Apollo's Protection

by Anna Edwards

  Apollo doesn’t move—he allows me to adjust to him. Eva’s eyes wide with desire watch us intently. Her fingers lower to her pussy, and she pulls apart the delicate petals of her sex to show us her clit emerging from beneath its protective covering. She strokes the length of her slit, up and down and back again, collecting her juices and the water of the still running shower before sinking two fingers inside herself. She moans, and Apollo’s dick swells even more within me. He’s a barrel of hardness embedded within my most private place. He withdraws to the tip, and I instantly lament the loss of him. I feel empty and weakened, but the second he pushes back into me, I feel complete.

  “Damn, you feel so good. So tight around my dick. You’re strangling it. I might never be able to pull all the way out again.” Apollo breathes into the back of my neck, his teeth sinking into the delicate flesh of my collar bone. His calloused hands grip tightly to my hips, and he starts to use me as his fuck toy. With a woman, I always feel I have to be careful not to break them, but with a man, it’s different because we’re stronger.

  “Good,” I growl out through gritted teeth. “Stay there forever. Sod freedom let’s just stay like this.”

  Apollo laughs behind me.

  “That’s the spell talking, not you.”

  Eva’s still touching herself as her body slides down the wall, and she collapses onto the shower floor. We can see every intimate thing she’s doing to herself—it’s mesmerizing. Apollo grunts and propels his cock inside me. I’m losing control of my body. I feel like I’m flying outside of my skin. My hands remain pressed against the wall, stabilizing me while he enters me from behind. I watch my fingers and the way the water flows over them. It’s not a natural motion, and sliding my left hand over the wall, the water follows.

  “Fontus.” Eva gasps. She continues to stroke herself with the tiny fingers of one hand, but when she lifts her other hand, the water surrounding it rises and circles in a pattern. I take one hand off the wall and the water comes with it, swirling around my wrist. I have my powers back! I’m not as magical as Eva, because she’s the King’s daughter, but I can control water.

  Eva’s head flops back, and she closes her eyes as she orgasms. Apollo buries himself deep inside me, and I feel the hot spurts of his cum warming my insides. It’s like a dream I see and feel, but I’m not really there. I look down to my own dick, and I’m coming again, the white ribbons coating the shower wall in front of me. The magic on this island scares me, but it’s drawing me into something I’m not sure I want to escape from.

  The desire to fuck Eva here and now is strong, but I manage to resist as the magic ebbs. I’ll have her soon, but right now with danger all around us, I have to think with my head not my dick.

  Quickly washing myself clean, I direct them to do the same. Echoes of pleasure ring through me at the claiming of Fontus. He’d been so much better than I’d imagined. Spending time exploring his body as well as Eva’s is something I intend to do when we are safe. If we’re lucky, the lust spell woven around this section of the island doesn’t extend far.

  “What’s the plan?” Fontus asks once he’s pulled his ripped shorts back on. Eva is sitting on the edge of the mattress in her makeshift dress.

  “The guards are still looking for Eva. We need to leave before they return from combing the jungle.”

  Fontus’ dark eyes become wells of pain. “Ambrose had a bag of surgical instruments. What he did to me was bad, but what he plans for Eva is worse.”

  Ambrose, the man in charge. I’d overheard some of his goons talking when I’d slipped back to the house. The fact he wants to hurt my little sea goddess sends anger coursing through my veins.

  Eva shudders where she’s perched on the mattress, dainty arms hugging her body. Although she hides behind a shield of bravery, I can see the fine cracks already appearing. I need to keep her safe … both of them safe.

  “Gather what you need,” I order. “We’re going into the jungle as far away from here as possible.”

  “Will it be far enough though?” Eva asks, her expression laced with worry. “They control all of it.”

  I understand her concerns. They’ve been my own, but I’m not about to voice them. We need all the positivity we can get right now. Striding across the room, I hunt though a pile of rags in a corner.

  “What matters right now is getting away from this building. As I said before, I think I know where the children are being held. The other end of the island is very different from this side.” Finding what’s left of an old t-shirt, I take it, along with a frayed shoelace.

