Yes, I realize Percy is working for Atlas. Ignore that as best you can :3

Oh Gods I nearly died not being able to submit stuff D: Was it just as terrible for you guys, too!?

So, the Frazel moment kinda fell through here. I thought I could handle it, but it came and went too quickly...BUT LOOK! Solangelo! And Reyna! AND DAKOTA!

And Atlas.

I own nothing you recognize as canon.

*~Captain Hot Stuff~*

Part Three

The Kings, the Crews, and the Past

King Atlas sat on his throne, bored of reading tax papers and hearing complaints. He wished something would happen that didn't involve tedious things.

The last exciting thing to happen was sending his youngest, Calypso, off to marry a prince across the sea. That had been half a year ago. Surely, by now she would have arrived and a letter should be on its way via messenger bird…

"My lord!"

Atlas looked up, his red eyes gleaming hungrily. Then, his gaze hardened and he narrowed his eyes at the approaching figure.

It was Commodore Jackson. His naval uniform was disgustingly dirty and ripped, and his hair was much longer than regulation should allow. His face was sunken in, like he hadn't eaten in days. His green eyes were wild.

"Commodore," Atlas greeted. "You're a mess. Why are you present? You should be attending to Calypso."

"That's why I'm here," Jackson said. "We were four months out when…pirates attacked."

"You couldn't handle a few vagabond sea thieves?" Atlas rolled his eyes. "Or did you run into Captain di Angelo again?"

"We were pursued by the Argo II."

That made King Atlas straighten in his seat. "And?"

Percy didn't look him in the eye. "We were overrun. Even though we spotted them the moment they broke the horizon, our forces could not handle Captain Valdez's men. Even with a good fight, they still won…and took every bit of treasure they could find."

"And what of my daughter?" Atlas demanded.

"Every bit of treasure," the commodore repeated.

The king howled in rage. His bellow shook the whole room with its echo. "They have taken my daughter! I will have Valdez! I want his head! I want him to hang!"

"A few weeks ago, he made sure a letter got to us," Percy added. He took out a sealed envelope and handed it to Atlas.

Atlas tore it open and hastily read the contents of the letter:

Dear Grumpy King Atlas,

How's it going? This is Captain Leo Valdez of the Hephaestus pirates. It is my pleasure to inform you that my crew and I have relieved your incompetent commodore of his duties, by which I mean his duties to escort the fair and beautiful Princess Calypso. Oh, don't worry; she's fine. Very feisty, isn't she? Death threats almost every day.

On to business.

The Argo II will be returning Calypso home in due time. After, of course, we make some regular port calls. Now, regarding our fee…yes, I expect a very large sum for transportation of such a rare and beautiful treasure. Escorting isn't free, good king.

Here are my demands: When my ship enters your territorial waters, none of my crew, including myself, will be apprehended or arrested or shot on sight. My ship will not be taken or attacked, nor shall it be getting a naval escort. Before, during, and after Calypso's return to you, none on my ship (or, gods forbid, on the gangplank) shall be shot at, arrested, or killed and none that aren't of my crew shall make an attempt to do so. Before we allow Calypso off my ship, you will send one unarmed person up with our payment. Just one. They can make multiple trips. No naval personnel shall do said job. Once Calypso is returned to you and my fee paid, you will give us an immediate one day head start. Once the day is up, feel free to resume this game of chess.

White Bishop to Black Rook, H8, and White Knight to Black Queen, F6. Your Rook has been turned and your Queen is now mine.

Check.

Your move, Black King.

Sincerely,

White King

(Captain Valdez)

PS: Here's the bill…

Below was an unbelievable amount of money. Oh, Atlas could pay it. It was nothing compared to what he had in the treasury. But still, even his richest lords didn't have as much as what this pirate was asking!

"I want his head mounted on my wall," Atlas snarled. He turned to Percy. "Get the Grace siblings and Captain Chase here immediately. I'll give this greedy pirate his money, but I won't be made a fool of. He thinks he can order me around? He'll soon find out that I can hit harder than he ever could!"

He crumpled the paper and tossed it on the ground.

"Terrible strategy, Valdez," Atlas muttered. "You moved all of your pieces away from you. And now, you won't have anyone to defend you from death."

