The crisp air of his back yard wasn't where Kaz had landed. Instead, the moist and salt-laden air of somewhere near the sea rushed around him, causing Kaz to turn in place to get his bearings. "What the hell is going on?"

He was on the side of a large hill and had an amazing view of the ocean. Waves of pure blue spread out to the horizon. There were copses of trees scattered here and there down the slope toward the beach that divided the rocky island from lapping waves. "Okay. That messed up somewhere, so let's try again."

Working his magic, Kaz was able to flow his death magic without a problem, but his life magic was distorted and seemed to keep trying to bend away from him.

But, the bending had a consistent direction. Looking up the hill, Kaz narrowed his eyes.

The walk up the hill was relaxing in that nothing decided to attack or rush him. He felt alone—but as the shock of the bad planewalking wore off, he remembered he was basically never alone. "Wait, Miaow?"

᱿Yeah? Oh, where are we?᱿ Stretching out after her short nap following her training, Miaow realized something felt a little odd. Testing the mana flows she'd recently learned to control, she found the problem. ᱿Our mana is being twisted and pulled.᱿

"Somewhere up there. The twisting is actually becoming less the further up I walk." Still hiking, Kaz tried to work his mana into something he could use to change forms. "Still not quite enough to change yet. A little higher and I might just become a dragon and leave this place to its shitty magic snarl."

᱿Antlion… Kaz, be careful in case this is some kind of trap.᱿

"Yeah. The second I have the mana to do so, I'll be turning into a dragon. Nothing's better at surviving and getting away than them. I'd go with redcap, but I'd be more excited to fight then—and they're weak against magic." The way things were going, Kaz estimated just thirty more steps and he'd have the mana needed to change to a dragon. He got twelve paces closer when he froze.

"I said, would you like to come up and have some wine?" a woman's voice called from above.

More than a little worried, Kaz knew he still didn't quite have the mana to work a transformation. "Wine? Uh… Sure!" Kaz started walking toward the voice, only to see a huge mansion slowly fade in from whatever magic had been obscuring it. The woman he had only heard was visible at the front door, holding it open while wearing what he'd describe as a completely translucent dress.

Sniffing the proverbial air, Miaow didn't like the way things were going. ᱿She's pretty forward, don't you think? She still could be an antlion.᱿

᱿Yeah. The moment things look bad, I'm going to transform and get out of here.᱿ Kaz had to remind himself to keep his eyes on the woman's face as he advanced. "Hi there. Uh, I didn't mean to come here. I was trying to get home and my portal miscalculated."

"A lost traveler? Where have I heard that before?" Waving off the question, the woman stepped into her home and left the door agape behind her. "My name's Circe—welcome to my home and know you are safe here."

᱿Circe! Kaz, you might want to just run now!᱿

᱿I know the stories of her too. Powerful sorceress—but she hasn't threatened us. Let's see if she'll help us get out of here.᱿ Following, closing the door behind him, Kaz offered his own introduction. "My name's Kaz. Uh, where would this be? I am not quite sure—"

"Kaz…" Tasting the name, Circe knew it to not be his full name. She breathed a soft sigh. "This is the island Aeaea, and this is my prison—for now."

The way she spoke, Kaz was sure that Circe was trying to get free but couldn't. "Well, maybe we could help each other leave? If we make a portal to my home, we can both leave."

Circe liked the angle Kaz took. Binding their freedom together would make the best solution. As she looked him over, however, she felt old hungers rise. "That would be ideal, but alas there is a further problem. Is there a particular vintage of wine you'd prefer? I have—everything."

᱿You're not actually going to drink something Circe—the Circe—gives you, are you? Even I wouldn't touch it with all my curiosity.᱿

᱿Relax, Miaow, no matter what she transforms me into, it's only temporary. Besides, it could be fun to see what her tastes run to. Clearly not mermen, or she'd be off the island already.᱿ Kaz sat down on the couch Circe gestured to. "Really, anything you'd suggest will be fine. I only intended to be out for an evening."

"And I only intended to spend a week or two on this lovely island. Then my magic was twisted into it and now I can't leave or"—Circe snapped her fingers—"poof. Oh, it was a good trick, but if you can work out how to get me off the island without killing me, Kaz, I'll grant almost anything you desire." She doubted the young magic user could free her, which is why Circe was instead moving to her B game. Holding up one hand, she settled onto a chair that was set slightly higher than the couch Kaz was on—and snapped her fingers.

A bottle and two glasses appeared by magic. Kaz watched as the bottle uncorked itself and poured wine into both glasses. He plucked his glass out of the air as it neared him and waited for Circe to get hers. "To attaining freedom."

"Now that's an oath I can get behind. Freedom!" Unrestrained and now in a good mood, Circe raised her glass to her lips and took a deep drink from it. When Kaz drank freely, she had to ask him, "You are very casual about drinking something I've given you. Surely you know the stories about me?"

"Of course. I'm actually a big fan of them. You see, I'm somewhat of a shapeshifter myself, so I kinda get why you'd turn a bunch of sailors into pigs as punishment." Drinking more of the delicious wine, Kaz could sense not an iota of magic within it.

"Are you now?" Focusing more attention on Kaz's magical state than his physical, Circe could see the young man had a lot going on. "Well, that is complicated. A curse, a gift, and a new life." She almost purred the short list out. "Tell me, what have you noticed that is different from the stories?"

"Well, you didn't sing to get me to come up the hill. I felt the mana down there all pointing up to this point so I followed that—though, I guess that could be a type of song for a mage. There is also a complete lack of animals."

Circe raised an eyebrow. "I turned them back. All of them." When Kaz returned her skeptical look, Circe let out a groan. "It's lonely being stuck here, Kaz. Lonely and… oppressive. A moment of weakness here or there and each of them got to live a full lifetime in my palace."

Kaz realized the implications behind her words and felt more than a little worry cloud his mind. ᱿I think you were right, Miaow, but only if she wants to get laid more than she wants to get off this island.᱿

᱿Well of course I was right. Remember, Kaz, I'm a cat first and foremost.᱿ Miaow purred deeply.

᱿As if I could forget that.᱿ Noticing that a little silence had opened up after her statement, Kaz moved to quickly get conversation going again. "Which do you want to work on first? Do you want to tackle your being stuck here or my being stuck here?"

"Why don't we work on both? Fresh eyes and fresh minds often catch the most elusive prey." Filling their glasses back up, Circe stood from her throne and led the way to the hallway. "Down here is my focus room. It incorporates various protective symbols and enchantments that make it impossible for another being to interfere with magic performed there."

The room, for Kaz, felt cozy and safe. He stretched a little as he walked in, wanting nothing more than to curl up in a corner for a rest. It had been a long night for him, after all. "I could probably just open a portal from here, then." As soon as he said it, Kaz knew he wouldn't be able to. "But that wouldn't help you."

Circe had a dozen counterspells on the tip of her tongue, but she was surprised when she didn't need a single one. "How would you help me? This is your ticket home, right here, why don't you take it?"

Rolling his eyes, Kaz turned from Circe to examine the enchantments woven into the walls. "Because you offered it. Because you would let me go. Because even if the first two weren't true, you don't deserve to be trapped here."

"You are too good for this. Why would someone have sent you here, I wonder?" Circe walked over and around Kaz, enjoying each time his eyes dipped down below her neck. Probing his magic with her own, she felt something beside the big curse she'd already felt. "A second curse lies upon you. If you'd opened a gate here to return, you'd just be in a worse place."

Kaz sighed. "Circe, I'm not looking for—"

"That's okay. I don't mind if you're not looking." She knew he was looking, though. His eyes followed her hips when she shifted them. "Now, let me take a closer look at this curse."

