A nameless story I just finished writing.
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 12:04 pmI started writing this at 3:00 in the morning. I finished it just minutes before 12:00 in the afternoon. Hopefully the story is decent. I'm not sure, my brain stopped working three hours ago.
It's a story using the Greek Pantheon as a basis, without using actual Greek history or myths in any real capacity. [The Greek Pantheon is great but the history,landscape and other myths are to constricting to use as a good base. So I took the pantheon and altered them slightly to suit my needs.]
I really hope nobody finds any offense in this story, though i'm not sure why anyone would All the same if anyone IS offended just say the word and I shall remove the story and apologize. But I don't think there's anything offensive in here. Just try not to take the story to seriously, remember it's just a spur of the moment thing I wrote, and that my brain shut down before the ending.
With that in mind,let the story begin.
Oh, wait. I read the rule about Full Length Stories, but I wasn't sure what was meant by Full Length stories. I assumed it was meant as stories that were several chapters long. In case I am wrong however and my story should qualify as a 'Fully Length STory' I wish to apologize in advance.
I also wish to apologize in advance for any spelling and/or grammatical mistakes I made. Again, my brain has stopped working.
NOW on with the story.
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A temple stands in the city of Aphrosias. It is a temple dedicated to the Goddess of Love,Aphrodite. Upon it's marble steps stands a man wearing the standard Garb for soldiers of that era. His shield however bears no sign of allegience to a country. He stands on the steps,looking at the Temple,not with hesitation,but with purpose. He knows why he is there,and what he must do. Into the temple he marches, thankful to find it emoty. Considering that it is well into the late horus of the night, it is no surprise he is the only one there.
He makes his way to the Altar,where a statue of the Goddess stands. The statue showed the Goddess nude,stretching skyward. Kneeling before the Altar, his head looking upon the ground, the man began to speak. "Oh Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Goddess of Beauty, I beseech thee, grant to me my one request. Any thing thou wishest of me shall be done, if thou can grant this small request." "Anything I ask hmm?" spoke a voice that was softer, and more beautiful then any posessed by a mortal.
The statue of Aphrodite began to move. It's arms lowered themselves, it's body ceased being stone and turned instead to lovely flesh. A dole of doves flew into the temple carrying silk cloth,which they draped over the body of the statue. It was no longer a statue, it was the Goddess Aphrodite herself. "Allow me to guess..." she began. " You love a woman who is in love with another man. No,wait. You love a woman who is MARRIED to another man. You just can't live without her,and want me to make her love you instead. Am I right?" she asked.
"No, oh great and beautiful Goddess. That is not why I have come to ask for your help." "Then your in love with a woman who simply doesn't love you back?" "No, oh Aphrodite most beautiful of all." the man replied. He knew that the Gods and Godesses were fond of flattery, and that Aphrodite was fond of it most of all. "Well then. Your in love with a woman who has died,and you wish my help in bringing her back from the Underworld?" the Goddess asked,truly becoming curious about what this man had come to ask her for. "No, oh Aprodite wisest of all in matters of Love." "Oh! I know what it is now. Your in love with another man. Is that correct?" Aphrodite asked him. "It is not, oh fair and wonderful Goddess."
"Well now I am very curious." Aphrodite said, and sat down upon the altar. "I AM the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Men only come to me when they want someone to fall in love with them. Women only come to me when they want someone to fall in love with them or they want me to make them beautiful. Sometimes people will.....oh of course!" she proclaimed." I cna't believe I forgot that one. You want me to make someone stop loving you...or to make you stop loving someone. That must be it,right?" "I regret to tell you, oh Goddess of Love, I am not here for that reason either." the man informed her.
"Well then, why ARE you here? I'm tired of this guessing game." she demanded, her beautiful voice taking on a sharper tone, though keeping it's lovely sound. The man, keeping his gaze firmly on the ground, answered with six simple words. "I wish to be a woman."
The Goddess did not respond for awhile, as she was shocked. Never before had she received such a request. Her first reaction was to be annoyed. This man was trying to trick her she thought. "What did you do? What crime did you commit that led you to come here? You did something terribly wrong and now you wish to hide from your pursuers by asking me to grant this request? That is why you came here is it not?" she accused him.
"No, oh Goddess whose hair shines like precious gold. I am not a criminal, nor is my life in any danger." he replied honestly.Aphrodite's next reaction was anger. This man was making a mockery of her. No doubt he thought her a lesser God. "You think you can make a fool of me? Of the Goddess Aphrodite? You are wrong. You think little of me for being the Goddess of Love, but more things have been done in the name of Love then a mortal like you could comprehend." the Goddess shouted,growing larger and larger until she stood over twenty feet above him. "Love has caused wars. Love has brought wars to an end. Love has driven mortals insane, and propelled heros to greatness. Love is not something to be mocked,and neither am I."
"I know, oh wise and wonderful Goddess. I would never mock you." Her next reaction was confusion.She shrank down to her previous size,and stood directly before him, though his eyes were still focused on the floor. "Perhaps I heard you wrong. Surely what you said was you wanted to be WITH a woman,and not that you wanted to BE one. Correct?" "No Aphrodite, the envy of all women. You heard me correctly. I wish to be a woman." Aphrodite sat on the altar again. "I see. You know,I have never been asked this before. I'm not sure what to do about your request. Tell me, what is your name?"
"My name is Kratisto of Athens." the man answered. Aphrodite's next reaction was shock. "THE Kratisto of Athens? The hero? I heard Zeus mention that your almost as great as Hercules was. Are you really Kratisto the hero?" she asked. "I am Kratisto, oh majestic and merciful Goddess." "Well,stand up, stand up.Let me get a look at you." she ordered,and he complied while still keeping his eyes fixed to the ground.She looked him over a few times, nodding as she did so. Finally she walked up behind him and put his head on his shoulder. "You know,for a mortal, your not half bad. You really want to be a woman?" she asked.
"More then anything. Since I was a child it has been my one dream. I come to you in desperation oh glorious Goddess." Kratisto answered. Again Aphrodite sat on the altar. "Why? If you want me to consider granting this request I want to know why." she told him kindly. "I have always felt as if something wasn't right with me. I learned early on that the problem was that I had been born a boy. It should not have been that way."
"I don't just want to know why you want to be a woman Kratisto. I also want to know why you wanted to become a hero." "To be honest Goddess, I did not want to be a hero. I became one on accident." "Accident? How does one become a hero by accident?" "When I was just fourteen years of age I was taken on a hunting trip far from home. I was not fond of the other hunters, and my anger at having been born in this body had reached a peak. So I ventured alone into the forest one night to show my anger to whatever animal I found there. However it wasn't any normal animal I encountered. It had the appearence of a dog,but was larger then any man."
"You killed this monster?" "I did.One of the other hunters found me shortly after I slew it. I was content to leave the body there, but the hunter insisted I take it's head as proof. The next morning we went to a nearby village, and discovered that the monster I had killed had been atacking the villagers for some time." "But you were able to defeat it? Even though you were only fourteen?" "That is correct Goddess. When we returned home the hunters told everyone about it. Shortly after that I was called upon to help stop a giant boar. After that it was a giant bull, then a Naga, and then a Griffin. With each beast I fought more people learned my name. It's now almost twenty years since that first beast and I cannot remember all the monsters I have fought. That is why I said I became a hero on accident."
