YEAR 1:

It took Calypso a while to figure out the curse.

When the first man washed up on her shores, she was wary. She knew the gods must have sent him here to punish her, but she couldn't figure out just how. So even as she welcomed him into the island, she kept a close eye on him. He didn't seem evil... he just seemed hurt, and confused.

And he was bleeding out into the sand.

So with a sigh, she went to fetch some healing herbs from the small wooden hut she had come to call home. After she patched up his wound, he lurched up. She flinched away, expecting an attack. 

But instead he just... stared at her. She was reminded of a lion asserting dominance over its prey. 

So she did what you should never do to a lion- stared back. She searched his dark brown eyes for any sign of malice, but all she could find was a dazed, almost sleepy look.

Then he flopped onto the beach, rolled over, and started snoring.

So she assumed he was harmless for now. Okay, she reasoned, maybe the gods just wanted her to heal their heroes. Slightly demeaning, but she could live with that. 

Maybe she was wrong. Maybe there was something darker lurking under that rugged exterior of his. 

But, she mused, as she dragged him back to the small wooden hut and tucked him into bed... it would be nice to have the company.

YEAR 1 (PART 2):

She came to know the man as Odysseus. He seemed slightly shocked that a) she didn't know who she was- being trapped on an island for who knows how long will do that to you- and b) that she wasn't immediately falling in love with him. She rolled her eyes at that one. 

Apparently he was some kind of famous hero, revered throughout the land, and it had given him a bit of a big head. But he seemed nice enough, and it wasn't like she had much of a choice in companionship here, on the isolated island of Ogygia.

So they became friends.

Despite the luxuries of island life, it quickly became apparent to her that Odysseus simply wasn't happy here. He roamed the beaches almost every day looking for an escape, muttering something about "Penelope" and "have to get back to her." 

It was heartbreaking to watch, even more heartbreaking when he begged her to help him find a way off of the island. If I had one, don't you think I would have used it by now?

But she tried, even if halfheartedly. They built boats, only for them to crumble into the water. He tried to swim, but the current pushed him back. He even tried to build wings out of palm fronds- luckily there was no divine intervention needed for them to realize that was a bad idea.

It was around the third month when Odysseus gave up.

And it was around the third year when they received a visitor in the form of Hera.

YEAR 3:

It was Calypso's turn to cook, so she was busying herself chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Odysseus had gone out somewhere- brooding, most likely. He wouldn't be back for a while.

So when the door crashed open with a bang, she jumped. 

It took her a moment to recognize the goddess of marriage. Hera wasn't looking particularly majestic- she was wearing a spotted cow onesie and her face- while beautiful- was contorted in a scowl. She had clearly rushed down here.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" the woman snarled.

"Hello to you too, Hera." Calypso regained her composure. She raised an eyebrow. "I think I'm making dinner. What do you think I'm doing?"

The woman began to pace the house, floorboards rattling underneath her feet. "He shouldn't be here. He was supposed to be gone by now!"

"Are you talking about Odysseus?" Calypso didn't wait for a response- of course she was. "If he's supposed to be gone, then take him already." 

Her heart panged a little bit at the words. She had grown fond of him over the past few years. Of course she didn't want her only friend to leave, but if he would be happier out there... well, she would have to be a selfish monster to deprive him of that.

"I can't! I've tried. It's the curse! Only YOU can send him home, and at the rate this is going, it's never going to happen!" Her voice was shrill. She sounded more like a teenager than an immortal goddess.

"I can?" This was news to her. "How?"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Hera pouted and stamped her foot. "It should have happened by now! I mean, he's Odysseus! The handsome hero of the eastern-Mediterranean-slash-Ithaca! No sane woman could possibly resist him!"

Calypso calmly cracked open a coconut. "It sounds like you're projecting, lady. Milk?"

She was beginning to see where Odysseus got his ego from.

"I am not... I am FAITHFUL to my husband! Something you would know nothing about! You... you vile temptress! Stealing my hero away!"

With a scream, Hera smashed a seashell on the floor. Calypso lifted a hand to protect herself from the shards. She wasn't too intimidated by the temper tantrum- she just hoped the goddess would leave the woven reed tapestries. She was quite proud of those.

A realization struck her as the goddess' words set in. "So wait, you're saying... you wanted us to fall in love?" She could barely get the words out without gagging. Odysseus was like a brother to her- a really annoying younger brother who needed to learn a lesson or two about basic hygiene.

