Hello everyone. :)

We're definitely nearing the AU boundary here. I may have used my artistic license to its full potential, but technically this can still be considered canon, and a very slim possibility in real life. :)

Title borrowed from the song 'Fences' by Paramore, just because I liked the sound of it (the words, not the song). It just seemed fitting. No allusion intended.

Disclaimer: PJO universe copyright Rick Riordan and disney-hyperion. No copyright infringement intended.

This Road is All You'll Ever Have

Jason

So he might have kind of lied to Piper. Not too big a lie, but enough to irritate her. And that's one thing he tried to avoid, irritating his lovely girlfriend. For all her kindness and charm, she was pretty damn capable of packing a punch. Okay, so maybe she wouldn't actually hit him, but you just couldn't upset her with those big brown-green-blue eyes staring at you in that trusting way. There was no greater failure than that, he was sure of it.

Anyway, back to the lie. So he might have said something along the lines of him not like Reyna, which wasn't really all that true. Don't get him wrong, he liked Piper a lot, but, well, Reyna was the Annabeth to his Percy. In other words, they has a long history. That wasn't something that could just go away. And that private, um, talk before he disappeared...? Well, that wasn't something either of them were willing to share to either camp. He'd leave it at that.

And he could see it in her eyes how much it hurt to swallow it all up when the greeks all landed at Camp Jupiter because the last thing they needed was a girl fight when the world was ending. That's what he liked about Reyna; she put everything, her duty, the world, before her own feelings. She took responsibility when no one else would.

So, quite obviously, he was stuck. He knew it was unfair to fool with both girls, he wasn't his father after all, but what could be do? He was a terrible person, that was for sure.

He remembered his and Reyna's last real conversation...

He slipped into the Praetor's office without a sound, the office summon in his hand. He had been called out of late night sword drills to meet with Reyna. This struck him as odd since as Praetors they convened at least every morning. Obviously something was wrong if she felt the need to summon him at night, when she filled out all the Legion's paperwork (She did the written work, he did most of the instruction, a system them put together when they were first elected).

He took in the cluttered desks, the bright flashes of gold and silver from Aurum and Argentum, the various maps and papers scattered throughout the room. Nothing seemed out of place. Reyna had her back to him and was learning out the one window, gazing at the stars, her purple toga loosely draped her slim frame, dark hair blowing in the wind, as stereotypical as it got(not that it make her any less pretty). She didn't notice him, turning and facing the opposite wall, studying one of the battle maps from the past titan war, obviously deep in thought. He grinned slyly and slithered forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped in surprise, blinking rapidly.

" Jason!" She exclaimed, and covered her mouth. She wouldn't make a fuss over anything, after all. She slapped his hand away, and he her nose in the air, she traversed to her designated chair, and tapped the other chair, motioning for him to sit down. He complied, sinking down on the chair leisurely.

Her face was drawn and worried as she looked him in the eye. Jason tensed. Something was wrong. He had a feeling this time it would be something much worse, though he didn't know how much worse it could get than the full out titan war that took place in August.

" Did Octavian share his auguries?" Reyna asked him. Jason frowned. Octavian— the little twerp. He shook his head. Of course Octavian hadn't shown him the auguries. Anything to keep Jason in the dark and himself with the power. Naturally.

Reyna sighed. "It seems that it's not over yet. We've still got a long way to go before the end of the trouble." She didn't need to go more in depth than that. It was all she needed to say. Jason completely understood.

Reyna propped her elbow against the desk leaning onto it, a show of weakness, something Reyna didn't do in front of almost anyone. Jason winced. He definitely remembered the titan war and there was no way he was up to doing that again. But it was his duty to Rome. He had to remember that.

" What's up this time?" He asked. Reyna took a deep breath, staring at floor.

" Giants. Monsters not dying. The earth itself rising against us, whatever that means." Gee. How positive.

" Well that sounds fantastic." He said, and shoved a Jelly Bean in his mouth. Reyna nodded in agreement.

" I've told Octavian not to share his predictions, but we must start preparing. Double the drills. Send a message to Lord Jupiter. Recruit more. Time is limited." Her voice cracked and Jason felt this feeling right in his chest. He wasn't sure what is was, but it tugged at his heartstrings insistently, demanding his attention. He tried to shove that to the back of his mind the best he could, tried to focus on the dilemma at hand. Quite frankly he was not looking forward to yet another war, but right at the moment all he really cared about was Reyna. Maybe it was selfish but he just didn't care. She deserved a break. She needed one.

