I was laying on the ground. The softness of the Earth pressed into my back. I opened my eyes to the brightness of a pink sky. I leaned up on my hands and looked around me. The ground was a mash of softness. It was not a grass that I knew. It almost looked like carpet if that can be believable. I stood up and shook the dizziness from my head. This was so unlike the realms of Greed. It was confusing to depart that realm and be brought here. Everything was soft and pink. The skies were wrong and so was the atmosphere. I could smell nothing but a thick sweet scent. It clogged my senses and made it hard to think. I brushed the pink strands of fake grass off my dress and started to walk.
Where could Calypso have gone from here? Had she somehow gotten through the first few levels? Or had she been taken by Satan himself? I had no clue as to where she was. There hadn't been any clues as to where she could have gone. I only had to hope that the farther I went the closer I got to finding her. She had to be here somewhere. How far down into the Realms of Hell could she have gotten? Surely, she was around here somewhere. The farther I went down myself, the harder it was to beat the temptations. What was in store for me here? It didn't look to malicious. There was nothing but pink and more pink.
The ground started to slope down. There was a huge stone wall that went on for miles in front of me. I could hear voices, many voices coming from behind it. Over the walls, plumes of smoke could be seen. The closer I got to the wall the heavier the scent of perfume was. It was almost too heavy a scent that I had a hard time breathing. Do I dare go further? I had too. Calypso was here somewhere. She had to be! I slid down the embankment and headed for the gilded door. The closer I got the louder the voices got. It brought a blush to my cheeks.
I could hear moans. Soft, loud, and guttural moans that made me want to clasp my hands to my ears. There was only one place I could think of that warranted such noises. I was in the Realm of Lust. This should be easy. I could just slide past all the perverts and be on my way. Surely there wasn't scary creatures lurking here. Whatever punishment that these people were suffering did not seem as bad. After all there were moans and not screams coming from behind the wall. Greed was nothing but misery. Maybe this Realm would be easy.
The closer I got to the gate the more uneasy I began to feel. The gate was a metal affair that was shaped into shapes that made the blood rush to my face. Each metal piece was provocative. I could see breasts as well as other obscene objects. Multiple metal people were getting it on. It was not something I was used to seeing. I came to the door and pushed it with my palms. The gate creaked open in an almost sexual way. My pulse started to rise. The effects of this place were starting to get to me. As an angel, I was not used to these feelings. It almost seemed unclean.
Behind the gate was a plaza. Inside the plaza were thousands of souls, men and women alike. All chained to the concrete. In the middle of the raised platform was a creature. I honestly did not know what to make of it. It was a woman. A beautiful and dangerous creature. Its face was that of an angel. Its eyes were those of the devils. It was dressed in almost nothing. Large breasts swung free as the creature danced. Her hair whipping around her face. She danced for the thousands of souls beneath her. Her hips grinding with the moans of the damned. Dark reddish black wings were attached to her back. Her hands were normal except for the large talons at the end of them.
Harpy!
I had never seen a harpy before. Gabriel had warned me of such creatures.
"Filled with hunger and lust. Harpies patrol the Realm of Lust. They are the rulers there. They seek only to feed of the sexual lust of others. They feed of it. They need it. Beware the harpies for they will seek to use you too. But you shouldn't worry about them child, they are banished to the underworld. A place you shall never know."
Yeah right.
The harpy began running her sharp hands down her sweaty body. It drove the body of souls crazy. They cried out louder and hungrier. It was almost too much for me to watch. The plaza split off two ways. Which way was the right way? Which way was the way out of here? I needed to find the next gate. Calypso would not be here watching this sexual show of obscenities. She would have moved on. She would have found her way to Alice. Not that anyone from Heaven knew where Alice even was. How was I supposed to find this seer? How was I supposed to somehow fix this mess? I had to find Calypso and we would have to work together to get out of here.
