All rights belong to Rick Riordin

The first thing Leo and Calypso did when they got off the island was get some food. Being dead for who knows how long really made him hungry. When he proposed the idea to Calypso after a few minutes of being in the air, she shrugged and said, "I could eat," so he started searching. He spotted a local diner in Washington DC on his GPS, and grinned. Perfect.

He collapsed Festus into a briefcase after they landed in the parking lot. Calypso was in awe at the modern world, particularly cars. That made Leo think of the auto repair shop they had dreamed of before, and his heart soared.

"I can teach you all about cars," he said as they walked into Pete's Diner. At 3 pm on a weekday, all of the restaurants around the capital were close to empty, and a smiling server showed them to a window table. Calypso remained silent with wonder. "I can even show you how to drive one. Automatic, stick shift, you name it."

"You know how to drive a car?" She raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you tell me you have to be sixteen?"

"Well, yeah, legally. But if you never get caught…"

Calypso's laugh was musical sounding, like a bell being rung at Christmas time. Leo stared at her as she laughed, not caring if his mouth was hanging open. The drawing Hazel made for him of Calypso's face didn't do her justice – her, sitting in front of him, the light shining on her flawless features… it was the real deal, and he was going to stare as long as he could.

"So where is the food?" she asked, looking at their empty table.

Leo grinned. "This isn't like Ogygia. There are no invisible servants... at least that I know of." Leo stopped to consider it, thoughtfully imagining the possibility. Calypso waited, staring at him warily. A moment later, Leo snapped out of his thoughts. "Right. We have to order it, then wait for them to cook it."

"What? That sounds preposterous."

"It's the real world," he said, shrugging. "Regular, everyday diners don't have magic. Well, most of them don't."

She pouted, and Leo's eyes wandered down to her lips. "Now I miss my island."

"Well, we can go back if you want –"

"Maybe we should."

"Fine. Let's go."

They stared at each for about two seconds before bursting out laughing. A waiter came over and answered the numerous questions Calypso had about the food. He sent a questioning look to Leo as Calypso asked about French fries. Leo muttered something about her being foreign, which wasn't exactly a lie. To his surprise, she ordered a cheeseburger with all the toppings. For some reason, he pictured her a vegetarian, but it turned out that she was an adventurous eater. Just when he thought she couldn't be more beautiful.

"So when you think about it," said Leo after the waiter left, resting his hands on the back of his head, "This is our first date."

She blushed. "I haven't thought about it."

"Oh, really."

"This isn't a date. We're just eating."

"Together."

"In a public place."

"There's no one else in here."

"Leo," she sighed, putting her hand to her temple. She started to say something else, but something out the window caught her eye. "Ooh, what's that?"

Leo followed her line of sight and chuckled. "A bike."

For the next hour, he answered her questions about things that passed their windows, and they watched the people passing by. She devoured her cheeseburger, which she compared to ambrosia, the food of the gods. Leo paid for their food and when they were done un-collapsed Festus and they were airborne again.

"Okay, so you've had your cheeseburger," said Leo, turning his head so Calypso could hear him while they sped through the sky. "And you thought it was delicious."

"Very."

"What do you say we head to New York? There's the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Times Square –"

"And Camp Half-Blood?" Her voice suddenly got very nervous. And Leo was, too, but for different reasons. He had no idea how much time had passed since he rescued Calypso off the island. Would his friends even still be alive?

Leo pressed a button on Festus' control panel and maneuvered his legs and torso so that he was now facing Calypso. Their knees and feet were touching, but neither of them pulled away.

"Leo Valdez, what do you think you're doing?" she demanded, craning her neck to see around him. "We'll crash!"

"Don't worry, Sunshine. I set him to auto pilot."

She relaxed but narrowed her eyes. "So is Sunshine my new nickname now?"

"Well, it does suit your sparkling personality."

She sighed and took his hand. Leo's heartbeat spiked, and he concentrated on not catching that hand on fire.

Before she could speak, Leo said, "Look, I know I said we would see the world, and we will. I just need to see if my friends are alright. It's been one afternoon for me, but I don't even know if they're… alive."

