II
Even when it was nighttime, the air was still warm. It wasn't dry or humid; but a balanced combination of the two. It was, by definition, perfect.
It also created the ideal environment for tinkering. Leo thought about reaching into his toolbelt, and getting to work on repairing Festus so they could leave as soon as possible; but his fatigue stopped him. The awful feeling of death he had earlier was gone, and was promptly replaced with exhaustion. He was glad that it had ended up just being a side-effect. He didn't want to be a zombie for the rest of his life.
Leo looked over his shoulder, and smiled softly at Calypso, who was already sleeping intently. Their conversation earlier had taken a lot out of them. Social interaction was a rare occurrence for her, so it drained her rather quickly. She had gone off to cook dinner, leaving Leo to twiddle his thumbs. She had told him to lie down, and that "he needed some rest after being killed". After about fifteen-minutes, she came back with a massive feast, consisting of Dragon Fruit, Papaya, and half-a dozen fish tacos, leaving Leo wondering whether or not she had a secret freezer somewhere.
She started talking about where she wanted to go when they left Ogygia. She mentioned Athens, Rome, Alexandria, and a bunch of places that Leo was pretty sure didn't even exist anymore. He stared at her blankly as she rattled off more and more names.
"Although, I have heard England is rather nice," she pondered. "Has it changed much in the past 300 years?"
"Oh girl, you have no idea," Leo replied flatly.
That was when he realized he would probably have to take the driver's seat on this one. Leo sighed, and then relaxed his shoulders. Thinking about his future made him tired. He didn't like to think too much about it, but usually he never had a chance in the first place. He was always worried about whether or not he would survive the next day. Now, he had as much time as he wanted. It felt weird. He closed his eyes, giving in to his exhaustion.
When he woke up the next day, Calypso was gone. Leo rubbed his eyes and went off to go find her. As he walked along the shore, he welcomed the smell of the saltwater ocean into his nose. Nothing like a good morning walk.
Leo quickly spotted her on the beach, squatting down next to Festus, a wrench in her hand. He didn't like other people messing with Festus, especially if they didn't know him very well. Most people were intimidated by his metal jaws; but Leo knew he was actually a very gentle creature on the inside. All he wanted was the occasional oil bath.
"G'morning Cal," Leo said, grabbing her attention. "What's going on here?"
His words broke her focus, and she turned towards him.
"Oh, hi! I'm just doing some work on Festus. You looked so tired last night, I-I thought I'd try and help."
She glanced back at Festus's underbelly, which was open, exposing his incredibly complex circuitry and gear mechanisms. Leo was incredibly proud of him; Festus was his best work. That and the Argo II, or course.
"And I think I've just about got it…"
Calypso casually picked up a massive plate of painted celestial bronze, as if it weighed no more than a pebble. Leo watched as she connected the remaining wires, then sealed the metal together seamlessly and smoothly, using nothing but a homemade hammer, like she had done it a million times. Leo was awestruck. It reminded him of his mother.
"Since when did you learn to do that? And how long have you just had celestial bronze lying around?"
"I learned from watching you, Leo." She replied tentatively. "-And the gods drop stuff here all the time. It's a waste, really."
Leo thought she looked pretty in her oil-stained shirt. He'd found his type after all.
"I pick up on things pretty quickly. Besides, you left behind some tools from your last… visit. Would've been a shame to let them go to waste." She paused for a moment.
"Although, I've been working on Festus for hours now; and I don't think I've ever seen something as complicated and convoluted as this."
She studied the crisscrossing wires, scratching her head.
Leo faked being taken aback. "Me? Convoluted? Maybe if you call having color coded wires, universal 500 ohm resistors and serial-number organized relays convoluted, then yeah, you're right.
Calypso let out a giggle. Leo smiled in relief. He was glad she could tell when he was being sarcastic. It made being around her feel more natural. He didn't have to try to be somebody he wasn't.
"Well, if you're gonna be working on this all day, at least let me help you. I bet we can have Festus up and running by tomorrow if we work together." Leo was feeling much better today. His brain fog had cleared, and he could think rationally again.
"Hey Cal, I had this idea last night and I wanna run it by you real quick. Remember that modification I told you about a few years ago?."
She scrunched her eyebrows, thinking for a moment, before her face lit up. "Are you talking about what I think you are? Are we actually going to do it?"
"Oh yeah. It's time for Operation Flameraft," Leo replied.
"You're terrible with names," Calypso said flatly.
"Well, I don't see anybody else with any ideas! Not to mention, you're talking to the guy who names his furniture. So yeah, I'm open to suggestions."
"Hmm… what about 'Operation Earthbound?'"
Leo thought about it for a moment, not expecting her to actually give him a response. Of course her suggestion would be better.
"I like it. It's got a nice ring to it. OEB for short. I-" He caught himself before continuing to ramble on. It tended to happen when he got too excited.
"Alright, let's get to work! Now, do you have any more of that celestial bronze? Because this place is positively loaded with that stuff."
They continued to work throughout the day. Hours passed. By the time Leo had looked up, the sun had already set. He was drenched in sweat right alongside Calypso. It looked like she had her limits after all.
"It's ready," Leo announced. He stepped back to admire their hard work. Festus was looking much better. It had been a pain to clean out all of the dirt and sand, and there were still a few burn marks leftover; but there wasn't much he could do about that.
"Should we test it?" Calypso asked eagerly.
"Mhm… sure. Festus!" Leo projected his voice as much as he could. Festus had been responding more to emotion lately. He had no idea how or why, but he did know it couldn't be explained by gears or circuits.
