We're Coming Home

She Wanted Freedom and He Wanted Paradise

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series or the Heroes of Olympus series. They rightfully belong to Rick Riordan. Though, I guess the greek mythology is owned by Greece, and the roman mythology is owned by the Romans. I also do not own the songs Iris and I'm Coming Home II.

Warning: There is Fem!Percy, so if you do not like, then I would advise for you not to read this story. This also has character deaths, along with already dead characters. This story will have slightly sad moments and might have some dark or bloody moments (it has monsters, half-bloods, and immortals for gods sakes!) Little mentions of child-abuse, only in the past, nothing explicit.

Shout Out To: Extended Experience, Lea1985, CupCakeGuest, harryginny9, and pandalover9914 for reviewing the previous chapter!

Important Note: I'm thinking of getting a Beta, though I've never had one. But I know my grammar sucks, so that's why I'm thinking of a Beta. If anyone is interested, I'd love for you to PM me or review on this story.

Enjoy!

Chapter Three

Escaping Paradise

"Hera, have you lifted the veil?" Asked the eldest of Rhea's children. Her red eyes glowing with sadness as she watched the hearth that was showing her Percy.

The Queen of the heavens nodded softly, her face emotionless as she stared at the fire too. "Yes, the veil between reality and the paradise had been lifted. Escaping is now an option, we just have to wait and see if the fire boy tries."

"Good," whispers Hestia as she curled into a ball, her knees pulled up against her chest. She was in her eight year old form. "Very good. Let's hope that the Fates will be generous and let our heroine go."

"Yes, let's hope that they do."

Part Fire-

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't wanna go home right now...

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand…

Leo couldn't help but feel bad for Persephone. She was stuck on this island, and would most likely watch as he left her. It didn't help the fact that she looked like a broken kitten, sad and lonely. She didn't deserve this, the island, the curse. She deserved to be cherished, not banished. It wasn't right.

So when she said that the raft could take him home, the first thing he felt was disappointment. He enjoyed his time of the island, it was fun and Percy was the best. Funny, strong, beautiful, and so much more. She made Khione and all of the hot girls he met, seem so dull. She made him feel important, needed.

His face fell as he and Percy walked to the raft. It was bobbling in the sea. The raft was truly sad, such horrible craftsmanship. Persephone got to her knees and pulled the raft towards her. She pulled it to Leo's side and didn't meet his gaze.

"Well," started Percy, her voice melancholy. "It seems your time has come to leave. You'll have to sail at sundown." She stayed quiet after that, her hands in her lap.

Leo's heart broke as he just stared at her, his brown eyes shining with disbelief. Of course everything screwed up. Of course he had to go tonight, and leave Percy all alone. Of course.

Maybe it was the gods and goddesses. They're probably laughing at him and Percy, pointing at them and saying "Hah, they actually thought they could work out. Together, as a couple. Phh, stupid heroes, always thinking they'll live happily ever after!"

Yeah, that's what they were doing. They were watching the two like a movie, a dramatic one that needed popcorn and drinks. They purposely stuck him on this island, ready to truly start Percy's curse and let her fall in love.

His heart fluttered for a second. If the raft came, then that meant that she liked him. More then a friend. More than a silly boy.

Suddenly, a rush of rage and hate filled him. This was Zeus' fault, he was to blame. This wouldn't be happening if the god just stopped for a second to think properly. He banished her for loving someone, something that she couldn't control.

Love was a fickle and funny thing. You could push it, but you couldn't control it. It could cause wars. Kill people. But it could also save people. Bring peace. Leo realized this as he looked at Persephone. He knew he had to cheer her up, because that was what she needed.

"Hey Persephone, let's go to your cave," said Leo as he smiled softly, getting up. Percy looked up and smiled back, following him. He offered her his hand as they started walking. She shyly slipped her hand into his, and he couldn't help but wonder how small her hand was compared to his.

PxL

The sun had gone down and the stars were slowly appearing. Birds had gone to sleep and the island was peacefully quiet. Leo and Persephone had been hanging out, talking about their pasts.

"My mom and I learned morse code. She would tap words to me, like 'I love you' or 'You want to build something?' I would always answer her with morse code. It was our secret." Leo said as he stared out into the ocean. Persephone smiled at the sweet words.

"Well my mom and I would go to a beach called Montauk every summer. It was the place that she had met my daddy, Poseidon. We would stay in a beach hut of the sorts. The beds would be layered with dust bunnies. The cabinets full of spiders, and the water was too cold for regular mortals to go in. I loved it." Leo watched as Persephone's eyes lit up, and marveled at how beautiful she looked.

She had a moonlace flower in her hair that, which was braided. She wore a fire-proof blouse and casual jeans. She looked so normal dressed like that, but she still managed to take his breath away. Maybe it was an ocean thing. The water was pretty and tempting, making you want to go in and enjoy its wonderfulness.

