Chapter Nine (OMTL)

Reyna.

"What? A... A prince? Nope. What's that?" Leo stuttered. I glared at him. "Valdez..."

Leo sighed. "I am crown prince Leonardo Ricardo Samuel Valdez." I just looked at him.

"What did you say?"

"I am-" but I cut him off. "No, I heard you. I just don't believe you."

Leo looked at me, his face falling.

"What?" he asked, his voice horribly small. I looked him straight in the eye and repeated my words slowly.

"I. Don't. Believe. You."

Leo looked devestated, as if his worst fears were coming true. I walked to him and tried to take his hand, but he shook me off and went upstairs.

"Leo!" I called, but he continued to dejectedly climb the stairs. I looked over at Percy and Nico.

"This is your fault, Jackson, di Angelo." I said, an they both looked at me incredulously.

"OUR fault?" Nico exploded. "You are the one who doesn't believe the truth! I thought you loved him Reyna. At least enough to let him explain and not just freak him out. Love means trust. Truth. Leo just told you the truth, you think he'd lie about something as huge as this? And then act like that? Did you see his face, Reyna? He's devestated. His worst nightmare just came true. The love of his life doesn't believe him. You know what he was going to do after he told you? Introduce you to his parents, Reyna. Two people even I have only met a handful of times. Two of the worlds most important people were going to meet you, Reyna Karth. A nobody. He was going to introduce you to a huge part of his life, his parents, and you don't believe him. Why?"

Nico looked at me, waiting for my answer. I just stood there, shocked. I'd never seen Nico explode like that. Percy had his hand on his shoulder, attempting to calm him down, but Nico shook him off. He continued to glare at me until I answered.

"It's just so outrageous, Nico! What did you say when he told you? You cannot tell me, you of all people, believed him right off the bat. You can't. No one can."

Nico gave me this look. I didn't understand t right away, but the thing he said next gave me a pretty good idea.

"I believed him. Leo is my best friend. How could I not? I know when he's lying. This is not one of those times.

I dropped to the couch and dropped my head in my hands. Nico is the least trusting person I know. If he trusted Leo enough to believe him immediately, why didn't I? He's my boyfriend. I love him with all of my heart. So why am I incapable of doing so?

"Oh my gosh." I muttered into my hands. I stood up quickly, and looked at Percy and Nico. Percy gave me a half smile, but Nico just continued to look at me.

"I'm going to fix this." I told Nico. "I will. I'm just stubborn. I promise I'm going to do my best to make this right again."

With that I went, walked up the stairs toward Leo's room.

"Good luck." Percy called up the stairs.

I stopped outside Leo's door and took a deep breath. I knocked. Held my breath as the door knob turned.

Leo opened the door and looked at me. I looked at him. His hair was a mess, his shirt untucked, and his eyes red. It made me feel even worse.

"May I come in?" I tentatively asked him. He stepped back and I walked in and stood at his desk. Leo sat at the edge of his bed and looked at me.

"Um.." Now that I was here everything I had thought to say had taken flight out of my mind and I was left staring blankly at Leo.

He was just looking at me, waiting for me to speak. Looking at him, his desolated face, I just burst into speech not thinking about what I was saying.

"Leo, I am so sorry. You know I'm a stubborn person. I just thought it was do outrageous! The idea that anyone I knew could possibly be a prince. I couldn't fathom that. But here you are. I know. I know you well enough by now that I can tell when you're joking or telling the truth. Or at least I should.

Leo looked at me. Really looked at me. There were tears in his eyes. Tears. Leo Valdez, king of smiles. Tears.

He sprung from the bed and wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my hair.

"Rey. You do not know how long I've been wanting to tell you. I just didn't want to lose you and I didn't know how. Please forgive me."

I looked at him incredulously. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. Now kiss me, you fool."

He smiled. "You fool."

-/-/-breaaaakk-/-/-

We were in his room for at least an hour. When we came out we looked a little... Conspicuous.

Leo and I walked down the stairs, hand and hand, silencing all conversation in the living room.

"Well, they seem excited." Leo muttered under his breath. I giggled and immediately, Percy and Nico started cat calling.

"Guys. Shut up." I proclaimed as we walked in. Everyone laughed and Annabeth pulled me down onto the couch.

"So... What were you guys doing up there for so long?"

Leo looked her straight in the eyes and said "Intercourse." in the most monotone voice, as loud as possible. The room was dead silent. Leo and I looked at eachother and burst out laughing.

"Your faces! That was probably the best thing I've witnessed in a while." I said, nearly incoherently from laughter.

Everyone was starting to come out of their reverie and was laughing with us.

Through the noise I heard a knock at the door. I got up, wiped the tears of laughter from my face, and walked to the door.

"Babe, where are you going?" Leo called after me.

"Door." I replied as I pulled it open.

"That's right." The person on the other side said. "You certainly have one."

"Oh my gosh." I muttered.

"Rey, who is it?" Leo called as he walked up.

He stopped dead.

"Hylla."

Because I am the queen of cliff hangers and you have to deal with it. I'm the queen. Rick is the king. Of cliff hangers... TOOO soon?