As she straightened out her dress, Reyna sucked in a breath. She couldn't believe it herself; she had willingly agreed to go on a date with Leo Valdez.

It had been a long time since the war with Gaea ended. Eight months, to be exact. The Romans of Camp Jupiter had demolished Camp Half-Blood, so Reyna had invited the Greeks to live in New Rome. It had been going smoothly for eight months, and no Roman was having second thoughts about sending them home.

The reflection in the mirror showed a black-haired, brown-eyed woman, who's strong-willed aura hadn't faded. Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter were family now, but she still didn't completely trust the Greeks. Reyna was surrounded by thousands of campers, but she still felt alone.

Even Jason would barely speak to her anymore. She wasn't surprised when he returned to Camp Jupiter with a girlfriend; he had been gone for six months with no memory of anything. And after all, they really hadn't been dating. Sure, anyone could tell that she wanted to be, but Jason never seemed to get that through his thick skull.

After Jason and the other six demigods returned from their quest, Reyna couldn't believe how rude and thick-headed he became. Some would think that she was trying to "steal Jason away from Piper" but she really wasn't. Before he went missing, she and Jason were good friends. All Reyna wanted to do was form a friendship back up with him, but the Aphrodite campers from the Greek camp in Long Island thought differently. Reyna never imagined how differently Aphrodite and Venus girls could act.

Percy Jackson left his role as Praetor and returned it to Jason, so the only time they spent together was when they were discussing how to look over New Rome. He was still rude and obnoxious; he would always call Reyna out for the little things. Like once, how Reyna wore high-heeled shoes, just because she wanted to feel good about herself. Jason had scolded her and told her and he didn't like her when she wore high heels.

Or whenever Reyna tried to crack a joke to lighten the mood, he never laughed. She wasn't the funniest person and didn't have a very good sense of humor, but everyone needed to lighten the mood once in a while. Jason always ignored her jokes or faked a laugh; once, he flat-out told her that she wasn't funny.

She had no idea what had gotten into him. She considered that Piper may have enchanted him, but she doubted it. In the few brief times they had talked, Piper seemed too nice to do something like that to Jason. Reyna figured he was just being a douchebag.

Their friendship started to deteriorate. They talked less and less, and instead of friendly chats, it turned into fiery arguments. It had gotten to the point where Reyna had completely given up on Jason, or ever even having the chance of dating him. He wasn't the person she had thought she knew.

Strolling away from the mirror in her cohort, she kneeled down and slipped into her high heels. She wasn't going on a date with Jason on that Wednesday; no, she was going on a date with the one and only Leo Valdez.

And she had said yes willingly. Sure, Leo might have been annoying, irritating, aggravating, and just a pain in the neck, but he was a good kid at heart. He could be classified as the Comic Relief; always cracking a joke to lighten the mood. He wasn't the type of person whom Reyna would consider a friend, but through all those months when she was feeling alone, Leo was there.

He was the 'seventh wheel' as he liked to say. They related on a lot of ways, much to Reyna's surprise. So when he asked her to go on a date in the cafe inside New Rome, she hadn't declined.

Taking another deep breath, she pushed open the door to the cohort she was inside, and walked down the path to New Rome. Reyna was wearing a dress for the occasion; she wanted, at least, to look the least bit appealing, instead of wearing her normal Praetor robes.

Only the last Sunday, when she had seen Leo last, he'd told her to meet her in the cafe at noon sharp, and of course Reyna arrived on time; the clock on the wall read twelve-o-five. He's probably late, Reyna thought as she walked inside the crowded cafe.

Greeks and Romans both inhabited the building. The former rivals were still trying to make peace, eight months into the new living arrangements. Reyna saw a mix of them, talking and sharing food, but she didn't see Leo anywhere. She scanned the tables again, thinking that she may have missed him. Surely, he wouldn't have stood her up.

In one table, Reyna saw Percy and Annabeth across from each other, holding hands across from the table. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she remembered when she talked to Annabeth when the Greeks first arrived in Camp Jupiter, Annabeth was determined and strong-willed, never cracking a smile. Now, as Reyna viewed her with her boyfriend, the smile never left her face.

Reyna envied them. Annabeth actually had someone for her, someone that cared about her and loved her more than anything. Leo had even told her Percy had fallen in Tarturus for her; Annabeth had love, while Reyna had no one. Even Leo had failed to show up at the date he had planned.

Turning her attention away from the couple, Reyna scanned the cafe once again, holding on to a thin strip of hope that Leo was just late, and that he didn't stand her up.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a figure come around from the other side of the room. It was Leo Valdez; the sixteen-year-old son of Hephaestus, coming around the corner. His brown eyes met Reyna's, and he flashed his famous grin as he walked in front of an empty table.

He stood in front of it and waved, his gaze still aimed at Reyna. Her stomach churned, and she became so nervous that she fumbled in holding up her dress as she walked over to Leo. He chuckled as she approached him and, much to her surprise, was enveloped in a hug.

