"Forgive me," Callisto whispered before she scurried onto her feet again. Artemis looked surprised as she stared at her maiden. However, she was also out of wits as to what had just happened between them.
"Callisto?" the goddess's voice quivered a little, which astonished her. She was never in a state of disoriented by passion. This was new to her. Callisto bowed before she turned and left the tent, leaving Artemis confused on the bed all alone.
But something had transpired in the young goddess's mind. When Callisto kissed her, she didn't just ease away the solitude but also planted a seed of something special in Artemis's heart. Something warm and tingling, causing the ichor in her veins to burn hot.
For the first time in a long time, the immortal woman could cast away her loneliness. Yet as soon as their kiss ended, it came back to her tenfolds.
The next dawn break, Callisto was terrified to join the other maidens doing their daily chores. She knew what she did last night was punishable by death. But then there was a voice calling her from outside.
"Callisto? We're leaving for a chase," Upis said.
The nymph tried to calm her heart before she stepped outside.
"We're going hunting?" she asked. Upis nodded.
"Lady Artemis seems to be in a strange mood," she said. "She orders every one of us to go shooting the games with her."
Callisto felt uneasy at the thought of seeing her lady again, but she joined the other women anyway. She saw that Artemis was already poised on her silver-beaten chariot. Her magical hounds surrounded her like guards, ready to spring into action any time their mistress commands. All the maidens waited with their bows and arrows. Though Artemis did not glance her way, she realized the band was waiting for her alone.
The nymph trotted to stand behind the others. Artemis could feel the maiden's unease in the crisp morning air, but the goddess did not say a word.
Without delay, she cracked her silver reins, and the four golden reindeers with silver antlers burst into a gallop. Once in a while, Artemis stole a look at Callisto. The quiet maiden ran far behind the rest of the nymphs. Her cheeks were rosy as her hair flew around her in the wind. When she sprinted with her knee-high tunic, her breasts bounced and her strong slender thighs flashed like warrior's blades. Artemis felt a mild tingling in the pit of her stomach and turned away.
Her huntresses saw a full-grown mountain lion and quickly informed her. The goddess sent them along with her hounds after the game. When Callisto was about to sprint forward with the others, Artemis forbade her.
"You stay here," she said as she watched the other maidens rushing through the forest with her dogs. When they were alone, Callisto turned her head to Artemis, but the goddess's face was devoided of any emotions. She wondered if she had somehow angered Artemis after all. Her body trembled at the thought. Artemis steered her chariot closer. Her eyes gazed down at the anxious maiden.
"Come with me, Callisto," she said and held a hand out to her. Callisto looked at the glorious hand in surprise. No one had been allowed to ride the moon chariot. But gods hated waiting, so she gingerly took Artemis's hand. The goddess pulled her up then flicked her reins of the reindeer. Callisto swayed out of balance when the chariot moved. Her mind was too distracted by the sudden change, but the daughter of Zeus grabbed her elbow and steadied her back. Their eyes met again. Callisto lowered her head to hide her blush.
They rode towards a small glade near the mountain slope. There was a cave that hosted a spring. The trees and flower bushes surrounded them, hiding it from sight. Artemis stepped out of her chariot and walked towards the cave. Then she stopped and turned around, seeing that her huntress was still standing there. Artemis walked back towards her.
Callisto's grip on her bow turned her knuckles white as great anxiety washed over her.
"Callisto," Artemis's voice made her heart leap. In a panic, the nymph fell to her knees. She bowed her head and apologized to her mistress for her disrespect, but Artemis shook her head and went over to calm the dainty maiden.
"I did not bring you here to punish you, Callisto, don't be scared," Artemis said. Callisto finally raised her face to the goddess again. Artemis smiled kindly back. The nymph felt a relief spreading through her body like a balmy moonglow.
"Then...then why are we here while the others are delighting in the hunt, my lady?" she asked.
Artemis flinched for half a moment. She pondered if only briefly whether taking this path would lead her to a point of no return. But when she saw Callisto's face reddened in the hue of early dawn, Artemis knew she couldn't deny her longing.
"I want you to show me that I am not alone," Artemis confessed, "that I can be loved and still keep my solemn vow."
There was a glint in those silverish eyes as Artemis stared back at her. At last, Callisto understood her mistress's intent. She almost couldn't believe what she heard. All those nights she tried to ban those impure thoughts from her mind, but now they manifested into reality before her eyes. The nymph felt her heart pound loudly in her chest when the goddess took her hand in hers. Without a word, they stood up and sauntered towards the cave together.
The goddess and her maiden stood before the other, their brilliant eyes locked. Time seemed to freeze like the winter had settled upon it. Artemis had found what her heart desired, and the goddess would not disavow what she wanted.
Leaning in, she captured Callisto's supple lips, unsure at first, but once she had tasted the maiden, the kiss became demanding.
The goddess opened her mouth and poured her divine flavor that made Callisto weak at the knees. Driven by something primitive, far beyond disciplines and reasons, Artemis lowered the nymph to the cave floor. In less than a heartbeat, the two of them were helpless against the passion they kept hidden for so long.
Callisto parted her lips as her mistress's tongue slithered in, ravishing her mouth in a feral need. Artemis now understood how the gods could be driven mad by this wantonness.
"I desire this moment with you, Callisto," the goddess whispered between ragged breaths. "Such is the case with the lover and the beloved. Show me the tenderness you have shown me, and I shall satisfy you in the same manner."
