now's not the time for doubt. Have to keep moving. "

Up ahead Jon saw a break in the suffocating jungle. It was the beach! He picked up pace and broke out onto the beach.

" Yes! I can almost taste sweet freedom! " he shouted.

Jon pushed the raft the rest of the way into the water until it came up to his waist. He climbed on and started to paddle with his hand, the tide did most of the work. When he looked back there were no amazons bursting out of the jungle after him.

" I guess that's a good sign. "

Jon floated out on the ocean for about twenty minutes. He waited until he got a good distance from the island and called out for Aphrodite.

" Aphrodite! Please! Help! " Jon shouted at the heavens.

One moment he was staring out at open ocean, the next the goddess of love was standing in front of him in a fancy office.

" Jonathan! " she cried out and hugged him.

Jon looked around in a daze. The office had a long, curved window stretching around most of it, revealing the outside world. The sky and the ocean were all he could see for miles around. A large wooden desk sat on a raised section of floor. An ancient looking globe was placed next to the desk. Two leather chairs were placed in front of the on the lower part of the floor. A small table stood between the chairs. There was a lamp next to each chair. The rest of the room was behind him.

A light bulb suddenly switched on in Jon's mind. Aphrodite was shorter than him. He was at least a foot taller than her. He wasn't two feet tall anymore!

" A-Aphrodite? Is it really you? "

" Yes, foolish boy. Of course it's me. Where have you been? You look terrible. " Aphrodite said stepping back.

A tingling sensation washed over Jon as the dirt that covered him vanished. A white robe materialized in her hand, which she gave him. Jon quickly put it on and tied a knot in the front.

" Come on. Have a seat. I'm sure you're very tired. " Aphrodite went over to the desk and sat atop it. Jon settled into one of the chairs. " Would you like something to drink? Water, maybe? "

" Yes, please. "

A glass of water appeared on the table. Jon downed more than half of it in a few gulps.

" So, Jon. Where have you been these past few months? "

" The Isle of Amazons. "

" I thought so. What did those brutish women do to you? Did Athena speak to you? "

" Well, one of them caught me wondering in the jungle after I washed up on shore. She brought me to the city so the queen could decide what to do with me. The amazons could tell your magic was all over me and thought I was your spy. She decided I would be the amazon who captured me's prisoner. Her reasoning was that if you did come looking for me you'd start in the city. The amazon who found me, Phoebe, lived out in the jungle. She kept me in a birdcage. I stayed with her for a month or so and then a couple soldiers came to take me back to the city. They took me to some prison and started asking me questions about you. I told them I didn't know anything, that I was just your plaything... They didn't believe me. I was tortured. I'd rather not get into specifics. I was kept in the prison for pretty much the rest of my time on the island. One day they were taking me somewhere and I ran. My size came in handy. They couldn't find me. The next night I slipped out of the city. I slowly built a raft over the next couple days and made my way to the beach. Now I'm here. I never saw Athena. They told me she was their goddess, but never said anything else about her. " Jon explained.

" I've always hated those man-ladies. Look what they did to your face. Don't worry I can heal that easily. " Aphrodite said moving in front of Jon and reaching for his face.

Jon's hand snapped out, grabbing her wrist in midair.

" WHAT do you think you're doing?! " she yelled incredulously wrenching her hand out of his grasp.

Jon looked at his hand in stunned silence. He had merely wanted to brush her hand away, not catch it in a death grip.

" I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I guess I'm still a little jumpy. I can't really know why but I don't want you to heal the scars. I can't explain it. " Jon said balling his hand into a fist and dropping it in his lap.

Aphrodite glared at him a moment before speaking. " I'll let it go this time but never do that again. Understood? "

An unsettling aura seeped into the air, making Jon squirm in the chair.

" Yes. "

She stared at him with an incredibly angry expression for another moment, then went back to her usual happy self. " Good. Well, Jon I have to say this is troubling news. Athena hasn't done anything this bold in quite a few years. I'm afraid I will have to retaliate someway. Not sure how though. A few ideas are coming to mind. "

" Why do you have to retaliate? She didn't do anything to you. "

" Dear, boy. Have these past five months made you forget? You are mine. Ever since the day I first spoke to you in your head. Until the day I allow you to finally die. You are my favorite toy. An attack on my property is an attack on me. Athena's actions will not go unpunished. In the meantime, I imagine you need some rest. You don't have to worry about work for awhile. Take a couple days to relax and recuperate. I'll check in on you every now and again. "

Aphrodite pulled Jon to his feet.

" What about Alexis? I was really hoping to see her. "

" I'll tell her you're back. The poor girl has missed you so very much. Seeing her can wait until tomorrow. You need to wash off, eat some food, and have a good sleep. No argument. I'm sending you to your room right now. Don't even think of leaving it. "

Jon opened his mouth to protest, but stopped as Aphrodite was replaced by a white ceiling. He felt the plush surface of a mattress under his back. He laid on the bed for a few minutes, just enjoying the feel of it.

" You never know what you'll miss 'til you lose it. "

With a sigh, he stood up and went to take a nice shower.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 13

Aphrodite sat at her desk in the highest room on her ship. Jon had been back for a day now. He seemed fine for the most part, but something still felt off about him. She searched his mind thoroughly when she first brought him here. He wasn't lying, his memories matched up with his story.

Until she had reason to believe something was truly off with him, she would just treat him like she normally would. Besides, there were more important things to worry about. Like how to deal with Athena. Whatever action she took needed to be swift and decisive. She was still unsure of exactly what to do. For now, she would wait and think of the best option.

__________________________________________________________

Jon adjusted his position in the chair and laced his fingers behind his head. Aphrodite had sent him to a much nicer room than the one she'd originally given him. This one was larger, had a mini fridge, and a balcony which Jon was currently relaxing on. He had been doing exactly what Aphrodite wanted since she sent him here. He slept pretty much uninterrupted through the night and a good portion of today.

After he woke up, he ate his fill of fettuccine alfredo and chocolate cake. Jon had found some normal clothes in the room's closet. He chose a red Hawaiian shirt with white palm trees on it and tan khaki shorts. Now he was enjoying some fresh, ocean air. Jon jumped at the sudden loud knocking at his door.

" God, I'm like a raw nerve. " he thought getting up to answer it.

The knocking got louder and intensified as he walked back into the room.

" Hold on! I'm coming! "

Jon came to the door and looked through the peephole. A short, tan, black-haired girl stood in the hall looking very impatient. It was Alexis! He threw open the door.

" Ale- Oof! " he was cut off as she launched herself at his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

" Jon! I was so worried about you! Aphrodite couldn't find you and... and I... I thought... I'm just glad you're okay. " she said burying her face in his shirt.

" I'm fine, Alexis. Sorry I made you worry so much. I really missed you. "

He returned the hug with one arm and put a hand on the back of her head. They stood like that for about a minute until Alexis pulled away. She peered up at his face and breathed a small gasp. Her hand reached up to trace the scar over his eye with one finger.

" What happened to you? "

" It's a long story. Let's go sit out on the balcony and I'll tell you everything. "

Jon took her hand from his face, then led her to the balcony. He dragged two chairs next to each other. They sat down, Alexis didn't let go of Jon's hand. His mind wandered back to when they'd been reunited all those months ago. Alexis' hair was even longer now, reaching the small of her back. Today she was wearing a white tank top and jean short shorts. White flip flops were on her small feet. She had red lipstick on to match her red painted toes.

Honestly, all Jon wanted to do was hold her for awhile. Just enjoy being together with her again, maybe even work up the courage to kiss her. He knew she wouldn't let him until he told her where he'd been though. Jon spent the next five minutes or so explaining everything that had happened to him in detail, still excluding his torture. Alexis listened in silence, only her facial expression giving away her thoughts.

When he finished, she waited a few moments before speaking.

" Oh my God, Jon. You could have been killed. This can't keep happening. No one should have to live their life like this. I can't go through this every day. We need to figure out a way to make Aphrodite leave you alone, once and for all. " she said standing up.

Jon took both of her hands in each of his. " Alexis, we've talked about this before. There's nothing we can do. Anything we try will just end badly. I'm not going to risk something bad happening to you. I've put you through enough already. "

" You said the amazon's said something about Athena, right? That means the other Greek gods are out there. Maybe one of them will help us. "

" I doubt it. They probably don't care about mortals at all. Aphrodite is proof of that. Don't get me wrong. I wish there was something we could do, but until that opportunity comes we'll just keep doing what we've been doing, okay? Let's enjoy the time we have together. "

Alexis looked doubtful, but cracked a smile after a few seconds. She leaned over and hugged Jon around the neck.

" Alright. I'll stop worrying, but if anything else like this happens I'm going to find a way. "

" Fair enough. "

Jon put his arm behind Alexis' knees and swept her up off her feet. She gave a startled laugh as he carried her back into the room.

" Let's stop talking about all of this negative stuff and have some fun. " he said placing her on the bed and flopping down next to her.

" What'd you have in mind? "

" Not sure. We ARE on a cruise ship. We could go swimming or just relax out on the deck. I'd be happy just laying here with you. Whatever you wanna do. "

" Hmmm, I don't know. May- "

Alexis was cut off by another knock at the door.

" Who's that? Were you expecting someone else? " she asked turning towards it.

" No. And Aphrodite doesn't knock. " Jon looked through the peephole to see a long, dark haired boy standing on the other side. " It's some guy. I don't recognize him. "

The boy knocked on the door again. " Alexis? Are you in there? " his muffled voice called through the door.

" He knows you? " Jon asked.

" It must be Parker. " she replied getting up and walking over to the door.

" Parker? " Jon whispered as she opened the door.

" Alexis! I thought you'd be here. I was hoping I could talk to you real quick. " Parker said.

Jon examined the stranger in the doorway. Parker was slightly shorter than Jon by a couple inches. His hair was long and a little shaggy, it fell over his left eye. He couldn't be more than a couple years older than him and Alexis. Parker had a medium build, maybe a bit more muscular than average. He was wearing the same uniform Aphrodite had given Jon but without a job title.

" Parker, didn't you hear Aphrodite? You're not my servant anymore. "

" I know. That doesn't mean we still can't be friends, right? I just want to talk to you for a minute. " Parker suddenly seemed to notice Jon standing next to Alexis for the first time. " Oh, excuse me! You must be Jon. Alexis has said nothing but good things about you. It's nice to meet you. "

Parker offered his hand out to Jon. He was hesitant, but Jon shook his hand after a moment.

" Likewise. "

" I'm sorry, Parker. Aphrodite kinda forced you on me. Now that Jon's back you don't have to stay with me anymore. I'm really sorry. You understand, right? "

An indiscernible emotion flashed across Parker's face.

" Yeah, of course. I get it. I won't bother you. You two have fun. See ya around. " Parker said with a strained smile.

He turned and walked away down the hall. Alexis watched him leave with a concerned look and closed the door.

" Who was that guy? You said he was your servant? "

" Well... When you disappeared I got really sad. I kept thinking of all the bad things that could've happened to you. I stayed in my room all day and I didn't want to do anything until I knew you were safe. Aphrodite tried a lot of different things to cheer me up, but none of them worked. I just wanted to be left alone. One day, she forced me to take Parker as a servant to replace you. She threatened to make me play games like the ones you did. Parker was my foot servant for a couple months. I tried to use him as least as possible because it felt wrong. I wanted you to give me foot rubs, not some random guy I barely knew. When Aphrodite found you, she came and told Parker that he wasn't my servant anymore. He seemed upset, but he left to do some other job for Aphrodite. " Alexis said guiltily.

" It's okay, Alexis. I don't blame for anything you did while I was gone. For all you knew I was dead. I'll never be able to tell you how truly sorry I am I put you through all that. And Aprhodite will never hurt you as long as I'm alive. I promise. "

" Jon. Don't make a promise you can't keep. You can't stop Aphrodite from doing what she pleases. "

" I made a promise and I intend to keep it. No matter what. "

Alexis' mouth quirked up in a half smile as she stood up on her tiptoes, closed her eyes, and pursed her lips. Jon froze in surprise as she moved closer. His mind blanked out while his heart started to beat faster. Suddenly feeling very nervous, he leaned forward and met her kiss halfway. It was amazing.

Jon felt completely at peace as soon as their lips touched. He wished they could stay like that forever, not a care in the world except for each other. Sadly, Alexis pulled away only a few seconds later still smiling.

" Wow. That was... Wow. " Jon said sitting down on the bed.

" Was that your first kiss? " she laughed sitting next to him and leaning her head on his arm.

" Um, yeah. It was actually. Hope it wasn't too terrible. "

" No, it was great. Not bad for a newbie. "

" Ah, alright. Cool... So, what do you wanna do? "

" Do you want to give me a foot massage? Aphrodite told me I still have the power to shrink you. "

" I'd be happy to give you a massage, but I was two feet tall for five months and I would like to stay normal sized for awhile. "

" I can understand that. Why don't we do what you said. I'll meet you at the pool in half an hour. Okay? "

" Alright. See ya then. " Jon kissed her on the cheek as she got up and left his room. " Looks like I need a swimsuit. "

__________________________________________________________

Jon walked out onto the pool deck with a pair of blue swim trunks on and a green towel around his neck. He had left the Hawaiian shirt on, but unbuttoned it all the way. Looking around the pool, he didn't see Alexis anywhere.

" Guess she's not out here yet. "

The pool was fairly crowded today. Jon was lucky to find two free deck chairs right next to each other near the pool. He pushed them together and sat down. Jon sat back with his arms folded behind his head. The weather was beautiful today, not too hot and there was a nice breeze going.

From the corner of his eye, Jon noticed a tall, black haired girl approaching him. At first he thought it was Alexis, but the girl was much too tall. Jon was forced to squint because the sun was shining in his eyes. The girl came to stand right next to him. He looked her up from bottom to top. She had somewhat large, tan feet with red painted toes that were evenly proportioned. They were actually quite nice and familiar for some reason. Her body was lean with some muscle. She was wearing a two piece white bikini. The sunlight made it near impossible to see her face.

" Hi. Is there something I can help you with? " he asked.

" I'm looking for my boyfriend. I told him to meet me here. He answers to foot boy. "

Jon opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he realized what the girl had said. He knew that voice as well.

" Alexis? What'd you do? "

Alexis laughed and walked around to sit in the chair next to him. She looked to be almost as tall as him now.

" I asked Aphrodite for a favor. I don't like being so short compared to you. Now you won't have to crouch down just to kiss me. "

" I hope you're not making this a permanent change. I like my little beautiful girlfriend. Not that this isn't nice. "

" No. I know you like short me better. This is just for while we're out here. " she said taking his hand.

" Alright. That's fine. So do you want to get in the pool? "

" Yeah. "

Jon pulled off his shirt and went to jump in, but Alexis put hand on his chest. He looked at her to see she was staring at his chest. Her fingers were on one of many new scars on his chest. She looked at him with a heart-wrenchingly sad expression.

" Oh, Jon. "

He took her hand and kissed it. " Alexis, please. I'm fine. I just want to have a nice day with you. Try not to look at them. "

" Okay... "

He led her over to the pool and slid into the water. Alexis sat on the edge and put her feet in. The water was lukewarm and felt great. Jon stood in front of Alexis in the pool, his head only coming up to her stomach because of her vantage point. He grabbed her right foot from underwater and started to rub it gently.

" Ahhhhhh, you have no idea how much I missed this. " she said dreamily.

" I think I do. "

Alexis' foot was larger at her new size, maybe two sizes bigger. Jon loved her tiny feet, but this wasn't entirely bad. He dug this thumbs into her soft sole and the ball of her foot. A few people were giving him odd looks, but Jon didn't care. This was what had gotten him through all those months of imprisonment and torture. The thought of getting back to Alexis and doing exactly this.

" Crap. " Alexis suddenly said and looked down at the water.

" What? What is it? "

" Parker's here. He's staring right at me. "

Looking over his shoulder, Jon saw Parker sitting at the opposite side of the pool with a girl kissing his neck. He was just sitting on the edge of the pool, not even trying to hide the fact that he was staring. The girl seemed oblivious to the world while she passionately kissed his neck. When Parker noticed Jon watching him, he nodded to him.

" Well he bounces right back, huh? "

" Yeah, I guess. That's so creepy though. Can we go back to your room? I don't feel like being out here anymore. "

" Sure. Do me a favor? Don't go anywhere near that guy when I'm not around. "

" You don't need to worry about that. "

Parker watched the pair collect their things and leave the pool with a hateful expression on his face.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 14

Three days after Jon's return...

Alexis jogged up the stairs to her level of the ship. She was coming back from another night spent with Jon. Tonight they watched a hilariously bad horror movie while she rested her head on his chest. She was very happy to have to Jon back in one piece. Admittedly, he seemed a little different but she figured five months of torture changed a person.

It bothered her that Jon wasn't telling her everything that happened. She understood him not wanting to talk about it and she had sworn not to ask again until he was ready. Jon still didn't want to be shrunken yet. He said he needed a few more days of being normal sized. Alexis was slight saddened by that, but respected what he wanted.

She turned the corner to the hallway of her room and froze. Parker was standing outside her door. Quickly, she ducked back behind the corner before he saw. She considered going back to Jon's room, although he was probably already asleep and she didn't want to wake him up.

" No. I'm going to put an end to this right now. " Alexis thought sternly.

Parker had pretty much been stalking her for the past two days, showing up almost everywhere she went. He was careful to avoid Jon seeing him. Alexis steeled herself and rounded the corner. Parker stood up from his leaning position on the wall. Today he wore a black muscle shirt with blue jeans.

" Alexis. I was starting to wonder if you were going to come back. "

" What the hell, Parker? I thought I told you we were done. This is getting creepy. "

" I'm sorry. I can't help what I feel. We spent four months together. I couldn't help but become attracted to you. You're a beautiful girl. "

" You know I'm with Jon. I appreciate all you did for me, but Aphrodite isn't forcing you on me anymore. I like Jon. He's the one I want to spend my time with. "

Parker's smile turned into an angry sneer.

" I don't know why you like him so much. Who's the one who comforted you while you cried for him? Me. Where was he? Gone. Leaving you to worry if he was alive or dead. Jon is Aphrodite's toy. You two could never have a life together like that. Aphrodite would whisk him away whenever she got bored. She doesn't care about your feelings for each other. If Jon ever pissed her off enough she would kill him and completely forget about you. With me you'd be safe. Aphrodite wouldn't ever bother us. We could be happy. " he said moving close, staring into her eyes.

Alexis shoved him away. " I do not have any feelings for you whatsoever! Me and Jon's relationship is none of your concern. Don't talk about him like you know him. Jon's ten times the guy you are. "

Parker's hand slammed the wall over her head, making her flinch and back into her door.

" How can you like him more than me? I don't get it. "

" Hey! Is there a problem out here? " a man yelled opening his door down the hall.

Parker took his hand off the wall with a deep sigh. " No, sir. I was just leaving. "

He glanced at Alexis from the corner of his eye as he strode away.

" Are you alright, young lady? He didn't hurt you, did he? "

" N-No. I'm fine... Thanks. " she breathed out.

Alexis unlocked her door and dashed quickly inside. She fell back on the door and slid to the floor. She brought her knees up to her chest. Her eyes stung as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Slowly, she stood up and laid on her bed. Alexis doubted she'd be getting any sleep tonight.

________________________________________________________

Jon awoke to complete darkness. For a moment, he thought his eyes were still closed. He could feel a cold, smooth surface underneath him. Tile, if he had to guess. Wherever he was, it definitely wasn't his room. Spreading his arms out wide, he rose to his feet.

Jon walked a couple feet forward and his hands found what he assumed was a wall.

" Where the hell am I? " he whispered.

Following the wall, he eventually found a wooden portion.

" Hello? Hello! Is anybody here? " Jon yelled.

After fumbling around for a few moments, his hand closed around a circular doorknob. Jon threw open the door and was blinded by light as he fell forward. He heard the door close as his vision returned. He had ended up lying on his stomach on the tile floor. Looking around, Jon realized he knew this place.

It was a hallway at his school. White and blue tiles made a pattern on the floor. The white walls were plastered with posters and important announcements. Recreated paintings by famous artists were spread across the campus. No one seemed to be here at the moment. The only audible sound was the steady hum of the air conditioning.

" Aphrodite? Is this another game? " he called out.

There was no answer from anyone. Jon stood up and dusted himself off. He remembered falling asleep in his boxers, but was now wearing a full outfit. A plain white shirt and tan cargo shorts to be exact. The door he had just come out of was a supply closet.

In front of him was a side entrance to the school that led out to a street. He pushed on the door with all his strength, but it wouldn't budge.

" Not getting out that way... What is going on? "

Jon went over to a classroom's door and peered in through the slot window. Not a single person was in the room, but the lights were on.

" Wake up, Jon. " a voice suddenly echoed down the hall.

He jumped at the unexpected noise. " Who's there? Come out! " he yelled.

The voice did not respond.

" Wake up? Am I dreaming? Doesn't feel like it. I've had weirder dreams though. "

Jon tried slapping his face a few times, he even went as far as to pinch his arm. All he managed to do was make his cheek sting. Rubbing his face, he started walking in the direction the voice came from. The next half hour or so was spent searching every room for some sort of answer as to what was happening. Unfortunately, he found nothing helpful.

While he was searching, Jon discovered there was no way to get off the campus. All of the exits were locked and the fences were blocked off by invisible walls. He was beginning to get very creeped out by the complete silence. Entering a new hallway, Jon could hear a muffled voice. He walked over to the nearest door and looked inside.

Every desk in the room was occupied by a girl and a short, blonde-haired woman stood at the front writing on the chalkboard. He quickly slipped into the room.

" Um, hi. Do you guys know what's going on? I'm having trouble finding a way off the campus. " he asked awkwardly.

The woman stopped writing.

" Took you long enough to find us. We've been waiting nearly an hour, Jon-Jon. "

The woman turned around with a big smile on her face. It was Aphrodite! The Goddess of Love was wearing a red pantsuit, the jacket was open showing a white blouse. A pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses were perched on her nose. She wore black high heels that added little to her height. Her hair hung freely around her shoulders, two braids were done up on each side of her head.

