Sorry this took so long, but once you read this long-ass chapter, you'll understand.
There won't be much in the romantic Caleo department in this chapter. Once again, this long thing would've been even longer had I developed the romantic part of their relationship much further! D:
This chapter took me about four days. I hope you're happy.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the canon characters.
Twenty-Eight: The Long-Winded Talk in the Petunias
Harley watched as the deep fog began to dissipate, revealing…
…the exact same spot they had been in.
"That's anti-climactic," he grumbled.
"Pardon?" Calypso tilted her head. "Anti what?"
"Nothing." Harley had meant to wave it off, but as soon as he saw two Calypsos he yelped. He pointed to the Calypso that was standing behind Calypso—okay, that made Harley's brain nearly explode…
The other Calypso was about eight years younger. She was wearing the same outfit; a pair of blue jeans topped with a white t-shirt. Her hair was braided the same as well. Harley would have been mixing the two up if the other one didn't look so young.
Harley's Calypso giggled at his confused expression. "Don't worry. She can't see or hear us. Let's watch. It's about to happen."
Harley was about to ask what 'it' was, but she waved her hand.
"I'll let you feel what I feel, and let you read my thoughts during this 'adventure'. Don't worry; there's nothing to make you feel embarrassed!"
Harley silently thanked her as he began to watch the scene before him unfold.
Calypso dug furiously, trying to weaken the soil around the nasty weed before she started pulling. It was giving her trouble, this weed. She was determined not to hurt herself trying to pull it. She'd done that once and spent the day with blistered fingers. Even if she was immortal, it still burned like Hades. Never again.
A whistling sound hit her ears. It wasn't unlike the time Leo had suddenly crashed on Ogygia.
Oh, Styx, there was that thought again.
Leo Valdez…Oh, Leo Valdez…
He had been the different visitor from the start; that was for sure. All the others landed on her island injured and dying. All the others were amazing heroes with muscles and an aura that just screamed hero. All the others had treated her like a goddess, which was what she was, technically speaking.
But he had been different. Leo had crashed on her island in a ball of fire. How he had survived without injuries was still a mystery to Calypso. Leo was scrawny, unattractive and absolutely stank of motor oil and fire. But, though he was extremely annoying, Leo treated her as an equal; he treated her like a normal person, willing to let her help with his project, dreaming of owning a shop with her: Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters.
Maybe that's why she felt a stronger love for him. He was different in every way. He fought her every step of the way. He promised to come back—okay, that one was the same as the others, but the way he promised it made it sound like he truly would come back.
Oh, she loved him so very much…
Harley wanted to puke. That was a little too much in the emotion department for him, a son of Hephaestus that spent all his spare time alone in a forge.
"Pardon," Calypso apologized. "I forgot about my little digression there…"
Anyway, there was a whistling sound again. Calypso turned to see something huge falling straight down. Something much smaller attempted to catch it, gave up, and suddenly gained a huge sail. While the bigger thing crashed into the water, the smaller thing gently floated down. They were too far away for Calypso to tell what they were, so she ran to the beach.
The beach seemed the best option. After all, that's where the most interesting things seemed to happen…
She arrived on the beach a few minutes later to a strange sight.
There was a huge bronze automaton dragon, wet and gleaming, dripping with seawater, curled up on the shore. It seemed to be protecting something. An egg perhaps? Its rider/creator? A valuable piece of treasure? She wasn't sure what it was—she was too far away to tell for sure—but it wasn't moving.
"What in the world?" She yelled in disbelief.
The mechanical dragon raised its head and fixed its ruby eyes on her. It whirred its teeth and snarled, spouting embers. Calypso took a step back, truly afraid.
Harley snickered. "Yeah, Festus can be pretty scary when he wants to be. Imagine him when he was broken and malfunctioning! That was a nightmare!"
The Titaness rolled her eyes, trying to hide her smile.
"I mean no harm," Calypso said softly, raising her hands in surrender. "Please settle down."
The automaton growled, its tail wrapping protectively around whatever it was guarding.
"Does whatever you're protecting need help?" Calypso ventured. "Are they hurt?"
The dragon tilted its head. The tail curled tighter.
That would be a yes, Calypso thought. "Let me help. I'm a healer. I swear on the River Styx that I mean no harm to you or the thing you're guarding."
