"How are you feeling?" Thalia asked quietly as she sat by Reyna. It took a moment for Reyna to look at her. The wound on Reyna's leg was visibly healed, but she was still limping on it. Thalia guessed it made sense considering that same leg had been twisted like a pretzel.
"Fine," Reyna muttered. She laid her head back and sighed. Her eyes were red, but Thalia knew it was from a lack of sleep. Reyna had spent two days straight sleeping. Three days after that, Thalia didn't think Reyna had slept a wink.
"You don't seem fine," Thalia commented. She looked away. Things were less tense between the two of them. Reyna had been mostly quiet, but anytime she talked, she didn't try to insult Thalia. She didn't try to get a rise out of her.
Was Reyna being quiet so she wouldn't say anything like that? Or, was Reyna depressed? Thalia noticed that her companion hadn't been eating much food, maybe a bite here or there. She barely drank anything. And when Thalia tried to plan, Reyna just shrugged.
There were also the nightmares Reyna had. The first time Reyna had woken Thalia with a loud gasp followed by nearly jumping out of the bed. The second time, Thalia felt Reyna snap awake, and the woman had cried miserably for minutes. Thalia also heard Reyna muttering to herself, tossing and turning for hours straight.
"I am," Reyna grumbled. She slowly stood and immediately stumbled. Thalia steadied her.
"You need some sleep," Thalia said softly. Now that Reyna wasn't being a total asshole, Thalia almost felt bad for her. She knew how hard it was to lose a sibling, and Reyna didn't seem to be over it. Was that how Thalia would be years from now?
"I just need fresh air," Reyna muttered. She slowly grabbed her leather jacket and put it on. Reyna turned towards Thalia and offered a hand.
"You want me to come with?" Thalia asked in shock.
"If you want," Reyna muttered with a small shrug. Thalia slowly took her hand and watched Reyna step into the shadows. The world spun, and she heard whispers all around her. Thalia closed her eyes tightly.
When the spinning stopped, Thalia kept her eyes closed. It wasn't until her stomach stopped tossing and turning that she pried her eyes open. Her gaze focused on Reyna.
Reyna had let go of her hand and walked forward slightly. Her hands were stuffed in the pockets of her leather jacket, and her shoulders were dropped. Thalia slowly came to the realization that Reyna was depressed. Another realization hit Thalia like a brick. Reyna wasn't just depressed; she was still grieving the loss of her sister. Years later, and Reyna hadn't gotten over it.
Thalia knew that everyone said there were stages to grief. Once you made it through all of the stages, you were done. But, Thalia knew that was bullshit. She could go through all of the stages and accept Jason's death. It didn't mean she would get over what had happened. It didn't mean she wouldn't spend most nights crying herself to sleep or having nightmares about him dying.
Thalia knew she would become like Reyna. Either unable to complete the cycle of grief or completing it only to loop back to the beginning. Getting stuck in the same few stages over and over again on a loop.
Reyna said she used anger to fuel her. Now, she was depressed and moping around. She wasn't eating or sleeping much. Reyna was just existing, barely.
Shock and denial.
Both Reyna and Thalia were past that stage. Thalia had been in shock more than denial. Shock that Luke would pretend to love her only to shove a figurative knife through her back and into her heart. Shock at watching Jason's death.
Guilt.
Thalia wore her guilt on her sleeve. She tried to blame others like Piper and shove her guilt onto them, but at the end of the day, it was her fault. It was her fault for not protecting her baby brother, for getting close to Luke.
Bargaining.
Was Thalia bargaining? It wasn't like she was shouting to the heavens for a way to bring Jason back. But, she did ask for vengeance. She did go to a crossroads and bargained for a way to avenge her brother. That was how Reyna made it into her life.
Depression.
Thalia didn't think she had been hit with depression. Not yet. Not like her companion at least. It was coming, though. After Thalia dealt with Luke, she wouldn't have anything to live for. No family. No friends. Nothing.
The stages of grief were bullshit. Thalia didn't feel denial one day and then anger the next. No, she felt mad. She felt shock every day when she woke up and for a split second thought the world wasn't fucking bleak. And she was bargaining everyday for a way to avenge Jason. Giving away a piece of her soul every time she pulled the trigger because every time she watched one of those magic bullets tear through the head of her enemies, she felt less and less.
Thalia felt all of these emotions at the same time, and there was no doubt Reyna did as well. Thalia looked at Reyna and spoke, "I have an idea."
"For how to kill Octavian?" Reyna muttered.
"No," Thalia answered. "We're going to get fucked up on alcohol and eat our weight in shitty bar food. It's the best cure for depression."
"I thought that was hookers and cocaine," Reyna muttered, but there was the hint of a smile on her face.
"I'm all out of cocaine," Thalia said with a dramatic sigh. She wrapped an arm around Reyna, and the woman tensed slightly. Thalia wasn't deterred as she led Reyna down the sidewalk. "But, I know a place where we can buy some."
"Fuck," Thalia groaned as she knocked back her seventh, maybe eighth, beer. Reyna was already ten beers and a lot of food deep. She was leaning on the table and had a little smirk on her face. "I keep meaning to ask you something."
"Yeah. I am amazing," Reyna said with a small slur. How the fuck she was conscious Thalia didn't know. Thalia was seeing double of a lot of things, and while her words sounded normal to herself, she was sure she was a slurring mess.
