Category: The Labors of Calliope

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Two White Pearls of Victory

“Aaaannnddd…there!” said Lukas as he fished out the second white pearl. “That’s it! That’s both pearls!” He swam back to the lair, eager to see the fruits of his labors! “Mistress! Mistress! I did it!” he called. “I have the pearls!”

“In the bedroom, Lukas!” called Calliope. Lukas swam to the bedroom to see Calliope putting finishing touches on something behind a screen. “Ah! Lukas! You’re early! Did you-?”

“Yes, Mistress! From two different oysters outside!” Lukas presented the pearls to Calliope.

“Ooh! Nice! Lukas, you did it! Just a second!” Calliope took the pearls with her behind the screen. Lights flashed and there were a few noises of concentration. “…YES!” Calliope swam out from behind the screen. “Lukas…your future awaits!” Calliope pulled the screen back and Lukas goggled, gasping in pleasant surprise!

Calliope had ordered everyone to gather in the commons level. “What’s going on?” muttered Sam.

“Must be important,” mused Maria. “…But why is she late to a meeting SHE called?”

“Had to build up tension, my dear Maria,” replied Calliope as she descended to the level with the natural grace of a Cecaelia.

“Boss, what’s this all about?” asked Sly.

“My dears, it’s about Lukas,” said Calliope with a smile. “As you all know, he’s been working to prove to us and himself that he’s capable of working for his own future. Well, let’s just say…he’s being unveiled today!” Calliope looked up to the bedroom. “Oh, Lovely Lukas!” she called. “Come on down and show us the fruits of your labors!”

“At once, Mistress!” replied Lukas. He then swam out. As he got nearer, everyone could see his new femboy outfit! Sea marigolds adorning the left side of his hair now grown out and teased at the bottom, a collar and armlets with crystals in them, a scale patterned skirt with sea wool petticoats making it horizontal, lipstick, eyeshadow, and eyelashes, all in shades of blue that complemented his tail.

“Whoa! Pretty boy, you look stunning!” said Sly.

“Oui, Monsieur Lukas!” agreed Faye. “Tu es belle!”

“Hoo boy! Beautiful femboy at twelve o’clock!” cheered Maria.

“Calliope, you better not lose him!” warned Sam. “He’s way too good to let out of your sight!”

“That’s right, my lovelies, he’s done them all!” announced Calliope happily as she coiled a tentacle down his tail and another one around his waist and up to his shoulder. “He’s proven that he’s capable of seizing his future! Lukas, as long as you wear that outfit, no one that opposes you will be able to give you grief! With your twelve labors accomplished, I hereby pronounce you, Lovely Lukas, as my femboy servant and lover for all eternity!”

“I look forward to serving and loving you forever, my beauteous and powerful mistress, Madame Calliope,” replied Lukas as he looked up at her. With that, Calliope pulled him up closer to her and publicly kissed him. Lukas enjoyed the cheers of his friends and coworkers. This was a perfect end to the year and the perfect start to a new life as the servile femboy lover he knew he wanted to be, especially to one as powerful as Madame Calliope.

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Three Blood Drops

Lukas swam up to the palace for his eleventh labor. The Royal Family was immortal, so he figured that they could help him with the blood drops. He was pretty sure that getting a drop of blood from himself or Calliope would be cheating. As he approached the gates, the guards crossed their tridents to stop him. “State your business,” said one.

“I-I wish to speak to the Royal Family,” stammered Lukas. “All of them. I-If they’re free, of course.”

“What purpose could you have with the Royal Family?” asked the other guard.

“P-Private business, s-started by my mistress, C-Calliope.”

“The Queen’s sister? …Very well.” The guards uncrossed their tridents.

“Th-Thank you, gentlemen.” Lukas swam past the guards and headed to the throne room.

Thankfully, Cassidy was with her husband and king, Davis, and their adopted princess, Sapphire. They were lounging on the throne, having completed all the duties they needed to perform that day. “…We haven’t had much of a vacation, have we?” asked Sapphire.

