On Cloud Nine

Silence filled the room. For many long moments, I couldn't bring myself to speak. How could I? It's not every day that you're reminded of your failures. Much more to the point, it's not every day your failure would result in you owning slaves.

Palírroia trembled in my arms. Or maybe it was me trembling. I couldn't be sure. All I could do was hold her. Hold her close as her doe eyed gaze shifted to panic.

"Master, I—"

"Shh. Don't worry." I brushed the back of my hand over her cheek. "I just need a moment."

Her head bowed, an expression of shame clear on her face.

"I should have known," I muttered to myself. "I should have stopped him."

For several minutes more, no one said a word. Palírroia kept her worried gaze locked on me as I mindlessly stroked her hair. When I couldn't bear the weight anymore, my head collapsed onto her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice shaky.

"Master." She wrapped an arm around my chest and rubbed my shoulder. "I do not understand."

"A few months ago, I fought him. Phorcys. Frank and I… Well… In all honesty, he made fools out of us. We didn't stand a chance. We ran away. If… if only I had stayed and finished that fight. You would be free. Free from that monster. What kind of a man subjugates his own daughter like this?!"

After a while, I realized I wasn't really talking to her so much as venting to myself. Among what could be a myriad of failures and tyrants I failed to set straight, Phorcys was only one of them. If that failure brought me this, what others would come to haunt me as well?

"He… he did horrible things to me," Palírroia said. "But… much of that was before you fought. If what you say is true, and you failed, then I am happy you did."

"Happy?! Why in Hades would you be happy I failed?! You could be free! You could—"

She pressed her palm to my lips.

To our side, Thŷella groaned and shifted in her sleep. Though she mumbled something about massages, she didn't stir from her slumber.

Palírroia returned her gaze from her friend to me. Her vibrant purple eyes bored deep into my soul, ensuring that I listened to her next words very carefully.

"If you beat him," she said, "if you managed to slay my father, you would never have been brought into my life. Having you, having even these small moments with you, it has made those years of pain worth it. You did not fail, Master. Not in my eyes. You are more a hero to me for failing than you ever would have been if you succeeded."

Without even giving me a second to respond, she grabbed both sides of my face and pulled me in for a deep kiss. It wasn't heady. It wasn't passionate. Rather, it was calming, soothing to the soul. With each and every smack of our lips, my eyes grew heavier and heavier.

Moments later, I woke from what may have been the most blissful blackout I've ever had. Palírroia still had my face in her hands, and was eyeing me shyly.

"If you are a poor hero for failing to kill my father, then I am a poor slave."

"But, you aren't—"

She pressed a finger to my lips. "I am. I am a happy slave. The happiest one there is. But I am a poor slave nonetheless."

I hesitated despite my thoughts racing fast enough to break the sound barrier in my skull. "Why?"

"Because," she said with a tearful smile, "a slave is not supposed to fall in love with her master."

This time, she didn't kiss me. Rather, she curled up into my chest and let out a content sigh.

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. Her sigh turned to a hum of pleasure. I pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

Not a minute later, she was fast asleep.

For a few minutes longer, I held her. For both of our sakes, it was probably best that I didn't move. My brain couldn't handle the surge of conflicting emotions enough for me to stand, but likewise, I couldn't bring myself to wake her. She was a delicate little thing. Beautiful, slender, and resting on me like I was all that mattered in the world.

After taking a breath, I dared to move her. Not far. In fact, I pretty much rolled us over to leave her in the bed. I laid her next to Thŷella, to which she instinctively curled her arms around her friend. With a slight tug, I pulled the blanket over the two of them and tucked them in for the night.

Despite the thoughts still raging in my head, I managed to silently make my way out of the room and close the door behind me.

Strolling through the house did me no favors. Despite my best efforts, the thoughts in my head waged a thunderous war, using my emotions as a battlefield. Guilt, shame, contentment, pride. All clashed together in a struggle for control. Palírroia isn't the type to just drop a bomb like that. The honesty, shame, and affection in her eyes made it all too clear. She was right, of course. If Frank and I succeeded in stopping Phorcys, we'd have never met. There would be no slaves. Well, not them anyways. Who knows what Aphrodite would have pulled them from otherwise?

