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I could live forever in a day with her.
I don't wanna live it if it ain't with her.
THE WAY LEO FIGURED IT, he spent more time crashing than he did flying. if there were reward cards for frequent crashers, he'd be like, double platinum
He regained consciousness as he was free falling through the clouds. he had a hazy memory of khione taunting him right before he got shot into the sky. he could never forget that snow bitch's voice. he had no idea how long he'd been gaining altitude, but at some point he must've passed out from the cold and the lack of oxygen. now he was on his way down, heading for his biggest crash ever.
The clouds parted around him, he saw the glittering sea far, far below. no sign of the argo ||. no sign of any coastline, familiar or otherwise, except for one tiny island at the horizon
He had a couple of minutes at most before he'd hit the water.
He decided he didn't like that ending to the epic ballad of leo.
He was still clutching the archimedes sphere, which didn't suprise him. unconscious or not, he would never let go of his most prized possession. with a little maneuvering, he managed to pull some duct tape from his tool belt and strap the sphere to his chest. this made him look like a low budget iron man, but atleast he had both hands free
He started to work, furiously tinkering with the sphere. pulling out anything he thought would help from his magical tool belt: a drop cloth, metal extenders, some string and grommets.
Working while falling was almost impossible. the wind roared in his ears. it kept ripping tools, screws, and canvas out of his hands. but finally he had constructed a makeshift frame. he pulled open a hatch on the sphere, teased out two wires, and connected them to the crossbar
How long until the water? a minute?
He turned the sphere's control dial and it whirred into action. more bronze wires shot from the orb, intuitively sensing what leo needed
Cords laced up the canvas drop cloth. the frame began to expand on it's own. leo pulled out a can of kerosene and a rubber tube and lashed them to the thirsty new engine that the orb was helping him assemble
Finally, he made himself a rope halter and shifted so that the X frame was attached to his back. the sea got closer and closer. a glittering expanse of slap you in the face death
He punched the sphere's override switch. the engine coughed to life. the makeshift rotor turned. the canvas blades spun, but much too slowly. leo's head was pointed straight down at the sea, maybe thirty seconds from impact.
'At least nobody's around.' he thought bitterly 'Or i'd be a demigod joke forever. what was the last thing to go through leo's mind? the Mediterranean.'
Suddenly, the orb got warm against his chest. the blades spun faster. the engine coughed. and leo tilted sideways, slicing through the air
"YES!" He yelled
He had successfully created the world's most dangerous personal helicopter
He shot towards the island in the distance, but he was still falling way too fast. the blades shuddered. the canvas screamed.
The beach was only a few hundred yards away when the sphere turned lava hot and the helicopter exploded. shooting flames in every direction. if he hadn't been immune to fire, leo would have been charcoal. as it was, the midair explosion probably saved his life. the blast flung him sideways while the bulk of his flaming contraption smashed into the shore at full speed
Leo opened his eyes, amazed to be alive. he was sitting in a bathtub sized crater in the sand. a few yards away, a column of thick black smoke roiled into the sky from a much larger crater. the surrounding beach was peppered with smaller pieces of burning wreckage
"My sphere." He patted his chest, the sphere wasn't there. his duct tape and rope halter had disintegrated
He struggled to his feet, none of his bones seemed broken, which was good. but mostly he was worried about his archimedes sphere, if he'd destroyed his priceless artifact to make a flaming thirty second helicopter he was going to track down that stupid snow goddess khione
He staggered across the beach. the larger crater was about eight feet deep. at the bottom, the helicopter blades were still trying to turn. the engine bleched smoke. the rotor croaked like a stepped on frog
Finally, he spotted the archimedes sphere, steaming and charred but still intact. making unhappy clicking noises in the center of the wreckage
"Sphere!" He yelled "Come to papa!"
He skidded to the bottom of the crater and snatched up the sphere. he collapsed, sat cross-legged, and cradled the device in his hands. the bronze surface was searing hot, but leo didn't care. it was still in one piece, which meant he could use it
Now if he could just figure out where he was..and how to get back to his friends..
He was making a mental list of tools he might need when a girl's voice interrupted him "Oh, gods! are you okay?"
Immediately, leo thought: 'uh oh.'
