A/N: The fifth chapter and I have to say, one of the hardest chapter I have typed thus far. Like always I want to apologize for any grammar/Spelling errors.
And for those under us who tend to forget, I do not and I repeat do not own Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus. I do own the plot and the OC's though, so it may seem like nothing, but I am proud.
I wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed, read, favorite and alerted this story.
To Guest and Kushina-Reyna; I wanted to thank you for your review and pointing out that you both felt like Reyna was OOC, and I apologize for that. But I am asking you to just bear with it for a few more chapters.
Reyna has lost all her memories about training with Lupa and Camp Jupiter, and thus misses all she had experienced and her training to be the perfect Roman. Although Reyna seems to lack the Roman demeanor it is still there and buried deep within her, which is why I had emphasized that she seems both gentler and colder at the same time.
I believe that our memories and life experiences shape us and without them, we will become someone else entirely.
Does that even make sense? I hope the both of you understand why I portrayed Reyna like that, and will not be put off.
To The inked Pen; I wanted to thank you for your review and also thank you for pointing out that I was being somewhat to hard on Piper, I didn't really notice until you told you me.
I will do my best to keep her both in character and not to let any of my personal opinions seep in my writing.
To Miwokgirl; I am glad to you agreed with my choice on Annabeth as the diplomat, I tried to be as true to Annabeth character as I possibly could get in a situation like that and I am glad I managed to pull it off.
To Livie; Thank you for the review, I am glad that you think I manage to keep Annabeth and that you loved the last chapter.
To Nice, Reviewer and wolfguardian; I wanted to thank you all for the review, I am glad you enjoyed the chapter.
Jason sighed leaning back against the bars of his cage, he didn't know how many minutes had passed since Annabeth had left to meet the Amazon Queen.
He only knew that this waiting was nerve wrecking, he knew that the blond Daughter of Athena could take care of herself and if there was anyone who could convince the Queen to assist them, it would be Annabeth.
But it didn't make the waiting any easier and if he thought that they were having it hard, the Son of Poseidon was having it harder.
Percy had this firm believe that he was responsible for everyone else, the young man always became uncomfortable if he wasn't there to help or do something.
If Percy could have his way, he would be always on guard, he would always enter a place first. It had to be him that stayed behind and allow the others to escape.
So one could imagine how he would be feeling right now, knowing that his girlfriend was facing someone that had previously closed her borders from any Demigod hailing from either camp.
Someone who could be a potential enemy.
It wasn't that Percy didn't believe in his friend strengths, it was more that he felt like he had to be there in case something went wrong.
Jason pulled his left leg up and wrapped his arm around it, his blue eyes shifting their gaze towards the top of his cage.
People tended to say that the two of them were so similar and there were times Jason would agree with that.
Both were sons of very powerful Gods and both of them were leaders -whether they liked it or not. They both felt responsible for everyone else, they could and would risk their live to safe a loved one.
They possessed the same strong sense of justice and both possessed the same fairness. But that was it, that was as far as their similarities went, they did not share the same doubts and fears and usually tended to pull each other out of a depression because they had different worries.
But there were other times that he would say that Percy was Reyna's counterpart, they were both exceptionally loyal and possessed a near limitless amount of selflessness.
They even shared the same Fatal flaw but each representing different aspects of it, one could sacrifice the world for a friend the other could sacrifice a friend for the world.
And he honestly didn't know which one was worse...Was it better to know that you doomed the world for just one person? Or was it better to know that you doomed someone you knew for complete strangers.
It was true what they said that the Fatal Flaws which had the best motives, where the most dangerous ones.
Both Percy and Reyna possessed deadly Fatal Flaws...Fatal Flaws that could and would be able to kill them.
Wasn't it Reyna's Fatal Flaw that killed her? It was her selflessness, it was her absolute loyalty to everyone around her-even those she did not know- that had forced her to make those choices.
She had willingly sacrificed her life for the world...She had sacrificed her life protecting a Camp she had no emotional ties with, simply because that was the right thing to do.
She had died with the thought that he had betrayed her trust. She had died with the knowledge that Circe had been right. She had told him that she was glad and that she was grateful for those eight months.
