(The Point of No Return)
"Stay awake, Calliope. Come on, push yourself up. Stay awake," Wrath encouraged, but Calliope still felt herself slipping away. Her sonic shriek, along with the energy that the lightning took, left her exhausted. She felt helpless, just watching in defeat. She could see Asmodeus standing and casually using a napkin to wipe the blood from his ears.
Wrath spread her giant wings—spanning seven feet from the end of one to the end of the other—in front of Calliope in an attempt to protect her. Her wings ignited, creating a wall of fire between Calliope and Asmodeus.
To Calliope's surprise, however, Asmodeus leaned down in front of her, letting the warmth wash over him, and letting the light dance across his face. Then, he laughed. Calliope snapped out of her trance due to his cruel, mocking tone.
"Really? Did you expect me to be afraid of fire? I'm the Prince of Demons," Asmodeus explained before ranting–half in English, and half in Spanish. "Fire doesn't hurt me," he said. He then disappeared in a flash, reappearing behind Calliope, reaching around to grab her by her throat before she, Thora, or Wrath had time to react.
Asmodeus squeezed Calliope's throat, cutting off her airflow. He then jerked her up so they were face-to-face, levitating.
A show of dominance, maybe? Calliope thought.
The thunderbird, Thora, stepped forward then. The massive 'dinosaur' made a low rumbling sound from her chest, bellowing like an alligator, and tapping one of her long, sharp talons on the ground. Lightning began to dance off her wings as thunder shook the entire nightclub.
Asmodeus jerked when a bolt of lightning hit him, traveling through both him and Calliope, causing her even more discomfort. He threw her into a wall when he teleported, moving away from the next bolt. The lightning barely missed hitting her as she fell to the floor.
Then, he teleported back to her, grabbing her throat once more, and sliding her up against the wall. "The lightning hurts you, too. Call them off," he commanded. She grunted in defiance, but her vision was fading, as she struggled to breathe with his hand wrapped around her throat. "Call them off!" He yelled, pulling her toward him, then slamming her into the wall hard enough that part of it crumbled around her body.
"The lightning... Does not hurt me... I am strong... I can take it..." Calliope said between gasping breaths. Technically, that was a lie, but Asmodeus didn't know that, and she didn't want to let him off easily.
"Call them both off now, or I will kill you," Asmodeus growled. "You say it doesn't hurt, but I have seen it... I will not repeat myself again, puta pequeña... Call. Them. Off. Now."
Calliope was barely conscious, but she was able to clear her thoughts enough for her to speak to her fierce feathered protectors telepathically. Wrath... Thora... Thank you, but you've gotta go... This battle is mine, she thought. Thor warned me that my choices are mine alone and that the consequences would be serious. This must be what he meant. Go now.
Thora looked at Calliope with her head tilted to one side, but her storm died down. Wrath nodded once, allowing her flames to turn to ash. Then, the birds flew out of the building the way that they had come in, leaving Calliope to deal with Asmodeus by herself.
Just as Calliope's vision began to fade completely... Just as true panic set in and her hands flew up to her attacker's wrists—scratching viciously at them as she tried to pry the strong hands away from her throat... Asmodeus dropped her, letting her body crumple in a heap on the floor.
Calliope struggled internally when she looked at Asmodeus, wondering if it was a good time to tell him how attracted to him she still was. Despite him beating the hell out of her, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him. That feeling disgusted her, but she wondered if she might also be able to use it to help herself.
Calliope barely managed to push herself into a sitting position, leaning against the wall. Her legs were shaking from even the smallest movements.
Asmodeus squatted in front of Calliope and let out a short, bitter laugh. Then, his gaze softened. He reached his big, tan hand out to stroke her sun-kissed cheek, and he almost looked sorry for his actions.
Calliope flinched away from Asmodeus, terrified, and let out a quiet whimper. He had the audacity to appear hurt. Suddenly, she could feel the way that he had been longing for her, needing her... But also hating her for it.