The dragon nodded its head, but didn't move away. Calypso shuffled closer, keeping a close eye on the metal beast. It seemed to trust her, so she let her gaze drift downward. She gasped.
The dragon had been protecting a teenage boy, sleeping in the sand. But not just any boy…
…the boy lying on her beach was none other than Leo Valdez!
Only…
He looked extremely thin and frail-looking. He was far skinnier than last she saw him and his clothes draped over him like sheets now. His breathing was shallow, which made her extremely nervous.
Calypso bent down and picked Leo up to carry him bridal-style.
Gods, he's so light, she thought despairingly. I can feel every rib! When did he eat last?
The bronze dragon growled a warning, smoke curling from its nostrils, but it didn't strike her down. It merely walked behind her as she carried the son of Hephaestus inland. Calypso paid it no mind. She was too busy trying to figure out how Leo had gotten this way.
She soon reached the cave. The Titaness turned to the machine and said, "He needs to recover inside. Do what you want out here, just don't smash or burn my garden."
The dragon marched over to the cave and sat down at the entrance like a guard dog. Calypso shook her head and smiled at its loyalty to Leo.
She carried Leo inside and laid him down gently onto the bed she used for every other hero that ended up on Ogygia. She inwardly laughed at the situation. Leo had been the only one that hadn't spent his time resting here during his visit. Now here he was: finally repeating the same pattern as his predecessors.
Upon closer inspection, Calypso realized that Leo wasn't hurt. He was just sleep-deprived and starving. Though his situation was still grim, it wasn't as life threatening as Percy's, Drake's or even Odysseus's, and it made Calypso smile to see Leo wasn't dying.
She tucked him into the sheets, realizing too late that he was still wet. She shook her head and untucked him. Without even batting an eye, she stripped him down (she left his underwear untouched), dried him off with a towel, and changed him into some dry cotton pants and a long-sleeved cotton shirt. She had done it with the other heroes; it was just routine at this point.
She tucked him in again. Leo groaned and shifted to his side, twisting himself further into the blanket and sheets. Calypso sighed.
She ordered her servants to start preparing a few meals for when he awoke. She couldn't do anything more for him now. Sleep was the thing he obviously needed right now. She'd worry about his lack of food later.
Harley chuckled. "Leo's like that. He'd be so wrapped up in a project sometimes that Nyssa and Jake would have to drag him away and force him to eat or sleep!"
"Nyssa and Jake," Calypso drawled. "Ah, yes, Leo's siblings! He spoke highly of them…Oh, I see! You're that Harley!"
Harley tilted his head. "Leo's mentioned me?"
"Many times!" She giggled. "He always said you were his favorite sibling!"
Harley felt pleased to be the favorite of Leo's. He beamed.
Calypso playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Pay attention or I'll just bore you with a speech on why Leo and I aren't together."
"Sorry," he said, rubbing his shoulder. "I'll behave."
A few hours later, Leo woke up. He weakly looked around, his eyes clouded with exhaustion. His gaze finally rested on Calypso, who was currently sitting at her loom, in the middle of making Leo a new outfit that wouldn't drape over him like a curtain.
"C-Calypso," he croaked. "How's it goin', Sunshine?"
Calypso slightly fumed at the nickname, but she let it drop when she saw Leo trying to fight off sleep. She rose from her seat at the loom and walked over to the son of Hephaestus.
"Sleep, Leo," she urged. "You need it."
"But I came all this wayyy," he whined.
Calypso pulled the blanket back up to his chin. "I can see that. But you need to sleep. Don't fight it, Leo. You're safe and sound here."
"I'm hungry," he admitted through a yawn.
Calypso took a fruit platter from the nearby table. She held up a couple of orange slices. "Here."
Leo practically inhaled the fruit and begged for more. Pretty soon, he had devoured the whole platter. Calypso stopped him at that and insisted he go back to sleep.
Leo didn't argue this time. The food had settled inside his shrunken stomach, making it impossible for him to fend off sleep any longer. He closed his eyes. A few seconds later, a snore escaped his lips.
Calypso giggled and went back to her loom.
About a half a day later, around sunset, Leo woke up again.
This time Calypso was sitting next to the bed, wiping the son of Hephaestus's forehead with a damp cloth. Whether he had a fever or his fire powers made him have a high internal temperature, Calypso thought Leo was a bit hot to the touch. She figured she'd cool him off a bit.
