Yikes, kinda late here. But look, over 7,000 words! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Thanks to all reviewers! Enjoy the long update, everybody!

I'll take the first train out of this town
With a glare in my eye / And my pockets full
Ready to die

The next month passed far too quickly.

Reyna had been hoping time would slow a bit, giving her a chance to relax and collect herself before the final end of the building project. But with Jason and Piper's wedding looming in the near future, the days seemed to slide away like they'd suddenly been shortened, and before she knew it the week of the ceremony had arrived. They'd made plans to fly to Camp Half-Blood a few days early, what with Reyna, Leo, Frank, and Hazel's being part of the wedding party, so when Wednesday, April 27th rolled around all the invitees piled into the Argo III (which was easily big and comfortable enough to carry the relatively large group) and set a course for Long Island, New York.

The trip took the greater part of a day, during which Reyna spent more time on deck with Frank and Hazel than inside with Octavian, who, despite his earlier insistence on an aerial fleet, didn't much seem to enjoy flying. Not that she let it show, but Reyna found his discomfort rather amusing. Perhaps his plans for their new warships, whatever they may have been, would be compromised. It was worth hoping for, at least.

Around dusk, the ship began to slow and lower beneath the clouds and inexplicably Reyna started to feel a tiny bubble of nervousness. She was looking forward to seeing her best friend again, but she hadn't visited Camp Half-Blood in almost six years. The culture and general life of the Greek camp were entirely different from what she was used to. She knew she and the other legionnaires would be welcomed with open arms, but that never quite stopped her from feeling like an intruder.

To distract herself, she strode up to the quarterdeck, where Leo and Nyssa were manning the helm. "Are we close?" she asked them.

"Very," Nyssa answered, dark eyes trained on a glowing screen on the ship's control console. "We'll be touching down in the Sound any minute. Then it's only a short sail to the camp docks."

"I'm really looking forward to that party they promised us," Leo said wistfully. He elbowed his half-sister in the arm. "Been a while since we had a good old-fashioned bonfire, huh?" Nyssa nodded with a chuckle and Reyna stayed quiet and looked out at the sky around them, not entirely sharing the sentiment.

Their descent onto the water of Long Island Sound was a little rocky, as was to be expected, but the quick journey to the docks at the forest edge was smooth and easy. The troupe disembarked and regrouped on the beach, and Reyna and Octavian had barely finished rounding everyone up when the thumping sound of approaching hoofbeats announced the arrival of their welcoming party, which, Reyna saw when she turned toward the forest, consisted of the centaur Chiron (activities director of the Greek camp), the Oracle host Rachel, two people Reyna didn't know, and—to the immediate alleviation of her nerves—Jason.

"Guys, you made it!" Jason said with a grin, rushing forward to greet them.

"It wasn't particularly dangerous," Reyna pointed out wryly, though she couldn't help returning his smile.

He shrugged. "I know, it's just… It's good to see you."

Reyna would have been perfectly fine with a welcome handshake, but Jason went ahead and wrapped her in a bear hug the second he was close enough. She only felt awkward for a second before the comfortable feeling of seeing her greatest friend again after almost a year brushed that away.

"Yes, welcome, all of you!" Chiron spoke up as he and the others joined the group on the beach. "And welcome back, our Cabin Nine strangers. I take it things at Camp Jupiter have gone well?"

"Perfectly smoothly," Reyna responded as the people around her dispersed to say hello. "I wanted to thank you for your help last summer in setting this up."

The centaur smiled through his curly brown beard, eyes twinkling as he reached down to shake Reyna's hand. "As always, Reyna, any help we can provide. Now, space is limited here with so many people visiting for the wedding, but I'm certain we have ample housing for you all. If you'll follow us, we'll get your things put away, and then the celebrating can begin."

Most of the Greek team seceded from the group at that point, probably to meet up with friends, so Reyna and Octavian led the rest as Chiron and his tour group showed them where they would be staying for the next few days. Cabins One, Two, Three, Eight, and Thirteen were mostly empty (Reyna still marveled at how Camp Half-Blood divided its members by immortal parentage; it was so uneven that it couldn't have been practical), so the bulk of the Roman invitees were split between them. Reyna ended up in Cabin One with Jason, which was a welcome relief. Even greater was the fact that Octavian was placed somewhere else. She suspected the setup was devised so the two of them could better manage the Roman group, but it was better for her either way. Especially considering the fact that he would be staying in Cabin Three with a larger group of people that included Frank and, interestingly enough, Percy Jackson, who was one of the few people Reyna trusted to never fall for Octavian's mind games. She was aware that her fellow praetor was a tad apprehensive toward the son of Poseidon—after all, Percy had a rather impressive reputation at both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. Maybe Octavian would be a little more cautious than usual. For Reyna, it was a win-win situation.