With a sigh, I leaned against the wall.

I need some time to think.

Glancing up, an idea came to me. Without realizing it, I'd walked right in front of the mini spa. Though I had no desire to get a manicure, there was something that I could definitely use. Rolling my shoulders, I leaned forward and headed for the sauna.

In all honesty, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when going into it. What with all of the super oceanic themed items and high end living, I half expected to walk in and find some super exuberant mosaics and maybe even a mermaid chained to the wall specifically to service me in the steam. Imagine my unfortunate disappointment when I walked in to find that it was… well… exceedingly normal.

Abalone walls ran wet from the humidity. A two tiered slatted bench wrapped around the edge of the room. From a corner by the entrance, a rock pit let off copious steam clouds. The heat was stifling, blinding even. Exactly what I needed.

With a sigh, I stripped my clothes off and tossed it into a corner. No point in changing into a towel if I can keep myself dry anyways.

I didn't bother doing so this time. Rather, I let the vapor cling to my skin uninhibited and reclined back onto the seat. Not quite relaxing, but it certainly helped calm my nerves a bit more than pacing the halls did.

Why? Why of all people did it have to be him?

For the next ten minutes or so, I moped and groaned. The following ten minutes were spent trying to come up with a plan. Unsurprisingly, I came up with nothing.

"Teehee."

I jumped. Eyes wide open, I darted glances in all directions and spun around, searching for the source of the titter. When my results came up empty, I laid the blame on stress and moved to sit back down.

"You look cute when you're focused, Master."

A pair of pale arms apparated out of nowhere and wrapped around me from behind. Soft lips pressed against my shoulder. I whirled around and took in the sight of a young nymph slowly forming within the mist.

"Nimba!"

The spritely nebula smiled shyly, swaying side to side with her hands clasped at her waist.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, Master. But you looked so focused and worried, and I couldn't help it."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "It's fine. It's just that… wait. What are you doing in here? How did you even get here?"

"I like it here," she said. "This is the closest I can come to being with my cloud."

"O- okay? I guess that makes sense."

Only in that moment did I realize two particular details. First, I was completely naked in front of her. Second… well, remember how all of the nymphs' chitons vanished into mist whenever they got wet? Well, steam definitely qualified as a source of getting them wet.

"Crap!" I sputtered, slipping on the floor as I tried rushing to grab my clothes.

She tilted her head with a curious expression. "What's wrong, Master?"

"I'm naked!" I snapped. "You're naked!"

Her curious expression sagged into a pout. "Don't you like what you see? I do."

"It's not th- Wait, what?"

In that moment, I took the time to actually look over her. The soft features of her face, from her gentle cheeks, thin lips, and wide eyes, offered a taste of what her body was like. Slim, easily the shortest girl on the island, but that didn't detract from her looks in the slightest.

"Nimba," I said, "you're very pretty, but… I'm just not comfortable walking around naked with other girls doing the same. At least, not until after we've spent some time together."

"Let's fix that then!" she chirped, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I didn't expect this to be tonight, but why wait? Rose, Palírroia, even Ashe; they've all told me how much they enjoyed their time with you. I want to know what it's like too."

I hesitated. "Wow," I said, my brow furrowing. "You're certainly a lot more forward than the others. Not nearly as shy as you were when we first met, come to think of it."

"Why wouldn't I be?" She tilted her head to the side. "You've been kind so far, and helped so many of the others. When we first met, I didn't know what to expect. Now I know."

"Fair enough." I sat back down. "You're serious about this though? It's a big-"

"Yes. I want to." She skipped forward and wasted no time straddling my lap. "You don't understand, I've already seen what you're like."

I gaped, taken aback. "Huh?!"

She giggled, and her form shimmered, blurring as she half dissipated into the steam. "I can take the form of mist. Your night on the shore, your evening in the spring. Well…" Her cheeks darkened. "I like watching."

My eyes narrowed. "You voyeuristic little minx."

She bowed her head with a shy pout. "I was curious. I didn't mean to disrespect-"

"It's fine. But from now on, if you're going to watch me, make sure that I know about it. Not everyone is open to having others watch them have sex."