Reyna looked at him expectantly. It took him a second to realize he was staring at her instead of responding.

" Oh! Right! Yeah, uh, we should do that. Maybe double guard duty or start training the city college students again." He replied, tossing out a few suggestions with a wave of his hand. She nodded thoughtfully. Her face was pained.

" Hey, uh, are you okay?" He went off on a limb there, but he knew he had to say something. Reyna shuddered.

" Um, pardon?" She said, looking at him quizzically. His heart pounded in his chest and his palms were sweaty. Attractive, he knew.

" Are you okay? You seem kind of twitchy... and, well, upset..." He muttered, cheeks quickly turning red. Reyna blushed as well and leaned away from him. Kind of hard to do when you're in such a small room, but she gave it her best shot.

" I'm... I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" But her voice was too shaky, her eyes too watery for it to have any truth to it. Jason sucked in his breath. He was about to do what he probably shouldn't do; what no roman would ever dare to. He was going to show some sort of emotion beyond aggression.

" You know I'm here for you, right Rey?" He said quietly, and she shot him a weak smile.

" Thanks Jason. I really appreciate it." She said cooly, disconnected. As if her moment of temporary weakness was already over and done. But it wasn't and he knew that. So he did something stupid. He got up, grabbed her hand, and yanked her up out of the chair, into his arms, into a huge, warm hug.

Naturally she gasped, and tugged away. Reyna had always done her best to keep her distance, be professional with him, especially since their most recent quest to Charleston, But he held his ground. He was determined to be a good friend, as dorky as that sounded. After a few seconds she finally gave in, leaning against his chest, her head buried in his neck, her arms wrapped around his neck. He held her waist with one hand and stroked her hair with the other. Her back shook, and he could tell she was suppressing sobs. Because Roman's didn't cry.

" Gods! I just don't know what to do... I'm fifteen, for crying out loud..." She said, her voice muffled. Jason knew exactly how she felt. They were just kids and here they were, about to face the greatest terrors man had ever seen. It wasn't fair. They should have been at school, laughing with their friends and making fun plans for the coming weekend, not preparing to die. It wasn't fair of their parents to leave all of this on them. They were only humans. And Reyna and Jason especially, because they were the leaders. Everyone wanted to be the leader, but they didn't understand the bad side of it. That part where you were responsible for a ton of other people and if you lead them wrong, you're all screwed. When everyone looked to you, and you just don't have the answers. Reyna had spent the whole war shoving her feelings to the corner and putting a brave face. It was her turn to rest. Even Jason had gotten some downtime, some days to rant or relax or whatever. She didn't.

Reyna drew back, her eyes moist.

" Um, thanks," she said. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, ready to reassume the composure and separation that she had previously maintained, but he wasn't quite ready to let go just yet. So there they stood, nose to nose, chests pressed together. And maybe it was just him, but it wasn't awkward. Not awkward at all.

" It's not fair, is it?" He said, giving her a dry smile. She shook her head and bit her lip.

" It's not fair at all. But it's our duty." She said with a hint of bitterness.

" I mean it's a Friday night. A normal girl would be out with her boyfriend on a nice date. And you're stuck with me." He teased her, and she laughed very lightly.

" you're not that bad," she smirked, looking him in the eye, which send a tingle right down to his core.

" And anyway, I've never had a boyfriend," she continued, " I've never even been kissed." She said, bitter once more, looking down at the floor shyly. It wasn't an invitation of any sort, and she certainly wasn't trying to manipulate him, he could tell. But he took it as permission anyway. Like, even he'd kissed a girl before. There was Lacey Owens back in 7th grade during spin the bottle at a random party he had gotten invited to and Maria Serrano in 8th grade when all the guys had to ask someone out for a dance and Jessica Lee... Okay, the point was, he had some sort of experience. So yeah, maybe he hadn't really liked any of them, but it still counted. But Reyna, who had spent the first few years of her life at an all girls institution and the rest at Camp Jupiter with a mom who was almost on top h er her at every second just couldn't catch a break.