"Wow," Leo says quietly. "That's great, I wish I could see Montauk." Persephone grinned, bumping her shoulders against his. She looked at the sky, which was made up of gorgeous purples and blues and pinks. The clouds were orangish-pink and glowed with the remaining sunlight.

Then, Percy's happiness faded. Her smile faltered, and her eyes dulled. Her shoulders stopped and tensed. Leo knew why. It was because the time was near and there was a chance he would leave.

Leo had thought about what Calypso had once told him. "I would have to ask every man as they left if they wanted to stay with me. They would always say no, that they had people to save. It broke my heart every single time, and when I thought I was okay…another male would appear."

He knew that Persephone was going to ask the same question, and expect him to say no. Ever since the raft came, he thought about his answer. He couldn't help but want to say yes to her, to stay here with her for forever. It wouldn't matter anyways. The Argo II and others would be fine without him. But a part of him knew what he was going to say. He was going to say no.

No, he couldn't stay here. He had his friends and family to help, he had to defeat Gaea.

"It's time, Leo." Percy whispered as she got up. She walked slowly to the raft, hoping to waste time. Leo did to, he didn't want to leave.

He looked behind him to see the glowing cave, its presence beckoning him. Telling him to stay, with her, with Ogygia. He shook his head and got onto the raft, ready to leave. Persephone grasped his hands in hers, gazing into his eyes.

"Leo, I know the answer. But I must ask you," she muttered softly. "Can you stay with me? On Ogygia for forever, just you and I. Never having to worry about saving the world or helping others?"

Her voice was laced with hopefulness, and Leo almost changed his mind. She made it sound so appealing to stay, like asking him if he wanted to go to hell or stay in heaven. It made his heart break, one side wanted to help reality and the other wanted to stay.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay," Leo whispered, and he felt his voice choke when he noticed Percy. She was crying, crystal-like tears running down her perfectly tanned skin. Her eyes held disappointment and sadness. It made him want to slap himself. How could he let her cry? What kind of friend was he?

A friend. Was that what he wanted her as? No, this whole experience showed him that he didn't want her as a friend. He wanted her to be more, to be closer to him. Because she was funny, she was beautiful, she Persephone Jackson. She may not be his' completely or she may not love him. But he could be patient, for-for now.

And then, he knew what his whole heart wanted.

"But, that doesn't mean that you can't leave." He said as he pulled her into the raft. Then, without hesitation, he pushed the raft out into the ocean and kissed her. Lips on lips.

And as he watched her stunning eyes close and her body melt into his touch…

He knew he did the right thing.

PxL

Apparently, the raft didn't need water to land properly.

Leo and Percy found that out the hard way. For a second, they were in the water, experiencing the blissful after-effects of a kiss. The next, they were dropping to the ground, next to two giants that both reached ten feet tall.

They landed harshly onto the ground, the raft shattering around them. "So much for being a magical raft," muttered Leo as he got up. He cracked his knuckles and offered Percy a hand. She took it gratefully and was pulled up.

That was when they noticed everyone looking at them. Luke, Annabeth, Thalia, and Calypso looking at them wide eyes. They recognized the daughter of Poseidon. Otis and Ephialtes were still laughing, having reformed once again.

"Percy?" Exclaimed four voices as they stared at Percy. She just cheerfully waved at them, making Leo shake his head in amusement. Percy definitely had cheek.

"Fight us," roared Ephialtes, his eyes narrowed with anger. Anger for being ignored. Otis nodded in agreement, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand.

"Yeah! Give us a good show, with lots of ballet," suggested Otis, causing Ephialtes to glare at his twin. He smacked his brother before scolding him.

"No! Ballet was the last time we crushed demigods!"

"I'm sorry, Ephialtes!" Otis cried out as he covered his head. He stomped the ground, trying to step away from his twin brother who was raging. All of the demigods looked at them with confused and slightly annoyed faces.

Annabeth and Thalia both notched their arrows and aimed at the two fighting giants. Their bodies glowed silver slightly and they concentrated. Then, poison was covering the arrowheads.

Snap! Tap! Snap! Tap!

An arrow was now in the back of both Ephialtes' and Otis's heads. They fell to the ground, their bodies turning into gold dust. Just as they were reforming, Percy went into action.

She shot forward, her hair untying at her speed and a ballpoint pen in her hands. She raised her hands and gave a battle cry. The pen turned into a wicked sword made of celestial bronze. It slashed the reforming giants.

Water started seeping out of nowhere, and pipes around the demigods broke. A whirlpool swirled as it flushed the giant remains down a drain. The place was now soaked with water that Percy had summoned. She was standing in a small circle of dry ground, her sword now in its mist form. She wasn't tired looking, not even breaking out in a sweat. She looked like she just had a big meal and good night of sleep.

Cheers sounded around the half bloods as ghosts pounded feet and pumped their fists into the air. A loud clapping resounded around the arena as Bacchus appeared beside Percy. He looked at her before sighing in exasperation.

