so many foreign roads | Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus | NC17
Title: so many foreign roads
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus
Pairing: Percy/Reyna, side Percy/Annabeth, Jason/Reyna
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: For The Son of Neptune (up to page 150, haha.)
Word Count: 2500
Summary: SPOILERS, do not read unless you've read The Son of Neptune at least to page 150. Percy reconsiders Reyna's offer in the Roman baths. Title comes from "For Emma" - Bon Iver.
Percy stepped out of the Roman baths, feet slick on the marble that lined the large pool. The baths were empty at the moment, save a few Lares at the end of the hall arguing over a couple denarii. Most campers were already in bed, but Percy couldn’t sleep-so he’d gone to the largest body of water he could find. Water always seemed to clear his thoughts and sooth his conscience. Percy wrapped a towel around himself quickly, feeling very exposed. He wasn’t used to bathing in public, a fact that was just another part of everyday life at Camp Jupiter. Still, the water felt as good as ever against his skin, and getting out of the pool had been extremely difficult. He paused and shook his hair out, forcing the water droplets off his body in one good shake. Hair askance, he suddenly noticed that the Lares had disappeared and that the bathhouse had gone spookily quiet.
His mind no longer distracted by the dull thrum of Lares chattering away, he couldn’t ignore the thoughts that had been beating against the inside of his brain since his meeting with Reyna. What exactly had she offered him? A praetorship would be the explicit answer to that question, but there had been so much more behind her words. A promise of something that Percy wasn’t really sure he wanted. Sure, Reyna was beautiful-her hair, black and shining, was one of the first things he had noticed about her (beyond her ability to scare younger campers and keep Octavian in check), as well as her sculpted cheeks and general fitness-but there was more to her than that. She radiated power, but in a way that made Percy want to follow her, not resent her. He understood why the campers had elected her praetor. She was destined to lead.
And was he destined to lead with her? He knew he could lead a group of demigods well… there was something in his bones that told him that. He could lead if they asked him to. But lead the Romans? Percy shook his head. Wherever he belonged, it wasn’t this place. Reyna, on the other hand, would live and die for this camp, for these people. She was extraordinarily selfless for a Roman, Percy mused. He did like her, even if she made him nervous.
Percy walked toward the cubbyholes where they stored their clothes while bathing. He pulled on his boxers and was halfway through doing his jeans when he realized his purple tee-shirt was missing. Slinging on his probatio necklace, as well as his mysterious length of beads and leather (along with Reyna’s ring), he looked around, puzzled.
“Missing something?” Reyna called from behind him. Percy nearly jumped out of his skin, whirling around to find the praetor standing there, fully armed.
“How long have you been standing there?” Percy asked reflexively.
“Long enough for a show,” Reyna grinned. Percy blushed.
In her hand was his purple tee-shirt. She seemed reluctant to hand it over. Reyna’s eyes raked over his bare chest, and Percy crossed his arms a little self-consciously. Reyna laughed.
“Embarrassed?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. She made a face that read: you shouldn’t be. Percy shrugged.
“We’re not really on even footing, here,” he said offhandedly, gesturing toward her full body armor and purple cape.
“Are you telling me to strip, Percy Jackson?” Reyna asked quizzically.
“Am I?” Percy retorted, leaving the ball in her court. She tilted her head to the side and looked at him, as if trying to read his thoughts.
Reyna unclasped her cape, and it billowed to the ground behind her, cascading in indigo waves like a waterfall. Percy was pretty sure where this was headed, though he wasn’t certain he wanted it to happen.
Annabeth, his mind screamed. You love Annabeth.
Reyna undressed slowly but efficiently, stripping the armor off her legs with a few tugs. The aegis on her chest she pulled up over her head, leaving her in normal civilian clothes at long last: a purple tee-shirt, jean shorts, and Nike kicks.
Percy uncrossed his arms.
“Have you thought about my offer?” Renya asked quietly. Without her cape and armor, she was only slightly less intimidating: Percy supposed that her intensity derived itself from her eyes. His mind flashed to a different pair of eyes, grey eyes that gleamed with brilliant hop, eyes from his past, and then he was back in the present: Percy Jackson, shirtless amnesiac with a bit of a hard-on.
“The praetorship?” Percy asked.
Reyna pursed her lips. “Like I said before, Percy, you’re not as stupid as you look. I’m pretty sure you can read between the lines here.”
