He was walking down the lonely path. The path he dreamt about without his knowledge, a lonely twisting road late at night. The road was familiar, as though he had walked it a thousand times, yet strange for he no longer knew his path. Soon, he neared a door. It was worn with many years of use. The peeling white paint almost glowing in the moonlight. The night held an eerie, yet familiar silence to only be broken by the every so often cricket.
The boy hesitated his fist barely a centimeter from the door. His face held a look of confusion, like he was going to change his mind. Finally, he knocked.
The sound was soft though it was broke the silence of night. The boy was still unsure but as the sound echoed off the walls of the villa, he knew it was too late to change his mind. He heard nothing from inside yet he knew she was there. He knocked again this time with more urgency.
"Jason Grace do you happen to know what time it is?" a raven-haired girl asked, popping open the door a crack.
"I happen to know that you were up doing on paperwork."
His voice was daunting, but his eyes held a caring gaze.
"Glad you remember Grace. And thanks for helping out." The girl's words dripped with sarcasm.
"I would of made sure we retired at midnight," he said with a smirk.
"Yeah right Grace. I would have been finished with my half and you would beg me to do yours later." She sighed. "You were never much help anyway."
Jason took a step closer. He saw deep bags hidden by the shadows of night, but they stood out in the moon.
"Must have been good enough", Jason said motioning towards them.
"Reyna it's not worth it to lie to me. We've been friends forever."
The girl, Reyna's, eyes grew cold after this.
"Yes," she mused "we've been friends for four long years. Took you 4 but I finally thought you'd be by my side throughout everything…I guess not." A daunting smirk grew on Reyna's lips, but Jason looked into her eyes. The shattered dark orbs betraying what she refused to admit. She was a Praetor- A Roman leader. She could never show anyone how broken she was on the inside. He took a step closer almost trying to bring himself to another time, one missed- One that was still spinning around in the her head.
"Reyna, please… just this once. Let me in…" the boy pleaded.
The girl looked down sadly, because even here, she couldn't even blink away tears without seeming weak. When she finally looked up there was just the slightest mist in her eyes.
"Didn't you think it would hurt, after waiting eight months, to have your pride shoved in your face?" He looked confused. "Did you even care? You just came back with her. More in love with her than you would ever be with me, I guess…" Her laugh was hallow. "The monsters we fought we're nothing compared to the battle of opening me up, huh. I guess you gave up just when I started to feel it too." Her smile was bitter.
She began to close the door. "Good-bye Jason Grace."
Her mind was numb, trying to block everything. It was smarter than to let her dwell on anything at that moment. Yet, there was a quiet banging sound as the raven-haired girl sleepwalked, past a table of paperwork and blackmail, upstairs. Promptly collapsing on the bed, her body shaking with sobs. A large silver dog padded up to her side. The automatons' eyes showed a rarely seen comforting glance. "Where's Aurum, my sweet vicious boy?" Reyna questioned through her tears. The dog took a step back; happy, realizing master hadn't lost it completely. He then motioned down the stairs. Reyna smiled to herself he's probably guarding Jason.
Her smile fell quicker than it came. Jason. No way would he give up after that. He most likely even knew that she had broken down after she closed the door. Her-the "Saving Grace' never gave up. Finally she picked up the noise.
"Reyna. I'm coming in!" Jason yelled after one more knock that shook the house. Reyna began to panic. "Jason don't come in!" she tried to scream but choked on the first word. She ran down the stairs to block the doors, Argentum at her heels.
Jason was already inside staring at the table a piece of paper in his hands. "How long were you planning on hiding this from me?' he asked his voice deadly calm-The calm before a storm. Of course the knight in shining in armor would see the note. "When?" he asked his façade breaking slightly. Her silence was the only answer Jason needed.
"It wasn't important-"
"No, Rey. It is important. He has no right to…"Jason was cut off by Reyna.
"Get out," Reyna mumbled. Jason stared at her with wide eyes as her hastily rebuilt shields dropped. "GET OUT!"
This time her voice could be heard across New Rome as the tears slowly left her eyes. The boy's lip all but reached the ground as the stoic girl all but lost it in front of him. Her walls had finally down. Nothing to shield her from the hurtful words and stress that came with the job. His arms tried to wrap around her but she pushed them away. She unsheathed her dagger. Looking at her reflection in the low light she was scared for one of the few times in her life. "Get away from me," she snarled at Jason, like a feral animal. The boy finally scrambled out the door, worrying not for himself but his best friend. The girl smirked in her mind Jason Grace always the hero. She screamed as she wept her heart out on the floor.
