Authors Note: Official chapter two! Yippee!
REYNA
Falling into a big black hole of nothingness is not always the best idea. Saying that it feels like you're getting scooped up by a tornado and then getting hit in the head with a couple of thousand anvils wouldn't hurt or be as dizzy so much. The last thing Reyna could remember was hearing Jason call her name and seeing a bright light glow up ahead before she blacked out. Am I dead? Reyna thought to herself, No, if I was dead I wouldn't be able to feel the annoying strand of hair in my face. Lifting up her hand slowly, Reyna brushed the lock of hair behind her ear and made a weak attempt so sit up, failing miserably. She tried to open her eyes, but at the moment, her eyelids could've been made of iron, and they would be easier to open than right now. especially since the blinding light kept returning to her vision.
"Oof," she grunted as she lay her head back once more. Saying her head hurt would be the largest understatement in history. Wait, where are the others? Piper? Frank? Annabeth? Jason? Hazel? Leo? Percy? Reyna asked herself as she reached her hand out and fumbled around for some sort of limb or hair or anything that wasn't a part of her own anatomy. Suddenly, her hand hit something soft and fluffy. A pillow? Reyna questioned as she continued to fumble around for any sign of her other friends, then her hand hit a soft blanket like material. Why am I in a bed? Am I in the infirmary? Prying her eyes open, Reyna took in her surroundings, she was in a room that was similar to her villa at Camp Jupiter, except... older. Also, instead of her usual queen sized canopy bed, she was on a tiny bench like piece of furniture with nothing but a thin mattress and pillow on it. The walls were covered with art that could be dated back to the rule of Augustus Ceaser and perhaps even older. Next to the bed like object was a small, single pane window that hardly gave her a view of any thing. Where on earth am I? she thought as she got up and walked around the room. These paintings, I know these paintings. Where have I seen them before? Reyna thought as she traced her hand against the pictures on the wall. Those temples, those patterns, I know I've seen them before, but where?
Suddenly the door opened, and in came a young girl around age 7 or 8 holding a small towel and what seemed to be a bundle of cloth in her other hand. "Excuse me," Reyna said politely, "Could you please tell me where I am?"
The little girl held up a small finger telling Reyna to wait. Then she gently closed the door and spoke, "Reyna, we have to get you to the baths, they're holding a senate meeting, and your fathe wants you there for some unknown reason."
"Do I know you?" Reyna asked suspiciousley eying the girl over. The young girl had dark hair and olive skin, like Reyna except the girls hair seemed to be reddish and her eyes were a warm light brown, rather than Reyna's dark obsidian rings.
"This is no time for games, the meeting will start soon and they'll blame me if your late. Now hurry up!" the young girl said, grabbing Reyna's wrist's and leading her towards the door.
Instinctively, Reyna fulled her hand back and decided that a proper introduction mught make things easier, "My name is Reyna, Praetor of the twelth leigon, 1st cohort. And you are?" Reyna looked at the girl expectantly.
"Fine, if you're going to play that game then," the small girl said, "My name is Cassia, and I am secretley your good friend and servant. Also, your not praetor, that would be your dad. Your female remember?"
Reyna bit back her tounge. She hated when people undermined women, after all the time she spent on CC's island, the one thing that was drilled into her mind was "women are just as powerful, if not better, than men", and what this child was telling her was not something CC would approve of. Reyna could still remember what CC told her about men when she was young and naive.
*Flashback*
It was a warm sunny day on Circe's island. Reyna had just finished braiding her hair when there was a knock on her bedroom chamber doors.
"Come in," Reyna called softley.
In entered Circe, the sorceress herself dressed in a long, white gown. "Are you busy dear? May I speak with you?" Circe asked.
"Of course my lady," Reyna said bowing down, "What is it that you would like to speak with me?"
Circe sat down on the bed and patted the place next to her, "Come sit down dear," Reyna sat down, "Do you think that I'm a bad person for turning men into guinea pigs?"
Reyna shook her head, "To be truthful, I'm just confused on your reasons for doing that. What could men have done to disturb you soo much?"
"It isn't what they did to me. Tell me Reyna, do you know what men do to people like you and me?" Reyna shook her head, "Remember this: Men are pigs. Don't ever fall you ever fall in love. He might say he loves you. Once you say I do everything changes. He won't look at you in the same way. Your captured into his net. No escape. You'll be a breeding slave for him. After you give birth to a child. Off he takes you alone in his chambers to resume the process for you to bear another child. It keeps repeating until you die from birth or can no longer have anymore. Love is the reason why men think we are weak. We love to hard. If you love hard, you fall harder."
Reyna looked frozen in place.
"Now do you understand why I do what I do?" Reyna nodded quickley. After that, she spent her days on Circe's island with gratitude for Circe, for protecting Reyna from men.
" Men are pigs, men are pigs," Reyna would chant everyday after that.
