Chapter 40

-Ocean Alley.

…

Kayla woke up in a daze with a burning sensation flowing over her body.

Was she dead? This isn’t how Elysium was described to her back at camp. Or Asphodel. Definitely not Asphodel. And why would Kayla be in Elysium? There was no way.

As far as Kayla knew, Asphodel did not have seagulls flying above a cloudless sky, or perfectly trimmed cypress trees. Or… sand. Definitely not sand. Hence the field in the name Fields of Asphodel.

Kayla struggled to open her eyes at first. The sun was blaring down on her harshly. The burning sensation turned out to be her skin burning, her arms turning a tinge of red from the exposure. Woah, sun. She hadn’t seen that in a while.

The sand beneath her was soft. It fell through her hands like liquid.

She could get used to this. She wasn’t even bothered where she was. The scent of cedar wood filled her nostrils, which was a nice break from dusty hallways that clogged her throat with debris.

The sound of waves lapped gently infront of her, yet Kayla was not bothered to see the ocean. She figured she was washed up on an island for some reason. She couldn’t remember why, or how.

Eventually, she attempted to sit up, much to her dislike of having to move. If she sat in that heat any longer, she feared she might burn alive.

“Oh, dear, I thought you might enjoy the sun. Not burn…” A woman’s voice cut in through her buzzing ears. Kayla flinched as a wet cloth was draped over her forehead, and a giant banana leaf was put between her and the sun. “Let’s try and get you up, shall we? Take this, dear.”

A golden spoon was lifted to her lips. Kayla wasted no time in accepting it. Her mouth was as dry as sand paper before that. It slipped down her throat like oil and tasted of angel cake. Nectar.

Finally, the mystery woman padded infront of her to better shield Kayla from the sun.

Kayla rubbed her eyes.

She had eyes the same colour as golden treacle. Her hair a similar colour, like honey. Her voice was just as sweet. She looked around the same age as Kayla.

How old am I again? Fifteen? No… sixteen. Im sixteen.

Her face was absoloutely timeless. Better than any model she saw on TV, any Aphrodite girl she walked past in camp. So unique, and beautiful. Kayla didn’t believe perfect existed. But damn, she might have to reconsider.

Her hand met Kayla’s shoulder, and she started humming gently, analysing all of her features. Kayla was staring blankly at the woman.

Oh, this had to be a trap. Where the hell was she now?

“And, you are?” Kayla croaked, forcing herself to pick her jaw up.

“It’s alright, let your vocal chords heal. Don’t be worried. I’m Calypso, you’re safe on this island.”

Calypso’s hand drifted up to her cheek. The magic she was working got more intense, and she felt her eyes flutter shut gently.

The next time she woke, she was in a cave. Kayla had been in many a cave- like Polythemus’, and as far as that went, this couldn’t even be considered a cave.

The ceiling shimmered with an array of naturally grown crystals. Pastel pinks, greens, blues, yellows and purples. Kayla was jealous she didn’t have such a thing on her ceiling back at camp, in her room. How gorgeous.

She lay on a princess-looking bed with soft, feathered pillows and white cotton sheets. It had a silk curtain draped over it from the top, giving the thought that you just might be sleeping on a cloud.

The walls of the cave were covered in relentless vines that bloomed gorgeous, hot pink flowers of sorts. On one side of the cave lay a harp and a gorgous glass shelf that held rows of jars, all filled with fruit preserves or dried herbs. Said dried herbs hung from the ceiling delicately on a thin bit of string.

It reminded Kayla of a way, way cooler version of her own room.

This was the vision Kayla went for, with her jewellery she hung from her bedroom light, and the thin coloured paper strips she used to make her room a gorgeous array of colours whenever the sun shone through her windows.

On the other side was a big, fancy fireplace built into the cave wall. A pot of something was bubbling over the top. It smelt like a stew.

Kayla finally tried to sit up for the second time. This time felt much easier. She glanced down at her body- no red burns. Even the bruises from Kryx and some other Labyrinth incidents. A few odd scars lingered here and there, but that was okay.

Her hand flew to her neck at the thought of her scythe. Thankfully, it was right there on her neck.

Her toes met the ground gently. The stone floor was freezing; it reminded her of the labyrinth immediately. A simple look around reassured her that this could not be the Labyrinth.

