Hey, look at me updating on schedule! This chapter isn't as eventful as the past two, but it's still necessary. Stick with me, we'll get to the good stuff soon ;)

Thanks, everybody who reviewed last week! Enjoy!

I've found, in one step / I'll get closer to heaven than you'll ever know
You may never know

Reyna spent the better part of that evening casually discussing the mishap at the war games with anyone she could remember seeing inside the fortress. She was careful not to be antagonistic, especially when talking to certain members of the First and Second Cohorts whom she knew to be particularly close to Octavian. It was a routine inquiry on her part, simple measures to ensure that no rules had been broken. Still, even at her most calm, she had a reputation for strictness, which she relied on to draw out the truth. But from what she gathered, no one had seen anything that resembled foul play. As most accounts relayed, there had been a lot of activity at the time. Nobody had been paying close enough attention, which Reyna didn't find wholly surprising. What did bother her, though, was that the offending blade had to have belonged to someone. If it truly had been an accident, why wouldn't the person responsible have come forward? There would have been no disciplinary action for an unintentional slip, everyone knew that. No, to Reyna, it was clear that the attack—which just happened to injure the Greek demigod in charge of the new building project—had been carried out with specific intent. Unfortunately, it was also clear that she wouldn't be apprehending the culprit or culprits anytime soon.

The two people with whom she particularly wanted to discuss the event were also coincidentally the two people she couldn't get close to for many hours after the games. Octavian was either extremely diligent with his work during the day, or was carefully avoiding her while devising a clever cover story (it struck Reyna that thinking as such was a touch accusatory and paranoid, but where Octavian was concerned it was hard for her to be too careful). Either way, she was wholly unable to corner him. And as for Leo, no one was allowed in to see him at all until the medics gave the go-ahead.

It was long after sunset by the time Reyna received word that Leo was awake and visitors were being permitted, so with Octavian still absent she decided to stop by New Rome's hospital and assess the situation. With luck, Leo would be a bit more in control of his faculties than when they'd last spoken and she could glean some additional information from him.

When she arrived, she was unsurprised to find that he wasn't alone. Hazel, Frank, and a handful of his Greek half-siblings were in the room, talking and laughing about things that didn't seem to have any relation to the accident. Reyna was a bit reluctant to bring the atmosphere down, so she waited patiently outside until most of them had trickled out. The last to leave were Hazel and Frank, who stopped to greet Reyna on their way by.

"How is he?" she asked them flatly, not allowing any emotion to show on her face. Her practiced manner of communication.

Hazel responded with a small smile. "He's doing great, actually. It's only been a few hours and you can hardly tell anything happened at all. I guess he's always been a quick healer." She looked up at Frank and he shrugged loosely in agreement. Reyna nodded in satisfaction, though she noticed the crinkles around Hazel's brow and weariness in her golden eyes that betrayed the hours she'd spent worrying.

"That's good," Reyna replied. "I figured I should stop by to check in."

Hazel nodded, and Reyna got the distinct feeling the younger woman wanted very much to ask if Reyna had discovered anything about the incident. But this wasn't the time or place to discuss it, with so many people around, and all Hazel said was, "Okay. We'll leave you to it."

Reyna had barely stepped through the doorway before receiving the greeting, "I knew you'd show up sooner or later."

She quirked an eyebrow as she snapped the door closed. "Did you?"

Leo gave a wry half-grin. He was sitting up in one of the room's two hospital beds (the other was thankfully unoccupied) and, as Hazel said, was looking well, all things considered. His eyelids were heavy and dark circles colored the skin above his cheekbones, but he wasn't quite as pale and weakened as he'd been when the medics had shooed her away that afternoon.

"I saw the look on your face earlier," he explained. His voice was rough and scratchy but contained a generous percentage of its usual strength. "It was obvious you had a few things to say."

Reyna folded her arms and leaned back against an empty supply table nearby. "I just want to know what happened."

Leo shrugged a shoulder. "Like I said, I didn't really see anything. Everybody was moving, you know? I got bumped from behind and felt a hand grab my shoulder. I thought somebody'd tripped so I turned around to help, and instead I got shanked in the back. Then everybody kind of freaked out, so I lost whoever was there—not that I was particularly looking anymore. I was a little preoccupied."

Reyna breathed out shortly through her nose, frustrated. So the attacker had been careful. That didn't make things any easier. "I'm sorry this happened," she said seriously. "It wasn't right. If I knew who was responsible, I could do something about it. But for now…"

"You don't have to do anything," Leo argued, shaking his head. "It was just an accident, right? They happen, no big deal."

