Now we are in the home stretch. If you're invested in seeing how this turns out, please use your best persuasive writing to convince me to finish the story. Unless you don't want a homework assignment from a stranger on the internet – then just say nice things I guess.
That year's Christmas made it onto Reyna's list of top five worst holidays. Some kind of flu had hit everyone. (It was either her or Jason's fault – as the only two who had left the united states, they could have brought back some bug from abroad.)
Anyway, with Leo out for the count, pretty much everyone was on a strict diet microwaved Campbell's soup, which reminded her scarily of some gruel she'd been given in a North Korean prison. Scrooge and the Grinch put together couldn't have been more dismal during the holiday season.
New Year's was modest as well, since Frank and Piper were still mostly in bed, and no one felt up to putting on anything but pajamas. Leo knocked on Reyna's door, briefly wondering whether he should have put on actual clothes.
"Nice pants." Reyna snorted. What was wrong with pajama bottoms?
"Right back at you, Minnie Mouse." He teased. A person in fuzzy Disney pants was in no place to judge him. "Is it a good time?"
"Were you going to leave if it wasn't?" she hung his coat on a hook, taking the wine bottle he had brought with him.
"I spent a two-digit number on this wine." He informed her. "so you're hardly going to turn away such classy new years' eve celebrations."
"It's literally only nine o clock. I was just about to let the dogs out." She laughed, heading to the kitchen for snacks. "But I'm flattered at the extravagance. Business must be great if we're up to seventeen dollars for booze."
"It's actually not that great, but anything for you, Querida." He smiled, settling onto the couch. Reyna sat leaning against his shoulder, holding the bag of pretzels at him.
"Brand name pretzels? Big Christmas bonus?" he teased, his mouth full.
"I returned a very ugly shoe rack a coworker got me, so I could splurge." She laughed. "We're ringing in the new year with such prosperity and good health."
"Frank says you're supposed to cut your hair before the new year for good luck." Leo offered. "But I'm pretty sure that's Chinese new year and not now."
"Luck is for losers." Reyna laughed. He was twisting the sleeve of her t-shirt between his fingers.
"Well, by definition, no." Leo pointed out. "But you're right, you can't control how the chips fall."
"Yeah, if you could, we wouldn't be sick through the holidays." Reyna joked. "Speaking of, how is everyone?"
"Sick of being sick. The cold isn't helping, but they'll be okay. At least we're all in town together." Leo said, his voice bright. Reyna smiled thinly. They almost hadn't been, but the work in Beirut had been cut short because of some intel they'd gotten from Clarisse's father, an Agency man himself. He was always much more direct than most of the old guard of agents, free of riddles and easy to read.
The last job on the Kronos case before she had to leave for good was in Mongolia; she would be leaving in three days. This was considered advanced notice, to be used to brush up on the language (although if she did everything right, she wouldn't have to speak to anyone.) "I'm headed home on the third." She told him. It would be the time to make up the tragic passing of the made-up abuela.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Leo offered shyly, rubbing circles in her shoulder. She must have gotten a call saying it was time for a final visit. "I know it's going to be a bad time for the family, so if you want I can come and help take care of things."
She didn't deserve this endlessly kind person. "Thanks, but I don't think it's a good idea." She smiled sadly, her hand automatically moving to play with his shirt buttons. "I don't want to rob my Tias of the chance to interrogate you." Leo looked a little alarmed at that. "Nothing difficult." She soothed. "Where you're from, what you do, how we met, whether you go to church, what flowers you want for our wedding." Ok, so dangling that last one was such a low blow when she knew their days were numbered, but it had slipped out.
"Good. I know the answers to all of those." Leo tried to sound nonchalant.
Reyna could barely mask her surprise. "If you say lilies I'm leaving you." She muttered, completely thrown. He thought that far ahead? He believed in them so wholeheartedly that he considered the future with her in it?
"Baby's breath. I'm not an idiot." He blurted. Were his eyes always this intense?
"Good." She could feel his heartbeat quicken in his chest, and the soothing shoulder-rubbing had turned into him teasingly drawing patterns on the side of her neck with one finger. Their legs were tangled together, and suddenly her hand on his chest felt oddly conspicuous. She tilted her head up to kiss him, momentarily distracting herself.
