A/N: The title to this song was inspired from Panic! At The Disco by the way, if it wasn't clear already. The whole story is basically revolved around this one song because, well, they're gonna live a life from a new perspective. I'm not sure if the entire thing is gonna be in Jason's POV or alternating between Jason and Piper, but for now, it's going to be just Jason until I feel Piper's is necessary.

Disclaimer: I do not own the song New Perspective by P!ATD, nor do I own the Percy Jackson series.

~I feel the salty waves come in
I feel them crash against my skin~

Jason had a feeling this was going to come up eventually. He knew it from the moment Octavian came rushing through the corridors that a problem would have become conjured immediately and there was nothing he could do about it. Sighing, he raised from his seat and reluctantly nodded for the guard at the end of the hall to open up the doors. The guard that went by the name of Frank Zhang (a strange name if Jason had anything to do with it, considering it wasn't exactly native to the kingdom) didn't audibly groan, but Jason could tell he wasn't exactly pleased by this judging by the grimace apparent on his face.

Octavian was Jason's cousin and he was most definitely a pain in his arse, if he had anything to do with it. Ever since a young age they had relentlessly argued with each other over the most silliest of things and fought the most ridiculous of battles. Never together, of course. He was the uttermost arrogant and deceitful should have been his real name. Jason swore to all the gods in the world that offered to listen to him, if Octavian hadn't been family (he mentally cringed at the word) and royalty, he would've been long kicked out to the dungeons.

But unfortunately, Jason didn't even have the power to do that since he was merely a prince and yet to be married and his father, the actual king of the area, would never allow it. He seemed to always appreciate Octavian's mindless efforts which only ticked off Jason even more. So, being him, he always shrugged it off, knowing full well that no matter what it was Jason that would become king and never the other.

At least he hoped endlessly that that was the case.

Octavian walked in what he most probably presumed to be a stylish manner, letting the elegant robes only people with high caliber would be caught wearing around here, and halted abruptly. Then, slowly as if he was savoring this, sneered, "You've got a problem."

Jason mentally growled, but he knew that he was being watched if not by Octavian very closely. He knew better than to voice his true opinion aloud. Years of self-preservation ensured that. Saying as kindly as possible as he could (which wasn't by much, if he may add), "And you've made that quite clear. Moving on?"

His cousin looked as if he was trying his best not to roll his eyes at what Jason had said. It was always a battle between them as to who would lose their restraint first, and Jason was proud to say that...well, to him it seemed he was losing desperately but he thought it better for that to be kept to himself. "The king wanted me to tell you that there's been an abrupt change to your coronation that was supposed to be happening in one moon's time."

At this, Jason's eyebrows raised. "Oh? And if it was so important why couldn't the king tell me himself? Must he stay reserved even if it is something that has to do with me?"

Octavian's mouth twitched as if he couldn't decide on what facial expression to wear. It was clear he picked an impatient one; perhaps one that showed Jason that Octavian was more than eager to deliver the rest of the news. "That's for you to discuss with him." Jason, however, got the rest of the message: I didn't come here to converse daddy issues with you. The prince nodded as permission for his cousin to continue. "He was pleased to express that in order to become king, despite his increasing illness which would be the main reason why you are to become one, you would have to reach adulthood, which you will be turning eighteen in three days worth of time, so that part was fulfilled. However, he sent me to tell you that there was another requirement that you needed to complete, which you hadn't already."

Jason already knew what was coming up and opened his mouth to speak, but it only rendered him useless when Octavian finished his prideful gloating with not a single care in this world. "You haven't picked a lady, of course, if I hadn't already made it clear enough." Oh, yes you have, you stump. "And your father also told me to tell you that if you don't pick a rightful partner in time for your coronation, the opening for what you've practiced for so deeply will be blocked and there is nothing you can do about it."

Jason blinked at him, not letting anything get past his stony glare. He would never let it show just how much this was affecting him. He'd rather get scythed by one of his own swords before let that happen. "And assuming why this makes you happy to the extreme would be because you'd get the position?"

His cousin scowled as if he couldn't believe Jason had been too dimwitted to believe such a shallow thing. Of course, he understood his cousin more than the other way around and that only made things more infuriating. "Oh, please. I don't need to hear your pitiful jealousy at a time like this. I'm only warning you because I felt it was needed." More like boasting because Octavian felt he needed it.