Once they were settled, Reyna and the others were dragged to the pavilion for a big dinner and celebration. As time passed, the awkwardness wore away and Reyna realized how nice it really was to see her Greek friends again, particularly the ones she'd fought alongside in the culminating battle of the Giant War six years prior. Piper McLean, for example, was all smiles, greeting Reyna with bright eyes and a bone-breaking hug. Reyna expected her to be nervous and on edge—after all, she was getting married in three days' time. But the only emotion she seemed to exhibit toward talk of the wedding was excitement.

Jason, on the other hand, seemed nervous enough for the both of them. He didn't talk much when the subject was broached, and Reyna swore his skin took on a pale, greenish hue as the night wore on. She noticed, though, that when Piper sat beside him and held his hand or tugged at his shirt or played with his hair, he relaxed bit by bit. It made Reyna smile to watch; the two of them really were good for each other.

The person Reyna most enjoyed catching up with, aside from Jason, was Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena with whom Reyna had always gotten along quite well. Nowadays, Annabeth lived with Percy, her long-time boyfriend, in an apartment in Queens, though both of them had been staying at camp lately to firm up wedding plans (Annabeth was Piper's maid of honor, and so was very involved in the entire process).

"Oh, that reminds me," Annabeth interrupted their conversation a while after dinner when a bunch of them sat around a huge bonfire at the amphitheater. "We have dress fittings tomorrow at eleven—you, me, Piper, Hazel, and Thalia. The place isn't far, but we should leave by nine-thirty 'cause I want to be there a little early. Just in case, you know."

"Okay," Reyna replied, caught a little off guard. It hadn't fully sunken in yet that she was part of the wedding party, but now that it was starting to she realized she had no idea what sort of tasks she would be expected to undertake. She couldn't remember ever having even attended a wedding before in her life.

"Don't worry," Annabeth assured her as though reading her mind. Her gray eyes sparkled kindly in the firelight as a small smile stretched her lips. "I've got everything under control. Just do what I tell you to and you'll be fine."

Reyna smirked, nostalgically sensing a kindred spirit in the daughter of Athena. "Good to know you haven't changed much over the past few years."

Annabeth shrugged, brushing her long tangle of curly, blonde hair over her shoulder as her smile grew. "What can I say? I like to have a plan. Anyway, almost everything's taken care of already. All you should have to remember is dress fitting tomorrow, rehearsal Friday, and then Saturday's the big day. It'll go quickly and smoothly." She cocked her head and leaned a hand on the bench beside her. "Well, long as we don't attract any curious monsters, of course."

"Yeah, I don't imagine fighting in a dress would be easy," Reyna agreed.

"It's not so bad," Annabeth replied, waving an arm. When Reyna quirked an inquisitive eyebrow she explained with a rueful smile, "After my graduation ceremony last year, a bunch of us went out, still dressed up, and a group of empousai dropped in on us before dessert. Not too surprising, really, considering the size of our party—which included two Big Three demigods, and you know how easily they attract monsters. Especially those two. I swear, you can't take Percy and Nico anywhere without expecting a fight. So long story short, we freaked out a ton of mortals, got banned from the restaurant chain, and I had to slice off the bottom three feet of my dress because one empousa kept yanking on it, swearing it'd look better on her." Her eyes suddenly became distant as a frown straightened her mouth. "I hope we don't end up having to ruin the bridesmaid dresses… Or, gods forbid, Piper's dress. Pretty sure Aphrodite would kill me. She funded the entire wedding with Olympian gold, you know."

Reyna felt her eyebrows jump. "Really? Wow."

"Yeah. Spared no expense, either. Trust me, you'll be impressed."

Reyna chuckled, shaking her head in mild disbelief. Before she first came into contact with Camp Half-Blood, she'd only been familiar with the gods in their Roman personas—militant and cool, unapproachable and, for the most part, demanding of respect. But in Greek form, she'd since learned, not all of them were like that. A few seemed much more active in the lives of their children, less like untouchable ideals and more like distant parental figures. The concept was still strange to Reyna. If she ever got married, she couldn't imagine her own mother would involve herself at all, let alone pay for the whole affair.

"It's not… too lavish, is it?" she asked with a touch of apprehension. She'd never been one for high-class occasions, and a party thrown by the goddess of love and beauty seemed to fall directly into the top tier of that category.

