IV


Leo knew Festus couldn't last much longer. He creaked in fear, looking at him expectantly. His hands started to shake again. There was nothing he could do, and he hated it. His anger manifested into a small fire in his palm, which was quickly extinguished by the rain. He didn't want to have to use Festus' emergency protocol, but if things got bad enough…

Adrenaline pumped throughout his body with each thunderous boom. His hair stood on end. Calypso had put on a rain jacket, and even though she was completely drenched, he couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked. It was almost like she was a regular teenager.

Leo turned his attention back to the ocean, captaining Festus like he was the helm of a boat. He really wished Percy were here right now; this would've been a cake walk for him. As much as he envied the guy, he had to admit that he was seriously powerful.

The waves grew larger and larger, as Festus bobbed and shook, gliding up and down the crests of each wave. Now all they had to do was wait it out.

Upon Leo's command, a bronze bubble shot out around them. The sound of the storm became muffled, as Leo rubbed his hands together to warm them up, before holding out his palm and willing a small flame to come to life. Calypso sat down next to him, looking at him solemnly. Before Leo could react, she took off her coat and shirt, leaving her in just her top. He looked away out of respect, but clearly Calypso didn't care. She looked at him, then frowned.

"Are you not worried about the cold? If you keep your wet clothes on, you could become ill."

Leo turned to face her. "Yeah, luckily I don't have that problem. I guess having an internal fire is pretty handy, huh?"

Calypso smiled, and wrapped herself with a towel. Leo sighed. He wasn't actually nervous; but he didn't really know what Calypso's boundaries were yet. Better to play it safe for now.

She snuggled up next to him, and placed her head on Leo's shoulder. He sighed, thoughts swirling around in his head. He wanted to be brave; he wanted to find an answer to their problems. Somehow, he'd always been able to find a way. Yet, the truth was, he had nothing; but he couldn't let Calypso know about that. She was relying on him now. He closed his eyes, Calypso's warm body in his arms. He prayed they could get out of this in one piece.

They sat in silence while the rain pelted them from the outside. Leo could occasionally hear hail battering Festus's bronze bubble. Whenever he heard Festus whine, he gritted his teeth. After this, Leo seriously owed him.

Soon enough, the bobbing of the water and sound of the rain started to become rhythmic, allowing them to sleep somewhat peacefully. There really wasn't much else to do but rest. They'd already eaten some of the food they'd brought with them; but that wouldn't be a problem. They had enough to last them months. Leo just wished the storm would end, Being cooped up in a metal box with no air holes felt incredibly suffocating.

Leo felt his eyes close as he tried to focus on something less stressful. After what felt like hours, he finally managed to fall asleep.

BOOM.

Leo shot up, eyes wide and scanning his surroundings. Adrenaline was pumping through his body. Startled, Calypso yelped as she woke up, swaying side to side as Festus picked up speed. He let out a threatening roar. What was going on out there?

Another explosion rocked Festus. Whatever it was, it hadn't hit them directly, but Leo could tell it probably wouldn't stay that way for long.

"Deactivate shield!" Leo yelled. In an instant, the barrier dropped, and in the mist, their enemy became clear. Leo saw what was assaulting them; though he didn't quite believe it. He watched with terror and curiosity as the helm of a ship tore through the fog. Even though explosions rang in his ear and massive cannonballs were whizzing past him every few seconds, he couldn't help but admire the vessel's workmanship. It had a singular main sail, with a smaller one sticking out towards the helm. An eye was painted on the side of the mast, and four cannons dotted the outside of the hull, two on each side of the ship. It looked incredibly similar to the ships he had seen in the navy at the Roman camp.

Leo frowned. They definitely weren't Roman. Romans had better aim. He would've been killed in seconds if Reyna was onboard. And What was their problem anyway? Did they think Festus was a monster? Were they pirates? He hoped they weren't Roman; otherwise, there would be about 11 other ships worth of backup. Their navy was no joke.

