Sacrifice Ch. 07

There was a sudden knock at the door that caused them both to start. She laughed brokenly, both at the consistency of Demitri's poor timing and the expression on Thelios' face. It was clear he was thinking along the same lines as she.

"Damn it, Demitri! You had better be bleeding to death out there." He growled out.

She tried to stifle her laughter behind her hand. She ended up choking on it since his hand was still squeezing between her thighs.

Even through the door the smile was evident in Demitri's voice.

"There's someone here for Calliope my Lord. Should I send her away?"

He turned and arched a brow at her when she tried to wriggle out of his grip. He sighed and released her, allowing her to rise and collect her dress. "I suppose not." He grumbled. She caught his baleful glare and tried not to smile.

"I'm sure it won't take long. And it might be important."

He answered with another glare and an unconvinced growl as he finally turned away and slipped back into the bath.

She paused in her adjustments, realizing the dress was half soaked and discarded it, looking about for something else to wear. She also found she had to take several calming breaths before she felt the flush was sufficiently out of her skin to present herself to others. The last thing she needed was a lot of smirking and knowing glances. She got that enough from Thelios.

She found Demitri gone and Penelope waiting in the next room... not veiled, but a little more covered up than usual.

"Penelope, what brings you here?"

"I have news!"

"News? About me or about you?"

"Well me, of course. Don't you know? Everything is about me. This is my play, and I'm the title character!" She flared her arms dramatically over her head and posed for a moment to be admired.

Calliope chuckled. "I suspect it'll be more comedy than tragedy."

She lowered her arms and nodded her agreement. "Quite. Or so we can hope. I've not the look nor demeanor for those tragical heroines." She tipped her head and eyed Calliope. "You might just be able to pull that off though."

"Fie on you." She chided gently. "One would think you wished me ill."

"Don't blame me. It's those stern looks. You'd be prettier if you smiled more." She eyed her again then surprised Calliope by taking her face in her hands and tilting it as if to critique it.

Calliope allowed it with a bemused smile. "See that's better already. Your cheekbones are a bit high, which can make you look severe if you're not careful. But you've a lovely, full mouth. I could see men wanting to do terrible things to it." She grinned as Calliope made a disgusted sound and pulled away with a sardonic shake of her head. "But not if you grimace like that all the time," she added, "it makes you look absolutely terrifying."

She squinted at her again. "You're a little pale, though not unfashionably so...though you might pluck your brow into a more curving arch, not so pointed. That would help soften your look. And brown eyes aren't very interesting, but you could try a little coal to make them more dramatic...and you have short lashes too. They're nice and black, but you could use horse-hair to--"

"For pities sake, enough!" Calliope laughed. "This was the way I was taught, so this is the way I will continue." She added more mildly.

Penelope looked unconvinced. "Well, who taught you? Your mother? Or some crusty old nurse?"

Calliope shifted under her gaze. That was exactly right. "More or less."

"She must have been a prude."

Calliope's lip twitched. "More or less."

"What was she trying to do, get you married off to some dull, ancient of high repute? No doubt one whose solemn reputation demanded only the most pious and restrained of wives," she intoned gravely, "who," she added with a sly smile, "must nonetheless whore herself for the sake of providing an heir...thanks to his equally dull and ancient member.

Calliope was laughing despite herself by the time Penelope finished.

She sobered quickly with a cough, and did her best to change the subject."But you came with an announcement. What is your news then?"

"Ah, yes. I have a buyer!"

"A good one?"

"Oh god yes! Our illustrious Host himself!"

"You're jesting!"

"No. What, you don't think I'm good enough?"

"No...no...of course not. Nothing like that." She frowned, remembering the incident in the hall. Perhaps she'd been wrong after all. He must have been watching Penelope and not her. The rest was no doubt simply meant to irritate Thelios, as Lady Nagi had once warned her he or the others might try to do.

"Well, why do you frown then?"

Calliope blinked and let her frown melt back into a smile, and laughed, shaking her head to clear it. "Oh, no...it's wonderful. Congratulations. I...I was just remembering when we were in the hall...he must have been looking at you, not me."