To his embarrassment, his voice caught, but he couldn't help it. He was worried a hundred years had passed, or Jason and Piper were hurt in the fall, or the two camps killed each other –

"I understand," said Calypso, soothing his nerves by placing a hand on his cheek. "It's just that, when Percy left Ogygia, I was heartbroken. And jealous. I cursed Annabeth Chase in the midst of my tears and grief, and I was ashamed immediately. I still am. If something has happened to her or Percy…"

He leaned into her hand. "It wouldn't be your fault. Unless you made a voodoo doll and started poking pins in it. Then that would be a little creepy."

To his relief, Calypso smiled and rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

They flew across the ocean for another hour until the clouds parted and there was Camp Half-Blood. Leo grinned at seeing his home for the first time since he'd left… whenever that was. Memories of Capture the Flag and the campfire sing-alongs filled his mind, but his friends' faces did as well, and the anxiety returned. The camp looked alive and healthy, so obviously the world hadn't ended, but how much time had passed? He was apprehensive to find out, and yet he couldn't wait to land.

Meanwhile…

"Afternoon, guys," Jason addressed the group of thirteen-year-old demigods. "My name is Jason Grace. This –" He clapped the shoulder of his good friend standing next to him – "is Percy Jackson. We'll be your instructors for sparring today."

The kids starred in awe at the legends before them. They'd only been at the camp for a couple weeks, since the summer started, but no doubt there had been talk of the famous sons of Jupiter and Poseidon that arrived at the camp only a few days ago.

"Hey, dudes!" said Percy cheerfully. He took his pen, Riptide, out of his pocket and uncapped it. The celestial bronze sword glowed. The kids "ooh"ed and "ah"ed. "Who wants to fight some monsters?"

Some of them cheered. The rest of them kept staring at the sword.

"Percy and I have been in many battles. We wouldn't be here if we didn't know how to wield a blade. Your battle reflexes will only get you so far. You must have the skill and practice to survive. Today, we'll be going over the basic stance and defense. Now I want you to pair off…"

Normally, Jason didn't teach lessons at Camp Half Blood. He was too busy traveling between New York and California. But Percy and Annabeth were back for the summer, and he and Percy wanted an excuse to spar. Without any worldly catastrophe happening at the moment, there weren't too many quests to go on, and therefore there weren't as many monsters to slay. Jason hated to admit it, but sometimes he missed the good old days.

They were just demonstrating how to properly block a strike when Jason saw it. A large, shiny thing in the sky that looked a lot like a bronze dragon…

Percy knocked Jason's sword out of his hands. The demigods started whispering amongst themselves, confused as Percy was as to why Jason was distracted. "Dude, what…?" He followed Jason's line of sight and his words trailed off. "Oh, my gods. Is that what I think it is?"

The two of them shared a hopeful look and took off running a split second later. "Class dismissed!" Jason yelled over his shoulder.

Festus landed in the middle of the open field that the cabins outlined. Annabeth and Piper came running out of the Big House at a sprint.

Leo Valdez was standing in front of his robot dragon with his arms crossed and a mischievous grin on his face. His smile grew wider when he saw who was running towards him. "Guess whose back, amigos!"

Percy tackled him in a bear hug. Leo almost fell over. Then he actually did fall over when Jason joined in. Leo laughed away his previous fears. Piper pulled him out of the wreckage and hugged him tightly, then Annabeth got a turn. The other campers formed a circle around them but did not interrupt the reunion. Even a total stranger could see that they needed their space.

"Where have you been?" Piper questioned, trying to sound angry, but tears brimmed in her eyes. Leo realized he felt like crying, too. He was just so happy to see all of them. "How long has it been? A year! And you couldn't stop by once before now?"

"A year?" At second glance, Leo supposed they all looked a bit older. And he was once again the shortest person in the group. At least it had only been one year instead of a hundred.

"That's right," said Jason, now looking a little peeved. "We thought you died. Why didn't you tell us you had the cure? How…"

He noticed Calypso sliding off of Festus' back, landing gracefully on her feet but keeping her distance. She folded her arms in front of her self-consciously. Heads turned and soon they were all staring at her.

"Ah, guys, I want you to meet Calypso," said Leo proudly, going to put his arm around her. "You know, the one I'm crazy about."

