Thalia hated her life. The morning started terribly when she woke up and realized that she was late. It wasn't the kind of late where she would have to rush to get ready and barely make it in time. Oh no. When Thalia Grace was late, it was in spectacular fashion. She opened her eyes and found that the store was one minute from opening.
Thalia flew out of her bed and took a shower like she was in the navy. Then, she was out the door and speeding down the street on her motorcycle. Thalia couldn't go without her coffee though, and she stopped by a crappy but quick shop that wasn't too far from the store.
After receiving her expensive coffee, she kept it in her cup holder before taking off. It wasn't until she had parked and taken a small sip that she realized it was cold. Like just came out of the fridge cold. Thalia paid three dollars for it, and she wasn't about to throw that away. She would just heat it up in the microwave.
Thalia ran towards the store, flying past all of the customers, but she was forced to slow her pace as she made it into the building. She gave Hazel a quick greeting as she powerwalked by. As soon as she opened the door that led to the break room, Thalia ran down the hall. She turned the corner and slammed directly into someone.
A couple of things happened at once. First, Thalia hit the person and felt the coffee cup pretty much explode in her hand, drenching her and the other person. Two, not only did she slam into the person, she practically bowled them over and fell onto them. They both fell to the ground.
"Fu... Ow. I'm sorry," Thalia said. She quickly rolled off of the person and looked at them. Her heart dropped to her stomach. She just wanted to die then and there.
The best-case scenario would have been slamming into Percy. She could have just blamed the kelp in his head and say he should watch his step. Even slamming into Hank or Larry would have been good because they were messes anyway. Hell, she would have taken Lupa. But, the worst-case scenario was staring at her.
Thalia couldn't bring herself to stand just yet, so she just gawked at the person in front of her. Reyna stared back at her and slowly moved her hand to massage her freshly bumped shoulder. Thalia slowly spoke, "I am so sorry, Reyna. I was late and rushing to be here, and I just... I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Reyna dismissed after a few moments. She stood, hand still attached to her shoulder. Thalia stared up at Reyna. Her shirt was soaking wet from the coffee that Thalia had dumped on her, and there was also the fact that Thalia could tell Reyna was pissed. Between her jaw being visibly clenched and how white the knuckles on her fists were, Thalia knew she had messed up.
"I'm really sorry," Thalia repeated. Reyna was silent as she lowered her hand from her shoulder and held it out. Thalia took her hand and was pulled to her feet. "I'll buy you a new shirt."
"It's fine, Thalia. I have another one in my office," Reyna said after a few moments. "I needed to talk to you anyway. Come on."
Reyna turned on her heel and started to walk down the hallway. Thalia followed behind and tried to hide how nervous she was. As much as she had a crush on Reyna, she also knew that the woman could hold a damn good grudge. It made so much sense that she was great friends with Nico: prince of grudges. And, why was he just the prince of grudges?
Because Reyna was the queen of them. Like the vendor that insinuated that Reyna couldn't be a manager because she was female. She blacklisted him from the store, and considering Thalia had never seen him again even though they frequented the same bar, Reyna may have blacklisted him from life as well.
The two made it into Reyna's office. Reyna walked behind the desk and reached into her backpack. She dug out another shirt and spoke, "Close the door."
Thalia closed the door but kept her eyes on Reyna. She couldn't help herself. Reyna didn't seem to notice as she carefully pulled off her shirt, and Thalia damn near swooned. She thought Nico had been teasing Reyna about having abs and was just messing with Thalia by giving her that mental image.
But no. Oh no. Reyna did indeed have abs, and Thalia could not stop staring at them. The few seconds that Thalia gaped felt like an eternity, and then, she quickly looked away. That image would forever be burned into her brain, though.
Thalia's eyes glanced to the side as Reyna turned her back. Thalia's gaze focused on the scar near Reyna's left shoulder. It looked like a straight line where someone had cut into it. There was also another scar near Reyna's lower back, right near her kidney. It was small and circular, like a bullet wound.
