To RandomFanAuthor- Aww, Lou's one of your favourite characters? :D :D :D

To HoO Fan- yeah, that's pretty accurate. She's re-assessing her life, give her a minute :P And that's Calypso's secret- she can break Lou ^_^

To zantarak- WHOSE HAND WAS IT? D:


Love's power needs love to flower

Hearts aglow, love will flow

Truth be told, the future will hold

Paths intertwine, paths align

They watched Leo progress across the mosaics. It was rather strange, as he kept doubling back on himself or spinning. He hop-scotched across certain parts of the floor, he would land on one foot or his tiptoes, arms spread as if to take flight at any moment. He would get close to the girdle, only to back-track sharpish and squealing. They could hear him mumbling to himself.

"I reckon he's lost it."

"I thought you weren't talking to me?"

"I ain't. Reckon you've lost it too." Louisa wrinkled her nose. Calypso sighed. Louisa shifted away from her, returning her attention to Leo. He laughed aloud and bounced across like a child on a zebra crossing. "He's so weird."

"Says you."

"Says you." She blew a raspberry. Calypso reached out, swatting her arm with a frown. Louisa squished herself against the tunnel wall, hissing.

"I was trying to get us out of here!"

"You broke my brain!"

"It's no more damaged than before!"

"You take that back!"

"Make me!"

"Not helping!" Leo called out, dithering on a spot with his hands over his ears. The girls quietened to whispered bickering, smacking the other on the arm. He rolled his eyes and re-examined the floor.

"You kissed me!" Louisa hissed.

"I know I did!" Calypso retorted. "I didn't mean anything by it, I was trying to solve the riddle!" Louisa blew a raspberry. Calypso slugged her in the shoulder. "Ooh, you're impossible!"

"'N' you're lyin'!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I am not!"

"Liar liar Leo on fire."

"That's not even the rhyme!" Calypso shushed her. Louisa gaped, outraged, and then shushed her back. This ensued a very serious shushing war, twinned with flapping their hands at each other in combat.

"Truth be told, truth be told!" Louisa argued. "Ya lyin', ya lyin'!"

"I'm not!" Calypso fumed. Louisa clamped her hands over her ears, la-la-la-ing and shaking her head.

"Oy!" Leo glared back, spreading his arms in challenge. "Stop breaking Lou!"

"She's already broken!"

"Nooo, you're lyin', you're lyin'!" Louisa stuck her foot out, using it to keep Calypso at bay. "Leo, tell her!"

"Tell her what?"

"Tell her!" She insisted, wailing.

"Kind of busy!" Leo jumped over a seashell, side-stepped a dove's wing and landed on a stray feather. "Cal, can you-?"

"I'm trying!" Calypso couldn't move around Louisa's outstretched leg, close to being booted in the ribs a few times. She resorted to pulling on her laces instead, untying the knot. Louisa spluttered protests, but Calypso held fast. "Stop it!" She ordered. "What's got into you?"

"Lies!"

"I don't understand!"

"Cal, pull her back!" Leo gestured frantically. Calypso looked down. Louisa had edged out of the tunnel without either of them realising. She was half-sat on one of the roses, the tiles glowing pink. Looking back at Leo, she noticed the girdle past him, its radiance noticeably more potent. Louisa yanked her foot free, the laces burning across Calypso's palms. She twisted, scrambling. Calypso reacted blindly, tackling her about the middle. "No!" Leo cried, hopping back their way. "Go back, go back!"

Calypso had caught Louisa under her, trying to keep her still. Except, they had landed on the mosaic. Part across the rose, part onto a dove. The tiles lit up with corresponding colours, the girdle gleamed brighter.

Warmth rushed over her skin, sweeping through her stomach and tickling in her chest. It was a summery, blissful sensation, but it seized her mind, narrowing her focus to the girl she had caught, still screaming 'liar liar liar!' Louisa was facedown, cheek squashed on the tiles, trying to roll Calypso off.

"Move back!" Leo called again, his voice swimming through a rosy haze. Calypso could not keep her head up to concentrate on him, a smile floating over her face. She lay her forehead down on Louisa's temple, all fight seeping from her frame. She could stay here, quite happily. Have a lie down. Not move for… ever. Even Louisa's efforts to get away, get up, had dwindled. Her protests and accusations of lies had gone. She now lay still, as if succumbing to the same sleepy spell that had taken over Calypso.

