Updating sooner than planned 'cos I'm bored and it's my birthday and it's been kinda rotten, so... yeah
To RandomFanAuthor- Exactly! SmartFestus for President!
To BethnPercy- I think I'm beyond stir-crazy- I sat and stared at the wall for an hour earlier just listening to my mad house of siblings and Mum's incessant need to clean! And who said anything about Lou getting her memories back? I never made any such plans. This ends on Chapter 90 and then the ToA rewrite begins! I've finally stared the Tyrant's Tomb rewrite, my heart is not ready for it. Jason's only napping
They said goodbye to Glaucus on the island.
"Thank you." Calypso said. "For helping us get Leo back."
"As I said, I help sea-farers where I can! Even if they do feed my girlfriend to a whirlpool monster or threaten to castrate me-"
"It'll be a promise in a minute." Louisa frowned. Glaucus nodded once, taking a large step away from her. Calypso nudged her, eyes flicking warningly between her and the god. Louisa sighed, getting elbowed again. "Fine." She forced a smile, speaking through her teeth. "Thank you." She said as though having electric applied to her spine.
"That's… OK?" Glaucus edged away from her some more. "Safe travels, my friends. And Louisa."
"Heh. That's right. Know your place."
"Lou."
"Yep, super grateful. Thanks. Owe you one. That's a lie. I repaid that favour by not castratin' ya. Still stands though. Bitch."
"Lou!" Calypso hissed. "Leo, I think we should get going. I am too tired to deal with Louisa-isms."
"Ooh, that's a good word."
"Thank you. Copyright Calypso."
"Permission to use it?"
"Mm. Sparingly."
They set off not long after. Louisa was ordered to sit between them, better easily monitored there. Glaucus waved them off, vanishing in a flash of white light. Louisa stared at the space he had been, pursing her lips.
"Asshole." She chided. "If I see him again, he is losin' his dick."
"OK, Lou." Leo nodded, not listening. He could feel her glare settle on the back of his head and smiled to himself. "How about we play a game? Who can be the quietest for the longest?"
"Oh, sounds wonderful!" Calypso cottoned on.
"Does not!" Louisa protested, ignored.
"Ready, set, go!"
The game did not last long. The swears and noises and fidgets built up in Louisa, like a flood behind a cracking dam. In under a minute, she was swatting them both, cussing them out and trying to jump off the dragon when they tried to quiet her. Calypso grappled with her, Leo was twisting in his seat with Louisa clutching at his head, yelling nonsense.
"My hair is attached to me!" He protested, pushing on her arm. "Get off!"
"No quiet, no quiet!"
"Lou, let him go!"
"No quiet, no quiet!"
"OK, OK, we'll stop the game!"
"Be loud! I don't wanna hear 'em!"
"Hear who?" Calypso asked. Leo stiffened as the words left her mouth, turning his head this way and that. A moment later, she understood too.
Singing.
How Louisa had heard it first, they weren't sure. She now sat with her hands over her ears, yelling at them to cover their ears too. They obeyed, quickly, but the song still flowed over them. Muted, but still tingling with the magic it came with.
There were no definitive words, a melody almost lullabying in tune. It tingled like summer's warmth over their skin, wreathing through their ill-attempt at blocking it out. Louisa began to hum loudly, not a song or anything of the sorts, just a string of mismatched notes and panic. She scanned their surroundings, pushing out with her senses into the water below.
Something was down there. Multiple somethings, more than she could count, maybe a little bigger than the average person. They moved through the water as if dancing; a graceful, gentle speed, breeching the water to add their voices to the song pulling at them. She looked down, seeing one staring up at her. From this distance, she could see a beautiful woman, wet hair tangled around her face in a style that was simultaneously messy and artistic. She could see the outline of a smile, but it twisted her stomach. Some part of her knew better, providing an image of sharp teeth set to tear the flesh from her bones.
She had been chomped on way too many times. Never again.
"Festus!" She called. "Fly faster!" The dragon trembled violently, beating his wings. The sirens' song increased. Calypso sobbed, curling up behind Louisa, laying her head between her shoulder blades. Leo hunched his shoulders, reaching into his tool belt with one hand. He began to hum too, paling as the magic began to seep into his mind. "Leo!" Louisa reprimanded. She shifted in her seat, locking her legs around his waist from behind. She was not going to risk him jumping.
He shook his head, humming louder. He found what he was looking for- noise-cancelling headphones. He beamed at them, clamping them over his ears. He tilted his head curiously, nodding affirmation and giving a thumbs-up.
Two more pairs materialised under his command. Louisa made sure Calypso had hers on first- the singing was affecting her the most. She was crying thickly, sniffing repeatedly as her nose ran. She hiccupped and apologised, flailing her hands, imploring to them. Any words of comfort they provided, she shook her head, waving them away and crying more.
She began to calm once the headphones were on, sinking into a confusion. Leo held out a tissue for her, smiling and squeezing her wrist. Louisa put her headphones on. The effect was instantaneous and it came with a sensation of shoving her face in ice water.
Calypso hugged Louisa, sniffling into her shoulder. Louisa hoped she was less snotty now. She still held onto Leo and that was how they flew, holding on to each other in silence over siren waters.
Louisa could sense the sirens, trailing after them. They were persistent, she would give them that, but their numbers began to dwindle after a half hour or so of flying.
It was creeping into an hour of quiet, they flew round a series of arches. An island came into view. The last of the sirens turned tail, vanishing altogether. Louisa looked down- she could sense nothing, but she wasn't risking it.
The island was two islands, connected by a rope bridge. It was bountiful with nature, trees and flowers and shrubberies that all looked… lifeless. Everything looked to be a husk of something once alluringly gorgeous. It reeked of melancholy and… rotten meat?
Hundreds of sheep scuttled around on both islands, chewing mournfully on yellow grass. They flew right over them. Leo motioned to them to take their headphones off.
"Everyone OK?" He asked. Louisa nodded. They both looked to Calypso when she remained quiet. Leo handed over more tissues. "What happened, Cal?" She shook her head, blowing her nose. "Alright." He nodded, smiling. "You OK to keep going?"
"Yes." She croaked.
"Hey, uh, quick question?" Louisa chimed in. "Didn't the mermaid say somethin' 'bout her son? 'N' sheep? Ew, what- what the-? He's feedin' 'em meat, they're eatin' meat!"
"Ah." Leo said, watching the large figure stumble through the carnivores. "Yeah, we should… we should just keep going. Festus, buddy, could you-?" He never finished that sentence. Festus turned his head. He looked him in the eye, creaking apologetically. The ruby glow blinked out.
"Shit." Louisa said. Festus fell. They clung to his plating as they plummeted, screaming. Louisa was the loudest: "I- HATE- FLYIN'!"
Look after yourselves! Lots of love!
