Annabeth leaned back in the car seat and glanced around. Hazel and Frank were sitting behind her. They both insisted that she sit in the passenger's seat. Annabeth wasn't going to argue, and now, the two of them were looking at their phones and seemed to be sharing something.
Nico sat behind Annabeth and had his earbuds in. There was an intense look of concentration on his face, and whenever she looked back, she saw that he was playing a phone game. Reyna was driving the car and staring ahead.
Annabeth wasn't sure where she stood with Reyna. When Annabeth first joined, Reyna didn't talk to her much. That had changed while they were eating pizza, as Reyna actually spoke three complete sentences to her. Things were still weird, but it was a start.
Annabeth looked at the cars that passed by. It was a thirty minute drive from the gym, and Reyna said they could all take her car. She also gave Frank a very stern warning about the mud on his shoes and her new interior. The drive hadn't been too bad since Hazel and Frank talked to her, but now, everyone was quiet.
As Annabeth caught sight of the arena, she saw their ride was almost over. Reyna carefully pulled off of the highway. Her gaze had only been on the road, and she hadn't said a word to anyone. It didn't seem to be out of anger, just concentration.
From what she had observed and heard, Annabeth was realizing that Reyna was always angry. There was some kind of anger that burned in her chest just as hot as her passion for fighting. Annabeth had met plenty of angry people in her life. Most of them let that anger burn them completely up. Only a few mastered their emotions.
Annabeth didn't think that Reyna was capable of controlling her anger. She would need to tap into her other emotions, otherwise, that anger was going to cause her to make a huge mistake if it hadn't already. Some fighters used their pride as a driving force. Annabeth found her drive by wanting to be the best in the world.
"Reyna, what are you going to tell the reporters?" Hazel asked. Reyna didn't answer, and the knuckles on her fist whitened. "I don't think you've talked to reporters since I've joined."
"It's been about three years," Nico confirmed. There was a small smile on his face. It seemed like he was enjoying the predicament that Reyna and Frank were in.
"It can't be that bad, can it?" Frank asked. "I haven't spoken to any reporters yet. Octavian has always done it for me."
"I don't like talking to reporters either," Annabeth said. She turned in her seat to look at the others. "They always twist my words around and try to make drama out of every comment I make. Half of the time my mind goes blank as well, and I don't know what to say."
"Did Piper always talk during press conferences for you,?" Hazel questioned. Annabeth nodded. "Maybe, Nico can help speak for you two."
"No," Nico said quickly. "I don't talk to the press. I don't even talk to guests at the gym. You can find someone else to do it for you. Go ask Jason."
"Everyone always loved him," Reyna muttered. She drove into the arena parking lot and sighed. "He had a natural talent for it."
Annabeth looked in between the other three fighters. They had not spoken of the past fighters. Annabeth knew about Jason and Gwen, but she had not heard much of the others. Did those fighters not leave on good terms, or was the past nothing more than a distraction from their future?
"There is something that I do that helps," Annabeth said. Reyna pulled the car into one of their reserved parking spaces. Then, she looked at Annabeth. "I try to say as little as possible. To do that, I tell the reporters why I'm there."
Annabeth's only goal had been to win, and when she finally won her title, her goal was to defend it. The press seemed to enjoy those soundbites, and Piper helped fill out the rest better than Annabeth ever could. Annabeth was just grateful that she didn't have to talk to the reporters.
"Tell them why I'm there," Reyna repeated. She nodded and got out of the car. Annabeth got out as well and examined the jacket that she wore. Nico gave it to her before they left. There was a wolf's head on the back of the jacket with the name of Lupa's gym below it. The front had her first name. It was the same jacket that the other members wore.
"Finally part of the team," Nico said softly. Annabeth looked at him and smiled. Nico looked at the others. "Does anyone have a camera that I can borrow? I can't wait to see the train wreck that is Reyna."
"Shut up," Reyna muttered, and red came to her face. She pushed past Nico and walked ahead of all of them. Hazel gently hit Nico's shoulder and gave him a look. Nico looked at her and shrugged.
"Don't be mean to Reyna. She's having a hard enough time," Hazel chided.
"Reyna didn't answer any of my messages. She deserves this," Nico said. Hazel frowned and crossed her arms. "Hey, I earned the right to tease Reyna. That's why she didn't just lock me into a chokehold until I apologized."
Hazel pursed her lips but didn't say a word. Nico followed after Reyna, and Annabeth took up the rear with Frank. It looked like Frank was trying to hype himself up. Annabeth nudged him and spoke, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good," Frank whispered. "Reyna is going to kill me though."
"Because you're fighting Kahale?" Annabeth asked. Frank nodded. "I'm glad Octavian listened to you."
"He almost didn't," Frank muttered. After a moment, he looked up and shook his head. "Nevermind. I shouldn't talk about it."
Annabeth nodded. It seemed like Octavian hadn't told Frank the truth. Annabeth couldn't just stand around while Frank was told he wasn't good enough to fight someone. That was why she went to Octavian and convinced him to give Frank the fight he wanted.
If Frank wanted to prove himself, he should have the chance. That was something Annabeth believed. The situation did tell her a lot about Reyna though. Reyna didn't want to take a fight unless she knew that she could win int. Maybe, Reyna was not as good as Annabeth thought.
