Caleo Valentines

        I felt lonely as I sat at the Hephaestus table.
        I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to be. It was Valentine's Day, and everyone had someone but me. I felt more like a seventh wheel than ever, and the fact I loved Calypso didn’t help.
        She was in world that wasn’t mine, that might never be mine. How much I envied my past self that had been there with her, who got to talk, to chat, to live by her side for a few weeks.
        Those weeks seemed so far away, so distant, like a beautiful dream kept vivid only because I thought about it so often: her smile, her laugh, brief as it was. Her lips. Her farewell. My promise.
        How was I going to go through with the promise, I wasn’t sure. But I would. I would. So far I had made no progress (unless setting the cabin on fire counts) but I tried. I may have gotten close. And it was possible. I was pretty sure it was possible. If I just found a way...
        So there I was. Sitting. Reminiscing. Wishing I was almost anywhere but here, any day that was not this day.
        Have I told you how much I hate Valentine's Day? As you might have guessed, I’ve loved a thousand girls, it seemed—they were all funny, beautiful, hot, and way out of my league. Calypso was all of these, but she was also different in the way that I loved her more than the others. She was real, and it wasn’t fake for a second. You can’t fall in love on first sight. Well, you can, but it’s a dead end. It has to be something you don’t realize for a while until you do, and it’s staring you right in the face and it’s amazing and beautiful and one of a kind.
        So many love but each love is different. One love story isn’t everyone’s. To get a feel for it you have to listen to millions because they’re each unique.
        Mine, at the moment, was single and lonely for most of my life. Finally a diamond of a week and then longing. A longing that for all I knew would never stop.
        I watched a single leaf fall from a tree. It always felt so special to see a leaf fall. Even though it happened all the time, it seemed like a last word shared with you and only you—a wonder—the only person to hear another’s last word.
        It hit the ground lightly, and I heard a pop at the same time, so when I jumped I thought at first it had been the leaf that made the sound.
        Then I heard a gasping breath and looked over, jumping as if I had seen a ghost, because there... there was... there was...
        “Calypso?” I said under my breath.
        She was there, in clean jeans and t-shirt that looked better on her than any dress ever could. Her braided hair was laid over her shoulder and she looked just as I had when I left. Except happy now. Extremely happy.
        I don’t think she had ever looked that happy—she wore her freedom like a crown, and now the word was intertwined tightly with “happy.” It was now for me too.
        I ran over, forgetting my surprise, and hugged her tightly.
        She hugged back before stepping away.
        “Someone looks glad to see me,” she said sarcastically.
        “You think?” I asked, a bit breathless. “How... how is this possible? The gods trapped you...”
        “And the gods let me go. Yeah, it took time for them to follow through with their promise, but in the end they did, and that’s all that matters.”
        “And on Valentine's Day too. This must be somewhat of a joke,” I thought out loud to myself.
        “Probably. Gods like jokes and irony. But what is Valentine's Day?”
        I looked at her sideways. “Wait, you don’t know?”
        She turned her head up to the sky exasperated. “I have been on an island for most of my life. I know almost nothing about this world.”
        “Right.” The puzzle pieces clicked in my mind. “Well... erm... it’s a day for... love. For love and couples, like us.” I hadn’t meant to say the last part—just to think it—but now it was out.
Yeah, we knew we loved each other, but still... it was totally new to me. This couple thing.
        She looked taken at back too.
        “Um, Leo?”
        “What?”
        “Are we really... a couple?”
        “I-I.. don’t know. Are we?”
        “I’m not sure I’m ready to be a couple. I love you, don’t get me wrong but... I don’t know. I’ve only known you for two weeks and don’t want to go to quickly.”
        “Says the person who kissed me.” I noticed it came out irritable and I corrected myself, “I’m sorry. That came out mean.”
        “Well you are right, but... Gods, I wanted to kiss you. And I did. But if you hadn’t left then I probably wouldn’t have. It was a... I don’t know. I thought I’d never see you again so I tried to trap a bit of you to stay with me—one memory. One good perfect memory of what we had.”
        “I’m sorry,” I said stiffly, “For thinking you loved me more than you do.”
        She looked definitely frustrated. She looked me straight me in the eyes.
        “I have been living my life on an island for years. Loving and breaking away. Torturous. I’ve seen heroes walk in and out of my life. I have fallen in love... more than I’d care to admit. But think about this: I have a whole world to explore—something new and perfect—and the first place I go is to you. I wanted to be with you more then go anywhere else in this huge, curious world. Does that not mean anything to you?” She placed her hands on my shoulder as she said this as if to stretch the point.
        I bowed my head. “Sorry. I’m... sorry. But... what should we do today, anyway? If not as uber awesome super pony friends.”
        She pulled back with a small smile touching her lips.
        “I’m not sure about the pony part—I’m pretty sure I’m not one—but you should show me around. I want to learn as much about this place as I can.”
        I took her hand and she didn’t object.
        “You, girl, have asked the right man.” I pulled her so we were standing in front of the tables and she could see the whole camp.
        “This is where us demigods eat. Everyone sits according to their parents.” Then I paused for a second before I realized, “Wow. Wait a second! Where will you sit and sleep?”
She thought for a moment, “Well, I’ll sit at the head table, I’d suspect, and sleep in the forest with the tree spirits.”
        “But there’s monsters in the forest.”
        Calypso started laughing and I wasn’t sure why it was funny until she said through heavy breaths, “I’m *huff* a *huff* Titan for crying out loud!”
        I starting laughing to, if not for the fact of how contagious her laughter was.
        So we stood there, tripping over ourselves, clutching our sides that were shaking with laughter.
I stumbled into Calypso and our legs were weak so we both fell on the ground rolling around.
We were a pile of legs and arms and clothing and it made everything else funnier so as I pulled myself away I was still laughing.
        She got up, brushed herself off, and smiled broadly.
        “I’ve never been this happy in my life. And it wasn’t even funny!”
        I was grinning as wildly as her so it was hard to speak. “Something about being with you and knowing I can always be with you is just happy... or funny. Or both. Can I fly?”
        “Yes, you may. If you don’t mind crashing into the ground. Again, I may add.”
        “Yes. I’m sincerely sorry for destroying your perfectly nice table.”
        “I’m sure you are.” She rolled her eyes. “But let’s go continue our tour, ok?”
        “Sure.”
        I took her hand yet again and decided Valentine's Day wasn’t all that bad after all, as long as I could spend it with her.