Yearning for more sun- despite recently being burnt to a crisp- she padded outside. She paused half way, taking in the robes she was dressed in. White, loose greek robes with a golden clip connecting it together at the shoulder. She lifted her head up to glance in the mirror besides her. A polished, broze mirror that did not deserve to have such a view in its reflection right now.

Kayla swallowed her yelp. After a few seconds of staring, she stepped closer to the mirror, touching her short hair. Lyssa didn’t do too bad then, she supposed. But she still wanted to cry over the length of her hair that had been lost. She had lost weight definitely, too. But Kayla had been able to tell that by taking a simple look down at her own body in the Labyrinth in the first place. Her skin looked dull. Her eyelids a little bit too drooped to be considered lively.

She took not another moment before padding away from the mirror, guiding herself to the sun once again as she pushed her wings out.

Straight ahead of her, the sand started to appear back on the floor and thickened until her eyes met the sight of a beach, and the same area she could remember waking up in earlier. To her left was a row of different trees. Cedar, poplar. To her right was a giant garden of flowers. Atleast four fountains spouted water from the pipes of stone satyrs.

The entire place was a pure paradise.

At the end of the beach, Calypso stood in the shallow of the water. The stray hairs that were loose from her braid blew in the wind gently. Infront of her, Kayla could just make out a flowing white figure that she was talking to.

Her feet shuffled onto the sand, making Calypso aware. She turned with a smile. The figure she had been talking to drifted away like a spirit along the ocean. “Well,” She hummed. “Look who’s finally awake.”

“Who was that?” Kayla asked, her brows furrowed.

“Just a messenger. Not to worry. How are you feeling?” She replied softly, lifting a hand to Kayla’s short hair and stroking through it. Kayla couldn’t help but close her eyes at the contact.

“Better,” She replied quietly. “Way better than I should be feeling.”

Calypso nodded, her hand trailing down Kayla’s body until it met her hand. “Let’s get your mind somewhere nice, yes? Do you like flowers?”

“Yes,” Kayla replied, following without a second thought. “I can’t choose a favourite, though.”

“Oh, me either.” Calypso giggled.

Kayla’s breath hitched. Oh, how gorgeous. Oh, the flowers too, ofcourse.

“How long was I out for? I…”

“Just a few days or so, dear. Quite surprising, with how many injuries you had. My magic must work better on women.”

“What, you do this often?” Kayla half joked. She had no clue what Calypso meant by her magic working better on women.

Calypso giggled again, letting her hand slip from Kayla’s and bending down to tend to a few flowers. “Oh, I was warned that you were a jokester.”

“Warned? Warned by who?”

She sighed, lifting a flower up to health with magic from her hand. “Like I said, messenger, dear.”

“Messenger? What, like Hermes? Was I sent here on purpose?”

“Yes, and no.” Calypso replied. “Messenger is not specifically Hermes. But yes, you were sent here on purpose, to spare you life. This is Ogygia.”

Kayla watched her tend to the flowers as she listened. She had heard of Calypso. And the island name that she definitely knew how to pronounce. She couldn’t quite remember everything. What she had said so far jogged her memory a bit.

“But… you only get men. Don’t you?”

“Unfortunately,” Calypso hummed. “Well, these were special orders. You were sent in a hurry.”

“What, my father finally decided he wanted to be a part of my life just as I was about to die?” Kayla scoffed.

“No, not your father,” She stood up, brushing her white dress free of dirt and looking back to Kayla. “Enough questioning.” She handed Kayla a purple tulip, smiling.

Kayla couldn’t help but smile back, holding it to her chest. “Uh. Thanks… but, I’m afraid not enough questioning. So… can I get back to Camp Half Blood from here? That would be great.”

Calypso frowned, shaking her head in sympathy and… something else. Genuine sadness? “Not yet, I’m afraid. You wouldn’t be strong enough to make it back, even with how well you are feeling. Don’t stress… this is better than where you were before, I am sure.”

Kayla swallowed when thinking back to the Labyrinth. She instinctively shuffled slightly closer towards Calypso. “Yeah, yeah it is. I just- I’m missing people. That’s all. Infact, what date is it?”

