She kept her eyes on her glass of cider. "As I told you, Percy, I have been punished. Cursed, you might say."

"How? Tell me. I want to help."

"Don't say that. Please don't say that."

"Tell me what the punishment is."

She covered her half-finished stew with a napkin, and immediately an invisible servant whisked the bowl away. "Percy, this island, Ogygia, is my home, my birthplace. But it is also my prison. I am under…house arrest, I guess you would call it. I will never visit this Manhattan of yours. Or anywhere else. I am alone here."

"Because your father was Atlas." She nodded. "The gods do not trust their enemies. And rightly so. I should not complain. Some of the prisons are not nearly as nice as mine."

"But that's not fair," I said. "Just because you're related doesn't mean you support him. This other daughter I knew, Zoë, Nightshade—she fought against him. She wasn't imprisoned."

"But, Percy," Calypso said gently, "I did support him in the first war. He is my father."

"What? But the Titans are evil!"

"Are they? All of them? All the time?" She pursed her lips. "Tell me, Percy. I have no wish to argue with you, but do you support the gods because they are good, or because they are your family?" I didn't answer. She had a point. Last winter, after Annabeth and I had saved Olympus, the gods had had a debate about whether or not they should kill me. That hadn't been exactly good. But still, I felt like I supported them because Poseidon was my dad.

"Perhaps I was wrong in the war," Calypso said. "And in fairness, the gods have treated me well. They visit me from time to time. They bring me word of the outside world. But they can leave. And I cannot."

"You don't have any friends?" I asked. "I mean…wouldn't anyone else live here with you? it's a nice place."

A tear trickled down her cheek. "I…I promised myself I wouldn't speak of this. But—" She was interrupted by a rumbling sound somewhere out on the lake. A glow appeared on the horizon. It got brighter and brighter, until I could see a column of fire moving across the surface of the water, coming toward us. I stood and reached for my sword.

"What is that?" Calypso sighed. "A visitor."

As the column of fire reached the beach. Calypso stood and bowed to it formally. The flames dissipated, and standing before us was a tall man in gray overalls and a metal leg brace, his beard and hair smoldering with fire.

"Lord Hephaestus," Calypso said. "This is a rare honor."

The fire god grunted. "Calypso. Beautiful as always. Would you excuse us, please, my dear? I need to have a word with our young Percy Jackson."Hephaestus sat down clumsily at the dinner table and ordered a Pepsi. The invisible servant brought him one, opened it too suddenly, and sprayed soda all over the gods work clothes. Hephaestus roared and spat a few curses and swatted the can away.

"Stupid servants," he muttered. "Good automatons are what she needs. They never act up!"

"Hephaestus," I said, "what's going on? Is Annabeth—"

"She's fine," he said. "Resourceful girl, that one. Found her way back, told me the whole story. She's worried sick, you know."

"You haven't told her I'm okay?"

"That's not for me to say," Hephaestus said. "Everyone thinks you're dead. I had to be sure you were coming back before I started telling everyone where you were."

"What do you mean?" I said. "Of course I'm coming back!" Hephaestus studied me skeptically. He fished something out of his pocket—a metal disk the size of an iPod. He clicked a button and it expanded into a miniature bronze TV. On the screen was news footage of Mount St. Helens, a huge plume of fire and ash trailing into the sky.

"Still uncertain about further eruptions," the newscaster was saying. "Authorities have ordered the evacuation of almost half a million people as a precaution. Meanwhile, ash has fallen as far away as Lake Tahoe and Vancouver, and the entire Mount St. Helens area is closed to traffic within a hundred-mile radius. While no deaths have been reported, minor injuries and illnesses include—" Hephaestus switched it off.

"You caused quite an explosion." I stared at the blank bronze screen. Half a million people evacuated? Injuries. Illness. What had I done? "The telekhines were scattered," the god told me. "Some vaporized. Some got away, no doubt. I don't think they'll be using my forge any time soon. On the other hand, neither will I. the explosion caused Typon to stir in his sleep. We'll have to wait and see—"

"I couldn't release him, could I? I mean, I'm not that powerful!"

