Disclaimer: Rick Riordan has all right to Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus. This is simply for enjoyment.
Rating: K+
Author's Note: I haven't written anything for the PJ fandom lately, but I had some inspiration to write this. All about Reyna, since she's awesome Enjoy :)
Long Way Down
Reyna leans against the railing, a steaming cup of chocolate in one hand, the other tightened around the metal railing. Below here Camp Jupiter is spread out, and in the distance she can see the flickering lights of the street lamps glowing in the dark. The night air is cool, and it sends a few strands of loose hair from her braid blowing into her face. She sweeps the dark hair behind her ear as she takes in what she is about to leave behind.
It's difficult being so lonely, but even worse is knowing that she'll never find someone to be her home. Reyna's never had a home, not since her father abused her and her sister. No, that house in San Juan had never been a home. Any chance of it providing solace dissipated when she killed her father.
Reyna isn't completely lonely, of course. No one really is. She still has her sister, Hylla, and she has friends. Nico, Percy, Jason, Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel, to name a few. But none of them really can understand her. Nico knows her story, but he knows not how she feels. He has someone to live for, someone to die for, someone to fight for. They all do. Every single one of them.
Except her. Unlike her sister, Reyna has not sworn off men because she doesn't like them. On the contrary; Reyna has had a few crushes, and "crushes" is an appropriate term, for in the end they all left her crushed. Defeated. Reyna has always wanted to find someone to love, and someone who will love her back, but it can never be. She's doomed to live a whole life lonely.
Aphrodite, the goddess of love (or as Reyna knows her better, Venice), came and spoke to her years ago. At the time Reyna had had silent admiration to Jason which had been quickly turning to more. They were close friends, and were becoming even closer as time went on. Then the goddess came and informed her—warned her—that it would never work out. Not with Jason, not with anyone.
She is doomed to be alone forever.
Even with that information, though, Reyna couldn't completely shut out her feelings. She still fell, and still had to pick up the pieces herself. Maybe that's why she's so strong. She's always used to picking up the pieces herself.
Losing her pegasus, Scipio, had been her breaking point. He had been a reminder that she could be successful, and she could do something right. For once, she could protect somebody that she loved. When he died it just showed her that she truly was meant to be alone. Losing him meant she only brought death and destruction in her wake.
The Legion had been at it's strongest when Percy came and restored honour to the Fifth Legion, but it hadn't been her to do that. It had been him, a complete newbie. She always considered herself a strong leader, but with the whole Octavian thing she realised she isn't strong at all. The Legion had been ready for new, stronger leaders.
That's why Reyna is letting Frank and Percy take over. They're the fresh leaders Camp Jupiter needs, and which Percy also being a strong leader at Camp Half-Blood, it's the perfect way to tie in a new alliance.
Reyna herself is letting this all go. It's what she does when the burden becomes too heavy, when the pain begins to tear her apart, when the ghosts from her past begin to whisper to her. She lets go and moves on.
On of the reasons she isn't really mad at Percy for destroying Circe's island and sending her into the hands of the pirates is because she had already been close to leaving. She and Hylla had talked it over, and decided they were meant for more than welcoming maidens and unsuspecting men into a trap.
Then she moved on from the pirates after quickly establishing that she is strong and powerful. All the violence reminded her too much of what happened in San Juan.
Now it's time to move on from here. She's ready to take control of her life back, and she's ready to break all ties from her past. All these friends she made here, all the people she trusted and grew close to—it's time to let them all go.
It's a long way down to start over, especially since she's come so far this time. It's always hard to let go of everything she's achieved of, but it's even harder to stay. It's harder to bear the burden of the world on her shoulders, so she needs to escape and refresh.
Reyna finishes her chocolate and tosses the foam cup into a metal trash can, heading back towards the praetor's houses. A few people wave, staying up late, but she sweeps past them, not wanting to talk. This is hard enough as it is, she can't make it any harder.
She stokes the fireplace once she's inside her house, then begins to throw in pictures, files, and anything else flammable that is a personally belonging. As she watches it burn she touches the silver college ring on her necklace. That is the one belonging she won't leave behind, the one relic from her past that she is alright with keeping. Because no matter where she goes, her sister will still be her ally.
Finally all the personal belongings are ashes. Reyna checks the house again, making sure nothing is left. The fire is beginning to die down, and with a deep breath, she tosses in her praetor badges and all her other Legion honours. Everything she's accomplished is burning before her eyes, but instead of making her sad it fills her with relief. The burden on her shoulders feels infinitely lighter and more manageable.
Reyna scrawls a quick note on a scrap piece of paper warning people to not look for her. Then she heads to the stables and takes a pegasus, mounting the mare quickly and firmly. She reins her up in the air, and the winged horse flies high in the sky.
As the lights of Camp Jupiter fade away, Reyna can hear the voices of the Legion yelling, "Ave Romana!" loudly and proudly. She hears the grunt of training legionnaires, the clang of weapons hitting each other, and the bellows of Hannibal as he participates in the war games. The sound of children laughing and running around in New Rome brings a bittersweet smile to her face. A reminder of everything she can never have.
Reyna takes her hands off the reins and takes the rubber band out of her hair, unloosing her braid so that her black hair flows over her shoulders. A new life, a new look. Even her clothes are more casual, skinny jeans and a purple hoodie. She has on a backpack with a few hundred dollars, a change of clothes, and some other basic survival things. Where she'll go she has no idea, but it must be far away from here.
Yes, it's a long way down as she falls from grace. She's never gotten this high before, but it makes the fall all the more sweet. Who knows where she'll get this time?
Reyna leaves it all behind as she flies off into the unknown.