The Helicon Muses Omnibus: Books 1-4

by V. J. Chambers

  The mug tipped further, liquid sloshing over the lip.

  * * *

  Sawyer was heading back to his tent. He wasn’t in the mood for Halloween, he’d decided. After that comment from Lute, he just wanted to give up on everything. Here, he’d thought that he and Lute were past all the stuff about sex, but obviously, they weren’t. Not if Lute was going to say stuff about him being the girl in the relationship. Sawyer didn’t even want to be around him anymore.

  It wasn’t fair. Lute made it into such a big deal, and there was no reason to be so focused on it.

  “Hey, where are you heading looking so pissed?”

  Sawyer looked up and saw Jack, who was dressed up like Zorro. He flung back his black cape and grinned at Sawyer.

  Sawyer wasn’t in the mood. “Nowhere.” He looked down and kept going.

  “Whoa.” Suddenly, Jack was in his path. “What happened?”

  Sawyer glared at him. “You know, it’s none of your business. Even if I did want to talk about it, it wouldn’t be with you.”

  Jack made a face, looking wounded. “Fine. Gods.” He held up his hands in surrender and backed off. Then turned. “But, you know, that’s not fair. I never did anything to you, Sawyer. I’ve always been cool with you.”

  “I just meant because you’re my ex.” Sawyer wanted to rip off his Guinevere wig and trample it, but he’d worked too hard on it to destroy it. Instead he just clenched his hands into fists and dug his fingernails into his hands.

  “Like a hundred years ago,” said Jack. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “I just…” Sawyer rested his fists against his eyes, fairly certain he was destroying his makeup.

  “You having issues with Lute?”

  “No.” Sawyer dropped his hands, sighing. “Yes.”

  Jack gestured to the benches around the fire pit. “Why don’t you talk about it for a minute?”

  Sawyer hesitated.

  “Come on. It’s Halloween. You don’t want to spend the whole night sulking.”

  “I’m not sulking.”

  Jack just gave him a look.

  Sawyer relented. They sat down.

  “So, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on, Sawyer.”

  Sawyer glared at the empty fire pit. “He’s obsessed with it. He won’t let it go. I thought you were bad, but you weren’t pushing for so much.”

  “Pushing?” said Jack. “You mean you won’t touch Lute’s dick either?”

  Sawyer glared at him. “Of course I will.”

  “Oh, well, that makes me feel great, then.” Jack snorted. “I thought it was because you weren’t gay. But then suddenly, you’re with Lute, and—”

  “It was only that I wasn’t—we weren’t—right together. And I was young.”

  Jack nodded. “Yeah, you were. It’s okay. So, what’s he want you to do?”

  Sawyer’s shoulders slumped. “I guess all gay guys are supposed to do it, but he makes it out like we don’t even have sex, and when I was with you, you always talked like what you wanted me to do was sex.”

  “Oh,” said Jack in a different voice. “So, he wants anal.”

  Sawyer flinched. He didn’t know if he wanted that word said out loud.

  “You don’t?” said Jack.

  “I just…” Sawyer trailed off, feeling frustrated.

  “It’s okay,” said Jack. “To be honest, I don’t really go there myself.”

  “What?” Sawyer was surprised.

  “I mean, I have.” Jack shrugged. “I was younger than you the first time, and the guy I was with was pretty inexperienced, and it hurt like balls. Seriously, it just sucked. I was kinda gun shy after that. Eventually, I ended up trying again, and it wasn’t that bad. It was actually really enjoyable. But the thing is, it’s like… I mean there’s all this prep, and you’ve got to lube and stretch, and it’s like a big production. When I’m horny, I usually don’t have the time, you know?”

  Sawyer took a few steadying breaths. “So, what? Like how often do you do it?”

  “Honestly? I’ve only done it like four or five times. And one of those times, I was doing the giving, if you know what I mean.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  Sawyer laughed a little, in spite of himself.

  “I kind of think it’s only something I want to do on special occasions,” said Jack. “Or, you know, with special people.”

