Silencing The Siren

1. The King of Partying?

(The Siren, the Gorgon, and the Trickster)

Calliope was bored. But she knew that she needed to play along, so she leaned into Nagaveni's ear and whispered, "Well, it looks like Dysnomi rolled out the red carpet for us, securing his place as the king of partying? ...Or as the king of chaos for that dramatic grand entrance?" She mischievously raised her eyebrow and giggled, showing that her words were nothing more than a joke. Though she questioned if the trickster had something bigger planned for the opening night.

"WELCOME... TO... TARTARUS!" Dysnomi announced. His voice reverberated throughout the entire room, and the crowd cheered deafeningly loud.

Calliope wondered how Dysnomi could even make his voice do that-sound so loud and commanding that it could even be heard over the loud music and the sizeable crowd. Just don't even question it, she thought to herself.

Nagaveni rolled her eyes, though she was careful to avoid accidentally making eye contact with anyone. "A+ for the theatrics, but did he have to draw so much attention over here? He couldn't have, like, waited until I wasn't right next to you?" She sighed and picked at her skin-tight dress' thin green strap, the way that she always did when she was nervous. She had never done well in crowded places, and that club was packed like a snake pit; at least, it felt that way to her. Her anxiety soared to new heights when she noticed the attention that she and Calliope were gaining. Strangers allowed their eyes to linger on the women's dresses, especially down the deep V-necks. She was doing everything that she could think of to not notice the attention, while Calliope seemed to be thriving under it. She figured that was just part of Calliope's siren abilities, though. Even she had to admit that the sequined purple dress looked amazing on Calliope, and she was glad that they had decided to get matching outfits.

"Hey... Just try to relax," Calliope told Nagaveni. "No one even knows who you are tonight except your friends, and you don't even have to worry about keeping your head hidden. The Serpent Tamer necklace Salem enchanted for you is gonna work all night. You can just be you."

That made Nagaveni feel a little better. When Calliope had first hooked the necklace onto her, the two snakes on the back of her head had hissed. Calli had simply called them stubborn and nicknamed them Julius Squeezer and Fangis Khan. She had laughed, and it was at that moment when she knew that her roommate would also be her friend.

Calliope looked at the man who was directly across the room from them. He stood near the crowded nightclub's high-top bar. He was tall and muscular. She had always found him attractive with his shoulder-length blonde hair, pale skin, and hazel eyes that had little golden flakes in them.

Nagaveni looked at him as well. She felt as if she had known that man all her life, yet she had only met him a handful of times. He just seems so familiar, she thought.

Dysnomi had been making drinks behind the bar when the women came in. However, when he saw them, he stood in front of the bar with his arms outstretched like he was Jesus. His face formed a mysterious smile as Calliope and Nagaveni crossed the only clear path through the dark, crowded dance floor. Purple, blue, and pink lights danced over their faces and bodies the entire time.

Dysnomi took a moment to appreciate Calliope, admiring her wild turquoise hair and the way that it fell in loose waves down to her waist. He always got a strange feeling when she was near him, and he soon found himself thinking, It's like the siren's calling me out to the sea.

Dysnomi studied Calliope, noticing the way that her eyes matched her dress, and how her eyes were glowing purple from the energy that she was gaining. Her dress sparkled and reflected the club's bouncing lights, commanding everyone's attention. The fabric clung to her flawless sunkissed skin as if the dress had been made specifically for her. His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes roamed up from her round thighs and wide hips. His eyes then roamed to the middle of her chest. The dress clung so tightly that it could have made any man jealous.

Dysnomi was so wrapped up in his lustful thoughts that he didn't even notice when Calliope appeared in front of him. She was just suddenly there, leaving him scrambling to gain his composure.

"You're looking like a vision tonight, Dysnomi. Or maybe just... An early-2000's goth girl's vision of the handsome vampire in her dreams," Calliope joked.

Dysnomi eagerly watched as Calliope's dark-pink lips curled into the sexiest smirk that he had ever seen. Then, he lifted an eyebrow at her and laughed.

Calliope made a show of roaming her eyes over Dysnomi's body for once and he-being the good sport that he always was-held his arms out and slowly spun in place.

"I mean it, Dys," Calliope said, throwing her hands up. "You look like a dream." She made a small, wistful sigh, glancing up at his flushed face. Her heart skipped a beat the way that it did every time that she was close to him.

For the first time, Calliope thought that the ever-so-confident Dysnomi looked nervous. He gazed down at her, and for a second, she got lost in his eyes-his golden flakes hinting at the mischief inside. Startled, she realized that she had just telepathically sent him everything that she had just thought and felt. She was usually better at keeping those things to herself.

"I almost forgot how soft your hair looks up close," Calliope whispered. She lifted her hand and lightly traced her thumb across Dysnomi's bottom lip, causing him to inhale sharply. She traced a line up his cheekbone, leaving the ghost of her touch along his skin as she reached up to play with a fallen strand of his hair. "You have the most gorgeous blonde hair... Each strand looks so divine, almost like it was woven by Rumpelstiltskin himself... It has the beauty of a dozen rays of sunlight bouncing off a puddle to create a rainbow..." She whispered in his ear with a serene sigh.

'Well, everyone here looks happy. Anger has to feel weird,' a mysterious female voice said in Calliope's mind.

When Calliope heard the voice in her mind, she stiffened. She realized then how sensually she had been talking to Dysnomi in front of Nagaveni. She thought, I guess it's a good thing we're at a bar-the perfect place for awkward situations...

Calliope stepped back and cleared her throat, internally cringing. She grabbed a shot of whiskey from the bar and tried to start over, though she was utterly useless in uncomfortable situations. "Hey, I mean, you should know by now that the only reason I'm here is to make sure you don't get all the attention." She stopped joking then to say, "But seriously, Dys, you do look good."

"WHAT?!" Dysnomi yelled out, jumping up from where he had been leaning against the bar. He seemed uncharacteristically offended. He stopped himself, adjusting his tie and smoothing his black button-down shirt. "I look good? GOOD?! Calli, I'm one of the most attractive men alive, and we both know it." He stepped forward and lowered his head to look down at Calliope, giving her his hazelnut eyes to melt into. There was a glint of roguish sparks inside of them-the golden flakes reminding her of lightning at that moment.

'Your choice is yours alone. It comes with serious consequences. Yet, he's still wearing that damn smirk on his face,' another voice said inside of Calliope's head. That voice, however, was a deep male voice.

Who said that? Calliope thought.

Without any warning then, lightning stormed down from above the nightclub! It crashed through the roof of Tartarus, aimed directly at Calliope. She caught a glimpse of a ginormous black-colored bird moments before an excruciating pain shot through her body... And everything faded to black.

★★★

The theme song for this chapter is LA Devotee by Panic! At the Disco.