Caleo - Finding Calypso

6 / The Final Quest

A/N - No, the fact that this chapetr is called 'The Final Quest' does not mean it's the last chapter. All will become clear by the end of the chapter!

"Um, hello? Is there anyone home?" I said peering through the gloom of the office. No-one here.

Ok, maybe it's their lunch break?

"Knock knock?" I said again, knocking on the door behind me that led back out onto the street. Maybe I should just leave, maybe this was all a huge mistake -

"Who's there?" A voice said from somewhere in front of me, I couldn't see who it was. Maybe the strange cloaked lady from the street?

"Er, a customer?" (I learned the hard way that you don't just go telling anyone your name)

" 'A Customer' who?" the voice said again.

"A customer who isn't interested in stupid jokes." I snapped, I was wasting time here!

"Touchy touchy!" scolded the voice.

A dull electric light flickered into life, lighting the room just enough for Leo to see a moth-eaten wooden dest and a dumpy little woman standing behind it.

Obviously not the woman from the street.

"What do you want then?" the woman asked, smileing a little too sweetly.

"Um, what?"

"You're a customer aren't you? What do you want?"

"Um, I want..." What did I want? Easy. I wanted to get Calypso back. "I want... to speak to your manager."

The little woman frowned. For the firts time, I had a look at what she looked like. Small (very). A little on the plump side. Her eyes were steely grey, like they could see right into me, and didn't like what they saw. Oh, and she had glasses. Thin rimmed.

She reminded me of a goose a bit. It was the eyes, hard and unforgiving. Like a goose that was about to peck a toddler so hard he fell in the pond. I know how much that hurts, don't ask.

"The manager? Well ,that would be me I suppose!" She smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You're the manager?" I said without thinking.

She frowned, looking slightly offended.

"Yes, Ekdíkisi, Miss Ekdíkisi."she wasn't smiling anymore. "And why do you want to talk to me in particular?"

"Ek-dík-isi?" I pronounced the name carefully.

"It's foreign." she said dryly.

"Oh, um, right..."

Ekdíkisi. It sounded like another word I'd heard recently...

To my astonishment I realise that it sounded like the word 'εκδίκηση' (this is a huge improvement, normally I don't remember anyhting from Ancient Greek classes at camp, Annabeth will be very proud of me).

Ancient Greek classes...

εκδίκηση meant revenge.

"You're Nemesis." I said quietly.

She didn't appear to change, one minute she was short little Miss Ekdíkisi, then I blinked and she was Nemesis, the goddess of revenge.

"Took you a while to work it out, didn't it." she sneered, "The saviour of Olympus, can't even regognise a goddess!"

I felt my fingures grow hot.

"Private detectives? Why, if you're so high-and-mighty, are you running a ting little bussiness like this?"

"I'm the goddess of revenge aren't I? I help people get revenge for all those crimes the mortal police aren't interested in. Now, Leo Valdez, do you really want to talk about my hobbies? Or do you want to know where your girlfreind is."

The shutters on the windows clattered down, hiding us from the outside world. Nemesis waved her hand and a seat appered in front of the desk, obviously intended for me to sit in.

There was no way I'd lower myself to sit down and have a chat with the goddss of revenge.

I stood my ground, refusing to budge.

"Spit it out lady, where is she?"

Nemsis laughed.

"You must know by now, I never do anything for free Leo Valdez. Come, sit, let us discuss the subject of the, payment."

She said payment like she meant painful death but I couldn't see anyway of getting around it. I edged forward and sat inthe chair, watching her carefully.

"Right lady," I siad, "I saved Western Civilisation, you gods owe me one. Give me my girlfreind back, and we'll forget this ever happened."

She laughed.

"That's not how it works, I'll give you one option and one option only. No argueing, no changes, you do as I say, or you never find out where Calpso is."

I stared at her. It couldn't be so bad could it? I would do anything for Calypso.

"What's your offer?" I asked slowly

"I will tell you where she is. And, I will remove the spell that makes everyone else forget her."

I stared at her. I'd forgotton that everyone had all their memories of Calypso removed (thanks a bunch Summer!) But Nemesis was offering a way to get those memories back...

But most importantly, she would tell me how to get Calypso back. I knew I would do ANYTHING to get her back, ANYTHING.

"What do I have to do?" I asked.

Nemesis smiled, this was about to get nasty.

"You're final queat, my young hero, to find the girl you love, and return your friends memories to them," she paused dramatically, "Once, there lived a girl on an island, alone. Alone, but every now and then, a hero wold arrive on her island, and she would be happy. But then the hero would leave and she would be alone again. She grew angry, angry at the fates, angry at the gods, angry at the heros who left her alone... And so she asked for revenge. Revenge on the hero who broke her heart, 'take his loved ones from him' she said, 'make him feel alone, as I do today and every other day for all eternity.' "

I stared at her, "No..." I whispered.

"If you want your girlfriend back, Leo Valdez, you must take her revenge for her, on Perseus Jackson."