"I wouldn't worry," Annabeth insisted. "Oh, the place will be fancy, alright. But the atmosphere? You know Piper. Rich she may be but classy she isn't." Both of them shared a laugh as they glanced across the amphitheater at the bride-to-be, who was lounged across a bench with her head in her fiancé's lap, tossing kernels of popcorn at the heads of the people in front of her and pretending not to notice when they turned to find the culprit.

Annabeth bid Reyna goodnight shortly after that, stating that she'd had far too many late nights recently due to wedding planning and wanted a full night's sleep before the next day. Reyna considered following suit, but hadn't yet made up her mind when Annabeth's seat was taken again within minutes by Jason, whose fiancée was now engaged in an all-out popcorn war.

"Hey," he said with a friendly smile, sitting a comfortable distance away from Reyna—not too close, not too far. The way he knew she preferred. "Having fun?"

"Honestly?" Reyna lifted her hands and leaned forward, allowing her posture to droop a little. "It's strange, not having any work hanging over my shoulder. I sort of don't know what to do with myself."

Jason chuckled. "Well, enjoy that while you can, 'cause I'm sure Annabeth will have you helping out with last-minute chores in no time. She's been dragging Percy everywhere—picking up the centerpieces, ordering the flower arrangements, visiting the hotel on a daily basis to make changes to the menu—all month he's been complaining about it, saying he couldn't wait for you guys to get here. Undoubtedly so Annabeth has someone else to boss around. I actually saw her snag Leo within minutes of you guys' arrival."

Reyna laughed and shook her head, realizing that, come to think of it, she hadn't seen Leo since they'd gotten off the ship. He must have had a lot to do.

As Jason chuckled and glanced absently toward the bonfire burning at the base of the theater, Reyna watched him from the side and allowed herself a comfortable smile. Outwardly, he seemed a little different from when she'd last seen him many months ago; his hair was longer and more highlighted, and he'd allowed a trim bit of stubble to grow in on his chin, making him look older than his twenty-one years. His posture was more relaxed than it used to be, which Reyna attributed to the fact that he was no longer in charge of a legion of over 200 warriors. Inside, though, she could tell already that he was the same Jason Grace she'd known for years—in fact, if anything, he seemed to be happier.

Well, naturally, she thought to herself. He's getting married in a few days. Who wouldn't be happy?

"So, speaking of personal time…" Jason broke the silence after a short minute. He glanced around them, his expression growing serious, and Reyna felt her muscles tense involuntarily. Why did he seem apprehensive all of a sudden? When he met her eyes again, she couldn't quite read his face. "I wanted to ask you. I heard you and Octavian are… you know, dating. I didn't believe it at first, but, well… I figured I'd ask anyway. It's not true, is it?"

Reyna sighed, which probably answered the question for her. She'd had a feeling that would come up eventually. "Actually, it is true," she admitted dully.

Jason's expression immediately tightened in a blend of a frown and a grimace. "What?" he said in a sort of high-pitched whisper. "But… He's… I mean, you… Why? For how long?"

"Almost a year," she answered first. "Since right after he became praetor."

"A year?" he repeated, mouth dropping open. "Why didn't you…?"

He trailed off and shook his head. It was a little funny, Reyna had to admit, to see the son of Jupiter so at a loss. But any small amusement vanished when his last question completed itself in her mind and she registered the mild hurt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she insisted, angling herself toward him on the bench. "But… I guess, to me, there wasn't really anything to tell." Lowering her voice a bit, she explained, "It's not exactly… real, this thing between me and him. Just a game. It makes it look like we're working together. There's no real spark or anything, but neither of us can break it off because it'd jeopardize our position, we both know that. We're kind of… stuck together. That's all it is."

For a second, Jason looked relieved. It was no secret that he'd never especially liked Octavian, so the news had probably freaked him out a little. Then Reyna's story seemed to sink in, though, and he made a face in distaste. "That's ridiculous. You shouldn't have to do that."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, really," Reyna told him, doing her best to sound off-handed to allay any worry he might have.

"I don't care. He's always been a jerk, and we've dealt with it before. But keeping you trapped like that? How is that okay?"

"I'm not…" She didn't bother finishing that sentence with a lie. 'Trapped' was actually the perfect word for her situation.

"Where is he?" Jason glanced around the amphitheater and actually started to rise from the bench. "I'm not gonna—"

"Oh, come on, let it go," Reyna argued in a tired tone, reaching out to grab his arm and push him back into his seat. "You live here now, remember? You shouldn't get involved."

He glared at her. "But I'm your—"

"Friend, I know. But I'm telling you I have it under control. You know me, right? I'm not gonna give him the upper hand. I'm fine, I promise." When Jason continued to look skeptical, Reyna added pointedly, "Besides, don't you have enough to worry about right now, Mr. Wedding-in-Three-Days?"

