Sorry for taking kinda long for this update I just had a lot to do what with finals and everything. Luckily, that is now over, and I have more time to update for you guys.

Also I know I said you probably wouldn't be getting a different POV this chapter, but what the hell, I did it anyway. So let me know how I did for that, and I guess I'll see you next chapter. Happy Holidays!

Chapter 9: Calypso

The one good thing about Purgatory was that Percy didn't have to worry about being watched, or more importantly, listened to. When Percy trained - and it seemed like training was all he did nowadays - he didn't have to feel self-conscious about all his grunting and groaning and shouting. And to be truthful, Percy tended to make these possibly unpleasant sounds a lot, maybe too much.

Percy had ramped up his training once he realized that he didn't wake up sore every day. His expectation and his goal was to train and improve basically as fast as inhumanly possible. His strength training, his sword fighting, and his powers over water were all expected to improve each and every day.

One thing that Percy had noticed was that after every workout he did and every training exercise he went through, his mood was instantly better. Percy hadn't realized how stress-reducing and relieving exercise was, partly because living life as an all-powerful demigod had eased him into the mindset that he didn't need to excessively workout. Sure, when he resided in Camp Half-Blood he trained and sharpened his skills as a warrior, but he never had the forethought to increase his strength because he was already so strong.

Currently, Percy was doing a one handed plank on his chimney. Such an odd and quite possibly excessively boastful exercise. On one hand, he could just do a one-handed plank on the solid ground without fear of falling and opening his head like it was a soda can, but on the other, Percy had learned that being in a potentially life-threatening scenario tended to increase his performance. And this being a potentially life-threatening scenario, Percy was completely focused and was able to ease himself back onto his roof without a slip or fall.

As Percy regained his regular blood flow and sat on his roof with his legs dangling off the edge, he looked out at his home. The water entranced him, moving tranquilly back and forth along the shore, the white water of the edge of the waves becoming irregular but consistent at the same time. As he caught his breath and watched the sun slowly fall below the horizon, the colors of the sky quickly changing from blue to orange to pink, Percy noticed the almost undetectable smell approaching. It was a peculiar smell, one that was familiar, right on the tip of Percy's tongue, but unplaceable.

As soon as the demigod realized that the smell was that of wet fur, specifically the dirty scent of a dog who had just rolled in mud or taken a swim, Percy curiously rose from his position and turned to take a glance at the forest. He wasn't sure whether to be more surprised, confused, or fearful, as he saw the pack of hellhounds slowly exiting the dark forest treeline and into the dim light of the setting sun.

"Just fucking great." Percy muttered, almost rolling his eyes at the appearance of a little more than half a dozen hellhounds. This was the first appearance of another monster since his other attack maybe a week ago from the single hellhound. Now that there were maybe seven or eight of them, Percy was both nervous and excited.

On one hand, he knew that his past self could manage and kill the hellhounds if he were in the current Percy's position with the high ground and extra weapon in his throwing knife. But now, Percy was unsure of what would occur.

This was what he had been training for, wasn't it? The ability to protect himself in the event of him being found. This was a perfect opportunity to see how far he had come in so little time, and Percy didn't hesitate to rise to the challenge.

The loud and menacing snarl of the lead hellhound brought Percy back to reality and made him only blink at the situation at hand.

Before any of the hellhounds knew what was happening, Percy swiftly flung a glinting gold hunting knife in the direction of the pack and instantly disintegrated the lead mutt. Percy smiled at how easy his first kill was. Maybe his smile was slightly sadistic, but Percy didn't care, instead opting to not let up the pressure.

The demigod leapt down in the pack's confusion, pulling out Riptide and uncapping the pen in a fluid motion before rolling to break his fall. The next thing he knew, his sword had cut through another hellhound and he was facing five very confused and very angry monsters.

An untimely smirk appeared on Percy's face, an expression he didn't even know would occur.

