Month: May 2025

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Five Sand Phials

Lukas swam back to the lair after a successful labor. He had five phials of sand from different kingdoms, some coming from the surface. He descended into the lair to find Calliope hard at work. “Mistress!” he said once Calliope’s tentacles were empty.

“Ah! Lukas! There you are!” replied Calliope. She then saw the phials. “Ooh! Five phials of sand!”

“I even swiped some from Ssylphiel’s private beach when she wasn’t around,” he said. Calliope cackled.

“Serves the green noodle right!” she said. “Just don’t tell her. She’s a bit…possessive.” She looked at the lighting outside. “It’s getting dark, Lukas. I’d say it’s bath time.”

“Yes, Mistress,” replied Lukas.

Lukas and Calliope sighed as the bath relaxed them. Lukas noticed, however, that he didn’t feel any of Calliope’s tentacles on him. He recalled his panic attack last month and sighed, figuring his babbling must have revealed his bondage fear. “…Mistress, your tentacles aren’t ropes or leather or anything like that,” he said. “They feel like arms giving me a comforting embrace.”

“…I know, but…” Calliope looked hesitant.

“Mistress, please,” said Lukas. Calliope carefully wrapped a tentacle around him. Lukas sighed happily. “Thank you.” Calliope smiled. “…You know, I told the others already and made them swear not to tell you until I did.”

“Hm? About?” asked Calliope.

“The reason behind my panic attack. Why I want to be a servile femboy for a powerful lady.”

“…I can somewhat guess that something or someone prevented you from being who you really wanted to be,” said Calliope.

“You need to know the full scope,” said Lukas. “My old tribe, it didn’t allow for men like me. We had to be strong, suppress our emotions, do the jobs we were assigned to do.”

“Slavery, in other words.”

“Sure as the hells felt like it. I was ordered to work the mines and…well, I just couldn’t build up the strength, no matter how much exercise I put in. It made me cry. Every time I cried, I was blindfolded, whipped, and starved. I…” Lukas started crying now at the memory. Calliope pulled him closer to her and kissed his cheek.

“Let them out, Lovely,” she soothed. “Emotions are to be released, not bottled up.” After a good cry, Lukas continued.

“I managed to flee, but my tribe was after me. That was when a sea witch called Melanie gave me sanctuary.”

“Melanie? An all-blue Cecaelia? Aw, bless her kind soul. She’s an old friend.”

“She was the first one I told my story to and my dream. She said she couldn’t help me fulfill that dream, but she knew someone who could, if I was ready to pay the price.” Calliope grinned.

“So that’s how you found my offer, hm?” she said. “We’ll have to thank her when you finish all your labors.”

“…Mistress, Melanie said that the head of my old tribe, the one who put up all those rules,” said Lukas, “she said that that woman is in debt to you.”

“Is she?” asked Calliope. “Well, if you’re comfortable with it, tell me her name.”

“Megan Sea-storm.” Calliope’s face darkened.

“…Sea-storm?” she repeated.

“Y-Yes, Mistress. Is Melanie-?”

“Frighteningly so,” confirmed Calliope. “Our contract was that she’d use her immortality to help people. If not, she’d end up in the Garden of Loss.”

“…If you absolutely must collect on that debt, can you do it when I’m doing my labor next month?” asked Lukas. “I’d rather not see her become a polyp.”

“Of course, Lovely Lukas,” promised Calliope. “Cross all my hearts.” She kissed him on the forehead again.

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Six Blue Stones

Lukas waited outside the lair after completing his new labor of six blue stones, a rare mineral for merfolk. In fact, he waited for an hour and was getting impatient. Thankfully, Calliope was convinced he accomplished the labor, but still! “Come on!” he complained. “What’s going on down-!” A portal then opened and Maria swam out of it.

“Hello, Lukas!” she said.

“A por…?” Lukas was puzzled. “Maria, what’s going on?”

“Oh, just a little surprise for you,” replied Maria. “Now, I need to blindfold you and-.”

“NO!” Lukas swam back. Maria blinked.

“…Erm, Lukas?” asked Maria.

“Not again! I can’t!” Lukas was hyperventilating now.

