Thalia was going fucking insane. Everything that happened the night before could not be real. It could not be true. Dead gods and stolen powers didn't exist. There was no way that gods used to walk the earth. They were just stories that cavemen used back in the day to explain why fire was hot and rain fell from the sky. The entire fucking thing was just some drug-fueled craze.
Thalia probably got high and stole a gun from a homeless man. That was why she had that gun sitting on her bed stand. Or, she did buy the gun legally just to have protection because she lived in this shitty motel? It was one place that Luke wouldn't look for her. The gun was also a broken piece of shit because she couldn't open the chamber.
What was Thalia even thinking anyway? Going to the crossroads was a ridiculous idea. Luke's goons could have found her, and some psychopath could have found her strung out talking to nothing and had their way with her. It was all so stupid.
At the same time, Thalia wondered if she really could do it. Why couldn't she just march up to one of Luke's men and shoot them dead? Was that why she was now looking at the news and watching a story about Ethan Nakamura? In the grand scheme of things, Ethan was at the bottom of the totem pole. His death wouldn't have an effect on the operations of his gang, but he was part of Luke's inner circle. And Luke's best friend.
Thalia had met the one-eyed bastard once before. His eye had supposedly been gouged out by his own mother, but she was kind enough to buy him an eye patch. Thalia knew that Jason had put in his will that everything would go to her, and he did have enough money saved up that she could buy a hired killer, but any hired killer that was dumb enough to take a hit out on any of Luke Castellan's men were not smart enough to finish the job.
So what the fuck was Thalia going to do with this broken gun? She picked it up and studied it. The surface gleamed and was covered in some kind of ancient writing. It was a toy gun! Thalia bought a toy gun. She scoffed and flung the gun into the trash.
"What a shithole," a voice commented. Thalia almost yelled as she whirled around and reached towards her belt for her other, real gun. Reyna looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She also raised Thalia's gun. "Are you going to shoot at me again?"
"What the fuck?" Thalia whispered. She took a few steps back and felt her knees give out. She fell backward and missed the bed landing right on her ass. Reyna sighed and rubbed her forehead. "You aren't real."
"Didn't we have this talk yesterday? We met at the crossroads, and I gave you the gun that you just threw in the trash," Reyna said. She shook her head and sighed. "Does this place serve food, or would I get a disease?"
"This can't be real," Thalia whimpered. She brought her knees to her chest and buried her face in her hands. Thalia tried to calm down, but her heart was still racing. What was going on? Why did she feel like she was going insane? A soft humming told her that she wasn't, but it didn't do a damn thing to make her feel better.
"We should really make a plan," Reyna commented. The bed creaked as Reyna fell onto it. A groan escaped her as she either stretched out or realized what the former occupants left on the bed. "Gods. This really is a shithole."
Thalia laid her head back and tried to breathe. She placed both hands on her chest. What the fuck was even going on in her life anymore? Thalia apparently had been thrown into a world where gods were real but had mostly disappeared, and there were guns loaded with magic bullets. When Thalia couldn't breathe, she started to panic. Then, she made it to her feet and ran out of the motel room.
Thalia wasn't sure where she was running to. She wasn't sure what she was trying to do. Thalia needed fresh air. She needed to be able to breathe. All Thalia had to do was get out of there. She only made it as far as the end of the street until she slammed into something solid.
A grunt escaped Thalia as she ran into someone and fell backward. Reyna caught Thalia by her waist and pulled her back to a standing position. Reyna grabbed onto Thalia's waistband and slipped the gun inside it.
Thalia shoved Reyna away and grabbed the gun. She gripped it tightly and studied the monster in front of her. Reyna looked so human now. She didn't seem like something that could disappear or appear from sight, but Thalia knew she wasn't going crazy. She wasn't high, drunk, or strung out. This was all happening, and it scared her.
"Just leave me alone," Thalia muttered. She let go of the gun and started to walk. Reyna walked alongside her and whistled quietly. It took about five seconds for Thalia to get pissed off. "Shut up!"
