The smell of food woke Reyna up. Her eyes snapped open, and her stomach rumbled. She focused ahead and tried to calm her tense muscles. Sometime during the night, she had curled up on her side and stayed in that position, gripping the blanket around her like someone was going to tear it away.
The blanket was carefully balanced on her elbow, so it wouldn't brush against the bandages on her side. There was a gnawing pain from the gouges in her side, but that didn't match the pain in her lip. Not to mention the ache above her eyelid that seemed to match in beat with her headache.
"Fuck," Reyna grumbled. She slowly rolled onto her back, and it took her even longer to sit up. She grabbed the pill bottle on the coffee table and grabbed a pill. Reyna made it to her feet and slowly walked towards the kitchen.
Chiron was at the stove and was making food. That boy, Nico, sat at the table and stared down at his cup of milk. Reyna paid no attention as she placed the pill in her mouth and then poured herself a small glass of water. Reyna drank the water and swallowed her pain medicine.
"How are you feeling?" Chiron questioned. Reyna noticed how Nico seemed to flinch at the words.
"I'll be fine," Reyna muttered. She filled the glass of water and drained it in a few seconds. Reyna hung her head as the pain gnawed at her side. The cuts didn't require surgery, but they were deep. She probably shouldn't have been standing, but no one was going to tell her to rest. Not with the plans they had for that day.
"Are you sure? We can reschedule," Chiron began as if he was reading her mind.
"I'm sure," Reyna answered. She rubbed her jaw for a moment and sighed. Her gaze moved to Nico. He averted his gaze and stared down at his milk. Reyna slowly sat at the table and closed her eyes as fresh pain ran through her body.
"Is Jason out of the hospital?" Nico asked quietly.
"He'll be out in a few days," Chiron replied. He turned and placed down two full plates. Reyna was starving, but she only took a few bites as it hurt to move her jaw too fast or to bite down too hard. "He will make a full recovery."
"I am sorry," Nico whispered as he turned towards Reyna. "I didn't want you to be hurt."
"Are you going back to Lycaon?" Reyna asked. Chiron looked at her and seemed ready to step in. Reyna just kept her gaze on Nico.
"No," Nico said quickly. He shook his head. "Lycaon will kill me."
"Don't hurt Chiron and we won't have any problems," Reyna stated. She focused on her food, taking small bites and making sure not to chew too hard. In contrast, Nico attacked his food like he was a rabid dog.
Reyna didn't know too much about vampires. She knew that they were supposed to be natural enemies to werewolves, but that was because ancient werewolves thought that the moon and therefore the entire night belonged only to them. That caused them to attack ancient vampires, and the two sides fought for centuries.
As far as Reyna knew, there was no actual end to the war. Both sides just stopped calling it a war, but the most extreme vampires and werewolves still attacked each other. Reyna herself didn't really have any issues with vampires. The only negative experience she had with one was now when Nico tried to get her killed.
But, he had been doing it to survive. That was something she could relate to. It didn't mean she liked it, but she did understand. The things that she did to make it another day still gave her nightmares and made her sick to her stomach. Something told her Nico had done similar things.
A sigh left Reyna as she moved her head towards Chiron. All she wanted was to be out of his house. It wasn't because she hated it here; in fact, it felt comforting to be here. She didn't have to watch her back every second. There was plenty of food for her to eat, and it was safe.
That didn't keep Reyna from feeling like a burden; like a charity case. She knew that Chiron was doing this out of the goodness in his heart, but it still felt like she was taking advantage of him. Reyna was going to pay him back for everything he had done, even if he didn't want it.
There were two ways that Reyna wanted to pay him back. The first was with money. The second was getting Ma Gasket out of his life. The Cyclops had already shown that she was willing to hurt Chiron. She had already threatened him, and if Reyna hadn't interfered, there was no telling what would have happened to Chiron.
Reyna's hand moved to her jaw. It was sore and aching just from eating. She refused to drink another damn smoothie. Reyna owed Ma Gasket a debt for her jaw and fingers. She also owed Lycaon for what he did to her, but that was a problem for another day. Even the Ma Gasket problem would be dealt with later.
Today, Reyna was going to meet with the man who owned the apartment complex. With a little luck, she would write a check for the first month and move in the next day. Maybe even the same day. A cup was set in front of her face, and she studied the smoothie. Her gaze moved to Chiron, and she couldn't find it in herself to glare.
"Thanks," Reyna muttered. She grabbed the cup and moved it closer to herself. After playing with the straw, she took a couple of sips. The taste of strawberries hit her lips followed by bananas. While she wasn't really a fan of fruit, this was her favorite smoothie she had. Reyna had tried one made of blended meat, but even with Chiron's help, it tasted like roadkill. It wasn't the worst thing she ever had, though.