" Aphrodite? So, this was you? What is this? "

" It's exactly what you think it is. A game! I was so bored and I've always wanted to try the teacher look. I think it fits me quite well, don't you? " she said happily doing a full circle.

" Suuure... Wait a minute. Didn't you say I was off the hook for awhile? What changed your mind? "

" Have you gone deaf? I said I was bored. I wanted to make this game more interesting. Take a look around. Do you recognize these girls? "

Jon frowned and walked to the front of the room. All of the girls were staring straight ahead without blinking. They didn't move or seem to be breathing. Looking past the weirdness, he looked at each of their faces one by one. They all had something in common.

" These are all girls that have been in a game. "

" Correct. Sadly, there aren't enough desks for all of them so I chose a few of the more memorable ones. "

Jon was happy to see that Alexis and Bridget were not among the group.

" Okay, you got me. I'm stumped. Why are all of these girls here? "

" Well, you know all of the games are made possible by me using my magic. Either I make them like the idea of having you at their feet or make it so they don't know you're there. I decided to tell them about all those naughty little things you've done without their knowing and now they want a little payback. "

There was a distortion in the air and he felt a chill on his skin. He snapped his head down and cried out in surprise. He was naked!

" What the hell? Why'd you do that? "

" To make things easier. Have fun. " Aphrodite laughed and melted away.

Jon gaped as the room began to expand outward. No, he was shrinking! The girls stood up from their desks and moved to surround him. He shrunk down to inches in height while the girls laughed. His new stature let him see that all of them were barefoot.

Despite the direness of his situation, Jon's member stirred. Among the group he saw some familiar faces, Jasmine, Savannah, Rebecca, and many more.

" Please! Whatever you're thinking about doing, don't! " he begged.

The groups laughter died down. The girls closest to him raised one foot in the air.

" Bye, Jon! " they said in unison.

Jon yelled as one of the most beautiful yet terrifying sights descended on him. The light was blocked out as their toes converged overhead. He felt their soft toes smash into him and then there was darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" This is what Aphrodite is capable of. She doesn't really care about you beyond the fact that you entertain her. She WILL be the death of you. One way or another. Now it is time to wake up. Wake up, Jon. WAKE UP! "

Jon's eyes opened to darkness yet again. He jolted upright expecting to be crushed by the toes of multiple girls. Luckily, the girls seemed to be gone. He was in another enclosed space, this time there was a hole of light in the distance. The hole was up in the air, but it looked like Jon could reach it with some effort.

A quick peek down confirmed he was still naked. He was sitting on some soft material, his hand sunk down as he got up. This new place had a distinctive smell to it. Sniffing the air, Jon caught the scent of feet and cocoa butter.

" I have a bad feeling I know where I am. Need to get out of here and find out who keeps talking to me. "

Jon jogged over to the hole and tried to see what was outside, but the light made it impossible to make anything out.

" Here we go. "

Taking a running start, he leapt up and grabbed the edge of the hole with both hands. The edge was made of a cloth material and sagged slightly from his weight. Slowly, Jon hoisted himself up and got a leg over the edge of the hole. The section of the hole he had climbed up was actually a flat wall, once he got one leg over he rose into a sitting position. Jon's fears were confirmed when he saw his new surroundings.

He was back in Bridget Aguilar's room.

" Shit. I thought I was done with these dreams... At least I hope this is a dream. " he said hopping off what turned out to be Bridget's giant running shoe.

The last time he'd had this dream Bridget was still just as small as him. He decided to try to find her first.

" Bridget! You in here? Bridge! " he yelled.

She did not respond.

" Where is she? Maybe Ingrid has her... "

As far as Jon could tell, no one else was in the room. Unfortunately, the door was closed and he was much too big to crawl under.

" What do I do now? Hmmm... Uh... Voice? Are you there? Little help? Aphrodite? Anyone? "

He waited for some kind of reply, but got none. Sighing in frustration, Jon sat down on the cool tile Indian-style. Without any idea what to do, he figured he'd wait until someone came and opened the door. He wasn't left waiting for long. A few minutes later, he heard a loud, rhythmic smacking sound moving closer. Jon instinctively jumped to his feet.

" Maybe I don't want anyone to know I'm here just yet. " he thought dashing under Bridget's bed just as the door opened.

Two huge, bare, caramel colored feet stepped into the room. Jon gulped in fear and subconsciously shuffled backwards. It was Ingrid Aguilar.

" Where did she put that little bastard? He has to be in here. " she said picking up a pair of Bridget's shoes and looking inside.

" Crap. She's looking for me. "

Ingrid continued to search for awhile. She checked every pair of Bridget's shoes, the closet, and all the drawers in the nightstand. He could only watch as her massive feet clomped around purposefully. After checking all those places she stood in the middle of the room.

" Dammit. I've looked every- Hmmm... "

Ingrid's monstrous toes pointed at the bed and began walking to it.

" Shit, shit, shit! "

Jon ran deeper under Bridget's bed. He considered hiding behind a plastic bin full of old clothes, but it was too obvious and easy to move. No, he needed to go even deeper. Navigating past worn out shoes and forgotten clothes, Jon made it to the far wall of the room. He was glad the bed was placed in the corner. Ingrid wouldn't be able to reach this far back, but he wanted to take it a step further for safety.

His options were pretty limited though. Jon went with a discarded sock, crawling inside and curling into a ball. He could hear Ingrid shifting things around under the bed, trying to find him. She only searched for a short time before giving up in frustration. She stomped out and slammed the door shut behind her.

Jon remained in the sock, he didn't want to risk leaving it and Ingrid suddenly bursting back in the room.

" I'll wait for Bridget or Melanie to come back. Hopefully one of them will leave the door open. "

He got comfortable in the sock, wadding up some of the cotton for a makeshift pillow. Despite his boredom and the coziness of the sock, he was unable to fall asleep. A couple hours later, the ominous silence was broken by muffled shouting. Carefully, Jon worked his way out of the sock. The shouting got louder and the door creaked open, banging into the wall.

" I told you I don't know where he could've gone. He was in one of my running shoes last time I saw him. "

That was Bridget! He had hoped she would be the one to come home first.

" And why wasn't he with you? Didn't I tell you not to leave him alone at any time? Especially somewhere he can escape from. " Ingrid said angrily.

" I just wanted to give him a break... He's been working a lot. "

" He doesn't get breaks. You better find him by tomorrow morning. "

With that, the door shut again. There was the smacking of flip flops and the bed springs squeaked as Bridget sat down.

" Jon? Are you still in here? Please, come out. "

He made his way back to the other side of the bed. Bridget's feet were sitting just beyond the bed frame in brown-soled sandals with a pink strap. An anklet made of white thread and light blue beads adorned her left foot. Stepping out from under the bed, Jon saw that Bridget was laying back on the bed with her feet still on the ground.

" Briget! I'm down here! "

The giantess didn't seem to hear him. After trying once more, he moved on to another method of gaining her attention. He climbed up on her sandal and shimmied over to where her toes sat. Seeing Bridget's normally small toes coming up to his waist was unsettling. Jon remembered the terrible game where he'd been trapped inside one of Bridget's shoes by Ingrid.

As a former close friend, doing anything more than the occasional massage felt wrong. The weirdest part was being so small compared to her. Bridget couldn't be taller 5'0, making her shorter than Alexis. At normal size, her foot could fit snugly in his hand. Much like her mother, Bridget had a caramel-colored skin tone. Her toes were unpainted. He tapped the tip of her big toe to get her attention.

The giant girl sat up and looked down at her sandal.

" Jon! Where were you? " she whispered reaching for him.

Bridget scooped him up and brought him to face level. Jon didn't remotely care about being naked in her hand. They'd been through much worse together.

" I was hiding from Ingrid. She came in looking for me so I ran under your bed. "

" You know better than to do that. Now she's gonna punish you again. I might even be punished. "

" Bridget, what's going on? This all ended months ago. I was normal sized and on a cruise ship. How'd I end up back here? "

" That explains it. You're having another episode, aren't you? "

" An episode? What the hell is going on, Bridge? I don't understand. "

" Jon, you never escaped. You've been my moms foot servant for months now. Sometimes you lose your memory or something. For a few hours, you keep talking about how you escaped and none of this is my mom's doing. You say this all one of Aphrodite's sick games. Which is absolutely crazy. It really makes me worry for your mental health. You always revert back to the time we almost escaped. Back when I was still small... " Bridget said quietly.

Jon could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

" What is it? " he asked touching her thumb.

" I'm sorry, Jon... I couldn't be small anymore. It was too much for me. My mom made me big again as long as I do everything she says. I want to help you... but I can't... "

Tears began to spill down her cheeks.

" Bridget... It's okay. You don't have to be sorry. I don't blame you at all. "

" The most I can do is keep you away from my mom as much as possible. But now she's really mad and I don't know what she's gonna do. It might be time to get you out of here. "

" No. I don't want you to get in trouble for me. I'll take my punishment when the time comes. Let's wait awhile before you hand me over though. I'm not looking forward to it. "

The words had barely left Jon's mouth when the door burst open.

" Well, well, well. There's our little servant. Keeping him all to yourself? " Ingrid asked smugly.

" Mom! No, I was just about to bring him out to you. "

" I'm sure. I'll deal with you later. Give him to me. "

With a sad glance at Jon and some trepidation, Bridget handed him over.

" Please, don't be too mad at him. He's not himself right now. "

" Hmph. You do not tell me what to do. Stay in here. If you set foot out of this room, you will regret it. "

Ingrid left the room with Jon clenched in her fist. He struggled pointlessly in her tight grip. She went into the living room and sat down on the couch. A large, malicious grin spread across her face. Ingrid hadn't changed much since the last time he'd seen her.

She still had black hair with fading auburn streaks that was done up in a bun. The corners of her mouth were pulled down making it look as if she were constantly frowning. A single mole was on the cheek just under her right eye. She was wearing a blue shirt and light brown pants.

" What were you thinking trying to hide from me you bug? You should know your place by now. You are my property. You live to serve me. " she said, her slight Hispanic accent coming out.

" You're still the same crazy bitch I remember! What kind of person would keep someone their prisoner and do such terrible things that their daughter is scared to just be around them? A psychopath! " Jon yelled struggling harder.

" Oh! Someone has quite the tongue. I think it's time I remind you where you're rightful place is. "

Ingrid picked up a roll of tape from the coffee table. He knew where this was going. She put her left foot up on her knee and smushed him stomach first into her sole. The sticky side of the tape was pressed onto the small of his back. Ingrid wrapped it around her foot a couple times, securing him firmly.

When she was done, Jon beat his tiny fists on her soft, wrinkled sole in anger.

" Let me go! You can't do this! No! "

Ingrid stuck her foot in a slipper under the coffee table. He was sandwiched between the soft insole and her own sole. Jon's member was poking up into her sole, making him hard. The slipper was lifted into the air, tilted on it's side, and Ingrid started to rock her foot slowly. The slow rhythm made him even more excited.

" Ah, no. I never wanted to be in this situation again. " he thought trying to pry himself free of the tape.

An oddly, familiar feeling came over Jon. As he tried to place it, his eyes glazed over and he lost control of his body. It began to hug Ingrid's sole and rub up against it.

" No! I still have Aphrodite's curse?! Stop! Stop it! " he yelled in his mind.

It was pointless however, he was a prisoner in his own body. All he could do was watch on in horror.

" Now do you see, Jon? This could likely be your life. One day you could anger Aphrodite enough that she gives you back to Ingrid and forgets about you. Leaving you with this woman for the rest of your life. And this would be merciful compared to what else she's capable of. " the voice said in his head.

" Who are you? Why are you doing this? "

" Who I am is not important. What IS important is that you realize Aphrodite's evil. Do you want to live a happy life with Alexis? That will never happen if Aphrodite is overshadowing everything you do. Something needs to be done. "

" What the hell am I supposed to do? You said it yourself. She doesn't really care about me at all. I'm just her toy. "

" She cares for you more than any of her other toys though. You are her favorite. Maybe, just maybe, if you appeal to her you, you can come to some kind of agreement. If anyone has a chance, it would be you. "

" Do you honestly think that'll work? Just talking to her. "

" It's worth a try, isn't it? Think about it. For now, you need to wake up. There's a gift waiting for you in the real world. "

The world before Jon's eyes started to melt away, distorting to reveal darkness...

________________________________________________________

Jon awoke covered in cold sweat. He sat up in the bed and saw he was back on Aphrodite's ship.

" Did I even leave? " he thought swinging his legs onto the floor.

He went to the bathroom and splashed some warm water on his face. Looking in the mirror, he discovered he was back in a pair of gray pajama pants.

" What was all of that? It was so vivid... "

Rubbing at his eyes, he started to walk back to the bed. Something outside on the balcony caught his eye. A bird of some kind was perched on one of the chairs and starred at him intently. Not exactly sure what to do, he walked towards it. The bird didn't take off or move away, it just continued to stare at him.

When he got to the glass door, the bird ruffled it's wings. The bird was actually a black, yellow-eyed owl.

" What are you doing way out here? " Jon whispered.

A glint of metal on the table made him look down. A chain with what seemed to be a coin attached sat on it's surface. The owl flapped it's wings and took off into the night sky. He quickly lost sight of it. Jon slid open the door and retrieved the chain.

The necklace was made of a dark metal, there was indeed a coin attached to it. The coin was covered in undecipherable carvings. With a confused look, he brought it back into the room. He dropped it into the top drawer of the nightstand and laid down again. He wasn't sure why he decided to take the chain, it almost felt like his subconscious was screaming at him to do it.

" First that dream and then this. What a weird night. "

Jon figured he'd turn the chain in to the Lost & Found tomorrow. Maybe it was important to someone.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 15

Jon woke up late the next morning. He was supposed to go over to Alexis' room at 10:00, but didn't wake up until 10:45.

" Why didn't she come wake me up? I gave her a spare room key exactly for this. " he wondered.

He hastily threw on a light blue t-shirt, a pair of khaki shorts, and white shoes. As he walked out the door, he remembered the chain in his nightstand. Without exactly knowing why, he retrieved the strange object and pocketed it. Navigating the multiple corridors of the ship, Jon eventually arrived at Alexis' room. He knocked a few times before she finally answered.

" Hey. Sorry, I slept in late. I thought you were gonna come wake me up? "

Alexis made eye contact for a split second before looking at the floor.

" I um... slept in too. My bad. " she said walking back into her room.

Jon frowned and followed her in, closing the door behind him.

" So, what do you wanna do today? We can try the pool again or go see one of the shows in the dining room. It's up to you. I'm okay with anything. "

Alexis laid down on her bed and faced away from him before answering.

" I don't really feel like doing anything today, Jon. Maybe we could just stay in one of our rooms? Relax and watch TV or something. "

He sat down at the foot of her bed.

" What's wrong, babe? You seem kinda down. "

" It's nothing, Jon. I just don't feel like going out. "

" Oh, no. You can't say that. You would never let me say that and accept it. Tell me what's wrong. "

" Please, let it go. "

Jon rounded the bed and laid on it to face her.

" Tell me what's wrong. I want you to be happy. Let me help with whatever's bothering you. "

Alexis was silent for a moment before her brown eyes looked up at him.

" It's Parker... " she began.

" Parker? Is he still stalking you? "

" ...He was waiting outside my room last night. He started saying creepy things. He said how he was so much better for me than you. When I tried to argue he got angry... I thought he was going to hurt me... Some man came out of his room and chased him off. He scares me, Jon. "

Jon's brow knitted in anger.

" He tried to hurt you? Are you okay? " he asked leaning up.

" Honestly, no. But he didn't touch me. "

" That son of a bitch! I'm gonna beat the shit out of him. " Jon said standing up.

" Jon, calm down. You don't need to fight him or anything like that. Maybe you could just talk to him. He seems kinda scared of you. "

" He should be! He has no reason to scare you like that and he's gonna regret it. "

Alexis got up from the bed and went over to put her hands on his face. Standing on her tip toes, she kissed him softly. His anger subsided almost immediately.

" Are you calm now? " she asked grinning.

" Sorry. My temper got the better of me. I'm calm. "

" I understand why you're so mad. I love that you care so much. All I'm asking is for you to try scaring him off before you start throwing punches. "

" Alright. I promise. The rest is up to Parker. " he said putting his hands on her hips.

" Are you going to do this right now? We can stay here and relax for awhile. Watch some TV, order some food, and maybe do a little massage? "

" That sounds great, but I need to do this as quickly as possible. I don't want you to have to worry about that creep longer than you have to. I'm going to go out to the pool again and try to find him. If I can't, I'll ask Aphrodite where he is. Once I deal with him, I'll come right back here. Okay? "

" Okay... Be careful though, Jon. "

" Of course. I'll be back in a bit. " Jon said and kissed Alexis on the cheek.

With that, he left her room. It was time to put an end to Parker's bullshit...

__________________________________________________________

Jon took another sip from his drink while scanning the crowd for Parker. He'd been sitting at the pool area's juice bar for nearly an hour now. So far, Parker hadn't turned up. He figured he would wait for awhile longer and then ask Aphrodite where Parker was. One upside of being the goddesses favorite toy was that everything on the ship was free. Food, drinks, and anything else he wanted.

Ever since leaving Alexis' room, his anger at Parker had slowly been building up again. No one had the right to scare her like he did. Jon seriously wanted to pound the bastard, but he promised he would try other ways first. He continued to search through the people surrounding the pool. A passing face made him do a double-take.

It was Parker! The creep was casually strolling by the pool. He wore a red button-up shirt and black shorts. Jon got up from his stool and started to slowly walk over to Parker. He didn't want him to run off before he could get to him. Weaving through the crowd, he cut off his target.

Parker's eyes widened for a split second before he got a displeased look on his face.

" Hello, Jon. Do you need something? " he said sounding exasperated.

" Listen, Parker. I'm not stupid. I know you've been stalking Alexis and I want you to stop. If I find out you go anywhere near her again, I'm going to beat your ass and that's not a threat. It's a promise. If you lay a finger on her, it's gonna be ten times worse for you. Got it? "

Parker was silent for a moment, then burst out laughing.

" You're not stupid? Coulda fooled me. One of the most beautiful girls alive likes you and you disappear to some island for five months. Do you even know how sad Alexis was? Almost every single thought she had was about you. She cried herself to sleep and then mumbled your name. I was there for her through all that and yet she chose you. How is that fair? And it gets worse than that. You're Aphrodite's toy. Your life is hers to do with as she pleases. She could choose to kill you on a whim and have no regret. Leaving Alexis all alone and depressed. Have you thought about that? No, probably not. You don't deserve Alexis. She needs someone who can give her everything she needs. " Parker said suddenly serious.

" Don't talk like you know anything about me or Alexis! I didn't want to get stuck on that shit hole of an island. I love Alexis more than you ever will. I'll give her everything she needs, so don't worry about it. Just leave her alone, you fucking creep. " Jon yelled and turned to walk away.

" Why should I? "

Jon froze in mid-step. His anger began to bubble over. He had kept it in check until now, but Parker's pompous attitude was pushing him over the edge. Jon's hands balled into fists at his sides.

" I'll tell you why... " he said through gritted teeth.

Quickly whipping around, Jon threw a punch at Parker's face. He felt it collide against skin and grinned triumphantly. When he felt the skin begin to force his hand down painfully, the grin vanished. He hadn't punched Parker's face, Parker had caught the punch! With a grin of his own, Parker punched Jon squarely in the jaw.

Jon stumbled back, but remained standing.

" I hope you weren't expecting an easy fight. Size isn't everything, asshole. " Parker said bouncing on his heels.

" I hope you enjoyed that punch. It's gonna cost you. "

Jon ran at Parker and tackled him to the ground. Wrestling for a moment, Jon got on top of Parker and started to barrage him with punches. Parker held his arms up in a meager defense. He landed a few good hits before Parker was able to get his leg up and kick Jon away. Parker stood up with blood dripping from one nostril.

He charged Jon, trying to kick his side. Jon grabbed his leg with both arms. Parker hopped on his free leg and kicked Jon on the side of the head. Jon fell to the ground, his vision swimming from the unexpected kick. As Parker got up, a bystander moved to stop the fight. He punched the man and shoved him out of the way.

Jon had risen onto one knee when Parker grabbed the front of his shirt in one hand and began ferociously punching him with the other. Jon marveled at the boy's surprising strength as he was beaten. Parker didn't look nearly as strong as he was. He could feel blood beginning to trickle down the side of his face from Parker's multiple punches. Finally, Jon mustered up the will to raise his arm to stop the pounding.

Once the punches stopped, he started throwing his own punches to beat Parker back and fully stand up. Jon was only on his feet for seconds when Parker kicked them out from under him. He landed with his head hanging inches above the surface of the pool. Suddenly, Parker wrapped his hands around Jon's throat and submerged his head under the water. Jon thrashed wildly as his blood stained the water red.

" Holy shit! He's actually trying to kill me! He's fucking insane! " he thought.

Jon reached up and got hold of Parker's collar. He brought one knee up to his opponent's chest while using the other leg to push off the deck. He and Parker tumbled into the water. Jon quickly broke the surface, gasping for air. Parker came up moments later choking on water. Without thinking, Jon dove at him.

" Son of a bitch! " he yelled driving his elbow into Parker's cheek.

Jon hammered Parker with slow, powerful punches. His left eye was swelling up from the beating Parker gave him earlier, but that wasn't going to stop him now. Parker lunged forward, reaching for Jon's neck once again. He held Parker's hands away and reared his head back. Jon delivered a solid headbutt.

He felt Parker's nose break under the impact. He raised his arm for one final punch, but couldn't bring it down. An invisible force was stopping him from moving completely.

" Enough! " a female voice boomed.

Jon was lifted from the pool into the air. The same was happening to Parker. Looking to his left, he saw Aphrodite standing at the edge of the pool with a very pissed off expression. They were both dropped on the deck on either side of the goddess.

" What is the meaning of this?! " she yelled.

Jon slowly got to his feet. He was quite happy to see blood dripping from Parker's busted nose and his already bruising face. Jon wasn't much better off though.

" Talk to your boy toy over there. He threw the first punch. " Parker said.

" You couldn't keep your damn mouth shut! " he yelled back.

