Percy deflected Reyna's sword, ducking under her arm, and putting her into a headlock.
"Do you want to spend the night at my place?" he whispered, and she wormed her way out of the hold, flipping Percy over her shoulder, her blade at his throat.
"I'm going to get in so much trouble if I get caught sneaking out with you." Reyna said, and Percy sighed, defeated. She offered him her hand, which he took gratefully.
"Why are you such a rule-follower?" Reyna laughed.
"You told Jason I was distracting you from your training or whatever lame excuse you had." She mocked, taking a drink of water. He walked to her, hugging her from behind, wrapping an arm around her waist. She looked up into his eyes, a smile beaming.
"I have to bend the truth from time to time." He whispered, and Reyna scoffed, getting out of his hold, walking to his side of the ring.
"You weren't bending anything; you were just straight up lying." She said, still smiling. He grinned at her.
"I hope you're not going to kill each other before the wedding." Jason and Piper walked in.
"What is this? A double date?" Percy joked, leaning over the ropes, looking down on Jason.
"Yeah. A double date to a senate meeting. They want you there because there's news from Olympus, and they consider the two-time titan killer to be essential to the audience." Jason said, looking up at Percy, who swung himself through the ropes and down from the ring. He waited for Reyna to get out, before walking with the three.
"I hate that title. I didn't even kill Atlas." Percy grumbled, and Jason hit his shoulder.
"If my memory serves me right, you had your trident above his throat, before Lady Art- I mean, Lady Diana stopped you." Percy's eyes shot to Piper, who didn't catch the mistake. He glared at Jason, whose eyes were wide.
"Let's just get this over with." Percy mumbled.
X
It took nearly an hour for anything concerning Percy to come up, and he spent that time staring at Reyna. It was hard not to, after what'd happened last week. Something about her, about that mode she got into made him want to kiss her whenever he saw her, and never stop kissing her. But he took what Jason said seriously. He was fourteen. She was fifteen. She was older than him by like six months, he'd be turning fifteen in a few weeks here. He wasn't sure if he was ready to take that step. His mind was in other places. Of course, he liked her a ton, but they weren't even a real thing. It was prophesized that he was going to die in a year anyways, and he didn't want to burden her with that. He was dragged from his mind when he realized Reyna was staring back.
"Sorry." He whispered and turned back to the two Praetors who were talking on the floor. Reyna tapped his shoulder, and he embarrassingly turned to look at her.
"What's wrong?" She asked worryingly.
"Nothing. I'm just distracted." He said quietly, and Reyna nodded.
"Legionnaire Jackson!" Derek called, and Percy rose.
"Praetors." He nodded, half-bowing to them.
"Olympus has informed us of an impending attack on the city. We believe the force to be larger than any the Legion has ever seen." Derek started, and Percy's heart dropped. They were prepared, but lives would still be lost. "We bring this news to you, Centurion Jackson, because we believe you're the best swordsman in camp, and you already teach lessons to those who ask, but we request you double your teachings, educating younger and newer legionnaires." Percy nodded.
"I can do so Praetors." He said stoically. Julia smiled at him, and he sat again. The meeting continued. Percy noticed Reyna glaring holes into the female Praetor's skull.
X
They walked out of the senate meeting, heading for the fifth. It was the middle of the day. They reached the cohort, and Percy opened the door to his room, leading her in. She closed it behind them. Percy's eyes shot to his left, where his drawer was, but it was covered in some of Reyna's clothes. Percy felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned, where Reyna dragged a finger down his chest. She led him down onto the bed, where she climbed onto his lap, straddling him. This seemed the most natural to them, because Percy was too tall, and Reyna complained whenever she had to lean up to kiss him. Her lips found his, and his chest exploded with passion, desire. Her hands went under his shirt, clawing over his chest, his abs. Her lips went to his neck, his ears. Her hands went higher, beckoning for his shirt to come off. He obliged. She leaned him back, so he was laying on the bed. She removed her mouth from his, still on top of him. She took her shirt off, and nothing had ever looked more inviting to Percy than whatever fancy bra she had on. She reached down, stroking where he was through his pants. His mind flooded with the same thoughts.
He didn't know what they were.
She reached back, going to unclasp the bra.
He was only a burden to her.
The bra unclasped; she now was taking the straps off of her shoulders.
He had two years left.
It was off both shoulders by now.
Dead by sixteen.
