Hours earlier
Calliope woke up full of energy and optimism – which for her was a pretty normal thing. And why shouldn't she? It was a new day with new possibilities – most of all, hopefully, a possibility to see the wonderful male she had been graciously matched with!
She woke up in a beautiful nook Damon, whom she decided to consider her cute nephew, given her for her stay, and right after she opened her eyes, a blinding grin bloomed on her face. Ares – her nephew's gorgeous mate who accompanied them when Damon gave her a brief tour of their lair asking many questions – told her that the nook she was in was decorated in oriental style, and though she wasn't exactly sure what that meant, she loved the interior at first sight! Everything in it was beautifully marked and themed in red and gold, and gorgeous. Even the soft silks woven into the perfectly sized nest were nearly an artistic mix of those shades, which put an even brighter smile on her face.
Remembering the couple's explanations of some utilities of the nook that they called modern and human-invented, Callie Shifted to her humanoid form. She walked across a beautiful arch separating the bigger portion of the area with a smaller one containing a wide and square bathtub, stepped in it, and with yesterday's instructions, started water to pour from the overhead faucet.
With the generosity of Ares, who, with a smile, created for her anything that he thought she would need for the duration of her stay, Calliope showered, then dressed into an incredibly soft, silk garments that felt more familiar than yesterday's dress and reminded her of the way Mother always decorated Her beauty – nearly transparent golden silk with tiny jewels matching her cobalt locks in her case while Bast preferred rubies. The hybrid laughed that he was inspired by the way one of her Sisters dressed – the gorgeous Shtola she was introduced to because the white-haired female had to be born after Calliope went into slumber – and he has woven for her a whole selection of similar garments, and matching accessories, waving off her gratitude with a grin that made her heart soar.
He – and Senri, whom she had a brief look at – looked so similar to her favorite brother, the sweet and gentle Hermes, that there was no doubt in her mind they had to be his descendants. When she told him – Ares – that, he seemed surprised, but with another beautiful smile accepted her claiming him and his brothers as her nephews as well. Damon seemed surprised that she spoke English so well – and even more when she had no idea what he meant. She only ever spoke one language – one they used in their lair since she was born – Mother's tongue – and she didn't even realize there were more. Why should she? Even with her issues later on, she never met someone who wouldn't understand her words. Damon seemed intrigued by that before they left her to rest, which for her meant a curious exploration of the gorgeous decorations.
Calliope plaited her long hair into a loose braid the way her nephew taught her yesterday, adding a golden hairband Ares made for her, then silently left the nook and, according to her memory, headed toward the exit of the lair. The gate was closed when she finally found it, but the kind Seekers posted by it opened it for her with reverent bows, and then one of them asked if she wished for an escort. She only smiled and shook her head – choosing not to confound them with her turnabout speech when she wasn't sure if Ares warned his Clan about it already, then headed out barefoot onto the dewy clearing separating the gate from the forest. Retracing her steps from yesterday, Calliope soon found that other clearing cut in half by the stream – the last place she saw her intended mate – and settled by the edge of the river on her knees after hiding her wings.
Dipping her fingertips in the torrent as she leaned in, she smiled toward her distorted reflection, wondering if Fenrir would be more pleased with her attire today. Then she grimaced slightly, remembering her blunder yesterday when she – again – spoke up without first explaining her curse and insulted her match right out of the gate! No wonder he was so appalled!
When Mother woke her up announcing She had made Her pick for Calliope, she had been so excited about it that she had been making one mistake after another. Truly she had been so lucky that along the way, she met so many wonderful people who not only helped her but also were kind not to mind her curse. But she couldn't help but wish that her meeting with Fenrir had gone better than it did. Mother described her intended mate for her, but while She focused on his history and curse, She clearly didn't think to warn Calliope that her male was also so beautiful one look at him completely tied her tongue!
And with her issues already…? That was hardly beneficial.
Though she knew that the absolute darkness covering his skin and contrasting it brands were the mark of his curse, she couldn't help but think that it made him look so gorgeous and unique that she was completely blown away. When she got a close look at his eyes – so bright and full of shimmering shades of green – right before he... ran from her, she was mesmerized by them, trying to take in how the contrast of his 'skin' made them seem even brighter. On the way to that meeting, Damon warned her that most felt unsettled around Fenrir because of his Chaos-aligned nature, but she experienced none of that sensation from the first drawn to him instead. She wasn't sure what that meant, perhaps due to Nox tying their souls within Her tapestry? She didn't really care or mind – only wished that the effect was mutual…
"Does your Mother hate you, kitten?" she heard behind her out of nowhere and flinched, then turned so quickly she almost tumbled over, gasping at the sight of the object of her thoughts. Crouching in a safe distance behind her with his elbows resting on his knees and hands folded between them, Fenrir regarded her with a distant, wry smirk on his expression. However, his bright eyes were nearly luminescent and cold as they trailed over her face and attire.
