I Tame the Starlit Maiden

Why did Zoë have to choose such a late time at night to go exploring in the woods? It was dark enough during my first attempt to find her that day. With only the moon and stars to offer any semblance of light, I was practically walking in nothing but a pitch black soup.

Riptide offered a bit of light, its bronze glow likely doing very little to ward off any creatures who wanted to make a snack out of me. Giant scorpions, small dragons, the myrmekes… Hades, I half expected another giant boar to burst out of the woods and try to kill me.

Fate must have been on my side because no such creatures emerged. Not to say I didn't hear them in the distance however.

So with nothing but a glowing sword and my relatively decent idea of where I was going, I ventured through the Eastern Woods and into the western half.

The clearing around Zeus' Fist had become a bit of a local legend. Whispers of the supposedly cursed area spread through the campers like wildfire. That's to say nothing of Zeus' Fist itself. Tempting as it may have been to remark on how it looked like nothing more than the droppings of a giant deer, Chiron insisted we respect the name, even if it helped take the edge off of ridiculous rumors.

When I finally managed to locate the clearing, Zoë was making no efforts to hide herself. She stood off to the side, arms crossed, staring at a pile of rubble that rivaled Zeus' Fist in size.

Her coppery skin shimmered in the moonlight. If I didn't know any better, I could almost say she still had her silvery aura from her time as Artemis' lieutenant. She was dressed in a white tee shirt and her only pair of silvery camouflage pants, her final keepsake as a hunter. A single thick braid ran down the middle of her back, ending just opposite of her navel.

"Lovely night," I said, approaching her from behind.

She didn't reply right away, her gaze fixed on the mountain of boulders.

"Not a day passes in which I don't question what I've missed since my death. Even in the stars, even as I watched from above, I could never truly comprehend the events down here."

"Is… is this about the war?"

"Partly." She turned to me. "Take this pile of boulders. I've visited this camp countless times over the past couple centuries. Never before did this exist. And so I ask myself whether this pile marks a significant event. Or perhaps it is a stack of ammunition for a catapult."

"A bit of both actually." I stepped forward and pressed my hand on the rock mound. "Less than a year after you passed, we were attacked. This clearing was the battlefield. The Battle of the Labyrinth, we called it. This pile was where Briares defeated Kampê. Stoned her to death single handedly. Well... hundred handedly, I guess."

"And so thou proveth my point. I have walked this Earth for thousands of years, but in the two I am absent, I fear I have fallen so far behind."

"Not your fault." I leaned against the pile. "You did everything you could. And you have plenty of time to catch up."

"Perhaps." She feigned a smile. "But I can worry about such things another time. I trust Palírroia gave thee my token?"

"You could say that." I tossed her coin back to her. "Speaking of which, how did you get Mrs. O'Leary to follow you? I'm not complaining, but she normally won't listen to anyone except me or Nico."

"I have spent roughly three millennia training and breeding wolves and hunting hounds. Aside from her penchant for shadow traveling and her affinity for the Underworld, she is no different."

Or that she's the size of a tank…

"On the note of breeding," I said, avoiding all eye contact, "are you sure you want to go through with this?"

She stifled a laugh.

"Let us be honest with ourselves. We have already indulged in one another. Enjoyed pleasures neither of us would have imagined when we first met. This is not much of a leap."

"Well, I know, but…"

She marched right up to me and clamped her hands around my cheeks, forcing me to look her in the eyes.

"I am not blind to the frustrations wrought upon thee. Nor will I deny the aggression I have been caging for the past few hours. We both need this. There is no better time for thou to claim me as thine own."

Not a second passed for me to reply before she pressed her lips to mine. The subtle sweetness of berries danced on my tongue. Her pine scent filled my nose, leaving me happily dazed.

She pulled away after a few seconds, licking her lips with a satisfied grin.

"And as I recall," she stepped back and sauntered over to Zeus' Fist, "thou once mentioned taking my maidenhood in a forest."

I forced back a growl in my throat, but followed her as she sauntered along.

She leaned forward, her hands resting on a boulder. With her back arched and legs straight, the view she gave me of her incredibly toned backside was nothing short of mouthwatering.

