Beneath Your Beautiful

So apparently, posting lyrics is 'against the rules'. Sooo, I'll have to take the lyrics out...sadness. Anyways, if you want to get the full experience of the story, I suggest looking up the lyrics separately. Sorry, guess I'm a bit of a goody-two-shoes, but hey, I like my account!

First Leyna story. More downbeat then my usual stories, but hey, gotta try new things! Lemme know what ya think!

I actually had this idea for a while. Then I heard 'Beneath Your Beautiful' by Labrinth, and I'm like : OMFG THAT IS THE PERFECT LEYNA SONG! I mean seriously, go through the lyrics and you'll see what I'm talking about. I mean, it's like it was made for them. Maybe Labrinth is a secret Leyna shipper and...yeah. But seriously, it suits them PERFECTLY. I recommend the song. It's really sweet and beautiful, so check it out. And once again, the lyrics are made for Leo and Reyna!

I've become a multi-shipper :P

Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to Rick Riordan.

Reyna

Something was not right about Leo Valdez. Reyna was sure of it.

At first, he had seemed like a guy with a perfect life. He was perfectly happy, and nothing ever went wrong in his life. Or at least, that's what Reyna had thought at a first glance. When they had first met, she had brushed him off, hadn't even spared him a passing glance. She had seen plenty like him. Or so she thought.

Until the night of the celebratory feast, that is. Everyone was so happy and cheerful. The Giant War was over, and both the Romans and Greeks were now able to live in relative harmony. There were deaths, of course, but the demigods chose to leave those sad thoughts for later. Now it was time to celebrate.

Leo was obnoxiously loud, cracking the most horrible jokes you could think of. It took about 4 of his friends to wrestle him into his seat so the formal dinner event could start. Reyna should've known letting Dakota give Leo some Kool-Aid was a bad idea. The guy was bouncing of the walls. He just couldn't sit still. Even in his seat, she saw him fiddling with something under the table. The meal began as the first course was brought out. Leo seemed extremely uncomfortable with how fancy the event was. Reyna saw him lean over and whisper something to Piper, who snorted into her soup and then tried to pass it of as a sneeze. Leo then proceeded to whisper something to Hazel, who was on his other side. She smiled a little, but gave him a scolding look telling him to behave. This only caused him to grin.

And that was when it happened. It was only for a brief second, but it was surely there. Reyna knew it. While everyone was staring down at their soup, except for Reyna, it happened. Leo changed.

His eyes that normally sparkled with life turned soft and cold, as if reflecting death. His normal grin had vanished to reveal a much more serious expression. His face, normally so young and vibrant, looked old and beaten. As if he had been through a lot. And then, in an instant, it was gone. His grin returned, the life in his eyes followed, and his vibrancy came back as well.

But at that moment, Reyna decided that Leo Valdez was not like most other boys. He had a dark past. He had been hurt. And she was determined to find out more about him.

She was determined to see beneath his beautiful.

Leo

Sitting at his desk in his cabin on his ship, Leo reflected upon his day as he so often did. No one had died and he hadn't screwed up too bad. He hadn't blown up Camp Jupiter. All in all, a fairly good day. Until Reyna.

There was something about her that intrigued Leo. It was like she had built metal walls up around herself. No one could be that boring and serious to begin with, could they?

And there was also the fact that she was powerful and extremely beautiful. Not to mention she was completely out of his league. Exactly the type of girl he fell for.

But her walls were high and strong. They had been up for a long time. Nobody had been able to get into her heart.

Leo was going to try. He was determined to see beneath her beautiful.

Reyna

Why was she doing this? Reyna thought over this, but at the same time her feet were carrying her towards the Greek ship. That was where the famous seven were staying. That was where her destination was.

Her hands were cold and wet as she held a tub of her favorite food. Her comfort food. The constant companion whenever she was down. Whenever she lowered her wall and allowed her tears to flow freely. It was always there for her.

Ice Cream.

She arrived at the spot where the boat was floating in the air. Terminus still hadn't allowed them to land. A rope hung down from the side of the ship. Looking up, Reyna saw that it connected to a bell. Shifting the tub of ice cream to one hand, she wrapped her hand around the rough rope. She tugged on it and heard the bell chime above her.

To her horror, it was Piper who peeked over the side of the ship.

"Oh, hi Reyna!" she called, waving. "Let me send down the ladder!" A rope ladder tumbled down and Reyna climbed it carefully with one hand. When she was at the top, Piper helped her over.

