I could see Dionysus there, caressing the backs of the men being skewered on both ends, but he was beside me too, whispering, “You are the best, are you not? The most beautiful, most desired, most worthy of devotion like one of the divine yourself. Enjoy this, Aikos, for with me, you are the god.” Tears stung my eyes, as though I had never heard such words before, or never believed them as much as when spoken by the god of pleasure. He knew like no one else, like I could never have dreamed, what rapture was most desired by me—and it was for rapture to never wane.