Then, Asmodeus' lust was gone. It had been replaced with a rage that was so terrifying, that Calliope was afraid to look at him. Yet, she forced herself to peek at his face from underneath her long lashes.
He's still so handsome, Calliope thought. Asmodeus had long black hair, unnatural ocean-blue eyes, which would turn a nightmarish black when he was angry, and flawless tan skin that was accentuated by his pouty lips, high cheekbones, and sharply arched eyebrows–one with a thick scar cutting through it and down over his eyelid, ending right underneath his eye.
I remember that scar, Calliope thought. He had a party one night. Menoetius tried to hit on me, and he grabbed me and hurt me when I turned him down. Then, he tried to force himself on me. Asmodeus caught him, pulled him off me, and started beating him... But his half-brother pulled a knife on him. She stared up at Asmodeus' eyes, remembering the way that he used to hypnotize her with his piercing gaze, and the way that she would get lost in the waves. She sat there, leaning against the wall, her body aching. She searched the storm in his eyes for an answer, watching as his eyes began to turn darker...
Remembering Asmodeus' feelings for her, Calliope took advantage of his emotions for a few moments, breathing in the anger that he felt and using it, little by little, to try and heal herself. Anger didn't work very well for healing, but it was the only emotion that she had to work with at that moment.
Calliope opened her mind to allow Asmodeus to feel everything that she was feeling. She sent him the physical pain first—from the ache in her muscles to the sharp pain that came from trying to breathe using her swollen and bruised throat—before sending him the emotional pain that she was struggling with. She sent him the longing that she had felt for him in the time that they had been apart. She also sent him the terror, mixed with the excitement, of the possibilities now that they were reunited... Then, she closed her mind, cruelly blocking him out of her mind.
Asmodeus jerked back like Calliope had slapped him when he stopped feeling the mental connection. He appeared sad at first, but his face soon contorted into a murderous rage. As his mood changed, so did his eyes. They became darker and darker until both were entirely black.
"Finally! The demon comes out to play," Calliope sang, then laughed. "Asmodeus wasn't even really trying to hurt me, was he? Well, I can't wait to see what you do, demon."
"I don't know who the fuck you think you are, or what you fucking did to me, but I'm not entertaining your drama! ¡Maldita perra!" the demon hissed through gritted teeth, with a vicious snarl on his face. "I used to feel nothing for anyone. I was smart. I was a damn good ruler. Then, you came along. I started... feeling things. I cared about you. I... Loved... You. But, the moment that you saw this side of me, you left me. You ruined everything!"
"You and your pathetic demons were hurting people and destroying their lives for fun. I couldn't be part of that. You know what? It fucking sucked, dude, because I wanted better for you. Even knowing that you're a cambion, and the literal Prince of Demons, I cared about you so fucking much," Calliope said. She forced a shaky arm up and brushed her fingers delicately along Asmodeus' skin. She caught him admiring the way that her small hand and turquoise nails looked gliding along his chiseled jawline. She felt his muscles tense underneath her hand. He was expecting her to slap him, or to do something else cruel–the way that he would... But she didn't. He shuddered under her touch, and she could feel his desire flare inside of him.
Asmodeus stopped himself, grabbing Calliope's hand and yanking it off of him. He held it a few inches away from his face, tight enough that she watched as her skin almost instantly began bruising underneath his fingers. She could feel her bones crunching as he squeezed tighter. When he finally released her hand, it dropped to her side like a dead weight. She tried to lift it, but her muscles screamed at her. She could only lift it enough to see that it was bruised badly–dark purple, blue, and black all over.
Great, he broke it, Calliope pouted, although she already guessed that it was broken before even looking at it. Then, Asmodeus leaned into her, one hand coming up to stroke her cheek, while his other hand slid up her knee until it rested on her thigh.