The god grunted. "Not that powerful, eh? Could have fooled me. You're the son of the Earthshaker, lad. You don't know your own strength." That's the last thing I wanted him to say. I hadn't been in control of myself in that mountain. I'd released so much energy I'd almost vaporized myself, drained all the life out of me. Now I found out I'd nearly destroyed the Northwest U.S. and almost woken the most horrible monster ever imprisoned by the gods. Maybe I was too dangerous. Maybe it was safer for my friends to think I was dead.

"What about Grover and Tyson?" I asked.

Hephaestus shook his head. "No word, I'm afraid. I suppose the labyrinth has them."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

Hephaestus winced. "Don't ever ask an old cripple for advice, lad. But I'll tell you this. You've met my wife?"

"Aphrodite."

"That's her. She's a tricky one, lad. Be careful of love. It'll twist your brain around and leave you thinking up is down and right is wrong." I thought about my meeting with Aphrodite, in the back of a white Cadillac in the desert last winter. She'd told me that she had taken a special interest in me, and she'd be making things hard for me in the romance department, just because she liked me.

"Is this part of her plan?" I asked. "Did she land me here?"

"Possibly. Hard to say with her. But if you decide to leave this place—and I don't say what's right or wrong—then I promised you an answer to your quest. I promised you the way to Daedalus. Well now, here's the thing. It has nothing to do with Ariadne's string. Not really. Sure, the string work. That's what the Titan's army will be after. Btu the best way through the maze…Theseus had the princess's help. And the princess was a regular mortal. Not a drop of god blood in her. But she was clever, and she could see, lad. She could see very clearly. So what I'm saying—I think you know how to navigate the maze." It finally sank in. why hadn't I seen it before? Hera had been right. The answer was there all the time.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, I know."

"Then you'll need to decide whether or not you're leaving."

"I…" I wanted to say yes. Of course I would. But the words stuck in my throat. I found myself looking out at the lake, and suddenly the idea of leaving seemed very hard.

"Don't decide yet," Hephaestus advised. "Wait until daybreak. Daybreak is a good time for decisions."

"Will Daedalus even help us?" I asked. "I mean, if he gives Luke a way to navigate the Labyrinth, we're dead. I saw dreams about…Daedalus killed his nephew. He turned bitter and angry and—"

"It isn't easy being a brilliant inventor," Hephaestus rumbled. "Always alone. Always misunderstood. Easy to turn bitter, make horrible mistakes. People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can't be fixed." Hephaestus brushed the last drops of Pepsi off his work clothes. "Daedalus started well enough. He helped the Princess Ariadne and Theseus because he felt sorry for them. He tried to do a good deed. And everything in his life went bad because of it. Was that fair?" The god shrugged. "I don't know if Daedalus will help you, lad, but don't judge someone until you've stood at his forge and worked with his hammer, eh?"

"I'll—I'll try." Hephaestus stood.

"Good-bye, lad. You did well, destroying the telekhines. I'll always remember you for that." It sounded very final, that good-bye. Then he erupted into a column of flame, and the fire moved over the water, heading back to the world outside. I walked along the beach for several hours. When I finally came back to the meadow, it was very late, maybe four or five in the morning, but Calypso was still in her garden, tending the flowers by starlight. Her moonlace glowed silver, and the other plants responded to the magic, glowing red and yellow and blue.

"He has ordered you to return," Calypso guessed.

"Well, not ordered. He gave me a choice." Her eyes met mine.

"I promised I would not offer."

"Offer what?"

"For you to stay."

"Stay," I said. "Like…forever?"

"You would be immortal on this island," she said quietly. "You would never age or die. You could leave the fight to others, Percy Jackson. You could escape your prophecy." I stared at her, stunned.

"Just like that?"

She nodded. "Just like that." "But…my friends." Calypso rose and took my hand. Her touch sent a warm current through my body. "You asked about my curse, Percy. I did not want to tell you. the truth is the gods send me companionship from time to time. Every thousand years or so, they allow a hero to wash up on my shores, someone who needs my help. I tend to him and befriend him, but it is never random. The Fates make sure that the sort of hero they send…" Her voice trembled, and she had to stop.

I squeezed her hand tighter. "What? What have I done to make you sad?"

