Calliope the Muse

by Joan Holub

  But seconds later, as the chariot she had boarded sailed over the theater, she couldn’t keep herself from glancing back at Homer. When he looked up to smile and wave at Calliope, her newly frozen heart suddenly melted all over again. Maybe he was just being polite to a fan. After all, that girl had been quite pushy about getting her scrollbook signed.

  He’d probably just been flustered by that “love” thing she’d asked him to write and hadn’t been thinking when he’d replied to her question about how hard it had been to write The Odyssey. And it was true that he’d worked hard on it. He should be proud of his work. She’d inspired it, but he’d written it. So him taking credit was fair. That’s just the way creative people are, she told herself. And just like that her wilted crush on him blossomed anew.

  But he was still talking to Chloe when the chariot rose above the clouds and Calliope could no longer see them. Would he invite the girl to the Supernatural Marketplace? At the thought, a dull ache settled in Calliope’s stomach.

  7

  Tidying Up

  ONCE BACK AT MOA, CALLIOPE ran down the hall to the Hero-ology classroom. She reached out to twist the doorknob, then hurried across the room and dropped the bag Homer had given her on top of Mr. Cyclops’s desk. The teacher would be sure to discover it first thing Monday morning.

  Then she slipped out of the room and carefully closed the door behind her. Check that errand off her to-do list, she thought as she hurried upstairs to her room to change out of her purple concert chiton. She was happy to have helped both Homer and Mr. Cyclops. Not to mention all the students who needed to use those figures in class. Goodbye, shells! She’d be kind of sorry to see them go, because students had decorated them in funny ways with ink and string and other doodads to give them the character of the heroes they’d replaced.

  Emboldened by her success at returning the Hero-ology figures, she decided to invite Aphrodite straightaway to sleep over that night. So after she slipped out of her purple chiton and into her favorite turquoise one, she went down the hall to Aphrodite’s room and knocked.

  “At music festival. Be back late. I’d love it if you leave a message,” said Aphrodite’s voice. It seemed to be coming from the pink feather quill pen, which was attached to the heart-shaped wipe-off notescroll hanging on her door.

  Calliope sighed. Quickly she took the pen from its holder, intending to write on the heart-shaped scroll. But then she stopped. She’d really rather deliver her invitation in person, not write it where everyone who walked by could read it. She set the pen back in its holder.

  Maybe she should have stayed at the festival longer too. She’d kind of wanted to get away before anyone else brought up her big mistake, though. Plus her sisters had been leaving, and she had schoolwork to do. As it turned out, she’d had Homer’s bag to deliver as well. Probably most of the MOA students who had gone to the theater that morning were still there—the ones not behind on their homework, anyway.

  Unable to face the loneliness of her dorm room, she decided to do homework in the MOA library instead. Quickly she gathered up some supplies—her planscroll, list of ideas, pens, and so forth—and headed downstairs. Unfortunately, the library proved no easier a place to study than her room. Distracted by a multitude of scrollbooks on every imaginable subject, she pulled out one after another and got even more project ideas. As if she needed more. Not!

  She was reading about gymnasiums and considering what it might be like to design one with multiple indoor tracks and a covered chariot racetrack too, when Principal Zeus entered the library. His arms were full of old scrollazines, which he proceeded to dump on a table four over from hers.

  Mr. Eratosthenes, the librarian, hurried out of his office at the side of the library. “Can I help you?” he asked softly, coming over to Zeus. The librarian was the quietest person Calliope had ever known. Pretty much the complete opposite of the principal!

  “Hera says I need to tidy up my office,” Zeus announced in his booming voice. “So I brought you my old copies of Temple Digest and Great Principals Quarterly.”

  “Splendid,” Mr. Eratosthenes enthused in his quiet voice. He rubbed his hands together, seeming truly delighted to have them.

  Zeus grinned. “Don’t suppose you’ve got a use for other stuff from my office too? Hera has decided I need new chair cushions, even though my old ones are perfectly good. They’ve got a few scorch marks on them is all. She even wants to replace the artwork on my walls.” He scratched his head, adding, “I thought the painting I made of Pegasus was genius, but she says otherwise. You’ve seen it. What do you think?”

