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JASON

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Jason really didn't think it was possible, but somehow Leo managed to further limit the amount standing space in his bunker. Yes, sometime during the last twelve months since he had last seen him, his best friend had become a hoarder. Discarded objects from all areas of the camp were spewed all over Leo's tables, floors, walls, and celling. The parts of the walls that were not being used to hang Chiron's holey old jacket and a collection of rainbow jump ropes were plastered with blueprints and scribbled notes. It was difficult to determine where one project ended and another began.

"You've been busy," Jason slowly commented when entered the room.

Leo shrugged. "Just a little of this and that." He picked up one his metal contraptions from his work table and been tinkering with it. "There's not much to do now that the war is over, and you're back at Camp Jupiter."

Jason looked back at him guilty. Now it all made sense. He picked up a metal gear and began turning it over in his hand. "So, how she is?"

"Fine. Keeping busy mostly, the Aphrodite girls are planning something big for the end of the three weeks," Leo answered without looking up from his work.

"That's nice." Jason placed the gear back on the table. "Now, tell me how she really is."

Leo sighed, putting his wretch down. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, man. She was heartbroken when you left."

"I tied to let her down easy," replied Jason.

"You left her for another girl. I think don't think all the pillows in the world could have soften that blow."

Jason didn't like the resentment he heard in Leo's voice. "I had to make a choice. I didn't want to hurt her."

"But you did," Leo added. He turned to face him. "Look, I know Reyna is a great girl, and that you had to make a tough decision, but I just wish that Piper's feelings could have been spared in the progress."

"And so do I," retorted Jason. Leo was the last person Jason expected give him grief over leaving Piper.

Out of nowhere, a loud burping noise filled the room.

"What was that?" Jason asked.

"It's just an alarm. Someone is at the door." Leo calmly replied. He skillfully made his way around his junk mountains to the wall where he pulled down a periscope. "There's a pretty girl at the door. You should probably answer it."

Jason almost asked him 'Who?' but he was really glad he hadn't once he open the door.

"Reyna," he greeted her. "I didn't think would be back so quickly."

"Well, there wasn't much to see." She spoke with nastiness in her voice that Jason usually did every in his power to avoid. He had come to Camp Half-Blood expecting to meet this defensive side of Reyna, but he was hopefully that she would relax in a few days once she assured herself that her camp was by far superior to Camp Half-Blood in every way she deemed important.

"You can let her in" Leo shouted from deep within his hole.

He stepped aside allowing her and her dogs to come inside. While he navigated Reyna through Leo's work place he could sense her disapproval growing. She yelled at him if he left his shoes lying around on the floor. He could only smile and imagine the obscenities flowing through her mind now. Luckily, she held her tongue.

Even Argentum and Aurum disliked this place. They walked closely behind Reyna growling at every large object that crossed their paths. Then again being made out of metal, Leo's bunker with metal parts scattered around the room and an assortment of metal crashing tools probably look like a massacre to them.

"Reyna, may I just say, I am digging the street look," Leo smirked once they entered his work space.

She looked down at her purple shirt and rolled her eyes.

"How was your tour?" Jason asked.

"Fine," she quietly replied.

Now, Jason had spent enough time Reyna to know when she was unhappy. "What's the matter?"

"They put me in with the Mars' kids."

"Well, that makes sense. Doesn't it? Bellona is the goddess of war," stated Jason.

"If you whittle it down to simplistic terms, then yeah sure," mumbled Reyna. "But if you look the overall cultural significance Bellona had her people, it much closely resembles Athena's impact on Athens."

"Careful Reyna, I think you just might have complemented a Greek," joked Leo.

Reyna continued as if she hadn't heard him. "Annabeth is still angry with me. That's the real reason why she wants me in with those oversized gorillas."

"Well, leading an army against one's home typically does that to a person," commented Jason.

"I haven't shared a room with another person since I became praetor. I bet they all snore, they can't even mange to breathe out of their noses while they're awake."

"Then this will be a humbling experience for you."

"Jason, if I wanted to relive my first year at Camp Jupiter I would have just gone back in time."

"TARDIS!" Leo shouted then quickly began writing on the back of a leftover piece of paper. "Why haven't I thought about that before?"

Jason looked back at Reyna. "At least you get a real bed to sleep on. I have the floor. Camp Half-Blood' accommodations aren't part of the highlights of the camp, but there are so many other things I know you will enjoy."

Reyna gentle patted Aurum's head. "Annabeth still doesn't like me.

