I think this week has been one of the worst in a long time, but I am determined to make this weekend better. That's why I'm posting my third chapter for the week, bringing us a lot closer to some drama.
Thank you everyone for the follows, favorites, and reviews. Every notification always brings a smile to my face.
"That's a lot of snow," Annabeth noted to herself as she looked out the window. A glance at her watch showed that it was only a quarter after one. It wasn't supposed to snow this hard until later in the day, after she was done at the gym. This was the last time she listened to the weatherman.
Annabeth looked behind her at the front counter. By her calculations, the only people left in the gym were Reyna and herself. Frank had not come in that day, apparently not feeling well. Nico had the day off, and Will heard the word snow and called Lupa telling her he had never driven in it.
Hazel took a half-day to check on Frank. Octavian and Lupa were out doing a media day, and even Mellie had left early when the weather looked like it was turning bad. Annabeth vaguely remembered being told about it, but she had also been watching footage of Leila.
Annabeth pursed her lips and then hurried back towards the gym. Reyna was in the middle of doing push-ups with one hand. Her injured hand was resting behind her back, and sweat dripped from her brow. Annabeth walked towards her, "It's snowing pretty bad outside."
"Can we drive in it?" Reyna asked through labored breathing. She stood up and grabbed her towel. Reyna wiped the sweat off of her face.
"I don't know," Annabeth admitted. "If we're going to try, we should go now."
Reyna nodded and walked towards the locker room. Annabeth followed behind her. She didn't bother with changing out of her gym gear. She just quickly pulled her pants on over her shorts and then her jacket. Reyna did the same, and the two walked towards the front of the gym.
As they made it to the front door, Reyna stopped walking. She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. Annabeth glanced at her, "Everything okay?"
"I don't really drive in snow," Reyna admitted. She grabbed keys out of her pocket and stepped out of the gym. Annabeth followed behind her and watched Reyna lock up the gym. Annabeth made her slow walk towards her car. The fresh snow was slippery, and she was not looking forward to this drive.
Annabeth threw her gear in the back and then got in her car. She started the car, only for it not to start. Annabeth cursed and turned her key again, but the engine didn't start. A soft curse left her as she heard Reyna's car start.
Annabeth carefully got out of her car and looked at Reyna. She saw Reyna put her car into drive and try to drive forward. It was no use as the tire just spun in place, unable to make it past the snow. The car turned off a few moments later, and Reyna got out.
Reyna looked at the road for a long moment, and Annabeth did as well. Snow covered the roads, and Annabeth didn't think it would be safe to drive on. Reyna looked back at Annabeth, "I think we're snowed in."
"I think so," Annabeth agreed. She hung her head. "What do we do?"
"The gym has food and alcohol," Reyna replied. She grabbed her bag out of the car and locked it. Annabeth followed her example, and they headed back inside. Reyna unlocked the door, and when Annabeth followed behind, Reyna locked the door again.
Reyna sighed and looked at Annabeth, "I think there is some frozen pizza. Nico nearly had a heart attack when I bought it. He calls it a disgrace to Italian food."
"Frozen pizza is the best," Annabeth commented.
"That's what I always tell him. Then, he accuses me of trying to force him to make a pizza by bringing 'that disgrace' into the house. But he makes great pizza," Reyna stated. "Always manages to mess up the apartment."
"I don't really cook," Annabeth admitted. "Having to do it so much for my younger brother made it so I would rather buy a salad or something that I can just make real quick."
"Nico claims I can't cook," Reyna said. She dropped off her duffel bag and walked towards the break room. Annabeth followed behind and thought back to her conversation with Thalia. In the week that passed, it didn't seem like Thalia and Reyna had talked, and Annabeth had been paying too much attention to preparing for her training that she didn't focus on the others. "It's true, but I'm sure my ancestors are rolling in their graves about that fact."
"Piper always jokes that I can't cook because I'm a 'basic white bitch'. She bought me spices for Christmas," Annabeth explained. Reyna looked at her, and it seemed like she was trying not to laugh. "Piper made eggs for me one day and apologized if it was too spicy because she put salt in it."
Reyna suddenly let out a hysterical snicker and quickly hid her face behind her hand. Annabeth smiled and walked towards the stove. She turned on the oven and then made her way towards the freezer. "What kind of pizza do you want?"