He'd met a lot of goddesses before, but the girl staring down at him from the edge of the crater actually looked like a goddess
She wore a white greek-style dress with a gold braided belt and multiple pieces of gold jewelry. hoop earrings, bangles, arm cuffs, rings, and an ankh necklace. her hair was long, to her hips. silky straight, and pitch black. she had sharp amber eyes. practically glowing in the sunlight. she looked maybe sixteen, his age. her olive toned skin was dotted with little black moles. she looked like what he assumed pharoahs looked like
"Uh- hi! h-hi! i come in peace!" He let the sphere drop to his lap and raised his hands placatingly, she frowned
"I'm not gonna hurt you. come up here."
Oh.
He hesitated, this had to be a trick of some sort. she must be either a monster, empousai or siren of some sort. or a goddess that's gonna kill him for crashing into her beach
Still, he decided he should do as she says and got up. gathering the sphere in his arms before climbing out of the crater.
Now standing infront of her, she was shorter with maybe two or three inches. and she smelled like cinnamon. it reminded him of his abuela's house. he hadn't thought about that place in years.
"You're okay?" She asked again
He blinked "Uh- yeah."
"How..how are you here?" She looked around at the wreckage "Nobody can access my island.."
"Um..i dunno, a snow goddess blasted me here, khione. you heard of her?"
"Oh." She nodded "Okay, well, how are you supposed to leave?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me that." He sighed "You got a boat?"
"No. and nothing can leave or enter my island, supposedly. but maybe since you came in you could get out? try it, i guess."
"Right. I'll have to make a boat, then."
"A son of hephaestus, are you?" She walked back to the crater, observing the flaming helicopter "Impressive."
"Uh- thanks." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head "Who- who are you? why can't people come to your island?"
"I'm isis" She turned back to him
"The egyptian goddess?"
"My mom named after her, i'm not actually her."
"Oh. but you are a goddess?"
"A goddess? no!"
"No?" He looked visibly taken aback "Then what are you?"
"A demigod! like you! i'm just a zeus kid."
"A zeus-" He paused "And why do you get a private island? i have a friend that's a son of zeus, he doesn't have an island."
"I'm trapped here." She deadpanned "It's not a free resort."
"Oh- oh." He faltered "..Why?"
"Hera's wishes." Her eyes stormed over, like embers dying out "She wanted me 'out of her sight'. so dad made me this place, out of her sight. out of anybody's sight. it's hidden. nobody can see it or go in and out. I can't leave. he hooked me up though, it's pretty sweet."
She walked as she talked. into the forest lining the beach. he followed her "Your dad comes often, he gifts me various trinkets. to make life on the island more fun, he says. ad hermes visits too, he tells me about what goes on in the outside world..but dad himself hasn't. maybe to please hera, maybe to not acknowledge he broke that pact he made with hades and poseidon not to have kids, maybe out of shame, maybe he just doesn't want to."
"What about..your mortal mom?"
"Hera killed her." She said unflinchingly
He winced "Oh..i'm- i'm sorry to hear that..i, uh, lost my mom too"
"..It's fine. i didn't know her. or dad, never actually seen either of them. i've been on this island since i was a baby."
"Where..where are we, anyway?"
"We're halfway between egypt and greece. you said..you said i have a brother?" she looked back at him
"Yeah- yeah. jason's pretty cool. and you have a sister, thalia. her and jason have the same mom, too."
"Hm. well, here we are."
"Holy shit." Leo said
Now he understood what isis said about the island being 'pretty sweet'. the path they were walking on opened into the nicest garden he'd ever seen. on the left was an orchard and a vineyard. peach trees with red golden fruit that smelled awesome in the warm sun. carefully pruned vines bursting with grapes. bowers of flowering jasmine. and a bunch of other plants he couldn't name.
On the right there were neat beds of vegetables and herbs. arranged like spokes around a big sparking fountain where bronze satyrs spewed water into a central bowl
At the back of the garden, where the footpath ended, a cave opened in the side of the hill. on either side, crystalline rock had been carved into glittering grecian columns. the tops were fitted with a bronze rod that held silky white curtains
When they got inside the cave leo lost his train of thought. the walls were made from multicoloured chunks of crystal. white curtains divded the cave into different rooms with comfy pillows, woven rugs, and platters of fresh fruit. he spotted a harp in one corner, a loom in another, and a big cooking pot where stew was bubbling
Leo was suddenly aware of how painfully hungry he was
"Change." She pointed towards one of the sectioned off rooms "I'll make you something that fits you later, just find something of mine for now. i'll get you a bowl" She then pointed at the pot and started towards it. he almost sobbed at the prospect of a bowl of stew
"Yes ma'am!"
Behind the curtain was a king size bed with perfectly fluffed out pillows and perfectly folded blankets. he so wanted to collapse into it and sleep for three to five business days. but first, food.
