Left in Ruins

"But if you close your eyes

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?"

-Bastille, "Pompeii"

...

"Lost time is never found again."

-Benjamin Franklin

As the Argo II touched down outside New Rome, Jason felt a pang of regret.

Though not quite as ravaged as Camp Half Blood had been, the Roman camp was by no means spared from Gaea's wrath. And since they'd only left one cohort at home, defenses had been limited, to say the least.

Most of the twelfth legion had ventured home, with the exception of a small party negotiating alliances and assisting with repairs. Similarly, a few demigods on the other side had traveled roughly half a day behind the Romans to assist in reconstruction. An act of friendship on both ends.

Being the newly appointed ambassador, Jason had been the first person aboard, along with seven volunteers. He'd tried to convince Piper to volunteer as well, but she hadn't wanted to come, and Jason had no idea why. They never seemed to communicate very well.

Once Leo assured everyone the ship had landed, they began to unload. Since Jason doubted there'd be space for guests in New Rome, they'd be staying on the Argo II.

"Wow," Lacey said. "Camp Jupiter is huge."

"Well, not all of it's the camp," Jason explained. "Most of it's New Rome, where some people go to live after their time in the legion."

"Cool," said Will, an Apollo kid who'd stepped up at the last minute back home.

"Hey, should we go find Fra-" Leo was cut off.

"He's at Camp Half Blood. So's Hazel." Hazel's spot was-so far- unofficial, but most people had no doubt that she was going to be the Roman Ambassador. "If all went well this morning, we're reporting to Reyna."

His eyes widened, "You mean the one who hates me?"

"She doesn't hate you," he replied automatically, then leaned in closer. "Just don't destroy any more buildings, alright?"

The younger demigod grinned. "I give you no promises."

"Dude, I'm serious. Don't-"

"Members of the twelfth legion. Citizens of New Rome. Guests from Long Island." a loud voice rang out over the masses, gathering the attention of those assembled. Jason turned his gaze to see Reyna, clad in purple robes and standing at the center of command. Her hearing with the Senate had gone well, then.

"We are gathered here today to begin our great reconstruction. This summer, much was lost in our war with Terra, including lives, friendships... loves. These are things that can never be replaced. But there are other things, such as buildings, our glory, and our honor. These we can always rebuild.

I don't believe it will be easy. We will have to labor long and hard to undo the damage we have suffered. But if we embrace our comrades and join with our fellow Romans, our home will shine brighter than ever before!"

Cheers erupted from all around, and for the first time in almost a year, Reyna wore a genuine smile. Then the cheering stopped, and she once again adopted her serious manner. "This is truly the start of a new era. Never before had our two camps been both aware of and at peace with one another. Together, demigods accomplished what neither side could do alone, and fulfilled a prophecy created a thousand years ago. And in their honor, I hope the peace will last for a thousand years!"

Reactions were mixed this time around, scattered cheers met with murmurs of disapproval. Slowly the whispers grew louder, and Reyna had to call for attention to finish her speech.

"Now let us begin. Organize yourselves into cohorts; your centurions will tell you where to go. Guests and remaining able bodied citizens shall assist with bridges, roads and aqueducts. I will be stopping by each and every area to monitor progress and direct assistance where it is needed. If everyone understand what they are to do, then we shall get started."

Just with that, everyone dashed off to their designated locations, leaving Jason and his friends in the dust.

"C'mon guys. I'm pretty sure we passed the supplies on the way over."

Jason had elected to build a bridge, as those materials were the first ones he could find. Soon enough, Jason, Leo, and a married couple had begun repairs on a floating mess. Despite his polite introduction and Leo's constant chatter, the two adults addressed them only when necessary. Eventually, the two grew silent.

As he and the older man dragged driftwood out of the river, Jason noticed a weeping willow nest to where the bridge was supposed to be. Jason could've sworn it seemed familiar.

Unbidden, a memory of him and seven-year old Gwen hanging off the bridge next to a willow tree came to mind. The girl used to do it all the time, and for some inexplicable reason, he'd wanted to learn how. She'd been very patient with him, showing him where to put his feet, and then-

he went for an unplanned swim five seconds later.

Jason laughed. Why had he ever wanted to do that?

It was weird. Ever since he and the other Seven defeated Gaea, all his memories of New Rome had come into focus. Why had they waited so long?