"Doesn't matter. You should probably make two," Reyna answered. She sat at the table. "I'll text Lupa and tell her we're snowed in."
Annabeth nodded and grabbed two frozen pizzas out of the freezer. After placing them on the counter, she grabbed sodas from the fridge. Annabeth sat them down on the table and then plugged her phone in to charge. Something told her it was going to be a long night, and she was with Reyna. Would it go well? Or, would it be terrible?
"Lupa said we can have her good alcohol," Reyna stated. Annabeth nodded. That would probably mean the day would be rather good. "I'll be back."
Reyna stepped out of the room, and Annabeth was left alone. She sent a text to her group chat explaining the situation. Piper immediately made fun of her for not paying attention to the weather. Percy sent her a video of his car turning on, but considering Annabeth could see he was only wearing shorts in the video, she took that as a victory for herself.
When the oven was heated enough to put the pizzas in, Annabeth put both of them in there. Reyna still wasn't back, and Annabeth was vaguely concerned. Then, she heard footsteps and turned her head. Reyna was walking into the room and had a bottle of alcohol nestled in one arm. Two glasses rested between her fingertips.
"I'm serious. We got snowed in," Reyna said as she balanced her phone between her ear and shoulder. Annabeth took the alcohol from her and sat it on the table. "You can ask Annabeth. She's standing right next to me."
Reyna rolled her eyes and looked at Annabeth, "Can you tell Thalia I'm not trying to duck our date night?"
"I can," Annabeth said, and she couldn't stop the huge grin that broke out on her face. Reyna blushed and handed the phone off to Annabeth. "Hey, lovebird."
"Shut up," Thalia groaned. "Did you two seriously get snowed in? Why didn't you just look outside?"
"There are no windows in the inner part of the gym," Annabeth explained. "And, some of us have to work hard. Unlike some people."
"I work plenty hard," Thalia scoffed. Reyna glanced at Annabeth and poured both of them a glass of alcohol.
"Standing around all day and showing off your muscles. Intimidating loser men and the occasional loser women who pick on people they abuse. I'm not saying you don't do good work, but I don't think you have to work too hard," Annabeth teased. "I'll give you back to your girlfriend, lovebird."
"Fu-"
Annabeth handed the phone back to Reyna before Thalia could finish. She smiled at Reyna before grabbing one of the glasses and downing it. Annabeth immediately coughed at how strong the alcohol was. Maybe, she should have just taken sips.
"I'll see you later. Promise," Reyna said softly. She hung up the phone and sat on the table. Reyna took the other glass and downed it. She winced and poured herself another glass.
"So, you and Thalia?" Annabeth questioned. Another blush came to Reyna's face, and she downed her second glass.
"Me and Thalia," Reyna repeated. She shrugged. "We worked things out and started dating again."
"I'm happy," Annabeth smiled. She put her finger in Reyna's face. "But, I swear to God that if you hurt Thalia, I will kill you. Got it?"
"Got it," Reyna promised. Annabeth poured both of them more alcohol, and she raised her glass in celebration. Reyna raised her glass, and they clinked the two together. Annabeth downed her shot. "Oh, already dizzy."
"You should probably wait to get more food," Annabeth commented. Reyna nodded her agreement and walked towards the fridge. She grabbed a can of soda for both of them and placed it on the table. The room was quiet as they waited for the pizza to cook. Annabeth was busy with her group chat, and Reyna was staring at her phone.
From the smile that came to Reyna's face every so often, Annabeth guessed that she was texting Thalia. Reyna suddenly looked at Annabeth, "Can you not tell Jason, though? Thalia is trying to find the best way to tell him, and he's still not my biggest fan."
"What happened between the two of you?" Annabeth questioned. "I thought the two of you were good friends."
"We were," Reyna replied. She sighed and looked down. "I'm not sure what happened. We just kind of drifted apart. How things ended with Thalia didn't help either. I went to his birthday lunch, and it seems like things are getting a little better."
Annabeth nodded. She thought about bringing up what Jason thought about Reyna just dating Thalia to get back at him, but she knew it would be wise to keep her mouth shut on that. She also knew that Reyna wouldn't be dating Thalia now if that was the case.
Silence ruled the room until a timer went off. Reyna opened the oven and carefully pulled the two pizzas out. She cut both of them, and Annabeth grabbed plates. The two of them filled their plates and then sat down. As they ate, Annabeth found her mind drifting to Christmas and her family reunion.
