I wasn’t sure how long I would be staying in my mom’s house. All I know is that it’s giving me a lot of time to think.

I couldn’t sleep. Jet lag was taking its toll on me. I stood up and picked up the photo album lying on my study desk. The pictures inside were taken using the polaroid instacam my mom sent me. I realized, with a start, that I left that camera in Camp Jupiter. Whelp. There goes fifty-thousand pesos.

I didn’t have anything else to do so I decided to look through the photos.

The first photo showed the aftermath of the first Siege that Jason, Reyna, and I led. It was a candid shot taken by Leila after we were declared the victors. I was in between Jason and Reyna, an arm casually slung around either of them. I was imitating Octavian’s face when I shoved him out of the way. Jason and Reyna were laughing with me. The three of us were eleven, months after Reyna arrived in Camp.

---

“Did you guys see Octavian’s face?!” I yelled. “I think it was something like this.” I crossed my eyes, and stuck out my tongue. Jason and Reyna began laughing hysterically.

“Oh gods, Selene. You hit him so hard his head was rattling inside the helmet,” Reyna said.

“IT WAS NOT!” a voice came from behind us. I let go of my two friends and we whirled around to face Octavian.

“Oh suck it up Octavian! You practically flew aside,” Jason said, hopelessly trying to reign in his giggles. Octavian huffed.

“No! This is preposterous! Selene cheated somehow!” I rolled my eyes. “Where are the praetors?”

Marcus and Abigail were dropped by their eagles. Both were also trying not to laugh.

“I’m sorry Octavian but the game goes to the Fourth and Fifth Cohorts,” Marcus said.

“Apparently it was a good decision to appoint Jason and Selene as centurions. Reyna, I believed you earned yourself a new position,” Abigail said. My eyes widened in excitement. I nudged Reyna who nudged back. She gave me a small smile.

“Reyna since your cohort lacks one centurion, we have decided to promote you to the said position.”

“But she’s only earned her first stripe a few months ago!” Octavian protested.

“Six months, two weeks, and four days to be exact,” I said. Octavian glared at me. I shrugged at him.

Jason put an arm around Reyna. “I support the decision,” he said.

I gave Marcus and Abigail a thumbs-up. The other centurions mumbled their consent.

“Then it’s decided.”

---

I smiled at the memory. Even at a young age, Octavian was already a huge prick. I flipped through the album. Most of the photos were taken in Camp Jupiter. One picture showed Reyna hugging me after she appointed me as the prefect. I had a scowl on my face whilst Reyna had a huge smile on hers. Jason was the one who took that picture. I rolled my eyes. Then flipped to the next page.

The next photo made me wince. It showed the usual trio in the infirmary. I was sitting up on a bed with a bandage around my head. Jason and Reyna were on either side and we looked like we were arguing. Octavian took that picture because he thought that showing everyone that we were arguing would cause some sort of disagreement in the Camp. It didn’t. Eventually, I managed to get the photo (and my camera) back. I may or may not left a few bruises on Octavian’s face. I kept the photo to remind me that even though my friends and I argued, we couldn’t stay mad at one another long enough.

The reason for our argument, though, wasn’t something I like remembering.

---

“What in the world Selene?!” Jason said, sitting on the stool to my right. Reyna was on the other side, head in her hands. She looked like she’d been crying. She looked thinner, her cheekbones more defined.

“You almost died,” Reyna said quietly.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

“What were you thinking?” Reyna asked. “You usually plan things ahead.”

“I actually did. I figured that there was a possibility that we’d get cornered along with several other worst-case scenarios so I had to devise Plans B, C, so on and so forth.”

“So charging the drakon. That was, what, Plan D?” Jason spat out.

“H, actually.” My friends huffed out in disbelief.

“So you planned this. You planned this dramatic self-sacrifice thing?”

“Technically, yes. But I only put it in so the Fourth and Fifth Cohorts would have a fighting chance. People care more about you two than me so-” I was cut off by a slap.

My eyes widened when I realized who did it. Reyna’s eyes looked redder. If she wasn’t mad before, she definitely was now.

“How dare you,” her voice quivered. “How dare you think that you don’t matter?”

I stared at her mouth agape. Jason looked just as shocked as I was. Obviously he didn’t expect Reyna’s sudden outburst.

“How dare you throw your life away like that? Didn’t you think about your friends? Selene, you matter to us! You’re not the third wheel of this trio. Jason and I wouldn’t be complete without you. We’d probably fall out. The same way the two of you would if I was gone, and the way you and I would if Jason disappeared.”

