Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2007 22:26:06 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
From: "dymondbolt@earthlink.net" <dymondbolt@earthlink.net>
Subject: Alterations Part 11

Dear readers; The next part of Alterations is here. I hope you enjoy
it. Let me know.

Disclaimer: This is a Fantasy story with Male to Male sex and love
relationships. If you are under eighteen years of age, you should not be
here. You have been warned.


Alterations Part 11 by dymondbolt

We returned to Anthony's Hotel and within the first hour alone, I hit my
head on the top of a door way , at least ten times. Anthony just squeaked
under the door jam, and only hit his head on the lamp by his bed.

His bed was now too short for either of us and we had no idea who to go to
for a larger size.

Andonis returned to the mainland with Janos, Anthony and I, and helped with
that little dilemma.

Andonis said " I have a cousin in the next town over, who is an
upholsterer. He should be able to make a mattress that will fit you
two. Work has been slow recently, so he might be able to get it done in a
week or two,"

Anthony said " That would be great, Andonis. Tell him we're desperate, and
need it as soon as he can finish it, cost is no object."

Andonis said " Then I'll give him a call now. The phone in the kitchen is a
good one to use?"  He had a little smirk when he said this.

I saw that and said " It's a fine telephone to use. Just don't distract the
chef until he's finished preparing breakfast. I'm hungry."

Andonis backed to the door and said " I should leave you two alone then. I
remember the last time you were hungry." He laughed and Anthony and I
joined him.

Anthony said " Well my Love, we must make do with the bed we have until
Andonis' cousin can make a larger one."

I had to pee and I walked to the bathroom as I said " That just means
cuddling closer after . " Thump !! " OOOwww"

I nearly knocked myself out hitting the door jam to the bathroom.

Anthony was kneeling by my side in a heartbeat, and asked " Are you alright
Nick?"

I still saw stars, but that handsome face of Anthony's took a lot of the
pain away.

That worried look on his face had to go though.  I told him as I pulled his
head closer to mine for a kiss, " I will be in just a second."

It was a brief kiss, and after our lips parted, he started to kiss my face,
forehead first. He finished with kisses under my jaw and just on my neck. I
was feeling no pain.

His beautiful smile parted and he asked " Better now?"

I almost couldn't speak with all the emotion my heart was feeling.. I
pulled his chest to my head as I said " Much better now! He combed his
fingers through my hair and kissed the top of my head.

Just then, Janos and Andonis came through the front door of Anthony's
bedroom with a mattress from the storeroom.

Janos said " Oh good. You haven't started yet. We thought this might help
until Jon gets your new one made."

Anthony helped me to my feet as Andonis and Janos dropped the new mattress
onto the old one.

Andonis said " My cousin, Jon, is delighted with the prospect of something
new to make. So many of his customers are elderly and only want the old
styles. He says he'll have it done in ten days."

I said " What dimensions did you give him?"

Andonis said " I just told him I have two seven and a half feet tall
friends in need of an emperor sized bed . That is what comes after King
sized, isn't it?"

I smiled and said " Yes, I think it is. Good work, Brother. Thank you."

Janos said " Lunch is ready. We'll bring up the box spring part of the
mattress after we finish."

I said " Sounds good. We'll be down in a minute."

I still had to pee and just as I turned to walk into the bathroom, two
large hands grabbed me on the shoulders and stopped me from hitting my head
on the door jam again.

I said " You love me!" I turned back around and give Anthony a deep kiss.

When our lips parted he said " So very much." A quick kiss and a hug
followed.

Before we broke the embrace I told him " I love you Anthony."

He just smiled and put his hand on top of my head and made me duck through
the doorway. After a long piss and hand wash, I avoided hitting my head
again and followed Anthony down to the dinning room.

We ducked our heads to get into the Kitchen and found a seat. Luckily they
were sturdy metal chairs. But they still creaked a bit.

Everything seemed just a little smaller. Just enough for me to take a look
at everything.  `I looked over to a side table and there were ripe figs.  I
said " Janos, have you ever pickled figs?"

He looked like he just swallowed something sour, then a happy surprised
look. He said " Oh you mean pickled in a sweet syrup with cloves and
cinnamon? I have heard of it. What do they taste like? Still like figs?"

I said " Yes, but a lot more like candy. It's one thing I know how to
do. My Grandpa had a Fig tree and Grandma would pickle them. But you had to
pick them just a little green of ripe or by the time you were done you had
fig jam instead of pickled figs."

