A/N: Alright, Daily Streak Still Alive and Well. We'll see how much longer I can keep this up with work starting for me tomorrow. Your support on this project has been amazing and I've loved getting your reviews and PM. I'm glad this story has been received so positively, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 10!
Chapter X: Consultant
Percy yawned with coffee in hand, he'd now spent a week with the twelfth legion and had begun to figure out how things worked in the NRPD. In short, they worked, slowly. Percy had lost count of how many times he'd called Rachel to complain about how boring the day was, but though he'd been reminded many times he could have just left, the idea of that he was in a position to actually help some people kept him on Reyna's insane schedule.
Leo marched in behind him and perked up at the scent of the coffee, "Aw for me," he said, "You shouldn't have."
Percy swatted away the man's hand, "Not a chance, Leo."
"Lame," He yawned.
Percy chuckled, of the members of the team, he got along with Leo the easiest. Then again, they were more in tune than he and Reyna were for example. Unlike Zhang and Reyna, he and Leo weren't officers. They weren't forced to attend certain meetings, and Leo had often been the one to go on lunch break with Percy.
"They're late," Percy said with another sip of his coffee, "That's rare."
"True," Leo said, "But I'm not complaining. Maybe if Reyna gets more beauty sleep, she won't be so terrifying in the morning."
Leo's face had turned pale as moonlight and Percy could sense the presence behind him without the need to turn. "So, you find me more terrifying in the morning, huh?" Reyna said, "Good to know. Maybe I can use that to get you into gear earlier."
Frank walked up behind her, "The vans ready to go, come on, we don't want to keep our contact waiting."
"Is this contact related in any way to the sickle arson case?" Percy asked in as neutral a tone he could muster. He hated that he couldn't simply say TITAN, but until the NRPD figured it out on their own, it would have caused more trouble than it was worth.
"Drop it, Jackson," Reyna hissed, "I know you saved the kids, and you feel invested in that case, but Commissioner Chase will handle it. We need to keep our minds set on our objective." Reyna snarled, "Tartarus."
Percy dared not roll his eyes. The underground gangs of New Rome were a problem, there wasn't any doubt about that, but when compared to the damage Percy knew TITAN could cause, Tartarus' damage was minor in comparison. There was no room to argue with Reyna and Percy followed the two officers and Leo into the lot where the van hummed at the curb. It wasn't exactly impressive, especially not when Percy considered their title as "Special Forces", but he supposed he'd been in worse that the beat-up black van.
He loaded the car and sat behind Frank who took the wheel and Leo sent him a mischievous grin just as Reyna shut the passenger side door. Percy sent Leo a confused glance, but Leo just chuckled as if to say 'You'll See' before the van bolted from the precinct. The elfish boy was right, Percy quickly learned that off all the cars he'd been in, none drove as aggressively as Frank Zhang.
"Does he always-,"
"Yup," Leo replied. He leaned back into his seat, "Don't worry though, you get used to it."
Percy hadn't gotten used to it, his stomach churned like a stormy sea, but it hadn't dwindled his senses. He felt his body stiffen as the van raced over the bridge from Hestia's Heart into the Nyx, and he studied each and every alleyway they passed. Sure, it was morning, and no serious criminal would dare try to do anything too dangerous in broad daylight, but he'd heard rumors, bad ones at that.
The people in the Nyx looked, well, awful. Their clothing was torn and baggy, cigarette burns littered their skin and the grounds and Percy had saw at least two bodies asleep, or rather, unconscious with needles in their arms. For the most part, Percy considered New Rome to be a financially well-off place, but the Nyx, it looked more like another country than just another part of the city.
There was a pain filled look in Leo's eyes. To Percy, Leo acted as if he'd been here before, not in the way Reyna or Frank looked at the Nyx's ecosystem with pity, but with deep frustration and hurt. Percy wasn't sure if he was supposed to reach out of ignore it, he figured that with as perceptive as Reyna was, she'd have said something if it was important and with that Percy looked away.
