by S. K Munt
‘Longed?’ Callie echoed. ‘But not anymore?’
He grimaced. ‘You have some stiff competition now, Callie...’
‘Imogen, right?’
Ardos nodded. ‘She’s one-’
‘So what does she represent?’
‘Imogen is the Muse of the written word.’ Ardos said. ‘And Urania-’
‘The written word?!’ Callie squeaked, getting to her knees. ‘That horrible blonde mutt is responsible for my favorite books?’
Ardos nodded, not looking surprised by her surprise. ‘More or less.’
Callie felt cheated. ‘I think I just gave up reading…’ she muttered.
Ardos laughed. ‘It wouldn’t be the first time. Imogen hasn’t sung a note in decades out of envy.’ He smiled fondly at her. ‘She’ll dance again, and you’ll read- for a Muse cannot ignore the creative energy for long, any kind. Still all of you are fiercely protective of your arts. Often, you can work together in harmony for The Harmony- but your fear of becoming irrelevant plagues you all since Polyhymnia’s fall, so you all strive to out-do the other now.’ He blew out a breath as though the entire situation exhausted him. ‘You were terrified of Oblivion, so instead of flitting between here and there as you always had, you started spending all of your time amongst the humans, touching as many lives as you could. Not just inspiring the craft but singling out artists with the potential to shine almost as gloriously as you do.’
‘So how did I go from that to-’ Callie indicated to her still-bleeding knee. ‘Roadkill on the Highway To Heaven?’
Ardos’s eyes filled with contrition, as though he felt bad for having began to tell a fairy tale with a bad ending. ‘You went too far.’ He said softly. ‘You broke a rule, Imogen suffered for it and you did not care. In fact, you already had your next conquest in mind. You would have been punished for it regardless, for The Harmony is very strict about keeping our lives balanced with the mortals but-’
‘Are you talking about Karma?’
‘More or less. But The Harmony is the source of faith. Of God. Of creation. Known as Gaia, Ala, The Lord- it is not one being but the very energy created by existence and interpreted differently by every culture to suit their own variations of faith and religion. As immortals, we have been blessed by The Harmony more than any other entity, and we must serve it first and foremost. There’s not much I can do, considering that I’m locked here in Helicon until you invite me along with you, but you and your sisters must help keep the balance by remaining balanced yourselves.’
‘In a Ten Commandments way?’ Callie asked.
‘It’s more instinctual than that. The Harmony is not something you can taste or touch or even talk to but it is omnipresent, omnipotent and everywhere. It is served by the justice systems the humans have in place and their religions and what they call morals and ethics and yes, Karma, but we immortals instinctively know what to do to contribute, and in your last few years on earth as Calliope you started, well, not walking a fine line between right and wrong but racing along it. If Imogen hadn’t demanded your punishment and your mother not consented, The Harmony would have taken matters into its own hands and probably have cast you into Oblivion anyway.’ He paused to say: ‘Not too long though. Just enough to punish you and vindicate Imogen.’
Callie was struggling to separate fact from fiction, feelings from foreboding. ‘So I sensed someone powerful and Imogen wanted me to flop for vengeance’s sake?’
Ardos made a face. ‘Imogen knew that you had sensed the birth of a very creative spirit- not an old soul like most musicians and artists are but a brand new soul; one who would never come to realize their potential without a lot of help from you, but would be able to change the world with your direct influence.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘Clio brought it to Imogen’s attention.’
‘Are all of my sisters so vindictive?’
Ardos chuckled. ‘Imogen and Clio have always been the worst troublemakers- after you-’ he tickled beneath her chin. ‘But your other sisters weren’t ganging up on you for fun, but to save you from yourself- which is why they charged your poor mother with the heinous task of evicting you from your true form.’
Callie absorbed that, wincing on the mother part. ‘So what were the terms of my sentence?’
