Restart (JEYNA)

Chapter 9

Dear Jason,

         Hey, Sparky! Gonna drop by Camp Jupiter tomorrow. I know I shouldn't but it's really important that I see you. :)

Love,
Piper

I store the letter along with its envelope in my drawer. The piece of paper had been causing me mixed emotions at a very early hour.

Today, I was woken up by lovebirds knocking on my window with their beaks. The moment I saw which kind of birds they were, I already knew they were from Piper, though I doubt she tried mailing through these winged couple. What I didn't expect was the content. And of course, I was bothered and frightened again of my mysterious nightmare.

Does Piper know about my dream being a daughter of Aphrodite? Maybe she wants to help me solve this, even though I don't even know if there's something to fix. Or maybe she's with her mom. I don't need to be a genius to analyze she had been the cause of my puzzling dream.

Now, the biggest question in my mind is: What did Aphrodite really mean? Tied to that were dozens of other wonderings: Will Reyna really die because of me? What did I do to make the goddess go against me? Why was Aphrodite so negative on my friendship with Reyna?

Somebody knocked on the adjoning door. It was probably Frank. I walked towards the door and opened it and saw I was right.

Frank was wearing a Camp Jupiter shirt, blue pants and white sneakers. This was a bit odd for me since recently I always see him wearing his purple toga. He was smiling as usual.

"Are you really okay now? The nightmares must have been pretty bad." Frank asked, keeping his smile as best as he could.

"I'm really fine, Frank." I reassured him.

"Let me guess, you just got up?" He asked.

"Yup. Kinda anyway." I said, smiling too.

"Hey, Jason, you better go to the mess hall or else you'll have to skip breakfast." He reminded me.

"Alright, I'll just take a bath. You can go ahead." I told the praetor.

"No, I've already ate breakfast. I just need to check on you whether you can do activities for today." He frowned. "Now, I need to check the temples here at camp." He sighed deeply, although I can't blame him for doing so. "Praetor duties can be tiring sometimes."

Frank beamed at me again and closed the door.

I prepared my clothes, headed to the bathroom and took a quick shower. There is no way I'm skipping breakfast. It's so great I don't need to line for the baths just like everybody else.

After I got dressed, I left the bathroom. Directly from where I stood, I noticed the drapes of Reyna's window were not drawn. I saw a girl still sleeping peacefully on a bed, more late for breakfast than I was. It was impossible for the girl to be Reyna, even if that villa was hers and she was the only one occupying it. She was never late.

I moved nearer to my window and saw that it was Reyna. I should wake her up. She still doesn't know how grateful I was for her help last night.

I left Frank's villa and went in front of Reyna's. I knocked on the thick wooden door about six times before I heard movement and yawning from inside. After a few seconds, a sleepy Reyna opened the door lazily.

Reyna was wearing matching purple pajamas and bedroom slippers. Her black hair was a bit messy, a few tufts of hair tangled up in knots. She barely had botc of her eyes open. It was weird that she still looked beautiful and powerful.

"What is it, Jason?" She groaned, squinting at me impatiently. "Why are you up so early anyway?"

"Hey, thanks again for the help. Actually, Reyna, you're late." I told her.

"I'm not late." She snorted. Her eyes widened in a tenth of a second. She looked as if a monster had woke het up instead. "Wait, why is the sun too high up? What time is it?!"

I searched for a wall clock in her villa, finding a grandfather clock instead.

"You'll be late for breakfast. It's already 6:13." I answered.

Reyna ran, almost tripping, and flew open her cabinet. She took out a Camp Jupiter shirt and was now looking for something else.

"Oh, we're an hour and thirteen minutes late!" All of a sudden, she stopped her haste, her lips forming a sad smile. "Wait, no... I'm an hour and thirteen minutes late from call time." She realized and slowly drew out a pair of black pants.

I didn't know what to say to her. I doubt I could've said anything because, next thing I know, somebody strongly clapped me on my back with such force it ached a bit.

I turned and saw Dakota, carrying a Kool-Aid resealable pouch I guarantee was smuggled. Just behind the always groggy son of Bacchus was Gwen, who had on the same look she has whenever she gets so hungry she dared to ask Dakota for some Kool-Aid.

"Let's going get!" Dakota shouted at us, raising the pouch, spilling drops of the red drink in my shirt.

We ignored him and his unsurprisingly misplaced words. Reyna finally found her toga in one of the drawers.

"Wait, Reyna, you're not even dressed yet?! What happened to you?!" Gwen asked, her eyebrows scrunched up too much. It was pretty incomprehensible.

"Gosh, guys, you two are never late for breakfast!" Dakota burped, the smell of red Kool-Aid filling up the air.

Gwen and I just looked at him in disgust.

"You know what guys, just go ahead. I'll catch up." Reyna grabbed a pair of bronze-colored gladiator sandals and sprung to the other side of the room to her comfort room, slamming the door shut.

"Alright then." Dakota hiccuped.

Dakota and Gwen left Reyna's porch as I closed the door of her home. I don't know why but I wanted to wait for her. Maybe because I was afraid something bad might happen to her. I will do anything to stop the dream from becoming real. And now, it's not only because I have a conscience.

But it was you who killed her in the dream, my brain reminded me.

"No demigod can heal her heart, Jason Grace." Why did Aphrodite tell me this?

I never knew I could be this unsure of anything. But as I join my other pals, who were very much hungry, rush to the mess hall I was too sure of one thing: I will never stop being Reyna's friend.