Fanfiction seemed to have some kind of weird glitch where it wouldn't show updated chapters. If you didn't read the chapter about the press conference or Gwen's retirement party, make sure to check them out before reading this one.
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Hazel carefully taped up the box and then glanced up. Gwen was looking around the locker room with a small frown. They had the day off from training, and Gwen asked Hazel to help her finish packing up the rest of her stuff. Hazel didn't mind. She enjoyed the time that she spent with Gwen.
"Are you excited?" Hazel questioned. There was no time for a conversation between just the two of them ever since Gwen announced her retirement. Gwen didn't answer at first. Her gaze just moved around the locker room, like she was reminiscing over everything.
"I am," Gwen answered. She grabbed the box and left the room. Hazel followed behind her, and they made their way towards the gym. "And scared. I don't know what any of this is going to entail."
"You'll still have us," Hazel promised. Gwen smiled at her. She walked into the gym and placed her box down. Gwen moved towards one of the rings, the one that she normally sparred in. She sat down and slowly looked around.
Hazel was going to miss Gwen. The woman had been one of her mentors. Gwen taught her a lot of things about life and had been like an older sister. Hazel didn't talk much to her extended family, and they never checked on her. She didn't know her father, and the only one she knew on that side of her family was Nico.
"You guys will always have me," Gwen promised. Hazel smiled and hugged her gently. Gwen hugged her back, and the two sat in silence. Gwen looked like she was lost in memories, and Hazel didn't want to interrupt. She just focused on the mat.
Hazel was one person away from being the senior member of the Wolves. She knew that Reyna wouldn't be going anywhere for a long time, but Hazel couldn't help but feel proud. When she first joined, her extended family members didn't congratulate her. They just said that she would fail and come crawling back to them.
Hazel sighed. She wanted to get to know her other family members on a personal level, but they didn't want anything to do with her. Hazel had lived all of her life with that discrimination. Her extended family didn't like the fact that Hazel's mother acted as a sort of seer. That was one of the reasons they moved, but then, she was forced to face bullying because of her skin color.
Lupa was one of the first adults to accept her in and not care what she looked like or where she came from. A smile came to her face. The Wolves were a second family to her, but she still wished that she knew her first family.
A door at the other side of the gym opened, and Hazel looked up. Lupa and Octavian walked into the gym. It looked like they were in a deep conversation and didn't notice their surroundings.
"If we think Frank can handle it. That would be a high profile fight for the new kid," Octavian said. For the first time, he wasn't wearing a suit. Octavian wore black Bermuda shorts and a buttoned-up dress shirt. Hazel was always convinced that Octavian tried to dress casually on the days he had off but didn't actually know how to dress casual.
"We will have to talk to Frank. I do not like the idea of turning down a fight, but this is not the time for his confidence to be destroyed," Lupa said quietly. Her gaze stayed focused on the ground as she walked. It was a sign that she was deep in thought.
"I have a couple of fights lined up for Reyna. She has a fair amount of choices," Octavian said. He stopped walking and turned his head. Upon seeing them, Octavian walked towards them. "Hey, Gwen. Saying goodbye?"
"Just thinking about all of the memories," Gwen said quietly. When she looked at them, there were tears in her eyes, but she made no movement to wipe them away. "Why is this so bittersweet?"
"You are welcome back anytime Gwen. We will welcome you with open arms," Lupa promised. Gwen smiled and stood. She stepped out of the ring and walked towards Lupa. Gwen hugged her tightly.
Hazel sat down and thought of her own memories of the gym. There was Lupa of course. Lupa never missed a day and never got tired of their questions. She rarely lost her temper, although it was pretty scary when she did. Hazel had yet to incur that wrath, and she hoped that she never did.
Lupa was like a second mother to most of them. Hazel wasn't sure about Annabeth, but she knew that Frank and Reyna didn't have parents. Frank's father was never in his life, and his mother had died while on duty. Hazel and Frank had even taken a recent day off to celebrate the day that would have been her birthday.
As for Reyna's parents, Hazel, well, she didn't know anything about them. She didn't know much about Reyna's past, and it seemed too awkward to ask. While Reyna was nice and kind to Hazel and Frank, she was also guarded. Going to her apartment didn't reveal anything about her. Hazel wasn't sure she would learn anything that she wanted to know.
