Here we are, guys! 18! I'm so grateful for those who continue to read my story! Thank you! The shout-outs for this chapter, I got to give it to iNeptune and piratamaia! Thank you! I always look forward to your kind reviews! Anyway, review like always, and my poll is still up! Right now Percabeth is winning, which I fully support! ;D Disclaimer: All rights to the amazing person that is Uncle Rick.

Reyna's POV

Did Reyna regret not joining Percy? Maybe a little bit. Percy had given her thirty minutes to do whatever, and then meet him by the Little Tiber. She had told him that she would see him there, but when she reached her praetor's cabin, she immediately changed her mind. She was already breaking her promise to herself, and she hated it. She couldn't bear any more. After all, she still wasn't completely over Jason. Reyna decided that she was better off not being involved in a relationship. Although Percy wouldn't admit it, they weren't necessarily just friends anymore. Were they? She didn't know, and frankly, she didn't care to know.

Besides, she was determined to prove Venus wrong. That no, she wasn't falling in love with Percy. Spending more alone time with Percy wouldn't exactly help her case.

She would've gone to the Little Tiber to tell Percy that she didn't want to do this, but she knew far too well that she would've been seduced by him, whether she liked it or not. She knew that Percy would be disappointed, but hopefully, he would understand that she couldn't do this anymore. Therefore, she would go to the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, in hope that she would find Octavian there to consult the auguries. She needed to see if the auguries would allow a quest. A quest for the three demigods that had missing friends. Reyna seriously didn't want to tell those three unchosen demigods that their friends were quite possibly captured by Gaea's armies.

But besides, it's not like Percy would see her. Temple Hill was in the opposite direction of the river. She would just sneak out the praetorian gate and head to Temple Hill. Simple right? Hopefully, Percy didn't spot her...

Percy's POV

Percy sat down on the ground near the Little Tiber, named after the famous Tiber River in Italy. He needed to be by the water. It helped him clear his mind. It rejuvenated him, mentally and physically.

He stuck his bare foot in the water, and instantly, a small cut that he had gotten from a steak knife (don't ask) healed up.

He sat and waited a few more minutes. It had been about twenty or so minutes since he had told Reyna to meet him by the river, and she still hadn't shown up. She was a punctual person, though. He wouldn't be surprised if she showed up at the dot. That's what Annabeth did anyway. It could be annoying, but then again, at least she was never late.

He started making mini whirlpools in the water, just for fun. Then, mini waves. It reminded him of the day when he had victory over Ares, back when he was twelve. Ah, those were the good old days. No primordial earth goddesses trying to destroy the world, no schizophrenic gods who can't make up their minds on whether they were Greek or Roman.

Just then he heard footsteps and turned. It had been about thirty-five minutes since he had talked to Reyna, so he expected the figure approaching him to be her. What he didn't expect, however, was a blond girl walking towards him, wearing denim shorts, and a Camp Half-Blood hoodie. Annabeth had a smirk on her face.

"I should've known I would find you near some body of water. Then again, I figured that you were out doing something reckless," Annabeth sighed, as she sat down next to him.

"Is anything I ever do not reckless?" Percy asked, sarcastically.

"Not really," Annabeth said, matter-of-factly.

Percy shrugged.

"I heard about the missing half-bloods," Annabeth said after a long pause. "Were they captured by the giant army?"

"That's what we're thinking, but we can't exactly tell the other demigods that," Percy sighed.

"I think most of them have already come to that conclusion," Annabeth pointed out.

"You're right," Percy said. "Hey, did you see that girl from the Third Cohort in tears? Apparently, her boyfriend is one of the missing half-bloods."

"I saw two girls crying," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, makes sense," Percy said. He turned to her and cocked his head ever so slightly. "Is that how you felt when I went missing?"

"Well, I was in tears the first few nights, though I wouldn't let anyone else see me cry. After that, I never stopped searching for you. I realized that crying wasn't going to fix anything, but strategizing and searching might get me somewhere."

"Spoken like a true child of Athena," Percy said. Annabeth elbowed him.

"Seriously though, I was pretty upset," she admitted as she rested her head on Percy's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Percy said.

Annabeth elbowed Percy yet again. "Don't apologize." She then waited a moment before saying, "So, why did you come here, exactly?"

"I, uh, needed a break. Being a praetor is hard," Percy said.

"I see," Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "But saving the world and killing monsters isn't?"

"Touche," Percy said. "That's a fair point."