" Quiet! Both of you! Jon. Tell me what is going on. " Aphrodite shouted.

" Parker has been stalking Alexis. Ever since you told him he wasn't her servant anymore. He's followed her around for days now. Alexis told him she didn't want to see him again, but he kept showing up. Last night, he waited outside her room for her. He started telling her how bad I was for her and how good he was. When Alexis tried to argue, Parker got angry. Alexis thought he was going to hurt her, but some guy chased him off. I came out here today to get him leave her alone. I warned him to or I was going to make him. He started talking some non-sense about how I don't deserve Alexis and how he can give her what she's needs. I got mad. I tried to hit him and you can figure out the rest. " Jon explained and put a hand to his hurting face.

" Is this true, Parker? " the goddess asked calmly.

Parker looked away, avoiding Aphrodite's eyes.

" ...Yes. But it's not like anything I said wasn't true. This bastard doesn't deserve half the things he has. Especially all of the gifts from you and the special treatment. He wouldn't even have Alexis if it wasn't for you putting them together in the first place. You give him all of these things and he barely appreciates it. He wants to escape from you! Meanwhile, I've been with you for years. I do everything you ask of me and more. I rarely ask for anything from you. Jon shows up a few months ago and he gets whatever he wants. The only thing you've given me since you found him is a foot fetish so I could be Alexis' foot servant. The only gift you've given me is something to make me more like him. How is that fair? Huh? " Parker said.

" Watch your tone, boy. Remember who you're talking to. Be glad I decided to take you at all. My greatest gift was not leaving you all by yourself. I told you to stay away from Jon and Alexis as well. At least Jonathan knows who's in charge and does what I tell him. He knows his place. Do you, Parker? "

" Why? Why do you like him so much more than me? I don't understand. Please, M- "

Parker disappeared mid-sentence, gone in the blink of an eye. Before he vanished, Parker looked genuinely upset. Almost on the verge of tears. Jon saw an odd expression on Aphrodite's face after she sent Parker off, one he'd never seen and couldn't figure out.

" You don't have to worry about him anymore. He won't be coming back. Let me heal you. " Aphrodite said and put a hand on his face.

Jon was overwhelmed with a feeling of comfort and warmth. The pain in his face melted away. He suddenly noticed that time was frozen around them. The passengers stood unmoving, still staring at the pool where he and Parker had been fighting.

" Thanks. " Jon said feeling strangely awkward. Like he had seen something he wasn't supposed to.

" Don't put too much thought into what you just saw. It was nothing. No one will remember the fight. Go back to Alexis. "

Jon wanted to tell Aphrodite that he wanted to talk to her, but decided against it. The goddess disappeared and time started moving. The crowd was full of confused faces momentarily, but people returned to what they were doing. Still trying to figure out what he had heard, Jon set off for Alexis' room.

__________________________________________________________

" So? How'd it go? " Alexis asked opening her door.

" Well... I did try intimidating him first. " Jon said brushing past her.

" Is that your way of saying you did get in a fight with Parker? "

" Uh, yeah. I did. "

Jon flopped down on Alexis' bed. Aphrodite may have healed his wounds, but he still felt quite tired.

" Are you okay? "

" I'm fine. Me and Parker worked each other over pretty good, but then Aphrodite broke it up. She and Parker had a weird conversation. I'm not sure what they were talking about. The important part is she sent Parker away and said we won't be seeing him again. "

" Really? She did that for us? "

" I don't know if it was for us. Honestly, she seemed kinda upset after she did it. But it's done and that's all that matters. "

" Good riddance. I'm glad that creep is gone. "

" What do you wanna do, babe? That didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. We have plenty of time to do whatever you want. "

Alexis laid down next to Jon and took his hand.

" Since when did you start calling me babe? "

" ...Today. Do you not like it? "

" No, no! It's cute. And I think I have an idea. How about a massage, foot boy? "

" Okay. I think I can do that. " Jon grinned.

He moved to the foot of the bed, leaning on the footboard. Alexis placed her small feet in his lap. He took a foot in each hand and began working his thumbs into her soles. Alexis flicked on the TV to some reality show and sighed in pleasure.

" I love your foot rubs. It doesn't get any better than this. "

" You're welcome. "

" Well, actually... There is one thing that could make it better. "

" You mean making me small, don't you? "

" Yes. I'm sorry, Jon. I miss it. It's been so long. The night you disappeared I barely had any time to enjoy it. " Alexis said indignantly.

" Alright, alright. We can do it. I'm willing. " Jon sighed.

" We don't have to. I'm just saying. "

" No, let's do it. You still have the power to shrink me, right? "

" Yeah. Maybe you should get undressed first. Your clothes are just gonna get in the way. "

" Okay... I guess you're right. "

He stood up and pulled off his shirt, shoes, socks, shorts, and finally his boxers. Jon turned around while Alexis suppressed a laugh.

" I've seen it all before big guy. No reason to be shy. "

" Yeah, when it's a lot smaller. I'm self-conscious at this size. "

" Okay. "

He stepped out of the boxers, threw them on the pile of clothes, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

" Do it. I'm ready. " he said covering his crotch.

Jon's point of view rapidly got lower. His feet left the carpet, dangling in air. In seconds, he was down to inches in height. Jon scrambled back from the edge of the bed. Alexis had a large smile on her face.

" Man, it feels weird being so small again. "

" You look so adorable though. "

" If you say so. Now let me have those beautiful feet. "

Alexis placed her feet in front of Jon. He was maybe an inch shorter than the bottom of her toes. Slowly, he reached out and pressed his hands into her sole. The giant foot arched back and the toes scrunched up. He continued to rub with his hands for a few minutes more, but gave up on it and threw his whole body against her sole.

Jon kissed her foot multiple times while gyrating. Alexis' soft skin and smell was driving him into a frenzy. His minuscule member stood at full attention.

" Bring your toes down to me. " he said between breaths, prying himself away from the lovely foot.

" I have a better idea. "

Jon suddenly shot up to be slightly taller than the tops of her toes. He began planting kisses on each of her toes, going down the line and back again. After that, he worked his now larger thumbs into her toes. Once he was done with that foot, he moved to the other and repeated the process. His member was left near bursting as he finished. He stepped back from Alexis' feet in an awkward stance.

" Are you alright down there? Do you need to go to the bathroom or something? " Alexis asked peering down.

" No. I'm just... Uh... A little excited. " he said failing miserably at hiding his erection.

" Oooh... Well, I think I can help with that. "

" What? No. You don't have to do anything. I got it under control. "

" Jon, please. Let me repay you for all these great massages. Go lean on the foot board. "

Realizing he wasn't going to win, Jon did as she said. When he got into position, Alexis scooted down the bed so her feet could reach him. Both of them came down over the lower half of his body. Her big toes pointed out and pinched his member between them.

" Alexis... "

The toes started a slow, stroking motion. Jon let out a small moan and his head dropped back on the foot board. It felt amazing. He was in pure ecstasy. Not able to hold it any longer, he exploded onto Alexis' feet. Jon slumped over her toes, breathing heavily.

" That... Was... Amazing... " he panted out.

" I'm glad you liked it, foot boy. It was the least I could do. "

" Alexis... I love you... And I'm not just saying that because of the toe job. I really do. "

Alexis grinned and scooped Jon up. He went limp in her hand, spent from the toe job.

" I love you too, Jon. Somebody just scored some bonus points for that. Before we do anything else though, let's get cleaned up and you can take a little rest. " she said bringing him up to her giant lips and kissing his face.

Alexis stood up, with her tiny boyfriend in hand, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 16

Jon awoke confined and laying on something soft. Rubbing at his eyes, memories from last night slowly came back to him. He and Alexis had spent the rest of the day in her room. After the toe job, Alexis nestled him in her bosom so he could take a nap. The events of the previous day had thoroughly worn Jon out.

She woke him up a couple hours later and they settled in to watch a movie. He was even allowed to sit in-between her big and second toe, the seat of honor. When the movie ended, Alexis grew him back to normal size. Jon put his boxers back on and they laid in bed watching TV in each other's arms. At around 10 PM they decided to go to bed. Alexis stopped him as he went to lie down.

" Ah,ah,ah. What do you think you're doing? " she said putting a hand on his chest.

" Going to sleep? Aren't you? " he asked confused.

" Yes. We both are. But this isn't your bed. Your bed is down there, foot boy. "

Jon's eyes went to where her finger was pointing, her left foot. A smile broke across his face.

" Whatever you say, babe. " he said happily.

He gave her a quick kiss and crawled to her feet. As he crawled, he steadily dwindled in size. At his new size, he only came up to about the middle of her sole. While Jon planted a kiss on her sole, Alexis reached over to the nightstand and opened up the top drawer. With a flourish, she took out a balled pair of socks.

" Wouldn't want you getting cold now would we? " Alexis grinned.

" No, I suppose not. "

She gently picked him up and dropped him into one of the socks. He was followed by Alexis' right foot. Jon clung onto her toes as she got into a comfortable position. Alexis laid down on her stomach, so her sole was facing up.

" You alright down there? "

" I'm great! " he yelled to be heard.

" Okay. Good night, Jon. Don't stay awake too long. "

" No promises! "

Alexis went silent after that, quickly falling asleep. Jon stayed up for awhile longer, kissing her sole affectionately. At some point he must've passed out from exhaustion. He tried rising up from her sole, only to be restricted by the sock. Grabbing onto Alexis' soft skin, he climbed up to her heel. Jon opened the sock and pulled himself out.

As he did, he lost his balance on her leg and fell off. Standing back up, he saw that Alexis was still dead asleep and showed no signs of waking up.

" Hmmm... What to do? Ah ha! I think I have an idea. "

Jon held the sock on her right foot in both hands and began pulling it down her foot. It took a lot of effort to drag the sock all the way down to her toes. Once it was there, he tugged it the rest of the way off. He admired the gorgeous sole for a moment before jumping onto it. His tiny body sunk into her sole and he began kissing it once again.

Alexis' toes twitched at his movement. Suddenly, she stirred and lifted her head up.

" Ugh, what time is it? " she grumbled.

Jon leapt off her foot and ran to the head of the bed.

" Morning, babe! " he yelled as he neared.

Alexis looked towards him with a grin. " Morning, foot boy. Did you sleep well? " she laughed.

" Fantastic. Like I was on a cloud. You? "

" Better knowing you were here and Parker's gone. "

" Happy to hear it. "

" I think it's time to make you big again. I wanna hug my amazing boyfriend. "

" I think your boyfriend would be okay with that. "

Gently picking him up, Alexis lowered him to the floor. Jon shot up to his normal height immediately. He sat down on the bed and hugged his girlfriend tightly.

" Thanks for everything yesterday. It was amazing. But don't think you have to do that all the time now. Only when you want, okay? "

" It was the least I could do. "

Jon looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly eleven o'clock again.

" Um, Alexis? There's something I need to do today. Hopefully I'll only be gone a couple hours. " he said already cringing.

" What? What do you need to do? I was hoping we'd be able to spend the day together. Go do some activities. " she said breaking the hug.

" I need to talk to Aphrodite. Everything that's happened recently has got me thinking. Getting stranded on the Isle of Amazons, what Parker said. If Aphrodite's going to always be a part of my life, I need to know you and I are safe. That she won't kill me on a whim, separate us, or worse. I can't sit around and worry about it. I'm going to make some kind of deal with her. "

" What? Are you serious? Do you really think she'll make a deal with you? "

" I don't know, but I have to try. Please, Alexis. Just let me do this and then we'll do whatever you want. Okay? "

With a concerned look, Alexis took Jon's hand.

" I'm not sure how much I like this idea, but I won't stop you. Be careful though, okay? "

" Of course. I'll be back as soon as possible. "

Jon kissed the top of Alexis' head and stood up. As he picked up his shorts from the pile of clothes, the chain fell out of his pocket by Alexis' foot.

" What's this? " she asked picking it up.

" Some necklace I found on my balcony. Not sure how it got there. I was going to turn it in to Lost & Found. "

" Pretty weird, isn't it? Looks old. I've never seen anything like it. "

" It might be valuable then. All the more reason to turn it in. " Jon said pulling on his shirt.

Alexis handed him back the necklace.

" Alright. I guess I'll see you later. Don't take too long and be safe. "

Alexis hugged Jon around the waist.

" I'll try my best. "

The couple shared a quick kiss and Jon was off. It was time to make deal.

__________________________________________________________

" Aphrodite? Are you in here? " Jon asked opening the door to her office.

He'd tried speaking to her with his mind on the way up, but there was no response. The room appeared to be empty as well.

" Aphrodite! I need to talk to you! It's important! " he yelled at the ceiling.

" What is it, Jonathan? I'm quite busy. " Aphrodite said materializing in the desk chair.

The goddess seemed off today. Her blonde hair was not styled in any way, instead it hung freely around her shoulders. She wore a white toga and a single piece of jewelry, her golden ruby necklace. She wasn't her usual cheery self either. In fact, she looked very displeased.

" We need to talk about the future. Everything that's happened recently got me thinking. I can't keep doing this and constantly worry about dying or some other god taking me prisoner. I need some reassurances for me and Alexis. I need to know we're safe. "

Aphrodite fixed him with a cold stare. That familiar, ominous energy crept into the air.

" I don't NEED to give you anything. How many times must I remind you of your place in this relationship? You don't get to demand anything from me. I have been kind to you, have I not? I let you reunite with the girl you love. And yet here you are asking for more. Maybe I should give you a reason to truly fear for your life. " she said rising in her chair.

As she spoke, the energy grew stronger. Jon began to tremble slightly. He felt incredibly small standing before the goddess without her actually shrinking him. Suddenly, Jon dropped down on one knee and diverted his eyes to the floor.

" Please, Aphrodite. I didn't mean any disrespect... I'm afraid. I'll make a deal with you. Anything to know we're safe. Please... "

Aphrodite was silent for a moment.

" Get up. You're far less amusing when you beg. I will hear what you have to say, but there's a price. " the goddess said with a wicked grin forming.

Jon didn't know which he was more afraid of, an angry Aphrodite or a mischievously happy one.

" What is it? " he asked standing up.

" It wouldn't be any fun if I told you exactly what it is. I'm getting an idea. The biggest game we've ever done. A three part game. A triathlon of feet you might say. Each individual game being more difficult than the last. "

" Alright. Sounds fair enough. None of them are going to kill me are they? "

Aphrodite got out of her chair and walked around to the front of the desk. Sitting on the edge of the desk and crossing her legs, she continued talking.

" Of course not, Jonathan. They're going to be fair like you said. Now, the rules. Once you start this triathlon, there is no turning back. If you don't pass the game you never leave that game until you do. You beat a game by doing what I tell you to at the beginning. The goal will be very clear. I will not help you in any way during the games. It's all up to you. If you win the triathlon, then we can talk. Is that agreeable? "

" Yes... There's no other way? We can't just talk without doing this? "

" No. It's this way or not at all. What is your answer? "

Jon thought about the proposal. Much as he hated the idea of doing another game, he didn't have a lot of say in the matter. If he wanted to make a deal, he was going to have to suck it up.

" Alright. I agree. "

" Wonderful! " she said hopping off the desk.

She came down the two steps and offered him her hand. He took it in a firm handshake.

" Let the games begin. " Aphrodite said still smiling.

The second the words left her mouth, Jon was thrown into darkness.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 17

Jon's eyes opened to a white ceiling high above him. A fan spun slowly making a little air flow. Jumping to his feet, he realized he was standing on the pillow of a gigantic bed.

" Going straight to the shrinking, huh? Alright then. "

He looked down to see he was wearing a toga. One side of his mouth quirked up in a smile.

" It's been awhile since I wore one of these. Takes me back to simpler times... Alright. Let's see what we've got here. " he said hopping off the pillow.

The room didn't seem familiar to Jon. Although, he had been in a lot of rooms over the last few months. The bed was covered with light blue sheets and it's size suggested it was used by one person. A black dresser sat against the wall off to the left with a mirror on top of it. There were also many different kinds of makeup spread out. The room was very clean as well, everything in its place and without clutter. A door stood in the far corner.

Walking over to the edge of the bed, Jon peered around. A black nightstand was right next to the bed. An alarm clock, a soda can, and a bowl were on it. Multiple pairs of girly shoes were on the floor.

" I'm definitely in a girls room. No big surprise there. But why am I here? What's the game? " he wondered.

" Patience, Jonathan. I'll tell you soon enough. " Aphrodite's voice said in his head.

" Alright. Hope it's not too long. " Jon thought sitting on the bed.

" It shouldn't be. Just relax for awhile. "

The goddess receded from his mind. Jon sat on the bed for what felt like half an hour before someone entered the room.

" Hey, Jon! How was your day? Lazy as always? " she asked setting her bag on the dresser.

" Diana? " he whispered more than a little surprised to see her.

The giant girl dove onto the bed stomach first, bouncing the small boy into the air.

" Ahhhhhh! " Jon yelled landing roughly on the bed.

" So? How was your day? " she asked again tucking her arm under her chin.

Diana was a girl from Jon's school, she was in the same grade level as him and fairly attractive. In fact, Jon had a crush on her for some time. Eventually it just sort of faded away though. Aphrodite's games did take over his life for awhile.

Diana was on the tall side for a girl her age, standing slightly above average. He assumed she was of Hispanic descent, but he'd never confirmed that. She had very dark brown hair with the ends died a blonde color. Her skin was a light tan. Diana's feet were also large for her age and wide too, nothing outrageous though. Jon knew this because he'd spent quite a bit of time looking at her feet in the classes they had shared.

He realized that Diana was still waiting for an answer.

" Um... My day was good... What about yours? "

" It was alright. I didn't really find anything I liked at the store. Plus I didn't want to leave you here alone long. "

" Oh, thanks. " Jon said awkwardly.

" Okay, Aphrodite. What's the game? " he thought.

" The first game is simple. Sweet Diana here thinks you've been living with her like this for months. For now the game is to just stay with her. Enjoy yourself. "

" Seriously. That's it? "

" That's it. I do have an interesting tidbit of information however. You and Diana were meant to be, Jon-Jon. Before I came into your life of course. Once I did, Alexis became your one true love. "

" What? Really? "

" I am the goddess of love, Jon. It's my job to know these things. Don't think about it too much. You and Alexis make a much cuter couple anyways. "

" Was that information really necessary? "

" No, but I felt like sharing. Have fun. "

Jon wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with this new information, just accept it?

" We have the rest of the day to do whatever you want to. Any ideas? " Diana asked.

" I don't know. I'm up for whatever you want to do. "

" Weeeellll... We could do the usual thing. "

" Okay. " Jon said not knowing what she meant.

Diana changed her position so she was vertical, like how you would normally lay on a bed. Jon just stood off to the side as she did.

" Well? What are you waiting for, little guy? You know what to do. " Diana said gesturing towards the foot of the bed.

" Ah, I should've known. " he thought.

He went down and stood before her giant feet. Now that he thought about it, Jon noticed he was roughly three inches tall. Not the best height for a massage.

" Aren't I a bit too small for this? " he asked.

He couldn't be sure how much Diana knew or was capable of. Maybe she could change his size like Ingrid and Alexis.

" Oh, yeah. I guess you are. Here. "

Diana waved her hand and Jon shot up to seven inches. Just shy of the bottom of her toes.

" Any special requests? "

" Start at the toes and work your way down. "

Reaching up, Jon began to work his hands into her right big toe. Diana's toes were painted a light orange, a color not many girls could pull off. For her it worked though. Her toes were also soft and pleasantly plump. As he rubbed, Diana wiggled her toes happily.

Jon couldn't shake off a strange feeling he had while he worked. At first, he wasn't quite sure what it was. But after thinking for awhile, it hit him. He felt like he was cheating on Alexis by rubbing another girls feet. Jon doubted she would really mind, especially because this was going to get him a deal with Aphrodite. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying giving Diana a massage, but it just felt wrong.

By the time he was done with his revelation, he had made it to the middle of her left foot. Suddenly, the door opened and Diana smushed her foot down on Jon. With a wave of her hand, he started to shrink under her expansive sole.

" Yeah, Mom? " Diana said.

" Sorry. Forgot to knock first. I was wondering if you wanted to come watch this movie with me? " her mom asked.

" Um, sure. Give me a minute. "

" Okay. "

The door closed. Diana removed her foot from Jon.

" Why'd you shrink me? I wasn't done with the massage. "

" Sorry. You know my mom can't see you. She would flip out. You did a great job though. Do you want to come with me while we watch the movie? "

" You're welcome. I'll come with, but didn't you just say your mom can't see me? How is this going to work? "

" She's not going to, silly. You're going to be hiding. "

" Where? "

Diana rose up to a sitting position and reached for something on the floor.

" In this. " she said holding up a brown moccasin.

" Oh, okay. That's fine. Let's do it. "

She scooped him up in her hand and dropped him into the shoe.

" Get comfortable. "

The two inch boy ran to the toe of the shoe and laid down. Diana's foot followed him in, covering him from head to foot. A few moments later, Jon felt the rhythmic pressure of someone walking on him. Thankfully the moccasin was lined with fluff, making the weight easy to bear. He was completely blind inside the shoe and could only hear muffled noises from outside it.

Diana stopped walking shortly after she started. Her foot rested squarely on him once again. Jon wriggled his way down to her arch, so he could move more freely. He began rubbing circles into her sole. The thought of kissing her sole crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Jon stayed in the shoe for awhile, just rubbing whatever he could reach, until Diana slid her foot out.

Her toes slid to the opening, but stayed inside the shoe. They wiggled playfully as if to say:

" Come and get us, little guy. "

Squinting from the sudden light, Jon walked to the opening and looked up. He saw the knee-down part of Diana's leg and the front of a couch. He could also clearly hear the movie they were watching. He tapped her second toe to let her know he was there. Diana's big and second toe spread apart at his touch. The huge appendages came forward and embraced him.

When Jon tried to free his arms, their grip tightened.

" Well. Looks like I'm not getting out of here. " he laughed.

" Glad to see your having fun, Jon-Jon. I hate to interrupt, but are you ready to hear the game? " Aphrodite's voice interjected in his mind.

" Yeah, I guess. What is it? " he said somewhat sadly.