Leo's gaze drifted to her. He grinned sleepily. "What's up?"
Calypso cocked an eyebrow. "I see you decided to wake up. How are you feeling?"
"Better," he replied, sitting up. "How long was I out?"
"Maybe a little over half a day." She held up another platter—this one had a few mini sandwiches and a bowl of beef stew. "Still hungry?"
Leo gobbled the sandwiches faster than Calypso could blink. He slurped up the stew much slower, however, like he was savoring the taste. He smiled.
Calypso tried not to return it, but gods did he look cute when he smiled!
"So," she began. "Who must I kill for sending you of all people back to Ogygia?"
Leo held up a bony hand to his heart. "That hurts, Sunshine! After I fulfilled my promise and everything! The only reason I'm lying in this bed is because of you! I thought you loved me!"
Calypso snorted. "Please! You are the most annoying hero to ever wash up on my island. Why would I show you any sort of sympathy or love? I hate you."
"That's not the kind of message I got from your goodbye kiss," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. If he was trying to be seductive, it wasn't working—but it was still a cute try.
Calypso rolled her eyes. "That didn't happen. I've no idea what you're talking about."
Leo smirked and got really close to her face. "It totally happened, and you know it!"
Calypso scoffed. "No it did not! You are without a doubt the most annoying person on the planet! You stink of oil and grease, not to mention you have a thing against perfectly good dining tables—"
Leo's lips suddenly smacked into hers, effectively shutting her up. She didn't notice last time how he smelled of wood smoke and coals. It was a fantastic smell. She silently noted how much of a great kisser he was. His lips were arguably the softest part of him. Everything else on his body was hardened and calloused. But his lips were soft and warm. She wanted to keep kissing him forever...
Harley made a gagging noise and motioned putting his finger down his throat.
Calypso slapped him.
"It's so sappy I could die," he complained. "Get to the part where it explains why you and Leo are separated!"
Calypso rolled her eyes. "Is being annoying and rude something that runs in your family?"
"Only with the head counselors of Cabin Nine," he joked. "Most of the other Hephaestus kids don't have much of a sense of humor."
Calypso mumbled, "Aren't I lucky to know the ones that do…"
She waved her hand. The scene changed.
It had been three days since Leo's return. The son of Hephaestus had recovered well, though at this point he was extremely bored of the eat-sleep-eat-sleep schedule Calypso had put him on. He had gained some fat again and was able to eat more than a tiny platter, no longer looking like a walking skeleton with curly hair. So, she finally allowed him some time out of the cave, much to his excitement.
Now, as Leo sat nearby in the shade of a willow tree, tinkering with stuff pulled from his tool belt, Calypso began pulling weeds from her garden. She'd look over at him to make sure he was okay every few minutes—she did not want him overworking himself. Okay, she also wanted to make sure he was really there, and not an illusion or a dream. But she would never say that out loud.
Every time he caught her looking, he'd give a cute smile and a thumbs-up, meaning he was okay.
As Leo fiddled with the thing in his hands and Calypso pulled a weed out, a bright light suddenly illuminated the garden. Calypso shut her eyes at the sudden brightness.
When she opened them again, there were gods standing in her petunias.
"I just weeded those!" she screamed. "Why would you do that?"
There were four gods present: Hermes, Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Hecate. That was an odd combination, to say the least.
Aphrodite looked as if she was about to squeal in delight. Hecate looked bored out of her mind. Hermes and Hephaestus were both suppressing smiles.
Finally, Aphrodite snapped and squealed, "Ooooh! You two look so cuuuute together! I knew allowing you to reunite was a good idea! I've found my new OTP!"
Calypso didn't want to know what an OTP was. It sounded painfully embarrassing. "What are you all doing here?"
Hermes stepped forward—onto her newly planted daisies, no less. "We're here to discuss the conditions of Leo's return to Ogygia."
Leo glared at them. "You never said anything about conditions! My wish was to come back for her and you granted it!"
"I'm sorry, son," Hephaestus said sadly. "It is the Fates' doing. They have decreed that you two may not live together."
"WHAT!?"
It took a while to realize that both she and Leo had screamed that word at the top of their lungs.
"We tried to convince them otherwise," Aphrodite pleaded. "But they would not allow it!"
