Thalia glared at the monitor in front of her. Really, of all the damn people for Reyna to ask out, it had to be Annabeth. And damn it, Thalia was happy for Annabeth. She was happy that her best friend had someone who had a crush on her and wanted to go out with her. Why did it have to be Reyna who had the crush, though?
"Damn it," Thalia cursed again. She had been in a foul mood all day, but she wasn't sure why. It couldn't have been because of what happened. She wasn't that mad. Mostly. Okay, she was a little mad, but it wasn't enough to let it ruin her whole day. She just wanted to know why Reyna asked Annabeth out. What was so special about her compared to Thalia?
It wasn't even like Annabeth and Reyna knew each other that well. They only hung out like once, so Thalia didn't see where this stupid crush came from. An angry sigh left her as she tried to open her desk. When it wouldn't budge, she kicked the cabinet in anger.
"It's not that big of a deal," Nico commented. Thalia jumped and turned to look at the door. Nico closed it behind him and walked towards his chair. He placed his backpack down. "Why are you acting like it's the end of the world?"
"Because it is," Thalia complained. Nico gave her a questionable look. "I didn't actually mean that! But, why didn't Reyna ask me? Why Annabeth?"
"Annabeth is smart," Nico answered with a shrug. Thalia glared at him. "Kind of funny. Cute. Well, I don't really see it. That's what Reyna said."
"When did she say that?" Thalia demanded. Nico glanced at his watch.
"Thirty minutes ago when we were eating lunch," Nico answered. He dug through his backpack. "She told me that she asked Annabeth out, and I asked her what she saw in Annabeth."
"Did she say anything about me?" Thalia asked.
"Why would she?" Nico countered. Thalia glared fiercely at him, but he just shrugged. "No, she didn't. Contrary to what you think, her life doesn't revolve around you. Your life shouldn't revolve around her."
"You're such a dick," Thalia grumbled. She stood angrily. "Whatever. I'm clocking out."
"Thalia, you can't be mad that Reyna asked someone out. Especially if it isn't you. Do you know how big of a step this is? Reyna hasn't been confident in herself ever since her surgery. For her to ask someone out, it's great," Nico said. Thalia looked back at him.
"I know you're disappointed, but you should be happy for Reyna. Especially because it means she is more likely to say yes if you get your head out of your ass and ask her," Nico explained. Thalia sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Why are you so scared?"
"I don't know," Thalia muttered. She sighed and laid her head back. "I just am, okay? What if she says no? What if it ruins our friendship? Or, what if she doesn't like me like that? What if I do something wrong in the relationship?"
"What if you just calmed down?" Nico interrupted. "You keep having all of these questions, but it doesn't change the fact that you haven't said a damn word to Reyna about going out with her. Just ask her out. It's not that hard."
"Says you," Thalia muttered. She sighed and turned away. "I'm going home. Have a good night."
"You still owe me twenty," Nico called to her. Thalia frowned at him.
"Twenty for what?" Thalia countered. Nico looked her in the eyes and smirked.
"We made a bet about who would ask Annabeth out first after she broke up with Luke. You said it would be Percy, and I said it wouldn't. So, you owe me twenty. I expect it today," Nico said. Thalia rolled her eyes and grabbed her wallet. She checked inside it.
"Don't have it," Thalia stated.
"You do in your car, and I saw it in the parking lot today," Nico returned, and Thalia hated that he knew about it. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Don't forget my phone charger either."
"Fine," Thalia replied. She shoved Nico. "Just bust some shoplifters for me."
"Maybe," Nico said offhandedly. Thalia rolled her eyes and walked out of the office. She walked towards the time clock and then clocked out. Thalia avoided talking to anyone as she walked outside and towards her car. They knew better than to get in her way when she was in a bad mood.
Thalia hated that she was mad, and she also hated that Reyna asked Annabeth out. It felt like such a childish thing to be upset about, but why couldn't it have been Thalia? Did it mean that Reyna didn't have those kinds of feelings for Thalia, or was she just overreacting?
As Thalia made it to her car, she unlocked it and tossed her things inside. It took her a moment to grab Nico's charger and his twenty dollars. She would get that money back. The two loved making bets with each other, and they both won just as much as they lost.
Upon looking up, she frowned. Thalia had parked across from Reyna's parking spot. It didn't have her name on it, but everyone always parked in the same space. It was just how things worked out. Today though, someone had parked in her space.