She frowned. "They're not? But… Palírroia and Thŷella did it all the time. Everyone would watch them, even the trainers and guards."

"I… I can't speak for them. But from what I know, I'm assuming that they didn't have much of a choice."

"Well… No. Not really. But compared to the other things they put Palírroia through, I think she enjoyed that the most. So many times, she would be lashed or worse to protect the others. Watching her moan in so much pleasure… Well… it made me feel… hot."

Given my recent conversation, I did my best to keep my hands from shaking. It wasn't Nimba's fault. She didn't know better.

"Palírroia lived a hard life. You all have."

"She had the worst though. I… I want to be like her. Brave. Selfless. She took every possible punishment she could to protect the others, and even though I was only there for about… a year? Two? Well, she didn't even cry once! I don't think I could have handled it."

Wait… what? The poor girl has gone crying into my chest like every other time we've interacted.

I decided not to voice my thoughts, but definitely kept it stored away for later.

"Let's not dwell on that stuff. I'll make sure you don't have to suffer like that again. And on that note—" I pressed my hands to her slender hips "—are you sure about this?"

Running her lower lips over my erection, she giggled. "You have to ask?"

"Just needed to be sure." I turned my head to the side, cheeks heating up. "Since you've already watched me, and know what I'm like, how would you like it?"

"Actually," she said, turning my head with a finger on my chin, "I want to try something I haven't seen you do."

I frowned. "That's a little open ended."

Her smile turned coy. "As strong as you are, I haven't seen you ever pick anyone up."

My shoulders sagged. "You seriously want me to carry you?"

She giggled. "Only for a little while. I want to know just how powerful you really are."

Without waiting for me to say yes or no, she threw herself backwards with her arms around my neck. The sudden shift in weight launched me forward with her, and left me standing up with her arms and legs wrapped around me.

"Mmm, this is going to be fun."

I glowered at her, which only resulted in another giggle. Not a second later, she tightened her grip on me and pulled us together for a kiss.

Compared to the other nymphs, her frenetic energy was an ironically invigorating breath of fresh air. She didn't have Palírroia's passion, nor Ashe's ferocity, but she was quick with her tongue and lips.

Smack after endless smack passed between our mouths as she moaned. Her hands explored my body, one playing with my hair, the other pawing at my chest.

"Mmm." She pulled away with a smack. "This is fun."

I smirked. "Good to know you're enjoying yourself. I have to admit, you're a lot lighter than I expected."

Wasn't that the truth? Despite her small frame, I was still taken by surprise by how little she weighed. Not to mention, the way she wrapped around me made carrying her feel almost… comfortable. Like she belonged being swaddled in my arms.

"Well," she said, "it helps that you're so big and strong." Pressing a finger to her lips, she pulled back and feigned a mask of shoolgirlish innocence. "Will my strong master protect his little nymph."

My smirk traded places with a shiteating grin. "Maybe. But who's going to protect you from me?"

For a second, she hesitated. "Um…"

"You never know what kind of beast I'll become in bed if you keep this up."

Her hesitation melted with a giggle. "Will that beast take me? Will I belong to… this?" She lowered herself and ground her little pussy lips against my throbbing cock once more.

"You will," I said. "But not before you belong to these."

She frowned. "Thes—"

A yelp escaped her lips as I rushed forward, pinning her against a wall. Once I did, she bit her lips with a moan and ground her body against mine.

"Ooh, so powerful."

With a cocky smile, I pressed my knees against the wall and lowered her so her thighs rested on mine. One hand pressed against her shoulder to hold her upright while the other stroked her cheek. Then down it went. Down her slender throat, down her small breast, down her trim belly. All the way down it went, until it reached the moist lips between her legs.

Wide eyed, she gasped, shivering with anticipation.

"You're acting like this is new for you," I whispered into her ear, "but I already know about you and Rose."

She whimpered and rolled her hips forward, forcing two fingers to sink into her moist pussy. "Her touch is different from yours. She has the touch of a masseuse; you have the touch of a warrior."

"Is it too rough?" I pulled back my fingers.

"No." Her hips pressed forward, keeping me inside of her as she leaned in to kiss me. "Please give me more."