  “Um.” Mr. Eratosthenes paled and looked uncomfortable.

  Calliope had a feeling he was trying to think of something tactful to say so as not to hurt Zeus’s feelings. (Homer could take lessons from him in that department!)

  She had seen that Pegasus painting when she’d first come to MOA and been called to Principal Zeus’s office to meet him. The so-called work of art hung on the wall in a prominent spot, directly behind his enormous desk. You couldn’t avoid seeing it when you were talking to him.

  There was a printed title next to it that read, Pegasus in Flight. Rumor had it that Zeus had added that so there’d be no doubt about the painting’s subject. Good thing too, because she’d never have guessed it was supposed to be a golden-winged flying horse. Zeus was terrific at a lot of things, but art wasn’t one of them. She’d never tell him so, but his Pegasus piece looked like it had been finger-painted by a five-year-old!

  “I’ll gladly take the scrollazines,” Mr. Eratosthenes told Zeus in a voice Calliope had to strain to hear. “But unfortunately, the library doesn’t collect chair cushions and artwork.”

  “Right, I knew that. Just thought I’d ask,” Zeus said, nodding. “I’ll find some other place to donate them. And if I can’t, I may just have to keep them!” He grinned craftily, looking like he kind of hoped that would happen.

  After the principal left, Mr. Eratosthenes gathered up the scrollazines. Seconds later Artemis, with her bow and quiver of arrows slung across her back, came in. “Hi, Mr. Eratosthenes,” she said with a little wave. “I’m here to pick up a scrollbook I put on hold.”

  He peered over the top of the scrollazines piled up in his arms. “One moment,” he said quietly. “I was just going to put these in my office to process later. Afterward I’ll get your scrollbook for you.”

  “Okay. Thanks,” said Artemis. She perched, half-sitting on a table to wait, and whipped out a little pumice stone. After pulling an arrow from her quiver, she began to use the stone to sharpen its point.

  Now was the perfect chance to get to know her a little better, thought Calliope just in case Aphrodite didn’t work out as a roomie as she’d previously hoped. Catching Artemis’s eye, she smiled. “Hi. I’m Calliope, remember?”

  “Of course, I do,” said Artemis. “You were on my Ostrakinda team last night. So, what’s up?”

  “Just doing homework for my Architecture-ology class,” Calliope went on. That was stretching the truth, since she’d spent most of her time so far dipping in and out of various scrollbooks and jumping from one idea to another, but whatever.

  “I have Architecture-ology first period,” Artemis responded, moving closer to Calliope’s table so they could talk more easily.

  “Really?” Here was something they had in common, then. Besides liking to play Ostrakinda, that was. “What’s your project?” Calliope asked.

  Artemis pulled out a chair and plunked down opposite her at the table. “An archery range,” she said, an excited look in her eye. “I actually finished early and turned in my planscroll yesterday. I’m just here to pick up a book to read for fun.”

  “Lucky you,” said Calliope. She made a face. “I haven’t even decided for sure what my project will be yet.”

  “Whoa,” Artemis said, her eyes skimming the pile of scrolls that lay on the table between them. “That’s leaving things late. I wouldn’t want to be in your sandals right now.”
She cocked her head. “You’re a Muse, though. You must have a ton of ideas.”

  Calliope shrugged. “Ideas are easy. It’s choosing just one and developing it into something really great that’s the hard part.”

  Artemis grinned. “So it’s hard for a Muse to be her own muse?”

  Calliope laughed. “You got it. That’s exactly my problem.” Glancing down at the scrollbooks scattered all over the tabletop, she added, “I thought coming here to work would help, but it just widened my choices. Not what I needed. Don’t you just love libraries, though? I could live in one!”

  “Hey,” said Artemis. “Maybe you should design a library, then. For your project, I mean. If you choose something you’re interested in, it makes the work easier, don’t you think? That’s why I asked if I could design a new archery range. I have lots of ideas for improvements to try.” She broke off as Mr. Eratosthenes returned with her library scrollbook.

  Calliope considered Artemis’s suggestion as the goddessgirl stood to take it from him.

  “Due in three weeks, please,” the librarian announced softly.

