"Do you think that you could help them?" Reyna questioned as she closed her laptop and carefully put it into the messenger bag that Lupa had gotten her. She rested it across her shoulder and studied Octavian. He was holding onto a few envelopes that he had picked up from the gym. "I can pay you."
"No one has to pay me," Octavian declined. His eyes had bags under them. He clearly hadn't gotten a lot of sleep. "I can help the two of them out probably next week. Do you think they could clear a few hours from their schedule and meet me after we're done at the gym? You should be there too if you're going to be their business partner."
Reyna nodded her agreement and heard a knock on the door. She turned her head and saw Annabeth standing there. Annabeth looked up at them and froze as she made eye contact with Reyna, "I was looking for Lupa."
"She was grabbing a drink before she left," Reyna answered as she studied her teammate. Annabeth was wearing jeans, her hoodie, and an odd look on her face. Things had been weird that day. After Reyna's lunch with her sister and Kinzie, she spent the rest of the day helping everyone with their training.
Reyna wasn't able to physically do anything, but she was helping Annabeth perfect her strategy against Leila. It was weird, though. As Annabeth was in the zone and making minor corrections, she listened to everything Reyna said and made eye contact. As soon as Reyna tried to bring up anything unrelated to the fight, Annabeth shut down.
Reyna debated asking her sister for advice about it earlier that day, but she didn't want to crowd her thoughts anymore. Now, she would just push forward talking to Annabeth because this couldn't be ignored. Reyna spoke up, "Hey, Annabeth. Can we talk for a moment?"
"You two have a good one," Octavian excused himself, waving to them and walking away. Annabeth nodded stiffly and wouldn't meet Reyna's eyes.
"I just wanted to thank you again for helping me during my car wreck," Reyna started. She shrugged and looked down at her injured wrist. "I don't know if I said something dumb or embarrassing or even insulted you, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
"You didn't say anything embarrassing," Annabeth confirmed after a few moments. "You did try to touch my breasts, though."
"Really?" Reyna asked as her face heated up. Annabeth nodded quietly. "You didn't tell Thalia, did you?"
Annabeth tensed at the mention of Thalia's name, and that confirmed one thing for Reyna. Something was going on, and it was related to Thalia. It probably had something to do with the hospital visit, well the lack of one. Why would Annabeth be acting so weird, though?
"Annabeth, what's wrong? You've been acting weird, and Piper said that Jason was all worried about my relationship with Thalia," Reyna noted. A frown came to her face as she realized something. "That was you who was worried about us, wasn't it? Not Jason."
It was silent for a minute or two. Annabeth finally sighed and nodded. Reyna spoke, "I know that you're worried about Thalia and I, but I'm really trying this time. I'm doing my best. Is there something that she is not telling me that she told you?"
Annabeth remained silent. She held a resolute poker face, but her mind seemed like it was running a mile a minute. Reyna frowned and crossed her arms the best she could. It didn't work so well, so she was awkwardly left to use her good hand to rest on her other elbow.
"Did I do something wrong?" Reyna asked. Annabeth kept her silence strong. Reyna sighed. "I can try to fix it, Annabeth. You just have to tell me."
"It's just the whole not visiting thing," Annabeth began. It looked like she wanted to say more, but the words seemed to die in her throat. Out of the corner of her eye, Reyna saw Lupa appear at the door. Annabeth quickly turned. "Lupa, I just wanted to ask you about the interview that Piper mentioned."
"After a champion wins or defends their title, they have an interview with the press after the fight. When you retain your title, the media will want to talk to you. I imagine that requests for other media appearances will increase as well. At the moment, everyone is trying to get a good look at you," Lupa answered.
"Thank you," Annabeth said. She looked towards Reyna before quickly averting her eyes. "I'll see you two tomorrow."
Annabeth turned and practically fled from the office. Reyna watched her leave and frowned. Lupa brushed past her and walked into her office, gathering her things. Reyna turned towards her mentor, "Can we talk?"
"What's on your mind?" Lupa responded. Reyna leaned on the wall and sighed softly. "Did something happen earlier with Hylla?"
"No. That went well. It's just with Annabeth. Well, more Thalia than anything. I think I did something wrong, but I don't know what it is. Ever since she didn't visit me in the hospital, things have been weird for the two of us. She visited me at home, but she seemed distracted," Reyna explained. "I have been trying so hard, and I don't know what I did."
"I think it's my fault," Reyna continued. "I have this secret that I've been keeping, since our first relationship really. I know I should tell Thalia, but I'm scared to. I feel like this will ruin our relationship when I've been trying so hard this time."
Reyna had a gut feeling that she told Annabeth about one of two things. The first was that she couldn't stop thinking about the kiss the two had. And Annabeth probably told Thalia which made things weird. Or, Reyna told Annabeth that she only dated Thalia in the first place to get back at Jason.
Thalia would have confronted her about it, right? She wouldn't have just stayed silent. Maybe, Thalia was trying to figure out what to say. Reyna didn't know, and she hated to be so damn conflicted. An angry sigh left her as she looked to the floor.
