Circe smirked as she returned to her house. She never tired of turning men into pigs and other animals.
It was with great surprise that she found a white haired man sitting at her table, carelessly and languidly eating grapes from the bowl she’d left on the counter in the kitchen.
“Who are you?” the witch asked in a sultry voice, “And what brings you to my island.”
“I’m Cygnus,” the man said, “And I was shipwrecked. There was but one other survivor and he set out yesterday to find help or at the very least, food and shelter. May I know your name, dear lady?”
“Oh, I am but a simple woman, my name is Lena. Your friend has found welcome here, fear not for him.” Circe said.
“Where is he? May I see him?” Cygnus asked.
“In good time, please, have some bread and wine.” Circe said with a disarming smile.
“Thank you.” Cygnus said as Circe went to her kitchen.
She returned with wine and bread.
“You are most hospitable. As treacherous as the sea and rocks about this island, you must have many who come ashore here?” Cygnus asked as he ate and drank.
“Indeed I do. Cygnus, that means swan, does it not?” Circe asked.
“Yes. I was born with white hair and was named for the swan because of it.” Cygnus said.
Circe laughed cruelly. “Swan you are named and swan you shall be!” Circe commanded.
“I do not understand.” Cygnus said.
“I am Circe and all those that intrude upon my island must pay and men must pay the highest price! Even now you start to grow pen feathers from your fingers. You shall live out your life as a swan here and I will have my revenge on you, because you are a filthy man. All men are beasts!” Circe said triumphantly.
“Why? It was misfortune that brought me here, have you no compassion?” Cygnus pleaded, “It is tradition and proper that people aid others of their kind who are in trouble, to offer hospitality and care for the lost and wounded. The Gods themselves have set this with man to be so.”
Cygnus was well on his way to being a swan as he said the last and Circe smiled coldly at the man’s plea.
“Man! The Gods may have set those rules for man, but I am a woman and Hera herself has given me the power to work my will on men!” Circe spat as Cygnus completed his transformation.
The Swan looked into Circe’s eyes and Circe was transfixed. It was strange; it was as if she could not move.
The Swan opened its mouth and a voice like thunder issued from the beak, “So! This is how you heed the law that I have given unto MANKIND! My Wife will pay for allowing you this indulgence without consulting Me!”
Instantly, the swan was gone in it its place stood Zeus, Lord and Master of Olympus, King of the Gods.
Circe trembled.
“You cold hearted female! You are a poor excuse for a worshipper of the Gods! You have angered Me beyond most mortal’s reach! I will punish you and when I am done and you cross the river Styx, I shall see that Hades punishes you for all eternity in the most painful and fitting way for your crimes against your fellow man. You have had hundreds of years to consider what you have done and you persist still without remorse! How DARE you borrow the power of Olympus to work such horror on the world! You disgust Me and as I said, My Wife shall pay dearly for Her indiscretion.” Zeus thundered.
With a gesture Circe’s house flew apart, scattered to the four corners of the earth and Circe’s clothing was torn from her form. She screamed, but could not move. Thunder and lightning tore at the sky and pelting rain and hail beat her. The eyes of Zeus flared with blue-white power, crackling like lightning.
“Now I pronounce your fate! You will be torn apart and devoured by the very animals you have made. All shall be male and all shall be boars! You have made hundreds and I fear that there is not enough of you to feed them all; therefore, I shall see to it that you shall grow enough flesh to feed each of them as they devour you. You shall live through it all until the last of them finishes and then and only then will I consign you to Lord Hades!” Zeus growled.
“No! Please!” Circe begged.
“Please?” The prime Olympian asked. “How often have your victims used that word and how often have you ignored it?”
The squeals started from far in the distance. The God smiled. They are coming for you, you, you had better run! Zeus said and it was as if he had commanded it, because Circe turned from the God and ran as fast as she could.
She ran into the forest dodging trees, slipping here and tripping there and ever closer the squeals and grunts came. Angry squeals and in those bestial sounds; Circe could swear she heard words. Angry words, the words a mob use before they stone a criminal to death.
Circe ran and came to a cliff at the edge of the forest that overlooked the sea. She thought to jump to the jagged rocks below and end her life before the justice of the God could reach her but before she could jump, Zeus appeared before her and laughed.
She froze, sweating, her heart pounding her body trembling. She soiled herself in fear. The squealing grew louder and the words became more distinct. “Kill her! Eat her! She will pay!” the bestial grunts and squeals said.
“Not so proud now, are you?” Zeus asked with a deadly edge to His voice. “Hera! Attend me NOW!” The God commanded and the Heavens shook with His rage.
The Goddess appeared as a flash of light that solidified at Her Husband’s side.
“See here, Your priestess!” Zeus gestured. “You have abused your prerogatives, My love and you shall pay for that in due time. For now, behold the handiwork of My wrath!”
Hera was horrified as the boars approached Her priestess. They did not run they stalked in; tusks of gleaming ivory sharp as any knife.
Slowly, the hundreds of boars surrounded Circe, sniffing, grunting and squealing. They pressed in and then all was silent.
Circe pleaded with Hera, “Save me!”
“Silence mortal. The next thing that shall issue from your blasphemous mouth shall be your screams of agony! Zeus thundered and a bolt of lightning struck Circe. It did not kill her, it did not burn her but it gave her exquisite agony.
You My love shall not aid her in any way, lest Your punishment be an eternity of what You are to witness in but a moment.”
Hera recoiled in horror.
“And oh!, You will witness it in every gory detail and after, as small part of your punishment for your disobedience to me, I shall see to it that Hephaestus crafts a device that shall replay this scene for you again and again; and you WILL watch it, each day for as many centuries as this putrid mortal has exercised her will on her fellow man! You will watch My love or I will find more painful punishment!”
As if all the beasts followed the same command, they fell upon Circe, tearing her flesh and devouring it with much smacking and squealing. Circe screamed in agony but did not die. Her flesh kept growing back as fast as it was devoured.
Zeus laughed. “They are very hungry and you must satisfy each of them completely before I consign you to the embrace of My brother Hades!”
Hera tried to turn away and a flash of lightning warned her. She watched as the pigs feasted on her beloved priestess. They ate well into the night and indeed for the next two and a half days until each of them were near to bursting and the screaming never ceased. Hera and Zeus stood vigil and watched the torturous death of the witch. When the last big had his fill and trotted away, Circe lay in the gore drenched mud. She was a mere half eaten torso with half a face. It was with a gasp that she died.
The ground swallowed her up and Zeus turned to His wife and thundered, “NEVER AGAIN! Never shall such disobedience to Me be tolerated!” Hera cringed. The mortal witch is well on her way to My Brother’s Realm! She shall never return and neither You nor any other being in the Cosmos shall deliver her from her punishment lest My anger be tenfold what I have shown here!”
With a wave of His hand, thunder echoed throughout the island. Those that had been changed were returned to their former shape and their memories of Circe and everything that had transpired after coming to her island were gone. Each of them found themselves on their ship before the wreck in whatever time they belonged but the difference was that Circe’s Island was no more.
Back on Circe’s Island Zeus said, “This place shall be swallowed by the sea. I consign it to Poseidon and ever shall it have been. The works of Your priestess are undone and never shall I permit you such lattitude again!”
With that, the island began to break apart, lightning struck the ground and the earth beneath the God’s feet began to sink.
“Come Hera, My Love,” Zeus purred, “We have matters to settle.”
With that, the Olympians vanished in a flash of lightning.