*End Flashback*
Reyna smirked, oh how she had changed since then. She'd been captured by pirates, entered camp Jupitor, and even made some friends. Well, kinda.
*Flashback*
"And these are the fields of mars. This is where we'll train and have war games," Gwen said showing Reyna around Camp. She had just come here after seeing her sister join the amazons, Reyna didn't join because she felt that killing men was wrong, no matter what they did. Everybody deserves a chance, male or female. Suddenly, Reyna felt a hand poke her side. Instinctively, she grabbed their hand and judo-flipped the person, putting her foot on their chest, and applied even more preassure when she saw he was a male.
"Dang new girl," the boy said, "Just trying to see if you're real. Not many smokin babes come around here."
Reyna began to draw her knife, "Who are you and what do you want?" she snapped at him getting straight to the point.
The boy began to laugh, "Chillax would you? I'm Bobby of Fith Cohort. Pleasure to meet you!" Bobby stuck out his hand.
She looked at it for a second but then carefully shook it, "I'm Reyna, and the pleasure is all mine," Reyna stated, remembering CC's rules on being polite.
"Hey Gwen, can I take Reyna to go meet the gang?" Bobby asked Gwen.
"Sure, as long as you can get someone to show her around," Gwen replied shrugging.
Reyna looked terrified, she thought she could trust Gwen, but now she was letting her go with a male to meet up with a gang? Now, she wasn't so sure.
But before she could respond, Bobby had already grabbed her hand and had lead her away to a couple of young boys around Reyna's age. "Jase, Kota, this is Reyna," Bobby introduced.
The one with dark hair and kool-aid pouch choked on his cool aid, "Bobby! Where did you get such a hottie?!" Reyna scoffed, she surly wasn't enjoying this.
"She's new here and I promised Gwen I'd take good care of her, so back off Kota!" Bobby said, putting a protective arm in front of Reyna.
"Guys," a blonde spoke, "Give her a chance to speak. You guys are already smothering her when you don't even know who she is!"
Reyna took this oppertunity to speak, "Thank you," she told the blonde before addressing everybody else, "As you all know, my name is Reyna and I am a new camper here. I escaped from Circe's island with my sister, but she decided to join the amazons, while I came here."
"Wait, isn't Circe the sorceress who hated men?" Dakota asked.
"Yes," Reyna replied curtly.
"Hi, I don't believe we've properly met," the blonde said sicking out his hand, "I'm Jason son of Jupitor and Juno's champion."
Reyna shook his hand, "And I'm just Reyna for now."
"Just Reyna," Jason said smiling, "Hi Just Reyna!"
Reyna glared at hm, "Are you making fun of my name?!"
Jason put his hands out defensively, "What? No I-" Reyna flipped him. She was in this camp for half an hour and people were making fun of her already!
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay babe, Jase can sometimes be an idiot," the one called Kota slurred. Reyna glred at him hard before she judo-flipped him too.
"Haha," Bobby laughed, "A girl beat you up!"
"A girl eh?" Reyna inquired still hyped up on anger, "Well you're about to join them." And with that, she flipped Bobby over her shoulder again and walked towards the field of Mars, hoping to find someone decent to continue showing her around, leaving three groaning boys behind her.
*End Flashback*
Reyna smiled to herself, she was so cold and fierce then. Camp Jupiter really made her soft.
So, instead of yelling at the poor child, Reyna asked the safer question, "How can you be a servant, you're so young?"
Cassia laughed a bitter laugh, "Oh, you want to hear my sob story again do you now? How about this 'Praetor'? After the senate meeting, I'll tell you all about it. Now let's get you to the baths before you're late!"
"Okay, but you still never told me where I am!" Reyna exclaimed, completely confused by this conversation.
"You're in Rome! Now let's go!" Cassia said exasperatedly as she once again, grabbed Reyna's wrist's and began leading her out the door.
Hold up, Reyna thought as Cassia lead her to the baths, So I'm in Rome, about to go to an important senate meeting, without any clue to where my friends are, and am about to go take a bath? Yeah, that sounds normal. Also, my dead dad is aperantly praetor, and this little girl is apperantly my friend. Reyna wasn't so confused or upset by the last thought. Cassia seemed cool, even if she's only like 7 years old.
"We're here!" Cassia shouted when we reached the bath house, "Enjoy! If you need help, I'm right outside!" and with that, Reyna was ushered inside the room. After cleaning up, and a tunic malfinction, they were on their way to the senate meeting.
"So," Reyna said, trying to get some more infromation out of Cassia, "Do you know whats going on in the senate meeting?"
Cassia snorted, "Like they'd tell me, come on Rey, you've got to do better than that."
Reyna sighed, she was being as nice and friendly as she could, but some people just don't get the message, or in this case, little 7 year old girls. "So, what do you think is going to happen in the meeting?"
"I don't know. I heard it's very important though," Cassia answered truthfully.
"Hey Cassia?" Reyna asked the young girl.
"Yeah?"
"Let's say I came from the future,"
"Um, okay?"
