A/N: Okay note that I am Australian, so there are no fries, crisps, doritos, cheezles, or whatever. it's all chips. Also, sorry for not updating super quickly. I write a lot of different things and I'm trying to progress on them all DAILY. It's kind of hard. Also, I edit it myself. And last weeks of school plus short vacations basically i'm really sorry


Sunlight filtered in as Leo woke to the constant sound of his alarm, which had probably already been blaring for a couple of minutes. They'd finished the pen at three o'clock in the morning, and it was the perfect present for Percy. Calypso had painted little waves of blue-green and blue around the pen, and Leo had built a small torchlight in. Which he thought was kinda lame-and-also-useful-but-it-can't-blow-up-in-your-face-so-what's-the-point but Calypso was just glad he didn't add "fireworks or a life's supply of beans or a music player or something stupid and dangerous. He's a demigod, remember?"

They'd finished the night at three. In the morning. And after getting a well-needed and earnt sleep, it was no surprise that when Leo's eyes flickered to his alarm clock when he was trying to put it on snooze, he fell out of bed.

8:00AM.

"Calypso!" He yelled, struggling to get up off the floor and scramble around for clothes. No answer. With barely anything on, Leo grabbed a stray jumper to cover himself as he took a step outside his room. "Calypso!" He shouted, running back into his room to try and find some shorts.

"What!" She shouted, stepping outside her room.

"It's Eight-"

"Leo!" Calypso screamed, throwing her hands over her eyes. He wasn't really naked, but Calypso was still in shock.

"I'm covered!" Leo was still kind of embarrassed, his newly found shorts in one hand. "It's eight o'clock!"

"What!"

"Eight o'clock!"

"Get ready!" She yelled, going back into her room.

"That's what I was telling you!" Leo sighed exasperatedly, shutting his own door.

Five minutes later and Leo was ready. He ran down the hallway, at exactly the same time as Calypso. Neither of them realised until-

"Ow! Watch it!" They both said. Calypso frowned and glared at Leo, rubbing her head. "Come on, we're going to be late," She grabbed his hand and ran the two of them down to Festus' garage. Leo couldn't help but feel a sudden sense of deja vu from the night before.

"Thank gods we live close to Camp Half-Blood." Leo climbed aboard Festus, barely waiting for Calypso to get on as he flew off. Calypso squeaked in shock at the sudden start, grabbing ahold of Leo's shoulders.

"Leo!" Calypso scolded him, which ended into a laugh as they flew above New York. The Mist prevented non-godly beings from see what was happening around them. Nope. They didn't see huge monster battles in Fifth Avenue, or a giant flying metal dragon flying above Manhattan. They probably saw a plane, or a helicopter, or something easy to understand.

They were going much faster than last night, which meant Calypso had no choice but to wrap her arms around Leo and hold tight. It was either that or fall off and become an immortal mess on the ground. Leo held on to Festus for dear life, because becoming demigod surprise didn't sound appealing.

Leo landed in a different spot from last night, now that there was no need for hiding. Anyway, who could pass up the chance to make a dramatic and totally awesome landing on a huge metal dragon with a beautiful girl holding on-

Uh.

Um.

Leo shook his head, trying to forget that thought. Just look for a dramatic entrance dude. Spotting a nice area near the dining pavilion, Leo shifted Festus so they could land. And land they did, ultra-dramatically and super cool. A gust of wind flew up as they hit ground, and Leo smoothly slid off Festus, feeling everyone's eyes on him. He offered his hand to Calypso, who gave him a I-can-do-this-myself-but-for-your-benefit-I-will look and took his hand, sliding off Festus and landing on solid ground. They'd made it in half an hour, twice as fast, and they sure looked like it.

Leo's hair was only slightly messier than usual, which he subconsciously ran his fingers through. He had a slight oil-stain on his elbows, and his right eyelid was just stopping to droop. Calypso's hair was 'windblown', but her dress and sandals were fine (It had been a long time since Leo had seen Calypso in a dress). She subconsciously ran her fingers through her hair, then saw that Leo was doing the same. She stopped.

"Leo!" Frank got up from the table he sat at. A new table had been added to the mess hall for the day, as a few certain Roman friends were joining them. Calypso grabbed their bag and joined Leo as they walked towards the dining pavilion.

"Frank! Sorry we're late, we got... stuck... in traffic?" Leo offered, grinning.

