Hello!

I hope you are all having a fabulous January and that all of your favorite fanfictions are updating regularly. Big hello to everyone who started following this story since my last update! I love getting your feedback so that I can make Calliope as fun for you to read as it is for me to write.

Quick Summary of the Story So Far:

Danny does not want Plasmius to join the cast of Circus Gothica. He loves his life there, and how much free will his master Freakshow allows him compared to the other ghosts. He knows that if Plasmius were to join he could lose his position as Freakshow's right hand. After being captured by the Red Huntress while stealing for his master, Daniel's identity as both a half ghost and the long lost Daniel Fenton, is revealed. Vlad Masters is desperate to win Danny's trust and break him away from Circus Gothica, but he can't seem to completely throw off Freakshow's hypnotic power, and is forced to keep his distance. They strike up an uneasy alliance. In exchange for inside information on where Freakshow intends to send his ghostly minions next, Daniel's identity will remain a secret and the Red Huntress will not harm either him or Lydia, the ghost who is like a mother to him.

However, Freakshow is growing impatient. With every robbery that his minions come back empty handed, Danny is being harshly punished. His loyalty to his master is being pitted against his growing relationships with Plasmius, and his new friends, Sam and Tucker. Danny can only hope that his master will give up his obsession with Plasmius, and that he can soon leave everything, and everyone, in Amity Park behind him for good.

Plasmius should have known that things would never be as simple as he planned.

Daniel was glaring at him across the dark space that separated them, his eyes glowing red in the dim starlight. The roof of the tent beneath them gently rose and fell beneath their weight and the touch of wind. The soothing rocking motion was not having any effect on the argument taking place on it.

"You can't make me do this, Plasmius!" Daniel said fervently. As harsh as the words were, Plasmius could tell that Daniel was growing desperate. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm out. I'm done. I can't do this anymore."

"Ah, ah, ah, Daniel," Plasmius tutted, keeping his tone light. What Daniel was proposing was unacceptable. He was not letting him get out of their deal so easily. "We have a deal. You said you could do this. You knew what you were getting into."

"No, I didn't." Daniel's hands jerked in unfamiliar shapes, undoubtedly signing his refusal as well as vocalizing it. It was a tic of his, one of many Plasmius had grown fond of over the past month. "I had no idea it would be this hard. You can't make me do this! It's not worth it."

Now, that was going a little far. He couldn't see why Daniel was being so dramatic.

"For goodness sake, Daniel, they're just chopsticks!"

Plasmius pressed his lips together, hard, to keep himself from laughing at the despairing look Daniel gave the chopsticks clutched awkwardly in his hand.

Watching Daniel inhale the food he brought night after night had finally proven to be too much for Plasmius. He wasn't in a position to lecture the boy on manners, yet, but that didn't mean he had to suffer the anxiety that Daniel was going to choke one of these days. He had to intervene.

It had proven to be painfully easy. He only suggested that Daniel probably wasn't coordinated enough to eat the Chinese takeout he'd provided with the traditional utensils. He had taken it a step further to say that he'd even brought Daniel something, but he'd only show him if he could prove him wrong. The only thing more amusing than the affronted look on Daniel's face as he snatched the chopsticks out of his hand was watching the boy quickly realize that Plasmius was right.

"What's the matter, Daniel? Surely you have the dexterity."

Now, that was a sign he understood.

"Daniel," Plasmius chastised, "Language. I'm sure you can figure out how to make them work."

"Oh, I will." Daniel grinned crookedly at him, his eyes flashing green. He dramatically tossed a chopstick over his shoulder and speared a piece of chicken on the end of the other, pulling it off with his teeth. Plasmius couldn't stop the surprised laugh that burst out of him.

"I suppose that counts," Plasmius managed to say, glad that Daniel was no longer angry with him. "Though I'm not sure that method will be as effective on the rice."

"I'll cross that tightrope when I get to it." Daniel retorted, busying himself with spearing more pieces of chicken on his chopstick. "What's your question for tonight?"

"Tell me about your scythe." Not exactly a question, but Daniel knew what he meant.

