Disclaimer: I do not own or Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus. They are property of Rick Riordan.
A/N: My quest to fill PJO fanfic section of Jeyna has continued with this new collection! This idea just popped into my head and manifested in my head. I have so many things to work on but this is my latest muse. I like to thank I am Thalia daughter of Zeus for always chatting with me and allowing me to bounce ideas off of her. This is planned to be a five-shot so look out for updates. Read and reviews guys!
I. Gash
"Oh my gods, Reyna, thank you, so, so, so much!" If the girl said one more so, Reyna was going to get up and leave. Right now, the daughter of Bellona was regretting her decision to cover an infirmary shift. Ester, legacy of Apollo, ran around the room, grabbing her cell phone from its charger. She was dressed in a short miniskirt with leggings and a low-cut blouse. Reyna watched as Ester danced around the room on three-inched heels. "I mean seriously, you are fabulous. You have no idea how hard it is to find some alone time with Derek. You are doing me a huge favor."
"Yeah, it's not like I had anything to do on a Friday night." Reyna replied from her spot on the cot. "That sounded a lot less pathetic in my head." Ester gave her cohort member a sad look, something Reyna hated. She felt so out of her element in the sterilized room. She was the daughter of war, destruction and combat. She should be in the Colosseum, outside in fresh air, dirt and the familiar ache in her worn out muscles. But right now, the Fifth were currently using it for some emergency training. "Go have fun."
"Are you completely sure?" Ester asked, sitting down on the cot opposite of Reyna. Her light blond hair curled around her shoulders. Sparkling green eyes smiled at Reyna with concern laced with the excitement. She could see a thin layer of make-up Ester wore for Derek. She really missed her boyfriend. Reyna nodded her head, putting on a brace smile. Ester patted the younger girl's knee, trying to reassure her. "Alrighty, then I'm leaving."
"Wait a second!" Reyna shouted, suddenly feeling not-so-fine. She grabbed Ester's arm, stopping her from leaving. "What do I do if someone comes in with their arm chopped off or guts slipping out?" Ester laughed and sat back down, grabbing her cohort member's hand. Reyna felt like a little kid but horrible images appeared in her head. She couldn't breathe, looking around the room with huge brown eyes.
"This isn't like you, Reyna." Ester pointed out, gently stroking her palm. "Listen, nothing bad will happen. The daily things are just cuts and bruises. Maybe stitches if it's serious. I know you. You can do it." Reyna nodded her head, feeling the panic attack receded. She was a member of the Twelfth Legion, Fourth Cohort. She was the daughter of Bellona. She has been through worst things than an infirmary duty. I can handle playing nurse, right? She thought as she nodded her head again. Ester gave her friend one worried glance before leaving. Reyna sighed, falling back to lie down on the soft bed.
"Things will be fine." Reyna said to the ceiling before standing up. The infirmary was divided into two separate rooms. The main room had two cots with white sheets and soft pillows for the injured or seriously sick. A desk sat beside the door with medical records of all demigods and citizens of New Rome. The countertops were clean with locked drawers of supplies, medicine only serious healers could use correctly. Reyna walked over, pulling out the kit which held everything she needed. She frowned at the lack of gauzes and the half-empty disinfectant bottle. "Re-stock." She murmured, heading to the storage room. It was a dimly lit room with tall shelves of various items. Majority of them were locked up with incantations only the Apollo children and legacies could unlock. Lucky, Reyna only needed a few supplies. Tucking a pack of gauze underneath her arm, she searched for a bottle of disinfectant. "Jupiter," she murmured, noticing it was on the top shelf just out of her reach. "Come on…" she whispered, standing on her tip toes as her fingers brushed the bottom of the bottle.
"Excuse me?" Reyna jumped at the sound of the male voice. Her fingers tipped the bottle off the shelf. She yelped, pressing her body against the shelves as the rubbing alcohol bottle fell behind her, spilling into a huge mess.
"Mars balls!" Reyna swore, quickly righting the bottle and grabbing something to soak up the mess. "Just a minute."
"Whoa, are you ok?" Reyna looked up to stare into a pair of bright blue eyes and a very handsome face. The young man in front of her wasn't wearing much, only a pair of jeans. He pressed a white t-shirt to his arm which was bleeding profoundly.
"Am I ok? You're the one bleeding." Reyna replied, jumping up and grabbing his arm. She ignored the feel of his breath fanning her cheek as she studied the cut. "Gods, I can't see. Get out." She ordered, shoving him back towards the main room. He stumbled a bit and laughed. "What?" Reyna countered as she continued pushing him towards one of the cots.
"I didn't expect to be manhandled in the infirmary." The blond boy answered as he sat down. In the brighter room, Reyna could see his form clearly. He was fit like a Roman statue with defined chest and broad shoulders. Sweat seemed to glisten on him, outlining the dips and lines of his chest. Reyna felt her heart sped up just a fraction. Jupiter, get your head out of the gutter. She chastised herself as she grabbed the medic kit. "You don't recognize me?" He asked as Reyna kicked the small wheelie stool towards him. "Not even a little bit?"
"All I care about is that you're bleeding.' Reyna responded pointedly, placing the kit beside him and pulled his arm towards her. The SPQR tattoo sat clearly on his right bicep, just above the cut. "May I?" She asked just before pulling the t-shirt back. He nodded his head and let out a sharp hiss as the fabric was pulled back. A deep gash about six inches long sat between where his bars were drawn. Reyna stared at the bars, noticing how many he had. Of course, Jason Grace would wander in here. "Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."
