A/N: HEY GUYS :D GUESS WHO'S A FEW WEEKS AWAY FROM FINISHING HER UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN HISTORY?!
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the new chapter, it is slightly shameless Caleo fluff but after the ending in Blood of Olympus, I needed some fluff to wipe away my disappointed feels.
I won't discuss it hear in case some of you guys haven't read it (or in case some of you have read it and really like the ending, in which case, I'm glad for you :) but suffice to say, Blood of Olympus fits in pretty well with this fic (i.e. nothing is drastically different to canon) which is great!
Anyway, thanks to everyone who has been ridiculously supportive of this fic last chapter, seriously, the amount of people who reviewed telling me not to stress, that I shouldn't keep apologising, that it's okay to be busy- you guys are amazing, thankyou very much for the love ;)
Hope you enjoy and the next chapter should be up shortly, I'm hoping to post it in a few days!
Shy
PS. GUYS ARE YOU EVEN KIDDING ME WE GOT TO 2000 REVIEWS OMG DID YOU SEE THAT YOU GUYS DID THAT OMG THANK YOOOOU AND THANK YOU i are unicorn and RedScotch444 WHO FINALLY PUSHED US OVER THE MARK OH MY FREAKING GODS!
PSS. THERE ARE SPOILERS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE FOR BLOOD OF OLYMPUS DO NOT SCROLL I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOU OKAY? OKAY.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
The first time Leo met the new and improved Damocles, he'd been perfectly ready to despise the creature bearing the absolute worst name in existence.
After he'd unpacked his gear, tried and failed to convince Calypso to hang around his underground room a little longer (he was tired damn it and his girlfriend had a habit of playing with his hair that felt really nice…), she'd pulled him topside with a smirk.
"Titans' children like me do not waste the day away, rolling around the chambers of demigods such as yourself, Wonder Boy." She mocked haughtily but her fingers were still gently laced with his and he knew she'd mostly moved on from her nerves earlier.
Leo struggled with his very skin cells not to turn red and let her know how much the mental image of them 'rolling around his chambers' affected him- it had come to his attention that his girlfriend was sort of wicked and really enjoyed making him blush more than she should. So instead he waggled his eyebrows. "How do you know if you've never tried it?"
She simply snorted in response and continued tugging him away from Cabin 9. "I want to show you something so hurry up!"
Leo followed beside her, honestly enjoying the walk, the sights and smells of Camp after a week away. He hoped it would be the last trip for a while, although with everything going on with Rachel and the Oracle spirit and Ketos, he somehow doubted his luck would turn for the better. For now, he just enjoyed the timelessness of camp: the sounds of swords clanging, the laughter erupting from the Dining Pavilion, an indignant scream followed by the sounds of fleeing footsteps and death threats.
"Come on, we're losing daylight." His former Titan tugged him further and when he realised they were headed towards the Forge, his curiosity peaked. "Dinner will be soon and they'll want to regale the returning heroes with platters of food and wine." There was an edge of sarcasm to her voice towards the end.
"What is it?" he asked as they reached the threshold of the enormous structure. Not that he minded her dragging him to the Forges; it felt good to be back there, the warm heat of the furnaces, the clang of hammers and hum of activity seeping through his skin. He should probably tell his half-siblings he hadn't diedanyway.
No matter what happens, Leo mused, absently. Camp never really changes.
"I want you to meet Damocles." Calypso replied brightly.
Until now, apparently.
His eyebrow twitched upwards despite himself. "Damocles?"
"My new friend. He's wonderful Leo, you'll love him, I'm sure." She practically gushed, all cheerful and gleeful and joyous and happy. He didn't particularly want to acknowledge why he was so irritated by this guy who had Calypso singing his praises but he was.
Their location suddenly clicked in his head. "Damocles is…in here?" the other eyebrow slowly joined the other at the top of his forehead.
Well, that'll save me having to go find a hammer to smash his brains in with, a tiny voice in the back of his mind muttered, darkly. Calypso bounded ahead, releasing his hand and pushing the doors open further.
"Yes, he's with Nyssa and Jake." She replied, completely oblivious to his suddenly plummeted mood. Only Hephaestus kids came into the forge and he was fairly certain he didn't have a brother called Damocles. Seriously, they would've already mocked the kid mercilessly with a name like that. Maybe someone else had arrived in the meantime? Ugh, that irked him too.