“Oh shoot!” muttered Maria. She then stuck her head into the portal and said something. Calliope swam out of the portal.

“Lukas?!” she asked, her voice tinged with worry. “Lukas, are you all right?”

“No sight means binding! Binding means whip! Whip for hours!” he whimpered, curling into a ball. “Scars! Blood! Shark teasing!”

“Lukas, look at me!” said Calliope as she gently placed her hands on his cheeks. “Look into my eyes!” Her eyes then swirled between black and white. “Look into my eyes. Let my hypnosis relax you. There will be no blindfold. There will be no bondage. You will not be whipped until bled out. You will not be used as bait to tease sharks. You are safe with me. As you sleep, you will have pleasant dreams. When you wake, you will see that you are safe with me and my staff.”

“Sssssafe…yessssss.” Lukas’ eyes became heavy with sleep.

Lukas woke up to see that he was in his room in Calliope’s lair. He looked around in disbelief, then looked himself over. “…She meant it!” he said.

“Lukas?” asked Maria’s voice.

“Y-Yes! Yes, I…I’m awake,” he replied. Maria swam in.

“Lukas, this might be a stupid question, but are you all right?” Lukas sighed.

“I…I’m sorry for freaking out like that,” he said. “I just…every time I wanted to…”

“Lukas, you don’t need to explain,” said Madame Calliope as she glided into the room and sat next to the bed. “All I worry about is that you’re okay. You can tell us in your own good time.”

“…Was…was there some sort of surprise for me?” asked Lukas.

“…Well, I think we can still give today a happier time,” said Calliope. “Just come to the commons level when you’re ready, okay?”

“O-Okay, Mistress,” replied Lukas.

“Rest up, Lukas, my lovely,” soothed Calliope as she and Maria left the room.

After he recovered, Lukas headed to the commons level, located just above the bottom of the lair where Calliope keeps her cauldron. When he approached, there were streamers, balloons, and a party table. “What in…?” he asked himself.

“Happy birthday, Lukas!” cheered everyone.

“Y-You remembered?!” stammered Lukas.

“Everyone living here deserves to have their birthday acknowledged,” replied Calliope. “And it’s a perfect time for making beautiful memories, hm?” Lukas hugged his mistress with everyone cheering for him. The party was a happy one with Lukas feeling safer than ever, even after the faux pas from earlier.

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Seven Sea Mice

Lukas wiped his brow when he finished. Sea mice were plenty, there was no doubt about that, but they were also fast little creatures. And lugging the cage the seven he caught was no small feat either. He sighed when he made his call. “Madame,” he said, “could you send Sly over to help? The sea mouse cage is pretty awkward.”

“Sure thing, Lukas, my lovely,” replied Calliope. “You just sit tight.”

“Thank you,” he said. The call ended. A blue portal appeared and Sly swam out of it.

“Needed some help, pretty boy?” he asked.

“Y-Yes, please,” replied Lukas.

“All right. Let me just grab this end.” Sly picked up the end and quickly counted. “That’s all seven! You REALLY want to a femboy something fierce.”

“It…It feels…right,” replied Lukas shyly.

“You know that’s what makes Faye happy, yeah?”

“Y-You mean, he chose to be a maid for Calliope?”

“Yep. He had to prove himself, of course, but as you can see, he did.”

“…Is…is that what the labors are for?”

“I can’t say, I never got a straight answer for that.” By now, Sly and Lukas had a grip on the cage. “Right, let’s go.” Sly went backwards into the portal with Lukas following him. The pair arrived by the cauldron and Calliope swam up to greet them.

“Ah! Perfect!” she said.

“And there’s seven in there, Boss,” said Sly.

“Excellent! That’s seven labors done, Lukas!”

“Th-Thank you, Mistress,” replied Lukas.

“Now, tell me, how averse would you be to makeup?”

“A-As long as it matched my outfit, I’d proudly wear it.”

“Excellent. I think that’s all the hypotheticals I needed answered. You go ahead and get ready for the remaining five.”

“Y-Yes, Mistress,” said Lukas. He swam off to his room. Sly lingered.

“…All right, Boss, spill,” he said.

“Hm? Spill what?” asked Calliope innocently.

