Annabeth could feel the anticipation thickening the air. The crowd that had gathered there was leaking with it. While only a few fights had been confirmed for the anniversary event, the excitement that followed them was almost intangible. Annabeth felt like the championship on her shoulders was doubling in size, especially since Reyna was staring right at her.
Both of them wore black jackets with their names imprinted on the back. The only difference was that Reyna had her sleeves rolled up. Instead of trying to hide her injury or not bring attention to it, Reyna seemed to dare the reporters to ask about it. Or at least for Clarisse to comment.
"You okay?" Annabeth asked after a few moments. "You seem agitated."
"I haven't been getting a lot of sleep these past few days," Reyna answered with a shrug. She looked down at the ground. "I've been thinking a lot, I guess."
"About what?" Annabeth gently prodded.
"Thalia," Reyna muttered. Annabeth nodded at that. Her mind went back to that voicemail that Thalia played for her the day before. Thalia said she had received the voicemail days ago, but she wouldn't say how many exactly. Even if she hadn't heard the voicemail, Annabeth knew the breakup had hit Reyna directly in her core.
It only got worse as the week had gone on. When it came to matters about the gym, Reyna would talk to the others like normal. When the conversation drifted to a different topic, she fell silent. Her eyes were usually red when she came into the gym. It hurt Annabeth to see.
In contrast, Thalia seemed happy, and it wasn't just her hiding behind a facade. Thalia had commented before that maybe getting back with Reyna was a mistake. The more that Annabeth thought about it, the more she realized that it was. At least for Thalia.
Thalia should never have gotten back with Reyna to begin with. She shouldn't have flirted with her at Thanksgiving, or at least break it off before either could get too deeply involved. Annabeth sighed and forced herself to look around the backstage area.
Hazel and Frank were standing off to the side and talking to each other. Piper and Octavian were off talking to some of the officials with Lupa. Her gaze scanned around again, but she didn't find her opponent.
"Are you going to be okay for this?" Annabeth asked. Reyna just shrugged again. "Clarisse is going to try and get under your skin."
"I know," Reyna muttered, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "She always does."
Annabeth gently grabbed her shoulder, "Just try to keep your cool."
"Yeah," Reyna muttered. Annabeth saw Lupa approaching them.
"We go on in a minute. Are you two ready?" Lupa questioned.
"More than ready," Annabeth answered. Reyna nodded her own reply as her eyes grew distant again. Lupa studied Reyna, and there was a small frown on her face. It seemed like they shared the thought that Reyna was a ticking time bomb, and Clarisse knew exactly how to light the fuse.
A stagehand approached and led them onto the stage. Annabeth looked around the layout of the stage. There was a table for each of the fighters and their team to sit at. Near the front was a podium that was situated in a way that both fighters could be face to face as they spoke into the microphones and have nothing between them. It also gave the reporters a great shot of the two of them.
Annabeth slowly sat at her table and moved her gaze towards her opponent for the title. Arachne was making her way onto the stage, and even with the reporters flashing their cameras, she only had eyes for Annabeth. A young woman that looked like Arachne sat next to her: her daughter. Whether she was just a trainer for her mom or learning to fight from her was something Annabeth didn't know.
Annabeth watched Clarisse make her way to the stage. Out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw that Reyna was looking at the crowd instead of her opponent. Which was probably for the best. An official from the league walked towards the podium.
"Make sure to stay respectful. Both of you," Lupa warned in a quiet voice, but it felt like it was directed more towards Reyna than Annabeth. Annabeth glanced at Lupa and nodded. Reyna just stared out at the reporters.
Annabeth stayed focused on her opponent as the official welcomed the crowd and viewers watching at home. It wasn't until she heard her name being called that she took her attention off of Arachne. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the official looking right at her. Arachne was starting to stand.
Annabeth stood as well. She made her way towards the podium. Her gaze moved out to the crowd, but she tried to keep her composure. Annabeth could not show any scrap of fear. She needed to stay focused on the fight ahead. As she came to a stop at the podium, Arachne stopped in front of her.
Face to face, Annabeth liked her odds. She was slightly taller than Arachne, and she had more defined muscles. That wasn't to say the older woman didn't have strength in her core. She had to, considering she kept most of her opponents face first on the mat.
The thing that Annabeth couldn't see that scared her the most was Arachne's mind. The woman had a plethora of experience on her side. With that experience came the knowledge of what strategies may and may not work and what moves an opponent may make.
There was also the iron-clad composure. Annabeth had been in big fights before, but she only had one fight in the Olympic League so far. This event would be like nothing she had experienced before. With it being an anniversary event, it was going to draw the attention of every fighting fan in the world. Even those who didn't watch much or had ceased watching had a good chance of checking out the event.
Arachne was used to this pressure. Annabeth wasn't, and she was worried about it. If she got into her own head, she would lose against Arachne. If her focus slipped for one second because the lights were too bright or the crowd was too loud, she would lose.
Annabeth refused to lose.
"I can't wait to take that title off of you," Arachne uttered. Annabeth snapped out of her thoughts and studied the woman in front of her. If the official had a question, she didn't hear it. Arachne watched her with the cold eyes of a predator. "I just haven't decided how I want to do it."
"The owl," Arachne continued. A chuckle left her. "What a cute nickname. It's an idea of Lupa's, I presume. Just to make you stand out among the crowd. Or attempt to pin you like a young wolf. The truth is that the owl is going to fly right into my web, and nothing can be done about it. When you are tangled in my trap, remember to kiss your title goodbye."
