Yo :D Happy Friday! As promised, I've got another update. Sort of short, still rolling through this middle bit.

Enjoy!

The words came with a new kind of sadness / That meant everything
You mean everything to me

Reyna's morning alarm was almost always set for 7:00 AM. It was more out of personal habit than any actual urgency; there were usually more than enough hours in the day during which to complete her daily responsibilities. Moreover, she just hated the idea of wasting half the day in bed and preferred that any free time she find be later in the evening. In fact, her body had grown so used to the routine that oftentimes she would wake up a few minutes before the alarm was set to go off, giving her a little time to get her bearings before rising for the day.

So naturally, when she woke one morning a few days after replying to Jason's wedding invite and glanced at the clock on her nightstand, expecting it to show somewhere around 6:50, she nearly had a heart attack when the blue numbers shining dimly on her face read 11:46 AM.

Reyna immediately jolted upward and reached for the clock to make sure it hadn't been reset somehow, but from what she could tell it seemed to be in perfect working order. 11:46 it was. For possibly the first time, she began to regret the fact that there were no windows in her room—the sunlight streaming in would surely have woken her sooner. With a frustrated sigh she sat up and closed her eyes, forcibly calming her head and trying to call to mind what she had planned for the day. After a few seconds, her body relaxed when she remembered the date—it was January 19th, her twenty-second birthday. Everyone she knew had insisted she take the entire day off, and she'd begrudgingly been forced to agree. She'd tried to set her alarm last night anyway, just to keep her schedule solid, but Leo wouldn't let her.

Stretching her arms, Reyna glanced to her right, only to find her queen-sized bed empty save for her. Of course it is, she reminded herself. It's almost noon. Just because I have the day off doesn't mean everyone does. Without turning on the light, she climbed out of bed and pulled on a thin, cotton bathrobe to cover her otherwise unclothed body (noting briefly how odd it felt to have no reason to rush). She grabbed a hair tie from her nightstand before leaving the room and pulled her long hair over her shoulder, weaving it into an untidy braid as she slipped through the bedroom door and into the living room of her small apartment at the east end of the principia.

"Morning, sunshine."

Reyna jumped rather violently at the sudden voice, momentarily losing her progress on her braid. She froze and looked around, but relaxed when her eyes landed on Leo, who was leaning sideways against the kitchen doorway with a slice of leftover pizza in his hand, wearing only his boxer shorts, a beaded rope necklace, and an amused grin.

"Shut up," she told him flatly before he could say anything else. "Why didn't you wake me?"

He took a bite of his pizza, which Reyna assumed must have come from her refrigerator, and replied through a mouthful of what probably constituted as breakfast to him, "Because it's your birthday, you work-a-holic. Come on, be honest—wasn't it nice to sleep in for once? I kind of thought so."

With an admissive sigh, she finished knotting her braid and deftly tied it off. "I guess it was. Though if I'd known you were roaming around like that, I'm not sure I could've rested easy. What were you gonna do if someone stopped by?"

He glanced down at himself. "I'd answer the door and say 'Hey, welcome to Reyna's place. We're sleeping together. What can I do for you?'"

She gave him a pointed look, trying not smile. "You're a dork."

"That's why you like me. There's coffee in the kitchen."

Reyna's eyebrows jumped. "That's also why I like you." Leo chuckled lightly at the response and took another oversized bite of pizza, nudging Reyna's arm with his elbow as she stepped past him into the kitchen. She retrieved a coffee mug from the cupboard and heard him approach her from behind as she filled it, smiling when his arms encircled her waist and he leaned over her shoulder to gently kiss her cheek.

"So… Happy birthday," he said, warm breath tickling her ear.

"Thanks," she responded, placing one of her hands over his. She leaned backward against him and turned her head to catch his next kiss with her lips, setting down her mug to lift her free hand and brush it loosely through his tangled hair. She could taste the flavor of cold marinara with a hint of spice on his mouth, but it wasn't unpleasant. They separated after a few seconds and she glanced up at his eyes, his easy smile giving her a strangely giddy feeling.

As she faced front to take a sip from her mug, Leo released her and took a step back. She barely had time to recognize the tiny bite of disappointment before his hands reappeared at the nape of her neck, carefully pulling back the collar of her robe to bare her upper back and shoulders.

"So what do you want to do today?" he asked, long fingers beginning to gently knead at her skin. She was reminded of the similar situation she and Octavian had found themselves in a few nights ago, but where his touch had only fed the tension in her body, drawing the heat from her blood like a vacuum, Leo's had the polar opposite effect. Reyna sighed into her coffee mug as the tightness in her muscles drained, a familiar warmth leaking into her like liquid sunlight.

She reached for her long braid and pulled it over her shoulder to give him easier access to her back. "Don't you have work to do at the warehouse?"

"We're actually making really good time. It's likely we'll finish ahead of schedule."