  “I don’t know if I want to do it at all,” said Sawyer.

  Jack shrugged. “Well, that’s okay too. I’ve messed around with guys who told me that up front. They were just like, ‘I’m not into it.’”

  “And that didn’t bug you?”

  “Not me,” said Jack. “It bothers some people.”

  Sawyer looked down at his fingernails. “I guess it bothers Lute.”

  “Well, have you talked to him about it?”

  “A zillion times. He just gets mad at me.”

  “I don’t mean an argument about it. I mean a nice talk, sometime when you’re both feeling mellow, and in a really non-confrontational way. If you don’t want to do it, then let him know that it’s not about him, it’s about the act itself. If he cares about you more than he cares about your ass, he’ll be okay with it.”

  Sawyer didn’t say anything.

  Jack clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Oh, come on. Let’s get back to the party. You’re too pretty to be off all by yourself.”

  Sawyer couldn’t help but smile.

  * * *

  “Is he usually like that?” Lute was saying.

  Nora was standing outside one of the haunted houses in the architecture enclave. She and Lute had just gone through it together, since she’d found Lute wandering around alone. But Lute hadn’t had much fun. He seemed to be in a really down mood, and Nora knew it was because Sawyer wasn’t around.

  “You’d know better than me,” she said. “You see more of him than I do these days.

  Lute sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you don’t want to talk about this. This is like the definition of awkward, when your ex-boyfriend’s new boyfriend starts asking you for relationship advice.”

  Nora squared her shoulders. “No, you know what? It’s okay.”

  “Really?” Lute gave her a hugely grateful look. “Because I swear to the gods, sometimes I can’t figure that boy out. I mean, he’s so different… Different than anyone I ever met, you know?”

  Nora nodded, smiling wistfully. “Yeah. I do know.”

  He winced. “You sure I should be talking to you about this?”

  Nora pointed out a couple benches. They were strange, art-deco benches, but they looked functional. She guessed the architecture enclave made other things besides buildings. “Let’s sit down.”

  They did.

  “Honestly, I’ve never seen him throw a tantrum like that,” said Nora. “But I know he really does get pissed off about people thinking he wants to be a girl.”

  “I know that,” said Lute. “I shouldn’t have made that joke. It was in poor taste. I guess I forget, because that’s part of what draws me to him. He’s not feminine, but he is.”

  “Yeah,” said Nora, “I guess I get that. I always liked how he was not masculine—except he was.”

  “Exactly,” said Lute. “And whenever I’m with him, you know, I feel like there’s no way something that beautiful could really be mine. Sometimes, I think I just want to nail it down. I want reassurance that we’re really together.”

  Nora cocked her head at him. “You guys are really together. Trust me. Sawyer is way into you.”

  “I don’t know if I’m enough for him. Someone like Sawyer, how could he be satisfied with someone like me? I’m not like him. I’m just a guy.”

  Nora felt a rush of emotion. “Wow. You really worship him, don’t you?”

  Lute looked down at his hands, laughing a little. “That obvious? I’m just so smitten.”

  “I’m glad.” She wanted to cry. “That’s so good for
him. I love Sawyer too, but… I think you see something in him that I never saw. I’m glad he has you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I want the best stuff for him. I want him to be adored the way you adore him.” She reached out and took Lute’s hand. “And he adores you too. Trust me, he does. I don’t why he ran off like that, but I know it’s not because he doesn’t think you’re amazing.”

  “I’ve kind of been an ass lately,” said Lute. “I think it was just because I was insecure.”

  “You don’t have any reason to be.”

  Lute nodded slowly. “You know, maybe I should talk to him about this sometime. Like, a real talk, not an argument. Because sometimes, I think I get defensive, and—”

  “I don’t mean to interrupt you, but look over there.” Nora pointed.

  Sawyer was walking across the architecture enclave, heading straight for them. He waved.

  Lute’s face broke into a big grin. He got up off the bench and waved back.

  “Go,” said Nora. “You two should have some one-on-one time.”

