"It's a lot more crowded than we thought it would be," Hylla muttered. She slowly at the rest of the party goers. It was a crowd full of liars, thieves, and an assassin or two. For once, Hylla wasn't the worst person there. "It should help disguise of though."
Isabella leaned against her and hummed to the music. Hylla closed her eyes and sighed tiredly. She was worried and upset all at the same time. Worried that her little sister had just passed out and started bleeding. Upset that Reyna wouldn't even talk to her about anything. Hylla had to focus though.
Her opened her eyes and looked at the woman who had escorted them in: Lady Nora Avenicci. The queen bitch herself. She was greeting every single guest of the party, escorting them inside, and sizing them up. The lady had a sharp mind, and she wasn't afraid to use it. Hylla had heard plenty of stories about the woman. None of it was good.
Hylla's eyes swept towards the two boys that stood next to each other: Trevor and Jerry Avenicci. They were a bunch of spoiled brats. Isabella spoke, "Jerry's out of prison? I'm surprised."
"That's not good," Hylla muttered. She felt Isabella pulling her towards the dance floor that had been set up. A slow song was playing. "He hates us for what happened to his car."
"Didn't your baby sister take the fall for that?" Isabella asked. Hylla nodded and watched Jerry walk towards Reyna. She forced her eyes away. Her focus had to be on their plan. "Why didn't you just admit it was you?"
"I didn't have a chance to," Hylla admitted. She frowned. The day had been a crazy one. Hylla had been teaching Reyna how to drive a car. Along the way, they got cut off by an asshole going fifty in a thirty. Hylla started yelling at him and even slammed her hand into the horn. Reyna had been silent the whole time, probably in shock from almost getting into a wreck.
Hylla wasn't in the best mood that day, so she told Reyna to follow the car. When the asshole stopped outside a strip club and went inside, Hylla took her sweet time in destroying his car. When he came back out, Reyna took the blame.
Reyna was always doing that. She was always throwing herself out there for Hylla, and it was upsetting. What did Reyna want to prove? A sigh left Hylla, and she looked down. Isabella tapped her cheek.
"Now that we're away from the crew, do you want the honest truth?" Isabella asked softly. Hylla strained to hear her. The two stayed close as they danced. Hylla finally nodded. "Do you know who your sister reminds me of? Myself. When I was her age, I was always unsure of myself and looking for guidance."
"She's not unsure in that way," Hylla muttered. Isabella grinned.
"Of course not," Isabella said. "But, you are her only family, Hylla. You are her older sister, and she looks up to you. All she wants is for you to be proud of her."
"I am proud of her," Hylla muttered. She glanced around the room but didn't see her target. Isabella tapped her cheek again, forcing Hylla's attention back to her second in command.
"Have you told her?" Isabella asked. Hylla frowned.
"Reyna already knows that," Hylla said.
"Does she?" Isabella asked. She sighed softly. "If she did, why would she always be throwing herself out there and taking the blame for things you did? Why would she attack a flying ship? Why would she try to steal a statue? All of the things that she does is to get your approval. Reyna just wants you to be proud of her."
"Reyna knows that I'm proud of her," Hylla hissed. "That doesn't explain why she acts like a child and does all of these stupid things."
"Hylla, she's a sixteen year old kid. She should be worried about getting good grades and what to wear to class. Not trying to help you run a fleet of pirates," Isabella said. She placed a gentle hand to Hylla's face. "Teenagers are emotional creatures. It doesn't help that neither of you had a real childhood, even by demigod standards. Reyna's just trying to find her place in the world."
"She has a place in this world. It's by my side," Hylla muttered. Isabella had never talked to her about these kind of things. What made now different?
"The hard part is letting go, Hylla. Sooner or later, you are going to have to loosen your grip on Reyna, or she is just going to resent you more," Isabella said. She looked down. "That's what my parents did, when they learned I didn't want to be a man. They thought that if they smothered me and didn't let me go, I would change my mind. All it did was anger me more. They didn't care what I wanted or what was good for me. They wanted what was good for them."
"You're doing the same to Reyna. You think you know what she wants, and you ignore her when she tells you what she wants. Reyna wants to be a captain, Hylla. You're holding her back."
"I'm not holding her back," Hylla muttered. She glared at Isabella. "My mother warned us that if we parted way, one of us would die."
"Whoever said that you would part ways?" Isabella asked. "Let's say Reyna becomes the captain of her own ship. You'll see her after raids and supply runs. We usually meet every few months. Hell, you could even be on the ship she is a captain on and use the free time to catch up on all of your work. Why are you so scared?"
"I can't lose Reyna. She is the only family that I have left," Hylla muttered. She looked down. "If Reyna becomes a captain, I won't be able to protect her anymore. She'll be off on her own and making her own choices."