Seeing the ardent gaze of her mistress, Callisto was also aware of her needs.
"My wish to serve you has grown stronger since the first moment I saw you," Callisto admitted. "It is a delight to my heart if I can fulfill your request here and now."
With that said, Artemis stripped the nymph of the tunic she was wearing. Callisto's tresses strayed as night let down over the sky. Her throat recalled the antelope's, and her breasts like two pomegranates of even size. The goddess swallowed as she saw those nipples standing erect atop her sweet round flesh. It made her nervous belly rise and fall in waves of needs. Artemis enjoyed her nymph's flower-like face and her fragrant smell.
Callisto's senses were heightened with equal excitement. The Lady of the Wild could shame the noon sun's radiancy.
Laid willingly on her back, she opened her arms to welcome the goddess. When she felt Artemis's skin against hers, Callisto felt a certain heat below her stomach. In an instant, a rush of need coursed through both women. Artemis shut her eyes and basked in the overwhelming sensation of euphoria that filled her body.
"I... I don't know how to do this deed," Artemis whispered to her companion. They were both virgins and lacking the art of love-making, but with determination, nothing was much of an obstacle. Callisto nodded in understanding before she began to remove the goddess's gown and then tossed it to the side. She tilted her head to lick the length of Artemis's slender throat. The sensation with each flicker of the tongue made Artemis arch her back in sudden shocks of pleasure.
"My beloved lady, very fruit of my heart, there is none on earth whom I would rather please than your dear self," the nymph whispered against her lady's ear. They ceased not from kissing and stroking.
Their bodies grew warmer as if the cave was an actual mouth of a volcano. Artemis greedily devoured the softness of Callisto's breasts. Consumed by something foreign yet so natural, their bodies were not their own. Their flawless skins blushed hotly against one another.
"Sweet Callisto," Artemis moaned. "Stroke me a strong stroke without delay, or I might waste away from this ceaseless craving."
Her longing words set nymph's pounding heart afire.
But Artemis's need to caress and feel those delicious parts of her maiden was relentless. She could not wait to quench her thirst in the other way. She shifted herself ever so slightly and slipped her hand between those creamy thighs. They promptly parted with wetness, but between those legs was a place far warmer and wetter. A place that beckoned to her.
Wasting no time, the goddess's pushed Callisto's shapely legs apart and fondled her heated sex.
Every nerve in the nymph's body felt like flames burning from a bonfire, roaring, and bursting with sparks. To be touched intimately by a goddess had her mind spinning out of control.
"Oh my lady!" she cried as the strong possessive hand was molded against her core. Artemis marveled at the pleasure she could create on the maiden's body. She was fascinated by the sensual effect that her own breathing also became ragged. Pressing the base of her palm down the glistened rosy bud, the goddess sought the most delicate place with her nimble fingers. Callisto gasped for air, and her body trembled even more.
"Is this where all gods and men lust for?" Artemis murmured in amazement. Her blazing eyes burned with internal heat as she stared at the dripping flower-like flesh before her. "Never in my life have I craved anything as much as I craved this."
The scent of Callisto's arousal permeated her senses with more passion. The goddess found that her deft fingers could glide easily between the pouting folds. It caused the nymph to let out her suppressed moans.
"You're very soft and hot, Callisto," Artemis whispered as she nuzzled her lovely bosom. "I have told you that before, but this feels like sweet heaven."
Then she found the wet slipperiness oozing profusely from the tiny crevice. Overpowered by the most lascivious of urges, she delved a finger inside the silken depth. Callisto's jaw snapped open at the flare of a sting, but then almost as quickly it was gone. The pain turned into the most exquisite bliss.
"Are you hurt?" the goddess asked her. Callisto shook her head at her lady's worried frown.
"I am fine," she said and gulped the lump in her throat.
Maybe this is how it feels to lose a maidenhead, Artemis thought with a grimace. She was both guilty and intrigued. Could she really take her nymph's purity? But she was a goddess and not a man. Callisto was still pure as long as she deemed her so.
She slid another finger in. It buried into the soft folds with ease as though being swallowed. She could feel the nipping movement within Callisto's core. In this manner, Artemis soon awakened all the latent lubricity of her nature. The blissful sensation mounted upon the maiden's body like rolling waves. Callisto whimpered in pleasure, which encouraged the divine woman to draw deeper inside.
A wild untamed feeling began to take shape, and Callisto's hips started to stir with craving against the goddess's glistened fingers. It seemed as if she was urging her deeper to the deepest recess of her being.
Their eyes met again. Artemis saw the bewildered and helpless look on her nymph's face. The maiden was peaking. Her eyes glazed with joyful tears. The pleasure began to gather at the center of her sublime form. Callisto felt the first fluttering ripple gracing her body, making all her muscles taut. The nymphs went to wrap her arms around Artemis as her body writhed and arched against her. She moaned and moaned again when the ripples turned to waves of sensual splendor.
Callisto clung to her goddess, afraid to lose her mind and body to something unknown. But it seemed Artemis had already claimed her and thus enjoyed the first fruits of her passion.
A hoarse cry echoed from the cave when spasm after spasm of pleasure wrecked the very core of her body. Artemis watched as her maiden shuddered and trembled through the last wave of ecstasy, and she knew this was something she would want to see again and again.