Kalliope's Awakening (2 page)

“What the hell happened?” he shouted at Priska.

“Spyro,” she said helplessly.

Harmonia was on Orestes’ heels. “You knew!” she accused Priska. “He did this before! And you still let him see her.”

Orestes scooped Kalliope up into his arms, and wheeled around to face Priska, towering over her.

“You knew?” he whispered, his voice threatening.

Priska shrunk back towards the wall. “He’s always rough with new girls. I didn’t’ think it would happen again.”

“He was more than rough!” Harmonia yelled.

“This isn’t finished,” Orestes promised, hurrying out of the room with Kalliope in his arms.

* * * * *

Kalliope stirred in bed, sensing that something was amiss in her room. It was dark and she realized that it was early morning. It had been late in the evening when Orestes had hurried her to Aella, and even later when he brought her back to her room.

Aella had cleaned her up, and gave her ointments and potions for her cuts and bruises. Aella hadn’t hid her fury with Priska, and Orestes had been more than verbal about his anger.

Damianos!

In her hazy state, thanks to the potions Aella fed her, Kalliope had begged for Orestes to find Damianos.

Kalliope sat up and she made out the dark figure in her room. He was at her bedside instantly.

“I’m here, Kalliope,” he breathed.

Kalliope sank in relief against the bed. She wasn’t sure if Orestes was actually going to fetch Damianos, and even less certain that Damianos would come.

After all, she was nothing more than a whore, and Damianos was an esteemed gentleman of Athens.

“I wasn’t sure that you would come,” she said honestly, her voice groggy.

“Of course, I would come,” he said, smoothing her hair. “It’s early morning. You need more rest.”

There was no arguing by the tone of his voice, and Kalliope was happy to go back to sleep. She lay back down on the bed, snuggling against Damianos’ strong body. She easily drifted back to sleep.

* * * * *

When Kalliope woke again, the filtered sunlight had made its way into her room, and she rolled over, wincing at the pain. Her throat hurt and she knew that was from Spyro trying to strangle her.

Damianos was no longer sitting next to her, and she looked around, worried that he had left. He was standing in the corner, his body rigid and his eyes dark and stormy.

“Damianos?” Her voice was unsure and tentative. “Are you angry with me?”

His face turned pained and then softened.

“No, of course not,” he breathed, hurrying to her.

“Damianos, Spyro threatened to ruin you. To expose us and say that you were smitten with a whore.”

Damianos made a low growl in his throat. “That snake is probably hiding from me right now, cowering in that dirty hole of his!” He seemed to calm himself and turned back to Kalliope.

“I brought you breakfast,” he said, picking up the tray from the table and placing it on the bed. There were fresh cherries and melon, along with bread and a boiled egg. A large mug of juice sat on the tray too.

“Thank you,” she said, sitting up and digging into the food.

“I spoke with Aella, and you will recover completely. It will take a few days.” A remorseful look crossed his face. “I’m afraid that I have to leave you now. I wanted to wait until you woke up though, to say goodbye.”

Kalliope knew she shouldn’t be upset, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Of course, Damianos could not spend his entire day below the ground at Hera Selene.

She looked down at her hands and nodded. Damianos came to her and tilted her chin up.

“I let him get away the first time, but he will pay for this time. And he doesn’t frighten me.”

He gave her a soft kiss. “I will come to you soon,” he promised.

Kalliope watched him go, and with a heavy heart she finished her breakfast. She was starting to care for Damianos more than she should.

And she knew that would get her nowhere. She was a prostitute, plain and simple.

Kalliope spent the rest of the day in bed, and Harmonia and Elektra spent much of the day at her side while other visitors, including Melina came by for brief visits.

“Everyone is so angry at Priska,” Harmonia whispered.

Elektra laughed and nodded in agreement.

“Why? No one knew he was going to do it again. I don’t blame her,” Kalliope said honestly. She had been thinking about it for most of the day. There was no one to blame except Spyro.

As evening drew closer, the women had to leave to get ready for the night, and Kalliope sat alone in her room, dozing in and out of sleep. Aella’s treatments seemed to be working, and she was grateful. Just before the lobby opened to the customers, Priska came in quietly.

