Calypso POV

They were all gone when I woke up, except for Thalia, who was still sleeping.

Their pillows and blankets that they used the night before were still scattered across the floor, and were still radiating warmth.

I looked in the kitchen, and found a note.

Gone to the beach,

From Everyone other than Thalia and Calypso.

Of course, Calypso thought, But didn't they just go to the beach last night?

I stood on my tip toes to peer out of the window, to see that they were in fact down at the beach and Percy was trying to teach Leo to surf.

I could tell that it was his first time because he kept falling off the board as soon as Percy let go, or as soon as he moved to stand.

Leo looked like a drowned rat.

Getting excited, I ran outside and down the stairs to the beach.

The wind whipped through my hair, mixing in its salty spray and the smell of the sea in with it. It was a cold wind, for once, and it made me shiver.

"Calypso!" Piper shrieked. "Come in! It's warmer than out there!"

Luke was sitting on the beach with Nico, who looked terrified of the water.

"Why aren't you two in there with them?" I ask them, sitting down on the other side of Nico.

"I don't feel like it today," Luke said, and I could tell he was being truthful.

Nico didn't answer. He just shrugged and balled his legs up to his chest and hugged them. His face rested on top of the heap and looked into the water, more specifically at his girlfriend who was assisting Percy and Leo.

4:12 were on the other side of the small beach, doing their own thing. They were playing around in the water, splashing each other etc.

"What's wrong?" I ask him, wrapping an arm around him (Platonic-ally) for warmth. The boy radiated it.

"Nothing," He mumbled, shrugging again but not insisting I move my arm.

Paisley looks at me for a second, and gives me a thumbs up as if to ask "Are you and he okay?"

I give her a shrug and a nod. I think Nico is okay.

And she goes back to helping Leo surf.

"Caly! Did you see me? I was soaring!" Leo boasted on the way back up to the house. "And it was my first time!"

Deciding to tease Leo a little, I reply with "Was your first time everything they told you it would be?"

Leo looked at me sourly, before catching on. "Yes, my beautiful girlfriend, my first time surfing was amazing. I mean, who doesn't like their shorts being pulled down by the waves. They're perverted, I swear!"

I giggled and leaned into Leo's side a little, as Percy and Annabeth raced up the hill and bumped past us.

Percy and Annabeth were adorable, honestly.

Couple goals.

"Did you see me?" Leo asked me again, bumping me with his hip.

"Yes! You were good at the end!" I say, as we walk.

Thalia didn't come down, so Luke went back up before the rest of us because he was bored and didn't want to sit next to Nico, who was professionally sulking. He was now at the back of the group, holding Paisley's towel on her shoulders as they walked and talked in hushed voices. I couldn't catch anything they were saying, and neither could anyone else, I assume.

"Only at the end? Babe, you wish you were as amazing at surfing as I obviously am," Leo retorts, squeezing my waist, making me shriek and jump on his toes.

Leo chuckles, and picks me up off his feet and onto the sandy pathway beside him.

"Eliminations are tomorrow," Leo says nervously. "And either one of us goes home or we end up facing each other. And I don't wanna have to do either of those."

"If it comes down to it, you know that this is purely for entertainment. For the crowd and viewers and for the bands. I don't really think anyone cares about what the outcome tomorrow is," I assure Leo, though the thought has crossed my mind before.

I didn't want to go home, nor did I want to have to face Leo. That would be tense. And tense is the last thing I think we need these days.

"Don't worry about it, Sunshine, it'll all work out fine," Leo says back to me reassuringly, as he guides me towards the porch of the house. I could smell the coffee that Annabeth or someone else had made. "Believe me."

"I believe you," I murmured, leaning into his warm touch. "I believe you."

If there was one thing I hated most about the eliminations, it was the suspense. It started from the morning, at breakfast, when Venus talked about our daily plan and what we were going to do and when, and it continued in the car on the way to the events centre. And even now, when Hair and Make up are attacking me with their various wands and brushes, I could still feel the tension and the suspense.

It was gutting, really.

My insides felt like they were going to turn out. I didn't want to disappoint my Mum. She was rooting for us, she had said last I spoke to her. She also said that no matter what, she would always be proud of me. But I felt like I owed it to her. I've missed the past few months of my senior year in highschool for this, and I hope to all the gods that exist that it was worth it.

I couldn't imagine the pressure Nico felt, as his parents didn't even care about him.

I could see him in the corner, with Paisley. Her legs were thrown over his lap and they were, again, talking quietly. Nico's hand was in her hair and he was leaning really close so they could hear what the other was saying.

They were adorable, but the pair had been like this for a few days now and it was worrying.

Annabeth was next to me, getting her hair tugged and placed into an intricate bun. Even for the five minutes that we would be on stage.

I could hear the crowd roaring as they introduced the judges and re-capped the season. It was all a blur to me, after that. From when I was released from the clutches of Hair and Make up, to now, when we're getting called forwards.

"Venus! With Outcasts and Individualz!" Hermes announces, finally. My breathing went wonky as we walked in front of the crowd, alight with phone cameras, normal cameras and people's beaming smiles.

"We all know how this works. First band to go, say your goodbyes and please exit the stage.

The first band being eliminated is..."

I held my breath and closed my eyes in a silent prayer.

"Individualz."

A/N

Short, but the last chapter was a filler.

You all hate me, mwahahahaha.

I planned this from the beginning, btw. I am an evil human being.

But the show must go on!

Anyways, I hate life because Algebra makes no sense, I have a sore throat and I almost vomited my dinner back up five minutes after I ate it.

Life is just peachy...

Like a peach...

Because it's peach-y.

Okay, I'll stop now.

~KaleidoscopeColours