YOU ARE IN LOVE ↬ leo valdez x reader, book 2

11. coffee at midnight

Leo swallowed. "Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but you didn't kill me. Are you crazy?"
Calypso's eyes smoldered with anger. "Your friends must need you both, or else Gaea would not ask for your death and ask for loyalty." She didn't even bother looking me in the eye as she addressed me.
"I—uh, yeah. I guess."
"Yep." I agreed reluctantly.
"Then we three have work to do," she said. "We must get you back to your ship."

In the point of view of Leo Valdez...

I thought I knew that familiar feeling of being busy. I was really wrong. When Calypso set her mind to something, she was a machine. Not only that but she had Y/N completing things within the smallest amount of time frames, which I was sure was a new skill. Within a day, they'd gathered enough supplies for a weeklong voyage— food, flasks of water – Y/N even made herbal medicines from the garden. I didn't want to know what kind of injuries we'd be sustaining but it was good enough for me to trust them.
Calypso wove a sail big enough for a small yacht and made enough rope for all the rigging. She got so much done that by the second day she asked me if I needed any help with my own project.

I looked up from the circuit board that was slowly coming together. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were anxious to get rid of me."
"That's a bonus," she admitted.
She was dressed for work in a pair of jeans and a grubby white T-shirt. When I asked her about the wardrobe change, she claimed she had realized how practical these clothes were after making some for me. In the blue jeans, she didn't look much like a goddess. Her T-shirt was covered with grass and dirt stains, like she'd just run through a swirling Gaea. Her feet were bare. Her cinnamon-toast hair was tied back, which made her almond eyes look even larger and more startling. Her hands were calloused and blistered from working with rope.

Y/N stood beside her, observing. Her H/C hair was glistening, though I wasn't sure how she could've obtained shampoo. Her eyes were naturally lit up, like she was just smiling without her mouth. That's what I first noticed about her, the way you could just tell she was going to be a kind person. The sarcastic and stupid side of her was more of a secret, though I was glad I had discovered it.

"So?" Calypso prompted.
"So...what?"
She nodded at the circuitry. "So can I help?"
"How is it coming?" Y/N asked, stepping closer.
"Oh, uh, I'm good here. I guess. If I can wire this thing up to the boat, I should be able to navigate back to the world."
"Now all you need is a boat."
I tried to read her expression. I wasn't sure if she was annoyed that we were still here, or wistful that she wasn't leaving too. Then I looked at all the supplies she'd stacked up—easily enough for three people for several days.

"What Gaea said..." I hesitated. "About you getting off this island. Would you want to try it?"
She scowled. "What do you mean?"
"Well...I'm not saying it would be fun having you along, always complaining and glaring at me and stuff. But I suppose I could stand it, if you wanted to try."
"You suppose?" Y/N said, a small smirk on her face. "I'd love company from you, Calypso, if it helps me survive a little longer with this Flamethrower."

Calypso's expression softened just a little. "How noble," she muttered. "But no, friends. If I tried to come with you, your tiny chance of escape would be no chance at all. The gods have placed ancient magic on this island to keep me here. A hero can leave. I cannot. The most important thing is getting you free so you can stop Gaea. Not that I care what happens to you," she added quickly. "I care about what happens to Y/N." she clarified. "But the world's fate is at stake."
"Why would you care about that?" I asked. "I mean, after being away from the world for so long?"
She arched her eyebrows, as if surprised that I'd asked a sensible question. "I suppose I don't like being told what to do—by Gaea or anyone else. As much as I hate the gods sometimes, over the past three millennia I've come to see that they're better than the Titans. They're definitely better than the giants. At least the gods kept in touch. Hermes has always been kind to me. And your father, Hephaestus, has often visited. He is a good person."