"I'm not doing it, Octavian. I'm not," Reyna said. She grabbed her backpack and swung it over her shoulder. Reyna didn't even have time to leave her car before Octavian was at her side. He kept talking about a press conference to officially announce the next fight for her and Frank.
Press conferences were the worst for Reyna. She hated having to talk to reporters, and this specific type of press conference required them to be there. Or, they would be fined, and Lupa would lecture them. Reyna always found herself stuttering or locking up on the questions, which was why she had Octavian answer for her. The only problem was Octavian had family plans that day.
"You have to," Octavian stated. Reyna sighed and closed her trunk. She turned to look at him. "I have a family reunion to go to, and Lupa still isn't back. You get to take the lead at the press conference."
Reyna didn't answer. She thought there would be more time before her next fight was announced. They only decided on their fights about it two days ago. It normally took the Olympic League two weeks to even listen to their messages.
"Your fights are also getting pushed forward," Octavian said. Reyna raised an eyebrow. "You have a month to prepare."
"A month," Reyna repeated. She still wasn't back at her full strength from before the injury, and matters were only made worse by the fact that her next opponent was a submission specialist. Reyna chose this fight though. She knew her opponent was looking for a fight to prove herself to the officials of the Olympic League. Reyna would end those dreams with a punch right between the eyes.
"Will you be ready?" Octavian questioned. Reyna nodded. "Just because they're from the Delian League doesn't mean you should underestimate them."
"I won't," Reyna said. She looked at Octavian. "Trust me. I've had my eye on Silena Beauregard for a long time."
"In what way?" Octavian questioned. Reyna looked at him in surprise. Octavian grinned wickedly. Reyna punched his shoulder hard. "It was just a joke!"
"I don't joke," Reyna muttered. She pushed herself off of her car. "How was it yesterday?"
"Fine. Other than Percy breaking Frank's nose when they sparred," Octavian said. Reyna sighed and shook her head. She shouldn't be surprised that Annabeth's friends would mess things up. "Are you doing okay? Everyone was worried about you."
"I'm fine," Reyna said. It wasn't a total lie this time. After Hylla and Reyna calmed down enough to not be crying messes, they went inside and finished their dinner. Reyna did her best to open up to Kinzie and Hylla, which really just involved her using more than one word in her responses.
It had been difficult, but Hylla was actually patient with her. Kinzie seemed to help out a lot, and after dinner and some alcohol, Reyna was comfortable enough to ask Kinzie a few questions about herself. They all ended up going back to Hylla's place to spend the rest of the night talking.
Reyna learned that Hylla and Kinzie met at therapy. Hylla was going there for her anger issues, and Kinzie wasn't comfortable enough to share why she had gone. Reyna respected that, considering she could barely talk about her feelings without locking up. But, Reyna did learn that the two had been dating for about three years now and were planning on starting their own business. Kinzie currently worked as a receptionist, and Hylla did odd jobs here and there but had no permanent employment.
Reyna wasn't sure how Hylla afforded the very nice house that she had, and even asking that question was uncomfortable. She still struggled to let Hylla in all the way, but she was trying. That effort seemed to make Hylla happier.
They talked until early in the morning. Hylla offered to let Reyna stay and sleep, and Reyna reluctantly did. She had spent the rest of the morning tossing and turning with her mind racing. When she saw how close it was to the gym opening, she decided to text Octavian that she wouldn't be there. There was no way for her to properly train with how exhausted she was.
Reyna slept until Kinzie came over for dinner. They invited her to stay, but Reyna already felt like she had intruded enough. She went back to her apartment and came face to face with a furious Nico. He had been so upset that Reyna didn't message him.
Reyna felt terrible about it, but it just slipped her mind. She had muttered that everything was fine, but she was still emotionally drained from her talk with Hylla. Nico didn't talk to her the rest of the night or that morning. She needed to find him and tell him that it wasn't anything personal.
"You there?" Octavian asked. Reyna slowly looked at him. "Did something happen?"
"Just family stuff," Reyna muttered. She shifted uncomfortably at Octavian's look. Part of her wanted to ask him why he cared. They never talked about this stuff before.
"If you need someone to talk to," Octavian began.
"I'm good," Reyna said. She started to walk towards the entrance. Octavian followed behind her but remained silent. As they made it to the front door, Reyna heard the sounds of running. Two arms wrapped tightly around her and almost knocked her over.
"I was so worried," Hazel said, and she tightened her grip. Reyna slowly looked at the younger girl and managed a smile, but it was almost undercut by her frown. She twisted out of Hazel's grasp. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Hazel. I just had one day off," Reyna said.
"You never take a day off," Hazel countered. Reyna shrugged. "Did Octavian tell you about the press conference?"
