Chapter Text
Calliope hadn’t thought that a human would be able to come into her life, long one, and change it completely. However, she hadn’t met a human like Hob. The immortal human who accidentally come to her help and rescue her when her sisters abandoned her (She understood that the laws that bid them were the reason they didn’t help her but it was still painful to think that they let her to be abused). He hadn’t been looking for her, he just found her due to Destiny’s hand (literally).
When the human had entered the room, in which she had been captive for almost a decade, she had feared the worst; Another captor who will use her for inspiration as if she was a mere object. Nevertheless, after Hob had noticed her and her state, the only thing he did was to offer her his jacket, introduce himself and ask her how to help her out of there. He didn’t even ask her name or what she was, he just sincerely wanted to help her.
He listened carefully to her when she explained to him about what bound her to Ric Madoc. His expression becomes angrier and bitter as she retold her story. By the moment she finished, all his being promised her the blood of the writer and her freedom.
Being honest to herself and to Hob, at the moment, she didn’t think too much of this human. Sincerely, probably out of her own pride, she didn’t have so much faint in humanity since they had abandoned them, the Greek Patheon. They had moved into the next God, no caring about them. It the hilarity and irony of the Gods and Goddess, they are all powerful and mighty as long as they had followers. Being weaker than before was one of the reasons she ended in her imprisonment.
Nevertheless, the human, Hob, seemed to be really affected by her suffering. While they were waiting for the return of the writer, he told her about the things that had changed in the last century with a soft voice and comforting eyes. Never pitting her. She hadn’t seen this type of kindness in so much time-.
They heard the author coming outside the room, changing Hob’s soft expression to a cold blooded one; the human seemed ready to face the music. When the Madoc entered the room, she smiled for the first time since she had been captured; It hadn´t been a kind smile but it had been sweet for her, sweet justice.
She had been able to appreciate the strong figure of Hob when he entered the room but she wasn’t prepared for his abilities in combat. The man easily subdued the writer, who wasn’t a match for him, and obligated him to knee in front of her. Hob kept Madoc there for her to see and declare her sentence. However, she only wanted to be free, she didn´t care about taking his life.
“Free her”, Hob ordered him as he kept him in a painful grab.
“You don’t understand…she isn’t human”, the author said but he immediately knew that he had screwed it up when he said that as the other hit his face against the floor, not caring about the blood or the other’s wellbeing.
“She is a sentient being, not object to be kept”, Hob replied with venom in his voice. “You cannot play with others’ freedom, human or not”.
“I need her!” Madoc claimed desperate and in pain.
“Then you’re a shitty writer if you needed to abuse a woman and milk inspiration of her like she was an animal”, Hob answered merciless. “You don’t deserve to be one” He sentenced.
“Please, I will give you anything…” The other tried.
“I don’t have anything that could tempted me…” The brunet responded. “Free her or I will hurt you really bad” He darkly promised.
“You are gonna kill me anyway…” Madoc said as he read into his current circumstance.
“No, not necessary…I believed that people can change”, Hob told him. “But, if I have to do it, I could make it really painful, mate, and I know how much the human body can support before give up”, His words were dark but Calliope noticed that he wasn’t proud of it, “If you free her, I could give you a chance,” he sworn.
“Please…” Madoc repeated.
“You could live and change and I would keep an eye on you”. Hob promised him, “Just freed her”, he asked.
“I…I cannot…” Madoc started to pledge.
“You can be better…” Hob insisted. Calliope could see in his eyes that the man really wanted to not have to kill the writer.
“No, please…” The author asked, “I would be nothing without her”.
“Her is her own person and you had raped, forced and imprisoned without remorse”, Hob accused him. “You could have asked for help but you decided the wrong thing and you are still choosing it”, Hob said sadly before he shared a look with the Muse, asking for permission.
It was strange to think that this man who had the power to murder the other one still waited for her sentence. Calliope had to ask herself what to do with the live of his captor. She knew that Hob would respect her will, no mattering if he agreed with it or not. He wouldn’t take that for her.
Forgiving the life of Madoc was tempting as she wasn’t as monstrous as he was. However, he could be a danger for other ones, for her sisters, and he didn’t even regret it. He hadn’t agreed to free her yet. Not even under treat of death. Therefore, she nodded, trusting in the strange man who had crossed his way with her by accident.