"And why not?" Calypso yelled. "Is it that I am still cursed to stay on this forsaken rock?"
"If that's the case, I'll stay here," Leo begged. "I don't have anything to go home to anyway! I'll stay on Ogygia with Calypso!"
"It's not that," Hermes stated. "It's the fact you returned that has heralded a problem."
"What do you mean?"
Hephaestus sighed. "Even we are not clear on why the Fates do not want this. They do not wish for you to be together—"
"I saved the world with my friends," Leo protested. "I lost my mom at a young age and had a horrible childhood because of Gaea! I deserve this happy ending, at least!"
Hecate snorted. The action made Calypso jump, as she had forgotten the goddess of magic and crossroads had even been there. "You are a living Greek legend. Being alive is a happy ending in itself!"
Harley nodded in agreement. As much as he wanted to have a happy ever after like most mortals got, he had pretty much accepted that any day could be his last.
Leo looked down, as if defeated. He couldn't argue with that.
Calypso moved and sat next to him. Leo smiled at her.
"Let me finish," Hephaestus scolded. Calypso didn't know if that tone was directed at Leo or Hecate. "The Fates said they do not wish for you to be together…right now."
Leo's breath hitched. Calypso hesitated.
Aphrodite nodded. "They have set some conditions on your return, Leo. There is a reason for this: Since you are the first to find Ogygia twice and are willing to stay, the spell of Calypso falling for every man that lands on her island has been broken. But, the terms of the breaking of her spell was a man willing to stay with her the first time, not the second. Which is probably why the Fates are not happy with the reunion. So, they made an arrangement: If she agrees to leave with Leo, then Calypso is set free from the island…for a set period of time."
Calypso wanted to rage. She held her tongue as Hermes continued:
"It's not up to us! The Fates decreed it, so we can't really go against them. They always win in the end…"
He turned to Calypso specifically. "The moment you and Leo leave the island, you have until Leo's 21st birthday. The day after his birthday will be when you cannot be together again."
Leo grumbled, "Then I'll just come back again! I did it once, I can do it again!"
"No," Hephaestus retorted. "Coming back now apparently was not something the Fates wanted. Should you try to return, you would…die."
Leo paled. "What if I stay here?" he repeated. "What if we didn't leave at all?"
"Then the island would force you out," Aphrodite answered sadly. "And it probably would hurt."
Hecate piped up again. "I have been keeping the island's magic at bay, allowing you to stay this short period, Leo Valdez. I cannot hold that forever."
Leo sat up straighter. "So…" he ventured. "We get until my 21st year and then can't see each other again. When will we be together? You said we could meet a third time, right?"
"Here's the thing," Hermes said. "We actually are not sure if or when you will be able to reunite. The Fates were very clear on why we could not just remove the ancient magic tying you to this island, Calypso."
"You say that like you tried," Calypso said, her voice dripping with venom.
"We did," Hephaestus growled. "We tried removing the ancient magic when Percy Jackson wanted us to free you. Something is keeping us from completely removing it."
"What!?" Calypso asked, her voice almost in a yell. "What could possibly be preventing you from removing the magic—Oh, should I mention it was you who put the ancient magic here in the FIRST PLACE!?"
Hecate stepped closer. "Your immortality is the problem. It has been tied to the island for too long."
"As you know," Aphrodite continued, "One's immortality usually eventually connects to something; like love, magic, healing, thievery…You get the point. Your immortality had tied itself to the island long ago. If you leave, the island will disappear. And if the island disappears…"
Calypso connected the dots. If the island disappeared, her very reason to exist would be gone. She would fade away! "What if I become mortal? What if I choose to go with Leo and live as a mortal?"
Hephaestus shook his head. "The island would disappear the moment you chose that, and it would be too fast for you, who would still be turning mortal."
"I'm lost," Leo squeaked.
Harley could agree. His brain was imploding from all of the information.
Calypso turned to Leo and explained, "I need something to tie my immortality down to. Ogygia is my tie. If I leave permanently, even if I try to become mortal, I lose it too fast and I fade away. And if you stay with me; because you came back—which is against the rules—the island would force you off."
Leo looked down again, holding his head in his hands. After what seemed like hours of silence, he spoke up. "So…only five years, huh? Why cut it off when I turn 21?"
"The Fates decided the time limit," Hephaestus said. "It wasn't up to us. You should feel lucky to get that long and not five minutes."
