A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for getting this far into the story, I hope you're enjoying it so far :) I came up with the idea for this yesterday and typed out the first three chapters on one go, so let me know if you think I should continue and what you think about it in general. The first three chapters are just establishing the themes of what I want to center the story around and they were primarily to get everything caught up on Calypso's end through Blood of Olympus. I will try to keep everything as close to the original as possible, but don't be surprised if you see some slight alterations!

Next chapter will be told from Leo's point of view, and I'm very excited to delve into his psyche. Enjoy and feel free to leave me your thoughts!

After Leo left, Calypso slowly got back into her old routine. And yet, this time, everything felt different. She didn't feel any bitterness towards Leo like she'd felt for all the other heroes before him. She wasn't angry at him for leaving, and she didn't hate herself for letting him go. She continued to hurt for him every day, and would often wake up at night with dreams of him, but a most of her was just glad that she'd gotten the opportunity to know Leo.

After staying the same for millennia, Leo was the one who managed to change her. Almost like she was yet another one of his machines that he'd swooped in and fixed. Leo's oath often haunted her, but eventually she grew to believe that maybe Leo could be the one to find Ogygia twice, she had faith in him and knew that he's somehow find a way.

Sometimes, she'd picture him appearing out of the air, riding his golden dragon that he'd described to her. Perhaps he would even come in a blaze of fire and broken machinery like he had before. She didn't care how he'd make his entrance; she just knew that he would.

And then, one day, she felt it.

She'd been diligently tending her garden as she did every day when a sudden pain went through her body. She felt as if her insides were burning up, and she felt as if her very soul was being ripped out of her chest. If she was a mortal, she'd think she was dying.

A mortal.

"LEO!" She screamed, pained, and at that moment she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Leo Valdez was dead.

She wasn't sure how many days she lay there. She wasn't sure if it was the lingering pain that held her, or the shock. She couldn't find it in her to care. Never in her life had she wished to be a mortal until this very moment. What else could she live for? Leo was dead. What was the point of anything anymore? How could she ever find happiness again?

But then, one day, something happened. She felt a strange warmth rush through her, and somehow she heard the sound of a heartbeat. Slow, at first, sputtering and weak, but gradually, it grew stronger. It evened out. Calypso breathed.

"Leo?" she whispered, and with her eyes closed she could see him clearly, smiling at her, laughing at his own stupid joke.

The pure joy that rushed through her, the certainty that took over her mind, it was clear as day. Leo Valdez had found a way to cheat death. And he was on his way.

Every day, Calypso woke up thinking, maybe today will be the day, but every day so far it wasn't. Every day that Leo didn't show up in crushed her, but she didn't doubt him. He would come, no matter how long it took. And she would wait.

The day Leo came back to her started out like any other day. It was just past noon and Calypso was taking a stroll through the coast, looking out into the horizon to see if she could see anything. When she spotted the distant speck in the sky, she almost dismissed it as a trick of her mind, but as it got progressively bigger she felt her hands begin to shake.

It was definitely a giant bronze dragon. And it was headed straight for her.

She suddenly yelped and ran off, realizing that Leo was about to make yet another spectacular crash landing onto her island. Festus crashed heavily into the shore, he was on fire and bronze parts flying out in each and every direction, had she not seen Leo walk away from a similar landing before she would have been worried, but all she wanted was for the smoke to clear out. All she wanted was to see him.

And then, there he was. Standing amidst the smoke, brushing his hands off on his jeans—the jeans she'd made for him. With a shock, Calypso realized that he'd grown. Leo stood taller than before, his elfish face had narrowed out into a handsome one, his chest looked firm, not quite muscular, but now he actually looked like a man who worked in a forge doing manual labor all day. But that mop of curly hair was the same, the nervous, twitchy hands were the same, the wild eyes darting about were the same; it was just Leo, her hero.

When he finally caught sight of her his eyes widened. Calypso smiled, and he stared at her, dazed, as if not believing he'd made it.

Unable to bear the separation any longer, Calypso ran straight at him and hugged him fiercely. He stood still, shocked, but she didn't wait for him to hug her in return. She stepped back, grabbed him by his face as she'd done so many years ago, and kissed him.

Again, Leo stood still, frozen solid. But slowly, he returned her kiss, winding his hands into her hair, the other one resting at the small of her back. This is what she'd been waiting for, this, her Leo, come back for her, ready to spirit her away—

And then he suddenly broke off the kiss and pushed her back.

She blinked, "Leo?"

He gaped at her, looking utterly confused, and somewhat embarrassed. "Look lady, you're like, incredibly hot and all, and I'm all for sharing the love, but umm…who the hell are you and why are you kissing me?"

She felt the world freeze around her. After everything, after all the years she'd waited, after all the times she'd had her heart broken, after he broke the curse and found his way back to her, after all of that….

Could the gods be this cruel?