A/N: Alright guys, important serious announcement time:
I am very, very sorry that this chapter is so late. I hate that I've made you wait longer than usual. That sucks. I've just discovered that I have been accepted to a week long project up north in February and I've been spending a lot of time working out the details. That means I'll probably have to take a week-long hiatus for the first week of February too but that's not the point.
The point is guys: Messaging me and reviewing this story with wonderful comments like 'can't wait for the new chapter' or 'please update soon!' is one thing. I love that. You guys are awesome and don't let anyone ever tell you you are not.
Please don't send messages berating me for not posting on time when I've said all along that I would probably screw up at some point. I do not love that. That is not awesome and to be honest, it's kind of disappointing and hurtful.
I'm human and I'm terrible at time management. That's okay. What's not okay is people making me feel awful for not keeping up 100% when I've had other things that needed attention.
I love you guys, I love hearing from you and it really sucks that I haven't been able to reply to your reviews this week or post as routinely. But I'll ask again, please be kind and don't send me messages scolding me for not posting. It's not part of the friendly attitude that you guys have brought to this story so far and I don't really appreciate it.
Okay. Nice long chapter today. Thankyou everyone for sticking through and I hope to have more posted soon :) As for replies to reviews, they'll probably be posted intermittently over tonight and tomorrow (I hope)
Much love,
Shy
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The first time Calypso visited Leo's bedroom in Cabin 9, she could hardly focus on any one thing, her eyes greedily taking in the devices surrounding her. There were things called laptops, televisions, remotes, stereos, CDs and so much more. In comparison to her new home in the Oracle Cave, it seemed to burst with technology and gadgets and frenetic energy and pure Leo.
In contrast, her new home felt empty which wasn't to say Leo hadn't liked the Oracle Cave too. He'd never been there before himself but when he arrived, Rachel was showing Calypso the bathroom she had blackmailed Apollo into making. "He said I should wash with the others at camp," the fiery haired Oracle said, carelessly. "But can you imagine how much time Aphrodite's girl take in the showers every morning? So I pulled a few Oracle strings and we got this."
Calypso realised Rachel often used the term 'we' to describe the symbiotic relationship between herself the prophetic spirit. The spirit itself seemed at home with Rachel, resting peacefully and cosily inside the heiress' soul. "So what is this?" she asked, changing the subject.
Rachel looked at her with a frown. "That's a sink. You know what a sink is, right?"
"Is it like a basin?" Calypso asked, tracing the tap curiously. "I had one on the island to freshen up but it refilled magically."
"This one is kind of magic," Rachel grinned, turning the tap quickly. Water trickled from the faucet and Calypso was enchanted.
"This is incredible…" she murmured, craning her neck to study the faucet. "And you say mortals made this?"
"Sure. We're clever like that." Rachel shrugged in reply and turned around the bathroom. Her smile turned wary. "Wait, you know what a toilet is right?"
Calypso turned bright pink. "I don't believe that needs explaining." She replied in a tight voice.
"Oh good," the oracle sighed. "Cause I like you and all, but I don't think we're there yet." Calypso merely nodded, pretending to understand as she spied the cubicle in one corner of the room.
"What is that?" she asked, studying the glass and mosaic enclosure, the dimpled round disc that protruded overhead. Rachel was about to respond when a voice caught their attention.
"Anyone home? Hello? Sunshine? Where are y- are those crystals?" Leo called though he was quickly distracted.
Rachel's face split into a wicked smirk. "I'm just teaching your girlfriend how to use a shower, Valdez, come on through!" she called back. There was a pause and then the audible sound of Leo choking.
"Leo, are you alright?" Calypso asked, concerned.
He peeked through the door of the bathroom looking conflicted. When he saw the girls standing (quite clothed), he sighed. "Is it wrong that I'm a little disappointed?" he mumbled.
Rachel burst into laughter. "You're such a guy, Leo. Look, I have to go talk to Chiron about my latest painting but feel free to hang out here. In fact, why don't you get Leo to teach you about the shower, Calypso?" she added in an innocent tone before fleeing.