"Unless thou art now doubting thyself," she teased, staring fervidly over her shoulder at me, "now is the time to take it."

In a heartbeat, I was upon her. I hugged her from behind, breathing in her scent. Fresh, sweet, and perhaps a bit spicy, it was an aroma I could get used to over the next few centuries.

My lips pressed to the side of her neck while my arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her butt against my tightening pants. She let out a hum of pleasure, reaching back to grab my hair. For the next few seconds, I indulged myself in the sweet saltiness of her neck before she turned her head back and captured my lips with her own.

"Enjoying thyself?" She pulled away, panting. Her flushed face glowed under the light of the moon.

I nipped at her lips and dragged my fingers up her abdomen, slipping them under the hem of her shirt.

"Mhmm. And I'm going to savor every second of this."

She gasped as I ghosted my fingers up her belly, her taut muscles quivering under my touch. With lidded eyes, she chewed her lip and whimpered as my fingers trailed higher and higher. Her shirt bunched, pulled along with my hands.

As soon as my fingers brushed the fabric of her bra, they danced away, skimming down her flanks as I kissed the back of her jaw. With every kiss, I brushed across her stomach. She shuddered with every stroke, trading her gasps for moans and mewls.

"Take it off!" she cried, stretching both arms above her head. "Please!"

Never before had I stripped off a woman's shirt so quickly. Mine quickly followed.

Her back glistened with sweat. Only her black sports bra remained, but I wouldn't remove it until I had her begging me to do so.

My hands roamed the contours of her lower back. The tight muscles flexed and rippled with every darting touch. As my thumbs dug into the base of her spine, she let out a strangled cry.

"Yes! Right there! It hurts, but… Ohh!"

I massaged away the aches in her back, working my dexterous fingers over every knot. Over the next few minutes, she relaxed further and further into my grip, until she was practically grinding her ass against my erection.

While she melted in my hands, I let them roam upward once more. My fingers danced along her back before circling around to her belly. She whimpered at my touches and threw a desperate glance back to me, chewing her lip.

Grinning, I leaned forward and nibbled on her shoulder. While she tried to kiss me again, I reached up and cupped both her breasts. She gasped. For a second, I thought I went too far, but when she pushed her chest firmly against my palms, I dashed those worries away.

Her soft groans filled the clearing as I kneaded her breasts. All the while, she clasped one hand over my own and squeezed it tighter. With heavy eyes, she choked out a single request.

"Do it."

"Do what?" I asked, suckling along the side of her neck.

She pulled my hand down and pushed my fingers under her bra.

"Please," she rasped, stroking her hand along my arm.

I curled my fingers under her bra and peeled it off of her sweaty skin. My imagination ran wild with images of her chest, but with her back facing me, it would have to suffice.

Her sinuous body rolled up with mine. She stretched up her arms and tossed away her bra.

With her body splayed out, I took one of her firm breasts in my hand and rolled her hard nipple between my fingers. The other found its way between my lips as I shifted to the side and ducked under her arm.

"Don't stop!" she gasped out. "Keep… touching me!"

She threw her head back as my free hand slipped into her pants. My fingers stroked along her dewy slit. She bucked against me, forcing a finger to slip inside.

While she writhed in my grip and ground her ass against my thigh, I kept toying with her. Her perky breast fit perfectly in my palm. And the other tasted heavenly. The saltiness of her sweat made me all the more eager to suckle her.

But just as her thighs squeezed down on my hand, I pulled away.

She tried to turn, but I pushed her forward. She landed with a grunt, and braced her hands against the boulders once more.

"Why did…?"

Her question went unfinished as I trailed my lips down her spine. Kiss upon kiss flitted along her skin.

"Percy," she purred, her knees shaking.

When I reached the bottom of her back, I nibbled at her glistening skin. She whimpered and wiggled her butt in front of my face. At that moment, I could not have asked for a more appetizing sight.

As I took in the sweet scent of her arousal, I dug my fingers into the hem of her pants and tugged. They didn't budge.

Without even telling her, she unfastened the front of her pants. All the while, she watched me from over her shoulder. Panting. Quivering.

"Good girl," I whispered.

