Eyes of Olympus Chapter 9
Author's note: ¡Hola mi amigos! How are you all doing? Good? I hope so. Anyway let's get this started.
(Jason's point of view)
After leaving Brandon in the armory to choose more weapons I've walked to the training field to try and cool my head. I wish I can tell him about her, but he'll freak out. If someone told me Piper would be my girlfriend without me even meeting her I'm not sure how it would work out. It would be weird at first no doubt. She needs to come to camp soon. Brandon definitely knows me and Piper know who his dream girl is and I hate keeping secrets from him. This is only going to get worse for him, but I know he can do it. Why did Aphrodite have to get involved?!" I think to myself.
I pull out my gladius and I start slicing up the straw dummy at the training field trying to take my anger out on it.
(Brandon's point of view)
I keep walking to the training field Jason mentioned and I keep replaying the dream in my head. It still doesn't make sense.
"How can I get a girlfriend? It doesn't make sense. Who is she? I know she has black hair, keeps in a braid, had beautiful black eyes, then what's with that purple thing? A blanket or something? Why is Aphrodite getting involved? What does she have to gain? I'm probably over thinking it. I over think a lot of things. Then I start freaking out about them. Must be Opposite Day if I'm freaking out before I'm over thinking things." I keep telling myself.
I wonder if I'll ever meet her. Probably will. Then I'll fall flat on my face when I can't impress her and then punch Jason in the face. Then punch Aphrodite in the face. Sounds like a good plan. I wonder if she dreams about me. What sort of game is Aphrodite playing at? High stakes poker no doubt.
I keep walking and I see Jason in full leather and Celestial bronze armor and leather armor with his gladius in front of a straw dummy and he quickly slices it's arms off and takes off his head like it was made of thin air. I walk up behind him and just as I tap in on the shoulder, he swings his sword in a arc and I quickly duck.
"Dude! Friendly! Friendly! My head is not made out of straw!
I back away from him as he put his sword away and with him breathing heavy a little.
"Sorry. I guess I got a little worked up." Jason says embarrassed.
"It's cool man. I think you're taking this almost as bad as I am. Listen Jason the sooner I meet her the better. You know who she is. Tell me. Please tell me. I need to know. This is not just affecting me now." I reason and he sighs.
"Fine. I won't say her name, because I know you'll freak out, but she'll come to camp. The sooner this is over with the sooner we can get serious anyway. Wait here. I'm going to send her an Iris message." Jason tells me and looks at me as he walks backwards away to the Big House while I walk to the beach. I stare across the Long Island Sound as the waves roll up and down on the beach and very distant ships move across the water with the hint of salty sea smell in the wind. My little sanctuary.
"Well. It's going to happen. I'm literally going to meet the girl of my dreams. More like my dream. Singular. I wonder who she is. A demigod, a mortal girl, maybe a goddess. I'm going to meet her. Maybe. Maybe she'll be different. Maybe I'll find someone to actually be with. Maybe I'll find someone whom will actually like me back for once. Maybe I can actually find someone to truly talk to other than just the sea. Not saying you're not a good listener, but still. Wish me luck on my blind date I guess. Thank you for listening. There are things I've told you no one else knows. The sea carries all type of secrets."
I start walking away and I see Jason walking from the direction of the Big House with a smile on his face.
"It's all set up. She's going to be here in a few days. Then we'll finally get this out of the way. Also I contacted the Romans. They want to meet you. They should be here around the same time."
I eye him suspiciously. Something was up.
"They want to meet around the same time. That's not a coincidence. She's a Roman. I've dreamed of a Roman girl. Well I know she's Roman, has black hair in a single braid and black eyes...and a purple blanket. Or cloak. Oh. My. Gods."
Jason then looks at me like my head spin in a full 360 degrees.
"Brandon. I know that look. Don't you dare assume it's her. It's just a coincidence." Jason says trying to reason with me, but I ignore him.
"She matches the description perfectly. A single black braid, beautiful but piercing black eyes, even the whole purple cloak she threw at me and ambushed me. A tactical move for the daughter of the Roman war goddess. It's Reyna. I'm dreamed about Reyna. The praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Sister of the queen of the fucking amazons! The girl that killed Orion by killing her with Athena's aegis! She killed a Giant with her own cloak! She's gonna kill me. Oh gods if she's dreamed about me I am dead. I'm more then dead. I'm super dead. Aphrodite is trying to set me up with her! Why!? I'm right off the bat not good enough for her! She's the equivalent of a goddess and I'm scum! I've always been scum!" I say freaking out like crazy.
"Brandon! Get a hold of yourself!" Jason yells at me and slaps me across the face and I rub my cheek.
"Thanks. I needed that. Still though. Aphrodite or Venus or whatever has probably kept her away from some great guy and she expects me to be with her. There are literally tons of other guys better then me. Well. There's still no guarantee she'll like me. Also there's still no guarantee she's even dreamed of me right?" I ask Jason and he doesn't answer me and try's to avoid looking at me.
