A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, what was the weather like? It was a cloudless 28 degrees celsius down under and I spent all day in the pool.
Also, I posted my Christmas outtake on my profile! It's called Traditional and THANK-YOU EVERYONE WHO READ IT! I have a few more chapters of that to come but I wanted to focus on this chapter for now.
As for people wondering if this is the end (because Leo has now found Calypso etc.) HELL NO, there are still SO many more 'firsts' for these two to get through ;D
THANKYOU EVERYONE WHO READ, REVIEWED, FOLLOWED OR FAVOURITED THIS STORY SO FAR, YOU ARE ALL LOVELY!
Much love,
Shy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The first time Leo woke up in Calypso's bed, he was actually a little disappointed that he was alone.
After all he had defeated Gaea, saved the world, rebuilt Festus, battled a sea dragon and let himself fall out of the sky to get to her. Was it too much to ask that he might get to see her before the pain in his arm set in? Pretty girls always had a way of making him feel better.
At the moment, however, Leo was distinctly pretty-girl-less. Instead, he tried to concentrate on the pretty multi-coloured swirl of crystal set in the ceiling and the fine white curtain that separated the fluffy bed from the rest of the cave.
His eyes felt tired and strained but functional at least, if a teeny bit blurred. He couldn't remember a lot after he crashed on Calypso's bed but he was fairly certain he hadn't slept well and had a distinct impression of sticky, oily nightmares breathing down his neck but he couldn't remember the details.
"Come on Valdez," he muttered, groaning as he tried to sit up. He gave up when the movement made his whole left side go limp for a minute. "I'm telling Percy about this, you stupid piece of sushi," he growled at the thought of Ketos, wherever the heck it was. "I'll roast you next time."
Blinking, Leo glanced around as much as his body would let him and the more he tried to focus, the less blurry the images became. When the white curtain shifted slightly in the breeze, he saw an enormous wooden structure against the far wall with spools of coloured thread strung taunt through the beams, a plain table with a gleaming golden lyre poised on top and shelves overflowing with jars and baskets and hanging plants. He'd never really been inside Calypso's cave and he didn't know what he'd been expecting but he was sort of surprised. He'd figured she'd prefer the clean, neat lines of Mount Olympus but this was kind of a pigsty.
He smirked tiredly at that; pretty, bossy goddess wasn't perfect after all. The movement made his teeth hurt and Leo began to wonder just how badly the crazy acid-spray might've affected him. His last memories of arriving on Ogygia were tinted with a strange green cloud and every other movement sent little spiralling surges of pain through his skin. He could still taste some of that god-awful-medicine-food-shit Calypso had shoved down his throat on the back of his tongue.
He tried to shuffle up to a seated position and he probably would've done better this time except his hands wouldn't release the bright red blanket he clutched. When he looked down, he could see it was some kind of flaming chicken but his hands had already singed holes where he'd been grabbing it in his sleep. A cheerful humming from the other side of the cave caught his attention and he decided to sit up, letting out a hiss of pain as he did.
The humming stopped and Calypso suddenly appeared, holding a breakfast very different to the stew he'd lived on last time he was here.
"You're awake," she smiled brightly and sat on a small stool beside the bed, passing him the tray of eggs and bacon, grilled tomatoes, sausages and toast with a gentle hand. "The air nymphs made you breakfast." She added with a tiny smile.
"You weren't here." He mumbled, somewhat stunned at actually seeing her face after all this time. She wore a bright green t-shirt and grass stained jeans, her long auburn hair braided to one side. She looked like something out of his daydreams and he wanted to pinch himself to make sure it was real. He would've except his arm looked like a lame extra from The Mummy and he didn't want to bring back that stinging pain.
She looked like she wanted to roll her eyes as she gently helped him sit up. "Eat this."
She handed him more of that horrible medicine-cake but Leo was fairly certain insulting a girl's cooking was not the way to her heart so he grimaced and swallowed the herb-mix-cake-thing whole.
Even if it tasted like feet and radishes, he could tell there was at least a bit of ambrosia because the effect was immediate- as soon as it hit his stomach, Leo could feel the last of the shooting pains retreat, leaving him exhausted but at least able to move his limbs again. (Which was good because if Calypso had to hand feed him his breakfast, he was fairly certain she was never going to take him seriously again.)
