Those who are lost then found

~Chuku~ ~Chuku~ ~Chuku~

The noise of the sewing machine filled the room as well as the various sounds of people chatting and a few that were arguing. I kept my eyes and mind focused on the dress I was making. A small smile formed at my lips as I pushed the fabric through the machine, and once again, I marveled at how easy it made stitching two fabrics together.

Gone were the days when it took me days to even finish one seam. With this contraption and a bit of will, I could make a dress from scratch in a day.

Happiness fills me as I witness yet another finished product come into the world just like that. Like plucking a grown fruit from a tree, a snip of a thread and a finished shirt are unveiled in front of my eyes.

Granted, this is just an ordinary, ready-to-wear shirt. The kind that can be bought at every store. Nothing special was added to it, a cheap dress all in all. But for someone like me, who has been making dresses for millennia, simple things like these bring me much satisfaction and joy. Not to mention that sometimes, our leader, or "boss," as the people of this time call them, would call on me and assign me to work on unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.

"That's already your 4th shirt done today, Callie! And it's only been 3 hours!" came a voice from beside me. I looked over and saw my co-worker and the closest friend I have made since leaving the island, my island, Megan. She was a woman who looks to be a few years my senior, about 5 years based on looks alone, if we disregard my actual age. I met her at a diner after arriving in this state a few months after leaving the Greek camp and Leo.

She was also the one to get me this job, so I am truly thankful to her.

"Slow down, will you! You'll end up making us look like we're lazy!" Oliver complained from across from us. The only male in the room, though I couldn't really call him that, given that he's also attracted to boys. Not that I minded that; it was just a surprise to discover how accepting the world is to people like him or her, according to what the media are pushing about pronouns and some other things I really don't understand yet.

"Don't blame her! It's not her fault she's just that good!" I smiled at Megan as she defended me. "It's okay, Megan, I don't mind. Oliver was just venting, right?" I turned to look at Oliver and saw him look away, and I knew right away. He and his boyfriend were fighting again. Something that has been happening over and over since I started working here.

I wanted to say something about that, but I was beaten to it by Kathy, the oldest one in our small team of workers. "It's not okay, Callie. Just because he's in a bad mood doesn't mean he can blow up on you!" She scolded Oliver like a mother would. At least I think that was how a mother would scold her child, having never been scolded or raised by a mother.

Seeing the scene made the old longing for a family come into the forefront of my mind. My chest clenched with an intense feeling of envy for something I was never granted, having been made captive on that island since I was young.

"Callie, hey! Sorry, I didn't mean to blow up on you like that!" I was brought back to the present by Oliver calling out to me. I shook myself mentally, then I smiled at him, letting him know I didn't mind it. "It's okay, Oliver, I understand! If I had known you when I broke up with my ex, then I probably would have done the same to you!" I told him, earning a smile in return. "Or to Megan, now that I think about it!" I added, turning to my friend.

"By all means! Please! Trauma dump on me!" She exclaimed, pausing her work and turning to me with her hands clasped together on her chest. "You're so secretive I barely know anything about you!" She said all dramatic, making me smile wide. "So please! Tell me how Leo fumbled a girl like you!" She leaned over, her elbows on her knees as she grinned my way.

"So, Leo was his name, huh?" Oliver said, joining in. Curiosity is evident in his eyes. Soon even Kathy was looking my way, clearly waiting for me to provide them with gossip material. Or maybe they were just bored. The job we have is more monotonous than we would like to admit, and all we had to stave off the boredom was the stories we told each other. And I have been more of a listener than a sharer during those times.

"It wasn't like that; we just didn't see eye to eye anymore. And we wanted different things, and we drifted apart." I smiled sadly, remembering Leo and our breakup. It broke my heart seeing him hurt when I talked to him about me leaving, but I just couldn't see any way we could still stay together, not with the way I was feeling.

"Exactly what fumbling a girl means, Callie!" Oliver insisted, and I just shook my head. Deferring to his wisdom. "Let's say you are right, then by your logic, I also fumbled with the guy I loved before I even met Leo," I said, and then I immediately regretted it, seeing the three of them lean in like sharks smelling blood. I knew I would have to tell them at least something. But doing that would have opened me up to memories I would rather not remember. Not because it would be painful, but rather because I would be wanting and longing for them. And I knew for a fact them becoming real was an impossibility for me.