“How are you?” she asked, standing near the bed.

“I’m fine. I don’t blame you, Priska.”

Priska sighed, wiping her hands on her dress. “Everyone else does,” she said matter-of-factly, “Of course I had no idea he would do this to you.”

“I know.”

“I can promise you that Spyro will no longer be allowed to see you as a customer.”

Thoughtful, Kalliope nodded. “Thank you.” She was disappointed that Spyro would still be allowed to visit Hera Selene, but Priska was a business woman after all, and Spyro paid very well.

“Of course Damianos nearly had a fit when I said he could return as a paying customer, but what am I supposed to do? He is one of our best customers. I’m not quite sure why he has taken a sick liking to you.” She sighed again. “I have made a deal with Damianos to ensure that you are more comfortable.”

This caught Kalliope’s interest and she looked up to meet Priska's gaze. Priska’s face was twisted in distaste, and Kalliope was even more curious now as to what Damianos had arranged on her behalf.

“Of course you are very beautiful and sweet,” Priska continued, “But I really can’t see what the fuss is all about,” she puffed, “All the men asking for you. Spyro and his sick things and Damianos falling all over you as if you were an empress.” She shook her head in disbelief.

“What is the deal?” Kalliope asked.

She was uninterested in Priska’s feelings for her, although admittedly, Kalliope also couldn’t quite understand why she had gotten so much attention at Hera Selene.

“You are moving to a bigger suite. Damianos thinks it will be more comfortable and he wants to be one of your regulars...Well more than a regular actually. He has never done this before for a client. He has had favorites, but never has he shown this much interest in a woman.”

Kalliope wasn’t sure she heard right. “A bigger suite?”

“Yes. Are you deaf?” Priska snapped, clearly agitated at the thought. “We will move you tomorrow. I’ve already spoken to Melina, who will speak to Stelios on your behalf. We will make sure you have enough furnishing for such a space.”

“What does a regular mean?” Kalliope asked, suddenly remembering Priska’s use of the word.

Priska wrung her hands and then looked Kalliope straight in the eyes. “A favorite. That means he wants to visit you and only you when he comes here. He wants priority. If he wants to keep you for the entire night, he can.”

“Like a concubine?” Kalliope asked confused. Her understanding of the word meant exclusivity.

“Not quite. You will still be allowed to sleep with other men.” Priska paused.

Whether she wanted that or not, Kalliope still wasn’t sure. Priska hurried off to prepare for the evening and Kalliope was left alone with her thoughts.

* * * * *

The following morning, Melina stopped by to update Kalliope on the status of the furniture arrangements.

"So Stelios has agreed to provide you with any furnishings you desire," she said.

“Did he say how much it would cost?” Kalliope asked, walking over to where she kept her money. She felt much better today, and her bruises were no longer an angry purple. She hoped to be nearly back to normal by the next day.

Melina reached out to stop her. “Damianos is covering all of it. There is no cost to you.”

Kalliope laughed. Of course, Damianos had paid for everything.

“Your new suite is lovely. Do you want to see it?” Melina asked.

“Yes!”

She followed Melina to the hall where her room was located. Melina led her into a spacious suite.

Kalliope walked around her new suite of rooms in utter disbelief, there was no way this was hers now. There were four rooms in all. Kalliope decided that she could make two bedrooms: a personal one for herself, and a bedroom for her clients. Then she could turn one room into a sitting room, and the final room into a dining room.

It was luxury she had never dreamed of.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Melina whispered, squeezing Kalliope’s arm.

Too stunned to speak, Kalliope only nodded her head in agreement.

It was spectacular.

Melina left Kalliope, and as she was wandering around the rooms, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Very nice set of rooms here.”

She turned around to see Stelios. He smiled kindly, and slowly walked about the room.

“My men are bringing your furniture from your old room, and we have more furniture to add. I hope you don’t mind that I took the liberty of selecting the pieces.”

“No, not at all. I appreciate it, very much,” she said.

