Hello! This is a Jeyna AU, where they fall into Tartarus instead of Annabeth and Percy. I have recently developed a love for Jeyna. Before, I didn't really mind, but now you could call me obsessed...but please don't. Anyways this is my first time writing Jeyna. I'd love any suggestions or your opinions. Thanks a bunch! Leave requests!
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus. If I did, I probably wouldn't be writing fan fictions.
On with the story!
Reyna heard Annabeth's gasp and whipped towards the blonde girl. She watched as she stumbled for a second, before jerking backwards. Percy questioned what was wrong, but Reyna was scanning for the problem. Annabeth fell forward, her legs seeming to give out and her face slamming on the ground.
Suddenly, Hazel shouted from her spot on the ladder, pointing frantically towards Annabeth. "Her ankle! Cut it! Cut it!"
Annabeth and Percy didn't get the message, but Reyna did. She sprinted forward, quickly spotting the the thick strand of silk wound around her ankle. She slashed wildly at it, just as Percy lunged towards Annabeth.
But then, the wisps curled themselves around her own legs, dragging her in instead.
Hazel shouted for help as Reyna reached around her to get a grab on something, anything, having dropped her knife when she hit the ground. Rocks and plaster from the broken ceiling scraped her arms and leg, stinging as she left a trail of blood. Percy and Annabeth seemed to realize what was happening and hobbled forward with Nico.
Reyna grit her teeth and groaned as tears leaked from the corner of her eyes and she managed to grab the tiniest ledge, holding onto it with three fingers. Her leg pulled farther, almost coming dislocated. She squinted up as she heard Hazel's desperate screams for help, lost with the shouts of the boys trying to haul up the statue. Three faces appeared over the edge as they desperately reached downward, knowing it was no use with the fifteen foot length.
Reyna groaned again, her face hardened and jaw set, despite the sobs she was choking back.
"Hold on Reyna! We'll get you out!" Nico called.
But she knew they wouldn't. Even if they got rope in time, her arms would give out by then.
She gave out a sad, watery smile. "Percy, Nico! The other side! I'll see you there and close the doors! Understand?!"
A finger slipped and it was just two holding up her entire body.
Their eyes widened. "Rey-"
She just shook her head feebly. "Promise me!"
They nodded solemnly. Rubble started falling faster over the entrance to Tartarus and the light started fading. Another finger slipped, and she barly held on, wanting to see the daylight as long as she could, it may have been last she ever did.
Jason and Frank flew down, ready to pick up the rest, but found Hazel shouting incoherent words up at them and the other three staring down into the drowning abyss.
They finally came close enough to make out some of Hazel's words. "Save...there's still time...come on!...Reyna!"
As soon as he heard her name, his heart dropped to his stomach and he got the sinking feeling he knew where she was. He sped up.
He reached the edge as she looked up with watery yet determined eyes, blood and dirt matted into her hair. His impulse took over him as he jumped into the hell hole just as Reyna's last finger slipped, sending them both tumbling towards the darkness.
Reyna easily ripped off the bottom of her pants, pressing it to her forehead. It immediatly began soaking up the blood. She tied it around her temple tightly and forged forward, marching past Jason.
He sighed and followed behind her, his gladius pressed in his hands. She walked, turning through tunnels, occasionally throwing a stone a head of her to see if anything moved.
"Do you know where we're going?" Jason asked as he followed her, trying to ignore the sinking feeling Tartarus magnified.
The entire place was hot and cold at the same time, making their skin clammy with a cold sweat. They constantly felt hot breaths, breathing down their necks and making them shudder. Images and shadows twisted around each other. Any sleep they could manage was filled with their worst nightmares, waking them up with a scream emitting from their chapped lips and a their hearts pounding in their ears. The dark bags under their eyes were obvious even in the dim light and their ripped clothes were hanging loosely off their bodies.
"Reyna," he said, trying to have a real conversation with her.
"Of course I know where I'm going, Grace!" she exclaimed with thick sarcasm seeping through her words. "Because I just happened to have my map of Tartarus with me when I fell. Oh wait! It. Doesn't. Exist."
He snapped. Grabbing her elbow, he turned her around to face him. Her eyes held an icy glare as she hissed out, "What do you want, Grace?"
"I want you to tell me what's wrong and then get over it. We're stuck here together so we might as well-"
"You want to know what's wrong?" she asked, yanking her arm from his grip. "I'll tell you what's wrong. I'm in literal hell and some blonde dumb ass had to go all 'hero' on me and jump in! Do you have any idea what you have done Jason? You're part of the legendary seven! This wasn't my quest! It's yours! They don't need me up there! They need you!"