“That, I do not know. Time doesn’t work properly in Ogygia, either, and I’m afraid with being banished to this island, I don’t really get daily updates. I tend not to even ask for the dates anymore when the gods visit me.” She huffed.

“Banishment… it’s a punishment. You helped your dad with something, that’s why,” Kayla remembered. Uh, who’s your dad again?”

“Atlas, Kayla.” Calypso smiled. “He is my father… ofcourse I would take his side no matter what.”

“But… he wasn’t exactly in the right, from what I remember, I mean-“

“Is that so? Are the gods always in the right? Tell me, Kayla, and I mean this in kindness, but do you stand with the gods because they are good, or do you stand with them because it is where your family lay?” She asked. Kayla swallowed.

“…I understand.” She answered. She had just been speaking about how she knew her father was a deadbeat, and it was evident when she was speaking- the hatred and annoyance in her voice. But even then, she didn’t turn to Kronos. Or-

Kayla let out a gasp, her eyes widening.

“I swore on the River Styx!”

Scrap her thoughts. She had turned to Kronos. That thought alone- even if she had been forced to do so- was enough to send her into cardiac arrest.

Calypso stepped back at her loud, sudden outburst. It made her jump and pull a funny, cute face. Kayla tried to apologise by gently taking her wrist. “I- I’m sorry, I just- I was thinking just then, and it- it made me remember… things were happening in the labyrinth, and I- and I-” Kayla hyperventilated. Calypso immediately hushed her, putting a hand on her cheek and shaking her head.

“Now, now, settle down. Shh, it’s okay here. It’s okay. Kayla, look at me,” She soothed, bringing her face closer.

That was all Kayla needed, a face like that telling her to calm down, giving her those worried eyes, with that slightly upturned lip. It weirdly reminded her of-

Kayla ripped her gaze away, wiping a tear from her eye. “I swore,” She sobbed. “I swore I would help Luke Castellan with Kronos, I was scared I would die if I said no, they were forcing me to say-“

“Kayla,” Calypso shook her head. Kayla didn’t miss the way her eyes widened at her revelation, but she quickly dismissed any worry on what Kayla had said, completely focused on trying to calm her down. “Don’t get worked up, it’s alright. It’s done now, dear, it’s done.” She tried to ground Kayla, who bit her lip in guilt.

“I’ll die if I don’t.”

“There is always a loop-hole,” Calypso replied gently. “Who says helping him with Kronos has to go with his beliefs, dear? Your beliefs would work just the same with your oath, Kayla.”

“What- what does that even mean?!” Kayla sniffled, pulling her face away.

“You will know when the time comes,” She hummed.

Kayla squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember what Calypso had just told her. Thankfully, the words had burned into her memory.

“Would you like some dinner?” Calypso asked. “How about you rest that stress off, and by the time you wake, dinner will be served down at the beach.”

Kayla shook her head, she didn’t want to sleep. Calypso hushed her.

“Sleep, darling. I’ll wake you.”

Kayla really tried to fight sleep. She did. But Calypso was doing that weird thing where Kayla was doing what she suggested without a second thought. That sleepy magic that ran through her body as Calypso put a hand to Kayla’s forehead. She was gone instantly.

The next time Kayla woke, it was night time outside. An odd time for dinner, but with how time worked down here, perhaps it was actually dinner time.

Kayla felt well rested in the exact same dip she had woken up in earlier this morning.

She took five minutes after waking to stare up at the crystal ceiling.

Finally, she found it in herself to walk outside the cave. Sure enough, there was a feast-sized dinner table set up delicately on the beach, just before the ocean. Calypso was sat facing the ocean, watching the waves as she piled food onto her plate. And to her left was… who was that?

“Hello,” Kayla spoke softly, pulling out a chair. The only guests that could appear on this island were Gods. That was common sense, considering this island was… everywhere and nowhere. There was one Goddess to Kayla that stuck out like a sore thumb. A weirdly gorgeous sore thumb, but still.

“Oh, here she is! The guest of honour.” Aphrodite spread her arms out on the table in a small show of excitement, before regaining her class and grabbing her cutlery. She looked like a 2000s supermodel. Or a sports player. Kayla couldn’t choose. She had brown almond shaped eyes and an upturned nose, lean muscle, and choppy, layered shoulder length hair that changed colours. Her nails were short with black nail polish on them. That was not a look Aphrodite would wear. Kayla knew she was the only one seeing her like this.