They always got together a week before Christmas, and Annabeth would leave before Christmas Eve when she could get away with it. She would rather spend the holidays with Sally and Percy. Even Piper and her distant father were a better alternative than Annabeth's own family.
The biggest problem was that of a fake date. Percy was usually her go to person, but without him, she didn't have anyone. Her extended family would ask her all kinds of questions. What happened to Percy? Did you find a new man? Is your career running the men away?
All of it pissed Annabeth off. That was why she tried to find someone who wasn't prim and proper and didn't fit her father's standards. It also drew some of the ire of her extended family away from her cousin Magnus and his significant other.
"Hey Reyna, what is Nico doing for Christmas?" Annabeth asked. Reyna bit into her pizza and looked at Annabeth.
"We usually have a small Christmas with Lupa. Then he has dinner with Hazel. They've invited me to go with them," Reyna said with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"
"I need a fake date," Annabeth began. Reyna looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "It's to appease and also piss off my father."
"Do tell," Reyna invited as she grabbed more pizza. Annabeth studied the woman in front of her. For being someone terrible at sharing her own feelings, Reyna was a great listener. She even gave out good advice sometimes.
"I've always had a rocky relationship with my father," Annabeth explained. "I never knew my mother, and he remarried when I was young. I pretty much had to play the role of mother to my two stepbrothers. He never had enough time for me, as he was focused on his career or new wife."
"When I was old enough to, I moved out of his house and in with Piper. I started my fighting career and made enough money to get my own place. I didn't have to be under my father's thumb anymore. I still visited my father, but whenever I did, he also asked why I chose to fight. Why didn't I go to college? Why did I choose a career in fighting? Even when I got my degree, he didn't go to my graduation. It was like he didn't believe in me."
"Then, I came out to him," Annabeth said. She sighed and looked away for a few moments. A hand gently grabbed hers and squeezed it. Annabeth looked at Reyna in surprise. "He didn't take it well, and I don't know why. I know he wants to be a grandfather, but it's like when I told him I was bisexual, he thought any chance of that went out the window. He was disappointed in what I was."
"I'm sorry," Reyna said softly. She shifted and looked down. "You know, I think my father is rolling in his grave at the thought of me being bisexual. He died when I was young, so he never learned about it. He was an abusive piece of shit anyway, so who cares about his opinion? And, you shouldn't care about your father's opinion. If he doesn't approve of you, it's his loss."
"I try to tell myself that," Annabeth said with a shrug. "It hurts, though. To know that I'm a disappointment to my father."
"He's the disappointment," Reyna corrected. "He shouldn't be upset that his daughter likes men and women. Hell, it just means you have a better chance of finding someone that is right for you. You can adopt a kid anyway. Your father is just full of shit."
Reyna shook her head and took another shot of alcohol, "Sorry. Shitty parents just piss me off."
"It's okay," Annabeth waved off with a small smile. "Did you ever make any progress in finding out who that woman was?"
"No," Reyna answered. She stared at her pizza for a few moments. "After our talk, I realized how ridiculous I was being. I deleted the pictures and let it rest."
Annabeth nodded in surprise as Reyna fell silent. Reyna seemed to retreat back into her shell, but Annabeth wasn't going to push her. It was probably the alcohol that caused her to open up. After a few minutes, Reyna stood and cleaned her plate.
"I don't think Nico is going to work for a fake date," Reyna commented. She turned towards Annabeth. "If you really want to piss off your father and show him who you are, shouldn't you have a female be your fake date? What about Piper?"
"My father knows her too well," Annabeth shot down with a shrug.
"I could be your fake date," Reyna offered. Annabeth looked at her in surprise.
"Are you sure?" Annabeth questioned. Reyna nodded. "You're dating Thalia."
"She might be jealous, but she's cute when she's jealous," Reyna joked with a smile. Then she shrugged. "We're not going to let the press know about our relationship. It's easier that way. And, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we did this."
"I don't know," Annabeth began. Could she pretend to date Reyna? Forgot about how awkward it would be to fake date her best friend's girlfriend. There was also the fact that bringing a female as a date, real or not, into her father's house felt like playing with fire. At the same time...
"You know what," Annabeth began. She grabbed the glass of alcohol and took another swig. Annabeth looked at her fellow fighter. "Reyna, will you be my fake date for Christmas?"