“What happened here? To you?” I try to sound casual and fail miserably.
Kato comes up next to me, grabbing a huge handful of nuts, which he manages to fit into his mouth all at once. The golden fleece hangs from his shoulders, the excess bulk making him feel like a Giant by my side. He takes the heavy satchel from me as he chews, loops it over his shoulder, and then holds it open for me to finish filling with provisions.
“Atalanta…” He clears his throat and then reaches for a cup of water near the bed, drinking deeply. “When she talked about being free, she meant of her virginity. But she didn’t just want it gone, she wanted it annihilated. For two days, she made sure I wouldn’t stop.”
I gape at him. “How doesthatwork?”
A flush works its way across his masculine cheekbones. “She gave me a potion. Some kind of herbs. It tasted vile.”
“You couldn’t…” I wrinkle my nose. “You know?”
The flush deepens. “There was relief, thank the Gods. But I was always ready to start again.”
I glance at his groin. I can’t help it.
Kato tilts my head back up. “The effects wore off. Eventually.”
It’s my turn to flush. “Well, that’s good.” I look around. “Is there any left?”
He chuckles, but the sound is strained. “It isn’t fun. Believe me.”
With Griffin, that sounds like it could be a lot of fun. “It wasn’t?”
His expression shutters. “It was exhausting. Empty and exhausting.”
I don’t like the sound of that—or how Kato sounded when he said it. “What about Artemis? You have the fleece, so you must have passed her test.”
“She watched.”
My eyes widen. “The whole time?”
He nods.
“That’s…” I have no words. Kato on display? Forced to repeatedly mate with a woman he holds no affection for?
“She was stunning. A million times more desirable than Atalanta.” A faraway look hazes his expression, but there’s nothing dreamy about it. He looks pained. “She wanted what I could give. She wanted it so much she called for me, over and over, and it was like…like a siren’s song, you know? Especially in my state. But I remembered what you said about needs and wants. I didn’t go to her, and it must have been the right thing to do because she gave me the fleece in the end. Gave me the fleece, took Atalanta, and left.”
I reach out and squeeze his forearm. “You denied a beautiful Goddess who wanted you while you were in the clutches of a drug-induced sexual frenzy. That makes you incredibly strong.”
Kato shrugs, like it wasn’t something heroic.
“And Atalanta just left? She doesn’t strike me as the type of woman to give up a man she wants.”
“Artemis didn’t give her a choice.” He frowns. “Atalanta nearly defied her Goddess over me, and I didn’t even want her. Didn’t even like her.”
A gloomy weight settles over me, despite my joy at seeing Kato again. “You did what you had to do, and you got what we needed. We don’t have to tell anyone what happened here.”
Kato stares at something above my head, or maybe at nothing at all. “Atalanta told me she was raised with bears. She only knew of one way to copulate and didn’t want anything else.” He looks at me again. “I’m pretty sure there’s no hair left on my knees.”
I snort a laugh. It just bursts from me. It must make Kato happy, though, because his features soften.
“I don’t care what we tell the others. That’s not important. This is.” He thumps the golden fleece. “And you.”
“Me?” I shake my head. “I’m useless. I walked in circles, lost my weapons, and fell off a cliff.”
“At least you had a bath. If it weren’t cold enough to freeze off my balls, I’d be tempted to do the same.”
I laugh again. “It’s a long way down, and a long way back up.” I move toward the hole I melted in the ice and then start kicking at the edges until it opens up. “Besides, your balls have proved useful. Let’s keep them intact.”
