The terraformed Mars: a masterpiece of human ingenuity. Many centuries of hopes, dreams and research has led up to the first tentative steps of humanity on the Red Planet. I remember when my family first came to Mars in search of a new life amongst the stars; my parents came looking for wealth and opportunity, hoping to capitalize on the booming tourism industry. Of course, that was before the war started.   Legions upon legions of humans have died fighting the self-proclaimed Goddess Eris, and the end seems farther away than ever. Each year she seems to get bolder and stronger, and now much of Mars is dedicated to military endeavours. You could say Mars became it’s namesake.   Mars is well-equipped to withstand and repel any attack. Nothing in the known universe compares. The Red Planet truly is a ‘God of War’; an entity containing unmatched firepower!   Looking out of the window of my apartment, at the military base and the ferrous Martian soil, I see an omen of my own future: the state of the art ship I’ll be living in for the next few months. It’s a beautiful piece of machinery and a glorious example of what contemporary technology and engineering can do.   From the bridge at the top of the bow she flows elegantly downwards, diagonally, at about a forty-five degree angle, before meeting with the crimson Martian soil. She’s so tall and curvy. She’s just like my girlfriend, but she's not as sexy as her, of course.   That’s it! When I get back from my tour of duty I’m going to ask her to marry me! That is, unless she asks me to marry her first. She’s a fiercely independent woman and has always been one for the unexpected, so who knows?   And here she comes now. I hear the feint sound of each meticulous step, as she walks softly across the carpeted floor up to me – which must mean that she’s finished her shower. Her arms wrap tenderly around my chest, forcing their way underneath my arms, in a telling embrace. I then feel her long brunette hair brush against my neck.   Her lips come into contact with my cheek, and I, all of a sudden, freeze. The way she sensuously brushes her lips against my face always manages to leave me in a trance. As her lips continue to flirt with my face, like a feisty young feline on the prowl, waiting for just the right moment to pounce and go in for the kill, her arms gently rub against the muscles of my torso.   Shivers go down my spine as her hands move from the top of my chest, lower and lower, closer and closer, probing; wanting to go down and see if there has been a reaction – which of course there has been. I always try to resist her charm, but I just can’t! She’s such an expert at this, and things are really beginning to heat up.   I want to push her arms away, to save myself from any further embarrassment, but I feel powerless. Love is the greatest form of magic, and I seem to have succumbed to her latest spell. She has me right where she wants me. I'm under her control – and there’s nothing that I can do about it.   Her hands continue exploring my stomach, creeping slowly downwards, but they pause at my waist. She loves to tease me. She’s an expert at teasing me. I really thought she was going to go for it this time. We don't have much time left together after all.   A couple more hours or so and I'll be well on my way out of the Solar System; she may never seem me again. Hopefully she will, but one should never be complacent. If I lose my concentration, even just for a split second, it could be the end for me.   I tilt my head upwards in order to get a better view of what will be my home for the next while. I'm sure I'll be fine. She's state of the art. But I can’t get complacent, not with who were going up against. Our enemy on this mission isn’t a simple band of pirates that stalk the interstellar gas and dust clouds.   "Sidney," I hear her whisper in my ear.   "Yes," I reply flatly.   By now I've become used to her advances, so I'm not too flustered, even if I do often feel powerless to stop her. Somehow though, she can still give me goose bumps with every whisper.   "Come back in one piece won't you? I can only admire your body if you're alive and in one piece. I need you here, with me."   "Of course I will. You know me."   "I've always admired your confidence."   "Thanks. I won't let you down. I'm sure you don't need reminding who our enemy for this mission is, right?"   Just thinking about our target for this mission – Eris, a self-proclaimed goddess – gives me the creeps. She and her band of so-called 'Angels' manage to strike fear into the hearts of even some of the most hardened of servicemen and women. Others often claim I'm incredibly brave, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't fearful of Eris.   Her Angels have been known to appear anywhere on the edge of the known universe. But if you ask anyone where exactly she came from you'll get mixed responses. Eris herself claims that she and her angels come from somewhere in the Rosette Nebula, though there isn't any proof of this. The fact that she says this makes me wonder what's so special about that nebula in particular.   The intense reds of the nebula remind me of blood for some reason. Plus, looking at the older photographs of it I can roughly make out a skull shape. Could this be an omen?   I want to think that its just pure coincidence, but many brave adventurers have died there – even before Eris's rise to fame. The intense dust makes it hard to navigate and means that ships are not be able to rely on visual information.   Add to that, the seemingly infinite number of asteroids. I hear its rich in all kind of rare and highly sought after elements. If I could set up a successful mining operation there I'd be a billionaire in no time at all, I'm sure!   "No, of course not; we talked it over yesterday, remember?” Maxine coos after a moment of intense thinking on her part as well, interrupting my chain of thought, “It's just...well, you're known as a risk taker."   “I can’t back down now. My luggage is already on the ship and I’m going to be leaving soon. I’ll look like a coward in front of my comrades.”   “There’s bravery and then there’s stupidity. Isn’t that what you always told people?”   “But I have to do this! We can’t let that big bully, Eris, win!”   It pains me to have to do this but there’s no turning back now. We remain in our room for a while longer, talking, until the public address system says that it’s time for me to leave. Just outside our state of the art ship, when I’m about to walk up the stairs to the crew entrance, is where we exchange our last words. I manage to pick out her voice from amongst the many onlookers standing alongside the parade of personnel, and see her sweet face in the second row of people.   “Goodbye, Sidney,” I hear her call, “Bring back a trophy, or two, won’t you?”   “I’ll try,” I reply, desperately trying to hold back my tears. “Maybe I’ll be able to bring back a set of Eris’s underwear or something. A huge bra would make a fine hammock!”   I really want to say more, but I can't hold up the line of personnel. I'm sure they are all just as eager as I am to explore the innards of this state of the art ship. Hard to believe my squadron was one of the ones selected for this mission. They must think we're really special. There's been so much hype about this new ship.   Unfortunately, upon my entry, I realise the inside doesn't seem to live up to the expectations. I was expecting something sleek given it's sexy exterior. Instead, what I find is a boring, sterile environment – some might even say it was a bit dated. Whether or not there are enough pleasantries to keep me sane remains to be seen, but they do keep repeating that this ship is state of the art. Hopefully there's at least a half-decent Intranet on board to keep me entertained.   Sadly, I can't stop and examine the ship in more detail just yet, as we all have been instructed to make our way to the its canteen. As I enter it, I pause and take a moment to study it.   It looks as if there are hundreds of seats. Above most of the gangways are monitors and security cameras. In the distance there are several other doors and the kitchen areas. As I stand and stare, I feel a hand on my shoulder. A shiver goes down my spine at the unexpected gesture.   “Hey Sidney,” says a feminine voice behind me, as I walk through the doors.   “Jasmine,” I exclaim as I turn around to look at her, “it's so nice to finally see you again. It's been weeks! How was your holiday to Olympus Mons?”   As we start to talk, I gaze into her hazel eyes and notice her newly curled auburn hair. It’s been so long since I last saw her! What happened?   “It was wonderful, thanks for asking! How are things going with Maxine?”   “Things are going great. When I get back I might just ask her to marry me. Unless she asks me first of course. You know how she is.”   “For sure. Wonder what's going to happen in the...”   Suddenly all of the monitors hung from the canteen's ceiling turn on. A man with greying hair and in a white naval suit, decorated with many medals, appears on the screens. Everyone stands to attention as he begins to talk.   “Welcome everyone. This is your ship's captain speaking...” he says with a clear stiff upper lip.   Guess he didn't get to the top by being nice to people. Hopefully he'll at least pretend to care, unlike our previous captain. Man, he was a real bastard.   “Well that answers that question,” Jasmine whispers to me.   “As you are all aware, this mission is no ordinary mission. First let me congratulate you all on being selected. You are some of the finest pilots in the navy. Even in this age of robotics, we still need aces like yourselves, and I thank you for putting your lives on the line.   “As you know, this mission will be a true test of your skills. Our enemy isn't the simple pirates or renegade colonists you may be used to. Our enemy on this assignment is the mysterious demon Eris. I'm sure that I don't need to remind of what she is capable of. There's no shame in dying, but just don't be a pussy and surrender to her. You will probably die anyway and you will be remembered as a coward.   “I'll have more information for you later. For now, acquaint yourself with the ship’s facilities. The stewards will be happy to show you to your sleeping quarters if you show them your papers. We shall leave in an hour. Thank you, that is all for now. Good day to you all.”   Ah, he doesn't seem so bad as a captain. I’ve had worse instructors. I'm sure we'll get along without any ethics questions.   “Psst, Sidney, did you hear the rumour?” Jasmine says, placing one hand beside her lips.   “What rumour?”   “Mining vessels have been spotted coming out of Eris's territory.”   “But how? Eris is said not to let anybody escape her star system alive. Ships aren't even allowed to get anywhere near the system.”   “It's just a rumour I heard when I was holidaying. There are lots of miners that frequent that area of Mars. I don't know how they heard about it. I was speaking to one man and I said I was in the navy and one thing led to another.”
“Isn’t it too risky to be out there? What were they thinking?”   “Maybe they weren’t. All I know is there is a lot of money to be made out there.”   Suspicious mining vessels, giant women, battles of an epic scale. Sounds like a conspiracy to me. This has the makings of a great film! I bet the crazy part of the Martian Wide Web is full of theories...   “I'm as clueless as you are Sidney. How about we go and find Brandon and explore the ship so that we can take our minds off of Eris for a while?”   “That would be great. I'm feeling very uneasy about the whole mission.”   “You're not alone,” I hear a nearby male voice say.   It's Brandon. I haven't seen him a while either. Wonder what he's been up to since I last spoke to him.   “Hey, how have you been?” I ask him.   He feigns a smile. His bright blue eyes tell the story of a man with much on his mind. Guess things haven't been going so well for him.   “Well, I've been spending a lot of time in the gym recently. You know, to take my mind off of our latest assignment.”   “If there's anything you want to talk about, you know Jasmine and I are always ready to listen.”   “It's okay, I think I’ll be fine. But you don’t seem worried yourself, aren't you worried about her too?”   “We'd be lying if we said we didn't,” interjects Jasmine.   “But I'm sure we'll be fine,” I say, attempting to reassure Brandon, “The technology on this ship is all new. Eris won't know what hit her.”   “I hope you're right Sidney...” Brandon replies, with obvious unease.   I hope I haven't underestimated Eris. The military has a nasty habit of doing just that. She's more powerful than we dared dream.

The alarm sounds: 0700HRS UTC. Time for breakfast.

And so another day in interstellar space begins. It's on long missions like this when I regret joining the navy. Early start, nothing to do. Come on, please let there be some pirates today! I don't want to spend all day working out in the gym.

Not that I mind being in the ship's gymnasium to workout; it's necessary. And if I didn't workout I'd lose the muscles my girlfriend seems to love so much. Sure, the change in gravity can wreak havoc on the unprepared, blah-blah, but you'd think they could have up with a more stimulating routine by now.

Being surrounded by all of these state of the art computers and robots, I find myself wondering if they even need personnel like me anymore. It's hard not to feel grossly inferior to these amazing pieces of machinery. And yet they are always looking for new recruits.

It doesn't help that the captain often likes to boast about how our ship can take out other ships without the need for any of us humans at the controls. Its computers make the one I left at home on Mars with my girlfriend look like total garbage, and that was a rather expensive model.

Urgh, I'm starting to regret leaving Mars again. Mars is such a beautiful planet and I'm stuck out here for months on end. I could be working as a commercial pilot like I should have done, travelling between its cities and taking in the views as I do.

Olympus Mons especially is breathtakingly beautiful. I must go back there sometime. Being a civilian pilot would have been a much safer job and just as enjoyable, even if I have always liked playing war games using holography machines...

And now I'm out here, on the fringes of the known Milky Way for real. I always liked the military video games but now the reality of the situation is really starting to set in. I can't let her get to me though. We can defeat her! We will defeat her eventually! The good guys always win in the end, don't they?

How she has managed to become so powerful is beyond me. In a little over ten years she's managed to create an empire spanning several star systems in the constellation of Sagittarius and evade capture. And to think it all started with just a few sporadic attacks with some very stealthy ships but she quickly grew her backyard.

Hard to believe such large ships could be so stealthy. I hesitate to ponder how much power they consume. They must have several micro black holes in those things, surely.

There are lots of rumours about how she got her power. Of course, Jasmine's words still ring in my head. Mining vessels? Surely a corporation couldn't be that evil? Or maybe she's part of an alien race? It has to be some aliens somewhere; there is no way any business could be that evil, could it? If one good thing has come about from all this it's that the bond between the various human groups has grown stronger as they have a common enemy.

Man, it's so easy to get lost in thought. I'm daydreaming again. Time to get myself out of bed I think. I've reminisced for long enough. But they do say that boredom triggers creativity. Too bad I don't have a desk to work on in this tin can of a room. It isn't worthy of the title bedroom.

Looks like most people have already got out of their sleeping quarters. I can see why they're so eager to get out of their beds – it's so cramped in here. It's just a long thin corridor lined with beds and cabinets – but at least it's not a hibernation-pod. Still, we get very little privacy. Looking towards the exit at one end I see Brandon about to walk out. It's easy to tell it's him. Tall man, long blond hair.

"Hey Brandon," I shout as I run down the corridor, "Wait up."

"Hey Sidney; did you sleep well?" he replies as he turns to face me.

"I guess so. But I kind of wish I was home back on Mars."

"I think we all do...but we've got nothing to worry about. Isn't that what you've kept telling me? This spaceship is one of the finest in the fleet. Brand spanking new and chock full of state of the art technology. No rogues will be able bring us down."

"Yeah, I guess so. Hard to believe it's me who is the one with doubts now."

"I was heading to the canteen get some breakfast; I only came in here to get my watch and, by the looks of things, you aren't washed or dressed yet. I'll meet you in there shortly, yeah?"

"Sure thing. A nice cold shower will do me a lot of good. I'll meet you in the canteen approximately ten minutes then."

As Brandon leaves, I head to the showers. It's not too long of a walk as they're located along an adjoining corridor at either end of our sleeping area. The shower cubicals are fairly basic but they have everything I need fortunately, and the soap is nice.

Later, over breakfast, Brandon and I start to converse about all sorts of trivial things. I wish there were more people like Brandon in our universe. I've known Brandon since my childhood – we went to school together – and I feel that I can tell him anything. Sure we have our up and downs, but isn't every friendship like that? Nobody is perfect, and I don't like people who think themselves as perfect.

When I finish my breakfast we head towards the ship's gymnasium for the morning routine. During the workout Brandon and I, along with a couple of other friends, Jasmine and Virgil, continue to talk about trivial things. Nothing of any real importance, but thinking about our homes and what we're fighting for keeps our spirits up.

By the end of our workout I'm starving, and, fortunately, it's lunchtime. As soon as I've finished the assault course, I get up and look straight at Brandon, who is stood beside me. He knows exactly what I'm thinking: food. There's nothing like a good plate of lasagne for lunch. Pasta is full of carbohydrates so it'll help me recover from the workout, and the artificial beef isn't so bad either – well not as bad as some like to claim it is anyway.

Once we're out of the shower we head straight for the canteen. The steely greys of the canteen are a stark contrast to the bright colours of the ship's state of the art gymnasium. It's rather dull in here, but the food is always good, so I guess that makes up for it.

The ship's canteen is like an old English pub. It's a hub of activity. It's a place of the kind people used to go before they invented social networking websites and people stopped talking to each other. As I walk towards one of the kitchens I see exactly what I've desired all morning but didn't know I wanted. Behind the counter is a lovely lasagne, freshly prepared of course. The cooks aboard this ship are amazing! I don't know how they do it.

After being served, just as I'm about to sit down, a siren sounds. This can't be good. Heck, when have I ever known a siren to be a good thing? I can tell this is going to be important. And I was just about to have my lasagne! It seems today is going to be different after all.

"Hello, this is your ship's captain speaking. We're having a slight problem with the ship controls. It's as if someone is trying to hack into the ship's state of the art computer. Rest assured, they won't succeed. This ship has..." says a distressed male voice, apparently that of the ship captain, on the ship's public address system before being interrupted by another voice.

Even though the captain hasn't been able to finish his sentence, I can guess that he was going to say some along the lines of 'state of the art computers'. He can be quite predictable.

Suddenly all of the screens in the canteen turn themselves on. When fully operational, they show the image of the bust, encased in what seems to be a plain white bra, and neck of a woman with long blonde hair. And everyone starts panicking.

The Angels (giantesses) have never been known to reveal their faces to us 'lesser beings', as they put it. Apparently, as I recently learned, we are considered 'unworthy' by the giantesses, hence none of them have ever revealed to any humans what they actually look like. The camera will typically be pointed towards an area of the giantesses torso, in this case her breasts, and it's left to our own imagination to envision how equally awesome her face must be.

And t-that voice. It's her! No doubt about it.

Somehow, she has managed to take of control of the ship. This ship is supposed to be state of the art! And nobody told me we were this close to her syndicate. Unless...unless they didn't know she was stalking us. I always knew she was smart, but I didn't think that she would be able to hack into our ship's state of the art computers.

"Thank you, captain," says the new, distinctly feminine, and very sultry voice, "I'll be taking over from here. I've been tracking your ship for a several days now, and I've finally figured out how to hack into your supposedly state of the art computers.

"You see, you're in my realm now. And I make the rules in these parts. Your little dinghy isn't welcome here. However, it's too late to turn back now. I've already set a course for my hidey-hole. And I'd love it if I could have you for lunch. I'll make sure that you have a killer experience, you can be sure of that."

She's crazy! If she can hack into our ship state of the art computer system then I'd hate to find out what else she is capable of. How can she be so cruel? Life is precious but she squanders human life like it's nothing! I guess the rumours of her intelligence are true. She's a lot smarter than many of us have given her credit for, I'll give her that.

All of a sudden the voice switches back to that of the ship's captain and the screens switch themselves off, causing most of the panicking people to calm down. Somehow, I don't think we've won though. Eris wouldn't give up the controls that easily I'm sure.

"Everyone, please calm down! I'm back in control...I think. What? It's true! She's somehow managed to change our trajectory. We're headed towards some unknown planetoid. I don't know how, but at least I have control of the P.A. system again," the captain says through the ship public address system.

As soon as the captain finishes his sentence the screens turn themselves back on and the female bust from before reappears. Panic erupts all around me and it seems as though most people have all of a sudden forgotten protocol.

Thankfully, I'm so far managing to hide my fear. I don't know how or why, but I don't feel that scared of her. Should I? Perhaps I've learnt to control my fear of her.

She's so pretty, yet so devastating at the same time: surely a winning combination. Her beauty is matched only by her own brains. How did someone like her get to be so evil? That's what I want to know. All we can do now is hope that her overconfidence and arrogance will be her downfall, just like it was for Adolf Hitler all those years ago on the Earth.

"No, you don't!" she exclaims as she regains control of ship public address system, "I'm sorry, captain, but I control this sorry excuse for ship now. So, you can get your sorry little ass out of the bridge and let me do the driving. That's an order!

"If you're a good little boy, captain, then I've something special in store for you. But you'll have to promise me that you'll be a good boy. Understand? Now get going before I change my mind. Now! As for the rest of you...look at you all in the ship canteen. That's right, fatten yourselves up. Your goddess is waiting."

I feel somewhat left out by the fact everyone else is panicking and I'm not. My lasagne is getting cold! Dam it, how can I be thinking about food at a time like this? But how can I ever hope to fight her on an empty stomach?

She is scary, but I can't show any sign of weakness! She's probably watching us right now. How else can she know that most of us are in the canteen? Unless she knows it's the lunch hour? She has said that she's been watching us for days, maybe even weeks.

Gosh, the way she twirls her long blonde hair whilst she's on screen is so mesmerising. It's easy to tell why she considers herself a goddess. Apparently she's the goddess of chaos. Goddess of love more like! Wait, what am I saying, I have a girlfriend! I should be ashamed of myself! What would she think if she saw me here staring at this screen? Perish the thought.

"You people never fucking learn. This game of cat and mouse has gone on for long enough. I am going to make an example of you all. Then perhaps you people will learn. You can't win against me.

"I'm superior to you in every way. I'm so much bigger, so much smarter and so much stronger than any of you will ever be. Yet you choose to be ignorant of the facts.

"You've been struggling against me for nearly twenty years now. Look at me and then look at yourselves. If you don't see it then you're blind. I'm forging my own empire with my bare hands. You will bow down to your goddess! Do you hear me? You will bow down to me!"

Ignorant of the facts? But how? We've won several battles against her recently. And our ship is state of the art. I hope we haven't underestimated her again though. We have a habit of doing that. We say we're prepared for the worst and then she does something we didn't think of.

Time and again I hear lots of stories of vessels disappearing. They can't all be attributed to her of course, but who ever heard of a band of pirates successfully taking on something this size?

They don't. They never try and punch above their weight. Sometimes it's okay to look like a coward, because there's bravery and then there's stupidity. The pirates know their limits, and I hope we do too.

I look around at my friends: Brandon, Jasmine and Virgil. They're all panicking. Well not so much Brandon, but it's easy to tell that even he is worrying. Okay, so their panic might be justified.

Once again I'm reminded of the fact there there's being brave and then there's being stupid. And I hope I'm not the latter sort of person. I think can do this though. All of our training has been in preparation for this moment!

"Sidney," Brandon says as he turns to look at me, "You seem to be very calm given the magnitude of the situation!"

Before I have a chance to reply I hear the captain's voice on the ship public address system again, "She's really done it. She's amazing. I don't know how, but she's done it. I'm trying to change the ship trajectory but it's been locked..."

"Oh-w, captain, your flattery makes my heart dance," she says, as her right hand starts to grope her breasts,"But you're not being a good little boy, now are you? I told you, nicely, and slowly, to leave the bridge, didn't I? It seems that I will have to punish you. You'll be getting a thorough spanking when I see you. And seeing as you're so eager to stay in there, I'll lock you in.

I'll deal with you later, captain. It's no use struggling, captain, my Angels and I make short work of disobedient little boys. I have to go and prepare for your arrival now, but I'll be back soon, don't you worry. I'll leave you with one of my Angels. I'm sure that you'll find her to be quite the charmer."

"Everybody," the captain shouts, "I can see a ship in the distance. It's an ambush! Action stations! Action stations! An unidentified object is approaching us."

That's my cue. It's time to get into my fighter. It's all been leading up to this point. One of the reasons I got approved for the army is my ability to remain calm under pressure. The time to prove myself is now. The games are over. This is the real thing. I look around to discover that my friends have already disappeared. This might have been my last chance to see them, so a proper goodbye would have been nice.

As I start running towards the ship hangers, I notice that screens across the ship have switched to the image of another woman. She has long blonde hair like the last woman, although hers is considerably wavier. And, like the woman before her, she doesn't reveal her face. However, unlike her, she covers her breasts with, what appears to be, a black satin bra.

I don't know what exactly the women that have appeared on the screens are, but one thing is certain, I am going to inflict serious pain on them. One way or another, I will. I don't care if they are women. They have destroyed so many of our ships and captured so many humans. They deserve everything that's coming for them.

As I make my way down the corridor, the female figure on the screens begins to talk. Her voice is sensual, much like that of the woman before her, although not as angry. She speaks in a slow voice, nevertheless one that displays intense passion. Gosh, she must really believe what she is doing is right.

"Hello, everyone," she says whilst she appears to move her arms about in order to do several other things off screen, "Your goddess, Eris, has left you in...good company. I, am Nyx."

Trying hard not to be distracted by Nyx's breasts, on the monitors along the route, I continue sprinting across the ship to the hangers. All around, her voice can be heard. It's unnerving, but I must stay strong.

"Currently, I am moving my personal ship to... intercept....the mutinous, H.G.S.* Number 21467. You have...one chance to...surrender...unconditionally, before I...completely neutralise the ship. Do you surrender unconditionally?" she says, whilst she appears to move her arms about in order to do several other things off screen.
*Her Goddesses Ship

"Don't listen to her! Our ship is state of the art. Man the guns and get into your fighters and bombers," the captain says through the ship's public address system.

"Very well. I can't say that I like combat, but, I have no choice. Those mutineers that wish to surrender, unconditionally, can dock their fighters aboard my ship. You will wait in the docking area for your next instruction. You have twenty minutes...before I...open fire."

As soon as she finishes talking, the screens around the ship immediately turn themselves off. When I make it to the cloakrooms surrounding the hangers the renewed sense of panic becomes evident. Everyone is running about the place frantically and people are even bumping into each other.

Before entering the hanger, I put on my spacesuit and hope for the best. I could pray that I get out of this in one piece but childish beliefs have been largely confined to history, thank god (ironic isn't it). I have been in so many fox holes in my life without uttering a single prayer, so why should I start now?

Given who we're up against, I doubt that we can get out of this without too many casualties. Eris and her Angels are so damn powerful. It is said that each Angel has her own personal flagship and each one of their ships is at least as big and as powerful as any of ours. I wonder if there are any male Angels.

Upon entering the hanger, I head straight for my fighter. It's painted jet-black, the same shade as my hair, and has two curvaceous wings, each with two guns at their tip, all of which poke out ahead of the cockpit. There's also a fifth gun that is attached to the underside of the cockpit, although this one doesn't protrude as far out as the rest.

They say all of the fighters here are state of the art, which makes sense given how they are on a state of the art ship. Although, given recent events, I'm starting to question just how state of the art our state of the art ship really is. It's starting to seem like nothing on this ship is state of the art enough. Or, that we just don't have the technology to beat her.

How can a few rogue women possibly gain control of the situation with such ease? The way the Nyx speaks makes it seem like she has great confidence, which she probably has. Hopefully she's underestimated us. It's time to find out. Without hesitation, I open up the cockpit and hop inside. It's time to find out just how tough these vixens really are.

I taxi my fighter through the hanger and towards the runway-slingshot, located through a set of huge doors. Behind me are several fighters similar to my own; among them are many battled scarred fighters. They each serve as a vivid reminder of the dangerous universe that we live in.

When I reach the end of the runway, I'm suddenly reminded of that awful slingshot that pushes us into space, which until now was the least of my concerns. I should be able to cope seeing as I've done it so many times, but the force of it is frightening. It's amazing to think that a single slingshot, an ancient technology, will enable my fighter go supersonic in a matter of seconds.

When my fighter is finally given clearance to take off, I see something in the distance that blows my mind. What looks to be several tens of thousands of kilometres away, I see five huge dark brown coloured dots. They look like several mother-ship-class sized vessels in a tight formation. It's hard to believe five ships that huge aren't showing up on my ship's scanners. Each of them must have some sort of cloaking system equipped.

Which one of the five is Nyx's ship? I want to give her a piece of my mind. Anyone who surrenders is a fool. I'm sure we can still win this battle. It's only a matter of time until the tables turn in our favour. The only reason they have the upper hand now is because they had the element of surprise and, as Eris says, we're in her backyard now. Knowing her, she will have got to know these parts very well.

As I continue my approach towards the five ships, I notice that they are actually joined together. A much larger brown area comes into view behind them, and it looks as if that ship could even be bigger than our own. And it seems to be in the shape of a human hand!

That has to be Nyx's ship! But why is it in the shape of a human hand? That's such an odd shape for a ship to be. It's probably very inefficient as far as ships go. Then again, you don't need to be aerodynamic in space, so I mustn't underestimate it – especially given what's already happened.

Each of the fingers probably has an oversized cannon at their tip, so I better watch out. As I'm about to manoeuvre, so that I end up above the gigantic enemy ship, I hear Brandon's voice on the communications system. His voice sounds somewhat strained.

"Hey Sid...I just wanted to let you know that if we don't make it back alive, I...I. Best not to think about it. I hope this won't be the last time that we talk and we'll both make it back in one piece. Brandon over and out," he says.

"Thanks Brandon. I've always been able to rely on you. Sidney out," I reply, desperately trying to hold back my emotions.

"The feeling is mutual. Alright, let's kill some peons! Brandon over and out."

"Will do. I expect to see you back at the cafeteria afterwards. Sidney out."

"Likewise. I'll see you later. Brandon over and out."

The communication channel closes. I hope that's not the last I hear from him, especially after all we've been through together. I want to keep talking but I know I shouldn't. Talking to other pilots unnecessarily could see me disciplined. And they'll know I have thanks to my ship's black-box recorder. Not to mention it's very distracting and may end up costing the lives of one us, or both.

I look at the cube shaped hologram – the screen, so to speak, of my ship's radar – and see Brandon's ship zoom off into the distance, with his ship's afterburner. His ship, although not as heavily armed, is much faster than mine. Hard to believe he was having doubts at the start of this, and now he's rushing into combat.

I was the one with all of the confidence, and it's now me who is becoming hesitant. Come on Sidney, pull yourself together man! They're just a bunch of peons. What's the worst that they could do?

Ahead of me, five huge red laser beams appear, one from each of the tips of the fingers of the hand shaped ship. Making a sharp turn, I manage to avoid the nearest of the rapidly shifting beams. It continues its course upwards, unwavering, though my ship is too fast for it.

In the distance, a more pressing issue presents itself: That of the many peons out to play. Although many of their craft are mostly basic compared to ours, they have strength in numbers. Prepare yourself for the swarm Sidney. Prepare yourself. Come on, concentrate.

"Ah-ha!" I yell, "Here we go! Time to die! You'll never take me alive, or dead!"

All around me, the plasma from engines, both friend and foe, lights up space. Perhaps a hundred ramshackle craft, maybe more, have exited the hand so far, and more keep coming. They're like angry bees exiting a hive. How can they have so many weaklings on their side?

Directly in front of me, I see my first kill, a small scouting ship with minimal armament. I begin to fire the machine guns unrelentingly. The bullets dance across my field of view, on their way to piercing their foe.

In a matter of seconds the craft explodes, leaving behind a shower of molten metal. To the right of the explosion, another small craft approaches, followed by two more of a similar size. They move upwards in a tight formation, apparently aware that my ship's biggest gun is on its underside.

Bellow the hull is a laser of my own. Although it's obviously not as powerful as the five on the huge hand-ship ahead, it can still inflict serious damage to the unprepared. Those five massive lasers, still firing, I artfully dodge on my way down to avoid any oncoming fire from the three craft to the side of me.

The approaching craft, none of them apparently very manoeuvrable, fly above me, towards the flagship. Sensing the perfect opportunity, I pull my ship up, flying in a semi-circle shape, and turn so that I'm upside-down. Now behind the formation of three, I can fire at my hearts content.

The bullets from the machine gun hit the nearest two ships in quick succession. They both suffer penetrating hits to their fuel supply, resulting in two dazzling explosions. Not wanting to get hit by any debris, I leave the last ship for someone else to deal with and manoeuvre back around to face the lumbering hand ship again.

Fortunately, its five lasers have finally stopped firing, allowing me more combat flexibility for the time being. But this doesn't mean that we're in the clear just yet. Whoever it is who is controlling that huge hand probably has more tricks up her sleeve. Saying that, giantesses aren't known to be fans of sleeves, or anything more than expensive looking underwear for that matter. Dammit, I can't be thinking about their sexy bodies at a time like this!

To my starboard side, another ship approaches, its guns blazing. Not wanting to be caught in the crossfire, I raise my ship and make a sharp turn. Now facing its direction, I have a clear shot at it.

Just as I'm about to fire at it, however, someone else steals my kill. A small fighter with a friendly signature zooms across the space ahead of mine from the port side. Behind me, an enemy signature appears.

Immediately, I conduct a loop-de-loop. As I ascend, I decide to use my ship's laser for a change. It takes just two short seconds to fully power up and a green beam lights up the space directly in front of me.

The laser descends to its target, cleanly slicing the fighter in two, and I'm reminded of how I was one of the lucky few to be given a Laser Fighter for use on this mission. It's further proof, if ever I needed any, that I'm one of their most valuable pilots. Only trusted pilots get exclusive equipment like this.

As I come out of the loop, I notice a vessel with an enemy signature requesting contact with my ship. What could any of them want with me? Why don't they just hack my ship, or kill me, and get it over with?

And a video link during the heat of battle? I don't think so. That's the last thing I ought to be during a dogfight.

Without a second thought, I reject the request. How did they find my ship anyway? Then again, Eris did manage to hack into the flagship, so tracking my Laser Fighter would be trivial in comparison.

Ahead of me are two more enemy fighters, coming in dangerously close. I can't believe I allowed myself to get distracted like that. They begin firing, but fortunately they are not very accurate.

I hastily turn out of their path, only to notice a huge projectile heading my way. As I make the turn, the torpedo doesn't seem to follow me, instead closing in on the two enemy ships. It forces them to split up and change course. The torpedo doesn't give up however, and continues to pressure one of the ships until impact.

A large explosion lights up space on one side of my cockpit. Just as I'm about to pursue the remaining ship, I hear a voice on my radio. It's a familiar feminine voice. I've heard it before, but it's certainly not the voice of Jasmine. She doesn't try to deliberately be arousing whenever she speaks.

"Sidney...Sidney..." the voice drawls.

"H-how...who are you?" I ask, confused.

I can't understand why any of them would want to talk to me. I'm not at all important. I'm not somebody of a high rank – like the ship's captain. I'm just another pilot – an ordinary pilot – on a seemingly never ending conveyor belt.

It strikes me as very odd. I certainly don't consider myself anyone special; I'm just an average kind of guy doing his job. Then again, for one of them to request a private audience with me it must be important.