Whatever if it was, Leo decided it was time to fight fire with fire. He glanced at Calypso, who was still trying to get her bearings. He refocused his gaze on the ship determinedly. With the vessel in sight, Leo charged up a fireball in his right palm. The rain was still pounding on the metal floor, but he didn't care. Using all of his pent up frustration, he shot a white-hot sheet of fire that not even the rain could extinguish.

It exploded on impact. The ship's helm, once a majestic serpent's head, was now just a collection of wooden planks in the water.

Though, clearly something odd was happening. Leo could see some soldiers peer over the railing, looking at him and yelling to their crewmates. They were wearing dull golden helmets, but from a distance, he couldn't make anything else out.

To Leo's surprise, the cannon fire stopped. He glanced at Calypso, who had her eyes fixed on the ship. Festus had several dents the size of cannonballs all over his hide. They had to get to land now, or he'd become just another sunken treasure.

The wind howled as the ship sailed closer, and began to loom over them. Leo looked up. The letters "SPQR" were etched into the main sail. Most of the crew was wearing Imperial Gold helmets, while some wore more storm-friendly clothing. They really were Roman. Either way, he instinctively set his hand ablaze, in case he had to make a final stand.

"What's going on?!" Calypso yelled, trying to get Leo to hear her over the chaos.

"They're Roman! I hope!" Leo couldn't really hear her; his attention was on the potential threat in front of them.

Suddenly, golden ropes shot out from cannons on either side of the ships, clasping onto Festus's body. The ropes seemed to pull themselves as the two vessels drifted closer together. They were trapped. Festus didn't even have the strength to make a noise. It didn't take long for them to come face-to-face with the crew, who were looking down on them from their ship. They didn't seem to be in an aggressive mood. Should have saved their ammo for an actual threat, Leo thought, gritting his teeth. Nobody hurt Festus without getting a beating in return.

"Hey! Who-"

Someone began to speak, but stopped abruptly after seeing the flame in Leo's hand, which despite the downpour was still about as large as a bonfire. After seeing his reaction, Leo decided to tone it down a little. If they really were friendly, he needed them on his side. Besides, he didn't want to make the Romans even more ticked off at him then they already were.

"Hey. Mind if you stop trying to blow us up?" Leo asked casually, trying to stay calm.

A smaller looking woman holding an Imperial Gold spear stepped forward. Judging by how the others gave her space, she was probably the leader. She wore shoulder pads and iron armor adorned with cloth, which was embroidered with designs of swords and shields. It looked like it would suck to walk around in.

She pointed her spear in Leo's direction and studied him for a moment, a serious look on her face.

"You… I remember you. You're that ignoramus who blew up the pavilion last year."

Leo sighed. Just his luck. Now, they'd have to fight off an entire ship full of demigods fully equipped with armor and weapons.

The girl lowered her spear, and her face softened.

"You're lucky you're considered a hero now. People have been looking for you, Leo. Get on board; we could use another pair of hands."

She looked at Calypso, and raised her eyebrow.

"And who's that? A friend of yours I assume?"

Leo didn't know how to respond. People thought he was a hero? They were looking for him? Of course they were; he left a note. Besides, if that Nico guy was still around he could probably sense his lifeforce. He couldn't help but crack a smile.

"That's-"

Leo paused. He didn't want to stretch their luck. He had no idea if they would welcome a Titan aboard their ship.

Calypso decided that this was the perfect moment to step in. She stepped forward and bowed, as the other demigods looked down at her, and then at each other in confusion.

"Hello! I am Calypso, daughter of Atlas; though I come in peace, and bear no affinity to the rest of my family."

Leo closed his eyes, mentally facepalming. Guess there was no going back now. The girl's eyes grew a little bigger, as she shifted her body and attention towards Calypso.

"You… you're Calypso? I've heard the stories. Aren't you supposed to be magically bound to your island?"

