The days and nights bleed together like paints mixing in a barrel. Eventually, it all became as one.
After about a week, I lost track of the days. It worried me to no end that I couldn't tell how long I'd been on this accursed island. Everything was a blur. My life had become nothing more than a never ending cycle of fighting, hunger, and sleep deprivation. The giant creatures of this land attacked me so often that I could only sleep for a couple of hours at a time. I was constantly wired, constantly searching for my next meal, and constantly on edge.
Despite how long I'd been stuck here, the woods somehow always seemed to look brand new to me, and I got lost among the sea of endless trees easily. I began to wonder if there was some sort of magic at play, keeping me amnesiac and unfamiliar with my surroundings, but I couldn't tell for sure. I started to mark the tree trunks with a P using my sword, both as a means to help me find my way and as a message for Leo. No matter how exhausted I was, Leo was always at the forefront of my mind.
Each daybreak I was tempted to fall into insanity, doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results— but Leo's bright smile in my mind's eye kept me motivated. Holding onto the hope of seeing him again, along with all the other things that were important to me, was the only thing keeping me somewhat stable throughout this hellish ordeal. Surviving. Finding Leo. Closing the Doors of Death. Saving Percy and Annabeth. Locating my father and my mother. These thoughts fueled me. These thoughts gave me the strength to take another step, to swing my blade, to not give in.
My stomach rumbled, a sound that I had grown far too tired of hearing. I rubbed my exposed belly in an attempt to soothe the insatiable beast within, leaving streaks of brown against my skin. I blanched until I remembered that my hands, feet, and face were perpetually caked in mud and dried dirt.
Not only that, but the clothes I arrived in had long since disintegrated into shreds of tattered cloth, so I was forced to fashion myself with a simple top and skirt weaved from grass fronds. The rough palm leaves made my armpits and thighs itch uncomfortably, but it was arguably better than being naked and freezing to death throughout the night. For quite possibly the first time in my life, I was making use of the skills I'd learned at St. Mary's. Who would've guessed that all those hours spent sewing doilies and weaving dumb flower baskets would actually come in handy?
My bare feet padded softly on the grass below. The moonlight reflecting off of my sword was the only thing guiding me through the forest this evening. Time was a falsehood here, but there were two things of which I was certain. It was late, and my body was desperately screaming for rest.
Because I got lost so often and so easily in these woods, I had set up multiple small camps around the island so that no matter where I was, there would always be someplace nearby that I could recuperate. My fingers felt the knobbly bark of the trees as I traversed the terrain. The indentions carved into the wood would supply me with all the information I needed. I stopped short when my fingers felt more carvings than my usual P in the trunk of a mighty cedar. H2O, the message read. R+R.
"Yes!" I exclaimed and continued following the uneven trail ahead.
Before long, I happened upon one of my favorite little bases, nestled in the woods near a babbling creek. I took a few thirsty gulps from the flowing water and exhaled. It was hard to recognize myself in the water's reflection. My hair was wildly unkempt, with sticks and leaves tangled up in the most matted up sections. I looked about as hungry and exhausted as I felt, which was really saying something. The dark circles under my eyes could rival those of Nico di Angelo.
No, maybe not that bad, I thought with a melancholy smile.
I wondered how he and the others were doing aboard the ship. Were they searching for Leo and me or had they forgotten all about us? I allowed my thoughts to be swept away like the water's current.
This place was always so hard for me to relocate, but it always filled me with a sense of calm when I managed to find it again. No matter how miserable I felt, the steady trickling of freshwater nearby somehow managed to steel my nerves and soothe my anxiety. After a few beats of rest, I gathered some firewood as I always did when making camp, but something colorful caught my eye in the fire pit. When I leaned down for a closer look, my breath hitched in my throat.
A small bouquet of wildflowers were nestled in the center of the fire pit. The arrangement was far too particular for the blooms to have found their way here accidentally. No, this was deliberate. Someone placed them here. The wind rustled, and a petal fell delicately to the grassy floor below. My eyes widened when I realized that the flowers were starting to wilt.
My mind raced. How long ago had they been picked? Could it have been Leo? It had to be! He must've found this fire pit I made and left the flowers as a message. Had he been waiting here for me? I was kicking myself, racking my brain to figure out how long it had been since the last time that I was here.
It doesn't matter! He's out there.
I blinked my eyes rapidly as tears of joy threatened to spill over. For so long I'd been relying on hope alone. Finally, I had concrete proof, hard evidence that Leo was actually alive. My brain refused to entertain any other scenarios.
Leo was alive. He had to be.
I jumped to my feet and sprinted through the woods, calling Leo's name. I stumbled blindly over fallen logs and rocks, but my feet kept carrying me deeper into the forest. He's out there. Why won't he respond?