"Hey, I'm just walking with you. It's dangerous for someone like you to be walking in this city alone. Forget the fact that Castellan is going to have all of his men looking for you. There are plenty of people who will see you walking alone and want nothing more than to bend you over the nearest dumpster," Reyna insulted. "You shouldn't walk out here alone."
"I don't care," Thalia snapped. She turned on Reyna. "I don't understand why I have to be stuck with you."
"Well, it's pretty simple," Reyna said. She talked slowly, as if Thalia was a puppy who didn't understand what its owner was saying. "You came to the crossroads in a sad and pathetic state. You begged for a way to avenge your brother, and here I am. The gun is the answer to your problems."
"Whatever," Thalia muttered, and she started to walk again. Thalia knew that she was being reckless. Ever since Luke had taken control of this city, it had become a lot more dangerous. Men and women couldn't walk the streets alone without a good chance of being mugged, stabbed, and left for dead, if not worse.
There was the sound of footsteps behind her, but it was just Reyna trailing her. Reyna was casually looking around and had her hands stuck in her pockets. Thalia wasn't sure what the hell she was going to do, and even after walking for half an hour, she had nothing.
At some point, Reyna had just disappeared. Thalia didn't know if she left or was still watching over her. Neither thought made her feel better. Thalia's walk led her into the business side of the city, where skyscrapers loomed overhead looking like giants. She could probably get a good view of the slums on one of the high-rises. So close to the nerve center but so far from it as well.
A frown came to Thalia's face as she stopped outside of one of Luke's office buildings. She quickly threw her hood over her head and quickened her pace. Thalia pivoted and tried to step onto the street. There was a loud honk, and Thalia jumped back, barely avoiding being hit by a limousine.
Thalia was honked at again, and she watched the limousine drive a few more feet forward to pull up to the curb. Two men the size of refrigerators stepped out of the limo. They walked towards the back door and opened it. Thalia's breath left her as Ethan Nakamura stepped onto the street, turning to lock his single eye on Thalia, a scowl on his face.
Two women followed him from inside the car. One leaned on him and whispered in his ear. The other placed her hand to his groin, and Thalia half expected Ethan to receive a handjob in the middle of the sidewalk. The two bodyguards surrounded Ethan and the girls, not leaving much room.
Thalia's hand drifted towards the gun in the back of her waistband. Then, she sighed and brought her hands back to her side. Thalia started to walk away again, and she pulled her jacket closer to herself as she approached Ethan.
"You made me spill my wine, asshole," Ethan greeted with disdain. Thalia tensed and tried to increase her pace. One of the bodyguards blocked her path. "Did you hear me, retard? You made me spill my wine."
Ethan wouldn't know what Thalia looked like. She wasn't important enough for him to know her face, but at the same time, she couldn't take the chance. Thalia tried to walk forward again, but her arm was grabbed roughly. The man shoved her back.
"You're gonna pay for dry cleaning," Ethan ordered. Thalia wanted nothing more than to shoot the man dead, but it would be suicide. The bodyguards would take her head off before she could properly aim and fire the gun. Witnesses swarmed the streets, and her aim was absolute shit.
But.
Fuck it.
Thalia grabbed the gun from the back of her waistband and pulled it out. She locked her focus on Ethan and raised the gun. The world seemed to move in slow motion as one of the bodyguards reached out to disarm her. The second moved to step in front of Ethan, and Thalia fired the gun.
The gun kicked back in Thalia's hand and almost flew from her grasp, even with both hands gripping it tightly. The bullet zipped towards Ethan, but Thalia felt in her heart that she had been too slow. The bodyguard would step in front of Ethan and take the bullet. The other would restrain her and drag her inside. Luke would get his hands on her, and that would be the end of Thalia Grace.
