Calypso was sitting inside the cove, hugging her knees with both hands. She hadn't even noticed Percy was there until his shadow passed over her.

"Percy? What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," he said.

Her expression shifted. "The boat. It should have come by now. If you do not leave, you will miss–"

"It's already gone," Percy sat down next to her with a smile.

She stared at him in confusion. "But you are still here."

The realization began to dawn on her face.

"Percy…"

"Well, for a moment I almost did leave. But then I remembered I left something important behind."

"What?"

"You," he said.

Calypso's face turned red. She didn't know whether to be happy, sad, or angry. Percy watched in amusement as she went through every possible emotion. She tried to speak, but no words came out. For a moment, he was worried she might be upset, until a grin slowly appeared on her face.

"Are you being serious? You truly want to stay?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded, "I do."

"And…you understand what that means?"

"Yes, how many times do you need to ask?" Percy chuckled.

Calypso took his hands and looked him deep in the eyes. Pure joy was written on her face, like she'd finally been reunited with a loved one after years apart. Her expression fought back tears, failing spectacularly. She drew Percy into a hug, and he too became misty eyed. He wanted the moment to last forever, and finally it could. They had all the time in the world.

She looked up at Percy, then wrapped her arms around his neck. They held each other and laughed inside the cove, their voices echoing in the small chamber. They didn't know what to do now. None of them thought they'd get this far. Calypso leaned forward, and Percy leaned into her. It was pretty much the most awesome beach kiss of all time.

That day, nothing important got done. They were exhausted from the storm, finding solace in each other's arms until the coolness of the night sky lit the cove a deep blue.

"You drool when you sleep," Calypso told him.

"People tell me that all the time," Percy rubbed his eyes.

Every morning, they would tend the garden, taking turns cooking meals. Percy didn't know how to cook anything (besides pancakes) since nobody had ever taught him. His mom was always too busy, and obviously Poseidon was nowhere to be seen. Sometimes he felt bad about eating the fish. The trout in particular were very vocal.

After work, they would go down to the shore and sit by the water. If Percy was feeling like it, he'd take a handful of water and splash Calypso in an attempt to get her to have some fun. It was hard to convince her that wet clothes weren't the end of the world. At first, she was reluctant, but after a couple of weeks she started reciprocating.

One thing Percy knew was how to dance. He'd taken lessons at Nancy Academy. It was one of the few good things to come out of that place. That, and of course Grover. During the evening, he taught Calypso the box-step, waltz, and a little bit of salsa. He didn't know them that well–so they kept bumping into each other whenever Percy missed a step. At one point, he had tripped over Calypso's dress, and they were laughing so hard they had to take a break. There was nobody to watch them, nobody to be embarrassed in front of besides themselves. Afterwards, they would rest or walk around the island. Calypso would sometimes take a basket of food with her, and they would eat dinner by the beach.

Days and weeks passed, but the sky did not change color. The seasons were hardly noticeable, bringing only small changes in the wind and a deeper tide. Percy began to wonder where Ogygia actually was. Percy theorized it was somewhere along the equator, since it was always warm and the temperature never seemed to change.

After several months, Percy finally finished his guitar. There was no steel or nylon for strings, so he reluctantly decided to use fish guts. He'd heard somewhere that old instruments used them before steel strings were invented. It didn't smell very pleasant, but it worked. The tuning pegs kept slipping, and so he plucked each string for about an hour until he was satisfied with the sound. If only he'd been marooned with a tuner. Thankfully, Calypso had a much better ear and fixed it up after he was done with it.

One day, while they were eating lunch, Percy saw Calypso framing his head like a picture. He looked at her with confusion.

"What're you plotting?"

"I think you need a haircut," she said.

"Oh." Percy brushed his hand through his hair. "Yeah, you're right. It's been a while."

Calypso was a surprisingly good barber. A fade on the left, some off the top–it didn't take very long until the sand was covered in curly black hair.

"There. What do you think?"

Percy looked at his reflection in the water. It was much shorter than he was used to, but it felt good.

"It looks awesome. Now let me do yours," Percy joked.

"Not in a millennium," Calypso said. "Besides, my hair doesn't grow unless I want it to. Part of the magic."

"Lucky you. Although, I think you missed a spot over here."

"I don't see–"

Without warning, Percy scooped her up with both arms and ran into the waves laughing. Calypso's face went from incredulous to joyful. It was a good thing he could outswim her.

Sometimes, while he slept beside Calypso, he thought about camp, his mom, Grover, and Annabeth. Were they alright? Were they looking for him? Maybe hardly any time had passed at all. But he never once doubted his decision.

"You look taller," Calypso scrunched her eyebrows.

"Really? You look beautiful as usual." Percy smirked. No matter how many times he said it, she never ceased to blush.

"Seriously," she said, "do mortals grow forever?"

"No. At least, as far as I know."

"Good. I don't want to have to make a new door frame," she turned over on her side.