I smiled. "As you wish."

With a steamy kiss, I pressed her back against the wall, holding her up with my thighs as I drove my fingers as deep as they would go. She moaned into my mouth, her lips pressing against mine with a near unrivaled energy.

Dragging the pads of my fingers along her inner ridges, I pulled my fingers out. The second they left her, she let out a shrill whine against my lips. That whine turned to a whimper when I toyed with her delicate folds. The thin petals of her labia flickered beneath my fingers. Round and round, I traced small circles over her lips. With every pass, her shivering grew. With every brush against her tiny clit, she bucked against me.

"Mmm, Master," she cooed. "Just like that. I'm… I'm almost…"

I pulled away.

"Mmm?" she whimpered.

My smile turned coy. "If you're going to finish, then you'll do it on my face."

If possible, her eyes grew wider. "Master…"

She yelped as I hauled her up. Up and up her nubile body went until her thighs rested on my shoulders. One hand pressed to the ceiling, the other gripped my hair. Shivering despite the heat, she gazed down at me, her face nearly obscured by the thick steam.

Only my eyes could meet her. The rest of my head was trapped between her legs. I adjusted her weight and leaned her against the wall for the sake of my back. Lightweight as she may be, I wasn't exactly using my whole body to keep her up earlier. Besides, if I could hold up the limitless weight of the sky, what was a mere cloud by comparison?

Her pussy was a pretty little thing. The delicate petals of her labia didn't even pass her vulva, unlike her clit, which visibly throbbed for my touch.

Who am I to deny her?

When my tongue traced her folds, I added yet another flavor to my never ending palette. There was a word. A word Annabeth told me about after so many of our quests were spent in the rain. Petrichor. The lovely smell of the rain. She gave some explanation for what caused it, but I couldn't tell you what it was. I just liked the word. Petrichor. So pleasing to the ears. Pleasing to the nose as well.

Now I can say it was quite pleasing to the tongue. Never did I expect to find that scent between a girl's legs, and yet, there I was, lapping up her flavor like a dehydrated dog.

Nimba gasped. "Master!"

Round and round, my tongue swirled, sliding over her delicate lips. With every pass, her moans grew louder and longer. Every time my tongue flicked her clit, she let out a sharp gasp followed by a quick giggle.

"That tickles," she said, running her fingers through my hair.

"What about this?"

I pressed my fingers into her taut little buttcheeks and suckled on her clit. Her legs wrapped around my head, mirroring her fingers in my hair. Locked in her deathgrip, I turned her swollen pink nub into my personal platoy.

"Ah! MAste- mas- Ahhh!"

With a torrent of fresh rain, she let her climax rush through her body. Like the thundering of a stormcloud, her body trembled and shook until her deluge subsided. When the storm passed, her body relaxed and slipped backwards. Down my body she slid until she was once more resting on my thighs. She shrugged in an effort to hold me, but if her panting was anything to go by, she simply didn't have the energy.

"Master, I—" she panted and leaned her head against my chest "—please."

"Seriously?" I laughed. "What is with you nymphs and never having enough."

She giggled weakly. "Maybe you shouldn't be so good at what you do."

I cocked an eyebrow. "And what would that be?" My fingers trailed down her sides.

"Mmm," she whimpered. "Everything."

In that moment, she pulled herself up just enough to sink back down with me inside of her.

"Oh! Oh, yes!" Her nails dug into my shoulders, carving crescents into my skin the deeper she sank. "Yes, Master!"

Given how small she was, I feared hurting her, especially in that moment. However, I slipped in quite comfortably. She wasn't loose, per se, but she definitely didn't squeeze me the way Thalia did hours earlier. Rather, she hugged me with her wet walls, molding and reshaping to every thrust with ease.

My hands slipped beneath her thighs. Even as I lifted her up, her parted lips just barely reached mine. Yet, when they did, her eager mouth wasted not a breath before pressing to my own.

I lowered her once more, parting our lips to retake that breath before bringing her back up. My form towered over her slender body, and yet she took me like I was her king. No, her god. Her nails dug into my shoulder, never relenting in their quest to leave their mark. She didn't have Palírroia's fervent ferocity, yet she wasn't far off.