When I slipped her pants over her buttocks and down her legs, I was tempted to pull her pants back up just to pull them back down again. Such a beautiful sight left me salivating. If anything, the light gray boyshorts stretched across her wonderful ass made the view all the more appetizing. Especially with the wet spot between her legs.

She kicked off her boots, and her pants quickly followed. Those long legs of hers were corded with lean muscle, and rippled every time she shivered. Because of how many kisses I placed on that glorious ass of hers, she shivered a lot.

I went so far as to bite her ass. She yelped, but made no efforts to pull away. If anything, she pushed back, making it all the easier to mark her as mine. The wet patch in her panties grew, and the scent of her arousal grew dizzying.

It didn't take much more incentive to peel away the final barrier. Wonderful as those boyshorts framed her ass, nothing could compare to how it looked completely bare. Beautifully sculpted. Rippling with muscle. The kind of ass that only a few thousand years of hard work could accomplish. Her tight pussy lips peaked out underneath. Smooth, dewy, and looking more delicious than ever.

Such a view could not go ignored. Combine that with her sweet scent and I was powerless. I gave her no warning. No sign before I opened my mouth and licked up that sinfully sweet pussy.

Both of us shivered as I feasted. Her from the sensation. Me from the taste. There was no questioning my addiction to her. The subtle sweetness. The woodsy smell. The mild tang that made me eager for more. Even the saltiness of her sweat mixed together in a heavenly concoction capable of breaking the most steadfast of deities' will.

I tried parting her lips, but was swiftly reminded of how little give they offered. But that pretty pink labia was more than worth the effort.

Unlike last time, my finger slipped inside her with relative ease. She clamped down on it for a moment, but relaxed as I stroked her tender walls. With every brush, she seemed to relax every so slightly. Not quite enough for me to fit in a second finger, but I was making progress.

She let out her wanton moans without any efforts to stifle them, crying out into the night. Small lines marked the path of her nails on the boulders. Her legs quivered under my caresses, knees near buckling every time I lapped at her clit. She played with her breasts, trading hands to fondle them and squeeze her nipples while her other hand kept her steady on the rock.

"Please Percy! I'm almost there!"

I curled my finger down and stroked my fingers against the rough patch inside her. With a simple "come hither" motion, I made her knees buckle. Doubly so when I suckled her clit.

"Yes!"

Fresh wetness coated my finger. A blink later and an explosion of sweetness covered my tongue. Stars danced in my eyes as her fragrant musk overwhelmed my senses. All the while, she collapsed in front of me, shivering in place.

It took a few moments to collect my senses. Even longer for Zoë to collect hers. While she rode out her euphoria with a dazed smile, I crawled on top of her and peppered her with soft kisses.

"Mmm." She met my lips with her own. "Just as good the second time."

We shared a few more kisses over the next minute. Riding her afterglow, she mewled under my darting touches to her stomach. Rogue beads of sweat rolled down her neck and between her firm breasts.

"Are you ready for the next part?"

She tried for a smirk, but in her panting, the best she could do was challenge me with her eyes.

"Let me stand."

I did.

While I pulled away, she tried righting herself. Under the strain of her recent orgasm, her wobbly legs threatened to buckle under her. She clung to the nearby boulders. With a relatively stable handhold, she pulled herself up and crawled her way into a standing position.

"I have had my share of the pleasure. Whether thou wisheth to breed me or cover me with thy seed is up to thee. So long as thou art satisfied by the end. In the meantime, I shall savor every minute being filled and stretched by thy manhood."

With a feral grin, she bent at the waist and braced herself against the boulders. "Have thy way with me. Leave me a mess on the floor once more."

While her coppery skin glowed in the moonlight, I took a glance skyward and prayed Artemis would forgive me for what I was about to do.

"You asked for it." I struggled to hide the smile on my lips.

She merely swayed her ass back and forth in another tantalizing display. One I would take full advantage of.

That bare ass of hers was far too tempting. Glowing and glistening under the moonlight. And all she could do was sway it in front of me like the most forbidden piece of fruit I'd ever lain my eyes on.

I mounted up behind her and rubbed my cock between her supple cheeks. My hands ghosted the back of her thighs before giving her ass one last squeeze.