Suddenly the refreshing cool breeze felt clammy and the noise around camp was irritating and what on earth was a half brother of his doing making Calypso his new best friend?
"I'm away for a week, one week and my own damn siblings are messin' around with my girlfriend." He muttered under his breath, only half-joking. Leo told himself to knock it off. He told himself to be supportive; he concentrated on the times he remembered Jason scowling at boys who gossiped about Piper or how Hazel's fists curled slightly at the female attention Frank received when they'd returned to Camp Jupiter. Leo prided himself on an excellent poker face and he refused to let it slip for some little brat of a brother flirting with his girl. It probably wasn't even flirting. Poseidon knew, Leo was the smoothest of his relatives. The rest of them wouldn't recognise a pick up line if it took them out for dinner and a movie.
He followed her inside but with his head all tangled up, it was only his reflexes that saved him- the second he set foot past the threshold, something small and silver came flying towards his head and Leo hit the deck like a deadweight, dragging Calypso down with him.
She squeaked when she hit the floor, one of Leo's arms pressed across her shoulders and the other hand reaching for his tool belt (which he needed to stop leaving in his room apparently). There was a pause between them, filled with Leo's heart pounding and Calypso's rigid frame, both of them tensed for an attack.
Nyssa's voice came out of nowhere. "Andy, what in all of Hades and Hellas are you thinking!?" she spat, furiously and Leo's head furtively raised, his sense of self-preservation still very much at the forefront of his mind because a) unidentified flying objects could get him concussed and b) Nyssa sounded pissed.
'Andy' didn't appear to be remotely apologetic for nearly decapitating his cabin councillor. "I was testing it!" he complained, defensively while Leo removed his arm from his girlfriend's back and extended a hand to her instead, realising he might have overreacted just a tad. His reflexes had obviously tightened up since he'd arrived at camp all those months ago but tackling his girlfriend still seemed kind of extreme. Tackling her twice was a little embarassing.
Calypso accepted the hand, both of them standing cautiously. "This only ever happens when you're with me, you know." She told him frankly but there was a hint of mischief in those eyes. He thought back to the last time they'd been in the Forge together and winced, privately admitting she had a point.
"What? Near decapitation or valiant rescues?" Leo asked instead with an impish grin, while Nyssa strode over to them, her irritation still written in the lines of her face.
"Good to see you Valdez." She greeted in that semi-awkward, indifferent but well-meaning sort of manner that so many of her siblings shared.
Leo grinned back at her. "Don't sound too cheerful, Nyssa, people might think we actually like each other."
Nyssa snorted. "Try not to get eaten next time and I'll sound happier."
Leo let out another whining groan while Calypso broke out into giggles. "I underestimated how quickly word passes at camp." She confessed to him, snickering.
He rolled his eyes and jerked his head towards Andy instead. "So we're making kamikaze weapons now?"
Nyssa glanced at Calypso, eyebrows raised. "I thought you'd already told him."
The former goddess shrugged. "I was about to show him Damocles." She said, by way of explanation and Nyssa nodded. There was that name again, Leo noted, suppressing the urge to snort.
"Well, Jake is still voting for upgraded lasers so it's on his work table." Nyssa jerked her head to a cluttered bench near the west wall of the forge. "I need to go talk about aerodynamics with Andy again." She finished in a growl.
"He's still working on the Andeski 2.0?" Calypso replied, sympathetically.
Nyssa simply rolled her eyes. "If you can call endangering my forge and abusing the equipment, working."
Calypso sent her a small, apologetic smile and began tugging Leo towards the desk. He glanced between her and Nyssa, slightly bewildered by the ease that existed between the two girls who seemed so different to him.
"So you and Nyssa seem to be getting on…well?" he drawled in surprise.
The former Titan shrugged with a hint of a blush. "Nyssa is very straight forward and very clever. I enjoy her company a lot." She told him with a small note of satisfaction in her tone.
Leo couldn't hold back the sense of pride that started to trickle through his veins. He'd only been gone for a week and from what she'd mentioned in his room, Leo had started to feel unbelievably guilty for essentially having abandoned her all over again. But here she was, friends with Nyssa and apparently Damocles and close enough to his other siblings to know what the hell the 'Andeski 2.0' was. Calypso might not feel like she was fitting in but from what he saw, she was doing just fine. It made him feel a little proud and a smidge smug because of course she was settling in – it was hard not to like her when Calypso tried being friendly. Of course, when she didn't like someone, she could be a right pain in the ass...and she still loved teasing the hell out of him...but people don't stand a chance when she wants to be charming… Leo thought absently when they stopped at Jake's workbench.
