Chapter Six: You're a Mean One...
In the future, Stephan and Caillean watched in horror as the irate Zeus began conjuring a thunderbolt and prepared to hurl it at the pair.
"I'll thank you not to toast my friends!" All three looked in surprise as Jareth launched himself at the god.
"Jareth!" Caillean cried as the Goblin King collided with the King of the Gods. There was a bright flash of light and a crash of thunder and then all was silent. Caillean looked in horror at the slightly smoking Goblin King lying motionless on the floor.
Zeus smiled. "Now then, back to what I was trying to do before this boy interrupted me!"
* * * * *
"Wait a minute!" Caillean turned to face the muse. "Where the hell are *you*? Why haven't you showed up yet?"
Calliope looked puzzled. "You're asking me!?! None of this has happened yet, how could I possibly know where I went?"
Jareth groaned. "This is worse than 'Who's on first'"
"Oh, fine time for humor. I'm about to get toasted and you're making jokes!" Caillean snapped at the Goblin King.
He chose to refrain from mentioning the look of pure horror on her face and the way she cried out when his future self went down in smoke.
"Excuse me?! What about me?" Stephan frowned.
"What about you? As I recall, you got us into this mess in the first place!"
Calliope took a step towards the redhead. "Now just one minute here! Let's not lose sight of the problem at hand!"
"Right, that problem being the fact that I'm about to get fried by your idiot father!"
"Stop right there!"
Eight heads turned in surprise at the new voice.
* * * * *
The God of the Underworld stood tall and terrible. Zeus frowned. "What are *you* doing here? You're interrupting my fun."
Hades merely smiled. "Actually, it really isn't your fun at all. The girl is mine, Zeus." As he spoke, Calliope silently appeared behind the King of the Gods and conjured a crystal.
"Oh really?" Zeus looked at him. "How so?"
"I once helped her friends to rescue her from a rather unfriendly demon. As payment, I demanded they forfeit her life to me. So you see, they really didn't have much of a choice." He pulled Caillean close. "And now I've come to collect."
"What?!" Caillean managed to squeak out before she disappeared ... and reappeared behind Hades, next to Calliope. She opened her mouth to speak, but Calliope frantically motioned for her to stay quiet. The two turned to watch the rest of the action.
"I'm impressed, dear brother. For a while there, I thought you were losing your touch."
Hades smiled cruelly. "Never. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I have some old friends to attend to." He prepared to transport the two kings and himself.
"Now just one minute." Zeus held up a hand. "You may have claimed the girl, but these two are mine!"
"Correction." Calliope said, stepping out from behind her father. "Those two are mine!" And with that, she pitched a crystal at the King of the Gods, enveloping him in a glowing sphere. With a flick of her wrist, the crystal floated back to her. She smiled at the angry god trapped inside. "Well now, father dearest, let's send you somewhere nice to cool off a bit, shall we?" His only response was a small squeak and a furious beating of his fists on the crystal walls.
"That won't be necessary." A smooth voice said from behind the muse.
Calliope turned. "Hera!"
The Queen of the Gods smiled. "I've always had a weakness for crystals."
Smiling back, the muse handed her the crystal. "Now you won't leave him in there too long, will you?"
A wicked glint appeared in Hera's eye. "No, of course not!" With a grin, she disappeared.
Calliope turned back to face her friends. "I don't know about you two gentlemen, but I think I'm ready to head home." And with that, one muse, one mystic, two kings and one god of the Underworld disappeared.
* * * * *
"Well!" Caillean turned to face Calliope and Stephan as their future selves disappeared. "I certainly am glad that's over and done with. But..." she trailed off.
"But?" Calliope prompted.
"I just wonder if Jareth was all okay."
The Goblin King gave an amused snort. "Why, my lady Caillean, I didn't know you cared!"
She looked at him archly. "Don't let it go to your head."
"If I may," Future interjected. "His majesty recovered just fine. And if you'll allow me, I can reunite you with your future selves."
"Please do." Stephan said and with that, the group disappeared.