The others were an open book. Octavian talked about his family all of the time, and while some people may have seen it like bragging, Hazel knew he just had pride in all that his family accomplished. Octavian's past also wasn't as interesting. It was nothing against him, but the tale of a rich kid growing up with a boring life just wasn't exciting.
Frank on the other hand had plenty of interesting tales. Like the time that he accidentally tripped down two flights of stairs and wasn't injured. Or how he had to carry his grandma home when their car broke down, and he didn't want her to walk in the cold.
Hazel knew those weren't particularly interesting stories, but when Frank told them, she was captivated. She also knew why. Hazel wasn't quite sure when it happened, but she had a crush on Frank Zhang. It had been like that for almost a month now, but there was no way she could act on her feelings.
"I should bring the rest of my stuff to the car. I'll stop by your office before I leave," Gwen promised. Lupa finally pulled away from the hug and nodded. Hazel picked up Gwen's box, and they walked outside.
It was quiet as they walked towards Gwen's car. When Hazel put the box in the trunk, she looked at Gwen and spoke, "Why did Lupa disapprove of you and Reyna dating?"
Gwen sighed and closed the trunk. She leaned against it. Hazel turned and leaned against the car as well. They were quiet for a few moments. Gwen finally spoke, "I don't want you to think any less of Reyna."
"Why would I?" Hazel asked softly. Gwen stared down at the ground. "Did something happen?"
"Reyna is a great friend, but she struggles when it comes to relationships," Gwen answered. "I can count on Reyna to help me with anything that I need, but I can't ask her to return my feelings. You weren't there when she was dating Jason's sister, so it's hard to explain."
"I don't understand," Hazel began. She looked at Gwen. "If Reyna is a great friend, how can she struggle with relationships?"
"There is a difference when it comes to being a friend with someone and being in a relationship with them," Gwen explained. She sighed and played with her watch. It was one that she always wore. The watch itself was silver and had a black leather strap. "She gave this to me on my birthday. We were still dating at the time, but I broke up with her a week later. She wouldn't take the watch back."
Gwen's voice was quieter now, almost wistful. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Do you remember how Reyna acted when she was preparing with her fight against Clarisse?"
"I remember she was in the gym almost every day. She was one of the first to arrive and the last to leave," Hazel said. She shrugged. "Reyna was super focused."
"She was," Gwen said softly. Hazel leaned in closer to hear her better. "Reyna becomes consumed by her fights, and she doesn't focus on much else. Even when she would come over, I could tell her focus wasn't on me. All of her thoughts went to her fight ahead, and she neglected me."
"Even without a fight to focus on, Reyna struggled to connect with me emotionally," Gwen said. Hazel frowned and looked at the ground. That was something she had never noticed about Reyna before. Whenever they had a problem, Reyna would listen to them and help them. Wasn't that kind of like connecting on an emotional level?
"Reyna would never share anything about herself. I didn't even know she had a sister until I found an old picture in her room," Gwen muttered. "Even then, I couldn't get a name out of her. Reyna never told me how she felt or what was bothering her. It was like she didn't want to let me in, and how are we supposed to have a relationship like that?"
"I don't know," Hazel admitted. Gwen nodded and pushed herself off of the car. "So, what does that have to do with Lupa?"
"Lupa understands us a lot more than we realize," Gwen answered. "It wasn't that she didn't approve of Reyna and I. She knew we wouldn't work out. That was why she stepped in."
Hazel looked down. She wasn't sure if stepped in was the right phrase. The day that Lupa found out was carved into her memory. Reyna and Gwen had been sparring, and Hazel was in a corner of the gym helping Nico. She had yet to officially join, so she kept to herself. Lupa stormed into the gym and interrupted the sparring match. She grabbed Gwen by her shoulder and led her towards her office. When they came back down later, Gwen just went home.
Reyna demanded to know what happened, and Lupa just ignored her. Reyna had stormed away and was clearly upset. A small sigh left Gwen, and she continued, "I didn't heed Lupa's word at first, but I did tell her we would break up. Reyna and I still met in secret, but there was doubt in the back of my mind since then. We broke up not long after."
"So, it wasn't because two fighters were dating," Hazel said softly.
"Hazel, are you into women?" Gwen asked. Hazel's face turned red, and she quickly fanned herself. "Oh. I'm sorry, Hazel. I just assumed, with your question."
"I was just curious," Hazel began. She stared at the ground and wouldn't meet
Gwen's eyes. A hand gently grabbed her shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Gwen said.
"It's okay. I just wasn't expecting to hear that," Hazel began. She forced herself to look up at Gwen. "I just wasn't sure why."
