Dan looked around, he once again for the fourth time found himself in a new location, seated in front of him on a throne was a man with a flowing red beard and piercing gold eyes, he stood several feet taller than Dan, but he also had an undeniable similarity of appearance to him. The shape of his face, from the curve of the cheekbones to the shape of the forehead and even the beard that flowed off of his chin, everything about him made this man look like a relative, a very close relative.

Around the base of the throne sat a small dragon, it seemed as though this beast was made of pure light, as each of its scales shone of a light of their own. Both it and the being on the chair looked up and gazed directly at Dan, ignoring the two behind him.

“Fitting.” he said, and even his voice sounded similar. He shuffled in his chair, getting a better look at the man who had just entered his halls of gold. “So very fitting.” he stood up, and took a step of the dais the throne was placed on. “It is fitting that you would be the one to test me.”

“Test you?” Dan asked, looking confused at the other man, who almost looked like a mirrored image. “I am not here to test you, I am here to pass my trial.” Daniel said, also taking a step forward.

“Your trial?” the god asked, still taking another step forward.

“I am to take five trials to pass the trials of the snake.” Dan nodded, he was now standing face to face with the other, they had crossed the length of the room and had met in the center. Or at least as close to face to face that they could get, Dan after all only came up to the other’s chest.

“There is no need to lie to me father.” he spoke softly, almost with a revered tone.

“You keep calling me that but it doesn't make it any more true,” Dan answered back. “My name is Daniel Rhodri, owner and proprietor of The Shoppe of Oddities, a shop passed onto me by my father.” the god looked down on him, a look of supreme confusion and concern on his face.

“Do you even know who I am?” he asked.

“Can't say that I do,” Dan said, still looking the larger version of himself in the face. Once he heard this the god let out a dark chuckle, running a hand over his face he peered up at the golden dome that rested above them. Engraved in the gold and embossed in it was a relief, it depicted a man, he was drawn in traditional babylonian style, his beard ringed and long, and on his right hand side was was a woman, her face sideways, but the four pupils were distinct, even at a vast distance like this. On his left was an assortment of women, numbering in the hundreds. And kneeling before him was another group, a smaller man, with the same facial features and ornamental beard,and behind him two women and another man.

“Do you know what that is?” he asked, But Dan was too busy being absorbed by the relief to even hear the question, or rather to register the question. He looked at each and every face on the ceiling, each had a strange sense of familiarity to it. “That is your family, your clan, your legacy, do you remember it?” the god looked down at him. “Do you remember me?”

Dan looked down at him, his face was so familiar, a name came into his head, one that confused him, pride and love reverberated in his mind, and there was a tightness in his heart. “Marduk-” he called out the name, putting the words to his lips, and as soon as he did there was a flash of gold.

He looked around and found he was no longer in the dome, but rather seated at a throne much like the one Marduk had been seated at, and sitting on his lap was none other than Asherah. “My husband,” she purred, her hands sliding over his body, “I am your favorite am I not?” she asked, the words seductive in his ears as she placed a kiss on the bare flesh of his chest.

“You know my answer to that.” Dan laughed, or perhaps it was not Dan at all, but Ea. this feeling, this completeness of the heart and soul and body. It was like he had been a cripple, but had been unaware of it his whole life, this perfect wholeness.

And he had not known that he was lacking in anyway until he felt the truth.

“Yes, yes,” she laughed her kisses sliding lower, he looked at her, she was clothed in loose cloth of gold that matched her eyes perfectly, she kissed his lower diaphragm. “But I am the first, I know you love all your wives and consorts, each for their own reason, but surely there is a special place in that heart of yours for me?” she kissed lower, at the top of his abdomen.

“There is and there always will be,” he laughed, “You are the very center of my heart.”

“It is good to hear that all of my efforts are not for nothing.” she laughed as she placed her hands on his thighs, he was clothed only in a light loin cloth, with no effort she pushed it to the side and freed him.grabbing him in both hand she lightly began moving them up and down, in a motion that held all the tenderness and reverence she felt towards him. Smiling she licked from the base up to the tip, her tongue catching on his ridge and pausing there ever so slightly, applying pressure skillfully. Her eyes came up slowly and looked deeply into his, with a coy smile still looking at him in the eyes she placed a kiss on his tip and pulled back.

“What is it that you want?” he asked with a laugh.

