Recap:
"You will figure it out. I know you will," Loki reassured him softly. Sparing a last heart-wrenching glance at Reyna, he left the room and shut the door before the tears could betray him.
♤
It took Reyna almost an hour to calm down enough to face reality again. Peter hadn't known what to do, but as soon as he came close, Reyna had thrown her arms around him and refused to let go. Hugs was something Peter was good at, and he made sure to use all his hugging skills to comfort his friend now. She was everything but okay, but she would at least manage to return to Mr. Brunner's classroom and pretend nothing had happened. Peter offered his hand to help her from the floor, which the mutant gratefully accepted. Once Reyna stood upright again, she managed to adorn her alias again while Peter snaked an arm around her waist to help support her weight.
"Are you ready?" He asked her quietly. A pang of recognition and guilt hit Reyna straight in the chest. Why did her best friend have to be so much like her lover in his manners? She took a deep, shaky breath and looked at him again with a small smile.
"As ready as I'll ever be, Aranho," Reyna answered. She extracted herself from his arms to stand on her own and gestured for him to lead the way. The trip back to the classroom was made in silence, the hallway almost empty around them. They wandered through the maze of corridors until they finally found the classroom they had left an hour earlier. Peter knocked on the door, and the mythology teacher looked up from a bunch of papers he was grading. Once he saw who it was, he smiled softly and rolled over to the door, unlocking and opening it for the two friends.
"That took longer than I expected," he commented warmly. Reyna tried for a smile.
"I'm sorry, sir. We just got some really bad news about my family, and I needed some time to calm down," she apologized, the lie rolling off her tongue with ease even now. Mr. Brunner studied her for a moment while the two went down to the end of the classroom to collect their things.
"Is that really why Loki wanted to talk to you?" He asked finally, making Reyna stop in her tracks.
"What are you talking about? Was that Loki?" She asked with faked concern as she turned around.
"There is no need to lie to me, child. It's not every day that a god decides to visit my students. A Norse god, nonetheless. What was it that he wanted?" The teacher asked again, still as calm and caring as ever. Reyna could simply stare.
"How-?"
"When you have lived for as long as I have, you learn to recognize the gods, even in one of their many disguises," he responded mysteriously.
"Wait, are you that Mr. Brunner, sir? But, no, you can't be. That guy is just a Percy Jackson character. He's fictional," Peter spoke up but corrected himself just as quick, but their teacher had gotten a knowing glint in his eye.
"Maybe I am just fictional, but who's to say that you aren't as well, Peter? You have come to accept the Norse gods. Why should, say, the Greek or the Egyptian ones be any less real?" He inquired with a raised brow.
"You're Chiron, aren't you? The centaur who trained the great heroes of ancient Greece?" Reyna asked, almost in a whisper, not believing her own words.
"You have clear sight, my child. Yes, you are correct. I am Chiron," he confirmed with a warm chuckle. "Now, to get back on topic. What was it that he wanted?"
"I think you will need a bit of context." Reyna forced herself to take a deep breath to quell her shaking hands before they found something sharp to rub against.
"That would be very much appreciated."
"Well." Reyna looked to the floor as she let her alias fall before meeting Chiron's eyes again. "I'm not exactly the person I've made myself out to be."
"Ah, I thought there were similarities. The Raven. A bird that has great symbolic meaning across the pantheons, but I'm sure you know that already. It suits you well." He didn't seem all that surprised, but he, like everyone else, got that wondering sparkle in his eye as he searched hers.
"Yes, thank you. Then I assume you know that Loki and his brother live with the Avengers here on Earth?"
"Of course."
"Me and Loki have become great friends over the time we have spent together. Two weeks ago, I left the facility because I no longer felt safe there, and Peter and his aunt took me in. Today, Loki came to check on me since I have gone no contact since then," Reyna explained.
"May I ask why you didn't feel safe living with the earth's mightiest heroes anymore?"
"It's a long story-"
"They overstepped all her boundaries by a mile." Peter stepped in, clearly still angry for Reyna's sake.
"I see."
"Could I ask for some advice, Professor?" Reyna asked tentatively.
"Why, of course?" Chiron directed his attention back to the mutant.
"The thing is... I- I suffer from flashbacks of my past where I can lose control of my actions and lash out. Loki told me we fought a few days after the incident, and I hurt him badly, but I don't remember, and I am certain I didn't suffer a flashback. Somehow, I lost control of my body, and whatever it was that was in charge saw him as a threat. I'm terrified it will happen again, or worse, already has happened again and I don't know what to do. I feel like I have to go back for everyone else's safety, so I can be properly contained if it were to happen again. But I can't face them knowing what they forced me to do just weeks ago. I- I can't," Reyna explained the situation and her dilemma about it as best she could without breaking down again.
"Reyna, I can't say what their intentions were with this intrusion, but I can't possibly believe it would be malice. We all make mistakes. It is what makes us human-"
"You're an immortal centaur," Peter commented.
"Figure of speech, Peter. What I'm trying to say is; that your teammates may not have meant for it to become hostile. Maybe they saw something that worried them and wanted to investigate for your sake, which then escalated. If you think about it, did any of them try to talk to you afterward? Did they try to explain the situation or apologize for their actions? I know it hurts a lot, and I certainly don't blame you for feeling exposed. My advice to you would be; to give them a chance to explain, to apologize. Make sure it is done on your terms and you certainly don't have to forgive them. Do what you feel is right." Chiron was right. Of course, he was. Yet it didn't ease the sour feeling in her chest about facing the team again. However, the urge to go back. To be with those she actually trusted was too great to ignore.
"Reyna, if you go back and decide it's too much, then you are always welcome to come back and live with me and Aunt May," Peter offered.
"And you are always welcome in my classroom," Chiron reassured her. Reyna was quiet for a moment, making up a game plan. She realized she had another option to choose from. Reyna didn't have to choose one or the other. Before, it seemed she could only choose between staying with Peter and continuing to go to school like she had done for the past two weeks or going back to the compound to try and mend with the team. She realized she could combine the two possible outcomes, something the mutant found she definitely wanted. But then why was there still that nagging feeling in her chest? She needed time to think, and she told Chiron and Peter as much.
"Of course, take all the time you need. These kinds of decisions need some thought," Chiron agreed, patient and understanding as always. Peter handed Reyna her bag and jacket, which the mutant accepted with a small thank you.
"I will let you know what I decide to do the second I know myself. Thank you, sir. For everything," Reyna thanked the teacher before Peter gently started guiding her towards the door. Chiron looked after the pair for a moment and couldn't help seeing some of his demigods in them. He realized how similar their stories were. The mortal heroes might not face the same foes as the demigods, but the gods be damned if their stories weren't written in the same font. The centaur rolled after them in his wheelchair and caught the door before it closed behind Reyna and Peter. He caught a glimpse of the boy gently placing an arm around the girl's shoulders to comfort his friend, and the mentor couldn't help the small smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth. As he closed the door and locked it once more, he said to himself as he had so many times before;
"καλή τύχη, νεαροί ήρωες"
Good luck, young heroes.