Melpomene's look was dark enough to bring Thalia's shoulders up around her ears. But there was something else in her face, underneath the simmering moodiness. Thalia realised she'd glimpsed it before, in the tired shadows beneath her sister's eyes and the way Melpomene had hungrily attacked the tart, but it had been masked by the righteous anger. Now, as she answered Calliope's question, Thalia saw it clearly – the little wobble to her breath, the weariness that marked her face.
Oh, Mellie. Of course she must be feeling fragile. Pregnancy could be tough enough when you didn't have an angry goddess trying to fight you for your baby. And it wasn't like she could count on Ares to hold her hand through labour.
There was a small hesitation in Thalia's voice when she spoke again, half-expecting Melpomene to spear her with another look. "Do you... have someone to be with you? For the birth?"