Disclaimer: I own nothing. All references used are credited to their respective owners.
One.
The first Christmas Eve Jason could remember having celebrated was the one when he was two, and the memory was vague and very fragmented.
He remembered tearing across the tiled flooring of his mother's rented apartment with a piece of blue wrapping paper in hand; he had been searching his home for something nice to surprise Thalia with on Christmas Day. Jason recalled that he managed to retrieve Thalia's favourite bracelet- a chunky studded leather bracelet that she wore to date.
That was the gist of it; any further recollection was random and didn't quite fit well with the main bulk of the memory.
Jason remembered that there was crying involved; he thought it was because Little Jason had tried to eat the shiny, metallic stapler that he found had fallen off the desk, and the stapler had instead bitten him a little above his top lip. Thalia had consoled him and tended to his wounds.
"Staples mean," Little Jason decided. "Jason not eat them no more."
Thalia had patted him on the head and heartily agreed.
That was the end of that story. Thalia remembered it well, too, and always reminded him of it; it was cool with him- so long as he could share a few laughs with his sister.
Jason remembered his mother coming home- sober, for once in a long time- with treats from a Chinese restaurant she most likely had dined at. She handed Jason a fortune cookie, and Thalia got a bag of peanuts and a crumpled fifty dollar bill to cover their dinner expenses.
Before sauntering off, his mother had patted his head, stating: "Mommy's taking you to the park tomorrow, okay?"
The next moment, Thalia had her hands on his shoulder, pulling him away from their mother. Jason remembered the protective scowl on her face as she stared down their mother with her fierce blue eyes.
"Both of you," their mother amended.
Thalia nodded, but her expression did not soften one bit. Their mother went into her room after that.
Jason enjoyed the rest of Chirstmas Eve with Thalia, watching people have grand feasts of turkey, gravy, potatoes and more on the television. His sister had gotten them cheeseburgers for dinner and he had not been disappointed in the least- in fact, he was sure his cheeseburger tasted twenty times better than whatever the people on-screen had.
He fell asleep on the couch that night. Jason remembered being carried to his room by Thalia, despite the sleepy daze that had blanketed him, and feeling like the happiest boy on Earth.
He was in New Rome the very next evening.
Two.
Jason was put into a foster family in New Rome. It was a family of four; a couple and their two sons. Christmas Eves were always enjoyable with them, but the Christmas Eve when he was eight stayed with him the most distinctively.
Berkeley Hills fogged over when winter was about. He started Christmas Eve bright and early that day jogging through New Rome with Peter. The fourteen-year-old promised he'd take Jason along only if the younger boy could keep up with his pace, and Jason had been training very hard for this very first morning round with his foster brother.
The air was thick with moisture. The coffee shops and bakeries were already perfuming the air with the delightful smell of coffee and baking, luring in the people of New Rome. There were twinkling fairy lights to see and people greeting them (and them greeting back) as they continued with their trail.
When the jog was over, Jason was winded. Peter led the way to a little coffee house. Jason remembered the tinkling of bells tied to the door handle as they entered the premise, and the smell of brewing coffee and cinnamon. Peter bought them both small hot chocolates and they shared a cinnamon roll.
"Only if you don't tell mom," Peter winked.
"Deal," Jason chirped enthusiastically.
They dug into pancakes for breakfast and had more hot chocolate at home. The three boys- Peter, Jason and six-year-old Thomas- played football in the backyard, which soon became a game of wrestling instead. Sure, he picked up a couple bruises- which Aunt May clucked over disapprovingly- but they were well-worth the fun.
(And you should have seen the shiner Thomas gave Peter, though it was an accident.)
They had delectable turkey sandwiches for lunch, and his afternoon was largely spent with Thomas, fogging the window panes with their breaths and drawing pictures on the glass. Peter had left to meet with some friends with the adults busied themselves about the house. It was a good arrangement- that way, the boys would not get into the way of the grown-ups and the adults need not worry too much over the boys.
Dinner was hilarious, however.
Uncle Ben had decided to get the grill out and have barbecue for dinner but the charcoal wouldn't catch fire because of the humid air. While Uncle Ben kept trying to light up the barbecue pit, Aunt May snuck some food in to feed her hungry boys; when the fire finally caught, the three boys already had their fill of pan-seared vegetables and meat. Uncle Ben, good-natured man that he was, just laughed and got the s'mores ingredients out for the boys.