Standing still for Circe, Kaz felt her magic probing all over him. It was an odd sensation since she seemed so powerful that she left Mal's disaster-level potential behind. "What are you looking for?"

"Curses always have two things. They have the signature of the one that made them and they have a power drain that's usually attached to the cursed person. In the case of cursed items, they latch onto the magic of the one who takes ownership of them." Circe was doing more than that. She was taking measurements of Kaz's physical and magical self to find all the interesting little puzzle pieces every mage eventually becomes. She was not disappointed.

A shiver ran through Kaz with Circe's magic. He felt it wash down him almost like the surf washing up on a beach. It wasn't until she stopped that he felt capable of focusing on his own thoughts again.

᱿What the hell was that?᱿ Miaow demanded. ᱿Kaz! She's using a lot of magic on you. This isn't good.᱿

᱿I think—Ugh, it's hard to think.᱿

"There. We're done with that. If you'd like, you could go and rest while I examine these readings." Circe all but licked her lips. "Come, I'll show you where you can sleep."

Miaow felt panic grip her. Kaz's mind was distracted and tired. What she held onto, though, was that she'd be in control shortly and she could get him safely away from the enchantress.

It was like moving in a dream, only Kaz's dreams were normally far more coherent than he was right then. He followed a beautiful woman through a building and into a room where, item by item, he was undressed, then bathed, then he was set into the most cozy bed he'd ever been in before in his life.

"Now you just relax and let me do all the worrying about how and where you'll be going." Circe leaned down over the bed and kissed Kaz on the cheek before letting out a laugh of delight and heading to her alchemy lab.

Miaow pushed and pushed at Kaz's sleepy mind. There was a strong outside presence that was binding him to sleep, and despite her best efforts, she was no match for it brute force wise.

Railing against the power pinning Kaz's mind down did nothing, nor did trying to be sneaky about it. All night she worked, though, trying to break the grip on Kaz's thoughts, but it wasn't until sunrise that they actually sloughed away and she felt him wake. ᱿KAZ!᱿

᱿Miaow? What's wrong? Why are you shouting?᱿ Reaching up to his face, Kaz felt the soft sheets and fluffy down comforter around him—and froze. ᱿What's going on? Where am I?᱿

᱿Circe! She bewitched you and I couldn't break you out of her grip and I worked all night and now you're awake anyway and ugh!᱿ Miaow slumped, not having a single purr to give. ᱿Be careful of her, Kaz. She is not on our side in this.᱿

᱿I figured, but that was a good night's sleep. Can't be all bad.᱿ Slipping out of bed, Kaz couldn't find his clothes. When he checked the drawers in the only cabinet in the room, all he found was a pair of soft linen underwear—not far from being shorts, but looking more like a simple piece of cloth with a drawstring to hold it on.

Miaow struggled not to giggle at the only clothing Kaz now had. ᱿Keep your wits about you, Circe has a history of taking those things off men.᱿

᱿I can look after myself, Miaow. Her magic last night didn't do anything I didn't want it to. This might actually be the best night's sleep I've ever had.᱿ Pulling the garment around his hips, Kaz tied it up on one side and shook his hips. "I should get a pair of these for when I get back and see Jaybird."

᱿If we get back. Circe has been known to not let go of men.᱿

Kaz nodded. ᱿I get that, Miaow.᱿ Walking for the door, he opened it and looked outside. There was no sight of anyone, but the smell of cooking came from down a hallway, so he sought it out.

Noticing the shift in energy as Kaz approached the kitchen, Circe finished preparing the meal and set it on the table. "Good morning. I hope you're hungry."

"Good—" Kaz wasn't quite prepared to see Circe wearing the same thing he was. That was, he was prepared to see her wearing very little, he just expected something on her chest. "… morning," he said, recovering. "I think I might know how to break you free here."

There were many things Circe might have expected, but Kaz saying that wasn't one of them. "You don't understand, my own father, Helios, cursed me to be bound here. What could you do to possibly defy that?"

"There's a lot of mana focused on you, correct?" Kaz asked, and got a nod. "Right, so what I need to do is steer it elsewhere."

Staring in disbelief, Circe narrowed her eyes and started to suspect she was the target of a divine joke. "Nothing but a true god can weave the threads of mana itself."

Judging the kitchen not quite large enough to hold his dragon-self without making a mess, Kaz pointed to the door that led outside. "If you'd like to come with me, I can show you."

Following Kaz outside, somewhat in a daze, Circe waited patiently to see what he could possibly do that would challenge her own father's magic. When he stepped out of the loincloth she'd provided as his only clothing, she liked where his plan was going. When his form shifted, stretched, rebuilt itself with six limbs—and Kaz stretched out his dragon form—she was stunned. "What is that?!"

"This is a dragon." For the first time Kaz had something familiar to measure his size against. His shoulders were about up to Circe's stomach, but his length meant he was larger than her in other dimensions. Unlike his human form, Kaz could see and feel the mana flowing freely as a dragon—and they were all snarled in a knot around Circe.

Feeling a sense of wonder—and hunger—Circe watched as Kaz circled around her. She admired the form he wore for its sense of physical power, even if it lacked the aesthetic of masculine human she normally preferred.

Kaz got a feel for the mana flows around Circe and could only say one thing, "Wow." Though he did follow it up. "That's a lot of complicated knots, but I think I understand what it's doing. The mana is tied around your soul. If you leave, you tear bits of yourself away until there is nothing left."

The description made sense for how Circe felt whenever she left her mansion. "Can you fix it?" More and more she found Kaz to be useful and a puzzle.

"I can try, but it won't be all at once. I've had literally two lessons from a dragon so far." Kaz squared up on Circe and focused first on the easiest snarl of mana. With all his attention on it, and in an utterly draconic frame of mind, he lost all sense of time.

Hours passed and the sun fled the sky to the western horizon. Circe waited, patiently, until Kaz finally moved again. All the time she'd felt him doing something. "Well?"

Shaking his head to clear his focus back to the physical world, Kaz smiled. Then, when he realized a draconic smile was probably terrifying to most (and at least unsettling to Circe), he stopped smiling. "I managed to undo one small part. This is going to take time."

"But you are managing it, right?" Circe asked.

"I am. When's the next full moon?"

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Looking up at the moon, Kaz felt a little uncomfortable in his human body. He spent every waking hour, now, as a dragon barring breakfast and dinner. "Are you sure you can control me? Hati tells me I am quite excitable when hunting."

After two weeks together, getting to know Kaz, and he her, Circe liked to think she understood the young man well. "A wolf is no match for my magic. Unless you happen to become scaly, I think I should have you eating out of my hand."

"You have somewhere safe, though, just in case?" Kaz could feel the moon pulling at him, trying to twist his form and deny him his mind and his abilities. When she just tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, Kaz let loose a sigh. "Okay…"

Circe was used to watching men become beasts. She had several stories and even a song that went into detail about how much she enjoyed the process of a man losing his humanity. This was a little different. Rather than her alchemy and sorcery twisting a human into an animal—it was a magical curse that stripped him of everything civilized and rendered him into a monster.

The wolf, when Kaz was fully taken over, stood as tall at the shoulder as Circe did—he was as large as a horse and looked hungry. "You won't be hunting my grounds tonight."

Snapping at the air and quickly losing the last of his faculties, Kaz could only experience the world in desires that were in the moment. He saw meat stacked before him and he lunged toward it, intending to snap the fool prey's neck and—

Circe smiled and reached a hand out to Kaz. She let the big wolf smell her, acknowledge her, and accept her. "Good pup. Now, you can wear this"—Circe reached up to Kaz's neck with a heavy collar and slipped the iron band around him—"and just let yourself calm down."

