Silencing The Siren

Calliope had been bored. But she knew that she needed to play her part, 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 it had been nothing more than a joke. Though, she questioned if the trickster had something bigger planned for the night.

“WELCOME… TO… TARTARUS!” Dysnomi’s voice reverberated through the room, and the crowd cheered at that.

Calliope wondered how he could even make his voice do that–sound so loud and commanding, being heard over the loud music and crowd. 'Don’t even question it,' she thought.

Nagaveni rolled her eyes, though she was careful to keep them aimed toward the floor. “An A+ for 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 she always did when she was nervous. She had never been good in crowded places, and that place was packed like a snake pit; at least, it felt that way. Her anxiety soared to new heights when she noticed all the attention she and Calliope were getting. Strangers let their eyes linger on the fabric of the women’s dresses, especially down the deep V necks. She was doing everything she could think of to not notice the attention, while Calliope seemed to be thriving. But Nagaveni figured that was just part of Calliope’s siren abilities. She had to admit, the sparkly purple dress did look amazing on Calliope, and she was glad they decided to get matching outfits.

“Hey… just try to relax,” Calliope reassured her. “No one even knows who you are tonight except your friends, and you don’t have to worry about keeping your head hidden. The Serpent Tamer amulet Salem made 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. Nagaveni had laughed. It was then that she knew her roommate would also be her friend.

Calliope directly looked at the man 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.

He had been making drinks behind the bar when they had come in, but then, 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.

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

He looked at her, seeing the way her eyes matched her dress, glowing purple from all the energy she was gaining. Her dress sparkled and reflected the club’s bouncing lights, commanding everyone’s attention. The fabric clung to her flawless peach-colored skin as if the dress had been made specifically for her. His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes glided up from her round thighs and wide hips. His eyes roamed up to the middle of her chest. The dress clung so tightly that it could have made any man jealous.

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

“You’re looking like a vision, Dysnomi. Or maybe just… an early-2000’s goth’s vision of the handsome vampire in their dreams,” she said.

He eagerly watched her dark pink lips curl into the sexiest smirk he had ever seen. He lifted an eyebrow at her and laughed.

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

“I mean it, Dys,” she 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 it did every time she was close to him.

For the first time, she thought 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 sprinkles of mischief on the inside. Startled, she realized that she had just telepathically sent him those thoughts. She was usually better at keeping them to herself.

“I almost forgot how soft your hair looks up close,” she whispered. She lifted her hand and lightly traced her thumb across his 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 as if 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 that in his ear with a serene sigh.

“Well, everyone here looks happy. Anger has to feel weird,” a mysterious female voice said in her mind.

When she heard this mysterious female voice in her head, she stiffened. She realized how sensually she had just 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…'

She stepped back and cleared her throat, internally cringing from Dysnomi’s disappointment. She grabbed a shot of whiskey from the bar and tried to start over, though she was 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 to say, “But seriously, Dys, you do look good.”

“WHAT?!” He yelled out, jumping up from where he was leaning against the bar, 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 chocolate eyes to melt into. There was a glint of roguish sparks in them, like lightning.

“Your choice is yours alone, with serious consequences. Yet he’s still wearing that damn smirk on his face.”

'Who said that?' Calliope thought. The voice in her head that time had been a deep male voice.

Without any warning, lightning stormed down! It crashed through the roof of Tartarus, aimed at Calliope. She caught a glimpse of a ginormous black-colored bird moments before an excruciating pain washed over her… and everything went dark.