by Crymsyn Hart
The other players grumbled and went back to playing. David pulled her away from the table a little bit. He smiled down at her. It was intoxication. She nearly lost herself in that smile. “You know I won’t hurt you. I would never dream of hurting Lugh. I know who he is, and all I want is one kiss. I promise it won’t hurt. Besides, it’s not all the time I get visited by beautiful women up here. I get many delicious thoughts of what the women would do if they were eating cheesecake. Now I just want one taste. I promise I won’t bite.” He leaned in. She was overwhelmed with the smell of vanilla. She licked her lips. She could almost taste him on her tongue. But to get what she needed she had to give in.
“All right.”
David leaned in and brushed her lips to his. They were soft like shaved chocolate with a hint of peppermint to them. She couldn’t resist his touch. A sense of peace came over her. Her arms wrapped around his neck. His arms entwined around her waist, forming her body to his. A moan built in her chest.
Oh, Kalliope, he whispered in her mind.
She was falling under his spell.
“You are a rare find in this world. You taste of cinnamon and lavender.” He pulled away, leaving her dumbfounded. When she came back to herself a wave of guilt washed over her. She had let herself enjoy the kiss from David. She was human and couldn’t help it. How could she clamp down on her emotions when it came to some gods that overwhelmed her senses? Lugh would understand, wouldn’t he? She was not about to sleep with the cheesecake god.
“Don’t feel guilty about the kiss. It’s to save the world, right? If you weren’t with Lugh, I would snatch you up myself.” He took her chin in his palm and brushed her lips with the tip of his thumb. “If this was another century, you could be another Helen and wars would be fought over you. If you ever need anything, dear lady, please let me know and I’ll be right there.”
“Thank you,” Kalliope whispered.
The god bowed and held out his hand. A cheesecake appeared. It looked to be made of pure chocolate with red strawberries on top of it. He handed it to her. Absently, she licked her lips. If she could, she would have eaten the whole thing in front of him. Her eyes were getting bigger than her stomach. Something heavy dropped on her head and bounced to the floor. It broke Kalliope from her daze. When she looked down she saw that it was an orange, a penis shaped one at that. Morgaine still had a sense of humor even when the world was coming to an end.
She saw Morgaine in her mind’s eye. Suddenly the cheesecake was gone from her hands and it had appeared before the sorceress.
“You see. All is not lost. Now, you should get those chains before the Haleys break out of the spell from the cheesecake. They are goddesses, so it will only last a few minutes.”
“Thank you.”
The god smiled again. “Not at all. Thank you. I’m sure I’ll see you again sometime, lovely witch. I’ll send your frog along later. Now, get to Avalon before anything happens.” He kissed her on the cheek. She began falling. When she opened her eyes, she was in Avalon.
Chapter Sixteen
She glanced around the room and saw the manacles lying on the floor where Aphrodite had dropped them. She picked them up. It made her wonder where Flidais was. She had not seen her when she had gone to get Lugh. She tried to focus on where the other goddess was, but she was not getting a reading anywhere. Kalliope hoped that her friend was okay.
“There you are!” Kalliope turned quickly enough and saw Theresa standing in the doorway. Her face knotted in pain. She was holding her lower back.
“Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay, Kal?”
“You’re having the babies, aren’t you?”
The pregnant woman nodded and clutched the doorframe. Her face strained from a contraction. Kalliope felt a sudden stab go through her body. She almost doubled over along with her friend. She bit her lip and held her ground. She went over to help her friend sit down. Once she touched her, she got a flash of the pain that Theresa was experiencing.
“How far along are you?” Kalliope asked.
“I don’t know. A few minutes. Time is different here. Kal, I gotta get to a hospital.”
A shower of oranges came down around Kalliope. All of them were penis shaped.
“What was that about?” Theresa straightened up and the contraction passed.
In Kalliope’s mind, she saw Morgaine licking the fork. She only had a few minutes from when the Furies ate it before the effects wore off. She looked at her best friend and a pang of guilt went through her. There wasn’t enough time to get Theresa to a hospital and then get back to the Furies.
