FINALLY! I am SOOOOO SORRY this has taken me so long! Please, please forgive me for disappearing! I had several false starts on the chapter and then a massive case of writer's block plus basketball taking over my life. But I am finally done with Chapter Nine and it's a long one, too! I feel so relieved now...

I hope you enjoy! :)

*Hands out belated cyber-fonzies*

IT WAS THE EVENING OF THE TRIUMPHAL RETURN. Evening, or rather, night. When Chiron had shown Calypso to the room she had been given in the big farmhouse, (which the campers had affectionately called "The Big House," on the grand tour Calypso had been given after breakfast,) the sky had been a dark, velvety blue, covered with stars. Different stars, different constellations than she would have seen on Ogygia this time of year, but it was different in a good way. A glorious, exciting kind of different.

There was a clock on the wall of the room, with Roman numerals, and Calypso was pretty sure it was past midnight. After the excitement had calmed enough for everyone to get back to the pavilion, she and Leo had eaten breakfast with his friend, and then there was the grand tour. Which took ages. Granted, some people took an extra-long time showing her things. But Calypso didn't mind. Camp Half-Blood was absolutely amazing. Leo's descriptions hadn't done it justice. And Bunker Nine? That place blew her away.

She had loved seeing Leo, jumping up and down like he was five years old, with an infectious grin on his face that wouldn't go away, showing her around his massive workshop. She couldn't wait to spend time there with him, fixing Festus and experimenting on thousands of other projects.

Leo's friends, Piper and Jason, were great – Piper had been wonderful at making Calypso feel welcome, and she had a feeling she would find a friend in her. But she wasn't so sure how to behave around Percy and Annabeth. She'd been shocked – very shocked, at how easily meeting Annabeth had gone off, but there was still an awkwardness hanging in the air between them. However, now that she had Leo, she could witness the bond between Percy and Annabeth, and not feel pain. The entire tour, the two had been inseparable, holding hands the entire time.

Calypso could see Percy was very, very different from when she had met him when he was fourteen. Now, two years later, he was taller, tanner, more heavily muscled, more hero – y, but there was also a sadness in him. Dark circles under his green eyes. Calypso knew that he and Annabeth had spent time in Tartarus, and she thought that must be why he looked so...beaten down. But he still smiled and joked around with Jason and Leo and the others. He didn't talk to her much, but Calypso didn't blame him. She knew he must feel awkward, as she did.

After the tour, Leo, Jason, and Piper had helped her get at least somewhat settled in the Big House, and then it was already time for dinner. Afterward, there was a bonfire, and Leo was made to tell the entire story of what had happened. Lots of bits and pieces had come out during the tour, but Chiron insisted.

It had been wonderful to sit there next to Leo as he told the story in his unique, expressive way – with plenty of jokes, and some exaggerations. She loved seeing the joy on his friend's faces. She knew, that even though it was going to take a lot of adjusting, she was going to love this place.

Now, sitting on the bed in the Big House, Calypso wasn't sure she could sleep. She was exhausted, it had been such a long day, but her head was swimming with all the new names and faces and things about the camp and the way the world was now that she doubted she could relax enough to sleep.

She laid down on the bed anyways and took in the room. The walls were covered in paper, patterned with faint green stripes, and there was a small tapestry hanging on one wall, with a scene of a garden on Olympus. Calypso's suitcases sat on the floor.

"I suppose I should unpack," she said to herself, but before she could get up, there was a soft knock at the door.

"Calypso?" said a feminine voice.

Calypso sat up, tucking her hair behind her ears. Piper? she thought. Or was it another girl from the camp? She didn't know anyone well enough yet to differentiate voices. "Come in," she said.

The door creaked open and a tall girl stepped inside, loose blond curls falling over her shoulders.

Annabeth.

She was carrying a glass of water. "Um, Chiron wanted me to check on you and make sure you had everything you needed." She set the glass of water on the bedside table.

"Oh," said Calypso. "Thank you."

