After understanding just how vital it was that Leo return to his quest, Calypso decided to help Leo get on his way as quickly as possible. She prepared provisions for his trip on the first day, and on the second day she made herself some clothes similar to Leo's (jeans and a t-shirt, he'd called them) and figured she might as well help in whatever way she could.
When Leo saw her that morning he spared her a second glanced and inquired about the change, and she admitted that they looked somewhat more practical than a dress. But perhaps, a tiny part of her just wanted to feel like she was a regular mortal girl in the modern world, surrounded by Leo's machines and away from her cave, she could almost pretend that she, too was leaving Ogigya to join the world. Almost.
As if he'd read her mind, Leo started, "What Gaea said…about you getting off this island. Would you want to try it?"
Calypso felt a big THUMP in her chest, 'Oh Leo…' she explained to him that he couldn't leave, and yet part of her wanted to jump up and scream "YES! YES! I'D LOVE TO GO!" But now that she knew just how important Leo's quest was, she couldn't just let his slim chance of success diminish because of her selfishness.
"Why would you care about that?" he asked. "I mean, after being away from the world for so long?"
She stared, 'Was that actually a sensible question? This boy will never seize to surprise me.'
"I suppose I don't like being told what to do— by Gaea or anyone else. As much as I hate the gods sometimes, over the past three millennia I've come to see that they're better than the Titans. They're definitely better than the giants. At least the gods kept in touch. Hermes has always been kind to me. And your father, Hephaestus, has often visited. He is a good person." As was Leo, annoying as he was.
She proceeded to insist on helping him, and he seemed pleased to find that she was willing. When she began to weave the bronze coils with ease he smiled, "Huh, well if you ever get off this island and want a job, let me know. You're not a total klutz."
She wasn't quite sure what a "klutz" was, but she did think Leo had just complimented her, she smirked, amused at the idea of her having a job, did women have jobs nowadays? "A job, eh? Making things in your forge?" Of course he'd want her to work for him. Boys.
"Nah, we could start our own shop," Leo said, surprising her, "Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters."
"Fresh fruits and vegetables," she smiled.
"Cider and stew," Leo added. "We could even provide entertainment. You could sing and I could, like, randomly burst into flames."
Calypso couldn't help it; she tilted her head back and laughed. When was the last time she'd laughed like this?
"See," he said looking at her, suddenly both shy and proud of himself, "I'm funny."
She forced her smile down, she couldn't let him think that she liked him or anything, "You are not funny. Now, get back to work, or no cider and stew."
"Yes ma'am!" He nodded, and resumed his work.
They continued working in a comfortable silence, and Calypso found herself surprised to find how at ease she was with this boy. Whenever she had to embark on a new project or didn't quite understand what Leo needed her to do, he was patient and clear with his instructions, showing a confidence in himself that was a lot more genuine than the jokes and front he put on. This, working with his hands, getting grimy and focused, this was his happy place. This is where he found his solace.
In a way that surprised her, Calypso realized that she could relate to him on this level. Though she didn't make all these crazy machines like Leo did, Calypso had also found her calling in working with her hands. When she tended her gardens, Calypso found peace, she was confident and centered, and she could focus on it for hours and not mind one bit. Perhaps, just maybe, they weren't that different after all.
On the second day Calypso felt right at home with Leo's strange machinery. Unbidden and unwatched, the thought crept into her mind, 'I could see myself doing this, with him. I could be happy.' She almost dropped the wires in my hand.
It was true though, the more familiar she became with Leo, the more she began to appreciate him as an individual. Though Leo continued to throw random jokes out as he worked, she found herself laughing along with him on several occasions; he was maybe a little bit funny. As the day progressed, he began to tell her a bit more about his quest, about his friends Piper and Jason, his best friends, and his new friends Hazel, Frank, Nico, even Percy and Annabeth.
When Leo got to talking about the things he'd built, it was hard not to smile at him. His face lit up entirely when he talked about his dragon Festus and his Argo II, he became animated and babbled on about the machinery and upgrades and threw out a bunch of words that Calypso had no idea what they meant. And yet she didn't have the heart to stop him, he was so happy and so proud of himself. She realized it was the same way she felt about her beautiful garden, something that she had worked on entirely by herself, something that made her proud of what her own two hands could do. She could appreciate that.
A couple of nights later, they finished his "guidance console." Calypso still had no idea exactly what the thing was supposed to do, but Leo had been so careful and specific about everything that she simply trusted that he knew what he was doing.
They were eating a picnic on the beach after a long day's work when she realized something, "All we need now is a boat." She winced internally, the "we" had slipped out unintentionally, she'd worked so hard on this console with Leo that she had almost confused herself into believing that she could go too. 'You foolish girl.'
Leo nodded his head, "I can start chopping wood into boards tomorrow. Few days, we'll have enough for a small hull."
We. The word was like a dagger, 'Oh no…' She swallowed, willing her voice to stay even, "You've made a ship before, your Argo II." She steadied her resolve and turned to him, "So how long until you sail?" 'How long until you leave, just like everyone else?'
"Uh, not sure. Another week?" he said, trying to meet her gaze.
Calypso ran her fingers across the completed circuit board. "This took so long to make." Part of her had believed that the ship would take longer to make, that perhaps he might stay just a little bit longer…
"You can't rush perfection." He'd said it so simply, confident, proud.
A smile tugged at the edge of her mouth. "Yes, but will it work?"
"Getting out, no problem," Leo said. "But to get back I'll need Festus and—"
Calypso's breath failed her, "What?!"