The king stomped on the paper as he watched Commodore Jackson leave the throne room.

"Black Knights and Black Bishops to White King, E1," he growled with a wolfish grin. "Total annihilation of the white side of the board. Checkmate."

Piper rubbed her temples together. "There is no way you thought of that all by yourself," she chided.

Leo, who was sprawled out on one of the long couches, waved his chicken leg in the air. "Alright, so I admit, the chess metaphor wasn't my idea…"

Hazel grinned. "It was mine. I figured something like that might make the king steam."

Calypso snorted. "Oh it will. But I highly doubt my father will want to meet all of your demands…"

It had been one month since Calypso had discovered Leo's drunken state. Since that night, she'd acted a little kinder to him, and he (surprisingly) had stopped flirting so hard. He still did it, but it wasn't every time he talked to her now. Calypso rather enjoyed his company now; he wasn't that polite of a man, but he was actually funny—not that she'd ever say that out loud—and Calypso had to admit that his creations, now that she'd taken the time to look, were very impressive. She hadn't caught his true self again, but it was only a matter of time before he took up the bottle.

But Calypso and Leo's friendship status was nothing compared to Hazel and Frank's. Those two had become a couple, much to the surprise of Calypso! She had thought Frank would never agree to go steady with the first mate of all people, seeing as how she was the reason he was here in the first place.

But there they were, sitting together. They were still at that awkward shy-couple phase, which was weird to see with the confident first mate. Frank now seemed comfortable in his new place on the ship as the first mate's boyfriend, so much so that he had talked to Leo about staying longer. Leo had grinned and welcomed him to the crew. Calypso wasn't very happy about it, seeing as now she was the lonely hostage surrounded completely by pirates and thieves…

"If he doesn't," Leo said through his chicken, "the Argo's more than capable of handling a few men."

"And if he decides to attack you before you even dock?"

Leo smirked. "I'll keep you."

"What if I refuse to be kept?" Calypso shot back.

"Hope you can swim," the captain assured her.

"Captain!" Jake came into the galley, panting. "There you are! There's a ship on our tail."

Leo waved him off. "Our ship's faster, we'll lose 'em within a minute."

"I told the boys below to slow 'er down," Jake said. "It ain't the Navy."

Hazel cocked an eyebrow. "Who is it?"

Jake smiled. "Who else travels with his own personal spooky fog?"

Hazel squealed and immediately scrambled for the door, leaving Frank dazed and confused on a couch. Jake left as well to inform other crew members of their visitor.

Leo laughed. "Sorry, dude. Nico takes precedence over new boyfriends."

"Captain di Angelo?" the sailor grumbled. "Why's he special to her?"

"Down boy," Piper said, as if she were talking to a dog. "Nico is Hazel's brother."

Calypso and Frank both shared a befuddled look. "What?" they both shouted.

Leo shrugged. "Not that terrible a thought, if you see how complicated my family tree is…Hazel and Nico have the same father—a man by the name of Hades, though when he wooed Marie Levesque, he went under the name Pluto to avoid some law."

Calypso huffed in surprise. She'd never considered the Ghost King to be related to anyone so bubbly as Hazel. In her defense, though, she'd never even met Captain di Angelo. What she'd heard of him had been stories of his ghost-like appearance, and his uncanny creepiness. She'd also heard he was kind of cute, but Calypso ignored those voices in her head. She'd seen how skewed those stories could be...

Case in point:

"Hey, Sunshine," Leo said with a smirk. He poked her until she paid attention to him. "Don't be afraid of Big Bad Nico. Don't worry; I'll protect you from the Ghost King."

He flexed his bicep, which was as flat as a board. His scrawny arms heralded nothing but work scars and soot. Calypso rolled her eyes and got out of her chair.

"Aw, don't leave!" he whined. "The Captain needs company!"

"The captain has Frank and Piper. Calypso is going to see Hazel," she answered flatly.

She heard him heave a sigh before she left the galley. Following some of the crew members, she walked up to the main deck to await the arrival of the Underworld, Nico's ghostly ship.

