The Cult of Dionysus

Apollo

The demigods have to take numbers. 

Nico commandeers a dispenser from the snack bar and carries it around, yelling, "The line starts to the left! Orderly queue, guys!"

"Is this really necessary?" Leo asks.

"Yes," says Miranda Gardiner, who drew the first number. She punches Leo in the arm.

"Ow," says Leo.

"You're a jerk, and we all hate you," says Miranda. Then she hugs him and kisses his cheek. "If you ever disappear like that again, we'll line up to kill you."

"Okay, okay!"

Miranda has to move on, because the line is getting pretty long behind her. Percy and I sit at the picnic table with Leo and his companion—none other than the immortal sorceress Calypso. Even though Leo is the one getting punched by everyone in camp, I'm reasonably sure he's the least uncomfortable one at the table.

When they first saw each other, Percy and Calypso hugged awkwardly. I hadn't witnessed such a tense greeting since Patroclus met Achilles's war prize, Briseis. (Long story. Juicy gossip. Ask me later.) Calypso never liked me, so she pointedly ignores me, but I keep waiting for her to yell "BOO!" and turn me into a tree frog. The suspense is killing me.

Percy hugs Leo and doesn't even punch him. Still, the son of Poseidon looks disgruntled.

"I can't believe it," he says. "Six months—"

"I told you," Leo says. "We tried sending more holographic scrolls. We tried Iris messages, dream visions, phone calls. Nothing worked.—Ow! Hey, Alice, how you doing?—Anyway, we ran into one crisis after another."

Calypso nods. "Albania was particularly difficult."

"So..." Leo looks agitated. "Where's Calli? I thought she'd be first in line to give me a good slap."

The entire camp freezes at the mention of her name. I've heard of monsters and gods having powerful names, but a demigod? Based on their reactions, I don't question it.

Percy's face darkens. "Um, I actually wanted to talk to you about that more in private. She's not here."

Leo pales. "Where is she?"

I exchange a look with Percy. He shrugs. "We don't exactly know. She told everyone she was going to Camp Jupiter. But she never arrived."

Leo lets out a squeak. "You mean she might be dead?"

"We thought that at first, but just now, before you showed up, she sent us an Iris-message."

The entire camp is hanging onto Percy's words like they're gospel. He looks around uncomfortably before he continues. "She's alive. Chiron thinks she's in Miami."

"Of course she's in Miami." Leo raises his eyebrows. "You know she's from there, right?"

"Yeah." Percy nods. "Except every time we send someone to look for her, they don't come back."

"Fun." Leo looks completely distraught for a moment, before perking up. "Well, I'm sure she'll be happy to see me! Can we call her up? Maybe a nice FaceTime?"

Percy shakes his head. "No one can get in touch with her. That Iris-message was the first time we've heard or seen anything from her in six months."

Leo looks like he wants to upchuck. He takes a deep breath. "Okay. Well, we've got to go find her."

"Agreed." Percy nods.

The tension in the air is almost palpable. I notice Calypso is sitting silently, watching the conversation between the two boys with narrowed eyes. 

From down the line, Nico di Angelo breaks the tension. "Okay, who's next, folks? One line."

Damien White punches Leo's arm and walks away grinning. I'm not sure Damien even knows Leo. He simply can't seem to turn down a chance to punch someone. 

Leo rubs his bicep. "Hey, no fair. That guy's getting back in the line. So, like I was saying, if Festus hadn't picked up on that homing beacon yesterday, we'd still be flying around, looking for a way out of the Sea of Monsters."

"Oh, I hate that place," Percy says. "There's this big Cyclops, Polyphemus—"

"I know, right?" Leo agrees. "What is up with that guy's breath?"

"Boys," Calypso says, "perhaps we should focus on the present?"

She does not look at me, but I get the impression she means this silly former god and his problems.

"Yeah," Percy says. "So the communication issues...Rachel Dare thinks it's got something to do with this company, Triumvirate."

Rachel herself went to the Big House to fetch Chiron, but Percy does a reasonable job summarizing what she found out about the emperors and their evil corporation. Of course, we don't know very much. By the time six more people have punched Leo in the arm, Percy has brought Leo and Calypso up to speed.

Leo rubs his new bruises. "Man, why does it not surprise me that modern corporations are run by zombie Roman emperors?"

"They are not zombies," I said. "And I'm not sure they run all corporations—"

Leo waves away my explanation. "But they're trying to take over the Oracles."

"Yes," I agree.

"And that's bad."

"Very."

"So you need our help.—Ow! Hey, Sherman. Where'd you get the new scar, dude?"

While Sherman tells Leo the story of Crotch-Kicker McCaffrey and the Demon Peach Baby, I glance at Calypso.

