Heroes of Olympus: After Gaea

Leo

"I just can't believe it." Leo exclaimed, biting into his burger. Ketchup dripped on his clothes but he couldn't care less.

"What?" Calypso laughed, wiping his shirt with a napkin.

"A girl has fallen for me." He announced, barely noticing his shirt being cleaned. "Me! Leo Valdez! The seventh wheel has got someone better than all the girls he's ever seen in his life!"

Calypso shook her head but laughed with Leo, so happy to see him filled with joy. Leo was not in a good state when he was on the ship looking for Calypso. Calypso was an amazing person, and more beautiful than Aphrodite herself. He hated the morphing that she did, attempting to please Leo's desire for the most beautiful girl. Leo didn't know how she would look. Until he met Calypso.

Her heart was even more beautiful than her face. She was an amazing cook, amazing person, just amazing amazing amazing. He thought he'd come and see her with a new man like Percy or Jason, someone who was worthy of a girl like Calypso. A scrawny, poor, emotional wreck had nothing against Calypso, yet here he was, cooking and talking to her.

Gods, he prayed silently, whatever illusion you put on me to look like Cupid, I thank thee ever so much. I bestow hugs and kisses upon you and please keep this up for like... the rest of my life. Gracias.

If he put a bit of Spanish there, maybe Spanish Gods would listen and put blessings on him as well. For a future with the most beautiful goddess he's ever met, he'd need all the help he could get.

"Leo," she said, getting him out of his thoughts, "why do you think that?"

"What?" He responded, panicking. She can't read his thoughts, right? She'd think he's a total pedophile.

"Why don't you think you're so much lesser?" She frowned, reaching over the glass table to hold his fiddly hands.

"You can read my thoughts?"

"To a certain extent, yes." She responded. Panic built up from Leo.

Oh no.

"How far does this extent get to?"

"You think about me a lot don't you?" She turned her head, and laughed again.

"Shit." He muttered. Leo's cheeks turn a bright pink. It wasn't his fault. Calypso was just so amazing. At least this topic was better than-

"Now let's not change topic."

Ughhhh, he thought.

"You're not a tiny, scrawny, average boy. You're the most intelligent man I've ever met."

Man. That made Leo feel so much bigger than his tiny body was.

"Your charm attracts me, it really does." She assures him. "You're adorable and you conceal what you think about yourself with ironic vanity, right?"

He bowed his head, not wanting to hear anymore.

"But listen to me, Leo Valdez." She ordered. He lifted his head and stared in her enchanting eyes. "You should not be self conscious. You're handsome. You have an amazing personality with a sharper mind than the Seven. They're struggling without you, I'm sure. You're not the seventh wheel. You're not left out. People need you. I need you."

His eyes had a coat of tears. My gods, he needed that. People have pat him on the back, told him that he was good at his job, like what you'd say to a machine. He was scared he'd be like a machine soon. But she came. She made Leo feel important again. He was determined to never ever let Calypso go. He went to her until they were centre metres apart and did a classic Leo grin.

"Leo? What's-"

She never got to finish, as Leo lifted her up in the air and kissed her, salty tears forming from his eyes and gushing down to the ground.

"Oh gods,I love you so much." He sighed wistfully, placing her down gently. She wiped a tear from his eye and kissed him once more.

"I love you too, fire boy."

They lied down on the beach, Leo wanting to stay entangled with Calypso forever. She placed her head underneath his chin, her cinnamon scented hair was in a long braid, tickling Leo's nose. He held it and started to fiddle with the strands of her soft hair. He had to fiddle with something, or he'd disturb their tranquility. However, Calypso understood. 

She turned her head to face Leo's face.

"Why don't we just stay here?" She asked. Leo got, up, facing Calypso whilst building a sandcastle.

Why can't they? The island was home to tranquility, food, no war, and the girl he was in love with. Peace. It's what he wanted more than anything in his life. That's why he stalled figuring out how to leave. But he knew he couldn't stay in this paradise, and Calypso's prison. Every one of the demigods could've chosen the easy way out, but they didn't. He was one of the Seven for a purpose. He couldn't let them down.

He looked down and realised he constructed a model of Olympus out of sand. Cool.

"We're getting you out of this prison," he answered, putting a finishing touch on the house of the Gods, "I promised, remember?"

Calypso didn't protest, but instead asked Leo how to build his sandcastle. He moved to a new patch and spent the rest of the day making a new Olympus together.

*

"I've been here for six days, and still haven't started planning your escape." He told Calypso, drinking a mango smoothie with her. 

As he finished that sentence, Hephaestus dropped from the ground, a massive hammer held on his right, slung on his shoulders. 

"You're welcome, dad." Leo grinned.

"What?" Hephaestus growled, his deep voice booming on the deserted island.

"I said you're welcome. you know, for saving you God's ass and that." He smiled. The gods looked at each other and shook their head.

"Leo Valdez," he said to his son, "cocky as ever. Anyway, as a thank you, I am granting Calypso permission to leave this island."

Calypso jumped up and down and hugged Leo tightly. Leo half grinned and half cried, mostly due to the pain that Calypso was inflicting upon him. But like he'd ever admit to that!

"However," Hephaestus began, a wave of panic on Leo's face, "you will become a mortal. You'll be a 16 year old women but still posses all abilities and see through the mist."

"You nearly had me worried then!" She laughed. She grabbed Leo's hand and ran to the ship. "Come on. Leonidas, let's leave."

Leo turned back to his father, his face reading a 'thank you'. Hephaestus looked at his back, as if he was genuinely proud to have Leo Valdez as a son. Leo was so happy he teared up.

Flaming Valdez never cries, he muttered to himself, and turned away. He looked back but his father was already gone.

As he got on the controls and patted Festus' head, Calypso pointed back to her island.

"Left something?" He asked.

"A ship's just landed on my island," she exclaimed. She looked closer, he face freezing. "Is that... Percy?"