Deep Water (13 page)

Amphitrite chuckled. “I’m a goddess,
darling. Any footpad or ruffian who tries to accost us will regret his decision
very quickly, I assure you. But if it makes you feel better.” She waved a hand,
and four tall, muscular tritons melted out of the crowd, coming to attention
before her. They had exchanged their usual armor and tridents for hoplite
spears and shields, but looked just as competent in the
landwalker
garb. “I thought I would have these males escort us out of the city.”

Medusa blushed, glancing from underneath
her lowered lids at the muscled tritons. “A wise choice, my lady,” she said,
dimpling. “I don’t suppose they know how to peel grapes, do they?”

Amphitrite laughed at that. “I don’t know.
Shall we give them some and see?”

The tritons looked somewhat discomfited by
the suggestion, but Medusa’s giggle and gentle squeeze of her arm were worth
it.

Leaving the city was simplified by the
aura Amphitrite generated around their little party. It was a trick most of the
gods used regularly to make themselves invisible, or simply so unremarkable
that they were as good as invisible. The crowds melted out of their way with
pleasing haste, and they reached the harbor in record time.

From the corner of her eye Amphitrite
studied her
agapetos
. Used to the
confines of her temple, Medusa was perspiring gently and somewhat breathless
from the walk, but still seemed enthralled with everything around her. The Nereid
guided her into a shadowed space between two buildings, making sure that no
mortals were already lurking there.

“From here, we’ll take a portal to our
picnic site,” she said, nodding to the tritons. They lifted their spears in
salute and headed for the water.

“A portal?” Medusa asked.

“
It’s
how gods
move between distant places. You’ll see.”

Using the skills bequeathed to her by
Poseidon, Amphitrite opened the fabric of the world, creating a doorway.
Putting an arm around Medusa’s shoulders, she guided the handmaiden through.

Medusa gasped as soon as she saw the
countryside that now surrounded them. “My lady! Where are we?”

Amphitrite had selected a spot on a lush
green hillside overlooking the Aegean. She knew that the nearest human
settlement was a fair distance away, and they were unlikely to be disturbed by
a wandering shepherd. “We’re on the northern coast. Don’t worry, I’ll have you
back in Athens by nightfall.”

Medusa was entranced by the view, cheeks
pink with excitement. “Oh, I’m not worried,” she said happily, taking in a deep
breath of the delicious sea air. “My lady knows you’ll have me back in time.
This is so beautiful!”

“I’m glad you like it.” Amphitrite led the
girl to a basket she’d placed on the hillside earlier. On top of the wine and
foodstuffs she’d selected for their picnic was a soft wool blanket in Tyrian
purple that she had woven and dyed herself.

After she spread it out under the shade of
a nearby tree, Medusa was finally persuaded to sit and take a cup of wine.
“It’s just so lovely here,” she said, gazing at the Aegean and the hills rising
along the shoreline. “So different from Athens.”

“Less crowded, certainly,” Amphitrite
said, setting out plates loaded with delicacies. “Are you originally from the
city?”

Medusa nodded, plucking up an olive and
popping it into her mouth. “My father was a baker,” she said after decorously
discarding the pit. “He died from an illness when I was very young, and his
shop was taken over by his brother. But my uncle already had children, and my
mother decided it would be better for me if I were dedicated at one of the
temples. The priests at my lady’s temple accepted me as an acolyte, and I’ve
been there ever since.”

“Were they kind to you?”

“Oh, yes. I was taught to write and do
sums with the other acolytes, and scholars would be brought in to teach us
about the natural world, history, and philosophy. When I came of age, I
dedicated myself to my lady’s service and was consecrated as a priestess. It’s
been an honor to serve in her temple.”

“You seem happy there.”

Medusa nodded. “I am. I feel I’ve found my
purpose in life.”