" The game is a decision. I'm going to make you an offer and all you have to do is decide. "

" Okay. Tell me the offer. "

Jon was becoming more suspicious by the second.

" It's simple. If you want you can stay here with Diana. You'll never hear from me again. If she wants to set you free she can, but she'll always have the ability to shrink you. Or you can continue with the triathlon. Decide. "

" What? No way. I don't believe you. It's a trick. "

" There is no trick, Jonathan. If that's what you want, that is how it will be. If you choose to stay however, you will never see Alexis again. Freedom has a price. "

" Then I'm definitely not staying. I choose to continue. "

" Are you sure? You won't get another chance like this. If you continue, you're mine forever. "

" I'm positive, Aphrodite. I want to continue. "

" Okay. So be it. Never say I didn't try. Let the games continue. "

Aphrodite disappeared from his mind. Jon was sure he had made the right decision. He loved Alexis, she was his whole reason for even doing the triathlon. But at the same time a new feeling was welling up inside him. Deep within his heart a mixture of emotions brewed, doubt and regret.

" No. I made the right decision. Aphrodite was lying. She would never let me off that easy... Right? "

Jon continued to fight with his doubts, but suddenly blacked out without warning. The second game was about to begin.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 18

Jon was suddenly blinded by sunlight. He heard the sound of cars driving by and horns honking. When his eyes adjusted, he saw he was standing in a small parking lot right next to a street. He was back in normal clothes, a light gray t-shirt and black gym shorts. The street was almost completely empty of people with some dilapidated buildings.

" Where the hell am I? " he thought.

" The next game, Jon-Jon! Where else would you be? " Aphrodite's voice chimed in.

" I knew that. I meant more specifically. "

" Why don't you turn around and find out? "

Jon turned to see an old building behind him. It was one story and painted a dark blue color. A large neon sign was on a pole in front of the building. It read: " The Love Lounge " in curly, pink writing with a light blue border. As he looked at it, the sign began to flicker.

" The Love Lounge? Really? "

" Yes. This is one of my favorite places. I don't use it very often, so you should feel honored. "

" Okay... What's the game? "

" Must you always be in such a hurry? Fine. Go inside. The game begins there. " Aphrodite said dryly.

Somewhat suspicious, Jon walked to the building's front door. Who knew what was waiting for him inside? Aphrodite did say the games would become more difficult. The first game was paradise. Since there were only two games left, he had a feeling the difficulty spike was going to be pretty drastic. He opened the door to a short hallway with pink wallpaper. Deeper inside the building, he could hear electronic music pulsing.

" What the hell is this? Some kind of strip club? " Jon asked walking further in.

" Not exactly. "

He brushed through a set of curtains at the end of the hall and froze. Before him was a dark room with blue and pink lights. The room had multiple levels to it with ramps and small staircases. For furniture it had black leather couches, cushioned wood chairs, and wooden tables spread throughout. None of that was what made him freeze in place though.

The room was full of women he knew. Women who had previously been in a game. From the looks of it, every single one of them too. Jon remembered the dream he'd had a couple nights ago. Maybe it was actually a glimpse of the future.

When he walked into the room, all eyes turned to him. All the ladies were wearing black dresses of different fashion.

" Aphrodite... What's going on? " he asked.

" Welcome to the Love Lounge, Jon-Jon. I'm sure you already recognize these lovely ladies. Almost every girl that has been in a game with a few exceptions. THIS is the next game. "

" What is the game? "

" I'll get to that. First, pick a girl. Any one of them. "

" Alright. " Jon looked around at all the girls. He had no idea where to begin. " I guess I'll see who all is here. "

After walking around for a bit, he saw only a select few were missing. Alexis and the Aguilar's to be exact. Jon had a creeping feeling that their absence wasn't by accident. He tried not to think about the implications of that fact. There were also some people he didn't expect to see here.

Oddly enough, Diana was here. She'd given him a knowing smile when he walked by her. Ms. L and Sandra sat at a table together, it made sense since they were the only two adults in the place. Those were just the ones who stuck out. He noticed all of them were barefoot.

" No surprise there. " Jon didn't know who to choose though. " I can't decide, Aphrodite. There's too many girls. " he finally said.

" Oh, please. There's no such thing as too many girls, Jon. Are you asking me to choose for you? Because I happily will. " Aphrodite offered.

" Um, no. I'll choose for myself. "

He quickly inspected the room and made his decision. Trying not to be awkward, Jon walked up to their table.

" Hey, Jasmine, Savannah, Anna. " he said turning to each of them.

The two Hispanic and one Native American girls all smiled in response.

" Are these the ones you choose? "

" Yes. "

" Predictable. Okay. These three it is. "

" Wait, wait. What do you mean predictable? "

" Really, Jon? We've known each other for quite awhile now. You like a certain type of girl. Latinas. "

" Well... Yeah... I can like whatever I want. " he thought turning red.

" There's nothing wrong with it. I'm just making an observation. Brace yourself. You're taking a trip down south. " Aphrodite laughed.

The moment the goddess said that, Jon began to dwindle in size. He didn't freak out or anything. He was very used to the process and had been expecting it. As a nice little surprise, his clothes shrank also. The girls feet danced happily under the table, craving attention.

" Alright, Aphrodite. I'm tiny. What's the game? "

" This is the marathon portion of the triathlon. You are going to spend five hours in here. Not a minute more or less. Each one of these ladies is going to have their own time with you. They can pretty much do whatever they want. No complaining. Fair enough? "

" Yeah... Sounds pretty easy. "

" Oh ho! Listen to Mr. Confidence! Time starts now. Good luck, Jon-Jon. "

Jon focused back on the six feet in front of him. Jasmine and Savannah were both light skinned with fairly big feet for their age, Anna's skin was a darker tone with smaller feet. Knowing what the game was now, he somewhat regretted his choice. Jasmine liked to play, knew what she wanted, and wouldn't take no for an answer. All those things were dangerous for someone of Jon's current size.

Savannah had a playful side as well, but not nearly as rough as Jasmine. Anna never seemed interested in anything to do with Jon and his foot fetish. Aphrodite probably changed that for the purposes of this game.

" C'mere, Jon. " Jasmine spoke pushing the table so she could see him.

Cautiously, he moved closer. Once he was within range, Jasmine's left foot shot forward and pinned him on the ground. Her large, red-painted toes were clenched on his chest.

" It's good to see you again. I missed the fun we had. I'm happy you chose us first. " Jasmine said practically grinning from ear to ear.

" Nice to see you too. " he replied trying to free himself.

She increased the pressure on him.

" I think I already have an idea for what we can do. Move the table and make a triangle with the chairs. "

Anna and Savannah did as Jasmine said.

" Alright. Here's the game. Jon, you stand in the center of us. All three of us are going to try to keep you there with our feet. You try to leave the triangle. Okay? "

" Suuure. "

" Then let's go! "

Jasmine poised herself for the game. Jon considered what he was going to do. Most of the other women watched in amusement, some chatted with drinks in hand. Before a plan even fully formed, he bolted towards Anna. He wasn't sure why he chose Anna, but he did. He would run under her chair to freedom.

Anna's foot slid across the carpet at him from the left. He stopped just short of it crashing into him. It continued to slide past him. He was nearly to Anna's chair when her other foot came down on its side. He began to move out of its path, when it zoomed forward and slammed into him. Jon was sent flying backwards. He tumbled back to the center of the triangle.

" Nice, Anna! Almost got away, little guy. Too bad you'll have to be quicker. "

Jon groaned as he stood up. Being swatted by a gigantic foot didn't feel great. He rolled his shoulder slowly, trying to work out the pain.

" You're fine. Come on. Let's go again. " Jasmine said with a predatory grin.

She obviously wanted to catch him herself. He had a feeling there was another idea in her devious mind. This time, he made a mad dash for the gap between Jasmine and Savannah. Out of pure spite, he decided Jasmine was not going to touch him as long as he could help it. Jasmine's wide foot swiped at him a couple times, but he kept moving further out of her range.

A mistake he'd realize too late. Savannah's foot suddenly swooped into his field of view from above. Her years of soccer were coming in handy. The kick was too fast for him to dodge. In seconds he was popped up into the air by the kick.

" Shiiiiiiiit! " Jon yelled beginning to fall.

He braced to hit the ground, but it never happened. Something caught him! Opening his eyes and lifting his head, he saw that he was sandwiched between Savannah's soles. She'd put her feet together in air and caught him between them.

" Don't worry, Jon. I wouldn't hurt you. " she said sweetly.

Gently, Savannah lowered him to the ground. A part of Jon had to resist the urge to nuzzle up against her red-painted toes. Savannah was always kind to him, especially when she'd been in a game all those months ago. Plus, her feet were quite nice.

" Alright. Time to change things up. Scoot in closer. "

All three girls moved in. Running out of the triangle would be immensely easier now. However, he was already well in range to be stopped.

" Go! " Jasmine shouted.

Her foot shot towards him and shoved him to the ground yet again.

" No fair! I can't escape like this! " Jon yelled as Jasmine's foot pressed down on the lower half of his body.

" To be honest, you weren't supposed to. It was just a way of messing with you. I got impatient though. So we're gonna cut right to the fun stuff. Hold him down you two. "

One of Savannah's and Anna's feet came from both sides, restraining his arms. Their toes almost completely covered his chest.

" Hey! What are you doing!? "

" Don't worry. You're going to like this. "

With surprising dexterity, Jasmine's toes lifted up his shirt and pulled down his shorts. At roughly five inches tall, Jon's entire body was covered by feet except his head. Using her big toe, Jasmine pulled down his boxers next. She grasped his minuscule member between her big and second toe. It throbbed as her soft skin rubbed against it. Jasmine's grin widened and she began stroking his stiffy.

Jon didn't want to give her the satisfaction of exploding, but he couldn't fight the overwhelming pleasure. He blew all over her soft, bulbous toes in under a minute. Once he was spent and breathing heavily, the feet let him go. He quickly pulled his boxers and shorts back up.

" That was fun, Jon. We'll have to do that again when you're up for it. Until then, I think it's massage time. "

" Excuse me, darlin'. I think you've had your fun. We're all supposed to get a turn with the munchkin. Why don't you hand him over? If you please. " A Southern accented voice said.

Jasmine's eyes went wide when she looked at the speaker. Jon looked from his position on the floor to see Sandra looming over them. The over six foot tall woman dwarfed him when he was normal sized. Now, she might as well have been a mountain. Realizing arguing with Sandra was pointless, Jasmine scooped him up.

" I'll see you later, Jon. " she said giving him to Sandra.

He had a feeling he would be seeing her much sooner than he liked.

Sandra smiled as she brought him up to her face. " Hey, sweet pea. I've been waiting for that second session, but then you disappeared for awhile. I'm happy you're back now. Why don't we celebrate in the best way I can think of? "

She set him on the table she'd been sharing with Ms. L.

Ms. L waved at him with a smile. " Hi, Jon. Nice seeing you again. "

" Ms. L. " he said getting shakily to his feet.

Jasmine sure worked him out good. He got his first good look at Ms. L. He hadn't seen her in quite some time. As a TA, she left about a week before school let out for the summer. Everyone in the class was sad to see her go, including Ms. L. She had been very emotional that day. Other than that, she was pretty much the same as always.

Her dark brown hair still had a pixie cut. She wore a black dress with no straps. Sandra didn't look any different than the last time he saw her. She was wearing a dress with a single strap.

" Me and Kristen were talking about our... experiences with you. You've been doing this for awhile, huh? Just can't enough feet, can ya? " Sandra laughed with her sultry grin.

" Very naughty, Jon. " Ms. L said mock angrily.

Jon turned slightly red once more. " I get around. " he said scratching his head.

" I guess so. But that's enough chit-chat. Let's get down to business. "

Sandra propped her humongous feet up on the table, Ms. L also did. Although Ms. L's feet were considerably smaller. If he remembered correctly she wore a size eight and Sandra a sixteen. Exactly half the size. Ms. L's feet were wide with short toes.

" Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Kristen? "

" I believe I am, Sandra. "

Suddenly, both women shoved one of their feet forward and smushed him between them. The front of his body was pressed up against Sandra's warm sole, Ms. L's sole covered his back. Jon gave a cry of surprise at the sudden attack.

" You alright in there, sugar? We weren't too hard were we? " Sandra asked sweetly.

" Umm, yeah! Wasn't ready for that. "

" Okay, good. You can stay in there for a bit. "

One of his arms was pinned between the ladies heels, the other was on Sandra's sole. His left cheek was right up against her sole and his member as well. Because he was still spent from Jasmine's little game, there wasn't much of a reaction. Jon didn't particularly like his current position, but he would gladly take the time to rest.

" Boy, you have some downright tiny feet. Shoe shoppin' must be a breeze. "

" It definitely isn't difficult. You must go through hell to find shoes. "

" You have no idea, darlin' "

He stayed encased in the sole prison for a few minutes longer, nearly falling asleep due to the softness and warmth. The two feet released him just as suddenly as they'd trapped him. His arm had that weird pins and needles feeling.

" Shall we move on to our favorite part? " Sandra asked flexing her toes.

" Yes, please! "

" Since its been so long since you had a massage from Jon, you can have the first one. "

" Really, Sandra? That's so kind of you. You up for it, Jon? "

" Sure. Why not? "

" Woo! Then come on. I'm ready. "

He walked over and stood before Ms. L's feet. Her light pink-painted toes clenched in anticipation. At his current size, the top of his head only came up to the middle of her sole. Regardless, he reached up and started rubbing her sole. His hands sunk right into her incredibly soft sole.

Ms. L let out a deep sigh of relaxation. Once he massaged all he could reach, Ms. L brought her feet down on the side of the table. He began rubbing her toes.

" This is gonna be a long five hours. " he thought working between her second and third toe.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 19

Jon suddenly found himself staring up at a ceiling that seemed miles away. The ceiling was a light tan color and sunlight shown on it from an unknown source. Just seconds before he was in a girls shoe as part of the last game.

" Aphrodite wasn't kidding when she said not a minute more. "

When he tried to move, he was restricted by sticky bindings. One length was wrapped around his upper torso and arms, the other around his legs. He felt a cool, hard surface under him. Turning his head, he guessed he was on a wooden table of some kind. An entertainment center stood off to his right.

" Wait. I've seen that before... Oh, fuck. No. No! Dammit! I was hoping I was wrong. Aphrodite! Don't do this! Anything but this! " he thought furiously.

Jon thrashed wildly, trying to break free of the tape. He suddenly heard movement coming from somewhere out of his vision. Something very big. He thrashed even harder.

" I was wondering when you were going to wake up, little bug. I've had nothing but time to think of how to punish you for trying to escape. " a Hispanic accented voice said.

He froze in place, eyes widening in fear. A giant face appeared over him, grinning evilly.

" Let's get that tape off of you. " Ingrid Aguilar said reaching for him.

" No! Don't touch me! "

His cries were ignored she picked him up and unwound the tape. He attempted to fight free of her grip, but it didn't work.

" Stop squirming! " she yelled removing the last of the tape.

She set him back on the table and sat on the couch. Jon stood at about five inches tall now. Much like the first time he'd been in this very same position, he was stark naked. The major difference was that he didn't give a shit this time. Ingrid did not have any power over him and he would make it clear.

She barely looked different from the many other times he'd seen her. Her auburn and black hair was tied up in a bun. She had on a white t-shirt and blue jeans. The feet which caused him so much trauma were out of sight.

" Hmmm, where to begin? How about the traditional massage? It's been so long since you gave me one. My feet are so tired. " she sighed bringing her feet up onto the table.

Jon took a few steps back.

" I'm not doing a damn thing for you, bitch! " he shouted defiantly.

" Oh, really? Let's see how long this rebellion act lasts, bug! " Ingrid laughed.

Her left foot stretched forward, toes spread apart. He quickly moved out of its path. In response it swung sideways at him, knock him on his butt. Before he could even begin to get up, her big and second toe roughly grasped his tiny head.

" Ahhhhhhh! " he cried as it lifted him into the air. Jon beat his fists on her toes and kicked her sole.

" So, tough guy? Do you still want to fight? "

" Put me down! "

" Okay. "

The giant bitch released him, causing him to fall on the table. He scrambled back to his feet.

" Now you're gonna give me a massage. If you don't, I'll put you in my work shoe for a week. Your choice. "

Jon remembered the terrible conditions inside those shoes. If he could help it, he'd never go back in them.

" Fine. " he mumbled defeatedly.

" What was that? " Ingrid asked bending her ear.

" Fine! I'll rub your freaking feet! "

" There we go. Good. Keep being good and maybe I'll give you some food later. " she said leaning back on the couch.

" Aren't I a little small for this? " he called up.

" Oh... Yes. Here. "

Ingrid waved her hand at him. He shot up from half the height of her sole to the top of her second toe. Grudgingly, he began working his hands into her right foots big toe. It was as soft as ever. For a woman of her age and occupation, Ingrid's feet were incredibly well taken care of. With only a few minor calluses and deep wrinkles it wouldn't be going too far to say they were beautiful.

" Too bad they're attached to such a bitch. " he thought bitterly.

Jon worked methodically. Giving each toe a few minutes of massaging before moving on to the next. He was still fuming mad that he was back in the clutches of the monster named Ingrid. However, after awhile he became absorbed in his work. His anger drifted to the back of his mind, nearly disappearing completely.

He kneaded his fingers into her soft, caramel colored sole. Things took a turn for the worst after that. Jon's eyes glazed over. He was broken from the trance-like state he had been in while his body moved of its own will.

" Oh, no. No. God dammit! Not this again! Aphrodite! This is too much! Take the curse away! Please! I'm begging you! " he screamed in his head.

Aphrodite's curse of not being able to resist his inner most desires had taken over. His body was no longer under his control. Jon's body started licking Ingrid's toes, one by one and in long swipes. It was just getting warmed up though. It wrenched her big and second toe apart, then licked the space between her toes.

" Oooooh! Yes, Jon! Very nice! I should make you give me this treatment more often! " she said happily.

" Stop! This isn't what I want! STOP! " he yelled trying with all his might to take back control.

Suddenly, Jon's body did stop. It moved away from her feet. Jon still wasn't in control though.

" Bigger. " his mouth said in a monotone voice.

" What? Bigger? You want to be bigger? " Ingrid asked looking at him quizzically.

" Bigger! " his mouth said again. This time more forcefully.

" I guess. Only because you're being such a good boy. "

She waved her hand and he grew to the point that her toes only came up to his abdomen.

" What the hell is it doing? It's never talked before. " Jon wondered.

His body sat down in front of Ingrid's left foot, scooting forward so his crotch was on her heel and his legs dangled off the edge of the coffee table. While sitting, his head was now level with her toes.

" This looks like fun! " Ingrid laughed.

Jon felt his mouth curl into a smile. It wrapped his arms around her foot and kissed her toes passionately. At the same time, his member rubbed against her heel. Jon went into a frenzy, cursing and shouting in his mind. His body didn't even hesitate in response. It continued to hug, kiss, and rub until it couldn't stand it anymore.

His member blew its load right onto Ingrid's heel. Thoroughly worn out, his body released the huge ped and sprawled out on the table. Ingrid watched in silent amusement. The glaze cleared from Jon's eyes and he was back in control of himself. His legs were still straddling her heel, but he was too tired to move.

" That was... amazing, Jon. It was a nice first step in repaying me for trying to escape. It'll take a lot more for me to truly forgive you though. But I think you've earned the rest of the day off and some food. " Ingrid said cleaning off her heel with a tissue.

" ...Thank...you... " he panted out.

She raised her hand over him and he shrunk to a much smaller size. How small he did not know. She scooped him up in her hands and carried him into her room. Once there, she put him back into the nightstand drawer that had always been his jail cell. The top drawer, Ingrid's panty drawer. Jon was too tired to care at the moment.

" Your waters right here. " she said pointing to a bowl in the corner.

He crawled over and drank handfuls of cool water.

" I'll wash you off and get some food later. "

" Okay... " he said rising to his feet.

" Enjoy your rest. The next shift is going to have a hard time outdoing your performance. "

" Next shift? You have someone else shrunken here? "

" Of course. I don't know why your so surprised. It's Bridget. "

" Bridget?! What? Ingr- "

He was cut off as Ingrid shut the drawer, leaving him in total darkness.

" She shrunk Bridget?? Why? Aphrodite! Answer me! What's the game?! Aphrodite! " Jon shouted to the heavens.

_____________________________________________________

Aphrodite watched Jon's struggles at the start of the third game laughing profusely. The ancient looking globe was clear and showed everything that happened to him. His growing frustration only made her laugh harder. She'd known this would be the last game the moment she came up with the idea of a triathlon. To be honest, she always wanted to finish this game one day.

Jon begging for a deal gave her the perfect opportunity to unleash it. Something was very different about that boy ever since he returned from the Isle of Amazons. She couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly was different though. The old Jonathan never would have broken down and flat out begged her for safety. Maybe those she-males torture did more damage than she thought.

For a long time now, Icelus had been hanging around Jon. The god of nightmares lived up to his title, meddling in Jon's dreams. When Aphrodite asked him what he was doing he merely said: " I'm having my own fun. What's wrong? Don't like sharing your toys? ". Aphrodite was slightly suspicious, but dreams were not within her range of power. Eventually, she wrote it off as his way of irritating her. If it went on much longer, she would put her foot down.

Suddenly, she felt a mortal presence approaching the door to her office. Reaching out, she identified the person as they knocked on the door.

" Hello? Aphrodite? " they called through the door.

" Come in. "

The globe went back to its normal state as the door opened. Standing uneasily in the doorway was Alexis Folsom.

" Alexis! Darling! What can I do for you today? " Aphrodite asked standing up.

" I wanted to ask about Jon. He's been gone for awhile. " Alexis said slowly coming in.

" I'm sure he told you about his wanting to make a deal. Making a deal with me has a price. He's in the middle of a game right now. Can't say how long he'll be. That all depends on him. "

" Oh, okay... Do you think I could at least see him? You can do that right? "

" Silly girl! Of course I can! Here. " Aphrodite laughed gesturing at the globe.

