This one shot was curated specifically for percyscamp's writing competition, but I love it and wanted to post it myself. Hope you like it :)))

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Perspective: Third person

Type: Demigod

Main Ship: Caleo

Word count: 3090

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Calypso was sick of it all. The waiting, the torment, the everlasting plainness. She wanted to leave her cursed island, her 'home'.

When Percy came - how long ago had that been? - she had felt some hope. He was so kind, so charismatic, so handsome...but then again, they always seemed to be. He, of course, left to fight his battles. Then, Leo came. At first, Calypso would admit, she thought he was a mistake. A sick joke from the gods. But the Latino boy had won her heart and left her, just like everybody else.

Although, something about her experience with Leo had been different. Calypso hadn't liked him from the start, even ignored him. Then, after working with the boy to get him to leave, she had inevitably fallen for him. Yet, she never once wanted him to stay. Instead, she had wanted to leave with him.

Leaving Ogygia had never been an option for Calypso - she had never questioned it. She deserved it, didn't she? Her father was a criminal, a Titan who worked against the gods. She had agreed with him, even helped him out. Plus, Calypso's punishment wasn't nearly as cruel as some of the others. Was it?

Calypso leaned back in her chair, tossing her napkin over her dish of beef stew. Seconds later, the bowl was whisked away by an invisible servant. She wondered if the servants were being punished as well, or if they were helping her from the goodness of their hearts. Probably not, she thought cynically.

Standing, Calypso thought back on all of the memories from the island. Of course, they always ended in tragedy, but they were pleasant in the moment. Odysseus staying with her for a grand total of seven years, the most out of any adventurer. Percy landing in the sea, oh so many years ago, and lighting up her life for a small amount of time. Leo crashing into her table, plummeting from the sky in a fiery explosion, and teasing her with his endless pickup lines. But everything good always ended in tragedy on Ogygia...

She gazed out on her garden. Gardening was such a sweet pastime for Calypso. She was naturally pretty good at it, and it soothed her mind. Kneeling down, she brushed a petal of moonlace between her fingertips. It was a beautiful plant, lighting up the darkness of the world. Just like a familiar Latino boy, brightening the dismal world with his endless, cheerful remarks.

Calypso missed Leo, and not only that, she missed him much more than she had ever missed any of her other loves. She wanted to find him. But how could she ever leave her inescapable prison?

She stood up and brushed the dirt from the knees of her pants. One good thing that came from the sarcastic engineer leaving Ogygia was him introducing Calypso to pants and ridding dresses from her life.

Suddenly, a whoosh sounded behind her. Calypso felt an immense heat surging and turned around just in time to see a column of fire dissolve into a tall, burly man.

"Lord Hephaestus," she greeted in awe.

He nodded gruffly. "Calypso, always a pleasure. Let's take a seat, why don't we?"

With wide eyes, Calypso led the god to a small bench overlooking the lake. He lounged back against it, and she perched delicately on the edge.

"What has changed in the world?" she asked, trying to break the ice.

"Oh, everything, nothing. The Seven have won the war against the Giants, and the gods are taking all of the credit," he said wryly, scratching his scruffy beard.

His statement didn't surprise Calypso. The gods always seemed to be at war, yet in reality, they were just watching calmly as the heroes did their dirty work.

"Who are the Seven?" Calypso asked suddenly. Leo's visit had not only changed her attire, but also her attitude. She was much more abrupt than she had ever been.

"Jason Grace, son of - er, Zeus, Piper McClean, daughter of Aphrodite, my son Leo Valdez - " Calypso sucked in a breath "Hazel Levesque, daughter of Hades, Frank Zhang, son of Ares, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, and Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon."

She smiled. "Percy always seems to be getting himself into trouble."

Hephaestus chuckled. "You've got that right. Not only that, but he's also got guts. After the Titan war a couple of years ago, he tried to get the gods to release all of the imprisoned beings from centuries ago, including you. Clearly, they didn't follow through, and now he's holding them to it again."

"What are you trying to say?" Calypso asked, trying her best to not get her hopes up.

"The gods are allowing you to go free," he started, "but the Fates won't let you get off easy."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course. Centuries of being imprisoned, of having her heart played with and pulled, and she couldn't leave without facing some trials.

"They have set up a series of tests, three to be exact. One will test your physical skill, one your smarts and wits, and another your loyalty, as that was what imprisoned you here in the first place."

Calypso frowned. That didn't seem too difficult, but there had to be another catch.

"That's it?" she asked, turning to face the god more fully.

He nodded. "The first quest includes you finding a way off of this island. I have a piece of advice for you, my dear. Remember your time with my son. He has many skills, see if you acquired any."

As she pondered, Hephaestus stood. "I wish you the best of luck, Calypso." Then, after taking a few steps, he dissipated in another fiery column.

My time with his son, Calypso repeated in her head. What had Leo taught her, besides sarcasm and the pleasures of pants?

She grinned, jumping from her seat. Then, she headed for the garden.

