I walked until the sun went down, darkening the city into a conglomeration of dim alleys and shut-off buildings. I badly wanted to hide until morning, but I wanted to cover as much ground as I could while streetlamps still lit the roads.
In the distance, I could see the very tip of a building that I remembered was across from the palace. It wasn't much, but it gave me a reference point as I wove around buildings, and a shopkeeper verified it as the right direction for me. It was all I had.
Finally most of the streetlights had gone out, and I found a niche back behind a restaurant to curl up in. It wasn't exactly the safest place for a teenage girl to camp out, but I didn't really have much of a choice. Who would believe that I was a Selected in this part of town?
The stench of rotten food in the nearby dumpster was prominent, but I breathed through my mouth and ignored it. Exhausting as my day had been, I eventually dozed off.
I awoke with a start a few hours later to a figure standing over me. "Hey there, girlie," a man's rough voice whispered. "Whatcha doing out here all by yourself?" His fingers brushed my face.
In one fluid motion, I lifted the gun and clicked off the safety. "Back away."
The man froze, lifting his hands a little. "Hey, don't be that way, girlie. I just wanted a little company for -- "
"Back. Away." I let my finger rest against the trigger.
"Alright, alright, I'm going. Don't get your feathers ruffled," the stranger snapped, scrambling backwards. I kept the gun raised until long after he had disappeared into the dark.
After that, I was too nervous to sleep. I held my gun in my lap and leaned against the wall, waiting for any more two-legged predators to come by.
But none did, and by the time the sun rose, I was long gone, already finding my way through the city again. I drew a lot of strange looks with my bedraggled appearance, but I refused to acknowledge any of them.
By the time the sun was high overhead, I was starving and exhausted from my sleepless night. The spire of the familiar building was closer, but it didn't seem like much. I had no idea how much longer I'd be able to keep going.
I was able to beg a cup of water from a restaurant, which helped a great deal. It was a remarkable thing, really, how weak dehydration could leave you.
As I walked, I thought of Percy and Annabeth. Were they making this same trek through the city? Or had they found transportation?
I realized I'd never actually seen them escape the basement, just make it to an exit. Which I hadn't been able to open. What if they hadn't been successful either? What if they were still trapped?
They're smart and strong, I told myself. Wherever they are, they'll be fine. Annabeth can surely figure her way out of anywhere.
Finally, I rounded a corner and the palace was in view, down a few more streets. Just the right of it invigorated me, and I ran the rest of the way, weaving through passersby, not bothering with apologies.
And then I was at the gate, staring up at its white walls, knowing Leo was somewhere in there. He had to be. If he'd made it --
"Excuse me, ma'am, no unauthorized entrance." A guard scowled at me, his stance wide.
"But I...I'm a Selected. Lady Calypso?" I searched for a way to prove it.
His frown deepened. "I don't know anything about a Selected. You'll have to get a warrant from the prince or the Council."
I was too tired to argue. "Then, sir, is it possible I could speak with one of the servants?"
Apparently I looked pathetic enough for the guard to take pity on me. "The servants' entrance is around the back. You can't go in, but you can speak with anyone in the courtyard. They might bring someone out for you."
"Thank you," I said gratefully.
Following his directions, I made my way to the back entrance, where a stream of uniform-clad people hurried in and out. I waited until I spotted a girl with a maid's uniform, and then waved her over. "Sorry to bother you, but would you happen to know a maid named Madeleine?"
The maid paused. "Dark blonde hair, blue eyes?"
"Yes, yes, that's her. Could I possibly see her?"
She hesitated. "I'm not sure where she's stationed today, but I'll try to find her. How long can you wait?"
"However long it takes. Thank you so much." I slumped back against the gate in relief.
"What name should I give her?"
"Calypso," I answered, thinking of Madeleine's reaction. "Just Calypso."
The maid disappeared back into the building, and I slid to the ground to wait. A woman with an apron threw me a disdainful look as she picked chives from a garden, and I smiled back at her warmly. It was odd to be treated like a street girl after so many weeks of being a Selected, but nothing could dim my mood knowing that Leo was so close. Just a floor or two away.
Half an hour passed before I spotted the maid again, this time with Madeleine at her side. The sight of my friend was so good that I shouted her name and leaped to my feet, desperate to speak to her.
Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened. She stood there for several moments, rooted to the ground in shock, and then she ran to me, for once disregarding any semblance of propriety.
I threw my arms around her, crying and laughing all at once, not once caring about all the strange looks we were getting. I had been so focused on Leo during my time captive that I'd forgotten just how much I adored my maids.
Finally Madeleine drew back, looking me up and down. "Sakes alive, I thought you were gone forever. We all thought you were dead, and the prince too, until he returned and told us what had happened. Oh, gracious, I can't believe you're here!"
I clutched her hand. "He made it back, then? He's safe?"
"Oh! You don't know! Yes, he's back at the palace. He's been locked up in the offices making plans with the council ever since he returned." Madeleine smiled mischievously. "He's been desperate to get you back."
I fought the heat that rose to my face. "The guards at front don't recognize me -- can you get me inside?"
"Yes, of course!" Madeleine exclaimed, frowning in the direction of the main entrance. "Just come with me. I'll take you up."
I followed her into the palace, so grateful for this friend. "How's Kate?" I ventured as we walked.
Madeleine's face fell. "She resigned her position. She's living with grandparents now. I think it was just too painful for her to be here without Leah."
"I can imagine," I murmured. "If you see her again, will you tell her thank you from me?"
"Of course." Madeleine ushered me up the stairs. Closer to Leo. "If I may ask, miss, how did you get away?"
"It's a very long story." I sighed. "Long story short, one of my better uncles sacrificed his life to help me escape."