"That is true; at least, it was until a couple days ago. See, Leo managed to find Ogygia using… what was it called again?"

"The Astrolobe," Leo chimed in.

"Yes. That," Calypso continued, "-and by definition, since no man can ever find Ogygia twice, the curse was broken. At least, this is what I believe to be the case," Calypso finished.

"Fascinating," she replied, uninterested, "do you have any useful skills?"

Calypso beamed, as if she had been waiting for someone to ask that question for her entire life.

"Oh, yes! I-"

"Look, she can do literally everything, alright?" Leo interrupted. Water was starting to pool on Festus, and if they didn't get on the ship they'd be shark food.

"Just get on the boat, Cal."

Leo watched as the other demigods helped Calypso up over the side of the ship and onto the floor.

"So, you guys all alone out here?"

The girl sighed. "Yeah. We're out on a rescue mission, actually. It's why there's so few of us. One of our friends was chosen for a quest, but went missing somewhere around here. Reyna told us not to leave, but obviously we didn't listen. That idiot Kanan… why didn't he just ask me for help?"

She muttered the last part to herself. It sounded like it was none of his business. At least this explained where they looked so young. They couldn't be any older than he was.

"So… you got a name?" Leo silently winced at his own words. He was awful at small talk. To be fair, it had been a while since he'd seen anyone other than Calypso.

"The name's Naya. Naya Khatri."

She nodded at Leo. He wasn't used to being respected, much less by Roman demigods. It was a nice change of pace. He looked up, and saw that Calypso had made it on board. He looked down nervously at Festus, then turned back towards Naya.

"Hang on to the ladder," Leo stated.

Naya frowned. "What? Why?"

"Just do it."

After a hesitant sigh, she obliged. Leo grabbed ahold of Festus's tail.

"Festus, shrink!"

The air was filled with the sound of metal grinding against metal, as Festus's body folded in on itself countless times, faster than he could comprehend; until it had compressed itself into a tiny box in Leo's hand. Naya looked at the box, a bewildered look on her face.

"How-"

Leo looked at her and smirked. He had vastly improved this feature earlier, and now he could quite literally hold Festus in his hand.

"Just another Tuesday for me. Or is today Wednesday? I've kind of lost track of time."

Naya ignored him, and took his free hand, dragging him along with practically no effort, as she herself climbed the ladder. She was definitely a daughter of Mars.

"Ow!"

Naya hauled Leo on deck, as he sat down hard on the wooden floor. Calypso was wrapped in a towel nearby. Luckily, she had put the rest of her clothes back on before their encounter. That would've been a little awkward to explain.

"Hot tea for our guests, please!" Naya snapped her fingers, looking at people expectantly.

"Yes ma'am!"

One of the guys promptly disappeared below deck, and came out half a minute later with another towel and two cups of hot tea. Once Naya was out of earshot, Leo turned to one of the demigods tending to them.

"Is she always like this?" Leo asked.

The guy smiled. "Usually. But right now, she's got a lot on her plate. You see, her and Kanan? They're together; or at least, they were."

He looked around to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation.

"-and don't tell anyone this, but I heard a rumor that she was going to propose to him. Crazy, right?"

"Uh-huh," Leo responded, feeling like that was probably a little bit too much information.

"Really?" Calypso suddenly grew interested. "Well, we have to help her then-"

"Ben! Get over here, I need your help fixing the helm. Our friend Leo here took a massive chunk off of the serpent's head!" Naya yelled from across the deck.

"Coming!" Ben took off, leaving Leo and Calypso to themselves. Leo stared at the ocean for a moment. The storm had calmed down a bit, as sunshine started to leak through the thick clouds above. He listened as the crew huddled together on the opposite side of the ship, talking about Leo as if he wasn't even there.

"We can trust 'em', right?" Somebody said, glancing back at him.

"Look, you saw what he did with just his bare hands. If he wanted to fight, this ship would've already gone up in smoke," Naya admitted.