She wiggled her hips back and forth, lightly moaning under my touch.

My cock slipped between her thighs. Her dewy cleft rubbed along the shaft. With every pass, she lubricated the underside more and more. I brushed my fingers over her lips and rubbed her juices over the rest of my cock. My head brushed her folds, not quite entering, but relishing in her warmth for a moment.

With a steely resolve, I drew a deep breath. Hand around my shaft, I guided my hard dick inside of her dripping wet pussy.

"Percy," she gasped.

Both of us went still. Not even halfway in, and her pussy clamped down on me. The tightness was euphoric, but the sense that she was strangling my dick was terrifying.

"Relax," I said, my voice tight. "Just breathe and relax."

Oh, she was definitely breathing. Heaving actually. She swallowed down breath after breath. Shivering, her body threatened to buckle under her weight. If not for my hands holding her hips steady, she likely would have collapsed.

"Deep breaths," I whispered. "Take it slow and relax."

Several minutes passed for her breathing to even out. Though still trembling, she steadied herself against the rock. Her grip on my cock eased slightly, letting me push in another inch.

She whimpered. Her nails left chalky white lines on the boulders, but she simply turned her head skyward and attempted to keep her breathing slow. She whispered a few words far too softly for me to make them out.

While I attempted to squeeze in another inch, her whimpers gave way to a throaty moan. She seemed to glow slightly brighter for a moment, but that could simply be how her sweat captured the moonlight.

I didn't even have a chance to push any further. With a blissful groan, she pushed back and sank the last of my cock inside of her.

Never before had I been buried in something so wonderfully tight. Thalia was a close contender, with Reyna and Piper right behind, but the snug grip of Zoë's pussy was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Even as wet as she was, I struggled to pull myself out. Every twitch and ripple of her walls sent jolts of pleasure up my spine, making me go cross eyed.

"Mercy of the moon," Zoë said, her voice shaky. "This is incredible!"

She moaned and shivered as I withdrew from her tight pussy. My head brushed her lips once more. All the while, she spread her legs further apart and braced herself more firmly against the rock. Her body dipped lower, presenting her as far more submissive than ever before.

"Please," she moaned out, turning her head to the side. "Ravish me!"

Without a word, I pressed forward again and buried myself to the hilt. Unlike before, her tight walls didn't strangle me in an effort to keep me out. In fact, they sucked me in deeper.

She pushed her ass back and rolled it into my hips. Her hands sprawled out on the boulder. Shaky. Covered with sweat.

Soft moans escaped her lips despite her biting down on her arm to muffle them.

Once more, I pulled my hips back before thrusting into her again. And again. And again. Minutes passed as I sped up and slapped my thighs against her ass. Taking hold of her hips, I leaned forward and put my entire weight behind every thrust.

Though it took some time, those thrusts became faster. And faster.

Wet slaps rang out in the clearing, dampened by her constant moaning. Still, I pumped into her against the boulders. Her whole body shuddered under my fingers, but I kept a tight hold on her hips.

Over and over again, I hammered into her. The hypnotic bouncing of her ass cheeks was mesmerizing. My hips stung with every clap of our skin, but the pleasure and view were worth it.

Where once she attempted to stifle her moans, she let loose and threw her head back, crying out my name.

"S—so… full…" she drolled on, her words punctuated by my thrusts.

Trading speed for power, I slowed my thrusts. I pulled back slowly before slamming into her. Then I pulled back again before slamming into her once more. Her pussy tightened around me, trying to suck me in as I pulled out. And with every thrust, it grew wetter and wetter.

She rocked back and forth. Her head snapped back almost every time I slammed into her. Her ass and thighs reddened with every slap. Every time I buried myself in her tight pussy, her body quivered. From her clenched fingers to her curled toes, she all but melted under the power of my thrusts.

Juices ran down her inner thighs and drizzled all over the grass beneath us. Maybe the nearby dryads could taste her. If so, they'd wind up pining endlessly for someone who was mine.

Her body tensed up. The wonderful grip of her juicy pussy lips tightened around my shaft.

