Burden (Being Rewritten)

Missing

Thalia

She was confused.

Why did the praetor care? Why was she the first one that Thalia saw when she woke? She figured she was thrashing in her sleep, which maybe made the praetor pin her down to keep from hurting herself. But still, why did she care about a hunter, one with so much pain that it was no longer knowable?

That night she was released from the infirmary, Reyna rolled her wheelchair(as they didn't want to risk her using her legs) down to the Praetor house, where she was then placed into a bedroom and told to rest. No doubt this was Reyna's room, looking at the mess of papers piled on a table and some of them falling to the ground with the symbol of New Rome.

Thalia felt bad for kicking Reyna out of her own room. Even if it wasn't her choice, the thought of Reyna sleeping downstairs on a couch was more than enough to make her feel guilty. 

The wolves hadn't spared Thalia at all. Her right hand was heavily bandaged from where one had bit to the bone, her left leg was in a cast because of two wolves biting the calf(that by itself worried her, as now she feared she wouldn't be able to run as well as she used to), her right leg was bandaged because of a wolf shattering her kneecap, one had somehow reached her neck and so she was plagued with a headache and bandages to cover the wound. Since these were done by werewolves, Thalia was very sure that they would take a lot longer to heal and would be very painful, that much she could tell from the throbbing headache and burning muscles.

Reyna herself was a slightly constant nag. Every ten minutes or so she would come in and ask if Thalia needed anything, though sometimes she would skip an entire hour before checking. She always looked more tired than the last check-up, something that concerned Thalia more than her own bandages. 

It had been four days since she arrived, and the daughter of Zeus could tell how much that was hurting the praetor.

She would have dreams similar to her first, sometimes Hylla and Reyna, other times in some spa with the two girls, fewer times seeing the hunters separated and vulnerable. Why she kept seeing Hylla and Reyna, Thalia had no clue. Though, in a way, those dreams were making her more conscious of the daughter of Bellona's struggles, and maybe that was what was worrying Thalia more than the Hunt was.

A knock on the door frame broke her out of her thoughts. Again there stood Reyna, wearing a purple shirt and blue jeans, hair braided to the side, dark black eyes watching the bed-ridden girl before her. "Need anything?" she asked, and Thalia immediately sensed today's differences. Reyna's body was tense, figure straight and pulled taut. Her eyes were covered in slightly visible red veins, proof of her lack of sleep. Her voice was slightly tired, and that alone meant Reyna was too exhausted to hide her exhaustion.

"I think I should be asking you that," Thalia answered, causing the other girl to frown. She clarified. "You haven't slept since I got here."

Reyna shook her head in denial. "I have."

"When?" Thalia challenged.

The praetor hesitated, face thoughtful. "You can't even remember?" Thalia mused.

Reyna glared. "I do. I... took a nap, six hours ago."

She snorted, much to the praetor's dismay. "And you think I need something."

"You're the one bed-ridden and covered like half of a mummy."

"How would you know about mummies?"

Again Reyna glared. "I know things, other than that of Rome and Greece."

"That's how I know you're a Roman version of Annabeth." Thalia joked, not gaining a smile or laugh from the praetor.

"Why would you care if I sleep or not? You have other things to worry about." That by itself hit Thalia hard. Here she was, joking and arguing with the praetor in a comfortable bed while the Hunt was fighting for their lives, each of them scared and hungry. Reyna noticed the change. "I meant-"

"I know what you meant," Thalia snapped, not caring if she was rude or not. "Any word from Artemis or the gods? Any word of the Hunt?"

Reyna shook her head. "The gods have gone silent yet again. It seems this could be a start of a new war."

The idea made her insides twist. "Any word on Lycaon?"

"No, he's gone off the grid. I sent out search parties yesterday, but none of them-"

"Wait, you sent out parties?!?!" The daughter of Zeus started to panic. What if the parties were killed? What if-

"Relax. They have all come back fine. None of them found Lycaon or his followers. I sent out a second round this morning." Even if the praetor was trying to assure Thalia they were fine, she could tell Reyna was tense because of worry for the parties. But there was also worry about something else, or maybe, someone else.

"Who else went missing?" she blurted, unable to stop herself from asking. Reyna went rigid, eyes flashing.

"That is none of your concern." she said, finality laced in her darkly calm voice. "Get some rest. I'll check on you in an hour." with that Reyna left, door closing behind her.

Reyna didn't come back after an hour.

She didn't come back for twenty five hours.