Page 51 of Phoenix Chosen 3

“Gay!” he says again. “Homosexual? Queer? Come on. Are you fucking with me?”

“Not yet,” I say with a smirk, and he punches my arm.

“Seriously, guys. You guys are gay, I’m gay, we’re all gay here.” Then his eyes widen like he’s just hit with an epiphany of epic proportions. “We’re all gay here.Oh my god. You guys don’t have a word for it.”

“For the sake of the gods, what is ageii?” I say frustratedly.

“It means, a man who is only into other men,” Tyler says. “Dudes who fuck dudes.”

Airos and I look at each other. I am still confused, but Airos seems to have understood.

“You’re saying that in Gaea, this is… not normal?” Airos asks.

“Depends on who you ask,” Tyler says. “My parents definitely didn’t think so.”

“Hold on,” I say. “He doesn’t want sex? I don’t understand.”

“Not with a dude,” Tyler says. “At least, that’s what he claims.”

“Then… who does he want to fuck?” I ask.

Airos sighs. “Awoman, Kalistratos. Only a woman.”

Only a woman?

“What a very strange human,” I say.

“Are you certain he is not one of thesegeii?” Airos asks.

“Hereallywanted me to know he’s not,” Tyler says. “And in my experience, that means there’s a non-zero chance Jackson dreams about sucking cock at night. For some dudes, all it takes is the right man. Or the right situation. Or he’s straight. I dunno.”

“Intriguing.”

“Strange,” I say.

Tyler and I split from Airos to use the largest pool a short climb above the cave entrance. The sun has drifted from the sky, revealing the face of a bright, full moon that makes strange shadows out of the pockmarked and cratered hillside. A cloud of acrid steam drifts over us from a nearby hell tunnel. If only it smelled like Coke. Gods, how I crave that life-giving nectar.

My thoughts return to my lost friend. I had quietly convinced myself we would find Alyx here, or at least something left to tell us where he’s gone. But there’s nothing, not even a sign that he’s been through this way at all. I don’t understand why he would’ve gone west and not stopped at Aelonos to search for us. It’s what I would’ve done.

But what if he was following a new discovery? What if he’d uncovered another clue in the location of the Great Phoenix’s temple?

Or what if he was sent on a false trail?

Since meeting the Great Phoenix, my eyes have been opened to the growing darkness in our realm. I feel Umbrios everywhere and see his influence upon Circeana. He is a god of shadow, and his reach doesn’t end at the Phoenikos clan. It touches the hearts of all who exist here. It diminishes the voices of all the other gods and brings malice, jealousy, doubt, and fear to the world. And he’s been whispering his darkness for centuries.

I hope Alyx is alright. That bastard better be alive, or I’m going to kick his furry ass.

Tyler and I approach the steaming pool. Slipping out of his sandals, he steps gingerly over the rocky ground and unclips his chiton at the shoulder. It falls to the ground, and the sudden reveal of his naked body snaps my focus back to the present.

He crouches at the edge of the pool, tests the water with his hand, and sucks air through his teeth. “Phew, that’s hot.”

He removes the sling cradling our egg from over his head, carefully sets the precious thing onto his chiton, and then, slowly, turns his hips and pushes one foot into the water. The moonlight gleams on its surface and makes Tyler’s skin glow while carving out deep black shadows along the ridges of his muscles. I’m still pent up from the excitement in the wagon. My cock doesn’t waste any time expressing its appreciation for this gorgeous sight before me.

Tyler turns to me. “You gonna just stand there, or are you—oh. Hello.” He grins. “You know, I saw the way your dick was swinging around when we were going up against Jackson.”

“That was all your fault,” I laugh.

He lowers himself into the water, then, taking hold of the bottom hem of my robe, pulls me to him. My cock, lifting the front of the fabric, waves over his upturned face. Though Tyler has become sun-kissed in the time we’ve been together, the flesh concealed by his clothing is still pale like milk. I watch as his body turns a shade of pink in the heat of the spring, and rivulets of sweat streak down his neck to his clavicle. He rests one hand on top of my foot, his fingers lightly gripping my ankle as he takes his other hand and pushes it beneath the heft of my erection.

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