by Davis, SJ
He smiled. “Good. Are you ready to get started?”
“Tell me what to do.”
Odin sorted through his props and handed her a length of gauzy material. She held it before her, flapping in the light breeze. “What’s this for?”
“It’s your costume,” he said. “I’d like you to remove your clothing and drape this across your body.”
The material was sheer. Lena eyed it skeptically. “I’d hardly call this a costume,” she muttered.
Odin ignored her. “I want your arms straight and your hands before you on the rock, like this. Lean out over the water as though you are searching for something. Keep your legs behind you… one almost straight, the other bent at the knee.” He turned away and clambered down the steep slope.
Obediently, Lena removed her shorts and tank top while he set up his easel below. Settling onto the rock, she draped the gauze over her shoulder and thigh. “Like this?” she called.
He frowned. “You need to remove your bathing suit,” he said, turning his attention back to the easel.
“Can’t you just paint me in my suit and imagine the rest?” she called.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
On the rock above him, she clutched the sheer cloth to her body. Odin looked up and shook his head.
“Perhaps we should forget about this,” he said, gently. “I think you’re not prepared to model for me, after all.”
Lena took a deep breath, awash in indecision. “No,” she said finally. “I’m okay with it. Turn around and give me a minute. I’ll get ready.” She closed her eyes and slipped the strap of her bra from her shoulder. Blushing furiously, she unclasped the back and placed it aside. She hesitated again as she fingered the skimpy bikini bottoms. Slipping them from her legs, she arranged herself in her pose and draped the material over as much of herself as she could.
“Ready,” she said, averting her eyes.
Odin surveyed her from below. She risked a quick glance at his face and he nodded. “You don’t have to be embarrassed, Selene. Remember, first and foremost, I’m an artist. I see your nudity as part of my work. Your pose is not sexual, it’s sensual. Now, today, what I want to see from you is a seductress, a mistress of deception.”
“Just who, exactly, are you talking about?” she asked.
“The Lorelei,” he replied. “Do you know the legend?”
She shook her head.
“The Lorelei was a legendary mermaid who lived in the Rhine River. She sang to passing sailors, enchanting them with her beauty and her song. Lured too close to shore, their ships often wrecked, leaving the sailors to perish on the rocks. That’s who I’d like to paint today, Selene. The Lorelei. You will be the siren of the rock for me.”
He climbed the slope and crouched before her, rearranging the cloth over her lower body. Then he stood back, shook his head, and adjusted it again. “There. Keep your hair in the braid but pull it over your left shoulder so that it hangs alongside your breast. That’s it. Perfect. Now hold that pose. I’ll try to work fast.”
While Odin used a pencil to rough out his sketch, Lena looked beyond him at the water. She was less self-conscious once he began his work, but still avoided his eyes. It was hot and a bead of sweat trickled down her neck, lodging temporarily in the small of her neck. She swallowed and it spilled over, leaving a wet path between her breasts before it disappeared beneath the cloth.
“I won’t be much longer, Lena,” he called. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she said. “A little sunburned, but other than that, I’m good.”
“Would you like to take a break?”
“No. Go ahead.”
Taking a break entailed standing up and she hadn’t figured out how to do that and maintain her dignity. She held her pose patiently until he was satisfied with his preliminary work.
“Good!” he said, finally. “You’re a better model than most professionals. Come down from the rock. Take a swim and I’ll set up for my next sketch.”
He turned away and Lena took the opportunity to slip back into her bikini. Stretching her stiff limbs, she climbed down to the water’s edge as he carried his easel to the shore and set up a new canvas.
“I’ll want your hair down for the next one. You don’t mind, do you?”
She shook her head. “I’ll try not to get it wet.”
“I want it wet,” he said. “Go on. Get in the water and cool off. I’ll be ready in a minute.”
Lena took the rubber band from the end of her braid and shook her hair loose. It fell down her back in thick waves. Standing on the edge of the rock, she gazed at the water below. “I don’t see the bottom. Is it safe to dive?”
“Yes. I’ve done so many times.”
She sprang up and out, cutting through the water like a fish.
“How is it?” he asked when she surfaced.
“Beautiful. Aren’t you coming in?”
“Maybe later, after we’re done. Are you ready?”
She swam back to the rock and pulled herself up. Modeling for Odin was a much different experience than she’d anticipated. She hadn’t expected to remain in one position for so long and that it would be such hard work. She hadn’t expected to be naked, either.
“Are you ready?” he asked again.
“Yes.” She put one hand on the strap of her bikini top. “Do you want me to--?”
He nodded. “Please.”
Turning away, she dropped her top and removed her bottoms. This time, she noticed, he watched as she stripped.
“You have a lovely body, Selene,” he commented. “Absolutely lovely. The body of a goddess.”
Again, she blushed as his tone took on that of a seasoned professional.
“This time, I’d like you to lie back with your right arm above your head,” he instructed. “Let your hand dangle in the water.”
She placed her right arm over the side and immersed it. “Like this?”