"Hang a left here," Reyna muttered, "Park in the alley, we go by foot the rest of the way."
"Right away, boss," Frank said and pulled into the alley that Percy wasn't quite sure the van could even fit into. Frank put the car in park and pressed on the emergency light before he shimmied out of the car.
"Leo, stick to Zhang, Jackson, you're on me," Reyna ordered, "The Nyx aren't exactly big fans of the NRPD and won't make any distinction between me and Frank and you two. Got shot at four times last time I came through here at noon, so just, I don't know, keep your head down?"
"No need to tell me," Leo mumbled to the point of inaudibility to the normal ear. He forced a smile to his face a bumped Frank playfully, "I bet you requested the divisions, didn't you, big guy? Couldn't get enough of my charm, could you? But next time, do me a favor and pair me up with Reyna okay, much better on the eyes, you know?"
"I'm not Reyna, Valdez. I don't have a soft spot for you," Frank threatened, "I will end you."
"That's not very cop like," Leo shrugged, "Come on, man, let it go. I don't hold a grudge against you. It's not like it was cheating or-"
"Shut it, Valdez," Frank hissed.
"Drop it, Leo," Reyna said calmly, "And Zhang, cool it alright. I expect that kind of nonsense from Leo, that's why I paired him up with you to keep him in check. You don't have to bite on everything."
Percy trailed Reyna towards the end of the alley and Percy watched as Leo held a metal block that beeped quietly against a metal door before it swung open. Frank and Leo hurried inside, and Percy had just parted from Reyna's side before she clutched his wrist, "You're with me." Percy blinked slowly and Reyna sighed, "They are doing overwatch, if Leo or Zhang see something dangerous from their vantage point, they'll warn us and get to the car, then we bail out. Plus," Her eyes narrowed, "It's better not to have either of them around when we meet with our contact."
"What's their problem, by the way?" Percy asked, "Frank and Leo?"
"Well considering they're men," Reyna said, "They only get into fights about sex and money. Try to activate that detective brain and see if you can't figure it out for yourself." Percy said nothing, unsure in what way he was supposed to register the insult.
Reyna pepped her head from the ally and Leo's voice rang in both his and Reyna's ear through their earpiece, "All clear to proceed. Move in."
"Come on, Jackson," Reyna said with a head bob, "Let's go."
Percy did as he was told. Reyna moved with a mission, she cleanly swept her surroundings and Percy saw that the woman held herself with a soldier's fortitude. He wasn't sure if Reyna was scared, and when Percy considered all the work Chiron had put into him to be able to detect the slightest traces of fear in people, it was beyond impressive. Reyna rushed along the dirty street to the next alley, her hand held on her holster before she waved him over. Percy followed the woman's trail with extra caution to use the cover, though Percy found it highly unnecessary.
When they'd reached the second alley, Reyna reached up to her earpiece, "Zhang, are we clear?"
"As day boss," He replied, "Good to lift."
Lift? Percy questioned before Reyna bent down at the edge of the manhole cover. Her fingers slipped into the sides of the metal plate and she grunted hard. Veins popped in her forehead as she growled unable to lift the cover. She groaned and broke from her efforts. Once more she dialed in, "Are you sure this is the place, the cover is dried shut."
"I'm sure," Frank replied through the coms, "This is the meet up point."
Percy studied the sewer plate. The disk was eroded and rusted shut. Whatever canvassing had been done before this clearly had not been as thorough as it should have been, but Percy pushed the thought from his mind and crouched beside the hole. Reyna glanced at him and Percy shrugged innocently before she rolled her eyes and returned to her conversation with Frank.
He gritted his teeth as his fingers slipped into the handles of the cover. With a passive face, Percy forced his strength to his hand and twisted the cover and earned himself a horrendous streak. With a grunt, Percy pulled the cover open, and with a played up tired breath, he slid the cover open. "How did you-," Reyna asked, "How did you do that?"