"They send a person who can never stay," she whispered. "Who can never accept my offer of companionship for more than a little while. They send me a hero I can't help…just the sort of person I can't help falling in love with." The night was quiet except for the gurgle of the fountains and waves lapping on the shore. It took me a long time to realize what she was saying.

"Me?" I asked. "If you could see your face." She suppressed a smile, though her eyes were still teary. "Of course, you."

"That's why you've been pulling away all this time?"

"I tried very hard. But I can't help it. The Fates are cruel. They sent you to me, my brave one, knowing that you would break my heart."

"But…I'm just…I mean, I'm just me."

"That is enough," Calypso promised. "I told myself I would not even speak of this. I would let you go without even offering. But I can't. I suppose the Fates knew that, too. You could stay with me, Percy. I'm afraid that is the only way you could help me." I stared at the horizon. The first red streaks of dawn were lightening the sky. I could stay here forever, disappear from the earth. I could live with Calypso, with invisible servants tending to my every need. We could grow flowers in the garden and talk to songbirds and walk on the beach under perfect blue skies. No war. No prophecy. No more taking sides.

"I think I'll stay." She looked up happily, and I could see her face glowing.I smiled. This was going to be great. "Will I get somewhere to train?"

She looked into my eyes with love. "You will get anything you want. We will make it together, me and you."

I grinned, and we embraced. That night, we slept in each other's arms, on the shore, where the water came up to our legs every minute or two. For once in my life, everything was peaceful.

I opened my eyes, and sat up. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and yawned and stretched. I clambered to my feet. I turned to get back to the cave, when a dolphin chattered something. "Are you Percy Jackson?" It asked.

I nodded. "I forbid you to tell anyone that."

It nodded. "I just had this note from Lord Poseidon."

I bent down and picked up the note from its mouth. 'Dear Percy,' it read. 'I know you are alive and where you are. Your mother knows, but she is disappointed. It is okay, I forgive you, but this might ultimately cause the destruction of Olympus. I hope I'm wrong. However, enclosed is a second raft. In case you and your, erm, 'companion' ever are needed, you will use that to come back. Do me a favor; train harder ever than before. Now that you are immortal, you won't die or tire. Another threat is stirring. I can't tell you more than that. In case you are needed back, I want you stronger than before. They won't know what hit em. Annabeth hasn't taken your death very great. I knew you weren't dead. I'll send another dolphin when you are needed again. Train Calypso as well, as I know you won't want to leave her back, and then she can help. Time is different on Oygigia, 2 entire years there are not even 2 whole days here. I bet you'll be stronger than ever. You're loving father, Poseidon."

I smiled. He knew I wasn't dead. My smile dissapapated, I would make it up to my mom somehow. I would. Now, I could even take Calypso back with me.

"Callie!" I called to a figure walking towards me with a tray. "Ever handled a sword?"

(1 Oygiga year, or else 1 day later)

I sipped from my glass of lemonade while watching Calypso battle an invisible servant. Should I be worried? Nah, she can handle herself. I watched proudly as she ducked under an incoming sword and hit the sword as hhard as she could. It went flying away.

She walked back to me. Calypso wrapped her arms around me, and I picked her up and began to carry her to our home, bridal style, but then she noticed something out on the coast. "Percy," She said. "Wait. There is something on the shore!"

I put her down and we both sprinted towards the unknown object. Our soles dug into the sand as we ran. AS we got closer, it was apparent that the object was a person. I knelt next to him.

I knew who he was. How could I forget? He had black hair that always looks like he just got out of bed pale skin, and he wore black clothes with skeletal designs, and a Stygian Iron sword and a silver skull ring hung from his side. His eyes snapped open.

"Percy Jackson," He snarled. He shot up and gripped his sword. He swung sideways towards my throat, a strike that should've taken my life. However, Reader, don't forget I had practiced. Anticipating the strike, I had pulled out Riptide and deflected his sword with so much force that it flew out of his hands. He started towards it, but I summoned the waves to churn around the sword so he couldn't tell where it was.