Then, Jason's mind caught up a little as he thought of what he was going to say next. "Don't forget, dear cousin, I actually do have a girl in waiting."

Octavian scoffed, a quiet one not to seem too rude, but it was still a scoff and Jason knew that there was a double-meaning to it. "You surely don't mean Princess Reyna from Bellona's kingdom? That queen has to be the most strictest of all. I don't recall her exactly being friendly with our kingdom. And even so, I don't believe you actually proposed to Princess Reyna yet. And if you did soon, are you so sure she would say yes?"

She would. Because I've already asked her. And it was true. He remembered how the previous night his letter came back from Reyna's kingdom and in it it claimed her answer to his other letter he sent her for proposal. He wished he could have told her in person about how he felt about her and the proposal itself, and he remembered he was so glad that her answer appeared to be an accepting one. The only reason why he didn't tell this to Octavian yet was because he wasn't absolutely finalized with that plan yet. He hadn't talked to Queen Bellona about what she felt about it, but he really did have his hopes high. If only Octavian could see that.

Jason and Reyna have been childhood lovers from the start. Though her mother didn't exactly approve of their relationship, Reyna had always treated him with nothing less than kindness and he knew that he should do the same with her. He remembered he promised her that he would wait for them to grow up to get married, but that had been when they were seven. He was glad now that he made it more clear for her about his intentions.

"I have a deep suspicion she would, yes," it was really all he could promise Octavian to knock him off his high horse. Even if it was just for a small moment.

Jason had been looking forward to this day for a long while. One reason would be because it was a day before his eighteenth birthday and that automatically made him giddy for a reason he didn't know. But mainly it was because that day was a major ball that he had every interest in attending. The ball would be accepting all of the finest royalties from around all of the kingdoms. It would be held in a magnificent hall where most commoners would drop dead in absolute awe at the brilliancy the hall radiated.

But to him, all he could think about was Reyna. He absolutely had to speak with her about the proposal. He needed to know her thoughts. That was what being in love felt like, right? Even now, he sort of doubted what was the exact purpose of being in love so it was understandable that he felt absolutely clueless at the point.

Nevertheless he let the servants comb his hair down once more before letting the day go on until he arrived at the ball.

And he was most definitely impressed. There were servants that walked around between tables, making sure all of the guests were well-attended to while bowing politely as each royalty entered the large room. He greeted various members of the huge royalty chain before taking a glass of what looked to be wine and holding it to his lips. Just before the sweet liquid could enter his mouth, a light voice reached his ears, making him turn almost immediately to hear who could've made that noise. It didn't sound like anyone he knew but the voice was so smooth that it startled him enough that he almost lost control of where his drink would be landing if he wasn't careful.

"I wouldn't drink that if I were you. I had some myself, and I practically retched it all out the second I got the chance."

It was a girl, of course. Most likely not one from any of the royalty members, but her dark but radiant skin glowed like she could be from there. Her hair framed her heart-shaped face so angular-like that Jason's eyebrow rose. She smiled at him as if he was a long-lost friend, as if he was actually supposed to know this girl. Her smile showed her full set of teeth and even then, there didn't seem like a single imperfection. But then again, it didn't seem she had imperfections anywhere. Even her strangely multi-colored eyes glittered strikingly.

Then it occurred to Jason just what exactly this lady had said and frowned. Despite her appearance, she clearly had no idea who he was. Glancing down at himself he felt insecure that his robes probably didn't show that he was, in fact, royalty, but he mentally smacked himself for it. Why should he care anyway? He had no one to impress. Except maybe Reyna, but he couldn't see his childhood lover anywhere. And the thought that he felt he wasn't looking hard enough made him once again doubt his feelings for the princess.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," the girl said again, crossing her arms across her chest and he had to force himself to look up before his eyes lingered more than it should. And that only made him feel more guilty about what he was doing to Reyna. For a man who claimed he was madly in love, he sure didn't feel that into it nor acted like it. He hoped one day the guilt would cease to exist any longer. "I didn't actually throw up. I was exaggerating."