"Here he is." Calypso practically trilled with an expectant smile.
He paused. He frowned. Leo glanced behind him but he was fairly certain there was no one around beside them. Definitely no half-brothers busily becoming his girlfriend's best buddy. "Damocles is…here?" he drawled, uncertainly. Do you see him right now? He wanted to ask. Is he invisible? Does he tell you to burn things? But the joke would've gone right over her head.
"Of course." She shrugged off his unsure voice and turned to the workbench, her hands finding a-
An elephant?
With helicopter blades?
"Huh?" he muttered, peering at the little creature in her hands. "Damocles is a wind up?" he asked, trying hard to refrain from rolling his eyes. He recognised it as one of Harley's toys and his brain suddenly flashed with a memory from when he first returned:
His voice sheepish as he considered the piece of junk his half-brother had given away. He won't mind if you don't want it.
Why wouldn't I? It's very clever. Calypso's pointed look as though the answer was obvious.
Kind of like how she was looking at him now. "You're certain the ambrosia didn't burn your circuits, Wonder Boy?" she said, raising a brow.
He was about to launch back with a retort when her words caught up with him. "Burn my circuits?" he echoed, deviously. "How much time have you been spending in here?"
Calypso refused to meet his eyes, instead turning to the little mismatched metal creature who trumpeted for her when she picked it up. "A few times." She mumbled, innocently. "I've been upgrading Damocles. Jake is helping me to make him shoot lasers."
"Upgrading, circuits, lasers." He teased, more of that warm feeling from before rising in his chest. "Careful, you're starting to sound like a Hephaestus kid."
Calypso threw him an unimpressed look but her cheeks were very faintly pinked. "I pray not, incest was never high on my list of priorities."
Leo winced but his grin couldn't be squashed. "So let's look at the little critter-" he started, his hands immediately reaching for the elephant but Calypso's grip was quicker and she lifted it out of his reach.
"I'm working on him!" she told him in a defensive tone, clutching the elephant to her chest protectively. Leo lifted his hands in surrender, even though he was curious. He knew there were boundaries you don't cross with other people's projects. Especially when they belonged to ex-Titans who could probably still kick his butt, immortal or no. "Restrain yourself, Wonder Boy." She added, mock-scoldingly.
"Yeah or he'll give you a hair cut too." Jake's voice snorted from a catwalk hovering above them.
"Damocles didn't mean to do that." She defended, wearily.
The older councillor simply shook his head and turned to his half brother. "Nice to see you Valdez."
"You too Mason." Leo called back, casually.
"That's it?" Calypso observed under her breath, sceptically. "That's all you want to say to each other?"
He shrugged. "We're guys, Sunshine, that's all we really need to say. More than needed, probably."
"Wow, two whole sentences." She deadpanned, though her eyes twinkled with amusement. "I'm in awe of your eloquence."
"So you've been demoted from weaponry to pet robots, huh?" Leo asked Jake, throwing a teasing look to Calypso as if to say see, that makes three sentences! But his smile turned to a smirk quickly. "I was only gone a week man, you didn't have to let yourself go from despair so quickly-"
"Says the guy who was chewed on by a Meat Lovers Pizza." Jake quipped back, fiddling with something in his hands. "And besides, they're not pets, they're Gladiatoys. Patent pending." He added, gleefully.
Somewhere from across the workshop, two of his half-sisters rolled their eyes and one of his brothers groaned. "That's even worse than Grecobots, Mason!" he called over with a chime of agreement from several others.
Jake waved them off, unfazed. "It'll catch on, you'll see."
"I'll see it that it tanks!"
"You have no vision, Jory! Fix the focus on your goggles sometime!"
"Sure, when you get some imagination!"
"For the last time we are not calling them Battle Bots!"
"It's classic!"
"So were the Ancients, look how it worked out for them!"
While they hurled mocking retorts back and forth, Leo began to glance about, realising that three of the workers in his vicinity were hunched over their tables, sparks flying as they carefully soldered edges or screwed bolts to tiny machines no bigger than the size of a baseball. On the opposite side of the Forge, he spotted Harley with a grin a mile wide and covered in grease, darting under tables and around a big, haphazardly spray-painted circle on the ground. It didn't seem like much but Leo recognised an arena when he saw one. It was only a few months ago that he'd fought off crazed goddesses in the old Olympic Stadium in Olympia or even the Earth Mother herself in Athens.