That she should thank Juno and Venus for dodging a potential deadly bullet...He had asked what she meant with that, what Venus had to do with anything...Juno he understood, it had been her idea to switch the two camp leaders.
But Venus?
He sighed again closing his eyes hating the direction his thoughts were going...He finally understood why Percy disliked the Gods so much, they seemed to enjoy toying with their lives.
It seemed like the Gods took pleasure from destroying everything they had build. He was a prime example of that, he had no say in his life...It was Juno that decided everything for him.
He could totally see why Annabeth and his sister hated the Goddess. His patron had ruined his life and did she apologize?
No...Because what she had done, it had been in the best interest of the whole world. She had forced him in a position he had no desire being in.
He was Roman and he had not acted as one...He had left Reyna all alone...He had left her to deal with the chaos they had caused.
He should have stayed...He should have done something other than trying to convince everyone he was on their side.
Maybe if he had stayed...Octavian wouldn't have been able to rally the Romans up, like he did. If he had stayed and had helped Reyna with calming the Roman down, she wouldn't have been forced to give permission to attack Camp Half Blood.
If she hadn't done that...If Reyna had never left her post in Camp Jupiter...If she had stayed back in San Francisco...She would have been still alive.
Jason mentally shook his head forcing himself to stop thinking about her and the what ifs...He had almost lost it when he found out that she had died.
He had lived in denial for almost three months, convincing himself and anyone that wanted to listen that she wasn't dead.
That she could not be dead...Not like that...That she would not go down, not without a fight.
He had denied it when Bellona had decided to inform him of her daughters fate. He had denied it when he had received the Iris message confirming what the Goddess had said.
He had denied when he returned to Camp Half Blood and when Dakota and Bobby had tried to convince him it was the truth, that they had seen it with their own eyes.
He had denied her death even when Camp Jupiter had been taking care of her funeral...He had denied it when they had put that empty casket in the ground.
He had denied it when he had stepped down as a praetor and he had even denied it when they chosen two new Praetors.
It was only after he had drowned himself self pity and was nearly tempted to just end it all, if it would only to make the pain stop, that he had snapped out of it.
The Reyna he had known...The girl that had become his best friend and his most trusted Partner would have been disappointed in him.
If it had been Reyna in his shoes. If it had been Reyna who had survived. If Reyna had managed to outlive him, she would have continued to go on. She would try to live fully in the name of all those that had fallen.
She would have continued to live and she would have made the best of it, she would try to live his share of life.
Which once again proved to him, that she was and always would be the strongest of the two. She had always made him want to become stronger.
He had informed the Senate and his friends that he was leaving. That he had served long enough and that he wished to retire. To leave the Camp behind and that he didn't even want to stay in New Rome.
She would be everywhere. He would have to pass her favorite spots, visit her favorite shops and be constantly reminded of his loss.
So he had decided that it would be better to stay in Camp Half Blood. It was the only place he could think of, the only place he would be able to stay without being constantly reminded of her.
Ironically it was also the place she had died.
Why he had chosen make himself suffer so much, he did not know. There was seriously something wrong with him, it seemed like he enjoyed the pain that came with visiting and even living in the place she had died.
Releasing a mental chuckle Jason sighed, wasn't that the whole reason why he had chosen to stay there in the first place? In a way he felt like he was deserving of this pain. That it was nothing compared to what she had to go through.
There was a difference of course. It was a whole lot more painful to know that a loved one left you on their own choice. It was worse knowing that they left you because that is what they wanted.
Wasn't that what Reyna had thought? That he had left her behind, because that was what he had truly wanted?
Reyna was gone...Reyna had left him yes...But it was not by her own choice, and that hurt or more it should hurt less.
It had taken him a very long time to admit that she was really death...To scold himself for being delusional and believing that just because they had never found her body that she was still alive somewhere.
He hated to admit it but there was a part of him...A small part of him that still refused to believe that she was dead, refused to accept her death and move on.
Maybe Annabeth was right and it was his way to deal with the pain, if he could just ignore the fact that she was dead...Maybe just maybe he could remember her without all the pain that usually came with it.
The sound of footsteps pulled Jason out of his depressing thoughts, opening his eyes he shifted his gaze towards the catwalk spotting the brown haired woman walking towards them.
"Lieutenant Zinah?" The brunette greeted the dark haired Amazon pulling her attention from her Magazine and on the approaching woman.
