Thalia kept replaying the last conversation she'd had with Melpomene in her mind.
Merlin had uttered the prophecy in such an offhand way, she'd never even given it a second thought. Make sure the baby capsule's secure, it'll save time; sure, good advice for any new parent, bit weird that it was Ares' car, but if Merlin had seen it, it must be true. She'd almost forgotten to pass it on to Melpomene. Maybe things would be different if she had. Maybe—
What? Melpomene wouldn't be in hospital right now?
Ugh, she was such an asshole for making this about herself. People didn't spontaneously develop childbirth complications because they got bad news. (Not unless they lived and breathed the tropes of tragic storytelling shut up shut up shut upppp.) Complications happened to everyone, that's what the doctors were here for, they'd fix it.
But the guilt kept pace with her as she jogged through the hospital corridors. Her sister had been scared and hurting on Sunday night, she'd needed comfort and Thalia had given her more fear, because she was a dumbass who never learned to think before she opened her mouth, fuck!
Her heart was hammering out an anxious beat by the time she reached the room, and she pressed in close beside Calliope, reaching for Melpomene's free hand. The other was clutching the hand a guy she didn't recognise, but Thalia didn't have space in her head to wonder about that right now; all her attention was on Melpomene. "We're here, sis, we're right here. Everything's gonna be okay."