So anyway, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers gently. Reyna flinched, but didn't move away, to his great surprise. He took that as a message of her consent.

It felt good. Really good. Warmth spread from his lips all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes. His hand knotted in her hair, which smelled awesome by the way, like lavender and honey, and his other arm tightened around her her waist pulling her towards him. After a couple seconds, they both broke away, gasping for breath (despite the fact that they could have just breathed through their nose). Both their eyes slowly fluttered open, and he saw that Reyna was red with embarrassment.

" Well... that was something..." She muttered to herself, and he laughed.

" Was that, um, okay?" He asked cautiously. He was slightly worried that she might slap him or something. But Reyna just smiled weakly.

" It was... well, it was... good." She settled for good as though it only half described what had just happened. He agreed.

" So I could like, maybe do that again?" He asked cautiously, and she laughed.

" If you want to..." She said coyly, and placed one of her hands gently on his cheek.

So he leaned in again.

This time it was different. This was in mutual agreement. It was the beginning of something new; A small match in what would soon be a blazing fire. It just kind of kept going, from a small peck to a full blown, well, french kiss.

It probably would have gone even further had there not been a knock on the door. Reyna and Jason broke apart with a squeak on her part and a sigh on his. They both patted at their hair and clothes, trying to look like they hadn't, oh, he didn't know, been furiously making out for the past fifteen minutes, approximately. Time flew when you were enjoying yourself, that was for sure.

" You may come in," Reyna called, completely composed except for that tiny twinkle in her eyes that only Jason could identify. He grinned.

The door slid open, and Hazel Levesque, of all people, walked in. As much as Jason wanted to say, 'great timing Hazel' and go back to being with Reyna he had a job to do. And both of them knew it. With a matching smile, Jason and Reyna faced Hazel with renewed strength for the trials to come. They would be together after all. And together, well, they could do almost anything.

The next morning he was on a bus without a memory.

Jason sighed at the memory. He blew it. He ruined his relationship with Reyna, he was at the precipice with Piper, he was at ends with Mr. Perseus Jackson who probably wanted him dead so he could lead the stupid quest, and on top of that, he had a war to fight. Funny how his social problems ranked higher than the giants.

Reyna

Reyna groaned to herself, and glanced at the clock. In a couple hours the legion was setting out to chase after the Argo II. Thanks Octavian, thanks a lot.

She trusted the greek demigods. Call her stupid, but she trusted them. Her colleagues had trusted them, Jason and Percy, and that had to count for something. So she was really miffed that Octavian and the stupid legionnaires were calling war on the greeks when they had a much bigger enemy to face, namely, the giants and Gaea. How idiotic of them. How ignorant. What kind of Romans were they, to be so narrow-minded, to ignore the big picture? She sighed.

And Jason. How could her comrades turn against one of their own? One as special as Jason, of all people? She could understand the distrust with Hazel, that daughter of Pluto, or Frank, that clumsy little boy, but Jason? It made no sense. He was the camps hero, the pride of Camp Jupiter. He was their duly elected Praetor.

Reyna remembered all the quests they had been together. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind since day one that he was fully committed to the legion. And speaking of quests...

It was her last quest before the war, their last quest, her and Jason. They had to succeed. They had to get those imperial gold weapons salvaged from the C. S. S. Hunley before it was too late, before the war started. It was one last final dash for help before the ultimate battle.

There was too much going on. Everyone was everywhere. She wasn't quite sure that they would all be able to come back together in time for the great battle. And it was especially risky that both brand new Praetors were leaving at the same time, but they just had to. The Senate, the city could go on without them. They needed this.

After tearing their way across the United States, they finally reached Charleston. It was a pretty city, Reyna had thought to herself as they jogged through it. It felt surprisingly comforting, the architecture, the atmosphere. She was right at home with all the history. They were just passing Battery Park when she saw her. Her being a young women dressed in an elaborate Southern Belle dress that just glided through the park it a way that was not normal, not normal at all. Right away she knew that that lady was something special. She knew the quest had be accomplished quickly, but this was important. She could just feel it. So she stopped jogging, and tugged on Jason's shirt. He looked around, confused.

" What is it?" He said, looking at her quizzically. She blinked. He didn't see it?

