"How is your first day back?" Clarisse asked. Reyna slowly opened her eyes and looked at her trainer. Clarisse looked like she was in the middle of packing up. Reyna was sitting back in her chair with her legs propped up. It felt like she had fallen asleep for a few minutes, and all she really wanted to do was fall into bed.
The day had not been good. For one, her body still ached. Two, she just was not in the mood to really deal with any customers. On top of that, it felt like Clarisse would not take her eyes off of her. Reyna could feel the gaze burning into her back. The worst part was that a full moon was only days away.
With how much Reyna had been resting, she was gaining a reserve of pent up energy that she just couldn't let out. Her injuries meant that her normal outlets were off limits, and she wasn't quite sure what to do. She could suffer through the full moon, but it would keep her in a bad mood, ready to snap on the first person who made her mad.
"Tiring," Reyna admitted. She still had the rest of the week to go, so she was going to go home and fall into bed. Well, she would eat food first. Food sounded really nice. Then, she could sleep for twelve hours. Clarisse nodded like she expected it. There was a look in her eyes, and it felt like she was still studying Reyna.
"You've been pretty tense today," Clarisse commented as she placed her bag on the ground. She sat in her chair and studied Reyna. "Is it from pain?"
"Yeah," Reyna lied. Clarisse raised an eyebrow like she didn't believe it. "I took some medicine, but it hasn't kicked in yet."
"It's not because of the full moon?" Clarisse pressed. Reyna froze and stared at Clarisse. How did she know? Did Chiron tell her? Reyna felt her limbs tense, and she forced her face to stay neutral instead of falling into a sneer.
"Did Chiron tell you?" Reyna muttered after a moment. Clarisse shook her head.
"No. I figured it out myself," Clarisse explained. Reyna looked down.
"Chiron promised not to tell anyone," Reyna grumbled.
"And he didn't," Clarisse swore. "I served in the army with a few werewolves. I know how they act, and Jason has been around this bar forever. I also saw how much you eat, especially with how scrawny you are. Only a few creatures can have appetites like that and not have the height or weight to back it up."
"Most importantly, none of them could take Lycaon on like that," Clarisse continued. "Lycaon got some hits in, but you avoided worse damage or even death. You knew how a werewolf would fight, and that's how you were able to survive."
"Please don't tell anyone," Reyna mumbled. She averted her gaze and crossed her arms, curling in on herself as she retracted her legs from the desk.
"I won't," Clarisse promised. "I do have to ask: how are you handling the full moon?"
Reyna hesitated and didn't answer. She knew that Clarisse was asking her this because she was afraid that Reyna would lose control and attack someone at the bar. That wasn't something she would ever do. While she may verbally snap on them or be mad, she wouldn't just attack anyone. Werewolves who did that were just looking for an excuse for violence.
"Hey, I don't mean it like that," Clarisse reassured as if she was reading Reyna's mind. She stood. "I've seen how Jason handles it, and he's dumb about it. He also won't take up my offers to help him with the full moon."
"How would you help him?" Reyna slowly asked.
"I've been trying to get that lazy fucker in the gym for the last few years," Clarisse remarked with a hint of spite. She shook her head. "He might be strong transformed, but if he actually worked out, his strength would be doubled. At least, that's what I'm told."
"Not doubled. But, it helps," Reyna confirmed. She slowly stood. "Constant exercise everyday makes it easier to control yourself when a full moon gets closer, but it really just translates to there being less pent up energy to let out."
"That's part of Jason's problem. The only full blooded werewolf that he knows gets her energy out through sex, and that's what Jason does. He never tries anything else," Clarisse ranted. "What about you? How do you get it out?"
Reyna remained silent. Clarisse looked at her and frowned, "Am I prying too much?"
"A little," Reyna admitted. She quickly looked away. "I...I'm just not used to really talking to anyone about this."
"That's okay," Clarisse said with a shrug. "You don't have to answer. I am going to give you a ride home, though. You are not walking too far with those injuries."
"Thanks," Reyna said softly. She slowly made it to her feet and walked out of the office with Clarisse. The two walked towards the bar counter. Nico was standing there next to Frank, and he looked away as soon as he saw Reyna.
Frank turned towards them and smiled, "We're all done cleaning. Jason and Piper are putting the stuff up, and we were getting ready to leave."
"You two can go ahead. We'll lock up for tonight," Clarisse said.
"Alright. You two have a good night," Frank waved with that smile still on his face. He walked towards the front door. Reyna looked away from him and realized that Nico was looking right at her. She studied him quietly.