"Save us the story, I don't want to here it" Frank's girlfriend Hazel laughed. "It's probably a good one though. You must be Calypso, come on!" She grabbed Calypso's one free hand and dragged her up towards the dining pavilion. Calypso grabbed Leo's hand, dragging him up as well.

Calypso looked around the dining pavilion. All around her, demigods sat and ate at different tables, laughing and joking and occasionally arguing. She looked around in awe, there were more demigods here than she had ever seen. She followed the girl to a nearly empty table. Leo had dropped her hand, moving towards another table filled with people who slightly resembled Leo. However Leo was easily the smallest. They all had grease on their calloused hands and huge grins when Leo arrived.

Calypso scanned the other tables: one table was sleeping, another was just being loud and obnoxious as they brandished their knives. One table was full of beautiful people who seemed to know it; well, some of them did, others didn't fling their hair around every two seconds. One table was filled with intellectual debate, one table had someone reading poetry, a really full table were laughing or pickpocketing, and countless other tables filled the space. Calypso was being steered to a different table though.

On the table she was being shown, a big guy sat down across from Calypso and Hazel. "Sorry, I'm Hazel. This is Frank." The girl said, handing an empty plate and goblet in front of Calypso. Calypso frowned at the empty plate, "Oh, right. Just think of what you want" and BOOM suddenly Calypso had her favourite meal in her mouth as she eagerly devoured it.

"Frank, you said?" Calypso looked up from her meal. "And Hazel? I heard about you two. And the other five." She grinned, looking over her shoulder to meet Leo's gaze through the throng of people. He grinned back at Calypso, sending an apologetic look when she motioned to come sit next to her.

"We heard about you, too." Frank smirked at Hazel. Calypso assumed there was a private joke between the two of them, and continued to look around the dining pavilion. She could see Percy, sitting with... a cyclops? Yes, it seemed. A blond boy was sitting by himself at another table, looking over to the table with the girls flinging their hair over their shoulders.

"Is he okay? Why is he sitting by himself?" Calypso asked Hazel, nodding towards the boy.

"Who, Jason? Of course he's okay." Hazel explained it as if it was obvious, then after a second said, "Oh! You don't know. Right. Every table is split according to your godly parent. So the children of Aphrodite are over there," She pointed to the hair-flinging table, "The table Leo is at is the Hephaestus children, that's the Athena table, Poseidon, Hermes, Nike..." Hazel pointed to every table.

"So what about our table?" Calypso asked.

"We're not Greek demigods" Frank said. "We're from New Rome, and you're..."

"A goddess." Hazel took over, "You know Jason, the blond boy? He used to be Roman, but he chose to be Greek. He should've just chosen to be Roman for today, wouldn't be alone..."

Calypso nodded, twiddling her fork. It was kind of awkward for her, to be at this table alone, by herself. Yeah, sure, on Ogygia she had been alone, but that was alone by herself, not alone among others. This was a weird kind of alone, one she hadn't thought of. And Calypso had thought of all kinds of alone.

She looked over her shoulder again to Leo, who was laughing at something one of his brothers had said. Calypso kind of wished that he was opposite her, next to Frank, laughing with them.

"Cheer up Cal, we're not that bad" Hazel nudged her, smirking.

"Please don't call me Cal" Calypso automatically answered, turning back to the table.

"Anyway, breakfast's over!"

"Don't worry about the dishes, come on!"

"It's time for the birthday celebrations!"

"Let's go see Percy!" Hazel had dragged Calypso outside of the pavilion to where a small crowd mingled around Percy. Leo caught up to them, shouting her name and dragging her with him to the front of the crowd. Annabeth stood next to Percy, smiling at him.

"Ooh, I wonder what her present to him is" A girl with flowing brown hair and flowers in her hair whispered to her friend. Calypso smiled, even though Leo was convinced that their present to him was the-bestest-present-ever-to-be-made-ever, Calypso knew nothing would beat whatever Annabeth got him.

"Percy!" Frank called out, going over to hug him. Hazel came over, and so did the blond boy Jason, and a girl who held his hand, and Leo, and then Calypso, a satyr, a cyclops and then a dryad. Everyone was saying their 'happy birthdays' and soon the surrounding crowd leeched off, seeing that they weren't part of the close group of friends.

"Come on, Percy. Juniper and I set up a wicked picnic!" The satyr, Grover, lead the way as the group followed him into the woods. Soon they found themselves in a cleared area in the woods, food and drink set up on a rug.

Leo turned round to Calypso, "Come on Calypso, lets go show off our wicked present. And with that they were both seated on the picnic rug, Leo eagerly grabbing a bag of chips.