"Oh...well, perhaps." She brightened. "Yes, indeed he must have! Or at least I was so very charming once he met me, he couldn't help himself." They smiled at one another a moment when Penelope seemed to remember something. "Oh, I almost forgot. I brought you a present as well. You obviously can't be trusted to remember such things so I took it upon myself." Penelope shifted her tunic to reveal a purse hanging by her hip then retrieved from it what looked like a small ointment pot. "It's popular enough, and won't be hard to replace. It's a cream made from the oil of some sort of nut. Out of Ethiopia I think." She opened it and held it up. "It smell's nice too. Better than oil."

"It does." She agreed. "What's it for?"

"You're stomach of course, or anywhere else you like. You rub it over your skin. It's going to stretch out soon, and you don't want it to leave marks." She was about to continue when her eyes shot up and widened. "Oh, my Lord, good day." She rushed instead, bowing.

Calliope stiffened and turned. "My Lord." She added, bowing her head, and noting the dark expression on his face. When she rose he looked between them and gestured to Penelope. Calliope immediately understood his expression and meaning. She knows? He was asking. She was having the same thought.

"I...My lord, forgive me, but I said nothing. I thought only Demitri knew," his brow shot up at that, "and he deduced it himself, I swear." She added quickly.

Penelope, catching on immediately pipped up as well. "Lord, you must forgive me as well for being so indiscreet. And it is I and not Calliope who have been so. What she says is correct, she told me nothing, I discovered it on my own. I've seen it in enough women. But I've told no one else, you may be assured of that."

"Sounds like something terribly interesting. What did you discover, my dear?"

Both their heads snapped to the sound of the voice. Calliope's so hard it made her neck ache. Calliope winced as much as the pain in her neck as at the sight of Lady Nagi, then Kara, passing through the door way. She glanced at Thelios and watched with a silent groan as his scowl deepened.

Kara looked between her and Penelope and smirked as she walked toward the two women. "That she was the veiled dancer, of course. The musician too no doubt?" She pointed, waving a finger between Calliope and Penelope. "I knew it was you in the black, and seeing her here only confirms it." As Kara neared them she winked and mouthed what looked like "and pregnant."

Calliope's eyes went wide.

"That was her? That was you?" Lady Nagi asked, looking delighted.

Calliope sighed and closed her eyes in defeat. Thelios made a sound of obvious displeasure. "A farce, my life is definitely a farce." She murmured under her breath. She heard Penelope's subdued chuckle beside her.

"I should have known it." Lady Nagi mused, ignoring both Calliope's discomfort and Thelios's annoyance. "Considering the way you ran off, brother. It's no wonder of course," she let out a low chuckle, "no doubt after a performance like that you couldn't wait to get her alone."

Calliope dared to meet lady Nagi's amused stare, but couldn't handle it long. She turned her pained look on Kara instead. "How on earth could you have known? About the dance." she added quickly, still uncertain about what the woman had mouthed at her.

Kara shrugged. "I told you before, very few women here move like you do...or have your precise height and bearing...plus you left just before the dance. It was sort of obvious. Wonderful legs by the way."

"Aren't they though?" Quipped Penelope agreeably. "They definitely go all the way up."

Calliope winced and cast an apologetic glance toward Thelios who had settled into his chair. He didn't seem to notice as his attention was on his sister who had taken her usual place on the couch next to him.

"And you? What are you glowering about this time?" Lady Nagi asked him.

He cocked a brow and graced her with a wry smirk. "Do I need a reason." She smirked back, then turned on Calliope, "Why didn't you tell us? I can't imagine why you'd keep something like that a secret. Can you?" She challenged Thelios, who stared silently back.

"No one was meant to know." Calliope offered softly.

"Yes, but why?"

She wasn't sure how to answer that without openly admitting she'd disobeyed Thelios. It was bad enough that Demitri and Penelope already knew she had.

"You know how they are." He rumbled, saving her from answering. His eyes flicked to hers briefly and she hoped he saw her gratitude. "What they don't know, can't hurt me." He added with another smirk.

Lady Nagi chuckled. "Indeed. Speaking of whom, are you coming tonight? That's what I came by to ask. We're on our way there now."

"No."

"No?"

"No."