It was a good Christmas Eve, as many other Christmas Eves with his foster family was, but it stuck with Jason the most because it was the first time he was old enough to understand that he had a family that loved him. Sure, they weren't related by blood, but they took him in nonetheless.
That Christmas Eve, Jason learned to be grateful.
Three.
One Christmas Eve, Jason brought home a guest: the wunderkind Centurion of the Second Cohort that claimed to want to clean out the barracks single-handedly the day before Christmas. It took a lot of persuasion from the thirteen-year-old Centurion of the Fifth Cohort and the rest of the Senate before the girl retracted her statement of doing chores for the rest of the day. Jason invited her over, convinced that she would decline his offer; she accepted. The girl- Reyna- always did have a penchant for surprising him, anyway.
They exchange cheery wishes of Happy Christmas or variants of the same ilk with the other members of the adjourned Senate meeting before starting their journey towards Jason's place. As they walked, he filled her in on what was happening at home; among the pieces of their conversation that Jason remembered was that Peter was bringing his boyfriend over.
"Pete's a Legacy of Bacchus and Venus," Jason stated, as though it explained everything. The confused look on his companion's face told him otherwise, so he added:
"I think he described himself as 'sexually fluid' or something. He's brought a couple girlfriends over before, and one boyfriend before this one. The folks are okay with it, but I thought I should let you know beforehand."
So, at Jason's place, Reyna was introduced to Jason's foster family and was warmly welcomed. There were catcalls and much teasing from Peter and his boyfriend Liam, a son of Mercury; some were crude enough to colour Jason's face, but Reyna had been surprisingly unperturbed- in fact, she seemed to be just a hint amused by the situation. Aunt May was accommodating and Uncle Ben was pleased. Thomas kept referring to Reyna as Jason's 'girlfriend'- obviously Peter was feeding Thomas the nonsense because the youngest boy kept ignoring Jason's denial on the subject.
Dinner was extravagant that night, with Aunt May's cooking only improving over the years. There was turkey and other roasts, jacketed potatoes and baked vegetables amongst the delicacies, capped off with a lovely Christmas fruitcake; Jason remembered the pre-teen him quelling a bubbling sense of pride as he saw Reyna politely passing the butter, engaged in some courteous banter with Uncle Ben, looking completely at home with his family.
He got to know Reyna that day.
He noticed that Reyna never ever slouched, and when she talked, it was calculated and measured yet tainted with a seed of honesty. Jason observed the sharpness of her eyes- they were a very dark brown, he noted- and the barely visible curve of her lips when Peter and Thomas got him embarrassed again. She laughed where appropriate- he didn't know if it was real or merely for the sake of courtesy, but dear Jupiter, her laugh- and helped his mom with the dishes.
Reyna, Jason realised, was one heck of a beautiful girl.
Jason joined Reyna on the porch swing for some quiet. The wind was cold and moist that night, and they could see a couple stars out from where they sat. The silence was not comfortable, Jason recalled; he had wanted to say something to her to break the silence a couple times but always fell short. So they just sat (and Jason kept fidgeting).
"Thank you for your hospitality," Reyna murmured, all curt and formal in her usual manner. "Not necessary, but welcomed."
"No problem," he grinned. "I think Aunt May's glad to have another lady around the place."
Reyna didn't reply; she just stared out into the night sky. They settled into another (uncomfortable) silence that Jason ended by asking her for the reason she was reluctant to spend Christmas Eve away from Camp Jupiter. It was a personal question, to which Jason hastily added that she need not reply. Never failing to surprise him, she did.
"It's not as if I have relatives in New Rome to celebrate Christmas Eve with," was her reply.
She, in turn, questioned what made him invite her over. It was a legitimate question; they were barely acquaintances and colleagues before. Jason shrugged, not knowing the answer, and made one up on the spot:
"No one deserves to spend Christmas Eve alone."
They kept conversation up after that. He learned that she was the daughter of Bellona and of her plans to spend Christmas Day at her mother's temple on Temple Hill. He was just about to pose another question when Peter walked over to them, informing them that Aunt May wanted them in the house for some eggnog or hot chocolate, adding before he left:
"Oh, and Jason," he winked, "mistletoe."