If you asked Percy after the fight what exactly had happened, he wouldn't tell you. Not because he was ashamed of his performance or modest in any way, he just truly wouldn't have been able to tell you. The few minutes of fighting were a blur of claws, sharp teeth, and slicing Celestial Bronze. The demigod slashed, whirled, rolled, and stabbed while the hellhounds around him leaped, roared, whimpered, and did absolutely everything in their power to not get chopped up in the blink of an eye,

This, as one might expect, was of no avail. Within minutes, similar to how Nico had absolutely incinerated who knows how many Cyclops, Percy was surrounded in piles of monster dust that camouflaged with the beach's grainy sand.

Percy's quickened breathing and slightly glistening forehead were the only pieces of evidence that he had done anything remotely physically intensive. Oh, and the fact that he was holding a three-foot long xiphos covered in blood.

Flicking the blood off of his sword before capping it and returning the pen to his pocket, Percy sighed, pleased and annoyed at the same time. His skills had definitely gotten better, the only evidence of him being even slightly rusty being three adjacent slash marks at his torso that he was just beginning to notice. But the fact that he had even had to fight the hellhounds was a sign that there was definitely more to come. In only a week, he would probably have a line of monsters knocking at his door, waiting their turn for a chance to kill him.

Percy grimaced and tenderly felt the slash marks that had ripped his shirt, wincing as he touched the open wound.

"Nobody's perfect, I guess." Percy muttered, shaking his head as he spat randomly on the sand and headed into his cabin. If Calypso had been here, she would know how to heal him. She would probably have forced him into laying on his couch while she magically resealed the wounds in a matter of hours.

Calypso.

She was such a mystery. Twice, now, she had presented an intriguing scenario that he had turned down. But why? The first situation had been self-explanatory, as he had the responsibility and duty of helping his friends, but the second… that was different. Why had he denied her?

There were his beliefs, sure, and everything in his gut told him that what he held true was right and just. He just knew that his heart couldn't take another crack or break, and his gut told him this was the best way to do it. But his head. His head was screaming he was being an absolute fucking moron. His friends were telling him he was being an idiot, Annabeth was telling him he was just being plain stupid.

Annabeth was usually, if not always, right about Percy's decisions. For years and years, whether he noticed it or not, Annabeth had been his compass, his guide.

Now, for five years on his own without her to help him, she was still his guide. He took every possible chance when visiting her in the Underworld to consult and ask, to catch up and laugh, to converse and joke.

"Fuck." Percy hissed as he unconsciously dabbed at his wound. Somehow, he had ended up on his couch, with a roll of gauze in one hand and a floating blob of water hovering next to the other.

The demigod nearly smacked himself on the forehead. Why was he trying to bandage up his wound?

Percy shook his head and unceremoniously flung the roll of gauze over his shoulder, hoping it wouldn't break anything expensive. He began to heal himself with the floating blob of water, lowering it onto his now exposed torso and subconsciously willing it to heal.

He couldn't afford for a silly mistake like this to happen again. He didn't even remember how he had gotten the wound. Had a spare claw just accidentally made its way to his hips?

What if more monsters had come, and the pain had come rushing in at the exact wrong time? He couldn't allow that to happen. He needed to get better, stronger, faster, etc.

He needed to train, and if he just collapsed into a Percy-sized pile of dust because his body couldn't handle the new intensity of his upcoming training, so be it. His life was at stake, and even though he wanted to be isolated for basically the rest of his life, it didn't mean he was suicidal.

Percy finished healing his wound and let the water soak into his skin, willing himself to dry immediately. Huh, now that he thought about it, Percy could basically be a human sponge, letting water soak his clothes and then instantly drying himself. It probably wouldn't be useful in any scenario, but it was still cool.

He closed his eyes, feeling the inevitable lull of sleep descending upon him, and rested his head on the armrest of the couch. Shifting himself into a more comfortable position and not bothering to change his clothes or check what time it was, Percy slowly dozed off into a peaceful state of sleep where his demigod dreams had become somewhat erratic.

Calypso awoke to the familiar sound of a bell knowing that when she inevitably opened her eyes, her sight would be met with darkness. Contrasting with her usual wake-up time on Ogygia at a couple hours before midday, the Hunters had been conditioned to awake at just before sunrise, which was something Calypso was still adjusting to.

But then again, what wasn't she adjusting to? The early wake-up times were trivial in comparison to many other aspects of the Hunters' everyday lives that she was in the process of adapting to.