Percy wiggled his fingers playfully, "Magic touch, I suppose." He stood and stepped aside towards the ladder that descended into the pit, "After you, boss."
Reyna studied him skeptically but relented to his request as she sunk into the cover before Percy who slid the steel back over their heads. The sewers were grimy and smelled of waste, so you know, like a sewer. When Reyna told Percy yesterday, they'd gotten a field mission, Percy had expected something more, well, he wasn't really sure what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't to be ankle deep in poop-water.
Percy's nose crinkled as they waded through the water, normally his enhanced senses helped, but down here they brought him nothing but misery. Finally, they'd arrived at a platform and Percy noticed the softest tremble in Reyna's hand. She reached for her pocket and pulled out a small metallic lighter and a pack of cigarettes. She steadied herself and placed the wrapped smoke to her lips and lit it. Her breath steadied after she took a deep breath and pulled the cig from her lips.
"You smoke?" Percy whispered.
"We all have our vices," Reyna replied, though her eyes filled with shame, "I've been trying to quit. Normally the patches hold me over, but when I get like this." She took another puff, "They just don't do it for me anymore."
"Like what?" Percy asked, though he knew the answer. Reyna smushed the cigarette on the ground after one last puff, the uneasiness in her expression now muted. "Nervous?"
"Our contact," Reyna whispered, "He's not a man to be careless around, which reminds me, he might be a little rough with you when he gets here. Don't fight back."
"You might have mentioned that earlier, you know?" Percy hissed. Reyna shrugged indifferently, "You're not exactly great at working with partners, are you?"
"Nope," Reyna said.
Her eyes darted behind him and Percy spun only to find himself pinned to the wall a gun beneath his chin. Even through the darkness, Percy could make out the man's figure. He was on the shorter side, with shaggy black hair that looked as if he'd just rolled out of bed. His skin was a ghostly pale, a fact Percy figured he'd tried to cover through his all-black outfit. His skull ring dug into Percy and his gun, custom made to look black as nightmare, sealed his jaw shut. Don't fight back.
Those had been Reyna's words, but every fiber of Percy's body told him differently. "Who the fuck is this?" The dark-haired man said with a sneer.
"Percy Jackson," Reyna said calmly, "Newest member of the Twelfth Legion. He's not a threat to you so go ahead and drop your gun."
"Not until you give me collateral," Nico said firmly.
"He lives at 2234 Hearthfire Way, Apartment 6b. He has a roommate named Grover who works for the Demeter Daily and Grover's girlfriend Juniper works at Ceres Café, he is also in some sort of a relationship with Rachel Elizabeth Dare." Percy scowled at Reyna. He felt his blood boil as the man dropped his weapon.
"Reyna! What the hell is-,"
"Quiet, Percy!" Reyna ordered, "Zhang, Leo, me, we've all done the same. It's part of dealing with the underground. The man you're looking at is the head of one of the crime families that runs the underground, Nico Di Angelo, we all have to make some sacrifices. He's trustworthy, though, believe me."
"Why should I?" Percy spat.
"Because one of the other heads of Tartarus murdered my sister after they violated her beyond words," Nico said, his tone cold and distant, "My only desire is to see Tartarus destroyed completely. Interfere in anyway with my goal, Percy Jackson, and I will kill every person dear to you and watch you suffer before I put you in the ground next to them."
"Don't worry," Reyna said. The detective pulled him behind her, "He won't do anything of the sort. Fool that he might be, he's trustworthy, you have my word."
"I'll believe it because it's you, Detective," Nico said, "Only because it's you."
Reyna nodded curtly. "Alright, now that pleasantries are taken care of, let's talk business. What do you know, Nico?"
