Chapter 19

Damien gulped down about 5 espressos in a row to keep himself awake, his hands shook slightly with the caffeine overload

"You're going to crash so hard" Hazel plopped herself down beside him in Reyna's empty seat

"Just need to stay awake" he said slapping the side of his face

Hazel sighed "You can't stay awake forever Damien, your body can't take it and you will make mistakes because of it"

"I can't sleep" he said forcibly "I just can't"

"Fine" replied the daughter of Pluto "But just make sure your mistakes don't cost Reyna"

Damien met the intense stare of the golden eyes, he glanced up to see Reyna coming out of the bathroom, she looked up finding him watching her, her dark eyes flickering to Hazel

Damien swallowed nervously and nodded to Hazel "I know, just not on this plane… it's too dangerous"

"Everything okay?" Reyna asked coming to a stop by the seats looking between the two

"Yep" Hazel said standing "I should return to my seat, we are gonna be landing soon"

Reyna nodded and retook her seat beside Damien "How are you feeling?" she asked

Damien attempted a smile "Fine… just tired" he watched as she fiddles with her nails "I'm sorry Reyna"

"For what?" she asked, not looking up at him

"For grabbing you like I did, I, er I…" he stammered

"It's okay" she interjected finally looking up at him "I get that you don't know what is real or what isn't and it confuses you"

Damien looked at her in awe, he didn't think that anyone would understand what he went through when Elliot toyed with his mind, digging out his deepest fears and making him play through them like some sick theatre play, but Reyna seemed to get it, get that he didn't know what was real.

"Don't blame yourself Damien, I'm just glad you didn't have the same reaction as that first day you were brought back to Camp Jupiter" she said softly

"Yer, I'm sorry about that too" his hand absentmindedly rubbed his leg where he had stabbed himself with the scissors

Reyna's eyes followed his movement, also remembering what he had done to figure out what was real that day

"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly

"What?" he asked coming out of his own mind

Reyna gestured to his leg, he looked down and removed his hand not even realising that he had been touching his minor stab wound

"Nah" he said giving her a small smile "I'm kinda used to pain by now"

It was a poor joke and he instantly regretted it and felt even guiltier when he saw the look on Reyna's face. He was about to speak when the captain came over the speaker

Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts we are beginning out descent into Manaus

Then the plane rumbled with turbulence and once again Reyna's hands grasped the armrests, Damien placed his hand over hers trying to comfort her, instantly she turned her hand and entwined their fingers, squeezing his hand tightly. She really didn't like planes and her grip only tightened when they went through some more turbulence.

Damien didn't say anything for fear of ruining the moment they were sharing, instead he just stayed silent and held her hand

Sorry folks there is a storm heading in over Manaus and we are going to be experiencing some more turbulence as we land

"Great" growled Reyna, her breathing becoming heavier as she tried to remain calm

"Hey" Damien whispered, making her meet his gaze "What do you want to do when you're older?"

"What?" she said not understanding what he was trying to do

Damien smiled at her "You're not going to be Praetor forever, what do you want to do with your life, move to New Rome and become a leader or venture out?"

"Errm, I… I don't know" she glanced back to the aisle of the plane, feeling the turbulence "Never really thought about it"

"Think about it now what do you want to do?" he pushed, trying to take her mind of the flight

Her soft dark eyes finding his golden brown "I don't know… maybe travel for a bit, I've spent pretty much all my life in Camp Jupiter"

"Where would you go first?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips

"I've always admired Europe's history, maybe go travelling around there" she thought as she gazed into Damien's eyes

"Backpacking?" he suggested

"Yer" she gave a small smile as she imagined the idea "Certainly be an adventure"

"Would you go alone?" he asked, instantly clamping his mouth shut for such a foolish question and he could see the hesitation in her eyes, her smile fading slightly

"Who would go with me?" she asked an eyebrow rising slightly "I don't have many friends"

Damien leaned in closer "Oh I'm sure you could find someone"

He watched as a large grin began to spread across her beautiful regal features, he mirrored her expression

"I hear France is beautiful" Damien said his voice slightly husky

"The Eiffel Tower" replied Reyna

They didn't realise that their foreheads were touching until a guy bumped into Reyna's arm

"Sorry Miss" he apologized as he got his bag from the overhead storage

It was then Damien realised they had landed and everyone was getting their bags and exiting the plane, Reyna straightened instantly and he could see her cheeks growing redder, she glanced nervously back at Damien

"Shall we?" he asked

"Yes" she said standing and making her way out down the aisle and off the plane, closely followed by Damien and Hazel

They made their way through the foreign airport, Reyna directed them with ease, Damien had no idea what the signs said but he followed the raven haired Praetor as she took turns and found their way out of the airport where she looked around

"Wait here" she commanded as she approached a young man at the car rental desk

Damien watched as the young man smiled at her flirtatiously, a little jealously bubbling inside of him

"What's she doing?" he asked keeping his eyes on the two of them, watching as the guy leaned in closer to her

"Damien relax" Hazel said rolling her eyes "Reyna is probably just asking him for directions"

"She speaks Spanish?" he asked

"She was brought up in San Juan" Hazel replied

Damien was starting wondering if this woman could get any more amazing, a smile on his face as she walked back to them

"We take this road to a small town where we can stay the night from the storm" she said, she caught a glance of Damien's smile, a grin tugging at her lips.