Once she was free Hera went down to Greece, and saw with despair in her eyes the change the tides brought with them.

Ben Tennyson also visited Greece during that time. Everyone, even the greatest champion of the universe, needs some respite. At least, that was his grandfather's opinion. He could see that the pressure got to Ben, and ordered him to get some rest.

Because his cousin, and her boyfriend -his best friend- decided to take a short trip to Greece, they volunteered to take him with them. Ben's feline alien partner joined the company. Such a trip, he argued, was a great way to extend his knowledge of human culture.

It was the group's second day. Tomorrow they'd go back to the USA, Bellwood. They separated at the sacred Temple of Aphaia. Gwen and Rook wanted to visit another tourist trap, and Kevin wanted to go to the beach, leaving Ben alone.

At the temple, the first domino fell. It was a hot day, and the sun shone brightly on the hallowed, white stone structure. Our hero didn't hear the hissing, nor did he see the rays reflecting on the black scales. Two snakes were in the throes of passion until destiny overshadowed them. Blood was spilled on divine rock, and the sound of a skull crushed under a foot filled Ben's ears. In horror and shock, he lifted it. This had not been his intention, but he didn't beg for forgiveness either. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the other snake slithering away to divulge the crime to her higher up. Tyche, the fickle harlot, scrunched up her nose, scoffed at the hero, and showed him her broadside. His goddess just left the scene in disgust. Thus came Hera's cue to enter the stage from the darkness, all twisted and turned, with tendrils for arms.

With widened eyes, Ben perked up as he heard her whisper in his ears, filling up his head. Curiosity killed the Ben, and he followed the voices inside the woods. He knew something was wrong the minute he couldn't hear the birds singing any longer. It seemed as if the sun was retreating, scared of what was to come. In the wilderness of Greece Ben was alone, and walked to his trial he didn't even know about.

With every step, his feet got heavier. The walls seemed to erect around him and came closer the further he went away from Aphaia's temple. Our hero did not tremble. Yet.

And then he came to face this abomination, which called herself Hera. With a thousand voices she declared herself the judge of her court. The things Hera threw at him then were baseless accusations. Not once, not a single time had Ben murdered without , this so-called trial was a joke.
Where was the Jury? Where was the judge? Where was the executioner? It was just them alone in the woods. Ben wanted to make this fair. From his point of view, this was anything but just, yet Hera had a different perspective.

This was not a proper trial, he yelled, but his cries for justice fell on deaf ears. Hera did not care. She was good enough! No, she was better than good. She was the best, and this puny mortal deserved to experience the full extent of her own powers!

It escalated. As always the hero reached for his Omnitrix. What was unusual this time was the black sticky mess over the dial which turned out to belong to Hera. The egomaniac was able to change form and density and decided to stick around for a while.

Before Ben was able to do anything, Hera engulfed and ate him alive. Our hero was swallowed up by darkness. Her black veil weighted him down, muted and blinded him. He was unable to lift even a single finger, helpless, as thousands of her maggots tore into his white flesh. They bit, and burrowed into the meat pulling it apart, stretching and extending the skin, going deeper and deeper.

As Ben opened his mouth in a silent scream, eyes widened in pain, Hera's black bile got caught in it.

Inch for inch Hera forced more of herself down his throat, leaving a scorching sensation. The hero had to swallow or fear to suffocate. It was painful, and he could feel his belly stretch under his shirt, his pants getting tighter and more ill-fitting with every pump. The appendage itself was a vile torture-device with bulges and hooks, irritating his throat while secreting a disgusting, smelly mucus.

Ben tried to squeeze his eyelids shut, but it just intensified the impression. Getting it out was impossible. So he lay there and took it, until Hera shuddered around him. She halted and the appendage just rested there, snuggled between his much softer lips. Hera didn't feel the need to move, even as some black bile seeped out of the corners of his mouth. Instead, black coils grabbed his hips, and Ben's eyes grew wide. A snapping sound interrupted the silence, and his ears were filled with the noise of his bones breaking. Ben tensed up and tried to wrestle, but got held down by Hera. Rather than letting go, she just applied more pressure, and pressed, and pulled even harder. His screams were muffled in the darkness, drowned out by Hera's laughter.

It was an unbearable pain. Ben could feel the appendage, though unmoving, still pulsating between his lips. The maggots seemed to have torn his skin into shreds, judging by the fire on his chest. Inside his entrails, the bile sloshed around with every movement of his body. Any minute now, he thought, he was going to die. This was not how he had imagined his last moments to be. The hero would have preferred a demise at the hands of his arch-nemesis, not a no-name like Hera.

