Reyna leaned back in her car seat and studied the apartment building in front of her. She had been watching it for a few days now. Jason and his vigilante friends had been in and out of the building. Thalia had stepped out once. That one time was ten minutes ago when she left with the blonde haired girl. Jason's car was still there.
Reyna had taken Hylla's advice. She couldn't just murder the vigilantes if she wanted to have any chance of figuring out what the hell was going on with her and Thalia. She needed a reason to be alone with Thalia and talk to her. And, she had the perfect one.
A knock on the window caused Reyna to turn her head. She popped the trunk, and Nico gave her a look. Then, he hauled Jason to the back of the car and laid him in the trunk. He closed the trunk and then walked over and sat in the passenger's seat.
"You could have helped me carry him," Nico complained as he settled in the passenger's seat. Reyna smirked and turned on the car.
"Sorry. I have to rest my knee. Doctor's orders," Reyna teased. Nico rolled his eyes and looked out the window. Reyna turned her head. The plan was a simple one. She needed a reason to get Thalia alone, and the best way to do that was kidnap her brother and draw her out. Just so they could talk.
Reyna had debated kidnapping Thalia directly, but anytime she was there, Thalia was not alone. Jason or another one of those vigilantes were there with her. So, Reyna was forced to wait for Jason to be alone and kidnap him instead. A note had been left for Thalia with an address and a warning to come alone.
Reyna didn't see how the plan could go wrong. She started to drive towards the building where Thalia would meet them. While she hadn't seen Jason's power, she assumed he could use lightning because Thalia could. She had taken that into account.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay around?" Nico asked.
"I can handle it," Reyna promised. "You just have to carry him inside."
"So, the hard work?" Nico teased.
"I know you're not used to it," Reyna quipped. Nico smirked. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as Reyna drove. She wasn't sure what it was about Nico, but she didn't mind being in his presence. Most people annoyed her to no end, trying to fill the silence with conversation or compliments. With Nico, they didn't waste time on words that were unneeded.
When they made it to the building, Reyna parked her car and slowly got out. She gritted her teeth and grabbed her crutches. Reyna popped her trunk, and Nico picked up Jason. After closing the trunk, Reyna started to lead Nico inside.
"This tranquilizer will wear off in twenty minutes. Are you sure you can handle this with your leg?" Nico asked.
"Yeah. I can," Reyna promised. She smirked. "He'll be tied up anyway. Now, let's get this done."
Reyna studied Jason quietly. The man was quite handsome, but he didn't hold the same attraction that Thalia did. His blonde hair was perfectly cropped, and she would guess he had the same blue eyes as his sister. His hands were taped to the chair and had a small blanket wrapped around his hands as well. Reyna wasn't sure if it would stop him from creating lightning, but it was a good thing to try.
Reyna studied the table in front of her. She opened a wine bottle and poured herself a glass. As Reyna took a sip, Jason started to stir. He groaned and slowly lifted his head. His blue eyes blinked, and he didn't seem to be all there yet.
A smirk came to Reyna's lips. This wine came from her sister: a gift for reasons unknown. It wasn't poisoned; Reyna made Octavian try it the day before. He hadn't keeled over yet, not that it would be a big loss. Jason groaned and looked around. He made eye contact with Reyna and froze.
"Jason Grace," Reyna greeted. She took another sip from the glass. "I would offer you some, but your hands look a little tied."
"Reyna," Jason said. He slowly looked around. "Are you going to torture and kill me? Question me about the others?"
"I don't care about you," Reyna admitted. She finished her glass and sat it down. "I just want to talk to your sister."
Jason studied Reyna. He finally spoke, "Thalia said that you pulled a gun on her and threatened her. Are you going to finish the job, or do you regret what you did?"
Reyna didn't answer. She just propped her legs up on a nearby chair. The alcohol had taken out the sting of pain in her leg. Her gaze focused on her knee. Reyna still wanted her revenge on that vigilante, but as she thought about it, she wanted Thalia more.
"We want to work with you," Jason said suddenly. Reyna looked at him. "We've been doing this dance for months now. Us stopping your plans. You sometimes preventimg that, but you're not like the others that we went against. Most of those criminals immediately tried to target us. They ordered their men to shoot to kill. Not you."
"You seem to keep casualties to a minimum. When I walk up to a random person on the street and ask them about you, they're not scared shitless. They've heard about the work that your men have done, but everyone knows they can walk the streets without fear of being shot for no reason," Jason continued.
"It's easier that way," Reyna stated. She smirked. "Why the fuck wouldn't I let the average citizen be comfortable? The second they feel unsafe is the second they take action, and it's going to draw the attention of other cities, then the state, and maybe even the federal government. Do you know how much fucking work that is?"
"Is it easier, or would you feel guilty if innocents died?" Jason asked. Reyna chuckled and grabbed the wine. She took a sip. "We found that therapist. The one you talked to and diagnosed you with Alexithymia. He called you a lot of things, but it made me realize that we can work together."