Just like every day and every night since my arrival, I desperately called Leo's name into the sky but got no answer. Instead, it seemed as though I had attracted the attention of a giant owl. I felt its massive eyes gazing on me from where it perched on a low hanging cedar branch. I was instantly on guard, and Goldie flew into my hands instinctively. The owl's golden eyes continued to observe me in an unnerving manner.
"I already know you can talk," I spat at the creature. "So go ahead and attack me— or are you some kind of voyeur?"
The owl squawks something akin to laughter. "No, female demigod. Facing you in battle would most certainly be a death sentence for me."
"Huh. So owls really are wise," I remarked and lowered my blade. "Then what do you want?"
"I merely wish to watch your slow, painful demise. You aren't meant to be here. Surely you must be aware of that by now?"
I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah? Could've fooled me with the warm welcome I've received from your giant animal friends."
The owl cocked its head ninety degrees. "We are simply fulfilling our duties to our mistress."
A harsh scowl crossed my face. "Gaea?"
"Oh, no!" The owl's monochromatic feathers ruffled at the Earth Mother's name. "The only female deemed worthy of living on this island. The nymph, Calypso."
My brows knit together in thought. "That name sounds familiar..."
I couldn't quite place where I'd heard it before, but I was sure that I'd learned about a nymph stuck on an island from Gram. Why couldn't I remember any details?
"We creatures of this island serve Calypso," the owl continued, "and in return we are rewarded with great strength and immortality."
"Immortal right up until I kill you," I smirked as the owl grew uncomfortable at my words. "And cook you. And eat you."
"Well... yes." It shifted on the branch uneasily.
"Where can I find this Calypso bi—" I caught myself and forced a sweet smile that was probably ineffective due to my disheveled appearance. "Where's your mistress? I just wanna talk."
The owl squawk-laughed once more. "Foolish female! Even if I were to lead you directly to my mistress, it would do you no good. You are trapped in our dimension, our domain. Your eyes would not be able to see her beauty."
My facade crumbled, my expression faltering. "What are you talking about, bird?"
"Your lack of intellect is really quite astounding," the owl cooed mockingly.
"I could say the same about your lack of opposable thumbs!"
In a fit of rage, I threw my sword at the owl with a flash of gold streaking through the air. The huge creature flapped its wings and easily dodged the projectile, shrieking with laughter as it did so. The blade fell to the ground with a clang of metal.
"Tell me how to break out of this stupid, giant, talking animal dimension or I'll be eating wings for dinner," I growled.
"I'm afraid you can't. You'll be trapped here until you lose the will to fight."
"Never! I-I don't believe you. There's gotta be a way for me to break out and get back to the real world."
"And how do you propose to do that?" The owl laughed, the sound thoroughly grating my nerves. "That sword of yours may be sharp, but it can't save you from your fate this time, little female one."
I thought for a minute, replaying this creature's words over again in my head. Each animal I had slayed gave me cryptic commentary about my gender, telling me that I wasn't meant to be here— to the point that it was like they were reading from the same script. It never made much sense to me. At first I thought it was some sort of weird sexist drivel, but I was starting to believe there was something much darker at play here. For most of my time here, I felt as though I was following a trail of haphazardly tossed breadcrumbs that led me in a directionless circle. However, this giant owl had enlightened me more than any other beast beforehand.
Still, I had received answers that only raised more questions. A mistress, the only female worthy of living on the island? Why couldn't I remember anything about this Calypso? And I was stuck in some sort of alternate dimension? Could that be why it seemed impossible to locate Leo? And perhaps that's why the trees were intent on confusing and misguiding me?
A glint of gold snatched my attention from the thunderstorm of thoughts swirling in my head. My sword was lingering in the air, posed to strike the owl, but it was halted, as if waiting for my permission.
"That sword of yours may be sharp, but it can't save you from your fate this time, little female one."
The owl was wrong. Throughout this awful experience, my sword was the one constant. It was always there, always by my side. In fact, I wouldn't have even survived the fall had it not been for my loyal weapon. I'd given it the name Goldie, but that no longer seemed sufficient for how I had begun to feel for the blade. It was my ally, my companion, a friend to me the same way that I considered Piper or Frank to be my friends. Hell, I've probably cuddled up to it at night more times than I have with Leo.
Hmm, that's... you know what, maybe that's a fact that I should keep to myself.
In any case, if there was any hope for me to break out of this messed up dimension, then I knew I'd accomplish it with my sword in hand.
My eyes went back to the owl that was scrutinizing me with its large golden eyes, and a smile graced my lips. "Wanna bet?"
With a tug of magic, I willed the sword to slice through the creature in a blur of feathers and gold. The sound of a deflated squawk filled the night air, followed by a soft thud against the grass. Then all was quiet and still. I strode up to the owl's lifeless form that had fallen from the tree as Goldie came to float around my head, blood dripping from its blade.
I chuckled darkly as I slung the corpse over my shoulder. "Not so wise now, are ya?"