As they continued, Jason realized that wasn't the only thing that had happened on this bridge. It was here he'd saved a little toddler after she fell off as his act of valor, stripping him of his probatio tablet. He'd also thrown an entire crate of stuffed animals in the river once when Octavian was chasing him.

Jason cringed. After the praetors back then found out, he had to fish out all the Beanie Babies before dawn or face further punishment. If Reyna hadn't secretly come out to help him, Jason never would've made it.

Didn't Reyna have a hearing with the Senate this morning? Jason assumed it had gone well, seeing as nothing changed with her position. But he was curious about Octavian. They'd gone in to be tried at the same time, and no one had seen the augur since. Surely he hadn't gotten off?

Hopefully, Jason would be able to find out about it from his friend about it later. He hoped to catch up with Reyna during his stay, seeing as they hadn't conversed one on one in months.

The demigod glanced across from him at Leo. Even if Reyna hadn't promised to come by each and every repair site, she'd be leaving an eye on time at all times.

Can't be that much longer, he thought to himself, smiling.

But as afternoon morphed into evening, and the four finally had their new bridge in place, Jason began to worry. He could've sworn she'd stop by here.

Ah well. He'd find his friend at dinner. She was probably just busy.

The small crew had managed to put up their supplies right as the legion called for dinner. With the briefest of goodbye, the two adults left off into the city. Catching the hint, Jason ushered Leo off to the dining area.

After waiting with literally a thousand people in line, the two finally managed to get their food. Since the larder had been destroyed, New Rome had been forced to order catering services from a pizza place called Little Caesar's.

Unfortunately, Jason wasn't able to even see where Reyna was before they got lost in a tangle of Lares and legionnaires. So instead, he sat down with the others from Camp Half Blood, trying to maintain the conversation and ignore all the stares he got.

This was ridiculous: he recognized most of these people-was friends with them, even. So why did it feel as though his whole life was worlds away? And why was everyone so distant?

Jason shrugged, mentally resolving to tell Reyna the second he could get a moment to do so. She always understood this sort of thing better than him.

A little after dinner let out, Jason finally pleased fate.

"Reyna. Hey, Reyna!" Jason called out, trying to catch her attention.

"What are you doing?" Lacey stared at him incredulously. "What about Piper?"

Jason paused for a second, confused. "What about her? I just want to see Reyna. I've been wanting to all day!"

Without waiting for Lacey's reply, He raced off to the place where his friend had been. She wasn't there anymore. Hadn't she heard him? Jason continued running in the general direction, hoping to happen upon her again.

"Reyna, wait!" Jason had to screech to a halt. He'd almost run into her.

His friend finally noticed him, whipping around in the middle of a crowded street. She almost seemed startled, but it passed too soon for him to be sure.

"You," she whispered, almost to herself. Louder, she said, "Hello, Jason."

Jason put on a friendly smile. "Hey Reyna. Can-can I chat with you for a minute?"

Reyna glanced around the street. People were starting to notice them. "That depends. Is there really anything to discuss?"

Huh? "I'm pretty sure there is. I mean, it's been how long since we were alone together?"

"Maybe there's a reason for that. What did you want to say to me?"

Jason paused, self-conscious, "Hey, is there a place we could do this that's more private? Maybe we could-"

"No. Whatever it is you want to say, you can say it here." Reyna crossed her arms, eyes tightened. He'd seen that expression before. It used to be exclusively used for dealing with Octavian.

"Alright, then," It was suddenly very difficult to say anything. The growing audience wasn't helping matters. "Um... How was your meeting with the Senate earlier?"

"Just fine, actually. The little scandal with Octavian abusing his power definitely aided my cause." she tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I guess I have more friends than I thought."

"That's awesome!" Jason beamed before continuing. "I haven't seen Octavian at all today, now that you mention it. What happened to him?"

For the first time that night, Reyna met his eyes. "His status was completely removed, and the Senate booted him out of the legion to fend for himself. I'm sure we'll find a new augur soon. Plenty of people applied, and will be tested for prophecy within the month."

"Wow. I'm, glad everything's going well for you." Jason waited for a reply. When he didn't get one, he decided to go on. "Repairs seem to be going well. You must've been really busy today."

She looked down. "I'm grateful they are. And yes, I was."

Would she lighten up? "You must've been. I couldn't believe my eyes when you didn't visit Leo! What, did you finally get tired of staring him down all day?" he jested.