"He did," Reyna said. She sighed and glanced at her phone. There were numerous messages from Lupa. She was going to be gone another week, but she left Reyna specific instructions on what she wanted to happen. They would have the press conference today and then have the rest of the day off. Next week, they would start fight prep for Frank and Reyna.
"Octavian, did you send Lupa those reports about Annabeth's baseline skill?" Reyna questioned. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Octavian nod. "Good. What time do you have to leave?"
"In twenty minutes," Octavian answered. He seemed to be studying Reyna, and all Reyna could do was frown. Why was Octavian trying to get close to her all of a sudden? "Is there anything else you need before I go?"
"No," Reyna muttered. She looked away. "Just have a safe drive. I'll handle things here."
Octavian nodded and walked away. Reyna stepped inside, and Hazel followed behind her. The two of them walked into the gym, and Reyna wasn't surprised to find it empty. She knew that they wouldn't train today, thanks to the press conference. The others would be getting food.
Reyna followed Hazel towards their break room. Upon stepping inside, she found Annabeth, Nico, and Frank gathered around the stove. Nico was glaring at Frank and had his fists clenched. Frank held his hands up innocently.
"Frank, if you put pineapples on this pizza, I will kill you. I will actually kill you. It is a disgrace to pizza. Do you understand that?" Nico said. He stabbed his finger into Frank's chest. "That is a war crime!"
"That is a little dramatic, but it is disgusting," Annabeth agreed. "It's like when Percy puts olives on his pizza."
"Olives are amazing on pizza," Nico said. He turned on Annabeth. As he did, he made eye contact with Reyna. Nico's eyes narrowed, and he turned back towards the pizza. Reyna watched as her roommate aggressively threw cheese on the pizza.
"Nico, can we talk?" Reyna questioned. Nico lowered the cheese and sighed. Then, he turned towards her.
"Fine," Nico said. He handed the cheese to Frank and then started to walk away. He looked back at Frank. "If I see a pineapple anywhere near that pizza, I will kill you."
"Love you too," Frank said. Reyna smiled slightly and placed her backpack on the table. She walked after Nico, and the two made it into the hallway. Nico kept walking until they were in Lupa's office. It wasn't the first time one of them argued in Lupa's office, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.
Reyna closed the door behind her and looked around Lupa's office. The mahogany desk on the table had Lupa's computer on it, along with a few different pieces of paper. Her mail was neatly set to the side, with some of it being opened. It seemed as if Octavian had picked out the bills, paid them, and then left them out for Lupa to see.
There were a few filing cabinets behind Lupa's desk and a couch on the other side of the room. A mini-fridge had soda and energy drinks in it. There was also a table in front of the couch that had a laptop on it. A shelf on one side of the room was full of pictures from past and current members of the Wolves.
"I just wanted you to text me. Why is that so hard?" Nico demanded. Reyna didn't answer. She walked towards one of the pictures and lifted it. The picture was of her first week at the gym. At that time, she was only helping out. It was the only thing that kept her from being homeless.
"It slipped my mind, Nico. I had a long day yesterday," Reyna said. Nico crossed his arms and looked away. Reyna sighed and looked down. Nico could be just as moody as Reyna, and it did cause them their fair share of arguments. They usually settled them by not talking for a few days and then buying each other food. Nico never really confronted her.
"I thought something happened to you," Nico said. Reyna shook her head. "Then, why didn't you text me? You told me that you have plans, but it wasn't a date. What was it?"
"Why are you so worried about it?" Reyna questioned. She turned on Nico. "Why does it matter?"
"I heard Bryce Lawrence was out of jail," Nico answered. Reyna stared at him for a few moments and then looked down. "That is why I was worried about you. When I didn't get a text or anything from you, I spent the entire night worrying."
"I'm sorry, Nico. Come here," Reyna said. She gently grabbed Nico's arm and pulled him into a hug. Nico hugged her tightly. "I was having dinner with Hylla and her girlfriend. It was pretty emotional. We spent the entire night talking. All I could think about was her. I'm sorry."
"I was just so worried," Nico whispered. He buried his face in her chest. "If he hurt you again."
"Hey, he's not going to hurt me," Reyna whispered back. Nico slowly looked up at her. "He got lucky the first time, and I've had plenty of training since then."
Nico didn't say anything. Reyna sighed and gently rubbed Nico's back. She wasn't quite sure how to make him feel better. Bryce Lawrence was a name she hadn't thought about in a long time. In some ways, she had to thank him. If it wasn't for Bryce Lawrence, she never would have started fighting when she did.
"He almost killed you before," Nico whispered. He pulled away and looked up at Reyna. "Because of me."