“You’re asking him ‘hypotheticals’, you cuddle with him a lot, you have him performing rather tame labors, why don’t you just say that you’re making him into the servile femboy he wants to be because you want to date the-!”

“ZIP IT!” hissed Calliope as she wrapped a tentacle around Sly’s mouth. “Sly, you absolutely can NOT tell him! He needs to find out when he’s finished!” Sly arched an eyebrow in surprise, glancing down at the tentacle around his mouth. Calliope was never this direct before. He then mumbled something. Calliope sighed. “Yes, I DO love him, but I want to be a partner to the REAL him! …Now, the rest have already figured it out, but they were sworn to secrecy until Lukas finishes his last labor. You will also swear secrecy until then, do you understand?” Sly nodded in understanding, the tentacle on his mouth not doing anything. “Good boy,” said Calliope as she released him.

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Eight Sea Marigolds

Calliope checked her potion supply as she awaited the sea marigolds from Lukas. She then checked the time. “…He was early the last two labors,” she muttered. “The deadline’s approaching and-.”

“MISTRESS!” called a scared Lukas’ voice.

“…That’s not a good sign.” Calliope swam up the pit to see Lukas with a bouquet of eight sea marigolds. “Ah! There you are! I was worried you for…” she trailed off when she saw Sam Brooke guzzling a whole pot of coffee. “…Ms. Brooke?” Sam put the coffee pot down.

“WORK’SALLDONEFORTHEDAY!” she said at hyper speed. “IGOTTAGOFINDSOMETHINGELSETODO!”

“Samantha Brooke, are you okay?” asked Calliope.

“Oh, me?! Never better! I got so much done! Ooh! I’m gonna go shear the kelp and prune the sea sheep!” She then pulled out a sword with teeth running in a circuit around the blade and swam off at top speed, impressive for a sea urchin. By now, everyone was watching the commotion.

“…Staff meeting, everyone!” said Calliope. Everyone gathered, sans Sam. “All right, who was in charge of coffee and what kind of coffee did they make?”

“I was in charge today,” replied Sly. “Maria said coffee was expressly forbidden for Sam.”

“I did say that,” confirmed Maria. “Remember? She’s been on a medically-ordered caffeine hiatus. What did you make her, Sly?”

“Well, there was a bag that said Express-0, so I used that,” answered Sly.

“Express-0?” quizzed Faye.

“…You still got the bag?” asked Calliope. Sly pulled out the bag and Calliope goggled in horror when she finished reading the label. Maria blinked.

“…Boss, is that-?”

“It’s that triple-six espresso that nice succubus gifted after paying through the nose for her deal!” confirmed Calliope. “Sly, there isn’t even an X in the word! Where did you find it?!”

“You left your locker open,” explained Sly. “I thought you wanted everyone to have it.” Maria pinched the bridge of her nose.

“This is why I’m so anal about spelling!” she grumbled. Everyone then heard Sam shriek in caffeinated crazy and guessed she had a smile on her face worthy of a crazy person.

“…Faye, would you bring Lukas’ sea marigolds to my locker?” asked Calliope. “Make sure there’s eight in that bouquet.”

“Oui, Madame,” replied Faye. Lukas gave Faye the flowers and Faye double-checked. “…Oui, there’s eight.” He then swam off to Calliope’s locker.

“Come join us in wrangling Sam when you’re done, okay?” Calliope called after Faye. “We need to restrain her while those of us with clothes still have them on.”

“Oof! What a chase!” sighed Calliope as she and Lukas settled into the bath.

“Who knew a sea urchin could move that fast, Mistress?” muttered Lukas as he rested his head on Calliope’s shoulder. A tentacle then draped itself on his shoulder as Calliope pulled Lukas closer to her.

“It’s a good thing Maria lent us her rope.” Calliope chuckled. “…Lukas…”

“Yes, Mistress?”

“Do you imagine your future with any…hair decorations?”

“Hair flowers, specifically,” replied Lukas. “Nice, lovely, full flowers all gathered on the side of my head. …You know, I’m starting to piece together your questions.”