  “What are you doing?” Fontus questions, his curiosity drawing him to my side.

  Knotting the arm holes, I make sure nothing can escape. “This is a crude bag. Once we have placed what we need inside, we can tie it closed and use the shoelace as a handle.”

  Getting the idea, Eva quickly strips off a pillowcase. “How about this?”

  I nod in approval. “We have plenty of fruit to eat when we’re out there. What we need is drinkable water, a knife, matches to make a fire … and anything else practical we can carry.”

  “All that will be downstairs.” Fontus points out, hurrying to the window and scanning the world beyond. “We’ll have to hurry.”

  Checking for danger, we exit the bedroom, sneak along the corridor, and descend the stairs. The atmosphere is strangely subdued. With Ambrose on the prowl, it looks like the rest of the occupants are staying clear of his path. Not that I blame them. I’ve not run into him yet, and I’m not looking forward to it when I do. He has got to be vile to be one of Pluto’s favored enforcers. Cruel, sadistic, and brutal is usually the running criteria.

  We hurry through the dining room. I grab some bottles of natural water and stuff them into my t-shirt bag. Eva copies me, throwing some into her worn out pillowcase. Meanwhile, Fontus is on point searching for any signs of our foes. As we move into the kitchen, an old woman looks up from where she’s sitting by a table. A pile of potatoes is in front of her, and using the knife in her gnarled hand, she’s peeling them one at a time. A red welt is fresh on her cheek.

  “Eva?” she questions, eyeing us all suspiciously.

  Reaching her side, the sea goddess drops to her knees. “Coventina, please you have to help us. We’re going into the jungle, but we need to be prepared.”

  The old woman shakes her head of gray hair. “It’s dangerous.”

  “I’ll have Fontus and Apollo with me. We can’t remain here any longer, not with Ambrose and his men searching for me.”

  A resigned sigh rises from Coventina’s fragile chest. “You’ve taken some bottles of water from the other room?”

  I nod when she glances up at me. I show her my stash before resting the makeshift bag on my shoulder and wrapping the shoe lace handle around my palm.

  Getting to her feet with the help of Eva, Coventina shuffles around her kitchen, searching through drawers. “Matches, you’ll need these.”

  When she tosses me the small box, I catch them with ease.

  Tugging a sheathed knife from a cupboard, she places it in Eva’s hand. “Don’t lose this. You’ll need it.”

  Unsheathing it carefully, Eva lets the sharp blade glint dangerously in the light. Although I didn’t see any predators among the trees, it might be a different story at night.

  Fontus gives us a look from the doorway where he’s keeping watch, nervous energy spilling off him. I can sense his urgency that matches my own. We need to get moving as quickly as possible.

  Coventina produces a flashlight, mirror, and a compass to go with the things we’ve already acquired. Eva takes responsibility for these, placing them into her pillowcase.

  “Thank you, Coventina. We’ll come back for you,” she tells the older woman, planting a chaste kiss on her wrinkled cheeks.

  Coventina’s eyes glitter with tears. “You two look after her, you hear? Don’t let anything bad happen to her, or you’ll have me to deal with.”

  “I promise,” I vow, noti
ng the motherly way she watches Eva. “Keep your head down, Coventina, and just carry on like normal.”

  That causes her to huff. “Don’t you go worrying about me. It’s yourselves you have to be concerned about. They have things living on the island that only come out at night. Patrols. Not to mention the flock of winged beasts preventing us from reaching the sea.” She fixes me with a stare. “I know where you’re headed, and it’s more dangerous than you think.”

  My gut clenches with the knowledge, but I keep the emotion from my face. “We have to try.”

  Wiping her damp eyes with her calloused fingers, she shoos us away with a cloth. “Go then! Before they find you.”

  Fontus opens the backdoor and strides out into the fresh air. As I go to join him, I see Eva hanging back, wearing a torn expression. I can see the bond between these two women is strong. If we were anywhere else, I would urge Coventina to come with us. But with the island’s rough terrain, I know she’d only be a hindrance. This is the best place for her at the moment.