"Oh she's gonna be a fun roommate." Leo anticipated and gestured towards the door. "You gonna give me a tour Sunshine?"
Calypso frowned. "Leo, Rachel was not teasing. She was teaching me about this…shower. How does it work? What does it do?"
Her boyfriend turned an odd mix of pale and red. "Err…maybe you should wait for Rachel to show you?" he suggested, weakly. Don't be a jerk, she doesn't get it. Do not be a jerk.
"I'm sure you could tell me just as easily." Calypso pressed, standing inside the cubicle. The cubicle where she would shower one day. Possibly even today. Calypso. In the shower. Naked.
Leo took a deep breath, realising she wasn't going to let it go. "Well, it's for washing." He said, trying to be simple. "You turn the taps and-"
"Eek!" Calypso squeaked as she turned the tap and freezing water shot out from above. "Leo, make it stop!"
Unable to control his laughter, the demigod reached inside the cubicle and turned the tap off. Calypso was already drenched however, her hair dripping over her eyes, her dress-
Oh. Leo's brain short-circuited. Oh, her dress. There should be temples dedicated to that dress alone.
"What is this contraption?" she ranted, squeezing her hair out. "It is completely ridiculous! I'm soaked with water! Leo! Stop grinning, this is not funny!"
"It's a little funny." He corrected, trying to calm his dazed grin. With her dress soaked through the thin fabric in water, it clung to her figure, tight across her breasts, outlining the dip of her waist and the curve of her hips. Her hair had darkened and with her eyes staring at him heatedly, she was so, so beautiful and sexy and gorgeous and-
And he had to stop blatantly ogling his (brand new, first ever and only) girlfriend before she realised.
"What on earth would people make this for?" she muttered as Leo came to his senses and grabbed a fluffy white towel from under the sink. She wrapped it around her tightly, shivering from the cold.
"Well normally people don't shower with clothes on." He pointed out, his mouth still slightly dry.
Calypso paused, her eyes widening. "You mean people wash standing up? In there?"
This time, Leo's grin was more humorous than admiring. "Sure do. Why, what did you do when you wanted to clean up?"
She blushed bright pink and curled her towel closer around her. "My servants drew me a bath like a civilized person would." She was still shivering a little in the cool tiled bathroom and her wet clothes.
"We're a fast moving species, us mortals. Showers save time." Leo chuckled, wrapping his arm around her uncertainly. He always ran a few degrees warmer than usual but he felt strange about offering it to Calypso when she was literally just out of the shower. She didn't seem to mind, snuggling closer against him with a small smile.
"I'll ask Rachel if she thinks we can put a bathing tub in the bathroom." Calypso decided as they exited the bathroom. "What kind of place is a bathroom with out a bath?"
She gave him a small tour around the huge cavernous space, letting herself warm up under his arm. It was nice, Leo decided. They hadn't really gone through this part before but then again, Calypso had kissed him right before he left her and he'd told her he loved her while she was dripping ichor so when did they ever get anything right?
"You could put a curtain up down the middle." Leo suggested afterwards. "If you wanted your privacy."
"I do not think I mind it," she replied, her damp hair gone slightly curly. "But I would like one near my dresser."
"How come?"
"To dress." she replied, casually. "For now, I'll use the bathroom."
"You're changing?" Leo's voice held a faint trace of disappointment that he tried to mask. Calypso folded the towel into a neat bundle at the foot of her bed.
"Yes, hero." She replied, her voice deceptively careless. "After all, you still haven't shown me your chambers."
"They're not really chambers," he replied. "More like my Leo Cave."
"It is a cave also then?" she asked, pulling out a dark grey t-shirt and a pair of denim jeans.
"No, it's like a Bat Cave." He tried to explain before waving his hand, dismissively. "Alright, Batman is going on the Must-See List. We should probably get you caught up on Superman too so you can understand our jokes about Jason. And if we're doing those two, we'll have to do Ironman as well."