Anthony had a distracted look on his face. Nick saw the wheels turning in
Anthony's head and said "Anthony, you don't look like you're thinking about
figs."

Anthony flashed a smile and said " Figs? No.  I'm thinking about how many
people should go with us and what clothes and food to take ."

Nick said " On our centaur hunt?"

Anthony smiled and said " That's a good name for it."

Now I had a distant look on my face.  Until that moment I hadn't really
thought about what those centaurs had to go through to just survive. And
what magic did they use to hide their real bodies?

Anthony gently pulled my chin towards his face and said " You are not
thinking about figs right now either, are you my love?"

I gave him a smile and said " Figs? No, my love. What they must have done
just to survive. Centaur hunt may not be the best phrase to use for what we
are going to be doing."

Anthony winced and then nodded before he put his forehead on mine.

I looked into his eyes and saw forever. I could smile again and I bumped
his nose with mine and gave him a quick kiss.

Then I thought ' I would shout my love for this man from the highest
mountains' and I said " Exaltation."

Anthony frowned and smiled at the same time and said " What?"

I said " We are going on an exaltation. We are going to ask the surviving
centaurs to trust us again, forgive our ancestors and allow us to praise
their kind in all their beauty. An Exaltation."

Anthony said " My love, your mind is a beautiful thing to see, unfolding as
it is before me."

I could only think of one proper response to that.  We were brought back
from our KISS with giggling from Janos and Andonis.  They were kissing too,
but giggling in between each kiss, waiting for us to return.  Before I
could think of something to say, my stomach growled loudly. Then Anthony's
stomach made a groaning sound.

Andonis said " That's why we were laughing. You didn't even hear your own
stomach growling. And when Anthony joined in we couldn't help ourselves."
His laughter coupled with another outburst from our bellies, had us all
laughing.

Janos had large plates already prepared for us . He brought them over and
removed the covers.  For each of us , he had three separate Eggs
Benedict's, Janos special hash brown potatoes with three types of sautéed
onion, a stack of five large pancakes with maple syrup, and eight links of
sausage.

Anthony and I looked at our plates and then Janos and we said " Thank you
little Brother."  We were so hungry we didn't say a word till our plates
were clean.

I burped and said " Little Brother, that was excellent. Thank you.

Anthony waited till I was through and produced a truly awesome belch.  He
said " Yes, Little Brother. Thank you for another beautiful meal."

Janos smiled and said " You're welcome, my brothers."

It was Andonis who collected the dishes and washed them as Janos put what
little food was left over in the refrigerator.

I said " You two already seem to be working like an old married couple."

Andonis said " There were a few things I showed Janos last night, that
convinced him to let me wash the dishes as a way of thanking him for the
wonderful meals he makes for me. Besides what five star chef likes to do
the dishes."

Andonis was looking at Janos at the end and smiled and turned back to
washing dishes. Janos came up in back of him and hugged him. He planted a
few kisses on the side and back of Andonis' neck.  This got Andonis to turn
his head for a good long kiss.

Anthony and I snuck up to either side of them and started hugging each
other with Janos and Andonis in between.  It was a little early for a
sandwich, but the filling didn't complain.

We four were interrupted by Arsenios when he said " Can we participate,
too?"

We parted to look at the kitchen doorway to find Arsenios and Chief Michael
Metaxas standing there smiling at us.  Anthony and I looked at each other
and then waved them over for a group hug , and a little bit of a group
grope.  I think that sort of thing aids the digestion.

I looked down at the sherif and Arsenios and said " What brings you two to
this fine establishment? "

Mike looked up at me then looked at Janos as he said " You mean other than
the fine service and five star quality restaurant?" Janos blushed and
buried his head in Andonis shoulder for a moment. Andonis took the
opportunity to kiss Janos on the top of his head.

Anthony rested his head against mine for a moment and then said " How can
we stay humble with friends like these?" He reached down and gave the
sheriff a peck on the cheek. Mike saw his chance and took it, reaching up
and holding Anthony's head and getting a full kiss from my lover. After a
minute, I bent down so my head was at Mike's level. He broke the kiss with
a happy grin but wide eyes at how close My face was.

To defuse the situation I pouted and said " Don't I get one , too?"

Mike saw I wasn't going to get upset about sharing my lover, and said " I
see your parents taught you sharing."

Anthony's bass chuckle rumbled out and he smiled before he said " My
parents taught me well, also." His head tipped towards Mike as he looked at
me and I got the hint.

Mike held his eyebrows up in question and I just reached over and gave him
a kiss to compare to Anthony's.

