The Sanctity of Knowledge

Chapter 16
Chapter 16

It wasn’t Athena who entered Alexa’s nursery that morning.  Instead, it was a young woman dressed in a white robe, sauntering towards Alexa’s crib.

“Good Morning, little one!  I have been sent by our Mother Goddess Athena to….what’s this?” the woman stopped mid-sentence, bent down and picked up the single feather that she saw on the nursery floor.

“A Nymph feather……what?” she asked incredulously while looking at Alexa.

It was then that Metis materialized before the woman, her wings folded in front of her.  Alexa watched as the air behind the “daughter” of Athena shimmered, then began to glow.

“Nymph!” the woman shouted.  “What are you doing here?”

“Wishing you farewell, of course.” Metis replied cooly.  “Do enjoy your walk back to Athena’s temple.  I hear the wastelands of Olympus are lovely this time of the year!”

Before the woman could respond, Metis’s arms shot forth, her palms outward.  Her wings reared back slowly, then snapped forward.  An invisible burst of energy knocked the woman backwards into the portal that had been formed behind her and with that, she was gone.

Alexa stood in her crib, awestruck.  “Whoah…..” she deadpanned.  “Where did you send her?”

“Somewhere far, far from Olympus.  By the time she reaches Athena, we’ll have completed our task” Metis assured.  “Now, let’s contact our midwife.”

A short while later, Kelly was knocking at the front door of Alexa’s house.  The door opened and Kelly stared in shock at the winged woman in front of her. 

“Ah, the midwife is here.  Excellent!” Metis said.  “Here, I’ll show you the nursery!”

Kelly watched as the woman disappeared into the house.  “I’ve got a name, ya know….” Kelly muttered to herself, trailing behind.

After Kelly and Metis made their acquaintances, Kelly began to unload her car.  Alexa watched as Kelly brought in the various items she had bought at the store.  In the end, she counted no less than three packages of diapers, four baby bottles, a bottle warmer, several outfits and toys obviously intended for a baby much younger than herself.  Kelly arranged them in a row on the nursery floor.  Alexa gulped, noticing that the babies on the packages were getting younger and younger as she scanned left to right.  The last package depicted a newborn baby, swaddled and peacefully sleeping.  Alexa shivered as she realized just how far back she was about to go.  It was then that Metis stepped into the nursery.

“Now, then.  Hebe told me that Athena’s curse is administered from breastmilk.  Alexa, that means that you’ll have to suckle from me.  You’re to be fed once per day in the morning.  You’ll lose a year for each of the first two feedings, then six months after your third.  The final feeding should get you small enough to be accepted into my womb.”

Metis began to strip, her robes falling to her feet.  Completely nude, she sat down on the room’s nursing chair, her wings partially extended on both sides.  Alexa stood before Metis clad in nothing but her disposable diaper.  Kelly walked behind her, lightly placing her hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

“Alexa, remember what we discussed.  This is going to reintroduce Athena’s curse” Metis cautioned.  “That means that your adult faculties will falter again.  You’ll likely find yourself losing control over your mind and emotions once more.  That being said, once we begin, we cannot stop.”

Alexa looked up at Kelly, then at Metis.  She stood in stoic silence for what seemed, to her, like an eternity.  Finally, she looked towards Metis resolutely.  “I’m ready.  Let’s do this.” 

Metis smiled, nodded her head, then began to massage her right breast.

“Come then, Alexa.  Let us begin…..”

As she walked towards Metis, Alexa suddenly recalled all of the times that Athena had breastfed her.  Then, her mind had at least been clouded by the curse and breastfeeding had come naturally.  With an adult mind, however, submitting to being breastfed was proving to be an uncomfortable proposition.  She hesitantly and awkwardly climbed up onto Metis’s lap, then laid down across it.

Metis stared down at the little girl that lay across her lap.  Something about seeing the toddler, clad only in a diaper staring up at her expectantly aroused her motherly instincts, which had been dormant since she had given birth to Athena.

Alexa returned Metis’s gaze as she prepared to suckle from her.  She stared up at the Nymph’s face, which was framed by her angelic wings.  A maternal, kind expression beamed down upon her.  Alexa watched as a droplet of milk form on her nipple.  With that, Alexa gently latched on and began to suckle. 

Kelly sat and watched the surreal, unearthly scene.  “It looks like something from a renaissance painting” she thought as the winged woman breastfed the three-year-old girl.  The morning sun shone on both of them, making the scene seem almost fairytale-like.  After about 15 minutes, Alexa’s first feeding was done. 

Alexa climbed off of Metis’s lap and walked over to Kelly, her belly full from the milk she had just consumed.  As she got closer to the midwife, a blankness overcame her face.  Her eyes began to water and she began to sob.  Kelly looked up at Metis in confusion.

“The curse has already taken hold again.  Her adult mind probably started slipping away the moment she began to suckle” Metis lamented. 

“Shhhh, shhhhhhhh……it’s ok, Alexa.  It’s ok” Kelly cooed, stroking the little girl’s hair while rubbing her back softly. 

“I…..s-s-scared!” Alexa choked, gasping for air between each “s.”  “What gonna happen if dis no work?”

Kelly looked up at Metis, who stood up and knelt beside the child.  Both women worked to sooth the beleaguered toddler and after a few minutes, they succeeded.  Metis picked Alexa up and carried her around the nursery, gently bouncing her and continuing to coo reassurances into her ear.

Alexa could feel her mind sliding backwards once more.  It wouldn’t be long before her emotional and intellectual maturity once again matched her age.  As if to prove her point, her thumb found its way into her mouth and she began to suck it.  She took comfort in the fact that she was going to be cared for by friends this time and not a cold, power-hungry Goddess. 

For the rest of the day, Alexa underwent her usual routine.  Metis watched intently (and with a degree of envy) as Kelly prepared Alexa’s meals, fed her and changed her diapers.  That evening, Kelly put Alexa in her overnight diaper, dressed her in a pair of onesie pajamas and put her in her crib.  As she tucked Alexa in for the night, Metis entered the nursery. 

“Kelly, I think I’d like to sleep beside Alexa tonight” she offered.  “Would you like that, my child?”

Alexa stared up at the winged woman.  Her silhouette resembled that of a seraph in the darkness of the nursery.  It was an idea that made Alexa feel safe and secure.  “My very own guardian angel…” she thought.  “Yeth, pwease” she replied.  Kelly smiled at Metis, then walked towards the doorway of the nursery.

“Goodnight, Alexa.  I’ll be in the next room, ok?” Kelly assured, pointing towards the adjoining bedroom.

“Tank you, Kewwy” Alexa sleepily replied, then slowly closed her eyes.  Metis knelt down beside the crib and laid onto her side on the nursery floor. 

“Goodnight, my child” she whispered.

Alexa hugged her stuffed animal tightly.  “Nigh nigh, Mo……Metis”