GUESS WHAT, GANG? THIS IS FINALLY A THING!

Yep, after like a year and a half of harping about this and mulling it over, it's FINALLY REAL. I wasn't sure about it for a while, but all the continued love for my one-shot Snare certainly helped light a fire under my tail and kick me into gear. Seriously, I really love you guys :D So everybody thank yourselves that this is finally here.

Okay, so a few important notes before we start:

First, this is a SEMI-AU. Like Snare, the initial idea came before the last two books in the series. So in this universe, NO HOUSE OF HADES AND NO BLOOD OF OLYMPUS. The most important factors (I guess... really the only important ones?) are (1) Jason's still praetor and (2) no Calypso. For, uh... obvious reasons ;)

Second, this is going to be a HIGH "T" RATING. I'm gonna be pushing the boundaries here, I can guarantee it. Yes, I will make sure not to push them too far. But I will caution you that things are gonna heat up.

Third, this is NOT a sequel to Snare. It's what I'm calling a "lengthy re-write". It's based on the same idea, but we're jumping back so I can tell you more of the story. That being said, you do NOT have to have read Snare to get what's going on here (though I of course recommend it!).

Umm... I think that's it? Yeah, I'm kind of a major windbag. Those of you who've read my stories already know that. Don't worry, I won't do this every chapter :D

Lastly, the song lyrics you'll find stuck at the chapter openings are from Mayday Parade's "Even Robots Need Blankets", which has been my song for Leo/Reyna basically since Monsters in the Closet first came out. Fits my view of them with perfection.

Whew! Enough of that! This chapter's gonna be the shortest and is mostly an introduction, but enjoy it anyway!

It happens every time / If it counts, I lose my courage when I need it the most

"Attention passengers. Flight 281A nonstop to Minneapolis will begin boarding in approximately fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes…

Reyna sat back in her seat and folded her arms, tuning out the rest of the announcement. Fifteen minutes. Just fifteen more minutes, then she could get out of that airport and get back home to her camp. And it couldn't come soon enough.

It wasn't as though Reyna hated crowds. She lived in a secluded space with a pretty impressive number of people, after all. No, what she hated were stupid crowds, and airport traffic seemed to fit that description better than pretty much anywhere else. Just on the way through the building that morning, she'd almost been surprised by the sheer number of people who'd lost their luggage, missed their flight, couldn't navigate the clear and obvious directions to find their gate, tried to board at the wrong gate entirely, or misplaced their tickets or—in one alarming case—their child. It was maddening to listen to so much idiocy in one place, especially considering the fact that Reyna already had a low tolerance for idiocy in the first place. With so many added grievances, she couldn't fathom why anyone would prefer flying at all over a safe, secure journey by road or sea. If it were up to her, she wouldn't have set foot inside that airport at all.

But she endured the annoyance, because even though flying wasn't exactly her thing, her fellow praetor, who happened to be the son of the Roman sky god, felt very differently. And the last thing she wanted to do at the moment was start an argument with him. After all, those same fifteen minutes weren't only the last she'd have to spend in that airport, but they were also the last she had until she lost her best friend forever.

Okay, so maybe thinking like that was a little overdramatic. It wasn't as though Jason was moving to the other side of the world or leaving the planet altogether. But still, New York City was a long way from San Francisco. Reyna had grown so used to his being beside her, her partner and her friend and the constant voice of careful reason whenever her frustration got the better of her. But now, all of that would change. They would still be friends, that much would remain, but she wasn't looking forward to Camp Jupiter without him. It would be like his disappearance almost six years ago all over again, and she would be forced to run the camp on her own.

Or worse—with someone much less competent by her side.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

Reyna blinked and turned her head to see Jason staring at her with a frown, looking for all the world like he was trying (and apparently succeeding) to read her mind. He sat on the edge of his seat as though ready to spring up at any second, a backpack over his shoulders and one hand resting near the handle of the duffel bag at his feet. One of his legs was bouncing impatiently to a vivace rhythm.

In spite of the painful twinge in her chest, Reyna smiled. It was nice to see him so excited.

"No," she answered in a light tone. "I changed my mind. The camp can't afford to lose a praetor like you. You'll just have to tell Piper that the legion is more important to you than she is."

Jason's expression relaxed and he laughed, looking down so his non-regulation sandy bangs fell across his eyes. Jerking his head to sweep them away, he said, "Yeah, I'm sure that'll go over well. She's already been whining at me for waiting this long. I told her I had to wait 'til June 'cause I couldn't leave you high and dry for more than a few weeks, but I can tell she's getting antsy."

"And let me guess—you wouldn't like her when she's antsy."

He laughed again. "Well, I would, but everybody else… Not so much. Leo called me the other day to complain about her, said she's been really clingy lately and he's hardly gotten any work done because of it. The two of them are best friends—when even he's put off, you know it's bad."

Reyna chuckled, arching an eyebrow. "Guess you'd better shake a leg," she said wryly, reaching out and placing a hand firmly on his knee to stop it from jittering.