Thalia could see Reyna's car parked a few spots away from her normal one, and Percy had parked right next to her. The problem was that someone who drove a motorcycle had parked in Reyna's spot. They all had an unspoken agreement that the place they parked on their first day was theirs.
Thalia should tell Reyna about this transgression. Reyna probably wouldn't care, but it would be a good excuse to talk to her. Not that Thalia needed to talk to her. She just wanted to give Reyna a chance to explain why she had asked Annabeth out. Not that she needed to explain that either.
A sigh left Thalia. She knew there was no one to blame but herself. But, she would blame Annabeth anyway. How dare Annabeth be so amazing and gorgeous that she attracted Reyna? Thalia closed her door and started to walk back into the store.
Before she left, she would at least greet Percy. He didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of her wrath. The worst part was that there was no one to be mad at. She just was. There was no excuse for it, and Thalia hated that she was acting like this. Just because the woman she had been crushing on didn't ask her out didn't mean that she could throw a hissy fit.
Well, she could. And that was what she had been doing today. So, Thalia would take her pity party home or over to Annabeth's place and lightly beat her up.
Thalia walked back towards her office and pushed the door open. She saw Nico wasn't in there anymore, and she had no clue where he went. Thalia placed Nico's charger on his desk and then tucked his not hard-earned money into his bag. From there, she let out a deep breath.
She would just talk to Reyna. Just so Reyna would know that Thalia wasn't mad. Not that she would think Thalia was mad. But, someone would tell her that Thalia hadn't been acting normal that day. Unless no one else noticed.
Thalia bit back a curse. She hated how unconfident she was in herself. There was just something about what had happened that rocked her, and she wasn't sure what it was. This situation felt familiar, and the realization smacked her in the face. She stopped walking.
This was what happened with Percy and Annabeth. Percy had this crush on Annabeth for so long and never acted on it. Then, someone else asked Annabeth out, and it seemed like all of Percy's pining was for nothing as Annabeth dated Bastard Man before getting engaged with him. And, Thalia could see the same thing happening with Reyna.
If Reyna was confident enough to ask someone out, she wouldn't have a problem accepting a date. If it wasn't Thalia who asked her out, Thalia would be on the outside of the relationship looking in. And, it would be all her fault.
Thalia was going to ask her out. Today. Now actually. She would ask Reyna out and get the answer once and for all. Thalia tried to hype herself up. She needed an icebreaker. But what though? The motorcycle! She would make a joke about the motorcycle and then somehow turn it into asking Reyna out. It was foolproof.
After spending a few more moments hyping herself up, Thalia walked towards Reyna's office. The door looked to be open, and she could hear Reyna talking. Thalia waited for a lull before stepping inside and speaking, "Some asshole parked in your spot."
Thalia quickly realized that Reyna was not alone in her office. She had not one, not two, but three guests in the office with her. One of them was Nico, who sat on Reyna's desk and had been facing the door. Reyna was sitting back in her seat and had been looking at their store manager. Lupa stood next to the desk with a stack of papers.
But, it was the fourth person who spoke, "That asshole would be me."
Thalia stared at the person. She knew exactly who this was. Hylla was a spitting image of Reyna. Or, was it the other way around? Either way, the two looked almost the same. They both had black hair, though Hylla wore hers down by her shoulders. They both had the same dark eyes that seemed to drag people in.
Their faces were almost the same, except for a small scar on Reyna's face compared to Hylla. All Hylla really had was a worry line across her forehead. She also held a motorcycle helmet under her arm. That had been her motorcycle. Which meant Thalia just called Reyna's sister an asshole.
That pretty much summed up how her day was going. All she wanted to do was catch a break.
"You are an asshole," Nico agreed. Hylla rolled her eyes and looked at Lupa.
"Can't you just fire him?" Hylla asked.
"He's my best asset protector," Lupa answered. It took Thalia a moment to process the words, and she looked at Lupa in a mix of shock and hurt. Lupa met her eyes and winked at her. Thalia did her best to pout, but her store manager just gave her a cheeky grin.
"What do you need, Thalia?" Reyna questioned as she ignored her sister and Nico. Thalia's plan had just been to ask Reyna out, but everything changed with all of these people in the room. Which is why Thalia found herself unable to think of an answer.
Nico let her flounder for a few moments before speaking up, "Probably looking for me. She owes me twenty dollars."
"I put it in your bag," Thalia said as she found her voice. "I just wanted to stop by and say hi before I left."
"This is Thalia?" Hylla asked as she looked Thalia up and down. Her eyes seemed to be searching for something.
