So this story is only going to be four chapters, and it's basically a series of headcanons I have about how Calypso and Leo will manage to find each other again—and stay together this time—in BoO. And unlike most of my fics, I've actually written the whole thing out already, so you can expect regular updates! (Probably once a week.)

Oh, and this will probably be the only long AN in this story, but I feel like I need to offer an explanation to everyone. Those of you who know me as "that-author-who-writes-super-long-Leyna-fanfictions" might be staring at the pairing of this story in shock right now, but it's true, this really is a Caleo story. While Leyna is still an OTP of mine, right up there with Percabeth, I actually really like Caleo as well. For one thing, I feel obligated to like them because they're canon, and I don't want to spend BoO in tears because Leyna isn't going to happen (haha but really), but I also think Caleo is a seriously cute ship with lots of potential. And because of the many problems they'll have to face in BoO if they want to end up happy together, I really enjoyed forming headcanons about how they could solve those issues. And I have to admit, I'm kind of excited to share them with everyone.

Anyway, despite my excitement, my other stories To Storm or Fire and War and Memories are so long and complicated that I really don't have the time or energy to write a super long Caleo fic, so this will be a short experiment, rather than a structured story that describes every single event that will happen from now to August 1st. However, that also means that this can be mostly pure Caleo, so I hope you guys enjoy the result!

Feel free to review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own HoO.

The Labyrinth

Leo was standing at the helm when Hazel burst onto the deck with Frank lumbering behind her, yawning. "We have to change course!" she yelled.

Instantly, Leo pulled the brakes on the ship, and Percy and Annabeth—who had volunteered to help Leo with the night watch—whirled around, swords in hand. "What happened?" Percy demanded. "Did you see an attack headed our way? More harpies?"

Hazel looked a little sheepish. "No, nothing like that," she said. "There's no immediate danger, but—well, we have a problem."

Leo frowned. "What problem?"

"Unfortunately, my hunch was right. Pasiphae reopened the labyrinth." Hazel made a face. "And worse, we have to go inside it."

Leo saw Annabeth tense. "The labyrinth . . . Hazel, that thing was bad news when Daedalus controlled it. I—You'd better have a really good reason if you want me to go back into it. Especially if it's Pasiphae's now."

But Hazel was already shaking her head. "I'm not asking you to go inside it," she said quickly. "Not you or Percy. You two have already gone through enough. After Tartarus . . ." She trailed off, noticing Leo's warning shake of his head. Thank gods, he thought. The last thing they need is to think about that place. Leo knew both of them were still having nightmares, even if everyone else didn't. A few days ago, he had guessed why they kept volunteering to keep watch at night. It was a lot easier to recover from their dreams during the day, when they had sunlight to reassure them that they'd really made it out.

When Leo tuned back in, Hazel was still talking. "Anyway, you guys don't need to go in, but I do, and Frank agreed to come with me."

"Where is all this coming from?" Percy asked.

"Hecate talked to me in a dream again last night," Hazel explained. "She said there was something in the labyrinth—a secret weapon we would need to defeat Gaea—and she told me one of us would know how to find it." She shrugged. "I don't know who she meant, exactly, but maybe it was me. My underground senses will probably come in handy. Plus, now that I can manipulate the Mist and everything . . . well, I'm not sure, but maybe that will help me survive the labyrinth, like I did with Leo last time."

Annabeth shook her head. "Don't be so sure your underground senses will be useful. The labyrinth doesn't work like a normal tunnel."

Hazel sighed. "I know, but what other option do we have?"

While they spoke, gears spun furiously in Leo's head, like he was one of his dad's automatons. As soon as Hazel finished, he turned to Percy. "You went into the labyrinth a few years ago, didn't you? Isn't that how you ended up on Calypso's island?"