She looks very different from what I remember. Her hair is still long and caramel brown. Her almond-shaped eyes are still dark and intelligent. But now, instead of a chiton she wears modern jeans, a white blouse, and a shocking-pink ski jacket. She looks younger—about my mortal age. I wonder if she has been punished with mortality for leaving her enchanted island. If so, it doesn't seem fair that she has retained her otherworldly beauty. She has neither flab nor acne.

As I watch, she stretches two fingers toward the opposite end of the picnic table, where a pitcher of lemonade sweats in the sunlight. I've seen her do this sort of thing before, willing her invisible aerial servants to whisk objects into her hands. This time, nothing happens.

A look of disappointment crosses her face. Then she realizes I'm watching. Her cheeks color.

"Since leaving Ogygia, I have no powers," she admits. "I am fully mortal. I keep hoping, but—"

"You want a drink?" Percy asks.

I didn't expect to feel sympathy for Calypso. We had harsh words in the past. A few millennia ago, I opposed her petition for early release from Ogygia because of some...ah, drama between us. (Long story. Juicy gossip. Please do not ask me later.)

Still, as a fallen god, I understand how disconcerting it is to be without one's powers.

On the other hand, I'm relieved. This means she can't turn me into a tree frog or order her aerial servants to toss me off the Athena Parthenos.

"Here you go." Percy hands her a glass of lemonade. 

Leo's expression seems darker and more anxious, as if...Ah, of course. Leo rescued Calypso from her prison island. In doing so, Calypso has lost her powers. Leo feels responsible.

Calypso smiles, though her eyes are still touched by melancholy. "Thank you."

"Ow!" Leo exclaims. 

It's Harley's turn. The little boy punches Leo, then throws his arms around him and breaks down sobbing.

"Hey, brother." Leo ruffles his hair and has the good sense to look ashamed. "You brought me home with that beacon of yours, H-Meister. You're a hero! You know I never would've left you hanging like that on purpose, don't you?"

Harley wails and sniffles and nods. Then he punches Leo again and runs away. Leo looks like he's about to get sick. Harley is quite strong.

"At any rate," Calypso says, "these problems with the Roman emperors—how can we help?"

I raise my eyebrows. "You will help me, then? Despite...ah, well, I always knew you were kindhearted and forgiving, Calypso. I meant to visit you at Ogygia more often—"

"Spare me." Calypso sips her lemonade. "I'll help you if Leo decides to help you, and he seems to have some affection for you. Why, I can't imagine."

I let go of the breath I've been holding for...oh, an hour. "I'm grateful. Leo Valdez, you have always been a gentleman and a genius. After all, you created the Valdezinator."

Leo grins. "I did, didn't I? I suppose that was pretty awesome. So where is this next Oracle you—Ow!"

Nyssa has made it to the front of the line. She slaps Leo, then berates him in rapid Spanish.

"Yeah, okay, okay." Leo rubs his face. "Dang, hermana, I love you, too!"

He turns his attention back to me. "So this next Oracle, you said it was where?"

Percy taps the picnic table. "Chiron and I were talking about this. He figures this triumvirate thingie...they probably divided America into three parts, with one emperor in charge of each. We know Nero is holed up in New York, so we're guessing this next Oracle is in the second dude's territory, maybe in the middle third of the U.S."

"Oh, the middle third of the U.S.!" Leo spreads his arms. "Piece of torta, then. We'll just search the entire middle of the country!"

"Still with the sarcasm," Percy notes.

"Hey, man, I've sailed with the most sarcastic scalawags on the high seas."

The two give each other a high five, though I do not quite understand why. I think about a snippet of prophecy I heard in the grove: something about Indiana. It might be a place to start...

The last person to come through the line is Chiron himself, pushed in his wheelchair by Rachel Dare. The old centaur gives Leo a warm, fatherly smile. "My boy, I am so pleased to have you back. And you freed Calypso, I see. Well done, and welcome, both of you!" Chiron spreads his arms for a hug.

"Uh, thanks, Chiron." Leo leans forward.

From underneath Chiron's lap blanket, his equine foreleg shoots out and implants a hoof in Leo's gut. Then, just as quickly, the leg disappears. "Mr. Valdez," Chiron says in the same kindly tone, "if you ever pull a stunt like that again—"

"I got it, I got it!" Leo rubs his stomach. "Dang, for a teacher, you got a heck of a high kick."

Rachel grins and wheels Chiron away. Calypso and Percy help Leo to his feet.

"Yo, Nico," Leo calls, "please tell me that's it for the physical abuse."

"For now." Nico smiles. "We're still trying to get in touch with the West Coast. You'll have a few dozen people out there who will definitely want to hit you."

Leo winces. "Yeah, that's something to look forward to. Well, I guess I'd better keep my strength up. Where do you guys eat lunch now that the Colossus stepped on the dining pavilion?"

~