But then, the bullet curved. Thalia could grab a bible and swear on it that she fired the gun and the bullet fucking curved. It swung around the bodyguard and hit Ethan right in his good eye. The woman screamed as Ethan's grey matter splattered them and the pavement. The bodyguard near Ethan turned toward his freshly dead charge. A hand grabbed Thalia's shoulder.
A knife stabbed into the man's arm, and he immediately lost his grip. Reyna slammed her shoulder into the man, knocking him back into the other bodyguard. Reyna looked at Thalia, "Run!"
Thalia didn't have to be told twice. She turned and ran down the road. Thalia had never been an athletic kid. She barely participated in PE classes in high school and never tried out for sports. Thalia wasn't a runner, normally. Today, she probably broke a fucking world record as she made it down the street.
As Thalia turned the corner, she saw one of the bodyguards was slumped against the car near Ethan. The other bodyguard was slamming Reyna into the opposite concrete wall. Thalia sure as shit wasn't going to stick around to help. The woman seemed to appear and disappear at whim, so she better has another rabbit to pull out her ass.
Thalia ran without direction. She didn't hear anyone chasing after her, and there were no sirens in her direction. Thalia slowed her pace enough to be able to huff out breaths. She kept running for another five minutes until her lungs were about to explode.
Thalia found the nearest bar and slammed into the door. She headed right to the bathroom as she heard the sounds of yelling and anger. A glance behind her showed that she was in a sports bar, and the home team was losing. Thalia locked the door behind her and collapsed against it.
Each breath she took not only hurt her lungs but also her throat. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. She tried to breathe but only ended up choking on air. Thalia reached into her pocket and cursed. She felt around for her inhaler but had no luck.
Asthma bothered Thalia her entire life, but she always had her inhaler. Why was it the one time she actually needed it that she didn't have it? Thalia placed both hands to her chest and closed her eyes tightly.
"Catch," a voice said. Thalia's eyes snapped open, and she barely caught her inhaler. Thalia took it and breathed desperately. She closed her eyes and carefully used her lifeline. Her prescription was probably out of date, but it did the trick.
Thalia took a minute to calm down. She slowly opened her eyes and focused on Reyna. The woman was sitting against the wall and staring at the ceiling. There was anger on her face, and both hands were placed to her midsection.
Thalia blinked a few times and saw something on her inhaler. She ran her thumb over the fresh blood and then looked at Reyna. The woman across from her cursed and pulled off her leather jacket.
"Fuck," Reyna hissed. She pulled the knife out of her stomach and threw it to the side. Reyna grabbed a small vial out of her pocket and opened it. She lifted her shirt to show off a fresh stab wound. Thalia slowly started to move closer.
"You're hurt," Thalia stated.
"Can you not be a fucking idiot for once," Reyna snapped. She slowly tilted the vial over, and Thalia watched a sparkling dust fall from the vial and onto Reyna's stab wound. She hissed sharply, and before Thalia's eyes, the wounds started to close.
Reyna let out a sigh of relief and laid her head back against the wall. She slowly grabbed a small first aid kit out of another pocket and carefully bandaged her wound. All Thalia could do was stare. The wound had shrunk to half its size and stopped bleeding. Reyna poured some kind of magical powder on it, and it damn near healed.
"I need a drink," Thalia began. She slowly stood and walked towards the door. Her hands fumbled with the door, but she managed to open it and leave. Thalia found a table and collapsed into it. She tried to stop her hands from shaking. Despite all of the time to calm down, her heart felt ready to pound out of her chest, and she was sweating profusely. Thalia had never felt more alive.
Thalia laid her head back and realized that she could do it. She could kill Luke and his men. One was probably still bleeding out on the sidewalk, and there were only four more to go. A waitress walked up to her and spoke, "Hey sweetie. What can I get you today?"
"The strongest bottle of whiskey you have," Thalia answered. The waitress smiled and walked away. Thalia took the time to wipe away the sweat and fully calm down. She slipped the inhaler into her pocket and pinched herself. Thalia wasn't dreaming. She had done it. She had killed Ethan Nakumara. And Luke was next on her list.