*****

After quite a few strenuous days, Calypso had created her escape route. She formed a rickety raft out of several logs and braided vines. Chopping down so much wood was difficult, not only on her heart but also her arms. Calloused and raw hands had become the norm for Calypso.

She pressed her hands against her hips and huffed out a frustrated breath. Hephaestus wasn't exaggerating when he told her that the quests were going to be hard. Calypso had created a raft, sure, but would it float? Would it carry her to whatever location the Fates had destined for her? She wished that she was smarter, like Leo, or even Percy's lover Annabeth.

Calypso groaned and plopped into the sand. Why must everyone leave her? She understood that Leo had to continue the war, and that Percy had to fight off the Titans, but why did she have to be involved? And why did it hurt so badly?

She brushed off all of her anguish, focusing her mind on the important task at hand: getting off of her wretched island.

Calypso stood up again and charged to the shore, where the raft was resting partially in the water. After checking her supplies, she pushed the watercraft into the lake. She waded into the water, climbed onto the raft, and began paddling.

After what felt like a day, Calypso found herself in the middle of the ocean. How she got there from the fresh lake water, she didn't know, but she wasn't one to question.

The grey sky was a harbinger of a storm, but Calypso found herself completely unprepared for the weather that the rest of the world had to offer. Biting her lip, Calypso looked up at the thunderclouds coating the skies. She had taken the serenity of her prison for granted far too long.

"Curse you, Zeus," she murmured angrily under her breath. "I thought that my challenge was complete."

Just then, a large thunderclap sounded, causing Calypso to jump. This made her raft sway even more than it already was.

She crawled to one corner, attempting to level the raft out with her weight. Instead, the entire thing bowed in her direction. The logs that had been painstaking to gather were teetering at a dangerous angle. Calypso frantically moved to the center of the raft, doing her best to still the rocking.

Of course, right when the raft was about to settle down, the wind picked up and the waves grew larger. With cinnamon locks whipping her face, Calypso groaned. Were all of the gods against her?

She ran a hand through her light brown hair and continued rowing, doing her best to get absolutely nowhere.

Eventually, night fell, making the open ocean a lot more eery. She found herself worrying about rogue sea creatures targeting unwelcome land-dwellers.

Perhaps that's why when a large, unknown being passed by, Calypso lost it.

She jumped to her knees, in shock. Staying as far from the water as possible, she shifted all of her supplies to the edges of the craft to 'protect' her. That was her worst decision by far, but she was panicking.

Something nudged the raft, and Calypso held her breath. She was bumped again. Once more. Then, one of her bundles of food was snatched by an indigo tentacle.

Everything good always ended in tragedy...

Before Calypso could finish her thought, three more tentacles shot out and smacked the raft. The watercraft cracked, sending her and all of her supplies into the water.

Not comprehending that, Calypso gasped, inhaling quarts of water. She thrashed around, but was encompassed by the remains of her raft and couldn't make it to the surface. It was hopeless.

Just let me die, she thought. I've done my jail time. I've attempted these impossible tasks. I don't want to suffer any longer.

But her time hadn't yet come.

*****

When Calypso awoke, she found herself in a completely solid room. It was small, maybe ten by ten feet. The ground appeared sand, the walls a mixture of shells, and the ceiling was made of sea glass. She was laying on a plush mattress, and that was the only furniture in the room, unless you included a small wooden crate.

As soon as she attempted to sit up, she collapsed. This must be how all her visitors felt, she realized. Confused, lost, and sore.

"Hello?" she coughed.

The walls shimmered, and suddenly a tall man was standing there in the room with her. With tan skin, rustled black hair, a scruffy beard, and sparkling green eyes, his appearance caused Calypso to gasp.

"Percy? How long..."

The man chuckled, shaking his head and straightening his tropical shirt. "No, I'm not Percy, my dear. Think...godlier."

It couldn't be... "Lord Poseidon?"

"Bingo. How are you, Calypso?"

"I've been better," she choked out. "You?"

Poseidon laughed. "Well, I'm doing alright. I'm sure you're wondering what's going on, so let me fill you in. You were about to drown, simply too overwhelmed to fight back against the dangerous entities of my realm. But the Fates warned me that you may be coming my way, so I graciously decided to save you. Now, you are here in a special sanctuary below the seafloor. No harm can come to you until you begin your next quest."

Calypso groaned. "I forgot that there was more."

The god smiled, which made his eyes twinkle in an act not too far off from that of his son's. "Yes. The quest is actually quite similar to the last, although the solution is much different. Any guesses?"

"I have to escape this room," she stated.

"Correct! Now, think more logically than physically. You have about a day until the oxygen runs out."

"What?" Calypso blurted.

Poseidon gazed at her sympathetically. "I know. The Fates really can be quite cruel. If I were you, I'd get started soon."

*****

After overcoming her initial shock, Calypso managed to get out of bed and start the puzzle. Once she set her mind to it, it really wasn't too hard. She just had to ask her self some simple questions to get there.

