Chapter 11

This happened in the last chapter: Both Sam and Jack have earned their master's trust and have been asked to move in the rooms of family members to serve and protect them during the night. In Dona Agatha's room, Sam learned that intimacy isn't a thing in Herapolis, and although she had refused to join the masters in their bed, she was definitely turned her on as she left the room...

Glossary: Techne: craft, technics.

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At first, she just walked silently along the patio, the words "mate with Jason" still resounding in her ears. Soon she was speeding up toward the slaves' quarters, her whole body craving a release she knew Jason could provide. Then she came to a dead stop at the top of the fly of stairs as realization washed over her. There was no Jason. They weren't married, only pretending and he was still her CO. She couldn't. Shivering, she slowly turned back and walked out to the garden. Barefoot on the grass, she reached the plane tree at the end of the best viewpoint dominating the city and the sea, stood there for a little while in the warm night, trying to regain control over her lust and angry tears. With a moan of frustration, she slammed the handrail with the flat of her hands.

"Why so much pain, Atalante?" a soft voice asked in her back, stopping her heart. She jumped and spun around, finding old Kheiron on the bench behind her. He had probably been there long before she arrived but the plane tree was keeping him in the shadow from the eerie night light and she had been distracted. Such a mistake could have been fatal in other circumstances, the officer in her scolded. Breathing hard to regain control of herself, she was staring at the old man's shadow in the night.

"Kheiron.." she acknowledged while searching for an escape.

"Come and sit with me, child" the old man gently offered. Hesitantly, she took a step toward him. He was patiently waiting, radiating generosity and wisdom, so she decided to humor him. At first he didn't say anything and she felt it was awkward, but it gave her the time she needed to compose herself and try and find an explanation that wouldn't compromise her or the Colonel. But Kheiron didn't ask her anything, he was just sitting there with her, holding his crook with his old, gnarly fingers.

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"In the tales of our ancestors" Kheiron softly began "Atalante was a virgin huntress, unwilling to marry. Many men lusted after her, but she was not interested in any of them. She even slayed two centaurs who had tried to ravish her. She was indeed in love with a man married to another but he returned her love. However, she had been foretold that consuming their union would prove disastrous for her. Therefore, she kept following him but they remained chaste"

Kheiron's old voice died out and silence was reigning once again. After a while, Sam asked:

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Isn't your name Atalante?"

"Not really no. Dominus Hadrian called me Atalante, but my name is.."

"It doesn't matter what your name was before" the old man interrupted "Dominus Hadrian has a gift to name people and he never fails. Would you tell me that the story of Atalante is completely foreign to your own life?"

"I..." Sam was stunned. The story of Atalante was so much like her own, except that the recipient of Atalante's love was committed to another woman while hers was to the Air Force. At this point, it was a detail. In despair, she soughed the old man's face for anymore secret he could reveal about herself. He smiled gently at her and covered her hand with his. Retracing the story in her mind, she felt frustration seize her again.

"So you're telling me that as long as I'm called that name, I'll have to put my lust in my pipe and smoke it?" she rebelled. But as soon as the words had left her mouth she realized she was discussing her sex life -or lack of thereof- with a total stranger who could be her grandfather! Her hand rose to seal her lips while the burnt of a furious blush was creeping its way up to her hair line. Luckily, it was so dark that he wouldn't notice, but she heard him chuckle softly.

"I do not know what your future entails my child, I just know what the present tells, and although the name of Atalante suits you today, the future you will make of it is your own. As you said earlier, your name is not Atalante and the man she loved died rather quickly, but his name wasn't Jason"

Old Kheiron slowly rose to his feet and with a smile to Sam, he made his way toward the domus, leaving Sam more confused than she had been when she first arrived under the plane tree.

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But Sam didn't have time to wallow in her thoughts and frustrations. When she woke up the following morning, she was holding the Colonel in her arms, his face pressed between her boobs. She didn't dare move a muscle although panic was rising as fast as her arousal. She had to find a way to move out of the situation ASAP, and before he woke up! The air exhaling from his nose was tickling a very sensitive part of her anatomy, she found it more and more difficult to breath and her heart beat was increasing exponentially. Slowly, she lifted her arm, hoping he would roll on his back when she didn't hold him on place anymore, but no such luck! In excited horror, she realized that he would soon wake up, his lips were already moving against the velvet of her breast. Closing her eyes in delight, despair and expectation, she was ready to give in and throw all the regulations through the proverbial window if he would have her.

"Jason, Atalante, you have to wake up, it is morning" Daphne said, making Sam jump out of her own skin and push Jack away from her at the same time.

"Hey!?" the poor man complained "What's wrong with you?"

"Sorry Sir"

"Atalante, you will put these on and present yourself immediately at Dominus Hadrian's door" Daphne continued unperturbed, holding a fresh tunic for Sam to take. It was obviously not the first time she was interrupting a couple but serving the dominus was every servant's first duty.

"Jason, Horatius is waiting for you in the stable to prepare the cart"

"Thank you Daphne" Sam said, taking the clothes from her and hoping it was still dark enough to hide the flush on her face. The older woman left and suddenly it was just them. Sam didn't dare look in the Colonel's direction. She got up and left to change in the latrine, leaving Jack to wonder what had just happened and why his wonderful dream had been so brutally interrupted. Stumbling, he stood up and joined Horatius.