"It is very impressive. The world needs heroes you know. If you had been born a woman you would not have been taken on that hunting trip. That first beast you killed may have killed many more people before it was finally killed. The same goes for all the monsters you killed. We cannot change your destiny Kratisto. If we were to do that terrible things could happen. So now tell me. What is it you would like me to do for you?"
"I wish to become a woman." Kratisto answered,and Aphrodite let out a sigh. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that. You say you've wanted this since you were a child. Haven't you ever thought otherwise?" "No Goddess,I have not.I know this I what I want." Kratisto told her. "All right. The truth Kratisto is that it is not within my power to grant that request. I cannot change you into a woman. I want to help you but I cannot. Why did you ask me anyways? I would think Zeus would be the one you would ask. "Zeus is powerful, however he would not understand my request. Nor would any God. Only a Goddess could understand. "Yes of course. But as I said it simply is not within my power to make these changes. However..." she sighed, getting off the altar "I know who can make it happen. Tomorrow night when everyone has left the temple, return. By that time I will be able to tell you if your request can be fulfilled."
"Thank you oh kind and caring Goddess. There is nothing I will not do for you, if being a woman is my reward." Kratisto said,and bowed to the Goddess with his gaze still focused on the ground. Aphrodite stood where the statue had stood previously, cast off her silk wrap, resumed the pose that statue had held,and returned to Olympus leaving a statue in her place.
Kratisto, his heart filling with hope, left the temple to find lodging for the night. Meanwhile on Mount Olympus Aphrodite sent Hermes to find Athena and Hera, and bring them to her. Of course not even the Messenger God can enter Hera's private garden,so he had to wait for her to leave before he could give her the message. By the time this had happened it was noon. Eventually though the three were gathered together. "Tell me Aphrodite. For what reason have you called us here?" Athena asked. "A request was made of me before the sun rose this morning. A unique request that I cannot fulfill." "Unable to fulfill? Do you mean to say it is a wicked request that you do not want to fulfill, or that it is a request you have not the power to make happen."
"I meant the latter. It is not within my power to make this request happen. Before I tell you anymore I must say this. This request is for the hero Kratisto." "Kratisto? Is he looking for a mate then?" Athena asked. "No. His request has nothing to do with love. Which is why it's not in my power to grant." "Ugh. Kratisto? Zeus has been speaking about him for awhile now. The great hero who is 'almost better then Hercules was' is all he'll talk about. If he keeps mentioning that son of his I'm going to make him very sorry. So what'd the mortal want if not love?"
"Well,the truth is...." Aphrodite started,and then related to them the entire conversation. "I want to help him, however doing so will be very hard." "Actually it's impossible. Neither of you can turn a man into a woman." Hera stated. "No,but you can Hera. It is well within your power to do that." Aphrodite told her. "Maybe, but I have no reason to do so. Forget it." "Aphrodite, there's another problem. Besides the fact that only Hera can make that kind of change, Kratisto has a remarkable destiny ahead of him." Athena said. "I've seen some of it myself and let me say that the monsters he's slain are weak compared to those that are to come. If we change him we deny him that destiny and mortals will suffer as a result. It cannot be done."
"But it can be. There's no reason for it not to happen. We can change him without altering his fate." Aphrodite said. "You mean I can change him,and I already said I'm not going to do it." hera informed Aphrodite again. "What do you mean change him without changing his fate? The one will follow the other." Athena asked. "Quiet!" Aphrodite shouted. "I've already thought this out. Both of you are overlooking important facts. Athena, you can make him stronger if you want to. You've done it for heroes before. You can do it again."
"Of course. We turn him into a woman, and then I make him strong enough to continue being a match for the monsters. I am ashamed I didn't think of it before. So if I'm going to make him stronger,and Hera is going to make him female, what will you be doing for him?" "What else would a Goddess of love and beauty do? Hera can make him into a woman, and I'll make the new 'her' beautiful." Aphrodite laughed. "You two are forgetting me. I still am not going to do this." Hera complained. "Oh, but I have a very good reason for you to do so. You say Zeus keeps saying Kratisto is almost as good as Hercules was. Wouldn't it make him so angry if we made Kratisto BETTER then Hercules. He's already smarter and has more natural talent. What he lacks is the strength Hercules posessed. Athena can give him that. Then whenever Zeus mentions Hercules......"
"I can mention the WOMAN whose better then his precious son." Hera said, finishing Aphrodite's sentence. Then she turned to Athena and asked "Can you really make a mortal that strong?" "Well, he won't need to be as strong as Hercules was, just very close. If you recall Theseus, Poseidon's Demi-God son, he didn't look powerful but had Poseidon's strength. I can do the same for Kratisto. 'She' won't look it, but will have remarkable physical strength. Between that and the fact that Kratisto is naturally good at fighting monsters.....yes. Kratisto would be greater then Hercules."
"What about retribution? If Zeus thinks we're doing this to spite him.." "I AM doing this to spite him." Hera interupted. "Yes.Anyways,if he thinks we are doing that, he'll want revenge. Not just against us, but against Kratisto as well." Athena said in worried tones. "That will not be a problem IF you claim him as being under your protection. Even Zeus won't touch him then. He won't touch us either as we're just doing what Kratisto asked us to do." APhrodite answered. The three Godesses sat in silence for awhile befor Athena had something to say. "Are you sure this is what he really wants? Once we do this there's no going back."
"I'm sure. However if you want to, we can test him. He said he'd perform any task, as long as he becomes a woman when he's done. Three of us helping him so we can each assign him a task. Something possible but difficult enough that he'll only go through with it if he really wants this. Sound good?" Aphrodite asked. The other two agreed, and left each other to make preparations.
That night, after all the worshipers had left Aphrodite's temple, Kratisto returned to the Altar once more,and once more knelt before it with his eyes fixed upon the floor. "Oh stop that kneeling." Aphrodite told him. "There's really no need for it now. Of course you might even be able to look at me soon." Aphrodite told him. Kratisto knew what that meant. Men who were smart enough would look away from Aphrodite, because they knew if they looked at her they'd fall in love. Some had even fallen in love with her just by looking at a statue of her. Women had no such problem however and could look upon her without worry. So for Aphrodite to say he could look at her soon....."Oh beautiful Goddess Aphrodite, do you mean to say my wish can be granted?"
"Yes, it can. However you swore to do anything I asked of you, did you not?" "Yes Goddess Aphrodite, I did, and I shall. Ask of me anything you may and I shall do it." "Then you shall complete three tasks. one task for me, one task for Athena, and one task for Hera. If you complete all three tasks you will be given what you have asked for. If not you shall leave and never bother any God or Goddess with your request ever again. Do you understand?" "I understand,and I shall succeed. What will you have me do?"