Calliope pulled in a shaky breath, feeling scared and excited simultaneously. Asmodeus moved in then, his lips ghosting over hers as he took the hand he had resting on her leg and moved it to the inside of her thigh. His oceanic eyes told her that the demon was gone, and Asmodeus fixed his gaze on her face. He took a bit of delight in the way that her face contorted with her emotions as she tried to hold herself back. He thought to himself, I am once again at the mercy of Calliope's self-restraint. The moment she gives in and admits that she wants me, there's nothing I wouldn't do for her.
Calliope's legs trembled under Asmodeus' touch, and she held her breath as his lips passed over hers. A tear fell from one of her eyes, and she let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. She leaned away from his touch, then looked at him, struggling to find something to say.
When she spoke, her voice wavered. "I... I'm sorry. It was... Amazing... Being with you." She watched as his face went from longing to confusion, before settling on a stormy expression as he listened. "I never wanted to hurt you," she whispered. "I guess I never should've let myself get attached. I swear it was supposed to be a one-night thing... But... You kept inviting me over, and that one night turned into a whole relationship." Her eyes drooped, her energy officially running out. "I didn't mean to hurt you, but I guess I did. I guess I turned you into..."
"Into what?" Asmodeus questioned, challenging her. His voice was dripping with malice. "If I were you, I would choose my next words very carefully."
"Does it really matter what I say, 'Deus? You're just gonna believe whatever you want regardless. You're so gods-damn stubborn and cruel! It has to be my fault... I'm a siren, after all... I'm like a parasite, living off other people–their emotions. Look, I know you still have feelings for me, 'Deus. I can feel you fighting your demon over this... I'm really sorry." She looked down, with a guilty expression on her face. Her face twisted with her emotions, and she used her good hand to pull her broken one into her lap.
For a moment, Calliope forgot to keep her mental walls up, and Asmodeus could feel her emotions changing with her facial expressions–from a tsunami of sadness to a fiery pit of anger that she was desperately trying to keep hidden. All that did was make Asmodeus more attracted to Calliope–especially the anger.
"Asmodeus... Prince of Demons: half-human, half-demon, and both halves always fighting each other. Sometimes... I fucking swear... you are so... gods-damn... stupid!" she screamed at him suddenly, spitting the words out like venom.
Asmodeus reeled back, looking at Calliope like she was a stranger–his eyes flickering between black and blue. Her words invoked the anger inside of him, and before he could even think, his eyes turned black again and stayed that way, he pulled back his fist, punching her. Her head snapped to the side from the force of his punch, and blood dripped out of her mouth.
Calliope looked at Asmodeus, smiling in a way that he'd never seen her do. She laughed, letting blood fall out of her mouth... "Just fucking kill me already... I know you, Asmodeus. I know all your desires. I can feel your lust, your pain, your anger... Go ahead and have whatever fun you want with me... But please... just hurry up, and fucking kill me."
"Shut up!" Asmodeus hit Calliope again, slicing open her cheek. Asmodeus hated the demon for reacting that way, but he couldn't stop it. "¡Cállate! This... is not you," he said. "I don't know what's going on with you, or why you're intentionally trying to anger me, but I'm not wasting any more time on these games. Your little friends are probably already on their way back to help you... But, you're pissing me off tonight, so I've just decided... Voy a joder disfrutando de esto. Perra."
Calliope took a breath, calming herself. "I think I may have turned you into someone who's cold-hearted and closed off. You used to be so fun and happy, even if you did bad things every now and then... I think I might be the reason that you changed... I... must have taken all your affection, and left you with nothing. I'm so sorry..." She was struggling to stay awake. As her eyes closed, however, she could vaguely hear the sound of his laughter in front of her, causing her to force them open again.
"You think you turned me into a monster? Oh, give me a break. You were always so perfect..." He said the word 'perfect' with disdain in his voice. "You were just so nice to everyone. The other demons wondered what it would take to break you, and I guess now we know..." The demon laughed harder when he said that.