"I hate to disappoint Leo, but after this morning I was just stared out. Could I account for it later?"

He wasn't sure if she was serious, so Jason decided to laugh anyway. He followed up with some cheesy pun he got off Percy, and Reyna laughed at him (possibly out of pity.)

They went in to the nearest coffee shop soon afterward, claiming a little table by a window. There, they went from one to the other about all sorts of things. Reyna filled him in on what all his friends had been up to in his absence, and he told her everything he could about the Seven's journey. Not the official report or anything, but the little details, such as the time a certain someone got stuck in Chinese handcuffs. Or the time he'd been disguised as an old man.

But not everything they discussed was happy. Reyna informed in of all their battles with Camp Half Blood, and how they were to ones who'd pulverized it so thoroughly. Jason had to recount the loss of Percy and Annabeth, and the mourning ceremony that followed. After all they'd been through together, Jason still couldn't believe they were gone. He could only imagine how the rest of the camp felt.

Jason was so relieved to finally be around Reyna again. How had he ever managed to forget his best friend? Even if his relations with the others had to change, at least this one hadn't.

He even told her about his troubles with Piper, and how they never seemed to communicate. She seemed especially attentive when he told her abut this one.

Finally, they were again sitting in the present, discussing repairs.

"I guess you're right about that. When the ship landed, I couldn't even recognize some of these places. Are we sure this is the same city?"

"At least we can rebuild, though, " Reyna's eyes shone. "It'll return to the city we love in no time!"

"New Rome: restored and bigger than ever." Jason announced dramatically, eliciting a small laugh. "Seriously, this place is almost too big for the land it's standing on."

"Oh darn it!" Reyna pulled out a pen and started writing. "I meant to schedule a meeting for that! Can you go down to our-" she stopped.

"Can I... What?" Jason watched her face for a reaction.

She waited until her expression was impassive before continuing. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"No really. I can help you if you need it," What's going on?

"There is nothing you can do," Reyna averted her gaze from him, eyes distant. "It was nice to catch up with you, but I really have to go. I'm behind schedule."

"Wait!" Jason cried, reluctant to let her leave. "When can I meet with you again?"

"For what? Do you and the other guests need something?"

He stared at her, more confused than ever. "No. Not official and all that. When can we just hang out again? As friends?"

"Friends?" she repeated dumbly.

"Yeah as friends! We used to be friends, remember?" Jason started rambling. "Come on, I get it's been awhile, and we haven't exactly been meeting in the best of circumstances, but let's... do something fun. The way we used to. Account for all our lost time."

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Reyna turned away from him, voice cold. "Once you lose time, you just... never find it again."

She stood up, and Jason found himself facing the full force of her onyx gaze. "I hope you're happy in your new home, Jason. I hope it's everything you ever wanted and more. But on the off chance she isn't, just remember this: you better not come crying to me. Never in a million years would anyone here listen."

Jason had no idea what was happening. "Reyna, wait," he put his hands on her shoulders. Their table fell, but he didn't care. "I get that a lot's happened, but... if you just stop for a minute, and close your eyes, doesn't it almost feel as though nothing changed at all?"

Dear gods, what was he even saying? All he understood was that for some reason, he was about to lose his best friend. And if he didn't say anything, it would really happen.

But what could he say?

"Yeah...it does." she was so quiet. Has Jason heard her correctly?

Then her eyes hardened, and the Reyna he'd spent so many years with was gone. "Too bad everything has."

And with those final words, the praetor stormed out of the coffee shop, leaving other patrons in sheer awe.

Jason had been given one chance with Reyna.

And he blew it.

A/Ns: Whoo! My longest challenge fic to date! Too bad it's about six hours late. Before I say anything else, let me do just one thing:

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

Sorry about that. But ion this Competition (The Greco/Roman War) I took the extra challenge where I couldn't use the letter K in the fic itself (Title, summary, A/Ns are fine). And I have succeeded. Whoo hoo!

Oh, my prompts were: Romantic pairing of Jeyna, quote by Benjamin Franklin, and my special godly parent song for us Apollo kids, "Pompeii" by Bastille. I'm really happy with how this turned out. I finally got to write about my favorite character, and I got to explore Jason.

May my side (the Romans) conquer all, please review, thanks to Alicia for creating this challenge, and I'll see you all on the far side!