“What can a woman not pleasure her man?” she asked a pretend offended expression on her face.

“No you can do that at anytime you wish,” he smiled, “You forget, I know you too well, I know you want to say something, but are afraid.” she looked at her and his smile grew warm, “You know you have nothing to fear of me, speak.” she pulled back, her hands still on him, unwilling to let go, but the questions she had, they burned her, and she needed to know.

“These, humen that you have created, what is there purpose?” she asked softly, still stroking him up and down, almost like it was an action she had grown so accustomed to she could do it in her sleep, and perhaps she could.

“To challenge the gods.” he said, looking up at the golden lake that spread out before him, this was his Abzu, his lake of life, he was the lord here.

“Why?” she asked softly, once again placing her mouth on him, this time around half way up the shaft as she turned her head sideways and used her teeth to lightly pull at the flesh.

“We are unrivaled, like animals with no competition we will stagnate and fade.”

“But they are so inferior to gods, how will they challenge them?”

“That is the beauty of it, they are so weak they must rely on themselves and no one else, and in this self reliance they will rise, they have a different kind of strength, you see they are meek, and this will topple the mighty, thus is the hubris of man. ”

“The hubris of man,” she repeated and with a smile she rose, casting her loose robes aside she revealed her body to him. She was perfect in every way, dark skin, even darker nipples, and curves and wide hips. She positioned herself on top of him, and not allowing him to slip inside she began moving back and forth over the top of his manhood, her hands wrapped around the back of his head; “You have created man, will you also help me create a god?” she asked coyly.

“Ah, there it is,” he laughed, “I was wondering when it would come up, seeing as you forbade all my other wives from conseving until you bore the first child.” he smiled and her golden eyes narrowed.

“Who told on me?” she asked softly.

“I will not tell.”

“So be it,” she smiled, and she slipped him inside of her. “As punishment I will name the child,” she whispered. Once she had gotten him all the way inside she stopped moving, savoring the warmth that penetrates her she wrapped both arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest just by his collarbone. She could feel the ticlishness of his beird as her face went past his own. Kissing him on the chest she slowly started moving, while she raised her head to look up at him from below.

She stared straight into his eyes as she moved up and down, breathing roughly she releasing short meaningless sounds.“Ooh Oooh… nnnnnAAAAAH!…” She pulled back, pushing him down, before bracing herself by putting both hands on his chest and starting to rise and fall with a greater speed and intensity. “Hhhgggggggggg-” she groaned, arching her back, her breasts swayed above his head tantalizingly. She placed her hands on either side of his head and leaned over him, a wild look in her eyes she began moving even faster.

Her golden eyes glowed as she continued her relentless assault on his person. All eight pupils focused on him solely.

leaning forward she pressing her lips to his again, it took almost a minute before either of them came up for air, a thin strand of saliva bridged their lips for a split second, even as her lower half continued rising and falling. She was breathing heavy, but for that matter so was he. Her cheeks were a deep bronze color that only seemed to deepen as she stared at him longer.

She pulled back and instead of rising she started to move in small little circles rubbing him against her inner walls. Placing his hands on her hips he started thrusting into her. When he pushed into her he felt a strong pulsating force around his base, as the walls of her vagina caressed and squeezed him.

“mmmMMM-” she moaned out, her hips making a side to side motion that complemented his thrusting nicely. The sound of flesh slapping as he moved in and out was punctuated by their panting.“NnーAhhhhhhhh!!” He felt a pulsating wave of her cumming around his dick. If she was climaxing then so would he. She moaned even through the kiss that sealed her lips as semen entered her insides. Asherah’s body convulsed and her back arched.

Both stopped moving, she still had him in her as she lifted her head, peeling her sweaty chest off of his, “His name will be Marduk.” she said with a tired smile, and she attempted to pull off of him, but he blocked her exit by pushing her hips down, back ontop of him, her eyes widened with the sudden thrust, as he reached deeper into her than ever before.

“Who said you could leave?” he asked, “We are not done yet,” he growled, begin an aggressive assault on her womb. She grabbed him by the shoulders in a desperate attempt to steady herself as he pounded against her.

“It- Ahhhhhh- is - Mmmmnnnnn!- to be-Huuuuuuuu- expected- AHHHHHHH of a God- Mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn- of virility-” she said with effort, each word punctuated with a moan of ecstasy as he speared her. He was not done with her, not by a long shot.