"Faster," she choked out. "I'm… almost…"

I slammed my hips faster than before. All the while, she moaned and squealed out loud. Sweat flew off both our bodies, soaking the earth around us much like her juices. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth while her head bobbed back and forth with every impact.

Faster still, I pumped into her. As fast as I could. Her wobbly legs barely kept her standing. With my hands on her hips, I pulled her back to meet every thrust. Each and every time, she moaned louder and louder, until she was lost in one constant howl of pleasure.

That howl signaled her release. She went rigid, locked in a deafening scream to the heavens. The already tight grip of her pussy clamped down on me before flooding my dick and thighs with fresh juices.

As with before, her legs buckled beneath her. We both tumbled to the ground, gasping for air.

"How?" She turned to me, panting. "How have I climaxed twice, but thou hast yet to finish even once?!"

I forced out a laugh, but couldn't keep enough air in my lungs to do much more. "Like you said… Lots of pent up aggression. Besides, I've had… a lot of practice lately."

She dropped to the ground, groaning into the soft grass.

Despite my urge to keep laughing, I ran my palm up her body and pulled her in for a hug.

"We can call it a night. I think we've satisfied the terms of the curse."

"No!" She shoved me back to the ground and straddled my hips. "We are not leaving until thou art thoroughly satisfied!"

Without giving me time to refute, not that I wanted to, she reached down to grab my cock and guided it inside her pussy. The folds parted and sucked me in with a wet SHLICK!

As she lowered her hips to my own, she let out a soft hum. Starry-eyed and unfocused, she was in no condition to play the dominant role, but I leaned back and let her have her fun. She braced her hands against my chest and leaned down to kiss me.

I cupped her face as our tongues tickled each other. Meanwhile, she lifted her hips and began bouncing on my lap.

Given what I knew about her, the slow and gentle way she rode me took me by surprise. Such an aggressive person would be an aggressive lover, or so I expected. But then the realization dawned on me. She was exhausted. One orgasm left her nearly unconscious our first night together, and she just endured two.

My hands dipped away from her face and roamed the contours of her back. Even on top, she mewled under my touch, rolling her hips forward with a shiver.

That came to a halt when I grabbed her ass and squeezed.

She let out a gasp and pulled away from my lips. Her dark eyes went wide as she took in my wide grin.

"My turn."

I rolled us over. Though she tried to wrap her legs around my waist, they were far too shaky and fatigued to give her any grip. I propped her up on her hands and knees in a soft bed of moss. But in her exhausted state, she dropped down to her elbows.

Her back curved in a lovely arc. With a soft purr, she wiggled her ass in the air, legs already twitching. As I approached her from behind, I spread her legs with a soft nudge.

"Over the millennia," she rasped, "our wolves would breed in this very position."

Once more, those lean hips found their way into my hands. I gave them a squeeze.

"Time to find out what you've been missing."

I drove my hard cock balls deep inside her. She let out a strangled cry and arched her back further. With wiggling hips, she pushed back against me, meeting my thrust.

"Oooh!"

My cockhead brushed small circles inside her, stimulating her walls more thoroughly. Not that there was much room to move. With one hand tightly grabbing her ass cheek, I started to pump in and out of her once more.

She continued moaning out, her head swaying. Likewise, she bounced her ass back against my hips, matching my rhythm thrust for thrust. Her braid bounced with every motion, and in my lust addled mind, all I could think of was how desperately I wanted to grab it.

So I did.

Zoë yelped as her head snapped back. My hand around her braid pulled her back into a wonderful crescent shape. All the while, she screamed out, not bothering to muffle the pleasure building between her legs.

Juices spilled out of her pussy every time I slammed inside. They streamed down our thighs and turned the bed of moss into a soggy mess. Or perhaps our sweat did that.

As her quivering legs all but collapsed underneath her, I wrapped my arm around her waist and braced it against her.

With her legs steady, I pulled back on her braid and leaned forward. For a few seconds, I simply relished in her salty pine scent. But as my primal brain kicked into overdrive, I lunged out and clamped down on her shoulder with my teeth.

The scream that followed was equal parts wonderful and terrifying. Her pussy spasmed around me, splashing juices over my cock, balls, and hips. I went still for a moment, letting her ride out her third climax of the night.