"As for not being here, I had better things to do than watch you snore. Like making sure you didn't spontaneously combust from Ketos' poison." Calypso said pointedly as she handed him the tray of food.
"I told you," he mumbled as he shoved a sausage in his mouth, ravenously hungry. "I al-weady doo 'at."
"Swallow before speaking, I have little interest in what your half digested food looks like." She commented, eyebrow raised.
"Wow, okay mom. You sound like Piper." He snickered as he made the comparison. "Fanks for da food." He added with his mouth full, just to irritate her. As soon as he did it, he wondered if maybe acting like a nine year old wasn't his best idea. But it was just so easy to be comfortable around her now, like all the stress and worry and nerves and questions just melted off him.
Her nose wrinkled but her eyes were light with humour and a kind of spectacular joy. "You're welcome. The poison should have faded by now and the fatigue should wear off by the afternoon. Well, I hope will at least."
"Missing my vibrant company, Sunshine?" he said, grinning.
Calypso snorted, stealing a strip of bacon for herself. "Hardly. Your dragon has been tearing up the eastern half of Ogygia with its nerves."
"Aw man," Leo frowned, apologetically. "I completely forgot about Festus."
"He's quite fine, just worried, I believe." She assured. "I told him you would be fine and he seemed to understand me. Such an odd machine."
"He's more than a machine," Leo boasted. "I programmed him to understand commands and when Piper brought him to life with her charmspeak-"
"You talk much about this girl Piper." Calypso interjected, speculatively.
"Not too much," Leo shrugged. "Her boyfriend could crush me." He sat up further, the remaining ache beginning to ease fraction by fraction. When he felt like his arms might not collapse on him, Leo leaned back and raised his brows, pointedly at the goddess. "You know, I came back."
"You did." Calypso agreed with a beautiful smile.
"So I was thinking," he coughed, trying to summon that Leo Valdez charm that had always let him escape detention or incite laughter but it flailed in response. As it usually did around pushy beautiful sea goddesses. "When we get to New York-"
"New York?" Calypso's smile turned slightly sad.
"Well yeah," Leo drawled, uncertainly. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to regain his train of thought with little success. Damn it man, pull it together. "When we leave. Camp Half-Blood is on Long Island so I figured that was the most reasonable spot…" Oh gods, what if she doesn't want to follow me? What if she wants to live somewhere else like Sweden or Thailand or-? "…unless you want me to drop you somewhere else, I mean I can do that-" he began to babble, nervously.
In a flash, Calypso shut him up by dragging his mouth to hers, just like she had all those months ago when he'd first left her. After so much time thinking about that first kiss, he was embarrassingly caught off guardby the feel of her lips and the only thought running through his head was that she tasted so much better than his dreams. The touch sent little licks of fire curling at his insides, rapidly expanding inside his belly, which was an unusual feeling for someone who usually controlled fire. Calypso kissed him like she was trying to make him implode.
"I would like nothing more," she breathed when they parted. "Than to go to this…New York with you, hero. But I'm afraid that just because you found Ogygia twice, does not mean my curse is broken. The magic is still there, I can feel it. I cannot leave."
"But the gods told me when I found the island-" Leo complained, unthinkingly.
"Gods?" Calypso's eyes narrowed. "What did they say this time?"
"Well, when I made dad take me to Olympus, Zeus said-" Leo began.
Her face took on a slightly awed look. "Wait, you spoke to the gods on my behalf?"
"Spoke…ordered…demanded…blackmailed…" he wheedled with a shrug. "It's kind of the same thing isn't it? Point is, they said if I found Ogygia-"
Calypso seemed determined not to let him finish a sentence. She crashed her lips to his, this time turning the licks of fire into a blazing inferno that chased a path down his spine from head to toe. One hand cradled his jaw, the other gripped his camp shirt tightly and yanked him closer. He could barely concentrate on breathing, his head too full of the heady smell of cinnamon and the softness of her mouth pressed to his. His right arm was still useless at his side, numbed by poison and tightly bandaged but his left hesitantly rested on the curve of her cheek. She was soft and her braid tickled his neck and oh gods, when she ran her tongue across his bottom lip, it made his whole body twitch in reply.
"You brave, wonderful boy." She murmured into his mouth before kissing him again. "You spoke to the gods. For me."