"If you accept my video link request, I'll make sure you're ship is protected from my servants. In fact, I've already instructed them to hold fire on you," she continues, "If you refuse me...well, I'll personally annihilate you."

The button to initiate the video link lights up again. I really don't want to talk to this vixen, but she leaves me no choice. It is said, mortal danger is an effective antidote to fixed ideas. Reluctantly, I press the button.

As I release the button, a screen in the middle of the dashboard of the cockpit lights up. The screen instantly loads and brings up the image of the bust of a woman, who I presume to be Nyx. She has the same long blonde curly hair and satin bra as the woman Eris left us with when I was leaving the flagship.

The woman begins to again speak in the typical sultry voice I've come to expect from the enemy. It's a soft, stereotypically sexy voice, but one with tinges of anger in it. The anger, although obvious, somehow does not detract from its sexiness.

"Hello, Sidney. Allow me to introduce myself. I, am Nyx. You're probably wondering why, I, wanted to talk to you privately. "

I say nothing. I remain focused on the controls and continue my approach to the hand shaped ship. If that ship really is hers, and she is serious about protecting me, then I might as well get close. Perhaps it has some kind of force field that I can take advantage of.

"First let me clarify: The ship you see before you is mine. Looks good, doesn't it?"

"Y-yes, yes, it does," I reply, trying not to sound too flustered.

Nyx moves her right hands to her breasts. Her left hand then also appears on the screen. Whilst her right hand caresses her bra, fondling her breasts, her left hand slowly curls up into a fist. She squeezes her left hand tightly.

"If you disobey me," she continues, "I won't hesitate. I could crush you in an instant. Those five lasers I used to disable H.G.S. Number 21467 are just the start of what I can do."

"W-why should I listen to a monster?"

What am I saying? Do I actually want to be killed? I should not have said that. Fuck, I can't concentrate. My heart is racing.

"Am I though?" she replies, "Do I look like a monster to you, hmm?"

Nyx uncurls her fist. Her left hand joins her right hand in fondling her breasts. I am so conflicted right now. Is this why so many people decide to surrender to the giantesses?

"Y-ye-n-n..." Is all I manage to reply before she violently cuts me off.

"You people will never learn to appreciate true beauty! I am perfect! Look at me!"

What is she saying? There can be no denying Nyx is pretty, even from what little we've seen of her, all of the giantesses that we have images for are extremely beautiful; but perfect? I wouldn't go that far.

As I continue my approach to her ship, I notice all of the enemies are steering well clear of me. Previously they were bold, insanely brave even. What could Nyx be up to?

"What is it you want with me?" I spit, my confidence temporarily returning.

"Well, Sidney, you should be pleased to know that I've...taken an interest in you. I've heard stories about you. And, When I was...hacking your ship's not so state of the art computer system, I noticed that only special pilots get assigned Laser Fighters, such as the one your in right now.

"And I thought I'd better take some time to examine you, which I have. Of course, I shouldn't flatter you, too much, because you're not on my team...yet. And you're only a simple human."

I think about that for a moment. If Nyx knows how good of a pilot I am then she must not want me dead. I doubt she'd treat me any better than the army though. Being in the army is quite tough, and I can't imagine her being nice to some random pilot like me. Maybe I should play along for a bit though, and see where this goes.

"If you wanted me so badly why didn't you just use your ship's tractor beam or something?" I ask, feigning anger.

"True. I could have disabled your ship too, but, I didn't want to. I want to give you a choice."

"But you threatened to kill me..."

"What if I told you I hate Eris as much as I'm sure you do?"

I choke at the revelation. How can this be? Is this a dream? No! I won't accept it!

"Pardon?"

I lean in closer to the screen. Things just got interesting. A schism between the giantesses? This is news to me. Nyx immediately notices my confused expression and wastes no time tormenting me even more.

"Want to know more?" she says, with a clear lust in her voice, "Come abroad. That way, we can finish the nice little chat we're having. I'm not like the others.

"However, if your fighter isn't in my docking area after ten minutes...then I will kill you. One way, or another, I will...kill you. It's located inside the thumb of the hand, just so you know. Good bye, Sidney."

"Wait! What do I get out of this?" I ask.

"What do you get out of this you ask? I let you live. If you...refuse...then I will annihilate you. That alone is surely enough. Don't you think?

Think about that for a moment. You can either: rot in hell, or spend eternity with a goddess like me. Don't you want me to save you from Eris? It's your choice. I don't negotiate terms. You either...accept...or you don't. Please, don't make me have to kill you. I won't hesitate. However, you'd be a very welcome and...highly valued addition to my collection."

"I can't just desert. I...I can't."

"You're being irrational, Sidney. H.G.S. Number 21467 has already sent out an...unfortunate signal back to Mars. They know it's the end. But do you? Face it, you can't go back to Mars. Might as well join me."

"Alright...what do you want me to do?"

"I expect you on my ship within the next ten minutes. After that we can talk in more detail. Good bye Sidney."

What does she want with me? I'm not special. Or maybe I'm just too humble. I best obey her though.

After what happened to our ships state of the art computers, I'm not sure I want to cause an argument with her. She's vicious and calculating, yes, but it feels like there's a lot more to her than meets the eye, besides her missing face. I think about her proposal for a few seconds. It doesn't take long for me to finally make up my mind.

I'm likely going to die anyway, so I might as well join her. I think I can make it to her ship in ten minutes, but I better take my ship up to maximum speed just to make sure I'm not caught in the crossfire. I don't want to find out what will happen to me if I don't make it.

There's a fine line between servant and slave and, assuming she doesn't cross that line, I should be fine. Yet I have this awkward feeling. Is this defection? Somehow I don't think it's as black and white as that. I was forced after all. Or is that simply wishful thinking on my part?

Getting closer to her ship I notice the entrances to the docking area. Each hole, I assume, leads to a hanger. The holes are all located at the side of her ship. It looks very impressive. Two rows each made up of at least one-hundred slots for small ships like mine.

As I turn to get a better view of the docking area I hear the voice of Brandom the radio. He sounds distressed, disappointed even. He must know what I'm about to do, and it's a real moral blow for her I'm sure.

"Omega One what are you doing? Why are you surrendering? Over." I hear him cry over the radio.

"It's not like that..." I manage to reply before being hastily interrupted by him.

"Then what is it? It looks an awful lot like you're surrendering to her..."

"She talked to me in private and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Over."

"So you're going to go desert us just like that? After all that we've been through together? That's low! Over!"

"Wait. I can explain. Over."

"Please do! Over."

"It's not like that. She claims she hates Eris too. Over."

"How can you be sure? Over."

"Why would she reveal something as crazy as that in order to trick me? Over."

"So you're going to allow yourself to be used as a pawn? Is that what it is? Over."

"She wants to talk to me. She was going to make sure I was dead if I didn't join her anyway. What choice do I have? Over."

"What choice do you have? I'll tell you! Your freedom is at stake. How can you trust her? Even if you did die, you'll die a hero, and people everywhere will remember you! For the right reasons I should add! Now you'll just be seen as a disgrace, over!"

"Well why don't you try refusing when you've got a gun pointed at your head? Over."

"That's not the Sidney I know. What happened to the daring person I used to know? Over."

"He's still in here. There's courage and then there is stupidity, over."

"Whatever, over."

I'm not even going to give him the satisfaction of a reply. There's courage and then there's stupidity. Being courageous shouldn't mean making stupid decisions. With every action there comes a risk. I hope she's not right though. It's hard to believe who I'm trusting.

I can't believe I'm being forced to trust someone I've barely met over the squadron which I've spent years becoming acquainted with. Hopefully this isn't the stupid option. It's so hard to decide which option is the brave one and which one is the stupid one.

As I'm about to make the final turn towards her ship I check the time. It seems that I've managed to make it with plenty of time to spare. Five minutes to be precise. As I lower my ships speed in order to make the landing I gradually turn in order to make the turn into her thumb as my ship is instructing me to. Wait...my ship is instructing me to do that? How? She must have hacked its computers after all...

As I approach the thumb, I receive a request for a video link from the same enemy ship as before. I accept it, and Nyx's neck and bust appear on screen again, only this time she appears to be laying down on something soft, with somewhat of a grin on her face. It's hard to say whether it's an evil or a happy sort of smile because I can't see the top half of her face, but for my sake, I hope it's a happy one.

"You have made the right choice, Sidney. I don't want to fight you. Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning. That's what I always say," she says as she appears to do something with a keyboard off screen.

"I wish Eris said that too," I reply, shifting my gaze to the Laser Fighter's control panel.

"I, wish that too. I'm glad you didn't want to fight me. There was nothing to be gained, if we fought a battle. You have many qualities I like. One must not judge everyone in the universe by their qualities as a soldier. Otherwise we should have no civilization. You can be more than just a...mere soldier, Sidney. I will make sure of it."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You'll discover that soon enough. Whilst you dock, I will contact a fellow Angel. She will give you further instruction. I think you'll find her to be...quite the charmer."

"Uh, okay."

After Nyx is done is talking to me, I sit idly as my fighter continues its approach. I note Nyx hasn't closed the video link. I see her whole body shift forwards slightly, and her arms move towards something off screen, presumably a control panel of some kind. As she types away I make my entrance.

Through the underbelly of her flagship, I notice lots of open doors, each one of them presumably leading into hangers. All of the them are larger than I expected given the rudimentary ships spewing out of her own earlier. Each of the hangers has more than enough room for my ship.

I assume it doesn't matter which one since so many are empty, and many of her servants will be dead anyway. When I slow down to land in one of the hangers, Nyx starts talking again, although she doesn't appear to be talking to me. Rather, she is talking to another screen next to the one that is connected my ship is connected to.

"Hello, Persephone," she says, in a surprisingly dull voice, unlike what I'm used to.

"How come your camera isn't pointed towards your face?" I hear a somewhat grouchy, distinctly feminine voice, who I can only assume to be Persephone's, say.

"Relax, Persephone. I'm just talking to...a simple human boy. That's why. You know why we don't reveal our faces to the humans. They're not worthy, obviously."

So I'm just a boy in their eyes? How am I a boy? Boys don't join the military, men do. I have served for many years now and yet, I'm still just a boy in Nyx's eyes? She has probably even seen my record. She knows I'm a seasoned pilot!

These women have got nerves. First I get death threats and now this. Maybe Jasmine was right. Maybe I have made the wrong choice by coming aboard her ship. When my ship lowers its landing gear, I hear Persephone's voice in the background again.

"Is he that one you told me about earlier?"

"Yes. Shall I put him through?"

"Fine; I still don't know if our plan will work though."

"I told you...Sidney is a very gifted boy. All he needed, was a little bit of...encouragement. Know what I mean?"

"Oh, I see. Give me a minute. I need to reposition my camera."

"Whenever you're ready. In the meantime, I'll tell him a little bit about you."

Looking around the hanger I see no doors, and there doesn't appear to be any obvious exit. The main doors, which I entered through, have shut, at. I hope I don't have to spend my days sitting here in silence.

Will I ever get to meet any of the women in person? Nyx clearly stated just now that they aren't allowed to show their faces to any humans. They can't keep me separate forever, can they? Suddenly I hear Nyx talking again and I get snapped out of my trance.

"The plot, it thickens, doesn't it, Sidney?" she says, returning to the sultry voice from before.

"Y-y-yes, it does. Someone is trying to contact me can I have a minute...?" I stammer in reply.

"No! They can wait. I'm much more important. And don't you dare ask me any more questions! I do the asking, understand?"

"S-sorry Nyx..."

"Good. I'm glad you understand...your place in the universe – underneath me. Now, about Persephone; where do I begin? Oh, never mind. I think she's ready. After I told her all about you. she was really eager...to...get to know you. Of course, you're mine now. All mine. And, I'm not one for, sharing."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I, hold the key to your death. If you don't accept your destiny then I shall be forced to...kill you. Don't make me, unlock that door, Sidney."

"You going to put me through to him?" says the voice of Persephone somewhere in the background.

"I was just...letting him know a few things. He's all yours now."

How can Nyx say she owns me? Nyx doesn't own me. Nobody does. I'm not an object. Jasmine was right! I need to get out of here! But how can I? Our ship is state of the art, and yet they treat it like nothing. I've got no chance.

At least before I may have had hope for an escape. Now I'm stuck here in some hanger being talked down to by two mysterious women. I have a feeling things will get a lot worse though. I've heard plenty of rumours about Eris and her band of so-called 'Angels'.

As Nyx closes her communication channel with me and transfers me Persephone, my heart starts to beat faster. I'm stuck out here all alone with little food or drink. My ship can recycle water and urine if it has to, but in terms of food I'm stuck. I wish I thought about this sooner.

I hope Nyx is kind enough to feed me. I can't die! I'm too young to die. I haven't achieved everything I wanted to achieve in life yet. My girlfriend and I were going to try for a baby when I got back from my tour of duty. Why me? Why not pick somebody with nothing to look forward to in life? Of all the people you could have picked, you pick me.

Persephone, a short haired blonde, appears on screen, from her pink lips down to her stomach, and first thing I notice about her is her nipples. They are peering through her translucent black, flower filled attire. Has she no shame? As with Nyx before her, the majority of her face is hidden off camera, however, I can see just enough of her head to see that she looks fairly serious. He lips, unflinching, are nothing like the smile I saw when I got the briefest glimpse of Nyx's lips earlier. If only I could see her eyes, I'm sure they'd be piercing right through my soul.

She seems to be standing up, and behind her body is a plain white wall. Given her exciting outfit, I would have expected something more from her ship. Suddenly Persephone snaps me out of my thoughts.

"You're quite something, aren't you?" Persephone says, as if talking to a baby, "She couldn't tell me everything of course, and I'm eager to learn more about the fine young boy Nyx described. Tell me something I won't know. Such as, who is the girl in your life? Do you have one?"

"Please, I'd rather not talk about my girlfriend. I miss her dearly..."

"Oh. Well, if you help me, I'll help you out. How does that sound? Don't worry about Nyx. If everything goes according to plan, I'll make sure you get back home to Mars. Really lovely planet Mars, isn't it? I wish I could go with you...but...it's hard to explain. Now, about our deal..."

I lean closer to the screen and continue to wonder what on Mars I've gotten myself into. The obvious question again springs to mind: Why did they pick me? It can't be simply that I have a Laser Fighter and other people on the flagship don't.

"What deal? Why did you pick me?" I ask, trying to no avail to hide my my unease.

"Calm down," Persephone says with obvious annoyance, though seeming to retain her relaxed composure, "The reason why we picked you is because of expertise as a pilot. We've searched for months and, since your record is impeccable, we thought you'd be the right person. You could say that we've been waiting for you.

"You're daring and brave. You're someone who never seems to be afraid to fight for what he believes in. While your skills don't even come close to matching that of an Angel, me especially, they are still very good. Your small size means that you can be put to good use..."

"So I'm just a tool?"

Persephone leans closer to her screen and slams her hands down onto something before her, presumably a table or a control panel of some description. More of her face becomes visible for a brief moment and I get to see her nose, as well as the top half of her cheeks. Before I have a chance to see her eyes, however, she resumes standing up perfectly straight.

"I said calm down! You're more than just a tool Sidney. I don't know what kinds of rubbish Nyx has been feeding you, but I see you as more than merely a tool! You're a valuable asset Sidney."

"What if Nyx heard what you just said? She did hack into..."

Persephone bangs her fist against the same surface as before and, not wanting to anger her further than she already is, I leave my sentence unfinished. Her previously calm voice is replaced by shouting. Just when I was beginning to think she was better than Nyx too.

"Nonsense! Nyx would never eavesdrop me, and I've made sure our communication is properly encrypted! It's much more secure communication than you humans are used to! I assure you. It's just you and I. We both dislike Eris as much as I'm sure you do, and you wouldn't want to let a sweet damsel like me down, now would you?"

"N-no, not really..."

"There's a little good boy. Did you really think I'd let anyone eavesdrop on our conversation? We Angels are nowhere near as stupid as humans, especially not me.

And we all know how each of us values our privacy. I'm way too smart, and of course big, to be one of you. My vastly superior intellect and size are just two of the many qualities that make me an Angel, a vastly superior being to any Human, even you."

"But you look exactly like a human...unless your..."

"Humans are not worthy of seeing our faces. You should know that by now. Haven't they told you? If you want really want to see my face you'll have earn the privilege.

"Just so you know, I had planned to steal you for myself, to have you by my side, nurturing you, protecting you from the harsh universe we live in, but love is a powerful force. It's perhaps the most powerful force of all. I really wanted brave young human to keep me company. Eris and Nyx take all of the nice humans. I get left with the scraps."

Persephone pauses. I'm left dumbfounded as her hands gradually move up her stomach, towards her chest. They stroke the underside of her breasts, caressing them with slow and steady motions. She then squeezes her breasts as her hands continue to move upwards, groping her breasts. Her movements seem random but they are nonetheless an attempt to be sensual. And it seems to be having the desired effect on me. My girlfriend would probably want to kill me right now.

"I'm sure you'd love it between my two girls," Persephone continues, in soft, sultry tone, snapping me out of my trance, "Wouldn't you? I know my twins are very keen to meet you...Sidney. Mm, wouldn't you just love to acquaint yourself with them?"

"I...I..." I try to reply, but no words escape my lips.

All of a sudden I'm beginning to feel really hot and bothered. I wish she'd stop teasing me! I shift uncomfortably in my seat as I wonder what I should do next. Her twins are too much! They're just too much! But...I can't give into sexual favours. No, I...I...argh! I can't control myself! I'm just another typical man! My one boy really wants to meet her two girls.

"Oh-w...you do want to meet them!" she chirps, "That's great! They're getting so excited at the prospect of meeting you, aren't you girls?"

The way she put emphasis on the word "so"...gosh, this woman really knows how to put on a show. Her voice is so sweet and innocent sounding that it's hard to believe I was her enemy mere minutes ago. And it's making it hard to stay focused, but I must; my life is at stake! And I really would like to get back to Mars. So, if I'm going to help them I can't afford to make any mistakes, no matter how minor.

"Well...you could spend all the time you want with them, if you help me out of course."

Persephone continues to fondle her breasts, sensually. It's like I'm watching a video of a glamour model. Well, I sort of am, but this is...oh gosh...! This is too much! I wish she wouldn't torment me like this! Now she's giggling too.

"W-what do you mean? How can I help you?"

"We need to kill Eris."

Sorry, what? How the fuck am I suppose to help out with that? I only have a Laser Fighter.

"Nyx wants to be Goddess herself. I think Nyx would be a good Goddess, but, the way I see things, as far as Nyx is concerned, we're both simply pawns in her grand plan.

"For now I work with her, but ultimately, there has to be some way to decide who gets to become the new Goddess. Or if there even is a new Goddess. Being an Angel is pretty lonely but I don't really have a choice since Eris is so vicious to everyone.

"I wish you could join me and we could then travel the universe together in peace. And, I'm sure you'd have lots of time to play with my twins, which I can assure you they'll simply adore. Isn't that right ladies? Mm...yes.

"How can I be sure you're telling the truth?"

"Eris has been a little drunk on power recently, insane even, I think we can all agree on that, and it's costing us, we as in the Pantheon you humans fight. Both Nyx and I want to be rid of Eris, but I think Nyx has an ulterior motive. Anyway, if we spend too much time talking she will get suspicious."

"I guess so."

"And from now on you shall be known by the codename of Heracles. That's what I will call you. Don't tell Nyx. Got that?"

"Yes ma'am!"

Persephone grins. Her smile reflects the enthusiasm she has and I don't. Eris sounds like a great strategist and I'm not convinced that we can succeed. Eris is both vicious and extremely smart, as evidenced by recent events.

"You're such an obedient little one, aren't you Heracles? I should stop babying you, the trouble is you're so inferior to me. You should consider the fact that we're letting you live a compliment. It's not often that I can let a Human live. Eris expects results, so, I'm obliged to kill. We all are. Anyway, I believe Nyx has sent someone to escort you out of the hanger, and you'll be shown what would have happened to you. So I'm going to go for now."

"W-wait, I have more questions."

"After I've rendezvoused with Nyx we'll have more time to chat. She promised me I could babysit you for a while, on my flagship. I'll see you later."

Babysit? I'm an adult. How can they do this to me? Then again, deities have never been ones to respect free will so it's to be expected I guess. The story of the Great Flood in the Kible and Boran springs to mind. You forcibly wipe out a flawed creation but allow it to return to its flawed state afterwards...hmm...makes perfect sense.

It's only when the screen goes blank that I notice a person in a plain black spacesuit, with a black tinted visor, in the hanger in front of my ship. Realizing I've spotted them, they apparently start signalling for me to come out and follow them. I don't know if I should trust them, but I probably don't have a choice in the matter.

It's likely Nyx sent them to escort me. Not wanting to keep them waiting, I don't think twice. As I climb down my ship, the person approaches me.

I want to say hello properly, but I don't think they'd hear me. It doesn't seen like there's any air in the hanger. Plus, it looks as if their spacesuit is at least as thick as mine.

Without warning, the person grabs my arm. I give them a fierce look, and, in a desperate attempt to break free, I kick them in the groin. Unfortunately, it doesn't work since their spacesuit is armoured, and the person surprises me with a pistol of some sort: Short, stubby, black and with a scope mounted on it.

Startled, I allow the person to pull me to the exit door of the hanger. It's no use resisting now. It's like they say: You can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word.

I'm pulled into a long narrow corridor. Being entirely grey and with some flickering lights, it has a kind of dystopian feel to it. After the door to the hanger closes behind me, the person removes the helmet of their spacesuit.

Underneath is a frail man, with greying hair, long and unkempt, who is probably not that much older than I am. He looks distressed. Could this be me soon? Is this my destiny? Rotting away in the underbelly of Nyx's flagship? Is this what happens to those they capture?

"You can remove your helmet now," he says, with obvious annoyance in his voice.

Not wanting that gun pointed at me again, I do as he says and begin to remove my helmet. As I remove the helmet, I see the world becoming clearer, suggesting I've been breathing quite heavily. Normally these things do a good job of removing condensation.

"You're expected Sidney," he continues.

"How do you know my name?" I inquire.

"Don't interrupt me, or Nyx will have to discipline you."

I nod in reply. I definitely don't want to irk this man anymore than he already is. I better just stay quiet until I'm requested to speak.

"Follow me."

The man turns left and begins a brisk walk along the corridor, keeping the gun pointed at me by keeping his arm behind his back. After walking for a couple of minutes in complete silence, the man makes a sudden left turn and I'm led into another corridor. Like the previous corridor, this one is dimly lit and lacks any noteworthy features.

Having walked for another few minutes, the man stops when we arrive at a brightly coloured orange door. The man leads me inside and I immediately notice my name is written on a piece of paper in the middle of the far wall of the room, lit up by a single bright light bulb built into the ceiling. The black sans-serif text stands out against the greys of the wall. It's like Persephone says: They've been expecting me.

Above my name is the portrait of two immaculate female legs, probably Nyx's. The camera is pointed upwards at the Angel, who has her hands on her hips, making it a powerful pose. Above her hips, her body disappears underneath a glowing white light – implying the photograph has been heavily edited.

Beside the text is a comfy looking bed and a metallic chest of draws. On the other side of it is a plain white desk, with a decently large black monitor on it, a chair and another door. This door is grey like the walls, and probably leads to the en-suite.

The man presses something on on the arm of his spacesuit and brings the arm up to his face. Just as he begins to talk into the device, his voice now devoid of its previous grumpiness, he turns to look at me. He speaks in an unexpectedly cheery voice, as if talking to his lover.

"Mistress, I'd like to confirm that Sidney is in his bedroom. Over." he says.

When the reply comes through, his face lights up. I hear a familiar feminine voice – that of his mistress. That has to be Nyx talking to him. There's no mistaking that sultry voice.

"Well done, Wayne," she says in an uncharacteristically high pitched voice, as if talking to a child, "Remember to show little Sidney how the monitor works...over."

"Yes, anything to get a naughty little peek at your beautiful face. Over."

Wayne's eyes widen as he awaits a response from his master. When Nyx replies, she returns to her usual, slow, passionate voice. Gosh, that voice. It still manages to send shivers down my spine.

"Mm, you'd like that, wouldn't you? But you're not worthy. You know that. You've been loyal, but you're still only a human. And asking me only makes me more determined to hide it from you. If you're good, maybe I'll allow you into my pedicure chamber later, to kiss my feet. Maybe. Right now I have a ship to crush. And, you know how much I love scrapping ships. Don't you, Wayne?

"Yes Mistress."

"So if you disturb me again, I'll be forced to discipline you. Once you've shown Sidney the bedroom, go make yourself useful elsewhere. I don't want to here another peep out of you. As for you Sidney, I want you to stay right where you are until further notice. Wayne won't hesitate to restrain you, will you, Wayne? Over."

"Yes mistress. Over."

"Once Wayne has left, turn on the screen. I have a surprise waiting for you. And I expect you too, Sidney, to leave me in peace until further notice. Over."

Wayne decides not to reply. That monotonous "yes mistress" was becoming rather annoying. And those eyes. How can he, as a human, look so enthusiastic about his tormentor. Does he actually like her, or is he just pretending to?

He turns to face me again. He scowls, implying he has returned to his previous annoyed state. I hope he's not always this gloomy; but being confined to Nyx's flagship probably does certain things to you.

"Just because Nyx thinks you're special, doesn't mean that you'll receive any special treatment," he says in a grumpy tone.

"Look, I'm sorry we got off to a bad start..." I reply, trying my best to be conciliatory, before Wayne cuts me off.

"To turn on the screen you press the green button. The green button will light up when someone is requesting a video call. The red button turns the screen off. There are buttons for volume control too. All pretty self explanatory."

"Alright. But I'm serious. I want us to get along. It doesn't look like there are many people to talk to around here."

His eyes narrow. Why is he so suspicious of me? I can't think of anything I've done to deserve this contempt.

"You really have no idea, do you? I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later. Right now I have to go and help to prepare Nyx's dinner. If you're not careful you may form part of the menu."

When he finishes speaking, he doesn't wait for a reply from me, and abruptly leaves. Not wanting to cause a fuss, I stay quiet and turn my attention to the monitor. When I turn it on, I get quite a shock.

The screen displays the recording of a camera somewhere atop Nyx's flagship, in between two of the fingers – I think. The fingers of the hand have the human flagship within their grip and are literally crushing it. In the lower portion of the screen, I see the top of my former home not looking so state of the art anymore.

How can she treat a ship that huge like it's nothing? I've seen a lot of frightening things in my life, and this has to be one of the most harrowing moments. I wonder what must be going through the head of the ship's captain right now.

And to think she said she enjoyed crushing ships. Even if she didn't want to arouse Eris's suspicions, she didn't need to be so cruel. The ship was already disabled. She and Eris hacked into it.

Something else she also mentioned, if I remember correctly, was harvesting people for Eris. How will she do this? I don't want to find out, but I fear I may just be about to.

In the corner of the screen, I see a huge pyramid shaped ship. The light of the surrounding stars seems to reflect off of it quite easily, suggesting it's quite shiny. It looks as if it is even bigger than even the human flagship – which is not much bigger than Nyx's flagship.

As the pyramid ship approaches the human flagship, several long tentacle like structures appear to be extending themselves from within it. Were it not for those arms, I'd have assumed the pyramid was going to use its tip to ram the human flagship, perhaps slicing it into two or more pieces. Then again, the ship could be designed to do both at the same time?

Naturally, many humans will be unwilling to become a slave, or the lunch, of Eris so she can use the pyramid shape to threaten the humans. Any humans that refuse to board her ship will be forced to suffer a painful death in the vacuum of space. Sure, we have lifeboats, but what use are they out here, where there is no hope of a rescue, or any rocky bodies? Death for the crew still on the flagship is certain.

As the pyramid descends ever closer, Nyx's flagship releases its grip on the human flagship, presumably so that her ship is not damaged during the process of human extraction. It's a slow and laborious process, and I honestly thought her flagship was more manoeuvrable.

For several minutes, Nyx's flagship turns, a full one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, and, fortunately, I'm not made to witness the worst of the destruction. I can't say the same for any of the pilots still fighting out there though. I'm sure Eris has ways of easily dealing with them too.

Still swarming around the three flagships, are many human pilots who refuse to accept that all hope is lost. Many are trying, desperately, to damage the pyramid shaped ship before it rams the human ship – but with little to no success it seems. I admire their bravery, but I also think that they are stupid. It's no use now; try and run away if you can. Our flagship was dead as soon as Eris hacked into it.

Assuming the main event is over, I decide to see what's through the door next to the desk. When I open the door, the contents, a toilet, a sink and a shower, are a bit of an anti-climax. Then again, what else was going to be there?

As I examine the en-suite, I hear Nyx's voice again. She manages to startle me with her angry tone and I immediately rush back out to sit in front of the monitor. I see her chest on screen, encased in the same black satin bra as before.

"Sidney!" I hear her shout.

"It's really nice. I was just having a look," I say, still breathing heavily.

"I saved you from that chaos. Why don't you come and show me how grateful you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"I want you to come and prostrate at my feet."

I thought Eris was the only deity around here? Is Nyx really this narcissistic? But wait, does this mean that I'll finally get to see what her face looks like? This might be the only chance I get to see her face, so I shouldn't make a fuss.

Then again, why am I obsessing over her face? It shouldn't make any difference if I see it or not, so long as I can eventually make it back to Mars in one piece. I suppose if I do whatever she says she'll treat me better; maybe that was Wayne's thinking. I'm sure he doesn't actually want to hate me.

"Would this be in your pedicure chamber?" I ask, after a brief moment of thought.

"Yes," she responds, beginning to grope breasts with one of her hands, "Wayne should be there any moment now, to show you the way. While you wait for him, I left you a change of clothes in the top draw of the chest of draws. And make sure you're quick about it. I'm having Persephone over for some fun later. I'll see you shortly."

"Very well."

Nyx turns the screen off and, fortunately, she doesn't force me to address her as mistress. Does this mean she thinks more of me than Wayne? Or is Wayne naturally submissive? Hard to say for sure since all of the giantesses are so mysterious.

As Nyx stated, there are changes of clothes for me in the chest of draws. The top draw contains a number of new outfits for me. Surprisingly, they are all entirely pink. There are several pairs of pink trousers and t-shirts, all in different sizes.

Is she trying to feminise me? Not that there's anything wrong with pink, but all of the clothes, including the underwear in the draw below, on offer is pink! Scary...

I pick out one set of clothes that fits me. I leave my previous clothes and spacesuit in a messy pile on the bed. Once I'm done, I see Wayne waiting at the door to my new bedroom. He doesn't seem as grumpy as before, but I better not say anything besides a simple greeting – just in case that gun pops out from under his spacesuit again.

"Hi," I say in a monotone voice.

"Hello again," he replies, "Should be the right size; the Angels salvage so much clothes from stray vessels. Nyx makes me wear pink too. I'm not sure why. But I don't question it. We have to be quick so I can continue preparing her dinner. Nyx is bad enough when she's got a full stomach."

How could he let something like that slip? Maybe he doesn't like Nyx as much as I first thought. This could be an interesting topic of conversation later on. I have to find out more about the giantesses.

"So, what have you been preparing for Nyx's dinner?"

"You don't want to know."

I don't want to press him on that. He then commences down the corridor. We continue in complete silence for a couple of minutes along a dark corridor, not passing a single individual. When we reach a plain white door, he abruptly stops.

"She'll be through this door. Be careful in there. I've had to clean several dead bodies from the floor recently," he tells me.

I gulp. My heart begins to beat faster and faster and I start to sweat profusely. I hope I'm not next. How can Nyx not claim to be as cruel as Eris?

"Thanks for the advice."

"You're welcome. I'll see you later."

With that, he departs, leaving me to discover the pedicure chamber. When I open the door, my jaw drops. The ceiling is so unbelievably high! Although I can't put a number on it, a giantess must be at least as tall as a typical Martian apartment complex – which would fit neatly inside this chamber.

The entirety of the chamber is painted white, except ahead of me where an area is marked out in red. It looks like there is an outline in the shape of two feet. Strangely, there don't appear to be any doors big enough for Nyx to enter into the chamber.

Even stranger is that Nyx isn't anywhere to be seen. But I must be in the right place because Wayne showed me the way. I assume he wouldn't lie to me, because that would mean irritating Nyx, and I know he wouldn't want to do that.

"Hello," I call, my voice echoing around the chamber.

There is no response. However, I do hear something bash against the ceiling above me. As I look up, I see two circular holes in the ceiling. Through each of the holes a foot descends, each toenail painted immaculately in a bright shade of red. Nyx is even bigger than I dared dream! She's bigger than the entire chamber!

"Mmm," I hear her moan somewhere above me, "Hello, Sidney."

Each impeccable calf elegantly descends into the chamber, like an angel descending from heaven. Oh wait, she is an Angel – or so she claims. Her feet eventually touch down in the marked out area, after a slow, controlled, descent. She has clearly done this many times before.

"Wow," I say out loud to myself, "To think only her calves and feet fit into this chamber. She's immense. Whatever happened to the square cube law?"

"Well, aren't you going to thank me for saving you?" she asks expectantly, her immense voice reverberating around the chamber, "Kiss my toes."

"Oh right."

I'm not sure if she can hear me, but it doesn't matter. I honestly don't think she cares if she can hear me or not, so long as I do whatever it is she wants. Well, there's no escaping the chamber now, so I best get on with it.

