In all of the years that Jody had followed her father around the world, traveling through the searing heat of a desert, or climbing through the traitorous undergrowth of some tropical jungle looking for the next great archeological discovery, she had never seen anything quite so magnificent. Deep within the uncharted jungles of Peru they had discovered the ruins of what appeared to be a palace, the lower half amazingly well intact. The greatest discovery of all was the baths at the bottom of a long staircase that led down into grown. A large room had been hollowed out, and a pool built over a natural mineral spring. The entire room was lined with marble, the walls covered in pictures of exotic looking women taking part in various activities, many of which were sexual in nature, and large carve marble pillars connected each corner of the pool to the ceiling.
The water in the pool was crystal clear, and although it was warmed but a thermal that ran beneath it, it was still cool enough to be relaxing in the tropical heat of the jungle. Jody had already spent many long hours documenting he pictures on the walls, and photographing every detail of the chamber. She was beginning to know the chamber better than she knew her own room at home, and probably spent more of her life in it.
Stepping out of her tent, Jody looked towards the rocks that marked the entrance to the cavern. A full moon hung brilliantly in the night sky overhead, illuminating the surrounding jungle with an eary glow and making the path to the cavern entrance very easy to follow. The night was hot and sticky, hardly a breeze penetrated the thick jungle canopy, and the mosquitoes seemed to be developing a taste for the repellants she covered her skin with. It was then that she happened upon an idea. As her father and the rest of the camp slept, she collected every candle she could find, and headed towards the cavern.
Shining her torch around the chamber, she made sure she was alone, then began lighting the candles and setting them randomly around the perimeter of the pool. The effect was increadabe. The light of dozens of candles made the water sparkle, ever ripple dancing before her eyes and taking her breath away with their beauty. Shedding her clothing, her long dark hair streaming down her back, she stepped carefully down the ancient steps into the water. Without a sound, she slipped beneath the surface and swam the length of the pool, propping herself up on a step at the other end, leaning back against the edge of the pool and drifting off into a relaxed slumber.
Jody wasn’t sure what it was that brought her attention back to her surroundings. It might have been the sudden cold air the filled the cavern, or might have been the feeling of being watched, but what ever it was, she was glad of it. It the other end of the pool stood a man, his tall, well formed body outlined by the moonlight that stole it’s way through the entrance for the few moments that it passed over just the right point in the sky. Jody dropped back into the water, covering her body with water and watched as the man unwrap the length of cloth from around his lions that was his only clothing, and letting it drop to the floor.
