The Old Jackson Twins Book 2

Chapter Seventeen

"Mom," Aria whispered as Sally pulled her into her arms.

"Oh, honey, I was so worried! I thought you'd be home earlier!"

"I know. I'm sorry." Aria leaned into the hug. "We ran into a bit of trouble."

"That's an understatement," Reyna muttered, then yelped when Sally released Aria and hugged her.

"I'm glad you two are safe. Come in! I just put Estelle to bed, so please try to be quiet."

"Can I go say good night to her?" Aria asked hopefully.

"If she's already asleep, don't you dare wake her up or she'll never go back to sleep." 

Aria slipped down the hall, and Reyna almost followed, but Sally stopped her. "Can I ask... I need the honest truth about her. Is she ok?"

Reyna sat down at the kitchen table when Sally gestured to it. "I think so? I think she's worried about being dragged into this new fight. She misses the way our lives were before SHIELD did whatever the hell they were doing with their files." She shrugged. "Frankly, I do, too. It was simpler. There was no threat hanging over our heads." She moved her foot under the table and winced - her ankle was a little sore from the fight. "The flight was stressful for both of us."

"Yeah, Percy was a wreck when he got home the other day." Sally handed her a glass of water. "I'm glad you guys are safe, though."

Reyna just nodded and managed a smile, but honestly, she was hiding her flat-out terror, because Hela was out there somewhere, plotting against them. She felt much less safe, here in the Jackson-Blofis apartment with the person she cared most about right in the other room with her baby sister, then she ever did out in the dark by herself before Aria's graduation.

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The twins would be the first to admit that their room was small. But all four of them slept in it anyways, Percy and Annabeth on the bottom bunk and Reyna and Aria on the top. Reyna woke up long before the others did and stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking. Her past self would never have believed that someday, she'd be in a room with three sleeping Greeks, two of them she considered friends and the third the love of her life - and a girl.

The other three were woken when Estelle woke up and started asking for the twins very, very loudly, to the point of shrieking. Aria buried her face in Reyna's neck, threw the blanket over both their heads, and pretended she couldn't hear her sister. Eventually Percy gave in after Aria shouted a reminder about how she'd only gotten home yesterday, and Annabeth followed him, leaving them alone.

Aria had slept really well the night before, since she was exhausted from their flight, and now she struggled to wake up. Reyna had to keep poking and shaking her until she relented and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "I don't want to wake up."

"Too bad. It's already 9."

"I thought you loved me." She tried to pull the blanket back over her eyes, but Reyna pushed it away. "Please?"

"No." Reyna tugged her hands away from her face. "Wake up."

She sighed dramatically, then swung her legs over the edge of the bunk bed and jumped down. Reyna wasn't actually sure whether she had ever used the ladder to get down.

"Hey- you okay?" she asked as Reyna jumped down after her - she always felt weird using the ladder when Aria didn't.

"Fine. Why?"

"Um- evil goddess-alien-death combo is back from the dead and is plotting the destruction of our planet?" Aria squinted at her. "Seriously, are you okay?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "But we'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"No. But I'm really, really hoping for it."

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"So." Percy and Annabeth came back and handed Aria and Reyna each a plate of breakfast. "What happened since we last saw each other?"

"That evil alien-goddess-death chick is back and she's somewhere on Earth," Aria said through a mouthful of strawberry.

"What?"

"You are the actual worst," Reyna said offhandedly. "But yeah. She showed up at Stonehenge in a piece of shit spaceship with her giant alien wolf. There was a fight, she apparently has shape-shifting abilities, and then she disappeared and we flew back yesterday. But we didn't get back here till eight-ish."

"Why?"

"Ran into some problems with a cab driver. We ended up getting out two miles from the city and walked back because he was creepy as hell."

"Are you alright?" Annabeth sat on the edge of Percy's bed.

"Physically? Pretty much." Reyna turned to glance at Aria, realized she wasn't next to her anymore, then turned to see her sitting cross-legged on the desk.

"What?"

"You're ridiculous."

She scrunched up her nose at Reyna, then turned back to her plate.

"So where is she?"

"Good question." Reyna leaned against the edge of the desk. "I think SHIELD's trying to find out, but she could be literally anywhere. They have no idea where to look."

"Well, who cares?" Percy waved his fork in the air. "Me 'n Annabeth are done with quests and you two have your traveling, small-problem gig. None of us have to deal with this, right?" Nobody answered him. "Right?"

"Tony Stark said he might need us for more questioning," Aria mumbled. "I don't care if he calls us. After we leave, he won't be able to find us anyways. But he might find you guys."

"And what if he just waits around by Mom's during holidays to catch us?" Percy asked.

"I don't give a shit. He can go fuck himself. I'm done with wars."