Annabeth's eyes darted nervously around the room. "Uh, and also, there's a bathroom with a shower down the hall, if you need it." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

Calypso nodded. "Thanks." But she wasn't really thinking about the bathroom or the glass of water. She was thinking of something else entirely.

"Do you know how to work a shower?" Annabeth asked, biting her lip as she finished her sentence as if she had realized that it was a somewhat rude question.

Calypso shrugged, not at all bothered by it. "I'm sure I could figure it out."

Annabeth gave her a faint, tired smile. "Good. Well, um, I guess I'd better be going." She turned, but Calypso said,

"Wait."

Annabeth turned back, confused. "What is it?" she said, her voice soft, and yet wary at the same time.

Calypso patted the bed beside her. "I have a question to ask you."

Annabeth's brow furrowed, but she sat beside Calypso, clasping her hands in her lap. "Yes?"

Calypso fingered the teal fabric of the quilt. "I just want to know...why are you being so nice to me? I would have thought..."

A bit of amusement flashed across Annabeth's tanned, tired face. "That I would hate you?"

Calypso felt herself blush a tiny bit from embarrassment. "Yes."

Annabeth unclasped her hands and spread them across her thighs. "There was a time that I did," she said slowly. "When Percy ended up at...your island, I had been certain he was dead, and gods, when he came back, I didn't know what to think. He didn't even tell me right away about having met you, but I figured it out. And yes, then I hated you." Annabeth sighed. "But I thought you guys would never meet again. And then we started dating, so..." She shrugged. "He came back to me, so it was okay."

"I...I'm glad," Calypso stammered.

Annabeth gave her a nod, but she wasn't done with her story. "I lost him for six months, and that was just miserable. And then..." Annabeth brushed her blond side bangs aside and looked right at Calypso. Her gray eyes seemed to be reflecting a storm inside her. "We fell into Tartarus. You know of what that place is, but you can't even begin to imagine the terror, the pain, the sheer misery of it." Annabeth rubbed her forehead between her eyes as though she was getting a headache. "Going through that place made us become...like two halves of one whole. But it was still the worst thing..." Annabeth shuddered. "And after experiencing something like that hell, how could I hate you? What does something so silly as a past grudge matter in light of that, in light of this war?"

Calypso blinked. "I..."

Annabeth smiled faintly. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything."

Calypso smiled back at her. "All right. I just...I just want to tell you thank you. For not holding a grudge against me. And know that I'm not the same person now that I was when Percy stayed on Ogygia. I'm very happy for both of you, that you have each other."

Annabeth looked down and fingered a rip in her shorts. "Me too. He's...he's amazing. I love him. And...I guess you should know this – we're both struggling a lot right now with...I suppose you'd call it post traumatic stress disorder. But, um, you probably don't know what that is. We're having a lot of nightmares from Tartarus, and the war, and..."

Calypso felt a surge of sadness. "I don't know exactly what post traumatic stress disorder is, but I understand what you are speaking of. Percy looks different, I can see that."

Annabeth looked back up at Calypso. Her eyes were glazing over with tears. "He is different. And sometimes it scares me." She shook her head, as though to clear her mind. "But we'll be okay. I can't believe I just told you so much. I'm not usually like that."

"Well, I'm glad you did." said Calypso. "And I'm sure you will be okay. You're both strong. I can see that."

"I guess so. Well, I, uh, I hope you don't hold any grudges against Percy or I," Annabeth said.

Calypso shook her head vehemently, remembering her conversation with Leo while they were fixing Festus. "No. No, that's in the past. I...I hope that we can be friends now."

Annabeth smiled. "I hope so too."

I hope I will be able to update sooner than later, but to be honest I don't have much ideas on what's going to happen in the near future of this story. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know! I can't promise I'll use them all, but some inspiration would be nice!

Thank you to my most recent reviewer, BlueGirl22, for motivating me to push through the end of the chapter and making me realize it's been TWO MONTHS! AAH! Again, I'm so sorry!