Next to the bed was a large closet. he stifled through it, hoping that she had things other than dresses, and things that weren't awkwardly small on him
Thankfully, she did! he plucked a simple white cotton shirt that fit well, she'd probably made it to be oversized on her. aswell as grey wash jeans. changed out of his charred clothes and used them to wipe himself of soot as best he could before putting on said clothes he picked out
Just as he was fixing the collar of the shirt, she called out to him from the other side of the curtain "You dressed?"
"Uh- yeah! yep."
She stepped in with a tray holding two bowls of stew, placing it on the bed. he was practically salivating at the sight of it. she gave him a quick once over "Comfortable?"
"The clothes?" He blinked, bringing his attention back to her "Yeah, yeah."
"Well, eat."
He didn't need to be told twice. he immediately sat down, grabbing a spoon off the tray and taking one of the bowls into his lap before starting to eat way too quickly
She sat down a lot more gracefully, taking the other bowl "Slow down. you'll choke." She said before having a spoonful herself "I'll get you more, if you want."
"A-Are you an angel?"
A small smile curved her lips "You're sweet."
Leo had been called many things, sweet was not one of them.
"I remember celestial bronze falling somewhere on the island. i'll find it for you. then we can make you that boat, yeah?"
"..Why are you being so nice?"
She tilted her head "Why wouldn't i be?"
"I ruined your beach..and you don't have to help me"
"Yeah, i'd totally rather you die than wreck the beach. who cares about the beach?"
"You don't?"
"I don't."
"Don't girls like things to be pretty? i mean, everything on this island is pretty." He didn't add 'Which makes me stick out like a sore thumb.'
"I don't really care, i'm not the one who designed it nor am i the one who keeps it pretty. it's self cleaning, replenishing, whatever. runs on magic."
"Ah.." That made her less intimidating. he was glad she wasn't a neat freak. cause nothing about him was neat. that means she should be more accepting of him, right?
"I didn't get your name."
"What- oh!" He blinked "Leo. leo valdez."
"Leo..is that short for something?"
"Uh, yeah. leonidas. but i just go by leo."
"Mkay. was it good?" She gestured to his licked-clean bowl
"Are kidding? best thing i've ever tasted."
"Want more, leo?" She said his name softly, deliberately, it made him go red.
"Yes ma'am."
THE NEXT MORNING leo woke up the most refreshed he'd ever been. he didn't even remember passing out on the bed, but the two helpings of stew had effectively put him into a food coma
It was hard to leave the bed. it was so warm and soft and perfect, but he wanted to find isis. so he staggered out of bed, hastily fixing his clothes and running a hand through his hair as he looked around the cave. sensing no movement or sound, he peeked out of it
There he found her sitting at the entrance of the cave with tea and sandwiches. watching the breeze weave through the plants as she sipped the hot beverage
She was wearing a red dress today. his favourite color.
She looked really good in red.
"Oh, hey." She looked over her shoulder at him "Morning, come, sit." She patted the spot next to her
"Good morning" He mumbled back, doing as she said. she poured him a cup of tea, he took it from her hands. blushing at the simple brush of their fingers
"How are you?" She asked as she slid him a plate with two sandwiches
He didn't know what to make of how often she asked about his wellbeing and fed him
"I'm- i'm fine.." He nibbled on a sandwich "Great, actually. had a really good night's sleep. dreamless. your bed's comfortable as hell." He paused "Where- where did you sleep?"
"With you, i just woke up early"
He nearly spat out his tea.
At some point..they were asleep on the bed..together
"So uh..what's the plan?"
"I'll find you that celestial bronze and work on the sail and rigging in the meantime. just eat, first."
He slowly nodded, looking around the peaceful garden. he felt weirdly relaxed. he hadn't been that relaxed since forever.
"You got any powers?"
"I can call on lightning. and control wind, so i can make storms and fly"
"Yeah, those are jason's powers. but he has a limit on lightning bolts and gets nauseous if he cooks up too big of storms"
"I don't really have limits, no. maybe my powers are enhanced with magic."
"You have magic, too? not just the island?"
"Yep"
"..Cool" He side eyed her
"What?
"Nothing..you're just a bit scary."
"Scary?" She laughed "I've never hurt a thing. cause the only things alive on this island are plants."
"Fair point. still, you have the capacity for a lot of hurt."
"Sure," She rolled her eyes "What about you?"
"I can..sense mechanisms and control them if i put my hand on them. maybe the tinkering could be considered a power. but i like to think i learnt it from my mom, not got it from my dad. and uh.." He hesitated on the last one before holding his hand out and letting it burst into flames "I control fire."