Inside of the crate was a copy of the Greek alphabet, each letter engraved into stones that were shaped like squares. There were one capital and one lowercase of each letter. Calypso was sure she'd need that somehow, but where?

Looking more closely at her surroundings, she realized that one section of the walls was unlike the rest. Instead of being a medley of shells, it was a repeated pattern that formed a row of five indented squares.

What if she had to fill in the answer to the question in the gaps, using the letters from the crate? But what was the question to begin with?

Calypso sat down on the bed again and spiraled into her thoughts.

The god that assigned the last quest was the father of Leo, who taught me the skills needed to escape. What had Percy, Poseidon's son, taught me? Mostly, loyalty and friendship, but that wouldn't help me in a mind game. Also, the second quest would be a bit more advanced. But who was Percy connected to? Could it be Annabeth, the daughter of Athena? Poseidon was also connected to Athena, with the two gods rivaling at many things. Plus, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, which was required to solve the task.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Calypso jumped up from the bed and rushed to the crate, where she selected the five Greek letters needed to spell Athena's name.

Feeling both giddy and anxious, she turned to the wall with the strange indents. Not even processing the fact that there very well could be consequences for answering incorrectly, she pressed the stone letters into the wall, forming Αθήνα, the Greek term for Athena.

The wall suddenly groaned, causing Calypso to step back in surprise. She heard some churning, perhaps some magical engineering processing the answer she filled in.

With one final almighty shudder, the wall shifted apart inch by inch, creating a fissure in the center. After a minute or two, there was a gap wide enough for Calypso to worm through.

Once she came out on the other side, she was greeted by an eery space, much larger than the sea room. The walls were white and fluffy, almost cloud-like, as were the floor and the ceiling.

"Whoa," she whispered in awe. "Is this what Olympus is like?"

A deep chuckle sounded, filling the entire room. "No, not even close," the voice said.

Calypso looked up. "Who's there?"

"Who do you think?" the voice said, almost tantalizingly. "The first god was the father of your most recent visitor, the second was the unfortunate father of your second most recent visitor, so who's left?"

"Lord Zeus," she breathed out in awe, "grandfather of Odysseus."

"Yes, of course. Who else would assign the final, most important quest?"

Calypso almost laughed. Of course, even when about to assign a potentially fatal test, the lord of the sky would be focused on himself.

"And what would that final quest be, Your Majesty?"

"Well," Zeus bellowed happily, "you must prove your loyalty to the gods. You will be tested in numerous ways, and each action will be considered in the final assessment. Think and choose wisely, Calypso."

With that, a whooshing sound filled the room. Suddenly, Calypso felt as though she was alone, although the god never was in the room to begin with. She assumed that his presence had left altogether.

Calypso glanced around the room, anticipating something, anything, to jump out at her. Nothing did - for a moment. Then, a creepy whisper sounded, saying, "Choose."

The world flickered, blinking between light and darkness until suddenly all Calypso could see was black. She heard screaming, felt immense heat, was submerged with the same feeling as when she was drowning. Suddenly, Calypso had never been more terrified.

But then, she heard the voice of a god, although she couldn't really tell which one. "I need your help, Calypso. You're the only one."

That's the test, she thought, me or him.

"I'll help you," she forced out of her throat. "Whatever you want, my Lord."

"Correct," said the whisper.

She was suddenly spiraling, transported to a new place. It was still dark, although this space seemed more comforting. "My daughter," a cold voice seethed. "Help me."

It was Atlas, she realized. She had to choose once again, between family or the gods. But do you support the gods because they are good, or because they are your family? The question she had asked Percy so long ago was presented in her mind. She knew what the gods wanted, and she would oblige.

"No," she croaked. Then she repeated more confidently, "No. I won't help you. You are evil, Atlas."

"Correct," the whisper repeated.

And again, she was moved to a new area. She wondered if this was a physical space or if she was all in her head, but chastised herself for not focusing.

Calypso saw something horrific before her. A boy was clawing at his throat, pure fear dragging his Latino features down. He needed her help.

"Leo," she whispered.

But then, behind her, a chorus of powerful voices told her, "Don't go near him. He's being punished for his wrongdoings."

"Why?" Calypso asked.

"Don't disobey the gods, you've made it too far," they said.

But Calypso couldn't bear the pain and terror on his face.

What had she learned that could help her out? What did she know about love, about the gods, about this world? Odysseus taught her to stay faithful and focused. Percy taught her about loyalty and friendship. Leo, poor Leo, had taught her about seeing through the bad and focusing on the good.

The gods, on the other hand, didn't care for her. They never helped her, instead harmed her.

So, Calypso charged onward, toward her love. "I'll save you," she said, determined.

But she never got the chance.

"Wrong," the whisper sounded again. "You chose wrong and now you will suffer."

Calypso's lungs filled up with a thick, heavy substance. The Fates were suffocating her from inside, she realized. She was going to die for her stubbornness and her choices. She was going to die. She served her time. She did her best. She stuck to her instincts. She had come so far, but...

Her time had come.

Everything good always ended in tragedy on Ogygia...