There was of course the fact that she now lived with other people. Invisible servants were just that on Ogygia, invisible. It had been so long since she had last lived with other people with the intent of longevity. She had to adapt to the concept of being a part of a system, a family which relied on her to do her part so the whole machine could work as a whole. She found it quite invigorating and exciting to be relied on. To have responsibilities that stretched beyond her own needs was satisfying and motivating beyond what she had remembered ever experiencing.

But then, the Hunt had also been grueling and work-intensive. She was no natural born fighter, and because the Hunt was filled with warriors and huntresses, Calypso naturally had to attempt to become a warrior of her own. Archery was a main activity that filled her practice hours, which she learned she was actually quite proficient at. She considered herself a peacemaker, a more domestic person, but a bow felt natural in her hands, like it belonged.

Archery, however, was not the only activity to yield her attention. Calypso was also tasked with finding the right melee weapon that suited her physical attributes and personal preferences. Broadswords, xiphos, spears, knives, shields and even scythes were all trialed by Calypso with the help of Artemis, and most just didn't feel right. Nothing like how the bow had initially felt.

Finally though, after what felt like hundreds of trials when in reality she had only tried a dozen or so, she found her weapon of choice. To go along with her bow and quiver, Calypso felt drawn to a slightly rusted scimitar that sat in the back of the temporary armory that had been set up. The rusted Imperial Gold had barely glinted in the back to catch her gaze and the natural curve of the weapon had appeared rather elegant. She viewed the tool as more beautiful than dangerous.

The handle was made of black leather, dark blotches of dried red blood scattered along the smooth material. Extending beyond the handle was the gold scimitar's blade. The end seemed to be slightly chipped as it ended in a diagonal line rather than a distinct point, and a bronzed brown scatter of rust appeared to encase a small part of the blade closest to the handle.

It was a beautiful, intricate, breathtaking weapon.

Artemis had informed her it was an unusual weapon to use, one that was quite rare in Greek combat and even more uncommon among the Romans. Calypso paid no attention to this fact, knowing in her gut that if she would use any handheld weapon, it would be that scimitar. It would be that rusty, brittle, and perhaps even broken scimitar.

"Come on, we don't have all day!" a commanding voice echoed throughout the camp, seeping through the thick folds of Calypso's tent. A yawn replaced an incoming groan from the titaness as she sat up groggily and stretched her arms out. This reaction was much better than when she had first woken up before sunrise to the tune of a loud bell and the intimidating voice of a warrior goddess.

After regaining her senses and remembering her daily routine, Calypso quickly dressed into clothes more suitable for the business of being a Hunter of Artemis. Thankfully, there was no required uniform or outfit that came with the perks of being a hunter, but all the girls nonetheless all dressed in a similar manner.

A silver jacket with a tight black tunic underneath were the general clothes to be worn, with any combination of multi-colored jeans, leggings, boots, and flats. Artemis' lack of restrictions on clothing was made up in her strict manner in the area of hunting. The Hunters were drilled to know strict protocols and responsibilities during everyday living and the dangerous activity of actual hunting. It might've been a boot camp, had the women ranging from all imaginable ages not been such a tight-knit family.

Calypso shook her head as she gingerly exited her tent, not quite ready for the day until she had a half-decent meal in her. The food that the Hunters were provided wasn't quite as great as the food on Ogygia, but she was no complainer. She had learned to appreciate having even the bare necessities required to live.

When she got out of the tent, a handful of other groggily looking women were already up. Some were even looking energetic. Calypso guessed that a daily routine of getting up at this ungodly hour had conditioned them into being used to it. Sighing, Calypso rubbed her eyes and trudged past the parallel rows of tents. Every tent was the same, big enough for two people but housing only a single person. The space on the inside was bigger than how it appeared externally.

A long wooden table was placed at the end of the rows of tents, already having multiple people sitting and waiting for the rest of the group to join. Calypso found a seat at the edge of the table, close to Artemis' place at the end, and closed her eyes as she waited for the Hunters. She felt the weight of others sitting down close beside her as she focused on her breathing.

