THESEUS AND Pirithous scrambled up onto the bank. Though the god was clearly interested only in Theseus, Pirithous did not flee. Instead, to Theseus’s surprise, he stepped in front of him defensively. But when he spoke, his voice was humble.
“We know by your glory that you are a god of Olympus, and we but your servants. What is it you wish of us, great god?”
His manners seemed to placate the handsome young god, who smiled at Pirithous’s overture.
“What a charming creature you are.” The god’s voice had quieted to a reasonable rumble. “A shame those words are meant to merely mollify me, and are absent of true intent. A well-placed lie, pleasantly spoken.”
Pirithous stood up straight. “On my honor, I—”
“No, no,” the god said, “that was a compliment. But I am not here for you, Pirithous of Athens. It is Theseus, son of Aegeus, who is my quarry.”
Theseus figured it would be best to mimic Pirithous’s politeness, so he bowed, saying, “How can I serve you, god of Olympus?”
The god rose several inches above the water and floated toward the young men, gliding smoother than any bird, and landed lightly on the ground. Being so close to the god, who towered above them and glowed with azure beauty, made Theseus tremble.
“I am not a god of Olympus. I am a god of the sea, and all water is my home. It is my father who sits from time to time on his mountain throne.”
“You are Triton, then, son of the great Poseidon,” Pirithous said.
The god turned to Pirithous. “You have named me.”
It was well known, even to an ignorant farm boy like Theseus, that declaring someone’s name gave you power over them. Sometimes great power and sometimes small, but one thing was certain: to rob someone of their ability to identify themselves was often seen as a subtle power play at best and a blatant attack at worst. It was certainly nothing a mortal should attempt on a god.
Pirithous gaped. “That was not my intent, god. I spoke before I thought—”
Triton walked over to Pirithous and smiled once again. “You needn’t worry. My name is well known, and even were it not, how much power do you think a mortal could truly wield over a god by employing such a simple device? Still, as you have taken something from me, perhaps you could even the score by giving me something in return.”
He reached down and fondled Pirithous’s cock, which immediately stiffened, and with his other hand cupped the youth’s balls.
Theseus watched for a few moments, then cleared his throat.
“You… you wanted to find me for some reason, Triton?”
Triton frowned for a moment, then released Pirithous’s genitals. “Right. Yes, I did. Duty first. I’ve come to tell you, Theseus, that you have a friend among the gods. My father Poseidon has taken notice of you and wishes to help you in your journey.”
“My journey? But I’ve just about reached Athens already.”
Triton smiled. “Athens is but the beginning of your journey, little manling.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No, but soon you will. My father bade me tell you this: three times, and three times only, you may call on him for aid in your adventures. Use them wisely.”
Theseus did not know what to say, and so he nodded his understanding.
“And now I must away.” Triton’s eyes darted to Pirithous, whose erection still stuck out mightily. He grazed the boy’s penis with a finger. “Well, one taste couldn’t hurt.” He bent down and took Pirithous in his mouth, sucked for a moment, and then released the member with a great popping sound. He licked his lips. “There really is no greater taste on earth or beyond than that of a mortal cock. As I saw you learned today, young Theseus.”
And with that, he vanished.
For several minutes neither Pirithous nor Theseus spoke.
“Well,” Pirithous finally said, “that was new.”
Theseus glanced down at his new friend’s rigid penis. “And how are you?”
Pirithous also looked at his cock. “All right, I suppose. Although I’m sort of relieved he didn’t follow through. I don’t think I could have come again so soon after doing it twice, and I’d hate to disappoint a god.”
HOURS LATER Theseus and Pirithous rode together on Pirithous’s stallion in the direction of Athens, the cattle trailing behind them. Pirithous rode in front, as he knew his horse and was the better rider. Theseus enjoyed wrapping his arms around the other young man and feeling his strong, tight torso beneath his hands.
They had ridden in silence for a long while, both reliving in their minds the surreal experience of meeting Triton, when Pirithous finally broke the silence.
