Thalia woke to a knock on the door. Her eyes snapped open, and she quickly looked around the hotel room. It was in the safest part of town, if anyone could even call a place where you could walk probably three hours without being stabbed safe. It was two hours better than the rest of this shithole city.
Thalia turned her head to the side and expected to see Reyna sitting next to her bed. Instead, Thalia was alone. No taunts or insults. No annoyances. Just Thalia and her thoughts. She slowly stood and grabbed her gun from under her pillow. The gun that Reyna gave her was laying on the opposite end of the room, where it had been flung to the night before.
It took a few moments for Thalia to walk towards the door. She peeked through the peephole and saw a familiar face on the other side. Thalia unlocked the three locks on the door and then opened it. Piper McLean looked at her with a concerned look.
"Thalia, are you doing okay?" Piper asked. Dirt smudged Piper's face, and it looked like she was covered in blood and grime. "I thought you were with Reyna."
"Fuck her," Thalia grumbled. She walked back towards the bed and sat on it. "Why are you even here?"
"I didn't see you or Reyna at Bryce's complex. Just his body," Piper explained. Thalia looked up at her in surprise. "I was worried that something happened or the plan went wrong."
"Wait," Thalia interrupted. She held her hands up. "You were at Bryce's complex? Reyna told you the plan?"
"Yeah. Reyna explained it to me when she asked for help," Piper explained. Thalia stared at her. Piper knew the plan, but Thalia didn't?! What the fuck?! Was Reyna just trying to get her killed?
"Reyna didn't tell me shit," Thalia snapped. "She knocked me out and threw me into the back of a car. I woke up tied with rope and blindfolded. Reyna barely explained the plan before she was dragging me to Bryce. Who the fuck does that?"
"Are you hurt?" Piper asked gently. Thalia let out an angry breath and slowly looked at the other woman. "I can take care of your wounds."
"No new injuries. Just still healing," Thalia muttered after a few moments. She looked down. "But, thank you. For checking on me."
"Anytime, Thalia. Is that why you're here?" Piper questioned. Thalia looked away but nodded slightly. "I'm sorry. I know Reyna can be difficult to work with."
"She's a fucking asshole," Thalia interrupted. She shook her head. "Why the fuck do I have to work with her?"
"I know it's hard to believe, but Reyna does care about you. At least keeping you alive. That was why she came to us for help," Piper said.
"Who's us?" Thalia asked. Piper hesitated before sighing. She sat on the bed near Thalia.
"I am a member of the Hunters of Artemis," Piper began. She shifted uncomfortably. "We honor the goddess Artemis and used to hunt with her. Now, she is in Mount Olympus trying to keep things from falling apart. We still hunt monsters in her name."
"Goddess," Thalia repeated. She felt like she was going crazy, and she rubbed her temples. "Reyna was talking about gods and children of them. This is insane."
"It sounds insane," Piper agreed. "I thought the same thing when I first learned about gods and goddesses. It took a few monster attacks for it all to make me realize that the world of mythological monsters is real. Then, I found the Hunters of Artemis."
"As long as we honor the goddess, we are immortal," Piper continued. She sighed. "As long as we don't fall in battle, or in love, we're immortal."
"Wait," Thalia interrupted. "You said that you were dating Jason, but if you can't fall in love?"
"We're not supposed to, but it has happened before. In fact, most Hunters of Artemis have fallen in love more than once ever since Artemis left to go to Olympus. It is a slow decay of our values, but it's the world we live in," Piper muttered. She looked down. "I loved him so much, Thalia."
"You were right. It's my fault that he died. I was so focused on hiding my relationship from my sisters that I neglected Jason more than I should have. If I just stayed with him and watched over him, he would be alive," Piper said as her voice shook. Tears came to her eyes. "I heard what they did, and oh gods, I should have been there for him. I could have saved him."
Piper started crying, and Thalia felt her heart break. At first, she didn't think that Piper and Jason had actually dated, but now that she was watching Piper's grief, she knew it was true. No one grieved like that if they were faking their feelings.
Thalia slowly grabbed Piper's shoulder and rubbed it. She spoke, "It wasn't right of me to blame you, Piper. I was just mad. I took my anger out on someone who didn't deserve it because I can't take it out on the people who do."
Just like Reyna did.
Understanding came to Thalia's face. She frowned and continued to rub Piper's shoulder. Then, she pulled the other girl into a hug as tears came to her eyes. Thalia was going to avenge Jason, and Reyna was going to help her. That meant that Thalia was going to have a long talk with Reyna, but first, she would comfort Piper.
"Do you think she even uses the front door?" Thalia asked as they stepped into the apartment building. Piper had escorted her from the hotel room back to Reyna's apartment. Along the way, they shared stories of Jason. Thalia told Piper how Jason had gotten the scar on his lip by trying to eat a stapler. Piper told her of how Jason wanted to impress her so much on the first date that he took her to a steakhouse, only to learn she was a vegetarian. He spent the next month apologizing every day.
"I doubt it," Piper said with a small smile. Thalia nodded and couldn't stop her smirk.
