So... remember moths upon months ago when I said I'd write a story with some bonding between Piper and Reyna? Well... here it is. This came out simply because I felt we needed to see mroe interaction between these two girls, like, c'mon, Reyna deserves all the love in the world!
I hope you enjoy it!
Someone to Talk To
If someone had dared stare a little too long at Reyna, perhaps they'd seen that the praetor's face lacked its usual scrutiny, her jaw not set as sternly, her eyes absent in their sockets. However, that absentness didn't come in the aloof way that characterized her, not in that way that her legionaries were used to, but rather, her dark orbs denounced that she was deeply lost in thought, presumably, not a good one.
Anyone that had bothered to look at her for a little while would have noticed―yet, no one had stopped to spare a second glance to the praetor that had stood unmoving by the lake's shore for over an hour now.
No one, save Piper McLean.
In all honesty, the leader of the Aphrodite cabin, unlike a good number of her siblings, wasn't known for liking gossip, which was why she hadn't dared to interrupt Reyna's thoughts.
On the other side, though, Piper was also growing more worried by every minute the Roman demigoddess stared blankly at the waves of the lake. For what she had heard, Reyna had been called by Chiron to discuss the return to Camp Jupiter of the Roman legionaries that had stayed behind after Gaea's defeat, having being too wounded or weak to be sent back with their army. However, after she had spoken with the centaur, Reyna hadn't shown any signs of wanting to leave Camp Half-Blood.
It wasn't that Piper was bothered by her presence, far from that. She liked Reyna, she really did. Her concern didn't come from Reyna's presence, but rather… from her aura.
The daughter of Bellona was one of those people who you didn't expect to be weak. It was unthinkable. Reyna was unbreakable―which was why it was so despairing for the Greek girl to read a sorrow so deep in Reyna's eyes that she could only remain in silence to try to fool herself into thinking that it didn't exist.
No wonder that the Roman demigods respected the daughter of Bellona to the point of turning a blind eye to the fact that she had broken the law and had returned to the ancient lands. No one had dared utter a single word about the matter and, Piper was certain, if someone had, it would have only taken an arching of Reyna's brows to send them to silence again.
She wasn't someone who could go by unnoticed. Romans and Greeks alike stopped and listened whenever she spoke and, even when someone didn't agree with her ―or with her more-often-than-not unorthodox ways― they had to step back and appreciate the fact that Reyna, despite her many flaws, always kept the greater good in mind and, though not everyone seemed to share Piper's thoughts on the matter, the daughter of Aphrodite was convinced that, on a number of occasions, Reyna had prioritized her legionaries over her own well-being.
Reyna and Jason were similar in that sense, Piper smiled fondly, always thinking of others. Jason, however, had a friendlier and more laidback demeanor that translated in the demigods being closer to him and not minding his presence when they were reluctant of the sole idea of initiating a conversation with Reyna.
Conversely to that, Piper was a chatterbox.
For most of her life she'd passed as the silent and shy girl sitting at the back of the classroom, but ever since she had arrived to Camp Half-Blood she'd discovered the comfortable camaraderie of small talks in the hallways, the shouted comments from friends sitting opposite to your table during dinner―and she was loving it, which made it even more obvious how lonely she'd been before. Which, perhaps, also explained why the vacant look in Reyna's eyes bothered her so much, to the point of sending a shiver down her spine and making her lips transform into a thin line.
When fifteen more minutes went by and Reyna still hadn't shown any signs of moving, Piper decided she couldn't take it anymore and stepped forward with a sigh, until she was standing next to the New Rome's praetor. Reyna didn't acknowledge her appearance.
"Hey," Piper started nervously, a coy smile at the corner of her lips.
"McLean," the demigoddess replied, unamused, with her head still turned to the lake instead of to her interlocutor.
"Can I sit here?" the daughter of Aphrodite prompted shortly after.
"It's your camp," Reyna shrugged, to which Piper could only sigh once more.
"Listen, Reyna, you can tell me to mind my own business, but I couldn't help noticing that you… Are you alright?" she finally asked, her whole body facing the other demigoddess, even when Reyna had stubbornly kept her gaze fixed on the gentle waves of the reservoir in front of them.
"What makes you think I'm not?" the praetor deadpanned with a raised eyebrow, something Piper noticed because that was the moment in which Reyna finally turned her head to look at her, something the daughter of Aphrodite counted as a small victory even when, other than that, Reyna's body continued to be directed to the lake.
"Please don't take it the wrong way, Reyna, but you… you look tired," Piper replied, daring to flash a shy smile at the praetor. Reyna, on her side, responded with a sigh―long, weary, almost defeated as she closed her eyes.
