Honestly I was kind of disappointed with BoO. I'm all for sticking to canon, but when it comes to the last chapter of the book, he could have made that Caleo moment so much better. So I am going to show you guys this one-shot I wrote because it's much more satisfying in my opinion. It can fit in easily as a replacement of the reunion in the book. I don't own PJO!
Gone.
He was gone.
Calypso hadn't moved since the raft had disappeared. She couldn't. Watching him leave— watching Leo leave— her heart didn't just break into a thousand pieces; it was scarred. She wasn't just sad and wistful; she felt completely and utterly vulnerable. And the first time in her entire existence, Calypso was afraid. She was afraid to be alone.
Leo was different than any other hero that had landed on her island, in every way possible. He wasn't built, he wasn't particularly charming or charismatic— but he was more than that. He cared. Calypso couldn't help but believe that he really truly meant it when he promised her he'd return. Because when he looked at her, he saw her. He didn't pity her or give her sympathetic smiles; he could just look at her and know. He looked at her and saw everything.
Calypso tried to remember what she felt like when the other heroes had left. It certainly hurt. She hated feeling ditched and she was terribly upset that they had to leave. But she was always able to accept the fact that they just weren't hers to keep. There was always someone else, someone who had already stolen their heart. No matter how much of her own heart she gave them, they could never return her care and love. But for Leo to leave? It was wrong. He wasn't supposed to leave her.
Leo had shown her something new, something different, something that she hadn't even known could exist. The love she felt for him was not just an attraction; it was an emotional bond— something that could never, ever go away no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. It was a deep, mutual understanding that opened her up and made her become completely vulnerable to another person. And it was absolutely terrifying.
Calypso hadn't cried. The tears just wouldn't come. It was like she had turned into a spirit of the underworld— she couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't function. All she could do was sit motionless on the beach and stare at the waves where the raft had disappeared, taking her soul with it.
There were times in her existence that Calypso was grateful for the solitude of her island; she would sing and dance as she worked like she didn't have a care in the world. Now, though, the solitude frightened her like nothing else. The island felt more like a prison than ever before. All she could think was that she really, really didn't want to be alone anymore.
But that wasn't the only thing that terrified her. What she dreaded more than anything was that the gods would send her another hero. A hero who wasn't Leo.
Because gods, she didn't want a hero! She wanted Leo! It was Leo who could take away her fears, who could make her feel loved, who could make her feel real. She wanted it to be his knowing, understanding eyes looking into her soul and bringing out who she really was, no one else's.
When Leo promised her he would return— when he gave not an empty promise but a full promise— he gave her something the other heroes hadn't given her: hope. Because he didn't have an Annabeth to return to. He didn't want to leave; he left because she made him leave. And she could see in his eyes that he would have stayed. He wanted to stay. He wanted her. And she didn't realize how much she wanted him until it was too late.
Leo couldn't come back. Calypso knew that a demigod didn't stand a chance of breaking an eternal curse, no matter how much he wanted to. She liked to think he was willing to die trying though.
Death. For the first time in her existence, Calypso wished she could die. She had often wondered what it would be like to be mortal, but she had never yearned for it. Death was so foreign to her, but the thought of being able to end her misery, to finally be at peace for eternity— it sounded blissful.
Calypso lost track of time as she sat. Nightfall came and went, and she passed the days simply keeping her mind blank, waiting for something that would never come. Was this as close as she could come to death? Perhaps. Perhaps this was an immortal death; emotionless, functionless, and still.
The sun beat down on the island of Ogygia, the birds chirping and the waves crashing on the beach. It seemed so lovely— so hopeful and happy.
Calypso was numb to that happiness though. All she felt was emptiness and more emptiness.
Whoosh.
A loud, deafening roar of air echoed across the island, almost knocking Calypso over. That was what finally broke her trance, and she looked up.
What she saw was impossible.
A huge bronze dragon far in the distance landed gracefully down on the sand. Was she imagining it? She stared down the beach, trying to make out the creature. Suddenly, a smaller figure, a human figure, appeared next to the dragon, and Calypso was petrified. A burning memory sparked in her head, and that petty thing called hope arose in her heart. The person was surreally silhouetted by the bright sun, but the way he moved resembled much too closely a certain hero who had promised to return.