" Look over there," she said, pointing to the lady, "don't you see that woman?"

Jason's eyes widened in recognition. " Oh. Do you think she's dangerous or something?"

Reyna shook her head. The figure was mysterious and frightening and altogether quite odd, but it wasn't her enemy. She could tell. She tried her best to identify the ghostly figure, but nothing rang a bell. From her woven straw hat to her silk white gloves and extremely low-necked, elaborate ballgown, she was anything but familiar.

" We need to speak to her," Reyna said, and started towards that direction. Jason followed uneasily, slipping her hand in her. It was their thing, hand holding. It was a symbol of their trust, of their friendship, and it secretly sent a little shiver throughout her body even though it was meant to be platonic. So maybe she had a little crush on her fellow Praetor. Who could blame her?

Anyway, so they walked towards the lady. She gave them a small smile, and with a puff of smoke, teleported about a block away, still in sight but farther. Reyna scowled. Seriously? She was not looking forward to a wild goose chase with another mythical being.

And then she felt something deep in the back of her mind. She got this tiny urge, a instinct if you will, that she had to go alone. Reyna frowned. She didn't think she was quite ready to do this alone. But at the same time, what choice did she have?

" I think I have to go alone," She said to Jason. Jason pouted, probably not on purpose but non-the-less hilarious. She laughed.

" Are you sure?" He said nervously. And suddenly, she was. She didn't know how, or why she felt this way, but she did. She had to seek out this woman by herself, she was certain of it. Reyna nodded.

" Fine. But I'll be right here if you need me. Be careful, okay?" Jason's concern was truly touching. She smiled.

" I'll be right back," She promised, touched his cheek nervously, boldly, and took off in the right direction.

By the time she finally caught up with the ghost, she was at the gazebo. She shuddered at the the girly-ness, but grinned for finally reaching the spirit, who was smiling at her in a slightly creepy way.

" Oh, it's so good to see you! I've heard so much about you! Please, do sit down!" The lady exclaimed in a slight southern accent, and patted one of the wicker chairs. Reyna sat down cautiously, looking around for a trap or trick or something.

" We'll have some tea! It'll be absolutely fantastic, won't it?" She said, and Reyna smiled shakily, still in awe of the woman, whose soft, glowing appearance was absolutely mind-blowing. Reyna couldn't pinpoint an exact feature, but this woman was prettier that the prettiest celebrity infinitely. She had the perfect features and athletic body every girl dreamed over, sheathed in her silk, antebellum gown, a light purple, like the color of Rome toned down. Reyna was kind of jealous, in all honesty, but she shook that off. She had more important things to do. Namely, finding out why this woman was important and what she had to achieve to win the damn war.

" Um, pardon me, but who are you?" She asked, cautiously. She had learned the hard way to be careful when asking someone who they were. They might get offended. A lot of mythical creatures and people thought they were extremely popular and well known, and... well... she just didn't want to be the one to burst their bubble.

" Oh, my dear. You don't recognize me?" the lady's face was amused as she poured tea from a tea pot that looked far to old to be functional and put little tarts and cookies on Reyna's plate. Reyna didn't touch the food. It kind of scared her.

" I'm Venus! I would have thought it was obvious." Venus giggled, and Reyna did her best to hold a poker face. Seeing Venus, the goddess of love (for crying out loud!), was not a good sign. Especially when she was traveling with one companion, a guy. By themselves. This was going to awkward. Beyond awkward. She fumbled with her teacup, not actually drinking, just fidgeting nervously.

" Oh. Your um, highness, Venus. It's, er, lovely to see you! What are you doing here?" Okay, she knew that Venus was extremely touchy so she tried to play it safe.

" I'm here to help you, silly!" Venus said, and giggled again. Reyna stopped herself from rolling her eyes. This goddess was an idiot, but Reyna had to keep her cool. No matter what, there was always something that could be gained. And Reyna really needed that something. The stakes were too high.

" So, do you ah, I don't know, know where the remains of the C. S. S. Hurley are?" She asked as casual as she could. It failed. Venus tossed her hair and rolled her eyes.

" Oh Reyna. That's not you're real problem is it? No, it isn't. I can see it in your eye." Venus clucked to herself, shaking her head. Reyna was confused. Her problem was winning the war. That was it. And she was sick of this bullshit.