"Why the fuck would I want to work with you?" Reyna demanded. She glared at Jason. "That fucking bitch Clarisse tried to kill me. I didn't do a fucking thing that she accused me of."
"I know. That was our fault," Jason admitted. "We didn't want to tell Clarisse about Thalia trying to sleep with you because we knew she would overreact. We just didn't realize how she saw the situation and would try to kill you for it."
"But," Jason said as Reyna just glared at him. "Thalia really likes you, Reyna. She has feelings for you. I've never seen her like this before. I want my sister to be happy, and I know that you being with her will make you happy. I just don't want her shot to be ruined because of what Clarisse did."
"This is fucking hilarious and all, but what the fuck makes you think I would work with any of you after what Clarisse did?" Reyna asked.
"I know it's not a fair thing to ask," Jason continued. "Clarisse accused you of something you didn't do and beat you to near death. Thalia did her best to save you, though. We can do a lot of good by working together."
"How do I know I can trust you?" Reyna demanded. "One of your friends already tried to kill me! How am I supposed to forgive that?"
"I could have taken you out already, but I didn't because I wanted to have this talk with you," Jason shot back.
"Your hands are tied. You can't do shit. Unless you're telling me that you can use lightning with your feet," Reyna said. Jason shook his head.
"I can't do that, but I could have been out of these handcuffs already with you on the ground," Jason explained.
"Then do it," Reyna challenged. Jason studied her and remained silent. "That's what I thought. You vigilantes are full of lies, and I won't begin to trust you."
"You asked for it," Jason warned. Reyna opened her mouth, but she saw Jason suddenly jerk up his seat. Before she knew it, the table slammed right into her face, and her world darkened for a moment. When Reyna came back to focus, she was laying on her back with the table pressing against her nose.
"Shit. Didn't mean to use that much air," Jason commented as he lifted the table and placed it to the side. He was out of his handcuffs and didn't look like he had been tied up in the first place. Reyna slowly backed away, and Jason didn't try to stop her. "I can't use lightning. Just air."
Jason sat on the ground near Reyna and studied her, "I'm not a liar, Reyna. It's not in my blood. I stop criminals because they kill people without issue and make life hell for people just trying to live. You don't do that. You're different from any other criminal I have ever met."
"Thalia sees that too. She talks about how much she enjoyed fighting with you and talking to you. If I thought for a second that you would really hurt Thalia, I would have locked her away and not allowed her anywhere near you."
Reyna slowly sat up. She placed the back of her hand to her nose and glared as she felt blood hit her hand. Why did these vigilantes always go for her nose? Her gaze focused on Jason. While it was true that she wanted Thalia, she could feel there were strings attached. But, she was willing to see what those strings were.
"I think I ruined my chance," Reyna said softly. She looked down. "That's why I kidnapped you, so I could talk to her alone without anyone interfering."
"You know she's going to come in guns blazing, right?" Jason asked.
"It seemed like the easiest way to get her alone," Reyna remarked with a shrug. "Someone was always at your place with her."
"You were watching us?" Jason questioned. Reyna nodded. "And, you didn't try to interrogate or kill any of us?"
"I told you. I just wanted to get Thalia alone and talk to her," Reyna answered. She slowly tried to stand, and Jason offered a hand. Reyna took the hand and was pulled to her feet. She hobbled towards one of her fallen crutches and grabbed it. "Do you think she will listen?"
"She's going to come in swinging, but if she sees me unharmed and not tied up, I think she'll calm down," Jason said. He slowly put the table back upright and sat on it. "Sorry about the wine."
Reyna waved her hand and didn't say a word. She winced in pain. Her heart felt like it was beating faster as she thought about Thalia. She absolutely hated the feelings that she was having for Thalia. Somehow, it outweighed her desire for revenge against Clarisse.
Who was to say Reyna couldn't convince the vigilantes to hand over Clarisse? They did want to work with her after all, so she would use it to her advantage. Jason glanced at her. Reyna spoke, "Thalia and I will talk. Why don't you and your friends figure out exactly how we would work together."
A look of surprise came to Jason's face. He uttered mirthfully, "You're going to work with us?"
"We'll see," Reyna commented. Her phone vibrated, and she slowly grabbed it out of her pocket. Her gaze stared at the text, and two thoughts ran through her head: ignore the text or leave. Could she just leave when she had a chance to talk to Thalia? But, this was more important.
"I have to go. There's an emergency," Reyna stated. Jason's head shot up to her. "Tell Thalia that I need to talk to her. We'll meet back here tomorrow at five."
"Do you need help?" Jason asked. Reyna looked at him, and a smirk came to her face. Did he really think she would accept help from him? Reyna may not have put a bullet into his head now, but she still wasn't sure what to make of the vigilantes.
"No. I can handle it," Reyna declined. She carefully walked over to her other crutch and slowly picked it up. Before she left the room, she looked at the text from Bianca di Angelo:
Come to the restaurant ASAP. Nico is in trouble.