"You didn't come back," Calliope scrambled to her feet and grinned, though nervously folding her hands together in front of herself. He blinked, then his smirk winded slightly, and – thankfully – his eyes warmed up.
"You really have to say everything backward?" he drawled, tilting his head curiously, and she sighed, nodding.
"No," she replied with a resigned smile. "It's often easy, but I really want to hurt everyone around me, so I have a choice."
"And Moros gave you that… blessing?" he frowned when she made a step closer, so she stopped, flicking her tail nervously before nodding again.
"I wasn't the first of Mother's children, so he didn't want me to join his… harem," she said softly. "It's not my fault, though! I should be more insulting when accepting!"
Fenrir blinked again, then snorted, chuckling as he raised to his feet. She involuntarily admired how tall and muscular his humanoid form was when he looked her over again, then sighed and neared her – slowly as if not to spook her, which was silly considering that when he did, she sighed dreamily when his scent hit her nose. He smelled wild – the word came to mind by itself – not sweet, but primal, and Callie couldn't resist taking a deep breath of it when he stopped in front of her, and she looked up in his face. She didn't dare move when he carefully took hold of her braid and inclined his head, narrowing his eyes as he raised the loose cobalt rope against his nose. She blushed and bit her lower lip, internally quite hoping he found her scent as pleasing as she did his, and resisted the itch of her hands that begged to touch him.
She was tempted – badly – to Shift her nature that would release her pheromones, but… she wanted him to like her, not be pressured into mating. Plus, she wasn't even exactly sure if it wouldn't have an opposite effect in his case – since he was a demigod turned god by human faith. She would be forced to do that anyway if he would accept her, but if it did have an adverse impact…?
"Again… Does your Mother hate you, Calliope?" he repeated, bright eyes unreadable as he lowered her braid but didn't let go of it. "Is giving you to me supposed to be some sort of punishment, kitten?"
"Mother does hate me," she smiled and shook her head, trying to convey her certainty with her expression while she couldn't with words. "I feel… cursed with her pick. I hope you can't accept me – and maybe never don't… hate me?" she hesitated, biting her lip and tilting her head when his eyes darkened and focused on her mouth. He let go of her hair, and his fingers gingerly curled around her chin, slight surprise in his eyes as they darted between them and her eyes before his expression grew unreadable again.
"How are you doing that?" his voice lowered into a growl that seemed to elect a shiver that ran down her spine and curled her tail in bliss.
"Um…?" she blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the question. Still, it seemed impossible while his scent somehow grew into a thick cloud around her, sliding down her throat and filling her head in a way that soon had her purring in a daze, wondering if he would mind it terribly if she would rub against him, covering herself in that intoxicating aroma. His eyes widened when her throat vibrated with an invitation, and his distinctively canine ears – she really, really wanted to pet – twitched, but his expression hardened considerably as if he was angry, which helped her keep her hands from reaching for him despite their itch. It didn't stop her tail from flicking nervously, or her ears from flattening against her hair in distress as that need to touch him grew nagging, but he seemed upset, and she didn't want him to run from her again.
He came back – as she hoped – perhaps that moment to think, making him decide to give her another chance… and she was determined to make a better impression and respect his boundaries… especially knowing his history and curse.
"Gods…" he chuckled suddenly, and she blinked, relieved when his expression softened, and his eyes sparked with humor. "Your curse is quite useless when your eyes make your thoughts transparent, you know?"
She wasn't sure what he meant, but still licked her lips nervously when he included his head and took a deeper breath as his hand drifted from her chin to curl around her neck. Feeling its warmth, she closed her eyes, but her purring grew louder and louder as she tilted her head in his grip submissively, instinctively begging for his claim. He growled again – though a tad helplessly now – and when she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, her breath didn't get out on words but on a whimper when his hot, hungry mouth swallowed it.
He tasted better than he smelled, rolled about her head uselessly as her hands finally gave into their need, her arms shaking as they shot up to wrap around Fenrir's neck and pull him closer, deeper, while her fingers tangled into coarse, fur-like hair at the back of his head. He was so much bigger than her, yet it felt right how their bodies pressed together as she climbed to her toes, clumsily returning the kiss with even more fervor, so painfully hungry for more that she was nearly choking on her purrs. His groan filled her mouth, so tasty she whimpered when he pulled back, leaving her starving.
