Jason Grace (nottheargonaut) wrote in payline, @ 2014-01-03 21:07:00 |
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Entry tags: | jason grace (au), reyna ramirez-arellano (canon) |
Who: Jason Grace and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano
When: December 28
Where: Out by the welcome sign
Rating: Probably G?
Warnings: Stubborn demigods
Summary: Jason and Reyna return to the Athena Parthenos and try to move it
Status: Closed/complete
The walk back to the Athena Parthenos was done in silence. Jason had made it clear that he didn't want Reyna to coddle him, and she was still too concerned about the statue and Jason's attempts to move it to engage in small talk. The days when they could talk about anything and everything, for hours and hours, were over, it seemed. The realization filled Reyna with a deep sadness. Even beyond the romantic complications, Reyna just wished she had her best friend back. She’d been missing him for a long time. The statue was still intact and untouched when they reached it. That was the one good thing that had happened in this place, at least: the Mist still worked, and the Athena Parthenos was still safe. Still, they would both feel better if it were out of the way and hidden somewhere else. As Reyna’s own powers were useless in this situation, all she could do was stand back and let Jason get to work. *** Jason hated the awkwardness between them as they walked in silence back to the Athena Parthenos. It had never been like that before, not as long as he could remember, and it felt like something had been injured irreparably. It felt like his longest friendship had been lost to something he’d never done on purpose, and the person who meant the most to him was moving farther and farther away from him at every moment. But he kept these feelings from his face as they walked, looking instead at the rather stark landscape around them, a landscape that matched the feelings inside of him at the moment. When they reached the statue, he took a deep breath, and as yesterday, summoned the winds around him as strongly as he could, succeeding, yet again, in only moving the statue a couple of feet. Perhaps a yard and a half. It was frustrating, exhausting work, and when he fell to a crouch and closed his eyes in an attempt to regain his strength, he shook his head. “This isn’t going to work. We need something that will do this faster.” *** “Unless we can find an elephant or crane, or get some divine intervention, I can’t think of how,” Reyna said. Though the statue was the issue at hand, her gaze was on Jason. She didn’t go to him, though. What he’d said about not wanting to be coddled stuck with her, and she certainly didn’t want him to think that she was being clingy, either. Jason was exhausted, but at least he didn’t overexert himself, and he was going to be fine. She just had to remember that, and not go over to hug him. She thought for a moment, trying to focus on their problem. “Have you spoken to anyone else here? Do any of them seem trustworthy enough to be able to help with our problem?” *** Jason hadn’t meant to snap at her over coddling, but she needed to make up her mind. That was his biggest problem with her words - she would act cold to him one minute, then coddle him like his mother the next. Well, like a mother. His own mother hadn’t been half so nurturing. And maybe it was the fact that he desperately wanted her affection that made him spurn it when it wasn’t what he wanted. “I’ve talked to a couple, and no,” he said, frustrated. “I wish we could find someone to help. There are people with powers. I just wish we could find one we could trust.” *** “I haven’t been talking to anyone else much,” Reyna admitted. “Perhaps that could be our next step: find someone who can help us." Part of her hated the idea of having to rely on someone else for such an important task, but she was practical enough to realize that if neither she nor Jason were able to keep the Athena Parthenos safely hidden, someone else had to. This was too important to let pride get in the way *** “I haven’t spoken to much of anyone either. Having Nico here would be useful...or even Frank could transform into a dragon or something perhaps, and move the thing. I feel…” He waved a frustrated hand at it. “I should be able to move it. And I can’t.” It was a failure he wouldn’t easily forgive himself for. *** “You can’t be expected to be able to do all things,” Reyna pointed out. He looked so upset, and although he didn’t want her to coddle him, perhaps some comfort wouldn’t go amiss. Gods knew she could do with some herself, and in the past, it had always been them comforting each other. She went to sit beside him on the couch, resting her hand lightly on his shoulder. “We will find a way. Don’t blame yourself too much for not being able to move it.” *** “What good am I if I can’t?” he almost snarled, but the anger wasn’t directed at her. It was directed at his inability to do anything that he needed to do to help. At his complete helplessness. “Nico could move it, if he were here. Why didn’t he show up with you? He’d have been more help. Unless he’s the one who brought you here, and then skipped out on you.” He shrugged. Nico di Angelo wasn’t entirely trustworthy, but Jason also didn’t see him doing something like that. It just didn’t seem to be in his personality. It wouldn’t help Nico any for Gaea to win. “What do you suggest we do? Put Christmas lights on it and try to disguise it as a tree?” Even though he was frustrated, though, he seemed to lean into her hand a little. It was comforting. *** “He