Summary - Reyna didn't really like it when guys were too cliché. But with Nico, it was a different story.
Pairings - Nico/Reyna. Don't question my logic...
Notes - All I want out of HoO is for these two to interact, Nico POV, and a Reyna POV.
And I'll die happy.
(Also, pretend Nico is older than he is for this.
And this is based before SoN.
AND this is mostly written on my iPod and to test the new system that FF has set up.
Blame them if it's all screwed up...)
What follows is the most cliché thing I could think of.
;-; I'm quite ashamed
Reyna wasn't the prettiest girl in Camp Jupiter nor was the most approachable but she was the most mysterious and unattainable. And boys often want what they can't get and because of that, she was often forced to participate in stupid dating auctions where all the Roman boys leered at her and bid for her to spend time with her. Most of the time, however, the 'date' was her giving them the cold shoulder and kicking their ass if they made a move to even hold her hand.
OK, so maybe Circe had influenced her to have a little grudge against the male species. But, hey! She wouldn't if they all didn't meet the low standards the sorceress had drilled into her head.
"I swear, this is slavery or something..."Reyna darkly muttered and, next to go on the stage to be sold, Gwen smiled at her.
"Probably, but we're raising money for the Camp! And I'll buy you jelly beans!"the redhead smiled so wide that her grin looked too big for her face but her optimism made Reyna feel even worse. Nothing her best friend could say would convince her this was anything but slavery.
"Gwen, daughter of Venus!" Bobby announced and there was a loud cheer as the girl walked out, beaming brightly at the crowd of boys ('Monsters' the praetor amended in her mind). For a few seconds, all Reyna could hear was the roar of hundreds of hormone-driven boys fighting for Gwen's attention until they all quieted down and Jason did his usual speech.
"This is Gwen, a good friend of mine if you're living under a rock. If you buy her, and are a jerk to her or anything Octavion-ish,"at this, the blonde grinned at the glowering Augur. "I will kick your ass all the way to Italy and then toss you to Aurum and Argentum." A collective shudder passed through the crowd and the two metal hounds howled, terrifying anyone who wasn't accustomed to them.
Which was almost everyone.
"...after that...frightening promise, I'm not sure who's gonna buy Gweny now..."Bobby trailed off and the daughter of Venus pouted, immediately bringing back the excited air that had existed before Jason had done his speech. In mere seconds, Gwen had been sold off (To a drunk Dakota which made Reyna wonder if he was even aware of what he had done.) and Bobby called out the next name.
"Reyna, our praetor and daughter of Bellona!" Unlike Gwen, there was no roar from the audience, only the sound of guys digging through the pockets and counting their money to try and see if they even had the chance to get her. Internally, she groaned and crossed her arms, glaring out into the crowd. Jason winked at her, grinning widely as if he enjoyed her pain.
"I don't think I have to tell you guys what'll happen if you hurt or anger Rey,"he joked but no one laughed, everyone paling since they were all too aware what would happen.
On that same note, she wondered if Mark had gotten out of the infirmary...
"So, who wants our dearest Rey of Sunshine?"Bobby asked and the crowd suddenly began to shout, the price quickly escalating until it stood at 250 drachmas. The two final bidders - both spoiled legacies that were probably after getting in the leadership's good graces - were locked in a stand off, trying to convince the other that they had more money but Reyna figured that they both were at rock bottom.
"350 drachmas." A calm voice called and the two legacies flushed a deep crimson color, resembling tomatoes, and the entire crowd looked around for who had outbid the two rich men. Nico di Angelo, dressed his usual aviator jacket and jeans, was leaning against the wall in the far back, a small smirk adorning his lips.
"The price to beat is 350! Any more bids?"Bobby called,his eyes wide at the price. It was the highest all day and the one to call it was someone who barely spent his time in camp, not to mention a son of Pluto. No one else yelled and Nico's smirk grew. Reyna sighed, already resigning herself to her fate. "Going once. Going twice. Sold to Nico di Angelo!"he shouted and Jason clapped his hands, all eyes darting to him.
"The dating auction is now over! All winners, please come to pay and then meet your date,"he announced and immediately, the room was a flurry of action. About twenty or so guys were pushing through the crowd to try and reach the stage while everyone else headed towards the door, grumbling about how they didn't get anything(she resented being called a something) Reyna watched the steps, waiting for Nico to walk up them but even as everyone else showed, he never did.
"Who you looking for?"someone asked and she jumped, twirling around to glare at a grinning son of Pluto. His dark eyes seemed to be laughing at her and Reyna forced a polite smile, holding out a hand. When he didn't take it, she dropped it awkwardly by her side, frowning at him.
"You know, it's considered polite to shake someone's hand when they offer,"she snapped, crossing her arms. He smirked, looking smug.
