The last half year had been a roller coaster of emotions for Thalia. It all started with learning that her girlfriend had been the villain that she wanted to bring down the most. From there, things only got worse. Watching a bullet enter Reyna's skull and seemingly kill her was something that would haunt Thalia forever, but none of that compared to learning that her father was dead. That was going to destroy Thalia.
Grief wasn't going to stop Thalia though. She wasn't going to be a quiet, sullen mess. This time was going to be different. The split second reaction of taking Reyna's gun and forcing it against Reyna's forehead was rash and cruel. Thalia turning the gun to her own forehead had been fueled by desperation and grief. After some time to grieve, those emotions were thrown into a blender and became something like anger.
Thalia stared down at the bed. She had cried herself to sleep in Reyna's arms. Reyna had not shoved her away, even after Thalia shoved a gun into her face. Considering Thalia fell asleep and woke in Reyna's arms, they had spent the night, or maybe a few hours, together. Thalia wasn't sure how long it had been. It didn't matter though.
Thalia slowly looked at Reyna. While sleeping, the two had become entangled with each other. Someone had also laid a blanket over the two of them. Thalia carefully removed the blanket from herself and tried to untangle herself from Reyna.
Reyna had one arm wrapped around Thalia's waist, and Thalia's head was laying on her chest. As Thalia slowly moved her legs and started to pull away, she tried to keep from waking Reyna. For as long as they had been dating, Reyna was always a light sleeper. It also didn't help that Thalia's house was usually a war zone of yelling and things being hit. Those things seemed to wake Reyna instantly.
Thalia managed to untangle her legs from Reyna's. Then, she carefully tried navigating away from Reyna's arm. It took a few moments, but she was able to. Thalia waited a few moments and then slowly sat up. Her eyes moved down to study Reyna.
Without Thalia there to cuddle, Reyna had turned on her side. It was the normal position that she usually ended up in when she use to take naps on Thalia's bed. It didn't take Thalia long to learn that Reyna felt at her most vulnerable when she slept, and it had taken awhile for her to allow herself to fall asleep before Thalia.
What was Thalia going to do now though? Her father was dead, murdered with help from Reyna. Thalia felt tears come to her eyes, but she took a deep breath. This was not the time for grief. This was the time for vengeance. She was going to find Hades and return the favor.
Thalia reached for Reyna's gun, but after a moment, she stopped. With her powers, there was no need for a gun. She had a few lessons on the shooting range, but she was not an expert. Thalia slowly stood and looked around the room. Taking the key from Reyna's pocket wasn't an option. She would wake instantly.
Thalia did need to get out of the handcuffs, but that would be a simple solution. She reached down towards her boot and grabbed a small lock picking kit from inside it. After the incident with the Titans, the Olympians taught everyone how to pick locks, in case they were ever in a situation like this again.
It took thirty seconds for Thalia to pick the lock and watch the handcuffs fall to the ground. She picked them up and glanced at Reyna. Putting the handcuffs on Reyna's wrist would most likely wake her. Thalia slipped the handcuffs into her pocket. After rubbing her wrist, she tried to create a small amount of lightning in her hands.
Thalia didn't feel anything, and nothing came to her hands. A frown came to her face as she tried once again. Then, fear gripped her heart. Reyna told her that she was going to take her powers away, but Thalia didn't believe her. It couldn't be possible, could it?
Reyna could temporarily take away powers. Taking away powers permanently had to be impossible. Thalia stared down at her hands. This was very real though. There was nothing fake about this. She took a deep breath and moved to Reyna's side. Thalia carefully removed the gun from Reyna's holster.
Reyna shifted, and Thalia tensed. Reyna didn't move after that, and Thalia moved towards the door. She slowly opened it and kept one eye on Reyna. As Reyna tensed slightly, Thalia lunged towards her and pinned her to the bed.
Thalia barely pinned Reyna to the bed before Reyna came back to full consciousness. Thalia spoke, "I really don't want to hurt you, but I can't stay here."
"I don't want to hurt you either," Reyna whispered. She stared up at the ceiling, not meeting Thalia's eyes. "I am so sorry about your father Thalia, but Pluto is right. The Olympians caused all of these problems. They should pay the price."
"By being murdered?" Thalia snapped. Anger burned in her chest, and tears came to her eyes. The thought of her father's death was starting to come back to her mind, and she took a few deep breaths. With her powers seemingly gone, another thing was ripped away from her. Her world had been ripped apart, and she didn't know if she could put the pieces back together.
"Do you think murder is going to solve anything?" Thalia demanded. How could Reyna believe that? Was this really the person that Thalia loved? How could everything be so wrong? Thalia grabbed the handcuffs from her pocket and threw them at Reyna's face. "Put them on."
"Don't do this," Reyna said. She finally looked into Thalia's eyes. "Pluto will not take this lightly. Please just listen to me Thalia."
"No!" Thalia snapped, and she barely kept herself from yelling. Thalia never had time to properly process the news that Reyna was Praetor, and after Reyna's apparent death, there was nothing to process. Thalia just wanted to pull herself away from her grief. Now, the only thing Thalia could do was remember just how cruel Praetor had been.
That's who Reyna was. She was Praetor: the villain that everyone on the streets feared. Nothing was going to change her morals, not a stupid contract that they had signed or a chance to be a good guy. Thalia raised the gun and flicked the safety off. Reyna flinched and stared at the gun. Thalia had no more regrets as she pressed the gun back into Reyna's forehead.
"Put the handcuffs on," Thalia ordered. Her voice shook in anger. After a moment, Reyna put the handcuffs on. She lifted them for Thalia to see. Thalia lowered the gun and stood. "Follow me."