"She hasn't dreamed about me right? If she did and or got any other sort of message from Venus about me I'm dead." I ask getting worried again.
"She's dreamed about a guy with black hair, red eyes, a camp half blood shirt and Venus told her: "he's the one she's been saving him for". That was a week ago, long before you showed up. That's was also the last time she told me anything about that. She could've had more dreams." Jason says slowly like he's trying to pick his words carefully.
"Does she know that I'm most likely him!? I'm the guy she's dreaming about!"
I ask feeling like I'm losing my mind again and Jason sighs.
"She knows their's someone that matches that description here whom is a very distant legacy, but still has mortal parents. I never gave her your name though." Jason says trying to reassuring.
"That's not exactly much! I'm the only one that matches that description. Gods this is going to end bad I know it. Damn that love goddess!"
I storm off with Jason following me and Piper runs from the direction of the armory in front of me.
"Brandon! Stop!" She yells at me and I was frozen in my tracks like both my legs were chained to boulders.
"Stop and listen. Calm down Brandon. Yes she knows about you, but you should be excited. Yes freaking out is okay, but don't give up. I can tell you're a sweet guy, and as crazy as my mom is maybe you two can be happy together." She says and for a second I start to believe her.
"No! She won't! I'd ruin love for her!" I shout and run back to the beach.
Piper and Jason run after me as I sit on the beach and Piper places a gently hand on my head.
"Why would you think you ruin love for her? Why are you so against being with Reyna?"
She asks with a smoothing voice and I sit up and rub my eyes and she looks into my own concerned and she hugs me tight.
"You already loved her once. I can see the heart break in your eyes. You're worried that if you're not good enough she'll never love again." She tells me with sadness in her voice.
"H-how do y-you know this?!" I ask.
"It's kinda of a power of a children of Aphrodite. We can see and spread love just as easily as we can see and spread heartbreak." She tells me.
"It was just a crush. I had a crush on a fictional character. Pitiful. I was so lonely I did fall for Reyna, because as I read of how amazing she was. How strong, kind, fearless, and just amazing she was. Now she's real. Now she knows about me and Venus says I'm the one she's been saved for. When Reyna see's how pitiful I am it will ruin the concept of love for her. She'd damn Venus and never love again and I don't want to ruin love for her. I don't want to ruin it for one of the people that deserve it most." I say with every word breaking my heart little by little.
"You guys are all idiots. Don't you know when you say stuff like that before you even meet her it ruins it before it begins. You have got to have some faith in yourself. I know every girl has turned you down. You still don't even believe we're friends. You need to pull yourself together. You are going to meet Reyna. You are going to see she's just as human as you and me."
She lets go of me and I rub my eyes more and I crack a small smile.
"Considering you're only half human. I think I'm actually more human then you are." I say and she smiles at me.
"Glad you calmed down. Plus you have a few days to prepare and me and Piper are going to help you." Jason says and I my stomach starts to grumble and a hear a conch horn.
"After lunch?" I ask and I stand back up smiling a little and I feel a pat on my shoulder.
"After lunch then we start with sword practice. There's still a war we have to prepare for." Jason says and walks to the dining hall with Piper next to him, and they start holding hands and I can't help but smile.
We all head to lunch and after devouring a half dozen sandwiches and Jason meet on a field filled with demigods some fighting each other and others fighting and gutting straw dummy's. They must really hate straw or maybe everyone is just having a bad day.
Jason thinks I should learn how to fight with one sword before I should use two. I take out the sword on my left side and being as I'm right handed I hold it there and I stare at the four metals and how the shine in the light and I sliced he straw dummy in half from top to bottom like it was paper. This sword gets more awesome every time I use it. Jason shows me some slashes and I copy the moves with ease. I watch his movements and I move the same way as him. Every movement. Every step. Even our breathing was at the same pace. I was memorizing and Jason noticed this quickly and after an hour of basic and more complex moves I was as good as him. Just seeing him move burn the moves into my brain and everything felt natural. My footing was good. I held my sword right. After a few hours I felt tired, and feel sweat fall down my face, but I'd knew it'd be worth it and seeing how much I copied from Jason I knew I was right. The moves were a little off since I didn't have a short sword like Jason, but otherwise we were identical.
"You're either a great copier or you've had training before." Jason says impressed.
"No. It's just I can remember your moves. It's weird. Normally I have a bad memory and forgot everything, but the way you stab, slash, and disarm it all feels natural. Like if I do it once I'll remember forever. Maybe it's a secret power of the sharingan. Sounds like if I learn from the right people or at least watch them. I'd be unstoppable. Probably how Madra beat the Olympians. He learned their moves and used it against them." I say impressed.
I walk up to a straw dummy and cut off it's head and arms and I concentrate and try to summon up a storm and the wind moves very quickly and I punch the dummy and it explodes into pieces followed by me grinning like an idiot.
