Belated happy birthday to Nica (hadesgymshorts).
The day misspent,
the love misplaced,
has inside it
the seed of redemption.
Nothing is exempt
from resurrection.
-KAY RYAN
It wasn't that Reyna was insane or mentally disturbed.
She was just feeling frustrated because she really didn't understand what she did that placed her in front of hundreds of Romans yearning, practically thirsty for blood. It confused her. What had she done to them that made them disobey her, not follow her?
As far as she knew, she did, or at least tried to do her duties with the best of her abilities.
Reyna spent countless of nights trying to fill in the job that was made for two; her body was sore and numb from all the problems Octavian was throwing at her. It was like he wanted her to die soon.
Which was most likely the case.
She gritted her teeth.
Percy's off with Annabeth to save the world. Annabeth had abandoned her. Hazel was gone; Gwen was in college. Dakota was too drunk and too intoxicated to even respond. Her sister was busy with her own war; Jason… he never came back.
Reyna didn't understand why her luck was bad even by demigods' standards.
Even when she was young, she did her best to be the best daughter her father could ever have; however, that was damn impossible because Hylla – oh so good, Hylla – had always overshadowed her. But Reyna knew her father did love her so much. It was just that people feel more connected to Hylla than they ever were to her.
Still, her father would sing her some lullabies and be the best father he could be. What happened? He died after some sort of one-eyed creature she later learned as Cyclopes attacked them. Gods… he was just thirty-two then.
When she became Circe's attendant, she tried everything to be a good one, but of course Hylla - the prettier one, the more noticeable one – was chosen by her lady.
Then Percy and Annabeth came, and her world was, again, turned upside down. She got lost in an explosion on the coast, and lost track of her sister's location. She only traced her a few years later.
Meeting the Lupa was the be – no, one of the best things that happened to her. Being with the she-wolf made her feel at home, and despite the harsh training, Reyna could tell that this was the life she wanted to have. That ended when the goddess decided it would be good for Reyna to be sent to Camp Jupiter.
Of course, it did something good to some extent.
She met the son of Jupiter and had friends although the number of the latter one was really few. Reyna didn't spend time brushing her hair and putting on bits of make-up. She knew as Pluto that she wasn't stunning nor gorgeous. Her writing didn't match those of Apollo's, and her speed wasn't of Mercury's. But she was contented.
She aced her exams and excelled in sword fighting. Reyna did beat up some of the best in the camp, and that was saying something – especially for a newbie like her. She was respected despite her shortcomings.
Her body felt nostalgia, and it almost made her thought that her luck wasn't really that bad.
Well, except the fact that Jason Grace who soon became her close friend and confidante was taken right under her nose. She bit her lip, and looked straight ahead at the Romans, daring anyone to speak up.
What had she done to him that made him leave her like some piece of trash?
Their relationship which Reyna tried so hard to keep suddenly fell, and there was no one but her to pick up the debris and glasses. By the gods, she waited for fucking eight – eight! – months. And what happened? He returned with a shallow daughter of love in his arm.
Besides all of those things, she had seen how Jason looked when he returned from the Greek camp. His hair wasn't as kept, and his eyes – they looked different.
He didn't even bother to say "hello" or explain what the heck happened. No, he didn't. He went on and rambled to his girlfriend about New Rome. He left her again without even saying sorry or feeling guilty. He didn't want to come home.
As for McLean?
She left with a smug smile on her face, and Reyna really couldn't resist the urge to strangle her because she took Jason away, and sauntered off like the spoiled brat she was.
That was the last straw.
Reyna clenched her jaw as betrayal flooded her, blinding her heart and causing her fist to coil while her lips curled. She had had enough with the gods toying with her like she was some kind of pet. She had had enough of the Fates meddling with her life. She had had enough of people leaving her behind.
Father was gone; Hylla was away. Circe's dead; Lupa had her own fight. And Jason? He'd be with that Venus spawn. As for Reyna? She'd all alone, and this time, she won't even bother to pretend that she was fine with that.
Rage boiled inside her; something snapped, and nothing but anger flooded her. For a moment, she wanted to slash and do nothing but move around the battlefield as if that was the sole reason she was born. The feeling made her feel so dead, yet alive at the same time. Perhaps this was what Medea felt when the first Jason left her. Perhaps this was what the lieutenant of Diana felt when she was betrayed.
Her eyes flashed as she ignored the triumphant look crossing Octavian's face and the silent plea of Juno inside her head. She would be a toy of the gods no more; let them feel her rage because she was going to fight for father, for Circe, for Hylla -
And this time, she was going to win.
.
.
Thank you for reading. :)) Inspired by icy roses' "Collateral Damage".
Reviews are very much appreciated.