"Ohh! This is rare! Callie sharing more than what is asked of her!" Oliver immediately pounced on the fact I let slip. "What's his name? Where did you meet?" Megan followed, ever the gossip. I was thinking of a way to get out of explaining when Kathy interjected, stopping my thoughts.

"Guys! Calm down, and let Callie answer only what she's comfortable answering," she said with a smile. I was about to thank her when she opened her mouth and asked something herself, and her question was a lot more pointed than what the others asked. "You said you fumbled him. How?" I stared at her, my brows furrowed with incredulity at her question, to which she only smiled.

With no other choice, I sighed before at least telling them "His" name. "His name is Percy; I met him almost 2 years before I met Leo," I started. At this point, none of us were working, and I worried about being called out or caught by the boss, but I just shrugged it off. "Like with Leo, he came onto my home island by accident." "What do you mean?" Megan cut me off. "Both Percy and Leo washed ashore after a storm. But unlike Leo, Percy was wounded and unconscious for days after I found him," I answered to the gasp of everyone.

"Wow! You mean men just keep being brought to you!" Oliver teased, and the others giggled at his words. I smiled at him before continuing. "In a sense. Anyway, I tended to Percy while he recuperated. It took him a few days, but soon he could walk on his own again. I let him live with me, and naturally, we got close. I was falling for him, but I didn't tell him; I was afraid of being rejected," I confessed, looking down. Memories of my time with Percy flitted through my mind as I felt myself smile at them.

"And then, after 2 weeks together, he was picked up, and before he left, I confessed. I asked him to stay with me. I saw how conflicted he was by my offer. But I also knew he wouldn't have stayed with me." "Why wouldn't he?" Kathy asked suddenly, and I gave her what I knew to be a sad smile. "Because, at the time, he was in love with someone else." Admitting that made me feel that familiar stab in my chest. The one that made me angry with a woman I never even knew.

The one that made me curse a woman despite her not really doing anything to me.

"I'm sorry for that, Callie!" Kathy said, her voice low as she reached over and held my hand. Megan was looking at me with a soft smile, and I knew she was not pitying me; rather, she was understanding what I went through. "Thanks, but like I said, I knew he wasn't going to stay. It was just a last-ditch effort on my part," I told all of them, and they all smiled back.

"I knew Percy felt something for me as well. Unfortunately, his feelings for the girl he left behind won over mine, so he left, and I was left behind." A single tear dropped from my eyes, and I hurried to wipe it. Not wanting to seem like a love-struck fool.

"For a long time, I suffered from the loss of Percy, even after Leo came to my island." Now I was smiling from the memories of my time with Leo. "I was actually very rude to Leo when he came and lived on the island. I was holding on to the feelings for Percy, and it didn't help that he was very different from Percy," I shared, and I could see Megan thinking through what I just said. "How were they different?" Oliver asked, and I remembered that I never showed them what Leo or Percy looked like.

I was reluctant at first, but now I figure, why not share with them?

"Leo was younger than me. He was shorter and was thin for a boy his age." I began with a little lie about our age gap. Something I have no choice but to lie about, seeing as every living person on earth right now is younger than me. I am even older than some of the gods, so there is not really any choice there.

"I was very rude to him at the start since I was still holding on to my feelings for Percy, and it didn't help that he knew of him." I could see Oliver about to speak, so I cut him off quickly. "No, they weren't friends, at least not at that time. Actually, Leo had only ever heard of Percy during that time, and I took out the negative feeling I have from being rejected on him."

"But you still fell for him?" Magen finally asked, and I nodded. It was the truth, and I felt no shame in admitting it.

"Now, Percy, on the other hand, was tall, fit for a 14-year-old. His face was like one of those young models on magazines, and he had this smile that just put you at ease." The smile I felt blossom on my face was one that was softer and more relaxed. "He was also very caring and kind. During his time with me, he would go with me and help me in my garden or just take me for walks on the beach." I was smiling so wide now I felt my cheeks stretch.

"We would talk about everything, and I really fell for him as he showered me with care and attention for the 2 weeks we were together."

"Wow! He seems like a great guy!" Oliver uttered, eyes wide as I turned to look at him, and I saw the same look on his face from the other girls at camp when I arrived there after being picked up by Leo. Awe and worship for Percy.

"He was, for women like me, those who fell for him, he was the greatest," I confessed, for that was the simple truth. A man who gave up godhood for a woman who at the time wasn't even his girlfriend and for the better treatment of his fellow demigods. He was simply the greatest.

