Long tendrils of green smoke curled around Calypso's head like a stink bomb of pure evil. Her eyes were fully consumed with that same arcane energy, and her face was etched in a permanent expression of anger and pain. Despite the immediate threat, I couldn't help the pettiness that fell from my lips.
"So how long have you known that your little girlfriend could, uh, do that?" I asked dryly.
"She's not my girlfriend," Leo replied firmly.
"Then you wouldn't mind if I chop her pretty little head off?"
"Actually, I would mind that—"
"Aha!" I pointed in his face accusingly. "So you admit that you think she's pretty?"
Leo rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Dammit, Peri, this is seriously not the time—"
Calypso bellowed a long, low tone suddenly. A line of sand rippled like a bullet of wind was slicing through the air straight towards us. Leo pushed me out of the way just in time, and I fell onto my butt. Leo was sent flying backwards a few yards by an invisible force. His body slammed into a palm tree with a groan and a sickening thud. A bunch of bananas must've gotten dislodged from the tree due to the impact, because the fruit rained down on Leo's head like vitamin-rich confetti.
"Leo!" I cried and scrambled to my feet, rushing to his side.
My hands moved across his crumpled form quickly, checking for any signs of serious injury. The son of Hephaestus was visibly dazed and wheezing pretty badly, but no broken bones. If I had to guess, he'd just had the wind knocked out of his lungs. After a few minutes to catch his breath, he'd be fine. But in the meantime, there was a pissed off nymph with a powerful voice to deal with.
"To think that I almost made the same mistake of letting you leave me again, Odysseus," Calypso said dreamily. "Of course, it was inevitable for the raft to show up eventually. It always appears when I fall in love with you."
Raft?
My eyes darted to the coastline. Sure enough, just a few yards away was a large wooden raft that had washed up ashore. How did I miss that before? I supposed that the shock of seeing Leo and Calypso swapping spit was enough to give me temporary tunnel vision. But then... could she have been giving him a kiss goodbye?
I looked down at Leo who was still breathing in shallow, labored breaths. I slid my hands off of his body like he was a plague victim. A sense of impending dread gnawed at my bones, and I wasn't sure if I even wanted the answer to my next question.
"Were you... just going to leave me behind?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"What?" Leo reached for my hands, but I recoiled. "No, Peri, of course not. I wouldn't do that to you."
I searched his face for sincerity. The sound of my own blood rushing in my ears was almost as deafening as Calypso's screeching before. Usually I could tell what Leo was thinking with just a glance, but now? The fact that I couldn't be certain if I trusted the look in his eyes was seriously freaking me out.
Who even is this guy? Is this even my Leo?
Reality was making less and less sense by the minute. All this time on the island and Leo didn't have any injuries on his person, while I was littered with cuts and bruises in various stages of healing. I'd been going through hell, and he was having a fucking picnic when I arrived. He just looked far too... comfortable. Even his clothes looked new and custom made. I'd bet anything that this nymph had been treating Leo like her spoiled little boy toy.
And he was just going to leave? Abandon me on this island forever?
I rose to my feet, glaring at the ground and clenching my fists so tightly that my nails dug crescent shaped grooves into my palms. After everything we've been through? We promised each other that we'd look out for each other, that we'd never give up on each other. And yet? He was willing to throw it all away, and for what? This bitch? My feelings were swirling within me like a violent hurricane, threatening to spill over the levies of self containment and destroy everything in my vicinity.
Worst of all, though? My swelling anger was only the tip of the emotional iceberg. Below the surface was insurmountable heartbreak and desolation. I felt like a little girl all over again being tossed into a stupid Charm School and forgotten about, like discarded trash.
Alone. Unwanted. Unloved.
"Peri, listen to me," Leo urged with a wheeze.
"You gave up on me," I mumbled.
"No, it's not like that," he insisted. "I looked everywhere for you, but I couldn't find you. It was fucking me up in the head. For all I knew, you were at the bottom of the ocean—"
"So the first thing you do is leap into the arms of someone else?" I shouted back, my voice laced with pain. "That's how you grieve?"
