Disclaimer: Miss Author does not own PJO/HoO. This is because PJO/HoO is copyrighted material. And how does Miss Author know this? Because there is © on each of the books.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed:
PokemonKnight - thanks, I'm thinking Reyna will become praetor after the attack on mount othrys when she gets raised on their shields. I know this may not be exactly how the book goes, but I don't know how else Reyna will become the praetor.
Saving Grace - woo hoo go Jeyna!
Yours-in-all-demigodishness - heck yeah. dylan will definitely go to Elysium.
IamBellatrixLieutenantofVold y - yeah, but this story doesn't match the series perfectly. i'm sorry if you dont' like it anymore, and i'd be sad if you decided to stop reading, but I understand, some people want the fanfiction story to match the real series exactly.
I am Thalia daughter of Zeus - yeah, Jason definitely needs to borrow your armor polish...he's been too busy worrying about Reyna lately...❤...lol thanks.
I am Reyna daughter of Bellona - oooh you must be goooooood.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zz...ah sorry I fell asleep. I am sooo tired. school is sooo hard. alskdjoawifjkdjnoaifj.

woo hoo no homework weekend!

btw i'm going to skip all the holidays and jump to next summer when they storm Mount Othrys or Othyrs or however its spelled. If you object and want me to write some blah chapters about christmas or Reyna's birthday, or New Years, or one of her friends birthday...whatever, just ask me to and I will write it dedicated to you! :)

"Try to be like the turtle - at ease in your own shell." - Bill Copeland

# waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle # waffle #

By the time winter settled over the valley, I had healed completely and the battle was just a faint memory in my past, yet there was something different about our valley. Maybe it was the feeling of death and missing friends lurking in the air. I didn't know.

I sighed. Today was the anniversary of my first day at camp. I had been here a year. At evening muster tonight, I would be called to the front of the legion and be presented with my second stripe.

"Reyna?" Bobby waved his hand in front of my face. "Helllloooooo?"

"Hmm?" I blinked and looked up, unaware that my friends were talking to me.

"Breakfast is over, we have to go clean the unicorn stables, remember?" Jason asked me, worry clouding his blue eyes. I suddenly realized that I was the only one still sitting. Even Dakota, who was leaning heavily on Gwen, was standing.

"Right!" I stood up quickly. Too quickly. Jason raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. With a backwards glance at me, Jason led the way out of the mess hall and to the stables.

I picked up my shovel and started scooping unicorn dung off the floor. I dumped my shovel-load in the bucket and a few minutes later dumped the contents of the bucket into the wheelbarrow. I worked like a machine, scoop, dump, scoop, dump, scoop, dump.

Jason tugged on my sleeve. "Are you okay? You've been acting weird since the battle last summer."

"Huh?" I blinked a few times. "Oh, yeah. I'm good."

Jason pursed his lips.

Lunch passed just as quietly as breakfast. I ate my food, didn't listen to the conversation, and didn't say anything until Gwen and I left for the baths. Perhaps she thought a nice Roman bath would cheer me up.

After sitting in the water for an hour, I decided to leave. Gwen sighed.

On our way out, I tripped and fell flat on my face. For the first time in months, I laughed. It reminded me of when Hylla found the secret map a year ago back on Circe's Island. The first laugh in months. The first blossom of the season. Gwen laughed too, but her laugh was more in relief than anything else.

I loosened up and smiled.

"You're like a turtle. You shrink back into your shell when you're upset, but when your head pops out, you are as happy as ever." Gwen smiled. I grinned back.

Dinner wasn't as dull, for a change. I talked with my friends, Dakota made bad jokes, Jason flashed his incredible smile in my direction. Everything seemed to go back to how it used to be. I could not forget how I had been for the past several months, however. Cold, unattached, unfriendly, if this was where I retreated when I was upset, I hoped never to become upset again. Of course, one cannot predict their emotions.

After dinner, I followed Jason, Dakota, Bobby, and Gwen to the via praetoria for evening muster. I stood in line with my fellow Fifth Cohort buddies as Dakota, the centurion now, as Jason had become the praetor, called roll call.

Jason looked unbelievably good as he rode on a pegasus in his new purple cape. Jason's steed was new. He was the color of peanut butter. I smiled.

"Reyna." Dakota shouted.

"Present." I hoped Dakota only had to say my name once. It'd be embarrassing if he had caught me staring open-mouthed at Jason.

"Reyna, please step forwards." Jason said loudly. I stepped forwards.

"We accept Reyna, Daughter of Bellona for her first year of service for the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Ave!" Jason shouted.

"Ave!" The rest of the camp echoed.

Fire burned on my forearm and I felt the white hot iron pressed upon my skin once again. I clenched my jaw and a second later the fire died away.

Two stripes now. I traced the second stripe with my first finger.

"Congratulations." Jason grinned.

"Thanks." I smiled as well.

I walked to the fifth cohort barracks and crashed on my bunk immediately. For the first time in months, I dreamed.