"Calypso," whispered Percy. He felt like he was fourteen again, cast away on that island after Mount St. Helen erupted. She healed him, fell for him, and like a jerk he had to leave her. She looked the same, with her soft features and honey-colored hair, except for her clothes. She ditched the sleeveless dress for some jeans and a white T-shirt.

"Hello, Percy," she said. To Leo's immense relief, she didn't sound bitter or angry. Just greeting an old friend.

Piper stepped up before the silence got awkward. "Hi, there. It's so nice to finally meet you. My name is Piper, this is Jason, and that's Annabeth." She said that last one with trepidation. Even though she didn't have the full story of what happened, she still sensed some tension.

"It's nice to meet all of you," said the goddess, looking at Annabeth the longest. She smiled as best she could, but that seemed to do the trick – the other campers finally surged forward, the Hephaestus kids being the loudest, and surrounded Leo. Chiron came over to officially welcome him back, and Nico surprised him by hugging him.

Calypso felt a little overwhelmed by all the people – the most she'd seen at once in 3,000 years – and managed to back away from the crowd. Leo was distracted, but he looked really happy to be with his friends again. Doubt clouded her thoughts. Would he want to stay here now, and forget their promised travels? She would never leave him, but she also didn't want to stay here…

"Calypso," said Percy, coming over to her. His face was unreadable, older, and wiser. So different from the face she knew so long ago.

"I never thought I'd see you again," she said in a flat voice. Over by Leo, a roar of laughter went up. Of course he was cracking jokes already.

"That's my fault," he said, looking down. "I asked the gods to free you, and they said they would. I lost my memory before I could check to see if they followed through. You have my deepest and sincerest apologies for that."

She was a little taken aback by his straight-forwardness. Was this the same boy that showed up on her island unconscious and drooling?

She glanced over to Annabeth, who was discreetly looking over at them. And then Leo, who had just now begun to notice that Calypso wasn't next to him. "It turned out okay," she said. "If not for you, I wouldn't have met Leo. And now I really am free."

Percy grinned. At least his smile was the same. "Yeah, Leo's a great guy. Just wait 'til you have one of his homemade tacos."

"And Annabeth…" His grin faltered when she said that, and her fears were confirmed – her curse hurt them in some way. "I'm sorry. I was in a dark place when you left. It's inexcusable, I know, but –"

"Let's just agree that the past is in the past. All's forgiven." Percy held out his hand. Calypso felt a wave of relief. She shook it.

"Calypso!" called Leo, separating himself from the crowd. "Want a tour?"

Her smile came more naturally this time, and she nodded to Percy before going over to him. Percy and Leo shared a look of understanding.

Leo took her hand and led her through the camp, acting as a goofy tour guide. Some of his friends tagged along, and Leo found out what they'd been up to in the last year.

Piper became a full-timer at the camp, as counselor of the Aphrodite cabin. She saw her dad sometimes, but he was busier now more than ever with his new movie, Space Warrior. Nico was full time as well, along with his boyfriend, Will Solace. The other demigods didn't act nervous around him like they used to, and he seemed really happy. Jason traveled between here and Campy Jupiter a lot, smoothing out any hiccups between them and working to recognize even more minor gods without shrines. He said that Frank, Hazel, and Reyna were doing well. Percy and Annabeth just spent their senior year of high school in New York, and in August they were moving to New Rome to attend college. And they were happy.

In fact, everyone was really happy. Even Coach Hedge was all smiles as he introduced Leo to his toddler, Chuck. It might've been selfish of him, but Leo was starting to wonder if his supposed death meant anything until he got to the Hephaestus cabin. There, where his bunk bed used to be, was a wall dedicated to him.

Strewn up Christmas lights surrounded a bulletin board of pictures. There weren't many, but they were all of him. Some of them he was with friends, some by himself, working on the Argo II. It showed his sketches of his beloved ship that he had to blow up. There was a large poster that must've originally been white, but it was filled with so many words of condolences that you couldn't see it.

Leo felt like crying again. Calypso held onto his arm reassuringly.

"We had a special ceremony," said Percy, standing behind them with his hands in his pockets. "A few weeks after the battle, when we were sure you weren't gonna show up. At the winter solstice, the gods held an official summit to recognize the demigods' bravery. You were given special honors among them for your sacrifice against Gaea."

