Meeting Number Two:
The one where Jason and Reyna are two little shits who apparently think it's funny to keep the whole camp waiting as they role play their first meeting instead of kissing like Percy and Annabeth, who actually know how to reunite properly.
Annabeth was pretty sure she was crazy. After all, only crazy people ran off of airships and through armed Romans to kiss their amnesiac boyfriends.
Then Percy kissed her and all her senses exploded and Annabeth decided that it was
fine being crazy if it meant that she got to be with Percy again.
Catcalls and loud hoots surrounded them as the two reunited Greeks smiled goofily at each other, a smile Annabeth had never made in her life, and would probably never make again until her wedding day- Which was almost guaranteed to be with Percy.
Suddenly, the hoots and whoops and cheers and catcalls stopped. Annabeth turned away from Percy to look for the reason the noise had stopped and sensed Percy doing the same. Her eyes landed on two people standing in front of the army of legionnaires.
One of the two was a guy with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that could be seen all the way from Annabeth's vantage point. She recognized him. Jason Grace. The other person was a girl with long black hair in a braid and a toga.
"Reyna," Percy whispered. Annabeth tried not to feel jealous (Read: The key word here is tried) and watched the two demigods with the rest of the camp.
"Who are you?" Jason snarled. Annabeth leaned back a bit into Percy, confused. Why was the normally calm son of Jupiter so angry? Reyna didn't seem fazed at all. On the contrary, a slow grin spread across her face, confusing Annabeth even more.
"Whoa, calm down lady," she said hurriedly, putting her hands up. A few legionnaires snickered at "lady".
"Who are you?" Jason demanded, again.
"Look, I'm not trying to hurt you," Reyna told him, backing up. "Just calm down."
"You don't know anything about me," Jason hissed.
"I-" Reyna sighed. "Alright, you're right. But I think I can help you."
Jason faltered and Reyna, seeing this, held out her hand, Aladdin style and said-
"Do you trust me?"
Percy busted out laughing at this. The skin tone, eyes, words, and expression were way similar between Aladdin and Reyna and he just couldn't help it. Annabeth stomped on his toes ("Shut up, Seaweed Brain") but a few legionnaires started laughing too.
However, two legionnaires, Bobby, and Dakota, started laughing louder than everyone else. Percy stared at them, raising an eyebrow. Those two were Jason's best friends (Excluding Gwen and, of course, Reyna) and there was definitely something symbolic about what Jason and Reyna were doing.
"Why should I trust you?" Jason sneered.
"Because- Because I'm like you," Reyna replied after a pause. This was enough to stop Jason but, once again, only for a moment.
"You're nothing like me," he said, his blue eyes flashing. "You don't know anything about what I've been through-"
"I'm not saying I do!" Reyna cried. "I'm saying that I can help you because I know what hurt is like and I think you do to."
There was a moment where both teens stood quietly, facing each other, Reyna's breaths coming out in louder spurts. Jason slowly nodded and Reyna's face broke out into a bright grin, one of the weirdest things Percy had ever seen. (And he had seen some really weird stuff.)
"Oh my gods, she actually smiles," he mutters. Frank clapped him on the back.
"She used to do that much more. Back when-" His voice caught, "Back when Jason was still here."
"But, why is he acting like that?" Annabeth asked. "The Jason I know doesn't speak like that."
"Neither does our Jason," Hazel chimed in from beside Frank. She looked at the two critically. "But neither does Reyna. I just don't get why…" Her voice trailed off as Gwen, Bobby, and Dakota strode up to them.
"You guys don't get it yet?" Bobby asked, smirking. Gwen smacked him.
"They weren't there, geniuses."
"You weren't either," Dakota countered.
"Yeah, but you guys told me about it. These guys didn't get that privilege," Gwen snarked.
"Oh yeah…" Dakota and Bobby chorused.
"What do you mean, get it yet?" Annabeth demanded, her eyes narrowing. She hated not getting something that someone else already had. In this case, the blow was especially hard since three people and not just one already knew.
"Calm down, Wise Girl," Percy chuckled, nudging her.
"Yeah, we'll tell you soon enough," Bobby chuckled. "That is if you don't figure it out yourself."
"And if anything Percy had said about you is correct-"
"She's talking about all the amazingly smart, freakishly logical, comments, by the way, not the incredibly sexy comments," Dakota interrupted as Gwen scowled. Percy and Annabeth blushed and Gwen whacked Dakota before continuing.
