"Can you at least hold the door open for me?" Thalia complained as she did her best to crane her head past the large stuffed animal in her hands. Since Nico was a mess of a human being who had twenty Mcdonald's bags in his backseat, she didn't want to put the gift back there. So, she wasn't able to really see where they were going. Nico could be driving her to be buried somewhere.
Now, she was trying to figure out how to get out of the car. Nico closed the driver's door and walked around to the passenger's one. He put his hand on the door handle and seemed to be debating. Thalia groaned, "Oh, come on!"
Nico finally sighed and opened the door, "I still think you should have rode on your motorcycle with that. And not in my car."
Thalia rolled her eyes and carefully got out of the car. She shifted the stuffed animal in her arms and looked around. Her gaze focused on Reyna's car, the car next parked next to it, and then Reyna's house. The house wasn't what Thalia expected.
The house itself was only one story, and while the grass was well kept, the rest of the house was a different story. The front door had a lot of chipping white paint on it, and it looked like it had been battered relentlessly by the weather. And were those bullet holes on one side of the building?
Thalia slowly looked down the street and saw that the other houses were in a worse state. In fact, she recognized this neighborhood. It wasn't exactly a great one, or even good. Thalia would classify it as a bad one, and she was pretty sure that her old weed dealer lived down the street.
Nico walked towards the front door, and Thalia followed behind. Nico knocked on it, and Thalia grinned, "Not going to let yourself in? Or did Reyna not give you a key?
"I mean, I can walk in anytime, but with you here, I don't want her dogs to attack you," Nico explained with false worry. Thalia craned her neck past the stuffed animal to stare at Nico. He had a serious look on his face.
"Are you serious?" Thalia questioned. "Are her dogs that hostile?"
"They're protective," Nico answered. "So if a stranger just walks in when they can already sense she's not feeling well, they might attack."
"You're not a stranger."
"Dummy, I'm talking about you," Nico said with a hint of annoyance. Since her hands were preoccupied, Thalia tried to kick Nico in the shin. He simply stepped out of her range, or she just missed in the first place. The front door opened.
Thalia peeked past the stuffed animal again and saw a woman that she didn't recognize. She was able to catch a peek of auburn hair and bright eyes. The woman was pretty cute and had a smile as she looked at them. Nico spoke, "Hey. I brought a visitor."
"Reyna's girlfriend, right? Thalia?" the woman questioned. Thalia awkwardly craned her head past the stuffed animal to meet the woman's eyes and wave. "I'm Kinzie. Nice to meet you. Come on in."
"It's nice to meet you," Thalia returned as she carefully stepped inside. Her eyes shot around to look at everything. Near the front door was the kitchen, and there was a pot on the stove. Next to the kitchen was the living room. And, Thalia's gaze focused on the couch. Reyna was laying down on it, but had her back resting against the armrest.
A mass of fur was curled up by Reyna's feet. The dog with fur that almost looked silver opened one eye to look at Thalia, and the one with gold fur growled as their ears folded back. They were absolutely cute, other than the whole growling thing.
"Heel," Reyna ordered as she looked at the dogs. Her gaze moved up to Thalia. "I said a small one."
"I remember you saying something like you would be disappointed if it was only a small one," Thalia countered. Reyna rolled her eyes, and a small smile creaked on her face. Reyna's arm was in a sling that looked like it completely cut off all her mobility.
A blanket was thrown over her legs, and she was wearing a wrinkled shirt. Her eyes depicted pain. Nico took the teddy bear from Thalia, "I'll put it in her room."
Nico left the room and came back only a moment later. He moved towards the dogs and started to pet them. Thalia stood there awkwardly. Reyna slowly looked at Nico and then Thalia. "How are you doing?"
"I should be asking you that," Thalia commented with a gentle smile. She slowly walked toward the couch, and both dogs looked up at her.
"I think this is worse than my knee surgery," Reyna answered, shifting slightly. "Thanks for stopping by."
"Of course I was going to stop by," Thalia brushed off. "I would have done so earlier, but Nico says you've been asleep pretty much the whole time."
"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Kinzie questioned. "I'm making soup for Reyna and spaghetti for everyone else."
"Making spaghetti with Nico in the same state? That is a high bar to live up to," Thalia commented. Nico rolled his eyes and climbed onto the couch, sitting between the two dogs. He kept petting them. "I would love to stay if I'm not intruding."
"You're not," Kinzie promised. She turned back towards the kitchen. "Hylla will be here soon too. She was just stopping at the store."
"I'll stay for dinner then," Thalia said. She reached into her leather jacket and carefully pulled out an envelope. Thalia set it on the table near Reyna. "We got you a card. It was Percy's idea."
"Thank you," Reyna said softly. She shifted slightly and winced. Thalia glanced at the dogs and then Nico.
"What if I decide that I don't want to stay for dinner?" Nico questioned.
"Oh shut up," Thalia rolled her eyes. "You know that you're going to stay for dinner. Reyna, can I pet your dogs?"
"Go ahead," Reyna granted. "Just be careful. They will cling to you if they like you."
Thalia slowly walked towards the dogs and brought her hand forward carefully. The dog with golden fur sniffed her hand, while the other one watched her. After both had sniffed her and didn't lunge, she started to pet both of them.
"Aurum and Argentum," Nico introduced. "I'll let you figure out which is which.
"Everyone at work was worried about you for some reason," Nico spoke. Reyna slowly looked at him, "That's why they got you the card. Also, Percy hasn't burned the place down. Yet. That's good news, I guess."
"Give it a week," Thalia joked. A hint of a smile split Reyna's face. "Do you need any pain medicine?"
