(Of Grave Importance)
Okay, Calliope… think. Calm down, she tells herself. How do I get out of this?
She takes a deep breath, pulls her arm back as far as the tiny space will allow, clenches her fist, and slams it into the lid. The coffin shakes but nothing happens. She punches it again. Nothing. She punches again and again and again until finally, she hears the wood splinter. Yes! She thinks. She pulls her arm back and punches again. She continues this process until dirt starts falling on her.
Shit, I didn't think about this, she says in her mind. Acting quickly, she pulls her shirt over her face, using it to block the dirt from getting in her mouth or nose.
When the opening is wide enough, she reaches up and starts pulling herself to the surface. It's slow and she's starting to realize how badly her hand hurts, but she makes her way up, eventually feeling the cool night air hit her skin as her hand breaks the surface.
At the top of the grave, she takes a moment to rest as she pulls her shirt back down. She notices that she's wearing a really nice pink shirt and faded jeans. Thank the gods for Nagaveni dressing me in casual clothes for my funeral. I really love that woman, she thinks. She takes a moment to look at her hand, noticing the bruises and blood all over the knuckles and how swollen it's become. Broken again, she pouts. Funny how that keeps happening.
With a grunt, she pushes her sore body up and checks her surroundings in an attempt to figure out where she's at. Once she gets a vague understanding, she makes her way out of the graveyard and onto the streets, wandering for what feels like forever until she finally comes up to a familiar street.
Finally! She thinks as she makes her way through the crowds. A few people look at her curiously, noticing her disheveled appearance, broken and bloodied hand, and the dirt all over her. She doesn't pay attention to any of them, however. She's on a mission, making her way to the Tipsy Piano.
A few more blocks and she's finally walking up to the front door of the bar. The lights are dimmed but on, though the front door is locked. She knocks and no one answers. She sighs and knocks again, louder and more insistent this time. No answer.
She tries again, and just as she's about to give up hope, the door starts to open and a voice comes from the other side, saying, "We're closed, okay? Come back tomorrow–oh!"
"Hey, Zeph," she says with a wave.
The elf stares at her with a dropped jaw and his hand falls off the handle of the door, allowing the door to swing open. Amarok, Xena, Nagaveni, Dysnomi, and Asmodeus are all inside with drinks, but as the door opens and reveals her standing there, they all stop and stare at her incredulously.
She just smiles awkwardly and says, "Hey guys."
(Tougher Than the Rest)
"Calliope? Is it really you?" Nagaveni asks, standing up from her seat.
Calliope opens her mouth to respond, but before she can, Asmodeus disappears from his seat and reappears in front of her. He grabs her throat and slams her into the door. He growls, "I swear to all the gods in existence that if you are some shapeshifter or any other Supernatural pretending to be Calliope, I will murder you where you stand."
The others come running over and Amarok grabs Asmodeus by the arms to pull him off. Calliope sucks in a breath of air when his hand is removed from her throat and she gasps out, "It's me, 'Deus." She takes a moment to catch her breath before closing the door to the bar and locking it again. She then turns back to her friends and tells them, "If you don't believe me, ask me something only I would know."
"Okay…" Amarok says slowly. "Tell me… What was the first thing you said to me and Zeph when you found out we're not human?"
"I said…" Calliope sighs before continuing.
"I said that only in New Orleans could you find a werewolf, an elf, and a siren hanging out together in a bar,"
She responds then with a smile.
Zephyr pulls Calliope into a hug and says, "Chere, how are you back? What happened?" He lets go of her then and heads toward the bar saying, "Wait, you need a drink. Then you can tell us everything."
As Zephyr starts working on making a Cosmic Paradise for Calliope, the rest of her friends hug her tightly, with the last person to come up to her being Asmodeus.
"So, uh, I'm sorry about how I reacted," Asmodeus says shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. As Calliope looks at him now, she realizes he's still in his funeral clothes, as are all her other friends.