“…No, we really haven’t,” replied Davis. “…Maybe some tropical shores?”

“I know the perfect place,” said Cassidy. “The sun can even give a pale person a perfect tan without getting burned.”

“Well, let’s see when we-!” Davis’s declaration was interrupted when someone knocked on the throne room doors.

“…Never fails,” sighed Cassidy. She called out to the door. “Yes?”

“Y-Your Majesty, it’s Lukas,” came a voice.

“Lukas?” asked Davis.

“He’s performing some labors for Calliope,” explained Cassidy. “I guess he’s here to fulfill a new labor. Come in, Lukas!” Lukas entered the throne room.

“H-Hello, your Majesties, your Highness,” stammered Lukas.

“What brings you here, Lukas? A favor from my sister?” asked Cassidy.

“W-Well, somewhat. You see, I’ve completed ten labors for her, but…well…this new one involves…a drop of blood from three immortals, and-.”

“Is that all?” asked Sapphire. “Lukas, buddy, one drop of an Immortal’s blood is how you can make a potion of immortality. The inherent immortality in the blood makes it the key ingredient. If she was asking for a lot of our blood, then we’d be worried.”

“Castor!” called Davis. The Head Butler then swam in.

“Yes, your Majesty?” he asked.

“Get some blood drop collection equipment. Calliope’s new guy needs a drop from me and my family.”

“Very good, Sir.” Castor swam out.

“It’s really no trouble?” asked Lukas.

“One drop of blood is no issue,” assured Davis. “Now, if we were divine, then we’d need to give you six drops of blood each to keep the inherent divinity fresh.”

“Thank you so much, My Lord and Ladies,” said Lukas.

“Lukas, if I didn’t know any better,” mused Cassidy, “I’d say you were crushing on my sister.”

“…W-well…you’re…very perceptive,” admitted Lukas. “My greatest wish is to be a servile femboy for a powerful lady that…that would want me as that, romantically.”

“A servant and a lover, hm? That’s your heart’s desire?” asked Davis.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Davis smiled.

“How far along are you?”

“Well, this is my eleventh labor, Your Majesty. And she’s been asking me what my future as a servile femboy looks like, even my future outfit. …I think she wants me to stay with her. …Gods, I personally hope so.”

“Well, I wish you luck in that,” said Cassidy.

After retrieving the blood drops, Lukas returned to the lair, his new home. “Mistress!” he called. “Got the blood drops!”

“Excellent! Where did you go to get them?” asked Calliope.

“…Th…The palace,” replied Lukas.

“Got them from my sister and her family, excellent!” She collected the containers with the blood drops and shone a light under them. “Yep, that’s them all right! What say we have ourselves a little bath?”

“Of course, Mistress. …But I DO have some questions that need an answer.”

“Oh? And what would those questions be?”

“I…I would like to continue serving you, Mistress,” said Lukas. “…But I…I’d also like to be your…your lover…if…”

“…Lukas, the others already guessed my motives for you,” said Calliope. “Believe me, I’d love to have you as my lover, but I’ve been burned before by people that weren’t honest to me about themselves. That’s what I look for in a partner.”

“Then I’ll finish the last labor and prove I’m being sincere!” declared Lukas. “I’ll prove to you that I want to be your servile femboy as well as your lover!” Calliope smiled.

“I’m rooting for you to succeed, Lovely Lukas,” she said as she booped his nose. “Now, I promised us a bath. Let’s go take it, hm?” She and Lukas headed to the bathroom, eager for Lukas to complete his last labor.

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Calliope's Lair The Labors of Calliope

Four Earth Samples

Lukas had just finished collecting earth from four different continents. While merfolk can walk on land as easily as humans, using tentacles, slithering, or using fins, they needed to be hydrated. Lukas was given a special pendant that used the moisture of the air to keep him hydrated. “There! That’s all four!” He looked at his pendant and saw that the glow was only half as bright as before. “…Huh. I guess this thing runs better than Calliope thought. I’ll have to tell her.”