"and I had some greek friends,"
"Greek?"
"Yeah, let's say we all got sent back in time, and I ended up here. Where do you think my friends would be?"
"They'd probably go back to where they origin, like you"
"What do you mean?"
"Your a roman girl, so you get sent to rome. Greeks would get sent back to greece,"
"I get it,"
"So, if you had any roman friends, hypotheticaly they would be here, in rome."
"Oh, but what if one of them is from hispaniola or Africa, and ones from china?"
"Are we still talking about pretend?"
"Yes, I want to hear your ideas,"
"Well, if they were best friends or a couple then they would probably end up in the same place."
"Oh. What if a greek and roman were a couple and got sent back?"
"Because the time periods are so close together, the area conquered is the same, and we adapted so much from the greeks, they would probably be seperate. Only because the chances of them meeting again are so high."
"Really?"
"Yes, I mean think about it. Greeks and Romans. Same gods, style, land, it makes sense."
"I guess your right."
"Plus, this is hypotheticaly speaking of course, and I'm only 8,"
"8? I thought you were 7?"
"No... I'm 8. Keep up!"
"Okay, geez you sound like Gwen,"
"Who's Gwen?"
"Oh- nobody... sometimes I dream of another life and Gwendolyn is my best friend in that life."
"Oh-Kay, we're here! Let me know how it goes!"
"I will!" Reyna promised as she entered a large room. She hoped that she was friendly enough to pass of as a close friend, otherwise who woould know what reprecussions there might be. For all Reyna knew, being the un breakable, cold person she really was could cause a chain of events that lead to the destruction of the Earth! But what inntrigued Reyna to be friendly was mainly the ideas that the young girl had. Maybe she could find Frank, Hazel, and Jason, and they could figure out what happened. But for now, the safest thing to do is to act like you knew what you were doing, and what the heck was going on.
"Reyna, my dear," a middle aged man spoke. He had gray, thinning hair, and a cheerful face with slight wrinkles on it. He wore the praetorian cape, and was decorated with many medals pinned onto his toga. "Come in, there's nothing to be afraid of, come sit next to your papa." The man patted the seat next to him.
Reyna winced when he said papa, painful and sorrowful memories instantly filled her head. It didn't help that this man had the same twinkle in his eyes that her father used to have. Or is it will have? Anyways, Reyna took a seat and observed the others at the table. There were only men dressed as her so- called 'father', with intimidating glares.
"Eh hem," one of the men cleared his throat, "As you know, the roman people are begining to doubt our inter- empire associations," everyone nodded their heads respactively and murmered in agreement, "They think that we've been too focased on foreign affairs, and that we must build a strong, Roman culture. Now the Emperor has found a solution to this issue, and he seems quite fond of the idea too."
"Pardon me, but do you know what the plan is?" someone asked out loud. That's what I was about to ask, Reyna thought to herself.
"No, but he told me that we would find out like everyone else when he announced it," the previous speaker answered.
"Excuse me, but why must my daughter sit through this?" Reyna's so-called 'father' asked politely.
"The emperor has requested that your daughter be sent to his palace at once," the main speaker replied, "I fear that is all I know of the situation for now," the man looked at Reyna, "Have the servants pack your things. You are allowed to bring one of them along with you. Leave idmeadiately."
Reyna was somehow pleased by this thought. If she was to travel, then the chances of her seeing a familiar face would increase greatly, and she would have a better chance of escape in comparison to being stuck in the villa all day. But then again, she had to remember to stay in character, otherwise things could go wrong, and she really didn't want to be the cause of the end of the world.
"Meeting dismissed."
Everyone got up from their seats and left quietly while Reyna went to look for Cassia, finding the young girl in the shade of a nearby olive tree. Cassia's head jerked up and smiled when she saw Reyna standing in front of her, "So, what's up? What happened?"
"Apperantly I'm needed at the emperors palace for some peculiar reason, and will leave idmeadiately. I'm allowed to bring one servant with me. Would you like to come?" Reyna answered with her poker face plastered on.
"Do you even have to ask?" Cassia smiled even more brightly, "I've never been to the palace before, I hear it's beautiful. A palace worthy of the gods they say," she sighed, staring off into space dreamily.
Reyna couldn't help but smile on the inside. Even though in the short time Reyna's known her, Reyna could tell that Cassia was way more mature than she would excpect for someone so young. But right now, Cassia was that little girl who had just started to find out what it means to live. "So, do you mind packing?" Reyna asked, breaking Cassia out of her trance.
"Of course not!" she exclaimed estatically, "Oh, this is such short notice... I have to start packing right away!" Reyna sighed, she almost wish she could bring Cassia back to New Rome with her, she would've loved it. Don't get attached, Reyna chided herself, you'll just end up getting hurt in the end. But she couldn't help but smile when she saw the young girl rambling on with eyes sparkling like diamonds. Maybe, Reyna thought as she followed Cassia into the room, just maybe.