The two sat in silence for a while, holding each other. Annabeth fiddled with the drawstrings on her hoodie while Percy continued to make little waves. Percy tried to focus on the water, but all he could think about was why Reyna hadn't shown up. She had told him that she would, but then again, she probably didn't want to be alone with him. But, it wasn't like Reyna to be inconsistent, and she usually stuck to her word. It's not like Percy could blame her, though. Reyna certainly didn't want to face the wrath of Annabeth Chase if she got any suspicions. She wasn't called Wise Girl for no reason.

Percy sighed, snapping back to reality. He focused on the gorgeous girl next to him, with her stormy grey eyes, and curly blond hair. Wise Girl, he thought giddily.

"Why'd you stop?" Asked Annabeth, breaking the silence.

"Stop what?" Percy said.

"Making those little waves," Annabeth gestured to the river.

"Oh sorry," Percy said. "Just distracted."

Annabeth exhaled, "I love you, Percy."

"I love you too, Wise Girl," Percy said. And he meant it. He truly did. He loved everything about her. From her blond hair to her deep eyes. And how she was so smart, and how she gave the best kisses and even the way she fought. Love was weird that way.

The two sat like that for about another 45 minutes, cuddling, chatting, and occasionally stealing kisses. Finally, they sat up and dusted themselves off, deciding that they'd better head back. Percy wondered where Reyna was. He was a little disappointed that she hadn't shown up, but he thought he understood her reasoning. What an idiot he had been, thinking that she would say yes. Well, she did, but clearly changed her mind. He just hoped that she would at least talk to him later today.

Reyna's POV

Reyna had just finished talking to Octavian, and fortunately for her, he was in a decent mood, which was surprising after their little argument earlier. He had done his augur thing, and the three still unchosen demigods were allowed to go on a quest. The only one that she knew for sure was heading on this pointless adventure was Sierra, the girlfriend of one of the missing demigods, Saul.

At any rate, Reyna was glad that Octavian had consented to do what she asked of him. He was stubborn and insufferable but vital to the camp, whether she liked it or not.

She headed back toward the camp and had just crossed the bridge over the Little Tiber when she spotted Percy and Annabeth walking towards the praetorian gate. Her instincts told her to hide, but she knew better. It's not like they would see her. She was several yards away.

Reyna knew she couldn't avoid Percy forever. After all, she would see him later today In the mess hall. She would also have to stand with him and Jason in the Senate House when the senate decided on the three demigods to quest, even though it would be a short quest.

She walked, content in her solitude, towards the Caldecott Tunnel. She wanted to make sure that there were two demigods stationed there, and that they hadn't been kidnapped by any monsters. She knew it was a little ways away, but she could manage. She needed a bit of time to think, anyway.

She should've known that Annabeth would've shown up at the Little Tiber. She had probably figured that Percy would be there. Maybe it was for the best that Reyna wasn't there with Percy. Annabeth would've shown up and seen the two together. Reyna didn't have to be a child of Athena to know how that would end.

When she reached the Caldecott Tunnel, she peeked inside, and to her satisfaction, saw two demigods on the other side chatting. One was leaning on the hilt of his Imperial gold sword, and the other was polishing her spear.

Reyna turned away and sighed in relief. She was worried that more demigods would've been kidnapped. But for now, it was safe enough to have half-bloods on duty. For now.

Same POV

Soon, it was time for dinner. All the demigods retreated to the mess hall, but Reyna noticed that many were not as talkative as they usually were. A couple looked around at their comrades with grim looks on their faces. Others looked downright miserable. And some even looked as if they had been crying. Surprisingly, though, Sierra, the dark-haired daughter of Mercury, was restless. She must've been itching to go out and search for her boyfriend. Reyna wondered if she would've acted differently. But, she had to have a boyfriend, first of all.

She cursed herself silently. Not what you should be thinking about right now, she thought.

Reyna decided that she would wait a moment before getting the demigod's attention. She thought it best for them to eat a little bit first before she spilled the news. She assumed that some of the campers still did not know, surprising as it was. An even larger amount of people had probably heard the rumors but didn't yet believe them. They would once she said something, though.

Reyna spotted Percy across the mess hall. She almost dreaded talking to him. Would he be mad that she hadn't stuck to her word? Even worse, would he ignore her altogether? She didn't know; Percy could be fickle that way.

One thing Reyna was looking forward to was having Jason stand with her and Percy. These types of announcements required all the praetors to be standing together, and he would have to join them in the Senate house when deciding on the few who would go searching. Maybe having Jason seen as a praetor would help the others treat him as such.