Daniel's eyebrows disappeared under his white bangs, and he answered around a mouthful of chicken.

"Why?" His voice was teasing. "Is the huntress getting nervous?"

"Hardly. She's fearless to a fault," Plasmius mused. He was used to Daniel trying to deflect his questions by this point, but it reminded him. There was something he'd wanted to ask. "However, she did mention your fangs are coming in."

Daniel swallowed and bared his teeth proudly. Without thinking, Plasmius reached forward. He noticed Daniel flinch slightly, eyes trained on his hand like a hawk, but he didn't stop Plasmius from gently cupping his jaw. He twisted Daniels head slightly from side to side to better see the large points that had grown in, a flood of concerned thoughts rising at Daniel's reaction.

He couldn't help but wonder at Daniel's skittishness of being touched. While it was true that he and Daniel didn't have the best start in their strange relationship, he had grown increasingly relaxed with him over the past month. Plasmius had made it a point to casually make contact with the boy, as he had read that helped establish trust, but this was the first time in weeks that Daniel had reacted negatively. Maybe because it was his face? It was like he was expecting Plasmius to hit him.

"You'll have to be careful for the next week or so. Their size and sharpness will take some getting used to." Plasmius said calmly, not letting any of his thoughts cloud his expression.

"Tell me about it," Daniel complained as Plasmius dropped his hand. "I've already bit my lip like ten times." He rubbed his chin and winced for emphasis.

"Well, I hope it won't be too painful for you to tell me about your scythe." Plasmius chuckled at the glare Daniel gave him.

"You don't give up, do you?" He snarked, folding his arms.

"Never."

Daniel just rolled his eyes at his frank response, but deflected again.

"Why do you want to know about it?"

"Well, aside from its unusual abilities, which are undeniably intriguing, I believe it will help me understand your obsession."

"My obsession?" Daniel looked up at him, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. "But I don't have one."

"Of course you do. All ghosts do, dear boy."

It was incredible, really, how little Daniel knew about ghosts considering his upbringing. Granted, it had taken Plasmius a while to discover his own obsession, but he had one nevertheless. He was possessive. It was simple, and elegant in a way, but equally damning. He couldn't stand when someone had something that he saw as rightfully his. While that possessiveness had served him well in his business exploits, and his protection of Amity Park, he knew that it was also what had indirectly led to the lab accident all those years ago. Becoming half ghost had only heightened it to new levels.

"So, my obsession is scythes?" Daniel's voice interrupted his thoughts. "That's pretty cool, I guess."

Plasmius shook his head. "Most ghosts have some sort of physical object as a manifestation of their obsession, but that doesn't mean that object is their obsession."

Daniel just stared at him, nonplussed. Hmm. Apparently, he needed to clarify.

"Take Ember, for example. She's a ghost siren whose obsession is being recognized and lauded for her musical talent. She carries a guitar that allows her to channel that obsession into power."

"That doesn't explain why I have a scythe, though. It's not even mine." Daniel flicked his wrist and the object in question appeared immediately. Even with no moon to illuminate it, it glowed slightly.

What? What did he mean it wasn't his? Daniel noticed his confusion and quickly spoke to clarify, laying the scythe across his folded legs.

"It was given to me by another ghost, and it's been with me ever since."

"That can't be right, Daniel." Plasmius found his voice again. "Even if another ghost gave you one of their possessions, it would just transfer back to them with time. Unless the ghost was destroyed?"

Daniel looked startled at the idea.

"No, nothing like that!" He protested, but then he paused. "At least I don't think so. I haven't seen the ghost since he gave it to me. I don't even know who he was."

"Perhaps if you explain what happened, I can identify him for you." Plasmius encouraged. He did not like the idea of some mystery ghost being close enough to Daniel to give him anything. "I'm familiar with many of the ghost zone's inhabitants." He liked how Daniel's eyes lit up at the idea of solving this mystery.

"It was a couple years ago," Daniel said eagerly. "My master decided I was old enough to start performing, so I was training on the trapeze with my mom." His face twisted fondly as he remembered, and he laughed ruefully.