A silence fell between the two. Annabeth lifted her head at Arachne's challenge, "Most people would insult your age and claim that you lost a step. Whether you have or not isn't for me to worry about because your experience will make up for whatever else you lack. Your experience will lead you through the fight, but my skill will allow me to claim victory."
There was silence as the declaration was made. Annabeth stared Arachne down. The woman was unflinching. The official broke the silence, "Thank you, you two. If you have nothing else to say, you can head back to your seats, and we will hear from our other fighters before questions."
Arachne turned on her heel and walked towards her table. Annabeth took a step back before doing the same. As she made it to her seat, Lupa gave her a nod. Annabeth returned it and sat down. Her gaze moved to the next fighter to be questioned. Reyna looked away from the crowd and towards her opponent.
A pin could have dropped in the room, and it would sound like glass shattering. It was dead silent as Reyna and Clarisse both stood and walked towards each other. Clarisse's eyes moved down to Reyna's cast, and a smirk maliciously twisted her lips. She looked like a dog greedily eyeing a meaty bone.
"I can't wait to kick your ass," Clarisse started boisterously, cutting off the official before he could even begin to speak. "As long as you quit ducking me."
"I'm not ducking you, Clarisse. I've spent all these months planning on how I am going to embarrass you. And also how to shut you up," Reyna returned as Clarisse took a step closer. Reyna looked up at her, seemingly not intimidated despite the height difference. "Knocking you out in the middle of the cage is the best way to do that."
Clarisse chuckled, "I think I'll be the first one to knock you out. It's not like you're going to be at one hundred percent anyhow!"
"Don't need to be," Reyna's jaw visibly clenched as she seemed to grind her teeth together. "Hindered wrist or not, I will take you down."
"As long as you're not distracted," Clarisse jested with a shrug. Her gaze moved over to the general direction of the Wolves, and her playful smirk widened. Out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Lupa frown. "You've had a lot of distractions lately, haven't you?"
"Including breaking up with Thalia Grace," Clarisse taunted mischievously. Annabeth's eyes widened as the words left the taunting woman. Reyna's reaction was instantaneous. She stiffened, and her face paled. It looked like she was trying to swallow a lump. Annabeth didn't understand how Clarisse could know that.
Outside of their social circles, no one knew. It wasn't like Thalia would go around and tell anyone, would she? Annabeth knew Thalia wouldn't. It didn't matter how she felt about Reyna; she wasn't going to expose herself to the media like that.
"Cheated on you too. That had to hurt," Clarisse continued. Annabeth saw Reyna's fist clench so hard her knuckles turned white. Lupa cursed under her breath and started to stand. "Guess you really aren't good enough for anyone."
"Fuck you," Reyna spat. Her next words were silent as the microphone between the two was cut out, and Annabeth knew that was going to be a fine from the network. Clarisse said something else, and there was venom in her eyes that no doubt transferred to her words.
Reyna's fist slammed into Clarisse's mouth a moment later. A moment of stunned silence fell over the entire room. Annabeth was the second one over her shock, and she jumped to her feet. Lupa had already made it past the table. Neither of them was quick enough to make it to the two rivals.
Clarisse's head had snapped to the side upon being punched, and while two officials moved closer, it didn't matter. Reyna seemed to be in shock about what she had done, but Clarisse wasn't. Her shoulder rammed into Reyna's midsection, and she lifted her slightly before driving her into the stage.
Clarisse raised her fist, and two officials grabbed her arm. They tried to restrain her, and it took the assistance of Clarisse's coach to pull her away. Reyna scrambled back, and pain crossed her face as she caressed her ribs.
Annabeth knelt by her and helped her stand. She pulled Reyna backward and towards the table. Clarisse was struggling with the officials that held her. A thin line of red ran from her mouth. Reyna didn't fight Annabeth; she just kept her hand to her still healing ribs.
"Backstage," Lupa ordered quietly. Her voice made it clear there was no room for argument. Annabeth nodded and led Reyna behind the curtain. She glanced back to see that Clarisse was being talked to by her coach, but it looked like he was trying to hold back in front of an audience. Some of the officials were talking quietly.
A small curse left Reyna as they made it to their destination. She placed a hand to her ribs and let out a pained breath. Lupa stepped backstage with them, and cold fury clouded her eyes. Annabeth took a step back as the laser vision was focused on her and Reyna.
"You know better," Lupa growled. Annabeth could see that the stagehands had quickly cleared out. Octavian stepped behind the curtain, but upon looking at the two, he took a step back, stopping Hazel and Frank. "That is not how a member of my gym is supposed to act."
"Lupa," Reyna began.
"No!" Lupa cut off impatiently. "You act like you want to be a champion and a leader of this gym, but with the entire world watching, you pull a stunt like this? You let your temper get the best of you. Again! I am sick and tired of it."
"Lupa, just listen," Reyna pleaded.
"You're suspended," Lupa stated with finality. Reyna's eyes widened, and her next words were only stutters. Annabeth watched the two. "I do not want you anywhere near my gym for the next week."
Reyna looked like she was going to be sick. Lupa wasn't done yet, "Since you thought it was such a great idea to forge your anger management papers and lie to me, I doubt how committed you are to this gym and your career. This is your final warning: if there is another incident where you break another rule and I don't care if it's something as simple as showing up late, you are off the team."
Lupa turned and stormed away. Reyna just stayed where she was standing. It looked like her entire world had been ripped out from underneath her. Annabeth swallowed painfully and slowly placed a hand to the other woman's back. It took a full minute for Reyna to look at her. Then, she shook her head and walked away.