The Call of the Void

Leo's back and better than ever! Or... Is he?

The minute I got off of Festus's back, I turned to help Calypso off. She looked so beautiful, with the sunlight reflecting off of her strawberry blonde hair, her soft, lotioned hand in mine as she stepped off of my mechanical friend. 

I turned to face everyone else, only to find Nico running up to me. "Where the hell were you!?" He demanded. "Everyone was devastated when you died, and then Hazel and I were really confused on top of that, because like... We couldn't sense you anywhere!" Nico huffed. "You weren't dead, you weren't alive, you were just... Gone! Completely off the radar, like your soul itself was destroyed!" He panted, trying to catch his breath, and then looked over at Calypso. "And who's that?" He asked. 

"Oh, this is my girlfriend, Calypso!" I reached for her hand. "This cute little beach nymph I found when I crash-landed on a deserted island, I think she told me its name was Ogygia?" 

Nico's eyes flitted between me and my girlfriend. "... Did you just call her-" 

"His girlfriend?" She interrupted. "Why yes, yes he did. Why are you surprised?" She asked. "Did Percy tell me about you?" 

"Oh... You, um... You dated Percy?" I asked, feeling a pit form in my stomach. 

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Did you expect to be my first?" 

"No, no, it's just... Never mind, heh." I looked over at him, tall and muscular and charismatic, chatting up his girlfriend on the porch of cabin 3. Even from here, I could see his teeth, perfectly white and straight, while mine were crooked from my years away from a dentist, or any kind of doctor really. 

I felt so small compared to him, so inadequate... I just wanted to throw up and cry. 

The happy couple looked up and ran over to me, as well as Hazel. "Hold on, I-I gotta tell everyone back at camp Jupiter!" She sucked a drachma up from the ground. "Percy! Get over here, try and make a rainbow with your water powers!" 

Calypso stepped forward. "Actually, we've talked about it, and... We've decided to let him surprise all his friends himself. So can you keep this a secret until then?" 

We never talked about that. I mean, we kind of did, but... I only brought the idea up in jest. 

"Well... Ok." Hazel looked concerned. 

Percy and Annabeth were still running towards us, Percy scooping me up in his arms and spinning me around and laughing. "Leo! Oh, man, you're back!" 

I laughed with him. "Hey, you know me. I always come back." 

He set me down, and I knew I didn't hate him, but gods, he was so tall, and I was so short, and I knew I could never measure up to him. 

Everyone started congregating around me and Calypso, and I let her speak for me. 

The ringing still hadn't stopped. I'd hoped, for a minute, that it had, but it was just the loudness of my surroundings that drowned it out. 

"Leo?" Hazel asked, and I tuned back into the conversation. "Did you hear me?" 

"Yeah... Uh, no." I chuckled nervously. 

She sighed. "I said, before I leave, we should all go talk to Chiron, just to give him an update on everything." 

"Oh! Oh, yeah. That, uh... That'd be a good idea." 

I followed the rest of them out to the big house, and once Chiron had seated us, I slipped my hand into Calypso's. 

"So, you're back. And you've brought Calypso with you, breaking her out of her confinement."

"That's right." She answered, kissing my cheek. 

He nodded, contemplating something. "... Alright. Well, is there any more news I should be filled in on?" 

Some blonde guy spoke up. "Yeah. I know the return date is approaching, but Gale won't be well enough to travel for at least another month. You'll have to send a letter to their ma." He had a pretty noticeable southern accent, and I thought I recognized him. 

"Also, apparently, I've got a new power." Nico interrupted my thoughts. "Not exactly news, but... It's, like... Bone molding or something." 

"Osteokinesis." The blonde guy interrupted. "The word would be osteokinesis." 

I could swear, I knew him from somewhere. 

"... Will?" I asked. 

He looked over. "Yeah? You're Leo, right? Nico's told me about you." 

"Um, yeah, that's me." 

"How do you know him?" Calypso asked. 

"Oh, uh... We used to be neighbors, back in Texas. Y'know, when we were little." I wasn't sure why I was scared of her reaction. Surely, she'd know better than to think... 

"Hmm. Ok, then." She turned her attention to Chiron. "By the way, where do we sleep?" 

He looked her over. "Well, he sleeps in Cabin 9, and you..." 

"... Will also sleep there, I presume. As his girlfriend." 

"Well, no. I guess you could stay here in the big house, but-" 

"I want to be near him, at all times." 

He sighed, but seemed a little intimidated by her. "... This is... Leo, would you mind?" 

I shrugged. "It's fine with me." 

"Well... I guess I have no reason to object, then. Shall we be contacting Camp Jupiter?" 

"No, we've agreed to wait until he feels the time is right." 

"I see. Well then, I suppose that's all you've had to tell me?" 

"Yes sir." 

-

I laid down next to my girlfriend that night, her strawberry blonde hair splayed out on the pillow. 

I loved her. I knew I did. 

So why didn't I feel like it?