Pexy Sharacter joined the blond haired boy and glanced at her in surprise. "You're home early, Reyna! We were worried you wouldn't make it! Is everything okay? What's got you so excited all of the sudden?"
"Oh it's just some weird guy who keeps asking us random questions and giving us strange presents...and who doesn't know how to keep his hands to himself," Reyna explained as she threw her jacket on the ground next to her. She took a couple steps towards Piper before kneeling down to get the camera that was resting in her lap.
"Didn't we teach you better than throwing things at strangers?" Piper asked disapprovingly, frowning slightly as she watched the blonde throw the camera onto her own bed.
Reyna ignored her and turned back to face Astrid, "What's up? What's this box you got for us?"
At the sight of the black box, Pexy Sharacter raised her eyebrows and gave her best friend an amused grin. "And why would she get us a package? Aren't you supposed to be working for the Hunters?"
Reyna shrugged her shoulders, "Well, yeah…but that was yesterday, remember? And anyway, what does it matter anymore? I'm going back tomorrow. I've spent two months fighting with these crazy guys anyway. Why waste time?"
"Why indeed," Pexy said dryly.
Astrid looked between the two girls and sighed, deciding not to try and persuade either of them to change their minds. The best she could do was hope that she could convince them to leave the Hunter business in the past, and that they would agree that the Hunters weren't as evil as they appeared to be. But it was a long shot. Both were very stubborn. However, the alternative was not only unthinkable for her, but also quite dangerous for her. Not to mention she wasn't exactly sure how she'd explain what she wanted from them in the event that they refused.
It would be best for everyone involved if she just managed to convince them to help her. Then she'd tell them everything that was happening. Maybe they'd understand. She knew that Reyna was probably a decent human being at heart – she was kind to her and everyone else. So if she decided to stop being a Hunter once she understood, she wouldn't blame her. Or maybe she'
Pexy Sharacter says to wait a few days and then talk to her sister, the one who is currently living with me, but I won't give up my position on the Hunters anytime soon. At least, not yet. You can ask me anything you want to know later, I promise.
But for now, I don't have any choice but to go along with her plans, Astrid thought, trying to control the urge to take a step back. She didn't want to lose control of herself.
When Astrid had given her speech and left the house earlier that day, she had decided to walk through the woods until she arrived at their secret meeting place. She needed to find out where the two of them lived so that she could find out where to buy groceries or go grocery shopping. Although she didn't feel comfortable taking the subway, she feared that the fact that she had come to the city illegally would give her away. If people saw her walking through the streets dressed like that, nobody would dare stare at her, but if she happened to meet a suspicious-looking stranger, she would definitely end up being arrested.
Since she knew that the Hunters lived in a small apartment near their headquarters, Astrid decided to start by wandering around the neighborhood to see if any of them were out for a stroll.
Pexy Sharacter does have a point, she thought as she observed the dark streets full of people who seemed to be walking purposefully in the same direction. It's not like I've seen any hunters ever since last night…I guess I should wait till evening to make my move.
In spite of Astrid's determination, there were times where she couldn't help but think about her parents while she was out on her walks. She kept wondering what they must be feeling right now and whether they were still worrying about her despite her disappearance. She missed them terribly; sometimes she was scared that they were too afraid to visit her because they'd worry if something bad happened to her. That wasn't likely though since she knew they were probably too busy dealing with her younger brother to worry about her. Still, even if they were busy helping Percy fight the Titan, Astrid had no doubts that she'd find them eventually, once the Titans finally started moving south and ended up in New Rome.
As soon as the realization came crashing into her mind, Astrid realized that she couldn't stay out here. She didn't want to risk getting spotted by anyone, especially not some stupid teenager whose parents didn't know what kind of trouble they'd get into if he ran into someone he recognized. It'd only be more embarrassing for him if he ran into her. Besides, she wasn't hungry and was getting tired of carrying all those heavy looking boxes. She should get going and figure out how she was going to spend the rest of her morning hours.
"Alright! Let's go," Astrid said, starting to walk away from the street. As much as she hated to admit it, she did feel a little lost. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to find her way back to the apartment without the flashlight her father had given her, but she didn't really have a car. She could always just run to the apartment, but she didn't know where the place was and didn't want to miss it by arriving too late.
She continued her walk aimlessly down the street, following the crowd until her feet started growing weary. Before she knew it, Astrid found herself sitting on the ground. With a sigh she looked up at the sky as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
The air around her was warm and humid, almost sticky like sweat. Despite the heat, there was a chilly breeze blowing in the background making it seem colder than usual. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, enjoying the pleasant scent coming from the air. She didn't need to open them to know that the sky was darkening and that it would soon rain.
She heard footsteps approaching her