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Plaything of the Gods Ch. 01

By: Loveslust



Note to reader:

This is my first attempt at writing an erotic story. I've written this for myself first, but then decided to share it with all of you to see how you react. The storyline is quite long, so if you're looking for a quickie, don't read on. It is set in a fictional world resembling Ancient Greece. If you like it, please say so. If you dislike certain aspects, please say so. All constructive criticism is welcome. If you dislike it, don't read on. If all of you dislike it, I will know I should not do this again. So... enjoy!

PS: I would like to thank mrsmotis for proofreading.

**************

Chapter 1. Intro.

Just a few more miles. My armor felt heavier then it ever had before, but to rid myself of it would bring unbearable shame. I was grateful that my general had commanded me to leave my shield behind, because otherwise I would have succumbed to the weight of my gear long ago. 

It couldn't be much further now. My feet were numb and full of blisters, my legs were killing me and my back ached. Somehow, my head hurt too. The thrill of the fight and the fear of pursuit had given me strength for the first few miles of this journey. Now that I was at a safe distance from the battle and I was sure nobody was following me, I had to pay the price for my outburst of speed earlier. 

Just a few more steps and I would be there. I refused to halt to look at the wound on my arm. Yes, it had not stopped bleeding and it hurt like hell when my armor moved over the wound at every step, but it was not lethal. So, I kept running. 

Just a few more miles. I kept saying it to myself over and over again. As long as I could focus on where I as going, I could continue running. My Brothers depended on me. 

Just a few more miles. I was nearly there, just a few more. The temple couldn't be far off now...

**************

It was meant to be an easy scouting mission. There had been rumors of lawless, godless barbarians in the mountains surrounding Thebe, so my Brothers and I were chosen to investigate. Bands of bandits or barbarians usually consisted of no more then a handful of men, so 20 well-trained warriors would have no trouble of driving them away; finding them would most likely be the biggest problem. 

We had started off good-humored and well-prepared, eager for a mission, for a chance to prove ourselves as true warriors in the God's name. If the scout hadn't cried out before he was killed by an arrow, then we would probably have walked right into their trap in the middle of the forest. 

Even though we managed to escape from the ambush by forming a battle formation and ferociously attacking the barbarians that crept up from behind us, we were still surrounded by enemies. We had shown that we were enemies to be reckoned with, and the barbarians had not dared to directly attack us again. Instead, they shot their arrows at anyone they could hit. We had no idea how many they were, but it was clear they outnumbered us vastly. A direct attack to an unknown, hidden enemy would have been suicide.  

Our leader, General Demostrate, decided that a runner should go and send for help as quickly as possible. He had appointed me for the task. I did not want to flee or leave my Brothers behind, but I knew it was an honor: leaving the protection of the improvised barricade we had made was far more dangerous than staying. I took with me only my basic pack and a hastily scribbled letter for the priest-commander in Thebe. My destination was a temple in the vicinity of the mountains, from where I could send a messenger bird to Thebe. 

I had run past our barricade, hoping to find cover from arrows and enemies in the forest surrounding us. The plan had only half worked: They didn't suspect anyone would be foolish enough to leave the cover of the barricade, so their arrows were too late as I ran for the forest. I ran straight into three enemies, though. 

I managed to kill the first archer as he was too slow to drop his bow and get out his short sword before I was near him. A quick thrust from my sword silenced his scream. By the time I withdrew my blade from his body, however, the other two faced me with their swords drawn. I was at a disadvantage: I was used to fighting with a sword and shield or with shield and spear, and now carried only one sword with me. I managed to block the initial attack from both the bandits with my sword, but I knew I could not keep this up for long.

I sidestepped a blow from one of them saw the other had left his side open for an attack. I swirled around and attacked him. I managed to get out my knife and sink it in the throat of my attacker, but I could not defend myself from the blow of the second warrior. In an animalistic instinct, I somehow managed to move the twisting body of the first attacker between us to deflect his blow. My move prevented him from gutting me like a pig, but I still received a nasty slash on my upper arm. My knife still stuck out his throat as I dropped the first attacker, and with a few ferocious slashes of my sword, I broke trough the defense of the second one and ended his life with a thrust trough his chest. 

I immediately ran away again, only swooping down to retrieve my knife from the throat of the archer before running on. I ran straight through the forest in the direction the general had pointed until I found a road. Hoping the road would indeed take me to the temple, I was still following that road. I had not stopped, except for a very quick pause. I had checked the wound on my arm, used a piece of cloth to quickly bind the wound, dumped my helm in my pack and drank a few gulps of water. Then I emptied the water skin over my head and neck in an attempt to cool me down before I set off again, while around me the burning sun shone bright from the sky.

**************

Just a few more miles. I knew that if the temple was not visible behind the next ridge, I had taken the wrong road, and I would never be in time to send for help. If I would have had enough energy for coherent thoughts I would have prayed to the Gods for help, but the exercise and the heat prevented me from thinking. 

I knew I had to be close now. The temple had to be visible after this ridge. The top of the ridge only showed me where the next ridge was. I slowed down at the next ridge. From over here, I could clearly see the valley and the plains beyond them. 

For a moment, I despaired. Then, I spotted it. There was something at the end of the valley, a man-made structure, just off the side of the road.

As I ran towards it, I could see more and more of the structure. It was an impressive building, large enough to house at least a hundred people. A row of columns decorated the front, and several smaller buildings stood nearby. Field of grain surrounded the temple, and I could see several people working in the field. 

As I ran towards the main structure, I knew I had almost reached my destination. Just a few more steps and I would be there. I ran past several statues and up the stairs leading up to the main building. A woman standing nearby shouted something at me. I burst trough the open door. 

The cool shade of the temple overwhelmed me. It felt like diving into ice cold water. A woman suddenly appeared in front of me and said something to me, but her words were complete gibberish to me. I tried to focus on what she was saying, but as I did so I suddenly realized my legs simply refused to carry my weight anymore now I had stopped running. I wondered why my feet would no longer support me, before I somehow hit the ground and thought no more. 

**************

I woke up, and felt dizzy. I realized there was something I should do, but for a moment, I couldn't remember what that was. I suddenly realized I still had to reach the temple and warn Thebe of the attack. I tried to sit upright, but some pressure on my chest pushed me firmly down on some soft surface. I tried it again, and the pressure pushed me down again. 

I decided to open my eyes to see what was pushing me down. My eyes told me I was in a bed, and that the pressure had been caused by a hand. The hand belonged to an elderly woman, who was watching me with a look of concern on her face. I looked at her, and then I started yelling.

"I need to get up now! My Brothers are in danger. I need to send a message to Thebe to tell the priest-commander what happened. They need help right now!" As I drew in another breath to continue my rant, the woman intervened.

"You will go nowhere. With the blood you've lost, you should be happy to be alive"

"-but my Brothers" I cut in.

"The message has been sent, if that is what you mean. Now, you will need to stop shouting and calm down."

Her stern voice left no room for argument. I drew in a few breaths, hoping to calm myself. It took a while before I could talk again.

"You sent the message to Thebe?"

She nodded. 

"Yes, we've found the scroll in your pack. I've heard someone took a messenger dove and sent it to Thebe. That's all I know. I've been busy keeping you alive, if you don't mind."

I sank back into the pillows, somewhat reassured. I tried to rearrange my thoughts as I looked down the room.

I had obviously arrived at the temple, though I was in a small room, probably the infirmary. The people of the temple had found my message and sent it on to Thebe. That was the most I could do for my Brothers now. Still, that did not explain what happened between my arrival and here.

"You said I suffered from blood loss." I said to the older woman.

"Yes. You lost quite a lot of blood, and you've exhausted yourself in the middle of the day. You should know better that to run for miles with no protection from the sun, or with full armor on. You were so hot I could have sworn you had a fever when you arrived here, but you quickly cooled down."

Her voice was stern, but I did not see what I had done wrong. There had been no shade on most of the road, and if I had slowed down and waited till the hottest part of the day was over, the chances for my Brothers would only diminish. I told her so.

"I could not have done otherwise. My Brothers depended on me."

"You could have taken off the armor you were carrying, or at least lose the helmet you had in your pack. And while you stopped, you could have at least tried to bandage your arm better. And don't tell me you couldn't have stopped even for a few minutes. If you had fainted in the middle of the road, no one would have found you for a long time."

I suddenly felt small under her stern gaze. I still refused to believe I made a mistake.

"I can't throw away my armor. I would dishonor my entire warband"

She snorted. 

"Men."

She paused for a while and then looked at me. Then she continued. 

"You are one of Ares' lot, are you not?"

I had to smile despite myself. So, she had seen the armor and immediately decided that I was a mindless brawler, just like any other men. A small part of my mind had to admit I hadn't given her much reason to believe otherwise. I tried to be more formal as I spoke to her.

"Yes. I am Michael, servant of Ares. I am a warrior in Thebe, under General Demostrate, under the priest-commander Zeuxis of Thebe."

She smiled. 

"Greetings, Michael. I am Charé, servant of Aphrodite. We do not have the hierarchy of those who follow Ares, but high priestess Leda rules in this temple."

I was surprised. 

"Aphrodite? I thought you served Demeter."

The old woman laughed. 

"Don't you know whose temple you stormed in?"

I shook my head. 

"I didn't mean to be rude, and I do mean to pay my respects to the Gods of the temple. But when my orders to go here were given, my general never told me whose temple it was. I had assumed it would be Demeter, since I saw grain fields and a fertility statue outside."

The old woman shook her head. 

"We use the grain fields to provide for ourselves, though we give thanks to Demeter, of course. The Goddess of grain rules over the fertility of the land. The statues you saw are in honor to Aphrodite. Remember that your fertility is her domain, if you ever grow old enough to think about offspring instead of war."

I immediately thought of everything I knew about Aphrodite and her followers. I knew she was Goddess of love, beauty and fertility. I had heard all of her followers were female, but that they kept to themselves. Most of the stories I knew about servants of Aphrodite were the stories the older warriors of Ares told about brothels in the city, but I never knew how much of them were true. The stories usually told that the servants of Aphrodite were extremely beautiful but very hard to court, and more than a few older warriors boasted to have slept with one. I didn't knew which stories to believe, because I suspected a great deal of their stories were dramatized or just false bragging.

While I lay there thinking, Charé stood up, and returned to my bed with a bowl soup she had kept over the small fire. She ordered me to sit straight, and gave me the bowl. It was food for sick people, watery and easy to stomach while being filled with vegetables and small chunks of meat. It still tasted good enough, and I was hungry. I ate a second bowl too, which pleased Charé. She said my appetite was a sign that my health was returning, and seemed content.

She inspected the wound on my arm. It was long but not very deep, and the bleeding had washed the wound clean. She told me that I would have no lasting damage from my foolish trip, but that I might pride myself on a new scar later. I asked her if that meant I could get out of bed and try to find more information about what happened to my Brothers, but she clearly refused. She told me she would go and see if there was more information, but that I should try to sleep and regain my strength.

I lay down for a while, but sleep did not come easily. I worried about my Brothers. 

Just like everyone, I left my parent's home and was presented to the Gods at age 14. In the official ceremony, Ares claimed dominion over me, and I served. Along with the other boys chosen by the God of War, we were initiated in the name of Ares. Though I survived the initiation, I still had to train for four years until I could claim to be a warrior. 

Ever since my initiation, I had been with my Brothers. We had trained together, ate together, we slept in the same room and if anyone had to be punished, all his Brothers would be too. Thus the famous bands of Brothers of Ares are created. A warband of Brothers is always loyal and always ready to serve the call of war. 

After the four years of hardship and training, we had been a true band of Brothers for little over a year. Though each member of a band was now supposed to be an individual and supposed to be able to care for himself, there have been few times in the last five years when I was not constantly surrounded by the warband. I wondered how many of my Brothers had survived. I know at least one of my Brothers was already dead. The scout we had with us had been Artemis' servant, but I knew Akakios had died in our original clash with the barbarians, and my good friend Eustatios had been pierced in the arm by an arrow that managed to slip through our wall of shields while we tried to build a barricade. I thought at least one other had been wounded by a stray arrow just before I left, but I wasn't certain who. 

I prayed to Ares to keep them safe and hoped Eustatios would be all right. I sent a silent prayer to Aphrodite too, thanking her for the hospitality of the temple. Then, just to be sure, I prayed for a kind fate for my Brothers to Zeus. I knew the quick prayers didn't have as much weight as a proper prayer performed in a temple, but it was the best I could do for now. 

I stubbornly ignored my worry for Eustatios and the memory of Akakios' scream as he died. After fighting off an image of the young man I had killed, I finally dozed off.

**************

I awoke immediately when Charé entered the room. I didn't know how long I had slept, but as it was early morning, I knew I must have finally managed to sleep trough the night, though dreams of death had haunted me. Charé smiled reassuringly as she saw my startled face, and brought with her a plate of food.

"Is there any news of my Brothers?" I blurred out.

"Good day to you to, servant of Ares. I hope you slept well" Charé answered.

"A good day to you too, servant of Aphrodite. Excuse my manners, but I am rather worried about the fate of the other warriors. I didn't mean to offend you or the hospitality of your temple."

"I took no offense. Better, I have news for you. A letter arrived, saying that men have arrived at the sight your message described and rescued your precious Brothers. It says that there are still some skirmishes, and that even more men are on their way. The letter tells you to rejoin your band when you are ready."

I nodded. 

"I will join them soon, then. I will not need to rely upon your hospitality for much longer."

As I wanted to get out of bed to join my words with action, the old lady pushed my back. 

"You will rely on the hospitality of our temple for a while longer. Aphrodite offers it. Eat this, and then I decide if you're fit enough to travel."

I obeyed her, knowing it unwise to disrespect the hospitality of a Goddess. After I ate the hearty bread and cheese she gave me, she checked my pulse, told me to do several simple exercises and refreshed the bandage on my arm. She still disapproved of the idea of travelling, but since my health returned quickly she did not see how she could refuse my wish to pay my respect to Aphrodite. 

I left the room and followed her instructions to the main hall of the temple.

As I had already expected, the room I had slept in wasn't part of the main temple and the buildings that were connected with it. It was just a small house, built next to it when the population of the temple had grown. 

I blinked in the sun as I stepped outside, and the burning feeling in my skin told me my trek in the middle of the day had damaged my skin more then I had realized. Trying to keep to the shade, I evaded the few women working in the fields as I went to the main temple. I walked up the stairs, and said the formal words of greeting to Aphrodite as I entered the temple. 

The main hall was empty at this time of day, and I walked in without having to explain myself. The temple was large, with decorated walls and ceiling. There were several doors on the sides, which I knew led to the quarters of those who served Aphrodite. There was a big statue of Aphrodite on a large platform near the other end of the main hall, and I suspected the door behind it led to the quarters of the highest priests of the temple. 

I ascended to the platform and knelt before the statue of Aphrodite. The marble statue depicted Aphrodite in a pose with her arms spread wide, a welcoming gesture. She was naked except for several pieces of jewelry, and I knew the large breasts and the fruits she bore in her hands symbolized fertility. 

I appreciated the statue for a minute, recognizing skilled craft and attention to detail, and then burned a small offering of fruits in the fire before her, while thanking her for the hospitality she had offered and excused myself for entering her temple uninvited earlier. I then wished her and her followers well, and promised I would offer more to her when I was home and could afford more. I finished my prayer by a general praying to all Gods, as is tradition. As I had used their offering instead of bringing my own, I left a good amount of the coins I had taken from my pack for the servants of the temple. 

When I turned around to leave, I saw a young woman of about my age watching me. She stood near one of the doors on the side of the temple, and had obviously waited for me to finish my prayer. As she saw that I had noticed she was there, she quickly walked up to me.


Plaything of the Gods Ch. 01



I had to admit not all of the stories the older warriors told were lies. She was beautiful. She had dark blonde, slightly curly hair that fell past her shoulders, blue eyes and a small smile on her lips. Her dress looked comfortable and simple, but managed to accentuate her slender form and ample bust without being indecent. She made a small bow to convey friendliness, and then spoke in a clear voice.

"High priestess Leda has heard of your desire to leave. She regrets this and says the temple would invite you to stay longer, but she knows your duties call you. She says, however, that Aphrodite would seem a bad hostess if you did not stay a little longer. She urges you to at least take a bath and another meal in our temple, so you can depart when the hottest part of the day is over."

Though she conveyed the words of her high priestess, there was a hint of eagerness in her voice, and her eyes inspected me thoroughly while she spoke. I knew I could not refuse her offer without insulting Aphrodite, and so quickly agreed with it. I suddenly realizing I had not bathed or shaved for a while and I had worn these spare clothes since I woke yesterday. I suddenly felt embarrassed when I asked her where I could find the baths. 

A smile was still on her lips as she told me she'd take me to them. I followed her through the side door, feeling slightly embarrassed and out of place in the presence of such a beautiful woman. My companion was rather talkative as she led me to the baths. 

She told me they rarely had visitors here. Not many people came, only a few traders moved trough the mountains. No servant of Ares has been seen in this region for a long time. I tried to make conversation as I asked how many people served Aphrodite in this temple, and she told me nearly fifty served under high priestess Leda. As we neared the baths, she told me they had a hot spring nearby, and several pipes led the water to here, so they didn't need to waste fire for a hot bath. The hot spring and fertile grounds surrounding it was probably the reason a temple had been founded this far into the mountains. 

I knew she would have told me more if we hadn't reached our destination. She told me I could use the water, soap and towel, and to call if I needed anything. She looked right at me when she said that, and I was relieved when I closed the door behind me, for her beauty and gaze made me uncomfortable. 

There were actually several pools of warm water in the baths, allowing multiple people to wash at once, but I was the only one there at the moment. I took off my dirty clothes and eased myself in one of the pools. I chose one that was comfortably warm, yet not so warm it would hurt my burnt skin. 

I immediately relaxed in the warm, soothing water, and for a moment discarded my worries. I quickly cleaned the worst dirt off my body with the soap, and could not resist just relaxing in the warm water for a while. While I lay there, the worries of the world outside seem to lessen for a moment and even the death of Akakios and my worry for the rest of my Brothers didn't seem so sharp and urgent while lying there. I was almost afraid I would doze off, when I suddenly snapped awake.