The Argo II's smog quickly mixed with the fog surrounding the black ship. Being on the Argo for so long, Calypso had forgotten that normal ships were much smaller. The Underworld was only two-thirds the size of the Argo II. Still big, but the difference was staggering. Its sails were blacker than night, and the main mast was topped with a black flag that heralded the usual skull-and-crossbones symbol.

Another ship flanked the Underworld. Calypso could barely make out the words Apollo's Sun scrawled on the side. It was a bit smaller than the black ship, and was almost golden in color. The sails of this ship had a large sun stitched into the fabric. There was no flag, which meant the ship belonged to neither side; the captain was a privateer.

Within minutes, all three ships had anchored. The Underworld and Apollo's Sun had ended up on either side of the Argo II. Jake, Harley, and the Stolls lowered the gangplanks on either side.

Four people came up onto the Argo first, followed by the rest of their crews. The main deck soon became crowded with people, but everyone seemed to give the four main figures enough space, particularly the two that had first disembarked from the Underworld.

"Nico!"

One of said figures spread his arms wide and hugged an inbound Hazel. The Argo's first mate squealed in delight as he spun her around.

Calypso regarded each figure as she muscled her way through the crowd of people.

The one holding Hazel was obviously Captain Nico di Angelo. Unlike with Leo, all the stories surrounding the Ghost King's appearance seemed to be true. He had medium-length black hair that hung in his eyes. From what Calypso could tell, they were either black or dark brown in color. He was pale, as if he'd never been touched by the sun, and skinny. Not scrawny like Captain Valdez, but extremely bony. A large black sword hung from his belt. He wore a brown fur-lined jacket, black shirt, tight black pants and black boots.

Next to him was a tall woman with a dark complexion like Leo's. Her long black hair was in a ponytail, so there was nothing hiding the sharp features and dark eyes of this woman. She was very regal-looking and held herself high, as if she were royalty. Calypso recognized her as Reyna, the previous Queen of the seas and first mate to Captain di Angelo. She used to run her own ship, but her sister, Hylla, soon overtook her and turned her crew against her. Now they were all known as the Amazons, the first and only all-female pirate crew. Captain di Angelo had taken Reyna in as his first mate, which she gladly accepted. It was more of a co-captain thing anyway, since they both worked well together in a non-romantic kind of way.

Calypso was more afraid of Reyna at the moment, because of her sharp features and indifferent attitude. She glanced over at the other two figures from the Apollo's Sun. The first was a pretty tall young man with curly black hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a rainbow of colors, with random assortments all over that probably wouldn't work fashionably on anyone else; it was as if he'd dressed while drunk. Considering his uneven eyes, flushed appearance, red-stained lips, and relaxed stance (as well as the extra large, almost empty wine bottle in his hand) it seemed entirely possible. A golden sword was strapped to his back.

The second was a man about Nico's age. He had beautiful golden hair and deep blue eyes. His stance was very relaxed as well, though not nearly as drunkenly as his companion's. He was cleanly dressed, with loose fitting clothes under a white overcoat. The coat reminded Calypso of a doctor's.

"What's with the invasion!?"

Calypso turned and saw the sea of pirates part for Leo. The captain waved his arms around and laughed. "Just bring both your crew aboard, why don't you?"

"You have the bigger space," said the doctorly guy. He had a beautiful voice to match that handsome appearance.

"And wine cellar." That had been the drunken man. His voice was pretty smooth and steady, but at the end of his statement, he hiccupped.

Leo grinned and man-hugged the two from Apollo's Sun. "Will, Dakota! Always nice to see you two. Dakota, don't drain all of my supplies, will you?"

The curly-haired guy grinned, revealing red-stained teeth. "No promises."

Calypso's jaw dropped. Will...William Solace! The privateer rumored to get near Captain di Angelo without getting harmed! Calypso couldn't believe her eyes. She never would have guessed he was actually working with the Ghost King and Captain Valdez! She suspected he did this more often than working with the Navy.

Leo turned and grinned at the two from the Underworld. "Aw~! Free hugs? Don't mind if I do..."

He ran over and hugged the siblings. Hazel laughed, but Nico looked like he was about to murder someone. He scowled fiercely, his trapped hands desperately trying to reach for his black sword.

"Get off of him, Valdez," the woman growled. "Or I'll cut you down myself."

