Thalia couldn't remember the last time she felt terror like this. Even when Luke had his way with her and mocked her with pictures and details of Jason's death, she hadn't been this scared. Just anger, pushed to the boiling point. There was no anger now. Her knees shook uncontrollably as she was shoved forward, forced to meet to her fate. The two escorting guards were making crass comments, but Thalia couldn't pay much attention due to the rapid beating of her heart in her ears.
A third man had joined to help drag Reyna. Two were holding onto each of her arms and dragging her between them. She hadn't moved since being popped in the head with the rifle stock. Thalia wanted to scream, to demand that damned woman to move her ass, but the gag shut her up and prevented any attempt.
Thalia whimpered as she was prodded forward by the gun barrel digging into her back. They stepped into a dark hallway, and she felt her stomach clench violently. They made it through more hallways, each one darker and dirtier than the previous. Thalia's eyes almost adjusted completely to the total darkness by the time they stopped outside of a door, and one of the men knocked three times.
"Come in," a cruel voice called back to them. Thalia's knees gave out at the entrance. Then she was pulled back up into a standing position and thrown into the room. Thalia crashed into the hard floor and winced as the knife she had been given sliced into her hands. It was amazing how she hadn't lost it yet.
The well-lit room she found herself in made her eyes blink in rapid panic. Her eyes slowly adjusted to show an oak desk in front of her. A few stacks of money were seated nice and orderly on top of the desk. Behind the racks of cash sat a man with a crooked and perverse grin on his face. His eyes were a disgusting shade of green, like something pulled out of a polluted pond. His brown hair was like a dirty mop on his head.
Two more men stood guard wielding shotguns, flanking their boss. Another man sat in another chair next to the desk. Thalia tensed for a moment before feeling grief tear through her heart. This man had the same blonde hair as Jason, but he was taller and didn't have a small scar on his lips. His blue eyes were also a lighter shade: Octavian.
Thalia heard about Octavian. The man had the police in his back pocket. Why the fuck was he here in Bryce's office? Why did two of her targets have to be right in front of her, but the woman who controlled the magic bullets was unconscious? Thalia flinched as Reyna was thrown down next to her.
"The fuck is this?" Bryce asked as he lit the cigar held by his lips. He grabbed the it and offered a puff to Octavian. The scrawny bastard hesitated for a moment before accepting it. Octavian took a drag and immediately started coughing. Bryce smirked, no doubt amused at his associate's baby lungs. He then pulled out another cigar for himself.
"Sir, we found these two skulking around the warehouse. This one here claimed she brought the one who killed Mr. Nakamura," one of the men explained as he nudged Reyna with his foot. The woman didn't move or respond to the poke. The man motioned towards Thalia. "This one supposedly killed Mr. Nakamura."
Bryce stood from his cozy chair and looked Thalia up and down. He smirked amused and spoke, "I know this bitch. Luke's slut. Oh yeah. He showed us all the pictures and videos of this dirty whore."
Thalia's eyes widened as Bryce cackled at the memory. Octavian chuckled weakly, but it sounded forced. Thalia looked back down at the floor. She really fucking doubted that the gun would work with Reyna passed out. That damn woman needed to wake the hell up.
"What about this one?" Bryce wondered aloud, gesturing to the other captive. He waved the hand that held the cigar, and two men pulled Reyna to her knees. Reyna's head lolled forward, not even making a noise. The bandanna was pulled down from her nose, and the hood was pulled off her head. Bryce forced her head up straight, and he studied her closely.
Octavian's breath hitched and he grabbed at the desk. He looked baffled, scared even. Bryce looked back at his squirming associate, "You know something?"
"How the fuck?" Octavian asked incredulously. He slowly walked towards them and placed a hand to Reyna's face. He pulled back her eyelids to stare into her eyes. "What the fuck?"
"Hey, Octavia," Bryce mocked. Octavian scowled and turned his head. "You know this broad?"
"I shot her in the chest years ago," Octavian swore. Bryce gave him an annoyed look and motioned for him to continue. "That's Reyna! Hylla's little sister! We forced her to watch what we did to her sister. Luke said he was feeling merciful. Told me to shoot her and leave her to bleed out with her sister."
"You have shit aim," Bryce commented, unimpressed and clearly displeased. He let go of Reyna's face and waved his hand again. Reyna was shoved back down to the floor. Bryce turned his gaze on Thalia. "Now, did you or did you not kill Nakamura?"