"The most important thing in a relationship is to be honest," Lupa advised as she grabbed her purse and backpack. She followed Reyna out of the office and down the hall. "If this secret is enough to destroy your relationship, it is best to get it out; the longer you wait, the more it will hurt."
"Yeah," Reyna muttered, but she wasn't sure if she agreed or not. She didn't want to tell Thalia and then break up with her. It would make her feel like she had put all of this effort into the relationship only for it to be all for nothing. That wouldn't be fair to Thalia, though.
Reyna knew she needed to tell Thalia. Later. Right now, she had to help Annabeth focus on her fight, and getting into an argument and maybe breaking up with Thalia would only distract Annabeth. She would be too busy comforting her best friend to focus on her match.
After Annabeth's fight, Reyna would do her best to find the right time to tell Thalia. Who was to say they would break up anyway? If Thalia already knew and hadn't exploded on Reyna yet, that could only be a good thing. Hopefully.
The two of them made it down to the lobby. Reyna could see that Mellie was packing up, but her phone was in her hands as she did. A frown permeated her face as she talked. Reyna liked their receptionist well enough, even if she had been a little hesitant about having Mellie at the gym.
With Mellie's husband being a trainer for Clarisse, she had been worried about a conflict of interest. It quickly died out when Mellie offered to leave the gym during the time Reyna was training for the fight, and Lupa pointed out that Reyna was being ridiculous considering that the receptionist would be at the entrance and not inside the actual gym where they were training.
Mellie looked up at them and waved. She said something into her phone and lowered it, "Sorry. The babysitter is having a hard time with Chuck. He's apparently trying to bite her."
Lupa smiled, but it looked a little sad. Mellie spoke, "I'll lock up."
"Thank you," Lupa said. "You have a good one."
"See you tomorrow," Reyna added. She heard the door open and turned to the side. Nico walked towards them with a frown. He had been giving Reyna rides home the entire day, so Reyna was trying not to stay too late. "I'm coming, Nico."
"There's some guy outside," Nico began. Reyna felt herself tensing. Lupa walked towards the door but didn't step outside. "I noticed him when I was changing the trash. It's like he's waiting for someone, but he didn't bother Hazel or Frank when they left."
Lupa opened the door and stepped outside. Reyna rushed towards the door. Broken wrist or not, she wasn't about to let Lupa walk towards some stranger alone. This wouldn't be the first time a crazy fan staked out the building, and she doubted anyone would try to rob them.
As Reyna made it outside, she looked at the man across the parking lot. He was leaning against a beat up car that looked like a bird hitting it would send it to the junkyard. The man was tall and lanky and looked like he didn't have any muscles on his body. Not to mention how dirty and torn up his clothes were.
Lupa stopped walking and froze in place. Her face went as white as a sheet. Reyna stopped by Lupa's side. The man seemed to notice them and turned his head. He pushed himself off of the car and walked towards them. There didn't seem to be a weapon in his hands, but why was Lupa acting like that?
The man looked to be somewhere in his thirties. His black hair went down to his shoulders, and there were bags underneath his brown eyes. Lupa slowly spoke, "...Romy?"
"Lupa," the man said, voice frail as glass. He came to a stop and studied them. His gaze lingered on Reyna for half of a moment before focusing fully on Lupa. Reyna stared at the man in front of her. She knew that name, and she knew the story. Romy had been like a son to Lupa, as had his twin brother. Until Romy killed him in cold blood.
"I'm sorry, Lupa. I'm so sorry," Romy whispered. He cleared his throat as tears came to his eyes. His face was covered in scars, and there was a hollow almost feral look in his reddening eyes. "I've gotten sober. I haven't touched drugs in a year now. And it's been a few months since I had a drop of alcohol. I tried to work up the courage to come here, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Lupa stared at Romy in silence. Her normally stoic face was full of emotions: shock, sadness, happiness, and something akin to fear. Lupa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she reopened her eyes, tears welled up, and a few escaped.
"Come here," Lupa whispered as she started to raise her arms. Romy threw himself into her arms and broke down crying. His knees seemed to give out as tears wracked his entire body. Lupa held him close and rubbed his back. She didn't stop the tears that flowed from her eyes.
Reyna stared at the two of them. Her gaze focused on Lupa, who looked almost happy. She moved her eyes to Romy, but his face was buried in Lupa's jacket as she held him close and comforted him. Reyna swallowed painfully as she watched.
The twins had meant the world to Lupa. She loved them with all of her heart, and when Remy had died and Romy left, it drove Lupa into a dark place. Lupa told Reyna that one night under the stars when Reyna was disparaging her own family.
Lupa told Reyna that she would give anything to see Romy again. And as Reyna watched the scene in front of her, she should have felt happy for Lupa. Grateful that she was reunited with someone that she saw as a son. But right now, all Reyna felt was jealousy brewing in her chest.
All because the prodigal son had returned.