The House of Hades

I’m coming back for you, Calypso,” he said to the night wind. “I swear it on the River Styx.”

That didn’t happen, he told himself. I can’t be in love with an immortal girl. She definitely can’t be in love with me. Not possible.

She grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss, which effectively shut him up.
For all his joking and flirting, Leo had never kissed a girl be

The raft finally got here,” he said.
Calypso snorted. Her eyes might have been red, but it was hard to tell in the moonlight. “You just noticed?”
“But if it only shows up for guys you like—”
“Don’t push your luck, Leo Valdez,” she said. “I still hate you.”
“Okay.”
“And you are not coming back here,” she insisted. “So don’t give me any empty promises.”
“How about a full promise?”

Nah, we could start our own shop,” Leo said, surprising himself. Starting a machine shop had always been one of his dreams, but he’d never told anyone about it. “Leo and Calypso’s Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters.”
“Fresh fruits and vegetables,” Calypso offered.
“Cider and stew,” Leo added. “We could even provide entertainment. You could sing and I could, like, randomly burst into flames.”
Calypso laughed—a clear, happy sound that made Leo’s heart go ka-bump

“Well…how bad can it be?”
The question was so ridiculous Percy laughed, even though it hurt his lungs. “Yeah. Next date, though—dinner in New Rome.”

I’d settle for New Rome,” she offered. “As long as you’re there with me.”
Man, Annabeth was awesome. For a moment, Percy actually remembered what it was like to feel happy. He had an amazing girlfriend. They could have a future together.

Yeah,” he agreed. “Piece of cake.”
“But next time,” she said, “I want to go somewhere different on a date.”
“Paris was nice,” he recalled.

Annabeth laced her fingers through his. In the light of his bronze sword, her face was beautiful.
“We’re together,” she reminded him. “We’ll get through this.”
He’d been so worried about lifting her spirits, and here she was reassuring him.

Percy tried to think of good things to keep his spirits up—the lake at Camp Half-Blood, the time he’d kissed Annabeth underwater. He tried to imagine the two of them at New Rome together, walking through the hills and holding hands.