Hera snarled at her. "No! I wanted him to go back to his wife, where he belongs!"

"Uh huh... you're sending mixed signals here."

The temperature dropped 4 degrees, and Calypso wondered if maybe, just maybe, she had pushed it too far.

"Vile... temptress..." Hera's voice was low and raspy and seemed to echo throughout the small hut. 

The goddess advanced on her slowly, golden energy whirling around her fists. Her hair flowed like waves, roiling and twisting in the air. Despite the onesie, an aura of raw power emanated off of her so strong that Calypso felt weak in the knees. Hera raised her hands, and she felt the world shifting around her like sand through an hourglass. Her eyes glowed with light, so strong that it was impossible to look away. Calypso took a step back, hand reaching slowly for the vegetable knife.

And then... pop! Hera disappeared.

Calypso sank down onto the floor, her bravado gone now that nobody was around to witness it. Her head was still reeling from the goddess' power. As she gazed numbly at the spot where Hera had been just a second earlier, she noticed a note, scrawled in messy handwriting.

Sorry about my stepmom- she gets antsy when people mess with her heroes. We're dealing with it. Here, have a gift to make up for it! - Apollo.

A gift? She glanced around. Seeing nothing, she scowled- surely, another cruel trick of the gods. She crumpled up the note and tossed it into the fireplace, then sat. She would give herself another few minutes to process, but afterwards... well, dinner wasn't going to make itself.

Slowly, she turned towards the abandoned meal she had been preparing- but as she reached for the knife, it suddenly jolted and began to levitate in the air. With a gasp, she stepped back, fearing the worst...

And then it began to chop the zucchini. Calypso squinted. Maybe Hera's magic had had more of an effect on her than she thought. When the zucchini was neatly sliced and diced, the bread batter came soaring across the room. The vegetables were poured in, the oven opened, and the batch slid in. Before she could even say a word, the oven timer beeped- it was set for 20 minutes.

She snorted, then laughed. She began to make her way over to the counter, but she felt a light pushing sensation on her back. Warm air guided her towards the couch and gently set her down. There were two pats on her head before the air whooshed away towards the whipped cream, spinning midair as it did so.

Well. Maybe dinner was going to make itself after all.

When she recounted the story to Odysseus, his eyes brightened. "Hera was here?" he asked hopefully. "Did she say anything about freeing me?"

Calypso's chest tightened. At her expression, his face fell. "I'm sorry," was all she could manage to say. Was this the curse? Trapped forever with people who simply didn't want to be here? If so, the gods were wicked beings. (Minus Apollo- that air servant was pretty cool. She decided to name it Gleb.)

But apparently, he should have been gone by now. And it was her fault that he wasn't. She felt guilty for approximately one minute about that before she realized that if she was doing something wrong, it was the gods' fault for sticking her on this island without an instruction manual. Although... based on what Hera was saying, it was pretty obvious what they wanted her to do.

Welp. If that was the case, they'd be waiting a long, long time.

YEAR 3 (PART 2):

It was only a few more weeks before another man washed up on her shore. A month later, another. A month later, another. They were coming like clockwork now, and the gods weren't even attempting to hide their desperation.

JUST FALL IN LOVE ALREADY. The message, while unspoken, might as well have been written in the sky. 

She knew they were spying- Dionysus' grapes began to spring up on the island, along with bottles of wine with names like "Aphrodisiac," "Pheromone," and her personal favorite, "Musk."

 Romantic harp music swelled in the background every time she went on a walk alone with one of the men- courtesy of Apollo. 

It even got to the point where Aphrodite's doves trailed her, tossing rose petals in the air with an almost desperate fervency. (It was cute at first, but quickly got annoying- Calypso decided to cook and eat them for dinner.)

If they were so omnipotent, why couldn't they figure out the obvious?

But despite that, Calypso was coming to enjoy life on the island. She wasn't lonely anymore- in fact, she could barely take a walk without a hero popping up. Sure, their table manners were horrendous and the dishes never-ending, but they were sweet... albeit a little homesick. Most of them were grateful though- heroes don't often get to take vacations.

A few of them decided to show their gratitude by professing love. She couldn't blame them, the atmosphere was rather... romantic. 

And for many of them (although let's be real, most heroes aren't fully straight) she was the only option. To get rid of pesky suitors, she walked around for a few days with a sign around her neck that said "I am not interested. Please do not perceive me as a potential romantic candidate." That seemed to do the trick.

YEAR ???:

The first girl showed up on the island a while later, coughing up saltwater.

