The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

‘You know that flameproof cloth? You think you could make me a little bag of that fabric?’
    He described the dimensions. Calypso waved her hand impatiently. ‘That will only take minutes. Will it help on your quest?’
    ‘Yeah. It might save a life. And, um, could you chip off a little piece of crystal from your cave? I don’t need much.’
    She frowned. ‘That’s an odd request.’
    ‘Humour me.’
    ‘All right. Consider it done. I’ll make the fireproof pouch tonight at the loom, when I’ve cleaned up. But what can I do now, while my hands are dirty?’
    She held up her calloused, grimy fingers. Leo couldn’t help thinking there was
nothing
hotter than a girl who didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. But of course that was just a general comment. Didn’t apply to Calypso. Obviously.
    ‘Well,’ he said, ‘you could twist some more bronze coils. But that’s kind of specialized –’
    She pushed in next to him on the bench and began to work, her hands braiding the bronze wiring faster than he could have. ‘Just like weaving,’ she said. ‘This isn’t so hard.’
    ‘Huh,’ Leo said. ‘Well, if you ever get off this island and want a job, let me know. You’re not a total klutz.’
    She smirked. ‘A job, eh? Making things in your forge?’
    ‘Nah, we could start our own shop,’ Leo said, surprising himself. Starting a machine shop had always been one of his dreams, but he’d never told anyone about it. ‘Leo and Calypso’s Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters.’
    ‘Fresh fruits and vegetables,’ Calypso offered.
    ‘Lemonade and stew,’ Leo added. ‘We could even provide entertainment. You could sing and I could, like, randomly burst into flames.’
    Calypso laughed – a clear, happy sound that made Leo’s heart go
ka-bump
.
    ‘See,’ he said, ‘I’m funny.’
    She managed to kill her smile. ‘You are
not
funny. Now, get back to work, or no lemonade and stew.’
    ‘Yes, ma’am,’ he said. They worked in silence, side by side, for the rest of the afternoon.
    Two nights later, the guidance console was finished.
    Leo and Calypso sat on the beach, near the spot where Leo had destroyed the dining table, and they ate a picnic dinner together. The full moon turned the waves to silver. Their campfire sent orange sparks into the sky. Calypso wore a fresh white shirt and her jeans, which she’d apparently decided to live in.
    Behind them in the dunes, the supplies were carefully packed and ready to go.
    ‘All we need now is a boat,’ Calypso said.
    Leo nodded. He tried not to linger on the word
we
. Calypso had made it clear she wasn’t going.
    ‘I can start chopping wood into boards tomorrow,’ Leo said. ‘Few days, we’ll have enough for a small hull.’
    ‘You’ve made a ship before,’ Calypso remembered. ‘Your
Argo II
.’
    Leo nodded. He thought about all those months he’d spent creating the
Argo II
. Somehow, making a boat to sail from Ogygia seemed like a more daunting task.
    ‘So how long until you sail?’ Calypso’s tone was light, but she didn’t meet his eyes.
    ‘Uh, not sure. Another week?’ For some reason, saying that made Leo feel less agitated. When he had got here, he couldn’t wait to leave. Now, he was glad he had a few more days. Weird.
    Calypso ran her fingers across the completed circuit board. ‘This took so long to make.’
    ‘You can’t rush perfection.’
    A smile tugged at the edge of her mouth. ‘Yes, but will it work?’
    ‘Getting out, no problem,’ Leo said. ‘But to get back I’ll need Festus and –’
    ‘
What?
’
    Leo blinked. ‘Festus. My bronze dragon. Once I figure out how to rebuild him, I’ll –’
    ‘You told me about Festus,’ Calypso said. ‘But what do you mean
get back
?’
    Leo grinned nervously. ‘Well … to get back here, duh. I’m sure I said that.’
    ‘You most definitely did not.’
    ‘I’m not gonna leave you here! After you helped me and everything? Of course I’m coming back. Once I rebuild Festus, he’ll be able to handle an improved guidance system. There’s this astrolabe that I, uh …’ He stopped, deciding it was best not to mention that it had been built by one of Calypso’s old flames. ‘… that I found in Bologna. Anyway, I think with that crystal you gave me –’
    ‘You can’t come back,’ Calypso insisted.
    Leo’s heart went
clunk
. ‘Because I’m not welcome?’
    ‘Because you
can’t
. It’s impossible. No man finds Ogygia twice. That is the