Annabeth didn't think her week could get any better until they pulled up to the Wolves' gym. The building itself was a grand mix of purple and black, with the name of the gym painted in a bright, silver color: Lupa's Den. The building itself was two stories tall and probably a half a mile long and wide.
"I'll park the car," Jason offered. Annabeth nodded and slowly got out of the car. She studied the marble stairs that led up to the glass doors. Lupa was hanging out near the doors. She was looking down at her phone, and if she noticed Annabeth, she didn't look up.
They had negotiated an amazing salary the night before at dinner. Annabeth would get at least five hundred thousand a year, and that didn't include any kind of sponsorship deals that she might get or outside advertisements.
From what Annabeth understood, Octavian was the one who set the fights and how much each fighter got paid. After the fight, the Olympic League would pay Lupa's gym, and she would take a portion for herself. The rest would be put into the fighter's bank account.
Lupa had assured them that every transaction had a paper trail and even offered to show them a few examples after they checked with the fighters to make sure they didn't mind. Annabeth felt like she could trust Lupa, but she also agreed to look at the paper trail to ease Piper's mind. Octavian added that any fight he negotiated for a higher than the normal price would be reflected in her paycheck, and if for some reason that fight was negotiated for lower, she wouldn't be affected.
The base pay was guaranteed no matter what happened. Lupa admitted that she didn't know how much the Olympic League would pay Annabeth for each of her fights, but if it was higher than they thought, she would raise Annabeth's salary.
There were a few things Annabeth had to do though. The first was showing up to the gym every day, excluding weekends. After her contract was signed, she would officially start the next week, after they held a press conference about it. The first week would be full of testing her cardio and strength along with skills. None of the Wolves had a fight coming up soon.
In the Delian League, fighting events usually happened every month, with a rotation of who fought. Annabeth had to fight once a month, but when she became a champion, it was moved down to once every two months, just to defend her title. The Olympic League was different.
There was still an event every month, but how often you fought depended on how good you were. Those who were just starting would probably fight every two months if not more. Those who were in the middle of the pack would fight as often as they wanted to get a shot at a championship. Champions or others who were considered top tier fought normally four times a year, defending their title or prestige each time.
Annabeth had no problem fighting more. She had yet to suffer a very serious injury, knock on wood. The worst she ever had was a broken nose one time and cracked ribs another. The Delian League didn't seem to care about if their fighters were hurt or not. The Olympic League seemed different, or at least, Lupa did.
"You ready?" Piper asked softly. Annabeth looked at her and nodded. Percy took up the rear, and the three walked up the stairs. Annabeth was officially signing the contract after Octavian spent the night before drafting up. She would also get a tour of the facility, but as of last night when she confirmed it after dinner, Annabeth was an official member of the Wolves.
"Welcome," Lupa said warmly. She closed her phone and looked at them. A smile came to her face. "Come inside."
Lupa turned and held the door open for them. Annabeth slowly stepped into the front lobby, and a gasp almost left her. The lobby was absolutely beautiful. The floor was made of marble and looked perfectly polished. There were a few pillars around the lobby that could have been for show or to support the building. There was also a statue in the middle of the lobby.
Annabeth studied the statue quietly. It depicted a she-wolf feeding two human children. She had seen some like it in museums. Annabeth looked at Lupa and spoke, "I always heard rumors that Lupa was not your real name."
"They are not just rumors," Lupa confirmed. She smiled. "The wolf mother of Rome. Stories say that she found those two boys and raised them as her own. They would go on to make a great empire. It's a little on the nose, but I do consider all of my trainees to be like my cubs."
"I'm honored to be one," Annabeth said. Lupa smiled and walked towards the front desk. The man looked up at them.
"These three are going to need ID cards to have full access to the building. They'll be back later to take pictures for it," Lupa said. The man quickly nodded and turned away. Lupa motioned for them to follow. She led them through the room and towards a door that had a scanner near it. Lupa scanned a card, presumably her ID, and stepped through the door.