He winced as though she'd poked him with a sharp object. "Got that right," he admitted. "Still… If you ever need any help—I mean, I know we live kind of far apart and all, but just… I don't ever want you to think I'm not there for you, okay?"

Reyna couldn't help a comfortable smile. "I know. Thanks."

"Well," Jason said with a grin, "guess I'd better go check on Piper—make sure she doesn't hurt those Apollo kids. She's got a pretty strong arm, even when it's only popcorn." He shook his head as Reyna chuckled in amusement. Patting a hand against her knee with a friendly smile, he stood up and made his way back down the stands, leaving her alone.

This time Reyna didn't stay long to see if anyone else wanted to engage in a heart-to-heart. Instead of following Jason, however, she turned in the opposite direction and climbed the stands toward the theater exit, still smiling to herself. She'd never had a lot of close friends in her life, people she could really talk to and count on. She trusted most of the legion and enjoyed plenty of people's company, but the number of people she felt truly comfortable with was impressively small. With Jason, she hadn't even needed to think twice about confessing the truth behind her relationship with Octavian. Reyna didn't often realize it, but it felt good to have someone to confide in. It even felt good to see him get so defensive on her behalf. If she'd let him, she knew Jason would've confronted Octavian then and there, and while she wanted to avoid that for political reasons the simple possibility still made her glad. It was good to have even one devoted friend.

"Hey, Reyna!"

Reyna blinked and looked up, halting her trek across the grass to see Leo jogging toward her. She felt herself smile again as she thought, That's right… I do have another close friend. There was one more person, after all, who knew about her struggle with her fellow praetor, one more person with whom she felt close enough to share her real thoughts and problems.

She shook her head, clearing her expression. That probably wasn't quite what said friend wanted to talk about.

"Hey," she said simply as he approached her. "Busy night?"

Leo grimaced. "You have no idea. Remind me not to agree to be anybody's best man ever again. You doing anything right now?"

Reyna glanced over his head in the direction of the cabins. "Not really, I was just headed off to bed. I think Jason would notice if I don't ever show up, though, so—"

"No, I know," Leo interrupted. "I just want to show you something. It won't take too long. Got some time to spare?"

Reyna lifted a shoulder. "Sure, I guess. What are we—?"

"Great, follow me." With a grin, Leo waved an arm and took off at a mild pace down the hill toward the edge of the forest. Rolling her eyes, Reyna started after him. She knew that he had a tendency to lose sensitivity when he was excited; sometimes he assumed those around him knew exactly what he was talking about when in fact it was usually the opposite. She'd learned to just smile and nod, rather than ask questions.

"So how's it feel being back home after almost a year?" she asked him instead as she caught up to him and slowed her pace.

"Mixed bag," he replied. "On the one hand, I did totally miss this place, and it's awesome to see everybody again. But on the other, I gotta admit I'd rather be building warships than handling wedding prep, if you can imagine."

Reyna gave a wry smirk in sympathy. "At least both of those are only temporary projects."

"True point. I kind of can't wait until it's all over and I can get back to my usual do-mostly-nothing routine."

Reyna shook her head, feeling her smile twitch as a pinprick of hurt poked at her chest. A routine that I'm not part of… a tiny voice in her head pointed out. She was certain that Leo meant nothing of the sort by the simple comment, but already each passing day brought her closer to the time when he'd be back in New York for good and she'd be stuck with Octavian, without Leo or Jason to cheer her up. She didn't want another reminder.

As they ducked into the dark woods, Leo summoned an orb of flickering fire around his hand to light their path. Fishing for a change of subject, Reyna said teasingly, "You're not gonna catch the whole forest on fire, are you?"

He shot her a sideways glance. "Why, you afraid of a little heat?" He reached up and almost touched a low-hanging branch as they passed under it and Reyna actually flinched.

"Afraid of a little burning death, yes," she replied.

Leo only laughed. "Don't worry, it's safe," he promised. "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you."

It was interesting for Reyna to realize that she did know it—somehow, without her noticing it, Leo had become one of the people around whom she felt safest. Not that the two of them had ever been in a particularly dangerous situation before (well, unless you counted sneaking around behind Octavian's back), but she had the sudden impression that she could face just about anything if he was there.

That thought ignited a small flutter of unease within her. She hadn't felt that secure around Jason until years into their partnership, and he'd always been her closest friend. How was her guard suddenly laid low so much more quickly? What was wrong with her? Had she changed that much over the years?

Pressing a hand against her right temple to try and alleviate the headache that was blooming in her skull, Reyna breathed out shortly and forcibly calmed her mind. She needed to stop thinking so critically, or it was likely to drive her insane before the long weekend was over.

