This is the story requested by Vic as his prize for winning my recent contest. The story breaks naturally into two parts so here is part one, part two will follow shortly! Enjoy :D


A Banquet for The Gods – A Fantasy Feasts Story
By
Edward Hyde


Part One: Party Preparations


“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Melanie observed in awe, looking up at the wood-effect effigy of a rearing horse, roughly twice life-size.

“Definitely!” Rowan agreed, walking round the beast and running her hand over its resin exterior, moulded and painted to appear like dark wood. “How does it work?”

“It’s very similar to the croc, honestly.” Melanie explained, signing the form to confirm that the item had been received and appeared to be in satisfactory condition, pending function testing of course. “Just bigger and upright rather than flat. Rowan had joined the company just two months earlier in a newly-created role of creative assistant and choreographer. Most of the meat Fantasy Feasts served at their parties was sourced from local theatre groups, stage schools, dance and gymnastic teams since, for their specific brand of catering, putting on a good performance was almost as important as tasting good! It had been through one of these theatre groups that Melanie had got to know Rowan who, although never wanting to volunteer, had always been very interested in the latest projects and sometimes had useful suggestions about set-pieces the characters could perform before cooking. Once she turned eighteen, Melanie had secured the funding and permission to bring her on board.

Although she did not actually run the company herself, not yet anyway, Melanie was in charge of all the prestige projects, those for the children of celebrities, politicians, and others colloquially known as “the great and the good”. Usually, for these parties, money was no object with the clients prepared to pay any price as long as she and her team delivered to the expected standard, something which Melanie had never failed to go above and beyond! As such, she had fostered relationships with companies that built theatrical sets, supplied Hollywood-quality movie props and created fully-themed immersive ride experiences for theme parks. Of course, once a custom prop had been built for a celebrity party, it then formed part of the Fantasy Feasts archive, meaning it could be used again and again with the result that their regular, low-budget parties benefitted too with many children from ordinary, middle-class backgrounds getting to enjoy experiences that had been created for the children of millionaires.

The current project was a little different. The guest of honour that this party was being built around, a nearly-eleven year old by the name of Nep, was not, as far as they had been informed at any rate, a celebrity in his own right nor related to anyone rich or famous. Instead, he had won a creative writing contest run by a national newspaper, aiming to promote child literacy and inspire a new generation of novelists. The brief had been broad but Nep’s story, published in the same newspaper which ran the contest as part of the prize then subsequently including in an anthology works by first-time authors, was a wild and creative tour-de-force drawing on folklore from around the world but woven together with humour and genuine heart in a style that many compared to Terry Pratchett. It was not incredibly surprising, therefore, when he had requested his party to be themed around the Trojan War but to take place before Zeus’s throne on Mount Olympus.

The party, arranged to coincide with his eleventh birthday, was not just for him and his immediate family but for his entire school class, their parents and an assortment of teachers, meaning that a good amount of meat would be required. The newspaper had managed to secure a lottery grant as well as arts council funding for the party, meaning that it had the biggest budget Melanie had worked with yet, enough to fund a mid-tier motion picture. An outdoor theatre built in the Greek style and often used for staging classical operas and plays by Shakespeare as well as interpretations of Greek and Roman plays, had been secured for the event giving Melanie and her team access not only to an ideal space but to a lot of the theatrical set-up including trap-doors and concealed entrances through which performers or pieces of equipment could appear and disappear as if by magic.

As the guest of honour, Nep himself would be taking the part of Zeus and, as such, was coming in that day for a costume fitting. The rest of his classmates would be provided with togas to wear and the adults, who would be sitting behind them, had been asked to wear black, following the classical theatrical styling whereby anyone in black was intended to be “ignored” by the audience as not part of the action. While the adults would get to partake in the feast, they would not be members of Zeus’s court like the children.

“We should get this out of the way before he arrives.” Melanie observed, eager to check out her new prop but even more keen not to spoil the surprise for the talented boy. The horse was on a wheeled platform which allowed it to be dragged easily. The electric cooking elements ran on powerful rechargeable batteries contained within the hind legs, charged via a port in the base, meaning that once charged, the elaborate piece of technology could be operated wirelessly. “We can check it out properly later. So,” she grinned at her younger co-worker, “are you planning on meeting him in costume?”