"I'm sure she can handle that," Isabella commented. She smiled slightly. "Reyna is never going to turn her back on you. The two of you are the only family you have left, but you need to decide if you're going to treat her like a kid or like your quartermaster."
"You're the one who treats her like a kid," Hylla said. "You call her little Reyna all the time, You're the one who said we should leave her behind and asked her if she needed advice on how not to screw it up. How are you going to lecture me on this?"
"I'm not lecturing you," Isabella said. She forced Hylla to look at her. "First off, Reyna is not my little sister. I will treat her how she acts. I also save most of my jabs for when you're around, so you will defend her. So she knows you care."
Hylla didn't say anything. She just focused on the dance. Isabella spoke softly, "She might be a little too young to be a captain, but she is going to be one sooner or later. Why not give her some lessons or even tests now. Give her something to bite into."
"We'll see," Hylla muttered. Her eyes moved around the room again, and she found her target. Elizabeth Avenicci was standing near two of her bodyguards. She was wearing a simple white dress and looked rather nervous. "I'll seduce her. You focus on your part."
"No problem," Isabella said. She laughed loudly, like Hylla had said something funny. Isabella dragged Hylla off the dance floor and towards Elizabeth. When they made it close, Isabella kissed Hylla gently and pulled away. "I'll be back babe. Don't go too far."
Hylla nodded and watched Isabella leave. She walked towards the table of drinks and grabbed one. Her gaze moved towards Elizabeth. The girl looked at Hylla and smiled nervously. Hylla poured two drinks and walked towards her.
"Can I offer you a drink?" Hylla asked. The two bodyguards stepped forward, but Elizabeth waved them off. Hylla had done her research on the girl. Elizabeth was treated like a glass doll, and she was sequestered away. The parties were the only chance she had for visitors, which was ironic since those visitors were mostly criminals.
"A drink," Elizabeth repeated. She raised an eyebrow. "I don't recognize you from my father's friends."
"Oh, I'm just an invited guest," Hylla said, and she bowed. "Captain Hylla Ramirez-Arellano at your service."
"The pirate captain!" Elizabeth exclaimed, and a gleam appeared in her eyes. "When you accepted our invitation, my mother could not stop talking about it. She was beyond excited, and I can see why."
"Oh, you can?" Hylla asked. She raised an eyebrow and looked the girl up and down. Elizabeth had olive colored skin that was pale, probably from the lack of sunlight. Her brown eyes were the same color as her hair. "I have heard many things about you."
Hylla offered the drink, and Elizabeth took it. She sipped it and then shivered. Hylla spoke, "I'm sure it is just as sweet as you."
"You flatter me," Elizabeth whispered. Her eyes looked Hylla up and down. Hylla's research also told her that Elizabeth was not the perfect daughter that her parents thought she was. Elizabeth would sneak out of the house when she could, go to wild parties, and try to live a teenager's life.
"I can do more," Hylla said. She glanced at the bodyguards and shooed them away. "We don't have use of you two."
"You do," One of them said. He crossed his arms and flexed his muscles. Hylla smirked, completely unimpressed.
"Leave," Elizabeth ordered. The two men opened their mouths, but Elizabeth turned on them. "Now."
Hylla watched the two men walk away. She spoke, "I might have to invite you to my crew. We can use another commanding voice."
"Commanding voice?" Elizabeth asked. She turned towards Hylla and studied her. Elizabeth's eyes trailed a little too long, and Hylla grinned. "Is your sister here as well?"
"Sister?" Hylla asked. She lost her grin but tried to hide it. "She is. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I heard what she did to Jerry's car, and I just wanted to thank her," Elizabeth said. "He kept rubbing that stupid car in my face, bragging about how he was going to go around town on it. I just wanted to thank your sister for shutting him up."
With the way that Elizabeth spoke, it sounded like she wanted to do more than just thank Reyna, but if anyone was going to get physical with Elizabeth, it was going to be Hylla. First, it was Hylla's idea. Second, Hylla would give Elizabeth an amazing night, more than Reyna's inexperienced self could. Lastly, sleeping with Elizabeth would just piss Nora Avenicci off, and gods, Hylla would love nothing more than to ruin Nora's night.
Hylla glanced around for her sister, but she didn't see Reyna or Piper anywhere. Were they already getting their part of the heist underway? It was a little early, but Hylla couldn't fault their enthusiasm. She spoke, "Why don't we go somewhere quiet?"
"What are you trying to steal?" Elizabeth asked. Hylla looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm no fool. I know you want something from my parent's collection. I'll help you, for a price."
"What is the price?" Hylla asked. Elizabeth grinned wickedly and grabbed Hylla by her tie. She started to pull Hylla towards one of the numerous hallways. Hylla smiled. This was going to be way easier than she thought.