Hi! So even though this is really late, I'm posting it as a PJO Ship Week Story. Even though I feel really guilty about writing this after reading The House of Hades... This will be spoiler free, by the way. Please note that in this post-war world, Jason is dead and Frank is praetor.

July 14-20- Thalia and Luke (Keeping it PG)

July 21-27- Beckendorf and Silena (The Girl in the Attic)

July 28- August 2- Grover and Juniper (The Track of Time)

August 4-10- Chris and Clarisse (Scraps)

August 11-17- Tyson and Ella (Skywards)

August 18-24- Frank and Hazel (Correspondence)

August 25-31- Leo and Hazel (The Toy Factory)

September 1-7 (or October 12, you know)- Leo and Reyna (Gossip)

September 8-14- Jason and Reyna (French, Grecian and Dutch)

September 15-21- Jason and Piper (Solid Gold)

September 22-27- Free ship! (The Boy and The Legend)

September 28- October 7- Percy and Annabeth (Imagination)

Disclaimer: Enjoy the story whose characters I do not own and thank you for putting up with the wait!

Gossip

"It's nonnegotiable," Reyna said. "I couldn't care less about your rank; you're cleaning the stables and that's that."

She left towards the principia and Hank made a face. Gross. Stable-duty was one of the worst punishments, and senators rarely got it. Go figure he was the first.

"What's her problem?" Larry asked, crinkling his nose. "She seemed irritable."

"She might just miss Grace," Hank shrugged.

"Yeah, well, we all do," Larry shrugged. It wasn't fair that after a godly abduction and a feverishly frantic quest, their praetor died without any of them having gotten to see (really see and talk to, not just spot during a diplomatic meal) again. "Doesn't give her the right to be pissed with everyone."

"No, no, no," Hank said. "I mean miss Grace."

Larry's eyes popped. "I didn't think they were romantically involved…"

Hank shrugged. "Well, a little birdy told me…"

"Oh, so you mean all you've got is gossip?" Larry asked with a frown.

"Gossip's as good as we're getting and you know it," Hank said.

"The concern you show about this issue is touching," Reyna said cutting Octavian mid-sentence (Hank couldn't blame her) and getting up, "But I'm afraid that I can't give you more time to circle about pointless arguments. I have business in New Rome."

"Business in New Rome?" Larry asked.

"Yes, Senator, business in New Rome," she said putting away papers and folding a battle map.

"At this time of the year? When the contracts are already finalised?"

"Business in New Rome," Reyna repeated. "What part of that implied that you had a right to information?"

Larry and Hank and Octavian all muttered it together: "None, praetor."

The second they were booted out of the principia, conversation went wild.

"It's out of season, it must be important."

"Urgent even," Hank said.

"Oh yes, maybe urgent..."

"Octavian, do you know what's going on?" Hank asked.

"Oh, no," Octavian said. "I'm simply the augur. Supposedly that's not good enough to be given straight, sure information."

"But what did you hear?"

"It really isn't appropriate for me to…"

Of course the desired effect was nailed and they both asked in a rush, "What did you hear?!"

Octavian shrugged. "I heard that she's spending a ridiculous amount of time with that retired Fifth Cohort Centurion."

"Gwen?"

"Yes, that's her name," Octavian said. "Gwen…"

"But it's not business in New Rome then," Hank said.

"Oh, it is if she doesn't want anybody to know…" Octavian said.

Larry and Hank were done.

Alas, the announcement of an engagement two months later between Gwendolyn Holly and Dakota Komendat stopped the rumour mill from turning in that particular direction.

"We should inaugurate an ambassador like the Greeks have," Nathan said. "I think it'd be a good idea."

"You could bring it up with Reyna when she comes back from Camp Half-Blood," Leila nodded. "I think she's due back with the fourth cohort on Monday..."

"I wouldn't bother," Jacob said. "I don't think she'll give in."

"What makes you say that?" Nathan asked. "She's super rational, and it would make sense to have someone other than the praetors go so that the fort's other business wouldn't…"

"Oh, sure," Jacob said. "But if she's really hooking up with Percy Jackson whenever she goes to camp like I've heard, she's not giving up those trips anytime soon."

Within twenty-four hours of their first legion-wide visit to Camp Half-Blood, it'd been established that Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were too deeply in love for anyone to ever get between them, especially one of Annabeth's good friends.

"Did you notice her new ring at muster?" Hank asked.

"You mean the one with the torches?" Larry asked. "That's not new. She has it on all the…"

"No, no, she had a new one," Hank interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Hank said. "It had this nice red stone on it, like solid blood, and it was folded around with laurels. The ring was gold and stuff- super nice."

"Where did she get it?" Larry asked. "She couldn't care less for jewelry and praetors are barely paid at all…"

"I know; so she definitely didn't get it for herself…" Hank said pointedly.

Larry gasped. "So who..?"

"I don't know, but I'm ready to bet that she's got a lover," Hank said.

"But I heard a rumour that she didn't care for romance at all," Larry brought up.

"What, that she's asexual?"