Slowly, I pulled her off of me and pressed my lips to hers. Then down once more she went, sheathing me inside of her moist folds. Wide, awestruck eyes watched me as her hips slid up and down. With each and every movement, the word "master" always seemed to veer on the edge of her lips. Every breath of hers barely made out the word, only forcing it out as I buried myself inside of her.

Who would have thought I'd find myself in this position, pinning a petite nymph against the wall, her parted legs in each hand, her slender fingers grasping my shoulders like they were all that tethered her to the world. Only hours ago, I said I didn't have the energy. Yet here, in the steam, I found myself refreshed with an unparalleled vigor, and a need to give her every ounce of it that I had.

So I did.

Quivering and trembling, she cried out in ecstasy. She couldn't make a single coherent word as I held her, thrusting into her from below with her pinned against the weeping wood. My pace quickened. Faster and faster, I thrust, eager to give her exactly what she asked for, and more.

"Ma- ! Ma-!" Her soft voice could barely escape her lips. Her eyes rolled up, and she leaned back, panting and shaking as I pummeled her pretty pale pussy into my personal playtoy.

Her watery juices free flowed. Down our legs and onto the floor, her juices spilled and rained over the wooden slats of the sauna. She made efforts to roll her hips with mine, yet couldn't muster the strength to do so. Her legs wiggled in my grasp.

"Hnng! Ma… Master!" She groaned and screamed.

Eyes rolled back and chewing her lip, she quaked in my grip as her delicate pussy clamped around me with an unforeseen desperation. As I hammered her body, sweat pouring from us both, she locked her grip around me. Trembling, her walls spasmed and sprayed, showering my thighs in her juices.

The pressure was overwhelming. Far too much for me to handle at the moment. While she tried to steady herself, I let my thrusts grow slower and stronger. Her mouth fell wide open, mirroring her bright eyes, clouded in lust. With every slam into her body, she shuddered, dancing on the clouds of her orgasm. And yet, I continued thrusting faster. Faster until I couldn't speed up anymore.

Pleasure showered my body in burning rains, cascading over my skin and burning me to the bone. Warmer and warmer the rains grew until its downpour overwhelmed me. With every wet slap against her pussy, I lost myself to the deluge of ecstasy.

"Yes!"

I matched her downpour with one of my own. Stream after endless stream of cum flooded her insides until it spilled from her pussy and drizzled on the floor below.

My legs gave out beneath me. We collapsed in a sweaty and sticky heap. For minutes upon minutes, the only sound we could hear was the sharp punctures of our panting breaths.

"Ha… how was that… for our first time?"

"Wonderful… Master."

The next few minutes, we spent unable to move. If you asked me, the room was a lot steamier than when I first walked in. Yet, despite how hard it was to breathe, I felt fantastic, if a bit sore.

"So, while we get dressed, I need to know. You and Rose, are you two just friends? Or is there a little something more going on?"

After reducing Nimba to a blushing mess, and promptly learning that there was in fact a chance that some romantic feelings may be stirring within the little nymph, we went our separate ways. Her, for her bed. Me, to rehydrate myself after the rigorous session a half hour prior.

The trek to the kitchen led me to perhaps my most unexpected pairings to ever eavesdrop on.

"Come on! I'm not asking for much. Just a little bit of time with him!"

"I don't think so. First the nymphs, then Silena, then Piper, then Zoë of all people. You're not going to sink any claws in me!"

I peeked around the corner to see Drew and Calypso locked in an argument.

"I'm not trying to get you. I'm trying to get him! Just once!"

"And what good does that do me? You've done nothing but try and climb over everyone here just to be his number one girl. Why should I bother helping you get there?"

"I don't care about being on top anymore; I just don't want to be on the bottom!"

Calypso laughed. "You should have thought about that before turning the entire island against you. Even the nymphs, of all people, want nothing to do with you. How do you manage to get Rose - Rose - to hate the idea of giving you a massage? That takes talent!"

Drew went quiet and turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. She mumbled some words that neither of us could hear.

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry, okay?! I'm scared! I'm desperate! I just want to be anywhere that isn't here!"