Will grabbed Leo by the collar of his shirt and dragged the scrawny man off. "Two feet distance," he warned, putting a knife at the captain's throat. "What was my statement?"

Dakota raised his hand, as if he wanted to answer, but Leo beat him to it: "No man other than Captain William Solace is allowed to touch or hug Captain Nico di Angelo in any sort of affectionate way," he recited.

Nico brushed off his pants and straightened himself. "I honestly wish you would not bring that up," he said.

Will grinned. "How else am I supposed to keep everyone informed that you are not for sale?"

Calypso blinked in surprise. Oh, she thought. So this is the reason why Solace is able to get near. He's Nico's lover! What a secret! I don't think I'd be able to tell anyone...they wouldn't believe me!

Leo cupped his hands around his mouth and yowled, "FEAST TIME! CLEAR THE DECK!"

Every person squished into the stairwell or moved onto the other two ships. Calypso got shoved into Leo, who grinned.

"Oh, you haven't been told what to do," he cooed. "Let Captain Hot Stuff show you. Stand right here."

He led her into the doorway of the smokestack and motioned for her to stay put. Once he checked that everyone had left the immediate area, he pulled a lever on the inside of the smokestack. The entire deck opened up—main and upper—and a whole outdoor kitchen buffet rose. Far more chairs, couches and tables than the galley below possessed rose up with the kitchen buffet. When it stopped rising, the cooks came out of nowhere and began frying things up as fast as lightning.

Leo called out, "COME ON BACK AND MINGLE!"

The three crews trickled back onto the deck and began conversing. Leo ordered the Stolls, Frank, and a few others to bring up the rum and wine. Dakota skittered off to help, clearly excited for the prospect of alcohol.

Two hours later, as the sun began to set, a full pirate's party was in full-swing. Everyone was drunk off their asses, dancing around, singing, playing instruments ridiculously loud…

Well, almost everyone was drunk.

Calypso wasn't that much of a drinker. She could handle her wine, but that was about it. One glass and she was done for the night drink-wise.

That didn't mean she couldn't have fun. The princess stuck next to Piper, who introduced her to some fun characters. Dakota was by far the funniest she'd met, acting like he had cabin fever and constantly swigging on an alcohol.

Frank and Hazel were snuggling on one of the love seats nearby, clearly not shy when rum was in their system.

Suddenly, Hazel announced, "You, Frank…are the most handsome guy I've ever met!"

He grinned stupidly. "Why, thank you, m'lady," he slurred.

"No, I'm serious! You're so handsome and cute…and living…you're way better than Sammy!"

Calypso's brow furrowed. She remembered Leo mentioning something about a Sammy character back when she first came aboard. He had said, 'another one?' right before that comment, so she had assumed Hazel was just a big flirt—but then Piper had said Hazel had only had one relationship before Frank. Maybe Leo had meant 'another one' as in another prisoner that day?

Leo, who was sitting next to Calypso (not her idea of an ideal place), chugged a drink of water. "Haze," he warned. "You know what you're like when you talk about Sammy when you're drunk."

"You shut up!" she snapped. "I was just makin' a statement!"

Frank ignored his girlfriend's distress and kissed her. It got passionate really fast, so Calypso reluctantly turned toward the captain. She noticed the water in his hand.

"Not drinking?" she prodded.

"Avoiding a hangover," he informed her.

"Kinda hard to avoid a hangover if you don't drink in the first place," she said quietly.

Leo didn't react. He just sipped on his water and said to the couple, "Get a room!"

"I got one!" Hazel cried. She pulled Frank to his feet and started bouncing. "Let's go to my quarters. I got some great drinks in there!"

They both stumbled away. Calypso was surprised at how fast those two were going. But, she supposed that being a pirate meant you could die at any time, so you had to live life to the fullest. Perhaps that was the reason why Dakota drank so much, or why Leo tried so hard to flirt.

Come to think of it…ever since the party started, the captain hadn't made a move on her…

Calypso turned back towards Leo. "You have been drinking!"

The captain looked embarrassed and flabbergasted at the same time. "What? Uh…"

Piper heard the comment and stared at him. "You're flushed and your eyes are a little droopy…Oh my gods! You're actually drinking with others?"