"I just took some," Reyna answered. The front door opened, and Thalia turned her head to greet Hylla. She hasn't seen Reyna's older sister since they met at the store. She just hoped that Hylla did actually approve of the two dating. Thalia's greeting died in her throat as she looked at the woman who had just let herself into the house.
"Reyna," Bellona uttered bluntly. Her eyes moved around the house, and a small disapproving frown morphed her face. Especially as she looked at the kitchen. Kinzie averted her gaze and focused back on the food.
"Mom?" Reyna asked. Her eyes widened slightly, but that exhausted look still dwelled in them. It didn't look like she had enough energy to deal with her mother barging in. Thalia couldn't blame her. "What are you doing here?"
"To check on you," Bellona answered as she walked toward Reyna. She reached her hand out to touch Reyna's good shoulder gently. It looked so foreign to how Bellona treated her daughter outside the store. Was it because there were witnesses? Or was it because Bellona only got upset when things didn't go her way?
"I'm okay," Reyna said after a moment. "Just tired."
"Good," Bellona replied. She glanced around the room again. "It looks like you're in good hands. I just wanted to stop by. If you need anything, let me know."
Reyna nodded and mumbled something in Spanish. Bellona returned it in rough Spanish, and she patted Reyna's shoulder before turning and walking towards the door. Her gaze moved over Thalia before looking back at the kitchen. Following her gaze showed that Kinzie was busying herself with finishing the food.
Bellona walked out of the house and closed the door behind her. The tension in the air lifted, but no one dared to say anything. Nico glanced at Reyna and slowly spoke, "It's a good thing she stopped by."
"Yeah," Reyna agreed. It looked like her mind was in a mental fog. Thalia slowly walked towards the kitchen and glanced at Kinzie.
"You okay?" Thalia asked softly. Kinzie turned towards her and smiled slightly.
"I am. Do you mind grabbing bowls? They're on the shelf right behind you," Kinzie asked. Thalia nodded and grabbed four bowls. She almost had the door closed before she remembered Hylla would be there, and she grabbed a fifth bowl.
"I just know that Reyna's mom doesn't... like you," Thalia spoke awkwardly after a moment. A small laugh left Kinzie.
"Yeah," Kinzie agreed. She started filling the bowls, and Thalia's mouth almost watered as Kinzie grabbed garlic bread out of the oven. "I just tend to stay out of the way when she comes around. The last thing I need is for her to make a comment that upsets Hylla."
"Are you worried about Bellona?" Kinzie asked as she turned towards Thalia and studied her.
"Kind of," Thalia admitted. "Reyna said she didn't care what her mom thought, but..."
Thalia sighed and looked at the ground. She slowly spoke, "I just know that she's abusive. I don't want her to hit Reyna because we're dating."
"I don't think you have to worry about that. Bellona swears that she hasn't hit Reyna since she was in high school. It pisses me off that she even did that, but... why are you making that face?"
Thalia realized she was grimacing, and she quickly looked away. A frown slowly twisted Kinzie's face, "Did she hit her again?"
"Is the spaghetti done?" Nico complained from the living room. Thalia hated how piercing Kinzie's gaze was.
"Did she?" Kinzie questioned again. Thalia looked down and then finally nodded. "When?"
"Not even a month ago," Thalia answered softly. A swear left Kinzie.
"What's going on?" Nico asked as he stepped into the kitchen. He frowned as Kinzie turned her gaze on him.
"Nico, did Bellona hit Reyna?" Kinzie asked. Nico frowned and looked away. A small nod finally left him. "Why did no one tell us?"
"Because Reyna asked me not to," Nico confessed softly. "She knew that Hylla would blow up on Bellona and maybe even try to attack her."
"Because she's going to defend her baby sister," Kinzie stated. She took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. "Alright. Just let me tell Hylla about this. When Reyna asks where we heard it from, we'll just say that she said it while high on her pain meds. You guys go ahead and eat."
Thalia glanced at Nico, who was giving her a look that she couldn't identify. Kinzie grabbed the empty bowl and placed soup in it. She carried it into the living room. Thalia watched her give the bowl to Reyna and talk to her with a small smile.
"I really didn't mean to spill the beans," Thalia began as she looked at Nico.
"I'm kind of glad you did," Nico admitted. "I hate that Reyna is treated like that by her mother, and for a long time, I wanted to tell Hylla. Reyna would have killed me, though."
"She'll kill me instead," Thalia guessed. She hung her head. "How am I already ruining this relationship?"
"You're not," Nico assured. "Trust me. Reyna was already talking nonsense after the surgery. Just relax. And if she finds out you told her and gets mad at you, I will make sure she comes around."
Thalia nodded and grabbed a bowl and garlic bread. She walked back into the living room and saw that Reyna was eating a spoonful of soup. She had her bowl balanced on her lap. Her dogs had been taken off of the couch, and Kinzie was filling their dog bowl.
Thalia moved to sit in one of the free chairs, but Reyna spoke, "Not going to sit next to your girlfriend?"
"I am," Thalia retorted with a small smile. She tried to ignore her guilt as she sat by Reyna, being careful to not bump her shoulder. "Do you need help with anything?"
"No," Reyna answered. "It's just nice to have you here."
"I'm great at taking a place on a couch," Thalia grinned as she tried to keep her happy demeanor. "I'll stay here as long as you want, though."
"Thank you, Thalia. I really appreciate you," Reyna said softly, looking at her girlfriend. "Don't let me keep you too long. I know you worked hard today."
"I wouldn't call it hard work," Nico commented. Thalia rolled her eyes as Reyna smiled. "Now shut up and put on the TV. I think Spongebob is on."