Jason grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I know… I'm a little overexcited, too. It's just…" His blue eyes seemed to glass over a little. "This is it, Reyna. I mean this is really it."

Reyna hid a smile. "So you're really gonna go through with it?"

"Definitely," he replied at once. His hand tightened on the strap of his backpack and Reyna guessed that he was thinking of the diamond engagement ring he had packed safely inside, the ring he planned to give to his girlfriend of five years. As far as she knew, the only ones whom he'd told of its existence were herself, Frank, and Hazel (both the latter of whom were somewhere in that airport at the moment, presumably getting something to eat), so said girlfriend should have had no idea it was coming. It was the biggest factor in his decision to move permanently to New York, and it was the reason Reyna would never hold that decision against him. He was in love. She knew it just as well as anyone else who'd seen him and Piper together did. And just because she'd yet to find love herself sure didn't mean she was about to begrudge it of her best friend.

"I want this," Jason went on, the corner of his mouth turning up in a small smile. "I just hope she does, too."

Reyna opened her mouth to assure him that Piper would be crazy not to, when a voice spoke over the intercom, "Attention passengers. Flight 281A nonstop to Minneapolis is now boarding at gate twelve. Please approach the booth and have your ticket ready. I repeat, flight 281A nonstop to Minneapolis…"

Jason stood up, seeming to tense with anticipation. As Reyna rose from her seat, he turned and met her eyes with a sad sort of smile. "Guess this is it."

She gave a short sigh. "I guess so." He took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her, folding her in a strong, comfortable embrace. It was a rare gesture—she wasn't normally the hugging type, as he well knew. But she let this time be an exception and hugged him back, knowing that it would be her last chance in quite a while.

As they drew apart and smiled, a voice behind Reyna called, "Wait, wait, wait for us! Don't go yet!"

Jason grinned over Reyna's shoulder and she turned to see Hazel hurrying toward them, weaving through the throng of travelers. She threw a glance back at her boyfriend, who was having a much more difficult time maneuvering the crowd due to his size.

"Don't worry," Jason assured Hazel as she broke into the waiting area. "I wasn't gonna leave without saying goodbye."

"Good," Hazel said seriously, before she set the fountain drink she'd been carrying on the seat Reyna had just vacated and threw her arms around Jason's shoulders (which was an impressive feat, given their difference in height). Jason chuckled through her volumes of curly, cinnamon hair.

Frank had caught up by the time they separated, a mentally-exhausted expression on his face. "I told you we should've left earlier," he said to Hazel, who gave him an apologetic smile in return. She took the two boxes of Chinese food from his arms so he could clasp hands with Jason.

"Let me know how the ballot goes," Jason said to him, pulling him into a one-armed hug. "If I was voting, my money'd be on you."

"I know mine will be," Hazel said.

Reyna added, "Mine, too," to which Frank gave an awkward grin and looked at the floor. There were still two weeks until the Feast of Fortuna, at which a ballot would be counted to elect a new praetor to replace Jason, but Reyna didn't need to mull over her decision. All the current centurions would be up for the vote, but in her educated opinion, Frank Zhang would suit the position better than all the others combined. She wasn't sure he had enough support, but she had to hope for the best. She hated to think what would happen if someone like Octavian secured the seat instead.

"Thanks," Frank muttered modestly. To Jason, he added, "You keep in touch, too, okay?"

"Yeah," Hazel agreed. "We want to hear about, you know… everything." She smiled brightly and Reyna figured she knew to which 'everything' the daughter of Pluto was referring.

"Right." Jason hefted his carry-on bag and turned to look at the line forming at the gate entrance. "Wish me luck."

Frank snorted. "Yeah, right. Saying 'good luck' to a demigod is like buying tap shoes for a fish—totally pointless."

All three of them laughed sort of bitterly. He had a point—demigods had notoriously bad luck wherever they went. After so long, they'd all come to expect no less.

"He's right," Reyna said wryly. "But good luck anyway."

Jason gave them a warm grin, waving as he backed toward his gate. "See you guys later!" he called, before he turned around and disappeared into the boarding crowd.

Yeah, Reyna though with a sad smile as that familiar pang of loss pulled at her heart. See you later.

"Neighbors bring food with death, flowers with sickness, and little things in between."
—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

(Re:the above, the chapter titles are all taken from literary quotes, which I'll stick at the end of each entry. 'Flowers with Sickness' is the title of this chapter, even though it won't show up until I post the second one.)

Okay, we're under way! Unfortunately, I don't have an update schedule yet, given that I just finished this chapter today and haven't started the next one. But I'm gonna try to make some headway so that I can get you guys just that, since regular updates are kind of what I'm known for. Wouldn't want to ruin my reputation ;)

So how 'bout a review to let me know you're on board? This chapter was, again, just an intro. All the rest (judging by my outline) will be much longer and much more eventful. I'm really excited to get going with this :D

Thanks, everybody! Later days!

-oMM