Just Like You [Mia]

[CICERO TORQUATUS]

It was difficult to find free time in the legion. Everything within the cohorts was so structured and heavily regulated to keep the legion running smoothly. That was a positive – they were a well-oiled machine and would be well-prepared to meet any threat to the safety of Camp Jupiter or the city they protected. But Cero had big questions to grapple with – theoretical, philosophical questions that he’d been pondering in the five years since he’d joined Camp Jupiter. Sometimes he just wanted a spare moment to sit and mull them over in his mind. He’d often seen his mother simply sit by the window and think things over – that wasn’t surprising, as a daughter of Minerva. He seemed to have inherited that tendency, or it could just as easily have been him copycatting the most positive role model in his life.

At any rate, when the moment finally came that he found some time to slip away from his cohort, Cicero found that he didn’t want to be alone. It was likely a byproduct of the cohort system – it was designed so that you spent such little time away from your cohort mates that life without them suddenly seemed more difficult. So he didn’t want to be alone, but he wasn’t ready to return to his barracks yet. Thankfully, there was a clear solution here.

That was how Cicero found himself making the small trip from the Second Cohort barracks to the First. In typical legion style, he still kept his gladius strapped around his waist despite being in otherwise casual camp attire. Despite being in different cohorts, he and Mia always found time for each other. That was how things had been since they were kids. Their parents had served in the legion together, so it was only natural that their children would do so too. And Mia had always understood the peculiar duality of life in a way most Romans never could – that helped in an undefinable way. When Cero entered the living space of the First Cohort, it was practically empty, except for one lone figure hunched intently over something out of his line of sight. He cleared his throat loudly, then smiled. “Everybody else is outside enjoying the good weather, you know.”

MIA ELIZABETH JONES

[MIA ELIZABETH JONES]

Mia was sitting crossed legged on the ground, hunched over two papers spread in front of her. One was Wyatts last letter and the other was her response. She liked to follow along as she was responding so she could touch on all the topics that he mentioned. He was so smart, it was kind of obnoxious. She new that he and Cero were kind of related... and that was annoying. In a funny way, not a bad way. It was like her sort of brother being related to her sort of boyfriend. That was a confusing sentence if there ever was one.

When she heard a voice she jumped. Normally, she was hyper aware of her surroundings like all soldiers, but her weakest time was definitely when she was writing these letters... She placed a hand over her heart and glared at him, gathering the pages without looking. "Eh, good weather-shmood weather. I think it's plenty sunny in these words," she argued, slightly even teasing herself. "Wyatt," she confirmed, as if he didn't already know who she was writing... she spoke of almost nothing else for the past year.

CICERO TORQUATUS

[CICERO TORQUATUS]

Upon closer inspection Cicero could see the papers that Mia was hunched over. It was normally hard to sneak up on her, which suggested how intently focused she’d been on her task. Now very curious, Cero sat down opposite her to steal a peek at the papers (naturally, he’d removed his gladius and set it down beside him). He imitated her cross-legged position as he squinted at the two letters. Cero had opted not to wear contacts today, and he’d misplaced his glasses again. But it was his day off, so how was he to know that his vision would be needed?

Cicero didn’t even fight to keep the smirk off his face as she confirmed the letter was for Wyatt. The Athena cabin was always Cero’s first stop when he visited Camp Half-Blood, and he actually got along very well with most of the children of Athena. That meant he could have a lot of fun teasing Mia about it. “So you’ve stolen away from the disapproving eye of the public to write your secret boyfriend a love letter? That’s so romantic.” He fake-swooned before righting himself again. The teasing was all in good fun, and Pluto knows Mia got enough chances of her own to mess with him. “So how long until you elope?”

MIA ELIZABETH JONES

[MIA ELIZABETH JONES]

With Cero Mia didn't feel like she had to swiftly hide her letters for fear of them being read. Or, rather, if he read them over her shoulder she really wouldn't care. Wyatt was kind of his brother, which was always a weird and humorous thought. When he sat down, she slowly gathered up the pages as he spoke, her eyes lingering on Wyatts handwriting as words jumped out at her. Simple words, like the way he wrote 'and' and 'the'. Then less simple words too like 'stunning' and 'miss'.

She looked up once her pages were in a neat pile, smirking as Cero asked when they would elope. "Oh, you didn't hear? Already did," she joked, wiggling her eyebrows. "And you try writing a letter with people all around yapping their mouths off," she shook her head, chuckling. "I just hope one of us finally gets through the tunnel soon. I've been so busy with my duties here and he has there... how are things at Camp Half-Blood from the last time you went?" she trusted Wyatt, but she always hated the idea of him being across the country with so many... other people. Better people? No, nah.

CICERO TORQUATUS

[CICERO TORQUATUS]

Cero hadn’t brought his glasses, so he couldn’t read Wyatt’s letter or Mia’s response – but he didn’t need to after how she continued to linger on the words even as she was mid-conversation with him. There was definitely something serious with this boy and it was a shame that their history with the Greeks meant Mia had to be discreet about it. It made Cero uncomfortable to criticize the legion, even mentally, but he couldn’t deny how troublesome the continuous intolerance between Greeks and Romans was.

As Mia wiggled her eyebrows at him, Cero laughed slightly. “Oh, I see, you went with the invisible wedding package. Camouflage ring, living in cities on different coasts…” Even with the humor, there was a serious underlying tone to the conversation. His old friend, his almost-sister really was in an impossible situation. Camp Jupiter wasn’t forgiving about time off, and Roman society didn’t view romances with Greeks favorably. His sympathy had only deepened since he himself had started to make more frequent trips to New York…for no reason at all, of course.

Her last question was innocent – obviously she only wanted to hear about the general happenings of Camp Half-Blood and, more importantly, the Athena cabin. But Cicero felt himself blush as he thought of his last visit. He ordered himself not to think about it, but he didn’t have any poker face at all and he was a terrible liar. “Nothing out of the usual,” he stammered out, avoiding eye contact. “Camp Half-Blood is Camp Half-Blood. It’s not Camp Jupiter. It’s good.”

MIA ELIZABETH JONES