Leo pursed his lips. Calypso thought it was kind of cute. But that was irrelevant to the situation. "I always do," he protested.

Piper gave him a withered look. "No you don't. I know you, Leo. You're rowdy on a normal basis. When you drink, you calm down like a weirdo."

Leo chugged his water and stood up. "I need to go check on the engine."

"We're not even moving!"

"Something could still happen!"

He left in a hurry. Calypso followed him. Why? She honestly had no idea. Maybe deep down she wanted to get to know the captain better when his true self was shining through the mask. But for now, she could sense he was distressed. Something had upset him…

"Calypso, wait."

The princess turned. Piper was stumbling after her, looking a little worried. "Don't…don't stress him," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…Be gentle. Leo doesn't drink in public for a reason. I guess he thought he could do it and get away, but since you pointed it out, he's terrified. He doesn't like people seeing him like that."

"I know," Calypso assured her. "But I need to know he's all right. He needs someone to look after him and since Hazel's with Frank and you…I hate to admit it, but you're too wasted to help tonight."

Piper nodded. "Yeah…"

Calypso smiled. "I'll be gentle with him, I promise."

She left the daughter of Aphrodite alone and headed into the smokestack, sure that the captain had told the truth and headed for the engine room.

When she made it to the bottom of the stairs, she paused. Leo was sitting in the corner of the engine room, slumped up against the wall with his head bowed. Somehow, he'd gotten a bottle of rum and was downing it like he had downed the water.

Calypso walked over and gently took the rum out of his hand. He looked up with a broken expression. His eyes crossed. "Pipes…?"

Not this again…

"No," she said flatly. "I'm Calypso. The one you keep flirting with."

"Oh." He sighed and bowed his head again. "Okay."

Calypso found herself sitting next to the captain, keeping the rum bottle a safe distance away. She played with her hair, waiting for him to say something—flirt with her, crack a joke, even smile—but he just sat there with his head bowed, looking at the floor.

"Um," Calypso tried. "Can I ask you something?"

Leo looked at her with alarmed eyes, like he'd forgotten she was there. "What?"

"It's about Hazel and Frank."

He visibly relaxed and straightened a bit. "Oh. Um…okay?"

Calypso was glad he would talk to her. Yes, she wanted to find out this information, but she also wanted to get to know him—the real him. Her plan was to talk about Hazel and Frank first, then move the conversation onto himself.

"Who is Sammy?"

Leo looked a little taken aback. Then, he sighed. "Who was Sammy, you mean. Sammy was a…a cousin of mine on my mother's side. He owned some nice property on an island. Hazel used to work there. She tended the fields, did the laundry…slave work. She said she didn't mind. Sammy liked to take her to the stables and help out with the horses. He wasn't above getting his own hands dirty. He and Hazel developed feelings and…well, stuff happens." He reached for the rum bottle, but Calypso smacked him away.

"What happened to him?" she asked.

"There was…an incident. The governor of the town nearby said it was outrageous for a landowner to fall in love with a slave. They got into a fight. Sammy was about as scrawny as me, so you can imagine how that played out."

Calypso nodded.

Leo sighed. "So," he said. "Sammy ran after the fight and told Hazel to run. She did. She hid herself in darkness and watched as Sammy was arrested and dragged to the gallows…Hazel was devastated when he dangled. So much so that, in the quiet of the night, she stole a rowboat and escaped the island. I guess her plan was to either starve or drown and join Sammy in the afterlife. Kind of a slow way of committing suicide, but to each his own…"

He reached for the bottle again. Calypso was so shocked by what had happened to Sammy that she didn't even realize Leo'd taken it until he took a swig.

"Anyway," Leo concluded, "her little life boat ran into my ship a few days later. It was awkward when she saw me—a cousin of Sammy's who was the guy's spitting image. But, she soon became like a sister to me, and I made her my first mate. She'd been so innocent and shy when she first came aboard, but I figured she'd grow into it. And she did. She's better than I was when I was a first mate!"

He took another swig, effectively finishing off the bottle. "Aw," he whined, shaking the bottle upside down. "Shoot."