Reyna felt her brow furrow. "Really?" She tried to sound interested, ignoring the small twinge of apprehension. She hadn't given much thought to the fact that the building project would eventually come to an end—and with it their visit with the Greek team. Meaning sooner or later, Leo and the others would be going home. Over the past six months, Reyna had grown so used to spending time with the pyrokinetic son of Hephaestus, to having him there to rely on when things with Octavian got too hard and stressful. It was surprisingly disheartening to imagine him leaving for good. Was she really getting that attached?

"Yeah," Leo confirmed in a light tone, not seeming to pick up on her brief moment of doubt. "Should make your boyfriend happy."

Reyna cracked a smile. There was no point dwelling on the future now. She would deal with that when it happened. "A happy Octavian is definitely better than an angry one."

"Aw, I don't know. It's kind of funny to see his skinny, white tail get worked up."

"You might think so now," Reyna warned. "But trust me—you don't want to get on his bad side. Well, not that you're not already on his bad side… Either way, he may not be tough, but he's incredibly resourceful."

Leo breathed out shortly through his nose and Reyna imagined him smirking. "Sure. But he doesn't scare me. I've got a few tricks too."

Her shoulders shuddered as she felt his lips touch her left ear and she muttered with a smirk of her own, "Don't I know it." She was considering dragging him back into her bedroom for a demonstration when a sudden and sharp pain flared at the back of her neck, causing her to hiss and jerk forward.

"What?" Leo said at once, his voice alert as he immediately let go of her. "What's wrong?"

Reyna shook her head as the ache died down, leaving a dull soreness in her throat. "It's nothing," she replied. "Just a bruise." Leo had unknowingly aggravated the mark on the back of her neck—the one Octavian had dug the other night. It would be a while before it would heal, she could tell, and she didn't need word of its cause to get around. The last thing she wanted was for people to think she was weaker than her fellow praetor.

"What happened?" Leo asked, lifting her hair to inspect her neck. She felt him touch the area around the finger-sized bruises and, hopefully not conspicuously quickly, she pulled away and turned to face him.

"I'm not sure," she lied. "I might have slept on it funny, or it could be from training or something. It's not a problem, just a little sore."

"Oh," he replied simply. He didn't ask any further questions, but Reyna could see the thread of uncertainty in his dark eyes as they glanced her over. He didn't completely believe her.

He's been spending too much time around Aurum and Argentum, she thought ruefully. He can smell a lie almost as well as they can.

"Look, I really shouldn't keep you here," she decided in order to break the transparent layer of tension that had begun to thicken the air. "The other builders will wonder where you are. And who knows when someone will come looking for me."

"Alright, alright, I'll go," he agreed, holding up his hands. He pointed a finger at her and went on, "Just promise me—"

"No work today, I know," she interrupted, folding her arms with a shake of her head. "I'll just… sit around, I guess, and…" Huh, she wondered. What am I going to do today? Pushing that aside, she continued, "If you can get away tonight, though…"

"I'll be here," he assured her with a smile. He stepped closer and placed his hands gently on her arms. "Just try to take some time to relax today, Reyna, okay? You deserve it, with everything you have to put up with. We don't want you going nuts or anything. Though, actually, that might be kind of funny, too. Especially if you went all Queen of Hearts on Octavian."

Reyna snorted in amusement. "Can't say I haven't fantasized about taking off his head."

"That all you fantasize about?"

"You show up sometimes, too."

With an airy laugh, Leo leaned down to press his lips to Reyna's, briefly and gently. He backed up and smiled, but before he could draw away from her she closed the distance again, this time coaxing his tongue from his mouth with her own. She wound her arms around his waist, fingernails poking at his skin, and leaned into him, her natural curves molding to fit the shape of his body like puzzle pieces locking into place. His hand touched the side of her face, tilting her head as he responded by kissing her harder, and she felt something inside her flip with excitement. Sure, she couldn't expect him to stay with her all day. But it was her birthday, after all. A little making out before breakfast was totally acceptable, right?

When they separated, breathing considerably faster than they'd been a few minutes ago, Leo leaned his forehead against Reyna's and said in a breathy, distracted voice, "You're really not making me want to leave, you know."

Reyna chuckled, feeling strangely satisfied by the slightly dazed look in his eyes. She planted another quick peck on his lips before gently pushing him backward. "Go get dressed. I'll see you later tonight."

Leo grinned and muttered, "Yeah, yeah," before finally backing out of the kitchen to disappear toward her bedroom.

With a smile, Reyna leaned back against the counter and brought a hand to her lips, which still tingled from the heat of Leo's mouth. That particular contact had not only been enjoyable, but had also served to draw his attention away from her mysterious injury, which was, Reyna had to admit, an added bonus. She wasn't particularly worried by Octavian's hidden threat in their conversation that night, but serious or not it was something she planned to deal with on her own. The small bruises would heal eventually. She would just have to be more mindful of the way her boyfriend touched her from now on.

Though, if I could help it, she thought with a slight shiver, he'd never touch me again at all.

