A/N
I'm writing these to make up for the four days I've been missing. Here, because I'm probably not going to write anything soon after. Although I might update 'My New Pet Owl'.
I dream of Canadian bacon~
That's not weird, right?
Plip, plop, ploop.
The pebble skipped across the crystal-like water. She tossed more, each harder than the last. They distorted the image, ruining the mirror-like reflection.
A tear ran down her cheek, adding to the water. When the image reformed, she was shocked to see her reflection.
Flushed cheeks, tear-stained face, red eyes.
This wasn't Reyna Solis. This wasn't the Apollo girl most famous for having close to perfect aim and helping lead the demigods into war. This wasn't her.
All because of their supposedly 'Saving Grace'. He had promised to protect camp, to protect her. But not all heroes keep their promises.
Jason Grace.
The name made her heart clench up and her mind fog. He had been so special to her, closer than even her family. He was the only one left to hold her when she cried and laugh with her during good times.
Not anymore.
He had been gone for three months. After the second Titan War, she had thought that everything would be normal again. But nothing is normal when you're a demigod.
She stared at the reflection. The opposite of what she truly was. She had been known to be strong, even during the hardest times. Now, she almost broke down every time someone mentioned the camp leader.
Plip, plop, ploop.
The image changed this time, into a happier Reyna. She was smiling, her eyes twinkling. She blinked, and it was gone. It was an illusion, it wasn't real.
She wiped her face angrily and threw in more pebbles. Why did her life have to be so bad? Her mom died in a fire caused by her ex-boyfriend. Her mortal brother with the Sight had died by a hellhound's claw. Everyone she cared about got hurt, one way or another.
During the Titan War, Hazel, one of her best friends who was a daughter of Ceres, had ended up with a severe head injury and was currently in a coma. That had been enough to emotionally shake her, but the Fates weren't done with her yet.
They had to take away her best friend, her boyfriend, practically her other half.
Why did the gods have to mess with her so much? She never did anything worth punishing. You couldn't if you were at the Roman camp with Lupa watching your every move.
Plip, plop, ploop.
Reyna remembered the night before Jason disappeared very vividly. It had been a peaceful day. Lupa was in a good mood, so they had the whole night off from vigorous training.
Flashback~
Reyna sat at the head of the Apollo table, as she was the counselor. They had finished eating dinner, and were eating dessert made from the Edesia table, who was the Roman goddess of feasting. Reyna scooped up a bite of cake.
"Boo!" Jason appeared from behind and stole a cherry from her cake. His eyes looked like the purest blue skies, mixed with opal pools that glittered.
Reyna grinned. "Get your own, Grace. This delicious cake that you can't eat is mine." She put some cake in her mouth, dramatically savoring the taste. Jason faked a pout then grinned.
"Whatever, Rey. At least I get this cherry." He popped the cherry in his mouth then reached for another one. Reyna slapped his hand away. She frowned playfully.
"Learn your manners, young man!" They both burst out laughing, not noticing a shadow standing right behind them.
"AWWWWW! You two are adorable. I am so glad I set you up!" Gwen, a daughter of Venus, was squealing and jumping around in her fashionable, but sensible, boots. She suddenly stopped and faced Jason.
"Come on, Sparky. You are coming with me." She started dragging Jason away, who was protesting loudly. Contrary to popular belief, Venus kids were not weak. They were just as strong as everybody else, some even stronger. For such a petite person, Gwen was one of those people who could demolish anything or anyone who got her mad.
"What's with her?" Bobby, a Mercury kid, appeared next to Reyna, waving a messenger bag around. It was magical. It could fit anything in it and send anything to anyone when asked politely. They learned that the hard way. Once, a Vulcan boy had stuffed a parcel into the bag and had demanded it to send it to China. Instead, the bag had spit the box out and had sucked the poor kid in, sending him to China.
"Who knows? That's Gwen, the girl who always sets people up and offers to give a total makeover" Reyna rolled her eyes and finished up her cake.
"In her defense, the couples always end up perfectly. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Oh, wait…" They both remembered the event that had happened a week ago. A Minerva kid had gotten a little 8-year-old Venus girl mad and she had made all his clothes turn pink and shrink a size or two.
"Whatever, it can't be bad. Let's go visit Hazel. I think Dakota's there." They both set out to the miniature hospital. After the war, Lupa had decided to invest for a hospital since there were so many wounded.
They entered the room. Dakota, a Mars boy, was lounging on a seat, staring at Hazel sadly. Reyna checked her over and picked up a glass of nectar from the table. She handed it to Dakota.
"Here, Kota. Give her half the cup, and then give her the other half in two hours." She picked up a clipboard and checked something off. Dakota carefully slid the straw into her mouth.
"How long's it going to take? My girlfriend has been like this for a month. I can't take it anymore!" Dakota stood up. "I'm going to practice. I can't stand looking at her like that." With that, he slammed the door, only to stop and close it quietly.
Bobby stared at the door pitifully. "Poor Dakota. He's going insane. I'm going to go check on him. See you later, Rey." He left the room then sprinted off to the arena where Dakota was slashing at battle dummies.