But he did not die. Instead she let go of him. Ben could still feel the burn of her rotten seed inside his bowels. They moved and pushed, twisted and turned. If he would lift his shirt he would be able to see her worms pushing against his belly as if trying to escape their enclosed space. He was disturbed as he could steel feel them moving and working. Ben didn't know what their end-goal was. Once again, being freed from the sticky mass, he lfited his arm, adorned by the Omnitrix and concentrated on pushing the dial. Yet he was still too weakened by Hera's violation. Instead of pushing down his arm fell down, lacking the power to keep it up. After a few seconds, he lost the feeling in his legs, and then the curtain closed, his eyes growing heavy.

The curtain rose again for the next act.

Ben didn't notice the weight on the new chest, or the changed fat distribution at first. It was the agony. Every uncoordinated step was torture. After a while, the pain subsided and- in that moment, Ben realized something was amiss. Several meters away from the scene of crime Ben's knees gave in, and realization reached its destination.

"No-" Ben struggled and fought, but that wasn't the old body. A hand reached up to grab the lump of meat hanging down in disbelief.

He wasn't himself. Our hero wasn't even sure if this was the right universe anymore. Hera had moved heaven, earth and reality itself, leaving us in shambles and tatters.

How could this be possible? What happened? It was a few more yards as Ben keeled over, emptying the contents of her new stomach. The black tar soiled the earth of Greece. She looked appalled at the little tentacles rising up from the black ink. Their little tendrils yearned to infect someone else with their vile disease and twist them around. Disgusted, the brunette lifted her foot and put it down. A black stain added to the red already on the sole of her shoe. Ben continued walking, trying to stay on the right path and struggling to keep herself upright. Every step took a horrendous amount of work and self-control.

Kevin thought for a while that he shouldn't have left Ben alone back at that shrine's remains. But then, Ben would come around sooner, or later, and he still wanted to enjoy the coast for their last day. As he heard a loud bang on the door the mechanic went to open it. Ben must have forgotten his key-card, the raven haired youth assumed. Though, he was surprised at what he saw. Instead of his friend, it was a girl. She staggered from one side to the other and Kevin was just able to catch her from falling as her knees gave in. His ear caught her mumbling something inaudible. Concerned the mutant laid her down on the white couch in the living room.

Sure, it was a strange girl, but he had to help. He'd better call the police or, at least, hotel management, to be on the safe side. Kevin picked up the phone. During this action, his eyes fell upon her wrist, adorned by the Omnitrix.

For a second he stopped, hand hovering over the dial, "Ben?".

….

Gwen and Rook came back to the apartment-hotel a short time after Ben arrived. Gwen drew her key card through the card reader at the entrance. It opened after a moment of registration. And what was the first thing that Gwen saw as she opened up and put down her bags? Kevin leaning over an unconscious buxom brunette!

"I can't believe it!" Gwen yelled, enraged that Kevin would invite girls to their rented apartment. Her hands were balled into fists and her cheeks had acquired a reddish color as she stalked over to her boyfriend.

Their relationship was already in jeopardy. The peril of Kevin drifting off into crime, the stress of University, the time they didn't have together. And now what she always suspected was true. Other girls! This trip was organized by her to grow closer, not to further their glaring differences. Before Gwen could say anything else the mechanic pleaded to get a chance to explain himself. His redheaded girlfriend took a deep breath and lowered her voice. Finally, she bestowed upon him the right of self-defense.

"I know it sounds crazy, but that's Ben.", he exclaimed gesturing over to the white couch.

The fists turned back into hands and both Rook and Gwen walked a few steps backward. They exchanged glances before directing their eyes towards the girl on the couch. "What do you mean, that's Ben?" Gwen inquired again, unsure if she heard him correctly the first time.

Kevin held up the arm with the Omnitrix and pointed at it. "Just look at her wrist. That's the Omnitrix. I don't know what happened. Maybe Paradox screwed with the multiverse or something and we got the wrong Ben, but- I am pretty sure that's Ben.", he stated and put the arm back down. Ben was a heavy sleeper. She didn't wake up during the presentation.

After a moment, Gwen and Kevin made the decision to converse in the kitchen while Rook checked on his partner. As she turned her head and coughed, he didn't expect little black worms to fall out of her mouth. At first, he jumped back a little, but then he brought himself to investigate closer. He held up one of them, watching them turn into dust in front of his very eye. The black dust left him with an itch on his fingertips. Rook decided to tell the other two about this strange occurrence.