Less than a minute passed before Thalia was given a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass. She did her best to open the bottle with how badly her hands were shaking. Thalia managed to pour a shot with only a few missed drops, but as she reached out for it, a hand snatched it away. Thalia stiffened.
"That was sloppy," Reyna commented. She downed the shot glass and winced. Reyna turned and coughed. Her hand shot to her stomach. The woman took a moment to fix her leather jacket and then gingerly sat down. "That's disgusting. No wonder you're such a mess."
Thalia didn't answer. She knew the kill was sloppy. It wasn't like she was some assassin that had been trained her entire life on how to kill people. Thalia didn't have any kind of soldier or police training. She just had informal training that she received when she was on the streets, and there was no such thing as being subtle.
"What kind of plan was that anyway?" Reyna interrogated. She grabbed the menu and skimmed through it. Thalia looked away and didn't answer. "It's like you saw Ethan on the side of the street and decided to go for it. I thought you were watching that news story to make your plan."
Thalia glared. She wasn't about to tell Reyna that she had just decided to go for it. Instead, she carefully pulled the gun out from her waistband and studied it. Reyna looked at her and smirked slightly.
"It was pretty cruel to shoot the man in his only good eye," Reyna commented. Thalia glared at the woman, or was she a demon? A monster? Thalia thought about what to call the thing in front of her, but she just settled on Reyna.
"I was aiming for center mass," Thalia explained. She knew how bad her aim was, and with how close the bodyguard was to her, she couldn't take any chances.
"I know," Reyna said, and her smirk turned into a wicked grin. She raised her hand, and the waitress stopped by her. "I'm not from around here. Can you just get me whatever burger you recommend and your finest brandy?"
"Sure hon," the waitress replied before she walked away. Reyna smirked and lowered the menu. Her gaze focused on the woman as she walked away.
"I don't think she's interested in dating whatever you are," Thalia muttered.
"Again. Human. Well, half-human. Point is that I'm just like you. And whoever said anything about dating," Reyna smiled. "I could just take her to the back alley and have some fun."
"You're sick," Thalia spat. Reyna looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not like that little ex of yours. I would get permission first," Reyna mocked. She leaned forward and looked Thalia in the eyes. "If you want, I can take you to the back alley and-"
"Shut your fucking mouth," Thalia seethed with venom. If it wasn't for the cheers of the bar patrons, everyone would be staring at them. Reyna smirked and leaned back. Pain briefly crossed her face. Thalia stared down at the table. "Why did you save me?"
"I told you. I'm here to help you until the sixth bullet is fired," Reyna answered.
"Do you control where the bullets from the gun go?" Thalia asked after a moment. Reyna didn't answer until the waitress walked back by and placed down a drink. Reyna muttered thanks and took a sip. Her eyes seemed to grow distant. Then, she blinked and looked back at Thalia.
"I just make sure the bullets go where you want them to," Reyna said, and that smirk came back to her face. Thalia studied Reyna. She knew that smirk. Thalia had seen it plenty of times in the mirror. Reyna was putting up a front, but what was she trying to hide? Was that stab wound worse than Thalia thought, or was there something else? "And, I make sure they get there."
"What about the sixth bullet?" Thalia asked. Reyna didn't answer. "You said that I control the first five bullets. They go wherever I want. What about the sixth bullet? Where does it go?"
The smirk on Reyna's face widened. Thalia was struck with the realization that Reyna was not on her side. She may have found Thalia at her lowest moment and offered her a solution to her problems, but there was some kind of catch. There was always a catch when it came to things like this.
What could Thalia offer anyone though? She was just some burned out bum who spent half of her life on the street. Reyna controlled magical bullets, and who knew what other powers she had. What could Thalia do that Reyna couldn't?
Thalia hated that she just walked right into this deal. She accepted it without knowing the consequences. Reyna was going to help her kill the five men and avenge Jason, but what would happen after that? What did Reyna gain from all this? A frustrated sigh left Thalia, and she reached out for the whiskey bottle.