Then, she spotted Percy and Annabeth. They were talking with the rest of the seven. Percy caught her eye and gave her a weak smile, which was not his regular grin. Her heart plummeted. Maybe he was angry at her. No way to know until they talked face-to-face.

Reyna quickly got something to eat and then walked over to where Jason was. She noticed that Frank had a tight expression on her face. She assumed that it was because Saul, who was a fellow child of Mars, was missing. Reyna supposed she would act the same if another child of Bellona went missing. They were siblings, after all. The thing is, she didn't know another child of Bellona other than her and her sister, Hylla.

Reyna tapped Jason on the shoulder. Percy looked up from his food. "I think you know what this is about," Reyna said softly.

Jason nodded. "I think I do. You get their attention, I'll grab Percy."

Reyna was grateful that she wouldn't have to get Percy, though he already stood up once Jason had said it. Reyna wasn't quite ready to talk to the son of Poseidon. Not until they were alone, anyway.

She walked towards the front of the mess hall. Instantly, half the campers looked at her, as if they were expecting this. Percy and Jason joined her, standing on either side of her. They all looked like praetors, with their cloaks and togas. Reyna just hoped that the rest of the campers would see them this way.

"Legionnaires, as most of you may know, there has been a great... interruption throughout our camp," Reyna started.

A few demigods started yelling, but Jason put up his hands to silence them.

"Two campers have gone missing," Reyna said, pausing. As she suspected, there was more shouting.

"Enough!" Percy yelled. The campers, again, stopped.

"So, we have been asked to send some campers out to search for them. One has already been decided. Sierra from the Third Cohort," Reyna explained. Several eyes turned to the blue-eyed teenager. She bore a determined look on her face.

"Sierra can choose two more demigods whom she thinks are fit to join her. Preferably two who are not on probatio, and were close with the missing demigods. We will talk over this more in the Senate House, so everyone in the senate, Sierra, and her two choices, please meet there after dinner."

Chatter broke out within the campers. One yelled, "praetors, don't we need to consult the auguries, first?"

"That has already been done. The auguries grant the three permission to quest," clarified Reyna.

Percy shot her a look as if to say, "when did you do this?" Then, a knowing look appeared on his face, and he frowned, ever so slightly.

"Well, that news was excepted well," Jason said sarcastically.

"Things will calm down once we enter the Senate House," Reyna said. "I think..."

Percy's POV

The Senate House wasn't much better than the mess hall. Legionnaires were arguing and squabbling. Sierra and two other demigods stood timidly in a corner. They rushed over to the praetors when they saw them enter. "Good, you're here!" Sierra said. "The senate members won't stop arguing."

Reyna sighed. "Senate!" She yelled over the melee. "Order!"

The room quieted. Octavian sneered in his seat.

"I don't think we need to restate what we said in the mess hall," Percy said.

The demigods shook their heads. The lares in the crowd did, too. They were always eavesdropping.

"First of all, yes, we do have consent from the auguries," Reyna stated. "Our augur can testify."

Octavian nodded curtly. "Okay, down to business," Jason said. "Sierra, please come forward with your friends."

"I, uh, this is Ezra," she said, gesturing to an olive-skinned boy. "He's a son of Ceres, so he wants to go looking for his sister."

Ezra stepped forward and nodded briskly to the praetors, his hands clenched in front. He sure didn't look like a son of Ceres. More like a son of Mars. He was jacked, probably from all that plowing.

"And this," Sierra pointed to the girl on her left, "is Donna, daughter of Mercury, like me. She's also a centurion of our cohort, so wants to help out."

"I just find it my duty to help those in my cohort. Especially if one of my fellow centurions goes missing," Donna said, stepping forward. Her hazel eyes shone with determination.

"So, senate, do you find any wrong with these choices?" Reyna asked. The senate members sat idle, shaking their heads. "Very well, then," Reyna said. "We'll have them off by tomorrow morning."

The senate members stood up, and a few left immediately as if this was a waste of their time. When Octavian left, he shoved past Percy, muttering "hopeless," and something about giants. Percy sighed. He hoped the legionnaires would not be discouraged. There was still a little hope... right?

Here's this! I hope you liked it! Sorry, it took me a while to get this out, and I will try to have another chapter out as soon as possible. Probably in the next few days. Anyway, I kind of added a twist at the start, but I will try to incorporate lots of Preyna in the next chapter! So until that's out, I hope this one will keep you tied over! Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed!

-Bookish77