While he did that Ben rolled off the couch. Unnoticed by her peers, she crawled her way to the toilet bowl. Once she was there she emptied the final remains of her breakfast and the last vermin who had somehow still clung to her insides left her. Her sight fell upon the water, which had turned from an oceanic blue into a dirty brown color. Ben's joints gave in and she had to lean her head against the toilet, powerless.

For a while she sat there, head leaning on the toilet seat, reeking of vomit. She needed to clear her head. Some water would do her good. Ben crawled over to the shower and activated it, letting the cold water soak her clothes. As she looked up again the water stopped running and a warm hand pressed down on her wet shoulder.

"Gwen-" the brunette stopped and put a finger on her lips while repeating her cousin's name.

Her lips felt so much softer. How strange that a so familiar name could leave such an odd taste in her mouth. A well-known instrument, playing a familiar tune was producing an offbeat and strange sound. Like a bass-guitar decided to sound like a violin from one day to the other.

Gwen forced a smile, baring her teeth, "You don't need to talk if you don't need to.". Once again she squeezed that shoulder which seemed to have lost some muscle-mass. It seemed to her slimmer than usual. If she had the chance she would have liked to press down on it again, to make sure.

But the brunette stumbled out of the shower, wet clothes clinging to her slim body. As she caught her own eyes in the mirror she revolted at the sight. After a second of overcoming the shock she leaned closer. Curious fingers hesitantly pressed into her soft cheeks while a pool collected around her feet. How can something look so familiar, and yet so foreign at the same time? It was her, but it wasn't him. Ben gripped the rim of the basin and lowered her head. Even her hands were, so slim, and fragile looking. This body disgusted Ben! Her flesh was so frail and soft, it reminded her of how easily Hera managed to remold it.

"I need to talk." she stated, with this alien voice of hers, in that alien body, stranger to her than any of the monsters she'd ever transformed into.

….

In the living room, she told them about the pseudo-goddess and the execution, leaving out a few parts. Afterward, she needed a few moments to clarify to herself that all those words were spoken by her. She was still Ben, somehow.

Gwen groaned. "Are you sure it was that Hera?". Without any prompting, she started to explain to her companions: "Hera, the Greek goddess-"

"That was no goddess." Ben interrupted her. Nobody here needed a lesson in mythology. Especially not Ben.

"Maybe," Ben's alien partner suggested "a Celestialsapien or another alien with the same powers as them?". Rook sat down on the couch next to Kevin, who leaned back.

Gwen sighed in dissatisfaction. She crossed her arms, which was also the moment in which Ben voiced her thoughts. "I guess so. We should go and find her and force her to turn me back!". Her eyes darted towards Kevin, who made an amused sound, at the brunettes suggestion.

"Are you just going to go into space and check the whole cosmos for a single Celestialsapien?" he asked Ben. There was an obvious sardonic undertone weaved into his voice.

Rook interpreted this as an open invitation and chimed in, "Ben would not need to search the whole galaxy. Celestialsapiens live at the edge of the Universe.".

Kevin faced Rook now. "Hera isn't like the others. How many of them would come directly to earth? She's obviously not confining herself to the edge of the galaxy and she could be anywhere by now. Besides, you know, the spaceship that we don't have? Last time I checked the Proto-TRUK was still in repair. That was the reason we couldn't just take it to Greece. No, we had to take an airliner and keep my car back in Bellwood.". The raven-haired mechanic turned towards Ben, motioning towards her, "And how else are we going to travel through space? Are you going to transform into one of your aliens? How long do you think you can stay in your form? You probably hit too hard, get a random time, catapult yourself into space, and then?".

Ben balled her hands into fists. She wanted to say something but realized that he was right. The Revonnahgander proposed that Ben should call Azmuth and ask the Galvan for help. He made the Omnitrix, he probably knew how to turn her back.

She frowned at her partner, "You're sure that he would help?". There was doubt in her voice.

Rook nodded."It would be the most sensible action to take." he stated, once again.

With a moment of hesitance, Ben turned around. She walked into the kitchen to have a semi-private conversation with Azmuth. The others waited outside in the living room for a few minutes as the conversation Ben had with Azmuth turned into a discussion. Concerned Gwen took a step towards the door before turning around. No, she reprimanded herself, Ben went in there to talk with Azmuth alone. She had to wait.

