A/N Just don't ask about this, okay? I woke around four, picked two books off of my shelf, and flicked to random pages. Coincidentally, they were Titan's Curse, and Blood of Olympus... and the pages I flicked to contained Rachel and Reyna respectively... and then this appeared...
Reyna swiped her sword angrily through the rainbow in front of her, cutting off the Iris message. She had been dumped by message. She didn't even realise you could leave a message if you missed the person you tried to IM...
Spewing an impressive list of curses that flowed smoothly from English, to French (Piper was giving her lessons), Ancient Italian, and then back again, she stormed from her office in the direction of the Shadow Way (Nico had managed to persuade Pluto to make a link directly between the two camps so they could visit more easily).
She found Nico in the sparring Arena. He took one look at her face, then summoned a dozen zombie men, and left.
Thwack! The first zombie's head rolled to the floor.
She disembowled the next five, then stabbed the others in various places until they fell. By this time, the first creature was reheaded, and shuffling back towards her.
Lunge. Dumped before the first date.
Swipe. Dumped by the equivalent of a text.
Stab. Yet another romance failure.
Block. At this rate, the only single guys in camp not to have dumped her...
Lunge again. ... would be the fauns, who she wouldn't consider dating if one had a blade to her throat.
A grey limb fell to the floor. The life of Praetor was a lonely, bleak one.
One of her opponents seized her from behind, and she let loose another volley of swear words.
"You're in a bad mood today, Reyna."
She dropped her sword from shock, and the zombies crumbled back into dust. She hadn't been aware that she had an audience, but as she turned irritably, she caught a flash of reddish-brown hair.
"Rachel. Aren't you supposed to be rewriting the Sibylline Books with Ella?" She tried to keep her voice under control.
Rachel smiled guiltily. "I just had a strong feeling that I was needed here..."
"An oracular need? Or just a random want?" Reyna knew she shouldn't be snapping at Rachel. But she just felt so... so...
"Angry."
"What?"
"Why are you so angry, Reyna?"
Rachel seemed to be able to read her thoughts. Then she remembered the brutally murdered and re-murdered zombies. "No reason, really."
Pulling a black sharpie from her jeans, Rachel started doodling on her hand. "It's that prophecy, isn't it?"
"Is your gift coming back?"
Rachel pointed the pen sternly at her. "Don't change the subject. Aphrodite's prediction-slash-promise. That's what's bothering you."
Reyna shook her head, and her braids whipped her lower back. "No," she said, abruptly.
Rachel just raised an eyebrow. "You will not find love where you wish or where you hope. No-"
"No demigod shall heal your heart. I know what she said. ...So it's definitely a prophecy, then? No chance it was just idle words?" She couldn't help the slither of hope that crept into her chest.
It was crushed almost at once. "No, it is a prophecy. And I reckon that's what's bothering you."
Reyna sighed. She couldn't seem to get out of this conversation, could she?
"Kind of. I just got dumped again. Hadn't even had a first date, and he just..."
"Was he from Camp Jupiter?"
"Well... yes."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Well then of course he isn't the one! It will probably seem like a total coincidence at first; that's just how fate works. Take me, for example. Four years ago, I was at Hoover Dam, and Percy ran up to me and tried to cut me in half. Now look at me: I tell the future for him and countless others. See?"
Reyna had missed most of that; the other girl talked so quickly. But she agreed anyway. "Yes."
Rachel shook her head again. "No, you don't."
She swung her feet over the barrier that kept the spectators from the fighters and walked towards Reyna. Her purple hoodie was covered in paint splatters, and her blue plastic hairbrush dangled from a chain around her neck. She'd turned it into a good luck charm- that was just one of the quirky things Reyna had come to expect from the other girl. They were the same height.
"Come with me."
Reyna picked up her sword and, sheathing it, followed her.
Rachel reached for the remote and tried to press the play arrow, but Reyna snatched it from her.
"Come on, Reyna! Give it back!"
Reyna stuck her tongue out and shook her head. "Nuh-uh. It's my turn to choose!"
Rachel faked outrage. "But it's my cave, my jelly beans you're eating, and my remote!"
"But I need to watch something else!"
"This is the best show ever! How can you want to watch something else?"
Reyna chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Because we've been watching Once Upon A Time for seven hours solid! I need to see some new faces! And preferably an explosion to two!"
It was true. Rachel had taken her to her cave, and put up a sign that said,
"Sorry, we are closed. Anyone needing oracular advice today will just have to get by with luck until I'm not busy.
Rachel.
:P"
Reyna had stared at the sign for several long seconds, then hurried inside. The other girl had proceeded to empty the contents of her fridge onto a small table, and turned on the TV. "Come on!"
Of everything Reyna had expected for today (the list ranged from "Hannibal destroys the baths again" to "another Ancient Primordial Evil awakens"), this was way down at the bottom, underneath "Dakota stops drinking Kool-Aid".
"I think I have a Bond film here somewhere..." her hostess said now. She rummaged around in a wooden crate labeled "Crystal Balls: This way up", and then resurfaced holding a thin box.
"Moonraker?" Reyna read the title. "I like this one..."
"Good, cause you're the one who's gonna put it into the machine." Rachel replied, smirking.
Grumbling good naturedly, Reyna complied, then returned to sitting next to the other girl.
They had just got to the bit where Jaws meets the little blond lady and falls in love with her, when she spoke up again. "If only life was this simple..."
Rachel looked at her. "What do you mean?"
She pressed pause and pointed at the screen. "Look at them. They have it so easy, Rachel: they can just tell that they belong together. No prophecy, no complications... I wish my life was more like that."
Rachel's face was impassive. "Maybe it is like that. Maybe you just haven't realised it yet."
Reyna turned her head to look at her properly; they were almost nose to nose. "Maybe you're right," she said, and closed the distance between their mouths.
She wasn't really sure what she had been expecting Rachel to do- yell at her? Kick her out? Never talk to her again?- but she did none of those things. She returned the kiss with passion, and ran her fingers gently over Reyna's braids. When they finally broke apart, Reyna looked at her nervously. "This won't work."
"What do you mean?" Rachel sounded breathless, confused, and a little hurt.
"No demigod will-" Reyna started. She didn't want to start something that couldn't make either of them happy.
"Reyna? I'm mortal, remember?"
She laughed suddenly. "So Aphrodite was right then, huh? Didn't expect that at all..."
Rachel grinned. "Unfreeze the screen, 'Na"
"What did you call me?" Rachel chuckled at Reyna's bemused expression, grabbing the remote.
"I called you 'Na. It's your new nickname."
"If I have to have a nickname, then so do you, Rach."
Both girls laughed, and Rachel pressed play.
Neither of them really watched the film after that, though.
A/N Okay, so when I started this, I had my doubts. But actually, I think that they're quite a cute couple... What do you think? (TRANSLATION: REVIEW ME PLEASE)
;-)
~Fi