"Everyone knows about you, they look up to your actions," said Annabeth. "You're a hero, Leo."

He quickly wiped away the tears in his eyes. "Ah, you know. I couldn't have done it without you guys."

"We did it together," said Jason, putting his arm around Piper, who leaned into his frame. "But you carried us all along. It was us who wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

Leo sighed deeply and gazed upon the memorial, looking at all the kind words people said about him. He didn't feel like a hero, but if people looked up to him and called him one, that was fine with him.

There was one last surprise waiting for Leo as he climbed up the steps of the big house. His friends let him and Calypso go alone, smiling mischievously and giving him no clue as to what he'd find. Leo just tsked them and held Calypso's hand on the way up.

"So, Leo," she said when they were almost to the top. "Your friends are wonderful people who obviously care about you."

"Yeah, they're pretty great."

"And this place is peaceful and beautiful, your home."

"I guess so, yeah."

"Were you thinking of… staying here?"

"What?" Leo blurted out with incredulity. "I said we would see the world, didn't I?"

Calypso felt a smile tugging at her lips. "Yes, but I don't know... You seem awfully happy here."

"I'm happy with you. Sunshine, I'm in love with you."

Now she couldn't stop smiling.

"I know we haven't known each other long," he continued, keeping his eyes on his feet as they trudged up the steps, "but it's felt like a long time. Anywhere you want to go, I'll follow. Simple as that."

"Simple," she repeated with a questioning voice.

"Yes," he said stubbornly. "It is."

"LEO VALDEZ!" boomed a voice, and for a terrifying moment Leo thought Zeus was there with an urge to show of his master lightning bolt. They had made it to the porch and the door was swinging open.

There stood Apollo.

"I'm so glad you're here!" the seventeen-year-old-looking god said, grabbing a hold of Leo and dragging him inside the house. "I think I have finally mastered the Valdezinator, but I need a final opinion on the matter. It took a lot of work, and I've held numerous concerts at the quaint pavilion down the hill there, but no one will give their honest opinion, so a word of the wise from the master who invented it should suffice!"

"What are you doing here?" asked Leo.

"The Valdezinator?" asked Calypso.

"Calypso, darling! Wonderful to see you again, glad you to see you're off that island. Zeus is so forgetful sometimes – well, we all are, but no hard feelings, right? And yes, I am here at Camp Half-Blood, Leo, because this was my punishment for 'conspiring against the gods' as my father put it. A bit harsh, but it was this or eternal damnation. And it's really not that bad, although Dionysus had a good time laughing in my face when he heard. He's just jealous. Now I get to hang out with you dudes, and that's not so bad. In fact, I feel a haiku coming on! Flowers in the field –"

"Wait a second," said Leo, exhausted from just listening to that spiel. Apollo seemed really jumpy, as if he couldn't move around fast enough. "You were put here for how long?"

"A hundred years, or whenever I prove myself worthy of joining the gods on Olympus again."

"Who's going to control the sun?"

Apollo winced. "Ah, yes, Artemis is working double time with the moon and the sun. She makes sure I get sun-burned at least twice a day. But she'll cool down in fifty years or so."

"Lovely." Leo turned to a stunned Calypso. "We're definitely not staying here," he whispered. She stifled a laugh.

"Now, tell me what you think of this verse…"

A few hours later…

"It's been real, guys." Leo threw a bag onto Festus, filled with fresh clothes and supplies.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" asked Jason. "You just got here."

"I'll be back, chico. Calypso and I are just gonna take a short trip around the world. Stop by New Rome along the way. But don't worry, it won't be another year."

"It better not be, Valdez," said Piper sternly. Leo gulped and saluted her.

"Don't forget to email," added Annabeth.

"You can count on it." Leo hopped up on Festus and held out a hand to Calypso. She climbed up and settled herself behind him with her hands on his waist. "You ready, Sunshine?"

"Ready," she said with a smile.

"Bye, Leo!" called Percy as they flew up. He and his friends waved goodbye to the mechanic and his goddess as they flew off into the sunset. "Think he'll be okay?" he asked Annabeth when Festus disappeared into the skies.

"Leo?" Annabeth looked up with her wise, gray eyes, then back to Percy. Her face split into a large grin. "He'll be okay."