Something
twinged
inside Amphitrite. It was a requirement that all of Athena’s priestesses be
virgins. That rule ran directly counter to Medusa’s future as
agapetos
to herself and Poseidon. She
didn’t want to deprive her lovely new mate of her calling, but neither did she
want to ignore the gift that the Fates had laid on them.
If Poseidon and Athena didn’t cordially loathe each other, I might be
able to persuade Athena to give Medusa an easement on the virginity rule, or to
create a new position for her that didn’t require virginity. But I have no idea
how to ask her to give her favorite handmaiden to a god who is her rival.

She realized Medusa had said something.
“I’m sorry, love, I was woolgathering. What did you say?”

The handmaiden smiled down at her clasped
hands. “I said that if you were a boy, I would have thought you’d brought me
here for immoral purposes.”

Amphitrite bit the inside of her cheek to
suppress her own smile. She had selected the spot for its secluded nature as
much as its beauty. And the idea of laying her beautiful girl down on the soft
purple wool and making love to her had been in the forefront of her mind since
she’d first come up with the idea for the picnic.

The only problem was, she wasn’t quite
sure how to make love to another woman. The will was most certainly there, but
the experience was sadly lacking. When she’d spoken in confidence to Aphrodite
about her concerns, the beautiful Goddess of Love had been more than helpful
with instructions. But putting them into practice…

She decided to be honest about her desire.
“Would you be horribly shocked to learn that I have had fantasies about bringing
you here for immoral purposes?” she asked.

Medusa’s breath caught, her cheeks
blushing to a dark rose. “I … I wouldn’t be shocked,” she finally said. “I may
have thought the same thing. Quite a number of times, actually.”

Amphitrite’s mouth dried at the
confession. She took a quick sip of her wine. “And what did we do in your
thoughts?”

Medusa’s blush deepened, but she took a
deep breath. “The same thing that we did in your fantasies, I suspect. We lay
down together, kissing and touching each other. It was very … pleasant.”

“I would imagine.” Amphitrite carefully
put down her wine cup. “Medusa, may I kiss you?”

The handmaiden nodded shyly. Amphitrite
leaned forward, brushing her lips over Medusa’s in the gentlest of touches. She
was shocked at the desire that crackled between them, making her lips tingle in
delightful anticipation. She kissed Medusa again, more firmly this time.

Medusa tasted like wine and something else,
a tanginess that Amphitrite had never tasted before. Tracing the seam of the
handmaiden’s lips with the tip of her tongue, she was pleasantly surprised when
Medusa opened her mouth with a soft groan. Their tongues slid together, the
velvet friction waking a sweet warmth between the Nereid’s legs.

And then Medusa was pushing back, playfully
overbalancing her until she sprawled on her back with a laugh. The grinning
handmaiden leaned over her, stealing another lingering kiss as the scent of
rosemary and lemon filled the air.

“Oh, my. Eager, aren’t you?” Amphitrite
said happily.

“Yes. This is fun. I like kissing you.”
Medusa dipped her head, doing just that until every part of Amphitrite felt
warm and eager. Her arms came up and looped around Medusa’s slim shoulders,
holding her close as they explored each other’s mouths.

Finally, Medusa pulled away, breathless.
She stretched out on her side facing Amphitrite, who had mirrored her position.
“I’m tingling all over,” she said, her face flushed and moist. “This is lovely,
Ammie
. What else can we do?”

“A number of things.” Amphitrite rested
her head on her hand, tracing a finger over Medusa’s exposed shoulder and
watching the young woman shiver. “But I’ve never made love to a woman before,
so much of this is new to me.”

“I’ve never made love to anyone,” Medusa
said mournfully. “I’m afraid you’re going to think I’m clumsy or stupid.”

“You’re hardly that. Trust me, love,
you’re wonderful just as you are.”

“Good.” Medusa reached up and cupped her cheek.
She turned her head and kissed the handmaiden’s palm, and felt the shiver it
produced. “I love it when you kiss me. It makes me feel warm and tingly.”

“Then I need to do it some more, yes?”
With a laugh Amphitrite pushed her glorious girl onto her back, kissing and
nibbling a line down the long tendon of Medusa’s neck before coming back up and
gently biting her earlobe.