“Theresa,” Kalliope paused and summoned the priestess with her mind. “I’m so sorry, but I have to save the world. I don’t have time to get you to a hospital. Don’t you want the twins to be born in a world free of mindless zombies eating bean curd?”
Her best friend looked shocked. “You… I… no way! I can’t have the babies here. It’s primitive. They have no drugs.” Two priestesses came in and bowed to Kalliope. She gave her friend a quick hug.
“I’m sorry. It’s not backwoods. Just think of all the years of knowledge here. It’s wonderful. I bet they have something better than drugs. The babies will have a touch of magick about them. Maybe when they’re older they’ll turn Stan into a frog for you.” Kalliope grabbed the chains and thought about Morgaine. She dashed through the door and appeared in a room that was a cross between a coffee shop and a pub. There was no one else in the place.
She watched the Haleys and almost laughed. They moved their hands in front of their faces slowly, obviously amazed at something. The snakes in their hair were hissing.
“Hey look! It’s the witchy witch Apollo wanted us to kidnap for him,” announced Haley Jo.
“Can we kidnap you, witchy witch?” Haley Anne asked.
“What is in the cheesecake?” Kalliope asked Morgaine. The sorceress shrugged.
“David has a thing for cheesecake. It’s his specialty. But if it’s anything to do with brownies, I don’t eat it.”
Kalliope noticed the piece of cheesecake in front of Morgaine’s place. There were fork marks in it and bits of cheesecake on the tines. The rest of the cheesecake had been devoured by the goddesses. There were only crumbs left on their plates. She shook her head at the high goddesses. “How was I supposed to know? I didn’t think anything of what he was putting in it.” She walked over and snapped a set of chains on two of the Haleys.
“Oh Haley Anne, aren’t these pretty bracelets!” said Haley Jo. She brought her hands up to her face and admired the metal. Kalliope tried not to laugh. Even otherworldly pot had the same effects on supernatural beings. She then snapped the second set of chains on the third goddess and connected her to the other wrist of the second Haley.
“How did you get them to trust you?”
The sorceress smirked and snapped her fingers. Before her stood Apollo. Kalliope backed away for a second on instinct. Excalibur came alive against her skin. The blade burned, waiting to be used, but the form wavered and underneath it she saw Morgaine.
“Apollo, look what the witchy witch did to us! Isn’t she mean? Can you let us out? Please? We thought you said you were going to take us someplace fun!” cried the Haleys in unison.
The fake Apollo smiled and walked over to the bound goddesses. “Ladies.” Kalliope was impressed that the sorceress even had the god’s voice down to pat. The sorceress ran a finger down Haley Anne’s cheek. All three of the goddesses shivered and sighed. “You enjoyed the cheesecake that I brought you. David made it especially for you. Now why don’t you follow me? I’ll bring you to a place where everything you have ever wanted will be yours.”
All three of them giggled. “What about the witchy witch? Don’t you want her out of the way?” Haley Jo asked.
“I have plans for her, all right.” Morgaine snapped her fingers. Chains appeared around her wrists. Kalliope was about to protest, but she saw the look that Morgaine gave her and shut right up. Just go
with it. It’s gonna take a lot of juice to get them to the Underworld from here. Those chains Hephaestus made will stop the magick wherever they touch. So I’m going to need your strength too.
Kalliope nodded.
“Ladies, please after you. I’ll take the witch with us. Hephaestus wants to have his way with her. I know he has some fun things planned.”
The Furies walked through the door. Morgaine grabbed Kalliope’s hand. At the moment their skin connected, a jolt ran up her hand from their combined power. A heat wave emitted out from the sorceress and her. Where the chains touched there seemed to be a rip in the heat wave. They blocked the magick from doing its job. At that moment, Kalliope felt her own strength siphon through her and push into Morgaine. She was encompassed in a golden glow. The goddess moved through the doorway of the pub along with her. There was a bright light she closed her eyes at. When she opened them, she stood in front of a large cave opening. The goddesses were on the ground. Morgaine leaned on a post of a dock that was on the river. The water was calm, but very red.
