Thalia groaned softly as she opened her eyes. She blinked and rubbed the sleepiness from them, slowly taking in the harsh light of the room. It took her a moment to sit up and look around. The last thing she remembered was meeting a woman named Bianca. Then, her legs went weak, and she passed out from exhaustion. Where the fuck was she now?
Thalia felt the bed she was laying on. A thin blanket had been thrown over her. She sat up and looked around. Thalia realized two things. One, Piper was sitting next to her and was asleep as well. Two, Reyna was laying in the bed next to Thalia.
"Reyna," Thalia whispered. She quickly swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. Her knees went weak instantly, and she collapsed back on the bed. Thalia groaned and examined Reyna. No one had bothered to clean the dried blood or vomit from the woman's face. Her clothes were the same she wore when she was attacked. Worst of all, the arrow was still in Reyna's shoulder.
"What the fuck?" Thalia asked herself. She slowly staggered to her feet and stumbled to Reyna's side. Thalia noticed that Reyna's broken arm looked like it had been straightened out, which wasn't good enough. The bare minimum should have been to take care of Reyna's arm and shoulder and then clean her face off.
"Thalia?" Piper asked. Thalia turned to look at her. "You should be resting."
"You should take care of Reyna," Thalia snapped. A pained look came to Piper's face. "I don't care if she kicked you out or if you two hate each other. She would have taken care of you."
"I was told not to," Piper began.
"And?!" Thalia almost yelled. She shook her head and turned towards Reyna again. More rage shot through her as she saw that there was a handcuff on Reyna's uninjured wrist. The handcuff was golden and seemed to glint in the light. Thalia turned on Piper. "She's not your fucking prisoner!"
"Close to it," a voice said. Thalia jumped and looked at the doorway. That woman, Bianca, was standing there, studying Thalia quietly. "Why don't you take a seat?"
"What the fuck is the game here?" Thalia questioned. She moved her hand towards her belt but didn't feel the gun. Bianca held up the missing firearm a moment later. "What do you want from me?"
"I need you to simmer down," Bianca answered. She flipped the gun in her hand and walked towards Thalia. Bianca held the gun out to Thalia, offering it back. After a moment, Thalia took the weapon and slipped it into her waistband. "We brought you here to keep you safe."
"Why haven't you helped Reyna?" Thalia hissed.
"Because I need her boss, my brother, to come here," Bianca answered. Thalia looked at her in shock and surprise. "My brother will not admit it, but he does care for Reyna. Whether she has disobeyed him or not, I know he will come if we use her as a bargaining chip."
"Reyna is not a bargaining chip. She's a person," Thalia said angrily.
"Reyna is not a person. She is not a mortal. Not a demigod," Bianca listed off heatedly. "How much did she tell you?"
"I don't give a shit," Thalia snapped. She stormed towards the opposite end of the room to a sink and started to throw open drawers. Thalia grabbed a rag and ran it under water.
"She's a monster," Bianca revealed. Thalia promptly ignored her and walked towards Reyna. "And, I don't mean morally. She is a literal monster, one from Greek mythology. Have you ever heard of the three Furies?"
"I don't give a fuck if she is a monster or a saint," Thalia hissed as she looked back at Bianca. "What does fucking matter is that she is a person. She should not have been left to suffer just because you can't pick up a fucking phone and call your brother!"
Thalia let out an angry breath and turned back towards Reyna. She carefully wiped away the blood and vomit from Reyna's face and mouth. A soft groan escaped the woman, and she moved her head. Thalia gently shushed her.
"When monsters are destroyed by demigod weapons, they reform in Tartarus. The three Furies were destroyed by Orion, for the last time. They did not reform, and Nico lost three of his greatest assets. Reyna has filled the role of those monsters," Bianca explained.
"I'm still missing the point where you didn't help her," Thalia shot back. She studied the arrow and slowly grabbed it.
"Wait," Piper said softly. She moved to Thalia's side and gently snapped the arrow. Then, Piper carefully pulled the arrow out of Reyna's shoulder. Another groan escaped Reyna, and she shifted again. One of her hands shot to her side.