Months turned into years, and it wasn't long before they started talking about expanding the cottage. There was plenty of room for the two of them–but there was a whole lot of island, and a whole lot of time. They could expand their kitchen, or maybe even build a proper fireplace. There was plenty of clay and sand by the beach to make bricks for a chimney.

Despite most days being the same, Percy was never bored. There was always a new project, or a new story to tell. He finally had the time to do everything he wanted to do, and learn everything he wanted to learn. Calypso had even made him a surfboard, which he had taken to incredibly well. Unfortunately, the waves rarely reached his neck, but the ocean was perfect on windy days. Balancing was hard–but he quickly got the hang of it. A few weeks later, he convinced Calypso to give it a try. She failed spectacularly.

"Maybe another time," she laughed.

Percy couldn't remember exactly when it had started happening, but soon after Calypso began acting strange. She was quieter than usual, giving short responses and staring off into the distance. One night, while they were watching the sunset on the swings, she stopped and looked at him with a serious expression on her face. Percy looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Is something wrong? Is it the beard?"

"What? No, It's great. I like it. It's…"

She paused for a moment.

"Percy, do you want to have children?"

He nearly choked on air. "Sorry?"

"Well, I've been thinking–it's been six years. We love each other. Our home is much bigger now. It seems like the right time."

Her voice was calm. Percy didn't know how to respond. The thought had certainly crossed his mind; and he'd always wanted a family of his own someday. But for as long as he could remember, he'd been fighting for his life. The idea of creating one of his own—their own—it just never seemed like a real possibility until now. And he had no idea how to be a dad. The closest thing he'd ever had to a father figure was Chiron. But as Calypso held Percy's hands, he realized there was nobody in the world he loved more, and nobody he would rather spend the rest of his life with.

The next day, something unexpected happened. Percy awoke to a knock on the door. They looked at each other, shock turning into caution. He uncapped riptide and slowly approached the sound. Calypso was right behind him, holding a knife of her own.

Percy pushed the door open. Standing in front of them was a middle-aged man, wearing a corporate suit and tie. He brandished a staff, which sprouted two wings at the top. Percy immediately recognized the man as Hermes.

"Good morning, Calyp-"

Hermes turned to meet riptide. He had been distracted by the sunrise, and nearly walked into the point. His eyes narrowed.

"Who–" Realization dawned on his face.

"Ah, Percy Jackson. It's a pleasant surprise to see you. I could hardly recognize you. I like the beard, by the way–you look very much like your father."

"What are you doing here?" Percy said, standing firm. Calypso made him lower riptide.

Hermes sighed. There was a flicker of sadness in his eyes. "Always business with you, Jackson. I'm simply here to see an old friend," he gestured towards Calypso, "but it seems she no longer needs me as company."

"You are always welcome here, Hermes."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Calypso," he said, giving Percy some side eye, "but I cannot stay and chat. I am here because the gods are in desperate need of help. But I did not know he was here. That changes things."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy frowned.

"It's been nearly a year since your disappearance," Hermes explained, "the gods were not pleased with your decision to stay on Ogygia. It…complicates things. But alas, there is nothing we can do about it."

"A year? Why? What's happening?"

"The titans have risen from the corners of the Earth, and they gather for an assault against Olympus. I am certain we can defeat the titans, as we have done before. Typhon may be giving us some trouble, but he grows weary with time. The problem is Kronos. He will lead his army into Olympus and destroy everything while we are incapacitated."

Percy's head pounded.

"I fought Luke in the Labyrinth," Percy said, "I don't think there's anyone who could save him now."

"Percy, I am asking you to buy us time. The gods are arrogant. Few will admit they need the help of a demigod. You must be the one to talk to Lu–Kronos. He will not listen to anyone else. Trust me. I have tried."

Percy sighed. "Even if I wanted to, I can't help you. Ogygia doesn't let me leave."

"The curse can be broken," Hermes said.

Calypso froze, trying to process what he had just said.

"Wait…so you're telling me you could've let Calypso leave anytime you wanted? You just decided not to?"

"It is not my decision to make. Zeus cast the curse, so he is the only one who knows how to undo it."

Percy felt anger rise in his chest.

"I understand why you decided to stay, Percy. But one often meets their fate on the road they take to avoid it."

"I didn't stay here to avoid anything," Percy grit his teeth, "I'm here because of Calypso. I'm here because Zeus, your father, cursed an innocent girl just because they were the daughter of a titan. I'm here because it gives my mom a chance at a normal life. Maybe if you'd been a better father, we wouldn't be here. Maybe Luke wouldn't have turned out evil."

"Percy, enough!" Calypso scolded him. But she didn't look happy either.

"If people need me, I'll fight," Percy spat, "but for them. Not for the gods."

Hermes bit his lip, holding back a response. The snakes coiled around his staff.

"I will tell the others what you have told me. For now, I must do battle alongside my family. I sense Athena is in trouble. I hope to see you with us, Percy Jackson."

Just as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished in a flash of light, leaving the two of them standing there in their pajamas, staring at the empty space in the doorway.