"Of course," Chiron said. He smiled at her, and Reyna felt her lips twitching into a small smile. Her gaze focused on Chiron because as she looked at him, she felt something that she really hadn't felt before: protectiveness.
Reyna knew that every werewolf was born with an innate protectiveness for their pack. The pack was their family. Werewolves spent at least the first ten years of their life with their pack. It wasn't until they were teenagers that they interacted with the outside world, if they really ever did. But there were more than a handful of werewolves who just didn't have a family… or a pack.
Those werewolves made their own pack out of their closest friends and any loved ones they had. Reyna never had the chance to do that. It had just been her for so long now. She had no one to call a friend or a loved one. But, it felt different now. Chiron had shown her more care than anyone, really. She wanted to return that favor, and she felt herself becoming protective of Chiron, almost marking him as her territory. Not because she owned him, but because she would do everything in her power to protect him.
Reyna rolled this new revelation through her mind. She knew that the longer that she would be at the bar the more that the people there would be added to her makeshift pack. If they didn't hate her too much. It was no secret Annabeth didn't like her. Piper would not stop glaring at her ever since she found out Reyna knew about Lycaon. Jason would probably end up hating her, and his sister was a hunter.
Maybe, she didn't have a place at the bar. A frown came to her face, and she heard Chiron clear his throat. Her eyes moved to him. Chiron smiled at her, "You shouldn't be walking with how badly you're hurt. That's why Thalia has offered to give you a ride."
Reyna froze. Thalia, the hunter, offered to give Reyna, the werewolf, a ride. She couldn't know that Reyna was a werewolf, right? A seasoned hunter would be able to read the signs, though.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
"I can walk," Reyna began in a quiet voice. Chiron met her eyes, and a frown touched his face.
"Is something wrong?" Chiron asked. Reyna looked away. He wouldn't understand, and she wasn't about to explain.
"Does Thalia hate me?" Nico asked in a voice that was somehow more quiet than Reyna's. Chiron looked over at him.
"Of course not," Chiron answered. He studied Nico. "No one hates you. We have all been worried about you, Nico. Ever since you disappeared. Thalia has only been asking to make sure that you're okay. And so has Z-"
Chiron abruptly stopped himself and cleared his throat. Nico tensed, and his face morphed into a sort of snarl with his vampire fangs appearing. It took him a moment to retract the fangs and look down. Guilt blanketed Chiron's face.
There was a knock on the door, and it opened before Chiron could step out of the kitchen. Reyna turned her head as the hunter walked into the kitchen. Thalia looked at all three of them and grinned. She was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. There was no sign of her weapons, which made Reyna feel a little better. Just a little.
"Hey, Chiron. Reyna. Nico," Thalia greeted. Her gaze focused on Nico. "How are you doing, Nico?"
"I'm okay," Nico mumbled as he seemed to shrink in on himself and into his aviator jacket. It was a size too big for him, along with being tattered and torn.
"Did Chiron feed you enough? I know he likes to skim on the calories," Thalia said. Nico nodded and motioned to the empty plate in front of him. Thalia turned towards Reyna and smiled gently. "Are you feeling any better?"
"I'm fine," Reyna answered. She gripped the empty cup in her hand. Her body was starting to tense, which only caused it to ache more.
"Are you ready to leave?" Thalia asked. Reyna reluctantly nodded and slowly stood. She winced and made her way towards the living room. Reyna grabbed her jacket and carefully put it on. She grabbed her checkbook. Her gaze stayed on Thalia as the hunter walked towards the door and hummed to herself.
Reyna let out a tense breath. She needed to calm down. Thalia did not know that Reyna was a werewolf, and if she did, she had no reason to attack her. All Reyna needed to do was relax and stop letting her anxiety get the best of her.
"You look pale and tense," Thalia pointed out as she opened the passenger's door for Reyna. "You sure you're okay?"
"Just tired," Reyna finally answered. She slowly got in the car and winced as it jolted her body. Thalia closed the door for her and walked around the car. She sat in the driver's seat and glanced at Reyna.
"You can pick the music," Thalia offered.
"It's whatever you want," Reyna muttered. She turned her head to look out the window. "Is Jason doing better?"
"He's pretty sore, but I think the guilt is hurting him more," Thalia answered. She started the car and turned on the radio, but she turned it down low enough for them to talk. "How are you liking the bar?"
"It's good," Reyna answered after a moment. She glanced at the hunter and tried to dispel her tension. Reyna rested her head against the window. Thalia hummed softly to the song that was playing.