When she reopened them, her gaze was fixed on the gentle waves of the lake once more.
"What if it's so?" she replied, her voice not low enough to be considered a whisper, though it was remarkably quieter than her usual tone.
"Well," Piper began, weighing her words. "Then I'd tell you that you need to rest. Not only because you must be in an excellent shape to carry out your job as praetor but, more importantly, because you need to take care of yourself."
"Take care of myself?" Reyna snorted. "I haven't had more than four hours of sleep per day since the war was over, and even that is saying too much sometimes. I have no chance to take 'better care of myself'," she mocked, rolling her eyes.
Piper, however, didn't think the daughter of Bellona was bothered in truth. Not with her presence or her words, at least. What Piper could hear in Reyna's voice wasn't annoyance, but more like… frustration.
"This is exactly what I mean, Reyna. I… I'm aware that you have a lot of responsibilities upon your shoulders, but, trust me, it'll be of no good that you burn yourself up. I mean… you need to be in your best shape to get on optimally with your duties."
"Easier said than done," Reyna replied in a snort.
"Well, perhaps this is not something you're used to hearing, but if there's anything I could do to help you, you just… let me know, okay?" Piper offered, still trying ―and failing― to stablish eye-contact.
Amused, Reyna raised an eyebrow and looked up at Piper, a smile almost cynical plastered across her lips.
"You, princess?" she inquired, as if the mere idea of the daughter of Aphrodite offering to assist her seemed comical to her.
"Don't call me that, Reyna, please. I mean it, I want to help you," she responded, without missing a beat, no trace of animosity in her voice despite the hurtful words of the praetor.
A second went by, then three, then five, and all the Roman demigoddess did was calculatingly stare at her interlocutor until, perhaps a whole minute later, Reyna's features softened.
"I apologize, Piper," she said at last, her voice short from a whisper.
"Why do you hate me, Reyna? Is it because of Jason?" the daughter of Aphrodite asked, this time, unable to keep the pained dying from her voice. On her side, Reyna laughed bitterly.
"Thinking that someone else decides who I hate and who I like sounds a little pathetic, doesn't it?" she replied, huffing. Piper merely shrugged. "Far from that, Piper, I think you are a formidable opponent and you've destroyed some ideas I had about the children of Ven―of Aphrodite."
"Then why? Why do you treat me like this? Out of everyone, I'm the one you seem to avoid the most. You get a long very nicely with Annabeth, you've warmed up to Hazel, you're even friendly towards her. It seems you even like Kayla, from Apollo, and you've only spoken twice to her. But me? Either I'm going crazy or you despise me."
"Annabeth and I are both children of war, we think alike," Reyna tried to defend herself. "Hazel is a good soldier and Kayla has been in charge of the healing of a good number of my legionaries it's only natural that I―"
"Reyna, it's not only them," Piper inhaled sharply. "You get along better with Thalia than you do with me and you've nearly haven't talked to her. Quit the formality, it's not as if I'm going to sue you because of improper behavior! Just tell me… tell me what your problem is, tell me if it's something I did or if it's… Tell me what happened and if I offended you in any way, I'll apologize to you."
Turning her eyes to the floor, Reyna sighed.
"It's not you, McLean, it's just… I don't get along with Venus… or with her spawn, for that matter," she pointed out, provoking a sarcastic smile to appear in Piper's lips.
"Funnily enough I don't like my mother much either," she said. "And thinking that if you don't like someone then you shouldn't like their relatives seems kind of pathetic, doesn't it?" she offered, turning Reyna's words against her, which managed to bring a smirk to the praetor's features, same she tried to suppress by pressing her lips into a thin line.
"You said you wanted to help me," Reyna started after a long while of silence.
"I did."
"If I asked you something, would you answer sincerely? No fear of retribution or animosity from my side or whatsoever?"
"Well, sure… I mean, if I can be of any help…"
"You might have already heard about this, but here it goes still: while I traveled to Charleston Harbor with Jason I had the arguable fortune of encountering your mother, Venus, and all she said to me was: «No demigod shall heal your heart.» Now, I hadn't had much time to think about it, but, lately, it has been coming back to my mind and I wondered, if any of you, children of Venus, would know what she meant with those words."
"Oh, that…" Piper stuttered. "My… my mother, as well as most gods, is rather fond of speaking with riddles, and I cannot tell you exactly what Aphrodite was thinking when she said that to you anymore than I can explain that prophecy. What I can do, however," she continued, silencing the reply Reyna had just inhaled air to say. "Is what I think that she meant and, if you want to hear that, I'll be glad to give you my opinion."
