Plaything of the Gods

CH 4. Time to talk.

I woke very early the next morning, and saw the beauty sleeping next to me. Ariadne had used my shoulder as a pillow. I knew there was no way I could sneak out without waking her up, and decided my morning exercises were not more important than letting her sleep. I checked if the blanket still covered her body, and quickly drifted off again.

I woke up again when Ariadne moved next to me. She was already out of bed and was busy dressing when she noticed I was awake. She asked how I had slept, and I told her I slept well enough. The conversation felt forced to me. I had no idea how to behave in front of her. I knew she was supposed to teach me, and she had told me she had desired me. Yet, I didn't know what to think of our relationship right now. Ariadne didn't seem to think anything was wrong.

I put on my clothes again. Ariadne was already waiting by the door, but I was quite reluctant to go out and start the day as if nothing happened. She looked at me and asked if anything was wrong. I asked her if we could talk, and I saw her frowning. She pointed at the bed, and sat down next to me.

"What is it you want to talk about?"

"What happens now?"

"Nothing has changed, if that is what you mean. I am your instructor, and you will need to learn more about serving Aphrodite."

"What about last night. What is it that is... between you and me?"

Her frown remained. "I told you I am your instructor. Last night, I instructed you, and you did quite well. If you are not happy with me, you can say so, and we can work it out. You can ask Leda for another instructor, of course"

I looked at her, shocked she misunderstood me so badly. "That's not what I meant. I'm not... unhappy. I... I enjoyed last night. I don't know what I must do right now, what role I must play."

It was the best way I could put it.

"For now, you serve Aphrodite and are instructed like every other new member of the temple would. I think it wise if you praise Ares as well, though you need to talk to Leda for more advice on that. I know I'm barely older than you, but you must follow my instructions while learning the ways of Aphrodite. Those ways include sex, and I am to instruct you there as well. If it does not work out this way, we can find you another instructor, but I thought you desired me."

"So I am your student? That's it?" I have never had found much time for romance, but this seemed quite cold to me. She looked more softly than her words had sounded to me.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand me. I am not just doing this because Leda told me to. I volunteered to instruct you, knowing all it involved. I did so because I wanted to be with you. I chose to be in your company."

She softly stroked my hair. "You are new to this temple and this way of thinking. At first it was confusing for me too. Aphrodite is Goddess of both Love and Lust, which are two different things. Everybody has desires, and when people with matching desires meet, they help each other. Everybody possesses the ability to love too, but only when people with similar ways of loving meet will it truly blossom. Such a thing takes time. I think it's safe to say we have desires towards one another. I cannot say I love you, but I like you. You're not the arrogant warrior I thought you would be. Maybe you're too shy for your own good, but I think that can be cured. Is this enough of an answer to your question?"

I nodded. "Thanks, I needed an explanation."

She smiled. "And I should have given one earlier. I am not a servant here for that long and you are the first person I instruct, but I should have seen you're unaware of our customs. I am meant to instruct you in matters like this. I will explain more to you later. If you doubt my intentions, please remember I wanted to visit you in the baths, before you were initiated. I did that because I like the way you look. I will tell you now you are pleasant to be around, too. Now, do you have any other questions?"

I turned slightly red. I might not now much about their customs, but I knew some things about sex.

"Will... won't you... Will I not get you pregnant?"

She had a proud expression on her face.

"Did you think I hadn't thought about that? You are in a temple of Aphrodite, she who rules over fertility. If I wanted to get pregnant, I would ask her for permission. Don't worry: I do not want to be pregnant now, and there are several ways for a woman to prevent herself from becoming so. I see I will need to tell you more about those ways too."

While she spoke, I saw her looking at a small amulet of Aphrodite on her desk. I had seen Leda had had several of them, and suspected Leda made amulets both to raise and lessen fertility. Ariadne saw me looking and nodded.

"Amulets powered by the Gods can protect you, though only if very precise rules are followed. There are other ways as well, of course. Does that answer your question?"

I nodded.