"Reyna, you're safe. I'm right here," Thalia promised. She leaned in close and wiped more blood from Reyna's lips. "Orion is dead. You just need to rest."
"Thalia," Bianca said.
"I don't care!" Thalia yelled. She turned towards Bianca. "I. Do. Not. Give. A. Fuck!"
"You should. Reyna is going to get you killed," Bianca warned. "How much did they tell you about the gun?"
"Bianca, we should give her some time alone," Piper began. "Thalia has to be exhausted from what happened. Let's just get her food and time to decompress."
Bianca nodded after a moment. She turned towards the door and froze. Then, Bianca spoke, "Orion is, was, a giant. He could only have been killed by an immortal working in tandem with a demigod. I know Reyna wasn't able to control the bullet in the gun. I'm sure that my brother was the one who helped you, and I saw the lightning show."
"What I am getting at is that you are a demigod," Bianca began. Thalia stiffened and slowly looked at her. "A daughter of Zeus. Your brother was most likely a demigod as well. If we had known you were a demigod, we would have interfered sooner."
Thalia stared at Bianca. Was the lieutenant telling the truth? Could Thalia actually be a demigod? That explained the fucking lightning. It might also explain all the other weird shit that happened in her life. Thalia looked down, not sure how to react.
"It is a lot to take in," Bianca said in a gentle tone. "We can help you, but you are right. We should have helped Reyna. I'm sorry. Piper, please get nectar for Reyna and help Thalia tend to her wounds. I will try to contact my brother."
Bianca left the room without another word. Thalia focused back on Reyna and studied her face. There was pain in Reyna's features, and there were a few large bruises. Thalia moved her attention to the woman's shoulder. Piper had put a rag over the wound to stop the blood that trickled out.
"Can you hold this in place?" Piper asked. Thalia nodded and did as she was told. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave Reyna like this."
Thalia remained silent as Piper walked away. Piper came back a few moments later with bandages and a canteen. She walked towards Reyna and gently poured the liquid from the canteen into Reyna's mouth.
"Lift the towel," Piper ordered. Thalia complied, and Piper poured the liquid from the canteen onto Reyna's shoulder. A small groan escaped Reyna as the wound started to close.
"We need to take her jacket off," Thalia muttered. "Or, does she have to keep the handcuff on?"
Piper silently unlocked the handcuff. Thalia grabbed Reyna's uninjured arm and slipped it through her jacket. Then, she carefully took the jacket off of Reyna's mangled arm, wincing the entire time. Thalia sat by Reyna and gently lifted her head, cradling it.
Thalia could hear the soft wheezes that left Reyna every few moments. It seemed like she was struggling to breathe, and Thalia remembered each and every blow that Orion landed. Thalia watched Piper gently bandaged Reyna's shoulder. Her hand lifted Reyna's shirt.
"Shit," Piper whispered. She placed a hand on Reyna's chest, and Reyna shifted in pain. "She's in bad shape. Worse than I thought."
"Orion had a field day, and all I could do was fucking watch," Thalia said.
"You tried your best," Piper began. Thalia shook her head. She didn't try. She just sat there and fucking watched. Thalia hated herself for not helping earlier. It was just like that with the Bear Twins and Bryce. All Thalia did was watch.
"No. I didn't," Thalia rejected. Reyna suddenly gasped, and her eyes snapped open. The red in her eyes still burned like magma. "Hey, it's okay. Reyna, look at me. You're safe."
Reyna's eyes slowly moved to Thalia. Her eyes then darted around the room. Thalia gently wiped loose hair from Reyna's face and spoke, "I killed Orion. You are safe. I promise. I know you're in pain, but I am here for you."
The fire faded from Reyna's eyes, turning her orbs back to black. Almost like coal. Reyna's gaze focused on her for a few moments. Then, her head turned to the side as she slipped back into unconsciousness.
"You just rest," Thalia whispered softly. She gently brushed more hair out of Reyna's face. "Please. For my sake."