It became clear once more and turned nearly pitch black. Alexis could just barely make out Jon wandering in the darkness.

" Aphrodite! Answer me! " he shouted.

She ran over to the globe and reached out to touch it, but caught herself.

" Where is he? "

" In the drawer of Ingrid Aguilar. Awaiting further punishment. "

" Oh my god! You put him back with that crazy bitch?! How could you?! " Alexis asked incredulously.

" That is the price he must pay. And watch your tone, girl. You only get so many warnings. Next time you'll regret speaking to me like that. "

" I'm sorry... I'm worried about him. He HATES Ingrid. I know he wants to be sure we're safe, but I don't think it's worth it. ...Could you possibly get him out of there? Make him do any other game. Please. "

Aphrodite's anger flared up. The familiar aura of power enveloped the room.

" No. We had a deal. If he doesn't finish this game, there is no deal. No one goes back on a deal with me. I'm tired of your mouth. " Aphrodite hissed moving closer to Alexis.

" A-Aphrodite... I'm sorry. Forget I said anything. I'll leave. " Alexis nervously said backing away.

" No... I have a better idea. Jon is paying for his part of the deal. You should too. I know exactly how you can. "

A mischievous grin spread across her face.

" Aph- "

Alexis was cut off as she disappeared from the room.

" Hehehe. Bye, Alexis. Have fun playing the game. "

_____________________________________________________

Jon sighed leaning against the wall of the drawer. He'd been in it for a few hours now. A short time ago, Ingrid took him out to wash off and gave him a hunk of bread to eat. When she put him back, she left the drawer open a crack so a small amount of light slanted in. He scarfed down about half of the bread before he was full.

Once he was done with it, he and his thoughts were alone. Aphrodite never answered him, so he still had no clue what the game was. Jon knew he would end up back in the hands of Ingrid Aguilar some day. It just happened to be much sooner than he preferred. The biggest hint was when the Aguilar family didn't appear at the second game. All of those nightmares had come true. And Bridget was trapped here too.

Ingrid ignored his questions about her. Despite his not wanting to be involved with the Aguilar's, he still cared immensely for Bridget. A weakness Jon had for all his friends. His bonds formed quickly and were hard to cut off. Even if it turned out not to be part of the game, he would do his best to save her.

" Hello, Jon-Jon. Enjoying the game? " Aphrodite said from nowhere.

He assumed she spoke in his mind until she emerged from the shadows of the drawer, stepping into the pale blue light. She wore a long, white dress that went down to her ankles. Brown leather sandals encased her feet. Her hair was curled and hung freely. She also wore her customary ruby necklace.

Jon jumped to his feet. Aphrodite stood fairly taller than him. The top of his head only came up to right below her breasts.

" What the fuck, Aphrodite?! Why didn't you answer me sooner? "

" I wanted to give you time to calm down. Looks like I didn't wait long enough. I would highly suggest it. I even took time out of my busy schedule to see you personally. "

" I'm so honored. I would ask to be put into another game, but I know that's not happening. So what's the game? "

" It's exactly the same as the last time you were in this apartment. You and Bridget have to escape. No leaving her behind. There is no time limit. You're not indestructible either. You'll need food and water like normal humans. If you get into a situation like last time you tried to escape, you're on your own. I won't bail you out. Understand? " Aphrodite said bending down to be eye level with him.

" What about the curse? " he asked after a moment of silent eye contact.

" What about it? It's part of the game. Deal with it or stay Ingrid's prisoner. Simple as that. "

Jon said nothing. He knew there was no point in arguing.

" Fine. I understand. "

" Good. I hope you play things a little smarter this time. Friendly advice. Bye, Jon. "

The goddess disappeared in the blink of an eye.

" Fuuuuuuuuuck! " he shouted and punched the side of the drawer.

" How the hell am I going to do this? I don't even know where Bridget is! "

He was beginning to regret his decision of making a deal with Aphrodite.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 20

Alexis awoke groggy and confused. She had no idea where she was. Her mind was a jumbled mess of memories. She could see a ceiling high above her, although it seemed higher than normal. Whatever was underneath her felt incredibly soft. A cold, metal object brushed her neck as she looked around.

Then everything that happened came crashing back to her. Alexis rose to a upright position. Laid out before her was the upper part of a sole and five long toes. She was on someone's foot! She started to scramble off when she noticed something.

The second toe had a golden ring on it with a chain that led right to her. She grabbed the chain and pulled it away from her. The metal tightened around her neck, threatening to tug her forward. Feeling her neck, Alexis discovered a collar.

" Oh, God. Oh, God. No. Please, no! " she whimpered.

" You called? By the way, the word you should've used is goddess. I thought you would know that. " Aphrodite's voice said in her head.

" Aphrodite? What is this? Why am I chained to this foot? "

" Isn't it obvious? This is your first ever game! Hooray for you! I'm sure you are very excited. "

" Aphrodite, please! I'm sorry for everything I said. Don't make me do this. Please! "

" If that's how you beg, you're going to need to do a lot better to convince me. Wait, my apologies. I made it sound like I'm remotely considering letting you free. "

The beginnings of tears stung at Alexis' eyes.

" Anything but this... Please. I'll work on the ship. I'll never talk back to you again. Just not this... " she pleaded, tears flowing freely.

" Hmmmmmm... No. You are playing this game. That's final. "

She continued to cry, there would be no persuading Aphrodite.

" I suggest you listen. You will be chained to this woman's foot until I think it's time to release you. She is in complete control of you until that time. The more you fight her, the longer you stay. Don't get any funny ideas about escaping. That chain isn't coming off and I'd never allow it anyways. Get used to it. You are her slave. Okay? Good. If you're worried about getting injured or worse, don't be. This woman is kind. It's why I chose her. Good luck, Alexis. "

The goddess disappeared from her mind. She stayed sitting on the woman's foot, crying into her hands, for awhile. Regretting her decision to speak with Aphrodite. Wondering how Jon was doing in his own game. Eventually, she ran out of tears to shed.

" Pull yourself together. You've been tiny before. It's been a long time, but it's nothing different. "

She slowly got off the stranger's foot, hoping not to wake them. Whoever owned it was obviously asleep. Both of their feet were sticking out from under a comforter. They didn't even twitch while she was freaking out. Upon further inspection, she realized she was in one of the ship's passenger rooms. The comforter and bed sheets that were in every room gave it away. Alexis also noticed for the first time that she was wearing only a white toga.

" Alright. What to do? Aphrodite said the ring wouldn't come off. I guess it couldn't hurt to try at least. "

She went in front of the woman's large toes. They were almost as big as her! This woman's feet must be huge even at normal size, rivaling those of her own mother. Her skin was a deep bronze, her soles were lighter but not pale. Her toes were painted a glossy pink color. Alexis got a good grip on the toe ring and pulled with all her strength. It didn't budge at all.

" Aphrodite wasn't kidding. "

Suddenly, the chain began to move by itself. No, it was being absorbed into the ring! Becoming shorter by the second. She tried to fight against the chain, but it was useless. The chain, which had been long enough to allow her some distance from the foot, was now four inches long. Making it impossible to move away from the giantess' digit.

She cursed herself for not taking Aphrodite's warning more seriously. With nothing else to do, she leaned her back on the toe and waited for her captor to wake up. Alexis wasn't sure how long she waited, but eventually the stranger began to stir.

" Mmmmmm... Lordy. What an odd dream. That Aphrodite sure is a wild one. " they said stretching.

Did she hear a Southern accent? The bed shifted as the woman rolled over. Alexis was lifted into the air with the foot when it rose from the bed. The collar dug into her neck, threatening to choke her to death. Flailing wildly, she knew had only one option. Using the chain as a rope, she climbed up between the big and second toe.

" Oh, my! Looks like my dream has come true. Hello, little one. Aphrodite told me all about this in the dream. She said your name, but I don't remember. What is it? " the giantess asked sitting up.

" Alexis! " she yelled standing awkwardly between her toes.

" Nice to meet you, Alexis. I'm Sandra. From what Aphrodite said, we'll be spending a good bit of time together. I would've preferred a boy, but we can make it work. " Sandra said smiling down at her new slave.

" Sandra? Wait... Jon's mentioned her before. She didn't sound terrible. Maybe this won't be all that bad. "

" Well, let's get right down to business and test you out. This'll help me learn what we need to work on. Make a little harness out of the chain and I'll make it longer to lower you down. "

The chain began to lengthen out from the ring. Alexis looped it around her left foot and leg, then kept her leg out straight. Slowly but surely, she was lowered to the bed.

" Oops. You're a tad small for this job. It's a good thing that I can control more than the chain's size. "

Sandra's toe ring and the chain started to glow with a golden light. She grew from four inches tall to over a foot in seconds.

" There! Perfect! I'm already gettin' the hang of this! Okay. Start rubbing. "

" Ma'am... Please don't make me do this. I was forced into this against my will. I'll do anything else you want me to do for you. Not this though. Please. "

Sandra frowned and didn't say anything for a couple minutes. She seemed to be thinking about what Alexis said.

" Look, sweetie. I'm real sorry that you wound up in this situation, but it's not my problem. You're not the first one Aphrodite sent my way who begged for mercy. Don't get me wrong. I feel bad, but who am I to go against the wishes of a goddess? I'll try to take it easy on you though. Now get started. "

Alexis' hopes of somehow avoiding the inevitable died inside her. That was her last chance. She looked down at the bed and reached for Sandra's big toe. Sandra leaned back and closed her eyes. Even at nearly two feet tall, Sandra's toe was as big as her head!

She worked in descending order, each toe flexed happily in her grip. When she finished with the toes, she moved on to the fleshy expanse of Sandra's sole. Her sole was surprisingly soft. Alexis assumed a woman of Sandra's age would have rough, ugly feet. That was definitely not the case.

" Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you thinking, Alexis? This is gross. You shouldn't be enjoying this in the slightest. "

However, she continued to admire Sandra's feet. Her hands sunk into her pillowy flesh. Deep wrinkles appeared on her sole as her toes scrunched in pleasure. Alexis soon became engrossed in just watching how the giantess' foot reacted to her touch. She stepped away from Sandra's foot. What the hell was wrong with her?

" Mmmm, not bad. Not the best massage I've had, but not the worst either. You'll have plenty of time to practice. " Sandra said.

Alexis hugged herself in silence. Something was very, very wrong...

_____________________________________________________

Jon paced quietly back and forth inside Ingrid's panty drawer. He'd been left alone for hours now. Boredom was driving him slowly mad. Well... Madder than he already had been. Aphrodite's games would likely make even the strongest man go insane. Jon was just a high school kid.

Oh, to go back to the days before he made that first deal with Aphrodite. He'd known from the start the deal was too good to be true. How could he not have accepted her offer though? His foot fetish proved to be his greatest weakness on more than one occasion. But thinking about the past wasn't going to get him anywhere now.

Earlier that day, Ingrid told Jon that Bridget would be working the 'day shift'. He assumed she meant Bridget would be stuck in Ingrid's shoe all day with her sweaty, hot feet. Having been through that himself, he knew how terrible it was.

" Poor Bridget. She's not as used to this as I am. Hopefully she'll be alright. I still need figure out where she is and how the hell we're gonna get out of here. " he thought running a hand through his hair.

Ingrid also said it'd be his turn when she got home. Jon had been trying to think of a plan for hours now, but nothing exceptional came to mind. Maybe he could get lucky again and be left alone long enough to escape. No, he shouldn't count on it. Until something presented itself, he would have to bide his time.

Jon's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. Ingrid left the drawer open a crack so he could hear almost everything in the apartment. He heard her footsteps on the living room's tile floor, shuffling around. After a few minutes, she came into her room and sat on the bed. The squeaking of the bed springs gave it away.

An idea began to form in his mind. Ingrid was going to get Bridget out of her shoe. Maybe if he listened closely enough he could figure out where Bridget was being kept. The bed creaked again.

" That's probably her putting her leg up to untie her shoe. "

There was no sudden gasping for breath and Ingrid didn't say anything.

" Bridget must be in the other shoe. "

Ingrid switched to the other foot. At first all he heard was the rustle of Ingrid's movement, then faint pants.

" That's gotta be Bridget! "

" Oh, look at you. You're a mess. Don't worry. We'll get you cleaned up right now. " Ingrid said mock sympathetically.

If she really cared, she wouldn't be doing this to her own daughter in the first place.

" Please... Where's... Jon...? " Bridget asked between breaths.

" That is none of your concern. You and Jon don't get to see each other anymore. You lost that privilege. Keep asking and I will have to punish you. "

Bridget stopped pursuing the subject.

" Come on. You reek. "

The twisted bitch left the room with Bridget. Jon waited patiently for them to return. When they came back, Bridget was no longer gasping and Ingrid said nothing for a moment.

" You did a good job today. Maybe you won't get the work shift tomorrow. We'll see how Jon does. " Ingrid said nonchalantly.

" Okay. This is it. There must be a clue where she's keeping Bridget. " he thought holding his breath.

The less sound the better. Except there was only one sound to hear. Just the brush of something on the carpet.

" What? I didn't hear anything. No drawer or closet opening. Where the hell did she put her? "

Jon was thrown off his feet as the drawer flew open.

" Hello, Jonathan! I hope your break has left you full of energy and ready to work. The day was so hard on my poor, little feet. " Ingrid said grinning down at him.

Roughly scooping him up, she went back out to the living room. He tried to look around her bedroom for any clue as to Bridget's whereabouts. Nothing in particular drew his attention.

" Crap. At least I know she's somewhere in here. It's a start. "

She set him on the coffee table and plopped down on the couch.

" Hmmm. Let me think. I don't want do the same thing as yesterday. It was fun, but I'm not in the mood. Oh! I know! Why don't we pull out the old slippers? "

She reached under the table and got her brown, fluffy slippers.

" You remember these, yes? We're going to do this differently. I don't trust you in the slightest. If I fall asleep, you could worm your way out. Can't have that. So this time I'm going to tape you to my foot. "

" Okay. " Jon said flatly.

While he was stuck in the drawer, he'd had a lot of time to think things through. He decided he would stop cursing and fighting with Ingrid. It only accomplished getting him into more trouble. After all, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Ingrid grabbed the duct tape from behind him on the table. She unwound a length of tape from the roll, then picked up Jon.

She put her right foot on her knee and pressed him into her sole. Gripping his head between her toes, she kept one finger on the small of his back so he stayed pinned. At three inches tall, he was a nice manageable size. Ingrid put one end of the tape over his naked butt, wound it around her upper foot, and tore it off.

" There! Snug as a bug. Comfortable? " Ingrid laughed.

" Yeah... Sure. " he called from between her toes.

With that, she inserted her foot into the slipper. Jon's member was smushed somewhat uncomfortably against her sole. Although he was becoming aroused at the same time. His waist was thoroughly stuck to her sole, but his arms had a good amount of movement range. Ingrid's large toes rubbed his face over and over.

All of the rubbing, skin on skin contact, and fluff soon made the slipper start to heat up. His own sweat and Ingrid's slight perspiration mixed together, drenching him. A familiar feeling creeped up on him without his noticing. Jon's eyes glazed over. He was no longer in control of his body.

" Fine! Whatever! Take control you freak. I hope you enjoy being covered in sweat. " he yelled in his mind.

Unperturbed, his body dug it's fingers into her sole. His member thrusted repeatedly against it as well. Worst of all, his body kissed and licked Ingrid's toes.

" Ugh. It's a good thing I'm not in control or I'd be puking right now. " Jon thought disgusted.

This was going to be a very, very long game.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 21

Jon was in a strange place. A tunnel of swirling black smoke and blue light. He'd been wandering around for longer than he knew. As usual, he was butt naked. It didn't even faze him anymore.

Looking further down the tunnel, Jon saw something flying towards him. He could make out what appeared to be wings.

" A bird? "

The bird flew closer, revealing itself to be a black owl. The smoke condensed and rose up like a pillar in front of him. It came up to the center of his chest, then receded leaving behind a metal rod with bar sticking out horizontally from the side. The owl swooped down and perched on the bar.

" This game is taking far too long, Jonathan. You must wrap it up quickly. Time is of the essence. " A man's voice spoke in his head.

The voice sounded faintly familiar.

" Wait... You've been in my dreams before! You're the guy who told me to make a deal with Aphrodite. And this is the owl that gave me that coin! Who the hell are you? What is this place? "

" I am the owl you fool. This is the form I chose to take. If you must know, I will tell you. You won't remember when you wake up anyways. I am the god of nightmares, Phobetor. This is my domain. The dream world. "

Jon's eyes widened in shock at that. Yet another Greek god had appeared before him.

" Why are you talking to me? What do you care about Aphrodite's games? "

" My interest in this game is none of your business. All you need to know is that I'm on your side. "

" Well, I can't make it go any faster. I'm doing the best I can. "

" That is why I am talking to you. I've come to assist you. "

" How? "

A tremor suddenly rocked the tunnel, making Jon stumble. The owl merely looked up.

" You are being woken up. Listen while you can. You must look in the shoe. The thing you are searching for is there. "

" What? Do you mean Bridget? What shoe? "

The blue light in the tunnel was becoming brighter by the second. Phobetor unfurled his wings and rose up.

" Look in the shoe, Jon! Look in the shoe! " he yelled.

The light became too blinding to see. Jon covered his eyes and waited for it to end...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jon bolted awake, sitting upright with his heart beating rapidly. He'd just had an intense dream, but the details were already slipping away. The dream's message remained though.

" Good morning, Jon. " Ingrid said from overhead.

Unknown to him, the drawer had been open the entire time and Ingrid was silently watching.

" Morning. " he said trying to slow his heartbeat.

Ingrid's hand wrapped around him and brought him to her face.

" Are you alright? It looked like you were having a nightmare. "

" Yeah... Kinda. I'm okay. "

" Good. You have the day shift. I still need to punish you correctly. You'll need to be in top condition to make it. " she said grinning sadistically.

Jon didn't say anything in response.

" What? You're not going to put up a fight or mouth off? What happened to the brave bug I knew? "

" I learned better. Cussing at you wasn't helping my situation. I don't plan on trying to escape again either. I'll serve my sentence. " he lied.

" Hmph. I'll believe that when I see it. I have a feeling you'll sound very different after your shift. "

Ingrid got a balled pair of socks from the second drawer of her nightstand. She pulled them apart and dropped Jon into one. He wanted so badly to struggle and curse, but resisted the urge.

" I would suggest doing a good job while you're in my shoe. If you don't, you might get the night shift as well. " Ingrid said looking at him from the socks opening.

Again he didn't respond, he just swung in air at the toe of the sock. With a final smug laugh, her huge foot slid into the sock. Her toes grabbed him and he felt the bumps as he was put inside her shoe, blocking out all light. Horrible flashbacks to the other times he'd been in Ingrid's work shoes came to mind. It was going to be a day of hot, sweaty hell.

Jon found himself beginning to hyperventilate. Was he having some kind of panic attack? His heart started beating quickly again.

" Oh, God. I need to calm down. Just breathe. You're gonna be fine. "

He breathed slowly in through his nose and out through his mouth. After a couple minutes, he calmed down slightly. Ingrid had begun to walk, putting pressure on him with each step. The skin on skin contact was already making the shoe warm up. The heat would only get worse as the day progressed. Jon settled in for the long haul. All the while, the message from the dream pervaded his thoughts.

" Look in the shoe! "

__________________________________________________________

Alexis sat uncomfortably between Sandra's big and second toe. The seat of honor as Jon and her called it. Although she didn't enjoy it nearly as much as he would. Forty-five minutes ago, Sandra decided she wanted to go relax by the pool. She changed into a pink two-piece bikini, a pink robe, and pink flip flops.

They were all different shades of pink, but Alexis was still dumbfounded by how much the woman loved pink. Once she was ready, she smushed Alexis between her toes and went to the pool. Now, Sandra laid on a deck chair while Alexis sat with her head in her hands. For some reason, no one passing by noticed the tiny girl. Maybe Aphrodite made her invisible to other people. It didn't really change anything, but didn't help her situation either.

The humongous toes suddenly squeezed her sides. Alexis looked back at Sandra who had taken off her sunglasses and was grinning down at her.

" How about another massage, sweetie? Practice does make perfect. Maybe I can get you a bottle of lotion too. "

" I don't know, Sandra. I'm not really up for it. " Alexis called back to her.

" I've been patient with you so far, Alexis. But you are mine until Aphrodite takes you away and I want a massage. " Sandra said, her usual happy tone disappearing.

" And what if I refuse? " Alexis yelled standing up and turning to face the giantess from between her toes.

She knew this wasn't a great idea, but she couldn't take it anymore. She was going to take a stand... or the best she could at four inches tall.

" Oh ho ho! Listen to you! You got quite the little mouth, don't you? Are you sure you wanna do this, darlin'? " Sandra asked sitting up.

" I am NOT rubbing your big, freaking feet! "

" Alright, then. I think it's time to take a dip. Hold on tight. "

With that, Sandra swung her legs off the deck chair. Alexis lost her balance and fell in the space between her toes. She quickly grabbed onto her second toe for dear life. Sandra sauntered over to the set of steps that went into the pool. She put one hand on the railing and smiled at the itty bitty girl clutching her toe.

" I'd take a deep breath if I were you. " she said raising her foot over the water.

Alexis' wanted to cry out in anger, but used her last seconds to take a deep breath. She was torn off of Sandra's toe as it breached the waters surface. She floated freely for a moment before the collar tightened around her neck and dragged her further down. Her hair floated around her head, partially obscuring her vision, but she could still see Sandra smiling high above. The giantess took her time stepping deeper into the pool. Alexis was a decent swimmer and could hold her breath for awhile.

Hopefully Sandra wouldn't keep her down here too long. The water reached the tops of Sandra's thighs when she stood in the shallow end. Still grinning to herself, she began moving to the deep end. Alexis was hauled along with her massive ped, tugging at the collar so it wouldn't dig into her neck. Her oxygen supply was getting smaller by the second.

Sandra swam over to a corner of the pool and put her elbows up on the edge with her back facing the corner. She slowly started raising her leg from the water. Realizing what Sandra was doing, Alexis hugged the second toe again. Her lungs were beginning to cry out for air, but Sandra was taking her sweet time.

