LEO –
A faint glimmering island was sitting just on the tip of the horizon. The bleeping from the device in his hand had becoming suddenly insistent. And a blue-ish glow emanated from it. Leo's heartbeat picked up. We must be close. Close to Calypso. He couldn't help but grin, even though he probably looked like an idiot. A warm hand brushed his shoulder.
"You excited to see her?" Jason teased, a smile dancing on his lips, which was more genuinely happy than teasing.
"Shut up. It wasn't right that she was stuck on that island, she only deserves to be free." Leo tried to kill his smile, but didn't quite manage it.
They sailed on forward. Leo's heart did a leap every time the island became more visible. He was going to make it. The first hero to return to Ogygia. And this time I'm taking Calypso with me, he thought. His heartbeat quickened as the memories of her flowed back to him. The dome quivered. And Leo's body tensed as they neared the border. The Argo II shimmered and shuddered but broke through.
I made it.
CALYPSO –
There was a faint sound of rumbling engines and Calypso turned towards the absurd sounds. Sailing towards her was a great, big ship. Its bow bouncing white waves off it like nothing.
"Oh gods." Her voice cracked.
Calypso's posture stiffened as the boat got closer. And it wasn't until Leo came ambling along the beach and oh-so-subtly pointed out that she was frozen, that she realized.
He offered her a hand. "You all right?"
She took it and regally drew herself up. Her emotions and thoughts were running wild, but she bottled them up for the moment.
"Yeah…it's just..." Leo smiled, making Calypso's heart leap.
"No man ever makes it back to Ogygia twice?" He smirked. "Well I did, didn't I?"
Leo still had not let go of her hand, but did not seem to notice. And Calypso certainly didn't mind its fiery warmth. He's here. In the flesh. Her lips were parted in awe. For months she'd worried over his whereabouts. Even when she told herself she didn't care. She'd buried every emotion and memory related to him, but they'd all came surging up the moment Leo came back.
Her hand launched towards him and landed with the desired smack!
"What were you thinking coming back here?!" She yelled.
Leo looked in shock. Calypsos emotions reeled but this time her body bounded forward. She smothered him in an instant.
"I'm sorry." Her words were muffled into his collar, but she didn't care. "I'm so so sorry. I was just really worried." She breathed.
Leo's body seemed to cave in, then his arms suddenly laced themselves around her and his grip on her became stronger. Calypso pulled out just enough to see his face.
"I can't believe you…came back." Her eyes searched Leo's face.
The first guy to ever come back. For her. She laughed.
"Yeah." He seemed to have no sarcastic or joking remark for once. Instead he smiled. "Well, let's get moving. I'd love to show you the Argo II, I built it myself. And it's amazing and see I've rigged it with all sorts of cool gadgets –"
"Too many if I must say…" His blond friend, whom Calypso just noticed, muttered.
"Hey!" Leo shot him a look, but didn't launch at him.
"Well I want to see this fancy ship of yours for myself." She announced.
Leo laughed and they wandered down the beach.
LEO –
He held his hand out to Calypso. For once it was steady and calm, not rapidly moving, tapping, and seeking something to do. "Are you sure?" Her almond eyes crinkled.
"No man makes it back to this island twice, yet I did." Leo grinned madly. "So I think I can get you out. So do you trust me?"
The border was getting closer and closer to Calypso, and Leo worried. Each step back she took put her closer to the edge of the ship. Soon there'd be no room for her to move. He had a feeling that it had to be her choice to leave too – not just his.
"I trust you." She said and smiled nervously. Leo's heart went ker-thump.
Calypso pressed her lips together nervously and took his hand, stepping over the border. There was little resistance and the faint shield surrounding Ogygia soon began dissolving. It was seemingly gone, but her exit seemed a little too simple. Even if the magic of the island was failing. A wand of white mist suddenly swirled in the air. It seemed all the shields magic had concentrated itself. This cannot be good. Then the mist turned in the direction of Calypso. It snaked towards her at a rapid pace.
"Calypso. Run." Her eyes darted towards the mist, and her eyes widened.
Leo and Jason darted after her, and he realized that Calypso was actually fairly fast. He didn't manage to catch up despite being and inch taller than her. Leo sprinted over to the control panel and began steering the Argo II away. But he wasn't quite fast enough.
"Gods. Why won't it leave us alone?!" Calypso huffed. "There's no one there to keep impri –"
Her rigid posture went slack and she became calm. Perhaps she knew there was no easy escape. But Leo didn't care if it wasn't an easy escape, he was going to make it one.
Calypso buried her face in her hands. "I knew it wasn't an easy escape. I'm either on the island or dead. And whatever that –" She waved a hand. "– mist is, it's probably going to kill me."
"Well that's not happening." Leo said through gritted teeth as he accelerated the ship.
There was no point. The white mist rushed forward and burnt a hole through the window.
"Damnit! Another thing to repair!"
It raced towards Calypso, forced open her mouth and vanished inside. Her eyes were wide. Leo dropped the controls and ran to her.
She winced, her whole face screwing up. "Ugh. It's like acid. It's draining me of some–" Calypsos voice choked.
Her body was contorted in pain and her skin had gone stark white. But she made no sounds. Calypsos mouth made shapes like she was trying to scream. Her forehead dripped with sweat and her body shook. Then she collapsed.
CALYPSO –
The moment the white mist touched her tongue it had condensed into poison. The liquid had dripped down her throat and quickly worked its way through her body. It burnt her insides. And it felt like it was eating away at her. Draining her of…something. She was curled on the floor and unable to move. Leo was panicking. Big time. Curse flowing out of his mouth at a million miles an hour. Calypso couldn't feel his hands anymore, since her skin had gone numb. But her insides still burned. Poison, she thought. Gods. It makes sense now. The island wasn't going to let her out alive, so it attacked her with a poison that would drain her immortality. It put it's last efforts into killing her. Which was exactly why she was feeling so powerless. The poison was draining her to nothingness. And if it couldn't be stopped. Then to her death.
"It-" She began, her voice barely audible. "It's draining…my-my immortality." Calypsos throat was screaming with pain. "And it…w-will…kill me." She took a few deep breaths. "If it can't be stopped."
Her head slumped onto the wooden floor. The last thing she heard was a distressed sound from Leo. He tried to pull Calypso up, but she suddenly slipped into blackness.
