Right, so I should finish my other stories, The Mark of Athena Assumptions and Okay, A Twist in My Story, but I felt a sudden urge to make a Jason/Reyna short story. The first chapter is on their meeting, Jason's partial history, and a scene. There aren't many Jason/Reyna fan-fics out there, so I wanted to write one too! I'm a Jason/Piper fan, but I'm leaning towards Jason/Reyna at the moment, so I hope you enjoy it. I don't plan on making it into long novel-long chapters, just short. More like a short version of Percy's adventures, except it's Jason's instead. Next chapter will be in Reyna's POV.
I don't own the Heroes of Olympus.
First Meeting: Jason
Jason was slashing at Dakota, who was clumsily avoiding his attacks. Of course, Dakota, though he doesn't seem like it, is quite a skilled fighter. Even at 11 years old, Jason too was a fierce warrior. His intimidating tattoo, the SPQR, the eagle, and the four straight lines he has in his arm, he arrived when he was 7 and proved himself to be a worthy Roman. Being the son of Jupiter, this was expected; he was raised the by the she-wolf, Lupa, and trained to never show mercy, as this was the Roman way.
Trained to be fierce, show no weakness, be an agile warrior, he could have easily been compared to the old time Spartans, however, he was also taught to be loyal, courageous, but only to the right people, his family. And his family was in New Rome, Camp Jupiter, but yet, a part of him misses his other family, his family by blood. He vaguely recalls a girl, about 9 years old, maybe? It was his sister, Thalia. She was yelling at an older woman, presumably his mother, they were arguing; but that's all he can remember. He knew who they were, but wasn't sure what happened to them, Lupa wouldn't tell him anything else.
"Come on Jason, I. Really. Got. To. Go. Back. To. My. Kool. Aid!" he said each word while trying to parry and avoid each strike from Jason. If that's what he wanted, fine, he'll get it.
When Dakota went in for the stab, Jason side-stepped and elbowed down Dakota's arm, but he didn't stop there. After the initial shock(and pain), Dakota tried to recover, but he was too late. Jason went and grab Dakota's arm and twisted it, placing it on his back.
"Ahh! Okay, okay, stop, stop! You're going to break my arm!" Dakota started pleading, for other people, this would seem cruel, but here in New Rome, people just walked by doing nothing to stop them. After a while, Jason let go and wiped the sweat off his forehead and grinned. The teen just grumbled and took a swig off his flask.
"Looks like I win again, Dakota." Jason said cheekily, grinning.
"Well, I was rushing, so, it doesn't count." He replied, taking another swig, Jason rolled his eyes.
"Whatever you say."
Dakota ruffled Jason's hair and they both walked to the bath house. The bath house was probably the best part in all of New Rome, of course, there were two separate bath houses, one for the females and the other for the males. It was like the Japanese onsen, but even better.
Walking into the pool, the boys let out a sigh of relief. Dakota leaned back against the edge, while Jason just floated, staring up at the sky.
"Dakota, don't you think it's time that the Fifth Cohort get back it's rightful place?"
"Don't know, kid. Ever since the last Praetor, Varus, lost the Eagle, we've been mocked." Dakota sighed, taking another swig, his lips were ridiculously red that someone might mistake it for lip sticks.
"Yeah, but I'm sick of them looking at us like that when we didn't even do anything." Jason complained, thinking back to the looks they were giving his cohort. Even though they showed respect to him, he didn't like the way people stared at the Fifth Cohort, in which his friends were in.
"Illegitimi non carborundum." That was all Dakota could say, not caring if Jason was a kid, Romans were used to cursing in Latin sometimes.
"I know I can't do it alone, so one day, I'll team up with someone to change that. Just not Octavian, I still hate him." Jason said it with pride, but the last part with disdain.
"Hey, you're not the only one. I can't believe that some of the other cohorts have to rely and actually support him. The Lares, not so surprised, they still go after the old ways."
"Yeah, they'll see." Jason promised.
After they were done, they changed into a fresh pair of the standard purple shirt, pants, and their shoes. They went their separate ways, Dakota off to flirt with Gwen, and Jason to go back to his bunk and take a nap. Today didn't seem to spectacular, the last four years have been good on him, prior to that, he was confused. Often he would ask Lupa of his heritage and she would just reply that he was the son of Jupiter. This would frustrate him as he wanted to know his other family, but never questioned her again. Then one day, Lupa told him his familial background. He dreamt about it as soon as his head hit the pillow.
"Jupiter sired you in order to please Juno, because as you know, she did not like your father's affair with other women, and she especially despised his half-blood children." She explained, Jason knew of that already, even if it did make him feel uncomfortable.
"And my father named me Jason, after the original Greek Jason." He said, only 6 at the time, not completely innocent, but still so young.
"Yes pup, but what you do not know is that Juno is your patron. Unlike all of Jupiter's other children, she favored you and thought you as her own son, much like I think of you as my own son." Lupa explained, though it doesn't easily show, he could tell that Lupa was smiling.
