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Reyna was the unequivocal leader of Camp Jupiter. She was the most admired and revered Praetor that the camp had ever known. She was going to be put to death for murder. The murder hadn’t happened yet, but it would soon, if she heard one more whiny, obnoxious–
“This is the stupidest thing you’ve ever asked me to do. I hope you’re happy.”
“How can I be happy? I’m in your company.” Reyna was getting a migraine. This mission should not be as hard as he was making it.
“Stop arguing, you two,” Hazel admonished. “And Nico, quit being so darned sour. We’re trying to help you.”
Reyna couldn’t help the smile that escaped her otherwise stoic and detached face. Hazel was the only person, probably in the world, who could say something like “darned sour” and make it sound both endearing and slightly threatening. Reyna watched Nico swear in Italian and pull his jacket tighter around his shoulders. She smirked.
Nico glared at her. “You are a terrible best friend.”
Reyna and Hazel both laughed. It was only within the last year or so that they’d been able to do something as shocking as laugh at Nico, and honestly, it felt good. Reyna felt it was a monumental accomplishment, Nico letting them in fully and not taking himself quite as seriously, but it was also fun. As much as she felt like Nico was her beloved younger brother, she also found him annoying. Well, that actually sounded like a typical emotion to feel for a younger sibling. It was certainly the way Hylla seemed to feel about her.
“Frank,” Nico tried, turning to Hazel’s hulking, silent boyfriend. “You agree with me, right?”
Frank looked like a deer caught in headlights. Reyna knew he didn’t want to disagree with Nico or Hazel. He looked to Reyna for help, but Reyna had none to give.
“Um, I don’t like bowling very much.”
Hazel rolled her eyes, but Nico looked positively gleeful.
“See! It’s dumb, and I’m not the only one who thinks so! Hazel and I have never even bowled! We’ll be terrible!”
“That is not the point, and you know it, Nico.” Reyna tightened her grip on his hand and dragged him toward the door of the bowling alley. Nico needed more fun. He’d had a hard time lately, with the awkward split between the eight of the Seven Plus Two living at Camp Jupiter. It was such a subtle thing, one that perhaps Hazel and Frank were only marginally aware of, but Reyna knew Nico acutely felt the difference. “This will be good for you, or I wouldn’t put myself through the torture of your currently unbearable company.”
Nico stuck his tongue out at her, and she leaned up to kiss his cheek as Frank opened the door to the bowling alley.
Inside, the place smelled of stale beer and urinal cakes. It was admittedly not the finest example of all New Rome had to offer. The college kids liked to hang out here, though, and the pizza was divine. No one in the senate seemed particularly interested in sprucing the place up, and no one outside the senate ever complained.
Reyna approached the girl behind the sticky glass counter – she heard Nico hiss “don’t touch anything!” to Hazel – and cleared her throat.
“Excuse me, my friends and I would like to bowl.”
The girl’s eyes widened as she took in the group – one current and one former Praetor, the fifth cohort’s lead centurion, and the Ambassador of Pluto, whose hand was still laced with Reyna’s – and nodded dumbly.
“Fabulous,” Nico drawled. “Let’s get this over with.”
Nico started to walk away, but Reyna stayed rooted to the spot. Their arms stretched out between them, and Reyna could feel the tension build like a rubber band about to snap. She gave a rough tug and pulled Nico back to her.
“She needs to assign us a lane, Nico.” Now for the fun part, Reyna thought. “And give us shoes.”
Reyna watched Nico’s eyes narrow and then open comically wide as he finally gazed behind the counter and saw the wall of bowling shoes. Hazel was covering her mouth to hide her giggles, and Frank looked like he was about to pee his pants.
“No. No.” Nico shook his head emphatically. “Not doing this. I am not wearing tacky, gross shoes that someone else has already had their feet in.”
“Yes, you are.” Reyna would win this battle. Nico’s bark was so much worse than his bite.
“They could have fungus!” Nico gestured wildly to the shoes, his eyes blazing as he looked from Hazel to Reyna.