A week and two days days later Kratisto was in lands far to the north. He knelt in the snow half way up a frigid mountain as he recalled Aphrodite's words yet again. "On a Mountain of ice far from here, there is a rare flower. It grows in a sheltered spot near the mountain top. Bring me the flower and your first task is finished. Know this however. There is a beast upon the mountain who guards the flower. He will give it to you only if you give him something. I know how good you are at fighting such monsters,so I insist that you not kill him. If you kill him and take the flower, you will not pass this task."
Kratisto was freezing. His body shook violently and he could not stop it from happening. It was only by sheer force of will that he was able to stand up and continue moving. He clutched a cloak tightly to him hoping to preserve at least some warmth. As hours slipped past he made his way slowly up the mountain, looking now and again for the rock face that sheltered the flower. Finally he reached it. The flower was right in front of him and it was amazing. It was as if the cold around it had never touched it. Then came the sound of grunting and stamping. He turned around,and saw the flower's guardian. It almost looked like a person, exept he had never seen a person covered in white fur. Through chattering teeth Kratisto spoke. "I have come to retrieve the flower."
The beast grunted at him, stuck out it's hand, and spoke. "Give." "Give? What is it you want me to give to you?" "Give!" the creature said again,and thrust his hand out farther. Kratisto put his arms out to either side. "I know I must give you something, but what is it you want me to give to you?" he asked again. This time the creature touched the helmet Kratisto wore,as well as his chest plate. "Give." it said. "My armor?" Kratisto thought. "This helmet was a gift from a King....and this armor from a Queen. I don't need them anymore though. I don't WANT to have them anymore." he thought to himself,and quickly removed them. The creature, to Kratisto's surprise, put them on itself. It then pointed to the flower. "Take!" it said,and Kratisto did. He took his goat skin watersack and cut off the top of it. Then he carefully removed the flower and some of it's dirt and placed it into the empty watersack. Holding it under his cloak to shelter it from the wind he made his journey back down the mountain. It was even colder then it had been going up.
It was a week later when he arrived at the Temple and presented the flower to Aphrodite. "Well done. To have endured such difficulty you must truly want this wish. Go now to the Temple of Athena. Your second task is waiting. His hope renewed all the more at having completed his first task, he wasted no time in leaving. Rather then returning to Mount Olympus however, Aphrodite returned to her husband Hephaestus. He was busy at his forge and didn't look up when she entered, but spoke to her anyways. "So who have you slept with this time?" he asked bitterly. " Ares again? Or maybe Zeus." "Now now. I haven't slept with anyone but you in a long time." "You mean you haven't slept with anyone, INCLUDING me in a long time." he shot back at her. She picked up a sword he made and toyed with it in her hand. "It's not my fault you refuse to live on Olympus." "I was thrown off Olympus at birth as I'm sure you remember. Besides my forge is here."
"It's a nice sword." she said about the blade she was holding. "Nice, but not your usual quality. Your usually better then this." "Oh? Your suddenly an expert on weapons are you?" Hephaestus said, rather amused. "No, I just know your better then this." she said,and tossed the sword down on the table. "All right Aphrodite. What do you want?" "Skipping the formalities are we Husband? I want some armor made. Armor and a sword really." "Your the Goddess of Love, you don't need a weapon or armor." "It's not for me Husband." she said. She only called him Husband when she wanted something from him and was trying to sound nice.
"It is for someone else. A mortal." "Don't tell me your sleeping with a mortal!" Hephaestus yelled. "No! Of course not." "I see. Well there's plenty of rejected armor around here. Just find some that will fit this guy and leave me alone while I finish working ok?" "Well that's the thing Husband of mine.It's not for a mortal man. it's for a mortal woman. None of your normal armor will do the job. However I can tell you what she looks like." Aphrodite said and then thought to herself "Or what she WILL look like when she becomes a she." "Make armor for a human woman? Sounds better then making another weapon for Ares any day. I'll do it."
Two days Kratisto travelled to reach the Temple. Since it was morning when he arrived he slept until night fell and Athena's worshippers left. Then he entered the temple and found her waiting for him. Quickly he knelt before her and looked away out of respect. "Stand and look at me hero. You have done well in completing the first task. The second now lies before you. Hear now what you must do. In the forest south of this city there lives several Nymphs. One of these Nymphs wears a ring. Go there, find the Nymphs in the heart of the forest, and bring me the ring. I'm sure I don't need to tell you not to harm the Nymphs." "I will not harm them Oh wise Athena, and I shall bring you that ring." Kratisto turned and left the Temple, and made his way south to the forest.
It was easy to find the Forest, and in no time he had made his way to it's center where three Nymphs were waiting for him. Three very nude Nymphs. They giggled as he apporached them. "I have come here looking.." he began before the Nymphs interupted him with more giggling. "We know why you have come here. You are the hero who wishes to become a woman. You are looking for a ring to bring to Althena." one Nymph said, while the others continued giggling happily. The Nymph who spoke held up her hand to reveal the ring in question. "I will be glad to give this to you, if you do something for us." "What would you ask of me?" Kratisto asked humbly.
"Hunters are looking through the Forest for a winged bear. It lives here, and it is ready to give birth to more winged bears. Once they are born we will take them someplace safe, but for now the bear must remain in this forest. If the hunters find it they will kill it. We want you to stop the hunters. Do that and we shall give you the ring. if you really want to be a woman, you will not allow the bear to come to harm. Oh, and do not kill the Hunters either."
So it was that Kratisto left the Nymphs and searched the forest for the hunters.He found them outside the Winged-Bear's lair. "Throw down your weapons and leave this place." he shouted. They did not heed his advice. "My name is Kratisto of Athens, leave that animal alone." he ordered again, and again they refused. Now however they turned their weapons on him. "I cannot hurt them." he thought. "I must not....no.The Nymph said do not kill them. She said do not let the bear be harmed, and do not kill the hunters. She did not say do not harm the hunters." Kratisto smiled and drew his sword.
It was not long before every spear was broken, every bow string cut, and every sword hurled away from the hunters. There were several broken bones and small cuts, however none were fatal. Seeing that they faced the real Kratisto the hunters all fled, choosing their lives over their dignity. The bear left it's lair moments after they were gone, and on it's back were two tiny winged bears.
The Nymphs giggled all the more when he returned to them with the bear following close behind. One Nymph put her hand to his face and sighed. "What a shame. Why not stay a man, and stay here with us?" she asked. "I'm sorry." Kratisto told her. "I am sorry, but I cannot stay. I must complete these tasks, and I will be changed." The Nymph who had spoken earlier stepped forward and pressed the ring into his hand. "I hope you succeed at these tasks. Now hurry back to Athena." she said, and he did just that.
After delivering ther ring to Athena he was directed to go,not to Hera's temple,but to a mountain in the East. Athena meanwhile returned to Olympus to speak to Zeus. "Father, I have a request for you." she told him. "I have chosen to give my protection to the hero Kratisto." "Ahh! Wonderful." Zeus exclaimed. "He's quite the hero isn't he. Almost as good as hercules was. Almost!" Zeus said. "What do you want from me then?" he asked happily. "I want your promise. I want you to promise that you will not do anything to harm or change or even help any hero under my protection." "You know I would never do that! Why would I wish to harm a hero?" "You wouldn't." Athena asnwered wisely. "However OTHER Gods might want to. I want you to promise that you won't do anything to a hero I am protecting,and that you will not allow any other God or Goddess to do anything either." she said. Then, leaning closer to him she added "If I were to ask them to promise they would get angry and then seek to harm the hero I'm protecting purely out of spite. However if YOU promise to ensure they leave the hero alone nobody would dare do anything."