"Reyn- Move!" he shouted.
Instead, she turned around, slashing with her second dagger, the last one she had. It plunged into the creature's stomach. It howled in pain before exploding into gold dust, settling onto her hair. She blew at it, a weak attempt to prolong the monster reforming.
"What you did was stupid. You could've been killed. Even if you didn't fall, the rubble could've hit-"
"What I did was necessary!" she said with a growl as she turned around. "If Annabeth had fallen, Percy would have followed without a doubt! Then two people of the prophecy would have been gone! If everything was right, all of the seven would doing their jobs!"
"If everything was right, we wouldn't be demigods!" he countered. "And you said Percy would have followed Annabeth, what's the difference between them and us?"
She glared at him. "Percy is her boyfriend. Percy is madly in love with her. Percy couldn't live without her. Percy didn't forget her."
She said the last sentence with venom, but an undertone of longing was heard clearly.
"What if that was us, Rey?"
"That's the thing, Grace. It isn't us and it never will be." With that, she turned around and stalked away. Jason sighed deeply once again before following.
"Another thing, Jason. I don't have to survive this. The quest has no relation to me. I wasn't supposed to make it to Greece. I'm just a pawn," she said. Jason frowned. "But now I have to get your sorry ass out of here."
Jason connected the dots after she stopped talking. She said she wasn't supposed to make it to Greece in the end. She was a pawn. That meant she didn't plan on surviving. His heart clenched. It wasn't supposed to happen this way.
Reyna gripped the hilt of her knife tighter as she swung it at the large creature in front of her. It was so ancient, it hadn't been seen for a millennia. She didn't even know what it was called, but that might have been because it was trying to kill her. It had large, leathery wings, a few molten feathers places sporadically. The worst part, it had talons that were dripping with green acid. She'd found that out the hard way, when it had scraped across her ribcage, burning her shirt and cutting into her skin. Her cry of pain was shrill and loud, something nobody ever heard from her. She ignored the burning sensation and battled with the creature, and the others. The hoard surrounded them, closing them in a cirlcle. In a way, that's how they worked best. The adrenaline the claustrophobia caused made them work faster. But they were both dehydrated, starving, sleep deprived, wounded, and weak.
And then the doors came into view. Reyna's eye sight was fuzzy and unclear, but she saw all of them. Their blurred outlines waved frantically, screaming their names.
Jason saw them too. The blurry visions of his friends frantically waving and screaming them forward. His eyes landed on Piper, her eyes flashing with colors too fast to catch them. "JASON!" she screamed, wanting him to come forward.
He felt something grasp the front of his shirt and he spun around, ready to meet a monster, only to come face to face with Reyna. Her dark, onyx eyes held too many emotions to count, but her jaw was set and her face showing nothing but determination. She grabbed his gladius and shield, setting it next to her. His face twisted into horror as he realized what she was about to do. "Reyna! NO!"
But she didn't listen. Instead, she just pushed him out the doors, into Percy's arms. Frank came on his other side and they each held an arm as Jason desperately reached forward, attempting to pull Reyna back out. "Reyna! Come on!"
She gave a sad smile and reached down to pick up his fallen weapon and shield. "REYNA! You still have time! Come through! Don't you dare- REYNA!"
Jason felt Piper's hands on his shoulders, trying calm him down, but he didn't listen. Behind him, Annabeth and Hazel clutched onto each other, tears shamelessly leaking down their faces as they held themselves back from running forward with Jason. But they knew what had to be done. Nico was standing behind them, looking conflicted and in pain, seeing as he knew what Tartarus was like. Leo was behind, desperately trying to keep himself from crying, his face as serious as it had ever been. Piper had silent tears running down her face as she tried to keep Jason from running forward. Frank and Percy were fighting to keep Jason in place and themselves as well. It was obvious it pained them to stand there themselves, let alone, holding back a recklessly fighting Jason. But Jason didn't see any of it.
"Reyna!" His voice started breaking as he tried to yell even louder.
She turned to look at them. "Keep him safe, guys. Keep yourselves safe. Save the world for me."
She gave a watery smile before looking directly at Jason. "Aurum and Argentum are yours. Take care of them. And, Jason," he stared at her, eyes still wide with horror. "I love you. Just had to say it once."
And then she shut the doors. The loud sound echoed around his skull. The second it clicked, Percy and Frank let go of Jason. He ran forward, banging on the door relentlessly, drowning in the anguish inside him. He sunk to his knees, palms pressed against the door as he tried to slow his breathing down.
He could feel Reyna on the other side, knees on the ground as well, palms lying in the same spot as his. He could see her leaning forward and kissing his forehead, whispering "If only," before she was gone.
