eclipse [j.grace 1]

xiv. mother, i know

The early morning sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting a soft, golden light across the training grounds. Eira and Jason stood at the center of the arena, their wooden swords in hand, ready for another day of training. The air was cool, but there was an undercurrent of warmth, the kind that promised a hot day ahead.

"Ready to get your butt kicked again?" Jason teased, twirling his sword with an exaggerated flourish.

Eira rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. "In your dreams, Grace."

They circled each other, their movements fluid but cautious. Though Eira was untrained when she first arrived at Camp Jupiter, she had learned quickly, especially with Jason as her partner. 

Their sessions had grown more intense over time, but there was always an element of playfulness between them. Today, however, there was something different in the air, something neither of them could quite put their finger on.

Jason lunged forward, and Eira dodged, their swords clashing with a loud crack. For a moment, they were lost in the rhythm of the fight, but then Jason's foot slipped on the dewy grass, sending him stumbling forward. Eira caught his arm instinctively, pulling him back upright, their faces inches apart.

For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. Jason's breath caught in his throat, and he quickly pulled away, his cheeks tinged with red. "Uh, thanks."

"Maybe if you focused on your footing instead of showing off, you wouldn't need saving," Eira quipped, though her own heart was racing.

Jason laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, maybe."

From the sidelines, Reyna watched them with narrowed eyes. She had seen the way they looked at each other, the way their banter had grown softer, more personal. It was disgusting. Or at least, that's what she told herself.

"Seriously, you two are hopeless," Reyna called out, crossing her arms. "If you spent half as much energy on training as you do on flirting, maybe you'd actually be good at this."

Eira and Jason both looked at her, startled, before quickly stepping away from each other.

"We're not—" Eira began, but Reyna cut her off with a snort.

"Save it. Just get back to work before I have to separate you like misbehaving toddlers."

Jason shot Reyna a glare, but there was no real malice in it. He knew she was right, and that only made his embarrassment worse. He cleared his throat and raised his sword again. "Come on, let's go again."

Eira nodded, but her movements were a bit more hesitant this time. Her mind kept drifting back to that moment when they were so close, when she could see every fleck of blue in Jason's eyes. She shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away, but they lingered stubbornly.

As they resumed their sparring, the awkward tension between them was palpable. Jason tried to focus on the fight, but his eyes kept drifting to Eira's face, catching the way her hair fell across her forehead, the way she bit her lip when she was concentrating. 

He couldn't understand why he suddenly felt so self-conscious, why his heart seemed to skip a beat whenever she looked at him.

Reyna, for her part, had had enough. She marched over and pulled Eira aside, leaving Jason to catch his breath.

"Listen," Reyna began, her tone serious. "You need to figure out whatever this is with Jason. It's distracting, and it's going to get you both hurt if you're not careful."