Chapter Text
Grace leaned into the cool parapet, shivering as the snow dusted her shoulders. The buzzing of peak-hour traffic and the increasingly insistent honking of horns drifted up from below, reminding her of simpler times—when she would convince the guys to skip band practice for rooftop beers instead. That felt like a lifetime ago… and in a way, it kind of was if she thought about ‘the week that was’ as a life that was no longer hers. And certainly, it had been for Freddie, in any case.
A smile forced its way to her lips as she wondered what Orpheus would decide to do with his newfound purpose in life. She could imagine him waking up every morning, dramatically declaring carpe diem! to the world, enjoying novel mortal concepts such as eating birthday cake and purchasing a midlife-crisis car.
The very thought of Orpheus learning how to drive made her snort.
But, she was pretty pleased with her efforts tonight. It felt like she'd done something right.
Orpheus deserved to be free from the tight reins of vengeance—this concept of the thousand year grudge seemed to be a common theme around here. All those long years wasted, and where did that get him?
It was ridiculous—who had the energy to hold onto something for that long? Orpheus deserved to live—truly live. And what’s more living than a mortal life…right?
Right?
The truth was, Grace was singing as much to herself as she had to Orpheus. Sure, knowing that life was finite was what drove the urgency to cherish moments while they lasted. Take risks! Find purpose!
But when she had one foot in the mortal world and the other very much embedded in the Idol world full of powers, fame and glory—it was really hard not to want to amputate her mortal foot.
Because when she compared uncovering lost and forgotten secrets at the Reliquary and the exciting, Muse-y adventures that Freddie was taking, to the painstaking grind of applying for jobs while working night shifts at the Underworld to pay off her college loan? Well, she knew what she would rather be doing.
But the thing was—she had no choice.
Well, technically she had chosen to be mortal—but that wasn’t really a choice for her. There was nowhere, however huge the multiverse was, where Grace would have left Freddie for dead in the Underworld.
So, Grace had to accept it—the mortal life was hers. She had to move on. She had to find her purpose outside the Idol world, because she no longer belonged there. She couldn’t keep riding on Freddie’s coattails just because she was the ‘Former Last Muse’ for a week. It had been nothing more than a secondment, really.
That's how she finally mustered the courage to finish college. It wasn’t an easy feat, but she did it, and she was proud of herself. Actually, it was probably the worst imaginable time for her. Still, she would do it all again if it meant avoiding the reality of growing up and becoming a fully-fledged adult who had to apply for jobs and then work at said jobs for the next forty years of her life…
(Maybe she could be one of those people who just studied all the time. And be miserable about it.)
So yeah—maybe Grace was slightly changing her tune from an hour ago. It was easy for Orpheus; any life outside the Underworld would be a grand and exciting adventure compared to that dull and wretched place. He could start over and do anything he wanted—he had no ties, no burdensome expectations, no disapproving parents, and he didn’t have to worry about making use of a business degree. And with his fame, money was likely not a problem.
So it felt a little far-fetched to believe her mortal life could be as exciting when one had bills to pay. Especially knowing that the love of her life would outlive her. Grace had even considered the possibility that, by the time a few centuries passed, she might not even rank among the ‘Loves of Freddie’s Immortal Life’.
She eyed a small bug that decided her jacket sleeve was its sanctuary away from the cold. Ah, mortal life, she thought, watching it struggle around fat droplets of melted snow. So fragile and fleeting.
She flicked the bug off with a sigh, and checked her phone.
As she put the phone back in her pocket, a familiar swell of music rose in her chest. The deep, slow beating of drums steadying her. A tether, pulling her towards an all-encompassing warmth and love.
“Nice view.”
Grace turned to see Freddie leaning against the door frame, her eyes glowing gold in the dark, smirking. Grace had a pretty good feeling she wasn’t talking about the cityscape behind her.
“You’re late,” Grace said, crossing her arms, pretending to be annoyed but struggling to keep the smile tugging at her lips.
“Sorry, traffic was horrible,” Freddie groaned, the gold fading from her eyes as she approached.
Grace ached as the drumbeats slowly trickled away, like water seeping through the tiny fissures in her soul. She often found herself craving the music—a comforting presence—just as she craved Freddie when they were apart. Whenever she felt her drums, it was as if their heartbeats were in sync and she became a part of her.
Freddie wielded her powers with a mastery that proved she was destined to be the Last Muse. As she learned to harness her abilities, the spontaneous songs became less frequent, replaced by intentional rhythmic fragments—precise bursts of beats and shifting tempos. That’s not to say Freddie didn’t indulge in a good musical number or two. Oh no, she loved a spectacular, over-the-top song about the most mundane things, like getting mustard out of their dry cleaning.
Grace grabbed Freddie by the collar of her coat, pulling her in as Freddie instinctively leaned down to meet her lips halfway. Warm arms wrapped around her waist, the sweet kiss deepening as Grace’s hand slipped into Freddie’s hair, nearly knocking off her hat.
Freddie pulled her even closer, a soft moan escaping as Grace’s other hand slid under Freddie’s shirt, thumbing the sensitive spot at her hips.
They broke apart, breathless, their foreheads resting together. Grace took great satisfaction in the flush on Freddie’s cheeks knowing it wasn't from the cold.
“I’ve missed you,” Grace sighed, scratching her fingers into the nape of Freddie's neck, and smiling coyly as it drew out a shiver.
“I, uh-” Freddie cleared her throat, flustered. “I saw you this morning?”
Grace stepped back, teasing. “Yeah, but so much has happened…”
“I can’t believe you got to see Orpheus in concert,” Freddie whined, pulling her hat off and running her fingers through her hair. “I swear to the gods, if I have to sit in another full day of mandatory Idol team-building workshops, I’m going to strangle Athena. I know she’s on her redemption arc or whatever, but she needs to give it a rest. We do not need to do ‘Two Myths and a Truth’ icebreaker every time—I’m still recovering from when Eros revealed way too much about the time he took an arrow to the knee.”
“Well, I guess telling you that I got to sing with him won’t make you feel better?”
Freddie gasped, mouth dropping in wonder. “What? No way! Tell me everything!”