  “Thanks,” said Artemis. As she took the scrollbook, Calliope glimpsed the title—Arrow Aerodynamics. Not the kind of scrollbook she would read for fun, but it figured that Artemis would. She and her twin brother, Apollo, were MOA’s champion archers.

  “Well, good luck with your project,” Artemis said to Calliope as Mr. Eratosthenes went back to his office. “I’m off to my room.” Hugging her scrollbook, she started to leave the library.

  “Wait!” After quickly gathering her stuff together, Calliope raced after the goddessgirl. “I really like your project suggestion,” she told Artemis, falling into step beside her. “A library design might be just the thing.” As they climbed the stairs to the dorm, she said, “I don’t suppose you’d want to hang out in my room so we could talk some more?” She hoped she didn’t sound too desperate for company.

  “Sure, why not?” Artemis said. “Oh, wait. I’ve got archery practice in a few minutes. I was only going up to drop off my scrollbook before leaving again.”

  “Oh, well, some other time, then,” Calliope said, trying not to sound as disappointed and loser-ish as she felt.

  They reached the fourth-floor landing and pushed through the door to the girls’ dorm. “Tell you what,” Artemis said as they started inside, “why don’t you come by my room after dinner tonight instead? We can hang out.”

  Calliope nearly jumped for joy. “Sure!” Since her room was just inside the dorm hall door, she quickly bid Artemis, “Bye till later.”

  Once inside her room, Calliope began to sing a happy tune as she dropped her supplies onto her desk. Maybe, just maybe, she and Artemis would really hit it off, and the two of them would wind up rooming together. Wouldn’t that be just perfect?

  Not only that. Thanks to her chance meeting with the goddessgirl of hunting and archery, her Architecture-ology project might soon be back on target!

  8

  Square One

  BY DINNERTIME MOST OF THE MOA students who had gone to the music festival had returned. Luckily, when they saw Calliope in the cafeteria, no one said a word to her about her major flub during the Muses’ performance. Was it possible they’d all forgotten about it? She hoped so.

  She had seen Artemis in the cafeteria, and they’d waved before sitting down with friends at different tables. When Calliope got back to the dorm, she went down the hall to Artemis’s room and knocked on the door. Immediately she heard barking.

  “Come in!” Artemis called out.

  The very second Calliope opened the door, Artemis’s three dogs leaped upon her and began to lick her all over.

  “Off!” Artemis scolded her hounds as she tried to make them behave. After another minute of doggy greeting, they obeyed. Glancing back at Calliope, Artemis introduced her pets. Pointing first at her bloodhound, then the greyhound, and lastly at the beagle, she said, “Suez, Nectar, and Amby.”

  “I forgot you had dogs,” Calliope said. Which was silly of her, since Artemis’s three hounds were a common enough sight around the school. Somehow she just hadn’t thought about the fact that they lived in her room. So in a way, this goddessgirl already had roommates—three drooly ones.

  Artemis motioned for Calliope to take a seat on one of the beds, so Calliope did. She liked dogs, but rooming with them and a roommate in tight quarters would certainly be a . . . challenge. “Where do they sleep?” she asked as Artemis plopped down on the edge of the other bed.

  Artemis dipped her head toward the bed Calliope was now sitting on. “There,” she said just as Nectar leaped up beside Calliope. He turned around in circles before finally curling up against her leg. Settling his head in her lap, he stared up at her.

  Aww, how cute! thought Calliope as she reached to scratch him behind the ears. Cuddling up with a dog or two might be nice, right? But would they all fit? Artemis’s dogs were big. Nectar alone took up almost half the bed. If she wanted a roomie, she couldn’t afford to be too picky, though.

  “So, about your Architecture-ology project . . . ,” Artemis prompted after a few seconds.

  “Yeah, well, I liked your suggestion of a library. And I’m thinking I’d design the outside of it to look like a temple but outfit the inside with shelves for scrollbooks,” Calliope told her.

  “Cool,” Artemis said. “Mortals go to temples to show their respect for the gods, so by designing your library to look like a temple, you’re encouraging respect for knowledge!”