Annabeth followed behind and felt her breath leave her. She stared at the gym in front of her. There were four separate rings around the gym, and a track was around the rings. Another side had all kinds of exercise equipment.
"This is amazing," Annabeth finally said. She felt Piper keep her steady. Annabeth looked back at her gratefully.
"Thank you," Lupa said. She motioned to stairs that were at the far corner. "There are some classrooms up there. That is where we go to watch fights and prepare a strategy for upcoming fights. Come on. I will introduce you to everyone."
Annabeth nodded and followed after Lupa. They made their way through another door and into a room full of tables and chairs. There were a few fridges against the wall, and Frank was digging through the fridge. He turned and placed a carton of eggs on the table along with some kind of patty. Frank looked up at them and smiled.
"Have you ate yet?" Lupa questioned. She glanced at them and walked over to Frank.
"We had something on the way," Annabeth answered. She glanced back at her friends. Piper was looking around the room in surprise. Percy was studying the food that Frank had.
"Feel free to ask Frank to make you something. He is our best chef here," Lupa said.
"The only chef really," Frank commented. "Gwen was pretty decent at it, but Hazel and Reyna can't follow instructions to save their lives. I can make you guys something if you want."
"I'll take you up on that offer, but surprise me," Percy said. Frank smiled and nodded. Annabeth gave Percy a look, and he just shrugged.
"We have the fridges fully stocked every day," Lupa explained. "Feel free to take what you need. If you have any dietary restrictions, please bring it up to Octavian or I. We will make sure you are accommodated. One of the fridges has all kinds of drinks. Let us continue."
"I'll keep your plate warm," Frank promised. Percy gave him a thumbs up and followed behind Lupa. Annabeth took up the rear as they made it into a hallway. The first door they came to was on the right and was closed. Lupa's name rested on the door.
"My door is open anytime if you need me," Lupa promised. Before Percy could make a joke about the door not always being open, Annabeth elbowed him in the gut. Lupa continued down the hall and didn't seem to notice. The next door they passed was Octavian's. "His door is as well, but make sure to knock first. He hates it when people just walk in."
They walked down the hall passing a few more doors. Lupa stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway and raised her hands to knock. The door opened before she could complete the action, and Annabeth found herself face to face with the only fighter of the Wolves that she had yet to meet. Obsidian eyes stared back at her.
"Reyna, meet Annabeth Chase. She has agreed to join the Wolves," Lupa said. Reyna's eyes flickered over to Lupa before focusing on Annabeth.
"It's nice to meet you," Annabeth said. She extended her hand. Reyna glanced down at her hand before slowly shaking it. Annabeth studied the woman in front of her. Reyna's black hair was tied back in a single braid that was thrown over one shoulder. She wore the jacket of the Wolves and shorts. Reyna was an inch or two shorter than Annabeth, but there was something about the way that she stood. It was like she knew she could take on the world, and no one could stop her.
"Annabeth Chase," Reyna said. Her voice commanded respect and reminded Annabeth of drill sergeants that she had seen in movies. There was a slight accent to Reyna's voice. English didn't seem like it was her first language, but she had mastered speaking it. "Lupa speaks highly of you."
Annabeth's brows knitted together, and a small frown came to her face. The words almost sounded like a challenge; Lupa speaks highly of you but should she? Annabeth lifted her chin to Reyna's silent challenge.
"What did Will say?" Lupa questioned, interrupting the moment.
"All clear. Not that anyone will care considering the esteemed Annabeth Chase has joined us," Reyna said. She pushed past them. Well, she pushed past Annabeth almost causing her to stumble. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to start training."
Annabeth turned to watch Reyna go. Upon looking back at Lupa, she found a smirk on the woman's lips. Mirth danced in her eyes. Lupa led them into the room and spoke, "This is our infirmary."
A man turned to face them. He had blonde hair and light blue eyes. A smile came to his face upon seeing them, and he spoke, "You must be Annabeth Chase. I'm Will Solace."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Annabeth greeted. She studied Will and had the oddest feeling of recognition. "Did you attend Chiron's summer camp?"