"Truthfully, not much, though something strange is going on." Percy glared at the mob boss, "The day before the night of the fire, you know, the one on the Chase's, a man came to us, or at least, we think it's a man. We didn't see his face. He wore a mask, and his voice was digitally modified, I couldn't even tell you what his hair looked like because of his hood. He came to us with a proposition to make more money."
The notion of the fire garnered Percy's interest and he studied Nico closely. "He suggested it was time to move on from petty crimes to where the real money was. He started to suggest that we start to traffic people. He told us that'd he'd help give us the supplies to do it and when asked about his cut, all he said was that he wanted the pick of the litter when it came to the people we caught."
"The other families," Nico started, "As you can imagine weren't exactly too impressed. A guy with no references coming up with a plan like that. He asked what he could do to earn the trust of Tartarus and the other families agreed that if he burned Commissioner Chase's home to the ground, they'd consider his help. Crazy bastard actually did it and left his mark as proof for the police to see."
"His mark," Reyna said, "You mean the sickle? How do you know it was his mark and not some other person with a grudge against the Chase's?"
"No, it was his, he didn't give us a name," Nico said, "But he wore an amulet of sorts with that exact mark on it. Couple days later, Tartarus got their hand on a handful of new warehouses, boats, tranq darts, cages, I don't have even the slightest idea how he moved so much money so fast. He didn't even ask for mob funds for the equipment, just for a look at the people we capture." Nico rubbed his chin, "Normally with these guys they want to turn a profit, but this guy, he doesn't sound like he cares about money at all."
"These warehouse locations, any idea where they're at?" Reyna asked.
"Only got mine from the man directly," Nico said, "But I know better than to waste time with useless reports. Sent one of my girls, Febe, to get some information from one of Commodus's lackies, Cleander." Nico unfolded a piece of paper and slipped into Reyna's hand. "For what it's worth, I know they're planning to move some ambrosia tomorrow, not sure what you can do with it, but follow the trail."
Reyna nodded a pocketed the address, "Thanks, Nico."
"Just make sure they never see the light of day again," Nico replied, "That's thanks enough for me."
Reyna turned to Percy, "Let's go," she hissed. Percy nodded and followed Reyna back up the way they came. Percy looked back to get one more look at Nico, but the boy had already returned to the shadows. "Zhang, Leo, are we good to come up?"
"Coast is clear, hot stuff," Leo rang out.
"Valdez," Reyna growled.
"Right, sorry," Leo said with a chuckle, "All clear, boss."
With a grunt, Reyna pushed the manhole off and climbed out. Percy followed suit and slid the sewer cover back into place. Each carried a distant look in their eyes. Percy wasn't sure what swelled beneath Reyna's passive exterior, but he doubted it compared to the cold fire that burned in Percy's chest. Kronos was here, TITAN, was here, and for however dangerous Reyna may have imagined the masked figure to be, Percy knew him to be far more threatening than anything he felt this city could handle.
His fist tightened and the cold winter air filled his lungs. My old home may be gone, he muttered in his mind, But I will not allow this one to fall into ruins. Kronos, Percy's eyes opened wide with determination, I will stop you.
"Jackson, did you hear me?" Reyna called out. Percy snapped back into reality, "Come on, let's go."
"Where are we going?" Percy asked.
"To pay our friend, Cleander a visit," Reyna said. "Come along now, he doesn't live far from here." Reyna rang in on the coms and soon, with Leo and Frank at their side, the moved out.
Even for someone not even remotely aware of what good city planning should look like, Percy could tell that the Nyx Neighborhood had been so poorly designed it deserved an award. Percy had an enhanced memory and still couldn't quite make out the map of the bizarre series of twists and turns. The place was a labyrinth like no other. Reyna and Frank took point and rear, their hands on their holsters at all time. Percy did his best to match Leo's level of discomfort to try not to give away that he wasn't too worried about a stray bullet. Unless of course, it hit one of his mortal spots: The Brain, The Heart, or the Spinal Cord. Places that if hit, even Percy wasn't certain he could recover from.