Sure enough, Peter held a branch of it over their heads. Without a second thought, Jason punched his foster brother and shoved him towards the house. Peter left, but not before rattling ridiculous, and undoubtedly false, tips on kissing.
Jason apologized to Reyna on behalf of his foster brother and she nodded in reply. At the door, Jason finally mustered the balls to ask:
"Can I join you at your Bellona's temple tomorrow?"
"I don't see why not," was her simple response.
That Christmas had been beautiful for Jason, and he cherished the memory.
The next year, it was Reyna who had to convince Jason that they should visit his foster family on Christmas Eve, which she attended as his sort-of girlfriend.
(They never were clear on exactly where they stood with each other.)
The celebrations that year were in its normal, festive manner but- to Jason, at least- they were never quite the same since Peter never made it home from his quest.
Four.
He spent his seventeenth Christmas Eve with an extraordinarily beautiful girl: Piper.
Piper was hands-down one of the most beautiful girls Jason has ever met without even trying; she was prettier than any girl Jason has ever met and has a warm personality that he found endearing. To Jason, Piper was beautiful, just as Reyna was; he could not say who was more beautiful than the other as both were beautiful in their respective ways.
Plus, Piper was his girlfriend.
He had spent the whole afternoon and evening with Piper, browsing New York through the snow. Time passed quickly enough when they were enjoying one another's company. They had a good time together and later had a exquisite dinner at a fancy French place that burned a well-worth hole in Jason's wallet.
(Well, Piper did say she was fine just grabbing cheeseburgers with him but Jason was adamant on treating his girl once in a while.)
It was after dinner and the sky was getting dark. Boy and girl walked hand-in-hand, window-shopping, in the glow of streetlights and shop windows, with snow settling around them; it was a perfect scene straight out of a picturesque Hallmark greeting card.
They shared a comfortable silence; they did occasionally point something interesting out to the other or voice an arbitrary thought that crossed their minds, but a large bulk of their time was shared in a quiet peace.
That left room for Jason to think.
He thought of his foster family- of how were they doing- and of Thalia, no doubt in company of the Hunters of Diana- no, Artemis- that could be anywhere on the face of Earth. He thought of the rest of the Seven- of Leo, Percy and Annabeth, Frank and Hazel- and wondered if they were enjoying their respective Christmas Eves, wherever they were.
"Want to get out of the cold and get some hot chocolate, Jason? I'll buy." Piper asked, cutting clean through his train of thought.
Despite insisting that he should be a gentleman and pay for the drinks (which Piper refuted since Jason did buy them a pretty pricy dinner), Jason eventually agreed to the idea, putting on his best grin as he did so. Hence they trailed on, searching for a cosy café with decently-priced hot chocolate.
The thought of hot chocolate triggered thoughts of a rather unfortunate subject: Reyna. When Jason thought of Reyna, he felt guilt prickling him over. Sure, she never brought up their sort-of thing and yes, he was in love with Piper, but that didn't stop him from feeling like an irresponsible bad guy for not even trying to make amends with her.
I wonder what's she doing right now, Jason thought quietly to himself as Piper steered him towards the coffee place they had agreed on.
When they walked through the door, arm-in-arm, a waiter was quick to point out the bough of mistletoe above the young couple's heads. Without a second thought, Jason leaned in to press his lips to Piper's.
Jason couldn't remember the rest of that Christmas Eve because he was sure his brain melted when Piper kissed him back.
Five.
So, he's at the door, flanked by Piper and Leo- his best friends. Leo held a gorgeous bottle of red wine while Piper and himself juggled the presents the trio brought over between them as they waited for someone to get the door. Jason was glad Piper and his mutual agreement to end their relationship three years ago did not adversely affect their friendship; while they weren't good lovers, Piper reasoned, they were still pretty darn good friends- Jason agreed whole-heartedly.
Leo reached over to ring the doorbell again when the apartment door finally opened, revealing Percy at the doorway. The host- Percy- greeted the three of them before ushering them in for the Christmas Eve party. Already seated on the couch were the ambassador of Camp Jupiter and the Oracle of Delphi, Nico di Angelo and Rachel Elizabeth Dare, respectively. Jason greeted them, albeit awkwardly; he didn't know the redheaded prophetess well and Nico still gave him the creeps.