“You really won’t turn me in?” he asked.
“Why would I do that?”
“I stole your father’s cattle.”
“And now you’re returning them. All it took was a little encouragement.”
“And a lot of cock.”
“That too.”
Keeping one hand on the reins, Pirithous reached behind him, found Theseus’s cock, and gave it a good squeeze.
Theseus laughed. “Does your appetite know no limit?”
“If there is a limit, I haven’t found it yet.”
They rode on in silence for a while until Pirithous said, “I’ve heard many tales of folk meeting gods face-to-face. Somehow I never thought I’d have the honor.”
Theseus nodded. “Same.”
And that was really all there was to be said about that.
A FEW hours later, they passed into a large forest. There was but a narrow pathway, trodden by those who’d come before them, so narrow that the cattle followed single file in a long line behind them. The sun was already low in the sky, and the branches did much to block out the already dimming light.
Theseus shivered. “These woods make me uneasy.”
“Me as well. Between the two of us, though, I’d imagine we could fend off any number of bandits.”
“It is not men I fear. My mother told me all manner of creatures live in the dark of the woods. Harpies, manticores, lamia—”
There was a sudden crash and the sound of galloping hooves. Through the trees burst three creatures the likes of which Theseus had never seen: they possessed the heads, arms, and torsos of men, but whereas in men their bodies would descend into cocks and legs, these creatures instead had the bodies of horses. They looked as though someone had simply removed a horse’s head at the neck and attached in its place the top half of a man. As unsettling as their appearance was, it was the human part of them that inspired the most dread. Their hair was long and filthy, their teeth blackened and sharp, and their eyes full of murderous frenzy.
“Gods, no,” Pirithous whispered. “Centaurs.”
Theseus surveyed the beasts with wide eyes.
“Well, look at these pretty little boys,” one of the centaurs said.
The fact that he spoke using the common language disturbed Theseus all the more.
“And even prettier cattle,” said another. “Look mighty tasty, all of them—boys and cows. Don’t you think, brothers?”
One of them came up dangerously close and sniffed at Pirithous and Theseus. “Well, ain’t that something? I can smell rut on these two. They must have been fucking earlier.”
At that, the three centaurs erupted into jeers. “What, no womenfolk about to stick your peckers in? Had to find a last resort in each other’s asses?”
“It was no last resort, but a first choice,” Pirithous spat defiantly.
The centaurs barked out a chorus of insidious laughter. And then, in a move so fast it was over before Theseus saw it, the first centaur reared up and kicked Pirithous with his front legs, catching him on the shoulder and knocking him brutally off the horse. Pirithous hit the ground with a heavy thud and did not move.
Theseus, enraged, jumped into a crouch while still on the horse’s back and then propelled himself into the air in the direction of the attacking centaur. He hurled a thunderous punch that caught the beast square in the jaw. The centaur retreated several yards but stayed firmly on all four of his hooves.
His brothers immediately attacked, and all was chaos. Theseus fended the monsters off with a flurry of leaps and punches, but he had no weapon, and though his strength was mighty for a man, they also were gifted with strength, and there were three of them besides. Just as one would savagely kick him, another would do the same, so that Theseus had no time to collect himself and bring up a defense. He fought as well as he could, but clearly all was lost.
One of them kicked him so hard in the abdomen that he lost all his breath and could no longer see straight. He sank to his knees. The blow was such that it caused a whistling sound in his ear, which worried him until he saw something long, thin, and dark erupt through the shoulder of one of the beasts. The whistling wasn’t in his ears after all. Someone was firing arrows at the centaurs!
A blur of gold streaked across his vision and suddenly he could see again. A beautiful youth clutching a golden bow, his long yellow hair flowing, had come to his rescue. The boy leaped into the air and smashed his bow across the face of one centaur. He placed a foot against the monster’s breast, then flipped away and landed on the back of another as though he meant to ride it. But he reached down to his ankles, where two long elegant knives with white handles were strapped. In one quick movement, he released the knives and plunged them into the centaur’s ribs, one on each side.