Feeling the metal resize around his neck, the beast-that-was-Kaz felt exactly what the sorceress said—calm. Yawning, he licked the face of the not-prey and walked with her back to the door of her home, then circled around himself at the doorstep and drifted off to sleep.

The days were voids, but the nights were spent with the not-prey, listening to her speak and not betraying the control she'd given him. After three nights of full moon, Kaz awoke at midday—naked and feeling strangely comfortable with it. Straightening to a seated position on the warm grass, his hand rose to the metal band around his neck. "Circe?"

"I'll remove it." Not that she wanted to, Circe quite enjoyed having a beastly male around again. "I used it to calm your monstrous nature and give you peace." She approached Kaz and reached a hand out to each side of his neck, touching the collar. It would have been so easy to break his mind with it, but doing so would ruin all hope she had of using him to get free of the island.

The metal grew and Kaz felt its weight lifted from his shoulders by Circle's hands. When it was finally off and over his head, Kaz felt his mind become freed of its influence. "Thanks."

"I told you I could tame your wolf, Kaz. You should trust a demi-god when she speaks the truth." Shrinking the collar down to the size of a ring, Circe slipped it on her finger casually. Then, reaching back up, she checked Kaz's neck and used the pretense to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for freeing me, too."

The comparison distracted Kaz from the feel of Circe's lips on his skin. What was more, he completely forgot that not only was he naked, but Circe was only wearing the simple cloth around her waist. ᱿Miaow? Are you there?᱿

᱿Yes, and not happy. I couldn't control you during those days. Not even as a stinky wolf!᱿ She was angry and wasn't above showing it. ᱿She's doing something that is keeping me from taking over and I don't know what.᱿

᱿I don't trust her completely, but she has been helping so far. You not being able to take over is odd, though. Maybe it has something to do with the odd magic here?᱿

᱿We don't have much choice. I'd ask her about blocking you, except I don't know as it's a good idea to tell her all our secrets.᱿ Kaz slipped back into the conversation with Circe. "You're welcome. I just want to get home and get back to my life. Probably as much as you want to get away from this place and—I bet there are a whole bunch of guys you will be tracking down?"

Circe barked a laugh at that, nodding. "You better believe it. I don't get a lot of visitors here, and I have needs…" She looked Kaz up and down, her smile growing at the reminder that he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.

᱿Well, that backfired. Did you see the way she's checking you out? You're naked, you know?᱿ Miaow asked.

᱿Yeah, but there's not a lot I can do about it. For all her reputation, she is probably one of the least offensive beings in this pantheon that could send me home. Like, could you imagine if I wound up with Apollo chasing me?᱿ It was hard not to shudder, particularly with Circe's eyes locked on Kaz, but he managed all the same. "Look, Circe, I'm already seeing someone back home. I'm not really—"

"Kaz, relax, I don't want to challenge your love." Reaching out, Circe patted Kaz on the shoulder. "I wouldn't say no to some sex, though."

Miaow groaned. ᱿Warning sirens? Red flags? Kaz, she's a sorceress and demi-god known for bedding men and getting pissed off if they tell her no.᱿

᱿So what do I do?᱿ Kaz asked.

᱿Tonight, give this place the slip and we'll try somewhere else. For all we know, she might have been the one to have pulled us here.᱿

᱿Yeah. Yeah okay.᱿ Closing his eyes, Kaz knew he was going to have to play a dangerous game for the rest of the day. "They probably wouldn't want that."

"'They'?" Circe perked up and couldn't resist following up. "How many little concubines do you have?"

"Err, just one. Jay isn't male or female." Kaz felt himself reaching a panic point. How hard Circe was going to press him had him worried, but one thing he wouldn't willingly do was have sex with her. "Have you thought about, uh, your hand?"

Staring at him, Circe managed to go nearly five whole seconds before laughing. "I'm a demi-god, Kaz. Even if my sanity is on the line, I won't bring myself that low."

᱿She's an idiot, too.᱿

᱿Miaow, we shouldn't get into the habit of calling anyone with a god in their ancestors an idiot. It's not healthy.᱿ Figuring it would be a good distraction, Kaz pulled his draconic form over his body and, again, felt the cool balm of draconic detachment sink around him. "I'll get back to correcting your mana, then."

᱿Nice one. That's how you shut down a horny Circe!᱿ Miaow purred in his head, relief filling her that this nightmare might soon at least move on.

It was a shutdown, Circe knew. He was playing hard to get, but being the only male on her island made him far too big a target. She sat down on a chair artfully, reveling in the way Kaz's eyes kept lingering on her chest.

----------------------------------------

The day wore on and Kaz was tiring. Working mana, even with all the reserves of a dragon and being a werewolf at his command, Kaz was feeling worn out. The other advantage of spending the day as a dragon was he could politely refuse Circe's food and drink on the pretense that dragons can feed off mana.

With the sun going down, however, he had less and less excuse for remaining as a dragon. Flopping his belly on the ground, Kaz rolled to his side and let the mana slip away from him. "Maybe doing this while recovering from my monthly issue was a bad idea."

Circe had an odd feeling, though she struggled to figure out if it was the process of having her mana repaired or her prey playing some sort of game. "You'll feel better after something to eat and drink. Change back and come inside, Kaz." She would, of course, hedge her bets.

᱿You clever bastard. Well played, Kaz. Very well played.᱿ Miaow had to admit, feigning passing out—when you were big and heavy enough to need a forklift to move—was taking cat tactics to a whole new level. ᱿Dragons are so much like cats.᱿

᱿Shhh. Sleepy dragon. Go away. No time for snu-snu.᱿ Kaz managed to keep from giggling at his last comment only by reminding himself how dangerous a game he might be playing. Eyes closed, he focused on slowing his breathing to relax and give a semblance of sleep.

There were two ways Circe could handle the situation. Well, three, but she didn't want to resort to sorcery quite yet. She could either go inside and leave him sleep, trusting Kaz to not just fly off—or she could try to call his bluff. If he was really asleep, she pondered, then trying to call his bluff wouldn't result in any negative. "We both know what's going on. You might as well stop pretending you're asleep."

᱿Don't move. She's calling your bluff.᱿

"You're really going to do this? You can't just hide from your problems. At least talk to me like an adult."

Kaz groaned mentally. ᱿She's not bluffing.᱿ Opening his eyes, he rolled back to his belly and yawned. "I was trying to go to sleep. I wasn't joking, Circe, this really takes a lot out of me."

"I bet I could give you back the energy you need." With only one garment on, Circe had little option if she wanted to make a statement. Of course, when a woman slips herself completely free of clothing before a male, she expects some attention. In her mind, she pictured Kaz, still a dragon, pouncing on her like Zeus on—Zeus on anything female.

"If you think being naked is going to change my mind, you have a lot to learn about modern humans and modern shapeshifters." Kaz was more than a little distracted, though, given that Circe was a demi-god, her assets were above average.

"After all this—I have been working to free you not only from this plane but from your curse!" Circe had had enough. Her need was almost overwhelming and it had shortened her temper. "Kaz, if you don't take me, right here and now, I will—"

"You'll what?" Kaz straightened up and loosed his wings to each side, instinct driving the desire to look larger. "You'll give up your one chance to leave this stupid island?"

᱿You could have handled this more tactfully.᱿

᱿No I couldn't. Blame the curse if you want, but this anger is part of me.᱿ Kaz lashed his tail and glared at Circe. "We are working to help ea—"

Kaz felt a strain in his stomach. It was like his guts were twisting in a knot. He looked at Circe with a feeling of panic as the demi-god glared at him. Each breath took effort—too much effort. He had no spare strength to talk.

