Moonlight washed across The Argo 2, as it sailed smoothly through the sky. It was nearing midnight and there hadn't been a single monster attack yet. Guess even monsters needed their beauty sleep (or ugly sleep, whichever look they were trying to go for ; you can never be too sure with monsters). Despite this, Jason still volunteered for the night watch, even though Leo had reassured him he had the ship on autopilot. The son of Jupiter paced up and down the deck, lost deep in thought. He mainly wanted to take the night watch so that he could get some air and clear his mind. That morning, he got the last of his memories back, and he needed time to think things over. He remembered now. He remembered her.
He remembered the first time he met her, when they were both 12 years old. He had just been released from sentry duty and was heading to the Via Principia to give Praetor Pauline his official report. He saw her and Joshiah, their other praetor, standing outside the Principia along with another girl . She looked about his age, with dark hair and obsidian eyes. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, he quickly hid behind the nearest thing he could see, which happened to be a rather ridiculous statue of Bacchus poised in the action of a pirouette in nothing but a loin cloth. He tried hard not to ponder over the fact that Bacchus was his half brother and studied the girl closely (not, you know in that way, he wasn't a perv). Her clothes were worn out, boots torn, as if she'd been living on the streets for a while. She was covered in nicks and scratches, her posture alert, as if she'd have to fight for her life at a moments notice. No doubt she'd had to before. Those scars proved it. Most half bloods came into camp like that. They all had a hard life. It was natural. What stood out to Jason though, were her eyes. They held confidence in them, completely undaunted by the fact that she was being interrogated by the most senior warriors in camp. They also had a certain hardness to them, which simply made her more intriguing.
"Well well well, Jason Grace, I never thought I'd find you stalking a girl"
Startled, Jason lost his balance and fell. Scowling, he got up and dusted himself off as Dakota laughed. Dakota, son of Bacchus, was his best friend for the past 4 years. "I wasn't stalking her!" said Jason, blushing slightly. Dakota raised an eyebrow.
"Well I doubt you were here admiring a stone impression of my father in a look cloth. Cause if you were dude, we'd have a serious problem."
"Oh c'mon I was just on my way to give Praetor Pauline my report. You know how she hates being interrupted."
"Right. Of course" Dakota gave a knowing wink, "anyway I just came to tell you that tomorrow night is war games. Be prepared. I don't want you at our front lines distracted because you're mooning over the new girl"
"Dokata!"
Ahhh Dakota, Jason said to himself, chuckling slightly. He missed him. He missed his antics, and his kool-aid induced random spazz attacks. Dakota had always been there for him, and had helped him with (and occasionally gotten him into) girl problems. Speaking of girl problems, it wasn't actually until a few hours later that Jason had learned the name of the new girl.