Despite what most people would think, Leo and Reyna actually became great friends after the war. Sure, there was the whole "You blew up my camp!" thing to get past, but once he managed to convince her of his innocence, they were able to form a platonic friendship.

Leo knew he had a problem when Reyna hugged him, and as brief as this act of affection was, he felt his heart rate increase drastically and his body temperature become dangerously high. He had to concentrate, more diligently so, to prevent himself from bursting into flame, and even with the tremendous effort he put in to refrain from being ignited, he still felt the little tingles in his ears that indicated there was a small fire there. Reyna just smiled and turned around to start walking to her villa.

Leo's walk back to the Argo II was uneventful but thought-filled nonetheless. He knew Reyna was gorgeous in that out-of-his-league way that most girls were, but he didn't think of her that way.

"No, of course not!" he thought outloud.

A few wandering campers gave him curious and skeptical glances, but either he didn't notice or he was just too preoccupied to care.

He tried to convince himself that Reyna wasn't just a girl he could fall for. He had worked so hard in just trying to become her friend, he really didn't want to mess things up between them.

But she smiled at me, he thought. She's a smart girl, he's sure she figured out what his little 'incident' meant!

Plagued with thoughts of 'what if she was put off?' and 'she'll never feel the same anyway, so why spend your time thinking about her?' Leo tossed and turned in his bed that night until he fell asleep, dreading his sure-to-come encounter with the illustrious praetor the next day.

The days droned onward and an awkward atmosphere settle upon Leo and Reyna. Reyna knew something was up with Leo when he became more prone to spontaneous combustion, but she just decide to brush off her skepticism as paranoia and that really, he was fine.

Reyna, though she'll go to her grave denying having any sensual feelings directed toward Leo, started questioning what she really felt and for whom.

Sitting at her desk, going through a very detailed letter written by a Roman complaining about a Greek and what harm will be done if said Greek kept annoying them (in explicit detail), she finds herself wrapped up in the details- his details. His unruly brown curls and his chocolate brown eyes, they had her heart beating so loud, she wouldn't doubt if he could hear it.

She would never admit it, but Reyna had grown quite fond of Leo in a way that she feels she shouldn't have and is constantly beating herself up over it. Its a vicious cycle of "you have more important things to spend your time on so stop thinking about that frivolous repair boy," and "even if I didn't have New Rome to look after, who's to say that he'd even feel the same?"

Reyna over thought the situation to the point where she'd even confused herself, and decided to settle on "I am praetor of New Rome and I cannot put my own personal relations before my duty," so she makes a silent promise to herself; she will not let Leo play her heart strings.

(But oh gods, he still does and she doesn't really do much to stop him)