When I broke the kiss, Anthony was finishing one with Arsenios.

I smiled and shrugged and looked at Janos and opened my arms. Andonis gave
him a swat on the butt to get him moving.

Janos smiled before we kissed and said " If everyone gets to compare, this
may take a while."

Anthony bent down so both our faces were next to each other as he said "We
do want to get going today but we can take our time doing it."

I glanced at him and said " I like the sound of that. Take our time doing
it."

The Kiss comparison continued.  No conclusion was made on who gave the best
kiss, for by the time we had all tasted of each others lips, we realized we
had all forgotten to compare one to another.

We all laughed and I said " We should start our centaur exaltation some
time today."

Mike and Arsenios looked curious and Mike said " Centaur what?"

Anthony said " We've decided not to call it a Hunt. They've had enough of
those. Nick came up with the name Centaur Exaltation. It matches what we're
trying to do with them."

Arsenios said " I like that. And also the part that says 'with them', as
opposed to 'to them'."

Mike said " Well, we're ready to leave whenever you are."

I said " You're going with us?" It was the first we had heard of them
joining us.

Mike said " You don't think we would let the Avatar and his Companion go
searching for potentially violent creatures , without some protection?"

I looked at Anthony and said " You wanna show him or should I ?"

Anthony said " He'd appreciate it better from you."

I said " Ok." I bent down and grabbed Mike and threw him over my shoulder
as I said " I need you to come with me for a minute."

Mike let out a little yelp when I grabbed him but was silent as we went
outside.  There was no one in sight as I put Mike on the ground in front of
the hotel.  I started to grow bigger and bigger, until I was eighteen feet
tall.  Then I kneeled down and asked with as soft a voice as my giant lungs
would allow " What kind of protection would you suggest?"

Mike stepped closer and laid a hand on my knee as he said " While your size
still makes my heart beat fast, In my case it does so because I know what a
wonderful lover you are at any size.  I'm afraid a centaur using magic to
hide from humans would probably be a bit intimidated by anyone over say
eight feet in height."

I shrank back to seven and a half feet tall and said " So having people
under say six foot tall might make them feel a bit more comfortable with
us?"

Mike smiled and said " It's a thought. And I have had some contact with
some of the other local Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Just in case we find
ourselves accidentally trespassing on private property."

Anthony said " Now that that's settled, I'll go get our clothes. The Yacht
has provisions for two people for ten days. Now four people five days."

Anthony moves upstairs as we pass through the hotel towards the dock and
rejoins us in under five minutes.

Janos was standing on the dock with Andonis and looked sad. He wanted to go
with them but guests were scheduled to arrive in three days.

Janos said " I'll apologize to the guests about not having the Yacht."

Anthony stepped back onto the dock and said " Thank you little brother for
taking care of things here. At least this time it looks like you have some
one to help."

Janos smiled and looked at Andonis.

Andonis said " The first of many times, for the rest of your life."

Janos focused on Andonis mouth with a wicked grin on his face, before he
swooped in for a lingering kiss.

Janos corrected him with " For the rest of our lives!"  Then they rested
their foreheads together for a moment, before they turned to wave at us as
we pulled out.

I called back to them " We'll try to call you around nine each night. Love
you!"

Anthony and the others Joined in with " Love you."  Janos and Andonis
echoed back the sweet declaration " Love you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Centaur Exaltation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The GPS system in the Yacht was really helpful. The screen was large enough
that it resembled the way I saw the land near the mausoleum for Cheiron's
children.  We aligned ourselves with the Island and moved west to the coast
and followed it north till we came to the first river. That was the half
way point to the correct river that leads up to the land where so much
centaur blood was spilled.

Anthony noticed my anxious mood. He came up in back of me and folded me
into his arms.  Anthony said " We will find them , My Love. And we will
protect them, and show the world what beautiful children they are. Our
children."

This lifted my mood, but I just smiled, nodded yes and twisted around to
kiss him my thanks.  I have a lot to be thankful for, with someone like
Anthony loving me.

Mike chuckled and said " I think we have arrived. And the strange thing is
. I think I've been here, when I was a teenager. I was friends with a very
large boy.  Nikki was what we called him.  He and I would play around. but
he liked girls , too. And then his mother caught us and I wasn't allowed
over. Then my parents moved to our current sleepy little town. I never
heard from him again."

Mike looked at Arsenios and smiled. Mike said " As things have turned out;
I am much happier."  Then he kissed Arsenios.