My eyes shift from her ankles and move up her shins until they reach her knees – where the ceiling meets her knees. As my eyes wander, I begin to move closer to her feet. Her big toe comes up to my waist, meaning that I'm just the right height to kiss her foot. Even if she did save me, this is still very humiliating.

"Mmm, look at you down there; you're so tiny," she tells me.

"How do you know I'm this big if you can't see me?" I ask.

"Small, Sidney. You're small, not big. All humans are small. Didn't you see the cameras hanging from the ceiling?"

"No..."

"What are you waiting for? Show me how much you appreciate me."

I don't need to be told twice. I get down onto my knees. When my hands come into contact with her foot, I hear a muffled giggle from somewhere above the ceiling. With my hands to stabilise myself, I commence pecking at her smallest toe. The crawling position is very demeaning, but I suppose that's the point of the task.

I try not to leave any saliva, and I keep my tongue well inside my mouth. A couple of small pecks on each toenail should do the trick. I mean, I am thankful that she kept me alive but she's still technically my enemy.

The giantesses are the amongst the cruellest foes humanity has ever faced. I need to remember that. I cannot allow myself to succumb to Stockholm Syndrome.

I decide to spend twice as much time kissing her big toes, given that they are much larger they are when compared the others. I'm sure she won't have a problem if I give them additional attention. She hasn't complained so far, even though I'm new to this whole 'show how much you love Nyx' thing. In fact, she sounds as if she is enamoured by the attention I'm giving her.

As I move across her feet, I hear her moan – suggesting that she is really enjoying my submissive state. This must be a real power trip for her. Knowing that one of the best pilots in the navy is kissing her feet sounds like it's making her so wet.

When I'm finally done, I get up and position myself so that I'm stood between her two feet. I'm just about to say something when her left foot moves across to pin me to the floor. Her big toe knocks me to the floor, and I find myself trapped between her toes.

"I didn't tell you to stop," she says, a hint of anger now in her voice.

"Argh," I manage to cry between pants, "I...I'm sorry."

"Tell me why I shouldn't punish you."

"I-I was going to ask you if you wanted me to do anything else."

"Oh. But you were doing...so well."

The way she put the emphasis on the word "so" is...gosh, she must be so turned on right now. Who new I could make a giantess so horny so easily? I bet she's having so much fun behind that veil of a ceiling. Shame I can't see the show for myself.

Wait...what am I saying? I have a girlfriend! What is wrong with me? These giantesses are really starting to corrupt my mind! First Persephone and now this. Why is my enemy giving me an erection? I doubt Nyx can feel it though, not that I would say it's small of course.

"How about we finish that little chat we were having, Sidney?"

"O-Okay, can you stop..."

I squirm fiercely, desperately trying to escape but Nyx is unmoved. Is she trying to kill me? I thought we were supposed to be allies? How can she do this to me?

"Stop hurting you?" she finally says.

"Please," I squeak.

"I suppose I have been a little rough."

Nyx lifts her foot up from me. Before getting up again, I take a moment to catch my breath and wipe some of the sweat off of my forehead. Wow, that was close.

What were we talking about earlier anyway? With all the stress and panic I've completely forgotten. Nyx really frightened me just then, and if she continues like this I'm not sure how much longer I can survive.

"I suppose you're wondering why I hate Eris so much," she says as I get back onto my feet.

"Yes," I call up at her, hoping she can hear me.

"Well, she has something I want. And you're going to help me to get it."

Well, this is interesting. It must be something extremely valuable for Nyx to defy Eris in order to get it. Maybe it has something to do with that rumour Jasmine told me about? Ever since we left Mars I've been thinking about those mining ships. Could there be a connection?

"What can I do?" I ask hesitantly.

"Persephone and I are still discussing the details, but one thing is certain. Eventually Eris is going to have to die, and that's where you come in. But you'll have to wait a while. I don't want to reveal too much, yet."

Me kill Eris? She expects me to kill Eris? How can I kill Eris? But I can't let my doubts show. Nyx will probably kill me and find someone else.

Plus, if I'm too pessimistic it'll become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Nyx must trust my skills, otherwise she would not have selected me. But how can a single Laser Fighter go against Eris?

"Thank you Nyx."

"Have you had lunch? Eris told me everyone was having lunch when she broadcast to the humans."

"I have not, no."

"Very well. I'll send Wayne over and he can feed you. After you've eaten, Persephone should be here."

"Thank you. I'm really hungry, but I didn't want to ask."

And that's an understatement. How can she permit herself to change the topic of conversation so casually like that? I thought I was going die just then. She is crazy.

"Fair enough. Wayne, can you come and collect Sidney? He needs some food. Over."

Well, that was easier than expected. Perhaps I can get Wayne to tell me a little more about Eris, and the other giantesses, while he prepares me some food. Seeing as he's been here a while I'm sure he'll know some things which I don't.

I wonder what sorts of food they eat all the way out here. I doubt Nyx can sort me out a nice plate of lasagne. Then again, the giantesses seem very well equipped so I might be in for a surprise.

"I'll show myself out," I say with a bow.

"I expect you to have finished eating by the time Persephone comes. She won't be long now; I'd say a little under an hour."

"That's fine."

I wait for a moment, in case Nyx has anything else to say. When it becomes clear she does not, I leave. Upon exiting her pedicure chamber, I see Wayne heading up the corridor to meet me.

He's changed out of his spacesuit and is now wearing a pink t-shirt and trousers, not unlike the ones I'm wearing. He's still wearing his grumpy expression though. Not wanting to upset him anymore than he already appears to be, I stay quiet – in case I say anything I regret.

When he sees me, he motions for me to follow him back down the corridor – the one we walked up before. When I reach him, he doesn't seem so grumpy anymore. To my surprise, he decides to initiate a meaningful conversation.

"So, what sorts of things did she talk to you about?" he says, "Everyone knows her pedicure chamber isn't just for pedicures. In fact, I don't think I've ever given her a pedicure."

"I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but I'll be honest with you. She says she wants me to kill Eris..."

Before I can add anything else, he turns to face me and cuts me off. He's thoroughly shocked. He looks at me dumbfounded.

"I've known she's wanted to do this for a while. Ever since I turned up here she's wanted to kill that big, psychotic, bitch. Although you're just a simple navel pilot I think you will prove useful."

A simple navel pilot? That's rather harsh. I'd like to see him get into a Laser Fighter and do what I was just doing out there. I bet he'd be dead in an instant. Obviously he doesn't realize that Nyx and Persephone believe I'm talented.

Or maybe he knows more about Eris than Nyx and Persephone are letting on? Hard to say if he's more doubtful of me or Nyx. Even if he does know more than I do, surely Nyx, as chief among the Angels, knows Eris better than anyone.

I can't let my disgust show though. If I'm confrontational with Wayne, there's no telling what Nyx could do to me. I had better choose my next words carefully.

"She must have picked me for a reason. I think she said I was quite talented."

"I suppose that makes sense. You've been in the news. But they were just bandits: The lowest form of life."

"Wait, so you know too? I didn't think Martian news made it all the way out here."

"Uh, I haven't always been here. I just sort of turned up here one day. You know how the Angels are. Let me show you to your food."

He turns back round and continues walking. As we move along the dimly lit corridors, I mull over the situation. There seems to be a lot I'm not being told, so I guess I'll have to piece things together on my own. And Wayne seems pretty important around here, at least to Nyx, so what does he have to do with all of this.

Now that I think about it, Wayne just said he "turned up here". Does this mean he came here willingly? Should I ask him directly? Or should I wait until he opens up to me? He also alluded to the fact that there were others on Nyx's flagship – so maybe I should go on that first.

"So, who else is on this ship besides you and Nyx?" I ask.

"Lots of slaves," he groans, "You should know that by now. You fought against them."

"Anyone besides slaves?"

"There is a hierarchy on this ship, and it's Nyx, then all of the other giantesses, then the Free Humans like us, and finally, the slaves."

"Free Humans?"

"Yes. Free Humans."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning we're not exactly slaves. Nyx has a tiny bit more respect for us than she does other humans. Maybe the correct word to describe this flagship is Feudal. It's a feudal system of sorts, where Eris is queen and Nyx is a landlady."

I wonder how many Free Humans there are. But just how free are we? I certainly don't feel free.

Would Wayne agree if I said Nyx is a big bully, not too dissimilar to Eris? I still can't decide if he actually likes Nyx or not. If he did come here willingly, what does that say about him? Just who is he anyway? Perhaps I can coax some more details out of him.

"Did Nyx ever tell you I come from Mars?" I ask, attempting to restart the conversation.

"She did not," he replies, apparently not wanting to make eye contact with me.

"It's lovely. Well, of course, as a Martian myself, I would say that. Have you ever been there?"

"No."

"That's a shame. Where are you from?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Just as I'm about to ask him another question. we reach a yellow door and he stops directly in front of it. The door opens up automatically to reveal a large kitchen area. In the middle is a single long table and many chairs – neatly stowed under the table. The table is surrounded by worktops and cupboards with various pieces of cooking equipment on them. A stove, a sink and a refrigerator are located at each end of the room.

"This is where Free Humans eat," he declares upon entering the room, "We get priority on all loot. We get to eat the fresh food – unlike the slaves, who are made to eat the scraps."

"How do you manage to sustain Nyx and everyone else on her flagship?"

"Well Nyx's diet mostly consists of...actually, I better not say. What sort of things do you like to eat?"

"If you have any, some pasta would be nice."

"Very well, I'll cook you some pasta."

When he opens the cupboard containing the pasta, I notice a wealth of different foods, including a good variety of ingredients to make pasta sauces. How do they manage to get this much food? Fresh food too. He said I'd be fed fresh food. I would never have expected to eat fresh food all the way out here.

Surely it can't all be from raiding ships intermittently. How would you be able to sustain all of the humans and the giantesses just on raided food? I think I can guess what Nyx enjoys to eat the most. Increasingly, she's seeming more and more like Eris, the woman she claims to hate. I hope Persephone is better than her.

"How do you manage to get all this fresh food?" I inquire as I pull a chair out from under the table to sit beside him.

"How we get this much food is beyond me. It just turns up every now and again."

"So you don't know who delivers it?"

"Of course not! All I know, is that once every couple of weeks Nyx has the ship on lock-down and that seems to be when the food is delivered."

'Lock-down'? This is interesting. I always new the giantesses were secretive, but this seems a bit draconian even for them.

I look at Wayne with a perplexed expression as he begins to fill up the pan with water to boil the pasta. When he turns to lift the pan onto the stove, he turns to look directly at me. He guesses correctly that I'm about to ask a question about the period of lock-down.

"You'll know when a lock-down period is coming because, during it, we aren't allowed to leave our chambers under any circumstances. That's all there is too it. Nyx locks all of our rooms automatically, and anyone caught outside of their room during lock-down is sent to Nyx – never to return. I have my suspicions as to what happens during that time, but I'm not ready to discuss my theories with you. What sort of condiment would you like?"

"Thank you; I wouldn't want anything too complicated as a sauce, so let's see..."

"Pick a can. It doesn't matter. Nyx told me to cook for you, and that is what I'll do."

"I'll have pesto if that's okay."

"Alright."

After that, an awkward silence takes over, and we end up not talking as much as I had hoped. Once my food is on the table, Wayne abruptly leaves. I decide not to press him further on his relationship with Nyx. That can wait anyway.

Right now, I need to make sure I'm ready for the moment Persephone arrives on Nyx's flagship. Maybe they'll be more open with me then. They claim that they don't like Eris. But just what is it that they want? Besides the title of Goddess of course.

Eventually, just as I'm about to have my last mouthful of pasta, the door to the kitchen opens. Fortunately, it's just Wayne again. He's right on cue. He looks at me expectantly.

"Thank you for the pasta," I say with a smile, "I never expected to find food this nice all the way out here. You're very fortunate."

"In some ways yes. In other ways no," he says, "Nyx is waiting for you. You'd better follow me back to the bedroom."

"I guess that means Persephone has arrived."

"Yes. They will initiate a video call as soon as you're back in the bedroom. You can leave the pasta bowl on the table. I'll deal with it later."

Wayne leads me back out of the kitchen and we walk, in silence, to my bedroom. All of the corridors look the same, so it's a wonder Wayne can find his way around. He must have turned up here quite a while ago by now. Unless I'm given a map, I'm not sure I'll ever find my way around this labyrinth.

When we arrive at my bedroom, he holds the door open for me and then follows me in. Once inside, he makes sure the door is firmly shut and begins talking to Nyx. His face doesn't light up like it did before though.

"Sidney is ready to see you. Over," he says down the microphone on his arm.

"Oh, that's excellent," Nyx replies, with clear fervour in her voice, "We'll get into position. Over."

Wayne moves his arm from his mouth and turns to leave. Just as he is about to exit the room, he raises his hand, in what can only be described as a feeble attempt at a goodbye wave. I wave back but say nothing.

As soon as the door closes behind him, the green button on the monitor begins to flash. I brace myself. Given all the startling revelations so far, I don't know what to expect.

When I turn on the screen, I'm shown an image of a ship, placed in front of an entirely white background. It has two curvaceous wings, each with four machine guns at their tip, and a powerful looking laser underneath the cockpit. What the...that's my Laser Fighter! But how did they...? It was perfectly fine inside the hanger.

The sight of my ship outside of the hanger makes my heart beat faster. What could they be up to? Suddenly a foot, about the same size as my Laser Fighter, comes into view.

The foot is exquisitely pedicured, with pink toenails, implying it's Persephone's foot, not Nyx's. It glides across the top of the ship, her big toe briefly touching it with gentle stroking motions. Is she really going to crush my ship? Is our human technology really nothing in their hands?

"Do you know what this is Sidney?" I hear Persephone say, somewhere high above the camera.

"M-my ship..." I stutter in reply.

"Mmm, that's right Sidney."

Her foot moves away from my ship. And, unexpectedly, a hand comes down to grasp it by the cockpit. Like her feet, Persephone's hands look well looked after, her nail manicured in a bright shade of pink.

With her fingers now firmly grasping the ship, the camera starts to move upwards. The white background is gradually replaced by the smooth skin of her leg as the camera is turned. In the distance, I see the shins of two more legs, who I assume must be Nyx's.

She seems to be laying down on something, perhaps a mattress, leaving her feet to dangle above the floor. Her legs are spread out quite wide and, as the view moves further up her body, her vulva comes into view. And either side of her legs descend her arms – one of them with a smart watch of some description. My guess is that is what she uses to contact Wayne with.

Persephone is careful to keep the camera low. The camera never ascends any higher than whatever Nyx is laying on. And her robust breasts, still encased by the same bra from earlier, also help to ensure that her face remains hidden from me. Therefore, the view remains focused on her crotch.

To the side, my Laser Fighter comes back into view. Persephone nonchalantly waves it about in front of the camera, as if it's nothing to her – which it clearly isn't. I know what's coming next. It's all too obvious now.

I hear Persephone giggle. To think I thought she was different. She is a monster too. Neither of them are any better than Eris.

"You had better not turn off that monitor, Sidney," I hear Persephone scold from somewhere above the camera, as if she is talking to a child, pre-empting my thoughts.

"Mmm, yes, Sidney. Or there will be trouble," Nyx adds, already sounding rather aroused.

So not only do they not consider me worthy enough to see their faces, they do not truly value my allegiance either. If they did, they wouldn't torture me like this. But who knows what they'll do to me if I turn the monitor off? Things are already bad enough.

"Wait! What are you doing? You can't do that!" I cry.

Persephone thrusts the slender tail section of the Laser Fighter into Nyx's vagina, sideways, eliciting a deep womanly moan from her. Upon hearing her moan, she laughs. Her laugh, loud and menacing, rings about the small bedroom, even more so than the moan that came before it.

How could they do this to me? This is torturous for me to watch – and they know it. I thought we were supposed to be allies. This is no way to treat a person you want to earn the trust of!

Either side of her legs, her hands fiercely clench the mattress as she starts to writhe from the pleasure. Her entire body arcs upwards yet, thanks to the grip of her hands, she remains firmly on the mattress. Nothing could have prepared me for this.

"Oh-w, Sidney," she hollers, "You're spaceship is perfect!"

Around the rear of the ship, a white goo starts to appear. Is that really what I think it is? Is Nyx really getting an orgasm from abusing my ship? Already? Is that all my fighter is too her – a sex toy?

My eyes well up. How could they? Don't they know how costly it is to produce a single Laser Fighter? Why are they so dismissive of human technology?

Persephone then moves in again, to attempt to push the fighter further into her body. She pokes the cockpit with her forefinger, and Nyx responds with a scream of delight. Her legs then tighten, closing in around the fighter, in a further show of pleasure.

Not wanting to get caught between Nyx's legs, Persephone quickly removes her hand – and Nyx comes in with a hand of her own. Her own hand tenderly rubs against her groin, helping her on her way to reaching her climax. She is, however, careful to keep the fighter in place as she does so.

As she continues to rub her groin, legs slowly loosen again. But it isn't long before they slam into the fighter again. Is Nyx really trying to break it?

"No! Don't do that! You might break it!" I cry, tears now streaming down my cheeks, "Stop! You're being too violent!"

It's no use. They won't listen to me. They have no concern for the feelings of humans like me. Free Human is just a lie, like Nyx's claim of humanity. What a fool I was to join Nyx. Jasmine was right. I could have died a hero.

Is this how they subdue humans into a life of slavery? It's like watching a pornographic video. Except this is all too real. If the fighter really were just a toy, then I might have got aroused myself but, as it stands, Nyx and Persephone are just as much monsters as Eris.

Fortunately, the fighter is very sturdy and doesn't succumb to the pressure. Even as Nyx continues to rise and fall violently, the fighter refuses to buckle. And, perhaps realizing this, the hand that is rubbing her groin reaches down to squeeze the cockpit. But, even her harsh grip isn't enough to bend the alloys. Another moan reverberates around the room, evoking more giggling from Persephone.

The cycle of moaning, screaming and giggling continues for several minutes, with Nyx screaming each time her body rises. As the pleasure increases, her body arcs higher. But, amazingly, the fighter continues to hold.

Even as yet more of the fighter is forced into her vagina by her hands, it remains largely intact. I knew my fighter was strong, but I didn't think that it could take such a beating. Nyx is clearly psychically strong, there's no denying that, but she is apparently unable to break my ship.

Eventually, her arousal starts to subside and the screams of pleasure are replaced with those of anger. She obviously wants to destroy my ship, and is becoming frustrated at how sturdy it is. Persephone's giggling transforms into a cackle as Nyx's struggles to break my ship. In a further show of determination, she lifts her torso up from the bed, allowing the camera a clear view of her deep navel.

With the extra force provided by her other hand, I finally see the fighter begin to crumple. The first part of the fighter to break is the cockpit and the area surrounding it. It shatters in several large pieces.

With the fighter now undoubtedly broken, she removes it from her vagina – now apparently bored of it. Only now is the true extent of her pleasure revealed. She holds the fighter triumphantly in front of her crotch for a moment, allowing the camera a clear view of the entire fighter, now mangled and dripping with fluid.

When she is sure I've had a good look at it, she tosses it aside, like it's just some simple toy to be discarded. I hear the fighter land with a crash somewhere, and I suspect that pained landing alone caused more damage than Nyx pleasuring herself with it, though I couldn't honestly say. She then casually gets up from her sitting position, as if nothing happened.

Persephone subsequently moves the camera up so that it is focusing on Nyx's breasts. She begins to grope them again, obviously trying to distract me from what just happened. Where it not for the thick satin bra, I might have noticed more fluid up here.

"Mmm, that was fun, wasn't it Persephone?" she says, clearly still aroused.

"It was," Persephone replies cheerfully.

"Did you enjoy the show too, Sidney?"

"I...I..." I is all I manage to reply as I try to hold back the flood of tears.

They've broken me. How could I allow this to happen to me? Dying really doesn't seem so bad now.

"Now that I know you can't escape, let's discuss, the plan."

"H-how could you...?"

"Quite easily. We didn't want you escaping."

"You're no better than Eris!"

Upon uttering those words, Nyx's hand moves from groping her breast. She curls it up into a tight fist and her previously calm voice is replaced by shouting. Right now, I don't care if I die. Nyx can kill me if she wishes.

"How dare you! You have no idea of the sorts of things Eris does to you humans! At least I had the decency to give you a nice room and a comfy bed to sleep in!"

Before Nyx can continue her tirade, Persephone interjects. Her voice is surprisingly calm given my insult and Nyx's outburst. Perhaps she can redeem herself.

"How about I take Sidney away with me now and he can think about what he said?" she suggests.

Suddenly Nyx uncurls her fist. Her hand moves to meet the wrist of her other arm, where it begins to fiddle with her smart watch. Both of her arms are then raised up and out of view, presumably to her face.

"Fine, whatever! Just get him out of here before I do something I regret! Wayne! Escort Sidney to Persephone's ship!"

Just as Nyx finishes speaking, the monitor goes blank. Nyx obviously doesn't appreciate me telling it like it is. Why doesn't she just hurry up and kill me?

For several minutes, that feel like an eternity, I sit with my head in my arms wondering if there is anyway out of this hell. The silence is only broken by a knock on the door. It's Wayne. Perhaps strangely, he does appear somewhat sympathetic to my plight.

"How could you make her so angry?" he asks me as he enters the room, apparently without any hint of anger.

"She was taunting me!" I snap.

Oh crap, why did I have to shout. I don't want to anger Wayne too. He seems like the sort of person who is always ready with a gun.

"We had better get you off of this ship, quickly, before Nyx changes her mind."

"Agreed. It'll be best for both of us."

Not wanting to waste any more time sobbing, I quickly get up. I habitually look around the room to make sure I'm not forgetting anything. I look in each of the draws in the chest of draws – my state becoming increasingly panicked.

"Where is my spacesuit?" I ask, my anger rising again.

"Nyx told me you didn't need it."

"So you just threw it out?"

"You know how she's like when she's angry! What was I supposed to do? She has ways of checking everything on her flagship."

"Yeah, sorry for being so angry all of a sudden. Let's go."

The walk down the corridors feels longer this time, though it could just be the tension. Unusually though, we do happen to pass one or two people on my way out. However, we don't acknowledge each other, and the mood remains sombre throughout the walk. Wayne and I don't utter a single word until he declares that we have reached what looks to be the gangway between Nyx and Persephone's flagships.

"Persephone should be here any moment now," he mumbles.

Ahead of us is a white windowless door. Either side of it are two plain white walls; a welcome change from the usual greys that I've become accustomed to seeing. However, even this corridor has a distinct lack of lighting.

Wayne is just about to say something else when we hear ominous thumping noises. They gradually become louder, until I'm convinced that whatever is causing the noise is right next to us – behind the white wall. Persephone must be here.

Almost as soon as the noises stop, the door in front of us slides open, revealing another white door in the distance. Wayne looks at me with a frown. I doubt he's sad to see me go though. There's probably something else on his mind.

"You're a curious character," I say.

"I have a feeling we will meet again, but I can't say for sure," he says as he places his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry for leaving like this."

"Don't worry about me. I know so much more about Nyx than she is willing to admit."

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"Just go! You don't want to make that two angry Angels!"

He pushes me through the door and the thumping noises recommence. When I turn back to look at him, I notice he has his pistol pointed at me again. As he clearly doesn't want to talk about the implications of what he just said, I briskly walk over to the next door.

"I'll be fine!" he calls, "No need to worry about me."

"See ya," I call back.

Like the door before it, this next door slides open automatically. When it opens, to my astonishment, I'm greeted by walls painted in a bright shade of pink – not unlike Persephone's nails. However, like all of the corridors on Nyx's flagship, there are no windows.

Behind me, the white door slides shut and the thumping gradually disappears as Persephone moves ahead of me. I sprint in order try and keep up, but Persephone is just too big. Just how big I don't yet know – but she has got to be at least about as big as Nyx.

Ahead of me, another pink door slides open – revealing a fork in the corridor. Everything around me is so much brighter and well maintained, suggesting Persephone actually takes pride in her own flagship. Unlike on Nyx's flagship, I can't see any flickering lights and the corridors don't have an eerie feel to them.

The obvious question pops into my mind: How did they manage to get all of these nice things if they don't have a known planetary base? Where is the giantesses home planet? If they really are aliens then they must have evolved somewhere. How have we not worked out where they originate from yet?

How can all of the giantesses be nomadic, like the pirates that stalk the interstellar gas and dust clouds, and yet have such a wealth of technology? A few nomads could not have caused the humans this much trouble on their own. Something just isn't right, but now is really not the time to dwell on unproven theories.

Unsure of where to go next, I gaze down each of the three corridors. First the left one, then the middle one, and then, finally, the right one – where I see a young woman who looks as if she has just entered adulthood. She boasts extraordinarily long black hair – extending to her waist – and, minus the visor, is wearing a, skin tight, plain black spacesuit that covers all of her body up to her shoulders. Her attire allows all of her fine womanly curves, to extrude.

"Welcome to Persephone's flagship," she says with a smile, "You must be Sidney. You look even better in person! Persephone told me all about you!"

"She did?" I ask, perplexed at her friendly demeanour.

She's clearly nothing like Wayne. Why is she so welcoming? Isn't it depressing being stuck on a ship with a giantess who doesn't care about you one bit?

And why would Persephone speak so fondly of me, as this woman is implying? Could it be that I have Persephone all wrong after all? But she was just having the time of her life watching Nyx destroy the Laser Fighter. Something is not right here.

"Oh yes. She asked to see you immediately. Follow me."

The woman grabs my wrist and starts to pull me along the corridor. Not wanting to risk confrontation, I decide not to resist. Like Wayne says, I don't want to make that two angry Angels.

"I never got your name..." I say, before she interrupts me.

"Althea. And, before I forget, you'll be known as Heracles on this ship. Got it?"

"Alright, I got it Althea."

We run to the end of the corridor, where it meets another, also painted in a bright shade of pink, and turn left. At the end of the new corridor, in the distance, are a couple of lifts. Surprisingly, unlike everything around them, they are not painted in a bright pink. Rather, they are silver.

When we reach the lifts, the woman pulls out a small round device of some kind from somewhere underneath her spacesuit, apparently from within her cleavage. She holds the black circle to one of the lift doors and the lift instantly opens. Before I have a chance to say anything, she yanks me into the lift.

"'Thanks to me, you get exclusive access to Persephone's bedroom."

"Pardon?"

"She told me she had some important things she wanted to say to you in private."

I bet she's going to scold me for being so out of line earlier. But what was I suppose to do? Nyx is a monster.

Althea waves the black device in front of the lift control panel and the doors close. We stand in silence in the lift until it reaches its destination. When the doors start to open she turns to look at me with another sweet smile.

"We're here," she declares, "Persephone is just through that door."

Outside of the lift is a cube shaped room. The only noteworthy features are its pink walls and the door located directly opposite the lift. Sensing my reluctance, Althea pushes me out of the lift.

"Are you sure that it's safe?

"Why wouldn't it be? Come on, lets go!"

Reluctantly, I open the door. Behind the door, is the most amazing sight. In the distance, sitting crossed legged on the white fabric floor, is Persephone. She dominates the view. She is as big as Nyx.

She's wearing the same attire I saw her in earlier, when we conversed while I was on the Laser Fighter. Her torso and arms are covered by a translucent black, flower covered, piece of what, I assume, would normally be considered underwear. However, for the giantesses, skimpy clothing seems to be standard affair.

My heart rate raises dramatically as my eyes move up her body. Might I finally be able to see the face of a giantess? Why would something so simple as seeing a face get me so riled up?

All around her, a variety of bright colours form her bedroom. The fabric of her floor is certainly a welcome change to the metals so often used on spaceships. Finally, I reach her face, only to find it's completely hidden behind a thick pink veil that extends from her forehead to her neck – without holes for her eyes even. Either side of the veil, her short blonde hair protrudes.

It looks as if I'm still not 'worthy'. How can she even see through that thing? She must have the most amazing eyesight ever.

"Excellent," she chirps, "My new toy has arrived."

I gulp. Did I hear her correctly? New toy? That's an odd term for someone you want to be allied with. How can she expect me to take her seriously if she uses language like that?

She even said I was a valuable asset earlier. Now I don't know what to think. Was she lying when she spoke to me earlier? Is a toy all I am to her? Is she going to treat me like Nyx did the Laser Fighter?

Persephone seems to look down at us. Though I couldn't honestly say if she's looking directly at me, considering her eyes are hidden behind her pink veil of some sort. I quickly look back down in case her hands are closing in on us – which they are.

Her hands, placed either side of her legs, are slowly sliding towards us. As they do, Persephone begins to lean further forward. She cocks her head to the left too, and my heart rate increases even more as the tension rises.

"No need to be so scared Hercules," she says, trying to reassure me.

"B-but you destroyed my fighter," I stammer in response.

A tear rolls down my cheek. Why can't she hurry up and just kill me already? It's obvious Persephone and Nyx don't really value my company.

Persephone leans back and moves one hand to adjust her veil ever so slightly. She pulls it up a bit and brushes some of her hair from underneath it. Her other hand remains dangerously close to me.

"You have to believe me when I say I didn't want to do that. If I said no, Nyx would get suspicious. She's done it before to Wayne's ship, when he arrived."

Well I guess it makes sense that she would not want to put doubt in Nyx's mind. But couldn't Nyx have just as easily done the filming all by herself? She could have put the camera on a table or something.

And she knows about Wayne too, so he must be pretty important. Perhaps I can find out some more information about him through her. By the sound of things, Wayne probably did arrive willingly and might not have been captured. That answers that question. But why did he go to the giantesses in the first place?

"Yeah, that's right," Althea chimes in, "She wouldn't do that on purpose. My mum really likes you."

Did she just call Persephone her mum? And claim that Persephone really likes me? What on Mars is going on? This is ridiculous.

I won't accept it! Persephone is not Althea's mother and she does not have a romantic interest in me! Both statements are just too crazy. Persephone is an Angel, and we're both humans. Why would she fraternize with unworthy humans like us? It doesn't make any sense.

"How about you go back to playing with my servants now sweetie?" she says, possibly through gritted teeth, clearly trying to hide her annoyance at the situation.

"Awh, but mum," Althea whines, "I wanted to play with Hercules too."

Persephone's hand comes down to meet Althea. She uses her forefinger to stroke her cheek, causing her to become even more frustrated at the situation. She attempts to push Persephone's hand away with her own, but to no avail.

"Maybe later, if you're a good girl," Persephone says as she retracts her hand.

"Fine," Althea huffs, "I'll go hang out with your servants for a bit."

"Good girl. You can talk to Hercules over dinner later. Mummy has lots of important things she needs to discuss."

Althea stomps over into the lift and, as soon as she has disappeared, Persephone's hands close in on me. Her right hand comes in first and knocks me over, into her waiting palm. Then her left hand encases me in darkness so that I can't escape.

All of a sudden I feel rather queasy, as if I've just got on a roller coaster. Why isn't Persephone being more careful with me? Oh gosh, I think I'm going to be sick...

After being whizzed through the air, Persephone's hands open up and I'm dropped into her lap – between her two calf muscles. As I look around, I realize we are no longer on the floor and she is sitting crossed legged on her bed. Like almost everything else on her flagship, the covers of her bed are bright pink – though this pink is softer than on the walls.

She places her arms on her knees, extending them either side of me, and leans in closer to me. Above me, part of her mouth comes into view as her veil dangles across from her chin. Not sure if I like that grin of hers. It could spell trouble.

Even though she doesn't seem as bad as I thought she was, I don't know if I feel comfortable being this close to her. She is nice I suppose. But even Adolf Hitler seemed nice at first, and we all know how that turned out...

"What do you think of my spaceship Hercules?" Persephone breathes, her voice returning to its lust filled state.

I try to make myself comfortable in her lap and also opt to sit crossed legged. I lean back against her legs, though I place my hands in my lap and let my head sink into the soft, smooth, skin of her calves. If she wasn't my enemy, I'd probably think I was in heaven.

"Oh-w, Hercules, that tickles, stop it," she says with a giggle, allowing me to see more of her mouth as she does so.

While I finish making myself comfortable, perhaps now realizing that looking down at the human in her lap from her current position may reveal more of her face than she'd like, she leans back against the wall behind her. Crucially though, she seems to keep her eyes fixed on me. In the moment of silence she also adjusts her veil again slightly, in order to make sure her face remains completely hidden from me.

"Sorry Persephone; just making myself comfortable. Your flagship is, um..."

"I'm not Nyx, I'm not going to punish you if you don't agree with me."

"That's good to know. It's very pretty by the way."

Persephone giggles again. Both of her hands then move from her calves up to her breasts. Once there, they begin to grope them. I start to feel rather uneasy at the sight and wonder how long it will take for me to become fully erect.

"Being a mum has made me all too aware that rewards are more effective than punishments. And these two ladies are definitely looking forward to rewarding you, Hercules, aren't you girls? Mm, that's right."

"Yeah, about you being a mum..."

Gosh, this is so incredibility awkward. If Maxine saw me right now she'd give me a slap. I can't allow Persephone to control me like this, not this easily anyway, as much as I appreciate her breasts.

"Mmm, go on?"

"Althea is a lovely young lady. You've raised her really well. How old is she?"

"Thank you Hercules, I try. She can be a handful though. One of my servants is a medical doctor and she thinks she's about seventeen Earth years old – something like that. Do you have any children of your own?"