"An accident," Reyna repeated, a finger tapping agitatedly against her arm. "Well, either way, you're here as our guest. Landing you in the hospital on your second day is hardly the welcome I had in mind."

Leo cracked a grin. "Hey, no one can ever say you guys don't know how to throw a wild party." The corner of Reyna's mouth ticked up in amused relief at his acceptance of the whole ordeal, and he chuckled lightly as she shook her head. Doing so must have strained his still-healing muscles, though, because his laugh became a sharp hiss and he jerked forward, a hand reaching reflexively to his left side. Reyna felt her frown deepen momentarily, her body twitching a jolt as she stopped herself from going closer to his bed. He noticed her expression and movement, however brief they'd been, and a second later his smile returned as he shook his head and assured her, "Don't worry."

"…Worry?" she repeated, blinking in momentary uncertainty. Was she really that concerned? "I'm—"

"This won't keep me down for more than a day," he explained. "We won't have to delay the building project or anything. I promise, you won't be stuck with us any longer than necessary."

"Oh. The building project, right." Reyna quickly straightened her shoulders. Of course that's what he meant. And of course that's what she meant as well. It must have been in the back of her mind somewhere. "That's good to hear. We'll make sure everything is ready tomorrow. Though, I don't want you to overdo it. If you need time to recover, take it. We have plenty of people to pick up the slack."

"Nah, I'm not missing a second of this," Leo told her with a grin, leaning sideways against a stack of pillows. "Warships are my specialty."

Reyna allowed a wry smile in return as she stepped away from the table against which she was perched. "I'll let you get some rest. Thank you for talking to me about the incident. I'm sure it's not high on your topics of interest list."

Leo chuckled again, and this time no show of pain was forthcoming. "You'd be surprised," he said ruefully. "See you around."

With a slow sigh, Reyna quietly left the hospital room and was admittedly glad to find no activity in the hall outside—no activity, that is, save for the person leaning stiffly against the wall beside Leo's door, head bowed and face darkened by an uneasy scowl.

"Sticking around?" Reyna asked him.

Frank looked up at her. "Just for now, 'til he's back on his feet. I don't want to leave him alone like this."

Reyna felt something twist uncomfortably in her gut. So she wasn't the only one suspecting foul play after all.

"What do you make of this?" she asked, lowering her voice and taking a step closer to the centurion.

Frank shook his head, folding his arms tightly across his broad chest. "I didn't see what happened," he reported expectedly, "but honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was intentional. There are still a few of us who dislike the Greeks—you know, who can't let go of old prejudices. Maybe the idea of Leo being in charge was… unappealing."

Reyna hummed a noncommittal response, her eyes going to the closed door beside her. "Someone should keep an eye on him. We don't want something like this happening again."

Surprisingly, Frank followed Reyna's gaze and shook his head. "No, I don't think we should draw attention to this whole thing. It might be better if we just let everyone think it was an accident. The last thing we need is some kind of feud on our hands, a fight where people would be forced to take sides."

"Right…" Reyna muttered, mulling it over. If something like that did happen, there was little debate as to which 'sides' she and her fellow praetor would end up on. And going against Octavian had never been an idea she'd particularly relished.

"Besides," Frank went on, "Leo can take care of himself. Somebody caught him off guard this afternoon, with the games being over and all. He may not look it, but I bet you he's a little more cautious now. Annoying or not, he's no idiot. Far from it, actually—he's a freakin' genius." Frank's scowl seemed to deepen as he added wryly, "I hate that about him."

Reyna chuckled at what may or may not have been a joke. "Just keep your ears open," she told the son of Mars, patting a hand against his arm. When he nodded dutifully and resumed his casual stance against the wall, Reyna turned and left him alone.

Upon returning to the principia, she decided to check Octavian's living quarters to see if he'd returned yet, given that it was now past midnight—and sure enough, she saw lights on behind the apartment door. Gathering herself mentally for some one-on-one time with her boyfriend, she knocked curtly on the door in her usual fashion. It was answered barely a few seconds later.

"Reyna," Octavian greeted her with a smile. He was dressed casually in dark jeans and a black T-shirt, having shed his cloak and armor for the night. "I was hoping I'd get a chance to see you before bed. Come on in."

Reyna returned his smile and followed him inside, removing her own cloak (she'd left her armor in her room before her hospital visit) and dropping onto the sofa in the sitting room. "Interesting war games today," she said conversationally.