He turned. "Give me my sword back. Unlike you, I have a battle to fight. I don't run from my problems." He launched a punch towards my face, but I ducked under it and tapped a godly pressure point. Every ounce of energy drained from his body and he fell to the ground, unmoving.

"What did you do to me?" He growled. He began to stand shakily. The kid had fight, I would give him that. "Stop," Calypso said. "No harm will come to you here. My name is Calypso."

He turned to her and his eyes glazed over. Well, I couldn't blame him. Calypso was hard not to stare at. That caramel hair, smelling of cinnamon, braided over one shoulder, dark almond-shaped eyes and a milky face that appeared to be timeless. Even more beautiful than even Aphrodite because she seemed more natural. She was wearing a white sleeveless Greek dress with a low circular neckline trimmed in gold. She has a peach-colored complexion and pouty lips.

"My girlfriend," I added.

She scowled at me playfully before giving me a stunning smile. "He wasn't lying though." Calypso said dangerously as Nico kept staring at her.

He quickly averted his eyes. "How do I get home?" Nico asked. "I need to help my friends, who are still stuck in the labyrinth-"He swiftly glared at me "and fight off an invasion."

"That raft." I pointed to the raft bobbing up and down on the water. "Before I leave..." He turned and stabbed me, cutting a gash in my cheek.

I didn't even blink, causing him to pale. "Get the fuck off my island." I snarled menacingly, causing Nico to turn and sprint towards the raft, picking up his sword in the process.

Calypso laughed. "I think he wet his pants." She slowly reached over and brushed my cheek. She felt the cut and I smiled and took her hand and kissed it. "I'm fine, honestly. I've had much worse."

Calypso smiled. "You know it's really nice that you are here. Every day is like the best day ever with you around, but the thing is that the day before was just as great. Thank you."

"Well, I was just leaving." Calypso thought he was being serious and tears welled up in her eyes. She sobbed into her hands, and I quickly hugged her.

"C'mon, Callie, I was just joking. Shhh," I brushed her hair and she put her face in the crook of my neck. "You know I'm not leaving. I'm here to stay." We stayed that way until what seemed like forever. After a while, her breathing slowed and I carried her back to our house.

You know, for something that I built, it wasn't so bad. From the outside this house looks luxurious, it has been built with walnut wood and has yellow pine wooden decorations. Small, half rounded windows allow enough light to enter the home and have been added to the house in a fairly asymmetrical pattern. The roof is low and rounded and is covered with red wood shingles. Two large chimneys sit at either side of the house. There are many windows on the roof, making there no need for lighting in the daytime. Still, we developed a bio-fuel energy source that was converted into power for our home. The house itself is surrounded by a well-kept garden. Grass, flower patches and trees have been placed in a stylish way. Moonlace sprouts every corner, and my mom's favorite flowers, petunias, are there as well.

I gently carried her through the door and walked up the stairs. I softly opened the door to our bedroom and laid her on the bed. I kissed her forehead. "Good Night," I mumbled even though she couldn't hear. "I'm not leaving. Now, or ever."

You know, for something that I built, it wasn't so bad. From the outside this house looks luxurious, it has been built with walnut wood and has yellow pine wooden decorations. Small, half rounded windows allow enough light to enter the home and have been added to the house in a fairly asymmetrical pattern. The roof is low and rounded and is covered with red wood shingles. Two large chimneys sit at either side of the house. There are many windows on the roof, making there no need for lighting in the daytime. Still, we developed a bio-fuel energy source that was converted into power for our home. The house itself is surrounded by a well-kept garden. Grass, flower patches and trees have been placed in a stylish way. Moonlace sprouts every corner, and my mom's favorite flowers, petunias, are there as well.

I gently carried her through the door and walked up the stairs. I softly opened the door to our bedroom and laid her on the bed. I kissed her forehead. "Good Night," I mumbled even though she couldn't hear. "I'm not leaving. Now, or ever."

(A Few weeks later)

"You ready?" I asked Calypso as she finished some last minute packing. Thank God she couldn't read my thoughts, as I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she was.

"Yes." She said, slinging the back pack over her shoulder and stepping into the tide with me. I handed her the pearls that were enclosed on the note my father had given me.

"Remember, think about New York." I reminded her.

