Black Glitter

2

    Jason didn't remember much of his mother. All he knew was that she abandoned him and she died in a car accident later. The only mother like figure he knew is Lupa, the wolf goddess who trained him for the Twelfth Legion.
    Lupa was the one to tell him about soulmates. How they were the person that he was destined to be with, Venus choosing who you will love for the entirety of your life. Jason loved the idea of soulmates, excited to found out who is his soulmate.
    He was around six years old when he learned how to write his name, finally being able to communicate with his soulmate. He pestered some older kids into giving him something to write with. They eventually gave him a set of markers and he got to work.
He picked a light blue marker, his favorite color, and wrote his name nice and big, the J and S backwards. Then he drew himself, adding little lightning bolts. He then started adding suns, clouds, anything he could think of. He didn't notice his name was covered until his left arm tingled. He looked over to see something being written. He needed an older kid, Thomas to read what it said to him.
"It says hi, Jay," the teen told him.
"What do I say?" Jason asked him back, his blue eyes wide.
"Why don't you introduce yourself?" Thomas told him, laughing when Jason quickly nodded his head, asking for more help. They spent the rest of the day talking to Jason's soulmate. But that was the last time he saw Thomas. He went on a quest and never returned to New Rome, leaving Jason all alone.

Jason didn't know why he choose to join the Fifth Cohort. Maybe it was their determination to succeed or the fact they were the underdogs or it was because Thomas was in the Fifth Cohort and Jason wanted to honor him. He kept that to himself, his own tribute to his old friend.
He looked at his SPQR tattoo, the eagles wings spread wide. There were nine lines underneath, his years spent at Camp Jupiter. Jason wondered if they showed up on Nico, the boy hasn't mentioned them though. Maybe it was part of the magic that kept mortals from seeing the marks.
He looked to Dakota who stood next to him drinking his stupid Kool-Aid. He was chatting happily to his soulmate, Gwen.
"So, Jay, do you have a soulmate?" Dakota brought Jason out of his trance. The couple was staring at him.
"Of course I do," he scoffed, picking up a pebble and throwing it.
"Well, what's her name then?" the son of Bacchus pushed. Jason froze, looking at his hand. Should he tell them? I mean same-sex soulmates aren't uncommon he thought.
"Um, h-, my s-soulmates a b-boy," he stuttered, not looking up at the two when there was a minute of silence.
"Oh, that's cool. What's his name?" this time Gwen spoke, brushing her hair behind her ears.
"Nico. We haven't told each other our last names though," Jason told them, smiling big.
"Why not?"
"I don't want him to judge me because of my mom."
    "That makes sense."
"Did I tell you how Gwen and I met?" Dakota interrupted, going on to tell him about how they met, Gwen adding bits and pieces. He couldn't wait to meet Nico, just wanting to know how he looks like.

Jason was fourteen when Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano showed up. She was quiet but fierce, being a daughter of the goddess of war, Bellona. Around that time Nico stopped writing to him. He knew the boy wasn't dead since a red band didn't appear. He also became Praetor, something wished he could tell Nico, but he was mortal and he knew his soulmate wouldn't answer him. Jason tried millions of times and continued to do so for two years.
He sighed, kicking at the dirt in frustration. Why did he have to stop writing? Is Nico okay? Is he safe? Is he purposely ignoring him? Why? Why? WHY? Millions of questions swirled in his head and he felt like crying, screaming, or both.
"You okay?" Jason's head shot up, staring wide eyed at the girl in front of him. Reyna stood there, hands on her hips, one eyebrow raised and a frown on her face.
"I-i'm fine," he growled, looking away.
"You don't look fine to me. What's bothering the Praetor?" she sat next to him, looking at the sunset rising behind the buildings of New Rome. Jason didn't say anything, resting his elbows on his knees and resting his face in his hands.
"Well? I don't bite, Grace."
"Fine. My soulmate stopped talking to me and I don't know if he's okay or if he's ignoring me," Jason told the girl next to him, regretting it immediately. Why did he tell her? Should wouldn't judge him, will she?
"No red band?" she asked, ignoring the part about his soulmate being a guy. He let out a sigh of relief and continued.
"No red band. He just stopped talking me and I'm so worried." Jason scrunched up his face, trying to stop the tears.
"I have a black band, Jason. Venus just decided I didn't need one. I'm a little glad, but disappointed. But don't worry, he might just be going through something. Patience is key." Jason didn't know how much he could wait for Nico to get his shit together.

He didn't know where he is. Jason's eyes looked around everywhere on the bus. First the seat in front of him, the seat across, the windows and then to the girl holding his hand, talking to the boy in front of them. She was beautiful. Light brown skin, dark hair, and eyes that he couldn't quite tell the color of. The problem was that he couldn't remember her. Couldn't remember the boy in front of him. Couldn't remember anything!
The girl turned to him, a confused look matching his own. "Jason? You okay?" she asked, squeezing his hand. He quickly pulled it away, holding it to his chest.
"W-who are you? Where am I?" she couldn't answer him before there was someone yelling.
"Alright, cupcakes! Listen up!" yelled a short man at the front of the bus. He wore a orange polo short, baggy jeans, and a baseball cap. But he carried a baseball bat, waving it around as he spoke, the kids in front leaning away as far as they possibly could.
"Hey, Coach Hedge! You should use the megaphone!" called the boy in front of them. His curly hair bounced as he fiddled, turning to face Jason and mystery girl. He gave them a big smile, something twinkling in his dark brown, almost black eyes.
"Watch this, guys," he told them. The girl gave him a pointed look.
"Leo, what did you do?" Leo shrugged, pointing to their teacher who followed Leo's advice.
"Like your innocent, Piper," he snarked back just as mooing and laughter filled the bus. Piper, now that Jason knew her name, laughed, punching Leo in the shoulder.
"Valdez!" roared the coach.
Jason was getting scared. Where is he? Who is he?