Soon the trees opened and they came to a small clearing at the base of a harsh, vertical rock cliff that stretched stories into the air. Reyna slowed to see which direction Leo turned, but to her surprise he walked right up to the cliff face and flattened his still-flaming hand against the stone. Before she could ask what he was doing, lines of fire shot across the surface from the contact, spider-webbing outward to form a huge, glowing rectangle.

"Stand back," he told her over his shoulder, and both of them cleared the way as the massive stone slab swung slowly and quietly outward like a door. Leo walked inside without a hint of hesitation and Reyna followed behind him.

"This is Bunker Nine," she concluded upon entering the cavern inside the cliff, recalling the stories Leo had told her. Her voice echoed off the high walls and the crisscrossing metal catwalks high above her head as her eyes swept her surroundings, barely able to take in all the mechanical equipment lining the room—mostly the likes of which she had never seen before.

"Yup," Leo confirmed, spreading his arms with a grin as he walked backward into the wide, open center of the room. "Welcome to my evil lair. As much as I'd love to give you a full tour, for now we're just gonna skip to the best part. Come on." He started across the room toward a towering, metal garage door that could easily fit an average 747. Reyna mentally prepared herself to appear impressed with whatever complicated technical project he planned to show her as he pulled a heavy lever and the metal door began to slide upward. She did feel a little bad about her mild pessimism—judging by the look on Leo's face, he was practically ecstatic.

When the door had risen enough, he turned to smile excitedly at Reyna. "Say hello to my little friend," he joked as he led the way around the corner and switched on the industrial lights beyond.

Reyna chuckled lightly, but her laughter died in her throat as she stepped into the hangar and realized that that was possibly the most understated use of the term 'little friend' that had ever been. There was no question as to what Leo was referring to; the hangar was empty save for the main attraction—a full-sized, sixty-foot mechanical dragon curled up on a massive pile of upholstered cushions in the center of the floor.

As the lights above flickered to life, a resounding creak filled the hangar as the dragon began to shift sleepily. It stretched its bronze-plated legs, swept its spiked tail, craned its hinged neck. Reyna hung back in awe, watching the creature come slowly to life, but Leo stalked right up to it, shouting, "Rise and shine, big guy! Guess who's back?"

A low rumble emanated from deep in the dragon's throat, and Reyna could feel the floor vibrate beneath her. Wisps of smoke slipped out through its jaws as it lifted its head and opened its mouth in what looked like a yawn, exposing rows and rows of metallic teeth the size of cutlasses. Finally its bronze eyelids slid open to reveal a pair of glowing, ruby eyes—eyes which quickly surveyed the hangar, pausing briefly on Reyna before coming to settle on Leo.

The effect was so immediate Reyna nearly had a heart attack. The dragon lifted its great, folded wings and loosed a positively deafening roar, causing both its guests to throw their hands over their ears to keep their eardrums from exploding. Then the automaton lunged forward and shoved Leo in the chest with its snout, knocking him onto his back, before climbing to its feet with surprising agility and leaping off its cushiony nest. It stood over Leo and leaned in close, blowing steam from its nostrils in a loud, hissing huff.

Alarmed, Reyna was worried for a split second that Leo was in danger. But then she heard his laugh over the sounds of mechanical movement and realized the dragon was now poking him very lightly in the shoulder with its nose. He patted the sides of its snout and it let out a thrumming whir that reminded Reyna oddly of a cat purring.

"I know, buddy, I missed you, too," Leo told the dragon, the grin on his face a mile wide.

Relaxing, Reyna felt a smile as the initial weirdness of the situation faded. Intimidating as the automaton was, she had to admit its reunion with its owner was kind of adorable. Not to mention the fact that Leo's smiles were always contagious.

More than that, though, Reyna realized something—it made her happy to see him so happy. Was that strange?

"Check it out, I brought somebody for you to meet." Leo shifted his arms and started to drag himself out from under the dragon's head, but it swiftly lifted a clawed foot and pressed it against his torso. He was flattened back to the floor with a grunt before saying, "Come on, let me up. I promise I'm not going anywhere."

The dragon gave a mechanical whine but did as it was told, releasing its hold on Leo and allowing him to climb to his feet and brush the dust from his clothes. It stepped forward and sat down, curling its neck around Leo and nudging his leg affectionately, almost tripping him. He rapped his knuckles against the crown of its head and turned to face Reyna.