The bright water had turned black. As I hurriedly climbed out of the water, I fanatically started looking for the source of the pollution. The pollution didn't come from the water supply of pool: it was currently shut off. The pollution came from me. A dark fluid seemed to drip down my arms; it covered my chest and dripped down my legs. 

I watched in horror, and after I didn't wake up from slapping myself rather painfully in the face, I new I had offended some God to deserve this punishment. I fanatically prayed to Aphrodite for forgiveness for whatever offense I had given her, while the dark fluid seemed to come from every part of my skin. 

I heard the voice of the girl who brought me to the baths, asking if I needed anything. I didn't answer, but instead decided to cower away, afraid to be seen like this. The girl entered, looked at the naked young man in the corner of the room, and then ran off. 

I didn't know where she went, but tried to use the towel to clear away the liquid. It helped somewhat, as I tried to think what I should do. I never heard stories of the God punishing a man like this, but I knew there was no other explanation. I wanted to run away, but I knew that as a servant of Ares I could never live with the shame. I used the towel to clean my face and part of my chest from the liquid, when Charé entered. 

She looked at me as if she saw me for the first time, and then sternly told me to take the towel and follow her. I wrapped it around myself, knowing I left footprints of black water behind me. I noticed, too, that more liquid seemed to ooze from the wound on my arm then from the rest of my body. 

Charé set a fast pace, and I silently followed her trough the corridors. She somehow knew what to do with me, and I wondered if I would be killed in the main hall to clean the temple from my bad influence. She led me to a small room next to the main hall, however, and looked at me.

"You are a servant of Ares, are you not?"

"Yes, but I never, I don't know..." I stuttered.

"The Goddess Aphrodite asks for your service. You will be initiated." She told me. 

Her face was avoided of emotion, but I heard in her voice even she struggled to say those words. I looked at her with a blank look.

"That's impossible. I'm sworn to Ares." 

I lifted my right forearm to prove it. The symbol with the crossed swords was branded into my flesh after the initiation into his ranks. I was his, to serve him for a lifetime. Only a priest-commander could expel someone if Ares ordered so, and to be expelled from the service of your God was the worst thing that could happen to a man, the ultimate punishment. 

The old woman nodded to my words.

"Our high priestess foresaw such a thing, even if she didn't understand it then. The cleansing of your body is the indication the message she received from Aphrodite is correct. You are to be initiated."

"I don't understand. I cannot belong to two Gods."

The woman sighed. 

"I don't understand it either. If someone is initiated into the service of Aphrodite, she uses her powers to cleanse their body. I saw the same liquid be drained from my body before my initiation, and yet... something strange is going on. The high priestess has been restless ever since you arrived, and predicted something would happen. She says you are to be initiated, and I think you have no choice but to obey the command of the Goddess."

I nodded. The highest priest of a temple had a more direct connection to the God they served then other mortals. If they voiced the will of their Gods, their words were laws. 

"This... liquid. It is not a curse?"

"No. It is Aphrodite's way of cleansing your body. Use the towel to wipe it off, and then put on this."

She pointed at a pair of folded clothes, and then turned around to leave the room. I almost yelled.

"Wait! Can't you tell me more of this? What happens?"

She shook her head. 

"You know every initiation is secret. I can't talk to you about it. You must wear the ceremonial cloth, and then wait until you are summoned for the ritual.

"I thought only women could serve Aphrodite"

"No, sometimes she calls on men too, but this is rare. This entire situation is very rare, possibly unique. Try to clear your head and master yourself for the ceremony. I cannot say more."

With that, Charé left. I used the towel to clean all of the liquid. Somehow, I could now easily wipe it off me with the towel. Where I whipped the liquid off, my skin seemed as new. The skin that had been exposed to the sun was no longer red and painful, but it was now pink and whole. The wound on my arm had oozed more of the black fluid then the rest of my body, but it was now only a thin line. I looked at it, and realized it would probably not even leave a scar. I inspected an old scar on my wrist where I had cut myself when training with a sharp sword many years ago. The scar was still there, but it had faded. The black liquid healed as well as cleansed, apparently. I didn't know what the cleansing of the body meant, but I felt it had to do with more then just healing my wounds. 

I decided to think on it later, and inspected the clothes Charé had pointed at. The ceremonial cloth appeared to be simple underclothes and a soft dress. The dress was simple in form, yet richly decorated with gold. I had seen priests wear dresses like this at certain ceremonies, and I knew the warriors of Ares would laugh to see me in it. Still, I put it on. 

The room seems to be used only for situations like this, bare except for several tapestries on the wall and candles in the corners of the room. I sat down on the carpet in the middle of the room and waited there, facing the door. I waited, my mind wandering at what would happen to me.

**************

After I had been picked by Ares to be his servant, I was brought along with all the other boys that had been picked that year, and we were prepared for the initiation. We were separated and I was shaved bald, washed and then put to wait in a room like this. 

When my name was called, I was lead to a great hall, the main temple of Ares in Thebe. There, before a statue of the God of War, I had to battle another recruit. Protected by nothing more then a loincloth and some bindings wrapped around my hands, I had entered the first real battle of my life. 

The boy I was fighting was just slightly older but a lot bigger then me. He looked stronger, but I had often wrestled with my two brothers when I lived with my parents. I knew how to hurt someone, how to pin someone down and immobilize someone. I receive several nasty punches and kicks while I tried to fight him, so instead, I tried to close the distance between us and wrestle him. I used every trick I knew on the bigger boy, but he used the difference in weight between us effectively. 

I finally managed to get him down and twisted his arm so he couldn't move. I knew he couldn't escape from the hold and told him to surrender. Fired up by the heat of the battle, he moved anyway. Even as I felt his arm leave its socket, he was freed from the hold and I saw his other fist connected with my face. 

I clearly remembered the pure hatred in his eyes as he used his arm to beat me. I knew he would have beaten me senseless if he could have used his other arm to pin me down. But his shoulder was dislocated, and even though he still tried to use his arm, I could use my greater flexibility to avoid his merciless blows for one second, and then kick him. I now attacked him with my nails, teeth, elbows, fists, knees and feet, hitting him wherever I could until I somehow managed to come out on top. 

For one moment I thought he knew I had won and slackened my grip on him to claim my victory. It was all he needed to aim a punch at my face with his functioning hand. 

His hit should have knocked me out, but it didn't. Instead, it pushed me over the edge. I had never decided to kill him. I had only tried to pin him down and to have him surrender. He probably knew better than I that there was no surrender in that arena. As his one blow hit my face, all my thoughts were gone. I only wanted to hit him with all the strength my young body had. 

The warriors watching the initiation had to drag me off him. If one of the two initiates surrendered, he would then be ceremonially killed with a sword by his victor. I never got a chance to do that. I only stopped resisting the warriors that dragged me away from the arena when I realized they had dragged me off a dead body. I had smashed in his skull.

**************

I turned my thoughts away from the initiation and calmed myself. Patience was a virtue every warrior had to learn. It was taught during training and trough guard duties, and soon enough I had cleared my head and stared at the door. Still, I did not completely relax, and immediately sprung to my feet once the door opened. 

The initiation had begun. 



Plaything of the Gods Ch. 02



CH2. The initiation.

The door to the main hall was open. I entered. 

Women were seated in the main hall of the temple. They sat on comfortable pillows on the floor of the main hall, and their heads turned in my direction when I entered. A quick glance told me there were more then forty, so probably all inhabitants of the temple had turned up to see my initiation. 

I turned my attention to the stage. By the way it was lit with candles I knew that the initiation would take place there. I walked up to the stage and ascended it, ignoring the women looking at me. I stood in the middle of the stage, facing the statue of Aphrodite, and waited. 

I heard music, and knew that several of the women had musical instruments. I heard at least two drums and a harp, but decided not to look back to the women, but straight ahead to the statue. The drums reminded me for a moment of the war drums that were played during my initiation into Ares' service, but then set that thought aside. The tune they played had some importance, but it was nothing like the ferocious beating of the war drums. Their tune gradually increased, however, the musicians playing faster and louder. The music rose to a crescendo, and as their pace became nerve-wrecking. I decided that I should not be afraid. I held my head up high as the drums set a feverish beat. At last, with a final bang on the drums, the music stopped and the door behind the statue opened.

High priestess Leda entered and walked up to the stage. She was several years older then me, perhaps more then ten, and yet her beauty was breath-taking and somewhat otherworldly. She was tall, her skin slightly darkened, her figure slender yet round like a mature woman. Her hair was dark brown and long, stopping just above her hips. She wore a white, thin dress, which did nothing to cover her nakedness. The dress only put more emphasis on her huge breasts, her erect nipples clearly visible trough them. She wore a necklace of blue stones, and I immediately recognized it: it was identical to the one the statue of Aphrodite wore. 

She walked up to me until she was but a few feet away. She was slightly taller then me, and I was not that short myself. Then she spoke.

"Aphrodite, immortal Goddess of Love, bringer of Lust, She whose beauty is unmatched, the bringer of children, Goddess of Fertility and Joy, calls. Who answers?"

"I, Michael of Thebe present myself before her." I knelt before the high priestess.

"Will you serve your Goddess with all the skill and passion you posses, will you follow her call as your command, obey her words as your laws. Will you do everything in your power to please her, in every aspect of your life, so that She may call you her loyal servant?"

"I will."

"Then rise, Michael of Thebe."

The words had not been so different from the ones spoken in my pledge to Ares. I rose to stand on my feet. I looked into the eyes of the high priestess. Her gaze was piercing, as if she tried to look into me, but I dared not lower my eyes.

"Close your eyes and clear your mind, Michael of Thebe, and let me see what you offer."

I closed my eyes and tried to think of nothing. It was not easy: even with my eyes closed, I was strangely fascinated with the woman before me. She was the embodiment of sex, somehow more female then any other woman I had ever seen. Her age did not diminish her beauty, as if the faint lines on her face only underlined her features. And somehow, her beauty was scary.

I knew she studied me in a way no one ever studied me before, and then she spoke again.

"I sense lust." Several women in the crowd behind me softly laughed as she put much emphasis on the word.

"I sense desire. A strong desire." More giggling sounded from behind me. 

"There is not only a desire of the flesh, however. No, you have a strong desire to prove yourself."

I guessed that this public display was meant as a test, the reaction of the crowd showing how I was valued. I decided I could take it. A man of Ares never runs away from a challenge. Still, it was uncomfortable to be judged like this, amidst a group of strangers.

"Pride, yes, you have some too. It is only a thin mask, however. You don't yet know your true potential. You are still influential. But there is a lot of potential in you."

Approving sounds from the crowd, and some giggling. I knew she was truly judging me, and could really see some of my qualities. There was power in her voice, but something else too, as if she was telling the women behind me a joke I didn't knew.

"You can do great things, but this is not all I sense. There is uncertainty, doubt. You don't know your place yet, but you'll need to find it soon. And there is fear, too. He who wears himself as a great warrior is not beyond fear, even as he is surrounded purely by women."

The laughing sounded different this time, perhaps even crueler. I suddenly knew where the fear she described came from: I was not in command here. I might be a warrior and physically stronger than any one of them, but I was to be judged. The audience was my jury. My fate was in their hands, while during my initiation to Ares my own skills had decided my fate. I didn't like my own observation, but I knew it to be true.

"You are compassionate, kind. A bit naïve, too, but true of heart. Aphrodite values that. She has no place in her temple for people without the ability to love. If one cannot love, one is dead to the Goddess. However, being able to love means you're responsible for your actions to those you love, and those that love you. Disregard your responsibilities, and face the Goddess's wrath." 

The crowd had become quiet. The high priestess was silent for a time before speaking again.

"Lastly, I sense shame. We need to cure you from that, for Aphrodite has no need for shame, and shame has no purpose when one serves the Goddess. We will soon find the reason for your shame, and we will try to cure you from it. Now, remove your clothes!"

It was a command. I loosened the dress, and it slid easily off my shoulders. I looked into her eyes, and her smile suddenly became triumphant.

"All of them."

My cheeks burned and the girls laughed as I slid down the shorts I wore. I tried to stand up straight again but my position was awkward. I did not want to admit to be so ashamed as to cover my private parts up completely again, but still could not help myself from holding my arms so that they half-obscured my nakedness. 

The high priestess softly laughed too, but her tone did not contain any trace of viciousness. Then, she slowly walked around me. I held my head up high and stared into the distance. I tried to look at nothing, but I knew my cheeks were red with blood. The high priestess continued to judge me.

"Strong shoulders, yes. You have a good, slim belly and a firm chest. You trained and shaped your body well, warrior." Her slender fingers lightly touched the body she described, and it took me an effort of will not to move away from her touch. I tried to look forward.

"Your back is strong but oddly tight, warrior. You are not stressed, are you?"

Another tease for the crowd. She suddenly firmly touched my ass. This time, I could not help but move from her touch. She laughed again and then stood very close to me. She talked softly in my ear, her voice just loud enough for the other women to hear.

"You have a desirable body, young man, but you need to learn how to show it. You'll need to learn to use it."

She took a step away from me, and then completed her circle around me. My breath left me for a moment: while I had my back turned to her, she had silently slipped out of the thin dress she wore. She was now naked except for her necklace. 

She bore her naked body with pride, as if to show me how it should be done. She pushed her shoulders backwards to openly display her large breasts. She slightly shook her hips to draw more attention to her folds, a line of dark hair above it. She slowly and sensually liked her red lips, as she saw how I could not help but take her figure in with my eyes. Then, her hand moved forwards and slipped between my arms. She took my erection in her hand as she continued to look into my eyes.

"Why are you ashamed, when you have got good equipment down here?" She asked. Her slender fingers ran down its length.

"You obviously find my body entertaining. Yet you are still so tense and reluctant when I invite you. Could it be?" She smiled as she interpreted my silence. 

"Yes, it is! You are unskilled, untrained, unknowing in the ways of the body!"

I finally cast down my eyes, the women of the crowd loudly enjoying my humiliation. Leda didn't tease me with my lack of experience anymore, however, and moved her warm body closer to me. The hand she held on my erection slowly and skillfully moved up and down. The soft skin of her breasts lightly touched my chest, as her sensual lips moved to my ear.

"Do not be ashamed, my initiate. I will rid you of your fears; I will cure you of your shame. You are chosen by Aphrodite, and servants of the Goddess of lust are not ashamed, nor unknowing."

She pressed her lips to mine, and somehow my fears disappeared. She did not think less of me because of my inexperience, and she would guide me. I knew several women were yelling or whistling, but she held my focus now. She guided my tongue with hers as I returned the kiss, and I slowly touched her back and the side of her round ass as her hand teased my erection. Her other hand found mine and softly put it on her breast, encouraging me to fondle her soft flesh, my fingers touching her erect nipple. 

She somehow managed not to let our lips part as she lowered us down, until I lay on my back and the floor as she sat on top of me. She ran her hands over my body, as I did the same to her. Her entrance touched my cock as she softly rocked her hips back and forth again. 

She finally broke the kiss and she smiled at me fondly. A look of question was in her eye, a nod from me followed. She gave me at least a tiny bit of an illusion of control. She lifted her hips and used her hand to direct me towards the entrance of her folds. She lowered herself down, her warm pussy welcoming me as I entered a woman for the first time.

She was in full control as she moved her hips up and down, her hands on my belly for support. At first, only the head entered her, but as she slowly moved her hips, more and more of me entered her. She softly breathed out as most of my cock was inside her, apparently content, and then started to move her hips again. Without further instructions, I began moving my hips too, moving slowly and in the same rhythm as she. We found a nice rhythm together, and as I slowly began to breathe deeper I heard her breathing increasing too, a soft moan on her lips. 

She leaned forwards, kissing me again as my hand explored more of her body. This time, I slowly increased the rhythm, my cock going more rapidly in and out of her pussy while my hands moved with more determination over her breasts. I played with her breasts, watching the signs of enthusiasm and joy on her face as I softly squeezed her left nipple between my fingers, while my right hand was squeezing the soft flesh of the other. 

She broke the kiss again, but before she could sit upright again I stopped halfway, kissing both her nipples. She smiled to show she enjoyed that, and then sat upright again and began rolling her hips in a new way, sending waves of pleasure through my body. I put my hands on her hips and guided them into a faster pace, together increasing it until my hands brought her hips down so fast she slapped against my upcoming hips. A moan escaped her lips, she looked at me triumphantly and then she truly began to ride me.

We never held the same rhythm for long, but somehow flowed fluently from one pace to the other. She moved her hips in many ways, not just going up and down, but using the muscles of her hips to change the pressure on my cock constantly. She was always in control. She rode me like a master, like an Amazon would ride a young but willful horse. At one time, she was slowly and teasingly rolling her hips, and then she would increase until almost my full length moved quickly in and out of her. 

My hands moved from fondling and squeezing her boobs to stroking her ass, and then stopping to guide her hips again. Her own hands would tease my body, her fingers stroking my abs and circling my nipples before she placed her hands on my chest for support, giving me more leverage to push in and out of her. 

I almost forgot the other servants were there as well but a quick glance at their flushed faces told me they enjoyed the show as well. My mistress the high priestess would not allow me to be distracted for long, though. She brought her hips down with so much force I immediately exhaled, and I retaliated by using all the strength I had in my hips and abdominals to slam my cock in and out of her at maximum speed, before changing again to slower, deep strokes. 

I was not sure how long it lasted, but I am sure it was mostly because of her skill and changes in speed I managed to last this long. It took a long time, but after a while a feeling in my stomach told me I wouldn't last much longer. She saw the change in my face and felt my muscles contract, but even though she said nothing her eyes told me to wait a bit longer. I nodded silently, telling her I would try, when a big smile came to her face. I clearly read the challenge: "See if you can keep up."

I bit my lip as I forced my body to give it all. I used my hands on her ass to force her to go faster, my cock pumping in and out of her as I made sure she felt my full length. She moaned and whimpered as she now had both her hands next to my body for support. I grunted as I refused to have it end. Her huge breasts bounced up and down in front of my head until I caught one of her nipples in my mouth. The necklace she still wore moved up and down out of control. Some of her long hair now stuck to her flushed face too, while I was sure my own face was now red with both exercise and focus to prevent myself from losing control. 

Finally, as my testicles slapped against her round ass from the speed my hips created, I couldn't take it anymore. I grunted loudly as I finally came. I felt her pussy contract around my cock as I continued to shoot sperm into her. We kept moving our hips together and kept panting until the wave of pleasure finally lay down. I then noted several women wolf-whistling, yelling and making more noise as my hips finally halted on the floor. 

