Chapter 9 Eros’ Extended Family

Pan almost died underwater. If what he was currently experiencing was one last dream of fantasy, then it was pretty entertaining. If it was fake, then he had nothing to lose.

If it was real, then his life was about to change forever. But first, he needed to win the successor contest.

He nodded to the talking frog, finally having wrapped his head around the situation. "I agree. Please begin."

Jewel hopped down from the leaf pedestal and said, "Excellent! Let's proceed. Currently, we are on a lower slope of Mount Filo, which has four rungs. You must pass three of them successfully to get to the top. The fourth rung is the summit, where you can meet your divine parents." 

Pan nodded.

"Let me open a portal to the first rung," Jewel said.

The talking frog croaked in a musical rhythm. Water from the pond rose and formed a large, swirling circle in front of them. "Follow me!" he instructed before hopping into the magic ring. He did not come out the other way but vanished.

Pan took gradual and careful steps toward the portal. The circle of water sprayed mist on his face, and he smiled, admiring the magic. 

"Come on, kid!" Jewel's groggy voice came from the other side. "I don't have all the time in the world!"

"Coming!" Pan walked in and suddenly found himself in an entirely different scenery. The portal closed and fell in a splash behind him. 

The boy surveyed his surroundings. They had arrived on another ledge higher up on the mountain. It was a small garden, flush with lawn grass and bounded by a colorful flower patch. Pan was inclined again to ask Jewel if they were in paradise.

In front of them were six other youngsters standing in an open circle. One place was empty. They were all dressed in swimsuits. 

Pete realized all of them were contenders for Eros' heirdom. He wondered if all of them had fallen into a lake as he did. Each had a tiny animal attending to them, just like Jewel led him.

"What took you so long?" A talking hedgehog chuffed at Jewel. "All other liaisons arrived with their candidates half an hour back!"

"Apologies, Mr. Felix," Jewel croaked. "My candidate took his time leaving his world behind."

"Fine. Complete the circle quickly. The orientation will commence."

Pan and Jewel took their respective places.

"Greetings. Humans and their liaisons," the hedgehog began. "I am Felix, the managing liaison of this project. My job is to oversee the filtering of candidates, only one of whom shall ultimately become Eros' successor. I will ensure that proper protocol is followed and tests are conducted with fairness and justice. Am I to assume that all liaisons have already tutored their candidates about their situations?" 

The creatures nodded at Felix.

"Perfect! We shall begin the tests right after we finish the introductions. I request all liaisons and their candidates to say something about themselves. To boot, I have already spoken, and now my candidate will speak for herself."

Pan turned his gaze to the girl in front of Felix. She was a gobsmacking beauty. 

"Hello, everyone," the girl said, blossoming flowers in Pan's heart. "I am Penelope. I am eighteen years old and honored to be here."

The girl was an absolute bombshell. She had ash-blonde hair tied up in a neat pony. Pan ogled her body without fear of consequence. 

If he had to make a caption for her, it would be 'Teenage Baywatch'. Ripe, full breasts, toned hips, and athletic legs filled her orange full-body swimsuit. Pan wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and tried to focus on what she was saying.

"-was raised in the City of Sequester. I aspire to become the successor of Eros and bring love and affection to every person on earth. Thus, I intend to end all wars."

The others gave her an ovation, and Pan joined in. Sequester city was one of the five global powerhouses of the world, just like Cloyster.

"By the way, you can call me Penny," she finished with a warm smile. 

Pan was utterly bowled over by her beauty. But then he reminded himself that she was his sister or something. He needed some clarification from Jewel regarding that.

"Next!" Felix called out.

A ferret raised its head and spoke up. "Hello, dearies. I am Sebastian, and it is my greatest pleasure to announce my candidate, Corvus."

A pale, slender kid stepped forward in the circle. He was dressed in a raven-black swimsuit. A curtain hairstyle covered the right eye and half of his face. 

"Hey, peeps! I am Corvus. My friends call me Cory…."

While the boy droned on about his motivations, Pan's eyes returned to Penny. 'What a babe!' he thought. 'I can't believe she is my sister.'

"--People should fuck whoever they want to. Whenever they want to. I don't care," Cory concluded. "I am only here because I hate my parents."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute after he ended his awkward speech.