the-heroes-of-olympus-04-the-house-of-hades-rick-riordan-1

“Now all you need is a boat.”He tried to read her expression. He wasn’t sure if she was annoyed that he was still here, orwistful that she wasn’t leaving too. Then he looked at all the supplies she’d stacked up—easilyenough for two people for several days.“What Gaea said…” He hesitated. “About you getting off this island. Would you want to try it?”She scowled. “What do you mean?”“Well…I’m not saying it would be fun having you along, always complaining and glaring at meand stuff. But I suppose I could stand it, if you wanted to try.”Her expression softened just a little.“How noble,” she muttered. “But no, Leo. If I tried to come with you, your tiny chance of escapewould be no chance at all. The gods have placed ancient magic on this island to keep me here. A herocan leave. I cannot. The most important thing is getting you free so you can stop Gaea. Not that I carewhat happens to you,” she added quickly. “But the world’s fate is at stake.”“Why would you care about that?” he asked. “I mean, after being away from the world for solong?”She arched her eyebrows, as if surprised that he’d asked a sensible question. “I suppose I don’tlike being told what to do—by Gaea or anyone else. As much as I hate the gods sometimes, over thepast three millennia I’ve come to see that they’re better than the Titans. They’re definitely better thanthe giants. At least the gods kept in touch. Hermes has always been kind to me. And your father,Hephaestus, has often visited. He is a good person.”Leo wasn’t sure what to make of her faraway tone. She almost sounded like she was ponderinghis worth, not his dad’s.She reached out and closed his mouth. He hadn’t realized it was hanging open.“Now,” Calypso said, “how can I help?”“Oh.” He stared down at his project, but when he spoke, he blurted out an idea that had beenforming ever since Calypso made his new clothes. “You know that flameproof cloth? You think youcould make me a little bag of that fabric?”He described the dimensions. Calypso waved her hand impatiently. “That will only take minutes.Will it help on your quest?”“Yeah. It might save a life. And, um, could you chip off a little piece of crystal from your cave? Idon’t need much.”She frowned. “That’s an odd request.”“Humor me.”“All right. Consider it done. I’ll make the fireproof pouch tonight at the loom, when I’ve cleanedup. But what can I do now, while my hands are dirty?”She held up her calloused, grimy fingers. Leo couldn’t help thinking there was nothing hotterthan a girl who didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. But of course, that was just a general comment.Didn’t apply to Calypso. Obviously.“Well,” he said, “you could twist some more bronze coils. But that’s kind of specialized—”She pushed in next to him on the bench and began to work, her hands braiding the bronze wiringfaster than he could have. “Just like weaving,” she said. “This isn’t so hard.”