  “You sure?” said Lute.

  She nodded.

  He ran off to embrace Sawyer. Nora watched the two of them together, and she felt teary eyed at how happy they were. She wanted all of her friends to be that happy. They deserved it. And she was glad she’d let Sawyer go, as long as it meant that he got a relationship like what he had with Lute.

  She got up off the bench and wandered out away from the architecture enclave. She headed back to the main stage, where most people were still gathered. When she got there, she thought about stopping to dance, but she didn’t actually do it. Instead, she kept going, wandering past the main fire pit, all the way to the science enclave. It was decked out with skeletons and spiders and bats. There was a big banner that said, Boo-ology for Halloween.

  She smiled at the science muses as she made her way through their enclave. And then she kept going.

  The math enclave was decorated with jack-o-lanterns in the shapes of cubes and spheres and cylinders. They were serving Halloween pi. It was pumpkin, but it had pi symbols carved into the top. Nora stopped for a slice. After eating, she thanked the math muses, and kept going.

  There were no other enclaves out here, and she was walking out into the darkness, far, far away from everyone else. She hadn’t made a conscious decision to do what she was doing, but it seemed that she was doing it, nonetheless.

  No, she thought to herself, there’s still time to turn around.

  Nora looked over her shoulder, back at the lights of Helicon.

  And then she turned back to the dark void. She’d keep going until she was too far away for anyone to see her. And then she’d go to the mundane world.

  She was going to see Owen.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Maddie struggled, trying to close her jaws. It was no use. The magic that Nimue used to keep her under control was too strong. She thrust her tongue up against the roof of her mouth. Nimue might be able to pour that liquid into her mouth, but that didn’t mean she’d swallow it.

  The mug tipped further, and a stream of liquid poured out, heading right for Maddie.

  Maddie squeezed her eyes shut, cringing.

  The liquid touched her lips.

  And there was a loud crash.

  Maddie opened her eyes. The door to her house had been broken down and nymphs were pouring inside.

  Nimue turned in a circle, eyes wide as she took in all the nymphs. “No,” she said. “No, you are all too weak to even stand. How can you be in here?”

  The mug containing the tea crashed to the floor.

  Dakaste rubbed her fingers together, and green sparks began to accumulate in her hands.

  “You have no magic!” thundered Nimue.

  “Oh, we have magic all right,” said Dakaste. All of the nymphs were rubbing their hands together.

  Nimue threw her arms wide, reaching up for the heavens.

  A harsh wind rattled through Maddie’s house. It blew all the nymphs backwards, knocking them over like ninepins. But Maddie stayed perfectly upright, even though the wind tore at her face and skin. She was held in place by Nimue’s magic.

  Dakaste snarled, getting back to her feet. “You are no match for us. You are nothing but a human. All your magic is stolen.” She flicked her fingers out in front of her face, fanning them out. Bright green flame shot out of the edge of each of her fingers.

  The other nymphs got up too and they put their hands on Dakaste. The nymphs who couldn’t reach put their hands on other nymphs. As more and more connected, the flames grew larger and brighter.

  Nimue drew herself up. The wind grew strong again.

  Maddie cringed as it hit her again. It was cold and bracing.

  But the nymphs stood together, and the flames weren’t even blown backwards. They climbed higher, lazily smoking green smoke as if it were a tranquil summer day.

  Nimue shrieked in frustration.

  Dakaste growled, pointing her flaming fingers at Nimue.

  The flames surged forward, engulfing Nimue in their green blaze.

  Nimue screamed.

  The nymphs all leaned forward.

  The flames grew brighter.

  Nimue looked at her hands, which were burning, bright green flames licking all over her skin. “No,” she roared. “No, you shouldn’t have magic!”

  And then Nimue yanked the dimension device out of a pocket in her dress. She twisted the dials and disappeared.

  The flames went with her.

  One second she was there. The next second, she was gone without a trace.

  Maddie could move again. She gasped, stumbling as her limbs came back under her own control. “Wha-what happened to her? Is she… is she dead?”

