“What is that?”Īs the column of fire reached the beach. It got brighter and brighter, until I could see a column of fire moving across the surface of the water, coming toward us. She was interrupted by a rumbling sound somewhere out on the lake. “I…I promised myself I wouldn’t speak of this. “I mean…wouldn’t anyone else live here with you? it’s a nice place. “And in fairness, the gods have treated me well. “Perhaps I was wrong in the war,” Calypso said. But still, I felt like I supported them because Poseidon was my dad. Last winter, after Annabeth and I had saved Olympus, the gods had had a debate about whether or not they should kill me. but do you support the gods because they are good, or because they are your family?” “Are they? All of them? All the time?” She pursed her lips. “But, Percy,” Calypso said gently, “I did support him in the first war. This other daughter I knew, Zoë, Nightshade-she fought against him. “Just because you’re related doesn’t mean you support him. Some of the prisons are not nearly as nice as mine. I will never visit this Manhattan of yours. I am under…house arrest, I guess you would call it. “Percy, this island, Ogygia, is my home, my birthplace. She covered her half-finished stew with a napkin, and immediately an invisible servant whisked the bowl away. “As I told you, Percy, I have been punished. “You keep pulling away, like you’re trying not to enjoy yourself. She laughed, showing off her amazing smile, and our eyes met. I was telling her about New York and Camp Half-Blood, and then I started telling her about the time Grover had eaten an apple while we were playing Hacky Sack with it. I hadn’t even noticed the invisible servants when I first got to the island, but after a while I became aware of the beds making themselves, meals cooking on their own, clothes being washed and folded by unseen hands.Īnyway, Calypso and I were sitting at dinner, and she looked beautiful in the candlelight. I hadn’t even noticed the invisible servants when I first got to the island, but that’s because you haven’t tasted it. Invisible servants had set up a table with beef stew and apple cider, which may not sound all that exciting, but that’s because you haven’t tasted it. One night we were eating dinner together at the beach. I didn’t understand what was bothering her. She would look at me and we’d share a smile, but almost immediately she’d get that sad expression again and turn away. She would tell them good morning, ask how it was going back at the nest, and they would chirp for a while, then fly off cheerfully. Sometimes she would hold out her hand and birds would fly out of the woods to settle on her arm-lorikeets, parrots, doves. I would sit in the meadow, sipping nectar, and I would try to concentrate on the flowers or the clouds or the reflections on the lake, but I was really staring at Calypso as she worked, the way she brushed her hair over her shoulder, and the little strand that fell in her face whenever she knelt to dig in the garden. She never talked much about herself, but that just made me want to know more. I remembered exactly why I needed to leave. I thought about Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson constantly. But the island of Ogygia wasn’t like that at all. I remembered the Lotus Hotel and Casino in Vegas, where I’d been lured into this amazing game world until I almost forgot everything I cared about. I didn’t feel like a prisoner or anything. Helens had drained me like nothing else I’d ever expected. I couldn’t stay on my feet more than a few hours. I hated not knowing if they were all right. I tried to use my empathy link with Grover several times, but I couldn’t make contact. I didn’t even know if Annabeth had made it out of the volcano. At worst, they could be in serious danger. At the very least, my friends would be worried. Like Calypso said, it was hard to keep track on the island. I don’t know exactly how much time passed. I was too confused to do anything but watch until she disappeared in the dark.