"Yes of course. We gods are bound by our word after all. I promise I will not harm, change, or even seek to help any hero on your protection without your consent. I also promise not to allow any other God or Goddess to do any of those things either. Happy now?" he asked her. "Quite happy." she replied and walked away. It was always so easy to get her Father to do what she wanted him to.
Finally the final task had come. The mountain was not one of ice and snow.It was one of rock and grass. There were no monsters upon it,just regular animals.There was a rock outcropping near the top directly over a lake and that was where he had been instructed to go. When he finally reached this point three Goddesses appeared. He almost saw Aphrodite by accident, but kneeled and looked away in time. "Here is your last challenge. Do this and your body shall be made into that of a woman. Fail and you never see the completion of your dream." Hera said. She had not told Aphrodite or Athena about her task,and knew they did not expect it.
"Beneath the edge of that cliff is a lake. Your task is to leap from the edge of this outcropping. That is all. Just jump off, and I will give you what you've asked for." "Hera!" Aphrodite yelled. "That jump will kill him!" "Yes it will. He'll be diead, but at least he will be turned into a woman." Hera said. She looked between Athena and Aphrodite. Athena understood what she was planning. Aphrodite did not.
"Kratisto, surely being a man could not be so bad that you would die to change it. It cannot possibly be that bad." "No." Kratisto said. "It isn't bad to be a man. However it is not what I am. I must become a woman. If death is the price for this then it is an easy one." he said. Getting to his feet he walked to the edge without looking at the Goddesses. To Aphrodite's shock he smiled first and then he lept from the rock face to the water far below. Just before he touched the water however he stopped abruptly. He was floating mere inches above the lake.
Slowly he began to float towards the shore, where the Goddesses were now waiting for him. He knelt before them again, but this time they directed him to shut his eyes and look up towards them. He did as he was told. Soon he felt Hera's hand upon his head. He did not know how he knew it was her hand, he simply did. His clothing was ripped to shreds in an instant, and he felt his whole body being altered. SOme ways were obvious, others he could not feel but knew they were happening all the same.
Hera's hand was lifted and Aphrodite's hand fell upon him next. He knew it was her hand for no other Goddess would have a touch as soft as hers. He felt his body changing all the more. What he could not see was precisely what changes Aphrodite was making to him nor could he know why. Hera had made him a woman and 'she' was not ugly. However Aphrodite was determined that since Kratisto had come to her with the request that she would give him a gift. He did not see his hair take on the color of fire as hit brushed his shoulders. He did not see her place a flower in his hair. The same flower he had obtained from the Mountain of Ice. He could not feel his lips becoming red, his eye lashes becoming longer, or his skin becoming smooth as silk. He could only guess what she was doing as his body's proportions changed. He lost height until he was a mere Five foot five. Femininity breathed it's way into every aspect of his new form.
His eyes still closed he was directed to stand,and Athena's hand replaced Aphrodite's. What was given to him then was power. Undeniable strength coursed through every muscle in his new body. Likewise did his agility increase though he could not feel that. He was to be stronger then any living mortal or Demi-God, and as graceful as a Nymph. He felt a ring being forced onto his finger and correctly guessed it was the ring he had recived from the Nymphs.
His eyes still closed Athena and Aphrodite guided him to the side of the lake. He marveled at how different walking felt now. He was told then to open his eyes. When he did, he saw his reflection in the lake and gasped. He was female. He was beautiful...and younger as well. Before he had been a year over thirty. Now he could not have been more then nineteen. He was not a 'he' any longer.
" This may be my best work yet." Aphrodite said smiling. "Now before I forget, there's something else here for you now." she said. In her hands appeared clothes, as well as the armor she had asked Hephaestus to make. The clothes were silk and fit her perfectly, however the armor was a real masterpiece. It had no helm because Aphrodite wanted the girl's face to remain unhidden, and her hair color would help her legend to spread. The armor plate itself fit perfectly into place on her body. It was sturdy without restricting her movement. It had an intricate design upon it which would certainly catch the eye of those who saw her. Beneath the armored plate was worn a white silken gown which hung loose around her legs so it would not hinder her movement. A sword was given to her as well and she noted how well it fit her hand. It was certainly better then her old sword had been.
Athena had an idea of her own and gathered strands of hair until he had a lock as thick as a person's middle finger. She ran one finger down this lock of the new girl's hair and as she did so it braided itself, with a black ribbon criss-crossing it's way down. When finished the braid hung just to the right of her right eye and was a little lower then her ear. Hera grew tired of this whole matter and returned to Olympus then and there. Athena and Aphrodite continued to watch the girl who had been Kratisto watch her own reflection in disbelief.
"So do you want to know what your new name is?" Aphrodite asked. The girl just nodded. "Your name now is Adara. It means beauty you know." Aphrodite told her. Adara tried to regain her compsure, but having her dream be fulfilled was such a shock she still could not manage to speak. Until Aphrodite's next comment that was. "I wonder how long it will be before you have kids." Aphrodite asked, obviously not expecting an answer.
"Kids!" Adara exclaimed. "Well of course. Your female now, which means it's possible for you to give birth." "We made you female,and beautiful,and strong." Athena said. "That way you could still be a hero. Well we extended those gifts to any children you may have. They shall all be strong and beautiful and probably all female as well." "Don't tell me you never thought about that." Aphrodite said. "I didn't. It's hard to believe that I could be a mother some day." "Well believe it. Especially with the way you look. I'm sure you had alot of women suitors before, but now that you look like that there be countless men willing to wed you. I won't grant any requests for that of course. But if and when you decide you want to, you just come see me and I'll help you out."
"Also I've claimed protection over you,so if you find yourself in need of wisdom and guidance you just ask me. Don't bother asking Hera for anything though. She only helped you out to make Zeus angry. Which reminds me, I wonder how he's taking the news." Athena said with a chuckle.
Up on Mount Olympus Zeus was going nuts. "How could you do this! How could you turn a great hero into a woman!" he screamed. "Actually it was very easy. Of course she's not just a woman, she's a hero. A hero who's greater then...oh what was his name? Oh right,Hercules." "Better!Nobody is better then my son! I shall strike that woman dead before she can gain her fame!" "No you don't Husband." Hera said. She only called him Husband when she wanted to make him angry. "You promised not to meddle with any hero under Athena's protection. So just sit back and watch as she becomes known to all as the greatest hero of all." Hera said,and laughed as Zeus continued his pointless shouting.
Back on the ground Adara walked back towards the nearest village alone. Aphrodite and Athena had given her some more advice and then returned to try and stop Zeus' rage. "So what do I do now?" she thought. Her thoughts were interupted by the sound of screaming villagers. One of whom ran past her shouting "Giant Wolf! Giant Wolf!" Adara smiled and drew her sword."That will do." she said, and ran towards the village ready to slay the beast.
