Reyna walked out of the training center, thoroughly exhausted. Sure she was beyond thrilled to be made praetor, but did the training have to be so difficult. And her co-praetor, Jason, was just a disaster. She'd seen him a lot around camp because they were in the same cohort but had never spoken to him. Reyna still had him figured out: classically attractive and flawless, shallow, a total jock, and way too confident. When they started praetor training, she'd been proven right.
She was still thinking about how much she hated Jason when she left her praetor cabin and went to the girls' shower house. Reyna glanced at her slight but powerful body in the mirror as she undressed; she hated the muscles in her legs and arms, making her feel too powerful, she hated the way her face angled sharply, and most of all she hated her stupid Reyna tried so hard to put on a brave, confident face but sometimes she was just a regular, insecure teenage girl. Reyna shook her head, scolding herself for being so weak, and turned on the shower head. The cool water pounded on her body and as the shower washed away the pain of the training, she found herself inadvertently thinking of Jason. Thinking positive thoughts. Like how his honey blonde hair always looked windswept. How the muscles of his arms and torso stretched against his purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt. How he always seemed to know what Reyna wanted, despite her mental shields. Shut up! You know what's going to happen if you let someone else in. You're just going to get hurt. Again. Reyna managed to control her thoughts and, when she returned to the cabin and fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow, her dreams were entirely Jason-free.
Reyna and Jason were sparring. With every parry and block, Reyna grew a little more tired, until sweat was trickling down the side of her cheek. She felt like collapsing but as Jason went in for a jab, she sidestepped and grabbed his sword hilt. Before either praetor knew exactly what was happening, Jason and Reyna were standing centimeters from each other. Reyna had suddenly become very aware of the fact that his perfect, kissable lips were so close to her own. What is wrong with you? Reyna didn't know but she did know that when she thought about actually kissing him, everything seemed very out of control. Nevertheless, Reyna was also perfectly aware of the armor-on-armor clinking and their chests rising and falling in perfect unison. Everything was out of focus except for his eyes, which were on hers. All of a sudden, the gravity of his gaze was too much and she glanced away. She was scared of what she felt. Reyna had to push these feelings down; there was a foremost duty on her mind and that was service to New Rome. Still, she didn't move away. Jason's gaze, still on her, was like quicksand and Reyna felt like she was falling recklessly down a treacherous slope.
Finally, after what felt like forever but was really just a few minutes, Jason pulled back. He had a weird look on his face, but didn't look entirely surprised when she swung her blade in a show-offy kind of way and resumed sparring. When their two training hours were over, Reyna left without a goodbye or a backward glance. As she stepped into the night, tears filled her eyes. The stern voice in her head scolded her: What the hell is going on with you, Reyna? When did you become the crying type. It was true; Reyna had never been particularly prone to crying, especially over a boy. She tried to collect her thoughts but has she did something nagged in the back of her mind, a feeling that she hadn't felt in years. The feeling of falling and not knowing entirely if it's a choice. This was all wrong; Reyna was supposed to be the unbreakable roman girl that everyone feared to much to get close too. You should know better, after what happened last time? As she walked back to her cabin, she tried to calm down. It was easy to get wrapped up in the adrenaline of praetor training and do things that you normally wouldn't. But she had meant to do it, hadn't she? Wasn't there a small part of her that sort of liked him? No! This can't happen! You have to focus, Reyna. You're Roman, and Romans don't chase after annoying, not that attractive boys. She got back to her cabin and just managed to change into pajama shorts and a v-neck sweater without bothering to shower before a knock came at the door. She got up wearily and opened it. Standing in the faint porch light was Jason Grace. Shit. No! "Hey Reyna," he said, obviously a little shocked to see her in something other than robes and armor. Reyna knew perfectly well that boys would only ever break your heart, but something about being looked at like you were the only thing that mattered caught at her heart. "Sorry I probably shouldn't be here." You really shouldn't be, part of Reyna thought darkly. What actually came out of her mouth was far worse: "Stay. Please?" Please?! Reyna had never said something like that, like she was a little girl begging for attention. Jason looked thoroughly shocked, but he stayed and they talked for a while longer about the ups and downs of praetorship, until Reyna's eyelids began to feel heavy and they said goodnight. Once he left, she collapsed on her bunk and tried to console herself by reasoning that they were nothing but skin and bone, trained to get along. That this happened to all praetors. But at the same time, something nagged at Reyna; all her life the path she'd been going down was straight and narrow. Now, however, Jason was friction, pulling her down a treacherous slope. But when she fell asleep that night, she dreamed of nothing but Jason.