"Well, if we are going to your…Leo Cave…then I don't want to give any more demigods a show." She kissed his cheek and grinned, knowingly. "You're a rather obvious lot."
When she disappeared into the bathroom, Leo's back hit her bed with a flump. "I knew you noticed!" he called, accusingly. She merely giggled in reply.
The raising and lowering bed, the voice commands, the electronic lighting and devices that consumed the underground space of Leo's chambers seemed a lot like magic and spells to Calypso but Leo assured her otherwise.
The rest of the campers were outside so it had been a simple matter of sneaking Calypso into Cabin 9 and down into the subterranean room that Leo had claimed almost a year ago but had rarely used since the whole Great Prophecy quest had begun.
The bed took up much of the space (the sheets crumpled and singed in places) but there was also a desk to one side and shelves around the room overflowing with miscellaneous junk. The desk was angled up, a work surface filled with half finished pictures, sketches, rulers, protractors and pencils. The seat tucked beneath it was a plain stool that spun around like no chair Calypso had ever seen before.
Her eyes did not feel large enough to take in the spacious room but Leo didn't seem to notice. He showed her the different areas like they were as common as sand which baffled her even more.
"It's all machinery." He tried to explain though he used phrases and terms that she had never before heard. Never in her whole life had she felt quite so…witless.
"You really are a wonder, Leo." She muttered with a weak smile as she played with some kind of remote that was only partially put together.
He frowned in reply and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Don't feel bad," he blurted out. "The other guys don't get what I'm babbling on about half the time either."
"I am sure they understand more than me." She changed the subject. "Tell me about this screen." She pointed to the television screen at the foot of the bed like hers.
Leo withdrew a pair of game controllers from the footboard and began explaining the concept of video games, including one called Brothers of Mario the Smasher or some kind of nonsense. Calypso found herself smiling not at the game but at Leo who looked so passionate and enthusiastic about the system. It was much easier to focus on him than the room, on the light in his eyes or the twitch of his fingers or the way his cheeks were still sort of pink from her catching him staring at her.
She hadn't realised how much she missed seeing him so fired up over something. It was one of her favourite things about him, how he'd put so much energy into something, consumed by a project with his face lit up with contentment. This was where Leo Valdez belonged, Calypso decided. Making, explaining, learning, designing, fixing. It was a good look on him.
Biting her lip, she wondered how deep is concentration was as he set up something called an 'avatar' for her and rambled on about the technical modifications one of his half-siblings had made. "Tessa is awesome, she added on a whole other demigod section for designing weapons-" Leo was saying until Calypso's breath on the back of his neck made him pause.
"Keep going." she said, nonchalant as she leaned her chin on his shoulder.
"Right, well Tessa added features, like the ability to make celestial bronze weapons or super improved powers or- Sunshine?"
"Yes?" her voice was innocent but her fingers were tracing a slow, light path from his ear down the side of his neck and it was quickly becoming all he could think about-
"Are you listening at all?" he asked, wincing. Good job Valdez. You get a beautiful girl, who likes you, in your room, sitting on your bed and you're boring her about Super Mario Bros. You are a gods damned genius.
She chuckled lightly, removing her hand from his throat. He almost wanted to tell her to keep going. "Not really. But you looked like you were having fun, I didn't want to disturb you."
"I'm new at this you know," he muttered, embarrassed. "You're gonna have to tell me when to switch off my mechanical geek rants."
Calypso traced over his knuckles with her fingertips, smiling indulgently. "I do not know that word. Geek."
"Basically it means-" he began to explain.
"But I know that if it makes you happy, you shouldn't 'switch it off'." She continued, feeling suddenly bold as she let her hands brush up his wrist and forearm, curiously. Calypso found her own heart suddenly pick up speed and she felt a little lightheaded- what odd sensations mortal forms possessed.
"It'll start to annoy you," he warned. "Trust me, I am a pro at being annoying."