"What brings you here?" Zinah asked her fellow Amazon as she closed the Magazine and tilted her head. "Is there something you wanted?"
"I am here to escort the Prisoners to one of our lodgings." The brunette replied flinching when the dark haired woman's eyes flashed in anger and narrowed suspiciously. "Under whose orders?"
"The Queen...They are to be escorted to one of the Lodgings." The brown haired woman replied answering the lieutenant's question. "The Queen didn't give me any details...She just handed me the order."
Zinah sighed running a hand through her black locks. "It is always the same with that woman, she does whatever she desires...She never waits and discusses major decisions with her Council, the least she could do was ask for her lieutenants opinion, right?"
Jason frowned not recognizing the language, it wasn't Latin and it wasn't ancient Greek. So what was it? She had used that ancient sounding language twice now.
Once with the second Commander and now with this woman, was it a language only exclusive to the Amazons? It was possible...It would explain why they seemed to be able to communicate with that language.
He had always known that the Amazons were a mix of both Romans and Greeks, so a common language one that everyone could communicate in without letting others-outsiders- know what you were talking about, made perfectly sense.
The newly revealed lieutenant shifted her gaze towards the four caged Demigods, she moved towards them and Jason could feel himself tense. He had been wary of her, from the minute he had met her.
Now that he knew that she was not just an Amazon but someone with the rank of Lieutenant, the threat about this woman had just risen to new levels.
He did not know anything about how the Amazon system was build. But it didn't really matter, a lieutenant was a high rank in any military system.
"It seems you are in luck, you just got recently promoted from mere prisoners to simple guests." Zinah said as she approached them.
It took them a few second to process the new piece of information, but when they realized just what it was she said and what it meant, the group of friends couldn't help but smile and thank Annabeth for a job well done.
"Ah, but it does not mean you are out the clear, though." Zinah replied successfully bursting their bubble. "You are guests, yes. But that does not mean, we won't kill you if you try anything."
"We won't do anything that would endanger everyone we know." Jason replied drawing the lieutenant's attention. "So you don't have to worry about that."
"Yeah, that is what you have been constantly preaching. I just have a hard time believing it." Zinah said, her brown eyes narrowed dangerously. "I have no choice but do as my Queen has ordered, but remember, I will be keeping an eye on you all."
"That sounds fair enough." Jason replied hoping that the dark haired woman would just give them the benefit of the doubt, she seemed to be thinking about it though and it was only after a few more moments that she finally decided to open their cages. "Thank you."
"Were is Annabeth?" Percy asked facing the brown haired woman standing a few feet away. "Do you know, where she is?"
"Annabeth?" The brunette asked a frown appearing on her face and facing Zinah."I do not know an Annabeth."
"It is probably the name of the woman who went to see the Queen." Zinah answered the brunettes unspoken Question, her brown eyes faced Percy. "You will be able to meet your friend at your temporary residence."
"Temporary residence?" Leo asked stretching his arms looking quite happy to be finally out of that small space. "How long are we going to stay there?"
Zinah tilted an eyebrow looking quite annoyed as she faced the Latino Demigod. "How should I know? In case you have forgotten, I have spend most of my time right here, guarding you all."
Leo grinned in apology. "Ah...I forgot about that little fact." He lifted his hands in surrender when she narrowed her eyes. "I am sorry?"
"But do you know, why your Queen would make that decision?" Percy asked following the dark haired woman across the catwalk. "What good will it do, to relocate us to one of your lodgings?"
Zinah sighed not bothering to face the Son of Poseidon. "You should ask that to your friend, I was here and I have no idea what she is thinking...No one ever does."
Despite that last sentence Jason could see that the Lieutenant trusted her Queen and by the looks of the brunette she was thinking the same, they would do whatever it was their Queen asked them to do.
They didn't seem to care if they didn't know what she was thinking half the time, whoever the woman was that had succeeded Reyna's sister must be one hell of a woman. She had managed to get this much trust from her people in just three years.
Jason sighed forcing himself to keep his head in the game...He could not afford to think about Reyna. It would only hurt and distract him of what was truly important.
The safety of Camp Half Blood.
...
...
