Sorry for the late chapter. I've had a lot of things going on that have kept me from writing much for any of my stories. The next chapter will be next week, and hopefully, I can get back to updating this story once a week on Tuesdays. Hope everyone enjoys the chapter.
A soft sigh left Annabeth as she walked towards the gym. Her body was sore from her training. She had been intensifying her reps during her workouts. Annabeth wanted to be in peak condition for her fight, but her arms still felt like jelly from the day before. She would just have to work harder today.
Her eyes swept around the parking lot. Lupa's car was there, along with another car that Annabeth didn't recognize. It was all beat up and looked like it had been taken out of a scrapyard. Reyna's car was there as well, and Annabeth could see Hazel pulling into the parking lot. A car that looked like Frank's was on the road and stuck at the stoplight.
Annabeth walked into the gym. She glanced over at Mellie as the receptionist waved, "Good morning, Annabeth. I bought doughnuts if you want one."
"Thank you," Annabeth said. She grabbed one with chocolate frosting. "How are you doing this morning?"
"Tired," Mellie admitted. "My son Chuck has been giving every babysitter in town a hard time. Gleeson had to call in the cavalry. I don't know what it is about Clarisse that calms him down, but he never tries to bite her."
"He probably knows what happens if he does," Annabeth joked with a smile, but she didn't fully mean it as a joke. If there was anyone that Annabeth could see punching a toddler in the face, it was Clarisse. The way the woman acted wasn't just some character designed to stir up controversy and views. Clarisse had cruel intentions.
Mellie didn't laugh, but she did give Annabeth a tired smile. She sat down and focused on her computer. Annabeth took her leave and munched on her doughnut. As she walked further into the gym, she found herself lost in thought.
With her fight against Leila as close as it was, Annabeth spent almost every waking minute studying her next opponent. Leila usually lowered her guard on her left side and used punches from her right to overcompensate for it. Her kicks to the head were brutal, but she never threw one out until the fight was already over. The kick just sealed the deal.
Leila was weak against submissions; she would tap within only a second or two instead of trying to fight out like others. But, her grappling game was strong. Getting her into a submission would be difficult unless she was taken by surprise. Leila was right handed and tended to punch from there, but her kicks came from the left.
Annabeth made it into the main part of the gym, lost in thought. She nearly rammed into the one person that she was trying to avoid. Annabeth came to a stop, but her gym bag still gently brushed against Reyna. It took a moment for Reyna to glance at her.
Annabeth had been doing her best to avoid Reyna because it was gnawing away at her that Thalia would just cheat on Reyna like that and not even tell her. Annabeth knew that she needed to tell Reyna, but she kept hiding behind the excuse of needing to focus on her fight. Which she needed to do, so she would just keep moving forward. After the fight, she would convince Thalia to tell the truth.
Reyna gave her a small nod in greeting, but there was a scowl on her face. She moved her gaze forward. Annabeth followed her sight and found Lupa showing a man around. The man had black hair that looked freshly cut. He wore a heavy winter jacket that still had the tag hanging from it and black jeans.
"Who is that?" Annabeth asked softly.
"Romy," Reyna muttered after a moment. She shook her head. Annabeth frowned because she instantly remembered the story that Lupa had told her and Percy about the twins. What was Romy doing back now?
"I thought Lupa hadn't seen him in years," Annabeth began.
"When we were leaving yesterday, he was waiting to talk to Lupa. I guess they made up," Reyna muttered. The scowl on her face seemed to deepen, and it didn't disappear as Lupa turned towards them.
"Romy, why don't you wait for me in my office? Reyna, can you show him the way?" Lupa asked. Reyna didn't look happy about it, but she nodded and led Romy towards the stairs. Annabeth watched the two walk away.
There was a tension in Reyna's shoulders that most would blame on pain and other aftereffects of her recent car crash. Annabeth had seen it in Reyna's face, though. Reyna was like a wolf watching another animal invade her territory, and she would need to bring herself under control.
Considering Annabeth had just met the man, she didn't have a good read on him. Romy had both hands buried in his pockets, and he hung his head slightly as he followed Reyna. His body looked tense, but that could be blamed on being in a new environment. And being with Lupa again.
Lupa's face was flush with pure joy. The smile she had seemed to be permanently etched on, but it was the look in her eyes that revealed just how happy she truly was. Her eyes were shining, and she seemed ready to tear up any moment. Annabeth could make a few assumptions about Lupa, but one thing she knew is that Lupa didn't expect to see Romy again. She was not going to let him go.
Annabeth nodded to her trainer and started to walk towards the locker room. Lupa spoke, "Annabeth, one moment."
Annabeth turned around and looked at Lupa, "Yeah?"
"You have been training very hard this past week," Lupa noted as she walked towards Annabeth. "A little too hard. You shouldn't injure yourself before a fight like this. I know you are eager to prove yourself, but it will not do to put all of your energy into training and leave none for the fight."
"I won't," Annabeth promised.