Calypso scooted closer to Leo. "I'm afraid this is all we get, I guess."
Leo nodded, a look of defeat plastered across his face. For once, he was completely still.
Aphrodite cleared her throat. "Time for what happens during those five years!" She looked like she absorbed all of Leo's missing nervous energy, bouncing around like she did. "You'll be together for every day of the next five years! Yay!"
Calypso loved this idea, though she would never admit that out loud. Every day with Leo Valdez out in the mortal world? That was more than she ever wanted!
"With your permission, Leo," Hermes said, "We would like to do something about your memory during the next five years."
Leo stiffened. "Excuse me?"
Hermes held up his hands in surrender. "Let me make this clear—it was Aphrodite's idea."
Harley snorted. "It would be her idea to mess with Leo's memory. So now we know why he couldn't remember…"
Calypso shook her head sadly. "Keep watching."
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "It's a good idea! Basically, we're going to make you nearly invisible to monsters. How, you ask? Well, you survived really well alone without any monster attacks growing up—especially as a fire-user, which makes you much more powerful than the average demigod. But as soon as you knew you were a demigod, monsters could smell you. Solution: Remove the memories of being a demigod!"
Leo looked offended. "Seriously? I mean, I know I almost died, like, seven thousand times on the Gaea quest, but at least it was better than being homeless and wanting to die! I don't want to lose all those awesome memories!"
Hecate grumbled, "You won't be losing them. I'm covering them up with a simple blocking spell. You'll still have your memories, they'll just be behind a wall of fog. You won't even have to worry about them, mostly because you won't remember."
"I don't know," Leo growled, clearly not wanting his mind tampered with again. Calypso remembered him telling her of Hera completely messing with his memories of a Wilderness School. He still couldn't remember what happened for real there and probably never would again at this point.
Hecate huffed in annoyance and waved her hand. A wisp of white fog came out of nowhere and zoomed into Leo's mouth. He choked a bit and took a deep breath. Calypso patted his back.
"Tell me about your friend Frank Zhang," Hecate said.
"Frank?" Leo sat there for a good minute, scrunching up his brows in deep thought. "He…uh…he was…Canadian? Yeah…and he…uh…" Leo's eyes fogged up slightly before clearing. "He was Chinese, too…son of…Ares? No, Mars! 'Cause he was Roman…?" He looked up at Hecate with wide, fearful eyes. "What did you do to me?"
"What did you see when I asked you about Frank?"
"I saw…" Leo paused, stiffening again. "It was like I knew he was there, but the fog kept blocking out who it really was…"
"But if you thought hard enough, it came back?"
Leo nodded. "Eventually, yeah. I guess it was like the words to a song you sang so much years ago, but haven't heard for a long time. Eventually the words come back if you think hard enough."
"Did it hurt?" Calypso asked, gently touching his shoulder.
"Nah," he said, shrugging. "It just felt soft and fuzzy. No pain, though."
"It's not meant to be painful," Hecate said, crossing her arms. She looked highly annoyed that she was still here. "Fog does not hurt, especially in regards to fogging up a memory. It only hurts when the spell is put on and taken off."
Leo nodded. "So, my memories of the past two years will just kinda…be fogged over?"
Hephaestus nodded. "Exactly. The moment Calypso returns to Ogygia will be the moment the fog in your mind clears."
Leo sat still for a good minute before nodding in consent. "Okay. I can handle that. Bring on the fog!"
Hecate waved her hand again. Fog curled around her, making its way towards the Latino. Leo gulped before the fog entered his mouth, nose, and even eyes. Calypso wanted to help, but interference would make it worse. Leo collapsed onto the grass and began shaking as more fog entered him.
Then it was over.
Leo shakily sat up, breathing hard. "I don't wanna do anything like that ever again…"
Hermes laughed. "Sucks, don't it?"
Hecate immediately started glowing. "I've done my job. Good bye."
She left in a blaze of light.
Aphrodite stepped forward. "Now that your memory is fixed, here are the conditions: One—the moment you leave Ogygia, you have until Leo's 21st year before you must return."
"Two," Hephaestus continued. "No contact with any of the demigods, Roman or Greek, during the next five years. It'll be pretty easy, considering…" he trailed off, looking directly at Leo, who didn't react at all to the condition.