The boy then somersaulted through the air while simultaneously returning the knives to the ankle straps. He landed on his feet and immediately grabbed an arrow from his quiver and nocked it, taking aim at the centaurs.
All three beasts cried out in terror and fled, until their howls of pain and the beating of their hooves could no longer be heard through the trees. Theseus’s defender had vanquished his enemies in a matter of seconds.
Theseus shook his head to clear out the dark splotches from his vision, then finally beheld the boy.
For the first time, he realized the boy was nude save for the quiver harnessed to his back and the knives strapped with golden rope to his ankles. He was tall and slender, with sinewy muscles that rippled beneath his skin as he moved. His face was beautiful, neither masculine nor feminine but seeming to be the best of both, with a strong chin and nose, full, curved lips, and no hint of a beard. Most noticeable of all, though, were the ears that peeked out between his long, golden locks, for they each rose to a clear point like the tip of an arrow.
“Fear not, friend,” the boy said. “You are safe.”
“Pirithous,” Theseus croaked. He rushed to his friend’s side. Pirithous lay unmoving on the ground.
The golden boy knelt down beside Theseus and gingerly rolled Pirithous onto his back. He put his ear to Pirithous’s mouth.
“He breathes. He was knocked unconscious, but no other harm has befallen him.”
The boy delicately lifted Pirithous’s head in his hands and brought his mouth close as though to kiss him, but then he began whispering into Pirithous’s mouth. It was a strange language Theseus did not recognize, breathy and musical and strangely sensual.
Moments later Pirithous’s eyes shot open and he gasped.
“Theseus!” he said, and Theseus took his hand.
“It’s all right. The centaurs are gone.”
Pirithous looked around, his vision finally resting on the beautiful boy.
“And… who might this be?”
The boy stood and began walking around the vicinity, every now and then reaching down to retrieve sticks from the ground. Theseus couldn’t help but admire the perfectly round muscles of his buttocks, and he wondered why the boy traveled nude without even a chlamys cloak for protection from the elements.
“I am Theseus, son of Aegeus,” Theseus said. “This is Pirithous, son of… um.” He trailed off and looked to his friend.
“Ixion,” Pirithous said.
“Ixion,” Theseus said. “We just met today.”
“My name is Daphnis,” the boy said. “These woods are my home.”
“You are… forgive me, but you are not mortal,” Theseus said.
Daphnis smiled. “What gave me away?”
“You revived Pirithous with nothing but your words. I recognize a spell when I see one. And also… well, your ears.”
“Ah.” Daphnis laughed, and the warm sound filled Theseus’s heart with comfort.
“But you are not a god,” Theseus said. “Not that you are anything less than spectacular to behold, but as it happens Pirithous and I made the acquaintance of a god not four or five hours ago, and there was… I’m not sure how to put it. Sort of a feeling, being in his presence.”
Pirithous simply nodded in agreement. In the day they’d spent together, it was the longest he’d gone without saying anything.
“You are quite correct,” Daphnis said. “I am not a god. I am a nymph.”
Theseus furrowed his brow, confused. “But I thought all nymphs were female.”
Daphnis tilted his head and smiled. “We are not nearly as plentiful in number as our females, but yes, there are male nymphs. If there weren’t, how do you think we would make more nymphs?”
Theseus realized he’d never thought about that.
Daphnis assembled the sticks into a pile and began rubbing his hands together. “Would you like to see a bit of nymph magic?”
The friends nodded their heads eagerly. Daphnis blew into his hands, and a small ball of flame emerged and shot into the pile of sticks, instantly igniting them. The mortals clapped their hands gleefully. Pirithous grabbed a few blankets from his pack, and they settled in close to the fire.
Daphnis stood and stretched, and both young men took in the sight of him. He truly was magnificent, with his lithe build and golden mane. His abdomen was pleasingly delineated with muscle, and his sharp hip bones pointed down toward his glorious cock, which hung long and thick, crowned with a thatch of golden hair. Daphnis walked over to his quiver, and Theseus delighted at seeing his body in motion, at the cock swinging like a pendulum and the voluminous orbs of his buttocks moving in tandem. Daphnis reached into the quiver and took from it not an arrow, but a row of eight or nine wooden pipes strung together, each longer than the next.
