“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.