She moved down as if to kiss my neck while I still tried to steady my breath. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain just under my neck. I yelped in surprise, and Leda smiled guiltily at me while she withdrew something small and silver from her mouth. 

I asked bewildered what it was she had done to me, while my fingers found a small wound on the left where my throat ended. She shifted her necklace and showed me a small ink-black scar she had on her throat, on the same place as where she had bitten me. 

"Now, you belong to Aphrodite" 

She pecked my cheek, and dismounted me and stood up. Suddenly, all the women were silent. I realized how much respect they had for her, and tried to find the strength to sit up straighter. The high priestess spoke:

"Michael of Thebe has passed the initiation and is now a servant of Aphrodite. As I said before, he is still unskilled and untrained, but he has proven he has enough potential to be one of us. With the Goddess' permission, we will now welcome him as one of our own." 

I smiled. It was as close as a compliment I was likely to get. I had passed the trial. The ritual had drained me of my energy. As I tried to force my abdominals to obey me, I thought to myself that the initiation might have been less violent then Ares' initiation, it was not necessarily less exhausting. 



Plaything of the Gods Ch. 03



Chapter 03: Learning the Ropes

I awoke fairly early in the morning. I didn't recognize the bed I slept in, but then remembered the high priestess had shown me the bed in the room behind the statue after the initiation, and I had been too tired to investigate the room properly. 

The room was quite spacious and full of symbols for Aphrodite. The tapestries on the walls depicted Aphrodite herself mostly naked. One wall was covered with shelves. One shelve contained thick scrolls, while several other contained various items like I had never seen before. Another shelve contained not only carved figurines of a naked Aphrodite, but also several large wooden phalluses. I grinned at the sight of the fertility symbols, before sitting more upright to look at the rest of the room. 

I hadn't realized Leda was there until I looked at her. She sat on a chair in front of a desk, but had turned to study me. Like yesterday, she wore her necklace and only a thin robe. When she saw I had seen her, she spoke.

"Greetings, Michael of Thebe, servant of Aphrodite and Ares."

"Greetings, high priestess Leda of Aphrodite. I am at your service."

She nodded, but did not tell me she required anything of me. I broke the silence.

"What happens now?"

"I don't know. We do not forbid men to enter the service of Aphrodite, but the Goddess has never initiated a male servant in this temple. But it is not unheard of, and I've heard of other temples of the Goddess where there are more men than women. Your situation, however, is stranger. I looked at all the signs and Aphrodite clearly wants you to serve her, but she tells me Ares has not given up his claim on you."

As she said so, she came closer to the bed, and looked at the small wound in my throat. I don't know what she had used to made it, but suspected it had had ink in it, much like a tattoo. She then touched my right forearm, where the mark of Ares stood out clearly against my flesh.

"You carry both the sign of Ares of War and that of Aphrodite of Love. I don't know what will happen, but we can be sure the Gods will soon want you to serve them. The best I can do now, is prepare you for it as much as I can while we wait until the Gods show us their intention. You are ignorant of what it is to serve Aphrodite, and I think it best if you immediately start to learn the basics. I sent a dove to your priest-commander, telling him you need to stay here for a while longer. I haven't told him of your situation, but he will not disobey me."

I nodded, and then asked her how she thought I could serve the Goddess for now.

"While you are here, you are one of us, and we will provide you with food and lodgings. You'll begin learning the basics, just like everyone that is initiated here. I have already arranged some things for you. Take the clothes I brought you, eat something and then you'll go to the baths. Ask for Corrina."

I followed her instructions. The temple obviously didn't have any need for clothing for males, so I was surprised she had found any. The cloths were comfortable and well-made, but the shirt has been made for someone smaller then me, as it stretched a little around my shoulders. The plate of food she had brought me contained bread with honey, and I hungrily ate it. I then curtsied to my high priestess, who was now looking at a scroll, and left for the baths.

Corrina was already waiting there and turned out to be a young and somewhat stern-looking woman. When I walked up to her and made a polite bow, she shook her head and told me I looked like a mess. I didn't respond to that, and she quickly brought me to a small chamber next to the baths. 

The chamber contained a cabinet with a large mirror of better quality then I had ever seen. Servants of Ares never cared much for the way they looked, as long as they looked intimidating enough. 

Corina told me that I needed to take care of myself a lot better, and said my beard was ridiculous and I needed to shave. I knew some older warriors proudly sported a full beard, but I was too young for one. I had simply not shaved for the last days, so I had a stubble. I looked with interest and realized I would one day be able to maintain a beard, but at the moment the hairs were still uneven and Corrina quickly presented me with a razor. 

I had put on the cream she had pointed out to me, but had barely begun shaving when she took the razor again for me, instructing me on how to do so with more care. She took longer then I would have done, and pointed out to me I probably should pay more attention to the hairs on the end of my jaw. 

After my cheeks were completely cleared of hair, she told me to cut my nails. While she fretted over my nails, I used the mirror to look at the small tattoo in my throat. It looked quite raw and the skin around it was red, but the black ink gleamed and clearly showed two lips, as if someone truly kissed me there while wearing black lipstick. Finally, she was satisfied with my nails and told me to take a bath.

She did not turn away or considered my awkwardness as I cleaned myself in one of the pools, and I knew better then to ask for privacy. She told me to pay more attention to my loins and armpits, and warned me that if I would not scrub myself better, she would. She instructed me to wash my hair, and then told me to sit down on a chair as she roughly ran a comb trough my hair. She was not gentle and told me several times it would look better if she cut it, but I refused. By the time a servant of Ares had completed his training, he could bind his hair together in a tail in the neck, and I would not lose my warrior's tail just because some woman told me I would look good with another hairdo. 

I thought that would be it, when she told me to use fragmented water on my armpits to prevent me from smelling, and as I once again put on my clothes she made a problem out of them too, telling me to put them on straighter and then cursed the shirt because it simply didn't fit properly. As I left the baths, I had started to dislike the nagging woman, though part of me had to agree I did look a lot better then before. Not knowing what else to do, I returned to the high priestess' chambers.

After I knocked and the high priestess bade me in, I was surprised to see she was not alone. Both the high priestess and the young woman that had led me to the baths earlier were waiting for me. She looked at me as if inspecting me, but she smiled warmly as her eyes met mine. The high priestess spoke.

"You look much better. I expect you to take more interest in the way you look then you've done before, Michael. As a servant of the Goddess of beauty, you will be judged by others on your appearance."

I nodded, and Leda saw the question in my eyes.

"Michael, this is Ariadne. She will guide and instruct you, as you'll learn what it is to be a servant of Aphrodite. Though she has served the Goddess for only four years, she knows a lot, and I do expect you to listen to her every instruction as if it were my own. Do you understand?"

She looked at me expectantly.

"Of course, my lady."

"Good. I've assigned you a room next to hers. Ariadne will report to me on your progress, and I must stress that you will do your very best to learn as quickly as possible. When you leave this temple and show your face in public, I expect you to bring honor to our Goddess."

"I promise to do the best I can." I told her.

"Good. You are dismissed."

Ariadne and I both left the room, Ariadne smiling warmly to me as she led the way. She told me I looked good, and I stuttered an awkward thanks. She asked me if I wanted to see the room, and I suddenly realized my gear was probably still with Charé. I silently cursed myself for losing sight of my armor, my most valuable possession, and told her I left my gear and wanted to pick it up. 

As we walked up to Charé's little house, she made most of the talk. She commented on it being a lovely day, before telling me in a mean voice that the hour was quite hot already, and it was probably not a good idea to be too much outside during these warm hours. 

Ariadne talked quite a lot and obviously liked to tease me, and I silently reflected she was probably one of the women that laughed loudest during my initiation. Still, her voice was clear and gentle, her teasing meant well.

We entered the infirmary, and discovered Charé was not there. The door was unlocked, however, and I found my gear inside. I quickly searched trough it to see if I still had everything, and then looked carefully at the armor. I would have to treat it better: there was still dust in it, and the rings that had protected my left upper arm were damaged where the bandit had hit me. As I quickly inspected my sword before sheeting it again, Ariadne asked if I could truly run with all of that. I smiled as I told her this was only my most basic gear, my normal pack being several sizes bigger, and that I was used to carrying a heavy shield, too. I was contend I still had everything and shouldered my gear. 

Ariadne showed me a shortcut for entering the temple without having to go trough the main hall, and guided me to a part of the building I had not been before. She showed me my room, a simple room with a small desk and a comfortable looking bed in it. I put down my gear, and took a moment to rid my armor of dirt as best as I could while Ariadne looked interested at what I was doing. 

When I was content it would do for now, I asked Ariadne what we should do next. She asked me if there was anything I wanted to do or know. I asked her for a tour around the temple, as I had no idea how this part of the building was connected with the main hall. 

The main hall and several of the rooms next to it had been built first, she told me, and as the population of the temple increased, more buildings were constructed next to it. Several other buildings were build right next to the main parts and then connected by corridors, so one could did not have to leave the building. She happily told me of the structure and told me several interesting facts about tapestries and statues we passed. I asked some questions about several symbols, and though she did answer me she did told me I needed to know more of them, and that she would soon lecture me in all symbols and sacred objects. We passed more chambers that belonged to servants of the Godess, and left a room that was dedicated to partaking in arts, though she told me people were probably working in there and she didn't want to interrupt them. 

I asked her what servants of Aphrodite usually did. She explained everybody shared chores to keep everything running and tidy, which reminded me of the discipline of the camp. There was a cook and several people took care of the grain, though she told me the temple traded with shepherds and traders when they came to this area. I asked her what they traded for, seeing an obvious display of wealth in the temple. She smiled and told me Aphrodite's followers made several amulets for fertility and for luck with affairs of love, as well as scents that were used to seduce or arouse people. She told me people paid generously for pleasures of the flesh too, if Aphrodite's servants wanted to offer such a thing. 

Ariadne must have seen the confused expression on my face, for she immediately began to lecture me in the morals of such a trade. They were not a whorehouse, she told me, and no man could buy a woman of the temple if she didn't desire him. If a servant of the temple decided a traveler was worthy of spending time with, however, the traveler would leave behind a token of appreciation to show he had enjoyed the hospitality of Aphrodite's woman. 

I told her I had heard different stories about the women who worked in the temple in Thebe. I shouldn't have said that, because her disapproving voice and look told me she didn't held them in high regard. She told me that if a servant of Aphrodite desired the company of many others, he or she could go to serve in a great city. Women who sold their bodies to the public, however, had nothing to do with Aphrodite. I quickly agreed to her, clearly seeing that the reputation of men in general was not that good in a temple run solely by women. 

After she had shown me the grain fields and a small plaza that could be used for exercise of sports, Ariadne took me indoors again. She led me past several chambers used for storage and past the kitchens. 

We halted at a large room. The walls were covered by bookcases and had large windows in them to let in light. The center of the room was filled by several tables and chairs. I had once visited the library of Thebe and was surprised that this one was not that much smaller then the one there. 

Ariadne was excited when I told her I had learned letters when I stilled lived with my parents, but soon became disappointed when she gave me a scroll to read. My progress was slow, as the handwriting was narrow and slender, and I had been out of practice for a very long time. 

My instructor almost became impatient as I struggled with the words, and I held my tongue. I considered it loyalty to my Brothers that I didn't tell her I was probably the only one of my warband who could read. My parent had been wealthy and had tried to teach me and my brother letters before we would be picked and initiated. I had suspected my mother had never wanted me to end up serving Ares, but the Gods chose, not she. 

As I read the scroll slowly and with many corrections from Ariadne, the letters slowly came back to me. I could tell she was not impressed, but I slowly progressed and read a considerable part of the scroll. After that, she told me at least I could read, and would probably remember more as I would read more. I didn't tell her I had never found much time to read or a use for them as I had lived a warrior's life, but reading and writing was so obviously important to her she didn't need to explain why. I tried to prove myself a good an eager student, and continued reading until the sun began to set.

I walked with her to the kitchen, and was surprised at the quality of the food we received. A warrior's meal was always sustaining but rarely really tasty. The food in the temple contained several spices unknown to me and was obviously made by someone who enjoyed cooking. Ariadne laughed as she saw me eat it and told me this was just a regular meal. She promised I would enjoy the spring celebration next year, and I believed her. 

After I ate a generous amount and thanked the cook so earnestly she blushed, Ariadne left me swiftly back to the main hall of the temple. She showed me how to pray to Aphrodite, and after she taught me a few simple prayers she told me she would teach me more of them tomorrow. Dusk was stetting in, and all know only Hades should be worshiped in the dark. 

She asked me if I needed anything else, but I shook my head and told her I was tired. My initiation had still left several of my muscles aching and the good hot food had made me drowsy. I bade her goodnight at my door and found my bed comfortable and welcoming, and was asleep seconds after I lay down.

My warrior training had required me to rise early each day, despite how hard the day before had been. I was awake before the sun was truly visible beyond the nearby mountain. I knew Ariadne would probably still be asleep, put on a fresh pair of clothes the temple had provided for me and decided that I would not return to my Brothers soft and pampered. I wondered for a moment how I could have so easily parted from my worry for Brothers, and suspected it might have had something to do with the cleansing by Aphrodite. 

I set the thought aside as I entered the training field, and began my regular drill. I still felt some of my muscles ache, but I knew it was mostly from a lack of the exercise they were used to get every day, and decided to help that. By the time the sun had shown itself from behind the mountain and its rays heated the training field, I had already discarded my shirt and I was still sweating. 

I had nearly completed my exercises when I noticed Ariadne was sitting nearby in the sun on a rock, watching me. I decided to ignore her for a moment longer as I continued my series of pull-ups. I finished the series and the let go of the bar. It was one of the only proper tools for exercise here, but field trips with the warband had taught me that you could use anything to exercise with, and I had done a good, full round of training. 

I picked up my shirt and steadied my breath as I walked up to Ariadne, who also stood up. She smiled as I were close, and told me I must have risen early. She had apparently searched for a while before she had found me here. She told me that I could use a bath, and that she would go to the kitchen to get some food. 

Even though she had told me I should bathe, I had the feeling she didn't really mind seeing me like this, and I liked it. She seemed quite energetic today, and smiled often and battered her eyelashes at me. My increased awareness to how she behaved might have something to do with her dress, too. It was more close-fitting and provocative then the one she wore yesterday, and I didn't mind dropping a step behind to watch her ass as she led the way to the temple again. 

I hastily cleaned myself in the baths, not wanting to encounter Corrina or anyone else there, but put more effort in combing and binding my hair and making sure my shirt was straight then I usually would have done.

I joined Ariadne in the kitchens for breakfast. Apparently, she had used the time I had washed myself to find several scrolls for me. They contained information about certain symbols and rituals, and I not only managed to read them more swiftly then the one from the day before, but I also tried to remember more of them. 

I knew the scrolls contained important information, and I was not surprised when Ariade asked me several questions to make sure I understood what they said instead of just dully reading them. Then she showed me several chores that needed to be doing in the temple, and it was midday by the time we had swept the main hall and had collected all the baskets with clothes and dropped them off at the women whose chore it was to wash them. 

After a brief visit to the kitchens we returned to the main hall, bearing several offerings for Aphrodite. Ariadne explained the offerings and taught me the rituals accompanying every one of them. I knew it would take a lot of time to make me a good priest, but at least I could now cite several prayers to Aphrodite without giving offence. One prayer I recited said quite clearly she was the noblest one and only God I served. After I finished it, I astonished Ariadne by going out of the temple and praying to a small amulet I took from my pack. She looked wondering as I told her I might have given offence to Ares, and would maintain praying to him too. She nodded at that, but said it made her feel uncomfortable. I agreed it was strange and told her I would talk to the high priestess about it. 

I followed her back to the library, but expressed an unexpected interest in a tapestry we passed as she had just turned to look at me. She told me a bit about the tapestry, but the smile on her mouth told me she had indeed spotted me watching her well-shaped ass.

After a bit more work in the library, we returned to the kitchen to eat. She was in a good mood, and eagerly leaned forward as I told her more about life in a big city. She had grown up in a village somewhere in a valley near the temple, and had only once visited Thebe, though it was not really far away. 

Her leaning motion made it harder to focus on the story she was telling, as her dress told me quite a lot about the breasts it held. This time, she definitely saw me looking, and she tried to readjust her dress as my cheeks turned slightly red. She did pretend to be shocked by my gaze, but the teasing smile on her mouth told me she was more flattered then offended.




Plaything of the Gods Ch. 03



We walked back to the sleeping compartment, and there was an uncomfortable silence between us. She lingered at the door to her room, asking if I was sure I didn't need anything else. She looked at me intensely while she said the words. I told her I didn't need anything and bade her goodnight, but once in my room I was sure those words had been an invitation rather then a formality. I thought about going to the next door and knocking on her room, but I could think of no good reason to do so. 

As I tried to think of an excuse, there was a soft knock on my door instead. I opened the door. Ariadne was barefoot now, her dress somehow opened to reveal even more of her impressive bust. She asked if she could come in, and I quickly nodded yes. Once I had closed the door behind her, she turned to me.

"Do you like my company, Michael of Thebe?"

"Yes. I do. You..."

She didn't let me stutter on, but instead cut in. "Do you find my body desirable, warrior?" She spoke the words as a challenge, her arms folded, pushing her breasts up even more.

I gulped. "Yes"

"Then you will join me in my room now."

I was a flat statement, not a command. She left the room, leaving me dumbstruck for a moment, before I had the sense to hurry after her. I reached her door just before it closed, and pushed it open. Ariadne stood in her room, looking at me. 

Her room was the same size as mine, but it was better decorated. A candle burned at her desk, which contained several scrolls and pencils for writing. I suspected she had made the painting of a mountain view that hung above her bed herself. She looked relieved to see me enter, but her eyes told me I had somehow done her wrong.

"You've finally decided to join me?" She asked. Her voice as not unkind, but she wasn't going to make it easy for me.

"Yes. You are kind to me, Ariadne, and I'm sorry I have offended you."

"Why are you here?" She asked. Her question startled me.

"You invited me." I knew it wasn't the best answer.

"Yes, I invited you into my room. What do you want to do now you are here?"

She wanted me to take the initiative. I took a step closer to her and took her hands in mine. I struggled to find the right words.