Kalliope surveyed the surroundings. She had been to this place before. Well not the exact place, she had been further away at the top of the valley. She looked up and saw the mountains surrounding the valley. A ring of clouds surrounded the highest of them. She assumed it was Mount Olympus. At one end of the valley there was the beginning of a large forest that stretched back and up some of the other mountains. If only everything was perfect. She heard a loud ring which brought her out of her thoughts. When she looked up, Morgaine rang a bell. With the vibration of the bell, the water grew choppy. The ground trembled underfoot. The quake was enough to wake the Haleys. When Haley Jo opened her eyes, she immediately closed them again. Her hand went up to her temples.
She smiled and slipped the handcuffs off that Morgaine had put on her which were loose anyway. “Too much partying?”
The Furies opened their eyes. The snakes bared their fangs. Some snapped at her. It was then they realized they were chained. “Where’s Apollo? What did you do? Why can’t we use our magick?” All of the goddesses asked at the same time.
“All in good time. Now, if I were you I’d get into the boat.” Morgaine gestured toward the dock.
“And what if we don’t?” Haley Bobby crossed her hands over her chest.
“Then my friend behind you will decide to have your hair for dinner.” The girls looked behind them and all cried when they heard a low growl. A very large mongoose growled at them. They all screamed and ran to the end of the dock. Kalliope smiled again to see the goddesses so terrified. It served them right for plotting to take over the world. A boat had just appeared. The red water lapped at its sides and sloshed over because it sat so low. The only passenger in the boat was a figure in a long, black, hooded robe that hung down over his face. In one hand he held a long pole. Kalliope patted the mongoose lightly and thought of the bullfrog, but he was still with the female frog David had created. She missed the green bug-eyed familiar. He had grown on her, but when she thought about conversing with other frogs, she still got the heebie-jeebies. Morgaine pushed the goddesses out of the way and climbed into the boat. She then tugged on the chains and watched the Haleys get in. Kalliope was last. The Ferrier extended his skeletal hand slowly, the bones creaking in his fingers. A cold chill passed through her. A sense of dread crawled up her spine. Kalliope might not have known lots about Greek Mythology, but instinctively she knew that the Ferrier was Charon, the Ferryman who brought souls across the River Styx into the Underworld. He wanted a coin for their passage. Kalliope closed her eyes and prayed her magick would not have a mind of its own. In an instant something heavy and cool landed in her palm. It was a silver coin that was old, worn, and about the size of a half dollar. She placed it in Charon’s boney fingers. The Ferryman looked out from under his hood. Underneath it she got a glimpse of a skull and red eyes. She swallowed and looked down toward the water.
The boat lurched forward. They were traveling much faster than she figured they could. There was no engine. Magick always worked in strange ways. Look at what it had been doing with her life lately.
“Four hundred bicorn power. It’s the fastest on the market.”
Kalliope looked up. Morgaine and the goddesses had said nothing. She glanced at Charon. His hood was thrown back, showing a shiny skull. His chin was pierced with a metal stud sticking out of it. The being grinned at her. Kalliope returned the gesture. He was not so bad.
“I was wondering why it moved so fast.”
“Has to be to get by Cerberus. Of all the dog’s three heads, the first one loves to drool, the second thinks I’m something to gnaw on, and the third is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.” His voice was hollow.
“Please don’t take us back, Charon. Please. Didn’t we have some good times together?” the Furies asked. Haley Jo rubbed up against the ferryman and ran her hand along his groin. Kalliope swore she saw his cheeks redden. He batted the hand away.
“Not on your flesh girls. You’ve messed up big time. I don’t want any part of your meddling. I should throw you to Cerberus, one for each head, but we’re not going by him. Hades wants you back to work pronto. Persephone wants her fried calamari. I thought I’d never hear the end of it, and lost souls don’t make it the way she likes it.”