While having nearly infinite time in Ogygia, Calypso had learned that some form of meditation, or even simply focusing on her breathing, was extremely helpful in relaxing her.

"Calypso, are you alright?" Artemis asked as she sat down at the table, curiously looking at the now slightly blushing Calypso. She nodded her head.

"Yes, I'm fine." Calypso said, feeling the red come to her cold cheeks in the morning not yet heated by the sun. Blowing a rogue strand of hair out of her field of vision, Calypso realized that nearly all the hunters were already seated and the few stragglers that weren't could be seen walking toward the table.

As soon as the last Hunter arrived and sat firmly at the table, the immediate sound of rustling and clinking metal filled the grassy clearing surrounded by trees of spruce and pine. The food wasn't luxurious, not at all, but it was satisfactory and at least not void of taste. The offered food was also infamously nutritionally balanced, with enough protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, nutrients, etc. all available at the table.

Artemis was a strong believer in breakfast being the most important part of the day, evident in the fact that the other meals of the day consisted of caught animals and stored foods. Not quite as luxurious as breakfast, but it was sufficient enough and not at all oppressive.

"Today will be relatively routine. Close combat and archery practice will take place right after this." Artemis said between bites of veal. "Then the elders will teach the newer members of the finer details of hunting."

The Hunters nodded in agreement at this. It was fairly normal for Artemis to detail the day's plans at breakfast, and it was even more routine for something similar to today's activities to occur. Calypso had only been in the Hunt for about a month or so, and although the days sort of blended together in training and hunting, she didn't get bored by any of it.

Every single day was new and exciting. She learned more about her fellow Hunters or became more familiar with her weapon of choice - which she had decided to name Exotikos - or became more comfortable in her role in the Hunt. The days were never boring, even if they were sometimes repetitive.

Breakfast was fairly quiet for Calypso, as she chose not to partake in any conversation. She knew some of the girls who were seated around her, but wasn't in the particular mood to talk at the current moment. Every once in a while when she looked up from her plate, she would find Artemis carefully watching her in a curious and concerned manner not obvious enough for any other Hunter to take notice of.

Once everyone was finished and people had already begun to leave the table to go about their routine, Calypso went to go to her tent to retrieve her personal bow and quiver of arrows. Calypso had personally drilled herself to sharpen her arrowheads before at least every other session of archery. Artemis had informed her of the care that one must give to their bow and arrows, and Calypso had decided to use this information to take it upon herself to take extra caution in the use of her tools.

Calypso finished sharpening her arrowheads and bounded off in the direction of the archery range. It wasn't located too far away from her tent, in a smaller clearing maybe 50 yards north. A handful of Hunters were already stationed at the range, leaving one station open for Calypso to set up.

She was by no means an expert in archery, but she wasn't incompetent in the field either. Currently, Calypso was being trained in being accurate while also being mobile. Her accuracy had greatly improved in the month being a Hunter, but that was all while standing still. For the past couple of days, Artemis, Thalia, and Piper as some of the senior Hunters had been drilling her to not rely on having set feet. Today, Artemis would be the one helping her with archery while Thalia would be training her later in the use of her scimitar.

While setting up her station, Calypso smiled at the sights and sounds around her. Senior Hunters were dutifully teaching eager younglings who were being taught how to hold their bow or notch arrows. Other women were joking around while hitting bullseye after bullseye as if it was the easiest thing in the world. It was a sight to behold, really, but was it hers?

She couldn't decide if she wanted to be a Hunter the rest of her immortal life. Percy was her preferred situation, but now that he made it clear he wasn't an option, she was unsure of what she truly wanted. The Hunters were amazing, and she couldn't ask for any better reception to her sudden arrival, so what was it that was holding her back?

Calypso shook her head in an attempt to rid her of the thoughts when Artemis came into her field of vision. Attempting to compose herself the best she could, Calypso cleared her throat and recovered her bow from the ground.

"Lady Artemis." Calypso greeted. Artemis smiled and shook her head.

"We've been over this, Lady Calypso." Artemis teased. Calypso smiled and nodded.

