Final chapter, the reunion! (yet ANOTHER version by me)

The wait was agony.

She clung to that piece of paper like a life line, and in a way, it really was. But the number of times she went around in circles in her head about it was countless. Was he coming back? What if he failed? Did he die trying? Maybe he had given up. Did he still want to come back? Was he even still alive?

There were no answers to any of these questions. All Calypso could do was wait, just like she had been doing forever. Somehow the wait had gotten so much longer. She spent nearly all of her time pacing along the beach, peering out over the horizon. If she was deceiving herself, she was way too blinded by hope to snap out of it. All of her eggs were in one, infuriatingly perfect basket.

A thought had occurred to her at one point. What if some new hero showed up on her island instead? Calypso tried to avoid thinking on that possibility. She honestly wasn't sure she could face a heartbreak that devastating. She had thought she'd had it bad when Percy Jackson left her! No. That could hardly compare to this. Calypso had evidence in her hand that Leo Valdez wanted her, and that he was doing everything he could to get back to her. She wanted nothing more than the future drawn on that piece of paper. And Leo wanted it too.

Come back, come back, come back, she chanted over and over in her head.

The day it finally happened was the one day she wasn't expecting it.

Calypso had finally retired to her cave because she really wasn't sleeping enough. When she woke up that morning she decided to work in her garden, because everything was drooping. She didn't know if she would be here much longer, but still, Caypso hated a droopy garden and just had to fix it. She figured she could afford one day off the coast.

Of course he chose that one day to show up.

She was busy pulling up the weeds that had invaded her plants when suddenly -

Whoosh.

Calypso jumped at the deafening noise, and before she could think she found herself on her feet. Her stomach did three somersaults in a row, and she immediately began sprinting to the coast.

All of her doubts rose to the surface as she ran. Her heart was pounding way faster than normal. Oh gods oh gods oh gods, she thought. Please be Leo, please be Leo, please be Leo, she prayed over and over.

She reached the edge of the forest at the point where the trees met the sand, and Calypso stopped. She pressed her back against one of the tree trunks, trying to catch her breath.

What if it's not him? She thought again worriedly. To be honest, she was absolutely terrified. This was the moment where either all of her dreams would come true, or all of her dreams would be completely crushed. It was the latter that kept her from looking behind her.

While she debated what to do, her decision was made for her when she suddenly heard a loud whoop from the beach.

"Oh yeah, who's back!"

Calypso's heart lept. She turned around to see a familiar figure dancing around by the water, kicking up sand.

"On this beach, a second time-" he fell back onto the sand and pointed at the sky. "In your face, Zeus!" He let out another whoop and rolled over on the sand.

Another creature was bounding around as well- what looked to be a giant, mechanical bronze dragon. Festus, Calypso knew immediately. He was even more glorious than she had imagined. The dragon lifted its head to the sky, letting out a roaring flame of fire.

Leo stood up and turned to the dragon, who made some creaking and whirring noises. Leo seemed to understand what the creature wanted and poured a bottle of something into it's mouth.

Calypso hadn't meant to start running, but her feet began moving without her consent. She ran in what felt like slow motion, until finally she stopped right behind him.

His back was still turned, and Calypso desperately wanted to see his eyes. "That's enough fuel, Buddy," she heard him say. Festus maneuvered his metallic body away and frolicked along the waters edge. "We have to find-"

Leo turned around, and suddenly they were face to face. When he saw her, a wide grin spread across his face that reached all the way up to his eyes.

Calypso was completely breathless. He was really here! She wanted to say something, but her vocal chords wouldn't work. Instead, she tentatively reached a hand towards his face, needing to feel the warmth of his skin.

Suddenly, he began laughing. Confused, Calypso dropped her hand.

"What are you wearing?" He laughed harder. The sound of his voice was so incredibly soothing, and his laugh sent warmth through Calypso's whole body.

Realizing that he was making fun of her, Calypso remembered she was still wearing his disgusting, tattered jacket. She felt mildly embarrassed, but it only lasted for a second. A giant smile spread across her face as he continued cracking up in front of her. Nothing could have been a better confirmation of Leo really being here than this.

"Is that my ja-"

Before he had finished his question, she had already launched herself into his arms and ran her hands into his hair.