‘You were sent to the earth as an infant, to grow and form bonds as a human would without your powers- but still with a Muse’s mission to complete. You had to find your protégé and make him fall in love with you- opening his heart and then breaking it.’ Callie’s mouth fell open and Ryan reached over to squeeze her hand. ‘Only when you had done so would you be restored to your true being. If you failed, you would live out your life as a human, die, and be made to repeat the same experience- until you succeeded.’
Callie’s eyebrows shot up. ‘I get why I need to be punished, but why my protégé too?’
‘It’s not punishment for him really, not if you succeed.’ Ardos smiled tightly. ‘The boy was destined to live a very privileged existence; one in which he would never have known hunger or fear. Born to loving parents who’d make sure that he’d never want for anything- sort of like you. Flippant, and over-zealous in his ambition.’ Ardos’s eyes met hers. ‘In short; the exact kind of upbringing which culls creative flow- discourages it. He would have loved music regardless of your presence, but he probably would never have never tapped into his true gifts; ending up as an entertainment lawyer or producer instead; contributing, but not in a meaningful way.’
‘But if I broke his heart…?’
‘He would have known pain. Loss. Fear. Sorrow. And he would have blossomed from it- while you would have returned to us as your true self after having been forced to feel something again, proving that music still has the ability to inspire something aside from the quest for Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N Roll.’
Callie stared hard at Ardos. ‘My ward… are you talking about Hunter, or Ryan?’
Ardos looked pained. ‘From what Clio has dredged from your consciousness, I believe that it is the one named Hunter. Ryan is an impressive musician, but he would have been so regardless of your presence. With you there, he probably would have gone further, and dug deeper- but without you, Hunter is certainly going to swerve off the path to what might have been a magnificent destiny.’
‘Oh.’ Callie looked down at her hands, chewing on that, despairing that wonderful, talented Ryan was not destined for the greatness Hunter was, while feeling mollified that her instincts about Hunter had been spot-on. ‘And that would have hurt me?’
‘You know the answer to that- I can see that you’re grieving for the loss of Hunter as we speak as a human, while the Muse side of you is worried sick about his career.’
Callie felt tears prick her eyes, for he was right. ‘I can’t believe my own family- my own mother…’ her lip trembled. ‘I must be so hateful to deserve that!’
Ryan brushed her hair out of her face. ‘No darling… no. In fact, you were always sort of Memoria’s favorite- I suspect that she took your memory to protect you, not to add to your punishment. No one asked for that, not even Imogen.’
‘Why?’
‘Hurting Hunter would have caused you distress with a human heart, even if you’d known about your mission-’ he stroked her hair again. ‘But knowing what you’d done to Imogen in that form? It might have actually damaged you irrevocably.’
Callie rested her forehead in the palm of her hand. If it was that bad, no wonder Imogen seemed intent on her remembering! ‘Will you tell me what I did to Imogen?’
‘No. It’s not my place, and I want this to be as easy on you as it can be.’ He sighed. ‘Imogen wants you to feel her hurt, but I don’t, not when you’re so vulnerable. She was hoping that you would fall madly in love with Hunter and give him your heart- but that’s my idea of a nightmare.’
‘Are you the jealous type?’ Callie asked.
‘Yes.’ He said darkly. ‘But it’s more complex than that. The thing is Callie, that Muses only exist for their craft. Yo
u have been given so much power, so much joy, as a direct result of how much you give and inspire in return. And you can only give that when music and dance are your heart’s only priority.’ He swallowed. ‘If you decided to give your heart away to a human man, selfishly putting yourself above all else -you would die. As a Muse and a human. That rule pre-dates even my existence and Imogen is hoping you break it but I couldn’t stand to lose you. That’s where she is selfish and unkind, and why I am tying to shield you from your memories, keep you strong so you don’t give your heart away believing that it’s worthless.’
Callie jumped to her feet. ‘So you’re telling me that I have this universal mission to help keep the creative world turning but because I made one mistake, my sister wants me and all I stand for wiped from the face of the earth?’ Her heart was shaking like a storm door during a tornado. She thought of how deeply she had come to care for Hunter. Had she almost perished as a result? ‘If you’re so crazy about me then why agree to the terms of her stupid curse in the first place? You or this Memoria woman? Death isn’t a slap on the wrist!’