"I really like you, Ariadne. Tell me how I have offended you, and I promise I will make it up to you."

She smiled. "You don't know how you've offended me? I offered you my company three times now, and never did you react."

I was startled. Yesterday and today she had asked me if I needed anything. She smiled more softly as she saw my confusion. "I tried to approach you in the baths, when we first met."

I was surprised. "I barely knew you!"

"You are a warrior of Ares, trained in the way of men. I did not know you would have objections."

I had to handle this delicately. "You know I am not... trained in the way of men, as you say. You were there at the initiation."

"Yes, and the cleansing ruined my plan. But yesterday I invited you, and even came to your room later, but you did not answer me."

"I was asleep. It's true. I didn't lie to you when I said I wanted to sleep. The initiation and new emotions tired me. They had drained me more then I thought it would have."

It was the truth, and she knew it. I might have been flirting with her while ignoring the signals she gave me, but I had not meant to toy with her or reject her.

"All right. Let's put that aside. You are here now, what do you want to do?"

I didn't really know what to do. What did she want me to do? 

She made it easy for me. "Come here, my warrior. Kiss me." 

I looked into her eyes, and summed up my courage. I moved my head closer until our lips almost touched, and she smiled softly. I took that as a sign and then softly pressed my lips to hers. She answered my kiss, opening her lips slightly. I leaned forward, but she broke the kiss.

"Is that all?" She asked me. She playfully teased me, taking a step closer to her bed.

As I stepped towards her to kiss her again, she suddenly grabbed the front of my shirt and threw me on the bed. She told me to lean back, and straddled me as she sat on top of me. 

She initiated the kiss this time, her tongue brushing against my lips. I opened my mouth further to meet her tongue with mine. She broke the kiss again, telling me to tilt my head a bit more and to move my tongue slower. I realized this was part of my education as well. For a while, we just lay there and kissed, while she would sometimes stop to correct or instruct me, learning me the techniques. Her tongue guided mine, the kisses becoming more and more passionate as time went by. 

She told me I could use my hands to touch her ass instead of just pretending to, and laughed as I responded by squeezing her ass. Then she told me it was my turn to be on top and told me how to rest on my arms to prevent me from crushing her boobs with my weight. 

While I was on top, she encouraged me to explore more. I discovered she had a sensitive spot on her neck, and panted softly as I placed small kisses there. Her earlobe seemed to be sensitive too. While I was on top, her hands were free to move over my body, and she undid my shirt. She liked me shirtless, she told me, and ran her fingers over my abs and my muscular chest. 

I put my weight on one arm as the other one ran up to her breast. She told me I could slide down her dress, and as the dress slipped off her shoulders her breasts where revealed. They were beautiful. They were not as big as Leda's, but still quite a handful. Firm and round, they looked gorgeous on her slender figure, her nipples already standing up on top of them. I stutteringly told her she was beautiful, and suddenly she giggled more girly then before, and softly thanked me. I played with one breast, and she told me to kiss the other one. I heard her gasp as I softly sucked on her nipple, and then used my tongue to slowly encircle it. To be thorough, I changed my position and used my mouth on her other nipple as well. 

When I brought my head back up to kiss her lips again, I saw that her face was flushed with excitement, a look of lust in her eyes. As we kissed, her hand moved from my ass to my crotch, slowly stroking and playing with the bulge in my pants. As I broke the kiss to gasp for air, I saw in her face she made up her mind about something. She whispered softly in my ears if I wanted to fuck her. I was surprised by her direct words, but nodded nonetheless. She laughed softly, before suddenly throwing me off her.

"Too bad, my warrior. You are too late for that."

Her voice was teasing, and I didn't know what I had done wrong this time. She explained.

"You could have had me before, but decided you didn't feel like it. You haven't earned the privilege yet."

I wanted to protest, but didn't know what to say. I had never heard someone speak so open and direct about sex. Before I could say anything, she shushed me. 

"You told me you'd make it up to me. I am your guide, and you'll need to learn a lot. If you want me, you'll need to please me without your cock."

She slid down her dress completely now and threw it away, before taking my hand and placing it on the small piece of cloth that separated my hand from her womanhood.

"I'll show you."

She showed my how to move my hand, both by setting an example with her own and by telling me how to. As I stroked her panty, I noticed a wet patch had appeared on the cloth, and she told me it made the entrance easier. She then told me to remove her panty, eager to feel my fingers. She had only a small stripe of hair above her pussy, and the hair was short and tidy. She told me it was trimmed for hygienic and esthetic reasons. I had never heard of a woman doing such a thing, but I thought to myself I quite liked it. 

She continued to whisper her instructions into my ear as she held me close to her. Her soft breasts were rubbing against my chest; my hand was between her legs. She used her own hand to guide mine. She instructed me to feel where her entrance was, and instructed me to pay attention the folds as well, before moving my hand up to feel her clit. I knew I had found is as her body moved under me, her hips trembling slightly as a moan escaped from her mouth. I decided to focus my attention on her clit, determined to make her feel pleasure like that again. 

She brought my hand up to her mouth, and sensually licked my middle finger. Then she instructed me to insert it in her. It didn't take long for me to have her softly moaning, her hips slowly moving along as I used my thumb to please the area around her clitoris, my middle finger to softly stroke the inside of her pussy and the rest of my fingers to play with her outer folds. She was now too busy with her own pleasure to concentrate on instructing me. I didn't mind, deciding instead her breasts deserved attention too. My idea was met with a soft "oh yeah" from her mouth. As I licked her nipple, I had a question. It took me a moment to sum up my courage. I dared to ask it, but could not prevent myself from stuttering.

"Should I... lick... down there?"

I though my question had been a mistake as she suddenly stopped moving her hips, causing me to stop moving my hand as well. Then she smiled, tried to compose herself a bit, and then told me.

"Please do. Please, use your tongue to please me."

I could not resist the plea in her voice, even if I would have wanted to. As I tried to reposition myself, she had found enough of her calm back to instruct me in what she wanted me to do and how to do it. I did as she instructed me, and was awarded well for it. As fast as I began to lick her pussy, her moaning continued. At first I made long licks, careful to let my tongue touch every bit of her folds, before changing my target and slowly starting to lick more of her entrance. Her moaning encouraged me to go even further. I used my fingers to slightly part her folds, and then used my tongue to lick the deepest part of her body I could reach. She laid both her hands on my head and run her fingers trough my hair, encouraging me to try more. She was so horny she could only moan and gasp, and told me to lick her clit between the moans. I obliged. As my tongue circled the sensitive skin, softly began talking trough her moans.

"Oh yeah, don't stop now. Yes! Just a little bit more!"

Despite her obvious excitement she still managed to give me more instructions. She told me to use my hands more. As her hips trembled under me, I reinserted my middle finger while continuing to lick her clit.

"Fuck yesss" was the only response I got before her moaning prevented her from speaking. 

Her hands pushed my head down and she began to push her hips up as I continued to use both my hand and tongue to please her. Her moaning changed into a higher pitch.

"Fuck, I'm going to come. C'mon. Don't stop, lick me there. Yes! That's it. Yeah, yeah. Aphrodite be praised. Yes! Yes!"

Even though she tried to keep her voice down, her voice and moans still filled the room. As she moaned her praise to the Goddess, her body trembled and she pushed her hips up violently, all muscles in her body suddenly tense. I could feel her pussy contract around my finger before I withdrew it from her. She rocked her hips too wildly to continue licking, but her own hand took over as her fingers gently continued to caress her folds while her orgasm slowly died away. I just watched her. I never knew a female orgasm would be so intense, or so loud. Finally, she slowly calmed down, her moaning softer and lower.

I brought myself up again. She beamed at me at. She took my head between her hands, and I noticed that the hand she had used to touch herself was still slightly damp. She softly but sensually kissed me. As our kiss broke, she steadied her breath and spoke again.

"Thank you. That was not bad for a first try, not bad at all. You learn quickly, my student."

She laughed softly. "With the right techniques and some of your own initiative, it will be very, very pleasant to have you as my student."

She hold me close again, my flesh against hers, and drew me in for another kiss. Then, her face became red. She touched the bulge in my pant that just before had rested against her belly. She suddenly became a bit nervous, though I now recognized the tease in her voice.

"You are still hard?" I nodded embarrassed.

"Oh, you poor fellow. I hadn't thought about you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I told her. After I while, I had just ignored my own lust and focused on hers instead. Seeing she was satisfied, I didn't want to look selfish. She shook her head, however.

"I didn't really want you to suffer like this. Well, I meant to tease you, but it got a bit out of hand, I guess." She smiled her teasing smile. "Let me make it up to you."

"You don't have to-" I started, but stopped immediately as her hand began moving up and down my pants.

"Women are not as easily satisfied as boys are, my student. Aphrodite tells us to share our pleasure and to not be selfish. It won't be told you've learned that lesson better than I."

Her skilled hand made me realize I wanted relieve quite badly. I watched her with lust in my eyes, and saw it reflected in hers. Her other hand had started rubbing her pussy as well. She whispered in my ears in my ears. "Do you want to fuck me?" I nodded.

"Good. Now, show me your lust."

I fumbled with my pants for a moment before I managed to open them. Ariadne immediately pulled down both my pants and my shorts, and I threw them out of the bed. Her finger slowly trailed the length of my erection. She made an approving noise. Even though I liked the way she teased with me, I knew I couldn't take much more.

"Can I...?" I asked her. My voice was tight. 

She smiled and nodded. "Give me your cock. I want you to fuck me."

Her vulgar words confused and enticed me at the same time. I positioned myself between her legs. She removed her hand, which had previously been busy between her legs. She spit on her hand and ran it over the head of my erection. She spread her legs wide, inviting me in. She used her hand to guide the tip up to her entrance, and I pushed my hips forward. 

The head slid in, and I retreated a little bit before going deeper again. Ariadne made a whimpered noise, a look of discomfort on her face. She put her hands on my belly, and used them to guide my movements. Despite the fact she was very wet, she was still quite tight. As I moved slowly, she softly whispered encouragements into my ears, until I was almost completely inside her. I didn't move my hips as I softly kissed her. She broke the kiss and told me I could move. I happily obliged her, and started moving in and out of her. I tried to make my movements as smoothly as possible, rolling my hips rather then just moving them back and forth. I still had the feeling she was not completely enjoying herself, even as she used her hand to softly massage her clit. After a few moments of slow-paced moving, she suddenly relaxed. I held her close to me.

"Are you... okay?"

She smiled, a look of lust back in her eyes. "I am now. I'm sorry; I guess I was not really prepared for your width."

I was suddenly feeling a lot more comfortable about my masculinity. I continued penetrating her in a slow pace, not wanting to cause her more discomfort. Suddenly, she became annoyed.

"I'm not that fragile, you know. I told you I am okay now. So, fuck me. I-."

She never completed her sentence as I suddenly had pushed into her with much more force. She gasped, starring at me for a moment, and then smiled. 

"That's what I'm talking about."

I switched to a faster pace. As I did so, pleasure suddenly spread trough my body. I had held back for so long now. Even after I had entered her, I had still held back. No more. As I looked into the eyes of the woman moving below me, I saw the same pleasure there. I panted heavily, and Ariadne softly moaned into my ear. She quietly began talking to me, and I knew even the older warriors of Ares would have been shocked by her words.

"C'mon boy. Yes, that's it. Fuck me. You know you want this, don't you. Yesss. Fuck. Don't hold back. It's been too long since I felt a man inside me. Do you like it? Do you like my pussy around your big cock? Fuck yeah."

I didn't respond, except by fucking her even harder. If she wanted it, she would get it. I hold the pace for a long as I could, but I suddenly knew for certain I couldn't keep this up much longer. The pleasure was too much. I wouldn't hold it much longer, and I knew she was not there yet. I pulled out with some effort. I wanted release, but I wanted to make her feel good. Somehow, her vulgar moaning was addicting, and I wanted to hear more. She had been to busy to notice how close I was, and sat more upright as she bewildered asked me what I was doing. I responded by inserting two fingers into her pussy, while my thumb searched for her clit once again. Once she saw my intention she fell back again, but murmured "You could have warned me." 

Right then I tore a gasp from her lips, and my fingers made her forget she was upset at all. Her breathing grew more labored quickly. The change of sensation brought her only more joy. I fuelled her pleasure, wanting her to feel good, and she gladly received the pleasure I gave. She wanted her release, she wanted to feel good. Before long, she began whispering to me again trough her moans.

"Put it back in me, please. I want your cock in me. Enter me now, and we can come together. Do it now, my lover. Now!"

At her command, I took away my fingers, aimed and pushed my cock back inside her. I immediately set a furious pace, knowing we both wouldn't last long now. She declared to be happy to feel me once again. Her words, rather than the movements we made, pushed me towards the edge.

"Oh yes, c'mon. Yes! Please, come inside me. I want you to fill me up with your seed. Yesss. Oh yes. I'm going to come, boy. Watch me, Michael, watch me. Aphrodite, watch me. Yes!" 

While she whispered, both her hands gripped the side of my face, bringing it just inches away from hers as her expression changed to one of pure joy. I felt her hand touch the tattoo of Aphrodite on my throat, and suddenly, I lost control. As her hips trembled from her orgasm, I slammed my cock down once more, and then emptied my balls inside her. I looked at her face, and knew she felt the same pleasure I felt. I felt like it lasted for a very long time, as wave after wave of pleasure kept coursing through my body as I continued moving my hips as I send my come into her womb. Finally, it stopped, and I just lay spend on top of her, my head resting on one of her breasts. I pulled out of her and fell down next to her, my breath still irregular. 

"By the Gods." I finally managed to say.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it as well." She cheekily replied. "I can see Aphrodite knew what she did when she took you as her own."

I didn't know how to respond to that. She gave an inviting nod with her head, and I put an arm around her and draw her warm body closer to me. As I held the beautiful woman close to me, I quickly dosed off. Before I fell asleep, I felt Ariadne move next to me. I wanted to prevent her from going, but then realized she only covered me with a blanket before snuggling next to me. I quietly thanked Aphrodite for the kind fate she had granted me, and then put my arm around Ariadne before drifting into sleep.



Plaything of the Gods Ch. 04



CH 4. Time to talk.

I woke very early the next morning, and saw the beauty sleeping next to me. Ariadne had used my shoulder as a pillow. I knew there was no way I could sneak out without waking her up, and decided my morning exercises were not more important than letting her sleep. I checked if the blanket still covered her body, and quickly drifted off again.

I woke up again when Ariadne moved next to me. She was already out of bed and was busy dressing when she noticed I was awake. She asked how I had slept, and I told her I slept well enough. The conversation felt forced to me. I had no idea how to behave in front of her. I knew she was supposed to teach me, and she had told me she had desired me. Yet, I didn't know what to think of our relationship right now. Ariadne didn't seem to think anything was wrong. 

I put on my clothes again. Ariadne was already waiting by the door, but I was quite reluctant to go out and start the day as if nothing happened. She looked at me and asked if anything was wrong. I asked her if we could talk, and I saw her frowning. She pointed at the bed, and sat down next to me.

"What is it you want to talk about?"

"What happens now?"

"Nothing has changed, if that is what you mean. I am your instructor, and you will need to learn more about serving Aphrodite."

"What about last night. What is it that is... between you and me?"

Her frown remained. "I told you I am your instructor. Last night, I instructed you, and you did quite well. If you are not happy with me, you can say so, and we can work it out. You can ask Leda for another instructor, of course"

I looked at her, shocked she misunderstood me so badly. "That's not what I meant. I'm not... unhappy. I... I enjoyed last night. I don't know what I must do right now, what role I must play."

It was the best way I could put it.

"For now, you serve Aphrodite and are instructed like every other new member of the temple would. I think it wise if you praise Ares as well, though you need to talk to Leda for more advice on that. I know I'm barely older than you, but you must follow my instructions while learning the ways of Aphrodite. Those ways include sex, and I am to instruct you there as well. If it does not work out this way, we can find you another instructor, but I thought you desired me."

"So I am your student? That's it?" I have never had found much time for romance, but this seemed quite cold to me. She looked more softly than her words had sounded to me.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand me. I am not just doing this because Leda told me to. I volunteered to instruct you, knowing all it involved. I did so because I wanted to be with you. I chose to be in your company."

She softly stroked my hair. "You are new to this temple and this way of thinking. At first it was confusing for me too. Aphrodite is Goddess of both Love and Lust, which are two different things. Everybody has desires, and when people with matching desires meet, they help each other. Everybody possesses the ability to love too, but only when people with similar ways of loving meet will it truly blossom. Such a thing takes time. I think it's safe to say we have desires towards one another. I cannot say I love you, but I like you. You're not the arrogant warrior I thought you would be. Maybe you're too shy for your own good, but I think that can be cured. Is this enough of an answer to your question?"

I nodded. "Thanks, I needed an explanation."

She smiled. "And I should have given one earlier. I am not a servant here for that long and you are the first person I instruct, but I should have seen you're unaware of our customs. I am meant to instruct you in matters like this. I will explain more to you later. If you doubt my intentions, please remember I wanted to visit you in the baths, before you were initiated. I did that because I like the way you look. I will tell you now you are pleasant to be around, too. Now, do you have any other questions?" 

I turned slightly red. I might not now much about their customs, but I knew some things about sex. 

"Will... won't you... Will I not get you pregnant?"

She had a proud expression on her face. 

"Did you think I hadn't thought about that? You are in a temple of Aphrodite, she who rules over fertility. If I wanted to get pregnant, I would ask her for permission. Don't worry: I do not want to be pregnant now, and there are several ways for a woman to prevent herself from becoming so. I see I will need to tell you more about those ways too."

While she spoke, I saw her looking at a small amulet of Aphrodite on her desk. I had seen Leda had had several of them, and suspected Leda made amulets both to raise and lessen fertility. Ariadne saw me looking and nodded.

"Amulets powered by the Gods can protect you, though only if very precise rules are followed. There are other ways as well, of course. Does that answer your question?"

I nodded. 

"Yes. Thank you for answering my questions."

"You need just ask if you want to know anything. I will not be offended by your questions. But if you want to know anything else, please wait until after we've eaten. I'm famished."

I laughed. 

"I have no more questions. Let's find some food."

She stood up and I followed her to the door. 

We were quite late, and the cook looked at Ariadne with a look of question, but she shook her head. The cook gave us bread with honey, and by the way she and Ariadne exchanged looks I knew Ariadne would talk to her later. 