"Lupa's protective," Gwen said. She gently let go of Hazel's shoulder. Hazel nodded, but it felt like there was more to the story. While it was true that Lupa was protective of them, she never seemed like one to break up a relationship. If Lupa had broken up Gwen and Reyna, would she also break up Hazel and Frank? If they started dating. If Frank said yes. If Hazel could work up the courage.
Hazel sighed and wrapped her arms around her chest. She hugged herself tightly. Gwen focused on her and spoke, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to offend or upset you."
"It's not that," Hazel began. She couldn't admit her crush out loud. If it got back to Lupa, she didn't know what would happen. What if it got back to Frank? The gym wasn't that large. Information spread easily. "I'm just going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too," Gwen said. A smile came to her face, and she wrapped her arms around Hazel. It took half a second for Hazel to hug her back and rest her head on Gwen's chest. From day one, Gwen had been an older sister to Hazel.
Gwen was always there to help Hazel. It didn't matter how obvious or silly Hazel's questions were. Gwen always answered them and never judged her. Things were going to be so different now, but Hazel wanted to fill Gwen's spot. She wanted to be the one that all the new fighters went to for help and advice.
Gwen pulled away after a minute. She gently wiped a tear from Hazel's eyes. One that Hazel didn't even realize was there. Gwen spoke, "I promise that I will visit. I'll be there for your big fights. This may be a change, but it doesn't have to be a bad one."
"I know. I just can't believe it's happening," Hazel said. She gave Gwen a final hug. "If you ever need anything, you have my number, and you know where I live."
"If I ever need anything, you'll be the first one that I call," Gwen promised. Hazel nodded and pulled away. "I'm going to say goodbye to Lupa."
Gwen turned and walked inside. Hazel watched her go and finally followed behind. After helping Gwen, she didn't have any plans for the day, and Hazel wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Most of her days off were spent at home or volunteering. Maybe, Frank was available.
Hazel carefully grabbed her phone from her pocket. She knew that most people thought of Frank as some giant oaf, but he was so much more. Frank was probably one of the kindest and sweetest people she had ever met. Hazel opened her phone and called Frank. It only took a few moments for him to answer.
"Hazel, how are you doing?" Frank questioned. She smiled brightly and walked inside the gym.
"I was helping Gwen finish moving her things from the gym. Are you doing anything?" Hazel questioned. She felt a flurry of butterflies in her stomach. Hazel wasn't sure why though. She was just talking to her friend. There was no need to be nervous.
"I'm helping my grandma clean her house," Frank answered. "It's difficult for her, but I don't mind."
"You help about once a month, right?" Hazel asked. Her smile brightened. She loved that Frank cared so much about his grandma. "Would you possibly want help this time? If it's okay with your grandma."
"She might ask you a million questions," Frank began. "And, she can be judgmental sometimes."
"My family is judgmental all the time," Hazel said. She looked down at the ground, and she started to understand what Gwen had said. Hazel asked Reyna once before how she dealt with not having parents. Reyna just shrugged and said that she moved on. Hazel couldn't just move on.
How could Hazel move on from the death of her mother? How could she move on from never even knowing her father? Reyna made it sound so easy, but it couldn't be that easy. Hazel had so many questions. Did her father know that Hazel was even alive? Did he not know he had a child?
Hazel wasn't sure what was worse. How bad would it be for her father to know about her but then turn his back on her? Would it be worse for her mother to just never tell him? What if she couldn't? Hazel closed her eyes tightly.
"Are you there, Hazel?" Frank asked. Hazel snapped out of her thoughts and looked around. She realized that she been standing in front of Lupa's statue. Hazel walked towards the next door and stepped into the main part of the gym. "You there?"
"Yeah. Sorry. I was just lost in thought," Hazel said softly. She sighed tiredly and made her way past the sparring rings and towards the locker room.
"My grandma doesn't mind you coming over to help if you still want to," Frank said. The smile came back to Hazel's face, and all thoughts of her family were gone.
"I would love to. Should I bring something to eat?" Hazel questioned. She hurried into the locker room and grabbed her purse. Hazel gripped her car keys and made her way back through the gym.
"You don't have to," Frank began.
"Ask your grandma what she wants, and I'll bring something for both of you. My treat. And no arguments," Hazel said. Frank sighed after a few moments. "That's what I thought. Now go ask her. I'll be there in about thirty minutes."