To Reyna and Frank's visible relief, no firefight had broken out and Reyna looked to have relaxed a bit when they'd arrived at a stone-grey building with barred windows and cobwebs that covered every vent the stone walls had.
"Charming little place," Percy muttered distantly. He couldn't be certain, but for a split second, Percy swore he'd seen Reyna smirk.
"Stick close to me Jackson and stay quiet," Reyna said without a glance. "Do that and you might just make it back to your rich little red head in one piece." Percy smiled at the mention of Rachel and followed Reyna who'd began to march towards a large and mean looking fellow.
His face was red and sweaty, and for a man that lived in the slums of New Rome, he was oddly well-dressed in a deep red suit that matched the color of his face. His hair was long, curly, and filled with product that baked in the sun and a foul grin formed across his face as he held a poor and elderly woman tightly by the shoulder. "Rent was due last week, Gretta, pay up, now."
"Please," The woman croaked, "I needed to pay for my medicine, I'd gone without it for a month already and-"
"I don't recall asking for excuses," The suited man growled, "It's here by tomorrow, or you won't be, clear?"
"Y-yes," Gretta stuttered, before she raced away from the building.
Percy felt his blood boil and stepped forward only to be met with Reyna's hand. The detective cleared her throat and approached the man badge in hand, "Putting fear into the hearts of the elderly, that's how you get your kicks now adays, huh, Cleander?"
"Nothing illegal about giving a tenet and friendly reminder now, is there, Detective?" Cleander said with a smile that put salesmen to shame. "Now then, how can I help you?"
"Maybe you can tell me," Reyna said. "You see, word on the street there's some movement happening in the underground. We think some big drug deal is going to take place." Reyna's face remained steady, "We know about you Cleander, we've had our eyes on you for a while. Sick mother, bills piling up, if I were a betting girl, I'd say you were just the type desperate enough to run the drugs."
"Then I guess you should be glad you aren't the betting type," Cleander said, "Your records are right, mom's sick so I got out. Can't take care of her if I'm behind bars."
"See that's the problem, Cleander," Reyna said, "I don't believe you. No high school degree, not real skills outside of those muscles, hell this is even a Tartarus Owned Building you're collecting rent on, you wouldn't have the money to pay your mother's bills and I doubt Tartarus would let anyone outside of their circle collect their money. So here's the deal," Reyna pressed him, "You come with us down to the station willingly and tell us about this deal we suspect is going down soon, and we'll see what we can do to make sure your mom's taken care of while you're behind bars."
"Like I told you, gorgeous," Cleander said, "I've got no clue what you're talking about."
"Of course he doesn't know what you're talking about," Percy said. His words earned a sharp glare from Reyna, but he stepped forward anyway. "I mean look at him. 6'6", 280, pure muscle, you think he's anything more than hired help, please," Percy smirked, "The guy's a blockhead. Tartarus wouldn't be so foolish as to trust a dumbass like him with sensitive information."
"Hey, you can't talk to me like that!" Cleander spat, "I have rights and-"
"Maybe, but frankly I don't care, I'm not a cop," Percy said. He patted the man's back like a friend, "Just a consultant. So as 'just a consultant' I wanted to state that if I was the underground, I'd sooner shout my secrets of the Empire State Building before I trusted a single I.Q. Digit idiot like you with any-,"
Bam! Percy shuffled back and blood dripped from his nose and he cursed from the hit. The man hit the ground shortly after with a flip from Reyna and the click of handcuffs snapped shut. "Cleander you are under arrest for assault, you have the right to remain silent, anything you can and say will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you by-"
Reyna shot Percy a glare as she completed the Miranda Warning before handing Cleander off the Frank. "Are you out of your mind?"
"No, my nose hurts, but I'm perfectly sane," Percy said in a stuffy voice. "He wasn't going to tell you anything out here, and he wasn't going to come down to the station willingly. I just gave you a reason to ask him some questions on your home court. Some people would be grateful."