We returned to the main hall where Ariadne continued lecturing me about Aphrodite. I smiled as she told me not to use her name in vain, but that it was okay to praise her if you meant it. She told me Aphrodite was ruler of fertility, and told me a prayer for someone who wanted a child. She told me merchants would trade with Leda, but that the amulets were only really effective if a high priestess personally asked for Aphrodite's blessing for the wearer of the amulet. I told her about merchants in Thebe who sold amulets like this, and she told me they probably had no power at all, and that the fool who bought such amulets would be much better off by just bringing offerings to the Gods. I knew one of my Brothers had an amulet for luck with girls, and hoped he had gotten it from a temple. 

Ariadne told me there were amulets that prevented pregnancy, as well as diseases. She told me that I could ask Leda to make one for me if I wished so. She told me several other ways to prevent pregnancy, and how well they worked. She spoke about such things without embarrassment, which surprised me. I knew she expected to talk openly about these subjects as well, and I tried not to stutter or pause as I asked her questions or made comments. 

After lunch we did several chores, and she asked me if I minded if she went elsewhere. I assumed she wanted some time for herself, and told her I didn't mind, and would be on the training field. She told me she had to visit Leda and then she wanted to visit a friend of hers, but that she would be back in the evening.

I visited my room to pick up my sword before going to the field outside the temple. I tried to do several exercised with it. I was used to training with sword and shield, but I had always been more adept at attacking than at blocking. I saw a woman coming from the fields and felt her looking strange while I fenced with a rock, but it was the only way I could practice here. I still managed to do quite well and returned to the temple. It had been hot enough to be sweating, but I had decided against doing more exercises, because I was unsure what tonight would bring and didn't want to exhaust myself. 

I decided I could use a bath but as I approached the baths I heard several women talking inside. I resisted the urge to enter and see more of the woman of the temple. I decided to use a second bathroom Ariadne had showed me. It was smaller and less comfortable than the big one and only had one small pool, but it was private. I dressed in fresh clothes, shaved, and returned to my room. 

In my room, I inspected my armor and was trying to repair the left arm as best as I could. I couldn't really mend the armor, but managed to fold the rings so they at least wouldn't bother me while I wore it. The gap was quite large, and I looked at my arm. The wound has disappeared, and the only reminder of it was a pink line of fresh skin that would disappear as it too would feel the heat of the sun. I was using a cloth to clean my helmet as Ariadne knocked on my door, asking if I would join her in the kitchens. We returned to her chamber after dinner, and she told me to sit down on the bed.

She bluntly told me she would give me more instructions regarding sex, and asked if that was a problem. I shook my head. A silence followed, and I wondered if she expected me to say or do more. 

She looked at me. 

"You're too shy, my pupil. Leda and I agree on that. It's cute to see a warrior blush, I admit, but you can't be too shy in a temple of Aphrodite. Lean back and make yourself comfortable. Don't be embarrassed: we are different and this is new to you, but I will listen without passing judgment or making fun of you. Tell me something personal. Tell me about your sexual activities before you came here."

I knew she had spoke to Leda and thought the high priestess had probably told Ariadne to do this. I told her she already knew I had no real experiences, but she pressed me to tell something and I saw she was genuinely interested. 

I told her I had only once twice kissed a girl. The first was a girl I had known when I still lived with my parents. She had lived near my parent's house and I had known her from when she was a child. As we knew we would soon be judged and claimed by the Gods, we had both sought each other out. A few hours before the calling, she came to me and said she was afraid and she would miss her parents and me. Holding her in my arms, I had told here it was going to be all right, and we had shared a kiss. We were separated not long after that. I later learned she was initiated into the temple of Demeter, but I had never seen her again. 

The second girl I had kissed had been during Zeus' summer feast. The three-day celebration was one of the only times we were allowed to party. My band of Brothers had just finished our training. We had no money to go to the whorehouse as older warriors did, but we had managed to buy cheap alcohol from a guy one of my Brothers knew. The drink had tasted awful and had been a lot stronger than I had expected. I had let go of my usual shyness and enjoyed the celebrations, and even danced and kissed with a nice girl I met in a cheap tavern. 

I was almost starting to hope we might do even more than that when one of my Brothers had drunk too much and got into a fight. Of course I had assisted my Brother, and the bloke that he fought with had run away with a bleeding nose and a bad limp when we were done with him. We had to carry him and two other Brothers back to the barracks because they drank too much to return by themselves. I had told the girl I would meet her again the next night, but I couldn't find her. The next night my Brothers carried me home as I had drank too much in the hope of forgetting about her, a fact Ariadne found amusing.

She told me without much shame she had never kissed anyone before her claiming, having been quite shy herself. She was shocked to hear the priest say Aphrodite claimed her, believing she would probably be claimed by Hera or Apollo. Leda had taken her virginity from her, as the high priestess always did during the initiation. The stories and instructions the other girls gave her, as well as her developing body, had made her looking forward to sleeping with a man. 

She had used the opportunity when a group of traders had visited, and openly told me the young trader she had sought had been a disaster. He had been way too eager to get his way and had only considered his own pleasure. I almost felt sorry for him as she told me he had arrived too early, leaving her unsatisfied. 

Her next experience with a man was when a few shepherds had came by to trade with the temple. One of them, a man a few years older than she, had been surprisingly good. He had visited her for several nights before he had to move along with the other shepherds, and he had left her some money and two fine sheep for the temple as a way of thanking. She told me Leda had been proud of her, the man obviously satisfied, and was considered a full member of the temple after that. 

Last autumn, she visited a temple of Apollo a few days away from here. She had visited it to watch their library, being quite good with a pen herself. A man there had caught her interests and was quite persistent in trying to win her attention, but as he had kissed her he had been too rough and he had tried to touch her breasts, and she had told him off. I asked her if she hadn't been afraid, but she laughed. She told me she had told him off by kicking him in his crotch before storming off. She told me the man would have met a knife if he would have followed her. I realized the women of the temple were far from hopeless, and decided to keep that fact in mind.

She told me that she had shared her bed too with several of the women of the temple, and that though they had brought her relief, she liked men better. She told me she had shared the bed with one other man after that. He had been strong and well-built, and handsome to look at. He had quite a low, carrying voice and hadn't really talked much at first, but he had been pleasing in bed. He had smelled nice and he was masculine yet cute. I listened to her description with rising jealousy before realizing she was talking about me. She laughed out loud because of the look on my face. When she had finished laughing, I asked her if that was truly how she saw me.

She smiled at me affectionately, and told me it was. She said she could have told me I was shy and inexperienced, or that I was nicer and less selfish than she thought a warrior would be, but that that would have given it away. Her fingers softly caressed my blushing face. 

"I told you you're cute, didn't I?" 

I would never have described myself as cute. It was not a word to describe a warrior. Still, it was better than selfish and arrogant, as she thought warriors would be. She spoke again. 

"I have said how I've seen you. Tell me how you do see me. And be honest and specific." 

I knew this to be a test: she had told me to be more open about my feelings and wanted me to tell her this. I summoned my courage, telling myself a warrior that would gladly go into battle should be able to talk to a girl. I started talking to her.

I had noted she was beautiful when I first saw her. She had a good, slender figure, and a pretty face. Her face was open and easily betrayed emotion. She had big eyes, a cute nose and her mouth looked lovely as she laughed. I avoided looking at her as I said she had beautiful breasts, and that her red dress didn't really hide them. She had a well-shaped ass, but I liked her breasts more. 

She talked a lot. I wasn't really used to a girl speaking so openly, and it made me feel embarrassed sometimes, but I guessed her talking probably made up for my lack of it. I didn't always like her teasing, even though it was meant well. I found our relationship confusing at times, but I was really glad I had met her nonetheless. 

I had liked her moaning when she received pleasure, but I had been surprised by her dirty words. I was still unsure whether I liked that or not. She became more beautiful as she was aroused. I liked it when her long, blond hair was a bit wilder, when her face blushed and her eyes opened further in lust. I had been surprised by how violently she had moved when she came, but I liked it to see her like that.

I suddenly ran out of words. Once I had started talking, I found it easier to just continue and tell what came in my mind rather than stopping to think about what I would say next. I had told most of my story to the ceiling, knowing that looking at here would have prevented me from speaking so openly about sex. She moved closer to me, used her hand to turn my head towards her and pressed her lips against mine. She kissed me passionately, her hands on my neck.

"Thank you" she told me as the kiss ended. "I'm flattered. I know that wasn't easy for you to tell, and you were more thorough than I had thought you would be."

Her hand found my crotch and moved over it. "You did well. I think you deserve a reward."

I looked at her face and found she was aroused by my description of her. She asked me if I wanted to fuck her. I continued to look at her face and didn't stutter as I told her yes, I wanted to fuck her. She smiled and took of her dress. I had taken of my shirt and she undid my pants. She stroked my cock as it came free. 

"Did I tell you you're rather blessed by Aphrodite?" I shook my head.

"You have a quite a big cock. I like it." She giggled as I turned red again. 

I was getting used to her way of talking, but still found it uncomfortable sometimes. I did want her to receive pleasure too, though, and pushed her gently on her back, my hands on her breasts. I wet my fingers before touching her pussy, and was glad I remembered yesterday's lessons. Her hand softly stroked my cock. As I kissed her breasts and my hand worked between her legs, I felt her arousal rose until she softly began to moan.

She told me to put it inside her. I moved to position myself between her legs just like yesterday, but she stopped me. She said she wanted something different. She lay down on one side and told me to lay behind her. I did as she asked. Her body was close to mine. She told me to insert it in this position. She parted her legs to make room for me. She was surprised as my fingers found her pussy. She asked what I was doing, and I told her I liked to hear her moan. She indeed started to moan as my fingers pleasured her. Her sexy body softly moved, my erection resting against her ass. She told me to stop my teasing and fuck her, and I did what I was told. I spit on my hand and run it over my cock in an imitation of what she had done before, and lowered my body slightly to enter her.

She moaned as I entered. She was tight around me, but it only took her a few moments to get used to my cock. I started moving my hips. It was slightly more difficult to move in this position. I touched her breasts and played with her nipples while I used her body for support, and managed to get a nice rhythm going. I couldn't really look at her face, but her moaning told me she enjoyed it too. 

My hand left her breasts. I caressed her lovely-shaped ass as it rested on my hips and moved my hand to her clit. A higher pitched moan was my reward. She managed to turn her head around enough to kiss me. She kissed me passionately, my lips muffling her moans. Kissing was difficult, but it was exciting to see we still could do it. She whispered to me.

"C'mon, my warrior. Fuck me. Show me the strength of your hips."

She was more excited than I thought she would be. I used my hand to hold her leg up, opening herself more, and started thrusting. The difficult position did not stop my from trying to thrust into her as quickly as I could, and her moans told me I didn't disappoint her. My hips slapped against her ass. I buried my face in her long curls as I panted heavily, even softly biting in her shoulder. 

I felt she used her own hand lightly touching my cock as it went in and out of her, before she helped herself by pleasuring her clit with her fingers. I felt my own pleasure rising as I heard her moan, and realized I couldn't put up the speed for long. I told her I couldn't keep this up much longer, and she placed her hand on my abs to indicate me I should slow down. I did so, and she closed her legs. She immediately became much tighter around me. 




Plaything of the Gods Ch. 04



"Damn. It is... tight." I told her. 

She giggled. "And you're not small."

I set a slower rhythm now. She told me to make long, deep movements. I made sure to push in as far as this position would allow, before almost completely withdrawing and pushing in again. I massaged the soft flesh of her ass with my hand.

"I though you didn't really like my ass." She told me.

"I said I liked your breasts better." I said, before using my hand to pinch her nipple. Her hand still moved to touched herself.

"I'm close now. You are nearly ready to come, are you not?"

I told her I was. "Good. Then give me all. And don't stop fucking me until you have filled me up with your seed."

I grinned at her use of vulgar language, and parted her legs once more. I increased the speed of my hips, starting at the slow pace but going faster and faster, until-

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! fuck. Yes. I'm going to. Going to-"

She came before I did. Her hips rocked so violently that she would have ejected my penis if I would have allowed it, but I instead only slammed it deeper in her before I came, too. I continued to slowly fuck her until my orgasm had died out completely.

I pulled out and rolled over to my back, still panting heavily. She smiled at me. "I think we've made some progress today. You certainly seem less hesitant to talk."

She threw the blankets over me and curled up next to me. I quickly fell asleep.



Plaything of the Gods Ch. 05



CH5: More instructions.

I managed to sneak out early the next morning without waking her up, and decided to go running. I ran up the mountain and discovered several buildings I had not seen before. One of them smelled like animals, and I decided it had to be a stable. 

Running up a mountain is tiresome enough, and I decided to set a demanding pace rather than a sustaining one. My training had taught me to breathe deeply as I ran up the high ridge of the nearest mountain. I was greeted by the sun upon arrival; it promised to be a warm, cloudless day. 

I looked around. This ridge was only one tendril of the higher, snow covered mountains further up west. The temple had been built at the end of a valley, but not inside the real mountains, were provisioning would have been a problem. Apart from the temple, there was no sign of human life in the valley. I knew there was a village down somewhere, but the many hills and ridges hid it from my view. I hear the birds and insects and knew there was probably some game around here somewhere, but right now I was alone. I drank in the view before starting to run down again. 

Running down a mountain is easy if your knees and ankles are up to it: Don't think about the movements. Gravity will bring speed, the only thing you have to do is decide look for a place to set down your foot before you actually set it down. The sun was slowly shining brightly in more and more places in the valley. I raced down, trying to reach the temple before the sun would. I lost. 

The run had made me sweaty, so I went to the baths. I was just putting on my clothes when there was a knock on the door of the small bathroom. Ariadne was waiting for me. 

She wore a low-cut dress and her hair was still wet. She told me she couldn't find me and had eaten and washed alone. She told me to grab something from the kitchen and to meet her at the storage rooms. I ate my bread as I went looking for her, and she told me we would do some chores first. As we cleaned the now-empty eating room of the kitchen, I couldn't help but stare at her ass as she picked something up, and than continued to swipe the floor. The day was already hot when we finished the chores and continued to the library.

The hot weather and my earlier exercise had made me unfocussed. She gave me a scroll I had to memorize, but today my mind constantly wandered off. They day was hot, even inside the library, and I was always aware of the presence of the beautiful woman next to me. She told me she wanted to copy one of the scrolls in the library. I was sure she thought that as long as she didn't talked to me she wouldn't distract me, but she was wrong.

"You are really hopeless, are you not?" She told me, as she caught me staring at her breast again. "Maybe I should not wear this dress, for I believe it distracts you too much."

I protested, saying the dress was lovely but not distracting, but I could not put much effort in those words. She sighted.

"I know it's hot today and somehow your mind is elsewhere, but please try to focus."

I did an honest effort and did my best to read en memorize the scroll, but after a good start I realized I was now reading one line over and over again. I groaned. 

"I can't do this. I'm sorry, but I'm not used to just sitting and reading for so long."

"Maybe I should ask Leda if she can appoint someone that doesn't distract you as much to instruct you."

"Please don't do that." I said shocked. Ariadne smiled to me.

"I wouldn't want that, but I think we should find a way to get you focused again. And stop starring at my breasts. If you want something from me, just ask."

I was silent, but her eyes narrowed. "You do want something from me, don't you?"

My cheeks had turned red again. "Yes, but I know now is not the time to-"

My voice died off as Ariadne suddenly stood up and stood right before me. "And what is it you do want from me? If it will help you study I will gladly do so, for right now you are a worthless student."

Her stance was challenging, and I knew she would truly consider anything I asked her. I decided to ask for the only thing that might work right now; though speaking the words suddenly directly to her face was still difficult.

"Can you... do you... could you bring me release?"

She suddenly sat down in my lap, her face close to mine. I tried to look away while she spoke. Her hands gently touched my throat, forcing me to look at her. "You do think all you need is release, and you won't be distracted anymore? Good. How shall I bring about your release?"

"With your mouth." I had said the words out loud before I had realized it. I thought I was blushing before, but now I knew I was not even really embarrassed. I tried to avoid here gaze, bus as I looked down I only saw her breasts, which didn't help making me feel less embarrassed. Her voice was soft and kind as she spoke again.

"You've learned to speak your mind more clearly. You do still have some shame in you, and in this situation that's not really strange. Still, you are making progress. I asked what you wanted, you named it. And I think I do want to help you."

I looked in her eyes again, not believing she meant what she had said. She smiled to me, and whispered into my ear. "Consider yourself lucky I'm in a willing mood today. You have quite a lot of cheek."

She stood up, before kneeling down on the ground before me. She took the open dress off her shoulders and let it slide down till her waist. She showed me her breasts. 

"I believe you have wanted to see these naked for quite some time now." 

With authority in her voice, she told me to sit more to the front of the chair, and to take off my pants and shorts. I lowered both and sat down on the chair again. She leaned forwards and took my semi-erect in her hand. Her eyes found mine again. She sensually licked her lips as her hand softly started stroking me. I could tell she was rather horny herself as she used her other hand to absently-minded stroke her panties. 

In a tight voice, I asked her if she could be a bit more firm. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, and increased the pressure with her hand. My pleasure increased as well. Her skilled stroking had quickly made sure I was fully erect, and I had started to breath more heavily too. She decided to tease me.

"Tell me what you want me to do"

"I want you to please me with your mouth."

"Can you be a little more specific?" 

I saw the triumph on her face as I spoke the words to her face.

"I want you to use your mouth to lick my cock"

She leaned forward, and while her hand still moved up and down, her tongue touched the sensitive head. I groaned as she softly licked me, and she giggled. She was encouraged by my reaction, because she licked more surely, before she started to rotate her tongue around the tip. I grunted. She looked up to me, her tongue still working the tip. I knew she enjoyed it to see my pleasure. She leaned back again, giving me slow, firm strokes.

"Do you like it?"

I grunted, but I think she got the message. She smiled.

"I don't have much experience, but I'm glad to see you enjoy it."

She leaned forwards. This time, her tongue ran down the length of my shaft, starting just above my balls and going up to the top. She repeated the move several times, but she did change were she licked, so I my cock was completely covered in saliva. She continued pumping her hand up and down, and the lubricant provided a blissful friction. She winked at me. She licked the tip, licked more of it and then took the head completely in her mouth. 