"Not because of you. I punched that idiot because he deserved it. No one could have known it would spiral from there," Reyna said softly. She still thought about the day in high school that she found Bryce Lawrence teasing Nico and calling him derogatory names. Reyna wasn't quite sure what came over her, but she punched Bryce in the face. She wished that she had done a lot more.
"He did deserve it," Nico said. A soft sigh left him, and he crossed his arms. "Just promise me you'll stay away from him."
"Trust me. He's the last person I think about," Reyna promised. Nico nodded. "I am sorry, Nico."
"It's okay. I forgive you," Nico whispered. "You owe me dinner though."
"Wherever you want," Reyna promised. Nico smiled and seemed to calm down. Reyna studied Nico. He was always concerned about Reyna, more than he should have been. She could handle herself. What happened when she was a teenager would not happen again.
"Come on. We need to make sure they didn't desecrate my pizza," Nico said. Reyna smirked, and Nico walked out of the office. Reyna started to follow but suddenly stopped. She looked back at Lupa's desk. While she did miss Lupa, she had to prove that she could be a leader.
After a few moments, Reyna followed after Nico and gently closed the door behind her. She made it back to their break room and saw that Nico had opened the oven to examine the pizza. Reyna walked towards a table and moved the chairs from it. Hazel moved to another table and did the same. They pushed the two tables together.
"We always do this before a press conference," Hazel explained as she looked at Annabeth. "It's a tradition. We usually don't train on these days, mostly because Octavian is so busy running around and talking to each of us. We'll eat food, usually pizza, go to the press conference, and then come back to set up the film the fighters watch next week. Then, we all go home."
"Do you do that for every fight?" Annabeth questioned. She slowly sat at the table. Reyna walked towards the fridge and grabbed sodas for everyone. She grabbed a Coke for Annabeth, knowing that Annabeth had ordered that when they went out to eat earlier in the week. Reyna passed the sodas out.
"Yeah. Lupa has us watch film for a few days to study our opponent. We make a plan of attack and then train through our plan. In a way that it almost becomes instinctive," Frank answered. "Lupa always thought that you could make a plan, but when you get punched in the mouth, that plan can go right out the window."
"If it's ingrained in you, it won't," Reyna said softly. Annabeth looked at her. After a few moments, Reyna met her eyes. Maybe, it was the conversation with Hylla that got her thinking, but Reyna knew she hadn't exactly given Annabeth the best reception. It wasn't Annabeth's fault that Lupa offered her this spot and rolled out the red carpet.
It would be Annabeth's fault if she messed it up. Lupa was sticking her neck out for some rookie from the minor leagues. That was part of the reason that Reyna wanted to fight Silena Beauregard. She was going to show the world that just because the fighters from the Delian League joined didn't mean they were on the same skill level. Those from the Olympic League were just better.
Reyna would try to be friendly to Annabeth. Well, she would talk to her more. They had to see each other almost every day. It was no use to make things awkward. Reyna took a seat across from Annabeth and studied her. Those gray eyes on Annabeth's could be rather entrancing. There was an intelligence in her eyes as well, and even though Annabeth was a pretty face, she was a lot more than that.
But, Annabeth did have a rather pretty face. The way that her eyes narrowed when she focused or the way that her entire face lit up when she smiled was cute. Annabeth also had a great body, honed from years of training. Reyna blinked out of her thoughts and looked down. She really needed to get laid.
Reyna looked back up and focused on Annabeth once again, but this time as a fighter. When Reyna was testing Annabeth, she noticed that Annabeth was as quick and almost as strong as Reyna. There was one glaring flaw to the champion though, not that Reyna would tell her. Not until she took the title from Annabeth.
Annabeth's greatest asset was her mind, and it did worry Reyna. Annabeth picked her opponents apart in the middle of the fight and adjusted to most of the openings that she saw. Annabeth spoke, "How do you do the press conferences?"
"We all go there, even if we don't have a fight. Mortal support," Nico answered. Reyna nodded and focused on her drink. "Both of the fighters are revealed dramatically. They have a standoff for the reporters then go to their tables. Reporters will ask questions. Octavian normally answers them for us."
"Without Octavian here, I was hoping Piper could help," Frank began.
"Piper asked for the day off," Annabeth said. She looked down. "Her father wanted to have dinner with her and Jason."
"So, Frank and Reyna get to speak to the reporters themselves," Hazel said. She gave Reyna a sympathetic smile and patted her arm. Nico snickered like he found something funny. Reyna gave him a look.
Reyna looked back at the table and played with her soda tab. She did hate talking to reporters, but at this point, she had no choice. Reyna just had to suck it up and get the press conference over with as soon as possible. God, it was going to be a long day.