Reyna pulled on another shirt and turned back towards Thalia. It took a second for Thalia to think properly, "I am sorry."
"It's fine. I'll clock you in manually," Reyna said as she sat down. Thalia nodded, and Reyna motioned for her to sit. Thalia slowly did.
"What did you need?" Thalia asked almost breathlessly. She couldn't get that image of a shirtless Reyna out of her head, but she really needed to focus. It didn't help that her heart felt ready to rip out of her chest.
"I need you to keep your eyes on the camera all day. Even for breaks. I'll be watching cameras with you," Reyna said.
"What's going on?" Thalia questioned. She leaned forward and grew serious. It would be best to go into work mode and keep the idea of Reyna's abs out of her mind.
"I've been told that a woman is hitting up stores in this area. She'll bring her kid and look like she is going school shopping. Along the way, she'll pick up all sorts of electronics and try to find blindspots in the store. If not take the items into the bathroom," Reyna explained. "She's removing the electronics from their boxes and leaving the store. We're not getting hit like that."
"Do you have a picture?" Thalia inquired. Reyna nodded and grabbed a few scraps of paper. She handed them to Thalia, and Thalia looked over them. A small frown came to Thalia's face. The woman in each picture barely looked the same. She changed her hair and outfit each time, but there was one thing that was usually the same, her large red purse and the yellow backpack that the kid wore.
The kid looked to only be in elementary school, causing Thalia to deepen her frown. Who the hell stole in front of their kid? Reyna spoke, "We should get on the cameras as soon as we can."
"Of course," Thalia agreed. Reyna stood as well and grabbed her backpack. Thalia quickly stood and walked out of Reyna's office and to her own. She unlocked the door and stepped inside. Her heart dropped as she saw there was already a coffee cup on her desk, and it looked fresh.
"I got you coffee," Reyna said as she stepped into the room behind Thalia.
"I'm really sorry," Thalia began.
"Thalia, it's okay. Mistakes happen. Just try not to run in the store anymore," Reyna waved off. Thalia quickly nodded. Reyna walked towards the chair near the corner of the room and sat down. She unzipped her backpack and grabbed her laptop.
Reyna opened her laptop and quietly logged on. Thalia slowly sat down in her chair, checking all of the cameras to make sure they were working. She sat the pictures down and leaned back. Her eyes moved to the side.
"Nico might kill you for using his chair," Thalia teased.
"He won't," Reyna quipped back as she leaned back in the chair and propped her legs up on the same shelf that Thalia always used. "I'll order lunch for us today. What do you want?"
Did that mean Reyna would be hanging out with Thalia all day? She would be there until at least lunch time. Could Thalia go that long without embarrassing herself? That was something she highly doubted.
"We can get whatever," Thalia muttered.
"You choose. My treat," Reyna offered with a shrug. She kept one eye on the cameras as she went through her emails. Thalia sat back in her chair and brainstormed what she wanted to eat. If this was Percy, she would find a moderately expensive restaurant and treat herself. Reyna was the one paying, though. Thalia didn't want to spend too much.
Thalia stared at the cameras. She was going to be bored in about two minutes. Thalia always paid attention as best she could; but, she had ADHD. She couldn't just pay attention to the cameras. Thalia needed to mess around on her computer or phone, and she would have perfect attention when it came to watching the cameras.
Thalia kept glancing over at Reyna. There wasn't that much space in between them. Had Thalia put on deodorant before she left? She hoped that she had. Thalia felt her fingers drumming against her leg, and she couldn't help herself.
"You okay?" Reyna popped the bubble of silence between them.
"Yeah," Thalia quickly deflected. The speed of that response made Reyna look at her with concern. "I'm totally cool."
Reyna hummed at that and looked back at the cameras. Her eyes weren't focused on any one image. Thalia glanced at the cameras and felt bad for any of her coworkers that were not actively moving. Reyna would see it and mentally note it.
