I'm sorry it took me so long to update this, but I had so much homework and writer's block...but, I finally finished the chapter. Enjoy!
This was it. Calypso paced nervously up and down the deck as Leo steered the Argo II. They were almost at Camp Half-Blood.
"Calypso, stop it. You're going to be fine." Leo reassured her, hearing the soft thud of her feet as she paced. She'd started to get more nervous and restless the closer they got to Camp. And he wasn't an idiot, he knew it wasn't just because it would be the first time she would be on proper land that wasn't Ogygia since her imprisonment - it was Percy. She'd have to face Percy and Annabeth.
"I know." She said quickly, but it was a lie and they both knew it. It wasn't that she had any feelings for Percy - those were long gone. No, it was guilt that was eating her up. She'd cursed him and his girlfriend and why? Because she was jelous, hurt and alone. She hadn't even meant to do it, it had just happened, but she could never take that back.
Leo sighed, "Can you take it from here buddy?" He asked Festus. He got a postive reply from the mechanical dragon and the boy walked away from the controls, moving to get in the way of his pacing girlfriend. "You are going to be fine." He told her again, taking her hands in his. "I promise. Percy and I have already talked about this. He and Annabeth are over it."
"They are?" She asked softly, hoping that Leo wasn't just lying to make her feel better.
He nodded, "They are. He actually told me that he felt guilty, that he couldn't take you away from the island." He admitted.
She nodded, her nerves and guilt easing away slightly.
"Better?" Leo smiled.
"Bet-" She stopped midword, stumbling forward as the ship suddenly dipped downwards.
Leo caught her before she could fall, although he also stumbled back a few steps. "You could've warned us, Festus!" He called back to the dragon, getting a creaky apology in return. He turned back to Calypso, "You alright?"
She nodded, looking up at him. "Does this mean we're landing?" She asked, all of her nerves and fear returning.
He nodded, "We're landing." He softly pecked her lips, "You'll be fine." He murmured reassuringly.
"Okay." The ship landed with a soft thud.
"Come on, lets go." Leo grinned, taking her hand. They left the ship, walking out past the cabins. A few people waved, calling out hellos to Leo as he walked past, yelling out that the peace and quiet was over now that he was back, which seemed a little unfair since they were the ones doing most of the shouting.
The demigod led the Titan goddess towards the Big House, where Chiron was already waiting in his full centaur form. "Nice to see you again, Leo." He greeted, turning to look at Calypso. "And Calypso, I presume. It's good to see you here too." He added. The words helped Calypso to relax a little - Chiron could have that effect when he wanted to. His deep, authoritive voice helped to reassure people that they were safe and his kind eyes held the same promise.
"Hey Chiron." The grin that had erupted on Leo's face when they landed was yet to leave. "I missed you guys and the Camp. Anything good happen while I was gone?" He asked. He knew his homesickness would have been a lot worse without the pictures he could see in the mess hall of the Argo II, but they were still no match for the real thing,
The centaur shrugged, "Not that I'm aware of. Then again, with the amount of trouble makers in this Camp, you'd probably be best asking your friends since most things probably slipped my notice," He gave Leo a pointed look - he was one of the more notorious troublemakers to which Chiron was referring
Leo just laughed, "Ok, Chiron." He glance over at Calypso, who'd stayed quiet during the conversation so far. It felt strange seeing her standing there - like some kind of weird dream. He still couldn't believe he'd actually done it. Survived the war against Gaea (admittedly, that had been a close call, but he'd still done it), found Ogygia and brought Calypso back to Camp. He couldn't think of a time when things had worked out better for him. He pulled himself back to reality, focusing again on Chiron. "So, uh, where can Calypso sleep?" He asked.
Chiron smiled, "I've had a bed made up for her in the Big House." He said, gesturing to the door behind him. "Although, I assume you'll want to make improvements to it?" He added. Leo thought back to the time he'd spent working on her room in the Argo II. Yeah. he'd probably make some improvements. "It's on the first floor, third door on your left."
"Thank you." Leo and Calypso spoke at the same time, making them look at each other and quietly laugh. "See you later Chiron." Leo led Calypso into the Big House and they ascended the stairs. They found the third door on the left and walked inside.
The room was scarcely decorated. The bed looked as comfortable as the one on the ship, but it was a little smaller. Calypso let go of Leo's hand so she could have a closer look at her new room. She peeked into the closet and found it empty. She walked over to the window and looked out at the Camp. The view was brilliant - she could see everything. The cabins, the strawberry fields...
Leo leaned against the wall next to her. He quickly surveyed the room, making a mental note of all the adjustments he would make before looking back at Calypso. "I'll make this room awesome for you." He promised quietly as she gazed out of the window.
She nodded, still looking out the window at what was to be her new home. The images in the Mess Hall of the Argo II really didn't do the place justice. "You always do." She said softly.
"I try." He chuckled. "I'll give you a proper tour of the place later." He said, tilting his head out the window to gesture towards the Camp. "And I'll bring all your clothes and stuff up from the ship." He added.
"I'm glad it was you." She blurted after a few moments of silence.
He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head like a confused puppy, "What?"
She finally looked away from the window and looked at him. "I'm glad you're the one who found me twice." She elaborated, smiling. "I mean, I knew from the start you were different. But I never thought...I thought I'd be on that island till the world ended." She admitted, thinking back to the many heroes who'd promised her freedom. Yet it had been Leo, infuriating, fire-shooting, adorable Leo who'd actually done it.
"Me too. I thought I was mental for trying, I mean it's not as if I'm anything special..." He murmured, trailing off. He didn't know how many heroes had landed on her island or how powerful they were, but even just comparing himself with Percy...he shook the thoughts away. "I spent weeks working though. I was too stubborn to break my promise and leave you." He admitted - he had thought his friends were going to kill him. He only ever left the ship to eat, and sometimes he either slept in the ship or didn't sleep at all. It was driving everyone around him crazy, but he couldn't stop. Not when he knew she was waiting for him.
She frowned slightly, turning away from the window completely to face him. "You are special." She argued. Calypso couldn't imagine why he thought he wasn't.
He resisted the urge to laugh - he knew he wasn't special. "Thanks." He said, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "I'll go bring your clothes in. I'll be back in a bit." He started to walk off, but stopped when he felt her grab his arm.
"You're a terrible liar, aren't you?" Calypso could clearly see on his face that he didn't believe her. It was so easy for her to read him like an open book. "You are special. You're brilliant Leo - hard working, caring, funny...Gods, you're just so loving and protective...you can control fire - I think you need to check your definition of special, because you fit it perfectly." She didn't care that she sounded so cheesy, she was being honest and that was all that mattered.
Leo brightly blushed, focusing on not accidentally setting himself on fire. He'd lost count of how many times that had happened over the past few weeks alone, never mind how many times it had happened in his life as a whole. "Th-thank you." He stammered - no one had ever spoken to him like that before. Sure, whenver his insecurities showed up someone would shoot them down, but...she wasn't just saying things to make him feel better. That was how she really felt. And unlike whenever anyone else said those kind of things, he felt himself start to believe her. He pulled her close and softly kissed her, "I love you." He murmured.
"I love you too." Calypso smiled.