They stood in an awkward silence for a while. Reyna noticed the slight pink tint on Piper's cheeks that wasn't from makeup.

"So, Reyna, how can I help you?" Piper said finally. The boat seemed to get hotter. How was Reyna going to explain that she was here to meet Leo without raising eyebrows? Reyna stared at Piper, at a loss for words, and the silence stretched on. Piper's eyes fell to the tub of ice cream in Reyna's hands. "Is that for us?" she asked, making a move to take the tub. Reyna stepped back.

"No." That sounded a lot ruder than she had meant it to. "I mean…um…"

"Oh, sorry," Piper mumbled, blushing. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." More awkward silence.

"Uh…where is Leo," Reyna asked finally, biting down on her lip. Piper's eyes seemed to change color and they widened considerably.

"In his room, I think. Just go down that hall. You'll be able to tell which one is his," Piper said, pointing. Reyna nodded and started walking in that direction. She was stopped by Piper's voice. She turned and saw Piper looking uncomfortable. "Um, Reyna…I'm sorry." Reyna nodded and gave a small smile before turning and walking down the hall.

She glanced as the doors as she passed. Most of them were decorated, with the names of the occupant displayed. Piper was right. She easily found Leo's.

There were flames painted on the door, the colors so vivid that they seemed to glow in the dark corridor. In the center, written in bold letters, was Team Leo. Clearly, this was his cabin. Reyna hesitated. Why had she come?

And she reminded herself. She had come so she could discover the real Leo. The one who was smothered underneath the jokes and humor.

Leo

There was a gentle knock on the door. Leo looked up, wondering who it could be. Any of his friends on the Argo would have walked right in. He got up and walked over to the door, placing his hand on the knob. He turned it, and the door swung open, revealing…

"Reyna?"

"Hello Leo."

"What are you doing here?" Reyna blushed a bit, but in response held up a tub of ice cream. Why did she bring ice cream?

"Can I come in?" she asked hesitantly. She seemed timid in comparison to the powerful praetor from earlier that day. Leo noticed that she looked like she was reaching a breaking point. It looked like she was about to burst into tears. Leo knew; he had experienced it before.

"Of course," he said, stepping aside and letting Reyna walk through. "Take a seat." He gestured to his bed, and took a seat on an office chair, spinning once. Reyna took a seat on the edge of the bed, and held out the ice cream. Leo took it and examined it. "Mmm, cookie dough," he grinned. He looked up at Reyna and saw that she was staring at him. "So, what brings you to the Team Leo HQ?"

Reyna

How was Reyna supposed to word this? How was she supposed to explain that she wanted to learn about the real Leo?

"Whenever I'm really upset, or reliving bad memories, I eat ice cream." Leo looked up at her, and Reyna saw it once again. His brown eyes were filled with pain and loss.

"What do you mean?" he asked, but his voice came out cracked and choked.

"I want to know who you really are," Reyna said, realizing how absolutely corny that sounded. Leo looked at her with his brown eyes. They resembled small pools of rich hot chocolate. Leo looked back at the ice cream and popped the lid off. He wheeled his chair over to the spot where his tool belt was hanging on a hook and reached inside, pulling out two silver spoons. He rolled back to the bed and handed Reyna one, sitting on the bed next to her.

"Sure. As long as you do the same," he said, with surprising gentleness. Reyna nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"You've put a wall around yourself. I want to know why." Leo nodded as though he had expected it.

"How did you figure it out?" he asked.

"Your eyes."

Leo nodded and launched into his life story. "When I was little, I had this babysitter, name Tia Callida. She did some crazy stuff, like putting me in a burning fireplace, letting me play with knives and allowing me to have a play date with a rattlesnake. Turns out, it was actually Hera in disguise, screwing up my life from an early age. When I was five, I drew a picture of a flying ship with a bronze dragon masthead in crayon. It happened to be the ship you're sitting on now. The picture was blown away by the wind, but I got it back from Aeolus recently. I also found blueprints for the ship in the bunker. Freaky stuff…"

Reyna watched him as he talked. She could tell that he hadn't reached the worst part yet. As she watched, his eyes began to water.

"When I was eight, I was in the mechanic shop with my mom. I was making her laugh like I always did. W-we were about to leave, but she forgot something. S-she went back and-" his voice broke. "Gaea came, and I-I panicked. I used my fire and then…" Tears were streaming down his face now. "I burnt the shop down and my mom died in the fire. I killed her!"