And that’s when she took off her shirt.
Percy was pretty sure that he’d seen breasts before, but Reyna’s were pretty spectacular. Held aloft in a lacy black bra that matched the color of her dark hair, they captivated him for a solid minute until she cleared her throat. Percy looked up at her face, blushing: Reyna looked part pleased, part aggravated… overall, though, she looked dangerous, even half-naked.
“Sorry,” Percy murmured.
“We’re on even footing now, I think,” Reyna said. She strode forward with purpose, and Percy was certain he knew what exactly that purpose was.
“Reyna, I can’t,” Percy blurted out. “I have a girlfriend-her name is Annabeth, and I’m pretty sure I was in love with her before my memories were taken away, so please: can we just go back to you bossing me around like the probatio I am?” His words flew out, and Reyna froze. For a moment, Percy could see the doubt etched on her face that he himself felt in his chest, like a dead weight in a grip around his heart.
“I used to believe that Jason and I were meant for each other,” Reyna said in a harsh whisper. “Then he vanished, just when I-when Camp Jupiter needed him the most.” Reyna ran a finger through her long hair, letting a few strands fall so that they slightly obscured her dark eyes. “Now I don’t think I believe in anything anymore.” She rubbed her eyes, and then continued her approach until she has backed Percy up against his cubbyhole. “No,” she continued. “I do believe in something: I believe in myself, and I believe in you, Percy Jackson. And I can believe in us, if you’d just let the inevitable happen.”
“The inevitable?” Percy breathed, leaning away from the girl pinning him against the wall.
“We are both prime physical specimens, both natural leaders, both skilled fighters,” Reyna rattled off. “You clearly find me attractive,” she said, glancing down at Percy’s tight jeans.
“That’s not fair,” Percy said, a chuckle in his throat. “You sort of sneak attacked me with that bra. Nice, by the way.”
“I didn’t realize you were such a fan of lingerie,” Reyna snorted. A devilish glint seemed to radiate off her. “Would you be sad to see it go?”
Percy closed his eyes and thought of Annabeth.
“Is there anything wrong with doing our best with what we have, Percy?” Reyna asked him frankly. She has pressed herself up against him now, skin against skin, the lace of her bra lightly skirting across his chest. “We make do, Percy. We improvise.”
“I don’t want the praetorship,” Percy said in a husky voice. His hands seem to hover above her skin, unsure.
“Sometimes we do things we don’t want to do,” Reyna said quietly, and Percy looked down at the dark haired girl and saw, perhaps for the first time since meeting her, true vulnerability. “Sometimes we do what we need to… in order to survive.” Waves of a past life that Percy knew nothing about radiated from Reyna, enveloping Percy and nearly drowning him in her sorrow.
“Do you miss him?” Percy asked her solemnly.
She looked away from him, releasing her hold on him slightly. “He was a great praetor, and a good friend. I could have loved him, given time and the right circumstances.” Reyna paused. “I know you care for Annabeth, Percy-but she’s just a dream. I’m reality. I could be your reality.”
Reyna pressed her lips against Percy’s neck, then against where his ear met his jaw. “You’re a new man, Percy. You can start again here. You can start with me.”
It was so tempting. The memories he strained for seemed constantly out of his reach. What Reyna offered him was a chance to forget his past entirely. He could begin again here at Camp Jupiter. Would that be so bad?
“I’m leaving tomorrow on a suicide mission,” Percy reminded her, but even as his protest reached her ears, his hands settled on her hips.
“Even better,” Reyna said with a smile-a smile that read: I win. “If you die, you won’t spread any gossip that the praetor’s been sleeping around with members of the probatio. And if you do survive…”
“We’ll deal with that when I get back,” Percy said confidently, trailing a finger up and down Reyna’s spine. She shivered. “Besides, I don’t kiss and tell.”
Reyna’s hands find themselves wrapped up in Percy’s hair, too long for Roman regulation. The scratch of her nails against his scalp felt incredible.
“I’m tired of being alone,” she whispered, voice cracking, and Percy knew exactly what she meant. He too ached for companionship, love, and family. Percy had a feeling that Reyna confided in few people, if anyone, so this confession felt… sacred, somehow.
