Reyna was always wary of the son of Pluto. She was always on edge around Nico di Angelo. She'd never seen how powerful he truly was, but she could sense it.
He was probably one of the most powerful demigods she knew. That thought was confirmed when they had to travel across the Atlantic with the Athena Parthenos and Coach Hedge. Reyna didn't know much about shadow travel, but she knew it had to have taken a lot of strength and willpower to do that.
When the three resurfaced from the shadows, they were falling through the sky, heading straight for a volcano. Nico didn't have the strength to shadow travel again so quickly. He was barely even conscious.
"Nico! The volcano!" Reyna yelled.
Nico didn't respond.
Reyna thought fast. She was the daughter of Bellona. She could share her strength with her comrades. She lent him some of her strength, in return she felt a portion of his pain and anguish.
She was overwhelmed by how much he had. He had more pain than the entire legion combined.
Nico stirred just in time to shadow travel them safely to the ground. He collapsed from exhaustion immediately after.
Reyna's respect and admiration for the son of Pluto had increased a tremendous amount.
"Alright, cupcake, get some sleep. I'll take the first watch." Coach Hedge said to Reyna.
Using her powers causes a wave of exhaustion, so Reyna didn't argue.
Over the next few days, Reyna and Nico grew closer. Nico began to open up. In return, Reyna told him about her family and how she'd killed her father.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Nico said.
He looked at her, his dark brown eyes sad and full of sympathy.
Reyna studied him. His messy and shaggy hair covered part of his beautiful, yet pain filled eyes.
Reyna didn't know why, but she was drawn to him.
Reyna's heart skipped a beat, and her stomach fluttered the longer she stared into his eyes. She leaned over and kissed him, quickly.
When she pulled away, she winced out of embarrassment.
"Sorry." she said in a small voice, averting Nico's eyes.
Nico didn't say anything. When Reyna turned to look at him, he was staring at her with one corner of his mouth curled into a slight smile. Reyna suppressed the urge to grin.
"Wipe that stupid smirk off your face, Nico di Angelo." Reyna said.
Nico chuckled. She'd never heard Nico genuinely laugh before. He barely smiled. But Nico had a beautiful laugh.
At the edge of the woods, something moved. Reyna stood and drew her sword, so did Nico.
Bryce, one of Octavian's lap dogs, appeared in front of them.
What happened after that was a blur. Bryce taunted Nico and threatened Reyna. Nico, though he was still weak and frail, and nearly dissolving into shadows with every use of his powers, grew angry and tried to attack.
Only with Reyna's strength was he able to defeat Bryce, sending him to the underworld. Before killing Bryce, Nico sent a wave of pain and anger throughout the clearing.
Reyna now knew much more about Nico. More than he probably wanted her to. She knew about his journey through Tartarus, his imprisonment in the bronze jar, his torment on the Argo II, and his encounter with the Cupid.
Reyna instantly felt guilty for kissing him. Her heart ached. She felt the anger Nico went through, being forced to out his crush, Percy Jackson, in front of the god of love and their friend, Jason Grace.
When Reyna recovered from the blast Nico sent out, she ran to his side. He was passed out and on the verge of death from the amount of power he just used. He was fading away.
Three days passed since the fight with Bryce. Nico was only just starting to become conscious again.
"Oh thank the gods!" Reyna said when Nico finally opened his eyes.
She hugged him tight, tears in her eyes.
"Too tight." he managed to say.
"Sorry. Sorry." Reyna said.
After giving Nico food and water, they sat there looking at each other.
"The kiss...If I had known-Percy." Reyna stuttered. "I wouldn't ha-"
Nico interrupted her with a kiss. Reyna's heart stopped.
"Percy was the first person I ever had feelings for." Nico said, looking into Reyna's eyes. "A lot happened when I first met him. My sister was killed on a quest with him. I was so angry. I blamed him for her death. I left camp for a few years. Stayed in the underworld. Tried to bring my sister back. Percy found out. He stopped me. Later, we became friends, I guess you could call it. It was at this point in time that I realized I had feelings for him. But during the time period I was born in, it was shamed upon to have feelings for someone of the same gender. So, I hid. I hid who I was. I hid how I felt. Then when it was forced out, the feelings weren't as strong. Saying it out loud took power from the secret."
Reyna looked away from Nico.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean that once it was out, my big secret, the feelings were still there, of course. But then I met someone else. And this person is brave, strong, smart." he said.
Reyna's heart dropped. Great, she thought, he has feelings for another person, too.
"That person, Reyna, was you." Nico said, taking her hand and squeezing.
Reyna looked into his eyes. He was telling the truth. She could see it. She could feel it.
Nico smiled. A real, full, teeth flashing smile.
Reyna laughed and her heart flipped. She kissed the son of Pluto and he kissed her back.
The son of Pluto was indeed one of the most powerful demigods she knew. In every way possible: physically and emotionally. The things he faced, the pain and anguish he stomached, she couldn't imagine. But all those events lead him to her, lead her to him.
So, in her mind, it was worth it. And that's how he saw it, too. She never imagined she'd be romantically drawn to a son of Pluto. But the Fates had other plans. Now, she couldn't imagine herself without him.