Percy shot a nervous glance at Annabeth, but she just rolled her eyes at him, like, You fell into Tartarus for me, Seaweed Brain. You're crazy if you think I'm still jealous about something that happened years ago—before we were even dating. "Um, not exactly," Percy said cautiously. "It led us to Mount St. Helens, which I had to blow up, and then I landed on Calypso's island. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Leo said casually. Surreptitiously, he slipped his hand into his tool belt, brushing against the astrolabe that always seemed to weigh the belt down. It stubbornly showed up every time he reached inside, whether he wanted the thing or not—just as Calypso popped up in his thoughts at the most inconvenient moments.

He considered Percy's story. Close enough, he decided. If Percy had found Calypso through the labyrinth with no navigational tools, there was every possibility that if he went with Hazel and Frank . . . Well, after they found whatever Hecate wanted them to look for, he might be able to find a way to Ogygia.

I'm coming back for you, Calypso. I swear it on the River Styx.

He still hadn't told the others about meeting Calypso—or about his oath. This was his chance to take care of it before he had to share his secret, and they got mad at him for being a reckless idiot. Leo made a snap decision. "Hey, Hazel, you need a way to navigate the labyrinth, right?"

Hazel raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, Annabeth and I were just talking about that," she said. "You have any ideas?"

He grinned. "More than that," he said, reaching into a different pocket of his tool belt. "See, after Pasiphae trapped us in that Mist-labyrinth, I decided I didn't really want to get stuck in a situation like that again. So I started looking through Archimedes's notes, on the off-chance that he knew about Daedalus's inventions, and, well . . ." He pulled out a ball of wire. "It turns out that he did." His eyes gleamed. "Makes sense that he would want to make one of these, doesn't it? After all, a ball of yarn is a kind of sphere."

Annabeth snorted, but Leo detected real curiosity in her eyes. "Are you sure it works?" she said dubiously. "The original ball of yarn was magical, and made of yarn, and that . . ."

"Wire is more durable than yarn," Leo said dismissively. "And Archimedes never got a chance to test his idea, but I followed his instructions to make this perfectly, and I've never had a reason to doubt his theories. They've all worked so far."

Percy looked nervous. "I don't know, Leo," he said. "Daedalus told us it was better to get a mortal guide—"

"Yeah, I've heard the stories about Rachel Dare's magical trap-detecting skills," Leo interrupted, "but in case you haven't noticed, we're a little short on mortals around here." He turned to Hazel. "What do you think? Will this work? Can I go with you guys?"

Hazel considered him. "You're awfully eager to go into this dangerous maze, Leo," she said suspiciously. "You do realize it will be dangerous, right?"

"Of course I do. But I figure that the sooner we go in and get this thing, the sooner we can come back out and use it to kick Gaea's butt. Besides, we need a new secret weapon after sending the Athena Parthenos to New York."

Annabeth sighed. "I guess you guys have to do this," she said finally, "but . . . just be careful, all right? The labyrinth can mess with your head. Stick together, and use that wire like it's your lifeline—because it pretty much is." She paused, like something had just occurred to her. "Wait. Do you even know how to get into the labyrinth?"

Hazel nodded. "Hecate told me that there's an entrance in Corinth."

Leo turned to the helm, trying not to look too enthusiastic. "All right," he said. "I'll plot a course for Corinth." And then to Calypso.

By the time he finished and flipped back around, Hazel had laced her fingers in Frank's. "You've been pretty quiet," she said to him. "Now that Leo's coming with me, are you sure you still want to go?"

Leo hid a laugh as Frank suppressed a yawn. "Sure, Hazel. Of course. Can I go back to sleep now?"

Six hours later, they were in Corinth. Leo turned to Hazel. "So where exactly is this entrance?"

Hazel shook her head, gold eyes glowing with annoyance. "Hecate didn't say," she grumbled. "Look for the most Greek-looking building and go from there, I guess. I'll use my underground senses to try to pinpoint it—we'll see how much good that does us."

He shrugged. "Good a plan as any." He looked at the rest of his friends. Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Jason, and even Coach Hedge had all gathered on the deck to wish them luck. "Don't crash the Argo II while we're gone, all right?"