"Yes. Thank you for answering my questions."

"You need just ask if you want to know anything. I will not be offended by your questions. But if you want to know anything else, please wait until after we've eaten. I'm famished."

I laughed.

"I have no more questions. Let's find some food."

She stood up and I followed her to the door.

We were quite late, and the cook looked at Ariadne with a look of question, but she shook her head. The cook gave us bread with honey, and by the way she and Ariadne exchanged looks I knew Ariadne would talk to her later.

We returned to the main hall where Ariadne continued lecturing me about Aphrodite. I smiled as she told me not to use her name in vain, but that it was okay to praise her if you meant it. She told me Aphrodite was ruler of fertility, and told me a prayer for someone who wanted a child. She told me merchants would trade with Leda, but that the amulets were only really effective if a high priestess personally asked for Aphrodite's blessing for the wearer of the amulet. I told her about merchants in Thebe who sold amulets like this, and she told me they probably had no power at all, and that the fool who bought such amulets would be much better off by just bringing offerings to the Gods. I knew one of my Brothers had an amulet for luck with girls, and hoped he had gotten it from a temple.

Ariadne told me there were amulets that prevented pregnancy, as well as diseases. She told me that I could ask Leda to make one for me if I wished so. She told me several other ways to prevent pregnancy, and how well they worked. She spoke about such things without embarrassment, which surprised me. I knew she expected to talk openly about these subjects as well, and I tried not to stutter or pause as I asked her questions or made comments.

After lunch we did several chores, and she asked me if I minded if she went elsewhere. I assumed she wanted some time for herself, and told her I didn't mind, and would be on the training field. She told me she had to visit Leda and then she wanted to visit a friend of hers, but that she would be back in the evening.

I visited my room to pick up my sword before going to the field outside the temple. I tried to do several exercised with it. I was used to training with sword and shield, but I had always been more adept at attacking than at blocking. I saw a woman coming from the fields and felt her looking strange while I fenced with a rock, but it was the only way I could practice here. I still managed to do quite well and returned to the temple. It had been hot enough to be sweating, but I had decided against doing more exercises, because I was unsure what tonight would bring and didn't want to exhaust myself.

I decided I could use a bath but as I approached the baths I heard several women talking inside. I resisted the urge to enter and see more of the woman of the temple. I decided to use a second bathroom Ariadne had showed me. It was smaller and less comfortable than the big one and only had one small pool, but it was private. I dressed in fresh clothes, shaved, and returned to my room.

In my room, I inspected my armor and was trying to repair the left arm as best as I could. I couldn't really mend the armor, but managed to fold the rings so they at least wouldn't bother me while I wore it. The gap was quite large, and I looked at my arm. The wound has disappeared, and the only reminder of it was a pink line of fresh skin that would disappear as it too would feel the heat of the sun. I was using a cloth to clean my helmet as Ariadne knocked on my door, asking if I would join her in the kitchens. We returned to her chamber after dinner, and she told me to sit down on the bed.

She bluntly told me she would give me more instructions regarding sex, and asked if that was a problem. I shook my head. A silence followed, and I wondered if she expected me to say or do more.

She looked at me.

"You're too shy, my pupil. Leda and I agree on that. It's cute to see a warrior blush, I admit, but you can't be too shy in a temple of Aphrodite. Lean back and make yourself comfortable. Don't be embarrassed: we are different and this is new to you, but I will listen without passing judgment or making fun of you. Tell me something personal. Tell me about your sexual activities before you came here."

I knew she had spoke to Leda and thought the high priestess had probably told Ariadne to do this. I told her she already knew I had no real experiences, but she pressed me to tell something and I saw she was genuinely interested.

I told her I had only once twice kissed a girl. The first was a girl I had known when I still lived with my parents. She had lived near my parent's house and I had known her from when she was a child. As we knew we would soon be judged and claimed by the Gods, we had both sought each other out. A few hours before the calling, she came to me and said she was afraid and she would miss her parents and me. Holding her in my arms, I had told here it was going to be all right, and we had shared a kiss. We were separated not long after that. I later learned she was initiated into the temple of Demeter, but I had never seen her again.

