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They lay on Festus’ back and stared up into the midnight sky. Lying on a mechanical dragon should’ve been uncomfortable, but from somewhere Leo got six big soft pillows and thanks to his generally higher body heat, Calypso wasn’t cold either.
Tonight she showed him the constellations. “This one’s called Leo.” She said, reaching out her finger to the sky.
“Named after me!” Leo proclaimed.
“Ha ha. Very funny.” She rolled her eyes but smiled a bit because she saw that one coming. She moved her finger a bit and pointed to another constellation. “That one is Zoë Nightshade, my sister. If you look closely you can spot a young girl who’s shooting her arrows. She used to be a hunter of Artemis. She was even her lieutenant, but she died in battle. I guess in the end we’re all just stardust.”
Calypso sighed and thought about how strange mortality still was to her. Since Leo came back for her, they fought for their lives every day and she was scared. Always on the run. She didn't know how Leo could’ve been doing this all his life.
“You should become a constellation too. You would be right next to Zoë.” Leo said and then murmured. “But you’re like already a star to me because you shine so brightly.”
“What?” Calypso asked, not understanding the last part due to Leo’s mumbling.
“Um…I said, I’m gonna be just dirt when I’m dead. First dirt and then dust. Without the stars.”
“Leo, you should really stop putting yourself down.”
“What do you mean, Sunshine? I’m the best. All da ladies love Leo.” He winked at her.
“Yeah okay. Shut up.” Calypso rolled her eyes and decided to drop the topic because they now had more important things to worry about. Namely, how to get back to Camp Half Blood. As if on cue, the monsters started attacking again and the romantic stargazing came to an end. Calypso sighed and prepared herself for the next fight, which will most definitely not be her last.
…
“Fun Fact: 92 percent of the world’s currency is digital, which means that most of the money that is in circulation isn’t even physical.”
“That doesn’t sound right.” Calypso looked at Leo skeptically. They were high up in the sky on Festus. Somewhere across the Atlantic on the way to America.
“Yeah, but it’s true! I know this must be very new and crazy for you. But I can help you with all of this.” Leo grinned at her.
“Awesome.” Calypso muttered. In their free time, when monsters weren’t attacking them, Leo tried to prepare her for the modern world. Which meant that he mainly explained computers, smartphones, motors and circuits to her in detail. Occasionally he would throw in a science or technology fun fact that made her doubt everything Leo had taught her. She didn’t like that. Being so blissfully ignorant and having to rely on Leo, who saw it all as a funny game. She vowed that if they ever reached a safe place where they could settle down, she would do everything in her power to educate herself on her own terms.
“I’m not lying. I promise!” He stood up and lifted his hands to reinforce his statement.
Calypso crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know if I can trust you. Besides… we’re in mid-air. Put your hands down, dumbass!” She reached out to get him to sit down, but Leo laughed manically, clearly enjoying the danger.
…
“But phones are dangerous for demigods. They attract monsters. I told you about it!” Leo was shocked to see Calypso waving a smartphone in her hand and looking proud.
“Well, I’m not a demigod.” She shrugged.
“But what about me?” Leo argued.
“Chillax, I’m not going to use it around you. And that way I can keep some secrets.” Calypso smirked and went into her room.
Leo didn’t even notice that she was gone and just stood in the hall of the Waystation and tried to understand where she had learned the word chillax.
After a while he went to his room and started planning his new project.
…
Calypso was in her room at the Waystation, staring at her brand-new possession. A smartphone. Her bandmates advised her to get one so that they could communicate via WhatsApp. For example, when their next rehearsal should take place. But the band was not the main reason why she wanted a smartphone. During a break she saw one of her classmates use YouTube and thought this would be another great opportunity to expand her knowledge.
Leo and she had been at the Waystation for three months now. Since then, she has often gone to the library and watched some tv documentaries, but she needed more recent sources. She started watching documentaries on YouTube and was already learning a lot about outer space, Antarctica and Great British Gardens(they’re so beautiful; she immediately wanted to buy a ticket and fly to England, but instead went to the local store and bought some seeds).
She also started looking up all those fun facts Leo had told her months ago and was surprised to find out that he truly hadn’t lied about any facts. 92 percent of the world currency is indeed digital and you could really make a rainbow of colored flames if you used the right chemicals. Not to mention all of the other facts. Calypso had to admit that she was a little impressed.
One look at the clock and Calypso jerked when she saw that it was already 11PM. She quickly turned off her smartphone and went to sleep with a pleased smile.
…
“Did you know that Antarctica is a desert?” Calypso lay with her stomach on Leo’s bed and let her legs dangle in the air. She half-heartedly leafed through one of Leo’s auto magazines. Partly because she had no idea what all these automotive components were good for, but mostly because her mind was somewhere else and she wanted Leo’s attention.
“No, but I’m sure you’re gonna tell me why”, came a voice from the other side of the room. Leo was working on the finishing touches on his latest project. He was working on a demigod-friendly smartphone, but unfortunately the first three attempts exploded after a few hours. But Leo wouldn't give up.
“Because technically, any area is a desert with very little rainfall and very little freshwater. Antarctica is a so-called polar desert.” Calypso continued to ramble about the Antarctica, then switched to astronomy and plants (to be exact the Great British Gardens).
Leo took off his goggles and looked at her. “Where did you learn all this? At school? Maybe I should pay more attention. When you explain it, it sounds a lot more interesting.”
“Do you remember the phone I got?” Calypso grinned.
“Yeah, but wait…how did you even pay for that?” Leo frowned. “Don’t tell me Jo and Emmie payed this for you- “
“Nah, I had saved some money. However, it turns out that the World Wide Web is a great place to gather information. I’ve looked up all your fun facts, and they’re actually true!”
“I told you I wasn’t lying! But wait, does that mean that you trust some random website more than me? You know, not everything that is written on the internet is automatically true- “
“I know that, Leonidas”, Calypso replied annoyed. “Of course I used reliable sources.” She looked at him and waited for an answer.
“Well, I’m impressed”, Leo finally responded. “You adapt better than I thought and you clearly don’t need me as much as I thought you would.”
“You don’t need to save me!” Calypso snapped. “At least not anymore.” She added quietly.
“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.” Leo took a break from his project and sat down next to Calypso on his bed.
She bit her lip and looked toughtful.
“Cal?”
No answer.
Okay, try something else. Leo thought.
“Do you wanna tell me more about the moons of Jupiter and that stuff? That sounded pretty interesting.” Her face lit up and Leo figured that he had made a good choice. Her eyes started to glitter and a smile spread across her face.
Leo loved to listen to her because she looked so happy and beautiful, but after a while he couldn’t hold it back anymore and interrupted her with a kiss. Calypso was too surprised and just let it happen, but soon joined in.
After Leo finally let go of her, she said a little breathlessly. “Well, can I finish my sentence now or will you fall all over me again?” She tried to sound angry, but she couldn’t hide her smile.
Leo grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, but you’re so cute when you talk about things that you’re passionate about. You know…the math formula you used to calculate the mass of Jupiter wasn’t correct though. It’s actually- “
“Not everyone can be a math genius like you”, Calypso groaned, rolling her eyes.
“So, you do need my help sometimes, huh?” Leo had a smug grin on his face.
“You’re insufferable!” She threw a pillow at him. He ducked, but his grin was even wider now. They romped around the bed and kissed again and just enjoyed the moment.