"If I am annoyed, Leo Valdez," she snickered, kissing his cheek softly. "You will know."
The first time Leo introduced his girlfriend to his friends (properly), he kind of forgot how embarrassing his friends could be on occasion.
That was his first mistake.
The pair entered the Dining Pavilion with Calypso's hand tentatively entwined with his and Leo had a hard time concealing the ridiculous grin that wanted to explode across his face because of it. "Over here!" Jason called from the far corner table, the one furthest away from Mr D and Chiron's head table.
The wine god sat in his chair mulish and grouchy as his violet eyes followed Calypso from the entrance to the table.
She tried not to roll her eyes as they sat down in the free seats. "He has not changed a bit." She told Leo, sighing when Mr D glared daggers at her once more for good measure.
"One day you're gonna have to explain how you know him." Leo replied, raising his brows. "And what the hell you did to piss him off."
She winced which aroused his curiosity to no end but before he could question her more, Piper broke into the conversation. "So how was the tour?" she asked, her tone polite but friendly.
"It was wonderful." The former goddess replied, a little unsurely. "Camp Half Blood is truly more amazing than I ever thought possible."
"It's something, isn't it?" Jason added, wistfully as he drank from his goblet filled with lemonade and lime.
"So other than the Forge, where else did Leo show you?" Piper continued. They exchanged a tiny glance that seemed to share a single thought that they should keep Calypso's visit to Cabin 9 to themselves.
"We covered most of the camp." Leo shrugged instead and began grabbing food from the passing nymphs for both of them. Calypso seemed content enough to let him choose for her, unsure about several of the items personally but deciding to try them anyway.
"I doubt that." The beautiful demigod replied, dryly.
Leo frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you probably showed her the Forge and maybe Bunker 9 and called it a day." Frank added, obliviously.
"Excuse you Zhang, Leo Valdez' tours are way more in depth than that!" he argued, indignantly while Hazel snickered into her pasta.
"So where else did you go?" Piper challenged.
"The amphitheatre, the climbing wall, the arena-" Leo listed off.
"Did you go inside any of those places?" Hazel interjected, laughingly.
"Well…no." he admitted, sheepishly.
"I enjoyed your tour." Calypso told him, hiding a smile herself. "But perhaps next time you could show me inside somewhere other than the Forge?" Or your chambers.
"I thought you liked it." Leo pointed out.
She shrugged and grabbed a bowl of mashed potato from a passing wood nymph. "I did. Except for the cannonball."
"The cannonball wasn't my fault." Leo defended.
"Cannonball?" Jason echoed. "What are you Vulcans cooking up these days?" Frank and Hazel burst into snickers.
"Dude, I told you to stop calling them that." Leo replied, warningly poking his fork in his best friend's direction but his eyes were alight with amusement. "They don't find it as funny as I do."
Even Piper cracked a small smile. "It's a little funny."
"Only until they launch a cannonball at your head." He countered back.
"That is not so funny." Calypso agreed, absently as she prodded her mashed potato with an inquisitive stare. "Leo, what is this?"
"It's potato." He answered, adding some to his own plate.
"Oh." She murmured, still eying it puzzled. "…you're sure?"
"It takes some getting used to." Hazel said, sympathetically. "But new food grows on you."
"So how did you get on with the other Cabin 9 kids?" Jason changed the subject, grabbing a bread roll basket for the group. "Did they do the handshake thing?"
Calypso hid a small smile. "I'm glad it wasn't just for me."
"To be honest, I don't think they realise they do it." He explained, digging into his food. "But I swear Nyssa nearly broke my knuckles when Leo introduced us."
The former goddess looked relieved. "I suppose I'm lucky I missed out then."
"I forgot about that." Leo winced, glancing toward her. "You don't have to keep it you know."
"Keep what?" Frank asked, curiously.
"Harley was handing off his toys again." Leo said, shrugging with a flush to his cheeks. "He won't mind if you don't want it."
