A Tale of Romans and Slaves | PJO/HOO

Chapter 81: Leo

I gulped down the water the green-skinned woman had given me, as did Calypso. She had taken us to a river, and given us cups.

"My husband will be back soon," She said. "Then we can talk about..."

"Us?" Calypso asked between gulps of water.

"Yeah," The woman said. "You. I'm Juniper, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," I said, my throat no longer dry. "I'm Leo, and this Calypso."

"Are you two married?" Juniper asked.

"We will be," Calypso replied. "Some day."

I looked at her. We had never discussed marriage, but it was a fact we both knew. In the chaos of the war, we never had time for it. But we both loved each other, and that was what marriage was for.

We were just outside a cave. When I looked into it, I could see beds and other furniture, lit up by torches. I assumed it was Juniper and her husband's home.

"Oh, there he is," Juniper stood up. "Grover! We have guests!"

A red-haired man with a small beard was walking up the path to the cave. From the waist up, he was normal. But his legs were bent unnaturally, and reminded me of a goat's.

The man looked at us, taking in our appearance. "Well then, let's invite them inside."

We had sat down at one of their tables, and had explained our story to them. How we met at Lord Hades' manor, escaped, served King Percy, lost the war, and ended up here. By the end, my voice was hoarse.

"Well, then you're welcome here," Juniper said. "Grover and I are escaped slaves too. We were once forced to perform in a freak show."

"There aren't any more caves on the island, but we could help you build a house," Grover added in. "The island is bountiful with fruit and animals, so food isn't an issue. Neither is water."

Calypso and I looked at each other, smiling. This was it. We could have a life here, start over. We would finally be free.

"Thank you," I told them, tears forming in my eyes.

"No problem," Juniper said kindly. "All escaped slaves are welcome here. Welcome to Ogygia."