  “I am?” Calliope said in surprise. She’d only picked a temple design because temples were big and could hold a lot of scrollbooks! But then again, it was certainly possible that the idea of respecting knowledge had been in her mind all along. Her experience as a Muse had taught her that it wasn’t unusual for writers and artists to miss seeing themes in their own work that others easily uncovered. Sometimes it was hard to see what was right in front of you.

  Apparently bored by the subject of schoolwork, Nectar jumped down from the bed. His nails clicked across the floor as he headed for the water bowl beside Artemis’s desk. As he lapped up some water, Artemis looked at Calliope. “I know we just ate, but how about a snack?” When Calliope seconded that idea, Artemis brought out some chips and dip.

  Calliope borrowed a few sheets of papyrus and, while munching on chips, made a sketch of the outside of her library-temple building. All along the front she drew Ionic columns. They seemed a good fit for a library, since their tops were scroll-shaped. Artemis looked on, making suggestions along the way.

  “Ye gods,” Calliope exclaimed after a while. “I just noticed I’m getting crumbs all over the place.”

  Artemis glanced up from the arrow tip she’d begun to file. “Who cares?” she said with a shrug. “Just brush them onto the floor. My guys will eat ’em.”

  It was nice to know the goddessgirl wasn’t a clean freak, thought Calliope, doing as Artemis had suggested. She wasn’t exactly neat herself, though she was a bit neater than Artemis. Compared to other girls her age, she was probably medium neat. Not super-tidy, but not super-messy, either.

  The second the crumbs hit the floor, the dogs ran over and scarfed them down. Then Suez leaped onto the bed to search for more. Unfortunately, when the big dog landed, he knocked the container of dip off the bed, along with Calliope’s sketch. The dip splattered everywhere, but Artemis never batted an eyelid as her dogs just licked up the mess.

  When Calliope picked up her sketch from the floor, she saw there was now a smear of dip in the middle of it, as well as a tear. Oh well, she thought as she wiped the sketch off. Maybe Mr. Libon would be so happy to have her turn something in on Wednesday that he wouldn’t care about a little smudge or tear.

  Good thing I’m easygoing, Calliope thought. She could put up with Artemis’s dogs if Artemis was interested in rooming together. Eventually she opened her mouth to suggest a tryout sleepover, but just then the girls heard shouts in the hallway.

  “Sounds like
trouble!” Artemis said. Looking fierce, she grabbed her bow and arrow and leaped for the door.

  Calliope jumped up from the bed to follow. Artemis opened her door, but before either of them could step into the hallway, the dogs rushed out ahead of them. Just then a flat ring-shaped rainbow about ten inches in diameter shot from the far end of the hall. The thin ring glided right over the top of a surprised Nectar’s head and settled around his neck like a loose collar.

  There were hoots of laughter from girls clustered together at the far end of the hall as the greyhound shook his head from side to side to get rid of the rainbow collar. Once it slipped off, Nectar and the other two dogs chased after it as it flew back down the hall, leaving a long trail of sparkly rainbow dust in its wake. It landed in the hands of a pink-haired goddessgirl named Iris. She was the goddess of rainbows and could make them in whatever size or shape she wanted.

  “Come play with us!” Athena called to Artemis and Calliope. “Iris thought up this cool game. The object is to toss this magical rainbow ring onto a doorknob along the hall. The farther the doorknob, the more points you score for ringing it.”

  “But you get zero points if you miss,” said a brown-haired girl named Antheia. She reached up to straighten a cute wreath of ferns and berries that encircled the top of her head like a crown. She was the goddessgirl of flowering wreaths and also Iris’s roommate and BFF.

  Artemis tossed her bow and arrow back into her room. After whistling for her dogs and temporarily shutting them in her room again, she and Calliope headed for the group at the end of the hall. Amphitrite smiled at the two of them as they came over. She must’ve been the one who’d thrown that last ring, because now she cocked her head at Iris and asked, “That wasn’t exactly a miss, was it? After all, I did ring something.”

  The girls all giggled again. Then Aphrodite spoke up from the group. “Not only that. It was a moving target besides!”

  “Moving targets are harder to aim for than stationary ones,” commented Artemis.