About seventeen Earth years old? What mother doesn't know the age of her child? I hope she hasn't brainwashed Althea into thinking that she's her mother!

"No, but my girlfriend and I have talked about starting a family together."

"I see."

Persephone stops groping her breasts and moves one of her hands up to her veil. She slips her forefinger underneath the pink fabric, and it looks as if she has started biting her nail. Then it finally dawns on me. Althea was right. Persephone does really like me.

Her hand swoops down from underneath her veil to pluck me from her lap. Her thumb and forefinger curl around my body, prying me away from her lap. However, despite her haste, she somehow manages not to be as rough as earlier. She brings me up to her chest and pushes me into her generous cleavage.

Oh crap! I'm so conflicted. Persephone is nice, but I have Maxine. But Persephone's breasts...no! I can't let lustful thoughts get the better of me!

"W-what are you doing?" I ask, trying desperately to avoid becoming fully erect.

My face awkwardly brushes against her breast and I sense strange smell. I don't think it's perfume. In fact, I'm not quite sure what it is. And being in here is somehow making me become limp. I feel like I'm slowly losing control of my muscles.

"Comfortable?"

"No, I mean yes. No, I mean no. I was fine in your lap..."

I start to blush profusely as I struggle to stay afloat. Why am I wilting all of a sudden? I think something must be up with Persephone's body, and it's causing strange things to happen to my own.

Even with that thick veil covering the entirety of her face, I can tell she is really enjoying tormenting me. She must cause all of the men on her flagship. to go crazy. Gosh, I never thought I'd get this intimate with an Angel.

"So you're not comfortable?" Persephone asks, a touch of sadness creeping into her voice.

"I am, but..."

"Good. We can continue our important chat then."

"W-wait, I'm sinking...!"

I try to hold onto the tops of her breasts, but it's no use. Her skin is just too soft and smooth and my muscles have become too weak to do anything. Who knew heaven could be so much like hell?

Persephone squeezes her breasts together using her arms, causing all of the air to be forced out of my lungs. Her hand then reaches in to yank me by the collar of my t-shirt. I'm laid to rest on her chest, just below her neck, were I spend several seconds catching my breath.

"Better?" she asks, only now releasing her breasts.

"Better," I pant.

"Good. Let's discuss your mission. I'm sure you must be wondering why Nyx didn't have you killed. Correct?"

"That is correct."

"Like I said before, you're valuable Hercules. Nyx and I have overheard some of the pilots we have reclaimed speaking fondly of you. And Wayne knew about you too. We hear a lot of human conversation. Like how you single-handedly defended a human outpost from a band of pirates..."

"Wait – you know about that?"

"Angels know lots of things. We're not stupid like you humans. Dispute that fact at your peril."

Persephone's hand moves on top of me, blocking out all of the light. She pushes me against her chest and, afraid she might just suffocate me, I begin to squirm desperately. When I do, she lifts her hand.

"Ah! Okay, okay, I get it. You're exceedingly smart," I say, now sweating profusely, "But why would you work with Nyx if you don't like her?"

"There was a time when Nyx and I were best friends, but we're slowly drifting apart. The death of the Angel Nike didn't just affect Eris. Nyx started to go crazy too. Nyx began to doubt Eris's leadership – becoming power hungry herself. She's a massive hypocrite!"

"Nyx doesn't seem as nice as I first thought, so I think I can agree with you."

"Has Nyx told you what she wants from Eris?"

"No, please explain."

"Towards the middle of this star system is the most beautiful planet imaginable. But only Eris is allowed anywhere near it. Nyx wants that planet all to herself."

"What does it look like?"

"It's hard to describe. From what I've seen, it's very shiny. But, before we even think about that, there's another task we need you to do. I'll explain that later. Right now you need a bath, and I need to talk to Nyx again."

"But I had a shower just this morning."

"You need a bath. I'll call up one of my servants to assist you. Later on we'll have dinner together with Althea."

Best not to argue with her; especially if I want her to canoodle with me again. Wait, what am I thinking? I have a girlfriend!

Persephone rests one of her hands on top of me again. I feel her body move about abruptly under my own, suggesting she is getting up from her bed. As she does so, I begin to feel queasy again.

She pulls me from her bosom and deposits on the floor below her knees. Too weak to stay standing, I collapse onto the fabric. Ow! What on Mars has she done to me? Why am I so weak all of a sudden?

I stretch my head up and I stare up at the stomach of the kneeling giantess. I really want to say something, but I can't just accuse her. She might not even be the reason why I'm suddenly feeling so weak.

Realizing I'm staring blankly at her, she makes shooing motions with her hand. Knowing I'm no longer wanted, I try to get up – but it's no use. Something strange has happened to my muscles.

"Wait by the lift," she commands as she gets up.

She walks off towards a monitor located at the end of the bed. From my perspective, laying on the floor beside the lift lobby, it's hard to tell what she's doing. But I can see she has a nice big bum,
which compliments her nice big breasts, at least.

I shift my body across the floor and manage to make a one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn. Slowly, I shuffle, crawling awkwardly, across the floor to the lift area, located directly behind me. When I reach the doorway, I find the strength to upgrade to a crawl.

Should Persephone have romantic feelings for me though? She is an Angel and I'm a human. I doubt we are genetically related in spite of our many physical similarities.

"Lyra, come up into my bedroom," Persephone says in an authoritative tone, "Hercules, my guest, needs to be shown to the human area. He needs a bath."

"To be allowed into your bedroom...he must be very special then," I hear Lyra say.

"He is. Which is why anybody found to be hurting him will become part of my dinner. Hercules will be waiting for you by the lift to my bedroom."

I shuffle closer to the doorway in an effort to better listen to the conversation. Did I hear correctly? Persephone eats humans? What on Mars? Just when I thought things were looking up for me, Persephone reveals she eats humans.

My heart starts to race again – at the thought of Persephone eating humans. I wonder if she cooks them first? I know she wouldn't eat me...would she?

That must be the worst way to die. Well, I guess that settles it. The Angels are not human. How can they be? Would a human eat another human?

Persephone kneels in front of the door to the lift lobby again, snapping me out of my thoughts. I've been so preoccupied thinking about her diet that I didn't notice her approach me. Her forefinger reaches in, through the doorway, causing me to flinch.

I try to nudge her finger away with my body, however she doesn't give up. The ceiling of the lobby suddenly becomes transparent, making more of her body visible to me. This also affords her a clear view of me, and more forefinger enters the room, until I'm backed into a corner, by the lift doors.

"I'm not going to eat you, if that's what you're worried about," she coos, "Only Eris needlessly eats humans. So many valuable humans have been wasted because of her. Like I said before, I get left with the scraps, so it's been quite lonely. I don't have many nice humans for company."

Her finger reaches up to caress me on the cheek. Her stroking motion is amazingly tender given how huge she is. She must have had lots of practise, being a mother and all.

"How many humans live on your flagship?"

"I don't know. I get left with a lot of the nasty ones. Worthwhile humans, like you, are maybe a couple of dozen. Would you like to try some boiled human for your dinner, Hercules? It's really nice."

"What? N-no thank you. I'm fine."

She removes her finger from the room and, as soon as she does, the ceiling turns back to being opaque. I hope I haven't offended her with that brash response. I didn't mean to be rude; eating humans is just too crazy for me.

"Oh. Okay then," she says, sounding a bit deflated, "Lyra will be up here to collect you any minute now. I'll start cooking in about one Earth hour."

Persephone gets up again and disappears off into another room, her thuds causing tremors in the floor, leaving me to wait in silence. As she predicted, after a couple of minutes, Lyra arrives. Like Althea before her, she has long straight hair, although hers is brown and only extends to her shoulders.

Like me, she is wearing a plain long sleeved t-shirt and trousers, except hers are white. Both are skin tight. Underneath her clothes, her underwear, a bra and thong, is clearly visible.

"Hello, you must be Hercules," she says with a smile.

"That's what Persephone keeps calling me anyway," I reply, forcing a smile of my own.

"Why are you crawling?"

"My muscles felt so weak; I couldn't stand up."

"Let me help you."

She moves so that she is directly in front of me and her hands pull me up from my shoulders. I help her out by getting onto my feet. Once upright, I dust myself off.

"And, by the way, I don't need a bath yet, I had a shower as soon as I got up."

"Are you sure? How can you not notice the smell?"

"What smell?"

"Persephone has bathed you in her pheromones..."

"I'm sorry, but what are pheromones?"

Her smile disappears and she looks at me with what seems like mixture of confusion and amusement. She must think I'm really stupid. Why doesn't she want to speak in plain Galactic Standard English?

"Long story short, Persephone really wants you."

I don't want to give up on Maxine, but if Persephone likes me as much as Lyra is implying, then she may not let go of me as easily as she first suggested. Women have always considered me handsome, but never did I think an Angel would develop romantic feelings for me. I'm sure she wouldn't allow just anyone into her breasts like that.

"Pardon? So you mean Persephone is sexually interested in me?"

"I guess you could say that. I'll explain more on our way down."

Lyra waves a small black device in front of the lift doors and they open. Once we're both inside, she resumes talking. I still don't really understand what pheromones are, so hopefully she can explain them in terms I can understand.

"Persephone's pheromones, and I assume those of other Angels too, seem to make men weak. It's like she's trying to draw you in. But I'm not sure if she even realizes she's doing it. Pheromones tend to be released subconsciously."

"If I have that awful smell then isn't it counterproductive?"

Just as I finish my sentence, the lift arrives at its destination. She briefly turns her head to look at me with a smile before we exit the lift, into the pink painted corridors from before. Still confused, I just stare at her blankly.

"You don't smell that bad actually. Though I couldn't begin to describe the smell to you. I think the best way to describe the smell is that it might be her way of scent marking. Like she's trying to claim ownership of you."

To think I once thought the Angels were humans – perhaps super-humans, but humans nonetheless. The more I learn about them the less human they seem. What are they though? Are they actually Angels? Many deities have such a blatant disregard for human life, so are they all really goddesses?

Strangely, I think the answer to both of those questions is a yes. In both the Kible and the Boran at least, it's the deity who has killed the most people, not the demons. Woah's Flood alone killed more people all demons combined. Then again, Eris doesn't ever claim to love humanity or care about individual humans whilst she kills them. So maybe that makes her more of a demon rather than a deity?

"I'm not sure what to say. Uh, are you that doctor Persephone told me about?"

Lyra starts to smile again. Is everyone on this spaceship friendly I wonder. As she begins speaking, we commence down the corridor.

"I'm a medical doctor yes. I helped her raise Althea. Parenting skills didn't come naturally to Persephone, and she was treating her more like a pet than a daughter at first.

"She was very insistent that she look after Althea, even if it meant acknowledging a human was more knowledgeable than her in some respects. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea where her real parents are, or what Persephone did with them. Althea just turned up as young child one day and Persephone demanded that I help look after her."

"Do you know what would happen, if you know, Persephone and a human were to, you know..."

I trail off. Why am I asking a question like that? Lyra must think I'm crazy to just suddenly dive in to the topic of sex.

She turns to look at me and chuckles. She must think I'm so strange now. If Persephone is as rough as Nyx, my curiosity might well kill me. So I had better not allow Persephone to bring me anywhere near her vagina.

"As I've been here many years, I've learned a lot about Persephone, but I'm no biologist, so I couldn't say. Although she appears human, she isn't really. For start, well I won't bore you with the details. As a pilot I imagine you'll only know basic first aid and not the intricacies of bodily functions?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good. In summary: Well her blood is a bit different. I'm not sure how though. If I ever have a chance to I'd like to investigate it. Perhaps Persephone will manage to salvage another freighter full of medical supplies one day and I'll have my chance to do some blood analysis."

A couple of minutes walking from the lift, we turn and arrive at a corridor with many doors lining it. Although none of the doors have windows built into them, I can guess this is the sleeping area. Hopefully my room here is nicer than the one on Nyx's ship. That room felt so ominous.

As we continue along the corridor, I hear a beeping sound. It's Lyra's smart watch. She brings her wrist up to her face, allowing me to get a closer look at it. Its holographic interface looks fairly advanced, and shows a projection of the word "Persephone", implying she wants to contact Lyra.

I'm sure that I've seen that kind of smart watch before on Mars. How is human technology even synchronized with Persephone's technology? As an alien, Persephone's technology should be incompatible with human technology. Where do they produce all of this advanced technology anyway? Do Angels own factories full of human slaves?

Lyra accepts the call and we hear disgruntled sounding Persephone. She was fine just a few minutes ago so why is she so angry now? I hope I'm not going to be on the receiving and of any of her rage.

"There's been a change of plan," Persephone says with obvious annoyance, "I want Hercules back up here."

"What's wrong Persephone?" Lyra responds, a degree of concern evident in her voice.

"When Hercules is in my bedroom I'll explain."

"Okay, we'll be right up."

Persephone abruptly ends the call. When she does, Lyra and I walk briskly towards the lift area. On our way back, we don't talk at all, owing partly to my unease at Persephone's sudden change in mood.

Wondering what I could have done wrong, my heart begins to beat faster. Am I going to be punished? It's only when we finally arrive at the lift that Lyra notices this. She looks at me with worried expression as she waves her black device in front of the lift doors. This can't be good.

"I can guarantee you it's not you she's angry at," she says, correctly guessing what is on my mind, "Not after how she almost paralysed you with her pheromones before. That's a sign of her strong feelings for you, even if she may not realize she's doing it."

"She called me a toy earlier," I say as I follow her into the lift, "How can you be so sure she's romantically interested in me?"

"I never said she was romantically interested in you. I only said she wanted you. Perhaps lust is a more apt word."

"Okay, fine. Do you have any idea what may have upset her?" I ask.

"Not a clue, but we're about to find out."

When we exit the lift, we're greeted by the awe inspiring sight of Persephone again. Like when I previously entered the lift lobby, she's sitting crossed legged in front of the doorway. Either side of her legs are her arms. Her legs and groin are visible to us and, from what I can tell, she's changed her clothes.

It looks as if she is now wearing a two piece bikini. Her shorts, at least, are plain and black in colour. Are we going swimming?

"There you are," Persephone says in a somewhat grumpy voice, "What took you so long?"

As we exit the lobby, I begin to tremble, and my eyes immediately commence traversing her grand body, as if I've been conditioned to admire her beauty. They move up from her shins, along her stomach, plump but still managing to be reasonably flat, and finish at her breasts. Her breasts, encased in a bright pink bikini top, one of those ones with a fairly wide strap around her nape, look even more immense without her translucent tank suit.

To think I thought my girlfriend's chest was impressive. Her breasts are the size of houses; two storey houses even. With a body like hers, if she was a human, I'm sure she'd have no trouble at all qualifying for Miss Mars, or even Miss Universe.

I want to look up further, but my neck won't allow me. Persephone seems to have sat much closer to the doorway this time. Not that it matters of course, because Persephone wouldn't show me her face anyway.

Then, the gravity of the situation sinks in. What if it's really me that she's mad at? Am I actually going to die today?

"I don't know what I did," I call, as I fall to my knees, "But please can you find it in you to forgive me. I think you're the nicest Angel, so I want us to get along."

"Lyra, go and instruct my servants to prepare my dinner," Persephone commands, apparently not acknowledging me, "I won't be cooking today after all. I want twenty humans from amongst the dissenters for me and a thigh for Althea."

"As you wish, Persephone," Lyra responds with a bow.

She swiftly exits the bedroom. At that moment, Persephone turns her attention to me. Her hand comes in and her forefinger pushes against my chin, forcing my eyes to look back up, into her deep cleavage.

"Hercules, get up," Persephone says, her annoyance apparently subsiding.

I do as instructed. I then take a step backwards. She responds by moving her hand behind me, thus blocking the doorway to the lift. With her hand this close, I definitely do not want to anger her anymore than she already is, so I best stay still and silent.

She pushes her hand against me, causing me to fall into her palm. Almost immediately, she moves her hand up from the floor and I'm whizzed through the air. At the same time as moving her arm, she gets up.

As I'm moved up, I notice her veil is gone, but everything above her neck is invisible. The material of her new headgear appears to be bending the light around her head so I actually see what's behind her. And I thought things could not get any stranger.

"C-can you tell me what's wrong?" I stutter.

"Nyx annoyed me," is all she says as she rests me against her chest, just above the great canyon that is her cleavage.

How can the Angels be so effective at fighting humans if there is all this tension between them? If Persephone holds such radically views to the other Angels, why doesn't she just leave? I'm sure she could easily forge a new life on one of the many rocky planets in dotted throughout the galaxy.

I know she said she's not as good friends with Nyx as she used to be, but I didn't think they'd have such an obvious falling out. Should I ask her for more details? I don't want to annoy her anymore than she already is, though I can't help but feel that she asked me to see her precisely because she wants someone to talk to.

"How come?" I prompt, my heart rate rising further from its brief lull.

"She's getting impatient again. She wants me to go ahead with my part of our plan straight away. I was getting really frustrated, but then I remembered I have you, my new plaything, to cheer me up. So I should be fine."

Persephone begins to walk through her bedroom and, looking between her fingers, I can tell that I'm being taken into one of the adjoining rooms. The new room is tiled, dimly lit and contains many dark colours. Except, that is, for the biggest swimming pool I think I've ever seen. It seems I was right.

The pool is ovular in shape, and is fairly deep. Even though it looks as if it's only deep enough for Persephone to sit down in, given the sheer size of her, there's no doubting bigger than any swimming pool I've seen on Mars, or anywhere really. The bright underwater lights are a stark contrast to the dim lights of the walls.

"What can I do?"

"You can start by reminding me of how I'm the nicest Angel."

"Well that's easy. You haven't threatened to kill me yet..."

"Say I'm the nicest Angel though."

Oh crap! Persephone is succeeding in giving me an erection again. Come on, control yourself Sidney. I have to fight her pheromones!

"Alright, you're the nicest Angel."

"Thank you Hercules, I try. Do you have anything nice to say to my two big girls? Your little boy appears to want to get to know them a little better."

"Er, um, well, I can explain..."

"Tell my two girls they are the best set of twins in the entire universe, better than any human twins you've met, and they will be happy acquaint themselves with you, whenever you'd like them to."

"Wait..."

"Just say it. You'll upset them if you don't."

"Your twins are the best twins in the entire universe, better than those of any human, and you've raised both of them really well."

"Ooh, Hercules, they love it."

Underneath me, I feel her breasts becoming hard. Nice to know she's no longer upset at least. Seems she's easy enough to please.

Through the gap in her fingers, I see her descending into the water. As she sits down, I'm peeled off of her chest. She whizzes me through the air and deposits me poolside.

Across from me, Persephone leans over the side of the pool, her arms crossed. I look up at where her face would me and she leans in closer to me. I then look back down to see what her arms are doing.

Fortunately, they are staying close to her body. And it seems the pool is deeper than I first thought; the water comes up to her stomach. Maybe I should tell her I haven't been in the water for years?

"Get undressed," she instructs, "I need you in the pool with me."

"But I don't have any swimwear."

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. We have lots we still need to talk about."

I gaze up at the light-distorting material surrounding her head in dismay. That's not what I meant, and I'm sure she knows it. I really don't want to be completely naked around her. I already feel so inferior around her finely sculpted body.

I remove my t-shirt first. I toss it to the side. When the tapestry of muscles on my torso is revealed to her, she lets out a small squeal.

"She's definitely not getting you back," I hear her mumble to herself.

Who is 'she'? I hope she means Nyx and not Maxine. I'll help her defeat Eris and then I'll be on my way back to Mars, right?

Not wanting to make a fuss over her potentially worrying statement, I continue removing my clothes in silence. As soon as I finish removing my underwear, her hand swoops over to steal me from the floor. Her thumb, forefinger and middle finger wrap around me.

"I'll sort you out some new clothes soon. You wouldn't believe some of the crazy clothes the other Angels and I salvaged from cruise liners," she says as she sits down in a corner at a shallow end of the pool.

When she's made herself comfortable, I'm dropped into the water between her legs. Not expecting her to be so brazen, I sink into the water – briefly unable to swim. As I try to swim back up to the surface, I feel something soft move about under me. Before I realize what's going on, my entire body is above the water again.

I look around and realize her belly has become a kind of peninsula, with me on it. She's leaning against the edge of the pool at an almost one-hundred-and-eighty degrees angle. From my position beside her deep belly button, I get a nice flat surface to rest on and a good view of most of her body.

As I lay against her skin, my body begins to shiver vigorously. I cling onto her belly tightly, like a baby would its mother. One of her hands then reaches across to cover my body, acting like a blanket.

"Awh," she coos, "Humans are so fragile."

"So cold," I cry, "Please be more careful in future."

I stretch my neck up to try and look in the direction of her breasts. Being bathed in her pheromones doesn't seem like such a bad prospect right now. Even if my muscles become weak again, at least it'll be warm between her breasts. Plus, the sound of her heartbeat has a certain charm to it.

"Do you still fear death?" she asks dryly.

"Less than I used to."

Her free hand reaches up to grope one of her breasts. It slides along it a couple of times before squeezing it. The hand blanketing me then moves up to join it.

"But you still fear it a little, so that's good. I know that's Nyx's bargaining chip. But you know I prefer to reward rather than punish. Let's talk mission now. I know we didn't manage to discuss it properly earlier, but that's because I was in a rush. I made you come up to visit before me because I just had to take a closer look at you."

Persephone removes her hands from her breasts, and rests her elbows on the sides of the pool. Her demeanour is now much more casual than it was before. Guessing we are finally descending into a more serious conversation, I sit up straight.

So that I don't slip down her stomach and into the water, I anchor my feet inside her belly button. Her belly button, deep as it is, is able to comfortably fit both of my legs up to my knee. As I reposition myself, I hear her giggle. Guess she's really sensitive to my movements.

"Okay, what do I have to do?" I ask, wanting to return our conversation to its serious state.

"You know this Wayne guy, don't you?" she groans.

"Yes."

I watch intently as her left hand curls up into a fist. She crashes it against the water. She causes a large splash, big enough so that some of the water droplets land on me. I flinch, instinctively moving my hands in an attempt to shield myself from some of the water. Then, Above me, I hear her grunt loudly.

Her rapidly rising rage makes me uneasy, and I hastily retract my legs from her belly button. I hold them close to my chest and brace myself for the worst. Apparently sensing my apprehension, her other hand reaches out to me.

She forces her forefinger between my chest and legs. Knowing resistance would be useless, I make no attempt to resist her. When most of her forefinger is between my chest and legs, she uses her thumb to caress my face.

"Sorry for scaring your Hercules. I don't want you, of all humans, to be scared of me. it's just the nerve of the guy..."

"What happened?"

"He came to Nyx, all high and mighty, asserting that us Angels were created by humans. He said we are collection of body parts fused together or something like that."

What on Mars? I guessed Wayne was important, but this is just too crazy. How could he even know how the Angels were created? This makes him sound deluded.

"What do you mean?"

"Doesn't matter. The point is, he claims to know how we can defeat Eris."

"Seriously?"

"But he says he will only tell Nyx how best to defeat her if we do something for him. Nyx has been keeping alive despite how annoying he is because he's important apparently."

Now that I think about it, Wayne did mention knowing more about Nyx than she was willing to admit. Could his knowledge of her creation be what he was alluding too? I'm surprised Nyx hasn't killed him yet, if that is indeed the case.

I imagine if she and Persephone were to gang up against Eris then she would be out gunned. But how do the other Angels influence things? Would they try to protect Eris? How many other Angels are there?

"Here's what we have to do," Persephone says, as she gently removes her fingers from around my body, "Wayne had a list of demands. And Nyx, all too eager to dispose of Eris, agreed to all of his demands. She might get us all killed if she's not careful. Hercules, would you kill me if you had the chance?"

"W-what? No? I don't think so."

Why is she asking me that? Doesn't she trust me? We're meant to be allies.

"Good to know some people appreciate me."

Her hand reaches down for me. She wraps her thumb, forefinger and middle finger around my torso. I'm lifted up and shoved into her cleavage.

"What are you doing?" I spew, now panicked.

"Showing you how much I appreciate you. I'm so glad you agreed to help me."

Persephone's voices once again descends into its lust filled state. She puts emphasis on the word "so" again, drawling, and, as she does so, I sense my body beginning to lose control. Are are her pheromones kicking in already?

I try to escape her cleavage, but it's no use. Her breasts are just too slippery. I begin to pant, becoming rather sweaty, eliciting a giggle from her.

Then, like when I was in here before, she uses her arms to squeeze her breasts together, and I'm held tightly in place. The air is forced from my lungs and I begin to feel rather flustered. However, after a second or two, she loosens up a bit and a hand reaches down to pat me on the head.

"I hate that things are moving so quickly and we barely know each other, but Nyx has been quite impatient. Given her impatience, tomorrow, after we wake up, I'm going to be making the preparations for our adventure," she says as she ruffles my hair with her forefinger, "Along with a list of demands, Wayne gave Nyx some clear instructions – one of which was recommending you. But the main instruction is that he wants us to go to a hospital for injured and sick miners a few star systems from where we are now."

A hospital? What could Wayne possibly want with a hospital? Is he seriously expecting me to attack a hospital? What twisted fuck would want to attack civilians in a hospital?

I stretch my head to look up at the area where Persephone's face would be, where it not made invisible. I scowl at her. No amount of loving would ever get me to attack a hospital and Persephone needs to understand this.

"You expect me to attack a hospital?" I shout, unconcerned with the potential consequences of such a brazen act.

"Not exactly," she counters, the lust in her voice replaced with dismay, "We're not going there with the intention of killing anybody. Unless they disobey us of course. There are some items he wants us to retrieve. I'll explain in more detail nearer the time. Right now, it's nearly dinner time."

"When you put it that way, it doesn't seem so bad."

"Exactly. I need to contact Lyra again. You just stay snug in there while I make a quick phone call."

As she continues to fondle me with one of her hands, Persephone stretches out her other hand. My eyes follow her hand, and I notice something I hadn't seen before. To her side, located part way up the tiled wall, is a control panel with the numbers zero to nine on it, and a speaker. The speaker is about the same size as the entire keypad.

She keys a few numbers and a green light above the keypad starts to flash. After a few seconds, the flashing stops. The light stays green continuously and I hear the voice of Lyra again.

"Hello Lyra," she says.

"Hello Persephone," she replies, "How can I be of assistance?"

"How are the humans coming along?"

"Hairless, as you like them, and are currently being cooked. There were some scuffles, but we managed to kill them all without too much mess."

"Excellent Lyra. You always were my best. What have you prepared for Hercules?"

"Although you didn't mention it at the time, I assumed you would want me to prepare something for Hercules too. I didn't think he'd want to eat human meat so I got the cooks to prepare him a bean salad."

Persephone pushes her arms against her chest again. It's only now that I start to feel weak. As I try to resist the pressure brought upon me by her arms, I realize my body is going limp again.

"What do you think Hercules?" Persephone chirps, "Is a bean salad okay for you?"

"That...would...be...wonderful," I pant, "Thank you."

"Thank you Lyra, you may go now. Remember to send Althea up with the food."

"I will let her know you expect her up in time for your dinner. I'll see you later."

Persephone reaches out to press a button on the control panel. The communication channel closes and I become the focus of her attention once more. She caresses my cheek with her forefinger again and lets out a contented sigh.

She lays there quietly in the corner of the pool, keeping me trapped between her breasts, for some time. I want to protest, but I know that I've been bathed in her pheromones for some time already – making me incredibly weak. And trying to argue with this mass of woman will be futile. So instead, I lighten the mood by talking about menial things and put our previous serious conversation to one side.

Eventually, Althea arrives, with several servants, both female and male. From my position in between Persephone's breasts, I can just about make them out at the far side of the pool as they exit the lift there. Althea is wearing the same clothes I saw in her in earlier. The servants aren't as nicely dressed as her, and come in a variety of shabby clothes.

As they progress towards our side of the pool, I'm given quite a shock by the several trolleys loaded with humans. I knew this was coming, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of so many dead bodies. Twenty, I think, was the number Persephone asked for. The hairless humans are split between four trolleys, and there is a fifth largely empty trolley – containing only the thigh Persephone requested for Althea and a plate with my bean salad on it.

"Thank you, everyone," Persephone says as she takes one of the dead humans, "You can go and have your own dinners now."

"Mum," Althea whines, as the servants exit the pool room, "What have you been doing to Hercules? Why is he between your breasts?"

"We were discussing some very important things. Weren't we, Hercules?"

"I, uh, I suppose we were."

"You can have him for a bit now if you want though sweetie. You know how eating humans can be awfully messy."

Don't I get a say in this? Why does she insist on treating me like an object? I don't have anything wrong with getting to know Althea better, but her wording makes it seem as though I'm simply a toy to be exchanged.

From my position in Persephone's cleavage, it's hard to see Althea, let alone gauge her facial expression. But, from what I can tell, she lets out a contented squeak. When she does, Persephone's fingers yank me from her cleavage.

I'm placed poolside beside Althea, who grins and points towards my crotch. My penis doesn't stay in plain sight for long though, as I collapse onto the tiled floor – my muscles made weak from Persephone's body. I fall onto my knees first, followed by the rest of my body.

"What just happened to Hercules?" Althea inquires, scratching her head in confusion.

"He's not hurt," Persephone assures her, "It's just, sometimes mummy can't control herself. Lyra said mummy's body has ways of making humans like Hercules weak in certain situations. He'll be back to normal in a few minutes."

"I'm so glad I have you as my mummy; you're so big and powerful."

"Awh, thank you sweetie. Mummy is so glad to have you as her daughter."

Persephone takes one of the trolleys and places it in her lap, just above the waterline. I turn my head to get a better look at her from my position on the floor, and see her snap the head of the dead human she is holding with her thumb. The body is then slipped underneath the invisibility cloak, and the head drops onto the other dead bodies in the trolley.

"Mm, cooked to perfection. Are you sure you don't want to try human meat, Hercules? Althea loves it."

"I-I'm f-fine," I manage to stammer, as I try to get back on my meet.

With a slow crawl, I make my way towards the trolley with my food in it. Althea beats me to it and places the plate with the bean salad on it beside me. She then takes the human thigh for herself, opting to eat with no cutlery. I stay silent as the two eat, and I wait to regain my strength.

Apparently feeling sorry for me, Persephone strokes my back with a finger. She can be amazingly gentle when she wants to be. Hard to believe someone this tender is currently eating humans. And enjoying doing so.

"Althea," Persephone says, with a mouthful of human, "There's something I need to tell you."

"Alright mum," she responds, about to take another bite out of the thigh.

"Tomorrow we'll be going on a trip. Mummy needs to get a few things. If it goes well, we should be able to get some nice food too."

"Hopefully they'll have ice cream. I haven't had any for ages."

I hear Persephone giggle. I suppose it's hard not to smile at Althea's childish antics. We're going on an important trip and the first thing that comes into her head is ice cream? She sounds very immature for her age.

"Hopefully. It'll take mummy a few days to get there though. I'll be putting in the coordinates after we've slept for a bit."

This is all very well, but would this hospital be able to dock her flagship? It's obvious I'm going to have to get close. Has she already forgotten what Nyx did to my Laser Fighter?

"How will I get into the hospital without a fighter?" I ask, only now managing to take my first mouthful of bean salad.

"You'll need something bigger than a fighter for your assignment. There are a few potential ships in the hangers. I have one in particular in mind for you. It's a fairly recent addition to my collection. In fact, some of the humans I'm eating now are its former occupants."

"Miners always have that distinctive taste, don't they mummy?" Althea chimes in.

"They sure do sweetie."

Miners? Why would miners be all the way out here? Don't they know this is where the Angels hunt? What could miners possibly want in this sector? Is it death they want?

Someone told me something important about miners once before. But I can't remember what it was. Come on Sidney, think, where did you hear about miners before? Wait...could it be?

Jasmine told me some rumours about miners back on Mars. Are the rumours true then? Have certain people been mining in this star system? But what could be so special about this star system?

Why would they want to risk their lives in such a dangerous star system? There has to be something extremely valuable for miners to want to take such great risks and come all the way out here. What could be worth the risk though?

As Althea and Persephone continue to enjoy their human meats, I sit crossed legged beside the plate, and continue to reminisce quietly over the bean salad. Neither of them prompt me for any further conversation, perhaps a sign that they both must really enjoy eating humans. Silent mealtimes normally mean exceedingly good food after all. And this bean salad is certainly something special too; I never expected something so good all the way out here.

Only when she has finished eating does Persephone decide to talk. After placing the empty trolleys from her lap on the side of the pool, she extends her arm to dial the control panel again. I hear the voice of Lyra again.

"Hello, Persephone, what can I do for you?" she asks.

"I would like you to show Hercules to the hangers," Persephone says, "I want him to see the mutinous mining ship from the other week."

"What's so special about that ship anyway?"

"Nothing really. It just has a large cargo hold and a couple of bunk beds, as you know. But the mutineers did tell me that it's equipped with powerful electromagnets, that are intended to be used to move iron rich asteroids. I imagine I can find a use for those."

"I suppose my dinner will have to wait then. I'll be right up."

"Thank you Lyra. When you reach it, phone me. Gosh, hard to believe it's almost bedtime for you little ones. Today has gone...so quickly."

There she goes again, becoming lustful and fondling her breasts. She is certainly an oddity. Then again, I suppose being a huge mass of woman inevitably means you'll get sexually frustrated seeing as you'll, at the very least, injure your partner whenever you have sex. Er, best not to think about it...