Annabeth smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I can handle it. But I was serious when I told you all to be careful," she added, sobering. "We need all the seven together when we go to face Gaea."

Leo just grinned. "All the seven, plus our secret weapon," he proclaimed. Plus an incredibly pretty goddess who somehow manages to be annoying and endearing at the same time.

"Don't jinx it, Leo!" Piper complained.

"Well, don't tell me I'm going to jinx it, then!" Leo shot back.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Repair Boy. Just try not to get yourself shot into the sky again."

"I make no promises, Beauty Queen." I already have one dangerous oath to worry about, after all.

Eventually, they stopped teasing each other and moved on to the hugs and goodbyes. Then Hazel, Frank, and Leo climbed down the ladder and into Corinth, the wire and astrolabe feeling heavy in Leo's tool belt.

As it turned out, the entrance to the labyrinth wasn't in the most Greek-looking building. It was in a modern bank that bore absolutely no resemblance to the classics. Fortunately, Hazel's daughter-of-Pluto tunnel-sensing powers made it easy to find the entrance, just like they'd hoped. Opening it was a momentary obstacle, but Frank quickly pointed out a weird carving of a table that Leo identified not as a table, but as the Greek letter Pi.

"That's Pi for Pasiphae, in case you Romans were wondering," he added teasingly. Now that he was so close to Calypso, his sense of humor was running at full force. "And yes, the Greek alphabet is weird."

Frank frowned. "Okay, but how does that help us?"

Leo shrugged. "Entrances to the old labyrinth were marked with the letter Delta, for Daedalus. Maybe Pasiphae marked the new gates the same way. It's worth a shot." He punched the carving—and instantly fell through into the labyrinth. Hazel and Frank followed him soon afterwards.

Once inside the endless tunnels, they unspooled wire and wandered aimlessly for hours—without coming any closer to discovering the secret weapon Hecate had promised them.

"Hazel," Leo said hesitantly, "I hate to ask you this again, but are you sure Hecate didn't give you any clues about what this weapon is?"

"No," she growled, "and if you ask me again, Valdez, I swear to all the gods that I'll—"

Frank put one massive hand on her shoulder, and she seemed to calm down. "Don't get upset, Haze. You know he's just trying to help."

Hazel softened. "I know. I'm sorry for snapping at you, Leo."

"Hey, no problem," Leo grinned easily. "I annoy everybody." Hazel raised her eyebrows, and Leo knew why. Before Ogygia, he probably would have joked about how his smoking good looks always made girls irrational, but now he was just worried for her. It wasn't fair for Hecate to leave them in the dark (figuratively and literally—this was the labyrinth, after all) and expect Hazel to figure everything out again. It had been hard enough for her to learn to control the Mist. She didn't need any more challenges.

Leo decided to cheer her up a bit. "Maybe we aren't getting anywhere because I'm the one holding this wire," he said seriously. "Maybe it requires your magic Mist powers to make it work."

Hazel snorted incredulously but accepted the wire with a quick smile. Leo felt stupidly proud for making her feel better.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Leo trailing behind as he thought. What sort of weapon was Hecate promising them? How did she expect them to find it? The wire only kept them from getting lost. It didn't show them where to go.

Of course, that train of thought fizzled out quickly as he started imagining how he would find Calypso, just like he always did when there were no immediate threats to his life going on. (Which was pretty rare, considering that he was a demigod in the Ancient Lands.) After a while, though, Frank started talking, and Leo forced himself to stop daydreaming and pay attention. "All right," Frank said. "So Hecate obviously isn't going to be helpful, but she's not the only lead we have. Hazel, are your underground senses telling you anything?"

Hazel had been scanning the tunnels that branched off the one they were traveling, probably hoping to see a clue, but Frank's question made her refocus. "No," she said with disappointment. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since Annabeth did say that—Wait." She tensed. "Actually, I think I can feel something . . ." Her eyes widened, and she whirled towards Leo. "What are you doing so far back? Annabeth told us to stick together—"

And at that moment, the walls caved in.

