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Spoiler Alert!
Warning! This page contains spoilers for The Hidden Oracle. |
| “ | They send a person who can never stay. Who can never accept my offer of companionship for more than a little while. They send me a hero I can't help... just the sort of person I can't help falling in love with. | ” |
–Calypso talking to Percy about the Fates, in The Battle of the Labyrinth | ||
Calypso is the daughter of Atlas. As punishment for her support of Atlas in the First Titanomachy, she was sentenced to Ogygia, where different heroes she couldn't help but fall in love with would end up. Percy Jackson visited her when he was 14. Later on, she was rescued by Leo Valdez after the end of the Second Giant War. Once she left her island with Leo, whom she is currently in a relationship with, she gave up Titan-hood and is currently a mortal.
History
The Greek mythological Calypso is described as a lovely girl, willing to help everyone. She is the daughter of Atlas, Lord of Endurance and strength, and Tethys, also a Titan and sea goddess. She is described as being a kind and sweet 'minor goddess'. She lives in an island called "Ogygia" (pronounced oh-gee-gee-ah).
The Odyssey
Calypso is generally known and remembered for her role in Homer's Odyssey, in which she imprisons the Greek hero Odysseus in her abode, Ogygia, in order to make him her immortal husband. According to Homer, Calypso kept Odysseus in her island for seven years, until Odysseus wished to return to his wife, Penelope, the queen of Ithaca.
Calypso is much more hostile to Odysseus in the Odyssey than to Percy Jackson in The Battle of the Labyrinth. Although Odysseus is content at first with Calypso, he soon becomes unwilling to stay with her. Calypso keeps Odysseus prisoner with her for seven years, according Homer.
Odysseus' patron goddess Athena then asks Zeus to release Odysseus. Zeus complies and sends Hermes to tell Calypso to set Odysseus free. Calypso begrudgingly accepts this command and gives Odysseus the supplies he needs to make a raft home. She then allows him to sail away. In some versions of the Greek folk tales, it is noted that she dies because of her heart suffering in the absence of Odysseus.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Sea of Monsters
Calypso is briefly mentioned by Circe as being a powerful sorceress, along with Medea. [1]
The Battle of the Labyrinth
Atlas, her father
After Percy causes an eruption at Mount Saint Helens, he washes up on the island of Ogygia (pronounced oh-jee-jee-ah). Calypso nursed him back to health, but Percy at first was unsure of her as she and the island were both very beautiful, and in his experience, places like that are usually traps. Percy first thought she was evil because Circe told him before that Calypso and Medea are powerful Sorceresses. She did admit that she was the daughter of Atlas, but said she wouldn't hurt him. She healed him and let him roam around the island. One night when they were eating dinner, Percy asked her why she always pulled away when they were having a nice time and why she refuses to enjoy herself. She tears up when she looked at him. She was about to finish telling him her story when Hephaestus showed up. He told them what was going on back in civilization and left after a short time.
Percy Jackson
Percy realized that as much as he wanted to stay, he had to go back to Camp Half-Blood eventually. Calypso was saddened by the news and explained to Percy that she was cursed to stay on Ogygia forever by the gods, because she supported her father in the First Olympian War. She is also cursed to have heroes wash up on her island, wounded or hurt for her to heal. However, the people that landed on her island were always people she would fall in love with, but they would never be able to stay with her. She reluctantly offers Percy the chance to stay with her on Ogygia, where he would be immortal. Though Percy hated to refuse, he did because his friends needed his help and he had duties. Accepting his choice, Calypso makes him a magical raft and sends him off, asking him to take one of her magical plants, moonlace, which has a delicious smell, with him and plant a garden for her, which he did. As he was leaving on the raft he stated that Calypso would always be his biggest "what if".
The Last Olympian
Calypso does not appear in this book but is mentioned. The moonlace she gave him appears again in the windowsill of his apartment. Percy said that the moonlace "bloomed like crazy" under his mother's care. Calypso is also mentioned when Prometheus asks Percy to surrender. Prometheus said not all Titan offspring were bad, such as Calypso. Percy replied to that, saying Calypso was different.
After the Battle of Manhattan, Percy makes a request to the gods that Calypso, along with any other peaceful Titans who did not fight in the original war be allowed amnesty and be freed pointing out that their treatment by the gods was what caused some of them to switch sides.