"Yes, Master Percy," She teased.

I glared at her, to which she laughed lightly and kissed my nose. "Hurry up, now. We don't know what's happened. For all we know the gods lost." She reminded me, breaking me out of my stupor.

I nodded to her, and crushed my pearl. The island started spinning, faster and faster, until it was just colors. The colors faded to blackness, and when I opened my eyes, I was in New York City. Calypso appeared next to me, and we began our trek to the Empire State Building.

We barley even started a step, when the ground beneath us exploded. We sailed through the air, and landed in the middle of a battle. We saw the battle before we were close enough to make out individual fighters. It was well after midnight now, but the bridge blazed with light. Cars were burning. Arcs of fire streamed in both directions as flaming arrows and spears sailed through the air.

We came in for a low pass, and I saw the Apollo campers retreating. They would hide behind cars and snipe at the approaching army, setting off explosive arrows and dropping caltrops in the road, building fiery barricades wherever they could, dragging sleeping drivers out of their cars to get them out of harm's way. But the enemy kept advancing.

An entire phalanx of dracaena marched in the lead, their shields locked together, spear tips bristling over the top. An occasional arrow would connect with their snaky trunks, or a neck, or a chink in their armor, and the unlucky snake woman would disintegrate, but most of the Apollo arrows glanced harmlessly off their shield wall. About a hundred more monsters marched behind them.

Hellhounds leaped ahead of the line from time to time. Most were destroyed with arrows, but one got hold of an Apollo camper and dragged him away. I didn't see what happened to him next. I didn't want to know.

"Percy," Calypso whispered, pointing to the bridge. "It's…The Minotaur."

The last time I'd seen the Minotaur, he'd been wearing nothing but his tighty whities. I don't know why. Maybe he'd been shaken out of bed to chase me. This time, he was prepared for battle.

From the waist down, he wore standard Greek battle gear—a kiltlike apron of leather and metal flaps, bronze greaves covering his legs, and tightly wrapped leather sandals. His top was all bull—hair and hide and muscle leading to a head so large he should've toppled over just from the weight of his horns.

He seemed larger than the last time I'd seen him—ten feet tall at least. A double-bladed axe was strapped to his back, but he was too impatient to use it. As soon as he saw me in front of him (or sniffed me, more likely, since his eyesight was bad), he bellowed and picked up a white limousine.

"Calypso, get the hell down!" I yelled, and Calypso ducked. I pulled out Riptide and I began to spin like a windmill. The limo got cut in half, and I laughed. "Get over it, cow boy. You need to do better than that."

He threw another car, and I rolled out of the way.

The Minotaur's nostrils quivered. He seriously needed to keep a pack of Aloe Vera Kleenex in his armor pocket, because that nose was wet and red and pretty gross. He unstrapped his axe and swung it around.

It was beautiful in a harsh I'm~going~to-gut~you~like~a~fish kind of way. Each of its twin blades was shaped like an omega: Ω—the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Maybe that was because the axe would be the last thing his victims ever saw. The shaft was about the same height as the Minotaur, bronze wrapped in leather. Tied around the base of each blade were lots of bead necklaces. I realized they were Camp Half-Blood beads—necklaces taken from defeated demigods. I was so mad, I imagined my eyes glowing just like the Minotaur's.

I raised my sword. The monster army cheered for the Minotaur, but the sound died when I dodged his first swing and sliced his axe in half, right between the handholds.

"Moo?" he grunted.

"HAAA!" I spun and kicked him in the snout. He staggered backward, trying to regain his footing, then lowered his head to charge.

He never got the chance. My sword flashed—slicing off one horn, then the other. He tried to grab me. I rolled away, picking up half of his broken axe. The other monsters backed up in stunned silence, making a circle around us. The Minotaur bellowed in rage. He was never very smart to begin with, but now his anger made him reckless. He charged me, and I ran for the edge of the bridge, breaking through a line of dracaena.

The Minotaur must've smelled victory. He thought I was trying to get away. His minions cheered. At the edge of the bridge, I turned and braced the axe against the railing to receive his charge. The Minotaur didn't even slow down.

CRUNCH.