Percy leaned down and let his lips glide against Reyna’s in a surprisingly gentle gesture. The kiss hung in the hair like a question for a long moment, and then Reyna pressed back against Percy, tongue wetting their lips in a few deft swipes. Percy hoisted her into his arms, and Reyna wrapped her legs around his waist. With one arm clasping his neck, the other in his hair, Reyna pulled back for air as Percy stepped toward the bath.
“Where are you taking us?” she asked, a little giddy.
“I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count,” Percy teased. He stepped into the water, willing an air bubble to encircle the two of them as they descended into the depths of the bath.
“That is some party trick, Percy Jackson,” Reyna said in awe. She smiled and resumed her attempt at undoing his jeans.
“If you think that’s impressive,” Percy began, glancing down at his jeans. They both laugh, and for a second, Percy’s life felt so normal he wanted to cry. Reyna seemed to recognize his change in demeanor and wrapped herself around him, holding him tight. They rose to the surface, and Percy allowed the water to soak them at last.
“There’s only one thing I want from you tonight,” Reyna murmured against his lips, water dripping down her forehead. “And it’s not a promise for praetorship.”
With a single motion, Reyna unhooked her bra, letting it float down into the depths of the pool. With difficulty, Percy shimmied out of his jeans.
“I just want you to realize that we’re the same, Percy Jackson,” Reyna tells him quietly. “We’ve both lost so much. But we have so much to gain, can’t you see-”
And the thing was, Percy could see exactly what she meant.
Reyna gasped as Percy’s hand dipped down into her underwear. She shuddered mightily as his fingers found her core, and Percy moved his hand confidently, intently.
“I think you’ve, you must have done this,” Reyna said, breath hitching, “I think you may have done this before-gods, gods that’s good.” He found her clit easily and made easy work of bringing her to the edge.
“No, I don’t think this is my first rodeo,” Percy conceded with a fast grin. Reyna barks out a laugh, and for some reason, Percy is reminded of her hounds, Argentum and Aurum.
“Excellent-I’ll assume you can keep up, then,” she laughed, and then it was Percy’s turn to groan as her hands found his cock. When he was close, he pushed her deft fingers away and guided her toward the edge of the pool. Nearly tearing off her panties, he pressed her up against the marble tile. She mewled and pressed herself against him.
“Come on Percy, now or never,” she grunted, and finally he was inside her, and gods it was like fire and pleasure beyond imagining and somewhere in the back of his mind Percy sees himself buried in another girl, blonde and radiant, glowing with the sweat of sex and summer heat, nails digging into his back, crying out his name like a prayer or something even sweeter-
“Annabeth,” Percy breathed just as Reyna choked out, “Jason-”
Perhaps that was the moment that the two truly realized how similar they really were.
“It’s okay,” Percy said at last, digging his face into Reyna’s neck. “I understand.”
Reyna tightened her grip around him. “Keep going,” she commanded, but he could feel the thank you buried within her intonation.
Reyna came first, at first growling like some rabid thing, then whimpering for Percy not to stop until the last body shakes withered away from the center of her body like a series of aftershocks. Percy came later, with his cock in her mouth, hands cemented in the roots of her hair like an anchor to the mortal realm.
When it was all over, and the two of them were dressed at long last, Reyna cleared her throat.
“You should reconsider the praetorship,” she begged him. “You would make a great leader here.”
“Thank you,” he said genuinely. He paused. “Let me get through this quest first, and I’ll let you know. About the praetorship. And everything else, I guess.”
Reyna cracked a sad smile. “You’ll be fine. Unleash your inner Roman, Percy, and victory is assured.” Percy could hear the doubt in her tone as she tried to likewise convince herself. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist.
“If you don’t let go of my wrist,” Reyna said in a small voice, “I might not let you leave tomorrow.”
One finger at a time, he loosened his grip, until he parted from her entirely.
Before she left, she pressed her dagger of Imperial gold into his hands, despite his protests. “Bring it back,” she demanded. “Just… bring it back.” And when she looked at him, he could feel everything she yearned for: a new life, a new start hung on the precipice of this quest… all those possibilities could vanish and haunt Reyna forever if Percy did not return.
“I’ll see you in four days,” Percy vowed, tucking the dagger into a belt-loop of his jeans.
She walked away at last, purple cape billowing out behind her like the shadows of a labyrinth, and Percy thought for a moment that he could remember navigating through a maze eons ago, in his younger and less memorable years.