“You might get confirmation, might not,” purred Calliope. “Who knows?” She then booped Lukas’ nose with the tip of a tentacle. “Let’s find out, hm?”

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Nine Crystals

“Aaaaannnndd…that should do it!” said Lukas as he put the ninth crystal in his bag. All nine crystals were from different branches and types, so it should be good. He swam back to the Lair and headed down to where Calliope was. She had just brewed a potion. “Mistress!” he called. He held the bag up in his hand as he approached.

“Nine crystals, hm?” purred Calliope. She then took the bag in one of her tentacles and opened it, inspecting the contents. “Ooh! Very nice! That’s labor number five done!”

“Thank you, Mistress!” replied Lukas.

“Lukas, tell me, do you see yourself wearing jewelry when you become a femboy servant?”

“Oh yes, Mistress. Bracelets, rings, necklace, earrings, all that. …Why?”

“Just want to know,” replied Calliope. “Now let’s see what’s-.”

“CALLIOPE!” called a voice.

“Huh?! Cassidy?!” yelped Calliope.

“Cassidy? Queen Cassidy?!” asked Lukas. “What’s she doing here?!”

“I’m gonna find out!” replied Calliope as she swam up the pit. Floating at the edge of the lair was a tanned mermaid with corn-yellow hair and a red flower in her hair. “Cassidy, what brings you here? And why do you look so sour?”

“Could you bring all your staff up here, please?” directed Cassidy.

“Erm, sure.” Calliope then called down her pit. “Lovelies both old and new! The Queen wants to talk to us all!” Everyone, even Lukas, swam up.

“What can we do for you, Your Majesty?” asked Maria.

“I just had a conference with the Headmistress of Sapphire’s school,” replied Cassidy. “Why am I having conferences with her?”

“Your Majesty, with all due respect,” said a female talking sea urchin, Sam Brooke, as she sat on Faye’s shoulder, “what makes you think we had any hand in it?”

“Because I know Sapphire doesn’t know how to fill a candy pearl with superglue!” answered Cassidy.

“Oh, that,” said Sly. “Well, to be fair, Your Majesty, she DID tell me that this girl doesn’t shut up.”

“Sly!” protested Calliope.

“That poor girl,” said Cassidy, “is the daughter of a missionary. She has been trained since birth to proselytize. All you have to do is tell her to shut up.”

“Have you talked to Sapphire about this?” asked Sly. “That girl’s been going after a boy because she saw his pink tail. She went on to say that a man wearing a woman’s color is a sin just as much as a woman wearing a man’s color is one and she REFUSES to shut up about it.”

“And the chant? The Headmistress mentioned that while the kid’s mouth was glued shut, Sapphire was chanting something. What was it?”

“Those are the lyrics to my favorite Anti-Evangelical song!”

“That’s not an age-appropriate song!” protested Calliope. “I don’t care if Sapphire’s at the age to experiment with swearing and sex right now!” She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “I’m going to the Second Hell for this.”

“I think I’m gonna be joining you, Sis,” remarked Cassidy. “I wonder what it’s like this time of year?”

“Sis, Your Majesty?” asked Lukas.

“A new guy, huh?” remarked Cassidy.

“He’s recently completed his fifth labor to me,” replied Calliope. “And to answer your question, Lukas, my mother adopted Cassidy when she was a little child. She’s my sister in every way that matters.”

“Ah, so it’s Sis in the most literal sense,” said Lukas.

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Ten Dragon Scales

Lukas counted the objects in his satchel. There were ten sea dragon scales from different species and all of them from previous shedding sessions, so he didn’t need to deal with angry sea dragons. He returned to Calliope’s lair and found Faye, a jellyfish man that dressed in maid dresses and worked as Calliope’s housekeeper. “Monsieur Faye,” called Lukas.

“Hm? Oh! Bonjour, Monsieur Lukas,” greeted Faye. “Were you victorious?”

“I sure was! Where’s Mistress Calliope? I want her to inspect my work.”

“Oh, she’s at her cauldron again, taking on a support call. A sea witch needs to give magic support at times, non?”