"You should really lay off the alcohol," Reyna commented. "It's going to make you slow and weak. Well, more than usual."
"I don't need to lay off anything," Thalia grumbled, even though she knew Reyna was telling the truth. If Reyna hadn't interfered, Thalia would be in a much worse situation.
"You just killed Castellan's best friend in broad daylight," Reyna retorted. "There were plenty of witnesses. News is going to spread, and let's be honest with ourselves, he would have blamed you anyway."
"I'm ready for that bastard," Thalia promised. Reyna shook her head, and the waitress stopped by. She placed the plate of food down in front of Reyna.
"Thank you," Reyna said. She looked at Thalia and grabbed a fry. Then, the fry was used to point accusingly at Thalia. "I can only protect you so much."
"I don't need protection," Thalia snapped.
"Really?" Reyna asked sarcastically. She bit into a fry and let it hang into her mouth like the question that hung between them. "You were dead to rights until I interfered. I killed those two bodyguards for you. Maybe, I won't help next time. I'll let them take you back to Castellan and see what he does to you."
"You're a psychopath," Thalia hissed. She knew that she had been foolish, but she didn't feel like being patronized.
"I know," Reyna replied, and she lost her smirk. A serious look came to her eyes. Thalia had been angry and just thrown out an insult. It seemed like the insult was more truthful than hurtful. Reyna looked like she was lost in thought once again. She visibly snapped out of it and looked back at her food.
"Also, I don't own a wallet," Reyna began. She motioned to the food. "Do you have this covered?"
"If I pay, will you leave me alone?" Thalia requested. She buried her face in her hands and tried to ignore the headache that was threatening to explode. Being with Reyna was just so irritating. She knew that Reyna was supposed to be helping her, but it also felt like the damned woman was also torturing her. Was this Thalia's punishment?
"Not a chance," Reyna shot down. She ate another fry, and her eyes slowly moved around the bar. "Get used to it, Grace. You're stuck with me."
"Shut up," Thalia grounded out. She felt more of that anger running through her veins, and she knew that her temper was going to get the best of her. "Just leave me alone."
"Again: You are stuck with me," Reyna repeated. Thalia growled and grabbed the glass to pour another shot. She downed it in a second. The alcohol only served to fuel her anger, and she knew she was on the verge of a breakdown. Her nerves were raw from killing Ethan, and every word that Reyna said only pissed her off more.
"Just shut up," Thalia ordered again. She took her wallet out of her pocket and flung it at Reyna's chest. Reyna raised an eyebrow as it fell to the table. She lifted the wallet and examined it.
"Do you need this back?" Reyna asked. Thalia tore the wallet from her hands and threw more than enough money to cover their drinks and Reyna's unprompted meal on the table. Then, she turned and stormed out. "Wait, I haven't finished!"
Thalia didn't care. She made it towards the door. Reyna sighed loudly, and there was the sound of a chair moving. Thalia stepped outside and hurried down the street, but it wasn't quick enough. Reyna seemed to appear by her side, burger in hand, as soon as Thalia thought she had put enough distance between herself and the door.
"It is really a good idea to go walking around after what you did?" Reyna prompted. The logical part of Thalia told her that Reyna was right. Thalia needed to hide her face and lay low for a few days. That logical part was being drowned out by the whiskey.
"Shut up," Thalia muttered. She heard Reyna inhale to say something else, and Thalia slapped the burger out of Reyna's hands. Reyna stopped walking for a single second before following again. She seemed pretty miffed about not being able to finish her meal.
"You are going to get yourself killed, and your quest for revenge will fail," Reyna criticized. Thalia growled softly and clenched her fist. She felt the rage coursing through her veins just as much as the alcohol was. "You're going to disappoint your brother."
"Don't you dare talk about him," Thalia growled maliciously. She turned towards Reyna and got in her face. Reyna spawned an annoyingly cocky grin. "You don't know anything about him."