Ben didn't need much time. At the moment that Gwen went back to the sofa, Ben left the kitchen, a little red in the face, with a twitching lower eyelid, pressing her lips tightly together. She plopped back down on the couch and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Kevin decided to test out the waters and asked, cautiously, how the conversation went.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down a little."Azmuth decided not to help me." she declared, obviously pissed off. Ben's voice was louder than normal and she seemed to shake with fury. After a moment she started to speak up again raising her volume with every word. "He said that it 'would be an interesting experiment' and it 'would help me grow'." she summarized. It was clear that she ad a lot more to say, but her upbringing kept her from shouting out cuss-words. Her hands were tightly gripping her upper arms. All she wanted was to punch someone.

"So you'll stay a girl," Gwen concluded settling herself down on the couch next to her cousin. It was a comfortable settee big enough for all of them.

The brown-haired hero bit her lower lip, brows furrowing "No- well; it's just now, for the moment.".

"Of course.". For a while, they were silent until Gwen decided to continue talking. "But you're not- You just look like a girl, you're not really one. Like internally-"she was uncomfortable with the subject and felt her head getting hotter. Gwen averted her eyes. The blood had shot all the way up to her brow. This was absurd. She was an adult! There was no reason to be embarrassed about this subject. It was natural! Well, not that sudden sex-changes were natural for humans, but still-

The other two guys looked away, trying not too hard to think about that either.

Ben raised her shoulders and let them drop, trying to play it off. However, the way her voice wavered betrayed her. "Even a Celestialsapien couldn't do something like that. Right?". Ben tried to laugh it off. Her face had a completely different expression, though. A scowl carved itself deeper into her face.

Finally, she looked up and at her companions. Gwen had averted her gaze, Rook looked down at his hands and Kevin laid back, arms crossed over his chest. Yes, a Celestialsapien could do that.

Finally, after swallowing, dry, Kevin mustered up the courage to raise his voice, "I guess it isn't that bad.".

"Come again?" Ben squinted at the Osmosian. She must have misheard him.

"I mean Gwen has been a girl for eighteen years now.". He pointed at his girlfriend, laughing,"You don't hear her complaining.". Ben and Gwen glared daggers at him. "Um- just trying to help." he held up his hands, "Sorry.".

"Oh, yes, sorry." Ben mimicked her ebony-haired friend's words," You're not the one stuck like this. You think this is just a joke. Not like it'll affect your life. Is it?". After a second Ben shook her head, massaging her brow. "No, I'm sorry Kevin."she excused her behavior "I- I guess I'm overreacting? I mean I transform into aliens every day. That shouldn't be that bad- right?".

Kevin was unsure if Ben wanted an answer. Though, even if she tried to downplay it, her voice was unsteady. There was also this expression in her eyes. It took him a while until he noticed it, but Ben's eyes seemed more diluted. But, maybe it was just the light hitting them at a strange angle?

They'd been silent for a while now until Ben tried to change the subject. "I better go and write an e-mail to Grandpa Max. I don't want him to be too surprised when he sees me. I guess I can use your laptop, Gwen?" Ben locked eyes with her cousin.

"Sure- I don't mind. You know where it is?" she investigated, awkwardly fidgeting with her hands. Until she realized how nervous she might appear. Her back was forced into a straight position and she crossed her arms.

Ben decided to ignore Gwen's strange behavior. Instead, he answered: "I do. It's still in the kitchen.".

….

A few minutes after Ben disappeared into the kitchen Gwen stood up and followed her. "I forgot to tell you the password.", Gwen leaned over her shoulder to look at the screen.

"Luckygirl13? I know the password.", with those words the brunette hit enter. The desktop screen popped up and Ben double-clicked on the little world icon.

"How did you-". Gwen's eyes were agape and she blinked a few times in awe.

"Jeez, it's not that hard to figure that one out. I'm surprised that someone who's as smart as you has such a weak password.". Ben was laughing at her cousin's reaction. A + student, black belt, and witch supreme, but keeping her password in the disc-drive of her laptop.

After Ben had finished the email and sent it off Gwen took her aside. The witch asked a question which had been burning under her fingernails for a while. It was a quite, intimate question. "I know- it sounds a little strange- but are you wearing underwear?".

Ben stared at her, visibly stunned by that question. "What kind of- Yes.". The brunette was confused, her mouth hanging slightly open. As if she was provoked by Gwen's query. Who doesn't wear underwear?

Gwen looked around, checking if the guys would be able to listen in on their talk, lowering her voice as she continued talking. "You mean- male underwear?" the redhead concluded biting her bottom lip, face red as a beet. She needed to keep herself under better control. Once again, Gwen was an adult and could deal with stuff like this just fine.