"So Percy." Hazel, the girl Calypso had met before, brought out something from behind her back. Somehow everyone took this as a sign to reveal their presents as well, bringing out a bag or a box or a basket. Annabeth shot Calypso an inside-joke-grin when she brought out her and Leo's package.

In short, Percy's brother Tyson had wielded him a new shield. It folded down into a ring the same way Riptide did. "I worked on this myself!" He had said proudly.

Grover and Juniper gave Percy a photo album, a wooden front cover with a picture in the centre of Camp Half-Blood.

Hazel had bought a statue of a pegasus (cursed-jewel free) for the Poseidon cabin, and engraved the name Blackjack on the belly.

Piper had decorated a bead with the letters SPQR on them for Percy's necklace.

Frank had baked blue muffins, under Annabeth's guidance. "Blue muffins? Yes!" Percy had exclaimed when he saw them. Calypso was a little confused over the fuss of the insanely blue muffins, but she didn't say anything.

Jason had a small statue of a golden eagle, which somehow made sense to everyone.

And then it was Leo and Calypso's turn to give their present. Calypso held it out to Percy, giving Leo a knowing smile. He returned the look with an 'I know' smile. Unwrapping it, Percy said "Okay I hope this doesn't blow up in my face."

"Don't worry, Perce. It won't." Leo replied smoothly, grinning at Calypso.

"I really hope it doesn't..." Annabeth groaned.

"Oh my gods! Riptide?" Percy held up his pen, staring at it in disbelief, "Wait you two stole it?"

"Yes."

"And improved it!" That was Leo. "Look if you press this..."

Percy was, well... slightly impressed. Grateful, that they hadn't destroyed it. Happy, that Riptide was back. Relieved that there was no temperamental flame thrower.

But the picnic was good. It was fun, and although Calypso didn't say much or make as many jokes, she enjoyed it. Being with a group of people was unusual, but she decided that she liked unusual if that was it. The food was delicious and the scenery was beautiful.

"Well, did you like the picnic?" Leo was taking Calypso on a tour of the campground. They didn't really have time last night, so Leo thought it was a perfect opportunity to show Calypso around. Currently he was walking her towards Bunker 9. It had been an hour since the end of the picnic. Annabeth had gone off with Percy to the river, probably to give her present. Or, you know, other stuff. Whatever.

"Yes, I liked it." Calypso answered, "You had fun, right?"

"Well of course I did."

"Good."

They kept on walking. Leo and Calypso were both tired and sleepy from only four hours of sleep. When he showed Calypso Bunker 9, her eyes lit up with wonder. It was huge, and big, and just plain amazing. Especially in Leo's eyes. The original plans for the Argo II were up, along with Leo's plans, and various other Hephaestus cabin stuff.

"You found this place?"

"Yeah. Before I started building the Argo II, which Festus was-"

"Until we restored him." Calypso finished off. Leo had told her about his time on the Argo II, building it after his battle to save Hera, and the prophecy to save the world from Gaea.

Leo was whole-heartedly glad that his days of saving the world were over; as great as it was, he had always been cutting it fine with sacrifices.

"Tell me about how you found me." She asked. She'd had the summary, heard it before, done.


Leo was on the Argo. Everyone was safe, nearly dead, and exhausted. But Leo had a ton of passion and ADHD to keep him going for the night. He had been in the engine room but Annabeth had told him to get some sleep. So Leo had gone to his room and continued from there.

He had the crystal from Ogygia, various mechanical things, a lantern, Odysseus' astrolabe and his tool belt. He was going to get back to Ogygia and rescue Calypso. Just like how he and his friends had defeated Gaea.

"Lights out Valdez," Coach Hedge didn't yell it out or swing his baseball bat. He was too battered himself, and was going easy on everyone tonight. Annabeth was even allowed to take a step inside Percy's cabin.

"Will do Coach. Just finishing up." Coach Hedge nodded and closed his door, leaving Leo alone again to continue, not finish. It wasn't long before Jason visited him, looking at him way too closely than how Leo preferred. He'd been doing that ever since Leo came back from Ogygia. Weird. He kinda preferred being left as the comic relief who was always okay rather than being worried about. He was fine just the way things had been, when people laughed at his jokes and relied on his witty humour and mechanical talent and left him alone. Jason wasn't the only one, Piper and Hazel had seemed to caught onto this whole inside joke that went something like 'Let's-see-is-there-anything-wrong-with-Leo-hmm'.