"Can I show Hercules to the hanger?" Althea asks as Persephone retracts her hand to join her other one in fondling her breasts.

"I suppose. But I expect you back up here in time for bed," she says, "And when you get downstairs, wait for Lyra by the lift doors. She knows where it is."

"Fine. Come on, Hercules, I'll show you around."

I turn to face her with a smile. She smiles back. Perhaps being captured by an Angel won't be so bad after all. Althea is such an excitable young lady; I think we'll get along just fine. And I'm sure she'll always be around to brighten my day.

As soon as I get up, she pulls me by the arm. As we rush, along the length of the pool, towards the lift, I hear Persephone giggle behind us. I think she would probably agree with me when I say Althea is a very quirky young lady.

When we exit the lift, we see Lyra in the distance. She smiles at us, and I give her a little wave. Upon noticing her, Althea stops pulling at my arm.

She joins us, as instructed by Persephone, and we continue towards the hangers. The hangers, being in the lowest part of the ship, take some time to get to, as we have to find another set of lifts. When we finally arrive, I see a seemingly never ending hallway full of compartments with little ships inside.

The hallway is dimly lit but, fortunately, there does appear to be a moving walkway – with breaks for access to the entrances to each of the hangers. To my left, I notice Lyra press a red button, and the walkway whirs into life. Althea, ever the eager one, is the first onto the walkway. I, somewhat reluctantly, follow close behind. Lyra is last, even though she is the only one who knows where we're going.

"It should be number fifty-six," she calls to us.

Each of the ships in the hangers is behind some kind of reinforced transparent material, allowing us to peer inside at the many noble fighters and bombers. It makes them all look like new toys, still in their packaging. Although some of them do look fairly battle scarred, I'm sure that to Persephone they probably are all just toys regardless - collectables even.

When we reach the hanger numbered fifty-six, perhaps two thirds of the way down the corridor, I hop off of the walkway. I look towards it with amazement. Who new a simple mining vessel could look so beautiful? She's almost as curvy as my girlfriend, with the exception of, what I presume are, the electromagnets of course.

Hanging below the pointed cockpit, are two long cuboid shaped prongs. Both of them are very thick, and extend out from the underneath of the cockpit. Above them, is the fairly large cockpit. Its windows curve all of the way around it, to the main hull directly behind it.

"You like it? I really don't think that it's anything particularly special," Lyra says to me, "We get our fair share of ships like this, except this seems to be a slightly newer model."

"Do you get lots of mining ships?" I inquire.

"We do," Althea interrupts, "Mummy normally ignores them though."

Why would she want to ignore mining ships? From what I've seen, they all look like easy enough targets to capture. They're lightly armed and probably don't have that much armour either. Sure, they have some, but it's nothing when compared to the bigger ships I've seen during my time in the navy. Plus, she could probably trade any loot with pirates on the black market.

And doesn't Eris expect a steady flow of humans? They should be the perfect way to meet, or even exceed, the quotas handed down to her. She has alluded to being lonely, and I'm sure there are plenty of handsome miners out there.

"Hello, Persephone," I hear Lyra say down her smart watch, "We're here."

"Excellent," I hear Persephone breathe, "Unfortunately, as I've run out of beds, Hercules will have to sleep down there tonight. If he's good though, perhaps I'll let him sleep with me. But we'll have to see how loyal he is first."

"It does allow him to get used to his new ship though."

"True; there should be some spacesuits inside, and hopefully one will fit him. I'll be putting in the coordinates for our destination first thing after we wake up. Also, by tomorrow, I want you to have assigned two of my servants to Hercules. They will keep watch over him whilst he's flying that thing; I don't want him to try anything funny during the mission. I need to get ready for tomorrow. We'll talk again tomorrow."

"Good bye Persephone. I'll let you know who I decide tomorrow."

With that, Lyra closes the communication channel. She then presses a button located in the lower portion of the transparent material separating the hallway from the hanger. Some the material opens up and slides across, revealing a door that I didn't realize was present.

Hopefully these beds will be comfier than those on the human flagship. Not that they were bad; it's just the memory foam could have been thicker. The ship doesn't look bad so I have reason to be hopeful, but looks can be deceptive.

As we walk up to the ship, I get a better view of its rear. Like the front, it's curvy. It's long – suggesting there is lots of room for storing things. As we walk along its side, I see a small step ladder leading up to the cockpit.

Following Lyra's lead, we head up, inside. The cockpit area is fairly large and nicely furnished – containing plush chairs with an expensive feel to them, and walls with a bright décor to them. Control panels fill the areas below the windows, and towards the middle there is a small squared shaped table with some playing cards on it. Directly behind it is a grey door.

"Welcome to your new home for the next few days," Lyra declares, "It's lonely down here, but, I had a look inside, and this ship has everything you'll need. There seems to be a computer with some video games on it inside the spare room, so I'm sure that'll keep you entertained whilst Persephone is not fondling you."

"Thanks; I'm sure I'll be fine down here."

"Then we'll leave you to it. The bedroom and bathroom is through that grey door. Come on, Althea, your mummy is expecting you in her room."

Althea looks directly at me and then towards Lyra. She almost seems sad to have to leave. Something is clearly on her mind, but I can't think what.

"Tell her I want to sleep down here with Hercules. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Are you sure?" Lyra asks, "You know what your mummy is like when she's angry."

"Fine. I'll talk to her first."

This could be a good chance to learn more about the Angels. Maybe Althea can tell me some useful information about Persephone. But I best stay out of their discussion for now; I don't want it to seem like I'm taking Althea's side.

Lyra sighs, but remains silent, as Althea rolls up her sleeve to reveal a device that looks like a smart watch. She appears to key in some details and then brings her wrist up to her face. When she does so, I hear Persephone's voice again.

"What's the matter sweetie?" she asks.

"Can I stay down here with Hercules?"

There is a pause. As we wait for Persephone to voice her response, Althea begins to tap her foot impatiently. She looks at me, and then towards Lyra. After a few seconds, Persephone responds.

"I suppose there's no problem. You could show Hercules back up after you've slept."

Althea's face lights up. Her fists clench from the delight too. She then looks back down towards the smart watch.

"Then it's settled. Thanks mummy."

"Always happy to please my little girl. I guess I'll be spending the night alone..."

Why does Persephone sound so needy all of a sudden? I thought Angels were supposed to be these fiercely independent beings. I would have never expected her to speak in such a sad tone.

Before meeting Althea I didn't think an Angel had a capacity for love. But it's looking as if they share lots of common human emotions. I'd hate to find out what would happen if Althea died. The humans wouldn't hear the end of it.

"You could just let Hercules have a tiny bit of your bed like you do with me you know," Althea counters, "There's enough room for all three of us."

"But what if I crush you during my sleep?"

"You haven't crushed me yet. Besides, you know your awesome breasts make an excellent cushion."

"But Hercules hasn't really earned it yet..."

"You think he's going to defy you after seeing how easily you can dominate humans?"

"Althea's right," I interject, hoping Persephone can hear me, "I'd hate to upset a valuable ally."

"Ooh, so I'm valuable."

Althea winks at me. A smile creeps across her lips and I start to feel rather awkward. What is she planning?

"Don't you think allowing Hercules into your bed with you will get him to like you more?" Althea says.

"Maybe," is all Persephone replies.

"You don't want to be lonely for the rest of your life do you?"

I can't say that I like the thought of staying down here, in the depths of her flagship, for the night; so I best play along with this. I might regret it later, but right now the prospect of spending the night with the mass of woman seems a whole lot more appealing than being stuck down here, despite the inherent dangers.

I raise my hand and show my palm to Althea, motioning her to be quiet for a moment. I know just the thing to say. If I can reinforce her ego I might just get my way.

"Listen, Persephone, when you weakened me earlier, I really got a sense of just how grand you truly are. You're an amazing Angel and a master mother who has raised all three of her girls spectacularly."

Lyra looks at me with a mixture of confusion and amusement. She clearly isn't quite sure what to make of my words. However, I know exactly what I'm doing, and by the sounds I can hear down the line, I seem to be pressing all of the right buttons.

"Oh, Hercules...they love it," I hear Persephone breathe, "Alright, you can come up."

"Okay, we'll see you up there shortly mummy."

Althea waits silently for a few seconds. When it becomes clear that Persephone isn't going to reply, she closes the line. She grabs my wrist and pulls me out of the ship. Lyra quickly follows behind us.

"Wait, shouldn't we get a change of clothes for Hercules?" Lyra calls.

"We can think about that later," Althea shouts back.

We rush the rest of the way down the hallway and to the lift. I look behind us and see Lyra running out of breath. I'd love to know where Althea gets all this energy from. Surely eating humans can't be that good for you, can it?

"Come on Lyra," Althea groans, "You know my mummy doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"I'd love to know where you get all of this energy from Althea," Lyra pants as she joins us in the lift area, "You barely do any exercise."

"You know I use mummy's pool a lot."

"Can I ask you something Althea?" I say as Althea waves a small black device in front of the lifts.

"Sure, what is it?"

This probably isn't a good time to spring such a question on her, but I can't have the question about the miners linger in my head. Plus, I'd rather ask her first. And I'm not sure if it's something I should ask Persephone directly anyway.

"It's about the miners. Do you know why your mummy doesn't go after more mining ships?"

"Eris and Nyx tell my mummy lots of stupid things. I think it was Eris who said not to go near the mining ships. But sometimes, mummy just can't help herself."

"Yeah..."

I trail off. Both of them remain silent whilst we ascend. Once we reach the upper level, we make a quick dash for the next set of lifts. When we reach them, Lyra heads off, leaving us to ascend without her.

Upon re-entering Persephone's bedroom, we are greeted by a cross legged Persephone. As soon as we exit the lift lobby, her hands swoop down to whisk us from the floor – before I have a chance to see what she's wearing. As she moves us quickly through the air, I begin to feel queasy.

She places us on her bed first and then walks over to the other side. It's only now, as she saunters across her bedroom, that I get a good look at her sleeping attire – a black bra and panties. Without much care, she plops herself onto her bed and stretches out in the distance before us. She lays on her side – her taut, yet reasonably plump, stomach facing us. Like before, a light bending material envelops her head.

"That's your side, and this is my side," she declares, pointing towards us in the process.

Things are moving too quickly. I've known Persephone less than twenty-four hours and I'm already sleeping with her. Funny how I didn't voice this earlier. I hate it when my penis overrides all rational thoughts.

"Thank you for letting me sleep with you Persephone," I say with a smile.

"You should thank Althea for convincing me," she replies, now retracting her arm, "Not that I needed much convincing. As soon as I saw you, I knew I just had to have you in my collection."

I turn to Althea, who is blushing profusely. To our side, Persephone lets out a small giggle. Ignoring her, I continue to focus on Althea.

"Thank you Althea. Both of you have been very nice hosts so far."

"It was nothing," Althea says with a smile.

"Well, we have lots to do tomorrow," Persephone says, "And I expect both of you to be up early."

Before I can voice the fact that we have no blanket, Persephone reaches out to grab the bed cover – located at her feet. She drops it on top of us, rather nonchalantly, and we're covered in darkness. Not expecting such a huge mass to come down on me, I fall to the mattress.

"Mummy..." Althea whines.

"Sorry," I hear Persephone call.

Above us, Persephone moves the blanket slightly, and we're back into the light. I crawl towards the huge cushion on our side of the bed. Althea follows close behind. Hopefully I can get a good rest next to it. Already this is seeming more comfortable than the beds on the human flagship. Then again, to me, the mattress is as thick as several average sized fighters laid end to end.

"There," she says, covering our small bodies with her cupped hand, "Sleep well."

"We will," Althea says.

"And no funny stuff. I'm watching you both."

That sounds rather hypocritical coming from Persephone. She's already been really intimate with me, and we barely know each other. It's weird thinking of an Angel as a motherly figure. It's not something I ever expected.

Behind us, the covers come down, covering most of our bodies. Fortunately, Persephone is more careful this time. When her hand retracts, we make ourselves comfortable.

In the distance, I see her hands fondling her breasts again, suggesting she is becoming excited again. I guess she must really appreciate my company. I smile, thankful that she considers me a friend, and drift off to sleep.

The next day (night and day is non-existent in space, but whatever), I'm awoken by an immense mass pressing down on me. I want to turn over and see what it is, but I feel so incredibly weak. The most I can seem to manage is to move my head to the side. When I do, I see a massive pair of lips close in on my body. They lightly caress my body. Above them, a thick blue veil literally hugs her face.

"Hercules, Hercules," I hear Persephone's soft voice coo, "It's time to wake up...oh there you are! Finally, you're awake."

Has she been putting me inside her cleavage again? Is that why I feel so weak? She could have just poked me and then I'd be awake in no time at all. Why does she have to go through all of this shenanigans?

"We have lots to do today," she continues, "Althea is already having her breakfast."

"Persephone, I...I feel so weak," I say, just barely managing to force the words out of my mouth.

"I know. Just relax. Your breakfast is being brought up."

What could be for breakfast I wonder? I doubt they have everything required for a nutritionally balanced diet out here. Hopefully all future meals will be on the same level as the bean salad. I don't want to have to resort to eating humans too.

"What's for breakfast?" I ask.

"Remember that cruise ship I told you about before?"

"Cruise ship? You mean the place where you got the clothes you told me about?"

"Precisely. There was lots of what you call 'breakfast cereal' on it. Lyra claims you need to eat it with milk, but I don't have any. So you'll have to eat it without. Speaking of..."

Persephone turns her head to the side and then slides off of the bed. It's only now, with her leaving me to examine the lift lobby, that I finally start to regain some strength. I turn my body onto its stomach and look towards the floor by the lift. It seems that she has placed me on top of the cushion.

Below, I see Lyra exit the lift lobby with a couple of Persephone's servants. They're probably closer to slaves than paid labour, but I'm happy to go along with Persephone's sugar-coating. After all, I'd hate to upset that huge mass of woman, as she could easily end me in an instant.

"Thank you Lyra," I hear Persephone say, "I'm certain Hercules will love this!"

Lyra appears to mutter something and then turns back towards the lift, with the two servants. Her voice is too inaudible from this distance that I can't tell what it is she's saying, but Persephone appears satisfied. When they leave, Persephone grabs something from the floor and turns back towards me.

"This is for you," she says, daintily placing a trolley with two bowls of dry muesli and some water in front of me.

I sit up straight and take a moment to examine the breakfast. It looks good. But I don't get a spoon?

"Thank you Persephone. Where is Althea?"

"She's getting ready for today. Which reminds me, I still need to tell you some of the details about your mission."

Persephone slides onto the bed in front of me, placing her hands underneath her chin. She tilts her head and looks down at me, or rather appears to do so – as I can't see her eyes underneath her veil. I slide down the cushion to the trolley and wait for her to continue. As I take a bowl of muesli, Persephone starts to talk again.

"Wayne said that he will only tell us how to defeat Eris if we got a few items for him," Persephone continues, "As I said to you before. The main thing he wants is a machine to do blood tests, which is why we're going to the medical outpost he told us about. He said this will allow him to analyse our DNA."

"That makes sense," I say as I take a handful of muesli, "If he can do some tests on you then he can prove your origins."

"No matter what the outcome, I'll still be better than any human in every way. Remember that. While you have your breakfast I'll put in the coordinates."

With that, Persephone slides off of her bed. She then stretches, her arms held perfectly straight above her prime body, allowing me a good view of her, still clad in just the black bra and panties from before. Not sure if it was intentional, but I appreciate the view of her taut stomach and her two mighty twin girls either way.

I sit in silence as Persephone leaves for one of the adjoining rooms. The muesli is pretty good. I think it might be one of those expensive Martian brands, but I couldn't say for sure. I'd expect nothing less of cruise ship food of course. The passengers must have had more money than sense; after all, they all got caught by Persephone.

After a while, Persephone returns. Her black bra and panties have been replaced with a plain pink corset, the upper rim frilly, and her veil has been replaced with a layer of the light bending material I encountered yesterday. She approaches me and her hands reaches down to scoop me up from her bed.

Fortunately I've finished eating. But it would have been nice of her to ask if she could pick me up regardless. I'm held between her hands, with only my head poking out, and transported across the room to the lift lobby.

She places me onto the floor, and takes a couple of steps back to sit crossed legged in front of the lift. I gaze up at her magnificent body, my mouth agape. I want to believe I'm in heaven, but, unfortunately, Persephone is still technically my enemy.

"I've decided," she declares, her forefinger reaching down to gingerly rub my cheek, "That Althea is going to escort you onto the medical outpost when we arrive. She's so strong and athletic, and I don't think I can trust anyone else. True, I can't lose her, and she is the best thing that ever happened to me, but I can't lose Lyra either. And Althea seems to really like you."

"What about you?" I ask, perplexed, "Do you really like me too?"

Persephone retracts her forefinger and the room falls silent. What could she be thinking? The silence is awkward, at least to me, but I'm sure Persephone is choosing her next words carefully.

"I don't know," she finally utters, "You're just a simple human, like Lyra actually."

"I guess you're right."

But if I'm just a simple human, what does that make Althea? Does she not think Althea is human? If I were Lyra I'd want to get blood tests on Althea as well.

"You are cute though. Don't feel bad. I did really enjoy the time I've spent with you so far."

"Thanks, Persephone."

"You had better not die out there. If you get killed, I will make sure there is nothing left of the medical outpost. So, if you don't want any precious humans to die you had better stay alive, got it?"

"I got it Persephone."

Persephone's forefinger approaches me again. Like before, it rubs my face, and I can't help but feel that I'm being treated like a well loved pet – a small furry animal perhaps. But do I appreciate the tenderness, and the attention she's giving me.

"Good boy. It's been ages since I last rescued such an obedient human."

"And it's been ages since I last saw such a magnificent set of girls."

Wait? What am I saying? I shouldn't be flirting with Persephone! I want to get back to Mars. Why am I allowing my penis to control my entire body?

"D'awh, Hercules, thank you. They'd love to play with you again, but later. Right now I need to find you a change of clothes, and a new spacesuit, and Althea is going to show you around the mining ship too. It shouldn't be too longer before we arrive so we need to make sure we're fully prepared."

I strap myself into my seat in the cockpit. Very soon, we will arrive at the medical outpost. Hard to believe that it's been two days already. Time sure does fly when you're having fun.

Being in the pool with Althea was certainly an experience. I don't think I've ever been in water that deep, and I can't remember the last time I received so much attention from women. Not just Althea and Persephone, but Lyra too. I was popular at school, but even then I don't think I ever had so many lustful faces examining me at the same time. I guess all of that gym work the navy made us do really paid off.

I'm not sure I believe Persephone when she says she doesn't have a romantic interest in me. Why would she want to deny it though? Is she ashamed that she has romantic feelings for a simple human?

Not wanting to continue to drown in my narcissistic thoughts, I look around the cockpit of the mining ship, through the tinted visor of my spacesuit, to make sure everything is in working order. I then down towards the touch screen displays below me. Everything looks fine. Hard to believe it's in such good condition – considering what Persephone did to its former occupants. That thought could be premature of course, as I've yet to turn on the engines. I hope Persephone knows what she's doing.

Sat beside me, is a smiling Althea – I can just about make out her face underneath the visor of her black spacesuit. I still can't believe Persephone put her up for this. Even though it's just a small medical outpost, it's highly likely that it will have a squadron of interceptors to defend itself. But I guess that's where I come in.

"This should be fun," Althea happily declares, "I can finally put my target practise to good use."

Target practise? Has Persephone been training her up to be a warrior? Perhaps she is one of the people that kills humans for Persephone to eat. Is she already that desensitized to killing? Probably best I don't dwell on that thought.

"You know we're not supposed to kill anyone, right? Unless, they fight back of course," I say, my voice full of concern.

"You really think they're not going to fight back?"

"Well, your mummy said she was going persuade them not to attack us, so let's hope."

"I know, but killing idiot humans is fun!"

"Pardon?"

Did I hear her correctly? Before she can reply, a green button, on the middle touch screen, starts flashing. That means Persephone is requesting contact with us. Althea presses the button and, as expected, Persephone's chest appears on the screen between our seats – her breasts dominating the view. Not sure why she's decided to wear her pink bikini all of a sudden, but I won't question her decision.

"I've just finished having my heart-to-heart with the doctor in charge of the hospital, so you shouldn't have anybody bothering you. Do you remember what you're supposed to do?"

"Yes Mummy," Althea groans, "We're not stupid like your other humans."

Persephone clenches one of her fists. She waves it in front of the camera for a brief moment and then lowers it out of view. When she starts talking again, her tone catches me off guard and I flinch.

"Althea! Don't talk to mummy like that!"

I think now would be a good time to interrupt. I don't want this situation to get out of hand. I'd hate to find out what Persephone is like when she's in a bad mood.

"We're supposed to dock onto the medical outpost," I say, wanting to project my confidence to the two ladies – or four if I count Persephone's twins, "And you'll give us an escort of a few fighters in case they are defiant. If either one of us gets harmed you will not hesitate to use your ion cannon to blow the station into a million tiny pieces. And Althea is here to make sure I don't run away."

"Excellent, Hercules."

"One quick question though..."

"Go on."

"What if they start shooting at us once we're inside?"

"Don't worry, I've thought about that too. If you're touching Althea's spacesuit, it can teleport you back to me along with her. Now get going!"

"If I don't make it back, I just want to say how grateful I am for your company. You've been more fun than I expected."

"Awh, Hercules..."

She trails off. Then one of her hands moves up to fondle of her breasts. If this woman isn't trying to flirt with me, then I don't know what it is.

"I will turn on the thrust reversal now," I say, trying my best not to sound flustered, "And we'll let you know when we've docked."

"I expect you two back here within an hour! If not, they'll be trouble."

Persephone abruptly closes the communication channel. When she does, I place my hands on the joystick, beginning the careful process of manoeuvring out of the hanger. Since this mining ship is larger than the average fighter, it could get tricky on the return for sure.

After this stunt, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to show my face on Mars again. It'll only be a matter of time before Maxine and my family finds out what I've done. Killing Eris would restore my reputation, but I don't think anyone would believe me if I was to say I single-handedly took out Eris. Guess it's the pirate life for me after this is over.

As we reverse out of the hanger, I get my first look at the exterior of Persephone's flagship. Perhaps predictably, it's covered in pink. However, it's shape is vastly different from Nyx's ship, and even Eris's. Seems as though each of the Angels has a unique ship. Makes sense given how fiercely independent each of them are.

As I turn the fighter around, I see a vast stocky flagship. I don't get to see much of it though, so a clear view will have to wait until the return flight. On the radar, a few apparently friendly fighters appear, and in the distance is the medical outpost.

The hospital isn't nearly as fanciful or, I assume, as big as Persephone's flagship, being a simple grey cylinder – positioned vertically. Not that it needs to be of course. Judging by its distance, and our speed, it looks as if we'll be there in around ten minutes.

Why did Persephone have to give me such a slow ship? Was there really nothing more suitable? My Laser Fighter could be there in half the time – less than. Even though Persephone told me not to be, I'm still bitter about that.

I wonder if I can get revenge on Nyx for what she put me through. If Wayne knows how to kill Eris then he surely must know how to kill all of the Angels. But do I kill Persephone too?

Ugh, why did I have to start pondering such philosophical questions now? All of a sudden, Althea snaps me out of my deep thought. She pokes my arm.

"You look sad. Why are you sad?" she asks, apparently concerned.

"Just thinking about things," I reply, trying my best to mask my unease.

"I see. My mummy often thinks about things too."

"What sort of things does she think about?"

"Lots of things. Mostly about how lonely she is. She's seen how some of you humans love each other, and I think she wants that for herself."

"She does? Althea, thank you. I think you may have just helped me to make up my mind about something."

"What do you mean?"

Althea looks at me confused. I can't tell her what I was thinking though. I can't tell her I possibly considered killing Persephone.

"It's nothing important," I blurt.

"Fine."

Althea falls silent. I hope I haven't offended her. Perhaps I did voice that last sentence a little harshly? Persephone is frustrating to think about though. I get so many conflicting thoughts every time I think about her.

Like Althea, she is an enigma. But, one thing is certain: She's a woman of contradictions. She likes to believe that she is vastly superior to humans, and eat them even, yet she wants to love them. She cares deeply for Althea and Lyra – it's easy to see. Although I wouldn't be surprised if even Lyra is simply obeying Persephone out of fear. Or perhaps that's too cynical of me?

I can't imagine someone as intelligent as Lyra went to Persephone willingly though. If she wants to have meaningful relationships with humans, besides Althea, she needs to understand she can't view them with disdain and force them to love her. And, most of all, she needs to understand that humans may have certain qualities she may not have. If she was as perfect as she claims, then she would be able to do this assignment all on her own – without the help of any humans.

As we close in on the medical outpost, I start to wonder how on Mars I'm going to get inside. It's not obvious. Does this thing come with a targeting system to lock onto station entrances?

There's lots of buttons on the touch screen display, but none of them look as if they do what I want. Rather than spend the time to study each of them in detail, I manoeuvre the ship upwards in the hope of finding the entrance. It doesn't help that the station is spinning. You'd think they'd have done artificial gravity properly. Guess it must be an older station without proper gravity generators.

As I move up, a narrow slit comes into view at the top of the station. Still there is no sign of any foes. It looks like Persephone was right; they won't be bothering me. If they were going to harass us then they would have come out by now, surely.

It can't be that a station this far out doesn't have any security personnel – that I know for sure. They are way too many pirates out here on the fringes. And the threat of Eris too. I don't think they will go down without a fight, despite Persephone's assurance. Desperation brings out the best in people is what my commanding officer would say.

"Make sure you have your gun ready Althea," I say to her, though not making eye contact, "You never know what might happen."

Immediately, she picks up her Laser Pistol from the floor beside her. The small metallic gun fits neatly into her hand. Unlike an ordinary pistol, its muzzle is cone shaped.

"Ready, Hercules," she replies, placing both hands on the trigger of the gun, "Where's your gun?"

"I left my pistol on the table; it's of no use whilst I'm driving."

Althea turns to look at the table directly behind us. She stares at it for a couple of seconds and then turns back to look at me. I don't like the way that she's waving that gun around, but I don't want to cause a fuss over it – not now anyway.

"Oh yeah, I see it."

"Okay, I need to focus now. We're almost there. I have to get into that narrow hole in the distance below us."

Upon being directly above the slit, I start the descent. Very gradually, I lower the ship into the slowly spinning hole. As I do so, more of the station comes into view.

In front of us are various antenna that I'm careful to avoid. Either side of the slit are landing pads for large ships – marked out by yellow lines. And below us is the deep hole containing all of the slots for small ships.

"Can you contact your mummy to let her know that we've almost arrived?" I ask.

"Sure."

Althea presses some buttons on her section of the controls. This brings up the image of Persephone in the screen between our seats. Like before, the camera is focused on her chest – still clad in her pink bikini.

I hate how distracting her breasts are – or maybe that's the point of flaunting them? Is it psychological warfare? Does she really think that little of a human like me? Of course I want more – it's only natural after all – but she should understand that she can't use her twin girls to get her way forever.

"We're there, well here," Althea declares, cheerily.

"Excellent. I was told to direct you to the hanger with the only set of doors that will be open," Persephone says, "The ones with the flashing red light above them. It should be obvious once you're inside."

As soon as she finishes talking, the screen goes blank, allowing me to return my focus on landing the ship. All around us are various hanger doors. Fortunately, I quickly notice the flashing light that she is referring to. I turn my ship slowly to get into position and turn on the landing gear. It's quite a tight squeeze in here, but we'll make it.

When we touchdown onto the grey hanger floor, the doorway in front of us opens to reveal a narrow corridor. However, nobody comes through. Behind us, the sensors indicate, the doors to the outside have closed.

I turn off the engines and look towards Althea. She smiles at me and gets up. She walks towards the table and hands me my pistol.

When I turn to walk towards the airlock, I notice some movement in the corner of my eye. When I peer out of the cockpit windows, however, I don't see anything. What could they be planning?

"I want you to stay in here for the moment," I command.

"Why?" she says, a hint of anger in her expression.

"There's a big blue button on my control panel to turn on the electromagnets. If anything happens as I leave, I want you to press it. You will press it on my command. Understood?"

(Author's note: Magnetic wormholes, something contemporary scientists can create, will prevent the ship from becoming damaged by the strong force of the electromagnets).

Sure, the electromagnets would hurt me too, and there might be magnetic elements in my spacesuit, but I can't take any risks. If they do come at us gung-ho, then the electromagnets should render their weaponry ineffective, and disable any nearby electronics too. The electromagnets could damage a large part of the station, but it's a risk I have to take. Not sure if Persephone thought of that, but I'm beginning to see that there's more utility to this mining ship than I first thought.

"I understand," she says, a smile returning to her lips.

"Good. I don't want you to get hurt. Your mummy will probably kill me if I allow you to get hurt. I'm about to open the door, so have your hand ready on the button."

As Althea makes herself comfortable, I begin to open the first door of the airlock. At the same time, I feel the vibrations of the steps (ladder) extending to the ground below me. The door opens inwards. I twist my head for the briefest of moments to look back at Althea, who is happily humming away, before closing the door. Not sure how she can be so relaxed at a time like this.

The second door opens outwards. I slowly descend the steps but still nobody comes to greet us. When I reach the hanger floor, I walk, crouched, staying close to the front of the ship.

I hold the pistol close to my chest, hand on the trigger. My heart begins beating faster as I anticipate who or what could be hiding behind the doorway. Other than that though: silence.

I cautiously make my way around to the front of the electromagnets and wait for a moment – just in case somebody comes in. But it doesn't look like they sent anybody to welcome us.

Not wanting to take any chances, however, I pause, my eyes darting around the area, expecting something bad to happen. Then I notice a canister of some kind fall through the doorway. Before I have a chance to think about what might have just happened, a cloud of smoke rushes out of the hallway. Fuck! We've been ambushed! Those bastards!

"Althea," I call over the radio, "Now! Do it now!"

I fall to the floor and roll underneath the ship – so that I'm behind its two electromagnets. Given that I'm still holding my gun, I don't think she heard me. I shout again.

"Now, Althea! Now, dammit!"

I hear voices coming from the hallway. Oh crap! Come on, Althea, what are you waiting for? They're coming for us!

"Surrender, scum!" I hear a woman's voice yell, air now apparently present inside the hanger.

As the smoke begins to clear, several sets of feet emerge from the doorway. Surely Althea must know by now to turn on the electromagnets. Are they not functional? Why didn't we think to check beforehand? How could I forget to do something so obvious like see if and how the electromagnets work?

"There's the heat signature of one underneath the cockpit! Look," I hear another voice, this time that of a man, shout.

Not wanting to wait for Althea any longer, I aim my pistol at one of the feet of the attackers. I fire a single bullet. The person, a man, falls to the ground with a thump. Panic ensues. The other people around him all scramble as they struggle to understand what just happened.

I swiftly take aim at the arm of the man. I fire again, this time managing to knock his weapon – a pistol with a telescopic sight – out of his hand. Blood erupts from his wrist and ankle.

I shuffle about on the floor, taking a good look at my surroundings. A couple of people still remain standing. To my right, next to the stairs, I see my next target.

"There's one inside the cockpit!" I hear the fallen man shout.

I'm just about to fire my pistol when I see the person beside the steps, a woman, collapse to the floor, creating another pool of blood. As I'm about to shuffle back around, to face the opposite direction, a bullet pierces my spacesuit.

"Argh!" I cry, "Fuck!"

The bullet has zipped straight through my arm. In the corner of my eye, I see another set of legs sprint past me. I guess this is the end of me.

"Come out with your hands up!" I hear another man shout.

Several more shots are fired. Fortunately, none at me. I manage to twist my head and see that the man who managed to injure my me has had his head, neck and upper torso burnt to a crisp. Two dark holes, one on his forehead and the other in his cheek, extend right the way through his petrified face.

His body lays on the floor, flooding the vicinity with blood. When a foot, encased in a black boot, is placed on his chest, the flow of blood increases. Surrounding the door to the hanger, there is a splattering of blood, a mixture his and that of his female companion.

After a couple of seconds the foot removes itself from the man's chest and a spent magazine falls to the floor. The figure then kneels down, and it's only then that I realize that it's Althea. She smiles at me and offers me a hand.

I accept, extending my arm, and she helps pull me from underneath the ship. Once up, I go over and pick up the discarded pistol of the man I shot, guessing it's better than my own given its telescopic sight. The man, still alive, looks up at me with disdain.

"What is it you want?" he asks, his voice strained, his lips barely moving.

"Didn't Persephone make herself clear?" I ask.

"You work with that demon? You're a traitor!"

Before I have a chance to respond, Althea shoots the man in the head. A single burst of energy from her laser pistol is enough to kill the man. The concentrated light burns through his brain, leaving a small hole in his forehead, and presumably that hole extends slightly into the tiled floor below him.

"I hate it when people say silly things about mummy," she says through gritted teeth, "We'll collect the bodies after, so mummy can cook them for her dinner. The weapons too."

"I'm not sure how much I'll be able to carry since they shot me in the arm..."

Her smile disappears. She wraps her hand around my bloodied arm. Her hands feel my biceps and triceps, tenderly caressing them. Even this feels painful, but I can't show any sign of weakness – not now anyway. We still have lots of work to do.

"There's a bullet in your wrist," she says, shift her touch down my arm to my forearm, "Mummy is not going to be happy about this."

