114 Chapter 114: Freedom
Island of Ogygia, Mediterranean Sea
August 29th, 1228 - Monday
–
"So, Cali, what do you think of Erik?"
Selena asked, dropping the bomb on Calypso. The goddess got alarmed by that question and tried to hide her emotions.
"Erik is a nice guy."
Calypso replied like she had misunderstood Selena's question. Selena giggled at that.
"Come on, Cali. You know what I meant. You have some feelings for Erik."
Salena said to Calypso, who was making a poor excuse in hiding her emotion at the moment.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about."
Calypso said again and Selena giggled at that.
"Cali, do you really think that if I would not be ok with that I would be asking you?"
Selena asked Calypso, who stood in silence for a time thinking about what she had just heard. After a time, she let out a sigh.
*sigh*
Calypso then looks to the sky before replying to Selena.
"I don't really know, Sally. Erik is a wonderful man. I could see that in the little time that I know you all. But, I don't know if I like him like that."
Calypso replied to Selena, omitting a 'yet' at the end of her answer. Unfortunately for her, it was Selena that she was talking with. The witch had decades of experience with teenagers and knew when someone was not teççing everything to her. Selena smiled at that reply.
"You know, I would be really happy if you joined us… Be it temporary or in a more permanent venue."
Selena said to Calypso. The goddess's heart beat with more strength after hearing that. But hen, reality hit her hard.
"That would be nice. But I doubt that those pricks would let me go."
Calypso replied to Selena, who let out a laugh.
"Dear, you really don't know Erik yet. Right now, I could bet with you that he is probably thinking of a way to give back to you your freedom."
Selena said to Calypso.
"You don't understand…"
Calypso started saying but was interrupted by Selena.
"It is you that do not understand, Cali. Erik has one of the most ingenious minds that I had ever seen. Even my mother admitted that, and she was someone known for her wit."
Selena said to Calypso, lighting up the fire of hope inside her. But she still was resigned.
"They would never let me go… Thousands of years ago I made the mistake, that I don't regret, of trying to help my father, that titan Atlas. And now I am imprisoned here for that."
Calypso said, making Selena giggle.
"Tell Cali, how long has it been since you last had a visitor?"
Selena asked Calypso but didn't need an answer.
"Do you really think that they would come here again? Erik Ravenclaw, one of the newest powerhouses of the supernatural world, together with Serafall Leviathan, one of the Satans from the Underworld, have been on this island for two days already and they didn't send anyone to check. It is sad to say this, but they do not care."
Selena said, presenting the hard facts to Calypso.
"And I already told you, Erik will think about something. You will be leaving this island with us."
Selena said to Calypso, whose eyes were getting full of tears again. They were making that promise to her again. She should not believe in it anymore, but this one was different in some way. They were not promising to come back for her, but to not leave without her. It was a different wording, but one that changed everything for her. Calypso turned in Selena's lap to face her newest and dearest friend. She then did what any emotional would do at that point. She hugged Selena and started to cry again in the woman's lap.
Later that day, during dinner that had the presence of Serafall again, Erik confirmed to Calypso what Selena had said to her earlier that day.
"Oh yeah. I almost forgot to say. Calypso, I'm working on a live decoy for you."
Erik said like it was nothing and went back to eat his dinner. Calypso looked at him with wide eyes. Selena then giggled and slapped Erik's arms.
"Dear, don't drop a bomb like that on her. At least explain things right."
Selena said to Erik, and he did.
"Well, the live decoy that I am making will take a hundredth of your current energy and store inside it. It will then replicate your life signal. To anyone sensing if you are still on the island, it will look like you are still here while in the truth, you will be traveling around the world with us. And you don't have to worry about being discovered outside either, we have that covered."
Erik explained to Calypso, who at the end of his words, started balling her eyes out again. Selena and Serafall smiled at that and got up to hug their friend. It had taken some time for Calypto to calm down, and when she did, she slept on Serafall's bosom. The Satan took the teen-looking goddess on her arms, unruffled her wings, and gently took the flight to where Calypso's 'cave-room' was.
–
Three days later, Erik called Calypso to the beach after dinner and presented to her what he had come up with. It was an artifact that strongly resembled an egg. It had around thirty centimeters of height and was white. An opaque white. The only difference with a real egg was that it was made entirely of some kind of crystalline material instead of calcium.
"Tonight, when you go to bed, you will take the egg with you and keep it in your bed with you. It will take some of your energy and start generating the decoy life signal the moment that you are away from it."
Erik said to Calypso, who was looking at the egg with wide eyes. Then, when she saw that Erik had finished explaining what she needed to do, Calypso jumped at Erik and hugged him like a koala bear.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Calypso repeatedly said to Erik. It was then that she saw the position that she was but, before she could let go of Erik, she felt another two other bodies hugging Erik and her together. It was Selena and Serafall.
"Isn't that wonderful, Cali?"
Serafall said with mischievous eyes and a gentle smile. A true Devil she was to manage to pull that combination.
"Right? Now Cali can travel with us."
Selena said, not hiding her smirk. Which made no difference since Calypso didn't have eyes at the back of her head. The two women had 'trapped' her between them and Erik. A true Calypso's sandwich.