It wasn't that Reyna was a really strict manager. Now, she was a lot more strict than Lupa; but, as long as you were doing something, Reyna wouldn't say anything. Thalia had learned that if she was just standing there and talking to someone about something that didn't involve work and Reyna walked by, it was best to finish the conversation quickly or put it on hold.
Thalia got the feeling Reyna was using this time to observe everyone. Her gaze stayed focused on the monitors, moving one by one and taking in the entire scene. Thalia felt her phone vibrate and tensed. Reyna made no indication that she had heard, eyes glued to the screen.
"What did you do last weekend?" Reyna finally asked. She took her eyes off of the camera and lazily typed an email out. Thalia looked at Reyna and did her damnedest not to look at the email. That willpower lasted about five seconds before she glanced at it and saw that it was only an email about sales numbers.
"Just relaxed at home. My band had a gig," Thalia finally answered.
"Right, your band. You mentioned them but never went into detail," Reyna began. She looked at Thalia and cocked an eyebrow. Thalia found herself staring into Reyna's black eyes, and she looked at the small bit of her eyebrow where hair no longer grew.
Thalia had never been close enough to examine Reyna like this. There was a calm look in Reyna's eyes, but there were bags underneath. That cocked eyebrow with the small scar in it slowly lowered. Something like concern came to her face, "Thalia?"
"It's just a casual thing. The band," Thalia deflected. Her face heated up, and she averted her eyes. All she wanted to do was look back, close the distance, and then kiss Reyna. But, no. No, she could not do that. She was at work She had a job. Thalia needed to focus.
"It sounds pretty cool," Reyna commented. She shrugged with one shoulder and then moved that same arm to relax behind her head. "Tell me about them."
"You're going to laugh at me," Thalia began.
"I won't," Reyna promised. Thalia glanced at her and nervously looked down.
"Okay. To start, we're a bunch of nerds for Greek mythology, so we took inspiration from one of the goddesses," Thalia explained. A smirk came to Reyna's face. "You said you wouldn't laugh!"
"I'm not laughing at you," Reyna chuckled. She shook her head and looked like she was trying to suppress herself. "I think it's cute that you're a nerd for Greek mythology. My mother was reading me Roman mythology as bedtime stories as a kid. Hell, she was named after a Roman goddess."
"Wait, seriously?" Thalia asked as she stared incredulously at Reyna.
"Yeah. Bellona. Support your local senator," Reyna said with a small shake of her head.
"Hold on. Bellona? That asshole is your mother?" Thalia's lips flapped on their own. It took her only a split second to process what she had said. "Shit. Sorry."
"Oh no, you're right," Reyna admitted. She lost the small smirk on her face. Her eyes grew distant for a moment in the same way that Thalia's did when she talked about her mother. "My mother is an asshole."
"I know a thing or two about asshole parents. My father was never in my life. Just left me enough money to live on. Never even met him. My mother was a famous actress back in the day, but she became an alcoholic. Died when I was in high school," Thalia ranted.
"I'm sorry," Reyna began.
"It's cool. I'm better off without them," Thalia said with a shrug. "I have Jason, and that's all I need. Raised him myself."
"It's a miracle he's so well behaved," Reyna joked. Thalia instinctively but gently slapped her arm. She tensed as she realized what she did, but Reyna just laughed it off. It was the most beautiful sound that Thalia had heard. "You never told me about your band."
"We're called the Hunters. After Artemis. She was the goddess of the hunt and our favorite goddess," Thalia explained. She shrugged and felt her face burning.
"Wait. Wait. Wait. The Hunters? That's the name of your band?" Reyna asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Thalia mumbled. She just wanted to bury herself in a hole.
"That's my sister's favorite band!" Reyna informed. Thalia looked at her in surprise. "Her birthday is next week. How much for a signed CD?"
"Nothing at all," Thalia answered quickly. "You're a friend after all."
Reyna smiled at her, and Thalia smiled back. She almost wanted to lean forward again but mentally slapped herself. Thalia spoke, "I'll get everyone to sign it and even make a personalized message. What's your sister's name?"