  Dakaste turned to look at her, shaking her head. “I’m afraid we aren’t that lucky. She left our dimension. She’s out there somewhere. But she probably won’t be back anytime soon.”

  That was a relief.

  Maddie sagged against the wall.

  “You poor child,” said Dakaste. “You’ve been through quite an ordeal.”

  “I just want to go home,” said Maddie.

  Dakaste engulfed her in a hug. “I think that can be arranged.”

  * * *

  Nora closed her eyes, concentrating on the goats, on the house in the woods, on Owen. She would be taken to the mundane world and she would—

  A bright light.

  She opened her eyes to see what it was.

  There, ahead of her, over the hills, was a green, writhing mass, like a glowing vine or a bunch of tree branches. It reminded her of the time that Dionysus had appeared in the middle of the fire pit years ago.

  Was Dionysus back?

  Nora decided to creep closer to get a better look. She supposed this cloud be something dangerous, so it wouldn’t do to expose herself. She crouched down in the tall grass and began to crawl towards the light.

  For some time, the light got taller and brighter, the vine-like green strands growing thicker and wilder. But then the light seemed to shrink, the vines to shrivel up on themselves.

  All the while, Nora eased herself closer and closer, still staying low to the ground. Could this be the danger that Owen wanted to warn her about? Or was it just a coincidence that it had arrived the night he’d told her to come visit him?

  The grass smelled sweet, and it tickled the bare parts of her skin. It was probably destroying her carefully applied makeup too, but she didn’t care.

  She pressed onward, getting nearer and nearer to the spot.

  Just then, the light winked out completely. Nora was just close enough to see a figure standing up. It was too dark to make out features, but the figure looked small and thin. Feminine.

  The figure began to troop through the grass.

  And then Nora recognized her. “Maddie?” She stood up.

  “Nora?” said Maddie.

  The two girls ran for each other, embracing in the night.


  “Oh gods, you’re back,” said Nora, squeezing Maddie as tightly as she could.

  “I have so much to tell you,” said Maddie. “Nimue tried to drain my magic.”

  Nora drew back, her heart flip-flopping at the sound of the name. “Nimue? She’s still alive?”

  “She doesn’t seem to be very easy to kill, Nora. I managed to get away from her. The nymphs and I worked together, and we got rid of her. But she’s still out there. And I talked to her, Nora. She’s not going to quit. She wants muse magic, and she’ll do whatever she can to get it.”

  * * *

  Agler’s head was pounding, and someone was yelling his name outside his tent. Was it morning already? He was pretty sure he’d just passed out a few minutes ago. Slowly, he raised his head. Ouch. Gods, that hurt. No, it was still dark outside.

  “Go away!” he yelled.

  “Agler, get out here now,” the person outside his tent yelled.

  “Come out, or we’re coming in,” called another voice.

  Ugh. Why were they here? He tumbled out of his hammock and managed to get to his feet. He managed to get to the tent flap, but he seemed to get stuck in it trying to get out.

  Luckily, whoever was outside took pity on him and pulled the flap aside. He staggered out of the tent and barely managed to straighten up and keep his balance. His head really hurt. “What’s wrong?” he slurred.

  “I told you he was drunk.”

  Agler squinted. Nora. That was Nora. And someone else was with her. He squinted at that person.

  But that couldn’t be. His eyes were playing tricks on him.

  She stepped forward and put her arm around him, holding him up. “Hi,” she murmured.

  “Maddie?” he whispered.

  She touched his face. “It’s me.”

  He felt as if the heavens had opened up and dropped his deepest wish down on him. He smiled at her. “It’s really you?”

  “It’s really me.”

  He touched her face too. “Oh, I missed you.” Then he hiccuped.

  She giggled. “You are wasted.”

  “Nah,” he said. “I just had a little rum, that’s all.” He was vaguely aware that what he had said actually sounded like this: I jushalilrum thashall. “Maybe more than a little.”

  She kissed his forehead. “Go back to bed. I’ll bring you some water in a little bit.”