"As much as I really want you to keep doing that," Leo wheezed when she finally let go. "I'm trying to talk here, woman!"
"But there are so many better things to do with that mouth of yours…" she murmured back, looking as though she was going to kiss him again. Or worse. Or better. He really couldn't tell the difference anymore. So Leo did the only thing he thought would work.
He covered her mouth with his hand and held her back with a pointed stare. "I am trying really hard to tell you something here Sunshine. But if you keep doing that, I am never going to finish." He said, slowly. "Okay?"
She nodded slowly, her eyes hypnotically dark.
"Okay," Leo sighed, removing his hand. "Zeus said that if I found Ogygia, they would release you. I don't get it, they said they were honour bound by the Styx. You should be free."
Calypso shrugged, dragging her nails through a stray dark curl of hair beside his ear. "Perhaps they have not realised. Or perhaps they have forgotten. Who knows why the gods do anything?"
"Have you ever tried calling on one of them?" Leo asked, thoughtfully. "Can they even come here?"
"They can but my calls usually do not work. Hermes typically answers if he is not busy. But perhaps you can try when you have assured Festus you're alive." Calypso suggested, removing the tray from Leo's lap.
He slid out of the bed and miracle of miracles, his legs didn't fold beneath him. His joints cracked, however, like they did after spending a long time in one position and Leo realised that riding Festus for days at a time with few rests, then battling a sea monster was probably not his best decision. But it seemed worth it now, standing beside her, buzzing from her kisses, released from the weight of that wretched oath, triumphant after so much preparation and work-
"And Leo?" Calypso said, innocently.
"Yeah?"
She smiled sweetly as she set the tray down on a nearby bench. "I am overjoyed you have returned. Truly. But if you attempt to muzzle me like a hound ever again, I will have your hand separated from your body." She turned and left the cave, leaving Leo following her with his eyes and a gaping mouth.
"Bronze bulls, what a girl…" he muttered, his mouth splitting into an enormous grin as he forced his shaky legs to follow.
A/N: Review time!
Guest: Caps lock excused but seriously, agreed, Rick needs to let these two get together in peace without, you know, tossing them into Tartarus. Enjoy the Caleo ship and thanks for reading!
Guest: I've been waiting to write and post it since chapter one! Glad you enjoyed it ;)
Winonabcd: I. KNOW. WHAT TO SAY: THANKYOU AND I AM SO SO SO SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT :D
Ilovethisfanfic: The Christmas outtake is published on my profile as a separate story called Traditional, hope you like it and THANKYOU FOR READING, I'M SO GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT :)
AquaDrop: Nawww, don't get teary! I'm just really pleased everyone liked it, I know you guys had high expectations for it ;)
Tara Luna Apple: ENJOY THE KISSES AND FLUFF! ;)
Hannah: Glad you liked it and I will certainly be writing more :D
AmmyDOS101: Rest and I hope when you wake up, this chapter will greet you in the morning ;) Thanks for reading!
Guest: Thanks! I'm trying to keep to Riordan's style as much as possible for this story and it's really fun to write :D
Guest: YAY I'M SO HAPPY EVERYONE LIKED IT, I WAS SO NERVOUS SO THANKS!
Guest: Naw, don't cry! I'm just glad you're enjoying it so far, I'm trying to keep to Riordan's style and pay attention to the details so it reads well but it's nice to know people like it. Also the Christmas outtake is on my profile as a separate story called Traditional ;)
Z: Hello! Yay, I'm really really happy you liked it, I was a bit nervous cause it's kind of a pinnacle moment, you know? Anyway, as for Ketos' stirring, Ketos was seriously bad news in Ancient Greece. Like, myths about giant squids, the kraken etc. they all pale in comparison to how messed up shit got when Ketos turned up. In The Titan's Curse, Chiron mentions Ketos as a possibility for the 'bane of Olympus' and that had Ketos stirred, Poseidon would've 'sounded the alarm'. So yeah, it's not really a good thing but I'm sure it won't be ancient-evil-destroying-the-earth-bad…I hope ;) Anyway, I really hope he continues on and does a Norse mythology series, man, that would be AWESOME.
Hope you liked it, next chapter will be up Monday and as for the next Christmas outtake, I'm hoping to post it this weekend! Thanks for all the kind words, love, suggestions and questions guys (especially the questions), I really enjoy getting to reply to them :D
Shy