"I don't think so," replied Jason. "The war was a year ago. I know you have never gotten along with Annabeth, but I don't see anything reason why she would hold a grudge against you."

"Except the fact that she flirted with Percy," added Leo without looking up from his paper.

"What?" Jason exclaimed.

Leo looked up at him. "You didn't know?"

Jason stared back speechless at them both.

"Is that the nasty rumoring she is spreading about me? Well, it's not true. I just convinced him to take up praetorianship to keep it away from Octavian's greedy little kids." Reyna kept her face stoic as she talked, which is why Jason knew she was hiding something.

"You don't flirt," he stated.

"No', I don't," she calmly replied. She turned away from him and began scanning the documents Leo had hung on the wall.

From his work table, Leo gave him a guilty look but Jason wasn't mad at him for divulging Reyna' secret, though she might be. He was much more in shock. He had never known Reyna to show interest in anyone but himself.

"The power source of Camp Half-Blood is electricity?" Reyna asked Leo.

"Umm…yes. It runs underground. I think Olympus gets fitted with the bill," he joked.

"And there is no backup? What happens when the power fails?"

"It doesn't. There has never been a blackout, not one that I have heard of. But Camp Jupiter has its own power source, doesn't it?"

"Yes, Camp Jupiter and New Rome are fully self-efficient," Reyna answered. She continued to flip through Leo's building plans. "Some of these are quite good."

"Thanks." Leo smiled. "Reyna, I didn't know you had an interesting in machines."

"I'm a Praetor of Rome. I have to understand all of the aspects that make up my city."

"I guess Jason skipped that requirement," joked Leo.

"I know enough," Jason grumbled.

"To get by," Reyna finished for him. She returned to her studying.

As Jason watched her, he began to grow uncomfortable with the level of intensity she put into educating herself with Camp Half-Blood future plans for development.

"Come on Reyna. I'll−"

But Leo waved him down. "Let the lady look," he interrupted.

After a while, Reyna said, "You are quite the innovated thinker, Leo. Camp Half-Blood should be proud to have you."

"Oh, stop it you are making me blush."

"Although the methods you approach a problem with are quite unorthodox," she continued.

"What can I say? I'm an outer-the-boxer."

"This one is drawn in crayon."

Leo just shrugged.

"Alright, that's enough. It's almost dinner time, we should go up," Jason mumbled. "We'll see you later Leo."

Reyna glared back at him, but marched out of Leo's bunker anyways with Argentum and Aurum close behind her.

Jason nodded back at Leo and followed her out. She was already several feet in front of him by the time he exited Leo's bunker. He ran to catch up with her.

"Don't you ever order me around again," she coldly stated once he joined her.

"I didn't," he snapped back. "You crossed the line first."

She stopped in her tracks. "Now, what are you mad at me for?"

"You know what," Jason growled back at her. "Camp Half-Blood power source?"

"I was just doing what the senate asked me to do."

"Well, you don't have to do it so well."

"I'm sorry that mediocrity isn't a part of my vocabulary."

"We were sent to Camp Half-Blood to unite the Greeks and Romans together."

"No, we were sent to gather information, and to determine the risks and benefits of befriending Camp Half-Blood. Don't look at me like that. You were standing right next to me when the senate declared it."

"There're no risks in befriending Camp Half-Blood," Jason stated.

"You can't know that for sure. There're your friends now, but five years from now, ten years from now, someday there will be new leaders of our camps and we can't predict what they will do. We must protect our home."

Jason shook his head. "We wouldn't have to worry about the future if we unite our camps now."

"Jason, you know that is never going to happen. We're too different." Reyna stared back at him.

"You didn't have to take advantage of Leo."

"How did I take advantage of him? I barely asked. He was the one who invited to look." She sighed. "This isn't about Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter. You're still mad at me about that Percy thing Leo brought up."

"No, I'm not," he huffed. People were always comparing him to Percy Jackson, but he never assumed Reyna was part of them.

"I told you it meant nothing. Why don't you trust me?"

"Why don't you trust me?" Jason repeated back at her.

Reyna glared back at him. "Do you have any idea how hypocritical you sound accusing me of loving another person?"

It took a minute for him to make the connection. "That's different. Piper is−"

"As Percy is to me," she interrupted. They stood there staring at each other. "I don't want to argue anymore. Let's just go to dinner."

Jason nodded and followed quietly beside her. Their trip to Camp Half-Blood was turning out nowhere near how he expected it too. In fact, it seemed to open up a huge can of worms that Jason never wanted open.

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