"Did I mention he was also the most handsome man I have ever seen?" I added. "Oh? Do tell!" Megan sat up and leaned towards me, excitement shining through her eyes.

"The first thing you'll notice with Percy is his eyes! The color of the sea, they seem to draw you in, and the longer you look in them, the further you fall into his spell until you're drowning in them!" I shared, remembering the first time I saw his eyes. I was taken aback at first, then I was captured by them.

"He has a cute nose and sharp jaw and high cheekbones. His hair was always windswept and mussed up, like he had just woken up," I continued. "The second thing you'll notice is his smile. It was comforting yet had that teasing, mischievous feel to it. He has been branded as a troublemaker because of it, and as a woman, I know that most of the girls that he smiled at with that smile thought he was worth the trouble he would bring into their lives! I certainly thought of that when he was with me." I smiled again, remembering his smile.

"So with all that, I would say that Leo and Percy had almost nothing in common when I met them," I ended and grabbed my water bottle for a sip; I had been talking for a long time after all. After taking a drink, I looked at the three and saw them all still looking at me, as if waiting for me to continue. I returned their stare, intending to say that I was done now.

"And you never met him again?" Megan asked finally after a while. I shook my head in reply. "When I went with Leo when he left the island, he took me to his home, and I found out that it was the same place where Percy grew up." "Oh wow!" Megan exclaimed dramatically, hands over her mouth and eyes wide. I grinned at her before continuing.

"Yes, Leo moved there before he ended up on the island. Anyway, when we arrived, I thought I could see Percy again, but unfortunately, he had already left the place, and nobody knew where he moved," I said sadly. "That's so sad," Megan said, reaching over and taking my hand in hers. "It was. What was sadder is that I met the woman he left me for, and I learned that she betrayed him; that's why he left!"

Everyone gasped at that, and I shared their sentiment. When I learned about what she did to Percy. I almost attacked her, and if I had still retained my powers, she would have been dead by now. I still feel some hatred for Annabeth for what she did, but I deferred to Percy in that regard. The campers let me know that he didn't want anything done to her, and like the leader that he is, his words were followed to the letter.

"What did she do? Did she cheat on him?" Megan, sensing something juicy, asked, but I didn't want to go down that rabbit hole, so I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about that." She pouted, but I held firm. It wasn't my story to tell, and I didn't want to dwell on what she did.

"So yes, I haven't seen Percy since he left my island. And I also didn't really go looking for him. I was with Leo back then, and I didn't want to be that kind of woman, you know," I explained, and they all nodded. "Still, I was disappointed with not being able to meet him again. I would have loved to have seen and talked with him one last time." I looked out the small window of our shop, dreaming of a man that has disappeared from my life.

"Wow! What's happening here? All four of you are just sitting around and not working!" A loud voice yelled from the door, and we all turned to look and saw our boss, Miss Larissa, coming in from the shop front. Her tone was hard, but she was sporting a smile on her face, so I relaxed. Having worked here for some time, I knew she wasn't really mad at us.

"Sorry, boss!" Kathy smiled as she apologized for us and pushed her chair back to her station. "We were just talking for a bit," Oliver followed her as he said this.

"Callie was done with 4, and she was sharing her past! We kind of just got curious!" Megan said as she turned and continued with the shirt still on the machine on her table. Soon, the room was once again filled with the sounds of sewing machines working.

I was about to start on a new piece when Larissa walked up to me and stopped by the side of my station. I looked up at her to see her smiling. "Callie, can you come with me for a bit?" I nodded and stood up to follow her out. "Ohh! Someone's in trouble!" Megan taunted as I was led out of the workshop. I glared at her playfully as I walked past.

Out in the shopfront, Larissa led me to the table where she deals with customers. "Sit," she said, pointing to a chair in front of her own. She sat down as well, and I waited for her to tell me what it was she called me for. She reached into a file holder on a shelf beside the table and pulled out a folder, placing it on the table between us.

"You've been working with us for a while now, Callie, and I have to say, I am very happy with your work!" she started, her words filling me with pride and joy. I felt my face flush from the compliment, so I just nodded, accepting her praise. "Because of that, I would like for you to take a new project," she added, her words hopeful and excited.

"A new project?" I clarified.

