Part 2! This part is three little (ish) platonic Jeyna drabbles, because, you know, I'm trash. Enjoy, and please leave a review!
Being praetor was hard, tiring work. Not only was it physically tiring - Jason was usually exhausted after a day of rushing around all over the camp - there were so many other things that needed doing.
Like, for example, the financial reports.
Jason groaned and collapsed over a pile of papers. For the gods' sake: They were a demigod camp, not some mortal business! Why did it matter how much they spent each month?
'Having trouble there?' Reyna asked, laughing.
'It's okay for you - you can do math! I've been, like, deprived of an education! This is impossible!' He groaned theatrically and slid off his chair until he was lying face down on the floor.
'For the gods' sake, Jason - you need to carry the two, and subtract this part from this part! Okay?' Reyna might have sounded exasperated, but Jason knew she wasn't really. She didn't mind - in fact, Jason would go as far as to say she enjoyed doing his math for him.
'Can you do it for me?' he asked hopefully, looking up at her.
'You know I would do anything for you, right?'
Jason swallowed. The moment had gotten a bit serious for a moment - and, no matter what the other campers had to say about them, Jason had absolutely no feelings for Reyna. Dating her would be like dating his sister!
His sister… He didn't even know if he had a sister. For all he knew, he could have five sisters!
'Jason?' Reyna asked.
'Sorry.' Jason jolted himself from his thoughts. 'Uh - maybe we should call it a night…?'
'Of course.' Was it his imagination, or did she look a little disappointed?
Oh, well. He could finish the reports tomorrow. For now, he had to sleep, and get away from his conversation with Reyna. It had been getting too deep for his liking.
'Night!' she called, grabbing her jacket and making her way to the door.
'Night,' he replied.
He watched her figure moving down the hill, a silhouette against the beautiful sunset painting the sky, until she went out of sight.
Where was he? It was night, and he was outside, still in his pyjamas - and was he outside one of the praetor houses? Not his own, that was for sure. It took his sleep-addled brain a few moments to realise that this was Reyna's place.
Without even realising it, he had been calling her name - 'Reyna? Reyna!'
'Jason?' Reyna stumbled out the door. She was wearing an old camp shirt and baggy pyjama bottoms, and her hair was slipping out of a loose braid.
Rubbing her eyes, she looked around before her eyes alighted on him. 'Jason? What's wrong?'
'I don't know,' he replied slowly, his voice hoarse - from sleep, or from shouting? 'I - I think I was having a nightmare…'
Yes, that was it. He had dreamt of his mother again, but he could never see her face, just her arms, with their chunky bangles, and her sweet-smelling hair brushing his face as she kissed him goodbye.
But this dream had been different. His mother had turned, and he finally saw her face - but instead of being beautiful, her features had been ugly and withered. Her long teeth had protruded from her mouth, dripping with blood - blood that Jason instinctively knew was Reyna's.
So that's why he had been screaming Reyna's name.
Reyna must have seen the look on his face - or maybe it was the way he had gone white, and his whole body was trembling.
'Jason, why don't you come in, and I'll make you some hot cocoa - that's what my dad used to do when I had a nightmare.'
Her expression turned sad, and Jason knew she was thinking of her father. She never mentioned him, and the only time he had plucked up the courage to ask, she had snapped at him that that was in the past, and the past was in the past.
Then she smiled again. 'Come on, you.'
I'm lucky to have her, Jason thought, because it was true. He was lucky to have her.
The coffee was hot, steam wafting towards his cold face, and the café was warm and busy: it felt like a great big hug. Slowly, he sipped his drink, letting the warm liquid course down his throat. Outside, the sounds were muffled by the soft white powder that had settled the previous night.
He glanced up at Reyna, who sat opposite him, staring down at some paperwork.
'Reyna?' he asked.
'Jason?' she replied.
'Well, you've been working for ages and you could use a break…'
'That's just what I was thinking!' She looked up from her mug, her eyes sparkling. Then, 'Dare you to throw a snowball at that seagull.'
Laughing, they abandoned their drinks and sprinted out into the snow, jostling each other.
Jason bent down and grabbed a handful of powder, wincing at the cold on his hands. Balling it up, he hurled his missile at Reyna, hitting her on the back of the head.
Gasping, she spun round, and, upon seeing the culprit, scooped up her own snowball and flung it at him. It was so fast, he didn't even have time to dodge, and it smashed into his arm, shattering on impact.
Sticking his hands into the snow to get the biggest ball he could, he shot her a death glare. She turned and sprinted through the snow, leaving footprints trailing behind her.
Jason chased her until they were both exhausted, and they collapsed into the white powder.
Staring up at the cold, clear sky, he smiled.
'Not very professional of us, is it?' she said, and he had to agree.
'Maybe not,' he started, 'but, you know, at least we're having fun?'
'Oh, you know we are.'
Jason's smile widened even further. It might sound cheesy, but Reyna was the best thing that had ever happened to him; the best friend he had ever had; the greatest person he had ever met.
He told her this.
'Maybe,' she agreed, 'but you're better.'
