It had been a long Council meeting and Sappho yawned loudly on her way to her bedchamber, stretching her arms taut behind her to loosen the tension in her shoulders. She was so tired she hadn’t even requested that any of her handmaidens accompany her. Besides, it was almost daybreak and she had promised Xena and Gabrielle a continuation of their session at breakfast. She had no idea how she was going to find the energy or the clear-headedness to be a counselor that morning. All she wanted was a silky bed all to herself and lots of pillows all around her to make her feel like she was sleeping in the clouds.

"That Aphrodite," she mumbled to herself, remembering how the Goddess of Love had filibustered through the evening and into the darkest hours of the morning trying to convince the Council that, as a mere mortal, Sappho did not qualify for the title of "Tenth Muse." Why she cared was anybody’s guess, as in Olympus she was leagues above the ranking of the Muses, and really had no business at a Council of the Muses in the first place. But somehow she had managed to weasel an invitation to the meeting from Euterpe (the only one of her nine half-sisters who trusted her), and the laws of hospitality dictated that Sappho had to welcome her to the Council meeting as a guest of one of the members. All Aphrodite told Euterpe was that she had a "mortal" problem to broach with the Council. She conveniently left out the detail that she meant to bring down a coup on Sappho in Sappho’s own home.

To their credit, all of the Muses (except Euterpe, who was honor-bound to side with her guest) defended Sappho as persuasively and eloquently as she could, each in her own specialty. Clio, Muse of History, gave a chronology of Sappho’s conquests to illustrate how she had loved and thereby saved the lives of so many significant Greeks, how her body as well as her words had healed many of their heroes and philosophers. Melpomene and Thalia set up an impromptu stage and acted out the comedy and the tragedy of Greek history without Sappho. Terpsichore danced for an hour her interpretation of Sappho’s gift to Greece, her sundry arts of love and lyricisim. This bit disturbed Euterpe, who as Muse of lyric poetry would have been entitled to a comment, had she not been the one to invite the interloper in their midst. Calliope composed an epic poem about Sappho, and Erato wove into it the sweetest words of love, which Polyhymnia transformed into a heartbreakingly beautiful song that surely must have touched the gods that evening. To cap it all off, Urania, the quiet one, the star-gazer, told a dream of a Sapphic constellation that hovered just to the left of the North Star. This, last, catapulted Aphrodite into her loud and long-winded protestations, which at times sounded so much like whining Sappho was tempted to slap the goddess back to her senses. Of course, she did no such thing. She could only sit there and wait for their guest to pass out from talking so much, something that did not come easily to immortals.

At last, the cock crowed and the windows filled with the first grey light of the morning. Sappho rang the triangle to indicate that the time had come to take a vote. Clio called the question and eight hands were raised in support of Sappho remaining on the Council. Sappho could not vote and Euterpe had abstained, as decorum demanded. The matter decided, the Council adjourned and Aphrodite was left to stew in her frustration. Luckily, each Muse had brought her own attendants and Sappho was free to retire without looking to the comfort of each of her guests. Aphrodite sat in the Council chamber waiting for the litter that would carry her royal highness to her quarters, but the litter never arrived and Aphrodite vanished in a thick puff of jasmine-scented smoke. Sappho knew she had not heard the last from the Goddess of Love, but she shrugged off the annoyance and wound her way to the east turret, where Xena and Gabrielle were being housed. She wanted to assure them that they would have their session, as promised, but that first she needed a few hours rest.

She passed the pool where some of the Muses were already bathing in the buff, their slaves busy arranging platters of fruit, meat, and bread on the long table under the grape arbor. Clio waved to her and she waved back, too tired to speak, much less invite Clio to her bed, as had become their custom whenever the Council convened on Lesbos. She climbed the stairwell and walked as softly as she could down the long hallway that lead back toward the tower. She did not want to awaken Xena and Gabrielle if they were still asleep, though she suspected the Warrior Princess was an early riser.

****

Xena knelt one one knee by the bed, head down, asking permission to proceed. Gabrielle stared at the golden phallus poised upright between Xena’s legs, her shock mitigated only by the wetness that had suddenly welled up inside her. "By the gods, Xena," she said. "Where did you get that?"

"The name is David," Xena said, head still down. "At the Queen’s service."

Gabrielle reached down to touch Xena’s phallus with both hands. It was hard and surprisingly warm and Gabrielle knew exactly what she wanted to do with it. Without waiting for directions, she climbed down from the bed, straddled Xena and pushed her down on the black jaguar skin that covered the floor. The phallus rose erect from Xena’s groin, curving slightly toward her belly. At last Gabrielle understood the purpose of the chain-mail belt that Xena always wore. It was a vestige from a past Gabrielle was just beginning to understand. Not only had Xena done this before, she also had the accoutrements necessary to carry it out. But where? she wondered. Where did Xena have this hidden? She’d gone through Xena’s bags many times in search of this or that and never had she seen this instrument before.

Xena’s hands were all over her, squeezing her breasts, rubbing her buttocks, more excited than Gabrielle had ever seen her. She pushed her right hand between Gabrielle’s legs and started to rub her wetness in slow circles. Gabrielle pulled away. She did not want to come yet. The ache inside her was unbearable, a pain like hunger in her womb, and she wanted only to be filled.

