"It's on, Nico. Hurry up," Reyna complained as she slowly looked across the room. Nico was grabbing the remote control for the television. He paused to glare at her before closing the door to the hospital room. Nico walked towards her and turned up the television.
"I should be there," Reyna muttered to herself as she laid her head back. Her body was still stiff and sore as it would be for the next few days. Her head was throbbing; not from the crash, but the fact that she spent most of the day getting tests. It sounded like everything was how it was supposed to be, but the doctors just wanted to be cautious.
"Don't beat yourself up," Nico chided as he sat by her. He looked at her and smirked. "At least anymore than you already have."
"It is too soon to joke about my car wreck," Reyna groaned. She slowly grabbed the milkshake Nico had gotten her and took a sip.
"I don't think it is," Nico retorted. He opened the bag of fast food and set Reyna's out for her. "That nurse wouldn't stop glaring at me when I brought this in."
Reyna smirked and shrugged the best she could. The pain medicine was wearing off again. To say that her entire body hurt was an understatement. There was a dull, constant ache in her wrist. Her teeth were sore as it felt like she had been punched in the mouth. Not to mention her chest. Just breathing hurt, and she had been told that she cracked a rib or two.
"Here," Nico said as concern flooded his tone. He handed her medicine, and Reyna quietly took it. Nico had been by her side all day, and she had told him twenty times already to stop blaming himself.
"Thanks," Reyna said. She shifted again and let out a curse. Her gaze moved to the television as it showed the press conference. Nico leaned on Reyna's bed and stole some of her fries. Reyna's good hand was occupied with her burger, so she couldn't slap him. All she could do was glare.
Nico placed a few onion rings into the box for her burger. She smirked and settled back in the bed. All she wanted to do was go home, but she still had to wait for tomorrow. It was going to drive her insane. Especially since she didn't have her phone.
"Why are they doing this so close to the fight?" Nico questioned.
"Because of the holidays," Reyna answered as she watched as the television showed the announcement of her upcoming fight with Clarisse. "They normally would have done this before Christmas, but they tend to give everyone that time off. Same for Thanksgiving and the other federal holidays."
Reyna was nervous for Annabeth. She knew that the woman was training hard, but the holidays always caused everyone to slacken. And Leila was not an opponent to take lightly. Annabeth could win, though. As long as she kept her confidence.
Reyna still remembered their talk from earlier that day. It struck her as odd that everyone but her girlfriend had visited her. Even Piper stopped by before heading to the face off to check on her. The only person who had yet to walk through the door was Thalia.
What had Reyna done wrong? Yes, she had gotten into a car wreck because she allowed herself to be distracted, but it wasn't like she was blaming anyone. She certainly had no reason to blame Thalia. While Nico and Thalia had argued about who would stay, it wasn't like Thalia could be mad at Reyna for Nico winning that argument. She wasn't even conscious!
An angry huff left Reyna. Nico glanced at her, and Reyna shook her head. Nico muted the television. Reyna looked at him, "Turn it back on!"
"After you tell me why you're mad," Nico said. Reyna sighed and closed her eyes. She nodded after a few moments.
"Have you noticed who hasn't visited me?" Reyna muttered. The television turned up a moment later.
"I have," Nico said softly. "I'm sorry that I didn't let her stay."
"I don't blame you," Reyna replied. She opened her eyes and looked at Nico. "It just bothers me. If the roles were reversed, I would be here. Or at least visit. I would leave the gym if I had to. Did I make Thalia mad?"
"Thalia was worried about you when she got here last night, and she was only mad at me after we argued," Nico explained. "This is my fault."
"No, it's not," Reyna promised. She used her knee to gently bump Nico's. "I would hug you, but it hurts to move. Please stop blaming yourself for everything that happened. It's not your fault. If it was, wouldn't I tell you?"
"You do lack tact," Nico commented. Reyna glared. "I am proud of you for sharing your feelings."
"I'm doing my best," Reyna said softly. Nico smiled at her and leaned against her. He ate his food, and Reyna did as well. She kept her gaze on the television as the camera showed Leila and Annabeth standing off.
Annabeth had a few inches of height on Leila, as Leila was even shorter than Reyna. She would have a longer reach, but Leila would have the slightest of advantages in speed. Annabeth was more muscular, and she could bench a surprising amount when she wanted to.