Ardos jumped up. ‘Please calm down. You wouldn’t be gone forever-’ He clutched at Callie’s wrists, his eyes pleading with her to hear him out. ‘Your human body -this, would have died if you’d given your heart away. Your body and soul would have split- your human body perishing on earth, your soul going to Oblivion, your true form; the divine equivalent of both combined that belongs here, would be absent, and your influence would be diminished everywhere for exactly one moment.’
Callie’s posture relaxed somewhat. ‘Only for one moment? That doesn’t sound so bad then.’
‘A lot can happen in one moment Callie, which you would know if you remembered what you did to get yourself into this mess in the first place.’ He paused. ‘After the Imogen incident, you were detained here and robbed of your powers- grounded you might say and for a while, there was no Muse of Music; here or on earth. You were furious- and Disco truly did suck.’ Callie gave him a lethal look but Ardos continued to look amused as he went on: ‘Anyway, the lack of your influence was felt immediately and if you are sucked into Oblivion, it will be again. Musicians everywhere will put down their instruments or have dreamless sleeps, singers would cancel concerts for feeling out of sorts or uninspired, babies who were supposed to be born to pursue a musical destiny would be born into a world without purpose, and for one moment people wouldn’t hum or dance… the world would go on and they would not even notice, and that would tear you apart and reduce you to nothingness. That is the only true death a Muse can know; the death of her soul.’
‘But only for a moment,’ Callie pressed. ‘Right?’
Ardos winced. ‘The initial death and its silence would be momentary, but afterwards, you would have to remain in Oblivion until you were willed back. It would be like being paralysed- and it could last for decades. That state of being is heaven to humans, but hell to your sisters- that’s why we call it Oblivion.’
Callie felt a chill run down her spine. ‘How can you know this?’
He fixed her with mournful golden eyes. ‘Because Callie, there were once nine Muses but only seven and a half remain corporeal. We are still waiting for your sister Lania to return, but her situation is almost completely hopeless. She was already disappearing when she gave her heart to her human lover and now, she is little more than atmosphere. But once, she was the one you all longed to be.’
Callie looked over her shoulder again, but saw nothing. ‘What was she the Muse of?’
Ardos looked pained. ‘The Muse of the Greek Gods.’
15.
Callie sucked in a breath to learn that the Greek Gods not only existed, but had become extinct. ‘Isn’t that what we are? Who we descend from? My mother and father…’ Callie tried to remember what Marnie had babbled about at the disco when talking about her history assignment. ‘Well my father was Zeus… right?’
‘Yes. And once he was omnipotent.’ Ardos looked genuinely saddened. ‘But people stopped believing in them centuries ago, Calliope and then they began to blink out like bursting stars. Memoria, hung on the longest- your sisters stopped seeing her or even sensing her about a week ago, both here and on earth.’
Callie’s hand cupped her heart. ‘One week?’ She whispered hoarsely.
Ardos nodded sadly. ‘Yes it is bad timing; I wonder if she used the last of her energy to create the storms Clio told us plagued you these past few weeks, trying to bring you home for a final good-bye, hoping to trigger your memory, for I know that she left triggers there in hope that you’d find them.’
Callie was in complete shock. She’d always believed herself to be sweet and kind, so learning- no knowing that she wasn’t, that she had brought pain upon so many people, was the hardest fact about herself to swallow. Callie wasn’t low-key; she was cold and disconnected! She hadn’t run from Hunter and Ryan because she’d been upset that they wanted to use her; she’d run because she sensed on some level that she was using them. Perhaps she’d escaped death simply because Hunter had been the one to kiss her first, instead of the boy whose lyrics had moved her so much that she’d literally try to flee her emotions. What would have happened if Ryan had found her alone? Would she be in Oblivion? Or what if she’d given her body to Hunter the day before, and awoken wanting Ryan instead- would she be cured right now, for having hurt Hunter?
‘Kissed by a Muse…’ Callie whispered, mostly to herself, thinking of how possessed the boys had acted, how possessed they’d made her feel.