Leo cursed under his breath. He had to retrace his hop-scotch path and work his way to them. Calypso hugged Louisa from behind, like she did when her nightmares struck. Louisa had stop trying to kick her away, settling into Calypso's embrace as though it was the only place she could ever and only ever wanted to be.

It took him a minute, but he got to them. "Get up!" He ordered, pulling on their arms frantically. Calypso aimed a kick at his shin. They both refused to move. The tiles were becoming brighter, the colours blending until he could hardly see the images within. "Come on, get up!" He crouched, hooking his arms around Louisa's waist. She mumbled sleepily, squinting at him over her shoulder blearily.

"Elf man." She smiled drunkenly. "Hi."

"Hi." Leo forced a smile. "You tired, Lou?"

"Mm-hhhhmmmmmm." She nodded, head lolling.

"Let's get you out of here. Think you can work with me?"

"Mm-mmmmm." She shook her head, dozing on his shoulder a second later. Leo sighed. He shuffled away as best he could with her, but Calypso was not set on letting go anytime soon.

"She's mine!"

"She's not!"

"She's not yours!"

"I thought you were!" That threw her. Confusion rippled through her anger and she blinked, frowning.

"What? Hey!" She protested. He had taken her distraction, yanking Louisa from her hold. He scrambled away, somehow got to his feet with Louisa's sleeping form in his arms, and ran for it as best he could. Calypso swore at him, he could hear her racing after him.

He was not strong or fast, but he was hopeful.

He was less than a metre from the tunnel, slowed by the delicacy of the floor, when she grabbed the back of his jacket. She tripped him up, he dropped Louisa. "How dare you!" Calypso raged, dragging him away by his leg.

"Cal, it's love magic!" He struggled to sit up, smacking her hands away.

"You don't understand!" She argued. Leo scrambled to find his path back to the girdle. She was hot on his heels, stepping where he stepped. He could only pray she continued to do so- the traps he could feel under this floor…

He reached the altar with the girdle. Calypso reached him too, hooking her arms around his neck. She threw her weight backwards, turning them as they fell. They landed heavily, her pinning him with her forearm across his throat. "You don't understand!" She repeated, shrill. Leo gripped her wrist, pushing against her just to breathe.

"What don't I understand?" He croaked. Tears sparkled in her eyes. She shook her head. Did she even understand herself?

Movement in the corner of his eye. Louisa had sat up, swaying and rubbing at her head.

"Ow." He heard her say.

"Look! Look, Cal! Lou's awake!" Calypso looked up, relief washing over her. Leo hooked his knees under her stomach, grabbing her arm. He launched her off, batting her to one side. "Sorry!" He squeaked, back-pedalling towards the altar.

Louisa stood. Calypso rolled onto her front, pushing herself up on all fours.

"Callie!" She called. "Callie! Stop it!"

"Why?" Calypso demanded incredulously.

"Truth be told!"

Leo's hand was over the girdle. Truth be told. It was like someone threw a switch in his brain, the cogs spinning erratically with realisation. He looked back, saw Calypso dithering. She was kneeling now, hiding her face in her hands. He saw Louisa push her hands through her hair, twisting her ponytail around her fingers.

Calypso kissing Louisa had led them to the girdle. And it was that affection that made them vulnerable to the love magic brimming from the illuminated tiles.

"Cal." He said, turning the clues over in his mind once more. Her shoulders hunched, she whined defeatedly. Leo picked the girdle up, tucking it under his arm. The light from it and the floor dimmed, leaving bright after-images in his retinas.

He crouched in front her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he said softly, "it's OK." She looked at him from between her fingers, sniffling. The wild look had gone, sense filtering back into her still-teary eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise to me." He smiled. "You've been hiding, haven't you?"

"I didn't… understand." She hiccupped, lowering her hands to hold his arm, toying with his sleeve nervously. "You… you explained it to me and… and I didn't understand."

"That's OK. We're a team. We look out for each other." He leaned forward, kissing her forehead. "You big dafty." He laughed, getting smacked in the chest for it. "Let's get out of here and we'll talk again, alright?"

"Alright." She nodded, drying her face on his sleeve. "Thank you."