" Come on, come on! Faster! " she yelled in her head.

Finally, the gigantic foot broke the surface. Alexis immediately let out a loud gasp, taking in sweet air. Sandra laughed happily at the sight of the soaked, little girl clinging to her toe.

" You... You're crazy! I could've drowned! " Alexis said between breaths.

" Oh, please. I wouldn't intentionally let anything happen to you and neither would Aphrodite. After all, you are Jon's little lady. " Sandra laughed.

That gave Alexis pause for thought. She hadn't know Sandra was aware of her and Jon's relationship. How much did Aphrodite tell this woman?

" I hope you have learned your lesson. When I ask you to do something, you do it. No sass, missy. Understand? Why don't you stay down there awhile longer? Just to make sure the lesson really soaks in. "

Suddenly, the toe Alexis was hanging on scrunched up. The pad of the toe smushed against her cheek, trying to pry her off. It wasn't long before the toe won the battle. Alexis fell a few inches down the massive wall that was Sandra's sole when the collar made her stop in midair. The sudden impact of the golden collar on her throat caused her to hack painfully.

Not having any other options, she grabbed onto the wet sole. Sandra had kept her toes scrunched, so her wrinkles were pronounced. Alexis used these wrinkles as hand and foot holds. The water made Sandra's skin even softer than usual. Alexis herself was absolutely drenched as well. Her hair had become a tangled mess and her semi see-through toga clung to her skin.

" How pitiful must I look? " she wondered.

She didn't know how much longer she could handle being in a game. How the hell did Jon manage to do this so long without going insane? Sure, he liked feet but she had heard the stories straight from his mouth. Aphrodite's games were more torture than fun even for him. For the first time in over a day she thought about Jon and his own game.

He couldn't be doing much better than her as Ingrid's prisoner. She was sure, however, that he was trying his damnedest to escape. Alexis hoped with all her being that he was alright and close to winning the game. Because Jon was the only person who could save her from this hell...

Fleeting Love: Chapter 22

" Ah! Jesus. "

Jon winced as his muscles protested against the movement of standing up. Spending the day inside of Ingrid's shoe had been incredibly tough on him. He had been mashed thoroughly by her gargantuan clodhopper. Along with that it was very hot inside her shoe, dehydrating him and causing him to sweat a lot. Without Aphrodite using her magic to shield him, it was five times worse than the last time he'd been trapped in Ingrid's shoe.

Aphrodite's curse was unrelenting even when his body was physically spent. The 'Primal Jon', as he liked to call him, had taken over and basically screwed Ingrid's foot multiple times. It kissed, licked, and humped her foot furiously. The spans of time when Jon regained control of himself were short lived reprieves. Hours later, he was finally released from his hellish prison.

Ingrid washed him with hand soap in the bathroom sink before dumping him back in her panty drawer. He was so weak that he couldn't resist her rubbing her hands all over his body. Once inside the drawer he painfully crawled to the water dish and stayed there until now. Jon couldn't waste anymore time resting while Ingrid was asleep. While resting a plan started forming in his mind to get out of the drawer.

He only had one resource in the drawer and he had an idea of how to use it. That resource was Ingrid's panties. As much he hated to touch them, he needed to find Bridget. His plan was to stack the panties high enough to climb out of the drawer. Thankfully, Ingrid always left the drawer just open enough that he believed he could crawl through. At his small size, the stack would hopefully be able to support him.

So, Jon spent the next half hour or so piling folded panties on top of each other. Once the first stack was high enough, he made a second shorter stack so he could climb on the first easier. His feet sunk in slightly, but the stack held. He grabbed the edge of the drawer's face and hoisted himself up, his muscles ached in response. Jon swung his leg over the front of the drawer and sat there to rest a moment. He was out of the drawer!

He almost wanted to pump his arms in the air, but knew it was too soon to celebrate. That would have to wait until he won this damn game. Using his perch, Jon quickly surveyed the room. To his right was a long fall to the carpet below, one he doubted he'd survive. On his left was the top of the nightstand. Not wanting to risk suddenly falling, he carefully climbed up to the top.

With a much safer place to look around, he continued surveying. Ingrid was asleep in her bed and snoring loudly. An alarm clock also on the nightstand told him it was a few minutes past 12:30 AM.

" Dead of night. She shouldn't wake up any time soon. At least I really hope she doesn't... " Jon thought.

The message from his dream that morning echoed through his head again.

" Look in the shoe! "

What was his dream trying to tell him? There were many different shoes in this apartment. How was he supposed to know which one it was referring to? As frustrating as the message was, Jon trusted that it would help somehow. It wouldn't be the first time his dreams had given him a warning.

" Well, if I want to look inside any shoes I'll need to get to the floor. How am I going to do that? "

Other than the alarm clock there was only a lamp on the nightstand. He went over to the lamp and looked behind it. A thick, white cable extended from the base of the table and traveled down the back of the nightstand.

" Ah, crap. It just had to be a cable when I'm already sore. Ugh... Here we go. "

Jon got a good grip on the cable, locked his ankles around it, and started a slow descent. About ten minutes later, he reached the floor and collapsed to his knees. He was super exhausted and needed a few minutes. Once he felt better, he got up to begin his search. He didn't want to stay out too long and risk getting caught.

" Might as well start with the shoes under Ingrid's bed. " Jon thought dashing beneath it.

The space under her bed was almost barren except for some pairs of shoes. The shoes were all lined up right at the edge of the bed for convenience. It was mostly comfortable sneakers, but there were also some high heels and sandals. He went to the pair of black work shoes he'd been in earlier that day and climbed onto the toe. Making his way up to the mouth of the shoe, he knelt down at the edge to call out for Bridget. He hoped she was what he would find in one of these shoes. The upside of being so small was not having to worry about making noise.

" Bridget! Bridget! You in here? " Jon yelled into the shoe.

He waited for a moment, but there was no response. He hopped over to the second shoe and called for Bridget again. There was still no answer.

" On to the next pair I guess. "

He slid off the black shoe to climb on a pair of white sneakers.

" Hello? Bridget! Yell if you can hear me! "

" Jon?! Is that you?! " a small, familiar voice cried.

It was Bridget! Except her voice wasn't coming from the shoe he was standing on. He leaped onto the next shoe and looked inside. It was fairly dark under Ingrid's bed, being in a shoe didn't help much either, but he could make out a tiny Bridget standing below.

" Jon! It's really you! How did you get out of the drawer? " Bridge cried happily.

" Bridge! I used the bitch's panties to my advantage. Made a pile and climbed out. Give me a second. I'm gonna try to get you out of there. " he said looking around for something useful.

His eyes fell upon a shoelace. He grabbed it and tossed it down to her.

" Grab on and I'll pull you up. "

" Alright. " she said gripping the lace firmly.

Jon put the lace over his shoulder and began to pull. His muscles all ached in response, but he fought through it. When Bridget got to the opening, he offered her a hand up. Bridget was a lot smaller than him, maybe one and a half inches to his three. Her hair was a mess and she smelled like Ingrid's feet. Although he probably wasn't much better. He got down on his knees so their height difference wouldn't make her uncomfortable.

" Thank God I found you. I thought it was going to take days of searching. " he said putting a hand on her tiny shoulder.

" Where have you been? You disappeared for weeks. My mom looked all over the apartment for you. "

" It's a long story. It doesn't matter anyways. All that matters is that I found you and now we need to figure out how we're escaping. "

" I don't know, Jon. My mom's not stupid. I doubt we'll get another opportunity like last time. One of us is always with her during the day and the place is probably in lockdown at night. The best we could do is hide somewhere, but she'd tear everything apart to find us. Things would be ten times worse for us if she did. "

" I hate to admit it, but you're right. We need a sure fire escape plan before we try anything. I have an idea. I think you're gonna have the day shift tomorrow. While I have the place to myself, I'll take a look around. See what I can find. "

" Okay... Be careful though. Melanie might still be here. It is summer vacation. "

" I will. I'm practically pro at this now. Don't worry. " Jon said with a half-hearted smile.

" Well, do you know what time it is? "

" It was a bit past 12:30 when I was up on the nightstand. It's been like fifteen minutes since then. Why? "

" I know you're going to have to put me back in the shoe at some point. I want to enjoy the none feet smelling air for awhile. Let's sit and talk. " Bridget said walking to the toe of the shoe.

Jon followed her and they both sat with their feet hanging over the edge. The pair reminisced about how things were before Ingrid had decided that she didn't want Bridget hanging out with Jon. They did have some good times. Anything was better than dwelling on their current situation. He remembered when he'd come to this apartment months ago to change Ingrid's mind, only to be shrunken. It saddened him to think that their former friendship would never be fully healed after everything that happened. Eventually, his mind shifted to Alexis. Jon worried how she was doing with him gone yet again.

" I hope she isn't too upset with me... "

__________________________________________________________

Alexis struggled uselessly against the golden chain wrapped around her body. After spending some time in the pool the previous day, Sandra returned to her cabin. She forced Alexis to rub her feet for an hour or so and then they watched TV until Sandra decided to go to bed. She put Alexis on the center of her sole, lengthened the chain, and tied her to her foot securely. Alexis spent the entire night uncomfortably bound to Sandra's gigantic, upright foot.

It was now morning and Sandra still hadn't woken up yet. Due to her awkward position, she got little to no sleep throughout the night and desperately wanted to be freed.

" Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Are you enjoying your first game? " a voice suddenly said from below.

Alexis looked down to see a tiny Aphrodite standing on the bed. Aphrodite was dressed in a short, white toga with one strap over her left shoulder. Her blonde hair was styled in the usual curly way. Brown, knee-high gladiator sandals were on her feet. Golden bracelets adorned her wrists. A ruby necklace sparkled around her neck.

" Aphrodite... Are you here to gloat? " Alexis said angrily.

" I expected you to beg for me to let you out of this game first thing. What a shame. "

" Why should I? You're not going to. "

" No, but it's always fun to hear mortals beg. You must be terribly uncomfortable up there. Come on down. We need to chat. " Aphrodite said waving a hand.

The chain binding Alexis suddenly disappeared. She fell the short distance to the bed roughly and bounced once. She quickly got back to her feet to see Aphrodite looking at her with an amused grin. Alexis felt her neck to see if the collar was still there. Sadly, she couldn't be that lucky. She also noticed that even at their small size, she only came up to Aphrodite's chin.

" I have exciting news. Jon is finally starting to make progress in his game. Mind you, it's only the first step. It will likely still take some time, but progress is progress. Right? If he gets a move on, maybe you won't be stuck in your game much longer either. "

" Why should I believe anything you say? For all I know you have no intention of letting me or Jon out of these games. "

" Jon and I made an agreement, girl! I do not go back on my deals. It's because of the first deal I made with Jon that you two are even together! When he finishes his game, you will be freed. He and I will make another deal for both of your safety. I will not break that one either! Do you understand? " Aphrodite said barely containing her anger.

Alexis said nothing in response. She wanted so badly to let out some of her own anger and hit Aphrodite. That would be the worst thing she could possibly do however. Aphrodite stepped very close to Alexis and moved her mouth right next to her ear.

" Did you forget I can hear everything you're thinking? If you want to strike me, go ahead. I won't stop you. Just know I will strike back and it will be much harder. " Aphrodite whispered.

Alexis gulped nervously. An all too familiar frightening energy was seeping into the air. Her hands were beginning to shake.

" That is what I thought. Learn your place, girl. The sooner you do, the sooner things will become easier for you. "

Aphrodite vanished and reappeared at normal size next to the bed. She grabbed Alexis in her fist, raising her to her face.

" I could have made this much worse for you. Sandra is reasonable as long as you do what she asks. She doesn't even ask that much of you. There are far more terrible people I could've given you to. The only reason I'm being this kind is because of Jon. If you keep agitating me, I may not be so nice anymore. Remember that. "

With that said, Aphrodite wiggled her fingers along Sandra's sole and unceremoniously dropped Alexis onto the bed. She bounced twice before finally settling. Aphrodite was already gone when she looked back and Sandra was beginning to stir. While she had been bouncing, the chain attaching her to Sandra's toe ring reformed.

" G'morning, Alexis. Oh, look at you. How did ya get untied? " Sandra asked sitting up.

" Aphrodite stopped by. She's the one who woke you up. " Alexis yelled getting up.

" Interesting. Did she leave a message for me? "

" No. She came just to talk to me... "

" Alrighty then. Well, little lady, I think we should both get cleaned up. You smell like chlorine and that toga is all dirty. Maybe Aphrodite will give you a new one if you're good. " Sandra said laying her hand down for Alexis.

She hesitated a moment, but climbed onto Sandra's palm. Sandra would make her go with one way or another. The golden chain elongated to the necessary length as she stood. Sandra carried her into the bathroom and set her on the sink's counter.

" How are we going to do this? Hmmm... I know! We can shower together! " Sandra said grinning happily.

She looked down at Alexis expectantly, quirking an eyebrow. Alexis realized the giantess was waiting for her response.

" I don't know, Sandra... Don't you think a shower at my size is dangerous? And kinda awkward? " she said clutching her arm.

" There's no need to be shy, silly. We're both ladies. If you're worried about your size, I can make you bigger. We won't do anything too personal. Okay? "

" Alright... Whatever you want, Sandra. "

" Great! Let's get undressed then. " Sandra said pulling off the purple tank top she'd slept in.

Alexis let her toga fall to the counter top and kicked it away. When Sandra finished undressing, she started the shower and got the water to a good temperature. The chain began to glow as Alexis grew a few inches in height. She was now almost seven inches tall. Sandra cupped her hand behind Alexis and swooped her off her feet.

" There ya go. No need to worry anymore. " Sandra laughed carrying her into the shower.

The normally small streams of water from the shower head were much larger at Alexis' size, but not overwhelming. She was thoroughly doused by water as Sandra lowered her to the floor between her feet.

" Be careful. Wouldn't want to accidentally step on you. "

Sandra slid the shower door closed and let the water wash over her. As an extraordinarily tall woman, Sandra had to bend her head down to get her hair wet. Alexis moved close to Sandra's left ankle to escape the continuous downpour of water. Seeing the giantess' naked body was odd for Alexis. It would have been strange at a regular size, but was even more so on such a grand scale.

Sandra suddenly bent over with a purple bottle in hand. She undid the cap and squeezed a red goop onto her left foot.

" Clean yourself off with that and while you're down there clean my feet. You can do a better job than me. "

The giantess didn't wait for a response, she rose back to full height and applied the body wash elsewhere. Alexis moved out from the cover Sandra's body offered. The red goop was running down her foot to her long toes. At seven inches tall, Alexis noticed Sandra's size sixteen foot still easily dwarfed her.

" Where does this lady find shoes? " she wondered.

A fruity aroma was emanating from the goop, but she couldn't distinguish just one. Letting out a sigh, she scooped some of the body wash in each hand and rubbed it on herself. Once she was covered in pink foam, she began rubbing the goop around on top of Sandra's foot. From there, Alexis went to her large, almost finger like toes. The toes splayed out in reaction to her touch.

She rubbed the length of each toe with her small hands. Sandra's toes were extremely soft because of the water. She found herself massaging Sandra's big toe after it was already lathered up. An odd feeling broke her from the trance. The feeling was in her private area. She was becoming aroused!

" Holy crap... What the hell is wrong with me?! " Alexis thought pointlessly trying to hide it.

This was not normal. Something had been done to her and she had a feeling a certain goddess was to blame.

" Hey, little lady! You're not done. Ya gotta get the bottom of that foot and there's another one waitin'. Let me help you. " Sandra said from overhead.

Alexis stumbled back as she lifted her huge foot over the small girl. Her reddened, wet sole dominated Alexis' view. Sandra dipped her toes down and shoved Alexis to the floor. She quickly tried to get up, but Sandra placed her foot on her and began rolling Alexis along her sole. Alexis yelped in surprise as the wall of flesh pushed across the floor.

She felt the muscles in Sandra's foot flexing on her naked back. One moment the ball of the giantess' foot was in her face, the next her heel was pushing Alexis' side. Eventually, Sandra's toes grabbed her and wiggled all over her body before letting her go. Alexis shakily got to her feet. Terrifyingly enough, she was more aroused than before the surprise attack. She wanted to feel indignant, but was overcome with a desire to touch Sandra's feet again.

" Hello? Snap out of it, sweetie. Water's gonna get cold soon. Here's some more body wash. " Sandra said squeezing red goop onto her right foot.

Alexis slowly started drifting toward the foot. She was beginning to be very afraid. There was no fighting this strange compulsion inside her. It had happened once before during the game with Sandra and the feeling went away after awhile. She could only hope it would disappear soon...

Fleeting Love: Chapter 23

When they were done in the shower, Sandra brought Alexis back out to the bed. She dropped her at the foot and went to put on some clothes. A new toga had been waiting for Alexis on the sink's counter like Sandra said. Sandra chose a black bra and pair of panties, then pulled on a flowery pink silk robe. The robe did little to cover her large, muscular body. Alexis was fairly certain that if Sandra flexed hard enough, it would rip right off.

" Well? That wasn't so bad was it? " Sandra asked tying the robe.

" No... It wasn't. " Alexis answered, too preoccupied to be snarky.

She was becoming more and more afraid. The impulse to be at Sandra's feet wasn't going away. If anything it felt stronger.

" Aphrodite, please. It has to be you doing this. I'm sorry for everything. I'll be obedient for the rest of the game. Just reverse whatever you did to me. " she called out to the goddess.

Not surprisingly, there was no response. Alexis hugged herself, fearing what she might do if the urge didn't subside.

" What's the matter, sweetie? You've been acting strange all morning. Did Aphrodite say something that upset you? " the giantess asked sitting on the bed.

She stretched out her legs so that her humongous feet were on each side of Alexis. The chain shortened, making sure she couldn't escape.

" I'm fine. " she said, gulping nervously.

Sandra's feet were far too close for comfort.

" Alright. If you say so. You know, what we did in the shower was nice. But we're not done yet. Let's have some fun. "

Golden light radiated from the chain as Alexis suddenly started growing. In seconds, she was roughly the same size as Sandra's monstrous appendages. She definitely did not like where this was going.

" I don't know, Sandra. I didn't get much sleep last night. Maybe I could take a nap for a little while. "she asked, moving as far back as the chain allowed.

" Mmm... No. We're gonna do what I want and then you can sleep. "

Without warning, Sandra's left foot flicked forward and knocked Alexis over. Before she knew what was happening, the foot smothered her entire body. She opened her mouth to scream, but it was covered by soft foot flesh. Alexis wriggled and bucked underneath the foot. She could hear Sandra laughing because of her struggles.

" Hahaha! Cut that out! I'm ticklish! " she laughed, clenching her toes.

When she continued to writhe, the foot rose off her.

" What the hell?! Why'd you do that? " Alexis yelled, getting to her feet.

" That's what I wanted to do. I call it foot wrestlin'. I try to keep you pinned, you try to escape. Aphrodite told me to keep you by my feet for awhile, so that's what I'm gonna do. "

" What? When did s- "

Alexis was interrupted by Sandra's big toe smacking her face. As she reeled from the hit, Sandra's feet sandwiched her between them. Her right arm and torso were encased in mature, wrinkled soles.

" Let me go! I don't want your big ass feet touching me! " she yelled beating her free hand on the side of a foot.

" Oh, darn. That hurts sooo much, but I think I'll keep you right where you are. "

Alexis kept fighting against the massive peds, except the woman no longer seemed ticklish. The longer she was so close to Sandra's feet, the more she could feel the compulsion in her growing. Her feet began to look less gross and more... alluring. Before she knew what she was doing, she planted a kiss on the foot before her. The heavenly feet released Alexis as soon as she did.

" Oh, my... I was not expecting that. Aphrodite said I'd get a surprise for doing this, but I never would've guessed. She's made you like Jon! " Sandra said with a pleased grin.

Alexis knew she should have felt horrified at what she had just done, however she felt happy. She wanted to keep kissing and touching those feet.

" I'm glad you're finally on board with this. Things will be a lot more fun. Do you wanna keep going? "

" Y-Yeah. I do. Can we? Please? " the tiny girl begged.

" Of course! Here. Have at it. "

Sandra rolled over on to her stomach. Her luscious soles were pointed up to the ceiling. Slowly, she walked to the upturned feet and admired them for a moment. She was beginning to shake slightly, not out of fear but excitement. Alexis straddled her left foot near the heel and laid down along its length. Her head ended up by Sandra's toes.

Unable to contain herself any longer, she started kissing the fleshy sole beneath her. She took a deep whiff of her foot scent. It smelled like the fruity body wash she'd just rubbed on it in the shower. The lovely aroma drove her crazier. She grabbed the big toe in both hands and kissed everywhere she could reach.

" This is wrong. I shouldn't be doing this... But I don't care! I love this! " Alexis thought moving on to the next toe.

Meanwhile, Sandra had a huge smile on her face.

_____________________________________________________

Jon got down on his stomach and crawled underneath Ingrid's bedroom door. She kept it closed to prevent Melanie from accidentally stumbling upon him and Bridget. Luckily, he was small enough to slip right under it. He shivered slightly as he transitioned from carpet to cool tile. He quickly crawled the rest of the way out and rose to his feet. Jon looked around the vast hallway which would be considered small at normal size. His eyes fell on the open door to Melanie's room.

" Shit. Is she home? I guess I should check before I start running around. " he thought jogging towards the door.

Last night he talked with Bridget for a bit longer before returning to the drawer. She hadn't been very happy about going back in Ingrid's shoe, but knew it was necessary. Jon got back to the drawer as fast as possible and put all the panties in their places. It didn't take long for him to fall into a deep sleep. Earlier that morning, he awoke still sore and without a giant bitch watching from above. He remade the stack of panties and got to his current position in the hallway.

It would be a few hours before Ingrid came home, but at his small stature he'd have to watch the time carefully. Over five minutes later, he arrived at the threshold to Melanie's room. He moved close to the frame and peeked around the corner. The room was relatively unchanged from the last time he had seen it. His fears were realized when he saw Melanie laying on the bed.