Then I started moving again. I released her shoulder and braid, to which she collapsed onto the ground. Panting and whimpering, she was far too worn out to return my thrusts with her own. So I did it for her. Fingers digging firmly into her hips, I pulled hard on her as I slapped against her body.

Her face was half buried in the bed of moss. Mouth wide open in a perpetual moan, practically drooling. Eyes rolled up.

A growl echoed in my chest as I sped up. Every thrust, every slap of our hips, was a constant reminder that this woman, this beautiful Persian goddess of a woman, was all mine. And every mewl and moan as I buried my cock in her pussy was music to my ears.

Sweat drenched us both. Her braid came undone, leaving her hair plastered to her back. My eyes burned. Still I slammed my cock into her pussy over and over.

Occasionally, I brushed over her sweet spot. That tight pussy spasmed and clenched every time. Waves upon waves of euphoria washed over us both as I drove deep into her pussy only to pull back and slam in again.

The moss scattered around us. Only a few patches remained under our brutal onslaught.

Her whole body trembled. With every slap of her ass against my hips, she buckled and moaned. The tight grip of her pussy clamped down on me again as she screamed out in orgasm. In her endless cries, I could only make out two words.

"Breed me!"

Those two words brought my climax to a rise faster than anything else. I drilled her hard, making her moan and my loins boil. Faster than I could have anticipated, my limit hit and I bottomed out inside of her.

Hot semen spilled out of her pussy as I came inside her. It trickled down her legs and dripped into the mud underneath us. Her body quivered with pleasure as I slowly pumped the last couple streams of cum into her body.

"Mmmm."

She bit down on her lips, her gaze far away. I wasn't in much better shape. My head swam with euphoria. The sensations of her quivering pussy seemed magnified in that moment. All around me, the smells and sounds of the forest vanished. There was only me and Zoë. Our smells. Our sounds.

After a while, I pulled out. A stream of cum bubbled out of her, dripping all over the ground.

Both of us fell over to our sides into a soft patch of grass. We panted in exhaustion as our recent activities caught up to us. She pressed herself against my side, wrapping one leg around mine.

There we remained for the next few minutes, cooling down in the late night breeze.

"Still have a murder boner for the campers?" I asked, resting my arm on my head.

"Who?"

We shared a glance before we both burst out in a fit of laughter. Or wheezing.

"I knew this would be intense," she said. "But I wasn't expecting it to be so… overwhelming."

I grimaced. "Good overwhelming or bad?"

She smirked and pulled herself on top of me. "I have two daggers hidden away and I haven't used them."

"Wait, so you were planning to—"

"No!" She playfully slapped my shoulder. "I brought them in case of a monster attack, but it never hurts to prepare."

She laid her head on my shoulder, the rest of her body melting against mine.

"Thou need not worry. Tonight will certainly be one of my most cherished memories."

There we stayed for a few minutes longer, listening as our breaths slowed and were soon drowned out by the sounds of the forest.

"Artemis is going to kill me," I finally said. "You know that, right?"

She pondered over my words for a moment, but rather than a somber reply, she all but grinned at me. "For some reason, I doubt that. If she wanted to strike thee down, she would have done it the moment we were naked."

Her finger pointed up at the sky, where the moon beamed down at us from the opening in the trees. "We gave her quite the show, and I can guarantee she was watching."

"Great." I leaned my head back against the boulder. "So as soon as I start making progress with her, I wind up getting another of her veterans in the harem and I just had sex with her best friend right in front of her."

Zoë's expression turned somber. "Poor Phoebe. If anyone deserved to enjoy the afterlife, it was her. She was a member before even I. In fact, she vouched for me when I first joined. Taught me much of what I know."

"Lovely," I deadpanned. "So not only is she predisposed to hate my guts, but she could kill me in more ways than I can count."

Her melancholy expression shifted to one of mild teasing. "She focused on healing and tracking. Though she is deadly with a bow and could definitely wrestle thee to the ground, her skills with a blade are not quite as refined as mine."

"So she'll either squeeze me to death or shoot me from a mile away. Got it."