“Though I am not a god, my consort, Pan, is,” Daphnis said. “You know of him, I assume?”
“The Goat God? Of course. Even in the provinces we know of the protector of shepherds,” Theseus said, winking at Pirithous.
“He taught me to play these pipes. Would you like to hear a song?”
“Oh, yes, please,” Theseus said. He would have said yes to anything Daphnis asked him, and was certain Pirithous would do the same.
Daphnis began playing, and a haunting, beautiful melody emerged from his pipes, so lovely and rich that even the cows behind them fell still and silent as they listened to the young nymph’s song. Theseus wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he perceived Daphnis’s cock growing ever so slowly, enlarging in barely perceptible pulses. Theseus felt his own cock begin to swell and shifted his chlamys to cover himself. In his peripheral vision, he saw Pirithous subtly rubbing his penis with one hand under his tunic.
Daphnis eventually ended his song. He put the pipes down on the ground, walked over to the young men, and sat between them. Without a word, he placed his hand on the back of Theseus’s head and gently pulled him close. Their lips met, and Theseus reveled in the taste of him. When Daphnis’s tongue entered his mouth, Theseus’s cock bolted upright into the hardest erection of his life. Daphnis broke the kiss, smiled, and then turned and kissed Pirithous. Theseus saw Pirithous’s cock, already hard, spring even firmer than before, as though made of steel.
Daphnis looked down at their cocks and smiled. He took each one in hand, stroking them with a featherlight touch. “One of the greatest gifts of the nymphs is the reaction we provoke in mortals,” he said. He bent down and licked all over the head of Theseus’s cock while continuing to stroke Pirithous. The young men sighed in ecstasy.
“Stand up, you two,” Daphnis said, and they obeyed.
The nymph brought their cocks close together and delighted both of them with his mouth. Now facing each other, the boys relieved themselves of the rest of their clothes and kissed passionately, surrendering to the euphoria Daphnis gave them.
Soon Daphnis laid Theseus down on his back and lifted his knees to his chest. He licked his way from the head of Theseus’s cock down to the base, tracing over his balls and the fork in his legs, and then, shockingly, he brought his tongue to Theseus’s hole. The moment his tongue made contact with the sensitive area, Theseus felt pulses fire through his body.
“Ahhh!” he cried out.
Daphnis smiled and continued lapping at Theseus’s hole.
“I’ve never seen anyone do that before,” Pirithous marveled. “Does it feel good?”
Theseus tried to speak but was so wrapped up in sensations he could only groan. He reached out and grasped Pirithous’s cock, bringing it to his mouth. He felt part of a chain of pleasure as he sucked Pirithous lustfully.
Daphnis’s tongue felt so good, Theseus soon felt that he might spill his seed. He did not want the action to stop, so reluctantly he asked Daphnis if he might perform the startling act on Pirithous. Before he was done with the sentence, Pirithous had thrown himself onto the ground and lifted his legs in the air, an eager and expectant smile on his face. Daphnis laughed at the boy’s exuberance and crawled over to him, lowering his mouth to Pirithous’s hole. Pirithous almost screamed in delight when contact was made.
Daphnis was on his hands and knees with his ass in the air as he worked on Pirithous, and so, intrigued, Theseus knelt behind him and cupped the strong muscles of the nymph’s buttocks. He gently moved them apart and tentatively licked at Daphnis’s hole. The nymph squirmed and moaned, and Theseus was pleased he could return this bit of pleasure.
After some time, Daphnis turned back to Theseus. “You have never been penetrated,” he said. A simple statement of fact.
Theseus laughed. “How did you know that?”
“Nymph magic.” Daphnis winked. “We are attuned to the pleasures of all bodies.” He turned fully to him and stroked a finger along Theseus’s hole. “You wish to be penetrated. But not by me. By him.” Daphnis glanced at Pirithous.