The youngest Aguilar laid silently, reading from an unknown book. She was wearing a light blue tank top and jeans that were rolled up to her mid-leg. One leg was bent at the knee and the other was on top of that knee. Her bare sole was pointed towards him and her toes scrunched occasionally. Jon lingered for a moment, admiring her foot. He quickly pulled his head away when he stared for too long. Looking at or thinking about feet was dangerous with the threat of Primal Jon appearing suddenly.

With Melanie here, he would have to be especially careful while searching the apartment.

" I can't be out in the open. I'll have to stay close to a wall or some furniture to hide under. "

He glanced at Melanie once more before running off to the living room. A few minutes later, Jon dashed under the coffee table and leaned on one of Ingrid's platform flip flops to catch his breath.

" Okay. What am I going to do? I doubt the kitchen has any escape routes except for a drain. Same as the bathroom. That's too risky and hard to get to. Maybe we could hide in a trash bag... No, we'd get crushed while inside it probably. Shoes are a definite no. Ingrid's purse is good, but that would be one of the first places she looked in... Dammit! I can't think of any way out! Ingrid would tear this place apart if one of us disappeared. There's no escape! " he yelled, turning and punching the massive shoe.

His frustration with this entire situation was starting to get to him. He just wanted to get the hell out of this game and see Alexis again. She was probably worried sick about him by this point. Just as much as he was worried about her. Being alone on the ship with Aphrodite acting like she had been recently couldn't be good.

When he beat this game, the first thing he'd make part of the deal would be days off from games with Alexis. She was his girlfriend and he hadn't even taken her on an official date yet.

" Man, I'm such an idiot... I should've stayed on the ship with Alexis for as long as Aphrodite let me. Instead I had to be all gung ho. "

Jon started to slowly beat his head on the side of the flip flop. Suddenly, he heard a distant booming sound. He froze with his forehead on the flip flop. He knew that sound all too well. Melanie came lazily into the living room and sat on the couch. Afraid of being spotted, the tiny boy ducked behind Ingrid's flip flops.

" Shit! She had to come out here!? Now I'm stuck here until she leaves. " he thought angrily.

He sat on the floor and put his back to the flip flop. The TV turned on to some talk show he didn't recognize. Behind him he could hear Melanie's feet moving around. Jon had calmed down from his outburst. His frustration had become dejection.

" Maybe there is no beating this game. Maybe this is Aphrodite's final trick. She made it so I could never escape. She got bored with me and decided to dispose of me in the worst way she could imagine. Being Ingrid's foot slave until the day I die. I wouldn't put it past her. Hell, I almost died the last time I was in this game. Maybe I'm destined to die under Ingrid's foot. Oh, the irony. "

His contemplation was broken as Ingrid's flip flops jostled. He looked up and saw Melanie's tan, unpainted toes slide over the edge of the flip flop. They flexed slowly, but didn't move any further. He just ignored them and looked forward again. He had to figure out what he was going to do.

The beginnings of a new idea were starting to form in his mind. It was still dangerous, but it had a much better chance of succeeding without dire consequences. Also, Bridget would certainly be against it.

" Desperate times call for desperate measures... " he whispered standing up.

Jon crept around the flip flop, not wanting to be seen just yet. Melanie watched TV obliviously with her legs stretched out underneath the coffee table. Bridget and her little sister didn't look that much alike. They both had the same dark brown hair, Melanie's was cut shorter. Not quite reaching her shoulder. Her eyes were an almond color. Her skin was a light tan compared to Bridget's. She also had a beautiful smile with cute little dimples.

While he was friends with Bridget, he spent a lot of time with Melanie too. She was a sweet girl and pretty shy. Bridget and her would constantly get into arguments and Jon had to play referee. It had been awhile since he last talked to her even before Aphrodite appeared in his life. Melanie was the tallest member of the Aguilar family despite being the youngest. Her feet were possibly the largest as well.

His questionable idea was to reveal himself to Melanie and get her to help them escape. She could open the front door and just carry them outside. First, he had to convince her to help and hope she wouldn't make the mistake of confronting Ingrid like Bridget did. If she got shrunken too, Bridget would never forgive him. Their last good chance of escaping would be ruined.

" No pressure or anything. " Jon thought, taking a deep breath.

Melanie pulled her feet off her mother's flip flops. She crossed them at the ankle on the cool tile. He slowly crept out from under the coffee table, stopping before her large toes. Melanie's toes were long and evenly lengthened. Her right big toe tapped the ground steadily. He watched her toes for a full minute before snapping out of it. The last thing he needed was for Primal Jon to take control and make this more difficult.

Jon tapped her second toe to get her attention. Her left foot moved towards him in response. He didn't dodge quick enough and was knocked over.

" What the heck? " Melanie said, leaning forward.

Her jaw dropped when she saw the tiny person scrambling off the floor.

" Melanie! It's me, Jon! You have to help me! Please! " he yelled, waving his arms.

" Jon?! What? Why are you so small? " she asked, reaching to grab him.

She cupped her hands around him protectively and brought him up to her face.

" Oh, my God. You're naked too. " she said, averting her eyes.

She transferred him to her left hand, then got a tissue from the coffee table.

" Here. Use this to cover up. "

He wrapped the tissue around his midsection.

" Thank you. "

" So? How are you so small? And how did you get in my house? "

" I've been here for months. Your mother has been keeping me prisoner. "

Jon told her the same false story he told Bridget. Trying to convince her of the existence of a goddess would be much harder than telling her Ingrid had powers. Understandably, Melanie had trouble believing his story.

" And it's not just me. She has Bridget too. Ingrid brings one of us to work with her every day. Today it was Bridget. "

" I don't know, Jon... This all sounds so crazy. My mom told me Bridget left to spend the summer with our dad. "

" That's a lie, Melanie. You know your mom isn't exactly the best person. Why would I lie about this? If you're still having trouble with this, I get it. Would it help if you heard all this from Bridget? "

" Yeah, I guess so... Honestly, I think I need some time to wrap my head around it. "

" Okay. That's fair. If you want to talk to Bridget, you'll have to sneak into your mom's room tonight when she's sleeping. It's important that you do not wake her up. The reason your sister was shrunk was because she confronted Ingrid. Keep this to yourself until you talk to Bridget, okay? "

" Okay. Is it alright if I put you back in the drawer for now? " Melanie asked, standing.

" Sure. Could you do me a favor and put away the stack I made? It takes awhile at my size. "

Melanie nodded her head in response. She carried him into Ingrid's room and gently placed him back in the drawer.

" Are you going to be alright in here? " she asked.

" I'll be fine. Leave the drawer open a crack like it was. "

She pushed the drawer in, then disappeared from his view. Jon was worried about Melanie doing something unwise. Hopefully she would do what he said, but he couldn't be sure. Sighing again, he sat down.

" All I can do now is wait. "

Fleeting Love: Chapter 24

Jon sat silently, waiting for Melanie to come. At least he hoped she was going to come. It must have been a couple hours since Ingrid fell asleep. She should have showed up by now. He hadn't considered that she wouldn't try to help them at all.

" No. She's gonna come. She wouldn't just leave us here. Please, Melanie... " he thought, beginning to get nervous.

Jon watched the crack above him for awhile before he finally saw something. A shadow moved in front of the drawer. Without warning, the drawer slowly began to slide open. It was Melanie! When his face lit up in happiness, she put a finger to her lips to remind him to be quiet. She reached in the drawer and cupped her hands around him. After sliding the drawer slightly open again, she raised him to her face.

" Where's Bridget? " she mouthed.

Jon pointed down to the floor. Melanie crouched on one knee and put him on the ground. He held up his hands to signal for her to wait. He ran to the shoe Bridget had last been in and climbed on.

" Bridget! Are you in there? " he called.

A tiny figure moved into the heel section of the shoe.

" Yeah. Did you find a way out? "

" Sort of... We can talk about it in a couple minutes. Here's the shoelace. Grab on. "

Jon pulled her out of the shoe and helped her off of it. Bridget froze when she saw her gargantuan sister waiting for them.

" What the hell did you do, Jon? You got her involved in this! " she yelled, kicking his leg.

" Hey! I had no other choice. I looked for a way out and there wasn't one. She's our only option. "

" I told you to stay away from her! What if she gets shrunken too?! "

" I'm sorry! Standing here and arguing about it isn't gonna help. We should get out of here before Ingrid wakes up. Come on. "

He walked out from under the bed, Bridget followed him after a moment. Melanie put her hand down in front of them. Jon helped Bridget get on, then crouched next to her. He really didn't want to sit his bare butt on Melanie's hand. Melanie slowly rose to her full height and backed out of the room.

While she walked to her room, Bridget scowled at Jon. He saw her doing it and let out a sigh.

" I said I was sorry. Don't you wanna escape? Melanie is the only way we can. It's not like your crazy ass mother is going to have a change of heart. "

" Of course I want to. Not like this though. "

Jon wanted to say more, but knew it wouldn't help. Besides, if they actually did escape she shouldn't remember any of this. Melanie brought the shrunken teens over to her nightstand and set them down. She offered each of them a tissue to cover up with.

" Bridget... It's really you. So everything Jon told me about Mom is true? " Melanie asked.

" Yes. We've been her prisoners for months now. When I tried to get her to make Jon normal, she shrunk me too. She's been putting us in her shoes and making us massage her feet practically everyday. " Bridget replied.

" But how did she shrink you? That's not possible. "

" Obviously it is, Mel. She has some kind of power. That's not important. She'll never make us normal. If you try to ask her, you'll end up like us. " Jon interjected.

" What are we supposed to do then? You can't be stuck like this the rest of your lives. "

" We need to get the hell out of here. I'll take my chances on my own outside over being Ingrid's foot slave. I think Bridget would too, right? "

" ...Yeah. I guess. I never really thought about what we're going to do once we escape. You're three inches tall, Jon. Look at me. I'm half that at most. " Bridget said uncertainly.

" She's right. You wouldn't last a week by yourselves. It's too dangerous. " Melanie added.

" It's better than being a prisoner! Bridget, come on. You know you don't want to stay here. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but we can do it. Please. You gotta trust me. Everything will be okay once we escape. " Jon pleaded with her.

Bridget didn't respond for a few moments. She looked up at her sister and then down at the ground.

" Jon's right, Melanie. I can't be a prisoner anymore. You have to help us get outside. "

" A-Are you sure, Bridget? Maybe if Jon gets away she'll make you normal. "

" No. I can't take that chance. Please, Melanie. You have to help us. "

Melanie bit her lip nervously, struggling with what to do. He couldn't blame her. For all she knew, she was never going to see her sister again.

" Okay... If it's what you want, I'll do it. "

" It is. "

Without another word, Melanie offered her hand to them. When they were both on, she stealthily crept out to the living room and opened the front door. They were finally free! The game was coming to an end. She went to the side of a walkway and set them down in the rocks.

" You're absolutely sure about this? Where are you going to go? " she asked, sounding close to tears.

" We'll figure that out. You need to get back inside before Ingrid notices you're gone. " Jon said.

" Alright... Be careful. " Melanie hesitated before going back into the apartment.

" Why'd you rush her away, Jon? She's worried about us for good reason. " Bridget said, climbing a rock closer to him.

" I know. I just thought if she hesitated long enough, she'd change her mind. Couldn't let that happen. "

" So, what do we do now? "

" Wait a minute. "

Bridget quirked an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything. He looked up at the night sky with a triumphant smile.

" I win, Aphrodite! Get me the hell out of here! " he yelled in his mind.

There was no response from the goddess. His fears from earlier that day began to run rampant in his head. What if Aphrodite actually had no intention of letting him out of this game?

" Aphrodite! Don't do this! What about the deal!? Aphrodite! "

" What exactly are we waiting for, Jon? Shouldn't we start looking for shelter? " Bridget asked, watching him with a worried expression.

She could tell something was wrong.

" No! Just... Give it a couple more minutes. "

Jon was starting to sweat and breathe rapidly. It seemed like he was on the verge of another panic attack.

" Whoa. Are you alright? What's the matter? " she asked, taking his hand.

His vision began to swim and he could feel himself falling backwards.

" Jon! "

Before he landed, everything went black...

____________________________________________________

Jon's eyes flew open as he bolted upright. He was surprised to find himself sitting on a comfy chair in Aphrodite's office aboard the ship. His clothes from before he was transported to the first triathlon game had materialized on him. It looked to be midday outside the floor to ceiling windows. Strangely, the goddess herself was nowhere to be seen.

Jon slowly got up and went over to the window. The ship sailed along in the middle of the ocean. There were no islands or any other land on the horizon. A few people stood at the ship's bow looking out at the ocean.

" Congratulations, Jon-Jon! You won the triathlon! You have earned the right to make a deal with me. " Aphrodite said from behind him.

He turned to see her standing beside her desk. Her blonde hair was in a tight braid over her shoulder. Today she wore a long, white sleeveless dress that only revealed her feet. The dress had a deep V cut that showed much of her cleavage. Golden bracelets adorned her wrists. Brown leather sandals were on her feet. As always, she was wearing her ruby necklace.

Aphrodite waited for him to respond, but he didn't have anything to say to her.

" Ah, I see. You're upset with me because of the last game. I suppose I can't blame you. I know how much you hate Ingrid Aguilar. But be honest, you knew I would send you back there one day. Now that you've beaten it, I swear I will never send you there again. Does that make things better? " she said, moving closer and putting a hand on his arm.

" No. Not really. " Jon replied, taking his arm away.

" Well you can't stay mad at me long. We still need to make our deal. "

" Fine. Let's do it now. "

" No. Not quite yet. You take the rest of the day for yourself. We'll negotiate the terms tomorrow when you're rested. " Aphrodite said, sitting behind her desk.

He glared at her for a moment before going to the door. She spoke up again as he reached for the handle.

" Wait. I assume you're going to see Alexis, right? She's not in her room. "

His heart skipped a beat at her words. Something about the way she said it made him worry.

" Where is she then? "

" Don't worry. She's unharmed. Go to room 245. You'll find her there. And don't come back here until tomorrow. I'll be preoccupied for the rest of the day. "

Aphrodite gave him a big smile and disappeared. Jon flung the door open and dashed out. He did not like this one bit.

Fleeting Love: Chapter 25

Jon hurried down the stairs to the correct level of the ship, taking them two at a time. He burst through a door into a quiet hallway. There were no rooms or signs in this hallway that could help him find room 245. He went left down the hall looking for anything to point him in the right direction.

" Aphrodite was way too pleased about telling me Alexis wasn't in her room. Something is definitely up. I swear if she did anything to hurt her... " Jon thought, clenching his fists.

He didn't know what he could really do to the goddess, but he would make her pay somehow no matter the consequences. Eventually, he discovered a sign that showed he was close to the room. With a bit more searching, he found the room.

" Open up! " he shouted, banging on the door.

A few moments later, the door swung open. Alexis stood there with her hand on the door looking slightly miffed. Jon was so happy to see that she was okay that he didn't even notice.

" Alexis! You're alright! " he said, giving her a hug.

" Jon! You escaped Ingrid? " she asked, hugging back.

" Yes. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be gone that long. Escaping from Ingrid took time. God, it's so good to see you. "

He kissed her on the cheek and took a step back. It was then that he noticed how strange she looked. Alexis was wearing a short, white toga. Her black hair was seriously disheveled. A golden object he could only call a collar was around her neck with a chain attached that went over her shoulder into the room.

" I'm happy to see you too, Jon. It's not the best time though. "

" What? What do you mean? And why is there a collar on your neck? "

" Alexis! Is that Jon? Invite him in! " a woman called from inside the room.

The voice sounded kind of familiar to Jon. Alexis grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room.

" What the hell is going on, Alexis? "

" Come on. " she said, closing the door.

Following behind her, he was surprised to see Sandra waiting for them on the bed.

" Sandra? "

" Why hello, Jonny boy! Long time, no see. To what do we owe the pleasure? " she said, grinning.

Sandra's hair was still the same fashionably short length. She was wearing a short, pink robe. She leaned on a mass of pillows with her long legs stretched out. Her huge feet flexed near the end of the bed.

" I'm here to see Alexis. Why are you here? "

" Aphrodite didn't tell ya? I thought for sure she would. "

" Tell me what? "

" Why don't we show him, Alexis. It'll be more fun this way. "

" Yes, Sandra. " Alexis said, climbing on the bed.

Jon watched her with worry painted all over his face. He had a bad feeling he knew where this was heading. Alexis crawled to Sandra's feet and the collar began glowing brightly. In moments, she shrank to about a foot in height. He finally saw that the chain attached to a ring on the second toe of Sandra's right foot. Alexis grabbed her left big toe and kissed it passionately.

Jon blanched at the sight of his shrunken girlfriend worshipping the Southern giantess's feet. Simultaneously, he felt slightly aroused.

" What the fuck!? " he shouted.

" Whoa! No need for that language, but I'll give you a pass considering the situation. While you were away playing your own game, Aphrodite decided Alexis oughta have one too. She gave her to me along with this fun little ring. It can't be removed and let's me control her size. The icing on the cake is that Aphrodite gave her a raging foot fetish. Much worse than yours. Don't be too upset with Alexis. Right now she's more in love with my feet than she is with you. " Sandra explained.

Alexis was unperturbed by his outburst and continued licking Sandra's toes. A flurry of emotions were swirling in Jon's mind. The strongest was anger at Aphrodite for doing this. He wanted to lash out and curse, but knew that wouldn't accomplish anything. He could do all that later. First, he had to get Alexis out of here. Jon dove onto the bed, careful to avoid the small girl.

" What're you doing?! " Sandra shouted in surprise.

He grabbed her right foot and went for the magical ring. He pulled on it with all his strength, but the ring didn't budge an inch. Suddenly, Sandra drove her left foot's heel into his side. He let out a grunt of pain and released her foot.

" How dare you! You don't just grab someone like that! Especially not a lady! " she yelled angrily.

Jon rolled over, nursing his painful side.

" If ya had just asked, I probably would've taken the ring off and let Alexis go. Did you hear me say it can't be removed? Only I can! Aphrodite told me I can end this game whenever I want as long as it's by midnight tonight. Now I see why. "

As he started to get up, he felt something metallic appear around his neck. A chain slithered out and attached to the toe ring. He scrambled off the bed and tugged at the collar.

" You're not going anywhere yet. " Sandra said with a grin.

The collar glowed while he dwindled to the same height as Alexis. His clothes had actually shrunken with him. He shrunk standing next to the bed, so now he looked up at the gargantuan bed's edge wondering what Sandra had in store. The chain slowly began pulling him towards the bed until he was lifted into the air. Jon had to use the collar as leverage to prevent it from choking him on the way up. Once he was atop the bed, he ran over to Alexis and pulled her away from Sandra's foot.

" Alexis! You gotta snap out of it. Aphrodite did this to you. You don't like feet. Please. " he pleaded, holding her shoulders.

" I don't care what she did. I love Sandra's feet. Stop interrupting me. " she replied and shoved him.

He didn't even resist and fell onto the bed. There was no doubt about it anymore. Alexis had no self control whatsoever. She was a slave to her new fetish.

" Nice try, Jon. The only way she loses the fetish is if I take off the ring. Until then, you're both mine. Now strip. "

" What? "

" Your clothes. Take them off. "

" I'm not doing anything for you. "

" Alright. I'll just do it myself. "

Jon shrank to roughly four inches tall and Sandra seized him in her fist. She tugged off his shoes, shorts, and boxers. She carelessly threw them all on the floor. The collar stopped her from pulling the shirt off, so she tore it from his chest. He tried to struggle, but it was useless against her large fingers. When she was done, Sandra tossed him back down by her feet. His socks were the only clothing she didn't remove.

" How ridiculous must I look? " he wondered.

" I suggest you start rubbin' my feet. I'm not making you any bigger until you do as you're told. The longer you fight me, the longer I'll keep you here. " Sandra said smugly.

Not wanting to be here longer than he had to, Jon went over to her heel. Sandra's foot was more than twice his size now and loomed over him like a monolith. If he reached as high as possible he could only get a couple inches above her heel. Sighing, he began working his tiny hands into her skin. Alexis licked Sandra's toes hungrily, not even giving him a glance.

He was horrified to see her doing it, but that small feeling of arousal wasn't dissipating. It didn't help that despite everything, he still found Sandra's feet very attractive. Under different circumstances, he probably would've enjoyed this. Sandra sat back in bliss and closed her eyes. The pampering continued for about an hour before Sandra had them stop.

" That was nice. I thought about it while you two were working. I like both of you. Even after being so rude. I'm going to let you go early... after you do one more thing. "

" No, Sandra! I don't want to leave. I'm yours forever. " Alexis cried.

" Oh, darlin'. I can't make you stay with me forever. You have a life to live and a boyfriend who loves you. " Alexis hung her head in sadness.

" What's the last thing? " Jon asked.

" Alexis, I want you to force your little boyfriend to worship your feet. You know you want to. "

" What?! "

Alexis looked over at him uncertainly. She glanced at Sandra, who nodded encouragingly. She hesitated a moment more and then walked to Jon. He only came up to her knee in his shrunken state.

" Alexis... Don't do this. " he said backing away.

Alexis kicked him square in chest, knocking him down. Her foot continued forward and smushed his face into the mattress. He thrashed around wildly, but there was no escape.

" Lick my sole. " Alexis commanded.

Since she couldn't hear his response under her foot, he slapped it in protest.

" Do it, Jonathan. I'm not letting you up until you do. "

Jon remembered that once he did this they would be free to go. Normally, he would have no problem with worshipping Alexis' feet. He loved her after all, but this was different. This foot-loving girl on top of him wasn't the Alexis he fell in love with. However, it seemed doing what she wanted was the only way to get his Alexis back.

He stuck out his tongue and lapped at her sole. Alexis moved her foot so he could get every part of her sole. He felt his tongue slide over each wrinkle. When he was done with her sole, she shoved her big toe in his mouth. It filled his mouth, leaving no barely any room. He wiggled his tongue along the underside of her toe. Alexis watched him with a slight smile on her face.

" Alright. That's enough. You can let him up, Alexis. " Sandra said.

She pulled her toe out and took a couple steps back. Jon slowly got up and spat on the bed, trying to get the taste of feet out of his mouth.