"You come here—to my island—and expect to flaunt yourself in my presence without paying justly for the right to gaze upon my beauty?!" Drawing on the subtle alchemical mixtures she'd been feeding Kaz over the last few weeks, Circe redoubled her efforts to shape his body. "You have been a serpent in my house, Kaz, a lowly snake! Now you will look like one for the rest of your short life!"

Fighting the change he felt in his body, Kaz realized his own magic was failing him. No matter what he did his arms, legs, and wings started to wither away. His body lengthened as his entire self shrank. He tried to scream at Circe, but by then his vocal cords were gone and his head reformed into that of a snake rather than a dragon.

᱿We need to get out of here. This was a bad idea!᱿ Miaow's mind raced. ᱿Damn, why didn't we have that lamia training done so you could get used to slithering?᱿

᱿Yeah, you were right. Hang on, I'm getting the hang of this. Snakes can swim, right?᱿ Slithering as fast as he could, Kaz charged away from Circe by sheer sense of will (and relying on his body to know how to move).

"Where are you going? You can't escape my island until you have sated me!" Circe threw fire, wind, and sleet at Kaz as he slithered down the hill. She charged after him, making it three quarters of the way to the coast when she felt the knots of mana around her soul tighten and jerk. Screaming her fury at Kaz, she was shocked when he reached the water and kept on slithering. "Where are you going?! Get back here!"

᱿Don't stop!᱿

᱿Wasn't planning to. Do we have a plan now? What happens when we reach the shore?᱿ Kaz could see land in the distance, but it was a long way. It wasn't like he'd spent three exhausting days or anything.

᱿Find an actual god, try to earn their favor doing something so they'll send us home.᱿

Struggling to keep his head above water, Kaz was sure of one thing—by the time he got to do his lamia training, he'd have the slithering all sorted. ᱿Got it. Any gods in mind? Aren't most kinda—? I won't even think it out loud.᱿

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

᱿You have death magic about you, why not try for Hades or Persephone?᱿

᱿At this rate I'd be happy with just about anyone.᱿

Behind them, on the island, Circe stomped her way back up to the peak of the hill. She spent a good half an hour breaking everything glass and ceramic, another half hour to repair them all with magic, then she broke them again for good measure.

Centering herself, she shoved down most of her anger and kneeled. "Mighty huntress, I have set loose a quarry for you to pursue. A great serpent that even now would be slithering upon the shores of your demesne. It is yours to hunt, as are all things wild, but I have made of it a gift—intelligence. You would know it by the smell of my magic. Hunt it well."

The island's weather shifted. A chill settled over the land and a thick mist washed in. Circe, when she stood, couldn't help but turn around and check there wasn't a huntress right behind her—sighting an arrow down her back.

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By the time Kaz reached the shore, he felt every inch of his body had a cramp. He got up on the stony beach and was thankful, at least, for the warm sunshine heating him up. ᱿Well, step one complete.᱿

᱿One problem dealt with. Now to test what she actually did to you. Can you shift at all?᱿

Trying to go back to his draconic form first, Kaz wiggled a bit, then tried other shapes. Eventually he managed to get something. ᱿Looks like I can go bigger, but can't change my form.᱿ He adjusted his size upward, eventually stopping at about fifteen feet in length. ᱿It's not easy to do, though.᱿

᱿Might be time to find something to eat. That's one thing I—᱿ Miaow froze. ᱿Our gear!᱿

᱿Ugh.᱿ Slithering up the shore and up a rise, Kaz tried not to think about what was in his equipment. ᱿Another phone. There is no such thing as mage insurance for electronics devices for a good reason, I guess.᱿

᱿Can we get two phones?᱿ Miaow asked.

᱿There is no way I'm going to ask why. Anyway, that cow over there is looking pretty good according to my senses, so if you don't mind, I'm going to find out how a giant snake catches and eats a cow.᱿

It turned out to be easy. Kaz slithered through the grass from the direction his senses told him was best—downwind—and by the time the cow noticed him he was striking, fangs first, to clamp his mouth around its jaw and tense up little muscles above his fangs.

The cow stopped moving fast. Kaz sighed and felt urges to move and stretch and even what end he should start at. Opening his mouth, he approached the head of the cow, only for pain to blossom in his side. A lot of pain.

᱿What was that?!᱿ Miaow asked.

Leaving the cow, Kaz shrunk his mass and slithered away as fast as he could. Some kind of sense told him to dart to the right, and no sooner had he than an arrow hit the ground where he'd been traveling. ᱿Someone is firing arrows at us!᱿

Miaow couldn't see who the person was, which annoyed her, but there was an important distinction she needed clarifying. ᱿Hunting us or just trying to scare us away from their cow?᱿

᱿Let me just stop and ask them.᱿ Despite his sarcasm, Kaz did try to weave and twist his path so that he could catch glimpses behind himself. A tall woman with a huge bow was drawing back to fire again. Kaz had barely a moment to twist, roll, and slip aside before the arrow struck him anyway. ᱿She's predicting my moves!᱿

᱿Then be more random.᱿ Miaow felt the pain along with Kaz, but she couldn't do anything about it. ᱿Wait, 'she'? Kaz, we might be screwed.᱿

When that sixth-sense came again, Kaz tried to jink a different way—but felt the arrow pierce his body again. Bleeding, he couldn't do a thing about the next one and felt the arrow go all the way through him and bite into a tree.

Snakes couldn't scream, but it wasn't for lack of trying on Kaz's part that he was silent.

"Well, well, well. Circe was right. A beast snake causing problems." Walking up to Kaz, the huntress drew another arrow, nocked it to her bowstring, and drew the weight of her golden bow. "Even now it seems to try to free itself. Speak to me, snake, what did Circe do?"

Magic soared through Kaz. He still didn't have any vocal cords, and it felt like his lungs were full of blood, but there was a sense of deathlessness in the moment and he managed to speak clearly. "She tried to rape me. I told her no, that I wouldn't betray my lover, and she cursed me into this."

᱿That's Artemis! We had no hope of escape—she could run-down a fart and kill it.᱿ Feeling tiny in this world full of gods and demi-gods, Miaow wanted to hide in the back of Kaz's head and, if possible, returned to the sane world.

"That sounds right for her. You gave a good chase, however, and I would offer you a boon before I kill you." Reaching out to feel for the core of the being before her, Artemis found more and more questions. This wasn't the creature's true form, but neither was human. He wasn't a god or demi-god, but there was some hint of divinity about him. "You smell like a priest."

"I guess you could call me that. Before I—Can I ask for my boon after I tell you how I got to be here?" Now able to talk, Kaz felt positively verbose. When Artemis relaxed her arms and set her arrow back to her quiver, and nodded, he started explaining it.

"I'd been training in mana manipulation by a dragon. When I was done with my lesson, and opened a portal to return home, the portal dropped me on Circe's island instead. She seemed helpful at first, and offered to send me back home. I offered to undo the binding holding her on the island.

"It all went well, I was making inroads on the mana working that held her soul in place and she said she was almost able to send me home. That's when my curse kicked in and I turned into a giant wolf for three days.

"We got in an argument, she demanded that I have sex with her, trying to rationalize that it wasn't anything to do with love, and I tried to get it through to her I wasn't interested. Then she did this to me. She restricted my shapeshifting powers and turned me into a snake.