"Yes, and I would like for you to be the one to work on it!" She confirmed as she passed the folder to me. I took it and opened it to reveal several pages of paper with designs drawn on them. "Oh my!" I gasped as I saw the designs for a very beautiful wedding gown drawn on it. It was gorgeous, glamorous, and divine. With flowing lines and not-so-subtle curves, a picture of immaculate and demure beauty. Perfect for standing before the gods and swearing forever with the one a person chooses.

"This is—" Words failed me, and I couldn't find the right ones to properly describe just how beautiful the dress drawn on is. It is what I would like to wear if I ever get married. Larissa grinned at how impressed I am with this design, like she knew I was going to react the way I did. "Stunning, right?" I nodded in answer; there was simply no other way to describe it other than that. Or maybe there is, and I am simply too stunned to find the correct words.

"This is the newest order for us. It's going to be for a wedding of a woman from a very wealthy family." She started to explain, taking a page from in front of me. She looked at it with wide, appreciative eyes, like I am doing. "I've seen your work, and I'm sure you've got what it takes to bring this design to reality!" She looked at me with confidence in my abilities, and I couldn't help but smile back, matching her belief in me.

"I will do my best! I promise I won't let you down!" I expressed, promising my best effort to realize this project. "I know you will, though I have to remind you to be extra careful of this part." Her smile was still present when she pointed to a part of the skirt. I studied the part that was concerning her, and I saw that she was pointing to the embroidery on the fabric.

I understood her concern, as even with the technology we are using today, such delicate and intricate designs would be a nightmare to produce. Not for me, though; the thousands of years I had under my belt creating even more elaborate designs than this one would make this a challenge for me, not an impossibility.

"I see, but don't worry, I've done far more difficult embroidery in the past than this one. It won't be a problem for me," I told her confidently, and she looked at me for a moment, studying me closely. She nodded when she saw the confidence in me, sighing in relief. "It would be time-consuming, though. How long do we have for this?" I asked, already planning on how I was going to approach this.

"They gave us 4-5 months to finish our part," she answered, and I nodded; that was enough time for me to finish everything. I paused and looked up at her, catching the end part of her answer. "Our part?" I clarified, confused as to why she would add that. I looked at her, tilting my head as I waited for her to explain. She reached for the folder again and pulled a sheet that was turned over. She flipped it, and on it was a printed image of the wedding dress, and seeing it made my jaw drop.

"As you can see here, it won't just be embroidery that will be put on the dress," she pointed out. I saw on the printed design what seem to be jewels and gemstones of all kinds sewn into the dress. Almost all of the dress was embroidered with jewels and shiny stones. I just knew it would reflect the light and sparkle like the stars themselves were trapped within them.

It reminded me of the primordial goddess Nyx, the one time I saw her so long ago. How her gown glittered with the light of the stars as she walked on the shore to speak with my uncle before he killed his father, the Primordial of the Sky. Only hers was really made of the fabric of the night sky littered with the stars, while this was not. But it was still very similar.

"We will be working with someone else for this, and the customers are the ones who will be bringing in the jeweler who will finish it." It took me some time to respond. I looked down on the design again and had to admit that I wouldn't be able to do justice to it if I were to insist on doing everything myself.

"I understand; I hope they bring in someone competent. I wouldn't want someone subpar to work with," I said, accepting the situation for what it is. "They assured me that they are negotiating with one of the best jewelry makers in the world right now." I nodded again, but I would hope for judgment on that. "We'll have to see. For now, do we have the fabric needed for this? It would have to be specially made to order. Or are we making it ourselves?"

We spent the next hour planning and discussing the details of this job, as well as what will be done to my regular tasks. It was decided that I would spend the first 2 hours of my shift on helping with the mass-ordered shirts, making the most I could during that time. And then I would focus on this project for the next 2 months until that contract for the shirts is done. After that, I will focus on nothing else but the wedding dress. She also told me I am free to ask for help from the others if needed, which I am thankful for.

I went back to the workshop after our discussion and was immediately flooded with questions by the others. I did my best to share the news with them even though I didn't have the designs with me. I promised to let them help, telling them that I would need it eventually. We carried on with our jobs for the rest of the day and then went back to our own homes after work.

The apartment I was renting was pretty close by, just a short 15-minute walk from the shop. It was a simple 1-bedroom apartment with a small kitchen and living room. A small window facing the east allowed much sunlight to come in in the morning as the only source of natural wind. A far cry from the life I once had on the island, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Out here I was free; I had a job and friends I could spend all day talking to. Out here I could go and explore places I could only ever dream of back on the island. But most importantly, out here I have a choice.