I was in heaven. Her wet lips felt so good on my member. She bobbed her head up and down, slowly taking a little bit more of it in her mouth. I took her hand and placed it on my thigh, so only her mouth touched my member. I run my hand trough her long, curly hair, preventing one of her locks from hiding my view at her work. As I ran my hand trough her hair, I was gently guiding her head, but she didn't seem to mind. She followed the instructions my hand gave her, and soon sucked me off in a very comfortable rhythm. She made a soft, muffled moan, and I knew she used one of her hands to pleasure herself. She changed her movements, and started licking my shaft again. I told her to pay more attention to the head. She did what I told her, rolling her tongue over the sensitive tip. 

She broke contact but now used her hand again, this time only stroking the head. Her blue eyes locked into mine, and I knew the lust I saw in her eyes must only be a fraction of mine. She stood up, her hand still stroking me. I grabbed her breasts and squeezed them as she brought her head close to me to whisper in my ear.

"You like it, don't you? You like it when I suck you off. And you like it to instruct me. It's okay. Tell me what you want, and I'll do it. You will repay me tonight."

I looked at her sly grin, and nodded. She softly kissed my cheek. I let go of her boobs as she sank down again. "Tell me what you want."

"Take my cock in your mouth again." She licked the head once before taking it in her mouth. I ran my hand trough her hair again, guiding her bobbing head. "Just a little deeper... yes"

Her free hand was now softly massaging her own boob. "Try sucking me more"

I moaned as she increased the sucking sensation. I guided her head into a comfortable rhythm. My next question still embarrassed me.

"Can you... use your tongue now as well?"

The sensation was almost unbearable. Her head still moved up and down, her lips putting pressure on my cock, as her slippery tongue moved over the head.

"Holy –" I bit back the words, deciding I shouldn't insult the Gods. I chose less offending words instead. "Aphrodite be praised. That feels good."

Ariadne laughed and released my cock from her mouth, although her hand immediately took over. "It's good to praise the Goddess in pleasure. Do you like it that much?"

"Damn yes. Please do that again."

There was a look of pride on her face. She took me in her mouth again, her tongue and lips simultaneously pleasing me. I softly moved my hips along with the rhythm of her bobbing head. It felt so good I wanted it to last forever, but I knew my climax was rapidly approaching. 

"If you keep doing this, I'll come" I warned her. She didn't respond except for moving her head even faster. She released my cock from her mouth, her hand setting a teasingly slow pace.

"Are you going to come, big boy? Good. Tell me where you want to finish. Do you want to come on my face?"

I hadn't really thought about it and wouldn't have dreamed she would allow me to do that, but quickly agreed. "Yes, I'd like that."

"Good." She licked the tip as her hand stroked me very fast. "Give it to me, my lover."

I threw my head back, but decided I wanted to see her eyes. As she saw the look of pleasure on my face, she knew how close I was. She used both her hands now, rapidly jerking me off, and began talking dirty again.

"Oh yeah, my love, give it to me. Come all over me. I want to watch you come. Cover my face with your hot seed."

She licked her lips, and I couldn't take it anymore. A thick rope of sperm was ejected from the tip, landing on her pretty little face. I closed my eyes for a moment as her hands continued their stroking. My balls contracted several times, each time sending forth more sperm. When I was finally finished, she continued stroking me for a bit, making sure I had given her all, before leaning back. 

She giggled. "I'm afraid you made a bit of a mess."

Her face was covered in my come, and I saw some of it dripping down to her breasts. I didn't know it would be this much. It was quite a sight to see her pretty face decorated like this. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Yes you did, and I don't think you're that sorry either."

I scanned the room for anything we could use to clean her up, when I froze. Leda stood in the doorway, watching us. I stumbled to my feet and tried to quickly pull up my pants, and I saw Ariadne looking at her as well. She didn't try to cover herself up, as it would have been futile, but instead turned bright red. I don't know for how long Leda had watched us, but one look on Ariadne's face was enough to see what had happened here. I wondered if she would be angry we weren't studying, but Leda spoke calmly.

"Ariadne and Michael, I was looking for you. I wanted to check if your education goes well." 

She directed the words at me. I didn't know what to say, and avoided the tall woman's eyes. 

"I see have learned to speak more clearly about your desires. That is good. I don't think I need to remind you not only to concentrate on your beautiful instructor, but also on your studies"

It was a mild rebuke, and I nodded my head, ashamed. Leda didn't seem to be embarrassed by the state we were in. She spoke as if she had just found us busy with our studies. She now directed her words to Ariadne.

"I want a word with you later. I expect you to continue to supervise Michael's study and I want a copy of the botanic scroll, but I want a word with you soon. Can you come to my chamber sometimes after dinner?"

Ariadne had stood up again, her face still red as some of my sperm slowly dripped down her boobs. She curtsied politely, however, and told Leda she would be there. Leda looked pleased.

"Good. I will leave the two of you to continue your studies." She turned around, but stopped just before she closed the door, a smile on her face.

"There is a cloth in the cabinet on the right somewhere. You might want to use it to tidy yourselves up for a bit."

She left, leaving us extremely embarrassed.

The cabinet contained tools for writing. Among them was a fresh cloth that could be used for spilled ink, and Ariadne used it to clean herself before readjusting her dress. As we both took our seats to continue what we were supposed to do, I quietly thanked Ariadne. She smiled, reminded me I would repay her for it, and went back to copying the scroll. 

Our intervention had worked: I was no longer as distracted, and determined to study hard today. By the time the sun began to set, I had learned several scrolls by heart, and Ariadne had made good progress on her scroll. Ariadne sneaked away to tidy herself up a bit and to dispose of the dirty cloth, and then rejoined me for dinner. 

She left for Leda's chambers after eating, and I used the opportunity to check on my armor and gear before leaving the temple to make a small offering to Ares. When I returned to the temple I knocked on the door of Ariadne's chamber, and found Ariadne waiting for me, back from her visit to Leda. 

Ariadne invited me to lay down on the bed with me, but seemed interested in talking for a while. She told me Leda had said she was content to see I was making progress. I silently wondered in how detail Ariadne would have told her about certain aspects of my study. I asked Ariadne if Leda had said anything about the way she met us today. She looked at me. 

"She told me she was glad we were going along well, but told me to choose my location for certain instructions more careful. You might not know it, but having a male around here changes much. I think Aphrodite only initiated girls here because she wanted the temple to be like this. Your arrival and initiation changed things. I told you I volunteered to be the one to teach you. Leda honored me by giving me the task instead of several other good candidates. She doesn't think you are yet ready to be exposed to all the women in this temple. She goes a long way to keep you separate. She told us we could use the library, but if other people had walked in, things could get ugly. Not everyone is happy I have claimed you as mine."

She studied my face while she told me this, trying to see how I reacted. I hadn't realized the consequences my arrival had.

"I don't quite understand. I understand the location was not appropriate, but we are together, right? It might not be good to be so public as today, but why does she want me to be separated?"

I could see I had not given the right answer. "You are quite naïve sometimes, especially in affairs like this. I am your instructor, and teach you everything. Sex is just a part of that, and if any one of us wanted another lover, no rule would forbid that."

She saw the look of hurt on my face and quickly continued. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I like you, and my interest in you in genuine. Remember I share my bed to you because I want to, not because of my task. Nor am I looking for another lover."

She smiled gently as she caressed my face with her hand, and I believed her.

"Still, if one of the other women of the temple would try to seduce you, I have no right to stop her. That might distort the friendships we have in this temple. With this many women living close together, we can't afford to give offence. It can turn quite nasty."

I looked at Ariadne and told her I didn't desire another woman. She shook her head. "As I told you, you are young and naïve, and the women of this temple can be quite convincing if they want to. Still, I thank you for your words. To avoid complications, you are to be kept separate until Leda decides it otherwise."

I lay pondering her words for a while. Relationships in Ares' service were much easier. If anyone gives offence, he should apologize. If the apologies are not accepted or none are offered, there is a fight. Ares determines the winner of such a fight to be the one who is right. The loss of a few teeth and the shame of losing are often enough payment to undo the offence, but sometimes gold needs to be paid. Grudges are never carried long.

I looked up as Ariadne moved next to me. There was a mischievous smile on her mouth. 

"I'm happy to see you understand the gravity of the situation. Leda's told me to be more careful, but that doesn't mean we can't do what we want while we are in my room."

I looked at her and smiled. "And what is it you want to do?"

"I remember you still owe me something."

I kissed her softly. "Yes, and I will gladly repay that debt. You have my thanks."

"You really liked it, didn't you? I hadn't realized at first how much you had wanted it"

"You underestimate your own talents. Your beauty fuelled my desire; your skill fuelled my pleasure."

"Well spoken, my warrior. You are learning to speak more refined. The credit is not entirely mine, though. I never pleased a man that way before. I was told how it should be done by one of my friends, and your own instructions told me more about pleasing a man. I will tell my friend her learning pleased you, though."

I quietly reflected how much these women told each other and suspected Leda was quite right about Ariadne invoking jealousy in other women. I held my tongue, deciding now was not the best time to bring this up, and asked her how I should repay her.

"We will work on your endurance today. You are not too selfish and you have some stamina, but you could be more pleasing if you lasted longer. I will show you the right techniques, and your objective is to refrain from coming for as long as possible."

She told me what I could do to last longer, and undressed and told me to show her I did understand my lesson. I entered her, and she did everything she could to give me pleasure and to try to make me come. She tempted and teased me, but I followed her advice and was determined to please her as a way of thanks for earlier today. 

Her body quickly put me on edge, but I changed my rhythm to a slow, stable one and fought back the urge to come. She whispered dirty words in my ear and told me to come, but I focused on a spot on the wall and ignored her, as I continued to thrust in her. I realized she could make me feel more aware of her pleasure by touching the Aphrodite's tattoo in my neck. She used this to almost make me lose control as she came herself. I switched the position of our lovemaking instead, and did not move myself but moved along with her hips as she came. 




Plaything of the Gods Ch. 05



I found out that if I sat upright with her on my lap, I could hold out for a long time while giving her pleasure. I could use my tongue to kiss her mouth and neck, I could use my hands to please her nipples and clit, and play with her breasts and ass. The position was most suited for a slow rhythm. I kissed her, her arms around my neck, one of my hands on her ass for support while the other one touched her clit, and thus brought her to another climax. After her orgasm had subdued, she pushed me on my back began to ride me. 

In this position she was in control, as she bounced up and down my cock. Her tight pussy and the movements of her hips quickly made the pleasure unbearable. I told her to slow down, but she just smiled and began riding me even harder. She refused to let me switch position or pull out, and told me I had done well and could come now. I tried to close my eyes and use my willpower to prevent myself from coming, but she simply bent over and kissed the tattoo on my throat. As I felt her soft lips on my skin I came, and she continued riding me until I was done and dismounted me.

She seemed content. She told me she had expected a man of Ares to be more impatient, and that I had quite a lot of willpower. I enjoyed her compliment, and asked her about the tattoo. She said the thought Leda would have explained it to me, and told me about it. The tattoo was a connection to Aphrodite, given during the initiation. Aphrodite could use it to channel power through her subjects. Since Aphrodite commanded lust, those loyal to her could use the tattoo in several ways. 

Ariadne told me to touch hers, and as I touched her tattoo I could faintly feel her arousal. It was almost as if I could more clearly smell the scents she excreted when she was excited, but at the same time I sensed her arousal was dying down. She told me the tattoo could also be used to share your pleasure with someone or to arouse someone, but she said that it was just a way of help. It was not possible to make someone like you who didn't or to sense someone you didn't connect with. 

She touched mine again, and then told me she would teach me more about it tomorrow, as I was clearly thinking too much about sleep right now. I agreed with her, pulled up the blanket of the bed and lay down next to her. She lay on her side, and I aligned my body to hers and found a comfortable position next to her warm body. I used my finger to softly caress her cheek before touching her tattoo. She was sleepy and content and I happily went to sleep.

In the next days a pattern emerged. I woke up early to do some exercises, before bathing and eating. We would do chores for a part of the day, before Ariadne would instruct me in being a servant of Aphrodite. She taught me how to pray, instructed me in how a temple of Aphrodite works and taught me some history. While in Ares' service deeds are considered of the greatest importance, Ariadne told me words were often more useful to someone who follows Aphordite's way. She gave me enough examples of places in history were words and subtlety had been more useful than swords and power, until I half-heartedly admitted words might indeed be equally useful. 

After dinner, Ariadne would instruct me in other matters in her room. Her lessons were quite diverse, and always challenging. We never made love in the same position, as Ariadne showed me several positions to make love in. She seemed to enjoy it when I took initiative, but often came up with tasks that were meant to both excite and teach. 

One day, she instructed me to massage her with my hands. She showed me what she liked, and she soon squealed under my strong fingers. I wanted to undress her and to feel her soft, naked skin under my fingers, and she soon squealed even more as I massaged her naked body. The massage seemed to arouse her, and not long after my fingers had entered her before she climaxed. 

She did not need much time to catch her breath after I had stopped touching her, and soon rode my cock while she faced away from me. Her hips moved tirelessly, her ass a tantalizing vision as it bounced up and down, her folds squeezing me blissfully. My lessons not entirely forgotten, I managed to hold out long enough for us to come together.



Plaything of the Gods Ch. 06



Note to reader: 

The next two chapters will not contain any erotic material and will be all about the background story and character development. I apologize for any grammatical mistakes, misspelled words and sentences that just seem wrong. English isn't my native language, but I'll try to improve. If you like the story and would be interested in editing, send me a message. All comments are welcome.

**************

CH6. A God calls.

 Fire. Screams. The sound of metal against metal. A man shouted something in a harsh voice. A smell of burning. A man's scream was cut off as his life left him. Two men were fighting with bare hands, their weapons forgotten. More screams, more sounds of fighting. In the near dark, only a part of the battlefield was visible, but the battle was large and the fighting fierce. A shield lay discarded in the mud. Ares' symbol was clearly visible in the light of a nearby fire. 

I woke up with a start, dizzy and disoriented. 

It took me some time to realize I was still in the temple of Aphrodite. Ariadne was leaning over my body, and shook my shoulders. When she saw me looking at her she stopped shaking me, and stared at me with an expression somewhere between relieve and worry. She said something to me, but my sudden headache prevented me from thinking straight. 

I shook my head, but the headache only worsened. Ariadne looked at me downright worryingly. I needed to get away. I sat up in the bed and wanted to get out, but Ariadne stopped me. She asked me what I was doing. I told her I needed to get away, to go to my Brothers. She looked at me as if I was crazy, and I still had enough of my senses to realize I probably sounded crazy right now. I tried to explain it to her. 

"A battle is fought somewhere. My Brothers are in the battle, I know that. I need to go to them, to help them, somehow."

A look of confusing answered me.

"I had a dream. No. A message. Ares summoned me, and I have to obey."

I touched Ares' mark on my forearm, and was surprised to find it hot. The mark confirmed to me that what I was doing was right. I stood up and started to put on my clothes. Ariadne also stood up. 

"Are you okay? You were trashing around a lot in your sleep. Maybe Leda or Charre could-"

"There is no time for that. Ares called me. I have to go now." I felt relieved when Ariadne simply nodded. 

I went to my room, and started to pack my gear. Ariadne followed me and helped me put on my armor. I was adjusting the straps of my breastplate when I heard sounds from the doorway. Apparently, my midnight rising had awaken many of the women of the temple. I saw several women dressed in only nightshirts, though at least two of them carried knifes. Ariadne went to speak to them. The women looked at me rather hostile. I realized it must seem bizarre, seeing a man done his armor in the middle of the night. 

Before Ariadne could say much, however, Leda walked in. Ariadne started to explain: "Michael had a dream. He said something about a battle somewhere, and-" 

I took over. 

"I had a vision. I saw a big battlefield, and I know my Brothers are fighting somewhere. They are in danger. Ares summoned me. I cannot delay."

Leda frowned, and I tried to ignore my headache and remember my manners. 

"Thank you for the hospitality you've shown me, my high priestess, but I must leave now. I can't explain, but I know I need to go at once. I cannot disobey a message from my God."

Leda nodded. 

"And we will help you. Antiope? Ah, there you are. Can you go and saddle a horse? Good. Michael, you can get provisions from the kitchens if you need them. Is there anything else you need?"

I smiled. 

"Thank you again for everything, high priestess. I will manage, I think. I will return as soon as possible."

"You should. Your training is far from finished, and you'll be caught up in great events. Good luck to you, and I hope we can have a good talk when you return."

I shouldered my gear, and turned to Ariadne. 

"I'm sorry I need to go, but I can't stay any longer." 

She nodded. "It's okay. Go, and be sure to return safely. I will pray for you."

I kissed her on the lips and promised her I would return. I heard several women whisper, but I ignored them, and walked away towards the stables.

Antiope was apparently in charge of the stable, and she had already saddled a horse for me. I attached my gear to the saddle, thanked Antiope and rode off. 

The warbands of Ares moved mostly on foot, but knew how to ride a horse and this one was willing enough. The horse was a strong and sturdy one, bred for comfort rather than battle. I used the reigns to rush the beast forward as fast as it could go. I was anxious to reach my destination in time. 

I followed the road I had run more than a week ago back towards the forest. The sun was rising when I found the path were I left the forest the last time. I entered the forest, and hoped my sense of direction was good enough to find the place were my brothers had been ambushed again. I had to slow down considerably to find the path I had taken before in such a hurry, but recognized enough to know I was heading in the right direction. 

Suddenly I heard a whistle. It could have been just a bird singing, if I didn't knew that particular whistle. It was used as a signal. I unsheathed my sword and stared out into the forest. I saw no one, but I knew someone was close.

"Who's there?" I called out into the forest. 

Discretion was no option, as the whistle indicated someone had already spotted me. I suddenly missed the comforting weight of my shield. I heard the rustling of leaves and the snapping of twigs, before three men appeared. They all wore heavy armor, a long spear and a shield. I was glad to see Ares' symbol on their attire. They looked at me with a look of distrust, their spears raised. The man closest to me spoke out.

"Who are you?"

"I am Michael of Thebe. I serve under general Demostrate. Where is the battle?"

The men looked at me in surprise. They seemed more at rest, though they did not lower their spears.

