ELYSIAN, the riordanverse

23

PERFECT

Calypso stood in front of the mirror, her body uncovered except for her underwear. She looked at herself, trailing her fingers down her chest. She'd changed so much. Her body had changed so much, and she felt almost... ashamed?

The girl squirmed in her place, feeling odd. Her features morphed into an expression of insecurity as she saw that her stomach wasn't as flat as it always had been, and that her waist wasn't as curved. Calypso gulped visibly as she winced at how thick her thighs had become and that her jaw wasn't as defined as it used to be back on Ogygia. 

As she continued to gaze into the mirror, Leo entered the room, smiling at his girlfriend. His smile disappeared as he saw her continue to look at the glass. The brunette walked over to her, 'What's wrong, Sunshine?' 

He'd stopped calling her mamacita a few months ago, after Reyna had told him that he shouldn't and he respected that. So, Sunshine it was. 

Calypso turned to him, 'Nothing, Leo.'

The boy raised his eyebrows and shook his head, silently conveying that he knew something was up. The former Titaness sighed and sat down on her bed as Leo took a seat next to her. 

'I-I just... I'm not as...' Calypso winced at her wording, 'beautiful anymore.' 

Oh gods, she sounded like one of those bratty girls from the local high school. She didn't mean to sound like a brat, she really didn't. 

Leo laughed, 'Not beautiful?' He stopped grinning as he saw the look on Calypso's face. He cupped her cheeks, 'Cal, you are beautiful, ok? I don't know why you would think otherwise, I love you.'

The girl smiled a little at this, 'I just... I'm not used to gaining weight or being anything other than perfect...'

'Sunshine, do I look like I care if you gained a little weight? So what if your stomach isn't flat or you have a cute little double chin I get to see everytime you yawn?' Leo said, smiling at her. 'And you are perfect, Calypso. Perfect doesn't have to mean curved waists, slim thighs and all that schist. Perfect is who you are.'

Leo brought them close now, noses touching. 'And I love you for you. Not for the fact that you were an immortal Titaness or "perfect".' He did the "perfect" in air quotes as Calypso giggled.

The brunette smiled as Calypso said, 'I love you too, Valdez. And... thank you.'

Leo grinned again, capturing the girl's lips in a sweet and chaste kiss. 'Anytime, Cal.'

Calypso smiled softly, perhaps it was ok not to be perfect. And perhaps, "perfect" didn't quite mean what she thought it had.

_____

I really wanted to write this. So, in this oneshot, I wanted to write about how Calypso sort of realizes that she doesn't have to be "perfect" to be beautiful. I personally think that Calypso is a very complex character with her own insecurities and I wanted to bring that out. Though it's short, I hope all of you thought it captured what I'm trying to say.

- Love, Via.