It wasn't hard to make a fake ID, or a fake birth certificate.  Despite being barely sixteen, Leo had managed to make the government believe he was nineteen years old.  Sure, eighteen might have been more believable, but he figured that he could blame youthful genetics if anyone were to point it out.

Not only did he succeed in his own fake ID, Social Security, etc, he was able to get Calypso her own as well.  Considering she had been stuck on the island for centuries, she was still frozen mentally and physically as a teenager.  She was a lot easier to handle since she didn't even have documentation of her existence to begin with.  Well, besides mythology at least.

The first few weeks were rough.   They were stuck living in the sewer system of New York since he didn't know what else to do until he got a job.  He managed to land a mechanic job at a car shop, but they still had to wait an extra three weeks before he got his first check.

They showered by getting a gym membership and picking up some soaps and shampoo.  And Leo was also able to find a very sketchy apartment that let them rent without any credit score.  Not the safest or the smartest way to live, but he was a demigod and Calypso was a literal nymph-goddess (aka Titaness).  They were well set in protecting themselves if the occasion were ever to occur.  Even if Calypso's powers were currently no longer working.

That was how life started to become normal.  It felt odd to Leo.  After the death of his mother, he was never able to find a place he could call home.  Not even the Argo II or Camp Half-Blood satisfied his feeling of belonging.  Even if he truly cared and missed his friends.  But the apartment was starting to come together nicely and Calypso was having a blast decorating.  She had begged him to let her do it since she hadn't found a job yet and Leo wasn't going to deny her wishes.  Especially when decore wasn't exactly his strong suit.

Things were starting to look perfect.  No quests, no gods messing with his head, and no monsters so far.  Maybe they really had a chance at a simple and normal life.  As long as the gods believed he was dead he could be free from them.

In the third month, Leo returned to their sketchy apartment in his greece-stained, gray coveralls.  His brown face was smudged with black oil and his curly, brown hair was matted to the top of his head in sweat.

"Leo!" Calypso suddenly threw her arms around his neck.  A gesture he always looked forward to everyday.

"Hey, Cal.  How was your day?"

"It was fine.  I've been job hunting.  But it's a little hard because I don't even know what most of these places are.  Up until a few weeks ago, I didn't even know what ice cream was." She pushed her red braid off her shoulder.

"Maybe you'll like working at an ice cream parlor," Leo suggested as he set his work boots by the rug.

"That's an idea," Calypso agreed.  She pulled her pale blue cardigan up her shoulder and over her white blouse.

Leo felt a warm feeling enter his chest as she passed him a soft smile.  Her beauty was next to magical, but her smile and pure happiness made butterflies flutter in his stomach.  How the gods were able to leave her on Ogygia for so long and forget to release her (after they promised Percy that they would free her from the island), was beyond him.

"Well, when I do get hired, you can cut back your hours," she added.

The teen merely nodded. "I'm going to take my shower so I don't make the couch smell like tires." He gestured to the torn loveseat that he scavenged from the dumpster with Festus.  It was a poor excuse for a couch, but it wasn't bug infested, moldy, or the home of any animals.  So he cleaned it up and fixed the legs.

He didn't wait for her to reply, but he didn't need to.  Leo always took a shower as soon as he got back and the sight of him was a good explanation why.  Let alone the smell.  Calypso never minded and probably appreciated the fact that he actually took care of his hygiene.

Valdez opened the box in his room that was under his bed.  The room was small and there wasn't a closet.  The bed that Calypso put together for him barely fit in the room, so he hadn't found a dresser that would fit between the wall and his bed.  But it was fine.  He didn't have many of his own possessions apart from his clothes and magical tool belt.  The latter being something he avoided using to not draw attention to himself and Calypso.

Once his selected items were gathered in his arms, he entered the slim hallway to the one and only bathroom.  He plopped his stuff on the counter and pulled a towel from underneath the sink and set it with his clothes.  The teen proceeded to turn on the shower, but he had to wait an eternity before the warm water eventually kicked in.

The events of the past year played in his head as he stared at the shower wall.  The hot water dripped down his face, not bothering to wipe it away.  He likes working so many hours.  It made him tired and busy.  So much so that it helped him from constantly thinking about the friends he left behind.  Showers were a thinking place and he didn't want to think.  But the hot water felt so good running down his aching back and sore limbs.

He didn't care if what he was doing was breaking child labor laws in America.  Why would he?  The gods had done far worse to younger children.  Their own children to be more exact.  Although he supposed that he got lucky with his godly parent.  Hephaestus wasn't the most attentive father, but at least he seemed to care a little bit about Leo's well being.  And he wasn't one of the Big Three, so it wasn't like he gained too much attention from the gods now that Gaia was dead.  He doubted Hera or any other god cared what happened to him now.  As far as they knew, he was dead.  And as far as he knew he was free from them.

Once he was done showering, he dried off and changed into an oversized white button up and gray jeans.  He walked out of the bathroom, drying his wet curls with a towel.  Tossing the towel on a hook, he walked back into the main living space.  He found Calypso sitting on the old love seat with a fashion magazine.  Since he hasn't had that much time on his hands, he hadn't figured out how to make a TV or phones that were safe from the gods and monsters.  But she never had TV, and had taken a liking to modern fashion.

He leaned over the back of the couch and planted a kiss on her forehead.  Her head jerked around with a big grin on her face.  Honestly, her reaction almost floored him every time, but he managed to hide his own blush.  Well, for the most part.

"I made some of those ham and mozzarella quesadillas you showed me how to make if you're interested."

"Can't say no to quesadillas." He stood back up and went to the kitchen.  There was a stack of paper plates on the counter by the stove.  He picked one up and grabbed the two quesadillas off the pan with his bare fingers.  Grabbing a coke from the fridge, he returned to the living room where he flopped down on the couch next to her.

"What if I became a fashion designer?" She asked suddenly.

Leo paused mid bite.  The thought of her picking a difficult career to work in had never crossed his mind.  He wholeheartedly believed that if anyone could make it, it would be her, especially with her love of creating her own clothes and unique designs.  But that didn't change the fact that becoming a designer was a risk that could possibly never take flight.  He supposed that he would have to explain the social construct of different jobs.  Although he was pretty she did already understand that different jobs led to different status roles.

"Do you need a college education for that one?" She inquired.

"Not exactly," he began.  "It's just that there are a lot of fields where it's risky to make a career out of, because most people don't find enough support for their work to live off of.  However, if you want to try working on designs and stuff, I think you'd be a great designer.  If anyone could, it's you.  You've designed your own clothes for centuries.  I just want to prepare you for the chance that it might not work."

She looked back at her magazine.  "Then I'll just find a different job and make clothes as a hobby.  If it gets recognition, I might pursue it.  If not, I'm still designing in my own time."

Leo felt relieved that she didn't seem fazed by the news.  He had seen a lot of people crushed because they couldn't make it in their dream job.  Or dream family.  Plus, she came up with a smart way to work around it by herself without a lot of the current economy know how.  He was pretty impressed, but he should have expected it from her.

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

She twirled her braid as she looked at him.  He waited for her to say something, but she didn't.  He raised a brow.  "Is something wrong?"

Calypso shook her head as she turned back to her fashion magazine.  "No.  You just seem tired."

Leo said nothing, not sure how to respond. He shrugged and flashed her a mischievous grin. He'd feel better in the morning anyways.  It was fine.