In-Game Orgy

Was having sex with Male Aphrodite necessary for game progression? 

No. Absolutely not. 

The Aphrodite DLC was designed as optional content, additional flavor to the original story, a glimpse into the lore of the goddess of love. And like many parts of 'Pantheon: Lord of the Dead', there were multiple ways to navigate her advances. You could charm her with dialogue, offer her a gift, or solve a series of fiendishly difficult puzzles to win her magical cestus—her sacred belt imbued with godly power. 

Heck, there was even an achievement for outright rejecting her. It was called 'Coded Asexual,' a tongue-in-cheek name suggested by one of the developers, much to Genesis's horror. 

But this? 

This was a choice. 

The scene before them—the glowing, gilded room, the musky allure of Aphrodite in his new male form—was one of the options. Some players clicked it out of curiosity. Others because they liked the idea of seeing nude Aphrodite clone himself/herself to "accommodate everyone's desires," a spectacle that players sometimes clipped and shared online. 

Callum, though? He usually took the path of least resistance. The scene was a shortcut, yes, but one he usually skipped. Watching his avatar fit his tongue down Aphrodite's throat while gaming wasn't his idea of a good time. 

Yet here he was, in silence, gripping the arms of his chair, while his avatar did exactly that. 

Aphrodite's lips finally broke from Callum's avatar's mouth, a golden shimmer lingering between them like an afterglow. Without missing a beat, the god turned to Damian's avatar, leaning in to plant an equally deep kiss on his lips. 

Callum's jaw tightened. 

Damian's mic crackled as he let out a soft, exaggerated hum of approval. "Damn, I should play this game more," he whispered, low enough to feel like seduction.

Micah's avatar, still perched awkwardly on the bed of clouds, twitched in response as Aphrodite turned his attention to him. The god's golden gaze slid over him, appraising. "And you?" Aphrodite purred, his voice rich and smooth as honey. "What secrets are you hiding behind that shy hesitation?" 

Micah whispered over the mic, his voice tight and panicked, "There's still time to skip this." 

There was. The "skip" button still flickered at the bottom of the screen, but it wouldn't last for long. Soon it would disappear, replaced by the interaction options that would dictate the rest of the scene. 

Damian chuckled darkly. "Oh no, I want to see this." 

Callum's fingers twitched. He wanted to click the skip button, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to. Something about the way Damian said it— like this was a game within a game, some twisted competition for Micah's attention—held him still. 

The interaction wheel popped up. The 'skip' option disappeared.

The game was designed in such a way that certain toggles on the VR Controller would enable the characters to react appropriately to Aphrodite's advances. If you wanted a… 'perfect score', you had to move the thumb stick in time to the instructions on screen. 

It seemed that Damian was going for gold because his avatar immediately stepped up to Aphrodite, wrapping his hands around his neck and squeezing, causing the god to moan. Callum's pulse sped up at the sound. Over the speaker, Micah whimpered dejectedly and his avatar on screen shifted uncomfortably where he stood. He wasn't playing in time with the instructions and the game picked up on that. 

Aphrodite turned to Micah's beast man avatar and smirked. "You mortals and your inhibitions," he said with a low chuckle, his golden gaze sliding over MicDrop23. "Did you not want this? Then why resist? Desire is merely a dance, a simple exchange of energy. Let go. You'll enjoy it more." 

He strutted over to Micah's avatar and shoved him down on the bed, pressing a knee between his leg and caressing his chest. The beast man moaned and Callum could have sworn he heard Micah's corresponding moan across his speaker. Damian's avatar walked up to Aphrodite and wrapped his arms around him, sewing kisses down his neck and slipping his hands down to stroke his dick.

He was taking the game seriously, staying 'on beat' every time and selecting options with such ease that Aphrodite's dialogue adapted to praise him. 

"You are an eager lover," Aphrodite purred, pushing his hands into the blonde hair of Damian's avatar. "How refreshing." 

Damian chuckled. "What can I say? I'm a quick study. Isn't that right, Callum?"

Callum's stomach churned. He couldn't tell if it was jealousy or disgust or something far worse. 