It's a story using the Greek Pantheon as a basis, without using actual Greek history or myths in any real capacity. [The Greek Pantheon is great but the history,landscape and other myths are to constricting to use as a good base. So I took the pantheon and altered them slightly to suit my needs.]
I really hope nobody finds any offense in this story, though i'm not sure why anyone would All the same if anyone IS offended just say the word and I shall remove the story and apologize. But I don't think there's anything offensive in here. Just try not to take the story to seriously, remember it's just a spur of the moment thing I wrote, and that my brain shut down before the ending.
With that in mind,let the story begin.
Oh, wait. I read the rule about Full Length Stories, but I wasn't sure what was meant by Full Length stories. I assumed it was meant as stories that were several chapters long. In case I am wrong however and my story should qualify as a 'Fully Length STory' I wish to apologize in advance.
I also wish to apologize in advance for any spelling and/or grammatical mistakes I made. Again, my brain has stopped working.
NOW on with the story.
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A temple stands in the city of Aphrosias. It is a temple dedicated to the Goddess of Love,Aphrodite. Upon it's marble steps stands a man wearing the standard Garb for soldiers of that era. His shield however bears no sign of allegience to a country. He stands on the steps,looking at the Temple,not with hesitation,but with purpose. He knows why he is there,and what he must do. Into the temple he marches, thankful to find it emoty. Considering that it is well into the late horus of the night, it is no surprise he is the only one there.
He makes his way to the Altar,where a statue of the Goddess stands. The statue showed the Goddess nude,stretching skyward. Kneeling before the Altar, his head looking upon the ground, the man began to speak. "Oh Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Goddess of Beauty, I beseech thee, grant to me my one request. Any thing thou wishest of me shall be done, if thou can grant this small request." "Anything I ask hmm?" spoke a voice that was softer, and more beautiful then any posessed by a mortal.
The statue of Aphrodite began to move. It's arms lowered themselves, it's body ceased being stone and turned instead to lovely flesh. A dole of doves flew into the temple carrying silk cloth,which they draped over the body of the statue. It was no longer a statue, it was the Goddess Aphrodite herself. "Allow me to guess..." she began. " You love a woman who is in love with another man. No,wait. You love a woman who is MARRIED to another man. You just can't live without her,and want me to make her love you instead. Am I right?" she asked.
"No, oh great and beautiful Goddess. That is not why I have come to ask for your help." "Then your in love with a woman who simply doesn't love you back?" "No, oh Aphrodite most beautiful of all." the man replied. He knew that the Gods and Godesses were fond of flattery, and that Aphrodite was fond of it most of all. "Well then. Your in love with a woman who has died,and you wish my help in bringing her back from the Underworld?" the Goddess asked,truly becoming curious about what this man had come to ask her for. "No, oh Aprodite wisest of all in matters of Love." "Oh! I know what it is now. Your in love with another man. Is that correct?" Aphrodite asked him. "It is not, oh fair and wonderful Goddess."
"Well now I am very curious." Aphrodite said, and sat down upon the altar. "I AM the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Men only come to me when they want someone to fall in love with them. Women only come to me when they want someone to fall in love with them or they want me to make them beautiful. Sometimes people will.....oh of course!" she proclaimed." I cna't believe I forgot that one. You want me to make someone stop loving you...or to make you stop loving someone. That must be it,right?" "I regret to tell you, oh Goddess of Love, I am not here for that reason either." the man informed her.
"Well then, why ARE you here? I'm tired of this guessing game." she demanded, her beautiful voice taking on a sharper tone, though keeping it's lovely sound. The man, keeping his gaze firmly on the ground, answered with six simple words. "I wish to be a woman."
The Goddess did not respond for awhile, as she was shocked. Never before had she received such a request. Her first reaction was to be annoyed. This man was trying to trick her she thought. "What did you do? What crime did you commit that led you to come here? You did something terribly wrong and now you wish to hide from your pursuers by asking me to grant this request? That is why you came here is it not?" she accused him.
"No, oh Goddess whose hair shines like precious gold. I am not a criminal, nor is my life in any danger." he replied honestly.Aphrodite's next reaction was anger. This man was making a mockery of her. No doubt he thought her a lesser God. "You think you can make a fool of me? Of the Goddess Aphrodite? You are wrong. You think little of me for being the Goddess of Love, but more things have been done in the name of Love then a mortal like you could comprehend." the Goddess shouted,growing larger and larger until she stood over twenty feet above him. "Love has caused wars. Love has brought wars to an end. Love has driven mortals insane, and propelled heros to greatness. Love is not something to be mocked,and neither am I."
"I know, oh wise and wonderful Goddess. I would never mock you." Her next reaction was confusion.She shrank down to her previous size,and stood directly before him, though his eyes were still focused on the floor. "Perhaps I heard you wrong. Surely what you said was you wanted to be WITH a woman,and not that you wanted to BE one. Correct?" "No Aphrodite, the envy of all women. You heard me correctly. I wish to be a woman." Aphrodite sat on the altar again. "I see. You know,I have never been asked this before. I'm not sure what to do about your request. Tell me, what is your name?"
"My name is Kratisto of Athens." the man answered. Aphrodite's next reaction was shock. "THE Kratisto of Athens? The hero? I heard Zeus mention that your almost as great as Hercules was. Are you really Kratisto the hero?" she asked. "I am Kratisto, oh majestic and merciful Goddess." "Well,stand up, stand up.Let me get a look at you." she ordered,and he complied while still keeping his eyes fixed to the ground.She looked him over a few times, nodding as she did so. Finally she walked up behind him and put his head on his shoulder. "You know,for a mortal, your not half bad. You really want to be a woman?" she asked.
"More then anything. Since I was a child it has been my one dream. I come to you in desperation oh glorious Goddess." Kratisto answered. Again Aphrodite sat on the altar. "Why? If you want me to consider granting this request I want to know why." she told him kindly. "I have always felt as if something wasn't right with me. I learned early on that the problem was that I had been born a boy. It should not have been that way."
"I don't just want to know why you want to be a woman Kratisto. I also want to know why you wanted to become a hero." "To be honest Goddess, I did not want to be a hero. I became one on accident." "Accident? How does one become a hero by accident?" "When I was just fourteen years of age I was taken on a hunting trip far from home. I was not fond of the other hunters, and my anger at having been born in this body had reached a peak. So I ventured alone into the forest one night to show my anger to whatever animal I found there. However it wasn't any normal animal I encountered. It had the appearence of a dog,but was larger then any man."
"You killed this monster?" "I did.One of the other hunters found me shortly after I slew it. I was content to leave the body there, but the hunter insisted I take it's head as proof. The next morning we went to a nearby village, and discovered that the monster I had killed had been atacking the villagers for some time." "But you were able to defeat it? Even though you were only fourteen?" "That is correct Goddess. When we returned home the hunters told everyone about it. Shortly after that I was called upon to help stop a giant boar. After that it was a giant bull, then a Naga, and then a Griffin. With each beast I fought more people learned my name. It's now almost twenty years since that first beast and I cannot remember all the monsters I have fought. That is why I said I became a hero on accident."