Jason continued to look at her weird, wondering what in the hell she was doing there, talking to him so casually as if she didn't even acknowledge who he actually was. That he was a king and should have been talked to more politely and not so casually, especially since, though it was clear she was strikingly gorgeous, that didn't render her a royal member which only labeled her as a commoner. Maybe she doesn't know. But that thought only ridiculed him further. Who didn't know who he was?

Deciding that he might as well just play along since he wasn't exactly used to casualness from strangers, he said, "You talk very strange."

The girl's smile lit up her face even further and Jason had to cringe because he really found that it was attractive on her. Bad, Jason. You're madly in love with Reyna. You've always been and you always will. "I've been told. I'm Piper, by the way." The girl - Piper, she claimed - said, and, the most inappropriate of all, reached out her hand as if she was expecting him to actually shake it. He couldn't believe it. He looked around to see if anyone was watching and thought this was ridiculous as he did, but surprisingly, no one was paying attention to them. The girl still had no idea who he was, and that was the only thing that kept him from confronting her on why she was acting so casual and inappropriate.

But, refusing to make her make a fool out of herself, he reluctantly gripped her hand, surprisingly unsurprised that her fingers were baby smooth soft. Ignoring the part where he knew he was supposed to introduce himself, he skipped ahead, "Thank you for warning me about the drink."

She shrugged. "No problem." Again with the weird words. He'd never heard of a slang that included how she spoke. He really did wonder where she came from and why all of a sudden he felt incredibly awkward about talking to her. "Do you come to these things often?"

Jason stared at her, confused by her presence once again and how she had flung the word things around as if it weren't worth her time. If she didn't want to be here, she could have just left. He wasn't sure if he could handle her at the moment with the problem of his coronation looming on the top of his head.

I need to find Reyna...I have to get her to her mom to marry me with her daughter.

Yet he wondered why he hadn't left the girl to go do so. He was now absolutely sure that Reyna would be here anytime now, and he knew that it was important for him to speak with her. He thought it was best now that if he swiftly ended the strange conversation he seemed to have accidentally sparked with Piper to attend to more important businesses. But before he could do exactly that, Piper found it in her to speak to him again. Oh, joy, he thought irritably. And while Jason was sure Piper was a nice lady, she still seemed a little not in her right mind and he couldn't deal with that right now. "Do you have any idea of why that blonde kid over there keeps shooting daggers at everyone who passes yet doesn't acknowledge him properly? 'Cause he's freaking the jujubes out of me."

Jason knew she was talking about Octavian himself, and while he couldn't agree more, this girl's words were seriously intriguing him. He also wondered why no one was keeping her company at the moment; had she come here alone? And if so, from where?

"Jujubes...?" As if just realizing was she said, Piper's eyes widened before she let out a small giggle.

"Yeah, jujubes. It's...something people back in my family used to say a lot," her eyes looked up at him nervously, as if she was expecting him to reprimand her for saying such a ridiculous word.

"And where exactly would that be?" He found himself saying, not caring anymore if he was sounding rude. He was a fingernail's length of time away from telling her to leave him in peace while he searched for Reyna.

Something flashed on Piper's features, something that reeked of sudden annoyance before she stared steely at him. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

Jason made a noise with his nose that could only be described as an impatient snort. "No, but it didn't occur to you of nosing in on someone's business when you started talking to me, did it? You have no idea who I am, and yet, you become hostile with me."

"I forgot how insanely sensitive these people were," Piper seemed to mutter to the air, looking up as if she wanted to pray to someone that would listen to make him disappear. And gladly he would, to escape such a strange unpleasant woman, even if her looks managed to distract him in the beginning. Before he could open his mouth to retort, a shape appeared behind Piper, but Jason was too annoyed to notice at first until it started speaking.

"Piper, you didn't tell me you would attend such a party!"

Jason's head snapped up at the familiar feminine voice before his lips immediately formed a pleasant smile. And then it dropped when he saw Piper bow down respectfully for her - more specifically, Reyna. Then Reyna told her strictly to get up and greet her the right way. And Jason felt his mouth drop in shock at what Piper did next: she hugged the princess. Princess - meaning royalty. How strangely improper, he thought. By the time the girls have 'caught up' with each other in the most utterly strangest way Jason had ever seen (he still couldn't fortify the fact that Reyna knew such a strange creature yet was pleasant by her), he managed to at least regain his composure the most he could.