"I'm not a priest, but Hel, the Norse goddess, returned me to life with a spark of her own magic, which she says binds me to her. Maybe that does make me her priest, or maybe not. My name is Kaz, my familiar is Miaow, and the only boon I could ask is that you not kill me."

"This will hurt." Reaching for the arrows she'd filled him with, Artemis removed them one by one—her magic closing up the wounds behind her work. With the last removed (the one pinning him to the tree), she fully expected him to slither off.

"I still can't transform. I don't suppose you—" Kaz caught himself. "I would ask another boon, and would request your price."

Artemis laughed aloud. The truth was she liked hearing that someone had turned Circe down and gotten away with their life. "You know much of my kind. No need to be so formal, however. You want me to break Circe's curse, I would like a more serious hunt. I smell much potential for fight and flight upon you. I will hunt you, I will shoot you, I will bring you down—but I won't kill you. This is my price."

᱿That's not a bad deal. If you don't want to do it, Kaz, I'll—᱿

᱿No, Miaow. It's my body and I didn't take your advice and just leave the island from the get-go.᱿ The time for thinking was at an end. "Two hunts. One will be in payment for removing Circe's curse, the other will be to send me back home."

"Agreed. If I cannot send you back, I will find someone who can." Artemis, daughter of Zeus, could affect Kaz quite readily with her power. She'd turned men into bucks to hunt before, but she'd not turned prey into a man. The moment her magic slipped around him it encountered a restriction—and washed it aside.

As soon as he felt the curse broken, Kaz rebuilt his human form and stood up before Artemis. That's when he realized he was naked. "Sorry!"

Artemis was about to comment on the sight when the handsome young man that'd stood before her grew and stretched into a giant wolf. Now, unfettered by Circe's magic, she could feel the hint of divinity about Kaz far stronger. He was a servant of a goddess, yes, and carried her magic. "You have a tenth of sunlight before I come for you. I will bring my bow, my chariot, and my hounds."

"I won't constrain myself to one form," Kaz said, feeling the rush as Artemis' prepared to hunt him. Turning, he started to lope away from the goddess. ᱿Okay, this feels like a rush. Any thoughts on how to spice this up for her?᱿

Miaow started to laugh in Kaz's head. ᱿You want to show Artemis a good time? Okay, first rule, no flirting. Second rule, make her chase you—but you have that one under control. Third rule, make sure she catches you—again, not usually the hardest thing. Just run, Kaz, maybe even fly. She'll love to hunt a dragon.᱿

Without a better idea, Kaz aimed himself for a gully and raced off the edge—transforming in the air into his dragon form. Kaz spread his wings and took to the sky with a passable attempt at a roar.

Not having personally seen a dragon of the like before, Artemis was duly impressed by Kaz's new form. It reminded her of the mighty Kolkhikos, son of Typhon, but if Kaz bore even a fraction of that beast's power she would have a hard battle at the end of her hunt. Calling for her hounds and her chariot, she counted the moments off while her quarry widened the gap between them.

The very second the agreed time expired, Artemis shouted for her deer to pull her chariot. Launching into a swift pace, she tracked Kaz by the feel of his magic in the air. It was faint at first, the wolf shape he'd used having left only the barest whisper of a trail, but when he'd become a dragon that whisper had become a raging river.

Kaz could feel Artemis behind him—somewhere. ᱿I don't think being in the air is the best. She can shoot me from wherever she wants if I'm in the sky.᱿

᱿You could use your griffon form to run as fast as you can in a different direction to try to shake her off.᱿

Entering a crash-dive, Kaz pulled up and the last moment and became a cheetah griffon—landed, and sped off perpendicular to his current heading. ᱿It won't lose her, I know, but it's a good idea. Thanks, Miaow.᱿

Preening a little and purring, Miaow reveled in the praise. ᱿It would take a far more canny creature than you, Kaz, to give her the slip. Just keep running, keep getting away, and she'll have her fun.᱿

Wearing out his muscles as a cheetah was easy and quite rapid, so Kaz shifted back to his wolf self and resumed his ground-eating lope. He could feel the miles of forest fly past, but a tingle ran up his spine when he first heard the hounds start baying.

When her hounds spotted their prey, Artemis let them all have their heads. Her deer leapt to keep up, leaving Artemis herself to check her arrows and ready her bow. But, just as she felt her heart beating faster, her hounds started making a far noisier yapping—a sign they had the target surrounded.

Breaking out of the treeline, Artemis already had an arrow nocked and ready. As soon as she saw the beast her hounds had cornered—a huge wolf—she let fly.

Pain blossomed in Kaz's side. It wasn't nearly as bad as when he'd been just a slightly oversized snake, but the arrow had flown with godly accuracy and lodged against his collarbone. Moving became a painful exercise, but despite that he turned from Artemis' chariot and ran.

Artemis stared in delight as Kaz ran from her hounds with one of her arrows in his shoulder. "There are gods who would struggle dealing with the amount of pain that would cause." With excitement boiling in her veins, she gave chase.

Kaz's fights with Robin had prepared him well for dealing with pain. Instead of it slowing him or draining his strength, he used it to fuel his flight from Artemis. More spikes of pain blossomed—one in his thigh, another in his side.

A howl chilled Artemis to her bones as Kaz stopped and turned around. The wild look in the beast's eyes silenced her hounds and even the deer pulling her chariot stopped.

Leaping off the back of her chariot, three arrows between the fingers of her right hand, Artemis nocked and fired one after the other—sending one into Kaz's chest, one into his neck, and the third into his foreleg.

Not ten strides from her he faltered, staggered, and fell to his belly. Reaching forward with her magic, the triumph of her hunt flushing her with pure power, Artemis grabbed Kaz's life and held it to him.

Artemis, Kaz was absolutely sure, knew how to disable prey with arrows without quite killing them. The shot in his collarbone still felt on fire, but now both his forelegs failed to work, breathing felt like he was drowning in liquid (that he was sure was his blood), and there was more damage further down his body.

Looking up as she advanced on him, Kaz felt all the pain fade and his breathing become easy. Lolling his tongue out, he waited for her hand to reach down to him before licking it.

"This will hurt, but I don't think it bothers you, does it? You're a fantastic beast, Kaz." One by one, Artemis removed her arrows and spent her own power to purify and heal Kaz's wounds. Several of them would have proved fatal in time, but for such a beast to be able to take so many and still be capable of life was astounding.

With the last arrow out, Kaz brought his own magic to bear and flushed himself with life. It was a wave of pure magic that left him energized and excited for more. Without a thought, he changed back to his human self. "Was that a good hunt?"

Turning her back, Artemis cleared her throat. "Do you not have any clothing?"

᱿You're naked and talking to the one Greek god who is chaste. Good game, Kaz. Good game.᱿ Miaow's words were such monotone that she lost the thrum of her purr for a moment.

"S-Sorry. Circe took all my clothes, among other things." Making a quick decision, Kaz swapped to his dragon form. "I am decent now."

Breathing a relieved sigh, Artemis turned and couldn't help but smile at him shapeshifting to preserve her modesty. "To answer your question, that was quite the hunt. It balances out my removing Circe's curse on you. Come, we have business with that glorified witch. Change yourself to look like one of my hounds."

Opening his mouth to ask, Kaz shrugged his shoulders and examined the hounds (that now seemed more interested in sniffing his leg than chasing him). "I need to get more shapes if I want to make your hunt last longer."

The comment drew a raised eyebrow and a smile from Artemis and, when Kaz's form shifted and flowed down to look just like one of her hunting dogs, she nodded. "You will never get away, understand, but I would give a great boon were you to lead me on a hunt for more than a day."

Struggling with the smaller canine mouth, Kaz managed to figure out speech, though he knew his tone would be a bit off. "I'll try."