"Stunts like that get officers killed," Reyna hissed.
"Guess it's lucky I'm not an officer then," Percy smiled.
Reyna rolled her eyes, "Leo, take Jackson to the hospital to get him checked out, I'll use the Police Department's Card, technically he should be covered under our insurance."
Leo nodded, "Roger that, beautiful." Reyna shook her head and marched off after Frank. Percy felt Leo's eyes rest upon him before he snapped his nose back into place. That sound had earned a shiver from the curly haired man before he muttered, "Metal."
Percy smirked at Leo. "So, you really let yourself get punched in the face so Reyna could make an arrest, huh? You're a wild one, Jackson, I'll give you that. I'm starting to feel like my spot on the team as the reckless idiot is being threatened."
"Well, it wasn't just for the arrest," Percy pulled a set of keys from his pocket, "If he hadn't hit me, I wouldn't have these."
"Are those-," Leo blinked, "Are those Cleander's house keys?"
"For the sake of plausible deniability, I am not going to answer that," Percy said.
Leo shook his head in disbelief before he laughed, "Well, since we aren't going to the hospital, we basically have an hour or so before our absence will be missed. Any ideas on where to spend it."
"You're from around here aren't you," Percy said, "Where's a good place for lunch?"
"I didn't tell you I was from here," Leo said stunned.
"You kinda did, with your whole, I don't know," Percy said, "Vibe, I guess. Still, I'm not one to judge. I was serious about lunch though."
"You have gotten a lot more comfortable since joining the team, that's for sure," Leo chuckled, "I like it. There's a good burger spot a few blocks down."
"Great," Percy said, "Maybe when we're there you can fill me in on why Frank wants to rip you in half."
"Now that," Leo said warmly, "Is a story to be told over milkshakes, which you're buying, by the way." Percy nodded in agreement and the two walked towards the burger joint, appropriately called: Nyx Burgers. There wasn't exactly a line and Percy found himself instantly seated and presented with a hot and greasy burger. Leo bit into his and smiled, "Oh yeah, just as good as I remembered."
On cue, the milkshakes arrived at the table and Percy took a sip of his. He studied the man's features carefully. He hadn't detected it before, but for all the joy Leo exuded, there was a certain sadness in his eyes. Percy knew that look well; it was the eyes of someone who'd experienced a devastating loss. He cleared his throat to bury both the grease and the introspection before he lifted the paper cup, "I got the milkshakes, now I want to hear the story, why does Frank hate you so much? He glares at you like you slept with his wife or something?"
"Well," Percy choked on the milkshake at Leo's expression. "It's a bit more complicated than that. See, I only know what I've heard about Frank's side of the story, but from what I understand, he and his girlfriend had a huge fight after Frank decided to join the NRPD. They broke up and a week later, I met said ex-girlfriend at a bar. We were both really drunk, she was on the rebound and I, well, I'd lost a close friend of mine a bit before that. Point is we both needed some comfort. We went back to her place, did the deed, and then there was a knock at her door. I went to answer it and who else did I see but Frank with flowers and chocolate in hand. Not really sure what happened after I left, but they must have worked something out because they got back together. Doesn't really change the fact that Frank still hasn't gotten over his beef with me though."
"Doesn't sound like you were in the wrong," Percy said with another sip of his milkshake, "Though in full transparency, if shit goes wrong between Rachel and I and I find you in bed with her, I might find myself on Frank's side."
"Don't worry," Leo said, "I'm not stupid enough to put myself in a position like that again. Plus, Dare's out of your league, forget mine. I'm confident, not delusional."
"Good," Percy said, "But if you don't mind, when we first met, Frank called you a criminal. What was that all about?"
"That well," The waitress came and placed a check on their table which Leo pushed towards Percy, "That's a story for another free meal. Come on, Percy, let's get back down to the station before Frank and Reyna throw a fit." Leo grinned, "Though she is stunning when she's angry."
