"Shitshitshitshit!" Izzy exclaimed, their hands flying over the control panel. Alarms flashed as the small plane pitched and undulated in the buffeting wind and rain. The storm had come out of nowhere during an otherwise lovely day and one poorly-timed bolt of lightning had blasted off half of the left wing.
Izzy knew the statistics on single-engine aircraft crashes, but never thought it would happen to them. They had gotten their pilot's license three months earlier and had never experienced the kind of freedom that the sky brought. To think that that very sky would be the thing to end their life numbed Izzy to the panic of the situation as the craft went into a tailspin.
Through the dissociation, they thought about how no one would ever find them in the middle of the Atlantic, but... who would care? Izzy's family had written them off five years ago, and the closest things they had to friends were the coworkers they occasionally had lunch with. It doesn't matter now, they thought. Their eyes closed just before impact, but for the briefest of nanoseconds, they almost thought they saw the sun again.
Izzy was distantly aware of the coldness of the water, but only for a moment. Then there was darkness.
----
"Morning, sleepyhead."
The voice Izzy heard had begun distant and garbled, but as the light pierced their squinting eyes, the world began to come back into focus. Their head swam, and their vision was spotty, but they seemed to be alive. Blinking and concentrating on the source of the voice brought a figure into focus.
Sitting beside the bed Izzy lay upon was a young woman. Her hair was a dark brown with streaks of auburn throughout, pulled back from her forehead but loose and curly around her shoulders. She had a warm, earthy complexion, evident on her bare, slender arms. And finally, her face came into focus.
High cheekbones in a rounded face seemed awash with relief. Full lips, slightly darker than the skin around them, smiled as Izzy's eyes adjusted to the light suffusing the room. Eyes, shining with delight, watched Izzy intently with dark brown irises flecked with gold. A joyful, beautiful face.
"I was beginning to think you'd never wake up! How do you feel? Your arm and neck should be fine now, but you were pretty heavily concussed," she said in a slightly anxious tone. Her voice had a light, almost musical nature, falling into an alto range.
"Who... whe... what happened?" Izzy groaned. Looking around, it was clear that the room they were in was certainly not a hospital. Widely placed wood columns bridged with intricately-woven tapestries made up the walls, supporting a high ceiling and thick wooden rafters. The floor seemed to be earthen but smooth, and the low bed beneath Izzy was plush and wide enough for three.
"Easy now," the woman said, steadying Izzy's outstretched arm with her hands. "Your aircraft crashed into the sea just offshore. Do you remember anything?"
The storm. The wing. The dark, choppy seas rushing up towards them. Everything came back to Izzy's mind as they leaned back against the pillows. "I was flying and... and this storm just came out of nowhere. Destroyed the wing, and I... I crashed." Looking around the room, then at their own hands, Izzy wondered aloud, "How am I still alive?"
"You almost weren't," their host whispered. "When I saw your craft hit the water, I thought that was it. But I hoped..." she trailed off for a moment before seeming to shake herself out of a thought. "Well, I swam out and found you. I got you out of the wreckage and dragged you to shore. You were in bad shape, but you held on long enough for me to repair the worst of it. What's your name, by the way? I've been wondering for the last three days."
"Izzy," they mumbled, trying to process everything she had said. "Wait, three days?! I was unconscious for three days? Wh... where the hell are we?"
Izzy's rescuer leaned in to calm them, one hand coming to rest on Izzy's arm. "Easy, easy. It's alright. You were in and out, but yes. You crashed three days ago. I know this is a bit overwhelming, but you're okay now." Once Izzy's breathing had returned to normal, she handed them a small cup of cold water made out of what felt like a seashell. "Despite the circumstances that brought you here, I'm happy to meet you, Izzy. I'm Calypso."
Izzy's breathing slowed as they felt a warm calmness spread through their body, seemingly originating from the place Calypso's hand rested. Izzy sipped some water and asked, "Calypso. Like the lady from the Odyssey? The goddess?"
Calypso tilted her head. "Odyssey? What is that?"