Reyna didn't say anything. She just put the ice cream to the side and moved closer to Leo, tentatively putting an arm around him. She felt his hand move to her waist and he pulled her closer, until they were in an awkward hug. They pulled apart and Leo's eyes were so filled with sorrow that Reyna just wanted to hug him again. She picked up the ice cream and pushed it into his hands, handing him his spoon as well.

"Thanks," he mumbled, taking a bite.

"Then what happened?" Reyna pressed.

"My Aunt Rosa blamed me for the fire. She turned the rest of the family against me. No one would take me. They sent me to foster homes. I ran away from them all. After running away for the sixth time, they sent me to the Wilderness School. I met Piper, and we became friends." He shrugged. "You know the rest."

"Why did you keep running?" Reyna asked. Leo took another bite of ice cream before answering.

"I bring pain wherever I go. I didn't want to hurt any of my foster families. Besides, I had a motto. Don't stay in one place too long. It's the only way to stay ahead of the sadness."

Reyna thought this over. Don't stay in one place too long. It's the only way to stay ahead of the sadness.

"That's not true," she whispered.

"I know that now. Now I have friends, who actually care about me. Even if I am the seventh wheel. I didn't have anyone then. There was no reason for me to stay anywhere. That's why I never ran away from Wilderness School. Piper was there, and she cared about me. She was my first real friend."

Reyna nodded. That made sense. She was starting to see the real Leo. She was seeing beneath the beautiful.

Leo

Leo had just given his life story to Reyna. Who would have seen that one coming? He had also cried. Something he was not proud of. Yet, he and Reyna seemed to have reached a silent agreement that whatever happened stayed in the room.

"Your turn," he said, regaining composure. "Tell your story." Reyna nodded and took a deep breath.

"I and my sister Hylla were born in Puerto Rico. We used to live at C.C.'s Spa and Resort. It was run by Circe. One day, Percy and Annabeth showed up. Circe turned Percy into a guinea pig, like she does to all men. Annabeth saved him and turned him human again with some sort of pill. Blackbeard and his crew of pirates were also freed. Percy and Annabeth left, but Blackbeard destroyed the island – our island – and took revenge on Circe. Being daughters of Bellona, we quickly learned how to use weapons and managed to escape from the island and the pirates. Then…we went our separate ways. Hylla joined the Amazons and became the Amazon Queen, and I found Camp Jupiter and became a praetor." She sighed deeply, before taking some ice cream.

Leo was transfixed. Even the way she ate ice cream intrigued him. It looked as though this crush would be worse than the others. "And since becoming praetor?"

"I've seen a lot. Everyone comes to meet me. They bring problems that I have to solve. I don't build connections with them. I stopped doing that a while ago."

"You built your wall," Leo supplied. Reyna glanced at him and nodded.

"I've learned my lesson," she said, staring into the ice cream tub. "Love is a dangerous matter. Even Venus herself hasn't completely figured it out yet. It's best to just leave it alone."

"What happened?" Leo pressed.

"Jason," Reyna said softly, her eyes meeting Leo's. "Percy." Her voice turned bitter. "I'm like Calypso. I always fall in love with people I can never have. That were never mine and never will be."

"I know what you mean. I'm always falling for girls who are way out of my league. It's like a bad habit. Like I enjoy setting myself up for heartbreak." Leo said. It felt good to talk with Reyna. She seemed to understand him better than anyone else.

"Heartbreak," Reyna said with a bitter smile. "I'm only too familiar with it."

For once, it felt like Leo was doing something right. He was seeing beneath the beautiful.

Reyna

Talking with Leo felt unimaginably good. It felt as though a huge boulder had been lifted off Reyna. She felt almost happy.

"Love is impossible," Leo said.

"Love is risky."

"Love is overrated,"

"Love is darkness."

"Love is…bad." Reyna smiled and a small laugh escaped her lips. Leo seemed pleased with himself, because he smiled as well, though his was more triumphant. Unable to hold in something that had been gone from her life for so long, Reyna laughed. It really wasn't that funny, but laughing was something that she badly needed. So she laughed.

Leo

She was beautiful when she laughed. There was no doubt about it. Instantly, Leo knew that his goal in life was to keep her laughing forever. She should always wear that smile on her face. Leo had decided.

Reyna

Reyna finally forced herself to calm down. Her laughter subsided as she took a deep breath. Leo was staring at her, and she felt herself blush.