I knew spacesuits normally double as body armour, but I never did I think I'd find one this strong on a salvaged mining vessel. This spacesuit is amazing. That bullet could have easily gone into my torso.

"But we must go on," I say, "We've come this far."

"Yes."

Althea, removes the hand holding the laser pistol from me and I follow her into the hallway. In the distance, is a double door, white in colour. Who knows what could be behind that set of doors. I hope Althea has come prepared.

When we reach the door, apparently unconcerned with both our safety, Althea barges through it. The doors swing open violently, revealing a fairly large open space with many tables. Heading towards us are two more women – both of them holding pistols.

But, before they even have a chance to raise their weapons, we fire ours. Althea and I both manage to fire several shots before retreating behind some chairs. When we do so, one of the women screams.

Her scream is followed by a loud thump, implying she has collapsed onto the floor. The other woman, meanwhile, is able to call for back up. Damn it! I was sure I got her too!

"Both criminals are still alive," she shouts, clearly aggravated, "We need backup!"

After that there is a moment of silence as we all consider our next moves. Neither us, nor the woman attacking us moves. Althea looks at me with a frown. She raises her free hand, and is just about to speak, when we hear a voice on the station's public address system.

"As I don't want anymore of my people dead, I suppose I had better hear you out. What is it you want exactly?" I hear a male voice say, "This Angel friend of yours wasn't quite clear. She just asserted that you needed to come aboard to collect some things. State your aims. Go on, I can hear you."

"Should I talk or will you?" I whisper to Althea.

"You talk," she says back to me.

Very well. I clear my throat and try to calm my nerves. I hope this isn't another trap – a distraction to keep us occupied, whilst they surround us with security personnel.

"We're here because we need a machine to do blood tests and some basic medical supplies. Persephone will, as she promised, not harm you if you let us take what we want."

"What could she possibly want with a blood analysis machine?" the male voice questions, "If I was going to raid a hospital that's certainly not the first thing I'd go for. Why not take some expensive medicines to sell on the black market? What could she possibly want with a blood analysis machine?"

"It's not for her."

"What do you mean? This all sounds preposterous."

We just want a machine that can do blood tests. Why all this talk of what a good criminal would do? I'm not a criminal. Then again I did just march into a hospital with a list of demands...

"Well," the man prompts.

"Someone wants to do blood tests on her," I say, becoming annoyed, "Now will you give us the machinery we want and quit stalling?"

"I see. So he's found himself a powerful ally after all. I want everyone to stand-down. I need to talk to the intruders in private."

That's a relief. I was worried we were in for an extended gun battle. Hopefully we can be in and out without anymore fuss. I should be used to the sight of dead bodies by now, but they still manage to scare me just a little bit.

"How do we find you?" I ask.

"Tabitha will show you to my office. She's the one you didn't manage to shoot to pieces."

"Fine."

When Althea and I get up, I see Tabitha, a tall woman with shoulder length black hair, is already standing a few tables away from us. She, still holding her gun, gives us a scornful look. I try not to reciprocate her anger, and simply walk across to meet her.

Althea is not so diplomatic however. Through her visor I see an extremely frustrated face. It's as if she is upset that she didn't get to kill the woman. Not wanting to irk her any more than she already is, I remain quiet.

When we reach her, without saying a word, she gestures for us to follow her and starts walking along the rows of tables, across the circumference of the station. It soon becomes clear that we were in a canteen, and I notice the cooks cowering in a corner of the kitchen as we walk past. After the kitchen, the area gradually transforms into a simple waiting area, lined with cushioned seats.

All along the outer edge of the long room are many doors. Tabitha comes to a stop next to one of the few lifts however. She turns around, her eyes narrowing as she looks at us.

"His office is through this lift," she says.

The journey inside the lift is silent. When we arrive at the specified floor, a man is waiting for us just outside of the lift. He is almost bald, with white hair and wears a complex expression – a mixture of contempt and fear. He is wearing a laboratory coat and, underneath it, a plain dark grey t-shirt.

"As requested," Tabitha says, her voice amazingly calm given the tension in the air.

"Thank you Tabitha. You are dismissed. You can go and relax for a while if you want. I'm sorry for putting you through that."

"Thank you sir."

Tabitha gives the man a bow and leaves. As she enters the lift, the man's attention then turns to us. His expression is hard to read; I can't decide if he's really serious or if this is another attempt at a stall.

"I underestimated you two..." he says, before being cut off by Althea.

"You make the same mistake all humans make," she shouts, "You think my mummy is just some weak damsel. Well you're wrong!"

"Althea, please..." I manage to say before she cuts me off too.

"This human insulted my mummy!"

"I am truly sorry..." he says.

"My mummy could..."

"Althea please!" I shout, clenching my fists as I do, "I've had just about enough of your interrupting. Let's hear what the man has to say first. Please."

Althea looks at me, her angry expression replaced with one of sadness. Her eyes begin to well up too. Oh crap, if Persephone finds out I made Althea cry I'm a goner.

"I'm sorry Hercules," Althea sobs, "I'll be quiet now."

"I'm sorry for shouting at you Althea. We all know how amazing your mummy is, but now is not the time. Please, for Hercules."

"I suppose you're right."

The man offers us each a hand. I shake his hand and, upon seeing this, Althea does the same with his other hand. None of us are at all enthusiastic with our shaking, and the awkwardness is clear. When he shakes my arm he seems to notice the bullet lodge in my wrist.

"I'm Dr. Timothy Dickinson," the man says, "I am the doctor in charge of this hospital. And you must be Hercules, and you're Althea, correct?"

"Correct," I say as we each retract our hands.

"And you came here wanting a blood analysis machine?"

"Yes. That's what we just told you."

"First we should have your wound seen to. Follow me."

The corridor is fairly wide – there is enough room for all three of us to stand side-by-side. All along it are small rooms – many of them windowed – some filled with medical equipment and others with offices. We follow the doctor into one of the adjoining rooms with, what looks like, an operating table and various cupboards in it.

Upon entering, he turns to face us. He inspects the bullet hole in the arm of my spacesuit but does not touch it. After a few seconds, he walks over to one of the cupboards.

"Whatever I do now is because I am a decent human being," he says, removing some items from the cupboard, "Don't think I like you. Take off your spacesuit please."

Funny he should say that after we've just been attacked. If he was really that decent he wouldn't have ordered people to ambush us in the first place. But, I'm grateful nonetheless.

"Thank you, Dr. Dickinson," I say, "I'm sure it's not that bad though. This seems to be an old mining spacesuit so it's not designed for combat."

"You can never be too careful," he replies, "But at least it didn't hit a vital part of your body. You can probably get away without any major surgery."

As he places the items onto the table in the middle of the room – a roll of bandages and a couple of spray-bottles – I begin to unzip my spacesuit (the zip is on the front). Unfortunately, as I come to remove the material from my injured arm the pain increases.

"Argh," I cry.

"Hercules are you okay?" Althea asks, her voice full of sadness.

I grasp my arm tightly, hoping the pain will lessen. But it doesn't seem to be helping. Have I broken a bone in my arm? The bullet went in deep for sure.

"I...I think I'll be fine Althea."

"Looks like Timothy will be able to fix you. You'll be good as new!"

I look back towards the doctor, who gives us an odd expression. Without saying a word, he walks over to me and takes my arm. He gently tugs at it. Although the pain remains strong, I resist stopping him. Fortunately, as I'm only wearing a short sleeved t-shirt underneath, only one layer has to be removed.

When the spacesuit is removed from my damaged arm, the doctor is able to take a closer look at it. He leans in, getting uncomfortably close, but does not touch the bloodied hole in my arm. When he eventually retracts his head, he goes over to the table to grab a spray-bottle – presumably containing a disinfectant of some kind.

"It doesn't look like anything major," he assures me, "The bullet didn't go too deep into your wrist. It hit the bone, sure, but you'll be fine."

When the spray hit my arm it triggers a painful stinging sensation. I clench my fists, but manage to remain quiet. The doctor then walks back over to the table.

"I assume you're not one of those people who thinks that it's cool to walk around with a bullet lodged inside you," he says, "I've seen a few of those in my time. They seem to think that it makes them look tough for some reason."

"I never understood those people either," I say, remembering a shipmate named Jackson, one of those odd people the doctor is referring to.

"Good. This might hurt a little."

The doctor takes a pair of tweezers from the table. He then takes another close look at my arm. He stares at it intently for a moment and holds it in his free hand.

When the tweezers come into contact with the bullet, I flinch. The doctor instinctively grips my arm tighter. The tweezers pull hard, and I want to scream but I manage to stay strong.

I bite down on my lower lip and tense all of my muscles. Althea noticing my pain, begins to look rather worried. I give her a thumbs up with my free arm, but, apparently, she doesn't understand my attempt to reassure her.

The doctor holds up the removed bullet triumphantly. He holds it in the for several seconds before placing it onto the table. He then gets the roll of bandages. Once the is bandage securely around my arm, I'm able to endorse my spacesuit again.

"Follow me into my office," he says as he opens the door to the hallway, "There are some photographs I want to show you."

Without any protest, we both follow the doctor back along the corridor. His office is one of the rooms without a window. When he opens his office door, a messy room presents itself.

In one corner is a desk, with a laptop computer and lots of paper scattered all over it, and an expensive looking office chair. By the door are two rather less expensive chairs and an open cupboard containing a variety of computer equipment and several piles of paperwork. On a shelf beside the desk is a kettle and some books.

"Please, have a seat in front of my desk," Dr. Dickinson says as he walks over to his desk to sit down, "You can move the chairs; it's not a problem. Just make sure that the door securely closed behind you."

Both of us take a chair whilst the doctor makes himself comfortable. He then pulls out a rectangular picture frame from somewhere underneath the desk. The picture frame is an electronic one, displaying a slide show consisting of various photographs – some of them of children, others of adults – many of them containing a young Dr. Dickinson.

I...is that who I think it is in the photographs? Is that man Wayne? Does this man know Wayne? The doctor notices my uneasy reaction and allows me a closer look at the photographs.

"You recognise someone?" he asks.

Unfortunately I do. But what is the connection? I look back up at the face of the doctor. Could they be brothers?

"Hercules, what's wrong?" Althea asks, her prior sadness replaced with concern for me.

"I know that man," I say, pointing to Wayne.

"Do you know this man's name?" the doctor asks, also pointing to Wayne.

"Yes. His name is Wayne."

"Correct. He is the one who really sent you here isn't he?"

"How did you know?"

"It was instinct I suppose. I've known he's wanted to kill Eris for a while."

"Bingo. He mentioned something about killing Eris if we do him a favour. Wait! How do you know about that?"

"Obtaining a blood testing machine was another of Wayne's crazy ideas. He came to see me last year asking for certain medical supplies, even though he knows I want nothing to do with his creations."

"What? You mean the Angels?"

Dr. Dickinson slams his fist onto the table. The force causes one of the piles of paper to fall. I look at him dumbfounded. All the while, Althea is managing to sit quietly next to me. Eerily quiet in fact.

"Precisely!" he says, looking at me with increasing anger, "He got paid insane amounts of money for those biology experiments! Enough to build a personal station not that much smaller than this one. Which he did. He even has a generous pension to keep him quiet about the whole thing, or so I'm told. I, on the other hand...well. I've been left to rot in this old hospital. He's deluded if he thinks he can fix his mistake. How can someone be so smart and yet be so idiotic at the same time?"

Who could possibly want to create giantesses? Wouldn't they know of the dangers of creating such powerful women? And their flagships too. Did Wayne do all of this on his own? I find it hard to believe that he did.

"Wayne seems serious. He must have a solution!" I say, my confidence clearly disappearing.

"Like I said, Wayne is both smart and an idiot at the same time. Let me tell you a story."

"This Wayne guy is really annoying," Althea suddenly chimes in.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that Althea. That is the nice way of putting it," Dr. Dickinson says with a nod of his head, "When we were children, we always dreamt of following in the footsteps of our parents. They were both extremely famous astrobiologists. When the time came, an anonymous donor came forward to offer to pay for our entire time at university, but only on the condition we studied synthetic biology somewhere in the Solar System."

"Did you accept?" I ask.

"I didn't – I suspected something was up – but Wayne did accept. I knew we were both bright, Wayne especially, everyone around us knew that, and somebody must have taken a particular interest in us. Curiously, we both managed to end up working for the same company as our late parents. Wayne said they'd be happy to employ me too and, as I foolishly accepted, that's why you see me here now. Now, do you honestly believe they'd let him just waltz in and kill Eris?"

When he finishes speaking, there is an awkward silence. He places both of his hands over his mouth, suggesting he is thinking deeply. His eyes convey a sense of fear. Dr. Dickinson is clearly a man conflicted.

"You mean the mining company?" I prompt, hoping my guess triggers something.

"What makes you think it's a mining company?"

So it's actually not what I thought it might be? Why would Persephone be told not to attack miners then? It makes no sense. If it's not a mining company, then who is it? I look at the doctor, confused, wondering why on Mars he isn't being straightforward with me.

"Wayne told us this a hospital primarily used by injured and sick miners," I say, in the hope of squeezing more information out of the doctor.

"I see. And that's your reason for thinking I work for a mining company?"

His voice is wavering. It seems I hit a nerve. Good thing we have our guns, if the doctor refuses to cooperate.

"It's not just that. But if it's not a mining company then who is it?"

"I've already said too much. You need to go. The equipment will be waiting downstairs."

The doctor begins to get up from his seat and, right on cue, Althea points her laser pistol directly at him. Immediately he sits back down. We both sneer at him.

"Tell Hercules what he wants to know!" she demands.

The doctor's eyes narrow. Althea is unwavering however. Even though he has sat back down, she keeps her gun pointed at him.

"Alright, fine, I'll tell you! Just put down that damn gun!" he growls, his fear replaced with anger, "Wayne and I work for the mining conglomerate!"

"United Mining?" I ask.

"Who else would it be? They've been bullying colonists and explorers for decades! They even have a secret deal with a certain arms manufacturer. That's how the Angels have all the technology that they do."

So the rumours are true! But why would a mining company want to create weapons of war? There must be a massive return on their investment. But what?

Althea finally stops pointing her gun at the doctor, and the tension immediately begins to drop. I smile, thankful that the doctor has finally revealed the information I was looking for. He is not so forgiving, however – his frown determined not to move.

"Thank you Dr. Dickinson," I say with a nod, "Things are starting to make sense now."

"What do you mean?"

"I suspect United Mining created the Angels because they wanted to protect something. There's a planet none of the Angels, except the Goddess, are allowed to go near. Perhaps they use robots to mine that planet and don't want any interfierence."

"Wayne told me about this too," the doctor says, his hands returning to his chin, "I know he hasn't told me everything he knows though. I know he's withholding some information from me. But what I do know is the Angels were created to appear alien, but at the same time be sufficiently human."

"Interesting. Now, how about that blood testing machine?"

"On one condition."

Althea raises her pistol and points it directly at him again. The doctor stares at her with wide eyes. His expression changes from neutral to one of horror.

"There's no need for that right now," I say, pushing her gun back down to her lap, "Let's listen to his proposal."

Althea groans but doesn't resist. She sneers at the doctor, and he sneers back. I, on the other hand, manage to force a smile, wanting the tension to drop to manageable levels again.

"I want to know what's going on with the Angels right now. Why isn't Wayne dead yet? I'll even give you some food too – as a gesture of goodwill."

"I'm not entirely sure why he's not yet dead. Your guess is as good as mine. You'd think that Wayne knowing how to kill Eris would worry Persephone, who by the way also hates her, because she could end up dying too, but she doesn't seem to worry about that."

"I see. Wayne suspected some of the Angels disliked Eris, as he listened in on their chatter, and he thought he could use that his advantage and correct his mistake. What do you think will happen once the Angels will finally have to admit they are of human design?"

Interesting question. Nyx and Persephone seem so sure that they are better than all humans, so what would happen? Would they consider it blasphemy? Would Nyx be so blinded by rage that she loses sight of her original goal?

"I actually hadn't thought about that. And I think best that I avoid thinking about that long as I can. There's no telling what they might do."

"Fair enough..."

Before the doctor can finish his sentence, he is interrupted by his personal computer. It starts making an obnoxious ringing sound. The doctor's eyes quickly turn to focus on the screen, and he looks at it with amazement.

"What's the problem?" I ask.

He ignores me and remains fixated on the screen. When he brings his hand up to touch it, the ringing stops. A distinctive female voice then bellows around the room.

"Where are Althea and Hercules?" I hear Persephone yell.

"T-they're right h-here...with me," Dr. Dickinson says, his voice now filled with fear.

"Mummy, is that you?" Althea questions.

"Althea!" Persephone says, clearly elated, "Thank goodness you're safe! What about Hercules? Is he safe?"

"I'm right here Persephone," I say, hoping to get her attention.

I lean over the doctor's desk to get a good look at the monitor. I see the image of Persephone's chest, clad in a plain white bra, perhaps made of leather. What else did I expect to see?

"Excellent. Do you have the things I asked for?"

"We were just discussing that with Dr. Dickinson now."

"I want you out of there this instance! Tell the doctor I won't hesitate to send more humans to attack his hospital."

"Uh, I...I was just sending them on their way P-Persephone," the doctor stammers.

"Good. If I find even the tiniest scratch on either Althea or Sidney, there will be trouble."

Before the doctor can respond, Persephone closes the line. He lets out a big sigh, clearly distraught. He then places both of his hands onto his forehead. Sensing his unease, I try to reassure him.

"If you give us that extra food, I will put in a good word for you," I say, hoping my words will put him at ease.

"It'll be no use," he counters, his voice a fusion of anger and sadness, "I was hoping I could kidnap you and use you as a bargaining chip, but seeing all that bloodshed became too much for me. I should have just accepted we couldn't best an Angel. They're too good."

"Too right," Althea says in a grumpy tone.

"When you get to know her, Persephone is actually a lovely woman. I'll think of something. Perhaps those people were actually defying orders?"

"I will offer what I can," the doctor continues, "The situation has been desperate ever since the increased pirate raids in the area. And the constant fear of the Angels doesn't help either."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Persephone and I will put an end to this nonsense war. You'll see!"

"I hope so. If you just bear with me for a second, I'll get what you asked for. Besides the blood analysis machine, what kind of medical supplies are on your list?"

"Just some basic medical supplies, you know, in case we run into trouble. I assume the blood machine doesn't need to be connected to another computer to work properly?"

"That is correct. I will get you some basic supplies."

The doctor turns his attention back to his personal computer and begins to busily type away at the keyboard. As he does so, I shift my gaze back to Althea. She still seems rather grumpy.

She really looks up to Persephone, so I wonder how much of an effect the revelations have had on her? This assignment has been really illuminating for me too. Hopefully it won't take her long to return to her usual cheerful state.

"Althea, what's on your mind?" I ask.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she replies, turning her head away from me.

If Maxine has taught me anything, it's that the words "I'm fine" mean that a woman isn't fine. Now probably isn't a good time to press her though. I'll wait until we're on our way back to Persephone's flagship to probe her. I hope she'll return to her cheery self, because I'd hate it if Persephone made any rash decisions.

Silence ensues. For a couple of minutes, only the steady, quiet, hum of the doctor's personal computer can be heard. When the doctor's attention returns to us, he gets up out of his seat.

"The equipment you requested will be waiting for you downstairs," he declares, "I've requested everything be taken to your hanger. I'll come down with you and make sure there's no more trouble. Tabitha will meet us in the foyer, and she will help you to lead your supplies."

"Thank you," I say as I get up.

Althea follows me. And we let the doctor lead us back down to the hanger level. The journey though the lift is quiet.

I want to say something, to ease the tension, but I'm afraid I'll say something stupid and make the situation more painful than it already is. Fortunately, the lift doesn't take long to reach our destination. The doctor is the first to step out, and we are presented with Tabitha.

She glowers at us. Althea matches her stern expression and clutches her pistol tightly against her stomach. I try to avoid eye contact with Tabitha and instead focus on the doctor, whilst we all follow Tabitha in silence.

We follow her back round to the hanger our ship is stored in and, once there, I see several people cleaning up the blood and bodies from the area. The bodies from inside the hanger have been moved to the foyer and placed in a pile beside the door to it. Fortunately, none of the cleaners pay us any attention, and any awkward exchanges are avoided.

Just inside the hallway leading up to the hanger is the equipment we came here for. There is a cart – with two trays, one above the other – with a variety of medical supplies on it, nothing too advanced, and beside it is the computer we came here for. The blood analysis machine, an entirely white device, is as tall as the cart, and is dominated by a large monitor.

When we reach the hall, Tabitha stops besides the pile of bodies. The doctor, however, continues towards the medical equipment, and Althea and I follow him. He places one hand on top of the blood analysis machine and turns to look at us.

"I'm not sure what kind of plugs there are on Persephone's flagship, if any," the doctor says, "So I'm including a battery and some solar panels for the machine."

"And the food you promised us?" I ask.

"The food is just on its way," I hear Tabitha say, obviously still annoyed.

She doesn't look at us, and remains fixated on one of the dead bodies. It's understandable that she'd be bitter. We killed her colleagues, friends even.

I killed innocent people today. What has become of me? These people didn't want to be bullied by Persephone. Who would?

I'm so conflicted. But I can't let moral questions cloud my thoughts now. I need to focus on the matter at hand.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought," I say, trying to hide my unease, "Shall we load it onto the ship?

"I think I can do it," Althea says all of a sudden excited, "My mummy makes me do lots of exercise. I often do chin-ups on her finger."

Without warning, she places both of her hands onto the top of the blood analysis machine and starts to push it. It looks heavy, even for me, but she appears to be managing just fine. As she pushes it into the hanger, I don't hear a single strained breath from her, suggesting she is managing just fine.

Perhaps I underestimated how heavy the machine is? Or perhaps I underestimated Althea? All this time I was thinking she was just another cute girl.

"Well, we had better get the other equipment onto the ship," I say, turning back towards the doctor.

"Looks like the food has arrived," he informs me, "You move the cart onto your ship and I'll see to the food."

I do as he suggests, and proceed to take the cart onto our ship. When I make it to the back, and up the ramp, I see Althea is already quite far inside the largely empty cargohold. The cargohold is bigger than I expected – perhaps five meters tall and at least ten meters long. I knew it was big, but did Persephone really need to afford us something this big? We're not miners after all.

Upon noticing me, Althea gives me a wave. I wave back, and we exchange glances, but neither of us say anything. Having positioned the machine in a corner of the cargohold, she presses the button to open up the airlock.

Before I have a chance to respond, I realize the doctor has come up behind me with the food he promised us. I turn around to look at him, and he turns his head to look at me. The food is all placed neatly on the top of a trolley, and there appears to be some hot items amongst the various packets and packages.

"The canteen had some hot food, which they were kind enough to share," he says, "But promise me this: Persephone won't harm our outpost anymore."

"Look, I will see what I can do. Sadly, I can't promise anything. But, between you and me, I think that she may have a romantic interest in me – so I'm sure I can convince her to leave you well alone. I don't want my name tarnished anymore than it already has been."

I hope I'm right. I've been wrong about women before. Though it was at school I guess; I'm much more experienced now, so I think I can make Persephone agree with me – even though we have both been injured.

"Thank you Hercules. In return, I will also try to stop negative news reports about this attack getting out. However, I fear that may be impossible. Persephone informed me that you were an ace navy pilot – one of the best in fact – so some people around here will have obviously recognised you."

"It's fine. When I sided with Persephone, I knew I was taking a huge gamble. Let's hope things turn out better in the end and Wayne is right."

"I think Althea is keen to leave, so we best be off."

"Very well. If you ever do manage to kill Eris, I would like you to apologise to Wayne on my behalf. Part of me feels bad for doubting him."

"Will do."

I offer my hand to the doctor. He extends his own, and embraces mine for a firm handshake. Hard to believe we were fighting this man not long ago.

I want to feel sorry for him, but he did just attempt to kill us. Then again, I might have done the exact same thing in his situation – and tried to kidnap myself. Or at least I think that's what his plan was. Anyway, I need to get back to Althea.

"Maybe I'll see you again sometime," I say as I walk towards the button to close the cargohold.

"Have a safe trip," the doctor replies as he exits the cargohold, "I'll lock the doors to the foyer and you can be on your way. When the light above the doors is green, the big hanger doors will open and you'll be good to reverse and head out."

I close the doors and head straight for Althea. I hope she's not still mad at me. I suppose I was a little rough with her. Persephone will kill me if she finds out I made Althea upset!

Maybe not literally kill me, but, no doubt, she will be very angry. I hope I can keep my promise to the doctor. I've not known Persephone to be an angry person, but still...

After walking through the airlock, though the small hall with the doors to the bedroom and bathroom of the ship, I see Althea happily humming away in her seat – beside mine. That's a relief – I thought she might still have been mad. As I go to sit beside her, she turns to her head to look at me.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she says, shifting her gaze to the floor, "The magnet thingys didn't work."

"That's alright, at least we made it out alive," I reassure her, "You were really good with that Laser Pistol!"

Her face lights up. Now that I think about it, I wonder how many compliments Persephone gives to her own daughter. After all, she considers herself vastly superior to all humans.

"Thank you Hercules! You were pretty good too."

"Thank you Althea. Would you mind contacting your mummy to let her know that we're leaving? The doctor said that the green light in front of us signals that we can leave."

"I will contact mummy right now."

As Althea fiddles with her section of the control panel, I start the engines. I imagine getting out of here is going to be a bit tricky. First I have to apply the reverse thrust, and I then have to quickly switch to the bottom thrusters. Why can't all stations be easy to dock at?

Behind us, the sensors indicate, the hanger doors have just finished opening. That's my cue. I initiate the reverse thrust and we exit the hanger with no trouble at all.

Just as we're leaving, Persephone's chest appears on the monitor between us – she is wearing the same revealing attire as earlier. Damn it Persephone, I really need to concentrate right about now.

"Hi again mummy," Althea says in a cheery voice, "We're just leaving right now. The doctor had to fix Hercules's arm, but we're fine now."

"I don't remember his arm being damaged," Persephone says, there clearly some concern in her voice.

"Well there were some stupid people around but Hercules managed to convince the doctor to do what we wanted."

"Oh...I see. But did you manage to get everything I asked for?"

"We did, and a little extra," I say quickly, before Althea can further convince Persephone to blast the station to smithereens,"But I really need to concentrate on undocking right now."

"Excellent! I knew I could trust you two. I'll reward you both...appropriately."

Before either of us can reply, Persephone disappears from the screen. I wonder what she could mean? Am I going to be spending the rest of the day in her cleavage?

Never mind that, I really need to focus. Come on, Sidney, focus! Just a little more. You're almost out of the station.

We ascend past several sets of hangers, and soon we're out. When we exit the belly of the station, the sight ahead of us is amazing. I finally get a good look at Persephone's flagship.

Perhaps predictably, it's painted entirely in pink. The design is sleek; curvy, just like her. It's a long cigar-like shape with an extruding area towards the end which, presumably, is the part where Persephone directs from – her personal cabin I would guess.

After turning the autopilot on, I turn to Althea again. Now would be a good time to inform her of my final words with the doctor. If Persephone is going to spare the medical outpost then I need Althea on my side.

"Do you think your mummy will try and destroy the medical outpost?" I ask her.

"I hope so. The people on it are nasty," she replies, "They insulted mummy."

That's not a good sign. What can I say that will placate her? I wouldn't want to use her lustful feelings against her – that would be awful of me – so I'm going to have to win her over with my words alone. Think Sidney! Maybe I should just tell her.

"The doctor gave us the extra food in exchange as an apology," I say, "And in exchange for leaving him alone from now on."

"We could have died in there Hercules! And they said mean things about mummy!"

"I know. And he probably deserves to die for abusing us like that. But..."

"But nothing! People who insult mummy have to die. It's the rules."

As I think about my reply, one of the buttons on my control panel starts flashing, indicating that Persephone wants to talk to us again. Ahead of us, I see her flagship turning to face the medical outpost. Could it be? Reluctantly, I accept her request, and she appears on the screen between us again.

"Can you move the ship out of the way? I want to give the doctor what he deserves for putting you two in danger."

"B-but, Persephone..."

"I need to send these dirty humans a message they will never forget. Even though you're not a parent yourself, Hercules, I'm sure you understand. I love Althea dearly, and I can't have her life be threatened!"

Oh fuck! What can I do that will calm the situation? There are innocent people inside that hospital!

She'll be no better than Nyx or Eris if she does this! To think I thought she was different! How could she? She told me that she doesn't want harm innocent humans and that we were not supposed to hurt anyone.

I stare at Persephone's image for a moment. Wait, that's it! She doesn't want to be like Eris, does she? I can use that to implore her to stop.

"You'll be no better than Eris if you do this," I cry.

"How dare you compare me to Eris!" she snaps, her voice full of anger.

In the corner of my eye, I see Althea clench her gun tightly. Despite my outburst, she remains quiet. Her eyes narrow – though she doesn't turn to look at me. I can guess she must be getting at annoyed at me for arguing with Persephone, but I can't let her distract me.

"You said you wanted to be different," I say, almost pleading.

"I am different! I didn't threaten you like Eris or Nyx did, did I?"

"That's true, but you have to listen to me! Those people we killed defied orders. They insulted you, sure, but Dr. Dickinson put things right! He even gave us some food as an apology!"

Persephone slams both of her hands onto the surface in front of her, her arms extending in front of her – squeezing her breasts together. Her neck comes into view, but she manages to keep all of her face of screen. Below, her breasts compact from the pressure from her squeezing arms.

"Why are you defending the people who tried to kill you?"

Despite her body language suggesting otherwise, the tone of her question is quizzical – and gone is the anger from before. Why is sparing the lives of sick and injured people so confusing to her? She won't even be able to eat these humans, let alone enslave them.

"There are entirely innocent people on there..."

"Probably, but..."

She trails off. She relaxes her arms a little, allowing her breasts to move more freely again. She then lifts one arm up, apparently to her face. In the pause, I decide to speak up again.

"You told me you didn't want to kill innocent people," I prompt.

"Still..."

"There are sick and injured people in a hospital, you know that."

"Hercules..."

"Yes."

"Hercules, do you think that I'm a monster?"

Oh crap! I was hoping I'd never be asked that question. I can't tell her what I really think about the Angels. Sure, she's a bit different, but she was just threatening to kill hundreds, if not thousands, of humans in a single blow. I take a deep breath.

"Not if you spare the hospital," I offer, in a calm a voice as I can given then tension.

Persephone sighs. It seems I've finally gotten through to her. For a moment I thought I was going to be Althea and Persephone's lunch.

"Alright, Hercules, I won't shoot the stupid humans."

"Thank you Persephone."

Persephone closes the line. In the distance, I see her flagship beginning to turn back around. Glad we could end the conversation on a positive note. Still, I wouldn't call the doctor stupid.

Unfortunately, I sense a new problem. Althea is brooding. She turns to look at me with a fierce expression, and the harshness of her words burn through me.

"Why are you lying to my mummy?" Althea growls.

"Al..." Is all I manage to say before she cuts me off.

"Those filthy humans tried to kill us and insulted my mummy. They deserve to die!"

"I know of plenty more deserving humans. Your mummy needs to save her ammunition for the real fight."

Her expression suddenly switches to one of confusion. She stares at me blankly. Wasn't she mad at me just a second a go?

"What do you mean?" she asks me, the anger no longer present in her voice.

Was she even listening when I was talking to Dr. Dickinson earlier? Or did she simply hear what she wanted to hear? We will need to save our energies for the final fight against the arms company and Eris.

"Well you heard what the doctor said, didn't you?" I reply, "He said is being helped Eris by humans and we need to fight those humans."

"Mummy was not created by stupid humans!"

"That's not what I said..."

"Isn't it obvious what the doctor thinks? Who does this Wayne guy think he is? He thinks he can just turn up one day and boss my mummy around! We could have been having a nice relaxing time in my mummy's swimming pool. But instead we have to risk our lives for this stupid human. Why does my mummy have to listen to stupid humans all of the time?"

"I'm not fond of Wayne either. You know I really did not want to do this either. But I did not want to see your mummy angry, so I did as she said."

Althea looks towards the floor, almost remorseful – though I can't quite tell. Gosh, she is a woman of such mood swings. To think I thought Maxine was bad.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I made a deal with your mummy," I continue, "And I aim to keep my end of the deal."

"That's why we like you Hercules. You're always so obedient. You're not like the other humans. You make my mummy happy. It's not often I get to see mummy happy."

"Thank you, I guess."

Althea turns to smile at me. I smile back, trying hard to hide my uneasy feelings. I'm not sure I feel safe with her having a gun.

Fortunately, we've practically arrived. Our ship locks on to its hanger, and I begin the landing procedures. I turn to Althea, who looks at me with another wide smile and I nod. She knows exactly what to do, and Persephone promptly appears on the screen.

"We've arrived," she says, excitedly.

"Excellent," Persephone responds, in a voice that manages to mask any hint of her previous frustration, "I expect to see you two up here straight away."

Before I have a chance to say anything, Persephone closes the line. In a way it's a good thing though, of course, because I'd hate to have her breasts distract me during the landing process. I don't think any of the Angels have ever explained why they wear barely any clothing. But psychological warfare is implied, and sure that throughout history lust has caused people to make silly decisions.

As we close in on the hanger, I spot someone waiting for us through the transparent material that sits between the hanger and the hallway. It's Lyra, I think. Of course, it's hard to tell from this distance.