He seemed like a nice guy, skeleton, whatever. But her mood dampened when they entered the mouth of the cave. It grew cold and dark. The water ran black from the lack of light, but Charon seemed to know where he was going while he steered the boat. They weren’t without light for long because on the shores of the river, Kalliope spied ghostly forms hovering at the water’s edge and staring at them.
Finally, the boat came to another dock. The Haleys got off first and then Morgaine. Charon wrapped a skeletal hand round Kalliope’s wrist. “The one you’re looking for is down here. I saw her.”
Kalliope looked puzzled. “Who did you see?”
“The goddess from the other realm. The dethroned queen. Just follow the pomegranate seeds.” He let her wrist go.
She leaned in and kissed the bone cheek when she realized that he was talking about Flidais. “Thank you. I owe you one.”
He shrugged. “The next time I need a beautiful escort I’ll look you up. Deal?”
“Deal.” Kalliope got out of the boat and headed toward the sorceress.
“He sure was talkative. I’ve never seen him so animated. Normally, he’s silent as a grave.”
Kalliope gave her a dirty look and hit her friend in the arm. The sorceress burst into laughter. “Very funny. He told me how to find Flidais.”
“Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll take care of the horrible three here.”
“I can’t leave you alone. It was my duty to get them back to the Underworld.”
“And you kept your part of the bargain. You got the Dixie chicks back to the Underworld. I’ll make sure they get to Hades. I have to pick up a few things while I’m down here anyway. I don’t make the trip very often. The dry heat chaps my skin and then there are the ghosts. They are sooo boring. Now shoo. Go find Flidais and free your love toy from Hephaestus. I have faith in you.”
Kalliope gave her friend a hug. “Thanks.” She turned to the Furies. “I would say that it’s been fun, what who am I kidding? Have a great eternity frying calamari, girls.”
She didn’t wait to hear what they said. She ran off and began searching the Underworld for pomegranates. Do you know how hard it is to find pomegranate seeds in the dark?
Chapter Seventeen
It was very hard to find pomegranate seeds on the dirt floor of the cave. The longer Kalliope looked, the more strained her eyes became. The light in the cave was enough for her to see where she was going and not bump into anything, but it was still hard going. Her course led her slowly downhill, deeper into the Underworld. All around her the setting looked the same. She finally felt a burning sensation on the side of her leg and forgot about Excalibur being there. The sword wanted attention. She drew it from its sc
abbard. The sword emanated a purple glow giving her enough light to see by. The cave was bleak and barren and getting hotter the further she descended. Her surroundings showed stalagmites and stalactites. The ceiling of the cave was hard to see. Silently, she thanked the sword for being so helpful. She noticed a reflection in the blade. Someone was following her. That was the true reason the sword wanted out. It was itching for a fight.
When she acknowledged the intruder to her presence, she felt a shimmer around her. When she looked down at her clothes, she was back in battle gear. You must have a thing for Xena. Trying to make me into a warrior witch?
For a brief moment, she swore she felt a rush of joy and amusement run up her arm. Then it was over and her focus was super sharpened. She walked silently now with the steps of a trained warrior through the cave. Whatever mojo you got had better stick with me after you go back above Morgaine’s mantle. ‘Cause I know I don’t get to keep you.
The sword didn’t answer. She spied another reflection and heard something. She had turned around and Excalibur was at the throat of her would be attacker. “I would not move another muscle unless you want your head to come off!”
“Please don’t hurt Zeus!” The being in front of her fell to his knees and wrung his hands. Kalliope stayed her blade and looked down at the man in front of her cowering for his life.
“Why were you following me?”
This was the same Zeus who had sent her to Del’s in the first place. “Please spare Zeus. Zeus thought you were Calliope. But then Zeus saw you draw the famed sword and change.”
Kalliope groaned. Why did everyone think she was a muse? Was she dancing around in a circle with flowers singing about poetry? She certainly wasn’t hanging out in smoke filled coffee shops dealing out information. At least the god noticed she had a sword. That was a plus for the self-absorbed ass he was. “Zeus, get up. I won’t hurt you. Yet. Tell me why are you down here and not living the life of luxury on Olympus? Did Hera catch you cheating with one of the slave girls?”