"It is very impressive. The world needs heroes you know. If you had been born a woman you would not have been taken on that hunting trip. That first beast you killed may have killed many more people before it was finally killed. The same goes for all the monsters you killed. We cannot change your destiny Kratisto. If we were to do that terrible things could happen. So now tell me. What is it you would like me to do for you?"
"I wish to become a woman." Kratisto answered,and Aphrodite let out a sigh. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that. You say you've wanted this since you were a child. Haven't you ever thought otherwise?" "No Goddess,I have not.I know this I what I want." Kratisto told her. "All right. The truth Kratisto is that it is not within my power to grant that request. I cannot change you into a woman. I want to help you but I cannot. Why did you ask me anyways? I would think Zeus would be the one you would ask. "Zeus is powerful, however he would not understand my request. Nor would any God. Only a Goddess could understand. "Yes of course. But as I said it simply is not within my power to make these changes. However..." she sighed, getting off the altar "I know who can make it happen. Tomorrow night when everyone has left the temple, return. By that time I will be able to tell you if your request can be fulfilled."
"Thank you oh kind and caring Goddess. There is nothing I will not do for you, if being a woman is my reward." Kratisto said,and bowed to the Goddess with his gaze still focused on the ground. Aphrodite stood where the statue had stood previously, cast off her silk wrap, resumed the pose that statue had held,and returned to Olympus leaving a statue in her place.
Kratisto, his heart filling with hope, left the temple to find lodging for the night. Meanwhile on Mount Olympus Aphrodite sent Hermes to find Athena and Hera, and bring them to her. Of course not even the Messenger God can enter Hera's private garden,so he had to wait for her to leave before he could give her the message. By the time this had happened it was noon. Eventually though the three were gathered together. "Tell me Aphrodite. For what reason have you called us here?" Athena asked. "A request was made of me before the sun rose this morning. A unique request that I cannot fulfill." "Unable to fulfill? Do you mean to say it is a wicked request that you do not want to fulfill, or that it is a request you have not the power to make happen."
"I meant the latter. It is not within my power to make this request happen. Before I tell you anymore I must say this. This request is for the hero Kratisto." "Kratisto? Is he looking for a mate then?" Athena asked. "No. His request has nothing to do with love. Which is why it's not in my power to grant." "Ugh. Kratisto? Zeus has been speaking about him for awhile now. The great hero who is 'almost better then Hercules was' is all he'll talk about. If he keeps mentioning that son of his I'm going to make him very sorry. So what'd the mortal want if not love?"
"Well,the truth is...." Aphrodite started,and then related to them the entire conversation. "I want to help him, however doing so will be very hard." "Actually it's impossible. Neither of you can turn a man into a woman." Hera stated. "No,but you can Hera. It is well within your power to do that." Aphrodite told her. "Maybe, but I have no reason to do so. Forget it." "Aphrodite, there's another problem. Besides the fact that only Hera can make that kind of change, Kratisto has a remarkable destiny ahead of him." Athena said. "I've seen some of it myself and let me say that the monsters he's slain are weak compared to those that are to come. If we change him we deny him that destiny and mortals will suffer as a result. It cannot be done."
"But it can be. There's no reason for it not to happen. We can change him without altering his fate." Aphrodite said. "You mean I can change him,and I already said I'm not going to do it." hera informed Aphrodite again. "What do you mean change him without changing his fate? The one will follow the other." Athena asked. "Quiet!" Aphrodite shouted. "I've already thought this out. Both of you are overlooking important facts. Athena, you can make him stronger if you want to. You've done it for heroes before. You can do it again."
"Of course. We turn him into a woman, and then I make him strong enough to continue being a match for the monsters. I am ashamed I didn't think of it before. So if I'm going to make him stronger,and Hera is going to make him female, what will you be doing for him?" "What else would a Goddess of love and beauty do? Hera can make him into a woman, and I'll make the new 'her' beautiful." Aphrodite laughed. "You two are forgetting me. I still am not going to do this." Hera complained. "Oh, but I have a very good reason for you to do so. You say Zeus keeps saying Kratisto is almost as good as Hercules was. Wouldn't it make him so angry if we made Kratisto BETTER then Hercules. He's already smarter and has more natural talent. What he lacks is the strength Hercules posessed. Athena can give him that. Then whenever Zeus mentions Hercules......"
"I can mention the WOMAN whose better then his precious son." Hera said, finishing Aphrodite's sentence. Then she turned to Athena and asked "Can you really make a mortal that strong?" "Well, he won't need to be as strong as Hercules was, just very close. If you recall Theseus, Poseidon's Demi-God son, he didn't look powerful but had Poseidon's strength. I can do the same for Kratisto. 'She' won't look it, but will have remarkable physical strength. Between that and the fact that Kratisto is naturally good at fighting monsters.....yes. Kratisto would be greater then Hercules."
"What about retribution? If Zeus thinks we're doing this to spite him.." "I AM doing this to spite him." Hera interupted. "Yes.Anyways,if he thinks we are doing that, he'll want revenge. Not just against us, but against Kratisto as well." Athena said in worried tones. "That will not be a problem IF you claim him as being under your protection. Even Zeus won't touch him then. He won't touch us either as we're just doing what Kratisto asked us to do." APhrodite answered. The three Godesses sat in silence for awhile befor Athena had something to say. "Are you sure this is what he really wants? Once we do this there's no going back."
"I'm sure. However if you want to, we can test him. He said he'd perform any task, as long as he becomes a woman when he's done. Three of us helping him so we can each assign him a task. Something possible but difficult enough that he'll only go through with it if he really wants this. Sound good?" Aphrodite asked. The other two agreed, and left each other to make preparations.
That night, after all the worshipers had left Aphrodite's temple, Kratisto returned to the Altar once more,and once more knelt before it with his eyes fixed upon the floor. "Oh stop that kneeling." Aphrodite told him. "There's really no need for it now. Of course you might even be able to look at me soon." Aphrodite told him. Kratisto knew what that meant. Men who were smart enough would look away from Aphrodite, because they knew if they looked at her they'd fall in love. Some had even fallen in love with her just by looking at a statue of her. Women had no such problem however and could look upon her without worry. So for Aphrodite to say he could look at her soon....."Oh beautiful Goddess Aphrodite, do you mean to say my wish can be granted?"
"Yes, it can. However you swore to do anything I asked of you, did you not?" "Yes Goddess Aphrodite, I did, and I shall. Ask of me anything you may and I shall do it." "Then you shall complete three tasks. one task for me, one task for Athena, and one task for Hera. If you complete all three tasks you will be given what you have asked for. If not you shall leave and never bother any God or Goddess with your request ever again. Do you understand?" "I understand,and I shall succeed. What will you have me do?"
A week and two days days later Kratisto was in lands far to the north. He knelt in the snow half way up a frigid mountain as he recalled Aphrodite's words yet again. "On a Mountain of ice far from here, there is a rare flower. It grows in a sheltered spot near the mountain top. Bring me the flower and your first task is finished. Know this however. There is a beast upon the mountain who guards the flower. He will give it to you only if you give him something. I know how good you are at fighting such monsters,so I insist that you not kill him. If you kill him and take the flower, you will not pass this task."