"It's Hylla," Reyna answered. She kept the smile on her face as she looked back at the cameras. "She's been through a lot with me, especially these last couple of years. I want to get something special for her, you know?"
Thalia nodded and didn't want to ruin the moment. Reyna looked so happy and relaxed. She didn't want anything to ruin the moment.
And of course, Kelp Head had to stroll in and ruin it.
"Hey Thalia, don't tell Reyna," Percy began as he opened the door. He stopped dead and stared at them. Reyna turned her head and raised an eyebrow. Her smile withered at her co manager. Thalia almost lunged out of her chair and strangled Percy right then and there.
"Don't tell me what?" Reyna questioned. Percy was like a deer caught in headlights. Behind him stood Annabeth.
"I brought Thalia a surprise," Percy began awkwardly. "We were just going back out to the floor, though."
Reyna scanned Percy for a moment before looking at Annabeth. Her eyes seemed to examine Annabeth in one swift movement. Reyna spoke, "It's Annabeth Chase, right?"
"It is," Annabeth confirmed after a moment. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "How did you know that?"
"Thalia talks about you all the time," Reyna explained. She stood up and held out her hand. Annabeth quickly shook her hand. "It's nice to put a face to the name. You're the assistant manager for The Pantheon, right? How's the traitor fitting in?"
"Jason's doing well," Annabeth said with a smile. Reyna smiled slightly, but it didn't completely stretch up her cheeks. "I can go back to the floor, though. I know no one except employees are allowed back here."
"I didn't see anything," Reyna commented as she sat back down and propped her legs up. "I can watch the cameras, Thalia."
"It won't be long," Thalia promised. She quickly stood and led her idiot cousin and best friend out of her office. She closed the door behind her and gave both of them a fierce look.
"Sorry," Percy began.
"We were having a moment," Thalia hissed, making sure to keep her voice low. "We were bonding!"
"It's my fault," Annabeth whispered. "I wanted to meet her. She is pretty hot."
"So hot," Thalia whispered back. "And she has abs! Abs!"
"Nico told us that already," Percy reminded.
"But I saw her shirtless," Thalia said louder than she meant to. She quickly clamped her hand over her mouth. Annabeth gave her a scandalous look. "I spilled my coffee on her. Why is she so hot?"
"Why don't you make a move?" Annabeth whispered so quietly that Thalia had to move closer to hear. "You've never waited this long before."
"I don't want to mess this up!" Thalia quietly screamed. "I really enjoy Reyna's friendship, but if I ask her out, what if I ruin everything? I don't want to take that chance."
"Since when do you not want to take chances?" Percy whispered. Thalia hit him hard in the gut. "I'm just saying! Ever since the, well, accident."
The accident. That's how they always referred to it. The others were too scared to call it what it was, or maybe they were just trying to block out the memory. Thalia didn't live in that fear though. She called it what it was: her mother being the biggest piece of shit in the world.
That was not going to ruin Thalia's good mood though. She just shrugged and looked in between her two friends, "I just don't want to upset this friendship. Reyna means a lot to me."
"You're such a simp," Percy teased. Thalia whacked him even hard in the gut. Percy cried out in pain and double over. Thalia leaned in close to his ear.
"I will ruin your life by telling Annabeth who the real simp is," Thalia threatened in the softest voice she could manage. Percy looked at her with wide eyes. Thalia smirked and straightened up. "Annabeth, let's get dinner something this week. Percy, get back to work."
"Can't. Being assaulted," Percy groaned. He slowly straightened up. "I'm going to report you to HR."
The door opened, and Thalia turned her head. There was a scowl on Reyna's face. Thalia frowned, "Did you see the woman?"
"No," Reyna muttered. She stood. "It's worse."
"Do you need me to watch the cameras?" Thalia asked. Reyna nodded and left the office. She turned to walk out onto the floor. "Who did you see?"
Reyna looked back at her. That scowl seemed permanently etched on Reyna's face, and any trace of a good mood was gone. Both of her fists were clenched, "My mother."