* * * * *
In the future, Stephan and Caillean watched in horror as the irate Zeus began conjuring a thunderbolt and prepared to hurl it at the pair.
"I'll thank you not to toast my friends!" All three looked in surprise as Jareth launched himself at the god.
"Jareth!" Caillean cried as the Goblin King collided with the King of the Gods. There was a bright flash of light and a crash of thunder and then all was silent. Caillean looked in horror at the slightly smoking Goblin King lying motionless on the floor.
Zeus smiled. "Now then, back to what I was trying to do before this boy interrupted me!"
* * * * *
"Wait a minute!" Caillean turned to face the muse. "Where the hell are *you*? Why haven't you showed up yet?"
Calliope looked puzzled. "You're asking me!?! None of this has happened yet, how could I possibly know where I went?"
Jareth groaned. "This is worse than 'Who's on first'"
"Oh, fine time for humor. I'm about to get toasted and you're making jokes!" Caillean snapped at the Goblin King.
He chose to refrain from mentioning the look of pure horror on her face and the way she cried out when his future self went down in smoke.
"Excuse me?! What about me?" Stephan frowned.
"What about you? As I recall, you got us into this mess in the first place!"
Calliope took a step towards the redhead. "Now just one minute here! Let's not lose sight of the problem at hand!"
"Right, that problem being the fact that I'm about to get fried by your idiot father!"
"Stop right there!"
Eight heads turned in surprise at the new voice.
* * * * *
The God of the Underworld stood tall and terrible. Zeus frowned. "What are *you* doing here? You're interrupting my fun."
Hades merely smiled. "Actually, it really isn't your fun at all. The girl is mine, Zeus." As he spoke, Calliope silently appeared behind the King of the Gods and conjured a crystal.
"Oh really?" Zeus looked at him. "How so?"
"I once helped her friends to rescue her from a rather unfriendly demon. As payment, I demanded they forfeit her life to me. So you see, they really didn't have much of a choice." He pulled Caillean close. "And now I've come to collect."
"What?!" Caillean managed to squeak out before she disappeared ... and reappeared behind Hades, next to Calliope. She opened her mouth to speak, but Calliope frantically motioned for her to stay quiet. The two turned to watch the rest of the action.
"I'm impressed, dear brother. For a while there, I thought you were losing your touch."
Hades smiled cruelly. "Never. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I have some old friends to attend to." He prepared to transport the two kings and himself.
"Now just one minute." Zeus held up a hand. "You may have claimed the girl, but these two are mine!"
"Correction." Calliope said, stepping out from behind her father. "Those two are mine!" And with that, she pitched a crystal at the King of the Gods, enveloping him in a glowing sphere. With a flick of her wrist, the crystal floated back to her. She smiled at the angry god trapped inside. "Well now, father dearest, let's send you somewhere nice to cool off a bit, shall we?" His only response was a small squeak and a furious beating of his fists on the crystal walls.
"That won't be necessary." A smooth voice said from behind the muse.
Calliope turned. "Hera!"
The Queen of the Gods smiled. "I've always had a weakness for crystals."
Smiling back, the muse handed her the crystal. "Now you won't leave him in there too long, will you?"
A wicked glint appeared in Hera's eye. "No, of course not!" With a grin, she disappeared.
Calliope turned back to face her friends. "I don't know about you two gentlemen, but I think I'm ready to head home." And with that, one muse, one mystic, two kings and one god of the Underworld disappeared.
* * * * *
"Well!" Caillean turned to face Calliope and Stephan as their future selves disappeared. "I certainly am glad that's over and done with. But..." she trailed off.
"But?" Calliope prompted.
"I just wonder if Jareth was all okay."
The Goblin King gave an amused snort. "Why, my lady Caillean, I didn't know you cared!"
She looked at him archly. "Don't let it go to your head."
"If I may," Future interjected. "His majesty recovered just fine. And if you'll allow me, I can reunite you with your future selves."
"Please do." Stephan said and with that, the group disappeared.
* * * * *