Before she could convince herself otherwise, she was suddenly back on her feet, her mind whirling in confusion as she sprinted down the beach. The hot afternoon sun beat down on her skin and her bare feet kicked up sand.
"You came back!" She shouted wildly, still not certain what she was doing. Her voice sounded distant, like in a dream. "You actually came back!"
His face suddenly became clear as she approached him, only making her run faster. Her heart pounded in anticipation. She felt lightheaded; right as she reached him she lost her balance, falling unglamorously into his arms and almost knocking him off his feet.
The warmth of his body hit her like a shock, and for a moment she forgot to breathe. To be in his arms again was like having a huge weight lifted off her shoulders, and she let out a sigh of relief. She had a simultaneous urge to hold onto him and never let go, and not to dare touch him in fear of him disappearing. Her hands ran through his shaggy curls, and she held into him tightly attempting to prove to herself he was real.
"Wow, Sunshine," he said, stabilizing himself so as not to fall over. His familiar voice vibrated through her body, sending a gleeful shiver down her spine. She shakily pulled back to look at his face. "I didn't know you'd miss me that much."
His hands were wrapped tightly around her back, holding her close. She wanted to make some snarky comment just to get that dumb grin off his face, but her voice was stuck in her throat. Instead, her wide eyes took him in, reminding herself of every inch of him. He was exactly how she remembered. He was still small, and still warm, and still strong. Her fingers gripped his soft hair and she moved them over his scalp down to his neck. She ran her hands naturally along his shoulders down to his chest, and breathed in his smoky scent. Heat radiated off of his skin. She watched his lips intently, her own mouth partly open. She could feel his eyes on her. Finally, her own eyes slowly moved up to meet his.
The expression on his face was even more beautiful than in her memory. He was looking at her the way he had always looked at her— with a deep understanding and respect. His chocolate eyes sparkled in awe, like she was the hero who had achieved the impossible, not him.
She suddenly couldn't breathe again as the long-awaited tears finally filled her eyes. He was there. Again.
"Leo," she said hoarsely.
Nothing could replace the absolute joy that came over his face when she said his name. This wasn't the shallow, comical, sarcastic boy who she had first met. This was the part of him that no one but she had seen. It was the man who she'd discovered after working with him for weeks on her island, who was just as isolated as she was.
His large, calloused hands cradled her body and he took her mouth gently in his. The amount of passion in the kiss was overwhelming. At first she didn't quite know how to respond. Nothing she had ever experienced felt as honest and as open as this. She could feel nothing but his warm touch and his beating heart that told her he was real and that she wasn't dreaming. The strength of his emotions filled her to her core, and she melted.
She let out a soft whimper and went weak in the knees. He held her safely in his arms, like a delicate piece of fabric that might break if he let go. Her hand found his cheek, and she rested it lightly against his face. In that moment they were the only two people in the whole world. The only thing that mattered was that he'd come back. He'd come back to her.
She found the ground again and stood up straighter, and her hands gripped the ends of his vest tightly. She deepened the kiss, never wanting to let this moment end. He held her face and brushed his thumbs over her cheeks.
Carefully, he pulled away, but kept his face close and his hands where they were. She didn't even open her eyes, savoring the taste of his lips as long as possible.
Finally, she let her eyelids open and she looked up at the one man who came back. The man who had broken her curse, and to whom she meant everything. Someone who finally, finally could love her the way she never thought she'd ever get to know. He had given her something irreplaceable, something that once she had experienced she could never live without. Everything about this moment was so, incredibly real, that she struggled to believe it was happening. It was happening to her.
"No one comes back," she whispered, searching his eyes for reassurance. He watched her with a calming intensity and moved his hands back down to her waist. She tugged at his vest again. "Leo no one's ever come back."
He pulled her to his chest, and she wrapped her hands around his back. "I know," he said, pressing his lips to the top of her head. She tried to relax her shaking body and let his warmth engulf her.
"You're not... You're not going to go away again, right?" She asked weakly, tears streaming silently down her face.
He ran his fingers through her hair. "Never," he replied softly.
She pressed her hands harder into his back and squeezed her eyes shut. "Please don't ever leave me again," she whispered. She moved her lips to his shoulder and kissed it softly. "I don't want to be alone anymore."
"I'm not going anywhere, Calypso," he told her, rubbing his hands over her back. "I promise."
That's all I got for ya folks!
Reviews are extremely appreciated... it's important to me to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for reading!