"I know you won't. That is why you are taking a break from training today," Lupa decided. Annabeth opened her mouth to argue, but Lupa held up a hand. "I already made you an appointment with a masseuse."
"A masseuse?" Annabeth repeated, a frown slowly morphing her face. "I don't need a masseuse."
"You need a day of relaxation; both mentally and physically," Lupa deemed, and the look on her face made it clear that she wouldn't budge. "You have an hour before the masseuse will be here, and I am taking you to lunch as a treat today. Just the two of us."
Annabeth stared at Lupa in surprise. The woman continued, "You are not to do any more training or sparring today. Nor do I want you to work on your strategy for the fight. I want you to clear your mind and relax. Piper and Percy have already promised to help me. Percy will be picking you up after lunch."
"Lupa, I'm being paid to fight. Not take a day off," Annabeth argued. Lupa chuckled.
"You know that you must rest your body and not push it too much. Pushing your body like you have may leave you more vulnerable to a sprain or injury. Especially during your fight. Just a day off will allow your body to relax and recuperate," Lupa explained. She gently grabbed Annabeth's shoulder.
"I know you have run through your strategy a million times, tweaking and changing things. You can probably recite it in your sleep, and I think there is not much more that you can do to prepare. That is why I want you to take a break for today. Tomorrow, you and I will spar throughout the day to finish preparing you."
Annabeth hesitated, but she nodded. There was no winning this argument with Lupa, and while she didn't exactly like the idea of taking a break this close to a fight, she would listen to Lupa. The woman was one of the greatest fighters in the world for a reason.
"Do I need to change into something more professional for lunch?" Annabeth questioned. Lupa chuckled.
"No. We are going somewhere casual," Lupa answered. Annabeth nodded.
"Thank you, Lupa. I appreciate this," Annabeth said. Lupa smiled at her.
"You're welcome, Annabeth. I will be back to make sure you aren't doing anything," Lupa warned playfully. Annabeth nodded and raised her hands in surrender. Lupa walked away. Annabeth heard two pairs of footsteps and turned to look at Hazel and Frank.
"Morning," Annabeth greeted.
"Hey," Hazel greeted back.
"We brought doughnuts," Frank held up the box.
"I can bring it to the breakroom for you," Annabeth offered. "Lupa doesn't want me to train today."
"She has to put Reyna in timeout sometimes too," Hazel teased. Annabeth felt her face heat up as she struggled to not smile. "Gwen was especially bad whenever it came to defending her title. Lupa just doesn't want you to overdo it and hurt yourself."
"I know. I just feel like I'm not doing enough," Annabeth admitted. She shrugged. "I just want to know that I have done everything that I can for this fight. If I lose, I would hate to look back and realize I could have done more."
"You're not going to lose," Hazel stated.
"Just make sure to win in the second round," Piper commented as she walked up behind them. Her eyes moved to the box of doughnuts.
"Why the second round?" Annabeth questioned.
"Take one," Hazel offered to Piper. And, Piper didn't need to be told twice as she grabbed a doughnut and took a bite. Hazel turned to Annabeth. "We kind of took bets on your fight."
"You all took a bet on me?" Annabeth asked with an unamused frown. "Did anyone bet that I would lose?"
"Of course not," Piper said as she leaned on Annabeth. "Everyone knows you are going to win. I said it would be in the second round. Hazel and Frank both said in the first, but they differed on submission and knock out."
"I said submission," Frank interjected.
"Nico said that he wasn't going to bet on it, but if he did, he would say the second round as well. I knew he was smart," Piper commented. "Octavian and Will wouldn't take the bet."
"What did Reyna bet?" Annabeth questioned, and she felt her gut twist. Annabeth wouldn't tell it to the others, but she put more weight behind Reyna's thoughts than she did Frank or Hazel. Reyna had been fighting longer and knew more than those two did. She also fought Leila before, so if she bet that Annabeth was going to lose...
"That you would win in the third round," Reyna revealed. Annabeth nearly jumped and turned to look at Reyna. Her fellow fighter grabbed a doughnut and took a bite. "I just didn't get fancy by deciding on whether it would be submission or knockout."
"You think I'm going to win?" Annabeth asked softly. She found herself unable to raise her voice anymore.
"I already told you that you would," Reyna said. She glanced at Frank. "I'm not doubting my teammates anymore."
"I just want you to be honest," Annabeth began.
"Annabeth, you are going to beat Leila. Trust me when I say that you will," Reyna assured with a growing smirk. "Just make sure you beat Arachne, so I can take that title from you."
"You're not taking it," Annabeth promised as she made eye contact with Reyna. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and Reyna lost her smirk. The two stared at each other, and Annabeth found herself tensing. Hazel cleared her throat, and like that, the moment passed.
"I guess we'll see," Reyna commented. Her eyes lingered for a moment before she turned towards Hazel to ask her something. Annabeth never heard the question because she was focused on Reyna. If they were getting hostile over the thought of a fight between them, how would they act if it actually happened?