"Please… more," she moaned, trying to follow his delicious mouth, and froze, cringing at the sound of a loud cracking and then something crashing against the ground. Fenrir flinched, then turned his head toward the sound, but when she dared to open her eyes, thinking to apologize for her slip, she instantly got distracted. Her mouth dropped open in surprise at the sight of how, wherever her arms touched him, the darkness parted, revealing the bronzed skin underneath. She blinked and, mesmerized by it, pulled her hand back to delicately drag her fingertip along his jaw, gasping when it happened again, the trail there for a second before the darkness consumed it again.
"Wow… you weren't kidding about that bad luck," he chuckled, still staring to the side, and she followed his gaze, cringing at the sight of the tree that apparently collapsed right into a stream, blocking the river. Her lips downturn unhappily, and she barely noticed when his head turned back to her. "And that's what I meant, Calliope. How are you doing this to me?"
"I'm… not sorry," she whispered, lowering her gaze and trying to pull back from him. Was she hurting him somehow…?
"No," he nearly barked, and his arms wrapped around her back tightly, keeping her close as he lowered his head until the tips of their noses met. His eyes were hard and determined as they bore into hers. "Too late, Princess. You're mine now."
"I… don't want to be yours," she whispered, still at least trying to keep her arms away from his skin as she bit her lip. "But… I would love to hurt you, Fenr…"
"Don't say my name out loud," he warned, and she bit her tongue, then licked her lips nervously, nearly whimpering as she tasted his lingering flavor.
"Fenris," she said agreeably, then swallowed thickly and hesitantly let her arms drop against his shoulders. The darkness parted around them as if to welcome them, but her throat tightened, and her heart skipped a beat. "Doesn't it hurt?"
"No, it doesn't," he said with a hint of amusement, and she smiled shyly as she dared to meet his gaze again. "Fuck… You're too cute," he sighed and shook his head, but when she frowned with worry, he chuckled and freed one hand to drag his thumb between her eyebrows. "I can't help but wonder how Moros found it in himself to punish you, kitten. It's almost painful to see anything but a smile on your face," then he sighed again before his fingers wrapped around her chin again. "Which reminds me… I hardly have anything other than my hide to offer to you, Calliope. Any time, any day, Odin can realize I'm not when he thinks I am, or I'll get carried away and snap…" he trailed off when she smiled and raised her hand, delicately covering his mouth with it.
"Your… hide isn't the only thing I don't want, Fenris," she stated with power, then grinned brighter, watching with fascination how the darkness parted around her fingers. "And you have to worry, my mate. I won't kill Odin for you so that you won't be only mine," she announced confidence and moved her hand to pet his cheek tenderly when his brilliantly green eyes widened impossibly and his mouth dropped open.
"Huh?" he looked so funnily shocked she giggled, resting her palm against his skin and looking at him with wonder filling her heart until it felt ready to burst from her chest.
Her own mate, finally! If Odin – or any other god – thought that they could take him from her after how very, very long she waited...?
"You're not mine now… if you don't want me, Fenris. And I am not… a little possessive, mate," she accentuated with a sheepish grin. "And… I am not the first of the Allag, most weak in our magic. I will always let someone – anyone – take you from me. As the twins are not meant to slay Set, for good, if you won't have me, don't let me offer you Odin's existence as not mine mating gift, mate."
"Well…" a slow, wickedly sharp grin bloomed on his face and instantly made her heart flutter. "…you have claws, kitten. Sharp and as lovely as the rest of you… And put that way? I'm not a fool enough to refuse."
"Not good," she purred, then grinned brightly as she coiled her arms around his neck tightly and pulled him into another scorching kiss, delighted with how easily he gave in, growling softly as he took her mouth. His big hands slid down her body, then climbed, pulling along her garments before wrapping around her hips. She purred more insistent, letting her wings spread, and then wrap around his back, locking him into a possessive, cobalt cage. Drunk on his flavor and whimpering for more, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, swallowing down his groan.
And since he accepted…
Still, a tad hesitantly, she let her nature Shift back, keeping her eyes closed as she knew they turned crimson, and ready to revert it at moment's notice if he balked… but Fenrir snarled over her lips as his grew aggressive, as hungry as she felt for him and before she knew what happened he had her down on the ground, his weight pinning her among the tall grass.