Leo fell silent, his eyes downcast in shame. His silence only made my heart ache more.
Calypso cackled, a sound that resembled nails on a chalkboard. "Marriage troubles, Penelope? Now is your chance to be rid of Odysseus for good. You have plenty of eager suitors back home anyway."
"Penelope?" I repeated softly in confusion with a shake of my head.
Ogygia. Calypso. Odysseus. Penelope.
My brain was finally starting to make connections with the legends behind these names. Bits and pieces of Homer's Odyssey came back to me, and I tried to assemble the jumbled puzzle in my mind. Calypso must think that Leo was Odysseus, and that I was the long-dead hero's loyal wife, Penelope. While Odysseus galavanted around the world with his men, banging ladies and having a grand adventure, his wife stayed faithful and true.
How fitting.
Whether we were officially together or not... no matter if it was just a kiss or something more... I felt utterly and completely betrayed by Leo. While I was searching for him on this blasted island, he was busy canoodling with the enemy. My cells were angry and alert, calling for his head on a stake. I couldn't bare to look at him for fear of lashing out in a blind rage.
"I'll give you one last chance, Penelope," Calypso said in a hollow voice. "No harm will befall you if you simply take the raft and leave Ogygia. Refuse... and your fate will be a most painful one."
That's all I've wanted since crash landing here; to leave. So why wouldn't my feet move? I was trembling with fury, yet immobilized by being backstabbed by the person I thought that I could trust the most. The person I was willing to lay down my life for.
"What will become of L— Odysseus?" I asked.
"I shall keep him here with me forever," Calypso's tone was chilling. "What I do with him is none of your concern."
Deep within was a horrible, dark, vengeful version of myself that wanted to abandon Leo the same way that he was going to abandon me. The savage inside of me, the savagery that was instilled in the DNA of every human, the savage instincts that had kept me alive on Ogygia this long, demanded that Leo be punished for his crimes against my heart.
But would it still be justice if the vengeance wasn't delivered by my own hand?
My vision became tinted in a virescent hue, as if I was looking through a pair of olive green sunglasses. Heinous thoughts churned in my mind like the waves of a tsunami.
Did this girl really think that I'd allow her to take this boy from me? He's mine. All the work I put into him, all the time spent ironing out the creases to make him perfect for me. The idea of handing him over after all of my efforts was laughable at best. A wicked smile spread across my cheeks.
"I have a better idea," I said. "Why don't we settle this like civilized women of our time?"
Calypso considered this for a moment. "Perhaps you're right. It is the 8th century after all."
"Yes, of course, it's the 8th century," I agreed. "We have come so far as a society."
"What do you propose?"
"Trial by combat," I said. "If I beat you, then Odysseus belongs to me."
"Huh?!" Leo squeaked.
"If you win, then he's yours," I continued. "You can rip his heart out, eat it, whatever you want. I don't care."
"Peri, what the hell?" Leo hissed. "Your eyes—"
"Silence, male," Calypso commanded. "I agree to your terms, Penelope. However I do have one stipulation."
"Go on," I encouraged, taking a step towards her.
Calypso's emerald orbs darted to my sword that hovered overhead. "No weapons."
"A bare knuckle brawl, eh?" I arched a brow with heightened interest. "So be it."
I turned my attention to my blade and beckoned it over to me. "Goldie, make sure the male doesn't interfere." I spared a glance at Leo as I said my next words. "If he so much as moves a pinky toe, cut him down."
My sword twirled obediently before revolving around Leo's body like the moon orbits the earth, daring him to make a move. Leo's eyes were huge and fearful as he looked up at me from the sandy floor, scanning my face as if I wasn't the Peri he recognized. Perhaps there was some truth to that. Ogygia had changed me, but was it for better or for worse?
The green smoke tendrils around Calypso's eyes swirled like balls of Greek fire. "I will enjoy watching the life fade from your body as I strangle you with my bare hands."