"Yeah," Larry said.

"That's just a rumour," Hank said. "She's wearing a ring."

"Hey, you know what they say about praetors often becoming romantically involved?" Larry said excited, getting to dinner late.

"Yeah, what about it?" Hank asked, twirling spaghetti around his fork.

"Well, I was talking to Reyna, and then she booted me out because she said that 'She and Praetor Zhang needed a few moments in private before supper'." Larry said.

"No way," Hank said dropping his pasta. A plate loaded with lasagna and garlic bread landed right in front of him.

"Do you really think that it's true this time?" Larry asked. "I mean, the two praetors before, not really, but…"

"Screw you," someone said. They turned around to see a frowning Hazel Levesque sitting at the neighbouring table. "Frank Zhang is dating me, and if you keep talking like that, I'm going to make sure that you'll be in no state for anyone to date you."

That's how that particular rumour stopped.

"Okay, here's a theory," Larry said. "You know how Octavian's family is super-rich in New Rome?"

"Yeah," Hank said. They controlled most of the law firms in New Rome, and even a few in Los Angelos and San Francisco.

"Well, the guy's loaded, which means that if anyone could buy Reyna that kind of a ring…"

"Octavian and Reyna?" Hank said. "Are you seriously implying that..? Dude, you're grossing me out."

"But it makes sense."

"HOW?" Hank said trying to wipe some totally unwanted mental images out of his head.

"You know how they say that opposites attract, or that people who hate each other can end up in love?" Larry asked.

"Octavian and Reyna, dude," Hank said shaking his head. "Think about it very carefully…"

Larry's nose scrunched up. "Yeah, maybe it is a bit… out there…"

"Just a bit," Hank said sarcastically.

"Personally, I'm glad that we turned down that visit to the Amazon Kingdom," Hank said as the procession walked home from the senate. "Our traveling budget's already spread thin with all those visits to the Greeks that we now have…"

"It's true, but I'd have expected Reyna to be more into it than she was," Leila said. "After all, her sister's there."

"That's true," Nathan admitted.

"Well, she's always been iffy about the Amazon Kingdom," Bobby said. Usually he was quiet, but he always spoke up to defend those who weren't around. "She left it when she was twelve and got herself to Camp Jupiter on her own, straight away, without even having consulted Lupa."

One of Reyna's numerous claims to the status of HBIC.

"I have a theory!" Larry announced.

"Oh, Gods of Olympus…" Hank started.

"On what?" Nathan, innocent and oblivious, asked.

"He's trying to figure out where Reyna's new ring comes from…" Leila said, tired.

"Okay, so, she left the Amazon Kingdom mysteriously when she was twelve, right?"

"It's not 'mysteriously'; she had a falling out with the Queen about the Kingdom's policies and possible human rights infringements. Everyone knows that." Larry said.

"And what does the Amazon Kingdom specialise in?" Hank went on, totally ignoring his friend. "Merchandise- even jewelry."

"I don't like where this is going," Nathan said.

"It's so clear!" Hank marvelled. "See, Reyna had a lover in the Amazon Kingdom! She left Seattle after a fight, and now they're slowly getting back together via correspondence but not to the point of being ready to face each other again!"

Stunned silence. Stunned about what? The limitless imagination of Hank? His lack of filter? The fact that he found that a valid idea?

Whatever the reason, Larry slapped him in the back of the head.

"I think the Octavian/Reyna theory was more likely than that," he said.

In Reality...

"I'll bore you with details later," Annabeth concluded. Even she didn't care much about the 'Diplomatic Suggestion Box' hanging in the dining pavilion, or its roman equivalent in the muster hall. The so-called 'helpful suggestions' to 'help the mingling of Greeks and Romans' usually didn't work out anyways.

"Yes please," Reyna said, putting down the pen she'd been writing with.

"You've got places to be," Annabeth grinned from the other side of the table

"Nope, here's good," someone at the door said.

Reyna grinned before turning around. She'd come to recognise his voice, just as she recognised the callouses on his fingers or the roughness of his palms. Just as she'd come to remember the way she had to tilt her head to get a kiss, or where to put her arms to hold him exactly right, the way that made it seem like they could melt into each other.

"Hey you," Leo said as she rested her head against him.

"Hey you," she echoed.

Annabeth excused herself and so Reyna got to kiss him for real.

He put his hand above hers as it rested on his cheek and frowned as he scraped his hand against an unfamiliarity. A ring with a red stone.

"You're actually wearing it?" he asked.

"Of course I am," Reyna said. "You made it for me!"

"I just thought that you didn't wear jewelry."

"I wear yours," Reyna said. "I need to find time for you somewhere in the day."

Leo grinned and investigated it. "Is it still okay? Not dulling, right? Not used to working with Imperial gold and sometimes it does that... What about the gem- is it loose or is it still good?"

"Leo, it's fine," Reyna said pulling her hand away to stop his worrying. "It's perfect."

"I try to make things match their owners," Leo said with a goofy grin.

"Was that supposed to be smooth?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

"Okay then," Reyna said kissing him for it.