And then, Leo was leaning closer, closer. His hand was reaching forward. Reyna barely had time to wonder what he was doing before his hand wrapped around the end of the braid that she had over her shoulder. He pulled his hand down gently, taking the band holding it in place out. Tossing the band to the side, he shifted closer and ran his fingers through her hair, taking out the braid completely until her hair hung in loose waves. His face was very close.

"You're hair looks pretty when it's loose," he murmured into her ear. One hand wrapped around her waist while the other played with her hair. She wrapped her own arms around his neck. "It's hard," Leo whispered, meeting her eyes.

"I know."

The door suddenly swung open to reveal Frank. "Leo have you seen my – AAARRRRGHHHH!" They sprang apart. Reyna jumped back on the bed and Leo rolled onto the floor. Frank's hands were firmly over his eyes.

"Frank! What the Hades!" Leo yelled angrily, his hair starting to spark.

"Are you guys wearing clothes?"

"Frank!" He opened his eyes cautiously. They were filled with alarm.

"I'll just, um, come back later," he mumbled, backing out of the room and shutting the door. Reyna felt the room get hotter.

"I should go," she said, getting up. Leo caught her wrist.

"No! Please stay." His eyes were so pleading that Reyna hardly had a choice. She smiled and sat back down.

Leo

They talked for a long time. Eventually, Reyna's head was on his lap and he was playing with her black hair with one hand. Reyna was studying his other hand.

"Your hands are rough," she mused.

"I know."

Eventually, they fell asleep like that. They were woken up by a scream. Leo once again rolled off of the bed. He blinked a couple of times, trying to focus his eyes. He saw Hazel standing at the door, fanning her face furiously. Her scream had attracted the rest of the ship. Jason jumped into the room, waving a lamp threateningly.

"What happened," he demanded, blinking.

"Nothing," Leo answered. "Go back to bed."

Then Percy came hurling through the door. He was much more prepared than Jason, for he was holding his sword. "Who goes there?"

Leo snorted. "Did you really just say 'who goes there'?"

Next to come bursting into the room was Piper, brandishing…lip gloss. "What's going on?" she asked.

"You wear lip gloss?" Leo said in surprise. She ignored him, because just then Annabeth came running in, knife held high. "You're probably going to ask what's going on," Leo said, before she could say anything.

The five of them were now staring at Leo and Reyna, eyes wide in shock. And then, Frank came strolling in, yawning. "Oh yeah, I probably should have warned you about that."

"Leo and Reyna," Hazel shouted in disbelief.

"I should have known," Piper said. "It's so cute!"

"OMG that is such a tots adorbs couple!" Jason squealed. This earned him plenty of strange looks. "Sorry, been spending too much time in the Aphrodite cabin."

"Lol," Percy added. "I never would have thought that Leo and Reyna…"

"It's not like that," Reyna said hurriedly.

"Sure," Piper said winking. "Come on guys, let's leave the lovebirds alone." She herded the rest of them out of the room and shut the door. Reyna looked distressed.

"I'm sorry," Reyna said, hurrying to get up. Leo reached out and caught her wrist, pulling her back down. It ended up with her on top of him. "Leo, what are you doing?" she asked warily.

"I've done it again," Leo said sadly.

"Done what?"

"Fallen in love with a girl way out of my league."

Reyna

Reyna couldn't stop the warm feeling spreading throughout her. He was talking about her, wasn't he? But maybe he wasn't.

"Who says she's out of your league?"

"Society, I guess. Me," Leo said with a shrug.

"I've done it again too," Reyna whispered.

"Done what?"

"Fallen in love with a boy who can never be mine."

"Who says he can never be yours?" Reyna couldn't stop the smile. She allowed it to take over her face, and then a choked giggle escaped her lips.

And then they were both laughing, tension vanishing from the air. Reyna rolled off of him and lay next to him on the bed. She had lowered her wall, and it felt really good.

"That girl is you, by the way," Leo said, looking at her.

"And that boy is you."

"Really?" asked Leo.

"Really," Reyna said firmly.

"So…"

"So?" Leo laughed and took her hand.

"Let us go and show the world how awesome we are," he said, pulling her up. Reyna laughed and followed him.

Her goal was accomplished.

Sooooo, what'd ya think? Think I have a future with Leyna, slightly depressing, lyric-enhanced stories? Lemme know in a

REVIEW!

I feel like I'm forgetting something...oh well, time for the arrow.

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