This would be a technical battle. Both women were cautious, and with this being a title fight, their caution would be doubled. That was Annabeth's biggest problem. There were too many of her fights that she could have ended early by just taking a chance. Reyna understood not wanting a chance and having it backfire to the point that Annabeth would have been put in a losing situation, but she had to learn to identify what risks she could or could not take. Her skills had to be relied on in case her gambit went wrong.
Reyna watched as Annabeth and Leila spoke softly to each other. She couldn't read their lips, and it was too quiet for her to make out. Leila did smile after speaking, and Annabeth nodded her head respectfully. The two shook hands and stepped back. Annabeth adjusted the title on her shoulder.
Reyna knew the title wasn't just a prop. When Gwen had been champion, she kept the title in a special spot in the gym, right where the ring was. It allowed her to look at the title as she trained and remember what she was fighting for. Reyna kept her gaze on the title as she trained, but she never touched it. She wouldn't until she earned the title.
The championship was one that would make anyone jealous. The plate in the middle was pure gold with the logo of the Olympic League. There were two additional plates on each side respectively. One plate had the founding date of the Olympic League. The other plate was interchangeable and held a logo of one of the twelve Olympians from Greek mythology.
The Olympic League was built off of the foundation of the Olympic games from the times of Ancient Greece, and it evolved into cage fighting. It was tradition that each champion honor an Olympian as if they were a champion of that god. Reyna found it a little silly at times, but she wasn't one to balk at tradition.
And she always enjoyed Greek and Roman mythology as a subject and knew most of the stories. It had been the one class in high school that she aced without issue. Reyna looked at Annabeth's side plate. It had an owl with a wreath in its claws and the temple of Athena in the background.
Reyna frowned as the camera panned away from Annabeth and Leila to show a woman who was watching from the back: the next challenger to Annabeth's title. While Reyna was confident that her teammate could beat Leila, she wasn't so sure about Arachne. While everyone underestimated Arachne because of her age, that age came with wisdom and skill that beat anyone Reyna knew sans Lupa.
The camera cut to show a reporter walking up to Arachne. The older woman turned and looked at them with cold eyes. The reporter spoke, "You have eyes on the champion and her challenger. With being the number one ranking, what are your plans?"
"To challenge for the title," Arachne stated. She smiled and looked back at the stage. "It is just a matter of who I will have wrapped up in my trap. Do not worry about asking me the date. It will be at the anniversary event of the Olympic League."
Nico whistled and glanced at Reyna, "I"m sure that a rematch between you and Clarisse is enough to sell the event. This is just going to increase the number of buys."
"I think they want all of the titles to be defended," Reyna remarked with a half shrug. She felt honored, even if she wouldn't say it out loud. On a card with the four different titles defended, her rematch with Clarisse was enough for them to earn a spot on the card. It would probably be in the weakest spot on the card, but she was just happy to have the match on such a high profile event.
"Now, tell me about Will," Reyna ordered. Nico looked at her in surprise. "I want to know everything."
"There's nothing to tell," Nico began as he started to turn the television up. Reyna put her burger down and grabbed Nico's hand.
"You know I'm not going to judge you, Nico. I promise," Reyna swore. Nico sighed and turned off the television. He turned towards Reyna.
"We haven't been dating long. Our first date was when I asked you for help picking out an outfit," Nico explained. He blushed. "I really like him. All the other guys that I have dated have just been okay, but Will is different."
"I have to tell him I'm sorry for walking in. That didn't make things awkward for you two, did it?" Reyna asked.
"He was embarrassed. I was too," Nico admitted. Reyna looked down as she felt terrible. Nico moved to sit on the bed, and he gently wrapped an arm around her. "It was a mistake, and I'm not mad at you. I shouldn't have hid it either, but..."
"I know," Reyna whispered. She hated how much high school had scarred Nico. Not to mention his childhood. Nico wasn't comfortable in his own skin, and Reyna hated every second of it. She wanted to help him, but it wasn't like he didn't want to be helped. He wouldn't even tell Hazel.
"I'm happy for you, Nico. I want you to be able to invite him over whenever you want. I can always disappear," Reyna promised. "I'll check my phone next time too."
Nico smiled and snuggled against her. Reyna held him close and felt her eyelids growing heavy. That was another terrible part of the wreck. Being awake for an hour or more caused her to be exhausted, and she wasn't even doing anything.
"I'll have him officially meet you soon," Nico said. Reyna grinned and rested her head on his. Her eyelids refused to stay open, and she closed her eyes. Then, she fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.