“We, um, spray them down after each use, Ambassador,” the girl behind the counter offered. “They don’t have fungus.”
“You’re wearing socks, bro,” Frank said. “You wouldn’t get fungus anyway. Any germs would be gone, too.”
“Oh, thank you, Madame Curie,” Nico snapped.
Hazel laughed out loud.
“You don’t want to hinder your style, Brother.” Hazel put her hand on Nico’s chest and slid it down to sharply poke his belly.
Nico spluttered and blushed. “I...I don’t care about that!”
Reyna looked over Nico, in his tight black designer jeans and t-shirt, his stylish leather jacket and deadly-looking combat boots, and thought that was exactly what Nico cared about.
“Prove it,” Reyna ordered. “Wear the shoes. Everyone, tell the attendant what size shoes you need.”
“Size six for me, please,” Hazel chirped happily.
“Thirteen,” Frank mumbled.
“Ten, please,” Reyna commanded. She rather enjoyed how every word out of her mouth sounded like an order that almost everyone jumped to obey. She'd probably miss that most when she was no longer Praetor.
The girl had been gathering shoes as each size was offered up. She slapped them on the counter and looked expectantly at Nico, who wouldn’t meet her eyes. The moment stretched on, and Reyna felt the urge to commit murder rising once again.
“Give him twelves, please,” Hazel supplied. The girl rushed to comply.
“Traitor,” Nico grumbled, but he took the offered shoes.
“Size twelve, Nico? I never would have guessed,” Reyna teased.
Nico had dropped down on one knee to begin unlacing his boots. He looked up at Reyna and gave her the shy, wry smile that provided the window to the real Nico – who was an adorable smartass underneath the tough and guarded exterior.
“I’m a growing boy. Besides, my dad’s tall. I’ll grow into my feet, I think.”
“If it matters about our godly parents, why’s Hazel so much smaller than you, then?” Frank wondered.
Nico shrugged and switched to the other boot. “Don’t know. Maybe it’s only if you’re the same gender as your godly parent. You’re huge like Mars. I look like my dad. I bet Reyna looks like Bellona. Hazel looks like her mom, though, lucky thing. Better than looking like my dad.”
There was a slight darkening of the room.
“Because Dad is such a totally handsome man, like me,” Nico added. “I mean, he’s too manly handsome to be an attractive girl.”
“Nice save, Brother.” Hazel grinned as the shadows receded.
“Come,” Reyna said. “Nico is dawdling to reduce the amount of time we have to bowl.”
Nico’s face flushed, and Hazel slapped his shoulder.
“Um, should we get those bumper lanes?” Frank asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, for Hazel and Nico, since they’ve never bowled.”
Everyone stared at him. Reyna had a suspicion the wish for bumper lanes had nothing to do with Hazel and Nico.
“Praetor Zhang?” the girl at the counter spoke up. “We only allow kids six and under to use the bumpers.”
“Oh,” Frank said. His face turned a brighter red than Nico’s, and the blush spread right to the tips of his ears and the edge of his black buzz-cut.
Hazel patted the big guy’s shoulder and led them through the lobby, following the path where thousands of bowling shoe-clad feet had worn away the carpet over the years, leaving a black rubbery route to the actual bowling lanes.
Reyna followed Hazel and Frank through the double glass doors and had to stop abruptly to keep from running into Frank. Nico, who was undoubtedly looking at the floor and trying to dodge any stains or marks that looked suspect, ran into her back. Reyna peered around Frank’s large back and saw what had made Hazel freeze in her tracks.
Maybe Hazel wasn’t as oblivious to the problem as Reyna had thought. The bowling alley only had six lanes, and all were empty except lane six. In that lane, whooping and laughing, clearly having a great time, were the other four heroes.
Reyna had to fight the urge to turn Nico around and usher him back outside. Hazel turned and looked at Reyna nervously.
“Go in. Head up. Smile brightly,” Reyna instructed. She hated how much those directions sounded like the ones she’d given Nico that awful night five months ago.