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus
Pairing: Percy/Reyna, side Percy/Annabeth, Jason/Reyna
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: For The Son of Neptune (up to page 150, haha.)
Word Count: 2500
Summary: SPOILERS, do not read unless you've read The Son of Neptune at least to page 150. Percy reconsiders Reyna's offer in the Roman baths. Title comes from "For Emma" - Bon Iver.
Percy stepped out of the Roman baths, feet slick on the marble that lined the large pool. The baths were empty at the moment, save a few Lares at the end of the hall arguing over a couple denarii. Most campers were already in bed, but Percy couldn’t sleep-so he’d gone to the largest body of water he could find. Water always seemed to clear his thoughts and sooth his conscience. Percy wrapped a towel around himself quickly, feeling very exposed. He wasn’t used to bathing in public, a fact that was just another part of everyday life at Camp Jupiter. Still, the water felt as good as ever against his skin, and getting out of the pool had been extremely difficult. He paused and shook his hair out, forcing the water droplets off his body in one good shake. Hair askance, he suddenly noticed that the Lares had disappeared and that the bathhouse had gone spookily quiet.
His mind no longer distracted by the dull thrum of Lares chattering away, he couldn’t ignore the thoughts that had been beating against the inside of his brain since his meeting with Reyna. What exactly had she offered him? A praetorship would be the explicit answer to that question, but there had been so much more behind her words. A promise of something that Percy wasn’t really sure he wanted. Sure, Reyna was beautiful-her hair, black and shining, was one of the first things he had noticed about her (beyond her ability to scare younger campers and keep Octavian in check), as well as her sculpted cheeks and general fitness-but there was more to her than that. She radiated power, but in a way that made Percy want to follow her, not resent her. He understood why the campers had elected her praetor. She was destined to lead.
And was he destined to lead with her? He knew he could lead a group of demigods well… there was something in his bones that told him that. He could lead if they asked him to. But lead the Romans? Percy shook his head. Wherever he belonged, it wasn’t this place. Reyna, on the other hand, would live and die for this camp, for these people. She was extraordinarily selfless for a Roman, Percy mused. He did like her, even if she made him nervous.
Percy walked toward the cubbyholes where they stored their clothes while bathing. He pulled on his boxers and was halfway through doing his jeans when he realized his purple tee-shirt was missing. Slinging on his probatio necklace, as well as his mysterious length of beads and leather (along with Reyna’s ring), he looked around, puzzled.
“Missing something?” Reyna called from behind him. Percy nearly jumped out of his skin, whirling around to find the praetor standing there, fully armed.
“How long have you been standing there?” Percy asked reflexively.
“Long enough for a show,” Reyna grinned. Percy blushed.
In her hand was his purple tee-shirt. She seemed reluctant to hand it over. Reyna’s eyes raked over his bare chest, and Percy crossed his arms a little self-consciously. Reyna laughed.
“Embarrassed?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. She made a face that read: you shouldn’t be. Percy shrugged.
“We’re not really on even footing, here,” he said offhandedly, gesturing toward her full body armor and purple cape.
“Are you telling me to strip, Percy Jackson?” Reyna asked quizzically.
“Am I?” Percy retorted, leaving the ball in her court. She tilted her head to the side and looked at him, as if trying to read his thoughts.
Reyna unclasped her cape, and it billowed to the ground behind her, cascading in indigo waves like a waterfall. Percy was pretty sure where this was headed, though he wasn’t certain he wanted it to happen.
Annabeth, his mind screamed. You love Annabeth.
Reyna undressed slowly but efficiently, stripping the armor off her legs with a few tugs. The aegis on her chest she pulled up over her head, leaving her in normal civilian clothes at long last: a purple tee-shirt, jean shorts, and Nike kicks.
Percy uncrossed his arms.
“Have you thought about my offer?” Renya asked quietly. Without her cape and armor, she was only slightly less intimidating: Percy supposed that her intensity derived itself from her eyes. His mind flashed to a different pair of eyes, grey eyes that gleamed with brilliant hop, eyes from his past, and then he was back in the present: Percy Jackson, shirtless amnesiac with a bit of a hard-on.
“The praetorship?” Percy asked.
Reyna pursed her lips. “Like I said before, Percy, you’re not as stupid as you look. I’m pretty sure you can read between the lines here.”
