Light began to shine through Leo's eyelids. He heard birds singing from outside, an orchestra of tweets and chirps.

 

"Mmm... morning already?" He stretched, sat up, and began wiggling his toes and fingers awake. The alarm clock read 7:46. Did I forget to set the alarm? He thought.

 

The smell of eggs and bacon wafted from the kitchen. Eggs and bacon, awesome! He quickly pulled on a shirt from his dresser and paddled to the kitchen.

 

"Morning," Leo said. He pulled out a chair from the table and plopped down.

 

"Good morning Leo." Calypso replied, already dressed for the day. "The eggs are ready and the bacon is almost done." She flipped the sizzling pork over in the pan and grabbed some plates, piling it with golden scrambled eggs. Calypso also got out some forks and handed one to Leo, who was drooling over the fresh breakfast.

 

"Oh, yum!" He exclaimed after shoveling a big serving of hot eggs in his mouth, not feeling the burn on his tongue. "This is great!"

 

Calypso smiled. "Thank you. Save some room for the bacon though." She took the pan off the stove (which she also turned off) and scraped the bacon on to each of their plates. "Dig in."

 

In a matter of seconds, Leo's plate was clear of anything, all the crumbs licked off.

 

"Hey, hey, hey. Can I have that?" He pointed to Calypso's last strip of bacon.

 

"No."

 

"Please?"

 

"No."

 

"Pretty please? With a cherry on top?" He gave her a puppy dog look."

 

"Ugh, fine! Don't use that on me!"

 

Leo snatched it off her plate and gulped it down. She watched him eat it with a hint of longing. He didn't know whether it was for him or the bacon. He guessed it was the latter. Maybe. Now feeling a little guilty, he got up and put the dishes in the sink for her.

 

"What do you want to do today?" He asked her. It was a Saturday which means that the shop was closed for the day, only doing pick-ups.

 

"Oh, uh, I don't know." Calypso shrugged. "What about you?"

 

Leo pondered this. I guess we could take Festus and fly to Camp Jupiter and visit my man Frank and Hazel. I think Jason should be there as well, which mean Piper will be also. Maybe even spend the night in New Rome?"

 

Calypso tilted her head to the side. "Yes, that would be nice. Do we have any pick-ups today or tomorrow?"

 

"I think only one this afternoon at eleven."

 

"Then let's go at twelve."

 

"Deal. In the meantime, I'll get Festus ready. I think he can do a long distance flight now, but I'll just test fly him for a bit."

 

"Sure. Don't forget to pack.

 

"Yeah, okay."

 

The wind whistled in Leo's ears. Festus flew into a small puffy cloud and emerged from it wet. The water droplets evaporated off of Festus' warm back. They talked a little to each other. It went like:

 

Leo: Knock knock.

 

Festus: Clank puff

 

Leo: Sherwood.

 

Festus: Whirr creak clank

 

Leo: Sherwood like to come in.

 

Festus: ...

 

Leo: Uh, yeah. Okay. Whatever.

 

By the time they touched down back home, the sun was high in the sky.

 

Ding ding, went the bell when he walked in. "What time is it?"

 

Calypso was behind the counter, scribbling down something in the logbook. She looked up, pushing a section of her brown hair behind her ear. "It's eleven forty-six." She said, glancing at the clock on the back wall. "Did you pack?"

 

"Well, no. I just got back."

 

Calypso grunted. "Just go. And don't forget your toothbrush and comb."

 

"Yes ma'am."

 

Leo trudged up the stairs, grabbed a backpack, and shoved a fresh pair of jeans and his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt (Just to show that he wasn't one of the Romans). He also threw in some screws and bolts. Oh, and his toothbrush and comb. Slinging it over his shoulder, he ran back down the stairs. "I'm done!" He called out.

 

"Okay! I'm in the back with Festus!" Calypso shouted from the barn house.

 

On his way out he turned off all the lights and locked the door behind him.

 

Calypso had climbed on top of Festus in the front seat with the reins in her hands.

 

"Hey!" Leo said. "Who said you could drive Festus?"

 

Calypso stuck her tongue out at him. "I can ride him just fine!"

 

"And do you know how?"

 

"Oh, uh." Calypso blushed. "I kinda' took him out for a spin a couple of times."

 

"When?" Leo asked incredulously.

 

"Um, at night when he had his old wings. I didn't go very high the first few times. Good thing Festus knows how to fly by himself."

 

Leo shrugged. "Well, if you think you can handle him all the way to California... fine with me. I trust you." And he really did. He wouldn't trust anyone else with his dragon, not even Jason.

 

Calypso smiled. "Thanks." Leo climbed up behind her.

 

"Uh, hey," he said, moving his arms, silently asking if he should put his arms around her waist. "Do you mind?"

 

Calypso sucked in her cheeks, which turned a rosy pink. "Sure. We wouldn't want you to fall off and turn into demigod splat on the ground." She joked.

 

"Hey, those are supposed to be my lines!" Leo grinned.

 

"Yeah, whatever. Just hold on with those scrawny arms of yours."

 

So he wrapped them around her tiny waist and said, "Now don't you crash us."

 

They took off, soaring through the bright blue sky. Calypso's hair flew into Leo's face. He caught her scent, a lovely mixture of cinnamon and wood smoke. He laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

 

"Oh, er, um... Leo? Are you okay?" Calypso tensed up.

 

"Mmm, no. I'm good. Just a little tired, that's all." he lied. He couldn't just tell her he just wanted to do that because he liked her. That would be awkward, especially if she didn't like him back. But the raft came for Leo that night in Ogygia. Didn't it only come for heroes Calypso had fallen in love with? And what about that kiss that had followed right after? But what if she didn't feel the same anymore? If nothing they've only grown closer, right?

 

Before he knew it, it was a few hours past and he had fallen asleep on Calypso's shoulder. Oh man, he thought. I hope I didn't drool. Fortunately, he did not. Leo lifted his head.

 

"Uhn…" He yawned.

 

"Finally awake?" Calypso asked.

 

"Yeah… why didn't you wake me up?" Leo asked.

 

"Well, because you snore a little when you sleep. I thought it was… cute."

 

"Oh."

 

They continued on, almost there. Calypso hummed and sang and sang and hummed. In a few minutes, they were greeted by two Romans where they landed in a field just outside the border. One was a bulky Chinese dude and the other a small African-American girl with chestnut-brown hair.

 

"Yo, Frank! Hazel! Sup!" Leo jumped off of Festus, Calypso sliding down behind him.

 

"Hey there Calypso." Frank looked over Leo's shoulder. "Nice to see you again."

 

"Yeah," Hazel said. "Are you two staying long?"

 

Leo nodded. "Yep. We wanted to stay the night too."

 

"Stay the night?" Hazel cooed. "Sounds like fun! Wanna stay at our place?"

 

"If that's okay." Calypso said. "We don't want to intrude or bother you two. We could stay in a hotel or something."

 

"No, no! Its fine! We asked, if you were going to be a bother we wouldn't have!"

 

Leo grinned. "Alrighty then, demigod sleepover!" He looked at Calypso. "Plus one immortal Titan daughter."

 

Frank shrugged. "But first, we have to warm you about—"

 

Before Frank could finish, two more demigods came storming from Camp Jupiter. A tall fair-haired male and a choppy-brown-haired female—Jason and Piper. In seconds they reached the group. Frank and Hazel backed up, definitely looking scared.

 

"Leo!" Jason and Piper growled at the same time. They glared at each other. "Can I talk to you?"