"You know, the old Greek myth about Odysseus and whatnot. With the magic island and the nymph or goddess or whatever."
Calypso leaned forward, her eyes widening. "There was a story written about Odysseus? And they talked about me? They've been bringing me books for centuries, and nobody ever mentioned this?" The last part she mumbled to herself.
Izzy was confused. "Wait, wait, wait. That story is thousands of years old. What, are you saying that you're a goddess from Greek mythology? And what, this is your magic island?"
"Well, I suppose my island could be considered magical, but..." she trailed off. "This might help. May I...?" She gently placed her left hand on their shoulder and her right on the back of Izzy's head as she pressed her forehead against theirs.
Izzy's vision became hazy, and suddenly, they were standing on a beach watching a small plane crash into the sea. She - she? That's a weird feeling - dove into the water and spotted someone - me, Izzy realized - still strapped into the sinking plane. She wrenched the door off and freed the unconscious human, dragging them back to the shore. The human's neck was twisted at a strange angle and their left arm was bent in three different places. Carefully, she straightened the body as she willed the bones and tendons to reattach. She pressed her lips to the human's and breathed some of her immortal life into their chest. She spent the next two days sitting by their bedside, softly singing words of healing until finally, the human moaned in their sleep and their eyes scrunched, their limbs shifting.
As the human woke up, Izzy was suddenly back in their own mind, Calypso's enchanting eyes watching theirs carefully.
"You... you saved my life," Izzy whispered.
"Well, I couldn't very well just let you drown," she told them.
"And you're... you're really her. The... the goddess from the story. Calypso."
"Call me Caly," she said, smiling. "Welcome to my home."
Taking a moment to process the idea that they could be talking to an immortal being from thousands of years ago that had, apparently, saved their life, Izzy looked back at Calypso.
Then they realized that this stranger had had unimpeded access to their unconscious body for three days and blanched a deep crimson. They had dealt with a lot of shit from a lot of people over their identity and felt their defenses kick on. One arm instinctively covered their chest as they bent one knee up off the bed to protect themself.
Calypso looked puzzled. "Are you alright? I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable. I... um..." she stammered, suddenly unsure. "I didn't... peek or anything. I put most of your, um... functions on hold until you woke up. I didn't want to cross any boundaries."
Now it was Izzy's turn to be confused. Their concern had been being misgendered, not perved on. I wouldn't mind... they cut that thought off quickly. Yes, the woman - goddess - before them was stunningly beautiful, but this wasn't the time.
"I just didn't... I mean I'm not..." They normally wore their pride on their sleeve - literally, they had the flag tattooed on their arm - but the situation was more than a bit out of the ordinary.
"Oh!" Calypso exclaimed, catching on. "No, I saw your tattoo and wouldn't make any assumptions."
"You... wait, you know what this is?" Izzy turned their arm to show Calypso the nonbinary flag tattooed on their tricep. "But you... haven't you been here for like... thousands of years?"
"Well, I do still read," she laughed. "Hermes brings me books sometimes. Though he never brought me anything about an Odyssey..." she muttered.
"Would... would you like me to tell you about it?" Izzy offered.
Calypso nodded with a smile and offered a hand up. "Maybe later. For now, let me show you around."
--------
The island was small, maybe five or six miles across, but beautiful. It was covered in a variety of lush green foliage (mainly palms) and had soft, sandy shores. The sea glittered blue-green, capped with the white foam of the surf. Gulls cried overhead, and other birds sang from the trees.
Caly explained how her island tended to meander from place to place, though never within sight of land. The storm Izzy had flown through was part of the barrier Zeus had created to keep her isolated thousands of years ago. The island never appeared on any maps, scans, or charts, and even Caly never quite knew where it was in the world. The seasons never changed there, no matter where it was.
In exchange, Izzy told her more about the world they came from, though avoiding any mention of their family situation. She was surprised but rather pleased to hear that the Greek gods were largely no longer believed in and not particularly well spoken of in stories. "Serves them right" was the consensus.