Kratisto was freezing. His body shook violently and he could not stop it from happening. It was only by sheer force of will that he was able to stand up and continue moving. He clutched a cloak tightly to him hoping to preserve at least some warmth. As hours slipped past he made his way slowly up the mountain, looking now and again for the rock face that sheltered the flower. Finally he reached it. The flower was right in front of him and it was amazing. It was as if the cold around it had never touched it. Then came the sound of grunting and stamping. He turned around,and saw the flower's guardian. It almost looked like a person, exept he had never seen a person covered in white fur. Through chattering teeth Kratisto spoke. "I have come to retrieve the flower."
The beast grunted at him, stuck out it's hand, and spoke. "Give." "Give? What is it you want me to give to you?" "Give!" the creature said again,and thrust his hand out farther. Kratisto put his arms out to either side. "I know I must give you something, but what is it you want me to give to you?" he asked again. This time the creature touched the helmet Kratisto wore,as well as his chest plate. "Give." it said. "My armor?" Kratisto thought. "This helmet was a gift from a King....and this armor from a Queen. I don't need them anymore though. I don't WANT to have them anymore." he thought to himself,and quickly removed them. The creature, to Kratisto's surprise, put them on itself. It then pointed to the flower. "Take!" it said,and Kratisto did. He took his goat skin watersack and cut off the top of it. Then he carefully removed the flower and some of it's dirt and placed it into the empty watersack. Holding it under his cloak to shelter it from the wind he made his journey back down the mountain. It was even colder then it had been going up.
It was a week later when he arrived at the Temple and presented the flower to Aphrodite. "Well done. To have endured such difficulty you must truly want this wish. Go now to the Temple of Athena. Your second task is waiting. His hope renewed all the more at having completed his first task, he wasted no time in leaving. Rather then returning to Mount Olympus however, Aphrodite returned to her husband Hephaestus. He was busy at his forge and didn't look up when she entered, but spoke to her anyways. "So who have you slept with this time?" he asked bitterly. " Ares again? Or maybe Zeus." "Now now. I haven't slept with anyone but you in a long time." "You mean you haven't slept with anyone, INCLUDING me in a long time." he shot back at her. She picked up a sword he made and toyed with it in her hand. "It's not my fault you refuse to live on Olympus." "I was thrown off Olympus at birth as I'm sure you remember. Besides my forge is here."
"It's a nice sword." she said about the blade she was holding. "Nice, but not your usual quality. Your usually better then this." "Oh? Your suddenly an expert on weapons are you?" Hephaestus said, rather amused. "No, I just know your better then this." she said,and tossed the sword down on the table. "All right Aphrodite. What do you want?" "Skipping the formalities are we Husband? I want some armor made. Armor and a sword really." "Your the Goddess of Love, you don't need a weapon or armor." "It's not for me Husband." she said. She only called him Husband when she wanted something from him and was trying to sound nice.
"It is for someone else. A mortal." "Don't tell me your sleeping with a mortal!" Hephaestus yelled. "No! Of course not." "I see. Well there's plenty of rejected armor around here. Just find some that will fit this guy and leave me alone while I finish working ok?" "Well that's the thing Husband of mine.It's not for a mortal man. it's for a mortal woman. None of your normal armor will do the job. However I can tell you what she looks like." Aphrodite said and then thought to herself "Or what she WILL look like when she becomes a she." "Make armor for a human woman? Sounds better then making another weapon for Ares any day. I'll do it."
Two days Kratisto travelled to reach the Temple. Since it was morning when he arrived he slept until night fell and Athena's worshippers left. Then he entered the temple and found her waiting for him. Quickly he knelt before her and looked away out of respect. "Stand and look at me hero. You have done well in completing the first task. The second now lies before you. Hear now what you must do. In the forest south of this city there lives several Nymphs. One of these Nymphs wears a ring. Go there, find the Nymphs in the heart of the forest, and bring me the ring. I'm sure I don't need to tell you not to harm the Nymphs." "I will not harm them Oh wise Athena, and I shall bring you that ring." Kratisto turned and left the Temple, and made his way south to the forest.
It was easy to find the Forest, and in no time he had made his way to it's center where three Nymphs were waiting for him. Three very nude Nymphs. They giggled as he apporached them. "I have come here looking.." he began before the Nymphs interupted him with more giggling. "We know why you have come here. You are the hero who wishes to become a woman. You are looking for a ring to bring to Althena." one Nymph said, while the others continued giggling happily. The Nymph who spoke held up her hand to reveal the ring in question. "I will be glad to give this to you, if you do something for us." "What would you ask of me?" Kratisto asked humbly.
"Hunters are looking through the Forest for a winged bear. It lives here, and it is ready to give birth to more winged bears. Once they are born we will take them someplace safe, but for now the bear must remain in this forest. If the hunters find it they will kill it. We want you to stop the hunters. Do that and we shall give you the ring. if you really want to be a woman, you will not allow the bear to come to harm. Oh, and do not kill the Hunters either."
So it was that Kratisto left the Nymphs and searched the forest for the hunters.He found them outside the Winged-Bear's lair. "Throw down your weapons and leave this place." he shouted. They did not heed his advice. "My name is Kratisto of Athens, leave that animal alone." he ordered again, and again they refused. Now however they turned their weapons on him. "I cannot hurt them." he thought. "I must not....no.The Nymph said do not kill them. She said do not let the bear be harmed, and do not kill the hunters. She did not say do not harm the hunters." Kratisto smiled and drew his sword.
It was not long before every spear was broken, every bow string cut, and every sword hurled away from the hunters. There were several broken bones and small cuts, however none were fatal. Seeing that they faced the real Kratisto the hunters all fled, choosing their lives over their dignity. The bear left it's lair moments after they were gone, and on it's back were two tiny winged bears.
The Nymphs giggled all the more when he returned to them with the bear following close behind. One Nymph put her hand to his face and sighed. "What a shame. Why not stay a man, and stay here with us?" she asked. "I'm sorry." Kratisto told her. "I am sorry, but I cannot stay. I must complete these tasks, and I will be changed." The Nymph who had spoken earlier stepped forward and pressed the ring into his hand. "I hope you succeed at these tasks. Now hurry back to Athena." she said, and he did just that.
After delivering ther ring to Athena he was directed to go,not to Hera's temple,but to a mountain in the East. Athena meanwhile returned to Olympus to speak to Zeus. "Father, I have a request for you." she told him. "I have chosen to give my protection to the hero Kratisto." "Ahh! Wonderful." Zeus exclaimed. "He's quite the hero isn't he. Almost as good as hercules was. Almost!" Zeus said. "What do you want from me then?" he asked happily. "I want your promise. I want you to promise that you will not do anything to harm or change or even help any hero under my protection." "You know I would never do that! Why would I wish to harm a hero?" "You wouldn't." Athena asnwered wisely. "However OTHER Gods might want to. I want you to promise that you won't do anything to a hero I am protecting,and that you will not allow any other God or Goddess to do anything either." she said. Then, leaning closer to him she added "If I were to ask them to promise they would get angry and then seek to harm the hero I'm protecting purely out of spite. However if YOU promise to ensure they leave the hero alone nobody would dare do anything."