" Please, my lady, I need this information. It's a matter of life or death, of winning or losing. Please." Reyna pleaded, but it was in vain. Venus was too stupid, to caught up in her own silly games to care about the war. How pathetic.

" My dear child, you are so terribly naïve! It's so cute!" Venus squealed. " But you know what's happening. You and your companion, that handsome Jason Grace. There's something going on there sweetie!"

Reyna flinched. This was dangerous territory they were heading to. And not what she was hoping for when she saw the ghost-like figure. But it was too late to back out. She had made the decision to take to Venus, and she had to accept responsibility and go through with it.

" There's nothing going on there," Reyna muttered, but Venus just smiled warmly.

" Oh, sweetheart, you can't fool me. I know you like him. He likes you too, you should know that." Venus took a sip of her tea and nibbled on a cookie, making Reyna gasp in surprise. She thought that goddesses didn't eat mortal food, but apparently they could. But anyway, back to the point at hand.

" I don't." Reyna said stubbornly, and Venus sighed.

" Okay, Reyna dear, this can either be easy or hard. Your choice." Venus said sweetly with a tight-lipped smile. And that was when Reyna realized that she did not want to fight with her. She didn't need a goddess as an enemy.

" So what if I like him? I have a duty to Rome, and duty to my legion to fight my hardest and win this war. And I will. You can be sure of that." She said confidently, hoping to switch the subject. Naturally it wasn't that easy. Venus smiled.

" So you do like him! Aww, I knew you were a lovesick girl deep down!" Okay. Whoa. Whoa. As that all Venus gathered from her response, that she has a little, inconsequential crush?, Reyna thought to herself angrily. What an idiot, she thought, and took a hesitant bite out of her scone. It was delicious, surprisingly. Well, even if she was harassed by a goddess, and least she get good food, Reyna thought wryly.

" So my dear, what are you going to do? I could give you the most precious dress, you could surprise him, have a romantic evening in Charleston... Oh it's just too cute!" Venus trailed off in delight. Reyna held back a scowl.

" Um, it's okay. You don't have to do that. Thanks a lot, but I'm good. " She said, and Venus pouted.

" You don't appreciate my help?" Venus whined. Crap, Reyna thought. All she wanted to do was get through the tea party and get her information and now she had insulted a goddess. Great.

" No! Of course I appreciate your help! How kind of you!" Reyna exclaimed, trying to do damage control, but she could see it was too late. Venus stood up, her eyes flashing.

" Well Miss High and Mighty Reyna since you refused my help I'll just offer it to someone else, someone who will take it... and perhaps take Jason as well. I wouldn't get close to him if I were you, unless, of course, you want a broken heart. Oh, you have no idea the plans we Olympians have after this war ends."

Reyna gasped. She was soo screwed. Not only would her personal be messed up, something she really didn't care about, but she had a goddess who hated her, one who was going to make her life a living hell for who knew how long which would endanger everyone else. This was not good. At all.

" I'm so sorry, I truly didn't mean to offend you! Is there any way I can make it up to you?" Reyna said frantically. Venus's face was dark.

" Oh no, honey. You've done quite enough. Just remember to keep your distance. That boy's a heartbreaker, after all." Venus's voice was ice cold. " You'll find what you want in the museum and in the ocean, if you have the strength to recover it. Good luck." Venus's glare was dangerous.

Reyna shuddered, stood up quickly, and ran. She ran out of the gazebo, through the park, to where Jason was waiting patiently, looking around. His eyes widened when he saw her running.

" What's wrong? Where's the monster?" He said quickly, and move to take her hand. But remembering Venus's warning, she yanked it out of his grip. He looked at her in surprise

" I'm... it's fine," she muttered, and starting walking to the nearest museum. Suddenly, Charleston wasn't a pretty as she thought it was.

Reyna frowned. She had done her best to stay away from that boy, but she had hurt herself anyway. That was why Circe turned men into guinea pigs, why the amazons made then their slaves. That why she was almost crying right now, preparing to go out and hurt one of the few people she actually cared about. What had her life come to?

Wiping her eyes, she stood up, and grabbed her dagger. She had a job to do. And that was all she could ever do, serve Rome.

Thank you for reading! :)