SNAPSHOTS

Firmly Rooted

"There you are!"

Reyna jumped at the outburst, almost dropping her book twenty feet to the ground below. She twisted around to find Jason, with one hand in his pocket and a sideways smirk as he walked over to her. "I'm pretty sure you have all of camp convinced you're secretly spying on them when you disappear like this. What are you doing up on the roof of the principia?"

Reyna felt her mouth turning upwards. "I did not disappear, Jason. I was merely hiding in plain sight." She looked away from him and out towards New Rome. "Perspective can be a powerful thing." She felt him sit down next to her, dangling his feet over the edge of the building.

"Well, if you wanted a higher viewpoint, you could have taken Scipio out for a ride. Or you could have asked me…," Jason grinned obliquely at her again.

Her heart sped up a little at that. Reyna simply shook her head and said, "It's not the same."

They sat in silence the rest of afternoon. Reyna began reading again, and Jason admired the view of the Oakland hills framing the town and Temple Hill. When the sun began to set, he got up, lending Reyna a hand. When she took his proffered hand, he said, "You're right; this is different. I always feel calmer in the air, but sometimes, I feel like I could fly away forever."

Reyna looked at him thoughtfully but didn't interrupt. "But here," Jason continued, his gaze far-off, "I feel…grounded. Like I'm still connected to the world, too. That's what you meant, isn't it?"

Her smile was answer enough.

As the wind blew her cape about her, Reyna could almost imagine that he was here with her, above the world and alone with the stars.

A/N: If something touched your heart, or you just liked it, please review! Thanks!