(A/N: I'm so bad at keeping to a schedule but this is just a short one right? It can't hurt…)

CHAPTER THREE

The first time Leo could look Percy in the eyes properly since he'd met Calypso, Percy was tentatively working on Festus' hydraulic circuitry with his brother.

"No brother!" Tyson snorted, gently batting the hero's hand away from the tubing. "That connects here, see?"

"No. I don't see." But far from looking put out, Percy laughed. "You're just going to have to be the genius of the family, Ty."

The Cyclops looked pleased by the idea and set to work connecting Festus' "plumbing" if you will. Every now and then, Percy's brow would furrow from where he sat at the head of the dragon. "No, it's not flowing up here. It's moving that way." He pointed and Tyson's huge but clever fingers would fix the problem.

Leo had thus far avoided Percy for the simple reason that he was both angry and embarrassed by the sight of him. Percy was his friend, he'd saved Leo's butt on several occasions and kept the group together when everything looked fit to fall apart. It wasn't Percy's fault that Calypso had fallen in loved with him. It wasn't even Percy's fault that he had left her.

He was right, after all. He had a world to save.

But it didn't stop the anger from flowing richly through Leo's veins when he caught Percy's gaze or supervised him working on Festus with Tyson. Because at the end of the day, Percy had been another hero who had left Calypso alone and stranded on an island in the midst of a twisted curse.

He'd come back from a mandatory lunch break to find the half-brothers in the bunker working hard and fought the temptation to walk back out. He'd already wasted an hour eating because Piper threatened to make him tie himself to the dining pavilion if he didn't but that didn't mean he could afford to put off his work any longer.

As always, the smell of cinnamon, the sound of rushing waves and a bright laugh and the feeling of slightly dirty hands clutching his neck slid through his mind along with the same thought. Calypso is waiting for me.

She could tell him she hated him all she liked but Leo knew better. Rafts didn't show up for just anyone on Ogygia. So he ignored the pair and got to work on lining Festus' wings with thick canvas in an attempt to make him faster. But Tyson would not be ignored.

"Leo! You are back!" he shouted, cheerfully. "Now I can show you dragon's water flow!"

"That's alright Tyson," Leo called back, pointedly ignoring Percy. "I'm sure it's perfect." Which was actually the truth. Leo had a tendency of double checking everyone's work with Festus but Tyson's was always precise and it was always perfect.

"Okay Leo!" the Cyclops replied, turning back to the dragon who seemed to be coming alive with each day.

The tinkerer had just finished the last of Festus' wings when he heard Percy tell Tyson he was taking a quick break. Don't talk to me Percy, he thought in his head. I'm an enormous jerk.

"Leo?"

"Yeah?" the word came out harsher than he intended and Leo winced. "I mean, what's up?"

"I want to talk. About Calypso." Percy said, jumping headfirst into the topic without any fuss. Leo could appreciate the frankness. It did not mean he wanted to have this conversation. In fact, he would rather pluck out his eyeballs with a hatchet.

"Percy, I don't think now is the best time-" he begun, averting his gaze but the sea demigod would not be deterred.

"I want to apologise. To you. To her. I made her a promise that I make the gods help her and they forgot about her." Percy's voice was grim, grim enough that Leo raised his eyes to his face. "It wasn't fair of me, not when she's had so many people break promises to her."

"You're right. It wasn't." Leo agreed, stonily. "She asked me, you know, when I managed to get some reception out of the looking glass. When Reyna disappeared from the mirror, she asked me if she was my girlfriend. My Annabeth."

Percy cringed and then his face smoothed over with a hint of wistfulness in his sea green eyes. "When I was on that island, Calypso told me I could stay. That I could leave the prophecy behind and live with her. I was so tempted but then I thought about Annabeth and camp, and everyone who might die if I stayed. All the reasons I had to leave."

"I think she really liked you, Percy." Leo frowned. "I think she thought you might be the one to stay." It had certainly sounded that way, from how she mentioned Percy's name with equal parts sadness and bitterness.

But Percy was already shaking his head and chuckling lowly. "She knew about Annabeth from the first day I landed. I talk in my sleep. She knew I wouldn't stay. But you…" he smiled awkwardly. "The way you talk about her, how she helped you build a boat to leave. You were different Valdez."

The boys paused for a long moment, caught up in a web of awkwardness and mutual nostalgia for a beautiful, sun filled island and a lovely lonely girl with a pretty smile.

"Brother! Something is wrong with this pipe! It explodes out of the dragon's…err…backside!" Tyson suddenly called, befuddlement in his voice.

Percy chuckled. "I'll be right there!" he replied, breaking the moment. As he walked away though, he turned back to Leo with a hesitant grin. "You know Annabeth and I asked for Damasen and Bob to be released from Tartarus when the gods came to thank us." He said, somewhat randomly.

"The giant and the titan?" Leo frowned, confused. "And they actually went for that? Has Zeus been sucking on his lightning bolts again?"

A loud rumble of thunder bellowed out from outside and Leo shrugged in response to the invisible grumble.

"Yeah. Well, the gods are working on it. Hades has to work around Tartarus but Bob's already out. He's settled down off the coast of Australia I think." Percy explained with a shrug. "I'm just saying. That's what Annabeth and I asked for. Everyone else got their rewards. Everyone but you."

The idea seemed to connect at electrical points all over his body like a circuit board. It straightened his spine, widened his eyes, made his fingers twitch. He could ask for her, for her freedom. Percy had asked once but when the gods didn't deliver, he had forgotten about it. Leo planned to be far more annoying about it. She'd been punished enough, she'd dismissed Gaea even when her grandmother offered her freedom.

Surely that counted for something?

A/N: To everyone who favourited, followed, read or reviewed, thank you and I hope you're liking it so far. Calypso will feature in the sixth chapter I believe so HANG ON THERE!

From Chapter Two

Razberry Magic: Please keep reading! :) Love hearing back from people. Makes me freak out over my keyboard.
Tara Luna Apple: I'm trying to keep to Riordan's style as much as possible so I'm glad you like it.

anaklusmos26 (cool name): Luckily, I can put into words the feels I get: gasdkCALEOfljfaME TOO!

fowlsprincess6138: Thanks for reading it! I promise when I actually grow self control, I'll try to update on Mondays and Fridays (fingers crossed)

tenneyshoes (ten-ee-s-shoes-ten-is- oh I GET IT!): I'm trying to keep to Rick Riordan's style as best I can. Sometimes I make Leo say something sappy and then delete and say the same thing just snarkier. Glad you're liking it! If you have any suggestions of 'firsts' you want to see, please review them?

souffles: my stealth chapters are ninjas in the night. They have no names, merely lovely people who review them. Thanks :)

Chapter One

mia: nawww, shucks! You're so sweet.

Gabie: I will definitely be making more. I have made more. In my head. Thank you for reading!

callmemisstayla: Miss Tayla, you just wait, these two express affection by picking on each other.

PhoenixFire777: I'm sending you psychic urges to write a PJO fanfic. Wriiiiiite…Caleeeeeoooo…(glad you liked it!)