Just as we're about to enter the hanger, I tell the ship to make a one-hundred and eighty degrees turn – so that the supplies will be easier to unload. As I turn on the reverse thrust, it occurs to me: Does Persephone know anything about her own origins? I think she may have said to me once before that Wayne claimed to have created her, but I can't remember.

And how have they managed to keep the Angels under relative control for so long? They are all such powerful beings, and their flagships are equally as grandiose. How is it that Eris has not turned against her human master yet? Or has she? I find it hard to believe that the mining conglomerate has total control over something as powerful as her and her band of Angels. After all, Eris doesn't have complete control over the Angels herself, As evidenced by the fact that Persephone and Nyx are willing to defy her.

And something else I need to ask Wayne: How many Angels were built? Let's see: Eris, Nyx, Persephone, Nike. That makes four, but are there more? To spend this kind of money building and maintaining these huge flagships and women must mean there is something incredibly valuable on that planet. But what could it be?

Realizing that the ship has now landed safely, Althea doesn't wait for my instruction, and immediately goes to open up the airlock behind us. I, perhaps feebly, raise a hand in protest, but she ignores me. I take a moment to check everything is in order, turn off the engines, and quickly join her.

When I reach the cargohold, Althea has already begun to unload. The back doors open and we are greeted by Lyra, who is standing by the door to the hanger. Althea takes a hand off of the blood analysis machine to wave at her. She waves back, and I raise my hand in acknowledgement.

"Persephone was so worried," Lyra says as she walks up to the cargohold, "I had to calm her down."

"Then why did she send us?" I ask as I grab the trolley with the food.

"That's what I said to her, but she proceeded to inform me of how much of a good naval pilot you are and how athletic Althea is. I understand that you've been telling her lots of stories of your heroism these past few days."

"I know; Persephone has really taken an interest in me. Do you mind if I ask you a question or two about her?"

"Sure."

I leave the trolley by the door and follow Lyra back into the cargohold. As we walk towards the cart with the medical supplies, Althea continues off down the hallway, into the distance, to the lifts presumably. Lyra looks at me with a worried expression, as if she knows I'm about to ask a troublesome question.

"Has Persephone ever told you where she comes from?" I ask.

The words seem to hit her like a bullet (would). Her face turns white. How could such a simple question do this to her?

"Whatever you do, don't ask her that," she responds, gasping.

Placing one hand on the cart with the medical supplies, I look at her with a concerned expression. Why this kind of adverse reaction to such a simple question? Is that another thing Persephone wants to hide from us humans?

"What's the matter?"

"Believe me, I've tried to find out, but it just makes her angry...I...I don't think she knows."

That certainly is odd. How can somebody not know where they were born? Perhaps Persephone's existence is far sadder than I first thought. I can 't imagine being created solely for the purpose of warfare. Even though Mars is literally the planet of war, involvement in the military has always been a voluntary thing.

Should I have any sympathy for the Angels? Tough question. Maybe for Persephone, since she's been a good host so far, but not for the others. Persephone can probably be salvaged from her cursed existence, but I can't imagine Eris or Nyx ever wanting a peaceful coexistence with humanity.

"The reason I ask, is because the doctor in charge of the medical outpost Persephone sent us to, said humans designed her."

Lyra chokes at the revelation. It really shouldn't be that far-fetched for her though. She knows Persephone isn't supposed to harm mining vessels and miners, and she must have wondered how Persephone's ship is kept in such good condition. Not to mention where all of the fine food comes from.

"How can you be sure?" she says, her voice reinforcing her shocked state,"Why would you believe the words of a stranger? A stranger who just tried to have you killed, I might add."

"He is the brother of Wayne, who is the reason Persephone sent us."

"How do you know he's not lying?"

"He had photographs of himself and Wayne together. Wayne, I'm sorry to say, is apparently one of the people who helped to create Persephone."

Lyra looks at me, dumbfounded. She stares silently at me for a moment and then places both of her hands on her forehead. I wait in silence whilst she musters her next words.

"It's true, isn't it?" she says, "She was created by the miners."

"Exactly," I reply as we guide the cart out of the cargohold, "But I've yet to find out why."

When we exit the hanger, we see Althea patiently waiting for us by the trolley with the food on it. When she sees us, she gives us a look that says: "What took you so long?" She doesn't say anything though, and begins to push the food in the direction of the lifts.

Throughout the journey up to Persephone's bedroom, the mood remains sombre. Nobody says a word. The silence is only broken by Persephone's gleeful mood upon our return. As usual, she is waiting patiently for us cross-legged beside the lift lobby.

"What took you so long?" she asks, "I saw the ship come back ages ago."

I gaze up at her godly body, still clad in the same undergarments as when I last set eyes upon her. Should I tell her what we were discussing? I don't like to keep secrets from people, but then again Lyra did warn me about...I'll just reassure her and hope that she doesn't ask too many questions.

"You know we had loads to unload," I say, my eyes staring up at her stomach, "The doctor gave us some nice human food to try. Some of it is still hot. Would you like to try some?"

"How do you know it's not poisonous?" Althea asks, her voice full of concern.

Good point. But Dr. Dickinson appeared genuinely apologetic. Surely he wouldn't, would he? After all, he also benefits if Eris dies.

"I'm sure the food is all fine," I reassure the girls, "Besides, Lyra is a doctor, so she'll know what to do."

"I guess so," Althea replies, her voice descending into a whisper.

"Tell me about this 'human food' Hercules," Persephone says as she sets one of her hands out in front of me to climb onto, "It looks yummy."

As I climb onto her waiting hand, her other hand wraps around the food trolley. Behind me, Althea and Lyra stare in silence as they wait for their next instruction. It's only after Persephone has me positioned next to her breast that she talks, and I hear the vibrations of her voice emanating from deep within her body.

"You two are dismissed," she says, "You're free to do what you like for now, but I expect you both back up here in time for my dinner. You know the routine."

"But, mummy, I want to play with Hercules too," I hear Althea protest.

"Mummy needs to have a serious talk with Hercules. Why don't you go and play with mumy's other humans?"

"Fine. I'll go play with your other humans."

"Good girl."

Persephone swiftly gets up, causing her breasts to wobble a little. Fortunately, I'm held tightly against her body, so I won't fall. I'm then placed onto her bed, next to the food trolley. Persephone then stretches out onto her bed beside me.

She lays on her side, forming an arc around my body and the food, placing her hands slightly below my position. I gaze up at her head, clad in the mysterious light bending material and sigh. What is it that she wants to talk about?

"I've already put in the coordinates to go back to Nyx," she tells me, "My flagship is on autopilot now. So you can stop worrying about those stupid humans."

"I wasn't worried about that," I say, "I trust you."

"Then what are you worried about? I want to know."

Well, here goes nothing. I'll have to tell her about the things Dr. Dickinson told me sooner or later, so I might as well get them out now. Where do I start though? Should I start with the part about Wayne and the doctor she talked to being brothers, or should I be blunt and start by telling her she was created by humans?

"It turns out Wayne's brother was the man you talked to..." I manage to say before she cuts me off.

"Is that why you didn't want me disciplining the humans?" she interrupts.

She talks softly, as if she is talking to a pet – well sort of – yet I know that she values my views. Perhaps there is some internal conflict going on? All this time she's considered herself better than all humans, yet she knows that if she wants real friends she wont find them amongst the Angels.

"I actually don't like Wayne, or his brother. I think Wayne, in particular, evil for what he did, but I guess somebody else would have done what he did if it wasn't him. As soon as we get back I want to talk to him. He has lots of questions he needs to answer."

"What did he do? I thought you liked humans?"

"I don't like all humans. Especially not after what the doctor told me. Some of the things he told me were just too crazy."

"Really? What did you two talk about?"

Well here goes. I'll have to tell her about what he told me about Wayne. I'm not sure how she'll react. Hopefully I'll still be alive by the end of this.

"As I said, the doctor in charge is the brother of Wayne and he told me some interesting things about him. He said he knows who created you..."

"Hercules, I'm an Angel," Persephone interrupts sternly, "You know that. Do you really believe that I was created by some stupid humans?"

I shift my gaze to the mattress below me. Of course I believe that. But do I tell her what I really think?

No, it's too risky. What if she gets angry and crushes me? I know she said she didn't want to harm me, but... suddenly Persephone snaps me out of my thoughts.

"You do think that, don't you, Hercules?" she says, her voice now full of sadness.

"Sorry, think what?" I quickly spew.

"You know, that I was created by humans."

"Probably not, but I'm entirely sure. I'll be honest with you, the doctor was quite convincing, but I..."

She, now much more assertive, interrupts me again. And, in the corner of my eye, I see her clenching her fist. Oh no, what have I said? I hope she's not going to do anything irrational.

"You would believe that filth over me? How dare you!"

"Wait...I...just listen to me...please!"

Did I just shout at Persephone? What has gotten into me? She'll kill me now for sure. Rather than finish what I was going to say, I cower on the bed. I curl up into a ball-like shape against the mattress, shaking in fear.

To my surprise, I feel Persephone's finger gently stroke my back. Given my sudden outburst, I did not expect her to be this tender. Why is she doing this? Shouldn't she be mad at me?

"Okay, fine, Hercules, I'll listen to you," she says, her voice strangely calm, "No need to shout."

Slowly, I get back onto my feet. I clear my eyes and then decide to sit down beside her breast – much closer than I was before. I lean my head against her bra, and her hand, having followed me from my previous position, squeezes me against her.

"I'm sorry for shouting. Allow me to explain what I thought."

"Alright then. Explain."

Well here goes. Time for a bit of flattery I think. Hopefully this ego stroking will get her to see my point of view.

"Do you think someone as perfect and as powerful as you could be born naturally?"

"I must have been Hercules. How else would I have been born?"

Her voice conveys a sense of confusion. It's like I'm stupid for asking such a question. I guess Flattery isn't working, so I need to try something else. Ah, I know!

"Then who is your mummy?"

"M-my mummy?"

"Yes, your mummy. Althea calls you mummy but who do you call your mummy?"

"I...I don't know. But I must have a mummy Hercules. Everyone has a mummy."

I sigh. She just doesn't get it. I guess it must be incredibly hard for her to come to terms with the truth. If I was in her situation, I'd probably be hard to convince too.

I wonder if she's thought about why she's not supposed to kill the miners. That might trigger something. Maybe I can try that route.

"You know how you're not supposed to attack most mining vessel?" I prompt.

"Uh, yeah, but I still kill some miner humans."

She squeezes me tighter against her breast with her hand, like I'm some cuddly children's toy. Who knew I could make such a powerful being feel so vulnerable? Hopefully she won't be too upset once I've said everything I need to say.

"I can't remember if I asked you this before, but do you know what the reason is?"

"No. Eris just tells us not to interfere with them. Sometimes the miners give us humans so they aren't so bad I suppose."

"Well, I think Eris is working with the miner humans. But I don't know why."

She suddenly stops squeezing me. Her voice takes on a harsher tone. How could she not see this? She's been out here longer than I have.

"How do you know? Why would Eris take orders from some stupid humans? What could she possibly get out of some stupid humans?"

"The miner humans love that planet you're not allowed to go near. But why? That's the final piece of the puzzle..."

"What puzzle?"

"Don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

"You're supposed to protect the planet. You were created to protect that planet. There's something very important on that planet. And we..."

"Listen, Hercules, you need to go. Go play with Althea for a while...or something. You can come back when you stop with the crazy talk."

Now you've done it Sidney. Perhaps I should have left it up to Wayne to explain it all to her. That way at least she wouldn't be upset at me.

"Were will I find Althea?" I ask.

"I'll send her to you. Just make sure to meet her by the lifts downstairs."

As I stand up, Persephone scoops me up with her hands. She deposits me on the floor by the lift lobby and walks off into the distance. Usually she sees me off, so I must have really got to her. At least I have a communications device now, if she feels the need to contact me.

When I reach the lower level, I see Althea running towards me – dressed in a casual red dress, with a holster around her waist. Seeing as she looks happy, Persephone must not have told her that she's upset yet. And, given how eager Althea is to point her gun at people, I hope it stays that way.

"I was wondering when my mummy would next let me have some free time with you," she says as she wraps her fingers around my wrist, "Come on, let me show you how we prepare some humans for mummy's dinner."

"Uh, wait," I say as I try to pull myself out of her grip, "Isn't there anything else that we can do? What do you do for fun around here?"

She looks at me perplexed. Like she is surprised that I don't find killing humans fun. Persephone has corrupted her so much; I wonder if she even considers herself human.

"Shooting at stupid humans is fun."

"But what else is fun?"

"Going in my mummy's swimming pool is fun. But she probably won't let us do that."

"Yeah, you're probably right..."

"I know what we should do for fun! My mummy says you're really muscular so you can fight some humans for fun."

Althea grabs my arm again. She tugs harder this time, and, reluctantly, I decide not to resist her. She's pretty strong herself, and athletic, so I better not upset her. However, perhaps stupidly, I still voice my outrage.

"W-wait, I can't do that!"

"Why not? I think you'll be good at disciplining the humans."

"Probably, but..."

Althea briefly turns back to look at me and rolls her eyes. Before I can finish my sentence, she cuts me off. She almost sounds annoyed at the fact that I don't want to abuse humans.

"Why are humans always so whiny? Come on, you'll enjoy yourself Hercules."

Without any further protest, I allow Althea to lead me down the corridor. After a minute or so of brisk walking, we arrive at a set of double doors, painted in pink of course. She barges through the set of double doors and a stunning sight is revealed.

The room is vast, though not very tall, and all along the far wall are the scarred bodies of humans. Many alive, some dead, all starved and weak. Dried blood is a prominent feature of the room, with random splatters everywhere.

The thing that I'm most drawn to, however, is not the blood or the numerous dead bodies, but someone I think I recognise. As Althea has released my arm from her grip, I take the opportunity to go and examine this person more closely.

"Hercules, where are you going?" Althea shouts, as I jog over to the familiar looking woman.

I ignore her. As I approach the woman, my worst fears are confirmed. Slumped in the corner is Jasmine, her naval pilot outfit stained with blood. But what's she doing on Persephone's flagship? Shouldn't she have been taken by Nyx or Eris?

"Jasmine, what have they done to you?" I cry.

Rather than reply to my question, she simply glares at me. Her eyes lock onto my own, paralysing me. Behind me, I hear Althea running up to us.

"You know this human?" Althea asks as she comes up behind me.

"Yeah, we know each other," Jasmine says in a strained voice, suggesting an extreme thirst,"I see Sidney is living the good life upstairs."

"Althea, let me handle this..."

"Okay Hercules," she interrupts.

"Hah! Hercules, is that what she calls you?" Jasmine spits, "That implies that you're still brave and strong. Of course, I can't blame you for being a traitor. I was promised great things too..."

"Then why on Mars are you down here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I was betrayed! It's only a matter of time before they betray you too I'm sure."

"Wait, what? Who betrayed you?"

"We won't betray Hercules!" Althea shouts, taking a pistol from out of her holster.

Althea points a pistol at her, but her only reaction is to turn her head to look at the wall. Her eyes seem to focus on a large patch of blood on the wall. To think she was the one who begged me not to switch sides.

"You know that holiday I went on to Olympus Mons? I lied. Well, I did go to Olympus Mons, that much is true, but it wasn't a holiday at all."

"It's the mining company, isn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"Isn't it obvious? Well, it might not be obvious, but I think you're the final piece of the puzzle."

"How so?"

"First of all, what were you asked to do?"

"If you get them, well Persephone, promise to let me live, I'll tell you."

"After all of the nasty things you said about my mummy?" Althea shouts, "I don't think so. You'll be..."

"Althea, please!" I say in an as authoritative tone as I can, "Can we talk over in that corner for a minute?"

I point towards the opposite corner, an area of the room with no human bodies. Althea puts her pistol back into her holster and begins to walk towards it. I follow her, letting out a long sigh as I do.

"So why do you want to save that filth?" Althea says, clearly annoyed.

"I believe she has valuable information that should help us to defeat Eris," I say, in the hopes of swaying her, "We need Jasmine alive."

"My mummy isn't going to like this."

"I know. But can we at least hear what she has to say?"

Althea crosses her arms. She stares at me for a moment, clearly thinking deeply. Eventually, she replies in a whiny voice – the sort of voice an annoyed teenage girl uses when talking to her parents after they just upset.

"Fine," she huffs.

I smile at her, though my thankful expression doesn't seem to have any effect on her. When I turn to look at Jasmine again, I see some of the people sneering at us. The atmosphere is clearly tense, but nobody seems to be voicing their anger about the special treatment Jasmine is getting.

"Why isn't anyone else speaking? I ask.

"They know not to speak," Althea says simply.

What could that mean? Is speaking an automatic ticket into Persephone's stomach? I better not ask her what she puts these people through.

I offer Jasmine my hand, and slowly help her up. She's clearly thinner than when I last saw her. I bet Persephone hasn't been feeding her properly.

"Thank you Sidney," she whispers to me.

Given how weak she looks, I wrap my arm around her waist as we head towards the door. Althea gets there first and holds the door for us. Despite her kind gesture, she still seems rather bitter.

After we're both in the corridor with her, she locks the doors behind us. When she turns to look at me again, it is clear that she is still quite uneasy at the situation. Her eyes narrow as she shifts her stare to Jasmine.

"What is this valuable information Hercules says you have?" she says in a stern voice.

Jasmine stares back at her. She coughs and then begins to speak. Although her own voice is strained, she still manages to be just about audible.

"Ever wonder why it was so easy for Eris to hack into the state of the art ship?"

"Come to think of it, yes."

"That's because...I was asked to implant a virus in the ship."

"P-pardon?"

"After the ship has launched there are no further chances for any software updates, and, knowing that, they asked me to infiltrate the computer system. After all, who would suspect a sweet young damsel like me?"

I never expected her to be capable of this. I let her words sink in for a few seconds. During the silence, none of us move or make a sound.

"Why do such a thing?" I ask, trying to mask my rising anger.

"You're a turncoat too," she counters.

"I guess I'm a hypocrite for asking: But why?"

She turns her head, making sure that I see her sorrowful expression. In front of us, Althea looks on impatiently. One of these days, her pistol will be pointed at me, I just know it.

"I was offered diamonds and other rare gems to the value of several million," she says, "But they decided to torture me instead. And then I was thrown in here."

Suddenly it hits me. That's it! Diamonds! The mining companies want to keep the price of diamonds and rare gems artificially high!

Why didn't I think of this before? It seems so obvious now. Carbon is one of the most common elements in the universe so it would make sense to block access to a planet full of volcanos and diamonds. That planet must have a huge supply of diamonds on it.

"Althea, is there anywhere we can sit down?" I ask, "Can we have some water too?"

"We can go into my bedroom," she offers, "There is water in there."

"Thank you Althea."

Althea leads us down another largely empty corridor, and we soon arrive at her bedroom. Surprisingly, it's furnished in the way one would expect the bedroom of a young woman to be – mostly in bright colours, particularly in red. I guess Persephone and her minions have been hard at work looting things over the years.

Given Althea's confused personality, I was half-expecting a cluttered room. Somehow, there isn't any clutter anywhere. The main items of note are a huge wooden cupboard at the far end, another doorway – leading to an en-suite – and, of course, a bed.

The bed, unmade, has an intricate metal frame, black, and white sheets. Moving on from the corner closest to the entrance, there is a simple night-stand, also white, with nothing on it. Before I can finish studying the room, Althea grabs my free hand and leads us into her bathroom.

"Water," she declares as she points towards the metallic sink.

I turn the tap on, and Jasmine immediately begins to drink from the sink. Perhaps I should have asked for a drinking utensil as well? It must be fairly demeaning to have to drink directly from the tap.

"Now, where was I?" Jasmine asks, bringing her head up from the tap, her voice now noticeably less strained.

"You were telling us about the rarities you were offered," I remind her.

"Yes, that's it. I was offered huge riches for infiltrating the ship's computer network. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as planned."

"Hercules, do you hate these miners?" Althea asks suddenly.

We both focus on Althea. Why this question all of a sudden? What answer can I give that won't upset her? Is Persephone even friendly with the miners? After all, it doesn't seem like she gets on with any of the other Angels.

"Um..." I say, before trailing off.

Althea rolls her eyes. Gosh, how can I say that I don't like the miners without irking her even more? Or maybe she's thought the miners were evil all along? I never actually asked her about that.

"My mummy and I won't hate you if you say no you know."

That's good to know. I did get the feeling that Persephone didn't like the miners. Then again, they have helped to maintain this ship. Weak slaves are limited in their capacity I'm sure.

"Does your mummy hate the miners?"

"Just answer my question Hercules."

"I do hate them."

"Okay, good, so you won't care if we have some more miner humans for our dinner then."

That was it? That's all that she wanted to know? I don't believe this woman! Anyway, back to the serious conversation...

"How did you do it Jasmine?" I ask, "Leave the battle area without being noticed I mean."

"The virus also prevents my ship from showing up on the radars, and because all of the fighters and bombers are connected to the main ship their radar systems are affected too. I was able to sneak away and dock with a cloaked mining vessel. After I left, the mining vessel got in contact with me, and I knew it was time for me to leave. I easily escaped during the heat of the battle."

"The plan was so well coordinated, it's almost like the miners were working with Nyx. There must not have been that long between Nyx launching her attack and you docking..."

"Hercules, I'm bored," Althea interrupts, "Can we do something fun together instead of all this talking?

"I'm sorry Althea. I have so many questions for Jasmine. What would you like to do with me?"

"Well, it's almost time to prepare my mummy's dinner, which is always fun!"

"Do you think we could feed Jasmine too? Don't worry, I'll take care of the cooking."

"I'll need to ask my mummy first."

That's what I've been dreading. How will Persephone react when she finds out I'm friends with part of her dinner? I can't imagine that a woman like her will take too kindly to competition.

Althea rolls up her sleeve to reveal her communication device. With a quick press of a button, she's opened up a channel with Persephone. Fortunately, her voice doesn't contain any of her sadness from earlier.

"Hello Althea," she says.

"Mummy, Hercules wants to know if he can feed one of your snacks."

Jasmine chokes at the bluntness of the statement. Sadly, I have become used to humans being food so her words don't affect me as much. Still, her brutal honesty is shocking.

"What?" Persephone exclaims, apparently offended by my regard for human life, "He wants to spare my food?"

"You'd better talk to him. It's crazy, I know."

And so the focus once again shifts to me. How on Mars can I be diplomatic here? I do not want to upset that huge mass of woman anymore than she already is.

"Explain yourself Hercules," Persephone says firmly.

"Jasmine is my friend and she..."

"Oh, her. Hercules, how could you? Don't you know the sort of things that she said to me?"

"No, I don't. But I'll make sure Jasmine apologises to you."

"Hercules, you don't understand. She called me a monster and said I was fat. I'm perfect, you said so yourself. I'm not a monster."

"Wait, the stupid miner humans are giving orders to Nyx too."

Oh my gosh. What on Mars did I just say? I don't even know if that's actually true. Then again, it does seem rather obvious now that I think about it; they were very coordinated.

"What? Really?" we hear Persephone bellow, "How dare she take orders from inferior humans! We don't take orders from any humans! We're Angels. We're perfect! How did you find out about this?"

"Jasmine told me that."

I hear Persephone choke. If Jasmine knew all this information about the miners then why didn't she just tell Persephone Nyx was scheming behind her back, instead of insulting her? All of this could have been avoided.

"But how do you know Jasmine isn't lying?"

"Nyx has blonde hair, yes? I saw them talking to Nyx," Jasmine says, her face almost a smile.

Is this really working? Wait, did Jasmine actually see them talking to Nyx? Why are the miners helping Nyx? What do they get out of this? Isn't Eris good enough for them?

"If this is true," Persephone says, sadness returning to her voice, "Then I'm not sure Nyx and I can be friends anymore."

"But she has Wayne with her," I protest, "You can't just give up on our plan."

"I don't care."

How can I convince her to stick to the plan? If she doesn't go back to Nyx then we will never have a chance to kill Eris. I hate Nyx too, but we need her. She has Wayne.

"I never liked Nyx either mummy," Althea says, breaking me from my chain of thought, "She was always so bossy. But where will we go?"

"I don't know," Persephone replies, her voice full of distress.

Where will we go? Where will I go? After everything that has happened, I can't show up on Mars again. My only hope to redeem myself is to defeat Eris. And I don't know that we can do that without Wayne.

The mining company seems to think more highly of Nyx than they do of Eris at this point; but were does Wayne fit into this tussle for power? Why is Nyx letting Wayne control her? I mean, we wouldn't have gone on that errand if Nyx didn't listen to Wayne.

"Listen, Persephone," I say, trying to reassure her, "I don't know what Nyx is up to but I will help you kill her. I promise."

"How will we kill her though?" Persephone asks.

"I have a feeling Wayne wants to kill her too, and he'll know how. That's why we need to meet with her again and convince her to let you have Wayne."

"I don't know."

She still seems rather uneasy. She's clearly still coming to terms with my revelations. But what can I do to make her feel better? Could making her aroused work? It used to work when Maxine was having a bad day – she would instantly come around.

I know that Persephone craves love, but it does seem wrong to use that to my advantage. Then again, I do kill humans for a living, and I now think giving Persephone a little love is wrong? What's gotten into me? I've done way worse.

But kill humans? Am I starting to sound like Althea? With all these crazy women around, I'm surprised I have haven't gone crazy myself yet.

"Listen, Persephone," I say, trying my best to hide my unease, "I know just the thing to make you happy again."

"What do you mean?" she replies.

What do you mean what do mean? Wasn't I clear? For such a smart woman, Persephone can sure sound dumb at times. I'm going out of my way to please her, and she doesn't take the hint.

"We Martians have a way with the ladies."

That got more of a response than I expected. Did she just gasp? What kind of image did I just put into her mind?

"Ooh, Hercules, tell me more."

I'm not sure what I meant just now, but it seems to be working. She's getting awfully aroused, I can hear it in her voice.

"I can come up and show you if you like, but you have to promise to take care of Jasmine and stick to the plan. Deal?"

Silence. Oh gosh, what have I said. I hope she doesn't get mad at me for wanting to save Jasmine.

She needs to understand that killing innocent humans is wrong. I'm not sure if she can be classed as a cannibal or not, but it's looking increasingly likely that she is, and that she's not as special as she claimed.

"Fine. You can come up," she says with a sigh.

"But will you let Jasmine live?" I reply.

"I suppose. Althea, will you get Jasmine some food?"

"Fine," Althea responds, in her typical whiny voice, not unlike that of an immature teenager.

"Now come up and show me what you Martians can do."

Well, here I go. Trying to arose a giant woman. I hope she can restrain herself.

Eh, who am I kidding? I'm too small to have any real effect on her. Of course, she doesn't suspect that this is just me trying to take her mind off of Jasmine. Hopefully if today and tomorrow conclude without a hitch, I can finally talk to Wayne again and get to the bottom of this.

"Alright Persephone, here I come," I say with enthusiasm down the microphone to her.

By now, I know my way around the important parts of her flagship and I don't really need Althea to escort me, but she accompanies me anyway. When we reach the lifts connecting the human part of the ship to Persephone's area, she leaves me, instructing Jasmine to follow her. I'm left to ascend the lift alone, giving me some time to ponder my next move.

How best to please a lady of her size? Certainly I can't go about it like I did with Maxine. I think I'll just have to throw out everything I know about intimacy.

As I've come to expect, when I exit the lift, Persephone is waiting eagerly for me. She is perfectly positioned to snatch me as soon as I leave the lift lobby. The fast movement of her body causes me to feel a bit queasy, but I quickly recover when she places me on her bed – between her thighs.

"So," she says, her voice clearly full of lust, "What is it you want to show me?"

I feel a finger prod my back, and, taking it as a cue, I start to walk up to her crotch. Before making contact with her vulva, I take one last look up at the mass of woman before me. Above me, her breasts block my view of her face, not that I'd be able to see it anyway.

Once I've taken in my surroundings, I take in a deep breath and get to work. Almost immediately, Persephone lets out a contented sigh as my hands affectionately massage her groin, or at least attempt to. I'm not sure how, but whatever it is I'm doing seems to be working. Already, Persephone seems to be relaxing; her muscles loosening as the tension leaves her immense body.

I didn't think that I would have this much of an impact, but it seems Persephone really appreciates the attention. Maybe I should be done this again? She clearly craves attention. I could use this to my advantage. But I can't offer too frequently, or she might suspect my plan.

Just as she is letting out another sigh of contentment, her body begins to slide down her bed. It's like she's melting because of me. Not wanting to get injured, I move back in tandem with her gradual slumping.

Eventually, she is laying completely flat on her bed., apparently having become lost in pleasure. As a hand reaches down to join me once more, I take a step away from her body, letting her hand do what it must inevitably do. I notice a growing damp patch underneath her underwear, where her hand is fondling. Then, apparently annoyed, she speaks up.

"I didn't tell you to stop," she growls.

"I know, but..." I manage to utter before she cuts me off.

"Get...back...in there!"

As soon as I recommence, I hear her begin to moan. She grows increasingly louder as I push my hands more forcefully against her now wet underwear. I guess I severely underestimated the effect that I would have on her.

"Wouldn't you like to know more about..." I manage to say before being cut off again.

"Please...just shut up and keep rubbing."

I continue pleasing her for what feels like an eternity, until she eventually decides she's had enough. At which point she wraps her hand around my tired body and drops me onto her stomach, where I sit down, only a minor distance from the bottom of her cleavage. Suspecting that she might want to talk now, I remain quiet as I wait for her to start the conversation.

"That was wonderful Hercules," she breathes, trying to catch her breath as she exits her sexually charged state, "You can tell me about the stupid miner humans now."

Not expecting her to be so direct, I stumble. I quickly try and think of something meaningful to say. Unfortunately it comes out really quickly and Persephone doesn't quite catch what I spew.

"What was that?" she enquires.

"Oh, uh, right," I say, trying to buy myself some time, "I'm really confused by them too."

"Is Jasmine a stupid miner human?"

"Oh, no. The stupid miner humans tricked her."

"Why? I thought all you humans like each other."

Uh? What planet has she been living on all this time? Where did she get that idea from? She hasn't been living on any planet all this time, but that's besides the point. What on Mars gave her that idea?

"Humans come in all shapes and types. Yeah, a lot of humans tolerate each other, that's true. But not all humans like each other. Take the space pirates for example. They are only out to harm other humans, and I've killed loads of them I'm glad to say."

"I know, you told me about that already. But tell me about this Jasmine. I don't think she's worth keeping alive, but I didn't want to make you upset, Hercules."

She genuinely cares about my feelings? That's good to know. But why is she allowing a mere human like me to tell her what to do?

"Well, what do you want to know about her?"

"What was she doing with those stupid miner humans?"

"They wanted her to make it easy for Nyx to defeat the human flagship. Jasmine was used to help Nyx. But I don't know how Wayne fits into all of this. That's why we need to talk to him. He will have lots of the information that I need. He might not be so easy to get the information I need out of though."

"Hercules, if he doesn't want to talk to you then I'll make him talk. I have my ways."

"Don't be too rough with him, okay?"

"Alright, fine. Just for you, I won't hurt him...too much."

"Thank you. I know I can at least count on you."

I say that, but I still don't feel that I really know Persephone. Like all of the Angels, and Eris, she remains this stubbornly mysterious individual. There's so much I have yet to uncover about her and the others.

Like: Are the mining company working with those would build the human flagship? How would the mining company know how to hack the flagship so efficiently? There has to be some collusion. Are we all just pawns in the sick game of a few billionaires? It's starting to look like it.

"Hercules," Persephone says as she extends her hand to stroke me, "Why are you suddenly so quiet? What are you thinking about?"

"Just human things," I reply.

"What do humans think about?"

"Um, well. Humans think about lots of things. I'm beginning to wonder if I can ever go back to Mars after all that has happened."

"Well you can always stay with me."

"Tha..."

Before I have a chance to finish, she hoists me up into the air and I'm dropped into her cleavage. Startled, I give up on trying to finish my sentence. I'm pushed firmly inside by her finger. Her hands then slowly massage her breasts as she raises herself up from the mattress.

Almost immediately I begin feeling weak. It's happening again. Persephone's body is paralysing me.

"Please stay with me Hercules. I like you. You're not like the other stupid humans."

I gaze up into her lips, her blonde hair charmingly draped around her chin. She pouts – obviously trying her best to appear cute. Curse her godly body.

"I...I...I..."

I try to formulate a coherent sentence, but no words are able to escape my mouth. As I try desperately to speak, she gives her breasts another gentle squeeze with her hands. She has me right where she wants me.

"Please," she whispers down to me.

"I..."

"My two girls will be very upset at you if you say no. You won't like them when they're upset. They have killed lots of humans you know."

My body is telling me to say yes, but I can't let my penis dictate my thoughts. Persephone is nice, but I don't know that I'd want to stay with her forever. I need contact with other humans, besides Althea, if I don't want to go insane.

"P...Per..."

"Yes?"

She gives her breasts another squeeze, this time a bit harder than before. I know she feels lonely, but I don't want to make promises that I can't say for certain that I'll keep. She needs to understand that I can't stay with her for ever.

I don't know where I'll go, but I'll think of something. There are plenty of unincorporated colonies out on the fringes. Maybe I can try my luck forging a new identity for myself?

"Never mind, I'll ask you again later," she says, as she uses her breasts to force most of the air from out of my lungs, "You've had a very stressful day, so just relax. Let my two girls take care of you. If you're nice to them, as you have been, they will take good care of you. They really like you and your little boy, Hercules, and I can tell you both like them back. They can feel it."