Cutting Piper off about just how much she claimed to have missed the person he hoped to marry, he stuttered, "I see...you two know each other."

Piper stopped her conversation quickly and turned to stare, looking absolutely peeved. "Oh, you finally realized." Understandably, Jason shot her a sharp glare. He absolutely despised her attitude.

Reyna, on the other hand, laughed a little, easing Jason just a little bit out of tension if anything. "I see you two know each other as well."

"Not really," he intervened, his eyes never leaving Piper's hostile ones, not once. "She doesn't seem to get it in her head that royalty are to be treated respectfully, nothing which you seem to have any idea of, and the only reason why I'm not planning on creating a petition for getting you thrown in the dungeons is because you happen to be friendly with my dear wife-to-be."

Piper's heated glare finally seemed to simmer down as she noticed the quick turn of events. Her entrancing eyes widened before opening her mouth then closing it again. But, once again, Jason's ego diminished whilst his confusion increased when her rose lips cracked into a wide smile. "You must be Prince Jason, then. Reyna's told me so much about you."

Instead of thinking of what exactly Reyna thought of him like he knew a man in love should think, he instead found himself growing more annoyed with this girl, but that fact no longer startled him anymore. He was starting to lose his composure and he didn't even know why. The things she said to him weren't even that bothering, he had dealt with worse, so why was he so frustrated by the thought of her now? But before he could say anything, Reyna once again cut him off from an expensive retort.

"Speaking of which," she started to say nervously as if she just noticed the thick tension between the air. "I spoke with my mother, Queen Bellona, about our situation."

That made Jason's attention spark up. He glanced eagerly at Reyna, hoping for a positive answer and that she would deliver it. "And? Please tell me that we are to be wed by my coronation."

Reyna's thin lips smiled softly at him yet lovingly, which confirmed his hopes all along. "She told me it was possible to do so after speaking with your father."

Jason felt himself smiling despite everything. He knew that not only did he get to oppose Octavian in the long run, but he now would marry his childhood lover and that satisfied him more than anything. Looking around to see that everyone else was busy discussing matters with the other royal members (he thought it was slightly strange that nobody bothered them by now, but considering there were people of higher status such as the King and others, he decided to shrug it off), he reached over and hugged Reyna tightly before dropping a deep, lasting kiss on Reyna's lips. "That's wonderful, honestly. I'll be looking forward to every moment of it."

Piper, despite it all (he'd almost forgotten she was there), startled them both so effortlessly like she always did from what he'd seen so far. "I advise you two to get a room tonight. You'll be needing it very much."

Again with her strange way of talking, he thought as he unwrapped his arms around his now pending fiancee. He still didn't understand what exactly Piper did to have him all riled up, but he knew he was too afraid to find out. He also knew that next time he went to a party like this, he would have to get more secure guards to keep him away from absolute mindless women such as Piper. He didn't know what he would do to himself if he had to deal with this girl more often.

Being the correct gentleman he was, he let out: "Your manners are the most - "

Of course, he never got to finish his sentence before Reyna's sigh interrupted them. "Oh, Jason, love, can't you just drop - ?"

"No, it's alright," Piper stated with faux perkiness. She had her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed at him as if she couldn't believe he actually existed before him. "It takes a real man, an authentic Prince Charming to outwardly tell a woman her own habits without even knowing anything - "

Reyna cleared her throat, staring at them strangely. At that moment, he wondered what Reyna thought of the two of them acting this way. He wasn't acting like a proper prince, he knew it, much less an almost king. And later, after he bid Reyna good night with another passionate kiss and Piper another slight glare, he wondered to himself while preparing himself for bed if he actually did deserve to become king after all.

A/N: I wasn't completely satisfied with how this turned out, but I hope you guys have different opinions about this. Tell me what you think in a review. Yes, Jason has conflicting emotions about Reyna, and yes, he's a jerk. But (hopefully) he gets better later on.

Sorry for the Jeyna, by the way. I was going to make it worse but I couldn't stand it too much; I kept on wincing and deleting it. Next chapter might or might not be a doozy though. Just warning.

Till next time,

Penguin