As her vision darkened again, she heard Amadeo stirring awake in the middle of the destroyed dance floor. Asmodeus made a small, sort-of satisfied noise in his throat, and it sent a shiver of dread down her spine. "Our mutual friend is waking up, it seems... Hey, do you remember when Amadeo introduced you to me? He had already asked me to break you because he wanted to watch. He thought it was hilarious to watch women break... And I was the best at doing it. That's why he even introduced us to begin with. He, and the other demons, begged me to destroy you in every possible way. I welcomed the challenge with others, but when it came to you..." He trailed off, looking dejected for a moment, his eyes flickering back to blue as Asmodeus fought the demon for control.
Calliope felt Asmodeus longing for her, hating both her and Amadeo, wanting them dead, and wanting her out of his life for good, while also wanting to keep fucking her for himself.
"There was a time when every demon here wanted you... There was a time when every man here begged me to let them 'take turns' with you. I mean, a beautiful siren in a mansion full of demons? You could only imagine the things they would have done to you. And your little friend, Amadeo? He begged me more often than anyone else. He was convinced that if he could just have you to himself, somehow you would fall in love with him. I mean, it was pathetic–his weird little fantasy. It was disgusting, even by a demon's standards. I was not going to let that happen. Besides, I loved having you all to myself. No one ever tried to challenge me for you, other than Menoetius, of course... Seeing him on you that night... the way he was forcing you down, the way you struggled, and the way he beat you for it... Your whole body was bruised, Calliope, yet you continued to fight against him... I remember hearing you screaming at him, and hearing you tell him that you were mine..."
'He sounds so sad,' the thunderbird spirit said in Calliope's head.
Yes, Lyn, he does. I hate seeing him like this, Calliope thought.
"What have you done to me, Calli?" Asmodeus asked. "I never cared about anyone enough to ever stop these fuckers from doing the awful things they wanted to do. The only rule was that we didn't break contracts. But then you came along, and I couldn't let the kind of shit they did happen anymore," he said, brushing his fingers over her cheek. "I told myself it was only because I didn't want to share you with anyone, but honestly... I was scared of what would happen to you... I was scared of what they would do to you. I wanted to protect you, but I guess it doesn't really matter now... I have no idea how I'm supposed to kill you..."
Calliope jerked away from Asmodeus and managed to open her eyes long enough to give him a hateful look, one that she knew would hurt him. "You wanted to protect me? Is that what you told yourself when you got rid of my friends? My brother? Tell me, Asmodeus... Were you always a monster? I tried so hard to be careful around you, but if I had known what you were truly capable of, I never would've even touched someone as repulsive–"
Asmodeus grabbed Calliope's throat with one hand, lifting her off the ground. She didn't even struggle. She simply smirked at him, then spit her blood in his face. Angry, the demon took control again and hit her as hard as he could with his other hand, knocking her out, and leaving her body to fall to the floor.
How is there so much blood? Asmodeus thought. He dropped to the floor gracefully to check on Calliope. Her forehead got cracked on the floor... ¡Maldito idiota! He cursed the demon for getting carried away. He knelt before her and scooped her into his strong arms, bridal-style. If he had known things would end up that way, he would have carried her like that when she was his... He would have made more of an effort...
'It's too late now.' The demon half of him laughed, and he screamed at it to shut up.
He walked out of Tartarus with her lying unconscious in his arms, then he called someone else to grab Amadeo. In the alley near the exit, he spotted ruby-red eyes shining at him inside of darkness so vast that it was impossible for him to even see into it. Nanuk... he thought. He looked toward the giant hellhound, which he had given to Calliope as a birthday present when they were together three years before. He whispered to the wolf, "Go home..."
The hellhound whined like a puppy—a sound that hellhounds never make—and nudged Calliope's arm, which had fallen to the side. Nanuk was careful not to touch her horribly bruised and swollen hand. Calliope stirred as if she was waking up. When pain shot through her again, she made a small, strangled cry and blood bubbled out from between her pale lips, and fell back into her trauma-induced sleep.
★★★
The theme song for this chapter is Forget Me Too by Machine Gun Kelly featuring Halsey.