Calliope - In The Arms Of Morpheus

Chapter 21

"Come." Calliope whispered again. Morpheus let himself be pulled towards the bedroom.
"I want to love you, as much as you did, tonight."
She led him back to the bed, where Morpheus sat, trying to control his immense discomfort by parts of his body acting up against his will. His Muse knelt before him, her shoulders covered in his coat, that opened up to reveal parts of her naked body. He took a ragged breath, his mind a tumble of needs.
Her gaze wandered up Morpheus' body and looked into his eyes. "I have never done this before. Inspire me, Oneiros."
"Are you sure this is what you want?" He brushed a stray curl from her face. "There may not much pleasure in this, for you."
"You're the one who taught his dream to love unconditionally."
He had to smile. She was right. "If that is, what you want, I will guide you. But please know that you may stop at any time, if you are not comfortable."
She nodded, her eyes gleaming in the golden fire light. "How do I kiss you, so you feel pleasure."
Morpheus closed his eyes and gave in to her touches. Gently, he told her how her actions affected him, how he enjoyed her, how much pressure felt delightful, and how to elicit shivers of pleasure across his body. Morpheus showed her how to touch until he could not speak anymore, lost in a cloud of desire and feelings, giving in, losing himself to the rhythm of her hands, to her making him moan.
Morpheus closed his eyes, buried his hands in her hair, and just enjoyed. No thinking, no duties, no obligations, just them. Here. In the moment.
And then he felt it. It rose deep within him. Something, he would not have had without her. Something that wanted to be born from their union. A fleeting thought, a gift to the world.
And then they flew, both wrapped in his coat, high in the sky, sand swirling around them, him, holding her curvy body in his arms, her face tugged against his chest, he let his head fall back and cried out loud.
Somewhere, deep down below them, on Mount Helicon, a little foal came into existence. It walked to the spring of the Hippocrene to drink, and then it took its time unfold its softly violet wings for the first time.
When Morpheus could breathe again, he opened his eyes and there she knelt. Eyes gleaming, with a look of utter rapture. "Thank you, lord Oneiros." She whispered. "For inspiring me."
He had soiled her with his selfishness, but she thanked him for it. Morpheus was floored. Sinking to his knees, cupping her face, he kissed her, tasting her salty lips. "Thank you." He pulled her up with him, and lead them to the bathroom, where he manifested a well-tempered bath. "Thank you for taking my pain."

***

A few minutes later, they lay in the hot bath, her back against his chest, few stray curls fanning out over his skin like Medusa's snakes. She held his hand in hers, experimenting with the colors she could send across his skin, just by the mere touch of her finger.
"What is lacking, until they are finished?" She asked lazily, touching one fingertip of his with hers, one after another.
"Who?" Her soft lips grazed his knuckles.
"The dream couple, silly. What do they need to be perfect?" She laughed.
"I do not know." Morpheus shrugged, while she threaded her little fingers onto his big hand.
"Then, what happens usually, after you finished designing them? Where do they go?"
"I give them a purpose, then set them free."
"Do they have everything to fulfill their purpose?"
They were certainly fit to love. Or better, show pure love in their dreams. Each one serving the preferences of the dreamer. But knowing what blissful love was, did not mean automatically, that the dreamer would go the extra mile and give fulfillment to their partner. These dreams modeled selflessness, but if you had no selflessness in you, you would probably not bother. "They lack..." Leverage? "Means to show what happens, if you do not-"
Holy! He needed to make them partly nightmare. They needed the ability to turn the dream of bliss around, show more than worst-case scenarios, to motivate people out of their blissful sleep and into action.
"They lack power."

****

After having found out how to finish his dreams, Oneiros had carried her sated body to bed, where she had dozed a little, resting on his warm and colored chest, while he closed his eyes. Calliope wrapped his arm around her body, keeping his fingers in her hands. Those glorious fingers, she never wanted to leave his body.
His breath flowing evenly, he relaxed, and went slack.
Calliope had given him as much, as she could possibly dare to give. It had been risky, because she needed to be able to step back, for his sake, but worth it. She had been able to help him with his dreams and he would be able to inspire the entire humanity. That was worth risking pain and doom.
But now, she had to protect him from her desires. Humanity needed him. Actually, it needed both of them: him, to teach with his dreams, and her to inspire change. There was only one way to make sure, they were all safe. Even if she had to break her own heart in the process.
Calliope gently put his arm aside and turned to face him. His eyes were closed, lips parted, breathing evenly, his cheekbones illuminated by the fire, sending shadows of his raven-black hair across his skin.
Oneiros was, maybe for the first time in his existence, sleeping.
Her heart hurt in her chest, making it impossible to breathe through the tears.
"Se feelo, Oneiros," she whispered.
Then she forced herself to stand up and dress.
She fastened the golden clasps with shaking hands, her girdle barely closed, her feet feeling heavy as stone, as they slipped into my sandals. She readjusted the slide in her hair and then looked around. This black room was so much him. Calliope doubted, that the Endless usually slept, but if he would, that would be his chamber.
A castle that adapted to his needs...
He looked so peaceful in his sleep. She bent over him and kissed his brow. "Fare ye well, Lord of the Dream realm."
Calliope inhaled, wiped at her tears, then opened the door to the courtyard with the stables. Hippolitos was back in his box, snuffling gently, as she entered.
"Hey old friend..." Her voice sounded brittle. "I need you to do me a favor." Calliope rubbed his neck.
He looked at her with a soft snort.
"Can you take me home? Right now?"

(Uh-oh! Self-sacrifice is the ticket to permanent unhappines. And also, Desire is cooking up something. And there ist this tiny wonder, waiting for Calliope in Greece, only to be in great danger... ah, but what am I saying. Please vote for this chapter and come back for the next one to be published tmorrow.)