  “Eva,” I call softly.

  Giving the old lady one last hug, Eva hurries to catch up, her now heavy pillowcase swinging from her shoulder.

  “No,” I tell Fontus as he steps in the direction I’d taken that morning. “The guards went that way. We’ll go along the shoreline, not too close to the water, though. We don’t need those flying monsters attacking. Then we’ll cut back into the trees.”

  In silence, we head toward the beach, our pace hurried and hopes high.

  I don’t think I’ve ever been so relieved to get away from anywhere as I have the house we’ve been confined to since coming to the island. Its menacing features are behind us now, and the only thing I worry about is my friend Coventina. I’m comforted by the knowledge that we’ll end this soon, though, and free her. We’ve got no option but to take the path we are now on. If there are children born here and enlisted into Pluto’s army, then we need to free them.

  “Be careful.” Apollo grabs my hand to prevent me from slipping on the sharp rocky outcrops we’ve come across. Having left the jungle behind we’ve been traveling through fields and woodlands of green. The ice capped peaks looming in front of us are imposing at best. This island is a contradiction in terms. Both of the men have shoes on, but I’m barefoot. It’s slowing us down, but we’ve little choice. I don’t often wear shoes on the beach, so my feet are hardened to the ground, but if we have to go higher into the mountains to reach the other side of the island, then we are likely to encounter problems.

  “Thank you,” I offer Apollo.

  “Do you think we should rest for a while?” Fontus looks down at me, worry etched on his face.

  “No, I’m fine. A few more miles.” I look up at the sky and see the oranges and reds of the sun setting. “We’ll need to find somewhere to rest in a few hours anyway. It’s going to be dark soon.”

  “Apollo?” Fontus questions.

  “One more hour of walking, and then we’ll find dinner.”

  We walk on in silence for another hour. I’m starting to get very worried that I’m slowing the men down. Maybe they’ll be quicker if I wasn’t with them. I should have gone back into the sea and sought help while they found the children.

  “Ok, time to rest for the night.” Apollo points toward a cave in the side of the mountain. “That looks like a suitable place.”

  “Good idea,” Fontus agrees and helps me up to the cave. We enter the eerie darkness. I can hear dripping from somewhere deeper into the void. “We need some light.”

  “I’d really like my powers right now. That would help,” Apollo laments.

  “We’ll just have to do everything the old fashioned way,” I say, picking up two stones and handing them to Fontus. He looks down toward them as if they are poisonous.

  “What am I supposed to do with those?” He passes them to Apollo who looks equally confused.

  “My father is a rich lawyer, Eva. How the hell do we make fire out of stones?”Apollo inquires.

  I roll my eyes. “You scrape them together to create sparks that will ignite the wood.”

  They both look at me as though I’ve gone insane.

  “I’ll fetch wood and then prepare some food for dinner,” I tell them before leaving them alone together and dipping outside to collect logs and twigs. The birds tweet a good night high above me as they fly away to their evening of slumber. I begin to gather pieces of firewood. This island is beautiful, and in another time, I would have adored living here. The sun is low in the sky now, and for a few moments, I stand and watch it disappear over the horizon, the colors surrounding it vibrant and intoxicating. For the first time in days, I feel relaxed but still a little bundle of nerves sits in my stomach when I think about what will happen in the coming days. The sights we may find ahead could destroy us.

  A loud roar startles me out of my reflection. I can’t see where it’s coming from, but I hope to god we don’t encounter it. It doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard before: neither wild animal nor human. I hold the small bundle of firewood tightly in my arms and scamper back to the cave.

  Apollo and Fontus are sitting on the ground with a piece of dried moss placed between them. They are both furiously trying to get the stones to spark. I laugh at them and deposit the wood on the floor. Going to the bag I packed earlier, I pull out some matches.

  “You men are useless. We’ll do it the easy way instead.”