"Yes of course. We gods are bound by our word after all. I promise I will not harm, change, or even seek to help any hero on your protection without your consent. I also promise not to allow any other God or Goddess to do any of those things either. Happy now?" he asked her. "Quite happy." she replied and walked away. It was always so easy to get her Father to do what she wanted him to.
Finally the final task had come. The mountain was not one of ice and snow.It was one of rock and grass. There were no monsters upon it,just regular animals.There was a rock outcropping near the top directly over a lake and that was where he had been instructed to go. When he finally reached this point three Goddesses appeared. He almost saw Aphrodite by accident, but kneeled and looked away in time. "Here is your last challenge. Do this and your body shall be made into that of a woman. Fail and you never see the completion of your dream." Hera said. She had not told Aphrodite or Athena about her task,and knew they did not expect it.
"Beneath the edge of that cliff is a lake. Your task is to leap from the edge of this outcropping. That is all. Just jump off, and I will give you what you've asked for." "Hera!" Aphrodite yelled. "That jump will kill him!" "Yes it will. He'll be diead, but at least he will be turned into a woman." Hera said. She looked between Athena and Aphrodite. Athena understood what she was planning. Aphrodite did not.
"Kratisto, surely being a man could not be so bad that you would die to change it. It cannot possibly be that bad." "No." Kratisto said. "It isn't bad to be a man. However it is not what I am. I must become a woman. If death is the price for this then it is an easy one." he said. Getting to his feet he walked to the edge without looking at the Goddesses. To Aphrodite's shock he smiled first and then he lept from the rock face to the water far below. Just before he touched the water however he stopped abruptly. He was floating mere inches above the lake.
Slowly he began to float towards the shore, where the Goddesses were now waiting for him. He knelt before them again, but this time they directed him to shut his eyes and look up towards them. He did as he was told. Soon he felt Hera's hand upon his head. He did not know how he knew it was her hand, he simply did. His clothing was ripped to shreds in an instant, and he felt his whole body being altered. SOme ways were obvious, others he could not feel but knew they were happening all the same.
Hera's hand was lifted and Aphrodite's hand fell upon him next. He knew it was her hand for no other Goddess would have a touch as soft as hers. He felt his body changing all the more. What he could not see was precisely what changes Aphrodite was making to him nor could he know why. Hera had made him a woman and 'she' was not ugly. However Aphrodite was determined that since Kratisto had come to her with the request that she would give him a gift. He did not see his hair take on the color of fire as hit brushed his shoulders. He did not see her place a flower in his hair. The same flower he had obtained from the Mountain of Ice. He could not feel his lips becoming red, his eye lashes becoming longer, or his skin becoming smooth as silk. He could only guess what she was doing as his body's proportions changed. He lost height until he was a mere Five foot five. Femininity breathed it's way into every aspect of his new form.
His eyes still closed he was directed to stand,and Athena's hand replaced Aphrodite's. What was given to him then was power. Undeniable strength coursed through every muscle in his new body. Likewise did his agility increase though he could not feel that. He was to be stronger then any living mortal or Demi-God, and as graceful as a Nymph. He felt a ring being forced onto his finger and correctly guessed it was the ring he had recived from the Nymphs.
His eyes still closed Athena and Aphrodite guided him to the side of the lake. He marveled at how different walking felt now. He was told then to open his eyes. When he did, he saw his reflection in the lake and gasped. He was female. He was beautiful...and younger as well. Before he had been a year over thirty. Now he could not have been more then nineteen. He was not a 'he' any longer.
" This may be my best work yet." Aphrodite said smiling. "Now before I forget, there's something else here for you now." she said. In her hands appeared clothes, as well as the armor she had asked Hephaestus to make. The clothes were silk and fit her perfectly, however the armor was a real masterpiece. It had no helm because Aphrodite wanted the girl's face to remain unhidden, and her hair color would help her legend to spread. The armor plate itself fit perfectly into place on her body. It was sturdy without restricting her movement. It had an intricate design upon it which would certainly catch the eye of those who saw her. Beneath the armored plate was worn a white silken gown which hung loose around her legs so it would not hinder her movement. A sword was given to her as well and she noted how well it fit her hand. It was certainly better then her old sword had been.
Athena had an idea of her own and gathered strands of hair until he had a lock as thick as a person's middle finger. She ran one finger down this lock of the new girl's hair and as she did so it braided itself, with a black ribbon criss-crossing it's way down. When finished the braid hung just to the right of her right eye and was a little lower then her ear. Hera grew tired of this whole matter and returned to Olympus then and there. Athena and Aphrodite continued to watch the girl who had been Kratisto watch her own reflection in disbelief.
"So do you want to know what your new name is?" Aphrodite asked. The girl just nodded. "Your name now is Adara. It means beauty you know." Aphrodite told her. Adara tried to regain her compsure, but having her dream be fulfilled was such a shock she still could not manage to speak. Until Aphrodite's next comment that was. "I wonder how long it will be before you have kids." Aphrodite asked, obviously not expecting an answer.
"Kids!" Adara exclaimed. "Well of course. Your female now, which means it's possible for you to give birth." "We made you female,and beautiful,and strong." Athena said. "That way you could still be a hero. Well we extended those gifts to any children you may have. They shall all be strong and beautiful and probably all female as well." "Don't tell me you never thought about that." Aphrodite said. "I didn't. It's hard to believe that I could be a mother some day." "Well believe it. Especially with the way you look. I'm sure you had alot of women suitors before, but now that you look like that there be countless men willing to wed you. I won't grant any requests for that of course. But if and when you decide you want to, you just come see me and I'll help you out."
"Also I've claimed protection over you,so if you find yourself in need of wisdom and guidance you just ask me. Don't bother asking Hera for anything though. She only helped you out to make Zeus angry. Which reminds me, I wonder how he's taking the news." Athena said with a chuckle.
Up on Mount Olympus Zeus was going nuts. "How could you do this! How could you turn a great hero into a woman!" he screamed. "Actually it was very easy. Of course she's not just a woman, she's a hero. A hero who's greater then...oh what was his name? Oh right,Hercules." "Better!Nobody is better then my son! I shall strike that woman dead before she can gain her fame!" "No you don't Husband." Hera said. She only called him Husband when she wanted to make him angry. "You promised not to meddle with any hero under Athena's protection. So just sit back and watch as she becomes known to all as the greatest hero of all." Hera said,and laughed as Zeus continued his pointless shouting.
Back on the ground Adara walked back towards the nearest village alone. Aphrodite and Athena had given her some more advice and then returned to try and stop Zeus' rage. "So what do I do now?" she thought. Her thoughts were interupted by the sound of screaming villagers. One of whom ran past her shouting "Giant Wolf! Giant Wolf!" Adara smiled and drew her sword."That will do." she said, and ran towards the village ready to slay the beast.