"Nah. You're an asshole," Thalia corrected. Reyna laughed. "For real. Do you own a fucking key?"
"Somewhere," Reyna said with a shrug. "Probably lost it already."
"Right. Who needs a key when you can just fucking teleport," Thalia drawled as she rubbed her nose. As much as she wanted cocaine, she told herself that she would stay away from drugs. For her brother. And she wasn't about to break that damn promise.
"Exactly," Reyna replied. She took another sip of beer and seemed to be lost in thought. Thalia looked around and noticed that most of the patrons of the bar were gone. A bartender watched them and seemed to be talking on the phone, but Thalia didn't give a shit.
"How do you know Octavian anyway?" Thalia asked. Reyna's expression immediately soured, and she downed the rest of her beer. "If you don't want to talk ab-"
"Bastard and I went to high school together," Reyna interrupted. She focused her gaze on Thalia. "Hylla kept me locked away at home. I hated it. She became just like our father, locking me away from a threat that she couldn't see."
"Guess her fears were more real," Reyna muttered. She shook her head. "I begged her to let me go to school. After all, who didn't fucking go to school? It took months, but she relented. Finally, she let me go to high school. It was fucking great."
"Then, I met a senior named Octavian. He gave me lots of attention, showered me with compliments and gifts. I never told Hylla about him," Reyna explained. A bitter smile came to her lips. "I lost my virginity to him in a janitor's closet. How a bastard that small could hurt so bad I'll never know."
"I lost my virginity in a bathroom," Thalia commented. "I was too fucked up on drugs to remember it. Was probably a threesome."
"Showoff," Reyna retorted. She lost her bitter smile. "Then, he invited me to prom. I was excited, but I couldn't just tell Hylla. I snuck out the night of prom and met up with Octavian. The butt of a gun slammed into my skull, and I woke up tied to a chair. Octavian told me I was just his initiation into Luke's gang."
"Then, they messaged my sister. Told her to come alone. Or, they would kill me. No surprise what she ended up doing," Reyna said as her eyes drifted away, and a tear slid down her cheek. Thalia gently wiped the tear away. "The bastard tricked me, and if I could, I would cut the bastard's dick off and shove it down his throat."
"I'm sure we can arrange that," Thalia chimed in. Reyna fell silent as she downed two more beers. Thalia downed another but knew she was well beyond her limits. It didn't matter, though. The pain of losing Jason was still there. She had to get rid of it.
Reyna reached over the table to steal some of Thalia's fries. Thalia tried to swat her hand away but missed so bad she hit her burger. Reyna chuckled. Her eyes looked Thalia up and down hungrily.
"Trying to undress me?" Thalia asked, feeling emboldened by the alcohol. Reyna's face turned red. "Cause I've already seen you undressed."
"And?" Reyna questioned. That smirk came back to her face despite her blush.
"Fucking amazing," Thalia answered. Reyna laughed again. "If you weren't such an asshole, I would fuck the shit out of you."
"I can be a real pain in the ass for you. In more ways than one," Reyna teased. Thalia smirked and moved closer to the other woman. "Fuck you more properly than Luke ever did."
"The man's a piece of shit, but he knows how to fuck," Thalia remarked in a slur.
"One limp dick is all it takes to satisfy you," Reyna teased as she closed the distance between the two.
"Think you can do better?" Thalia challenged. Reyna smirked and stood. Thalia looked up at her.
"I know I can," Reyna boasted. She grabbed Thalia's arm and pulled her to a standing position.
"Then prove it," Thalia whispered in her ear. Reyna grinned and grabbed Thalia by her collar. She dragged her towards the women's restroom. The door hadn't even been closed behind them when Reyna pulled Thalia into a kiss.
Reyna tasted of alcohol, burgers, and fries. But Thalia didn't care. Thalia just wanted to get laid. Shove the pain away and bury it with sex. Reyna shoved her into the wall and deepened the kiss. Thalia kissed her back and ran both hands through Reyna's hair.
Two hands slipped up Thalia's shirt and grabbed at her bra. Thalia suddenly shoved Reyna away slightly. The woman gave her a confused look. Thalia reached over and locked the door. Then, she grabbed Reyna by her jacket and pulled her into another kiss.
Thalia groaned softly as Reyna's tongue explored her mouth. Reyna's hand moved towards her pants and gently tugged at the zipper, but she hesitated like she was waiting for permission. Thalia slipped her hand into Reyna's pants, and that was the only sign the woman needed.
Thalia's pants were unzipped and halfway down her legs when she heard the bathroom door being unlocked. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she pulled away. Her hands pulled her pants back up, and the door was kicked open. Thalia turned to find five separate guns pointed at them.
"On your knees!" One of the officers yelled. "We have a warrant out for your arrest."
"Don't move," another warned as Reyna inched forward. "Hands above your head and on your knees. Now!."
Thalia exchanged a glance with Reyna but slowly put her hands above her head. She got to her knees. Reyna hesitated but slowly did the same.
Thalia felt her hands roughly being grabbed and cuffed behind her back. Another officer stepped forward and slammed a taser into Thalia's side. Thalia cried out and felt her entire body lock up. She collapsed to the ground.
Reyna jumped to her feet, only to stumble. An officer easily swept by her and jabbed a taser into her neck. Reyna collapsed a moment later and was cuffed. Thalia tried to look up, but a boot slammed into her temple. Everything went dark.