She gasped, but didn't lean away. she leaned closer. "Control? you just made fire! i can't make wind. and you're immune to it? i can easily get caught up in a tornado of my own making."
"Huh." He watched the flames shift from red to blue "I haven't thought about it like that. but i guess jason doesn't make wind. and percy doesn't make water. i dunno why, but i make fire, yeah."
"Cool.." She mumbled, watching the fire like a kid with a kaleidoscope
"Wait," She mumbled when the fire flicked out. as if suddenly snapped out of her trance "You said, percy?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"Jackson?"
Leo's mood immediately soured "You know him?"
"Hermes told me about him! he's one of your friends?"
"Yeah."
"Wow. who're the rest of these friends?"
"His girlfriend," He said pointedly. hoping to kill any interest isis might've had in percy "Annabeth chase. and jason grace, your brother. and his girlfriend, piper mclean. and two you probably don't know, from the roman camp, frank zhang and hazel levesque."
"Ah, i heard about the romans. yeah, I don't know them. but, cool. i thought percy and annabeth were really cool in the stories hermes told me. i liked how they stood up to the gods after the second titan war. especially how percy rejected ascension."
She didn't seem deterred by percy's having a girlfriend. still, she fangirled over him
"Yeah." Leo mumbled bitterly
"So, all your friends are dating eachother."
"Mhm."
"And you? got a girlfriend? boyfriend?"
He nearly spat out his tea. again.
"Me? n-no!"
"Ah." She sipped her own tea "Okay."
"A-Anyway..we're on a quest. i get the feeling you don't know."
"What? what quest?"
He began to explain it to her as they ate. why that specific assortment of demigods was together, greeks and romans. why he needed to get back fast, the prophecy, the argo ||, festus, gaea and her giants, hera's plan, the gods being split between their greek and roman sides
"So that's why the gods have been quiet!"
"Yeah. and it's why khione intercepted us, why I'm here."
"Well, if you're fighting gaea, we've gotta make you that boat. huh?"
WHEN ISIS SET HER MIND TO SOMETHING, she was a machine. within a day, she'd gathered enough supplies for a weeklong voyage. food, flasks of water, herbal medicines from her garden. she wove a sail big enough for a small yacht and made enough rope for all the rigging.
In the meantime, leo had made himself a forge out of mud bricks, each one baked with his own fiery hands. he found a large rock he could use as an anvil base and pulled nails from his tool belt till he had enough to melt into a plate for a hammering surface. after that was done, he recast the celestial bronze scraps isis had collected from around the island
She'd gotten so much done that she asked leo if he needed any help with his own project
He looked up from the circuit board that was slowly coming together "Oh, uh, i'm good here. if i can wire this thing up to the boat, i should be able to navigate back to the real world."
"Now all you need is a boat."
He stared at her for a while. looking at her, he felt a tugging in his stomach he couldn't explain
"Would you..wanna try it?" He hesitated "Getting off the island with me?"
Her expression turned wistful "No, leo. if i tried to come with you, your tiny chance of escape would be no chance at all. the magic on this island is designed to keep me here. and allow no one in except the gods. maybe you got in because you were charged with a god's power, khione. technically you should be able to leave. i cannot."
Before he could protest, she changed the subject. "Now, how can i help?"
"Oh. i noticed my clothes are fire proof."
"They are."
"You think you can make me a little draw string pouch of that fabric?"
"Sure," She nodded "Although I don't see how that will help on your quest"
"Trust me, it'll save a life. and, um, can you chip off a little piece of crystal from your cave? I don't need much."
"Another odd request."
"Humour me."
"Fine, 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 that there was nothing hotter than a girl who didn't mind getting her hands dirty.
"Well," He said "You could twist some bronze coils. but that's kinda 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 too hard."
"Huh," Leo said "Well, if you ever get off this island and want a job, let me know."
She smirked "A job, eh? making things in your forge?"
"Nah, we could start our own shop." He said, suprising himself. starting a machine shop had always been one of his dreams, but he'd never told anyone about it. "Isis and Leo's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters."
Isis laughed, a clear happy sound that made leo's heart soar
They worked in silence after that, side by side, for the rest of the afternoon.
TWO NIGHTS LATER, the guidance console was finished. leo and isis sat on the beach, near where he'd first crash landed. they ate a picnic dinner together. the full moon turned the waves silver. their campfire sent orange sparks into the sky. isis was in a royal blue, and gods. that girl looked good in every color. leo couldn't help thinking it felt like they were on a date.