"Shut up!" She exclaimed, though she was laughing a little as well. She realized that she was simultaneously crying. "Shut up," she murmured again as she dug her face into his neck. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply, letting his smoky smell and warm skin fill her senses. His hands were pressed against her lower back, and his thin fingers tapped rapidly in an odd rhythm. All of these instantaneous sensations sent a sudden shiver down her spine. She moved her left hand down to the back of his neck as her other hand gripped his soft curls, and she let out a soft breath.

Leo ran his left hand over her head and through her hair, and Calypso could just barely feel the gentle graze of his fingers on her back.

"I can't believe you are actually wearing my burnt jacket," he whispered into her ear.

Calypso felt a familiar annoyance come over her, and she pulled her head back to look at him. He was still laughing at her.

She gave him a light smack on the back of the head. "Oh stop," she scolded him with a smile. She brushed the hair off his forehead, savoring the warmth of his skin. "Just... let me look at you."

She sniffed and took a step back to analyze his physical state. He was completely covered in grime and dirt and who knows what else (though that wasn't exactly new). He still wore the army jacket she had made him, but somehow his fireproof clothes were about as tattered as the jacket she was wearing. He had plenty of scrapes and bruises, but luckily nothing looked urgent. The most notable difference were the giant, dark rings under his eyes. They were bloodshot and tired. He had seen a lot since the last time he'd been there.

She frowned.

"You look awful," she stated bluntly.

Leo snorted. "I came all the way back here so you could tell me I look awful?" He held out his arms. "You know Sunshine, it wasn't exactly easy getting here. I've been a little too busy achieving the impossible to worry about my looks-"

When she kissed him her entire body reacted almost instantly. He responded just as quickly. She felt her limbs go numb and a strange sound came from the back of her throat involuntarily. This was even better than the first time. He tried to move impossibly closer to her and they swayed back a little. She could feel him smiling against her lips. It was like her eons of waiting were just so she could have the chance to do this again.

She broke away so they could breathe for a moment. He kept their foreheads pressed against one another and their bodies didn't move an inch.

"You're late," she purred. She smiled at the same time he did.

"Sorry babe," Leo replied. "Dirt Face took a long time to fall back asleep."

They both laughed before he kissed her again, sending another jolt of electricity down her spine. Calypso was a little worried her knees wouldn't hold up. But gods this felt so good. His hands ran up and down her back and she sighed.

He broke away this time. "You know what I think?" He said, moving his hands to her waist. "I think you are very ready to get out of here."

Calypso smiled. Had she mentioned that he had a way of always knowing exactly what she was thinking?

"Can we go home now?" She asked hopefully.

"Home?" Leo scrunched his eyebrows together. "Where is home?"

Calypso reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the Garage sketch. She handed it to him, and it took him a moment to realize what it was.

When he recognized it he laughed. "You found the blueprint!" He said excitedly. Leo looked more closely at the drawing. "I see you have been busy," he grinned at her. "What did you change?"

Calypso peered over his shoulder and began pointing to some of the improvements she had made. "I don't want a front entrance to the kitchen, it's too crowded next to the front window," she explained. "So I moved it to the back left corner."

"What's this?" He asked, pointing at the garden space she had created. "You put a garden in my workshop?"

Calypso crossed her arms. "You want cider and stew, then I need to grow the spices and vegetables," she defended herself.

"Oh come on," He complained. "I need that space-"

"Oh you don't need all that space," Calypso said. She knew he knew she was right. It didn't stop him from trying though.

As Leo attempted to argue, Calypso took his hand and dragged him back towards her cave. "You arent going to win this one," she rolled her eyes as he talked.

"Okay well then how about-"

"Leo."

"But what if-"

"Leo!" She stopped at the entrance to her cave and turned to look at him. He finally shut up for a moment. She gestured toward the cave. "Be a gentleman and grab my luggage," she said.

Leo finally noticed the suitcase sitting at the entrance of the cave, and he grinned.

"Boy, you really are ready to get out of here," he said, picking up the suitcase off the ground. He threw the suitcase over his shoulder and made an exaggerated gesture back towards the coast.

"After you, m'lady," he played, with a bow and everything. Calypso laughed and walked ahead of him towards the beach. He followed right behind. "Let's go find our ride."

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