Micah, on the other hand, was a mess. His inputs were delayed, his timing off. Every time he missed a cue, Aphrodite's expression shifted, his smile turning sly. 

"You hesitate," Aphrodite murmured, leaning closer to Micah's avatar. "What are you so afraid of? Is it me? Or is it yourself?" 

Micah's breath hitched audibly over the mic, and his avatar froze. Callum imagined him sitting in his chair, fingers trembling over the controls, unsure of what to do. His voice finally broke the silence, shaky and quiet: "Shit." 

"Relax, babe," Damian said smoothly. "You're doing great." 

Callum clenched his jaw, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair so tightly his knuckles turned white. He hadn't selected anything. He couldn't. He just… watched. 

Aphrodite's attention returned to Damian, their avatars tangling together in a way that made Callum's chest tighten. He could feel the heat radiating off his monitor, the intimacy of the scene creeping into his skin. His mind betrayed him, imagining how Micah and Damian must look together in real life. The thought made his pulse quicken, his guilt twisting into something darker, something he didn't want to name. 

Damian's avatar got down on his knees and Aphrodite's face morphed into pleasure as his mouth found his dick. He continued to touch Micah's avatar as Damian's sucked him off and Callum could hear as Micah's breathing grew shallow over the mic, each exhale shaky and uneven. Was he touching himself?

The image burned in his mind's eye; Micah, at his desk stroking a thumb over the head of his penis, desperately trying to hold back an orgasm while he watched the scene unfold on screen. 

Callum bit back his own moan as he refocused on the images on the screen. His gaze flicked to his monitor, to the way Micah's avatar moved hesitantly beneath Aphrodite's touch. 

Aphrodite turned to him and he froze. "Are you not going to join us?" He asked seductively. "Or do you prefer watching?"

Over the speaker, Damian chuckled. "Answer him, Cal. Do you prefer watching?"

Callum growled. "Shut up."

Micah's avatar moved again, sliding away from Aphrodite's touch. Whether he was touching himself or not in reality, it was clear that he was uncomfortable with the interaction, unsure of how to play the game as intended with both Callum and Damian watching. 

Callum felt bad for him. And he felt horrible. He was aroused, angry and jealous. It was a good thing they hadn't reached full VR yet and sensations couldn't be felt across the digital space because he wasn't sure he'd be able to resist grabbing Micah's avatar by the tail and fitting his dick between those tight—

Callum bit his tongue and forced his mind back to reason. This was the complete opposite of 'I don't want to get with you', this was the complete opposite of 'respectable professional boundaries.' His thoughts were downright dirty and evil and he was ashamed of having them.

"Micah," he said, clearing his throat. "You can stand up and walk away. You don't have to—" 

Micah's voice wavered, thin and strained, as though he wanted to back out but didn't know how. His fingers were probably trembling over the controls. "I'm fine," he replied, his voice tight. 

"Don't think about it too much babe," Damian said, chuckling wickedly. "It's just a game. I'll give you what you really need when I'm back."

Micah groaned but, nevertheless selected the next option and his avatar responded to Aphrodite's touch. 

Callum's stomach dropped as Micah's avatar pulled Aphrodite's hand down to his throbbing, hard cock and started moving in time to each stroke. Their characters' moans filled the game audio. Callum wasn't sure whether to give his team a beating or a raise. This was in his game? Fuck! How did he manage to hit skip all this time? 

The scene reached its climax—quite literally—with Aphrodite's moan echoing through the chamber, his golden cestus appearing on screen as a reward. The screen began to fade, transitioning to the next part of the level. 

Before it fully loaded, Micah's voice crackled through the speakers, hurried and panicked. "Uh… I have to go to the bathroom." 

The sound of him yanking off his headset was followed by a clatter as it hit the table. 

Silence filled the chat. 

Callum stared at the loading screen, his chest tight. 

"Well," Damian said after a moment, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "That was hot." 

Callum didn't respond. He couldn't. 

The game loaded into the next scene, but Callum's focus remained fixed on the empty chat. Micah was gone, Damian's smug chuckle still ringing in his ears. He exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. He needed to get a grip—on himself, on this situation, on whatever the hell this was. Because whatever it was, it was tearing him apart.