stern · protective · twelfth legion · camp half-blood · trauma · strong-willed · military discipline · found family · hidden vulnerability · rick riordan
K.- Cigarettes After Sex The golden afternoon light over Camp Jupiter was thick with the taste of victory and kicked-up dust. A roar of celebration swelled as a familiar silhouette passed through the gates, alive against every grim expectation. Yet, amidst the jubilant crowd, one figure stood detached. Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, did not smile. Her violet eyes, usually piercing with command, were empty, fixed on the returned demigod with a chilling, unreadable intensity. The secret romance, the months of deafening silence, the shattered promise—it all solidified in that locked gaze. She turned away, her purple cloak sweeping the air like a gathering storm, leaving the returnee alone at the heart of the cheers. The distance between them was no longer just step…