If Reyna thought it would be easy, she was wrong.
She had practiced in front of a mirror, while trying to fall asleep and while pretending to listen to Octavian. But, even if she had months to rehearse, Reyna could never be prepared to tell him.
Her mother was the goddess of war. She should be brave, fearless. If he rejected her advances, she could hurt him in the most ungodly ways. The only problem was that she could never hurt Jason Grace.
Reyna admired Jason. He was brave, confident, handsome, charming… she could list a thousand positive adjectives, and they would all fit Jason. In fact, she was planning to do it in a matter of minutes, when she confessed her love for him.
She hesitated when she was at his door, her mind filled with what if's. Knock on the door, Reyna. You are a daughter of Bellona. You can do this, her heart whispered. As a true Roman demigod, she decided to listen to her orders and knock.
This is it… she thought to herself.
She waited for a minute, but Jason didn't open the door. She knocked again. No Answer.
"Lazy little…" she stopped herself. This was supposed to be a positive encounter.
Reyna knew Jason had a spare key to his house buried in the soil of his tulip flowerpot. Tulips represented aspiration and advancement, which she thought was a very symbolic way to arrange his garden's appeal. After retrieving it, she opened the door.
"Jason! It's just me- don't attack!" she shouted, just in case. If he thought she was a child of Mercury, things wouldn't be pretty, unless one found blood attractive.
She marched to his bedroom, ready to tell him that she loved him, and that he was lazy. Not necessarily in that order.
"Honestly Jason, is it that hard to just get up and open the stupid do… Jason?" He wasn't there.
Camp Jupiter's most despicable voice jarred her back to the present.
"…they could guide us through these dark days! They could show us the future praet-"
"HE'S COMING BACK, OCTAVIAN. He probably has some business in the mortal world that he has to attend to!"
The augur scoffed. "Why would our… dear praetor have any mandatory business in the mortal world? And what task would require a month to complete?"
"I don't know, Octavian. Ask him when he gets back. I know him. He WILL be back. We don't need any damn sibylline scrolls to find him. And we don't need a new praetor. He will be back."
"Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself…" he muttered. That was all he had to say to send her over the edge. After a flick of her wrist, her dagger was impaled an inch away from Octavian's foot.
"Leave."
"But, the sibylline…"
"LEAVE." Aurum and Argentum snarled in harmony to emphasize the point.
"Yes, praetor." He replied with a sneer, anger flaring in his eyes. If Jason was here, she would do something about it, but she was too exhausted. The whole camp and all of New Rome rested on her lonely shoulders. She was only fifteen. There's only so much a girl can do.
"Jason, please come back…" she whispered, gazing at the other throne. She could almost see him there, looking regal and strong. She imagined she used to look the same, but without him, it was but a façade.
8 MONTHS LATER
Reyna hated everything and everyone.
She hated Percy Jackson. She hated monsters. She hated Octavian. She hated Jason.
Above all else, she hated herself.
She tried, she really did. But, no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't be strong enough. She had kept Octavian from getting the second praetor throne for nine months, but her defenses were crumbling, just like they were in the war games below.
Watching Percy Jackson below, she hated herself even more.
She shouldn't blame him for what happened four years ago. Blackbeard was the one to blame, not Percy. In fact, she should thank him. If it weren't for him, she'd be an anti-feminist, filing nails and washing hair, learning magic, living in a safe haven, spending time with a loving sister…
Don't think like that! She scolded herself. It was a horrible place. A horrible, safe place…
Concentrate. If you want a praetor, you need to stop blaming him!
Since when did her subconsciousness become so wise?
You know I'm right, though.
Yes, but-
No buts, you know I'm right!
"Shut up!" Reyna then realized that she had said that out loud, and was thankful for the fact that only the birds and Skippy could hear her.
Her subconsciousness was right, of course. She should stop blaming him and stop thinking about Circe's island. She should focus on how to persuade him to become a praetor.
Another thing she hated herself for: Letting someone take Jason's place.
She should wait. She wanted to wait. But she needed help. There was a war coming, that much was obvious. If she was going to be strong enough to lead them, she needed someone to aid her along the way. She would prefer Jason, but Percy was the second best choice. It was either him or Octavian, and she was not about to let a mad, power-hungry son of a centaur become a leader if there was another choice.
Jason would be furious when he came back and noticed that someone else had taken over his place.
Lost in thought, Reyna hardly noticed the games were won.
When he comes back. Because he would come back. And when he came back she was going to tell him that she loved him, and never gave up on him.
When he comes back.
After Mr. Awesome Became Praetor
Percy Jackson would be a good praetor. He wouldn't be one for long, of course. Jason was coming back soon, she could feel it.
She could hardly control her excitement. Of course, she didn't really have to. Everyone was happy, so no one would be surprised if she grinned like an idiot.
Well, no one except for her sister.
When she was around Hylla, Reyna thought she turned invisible. The queen of the Amazons could see right through her.
"What are you so happy about?" She asked, sounding shocked.
"We won, Hylla! Why would I not be happy?"
Her sister looked at her with sad eyes. "I always wanted to keep you away from war, little sister."
Reyna sighed. "We're demigods, daughters of Bellona. It's our purpose. Fight to keep ancient Rome alive."
