a/n: my favorite pairing in PJO! it would be perfect without Piper...sigh. I'll probably write more stuff for these two, because they deserve some love!
Read Your Mind
It all starts one day...
The first thing she sees are his eyes, clear and startling blue like the sky, and that's where it begins. He's so breathtakingly handsome, Reyna can't help but stare at his flawless smile, his golden hair, and wonder what's happening to her. It takes her a while because she's never had these sensations before (and she's only ten, at the moment!), but she eventually figures out that these feelings aren't going to go away and—
That's when she first realizes she's in love.
(and nothing will ever be the same again)
They have their first kiss in the moonlight, under the stars.
The night is a perfect, cloudless one—Jupiter's doing, maybe? The two are supposed to be doing their duties, their endless amounts of paperwork, but it was Jason's idea, that they could go take a break and have some fun together.
As he drags her toward the hilltop that overlooks New Rome and offers an exquisite view of the landscape, their spot that nobody else knows about, Reyna can feel her pulse quickening at the prospect of being together with Jason alone, away from all the pestering demigods and their needs.
She has to wonder if he feels the same way, but it's always so hard to tell what he's thinking.
Reyna shakes herself out of her thoughts as they continue down the path, the shadows of the principia fading behind their backs. As they lie in the cool grass, Jason begins pointing out the different constellations to her, his knowledge probably coming from his being the son of Jupiter, after all. Reyna is secretly thrilled, but her years of praetorship has taught her to be a rather serious individual:
"Jason, you know we're supposed to be doing paperwork right no—"
"Shhh." A smile playing on his lips, he reaches out to turn her chin toward him; and suddenly their lips are touching and Reyna feels like she can reach the stars, particularly Orion the hunter, the one he'd just told her about.
Her protest dies down, unspoken, and she lets out a sigh of consent. Reyna knows Jason can make her do anything he wants, but she's slightly irritated at herself. It's practically impossible to say no to him.
"Relax, Rey. We're out here to enjoy ourselves, after all," he says, and puts his arm around her shoulder. At his touch, her brief annoyance vanishes instantly, only to be replaced with butterflies in her stomach, something she's been feeling a lot recently. They sit together comfortably after that, talking about things normal teenagers wouldn't, like more constellations and the next big war game, but she doesn't care because they aren't normal teens, and she's fine with that.
She has to admit, this is much better than writing papers.
(but love is such a fragile thing—)
The next week Jason's gone.
Reyna's left trying to lead Rome all by herself, and it is like a part of her has been torn away. That's not far from the truth, though, she realizes, because Jason is the biggest part of her, with his perfect smile and quiet encouragement, the confidence he gives her that no one else can.
Jason, where are you?
Nightmares plague her at night, and each morning, Reyna wakes up breathing hard and sweaty because of the terrifying dreams she's just had, the fear of what happened to the boy she loves. This happens every night, but she won't tell anyone why she's always so pale and shaky in the morning. After all, she is the only praetor they have left. They only know strong, confident Reyna, and she won't let them down. More than anything, she has to be the courageous girl they all know and love.
She nearly loses her mind from worry and stress.
(without you, it's like trying to hold up the weight of the sky alone)
After months of this for Reyna, the boy she loves finally comes back. But everything's wrong because he returns with new friends, a new camp, and a new girlfriend.
She knows Jason has had amnesia, but how could he forget? Forget all the kisses they've shared, all the memories they've had? Because when she sees those sky blue eyes, they're too busy gazing into Piper McLean's brown ones to even notice Reyna.
And from then on, he only nods to Reyna politely, treats her like he would any other person, with respect but nothing else.
Piper McLean's too nice to play the role of the villain, but Reyna watches the new couple kiss and do everything together, and she can't help but feel the twisted envy growing in her heart. Jason has known her for six years and he's known Piper for what, a few months? They have a history, but he just went and threw it away before her stricken eyes. This is not how it was supposed to be.
And now Reyna knows her heart was meant to be broken by a daughter of Venus—a girl who's prettier, more aesthetic.
But Jason, he sure is a guessing game, that boy. She's never really been able to know what he was thinking, but now she wishes with her whole heart that she could. If only she could read his mind, but where's the fun in that? 'Cause love is a hard, hard game.
It's a twisted battle, one that Reyna can't win.
(you love me, you love me not)
.
.