"What are you looking at?"
Octavian's eyes narrowed as he watched your gaze stay fixed on outside through the window, your chin resting lazily on your palm. Following your eyes, Octavian's nose wrinkled in distaste once he spotted the subject of your undivided attention.
Perseus Jackson.
Son of Neptune, favorite of many. You included it seemed. Lately, Octavian found you spending more and more time with the boy than he would've liked, appearing later and later for your Latin classes to do Gods know what with him.
Your relationship with Perseus? Octavian doesn't know. What he is aware of, however, is that he has grown fond of you. So fond, in fact, that the mere thought of you even being in the same room as that sea-dwelling troglodyte was enough for Octavian to pop a nerve.
It's wrong of him to feel this way. His parents would surely scoff if they saw their son behaving in such a manner. Running after a girl pf the second Cohort. A child of Ceres, to make it worse.
Albeit, you have been gifted with incredibly powerful abilities compared to your many half- siblings, with you being able to alter the size of plants, control them, and even alter the weather like your mother.
Still, this is incredibly unbecoming of Octavian. Throughout his entire life, not once has he fallen for a girl, let alone to one who was nowhere near as high-ranking as he is.
"If you find my lessons unworthy of your attention, you can always leave at any time."
Octavian watches with a smug smile as you break out of your reverie to face him with a sheepish smile. Your posture straightened as you tried desperately to focus on his words.
Reyna ordered him a few weeks ago to begin Latin tutoring sessions with you in his study, as you had little to no knowledge of the language, and he was the most fluent speaker in Camp.
Originally, Octavian rebelled. He wanted absolutely no association with a daughter of Ceres, of all people, no matter how skilled in battle you were. Besides, no one was allowed to enter his study. No matter their rank. He forbade it.
Even now, a part of him still thinks this way, and yet he finds himself liking you more and more in a not-so platonical manner.
How? Octavian has no clue. Was it the way you seemed to literally glow in the sunlight? The way your brow would crease when you were focused on something? The small head tilt you did when you were confused during Latin classes? Or perhaps how you always smelled like fresh soil and clean flowers no matter the day, hour, or weather?
He's fallen so far for you. He could study your face for hours and never grow bored.
Octavian was kind of like one of the many plants you groomed so meticulously in your garden. Sure, he grew perfectly fine when you weren't around him, but he looks and feels so much better when you are.
He knows there's something off about you, though. From the foreign accent he's heard you speak so often, to the way you would always linger around his study, or Reyna's office even outside of Latin lessons and missions.
His best guess? You're a spy. However, Octavian has neither the proof nor the power to publicly accuse you of being one. And even if he did, he knew he'd falter at the thought of harming you, despite the many lives his hands have taken.
You were too pretty to kill, but fairly easy to keep. Maybe once he gathers enough evidence against you, he'll blackmail you so that you'll be tied to his side until he decides otherwise.
So far, his suspicions of you have only grown, and yet he's made no move to report you to Reyna. That alone is breaking at least ten different protocols and rules that he usually upheld, both as Centurion of the First Cohort, and as Augur, yet Octavian has made no move to revert his treason.
For you, Octavian would disregard your treachery. For you, he'd lie to any praetor. Any Centurion. For you, Octavian would drench his hands in blood to keep your name clean.
All you had to do was choose him.