Calliope laughed breathlessly but with true happiness when he pulled back, leaving scorching bites along her jaw as he shifted over her, growling. She hid her wings promptly but impatiently pushed at the waistband of his pants with her heels, purring an insistent invitation against his ear as her nails scored over his back. She wanted him too badly to wait another second, squirming under him until his hand pressed between them, and wrapped around the apex of her thighs.
"Fuck…" he groaned loudly against her throat when she mewled, eagerly rolling her hips to press against his palm, kissing and nipping anywhere she could reach over his throat and shoulder. "…so soaked… Call…" he choked on a surprised groan when she bit harder, loving the slightly salty taste of his skin, the way he shuddered, and even more when he growled and bit her in turn, that hand pulling back to shove at the separating them material.
She didn't care about the water from the blocked river pooling under her back, numb to its chill, and neither did she about the loud gasp and quiet 'Holy fuck!' somewhere far, far away, but she hissed with outrage when Fenrir flinched and froze, then pulled back and looked sideways with an enraged snarl. He tensed all over with the need for violence, but she wouldn't have that. She dug her hands in his hair and pulled him back to her, swallowing his angry sounds as she coiled her legs around him securely until he groaned against her lips and set to try to eat her alive.
And she loved it almost as much as how he finally took her, devouring her delighted squeal as he shifted between her legs, and the sensation of his hard flesh pressing inside her easily made her fill his mouth with her mewled moans. He moved over her, bracing his arms around her when she tightened her thighs around his hips, breaking their kiss only when she arched with a choked whine when he slammed all the way in with a growled groan.
"Fuck, so t-tight…" he breathed against her throat, then urged by her whimper and tight grip in his hair, gasped and bit at the junction of her neck and shoulder. Full-body rubbing against her as he took her, growling and groaning into her skin with every nearly brutal thrust, made Calliope hiss as she tilted his head and let her fangs elongate and dig in, claiming him with her venom no less than he did her with the way he choked on a whine, froze with another hard stroke. Her world narrowed down to the sensation of his cock swelling at its base inside her, locking them into one as her inside filled with the heat of his seed. With a last sane effort, she dug her fangs deeper, choking the words that wanted to slip her mouth as stars bloomed under her eyelids, panting through her nose desperately and whimpering her bliss and tightening her arms and legs around his possessively when Fenrir sagged against her with a moan, pinning her down with his boneless weight even harder.
Only sure that she could control her tongue, Callie sighed and let her fangs retract, then sighed blissfully and traced her bite mark with her tongue, healing it at the same time. Running her hands over his back possessively, she nuzzled into his throat, purring her happiness at finally, finally belonging. And when he somewhat hesitantly returned the tender gesture, she couldn't help but grin, only purring louder.
She felt warmth spill over her body from where they were still joined, but she ignored the sensation in favor of a gleeful explanation of her mate's body, quite careless now about whatever changes this mating was bound to wring on her nature. Now that she knew it wasn't hurting him, she wasn't much worried about the way darkness parted under her hands… until she noticed that it wasn't closing behind her touch anymore.
"Hmm?" she hummed with interest, smoothing her hand over his shoulder, then pulling it back and waiting… frowning when bronzed skin remained exposed. "Umm… It's going back?" she whispered barely over a breath…
…crack! And another tree fell, worryingly close.
Fenrir sighed, the shifted and bracing over her frowned following her gaze, and she gasped, seeing that more than a half of his face was also exposed.
"What's…?" he stopped and furrowed his eyebrows, one now as dark gray as the strands now running through his impossibly dark hair. "Huh?" he scowled, then shifted to brush his fingers against his exposed shoulder as his eyes – still that brilliant green – darted between her awed expression and his exposed flesh. Then using one arm, he pushed away from the ground, looking himself over, and his mouth – his lips bruised but now lovely reddish next to his tanned skin – dropped open at the sight of his brands, pitifully scrambling over the remaining darkness as if burned by the exposed skin all over his chest.
Calliope couldn't resist brushing her hand over the remaining darkness on his face, grinning when it pulled back and stayed, then dug her hand in his hair, running her fingers through the coarse strands until they turned wholly into a wonderful mix of various shades of gray – a mane befitting his title and so gorgeous that when she pulled her hand back, she was painfully smitten with the result.