“Tell who what, escaper?” hissed a voice. Lukas froze. He turned to see a dark-robed mermaid cracking her knuckles.

“…Sea-storm!” he whispered.

“You didn’t return to us for too long, Miner 746!” hissed his tormentor, Megan Sea-storm. “You will return to us for punishment!”

“…No!” he said defiantly.

“Oh, a bit of defiance, huh? I’ll personally beat it out of you!”

“You never did value your own freedom! Your power granted to you!” said Lukas.

“What could you possibly know?” scoffed Megan. At that point, Lukas decided to get serious.

“That Sly and Maria are hunting you!” Megan stopped.

“…How do you know those names?” she demanded.

“Let’s just say I now serve a mighty beast, the same mighty beast you pricked the side of and failed to run away from. Really, Megan, I admire your courage, I should like to admire it from afar.”

“You went to Calliope? She doesn’t know what I’m doing! She’s been ignorant of my activities for years!”

“You really think so? She’s very protective of those who work for her or are actively paying off their debts. Right now, she’s probably assigned Sly and Dr. Maria De La Mariana, her scouts, to find you. They’re probably ransacking your flunkies’ homes, poor devils.”

“You think she views what I did for our tribe as a breach of contract?”

“You think she doesn’t?” Lukas smirked. “If that particular sea witch is collecting on your debt to her, the Gods help you. And the Gods help those in her way.”

“Why?” demanded Megan.

“…Matron Sea-storm, all those stories you heard about her, they’re not stories. They’re true. Honestly, you’re not telling me you’re ignorant of what awaits you this month?”

“…I’ll see you back in the tribe! And you WILL return!” hissed Megan as she headed to the water.

“Our tribe’s home, the cave we mine, do you know why they call it Evil’s Retreat?” Megan turned back.

“How did you know the cave’s name?!” she demanded.

“A few of your goons are customers of Calliope’s currently serving in the Garden of Centuries,” replied Lukas. “They’ve each got about 50 years left in their sentence.”

“The cave’s name comes from some old saying,” scoffed Megan.

“The oldest, Megan. And a slight mistranslation. There shouldn’t be an apostrophe in Evils. The full sentence is ‘All Evils retreat when one good person goes to war’!” Megan said nothing and dove under the waves.

As Megan swam for home, she felt like she was being watched. She carefully reached for her sword, then Sly sprang from the rocks and grabbed her, wrapping his tail around the mermaid. “GET OFF ME, YOU BASTARD MORAY!” she shouted.

“Fat chance! You’re gonna pay for what you did to Lukas!” snarled Sly. Maria then swam out and opened a portal.

“Boss! We have her!” called Maria. Sly backed off as three of Calliope’s tentacles wrapped themselves around Megan and pulled her into the portal.

The lair was pitch-black, showing how angry Calliope was. She slammed Megan into a rock wall, forcing her to collapse to the lair’s floor. Megan looked up. All she could see were Calliope’s lips, hair, the underside of her tentacles, her sleeves, and her angry eyes. “I told you that I would grant you immortality and, in return, you would use it to help your tribe! You chose to abuse that gift!”

“I abused nothing! I did the right thing! I made people tough! I-!”

“YOU ENSLAVED YOUR TRIBE! YOU BROKE OUR CONTRACT! YOUR ENTIRE IDENTITY IS FORFEIT!” A swirling green light then surrounded Megan and a horrific transformation began. Her arms fused to her sides as her tail became green roots. Her chest shrunk into itself as her eyes bulged out and became yellow. Her teeth sunk into the gums as her vibrant green hair became a sickly gray-green. All she was now was a polyp with very rare distinguishing features. The ground opened up beneath her and she fell into deeper waters. “To the Garden of Loss with you!” said Calliope. “And may the Gods have mercy upon you because I have none!” The hole closed above Megan as she fell, condemned to lose all her features and her identity over a century, becoming a mindless filter-feeder in the dark.

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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.