-0-0-0-

The bruises on Reyna's neck did disappear in a few more days, but as they faded she was faced with another problem. The fact that she hadn't called Octavian out on his actions seemed to empower him—where his touch used to be cool and loose it soon became noticeably more forceful. When he held her hand, it was uncomfortably tight, difficult for her to be the one to let go. When his arm encircled her back, his fingers dug roughly against her side, hidden from outside eyes by her cloak or her armor. She refused to let his actions rile her, sure that that was precisely his intention, and let him play his game, thinking he had her under his control. But still, she wasn't afraid of him.

She couldn't afford to be.

When they were alone, things grew more and more dangerous. Free of the pressure of observers, Reyna was less willing to play along, to let Octavian handle her like some sort of possession. She shook him off, avoided his outstretched hands. But ever the strategist, he would always turn it against her.

"I know physical affection isn't your thing," he'd say with a sympathetic look that made her want to slug him in the jaw. "But you should try and open up a bit—at least to me. You don't want people seeing you as cold-hearted, do you?"

Like I'm the cold-hearted one? she wanted to scream. But where Octavian was concerned, Reyna had a certain clairvoyance—she could see what would happen if she allowed him to get a rise out of her. A schism between the two of them would result in a military inquiry—which, she was certain, was exactly what the former augur wanted. He was so confident that he could win over the Senate that he wasn't afraid to push the limits. And if Reyna was honest, she didn't share his confidence in her own favor.

Octavian was smart enough not to be openly antagonistic—never once did he hit Reyna or attack her, armed or unarmed. No, that would give her pretext to fight back. And as both of them knew, she was the better warrior. She could take him down in seconds should it come to actual combat. In that case, an inquiry wouldn't matter, because it ran the risk of Octavian's being injured or even killed. As this was clearly counterproductive to his power plan, he wasn't ready to go quite that far.

She thought more than once of returning his advances with her own subtle expressions of force, but she knew it would be risky—while her skin was dark and adequately camouflaged any tiny bruises that might pop up, Octavian's was milky white and delicate. He undoubtedly bruised easier than she did, and any blemishes would be glaringly obvious by the contrast. That would only give him the perfect opportunity to blame her.

So instead, Reyna dealt with it the only way she knew would work—she remained stoic and strong, not telling anyone and refusing to let it get to her. She knew deep down that before long Leo began to suspect something was going on—he saw her body more closely than anyone else did, after all, so he was the only one to notice the tiny changes. He rarely asked her about it, considering the fact that she brushed the matter off each and every time. Part of her wanted to tell him everything, to vent her frustrations to him because fighting the battle on her own was painful and exhausting. But he didn't deserve that. It was her problem, not his. She was already making his life more difficult with their secret, ongoing affair. She wouldn't add to that by unloading her personal issues on him. Besides, simply spending time with him, away from Octavian, was enough to keep her sane.

In mid March, however, Reyna's anxiety rose when, as Leo had expected, the building project finished early. Octavian was delighted—now a small-scale fleet of aerial warships filled the field south of the warehouse outside the barracks. They were completely identical, down to the last deckboard, and outfitted with more clever tricks than Reyna could remember from her brief tour one afternoon. She was very pleased with the project team's work, but the reminder that completion meant their departure seemed to cut her like a knife. It may have been weak and childish, but she knew she would snap were she made to handle Octavian without the comfortable distraction Leo provided her. It would only be a matter of time before she lashed out at her fellow praetor, did something she'd later regret.

And farther beneath that was something else—an unfamiliar feeling Reyna was dimly aware of. It was like the ache she'd felt when she'd learned of Jason's plans to move away, but somehow different. Stronger. She would miss Leo when he left, and part of it had nothing to do with Octavian.

So one morning when she was discussing maintenance and storage with some members of the building team, and they told her how they'd built docking on Long Island Sound for their ships back home, she got an idea. What if the project were extended to include the construction of land docking for the fleet? The building team would have to stay, even if only for a little while longer. Maybe it could give her time to better prepare—to devise a backup way to deal with her partnership with Octavian.

She called a Senate meeting without further pretext, and to her relief the motion was marginally approved. The Greek team was staying. It would only be another two months or so, according to Leo's guesstimate, but Reyna forced herself to believe that that would be enough.

Still, that didn't stop her from dragging Leo to her apartment as soon as the meeting was over, on the pretext of automaton maintenance. It was selfish, Reyna knew, but she needed it. She wanted to make use of the time she had left, to memorize what it felt like to be with him so that she could remember it when she was alone.

"Guess you're not getting rid of me so easily," Leo observed in a humored tone a while later as they lay together in bed, stalling until the time when they'd both have to get back to work.

Reyna didn't respond, only pressed her cheek to his chest and listened to the rhythmic sound of his racing heartbeat, thinking that getting rid of him was turning out to be one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do.

"I believe there are monsters born in the world to human parents."
—John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Hey, look, it's the scene from Snare ;) haha.

Anyway, next chapter should be less narrative and more real-time. The next few take place in New York for the wedding, which will be fun, since it means I get to add in more of the series characters. Hopefully I can get it up next week.

Later days, everybody!

-oMM