Silencing The Siren

5. American Nightmare

Dysnomi laughed and said, "I should've known. But, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Unfortunately, we better get back in there." He nodded toward the door after a moment of hesitation, then transformed back into himself. He led Calliope toward the door then, flashing her his signature smirk. "Nanuk is gonna kill me for stealing you away from her for so long. For the record though, I am absolutely not sorry." He looked at her, smiling, and winked.

Calliope blushed, then looked away, feeling a little guilty. "I... I don't want to hurt you, Dys. You know what I am... You know if someone feels strong emotions for me, it sort of feeds me, gives me energy, and if I don't distance myself, I could accidentally take too much from you. I mean, that could leave you catatonic, like a lobotomite... Or it could just leave you stripped of all emotions, like a sociopath... I'm not really sure if my emotional abilities work on other Supernaturals, but if they do... I just... I don't wanna be responsible for anything happening to you," she said.

Dysnomi simply looked at Calliope when she said that, raising his eyebrow. Then, he threw his head back and howled with laughter.

"Are you really laughing at me?! Why is this funny to you? Do you care that little about your own health?" Calliope asked.

"Calli... You have no idea how old I am... Or how powerful I've become over the years." He laughed again, harder—like she was nothing more than a silly child who didn't understand anything about the world. "Oh, you poor, adorably sweet, young woman." She cut her eyes at him as a warning, which he, of course, ignored. "I'm a trickster, Calli. You can't take anything from me, because all of reality is mine. I can create literally anything, and I can change reality itself. You don't have to worry. But, right now, I think it's the perfect time to do this," he finished, holding a hand in front of himself. Rainbow lights swirled around his hand, curling around it like they had a mind of their own. The lights were turning over each other–twisting, bending, and seemingly helping one another to create an object.

"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?" Calliope heard her own voice in her head—an echo of sorts—reminding herself of what she said about Dysnomi earlier that night.

"Is that a dagger?!" Calliope exclaimed. Then, she took it from Dysnomi with gentle hands. It shone a glorious golden light, and it was warm to the touch. The hilt of the dagger was dark black, and it had beautiful gold-plated swirls around it. "It's gorgeous, Dys," she said.

"It's for you," Dysnomi whispered, sounding sad. He pressed the dagger into Calliope's hands gently, closing her fingers around the hilt. "Let this Blade of Light protect you and guide you... 'my exuberant flower,'" he said, using a fake Transylvanian accent for the last few words, imitating Dracula. "You might need it."

Then, he let out a loud laugh when Calliope fake gasped, putting a hand over her mouth in an exaggerated display of shock, before she laughed with him, though she still felt in her gut that there was something that he wasn't telling her. She did feel grateful for the Blade of Light that he gave her, however.

"Nagaveni must be worried sick by now," Dysnomi said. "I don't want to make her any more uncomfortable waiting on us, or more upset than that fight had to..." He stopped, and shook his head like he was confused, then continued normally. "Besides, I know for a fact that there is not one more person who needs to see your beautiful face before you appear on stage."

At first, Calliope's eyes lit up with a playful gleam as they walked through the crowds of Tartarus, practically having to shove people out of their way, toward a booth in the far corner, where they could just barely make out Nagaveni. She was sitting with Nanuk, petting the hellhound behind the ears, and nursing another drink.