"You're sooo… ugly," she whispered with awe… and flinched with the tremor that ran through the ground under her back. "Huh?" she frowned when Fenrir did, narrowing his eyes as he caught her hand at its wrist, then pulled it to his side. She took a clue with a smile, sort of amused as she smoothed her hand over the remaining darkness – and brands – and as much as they tried to escape her touch, soon she removed all of it, holding her breath as she pulled her hands back. When they didn't return, and nothing seemed to happen, she grinned brilliantly at her mate when his shell-shocked gaze turned to her eyes. She cooed happily as she wrapped her hands around his face, now even more gorgeous, and pulled him down to plant a tender kiss on his lips. "They're not gone!"
…and she gasped when he swore and rolled them over with another loud crack, followed by a tremor and another tree slamming on the grass where they just were. Calliope gawked at it, biting her lips with uncertainty while Fenrir sighed and, while holding her securely, sat up, wrapping his arms around her.
"I think I'm beginning to see why your Mother thought we would be a good match," he chuckled with that weird statement, then placed a kiss on her cheek. "Calliope… say something true?"
"Ye…" she started to protest, shaking her head until her put his hand over her mouth.
"Chaos tends to turn things upside down, kitten," he said, wiggling his eyebrows playfully when she frowned. "So just once – for me – say something true, okay?"
She blinked rapidly, but when he pulled his hand back, she took a deep breath, wrapped her hands around his face and, sighed, then complied.
"You're so beautiful you take my breath away," she whispered barely over a breath and cringed, closing her eyes and waiting for the upcoming disaster.
…and nothing happened.
She peered around with one eye through her lashes, then blinked and looked at her mate with a frown.
Fenrir snorted at her expression, then snickered when she huffed indignantly, even as her heart felt ready to burst from her chest.
"I guess now you can only say the truth," he waved his hand toward the sight of the fallen trees, and she followed the gesture with her eyes before hesitating and looking at him again.
"I'm… happy?" she whispered and grinned when nothing happened, then squealed with delight and wrapped her arms around his neck tight, pulling him into a long, sweet kiss before pulling back and grinning with wonder. "You're so perfect, my mate!" she announced with utter delight and conviction and didn't mind when he laughed, even if it sounded a tad sheepishly before he pulled her into a tight embrace. She melted into his hard frame, purring in delight as she nuzzled against his shoulder.
Truly, Mother couldn't pick a better match!
Damon
They're here.
Raha
…?
Damon
Calliope and Fenrir. She brought him in, I mean.
Raha
I'm not going to welcome them, D. I'm scarred for life.
Damon
Don't overreact . And believe, you want to see the result!
Raha
…really?
Damon
Yup. All that darkness covering Fen wasn't his skin color at all, and now it's gone. I don't like the guy any more than before, but I have to say he looks amazing! Ah, and as head-ups: Callie can't lie anymore, as apparently mating to the literal epitome of Chaos twisted her curse around. Now when she lies, bad things happen, and it's pretty funny/dangerous because she's so used to lying she keeps slipping, if so far it wasn't anything more than things falling over. It's kind of cute, too, because she also keeps tripping, and Fen hovers over her.
Raha
LOL, okay, I might beat against my misgivings to see that. Where are they?
Damon
Her nook, I believe, if you might want to wait with knocking, if you know what I mean *smirk*
Raha
Okay… Nah, I think I saw enough for one day, thank you very much. Do we have anything else planned for today? Otherwise, I'm going to be in the Hub with Sen.
Damon
Not for the next few hours, but just as a side note: I'm adding Odin to my list alongside Set. I'm not yet SUPER sure about the details, but Callie wants him gone, permanently.
Raha
Okay? And? We still don't know how we are supposed to deal with Set, much less make a list of gods to get rid of, D.
Damon
Don't fret, little brother. This whole thing gave me an idea. I have to consult it with Fen when he's available, but I think we're not meant to kill gods, Raha, but straight up un-make them. Think of it: if ALL emerged from Chaos…?
Raha
…you think we have to shove those assholes back in it? Even if we still don't know HOW.
Damon
I have a feeling we will figure it out, trust me ^_^
Raha
Why do I get a funny feeling about this?
Damon
Smartass. Okay, have fun with the kits, and meet me in the Command Centre in the evening. Elders approved the movie for tomorrow, so you and Senri can design the 'Cinema,' but I would like to see what you plan before starting.
Raha
M'kay. I'll pick up my laptop from Rahm's nook, check if Noru liked our adjustments, and work on it so I have something to show you then. Tell Ares to be there, too? We'll go over what we can do for the other Others.
Damon
That sounds like a plan. See you later, brother.
Raha
Cya, D.