"Reyna, this is Festus," he introduced the dragon. "Festus, Reyna. Come on." He beckoned her forward and she stepped farther into the hangar, tensing just barely as the dragon turned its head to observe the newcomer. It rested its jaw on the floor in front of Leo's feet in what looked like a protective gesture, and Reyna saw its spiked tail shift far off to her right. It was a bit of a frightening sight, but that didn't mean she was particularly afraid. Despite the fact that it could easily kill her in any number of ways, she highly doubted it would harm her at all—especially with Leo right there. Still, it took a certain amount of reserved courage to walk right up to its glinting eyes and give it what she hoped was a friendly smile.

"Hi," she said lamely, making eye contact with the beast and waiting for a sign saying whether it deemed her friend or foe. It only tilted its head inquisitively, a low growl that sounded like a chorus of distant chainsaws rumbling in its throat.

"Here." Leo reached out and took Reyna by the wrist, guiding her forward and resting her palm against the dragon's forehead. The metal was warm, as though bathed in sunlight, and she could feel the steady hum of mechanical life beneath its bronze surface, sense the cogs and gears in constant motion throughout its body. It was actually a living machine, so amazing and fascinating that it almost took her breath away.

As her lips twitched in an unconscious half-smile, she again heard that low whir like a thousand pinwheels and the dragon—Festus, Leo had called it—blew puffs of steam from its nostrils. It lifted its head just barely, pressing against Reyna's hand.

"Aw," Leo said with a grin. "He likes you."

Emboldened, Reyna slid her fingers along Festus's nose. "I guess both our automaton pets have good taste," she joked. "Really, though… This is incredible. You said you built him from scratch?"

"Almost." Leo leaned back against the dragon's neck and patted its bronze scales. "Wasn't easy, either. This guy's a pain in the neck." Festus lifted a wing and would have smacked Leo in the side of the head had he not ducked at the last second. "What? It's true! You're pretty high-maintenance, you know," he told it teasingly, and Reyna laughed. The dragon glanced her way and she swore she saw its eyes twinkle gleefully. Then it shifted its neck and stretched its head behind her, bumping the backs of her knees with its snout so she stumbled forward and fell against Leo, whose arms reflexively circled her body to steady her. Festus proceeded to plop its head onto the floor resolutely, not leaving Reyna much room to do anything other than stand up straight. She glanced over her shoulder to see the dragon again blow puffs of steam from its nose before closing its metal eyelids as though settling in comfortably.

"Looks like he doesn't want us leaving him alone again," Leo observed in amusement.

Shaking her head, Reyna gave up and twisted around to slide both arms around Leo's waist, leaning into his side as his arm shifted to encircle her shoulders. Looking up at him with a smile, she replied, simply and honestly, "Fine with me."

-0-0-0-

Eventually Reyna did have to leave the bunker—as she'd started to say earlier, Jason and the others staying in his cabin would undoubtedly wonder where she'd been all night if she never returned (Leo stayed behind with the dragon, who clearly had no intention of letting him out of its sight anytime soon). She slept well in a bunk in Cabin One and had barely stepped outside the following morning before she was intercepted by Hazel, who reminded her that they'd be heading into the city soon for their dress fitting, which caught her slightly by surprise.

It wasn't as though Reyna hadn't been paying attention to Annabeth's schedule during their conversation. Rather, with everything going on, she hadn't really entertained the fact that the trip was so soon. It would just be her, Hazel, Piper, Annabeth, and Jason's sister Thalia—a group of girls going out to get formal dresses. Not exactly the sort of social interaction Reyna was particularly good at. Still, she reminded herself, these were her friends. They wouldn't do anything to make her uncomfortable, right?

They arrived at the boutique in Manhattan almost exactly at 11:00, thanks to Thursday morning traffic. Annabeth and Thalia had had their gowns fitted a few weeks ago and had come along to try them on one last time to see if any last-minute alterations were needed, and as Piper's dress had already been picked up and she was joining in the outing more for moral support than anything the main focus that day was on Hazel and Reyna, neither of whom had even so much as seen pictures of the gowns yet.

When they were brought out, Reyna was pleasantly surprised. She'd been expecting something frilly and unwieldy after Annabeth's warnings last night, but they were actually quite simple compared to her expectations. All four were identical save for the height and size differences, made of a smooth, amber-colored silk that draped seamless to the floor. Organza of the same color was twisted and embroidered tightly into the bodice of each dress in a curled, wave sort of pattern that was dotted with tiny diamonds. They were strapless but modestly cut, and each had been paired with a set of highly expensive-looking diamond jewelry that Reyna was kind of afraid to look at, let alone touch.

"So what do you think?" Annabeth asked Hazel and Reyna once they'd tried them on and the employees helping had taken them back to make alterations.