I winced at that.

“She’s right, Selene,” Jason said. “You’re needed. The others in this Camp may not show it but you definitely are. You’re the Praefectus Castrorum. You’re the one enforcing discipline and making sure everyone listens to the praetors. Not the augur. Octavian tries to take the positions.”

I continued looking at my hands, adamantly. I couldn’t face them, not after the things that they’ve just said.

Jason stood up and put a hand my shoulder.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” he said.

Reyna held my hand.

“And I’m sorry for slapping you,” she apologized.

“You hit like a girl,” I said. “Proof that girls hit hard.”

We laughed at that. The tense atmosphere dissipated. We’d forgotten about the little spat a few minutes ago. Right now, we weren’t the famous Camp Trio. At this moment, we were just three friends enjoying one another’s company.

---

I blinked hard. Reyna said that we’d fall apart if Jason disappears. Indeed he did and technically we did fall apart. The irony of life is hilarious, isn’t it?

The last picture in the album showed us in the Garden of Bacchus. Reyna and I were squashed against one another because Jason had his arms around us. His hands weren’t in the picture because he was the one holding the camera.

---

“Finally! We get a break!” Jason said, flopping onto his back behind where Reyna and I were sitting. The Garden of Bacchus was empty save for the three of us and the grapes.

“This is nice, you know,” Reyna began. “No paperwork. No senators. Just some nice quiet time with my best friends.”

“Hey don’t get all sappy on us,” I drawled. We chuckled then sighed in contentment.

“You know, this is a picture perfect moment,” Jason said.

“What?” Reyna and I said in unison. Jason brought out my polaroid from the satchel he was carrying.

“Did you ask for permission?” I asked, glaring at Jason.

“You were going to say yes anyway!” he retorted.

“Ugh! You’re such an air head!”

“Oh stop whining, Kelp Face!”

“Children, children, please!” Reyna cut in with the most motherly voice she could muster. Jason and I stopped squabbling for a moment to stare at her.

Jason cleared his throat. “No, Reyrey, don’t even try using that voice.”

“Yeah, Queenie. It doesn’t suit you,” I added, shaking my head. Reyna blanched at the nicknames.

“First off, don’t call me Queenie. Second, don’t call me Reyrey,” she growled.

I snorted “You call me and Jason ‘Icicle’ and ‘Flyboy’ respectively. Besides, would you rather that I call you Rara?” Jason snickered and gave me a high-five.

“Are we going to take the picture or not?!” Reyna interjected. Jason smirked and put his arms around Reyna and me, effectively squashing us together. We ended up laughing and right at that moment, Jason took the picture. It popped out after a few seconds. I inspected it.

“This is definitely going in my album,” I said. Then using my best ‘tour-guide’ voice I added,

“And here we have Reyna Avila-Ramirez Arellano, the scary daughter of Bellona with Jason the Air Head Grace, and the cool Selene Rivera laughing for no apparent reason.”

“Don’t say my full name please,” Reyna groaned.

“Oh come on, Rey,” I began. “It’s not so bad.” Reyna grumbled looking away.

Jason and I exchanged a look. We grinned mischievously. Together, we tackled Reyna to the ground, tickling her as we went. She helplessly tried shoving the two of us off her.

“Okay! Okay! Stah-ha-ha-hop!” she tried saying.

“Say ‘Uncle’ !” I said.

“U-Uncle! Uncle! Ha-Happy?!” she yelled. That’s the only time Jason and I got off. Reyna chuckled then tried removing the grass stuck in her hair.

“You guys suck,” she breathed.

“You love us anyway,” Jason said. Reyna punched his arm.

“That I do,” she said. The three of us lay down in a circle. We looked up at the night sky and began pointing out different constellations. I wasn’t sure how long after, but we ended up dozing off.

---

I remembered that the next morning, we were woken up by a panicked Leila who doused the three of us with water.

I missed those moments. The times when the three of us were together. When we felt inseparable. Now, we were torn apart. Jason somewhere in America, Reyna stuck in Camp Jupiter probably listening to Octavian whine, and there’s me. I scoffed. I was in the Philippines unsure of where to go. I lay back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep but my brain was more tired than I thought. It’s not nice being emotionally drained.

The next thing I knew, my eyes were shut and I was off to La La Land.

Notes