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The ride back to Circe's island was far more surreal than Kaz would have otherwise thought. He was still in the semblance of Artemis' hound and was mixed in with five other dogs on the back of her chariot as it flew through the air.

Landing, he wasn't sure if Circe would sense him or not, but it didn't matter since Artemis jumped forward and landed on her feet between the chariot and the mansion on the hill. "Circe!"

᱿I can't believe we're back here. Without Artemis to do all the talking, I wouldn't have suggested it.᱿ Miaow was purring, despite the canine form they wore. ᱿I really want to get home, Kaz.᱿

"Artemis! You got my missive?" Circe, wearing far more than Kaz had ever seen her wear, walked out of her home and leaned against the door jamb artfully. "How was the hunt?" She knew better than to play at seductress with Artemis, but it wouldn't stop her from teasing the hunter a little.

"Terrible. The creature barely knew how to move. How long had you kept it as a serpent?" Artemis waited for Circe to open her mouth to answer before speaking over her. "Its possessions are still here. You gave its life to me, I intend to return the items to its mate."

"Oh. It had a bag and a cloak. Let me fetch them." Turning, Circe noticed the hounds on Artemis' chariot. "You don't need to bring hunting dogs to find me, Artemis. I don't travel much."

"That beast of yours bit one of them. The little bitch is recovering, but it was a close thing." Waving at her chariot dismissively, Artemis tapped her foot on the ground. "Get the things and I'll be on my way. I know neither of us likes actually meeting face to face."

"You wound me. I quite enjoy our little chats." Circe walked into the house, pretended to rummage around a bit then snapped her fingers to summon Kaz's clothing from where she'd hid them. Walking back out, she advanced on Artemis, feeling like she was hunting the hunter. "Here. I hope never to hear about that little pest again."

"Oh, come now. There was one redeeming feature." Turning, Artemis looked at Kaz, showed him the things in her arms, and raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?" Circe asked.

Seeing Kaz nod, Artemis smiled wide. "The snake cooked up well."

The sight of Circe's eyes widening and her throat working into a dry-heave was almost enough to make Kaz laugh, though that would have ruined the little game Artemis played. He wagged his tail as she returned the chariot and took her place with them again.

"Check to make sure it's all there, then put it on and turn human again." Tweaking Circe's nose was high on Artemis' list of things she enjoyed.

"Before we leave?" Kaz asked, doing as instructed. When he found his phone still in the sealed pocket dimension, he let out a sigh of relief, nuzzled his way into the cloak, and then reshaped himself back into human.

"Female?" Artemis asked.

"I thought you would be more comfortable with me like this. Oh, and look, Circe recognizes me." Raising his voice and waving, Kaz called out, "Hi, Circe!"

Laughing aloud, Artemis called on her deer to leap into the sky and lead the way off the island while Circe's curses and spells raged behind them. "I didn't expect you to wave, but it worked as well as I'd hoped."

᱿I can't believe you went along with that. She'll be pissed at you for the rest of existence.᱿ Despite her caution, Miaow was laughing.

᱿Good. She deserves a little high blood pressure after the shit she pulled with us.᱿ Riding in Artemis' chariot, with all his things restored to him, Kaz felt like things were coming back together.

The flight, what with being so fraught with wind, continued in silence until Kaz noticed they were dipping low. When they got closer, he realized the forest glade they were landing in wasn't deserted. Gorgeous, beautiful women lay all around. Their hair in various colors of water, the nymphs all lifted their heads when one spotted the chariot about to land.

"Few are the brave men who would gladly become women, but practically naught would do so just to ease relations with another. You are a very strange human, Kaz." Stepping off her chariot, Artemis walked among the river nymphs and passed them her bow and arrows. "Take good care of our guest."

Miaow let out a caterwaul. ᱿Let me play! They're beautiful and I don't care how much trouble it would get us in with Artemis. Just—᱿

᱿No, Miaow. You have Puff waiting for you back home just like I have Jaybird. If I can withstand Circe's hungers, you can withstand—Who are these people?᱿ Kaz looked around, trying to work out where they were guiding him with gently directing arms. "Who are you?"

Around him, the nymphs just giggled and directed him further and further toward a pool of water that seemed to be fed by the river. Two slipped behind him and took the shoulders of his coat. For a brief moment of panic, Kaz thought they were up to inappropriate things. When he reached the water's edge and Artemis lifted her head free of the water on the other side, he relaxed. "Friends of yours?"

"These are Amnisides nymphs—naiads. They don't talk." Looking at Kaz as he settled into the water, Artemis found his feminine form far more palatable to be around. Men complicated things with both her own history and with her nymphs'.

Sliding into the water himself, Kaz focused on Artemis' eyes rather than anything below her jawline—if there was one thing he could clearly remember from the crash course on the Greek pantheon, it was not to stare at a goddess who didn't want to be stared at. The second thing he could remember was that Artemis was one of the few who definitely didn't want to be stared at.

The cool water stole any remaining tension from his body and he just relaxed in it utterly, eventually leaning back and looking up at the sky. "When would you like to hunt again?"

"My final hunt with you?" Trying not to sound too sly with her question (she knew well the caginess her pantheon was known for), Artemis nonetheless wanted to draw out her time with Kaz. He didn't push himself onto her, seemed to be quite devoted to his partner, and understood hunting in a way few others she'd ever met had. "Don't fear, I shan't keep you here too long before calling my hounds to the hunt again. I will, however, offer you a free boon—if you wish to know about any beast that I can command, to add it to your repertoire of forms, just ask."

᱿Artemis is known as a mistress of beasts. She could call anything and let you model a form off it. She's also offering it for free. You'd be crazy not to at least pick something exotic.᱿ Miaow's purring grew louder. She, being a predator herself, had seen how excited hunting Kaz had made Artemis. She would do anything to enhance the hunt.

"That's a lot, I know. I could spend a hundred years here, learning all there is to know about beasts and the forests—maybe even barter for you to teach me to use a bow—"

Artemis let out a sigh. She had a good idea what the issue was. "There's a but, isn't there? Your wife."

"We're not married, just—just close. A promise is a promise, though." Despite the chill water, Kaz felt relaxed and calm, but the pang of being away from home and from Jaybird still caused him to feel jumpy.

Not wanting to pressure him, given his rather noble cause, Artemis gestured expressively in the air. "You don't need to use it now, then. You have done nothing but bring me joy, Kaz. That should not be punished. The boon will last your lifetime."

"You know, if I wasn't otherwise spoken for, goddess wise, you'd be top of my picks."

The sentence was a rollercoaster ride for Artemis. At first she wondered if Kaz was going to compliment her beauty, but upon hearing it all she relaxed again. "You are very strange, Kaz, but I find it a curious strangeness. We will hunt you again, tomorrow, and then ensure you reach your mate before the sun sets again."

A silence descended over them as they relaxed and washed off the results of exertion. Climbing out, Artemis had just one more question for Kaz before she left him for the evening. "Would you have tried to fight me? You turned and charged—I wasn't sure if you were giving up or—"

"I would have grabbed your throat in my jaws and ripped as hard and violently as I could." The words surprised Kaz, but with all the creatures he'd sought training from, he couldn't have even dreamed throwing the hunt and leaving Artemis with a hollow victory. "If you don't pin me down tomorrow, I don't know how, but I'll find a way to kill you."

Artemis had never lusted for a male in her whole life, but the connection she had with Kaz at that moment was the closest she'd ever come. Her blood ran hot, her heart sped, and her breathing became shallow. But it wasn't the love of a woman for a man, nor even a particular lusting for anything else about him. He had been her prey twice now, and knowing that he wouldn't stop in that final moment of struggle pushed both situations far from the simulated and sterile game they could have been.