The second girl I had kissed had been during Zeus' summer feast. The three-day celebration was one of the only times we were allowed to party. My band of Brothers had just finished our training. We had no money to go to the whorehouse as older warriors did, but we had managed to buy cheap alcohol from a guy one of my Brothers knew. The drink had tasted awful and had been a lot stronger than I had expected. I had let go of my usual shyness and enjoyed the celebrations, and even danced and kissed with a nice girl I met in a cheap tavern.

I was almost starting to hope we might do even more than that when one of my Brothers had drunk too much and got into a fight. Of course I had assisted my Brother, and the bloke that he fought with had run away with a bleeding nose and a bad limp when we were done with him. We had to carry him and two other Brothers back to the barracks because they drank too much to return by themselves. I had told the girl I would meet her again the next night, but I couldn't find her. The next night my Brothers carried me home as I had drank too much in the hope of forgetting about her, a fact Ariadne found amusing.

She told me without much shame she had never kissed anyone before her claiming, having been quite shy herself. She was shocked to hear the priest say Aphrodite claimed her, believing she would probably be claimed by Hera or Apollo. Leda had taken her virginity from her, as the high priestess always did during the initiation. The stories and instructions the other girls gave her, as well as her developing body, had made her looking forward to sleeping with a man.

She had used the opportunity when a group of traders had visited, and openly told me the young trader she had sought had been a disaster. He had been way too eager to get his way and had only considered his own pleasure. I almost felt sorry for him as she told me he had arrived too early, leaving her unsatisfied.

Her next experience with a man was when a few shepherds had came by to trade with the temple. One of them, a man a few years older than she, had been surprisingly good. He had visited her for several nights before he had to move along with the other shepherds, and he had left her some money and two fine sheep for the temple as a way of thanking. She told me Leda had been proud of her, the man obviously satisfied, and was considered a full member of the temple after that.

Last autumn, she visited a temple of Apollo a few days away from here. She had visited it to watch their library, being quite good with a pen herself. A man there had caught her interests and was quite persistent in trying to win her attention, but as he had kissed her he had been too rough and he had tried to touch her breasts, and she had told him off. I asked her if she hadn't been afraid, but she laughed. She told me she had told him off by kicking him in his crotch before storming off. She told me the man would have met a knife if he would have followed her. I realized the women of the temple were far from hopeless, and decided to keep that fact in mind.

She told me that she had shared her bed too with several of the women of the temple, and that though they had brought her relief, she liked men better. She told me she had shared the bed with one other man after that. He had been strong and well-built, and handsome to look at. He had quite a low, carrying voice and hadn't really talked much at first, but he had been pleasing in bed. He had smelled nice and he was masculine yet cute. I listened to her description with rising jealousy before realizing she was talking about me. She laughed out loud because of the look on my face. When she had finished laughing, I asked her if that was truly how she saw me.

She smiled at me affectionately, and told me it was. She said she could have told me I was shy and inexperienced, or that I was nicer and less selfish than she thought a warrior would be, but that that would have given it away. Her fingers softly caressed my blushing face.

"I told you you're cute, didn't I?"

I would never have described myself as cute. It was not a word to describe a warrior. Still, it was better than selfish and arrogant, as she thought warriors would be. She spoke again.

"I have said how I've seen you. Tell me how you do see me. And be honest and specific."

I knew this to be a test: she had told me to be more open about my feelings and wanted me to tell her this. I summoned my courage, telling myself a warrior that would gladly go into battle should be able to talk to a girl. I started talking to her.

I had noted she was beautiful when I first saw her. She had a good, slender figure, and a pretty face. Her face was open and easily betrayed emotion. She had big eyes, a cute nose and her mouth looked lovely as she laughed. I avoided looking at her as I said she had beautiful breasts, and that her red dress didn't really hide them. She had a well-shaped ass, but I liked her breasts more.

