Who: Raiden and Callilope What: Finding somewhere to stay When: [Backdated] Where: Coffee shop Warnings: None
With the weather indecisive as to whether or not it would be cold for the winter, Calliope took advantage of the warmer days and went out to stock up on winter supplies. She had intended on finding some firewood and bring in it to her son but it had turned out to be such a nice, sunny day her mind wandered to warmer days. Firewood could wait for another day. It was so nice she could even take off her coat and walk in shirtsleeves, a bright smile plastered across her face. This was absolutely lovely.
She stopped in at the next coffee shop she came across, ordered herself an espresso and looked around for an empty chair. Many of the tables were full except for one that was empty and another that had only a single person at it: A young girl who looked awfully familiar. There was something about her she couldn't quite put her finger on but that girl had an air of.. something around her. In very Calliope-like fashion she waltzed over with a wide smile. "Mind if I sit with you? I'd go to the other open table but I feel so strange sitting alone."
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Raiden looked up from her cup of tea she'd been staring into. It was cold now. It had barely registered to her that someone was talking to her. She was so deep in thought. She looked up to see Callilope with eyes of the ocean. There was no question who she belonged to. Usually the girl was bursting with energy. Not today. Not with everyone around her pushing her aside as if she were some object to discard. She didn't feel very wanted, and had been wracking her brain for weeks now on what could get her back in her father's good graces. She wasn't ready to give up, she was determined, bit right now she was heartbroken. _____________________
Calliope's smile faded into a look of concern. She didn't know this girl personally but she could feel the energy that radiated from her. Without another thought she sat across the table from Raiden. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look absolutely pitiful." Calliope waved her hand dismissing her own rudeness, "I'm sorry, dear. You just seem so familiar and I feel I've seen you before but I can't quite place it." _____________________
Raiden was ready to answer. She used to tell people happily all the time that she was the daughter of Poseidon, as if she were out of a Percy Jackson novel. But when she looked back to Calliope to answer she just broke down in tears. Half child of the Sea King or not, she was still half human. She had t cried at all since the whole fiasco happened. And after she'd been handed over person to person like cargo, and now run away, it finally hit her and hard.
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When Raiden began to cry Calliope sat there stunned, not entirely sure what to do. And then her momma bear instincts took over. She moved quickly to sit next to the poor girl. She moved some of Raiden's hair from her face. "Just let it out," she said soothingly. It was better not to keep things bottled up. Then again, Calliope wasn't the type to keep things to herself. _____________________
It was just a ball of emotion that had taken her over. Gasping sobs and big crocodile tears. She couldn't even speak a word until she calmed down. It was embarrassing and all she could think was she had no one. Yet, here was a complete stranger holding her close and offering the comfort she didn't realize she'd needed. _____________________
All of Calliope's mothering instincts had taken effect. She hated seeing young ones cry or suffer. She didn't know this girl, but there was something about her that made Calliope feel the need to comfort her. Calliope silently watched the girl, her heart heavy for her. When she seemed to calm down enough Calliope tilted her head a little to look at her, "I'm Calliope. What's your name?" She was absolutely certain this girl was immortal like her. She gave off a very distinct energy she felt only immortals could give off. It was different somehow, but this girl must be an immortal. _____________________
Raiden wiped her eyes, her face blotchy from her tears. Her heart kept a little at hearing the name of her new friend. "You're a muse," she tried to straighten up and calm her tears. "I'm Raiden," she said in a soft voice, "Poseidon's daughter." She was only a half immortal, but she had his blood running through her veins. _____________________
Calliope offered a napkin so the girl could wipe her eyes. She smiled softly, "Yes, I am." Muse of epic poetry and eloquence. She had ties to almost everyone in their pantheon. "Ah, that explains why you seem so familiar to me," she said soothingly. It was difficult not to notice Poseidon's behavior, not only recently but pretty much all the time. He was very loud and hard to miss. "Zeus is my father, which makes us cousins," she offered a kind smile. "Now," she said in a rather business-like fashion, "what precisely is upsetting you?" Calliope cared for most everyone she met. She had a terrible habit of wanting to take care of everyone around her. _____________________
The girl had to get herself straight before she croaked out a response. With a sniffle she told Calliope that Poseidon threw her out. "He'd taken me in when Amphitrite disappeared and then when she came back its like everything changed." Her eyes welled up with tears s again. "The. It was like I was some cargo to be passed around between Briareos and Thetis. I'm all alone." She started to remember her mother in that moment and it hurt. "I lost my mother years ago to a demon that are her. This all the family I have and they hate me." _____________________
Ah! So this was the young one she'd seen on social media who'd been tossed out by Poseidon. That explained why Calliope recognized her somehow. Calliope nodded slowly, listening intently as though Raiden was the only other person in the world. She looked more and more concerned. It was the last thing Raiden said that broke Calliope's heart more than any of it. "Oh, dearheart," she said quietly. "I'm certain they don't hate you. Perhaps threatened by a new presence in the family, but not hate." She took Raiden's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm terribly sorry you've been greeted with such disdain and hostility. It isn't enough to say we do get jealous because that would be as though I'm dismissing your feelings, which I'm not." She offered a kind smile, "Do you have a place to go?"