"W...what do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Hercules. Don't act stupid. I know you're not stupid like the other humans."

Dam it! I had hoped she wouldn't have felt it. This is embarrassing. Only Maxine should be allowed to turn me on like this.

But back to the real issues. What questions do I ask Wayne? How do I...oof! There she goes again. Firmly squeezing her breasts together.

"Relax Hercules. Let my two girls take care of you. I want you to relax for a bit. You can think about the stupid humans later."

I guess I should just play along for a bit. I didn't think it was so obvious I was trying to resist her. I could probably fall asleep in here, there's so much to think about.

After my stint with Persephone, the next couple of days conclude without too much trouble. Persephone keeps Jasmine well fed, as she agreed to, and I am forced to spend increasing amounts of time with her, as I'm made to work my Martian magic on her. Were Persephone not such a loving and lovely specimen of a lady, I might have considered it a sad existence. Especially given all the humans she has consumed in front of me.

However, when we make it back to Eris's home system, reality starts to take over again. And I am abruptly reminded of why I'm actually with Persephone. It's not to really please her – even though it kind of is – it's to defeat Eris. And Nyx wastes no time in reminding us of that upon our return.

We were having the most wonderful time together, Persephone and I, with her paralysing breasts and my awkward small talk, only for it to be rudely broken by Nyx. I know that deep down Persephone wishes that she could be free of this cursed existence, but for now, at least, she must listen to that monster – and the other, even more monstrous, one.

As she goes off into the control room of her flagship, I can hear Nyx howling in the background, imploring her to talk. Little does she know, of course, that she just broke Persephone from her lust filled state, and really dampened the mood, which I'm not sure Persephone will take too kindly to, especially given bossy Nyx has been with her as of late. It's hard to believe that they used to be best of friends.

"I was going to contact you in a minute," I hear Persephone growl, trying her best to assert herself.

"What was so important that our plan had to wait?" I hear Nyx shout, "I've been patiently waiting for you for days now. Did you get everything I asked for?"

It wasn't her who asked us to do that errand though, and I think Persephone knows that too, but now would not be the time to point out her error, of course. From my vantage point on Persephone's bed, through the doorway I can see Persephone clenching her firsts behind her bum.

And, strangely, it's only now that I realize how smooth and tight her bum actually is. So pale, tight and smooth. If she was Martian, like me, everyone on Mars would surely look up to her as a symbol of beauty, and as a supreme example of the feminine form.

But she has so much still to learn about humanity. I doubt she'd ever fully integrate into a human society. Such a sad existence.

"I did get everything on the list," Persephone says, again raising her voice.

"Make sure you have everything ready. I will be bringing Wayne with me to inspect it. As soon as I've finished educating some humans, I'll be making a request to dock with your ship."

This is great news! Persephone won't even have to try and convince Nyx to bring Wayne over. But how will we separate the two? That's going to be the tricky part.

Persephone comes back to join me, and she begins speaking to me as if I haven't heard any of her recent conversation with Nyx. She was pretty loud in there, so I don't know why she – never mind. And now I'll have to bear the brunt of her moans.

"I wish that we didn't have to put up with Nyx," she says in a whiny voice, reminiscent of Althea's own, "But I have some good news, Hercules, she said that she is bringing Wayne with her when she comes over, very soon. So that means I won't have to convince her."

Before I have a chance to reply, she falls onto her bed, laying flat on her stomach beside me. The tremors cause me to fall backwards, and I nearly hit the mattress. Thankfully, she has my back.

I feel her fingers tenderly, as I have managed to teach her, curl around my body. Hard to believe that just yesterday she was so much rougher when picking me up. She brings me to her lips and I find myself staring into the two supple pink structures, the only part of her face she has ever been willing to reveal to me, and I notice her pouting again. What does she want from me this time?

"Hercules..." she says, trying to sound as sweet as possible.

"Yes?" Is all I reply.

"Would you mind giving me a quick neck rub while I wait for Nyx? She made me mad, and now I need a some love. And you know that you should not hold me responsible for anything I do to any stupid humans while I'm mad."

"But what if Nyx sees me? She did say that she never wanted to see me again."

She pauses to think for a moment. As she decides on how to reply to me, she I notice her stretching out her body on her mattress. The hand I'm in is placed next to the elbow of her other arm and, without the need for her to prompt me, I clamber onto it.

"Umm...well, I have to allow her in first. So, as soon as she makes the request to board, I'll let you go downstairs to play with Althea and that annoying human you like."

"You mean Jasmine?"

"Probably. Now get to work."

I've barely commenced Persephone's neck rub when I hear a strange noise. Upon hearing it, she lifts me from her neck and I quickly realize that Nyx has arrived. She places me by the lift lobby and walks off. Now that I have my own communicator, I can get straight into a call with Althea.

Even though I've personally witnessed Althea kill several humans, I still think that she's a nicer character than Wayne – which is strange. She doesn't appear to show any remorse, but Wayne does; that's if his brother is to be believed. And yet I still hate him somehow.

There's so many shady people our here on the fringes. The Angels, Nyx and Eris especially, dare I say it, make even the most vicious of the pirates seem like decent people. So hopefully we can put things right and I can be back living with my own kind. Not that I don't like the hospitality I've been shown here. Speaking of...

"Mummy told me Nyx is coming today," she says to me, in her typical cheery tone, "So I waited for ages for you by the lifts. I never get to play with you. Mummy is always stealing you."

I hadn't contacted her yet. It's like she was anticipating I would descend from Persephone's bedroom right about now. How long was she waiting here for me?

But never mind that. That's an odd choice of words she's just used. Does she think that I'm simply an object for her own amusement? Is that all I am to her? I best not press on that now though – especially if I want Jasmine to fully heal.

"What would you like to do?" I ask, trying my best to hide my frustration at being compared to an object, "I don't know how long your mummy will take. Though she did tell me she was going to try and convince Nyx to give her Wayne."

She looks at me, clearly angered by the revelation. Her hands clench into tight fists, and I feel like she could lash out at any moment. Just when I think she's about to punch something, as she is raising her right fist, she takes a deep breath and stops herself.

"Why didn't she tell me about this?" she says, trying hard to mask her rising anger.

"Er, well," I answer, wanting to sound conciliatory, "I did explain to her what the doctor said about him."

"Yeah, but if Wayne knows all these things about Eris, then he could kill my mummy."

So she figured it out too. Maybe Wayne will want Persephone dead too. Or maybe he won't?

I wonder what he thinks about this. If Persephone 'saves' him, will he change his mind about her? I'd like to think that she can redeem herself, but will even helping to kill Eris be enough for all of the pain inflicted upon the various human groups?

"Do you think he could kill mummy?" Althea prompts, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I look directly into her eyes, now welling up. It's easily to see Persephone means a lot to her. No matter which way I answer, I know it'll make me feel terrible.

"I don't know," is all I manage to reply, my eyes shifting towards the pink wall to my left.

For all of her flaws, Persephone isn't such a bad individual I suppose. But the human eating has to stop – especially if she wants more worthwhile company from humans. I'll need to train her.

"What's wrong Hercules?" Althea asks, correctly detecting my unease at the situation.

"It's fine; I was just thinking about things we could do. Do you think we could go and see Jasmine for a while?"

"But, Hercules, I want to play with you. What's Jasmine going to do anyway? She's too weak."

That's because you made her weak damn it! Even if the other humans are just playthings or, dare I say it, livestock, to you, you still need to treat them well. Back on Mars, Maxine and I always made a point of buying only the best meats, from well looked after animals. We were never ones for the synthetic meats.

Oh, who am I kidding, I'll never be able to convince either of them to behave more like humans. They may not be Eris, but their goddess-complex is still too strong. Maybe I should just accept my fate as amusement for them.

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" I ask.

"I thought that I could test your strength," she exclaims gleefully.

Haven't I already proven myself? Fuck, what have I just put myself in for? Nothing that involves tenderising other humans hopefully.

We stare at each other for what seems like an eternity as I try to think of something witty to say. Unfortunately, no words manage to come out of my mouth. After a while, obviously tired of waiting, Althea grabs my arm and I reluctantly accept her lead.

Just as we're beginning to make our way down the corridor, away from the lifts, we hear a muffled thump. That doesn't sound good. Apparently agreeing with my thoughts, Althea comes to an abrupt halt.

"Do you think your mummy is alright?" I ask.

"I bet it's Nyx's fault!" she growls, "I'll show her!"

"I really don't think we should go up there."

"I thought you were brave Hercules."

I hate being guilt tripped like this. What does she expect to do against Nyx? She can't do a thing against that damsel of distress. Those immortal words suddenly come back into my mind: There's bravery and then there's stupidity.

"There's bravery and then there's stupidity," I inform her.

No response. She tugs me in the opposite direction, back towards the lifts. Why do I allow myself to be dragged around like this? I really am like a children's toy now, like a much loved teddy bear perhaps.

"Come on Althea, be reasonable."

"You be reasonable Hercules. My mummy could be in trouble."

As soon as she presses the button for the lift, the doors open and we're off. What should be mere seconds, start to feel like minutes in the lift. Time seems to slow down as several competing ideas wrestle each other in my head.

What could have caused such a loud noise? Are Nyx and Persephone fighting each other? Did Wayne do or say something one of them didn't like?

We're about to find out. The lift doors open and we see the legs of the two giantesses in the distance – beside the pink wall on the far side of Persephone's bedroom. Perhaps strangely, the medical equipment is nowhere to be seen.

As I scan the room, Althea grabs my arm again. But this time I manage to resist her. She lets out an audible huff, but I remain firm.

"Come on Hercules," she says, now trying to pull harder on my arm.

"What Wayne says is blasphemy!" we hear Nyx scream, "I need to kill him!"

I wonder what Wayne did to elicit such anger. We see Persephone's foot stamp in anger, causing another loud thump, which manages to cause tremors in the floor beneath our feet. So maybe that's what the sound we heard was?

It's staring to look an awful lot like we may never be rid of Eris after all. If their fighting continues then there's no way that we can defeat Eris. How can such grandiose beings be so childish?

"We can't kill him," Persephone responds, her anger clearly rising further, "Hercules doesn't want me to."

"Hercules? Who is this? Another meaningless human you love? Why are you taking orders from weak, pathetic, humans?"

"You take orders from humans too."

Above us, we hear a slight impact. Like one of them just slapped the other. Although I couldn't say for sure. Then Persephone starts crying.

"Idiot! None of us take orders from humans. You can keep Wayne for all I care," Nyx bellows, "He was a useless peon anyway. I'm going to go back to my ship and you can think about your actions just now. I expect a full apology before we can start talking again."

I see Althea itching to go and comfort her mum, but I hold her wrist tightly in restraint. This means that she can't do anything rash, much to her annoyance. She looks at me with one of those "I hate you" faces Maxine always used to do when I told her I was going on another mission. Deep down, like Maxine those times, I know Althea knows I'm doing the right thing, whether she realizes it or not.

What could she do against that monster Nyx anyway? I doubt her pistol will do anything. Nyx probably won't even feel it.

As Nyx walks off into the distance, apparently towards whatever is connecting her own flagship to Persephone's own, Persephone drops to the floor. From our vantage point we can only see her the parts of her body below those two immense girls of hers. But we don't need to see her face to tell that she's in terrible distress.

Sandwiched in between those two globes is what looks to be Wayne, the cause of all this commotion. If he can see me at this distance, I'm sure he's able to tell that I want to exchange a few choice words with him. I will put everything his brother told me to him.

But that'll have to wait. Even though Nyx is no longer in view, I still don't think that it's safe to go out there. Who knows what Persephone could do when she's this upset. I stand in sombre silence, waiting Persephone to move, until Althea snaps me out of my trance.

"Hercules, Nyx will be done going through the corridor to her ship by now," she says in that typical whiny voice of hers, "You can let go of me now."

"How can we be sure?" I ask her.

"Althea, Hercules, is that you?" Persephone asks, still sobbing.

We both perk up upon realizing that she has finally noticed us. She has good ears. I can't believe she managed to hear us from all the way over there.

"Yes," is all I reply.

"Don't come in here! I think Nyx might have managed to break the thing hiding my face."

"I bet you have a lovely face."

"You're just a human Hercules. I am definitely not. Humans aren't allowed to see my face."

"Why not?"

"I...I don't know."

I guess that makes sense. All this time, the only reason us humans are given is that we're not worthy. Has Persephone really thought about why this is? Or has she simply been following Eris and Nyx's orders? It's so tempting to just walk out there to finally get a glimpse of her face. But who knows what she'll do to me if I do.

"If it really is broken, you can't hide yourself from us forever. How can I work my Martian Magic on you if you won't let me come in?"

Hopefully that'll work. I know she enjoys spending time with me. Is her face so important that she'd give up on orgasms just to hide it from me?

"I think I can still hide myself. You'll see."

Apparently I wasn't clear enough. Or does she all of a sudden not like being pleasured anymore? Althea looks at me like: "What is this Martian Magic of which you speak?"

"What would you say if I promised to work some of my Martian Magic on you right now?" I yell, this time being more assertive with her.

Silence. She slumps down, leaning her body against the far wall – revealing her shoulders and neck, but still not her face. I wonder what she's thinking about. We wait for a few seconds until Althea finally understands what I might have meant by Martian Magic.

"Mummy, are you saying you don't want Hercules to make you feel good?" she shouts.

"I really like Hercules, but..."

"Come on Mummy, Hercules isn't usually this eager to please you."

"I guess you're right. I want you to take Wayne down to the stupid humans so I can focus on Hercules. I need to talk to him."

Persephone gets up and slowly walks towards us. When her feet arrive at the lift lobby, she bends down to place Wayne beside the entrance. He looks visibly shocked, and weak – perhaps from Persephone's pheromones, but he won't be getting any sympathy from me.

I sneer at him. He looks briefly at me and then lowers his head back down, seemingly in shame. Althea promptly takes his arm and leads him into the lift, allowing me to focus on Persephone.

She sits down in front of the entrance, as is usual when she's invited me into her bedroom. She offers me a hand, which I cautiously accept. I edge towards it, unsure of what I might see when I look up.

As I clamber into her hand, my head springs upwards. But all I get is an anticlimax. Her breasts are once again blocking my view of her face. Before I have a chance to move across her hand, she holds me close to her belly, directly underneath her breasts.

"I just messed up big. I'm sorry for all of the mess I've made Hercules," she says, her other hand coming in to stroke my body, "Now we may never defeat Eris."

"It's not your fault," I say, trying to reassure her, "There must be a way to we can defeat Eris. We have Wayne with us now."

It partly is her fault really. Although I'm kind of limited in what I can say to a huge mass of woman who doesn't know her own strength. I don't think she'd set out to kill me, but I suspect that she'd come very close.

"Let's go to my bed. Now that you can see my face, we might as well make the most of it."

I wonder what that could mean? Before I have a chance to really mull over what she just said, I'm violently hoisted upwards as Persephone turns and slides onto her bed. What I see when I get my bearings again amazes me.

My eyes follow the soft skin of her arm and meet with her actual face for the first time. Two big blue eyes and luscious brightly coloured pink lips are the noteworthy features of her face. They are surrounded, of course, by that messy shoulder length blonde hair she has apparently always struggled to tame. At least makes an effort to cut it though, even if it's not very well done.

Honestly, I think that she committed a crime by hiding such beauty. She really is an Angel. To think that she was hiding this angelic face all this time. How dare she!

"You know this is hard for me Hercules," she says, somehow making me focus directly onto her lips, "But I trust you. You're not like the other humans."

"Oh, uh, yeah..." I say, trying desperately to form a coherent sentence.

"Now how about showing me your little boy. It's the only way I think I can repay you."

"Huh?"

"Get on my bed and show me that little boy you've been hiding!"

She's getting frustrated; I had better not disobey her. Could it be she wants to give me a...no...is she serious? Only one way to find out...

As I begin to remove my clothing, Persephone leans in close, in anticipation. Well, aren't we eager? I hope that I don't disappoint her. Here goes...

"Oh my! Oh Hercules...that's wonderful! Now I can show you some Persephone Magic. No need to be afraid. I'll take care of you and your boy."

Persephone Magic? Please don't eat me? What the f...oh! Oh fuck! I knew it! She wanted to give me a blow job.

Her lips close in and begin to suck vigorously on my penis. And oh...oh fuck. I can feel myself melting away into the mattress. My legs are so weak right now.

She has barely started when I begin a gradual collapse onto the soft fabric below. Not discouraged by my fall, she leans in further, as I'm slowly descending, her teeth now stroking my now erect penis. I can feel my whole body quivering with pleasure.

But, now that I'm about to release, she suddenly stops. It's as if she knows I've almost reached my climax. Why? Why tease me like this?

She quickly moves to kiss me on the chest. I then feel a finger stroking my head, a far more delicate movement than I'm used to from her. I grab her chin, trying, to no avail, to shift her lips back down to my penis.

"Nuh, uh, Hercules," she breathes, "First you gotta do something for me."

Please, anything to stop this madness! Please just finish what you started! Stop being so silly.

"Argh, what do you want?" I cry, clearly distressed by her pause.

"Promise me that you won't try to go back to Mars," she says as she places another quick kiss on my torso, "Then I'll make your little boy scream. Deal?"

"I...I...c...c..."

Realizing I'm struggling, she lowers her lips to give a quick lick the underside of my penis, teasing it further. The tip of her tongue then lingers on the tip of my penis. Just as I'm about to explode she removes it, again denying me. She looks longingly into my eyes, obviously thinking carefully about her next words.

"Your little boy wants to scream, Hercules. Don't be so mean to him..."

"I'm not..."

"Say it with me: I promise you Persephone, the prettiest girl in the entire universe, I won't try and escape. Come on, that's really easy to say. Do it for your little boy."

"N...n..."

Before I have a chance to find the words I want, she stops me with a peck of my penis. My boy is once again brought so annoyingly close to...screaming! Argh! Please just get on with it.

"Why is it so hard for you Hercules?"

I try to hold back the tears. Why is she being so stupid like this? Why can't she make this easy? I did lots of nice things for her.

"I love you...and Mars..."

"That's not what I told you to say. Come on, they probably think you're dead by now. You even said that after what you've done they won't like you anymore. So why is it so hard to commit to me?"

She has a point. Well, two, actually. And she only said I wouldn't be allowed to go back to Mars – and nowhere else. Okay, fine, boy, I'll do it. This is too much!

"I won't try and go back to Mars."

"I'm not stupid like the humans Hercules. Promise me that you won't try to escape to anywhere else either."

Damn it! I thought I had her. I said what she wanted, didn't I?

"Or anywhere else."

"Say it properly: I promise you Persephone, the prettiest girl in the entire universe, I won't try and escape to anywhere. Come on."

"I promise you...Persephone, the prettiest girl in the entire universe, I won't try to escape to anywhere."

"Good. Now where was I?"

Now that I've said what it is she wanted, Persephone proceeds to pleasure me. A feeling of ecstasy takes over. I descend into bliss. Who knew such a lonely individual could be this good! Persephone is a master of arousal. Perhaps she has been practising.

What I hoped would last for forever, doesn't last long, however. Or maybe I'm just so sexually stimulated that I've lost track of time? Either way, we revert to the serious matter of Wayne.

Even though it's clear that she no longer wants to pleasure me, I'm unable to get dressed. I look towards my clothes, held down by her finger, with a frustrated expression. A mischievous grin creeps across her lips – like she doesn't want me to have my clothes.

"Wayne said some things that I didn't like, Hercules," she says, her eyes scrutinising my body, "So we need to talk about that now. Can we talk about that?"

"As soon as I've put my clothes back on we can talk about Wayne, sure," I reply.

"I want you to stay like that. I like you with no clothes on."

Well, uh, that was awfully blunt. I'm no body-builder, but I guess it's understandable. Persephone is very sexually starved. I might be the only chance she gets at a willing sexual partner. Still, I feel incredibly awkward.

"How can we talk seriously if one of us is naked?"

She tosses my clothes off of her bed and then raises herself up from the mattress. Once off of her bed, she proceeds to take her own clothes off, albeit it just a simple pink bra and panties. Hey, Persephone, that's not what I meant!

Although, she is beautiful. I shan't argue. Just look at those huge breasts! I could get lost in that cleavage. And I have been. If only Maxine could be more like Persephone...

"Can we talk seriously now?" she gleefully declares as she descends back onto the mattress to meet me.

"Uh, um, well," I stammer, "I suppose?"

"Good."

She leans over to plant a kiss on my forehead, in such a way as to apparently make sure that my eyes have a clear view of her chest. She's good at this. I can feel myself melting again.

As I fall into the mattress again, she forces herself upon me. I'm squeezed between her breasts – two, soft, globular pillows. I want to tell to stop this, but I love it so! Gosh, I'm so conflicted.

"W-what did Wayne say?" I ask, now panting, trying to restart our supposedly serious conversation.

"He said he can prove Angels are humans. That's blasphemy, isn't it, Hercules?" she says, her hand coming in to meet the top of my head, "You don't think that I'm a human do you Hercules?"

"I-I....I don't know."

"You know, my two girls have crushed many humans when they've become angry. But, I like you Hercules, so, tell me, why aren't you sure?"

"It-it's because of what his brother said..."

"Mmm. Go on. The foolish doctor yes?"

I can tell that this is going to be incredibly awkward. But she's going to have to face the truth. If she won't hear it from me then what hope is there?

"Yes," I say with a nod, "He said Wayne helped to create the Angels."

A frown appears across her face. What have I done? I can already feel her two girls pressing hard against my weak form.

"Hercules!" she snaps, "How can you believe a stupid human over me?"

"Ah, uh, f...fuck. Then t-tell me. How do you think you were created? Who is your mummy?"

The squeezing stops. She moves her head up, now wanting to avoid eye contact with me. Silence.

For what seems like several minutes – probably – I've lost track of time – no movement from her at all. Am I finally getting through to her? She looks to be in deep thought. Then a tear splashes onto the mattress beside me.

"Okay, Hercules, you win."

Was that all it took? Really? It seems too good to be true. What happened to her goddess complex all of a sudden?

"Why are you crying? I didn't mean to make you cry."

"I thought about it. And I don't remember. You're right, I never had a mummy like Althea does."

"How about I do some of my Martian Magic and we take a break from this conversation."

"No Martian Magic. I want to learn more about myself. I want Wayne up here. Maybe he knows if I have a mummy or not, because all I remember is being trapped on this ship. I'm not going to hurt him, if that's what you're worried about. He has questions to answer."

"I wasn't worried. I trust you Persephone, the prettiest girl in the entire universe."

There. That should do it. She'll like that.

"Ooh, Hercules. I couldn't wish for a better human. Ugh, you wouldn't believe all of the things that I need to do with you. But now is not the time for experimenting. Right now I gotta a lot of questions."

"Me too."

But experimenting? What could she possibly mean by that? That is a little concerning. Come on, Hercules, pull yourself together; it can't be that bad.

She's just an extremely lustful woman who doesn't know her own strength. Okay, maybe I should be a little worried. I shan't ask her about that now though.

"I'll get Althea to bring him back up," she says as she releases me from between her breasts.

As she lifts herself up from the mattress, she begins to tap on the screen wrapped around her wrist, the one furthest from me. Almost immediately she gets a response from Althea. She gives the whiny teenager groan I've come to expect from her, like she's upset at being disturbed.

"Mummy, I was busy disciplining the humans. How can you be done with Hercules already?" I hear her say.

"Mummy wants Wayne up here," Persephone replies.

"But mummy, I was punishing him for being a stupid human."

"You can play with Wayne later. Right now I need him up here."

"Fine."

She just said that she's punishing Wayne and Persephone interprets that as play? Well, I guess there isn't much to do around here, and humans do provide ample entertainment. Wait, what am I saying? I hope I'm not turning into another Althea. I mean, I do like Persephone and Althea but I can't allow myself to act like them and develop a god complex.

Persephone closes the communication channel and quickly turns her attention back to me. She crawls over to me, slowly, like a feline who's on the prowl for their next meal. She looks at me with a frightening smile, one that reveals her pearly whites, but that is strangely sultry. It screams: You're mine and I can do whatever I please with you.

Despite her appearance, however, she manages to be surprisingly tender. She pecks at my head and then retreats to stare longingly into my eyes.

What is this? Does she want something out of me? Why is she doing this?

"What do you want me to do to that stupid human Wayne?" she asks me, still staring deeply into my eyes, "I can do anything. I know you hate him too."

"Why are you asking me what to do? You're the Angel," I respond, confused, "You don't have to listen to me."

"I know I don't. But it's hard to explain. Anyway...if you want my two girls to crush him, they'll gladly do it. They're very strong."

Hard to explain? It's been easy to tell that she's infatuated with me. Is this her way of trying to get me to like her more? I already promised her that I wouldn't try and leave. What more could she want out of me? When has an Angel ever asked a human to give her advice?

"Can we just talk to him first. Okay?"

"Okay Hercules. I have some questions I want to ask."

"What sorts of things do you want to know?"

"Maybe Wayne can tell me who my mummy is. He should also finish what he was trying to tell Nyx."

"What was that?"

"He was saying...they're here."

Before she can finish her sentence, she becomes distracted by something on the floor. I follow her gaze down to the floor and see Althea and Wayne by the lift lobby entrance. Although it's hard to tell exactly from this distance, it looks as if Wayne's eyes are bulging, like he's never seen boobs as big as Persephone's, even though he supposedly created her.

"Mummy! What happened to your clothes?" Althea calls up.

Good question Althea. When has it ever been appropriate to interrogate someone whilst completely naked? But if Wayne dares try any funny stuff, I know Persephone will protect me.

"Mummy was just trying to convince Hercules to stay with us. That's all."

"Oh, I see. Good job mummy! Your two girls do the best persuading in the entire universe!"

"Mmm, I know. But now it's Wayne's turn to make some promises."

Persephone begins to grope her breasts, all whilst keeping a fierce gaze fixed on Wayne. Realizing that she is no longer needed, Althea shoves Wayne away from her – causing him to fall over – and turns to head back into the lift. As she does so, Persephone reaches down from her bed to forcefully grab him.

"Hercules and I have some questions for you, stupid human," she says as she drops him onto the bed from a height about two or three times his own.

"I'll answer all of your questions," he pants as he gets back onto his feet, clearly disoriented from the fall, "Just don't send me back to that monster Nyx.

"We'll see," Persephone says rather threateningly – in a menacing tone I've not heard from her before.

Looking at Wayne, it's easy to see Althea had some fun with him, even if only briefly. His cheeks are red, with hand prints on them, probably from Althea beating him. Man, I do not want to get into a fight with her. His hair is messy, though it's hard to say if it's directly due to the abuse that he's suffered, or if it's just his normal hairstyle.

"Why create the Angels?" I ask, trying my best to sound as scary as Persephone just did, of course it must be hard to take a naked person seriously.

"I didn't create them..."

"So you're calling your own brother a liar?

I look up at Persephone who nods, as if to say: Go on, you're doing great. I then turn my attention back to Wayne.

His eyes narrow. They lock onto me, staring into my own. But it's all a façade. Despite his tearing expression, I see fear in his eyes. Like it's painful for to say the truth.

"No, no. I wasn't alone. There was a team. But I did lead the team. I mean after the previous leader died."

"How did they die?" I ask bluntly, not concerning myself with the little details like their name.

"Eris killed her. She broke out of her chamber and chased after her, back when she wasn't so fat from being mostly sedentary and eating humans. Eris was created to be fierce, that's why she was conditioned to be the leader. But she can be beaten with my help."

"How...?"

Before I can finish what I'm saying, Persephone's hand swoops across in front of me, startling us both. She latches onto Wayne, squeezing him tightly in her clenched fist. As she brings him up to her face, her hand squeezes ever tighter, eliciting a scream from him.

"Argh! Stop!" he yells.

"Tell me who my mummy is?" Persephone growls.

"Fine! Just put me down. Please!"

"Tell me. Or I'll squeeze harder."

"Persephone, please, just put him down," I plead, "For Hercules."

Her rage is suddenly replaced with sadness. Her focus shifts onto me and she stares into my eyes. She appears to think about something for a moment, musing, and then opens up her hand, causing Wayne to crash back down to the mattress.

Wow, that actually worked. She really listened to me. Still, I wish she wouldn't drop him from a height like that.

"Your mummy, I guess," Wayne continues as he finds his feet, "Is the original Angel."

"Is that Eris?" Persephone enquires, her rage having all of a sudden vanished.

"It's not. You probably haven't met her. Her name is Sedna..."

"I want to meet her."

"She's not going to be of any use to us right now."

I can see the anger rising in Persephone. It must be hard for her. Maybe after this is over we can go and find Sedna.

"I want to go to her!" she growls.

"If Wayne leaves the coordinates for the start charts," I offer, "I will come with you once we've defeated Eris."

I don't know what I'm getting myself into, but that should shut her up for now. Women have such good memories, so it'll be hard to wriggle out of what I just said. I hope I don't come to regret it.

"Promise?" she says, blushing a little.

"I Promise. What about you Wayne?"

"I will get you to Sedna."

"Okay, good," I say in agreement, "But why do you need Angel blood?"

"I personally crafted large parts of that XNA*, so I know how it works. Inside the XNA I sneaked in the instructions to build a virus that can defeat Eris. This was in case I ever changed my mind about them. If we can connect the blood analysis machine to, even just an average, human sized computer, I should be able to retrieve my notes."

*XNA = Xeno nucleic acid

When he says Eris, he means all of the Angels, surely? He couldn't have created a virus just for Eris. If there's one thing I hate about my job in the military, it's moral dilemmas. I've had a lot of those recently. And deciding whether or not I should help to kill Persephone is perhaps the biggest I've ever faced.

"Uh, okay, but first things first," I say, "Why did you help create the Angels."

Now that I think about it: How many other Angels are there? I know of Eris, Persephone, Nyx, Nike, Hebe I think was mentioned before by the navy and I now know about Sedna. Somebody must have had an insane amount of money to raise that many giantesses.

"I'll be honest with you: I hate other humans. You don't know what it feels like to grow up despised by your peers – to be an outcast. School was terrible. But I showed them. It pays big to be a nerd. I got my own private space station..."

I stretch out my arm to grab his neck, but I manage to stop myself. My hand almost wraps itself around his neck, but I quickly lower it. Getting angry won't solve anything.

Wayne is starting to sound as crazy as Eris. Is this really all about revenge? That's nuts! It doesn't sound like he regrets his creation after all.

My gaze remains fixed firmly on him, and his on me. His expression, like my own, is unmoving. Then Persephone chimes in to break the awkward silence.

"What would you like me to do to him?" she asks, "My two girls are very persuasive you know."

"Indeed they are. But it's fine Persephone. Wayne has been obedient so far. I was just thinking of my next question."

"Okay Hercules, I'll let you think of your question."

My attention turns back to Wayne, who is choosing to remain strangely silent. In the background, I hear Persephone let out a long sigh as she gets into a more comfortable position. For a moment, I allow myself to be distracted by her breasts as they brush against the mattress.

As I stare at her bare breasts, a new question pops into my head: Why try and defeat Eris if you have such a burning hatred of humanity? Eris loves to kill humans, so where's the logic in that? Does he grow sick of the war too?

"If you hate humans, why do you now want to kill Eris?" I ask, "Doesn't that contradict your reason for creating her in the first place?"

"Nyx somehow found my hidey hole. And, as I'm sure you know, Sidney, you can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word. I wanted to live, so I promised her I could kill Eris."

"But that still doesn't explain why Nyx has been getting orders from humans."

"Oh, you know about that? That's easy. Eris's demands have been getting too much for the 'military industrial complex'. Those that built that huge state of the art ship you were on, Sidney, helped Nyx and Eris take control of it. They know all of it's weaknesses. They purposefully gave it certain weaknesses, I'm certain of it.

"Nyx showed me the database of all of the pilots, we agreed upon you because you'd be perfect for my plan. And you did not disappoint. Nyx, although she might not appear so, is actually far less crazy than Eris. I don't know if they told Nyx where I live, but here I am."

Really? Nyx is far less crazy than Eris? How is that possible? Just how deranged is Eris? And that does explain why she wants the title of goddess for herself.

He smiles at me, though it's not the mischievous sort of smile I expect from somebody like him. It's hard to say what he's thinking. But it does seem as though the tensions have eased somewhat.

But what about this virus? How is he going to build a virus without a laboratory? I bet he wants me to go on another escapade.

"Okay, Wayne," I say, trying my best to remain focused on him and not Persephone's jiggling breasts in the background, "I have one more question for now."

"What's that?"

"How are you going to grow these viruses without a lab?"

A smile returns to his face whilst he thinks of what to say next. He looks towards Persephone's chest and then back at me. He must be trying come up with the best way to break the news of another escapade.

"Eris is a cyborg, like all of the Angels. We will need somebody to sneak in and implant a computer virus inside her body to defeat her. Perhaps by piloting a small drone. But to do that we need to get close enough to her. That's why we need Nyx's help to defeat Eris. Eris trusts her more than any Angel. She can distract her whilst the drone pilot gets to work."

"And you want me to do that?"I ask.

Before he has a chance to respond, Persephone wraps her hand around him, squeezing him tightly. I look up at her face, her expression one of intense disdain. Her attention quickly shifts to me and she shakes her head.

"I'm not letting Hercules anywhere near that monster!" she shouts.