By the time the rocks settled, Leo could tell that he was alone. "Hazel?" he called out, accidentally breathing in the dust caused by the falling debris as he spoke. "Frank? Are—are you guys all right?" He barely finished the sentence before dissolving into coughs.

"Leo?" He sighed in relief when he heard Hazel's voice (which of course made him cough more). "Leo, we're fine! What about you? You sound awful."

Leo lifted his shirt and breathed through it until his coughing subsided. "There's dust in my throat and a rock on my leg, but I'm good," he promised. "I didn't think this place was so unstable."

"Pasiphae must be toying with us." Hazel sounded frustrated. "Or maybe Gaea. You said your leg is stuck? Is it broken?"

Leo shook the dirt out of his hair and sat up, wincing. "Nah," he said. "It's a small rock. A pebble, really." Leo frowned at the boulder on his calf. It was at least the size of Frank's head—when he was in elephant form.

"Hang on, Leo," Frank spoke up for the first time. "I'll change into—into a gorilla or something. Shift these rocks out of the way." There were a few seconds of silence, a surprised gasp from Hazel—Leo didn't blame her; watching Frank turn into animals was weird—and then a massive crash.

"Gods, Frank!" Leo heard Hazel squeak. "What did you do?"

Leo studied the rock on his leg—was there something in his tool belt that could move it?—while Frank grumbled and complained incoherently on the other side of the collapse. After a few minutes, the son of Mars said, "Leo, I tried to move the debris, and it kind of . . . fell on me. Don't laugh."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Leo said, holding back a snicker.

Frank sighed. "Anyway, I managed to dig my way out, but the collapse is too unstable. I don't think I'll be able to move anything without accidentally burying all three of us."

"Don't worry, Leo," Hazel added. "We'll find a way around, or maybe you can build something and burrow through, or—"

"Stop, Hazel." She stopped. Leo frowned at the rock on his leg, then gave up and shoved at it angrily. It didn't budge. "You know the labyrinth doesn't work like normal tunnels. You guys could try to find a way around and end up ten thousand miles away. Just keep going. Try to figure out what we're looking for, and hold onto that wire whatever you do. It'd be really bad if you got lost down here."

"Yeah?" Frank growled. "And how are you going to keep from getting lost, huh? You don't have any wire."

Leo didn't answer for a few minutes, while he was busy building a mini-carjack to pry the boulder off of him. When he was done, he was grateful to see he hadn't been lying to Hazel too much—his leg really wasn't broken, just bruised as Hades. It was only moderately painful to stand up. Then Leo reached into his tool belt, fingered the astrolabe, and forgot all about the bruises on his calf. "Oh, I'll be fine, Frank. I have another method of navigation."

"This is the labyrinth, Leo," Hazel protested. "You can't rely on a compass, or . . . or one of those UPS systems you have these days—"

"GPS," Frank corrected quietly.

"Whatever," Hazel snapped. "Leo, you can't honestly think that—"

He tuned her out, snapping the crystal into the astrolabe and calibrating it to his location as best he could (which was pretty badly, considering that it was the labyrinth and he could very well be in California or Mongolia, for all he knew). Immediately, a beam of light shot out of the crystal, pointing forward about five hundred feet before veering into a side tunnel. Slowly, Leo grinned.

"Trust me, Hazel. This method of navigation is very reliable." He took one last look at the collapsed tunnel, hoping his friends would be all right without him. "Be careful, guys. I'll see you in a bit."

"Leo . . ." He could hear Hazel kicking stones furiously, which he knew just meant she was as worried about him as he was about them. "Leo, you be careful too."

"Always am," he said cheekily.

"And don't do anything stupid."

I'm coming back for you, Calypso. I swear it on the River Styx.

Leo almost laughed. Too late for that, Hazel Levesque, he thought. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said out loud. "I'll meet up with you later."

Then he took off down the tunnel, following the light that would lead him straight to Ogygia.

And straight to Calypso.