wouldn’t have.” Reyna didn’t trust many people outside the Camp, but Nico di Angelo was one of them. He’d established himself a long time ago, and Reyna did not believe him capable of such treachery. As Jason leaned into her hand, she started rubbing his shoulder almost unconsciously, out of habit. She always did think better when he was close like this. “The Mist has worked thus far,” she said slowly. “Let’s keep it hidden from mortal eyes, and search around to find someone who can help us.” *** Jason felt his tension ease as she began to rub his shoulder, her touch like the most potent salve. It had always been this way, when they were together. Since he could remember, she had been able to soothe him like no other had. He closed his eyes, her fingers seeming to find his tensest spots, and he let out a little sigh as they hit the perfect place. “Then we trust the mist for now,” he said with his eyes closed. “And we do what we can to find someone we trust to help us.” His mind began to wander to the kiss they’d shared only days before, although he knew that was a mistake, as his skin began to flame where she touched him, with desire he’d never felt for Piper...but no matter what he felt, he had a commitment to her, and he would not dishonor Rome or his position by breaking it. Still, he didn’t have to move just yet. *** “It may be up to you; you always were the one who made friends more readily,” Reyna said with a small smile. This was more like the old days, when they were working through problems together, and they weren’t so estranged. She wanted to stay here for a little while longer, to keep that feeling. If they moved apart now, their estrangement may return. So she kept her fingers working, and she kept her voice low, as to not destroy this fragile moment. *** “That’s because you don’t let other people know you,” he said gently, but with real meaning. He didn’t understand why Reyna didn’t let other people see how wonderful she was, like she showed her all the time. If more people could see what he did - And yet, he didn’t really want to share that. He liked, in some way, the fact that this part of her was reserved for him. He shouldn’t feel that way, he had a girlfriend, but he never felt this way with her. He didn’t know Piper like he knew Reyna, and they’d never had these moments. He almost brought her up, but swallowed it. Not now. “I’m glad you’re here, Reyna. I’m glad if we have to face this, we can face it together.” *** “Perhaps it is because I find it harder to trust than you do,” Reyan acknowledged. She let her hand fall back to her side, but she remained sitting next to him, and she turned to give him a small smile. “Do you remember how long it took me to truly trust you? Regardless, I am glad you are here now.” It was bittersweet, wanting him and knowing that he didn’t want her back, but as long as he remained here, and remained her friend, she would accept the situation for what it was. *** “I do,” he said with a grin. “And I didn’t understand it. Everybody trusted me, I’d been here longer than just about anyone. Grew up here. Everybody knew me. Wasn’t used to people looking at me the way you did, like I might hurt you. I think it was good for me, really. I was getting pretty cocky.” He grinned a bit. Jason was plenty confident, it was true, but he wasn’t cocky - he was just as hard on himself as he was on everyone else. Harder. And he expected more from himself and beat himself up more about his failures than he did those of anyone who followed him. He looked away from her for a moment. “But I was determined to make you trust me, too. And I think I succeeded.” He raised an eyebrow questioningly. *** “That you did,” Reyna assured him with a smile. She trusted him more than anyone, except perhaps her sister. Even with Hylla, it wasn’t the same. She’d never fought back to back or side by side with her sister as she had with Jason. She knew Jason inside out, and she knew he would always have her back. It was a powerful feeling. “Although you did have to work for it,” she added, her smile turning teasing. “I remember how confused you were that I didn’t immediately want to be your friend. Like a lost puppy.” She reached out to tousle his hair. *** He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “But everyone loved Jason Grace. I couldn’t understand it. And of course, it made me ten times more determined to make you like me. Because it mattered more.” He wasn’t sure exactly what he meant by that, but he knew he did mean it. Reyna’s good opinion had always meant more to him than anyone else’s. He let her tousle his hair, blowing a stray blond strand out of his face. “I’ve missed you.” *** She smiled at him. "I've missed you too," she said simply, sincerely. It had been a long time since they'd been able to be together as friends - since their big fight over Jason taking on the Titan Krios by himself. And then he'd disappeared, and then Reyna had worried herself sick over him, and then he'd come back with a Greek girlfriend and changed things forever between them. But she was no longer the same, either. The trip across the Mare Nostrum had changed her permanently. To have gone through what she had, all alone except for Scipio - and her heart still hurt for him - had forged her into someone stronger, but sadder. She was still herself enough, however, to want him as her best friend. It was all he will ever be, but Reyna had faced enough disappointments in her life. She would get past it, as she'd gotten past all the others. "Come," she said, pushing herself up. "I hear there is a buffet at the resort." |