"Maybe he could help us," someone reasoned, "I know I could definitely use an extra hand below deck."

They murmured to each other, occasionally exchanging glances with Leo.

"Leo! Good news. We'll help you guys out. But, you're gonna have to help us, too. You can start by fixing the helm."

Leo sighed. He knew what Calypso was thinking. She looked at him with puppy eyes and a smile. It wasn't like they had much of a choice anyway.

"Fair enough," he replied, blinking heavily, "do you at least have a spare shirt? This one's kind of drenched."

"Yeah, I can check. Just Gimme a minute."

Naya ran down below deck. Calypso was beaming, despite the fact that they had both been put through the wringer. Leo was hesitant to join them; not because he didn't want to help, but because he didn't want to be involved in another quest. He knew what it felt like. Messing with fate was never a good idea, especially since he finally had a life worth fighting for.

"Leo, can you believe it? Our first adventure! And a quest!" Calypo met Leo's eyes, and her smile disappeared.

"Hey. You know this isn't like your other quests, right? It's not about us. This time, we're just travelers."

Leo shook his head. "There's no such thing as chance when it comes to fate," he responded solemnly. "Trust me; I know from experience. The longer we stay with them, the more intertwined our destinies become."

"That may be so," Calypso countered, "but If there's no avoiding it, then why try so hard to change it? Why not embrace it?"

Leo looked down at the floor beside her. He didn't have an answer.

"You forget Valdez, I have been around longer than most. I have seen many demigods come and go. Some become great heroes, and some die trying. But the happiest ones were always those who accepted their life for what it was, regardless of the outcome."

There was some tension in the air. Leo thought back to his time with his friends. For so long, he wanted to believe that a peaceful life was in the cards for him. Now he was starting to doubt that.

"I care about you, Leo. That's why I'm telling you this. I want us to be happy, but for that to work the feeling has to be mutual."

Leo grit his teeth.

"I know, Cal. I'm sorry. I just… I want a life where I don't have to fight for my life everytime I wake up. I don't want to live in constant fear of losing the people I care about, or being held responsible for saving the world. I know that sounds kinda selfish, and maybe it is; but it's all I've ever wanted." Leo twiddled his thumbs. "And… I want you to be a part of that life. More than anything."

Calypso smiled, blushing lightly. Leo exhaled. Talking about his feelings was still new for him. Usually he attempted to mask his pain with humor.

"I'd have it no other way." Calypso wrapped her arms around his neck. The clouds had almost completely disappeared, allowing the sunlight to illuminate the sky with a bright orange.

"But for now, someone needs our help. We wanted an adventure, right? Well, here it is. So, what do you say?"

Calypso looked up at Leo expectantly. He laughed. She always knew what to say. She would've made a fantastic poet in the mortal world.

"Is the sky blue?" Leo asked, grinning.

"Well, It's orange," Calypso responded jokingly, a snug grin on her face, "but yes, I know what you mean."

"Sarcasm now, eh?" Leo countered. "Looks like someone's finally learning."

A different girl emerged from the deck below, and handed Leo a new shirt, which he promptly put on in place of his old one. Although his fireproof clothes were nice, ironically they weren't very warm.

"Here you go," she said, trying not to look at him while he changed. "A-and Naya said to come find her when you're ready to work. And to 'not spend all day staring at the clouds'."

Her face turned red as she awkwardly ran off.

"Nice woman," Leo said flatly.

"So is that a yes?" Calypso asked.

Leo looked at the ship before him. For the first time in his life, he was about to willingly embark on a quest. A few months ago, he would've rather run away. Leo took a deep breath, before finally responding.

"Oh, it's a yes alright. Now, where's Naya? It's time to get this party started!"

Leo and Calypso get freshened up, and prepare for their quest

Leo and Calypso agree to help Naya and crew on their quest to find Kanan in return for their help getting back to Rome

They have a bloodhound/dog on board for tracking