He Left with the Sea

(Percy Jackson and the Olympians)

The perspective of Calypso- the girl the world forgot

I sang to the sky with salt in my throat,
Wove stars into thread, built dreams from a boat.
Years fell silent on Ogygia’s shore,
Until his crash- Then silence no more.

He washed ashore like broken fate,
Like all of them do, with worlds to crave.
I stitched his wounds, I healed his brow,
Told time to hush- just stay, for now.

He smiled like dawn, like hope reborn,
He looked at me as if not sworn
To any fate but what he chose-
Oh, cruel the way the laurel grows.

He called me kind. He called me bright.
He lit a torch, then fled the light.
His hands were warm, his smile unsure,
A wanderer who touched my shore.

He spoke her name-
Annabeth.
A whisper, low.
Like every wave still pulled him so.
Annabeth.
The name was stone and flame.
A tether I could never tame.

I showed him peace, he gave me pain,
A glance, a laugh, then left again.
He swore he’d free me, but he fled,
And I was left with tears unshed.

I do not blame the girl he loves,
She fought her wars, she bled enough.
But I, the island, soft and still,
Was punished for the gods’ own will.

He was never mine to keep-
Just borrowed light, a stolen sleep.
I sent him off with fruit and song,
Knowing well he’d loved her all along.

He left. The tide reclaimed its guest.
And I became what I am best-
A story whispered, never screamed,
A paradise no hero dreamed.

I loved a ghost who loved a flame.
I never asked to play this game.
And still I wait, though hope has drowned-
The curse, not him, keeps me bound.

Let them write of quests and fame,
Of battles won in lovers’ names.
But write me down as what I am-
The moment still before the slam.

Let them smile beneath the stars,
With golden threads and battle scars.
But think of me when tempests blow-
The girl who smiled and let him go.