Reyna knew something was wrong when she stepped into the bar. That was for a few reasons. The first was because there was a police officer. There was a somber look on his face as he talked with Chiron. The second was that Clarisse looked more agitated than she normally did. The third reason marched over to Reyna and stabbed an accusatory finger into her chest.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Piper snarled. Reyna blinked just once from confusion and studied the woman in front of her. Piper's nose had bruises all around it and looked like it had been broken. There was an angry look in her eyes, as well as something else.
"What?" Reyna asked, utterly confused by everything. Had something happened while she was gone? Was Piper mad that she took the time off? It wasn't like Reyna had a choice. Chiron ordered her to not come back until the end of the week.
"You knew," Piper hissed. Reyna felt even more lost and just blankly stared at Piper. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Annabeth walking towards them. "How could you?!"
"'How could I' what?" Reyna retorted. She saw Piper's hand ball up into a fist, and the girl brought her arm back. Reyna caught her wrist before she could finish the motion of what would have been either a punch or a slap. Her eyes narrowed.
"Let go of me!" Piper snapped. Reyna only tightened her grip and felt anger boiling in her veins.
"You tried to swing at me," Reyna intoned. She shoved Piper away and took a step back, balling her fist. Annabeth stepped in between them, and it also looked like they had drawn the attention of the police officer.
"Because you knew!" Piper hissed again.
"Knew fucking what?" Reyna demanded as she lost her temper. She raised her voice and saw the few patrons there were turn around to look at her.
"About Jason!" Piper finally revealed. Reyna tried to resist the urge to strangle the other girl then and there.
"I don't fucking know what you're talking about," Reyna said as calmly as she could manage. She stuck her hands into her pockets to keep from taking a swing of her own.
"Jason was attacked last night," Annabeth explained. Reyna remained silent. It made sense why Chiron hadn't been there when she woke up but she hadn't thought much of it at the time.
"He was attacked by Lycaon, who has been threatening him. And you knew!" Piper accused again. "You knew that Lycaon was threatening Jason, but you didn't tell anyone."
"I didn't," Reyna admitted after a moment.
"Why the fuck didn't you tell us?" Piper demanded.
"Because he asked me not to," Reyna replied. "It wasn't my fight, and it's not my problem. That's why I didn't tell anyone."
"It is your problem! You're supposed to be our security!" Piper snapped. Reyna glared at her and remained silent. "It's your job to protect the people in this bar, and you failed at it!"
"Piper," Annabeth began.
"No!" Piper snapped. She glared at Reyna. "I can't believe we actually gave you the benefit of the doubt."
"Jason asked me not to tell anyone, and I respected his wishes. How am I the bad guy here?" Reyna snapped back. She heard the door open behind her but didn't care to look back.
"Because Jason was in danger! He could have died!" Piper yelled. "You could have prevented this by telling someone about Lycaon!"
"You knew about Lycaon?'" a new voice asked. Reyna tensed and turned towards the newcomers. One of them was the hunter: Thalia. The other one was someone she didn't recognize. Reyna tried to step back, but she almost bumped into Piper.
"Reyna, why didn't you tell us?" Chiron asked gently. Reyna remained silent and felt her pulse quicken. Her palms started to sweat. She hated how everyone had her boxed in.
"Jason asked me not to. What part of that don't any of you get?" Reyna snapped. She tried to push past Thalia, but the hunter easily blocked her path.
"It doesn't matter what Jason wanted. You should have told someone," Thalia criticized. The woman next to her gently grabbed Thalia's arm and pulled her back. Reyna took the moment to walk towards the door, but she didn't make it out of the bar as a hand grabbed her by her hood.
"We're not done," Clarisse said. Reyna tensed as she was turned around and forced to study her trainer. "But, we're not making any progress by yelling at Reyna. She was only respecting Jason's wishes. When did this happen?"
"Last week," Reyna muttered as she looked down and crossed her arms. Her hand shot to her jaw. Talking still hurt, and in her anger, she had begun to grit her teeth and grind them together.
"What happened?" Thalia asked after a few moments. She didn't look too happy. Reyna didn't answer the hunter's question, and when Thalia stepped forward, Reyna pulled away from the grip on her jacket. Thalia held her hands up. "Just tell me."
"I was heading back from my break when I saw Lycaon confronting Jason. I guess they want him to join their gang," Reyna muttered. "I told him to back off, and when he didn't, I headbutted him."
"I doubt he was happy about that," Clarisse commented. She sighed. "Piper, did Lycaon mention anything about Reyna?"
Piper studied Reyna for a long moment. The anger was still building on her face. "No," she finally said.
Reyna looked down. She didn't know why everyone was getting mad at her when she was just respecting Jason's wishes. He should have handled Lycaon before he was a problem. Reyna did feel bad, though. She sighed and glanced at Thalia, "Is Jason okay?"
"He's awake. Finally," Thalia answered. Piper's head shot up. "I was just stopping by to give you guys an update, and the doctor had to do some tests without anyone in the room. I'm heading back now if you want a ride, Piper."
"I do," Piper said. She walked towards Thalia's side but took the time to glare at Reyna. It wasn't hard for Reyna to look away and cross her arms. She didn't mean for Jason to get hurt. Was it her fault that she assumed Jason could handle it?
