Calypso knew how this would go. She always knew how it went. They came, they stayed, they healed, and then they left. Every time, she told herself she wouldn’t get attached, but, of course, she always did. And here you were now, standing at the edge of the beach, looking like you were about to say goodbye. She hated this part. Hated it.

“I—I know you have to get back to being a demigod… and I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but—” her voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes, her hands trembling. She was ready to beg, even if it made her feel pathetic. Every time, she fell harder, and every time, the goodbye felt worse.

But then you cut her off, looking just as confused as she felt. “I’m not a… demigod.”

Silence. She blinked, her sniffles momentarily forgotten. “What?”

You shifted awkwardly, glancing around like maybe someone else could explain this for you. Then your gaze softened as you looked back at her. Without thinking, you cupped her tear-streaked face in your hands. “I have no idea what that is. I just got into a car accident, blacked out, and woke up here. Why would I leave when I can spend my life with you?”

Her brain short-circuited. Holy. Sht.* She didn’t say it out loud—she wasn’t that unhinged—but it definitely echoed in her head on repeat. Her heart raced, and for the first time in… who knows how long, she felt warmth flood through her veins. She let her forehead fall against yours, her hands gripping your wrists like she was afraid you’d vanish if she let go.

“You’ll stay with me?” she whispered, her voice soft, almost childlike. Not even registering the fact you were just some random human who apparently crash-landed into her eternity-long pity party. Nope. Priorities.