The brunette's eyes widened, "Well, yes… is that bad? I didn't think about it. Why would I?.

"And you- you don't wear a- a bra?". Her wandering eyes walked down and then shot back up again as she realized what Ben's answer would be. In the end, she really didn't need that confirmation.

"I got turned into a girl a few hours ago. How and where should I have been able to get a bra?" Ben remarked, rolling her eyes at the redhead. The brunette wasn't that embarrassed about revealing this tit-bit of information.

Gwen nodded, letting her head hang for a few seconds, thinking. "We don't know how long this will last…" she put her hands on Ben's shoulders, trying her hand at comforting the brunette. It was just an assumption, but judging by the way Ben's eyes moved and her erratic behavior, she must still be under shock. Actually, now that Gwen thought about it, her pupils seemed dilated. That was quite strange. Maybe Hera had used drugs on her cousin? It seemed likely.

"It's just going to be a few days.", the brunette brushed off her cousin's hand, only a few days, nothing more. Maybe next week she was going to be 'he' again. Ben tried to avert her eyes and hide them from Gwen. Turning around, she closed the laptop, trying not to think about it.

"What if not? What if it will be longer?"she changed the subject. "Anyway… I think between you and me. You should… get more fitting underwear." she spluttered out, "Just for the time being. You can always get rid of it later!".

Ben blinked at her. "Couldn't I get some from you? It'll be just for a few days and I don't really swim in money. Besides, what speaks against my old underwear.", she asked innocently enough.

Gwen glared at her. "For your first question: No. Never. Besides my bra wouldn't fit you anyway.", her eyes quickly dropped down. At least, Ben's looked bigger than hers. After a second they shot up again, "And to answer your second question: Girls and boys are different. You can't just walk around with underwear made for the opposite sex!".

A deep frown was visible on Ben's face. Gwen wondered if she even understood what she said. But Ben didn't say anything else. Instead, she bit her lower lip and looked away.

"I always wanted to go underwear shopping with you." Ben's voice was laced with spitting sarcasm, rolling her eyes as she was dragged along by her cousin. It was half an hour later, one hour before the shops closed that they were running along the shopping district trying to find something for Ben to wear.

"Don't get the white panties.", Gwen furrowed her brows as her eyes fell on the white panties Ben had picked up. The cloth hung between her thumb and index finger as if picking up an insect.

"Why?" the brunette replied, putting them back to the others in the same delicate manner.

"There's something called periods and white doesn't go so well with red…" Gwen started to explain, looking for a salesperson. She was ignoring the look on Ben's face. For a second she forgot that Ben hadn't always been a girl.

Ben stared at her, "Are you saying I'll get my period too? I thought I said that-".

The witch held up one finger in front of Ben's face, "You don't know yet. Maybe you're 'completely' changed...".

Ben took a deep breath and a step back. Stopping as she felt a rack behind her. Why did she feel like running away?

"Internally: uterus, cervix, ovaries…", Gwen continued before she was interrupted.

"No! No stop!" Ben looked at her, horrified and scared, "I don't want to get periods!". She crossed her arms and pushed them against her chest as though that would cause them to magically deflate.

"Maybe you could just take the pill through…" Gwen said offhandedly unaware of the horror-story playing in Ben's head.

"The pill…" Ben repeated, frowning, not quite understanding the implications until it started to dawn on her. The brunette looked horrified at her cousin. "But that's- that's when you- I- I'm not able to have babies, right? Oh god, I think I am going to get sick". A hand pressed down on her mouth as if trying to keep herself from vomiting.

"Look Ben…" Gwen held up a pack of girl boxers in black to distract her cousin for a moment "we can talk about this when we know more. Right now, one step at a time. The store's closing soon and the guys are home waiting for us so they can finally order food. Let's just get you some underwear.".

"I don't mind those, or those," she held up the girl boxers and the black panties, "but those…". She gestured towards the thongs and laced underwear, "I'll never wear that. Why do you women wear this stuff? I just don't get it.".

Gwen sighed, "Some women like to wear those. Besides, nobody's going to force you to wear thongs and fine lingerie.". "Now, we'll get you measured." she shoved her shaken and terrified cousin towards an older Greek lady who had a measuring tape hanging around her neck. For Ben, she looked like the executioner with a noose in just the right size for her.

