Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth - 04
by starlight. Her moonlace glowed silver, and the other plants responded to the magic, glowing red
and yellow and blue.
“He has ordered you to return,” Calypso guessed.
“Well, not ordered. He gave me a choice.”
Her eyes met mine. “I promised I would not offer.”
“Offer what?”
“For you to stay.”
“Stay,” I said. “Like…forever?”
“You would be immortal on this island,” she said quietly. “You would never age or die. You
could leave the fight to others, Percy Jackson. You could escape your prophecy.”
I stared at her, stunned. “Just like that?”
She nodded. “Just like that.”
“But…my friends.”
Calypso rose and took my hand. Her touch sent a warm current through my body. “You
asked about my curse, Percy. I did not want to tell you. the truth is the gods send me
companionship from time to time. Every thousand years or so, they allow a hero to wash up on my
shores, someone who needs my help. I tend to him and befriend him, but it is never random. The
Fates make sure that the sort of hero they send…”
Her voice trembled, and she had to stop.
I squeezed her hand tighter. “What? What have I done to make you sad?”
“They send a person who can never stay,” she whispered. “Who can never accept my offer
of companionship for more than a little while. They send me a hero I can’t help…just the sort of
person I can’t help falling in love with.”
The night was quiet except for the gurgle of the fountains and waves lapping on the shore. It
took me a long time to realize what she was saying.
“Me?” I asked.
“If you could see your face.” She suppressed a smile, though her eyes were still tea