᱿She is one very frustrated woman, Kaz, but you said the right thing. Artemis is famed for her prowess in hunting, and I think she recognizes that you aren't just another simple beast to track down. Good work.᱿

᱿I wasn't trying to do—᱿ Letting go of the thread of thought, Kaz had to admit that, ᱿Okay, yeah, I want to make her happy. I want to make everyone happy.᱿

᱿Even if you have to kill them?᱿

Kaz nodded, then repeated the motion in thought, ᱿I have to think that. Not that I think I can, but it's trying that's important.᱿ Not bothering to get out of the water, Kaz changed his form and pulled scales, wings, and talons on. A dragon body with an affinity to cold, the water was heavenly—and he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

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Miaow jerked her head up. Or, rather, she jerked Kaz's draconic head up. Being an ice dragon in a chill and goddess-blessed chilly pool was just about the most cozy thing she'd ever felt. Stretching her wings and wiggling a little, she got more cozy.

"This is how I know things are better now. I was starting to get worried I'd never be able to be me again." She let out a wuff of chill air that formed a thin layer of ice on the surface of the pool. "I hope we do get home soon; I miss Puff."

Nothing happened. No nymph jumped out to engage her in conversation. No monster attacked. Miaow got to nap lightly—like a cat is wont to do—to pass time until morning. So relaxed and cozy was Miaow that she barely twitched a muscle all night in what would have made both her feline ancestors and draconic acquaintances impressed by the raw laziness of it.

When Kaz stirred, Miaow drew herself up to full wakefulness again. ᱿Good morning.᱿

Stretching out mentally, it took Kaz a few moments to realize he was not in control of his body. ᱿Hey, you got control?᱿

᱿Sure did. I'm going to chalk it up to Artemis breaking all those stupid curses Circe put on us.᱿ Her throat thrumming in a deep purr, Miaow uncoiled herself and then wound a little tighter. The ice in the pond was several inches thick, but it didn't stop her scales from slicing through it like a hot knife through butter.

᱿How are you liking being a dragon?᱿

Miaow didn't bother to stop purring, making her opinion plain to anyone who could hear her. ᱿I find it most agreeable. Are you trying to tempt me away from my feline predilections?᱿

᱿No, I just think it suits you. You can ignore the world, purr, and swat things and expect them to stay swatted.᱿ Having not had any time to himself inside his head for some time, Kaz calmed himself down (not a hard exercise first thing in the morning) and started to meditate.

"You are not Kaz."

Artemis' words were delivered to Miaow down the shaft of an arrow, nocked and ready to fire. "I am not Kaz, no. I'm his familiar, Miaow. I guard him while he sleeps by taking over his body. He just woke up, though, and is preparing to face the day."

᱿I got it whenever you are ready, Miaow.᱿

Calming herself, Miaow had to struggle just a bit harder to give Kaz control of his body again. It wasn't greed, but fear that it would be another month before she could express her own autonomy again. ᱿Don't have too much fun.᱿

᱿Thanks, Miaow. I know things aren't easy right now, but we could be home as soon as tonight.᱿ Rolling his shoulders and freeing his wings from the ice, Kaz slither-crawled out of the pond and shook himself dry. "Sorry, I should have warned you she might be in control overnight. Circe's magic must have been suppressing Miaow's ability to manifest fully."

᱿That'd mean she had enchanted you the first night you were on her island.᱿ The idea chilled Miaow. She hadn't built up a lot of hate toward anyone in her life, but Circe was now on that exclusive list.

᱿Yeah. You were right. I should have bugged out of there the second day.᱿

᱿The point, Kaz, is she didn't give you a choice. You did well to fight her desires off.᱿

Shifting his body and flowing upward into a human female form, Kaz stretched and looked at Artemis. ᱿Thank goodness for small victories, huh?᱿ Out loud he said, "So, you want to hunt today?"

"You have plans for making it different?" Artemis wanted to draw her bow and start right away, and only avoided doing so by the barest margin of willpower.

He did, of course, and was already stringing together a way to hopefully give her a far longer chase and a more serious fight. "A few. Do you have anything against me using a humanoid form?"

"I would prefer not fighting an actual human—they rarely stand up well to arrows. Why don't you show me and I'll judge it?" She was curious beyond measure. When Kaz shifted into something with a lot more muscle—but still otherwise very female—she had to wonder if it would be any better than a human. "If you think it will help, go ahead."

Kaz shifted back from his redcap form to human. "I hope it will. It's a form with which I've been training. Shall we have something to eat before starting?"

Breakfast, when Kaz was served, was a half a rabbit that'd been slowly cooking in a fire. The nymphs seemed particularly pleased when Kaz chewed his down to the bones, then turned into a huge wolf and ate those too. They all sat in silence, the world having stopped everything around them to wait for when the hunt would commence.

Walking to the pool, Kaz leaned down and shoved his snout into the water and started lapping. ᱿I'm going to try leaving a false trail with a mana weave. If I can shake those hounds, I might be able to give Artemis the slip at least for a few hours.᱿

᱿You realize that will mean it will take longer to get home?᱿

᱿Just a day, and I wouldn't dream of leaving Artemis—probably one of the few gods of this place that would help us—without a good memory of me.᱿ Lifting his muzzle from the water, Kaz drew on the chill of the pond. "When you're ready, Artemis, give me a blast of a hunting horn and however much lead you wish."

Artemis swore a vow not to appear too eager and pounce on the offer right away. "Let me prepare myself and my hounds first." It was make-work. She summoned her chariot and the deer to pull it, she called her dogs one at a time, but in the end she was practically buzzing with excitement. "Well, I guess you could go no—"

Left standing there, after Kaz became a griffon and sped off, Artemis bit her lip and almost cried at how beautiful the moment had been. Slowly, trying to give him a good bit of lead time, Artemis climbed slowly into her chariot.

"You're a strange one, Artemis."

The words caused Artemis to freeze. She'd been so distracted by the hunt that she'd completely missed another goddess sneaking into her forest. "Aphrodite, I don't need any help from you today."

"But you doooo if you want to keep him. Even your own sense of fairness won't allow you to entrap him." Wearing clothing that wasn't just designed to reveal—but to show off—Aphrodite walked around to stand before the two deer of Artemis' chariot. "But I see what you desire. I will help."

Artemis felt a chill that had nothing to do with the frost dragon that had spent the night in her favorite swimming pool. "Don't. You. Dare."

Leaning forward and pressing one of the deer's snouts into her cleavage, Aphrodite rested her chin on the animal's head. "Please. You speak as if I don't know my specialty. It is already done, Artemis. The further he runs, the more his heart will be pulled back to you. Why, the only way you could possibly save him would be not to hunt him at all."

Her attention straying to the deer, Aphrodite ignored the sounds of fury coming from Artemis, mostly because she also felt the huntress' heart leap at the news. Raising her eyes, she stopped. "You wouldn't shoot me with your bow, Artemis. Put it away and chase your new lover. It's my gift to yo—" The impact of a divinely blessed arrow striking her chest knocked Aphrodite backward and to the ground.

"You monster! He was pure, the purest male I have ever met. He was bound to a mate and fought off Circe's enchantments to escape betraying that mate. Now you ruin their love for what?" Stalking forward, Artemis drew another arrow and nocked it. "A one-sided affair? I might admire and love hunting him, you vacuous idiot, but I would never demand his heart!"

