"Why do the weeds always grow right next to the Bougainvillea?!" Morgan shouted, "I swear they just appear overnight!" He looked at Lily for answers.
She shook her head and said, "Look, I have about as much clue about anything to do with plants as you do with a circuit board. Don't go questioning me on Bougainvillea." She sighed and fumbled with her half-built mini helicopter, "Besides, it's not like a lot of people here like mechanics."
Morgan put down her gardening tools. "I know you miss Dad. We all do. But he'll come back, you know. He promised."
Suddenly, their mother came running into the garden, "The best thing just happened!" She said, with more enthusiasm than Freddy Mercury at a Queen concert.
Morgan sighed, "Did you find seeds for the lavender bush we've been planning?"
Calypso rolled her eyes. "Morgan, I said the BEST THING. Remember the conversation we had last night?" She rolled her wrist in anticipation.
Morgan's eyes lit up, "Wait, you mean..."
Lily dropped her helicopter. "Dad's back?! No way!" She sped off to the beach, Calypso and Morgan followed soon after.
Percy was confused.
Jason had just rowed back from the island saying a jumble of words like: "Leo... Found Cal... says we'll meet... Is forty five..." And Percy hadn't the foggiest idea what it meant. Maybe Leo found a forty five year old person called Cal that he wanted them to meet? There was no way to know.
After Jason had caught his breath, he said, "Leo told us to come onto the island, the whole story's so confusing, I'll just let Leo explain." He guest urged at the rowboats. "Go on, he says we need to meet them for lunch."
Percy shrugged, he'd been through worse.
After boarding the boats, the nine demigods took off from the Argo II, leaving coach hedge watching Karate Kid and screaming martial arts moves at the screen.
On the island, Leo was waiting on the beach. Or at least, what looked like Leo. This man had a lot more wrinkles than Leo had, he had a thin layer of stubble on his chin, and his hair was grey at the roots. As Percy's rowboat touched the sand, the "Leo" came over to help.
Percy knitted his eyebrows, "Are you Leo's uncle, or..."
The "Leo" smiled, "I'm the same Leo you know. Maybe a couple of years caught up with me once I broke the curse, but I'm still the same."
Percy tried to think straight, but logic and mythology were a daily clash in his mind, and it gave him headaches whenever he tried to think about it, so he stopped and said, "What curse?"
Leo helped him out of the boat, along with Annabeth, then he pulled a rope from his toolbelt and attached the dinghy to a nearby tree stump. "I'll explain it to you all at the same time, so my voice doesn't go hoarse. Do you want to see our house?"
Annabeth butted in and said, "And what does 'our' mean, exactly?" She stepped carefully onto the sand.
Leo gestured for them to walk up to a nearby garden, and shouted out to everyone else, "The house is in the cave, if you want to see my family!" This was followed by a lit of strange looks, then shrugs.
Leo started walking up the beach, so Percy and Annabeth followed him. Suddenly, three figures emerged from the shrubbery. Two teenagers and a grown woman, who Percy recognised as Calypso, and immediately began to sweat.
Calypso ran to Leo, and they hugged. When they broke apart, Calypso saw Percy, frowned, and mouthed 'Not a single. Word.' so he nodded, slightly.
Leo saw Lily and Morgan running down the beach, and he spread his arms for a hug. His two children didn't let go of him for a good minute, then Morgan said, "I can't believe you've been gone for so long, Mum said you'd come back, and you did!" He then remembered something. "Mum, didn't you need to finish weeding the bougainvillea?"
Calypso burst out laughing, "I think that can wait, Morgan. Why don't you go and lay the table. We have some guests, friends of Dad's."
Morgan nodded and ran to the cave.
Lily looked at her father with adoring eyes and said, "I finally finished fixing the piano!" She pulled his Leo's sleeve and dragged him up to the cave. The nine Argonauts followed them.