Mike took a breath and said " But one thing is odd. I never saw the
property from the river. The family mausoleum was always between the
orchard and the river. We never did go near it. It must be the one from
your dreams."

I said " Well there is a dock. I don't see any no trespassing signs. Let's
tie up to it and make a friendly house call."

Anthony said " That's what we're here for. A friendly visit."

The Yacht was moored to the dock and shut down. There was no gate. Just a
plank leading up to an old stone path. The path meandered enough between
shrubs and trees so within a ten yards of the river you couldn't see it
anymore. That's when footprints that were barely visible suddenly
stopped. there was a churned up area. Then hoof prints could be plainly
seen.

I said " Wow. More magic. That's how they survived. Cool!" Just then I
thought I heard something in the bushes. I said " Let's see if this leads
to Cheiron's mausoleum and say a prayer for his children."

The path straightened out but started to go up hill. The brush and trees
still shielded it from the river.

I was leading the way when the path leveled out. I took two steps and
froze.

Anthony put his hand on my shoulder and I jumped. His voice calmed me when
he said " What's wrong my love? What's got you so tense?"

I reached back and pulled Anthony's other arm around me before I spoke. I
took a deep breath and said " It's just as I saw it in my dreams. But my
Dreams were of a time and place over two thousand years ago. I wasn't ready
for all those years of sorrow and fear heaped one on top of another, to hit
me all at once."

Anthony whispered in my ear " Does my holding you help?"

The emotions I had felt before were reduced to a gentle murmur, when I
pulled Anthony's arm around me. I told him " Yes my love. Now all I hear is
the love and reverence for these people's dearly departed. They're a very
loving people."

A male voice spoke up and said " Which makes it a lucky thing for you four,
since you are all trespassing !"

We all turned to find a tall young man of about eighteen to twenty years of
age, standing behind a hip high boulder.  He was built like a tall gymnast
and dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt. He stepped around the boulder
hand he had a pair of sandals tied to a belt loop. In one hand he held a
thick branch and in the other was a cell phone. The phone started to mumble
words and he put it to his head before he said " Father! Please Father
stop. We have four men trespassing near the mausoleum No they haven't
threatened me. They haven't said anything to me since I told them they were
trespassing. " Pause " Because they are speaking english. And because they
seem to be respectful of the mausoleum. Two of them are very large." Then
he whispered " I think they might be family. They mentioned magic when they
saw the hoof prints."  He realized that none of us had said a thing yet and
all of our attention was on him and his conversation.

His next words were at full volume when he said " And I don't know why I'm
whispering. They're fifteen feet away from me and haven't moved since I
challenged them."

His father's voice could be heard but not what he said. suddenly I
remembered the inscription on the mausoleum.

I spoke up as loud as I could and started to grow to nine feet tall as I
said
 " Here lie the children of Cheiron, No more will their sweet voices
	 sing the songs of their childhood."

The man on the phone and his son before us were shocked into silence. The
young man just dropped his arm but held on to the cell phone. His mouth
stayed open as he gazed up at my face. He blinked a few times and then
closed his mouth in a smile. I smiled back. I told him " We're sorry about
trespassing, but we just wanted to pay our respects to the children of
Cheiron.."

The young man said " That Family holiday is in the fall. How tall are you?"
The cell phone buzzed with his fathers voice.

I decided to keep him off balance until his brothers and perhaps father
show up. I rubbed my right nipple that was straining at the fabric of my
XXXXL sweat shirt. I smiled and said " At present I'm nine feet tall. My
name is Nick Stavros." As he took that in , I had a moment to really look
at this young man.

That was when I noticed how strangely his feet looked. His heel was very
slim thin, and it stayed that way for two thirds of the foot. Then the
place where the toes attach widened out to three times the width of the
heel. And the toes were all thick and a bit short. His thick toes wiggled.

He said " My name is Remo. How did you know what was written on the
mausoleum?" The voice on the phone got louder. Remo just waited for my
response.

I said " I dreamed I was back in the time of Herakles and Cheiron. I saw
men killing centaurs in the clearing over there. I saw Herakles bind
Cheiron with rope and protect him from the genocide. I saw Herakles release
Cheiron and remind him that Cheiron had stayed Herakles own hand from
suicide when Herakles discovered that in a madness sent by Hera, he had
murdered his own wife and children" By now the voice on the phone was
shouting Remo's name.

I continued and said " In my Dream, I saw Herakles put hundreds of dead
centaurs on a pyre. But Cheiron's three dead son's were interred in the
cave where Herakles had kept Cheiron safe. Then I saw what Herakles had
carved into the marble."

