The Blessings of Aphrodite

I walked towards Diana, looking her up and down -- drinking in the sight of her in her Amazonian shift. For a culture without men, I had a hard time believing the red toga was meant for anything other than being seen. And Diana clearly knew that. Her pose didn't seem even slightly artificial -- it seemed to come as naturally to her as breathing.

At the same time, she looked... I don't know. Strong. But differently than before. Perhaps it was the intimacy we'd shared. Perhaps it was a form of the defiance she still clung to at least inside. Or perhaps it was something simpler. Diana supposedly epitomized all that was best in women. Well, that included their sexuality, didn't it?

Maybe it was finally time for her to be allowed to feel that way.

"This is... a common garment... for amazons?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. I admit it -- I wanted her all over again upon seeing her in that shift.

"Oh yes," she said. "There are variations. Some wear it in white, or a wine-dark purple." She traced the golden cord around her waist with her fingertip, hip arching slightly more. "Sometimes the cords are replaced with silk, or are different colors. Oh, and I have another one, trimmed in gold in the sides... and then up along the front..." she touched her stomach, sliding her hands over it, then sliding up along the fabric... "there is golden embroidery of an eagle, its wings stylized and spreading out..." she slid her hands over her breasts, cupping them slightly... "almost into cups...."

I made a noise. I would like to think it wasn't a whimper, but how would I know for sure? I'd dare you to do otherwise, when confronted with that sight. "...Diana," I murmured.

"Yes, Thomas?" she asked, her eyebrow arching slightly.

"This... isn't at all what I expected from you," I said, offering her the glass of soda I was still holding.

Her smile turned coy. "You didn't expect me to be able to..." her hips slid to the other side, putting the weight on her other leg "embrace the situation for what it is?"

I shivered. "Fuh... frankly, no," I said, staring.

Diana lifted the glass to her face, touching her cheek with it, a few rivulets of water clinging to the outside. She slowly took a drink, eyes hooding, then looked back. "Thomas?"

"Yes?" I swear my voice didn't crack. But it was a near thing.

"When I was born, crafted from the soil and clay of Themiscyra, and granted life by the grace of the Gods... several of those Gods came to me." She cocked her head, even as the hand not holding the drink slid down her side to rest on her hip again. "Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods, gifted me his speed of movement and thought, his cleverness and quickness. Which also granted me his ability to fly. Athena blessed me with wisdom and intellect, the knowledge of the spheres and the sense of when to use it and my other abilities. Even Heracles, no friend to the Amazons, visited me, and -- charmed by my pulling at his beard, gifted me with all his strength and more. These are the core of my abilities, even before my apotheosis into the Goddess of Truth. This is the core of my being."

Her smile grew, her eyes hooding. "But I was also blessed by Aphrodite, first patron of the Amazons. Her blessing was beauty surpassing all that was mortal, and the understanding of what that meant and did not mean. And her blessing gave me a core of love for all humanity, and the compassion and empathy to feel their struggles as my own." She laughed -- a laugh almost like crystal bells ringing instead of the earthy chuckle after her defloration. "I have never much drawn upon Aphrodite's more active blessing, but I assure you it exists. I know what I look like. I know how to use it. In every way."

I breathed out slowly. "...wow...." I managed to murmur.

"Of course, the oath that binds me compels me to the service of your fantasies, even as it compels me to explore my own sexuality within their context." She ran her hand along her side again. "I suppose the question becomes... is this also part of your fantasies, Thomas?"

"Oh... my... yes," I half-whispered. Slowly I smiled. "Perhaps it's time we moved into the bedroom."

"Perhaps it is," she said, sipping her soda once more, her every movement calculated.