“I’ll just head there, then,” said Lukas. “Merci!” He swam to the center of the pit where Calliope was talking to someone’s image in her cauldron. …Or rather, RANTING at the person’s image

“YOU LITTLE-!” she snapped. “I get my hands on you and-! …Bazzy? …Bazzy, you there?” Calliope sighed and ran her hand down her face. She then used one of her tentacles to grab a calling potion and added a drop into her cauldron. “Master Talza, you’d better pick up.”

“Master Talza, Mistress?” asked Lukas. “The martial arts master? What does he have to do with it?”

“He taught Bazzy the Blister how to use his signature energy attack,” replied Calliope.

“HE WHAT?!” yelped Lukas.

“Oh yeah, it’s as bad as you think it is,” confirmed Calliope. “Let me just make sure you can add your two bits to this conversation.” She added a drop of liquid into her cauldron and the image of a sagely-looking elderly merman appeared.

“Madame Calliope?” asked the merman, Master Talza. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?! What’s wrong?!” asked Calliope. “I understand teaching Helen that technique, but…the little pink demon from the Seventh Hell?! Do you know what you did?!”

“…Oh! The pink mergirl in fur!” laughed Talza. “How could I not? She’s got four arms! She can fire two Tsunami Crashers! It’d be impressive if it weren’t so terrifying!”

“Terrifying?” asked Lukas. “Master Talza, I’m one of Calliope’s new customers and I can tell you, you underestimated how dangerous Bazzy the Blister is! She’s a government experiment that went wrong! With that information, do you realize what’s gonna happen?!”

“…Oh…Oh my,” gulped Talza.

“Yeah!” confirmed Calliope.

“…Welp, doesn’t sound like it’s my problem! So long, Calliope!” Calliope’s jaw dropped at that!

“…Talza?! Talza?!” she said. “…I’M NOT CLEANING UP THIS MESS!!!” She gripped her cauldron to steady herself as she breathed deeply. “…Lukas, how fares your hunt?”

“See for yourself, Mistress,” replied Lukas as he showed her the bag. She used magic to inspect the scales.

“Ooh! As we agreed upon! Good! I see you went with already shedded scales.”

“I figured it would be safer for me, Mistress.”

“Safer and smarter. With that, you’re a third of the way there. Good work.”

“Thank you, Mistress.” Lukas turned to swim back to his room.

“Er, Lukas, just a second,” called Calliope.

“Yes, Mistress?” asked Lukas.

“What would be your ideal waist clothing if and when you get your wish granted? Tail stocking? Skirt?”

“…Well, a skirt, yeah,” replied Lukas. “A skirt, ideally, made out of the sea-sheep wool like your sleeves with a huge amount of petticoats, forcing the outer skirt to be horizontal forever, but still able to have the powerful lady I serve grab my butt whenever she wished. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” answered Calliope. “Enjoy your day.”

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Spelling Things Out

Lukas stirred awake. He was feeling a little calmer about being Calliope’s servant, the frequent bubble baths with her were helping him. Now, he needed to know his third labor. He stretched and slowly swam out of bed. He then had his breakfast and poked his head out to reveal Calliope’s eel merman scout, the muscular Sly, outside his door. “Oh! Good morning, Sly,” greeted Lukas. “Has…Has Mistress Calliope decided on my third labor today?”

“She sure has,” replied Sly. “She’s in her bedroom, waiting for you.”

“Very well.” Lukas knew where her bedroom was and swam to it. He knocked on the cave wall outside the curtain that served as the bedroom door.

“Come in!” sang Calliope’s voice. Lukas pulled back the curtain and swam in to see Calliope getting ready. “Ah! Lukas! There you are!”

“Good morning, Mistress,” said Lukas.

“I’m sure you guessed why you’re here,” said Calliope as her lips changed color to look like she was wearing lipstick.

“My third labor, yes,” replied Lukas.

“Well, it’s a bit of a breach of manners,” admitted Calliope as she put on her massive sea wool sleeves. “You see, to really make your wish come true…I will need to know your FULL Zodiac sign.”

“M-My full sign, Mistress?” stammered Lukas.

“Yes. You see, this kind of spell requires a person to be at their zenith in order to work. Perhaps, if it will make it easier, I can tell you my sign.”

“Y-You don’t need to-!”