Leo blinked. "Festus. My bronze dragon. Once I figure out how to rebuild him, I'll—"
"You told me about Festus," Calypso said. "But what do you mean get back?"
Leo grinned , as if nervous. "Well… to get back here, duh. I'm sure I said that."
"You most definitely did not."
"I'm not gonna leave you here! After you helped me and everything? Of course I'm coming back. Once I rebuild Festus, he'll be able to handle an improved guidance system. There's this astrolabe that I, uh…" He stopped, looking like he'd wanted to say something more but holding back for some reason. "… that I found in Bologna. Anyway, I think with that crystal you gave me—"
"You can't come back," Calypso insisted.
Leo's face dropped, "Because I'm not welcome?"
She felt like a giant was sitting on her chest, 'Oh Leo, don't…' She tried again, "Because you can't. It's impossible. No man finds Ogygia twice. That is the rule."
Leo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you might've noticed I'm not good at following rules. I'm coming back here with my dragon, and we'll spring you. Take you wherever you want to go. It's only fair."
"Fair…" he looked so certain, sitting there by the fire, holding the product of his labor in his hand. And he talked about fairness, when had anyone ever been concerned with what was fair for her? When had anyone tried to fight her on this issue? When had anyone been so incredibly sure that they could rescue her from her fate? After the gods cast her out in this island, Calypso never dared to consider what was fair, they held the power and they issued out her sentence—gods didn't concern themselves with fairness. No one ever considered what she deserved.
He continued, "You didn't really think I could start Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair without Calypso, did you?" he asked. "I can't make cider and stew, and I sure can't sing."
She stared at the sand. He had meant it. He meant every word he'd said to her. While she had berated herself for even pretending for a second that he would come back for her and spirit her away to the mortal world, while she told herself she was an idiot for believing he meant what he said about opening up that repair shop with her…he'd believed it all.
And then, she knew. It felt as if she'd been struck by lightning and a shock went through her entire system as she realized that she was madly, desperately, truly in love with this boy. With a sudden clarity, Calypso realized that the love she had for Leo was different from anything she'd ever experienced. It was not a love at first sight, it was not one that came from admiration and adoration, it was a love that was built up over time, one that was slow to come and had to be earned. One that crept up on you when you never even saw it coming. A love of companionship, of true equals. A love of soulmates. She knew that she would never, could never love another the way she loved Leo Valdez.
"Well, anyway," Leo spoke, and yet somehow he sounded so far away to her, "tomorrow I'll start on the lumber. And in a few days…"
When he trailed of, she knew exactly what it meant. Of course, how could it not? There was that ever present raft, there to take away the one she loved. She had never hated the gods more than she did at that moment.
Steeling her resolve, Calypso knew that Leo couldn't spend another moment on this island. As much as she loved him, as much as she wanted him to stay with her, she knew that she couldn't offer him a chance to stay. The fate of the world rested on Leo's shoulders, and Calypso simply was not that selfish. She would never know what he truly felt for her, but it didn't matter, she couldn't sway his resolve by revealing the depth of her feelings.
She jumped up, "Hurry! I don't know how long it will stay!" that was a lie, she knew that raft would stay for as long as she continued to love him, it would stay forever if he chose to stay. She grabbed the supply bags and stowed them on the raft, trying to keep busy to hold back the tears she already felt pricking at her eyes.
"But…" Leo looked so lost she almost lost her resolve, "That's the magic raft?"
"Duh!" Calypso yelled. "It might work like it's supposed to and take you where you want to go. But we can't be sure. The island's magic is obviously unstable. You must rig up your guidance device to navigate." Lies, lies, lies! She needed him to get off this island, he had to go save the world. He had to leave her behind.
She snatched up the console and Leo moved with her this time, both of them working perfectly in sync—as if they'd been doing this forever. Much too soon, everything was ready. Leo was ready to set sail and leave Ogygia forever.
She took a breath, "Go."
Leo turned, and all of a sudden he was much to close, "The raft finally got here."
She tried to mirror his previous attitude, laughing off her pain with a snort, looking up as if annoyed but really holding back tears, "You just noticed?"
"But if it only shows up for guys you like—"
"Don't push your luck, Leo Valdez," she said. "I still hate you." There was definitely no way he'd believe that.
"Okay." He looked at her, wide-eyed, as if not believing what this really meant.
"And you are not coming back here," she insisted. "So don't give me any empty promises."
"How about a full promise?" he said. "Because I'm definitely—"
She couldn't hold herself back anymore, he was so close, and so she did the one thing she'd always stopped herself from doing to all previous heroes—she grabbed a hold of his face and pulled him in for a kiss. The kiss was rushed, messy, and absolutely perfect, and she pushed him away before she could fully appreciate it.
"That didn't happen." He had to leave, now. Before he got a chance to think about it.
"Okay." His voice sounded an octave higher than usual.
"Get out of here."
"Okay."
She turned away, wiping her eyes, not wanting to see him leave like she'd watched every hero leave before him. She didn't want his last memory of her to be of the weeping girl on the shore. She'd like to believe that Leo grew to love her just as much as she loved him, and if he would carry this with him for the rest of his life, she wanted him to remember her as strong, worthy of his love.
When she heard the raft course over the water she knew that was the last she'd ever see of Leo Valdez. But then, suddenly, with a chill, Calypso heard Leo's voice one last time.
"I'm coming back for you, Calypso. I swear it on the River Styx."
She hurtled around, looking wildly out to the sea, but he was already gone. 'Oh no, no, no, no! Leo! What have you done?!' and just like that Calypso was certain that Leo cursed himself to an eternity in Tartarus. What had he done?