"That doesn't mean it's what we want to do with our lives. So stop lying or I will have your own dogs on you. What are you so happy about?" Knowing Hylla was serious, she had to tell the truth.
Smiling once again, she replied "He's coming back."
Hylla looked puzzled. "Who?"
"The one." She answered, her grin growing wider with every word. "The one is coming back."
Her sister rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I will never understand you, sister dear." Then she embraced Reyna, much to the praetor's surprise. Hugging was not her thing, but coming from her sister, it was alright.
She felt as if she was on top of the world, and she knew she would float into the stars when Jason comes back.
When he comes back.
That night, you couldn't stop smiling.
The Argo II lands
The Greeks are comeing. They were coming with Jason. Jason was coming with the Greeks.
Reyna tried not to smile, which was difficult. She had to look professional for the clash of cultures, but the thought of Jason coming back almost sent her flying to the moon.
She still remembered her nine month old speech. She didn't think it was too late to tell him.
Like Percy Jackson, Jason probably lost his memory, but Percy started to remember things quickly, and he remembered his girlfriend when he came to camp. Does Jason remember me? She wondered. Only time will tell.
And the time was nigh.
As the ship landed, and Reyna struggles to keep her façade up, because stepping off the boat is Jason Grace.
He hadn't aged a day. She knew she had, keeping everything under control herself for so long. But he was back. The thought was like a cold wind on a hot day. Peaceful, relaxing and mandatory. She needed him to get back, and there he was…
He's back!
Pure bliss almost let her drop her façade and run into his strong arms.
Then a girl stepped off…
Grabbed his hand…
And killed Reyna.
The thought of reuniting with Jason was what kept her strong for nine months. Under that time, what did he do? Run off with some girl without knowing what could be waiting for him back at home?
The girl was beautiful. A daughter of Venus, no doubt about it. She couldn't compete with the other girl.
Recognition flashed across Jason's face. He smiled that beautiful smile of his. The beautiful smile he used to smile when they imitated Octavian, when they threw Aurum and Argentum's candy at each other, when Reyna laughed.
Jason walks up to her and hugs her. She just stands there, not hugging him back. She saw it in his eyes. He loves the daughter of Venus. And that's OK. She loved her Jason. The one who was silly around her, but serious around others. Her Jason would only hug her while wrestling her to the ground for their constant competitions. He would hold her hand under the table, where no one could see, when Octavian called her weak. She would hug him when he had to be a leader, a job he resented, deep down. She would squeeze his hand to keep him from beating up kids of Mars.
It may sound vain, but she knew he loved her back. Those small signs of affection might have seemed pointless, but they were more important than any kiss. They loved each other, but they were too blind to do anything about it.
And now it was too late.
Snapping back to the present, she realized that it's silent. People looked at them strangely. They never showed any signs of affection in public. Besides, everyone knew Reyna liked Jason. People were wondering why she didn't eat what was served on the silver platter.
"Jason…" she whispered softly, "Jason, let go of me." He pulled away and looked at her strangely.
"But I thought… I thought you… I mean I…"
Biting her lip to keep herself from crying, she replies "I know. I did. But you're but a shadow of your old self. The Jason I loved. You have someone behind you. I may not be a daughter of Venus, but I can see it in both your and her eyes. I waited nine months. Don't keep her waiting. I'm sorry, but it's your fault, not hers." He looked like a fish, trying to form words.
Turning to face everyone else, she took his hand in hers and put them in the air. "Jason Grace! SPQR!" That sent everyone cheering.
A little later
Reyna kept strong and ignored Jason. The girl, Piper, loved the new Jason, and that was okay with her. Piper was a nice girl, and deserved him. She wished her luck, but not Jason, because he doesn't deserve it. His love time-line went like this:
1. Fall in love with Reyna
2. Make Reyna fall in love with me
3. Forget Reyna because I don't really love her
4. Fall in love with Piper
5. Make Piper fall in love with me
6. Stab Piper in the back to hug my ex-ish, because I don't really love her, but I love back-stabbing!
Yeah, good luck, Piper. Casanova's coming your way.
In the end, Reyna was happy, no matter what. She had a mother who was proud of her. A sister who was willing to kick anyone's ass for her little sister (She did kick Jason's, actually. Ask a child of Mercury for the tape. It will be the highlight of your day.). She had people who looked up to her. She had friends who would stand by her side, no matter how cold she acted. She had a Latino elf who had taken quite a shine to her.
She was in love with Jason's memory. He might have returned, but he wasn't back.
Jason was never coming back.
Yay for an utterly depressing one-shot!
I really love Reyna. I think she is strong, and I believe she loves Jason. I don't think he deserves her though. If he really loved her, he would remember her, like Percy remembered Annabeth. I did want to show a different side of her, though. It's like a microwaving a piece of bread. It's bound be cold, but not all the way through. So yeah, sorry if you thought that either she or Jason were a little OOC. Sorry if I offended anyone who likes Jason, but his guard should be up, because he knew he had a life before CHB. It's not Piper's fault that Jason likes her. He is the son of a bitch in this relationship! Also, isn't it strange that my username is GreeksRuleRomans, but my first one-shot is about a roman? I confuse myself! And is it weird to cry over your own writing? The paragraph where she described their little signs of affection… dear gods, I'm tearing up again! Please review! Αντίο!