Vulnerable

By: xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx

©-Rick Riordan

AN: This has been bugging me for a while. I've wanted to write a Piper and Annabeth friendship story, but I thought, "Well, that's been done before. What hasn't, that would be pretty much the same?". So, I thought of the possibilities at the Roman Camp. What would Reyna, Jason's alleged girlfriend, be thinking? Would she have similar thoughts as Annabeth?

So, I decided to write this one, about Dakota, son of Mars, and Reyna, daughter of Minerva. There's slight Dakota/Reyna, but mainly Jason/Reyna.

Which reminds me, what do you guys think Jason and Reyna's name should be? I think they deserve a couple name. They're like Rome's Percabeth… right?

This is AU, as far as we know!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own HoO or PJO.

"I'm terrified of her."

Dakota raises an eyebrow, staring at his former girlfriend, Reyna Cambridge, the headstrong leader of the Minerva Barrack. "Come again?"

"I'm terrified of her." she repeats softly.

"You," Dakota repeats. "Are terrified of another girl? Are you okay, Rey?" he asks, placing a hand to her forehead. She swats it away in response. "Since when is Reyna Cambridge terrified of anyone?"

"I just… am." Reyna whispers, looking down. "I'm terrified of Gwen."

Dakota lets a loud laugh escape his mouth. "You? Terrified of Gwen? Yeah, and I'm Jupiter." Thunder rumbles in the distance, and the son of Mars looks up apologetically.

"She's the girl I'm so, so scare of." she whispers. "The other girl. My replacement."

"Wait… what?"

"She's the girl who this big shot hero can't help but fall in love with," Reyna continues. "A beautiful, exotic girl who's trying to help the poor hero—the one who's memory has been taken from him—find a place where he belongs. Gwen is the girl I'm terrified of."

"I…" Dakota says finally. "I don't understand."

"Think about it, Kota!" she almost shrieks, getting up close to his face. "Jason is out there somewhere… somewhere at the Greek camp," she spits, saying Greek as if it were the vilest disease. "He-he doesn't remember anything about his life, about the academy, about his friends, about… me!"

Realization dawns on him, and he whispers, "And you're scared someone is going to replace you. You think he'll find another, better girl."

"I know so, Kota," she says miserably. "His memories are completely gone, and, and it's so easy to fall for him! And I'm-I'm just… boring old me. He probably won't think to remember me… at all."

"Don't you dare say that, Reyna," Dakota warns. "Jason loves you, you vlacas!" he curses.

"You just called me an idiot. In Ancient Greek." she states, her jaw dropped.

He shrugs. "Percy."

"Ah."

"But the point is," he continues, this time gentler. "Jason will remember you. You two, you have something special. It's not something that someone can forget that easily."

"It is if a goddess takes your memories," Reyna points out stubbornly.

"I don't care if Juno took his damn memories, Reyna! Will you just listen?" he yells, before taking a deep breath. "Yes, I know Juno wiped his memories. Yes, I know he's at some foreign camp, where there's probably a girl that's all over him. But I also know that Jason is strong. I also know he can get past this. I know he'll remember you, because he loves you, for the gods' sake!"

"Are you sure about that, Kota?" she asks, looking up at him. He can't help but see the vulnerability in her eyes, the hopelessness that usually isn't there.

"I'm positive." he says. "Trying to forget someone you love is one of the hardest things you can do."

"I suppose you're right," she whispers, looking longingly out past the academy's borders. "He's still out there."

"We'll find him." Dakota promises.

"I know we will."

"Everything will go back to normal."

"I highly doubt that."

"At least with Jason and you, it will."

"That, I don't doubt. At all."