Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-4531192-20141008075409/@comment-4887996-20141023004045

@Himeyuka: I think what you're focusing on is the treatment of Calypso by the author, and we're focusing on the character herself. Does that make sense?

Like, yes, the idea of an independent and strong female character being introduced, forgotten, and brought back with an entirely new personality just for the sake of being somebody's girlfriend is very wrong, and we shouldn't be praising Riordan for him doing it.

But Caleo as a couple does make sense. I just feel like what Leo needs in a girlfriend/wife/significant other is somebody who can take care of him and make decisions in the relationship but also allow him that magical sort of creative freedom with his inventions; Calypso is looking for a guy who will be committed to her no matter what and be a little on the soft side, but still have that inner heroism that she fell in love with before.

So I think what should have happened was Leo, who embraces the seven as his family but also feels majorly left out -which is something that was made clear-, ends up in Ogygia and gets to know the somewhat kind but obviously held-back Calypso, who has kind of given up on helping heroes. He sees in her what's really in himself: a lonely soul who can never find the family they're looking for (that's why he keeps running away). So he promises and swears that no matter what happens he will get her off the island, and she doesn't want to believe him but she does and that compassion is what makes the boat appear. Then, as BoO progresses, Leo realizes that the other 6 DO love him, surprise, so he knows he will always have a place with them. But he also knows how Calypso feels and he is determined to fulfill that promise, so at the end he does make his way back to her and tells her that he will show her around the modern world and if she still wants to stay with Leo when they're done, then Calypso can become an honorary Camp Half-Blood member and live with them if she chooses. Would you have been satisfied with that?

And then the whole "family" theme is again, something I caught on to but I don't think Rick took full advantage of. So he kinda merged "finding family" with "finding a soulmate" and landed somewhere in that "find someone who cares" region :/. I still want a family-based epilogue though