"I'm pretty sure I'm still kinda sick." He mumbled once they pulled apart.
"Shut up." She tugged him closer again
"My foot's asleep."
He was teasing her. She was a little annoyed and mostly giddy. "Then walk around." She shot back, moving to the other end of the sofa.
"Come with me." He held out a hand to her, smirking.
"You're sick, remember?" She pointed out sweetly.
"Querida." It was practically a growl. Which, surprisingly, she considered a good thing at the moment.
The dogs were walked and fed, and she was showered and caffeinated by the time she realized Leo wasn't going to wake up anytime soon unless a crash cymbal sounded. Lacking any loud percussion instruments and deciding that leaving a note was too cheesy, she opted instead for accidentally dropping a hairbrush very loudly by the dresser.
"Work?" he asked blearily.
"No rest for the weary." She picked up the brush. Today would be the day she had a meeting with Annabeth at Langley.
Leo stretched and sat up, a small smile on his face. "Come to breakfast with me?" She nodded, doing her makeup as he got dressed. They had a pancake stack each before Reyna was off, muttering something about a staff meeting.
Annabeth's under-eye bags were the only thing out of place in her pristine outfit and office. Reyna sat and helped herself to a handful of jellybeans.
"Agent." She raised an eyebrow as she greeted her, closing the door to her office.
"I slept with him." Reyna said without preamble.
"It was bound to happen." Annabeth said cautiously.
"We talked about wedding flowers." Reyna's voice was almost pained. "Which we're never actually going to need."
"He loves you." Annabeth said simply.
"He doesn't realize what's happening." She insisted.
"That's the point." Annabeth said patiently. "It means he doesn't realize we're turning him around on the field."
"He doesn't realize he's playing." Reyna sighed. "Which means I'm good and he's screwed."
"He'll be taken care of." Annabeth assured her. "It'll probably be a lot of money."
"That's what I came to discuss with you." Reyna said. (The fact it was supposed to be a status report meeting meant nothing to the two seasoned operatives. This was about powerful people on the same side, but with conflicted interests) "I don't care how much money it is. I want him safe. Out of the way."
"I can't make promises; it may not be practical when the time comes." Annabeth said.
"I have more confirmed kills than you have books." Reyna stated, and it was a fair guess because neither knew the exact number on Reyna's black bag list or Annabeth's library, but it was safe to assume it was at least close. "It's not practical to annoy me, so I better get some promises."
"You're threatening me?" Annabeth sounded offended. "I thought we were past this." Deep down, she knew she wasn't in any real danger, but angry, frustrated, oh-crap-I'm-in-love people could be wildly unpredictable
"I thought this was a three-month op." Reyna returned sharply. "But you and Lupa knew."
"And despite knowing I lied about that, you want my word that I'll keep Leo safe?" the blonde was almost amused now.
"I want Percy Jackson's word." Reyna replied. It was the safest option she could imagine – Jackson was an honest man, and Annabeth had taken a poisoned knife for him: she loved him too much to risk him. If Percy was guarding Leo, that meant Annabeth was indirectly guarding him too. Other than herself, it was the best protection she could offer.
Her steady glare was met by stormy gray eyes, and she knew Annabeth could tell what she was doing. The CIA couldn't operate domestically, agents could not contact marks after the mission was over, civilians could not be briefed about classified operations. Reyna could not risk losing Leo. Annabeth could not risk angering Reyna. Percy could not refuse Annabeth's orders.
Leo could not get hurt because of a mess he hadn't made. She would not let him.
"On my terms." Annabeth sighed after a long silence. "I'll keep him alive, but I make the plans."
That was good enough for her. She might be a more by-the-books agent, but she was an excellent strategist. "No one gets hurt."
"You say that a lot for a killer." The remark was offhand, cold, meant to elicit and gauge a reaction.
"Oh, good. You remember that fact. Now I don't have to say cheesy things like 'if anything bad happens to any of them, I will be your worst damn nightmare' or anything." Reyna's voice was completely even.
"It won't." Annabeth reassured her as she stood to leave. "For what it's worth, I understand. And I promise."
AND CURTAIN! On the last creative writing I have don in 5 or so years. I may actually continue this – writing these start and end notes feels like a mixture of screaming to the void, and teaching a class.
Last call for motivation.