"Interesting is right," he agreed as he sat down on the other end of the sofa, twisted sideways to face her. "Though maybe 'awful' would describe them better. I'd just started to regret the fact that my team had lost when I learned someone had been injured." He shook his head and clicked his tongue regretfully. "And after the ceasefire, no less. I assume you looked into it?"

Reyna wanted to glare at him. But she held herself back, instead leaning her head back to glance at the ceiling. "I did. As far as I can tell, it appears to have been an accident. Though you have to admit it's suspicious."

"You think someone did this on purpose?" Octavian asked, eyebrows drawing together.

"Whether it was done on purpose or not," Reyna replied with careful evasion, "I'm sure there are people entertaining both possibilities. What matters is the impact this will have on our… situation, while our visitors are here."

"You're right," Octavian mused with a thoughtful frown. He clasped his hands in his lap and sighed. "It could be dangerous for our inter-culture cooperation. What do you think we should do about it? Spread the word that there was no one at fault in an effort to keep relations good?"

"For now, I don't think we should do anything but watch and listen. Stability and order take precedence, as always. If this really was an accident, then there's nothing to suggest that those things will be compromised. If not—if another… incident should happen, then we'll be forced to take action. I do believe in freak accidents. What I don't believe in are coincidences. Additional problems will mean the threatening of our order, no question. If and when that happens, we'll deal with it the way Romans have always done."

Octavian studied Reyna's eyes for a few long seconds before his face broke into a gentle smile. "You've certainly been praetor for a long time," he noted. "And rightly so."

Almost unbidden, Reyna's eyes traveled to the tattoo on her forearm—the crossed sword and torch, symbols of her mother, and the nine black lines inked below them. Almost half her life she'd been a member of Camp Jupiter, and praetor for barely less. No one understood the Twelfth Legion like she did—at least, she herself felt that that was true. Her gaze flickered to Octavian's tattoo, to the three additional lines he boasted over her. It was true he'd been there longer than she had, but her extended praetorship made her more the veteran. He spoke to her like she had seniority, like he respected her. But every once in a while, when he looked at her, she could see herself through his eyes. And she saw nothing but a tool to be manipulated.

All the better, Reyna insisted to herself, though she couldn't help a small twinge of irritation. If he thinks he has me fooled, it'll only be easier for me to keep an eye on him.

Octavian slid closer to her on the sofa, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry for suggesting the games last night," he said quietly, brushing his fingers through a few strands of her hair that had come loose from its braid. "It looks like nothing good really came from it after all."

"I'm sure your intentions were in the right place," she replied, sure of no such thing. "I was optimistic about it, too. But no one could have expected this to happen."

"Just another small hurdle we'll have to smooth over. I suppose we should appoint a new leader for the building project to avoid its getting delayed. I think—"

"That won't be necessary," Reyna interrupted before he could get started. "I've been to see Valdez and it looks like his injury wasn't as serious as it seemed. He assured me he'll be back on his feet and ready to get started tomorrow."

Octavian frowned at the coffee table, the ice in his eyes hardening just barely. "Are you sure that's a good idea? We don't want him overdoing it and getting hurt again—or compromising the project, of course."

Reyna smirked inwardly. She'd made a similar point earlier to Leo, though in her case she'd actually meant it. "It's fine, you don't need to worry," she insisted off-handedly. "We want the job done right, don't we? I don't think we should risk putting someone less experienced in charge."

"You're right about that," Octavian conceded, evidently unable to disclaim the logic of that argument. "You're right about most things, actually. I can't tell you how glad I am that we've been able to work together as well as we have over the past month." His eyes traveled to meet hers and he set his free hand gently on her thigh, tracing small circles on her jeans with his thumb. It was a simple gesture, and Reyna wouldn't have minded it if his touch didn't always turn her body cold. "You and me… We belong on the same team, don't you think?"

Reyna smiled, habitually not reacting to the chill that seemed to sweep through her. Octavian probably thought he was being romantic. But Reyna felt rather like a hostage being toyed with by her captor.

This wasn't over. Of that much, she was certain. But after that talk, she was relatively confident that no one would try anything for a good while. If Octavian truly was the one behind the attack, and if he planned on pulling anything again, he would wait until he was sure Reyna's suspicions had died down. He would move when he thought she'd least expect it. Unfortunately for him, she was learning to expect much more of him than before. All she had to do was stay close to him.

So for now, Reyna smiled, placed her hand over Octavian's, and said, "Of course I do."

"From hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee."
—Hermann Melville, Moby Dick

Short and sweet. Next one should be longer, my outline has a few more paragraphs of stuff to go in. With a little luck I'll have it up next week :D

So drop me a review, and I'll see you all soon! Later days!

-oMM