The next day was a Saturday, which meant no praetor training, just a relaxing day of low-key camp activities and a war game after dinner. Reyna, on the other hand, was not one to sleep in. She pulled on mortal training gear and walked down to the track for a morning run. Unfortunately, once she reached the track, she saw that she was not alone; Jason had the same idea. He tried to catch up with her, but Reyna was fast and she stayed ahead of him. "Wait! Reyna! I liked talking to you last night..." He tried to continue but Reyna turned around and shouted back: "Well that wasn't a mutual feeling!" Jason looked hurt, which made Reyna happy. Of course it was a lie; Reyna really had enjoyed talking to him. She'd thought they would make terrible co-praetors at first but, after talking to him last night, she realized just how alike her and Jason were. They were both insecure but hid that behind a wall of sturdy, boasting confidence. He wasn't as classically attractive close up- he had a little scar on his chin and freckles on his cheekbones. He was still rediculously handsome, but something about the slight flaws made him seem so much more approachable and attractive to Reyna. But she was not about to tell Jason that, so she kept running around the track until her lungs and thighs burned. Jason caught up with her and started up a conversation, "There's a council meeting today. Watch Octavian throw a fit about how terrible the first days of our praetorship are going and how we need to be sacked immediately!" Reyna tried to hid her grin and did a terrible job of it. "Yeah," she replied. "Not to mention murder some more beanie babies." Now it was Jason's turn to grin; "Seriously! What is with that?" Reyna shrugged her shoulders and laughed. Her and Jason continued their conversation all the way to the dining pavilion and through breakfast as well as all the way up to the council room. Throughout the meeting, as every one of their Octavian predictions came true, he would wink at her and she'd sigh. Jason had managed to turn her least favorite moment of the day into something fun. As they went separate ways to shower, Reyna couldn't help but realize that she really wanted to tell him that nothing safe was worth the drive; Jason was a risk, but one Reyna decided was worth taking. There was a saying her sister used to tell her; safe as houses. "You'll be safe as houses if you just stick with me, little Rey," she used to say. Whenever they were together, Jason made her feel safe as houses and she would follow him to the ends of the earth just to get that feeling again. This is a treacherous hope, Reyna. Remember you past, all the times you were hurt by a boy. Reyna wanted to tell her conscious to shut up, but she also knew that it was right. To dream for Jason was dangerous and sure to leave her damaged. There was only one option; she was going to get him alone. Reyna was tired of trying to block Jason out, it was time to let him in.
That night after war games, Reyna changed out of battle armor into jeans and a Camp Jupiter t-shirt. She found Jason just outside of the armory, putting away his sword. There was a scrape on his face and his shirt was rumpled and torn in places, revealing skin over hard muscle underneath. Jason turned around, hearing her footsteps on the wood floor, "Hey! Good job, by the way. We wouldn't have won without you." Reyna blushed and hoped, in the dark of night, that he couldn't see. "What about that amazing defensive play you guys pulled? That was a serious game-changer," She countered. Jason grinned, obvious glad to receive praise. He finished putting his sword and armor away and walked closer to Reyna, until he was only a few inches away. All at once, Reyna was all to self-conscious about everything from her messy hair to her clunky armor to her make-up-less face. But Jason was looking at the same way he had last night, when they talked, like she was beautiful. "Reyna, I know you're not the type to let people get too close, but..." He trailed off and she swallowed, a nervous feeling her throat and stomach. Before she could say anything back, he put one finger into her belt loop and brought her closer, until they were touching. His lips met hers and all of a sudden they were kissing. She hadn't been kissed in a long time, not since she was 14. Jason's lips felt just as good against hers as she'd dreamed about. Reyna forgot about everything, one hand on the back of Jason's neck and another running through his hair. One of his hands was on her hip and another in her hair. They spent what seemed like forever kissing. Eventually, Reyna pulled back and smiled. Jason grinned his big stupid grin right back. She stood on tiptoes and kissed him again on the lips, melting into his smell of rain and smoke. He kissed her back, his hands wrapped around her hips and her hands around his neck.
Somehow, Reyna and Jason had ended up in bed together, in the most innocent sense of the phrase. They fell asleep like that, with Reyna curled up against his side, one hand draped over his torso and with Jason's arm over her shoulder, pulling her close. When Reyna woke up however, the other side of her bed was empty. Jason was gone. Told you! But something about this seemed wrong. When she went to Octavian, he told her that Jason had been taken. She tried to ask how and where, but Octavian either didn't know or wouldn't tell. Reyna knew one thing for sure, she had to find Jason, or she'd die trying.