She sighed. "You haven't been for several nights now." She looked to Calliope, perhaps for support, but Calliope found herself suddenly rather preoccupied with adjusting the dress pin at her shoulder and smoothing the wrinkles from the material.

Lady Nagi rolled her eyes."So that's it...just no?"

"That's it."

"Hmph. Fine. It might calm them down a bit though if you came. They're getting rather antsy."

He said nothing but gave lady Nagi what Calliope thought was a very pointed look before letting his eyes drift in her direction.

Calliope straightened. "Well," she began, in what she hoped was an air clearing voice, "thank you very much for the gift Penelope, it was very kind of you to bring it to me."

Penelope took the hint gracefully. "Oh, my pleasure. But I really should be getting along." She turned to Thelios and his sister, "My Lord, my Lady, good evening to you."

They both nodded and Penelope made a quick exit. Calliope thought it best to do the same. "If you'll excuse me as well." She didn't wait for a reply but bowed and slipped away into the bedroom.

She busied herself draining the bath and removing the damp clothes she'd left on the stone steps. She also stepped out briefly to find one of the household slaves in order to procure a proper dinner since they once again wouldn't be leaving their rooms for the evening. When she returned to the bedroom he was already there lounging on one of the couches, a game of Senet sitting on the low table before him and another empty couch waiting on the other side.

She couldn't help but smile. They'd been playing it, and other games, to pass the evenings. She was relieved to see it again as it meant he wasn't unduly irritated with her just yet. She also noted that he seemed to be a much more manageable size now that they were alone for the night.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea I'd been found out. It was as much a surprise to me as to you."

He was already watching her. "On which account?"

"Both." There was another pause and she shifted uncomfortably as she sat across the table from him.

He simply nodded and reached for the counting sticks laying next to the board. Nothing more was said that did not pertain to the game before them, and she was happy to leave it thus. They were half way through the game when Demitri knocked and called out on the other side of the door, only opening it once he was sure all within were not indisposed.

She rose and took the tray he was carrying as he turned to fetch the other one.

"They left it in here." He explained as she unloaded her platter, arranging the smaller bowls and plates so that they wouldn't interfere with the game.

Demitri did the same with his own, adding a few plates of fish to the mix. It was relatively familiar fare, and she easily recognized most of it, including the grilled octopus, a personal favorite. There were two other small bowls she didn't recognize, one a kind of dark mollusc, and the other she thought might be eel, but she couldn't tell. What ever it was it was half drowned in oil. She eyed it askance and opted to snatch up a chunk of the octopus instead.

Thelios was watching her, and she wondered what he was smirking at as he accepted a cup of wine from Demitri. Demitri then helped himself to the wine— as well as to her seat. She gave him a 'look', which he returned with a wink. However she was more than happy to settle in next to Thelios when he motioned for her to join him.

They ate in silence, though it was anything but uncomfortable and everyone seemed content to let it stand. Demitri made himself at home on her vacated couch while she and Thelios restarted their game between bites.

She lost and Demitri took over her part as she reclined with a sated sigh, stretching out along the couch and sliding her feet behind Thelios. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees but reached over to run an absent hand over her bent leg, never taking his eyes from the board. She watched as he threw a three and chuckled at his sound of annoyance.

She leaned in and stole his wine cup from where he'd left it on the table and rubbed her ankle against the small of his back.

They continued to play in relative silence. Thelios ignoring her save to steal, and steal back again his cup of wine. Though that was also the only time his free hand left off its distracted exploration of her calf and thigh.

Calliope let her mind wander, fluctuating between ruminations on her and her master's present situation and dwelling on warming memories from earlier that evening ...and other evenings. The light caress of his fingers against the tender skin at the back of her knee and calf did little to discourage such thoughts. More than once she had to fight to keep the flush from her cheeks.

They were on to a third game when she felt his caress turn into a grip. It wasn't painful, or even obvious, but she noticed the change in pressure.

"What?" she asked, examining the board when he made a sound of irritation. She couldn't see why. It looked as though he were winning.

"It doesn't make sense. This is all wrong."

"What is my lord?" She asked looking curiously between him and the board.

He sat silently and they both watched him.