“No,” he said. “Not your whole hand, just one finger. There. That’s better. Now look at me. That’s it. I want one leg bent at the knee. Let it hang over the side so that your foot also touches the water. Good.” He jumped from the shore to the rock with the length of white gauze and positioned it between her belly and her hips. “There,” he said, resting his hand upon her abdomen. “That’s perfect.”
Her pulse quickened as he leaned closer, but it was only to rearrange her hair. It clung to her body and floated in dark strands across the water like seaweed. He moved away again, and her breathing slowed.
“Wet your lips for me, Selene,” he directed from the shore. “You are no longer The Lorelei. Now you are Freya, the Goddess of love. In Norse Mythology, you embody everything that’s sensual and erotic. Spread your legs apart a little more… like that. Good. Now, raise your other hand to your breast. Good…good.”
Lena’s nipple sprang to life. Her face grew hot.
“That’s it! That’s what I want to see. You are Freya. You are aroused. You are the Goddess of sex, the seductress.” His hand moved rapidly over the canvas, his face intent.
“Now, move your right hand from the water to your thigh. No, no. Not there. Your inner thigh.”
She shook her head. “I…I can’t.”
“Yes you can,” he insisted. “You are the goddess awaiting your lover. You are filled with anticipation. You are filled with desire.”
Lena’s hand moved between her legs. Her body quivered.
“Good.” His eyes held hers as his fingers continued to move across the canvas.
“Move your hand closer to your…yes, that’s it.”
Another minute passed. Lena remained perfectly still, her body hovering on the brink of arousal.
“The Goddess Freya has many lovers,” Odin said. “First there’s Thor, the God of thunder. Also there’s Loki, the trickster. And, of course, there’s Odin, the greatest God of all. You are Freya, awaiting your lover. When he comes, you will be ready.”
Lena blinked.
“Go ahead,” he said, his voice encouraging. “Make yourself ready.”
Her hand was heavy as she inched it closer to her sex. She could feel her pulse where her flesh swelled, throbbing beneath her finger.
Odin nodded. “Do it, Selene. I want to see lust in your eyes.”
Lena’s fingers moved between her thighs. Her entire body trembled as she spread her legs wider.
Odin’s gray eyes remained locked on hers as he stepped away from the canvas and approached the rock slowly. “Will you take a lover today?” he said, kneeling beside her.
Lena licked her lips. She reached to touch the swell of his cock where it strained against the zipper of his shorts.
“Will you let me be your God?” he said, covering her hand with his.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Overhead, the sun shone brilliantly; she focused on the beads of water, glittering like diamonds on her skin, as she pulled his zipper down and his shorts fell around his knees. Already, she noticed, the air smelled of sex.
Odin knelt beside her and traced her body with his fingers. Bending his head, he sucked her breasts. “You are so very beautiful,” he said softly, as he removed the cloth and touched the skin of her thighs. “Give in to your desires, Selene. What are you waiting for? You want me. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it in your body.”
Lena reached for him and drew him down beside her.
“You’re sure?” he said.
“Yes.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist and arched to meet him, oblivious of everything but the feel of his body where it touched hers.
Odin hesitated. “Can I?”
She nodded. Alive with desire, she guided his cock between her legs, moaning softly as he thrust within her.
“Slowly, Selene,” he whispered. “Let it build.”
Beneath his lips her nipples tightened, straining toward him with every thrust of her hips as she felt the promise of climax approach. His fingers returned to her sex and she moaned, helpless to control her urgency.
“Wait,” he said, maintaining his slow and methodical rhythm.
Lena shook her head, unable to bear the tension. Her body contracted as the sweetness of the moment overwhelmed her. Above her, Odin stiffened, sending them both crashing over the brink of desire and into the abyss of pleasure beyond. His body shaking, he collapsed beside her. Lena pulled him into her arms, holding him tight against her chest as his seed spilled against her thighs.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered burying his head between her breasts and kissing her again. “I didn’t mean to force you.”
She laughed as she felt her body quicken beneath his tongue. Taking his hand, she guided it between her legs.
“I think maybe you’d better force me again,” she said. “But only if you want to.”
Chapter 26
Lena woke up in the middle of her meadow, covered by the afghan from her couch. Beneath her body, grass and daisies were matted to the ground where she and Odin had lain. Above her, the night sky was filled with stars. She propped herself on her elbows and searched for him but he was gone.
Across the pond, all was dark and silent. She stood and brushed herself off, stiff and bruised from lying on the hard rocky soil. Inside the cabin, the clock read 2:15. She hadn’t eaten since the morning before, but she wasn’t the least bit hungry. Negotiating the stairs to the second floor, she donned a nightgown, slipped beneath the sheets, and closed her eyes as she relived the events of the afternoon and evening. Half an hour later, she was still awake. The memory of Odin’s hands on her body was strong, igniting a flame of longing she was helpless to control. Finally, she gave up on sleep and returned downstairs.
In the kitchen, she brewed a pot of coffee and added milk. With her laptop before her, she settled on the couch. First she checked her email. There was the usual assortment of junk, a couple of messages from friends, and six from Alex. Once again, there was no word from Annie. Disappointed, she deleted them. Switching to her home page, she typed in the search words gods and goddesses.