"There is no battle here. There have been skirmishes, but nothing serious. Nor have we heard of anyone else patrolling the area."

"I am not patrolling. I was sent away to sent a warning. Now please let me trough. I know there is still a battle somewhere!" I tried not to shout, but I knew I was wasting my time here while my vision had clearly shown me a battle. The men quietly argued, before their leader spoke to me again.

"We will escort you to the camp, where your general will tell us if you are indeed who you say you are. If not, pries-commander Zeuxis will decide your fate. Do not try anything stupid."

I nodded, dismounted and followed them. Doubt assailed me as the men flanked me while we walked through the forest. In my dream, it had been night. It was morning now. Was I too late? No, the guards would have known about an attack. For a moment I doubted I had truly had a vision and not simply a nightmare, before I discarded that thought. The message had been clear. Besides, the news Zeuxis was here surprised me. The priest-commander of Thebe would not be here personally if all was under control. Things would surely made sense once we were in the camp.

The camp was located close to the site were me and my Brothers had been ambushed. The camp itself turned out to be larger than I thought it would have been: Its size indicated it housed eight or nine warbands at least. The palisade around the camp was erected with the usual precision, and it showed no signs of struggle. 

One of the guards left us, but returned with Demostrate at his side. I was relieved to see my general. He was in good health, and seemed quite happy to see me. He hugged me in a kind manner and sent the guards away. I knew my general rarely showed his emotions openly, so his warm welcome surprised me.

"Michael! It's so good to see you're well. We were all worried when news came you needed more time to recover. Come, I'll take you to your Brothers."

His words were kind, and I loathed myself for being the bringer of bad news, but I knew my message was important.

"My apologies, Demostrate, but there is something I need to do first. I'm afraid I have bad news."

His face turned to worry. "What is it, Michael? You are healthy again, are you?"

"No, it's..."

I saw the stern expression on his face and knew he would want a full report. I had no other explanation but for my vision, and I knew it would take a long time to convince my general the vision had been real. He was a warrior, not a priest. Priest-commander Zeuxis was probably my best choice. He could rally the men and prepare for battle.

"Priest-commander Zeuxis is in the camp now, right? I have an urgent message."

Demostrate frowned. "Zeuxis is here, yes. But you can report to me, and I will take your message to him."

"I need to speak to the priest-commander now. Please, my general. You know I would not ask this if the need was not great."

Although I knew he did not like this breach of protocol, Demostrate nodded and led me trough the camp. We approached Zeuxis' tent, and were allowed in. Zeuxis and several other generals were already there, and looked at us expectantly. Demostrate saluted and spoke.

"Apologies for interrupting, commander. This is Michael, the runner who delivered the message. He says he has urgent news for you."

Zeuxis nodded to indicate I could speak. His blue-grey eyes found mine. The older warrior was a veteran of many a battlefield, and a wise and strict commander. He was shorter than I and most of his hair was grey, but his broad shoulders and piercing gaze were imposing. I forced myself not to look away as I bowed and began my story.

"Greetings, priest-commander Zeuxis of Thebe. I am Michael, your humble servant. I fear we will soon be under attack, and we need to prepare for battle. I-"

Zeuxis cut me off. 

"My scouts tell me these barbarians flee before them. They tell me they would not dare to attack us again and most of them seem to have left the area for good. Do you believe they are wrong?"

"I do, commander."

"Explain."

His eyes studied my face, a look of concentration on his face.

"I had a vision. Ares showed me a battlefield. I think it was meant as a premonition. I believe the camp will be attacked tonight."

As soon as I finished talking, the generals began talking among each other. One of them clearly said "absurde" while Demostrate next to me began apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Zeuxis. I did not know he would-"

Zeuxis cut him off by stepping forward, his eyes on me.

"I do not know what you believe, boy. But I would know it if we were in any danger. If Ares would have sent a warning, I would've known it."

"You must believe me! I know what my dream meant. If we do not prepare, we-"

I knew how feeble my claim was. Zeuxis obviously didn't believe me, and by telling him we were in danger I doubted his judgment as commander.

"Do not think I do not know how to lead my men! There are no signs of battle. I do not know what kind of games these women play, but I am not impressed."

I was taken aback by his words. He grinned viciously.

"You are not the first one to be ensnared by Aphrodite's women. I knew something was wrong when I received a letter saying you were delayed, and now you tell me such a story. Those manipulative whores are up to something, and I want to know what."

Pride welled up in me. I knew it was not my place, but I spoke out anyway, erecting myself so I was taller than the older man in front of me.

"You will not speak of the servants of Aphrodite in such a way. Your words betray your ignorance. Aphrodite-"

Demostrate tried pull me away by my arm, but I pushed him away. All of them were fools for not listening to me. Zeuxis looked stunned: Probably because nobody ever dared to speak up to him in such a way. I glared at him as I opened the collar of my shirt, barring the black tattoo in my throat.

"Aphrodite has claimed me. I will not allow you to insult her in my presence."

My words had been directed at Zeuxis. Demostrate now grabbed my arm and forcefully tried to pull me out of the tent, hissing he would flog me personally before Zeuxis would punish me. I realized I had dishonored him by speaking up, and for a moment doubted I had done the right thing as he dragged me away. 

Suddenly I was hit by a headache so strong my knees gave away. Demostrate let go of my arm immediately as if he had burned himself. Still on my knees, I forced myself to look at Zeuxis, who was now clutching his arm as well. I twisted my arm up, revealing the mark of Ares. The black mark of the crossed swords was no longer black, however. The mark I showed to Zeuxis and the generals was bright red, and burned hot as the day I received it. Zeuxis said nothing but showed me his arm, a mark clearly red against his naked skin. He nodded.

"Ares calls. Prepare the men for battle!"

I was sitting in a chair in Zeuxis' tent not much later. All kinds of emotions reeled through my body as around me the generals were making plans and were sending instructions to prepare for the coming battle. I ignored them all, a massive headache preventing me from thinking straight.

"Here. Drink this."

Zeuxis offered me a goblet. I looked up to him in surprise.

"I know how you must feel after Ares has sent you a message. The headaches are killing, though you get used to them. This wine helps some, too."

I greedily drank from the goblet. The red wine was strong-flavored and had some spices in it. It did seem to lessen the headache somewhat, and I thanked Zeuxis. The older warrior nodded and studied my face.

"You are really Aphrodite's servant?"

I nodded and showed him the tattoo on my throat. He thought for a long time, before he spoke again.

"Aphrodite has claimed you. Ares normally only speaks through a priest-commander, but he spoke to you while giving me only vague signs. I do not know what to do with you."

He closed his eyes for a moment, before reopening them. I realized he spoke to me as he would to someone his equal, not instructing me as he would a young warrior.

"For now, rest a while. Rejoin your Brothers when you are ready. You must be anxious to meet them again. Help them to prepare for the battle. Ares' signs are clearer to me now. Before nightfall, we will have to fight."

Zeuxis stood up and began talking to a general. I sat down for a while and waited for my headache to diminish, before standing up and going to my Brothers. I had not seen them in a very long time, and today's events were troubling. Still, it would be good to see my Brothers again.

I found them working on the palisade surrounding the camp. As soon as they saw me they came running towards me, and it took a while before they were finished hugging me and stopped talking all at once long enough for me to hear what had happened to them.  

Of my Brothers, only Akaikos had died, though several others wore bandages. Eustatios still had a bandage around his middle and told me it had hurt like hell when they had removed the arrow, but he was all right now. 

After I had left them to send for reinforcements they had waited for several nerve-wrecking hours while the barbarians moved around, but dared not attack. They only movement my warband had made was to make sure they were covered from all sides from enemy fire. The barbarians had tested their cover and even tried to get closer to it to attack it, after which my Brothers had sallied out from the cover, killed two barbarians and then retreated. They had not dared to attack after that, and it was somewhere after nightfall when the first reinforcements had arrived. 

The reinforcements had crept up to the barbarians watching them and killed some of them, before the rest had fled. Zeuxis had arrived the following day and ordered a systematic search in the forest. There had been several clashes with the barbarians, but they often retreated quickly. They were somewhat unorganized, and their intentions were still completely unknown, though they seemed to hate the followers of Ares with a passion. 

After they had finished talking, they looked up to me expectantly. Demostrate had not told them much, and they wanted a full account of everything that had happened to me. I gave them the general story while we all erected wooden spikes around the palisade to discourage enemies from trying to breach it. 

I told them of my battle with the barbarians in the forest, of the track to the hot sun and told them of my fainting at the temple. They did not seem to hold this against me: They seemed to respect the fact I had ignored my own health to ensure their safety. I told them I had received a sign from Aphrodite, and was initiated. They inspected the tattoo, but knew I could not talk about the initiation itself. I was glad it was secret: I could not easily have talked to them about it. Still, my Brothers had heard stories of the temple of Aphrodite, and told me how much of them were true. 

I wanted to give a vague and evasive answer when I caught Eustatios' eye. He was grinning at me, and I suddenly could not help blushing. My Brothers wolf whistled, congratulated me and teased me all at once until Demostrate thought it was enough and told us to get back to work. I told my Brothers I had met a cute girl in the temple and that we sort of had a relationship. My Brothers expressed jealousy, though I knew they meant well and seemed happy for me. I told them I was to be trained in Aphrodite's ways, but could not tell them much more about it. 

I told them I had a vision, and that the pries-commander had then received a similar message. My Brothers then discussed everything they knew about the Gods, traded old stories of people who were called on by the Gods and started wild theories, only to conclude nobody knows the ways of the Gods but the Gods themselves. Though their stories offered little practical advice I enjoyed hearing them talking. They seemed to regard me as somewhat special now, but they had seemed to accept me back as if I had never really left at all. I was one with my Brothers once again.

After we had finished with the palisade a runner came up to us and told us of the plan for the upcoming battle. Zeuxis had sent out more scouts, who had finally found the hiding place of what appeared to be a large army of barbarians massing nearby. We would only defend the camp. Zeuxis was sure they would come out and search for us, and the warbands of Ares would meet them on the open ground in front of the camp, where we could freely move. A small part of the army would stay out of the camp and hide in the forest. My warband was chosen as one of the two warbands to wait in ambush, separated from the main army. This was to be our job: to try to flank the incoming barbarians and attack them from behind. 

As we ate our meal together the stories silenced and everybody became more tense, preparing for the upcoming battle. After we had checked our armor and were given our final instructions, we were sent out to wait in the forest along with a warband consisting entirely of skirmishers. We hoped the dense forest and the dusk falling in would keep us undetected as we waited and waited in silence for a sign of the enemy. 

Waiting for a battle is never easy, especially not if you are to remain undetected. The main army could at least make noise while they prepared themselves mentally for the battle ahead. All we could do was check our gear once again, stay low and pray silently to our God. We looked at the forest ahead, and I told myself not to be nervous; patience is a virtue that is taught to every warrior, and we were well prepared for battle.

Finally we saw several men coming up from the other side of the forest. Several other men joined them, until they formed an army larger than our own. I did not know how many they were, but I knew we could defeat them if only our flanking strategy worked. The barbarians reorganized into groups at the edge of the open ground held by Zeuxis' men, and started shouting insults and brought out bows. The battle had begun.



Plaything of the Gods Ch. 07



CH7. Blood, rage and despair.

We crept forwards in the shadows of the forest. Timing was essential. We wanted to attack their archers, their rearguard. If we could break their ranks and rout them, we could turn on the large army of barbarians and trap them between the warbands led by Zeuxis and us. 

I was nervous. I lifted my shield and pressed the fingers of my shield arm on Ares' mark. I didn't know if I really felt something or just imagined it, but touching the mark seem to give me strength. I calmed myself, and I saw Eustatios' grin to me, an eager look upon his face. He would have his revenge on the archers, by facing them head-on. 

A man yelled as barbarians moved up through the forest. They hadn't spotted us yet, instead facing Zeuxis' men. The barbarians yelled and taunted, and were greeted by the sound of Ares' warriors banging their shields together. The barbarians looked like a disorganized lot to me. Some carried sword and shield, some just swords or spears and I was sure I saw someone with a sickle. The first ones to step forwards were archers, though. They had seen Zeuxis' men would defend their camp rather than attack immediately, and tried to break the wall of spears and shields with arrows. I grinned at their stupidity. The round shield was part of every warrior's armor. All men were trained in using it to present a solid wall of shields. The barbarians took aim and fired at Zeuxis' men. I couldn't see them, but I was pleased to hear the clattering sound of arrows being deflected by shields. If the barbarians thought they would draw us out and weaken our line in such a way, they were surely mistaken.

Zeuxis ordered the men to move forward, advancing on the barbarians in formation. The barbarians on the battlefield shifted their tactics when they realized they were only wasting arrows, and instead decided to go for a direct charge. The main part of their army charged towards the shield wall Zeuxis' men presented. Suddenly, there was a sound in the forest nearby. Two scouts came into view, probably to spot for traps just like the one we currently used. Silent and cautious, I saw the skirmisher-warband move to take aim. One of the scouts died with three arrows in his body before he even spotted us, The other managed to make a yelp, but it was cut off when an arrow hit his face. I thanked the Gods for the skirmisher warband, and we continued to slowly move forward through the dense bush.

I heard metal clash against metal as the barbarians attacked the wall of shields from Zeuxis' men. Now was our time to get to action. Demostrate signaled for us to go forward. We kept in the cover of the trees, and ignored the main body of their army. If we attacked now, we would be flanked by the rearguard of their army. They had held some reserves back, and had their skirmishers and archers. If we did not dealt with them first, they would flank us and we would be trapped ourselves. We had to kill the ones they had hold back, if we wanted to successfully attack their army from behind. 

We had come close to their rearguard before we were spotted. The guard who spotted us was killed by one of our archers, but not before he had screamed to alert the others. Demostrate gave the order. Now, it was time for our warband to move. Our warrior warband ran forwards, leaving the skirmishers behind. The thought of battle made me forget about the weight of the shield as I ran towards their rearguard. They had not expected an attack, and we charged them as a small, compact group. 

I didn't slow down as I thrust my spear towards a surprised archer. The spear pierced his chest, killing him instantly. I quickly pulled the spear back to attack another man. I made a feint attack with my spear. He fell for the trick and tried to avoid my spear, but I had already changed its direction, planting it in his abdomen instead. I caught an arrow on my shield and then turned around to face an attacker that tried to flank me, but Photios' spear had already killed him before I could lift my spear again. 

Demostrate yelled, ordering us to form a line. Our surprise attack had been effective: We had killed several of them before they had had time to reform. Some of their lighter troops had run as soon as we had charged them, and I trusted our skirmishers to deal with them. The other fighters of their rearguard had recovered from the initial shock, however, and were prepared to meet us. We advance at them in tight formation, presenting them our shields and spears. They were too few in numbers to present a real threat to a phalanx from the front, nor where they organized enough to have a better strategy. They fought fierce, but were no match for the greater reach of our spears, our shield protecting us from their attacks. I killed two more of them with my spear. As the last of their rearguard fled, we cheered, and turned around to watch the rest of the battlefield. 

The shield wall of Zeuxis' man had not hold against the brute force of their army. As their shield wall had broken, every man had to fight for himself. 

I touched Ares' mark on my arm as I prepared for battle again. I was shocked to found the mark burning hot. Something was wrong. Suddenly, everything seemed to become blurry, as if time itself was slowing down. I looked at the attackers. Some of them had realized they were in fear of being attacked from both sides and had turned around to face us. 

I was aware Demostrate was shouting orders to get us in line again to attack them, but his voice was drowned, as if my general was very far away. I ignored him. I ripped off the straps that bound my shield to my arm and dropped it. I placed my free hand on Ares' mark, and laughed. My mark sent me a wave of strength, blood rage and hate. I filled myself with the sensation as I looked at our enemies. I drank in the energy emanation from the mark until I was drunk with it. My blood boiled hot. It seemed nothing mattered but me and the enemies in front of me.

I know someone shouted something, but all sounds seemed to be muffled. I took a step forward. My spear flew from my hand, over the battlefield, and pierced the armor and chest of one of the attackers. I suddenly wanted to yell. I screamed from the top of my longs and ran towards the place where the fighting was most intense. As I screamed an incoherent battle cry, and drew both my sword and my knife. 

All became a blur before my eyes as I charged in. When I looked back at it later, I could not recall everything. Only certain moments and images had been clear. I had thrown myself into the battle as a man possessed. I hacked and slashed away, oblivious to anything but my enemies. My sword slashed open armor and battered aside shields as I fought. One scene was very clear to me, despite my blood rage. A giant of a man caught my attention, a battle axe in his hand. I killed the man that stood between me and the big man, and he turned around to face me. He swung his axe at me, and I jumped aside, narrowly avoiding it. He lunged at me, but this time I parried his axe with my sword. Instead of trying to win on strength, I twisted my blade, trapping both our weapons between us, and stabbed him several times with my knife before it slipped through a weak spot in his armor and between his ribs. I didn't bother to retrieve my knife from his chest, but instead picked up his battle axe. 

I laughed out loud as I felt the weight of the axe in my hand. It took a moment to catch my breath before I threw myself in the thick of battle once again. An axe in my shield hand, my sword in the other, I attacked. The axe made me invincible. No one stood before me and lived. I used my sword to block attacks as I swung the axe effortlessly to kill. Shields splintered and helmets split as the heavy axe crashed down. I fought until I found myself surrounded by servants of Ares, and then changed my direction to find more enemies. I charged towards a place where men were still fighting. When I looked around me later, I could find no more enemies. I turned away from the battlefield. I swung the axe down into the body of an already dying enemy who lay heavily wounded on the ground, and left the axe there as I walked away from the battle. 

I knew not what I was doing, only that I needed to get away from the battlefield. All thoughts were gone, and did not register what was going on around me. I felt dizzy as I walked towards the camp, and suddenly my stomach grumbled, and I fell to my knees and puked. I dragged myself to my feet again, and found the tent of my warband. I quite literally fell down on my bed and passed out.

I was awoken again by Demostrate. The veteran looked older than I had ever seen him, a strange look on his face. He was talking to me but I didn't understand him. I was sure my head was going to explode, and I groaned in response to his words. Eustatios came up to me, gently hoisted me into a sitting position and offered me a waterskin. I gulped down a lot of water greedily, before rolling over to puke again. Eustatios laid me down on my back again. I didn't fall asleep, but I couldn't focus on what happened around me either. Instead, I watched a great battle that was fought by shadows on the canvas of the tent. I realized the war drums of the canvas battle were one with the throbbing pain in my head, and finally fell into a restless sleep.