The choice of how to live my life.

The choice of who to be.

And the choice of whom to love.

That's not to say that I didn't love the people who came to my island. The curse made sure that I fell for them. But it also ensured that I didn't now fall for them. The choice to fall or not was taken from me when I was there, after all.

And that was the crux of the matter, the reason as to why Leo and I didn't work out in the end. I wanted to stay in love with him; truly, I did. But from the moment I left the island, the moment the war ended, my feelings for him diminished with every day that passed. I told myself that it was okay at first, that I would grow to love him again as we go through life together. That I would find it within me to fall for him, to grow attracted to him and his personality. But as the days went by, I only grew to learn things about Leo that pushed me away rather than bringing us closer. We were two very different people, and I didn't see any way for us to stay with each other.

I asked for advice from the others in camp, but even with them, Leo and I drifted apart. The last-ditch effort we did was me distancing myself from him and camp for a time. I went to a mortal high school and worked at a camp for a few months, thinking that would help us. But alas, it didn't; all it did was widen the gap between us.

That was what pushed me to end the relationship. I hated that I needed to do that to him. I felt like I was doing the same things done to me back when I was still on the island, and I was being rejected repeatedly by the men I offered everything I had to. I broke my heart to see Leo cry as I told him of my decision to leave. He tried to beg, to promise he would change, the same things I did back to the men that ended up on my island.

But in the end, I stuck to my decision. I left the camp and New York altogether. With help from Chiron and Lord Dionysus, I ended up with enough resources to finally start living for myself. A conversation with the current Oracle, Rachel, pointed me to this place that was quite far from the Greek camp, and although it placed me nearer the Roman camp, it was still a few states away.

Thinking of the Roman camp made me remember something from my time at Camp Half-Blood. Something about a plan Percy made for him and Annabeth after the war with the giants. Something he looked forward to during the time he was there. Something that didn't get to be true as Annabeth's betrayal came to light.

I remember being so angry with Annabeth when I was told of Percy's plan for them to live at the Roman camp after high school, to go to college there and earn their education. And his plan of living and raising a family with her in the Roman city, a safe place for people like them who are constantly hunted by the monsters of our world.

Such a beautiful dream he had, and she had to throw it away.

I shook my head to get rid of the irritation I started to feel yet again for the foolish daughter of Athena. She had all I wanted and wasted it due to her pride.

Remembering that also made my thought go back to Percy. And as I went inside my room and lay down on my bed to rest after a day of work, my mind went back to the time I spent with him. To be fair with all the men that found my island and stayed for a while. Percy's stay with me was the shortest, a mere 2 weeks compared to the others like Odysseus, who stayed for 7 years. And yet he left the largest imprint in my heart. Larger than even Leo's, the man who came back and took me away from that island.

His care for me is what made the biggest impression in my heart and mind. From the moment he opened his eyes, aside from the initial confusion and wariness, he took me as a friend and treated me as such. And his care and affection didn't come with any other motive other than heartfelt affection.

He didn't see me as an enemy that trapped him here or someone he could use to pass the time with. He wasn't in a rush to get rid of me, but that was more the curse than anything else. And he was also very interested in me for me. He listened to me when I talked about my past, my plants, and anything else I could talk to him about. He listened and didn't judge, and I loved him all the more for it.

Even when it came time for him to leave, he still showed his concern for me and even tried to console me by saying that he would like to visit again. That fact made me feel disgusted with myself when I learned of what he went through down in the depths of the pit. How he suffered because of the curses I laid on him and that bitch Annabeth. I wanted to track him down and apologize back then, and when I learned that he is nowhere to be found due to Annabeth's doing, any regret I had for her suffering in the pit vanished.

It took me a while to be able to be in the same place as her without me antagonizing her, and if I still had control over my powers, I would have done something that would have landed me in hot water with her mother.

Sigh.

Heaving a heavy sigh, I pushed myself up from my bed and headed to the showers to clean up before bed. And as I stepped through the door, I couldn't help but think of how Leo and Percy are doing now. Are you doing well? Are they happy and living the best they can?

The two men that now occupy my mind flitted across my mind. And as the water fell all around me, one name and face overpowered the other in my mind.

A smiling face with sea-green eyes.

A man named Percy Jackson.