He grunted. "Phineas. This just isn't him. It...." he made another sound of frustration. "What do you think Demitri?"

Demitri shrugged. "I have to agree, based on what I know of him...but sometimes you think you know someone..."

He shook his head. "I've known him a long time. Since he was a child."

"I don't know what to say. I'm not arguing against him, but sometimes people surprise you. It would be nice if people wore their hearts on their sleeves, but they don't always. Rarely in fact. I knew a general, smart, capable, but he was still fooled by an officer of his...thought he was all goodness and love, we all did. We discovered he'd been conniving behind everyone's back, setting them against each other in order to advance his own career...but not before lives were ruined and innocent men put to the sword."

"Indeed, none of us three are prone to display our outward feelings...unless they do us some service." Calliope offered.

"I'm not saying he's perfect, or forthcoming about all and sundry...but he's just not power hungry. And if he wanted something of me, he could just ask. He knows that. Something is going on, and I'm not going to discover what it is by sitting here and waiting."

"Well, who did they hear it from? That he was the thief?" Demitri pressed.

"The Gorgons, you know that." Thelios growled irritably.

"I don't suppose there's any way you can check that information for yourself then?"

"Too dangerous. Callea has ways of protecting herself, I do not. Ironically I would have asked Phineas to go check for me since he was always so friendly with them."

"You don't think he might be controlled by something else, do you?" Calliope asked toying with the cup of wine in her hands.

He gave her a sidelong glance. "Honestly, the thought had crossed my mind. What makes you think that?"

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know my Lord. But I've never known you to be unreasonable about this sort of thing. If you think something is wrong, then something is probably wrong. If he's not capable of this sort of thing, then maybe it isn't really him, despite appearances to the contrary. Perhaps someone is pretending to be him, or manipulating him with magic."

"It's possible." Demitri mused. "But then what do we do? If he's being controlled by someone, he is still dangerous..."

Calliope turned back to Thelios with the intention of adding her thoughts to that, but hesitated when she found him gazing at her with a strange expression on his face. He looked slowly back to Demitri. "I'm not all that worried. His advantage is my advantage."

She frowned. "The thing he stole?"

"No, the water. We're on an island...that makes my brethren a little nervous and I bet they're wishing they'd chosen something a little more land-locked to hole up in."

"I don't understand." She leaned toward him, resting her arm on her bent knee. He paused a moment then let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

"Our mothers are both Nereid. Sisters. Making him both my cousin on that side and nephew...or great nephew I suppose, on the other. I can't say I know how it works exactly...I've never been all that interested in finding out, but it seems like our abilities, the abilities of our dams and sires, are drawn from the elements. Callea uses fire, it seems to be the core of her sorcery. Phineas...and I, water. In water neither of us have the advantage of power over the other...but my strength is more immediately available to me. He's more...a seer. He can use sorcery, can manipulate the element in ways I cannot...but his manipulations have little affect on me. Not, at least, the way it affects others. He can control the element in a limited way, but not against me. Not effectively at any rate."

"So your affinity to the element protects you then?"

"Yes."

She nodded, satisfied. That, at least, was a comforting thought. If he wasn't worried then there was less reason for her to be. In fact he seemed more upset by the fact that his friend was implicated in a betrayal than that he could actually hurt him. He seemed calm enough, not made rash with anger or fear, so there was no reason to doubt him.

Demitri let out a heavy breath. "Well, it'll wait until morning I suppose. I'll meander a bit before I settle in for the night. One of the cyclops's girls has a loose tongue." He smirked. "Maybe I'll find a way to loosen it all the more, eh?"

Calliope rolled her eyes and Thelios chuckled.

Demitri sobered. "Put it from your minds. Get some sleep...both of you. I don't want to be a pessimist, but I've got a feeling it's going to get ugly before long, and I don't doubt you'll need your strength."

She smiled tiredly and nodded. "Good night, Uncle Demitri."

Thelios raised a brow at her and Demitri grinned. "Good night, Cali-girl. Don't fret too much. I know you're wont to." He smiled warmly at her and she felt suddenly very grateful to have a man like him for a friend.

"Let me know what you hear Demitri." Thelios rumbled. "And good hunting." He gave the man a final, smirking grin before he left.