Evanesce

A Percy Jackson and the Olympians Short One-shot

By Fluffy Bunnies Are So Cute

She could easily tell that something was bothering him.

They had just reunited, him returning from the Greek camp, and she had been thrilled, albeit anxious to see him again despite her blank face at their initial arrival. After missing him for so long, simply seeing him was enough to send her heart on a rollercoaster.

Praetors often developed a romantic relationship because they always worked closely together, so it was far from unusual that the same would happen to them. She swore they were almost there; almost to the point of a relationship. It wasn't just her mind making up silly things as a result of her longing. No, that kiss they had shared wasn't a figment of her imagination; it wasn't a careless mistake. You cannot fake those kinds of emotions; the reflection of his heart that she saw in the far depths of his cerulean eyes.

However, when he stepped off the Argo II, his blond hair outgrown from his military cut and his blue eyes sparkling, she knew something had changed. And when another girl appeared beside him, Reyna knew she had something in common with her: they both looked at Jason the same way. But, the girl was radiating and glowing with beauty and passion, and she was not.

She had once sparkled too. She had captivated the soul and attention of him, and they had been happy together in the presence of each other. What had happened since then? Surely it wasn't her that had changed—it must be him.

Somehow, over those months that he was away from Camp Jupiter, something had happened. It pained her to think of the inevitable truth: he had fallen for someone else. Nevertheless, she willed herself to stay strong and not show weakness. If her emotions got out of hand, the camp would worry, and the cause of the mayhem would be over something petty.

So as Reyna sits on a marble bench in The Garden of Bacchus, she stares up at the grapevine canopy and relaxes as much as she is capable of doing, listening to the sound of buzzing bees and fall of water in the fountain. She can see the entire valley from this garden on top of the hill, and she knows that is why it is her favorite place of all of New Rome.

Perhaps that was why she had requested for Jason to meet her here. Maybe it was for sentimental reasons.

There's a rustle of leaves from behind her and she knows he is here. She can tell from the electrifying rumbles in her bones that she gets whenever he is nearby.

"Hey, Reyna," Jason says, and Reyna remembers why she liked him so much: he is genuine and compassionate and loyal.

She smiles softly at him, nervous inside. "Hi. Thanks for meeting me here." She has to force her voice to remain steady and not tremble as she talks to him. Reyna knows what to expect, but she doesn't want to believe it.

He shrugs casually, his muscles visually tense as he sits on the bench beside her. "I was kind of wondering why you called me here, but it's no problem."

Suddenly, she wishes she never asked him to meet her there. What was she thinking? "I wanted to catch up… you were gone for a while and there's a lot to talk about," she lies through her gritted teeth.

Jason runs a hand through his blonde hair, clenching and unclenching his jaw. There's something on his mind—that much of the truth is blatant. Reyna watches as he lets out a deep breath, his eyes unable to connect with her own. She doesn't know how much longer she can stay strong.

"This used to be your favorite place, right?" His eyes are faraway, his voice uncertain, and her heart pangs in her chest. Of course; like Percy, he had lost his memory. How could she have overlooked that detail?

There's an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach and although she does not want to admit it, she has lost. It is then and there that the simple fact, she has lost, hits her right in the face like a Cyclops' club. She does not want to surrender.

As she was lost in her thoughts, Reyna realizes she had never responded to Jason, who now stares at her intensely. "It still is."

He nods mutely, running his hand through his unruly hair again. They sit on the bench in silence, not looking at each other, when he abruptly falls to his knees, hugging her around her torso. His face is buried in her stomach, and she can feel his shaky breaths.

"Reyna…" Jason mumbles, his voice slightly distorted and muffled. "You were the first person I remembered from my memories… You mean so much to me…"

She doesn't want to look at him, settling with biting her lip and holding back tears. She knows what is coming next.

"But I can't do this anymore. I don't want to hurt you anymore." He stops, finding her hand and holding it with his own, taking in a trembling breath. "Let's end whatever we had here," Jason breathes out, unwrapping his arms from around her waist, pulling away.

Her heart stops, and she looks at him with a distant stare. "Is it because of that girl?" Reyna's voice is firm and cold, and all she hopes is that he doesn't see through her mask.

Jason bows his head, still on his knees, and nods slightly. "Yes."

For a second, her words catch in her throat; Reyna had not expected him to admit it so bluntly. "Do you love her?"

He doesn't reply for a minute, continuing to look down at the ground. When he finally replies, he says, "I can't stop thinking about her. I can't get her out of my head." Jason avoids her question.

"Do you love her?" she repeats, her voice finally cracking on the last word.

"I'm always happy when I'm around her."

"Do you love her." Her tone is demanding but her voice is unsteady, and she curses herself for that.

Jason looks up at her with a fleeting glance before replying: "Yes. I love her."

And with those four words, her carefully placed wall cracks into a million pieces, and all she wants is to have Jason back. She doesn't care about how desperate she seems; how would she live without him? Never would Reyna have thought that she would ever reach this breaking point, but when it comes to Jason, she never could think or predict anything. And it terrifies her.

"You know, after a while, it'll all dim out…" Reyna rambles uncharacteristically, blinking back tears. "She may be sparkling now, but it'll fade… It'll die down just like us."

He is silent, not meeting her teary, cold eyes.

"You would still go to her willingly, knowing that?!" She tries to knock some sense to him; she tries to make her lowest point meaningful in whichever way.

Finally, he answers her, his words hesitant and carefully thought out. "People know they will die… but they continue to live anyways."

She cannot stop her tears from falling.

She cannot stop her fists from flailing at him, hitting his back and shoulder as she sobs.

She cannot stop herself from crying out, "You bastard!" at him.

She cannot force him to block her weak punches, instead of accepting them.

She cannot make him take back his words.

She cannot do anything in her state of despair, but let him go.

Slightly diverges from the book, but the main setting is during the Mark of Athena. Reyna's a bit out of character, so I apologize for that, although I believe this turned out rather nicely.

Who's ready to go see The Sea of Monsters, August 7th? I so am (:

-fluffy