"That's unfortunate. Because I know Percy. If you made some different choices, you could have loved it here. He would definitely have made sure of that. Trust me, I know very well just how much I enjoy him. Enjoy this place." She circled Drew and studied her huddled figure. "What's worse is that you're extremely beautiful. Given a few changes, you could have been one of his favorites." She trailed a finger over Drew's ear and brushed back her disheveled hair. "You never learned your lesson. I don't think you will."

"So you'll forgive that goddess, but you won't forgive me?!"

"She attacked one person, and was beaten half to death for it. You've attacked two people and harassed several others. Just look at Khione for once. And I mean actually look at her. If you think you're scared, you don't even understand what fear is."

With that, Calypso moved to walk away from her, only to have her arm caught by Drew. Her warm brown eyes glimmered with near tears. "Please. Just once. That's all I'm asking. You get to have him endlessly. I'm not asking for much, and I know you're a good person. Good people don't stand by to watch others suffer."

I found myself nodding. What she said made sense. In fact, I considered slapping myself for even considering going through with her punishment.

My brow furrowed and my lip curled as a wave of pleasant warmth traveled down my spine.

Wait a minute…

"That's enough." I stepped out from around the corner. "Next time you try to charmspeak someone, maybe you should try someone who isn't a sorceress."

Though momentarily caught off guard, Calypso offered a playful smirk and nonchalantly waved her hand towards Drew, whose hair ruffled from a gentle breeze.

Drew growled. "Fine. No charmspeak." She locked her gaze on mine with equal parts ferocity and desperation. "We have only a couple days left until the curse starts up. Is there any way that I can earn my way back into your good graces?"

I snorted. "You seem to be confused. You have only a couple days left. Everyone else, I'll make sure they are taken care of before that. Yes, even Khione. And what good would earning your way back be? You haven't learned your lesson, if this conversation is anything to go by. You'll just slip back into your old habits. You had a chance to be a better person. Now, you are going to make up for it."

She said nothing. Head turned away and lips sealed in a tight grimace, she trembled for a moment before leaving.

We watched her depart before Calypso rounded on me with a less than chaste grin. "So, are you ready for a long night?"

I put on a grimace that mirrored Drew's. "About that… We need to talk."

Rather than listen to a word I had to say, I spent the next few minutes sputtering and failing to get her attention while she dragged me behind her.

"Seriously, we need to—"

"Whatever it is, you can tell me afterwards. If it's so important, just tell me when I get you in my mouth."

That really didn't help me focus.

"But that's what—"

She whirled me around and pinned me to the wall just outside of her bedroom. When she smashed her lips into mine, all thoughts of talking melted away; especially when her hands trailed down to cup my groin.

"No," she said through our fervent lips. "I've waited long enough to get you to myself. Listened while you and Annabeth pleasured Piper." Her breaths turned choppy, her words punctuated by desperate kisses wherever her lips could reach. "I want you… so badly."

Then we were in her room. I'm pretty sure she kicked it open. All I remember is my back pinned to her bed with her straddling me and tearing off her clothes.

"Wait!"

"I'm done waiting," she rasped, fingers running down my cheeks and jaw. "The man I love is finally in my bedroom, alone with me!"

"We can't have sex!"

She froze.

"What… But— but I thought…"

"Listen—" I grabbed her waist and rolled us over so we lay on our sides "—I'm not saying I don't want to. Despite literally just having sex maybe ten minutes ago, I would still try and find a way to keep going. Hades, Katie offered to stick around and use her powers on me earlier today."

"Then, why don't you…?"

I sighed."Alright. It's time we caught you up with everything we learned yesterday."

And so I told her everything. Our discovery about Hera. The threeway between Annabeth, Piper, and myself, along with the discovery about my semen. The conversation I had with Aphrodite. Everything.

"I don't want to keep manipulating you like this. Unwittingly drugging you just by having sex… That's not something I want to do."

"But… you just had sex."

I sat up and rubbed my neck. "Yeah. With someone I hadn't slept with yet. Otherwise, the curse would still be a concern for her. There's still too many I need to get with, and not enough time. The opportunity presented itself. One less person. So I took it." I turned and clasped her hand with both of mine. "But until this phase passes, until my hormones and semen aren't drugging people, I'm not going to risk repeating partners."