Hazel nodded and straightened her shoulders. Reyna directed her attention to Nico, who’d finally looked up and realized who the other patrons were. He looked on the verge of crumpling. He was twisting his skull ring ferociously and breathing rapidly.
“I can’t do this,” he whispered.
Reyna gently removed his fingers from their attempt to rub his ring finger raw.
“You trust me?” It sounded more like an order than a question.
Nico nodded, his eyes shifting back and forth from the other group to Reyna. Reyna placed her forehead against his.
“Then believe this: You belong here, Nico di Angelo. You are as welcome and as worthwhile as any of them. Nothing you’ve done is worse than what any of the rest of us has done.”
“Okay.” Nico’s voice was small.
Reyna straightened to her most intimidating posture. “Act like you own the place.”
Nico licked his lips and nodded slowly. Reyna watched him stretch his neck and align his shoulders. He looked confident and controlled and extremely attractive. Reyna took his hand and smiled.
“Perfect, sweet boy. Let’s do this.”
Annabeth was the first to notice their approach. She looked away from where Percy had rolled a spare and visibly stiffened. Reyna watched her friend nudge Piper, who looked in their direction and scowled before schooling her face into a polite, friendly smile.
Behind them, Jason stood from the seats at their lane and stared at Nico. Jason’s stare might have been the most heartbreaking thing Reyna had ever seen. He looked both longing and angry, and so hopelessly in love. She imagined Nico mirrored the gaze.
They would have been such a beautiful couple, Reyna mused. Jason was the archetype of the noble, elegant Roman statesman, with his perfectly coiffed golden blond hair and masculine, chiseled jaw and cheekbones. And those stunning blue eyes! He looked every bit the son of the king of the gods. Nico was all Greek youthful beauty, with his wild, silky black locks and plump lips, big eyes and angular face. The only thing that separated Nico from the likes of Ganymede, Paris, and Adonis was his unearthly milky, pale skin. It was definitely not standard Mediterranean fare.
They had probably been perfect together. Now Nico and Jason stood separated by ten feet of dirty blue carpet and a sea of hurt feelings.
Still, Reyna could almost feel the love pouring out of each one, heading straight for the other. Piper surely felt it, too. She was the daughter of the love goddess, after all.
Piper reached out, grabbed Jason’s hand, and laid her head on his shoulder, and Reyna’s suspicions were confirmed.
Both groups stood slightly apart, facing each other. No one spoke. The quiet of the group was shattered with the loud crash of a ball hitting pins and Percy’s elated whoop.
“That’s a strike, Grace! I beat your sorry ass!” Percy yelled happily. He turned back to his friends, and his wide smile slowly faded as he took in the new arrivals. Reyna watched his eyes flit across each of them in turn, from Frank to Hazel to her and finally, to Nico. Reyna couldn’t place the way Percy’s face morphed when he caught sight of her adopted little brother. The look was dark and out of place on Percy’s usually jovial face. In an instant, the look was gone, replaced by the wide smile. “Well, look who it is, the goodie-goodies!”
“We’re all goodie-goodies, except for you, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth cracked.
Percy bowed. “True that. Except Grace. Not such a goodie-goodie after all, are you, Golden Boy?”
Jason bristled and turned his attention away from Nico.
“Never said I was, asshole.”
Percy gave a noncommittal shrug and launched himself across what increasingly felt like enemy lines to hug Hazel. Hazel squealed as he picked her up and gave her a little spin. Percy set her down and shook Frank’s hand.
“How’s school treating you two?” Percy asked. “I don’t get to see you very often these days.”
And there was regular Percy, putting people at ease and making them feel special. Reyna took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. Percy pulled her into a hug, but it was more brief and formal and, thankfully, did not involve trying to spin her around. Then Percy was moving on to Nico, offering his hand.
Nico looked on Percy’s outstretched hand with disdain. “Pass.”
