The Cult of Dionysus

Apollo

"I live next door" does not compute with Callida's home. Sure, it technically is next door, but it is vastly different.

I hadn't noticed when we arrived, probably because my hands were bound and I was fearing for my life, but the building next to the recording studio is beautiful. It's not exactly to my taste, a bit too busy for me, but regal all the same. Dionysus would love it. The building itself is only three stories, and it's a deep red color. There's balconies on the second and third floors, both of which are crowded with plants that hang over the sides and out of the silver rails. More vines climb up the side of the building, looking blatantly like grape vines. It looks as if the apocalypse has occurred and the plants have retaken the cities. The windows are enormous, which I imagine let in a lot of light. Leo senses even more traps outside of the house, though Calli assures us she has deactivated them.

Inside is even more intriguing. The first floor has a living room and a formal dining area which both look like they're never used. It's the second floor that I love. The balcony doors surely let in tons of natural light during the day, but it's not the light fixtures that make it so captivating. This floor has a living room too, but it's much more open, and it has an elevated floor in the corner, like a stage. The couches are a very loud leopard print fabric, thought they somehow seem to work in the gold and purple hues that make the place look chaotic but fancy. The kitchen is open as well, with an island and barstools and all the fixins for a good party with live entertainment. Down the hall, Calli points us to a bedroom and bathroom, which she decides Leo and I shall share. I try and explain to her that I do not share beds, but she either doesn't hear me or doesn't care.

The third floor, she tells us, is her room, and another spare bedroom, where Calypso will stay. I find it unfair that this girl had a whole island to herself for thousands of years and now she gets to stay in a bedroom on her own.

Once Calli gets us all settled with spare clothes, shower supplies, and extra blankets and pillows, she excuses herself to the kitchen to make her own dinner.

Leo jumps in the shower first, much to my annoyance. I should get to shower first. This is my quest.

However, the delay allows Calli to find me and give me a marvelous gift.

"It's Aphrodite's special recipe." She tells me as she hands me a bottle of face wash. "If that doesn't help your acne, nothing will."

Her tone tells me that she still dislikes me, but I don't care. I'm excited to wash this acne off of my face.

Once I'm out of the shower, I join Leo and Calypso at the island in the kitchen. The whole floor smells marvelous, and despite having eaten only a few hours ago, my stomach rumbles at the smell. There's some faint salsa music playing from an Alexa on the countertop. Calli is dancing as she cooks, her hips swaying in a mesmerizing way. I glance at Leo, who is nearly drooling as she watches her.

"Holy Hephaestus, mamacita." Leo says. "That smells amazing." Though I think he's drooling at something else.

Calli smirks to herself, a surprisingly annoying trait she has. "I don't know why you're so surprised. I never said I couldn't cook."

She takes a forkful of the meat she's been cutting into cubes and feeds it to Leo. "Good, huh?"

He considers the food for a moment, his eyes going wide. After he swallows, he speaks. "Why have I been the chef this whole time? That's the best carne asada I've ever had!"

I watch the two of them carefully, and see that Calypso is doing the same. Their dynamic is. strange. Calli clearly has feelings of resentment and anger towards Leo, for reasons that are obvious even to me. But occasionally, she shows moments of affection, as if she somehow might be considering forgiving him. If I were her, I'd simply turn him into a dolphin and call the matter done with. Mortals are weird.

"I know you guys just ate," Calli says, tossing some tortillas on a hot pan. "But do you want any?"

"I do." I decide. I want to try this carne asada that Leo says is the best he's ever had. Besides, I ate two hours ago, and this weak mortal body seems to go through food faster than I thought possible.

"I'll try some." Calypso says, eyeing the food carefully. I think she's questioning whether Calli's cooking is better than her own.

I have to admit, this is probably top three carne asadas I've ever had, though I refuse to tell that to Callida and get another cocky smirk.

I watch Calypso, who chews thoughtfully, and quickly takes another bite of her taco.

"What do you think?" Calli asks.

"Oh!" Leo rolls his eyes back into his head. "Heavenly."

"Eat quickly." Calli suggests. "If you guys plan on staying, we have a busy day tomorrow."

Leo groans. "Why?"

Calli rolls her eyes. "Sunrise volleyball, then a sword fighting class, Greek and Roman history, and then tomorrow night is karaoke night."

"Karaoke night!" I exclaim excitedly. "Yes! We are definitely staying for karaoke night."

Calli ignores me. "I need you guys ready to go at six-thirty tomorrow morning. We're walking over to the beach."

Leo sighs heavily. "Fine. I guess I can wake up for the beach."

Calli gives him a sly smile. "There's a white noise machine in the room. It might help you sleep."

Leo smiles. "You remember that?"

"The engine room." They both speak in unison, and some sort of memory seems to flash through their minds, as they both blush and turn away from each other.

Calli inhales her food like a starving child, though she manages to do it gracefully. She starts cleaning dishes, and Calypso jumps to her feet. "Let me help."

Calli glances at Calypso as she takes over the sink, with an expression that makes me wonder if she's considering biting her head off. I wonder what that's about, though I don't question it in fear of getting my own head bitten off. Calli has a very scary way about her sometimes.

Calli must decide it's not worth it, and allows Calypso to clean dishes while she puts food away and wipes the white marble countertops.

I watch in awe at the cleanup process. Normally, I'd just snap my fingers and everything would be perfect. But also, normally, I don't really need to eat, unless it's ambrosia.

Leo doesn't even offer to help. Instead, he pulls bits and bobs from his toolbelt as the girls clean up, fiddling seemingly absentmindedly.

"Okay." Calli announces, clapping her hands together loudly. "Bedtime for bozos!"

I tilt my head in confusion. "Huh?"

She blushes. "Sorry, just something I used to say to Giuseppe and Amber. A habit."

Leo laughs. "Okay mom."

Calli stomps her foot. "I'm not mom!"

"I beg to differ." Leo rolls his eyes.

Calli points at the bedroom down the hall and the message is clear: go to bed.

I feel a little weird about being sent to bed by a sixteen-year-old girl, but her expression tells me it will be better for my health to just go to bed as she says.