Percy grinned, "So, this flirting with Reyna thing, are you seriously interested in her or-"
"Huh, no, not really," Leo said, "She'd kill me if I talked to her like that seriously. Reyna and I we're friends. Plus, she's more into-," Leo fell silent before he started again, "Point is, I love Reyna, but not like that. She- she gave me a second chance at life, it's just my way of showing her my appreciation."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Percy said as the two climbed into the back of a Lyft, "I know why you and I are on the unit, and I understand why we have a supervisor, but why is Zhang on the team anyway. He seems pretty standard to be on a team of misfits."
Leo leaned in a whispered, "Probably because the girl he's dating is Nico's half-sister."
Percy's eyes widened for a split second before they relaxed once more. In one sentence, a lot of the week's and more particularly that morning's events had suddenly made much more sense than when he'd first left the station. That very station had shortly come into view and with an expression of their thanks the two men exited the Honda Civic and strode into the police station.
Without a word, they brushed past Lou Ellen's desk and walked into their conference room where an impatient Reyna paced about. Her eyes zipped towards Percy and Leo and Leo swallowed hard. She sighed, "Why do I have a feeling you both didn't do as I instructed." The two smiled apologetically, "Whatever, that's not important now. Point is the interrogation is going nowhere. You're right when you say he's an idiot, Jackson, but he certainly knows how to stay silent when he fears he's said too much."
"Well, what did he say so far?" Percy asked.
"Nothing important. I learned he lives in that building with a roommate named Lit and that this Lit character must be pretty new to the Tartarus Underground because we don't have a record on him." Reyna groaned, "Then he demanded his phone call and shut up."
"Did you give it to him?" Percy asked, "His phone call?"
"Not yet, I don't want Cleander to tip his partner off, but I can't stall it for long," Reyna rubbed her temples, "Sooner of later he'll get that call."
"How long can you hold him?"
"Until tomorrow morning, maybe?" Reyna said, "God maybe if I could get Lit to talk and convince Cleander that Lit betrayed him than I could maybe get Cleander to spill, but-,"
"I think that's a great idea," Percy said, "Now how exactly could we make that work?"
Frank's head popped into the room, "Whatever your planning, stop it, the creep just called for his lawyer. He's out of town right now and convinced Cleander to stick around here until he get's here, but we're done talking to him for now."
"Fantastic," Reyna hissed. She tugged at her hair and let her shoulders drop. "I'm going to go debrief Commissioner Chase on what we learned from Nico, the rest of you, I guess, head on home early. Good work today."
"Yes boss," The three men said in unison before Leo approached and placed his hand on Reyna's shoulder, "Iced Coffee from Ceres?"
"You're a lifesaver," She said thankfully before Leo departed and Percy found himself alone with the dark-eyed girl, "Not bad for your first day, Jackson, I'll admit it. Maybe you won't be so bad for the team after all, even if I do think your stunts are stupid. Nose hurt?"
"Not too bad," Percy said as he approached the exit, "Goodnight, Reyna."
"Night," She replied.
Percy had just stepped out of the halls of the station before he pulled out his phone and found R.E.D in his contacts. He had a message already waiting for him that he hadn't yet had a chance to read, "Good luck on your first case. XO."
He smiled and texted back, "First day on the case went pretty well and got out early too. Dinner tonight?"
His phone blinked pinged instantly, "I'm feeling more like a stay in movie, can I come over?"
"I'll be ready in an hour," He replied.
"Sounds good," Rachel said, "See you then."
A/N: This was one of my favorite chapters to write. When I was growing up, I used to love watching Crime TV Shows and that was because I loved the dynamics of the team on that show. Getting to write my own version of it was awesome especially with the relationship between Leo and Percy and Reyna and Percy. If you did enjoy this chapter, please Follow, Favorite, and Review! Peace out Peeps!