The cell phone in Remo's hand was practically vibrating with the volume of
his fathers voice. Remo was suddenly finished with hearing it from a
distance. He put the phone to his face and bellowed into it. He said "
Father I love you, but shut up!  Please try and control yourself. You have
been shouting for a good two minutes. Come down here yourself and talk with
them. I'm done listening to you yell at me. I'm hanging up. Good-bye!" Then
before a complete word from his father could be heard, Remo hung up on his
father and then turned the cell phone off. He almost threw the phone
towards the sea.  He thought better of it and put it in his front pocket.

Remo looked at Anthony and I and smiled. He said " You two are together,
aren't you?  And you're more than lovers, Huh? I'm right, aren't I? " We
nodded and I crouched to be able to put my arms around Anthony. We all
smiled and Anthony leaned back and put his big hands on the inside of my
thighs and rubbed from knee to groin. He was doing a very good job of
hiding my growing erection.

I said " Remo. This is my Anthony."

Remo's eyes got bigger but stayed happy with us. He said " Oh you don't
know, but I can taste the love between you two like a powerful scent on the
wind. I just know Philip and I smell like that. I've loved him for eight
years. We've known we loved each other for six years, but kept it from my
family. Father was bad enough when he thought Philip was a two legged demon
while he thought Philip was just a friend. Things sort of fell apart when
Philips sister called up my mother and told her how happy Philip was now
that I was in his life. She almost got away with leaving the impression we
were just best friends. Then my mother remembered that we had been friends
for over eight years. When she pointed this out to Philip's sister, she
sort of giggled and said something along the lines ' Well they've known
each other for eight years now, but for the past three months, they've come
to know each other in a much deeper way.' Mother echoed the word ' Deeper?"
and Philips sister giggled and said ' That was one of the words she heard
from Philip and I late at night, that kept her awake into the early hours.'

"My mother silence didn't seem to warn Philips sister. She said ' The smile
on both their faces in the morning always stopped her from complaining
about the loss of sleep^P.' My mother was thinking about the face she saw
around our home. Father rarely let any chance slip by when he could be
insulting Philip or his family or Humans in general. While I controlled
myself well enough to ignore my father's comments, it didn't leave me
smiling at the dinner table. When it all came out, I discovered my mother
was supportive. She thought I was becoming depressed and just wanted me to
be happy. She took me being gay in stride. And even when Father is present
and she's talking to Philip on the phone; she'll call him son."

Another voice chimed in. He said" You should see how the big bull puffs up
with pride when his mother calls me son. With all that Remo's father says
about us, she makes me real proud of my second mother, when she shows us
her love anyway. Nickolas can't fight her happiness with us and he leaves
the room."

Remo walked over and helped Philip down off the ridge that lead to the
Mausoleum. They kissed for a minute or two. I nuzzled Anthony's neck and he
still rubbed my thighs, but he said " If we start something now we won't be
able to finish anything we'd like to before Remo's father and brothers get
here."

I just nodded my head yes and pulled him tighter. I whispered " I wonder
which direction they'll come from first?"

I didn't even have time to get a guess out of Anthony. Two very large men
who resembled Remo ran through the underbrush and came to a halt when they
saw Remo kissing Philip. William didn't see me and Anthony yet and said "
Now I know father has lost it. How is Remo in danger?  Is Philip going to
give him a lethal tongue lashing?"

William looks over at his usually talkative brother Xander. William said "
Xander aren't you going to give me a snappy comeback explaining Father's
logic....." Now William could see where Xander had been staring for the
past minute.

Williams mouth hung open until Xander walked over to Anthony and I. He told
William as he touched my knees " Your on your own with this one. Nothing
Father says is going to keep me from learning more about this massive hunk
of a man and his equally handsome giant lover." I kissed the top of
Anthony's head and then leaned over and gave Xander new ideas about
kissing. As we separated , Xander's face went sad and he said " Please tell
me you have a brother, that's also into guys, or a close gay friend that
resembles you?"

I said " Sorry Xander, but you're on your own, too. Maybe William can help
you find that man of your dreams."

Xander looked over to William expecting some joke or harsh words. But
William said " Anything brother. Anything I can do to help you find love, I
will do for you. I still don't get the excitement you and Remo get over
looking at another guy. But you two older wiser brothers , have never made
me feel weird when I go girl watching at the hot springs. Or when I start
listing a girls charms. You sit back and let me ramble on about some
gorgeous red headed goddess. And you even bought me rubbers when it was my
first time with Moira. We're still friends because she knew I learned
respect from my older brothers. She even set me up with Theresa."  William
looked so happy thinking about Theresa.