“Do it fast”, she said.
Hob didn’t take pleasure in killing so, he did it quickly and efficiently; breaking his neck. That was something that Calliope thanked since she didn’t want to be like her captors, heartless. She even closed her eyes as Madoc took his last breath.
“Calliope,” Hob Gadling called her when it ended. She looked at him, not caring about the body between them, and give him a teary smile. “You are free, m’lady”, He promised as he extended his hand on an invitation.
Together, holding their hands, they walked out of the writer house. At the door, he bid her farewell as he still had to deal with the crime scene. So mundane and morbid thing but Hob seemed disposed to deal with it for her. For a stranger who he had just met and killed for her. What a peculiar mortal!
“Good luck, m’lady”, he wished her, “If you ever need anything, you can count with me” He sworn before returning inside and dealing with the mess.
…
Three days after that, she had found herself in front of the New Inn after it had closed for the day. The place was simple, noting that would call the attention of anyone as it looked like the other buildings around it, but there was something special in it. It was like a temple for…Hope?
“Calliope,” Hob called her. He had been mopping the wooden floor when he saw her through the window and he immediately had come outside to meet with her. “I am happy to see you, how are you doing, m’lady?” He asked.
“I…I…” Calliope started to say but she couldn’t continue as she didn’t know what to say or how to do it.
She had tried to go back to home, to her sisters, but she couldn’t. She was afraid of their judgement. And every night, when she closed her eyes, she found herself trapped in that bloody basement; The Dreaming was cruel with her, remembering her suffering again and again. For that reason, she had come here, the only place in the Waking World that could make her felt safe. She had come back to Hob.
“Do you wanna a cup of tea, darling?” Hob asked with soft voice when she didn’t answer and, after she nodded in agreement, he walked her upstairs to his flat.
She watched him as he put water to boil and prepared a pair of cups for them. Meanwhile Hob talked about nonsense and the daily gossip he witnessed in the Inn, waiting for her to find her cool again. The man was kind and patient. That let her know that she hadn’t been wrong to come here.
The mortal didn’t press her to talk and just stayed by her side as they drank their tea. The warmness of the hot liquid was only comparable with the warmness Hob made her feel. She had only met the man once but she knew he was a safe place.
“You can stay here as long as you want” Hob told her when they finished their drinks. “I have a guess room you can use and I don’t mind the company”.
“You don’t know me…” She replied. “Yet, you helped me, rescued me and, now, you are offering me a place in your home”, she said confused.
“I am just doing what everyone should have done”, Hob responded. “I am not best human being in this planet, God knows I had made so many mistakes, horrible ones, but I am trying it to be better…”
“You are weird”, She sentenced after a second of consideration and he laughed at that.
“I just an ordinary man”, he replied but she didn’t believe it. Humans were known to be greedy but this man hadn’t asked for anything in exchanged for his actions. He wasn’t ordinary. “But…if you decided to stay, I would like you to see a therapist”, He added.
“Therapist?” She repeated confusedly.
“Yes,” Hob answered, “A therapist is a specialist in mental health and trauma, they could help you dealing with yours…” She arched an eyebrow. “I know that you’re a goddess but what you just experienced could be considerate as traumatic and…well…you need help that I cannot give be to you” He explained.
“I can try it”, She accepted after considering for a second. She only partially understood what the other said but, coming for Hob, it couldn’t be harmful to try.
...
The Muppets was a funny and light-hearted movie to watch and Calliope was really gladded that Hob had suggested to go to the movies after a long day of work. The mortal had proved to be a good company, roommate and adviser. He had become her best friend so quickly and ease. The Muse couldn’t remember the last time she had a friendship without double intentions outside her own family; perhaps, she’d never had it.
Also, he had been right about the Therapist’ thing. Obviously, they had to invent some details to hide her truly nature but it had been really helpful to be heard and counsel by an external perception. She felt stronger than before. She had been doing small travels around the country, finding inspiration and bringing inspiration to humanity again. Soon, she would have the strength to travel to Greece and reunite with her sisters.
They walked through a park, enjoying the cold air of Autumn as they returned home. It was night but neither of them was bother by it. Hob had given her his coat as he worn a jumper under it. She really found these gestures cute since she wasn’t use to them. As a Goddess, she is expected to be imperturbable and holy, a force of nature; therefore, no one gave her this gentle treatment.