"I wasn't very good then. I released too early, and I fell." His made another face. "Falling hurts like crazy, so I just tried to brace myself, you know? And-"

"What do you mean, 'falling hurts'?" Plasmius interrupted. Daniel shot him an irritated look, but he didn't care. "There are nets to catch you, are there not?"

"You don't really get the whole idea of death-defying acts, do you?" Daniel huffed, leaning back on his palms to look at him dryly. His casual tone awakened a pit of dread in his stomach.

"Even without a net," Plasmius said, keeping his voice even despite the tightness of his throat. Daniel could not be implying what he thought he was. "Daniel, you can fly."

"My master has me do all my training in human form. Says I'll learn faster if the stakes are higher." Daniel picked absently at his nails, clearly bored with the topic. "He was right, of course. I haven't fallen in years. Well, except for a few weeks ago, but that doesn't count. It was dark and I wasn't paying attention."

"Is that how you got hurt?" Fudge doodles, he was having trouble breathing. His jaw was clenched so tight it was hard to speak.

Daniel glanced up at him, clearly baffled by his reaction. This boy was going to kill him. Again. "You okay, P-man? You look like you're gonna hurl."

He just might. He briefly entertained the idea of dragging Freakshow out of his train car and electrocuting him into the next life, but reluctantly dismissed it. Soon, but not yet. Besides, Daniel still worshipped the man. Not to mention he became very skittish whenever Plasmius got angry about something. He couldn't let this set back his relationship with the boy.

"Look, Plasmius, it's no big deal." Daniel said slowly, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"I have to disagree."

"Look, are you going to let me tell this story or not?"

"Of course, dear boy. Please continue." This would just have to go onto the list of reasons he was going to destroy Freakshow in every way possible as soon as he could figure out how to counter the man's hypnotism. He was already devoting a lot of time to that effort, but he would double it nevertheless.

"The details aren't important. I just remember that, suddenly, I was falling." Daniel looked relieved when Plasmius didn't show any signs of interrupting this time.

"It's hard to describe, but everything froze. I was stuck. Not flying, not falling. I couldn't even breathe. A sort of swirl of energy appeared above me, and another ghost came through it."

Daniel cupped one of his hands and let green energy pool into it. Plasmius watched, grudgingly impressed as the energy shifted upwards, taking a vaguely humanoid shape. The figure was hunched with age, a long beard extending from underneath the deep hood of his cloak. He held a familiar glowing scythe in his hands.

"He was old," Daniel said thoughtfully, lost in the memory of meeting this strange figure. "I don't just mean how he looked. He made me feel so small." The glowing figure drifted away from his hand, coming to a stop in front of Plasmius so he could get a better look.

"He spoke to me. He told me not to be afraid, and that he had a gift for me." The green figure vanished, leftover flecks of energy twinkling like stars.

"He told me that in times of need, the scythe would be able to help me. He disappeared through another. . . doorway, I guess. The second he vanished, everything started moving again. "

"From then on, I was able to summon the scythe just by thinking about it." Daniel lifted the glowing blade from his lap, and the scythe shimmered in and out of existence in his hands to prove it. He grinned at Plasmius.

"My master was thrilled, and used it as inspiration for my Grim Reaper act. He thought it was something I'd found in one of the prop cars. He always hated when I went looking through his stuff."

Daniel rubbed his thumb thoughtfully along the blade of the scythe. "I don't know who it belonged to before, but it's a part of me now. It always shows up when I need it. It's weird though. I don't remember very much about my life at Circus Gothica before that day. I think it helps me focus."

Plasmius didn't respond right away as he mulled over the story, his fingers steepling under his chin as he thought.

"And you have no idea who your benefactor was?" Plasmius said finally, his focus returning to the boy in front of him.

Daniel shook his head.

Plasmius pondered that for a few moments, before he pushed the information to the side. He could pick through it later.

"I'm afraid an elderly ghost with a scythe is not a ghost I am familiar with." He admitted. Daniel looked slightly disappointed at this, his posture slumping even more than normal.