He looked down in surprise at the axe handle sprouting from his breastplate.

"Thanks for playing," I told him.

I lifted him by his legs and tossed him over the side of the bridge. Even as he fell, he was disintegrating, turning back into dust, his essence returning to Tartarus.

I yawned. "Something better, please!"

"Be careful what you wish for," A voice said from beneath the bridge. A huge supernova illuminated the night sky, and the bridge broke, both armies sinking into the water. Using her powers, Calypso zapped back to the shore. I stayed, eager to fight whatever had the power to do that. A person wearing bright armor came into view.

"The sea god's brat," he mused. "You're the one who trapped Atlas beneath the sky again?"

"It wasn't hard," I said. "You Titans are about as bright as my gym socks."

Hyperion snarled. "You want bright?"

His body ignited in a column of light and heat. I looked away, but I was still blinded. Instinctively I raised Riptide—just in time. Hyperion's blade slammed against mine. The shock wave sent a ten-foot ring of water across the surface of the lake.

My eyes still burned. I had to shut off his light.

I concentrated on the tidal wave and forced it to reverse. Just before impact, I jumped upward on a jet of water.

"AHHHHH!" The waves smashed into Hyperion and he went under, his light extinguished.

I landed on the lake's surface just as Hyperion struggled to his feet. His golden armor was dripping wet. His eyes no longer blazed, but they still looked murderous.

"You will burn, Jackson!" he roared.

Our swords met again and the air charged with ozone.

The battle still raged around us. On the right flank, a small group of monsters were battling a few demigods.

On the left flank, Grover and his nature spirits were regrouping, entangling the enemies with bushes and weeds. I've missed him.

"Enough games," Hyperion told me. "We fight on land."

I was about to make some clever comment, like "No," when the Titan yelled. A wall of force slammed me through the air. I sailed backward about three hundred yards and smashed into the ground. If it hadn't been for my immortality, I would've broken every bone in my body.

I got to my feet, groaning. "I really hate it when you do that."

Hyperion closed on me with blinding speed.

I concentrated on the water, drawing strength from it. Hyperion attacked. He was powerful and fast, but he couldn't seem to land a blow. The ground around his feet kept erupting in flames, but I kept dousing it just as quickly.

"Stop it!" the Titan roared. "Stop that wind!"

"Tough balls, Hyperion!" I yelled back.

Hyperion stumbled like he was being pushed away. Water sprayed his face, stinging his eyes. The wind picked up, and Hyperion staggered backward.

He roared, and ignited once again, making my vision turn white. You know what, I ddin't need my eyes. I paused for a moment, taking in the sounds. I picked up a sudden whoosing sound and I raised Riptide. Clang! I jumped in the air and launched a kick at the source of the sound. I was given my reward when I heard the sound of metal being hit.

Jumping backwards, I summoned a protective water covering around me while I opened my eyes. Unfortunately, I made eye contact with Grover.

"Percy!" Grover called in amazement. "How are you alive?"

Not Now, I thought.

Pumping in a little more power, I was standing in the middle of my own personal hurricane. Clouds of water vapor swirled around me, winds so powerful they buffeted Hyperion and flattened the grass in a twenty-yard radius. Enemy warriors threw javelins at me, but the storm knocked them aside.

Lightning flickered around me. The clouds darkened and the rain swirled faster. I closed in on Hyperion and blew him off his feet.

I slashed and jabbed, letting my reflexes take over, Hyperion could barely defend himself. His eyes kept trying to ignite, but the hurricane quenched his flames.

"This…isn't….over!" Hyperion yelled. The river exploded as another supernova blew it up. It charred my t-shirt, and I growled.

"My girlfriend made this for me!"

I yelled, and the water churned around Hyperion, encasing him in a ball of water. I superheated the water, and the ichor in Hyperion's blood. He drew me closer with his force. I stuffed one end of my sword into his body and it made contact with the superheated ichor. It ripped his side apart.

"I WILL SEE YOU IN TARTARUS IF I AM TO GO!" Sucking in power, he exploded with his last breath.

I flew backwards, and into a building, which cracked from impact. "Damn," I breathed and somehow disentangled myself.

AN: How'd I do?