How the Amazons had managed to hide so many underground tunnels, dozens of stairs and near endless corridors in a building which only had around the 12 floors Jason did not know.
It had taken them nearly forty minutes just to get to their destination the Amazon Campus, which housed several small buildings that functioned as their housings.
They were placed in one of the smaller buildings and tried to make themselves comfortable, well as comfortable one could get having three Amazons guarding them.
Despite the Amazon Queen's order to treat them as Guests, Zinah had decided to place some guards to keep an eye on them.
Said woman had left them to their own devices as she had other matters to attend, she had given them one final warning as not to try anything or there would be hell to pay.
Jason's eyes followed the movements of the pacing Son of Poseidon whose worry seemed to increase with every turn he made. "Percy? Please will you just sit down? You are giving me headache."
"No one told you to keep an eye on me, turn around and the problem is solved." Percy said continuing his pacing and working on the nerves of the brown haired Amazon leaning against the wall. "Just where is she? We have been here for ages."
"Fifteen minutes." The woman who had introduced herself as Denise said her eyes narrowing as they fixed their gaze on the black haired Demigod. "You have been here for fifteen minutes."
"My point exactly." Percy said turning around to face the brunette who didn't reply to his comment and shifted her gaze back towards the window. "Shouldn't she be here by now?"
Before Denise could say something in return she and everyone else were distracted by the sound of the Second commander's voice handing the Amazons standing in the hallway an order.
Jason shifted his gaze towards the door leading in to the hallway, his blue eyes landed on Annabeth who was leading both Aurum and Argentum in to the room.
A frown appeared on his face, the two Automatons seemed to upset about something and Annabeth herself didn't seem to be doing any better, as she looked very pale.
"Annabeth?" Percy asked making his way towards the Daughter of Athena and pulled her close. "What happened...You look like you have seen a ghost, what happened?"
The blond woman closed her eyes her face twisting in pain, she forced a smile on her face. "I am fine...A little shaken up, but I am fine."
Jason frown deepened wondering what could have happened to force the councilor of Cabin six to admit a weakness. "Hey...What is wrong?" Jason asked facing the two metal dogs who didn't do much but release a very sad whine.
"Denise you are excused."
Jason looked up facing the red haired woman stepping in to the living room, her green eyes swept over the room before they rested on the brunette standing near the window.
Denise pushed herself from the wall and gave the red haired woman a polite bow of her head, before she crossed the room and made her way out the house.
It was only after they heard the door close behind Denise that the Second commander decided to speak up. "The Queen has decided to give you all the benefit of the doubt, she will give her official answer later this evening or early tomorrow morning."
"We can't wait that long...We really need an answer now, we can't afford to waste anymore precious time." Piper said standing up frowning in worry her ever changing eyes were fixed on the other Charmspeaker.
"She said she needs to think about it, and I can't blame her." Annabeth said surprising everyone with her comment. "We are asking her to risk the safety of her people and she wants to be certain that helping us, won't be a lost cause."
"But why wait till tomorrow? Why not later this evening then?" Piper asked shifting her gaze towards Annabeth who sighed closing her eyes. "Annabeth? Why not later this evening?"
"She needed to attend other matters and thus has allowed us to stay on their campus, we are allowed to leave whatever her answer may be."
"Okay, I get that we are losing precious time and all that." Percy said his eyes narrowing as they gazed upon the blond woman. "But that does not explain why you are so pale, you look like you have seen a ghost."
Annabeth sighed her grey eyes darted across the room and landed on Jason, causing the blond male to frown. "Why won't you guys sit down? There is something you need to know and one rule we must follow at all costs."
"Annabeth?"
"Just sit down, Percy." Annabeth said stepping away from the man she loved a soft sigh escaping her. "Please? You are not making this any easier."
"You are making it sound like you are breaking it up with him." Leo said from his position on the leather couch. "Alright, alright...Not funny...I am sorry." Leo said lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender when he found himself at the receiving end of two deadly glares.
Jason narrowed his eyes wondering why she was sending him a look of apology, what did she do? What happened when she had met with the Queen? "Annabeth what is wrong? What do you mean, with a rule we must follow at costs?"
Annabeth looked pained she sighed deeply dropping herself on one of the many seats and faced each of her friends before her eyes returned back to Jason. "I met the Amazon Queen...I met the person who succeeded the previous Queen."
