Leo's POV
It all went downhill from there.
I mean, maybe it never was uphill. Maybe we always were downhill and were just sinking deeper, but for about three and a half seconds, everything seemed really normal. It seemed normal that we were alone on an island. It seemed normal that the girl sitting in front of me actually wanted me normal. It seemed normal that no one around me was dying.
I guess that last part was only because I was dying.
We had four more days of normalcy before I'd gone to bed and hadn't woken up the next morning. Calypso freaked out, which was probably normal, and started praying to the gods nonstop. By the time I'd woken up again, two days later, the air smelled thick and smoky from all the offerings she'd burnt.
"Leo." She'd said. "How do you feel?"
I was faced with a decision. I could lie and say I felt great, which would make her feel less stressed. Or, I could tell the truth and say that I felt like I was dying, which would make me feel less stressed.
Gods, life was hard.
"I-"
But before I could say anything, she laid out a bag on the bed near my feet.
"Hephaestus gave me these."
After grabbing a few, she held them in front of me for me to grasp.
"Drachmas?" I asked, wondering if I was going crazy. "But I thought-"
"The gods agreed to allow us to use these, for your safety, seeing as you're a war hero now."
I didn't want to correct her on the "war hero" remark. I'd say I was more like a crazy soldier.
Suddenly, a pain ripped through my chest. I doubled forward, grabbing at my shirt. I couldn't breath. Gods, it hurt.
"Leo?"
It took a few minutes of pain, heavy breathing, and Calypso's soft touch moving across my back before I sat up.
"Bowl of water." I said quickly, grabbing a coin. "Fast."
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"Leo? Gods, where are you? We- well, we all thought you were-"
"I'm on Calypso's island." I said, interrupting Jason. After a cough, I added, "Is everyone safe?"
He nodded, still looking dazed. "From the Argo thing? Yeah, we all got out fine. Look, Leo, I don't mean to alarm you, but it's been... A while. How long do you think you've been there?"
"A week. Maybe two."
"It's been four months over here."
Calypso took a step backward from behind the image of Jason, who was sitting in what looked like a cabin at Camp Half-Blood. She ran a hand through her hair and pressed a worried hand over her mouth.
"You need to talk to the gods." I changed the conversation, trying to keep talking quickly. I could feel the pain in my chest growing. "They have to send some people over here, or get us off. I-" coughing interrupted my unsteady words. "I think something's wrong with me."
"Like what?"
"Something with my lungs, or maybe heart. It's hard to breathe."
"Have you been able to do anything about it yet? I mean, treat it somehow?"
Calypso moved next to me, sitting down and leaning forward to talk to him. I didn't realize how tense I was until she laid a hand on my shoulder and I relaxed.
"I've been feeding him some herbs and healing plants," She began to explain. "But nothing's working. He needs your technology."
"I'll talk to my father, but in the-"
"No." I said firmly, squinting. My chest was burning, like I had swallowed a lit match. "The Roman gods will never do anything. No, have Percy and Annabeth go. The gods like them."
He looked vaguely wounded, but nodded. "Okay. Stay in one piece, Leo. See you soon."
Without another, word, Calypso leaned forward and ran her hand through the image.
"Who next?" She asked, holding up another gold drachma. I took a shaky breath and motioned for her to throw it in.
"Iris, Goddess of the rainbow," I said quietly. "Show me Chiron."
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
He'd reacted as I'd expected him to. A little shocked. A lot concerned. And also, a lot confused.
We'd explained the situation to him in as much detail as possible, which was hard to do in little breath. Calypso gripped my hand, not caring when I squeezed on hers to steady myself. After a few minutes of quick voices back and forth, he rubbed his forehead.
"I'm not quite sure what to say." He finally admitted, meeting my eyes with sympathy. "Your condition sounds unstable, and the gods are... Relentless. It could be difficult to persuade them."
"I know that." I coughed out. "But they allowed us to call you, so maybe..."
"Please." Calypso said calmly. "Try?"
She squeezed my hand and gave me a hopeful look before Chyron nodded.
"We will call a meeting with them by tomorrow. I can't promise anything, but I will call you when we're given an answer."
The old trainer and I exchanged goodbyes before once again, the shimmering water dissolved into the air. Calypso sat next to me, and none of us said a word because there was nothing to say. The pain in my chest was getting stronger and stronger every minute, and it scared me. It scared me a lot.
Then, without any warning, Calypso leaned over and kissed me. I froze, my heart skipping a couple beats, before letting my hand slide over the back of her neck and pressing her body against mine.
"It's going to be okay." She whispered, but I didn't say anything back. We just kissed because there wasn't anything left. We were alone, and I was probably going to be leaving her soon, and there was nothing either of us could do about it.
We were about as stable as a wave in the ocean, and that was both our greatest downfall and our best quality.