"Uh, likewise," I replied. "So, what, are we gonna touch gloves or—"
"AAAAAHHH!" Calypso charged at me like a raging bull.
I made a small sound of surprise before sidestepping around her and countering with a swift kick to her back. Calypso stumbled off balance before growling in frustration. Then she unhinged her jaw and emitted a low frequency screech. I swayed on my feet dizzily. My stomach bubbled and stirred instantly, and I fell to my knees. I blanched, gagged, and dry heaved, but there was nothing in my belly to vomit. As I was struggling with an insane case of the bubble guts, Calypso ran up and kneed me in the face. I fell back with a grunt.
Of course. I should've expected this. Calypso didn't want me to use my sword, because the only weapon she needed was her voice. I'd have to end this fight quickly or else her sneaky pitches and tones would get me seriously caught up. Calypso's green eyes twinkled with mirth and self satisfaction.
The wave of nausea subsided enough for me to get back on my feet, but I still felt woozy. I put my hands up in a fighting stance, my mind and body quickly reverting back to my street fighting days at St. Mary's. That time felt so long ago, but it soon came rushing back to me. I'd often sneak out of my Catholic prison at night with a few other delinquents, and we'd pick fights with the boys from a nearby boarding school. We had a whole underground fighting ring in a back alley, and it's a wonder that none of us wound up dead or in jail.
As stupid as it was, those nights of unadulterated violence made me feel alive during a really dark time in my young life. Back then, pain was the one thing that I could control; whether that was dishing it out or receiving it. In some ways, those bruises that I'd earned and even the black eyes that I'd given, all prepared me for this moment.
For a split second, my Hulk-vision faded. My eyes could see the world's colors as they truly were instead of behind a cloud of green. I glanced back at Leo and felt a surge of primal, animalistic emotions overtake me.
Lust. Possessiveness. Betrayal. Anger.
Mine.
Green flooded my vision. With a warrior's cry, I rushed Calypso with a flurry of punches right to her stupid, man-stealing face. Jab. Jab. Dodge. Jab. Jab. Dodge. My body fell into a familiar rhythm as we circled each other, exchanging blows. She's got a mean right hand, but her moves were way too telegraphed. I could easily predict her movements and block or dodge her attacks.
She's nothing. You got this.
The smell of blood and sweat invaded my senses. A stream of crimson bloomed from Calypso's nose, but she didn't seem to care. I respected that. She shrieked suddenly, a high pitched sound that made my head spin. It was just enough of a distraction that she was able to tackle me to the ground. I always thought wrestling was super gay so I never worked on my ground game. Boy, did that immaturity ever come back to bite me in the ass.
Calypso pinned me and proceeded to wail on me with jabs and elbows to the face. The adrenaline flowing through my veins dulled the pain, but only slightly. I grunted and squirmed violently, but she had me secured underneath her body tightly. Out of desperation, I grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it in her face. She screamed, and her hands flew to her eyes. I was able to buck her off of me and scramble to my feet, getting some distance to catch my breath.
"I know that was a cheap shot, but damn girl," I panted. "I didn't think you had hands like that."
The green haze around Calypso's eyes flickered briefly, but I assumed it was just a trick of the light. Her emerald orbs glowed just as brightly as ever.
"Your hands are quite formidable as well," Calypso admitted. "I have no choice but to disable them."
"Disable?" I chuckled awkwardly. "You know I'm not a robot right? It's important to me that you know that—"
I was cut off by another one of Calypso's shouts, this one loud and fast like a crack of lightning. Then everything became a blur. I blinked and Calypso was gone. I could feel her presence behind me, smell the cinnamon of her hair. As soon as I was able to turn around, she moved so fast that Hermes himself would be proud.
Boom boom. I felt her fingers dig into the soft tissue just above my armpits, but her movements were much too fast for my eyes to track. I grimaced. That really hurt! I tried to swing on her, but my arms dangled uselessly by my sides like limp ramen. A sharp pain ran up my fingertips, then nothing. I couldn't feel my arms at all, let alone move them.
