After what felt like ages of torture, Percy knew he had gotten out somehow. First of all, the air wasn't pungent like it was in Tartarus. The air was pretty and breezy. Percy opened his eyes for the first time since torture started and looked into almond eyes.
"Where am I?" His voice was cracked like a vase in his mother's old closet.
"Ogygia. Welcome to my island."
"Who... Who are you?"
Percy could already feel his strength wearing away.
"Calypso. But sleep. You're not supposed to be awake yet. I'd love to hear your story and how you managed to get beaten up so badly in Tartarus."
Well, she knows something.
___
"Ωγυγιά, Ωγυγιά, Ωγυγιά! Ένας ήρωας με βρίσκει μέσα από τη θλίψη και τις οδυνηρές πληγές του. Ανεξάρτητα από το πού, ανεξάρτητα από το πότε, ακόμα κι αν βρίσκονται στην Αλάσκα. Θα τους θεραπεύσω, θα τους αγαπήσω, αλλά αυτοί!"
Percy awoke to the melodic singing of who he assumed to be the woman.
"Ωγυγιά, Ωγυγιά, Ωγυγιά! Ένας ήρωας με βρίσκει μέσα από τη θλίψη και τις οδυνηρές πληγές του. Ανεξάρτητα από το πού, ανεξάρτητα από το πότε, ακόμα κι αν βρίσκονται στην Αλάσκα. Θα τους θεραπεύσω, θα τους αγαπήσω, αλλά αυτοί!"
"Ogygia, Ogygia, Ogygia! A hero finds me through his sorrow and his painful wounds. No matter where, no matter when, even if they're in Alaska. I will heal them, I will love them, but they always leave so soon..." Percy translated, his voice hoarse and raspy.
He was surprised at how his voice bounced off the walls of what appeared to be a crystal cave. No longer in his camp shirt and jeans, he was in a white cotton T-shirt and some white drawstring shorts, and he didn't smell terrible, he smelled of pineapples and coconuts. A nice tropical scent to set the mood.
Remembering everything, he tried to piece everything together.
He was on an island named Ogygia with a woman named Calypso. This "Calypso" knew about his trip in Tartarus, and this had to be his subconsciousness. Deciding it was time to get out of his bed, he felt like a rusted metal toy, almost hearing his bones creak with stiffness. Making his way out of the cave, he walked down the sandy beaches to see her.
She was indeed beautiful. With her caramel hair in a braid and her almond eyes, she was hard to miss as someone gorgeous. She also looked pure. Not like Aphrodite did--not that Percy thought she was ugly or that he was attracted to her.
"Uh... hey?" Percy asked, startling her slightly.
"You gave me a fright, Percy!"
"Sorry--wait... how do you know my name?"
"You talk a lot in your sleep," Calypso murmured.
"I do?" Percy asked stupidly.
Calypso simply laughed lightly, picking more grapes off the swirling grapevine.
"Yes, Percy. Here. Have a grape." She gave him a large, shiny, purple berry.
Cautiously, he bit into the grape. Gasping with surprise, he realized that it tasted like heaven. Almost as if he was tasting a grape jolly rancher, but a lighter flavor and less tart.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "These are good!"
"Wouldn't expect any less." Calypso chuckled. "They're grown here personally by Dionysus."
Percy almost choked. "What?" he spluttered.
"Dionysus. He grew some grapes here after he fell into the sea, drunk, and I had to deal with a very hungover god."
He bit his lip preventing his laugh from escaping at the memories of the drunk agency director. Amazing...
"Listen, I'm about to die in a few days, girl. So I need to get back to my body really fast--and I know that sounds weird, but it's the reality and you've gotta deal with it." Percy didn't care how blunt he sounded. He didn't care if he sounded impertinent. He was impertinent.
A hint of sadness crossed Calypso's face as she sighed, ladeling him some soup. "You will leave this island, sadly. I... uh... couldn't heal all your wounds. I'm surprised you're even walking right now."
"Yeah... I'm under the Death Curse right now."
"Ah... the Death Curse," Calypso sighed. "A curse no one like you should have to endure. I have met many heroes in my years of living here and you are byfar the most entertaining. Most of them try to reinact skits of what heroic deeds they've done--most of which consist of killing creatures that are my father's friends."
"Who is your father?"
Calypso looked uncomfortable as she sipped her soup. "Atlas."
"The titan?" Percy kept his voice controlled, though it wavered slightly.
"Yes, Percy. Your friends are on their way to fight Ladon for the golden apples. Hephaestus came and told me when he visited."
"Hephaestus?"
"You're one to ask questions." Calypso laughed again. "Yes, Hephaestus. He comes to visit me every so often and gives me updates on the mortal world. Though, I still don't understand what a... a... cellphone is."
"Really?" Percy asked. "It seems like a regular day item for me."
"Yeah..." Calypso looked down at the sand. "You know you won't stay, right? No matter how much I love you. I assume you heard my song..."
"Yeah, I did..." Percy trailed off, looking at her uncertainly. "Look, I don't wanna make you upset in any way, but I have a girlfriend. And a war is brewing... There's just no time for love."
"I understand."
"But someday..." Percy murmured. "Someday I'll get those gods to free you off this island. Someday, I'll give you a phone to use with cellular data. Someday, you'll be normal and happy."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Percy. You may not be able to fufill them. There's only so far technology can stretch, and I'm sure you know that. Even Hephaestus acknowledges it."
Percy was about to respond when he hesitated.
But Leo won't...
"Calypso..." he started. "What if I told you my friend might want to meet you?"
Calypso's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Well, I'll be waiting. Tell him to come soon... but my senses tell me it's time you should go. I can't keep you here for too long anyways. But do something for me." She handed him a flower and a bag. "This is what the flower will look like and these are the seeds. Plant them in Manhattan for me. Someday, I might see them."
Before he could respond, he was washed off the shores on his boat, Calypso's hair the last thing he saw before he was out in the middle of nowhere.