Neither of them were quite sure when it happened, but as they walked the shore, they realized individually that they were holding hands. Izzy thought that it just felt right. As they walked, they couldn't help but steal glances at Caly's figure, barely concealed beneath a floral sundress. She was petite, but curved and supple from what Izzy could tell. But her face, her smile, that's what really took their breath away.
As they rounded a curve of the shore, they came to a large blanket with a lovely meal set out, seemingly prepared for their arrival. When questioned, Caly just laughed and winked.
As they sat there together watching the sun set, Izzy was aware of a growing rigidity in Caly's posture. When they glanced over, the goddess was looking right at them with an anxious expression.
"Izzy, you... I should tell you, my island is... well, the thing is..." She stumbled over her words, struggling with what she had to say. "I know you have a life back home. A family. Odysseus did, too. But you..."
"No one can come or go," they said. "I wondered if that part of the story was true. Well, if you're worried I'll miss out on my life back home, don't be." They gazed out across the water wistfully. "There's nothing for me back there. My family disowned me, I don't have any friends waiting, my job is a dead end.... I've been here for a day and this feels more like home than anywhere else."
The sentiment was spoken simply because it was true. But when Izzy glanced back at Calypso, her eyes glistened with moisture. "You... would you really choose to stay here with me?"
"If you'd allow me." Izzy extended their arms to reassure her, but was nearly bowled over as Calypso flung herself into their chest, her arms squeezing them tightly.
"Nobody's ever chosen me before," she said quietly. In almost a whisper, she clung to Izzy. "I thought Odysseus might. But all I was to him was a stand-in for his wife. And when he left, I was alone again."
Izzy wasn't quire sure what to say to a being like Calypso softly weeping her loneliness into their chest. The only thing they could think of was to hold her closer and kiss the top of her head.
"That guy sounds like a dick," they mumbled.
Calypso suddenly laughed, sitting back enough to look Izzy in the eye. There was a tear halfway down her cheek, but she was smiling. Izzy moved their left hand from Calypso's back to gently cup her cheek and wipe the tear away with a thumb. Then suddenly, their lips were against Calypso's, desperate to be closer to her.
The goddess pulled them closer and returned the kiss with gusto. Their bodies molded together as one of Calypso's hands roamed up Izzy's back beneath their shirt. Izzy moaned into her mouth, one hand tangling in her soft hair.
Calypso's lips briefly left Izzy's, kissing along their jawline and down the side of their neck. Izzy shivered as their desire increased tenfold.
"Caly... please. I..."
Suddenly, the light floral sundress was gone, as were Izzy's tattered shorts and shirt. Finally, they came together without barriers, writhing together in ecstasy as the surf washed upon the shore.
Every caress of Calypso's skin made Izzy shudder. Every kiss made their hearts race faster. And every time her tongue found their skin, they moaned and whimpered.
Likewise, every touch of Izzy's skillful hands or quick tongue made Calypso quiver and pant. The friction of their bodies together made her cry out, her voice ringing across the waves.
They held each other on that blanket for what could have been minutes, hours or even days as far as Izzy knew or cared. They had never experienced the kind of pleasure and total acceptance they felt in Calypso's embrace and wondered if their new stamina was due to Caly's divinity or simply the adoration they felt for her.
For her part, Calypso had lost count of the climaxes they shared. She panted, and her skin glistened with sweat. Her back arched, and her fingernails dug into Izzy's flesh, which only seemed to encourage them and push them both to greater heights.
Some time later, they lay together on the (now soaked) blanket, holding each other and basking in the afterglow of an immeasurable number of orgasms. Turning, Izzy pulled Calypso closer and kissed her tenderly.
"I know this is kind of crazy to say so soon, and you don't have to say anything back, but..."
Calypso kissed them softly, silencing the stammering preamble. "I love you, too."
They quickly fell back into their lovemaking and eventually fell asleep there beneath the stars. Suddenly, the secret island didn't seem like such a prison after all.