She huffed, but there was a coy smile tugging at her lips. "I believe Thalia and I can handle the worst of it. She's angry, but contrary to what people may think when they see her, she's not a brute who attacks in a blind fury. More than anything, she feels abandoned. Apparently, Artemis did not say a word to her when she was brought back."

"She had a lot on her mind," I replied sullenly. "What Hades did wasn't fair to either of them. Or Kinzie for that matter."

"Kinzie?!" She forced back a laugh. "Last I heard, she was pestering Reyna about the most effective way to seduce thee."

I sighed in exasperation. "That doesn't surprise me honestly. She offered to be my girlfriend a while back. But still, all of this just so Hades could pull his daughters out?"

"Thou cannot deny they weren't ready for this. More than anyone else, they wanted nothing to do with this."

"What about you? Artemis said she wouldn't trade lives, but what if she did?"

She went quiet for a while. There was no hostility in her eyes. Not even sadness. If nothing else, she was focused entirely on my question.

When she answered, I don't think I was wholly prepared for it.

"Aside from some awkward conversations, my experiences in the harem have been nothing but enjoyable. If she offered me freedom from here, I don't think I could bring myself to accept it. In the stars, I watched over the world, but remained detached from it, caught between life and death. My consciousness spread so thin that the very passage of time became nothing more than a perpetual haze. Why would I return to that when I am surrounded by friends? My experiences with thee, though intense, have been nothing but pleasurable."

The comfortable silence returned. I contemplated her words. Tried piecing them all together. Whether she did the same, or if she simply chose to relish in the moment, I don't know. All I knew was, despite the soreness in my body, I could live in peace with the knowledge that Zoë and I would happily repeat this night for the foreseeable future.

"Thou shouldst return to thy cabin. Palírroia was quite clear about her desire to share thy bed tonight."

I let out a sigh. "Are you saying you don't want to stay together?"

"On the contrary. Nothing would please me more. But we have all the time in the world to do so. Tonight, she needs the comfort of thy embrace."

"Fair enough." I shifted, looking for my clothes. "First I need a bath. Then I need to go to the infirmary."

"Bathe early after waking. I will handle Nimba and Rose. Just as soon as I can stand on my own legs."

Her coy smile didn't go unnoticed, but I was far too tired to bother arguing.

I couldn't tell you whether the return trip went by quickly or not. All I know is that some giant creature got a little too comfortable sniffing me, only to be chased away by a giant hellhound. Mrs. O'Leary didn't bother licking me. I guess I smelled a little bit too much like Zoë, but I'd take care of that in time. Plus, at the moment, I certainly didn't mind her scent lingering on me for a little while longer.

When we returned to my cabin, Mrs. O'Leary made a beeline for the arena. Likewise, I strode right through the door of the cabin, which smelled of a wonderful sea breeze.

"Welcome back, Master."

Both Palírroia and Thŷella were waiting in bed. Well, bed wouldn't be the right term. They seem to have pushed two bunk beds together, creating one much larger bed, and draped the sheets to cover the gap in the center.

The two of them were embracing one another in a rather sensual manner. As I approached my newly made bed, they each took my hands and pulled me in with them.

When they started stripping me of my clothes, I almost laughed. But thankfully, they stopped at my boxers and pulled the covers over us. The following moments were filled with them getting comfortable to either side of me. Once they were, they peppered my body with soft kisses before laying their heads on my shoulders. They laced their fingers with one another across my chest. It didn't take much long for them to fall asleep. Even less for me to follow suit and give in to my blissful exhaustion.

A/N - Thank you all for your patience. As I post this, I have only gotten back home from a week long cross country trip less than half an hour ago. Hopefully, you can forgive me for the one day late chapter.

Under most circumstances, I'd try to regale you with some sort of witty commentary, but frankly, after thirty six hours in a car, and over a three thousand mile round trip, I'm too tired to come up with anything clever. All there is to say is that Zoe's long anticipated chapter with Percy has finally been delivered, and I hope it holds up to the expectations I have set a standard for.

By all means, leave your thoughts, positive or negative. Drop by the Discord server. Support me on if you wish. Anything and everything you do is appreciated. This is Ronin signing off.