Percy Jackson One Shots and Short Stories

#43 - The City of London

Chapter 43 - The City of London
published: Monday, 25 November 2019

Time Frame: older demigods (22+ years old); post-Annabeth's master's degree

Synopsis: Annabeth sets Reyna up on a date with a friend from grad school. Reyna clicks incredibly well with him, but there's something off.

Contains: Reyna-centric (our favorite RARA); self-discovery; LGBTQ+ elements (no hate tolerated)

—*—

Reyna checked her watch one more time, tapping her foot impatiently. The supposedly great Dan Russell apparently wasn't the most punctual.

"Waiting for someone?" the bartender asked.

Reyna pursed her lips. "A blind date, actually. Mutual friend set us up."

Said mutual friend was Annabeth Chase. Daniel Russell was one of her best friends from graduate school at Brown, and Reyna had heard such tales about him from Percy and Annabeth.

Reyna, who had semi-given up on finding 'the one', reluctantly agreed to meet him. So "no demigod would heal her heart". That was fine. Not at all depressing.

Dan wasn't a demigod. He was a British mortal who could see through the Mist. Intelligent, handsome, and funny. The whole package, apparently.

Reyna dipped on her mocktail. She was genuinely curious about this Dan now. Whether he lived up to her expectations or not.

A loud crashing noise drew Reyna's attention to the front door. There were two men locked in a fist fight, struggling as they stumbled out the front door.

"...bloody stupid!" came the furious shout of the man in the fight as they burst through the front door of the pub.

Reyna stared at the two men closely. Something about the one at the back gave her an uneasy feeling.

The man's eye caught hers and morphed into a sea of black — no pupil at all. Then it was back to normal.

Reyna scrambled to her feet, heart hammering and hand on the gladius strapped to her side. She assumed that the Mist disguised it as a sling bag or something.

"Sorry — gotta go," Reyna rushed, leaping towards the retreating figures of the men.

As she slammed through the door, Reyna whipped her head back and forth, gaze sweeping the landscape for them. Her eyes narrowed in on the alleyway next to the pub, where one of the men was lying on the ground, bleeding from the nose and his skull bashed in.

Reyna winced as she knelt down to take his pulse. Fortunately, he was still alive. "Call an ambulance!" she instructed one of the passers-by who had gathered around the scene.

Slowly creeping down the alleyway, Reyna was very aware of the wintry air suddenly feeling even colder and more depressing than before. There was a soft shink as she slid her sword out of its sheath and held it out defensively.

"Show yourself!" she ordered.

A low growl echoed down the thin alleyway. Reyna gripped her sword tighter instinctively, approaching with bated breaths.