Remo couldn't resist and said " And you'd do anything for Theresa, huh
William?"

William said " Damn right I would! She never makes me feel small. Always
happy to see me.  Her smile for me makes every shadow of every doubt I ever
had just shrivel up and die. Hell, Xander. you know how much I liked
working for our Dear Uncle Stan. He wouldn't apprentice me to the Masons
union, but he would pay the waiver fees every month since I'm a
relative. She has my attitude in such a great place that Uncle Stan
actually sent in the paperwork for my apprentice hours for the past eight
months. Now everyone at the warehouse likes working with me, and the lead
journeyman for installations is showing me the trade. He doesn't mind
teaching me now. Before he rushed through showing how to do a particular
piece of work And then, he only acted like he would teach me , because
Uncle Stan told him to. So you know the only change in my life has been
Theresa."

Xander smiled and said " You told us the first month you two were
together."

Remo said " Yeah. You said with her loving you, you actually had a life."

William just smiled and nodded.

Mike and Arsenios had been quiet for all this time and they decided to jump
in. Mike said "Remo? My name is Mike. This is Arsenios. I was just a bit
curious. I think I've been to your house before, years before you were
born. Is your father's name Nickolas Santini? And your mothers name is
Sara?"

Remo said " Yes and yes. Were you a friend of fathers from Middle school?"

Mike looked at Arsenios and then told Remo " In High School, we were more
than friends. But your fearful Grandfather decided I was a bad influence on
your father. Even though I was able to help him get a B grade in math for
five years. What happened was your Aunt Cecilia had a crush on me, even
though half the class knew I was gay. And when I finally had enough of her
games, I told her she wasn't built right for my tastes and that I liked
them built. It was unfortunate that I told her that just outside the
cafeteria. That let the rest of the class know about me. And about Nikky. "

Mike paused and looked at all three brothers for awhile. He said " You all
three favor your father. Large, athletic, muscular, really handsome but
humble about it. When your Grandfather forbid us to ever be together again,
we deliberately waited two weeks without talking to each other and on a
birthday celebration for your Uncle Eustace, My brother and I had a
reservation at the table next to your family's and we got there before
anybody. When the first members of your family arrived, I went and hid in
the bathroom, until your whole family was there. Your grandfather had over
heard my brother talking about his date that night. So when I came back
from the rest rooms, your grandfather was incensed. And to top it off ,
Nikky changed places with my brother and half the family thought it was so
funny."

A new Voice cut in and said " I didn't think it was so funny when your
parents decided to move one hundred and fifty miles away. Or when you
didn't write. Or when you finally did start to write, but missed my
wedding."

Mike got within a foot of Nikky and said " That's not fair. You knew I was
in the Navy. The return mail address said it as plain as day. And nobody
was allowed off base for a full month. And besides I tried to reach you
after I got out of the Navy and all the servants said you didn't want to
see me or talk to me. You can only take so much of that before you realize
you lost your best friend." Mike had looked down at his feet until the
last, where he looked into Nikky's eyes, challenging him to say different.

Nikky was a bit shocked. He frowned then said " I never knew. Grandfather,
again! " Nikky bit his lip and then looked at Mike's lip and then into his
eyes.

Nikky looked like he was about to cry. He said " I never got over loosing
my best friend either."  Mike realized what Nikky was saying and grabbed
him in a long bear hug.

Mike said " I really missed you." They separated and Arsenios walked up and
put a hand on Mikes shoulder.

Arsenios said " I can attest to that. A few nights I've been woken up to
Mike dreaming and calling out for Nikky. He didn't call it a nightmare. He
said he was searching for a friend. I heard the words 'best friend', but I
never said anything. I'm Arsenios. It's good to finally meet you." Arsenios
held out his hand and Nikky shook it.

Nikky said " Have you been taking good care of my friend?" Nikky didn't let
go of his hand.

Arsenios looked a little embarrassed as he said " Mike always tells me I
take good care of him. I know I try. He always treats me like a king."

Nikky pulled him into a hug and said " Thank you for taking care of my best
friend." Nikky kissed Arsenios cheek and let him go.

Nikky looked up at Nick and said " Mike, introduce us to your very large
friends."

That was when I decided to shrink back to a more normal size.

