becoming ● reyna ramirez arellano

seventeen: the uncovered

this chapter is very dramatic and also i wrote it a year ago sorry

Jason shifted his gladius into his left hand as he heard Reyna walk into the armory. "One more day until Rome."

    "Yes," Reyna agreed.

There was a chiming of metal as she got something off the rack without speaking further. Jason whacked at the training dummy again, sweat pooling at the base of his neck. He couldn't remember why he was here, just that it'd been hours and his mind was still whirring. He hit the dummy again, jabbing and spinning his sword like the thing could attack him back.

"You look," Reyna commented in that dry manner of hers; the tone she got when she considered herself better than you, which was almost always. "You are, ridiculous. What on earth are you fighting? How long have you been here?"

"I've got a lot on my mind, Reyna." He didn't dare turn to face her, hitting and lunging as his ancestors intended. He was a warrior. Warriors didn't get upset. They especially didn't get upset about a girl who betrayed them and another girl who...well, Maia also betrayed him in some way, didn't she?

    Jason told Maia about Piper and she had gone and done the exact same thing.

    Of course, the situation was different. Jason wasn't stupid enough to hate Maia for hiding the fact she was dying. In all honesty, he probably would've done the same. It was just that – this year had been really fucking hard and Jason was really fucking over it. He hit the dummy so hard it toppled over, gladius sticking out of its chest.

    "I mean," he finally spared her a glance, panting. As he predicted, she looked less than impressed, dressed in workout clothes with her hair dangerously braided and gold bracelets resting on her biceps. She looked, effectively, like a really bad idea. "It's not like you know Maia well enough to care about her, but you could try for a little sympathy, you know?"

    An expression flashed over her face that Jason wasn't familiar with. "You know nothing about my feelings, Grace."

    "Yeah, yeah."

    "I'm being serious," she insisted, picking up an arrow from the barrel where they lay. "Anyway, why don't you stay? I'm thinking about learning how to use one of these."

    "A bow?" Jason wondered if she was insane. The last time she'd practiced her archery Michael Kahale ended up in the Medicine Bay. "Please don't."

    Reyna snorted, flittering around him. "Someone could teach me."

    There were only two decent archers on this ship, Jason thought lazily. Will and Maia, and-oh my god. "Reyna," he repeated, gripping her shoulder. Horror was rapidly growing in his chest. "Please do not do this."

    She scowled and Jason knew they were on the same wavelength. "She's not you."

    "Exactly!" Shock was quickly turning into fury. Jason would not let this happen. "You aren't going to break Maia's heart. I won't allow it."

    "How cute." She raised an eyebrow, rapidly narrowing in on him even though Jason was about 6 inches taller. He was glad she rested the bow and arrow on the side table; she was a horrible shot but Jason still didn't want to take chances. "And who the hell are you to tell me what to do?"

    "Her friend!"

    It was late afternoon, but heat didn't usually carry below deck. Now, Jason felt white-hot frustration prick it's way up his back and squeeze at his chest. This wasn't fair! He wanted to scream. Reyna wasn't allowed to hurt Maia and Reyna definitely wasn't allowed to choose her over him.

"She's not you, Jason." Reyna repeated, a softer look in her eye. "She's...I want to know everything about her. Is that so bad?"

    "You only ever want to know the good things," he snapped. "You...First of all, how do you even know she likes you?"

    Her face fell. Jason knew he should stop. He knew he was projecting. But she pushed and he pulled away. She took and he gave. And Jason wouldn't let that happen to anyone else.

    "You think she likes Will," she stated, even though Jason said no such thing. Her mouth twitched in annoyance. "Of course. It's so obvious. They were even flirting on deck yesterday."

    "Jace," Maia's voice called, only a face paces from the armory. "Have you talked to Thalia lately?"

    "Children of Hera's fatal flaw is jealousy, right?" Reyna asked, and then she tugged him closer by the front of his shirt and kissed him.

    It was familiar – kissing Reyna out of spite and in broom closets. And it wasn't necessarily unwarranted; Jason ran his hands down her arms to settle on her waist, breathing in as the back of his legs brushed against the table legs. He was so enraptured that he didn't notice the door open.

    Reyna, who pulled away from him, fingers tapping his cheek twice, most definitely did.

    "Oh," Maia said smally. Jason whipped his head around to face him. "I'm, I'm sorry."

    Immediately, Jason knew he was the worst person in the world.

"I'm just going to go," she muttered, brushing her face out from behind her ear as the door swung shut again, hiding her face from view.

Reyna stared out at the door, comprehension dawning. "I'm not sure I should've done that."

"I hate you," Jason growled. Without a glance back, he raced into the hallway.

"Maia," he spoke, trying not to scream even though he desperately wanted to. He'd never been in the habit of twisting a knife to deepen the wound. "Maia, look."

She stilled. The walls seemed to draw in closer. When she looked at him, at Reyna, her wide eyes were full of unshed tears and Jason knew he had been so incredibly wrong about what he said before. You didn't look at someone like that if there wasn't something there.

They were at an impasse. Reyna was wringing her hands behind him, something she never did either.

"Maia," Jason tried again. "I am-"

"It's my fault," she interrupted. "I should have knocked. I should have..." But then her eyes locked on Reyna's face and the switch was flicked. For the first time since he'd met her, Maia got angry.

"I trusted you both," she snapped, voice raised sharply but not hysterically. She was standing her ground and both Jason and Reyna deserved whatever she chose to bestow on them. "I-Jason I would've kept your secrets with me until the day I died, I still would, you know that. And Reyna...I."

"Maia," she breathed out. "Maia, please." Jason had never heard her say that word. His mind spun as he tried to keep up.

"Um." They had an audience now. The entire ship was gathered below deck. It was Will who spoke. "Someone care to tell us what the hell's going on?"

Reyna looked like she was going to be sick. Gloomily, there was a piece of Jason that felt like she deserved it. Nico tugged on the blonde's arm. Maia swallowed, fury dissipating, leaving an ice-cold aura that filled Jason's bones. "Stay away from me," she said cooly, allowing herself to be swept up by people who were a lot better than the people standing on the other side.

When they were gone, Reyna slid down, back against the wall, and put her head on her knees. "Fuck."

and that's the tea!

-m