"However, once you've finished eating, I have something that I hope you will find just as interesting."

"I'm already done," Daniel said. Startled, Plasmius looked for the container Daniel had set aside to tell his story. It was nowhere in sight.

"You did not eat that entire container, Daniel." Plasmius argued, looking sternly at the boy. He had suspicions that Daniel regularly squirreled away at least half of the food he brought him, but he'd never been able to catch him at it. This was the least he had eaten so far, before it had disappeared, though. It worried him.

"Sure I did, it's not my fault you don't pay attention." Daniel's mouth twitched, his eyes glimmering. "Now, what were you saying about having something for me?"

Plasmius rolled his eyes, but let the issue slide. If he could actually catch Daniel making his food vanish, he'd call him out on it. Perhaps he should bring soup next time. He'd like to see Daniel get rid of that so easily. He reached into his cape to grab the gift he had stashed there, and held it out to the boy.

"A book?" Plasmius frowned at Daniel's less than enthusiastic tone. He was looking at it with clear reluctance, making no move to take it from his hand.

"Yes, Daniel. I saw how much you enjoy star gazing. This is a star atlas. It shows you how to find different constellations, and the stories behind them."

Daniel's eyes briefly gleamed with interest, but it quickly vanished. "Sorry, Plasmius. I can't accept that."

"And why not?" Plasmius made no move to set the book down or take it back. The longer it stayed between them, the more uncomfortable Daniel looked. When Daniel was uncomfortable, he tended to talk, which was what he was counting on.

Daniel glanced to the side, one of his hands coming up to fidget with the collar at his neck, and mumbled something unintelligible.

"Come again?" It would be funny if Daniel wasn't so clearly trying to hide something from him.

Daniel growled low in his throat. "I can't read."

Oh.

"Did your master never teach you?" He couldn't help the scalding tone he used whenever the ringmaster came up in conversation. Another surge of hatred for the man washed through him. Not only had he stolen Daniel from him, he had apparently failed to not only train him using basic safety measures, but to even give him a basic education?

Daniel glared at him, his eyes flickering red again at his spiteful tone.

"I know enough," Daniel said coldly. "Enough to serve my master."

Hearing Daniel call Freakshow his master with no hesitation stung more than he cared to admit. It showed how little progress he'd really made. Still, it helped him focus. He could use this.

"I can't help but find it odd, Daniel." Plasmius said, as diplomatically as possible. "Teaching your children to read is often a very important experience for a guardian to have."

Daniel's eyes widened, and Plasmius felt only a little guilty about the hurt that he saw in them. He knew how much Daniel idolized the ringmaster. And, he hated it. It was unhealthy. The faster Daniel realized that Freakshow was an unsuitable guardian, and did not care for him as much as Plasmius did, the better.

"Still," Plasmius continued before Daniel could respond, "I suppose he must have his reasons for not bothering to do so. I won't oppose his decision. I am not your guardian, after all."

"Yeah." Daniel looked down at his hands, which were clasped tightly in his lap. His voice was low, and uneven. "Yeah, I guess so."

His guilt intensified at how forlorn Daniel looked in his ragged clothing, his face twisted with uncertainty. "May I suggest a different solution, then?"

Daniel only nodded mutely. Plasmius flicked the book open, quickly scanning the pages to find the one that fit their altitude and the season as he made a big show of twisting the book this way and that.

"If you can figure out how to use these charts, which I must admit I can make neither head nor tail of, I can read the stories behind the constellations for you."

Daniel looked at him, startled out of his confusion. "You would do that?"

"Of course, my dear boy. Assuming you can find the blasted things."

"Piece of cake, Plasmius." Daniel smiled, his chin tilting confidently. His eyes were still too serious for Plasmius' liking, but he let Daniel take the book from him. "Hand them over."

I liked writing this chapter a lot! It's fun to write about Danny and Vlad's relationship growing, even if there's still a lot of secrets separating them.

Let me know what you liked! If there's anything that's confusing, let me know so I can fix/better explain it.

Hope to see you again next time!