Nikky said " Now I see why my son called. Let's all come up to the
house. Then we can calmly discuss what is happening. That includes you too,
Philip. I apologize for my rude behavior."

Remo and Philip start walking up the path with Mike, Arsenios and Nikky
following. Remo has Philips hand and is swinging it back and forth. I grab
Anthony's hand as we follow Nikky up the path. The brothers follow close
behind.

The path led through an orchard of pear and apricot trees. Then past a barn
like building and up to a villa.

I said " More like a villa than a house."

Nikky said " More like a home than a villa. When you have your family with
you."

Sara said " I'm glad you got everyone to come back with you, Nikky. I think
introductions are..."  She saw Mike and her smile got bigger. She said "
Mike... You know you could have come to the front door. Nikky's grandfather
has been gone for over eight years."

Remo muttered " Thank God."

Nikky said " Remo! Please try to be respectful of the dead.  However
miserable they made our lives."

Sara said " Nikky!.." Then she laughed and said " I suppose we're all
blessed because the old goat is dead."

Remo said " Mother?!"

Philip nudged Remo and said " Hey! Mother is on our side." Then he hugged
Remo from behind as he looked at Nikky and Sara.

Nikky had a funny look on his face as he looked at his youngest son and his
lover. Then the pained look got a bit lighter as he looked at Anthony and
I. Then he smiled at Mike and Arsenios. He reached out and took Sara's hand
and smiled at her.

Then looking at Philip he said " Son, you are nineteen. I can't keep on
treating you like a rebellious teenager. So as a responsible adult perhaps
you can explain some of the very real fears I've had for your safety, to
our guests. Maybe you can even explain some of them to Remo. He thinks I
just hate all two-leggers."

Philip stood up straighter and put his hands on Remo's shoulders. Philip
and Remo were moved by Nikky calling Philip 'Son'.  Remo's father had never
had a good thing to say about humans.

Mike said " Nikky. All those times you said your family had a secret. With
all the love we shared, you never trusted me with it. Did you think I would
betray you just because you had four legs instead of two? The magic of our
love opened me to the possibility that the world held more than I could
see. It led me to a magic that is deeper and more profound than I can
possibly describe."

Nikky said " Well you better try. Because the only magic I know keeps my
family safe and the other families from being stuck in freak shows or
pickled in some laboratory."

I stepped away from Anthony and said " I guess that's my cue."  I pulled
off my shirt which was tighter than the sweat pants and started to grow. I
stopped at ten feet. I towered over everyone for only a moment and then sat
down cross legged.

I said " I apologize for the theatrics. I am not here to exploit anyone. I
am not here to expose anyone. Before I became the Avatar to the Temple of
Brotherly Love, I was just a simple archeologist. I was just human. Unaware
of real magic. True gods and goddesses, and the power and love of God. "

I said " I had a scroll that led me to a disappearing island, A temple
dedicated to five of the ancient gods, and my true love, Anthony." Anthony
stepped over and rested his hand on my shoulder.

I told them" I didn't know what I was doing at the time, but I became part
of some very old and deep magic. But while this was happening, my nights
were spent with my soul traveling to the past. I inhabited the body of
Cheiron, and made love to Heracles. The next night I thought I was once
again in Cheiron's body and before Heracles."

Anthony said " Somehow our love pulled me along with Nick the second
night. But my soul landed in Heracles body."

I said " We didn't understand why God would be doing this to us. What
possible purpose was there for us to make love to each other in the bodies
of people - In - the past?"

I said " Then the third night I wasn't in a body. I floated above this land
here. I witnessed the murder of hundreds of centaurs by humans. I saw
Heracles bind Cheiron, to keep him from being murdered with his sons. I saw
Heracles break a sword in two, when one of the Lapiths tried to kill
Cheiron. He shouted at the top of his lungs to ' Leave Us Alone ' . And for
a moment the fighting stopped. But it didn't last. "

I couldn't look into their eyes. I finished with " Only after I saw the
pyre and the mausoleum, and what Heracles wrote, did I have some idea why I
was made to see that.  I was human and given a chance to change. I lost
none of my fears and faults. I was given great love and the idea that I had
lost it.  Humans were innocent of the sin of genocide..." The sorrow and
shame overcame me.

I muttered " So many beautiful people..."

I got my self together and said " I can't remember where I heard the
statement : A righteous man is not without sin. He admits his sin, and
expiates it."

