A/N: Chapter four! This is probably not canon but whatever! Jason and Reyna are now fifteen, mature demigods with a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders. This wasn't as angst-y as I could have written it. Not quite happy with the ending. The next chapter will be slower because I haven't written it yet. Thank you for your amazing reviews, favorites and follows. A big thanks for everyone who checked out HiddenEye's Here's to Us.

XV

Jason felt like he was in a stupor as he wandered into the busy infirmary. Various demigods and New Rome citizens ran around, carrying water basins, bandages and ambrosia. With a huge number of injured, everyone needed to help, legionnaire or not. The large main room was lined with bunks occupied by the wounded. Moans and groans could be heard from all corners of the room. Every few minutes a painful scream could be heard, ripping through the soft cries of pain. Jason flinched when a particular gruesome scream erupted from the far corner when someone tried to relocate a dislocated shoulder. The fifteen year old sighed and ran his taped fingers through his matted blond hair, searching for a certain dark-haired daughter of war. A part of him hoped she wasn't there, safe and unharmed in some other section of New Rome. Please, he thought, knowing in his gut she was here, please let her be ok.

"What are you doing here, Jason? I mean Praetor." Jason barely heard the woman's words as he scanned the sweaty dirty faces. He was just promoted half a day ago after Krois' fall. His new purple cape was thrown hastily over his shoulders like a scarf when he jumped out of his bed to search for his missing best friend. His eyes were still searching for her when a soft hand touched his arm. Jason blinked, noticing the middle-aged demigod in a white smock with medical gloves on her hands and a stethoscope around her neck. "Can I help you, Praetor?"

"Rey…" Jason struggled. A lump sat in his throat as he tried to form her name. His mind seemed to only produce terrible images of Reyna. A look of pity settled on the medic's face. You're Praetor now, Jason. Act like one! Jason could hear Reyna scold with her powerful glare. She's ok, it's Reyna. She has to be ok. "Where's Praetor Reyna?" His voice was steadier, stronger, like how a leader's should sound. The medic pressed her lips together, debating with herself if she should tell their new leader. "Tell me." Jason urged.

"Of course, sir." She sighed, pushing a lock of her messy brown hair out of her face. "We relocated her to a private room. It would be bad for morale if they saw her… in that state." Her voice faltered at the last three words. Immediately, Jason's mind repopulated his head with various images of Reyna, injured, bloodied, broken. He involuntarily sucked in a breath and clenched his fists. The woman quickly filled in the details. "She's fine, Praetor Grace. The ambrosia healed a majority of her wounds." Jason looked at the woman in disbelief. His shoulders sagged and a relieved sigh left his lips.

"There's more though," Jason pushed, knowing the older woman was hiding something from him. The medic lowered her gaze, looking at the bandages in her arms.

"Yes. She came in with a serious head wound. Those are harder to assess. Physically, she's ok. All the external wounds are healed. Mentally, we need to wait for her to wake up and assess her. Her memories might be affected. She might not be the Reyna we know." There was confusion in Jason's eyes as he tried to understand the woman's explanation.

"Wha - " A sharp ear-shattering cry erupted from the other side of the room.

"Claire, help me out over here!" A son of Apollo shouted as he ran to the other side of the room.

"Excuse me, Pr-" Jason grabbed the older woman's arm, stopping her from moving.

"Which room?" He demanded. For a fraction of a second, Claire looked like she was going to deny him but another scream sliced through the air. She quickly rattled off the private room number and jerked her hand out of Jason's tight grasp. "Thank you." Jason whispered as she ran off to help, not even hearing his words.

Jason finally found the private hall after a few moments of wandering. He's rarely in the infirmary. Over his life as a legionnaire, he only had a handful of injuries. Just serious bumps and bruises but nothing life threatening. During quests, Jason always had either Reyna, Dakota, Bobby or Gwen to watch his back. I should have been watching your back, Reyna. Jason thought guiltily as he found her room. Unable to enter, Jason leaned against the windowsill adjacent, staring at the white solemn door.