"Of course you managed to come back to reality, Perry. My father will be unhappy…but welcome back." He disappeared after that, making Persephone blink.

She then shouted "Hey! My name is Percy! P-E-R-C-Y!" Leo cracked up, laughing so hard that his sides hurt. Persephone had told him that Dionysus was always calling her the wrong name.

"Dude," started Jason. "You have some explaining to do." Just as Leo was about to answer Jason, voices echoed around the arena.

"PERCY!"

PxL

After many hugs, tears, and explanations, Leo and Percy were aloud to have a break. They were currently lying on a couch that Leo had specially installed into the dining hall. The others were chatting, but Percy and Leo stayed silent. They were happy to be together, and Percy was just glad that she was off the island.

Bianca was lying on the other couch, parallel to Leo and Percy. She was fast asleep, her body curled up in a ball. She looked tiny and weak; barely breathing. Her hair was crazy, surrounding her. Big bags under her eyes, and her skin was sickly pale. Her body was malnourished, lacking food and nutrients it needed.

As soon as Bianca got out of the jar, she fainted. She was so close to death, the pomegranate seeds wearing off. The death trance took its toll on her, and her heart was slowly beating normally.

Persephone had healed her with her medical kit that was still, somehow, able to summon. Calypso explained to them that just because Percy had learned magic on the island, didn't mean that she couldn't use it in the real world. Percy was happy to learn that, seeing as how useful sorcery was.

Percy wasn't angry that Luke was still a hero. She was happy, in fact. She said that she didn't want to lose anyone close to her again. The two had caught up, talking about their times spent in different places. Annabeth, Thalia, and Calypso had introduced Persephone to the rest of the crew.

Annabeth had explained about Malcolm being on a quest for with the Mark of Athena. The quest was to get the Athena Parthenos back from whoever or whatever had it. Annabeth said that Arachne had it, she had seen it in a dream. They were all sailing to where Malcolm was, hoping to help him.

His prophecy was:

"Wisdom's son walks alone,

The Mark of Athena burns through Rome,

Twins snuff out the angel's breath,

Who holds the key to endless death,

Giants' bane stands gold and pale,

Won through pain from a woven jail."

Which sounded better than usual prophecies, a good thing that was. But prophecies can hold double meanings, so they had to be careful.

"Thank goodness I got off Ogygia," murmured Persephone as she leaned into Leo. He put an arm around her shoulders, grinning happily.

"You mean us," he corrected her. Persephone smiled, nodding her head.

"Us." She corrected herself, closing her eyes. She yawned slightly, even though it wasn't night in the real world. While using her powers didn't bother her earlier, the travel from Ogygia to reality probably messed her times up. Like jet lag, especially since she lived on Ogygia for two years.

"Sleep," ordered Leo as he kissed the top of her head. "I'll wake you up if we arrive."

She slowly nodded, sleep taking her away to Hypnos' domain. Leo smiled softly as he stared at Persephone's sleeping body. He didn't hear the others speaking, being in his own world.

"He likes her," whispered Piper, watching the interaction between the two with a grin. Thalia rolled her eyes as Annabeth and her sharpened their arrows.

"Duh," commented Annabeth as she snorted. "It's kind of obvious, Pipes." Piper flushed in embarrassment as she hugged her boyfriend. Jason buried his face into her hair and beamed, not that the others could see it.

"It's good. Leo needs some more love," came Jason's muffled voice as he stayed attached to Piper. She just goofily smiled as she turned her head to the left and kissed her boyfriend's cheek.

"Yeah, he does," says Piper softly.

"Whatever, stop being sappy you two. I might puke," teased Thals as she set her arrows down. Calypso and Annabeth both smiled smugly as the couple blushed bright red. Luke put an arm around Thalia and Annabeth, smirking sexily.

"Come one you two, leave the couple alone. At least they actually express their love for each other. How 'bout you learn from them and just admit that you both love me." Luke wiggled his eyebrows, making Calypso giggle. Annabeth and Thalia smacked him up the head at the same time. They shrugged his arms off of themselves and glared at him.

"We're huntresses, we swore boys off. Leave us alone, Luke," says Annabeth as she crossed her arms. Her grey eyes shining with promises to castrate him.

"We'll use you as target practice again," threatens Thalia, making Luke pale. He unconsciously crossed his legs, causing everyone to crack up. They all laughed as Luke whined to Annabeth about Thalia being cruel to him. But Annabeth would just smirk and tell him he deserved it.

Leo settled down and closed his eyes. He was fine with listening to Percy as she muttered words in her sleep.

'We did it,' Leo thought as he started to fall asleep like Percy.

'We escaped the supposed paradise. We left Ogygia.'

~End of Chapter Three~

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed it. I updated early this time because of all the feedback, so thanks! This story got into a community! I'm so happy!

Reviews are appreciated, and constructive criticism is welcomed!