After they let her go, Calypso took the egg and bolted back to her room cave. The extra time that she had spent in contact with Erik had some effects on her. Calypso was now all hot and bothered, and needed some privacy to take care of it. She didn't see it, but Selena and Serafall were snickering at her state when she left.
The next day, when Calypso woke up from her sleep after having tired herself at night, she stood looking gobsmacked at the crystalline egg in her bed. To her senses, it appeared that she had another person in the bed with her. A person that would feel just like her if her senses were developed well enough. A smile appeared on Calypso's face and she happily walked out of her cave-room while humming a song. When she encountered her friends for breakfast, her good mood had not diminished at all.
"It seems that someone had a good night~"
Serafall said teasingly when she saw Calypso. The goddess just smiled widely at her friend before answering.
"It was good, but the true happiness I got this morning. The artifact that Erik made worked perfectly."
Calypso said while closing her eyes and sensing that there was a life signal on her cave-room right now.
"About that…"
Erik said suddenly, making Calypso open her eyes and look at him.
"You fled before I could finish explaining the artifact yesterday."
Erik said, making Calypso blush and Selena and Serafall snicker.
"You will need to come back to the Island once each ten years or so to recharge the Artifact with your energy."
Erik said, making Calypso let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.
"Dear, don't do that with Cali. I bet that she thought that it was something difficult to do or that she had done something wrong."
Selena said after sipping her tea. Erik then nodded his head to her and took something from one of his pockets.
"Sorry about that, Calypso. And you fled before I could give you this too."
Erik said and opened his hand. In it, was a very small, thin, and metallic-looking snake that could not be longer than seven centimeters. Calypso looked at the small creature with curiosity in her eyes. She had never seen any animal like that. Calypso slowly extended her hand to it. When it was close to the little snake, she looked at Erik's face and silently asked for confirmation that she could touch it. Erik nodded his head to Calypso, and the goddess went for it. Calypso slowly petted the little snake with her finger and let it climb in her hand when she offered her palm to it.
"Now, don't be alarmed with what will happen next."
Erik said to Calypso, who looked at him with confusion on her face. Suddenly, she felt a prick in her hand.
"Ouch."
She said and looked at her hand. The little snake was nowhere to be seen. The only thing new in her hand was a metallic ring that had some scales pattern that now adorned her little finger. She looked at the 'new ring' on her finger and then looked at Erik. The man was smiling at her.
"I told you to not be alarmed."
Erik said to Calypso.
"Where did the little snake go? Why did it bite me? And what is this ring?"
Calypso said quickly, throwing those questions at Erik. The man smiled before answering all of them.
"The little snake is the ring around your little finger. It bit you to take a drop of your blood and bond to you, so it could work better. The snake ring is what will hide your presence outside this island. While you are wearing it, to anyone sensing you, you will appear to be a normal human."
Erik said and showed her his own ring. Calypso then looked at Selena and then at Serafall. Both women showed her their rings on their little fingers. Of course, Calypso had noticed the other ring beside the snake one. It was their wedding rings.
–
Island of Ogygia, Mediterranean Sea
September 3rd, 1228 - Sunday
–
Another two days later and Calypso was a puddle of anxiety. She had moved, with the help of Selena and Serafall, the little things that she had inside her 'cave-room' that she wanted to take with her off the island to a room inside Helena's Revenge, Her new room. Selena had promised to help her buy some new clothes during their next stops, so she didn't take too many things with her. Mostly were her adornments made of enchanted bronze or gold. Calypso was now looking the last time at the island that had been her prison and home for a very long time from the deck of Helena's Revenge.
"Cali, come inside. We need to be hidden inside the cabins while the yacht crosses the barrier."
Selena's voice came from behind her. Calypso turned, smiled at her friend, and then nodded her head in confirmation. She then followed Selena inside, until they arrived where Erik and Serafall were already waiting, the cockpit of the yacht.
"Ready to travel the world again?"
Erik asked Calypso, who eagerly nodded her head in response.
"Yes, please!"
Calypso answered, making all the other occupants of the cockpit smile.
"Then let's raise anchor and depart!"
Erik exclaimed while turning to the console that was full of switches and levers and started to flip them. They heard the noise of the anchor chains being lifted from the sea and felt the yacht slowly starting to move. Erik maneuvered the yacht expertly until it was pointing to the side contrary to the island of Ogygia.
"Any last words before we leave the island?"
Erik asked Calypso, who shook her head negatively. She had nothing to say at that moment.
"Then let's go!"
Erik said and pushed a lever by the side of the rudder. Helena's Revenge picked up speed and soon it was out of the magical barrier of Ogygia and freely sailing again on the Mediterranean Sea. Erik then set their new course on a mid-speed and turned to the girls. Calypso was fixated looking through the window. Ogygia had already disappeared from their vision due to the magical barrier and around them was only saltwater now.
"Our next destination is already set. You girls can go outside and have some fun."
Erik said to them. Calypso woke from her dream-like visage with those words and looked around. She was free. Free from her prison.
"Come, Cali. Let me show you our library. Maybe you will find something that you like there."
Selena said and got a handle of Calypso's hand and started to pull her away before the goddess could start to cry.
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