Chapter 11

Damien opened the door a while later, he looked around, searching the small room for Reyna, but she wasn't here, his eyes darted to the clock, it had been an just over an hour since Reyna had said to meet him, but there was no sign of her, he hadn't heard the door open at all.

That's when he spied the paper on the bed, he walked over and grabbed it up, reading the well scripted lettering

Meet me on the roof, be careful no one sees you, R

He turned to the open window, feeling the night's cool breeze on his face as he approached it, he glanced out seeing a patrol going by, but apart from that the place was empty.

Slowly he pulled himself up onto the window ledge and leapt grabbing the roof and pulling himself up with ease, just like he had all those months ago, he silently wished he could go back to then, back when it was a little bit simpler, not that a demigod's life was simple.

His eyes instantly found Reyna, lying on her cape staring up at the stars, she didn't move at his approach. He sat beside her and laid down on the hard roof surface, for a moment he stared up at the stars but his eyes found their way to Reyna, she seemed engulfed by the stars, Damien couldn't help but watch her, her features were strong yet beautiful, her deep brown eyes reflecting the moonlight

"My favourite place to star gaze is on top Temple Hill" she whispered "But this will have to do"

"It's looking pretty good to me" he replied, instantly regretting his words

"How are you feeling?" she asked, changing the subject, she didn't look at him, even though he was sure she knew that he was watching her

Damien dragged his eyes away from her beauty to look at the sky, seeing the constellations that he was taught once long ago while thinking of an answer to give her

"Being up here is helping" he answered honestly he glanced back to her profile "After the past few months I have not grown any fondness of being confined within four walls" his mind flashed back to his time with Elliot, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to bring himself back to the present, his fists clenching as he saw flashes of his torture

"Damien?"

He opened his eyes to see Reyna's filled with concern for him

"Sorry… I'm fine" he said clearing his throat and sitting up, scratching his head. "Will you tell me about your nightmares?" she asked softly, instantly knowing the signs of PTSD, she had seen it in some of her soldiers when they returned

Damien looked back at her, seeing her eyes carrying such worry for him

"There is not much to tell Reyna" he lied, not wanting her to know what Elliot made him see and made him do in those nightmares, he sat up, so Reyna couldn't see his features clearly

But he could not hide anything from Reyna, she could see he was trying to spare her from something "Please Damien" her voice soft as she sat up with him "I want to help you, I don't want to see you in pain like this" she placed a hand on his shoulder

Damien dropped his head in shame "I can't" he whispered shaking his head slightly

He felt her scoot closer towards him, her voice low but soft "I don't want you to go through this alone, please talk to me" her grip on his shoulder tightened slightly, trying to give him the strength to tell her "It's me Damien"

Damien dared a glance at her and got lost in her deep brown eyes, they were so warm and trusting, Damien wrestled with his own mind for a moment before seeing the look on her face, he couldn't hide this from her, he had to reveal it

"I could handle the beatings, Jupiter knows I deserve a lot worse" he raised a hand as he saw Reyna start to disagree "But he soon realised that it wasn't having the effect he wanted, so he got into my head, when my body finally gave into exhaustion he squirmed his way into my mind and found things to torture me with, scenarios that I couldn't win no matter what I did"

Reyna could see the sadness fill his eyes, she wanted to wrap her arms around him, but she remained still, she couldn't get emotionally involved with Damien, it wasn't her destiny, so she just listened with the comforting touch on his shoulder

"He found a weakness of mine" Damien muttered quietly, his mind miles away, he fell silent as he remembered one of the many dreams that Elliot had damaged him with

"Elena?" asked Reyna slowly, not wanting to push him too far too fast

Damien blinked and stared right into Reyna's eyes, he shook his head and struggled to find a way to phrase it without sounding like a creep, he took a deep breath

"No not Elena, he realised soon that I could be hurt by going after another that I care about, someone still alive" he mumbled rubbing his hands together, like he was trying to get something off of them

Reyna remained quiet, a sinking suspicion in her stomach, she knew the name that was going to tumble from his lips and part of her wished it wasn't so

"You" he said softly, but he couldn't look at her he was afraid to see her reaction

Everything fell silent as they both sat there with no idea with what to say to the other, after another long moment Damien felt a warmth on his hand, he looked down to see Reyna's hand over his own, her thumb running over his knuckles soothingly

"What happens in the dreams?" she asked

This time their eyes met and Damien was once again astounded by her beauty in the pale moonlight, his heart sinks as he remembers the last nightmare Elliot had made him see

Damien turned his hand over so now he held her smaller hand, getting support from the contact

"Your death"

He didn't say anything further, though Reyna sensed there was more to that nightmare than he let on, she swallowed and saw the sadness in his golden brown eyes, he definitely wasn't the same man as she had met almost a year ago, he had found his memory but lost a lot more in the process and then to be tortured by this Elliot guy for Hades only knows how long.

She wanted to help him, he had so much light in him, he was always quick to a joke when they first met, charming to everyone and she wanted to help him get that back, it wasn't gone, just buried beneath the torture.

"I'm not going anywhere Damien" she said squeezing his hand "It's only a nightmare, something created by Elliot's disturbed mind"

"I don't know what's real anymore Reyna" he whispered into the night air

Reyna glanced down, hiding the tears that threatened to fall, her eyes seeing the scars on Damien's arms and the fresh one he had given himself today, he had said it was to make sure he was in the waking world, with her free hand she ran her fingertips over some of the older scars

"I don't want you hurting yourself anymore" she said sadly, she looked up into his sad eyes "I will do everything in my power to help you Damien"