They finally came home from shopping after what seemed to be an eternity. At last, Gwen was able to relax on the sofa for a moment, and then Kevin walked in. Her eyes fell upon the speck of cheese clinging to the corner of his mouth. "You two already ate," she concluded, too tired to be irritated by their impatience.

Rook wanted to apologize, but Kevin stopped him from it, "We've waited for two hours. You said you'd be back in one. Besides, we've ordered for you two too. Yours is in the microwave.".

Gwen sighed and walked to the kitchen to warm up her food. The Magister meanwhile decided to go back to his and Ben's room. He quickly made a U-turn after seeing her in her underwear. Rook closed the door behind him as fast as he had opened it, hoping Ben hadn't seen him. He tried to get his mind off of what he had just witnessed and turned on the TV. Kevin slumped down next to him.

"Where's Ben? I thought he- she'd be in the kitchen with Gwen.".

Rook tried to relax, "Ben is in our bedroom. I still do not understand why we could not have a bigger apartment.".

Kevin raised an eyebrow. Yesterday, Rook hadn't had a problem with the accommodation. "The hotel was nearly booked out. This was the only apartment they still had available at such a short notice.". The raven haired boy grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels. The only English speaking channel they got was CNN International. He turned off the TV.

"I'll guess I'm going to bed then."Kevin stood up from the couch, stretching. Then he recalled something. "Our flight is at eight in the morning." he informed Rook. Kevin's eyes wandered over the living room, to the door to the bedroom before talking to his furry friend again. "Has Ben eaten anything yet? Maybe you should ask- her if she's hungry?".

Rook looked away, "Ben knows when he is hungry and can act accordingly." he stated bluntly.

"He." Kevin repeated and frowned and the alien. For a moment he was quiet and thoughtful, then he shook his head.

The black haired mechanic gave Rook an analyzing glance, "You know, you've changed. But hey, if it would have been Gwen I'd be freaked out too.".

Rook straightened up and looked at Kevin, "You cannot compare our relationship to your relationship with Gwen. We are colleagues-partners.".

Kevin groaned, rubbing his head, "Yeah, I'm sorry, man. It's different, sure.".

"We are friends." Rook insisted, "Ben might have changed but that does not change our relationship.".

Kevin nodded, "Yeah, I thought so.". He did not believe the Revonnahgander. Ben finally stepped out, back in her old clothes. "Hey," Kevin beckoned her, "there are leftovers in the kitchen.".

"Chili fries?" she said, her voice uplifted by hope. Was something in this country finally going right?

Kevin laughed, "Pff- you wish. They don't have chili fries here. But we got Spanakopita.".

Ben groaned as she made her way to the kitchen door, "Everything in this country is a letdown. Even the food lets me down. Not that I am hungry anyways-". She rubbed her stomach thinking back to those little black worms.

"The food isn't that bad, Ben!" came Gwen's voice from the opened kitchen door, "just try it.".

The kitchen door closed and Ben disappeared again.

Rook had spent the night sleeping on the couch while Ben took up the bed.

She told Rook that she didn't mind sharing a bed with him. It could hold four people with ease. Besides that, they had shared the bed the night before without complications. Why was Ben's sex-change such a huge deal for him? Rook gave Ben a speech concerning his culture and the society on Revonnah and tried to explain it. 'It just was not becoming of an adult male Revonnahgander to share the bed with an adult female without them being married.'.

Then he told Ben that she was still his partner. He still respected and appreciated her the same way he did before her transformation. She didn't say anything in return. Instead, she kept her comments to herself. Again, without prompting, the Magister assured her that it was no more than a cultural tradition and had no further meaning. Ben didn't believe him. Everything had changed from the way he stopped himself from touching her, to the way he spoke to her.

Kevin told her that she shouldn't be bothered by it ,but it did worry her. He was her partner and best friend. When this was his reaction, how were the other people in her life going to react? Were they going to shun her like Rook did? Now that she thought about it Kevin also seemed uncomfortable and a little unsure of what to do with Ben's metamorphosis. Sure, he joked about it, and tried to look at Ben as little as possible ,but she could sense it. The looks he threw at her left goosebumps on her skin, and Ben tried to pretend it was nothing.

Meanwhile, Gwen seemed to be more friendly towards Ben. Was she glad that Ben had the non-consensual sex-change? It couldn't be, and Ben refused to accept the possibility, but, at the same time, she couldn't shake off that feeling. Gwen did appear to be more open and supportive of her. No, Ben shook his head and turned around, she was a fool to think this way. She sighed and closed her eyes, pretending it was all in her head.