Piper stole away to the kitchen, where Jason knew Annabeth would be waiting, and Percy joined them shortly. Leo was already putting on the 'Valdez Charm' as he sidled up to Rachel, the chaste prophetess weakly entertaining him. Nico, however, greeted Jason and offered a hand in setting the presents under the Christmas tree; with nothing to lose, Jason accepted.
"Who else is coming?" Jason asked the half-Italian demigod, arranging a rather oddly-shaped gift as he did so.
"A couple more people, I should think," Nico informed him. "Frank and Hazel will be here soon. Tyson will be late, with Ella, of course. Thalia, and maybe Grover and Juniper, might make it this time around. Percy and Annabeth invited Reyna, but I think she declined the invitation."
"Oh," Jason muttered, turning back to the task at hand.
After a while, he murmured to the son of Pluto- no, Hades, "I think Rachel might need some saving from Leo."
Sure enough, the Oracle was trying to signal one of the two boys discreetly. Nico shrugged but moseyed over to the couch, anyway. Jason was unsure what is it that Nico was going to do but he was sure Nico could handle the situation.
Soon came the doorbell and Piper dashed from the kitchen to greet the next guests. As expected, Frank and Hazel were at the door, both receiving quick hugs from Piper. The living room bunch greeted the newly-arrived visitors. Nico, busy man that he was, introduced his half-sister to Rachel; Jason thought that Nico might have been crashing over at Percy and Annabeth's place for a while now.
Between Frank and Hazel's arrival and the next guests, Percy informed Annabeth that he'd just received an Iris message from Grover, apologizing over and over that he and Juniper can't make it at the last minute. It took Percy a good ten minutes or so to reassure Grover that it was fine- everyone understood that the campers and Camp Half-Blood could get rowdy at times and extra hands were always welcomed there.
Annabeth was the one to greet Tyson and Ella when they arrived just in time for dinner, leaving Percy to man the stove. Tyson picked Annabeth up in a bone-crushing hug- some things just don't change, huh- before rushing off to undoubtedly greet his half-brother in the same manner.
They sat down at the table. Splayed across the table were assorted roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. Rachel had prepared a mean grilled chicken Caesar salad and Nico had provided a panettone for dessert. There was also some gumbo courtesy of Hazel. The wine Leo brought over was just waiting to be opened and the ham Jason and Piper got looked mighty fine in its glaze. The centrepiece was a turkey and stuffing, although the turkey was less than grand as Percy had accidentally left it in too long and it got burnt at places.
They shared good-natured jokes and laughs- mostly about the turkey- and caught up with one another. Percy was recounting his experience proposing to his current fiancée- with Annabeth divulging her Seaweed Brain's fumbles, much to Percy's embarrassment and the crowd's pleasure – when the doorbell unexpectedly rang again. They were just about to eat, almost certain that Thalia would be a no-show.
"Hey," Thalia greeted as she escaped from a massive hug from Annabeth.
Jason realized she hadn't changed a bit since he last saw her; his sister's hair and clothes were just as punk as he recalled it to be (if not more). It had to minus-something degrees out and she was all but decked in a ratty Green Day tee, a leather jacket, a silvery scarf, skinny jeans and combat boots- her Hunter's circlet was not present to distract from her rebellious get-up.
"I'm a bit confused," Jason called out in greeting, a grin on his face. "Are you my big sister or my little sister now?"
(Since he brought it up, Tyson's a little confused, too.)
Thalia laughed at her brother's jab as she hung up her scarf.
"I ran a little late," she announced. "Sorry, but I have cheeseburgers- and a surprise guest."
As everyone else expected, Jason and Percy started teasing with wolf-whistles. Jason shut up, however, when it was Reyna who walked through the door.
"Reyna?" Percy and Jason blurted, almost simultaneously.
Stoic and pristine as ever, Reyna greeted the (surprised) assembly with a courteous nod. Annabeth got out of her seat to welcome this regal guest of hers and Percy nearly fell out of his seat scampering after his fiancée.
Jason just stared, mouth suddenly dry, and the woman he'd sscarcely met all these years turned up. His stomach twisted a little as his lips twisted in a sheepish grin. He watched as Reyna's dark eyes scanned the room, noticing that they lingered on him a little longer than the others. Jason was so caught in his stupor that he did not realise that Thalia and Reyna had seated themselves at the table until Thalia nudged him in the side.
