Leo sat alone on the white sandy beach of Ogygia, resting up after making the final touches to his machine which would be able to propel him off this island… hopefully. But did he really want to leave? He knew he had to; his friends wouldn't be able to sail the Argo II without him, but he couldn't just leave her here. The change in her attitude towards him confused him, but he was also glad she was warming up to him, at least a little. After all, it was lonely on this island, and she was really beautiful, not that it mattered of course.
They were both covered in sweat and grime, after working in Leo's makeshift forge all day. She had just left to go get cleaned up and get some food for them both. Leo had simply sat down, sooty and greasy, too exhausted to move even a little. Calypso. Her name danced gracefully through his thoughts, soothing and calming his mind. He was not fiddling with his tools, or bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet, he was simply sitting there, staring at the setting sun against the painted blue sky, watching the twinkling stars come out one by one, gracing Leo with their presence. He was at peace.
The island's quiet beauty reminded him of an english song his mother would sometimes sing, when she thought that he was fast asleep. But even as a child, demigod dreams would keep him awake for countless nights. Unbidden, a memory resurfaced in his mind, a memory which he had tried to push deep down and keep locked in some tiny corner of his soul. Somewhere along the line, that memory had become a barrier in his soul. Today he let the memory flow back out, instead of pushing it away again, determined to find out what that memory had blocked for so long. He closed his eyes and let the scenes wash over him once again.
Leo was six years old again, lying on his bed curled up in his Power Ranger blanket, he was fast asleep, or so it seemed. His mother, Esperanza, was sitting on the edge of his bed singing, different songs, both in english and spanish, savouring the moments with her lovely son.
In little Leo's dream, however, he was alone in a huge forge. Leo was calling out for his mom, not scared in the least because this was a workshop, and his mother worked in a workshop, so she must be here, dream-Leo reasoned. He wandered the vast forge, marvelling in the different mechanical works, sitting on endless metal shelves, flying through the corridors, seeming like magic. Leo turned the corner and found himself face to face with an extremely large man with a disfigured face. He was sitting on a stool behind a huge workstation, where he was building small trinkets and gadgets, muttering under his breath, so quickly that Leo could only catch a few words. "Marry him to Aphrodite… won't find love anyway…make him useful…doesn't matter to them….I FOUND IT… and they took it away from me...again… no one cares…wind gods to bring change…can't do their jobs...why should I...".
Suddenly, he crushed what he was working on and swept all the excess materials off the table, with a frustrated, almost angry sigh. The man then pulled out some more tools and material from what seemed to be thin air and set to work again. He worked for a few moments in silence, only the sound of hammers on steel to be heard, before looking up and fixing his bloodshot eyes, which looked as though he had been crying for days, right onto Leo. Poor Leo, who was wide-eyed and curious only a moment ago, froze in fear as the giant man asked in a gruff, strained voice "How did you get in here? You're trespassing."
The 6-year old was scared out of his mind, the only thing he wanted was to be with his mother, not under the glare of this strange man. The young Leo's dream blended with reality as he heard his mother's voice singing "When I was younger I saw, my daddy cry, and curse at the wind." , which gave him strength to reply to the large man, just like his mother taught him, "My name is Leo Valdez and my mother's name is Esperanza, and I like to make stuff."
The man's eyes widened before changing color, to the exact shade of Leo's eyes. "Esperanza's son… my son…" he whispered, more to himself than to Leo. The man refocused on his work once more. He created a steel replica of a heart, which was beating just like a normal like a normal heart, the gears clicking and turning to form a regular heart beat. The man gazed for a long while at the heart before looking at Leo again, the previous anger vanished from his eyes, only to be replaced by a sad gaze, like he knew something Leo didn't and was pitying him inside. "Leo… You're going to make me proud one day. I am-" The man made a choking noise, causing Leo to step back. Still coughing, he smashed his fist into the heart he had made, scattering the pieces across the table. "Darn you!" he shouted in anger at the ceiling. "Leo, the fates won't let me speak to you now, but we will meet again. Now it's time for you to go." The large man smiled warmly before snapping his fingers and the room began to spin before Leo's eyes
Leo's mother's voice became louder and louder in his ears as he began to wake from the dream, and as he regained consciousness, he swore he caught a glimpse of the man, painstakingly reassembling the broken heart. His mother sang "He broke his own heart and I watched, as he tried to reassemble it."
Leo was now awake but didn't open his eyes, for fear that his mother might stop her beautiful, soothing singing. He listened as she sang, "And my mama swore that she would never let herself forget." His mother sounded sad, and young Leo wished he could do something to help. He had always wondered why his mother was alone while all his friends had a loving mom and dad. Then and there, his child mind decided that if no one could love his wonderful mother, then he would, and for them other's love wouldn't be needed. It wouldn't even matter. With that final thought he began to doze into a dreamless, peaceful sleep, listening to his mother's familiar voice fill the room as she sang, "And that was the day, that I promised, I'd never sing of love, if it does not exist."
Leo opened his eyes and took in the scene of the pristine ocean with roaring waves in front of him. He began to hum the tune of the song his mother had sung to him that night, waiting for Calypso to come back. When he looked back a few moments later he saw her, wearing a shining white top and deep blue jeans, making her way down the slope to meet him, with a large picnic basket, he could help but sing the last few words. "You are the only exception."
A/N: This is based on The Only Exception, by Paramore(obviously). Will be a 3-shot. I don't own HoO or the song. Cover Art by Viria. I hope you enjoyed. PLEASE REVIEW! And thank you, very much for reading.