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[makemywayhome.insanejournal.com]

Who: Lethe & Thalia
What: 'The dead are allowed peace. Why not the living?'
When: Saturday afternoon
Where: Diner


Deciding to take her trip had been a rather spur of the moment thing for Thalia. It wasn't that she didn't love her sisters, because she did. But right now, it only felt like she was in the way, overlooked, or just not needed. She knew that wasn't really the case, but try telling that to her overactive imagination. She just wanted to get away for a while, get her head back on straight, and figure a couple things out. And if Mel went with her, well...so much the better.

But for now, all she really wanted was some greasy diner food, and maybe a milkshake. Comfort food always managed to put a smile on her face, even if it was only a little one. So she ordered the biggest bacon cheeseburger they had, and a side of french fries to go with her strawberry milkshake. It was the holidays, damn it all, and she was going to enjoy herself. But even as she started to eat, she could feel herself just going through the motions. She wanted nothing more than to go running to her sisters, to shed a few tears and tell them what was wrong, be done with it. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Lethe entered the diner, unwinding her scarf and unbuttoning her coat. The place had a bright immortal presence radiating from it, and it was both her curiosity and need for coffee that had drawn her inside. She noticed the dejected looking woman picking at her plate, and walked over to her booth and slid in on the other side. "Hail, bright Festivity," she said softly, smiling at the Muse. "And what has Comedy looking so downtrodden?"

Thalia jerked her head up at the greeting, relaxing again at the feelings of both peaceful and immortal that this woman gave off. She knew her of old. "Hello, Lethe," she replied, managing a weak smile. She'd met the river nymph before. She'd died several times, and each time, she was told to avoid drinking the waters of Lethe, because it was important that the Muses remember who they were. The gifts they bestowed were too important to be lost. But Lethe herself was a kind, quiet soul, and she and Hypnos had been good company during Thalia's brief visits.

She pushed a few fries through the ketchup on her plate, debating how much to share. "The holidays," she said at last. "Everyone seems so happy and cheerful, and I'm...I'm Comedy, and it feels like cheerful is so far out of my grasp it's in another realm. I want to be bright and festive and bubbly, and it's like someone pulled the godsdamned plug. And my sisters, my family...they don't deserve that. So I went to their Solstice celebration, and now I'm going away for a little while." She fell silent, head tilted to one side. "Unless..."

Lethe raised her eyebrows. "Unless what?" she asked.

"You...could you take away the bad times?" she asked, eyes overly bright and fixed on Lethe. "Could you make them go away?"

Before Thalia had even finished, Lethe was shaking her head sadly. "You know I can't do that, Thalia," she replied quietly. "There are things in life that are not meant to be taken, and there are those who need my touch, they need me to be there for them at the end."

Thalia looked like she was going to cry. "The dead are allowed peace," she said, voice wavering on the verge of breaking. "Why not the living?"

Lethe grasped one of Thalia's trembling hands. "You are Mousai," she reminded her. "Who you are, what you are, is so important, and if I go looking willy-nilly through your head, I could very well take something that was not meant to be taken. And you cannot have comedy without a little tragedy, even in your own life. By all means, take your trip if you feel it will help. Sometimes that's what's needed, a step back from everything when life gets overwhelming. But when you come back-and you will come back, I know you will-talk to your sisters. They are the ones who know you best. They can help you get back to yourself."

Thalia squeezed Lethe's hand just shy of too tightly. "What if I don't come back?" she asked, voice trembling. "Will the paradox simply destroy me? A sad Comedy seems pretty useless."

"How long have you survived, and how often have you been sad?" Lethe asked, one eyebrow raised. "You Muses are made of sterner stuff than you give yourselves credit for, and I have faith that everything will work itself out." She punctuated her statement with a little nod, taking a sip of her coffee. Then she looked back at Thalia and added, "We all have light and darkness within ourselves, Comedia. The trick is to find that balance, and not lose ourselves to the darkness." She patted Thalia's hand. "And you have so much light within you, my friend."

Thalia's answering smile was shaky and a little watery as she pushed some of her bright hair out of her eyes. "Yeah?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," Lethe affirmed, stealing a french fry. "So, where were you thinking of going?"

Thalia shrugged. "Someplace warm," she replied. "Near the ocean. Maybe Georgia or Florida. I like it down there."

Lethe nodded. "That sounds lovely," she replied. "I'm sure it'll do you a world of good."

"Yeah," Thalia agreed. "Yeah, I sure hope so."

They sat there in comfortable silence for a while, finishing the remaining fries. They paid their checks and rose to leave, walking to the door together. Outside, Lethe wrapped the Muse in a hug and said, "Call me before you leave, OK?"

Thalia nodded, pulling her hat onto her head. "Yeah, of course," she agreed, doing up the last button on her coat. "Thanks, Lethe."

Lethe smiled. "Sometimes this is the best kind of peace I can give," she said, hugging her once more and waving goodbye.