Aphrodite only avoided the second arrow by rolling quickly to the side and scrabbling away from Artemis. "You say that, Artemis, but we can both feel your heart. It betrays your feelings for—"

"I have feelings for him! Of course I do! I will never"—the third arrow flew true and stuck into Aphrodite's thigh—"ever pursue his love so long as he has a mate!" As her words tumbled out, Artemis put another arrow into Aphrodite—her shoulder this time.

Ignoring the spitting she was receiving by Artemis, Aphrodite stood up and didn't so much as twitch when another arrow caught her in the neck. Casually flicking a hand, she brushed away the arrows to reveal her beauty unmarred. "Then that's the easy part. If his mate were to die, you can join your heart to his forever."

Artemis was furious, but could recognize that Aphrodite's power was greater than her own. She couldn't stop the other goddess, but she could do one thing. Turning, sighting at the far target that she could neither see nor hear—Artemis poured her magic into the arrow and fired it.

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Running for his life, Kaz had felt an odd strain in his chest. It tugged and drew at him, urging him to turn and find Artemis once more.

᱿That's more magic. Kaz, can you hear me? Someone is trying to enchant you again!᱿ Miaow's purring had died and she sought to channel magic around them into a shield. It partly worked and stopped the arrow that fell from the heavens from hitting the ground at their feet—instead it deflected and landed some feet away.

Stopping at the arrow, Kaz leaned down to sniff it. Artemis' power flowed around it and, when his nose touched the feathering, around him. In a flash he was ripped from the world and shoved away. ᱿Miaow! What's going on?᱿

᱿She sent us—᱿ Freezing mid-sentence, Miaow was shocked to see the back yard of their home, now a month into summer, around them. ᱿Home…?᱿

"You're back!"

The weight of a moderately sized griffon landing on his chest knocked Kaz back on his rear—revealing him to be in his human form again. "Queen?"

Giving her most disapproving glare at Kaz, Queen sat down on his stomach. "You were gone so long I had my kittens. I'm hungry."

The normalcy of Queen's comments made Kaz laugh and reach up to rub the feathers of her head. "I'm sorry, Queen, but I had one goddess trying to kill me and another trying to rape me. Do you want to guess which one was actually helping me?" When Queen's gaze didn't change, Kaz leaned back and just lay there on his back while petting her.

"Will guessing get me fed sooner?"

Kaz laughed, then stopped when Queen flexed her hind claws a little. "You know what slows me down from feeding you? You sitting on me."

Narrowing her eyes and leaning down, Queen held Kaz's gaze for several seconds before sighing a soft whistle. "Humans are too confusing. You should spend more time as a griffon." She climbed off and walked slowly to the back door of the house.

Looking down at himself, Kaz felt resigned to the fact he would be walking into his home naked. "Such is the life of being a shapeshifter." He opened the door, letting Queen run past him, and looked around the house. It was quiet and felt empty. "Anyone home?"

"They're still out. Claws is hunting. I am hungry. Only one of these things you can help with." Walking to where a large bowl sat in the kitchen, Queen sat beside it and glared at Kaz. "My food is in the fridge."

"How long have I been gone for?" Despite his confusion, Kaz dutifully opened the fridge to find what looked like bowl-sized bags of meat in the bottom of a fridge that seemed about three times larger inside than outside. "This is new. Oh well."

"I also get a big bowl of milk." Queen waited for Kaz to put the meat in her bowl, waited for him to add milk, then sighed when he didn't. "It was worth a try."

"Your mistake was there isn't gallons and gallons of milk in the fridge." Reaching down, Kaz rubbed Queen's shoulders for a moment with one hand while fishing around in his bag for his phone. "Even with magic extending it, the battery still can't last a month. Oh well."

Walking to his bedroom, Kaz pulled the charge cable out of his bag and plugged it in. Leaving the phone to start up, he walked out and took a shower. By the time he got back to his bedroom, his phone was almost done pinging with all the messages he'd missed.

Opening Mager, he sent a message to Jaybird and Puff first.

> Hey, guys, we're back. Long story short, someone screwed with my magic so I'd wind up in ancient Greece or something. Got a little weird. I'll explain it all when you get home.

Opening a different chat, he sent a message to Mal.

> Uh, I guess I'm back. My phone tells me I was gone for 5 weeks. You want me to come in and explain all this?

Setting his phone down, he managed to pull a clean pair of boxer shorts on and get into a shirt before his phone beeped. He ignored it for a moment and pulled on socks and a pair of actual shorts. The message was from Puff.

> I had to convince Jaybird not to rush right home. They have one more class for the day. See you in about two hours.

Kaz typed a quick reply.

> Give them a hug for me.

He was just pulling his shoes on when he spotted a tiny griffon at the doorway. Then another. A third and fourth peeked next. "Hey. What's up?"

Three of the kittens stared at him in shock while the fourth padded in, making its way over to Kaz before climbing up his bed with their claws. "Mom said you're a good mage."

᱿Oh my fur. Kaz, they're adorable!᱿ Miaow lashed her tail in excitement—figuratively, of course. ᱿Pick them all up and hug them until you die of adorableness!᱿

Picking up the adventurous kitten, Kaz managed to avoid their hooked beak and started rubbing the back of their neck. "What's your name?"

"Maul!" Flicking his tail back and forth in excitement, Maul pushed his head up into Kaz's hand to get more attention. "You are a good mage."

"I like to think so. Do your siblings have names?" Kaz lifted Maul up to his shoulder and kept petting him. Together they watched the three others venture into his room. "I know your dad, too. Claws is a great hunter."

"My brothers are Slice and Dice. My sister is Princess." Maul used one talon to point at each of them as he named them. "Your chew-box is flashing."

"Chew-box? Oh!" Kaz picked up his phone while the other three kittens climbed up the bed and investigated him. Answering the call, he spotted Mal's name. "Hey, Mal. You're not going to believe all the craziness that happened."

"See me as soon as you can. We need to discuss this somewhere so we cannot be overheard." Mal's voice was stern and uncompromising.

"Got it." Kaz was struggling to keep Maul comfortable on his shoulder while distracting the other griffons from biting everything. "I'll head in now. Any problem if I fly?"

"None. Pick something safe and reasonably indestructible. No portals."

His phone gave that dull beep that told him she'd hung up. "Well, guess I need to strip off again. I'll just stuff my clothes in the bag. Okay, guys and gal, I gotta fly to college. I don't think your mom would appreciate me griffnapping you all—though something tells me you're going to meet an awesome cat tonight who will be cuddling you alllll night."

᱿You better believe I will!᱿

Giving up on the boxer shorts, Kaz kicked off his shoes and socks and stuffed his shirt and shorts into his bag along with his phone. Walking back down the hallway with the four kittens padding along after him, he spotted Queen preening her wings in front of her empty bowl. "I gotta go again. You take care of the house while everyone's out, huh?"

"Someone has to do it." Queen noticed her kittens all gathered around Kaz. She approved, of course, given he proved to be a good member of their pride.

Walking into the backyard again, Kaz slung the bag over his shoulder and stretched out into his dragon form. Scales spread over him, armor heavier than anything a human could wear and more comparable to a tank in what it would stop. His body became corded with heavy, dense muscles that surpassed what any natural Earth creature possessed. Finally he wrapped a cloak of dense mana around himself that shielded him both from human eyes and all but highly adept mages.

Queen stared at Kaz. She knew well that he could transform into anything, but she'd never seen a beast as fearsome as the one he was now. She lashed her tail in excitement at seeing such a powerful member of her pride. "I will have to get him to teach you kittens how to do that."

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This story is released under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license. If you are paying money to see this or the original creator, Damaged, is not credited, you are viewing a plagiarized copy of the story.