"They're gorgeous," Hazel replied with a bright smile. "I'm especially happy there aren't pounds of ruffles."

"You too?" Reyna said, glad she wasn't the only one thinking it.

"Oh, there almost were," Piper informed them seriously. "You should've seen the original dresses my mom wanted you guys to wear—full princess skirts, tulle everywhere. I told her if you walked down the aisle in those, they'd eat the guy escorting you, but she didn't seem to think that was funny."

Thalia snorted in amusement. "What's not funny about a guy being eaten by a dress? Maybe we should've tried it."

Piper glanced at her skeptically. "Are you telling me you would've put that frou-frou dress on and worn it in front of people? You, who's never worn a dress in your life?"

Thalia tilted her head to the side. Watching her, Reyna tried not to be weirded out by how young she looked compared to the rest of them—she was older than Jason, technically, but as a Hunter of Artemis she hadn't physically aged in years. She still had the appearance of a fifteen-year-old.

"Fair point," the Hunter conceded. "Thanks for the intervention."

Laughing, Annabeth added, "Thankfully, Aphrodite was open to negotiation. I don't think any of us were keen on her first choice."

Piper leaned forward on her chair and rested her chin in her hand. "Wish we could've negotiated more on my dress…"

"Oh, come on," Annabeth argued. "Your dress is beautiful. It looks amazing on you."

Piper shrugged. "I'd rather be comfortable than look amazing. I wish I could take it off after the ceremony, but that's out of the question. Saturday's gonna be a long day."

"You say that like you're not looking forward to it," Reyna said in a mildly teasing tone.

Piper sat up straight and grinned. "Of course I'm looking forward to it. I guess comfortable or not, it is my wedding day. And I'm really glad all of you guys are part of it. It's gonna be awesome." As they all exchanged smiles, Piper leaned back lazily in her cushy armchair. "Though, to be honest, I'm more looking forward to what comes after the wedding."

"You mean your honeymoon?" Hazel guessed.

"Oh yeah," Piper confirmed with an eager grin. "I've been living in New York for way too long. I need tropical weather. I think my skin's getting lighter." She held out her arms with a critical expression, even though that proved nothing. She was Native American. Her skin tone wasn't going to change due to lack of sun exposure.

"The weather, huh?" Annabeth said skeptically. "Last week, it was other facets of the honeymoon that had you excited."

Piper grinned. "Okay, okay. But can you blame me? Imagine nightly sex with a hot guy who's all yours, in a hotel on the beach in the Bahamas. And for the first time as a married woman, too…" She glanced sideways and smiled as though living the fantasy a few days early. "I'm getting antsy just thinking about it," she added, making Annabeth chuckle and roll her eyes.

"Have you guys…" Hazel asked Piper, "you know, done it before?"

"Of course," Piper replied as though the answer was obvious. "But it'll be different once we're married, you know? Better. Not that it's not good already, it's just… I don't know, I can't really explain it. I'm just excited. Besides, Jason's been so stressed out lately with all the planning. I'm really looking forward to helping him… unwind a bit." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively (an expression that suddenly reminded Reyna of Leo; the two best friends were a good deal more alike than she used to think) and Thalia groaned audibly, climbing to her feet.

"Not that discussing your sex life with my little brother isn't fun," she said sarcastically, "but I think I'm gonna peace out here. Not much for the girl talk—immortal maiden and all that. I'll meet you guys back at camp later tonight."

"Sure, see you then." Piper waved as Thalia let herself out of the boutique. Once she'd gone, the bride-to-be shook her head and observed good-naturedly, "Why anyone would swear off men forever, I'll never understand. Oh, speaking of…" She turned in her seat and pointed a finger at Hazel, who was relaxing in the loveseat to her left. "What about you?"

Hazel shifted in her seat. "What about me?"

"You know what I mean. You're still with Frank, right? It must be getting serious by now. So…?"

"I told you before," Hazel answered in a defeated sort of way. "I want to wait."

Piper gave an over-exaggerated sigh. "Aw, Hazel. That's so old-fashioned."

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you what year I was born?" she asked, causing Piper to lift a shoulder in admission and Annabeth and Reyna to laugh.

"Personally, I respect Hazel's decision," Annabeth said diplomatically. "It shows a lot of strength and character."

"So you're waiting too, Annabeth?" Hazel asked with a hint of hopefulness. Piper clucked her tongue and made a face that clearly said Yeah, right!

"Well…" Annabeth replied, tilting her head and breaking eye contact with Hazel. "No, not exactly… But I still respect your choice."

"I do, too," Reyna added. "I've always advocated sticking to your beliefs." Hazel beamed at her in gratitude.