He turned back to her with growing curiosity. "So…what have you been up to lately Sunshine?" he drawled, knowingly.
"I might have started a new sport." Calypso eventually confessed, sheepishly. Damocles trumpeted on the workbench beside her and a tiny golden arrow zoomed from its trunk, soaring in a graceful arc and embedding itself in the fabric of his shirt. It wasn't enough to draw blood but it was a fair distance. Part of his brain started to calculate how to extend the distance but it was an absentminded thought at best. The bigger part of him was vibrating with laughter because while he'd been getting (sort of, maybe a little) jealous of some imaginary Cabin 9 kid called Damocles, Calypso had been twisting his siblings around her pinkie finger with a miniature weaponised elephant with the worst name in existence.
"You started a mechanical toy fight club?" Leo cackled, unable to believe his ears.
"Mechanical Gladiatoy Fight Club." Jake reminded him, chidingly, in between breaks in his yelling match across the Forge. "Patent pending."
"I can't believe this," the fire-starter continued snickering. "I thought you didn't like machines!"
"I never said I didn't like them-"
"Smoke and fire all day!" he mimicked her with a sotto voice, his mouth split into an impish grin.
"I like Festus! And I like Damocles-"
"You're scaring the birds away with all that clanging!"
Calypso threw her arms up as if to say 'I'm done arguing with you'. "Damocles is a special machine." She told him, peevishly instead. "And he doesn't like people who tease me."
"Do you sic him on your enemies?" Leo snickered, unable to help himself. "If I ask around, am I gonna find a trail of pachyrdermophobic campers, muttering about tiny golden arrow assaults and flinching at trumpet noises?"
"You know the word for 'fear of elephants' but gods forbid you should go a week without being poisoned or swallowed by some mortal peril." Calypso retorted, smirking.
Jake had perked up at the suggestion though. "We could unleash Gladiatoys on Dylan pretty easily though-"
Leo and Calypso turned to him immediately, their expressions completely different. Leo bore a tiny, confused frown while Calypso's skin had paled and she was glaring at Jake to keep his mouth shut.
"Dylan who?" he asked, inquiringly.
Calypso was quick to answer. "No idea. Some camper or someone. Anyway, you've seen Damocles now. He's been keeping me company while you were gone."
Leo was hardly going to let it go so easily but a certain crickety crick crack whirring caught his attention instead. "What did you just say?" he said, aloud, surprised to hear the noise he usually only received from Festus.
"I said he's been keeping me company while you were gone-" Calypso repeated, offhandedly but Leo was suddenly crouched in front of the table, studying Damocles. It remained utterly silent as he inspected it carefully…but he could've sworn…
"I know you were talking a second ago." He told it suspiciously but the whirring had stopped entirely.
"And you think I'm the crazy one." Calypso muttered, wryly.
Leo turned to her but the retort died on his lips because there was soil on her knees and a tiny piece of wire in her fingers and she was watching him with a look he'd never had anyone else ever give him. Like maybe he was crazy but she thought it was a good kind of crazy. The kind of crazy she liked. His ex-goddess girlfriend who didn't know what a car was or how to use a smartphone but had somehow distracted his usually bizarrely focused brethren into making tiny fight-to-the-death robo-warriors. Who was worried about settling in but somehow managed to find a place without realising. His Titan's child girlfriend who played with miniature robotic elephants and like to kiss him in the woods and tell him she was in love with him.
The words slipped off his tongue before he could consider stopping them. "No, I think you're awesome."
Calypso let out a long sigh, shaking her head. "One day, you'll stop surprising me, Wonder Boy." She told him with a tiny smile.
A/N: Aren't they just adorable?
I don't really want to go into comments on Blood of Olympus here because that would take up WAY TOO MUCH SPACE AND TIME but I've posted some stuff on my Tumblr account which is almost exactly the same to this account (she-s-a-shy-one) but the link is in my profile just in case you guys want to send me a message to talk about it :D
SPOILERS!