A look ahead showed that Nico and Reyna were by the front door. There was a rare grin on Nico's face, and he looked happy. Reyna had her arms crossed and was glaring, but it looked like she was struggling to contain a smile.
As they made it closer, Nico held the door open for them. Reyna was talking to someone who held onto a clipboard. As Frank walked in, the person turned towards him and made a motion. Frank walked to their side.
"How does this all work?" Annabeth questioned. She looked back at Hazel. Upon a look from Nico, they started to follow after him. "When Piper and I did this, we just showed up, walked to the podium, spoke, and left. This looks more elaborate."
"Were your press conferences recorded or live?" Hazel asked.
"Recorded. We had them on Tuesdays, and they would play on television on Fridays," Annabeth replied. They followed Nico as he took a few twists and turns down the hallway. Annabeth knew that the Olympic League did all of their press conferences and fights out of the same building. It was one of the largest stadiums she had ever been in.
Annabeth also knew that each fighter got their own locker room. Individuals had smaller rooms that were still the size for their break room back at the gym. Teams received rooms about three times that size. They didn't head to the lockers rooms though. Instead, they headed towards a large room that was full of fighters.
"All of our press conferences are live," Hazel explained. "It's nerve-wracking at first, but we don't have a choice in it. Those who participate will get their hair and makeup done. It's nothing too special, just enough to highlight their features for the camera. After they're done, they'll meet back with us."
"A producer will get us when it's time to start," Nico said. "For these announcements of fights, we'll all sit at a table. There will be microphones in front of those who will fight. Gwen usually sat next to Reyna, so you get the honor of that. She doesn't bite. I promise."
A smile came to Annabeth's face. She looked around the room. There were a few fighters that she recognized from what she watched of the Olympic League and some from her old league. One of them turned and met Annabeth's eyes. A smile came to her face as she walked towards them.
"It has been too long, Annabeth Chase. How are you?" Silena Beauregard asked. Annabeth smiled as she studied the fighter in front of her. Silena hugged her, and Annabeth returned the hug. They pulled away, and Silena studied her. "How have you been?"
"I've been good," Annabeth answered. Silena and Annabeth fought only once before, but it had been a grueling contest. Annabeth barely beat her opponent by way of knockout, and that was when Silena was trying to apply a chokehold to her. Silena was an amazing competitor, and Reyna would have her work cut out for her. "What about you? How is Beckendorf?"
"Charlie is doing fine. He just got a huge engineering contract, along with this," Silena raised her hand to show off the ring on her finger.
"Congratulations," Annabeth said. "You two are great together."
A small blush came to Silena's face. Her eyes moved to Hazel, and she spoke, "You must be Hazel Levesque. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You as well," Hazel said. She held out a hand, and Silena shook it.
"I watched your last couple of fights. You've shown a lot of improvement," Silena said. A huge grin came to Hazel's face, along with a blush. Annabeth looked around at the other fighters. Some of them were talking, but others were sitting by themselves.
When two fighters weren't squaring off, they were usually on good terms. There had been plenty of fighters in the Delian League that Annabeth had casual conversations with. Those like Silena she even had dinner with a few times before. Of course, other fighters made many enemies inside the cage and no friends outside. Clarisse La Rue was the first one that came to mind, but Annabeth knew there was more than just her.
Annabeth's gaze focused on the oldest woman in the room. The woman sat in a corner by herself and was staring down at a book. Her gray eyes looked up and focused on Annabeth. One hand ran through her ratty black hair. She looked to be in her upper thirties.
"That's Arachne," Reyna muttered. Annabeth jumped and turned her head. "She's the oldest fighter in the league, but don't let that fool you. She is the best submission specialist in the world. Twenty wins by submission. A few more by decision but none by knockout. She weaves her opponents into a trap and ends the fight there."
The newly applied eyeliner around Reyna's eyes brought out how black her irises were. There was hardly a difference between her iris and pupils, and Annabeth found herself mesmerized by Reyna's eyes.
"You must be Reyna," Silena said. Annabeth blinked and looked over at Silena. Her friend held a hand out towards Reyna. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm looking forward to our fight."
"I am too," Reyna said softly. Her gaze moved to Silena, and she seemed to study her intently. After a few moments, Reyna shook Silena's hand.
"It really is a pleasure. I've seen plenty of your fights," Silena said. A small smirk came to Reyna's face, but she didn't say a word. "I'll also save all the trash talk for the press. It's not really my thing."
Reyna nodded but remained silent. Silena smiled, but it seemed force. Silena spoke, "I'll see you out there."
Silena turned and walked away. Reyna just stared at the woman's back. Annabeth glanced at Reyna and studied the calm and confident look on her face. She had heard stories about Reyna became insanely focused around the time of her fights, and it seemed like that even counted for press conferences.
"Reyna, was Frank getting his makeup done?" Hazel asked. Reyna nodded after a few moments. She looked at Hazel "Did they make him wear eyeliner again?"
"Just some blush," Reyna muttered. She looked at them. "The press conference should be starting soon. Let's hope that Frank doesn't embarrass himself and I don't end up killing a reporter."