"Really? I...don't know what to say, except that I am honored." Jason said, without a hesitation, but was heavily unsure of what to think of it.
"Do not lie, child. I know you are confused, but it is an honor, do not forget." She growled, nudging Jason forward to the Wolf House as it was getting late.
"Yes, Lupa." he replied, confusion still etched on his face.
"Before we go in, I'll tell you something about your other...family." This got Jason on full attention. He didn't say a word, but nodded his head to go on. "You have a sister, her name is Thalia Grace, she comes from an...older background."
"Older background? What do you mean, Lupa?" Jason was puzzled, he was still six anyways.
"I'm afraid it's beyond my power to say it, it's forbidden to talk about it." Lupa's expression grew cold, Jason didn't press on about her sister. "But all I can say is that she is your full-blooded sister. I am already pushing the rules Jason, do not ever talk about your sister."
"Yes, Lupa." He promised, feeling a sense of duty.
"And as for your mother, I'm afraid I do not know much about her. Both Jupiter and Juno refuses to speak about her."
"That's all right, at least I know something about them." Jason felt a little disappointed, but at least he knew he had a sister, an actual sister. Whether she's alive or not, he doesn't know.
"Come now, pup, it's time to go in. Your birthday is tomorrow, and the next day after, it's time for you to make your journey and meet your new, permanent family."
Jason woke up, it was around noon time, he got up into a sitting position slowly. He rubbed his eyes and looked around him. The bunks were deserted and he was left alone, he could hear a commotion going on outside, near the gates. He got up and stretched, put on his shoes, and jogged to the gates.
By the time he got there, people were already leaving, muttering about a new demigod. He felt a little disappointed that it wasn't something huge, but he wanted to meet this new recruit and see if he or she would be worthy to join this camp. The Gate came into his view and he could see the two Praetors talking to someone. They were blocking his view, so he walked up to get a better look.
The new recruit was a girl, somewhere around his age, a little shorter than him, dark hair, and a fierce gleam on her eyes. Like every new demigod that came in, she looked tired, grimy, and seemed like she wanted more than anything but to take a shower and hit the bed. One of the Praetors, Jack, turned and saw me, he waved me over.
"Jason! Good timing, I need you to show our new member around the City." He gestured towards the girl, who still held a fierce expression on her face. He took me away from her and the other Praetor, Sophia, who was explaining how Camp Jupiter and New Rome worked. He looked around to make sure no one was listening, then back at the two girls, he smiled and waved at them, and then back to him.
"Listen, I need you to be careful. She doesn't talk much, all we could get out of her was that she's a daughter of Bellona, probably the third most important God here, even if she is a minor Goddess. Her name's also Reyna, she's a year older than you, although it doesn't seem like it. Even though she won't say much, I have a feeling she's had it a little rougher than some of the other Demigods here. So be careful, okay Jason?" He explained to him, with a serious expression, he nodded his head dutifully. We walked back to them and the girl still refused to relax, Sophia gave a look that says 'She's a stubborn one.'
"Okay Reyna, Jason here will give you a tour around, he's the only one right now in our legion that is about your age. Jack and I have our duties to do, so we'll leave the introductions to him." They both left us, but they seemed to be pretty close when they were walking, he could have sworn that they were holding hands, he just shook it off and turned back Reyna.
"Hi, as you already know, my name's Jason Grace. I'm in the Fifth Cohort, been here for four years, and the son of Jupiter. So, I guess I'll show you around." He held out his hand for her to shake, but she just stared at him, with a look that he think was disgust. He pulled it back awkwardly and ignored it, there was silence between the two until finally, the girl spoke.
"Well, are you going to show me around or are you going to stand there like an idiot?" she asked, finally changing her expression into one of annoyance.
"Right, the tour. Well, if you can follow me, I'll show you." He started walking forward, but turned his head back to see if she was following. She just rolled her eyes and started walking too. He showed her all of the Cohorts Barracks, the Principia, the Mess hall(in which Reyna seemed a little relieved that they would lay down while eating too), and the Baths. Reyna looked really tempted to jump in the baths, but she didn't say anything, he just grinned.
"You won't feel paradise until you've been in a Roman bath." He jokingly said, even though it was true.
She just gave him a look, but didn't say anything, which was starting to get in Jason's nerve. He wishes that the girl would say something, do something, she doesn't seem to have a personality. And the first thing she said to him wasn't particularly nice, unlike the other demigods, she was bold at first meeting and actually seemed like she saw a Camp like this already.
When they passed the Praetorian gate, the first thing she noticed was the temples across the half-mile journey to New Rome. Jason answered her questioning look.
"That's the Temple Hill, we're actually going there next."
When they got there, she was immediately drawn to the temple that had a statue of a Goddess wearing Roman armor. She was marveling at the sight, and Jason couldn't blame her, he felt the same when he saw his own father's temple.