Medusa giggled, squirming under her
attack. Amphitrite licked like a cat around the outer shell of the handmaiden’s
ear, then took the top curl in her mouth and gently sucked on it.

Medusa’s entire body went boneless at that
and she moaned. “
Ohhhh
, that’s good.”

Amphitrite let the fragile curl of flesh
and cartilage slide out of her mouth. “When Poseidon does that to me, it makes
me wet,” she purred. “Are you wet, my love?”

“I don’t know.”

The Nereid reminded herself that her
agapetos
was virginal.
And I suspect your studies never included
self-pleasure.
“Between your legs, love,” she whispered directly into
Medusa’s ear, knowing her breath would be just as stimulating as her lips and
tongue. “Are you warm and wet there?”

“Oh, yes.” It was said in a groan, and
Medusa’s slim hips pushed upwards. “Oh, gods, yes. How did you know?”

“It’s what happens when a woman is
aroused. It feels marvelous, doesn’t it?”

“Yes.” The handmaiden writhed as
Amphitrite kissed a path down from her jawline to the notch between her
collarbones. “I feel like it’s pulsing with my heart.”

Amphitrite considered her next move. With
exquisite care, she slid a hand under Medusa’s breast, just spanning the
underside in the curve between her thumb and forefinger. “May I touch you?”

Medusa bit her lip with delight, nodding.

Amphitrite moved her hand up, enjoying the
heft of the handmaiden’s small, firm breast and the pebbled tip that nudged her
palm. “So beautiful. Let me see?”

Her
agapetos
took in a stuttering breath, apprehension overwhelmed by desire. “Yes.”

Releasing the shoulder pins, Amphitrite
eased Medusa’s neckline down, exposing two creamy mounds with dusky pink
nipples. She clicked her tongue in delight. “You’re all the colors of spring,
love.”

Medusa giggled, the sound golden in the
warm air. “I’m glad you approve, my lady.”

“Oh, I more than approve, my gorgeous
girl.” Bending her head, Amphitrite licked the stiff little bud and was
rewarded with a growly little moan. The girl’s skin was just as delicious as
her mouth, with a faint fresh taste of salt that added savor. She settled in to
tease, running the tip of her tongue around the pink edge of the areola before
licking back to the taut nipple. Taking it into her mouth, she sucked, gently
at first and then more with more strength as she felt Medusa writhe under her.

She switched her attention to the other
nipple, flicking it with her tongue until it was as wet and stiff as its twin.
She mouthed a path back and forth, under the soft underside of each breast and
then over until Medusa’s hands plunged into her hair and she was dragged up for
a messy, delicious kiss.

“Please,” Medusa begged, her entire body
trembling against Amphitrite’s. “I feel as if I’m about to fly apart.”

“Peace, love. I think I know what to do.”
She reached down and caressed the handmaiden’s slender thigh, catching the
light fabric of her gown and pulling it up. With exquisite delicacy she urged
Medusa’s thighs open, tracing patterns on the soft, downy skin inside her legs
until the back of her hand brushed against springy curls. She turned her hand
over, one finger tracing over the fleshy seam there and feeling the slickness
that had already gathered.

Medusa sucked in a shuddering breath,
pushing up into Amphitrite’s touch. “Oh, gods. Please don’t stop.”

“I won’t, beloved. I promise.” With care
Amphitrite slid her fingers deeper into the moist warmth, tracing the soft
folds and curves until she felt familiar with this similar-but-different flesh.
Medusa panted under her exploration, moaning as her slender hips pumped into
the Nereid’s touch.

Then Amphitrite slid a single finger
between the inner lips, drawing it upwards until she felt a small hooded nub.
She slid a fingertip over it, and Medusa cried out, back arching in pleasure.

It was intoxicating. Feeling her own
wetness grow, Amphitrite focused her caresses on the tiny nub, tracing circles
around it before trapping it between two fingers and squeezing lightly. With
some experimentation she found a rhythm that made the virginal handmaiden
writhe and beg for more. Her own clit ached with the need to be touched, and
she felt on the verge of coming simply from driving Medusa closer and closer to
orgasm.