all away
summary: She wants to understand him, this boy-man who uprooted her from her home and family those many years ago. For glitters and gold
-—PercyReyna (during sea of monsters, au after son of neptune)
side notes: um i've had this written for a long time and i don't know if i've posted this before but please give me a shout if i have?
one. caught in the undertow
She takes one look at him, and promptly decides that she hates him.
Of course, she hates all men. The nice woman says that they are vile things—and, being young and easily influenced, she agrees. Except this one is younger, with a kind face and bright green eyes. The beautiful blond girl that he travels with doesn't seem forced to; in fact, they look like they enjoy each other's company.
Reyna helps the new girl and then quickly leaves. It is part of the job requirement. It's her turn to retrieve the books, anyways. Her feet fly to the library. She pauses, listens a moment.
There's a loud crash—the sound of her whole world crashing down.
She needs only to look at his eyes to remember him. She still hates him, for her home and for her sisters.
They converse. She doesn't understand why the gods would bring him here. So she can have her vengeance? He doesn't seem to remember her. To remind her constantly of her losses? If the latter is the case, Fortune does not favor her at all.
Being the only praetor "who eyes are for Rome and Rome alone" as Octavian puts it, the honor fell onto her to extend a hand to Greece's heroes and help them up from Tartarus. Probably so the augur could say, "Don't make her regret rescuing you from Tartarus"—although, if anyone has done any rescuing, it certainly isn't her.
This time, she looks at the boy—is he a man, now, perhaps?—and he's clutching the blonde girl and, by the looks of it, she is, too. He's bleeding badly from the leg and they both look exhausted.
She decides that she hates him thirty percent less.
It takes her one year and thirty-seven days after the defeat of the giants before she can stop hating him.
(She counted.)
She doesn't understand Percy Jackson any better and the opposite is true as well. Something new has replaced the hatred, though. It is equally passionate in nature, if not more. It's a stupid feeling, but Reyna Ramírez-Arellano holds it close to her chest and puts a cage around her heart so that the bloody thing will not go free and make a fool of her.
The world is a better place now that the giants have fallen and, when the sun comes up, she is smiling.