"Hey Leo," Jason said, picking up a stray gear.

"Good fight Jason. Thanks for saving my butt and the world." Leo picked up his screwdriver and threw it down again when it was the wrong one.

"No problem." He said that the same way if it had been getting extra chips.

"Something like that," Humour required thinking, and Leo was in 'doing' mode. "Did you need anything?"

Jason shook his head, and sat down on Leo's bed. "Not really. Just checking up on you."

That statement hung in the air while Leo continued constructing. He let out a groan and took out a spring he had just placed in.

"What are you building?" Jason asked.

Leo paused for a second, before answering "Stuff," and jotted down a weak picture on his loose plans.

It was a sure sign to Jason that he was lying. Jason hoped Leo would give up the fight and just tell him. "I don't believe you."

Leo turned to Jason, eyebrows raised, "What, that I'm not building some stuff? You can't intimidate me, Lightning-man."

"Well, are you going to tell me what you're building?"

"No. And don't you dare get Piper onto me with her charmspeak." Leo was definitely serious about that. He didn't need to tell Jason's his plans, he would just give them a slight detour on their trip back to home. Then, wow! Look at this island! Hey...look...it's a girl...we should save her. Leo hoped his plans would work. They needed to.

Jason had given up on the topic exasperatedly and left Leo's room. He couldn't get Piper, who he had told about his thoughts on Leo. Jason stopped on his way back to the mess hall.

Hazel.

"Leo?" Hazel had gone down to Leo's cabin at Jason's request, knocking on the door.

Leo turned around to the door. "Are you 'checking up on me' too?" He said.

"Kind of. You haven't been out to the mess hall all night. There is a sever lack of jokes." Hazel sat on Leo's bed, right where Jason had been sitting. "What are you building?"

"Stuff."

"I've never seen that crystal. What is it?" Hazel frowned at the unfamiliar crystal from Ogygia. She didn't know it, but Leo knew what it was and what it could mean. It meant more to Leo than any gold could.

"Just... a cool crystal." Leo hesitated as he spoke.

"Uh-huh. And Gold is just a rock." Hazel was too curious to back off. It meant something to Leo. "Where's it from?"

"The ground."

"What kind of ground?"

"Places"

"What kind of places?"

"Foreign types of places."

"What kind?"

"The kindest places."

"What kind of place would that be?"

Leo groaned, and threw his head in his hands. Taking a deep breath, he found a perfect answer. "From Ogygia."

He highly doubted Hazel knew where or what Ogygia was, her being Roman and everything. She didn't, and left the room. She'd figured that that was all she was going to get out of Leo. She went down to Jason's room and knocked on the door.

"Ogygia?" His eyes lit up, "I don't know where it is, but he has mentioned it before. Maybe ask Percy or Annabeth."

Hazel walked down to Percy's cabin with Jason. Even though she was tired, she was going to get to the bottom of this. It had been plaguing her ever since he came back. Hazel knocked on Percy's cabin door.

"Uh, hello?" Percy opened the door. Seeing Jason and Hazel, he said, "I guess you'll want to come in."

They did, and the four of them- Annabeth, Percy, Jason and Hazel- sat down around Percy's cabin.

"I just went to talk to Leo," Hazel started, "about why he's been so...distant since when he came back."

"And before that I tried to talk to him," Jason said.

"I found him working crazy in the engine room," Annabeth said. "He was working on a weird crystal?"

"Yeah, I'd never seen it before," Hazel frowned, "The only thing I could get out of him was that it was from a place called Ogygia."

At this both Annabeth and Percy freezed up, Annabeth looking over at Percy. "Are you sure-"

"He said Ogygia?" Percy finished for Annabeth.

"Yeah. Maybe that's where he went when he disappeared." Jason said, "He changed when he came back."

"Wait, disappeared?" Annabeth asked. Hazel and Jason told the story, and Percy kept quiet. Jason shared how he noticed the change in Leo, how it looked as if he was heartsick. How he was quieter, making less jokes.

"Ogygia." Percy repeated, getting everyone's attention. "I spent time there as well. I wonder how it was for him."

"Uh, where exactly is Ogygia? I know I've been out of the world for a while but I don't know of any newly found countries." Hazel asked.

"It's a mythical island that men can only be magically sent to by the gods." Annabeth filled in.

"The gods?" Jason frowned, "But it was Khione that sent him, and she worked for Gaea."

"What?" Annabeth and Percy asked.