"So, you said that Reyna contacted your group, the Hunters of Artemis, for help? Did she go to you then?" Thalia asked.
"No. She went to my lieutenant," Piper explained. "I'm not sure how Reyna convinced her, but I think my lieutenant was just waiting for an excuse to help out with this. Normally, Reyna's boss is the one who goes after Luke and his friends."
"Why doesn't your lieutenant just work with Reyna's boss? Wouldn't that make everything easier?" Thalia asked.
"It would," Piper said sadly. She sighed as they stopped outside Reyna's door. "They just can't work together. Something happened between the two of them years ago, and there's been a divide between them ever since. I know Luke and his buddies killed someone very close to Reyna's boss."
"Why can't we all just work together?" Thalia questioned as she felt anger boiling in her chest. "Luke has fucked all of our lives up. Let's work together and take him out."
"I agree," Piper said as she tried to open Reyna's door. When that didn't work, she picked the lock. "I should get going. I'll try to keep an eye out for you. I promise."
"Thank you, Piper. And, I am sorry for what I said," Thalia began.
"It's okay," Piper promised. "We all say things that we regret when we're mad. Be safe."
"You too," Thalia said. Piper nodded and walked away. Thalia walked into Reyna's apartment. She closed and locked the door behind her. Upon turning back around, she looked around the apartment. Her gaze moved to the unconscious figure on the ground.
Reyna was laying on her side. Strangled rasps escaped her every few seconds. Blood stained the carpet where her head rested. It didn't look like she had moved since Thalia stormed out. Thalia felt a mixture of anger at Reyna and regret for leaving someone in a state like that.
Thalia tried to quell her anger as she walked towards Reyna. The two needed to work together. Thalia just wanted to avenge her brother, and Reyna wanted to avenge her sister. Reyna's boss and the lieutenant for the Hunters of Artemis had issues for Luke. So, why the fuck could they not work together?
Thalia studied Reyna and debated how to get her into the bed to rest. Her injuries would make it harder to lift Reyna, and the woman was dead weight. After a few moments, Thalia reached down to grab onto Reyna. The woman groaned softly.
"Wake up," Thalia whispered. Reyna didn't respond. Thalia tried to pull the woman up, and Reyna gasped. Her eyes snapped open, and her eyes shot around. "It's me. I'm trying to get you off the ground."
Reyna's eyes slowly moved around the room. Then, her gaze focused on Thalia. Her eyes narrowed, and she pulled away. Reyna tried to sit up, but she hissed in pain. Thalia spoke, "Just let me help you."
Reyna hesitated but finally nodded. Thalia grabbed Reyna's arm and tried to pull her to a standing position. Halfway to standing, Reyna's legs gave out. Thalia used the other woman's momentum to shove her onto the bed. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.
"Fuck," Reyna groaned. She slowly rolled onto her back and shot a hand to her side. Her other hand moved to her bandaged leg. "Fuck. I thought you said you were done, but you came crawling back."
"Can you not be a fucking asshole for once?" Thalia snapped as she was no longer able to quell her anger. It would be wise to keep her temper, but she turned on Reyna."I don't get you. You act like you hate me, but you keep going out of your way to save me. First, you saved me from Ethan's bodyguards. Then, it was the Bear Twins. You did save me from Bryce's men, after you almost fucking got me killed!"
"Why do you keep saving me if you hate me so much? I don't think the excuse of you having to save me for the gun is the only reason. I think there is more to it. I don't get it. I don't get you. Fuck, I don't get any of this."
"Fuck!" Thalia yelled as loud as she could. She turned and kicked the nearest solid object. Her foot left a dent in the wall. Thalia turned on Reyna, who just stared at her. "One more thing, just go fuck yourself and stop playing games with me! Fucking asshole."
Thalia exhaled as she finished her rant. She placed both hands to her face and ran her hands down them. Maybe, she was a lot angrier than she originally thought. All of the anger that she was keeping pent up inside every since Jason died was leaking out. Thalia was doing the same thing Reyna did: taking her anger out on someone because she couldn't take it out on the person who deserved it. Reyna took a deep breath and spoke, "Thalia."
"No," Thalia interrupted. She turned on Reyna and pointed at her. "You just shut the fuck up. I'm sorry that I know nothing of this world of freaks and monsters! I'm sorry that I have questions because my fucking survival depends on it. And, I'm sorry you're such a fucking asshole!"
"You keep treating me like I'm beneath you. You keep treating me like a child. I'm not!" Thalia screamed. "You treat me like shit, but you need me. You and I both know that you fucking need me. For whatever reason, you haven't taken these men out yourself, and I know that you can. Instead, I'm the one who has to fire a magic fucking gun that you control! So, why can't you kill them?"
"Because I can't," Reyna muttered. She looked away. "I can't. No matter how much I want. I just physically can't, or I would have broken Octavian's skinny little neck."
"Because you're a fucking coward," Thalia accused harshly. "That's exactly why your sister is dead."