"I did," Will said. An odd look came to his face, and he looked between them. "You guys did too, right? I recognize you."
"Percy and I practically grew up there," Annabeth answered. She smiled brightly.
"I do remember. You volunteered to work the infirmary and helped someone when they broke their arm."
"Medicine has always been my interest," Will answered with a small shrug. "I haven't quite finished medical school yet, but I'm in a program that lets me work with the Olympic League for credits. Lupa was kind enough to let me join."
"You are near the top of your class and come from a long line of doctors. There was no other choice," Lupa stated. Will blushed and smiled.
"I'm only here in case of an emergency, or if Frank burns himself on the stove again," Will said. He shrugged.
"I do need to speak to Will in private. I will meet you three in the gym," Lupa said. Annabeth nodded and turned towards her friends. They walked out of the room, and as Annabeth went to close the door, she heard the beginning of the conversation. "Is she really ready to come back?"
Annabeth walked away from the room. As they made it back towards the kitchen, they saw Jason had joined Frank and was helping him cook. Frank looked at them and spoke, "Have you guys tried his eggs yet?"
"I have," Piper said, and she smiled.
"If the eggs were that good, I would sleep with you too," Percy said. Annabeth elbowed him hard in the gut. It seemed like Percy was about to laugh, but he doubled over in pain. He coughed a few moments later.
"Be quiet," Annabeth hissed. Percy grinned but still took a minute to calm his breathing. Jason was blushing. Piper walked towards them and hit Percy's shoulder. Frank watched them with an amused grin.
"Here. I made enough for everyone," Frank said. He handed a plate to Percy and offered one to them. Annabeth shook her head. Jason took a plate and smiled.
"Is that Frank's cooking I hear?" Octavian asked as he stepped into the room. He studied them. His gaze moved to Piper. "If you're ready, we should head to my office and finalize the contract."
"We should," Piper said. Octavian grabbed an extra plate and led Piper towards his office. It looked like Frank still had some leftovers, and while it looked good, Annabeth wanted to get a closer look at the gym.
Annabeth turned and walked back through the door. She focused on the gym, and her gaze immediately moved towards the two people in the gym. Hazel was fitting herself with training pads. Reyna was standing across from her and stretching.
Annabeth studied Reyna once again. Reyna had discarded her jacket. She was only wearing a tank top, and Annabeth's eyes moved towards Reyna's arms. The woman was much more muscular than she looked on television, and something told Annabeth that Reyna was stronger than her.
The one person that Annabeth really wanted to study was Reyna. Every single move that Reyna made in a fight seemed to be calculated. Every punch, every kick, and every step had a reason behind it. Not everything she did was supposed to connect, but there was never any wasted movement.
There was another thing about Reyna that interested Annabeth. In her four years of professional fighting, Reyna had never been knocked out. All of her losses came by the decision of the judges. She had never tapped out as well.
Annabeth had been knocked out once before, and it was one of the scariest moments of her life. For one moment, she was fighting. In the next moment, she was staring up at the ceiling with Piper kneeling next to her.
"Annabeth, do you want to join us?" Hazel questioned. Reyna turned around and studied Annabeth. She slowly put her gloves on, never breaking eye contact.
"I was just going to observe," Annabeth began. Reyna shook her head and focused on her gloves. "If that's okay."
"That's perfect," Hazel answered. Reyna didn't say a word. She just waited for Hazel to finish putting on her equipment. "It doesn't bother you, does it, Reyna?"
"It's fine," Reyna muttered. Hazel smiled and raised her hands, holding onto two strike pads. Reyna threw a few punches at the pads. Annabeth studied the woman in front of her. Reyna seemed to have an immaculate technique that came from years of training.
Annabeth let out a shaky breath. She knew that there were a lot of expectations riding on her. Lupa would be evaluating her soon, and Annabeth was nervous. She didn't know if she could live up to what Lupa wanted, but she had to do her best. Annabeth closed her eyes and tried to calm down. This was the beginning of a new journey, and she just had to take it one step at a time.