Pirithous looked at Theseus with great fondness. “You do?”
Theseus smiled shyly and nodded.
“Well,” Daphnis said to Pirithous, “you mustn’t disappoint him.”
The nymph waved his hand in the air, and the jar of oil floated out of Pirithous’s bag, soared through the air, and landed in Pirithous’s hand. He uncapped the bottle and smeared the oil on his cock.
Theseus lay down on his back and brought his knees up. He found he was nervous, as he had never even practiced inserting anything into himself before. He worried about pain.
Pirithous, smiling, poured more oil onto his fingers and tenderly slid them up inside Theseus’s hole. Theseus felt his eyes roll up behind his lids, pushed to madness by this wondrous new sensation. Pirithous withdrew and crawled on top of him. “I’ll go slow,” he whispered.
Pirithous reached down and gently pushed his cock into Theseus, who rode the waves of pleasure. To his surprise, there was no pain at all. He had spoken with the other village boys who were fucked regularly, and almost all of them had mentioned at least a little pain the first few times. He wondered if this painlessness was due to Daphnis’s magical influence.
The weight of Pirithous on top of him felt wonderful, and they rocked together with a rhythm that began slowly, then built in speed. Theseus wrapped his arms around Pirithous’s neck, and his legs around his waist. He ran his fingers through Pirithous’s soft hair and reached down to cup his supple buttocks, feeling them buck as he slid in and out. Their kisses went from furious to gentle and back again. Theseus could barely remember to breathe for all the pleasure he felt.
Pirithous asked if he could go harder and Theseus nodded excitedly. Pirithous sped up his thrusts and soon was pounding his cock deep into Theseus, who cried out in ecstasy. Theseus found he loved the feeling of Pirithous’s cock ramming at the sensitive spot deep within him, of Pirithous’s testicles and thighs hitting his buttocks over and over.
Pirithous’s eyes blazed with intensity. Thrusting mightily, he breathed into Theseus’s mouth. “I’m going to come,” he panted.
This delighted Theseus beyond all else. “Come in me,” he said and stroked the young man’s face. “Come in me.”
Pirithous gave four more powerful thrusts and pressed his mouth hard against Theseus’s.
As Pirithous came within him, Theseus moaned and shot his semen all over his chest. The young men rocked a bit more and then were still.
Pirithous gingerly removed his cock and licked some of the seed off of Theseus’s chest.
When they had recovered, they turned to Daphnis, who was reclining on his side, stroking his cock and watching them. They both crawled over to the nymph and used their mouths and tongues on him until he ejaculated, covering them with his juices. His seed sparkled on their skin like diamonds in the firelight.
Daphnis then waved his hand over the two of them, and they were instantly cleaner than perhaps they’d ever been, as though they had just come from a long bath. More nymph magic.
Daphnis smiled. “I’ve cast a spell of protection on you. No more harm will come to you in these woods.” He kissed them both.
“Are you leaving us?” Theseus asked.
“I am, but no leave-taking is forever. We’ll meet again.”
Theseus struggled with what to say. “Thank you, Daphnis. For—” He waved his hands around his genitals and buttocks, struggling for words. “—all this.”
Daphnis laughed his lovely laugh, and with preternatural grace he stood, collected his belongings, and waved to them.
Then he was gone.
Theseus and Pirithous lay down on the blanket beside the fire. Pirithous wrapped his sinewy arms around Theseus’s meaty frame and rested his head against his chest. Theseus sighed and stroked his hair. “This has been quite a day.”
Pirithous chuckled. “Hasn’t it, though?”
Theseus placed his finger under Pirithous’s chin, raising the young man’s face to his. “I met a god and a nymph this day. But that’s not what I mean.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I look back on this day in years to come, what I’ll remember most is meeting you.”
They kissed sweetly by the firelight, and Theseus did not remember falling asleep, but when he woke the next morning, their lips were still touching.