"You might want to hold her," Piper said gently. Thalia nodded and adjusted her grip on Reyna. She held the woman in place. Piper grabbed Reyna's arm and carefully felt along it, like she was searching for any more breaks. "Sorry."
Thalia heard a crack that caused her to wince, and Reyna tensed. A whimper escaped the unconscious woman as she shifted. Thalia shushed her and gently kissed Reyna's forehead. She spoke, "You're fine, Reyna. You're in a safe place. Fuck, we've almost done it. We're almost done. Luke is the last one left, and I have a bullet with his fucking name on it."
Thalia didn't miss the sad look on Piper's face, but she just ignored it, "How bad is her arm?"
"It's broken in multiple places," Piper said softly. She handed Thalia a canteen. "Give her a few more sips of the nectar. I'm going to try and set her shoulder. Orion did a lot of damage."
"Fucking tell me about it," Thalia muttered under her breath. She opened Reyna's mouth slightly and poured the liquid into her throat. Reyna swallowed it and shifted again. Her eyelids seemed to move, but she didn't open her eyes. Thalia gave her more nectar.
"Help me get her shirt off," Piper said. Thalia gently sat Reyna up and started to pull her shirt off. Then, she held Reyna close. The woman's head felt as hot as the fire that had been burning in her eyes.
"It's okay," Thalia whispered. Reyna's head rested against her chest, and Thalia wondered if Reyna could hear how fast her heart was beating. Piper grabbed bandages and tape.
"We don't have a sling, but I can try to make one from bandages and tape," Piper said softly. Thalia didn't say anything as Piper gently wrapped the bandage around Reyna's chest and arm to keep her shoulder in place. Pain fluttered on Reyna's face.
Thalia gently ran her thumb across Reyna's cheek. Her mind felt exhausted from everything that had happened and what she had been told. Was Thalia a demigod? Was Reyna a Fury or what the fuck ever that Bianca had called her? Did that have anything to do with Orion talking about Reyna not using her true power?
Was Thalia truly a child of Zeus? If so, why couldn't that asshole do anything to save Jason? He was supposed to be a god, right? Couldn't he just snap his fingers and save his kid? Thalia shook her head and watched Piper work on taking care of Reyna.
Thalia felt Reyna shift again. She looked down, and Reyna's eyes flickered open. Her eyes slowly took in Thalia. The two stared at each other, and Piper finished with the bandages. She stood and spoke, "I'll leave you alone, Thalia. Try to get some rest."
"I will," Thalia said, not even paying attention. Piper left the room. Thalia studied Reyna and gently laid her head back on the bed. She laid next to Reyna and studied her. "Can you talk?"
"Fuck," Reyna groaned after a few moments. She laid her head back, and pain flushed her face. "Fuck."
"I know it hurts," Thalia whispered. "I know. Please just hold it together for me. Please."
"Fuck," Reyna wheezed. She coughed out blood, and her hand shot to her chest. Reyna's next words were in another language, but the pain was clear on her face. Thalia gently wiped the blood from her mouth. She poured more liquid into Reyna's mouth.
"You need to relax," Thalia whispered. She studied Reyna's face and smiled slightly. Then, Thalia leaned in close and kissed Reyna. Her companion's eyes widened in surprise. Thalia pulled away. "You taste like shit."
"Fucking disgusting," Thalia whispered, and she kissed Reyna again. Reyna didn't kiss her back, but Thalia didn't care. She just pulled away and laid by Reyna. "You need to rest."
"Where?" Reyna slowly asked. It seemed like speaking was nearly impossible for her. Thalia shushed her. "Tha-"
"Be quiet before I kiss you again," Thalia whispered. She gently pulled a blanket up to cover Reyna. "You need to rest. I'll be right by your side. Okay?"
"Okay," Reyna whispered back. She slowly rested her head against the pillow and closed her eyes. It didn't take long for the woman to fall back asleep. Thalia moved closer to Reyna and snuggled against her. Then, she fell asleep just as quickly.