Behind them in the dunes, the supplies were carefully packed and ready to go
"All we need now is a boat" Isis said
Leo nodded. he tried not to linger on the word we. she had made it clear she wasn't going.
"I can start chopping wood into boards tomorrow," He said "Few days, and we'll have enough for a small hull."
"You made a ship before," She remembered "Your argo ||."
He nodded. he thought about all those months he'd spent creating the argo ||. somehow, making a boat to sail from isis' island seemed like a more daunting task.
"So, how long until you sail?" Her tone was light, but she didn't meet his eyes
"Uh, not sure. another week?" He felt a little calmer saying that. when he first got here, he couldn't wait to leave. now, he was glad he had a few more days. he had gotten used to waking up by isis' side. going through the motions of a mundane day with her. sharing meals. working together. gotten attuned to the way she moved. her speech patterns. her quirks. now, he couldn't imagine how his life had been before her. and how it could be after her. if the world wasn't in danger, that her island wouldn't be exempt from, he would've just stayed with her forever.
Isis 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." She cut him off "What do you mean, 'get back'."
He 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 found in Bologna. i think with the crystal you gave me-"
"You can't come back." Isis insisted
Leo's heart dropped "Because i'm not welcome?"
"Because you can't. it's impossible. this time was a fluke."
He rolled his eyes "Isis. i'm coming back with my dragon and we'll take you wherever you wanna go. It's only fair."
"Fair.." Her voice was barely audible
She shivered a little in the cold night air. in the firelight, her eyes looked so sad. leo couldn't stand it. did she think he was lying to her just to make her feel better? he considered it a given that he would come back and free her from this island, how could he not?
"You didn't think i could start Isis and Leo's Auto Repair without isis, did you?" He put his arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side. she tensed for a second but went easily, placing a hand on his chest. he worried she could feel his erratic heartbeat under her hand. she most definitely could.
She traced his collarbone where it peeked out from his neckline with her index. glancing up at him through long black lashes.
His breath audibly hitched as he looked down at her.
She leaned in a little more, despite their faces already being close. after a moment, she whispered "Can i kiss you?"
If leo had gears and wires in his brain, he would've short circuited.
For all his joking and flirting, leo hadn't had his first kiss yet. and he never imagined he'd be the one getting asked permission. not the other way around.
"Please." He managed after a moment of stunned silence. his voice coming out all breath.
They were already so close, all she had to do with slightly tilt her head and her lips were on his. immediately, a jolt of heat went through him and his thoughts grew hazy. he could taste her coconut chapstick and her lips were so soft and he couldn't help groaning against them when he felt her squeeze his bicep. his hands slid down the curve of her waist, pulling her into his lap, flush against him.
Leo had always thought the term 'butterflies' was a metaphor. but the intense fluttering low in his stomach was real.
He felt one of his curls catch fire and quickly patted it out.
"For now, while you're here.." She whispered when she pulled back just slightly. throwing an arm around his neck as her other hand absently rubbed his bicep "We can do whatever you want. but you can't come back. think of it as a..temporary casual thing."
The word casual made him nauseous.
Leo wasn't made for casual. he was made for all consuming love. unwavering loyalty. total devotion. he always wanted to give all of himself to someone. and now he knew that someone was isis. he couldn't be casual with her. the thought made him want to throw up.
"Why?" He whispered back. his voice sounding meek to even his own ears
"It's impossible, leo. unless you did something reckless, like get khione to blast you again or something. and even if that doesn't kill you, and you somehow found the right place and didn't just drown in the mediterranean, you almost died on the way down. and if you don't, there's no chance of you getting us off the island. do you realise how many odds you have to beat? do you realise you could die trying? you can't, leo. don't."
"Please," He gripped her waist desperately "I have a plan. just let me try. i-i can't leave you, isis. it might be too soon to say this, but, i love you." He said pleadingly
You'd think the words were a punch to her gut, the way her face tightened with pain "Leo, please.." She gently brushed his hair out of his face
"No," He shook his head "Tell me you don't feel the same way. tell me the kiss meant nothing. tell me you don't care. and that's why you don't want me to come back. that if i do and i free you, you'd go off on your own and you wouldn't wanna be with me. tell me and i won't come back for you. don't tell me you love me too and you just don't want me to risk it. you can't ask that of me, isis. i don't care of it's impossible. for you, i'd make the fates themselves intertwine our futures."
