Again.
Adonis hadn't needed his help the time Hermes got himself thrown into Tartarus unexpectedly, but it'd been a month now since the god had talked a siren into sleeping with him. A pity fuck. Before that, it had been some minor goddess with entirely too much fascination in ways to utilize his horns in the bedroom.
As deplorable as it was, Hermes had become his pimp. Nothing could be done about it though. This was his punishment, and Adonis took it as graciously as he could—there may have been some complaining—but after he'd broken his thyrsus and Pan and Ariston denied him the use of panpipes, he had no way to create glamour. He couldn't hide his hooves or his horns in the daytime to fit in with society. The only satyr to get away with that was Cyprian, but as a rock star, he was able to use his band's costuming and theming to make it work. Something he shouldn't have been allowed to do, but Pan wouldn't punish one of his precious Arcadians.
Oh, nooooo. Never that.
After parting ways with Dionysus several months ago, Adonis had originally remained in the Blue Ridge Mountains, fully intent on using Ariston's old cabin to get through the withdrawal of Dionysus' wine. And while the craving for the compulsion-laced beverage had eased, he hadn't counted on the guilt from his actions affecting him so strongly, breaking down and asking Hermes to find him a new place to stay. Why the god had decided to make him his favorite charity case was beyond him; Adonis didn't particularly like the god, and the feeling was mutual as far as he could tell. But he was grateful.
Until his dependency on the god created more issues than it was worth. He could feel his control slipping and didn't know how he could convince a woman to look past his slight…disfigurements…
Adonis paced the dark kitchen, hating how loud his cloven hooves clacked against the tiled floors. The house Hermes found for him had been condemned for flooding—and for good reason considering the state of disrepair and proximity to the Ogeechee River—but no one bothered him here. He didn't have electricity, used a solar charger for his phone, and Hermes had managed to get the water and sewage system turned on for him. That was all he needed, really. That and access to the Internet on his phone to order nonperishables every few weeks, and the odd, delivered meal when he had a craving he couldn't ignore. It only became a problem when the irresistible cravings of a different kind arose. Normally it wouldn't be so bad, but now…
"What am I going to do?" He slammed a fist down on a counter. If he were closer to downtown Savannah, or if Hermes had let him bring a car here, he'd venture out in a few days and pretend he was in a Halloween costume.
If he could last that long.
Halloween was convenient for that sort of thing, but what if the lust madness took him and he hurt someone? Like what he'd almost done to Lily… If he actually lost control—no. He wouldn't.
I need some air. Thankfully, the house was so far down a dirt road through a patch of forest that he could wander around at night without worrying he'd be seen. Without lights, he'd be nothing more than a trick of imagination in the time it would take him to disappear into the trees.
Tonight, the moon gleamed big and bright. Not quite full yet, but very close. A lunar eclipse would occur in a matter of days, and Satyr Moons always put him in foul moods. He shoved his hands in his pockets and meandered toward the trees. Adonis didn't really have a destination in mind, but before he could think on it, he started in a direction and stuck to it. Not like there was anything else to do, and it kept his mind off his problems. In fact, the anxious need to rut like a common animal had completely dissipated since entering the woods. He felt almost normal, calm, which was unusual with or without the curse in such a heightened state.
Pausing, he squinted at something up ahead. Light? Was there someone camping out in his woods? A homeless person maybe? No good. It was a risk of exposure, and he couldn't go anywhere without Hermes to take him there. Unless he could convince a ride-share driver that he had a Halloween party to attend.
Maybe he should do that, but now that he was out here, he couldn't seem to make himself turn around and head back to the house to get his phone. Like he was drawn to that spot. Considering the kind of beings and creatures he knew existed, that could bode ill if he wasn't cautious. Taking care not to make noise, Adonis skulked toward the light—correction, lights—up ahead, the loose dirt softening the fall of his hooves. Candles lit a small clearing. About a dozen or so. And in the middle, a woman danced.
She was…magnificent.
Lurking in the shadows of the trees, he observed her, barely breathing as she twisted and turned to a song she alone could hear. Her thin dress revealed as much as it covered with the movements, and the high slits up the sides and a draping front and back left her skin on display. The globes of her pale breasts were bright in the darkness. Her hair was black maybe? But no. It held a hit of color. Violet?
For whatever reason, he felt compelled to touch her, yet his curse wasn't urging him to do anything at all. Very peculiar. This should be alarming, but he couldn't focus on that. He stepped closer, barely avoiding kicking over one of her candles. She didn't sense him there