“Think I should?” Rowan giggled.

“I’d say so!” Melanie chuckled. “Give him a little idea of what he can look forward to on the day. Don’t want the poor lad having a heart-attack at his own birthday party, do we?” Rowan giggled and scampered off to get changed while Melanie arranged for the horse-oven to be moved into the warehouse along with the other props and set-pieces which had arrived so far. There were still a few pieces she was waiting for but the manufacturers had kept her well informed of progress and she had no doubts that they would arrive on time.

Twenty minutes later, Melanie was waiting in the welcoming reception room, decorated with some of the less frequently used pieces of set-dressing and taxidermied boys and girls of various ages serving as mannequins to display a variety of costumes. There were also large-scale, framed photographs on the wall showing some of their previous performers being cooked. Interspersed with the frames were three 65” television screens which showed the company’s various adverts, thankfully with the sound off, and footage recorded at some of their parties. Instrumental music which was mostly licensed arrangements of movie and TV theme tunes along with other songs and music associated with fantasy and fairy tales played softly in the background. To maintain the theming, the seats were all styled as tree-stumps or formations of rock, albeit far softer and more cushioned than the real thing, and the reception desk looked as if it were built from dry-stone walling with thick, rustic, wooden planks across the top as if it were the remains of a woodland cottage. The carpet was long and grass-green, the ceiling pale blue and painted with clouds. With her eye for theming, Melanie had been the one to over-see the decoration of this room when it had been decided it was time for some renovation and she was very happy with the results.

While she waited for Nep to arrive, Melanie leaned on the reception counter-top and chatted to her friend Jake who was currently manning the desk. Both were dressed in the uniform of the company, – red trousers, a white shirt and a yellow and a black and red striped waistcoat with the stylised monogram “FF” for “Fantasy Feasts” embroidered in gold on the chest and the full logo embroidered in the same gold thread across the back. Due to the warmth of the day, both had the top couple of buttons of their shirts undone although this looked far more provocative on Melanie than it did on Jake! The automatic doors hissed open and she looked over to see a thin, pale boy with dark hair cut fairly short with the fringe gelled back off his forehead and green eyes, sparkling with intelligence, which seemed to be trying to take everything in at once. He was dressed in a shirt black shirt with the Batman logo on and a pair of green cargo shorts stopping just above his knees. He wore one red sock and one yellow, rolled down above a pair of red Converse. The clothes were all nice quality and well-cared for but seemed to lack any particular coordination, giving the boy the air of someone who had more important things on his mind than choosing what to wear. He was accompanied by his mum who looked around in delight at the whimsically-decorated room.

“Hi!” Melanie grinned brightly, standing up and putting on her best customer-service manner. “You must be Nep!”

“Yeah.” The boy smiled politely, not seeming at all shy which was a nice relief for Melanie. “Nice to meet you.”

“Thanks!” she grinned back at him. “You too! Is this your mum?”

“Hello, yes.” the women emerged from behind her son to shake the caterer’s hand and the automatic doors hissed closed behind them. “I’m Caroline.”

“Welcome to our little world of delicious whimsy!” Melanie welcomed her with a friendly grin. “Jake, how about you make Caroline a coffee while I take Nep here for his costume fitting. That okay with you?” She asked the boy. He opened his mouth and he cheeks turned a little pink.

“Well, I…” His mum started to stammer before apparently doubting herself and stopping, only to start up again. “It’s just that…”

“Mum’s worried that if she lets me out of her sight here there’s gonna be some sort of mix-up and I’ll end up getting cooked!” He rolled his eyes. “Or that I’m, I dunno, gonna fall into a pan of boiling oil or something!” He gave Melanie a look that was both apologetic and pleading at the same time.

“Ooh I see!” Melanie fought back the urge to snort-laugh, thinking it would seem unprofessional and patronising. “I can assure you that we have never cooked anybody by accident. At least nobody we’ve ever served up has complained afterwards!” She smiled hopefully at the concerned-looking woman, praying for her joke to land. Nep’s mum did manage a weak smile. “But seriously,” she assured her, “we take health and safety very seriously here and, while we do have a kitchen on site for when we need to serve pre-cooked meat, and for preparing side-dishes, not only is it not in use today but we’re not going to be going anywhere near it today. The only place Nep is going is to the dressing room to try on his costume and have a makeup test.”