Thalia quickly shook her head. Her eyes darted around the room, desperately looking for anything that could help her get out of here. There were four men in front of her and three behind. She was so fucked. Bryce walked back over to his desk and sat on it, spilling and knocking over some of the stacked cash.
"I don't think you did. I think Reyna killed Ethan and decided to bring you to us as a distraction. Then, she would try to kill me. Does that sound right?" Bryce deduced, rhetorically asking her for confirmation.
Thalia nodded quickly. She no longer gave a shit about revenge. Thalia just wanted to escape with her life. Bryce continued, "Or, you two idiots are working together. And well, let's be real, we both know you retarded bitches could never make a decent plan to kill us."
"What should we do with these two?" Bryce asked the rest of the room as he eyed Thalia hungrily. Thalia shook her head and moved her eyes to her downed comrade. She saw Reyna was watching her with wide and alert eyes. Everyone seemed to be focused on Thalia and Bryce, not the supposedly unconscious woman on the ground.
Reyna nodded once. Then, she lunged to her feet. Thalia hit the ground as she heard a gunshot rattle the room. She buried her face in the soiled carpet that smelled of blood and piss. Her heart raced as screeching cries and thunderous gunfire threatened to deafen her.
Thalia struggled to use the knife to cut the ropes that kept her trapped. When she was free, she brought her hands to her ears and covered them from the encompassing noise. Her eyes peeked up, and she looked at the carnage around the room.
Three men were slumped against the wall, bodies riddled with bleeding holes. Another one was collapsed against Bryce's desk, bleeding onto the now messily scattered dollar bills. The fifth man with the gun was pinned to the wall by a shotgun that Reyna held pressed against his torso. Reyna fired, and Thalia felt sick at the explosion of guts and blood that surged from the man.
Thalia pulled her gag out and started to retch. She felt sick to her stomach at the smell and sights in the room. Her eyes moved up, and she saw that Octavian was cowering on the ground, his hands covering his head.
A yell almost escaped Thalia as she was pulled to her feet. A gun was pressed against her temple. Reyna turned and glared at them.
"Put the gun down, or I kill her," Bryce demanded, leaving no room for debate.
Reyna threw the shotgun to the side and hardened her glare on Bryce. Thalia flinched at the hot breath washing her neck. She felt something pass in front of her and saw a radio, "Send reinforcements to my office. We have intruders."
No one answered, and Bryce repeated his statement. A smirk came to Reyna's face. Thalia wanted to grab the gun, but it was still tucked into the back of her waistband, and Bryce was keeping her pulled tight against himself.
"Your gang is a little busy," Reyna sneered. "Called in a favor."
"Won't matter when I splatter her fucking brains everywhere," Bryce growled.
"Scared to fight me yourself?" Reyna mocked. "A big strong man like you? Come on. Don't be a coward, Bryce. Ethan tried to fight, but he was too much of a bitch to see what was happening."
"You shut the fuck up, whore!" Bryce snapped. Reyna's smirk grew wider on her face. A gun suddenly fired, and Thalia tensed expecting the end. She expected to feel the bullet hit her head and then cold nothingness. Instead, Reyna hollered and collapsed to her hands and knees. One hand moved to her leg, which was now bleeding.
Octavian slowly stood, gun in hand. He stalked towards Reyna, keeping the gun pointed at her. Reyna suddenly slammed into Octavian, driving him into the desk. They struggled for the gun, and Thalia was thrown back to the ground.
Bryce fired his gun, and Reyna was suddenly across the room, breathing heavily. The bullet flew past where she had been and hit the wall. Bryce began to lower his gun, "...the fuck?"
Thalia pulled the gun from her waistband and aimed up at Bryce. She took a deep breath and fired. The world moved in slow motion as the bullet rocketed out of the barrel and raced towards Bryce. The man never saw his death coming as his head snapped to the side, and his skull seemed to concave under the force of the bullet. The body of Bryce Lawrence hit the stained carpet a moment later.
The door behind Thalia was thrown up, and she saw two more of Bryce's men rush in. They aimed at her in half of a second, and Thalia watched their fingers pull in on their triggers. Someone slammed into Thalia, forcing them both to the wall. The lights shut off, and fear shot through her core.
