Now, there were trade offs for all things. And I wasn't just saying that because I had to accept my punishment like a man when Artemis was back from girl talk with her mother. You know, being grilled by her mother on the exact status of our sex life and all the little details for why she did not have (non-adopted) grandchildren from her yet. You know, the sort of mortifying thing where I was going to be punished regardless but at least I avoided that. But no... in some respects I just had to choose what torment was going to await me.
So, with a pouting goddess having her feet on my lap as I rubbed them, a table with maps showing what was known of what would be in at least one timeline be known as the Azore Islands. To be entirely honest, it was less of a final destination, as I did plan on going back to the Americas... and more along the lines of a locale that was both closer by and thus easier to access, that would be good for growing some of the crops we picked up along the way. Still, there was an important consideration.
"Now, would we leave the isles here, if everyone left, in the hands of one of my men, either in their own right or..." My eyes turned towards the other woman in the room. Or rather, as this was just a little family meeting and i was not presenting plans to the boys yet, down between my legs as she was getting me ready, even as my fingers dug into divine soles, kneading them as Zoe kissed and licked up and down my length. "Should it be in our child's name until they are old enough to take the reigns?"
The funniest thing as Zoe gave a whimper? She was the one that was most into being a surrogate for Artemis, her belly swelling with the child. Because she folded fast to genuine affection, trust and respect. And of course, being tasked with using her womb in place of Artemis? Okay, she was at times a little too into anything for her mistress. Granted, it was not like Artemis didn't have her own tastes there, as she looked on, weighing and considering things.
"On the one hand, it would be wise to keep things inside the family." Now, I could tell the words were... not entirely what she was thinking. "But at the same time, I do not wish to give up my child to the burdens of rule just yet." Her tone was worried in part. "Particularly not with my favorite surrogate." And Zoe moaned as she orgasmed, my foot moving just along the edges of her sex. "Still, which of the men would be best, as we are making another voyage after this, are we not?" Her feet moved out of my grasp, one on Zoe's head, patting her... and the other parting toes to catch my dick between them as she moved up and down, Zoe sliding down to be kissing my balls.
On the other side of me? Ixazalvoh, was looking on, wide eyed. Because yes, we had picked up a little treat in the islands. She was not allowed to touch herself, even as she looked on, breathing picking up, nipples hardening. "Yes, we did promise we would return. It may take a few years, but we did give an oath." I smiled at her... not that she was really noticing, as she had her eyes on my dick. And then I looked at Artemis. "That said. I'm guessing its time to breed her?"
Now THAT caused her to start, eyes wide and smile blooming, even as Artemis gave that grin of hers. As it turns out? She liked watching others get knocked up. Which is why we kept a carpet in my cabin, expanded of course to handle the best of activity, even as we guided the girl onto her back, ass on some cushions as I pulled her legs into position, Artemis and Zoe in either side of her, fingers running through hers as they leaned in and peppered her face with kisses.
"You know," I grunted, as I lowered myself, slowly pressing into the gasping young woman, "one of these days you are going to be as knocked up as Zoe when we do this."
My divine wife shuddered, her free hand reaching over to have fingers slip into Zoe's folds as Zoe's slipped into hers, crossing arms pinning Ixazalvoh down further. "Not yet. Not yet." She paused, and then looked at me, her smile positively saucy, a bit of her father leaking through. "Though, I do have some ideas for later." She paused, and kissed Ixa again. "Maybe in a few decades, when I'm more used to things. Now, be a good husband and colonize her eager barbarian cunt."
Which is fair, as I pressed down, as I fucked and filled a tribal princess (a minor one and technically not actually a princess, but details). She was the key, after a fashion to some of our longer term colonization plans after all.
While Dvergr returned to Northern Europe in 890 AD, finishing a voyage around the world, he introduced several riches and treasures to those northern isles. Among the most important in several ways, were adaptions to their ships to allow them to have an even greater range, and to be even more seaworthy, feats that helped cement his prestige. Prestige that he leveraged almost immediately.
Launching an exploratory voyage towards what would be renamed as the Moonshadow Isles. It is widely accepted in scholarly circles that he had discovered and adopted Artemis as a deity while in Greece, perhaps seeing her as a southern counterpart to the Norse Skadi. From this, likely distorted belief, he strove to, as he saw it, honor the goddess by hunting deadly animals and naming things in honor of the moon and its phases.
However, in the Moonshadow Isles that we can see the pattern that would be established as he turned his eyes west once more. Here, on these temperate isles, he worked with colonists to establish farms that not only produced the food that kept them alive, but served as locations were tea, coffee, indigo, silk, pepper, chocolate and other assorted spices could be produced. While from here some of these luxury goods would make their way into European markets, many of the kingdoms, empires and tribes along the African coast soon saws the approaching profile of the longship as a prelude to festivals and market days.
Indeed, some young men and women would even join with the Islanders, either through marriage or being directly recruited to the crews and bands and would become honored members of the isles. This is of course, in addition to the thralls purchased from the locals, or won in the course of mercenary work.
However, some five years after the colonization efforts began and the isles were beginning to show promise, Dvergr began to promote Frothi Nikolasson, sometimes called Brinebeard, as the overseer and overlord in the isles. A man known for his love of trade and law, he had served as the Quartermaster of the Rune Warriors for two decades at this point and was by and large considered to have a literal nose for gold. Of course, much the reason for this, was because Dvergr had plans to return to the Americas.
In part, this was due to his taking of Ixazalvoh, a princess of the people Xaymaca, as a concubine. He had promised her father that he would return, though it would take several years. In 903 AD, using the Moonshadow Isles as a launching point as supply base (and indeed, for the next several centuries it would remain as a stopping point on the Lunar League and European/African trade routes), he would return to the islands in the Americas.
There, he would not only present Chief Kinich Ahau with his grandson Marjarn (Sea-Iron), but with military aid against the hostile and cannibalistic Caribs, who had already overrun several of the islands in the eastern part of the sea.