AN: It's going to be referenced in Swept Away so I'm doing this first.
It's a kind of reminiscent angst theme ish?
They were on a quest, yes, but they couldn't help but get distracted by the lingering spirit that moved every time they got closer to it.
She was more open back then. Her smiles were rare to come by, but better than they had in the future. She cracked jokes and said what was on her mind.
She was still very feminist, but it had lessened over the years.
It was that stupid blue-eyed kid that stole her heart, but it was still in the early stages back then.
The stupid blue-eyed kid - Jason Grace - was elected for the quest along with her. She'd been friends with him despite being in another cohort, as she couldn't help but be attracted to that odd group of kids her age that hung around the stables.
She'd met Gwen and Dakota, and they were friends, but Jason was ultimately the one she was closest to.
(They were young, and didn't know what love was.)
She didn't know exactly when she decided she like-liked him, but it happened. She tried to not let a crush get in the way of her actions.
Go, He said, I'll wait here for you.
She started walking towards the light, and noticed it didn't move. She looked back. Jason was smiling reassuringly.
She took one step at a time, and she drew her dagger out in case it was a rogue spirit. It moved to a gazebo hidden in the shadow of the woods, and she redirected her course.
She got to the refreshing shade of the gazebo, and she stared at the woman waiting.
It was definitely not a spirit.
She changed from face to face, each time still looking like the face of someone who would adorn a fashion magazine.
Then, she started to look like Circe. She had always admired her looks, with her face all curves and softness, unlike her own sharp angles.
It hit her with a pang that the woman was Venus.
She immediately kneeled and said that it was an honor to meet her.
Venus smiled with warmth and said she was here because she had something to say her that was important.
Reyna vaguely remembered Venus was eating mouth-watering cakes. She had offered her some, but she and Jason just ate, so she was full.
Venus was complimenting her on how her hair was smooth, and how she wished her hair was like that, though she could change it in a split second.
Reyna knew she was just trying to be polite, and she sensed that Venus knew it was making her uncomfortable.
She then moved on to the important stuff. She said something about how cute Jason and Reyna was at which she remembered very clearly that her face had turned into a tomato.
Venus broke the bad news. She and Jason were never meant to be together. You both are destined for great things, she said, but you will have to do it alone.
Reyna frowned and asked her why they couldn't be together and do great things.
It's because you'll distract him. Fate has decreed that he will fall in love with another girl and you'll just make the heartbreak even more painful, Venus had admitted.
(It had been her motto for years)
She had stood there shocked.
I'm sorry? She had said.
I'm sorry. But you are strong. You will endure, like the Romans did until the last moment.
She couldn't remember the next part much. She had forced it out of her memories until it was sitting in a dusty corner. She never tried to remember the things Venus said, but there were a few snippets she could still remember. She remembered vaguely that she had stayed frozen for a while.
She had taken a moment to remember what Venus had said, and chosen to act by her words, as she was goddess of love for a reason.
So she held her head a little bit higher, straightened her back a little bit more, and dimmed her ever-present small smile until you couldn't see it.
She couldn't recall what happened next, but the next thing she remembered was that she was in sight of the stupid blue-eyed kid.
But where a few minutes ago, she had been smiling the worlds tiniest smile and cracking jokes and laughing along with him, her face was void of emotion.
Jason waved at her, but she didn't wave back.
When she got there, he had said; is something wrong?
No. Let's go.
He'd looked at her weirdly and dismissed it as some weird girl thing, at least she thought.
(If only he knew)
Years later, she can only blame herself when she loses to the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes. She can only blame herself when he doesn't remember her.
fin.