“Oh, but it’s only fair.”

“…V-Very well.”

“I thought so. My full sign is Black, Immortal, Water, Sea, Blue, Bat, Lotus, Deal, Octopus. All within the 3rd Zodiac Era, you understand.” Lukas thought for a bit, then steeled himself.

“Very well. My full sign is White, Immortal, Earth, Sand, Blue, Mouse, Marigold, Crystal, Dragon. Same era as you.”

“Excellent!” cheered Calliope. “We’ll have the labors done in reverse Zodiac Sign order, hm? For now, you’ve gotten farther than most others that attempted this deal.”

“…Y-You mean…they didn’t tell you their full signs?” asked Lukas.

“No, and I couldn’t tailor the remaining nine to them. So sad. They had to be planted.”

“…I…I see.”

“I think I know what I want from you!” said Calliope, pinning her sea lotus hair adornment into her hair. “Next month, I will need 10 scales, each from a different sea dragon, and scales that were shed are more than acceptable. I’d rather not have you eaten by a sea dragon that hasn’t shed. The month after that, I’ll need nine different crystals from the Crystal Cave near here. After that, eight sea marigolds, then seven sea mice the next month, then six blue stones, then five phials of sand from different kingdoms, then four phials of earth from four different parts of our world, then three drops of blood from three different immortals, then the last month will be two white pearls.”

“…That first one seems rather tame, even by the standards of sea dragons,” remarked Lukas.

“Like I said, I don’t want anyone to die on these things, or come to any harm. What do you say? Sound fair?” Calliope’s tentacles were coiling around Lukas’ tail. Lukas smiled.

“Very, Mistress.”

“Then our pact is fully sealed…with this.” Calliope then pecked him on the cheek.

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Bathtime

Lukas waited with baited breath. He knew the next labor was coming and he wasn’t sure what it would be. As he waited in his room, he heard a melodic voice. It was Maria De La Mariana, the scout that mentioned the whole deal to Lukas in the first place. “Oh Lukas!” she sang. “Madame wishes to see you in the second level.”

“Right away, Dr. De La Mariana,” replied Lukas. Maria chuckled.

“Lukas, how many times do I have to tell you? It’s just Maria here.”

“Right, Doc…Maria.” Lukas swam out of his room and headed up the pit’s wall to the second level. There were three caves in the wall and there was one cave that had pink bubbles coming out. “Erm, Mistress?” asked Lukas.

“In here,” sang Calliope’s voice from the cave with the pink bubbles. Lukas swam into the cave and gasped, quickly turning his back. The cave was a bathroom with a pit filled with pink bubbles and Calliope resting in the bubbles. “Come in, come in,” cooed Calliope.

“I…I didn’t mean to-!” stammered Lukas.

“Oh, there’s no reason to be embarrassed,” soothed Calliope. “We’re all friends here. We’ve all gotten naked before.”

“…Y…You’re fine with me looking at you?” asked Lukas.

“Of course. I know you. You value a woman’s desires, don’t you? As Lukas turned, she hoisted herself up just enough as her tentacles crawled out of the bath. “Indulge me, won’t you? Join me in my bath.”

“…Y-Yes, Mistress,” replied Lukas as he let one of Calliope’s tentacles guide him into the bath. Since they were swimming in water, the liquid used for cleaning was more dense and allowed for bubbles when heated. And the bath felt nice and warm to Lukas. He relaxed almost immediately the instant the fins on the end of his tail touched the bubbles. He simply slid down into the bath pit and sighed. Calliope then wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “…Is this the labor?” he asked.

“No, but it should help you accomplish the labor,” replied Calliope. “I want you to tell me honestly, what do you get out of this arrangement?”

“…Well, that’s a bit of a story,” remarked Lukas. “But to make a long story short, I…I want to be a femboy that never gets ridiculed for being demure. I…I want to serve a powerful lady like you and…well…I want to be accepted for it.”

“But you feel trapped, no powerful lady wants a weak servant boy that likes dressing as a girl,” guessed Calliope.

“Yes, Mistress. And…well…I kind of want that bit of romance too. That a powerful lady will fall in love with me because I’m a demure serving femboy, not despite it.”