Jason had wanted to ask the blond what that had to do with anything, they knew they were going to meet up with the one who followed Reyna's sister. He stopped himself when another question popped up, why did it seem like she was only talking to him?
He shifted his gaze when he noticed that both Aurum and Argentum were still very restless, it looked as if they were preventing themselves from leaping out the room.
"And?" Leo asked sounding impatient and nervous at the same time, the black haired Latino seemed to be feeling the tension in the room to. "What has the Queen to do with, you looking so pale and so shaken up."
"Are you sure you are able to tell them?" The Second Commander of the Amazons asked her green eyes fixed on the blond woman. "I can easily do it for you."
"No...I told you, I will do it. If...If I leave it to you, who knows how you will bring it." Annabeth replied causing her friends to frown in confusion and wonder just what it was they were talking about.
The red haired woman tilted her head looking somewhat insulted. "I am not completely heartless. I only think it is easier not to try to soften the blow. Bad news is best brought directly."
"Am I the only one who is starting to freak out?" Leo asked the nervousness in his voice more prominent. "What bad news? Will someone just tell us, what is going on."
"I am trying...I just don't know, how to bring it." Annabeth snapped becoming annoyed, no one knew if she was annoyed with them or herself. "I am trying...I just don't know how, one brings something like this on the table."
"Why won't you just say it?" Jason asked ignoring the fact that his friend flinched at the sound of his voice. "It is better to just throw it out, it can't be that bad."
She chuckled bitterly surprising the four Demigods with the foreign sound. "Not that bad? Just spit it, out? You sure about that, Jason?"
Why did it feel like this piece of information she had would only effect him? Forcing the feelings of confusion and worry to back of his mind, Jason asked her to just tell them and get it over with.
It would be a decision he would come to regret mere seconds later.
Annabeth took a very deep breath and closed her eyes, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "The Amazon queen's name is Reyna Martinez, Daughter of Bellona and student of Circe."
The silence that followed her announcement was deafening.
Jason could feel the blood drain out of his face and just a for a second, he could feel that his heart had stopped beating.
He would have accused her of lying if the blond hadn't said those words in that specific order. It was the exact same sentence, the exact same sequence of words his partner had used when she had introduced herself for the first time.
"What?" Jason asked his voice sounded strained even to his own ears, his blue eyes fixed their gaze on the blond woman who refused to meet his gaze. "What did you say?"
"I am sorry Jason...It is her...But..." She stopped sounding like she choked on her own words, she opened her eyes her grey eyes looked so sad and were filled with apology. "She doesn't...She didn't recognize me beyond Circe's Island...There is nothing there, everything of her time in Camp Jupiter is gone."
She could have just taken a sword and start cutting his heart out and that wouldn't have hurt as much, as what he was feeling right now.
He opened his mouth to say something...Anything but he found himself speechless. No sound seemed to be able to come out of his mouth, and he couldn't think straight.
His mind was a jumbled mess with different thoughts running through his head, giving him a massive headache.
There was one only sentence seemed to be running on the fore front of his mind, one sentence. The words of the Goddess of War were twisting and turning around his mind, driving him crazy with feelings of anxiety and utter loss.
"It is as I said, my daughter is dead. The girl you once knew is no more, and she will never return." The Goddess of War said, her obsidian eyes fixed on the blond son of Jupiter and his girlfriend. ""This is a fitting punishment, don't you think?"
A/N; Ah finally the fifth chapter and still no meeting with Reyna, I am sorry if the pacing is to slow. But I feel like a story that has so much emotional undertones, should not be rushed by skipping the necessary feelings being addressed.
Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the buildup, and also what you thought about this chapter.
Did you like it? Dislike it? Was it amazing? Was it horrible? Just tell me what you think, as I am always open for new ideas and feedback.
It is hard keeping character in character when they are faced with things, they did not encounter in their canon world. So please do not be shy as to tell me if they are in or out of character.
I hope to see you all in the next chapter, which sadly won't be updated until end august begin September as I will be away for most part of July and August.
I will promise that I will try my utmost best to post the next chapter as soon as possible, I will be taking my laptop so typing it out is no problem.
It may be late but do enjoy your summer holidays, I know I will.