Ironically this is being posted on April 2nd, but the idea is the same. Don't know how I came up with something this mean on the happy-funny day. Probably because my brain always goes back to Jason and Reyna in the end :P Enjoy and happy late April Fool's!
Disclaimer:
I own nor Reyna, nor Jason, nor Hazel or Frank.
Same goes for Octavian, Camp Jupiter; Larry and Hank.
Reyna kept her crossed arms firmly on the top of the Principia's table. Octavian had apparently been consulting one of his reference letters for an expedition to Detroit the legion was sending the first cohort on following a suspicious activity a few months ago and had found an error. Oh- the humanity of it, an error.
And so following that the little weasel had suggested the rest of the reference letters to be reviewed and even had the audacity to put it up to vote in the Senate, which of course he won. So while Reyna was doing this work, he'd come back to talk about her penmanship and how she might want to consider switching it to cursive to make it more respectable looking. Reyna didn't care.
"Octavian, your involvement in the legion is immense, but I'm busy right now, and I suggest you go prepare next activity like the other Centurions." Reyna cut him as he started talking about how minuscule and borderline invisible the dots on the 'i' were.
"As you wish Praetor Bell," he said with his sugar coated voice. Just then the doors burst open, and Reyna jumped to her feet.
"Hank," she said recognising the Senator from the first cohort, "You have no authorisation to be in the-"
"Jason's back," he panted.
Reyna's heart froze as his face sprang back to mind, and she immediately picked her dagger off the table and sheathed it as she pushed past Octavian towards the legionnaire at the door, the augur quickly speeding up his pace to match hers.
"Where? Take me- now. Is he hurt? Breathing?" Reyna demanded walking up to the legionnaire and looking down on him. He quivered.
"His feet are dangling in the Tiber… At the border of Camp- he stumbled through…"
He's hurt- damn it! Who knows why and what he's been through! Reyna thought.
Scenarios of poisoning and abuse and torture and all the strange monsters unseen for ages were running through Reyna's mind. Why had it taken so long for him to be back? The fear seizing her was shadowed by excitement and joy and –she should just say it- excitement.
She demanded Hank show her the way and she followed him, trying not to run, and debating whether she should or not.
No- control yourself. Don't provoke the legion.
"Walk faster," she told Hank. He did.
Jason was back. Oh gosh- she'd been waiting since October- six months. No more warding off Octavian's grabs at praetorships, of standing up to the senate with more friends than enemies, of managing the legion and the newest monster situations on her own, of falling asleep every night without seeing 'Goodnight I luv u' in Morse code through her window with a flashlight or responding back 'Me two' with her own flashlight… She could already imagine his tales and how modest he'd try to make them sound and how everything would go back to normal.
A huge weight was lifted off her shoulders- but dread was weighing her down enough. Jason hated water; he wouldn't stay in it if he wasn't hurt.
The medics will heal him, it'll be fine. I hope he's fine. I pray to Apollo that he is…
As Reyna got closer she didn't see a shape on the riverbank that was more than small bushes. No legionnaires crouching by a crippled and immobile figure, no sign ofsuch afigure…
She saw Frank and Hazel's shapes growing and coming closer, crossing the Little Tiber and walking on the other shore, most likely coming back from duty as sentries.
She broke out into a run and grabbed Frank by the collar.
"Where is he?" She growled.
"Whoa- Reyna- I don't know…" Frank said, eyes dilating with fear. She'd never set finger on a legionnaire outside the Coliseum or War Games before. Definitely not like this.
She realised her moment of insanity. She took a step back from Frank and then she heard a commotion. Three legionnaires from the first cohort jumped out of nearby bushes, joining to Hank.
"Happy April Fool's Day!" They chanted, as if this were some kind of surprise party. A pleasantry.
Reyna's blood froze. Not only at the prospect of just being sent on a wild goose chase and made a fool of on some stupid mortal holiday. Also because Jason wasn't there, she'd been so hopeful and she'd lost her head for a few seconds, Jason wasn't there, and because those three legionnaires were smiling up to their ears.
"That's not funny." Reyna said her voice cold and poisonous. "Not funny at all. It is out of place and out of conduct and behaviour of any legionnaire. All three of you are cut from bunks for a week and you're on dishes duty instead of the aurae for a month- all of them, all the cohorts, and I'll make sure mine are extra messy."
She spun towards Octavian. So much bad blood was already there; between the two of them… it had just rotten now. "Octavian, as Centurion you're supposed to supervise and educate your men- the first punishment applies to you too."
"Reyna!" One named Fred protested.
"No buts, those are my orders," Reyna said, "you're lucky it isn't more. I could cut your meal privileges or throw you in the Little Tiber with your hands shackled and have the river god bring you up before you die, and I could do it over and over and have you tease death. And you can go back to your duties now." She was nearly shaking. She stared down the legionnaires, daring them to defy her. They knelt and scurried, tails between their legs, Octavian with.
Now she was sure she shook.
"Reyna?" Hazel asked. "Reyna, what did they do? What did they say? Rey…"
"They told you Jason was back, didn't they?" Frank said softly. Reyna spun to face him.
"That's none of your concerns Frank Zhang." Reyna snapped. She regretted it. She'd grabbed him and snapped at him in the same ten minutes without him deserving any of it. "But let's just say… I am not in a joking mood."
And that one wasn't funny, she thought bitterly.