She probably shouldn't have said anything to the subject, though, because somehow it must have opened a window for the conversation to turn toward her, evidenced when Piper said, "You're just saying that because you're dating Octavian. And who'd want to sleep with him?"

"You shouldn't talk about a friend's boyfriend that way," Annabeth scolded her, despite the fact that Reyna was finding it very difficult not to audibly agree with Piper.

"Please," Piper argued. "I can say it because she's my friend. Reyna. Tell me honestly. Do you think Octavian's sexy? At all?"

"Well…" Reyna answered weakly. She wanted to say yes—figured as his girlfriend she should've said yes—but admittedly it wasn't easy to spout such a big lie.

As it turned out, though, that one word was enough. "Knew it," Piper said in triumph. "I bet he's more afraid of sex than a fourteen-year-old-girl." At this, Reyna couldn't stop a small laugh from escaping her throat. She'd wondered the same thing herself on a number of occasions, after all. "See?" Piper went on with a grin, extending a hand toward Reyna. "She laughs 'cause it's true. You've got to stop seeing him, babe. A girl has needs. And a girl certainly isn't gonna be satisfying those needs with somebody like him."

Reyna smiled and shook her head. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm handling myself fine. Don't worry."

"Reyna, you're twenty-two years old," Piper pointed out, sounding exasperated. "Don't be like Hazel and hold yourself back."

"Hey!" Hazel interrupted indignantly.

Again Reyna shook her head. "I'm not 'holding myself back'. I'm okay, really." It was the truth, after all. Piper was right—Octavian wasn't exactly the sort of person to satisfy someone romantically. But that didn't mean Reyna hadn't found satisfaction elsewhere. Not that she was about to let that on, even with people she'd known for years.

But Piper wasn't ready to let it drop just yet. "Oh, come on. Unless you're sleeping with someone else on the side, then you're—" Something must have shown on Reyna's face, because Piper froze mid-sentence, her eyes widening as a maniacal grin spread across her face. "Oh, my gods. You're sleeping with someone else!"

Reyna felt a flash of panic. "I didn't say—"

"You didn't have to!" Piper interrupted as Annabeth and Hazel turned to study Reyna critically as though searching for whatever hint the bride had snagged. "It's so obvious!"

"It is?"

"Oh, man, we're missing everything living on opposite sides of the country!" Piper sat forward on her armchair, clapping her hands together. "Come on, Reyna, spill it. Tell us all about him!"

Annabeth seemed to pick up on Reyna's discomfort, scooting forward as well as she said, "Piper, we shouldn't pester her."

"Pester shmester." Piper waved the objection away. "This is what outings like this are for! So is it somebody we know?"

Reyna flinched. That's an understatement… she thought, saying aloud, "I really don't want to talk about it."

"It totally is," Piper concluded, sitting back with a smirk.

"Piper, let's drop it," Annabeth decided firmly. "She'll tell us when she's ready."

"Okay, okay," Piper finally gave up, lifting her arms in a gesture of surrender. Reyna shot Annabeth a grateful smile. "I'm sorry. It's just that nothing this exciting happens in our lives. All we ever get is monster attacks. Nothing like secret love affairs."

At that, Reyna's momentary relief turned instantly back to unease.

…Love?

It was just a phrase, she knew. Just words. Piper's talk of 'secret love affairs' was nothing but an over-dramatization. But still, the word struck a chord in Reyna's mind. The others were discussing something else now, but she was no longer listening, suddenly too distracted. She'd never been in love before, of course, so she couldn't be sure… but what if that was it? What if her affair was exactly that—a love affair? It was a possibility, wasn't it? After all, the attachment she'd developed toward Leo was strong—stronger than she'd so far readily admitted. She liked spending time with him, regardless of what they were doing. She felt safe and secure around him. She trusted him with her secrets and worries. She'd assumed he'd just become a close, real friend of hers. But what if there was more to it than that?

This was dangerous, Reyna realized, in two big ways. First was the obvious—sooner or later, Octavian would figure it out. He'd been oblivious so far, but fooling around and being in love were two totally different things, and Reyna wasn't sure she could hide the latter as well as she could the former. And when the truth came out, all bets were off. Octavian could ruin her.

But aside from that, Reyna's heart was in trouble as well. She knew Leo wouldn't be with her forever. And falling in love with him now, so close to the time when he'd be torn away from her, could be devastating.

She had to do something about all this soon, or before long she'd find herself more miserable than ever.

"And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
—F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Whew, now that that's done...

Hopefully the next one doesn't take me as long. It'll be shorter, which should help.

How about a review on your way out? Later days!

-oMM