Here's a very very quick list of things that differ between Firsts and the fanon:
-Octavian is (regrettably) alive
-Mellie has not given birth yet
-Rachel did not lose her Gift of Prophecy at the end of the war with Gaea
-Percy and Annabeth might be waiting a while before they finish their Senior Year
-Calypso is definitely mortal now
Some things that I will be keeping the same:
-SOLANGELO BECAUSE THOSE CUTIES ARE SO FLIPPIN' CUTE AND I SHIP THEM SO HARD
-Jason is our resident glass-wearing pontifex
-Reyna is a bad ass (oh wait, that's just a fact)
-Frank is a praetor at Camp Jupiter
If anyone has any questions, just send me a message and I'd be happy to clear things up!
END OF SPOILERS!
Aaaaand anon review time!
Blayze: APOLLO'S ARROWS I UPDATED AGAIN! Thank you very much for being so wonderfully kind and supportive, seriously, you guys have been really great about the long breaks between updates and this story in general, I really appreciate every kind word and everyone who enjoys reading this fic :) Hope you enjoy the Caleo fluff in this chapter ;)
Twinsies: Aww, it's not ending anytime soon. I have an entire lifetime of firsts for these guys, you're gonna get sick of hearing about them before it finishes ;) Hope this is the perfect amount of fluff for the chapter!
Johnsonsquad: Have no fear, THE UPDATE IS HERE! Hope you like it and thanks for reviewing :D
Starry: Naw thanks! Enjoy the new update!
Guest: Thanks for reviewing :D
Kfromcabin6: Fangirl shrieking is totally permitted here, I promise ;) You guys don't know how loud I squeal when I get email notifications for the reviews on this story! Hope you like the new chapter!
Guest: NAW THANKYOU GUEST REVIEWER I AM MENTALLY SENDING YOU LOTS OF HUGS FOR BEING SO SWEET I'M GLAD YOU LIKE IT 8D
TeamLeo: What the fuck indeed my friend, I hope you like the new chapter ;)
Guest: To be honest, I feel like a lot of her problems (especially the anxiety issues) are really common for a lot of people so I'm glad she's relatable. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy the new chapter :D
SsssssssexyLeo: CA-LE-O FLUFF! CA-LE-O FLUFF! CA-LE-O FLUFF!
Blue booger: Thanks! I like finding ways to make Calypso relatable. A lot of Calypso's development is how I felt entering university for the first time three years ago- terrified and excited and desperate to settle in but unsure how to do it. Flaws are the best part of the character and I like working with Calypso because she's kind of a blank slate? I'm glad she comes across as relatable and understandable though :) Enjoy the new update!
Nonie: SAVOUR THE ICE CREAM PIE MY FRIEND I HOPE THIS MAKES YOUR DAY AGAIN!
Caroline L: HERE YOU GO, I HOPE YOU LIKE IT! It's a bit fluffy this chapter but there will hopefully be more plot-relevant movement soon!
Guest: HERE YOU GO! AN ENTIRELY (kind of) FLUFFY CALEO CHAPTER! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy the new update ;)
NinjaOfAwesome: Naw, thanks…I guess? Haha, hope you like the new chapter ;)
QuenaSparquea: AWWWWWWW I JUST MADE A NOISE SO HIGH PITCHED MY DOG JUST SPOOKED! Thankyou! I am so unbelievably glad you enjoy this fic so much, I really, really hope you like the new chapter THANKYOU :D
Russel: Like Teen Wolf? I live, breathe and consume Teen Wolf! It's always great to know my readers have similar interests! And I can definitely see what you mean about Scott and Alison, I mean, I think I see elements of Leo in Stiles as well and maybe teeny tiny parts of Lydia in Calypso but the cute, kind of dorky awkwardness of first love? That is CALEO ALL THE WAY! Anyway, hope you like the new chapter!
Guest: NAW THANKS! I have to admit, I was kind of disappointed with the BoO Caleo reunion ( I won't say anymore in case I ruin it for you) but I'm flattered you enjoy it so much to compare it to Rick's :) I really hope you like the new update!
Guest: OH MY GOSH THANKYOU THAT IS SUCH A COMPLIMENT! I mean, I sort of, kind of prefer my ending too but I'm the writer I'm meant to like my way OMG YOU GUYS ARE SO SWEET I AM SENDING YOU TELEPATHIC HUGS EEEK!
Hannah: Hello friend! I agree, I feel like the details I've included about the final battle were pretty vague so they still fit together ;) Hope you like the new update!
Alright, new chapter up on…Let's say next Tuesday? Yeah, Tuesday. I don't think I'll be drowning in assignments on Tuesday.