To Leo's relief, his eyes sprang to life, glowing a fiery yellow. He and Calypso stepped back, watching as he stretched. The metal plates began grinding against each other, and his gears whirred to life. After stretching out his neck, he let out a roar, as small bursts of flames sputtered out of his mouth. Leo smiled, and ran up to hug him.
"Festus, buddy! It's good to have you back. We tried our best to fix you up, but I can only do so much with my magic pouch." He sighed. Festus deserved better. "You can thank Calypso here for your new metal coat. How're you feeling?"
Festus purred happily, while Calypso just stared at them. He then turned towards her, nuzzling her gently, as if to thank her.
Leo noticed her fearful expression. He then realized this was probably the most action she'd seen her entire life.
"Don't be afraid, Cal. That's just his way of saying he likes you. Now go on. Say something."
It took her a moment, but she finally managed to get out the words, "T-thank you!" Leo was so used to having Festus around, that he forgot that most people didn't own giant sentient mechanical fire-breathing dragons.
"Well then, let's give 'Operation Earthbound' a try now. You up for it Festus?"
He roared in acceptance, and flew over to the water nearby before beginning to transform. The sheets of bronze on his mane expanded, creating a raft-like surface over the water. The end of his tail curled into a stern, and his head into a living mast. It was perfect.
They looked at each other and smiled, before immediately bolting towards the dragon-ship. He'd never seen Calypso run so fast before.
"It's beautiful!" She admired their hard work from up close, no longer fearful of their creation.
Leo boarded Festus, but before taking a seat he offered his hand to Calypso, motioning for her to take it.
"You coming? It's just a test drive. It'll be awesome, I promise."
She looked at his hand, then up at his face, hesitating before placing her hand in his palm. He hoisted her up so she was standing beside him.
Leo held Calypso's head in his hands, looking into her eyes intimately. She stared back shyly. For someone who'd supposedly fallen in love with every demigod she met, she was awfully awkward. Or maybe she'd never truly cared about any of them until now.
Leo placed his hand on Festus' neck. "Alright buddy, let's go for a swim! Just around the island, though; we're not leaving just yet."
Festus groaned, then began to slowly sift through the water. Calypso let her head rest on his shoulder, and he looked back at the island. The sunset was a fire-orange, and seagulls had begun to flock around Ogygia. That's odd, he thought, I don't remember seeing any seagulls.
Leo glanced at Calypso. She had a tiny pimple on her nose. He concentrated for a moment, and realized he could hardly feel her godly glow.
Leo's smile suddenly faded. The curse was breaking. Ironically, he cursed to himself. Of course he was aware of the fact that Calypso would lose her immortality when she finally left Ogygia; but now he wasn't so sure they should leave. A splinter of doubt had wedged itself into his mind. Did he have the right to take away her eternal life? What if after they left Ogygia, Calypso realized she didn't like him anymore? She'd probably blame him for ruining her life. Another bridge burned. If that happened, Leo would never forgive himself.
He tried to keep his posture, but his premonitions made it challenging.
"Is something wrong? " Calypso asked.
Leo didn't meet her eyes. "Cal… are you sure you want to go through with this? If we leave, you'll become mortal. You know what that means, right?"
Her smiling face turned serious. "I'm well aware of what will happen to me, Leo. I've given it a lot of thought; three-thousand years worth, in fact. Even now, it isn't easy. But imagine what it would be like living for eternity, watching the world unfold from the sidelines, without a single soul to share it with. Imagine a dozen lifetimes filled with complete and utter loneliness, with nothing but the occasional demigod visitor to pass the time. This is my reality, Leo. I might seem like I'm smart, but I haven't a clue about what goes on in the real world." She cupped her hands around Leo's face, forcing Leo to look at her. "Wouldn't you want that to end, even if it meant living just one good life?"
Leo took a deep breath. His hands were twitching, as they usually did when he was nervous. Festus had already reached the shore, and was waiting for his cargo to disembark. Her words carried a sad wisdom to them. He still wasn't sure he was ready, but he knew Calypso well enough to know that he couldn't stop her. If she was leaving, then he would too; even if he wished he could just stay on Ogygia forever. He hated how his selfish thoughts betrayed him.
Suddenly, an angry memory came to the forefront of his mind. After the wind had taken his beloved drawing of the Argo II, he had started to cry out of impotent anger. His abuela had found him in his room, sobbing quietly on his bed. Everything he touched went up in flames it seemed, including his own mamà. The Earth itself had wanted to make his life miserable.
Leo had unleashed his rage upon his bedroom, breaking his desk, shattering his lamp, and destroying anything he could, all while tears streamed down his face. His abuela had heard the noise, running upstairs.
His abuela was shocked at the destruction before her. She asked him why he was crying, and Leo told her it was because he had lost his drawing; and that he was angry. Angry that everything in his life was miserable. Angry that anything that brought him joy was stomped into dust.
He looked up at her, expecting a punishment; but instead of scolding him like he had been expecting, she said something that he'd never forget.
"Ay, anger is natural, mi ninito. I have wished some times myself that I did not have children. Being a single grandmother isn't so easy! I may feel guilty, or want some things to end, but that is what makes us human, Leo. Never apologize for feeling angry. If you need to smash something, then by the gods, smash it."
A tear formed on Leo's eye, but he wiped it before it could fall. Even though his abuela had given him a lot of tough love, he was grateful for everything she had done for him.
"Yeah," Leo finally replied, "I would want to get as far away from this place as possible."
Calypso tilted her head and smiled softly in response, before hopping off Festus and landing on the shore.
"Come on then, Valdez! We still have some time left until tomorrow's light."
Calypso held out her hand, waiting for him to take it. Leo breathed deeply through his nose, and took her hand in response, joining her on the beach. Tomorrow, they would take their broken boat, and finally point it home.