I stayed to the shadows as I made my way around all the chained souls. I moved slowly as to not be noticed by the harpy. She was so in tuned to the sexual tension around her that she didn't notice me. I took the right passage way. I left the sounds of the moans behind me. I could feel the sweat running down my back. The harpy had made me feel unsettled. I was not a lesbian by any account, but something about her body had stirred feelings. She was using the power that she had been given to seduce. She had even unsettled me, which was scary. I needed to get out of here. The farther I went down the more power these commanders had. I could only assume that It would be worse in the next realm.
The right passage led me into a long winding walkway. Statues of nude woman were at every interval. Some of them were by themselves, others had men entwined around them. Doing various sexual and perverse activities. It brought a blush to my cheeks. The smell of this place was starting to get heavier. It was a sweet but nasty smell. It was a mixture of flowers and sweat. It was starting to make me nauseous. The path way was littered with rose petals. I kept my head up, alerted for danger at every turn.
I came to another door. I could hear voices behind the door. Pants and groans and an occasional sigh. I was getting closer and closer into the center of Lust. I put my hand to the door, it was slick with some kind of liquid. I pushed it open and stepped inside. I almost regretted that decision. I had entered into a pleasure room. There were bodies lying everywhere. Strapped to tables, chairs, beds. Men and woman alike were lying naked. I watched silently as a harpy walked around the room. Her black wings scratching against the wet floor. She was completely naked. Her body slick with sweat. I watched open mouthed as she bent over a man. Even from this distance I could hear what she said, as if she was whispering them into my own ear.
"Do you want me?" she said to the man.
"Yes mistress, please. Yes!" he said thickly. I could see his erection from here.
The harpy climbed atop the man. I could see her sliding herself down onto his shaft. The man was tied down so he could not touch. She slowly started to rise away from him.
"No! Please, use me. Take your pleasure!" he screamed.
The harpy took one nailed hand and drew it across his cheek. She sliced the skin clean through. The man flinched but didn't complain. The harpy leaned forward and licked the blood. She positioned herself once more and began her work. She used her hips to thrust herself onto him. She leaned back and continued to ride him. The man underneath her was groaning and moaning loud. When at last the man was about to orgasm, the harpy acted. She leaned forward once again and took her nails and sliced through his skin. Except this time, she sliced from ear to ear. The man's lifeblood dripped from him as his body racked with his orgasm. I was stunned into complete and utter silence. The harpy sighed in a very pleased way.
The harpy left him there as his body slowly began to rot. When at last nothing was left but bones. She stood up and moved on to the next one. My breath was coming out short and harsh. I needed to get out of here. Was there nothing but sex pits here? There were columns that lined the room. I darted behind one as the harpy found her next victim. What was this place? Did the newly arrivals come here to be seduced by the harpy before being thrown somewhere else? I had no clue as to what was going on down here. There were things that no angel should ever see and this was one of them. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my beating heart. I could hear the harpy's moans as she rode yet another victim. When I dared take a chance I made a run for the next pillar.
I spotted a door at the other end of the room. Waiting for the moments when the harpy was busy I made my way towards it. When at last I pushed through and found myself at another walkway. What was it with this place and walkways? My heart was beating uncomfortably inside my chest. I did not like it here. This place affected a deep and darker part of the human heart. Not that I was strictly human anymore. I still had those feelings inside me. This place stirred feelings in me that I never really knew existed. I had my head in the clouds rather than in the boys around me. I had never even considered the possibility.
Maybe that was what Calypso had been feeling. I knew she had a thing for my mentor Gabriel but the idea was ridiculous. Gabriel was an Arc Angel, he had higher duties than we could even think about. What did he want with a newly fledged angel? What did I want with another angel? There were more important things to think about then going out on a date. I was so focused on my Ascension that I had no time for things like that. Was Calypso worried about more than just her own Ascension? Maybe she thought that Gabriel would finally take notice of her if she earned her wings in such a dramatic way. Why hadn't I listened more to her when she talked of such things. I had just teased her when she talked about things like that. Maybe I shouldn't have...