I looked into Nikky's eyes and said " I called this search a Centaur
Exaltation. But in truth, I am to be the Protector of our brothers , the
centaurs. For I am also to be the one to admit to the world, humanities
sin. Humans murdered over a thousand centaurs. And I think God wants his
four-legged children to be able to run free in the world without fear from
humans.  I think the Atonement humanity has to provide is to truly make
centaurs our brothers again."

I shrank back to a more normal size and stood up with Anthony and Nikky's
help.

Nikky frowned and shook his head. He said " You know, some of the families
still have the name Lapith? Those that knew some of the centaur mages were
able to get the spell to work with out any knowledge of magic. So they hid
right among the very people who slaughtered our cousins. It's been over
twenty -two hundred years and we're still afraid. The only two humans I can
really trust are my ex-lover and my son's lover. Once the world knows of
us, they won't stop until they catch one of us and torture the secret of
the spell out of us. Then anyone can break it if they want. We'd never be
safe."

Philip said " Nikky, do you really think humans would do that?"

Nikky said " Philip, your love for my son is strong. So strong, I feel Remo
is safe with you. Even though I know in my head If some medical research
group found out about Remo, and wanted to do research; I think I would lose
two sons when they were done. It's not even governments anymore. Big, multi
national corporations can get away with some evil things, in the name of
better stock prices."

I didn't notice Anthony quietly walk outside. I was trying to get my head
around the idea that God gave me this mission and I didn't have a clue what
I should do. I thought finding them was going to be the problem. In truth,
I didn't really think about what I was going to do.

Anthony, my love, went through the orchard and found the Mausoleum. He
kneeled before it. He touched the ancient greek letters carved in the
marble.

Anthony closed his eyes and whispered " How can I help?"

The sound of distant thunder could be heard. Thick rain clouds started to
gather. Moments before the sky was clear. The crescent moon was soon
covered.

I heard those words like Anthony was right beside me. The hairs on my arms
and legs started to stand up. Something was very wrong!

I looked but couldn't find Anthony. I asked Remo " Did you see where
Anthony went?"

Remo said " Uh, he went outside towards the orchard."

I corrected him " Towards the Mausoleum?"

My fear and the sound of rain had me walking very fast. Remo and then all
the others followed

Anthony was unaware of my fear. He was silently praying for a way to help
me.

I could hear the words in my head but Anthony couldn't hear my fear.  I
heard " Father Zeus, Father Zeus, Help me Help my Love."

He kept repeating it. He didn't seem to hear the wind pick up or see far
off flashes of lightening.

I was at one end of the orchard and could see Anthony kneeling. I only got
five yards closer when I heard Anthony shout "Father!!"

Then I died. The lightening flash and lightening bolt struck Anthony

I think I shouted NO so loud it stripped leaves off of the trees I was
near. I started shouting No and running. I don't remember getting twelve
feet tall. I pushed over on tree on the end and ran to the lifeless body of
my heart and soul.  He was ten feet from the monument and the clothes on
his body were smoldering.

I kept on say ing No, and Please don't leave me. I shrank to a smaller size
and picked him up. He wasn't hot or cold.

I just kept pleading with God. I must have cover half of Anthony with my
tears.

Then something shot up through the ground and my body and Anthony's body ,
too

He groaned, and my heart started again.

I said "Anthony? Can you hear me?"

Anthony opened his eyes and said " Yeah. Why are you so big?"

Then he twisted in my arms and moaned. His legs seemed to thin and get
longer. Then two bumps formed on his hips below his belly. His skin started
to darken over his legs and the bumps burst open and formed two more
legs. Anthony was turning into a centaur. Then I noticed he was becoming a
very big centaur. His cock got stiff and then longer and longer. As his
horse half seemed to form up properly, his balls decided to be huge. Just
to keep up with his forty inch dick.

I set Anthony down and he wobbled up on four legs. His body was beautiful.
He stood at about seven and a half feet tall.  I shrank to that size and
hugged him for a long time.

We were brought back to our surroundings with Remo on four legs and looking
for a hug , too. He wasn't quite as big as Anthony, but I could see why
Philip fell in love with Remo. At least , at first. Philip laughed and
hopped up on Remo's back. The twisted around a bit and started to
kiss. Then Nikky and Sara carried Mike and Arsenios on their backs.

At that moment I was just thanking God for letting me keep Anthony. But at
that moment, the healing had started between Humans and Centaurs. We had a
lot of work ahead of us, but we would both work it. We had found our
Brothers.

The End Part 11


Well I hope you liked it. Please send feedback. It's all good. It's what
keeps us writers going. Thanks.