Andromeda screamed as Ketos coiled a great arm around her and wrenched her from the harbour wall. She heard her mother scream as she was pulled into the turbulent sea by the giant sea serpent. Her last coherent thought was to curse Perseus for his promises that had brought her so much hope. He had failed.
Her dress tore away as she plunged into the water, loosening the monster's hold on her, and she struggled free, swimming desperately to the surface. She had just enough time to take a breath before the serpentine arm reached her again, circling about her chest, around her waist, curling between her legs. It was powerfully muscular, crushing her painfully and she struggled to hold her breath as she was dragged through the water away from the shore, below the surface, and gradually deeper.
The pressure of the water intensified as she was pulled inexorably deeper. All around her was dark and cold, and her skull hurt terribly. She struggled frantically to be free of her captor, until it became impossible not to breathe. Salt water flooded into her lungs and she convulsed with pain and horror, knowing that her death was certain and imminent. She fought to stay conscious, to stay alive, but the icy darkness claimed her and stilled her.
*
She awoke in pitch blackness, her body bruised, her head aching, her jaw and lips wrenched painfully wide about some intruder that seemed to have lodged deep inside her. She tried to pull free, but Ketos still held her tight. Her arms were not bound, but she wasn't strong enough to pull the invader from her mouth. Biting it had no effect either, and eventually she gave up the struggle.
She realised she could breathe - or, rather, she couldn't, but for some reason she didn't need to breathe, despite being deep in the sea. She had been so sure she was about to die, indeed that she had surrendered to death, and instead she was being held helpless but apparently unharmed in watery blackness.
She relaxed slowly, the tension easing from her muscles. The terror washed away to be replaced with boredom. She wasn't in any immediate danger, that she could tell, but there was nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to do. The thing filling her mouth had a slightly salty, slightly fruity flavour, unfamiliar but not unpleasant.
The arm hugging her shifted, tightening in a gentle squeeze before relaxing again. It didn't feel threatening, or personal, but the movement between her legs brushed against her tender lips and pressed for a moment that special place between them, sending a shiver of pleasure through her.
Andromeda hoped the monster would move again soon, so she could feel that thrill of pleasure again. With nothing to distract her from the feel of that muscular arm between her thighs, her desire to feel that touch again grew into an obsession. The pressure against her breasts increased along with the itch between her legs.
Unable to wait any longer, she rotated her legs, and kicked at the water, trying to adjust her position just enough - and was rewarded at last as the arm tightened about her and pressed against her lips. She clasped her thighs about the arm to hold it in position as she rubbed her lips against it, as she thrust her secret pleasure at it.
The sensible part of her mind told her she was being absurd, that a princess should never behave like this, that the gods themselves would no doubt disapprove. The part controlling her body continued anyway, perversely excited by the idea that the gods were watching her. She concentrated on the feel of that oily-scaly skin sliding against her lips, her motion increasingly unsteady as the tingling pressure built, until she reached the peak of pleasure and her thrusts echoed the blissful contractions that tore through her body.
*
When she awoke again, Andromeda could see with surprising clarity. She was still far below the bright surface, but the light penetrated into the depths, revealing her dark skin and filtering through the cloud of her long black hair. The pressure no longer bothered her, and still she felt no urge to breathe.
The water that filled her mouth and nose felt rich with unusual tastes and scents, some of which stirred a hunger in her, like the smell of cooking meat after a long day in the fields. The object that had invaded her mouth was gone, much to her relief, as was the giant arm that had captured her and held her for so long, the arm that had given her such pleasure.
She was in a large rocky valley, densely carpeted with a variety of colourful seaweeds and plant life. Her eyes were drawn to certain large, strange flowers - or perhaps they were sea creatures - that dotted the sides and floor of the valley, although only the closest could be seen clearly. They were greenish-blue, with long fronds, or tentacles, projecting out. There was something almost beautiful about them.
But she was free!
Andromeda swam up towards the surface, noting with surprise that her skin had slits along her sides, not unlike gills. Was that why she didn't need to breathe? Had Ketos - or the gods, perhaps - transformed her somehow, made her into a fish so that she could live in the water?
As she swam higher, the warm water and the bright sunshine started to bother her, and the tastes and scents in the water became increasingly bitter. It became a struggle to continue, but she was determined to reach the surface, to look for land, or a boat.
When her head finally broke through into the air, it was torture. She quickly dropped back below the waves, bewildered by the harshness of the world up there. She felt very lost and longed to be back in the cool depths. But her family was up there. Her world was up there. Once again she thrust up to the surface, opened her mouth to breathe the fresh air - nothing happened. The sun blinded her, its heat terrifying, and she didn't know how to breathe any longer.
Andromeda collapsed into the water with a silent cry. For a long time she drifted wearily, staring morosely at the bright horror above her, but eventually the discomfort of the high water was too much for her and she surrendered to the call of the deep.
As she swam down into the valley again, into cool water rich with exotic and alluring scents, she started feeling hungry - thirsty too, which was strange given where she was. Something smelled delicious, however.