"Piper?" She raised an eyebrow. "If I recall correctly, you've slept with her… three times?"

My shoulders sagged. "I've finished inside of her four times, in one way or another. I didn't know about it then. For the time being, I'm not even risking going back to my own room. Her brain is probably rewired so badly that she's become dependent on me. I'm not about to make things even worse for her.

"I won't take that risk with anyone else. Not you. Not Annabeth. Not the nymphs. No one. I'm not having anymore sex than is necessary."

She went silent and turned to the window behind her. Head bowed, sniffled. "I'm sorry. I didn't know…"

"I know." I hugged her from behind.

"But… but…" With a sigh of despair, she whirled around and buried her face in my chest. "I want to say that I don't care. I still want you to pin me down and make me forget my name. But… I…" One arm clung to my back while the other pressed to my chest. "I'll try… Try to restrain myself." A teary doe-eyed gaze peered up at me . "I'll hold back for as long as I can. But… when all of this is over—"

"You'll be fighting with several of the others."

"They can watch for all I care! I loved you long before them!"

Ferocious tears burned their way down her cheeks. Her hands clenched to fists, despite her hugging herself ever tighter to me.

With a sad smile, I brushed away her tears and kissed her forehead. As I moved to pull away, she tightened her grip even further, possibly cracking a rib or two in the process.

"Can you stay? No sex. Nothing like that, just… I haven't had you alone like this for some time."

I laughed. I actually laughed. "Sometimes, you're too damn adorable." Another flurry of kisses dotted her cheek and lips. "Of course I'll stay."

For the first time that night, she smiled. With her face buried in my chest and her arm around my back, she sighed in content.

"Hold me."

I returned her smile. "Of course."

It was only minutes later that the day's exertions caught up to me and left me closing my eyes to Calypso's peaceful face.

A/N: Away with the torches and pitchforks. This story is far from abandoned. Needless to say, I've seen plenty of concern about me leaving this story or going on a hiatus. Yeah... No. I never even considered doing that. I fit in time to write whenever I can, which suffice to say, hasn't given me much time lately.

About a month ago, I started at my permanent site for security. No more flex officer drama. That said, there's one little key detail. I normally will write at work. This site has me under constant supervision or has me driving a truck the whole time. I can't exactly write while being watched by my superiors. Not if I want to keep my job at any rate. Plus, we had a little... incident where I live. One that made national news because of how much of a disaster it turned out to be. Let's just say that you can't write very much when the entire city is facing a several day long blackout.

Onto the story. The long awaited arrival of our comatose nymph has finally come. No more time in the background for her. Hopefully, her fun loving charm will be a nice contrast to some of the more serious and emotional nymphs. Of course, there's plenty of other content going on. We got to see a slightly more desperate Drew, an always lovingly clingy Calypso, and Palírroia confess more of her heart out to Percy. What will come of all of this? Well, you've stuck with me this far. Keep sticking, and you'll find out eventually.

After so much time, I've amassed hundreds of followers since I first started these questions. Well, because of that, I'd like to revisit some of the older ones, and get some more insight. What better place to start than the beginning? That said, what is your favorite underrated Disney film? Mine are still the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, though I have no desire to watch the live action remake of any of these should they come out.

I must make my obligatory request for you all to join my server, which you can access the join code in my profile. Even Henry James Locker, the founder of the island harem stories (cough Path of Conquest) cough, has set up shop in my server. So if you're a fan of the genre, swing on by and say hello. Or perhaps you'd prefer some visual simulation. Well, we have plenty of that as well. Both Henry and I have been commissioning story based artwork for some time. Courtesy of my benefactor, ALQ currently has over a thousand dollars of artwork. It would be lovely if you all could come and see it.

I've spent enough time begging you all. You all know the drill. Come on by. Eat a cookie. Tell someone you love them. Inspire yourself and others. Maybe you will be the next big author. All you have to do is try. As always, leave your thoughts in the reviews or bring them to the server. This is Ronin signing off.