She talked a lot. I wasn't really used to a girl speaking so openly, and it made me feel embarrassed sometimes, but I guessed her talking probably made up for my lack of it. I didn't always like her teasing, even though it was meant well. I found our relationship confusing at times, but I was really glad I had met her nonetheless.

I had liked her moaning when she received pleasure, but I had been surprised by her dirty words. I was still unsure whether I liked that or not. She became more beautiful as she was aroused. I liked it when her long, blond hair was a bit wilder, when her face blushed and her eyes opened further in lust. I had been surprised by how violently she had moved when she came, but I liked it to see her like that.

I suddenly ran out of words. Once I had started talking, I found it easier to just continue and tell what came in my mind rather than stopping to think about what I would say next. I had told most of my story to the ceiling, knowing that looking at here would have prevented me from speaking so openly about sex. She moved closer to me, used her hand to turn my head towards her and pressed her lips against mine. She kissed me passionately, her hands on my neck.

"Thank you" she told me as the kiss ended. "I'm flattered. I know that wasn't easy for you to tell, and you were more thorough than I had thought you would be."

Her hand found my crotch and moved over it. "You did well. I think you deserve a reward."

I looked at her face and found she was aroused by my description of her. She asked me if I wanted to fuck her. I continued to look at her face and didn't stutter as I told her yes, I wanted to fuck her. She smiled and took of her dress. I had taken of my shirt and she undid my pants. She stroked my cock as it came free.

"Did I tell you you're rather blessed by Aphrodite?" I shook my head.

"You have a quite a big cock. I like it." She giggled as I turned red again.

I was getting used to her way of talking, but still found it uncomfortable sometimes. I did want her to receive pleasure too, though, and pushed her gently on her back, my hands on her breasts. I wet my fingers before touching her pussy, and was glad I remembered yesterday's lessons. Her hand softly stroked my cock. As I kissed her breasts and my hand worked between her legs, I felt her arousal rose until she softly began to moan.

She told me to put it inside her. I moved to position myself between her legs just like yesterday, but she stopped me. She said she wanted something different. She lay down on one side and told me to lay behind her. I did as she asked. Her body was close to mine. She told me to insert it in this position. She parted her legs to make room for me. She was surprised as my fingers found her pussy. She asked what I was doing, and I told her I liked to hear her moan. She indeed started to moan as my fingers pleasured her. Her sexy body softly moved, my erection resting against her ass. She told me to stop my teasing and fuck her, and I did what I was told. I spit on my hand and run it over my cock in an imitation of what she had done before, and lowered my body slightly to enter her.

She moaned as I entered. She was tight around me, but it only took her a few moments to get used to my cock. I started moving my hips. It was slightly more difficult to move in this position. I touched her breasts and played with her nipples while I used her body for support, and managed to get a nice rhythm going. I couldn't really look at her face, but her moaning told me she enjoyed it too.

My hand left her breasts. I caressed her lovely-shaped ass as it rested on my hips and moved my hand to her clit. A higher pitched moan was my reward. She managed to turn her head around enough to kiss me. She kissed me passionately, my lips muffling her moans. Kissing was difficult, but it was exciting to see we still could do it. She whispered to me.

"C'mon, my warrior. Fuck me. Show me the strength of your hips."

She was more excited than I thought she would be. I used my hand to hold her leg up, opening herself more, and started thrusting. The difficult position did not stop my from trying to thrust into her as quickly as I could, and her moans told me I didn't disappoint her. My hips slapped against her ass. I buried my face in her long curls as I panted heavily, even softly biting in her shoulder.

I felt she used her own hand lightly touching my cock as it went in and out of her, before she helped herself by pleasuring her clit with her fingers. I felt my own pleasure rising as I heard her moan, and realized I couldn't put up the speed for long. I told her I couldn't keep this up much longer, and she placed her hand on my abs to indicate me I should slow down. I did so, and she closed her legs. She immediately became much tighter around me.