With an inquisitive expression and arched eyebrows, Reyna nodded, her lips still pressed together.
"Can I say anything, knowing you're aware that my intention is far from bothering or hurting you?" Piper inquired, if only to reassure herself.
"Go ahead," Reyna shrugged. "I suppose that, whatever it is, I had it coming."
"Okay, so, I… I think it could mean that your true love isn't a demigod―it could be a mortal or a god, for all we know, even a satyr," she shyly began after having chosen her words. She smiled, ignoring Reyna's disgusted expression. "Or, and please don't be offended, it could mean that your significant other is a demigoddess or a huntress, a nymph."
"So you're saying that Venus' prophecy could be talking about a hypothetical… bisexuality?" the praetor questioned, a crease in her voice and amusement in her eyes.
"Well, as I said, that's only what I think it could mean," Piper offered. "I could be mistaken. And, besides, it wouldn't be bad if it did turned out to be like that, would it? Homosexuality wasn't frowned upon by ancient cultures, as far as I understand, so…"
"No, of course not, I just… I hadn't thought about it that way," Reyna let out, sighing and then, in a softer voice, almost as if she were talking to herself. "And I hadn't thought about any demigoddesses that way either."
"Well, it's an option," the daughter of Aphrodite pipped in. "But if you really want to hear my opinion," she continued. "Then I think that what the prophecy actually means is that you don't need anyone, no demigod or mortal or partner to heal your heart―and it's not because there isn't someone out there who will love you and cherish every small detail about you, but rather, because you don't need to be healed or, perhaps, because you will be healed by yourself, by your own strength and will to survive."
"What are you saying?"
"What you heard Reyna, um… you know, if you stop to think about it, you'll realize that both Jason and Percy had something in common when you started to like them―and I'm not talking about the fact that they're both children of the Big Three or how handsome they are. What I'm talking about is power. See, I'm not sure, but I bet you weren't interested in Percy when you first met him. Chances are you thought he was merely a disoriented demigod making your job harder. However, when he proved himself, his strength, his courage, you made him praetor―and then, suddenly, you decided that he was a good catch. It must have been different with Jason because you guys have known each other forever, but my point still stands."
"And what point exactly is that, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Reyna, please don't think I'm devaluating your feelings, I wouldn't want to do that, but, for example, I bet that what you liked from Jason wasn't the dimple that appears in his right cheek when he smiles. You probably have never noticed that when he summons lighting his eyes go two shades darker, perhaps you are not even aware that when he laughs, when he actually laughs, loud and unashamed, it's impossible not to join him," Piper listed, offering an apologetic smile when the daughter of Bellona stared back at her unamused.
"What then?"
"There is a point in this, I promise, just let me finish," the Greek girl continued. "Likewise, I don't think you know how kind Percy can be when he trains younger campers or how excited he gets when he speaks about his brother, Tyson. You wouldn't know how deeply he cares for his mom or how much he insisted that Annabeth see her mortal family―you don't know any of this. And what I mean is… if you liked them, either of them, you would know, because, after all, you fall in love slowly, unknowingly, and you fall for all these little things."
"What in hell―?"
"Please listen to me. You felt something, you certainly did, but the fact that, at least in my opinion, remember things don't have to be as I think they are, it wasn't romantic love makes me think that you didn't like them because of what they are―you liked what they represented for you at that moment."
"You speak in riddles too, McLean, it's not just the gods," Reyna rolled her eyes under Piper's attentive scrutiny. Her only answer was the daughter of Aphrodite's abashed smile.
"Consider this, Reyna―the position they were in is one of power. You don't make anyone praetor, no, first that person must prove that he or she is courageous and strong and loyal and compassionate," Piper continued to explain. "Percy and Jason both possessed all of those characteristics and you know it because you do as well, and it takes one to know one. Now, what I meant when I said that you liked what they 'represented' is this, exactly: you weren't looking for a partner, not a romantic or a platonic one, even. You were looking for a strong figure, for someone you could rely on, for someone who would unconditionally support you, for someone who would fight by your side, till the end. You didn't want a boyfriend, Reyna, you craved for someone with whom you could fully trust and share your responsibilities as praetor with."
"What are you saying' then? That one's partner shouldn't do all of those things? Support you, fight by your side?" the daughter of Bellona argued.
"No, no I didn't say that! Your boyfriend must do that, yes, that and more. However, it must not be your number one priority because, Reyna…" she paused, waiting until the praetor raised her gaze, inquisitive, calculating, before continuing. "You can and you should have those things even when you're single―you can find affect and support among your friends and family, and trust me, I know that a demigod's definition of 'family' varies, but… there's a saying that goes like this: «Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves»."