"Really? And here I thought that was a sign of idiocy,"he drawled and her eyes practically lit up with anger.
"Are y-"
"Hey Nico!"Jason cut in, clapping the dark-haired boy on the back, and grinning. Reyna huffed, looking defiantly away and Nico's laughter rang in her ears. "Rey being her generally warm self?"
'What the? You traitor!'she fumed in her mind, jerking her head to glare at her fellow praetor. He paid her no mind, taking the bag of drachmas Nico tossed him, and putting in a basket that looked like something a toddler would carry around on Easter. Bobby's doing, no doubt.
"I'll leave you guys to discuss your date,"Jason walked away, heading towards where Gwen was in process of destroying Dakota's flask of Kool Aid, much to his dismay. Reyna frowned at his retreating back before turning towards Nico.
"Where do you wanna go?"she asked and he shrugged, suddenly mute and that infuriated her. "Well, make up your mind!"she growled and from across the stage, Aurum and Argentum echoed her, glaring at Pluto's Ambassador.
"A picnic? A romantic stroll on the beach? Olive Garden? Movies? Eloping?"he was mocking her now and she resisted the strong urge to punch him. "Just can't decide, Reyna. OW!"
OK,so maybe she couldn't resist...
Gwen laid on her back on the bed, one leg stretched out and the other propped up as she watched Reyna chose her outfit with almost scientific interest that only a child of Venus could ever manage.
"No. No. No. Isn't that for boys? No. No. No. Do you have anything cute?"she finally screeched, sitting up and staring at her best friend as if she defied logic. By Venus standards, probably so since her closet had nothing 'girlish' except for... "Ooooh! That dress! That's the one!"
Reyna pulled out as if it might bite her and stared at it, trying to use sheer willpower to make it combust into flames. It was a cute yellow sundress that hung to her knees and was probably the definition of 'Adorable' in any fashion-crazed person's mind.
It was also Hylla's and brought back bitter memories of abandonment in the middle of the night with nothing but a note explaining why.
"Reyna, wear that one! It'll take Nico's breath away!" Gwen squealed and the daughter of Bellona snidely thought 'And mine too...'. So many times she had tried to burn it but she never could,always breaking down from memories of her sister when she attempted to. It was one of the few things that her sister had left behind and, still angry over her leaving, she had shoved it in the back of her closet and tried her best to forget it even exist.
'Face your fears and you'll be an unstoppable force,' Lupa's voice floated into her mind and Reyna took a deep breath, the smell of lilacs and peaches floating through her nostrils. The damn dress still smelled like Hylla... Suddenly too choked to talk, she nodded and Gwen giggled, tackling her in a hug, squealing "Thank you! Thank you!". In those five seconds where she allowed herself to be hugged, the other girl yanked her hair out of its braid, bouncing away as she did so.
"Hey!"the daughter of Bellona protested and the Venus girl smiled at her, her hazel eyes lighting up, and looking every bit like the beautiful girl that everyone described her as.
"C'mon, you barely wear it any other way! Just this once!"To make her point, she clasped her hands together and pouted up at her, adopting the kicked puppy look she mastered years ago. Reyna sighed before nodding her head and before she could blink, she was shoved in a chair. "You know, we should just leave it down. The braid has made it so wavy and pretty!" To make her point, Gwen ran her fingers through it, smiling softly to herself.
"Whatever you say. You're the daughter of love, not me."the praetor rolled her eyes before standing up and picking up the dress. Before, in her mind, she could easily picture Hylla wearing it but now the image wouldn't come. Instead, she saw herself in it, standing next to Nico and looking happy, nothing like her normal self. It almost scared her how easily she could replace the pictures in her head.
"Hurry up and get dressed! He's gonna be here soon!" Gwen urged before rushing out,slamming the door (Reyna twitched at that, resisting the urge to go scold her best friend) behind her, her sandals slapping against the floor as she ran down the hallway.
As she stepped out, the first thing she saw was Jason and Gwen talking to Nico, probably giving him the whole 'Hurt her and you die a painful and embarrassing death' speech that had been issued every single year, and she watched them for a few moments, examining what her date was wearing. Everyone before him had been dressed either way too stuff (A tuxedo is not what you wear to a movie...) or too casual (Lucas had been in his armor and still reeked of sweat and blood) and she tried to find something in his outfit to insult.
She couldn't. He was dressed in a button up shirt, aviator glasses tucked on the collar(He had a rather unhealthy obsession with WWII-era clothing...), and jeans, looking every bit as handsome as Gwen described him as. The urge to run suddenly hit her and she made the move to turn and run away to change in more comfortable clothes but Nico had caught sight of her, staring with wide eyes. Jason and Gwen, noticing that he wasn't paying any attention, turned to see what he was loo
Their conversation died down and they stared at her, their eyes flitting over her form in awe. Reyna felt like she was a little girl that had been caught wearing her mother's clothes and she shifted awkwardly, praying that they would say something soon or there would be nothing stopping her from running towards the hills.