Reyna looked at Hazel again. Her straw-colored hair was damp and her hazel eyes were shut tight. Her forehead was beaded with sweat. Reyna fluffed out a pillow then stood up and left.
She was just closing the hospital doors when she noticed the time. A beautiful sunset stretched out behind the mountains. Camp Jupiter was in the center of a lot of mountains, giving it a nature feel. People were getting ready to go to bed, since they had an early morning in front of them.
"Yo, Rey! How's Hazel? Is she any better? I saw Dakota, and he wasn't looking too good." Jason slung in arm around Reyna, his purple shirt damp with sweat.
"Woah, Sparky. Where have you been? You're a mess, go take a shower." Reyna smirked. Jason laughed.
"Fine, mother. You too, I'm taking you somewhere later." Before Reyna could ask where, Jason sprinted off. Reyna rolled her eyes then headed to the Apollo cabin. It had been blindingly shiny during the morning, but as the sun set, the cabin dimmed, while the Diana cabin started glowing.
"Hey, sis! What's up? You have a date, don't you?" Hannah, her sister, burst through the door. Her blond hair was done in tight ringlets, and she was wearing a stunning blue dress.
"Hey, what's with the clothes? You look great." Hannah smiled and struck a pose.
"Thanks, I have a date with Darrin later. While I'm at it, let me help you." She grabbed Reyna's hand and dragged her into the cabin. She stuck her head into the closet and threw out several clothes items.
"Mmmkay, sis, you have your pick. Hey, that rhymed! Dad must be proud. Okay Rey-Rey, take a shower and stuff. I'll wait out here." Hannah plopped down on the bed and pulled out a microphone. A gift of Apollo, it magnified whatever came in by 100% and perfected anyone's voice.
"BABY, BABY, BABY, OHH!" Hannah belted out the lyrics to Justine Beaver's song. Unfortunately, she was a Belieber. Reyna winced and closed the door to the bathroom. She undressed and took a relaxing shower. Ten minutes later, she was pushed onto a seat while Hannah worked miracles.
"Ta-da!" Hannah twirled the chair around to face a mirror. Reyna was shocked to see herself. Her blond hair had been straightened even more than it already was. There was a little lip gloss on, plus some mascara that brought out her blue eyes. Her cheeks were pale pink.
"Wow, thanks, Han!" Hannah smirked, and waved her hand to the piles of clothes on the bed.
"Have your pick. I've got to go, Darrin is here. Bye, Rey!" With a final look in the mirror, she burst out the cabin door.
Reyna looked at the clothes and found a perfect outfit. It was a blue T-shirt that had gray words that spelled, "Star" with a shoulder hanging off, plus some black leggings with a silver outline. A pair of silver flip-flops completed the outfit.
After she changed, she looked at the time. 8:00. Jason should be here any minute now. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.
"Rey, you there?" More pounding.
"Chill, Grace. I'm coming." Reyna opened the door, face to face with a few roses.
"W-What is this? They're beautiful." Reyna smiled while Jason's face flushed an adorable red.
"I got the Ceres cabin to whip them up for me. Come on, let's go, hold on tight." Jason wrapped his arms around Reyna's waist and summoned the winds. They flew past the river and a lot of trees, then stopped at a clearing with a picnic set up.
"Woah, Sparky, nice." Reyna smiled. Jason laughed, his sky blue eyes twinkling happily.
"I don't deserve the credit, Gwen set this up. You have no idea what she was like. If I did a single thing wrong, she would give me this evil glare and tell me to be more like a gentleman. It was terrifying, Rey."
They sat down on the blanket. There were sandwiches, drinks, even a watermelon. For dessert, there was blueberry pie. Even though it seemed like twenty minutes, it was already beginning to get dark.
When they finished, Jason turned to face Reyna. He held out his hand.
"One last place, Solis. Come on." They sped off into the night, gently landing in Rome Tree, the tree rumored to sire all the others.
"See that one? It's my favorite. It's called, "Jason and Reyna Forever." Reyna blushed, then frowned.
"You got the Astraeus kids to do this, didn't you?" Jason smiled, his little scar curving into a crescent.
"No, they offered." Reyna looked at it again. The words were clear. Jason put his arm around her. Reyna did something that surprised them both. She kissed him. He kissed back.
End~
Plip, plop, ploop.
Instead of pebbles, crystal tears were falling instead. Reyna Solis was crying heavily. For Hazel, for Jason, for everything else that mattered.
She had kept herself together through all the rough times, and now, she was falling apart.
The trees and the water blended together, creating a blurry display of blues and greens. She just couldn't take it anymore. With Jason gone, she was the next in line to be leader. The stress was too much.
He'll be back. He promised.
Reyna stopped crying and hastily wiped her tears. He would be back. He would.
Because he promised.
And Jason Grace doesn't break promises.
A/N
Well? This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I realized that I didn't include Percy. Which changed my mind. Percy has to be here, he's that awesome.
Fun fact; Katie Gardner and Miranda Gardiner have similar last names. So does Reyna Solis and Will Solace. Both kids of Apollo. ;)
Solis is Latin for "sun". Just pretend her mom was Latin. :D
Ahahaha, Justine Beaver. ;)
Bye!