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Sam was so excited! Finally, she was on her way to the temple of Hera, retracing the way they had taken some weeks ago when they had first arrived at the domain. She couldn't believe it was such a long time ago already, and still, it felt like an eternity since their capture and their former life. So much had happened, but they weren't any closer to find a way to escape. At last she was having a chance to leave the domain and work on technology again, and maybe she would be able to see Daniel too!

Unfortunately, the Colonel had been sent to work in the vine after he had hitched the horses up to the cart so he wouldn't accompany them, but after the episode this morning, she was actually relieved to spend the day far from him. Boy it was really time to escape from this place and go back home to the safety of ranks and regulations. Here she didn't know her place nor his, it was dangerously confusing...

"So Atalante" Hadrian said "I haven't have time to get to know you as much as I would have liked since your arrival. I hope you have been treated fairly and acclimated well?"

"Thank you my Lord, I couldn't have hoped for a better house...er.. place"

"Good, good" he approved. "Hephaestus tells me Jason is well and back to his duties, that pleases me, I could not bear to know he suffered such consequences of his punishment. As for you, you haven't been able to use your skills yet. You see, maybe Hephaestus has explained to you? No? Well, I'm the High Intendant of Hera, my main duty consists in designing devices to serve our goddess Hera, and I bought you for that purpose. I think your skills will be of great value to my next project. I have been asked by the priestess of our beloved Hera to design a "fidelis", a device that would ensure that young people who wish to engage in marriage are doing so in the full conscience of the commitment they take toward each other. The mighty Hera is goddess of the legitimate marriage, birth and family, and we take these matters very seriously here in Herapolis. So. The device will have to test the legitimacy of the choice of spouse, how they fit together and how fertile there union can be expected to be. We want to make sure couples-to-be as well as established couples are maritally fit and faithful. There is nothing more contemptible to Hera than a cheating spouse!" he spitted in despise.

"Wow" Sam said "How are you going to test such things?"

"Our beloved godess left us an unending source of knowledge. Don't you worry, we already have much in place for the fidelis, I just need to make a device that would combine several of our simpler techne together, and I wish this device to ingrain fidelity and commitment into the couple as they pass the ritual of marriage. The fidelis is already well advanced. I'm sure you will find it fascinating!" he eagerly added.

"I'm sure, I can't wait to study these technologies!" Sam enthusiastically answered. She had her own motives to learn more about science and technology, but she was also truly fascinated by what Hadrian was describing for her. She had never heard of devices capable to do such things!

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The inside of the impressive temple was deliciously cool after the burning of the two mid-day suns. Of course, the walls were covered in the inevitable goa'uld's gold, but it was balanced by blue vaults with golden stars and white panels on some of the walls, white being the color of Hera, commanding purity and righteousness. A gigantic statue of the goddess was waiting for them in the deepest part of the temple, sitting on a throne, holding her standing scepter and surrounded by small animals.

Hadrian hurried to bow before her and waited for Sam to show her deference. As she complied, he introduced her to the goddess.

"My Lady Hera, this is Atalante, your servant, who will assist me in finishing the fidelis you required from me. She was bought by the right of Hera and is therefore under your divine protection and judgement" he said, bowing down to the floor in devotion. Sam was embarrassed but not quite ready to imitate him so she was relieved when he stood up and turned toward a side-door, gesturing for her to follow.

They walked silently through long corridors until they reached what Sam would have called a lab or workshop. There were devices taking dust on shelves everywhere, and some in diverse states of construction or repair on each and every table. A young woman was helping a middle-aged man to uncover a large portal-like sculpture when Sam and Hadrian entered the room. Both of them immediately left what they were doing and presented themselves in front of the High Intendant.

"Arachne, Tiber, this is Atalante, she will assist us with the fidelis. She was bought on the right of Hera. Arachne you will show her to her duties"

The young woman bowed to him, then to Sam, and turned to lead her toward the portal they had just uncovered. Arachne was of a seldom beauty, with long ebony hair and eyes so dark that they were nearly black.

"I was brought here to serve as a priestess, but I had skills with the techne and Vesta committed me to assist Dominus Hadrian. You can ask me anything you wish to know. This is the fidelis, on which you will work. Has Hadrian explained its purpose to you?"

"Yes he has, that's fascinating!"

"It is. I will test it with my betrothed when it is ready" Arachne said excitedly.

"You are betrothed?" Sam asked surprised. She thought Arachne was still very young to be thinking of marriage.

"I am. Vesta chose Hippolytus for me. We will wait until the fidelis is ready before we marry, we want to be sure our union is worthy of Hera" the young woman explained proudly.

"Aren't you sure your marriage would be solid without having yourself tested first?"

"I believe it would, but I haven't known Hippolytus for so long, and anyway, the fidelis will have to be tested by true, worthy couples before it is accessible to the people, we might as well enjoy the opportunity given to us, do we not?"

"Sure, you are very wise Arachne" Sam smiled.