The Heroes of Olympus
The House of Hades
Calypso is first mentioned when Percy Jackson is forced to fight a number of arai in Tartarus. The arai make curses real when they are destroyed, revealing that Calypso had cursed Annabeth for being Percy's love interest at the time. When Annabeth Chase destroyed one of the arai, she began to wonder why Percy left her. Percy tried to tell her he was right there, but every time he got close, she would be transported away. As Percy takes on more curses and becomes too weak to stand, he feels bad about how poor a friend he had been and feels that he should have made sure the gods had freed her from Ogygia, which they didn't.
Leo Valdez
Later, Leo lands on her island after being blasted from the Argo II. At first, she despises Leo and think that the gods are mocking her. After the two become angry at each other, Leo builds a small hut far enough away from Calypso so that she couldn't see him, but close enough where Calypso could continue to bring him food. After Leo finds some Celestial Bronze and begins working on a way to navigate off the island, Calypso visits him to yell about all the noise he is making from his makeshift forge and how he is scaring away the birds. However she brings him some food and tells him to eat, as he hasn't eaten in two days. Later she visits again, bringing him a recreated set of his favorite clothes, except these were fireproof so Leo couldn't burn them like he had with the other clothes Calypso had made him. Leo comments that she is warming up to him, but she claims she is returning a favor for all the things on her island he had fixed during his time there. She begins to take an interest in one of his projects and helps Leo get it to work with her magic after Leo sets his shirt on fire when he turns it on. The two watch a vision in the device of Camp Half-Blood preparing for battle, Camp Jupiter soldiers being attacked by the Kerkopes, and Reyna trying desperately to reach Rome, with Calypso believing that Reyna is Leo's girlfriend, which he says she isn't.
When the machine stops and Leo tries to get it started again, Gaea appears before the two. She taunts Leo until Calypso steps in and tells Gaea she is not welcome on her island. Gaea turns her attention to her and offers Calypso a chance to join her, as Ogygia will be destroyed when she remakes the world. She tells Calypso that all she needs to do is kill Leo and she will free her from her island. Calypso refuses as Ogygia is not only her prison, but her home and she banishes Gaea from it.
Calypso then spends every moment trying to help Leo build a ship to escape her island so that he can stop Gaea. She even makes a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, thinking they are more practical after making Leo so many pairs. As the two bond, Leo offers Calypso the option of leaving with him, but she refuses as it would destroy any chance Leo has of escaping. They continue to work and Leo is so impressed that he offers Calypso a job if she ever leaves her island. The two joke about how they could open a shop called "Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters," which would not only fix machines, but sell fruit, vegetables, cider, and stew.
As Leo begins plans on a boat, he admits that he plans on coming back with Festus in order to spring Calypso from her island. Calypso says he can't as the rule is that no one can visit Ogygia twice, but Leo isn't convinced, believing he can use a crystal from her island to navigate back; as he can't start Leo and Calypso’s Auto Repair without Calypso. Just then the magic raft appears and Calypso forces Leo onto it before it vanishes. Leo makes the connection that the raft only appears to take away people Calypso is in love with, but she says she still hates him. Leo tries to promise her that he will return, but she cuts him off with a kiss, not wanting to hear Leo's promise. After the kiss however, Leo makes an oath on the River Styx that he will return.
The Blood of Olympus
When Leo arrived at Ogygia on Festus, Calypso was standing on the beach, wearing jeans and a white blouse. After helping Leo from his fall, Calypso kissed him. After Leo asked her if she wanted to get off Ogygia, she stepped back, raised her hand and her invisible servants brought two suitcases and set them at her feet. They soon got on Festus, with Calypso's arms around Leo's waist, and they soared into the unknown.
Between the Series
She and Leo were wandering the winds for the past six months until Festus picked up a signal from Harley's homing beacon.
The Trials of Apollo
The Hidden Oracle
She and Leo arrive at Camp Half-Blood after Nero's attack on the camp. She and Leo agree to join Apollo on his quest.
The Dark Prophecy
Calypso, along with the rest of the group, lands on the capital building in Indianapolis.
Relationships
Odysseus
Calypso fell in love with Odysseus when he washed up in Ogygia during his trip back to Ithaca, after the Trojan War. However, because of her curse, (to always fall in love with heroes that must leave), Odysseus left to return to his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus.
Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era who ended up at Ogygia at some point in his life. Like all other of Calypso's lovers he left for his wife, Elizabeth Sydenham.
Percy Jackson
Calypso fell in love with Percy, but because of her curse, Percy had to leave to save Camp-Half Blood from Luke's invasion force. This made her extremely sad. Percy regards her as his "biggest what if". Percy tries to get her released (in The Last Olympian) but the gods forget, in turn, angering her as later shown in The House of Hades. In The Hidden Oracle, Percy and her have an awkward reunion and hug. Leo, Calypso, and Percy spend time together for most of the day before Percy has to leave.