"That is Thalia," Nico confirmed, and he shared a look with Hylla. Wait. Did Hylla know about her crush? If she did, was there anyone who didn't?
"That's me," Thalia said as she forced a grin. "And you're Hylla."
Hylla nodded and studied Thalia like a panther ready to strike. Nico stood up and said, "You can take my place in the care circle. I'm going to spend your twenty dollars on junk food."
"Care circle?" Thalia repeated. Reyna shook her head and had a hint of annoyance. Hylla smirked and propped her legs up on Reyna's desk.
"It's more of a confidence circle," Hylla answered. "That motorcycle out there isn't even mine. It's Reyna's. She used to ride it all the time."
"I just don't want to crash it again," Reyna muttered. She looked down and crossed her arms. "After what happened last time."
"There's a lot of different circumstances compared to last time," Hylla said. She met Thalia's eyes for a long moment. Then, she looked back at Reyna. "For one, you won't be drunk. Two, your knee isn't held together by bandages and a prayer."
"My shoulder is," Reyna grumbled. Hylla sighed and rubbed her forehead. Lupa studied the sisters quietly. Thalia listened quietly and found herself running through that information. Reyna had been drunk and gotten into a wreck? Was that right? "I can't trust myself to not get into another wreck."
"Why don't you drive with someone else?" Thalia suggested after a moment. Reyna looked at her.
"Thalia is a pretty good driver," Lupa commented. Thalia felt herself blushing. Reyna met her eyes. "If Thalia is comfortable with it."
"I'd love to have you as a passenger," Thalia began. Reyna looked away and seemed to think about it. A sigh left her as her shoulders drooped.
"Maybe," Reyna whispered. She sighed and looked at Thalia. "I told you that I shredded my knee in a freak accident, but it wasn't really a freak accident. After leaving the army, I was getting drunk almost every night. I was just trying to get rid of the pain and the nightmares."
"And one day, I got drunk and got into an argument with my mother, which made me madder. I drank more, so much that I could barely see. I don't remember what happened. Just one moment I was grabbing my keys and helmet. The next, I was waking up in a ditch. It wasn't a freak accident but my own stupidity."
Hylla reached out to rub Reyna's shoulders, "You didn't have a support system back then. You do now. That's the only thing that matters."
"Yeah," Reyna said. She slowly stood and shrugged. "Let me think about it. I should get to work."
Lupa hummed as she stood as well. Hylla pulled Reyna into a hug and whispered in her ear. She gently kissed Reyna's forehead. Then, she turned and left the office. Thalia looked at Reyna and said, "Have a good one."
"You too," Reyna replied. Thalia nodded and left the office. She found Hylla waiting for her. Thalia smiled awkwardly. Hylla studied her for a long moment.
"Hey," Thalia began. Hylla crossed her arms.
"I know about your crush on my sister," Hylla started with a glare. "I don't think I have to threaten you and warn you about what happens if you break my sister's heart."
"You don't," Thalia said as she looked at Hylla. While Hylla was leaner and didn't seem to have as much defined muscle as her sister, Thalia still felt like the woman could kick her ass all over the store.
"When are you going to ask her out?" Hylla asked. Thalia shrugged and looked away. Hylla sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Don't wait too long. Or, you might regret it."
Thalia couldn't tell if Hylla was trying to kindly warn her to not wait too long or threatening her with something painful if she didn't ask Reyna out. Hylla looked her up and down and then nodded, "Reyna told me that she mentioned what happened. About her scars under her tattoos. Please don't mention it to anyone."
"I won't," Thalia promised. "She said that she hasn't tried to attempt it again. I just want to make sure she's not trying to make me feel better."
"Reyna hasn't made an attempt like that again," Hylla confirmed. Her gaze moved back to the office. "She's doing a lot better than she was when she first got out of the army. Thanks a lot to Nico. And therapy. Is she doing okay here?"
"Mostly. She's had a few flashbacks," Thalia began. "I tried to help her out. Not sure if I made it worse or not."
"I appreciate you trying to help," Hylla said. She glanced at her phone. "I need to go, but do me a favor. Just ask my damn sister out. Don't make me or Nico do it for you."
"I'm trying," Thalia swore. Hylla rolled her eyes and turned away. "I am!"
"Have a good night, Thalia. I'm sure I'll see you around," Hylla commented. She walked down the hall.
"Have a good one," Thalia returned. A sigh left her, and she started to walk down the hall. If Reyna did ride with her, it would be a good bonding moment. They would be alone, and maybe, just maybe, Thalia would find the confidence to ask Reyna out.