He tossed it and it smashed against the wall opposite them. Calypso winced at the sound of broken glass.

She glanced at the captain, who slumped forward again. "If Sammy was your cousin," she began, trying to be careful, "then why…how did you…?"

Leo laughed bitterly. "How did I end up a lowlife pirate?" he finished. "Because life sucks. I used to be a good kid. Followed the rules. Got apprenticed to a blacksmith. Was on my way to being a fine, upstanding adult with a mediocre life…" He sighed. "Then the fire happened."

Calypso froze as he told her of an accident involving a forge fire when he was only twelve. "It was my fault," he confessed. "I wasn't paying attention. The fire spread out of its oven and…the whole place caught fire. My mother died that night. A beam fell on top of her and pinned her down. I couldn't lift it." He flexed, still revealing no muscles. "You can see why."

"Even after years, you can't manage a decent bicep?" she joked.

He didn't smile. "I got buried in the rubble as well, but I survived," he continued. "I got blamed for the whole thing and lost my job. The rest of my family didn't want anything to do with me (except Sammy, but he was too far away to help) so they wouldn't help with the debt I owed the town. Without my apprenticeship, I couldn't pay them squat, so…I went to prison."

"You were twelve," Calypso said.

"Old enough to work," he said bitterly. "And old enough to pay a debt if one works hard enough. And if you don't pay up, then that's old enough to be thrown in jail."

"How'd you get out?"

"Beckendorf," he said, a sad smile tugging on his lips. "He was rescuing a captured crew member when he found me. He offered to take me in. I didn't want to be in jail, so I went with him. When I told him my mother's name, he grinned and said that she was one of Hephaestus' favorite flings. That's how I found out who my father was and how I found the rest of my family…"

Calypso tried not to cry. She'd never thought about how people ended up as pirates. She'd assumed they were all rotten sons of whores. It never occurred to her that they were once good people who were thrown into terrible situations…like her. Like Hazel. Like Frank.

Like Leo.

Against the nagging in the back of her mind, she scooted closer and side-hugged him. He sniffled and leaned into the touch. Calypso glanced at the goggles on his head.

"The goggles were your mother's, weren't they?" she assessed.

Leo nodded. "They were her prized possession. She didn't like dresses and frills and stuff and loved to disguise herself as a man. With her figure, it didn't really work, but the blacksmith in town didn't mind the extra help. Mom gave me the goggles when I got apprenticed."

Calypso felt terrible. Those goggles obviously meant a lot to the captain, and she had the nerve to make him place them as a bet. As proud as she was, she didn't want to make him lose the only thing he had left of his late mother…

Leo's head drooped and he began to snore. He was leaning on Calypso, slowly sliding down. Eventually, he ended up with his head in her lap.

Calypso brushed a stray black curl out of his face. She supposed he was pretty handsome. Without the joker mask, he was a pretty sweet man, too. He cared for his crewmembers, and he cared for her…He was funny, imaginative, sweet (when he wanted to be), strong, handsome, brave…Leo was everything Calypso had wanted in a man—

That was when Calypso realized...

Leo wouldn't be losing his mother's goggles. He'd won the bet.

Calypso had fallen in love with Leo Valdez!

A/N: Psh, predictability? This story? What are you talking about? 0:)

At least I admit it. I have my faults. With quickies like this, there's always something that falls through. With The Imp Within, it was the meat of the story and pacing. With this one it's predictability in the plot.

But I don't care~! Sometimes I just need to put it out there, just to make room for my main stories :3 I haven't forgotten them either, so don't worry. It's just that this one keeps hitting me like The Imp Within did lol

Explanation time:

Hazel obviously didn't come back from the dead, so having her fall in love with Leo's great-grandfather is a little creepy and gross. So, I made Sammy Captain Leo's cousin. Much easier to work with.

An eight year old Leo wouldn't be apprenticed to a blacksmith, so I upped the age a bit. Esperanza still died, though...sadness.

Remember how I said Reyna was in the Navy, way back in the first chappie's ending A/N? I changed that, too. Sorry for lying again. Her being a pirate suited her better anyway ;3

Don't feel too terrible for Percy and Annabeth. I have a plan regarding their current employment to King Atlas, as well as the Graces.