And that’s when she took off her shirt.
Percy was pretty sure that he’d seen breasts before, but Reyna’s were pretty spectacular. Held aloft in a lacy black bra that matched the color of her dark hair, they captivated him for a solid minute until she cleared her throat. Percy looked up at her face, blushing: Reyna looked part pleased, part aggravated… overall, though, she looked dangerous, even half-naked.
“Sorry,” Percy murmured.
“We’re on even footing now, I think,” Reyna said. She strode forward with purpose, and Percy was certain he knew what exactly that purpose was.
“Reyna, I can’t,” Percy blurted out. “I have a girlfriend-her name is Annabeth, and I’m pretty sure I was in love with her before my memories were taken away, so please: can we just go back to you bossing me around like the probatio I am?” His words flew out, and Reyna froze. For a moment, Percy could see the doubt etched on her face that he himself felt in his chest, like a dead weight in a grip around his heart.
“I used to believe that Jason and I were meant for each other,” Reyna said in a harsh whisper. “Then he vanished, just when I-when Camp Jupiter needed him the most.” Reyna ran a finger through her long hair, letting a few strands fall so that they slightly obscured her dark eyes. “Now I don’t think I believe in anything anymore.” She rubbed her eyes, and then continued her approach until she has backed Percy up against his cubbyhole. “No,” she continued. “I do believe in something: I believe in myself, and I believe in you, Percy Jackson. And I can believe in us, if you’d just let the inevitable happen.”
“The inevitable?” Percy breathed, leaning away from the girl pinning him against the wall.
“We are both prime physical specimens, both natural leaders, both skilled fighters,” Reyna rattled off. “You clearly find me attractive,” she said, glancing down at Percy’s tight jeans.
“That’s not fair,” Percy said, a chuckle in his throat. “You sort of sneak attacked me with that bra. Nice, by the way.”
“I didn’t realize you were such a fan of lingerie,” Reyna snorted. A devilish glint seemed to radiate off her. “Would you be sad to see it go?”
Percy closed his eyes and thought of Annabeth.
“Is there anything wrong with doing our best with what we have, Percy?” Reyna asked him frankly. She has pressed herself up against him now, skin against skin, the lace of her bra lightly skirting across his chest. “We make do, Percy. We improvise.”
“I don’t want the praetorship,” Percy said in a husky voice. His hands seem to hover above her skin, unsure.
“Sometimes we do things we don’t want to do,” Reyna said quietly, and Percy looked down at the dark haired girl and saw, perhaps for the first time since meeting her, true vulnerability. “Sometimes we do what we need to… in order to survive.” Waves of a past life that Percy knew nothing about radiated from Reyna, enveloping Percy and nearly drowning him in her sorrow.
“Do you miss him?” Percy asked her solemnly.
She looked away from him, releasing her hold on him slightly. “He was a great praetor, and a good friend. I could have loved him, given time and the right circumstances.” Reyna paused. “I know you care for Annabeth, Percy-but she’s just a dream. I’m reality. I could be your reality.”
Reyna pressed her lips against Percy’s neck, then against where his ear met his jaw. “You’re a new man, Percy. You can start again here. You can start with me.”
It was so tempting. The memories he strained for seemed constantly out of his reach. What Reyna offered him was a chance to forget his past entirely. He could begin again here at Camp Jupiter. Would that be so bad?
“I’m leaving tomorrow on a suicide mission,” Percy reminded her, but even as his protest reached her ears, his hands settled on her hips.
“Even better,” Reyna said with a smile-a smile that read: I win. “If you die, you won’t spread any gossip that the praetor’s been sleeping around with members of the probatio. And if you do survive…”
“We’ll deal with that when I get back,” Percy said confidently, trailing a finger up and down Reyna’s spine. She shivered. “Besides, I don’t kiss and tell.”
Reyna’s hands find themselves wrapped up in Percy’s hair, too long for Roman regulation. The scratch of her nails against his scalp felt incredible.
“I’m tired of being alone,” she whispered, voice cracking, and Percy knew exactly what she meant. He too ached for companionship, love, and family. Percy had a feeling that Reyna confided in few people, if anyone, so this confession felt… sacred, somehow.