"No staplers this year, right, Jason?" Thalia jested, a mischievous smirk on her lips. Obviously the tension between Jason and Reyna had not been missed by his sister. Jason only nodded and chuckled sheepishly at his sister's comment.
So, they finally had dinner, and Jason remembered it being one of the most uncomfortable dinners ever, which was legitimate because Reyna sat flanked between Annabeth and Piper, who was seated just across from Jason. Jason could hardly eat- and it wasn't because the salvageable remains of Percy's turkey was too dry, which it was. After a while, he found that his (unreliable) eyes always drifted towards Reyna and he would quickly look elsewhere.
Yet, he discovered that- much like all those years ago- Reyna's posture was still as poised as ever, and her speech just as controlled. Her sharp eyes had never softened and she wore only the barest hint of a smile though Jason had learned to tell that she was amused. Right up to that Christmas Eve, her laughter still set Jason's heart racing. He watched as she offered to help with the dishes but was turned down by Annabeth.
Reyna was still one of the most beautiful girls Jason had the undeserved fortune to meet in his twenty three years of life.
After dinner, Leo was entertaining everyone in the living room with his jokes. Jason frowned when he surveyed the scene- there were four people missing, besides Annabeth who was still in the kitchen. Percy must have snuck of for some time with Annabeth, Jason mused. Rachel was absent- probably in the loo. Nico was not to be seen and Jason couldn't figure that one out- maybe he had to sort out the spirits Christmas' Past, Present and Future, or something only sons of the Hades could do.
Of course, Reyna was missing. Jason had a hunch where he'd find her.
She was to be found at the balcony, looking over the urban skyline, with her back to the living room. He cleared his throat so as not to startle her and muttered a weak greeting when she turned.
"Hey," she responded curtly.
"Reyna," Jason started, feeling his bravery fleeing him already. He had her full attention- it was too late to back out now.
"I'm sorry, Rey," he mustered weakly. "I've been such a dick since the Gaea episode."
Her expression was indifferent, but she agreed with him under her breath: "Yeah, you were."
It stung Jason, it did, but he nodded solemnly.
"I understand," he murmured just as Reyna added, "But I don't blame you."
He didn't know what to say next and Reyna had obviously said her peace, so they fell into an uncomfortable silence, just as they did ten years prior.
Eventually, Piper stumbled out to them, calling:
"Come on, Jason, Reyna; there's eggnog going around!"
She quickly disappeared after that. Jason looked towards Reyna, finding that his companion was already starting towards the glass door. She raised an eyebrow at him- something that had always amused him- and motioned towards the inside. Jason nodded.
"I like hot chocolate more, though," Reyna stated breezily.
"I know," Jason smiled, offering her a hand. "Give it a chance."
Without realising what he was doing, he was looking at her with earnest blue eyes, pleading: "Give me a chance."
Reyna retracted the hand she nearly placed in his, her eyes turning hard: "I already gave you a chance, remember?"
Jason nodded, lowering his hand back to his side. He intended to apologize for his prior brashness, but the couple drinks he's had got his tongue loose.
Instead, he murmured hopefully, "Give me another chance."
"You'll have to earn it," Reyna stated firmly.
He nodded, "I'll take that offer."
There was no mistletoe that year but he leaned in and kissed her on the lips all the same. When he finally came to mind, he was startled by himself and started to pull away, sure he had killed his chance already.
Remember when he said Reyna had a penchant for catching him by surprised?
She kissed him back.
(Then acted like nothing unusual had occurred, of course.)
End.
Author's Note:
I'll be the first to admit that this was finished late. While I do have excuses, they aren't legitimate, so that's that. Oh, and 'K+' for one word: dick.
To be honest, I was hoping that Jason would stay with Piper when I read The Lost Hero. The Mark of Athena, however, instilled some sympathy for Reyna and her character grew on me. I also liked the idea of a good sibling relationship between Thalia and Jason- which I toyed with here.
(The scene with Piper nearly killed me; the words I used could never get the scene as romantic as I'd hoped it would be.)
Also, I apologize for any inaccuracies, especially with the climate and traditions. Where I live, the climate is tropical and it's an average of twenty-seven degrees Celsius here. Please correct me for any mistakes I've made, thanks.
Cheers, and a Very, Happy Christmas.
- Kid Al.