"I appreciate the inclusivity, but this is NOT THE WAY TO GO," she yelled up at the sky. 

For the first time, she glimpsed a sliver of gray cloud amidst the white, and she could swear she heard a rumble of thunder. Her love life (or lack of one) was pissing off Zeus. It made her feel pretty important, to be honest. 

She smiled at the girl (who was staring at her as if she were a feral animal) and offered her a hand. "Welcome to Ogygia, your new home." A female hero. Nice.

It turned out the girl was bisexual, and she ended up settling down with one of the other heroes. They actually got married (unofficially, of course, as all weddings on the island were) and had a child together- the first child on the island. They named it Callie after her. She couldn't help but shed a few tears over that.

Odysseus was still broody sometimes- she would often find him staring out at the cerulean sea with that furrowed eyebrow look that heroes are a master of... but he never blamed her. Underneath the arrogance and unnecessary violence, he had a good heart. And she never blamed him.

Given the chance, she would choose the outside world too.

YEAR ??? (PART 2):

Night had fallen, and Calypso was just about to doze off in her room. They had expanded the beach hut so it looked more like a beach mansion- they needed room for all of those people, after all. Each couple got an individual room, and the rest got bunk beds. Not Calypso, of course. For obvious reasons.

She had decorated with woven reed tapestries and pretty seashells that washed ashore. Her walls were painted a lovely teal color, made out of berries (although apparently that wasn't how they made paint out in the world anymore). It was a nice space, and one of the few on the island where she could go to be alone. Not tonight, though.

She heard the goddess before she saw her- a musical, lilting voice, like the ringing of a bell.

"You have caused quite a stir on Olympus, haven't you dear?"

Calypso turned to look at her. Aphrodite was beautiful as always. She heard somewhere that Aphrodite would look like whoever you found most attractive. So it made sense then that she was an amalgamation of all the things Calypso loved. 

Her eyes were the cerulean of the sea, her slightly damp skin the deep brown of tree bark. Her hair was braided in the way Calypso's mother used to do for her, before they would go into combat. As the goddess ran her hands along the wall, Calypso caught sight of berry stained fingertips.

Calypso patted the bed next to her. "Welcome. Care to sit down?"

The woman smiled, a practiced smile, and did so. The wood creaked beneath her, not used to carrying two people at once. The woman put a hand to her heart and gasped.

"Why, I'd recognize this handiwork anywhere. Odysseus?"

Calypso nodded.

"You know, he built a bed just like this for his wife, Penelope. It was their marriage bed. I'm quite fond of it... I always saw it as a sacred symbol for love." The goddess' eyes grew misty, as if she were reliving a moment.

Calypso laughed lightly. "Is it a metaphor then, that I'm alone in it?"

Her seaglass eyes crinkled. "Perhaps. Us hopeless romantics do tend to love our symbolism."

"So." Calypso leaned back against the bedrest. "Come to berate me? Because I've had quite enough of that in the past few years."

She was cautious in her teasing- while the goddess of love seemed friendly, looks could be deceiving. Especially when their looks were specifically designed to throw you off your game. And when Calypso's identity went against everything she stood for? Well... things could get bad fast.

"Of course not." Aphrodite giggled as if that was the funniest thing she'd heard in weeks. She sounded like a songbird. "I've come to congratulate you!"

"Huh?" Of all the ways she could have seen this going, this was the last.

"You've had them quite confused for some time now. And I went along with it, I'll confess. I wanted to see if I was right." 

With a manicured nail, the goddess traced anatomically correct hearts on her pillow.

"And were you?" Calypso raised an eyebrow.

"When they hear 'goddess of love,' many people assume that I represent romantic or sexual love only. And while those things are my specialty, the truth is, love comes in many forms... although you already knew that, didn't you?" 

At Calypso's nod, she continued. "You may think I dislike you or even hate you for who you are. But actually... I'm impressed by you. The capacity for love that you've shown over the years is truly awe-inspiring. The love that you have for these people. For the sea. For the island, even when you despise it. Your love for your family, the Titans, that got you here in the first place."

Her face rippled slightly as she said this, and for a moment, Calypso saw her mother Pleoine. Tears sprung to her eyes immediately. 

She wondered how her mother was doing- if she was even still alive. If she missed Calypso sometimes. She hoped with all her might that her mother had gotten over the loss of her daughter.

Aphrodite's voice softened. "For a while, the gods saw you as wicked. They thought you possessed no capacity for love at all. But I knew the truth."