"That's Lady Bellona, your mother. She's one of the most important Goddess here in Camp Jupiter and in New Rome. Besides my father and Mars, she's also the most respected Goddess as well. So as you can see, you're pretty important too." He explained, carefully choosing his words.
"My mother, yes, if it wasn't for her..."Her voice trailed off and Jason couldn't help but wondered what her story was. Well, at least she said something again. Jason made it his own personal mission to make her talk before the tour is over.
"Hey, we're all family here so whatever your story is, we can all relate." He said, she looked back at him with a long hard stare.
"You have no idea what I've went through, and I don't plan on telling anytime soon, especially to someone like you." She snapped. That was strike two for Jason, she was testing his temper now, thankfully, he was a son of Jupiter, not Neptune. The air suddenly filled with the smell of ozone, Jason realized he was letting part of his anger loose and held it back down.
Pretending that their small dispute didn't happen, he continued on to their final destination. It was New Rome, standing all in her glory with the Aqueduct standing on one end of the city. People were bustling around the street, the markets were open and selling, college-age kids were talking to one another, they all had on jackets that said Berkeley University or the mascot. Some people were flirting with one another, the fauns were trying to bother some Campers who kept trying to walk away, and a couple was watching their son and daughter bicker over a toy gladius, the Lares walking around talking in Latin. Yep, a pretty normal day in New Rome.
Jason turned to Reyna, she was taking in the sight with wonder, but most of all, she was surprised by the amount of the people living in here. He didn't want to feel like a creep, but he couldn't help but noticed that her eyes grew considerably softer. He cleared his throat to get her attention.
"Right, so there's the Coliseum, yes, an exact copy, but a little smaller." He pointed over to where the stadium was. "Then there's the Circus Maximus, and no, it's not a Circus with clowns, it's more like a racing track. And right we are is the Forum, over there is the Senate House, where all of our Senators, Centurions, Lares, and of course, the Praetors, have their meetings."
She looked around, letting the sight of all of this in.
"Well, that pretty much sums up the end of the tour. Of course, you need to do 10 years of service, and then you can retire and live out a normal life here. It's pretty much the only safe place for people like us." He wrapped up the tour, sitting down on one of the marbled benches. She sat down on the opposite end, resting her head against the pillar next to the bench.
"You look tired, you should hit the baths and then maybe take a nap. I'm not sure which Cohort you're in-"
"They placed me in the First Cohort." She interrupted him, closing her eyes.
"Well, then, that's where you'll be sleeping in for the next 10 years."
Things suddenly got quiet again and it took me a while to realize that Reyna fell asleep as she was starting to droop forward. I got up and shook her awake, first mistake. She immediately pinned me down holding a knife under my chin, my first instinct was to flip us over, but I pushed it down as it would look awkward. Some people were staring, but they just continued walking.
She cursed something in another language, I think it was Ancient Greek, weird, not a lot of people speak Ancient Greek here, just Latin. She put the knife back in her sheath and didn't even bother to apologize.
"Oh yeah, thanks for the apology." Jason said sarcastically, getting himself up.
"Just be lucky I didn't gut you open right there, boy." She spatted out boy as if it was a bad thing. Although that made him questioned even more where she came from, that was the last straw for Jason.
"Just what is your problem?" He snapped, a little electricity sparked in the air.
"Problem? I just went through something that no one can understand, not even you, Grace. Ugh, boys, they think they can do everything and suffered the worst labors." She retorted, disgust and venom evident in her voice.
"What? We do not and I bet it's just the typical monsters story, everyone's been through it!" Jason immediately regretted what he said, Reyna's eyes seemed to have gotten watery, but she blinked them away and her face grew hard and angry again.
"You don't know anything!" She screamed at his face, there was a crowd forming around them now, and Jason did not like that one bit at all. "Don't ever speak to me again."
She turned around and walked back to the Camp, people getting out of her way with nervous looks. Jason was left dumb-founded and regretful. Dakota clapped his back with some sympathy.
"Dude, don't worry. She's just a new Camper, we've had worse."
"Yeah, but I don't think I'll be talking to her for a long time again." Jason walked away, the crowd already dispersed. His shoulders were slumped, he hasn't felt this way in a long time. The first being when he accidentally knocked down some pillars that were meant to replaced some battle damaged fort and the Praetors gave him a scolding.
Reyna kept to her word, somewhat. They would usually run into each other, but Reyna would always turn back before Jason could even properly apologize or talk to her. It wasn't until the war, that they were both forced to talk to each other, as they were leading Centurions by the time it got started. Their next encounter would be before a quest to slay the Trojan Sea monster, which was two years after their first meeting. By then, Jason already went through some quests, three to be exact and they weren't really hard, but like Reyna, he refused to talk about one of them. This quest will bring them closer than ever and leaving Reyna rendered confused.