“Play nice, Nico,” Reyna warned. She did not want to have the town caught in a grudge match between Nico and Percy. They’d tear the camp apart.
“Yeah, pretty baby.” Percy said it mockingly and low enough that no one but the three of them could hear. The tone of his voice didn’t match the set of his eyes as he looked at Nico. Nico shook Percy’s hand, and Percy was moving away, back to his side of the divide.
Nico moved to stand behind Reyna and wrap his arms around her waist. She backed up into his chest.
“I hate this,” he whispered into her hair. She squeezed his forearm in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture. It may have felt like a pinch. Oops.
“So, uh, you guys bowling or what?” Percy asked.
Reyna startled. She’d completely forgotten in all the nervous tension.
“Yes, of course, Jackson.” She thought for a moment about preserving Nico’s sensitive feelings and the good of the legion and all the other stuff she cared about every day of every week. Then she went with her gut. “Care to have a little competition?”
“You’re on,” Annabeth said immediately, her eyes glinting a little scarily.
Reyna quickly looked up at the board showing the scores of the four who’d already been bowling. Percy, Jason, and Annabeth could bowl. Piper could not. On her team, the only person who could bowl was her, assuming Frank’s question about bumpers gave away a large clue about his skill.
Reyna did not like to lose. They needed to even the odds a bit. “How shall we divide the teams?”
Annabeth looked at her shrewdly.
“Dance with who brung ya,” Piper said quietly. Everyone looked at her. She looked at all of them. “What? Why not?”
Reyna thought Piper’s stance had more to do with keeping Jason away from Nico than wanting to assure victory. Reyna could work with that.
“Greeks versus Romans,” Reyna challenged.
“I hate you,” Nico whispered. He blew a raspberry on her cheek and switched places with Jason.
“Brains versus the rest of you,” Annabeth countered. She grabbed Nico’s hand. “Percy, Piper, out. Nico and I take Frank and Reyna.”
“Ouch,” Jason laughed. Percy glared at him.
“We all good, then?” Annabeth asked. Reyna saw no need to object. She could live with this configuration.
“Not so fast,” Nico said. He and Annabeth glowered at each other, even though they were still holding hands. “Big Three against the rest of you.”
Nico dropped Annabeth's hand and sauntered over to stand by Hazel, but at the last minute, Percy tugged Nico's arm, and he ended up between Hazel and Percy, with Percy's arm wrapped around his waist.
Percy looked Nico over. “Can you even bowl in pants that tight?”
Nico looked mortified and shoved Percy's hand off his hip. The way Nico squirmed after Percy let go told Reyna that Percy had just openly groped Nico's ass. Percy looked very pleased with himself, but Jason was looming over Percy murderously. Reyna could do without all the male posturing.
“Oh, look,” she said. “Nico's taller than Percy.”
It was a lie. Nico was maybe half an inch shorter, close enough that Percy wouldn't be able to tell if he looked at Nico, which was exactly what he was doing.
“He's got his boots on,” Percy pouted. Reyna smirked.
“Bowling shoes, dumbass,” Nico snapped. “We're all wearing the same kind of shoes. Can we go back to the smart people versus everyone else now? I changed my mind.”
“Boys against girls,” Jason offered. “Me, Frank, Nico, and Shorty versus you lovely ladies.”
Nico had already started to walk away from Percy, but when Jason spoke he turned and headed back, though this time he stood on Jason's far side, away from Percy.
“Ooh, wait everyone!” Hazel shrieked.
Reyna cringed and took a step away from Hazel. The little daughter of Pluto was an exceptionally sweet girl and a great leader, but she had a very high-pitched voice.
“What do you think the teams should be, Hazel?” Frank asked.
“Oh, I don't care,” Hazel said. She was digging around in her purse. “I wanted to get a picture of the four of you together. You all look so handsome, and we don't hang out enough anymore.”
She said that last part as sweetly as everything else, but it had the effect she'd no doubt intended. Percy and Jason looked extremely guilty. Jason actually looked pained. Reyna caught sight of Piper and Annabeth sharing a defeated glance.