All Reyna did was stare out the window. She didn't want to give anything away to Thalia, and she was too tense to sleep for their car ride. Reyna shifted and winced in pain. She suppressed a groan. Despite all the sleep she got, she was completely exhausted.
Reyna had gotten out of the hospital the morning before. She wasn't quite sure when exactly it was, as she had fallen asleep and then slept for almost a day. Her body still ached like hell. Maybe, she should have canceled her plans. It would avoid this awkward car ride.
For the entire ride, Reyna just stared out the window. Her eyelids slowly grew heavy, and as she thought she had relaxed enough to fall asleep, the car stopped. Reyna looked at the building that could contain her new apartment. A place for her to stay.
A short man stood outside of the building. Well, he wasn't a man, considering he had furry little goat legs. Reyna hadn't actually seen a Satyr before. She had heard of them but never seen one with her own two eyes. That was probably why she stared instead of getting out of the car.
"That's Gleeson Hedge. We call him Hedge or coach," Thalia said. She got out of the car. Reyna slowly followed her example. Hedge looked at them. His face was scrunched up like he had eaten something sour, and his beady little eyes felt like they were piercing into Reyna.
As the two approached, Hedge smiled. The beady look in his eyes didn't disappear. Neither did the sour look. It occurred to Reyna that was just his expression. Hedge spoke, "Nice to see you, Thalia. And nice to meet you, Reyna."
Hedge held out a hand. After a moment, Reyna shook it. The Satyr had a strong grip, and he looked her up and down. Hedge continued, "Chiron only had good things to say. Let me show you the apartment."
Reyna nodded and followed behind. Thalia took up the rear as the three walked inside. Reyna was expecting a sort of lobby but instead found herself in a stairwell that led upwards. Thalia looked at Hedge and spoke, "Guess you don't have an elevator?"
"Don't like stairs?" Hedge questioned as he marched up the stairs. Thalia followed right behind. Reyna carefully walked up the stairs, wincing with each step.
"Nah. Reyna's just healing up from being attacked by Lycaon," Thalia answered.
"I'm fine," Reyna muttered softly. She was slower to get up the first flight of stairs. Reyna found herself in a hallway. In front of her was an empty space in front of a wall. Behind her was another set of stairs that led up. The hallway that she stood in extended left and right, and she counted two doors on each side of the wall, making four apartments on each side of the stairs.
Hedge made a right and walked down to the second door on the right. He pushed the door open. Reyna stepped inside and looked around the apartment. Stepping through the door led her directly into what looked like a living room. A look to her right showed open doors that led into two more rooms. One was empty, possibly a bedroom. The other was a bathroom.
A glance to the left showed an open space that was cut into by a kitchen counter. There was a walkway the size of two doors. Behind that counter was a stove top. A fridge was to the side of the stove top, and she assumed a sink was somewhere in there.
The apartment wasn't huge, but it was a place to stay. It was a place where she could be alone. And safe. Hedge spoke, "Utilities are included in the rent. Pets are allowed, but not poodles. I hate poodles."
"Is it because one tried to eat your fur?" Thalia questioned. Hedge glared at her. Thalia held her hands up.
"If there are any plumbing problems, let me know. I always call someone," Hedge said. He looked at Reyna. "I don't require down payment, and the rent is due on the first of the month. Since we're halfway through the month, you would only owe half. If you can't make the payment, do let me know. We can work something out."
"There are no rules besides respect your neighbors," Hedge said.
"And no poodles," Thalia added. Hedge turned to glare at her. "Your words. Not mine."
"I'll take it," Reyna said. She slowly pulled out her checkbook. "How much for rent for this month?"
"Two hundred," Hedge said. He handed her a pen. Reyna opened her checkbook and stared down at it. Truthfully, she had never seen a check before. Let alone write one. Hedge seemed to notice her confusion. "Let me help you. Do you need help moving your things in?"
"I don't have anything to move," Reyna said softly as her ears burned in embarrassment. Hedge helped her write the check as she struggled to even just sign her name.
"If you're feeling up to it, I can take you to get the things you'll need," Thalia said. Reyna looked at her for a few moments.
"Let me pay for gas," Reyna began.
"I don't need gas," Thalia said. Reyna frowned. "But, you can treat me to dinner. Nothing fancy. I know some good fast food places, and they sell smoothies."
Thalia laughed as Reyna scowled at the thought of another smoothie, "I'm kidding. I promise."
"Alright," Reyna finally said. She turned her head as Hedge cleared his throat.
"I hope you enjoy your new place," Hedge said as he held out the keys. Reyna took it and gave him a thankful nod. She looked down at the keys: her key. A small smile came to her face. This was the start of a new chapter in her life, and hopefully, it would be the best one yet.