"I.." She sighed, looking inbetween his eyes
"Lie to me, isis."
She stayed quiet
"You can't even lie to me?" He laughed humourlessly "Then how can you tell me to not come back?"
"I love you too." The words spilled out of her like a breath she'd been holding
He slowly exhaled, hand sliding down to her hip "Then i'm coming back for you, isis. i swear it on the river styx."
She gasped "Leo! you can't just make an oath like that lightly!"
"I'm not making it lightly." He knew how dangerous oaths can be, he didn't care.
Suddenly, he recalled a line in the prophecy
An oath to keep with a final breath.
He didn't have to get the fates to intertwine their futures, they already were.
After a moment, she caved "Fine." She mumbled, leaning into him as the fight drained out of her "I'll be waiting for you."
The dumbest, softest grin split his face as he wrapped an arm around her "I won't be long."
She smiled back "We still have a week. we're making it sound like you're leaving right now." She kissed his jaw. his breath caught in his throat
"Yep- yeah." He managed before his words dissolved into whimpers at her trailing kisses down his neck
"Isis." He moaned her name. grabbing a fistful of her hair
She giggled before bringing her mouth back to his
THE FOLLOWING WEEK felt like a honeymoon. which further cemented the idea that he needed to marry this girl in leo's brain. it went a lot like what the past days did, but with a lot more kissing.
He could get used to the domesticity of life on the island with her
Actually, he already has.
Now he doesn't know how he's supposed to function when gets back to the argo ||. at some points, leo wondered if this wasn't real. if, actually, he had died and this was elysium.
Tonight was the last night he'd spend with her. with the way work was going, just tomorrow morning would be enough time to finish the boat and set sail.
His heart felt heavy in his chest as he walked into their room, her room. he was just a guest . he was leaving.
She was already sitting on the bed in a pretty little dark red nightgown with black lace trim, smiling when she saw him. it took conscious effort for him not to burst into flames at her smile. her smile that was only for him
His eyes landed on a pretty red mark on the side of her neck. blooming like petals. a little something for her to remember him by, not like his neck was any better
She patted the spot next to her, so he sat there. pulling her closer by her hip "Hey, pretty girl."
"Hi." She kissed him
"Damn," He mumbled when he snapped out of his trance. even though they'd kissed a lot, each time it managed to put him under spell. "You greet everybody like that, princesa?"
"I've literally never met anybody else." She raised a brow at him, placing her hands on his shoulders before beginning to knead them "Just hermes and hephaestus. no, i haven't kissed your dad. or hermes."
"Phew-" He said sarcastically before cutting himself off with a groan. leaning forward till his forehead rested against her shoulder as he gripped her waist. her hands somehow had a direct link to all the knots in his muscles
"You're real stiff." She noted
"Working all day."
"Hm."
He groaned again when she found an especially sore spot "Harder-"
"Harder, eh?" She snickered, but kneaded with a little more pressure anyway
"You're real dirty minded." He grumbled, opening one eye to peek up at her
"Says you."
LEO DOESN'T KNOW WHEN, but at some point, he fell asleep in her arms. and the new day was here.
They worked together side by side one last time. till the boat was completed and ready to go by nightfall.
They stared at it together bittersweetly. the object of their combined hard work, holding so many of their memories. the object that was gonna rip them apart.
"Go," She told him.
Leo turned, she was so close he couldn't stand it. she smelled like cinnamon and wood smoke, and he thought he'd never smell anything that good again.
She was in black today. which she looked great in. but he couldn't help but be reminded of a funeral.
"I won't be long," He told her again. like he told her that night at the campfire. "I'm coming back for you." He reminded her
"Yeah, i'm holding you to that, now." She sniffled, and he felt his heart shatter "I'll be waiting."
He tentatively placed his hands on her hips and drew her in for one last kiss. one that left him tingling from head to toe, feeling like he was bursting with emotion
As he drifted farther and farther away from the island, he could make out isis on the shore. hugging her knees and burying her face in them. you couldn't tell from that far, but he knew she was sobbing. no matter how long she held it in so he wouldn't see.
If he'd told past him, the one that hadn't met isis, that he'd left a girl like her. that he made her cry. he would've been thoroughly tortured at his own hands.
Said hands were already growing cold without her skin under them
He already missed her so much it weighed heavy on his bones
'I'm coming back for you.' He thought, over and over again. to comfort himself, maybe
'I'm coming back for you, isis.'
Oh, she's always been running from love,
'Cause daddy didn't give her enough.
But i can make the pain better,
All i need is one more day with her.