The fog has already made it easy for him to forget his friends, Calypso assumed.
"Three," Hermes chimed in. "When Calypso returns, Leo must not contact her in any way, shape or form. He also cannot return a third time. The punishment for returning is immediate death."
Calypso winced. Leo grimaced.
"And that's pretty much it on what the Fates decreed," Aphrodite concluded. "Whatever you do during the five years is up to you."
She leaned in closer to Leo. Calypso could barely hear her whisper, "I recommend a tour of Europe. Highly romantic!"
Leo blushed furiously. His hair ignited out of sheer embarrassment. He patted out the flames within a minute.
"I'll be taking Festus with me," Hephaestus added. "You two need to keep a low profile if you want to be normal-looking."
Leo looked extremely crest-fallen. "Aww, man," he whined. "And after I just finished rebuilding him!"
"I'm givin' him back," the god retorted sharply. "Zeus knows how ornery that thing will get after I take him away. He'll be a bit of trouble for me, but I've managed worse."
Hermes started grinning. "Now we get to why I'm here!"
He bent down and held up a golden square. "Since you'll be travelling, you'll officially be sponsored by moi! This is a card I only give to great travelers. Marco Polo, Columbus, Leif Ericson…all sponsored by me! You've travelled a lot this past year, Leo, and with the whole Gaea thing, I think you deserve this. It's a great honor!"
He handed Leo the card. "Have fun on your vacation. This'll cover all the costs. Don't worry about debt."
Leo accepted it with a twinkle in his eye and a very imp-like grin. Calypso felt a little worried at that, but said nothing.
Hephaestus came closer and traded spots with Hermes. He looked his son in the eye. "I'm proud of you, son," he said. Calypso could tell he meant it. "Your mother is proud, too. Esperanza is smiling at all you've achieved."
Leo's eyes watered. A few tears fell down his cheeks. He didn't wipe them away. "Thanks, Dad…" he choked out. "Thanks so much for that…"
Calypso stroked his back. Leo shot her a grateful smile.
Hephaestus abruptly stood. "Time for us to go. Once Leo is fully recovered the raft will appear to take you off the island. Good bye, Leo. See you in five years."
He left in a blaze of fire. Calypso snorted at how dramatic it was.
Hermes nodded. "Safe travels," he said with a salute before disappearing as well.
Aphrodite was the only goddess left now. She looked at the two in the grass with the biggest smile on her face. "Yes," she said to herself. "Yes, I can definitely make this work!"
And with that, she was gone.
Leo turned to Calypso. "Well," he said. "I don't know about you, but that meeting made me hungry."
Calypso nodded, looking at the destroyed mess that used to be her flowerbed. She sighed, "My poor petunias…"
The scene faded and Harley found himself back in the present. The twins were playing under the willow tree. Harley realized with a jolt that had been the same willow tree where the meeting had occurred eight years ago.
"Wow," he breathed. "So that's why Leo didn't contact us for those first five years…I think the gods should have told us, though," he said bitterly. "Would've saved us the trouble of looking if they had told us he was fine to begin with!"
Calypso smiled. "I don't think Leo's friends would have stopped looking, to be honest. When he spoke of them on his first visit, he said they would do anything for each other. I'm pretty sure they would have wanted to see him travel with me with their own eyes."
She had a point. Harley nodded.
"But his memory," he said. "Hecate said that the fog would disappear at the end of the five years…why did she make it so he can't remember you at all? From what I saw, that wasn't a part of the deal!"
Calypso shook her head. "No, it wasn't part of the deal. Hecate kept her end of the bargain. She was not the one to make Leo forget me. She did not tamper with his memories of Ogygia and myself."
Harley's eyes widened as the Titaness finished.
"I did."
A/N: Uh-oh! Bad Calypso! Y U DO THAT!? D:
Holy.
Hephaestus.
That was painfully long! ALMOST 5k words! New record!
I tried SO HARD not to ramble in the explanations. That is why I originally made it four gods instead of just Hephaestus or Hecate. I hate walls of text, so breaking it between the four gods, though was a lot more work, it was much easier on the eyes. Phew.
Okay. So, if you thought that was long, buckle up. I'm pretty sure the next one will be around the same length! :o Be prepared for a bit of a wait, like last time. The longer the chapter, the longer the wait...Sorry :(