‘Being kissed by a Muse is a powerful thing. If you were kissed…’ she felt Ardos’s Adam’s apple move against the top of her head. ‘That might have triggered whatever it was that sent you running into the storm.’
Callie’s tears fell faster. She’s wanted Ryan! But she’d given away her first kiss to Hunter in a moment of heat and sentimentality! Now she couldn’t have either and deserved neither- and it was her own fault!
‘Oh Calliope…’ Ardos nestled her against him. ‘Please don’t cry. When we find what triggers your memory, I will get you through what it reveals. And now that you know about Hunter, you will have your guard up- you’ll know only to give him the illusion of being close, and to keep your heart for yourself.’ He paused. ‘That is if you choose to return. You could always stay here, with me…’
‘Oh.’ Callie pulled back and looked up into Ardos’s face. He was handsome, so fair and light, the opposite of Ryan, but soft and humble, the opposite of Hunter. He was almost the best of both and yet nothing like either. She didn’t want him, not as anything more than a friend- but she would give him the chance to explain himself, to change her mind. ‘Is this when you tell me about the soul mate thing?’
Ardos smiled down at her. ‘I’ve already told you so much Callie and I can see that it’s overwhelming you. What if we just enjoy one another’s company for a while? After we’ve eaten and rested and you’ve allowed everything else to sink in, I’ll tell you how I factor into this.’ He stepped away away from her and held out his hand for her to grasp. ‘For now, I’m very much enjoying the way you’re looking at me; like you’ve never seen me before.’ He blushed, and it was glorious. ‘After several millennia of waiting to turn your head, I would love a fresh start.’
Callie smiled shyly at him and placed her hands in Ardos’s, trying not to think about how perfectly wrong it felt to touch fingers not calloused by guitar strings.
*
Calliope was awoken by a soft, cool hand pressing against her mouth. Her eyes flew open, and though she’d sleepily expected to find Imogen staring angrily down at her, she was looking into the eyes of one of the other Muses- the one from the river. She frowned and tried to talk, but the girl- whose wide dark eyes were glittering brightly in the milky light, shook her head, brought her other finger to her lips and motioned for Calliope to follow her.
Callie glanced at Ardos over her shoulder. After spending a second day together, discussing little of anything, merely existing and explori
ng the landscape of their imaginations, they had fallen asleep under the gazebo. Callie was reluctant to leave his warm, comforting presence- it was nice to be around someone who demanded nothing of her- but the girl’s secretive manner had her intrigued and so she rose and followed her across the moonlit grass, assessing her hasty ‘sister’ as she stumbled over the unfamiliar rolling lawn, noting that the other girl seemed to shimmer and vanish at times like a moonlit mirage.
But it wasn’t until they’d neared the edge of a large cliff face that the girl finally turned around and smiled with tight, anxious eyes. ‘Okay, no one should hear us here...’
Callie halted, several feet from the edge of the mountain, feeling unease swell within her again. ‘Are you one of the sisters who hate me?’
The girl laughed. ‘None of us hate you, Calliope. Not even Imogen. She’s just really, really pissed off.’ The girl clasped Callie’s hands. She had dark hair, but she looked as human as Callie- plain in comparison to their sisters, though her skin was cooler to touch. ‘I am one of the irrelevant Muses, sister. I might only have years left before I vanish and even if I didn’t like you, I would not wish this fate upon anyone.’
Callie blinked. ‘You’re not Lania are you?’
But the girl shook her head. ‘Lania is gone. I am Hendra, Muse of war.’
Callie’s returning grip on her sister’s hands went limp. ‘War?’
Hendra’s chin lifted almost regally. ‘It is not as it sounds, Calliope. Once, you understood me better than anyone. Wars are a hateful, ugly business but they were necessary to get the civilizations who flourished from them to the point where they might flourish,’ she sighed. ‘But Raina’s purpose has all but obliterated mine…’
Calliope raised an eyebrow. ‘And Raina is the Muse of…?’