“Well okay.” She seemed to relax a little. “Have fun!” she smiled at her son. “Do what… sorry, I didn’t catch you name?” She looked at Melanie apologetically. The caterer supplied her name with a gracious smile. “Do what Melanie says!”

“I will, I promise!” Nep gave his mum an affectionate kiss on the cheek then followed Melanie out of the reception area. Unlike the plain, industrial corridors he had been expecting, Nep was surprised to see that a lot of the theming from the reception area carried on beyond.

“Just through here!” Melanie smiled, holding a door open for him and ushering him inside. Inside, Nep found himself in what looked like the back room of shops that sold wedding dresses like he had seen on TV. There were racks of costumes and a number of curtained cubicles along with a long, semi-circular sofa with a sort of stage in front of it, presumably so that the person there trying on costumes could show them off to their companions and the team for inspection. There were two other members of staff there in the same uniform as Melanie, a man in his mid-thirties and a woman who looked close to his grandmother’s age. There was a third stranger in the room too and when Nep saw her his mouth fell open. Teasingly, Melanie reached over and pushed his chin up with her finger. “Guess I should introduce you.” She grinned. “This is Karen, our hair and makeup artist,” the older woman waved, “Paul who is here to help you changing in and out of your costume if you need it and finally,” she turned to the third person who Nep had not taken his eyes off since spotting her, “this is Rowan. She will be playing Hera, your wife, at the party so she will be sat beside you and can help with the flow of the drama if you need it.”

“Hope you approve?” the eighteen year old asked with a sly smile. Nep nodded mutely. Rowan’s costume consisted of a sheer toga, trimmed with ornate gold ribbon, fastened with a beautiful golden broach at her right shoulder and leaving her left breast completely exposed. The thin white fabric which contrasted beautifully with her olive skin fell over her left hip, leaving her right hip and thigh uncovered, making it very clear that she was not wearing any underwear. The dark nipple of her covered breast was clearly visible through the fabric which it pushed against, stimulated by the gossamer covering which rubbed against it. On her feet she wore gold sandals with straps that criss-crossed up to just below her knees and her arms were adorned with gold bracelets and beautifully elaborate armlets wrapped around her upper arms. She wore dark lipstick and eye-shadow which accentuated the almond shape of her eyes that were such dark brown they were almost black and gold clasps held her thick, dark curly hair away from her face. As a final touch, a golden necklace hung around her neck, the amulet with a traditional depiction of Hera which hung from it resting against her breast-bone. “Well?” she asked teasingly, having allowed enough time for Nep’s eyes to work their way all the way down her body and back up to her face. “Do you approve? Okay with the idea of me sitting by your side at your party?”

“Um, yeah!” the boy replied awkwardly. “Yeah, very much! Sorry, you were…?”

“Rowan.” She smiled, giving a little curtsey.

“Rowan.” Nep repeated with a smile, trying to get his thoughts and body back under control. “I’m Nep.” He held out his hand for her to shake.

“Oh come now,” Rowan shook her head in amusement. “I think we can do better than that! You’re my husband after all!”

“Not yet, he’s not!” Melanie reminded her colleague with a giggle. “He’s got to get the beard on first!”

“Well then, let’s consider this practice!” Rowan winked at Nep before taking his outstretched hand but, rather than shaking it, used it to pull him towards her. The surprised boy stumbled forward and, quick as a flash, she let go of his hand and caught him in her arms, pulling him in tightly against her barely-concealed body, then kissed him deeply. Nep’s eyes went wide as he felt the older girl’s tongue in his mouth but, as the kiss went on, he managed to relax and enjoy it. “There!” Rowan smiled kindly, stepping back once the kiss reached its natural conclusion. “I’d say that’s the ice well and truly broken! Now you’ll just be able to relax and enjoy your party and I’ll be there to help you out if you need a little guidance. Although I hear you’re pretty good at improv yourself?”

“Yeah!” Neb nodded, smiling. “I love doing plays at school, or comedy shows at the end of term.”

To be continued...