Reyna carefully slid her key into the lock and opened the door. As she slowly opened it, she quietly pushed the door open and slipped inside. Reyna had done her best to cover her tracks. She sent Nico a text that she would be home late and not to wait up for her. Now, she just needed to sneak past Hazel without waking her up and then into her room. That way-
"Why do you have a box of condoms?"
Reyna jumped and dropped the box in her hands. She made a fist and put it to her mouth as the contents of the box spilled everywhere. It was even worse as she saw Hazel standing only five feet away with a carton of eggs in her hands.
Nico had a mixing bowl in his hands and a smirk on his face. His gaze moved down, and he spoke, "You know you get like twenty four in a box, and I only count-"
"Yup," Reyna said quickly as she cut Nico off. She gathered the fallen condoms and shoved them back in the box as her face burned.
"At least you're being safe about it," Hazel said. "Are we going to meet this guy?"
"It was just a..." Reyna swallowed painfully and tried to get rid of the shame she felt. Hazel frowned as concern came to her face. Nico leaned on the counter.
"Just a…?" Nico prompted.
"It wasn't a real date," Reyna began.
"There's nothing wrong with that," Hazel said. Reyna looked at her and tried to relax. She knew that Hazel would never judge her. Nico wouldn't either. Reyna sighed and leaned on the counter.
"I used this app for like... hook-ups," Reyna began. She shrugged and winced at the pain in her bad shoulder. Without a sling, she sometimes used it when she wasn't supposed to. "We got dinner last night, and then... you know. I would have been home earlier, but..."
"You slept with him last night and this morning?" Nico questioned. Hazel made a face. Then, her eyes widened.
"Not at you, Reyna! Because Nico was so crass!" Hazel explained. Reyna smiled slightly.
"It's okay," Reyna promised. "But, yeah. Okay? I did. It was nice. I guess."
"Was the guy a jerk?" Hazel questioned. She shuffled to the stove as Nico passed her butter and started to get ingredients for pancakes. Reyna helped him.
"No," Reyna replied. "He was nice enough, but the sex wasn't that great. It was fine, I guess. Just..."
Reyna trailed off and looked at the other two. Hazel was keeping an eye on her as she made eggs. Nico was looking right at her as he put all the ingredients for the pancakes in a bowl. Reyna didn't really talk about her sexual endeavors with anyone before, but she was still trying to show herself that it was okay just to sleep with someone with no strings attached.
It had been months, but Thalia's words still bothered her a lot. Even if Thalia claimed to not mean it. Because the words still hurt. A lot. Reyna cleared her throat and pulled at her shirt. She really needed a shower.
"It sounds weird, but after Thalia, everything seems so bland," Reyna confessed.
"Well, I'm sure Thalia is a freak," Nico stated. Reyna made a face but couldn't really argue it. "And, you had feelings for her. Feelings always make those intimate moments more memorable."
"Thalia was also your first love, right?" Hazel asked.
"No," Reyna instantly declined. "She was... s...she was."
Reyna slumped against the counter and stared ahead. Thalia Grace was her first love. The first person she slept with. The first person she truly had feelings for. Her first... everything. Reyna slowly spoke, "I guess she was."
Nico handed her the mixing bowl. Hazel grabbed a spare spatula and hit Nico's arm. She spoke, "Don't make Reyna mix that when she has an injured shoulder."
"She's already doing strenuous activities," Nico complained. Reyna rolled her eyes. "Hey! Maybe that is why it wasn't so great. You couldn't use-"
"Alright. Topic over," Reyna interrupted. Nico smirked and started to mix the ingredients. "Can I help with anything?"
"Can you make bacon?" Hazel questioned. "And sausage?"
"Of course," Reyna said as she opened the freezer and grabbed her ingredients. She put them on the counter and carefully started to make the food. Nico handed the mixed batter off to Hazel and started to get drinks for them.
"Do you two have everything packed?" Hazel questioned as she started to make pancakes. Reyna kept glancing over, but Hazel seemed like she was fine. Nico didn't stray too far either.
"Two days early? I do actually," Nico said. "No need to wait until the last minute. Now, I'm sure Reyna isn't packed yet."
"I'm not," Reyna stated. "I was going to pack today."
"You better," Hazel warned. Reyna smirked and felt her phone vibrate. She glanced at it and studied her reflection. The stitches were out of her face, and she found herself examining the new, fresh scar. "Also, you should shower."
"You smell like a cologne stand at the mall," Nico said. His nose wrinkled. Reyna glared at the two. "I'll handle the food. Go clean up."
Reyna rolled her eyes and stepped away. Twenty minutes later, she had showered, changed into clean clothes, and was struggling to put her hair into a braid. After giving up on it, she made her way to the kitchen. A plate was already made for her. And Nico was stealing bacon off her plate.
"Hey!" Reyna complained as she hit his hand. Nico smirked. Reyna sat down and started to eat. Nico glanced at her. "How much money did we make for the charity?"
"It was over twenty grand the last I checked," Nico said. He shook his head. "I still can't believe it, and Lupa said she will match the donation as well."
Reyna smiled at Nico and gently squeezed his shoulder. Hazel leaned over to hug him. The three ate in relative quiet. Reyna was enjoying having Hazel as a roommate, and she was a little sad that Hazel would be moving back to her place when she felt better.
"You should pack today," Hazel commented as they finished their breakfast. Nico moved to grab all of their plates. "You don't want to wait for the last minute."
"I won't," Reyna promised.
"How's the speech going?" Nico questioned from the kitchen.
"I've been emailing a speech writer that Jupiter told me about. It's coming together," Reyna answered. "I just need to make sure that I don't vomit on stage."
"Practice," Hazel advised.
"And imagine everyone in their underwear," Nico added. He stopped by Reyna's ear. "Especially Annabeth."
Reyna's face turned a bright red, and she quickly turned away. Nico smirked at her. Reyna stood from the table and looked at Hazel, "I'll go pack right now."
"You better," Hazel said as she pointed her fork at Reyna. Nico gently took the fork from Hazel.
"Your appointment is at ten. We were going to drag you out for lunch after," Nico said as he looked at Hazel. She nodded. "I'll drive. Since you both hurt yourselves."
"You might end up hurt here pretty soon," Reyna muttered. She couldn't stay mad at Nico, though. Instead, she stood and made her way to her room. Packing would be most important. Then, she had to make progress on the speech.
It was easy enough to write down ideas and even write down parts of the speech. Actually trying to read it aloud? It left her with a rush of emotions. Reyna didn't know why it was so hard to write a speech about her trainer and mentor.
And the woman who betrayed her.
Reyna took a deep breath and sat down. She grabbed a small notebook from her bedside table. Reyna flipped through the pages, studying the writing inside. Some of the pages had full paragraphs. Others had writing that had been immediately crossed out in anger. Rachel had been right, though. It helped to write her feelings down.
Reyna flipped open to an empty page and grabbed a pen. She rested it against the page but was unsure of what to write. Reyna was still trying to figure out exactly what her feelings were toward Lupa. Anger? Disappointment? More than that?
An angry sigh left Reyna as she started to score deep marks into the papers, practically shredding it. If she delved too deep into her thoughts, she would be filled with destructive anger because she wanted to hurt Lupa just as badly as Lupa hurt her. Reyna closed the notebook and took a deep breath.
She just needed to focus on packing for the trip and enjoying it. It wasn't like people just got to visit Rome every day, so she wanted to make the most of it. Reyna stood and placed the notebook down. She was going to make the best of this trip. One way or another.