"I know he died begging for you to save him," Reyna retorted. Thalia's fist connected with her face a moment later. Reyna fell back to the ground. There was a look of shock on her face. Thalia's hands shook.
"There's that temper of yours," Reyna commented with a quick smirk. She stood and pressed the back of her hand to her nose. "Maybe if you were able to control yourself, you would have seen the danger that Jason was in."
"Why can't you shut the fuck up?" Thalia yelled. She shoved Reyna. "I know that I should have kept a better eye on Jason! I don't need you to remind me of that! So just shut up!"
"If you wanted revenge for Jason, you wouldn't be in some bar feeling sorry for yourself," Reyna accused, her shit-eating smile growing wider. "Maybe, you want to die, so you don't have to worry about facing Luke. Are you too much of a coward to face him?"
"Shut up!" Thalia screamed. She swung again, but Reyna stepped out of the way this time. Thalia didn't know why she was being taunted at every moment. She didn't understand how Reyna could be this irritating and seem to enjoy it. Taunting her about Jason was crossing a damn line.
"What did I say about the alcohol?" Reyna mocked again as she stepped back. Thalia's hands shook, and she moved her hand to the gun. "Are you really going to try and waste a bullet on me? You know how stupid that is?"
"Does it run in the family?" Reyna wondered. "You're trying to shoot someone with the bullet that they control, and Jason fucked with the most dangerous people in the city. Hell, maybe even the state. No wonder he died as a-"
Thalia slammed her shoulder directly into Reyna, driving the woman into the wall of an alleyway. A strangled cry escaped Reyna, but Thalia wasn't done yet. She began to pull away, but Reyna's arm slipped around her neck and tightened.
Thalia felt her oxygen being cut off, and she tried to pull away. When that didn't work, she tried to shove herself forward to drive Reyna back into the wall. Neither of those things worked as Thalia's knees gave out on her, and Reyna dragged her to the ground. Thalia gasped and wheezed as panic filled her body. As she thought she was about to pass out, the hold on her throat disappeared.
Strangled gasps escaped Thalia as she fought for air. She scrambled away and rubbed the sides of her neck. Her gaze focused on Reyna. The woman watched her with hateful eyes.
"What is your problem?" Thalia gasped. She coughed and tried to calm down. Her head was spinning, and stars danced in her vision. "Why are you trying to drag my brother's name through the mud?"
"Because I want you to remember why you are doing this, you fucking idiot!" Reyna snapped. She stood and placed both hands to her wound. Thalia could see blood staining through her shirt. "Let's be real with ourselves, Thalia Grace. You're nothing more than a worthless drunk."
"You're going to fail miserably if left to your own devices. We just saw that with Ethan, and there is too much riding on this for you to fuck it up," Reyna snarled. She collapsed back against the wall and slowly slid into a sitting position. Her face rested on her knees.
Thalia stared at Reyna. She had seen that look in Reyna's eyes before. Thalia saw that look in her own eyes when she had narrowly escaped from Luke after learning what he had done to Jason. Thalia slowly spoke, "You're not doing this to help out the city or even your boss. This is personal."
Reyna didn't answer, but Thalia didn't need an answer. She knew that she was right. Luke Castellan had done something to Reyna, and now, the woman wanted to do everything in her power to kill him. It meant they had something in common.
"I want to kill Luke more than you," Thalia said suddenly. She moved closer to Reyna. "I'm willing to admit that I'm out of my depth, but you're supposed to help me, right? I'll listen. I'll try to stay sober, but I don't need any more motivation for revenge. If you ever insult Jason or disrespect his memory again, I will end you."
Thalia didn't wait for an answer. She stood and turned away. Thalia walked away from the bar. While her first kill hadn't been clean or pretty, it was a start. Luke's best friend was dead, his inner circle left a vacant seat and a wrench thrown into a slice of their operations. There were only four more men that she needed to kill. And, she had five more of these magical bullets to do it with. It didn't matter what Thalia had to do. She would make Luke pay for what he did.