Stelios’ workers entered the room, setting up her furniture. They brought in an additional chaise and chair for her sitting room, as well as a lovely table and chairs for her dining area. Kalliope was expecting another bedroom set to be brought in, but instead the men brought in a tall mirror, washbasin, clothing racks and a dresser.

“I don’t understand,” Kalliope said. “I was expecting another bedroom.”

“Ah, yes. We were told that another bedroom would not be necessary. Instead, we have set up for you to have a closet and wash area.”

“Who told you that?” Kalliope asked. Could it have been Melina? Priska?

Stelios gave her a tight smile. “You have a well-paying customer here,” he explained, motioning around to the fine furniture. “I think he must want to keep you all to himself.” He winked before bowing and leaving Kalliope in the midst of her new home.

Kalliope sank down onto her new chaise. Did that mean that Damianos specified that she not have an additional bedroom? That surprised her. Did Damianos plan on keeping her all to himself? Was he even allowed to do that?

She spent the rest of the day going about her room, and rearranging her few belongings. It felt unnatural to have so much space all to herself. She walked over to her new mirror and looked at her reflection. The markings on her neck looked as awful as they felt.
Spyro is a fucking bastard
, she thought to herself.

She ran her hands over her old gowns and thought about the new peploses that were arriving in the next few days. Kalliope thought of Gaia and wondered what Gaia would think if she saw her now.

Would she be proud? Appalled? Shocked?

Lonely, and craving companionship, Kalliope climbed into bed and fell asleep, she would need a nap to prepare for this evening.

* * * * *

At last, Kalliope was allowed to return to the courtyard where the clients gathered. She was excited to have something to do again. Drifting aimlessly about for the past few days had been torturous, not to mention she missed Damianos dreadfully. She no way of knowing when he would come to Hera Selene again, but she certainly hoped it would be soon.

Dressed in Gaia’s mother’s finest peplos, with her hair loose and around her shoulders, she made her way into the lobby. She looked around, and her heart fell when Damianos was nowhere in sight. Instead of taking a man immediately, she decided to move to her familiar corner and entertain the men with a song.

A small crowd gathered, and many men said how happy they were to see her again.

Kalliope sang two songs and then decided that she needed to settle on a client.  Just as she was about to make her way towards a handsome scholar, she saw a tall and familiar figure push through the crowds.

Her heart leapt.

It was Damianos.

He had eyes only for her, and he moved swiftly towards her, as if guided by an unseen force. Trance-like, Kalliope moved towards him too, and Damianos grabbed her hand, clasping it tightly in his.

“Kalliope.”

The word was a prayer.

Kalliope said nothing. She grasped his hand tighter, and silently turned around, leading him to her room. They moved down the new hallway, and Kalliope knew that Damianos could not be surprised since he had ordered the move and purchased the furniture.

The electricity between them was palpable and Kalliope wondered how anyone could resist such a pull to another human being.

Once inside her new room, Damianos grabbed her roughly, though it was erotic, not painful, and pushed her against the bedpost.

“I’ve longed for you,” he groaned into her mouth, kissing her with ferocity.

Kalliope moaned into his mouth, kissing him back just as eagerly, as she devoured him.

“What have you done to me, Kalliope?” he gasped, pulling back and clasping her face to look at her.

He kissed her again, moving across her jaw line and over to her neck, before kissing up to her earlobe. He took her lobe gently between his teeth and bit softly into the fleshy skin. Kalliope moaned, steadying herself against his muscular body. 

“You remembered,” he whispered, running his hands over her hair. He grazed the ends of her strands, and then let his hands move further south, circling her behind and squeezing it firmly. Kalliope was relieved that it felt completely pleasurable. Her bruises from Spyro had already begun to heal.

Keeping her pressed against the frame, Damianos worked on her belt, pulling it free and tossing it on the bed. He cupped her breasts through her cloak, massaging them as he groaned with desire.

Bringing his mouth to her neck, he kissed down her throat until he reached her collarbone. Trailing his mouth across her skin, he moved his hands up her arms and around each sleeve of her peplos. He pushed the material off her shoulders, and then down her arms.