“Interesting. …Well, I think you’ve chosen the right path for that, sweet Lukas. Once you complete your third labor to me, then I can properly tailor the remaining nine to helping you fulfill that wish.”

“Wh…What IS the third labor, Mistress?” asked Lukas.

“You’ll find out next month,” replied Ssylphiel. “For now…tell me, how does the bath feel?”

“…Well…it’s very nice,” sighed Lukas happily. “And…well…bathing with you, it’s…it’s rather…lovely.”

“Then what say you join me in the bath as long as you’re here?”

“Y-You mean it?!”

“I do.” Lukas then surprised Calliope by hugging her. He then sensed the impropriety and released her.

“S-Sorry!” he said. “I-!”

“No reason to apologize,” soothed Calliope as she wrapped a tentacle around his chest and stroked his head. “I quite like it.” Lukas stared into her eyes, entranced by the beauty before him.

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

The Offer

A merman swam through the open waters of Aquarinix, the Undersea Empire. The open waters were said to be dangerous. So far, all he met were the usual animals that would make a meal out of him. But there was one that was far more dangerous, not a mindless animal, but one that could think and feel as he does. And it was his odd decision to go visit this person. Why? Because this person was a powerful sea witch, able to grant wishes, as long as you could pay her price. And there was a long standing price that was said to be beyond anyone’s ability to fulfill. The merman swam and swam…until he found a massive pit with several layers. He knew there WAS a bottom as light was coming up, he just couldn’t see how far down it was. He then cleared his throat as he swam down a couple of layers. “Erm, Madame Calliope?” he called. “M-My name is Lukas. I-I saw your ad for upstaging S-S-Ssylphiel. I…I wanted to help you fulfill it.” He then felt a presence. He turned to see a Cecaelia woman with blue skin and black tentacles glide down from the second level from the top of the pit. She had a grin on her face as her tentacles pulled her along the rocky floor.

“What would you have me do to upstage Ssylphiel, my lovely?” she asked, Lukas now noticing her eyes were not normal.

“I-I-I…I would…ask that you…let me serve you!” he said, using the phrase that indicated he had read the ad.

“Good…good,” purred Calliope as her tentacles coiled around the merman. “Now, the details. I shall grant you any wish you want, but you must complete twelve labors for me.”

“Y-Yes, Mistress!” replied Lukas.

“The first labor is quite simple, you will stay with me here in my lair,” explained Calliope. “But, in order to make sure you’re sure…” She then summoned a piece of parchment. “All I need is your signature.” Lukas read the parchment. It was a contract, stating that he willingly puts himself into the service of Calliope for twelve labors in exchange for his heart’s desire being granted. Any attempt to flee would land him 100 years in her garden. Lukas then signed his name. “Lukas,” purred Calliope. “A lovely name. So, what say you to the first labor of staying in my lair?”

“E-Easy, Mistress,” replied Lukas.

“Be warned, you may find the remaining eleven hard.” Calliope grinned. “Best be sure you’re ready, because you are mine now.”

“Y-Yes, Mistress,” answered Lukas.

“Good. …Now…let’s get you set up here.” Calliope beckoned for Lukas to follow her as she swam deeper into the pit that was her lair. As Lukas followed, he saw many polyps. Once they got to the bottom, Lukas could see an empty room. “Here, Lukas, is where those who took up my offer would rest. Pray make yourself comfortable.” Lukas bowed respectfully and entered the room. As Calliope swam away, he thought back to what drove him to serve her in the first place. …He hoped he could continue serving her after completing all the labors.

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Ssylphiel's Kingdom The Year of Ssylphiel

Mama’s Visit

Ssylphiel, Bea, and the Order of Hissteria were rather busy. They spent the entire previous week getting everything cleaned. “Okay, let’s see, all that’s left is the-!” she said to Bea as she checked a list, then an Elf girl approached her.

“She’s here!” warned the Elf.

“NOW?!” yelped Ssylphiel. “B-But the throne room-!”

“Don’t worry about that, Mama,” said Bea. “Frannie and I already took care of that.”