Leo Valdez
| “ | Don't push your luck, Leo Valdez; I still hate you. | ” |
–Calypso to Leo Valdez, in The House of Hades | ||
When Leo first arrives at the island in The House of Hades, she claims the gods are messing with her by sending her a "scrawny boy". However she does eventually warm to Leo and helps him get off the island (which she claims is just to get rid of him). Leo was mad at Percy for breaking her heart and when he leaves he swears on the River Styx to come back despite the fact that "no man finds Ogygia twice". She kisses him before he leaves and then wipes her eyes furiously as if she is crying.
Leo returns to Ogygia in The Blood of Olympus, after having died in the battle against Gaea (and successfully resurrected by the Physician's Cure) and takes her wherever she wants to, on Festus the dragon. In The Trials of Apollo, Calypso calls Leo "babe" (to Percy's disgust) and always seen around each other.
Personality
As seen in The Battle of the Labyrinth, Calypso is kindhearted, and caring, yet could be feisty and rebellious, not liking the fact that she had to fall in love simply because the gods wanted her to as a punishment. She was very shy around visitors to her island as anyone that arrives there is someone she would fall in love with, causing her to hide her true feelings. She also has a warm heart, telling Percy that even if her father is a Titan, she still loves him and has no anger toward the gods for trapping her on her island. She shows a level of curiosity to Percy, asking him about how the world has changed in the time she has been trapped and feels bad that there is a place where flowers cannot grow (New York City). She is also very down to earth.
In The House of Hades, Calypso is still trapped on the island despite the gods promising to release her. She is angered as a result of this and when Leo lands at her island is hostile to him at first. She eventually warms up to him, but never admits to liking him at all and denies it at every turn; making excuses for the help she offers him. She tells him she doesn't like being told what to do and is shown to be harder, more blunt and sarcastic than before, especially around Leo. This is probably to do with the fact that she's been left behind so many times, not being told what is really at work.
Appearance
| “ | She wasn't trying to be beautiful and didn't even care about that. She just was. | ” |
–Percy Jackson, talking about Calypso in The Battle of the Labyrinth | ||
In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Calypso was described to have cinnamon-smelling caramel hair that was braided over one shoulder, almond-shaped eyes, and a face that appeared to be timeless. She wore a white sleeveless Greek dress with a low circular neckline trimmed in gold, and seemed to radiate a natural glow in the moonlight. According to Percy, it was difficult to tell whether she was 15 or 16 due to her timeless features, but he found her to be "twice as brilliant" as the stars, and far more beautiful than even Aphrodite herself, for she seemed more natural. Aphrodite's husband, Hephaestus, also acknowledged Calypso's beauty, as demonstrated by his compliment of her - "beautiful as always".
Later, when Leo arrives on her island in The House of Hades, she changes her outfit. After making Leo several outfits because he keeps burning his up, she makes a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt for herself, as it is better suited for manual labor.
Powers and abilities
As the daughter of a Titan and a sea goddess, Calypso naturally possessed supernatural powers, though most of them are unknown. However, the powers she had demonstrated were:
- Mystiokinesis
- Healing: Calypso was shown to possess healing powers, as seen when she nursed Percy back to health though singing a song of enchantment.
After being rescued by Leo Valdez, Calypso lost all of her powers and became mortal.
Ogygia and Calypso's Curse
Ogygia (pronounced as oh-jee-jee-ah) is the phantom island where Calypso was imprisoned. She cannot leave the island, but others can. Calypso says that the gods will come to visit her every so often and bring word of the outside world. Every thousand years or so, the gods of Olympus will send Calypso a "companion" (hero) to Ogygia so that Calypso will "tend to him and befriend him." (It can be inferred that they send injured male heroes, like Percy.) All the heroes sent to her attract her, so she falls in love with them. But, as Calypso states (and Percy agrees), the Fates are cruel, and they always send someone who will break her heart, and never stay. However, after the end of the Second Olympian War as part of the gods' promise to Percy to claim all of their kids and they were to set Calypso free. In The House of Hades, it is revealed that the gods forgot about her and she is still on the island. In The Blood of Olympus, Leo returns after the war and takes Calypso on Festus.
Trivia
- Calypso is also a moon surrounding Saturn (planet) that was discovered in 1980 and is named after her.
- Before Percy arrived on Ogygia, her companion was a pirate named Drake, who was possibly Sir Francis Drake.
See Also
References
- ↑ Page 172, UK Copy.