"If anything he's said is correct then you'll probably get it soon."
Annabeth nodded and turned back to the pair of teens standing in front of them who were currently staring at their group. Reyna coughed, and Bobby and Dakota's eyebrows raised in the way someone who had just remembered something important did.
"Oh! Yeah!"
They ran up, standing behind Reyna in the same formation Frank and Hazel stood in. "Like they're guarding the tunnel…" Percy mused.
"Dude, who's the chick?" Bobby asked. Reyna ran her fingers through her hair annoyedly.
"She's not a chick," Reyna sighed. "She's someone who needs our help." Jason yanked his hand out of Reyna's grasp -Oh, yeah, they had been holding hands- and crossed his arms tightly.
"I don't need your pity."
"Never said I was giving it," Reyna told him before turning to face Dakota and Bobby. "I think she's a demigod."
Jason's eyes widened.
"How did you know that?"
Annabeth's eyebrows shot up. "Oh."
"Oh, what?" Percy demanded.
"They're roleplaying," Annabeth explained. "My guess is they're acting out their first meeting."
"Nerds," Percy grumbled, shaking his head.
"So that's how they met," Hazel murmured, looking at Jason and Reyna in something akin to awe.
"They're still nerds," Percy muttered.
"You're just jealous they outdid our reunion," Annabeth laughed, nudging him. Percy frowned.
"It's rude."
"You're right on one thing, though," Gwen said. "They are nerds." She shook her head. "Oh, look, they're talking again."
"Have fun, kids!" Bobby shouted as Jason and Reyna walked between him and Dakota.
"Use protection!" Dakota added.
Jason flicked his fingers and a gust of wind blew Dakota's sword on the ground. It landed on his foot and though the iron-tipped boots covered most of the pain, Dakota still winced, while most of the legion chortled.
"Thanks, man," Dakota grumbled.
After a moment, Bobby and Dakota hurried back to Percy, Annabeth, Gwen, Hazel, and Frank.
"How was our acting?" Bobby asked smugly.
"Amazing," Gwen smirked.
"Thank you so much, Gwendolyn. I will never feel the euphoria that I do at this moment again for-"
"I was talking to Dakota."
"'Course she is," Bobby muttered. "Everyone knows they like each other and it's not that hard to-"
Gwen whacked him. "I am going to kill you."
"But you love me," Bobby whined, batting his eyelashes and clasping his hands to
his chest. Gwen choked.
"In your dreams."
Hazel shushed them. "They're talking again so shush because I want to hear this."
Everyone stared at the usually kind, quiet girl. Then again, waiting for your OTP to get together, having one of them disappear, and then seeing them reenact a meeting and delay their actual reunion for as long as possible could have a profound effect on anyone.
So they all shut up and waited to Reyna and Jason to quit whatever game they were playing and just kiss already. (Once again, like Percy and Annabeth, who knew what the people wanted and gave the people what they wanted.)
"This," Reyna said, motioning to the camp with her arm, "Is Camp Jupiter. It's full of stupid legionnaires and creepy ghosts."
There were muffled "HEY!"'s and "Well, I never"'s and "Caesar would have never allowed this"'s from the crowd of demigods and lares, while the legionnaires who had already figured it out scowled at Jason.
"Glad that that's what you think of us, Grace!" one called out.
"It's also going to be your home until you either leave or move to New Rome," Reyna continued. She turned back to Jason, the blinding grin back and an arm extended in front of her. "My name is Jason Grace. I've been here for… Going on ten years now."
There was a collective "OH " and everyone who hadn't gotten it finally did.
"Reyna," Jason said, shortly, shaking Reyna's hand.
There was a moment of silence, where both teens stared at each other until Reyna raise an elegant, dark eyebrow in an unspoken challenge.
Your move.
Jason took it.
"HOLY-" Frank's exclamation was cut off by loud squeals from Gwen, Dakota, Bobby, and just about every legionnaire there. Loud hoots, catcalls, and whistles followed.
"OH MY GODS, THEY'RE ACTUALLY KISSING, OH MY FREAKING GODS!" Gwen screamed.
Jason had dipped Reyna (Thanks for stealing my thunder Percy thought bitterly) and her arms were around his neck.
"I'm happy for them," Annabeth said, looking up at Percy.
"Yeah," he replied, gazing at the couple thoughtfully. "Me too."