"I don't want Pluto to hurt you," Reyna whispered. She slowly stood, and her eyes didn't move from the gun. "It doesn't matter what I have to do."
"Hades doesn't care about what you want," Thalia yelled. She grabbed Reyna by her collar. "Why can't you understand that? Hades is a master manipulator. He is manipulating you, just like the Titans did."
"Pluto saved me," Reyna argued. She stared in Thalia's eyes and tried to hide her fear.
"He saved you to use you!" Thalia yelled. She heard the door behind her starting to open, and she swore. Thalia swung the gun at Reyna, but Reyna caught her arm. She threw Thalia over her shoulder. Thalia hit the ground hard, and Reyna pinned her.
The door fully opened, and Bianca stepped into the room. Thalia stared up at Bianca, and her heart sank to her stomach. Out of everyone in the world, Bianca had to know how much of a monster Hades was. It didn't matter if they were related. Why was Bianca working with her father?
"What happened?" Bianca asked. She slowly stepped into the room. Thalia slowly looked at the ceiling. How could she trust anyone after this? The people who were suppose to be her friends were actually monsters.
"It was a misunderstanding," Reyna said quickly. She looked up at Bianca. "Pluto doesn't have to know about this. I can't let Thalia get hurt."
Thalia glared angrily and tried to shove Reyna away, but she had no luck. Reyna had her firmly pinned to the ground. She had gotten much stronger over the past few months. Thalia closed her eyes. It didn't seem to matter what she did. Reyna just wanted to protect her no matter what. At the moment, Thalia didn't really want to return the sentiment.
"He doesn't," Bianca agreed. She walked towards them. "My father and the others left for the Titan base. They said the Olympians were next."
As Bianca made it to their side, she looked down at Thalia. All Thalia could do was stare up at Bianca. She tried to summon lightning but had no luck. Fear gripped her heart, and her stomach twisted. Bianca took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry," Bianca said. Without warning, she slammed her knee directly into Reyna's jaw. Reyna collapsed to the ground and didn't move for a few moments. Thalia quickly sat up, and she heard a small groan escape Reyna. "I'm sorry, Reyna."
Bianca grabbed Thalia and pulled her to her feet. The two of them hurried out of the room. Thalia followed her and spared one last glance at Reyna. It didn't seem like Reyna would be following them anytime soon.
"What is going on?" Thalia asked. She followed Bianca down the hallway. Bianca didn't answer, and her hurried walk turned into a jog. Thalia matched her pace and tried to make sense of what was going on. "Are you actually working with your father?"
"I woke up here," Bianca answered. She glanced back at Thalia. "And, I couldn't just let the Titans get away with murdering Nico. I don't regret helping my father with trying to stop the Titans, but I didn't realize how far he was going to go. I'm sorry."
Bianca turned the corner and immediately fell backwards. Thalia didn't stop herself in time, and Bianca fell into her. They both tumbled to the ground. Thalia looked up and quickly scooted backwards. She held her hands up in a defensive position.
"What are you doing?" Hylla demanded. She stared at the two of them. Her hand slowly moved to the knife at her side. Thalia just stared up at Hylla. Why the hell were both Hylla and Reyna working with Hades? How long had Hylla been working with him? "Where is Reyna?"
"She's fine," Bianca answered. She stood and stepped in front of Thalia. "And, we are leaving while we can. My father took me against my will, and he will not keep me trapped here any longer."
"Your father wants to keep you safe. Just be grateful that you have a parent that cares for you," Hylla said. Bianca didn't answer, but her eyes did narrow. She walked past Hylla. Thalia followed, but a hand grabbed her shoulder. "It doesn't matter if you two want to leave. The door is locked by a key card, and I don't have one."
"We'll find a way. Are you going to stop us?" Bianca asked. Hylla studied them and didn't answer. "I agree that the Titans deserve whatever is coming their way. The Olympians are different. They saved this city and have worked to protect it."
"Your father and his friends are tearing through the Titans and are going to tear through the Olympians after that. Do you really want to turn on them?" Hylla asked. "For all of the talk of not killing innocents, it won't take much for them to turn on Thalia. They will kill her. If I'm not careful, it will be me and my sister next."
"My father is already dead, so I don't really care what they do to me," Thalia snapped. She pulled away from Hylla. "Do you really think that you and Reyna are going to be able to walk away from this? Hades will kill the two of you after he is done using you!"
"Reyna and I won't be around long enough," Hylla answered. She crossed her arms. "When we get the chance, we are finding Kinzie and leaving all of this behind."
"We can both complete our goals then," Bianca said. "If we can get our hands on the key card that lets us leave, you and Reyna can get out of here. Thalia and I can find the Olympians and warn them."
Hylla studied them for a few moments. She finally looked down and spoke, "I don't know if it is worth the risk of getting caught."
"We'll find our own way out then," Thalia snapped. Hylla studied them for a few moments and finally sighed. She grabbed both of their arms once again. "Let go!"
"We have to work together if we are going to escape intact," Hylla said. "So, you have to trust me."
Thalia studied her for a moment and finally nodded. She tried to keep her anger locked away. It took her a few moments to blink away hear tears. Thalia spoke, "You might want to check on Reyna."
"She should be fine," Bianca said quickly. Hylla glared at them and started to walk. "I wasn't trying to hurt her."
Hylla didn't answer that. She just increased her pace. Thalia was forced to follow her. She didn't really know who she could trust at this point, but it wasn't like she actually had a choice. If a chance to escape presented itself, she would take it. Hylla finally spoke, "I have a plan, but if we aren't careful, it is going to get us killed."