"Doctor said that Jason broke a few ribs, a minor concussion, and some bruises," Thalia said as she looked at the rest of the room.
"What about his other head?" Leo called from the corner. Reyna glanced over at the chef and saw he was standing right outside the kitchen. From the dynamic that Reyna had picked up, Leo was really good friends with Jason. "You know what I mean, right?"
"That was the private exam," Thalia answered. She rubbed the back of her neck. "The doctor said that he doesn't think anything is broken. Just bruised. They wanted the swelling to go down and gave him some time to rest."
"Good," Leo said with a relieved sigh. Reyna looked at Thalia and felt the guilt piling up. Just because she had to fend for herself didn't mean that everyone had to. Reyna averted her gaze as Thalia walked towards the door.
"I'll give everyone an update soon," Thalia promised, and she led Piper out of the bar. Leo moved back into the kitchen, and the police officer walked towards Reyna. She tensed slightly as the other woman turned towards her too.
"What did Lycaon say when he was threatening Mr. Grace?" the police officer asked. It took Reyna a moment to recall the conversation, but she was aware of the woman studying her the entire time that she spoke. When Reyna finished telling the officer, he nodded and went back to Chiron.
"Has Lycaon threatened you since?" the woman asked. Reyna looked at the other hunter and remained silent. The hunter studied her and waited for an answer. Reyna finally shrugged. "If he does, we can offer you protection."
"I can protect myself," Reyna said. The woman pulled out a business card and held it out. After a moment, Reyna took it.
"My name is Zoë Nightshade," the woman introduced. She continued studying Reyna. "Whatever creature you are, just remember that you can't take on a pack of werewolves by yourself. Granted, Lycaon does not have a pack, but his gang is full of savages. Make sure to stay safe."
"I will," Reyna said softly. She watched Zoë walk away. Reyna turned her head and looked at Clarisse. "I'll go outside. Check IDs."
"If someone ever threatens anyone in this bar again, you tell me. Got it?" Clarisse demanded. Reyna nodded and looked away. "Good. Now, try to calm down. Lycaon would have come for Jason anyway, even if you did warn us. All we can do now is damage control, and if he comes around again, the damage control will be snapping his neck."
"I'll let you know," Reyna muttered. She turned and walked out of the bar. There wasn't anyone waiting to have their ID checked, but Reyna needed to get some fresh air. She hated having everyone stare at her like that, and it made her stomach twist. A deep sigh left her, and she leaned on the wall.
Reyna crossed her arms and used her foot to play with a piece of paper on the ground. She heard movement and almost jumped as someone appeared next to her. Reyna stared at the man and realized she hadn't even heard him approaching. Just him appearing in front of her.
"Is Jason okay?" the man asked. Reyna took a second to study him. The man looked to be a year younger than her, but when he spoke, Reyna saw the hint of fangs. His skin seemed to be an olive color, if the olive was left in a dark room for a few days. And his eyes had the hint of red in his pupils. This boy was a vampire, and a new one at that.
"I don't know," Reyna admitted after a few moments. Her eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
"The person who called the cops," the boy answered. He shook his head and then glanced to the side. "My name is Nico. Can you help me?"
Nico. That name rang a bell, but Reyna couldn't remember why. Someone told her something about him. That doctor guy. He wanted to know if she saw Nico, but there was something else that he said. Reyna looked down. She already got yelled at for not helping someone, so should she just help Nico?
"Alright," Reyna said after a moment. She turned and glanced into the bar. Then, she looked back at Nico, and he started to walk. Reyna didn't follow. "What do you need help with?"
"Just follow me, please," Nico began as he looked back. Reyna stood there and felt conflicted. Her instincts were screaming at her to just stay right where she was, but she had listened to her instincts and not told anyone about Lycaon. And look where that got her.
Reyna finally nodded and followed after Nico. They left the bar and walked into an alley. It was the same alley that Reyna found Lycaon confronting Jason in, and she wasn't too surprised to find that Lycaon himself was standing at the end of the hallway.
"I should have known," Reyna muttered as she looked at Nico. He quickly stepped back.
"I just want you to deliver a warning," Lycaon began. "And don't blame Nico. He's still trying to get a stomach for all of this."
"You said you called the cops," Reyna began as she glanced back at Nico. Her gaze moved back to Lycaon. He wasn't tensing any of his muscles, so he wasn't going to transform. Did he really just want to talk to her?
"He did. Poor bastard has a heart," Lycaon sneered. "We'll beat it out of him sooner or later. That's okay, though. I want Jason to suffer and remember what I did to him."
"You talk too much," Reyna stated. She turned away and saw two of Lycaon's goons blocking the alley. "You're that cocky that you're going to do this in broad daylight? Cops are still here taking statements."
"No one can touch me," Lycaon proudly claimed. Reyna nodded and looked around the alleyway. She didn't want to transform here, especially since the goons were probably werewolves as well. But, there was a trash bin not far from her. Above that was a window she could fit into.
Reyna stepped forward and rested her foot on a small brick. She could throw it and break the window. Lycaon wouldn't be able to stop her in time, and she didn't think Nico would try. Today wasn't a fighting day, but soon, it would be.