Percy leaned down and let his lips glide against Reyna’s in a surprisingly gentle gesture. The kiss hung in the hair like a question for a long moment, and then Reyna pressed back against Percy, tongue wetting their lips in a few deft swipes. Percy hoisted her into his arms, and Reyna wrapped her legs around his waist. With one arm clasping his neck, the other in his hair, Reyna pulled back for air as Percy stepped toward the bath.
“Where are you taking us?” she asked, a little giddy.
“I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count,” Percy teased. He stepped into the water, willing an air bubble to encircle the two of them as they descended into the depths of the bath.
“That is some party trick, Percy Jackson,” Reyna said in awe. She smiled and resumed her attempt at undoing his jeans.
“If you think that’s impressive,” Percy began, glancing down at his jeans. They both laugh, and for a second, Percy’s life felt so normal he wanted to cry. Reyna seemed to recognize his change in demeanor and wrapped herself around him, holding him tight. They rose to the surface, and Percy allowed the water to soak them at last.
“There’s only one thing I want from you tonight,” Reyna murmured against his lips, water dripping down her forehead. “And it’s not a promise for praetorship.”
With a single motion, Reyna unhooked her bra, letting it float down into the depths of the pool. With difficulty, Percy shimmied out of his jeans.
“I just want you to realize that we’re the same, Percy Jackson,” Reyna tells him quietly. “We’ve both lost so much. But we have so much to gain, can’t you see-”
And the thing was, Percy could see exactly what she meant.
Reyna gasped as Percy’s hand dipped down into her underwear. She shuddered mightily as his fingers found her core, and Percy moved his hand confidently, intently.
“I think you’ve, you must have done this,” Reyna said, breath hitching, “I think you may have done this before-gods, gods that’s good.” He found her clit easily and made easy work of bringing her to the edge.
“No, I don’t think this is my first rodeo,” Percy conceded with a fast grin. Reyna barks out a laugh, and for some reason, Percy is reminded of her hounds, Argentum and Aurum.
“Excellent-I’ll assume you can keep up, then,” she laughed, and then it was Percy’s turn to groan as her hands found his cock. When he was close, he pushed her deft fingers away and guided her toward the edge of the pool. Nearly tearing off her panties, he pressed her up against the marble tile. She mewled and pressed herself against him.
“Come on Percy, now or never,” she grunted, and finally he was inside her, and gods it was like fire and pleasure beyond imagining and somewhere in the back of his mind Percy sees himself buried in another girl, blonde and radiant, glowing with the sweat of sex and summer heat, nails digging into his back, crying out his name like a prayer or something even sweeter-
“Annabeth,” Percy breathed just as Reyna choked out, “Jason-”
Perhaps that was the moment that the two truly realized how similar they really were.
“It’s okay,” Percy said at last, digging his face into Reyna’s neck. “I understand.”
Reyna tightened her grip around him. “Keep going,” she commanded, but he could feel the thank you buried within her intonation.
Reyna came first, at first growling like some rabid thing, then whimpering for Percy not to stop until the last body shakes withered away from the center of her body like a series of aftershocks. Percy came later, with his cock in her mouth, hands cemented in the roots of her hair like an anchor to the mortal realm.
When it was all over, and the two of them were dressed at long last, Reyna cleared her throat.
“You should reconsider the praetorship,” she begged him. “You would make a great leader here.”
“Thank you,” he said genuinely. He paused. “Let me get through this quest first, and I’ll let you know. About the praetorship. And everything else, I guess.”
Reyna cracked a sad smile. “You’ll be fine. Unleash your inner Roman, Percy, and victory is assured.” Percy could hear the doubt in her tone as she tried to likewise convince herself. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist.
“If you don’t let go of my wrist,” Reyna said in a small voice, “I might not let you leave tomorrow.”
One finger at a time, he loosened his grip, until he parted from her entirely.
Before she left, she pressed her dagger of Imperial gold into his hands, despite his protests. “Bring it back,” she demanded. “Just… bring it back.” And when she looked at him, he could feel everything she yearned for: a new life, a new start hung on the precipice of this quest… all those possibilities could vanish and haunt Reyna forever if Percy did not return.
“I’ll see you in four days,” Percy vowed, tucking the dagger into a belt-loop of his jeans.
She walked away at last, purple cape billowing out behind her like the shadows of a labyrinth, and Percy thought for a moment that he could remember navigating through a maze eons ago, in his younger and less memorable years.