"We're Here, Calypso"

To gabythebookworm for many things, most importantly befriending the new girl on her first day. Also, for sending me all the Algebra and Physics homework because my head is always in one of these stories.

Leo was officially angry at Hera, not to mention the rest of the gods. First, Hera shoves him in a fire, when he's a baby. (He's the Super-Sized McShizzle, so it didn't hurt or anything. But still, that's just rude.) Then, she takes away his memories of the Wilderness School. Next, he is shoved on a quest where he's destined to be an outcast and die. And the icing on the cake, after he finally gets a girlfriend and saves the world, he got stuck circling around a stupid island.

He groaned,"This is so not cool! Geez, guys, can I get a break?!"

Leo realized that at the end of the sentence he was practically shouting. Calypso stirred in her sleep, and Leo remembered to shut up.

He glanced down at Festus, whose navigation system was still fried. The son of Hephaestus and Calypso had been flying in circles for hours. He genuinely had no idea where they were. For all he knows, they were about to arrive at Antartica. Ad soon as the poor boy thought land should surely pop up soon, that stupid island came into his vision again!

Leo let his thoughts snake around, drifting in and out of focus. One second he was planning how to fix Festus. The next he was wondering if he could put his chicken nugget smokescreen on that show, Shark Tank.

No wonder they weren't getting anywhere.

How long had he been awake? Leo totally deserved a break. At the very least he earned the right to close his eyes for a bit. Only for a second.

***

Hello, Little Hero. The voice echoes around wherever and nowhere, all at once. His vision wobbles and blurs in and out. Panic seizes his heart, feeling like his heart is going to erupt out of his chest and just keep pumping along without him.

"Isn't what I just did, to get rid of Gaea? Did I fail? It wouldn't be surprising. I always manage to ruin things," Leo thought to himself.

The voice sounded slightly more stern and reverberated further. No, Little Hero. She is gone, you were successful. Thanks to my brilliant plan.

Leo wanted to smack Hera, even if she decided to smite him. He had been dealing with it far too long. "Look, lady! I killed a freaky dirt goddess! Don't I get a free pass outta here, or something?!"

You may leave once you reclaim what is yours. What I had to take to make you successful.

He screamed out, "WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHAT HAVEN'T I DONE FOR YOU?'
Hera's annoying voice echoed, perhaps even colder than before.
Little hero, I took your memories so I could plant my champion. In my haste and need for a perfect family, I took away something precious of yours. Zeus demands I pay.

Leo could practically hear the snarl in her voice as she choked out, I'm sorry.

The son of Hephaestus didn't know what to think. What did Hera mean? What had she done that he didn't know about? What memories had he lost at the Wilderness School?

***

It felt like someone removed their hands from his eyes. He was on a roof staring up at the sky. Leo felt a surge of nostalgia for when he, Piper, and Jason would sneak up here to look at the stars and eat gummies some kid had smuggled in. (This was a school for delinquents after all.) Eventually, it became Piper and Jason's spot, and he really never came back. Then, it hit him. These memories weren't real. What was real? Was anything? He could only imagine what Percy and Jason had gone through, losing everything.