"I know!" Reyna snapped. Thalia expected Reyna to start her own rant or even take a swing at Thalia. Instead, Reyna brought both hands to her face. Tears came to her eyes. "It is my fault."
"Octavian tricked me," Reyna whispered. She didn't try to blink her tears away. "If I wasn't such a fool, my sister would be alive. I watched her die in front of me. They-"
Reyna's voice gave out, and she fell silent. Tears welled in her eyes, and she turned away, burying her face into the pillow. Thalia let out an angry sigh and sat next to Reyna. She was just exhausted. Physically and mentally exhausted.
"You're not the only one who watched your sibling die," Thalia growled. "Luke described it in detail to me. He showed me pictures of what they did. Videos too! It might not be the same as watching it happen right in front of me, but fuck me if it doesn't feel just like it. Why can't you just work with me?"
Reyna didn't answer. Thalia shook her head in anger and crossed her arms. She threw herself back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. The last thing she was going to do was provide comfort to someone who treated her like Reyna did.
Thalia didn't know what she was going to do. She just couldn't work with someone who treated her like shit, who didn't tell her what a plan was before throwing her into it. Thalia could have easily died to Bryce. If Reyna just worked with her, they could have made a plan and executed it together.
Instead, Thalia almost died. Reyna was in worse shape than she had been before. Octavian saw both of their faces and had no doubt reported back to Luke. Hell, that probably didn't even matter. It wasn't like Reyna and Thalia would be able to work together long enough to use all the bullets in the gun.
"I'm sorry," Reyna finally whispered. Thalia slowly looked at the woman. Reyna still had her back to Thalia, but her voice was shaking. Reyna slowly rolled onto her back. There were tears trickling from her eyes. "When I died and was brought back, I had to take a vow that I would not kill any of those men myself. It had to be through someone else."
"Which is me," Thalia assumed. Reyna nodded slightly. "If you need me so much, why do you treat me like total shit? Are you that miserable? You said before that you wanted to remind me what I was fighting for. I don't need a reminder. You say those words and it just pisses me off."
"I don't know how to handle people," Reyna admitted. Thalia slowly studied her. Reyna stared at the ceiling and looked like she was lost in thought. She finally rubbed her eyes. Her next words were in a near whisper. "Even as a teenager, I didn't have any friends. My sister kept me isolated from everyone, in a bid to protect me from her world."
"I was anti-social, isolated, and miserable. It only got worse after she died," Reyna mumbled. "I've been using anger to fuel me for so long that I thought it would be the best way to fuel you. I'm sorry."
Reyna looked up at Thalia, and she looked sincere. For the first time since meeting her, Thalia didn't think that Reyna would insult her or try to get a rise out of her. Thalia sighed and looked away.
"I won't pretend like it's okay," Thalia finally said. "I know I crossed a couple of lines with what I said, but that's because you crossed those lines first. Hell, you destroyed those lines."
"I know," Reyna replied weakly. She slowly closed her eyes. "Octavian is a defense lawyer. He's gotten plenty of criminals off the hook, and anyone who goes against his gang will find themselves taking the fall. He has the police in his back pocket, and after our failed plan, it's going to be hard to drag him out of his lair."
"Our failed plan?" Thalia repeated cynically. She crossed her arms and looked at Reyna.
"My failed plan," Reyna corrected herself. It seemed like she wanted to let the topic go, but Thalia wasn't just going to let it drift away.
"Why didn't you tell me the plan? Why didn't you tell me that the Hunters of Artemis were helping?" Thalia questioned. Reyna looked at her in surprise. "Piper saved us from the Bear Twins. She told me that you asked her group for help. She also said she was dating Jason."
Reyna smirked slightly and spoke, "Yeah. I asked them for help. I thought if you just followed my plan, we could easily kill Bryce."
"Yeah. Thanks for not cluing me in," Thalia muttered.
"Asking the Hunters of Artemis for help is going to get me into a lot of trouble with my boss. Can't get into much more trouble I guess," Reyna said. She rubbed her eyes. "My boss had a disagreement with the Hunters of Artemis years ago, and they stayed out of his way. I try to stay out of theirs, but we have been forced to work together out of necessity. To seek them out by choice, that's going to piss off my boss."
"But, you went to them for help," Thalia commented. Reyna nodded. "When you say piss off your boss, what do you mean?"
"Don't worry about it," Reyna muttered. She looked up at Thalia. "We need to make a plan for Octavian."
"No. We need to lay down some ground rules about working together," Thalia said. "You will not insult my brother anymore. Or me. If I have questions, you will answer them without being an asshole, and you will clue me in to your fucking plans. I just need someone that I can work with. All I want to do is avenge my brother."
"Okay," Reyna said. She slowly tried to sit up and wince. Pain came to her face as her hand shot to her side. Thalia sighed and stood. She walked towards the sink.
"Let me take care of your wounds," Thalia said. She looked at Reyna. "You need to rest, and I do as well. When you wake, we'll make a plan. Together."
Reyna studied Thalia for a long moment. Thalia expected the other woman to protest or insult her. Instead, Reyna finally nodded and laid her head back. She spoke, "Together."