Calliope - In The Arms Of Morpheus

Chapter 28

Morpheus did not even care that he was still pacing.
Silver shards of moonlight sliced through the window to Calliope's bedroom to the obnoxious chirping of the crickets. In the next courtyard, the crowd gasped and cheered. Someone screamed, someone else, too. The sacrifice had begun.
He leaned against the windowsill and tried to gather his strength. His brother did not need to know how weakened he was by the human body. How vulnerable.
Morpheus could not afford to sleep. He could not afford to indulge in petty human needs. He was not selfish enough to abandon his responsibilities, because his new body felt weak, hungry, or tired, or painfully needy.
Something gleamed golden among a pile of jewelry on the floor beside the bed. Morpheus knelt down, and pulled the saculum off the pile.
The thieving sibling! They had never given it back!
"Hurry! We're ffuposed to be there first! I'm ffooo excited!" A man urged.
Morpheus manifested a pocket inside his peplos and slipped the golden device inside.
"Glad they picked you too, bro." another said, followed by a female giggle as they hurried past the window.
The sacrifice seemed to be over, more clamoring people moved. Guests passed through the courtyard, and exited the temple area into the starry night. Any moment now, they would arrive here.
It was best, not to waste any time. Not look at her, not think too much about her, or his body would start reacting again. Say a few clear words, throw his sibling out of Calliope's life and be done with it. Hippolitos would take Morpheus back to the dreaming, and then he would find a solution to his physical ailments.

****

This was it. Calliope and Epithymiae walked down the corridor towards their destiny for the bridal duty. The moment her husband would take her to bed, while the guests were serenading them in front of their bedroom door and hold the bridal waking.
"Dear guests. We are gathered here, to celebrate the unveiling of the beautiful bride." Erato stopped, even though they had not reached Calliope's bedroom yet.
"But-" Calliope started.
"I have offered," Erato droned over her protest, "to lend my reception room to the couple, to substitute for the groom's household. Me and my family will welcome the couple here at this door, and the selected friends, who will be the evening serenaders, will accompany them into the chamber."
A wedding night was not a very private thing, bed sheet were expected to be bloodied and shown around in the morning, but usually the serenaders would guard the door from the outside of the bedroom.
Someone ran hastily away, while Erato lifted Calliope's veil for a kiss. "Happy wedding, dear sister." She beamed.
Calliope tried to keep the bile in and control the pain and agitation with deep breaths.
Then her eldest sister Urania stepped up and lifted her veil. "Quite the unusual wedding, Sis." She whispered.
"I did not know, Erato did all the planning." Calliope whispered back.
Then came Terpsichore. "May you be as happy, as I intend to be."
"I am soo happy you've met Acheloos."
Clio, just kissed, Euterpe wished Calliope luck, and Melepomene asked, "you did want to save the pegasos as surprise for the dramatic effect, did you?!"
Her "No!" was lost under the veil.
"Did you really plan this cruelty?" Thalia asked.
"No. I did not know. I am so sorry!" Calliope whispered, her throat constricting dangerously. "I loved him."
Finally Poli lifted her veil. "Are you okay? Do you want to leave? I can help you."
Yes- No.
Calliope's husband may be cruel, but she was safe at home, better off than in another man's house, where a mother-in-law would be hazing her. This here was a simple transaction: her body and status against the right to live at home and be a muse.
"It's okay, Poli." Calliope mumbled, across the big lump in her throat. "Where is our Mom?"
"She left hastily, a few minutes ago. Maybe she wants to congratulate you with the morning serenaders."
Someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from her sister. "Finally, the time has come," her groom announced saucily, "to lift the veil and drink the first kiss from the lips of my betrothed."
Cold air hit her face, and greedy lips claimed hers. They grasped, bit and sucked, without waiting for her response. Then he let go of her and Calliope leaned against the door, gasping trying to breathe through the pain, her bruised ribs still sending bolts of pain though her lungs.
"So, dear guests, we now bid you good night. And see that this union should now be consummated." The guests applauded. Then they waved and nodded and wished them a good night.
When Erato nodded her good nights, Epithymiae took hold of her arm and pulled her close. "As the member of the family, who gave her sister away to me, you should stay," he hissed.
Erato's eyes went wide. "That is not necessary."
"Oh, but it is, is it?" Epithymiae's voice dripped. "I challenge you to watch."
"What?!" Calliope gasped. "Epithymiae, you would have my own sister watch me-"
He smiled. "We should not make a scandal of this." He pulled them both into the chamber, closing the door with a bang. "We all know the truth here. You, Erato, are prostituting your sister, so that you can go on satisfying your various appetites with me." He snarled.
"What?"
Erato turned white. "You dare-"
With a loud snap, Epithymiae closed the hatch of the door, then turned to the waiting choir of serenaders.
"We all know, that this is the most unusual wedding night." He announced. "We have here a woman, marrying her lover to her sister, because she can not control her own desires." Epithymiae walked into the room.
"No!" Erato gasped, turning crimson.
Among the guests, Calliope could see Palladius grin. People were exchanging glances and whispers, Marcos and Chloe kissed, another man held his neighbor around the waist his hand fondling for the man's crotch, while kissing the woman to his left.
"We have also a bride, who marries, to be finally allowed to be a proper muse. We honor my dear friend Bacchus, whom I consult for my wedding night and we have our special guests, beautiful people..." He gestured at the small crowd, indeed, all very well built men and beautiful women. "We have wine, we have music," he gestured at a harp player in the corner and at a buffet in another "...and we have the entire night."
Bacchus?! The god of wine and corybantic feasts.
"Let!" Epithymiae announced solemnly, "The baccanal beginn!"
The special guest applauded, and dispersed for the buffet.
"No!" Calliope yelled, making everybody freeze. "Not. On. My. Wedding. Night." Anger coursed though her veins. "Not like this."
Everybody stared at her.
"If you want to consummate our marriage, then in my private chambers, or not at all." She hissed at her groom.
"Aww, Darling," Epithymiae stepped to her and caressed her chin, his sickening scent sending bile into her throat. "Don't be like that. Don't you want to be a muse?"
"Yes, I do. But not like this. I will not let you near me, as long as everybody is watching."
"Oh, but they will barely." He sounded cloyingly sweet. "Go children of love, go about your business and get the party started, I will sort this out." He waved his snake-bejeweled hand at his guests.
"No. Not even while they're not watching. My bedroom or nothing at all."
The onlookers dispersed, some pretending to eat, some already busy digging into each others.
"Aw, Darling, don't be like that." He grabbed Calliope's wrist.
"Stop it, Epi, she doesn't want to." Erato growled.
Epithymiae looked at Erato. "I don't mind that." He said softly.
"But I do. Have me and I promise to tell everybody the marriage was consummated." Erato hissed.
"No, thank you. I'm not in the mood for you." His hand tightened around Calliope's wrist, snake digging into her flesh as he pulled her up to Erato's bed.
"No! Stop!" Calliope's sister screamed.
With a vicious swirl, he turned and slapped Erato across the face, sending her flying against the sturdy audience room's door.
While he dragged Calliope up the last steps, she could hear first the low thump of her sister's body hitting the wood, then sobs, before Calliope was thrown onto her sister's bed. "No!" Calliope yelled, before his hand covered her mouth.

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