Well, the only exception was Oneiros but he had been her husband so, it was different. Hob did it because he cared. The mortal treated everyone with kindness but he was especially gentle and soft with the things and beings he cared about. It was like he tried to show his affection every day as if it was the last one.
“Give me your wallet or else” A voice behind them exclaimed, provoking them to turn around and faced the owner of it. The robber had a gun in his hand and it was pointed at her.
“Look, you don’t want to do this”, Hob started to say but he was interrupted.
“Shut up! Or I kill her, asshole!” The man said and point his weapon at her.
Calliope sensible part knew that a bullet cannot hurt her permanently but the one that was still hurt by men got scared. She froze in her feet and all sounds disappeared. She could see the man saying something to Hob but she couldn’t understand. Hob tries to calm him and changed his mind. And for a second, the Muse believed that, if someone could dissuade a misguided man, it would be Hob. But she was wrong as he next thing she was able to hear was the ring of a shotgun.
She heard a scream at the distance at the same time she watched the robber ran away, scared by his own actions, and Hob fall to his knees, grabbing his chest. It took her a second to determinate that the scream was hers. She was screaming for help and in horror…She couldn’t lose Hob, her only friend, a mortal human who risked it all for her.
“Hob!” She shouted while she got in her knees in front of him, trying to apply pleasure to the wound. She cursed not being a health goddess instead of a Muse as she couldn’t do anything to help him.
“Everything is okay, Cal”, Hob said and smiled. The sweet man was trying to comfort her even when he was the one who had been shoot in the chest. “Help me get up, loved”, he asked and tried to do it but she didn’t let him.
“No, not move”, Calliope ordered to him using her common sense. “You can make it worst…”
“Sweetheart, I will be fine”, Hob replied and he took her hand between his, getting them off his chest. “I didn’t wanna you to find it like this…”
“Hob?” She asked scared as she continued watching the blood spread over his jumper. Then, her fear increased since the man just explored his own wound and took the bullet out as if was nothing. “Hob!”
“Calm down, Cal,” Hob asked to her, “I cannot die…I promise you”.
“How?” She asked confusedly.
“It’s a long story,” Hob responded, “But we need get back to home and, then, I will tell you,” He winced in pain while he got back in his feet. His breathe was uneven and Calliope looked at him concerned. “I can still feel pain…even if it won’t kill me”, Hob smirked at her.
When they got back to their flat above the New Inn, Calliope had supported half of Hob’s weight in their way back since the man had gotten a little lightheaded a cause of the blood lost, the wound had closed completely. They sat down heavily in their sofa and looked at each other. Both of them trying to order their mind before start to talk.
“You didn’t have to protect me for human weapons”, Calliope said after a long silence. “They cannot kill me…”
“But they could hurt you and I will prefer to be dead before letting my friends be harm if I can take the fall for them”, Hob replied sincerely.
“Oh, Hob! And what about your pain?” Calliope asked worriedly.
“A bullet wound isn’t the worst thing I have faced,” Hob dismissed her and his suffering.
“Who curse you with immortality? Why haven’t you told me before? I could have help you…” Calliope questioned him, knowing how selfless the human, non-mortal, was.
“It’s not a curse…” Hob answered, “Or, at least, it’s not for me”. He gave her one of his big smiles. “I just enjoyed live so much and someone give me the gift even when I insulted her without knowing it”.
“No deals or Curse?” Calliope asked, trying to understand. No one gave this kind of gift without double intentions.
“Nope,” Hob responded, “Just me being unable to keep my mouth close and having too much ale”. He got closer to her and put one of his hands over hers. “I wasn’t hiding it on purpose, I just didn’t find the ideal moment to tell you…”
“I don’t care”, Calliope interrupted, “I just got really scared when they shot you as I don’t want to lose you…Not you too” She admitted.
“Can I hug you, Cal?” He asked and she nodded so, he did it. “I am here, Cal, and I am not going anywhere”, he promised.
Calliope hid her face against his shoulder, ignoring the dirt and blood on his jumper, and breathed his scent. This was her only friend and she wouldn’t lose him as easily as she feared it. She was really lucky. She closed her eyes, trusting Hob’s words, she let herself relax between his arms. No one would take him for her as they did with Orpheus. No one.