Enough of that.

“Kayla,” Calypso smiled, stroking her arm as she sat down. “Aphrodite here, well, she likes to visit. She brings good desserts with her.”

“Mh,” Kayla smiled uneasily. “What are the odds. Hi Grandma.”

Aphrodite chuckled quietly, sipping a cup of tea. “Please, eat. Those scones are amazing.”

“Are you the one that sent me here?” Kayla cut to the chase, picking up a slice of chocolate cake.

“Me? Perhaps, or maybe it was someone else. However, I will say that I felt your presence once again immediately as you exited the Labyrinth. Word spreads, you’ve been gone for-” The woman paused, her eyes changing from a familiar brown to deep blue eyes that closely resembled Kayla’s own. “Well, that would send you into shock, it’s best you find out yourself. Not too long, though.”

“Right, thanks for the explanation.” Kayla huffed, placing the cake down after a single, small bite.

“Why are you here, then? Maybe you could take me back to camp.”

“Ah, that’s it,” Aphrodite sat up even straighter, as if Kayla’s words had given her that reminder she needed. “Well, it’s nice to hear you want to leave… you’re my daughters child, someone has to make sure you’re okay.”

“You’re not making any logical sense.” Kayla scoffed, mostly in confusion. What, a Goddess came to see her to make sure she was okay? Yeah, right. Aphrodite had to be the one to have dropped her on this island. And now what was she doing? Playing it off? Badly, too. Kayla just wanted to know why the woman would drop her off here. What was so important about her to save her life like that?

“I’m just making sure you’re okay.” Aphrodite repeated. Her tone seemed more direct, her body inching forward over the table as she said it.

“You were.” Kayla agreed, like she believed it all along. “I appreciate it, Aphrodite. For making sure I… huh, why would you be making sure I’m okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Aphrodite!” Calypso gently bashed her knife and fork on the table as soon as the other woman finished her sentence. Aphrodite’s voice had been stern, yet just as warm and soft. Weird.

“Ofcourse you’d be making sure I’m okay, yeah.” Kayla agreed mindlessly.

Aphrodite turned to Calypso with a gentle smile, taking a bite of a scone. “What, dear? It’s all in good manners.”

“Aphrodite, not on my island. These are my visitors!”

“What is going-“

“Oh, Calypso, I’ll be off in a moment,” Aphrodite waved a hand in dismissal, turning her attention back to Kayla. “Tell Calypso your answer soon, will you? Time is passing.”

Kayla stared like a brainless idiot. This conversation wasn’t making any sense. Like a jigsaw with every other odd piece missing. “Don’t leave yet, you know the outside world. How is my aunt? How is camp? What about Clarisse and Malcolm?”

Aphrodite smile widened at Clarisse’s name. She sighed, giving a pitiful look. “They’re fine, Clarisse is looking for you. Camp is safe. Malcolm, too. Your aunt.. hm, that feels odd to say. Well, she got a promotion at work. It’s going well. Now, I must be off. I can hear Ares about to make a bad decision. In a while!”

The woman wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, brushed her hands over her lap, and disappeared in a small white light that drifted off across the ocean.

Kayla turned to Calypso in confusion. “What am I missing? What was any of that? Is this a dream? What decision am I making  ‘soon’?”

Calypso rolled her eyes at the Goddesses antics, face palming. She muttered something about ‘that damn woman’. “I’ll tell you while you eat. Yes? You need to try and eat. How about some cold fruit.” She handed over a bowl full of different fruits mixed with ice. Her question was more of a demand. Kayla dug in immediately, though.

Please vote!!

A little bit of a longer chapter, but its a change from my last few chapters being a bit shorter than usual simply because of how hard it was to write them😭

Aphrodite is not supposed to make complete sense here, and i hope that is clear. She don’t want Kayla knowing anything🤭 I love Aphrodite so much. In this chapter I envision her as someone who just loves getting into everyone’s business and often times accidentally getting herself into mishaps while being nothing but ‘just a girl (Goddess)’.

May post the next chapter a day early cause i’m getting too excited myself, we’ll see.

CLARISSA IS SO CLOSE