Gabrielle mounted and Xena guided David into her like an expert. The phallus slipped in easily, halfway, and then Xena had to raise her hips to thrust it deeper. The pain of it made Gabrielle gasp. She had only done this once, after all, and some would have considered her still a virgin. Once filled, though, the ache turned into a throb and the throb released a cascade of juices that made it easier and easier to fit the thickness inside her. Then, like an expert, Gabrielle rode David, remembering Perdicus, remembering the way Marcus had loved Xena that time that Hades had given him back his life for 48 hours, the sounds of their fucking waking Gabrielle up, leading her to her own private ecstasy under her blanket. She had never been jealous of Marcus, maybe because she knew that in another life, Marcus and Xena had truly loved each other, though they were not destined to be together. Just as she was not destined to be with Perdicus, or David, or with any other than her beloved Warrior.

"Is this what you wanted, little girl?" asked Xena through clenched teeth, her hips rocking to Gabrielle’s rhythm.

"Yes, Xena, yes!" Gabrielle panted, careful not to bear down on Xena with all of her weight or else her climax would come.

"What’s my name?" Xena said, fingers kneading Gabrielle’s butt.

Gabrielle looked down at her. It was almost dawn and in the growing light, Xena’s face looked completely transformed. Her eyes were filled with a look of lust and power that Gabrielle had never seen before. This was the other Xena, the one she kept in check, the one she called up only in battle. It made Gabrielle shudder involuntarily to think she was being fucked by the Destroyer of Nations.

"David," she said, still humping. "You’re David. You’re my David."

"No, little girl, I don’t belong to you. You belong to me. David is your master. You do as I say. You give me what I want. You obey me, or else...."

"Or else, what?" Gabrielle could barely contain the frenzy that Xena was stirring inside her with that kind of talk.

Xena reached up and pinched Gabrielle’s nipples as hard as she could, pulling Gabrielle down against her to suckle her beasts. "Or else," she said in between bites of the Bard’s pink nipples, "I give you a spanking that you’ll never forget." To illustrate her point, Xena let go of one of her breasts and smacked Gabrielle’s butt. Her hand felt like hot iron and Gabrielle winced. Xena looked up at her for a moment to gauge if she had gone too far.

Gabrielle tossed her head back and laughed. "You call that a spank?" she said, then clawed her fingers into Xena’s breasts and ground her hips against Xena’s, letting her full weight come down on David.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck," Xena kept saying in counterpoint to Gabrielle’s "fuck me, fuck me, fuck me." For the first time since that night she had returned as the prodigal friend, the night of their first joining, they climaxed in unison.

****

On the other side of the door, Sappho heard the unmistakeable sounds of lovemaking. For an instant, she forgot how tired she was and contemplated the fantasy of joining Xena and Gabrielle. What would they say, she wondered, if she were to walk in on them right now and ask to join the party? The thought made her smile and her hand reached out and turned the knob. Suddenly the door fell open and Sappho, arm still outstretched, frozen in the act of turning the doorknob, stood face to face with the Warrior Princess. Oh, and what a Warrior! Completely naked except for the sword in her hand, her hair as wild as a Banshee’s, her eyes like blue flames--she looked at Sappho and made a grimace, a snarl of the lip that thoroughly titillated Sappho.

"Good morning," said Sappho, ignoring Xena’s narrowed eyes. "Sleep well?"

"Can’t complain," said Xena.

"May I come in?"

"Xena, no!" she heard Gabrielle say from within the dark room.

"Gabrielle’s still in bed," said Xena.

"I heard," said Sappho, smiling. "I thought I might join you." She was so experienced at these games it didn’t even feel like boldness.

Xena’s eyebrow arched. "What?"

"Thought I might give you some of my own medicine," said Sappho.

Xena frowned for a second, and then a half-smile curled her lips. She turned to the interior of the room. "Sappho wants to join us," she called out.

"Is that part of the counseling service?" Gabrielle asked.

Xena turned to Sappho. "Come in," she said, still grinning.

Sappho blinked and realized she was still standing outside the closed door, her hand still on the doorknob. I’m so exhausted I must be sleepwalking, she thought. She shook the fantasy out of her head and rapped on the door with her knuckles.

"Xena? Gabrielle?" she called out. "It’s Sappho. Sorry to bother you. I heard sounds so I figured you were awake. Just wanted to tell you the Council meeting went way late and I’m awfully tired. I have to get some sleep. Can we postpone our meeting till this afternoon?"

She waited for a response. None came, and Sappho shrugged, turning her back on the door. She was about to walk away when the hinges creaked behind her.

"Good morning," said Xena, wrapped in the jaguar skin that served as a rug in the room. "Wanna come in? There’s plenty of room in the bed for three."

*****

"Ares!" screeched Aphrodite. "You didn’t!"

"Have I ever lied to you?" said Ares, pursing his lips into a smug pout, fingers stroking his bearded chin. As much as his love-obsessed sister got on his nerves, he sure enjoyed sharing an adventure with her now and again.

"You gave her a dildo?"

"Not just any dildo. Her own made-to-order Midas Touch Warrior Princess golden dildo. The only thing she left buried outside of Potidea that time she was gonna give it all up for the greater good. She asked for it tonight, and I thought I’d oblige."

Aphrodite covered her face with her hands and screeched in delight. "You’re so evil."

"I try," Ares rejoined. "I do try."

"And I blew some of my Love powder on Doctor Love!" Aphrodite squealed. "That’ll show her who the ambassador of love is. She’s in there with them right now!"

"Aphrodite! You didn’t!"

"I didn’t know it was going to be a foursome: Xena, Gabrielle, Sappho, and ... little David!" Unable to contain her glee, she screeched again, shaking her fists from side to side.

"Like brother, like sister," said Ares, chuckling. "One thing’s for sure. Xena’s got her hands full."

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