Thalia felt like she was spinning, like she had been placed on a demonic carousel that was set to fifty miles per hour. Ice ran through her veins and spread throughout her chest. Her hair stood on end. Thalia closed her eyes tightly as her stomach repeatedly flipped. Whispers trapped her in a sea of noise, and after the longest moment of her life, they stopped.
It took a moment for Thalia to pry her eyes open. She was no longer in the office, and if it wasn't for the smoking gun in her hands, she would have thought she imagined the entire thing. Thalia slowly looked around the apartment they were in.
"Fuck," Reyna gasped as she reached for her bloody leg. She wrenched herself into a sitting position and scooted towards the table. Thalia stared slack jawed at Reyna, trying to reign in her shock. They had just teleported. They fucking teleported!
Reyna pulled herself up enough to grab a first aid kit. She collapsed back down and grabbed tweezers. Reyna cursed and began digging into her leg for the bullet. Thalia watched the woman for a few seconds before finally looking down at the floor. What the fuck had that been?
It took a few minutes for Thalia to stop shaking. Then, she checked herself for injuries. There was no pain or bullet holes, other than one of her ears hurting. Everything was sounded muffled as well, like when she would go underwater at the pool when she was younger. Thalia took a shaky breath and looked back at Reyna. The woman had nearly finished bandaging her leg.
"Can all demigods do that?" Thalia slowly asked. She stood and felt herself shaking again. It wasn't from fear and terror this time.
"Told you before, my boss gave me perks," Reyna muttered. She finished bandaging her leg and hung her head.
"Did you take care of your leg?" Thalia asked as she moved towards the woman. Reyna nodded. "Not going to bleed out?"
"I'm fine," Reyna answered quietly.
"Oh. That's good," Thalia breathed out, and she punted Reyna in the face. Reyna's head whipped back against the wall, and she cried out. She shot both hands to her bloody mouth. "What the fuck were you thinking?! What kind of plan was that?!"
"You keep saying I'm going to fuck this up, but when we went with your plan, we both almost died! Maybe clue me the fuck in next time, you fucking ass!" Thalia yelled. She felt all of the pent up rage from the last few weeks boiling over. Reyna slowly rolled onto her side and tried to stand.
Thalia tried to calm herself down, but she couldn't. She remembered Reyna dragging Jason's name through the mud. She insulted the best person that Thalia ever knew, and the things she said. Thalia was done allowing herself to be treated like this. Reyna would not insult Jason's honor anymore.
Thalia felt her temper explode, and she turned back around, propelling her foot into Reyna's ribs. There was a sickening crack as steel toe met bone. Reyna screamed and collapsed back to her side. Thalia dropped down onto the woman, digging a knee into her ribs. Reyna cried out again and tried to shove Thalia off of her.
"You think I am nothing more than a fuckup, but how am I supposed to succeed when you insult and prod me at every point?" Thalia demanded. "You dragged me along for your plan without telling me. If you warned me, we could have worked together. Things aren't always going to go your way."
Reyna's wheezy gasps made it clear that she wasn't even hearing Thalia's words. Thalia stood and spoke, "I'm getting a hotel. Just... just leave me alone. I don't care if I need your help anymore. I don't want it."
"Thalia," Reyna wheezed.
"What do you want from me?" Thalia demanded. "You insult me at every chance. You insult my dead brother because you think it's fun! You act like you're better than me, but your plans are just as shit as mine! You are nothing more than a bitter, angry asshole!"
Thalia huffed an angry breath and walked towards the door. She looked back at Reyna, "You're a fucking hypocrite."
"Thalia," Reyna hissed. She tried to sit up, but both hands shot back to her ribs. Reyna whimpered and collapsed back to the ground.
"It's as simple as this," Thalia snapped. "You respect my brother. You stop insulting his memory. You stop treating me like shit and work with me! Otherwise, this is done. None of us are going to get revenge. Your sister won't be avenged, and I know that kills you inside."
Thalia turned and stormed out of the room. She slammed the door shut and hurried down the hall. Thalia knew she had just blown her best change for revenge. Reyna wouldn't work with her now. Thalia could take the insults to herself, but for Jason to be disrespected like that was too much.
Then, there was endangering Thalia's life. She sighed bitterly as she walked. She would find a hotel to stay in tonight. Then, Thalia would do what she should have done in the first place: get the hell out of this city.