I frowned in confusion as Calypso watched me with sick amusement. Angrily, I spun around to deliver a reverse hook kick right at her shit-eating face. Boom boom boom. I felt the blow of the three jabs to my inner thigh before my brain registered what happened. All I could do was think how the hell is she moving so fast as my legs gave out. I fell face first onto the ground with a mouthful of sand, numb limbs, and a terribly bruised ego.
"Peri!" Leo cried, somewhere out of sight. The distinct sound of a blade slicing through the air soon followed. "Dammit, fine. I'm not moving!"
"H-how?" I breathed in a daze. "Me? Beat?"
"Pressure points really are something, no?" Calypso squatted down to my level on the ground with an irksome smile. "Your hubris was your downfall, so is the fate of many demigods before you, and surely many more after you."
My mind was reeling. This was unthinkable. Was I really that incompetent? All of my years fighting, and I'm beaten by a girl in cutoff jeans?
Calypso rolled up her pants leg and revealed a small dagger strapped to her calf. She snatched it from its holster, rolled my limp body over with her foot, and straddled my waist. My panic spiked when the blade flashed in my face. So this was how I die? Not in an epic battle with Gaea or her giants, no, I'm going to be sliced and diced by a homewrecker with eyes as black as coals.
Wait, coals?
If I could sit up for a closer look, then I would have done so. But even from here I could see the stark difference. The green aura around her eyes was flickering in and out of existence. Even her face wasn't sporting its usual malice and fury. Could she have been in some sort of trance? Was it the magic of Ogygia?
Calypso's soft hand caressed my skin and smoothed the hair from my sweaty face. "Your hair is the color of the rising sun." Her voice was gentle and sweet, nothing like the eerie, hollow tone I'd grown accustomed to. "And your skin is the color of shining Celestial Bronze. It's beautiful."
I swallowed hard. "Um, thank you?"
What's happening? I couldn't believe that this was the same girl who vowed to squeeze the life out of me a few minutes ago. Her eyes were like sparkling obsidian, hypnotic in a way similar to Piper's— but different and beautiful in their own right. Then her lip twitched, and her irises were consumed by emerald. Green smoke poured from her eyes once again.
"Is this why Odysseus prizes you above all others?" Calypso asked in a bone chilling tenor. "What if I rip your flesh from your bones and wear your skin? What if I become you? Then would Odysseus love me?"
"Ohhh," I breathed, as if finding the answer to a particularly tough math question. "You're jacked up in the head. For reals."
I couldn't feel my extremities. I couldn't move. I couldn't fight. Internally I was flipping the fuck out, but I did my best to exude a calm and collected appearance. Never let them see you sweat, right? Still though, things were not looking good for me right now.
All my life, I've used my fists to solve virtually every problem, and now they've been rendered completely useless. I had to rely on something other than violence. But using my brain? That's crazy! I'm no child of Athena— not by a long shot. But I couldn't just lay down and die.
As Calypso considered the best way to scalp me and preserve my hair, I did my best to think. Every great hero has faced a foe too formidable to battle head on, so they used their other skills; misdirection and subterfuge. I couldn't sneak away with my limbs reduced to jelly, so misdirection it is. I had to buy myself some time to come up with a plan.
"Y-you don't need my skin," I piped up. "Yours is great... so clear!"
Calypso paused. "You think so?"
"Psh, yeah! And um, your hair is so pretty. You look like a sexy churro or something."
If I could move my legs, then I'd definitely be kicking myself right now. A sexy churro? There's no way she'd buy that. She's been stuck on this island for thousands of years, she probably doesn't even know what a churro is! Yet, Calypso lowered the knife.
"Thank you..." Calypso's eyes flickered from black to green, as if at war. "I wish Odysseus could see me the way that you do."
The melancholy tone in her voice hit me straight in the gut. I understood her pain, her frustration. My mind recalled all the times that I've been driven crazy with jealousy over Leo. All the way back to the whole Sammy and Hazel debacle up to right now with Leo and Calypso— that blind, psychotic rage that overcame a woman who felt wronged by a man. I knew it all too well.
