All works Copyright Angeline Bright

Seduced by a Satyr - Buy Now

"We'll rest here," Artemis ordered, pointing to the clear spring that bubbled out of the hillside and trickled down through a wooded ravine. "Then we'll take up the trail again."

Kalliope set down her bow and quiver and lounged in the lush grass, grateful for the break. Artemis was the greatest huntress of them all, the goddess of the hunt, but she was tough to keep up with. As Kalliope looked around, she saw that all the other maidens were equally tired. Some soaked their sore feet in the stream. Others lay down on the grass to catch a quick nap.

She snuck a peak at Artemis. The goddess appeared radiant in the white robes she and all her followers wore. An aurora of pure light shimmered about her. A golden bow was slung over her left shoulder, and a quiver of silver arrows was strapped to her back. The goddess paced back and forth. Artemis always got impatient during these breaks, eager to resume the chase. She just couldn't accept the fact that mortal flesh was weak. She demanded too much from her followers.

Looking at the all-female hunting group, Kalliope was reminded of another thing Artemis didn't understand. The goddess had pledged herself to a life of virginity, pushing aside countless suitors in order to dedicate herself to chases of a different sort. She demanded the same of her followers. Kalliope had long yearned for a man, gazed at them from afar as they worked in the fields or practiced with their swords and spears. Their strong arms and gleaming torsos enticed her. What would it be like to have those arms around her? To feel those firm chests, rough with hair, pressed against her?

Kalliope sighed and nursed her tired feet. All she would get to do was look.

A strange, soft music lilted through the trees. It sounded like pipes, but no pipes Kalliope had ever heard. She strained to listen to the almost inaudible music. It was beautiful, and compelling, too. The faint strains were so haunting, so heartfelt, they gave her a feeling she had never experienced before.

"Do you hear that?" Kalliope asked the maiden seated next to her.

"Hear what?"

Kalliope looked around. No-one else seemed to notice the music. Even Artemis gave no sign that she heard it, and the goddess had ears sharper than any human or beast.

Curious, Kalliope picked up her bow and quiver and stood.