"I am sorry," Nico said so softly that Reyna struggled to hear even with her enhanced hearing. Nico cleared his throat. He spoke louder this time. "I didn't want to help him hurt you, and I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Reyna dismissed with a shrug. "I forgive you."
Whether Reyna actually forgave him or not, she wasn't sure, but she understood it. Nico did what he had to do to survive. That wasn't something she liked, but she did respect it. Nico nodded gratefully and hurried after Frank.
Reyna turned her attention to Clarisse, who was looking down at her phone. There was a scowl on her face. Reyna spoke, "What's wrong?"
"Just trying to deal with Ma Gasket. She threatened Percy's family yesterday," Clarisse replied as she looked at Reyna. "Told Percy that she would eat Estelle."
Reyna's eyes narrowed as she heard those words. Clarisse continued, "If you see Ma Gasket around here again let me know. Lycaon too. Don't try to play the hero."
"I'll let you know," Reyna promised. She leaned against the bar counter. While the bar seemed to have problems with Ma Gasket and Lycaon, it was personal between Reyna and the two of them. They attacked her. That wasn't something she was just going to let stand.
Her mind thought back to the nail that Lycaon had torn into her face. She kept it on her bedside table as a reminder. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with the nail, but there had to be something. Reyna wished that the two problems would go away. Or take care of each other.
"Can you tell Jason and Piper to hurry up?" Clarisse asked as she looked back at her phone. "I need to call someone."
"I can," Reyna answered. She turned and walked towards the back of the bar. She stepped into the hallway, making her way towards the closet they stored cleaning supplies in. Reyna opened the door, and she froze as she saw the scene in front of her.
Piper was bent back against a drawer, and Jason was too busy fucking her to pay any attention to the new light in the room. Reyna quickly grabbed the door and went to close it. Before it could fully close, she made eye contact with Piper.
Reyna shut the door and took a step back. That was going to make things incredibly awkward. Reyna turned and walked out of the hallway. She could feel her face heating up. The last thing she wanted to walk in on was Piper and Jason having sex.
"What happened?" Clarisse questioned. Reyna nearly jumped out of her skin and turned to look at Clarisse, who was lowering her phone. "Were those two fucking again?"
Reyna managed a nod and stared back at the counter. Clarisse sighed, "You can take my keys to the car. I'll lock up."
"It's fine," Reyna dismissed. She heard the sounds of footsteps not a minute later. Reyna glanced to the side. Jason was standing there looking flushed. His pants weren't zipped up, and his shirt was backward. Piper stood behind him looking out of breath.
"You two done?" Clarisse questioned as she put her hands on her hips like a disappointed mother. "You two will be home in an hour. You couldn't hold it in?"
"Sorry," Jason began.
"And you should be resting," Clarisse continued.
"The doctor cleared him," Piper excused with a wave of her hand. "And we were gentle. Now can we stop talking about our sex life?"
"Can you stop having sex in the bar?" Clarisse countered in a high-pitched tone that sounded like it was trying to mock Piper. "Come on. I have to lock up."
Reyna pushed herself off of the counter and walked towards the front door. She waited as Clarisse turned off all of the lights and set the alarm. Reyna stepped outside, followed by Piper and Jason. While Piper immediately walked towards her car, she did take a moment to make eye contact with Reyna.
Reyna maintained eye contact, but she wasn't sure what Piper wanted. Piper still blamed her for what happened to Jason, and Reyna didn't understand why. Jason made her promise to not tell anyone, and it was his problem to deal with. If Reyna knew that Lycaon would have attacked Piper as well, she would have at least warned her.
"Jason, you know better," Clarisse reprimanded. Reyna broke eye contact with Piper to glance to the side, and her ears twitched as she picked up the quiet words. Reyna kept her gaze on the ground. She could hear Piper unlocking her car, and Jason sounded like he was trying to stutter out an excuse.
"You can seriously hurt, Piper," Clarisse continued.
"I know. I'm being careful," Jason promised. Reyna stopped by Clarisse's car and glanced back at the two. Clarisse didn't look convinced, and Jason had a frown.
"I don't think you are," Clarisse stated. She turned and walked towards her car. Jason turned his head away from her. Reyna took her eyes off of the two and slowly sat in Clarisse's car. She rested her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes.
This would probably only make things worse between her and Piper, as she had no doubt Piper would be embarrassed. Not to mention how Jason would react. But, that wouldn't be a terrible thing. Compared to fighting a bloodthirsty werewolf or an asshole Cyclops, Reyna would take this drama any day.