"Nice to meet you, Nurse Reyna." Reyna shook her head as she inspected the wound more closely. She nibbled on her bottom lip as her fingers gently touched the wound. Jason flinched, grabbing her arm. "Hey, that's not your usual look of confidence." Reyna let out a breathy nervous laugh before opening the kit.
"How do you know I have a look of confidence, Jason? It could all be a façade." She teased, drenching a roll of gauze with the rubbing alcohol. She held Jason's injured right arm with her left. His fingers curled tightly around her elbow. Their knees knocked together as she inched close. "This is going to sting." Jason nodded his head, bracing himself for the pain. She pressed the cloth tightly against the cut and a sharp hiss escaped his mouth. "Sorry…"
"No, no." Jason whispered, taking deep breaths as the throbbing slowly subsided. "It's my fault. I wasn't fast enough to dodge Dakota's slash. You're thinking, stupid son of Jupiter, huh?" Reyna ignored his babbling as she removed the cloth. The bleeding has stopped thankfully, revealing how deep the cut really was. Her dark eyes studied the wound, going through her options. It wasn't too serious that he would needed ambrosia which was locked anyways. Somehow, Reyna knew what to do. It could be because she was the daughter of war. Injuries and battles go hand-in-hand. She knew what to do. "Reyna? What's next?"
"You're going to need stitches." Reyna answered, going through the kit looking for a thread, needles and something to numb his arm. She could feel the uncertainty from before ebb away. For a few moments, Reyna felt calm like during the war games. She just did what felt natural. "Don't worry. I'm looking for an anesthetic. You won't feel a thing." Reyna found her supplies and looked up, noticing Jason's awe gaze. "What?"
"I wasn't expecting the daughter of war to be a medic as well." Jason replied.
"Me too." Reyna echoed, skillfully threading a needle and drawing some anesthetic into a syringe. "I'm kind of running on instinct right now. If you want to back out, I could probably find Gale or someone more capable." Jason shook his head, completely trusting the girl in front of him. "Your funeral." She said before injecting the shot into his arm. He winced slightly but watched with completely fascination as she moved through the motions. "Ok, just wait a few minutes for the anesthetic to kick in."
"Why haven't we talked?" Jason asked as Reyna measured out the right amount of thread. She turned to him, pulling his arm towards her to start. "I mean, you've been at camp for what? Two years? That's a long time and this might be the first real conversation I had with you. And I know everyone from camp – OW." He hissed when Reyna pinched his arm. "You did that on purpose."
"Did anyone tell you, you talk too much? I need to focus." Reyna ordered, tugging the needle through the skin again.
"And I need to distract myself." Jason countered, deciding to look at her now. She was Reyna, the mysterious daughter of Bellona who wandered into Camp Jupiter, the self-proclaimed lone wolf. Lupa would be proud. No one knew anything about her. Jason studied her features, noticing how her long dark hair was braid in an entice style. Her sharp eyes narrowed as she focused on his wound. Reyna had a habit of biting her lower lip as she concentrated. Her hands were oddly soft and warm as she held his forearm. "We've fought though. I remember you during war games and sparring matches. We would fight but you have a horrible habit of disappearing afterwards. Afraid to talk to me?"
"If I say yes, will you shut up?" Reyna murmured, finishing the stitches. They were tiny neat marks, almost invisible against his tan skin unless someone looked close enough. Jason gave her a smile that practically said 'no'. The girl rolled her eyes and reached into the kit. "If I stayed behind, people would bother me, asking for help with sword techniques or tactic advice. I'm… I'm not very good with crowds."
"So it's not me? Thank gods." Jason grinned as Reyna pulled his arm back, rolling the bandage over it to cover the stitches. "So, will you talk to me now?"
"I see no reason to." She answered, looking up at him.
"No reason to?" Jason repeated, not sure how to handle this odd situation. People, girls in general, were falling over each other trying to talk to him. Reyna, on the other hand, seemed content not knowing him. It was disorientating. "Um…" Her lips tugged at his throwback reaction like she was trying not to smile. "Have dinner with me." Jason asked before quickly adding. "And my friends. Have dinner with me and my friends."
"Um…" Reyna started, not sure what to say before glancing down. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry." Her hand was moving on auto-pilot, wrapping Jason's arms in layers and layers of bandages. "See, this is what happens when you distract me." She accused, quickly undoing the wrapping. Jason laughed, loving discovering these little things about the usual stoic girl. "I'm sorry but I can't eat tonight. Ester's shift runs right through dinner. I'm stuck here."
"Who gets injured during dinner?" Jason asked as Reyna finished. It felt weird not having her legs pressed against his or her hands cradling his arm. Jason flexed his right arm, barely feeling the pain. He watched her move around, placing the things away and into the counter. "I'll bring the food here and then we could chat."
"I am not letting you through those doors unless you're sick or injured." Reyna countered, crossing her arms. Jason held up his bandaged arm, he was technically injured. Reyna sighed. "Why do you want to hang out with me? I'm not interesting or anything."
"That's not for you to decide." Jason replied, laying on the bed and placing his arms behind his head. He smiled at her as he lounged there. "I find you completely interesting." Reyna laughed, shaking her head and sat on the cot opposite of Jason, not sure how to interpret the boy in front of her.