Calypso's brow furrowed. "Why wouldn't I? It's very clever."
"Clever?" Leo repeated, one eyebrow raised.
"It's a walking elephant, Leo." She said slowly, enunciating each word. "I thought it was wonderful."
"Awww," Hazel cooed. "He gave you an elephant?"
"I got a lizard when we first got back from Greece." Piper recalled, cheerfully. "But it broke a few days later I think. You got a horse, right Hazel?"
"Yeah but mine didn't break on its own." Hazel retorted with a pointed glance at Frank who flushed.
"How many times do I have to apologise for that?" he asked with a hint of whine to his voice.
"You sat on it."
"I didn't mean to!"
"You turned into a full sized grizzly bear!"
"It was midnight Hazel! And it wouldn't be quiet!" Frank defended, weakly.
"That little sneak." Jason let out a low whistle. "Leo, control your brother. He's got my girlfriend fawning all over him."
Piper rolled her eyes. "When you can make adorable mechanical creatures for me Jason Grace, I'll fawn all over you too."
"Man I'm screwed." Jason replied, setting his head back, mock-defeated.
"Join the club." Frank told him wearily. "Leo seriously-"
But Leo wasn't listening. "-I made a GPS system out of scrap I found on an island that doesn't even exist-" he was ranting while Calypso continued to probe her mashed potato.
"Ogygia exists, Wonder Boy." She pointed out, absently. "Are you very certain it's potato?"
"-and all Harley does is make a ticking scrap elephant and that's clever?" he added. "How is that fair?"
She shrugged. "The elephant is much more interesting."
"I built a GPS and an Archimedes looking glass-"
"Which the raft didn't need and which I had to magically evoke." She added with a smirk.
"That," Leo huffed but his eyes were bright. "Is beside the point."
"Oh Wonder Boy," she sighed, exasperated but definitely amused.
"And another thing-" he began again but in a moment Calypso had leaned over and kissed his cheek gently, sending sparks shooting beneath his skin and making his whole face explode into a colour roughly the same as that of a beetroot.
"Now you're sure this is edible? Because it doesn't look like any kind of potato I've ever seen." Calypso began to say, her attention focused back on her plate while Leo turned steadily redder.
Frank snickered. "I don't think I've ever seen him lost for words before." He told Jason who shrugged and nudged his best friend's arm.
"You still in there buddy?" he asked, teasingly. "C'mon, you're making us look bad. People will start staring in shock."
"Shut it, Peter Pan." Leo muttered but his grin had turned into a kind of soft smile and his eyes were glued to Calypso who was still inspecting her meal.
"Leave him alone." Piper said, her whole face lit with pleasure. "I think it's cute."
"Yeah, it's like he's forgotten he has a tongue." Hazel added, chuckling. "Adorable."
"What is it with you Vulcans?" Jason sighed, smirking.
"Cute and adorable? I can turn into a panda for crying out loud." Frank mumbled, still eating.
"What can I say," Leo joked as Calypso finally tried a forkful of mashed potato, her nose crinkling in suspicion as she chewed. "Girls can't resist a scrawny mechanic. The sight of us makes them swoon."
Calypso snorted. "That was nothing irresistible about you when we first met, Leo Valdez." She pointed out, hesitantly chewing more of the potato.
"Do tell," Piper egged on, ignoring the slightly nervous expression on her friend's face. "Leo's been pretty quiet about that."
"Well it was a warm sunny day, calm breeze, peaceful rolling waves and then who should appear in a blaze of fiery glory-" Leo began immediately.
Calypso laughed. "You crash landed on my beach, made a crater the size of a dragon and left my dining table in smoking ruins."
Jason choked on his mouthful. "A blaze of glory huh?" he repeated mirthfully to Leo who sent him a flat stare.
"She's exaggerating." He dismissed. "I made a helicopter in mid air, it was super impressive."
"Ah yes, that would be that ridiculous orb you were yelling about like a loon?" Calypso interjected, slyly.
"Oh no, not the sphere!" Hazel gasped, snickering.