I woke when it was still night. My headache had lessened, but I still felt dreadful. About half of my Brothers were sleeping in the tent with me. I saw that Eustatios was still awake. He sat upright next to me, and I wondered what he was doing. I quietly asked him where the rest of the Brothers were. He said nothing but shook his head, pain in his eyes. Suddenly, all emotions seem to drain from me, only to be replaced by a nameless pain.

I didn't sleep for the rest of the night. I soundlessly cried. I cried for my dead Brothers, for the unfairness, and for all the miseries of life in general. I thought to myself it would have been best if had been killed in the battle, too. It certainly would have made things easier. I felt Eustatios' hand on my shoulder. The knowledge we shared the same pain did not lessen it, but it was good nonetheless. We said nothing. Words were irrelevant. There was only pain. Pain deeper than any physical pain I had ever felt or imagined. We had lost part of us when we lost our Brothers; With them gone, part of us was gone, a part that could never be replaced of repaired.

I heaved myself upright as Demostrate entered the tent in the morning. He asked me how I felt. "Shit" was the only thing I managed to say, and he nodded. I tried to stand up, but I hadn't got any strength in me. I wanted to do something, anything. 

Demostrate told me I had been possessed by Ares in battle, and that I still had a fever. I knew from the way he spoke that he was blaming me for something. I wondered what it was, before I looked directly into the eyes of my old general. For the first time, I understood him as a person. 

Demostrate had always been a simple soldier. He had followed orders and prayed to the Gods. He had been rewarded the rank of general for his endless loyalty, and had taught and trained young boys as he had been taught and trained. He had prayed dutifully to the Gods because he was taught to, but never had he felt their power as I had. 

My return to the camp had rocked his world. He hadn't understood my vision, only seen that I was rude to the priest-commander. The burning mark had frightened him. As I had told, barbarians had come out of nowhere. I had ignored his orders several times yesterday, and my actions in battle had shocked him. I had to agree with him on that. Looking back, I despised myself for many of the things I had done in battle. 

He had found the easiest solution: he didn't understand what was going on, but he could blame all the strangeness on me. I understood him, but did not know how to solve the situation. I sadly thought it was likely the end of our relationship.

Eustatios took care of me. He made me drink some water and gave me some hard crackers. I ate them, and then puked. He made me drink more water, and I managed to hold it in. I felt grateful for him. Eustatios had always been my favorite Brother, and he didn't seem to judge me. Some of my other Brothers had seemed oddly distant, and I thought we probably all needed time. Eustatios told me they would honor and burn the dead today. I asked him if he could help me be there, and he told me he wouldn't want me to miss it. 

There was a ceremony led by Zeuxis. I was wrapped around in a blanket and could not stand on my feet. I leaned heavily on Eustatios as his strong body offered me support. I saw many warriors looking curious at me but ignored their stares, looking to Zeuxis and the pyre with the dead behind him. Zeuxis read the names of the dead servants of Ares and began an elaborate prayer to Ares, Zeus and Hades. Our dead had been prepared for the afterlife, and Zeuxis lighted the prayer with a torch. We all cut of a part of our warrior's tale to respect the dead, and threw the hair on the pyre. I hugged all my remaining Brothers, and knew we were one in our grief, at least. 

There would be a feast that night to honor the dead and to celebrate our victory. I told Eustatios and my other Brothers to go, and went back to our tent. I finally had a moment alone. My fever had died almost out, my headache was almost gone and my stomach had been able to hold food. I still felt lost, confused and hopeless.

Zeuxis entered my tent and sat down in front of me. He studied my face, and told me he was sorry for my loss. It had been long since Ares had lost so many servants at once, and it would take some time to rebuild the warbands. He asked me if I did know what I would do once I was stronger. I told him I didn't, and dared to ask him why was not at the feast. He sighted. 

He told me he had never seen a man fight like me. My enemies had either fled for me, or died. He told me the look on my face would have scared him, would I have stood before him. I clearly held Ares' favor, and many more of his servants would have died if I had not been there. Had I not warned them, they might have all died. He said he knew what it was like to be used by a God, and said I had given up all I had to Ares. The reason I was so weak now was because I had burned all my reserves while serving Him. He had spoken to the warriors at the feast, and they have honored me by praising me and drinking to my name. Songs might be written about me later. 

I said I didn't want songs. He nodded slowly. He told me I was caught in a game of the Gods, and that I would have been killed if I had given more. He told me there was no escape from one's fate, but that I would need to learn more if I wanted to live on. He might be able to help me. 

I considered his words. I told him I needed to complete my learning in Aphrodite's temple too, but that I would gladly study more after that. He grinned. He told me I had shown a lot of nerve by defending the women of Aphrodite to him earlier, and he apologized for insulting them. The way I spoke about it, he might need to revise his vision of them. He told me I seemed to bring change, and he needed to think on that. He wished me well before he left me, and said I could ask him for anything if I needed it. 

I was a bit stronger next day. I helped in the camp, and had soft conversations with many of my Brothers. The experiences of the battle would change our relationships forever, but I knew the bond with my Brothers had been too strong to disappear completely. I told Eustatios I was thinking about leaving for the temple of Aphrodite. He nodded. He asked me about my girl. I told him I didn't even know I could call her that, but that I needed time to think. I needed to complete my instructions there, too. I didn't tell him Aphrodite had taken away my worries during the cleansing, and was hoping She could help. Eustatios told me he understood.

The warriors were preparing to go back to Thebe again. They would gain nothing by staying here. Our scouts have told us the fleeing barbarians had retreated towards the coast and it looked like they would board their ships and leave. Poseidon would decide their fate now. I send a note to Zeuxis saying I wanted to leave, said goodbye to my Brothers and started collecting my gear. 

A warrior told me Zeuxis wanted me to join him. I followed him as he led me to Zeuxis' tent. Zeuxis said I needed a reward for my deeds in battle. I told him I had done my duty, but he refused that. He showed me a large pile of weapons and armor. He told me a victor can take the weapons of the men he killed in combat, and that I had the right to pick what I wanted. I found my shield and sword, inspected them and said it was all I would claim, as they were mine. Zeuxis shook his head. He told me that if I would head out again, I had at least to be prepared. He said I had dropped my shield to favor it for another weapon. I recognized the waraxe I had used in battle and picked it up. It was heavy, too heavy to wield with one hand, and I wondered how I could have ever used that. 

Zeuxis saw me discarding the axe and asked if I had ever fought with twin longswords. I told him I had trained with them, and that I had quite liked them. He commented that all men are required to fight as one in a phalanx, but that it I was probably better as a solo fighter. He found the best twin longswords for me. They were thin but strong, and fit my hand well. They were longer than my usual sword, though, and would take some getting used to. 

I left behind my usual sword, not needing a third one. I kept my shield, though. Before I went, I saw a richly decorated knife. I remembered I had lost mine, and picked it as well. Zeuxis was content with my choice. He told me I should sent notes if anything unusual happened, and bade me good luck. I said goodbye to my Brothers. It was a silent goodbye, as nobody knew what more there was to say. I hugged all of them and promised I would return soon. I picked up the horse Antiope gave me, attached my gear to it and rode off.



Plaything of the Gods Ch. 08



CH8. Returning from a war.

Even though I wasn't really in a hurry, the weather was cool and the horse could do with some exercise. I reached the temple somewhere in the afternoon. I couldn't find Antiope or anyone else in the stables but took care of the horse as best as I could, and then entered the temple. 

Zeuxis told me he would send a dove, so I was not surprised to see Ariadne waiting for me. She ran up to me as she saw me. She hugged me tightly, delight on her face. She was very happy to see me return. She kissed me on the cheek, saying she had missed me, and then kissed me on my mouth. I was happy to see her as well, and told her so. She told me we could return to her room and continue my instructions immediately, if I wanted that. I knew what she meant, and somehow it felt wrong. I had told Eustatios I did not only come here for the girl. I thought about my grieving Brothers, and asked myself if I had ran away from them just to have sex. 

Ariadne was taken aback by my lack of reaction, and asked me if something was wrong. I knew I would have to tell her the whole story if I told her what I felt, so I lied. I told her I was dirty and tired after the journey, and just wanted a bath. I dropped my gear, shield, armor and weapons at my chamber. She looked at them wonderingly, and touched Ares' insigne on the shield. She asked me where I had gotten the twin swords. I told her I swapped my sword for those, which was not truly a lie. I told her I would be back from the baths soon. She nodded, but there was a look of worry on her face.

I went to the small bathroom, and lowered myself in the warm water of the pool. I hoped the water would somehow take my trouble away from me and heal me, as happened before I was initiated. Nothing happened, though. I improvised a prayer to Aphrodite for her assistance in healing my hurt. Trying so hard to just enjoy myself and not think about what had happened only made me remember more. The water seemed to bring me memories of the battlefield, and I did not want that. I suddenly felt unclean by all I had done in the battle. I used the soap and scrubbed my skin until it was red, but the feeling didn't go away.

I touched both Aphrodite's tattoo and Ares' mark, but they neither of them seemed to offer any answers. I was suddenly angry at everyone and at myself. I was angry at the world for being unfair, and angry at myself for all the loathsome things I had done in battle. 

I punched the wall hard enough to draw blood. I reflected that that had been stupid, and I used a piece of cloth to bind my hand. Ariadne knocked on the door and asked if I needed anything, and I told her quite harshly to go away. I reflected that that had been stupid too. 

She was trying to help. I wanted to be angry at the Gods and to shout at them I never asked for all this, but stopped myself and decided I was not so stupid to insult the Gods too. I knew I had to be angry at myself: I had made myself believe everything would be all right if I just went here and took a bath. I knew life did not work that way. I dried myself, put on my clothes, and left the baths.

I wanted to talk to Ariadne, but had not decided how to do that or what to say. Not wanting a confrontation with her right now, I went to the kitchen alone. I had just sat down when Ariadne entered. The look on her face told me I had been stupid to avoid her. She looked at me, made sure I felt guilty about it, and then got food too and sat down in front of me. Her voice was more commanding than usual.

"What happened to your hand?"

"I did something stupid." I gave no more explanation.

"Why did you cut your hair?"

I avoided her eyes.

"Tell me what upsets you."

I sighted. "Can you drop it, please? I do not want to talk about it."

She looked at me, a considering look on her face. She talked more softly.

"No, I will not drop it. Something is bothering you. Something important. You can tell me what it is. I want to help you."

Silence. I knew I should talk to her, would have to talk to her sooner or later, but I could not find the strength to talk to her. The burden was mine, and mine alone. She did not give up that easily. She tried a guess now. 

"Nothing is bothering you physically, is it? Carré can help you."

I shook my head. She took another guess, this time with a tease in her voice. 

"You met a girl, then. A pretty girl, and you bed her. You think I will be angry when I find out."

I shook my head. 

"It's not something like that."

"Then tell me what it is!" 

She put her hands on the table with force. She was truly angry with me. Silence, again.

"You are a fool, Michael. I had thought you were learning. I thought you cared for me. I see I was mistaken." 

She walked away, the hurt in her voice much worse than her anger had been.

I left the table too, my appetite gone. I stood in front of her door a long time, but dared not knock. I did not want to have to tell her everything, nor did I want to lie. I went to my own room, took off my clothes, and lay down on the bed. The blanket was too thin and the bed became rather cold, but I welcomed the physical discomfort. It distracted me from the pain, distracted me from thinking.

I ignored her as she softly knocked on my door. I stared at the wall, stubbornly wishing she would go away. She did not. She entered and sat on the bed. I still ignored her, pretending to be asleep.

"I do not for a moment believe you are truly asleep. You breathe more slowly when you do so." 

She waited for a response. I didn't give one. 

"Look at me, please. Michael. I hate it to see you pain yourself like this. You know you will feel better if you talk to me." 

She put her hand on my shoulder to make me look at her, but suddenly yelped.

"You are cold as ice! You are a stubborn fool, Michael." 

She quickly run off, and returned with blankets. She threw an extra blanket over me, waited for a moment, and then climbed in bed. She lay down behind me and pressed her warm body to me. The act felt very motherly to me. I thought about all that had happened since I left the safe comfort of my mother's home. Suddenly my emotions overwhelmed me, and I started crying. She felt my shoulders shook and pushed herself closer to me, her arms around me. She said nothing as I cried quietly. Her warm breath was on my neck, her nose touching my hair. She held me until my tears had stopped, and I started talking.

I told her everything. How my confrontation with the priest-commander had offended my old general. The terrible headaches that always seemed to follow after the God of War had done something. My realization that I was starting to divert from my Brothers, and would not really fit in anymore. I told her about my blood rage in great detail. I did not want to scare her: I wanted to make sure she knew how I felt. Dirtied, used. Treated unfair. There was nothing glorious about bloodshed like that. I had killed men, young and old, and had loved it at the time. I had offered no mercy. I still felt dirty I could be so ruthless, so cruel. An animal. 

And after the battle came the shock at the death of my Brothers. I had now lost eight of the original twenty. Photios survived, but would not fight again. A man cannot serve the God of War when missing four fingers on his sword arm. My old general thought I was more demon than man. My Brothers sometimes had looked strangers while grieving. We would never be the same warband. We would no longer be so wild and naïve. I served a God of War. I had seen war, had been a tool in it. I did not like it. I had felt an animal, and was unworthy of her presence. She was too pure and beautiful to be with someone like that.

I ran out of words. Tears had run down my face while I talked. She was silent for a while, and then started talking. She chose her words carefully, and I listened to her silently.

She had liked the young warrior as she first met him. She did not necessarily fall for broad, muscular types, but she had found it exciting, wondering how it would be to share the bed with him. By the way he looked at her, she knew he desired her. But before she could seduce him, he was suddenly cleansed and initiated. She had watched the initiation. She had approved of his body, but had not understood why he was so reluctant, so shy and unskilled. Surely that was not how warriors behaved. Surely warriors slept with every girl they laid their eyes on. Still, the high priestess had deemed him worthy, and had enjoyed initiating him. 

The other women seemed interested in the warrior too, and that was a good reason to claim him for herself. She had pleaded with Leda until she could instruct him. There were other beautiful women in the temple, some of them more skilled than she, but Leda had given the task to her. She had been pleased with that, determined to show him as a strong bull would be shown on the market. Once she had trained him, he would please her, and make the other women jealous. 

He had looked like a warrior, but she had soon seen he was not what she had expected him to be. He behaved naïve en inexperienced sometimes, like a boy wearing a man's body. He had listened far better than she had expected, though. He proved himself to be altruistic and nice. Stubborn sometimes, but surprisingly nice to talk with, intelligent despite his soldier's training. He had needed to overcome his shyness, but that could be fixed. She found things she wouldn't expect in a warrior, and liked them. She still liked his muscles though. He could be wonderfully pleasing as he used his strong hips, but he still needed to discover how to use his strength in bed. The strong connection she had with him trough their tattoo's showed she liked him as more than just a prized bull, and she knew he felt the same.

She had been scared when he was seizing in bed, but had believed him when he said he needed to go. He had kissed her in front of many other women, showing his claim over her. She had been anxious for news, hoping nothing bad would happen to him. She had been very proud when Leda had told her he played an important part in winning the battle. She only knew they had won; not how much he had suffered. She had expected him to be happy to see her. He returned changed, something was wrong. She had been both angry and hurt, but he would not tell what it was that bothered him. Now she knew. He had shouldered a heavy load, and suddenly she wished him to be more naïve and childish. Of course she would help him deal with his troubles, though she wished it were otherwise now.

I was grateful for what she had told me. I turned around to finally face her. I whipped away the tears on my face and tried to force myself to smile. She smiled affectionately, and I returned the smile in earnest. She softly kissed me. 

"I'm sorry. I thought you were being silly. You returned a hero from a battlefield, what could be wrong? I would have given you more time if I knew you felt this way."

I shook my head. "No, thank you. I needed to tell you that, and should have done that at the very beginning. I don't want to hurt you."

"What will you do about Ares' service? He will call on you again, sooner or later."

"I will talk to Leda about it. And I've thought of something while you talked. Maybe... Delphi. The priests at Delphi know the ways of the Gods. They might know more."

She was surprised. "I had not thought of that. That might actually work." 

She smiled. "You are special, my warrior. I thought that to be a good thing. Now I'm sure it isn't good. It just is. It complicates things. But don't forget you are special, and special to me."

I blushed at her kind words. "I thought life was so simple. I would train, I would pray, I would fight. I would become a good warrior, and be victorious. Ares would watch over me. I would visit a brothel or even attract a pretty girl at a bar, and then I would find a special woman. I thought her to be in Demeter's service. With the money I earned in victory, we would buy a farm and raise kids."

I sighted. "I know my life will not be so, and I don't know what it will bring. But I'm glad you're here, now."

She smiled. "You can be sweet, my warrior." She kissed me tenderly, and held me close to her. It felt good to be in her arms, and held me there for a long time. 

Then she looked at me. 

"Do you want to make love, my warrior?" 

Her question caught me by surprise. She giggled. "You might want to remember that while I wear a dress, I still feel this." 

She placed her hand on the erection that touched her belly. I thought about it, and then smiled. "Yes, I do want to make love to you."

She smiled. "Good"

She let me in complete control. I wanted to be sweet and gentle. I undressed her and kissed her, and gently touched her breasts and nipples. I ran my hand between her legs and pleased her to make sure she was aroused. I entered her, and started a slow rhythm, grinding my hips rather than pushing. I touched her tattoo and found her liking it. I kept kissing her and using my hands to pleasure her body. I changed the way my hips moved slightly each time, but I made sure to keep the lovemaking slow. I used my hand on her ass for a while to tell her she could mover her hips along with me more. I quietly came inside her, and was embarrassed I had not held out long enough to bring her release too. She told me not to worry about it. She told me she had liked it, and that she did not need release in order to enjoy herself. She was happy her body has brought me pleasure.

I lay next to her and kissed her gently. She brought her mouth to my ear. "I'm glad you're back" She softly whispered the words, her hands on my tattoo to show me her affection. 

I smiled. 

"I'm glad to see you too." I whispered back, before softly kissing her tattoo. 

A shiver ran trough her. I held her close to me, content and happy to be in her arms.