My heart softened for her. I realized then that Leo was right. Calypso wasn't evil. She wasn't a monster. She was just heartbroken. And the gods cursed her to feel this way forever.
The green fog dissipated from my eyes permanently. I could see clearly now, literally and figuratively. Suddenly it all made sense. The giant animals always said "you aren't meant to be here." Finally I understood. This place is supposed to be a dude's paradise, complete with a cute girl to make you forget all your problems back home.
If Ogygia was a human body, then that'd make me the foreign "virus" that didn't belong and had to be exterminated. The animals were trying to protect Calypso from seeing me, because her damaged psyche would take over and fill her with thousands of years' worth of jealousy. Like what was happening right now.
The ultimate green eyed monster.
I realized with a start that even I fell victim to the island's dark magic. I can admit to being a hothead, but the insane rush of anger and jealousy that threw me into a murderous rage wasn't me. I'd wanted to abandon Leo here, I'd wanted to kill him— the one person I loved more than anything. My eyes watered. That wasn't me. But the envy had swallowed me whole in a matter of seconds. I couldn't imagine how much it was eating up Calypso after all the heartbreak she's endured.
That's it. The only thing that can beat jealousy... is empathy.
The curse of envy was lifted from me, but it still consumed Calypso, clouding her judgement as much as her vision. Maybe I could break her out of this trance and keep my skin attached to my body in the process.
Calypso was busy trimming the ends of my hair with her dagger, muttering something about the perfect skin suit. I shuddered and tried to remember that this wasn't her true self.
"You don't have to do this Calypso," I said.
"Yes, I do," she said matter-of-factly. "If I want Odysseus to love me as much as he loves you, Penelope—"
"I'm not Penelope!" I cried. "And he's not Odysseus. Don't you see that?"
"I... no!" Calypso shook her head roughly. "No, Odysseus left me, but he returned because he loves me—"
"If he really loved you, then he wouldn't have left in the first place," I urged. "You know why he left? Because he wanted to. That's it."
"But why?" Calypso looked on the verge of tears, and my heart ached for her. "Why am I never good enough for them to stay?"
I sighed sadly. "My uh, Gram used to tell me that men do what they want, but women do what they must. I didn't understand when I was little, but I do now. Odysseus left because he wanted to... and you must move on."
"But Odysseus was only the first!" She cried. "Then there was Drake and after him Percy."
"Yeah, well dudes are the worst," I muttered bitterly. "But you can't let heartbreak stop you from living your best life. Besides, you're a three thousand year old catch!"
"I don't think I can ever love again," she said miserably.
"You will," I promised. "But you're immortal, so, like, no rush. You should focus on yourself. Like, how can Calypso love someone when Calypso doesn't love herself?"
"Whoa," she breathed.
"Yeah, a girl who used to do stick and poke tattoos in the bathroom at my Catholic school hit me with that one," I said before chewing my lip in thought. "Huh. I wonder how she's doing."
When I looked at Calypso, I was met with sparkling black orbs. The green smoke had completely dissolved away, and I prayed to the gods that it would be for good this time. A single tear rolled down her cheek, but her smile was absolutely radiant.
"Thank you, brave heroine," Calypso said. "You've saved me from myself. I-I don't know what came over me."
"It's cool. I forgive you for trying to rip my skin off. That was kind of a big thing for me."
"Yeah, I'm not entirely sure where that came from," Calypso chuckled.
Despite the numb feeling in my limbs, a chuckle bubbled in my throat too. "Yeah, you were really serious about that! You're crazy!"
"I know!" She giggled. "Like, hello, mental hospital? We have a patient here for pick up."
"Right?" I laughed. "Come and get her! Put her in a straight jacket!"
"I love girl on girl action as much as the next guy," Leo cut in, "but would you mind getting this sword off of my neck?"
"Shut up, male!" Calypso and I said in unison before bursting into another fit of laughter.