In the last eight months, Leo had obviously hit his growth spurt - he now towered above her while eight months before he had been a few inches shorter. Even in her high heels, she wasn't as tall as him. Her eyes widened as he tightened the hug; Reyna hadn't been hugged since before Jason and the others left for Rome. She had forgotten how much she missed being hugged.

"Hey," Leo greeted, finally pulling away. Reyna had to crane her neck a little to meet his eyes, but he continued, "You look nice."

"Oh...thanks," she said. After a second's silence, Leo walked around and pulled out a chair for Reyna to sit in. There was a feeling in her chest that she couldn't quite place, but Leo's simple gesture made her extremely happy. With a smile, Reyna sat down in the chair that Leo pulled out for her.

He was wearing a white shirt with brown suspenders, a thing he obviously loved to wear, because Reyna never saw him without them. In all honesty, Reyna liked how they looked on him.

After taking a sip of the coffee in front of him, Leo began the conversation. "So, how's being a Praetor going for ya?"

"Eh," she replied, waving her hand back and forth. "It's not as fun as it was before. But I have to admit, seeing Jason in his underwear that one time gave me quite a laugh."

Remembering the event, she released a weak laugh, but Leo obviously thought it was hilarious, because his chest was moving up and down as he laughed, and his head was thrown back. "Jason?" he laughed, his face turning red. "In his underwear? Man, I would've paid to see that! You have to tell me more about it!"

He continued laughing as Reyna told the story: how Connor and Travis Stoll from the Hermes cabin in Camp Half-Blood snuck into the Senate Room and stole Jason's robes without him knowing. He was forced to come into the room in his underwear, showing off his fancy robot boxers.

She didn't know what she felt, but her grin continued to widen as she watched Leo snort and cackle as she told her story. He obviously didn't have a care in the world, and that made Reyna feel...relieved? Satisfied? In the past eight months, Reyna felt like the world was on her shoulders. She needed an escape, and she realized on that Wednesday in March that Leo would be the perfect escape.

"We're more alike than I thought!" Leo gasped for breath, sitting forward in his seat, after he told the story of the time the Aphrodite campers tore each others hair out over who was 'America's Next Top Model'. "I never thought we'd relate on so many levels. I like talking to you!" His famous grin reappeared, and Reyna's insides melted.

She smiled, but stared down at the food on her plate. She didn't know how to continue the conversation, but Leo obviously did. "Why are you being so shy?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Reyna questioned, her gaze moving from her sandwich to Leo's face.

"You're not opening up," he scolded, never moving his eyes from hers. "This whole time, I've been trying to get you to talk to me, but you won't say anything. You're a great girl, Reyna; why won't you talk?"

I don't want you to break me. "I don't know," she lied, keeping her eyes locked with Leo's. "I guess I'm just naturally shy...?"

"Well, I don't want you to be," he stated simply, as a demigod walked over to give them the check. Leo took it gratefully and told Reyna, "Don't worry. I'll pay. I always pay on a date...not that I've ever been on one to pay for..."

Her heart expanded, but she still couldn't place what she was feeling. Leo's brown eyes were shining as he held out his arm for her to grab, and together they walked out of the cafe.

"Do you have any family?" Reyna asked, as they neared the cohort she resided in.

"No," he answered, almost immediately. "I mean, if you count the half-brothers and half-sisters in the Hephaestus cabin, then I do, but if you mean from my mom's side then no. My mom died a long time ago so I've been on the run since. I found a home, though, with you guys." He smiled, but this time it wasn't one of his sarcastic or sassy smiles, it was genuine one that he meant with love. "What about you?"

She shook her head, and then Leo shrugged. "Well, I guess we relate on that too!" There was a long silence, and soon enough, they were in front of the door to her cohort. "Reyna, I really enjoyed talking to you today."

She felt a sudden urge to ask Leo to come in with her. To have the chance to talk to him a little longer. "I did too," she answered, and she knew it wasn't a lie. She knew she couldn't ask Leo to come in with her, so she said, "Can we do this again sometime?"

"Of course we can!" A look of happiness and excitement quickly spread over Leo's face. "I loved hanging out with you today. I'd love it if we can do this again. Alright...see you tomorrow, then."

But he didn't leave. Reyna and Leo stood very still, brown eyes meeting another pair of the same color. The Hispanic boy stood his ground, and Reyna didn't know what he was going to do next.

With one swift, quick movement, Leo pulled her in.

And he kissed her.

A/N - Yes, I did have to insert that one paragraph of Percabeth. I think we're all sort of losing our minds here in the PJO fandom. I don't read a lot of Percy Jackson fics, so I apologize if this isn't what you wanted and poisoned the archive for you. I'm not a new author, not by a mile; I just write for a completely different fandom.
It's my one year anniversary of finishing the series, (4/7/12), so this was kind of a reminder; not to mention that I ship Leyna shamelessly. I've loved this series for almost two years, but I never write, nor read, PJO fanfiction, so this is kind of new to me...R&R?
DISCLAIMERS: I don't own Percy Jackson, any of the characters, or the fanart I used for the cover of this oneshot. I do hope you enjoyed this short little fic, and I hope you have a sparkling day!~*