"I don't do friends," Reyna stuttered, her lips trembling minutely.
"Funny, I would have said the same thing before arriving to the camp," Piper smiled, taking Reyna's right hand in hers. "Now I know better."
Slowly, with slumped shoulders and tired features, Reyna closed her eyes, and heavy tears began to moisture her cheeks. With a worried grimace, Piper reached forward to circle the praetor's shoulders, bringing the Roman closer to her chest. Surprisingly, the daughter of Bellona didn't try to jerk away from her.
They didn't say anything for a long while. Piper especially decided that Reyna didn't need to hear what she'd certainly think to be an empty reassurance. No, what Reyna needed was to feel the sincerity of her previous words, to realize that, while a lot of things could still go wrong, for that moment, Piper was next to her, that she wouldn't leave her, that she could trust her. With that in mind, Piper settled for allowing the Roman to cry into her shoulder, gently playing with Reyna's long hair, feeling honored that the fearsome praetor of New Rome was letting her to be next to her during one of those rare moments of weakness she permitted herself to have.
It wasn't until, perhaps, fifteen minutes later, that Reyna pulled way, eyes swollen and reddened despite the prideful expression on her features.
"Why are you doing this?" she inquired, her voice hoarse.
"Doing what?"
"This," she gestured towards the small space between them. "Treat me as if we were more than simple acquaintances, why are you being so… friendly with me?"
"Reyna, you see, once upon a time I thought that I didn't need anyone to be strong, but I've learned that I do―we all do. We need someone to talk to, someone who we know will be there for us no matter what, someone to hold us when we've had a hard day, someone to tell us it'll be alright," she started with a smile. "You might not believe me, Reyna, but I do think of you as a friend, and it's not because you are the praetor of New Rome or because you are a formidable strategist―I like you because you are you. Simple as that."
"Why would you do that?"
"Well, because I―"
However, Piper's reply was cut off by the sudden sound of a seashell. Instead of repeating herself, the daughter of Aphrodite rose to her feet.
"Time for supper," she announced. "Would you like to sit at the Aphrodite table?" she added after a few seconds.
"Isn't that against the rules?" Reyna inquired, standing up herself.
"Perhaps, but it won't be that scandalous. Nico has been sitting at the Apollo table ever since the war ended," she brushed off. "Actually… it's kind of late for you to go back to New Rome right now, so why… why don't you stay the night?" she uttered in a second thought. "We have spare beds at the Aphrodite cabin and, since there's no Bellona cabin… no one will judge you if you stay with us."
"Are you trying to bribe me?" the praetor raised an eyebrow.
"I might be. Is it working?"
Reyna couldn't help it, staring back at Piper's mischievous orbs she laughed―loud and clear and unashamed.
"Surprisingly, it is," she replied, stopping to fake she was thinking her answer over before speaking again. "I'll stay, but only for tonight. First thing in the morning I'll go back to New Rome, princess."
"Fair enough," Piper nodded, deciding not to comment on the nickname, especially because Reyna's voice had softened to the point were the words didn't sound denigrating anymore, but rather… as a fond pet name. "Though, you should keep in mind that you're always welcomed here, both in the camp and in my cabin, in case, you know, that you need someone to talk to."
Just like that, the festive atmosphere they had tried to create vanished, a heavy air to be breath the only thing left behind.
Reyna didn't answer immediately, as she took that moment to stare back at Piper. The Greek girl, knowing how important this was for Reyna did not break the eye-contact, no matter how intimidating the praetor's gaze became.
"I will," Reyna vowed at last.
"You better should or I'll go straight to New Rome to remind you of it."
"I'll be careful to do it, then."
Piper smiled. "Well, now that we have this settled, let's go grab something to eat," and with that she offered the Roman praetor her right hand, as if Reyna needed to be escorted, as if she weren't used to going everywhere on her own and required a guide to take her to the dining pavilion. Reyna took it nonetheless. If it was even possible, Piper's smile enlarged.
Who knew, Reyna thought absentmindedly as they walked away from the lake. Perhaps the daughter of Aphrodite hadn't been wrong when she'd said that, sometimes, all one could ask for was someone to talk to.
Alright, I want to start by admiting that out of Piper's speculations, only some of them are mine. See, when I first read the prophecy I thought that the love of Reyn'as life would turn out to be a mortal. Then I read stories about her having something to do with a god or withRachel or Thalia and things just started to write themselves.
Also, I insist that Reyna didn't know Percy enough to actually like him. Jason maybe, but Percy? I just... I get emotional about her, okay?
So here it. I really hope you enjoyed it and if you did, please make sure to leave a comment!