" You're free to go. "

Sandra reached down and took off the ring. Both the chains and the collars instantly disappeared. Jon and Alexis grew to their normal sizes standing on the bed. A look of horror broke out across Alexis' face.

" Jon... " she said on the verge of tears.

He quickly wrapped her in his arms while she began crying.

" It's okay, Alexis. Come on. We'll talk in your room. "

She looked up at him, her cheeks wet with tears, and nodded. He collected his now normal sized clothes, putting them on piece by piece. He left his torn shirt on the floor.

" Bye you two! Have a good day. " Sandra said waving.

Jon gave her an angry glance as they left the room.

____________________________________________________

Jon shut the door behind him as he entered Alexis' room. Neither of them had said anything on the way there. He just put his arm around her and she leaned against him. Alexis sat on the edge of her bed, staring down at the floor. He didn't remotely know what to say, but figured he should at least try.

" Alexis... Are you alright? Physically, I mean. Sandra didn't hurt you? "

She continued to look at the floor, saying nothing. Slowly, he sat down next to her.

" Please, say something. I need to know you're alright. "

The words barely left his mouth before she burst into tears again.

" No! I'm not okay. It was awful, Jon. I was stuck with Sandra for days. I had to rub her feet so many times. Yesterday, Aphrodite gave me a foot fetish. I knew what I was doing was disgusting, but I couldn't stop myself! I licked Sandra's feet all night. When you showed up, I didn't even care. I though you were a nuisance. Stopping me from worshipping Sandra's feet. " Alexis sobbed.

Jon hugged her tightly again. She buried her face in his shoulder and continued to weep.

" That's all over now, Alexis. I swear you are never going to have to do anything like that again. I'm making the deal with Aphrodite tomorrow and I'll make sure she never touches you. "

They stayed like this for a few more minutes while Alexis let it all out. When there were no more tears left, she pulled away.

" You need to be careful, Jon. I didn't trust Aphrodite before and I trust her even less now. I don't want anything to happen to you. " she said, her eyes still red from crying.

" I will. "

" I think I'm gonna go take a shower. I feel so filthy after everything I did. Will you stay here? " Alexis asked, standing up.

" Of course. I'll be right here when you're done. " he replied.

She gave him a half-hearted smile and went into the bathroom. Now that he was alone and Alexis was back to normal, Jon's anger started to bubble up. Aphrodite had gone too far this time. She could mess with him all she wanted, but Alexis was unacceptable. She didn't deserve to be put through the same things he had.

However, he decided to bottle his anger for now. He would bust it open tomorrow when he saw Aphrodite. Once he finally calmed down, he realized there was something in his pocket. Reaching in, he found the mysterious coin necklace. He'd forgotten he brought it with him the day he agreed to the triathlon. Jon ran his thumb over it's surface, feeling each strange symbol carved into it.

" What is it about this coin that makes me want to keep it so much? " he wondered.

Shrugging it off, he put the coin back in his pocket and laid on the bed...

Fleeting Love: Chapter 26

Jon was the first to wake up the following morning. At her request, he had spent the night in Alexis' room. After everything she'd been through, he couldn't blame her for not wanting to be alone. He tried to talk to her about the game, but she refused to say any more. He slept fitfully and constantly woke throughout the night.

The coming meeting with Aphrodite was making him anxious. He was furious with the goddess, but he couldn't afford to ruin everything now. If he said one wrong word Aphrodite might decide to call the deal off. Pushing these thoughts out of his mind, he got out of bed and put his shoes on. Jon wanted to get some new clothes and shower before seeing Aphrodite.

Alexis was still sleeping peacefully so he decided to leave her like that. He kissed her forehead and went to the door. He hesitated for a moment with his hand on the knob. There was a growing feeling in him that this deal would inevitably go south. Part of him wanted to just stay with Alexis and another part urged him forward. In the end, he listened to the part that wanted him to see Aphrodite...

____________________________________________________


Jon walked slowly down the hallway to Aphrodite's office. The walk from his room to this point had probably been the most nerve racking in his life. He was now wearing a light red shirt, tan cargo pants, and the same white shoes. Although, he felt like he should be wearing a bulletproof vest and other protective gear. The coin necklace was safely in his pocket. He almost left it in his room, but brought it with for some reason.

When Jon got to the office's double doors, he froze up again. This could be his last chance to back out. Not five seconds later, the doors swung open seemingly of their own volition. Sitting at her desk was the goddess of love, beaming happily.

" Jon-Jon! There you are! I was beginning to wonder what was taking you so long. Come in, come in. " she said waving him in.

He cautiously did as she said. The doors magically swung closed behind him.

" Now, before you say anything. I had my reasons for putting Alexis into a game. That girl has quite the little mouth on her. I wanted to make sure she knew her place before we made our deal. I would never let anything bad happen to her though. You care about her so I have to respect that. "

He wanted so badly to let the goddess have it, but he kept his mouth shut.

" Can we move on to the negotiations? I don't really have anything nice to say about that and I'd rather not ruin this. " he said, folding his arms on his chest.

" So be it. Except we won't be doing the negotiations here. I have a special surprise for you. "

Aphrodite rose from her chair and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, they were no longer aboard the S.S. Aphrodite. Their new surroundings were unfamiliar to him. It looked like they were in a Ancient Greek style temple. The entire structure was made out of the same pristine, white stone. He was standing in the center of a huge grand hall with four pillars to the left and right. Torches were placed on the walls and pillars. Looking above, he saw some braziers hanging from the ceiling by chains.

At the head of the room was a large, stone throne with intricate carvings and a high back. Two braziers crackled faintly on either side of it. A staircase behind the throne led up to a second floor that he couldn't see well from his position. The entrance to the temple was a gigantic set of open double doors.

" Welcome to Olympus, Jonathan! " the goddess said, flourishing her hand.

Jon's mouth fell open in shock. Had he heard Aphrodite right?

" S-Seriously? This is Olympus? Am I even allowed to be here? "

" Not exactly, but what the other gods don't know won't hurt them. It'll be our little secret. Besides, you're only going to be in my temple. "

Still in a state of disbelieving shock, he ran to the temple's entrance to see the home of the gods. The area beyond the doors was flanked by two pillars on each side. A large set of stairs led down to a dense fog of clouds. The fog stretched as far as he could see. More clouds floated overhead as well. Sunlight streamed down from between them. In the distance, he saw another temple much like Aphrodite's. Aphrodite appeared next to him with her hands clasped behind her back, grinning happily.

" It's quite beautiful, isn't it? " she said.

" Yeah... Where is this place even? "

" It is not on Mount Olympus if that's what you're thinking. Olympus is it's own self-contained world. Not completely separate from your world and not completely part of it. Only we gods and those who we allow can enter it. No human can stumble upon it by accident. "

Jon slowly nodded his head in response. He was still pretty mystified by all of this and had trouble forming complete thoughts.

" Whose temple is that over there? " he asked, pointing to the one in the distance.

" That would be Apollo's. God of the sun. He's rarely ever in it though. "

He marveled at the spectacular world he was now in for a few more moments before snapping out of it.

" Why did you bring me here? "

" It seemed appropriate for the deal we are about to make. Also, I thought it would show you that I have no intentions of killing you. Why would I show you this place if I did? "

" Pardon me if I still don't find this reassuring after everything you've done. Can we start negotiating now? "

Aphrodite nodded and suddenly they were standing in front of the throne. The goddess fell onto it and stretched her legs out with a sigh.

" Ahhh, home sweet home. " she said.

When she didn't offer him a seat, he continued talking.

" Well, you know what I want. I want your word that you won't kill me or seriously hurt me ever again. You will never do anything to Alexis again without her specific permission. You will give me time to spend with her between games because I know those aren't gonna stop. And I am never doing another game with any of the Aguilar's. " Jon demanded.

" Listen to you! Hahahaha! Telling me to do these things instead of asking me like you should. I'm afraid that's not how this is going to work, Jonathan. I have some of my own conditions. And I forgot to tell you there is one more thing you must do before this deal can be made. "

" What? Are you shitting me? I already did the triathlon. You can't keep adding things I need to do. "

Aphrodite wagged her finger at him while clicking her tongue. " Watch your language, Jon. I let you into my home. No need to be rude. The last thing I want you to do is easy and we can do it right here, right now. In fact, we can even discuss terms while you are doing it. "

" What is it? " he asked, folding his arms over his chest.

" I have finally deemed you worthy of touching my divine feet. You are going to give me a foot massage. The best you have ever given. "

Jon was taken aback by her request. He definitely had not expected her to ask for that.

" Why now? Why am I suddenly worthy? "

" To further prove I have no intentions of getting rid of you. This will 'seal the deal' as they say. There is no way out of this one. Either you do it or we have no deal. " Aphrodite said, shrugging.

Jon wanted so badly to curse at her about how unfair this was, but he held his tongue. He had come this far and wasn't going to let everything he went through be for nothing. Instead of lashing out, he dropped to his knees before the goddess.

" Fine. I'll do it. I just want to make this deal already. " he said, defeated.

" There's a good boy. Take off my sandals and begin. "

She held up her foot for him and he started to remove her sandals. Instead of her usual knee high sandals, Aphrodite was wearing much simpler ones that he removed easily. He looked up once both her feet were free to see Aphrodite watching him eagerly. She was also wearing a short, white toga with a strap over her left shoulder. Her hair was untied and the ruby necklace sparkled brightly in the light coming from the temple windows. Her foot suddenly rose in front of his eyes, waving to and fro.

" Hello? I said you can begin. Do not make me wait. "

Jon took her foot in his hands and froze as he felt an odd sensation wash over him. His whole body tingled pleasurably and his member was becoming erect. Aphrodite's feet were incredibly soft to the touch. Finally taking a look at them, he realized they were the most gorgeous feet he had ever seen. Her toes were evenly lengthened from biggest to smallest. Her soles were slightly wrinkled, but not too much. He didn't usually like pale white feet, but Aphrodite's drove him into a frenzy. Jon couldn't take it anymore! He began working his thumbs into her sole, completely hypnotized.

" Ahhhh, that's nice. All that practice has definitely made you worthy. I must be honest, Jonathan. There is something I never told you about me. I doubt you are even listening, but I'll explain for the subconscious part that might be. As the goddess of love, I have special powers that the other gods do not. Power over love, pleasure, and desire. Normally when a mortal looks at me they become hopelessly infatuated. They only wish to serve me any way they can. You were different. I purposely didn't let that power overcome you. I wanted you to remain yourself for our little games. But with the power that naturally exudes from my body and your foot fetish, I'm afraid you are now mine. Mind, body, and soul. Now we can forget about that silly deal you wanted to make. When you're done with the massage, I'll let you go back to the ship to tell Alexis that it's over between you two. I never should have let you see that girl again. She's been nothing but trouble. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. We are going to have so much more fun now! " Aphrodite gloated.

Jon just continued to rub her foot, not listening at all. His focus was entirely on the beautiful feet before him. Chuckling, Aphrodite leaned back in her throne and closed her eyes. He grabbed her other foot in his left and started massaging it as well. A thought occurred to him through the haze of Aphrodite's power. What do a goddess' feet smell like?

He brought both of her feet up to his nose and deeply inhaled. It was the most heavenly scent he had ever smelled! He couldn't begin to describe it, but he absolutely loved it. His eyes rolled back in his head and his member twitched in excitement. Jon never wanted to leave Aphrodite's feet! He licked at her soles from top to bottom. Her feet tasted amazing too!

" Oooooo, that feels great. What a good pet. I think I'm going to miss the old Jon-Jon a little, but if you keep this up I won't for long. " Aphrodite said sounding pleased.

When he finished licking every inch of her soles, he put her toes in his mouth and sucked on them. He was enjoying it until a voice started nagging in the back of his mind.

" Put on the necklace. It's our only way out of this. " the voice demanded.

" What? No. I don't want to get out of this. I want to be at Aphrodite's feet for the rest of my life. "

" No, you don't. Aphrodite's magic is making you say that. Now put on the coin! I'm not going to let it end like this! "

He decided to just ignore the voice and continue what he was doing. The voice persisted in yelling at him to put the necklace on. Suddenly, his right hand began moving by itself. It slowly let go of Aphrodite's foot and moved towards the pocket that had the coin inside. He watched it for a few moments before going back to sucking on her toes.

His hand dug into his pocket and pulled out the coin. The constant nagging from the voice was beginning to make his head hurt, so he removed her toes from his mouth. The moment he did his hand threw the necklace over his head. A white light flashed in his eyes when the chain fell around his neck and then he felt nothing...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jon snapped his eyes shut as the light faded away. He blinked a few times before finally seeing where he was. His left hand was on Aphrodite's foot, holding it in the air. Aphrodite sat in her throne with her eyes still closed. He couldn't believe it. He was back in control of his body! Putting the coin on had worked!

Ever since Athena enacted her plan all those weeks ago, Jon had been a prisoner in his own body. It seemed she hadn't fully explained what her real plan was. Instead of just removing his memories of the Isle of Amazons like she said, Athena trapped the real Jon in his own mind. Meanwhile, a different version of Jon was put in control of his body. That "other" Jon played his part perfectly because Aphrodite didn't seem to have any idea about the plan.

For the past weeks, he could only watch through his own eyes as another person controlled his body. He had been quite afraid that Aphrodite would discover him by looking into his mind, but Athena locked him away tightly. To his credit, the "other" Jon did a reasonably good job while he was in control. He did pretty much everything the real Jon would've done, except for a couple things. Now that Jon was back in control it was time to finish Athena's plan.

Seeing everything Aphrodite had done while he was trapped made him more determined than ever. The games were going to end today. He realized that he had stopped rubbing Aphrodite's feet and quickly resumed. The goddess sat on her throne in blissful ignorance.

" I hope you're enjoying this, bitch. I'm gonna wipe that smile off your face shortly. " he thought, grinning to himself.

Jon tucked the Chthonian coin under his shirt to be safe. Aphrodite's necklace glinted in the sunlight around her throat. It was within reach if he lunged forward. Once he had it, he would have to get away from her and hope Athena appeared quickly.

" This is it. All I have to do is grab the necklace and I'm free. I can live my life with Alexis in peace. " he thought, taking a deep breath.

He let go of her foot and lunged for the necklace with his right hand. He was just centimeters away from touching it when Aphrodite's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist in a vice grip. He tried to break free of her grasp, but it was too strong. Aphrodite's eyes drifted open and narrowed into an angry glare. The room went cold and his skin erupted in goosebumps.

" What in Hades do you think you are doing, boy? " she hissed through clenched teeth.

Jon's face went ghostly pale.

" Oh, shit! "

Fleeting Love: Chapter 27

Jon recovered from his shock quickly, knowing if he didn't do this Aphrodite would make his life a real living hell. He lashed out with his other hand to take the necklace, but was again stopped by the goddess. His struggles to get his arms out of her grip were useless. Aphrodite slowly rose from her throne. She had made herself tall enough to be eye to eye with him.

" You son of a whore! " she shouted.

She drove her foot into his gut and released his arms. Jon tumbled down the small set of stairs leading up to the throne. He got back to his feet once he reached the bottom, slightly banged up but otherwise okay.

" Who told you about my necklace?! It was that bitch Athena, wasn't it? That's why she wanted you on her island! To use you against me! "

" The games end now, Aphrodite! I'm taking that necklace and you're going to pay for everything you've done. " he yelled, pointing a finger at her.

" Stupid boy! This was Athena's plan? Send a mortal to steal from a goddess? You had no chance! She sent you to your death! Which begins right now! " Aphrodite raised her hand and snapped her fingers with triumphant smirk.

He braced himself for whatever she had done, but nothing happened. The smirk on her face faltered for a moment before she snapped again. When still nothing happened, Aphrodite's face contorted into a snarl.

" Do you think your chances are any better just because I can't use my powers on you? Ha! You truly are an idiot. I'm not even going to waste the effort of dealing with you myself. Guards! "

Two men in golden Greek armor appeared out of thin air on both sides, swords already drawn.

" Take care of this traitorous worm, but don't kill him. I believe keeping him for awhile longer would be a more fitting punishment. If you thought the games were bad before your betrayal, they are going to seem like sweet dreams compared to what is coming. " she said, sitting back down on her throne.

Jon barely had time to react before a sword came stabbing at his chest. He dodged out of the way and turned to see the other guard charging at him. The guard slammed into him with his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. He wasted no time moving over Jon and driving his blade down. Jon rolled out of the way just as it hit the ground.

He rose to one knee and punched the side of the guard's head. His golden helmet fell off while the guard stumbled away. Unknown to Jon, the second guard had circled behind him and slashed his back diagonally.

" Ahhh! " he cried out in pain.

He was certain the guard had drawn blood, but didn't know how bad the cut was. Jon scrambled out of range as the guard swung again. He moved a safe distance away before stopping to collect himself. The other guard had recovered from Jon's punch, choosing to leave his helmet, and looked very pissed. From the head of the room came the sound of Aphrodite's laughter.

" Not bad, Jonathan. You are a wily one. I'm sure Athena had something to do with that, but it's not going to save you. Stop playing with him. Take him down now! Whatever you do I will heal after. " Aphrodite commanded.

" Yes, Aphrodite! " they replied in unison, marching towards Jon.

Jon slowly backed away, not liking his chances. The helmet less guard shouted and charged at him for the second time. He stabbed at his chest, but Jon sidestepped at the last second and hooked his arm around the guards. He reeled back and punched the guard across the face with all his might. The guard wasn't knocked out like he hoped, but he was momentarily stunned.

He seized the opportunity and tore the sword out of the guard's hand. Jon quickly swung downwards and sliced the guards exposed upper thigh quite deep. The guard let out a cry before he burst into a cloud of smoke. The other guard had been watching the struggle silently, but looked to Aphrodite when his companion disappeared. Seconds after turning his head he disappeared as well.

" Useless idiots! Can't even handle one boy by themselves! So be it. I will remind you why you do not trifle with gods. " the goddess said, descending from her throne.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Aphrodite grew until her head nearly touched the ceiling. She must have been at least twenty feet tall. Athena's prediction all that time ago was dead on. Jon surveyed his surroundings, trying to think of a plan. He saw the pillars behind him and ran for them.

" Stop fighting, Jonathan. You're only making things worse. " Aphrodite boomed, stomping closer.

He ducked behind a pillar, knowing he didn't stand a chance against the goddess at that size. He still had the guard's sword, but it might as well have been a toothpick. The goddesses' gigantic foot slammed down next to him and her head peeked around the pillar.

" This is just sad. You can't hide from me that easily. "

" I'm not trying to hide! " Jon yelled.

He sliced the side of her big toe. A golden fluid oozed from the cut, glowing faintly.

" Little bastard! Enough of this. I'm going to squash you like the bug you are! "

Aphrodite raised her foot and he ran for the next pillar. The goddess let out an angry growl as her foot missed its target. Jon ran towards the head of the room. The pillar tactic wouldn't work long, so his next idea was to run to the temple's second floor. Hopefully it was small enough that Aphrodite would be forced to shrink down.

Out of thin air, a huge hand appeared in his path. Aphrodite had teleported ahead of him! As the hand swiped at him, Jon plunged the sword into the center of her palm. The goddess hissed in pain and retracted her hand. While she pulled out the tiny sword, he ran between her legs. He had nearly made it to the stairs when Aphrodite appeared in front of him normal sized. He couldn't slow down fast enough to dodge her, so he could only brace himself as she backhanded him. The hit was strong enough to spin him around and make him fall to the floor.

" Ungrateful, little bug! " she shouted, stomping on his right hand.

Jon brought the hand close to his chest and attempted to get up. Aphrodite delivered a swift kick to his ribs, knocking him onto his back.

" I gave you everything your twisted mind desired! This is how you repay me?! What kind of freak even likes feet anyways? A sad, pathetic creep! Without me you wouldn't even have your precious Alexis! How could she ever love a freak like you except for my magic? You deserve all the things I'm going to do to you. You are going to be a foot slave for the rest of your insignificant life! " Aphrodite ranted, dragging him to his feet.

Jon merely flashed her a half smile and spat in the goddesses' face. Aphrodite screamed in anger, lifted him off the floor, and threw him with her supernatural strength. He tumbled across the marble floor, banging his head pretty badly on the initial impact. When he finally came to a stop, he was dazed and fairly certain his head was bleeding. He just laid there, staring up at the ceiling that seemed miles away.

The plan had failed. Jon had put up a good fight, but what chance did he really have against a goddess? Athena would have to find another way to prove that Aphrodite had broken the rules. He probably wouldn't see Alexis ever again. Man, did he wish he could see her just one more time. Tell her how much she meant to him and maybe take her on their first real date. His train of thought was broken by Aphrodite crouching over him. She ripped open the front of his shirt and yanked the Chthonian coin off his neck.

" A Chthonian coin. I should have guessed. I wonder where Athena managed to get her hands on one. " the goddess said, inspecting the coin.

" You win. Go ahead and kill me. I don't care anymore. Just kill me! " Jon shouted.

" Please, Jonathan. I can't kill you. I have to punish you for betraying me. "

The familiar sadistic smile had returned to her face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow flying towards Aphrodite. It was an owl! Not just any owl either, it was Athena's owl! The owl flew right at her head and began clawing at her. Aphrodite swung wildly at the bird, even attempting to launch a fireball at it. The owl easily avoided her attacks.

He realized this was Athena's last ditch effort at helping him. He shakily rose to his feet and charged at the goddess. Jon slammed into Aphrodite, knocking both of them to the floor. He got on top of her and grabbed the necklace. In one motion, he wrenched it up and over head. With the necklace clutched firmly in his hand, Jon scrambled away from the powerless goddess.

He had done it! Aphrodite couldn't do anything to stop the plan! The ruby began to glow in his hand. A euphoric sensation spread throughout his body, making the hair on his arms stand up.

" No! Give it back! It's not yours! " Aphrodite cried, lunging for the necklace.

Jon raised his free hand, fingers splayed, at the goddess. Aphrodite was lifted off the ground and thrown across the temple. She was smashed against a pillar before falling back to the ground. Jon looked at the necklace in his hand. It was still glowing brightly and veins of red energy were snaking up his arm. He smiled as Aphrodite watched in horror. All of Aphrodite's powers were his and it felt good...