“You’re a sweet girl, Bea!” said Ssylphiel as she kissed her daughter’s forehead. She then slithered off to the palace gates at top speed. She arrived just in time as the gates opened to reveal a Divine Naga. She wore glasses mainly for show as members of Divine Races didn’t suffer any physical disabilities.

“SSYLPHIEL!” greeted the new Naga in a motherly tone.

“Welcome, Mama!” replied Ssylphiel as she hugged the new Naga. Yes, this was her mother. The naga’s full title is Coilzette Mentalia Goldcoil, God-Queen of the Lands of Coilusia, Keeper of the Legacy of Hypnosius, and Defeater of Gralvak the Terrible.

“Ooh, it’s been too long, Ssylphiel!” said Coilzette. “I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier, but the Sons of Gralvak were harassing my people.”

“I heard about that,” replied Ssylphiel, “so I had some of my troops assist yours.”

“I thought I saw your troops that day! Thanks for the help! OOH! I heard you actually signed a peace treaty with Orkalist!”

“That I did!” confirmed Ssylphiel as she and Coilzette entered the palace. “Delilah took command and got her troops to stand down, so I could afford to do the same with my own.”

“Did you ever figure out why the war started between you and Orkalist?” asked Coilzette. Ssylphiel face-palmed.

“…Apparently, Throzgar had thin skin. Remember that prank I pulled on him 5,000 years ago?”

“Now, Ssylphiel, I DID warn you some politicians can only make ‘jokes’. You needed to be the bigger woman and call him out on that.”

“Can’t really do that now, what with him dying at Delilah’s hand in my throne room.”

“So that’s why her dress and hair flower are black. Delilah seized command.”

“Grandma!” called Bea’s voice.

“Sweet Bea!” cheered Coilzette as Bea arrived. She pulled the Bunny Girl Naga into a hug. “Ooh, it’s so good to see you! How are you doing?”

“Doing great, Grandma!” replied Bea. “Mama’s been teaching me the Goldcoil Belly Dances!”

“…This early?” Coilzette muttered to Ssylphiel.

“You taught me those dances when I was only 13, Mama,” replied Ssylphiel. “Besides, you didn’t have me perform until I was 21, I’m doing the same with Bea.”

“Okay, fair enough,” replied Coilzette.

“Ooh, Mom! I almost forgot!” Ssylphiel clapped her hands and two Hissteria girls brought forth a box. “Happy Mother’s Day, Mama!”

“Oh, you didn’t need to get me anything!” said Coilzette. “Me seeing you is gift enough!”

“I know, but I still wanted to show my appreciation,” replied Ssylphiel. Coilzette opened the box and gasped.

“The Pearl of the Seas!” she said as she held the pearl in her hands. It was as big as a man’s fist, meaning it was just small enough for a hairstick decoration for Coilzette, given her size. “I’ve always wanted to go under the waves! Oh, thank you, Ssylphiel!”

“And there’s another mother that needs to be thanked too,” said Bea.

“…There is?” asked Ssylphiel. “But I only have one moth-.”

“I’m talking about you, Mama,” said Bea. “Happy Mother’s Day.” She presented a box to Ssylphiel.

“Oh! Thank you!” bid Ssylphiel happily. She was so wrapped up in showing how much she appreciated Coilzette for raising her, she forgot she was a mom herself! She opened her box and gasped. “Anacassandra’s Portal Bracelet!” she whispered. “She can’t make her usual getaways! How did you-?!”

“Easiest thing I ever got from her,” replied Bea. “She saw me once in the market square of her realm and fled, dropping it in the process!” The three Divine Naga women shared a laugh.

“I always knew she was clumsy!” laughed Coilzette.

“Clumsy AND stupid!” cackled Ssylphiel. The Divine Nagas then wound down their laughter. “…How’s Papa these days?”

“…Your father,” said Coilzette, “has Anacassandra on the run. She’s cornered, but I’m expecting help from him.”

“Then it’s almost time to carve up her Queendom,” said Ssylphiel. “Bea, you remember what Grandpa William said? About you getting the grasslands?”

“Let’s help Grandpa first, THEN we’ll discuss how to divide up Anacassandra’s Queendom,” replied Bea.

“Good idea,” said Ssylphiel.