"Oh that's awesome. If I can mix high powered wind with sword strikes and combos then each hit could be devastating. I feel like a character in a fighting game and I love it so much. I need to make some original moves. This is going to be a blast." I say walking away then a bolt of lightning comes down and strikes the place where the dummy used to be and leaves nothing, but a small, smoking crater.
I walk away from the training field tired as all Hades, to a cinder block building that I figured out was the bathroom and after doing my business there I walk back to the Big House and into my room and I put down my bow, my belt with swords attached to them, and my shirt that's nearly drenched in sweat and I collapse on the bed.
"I've got to learn to control how I use my power. A powerful winds and a blast of lightning and I'm sweating like a pig. I need a...shower." I say realizing I got my sweaty body and clothes all over my bed.
I slap myself and I walk out of my room and into the room across the hall. When I walk into the bathroom that definitely looked nicer, then the concrete block outside. White tile floors, a bathtub and shower in the back with the shower curtain pulled back so I can see the tile wall, with a toilet next to it and a sink a foot away from me and on the other side of the toilet with a little mirror hanging over the sink. It was small, but I can still move around. I sniff a little and it smells like lemon and a lot of chemicals meaning it was cleaned recently. I see a towel rack next on the opposite wall of the toilet, and a couple of white, fluffy towels hanging from it.
I step into the shower and I instantly feel the warm water flow onto my body and I instantly feel relaxed. Like all of my troubles were washing down the drain. I start thinking about my dream again. About how Reyna almost kissed me. Finding out Reyna dreamed about me. It was like a lump in my throat, but a small part of my mind feels an endless joy while the rest of me is terrified. Business as usual.
I hear a knock on the door halfway through scrubbing my body.
"Occupied!" I shout in response and I hear the door open and I quickly I peak my head from behind the shower curtain ready to yell at the idiot whom came in and I see something I've never would've guessed in a million years. I saw Reyna. She was identical to the girl in my dreams. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen with a single black braid, black and glossy eyes like shiny obsidian, a deep tan from being from Puerto Rico and she looked as old maybe a little younger then me. She was perfect. Then when I saw the only thing she was wearing was a single white towel barely covering her body, I knew I had to be delirious.
"Mind if I join you?" She asks with her voice smoother then water and sweeter then honey that immediately make me think of Piper. Then she starts to take off her towel and I quickly cover my eyes.
"No! You can't! I know charm speak when I hear it! Get out of her Aphrodite before I come out from behind this shower and-" I yell at her feeling my head burning from pure embarrassment.
"Oh please do. I wouldn't be here otherwise. I know Reyna would love to see." she says calling my bluff.
I feel paralyzed. Aphrodite confirmed its Reyna. That leaves absolutely no shred of doubt.
"Just get the Hades out of here, Aphrodite! Don't you have any other guys to torture!?"
"No actually. Ever since my daughter got with Jason there's been no good romance these days. No couples to keep my entertained. Percy and Annabeth got boring. Frank and Hazel are in my Roman's version territory, and that son of Hephaestus and Calypso are no where to be found. The only thing I've had fun with in a while is the son of Hades and the son of Apollo, but this. This I've been saving for a long time. Kinda like a slow cooker. One with both my Roman and Greek personality. My new favorite couple that I've been saving for a while. A mortal man and a Roman Praetor. Both unable to find love anywhere until they meet. Two lovers on completely different ends of the spectrum of the world. A mortal in a Greek camp with a Roman demigod. It sounds better every time I think about it. There's no love stronger then one from opposing forces. It's what made Percy's and Annabeth's love so beautiful."
"That reminds me I have to punch you in the face repeatedly for keeping from most likely good quality guys away from Reyna. You kept guys that could've been perfect from her, away from her."
"I've been saving her for you." She says like she's doing me a favor.
"No. You didn't save her for me. You practically locked her in a box with me. You never considered how Reyna felt. Or me. You just put people together."
"Are you saying you don't have feelings for her? Are you saying I put her with a guy that doesn't lover her at all?" She says confidentially and I ball a fist.
"We both know that's not true, but we haven't met. It's like you're putting us in an arranged marriage. She doesn't know me. I don't know her. She could never love a guy like me... I'm still me."
"Oh you poor boy. So sweet, so innocent, you need a confident booster. Just look from behind the curtain." She says sweetly.
"No! Go away! I'll punch you in the face when I'm not naked." I say calming down and I hear the door open and close again.
I turn off the water and I slowly look from behind the shower curtain and there was no one there, but my clothes that were folded up and looked like they were washed and next to them was a pink shirt that says "I love Reyna" in all caps.
I walk back into my room with my cleaned clothes and carrying the pink shirt and I fold it up and put it into my back carefully. I may not want it to see the light of day, but I won't treat something it as trash. It's still a gift, plus it's a little cute. I hear a conch horn and I look outside and the sun was just above the horizon and it had to be dinner time.
"Didn't know I was in the shower so long. Oh what an interesting first day here." I say to myself and walk out of my room ready for dinner and to put this day behind me.
Author's note: well. Sounds like things are happening. Anyway I'll see you guys next time and remember to stay beautiful.