"My apologies, Artemis. What is it that you'll have me doing today?" Calypso asked, wanting to get down to business. Artemis smiled and gestured toward Calypso's quiver, prompting the titaness to notch an arrow and hold it gingerly at her side.

"We are going to focus on your mobile accuracy, and to do that, you'll first be moving to your right, as that is your dominant side, and shooting mid-stride." Artemis explained. Calypso cocked her head, waiting for more, but received only a smile.

"Nothing else?" Calypso asked, a grin already spreading on her face. "How exactly am I supposed to do this?"

"We'll see how you do first, then I'll fix whatever you're doing if need be." Artemis said. Calypso chuckled and shook her head, resorting to obeying and increasing the tension in her bowstring.

Allowing Artemis to withdraw herself from the space between herself and the target, Calypso worked through her routine of taking a deep breath before beginning, and began to jog off to the right, parallel to the row of targets.

She felt awkward, jogging lightly to the right and attempting to aim at the target across from her, but Calypso did it nonetheless. Aiming at the target and drawing her bowstring back until there was the familiar maximum amount of tension, Calypso released the notched arrow and watched as it flew through the cold air, plunging into the right edge of the target.

"Well done." Artemis said. Calypso turned to look at her, noticing that she was holding back a laugh.

"Don't patronize me." Calypso mumbled, notching another arrow from her quiver. Artemis actually laughed.

"You did about as well as I expected."

"Then what did I do wrong?" Calypso asked, now both annoyed and curious due to the goddess' behavior.

"There's honestly not much you need to work on here. Your form was correct, and you seemed to not do anything mechanically wrong, but you also have to take into account relative velocity." Artemis explained. Calypso nodded at this, showing that she understood and wanted Artemis to continue. "Well, when you're moving to your right and shoot or throw any projectile, that object is still moving to your right even after you release it."

Calypso took only a second to process and understand where she was going with this.

"So I have to account for this. I must aim at an area before the bullseye." Calypso offered. Artemis smiled and nodded.

"Indeed. The area you aim for will depend on your distance from your target as well as how fast you are moving, but the process of choosing where to aim will become subconscious once you repeat this enough." Artemis said. "Now repeat the exercise, but now focus on a spot to the left of the bullseye."

Calypso nodded, trodding back to her initial position. This was honestly a fascinating subject, the physics of a bow and arrow. Calypso honestly sometimes found the velocity of an airborne arrow to be faster than seemingly possible, but chalked it up to any possible enchantments placed on the bows.

Calypso began to jog to the right, feeling no awkwardness now, and fired her arrow at the left edge of the bullseye during her stride. She didn't know whether to be surprised or astounded that the arrow hit the edge of the bullseye.

"Well done." Artemis said proudly. "Now repeat this at varying speeds and distances, I must attend to other Hunters."

"Thank you, Artemis." Calypso said. Artemis smiled at her student, and began to walk towards the other Hunters at the range.

"You have sparring with Thalia later, and make sure not to hit anyone with any flailing arrows." Artemis called over her shoulder as she walked off. Calypso smirked and shook her head, pulling an arrow out of her quiver to notch it on her bowstring.

Their relationship was an odd one, Calypso not sure whether to define them as sisters or more of a mother-daughter relationship. It was quite possibly a little bit of both.

Calypso sprinted off to her left, feeling the cold air rush past her cheeks and cause her hair to whip around behind her. She pulled back on her bowstring and with an unknowing smile on her face, sent the arrow flying toward her target.

A medium sized chapter, in all honesty, but a decent one nonetheless. I hope you guys enjoyed, send any feedback or questions in the reviews and I hope you enjoy the Holidays, wherever you are in the world.

Here's the questions/comments on last chapter worthy of being responded to:

BJack12: It is a little dark, but I kinda like how Percy isn't the same. Thanks for liking the story, and yeah I think it's kinda unorthodox to not know the exact pairing of the story until maybe even the end. It might piss some people off or cause some to not read this, but I really don't care.

HellRaiderS: Thanks for loving it, I guess. And I hope you keep loving it, but I guess I'm kinda responsible for if that continues.

Guest: Might be perlypso, might not be. Who knows? Whatever, I feel like I've said this too much. I ain't revealing shit.