"Your...uncle?"
I twisted to look at her. "Did you not hear? I'm Calypso Nightshade. Atlas Nightshade's daughter. You know, the traitor."
Madeleine stared at me. "Um, no, miss, that's not common knowledge."
"I would have thought someone would be smart enough to figure it out after a while," I muttered. "Never mind. Yes. I'm related to them. My father used me as a go-between when I was a child, and I paid for it."
Madeleine almost stumbled. "Does, ah, does the prince know?"
I laughed. "Don't worry. He knows. If he was worried about me being a threat, he'd take care of it."
"You're not a threat," Madeleine said fiercely. "It's just...you know, the kind of thing a couple should probably tell each other."
"Note to self, alert my significant other I'm a traitor to his country. Although we're not a couple yet," I reminded her.
Madeleine snorted. "Not a couple, my eye. He was in such a panic to get you back when he finally returned that we thought he'd go insane."
That shouldn't sound half as romantic as it does.
Then we were at the fourth floor, and Madeleine was leading me to his office and talking to the guard, insisting it was very important that the prince see me immediately, and the only thing I could concentrate on was that Leo was right there, right inside that door. I barely heard the guard as he argued with Madeleine, my focus completely captured by that simple wooden barrier.
It took an eternity of bartering before the guard slipped inside Leo's office to speak with him. I rode up on my toes, waiting, silently begging every deity out there to let Leo agree. Quickly.
At last the guard opened the door, and I rushed inside. And there he was again, back in his formal clothing, scribbling away at his desk.
As he looked up, I didn't give him the chance to take me in. I darted behind his desk and grasped his hands, pulling him close to me, as his jaw dropped in shock. "Leo, it's me, I made it. I'm here."
He crushed me to him, trembling. "You...escaped? Oh, Calypso, or you knew how terrified I've been for you these last -- "
"I know. I know. I'm sorry." I touched his face, reveling in his presence. "They wouldn't let me in at the front so I used the servants' entrance, and I only got out because my uncle Iapetus died to let me get away. He triggered a false alarm and I was in the computer room and then I shot Krios and -- oh, stars, Percy and Annabeth! They were there!"
"Slow down. Slow way down." Leo knelt on the floor next to me, brushing wisps of hair out of my face. "Now, start from when I left. What happened once I was gone?"
In shaky, rushed fragments, I pieced together what had happened once my door had opened and I'd made it upstairs. Leo let me talk, holding me gently, taking everything in. It was the first time since those first threats that I felt really, truly safe.
When I was through, Leo exhaled a long breath. "You have been through so incredibly much."
"But I'm with you now," I said softly. "So we're good, right?"
He laughed. "We sure fricking are. But let's get you to a shower and a bed before we sort through stuff."
"Wait. What about Percy and Annabeth? Did they make it yet? Why were they there in the first place?" I gripped his sleeve as he tried to stand.
Leo chewed his lip. "We haven't heard from them. But we have guards combing the streets for them; it's going to be much easier for them to find safety than it was for you. They're very recognizable."
I sat back, twisting my ragged skirts. "But?"
"They were part of the team that...oh, let me back up. We found the secret passage thingy where you were taken, right? So we decide to search them all for clues of any kind. Percy and Annabeth joined that search team. They split from their group to investigate one passage in particular. By the time we realized they were missing, it was too late. The passage was empty." He drew in a shaky breath. "I told you, that's how it happened to me, too. I was in that room, looking for signs of you, when a man just appeared from the passage and yanked me with him."
I shuddered. That was far too close to what had happened to me. "How long have they been gone?"
"A little more than a week. We started the search a couple days after I got back. I guess we all thought they were prepared well enough to be able to fight." Leo raised his hands. "I don't know how they were taken by surprise."
"If they just made it past that last door...they should be on their way right now. I don't know." Remembering how close I'd been to freeing them, I clenched my fists.
"Hey." Leo met my gaze. "You did everything you possibly could. If they're free, it's because of you. If they're not, it isn't your fault."
"Maybe."
"Definitely."
I shook my head. "I was so close."
Leo pulled me to my feet. "Maybe you succeeded. Who knows? We have a lot to discuss -- there's so much happening with your relatives. But right now, you need food and sleep. And also to see Piper. She's freaked out about you."
"Piper!" I hurried towards the door. "I've missed her. Where is she?"
"Slow down, Sunshine. We'll get there. Don't be in such a rush to get away from me." But Leo led me down the hall with a grin and a spring in his step.
When Piper saw me, she shrieked and tackled me and kissed my cheek. I laughed as she sobbed and in that moment, I thanked the heavens for such friends as the ones I'd made here. Whichever of my uncles had made the decision to bring me here was wonderful in my eyes. The Selection was the best possible thing that ever could have happened to me.
Leo didn't let me see any of the other girls, instead bringing me to my room and ordering a servant to bring me food. Opal and Madeleine were waiting for me there, already reinstated.
Just seeing my little sprig of moonlace in its lot was almost enough for me to break down. Instead, I forced myself to maintain some miniscule sense of dignity and shower, change into less filthy clothes, and eat the soup brought.
My bed was the most heavenly thing ever created. I didn't pull the window shades, relishing in the natural light streaming through the window.
I was so incredibly blessed to be here. After Ogygia, after all those years of solitude, I had thought I could never appreciate more. I was wrong. Having the best things in your life ripped away from you so abruptly hurt more.
I fell asleep with a smile, knowing I was home again.
~
~~~
~
A/N:
Angst whomst? Surely it's all gone now, right? Hehehe.
I need some input -- should I go back to the funny chapter titles, or leave them short as I've been doing recently? I thought my attempts were cringy, but who knows. Anyways: have a great November day.