  “You had matches all along?” Apollo frowns at me, a flash of annoyance transforming into a smirk.

  “Always! My father taught me to prepare well.”

  “He should have taught my father that too,” Apollo sighs. “Considering the strength of their friendship, our parents couldn’t be more vastly different.”

  Neptune and Jupiter have been best friends since the earliest days of the gods. Many of the stories that the humans recount about them call them proper brothers, but they’re not—they’re just very close. I remember traveling to Rome to visit Jupiter and his family. Although Apollo’s twin sister was there, he wasn’t. He remained a mystery to me back then. The first time I actually met him was when he turned up on this island.

  “How is your father coping with the increase in Pluto’s activity recently? My father told me about Mars and Venus,” I ask.

  “He’s got us all very busy. He’s still recovering from the injuries inflicted on him by Mars,” Apollo replies.

  We manage to start the fire, and both men sit down. I open the bag, and removing the food, I lay it out in front of us. There isn’t much as I’m trying to ration it: some bread, cheese, ham, fruit, and vegetables. I reach for the papaya.

  “There were lots of reports about Mars injuring his father. It must’ve been hard for all those involved,” Fontus joins in as he picks up some bread and cheese.

  I remember the reports he’s talking about. It wasn’t that long ago. In order to save Venus, Mars had been forced to kill his father. Thankfully, Jupiter survived. There was talk of Mars being banished after the incident.

  “Why wasn’t Mars sent away?” I ask taking a bite of ham.

  Apollo reaches out for his own helping of bread and ham before he responds. “My mother got involved. She says that all her sons will understand the worry of their father when they find the woman they love. It’s why my brother is now married with a baby on the way. It’s supposed to be more of a punishment for Mars than banishment would’ve been. I don’t think I get it … unless all the dirty diapers he’ll soon be changing count as a form of torture.”

  “Yes, that sounds like Hell.” Fontus laughs and lays back on the ground.

  The cave has warmed up now the fire is raging. Its orange glow casts a light around the cavern, and I can see markings on the walls. I’m intrigued to look at them further. I leave the men eating, and getting to my feet, I pick up a stick with some moss at one end and dip it into the fire.

  “Where are you going?” Apollo immediately stands to attention.

  “Nowhere. I just wa
nt to take a closer look at the markings in the cave.”

  “Don’t wander too far,” Fontus warns and throws a grape in his mouth.

  “I won’t,” I promise them and take my makeshift torch over to the walls. The drawings appear to be very old. They’re etched into the walls with charcoal and also what I can sense is a water content. I follow one of the drawings along the wall.

  “What are they of?” Apollo calls after me.

  “It looks like there could be a waterfall deeper into the cave. I can see an illustration of an inlet. I did feel the presence of its dampness when I first entered, but I thought it was just a musty cave. There are sea creatures shown as swimming in there.”

  “Maybe if we can locate them, they can find a way to dive deep and call your father?” Fontus suggests.

  I study the pictures in more detail, looking at the creatures. I recognize the majority, but one seems scary. A large dragon-like fish with teeth and spiny gills. From the depiction of the encounter, it appears that the creature could shoot the gills and puncture straight through a human. I had wanted to visit the waterfall but maybe staying away might be a better idea.

  “Do they indicate whether the water leads to the other side of the island?” Apollo asks as he appears at my shoulder.

  His hands rest around my waist, and I can’t help thinking about what it would be like to feel him moving inside me in the same way Fontus does. Is the spell taking over again, or is it my natural curiosity? Apollo smiles down at me, and I feel a heat run through me. Shaking it off, I return to studying the drawings.

  “Look, there’s our cave.” I point to where the opening is situated at the foot of the mountains. I follow the markings with my finger. “It looks like the mountains get harder to climb this way, but this other way, shown as longer, seems easier. A lake lines the route, so I can always bind the water to my will and control it. The only problem would be what looks like a volcano.”

  “I wouldn’t say that’s the only problem.” Apollo points at a figure drawn on what I’m assuming is a map. “What is that?” he asks.