The walkway led me to yet another door. I dreaded opening this one. What waited me on the other side? This door was intricate with depictions of sex. I saw man on man, female on female, all shapes and sizes. All partaking in the pleasures of the body. Images, scents, and sounds all played a part in the desire of this place. For those who lived in Lust this surely was their place of Hell. I pushed the door open and entered the next area. It was empty. I allowed myself a second to breath. I had anticipated something far more deviant than an empty area. It was like the plaza before, a big open space. There were no other doors except for an entryway across the plaza. That was the only way to go. I could not stomach going back the way I had come.
I walked across the empty square. I walked quickly. I did not like being out in the open like this. Harpies had wings just as I did. I had tossed away my blanket. I had no way to hide. My white dress was dirty and ripped but my wings were as bright as ever. Those harpies would not be fooled for even one moment. They would know what I was with one glance. I dreaded what they would do to me if they caught me. I reached the entryway and paused staring at the statues.
The statues were two females, naked. They were leaning against the wall with their arms outstretched. Their hands linked at the top of the archway. The detail of the two was in such exquisite detail. The breasts were large and firm. The sight was making me uncomfortable. Especially seeing their smooth stomachs that led to their groins. I avoided my eyes and walked through the passageway. I dared not look for too long. There was something about the statues that sung to a deeper part of my psyche. I didn't want to partake in any of this Realm's temptations.
The passageway was dark and the scent was cloying. I could hear sexual noises echoing from farther down. Great. I could almost taste the desire in the air. I walked quickly, the darkness was starting to choke me. I saw light at the end of the tunnel. The end of the tunnel brought me to where all the sounds were coming from. I was in a large room with a high ceiling. My hands went to my mouth to hush my gasp.
There was a giant hole in the floor of the room. Men and woman were inside all smashed together. I could see them pushing and pulling. Yet they were not interested in each other, they were interested in the bodies above them. Platforms were hovering above the pit. Each was made of glass and each one had a harpy on top of it. Each harpy was naked. They writhed on the glass, each one doing things to themselves. I watched as one arched her back in an orgasm. As her moans traveled the room, the damned beneath her started to get out of control. They started to punch, bite, and kick each other. I watched as one man literally bit into another woman's neck. I watched as her blood burst forth from the wound. The woman crumpled to the floor. It only got worse for the other inside the pit. They all fought for no reason. All driven mad by the harpies' seduction.
I could feel myself trying to battle the lust within myself. The harpies were using their own dark magic in a place that their magic was strongest. I could feel the heat from my own body bursting to come forward. I ran my hand over my neck and it felt electric. My senses were at an overload. I needed to get away. I needed to not watch this. Every second I spent watching this was one more second to me being closer to joining in. I did not want to be stuck here in this Realm. I had to find Calypso.
My legs were shaking as I walked away from the pit. The harpies took no notice of me, they were too busy with themselves and their victims. I kept my eyes off them and tried to block out the noise. I walked carefully along the edge of the pit for the other end of the room. There was a staircase that led to a single door. I kept my eyes down as I walked up the stairs. I opened the door and left the room. I could still see those harpies even if I closed my eyes. I was badly afflicted by their desire. It was slowly starting to eat me from the inside. I needed to find that damn portal.
I leaned back against the door and tried to calm my breathing. It was proving more difficult than I had imagined. This Realm was starting to poison me. I could feel the desire coursing through my body. I could feel the need threatening to consume me. I needed to get out of here. There were so many ways I could have went. Did I even go in the right direction? Where was a map when you needed one?
I only had to hope that Calypso was doing as good as I was. She had a sense of desire that I did not. She had secretly wanted Gabriel. Would that affect her here? Could she have been tempted by lust? Had I lost her forever to this dark and deviant place? I hoped not, for her sake and mine. Because I was just as lost down here as she was. My only hope was finding her soon and getting the, pardon the pun, Hell out of here.