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It was all the girl had needed. Someone to be calm instead of treating her like a child. She'd been through hell and back, she'd lost the only person she had left, having no one else to turn to. She'd felt at home near Briareos, he was familiar like her father, and that had ended up a mess. Raiden's tears were quick to come back when Calliope asked her such a simple question. All she could get out was the shake of her head, as the tears had choked the words from her throat. _____________________
Calliope sighed with a heavy heart. She embraced her cousin in a rather motherly way. "I'm sorry, dear one." They say there in silence for a few minutes, Calliope allowing Raiden to let herself cry. Even a muse needed a good cry every now and then, but Raiden had actual problems. Namely, an arrogant father and family who thought they could treat her so poorly. Then a thought came to her, "Raiden, would you like to stay with me for a little while? At least until you can get back on your feet?" _____________________
"Why would you do that?" She croaked. Why would anyone? No one else had, not under their own pretenses. Raiden knew Thetis had only stepped in because Briareos asked her to. She was just a girl that had been born to an Olympian, it hadn't been her choice. She'd been proud of it once, but now she was starting to question herself. _____________________
"Because you need help," Calliope said simply. She hated seeing others suffering. For the most part heroes were hers, unless they had a terribly tragic life. In that case, they went to her sister Melpomene. If Calliope ever saw one of her heroes in trouble she was there in a heartbeat. Unless they were behaving badly, in which case she had no issues reprimanding them. "And we are family, even if we did only just meet," she smiled. _____________________
Raiden finally looked to the woman who seemed so kind. She knew her story, she knew all of them because she'd spent so long studying Greek mythology when her mother had told her who she belonged to. She wiped away another stream of crocodile tears and gave a clear view of her oceanic eyes. "Even though I'm not yours?" She was a little in shock and yet some warmth melted that scared, lonely girl. _____________________
Calliope nodded, "Of course." She knew what Raiden meant by not yours. The gods were much too open about claiming mortals or half-mortals as their own, even when said person wanted nothing to do with them. Calliope could claim many heroes as hers, simply because they were a part of epics. Many of them she shared with at least one of her Muse sisters. _____________________
The girl still looked weepy. She wiped her tears away, their bright blue not as dull as before. There was some hope. "You know so little about me. What if I become a burden?" She squeaked worried the same could happen to her as did Briareos and Thetis. She didn't even know how she could repay her for the curtsy.
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Calliope looked very motherly as she held Raiden. She waved her hand. "We have time to get to know one another. And there are few people in this world who are ever burdens to me. You are not one of them," she reassured Raiden. _____________________
"Okay..."Raiden replied softly. She didn't have much anymore. She only had what little she managed to get out of Poseidon's house with. A small duffle. She had never been more lost. She gave Callilope a sniffly thank you. "I'll get a job as soon as I can so I can pay for rent." She didn't realize yet that Callilope was offering in a motherly way. "I failed out of school now." She didn't know if she'd ever go back. _____________________
Calliope smiled and shook her head, "For now you're my guest, paying to stay isn't necessary. But a job would certainly be beneficial to yourself." Her brows raised, "Is that so? From the sounds of it, you've been under a considerable amount of stress. Who could blame you for not being able to focus n your schooling?" She heaved a heavy sigh, "But that's neither her nor there. For now, I think you need to focus on yourself and getting back on your feet." _____________________
Raiden bowed her head with a soft thank you. "I promise to be good." And she wouldn't lift her head until Callilope accepted her thank you.
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Calliope beamed at Raiden's agreement. "Fantastic. You're quite welcome." It had been quite some time since calliope had someone to take care. She needed this as much as Raiden needed a place to stay.