"Wow..."Jason whistled, his blue eyes twinkling at her, and she relaxed, smiling softly back at him. Gwen grinned, looking pleased with her handiwork.
"Beautiful. C'mon Sparky, let's leave these two alone," she linked her arms through his and the son of Jupiter allowed her to drag him, beaming at the duo as they left.
The urge to run and hide came back stronger than ever and Reyna glanced at Nico, waiting for his response. He smiled at her, his whole face lighting up when he did.
"You clean up nicely,"he sounded sincere and Reyna's cheeks heated up. Cursing herself for showing that she actually cared what he thought, she elbowed him.
"Was there any doubt?"she snorted and he smirked.
"I would never." An awkward silence fell over them, leaving them at a loss on what to do. Their usual arguing didn't seem appropriate and considering that was all they did, it confused them on what to do.
"So, are we planning on just standing here or do you have something in mind?"Reyna finally asked and he blinked, as if confused what was currently happening and she resisted the urge to lean over and whack him. Was he really that absentminded?
"I was just gonna go with the flow..."he murmured and she rolled her eyes. Just great! The first date that she actually looked forward to - Not really. He wasn't as much as pig was all - and he had no idea where to even go! "Got a craving for ice-cream. Wanna go to the Cold Stone Creamery?"
That was his idea of a good first date? Maybe Circe was on to something when she did her whole 'I really hate men' chirade...
"Two All Lovin' No Oven!"the cashier called, gaping at Reyna as she swiped it out of his hand, heading towards the booth with Nico right behind her. The entire time they had spent walking to Cold Stone Creamery, people had literally stopped in whatever it was what they were doing and openly gaped at her as she talked with Nico. Was it really that surprising she could wear a dress and talk to a guy other than Jason, Dakota, and Bobby (the last two were a little bit iffy) without attempting to murder him?
OK, maybe a little...
"Your face is going to freeze that way if you keep frowning~,"Nico sang,shoveling a spoonful of the ice-cream into his mouth. Reyna scowled at him, pointing her spoon at him pompously.
"Shaddup! You're unnaturally pale! I don't think you're qualified to discuss beauty with me,"she made sure to stick her head up in a haughty matter and he snorted, leaning his head over his ice-cream to eat as much of it as he could. Was it a Pluto habit? She remembered Hazel doing the exact same thing when they were eating at the local Olive Garden. "We should play 20 Questions,"he suddenly piped up, looking up from his ice-cream. Suddenly flustered with being caught staring('Examining. I was just comparing his habits to Hazel's' She reminded herself) at him, Reyna nodded, not even pausing to think of all the things she could spill. And she sucked at lying.
"Last name. Everyone calls you just Reyna for a weird reason..."Nico frowned, looking as if he was pondering the existence of everything. She rolled her eyes, shaking his head at the utter strangeness of it all. Only he could question the universe while asking for her surname.
"Caídos. Um...favorite movie?"she winced. OK, that was probably the most generic question out, right after favorite color. He smirked.
"I thought you were more creative than that! The Dark Knight Trilogy." Reyna couldn't help but raise a brow at that. How cliché of him! They went back and forth for thirty minutes until they reached the final question and she sat, stumped on what to ask. Gwen had always made a big deal if it wasn't 'SOMETHING TO SHAKE NEW ROME'S VERY FOUNDATION!' and that rule had been drilled into her head over and over again to the point even she frowned if I didn't meet those standards. Nothing came to mind and she was pretty sure that Nico had fallen asleep waiting for to reply.
"...Why did you buy me?"Reyna finally decided, her eyes flickering up to examine his reaction. To his credit, he barely flinched and simply raised a brow, letting her know that he had been waiting for this question. The curiosity got to her and she waited anxiously - No. She was perfectly calm. She was a praetor after all - for his reply.
"You looked angry up there and I wanted to find out why. Wait, no, that sounds too romantic and creepy. Those two legacies that were fighting over aren't exactly friendly guys and you looked pretty resigned and that shocked me. The Reyna that I know would of kicked their ass and pretended it was nothing. So I wanted to figure out what made you so...not Reyna-ish."Nico finished, looking as if he couldn't quite believe he said and Reyna's mouth had fallen opened, her cheeks flushing a deep red. That was one of, if not the, sweetest thing a guy had ever said.
Maybe Circe was wrong about guys.
"And you're pretty hot."
"You just had to ruin it."
Notes - Ruining romantic moments is in my blood or something, ok? Just can't help it.
Review? Please?(:
Also,if FF screwed up this format...There will be blood to pay...