"Reyna, stop." He whispered, coming up from laying on the bed.
"What is it?" she asked, putting the straps of the bra back on her shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"I-I don't know." He stayed quiet; he felt the tear forming on his bottom eyelid. "I can't do this right now." He said, and she got off him, and he stood.
"Percy. Tell me what's wrong." She said, and Percy shook his head.
"I'm not ready for that." His voice nothing more than a rasp. He paced in front of the bed where she was laying.
"If you want to wait, just tell me. I have patience." She said, trying to comfort him. He continued to pace. "Is it what Jason said?" Percy nodded aggressively.
"Yes."
"Why are you letting that affect you?" she asked, still comfortingly.
"Because he's right!" he finally let out, louder than he would've hoped. Reyna blinked at him. He never really showed frustration. "He's right, and he's right and he's fucking right." He said, sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, basically sobbing. Reyna sat up, wrapping an arm around him. "I'm-I'm not ready for this." He said, and Reyna rubbed circles on his back.
"I told you, I'm patient."
"No, not sex." He whispered. "I'm not ready for us." That caught Reyna off guard.
"Why's that?" she asked, her quietness no longer comforting, but scared.
"That gods-damned shit Neptune said a year ago." He let out, and realization dawned on Reyna.
"That's what's bothering you?" Reyna said, and Percy looked at her, nodding, tears still coming.
"A man visited me after I defeated Atlas. Told me the great prophecy. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice to end his days. It's almost written in stone, Reyna." He whispered. "I don't want you to have this… attachment to me when I die." He said mid-sob. Reyna tried to comfort him, but he was beyond it. He stood up.
"Percy-"
"I'm sorry. I can't do it. I-" he stopped himself, looking at his hands. His frustration was growing. He growled, turned, and punched a hole clean through his wall, walking out.
X
It'd been two weeks since he cut her off, and he really cut her off. He didn't talk to her, didn't think about her, but she sure as hell thought about him. Her hurt quickly morphed into anger, which she took out on whichever idiotic first cohort demigod was willing to duel her. This left one person in the dust; Jason. He didn't know what to do. His two best friends were ignoring eachother for a stupid reason.
"He what?" Jason shrieked. Reyna nodded.
"Told me he didn't want to hurt me because he was going to die at sixteen or something and left me." She mumbled, her hands holding up her tear-stained face. Jason paced in front of him.
"Idiotic son of Neptune." Jason growled. Reyna shook her head.
"Calm down. It's his choice, his destiny." She whispered, a small sob breaking through. Jason sat next to her, comforting her.
"It's going to be fine. He'll come to his senses soon."
X
Percy.
The groggy teenager opened his eyes to a white room. He looked around, quickly realizing it was the same white room he'd been in before.
"Hello?" he asked nobody.
"Hello, Perseus." The same man appeared next to him, sitting in a camping chair. He looked the same as before, his tailored, luxury black suit beaming, and his black eyes that felt like they contained the galaxy.
"No offense, should I know you?" Percy asked, and the man laughed.
"No, not now. It will come to you though." The man said with a beaming pure-white smile. "I see you haven't gotten the bracelets off. I thought you would've figured out by now." The man said, eyeing the things on Percy's wrists pointedly. Percy awkwardly fiddled with them.
"Yeah- I haven't figured out how to remove them. Reyna was able to much the right one an inch, but not too much." Percy mumbled. The man took Percy's wrist in his hands.
"It's an enchantment, a trick as old as time. Only someone you truly love with your entire heart can remove the bracelets from your wrist, and when they're removed, can you experience full, unlimited power." The last few words came out with an evil, sinister malice that irked Percy.
"Why do you tell me this now? Why not earlier?" The man's smile disappeared, morphing into more of a concerning frown.
"I believe your biggest challenges to be ahead of you, Perseus. I, alike many others in this godly world are rooting for your success, but do not let your supporters get to your head. There are equally as many who would murder millions to have you dead, or worse, working for them." The man finished, and Percy shivered. "I am going to give you something, Perseus. A gift, for my mistakes." Percy looked up, confused.
"Mistakes?"
"Ah- I slipped up. You'll learn in time." Everything with this guy was in time, in the future, but not happening now. "I want to give you full knowledge over the element you haven't touched yet- the Earth, rock, the land." The man finished, tapping Percy's head, who grew dizzy.
"Beware your fifteenth, Perseus."
its a good day:)