Everything happened so fast during the charge up the mountain. Centurions were yelling orders, trying to rally the troops. Their shields were being assaulted by sharp claws of monsters. Demigods, seasoned veterans or new recruits, fell all around them. "Go Jason!" Felix shouted at him as he pushed his shield against a hellhound. Felix's green eyes flickered to Jason for one second, the wrong second. The monster roared, opening its wide mouth and burying its fangs in Felix's neck. Jason gasped at the memory, shoving his fist in his mouth to silence his scream. "Later." He ordered himself. "There's time to grieve later." His fingers wrapped around the cool metal of the door knob and pushed it open.

A soft gasp greeted Jason as a young girl jumped out of the chair beside Reyna's still form. She was young. If Jason had to guess, he would say eleven, too young to join the Legion but old enough to know the horrors of the demigods' lives. Her honey blonde hair was messily tied up with a few strands tickling her cheeks. A spatter of freckles spread across her nose, making her look even younger. The white smock she wore fell to her knees like a dress. "P-Praetor…"

"Hi, what's your name?" Jason greeted, keeping his voice light and calm. The girl fidgeted nervously as she looked up at him with a pair of soft green eyes, full of untainted innocence.

"Sue." She whispered slightly uncertain. Jason placed his hand gently on her head, reassuring her everything was ok. She smiled before turning back to Reyna's limp form, slipping her hands into hers. "I'm a legacy of Apollo which means I'm hypersensitive to change. Claire sent me as a precaution. She's stable but we want to be extra careful."

"She looks like she's just sleeping." Jason muttered, studying his best friend. Without her heavy armor, Reyna looked a lot less intimidating. Her dark hair fell out of its usual braid, cascading around her shoulders. The thin white blanket covered her form. She seems so small lying on the bed. The dark rings underneath her eyes were faded when she slept; looking like the fifteen year old she is instead of the praetor. Jason brushed a piece of her hair out of her face. "Go rest, Sue. I got her." Sue was about to protest but she closed her mouth, noticing how he stroke her cheek with his thumb before wrapping his hand around her limp one. His fingers, intentionally or not, settled right over her pulse to reassure himself she's still with him. Sue smiled and nodded her head before quietly leaving the room.

"I've always told you to get more sleep but now isn't really a good time." Jason said in a conversational tone, tugging the chair closer so he could rest. He pressed their joined hands against his cheek, feeling the slight warmth from her hands. Her pulse was steady against his fingers, thumping softly as a reminder. "I never thought you would be a deep sleeper, Rey. Aren't children of war usually jumpy?"

A soft content smile settled on Jason's lips as he recalled one quest where they were hiding in an abandoned farmhouse. He once read that people who were unconscious could hear the world around them. "Hey, do you remember that quest in Oregon? We were sent to save that annoying ungrateful demigod and had to hide in the farm house from those monsters. We spent the night. It was super cold and you moved in the middle of the night. I jumped when I felt your breath through my t-shirt. You probably didn't realize you moved. I couldn't sleep the rest of the night. You're definitely a cuddler." He smiled, squeezing their entwined fingers together.

Her memories might be affected. She might not be the Reyna we know. Jason repeated Claire's words in his head. He couldn't fathom a world with a different Reyna. Yes, she's stoic, strict, and difficult to approach. But she's also unexpectedly funny, passionate and kind. Their friendship wasn't easy, especially in the beginning. They still argue about everything. Natural praetor pair, someone had said after a heated argument one senate meeting a while ago. But they grew up together, fought together, and matured together. A life without Reyna, without his Reyna, was just wrong.

"Hey Rey, things are going to be ok, right? We've beat Krios, this can't be the end. There's so much we still need to do. Weren't we going to change New Rome together? Weren't we supposed to visit Diocletian's Palace after your, well, our term as Praetors is over? I can't be Praetor alone. We've always joked I was rather useless without you but… it might be true. We're supposed to do this together." Jason pleaded, clenching her hand tight between both of his. Please Reyna, wake up.

"Hmm…" Jason's eyes flew opened at the soft groan. "You're noisy, Grace." Reyna murmured, turning her face towards him. Slowly, she blinked, revealing a familiar pair of dark onyx eyes. A soft smile tugged at her lips as she recognized Jason and squeezed their joined hands. "Hey, I knew you would look good in purple."

"Yeah…" Jason laughed, relieved she was awake and that she knew who he was. "You look better though." Jason leaned forward, pressing his lips against her forehead. "Don't scare me like that." He whispered, lips still pressed against her temple.