She wraps him in a warm hug and whispers, "It's okay, 'Deus. It's perfectly understandable." She then takes his hand and leads him to the bar. They sit next to each other and Zephyr slides her drink to her. "So were you all just sitting around and drinking away your misery?" She jokes.
"Hey, that's not funny," Dysnomi tells her. "We thought you were dead. It's been three days, Calliope. We had to have a funeral for you."
"I understand that, Dys," Calliope responds. "And I was dead. So I suppose in most cases, it would've been time for the funeral."
"If you were dead, then…" Nagaveni starts, but she trails off, biting her lip.
"Then how the hell are you here?" Xena asks.
Calliope finds the 'death' tarot card in her back pocket and pulls it out. Thank the gods for Nagaveni, she thinks for the second time tonight. "Well," she says. "Let's just say that I've got friends in high places."
"Baron Samedi sent you back?" Amarok asks.
"Fascinating, chere. Tell us more," Zephyr tells her.
"He did send me back. Though, it was my choice. I thought about going to the world of the dead," Calliope responds. "I really thought about it. Everything felt hopeless."
"What changed your mind?" Asmodeus questions.
"Thinking of all of you," Calliope answers. "Well, that and… the Baron helped me realize something about my brother."
"What?" Nagaveni asks.
"He reminded me… that my brother is only human," Calliope says, laughing. "He may have powers now, but if I can get close enough to him… I can kill him."
"Why not just shoot him?" Dysnomi suggests.
"Eh, guns bring a lot of unwanted attention," Calliope says. "Probably better to do it quietly. Though first, we'll have to figure out where he's at and where he's planning on fighting our father."
"Not to mention distracting my brother," Asmodeus responds. "If Menoetius is in your way, it'll be that much harder to get to Raiden."
"Yeah," Calliope sighs. "Though that fucker has something coming to him, too."
"He does," Asmodeus agrees. "But let me handle him. I know how he works and I know how to fight him."
"Are you sure you can fight him on your own?" Calliope asks him. "Nanook couldn't even keep him down for long." She gasps then when she remembers Nanook and says, "Oh my gods, Nanook! Is she okay? I heard her yelp, but I didn't get to see what happened to her!"
"She's fine!" Nagaveni assures her. "A little banged up, but mostly okay. I sent her back to Salem. Salem is working on getting her back up to speed."
"Oh, thank the gods," Calliope says, breathing a sigh of relief. She grabs her glass and takes a drink.
Asmodeus notices her bloody and bruised hand as she does and asks her, "Mi amor, ¿qué pasó con tu mano?"
"What? Oh!" She exclaims, looking at her hand. "I had to break the coffin to get out of it. It may have broken my hand as well." She looks at it, noticing that the swelling has gone down a bit and that the skin has started knitting itself back together, though it still looks bad. Well, at least it's healed a bit, she thinks.
"Oh, here," Nagaveni says, digging through her purse. She pulls out the Hand of Restoration and tosses it to Calliope.
Calliope catches it and says, "Thanks, Nini. You're honestly the best friend I could ever ask for." She slips it on her finger and watches with a small smile as her wounds start to heal. "So…" she starts. "I guess the main question now is… how in all the hells do we figure out my brother's next move? We can't warn my father because we don't want to summon him and then have Raiden show up with us unprepared. Plus, it seemed as if my father already knew Raiden was coming after him."
"I don't know about figurin' out his next move," Xena says. "But maybe that witch friend of yours knows a trackin' spell? You'd at least know where he's at then."
"Good thinking," Calliope responds. "I'd text her, but uh… I don't have my phone."
"Oh!" Nagaveni exclaims. "I've got that, too!" She pulls it out and slides it across the bar to Calliope.
"Again I say… you're the best friend anyone could ever ask for," Calliope laughs. She sends off a quick text to Salem as she and her friends continue talking and drinking throughout the night.