She opened her arms wide to Calypso, who hesitated only for a moment before pulling the goddess into an embrace. In the cold night, her arms felt like being dipped into the sun... and just for a moment, she thought she caught a whiff of rose petals.

"You are aromantic, aren't you?" Aphrodite murmured.

Calypso laughed into her shoulder. Relief bubbled up inside of her. Someone had finally, FINALLY gotten it right. 

"So there's a word for it now? About time."

"About time," the goddess agreed. They sat like that for a moment before Aphrodite pulled away. "Now... I think it's time to get to work on breaking this curse, isn't it?"

Calypso's heart started beating faster underneath her chest, and she pressed a hand to it to calm it down. Had she misheard the goddess? It sounded like she had said... "H... how? I thought it was impossible." Don't hope. Don't wish. Just look for the facts.

Aphrodite stood, brushing off her dress (although of course, there was no dirt on it). "It wasn't. The curse can't be broken... but it can be altered. 'When she falls in love with a hero, they will leave her.'  You truly do love all of these heroes, don't you? Even the difficult ones."

Of course. Calypso didn't dare to breathe.

As if reading her mind, Aphrodite beamed. She snapped her fingers. "Then I'll see what I can do."

"Wait!" Calypso held out a hand.  'If she falls in love with a hero, they will leave her.'  "Does that mean..." I'll be alone on the island again?

Aphrodite seemed to catch on. She pursed her lips. 

"The gods are stubborn. They don't like to admit their wrongdoing. But I swear to you, I will find a way to save you." She tenderly cupped Calypso's cheek in her hand. "You have more than redeemed yourself in my eyes."

Calypso still didn't believe she had anything to be redeemed for, but she stayed silent, sensing that voicing that opinion would not be a good move.

"I'll be back soon, love," Aphrodite purred. 

Without another word, she disappeared into a flurry of rose petals and wind. The world seemed to let out a sigh- everything felt a little more shabby when Aphrodite was gone. 

And Calypso collapsed onto her bed, mind swirling with thoughts.

Was it really true? Was it even possible? After all this time... she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

On quiet feet, she slipped down the hallways and into Odysseus' room. Luckily, he had a lower bunk. She shook him awake and pulled him away before he could protest, somewhere where they could talk privately. Heroes were light sleepers, after all. 

She didn't want to get his hopes up but... this was beyond what they could have ever imagined.

"You might want to sit down for this one."

By the time she finished telling him what had happened, tears were rolling down his face. "So... I could see Penelope again?" he whispered. His voice caught on her name. "Would she even still love me? So much time has passed..."

"Time passes differently here. What seems like years could be only months in the outside world."

He nodded, stunned. "And I thought I would be here forever."

"Honestly? Me too."

He pulled her into a crushing hug, and she squeezed back. Twice in one night... Calypso wasn't usually a touchy-feely person, but this was nice.

"Thank you," he said softly. "For everything."

She swallowed down the tears. "Of course. Just..." She felt the need to lighten the mood. "I know it's your schtick and all, but if you cheat on Penelope AGAIN when you get out of here-"

He smiled. "WHEN I get out of here... I'm never leaving her side again."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment.

"Although it wasn't really my fault that all of those attractive ladies kept throwing themselves at me-"

Calypso shoved him. "You just had to ruin it, didn't you?"

"It was a joke!" His shoulders shook with laughter, and she shoved a pillow in his face to muffle it. 

They laid there in comfortable silence for a moment, before a solemn look passed along his face. "Calypso... you're going to be free someday, too."

She rubbed her eyes, exhaustion suddenly catching up to her. Too much emotional vulnerability for one day. "I hope so."

"I know so. And when you do, come visit, okay?"

His voice pitched up anxiously. For someone who had traveled the world slaying monsters, he acted a lot like a child sometimes. Her heart melted. She poked him.

"Of course, dumbass. Now go to sleep."

He relaxed, seemingly satisfied, and laid his head on her shoulder.

"I meant in your be-" 

She was interrupted by a loud snore. He was out cold. Calypso shook her head and stared down fondly at Odysseus. Her first friend on the island. Her best friend. Her family, in some strange way. 

Who had passed out cold and was currently drooling on her shoulder. She shook her head. That doofus.

She was going to miss him.

I should get some sleep too. If what Aphrodite said is true... we're gonna have a busy day tomorrow.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on Odysseus' shoulder.

Aromantic, huh? I like the sound of that.

And smiling faintly, she slipped into sleep.