The first website was standard Wikipedia knowledge. She read through it and went back to the search results. The second website was soft porn, an erotic pictorial dedicated to some scantily clothed renditions of Greek and Roman goddesses. On the third try, she came up with pay dirt: a lengthy article that included a master list of all of the deities, from ancient Grecian and Roman, to Celtic, Egyptian, and Norse. Alongside each deity’s name, the site listed pertinent facts, descriptions, and lineage of each god or goddess. She scrolled through the list, surprised by the similarities of many of them throughout the different cultures.
Zeus of the Greeks, Jupiter of Rome, and Odin of the Norse, were the most powerful of the males. They were paired with Hera, Juno, and Freya, their female counterparts, who shared the stage with the Egyptian Goddess Isis and the Celtic Goddess Brigit. Selene, the Greek Goddess of the moon and Lena’s own namesake, was also known as Rhiannon by the Celts, Diana by the Romans, and Kuu by the Finns. Mars and Ares were the Gods of war, Cupid and Eros, the Gods of love, Athena and Minerva, the Goddesses of wisdom, and Poseidon, Neptune, and Dylan, the rulers of the seas.
Many of the immortals had multiple facets as well. Diana, for instance, along with her Greek twin, Artemis, was not only the moon goddess, but the virgin huntress. Freya doubled as the Goddess of love and sexual desire along with her more important role as supreme immortal. Athena, while best known as the Goddess of wisdom, also presided over law and justice, mathematics, and the arts.
Although there were many gods and goddesses that spanned multiple cultures, there were others that appeared to be associated with only one. Fagus, the Celtic God of the Beech tree, was one such solitary, as were Laga, the Goddess of wells and springs, Aurora, the Roman Goddess of dawn, and Loki, the Norse trickster. Lena’s eyes grew heavy as she read. It was after four when she finished the article. She turned off her laptop, too tired to continue, and pulled the afghan around her.
The knock, when it came, was soft. Bolting upright, she checked her watch again. Four thirty. She’d been asleep for only fifteen minutes. “Hello?” she called.
There were only three people she could think of that would knock on her door at this hour: Alex, Jake, or Odin. She walked across the room and stood before the door. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me.”
Lena unbolted the lock and opened the door wide. Odin stood on the porch, looking as tired as she felt. “It’s a little early to go walking, isn’t it?” she asked, stepping aside.
“I saw your light. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Of course not.”
He took a step forward, his eyes locked on hers, and suddenly, his arms were around her. “I know I should give you time and space to think about what happened earlier,” he said, “but I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“I can’t stop thinking about you, either,” she said.
“I want you, Selene. I want you so badly I can’t think straight.”
She closed the door and locked it behind her, turning to face him. Odin’s eyes were darkly circled; his chin was covered with the rough stubble of a day’s growth. She felt a rush of raw emotion as she reached for him. “Then take me,” she said.
Gathering her into his arms, he carried her up the steps to the bedroom. Gently, he placed her down and removed her nightgown. The moon, a sickle in the window, illuminated his skin as he hovered above her. “So beautiful,” he whispered, bending to kiss her. “My lovely, lovely Freya.”
“The Goddess of love,” she murmured.
“The Goddess of sex.”
His hands roamed her body. She was swept into the swift current of desire. “Then take me,” she said again.
Odin did.
***
In the days that followed, Lena became certain of one thing and one thing only: she was desperately, hopelessly, totally in love.
A week passed, and then two. She counted off the days with amaze
d and terrified fascination, astonished by the fact that he was hers and equally terrified that he would leave. Despite their headlong plunge into the murky waters of adultery, Odin had yet to broach the subject of the future and what it would hold for them. Lying beside him as the sun set over Blackwater Pond, she gathered her courage and asked.
“It’s the end of August already. Your lease will be up soon, won’t it?”
“At the end of September,” he said, as he caressed the small of her back.
“And then?”
“I don’t know.”
His arms tightened around her. She could feel every inch of his body lean and hard against hers as he rolled onto his back.
“Have you decided where you’ll go next,” she asked.
He pushed her upright and stroked her belly. “I think maybe to Europe.”
With an effort, Lena concealed her dismay. She tilted her head and smiled. “That sounds nice.”
“You’ve never been?”
She shivered and rubbed her arms to warm them. It was cool now in the evenings. Tonight, she knew, they would light a fire. “No.”
“I think everyone should experience the continent in their lifetime,” he said. “Perhaps, if you’d like, you might join me.”
Lena kept her expression neutral, carefully guarding her emotions. “Is that a legitimate invitation, or a pity invite?”
“I don’t have to do anything, Selene,” he said. “Certainly not from pity.”
“Then why are you asking?”
He sighed. “Don’t you know?”
She shook her head.
He touched her face and stroked her cheek. “I’m asking you to come because I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to leave you.”
Lena rose onto her knees and lowered her body to accommodate him. Outside she was calm; inside, she was turning cartwheels. She kept the rhythm slow and controlled as they began to move together in the familiar pattern they’d discovered together.
“I don’t know how you feel about me,” he continued. “You never speak of this.”
Throwing caution to the wind she leaned forward to kiss him. “I think I feel the same way.”