“You're right, Hazel,” Annabeth said softly. “I'm sorry.”
“I'm probably not who you should apologize to.” Hazel turned toward the boys and directed traffic. “Nico and Percy on the outside. Frank and Jason in the middle. Squeeze in close.”
Reyna doubted Hazel knew what she was doing to her brother, who was uncomfortably leaning into Jason's body.
“Say cheese!” Hazel snapped the picture and four more, each featuring progressively less attentive subjects, before declaring she was done.
“Here, Hazel, let me take a picture of the girls, too,” Nico offered.
“No.” Jason was looking at Nico. Their arms were still wrapped around each other. “Let Frank. He, um, has the better angle.”
Hazel, nonplussed, blinked at Jason before shrugging and handing Frank the camera. Reyna smiled and squeezed in close to the other women as Frank took a few shots. She needed to do this sort of thing more often.
“All done,” Frank said. He handed the camera back to Hazel.
“Hazel, get one of me and Percy, will you?” Annabeth asked. Thus began the tedious, it seemed to Reyna, chore of photographing each couple individually.
After Hazel had gotten Annabeth and Percy, Piper and Jason, and Annabeth took a picture of Hazel and Frank, Hazel insisted on getting a picture of Reyna and Nico, who'd been awkwardly standing by watching other people be not as alone as them.
“Let's get Reyna and Nico, too,” Hazel said.
Reyna was about to beg off. She knew Nico didn't like to be photographed that much, and truthfully, she didn't either. It seemed a vain enterprise. She was shocked when Nico pulled her tight against him and dipped her low, smiling that stunning smile. She put her hands on his chest and smiled back. Hazel clicked around a few times and squealed, “oh, so good!”
Nico pulled Reyna back up and whispered, “you'll have the real thing, Reyna. There just aren't that many guys out there who can match your amazingness.”
Reyna patted his cheek. “I'm looking at one, darling. You'll have the real thing, too, eventually.”
Nico's smile turned into a ghost of the one he'd wowed her with a minute before. His eyes grew sad.
“I already had it,” he whispered.
Reyna laid her head on Nico's shoulder and cuddled into him for a moment. Would it be too much to ask for the universe to make the two of them happy for once?
“Um, you two aren't actually dating, right? Because I've heard some rumors and I know Nico's...” Frank trailed off after a nearly universal group glare. “I'll shut up now.”
“Nah, it's okay, Frankie,” Nico shoulder-bumped Frank. “I like the same type as my sister – muscly Canadian geeks. Got any cousins?”
Hazel, Annabeth, and even Piper laughed. Frank turned into a butterfly. Percy and Jason stared at Nico, then turned and almost growled at each other.
“One more picture,” Reyna decided. “Nico, Percy, and Jason – the three sons of the Big Three. Nico, in the middle please.”
Nico shot her a “please, no” look, but Reyna shooed him toward Percy and Jason. They stood together a little stiffly, and there was an odd moment where Percy and Jason seemed to be grappling over who put their arm where on Nico's back, prompting an exaggerated sigh and angrily tapping foot from Nico, but they eventually calmed down.
Reyna watched over Hazel's shoulder as the littlest hero snapped a few pictures of the three most powerful people on the planet. She probably shouldn't have made the suggestion because now Percy and Jason were shooting each other clandestine glares and Nico was twitching bad enough under the other boys' clinging fingers that he looked like he was having a seizure, but she had a feeling this may be the last time she ever saw the three even semi-willingly stand together again.
“Well then, let's bowl, shall we?” Reyna asked. She picked out a fine purple ball and made her way onto the light yellow hardwood floor of the lane.
“Excuse me, Praetor Reyna?”
Reyna turned and raised her eyebrow at the attendant, motioning for her to continue.
“We're closed.”
The girl smartly fled Reyna's wrath. Nico threw his head back and cackled. Reyna took his hand and dragged him toward the lobby. She'd kill him later, when there were fewer witnesses, she decided.