This Ascent to Divinity is Lewder Than Expected

A ritual to help commune with the goddess of sex. When Aria had woken up this morning, she hadn't expected that to be on her list of daily duties.

She dropped the two temple newcomers off in a prayer room, then scurried away to gather the necessary materials. Though the flirtatious looks and rather blatant innuendos made it clear they would rather get started sooner than later, there were preparations to be made. Aria wasn't sure what was going on—whether the pink candles were a sign from Ephythithys herself—but she would do her best to lead a communion ritual that was proper of a goddess. If there'd ever been a time to see to her duties studiously, it was now. That there were two beautiful women waiting to pounce her was irrelevant.

Unfortunately, her body didn't agree with her on that last part. Both need and embarrassment squirmed around inside her. She had to fend away several questions from her concerned colleagues as she scurried between rooms, gathering supplies—because her flustered state was quite obvious, especially to anyone who knew her.

Finally, though, Aria had collected everything she needed, and she fled back to the prayer room with incense, herbs, and a rather indecent piece of literature from the temple library. Ephythithys didn't have many holy books, but as a significant member of the pantheon, plenty of prayers and verses had been written for her, and this wouldn't be the first attempt at a closer communion. As such, she had some guidance to go by. She wouldn't be entirely making things up as they went. Just mostly.

While fleeing back into the prayer room meant safety from other members of the temple, it unfortunately put her back in the presence of her two visitors.

"I, um, brought some prayers to read," Aria said, waving the book nervously. "And herbs and incense to set the mood." She shrugged her other arm, which cradled said supplies.

"Cool," Delta said. "Sounds like you know what you're doing."

"Not really," Aria admitted, letting the two women help her set the various items onto the shrine. "But communion shouldn't be some rigid process. Growing closer to the divine is an intimate, personalized process. It shouldn't be the same for any two people."

"So we'll be improvising?" Zoey asked.

"Mostly," Aria said. "To start us off, I'll, um, get the shrine ready, then lead us in prayer."

"Prayer?" Zoey asked. "That's not it, though, right? What else?"

Aria's cheeks colored. "With luck, prayer will draw Ephythithys's attention our way. It's what I can contribute. But you two, of course, will—um, worship her however you please. You've already heard my advice on the matter."

"However

"A carnal goddess like Ephythithys is probably best drawn with bold displays," Aria said, her blush growing deeper. "So this is a situation where less wouldn't be more, I figure. So, yes, however you please."

"And you'll be helping?"

"I'm a priestess of the temple," Aria said. "I'm happy to lead this communion for you, but I can't go around and—and—join directly."

"Why not?"

"Because it's …" Aria floundered briefly. "Lewd. Improper. We don't even know each other."

"So? It's showing your appreciation for a goddess. A perfectly fitting duty for a priestess."

A part of Aria agreed. Another balked at the indecency of joining in a carnal ritual with two strangers—whether a potential sign had come from Ephythithys or not. Even her eagerness to oversee the ritual might be improper for someone of her position. Especially since she wasn't just any priestess, but the daughter of the Head Priest himself. What would he think about Aria doing this?

"I'll lead," Aria repeated loudly, turning away from the two women and starting to organize the shrine. She spaced the incense out and lit it. A thick, heady aroma filled the air—powerful and intense, as fitting of Ephythithys. Again, she was a goddess where more was more, not less.

With the shrine situated, Aria cracked open the tome filled with prayers dedicated to Ephythithys. She scanned for appropriate verses, fighting away the heat on her cheeks—and across her entire body.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Delta share a look with Zoey. It was rather obvious the two of them intended to drag Aria into the sticky details of their communion and considered her rejection to be exactly the tentative hesitancy it was. Aria herself wasn't sure whether she would hold her—very weak—resolve to be an outside leader only.

But, she couldn't just say yes to such an indecent act with no reservation. She owed it to herself to at least put up some resistance.

Scanning the lines of prayers didn't help her resolve. As expected of a holy book dedicated to the goddess of sex, even the most chaste verses used some colorful language. If nothing else, the prayers would, indeed, serve as a useful backdrop to Zoey and Delta's ritual.

"So, how should this work?" Zoey asked.

"It's simple. Open your hearts and minds to Ephythithys's influence. To start, just listen or join me in prayer. Once you feel you're in the proper mindset, you can start working to more direct forms of worship. You should focus on her aspects. Sensuality, touch, arousal, fertility."

"So, no condoms?" Delta asked.

Aria blushed. "It would go against one of her venerated aspects, but—well, I don't think it would ruin the ritual. There's practical concerns to worry about, after all."

"No condoms is fine," Delta said. "What happens, happens."

Aria's face burned at the foxgirl's easy acceptance of the situation, but she didn't comment. She cleared her throat. "So. There's not much more to it than that. Let your bodies guide you. Align to Ephythithys's aspect. Worship her in the way that feels most natural, and with luck, you'll feel her presence."

"Feel? That's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"What about communication? A vision or something?"

Aria blinked. "Well, that's—unlikely. But anything is possible." Especially with the promising omen of the pink candles, Aria wondered whether the ritual would result in something astonishing. Normally, the gods didn't communicate so directly, but this didn't seem like it would be a 'normal' communion.

"Okay," Zoey said. "We'll play it by feel. You can start."

"Should we lose the clothes now or later?" Delta asked.

"D-During the ritual is fine," Aria said. "Work into it. The idea is to get progressively closer to her."

Seeing the two girls nod, Aria cleared her throat, then put a finger on the start of the first verse. She hesitated before beginning, then looked up.

"And, um, the walls to the prayer room aren't the thickest," Aria said. "The goal is to lose yourself to the ecstasy of Ephythithys's aspect, but maybe—try not to be too loud?" She blushed. "The doors don't even lock."

Delta seemed amused by this, but Zoey was the one to respond. "We'll do our best."

By Delta's smirk, Aria didn't have high hopes that the two would keep that promise. That Aria was leading a carnal ritual in a prayer room might not stay a secret among her colleagues. But as long as Aria herself wasn't heard crying out through the walls, she could probably live with the shame. There was an easy argument to make that this was her duty as a priestess, after all.

Clearing her throat a second time, Aria looked down at the prayer book and started to read.