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      MYTHEROTICA

      Adventures of Love & Legend

      KERRY GREENWOOD

      Mytherotica

       Adventures in Love & Legend

      Tales of love and lust between heroic men of the human and no-so human kind.

      Kerry Greenwood's take on a host of myths, legends and fairy tales are all imbued with a wonderful sense of time and place.

      There may be vampires, minotaurs, wolves, selkies and wizards in these pages but they all add up to a wonderful collection of happy-ever-after male-male love stories.

      The third in a 3-book series, following Herotica:Adventures in Love & Time vols 1 & 2. Mytherotica explores myth and legend in 23 stories of adventure, romance, lust, and above all love.

      Kerry Greenwood – the creator of the fabulous Phryne Fisher - is also the author, for Clan Destine Press, of Out of the Black Land; the Delphic Women trilogy: Medea, Cassandra and Electra; and Salmancis.

      AN ALTERNATE GENESIS

      It is a very beautiful garden,’ replied Adam. God spoke to him from a cloud, inhabiting the peach tree. Adam bit into a peach, and juice trickled down his chin. It was perfect. Everything in the Garden of Eden was perfect. And Adam knew all of it.

      ‘Then why are you sad?’ asked God.

      ‘I’m lonely,’ said Adam. ‘I need a companion.’

      ‘Sleep,’ said God, and Adam lay down on the emerald turf. God extracted a rib from him and formed his counterpart: a wide-hipped, generous woman, with red lips and soft breasts. Adam, woken from his dream, embraced her instantly.

      God saw that it was good, and took his leave as they lay down together.

      He came into the garden a week later – he had invented weeks, as well – and saw Adam kicking a tree with his bare foot. The woman, Eve, was sitting in an angry cross-legged heap on the grass.

      ‘What is wrong?’ asked God.

      ‘This woman you made me, she’s too foreign,’ cried Adam. ‘I don’t know how she works, I don’t know how she thinks – all that we have in common is that our bits fit together!’

      ‘What do you want me to do, Adam?’ asked God.

      ‘Give me a real companion,’ said Adam.

      And Eve looked up at God and said,‘Give me one too! I’ll lie down with him to conceive, because you tell me that I must, so there will be more women, but I want a companion, too!’

      Very well,’ sighed God, and cast them into another sleep. Out of Adam’s other rib he made a man, and out of Eve’s rib he made a woman.

      The woman was intransigent. She uncurled from her sitting posture and demanded, ‘Is this her?’

      ‘It is,’ said God. He felt an itch in his smiting finger. ‘Be happy with her, for I’ll make no more humans.’

      ‘My name is Lilith,’ said the newly created woman. ‘Come to my arms.’

      Eve nestled into her bosomy embrace and laughed with joy.

      ‘And for me?’ asked Adam.

      ‘His name is Steve,’ said God. ‘Be content with him, and stay away from my tree of knowledge, and we will all be happy.’

      And God left, wondering if creating the higher mammals had been all that good of a divine idea. The gorillas were agreeable enough, and they didn’t argue with him.

      Adam took his Steve by the hands and looked at him. A body like his own, smooth and supple; a face like his own, square and heavy browed; and a phallus already showing signs of interest. Now there was a sign which could not be misconstrued. He lay down with him on the emerald grass and kissed the soft mouth. He heard giggling and gasping from Eve and Lilith.

      Everything in the garden was rosy until everyone got hungry. And decided that what they really needed for dessert was apple pie.

      It really went downhill from there, and the original story was lost in translation.

      ANDROMEDA AND THE SEA MONSTER

      Of course, he couldn’t let her do it. Androphilos grabbed his sister Andromeda in a hard grip by both shoulders.

      ‘You are not going to be chained to a rock to be eaten by a sea monster,’ he said in a low, firm voice.

      ‘But Poseidon will destroy Ilium if I don’t!’ she protested.

      ‘So I will go in your place,’ he concluded. ‘You will stay here, marry your Danaos, and be very happy. Agree,’ he said, shaking her a little and making her earrings jingle. She was his favourite sister. ‘Or I shall lock you up and go anyway. I would rather go with your blessing, sister.’

      ‘Of course,’ she said, and leaned into his embrace. ‘But Father will not allow it.’

      ‘Father will not know of it. You give me your gown, your earrings and your black veil. We are about the same size. Those craven priests won’t look at their victim. They’ll just chain me and flee into the city. Now, hurry up, they’ll be coming in a minute. See if you can secure my scabbard so it lies along my spine.’

      He had shed garments and his sister donned his as she fastened the sword belt, clothed him in her gown and jewellery, and draped the black veil over his head. He bent his neck and clasped his hands, a picture of maidenly resignation. Andromeda gave him a fast, assessing look. He was slight and stood correctly, the sword was not visible, and - she suppressed an inappropriate giggle - he qualified otherwise as well. Everyone knew that Andros would never touch a woman. Men, yes, enthusiastically, but no maiden’s virtue had ever suffered from his attentions. Despite their best efforts. He caught what she was thinking, and giggled anyway. They both burst out laughing and had to sit down.

      The couch faced a balcony that looked out on the great cliffs. Men were fixing chains into the rocks. That sight sobered them.

      ‘Don’t mourn,’ said Androphilos. ‘This will either work, in which case there is no need to be sorry, or not work, in which case you will be next. So pray to the Gods for me, sister, and let Fate decide.’

      ‘The trouble with Fate is that she has a strange sense of humour,’ muttered Andromeda. But she kissed him and left him to hide in her bedchamber, while the priests came and took Androphilos away. She could see him from the window, walking with dainty steps to the cliff and allowing his wrist to be secured. Excellent. That gave him one hand free. He was an excellent swordsman. His ploy might, after all, work.

      Standing on a cliff waiting for a sea monster to arise and swallow one whole was a thought nerve-wracking, Androphilos considered. He looked back at Andromeda’s window, hoping that she hadn’t revealed her presence, and saw her watching, a tiny pale oval. It had been a good life, now he thought about it. A little aimless, but pleasant. As the King’s son he had been given as many lovers as he wanted, the best of food and wine, a soft place to sleep. A short life, but a good one. And at least he could give the sea monster a fight before it killed him. That ought to satisfy Poseidon’s demands. The visitation of the monster was a punishment of the whole city of Ilium because of some religious rivalry amongst priests which had closed the temple of the Sea God, thus incurring his wrath. The God had required the sacrifice of King Tros’ virgin daughter. In most respects, that was what was being provided.

      Androphilos yawned. A few birds landed on his ledge. Some had thoughtfully brought their breakfast, clams and oysters in their shells. They made a good meal, plucking out the flesh and gobbling it. Then they took off in a cloud, screaming a warning.

      Androphilos flinched as a dreadful creature arose from the sea. It was bluish, tentacled, and

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