"Anything but the sphere." Frank added with a grin.
Leo rolled his eyes in exasperation. "It's an Archimedes sphere, it's- you know what, none of you appreciate how incredible it really is-"
"Oh trust me, Wonder Boy, I heard that sphere's praises from the moment you arrived to the day you left." Calypso pointed out, smiling.
"You should've been there when he found the damn thing." Hazel said, pointing to Calypso with her spoon. "It was like Christmas had come early."
"Anyway," Leo stressed. "We met, she yelled at me, I yelled back and by the end of it, we were meant to be."
Calypso actually choked at that. "You remembered my name because of some ridiculous music trend!"
"I remembered it didn't I?" Leo protested, unable to conceal his grin.
"You called me Reggae."
"So this is what swooning looks like huh?" Jason said, his shoulders shaking from laughing.
"I can see we've been doing it wrong all this time." Piper added, giggling.
Leo sighed, incapable of keeping up his unimpressed glare towards his best friends. He'd forgotten how embarrassing they could be but to be honest, Leo could embarrass himself plenty. With Calypso's hand shyly fitted inside his beneath the table though- well, it hardly mattered then.
A/N: Oh Leo. I've been waiting write this for so long.
Guest: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Sorry about the delay for this one!
Red: Yay, I'm thrilled you loved it- it's not quite Friday but here it is! Hope you like it too :)
Guest: I need some cuteness between these two sometimes. I can't help it, it just spills out. Hope you like the new update too :D
Caro: I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS- very sorry for the delay but I hope you like the new chapter YOU ARE AWESOME ALSO AND THANKS FOR TAKING A SEC TO REVIEW!
Huey: Oh my gosh, I'm honoured, thanks for taking a minute to review! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far and as for the romance-drama-adventure balance, I'm so pleased it's woven well, I've been trying to keep it all pretty even ;) Thank you so much and I hope you like what's next for these two :D
SydwasHere: I am glad for you. Enjoy the food.
DiZnEyFaN: Isn't it great ;) ? Anyway, glad you like it, I will definitely fangirl away if the need strikes me and please don't say that, I feel like everything contributed to this site is wonderful and magical and deserves to be recognised so GOOD FOR YOU FOR PUBLISHING IT HERE YOU BRAVE WRITER! Thanks for reading
Tara Luna Apple: You are also amazing, sorry for the delay. Hope you like the new chapter though, it was more fun to write than the last one I admit ;)
101Guest101xx: I love Caleo too and I promise Percy will make an appearance soon-ish! Anyway, no I am a Percabeth shipper 100% and to be honest, I don't think Percy was ever truly in love with Calypso, not like he is with Annabeth. And thankyou for your lovely comments. As for a future prophecy? Well maybe ;) There's a poll on my profile if you'd like to give you opinion! Thanks for reading!
Chocolate Lover: Thanks, I got super busy this week and I got my heels kicked out from under me. Anyway, Percy will make an appearance soon I hope, I'm still setting it up but I hope to post it before I go on my trip! As for how Annabeth reacts to the Rachel-Calypso friendship, oh my gosh, I hadn't thought of it that way and now I must go drown in ideas and shrieking giggles. AHAHAHA! Thanks for reading!
Artemis Daughter: Naw, thanks! I'm sorry this is so late, I hope you like it. It was much more fun to write than last chapter to be honest but I'm glad you liked it all the same :D I AM SO HAPPY YOU ARE ENJOYING IT AND OH MY GOSH, THE BEST EVER? REALLY? I LOVE YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
AvidReader101: I am glad. Let this brighten your day friend! I am sorry it is late but I hope you enjoy it anyway :)
Renny: I know, I know- real life got intense this week. This project I applied for came through and I've been selected from a trip up north for a week in February so this week has been about sorting those details out. Hope the wait wasn't too bad and enjoy the new chapter :)
Alright, that's it! New chapter on Monday (no seriously, I mean Monday this time. I think)