Lupa knew her mother.
That thought ran over Reyna's head over and over again as she stared at the wall in front of her. The warm water from the shower ran over her hair. She hung her head and allowed a deep sigh to leave her. Her eyes hurt from crying, not to mention how raw and sore her throat felt.
A knock on the door caused Reyna's eyes to flicker to the side. The door opened, and she heard Hylla's voice, "Are you going to be okay if I leave for that meeting?"
"Yeah," Reyna said after a few moments. It hurt to speak enough to be heard over the water. She cleared her throat. "Nico will be back from his breakfast with Hazel."
"Alright," Hylla said, but she sounded unsure. The door closed a few moments later. Reyna hung her head again. Her hand moved to rub her forehead. A headache had started a few hours ago and kept raging on. Reyna hadn't slept all night. She spent most of it crying and the rest staring up at her ceiling.
Lupa knew her mother.
The door opened again, and Reyna glanced at the door. She turned off the water to the shower. Hylla spoke, "And, um, happy birthday."
"Thanks, Hylla," Reyna said softly. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself before stepping out of the shower. Reyna grabbed another towel and tried to wrap it around her hair. Hylla wordlessly helped her.
"I'm sure you don't want to go out tonight, but I am going to take you out for your birthday," Hylla declared. Reyna nodded. Hylla gently placed a hand on her sister's face. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
"Yeah," Reyna whispered. She cleared her throat again and let out a deep sigh. "I just need time to think."
"If you need help kicking down Lupa's door," Hylla offered.
"I'm good," Reyna said. Hylla nodded. She had comforted Reyna the entire time, but the anger resting in her eyes was clear. She was furious about what she had heard. Reyna was too. Well, no. She was beyond furious.
This rage was something Reyna had never felt before. None of the insults that Clarisse hurled at her sent her into this state of fury. No one had ever brought her to this point, not even Bryce. Until now. And, Reyna didn't know how to describe it. She was so angry that she was almost...
Calm.
Reyna didn't know how she could feel this calm when she was so angry, but she did. It gave her clarity.
After the crying, Reyna spent all night thinking about it. She knew what her path ahead was.
"I love you," Hylla said.
"I love you too," Reyna returned. Hylla kissed her forehead, and Reyna smiled slightly. Hylla studied her as if making sure she really was okay. Then, she turned and left.
Reyna was left alone with her thoughts, and that was a place she didn't want to be. Reyna quietly dressed, and after her hair dried, she carefully put it into a loose braid. Then, she fed her dogs and made sure they were okay. Lupa may have betrayed her, but she wasn't going to take it out on the dogs.
After she fed her dogs, she grabbed her hoodie and threw it on. Earbuds were put in her ear, and she sent Nico a text that she would be back later. Then, she left the house. Reyna started to walk towards Lupa's gym.
It would be a twenty-minute walk but it would be shorter if she took the bus. The walk would do her some good, though. She should have spent the trek debating what she was going to say, running through the different scenarios in her head.
But, that would just make her angrier than what she was now, and she didn't know how she could get any angrier. This slow-burning rage kept her focused. It was like she was going into a fight. Reyna turned her music up, allowing the instruments and vocals to drown out her thoughts.
A half-hour later, Reyna found herself outside of the gym. She had been slower on her walk than she would have liked, but it did give her time to simmer her rage ever so slightly. To clear her head just a little. Reyna had made her decision last night, and she just spent the rest of the time reassuring herself on if it was right.
And it was.
Reyna would just react to what Lupa did. If Reyna was kicked off the team and out of the gym, she would accept that. If she was suspended, she would accept that. It didn't matter. Reyna would just figure it out. The biggest thing would be not exploding on Lupa and yelling at her. Or trying to punch her.
Reyna stepped into the gym and pulled her earbuds out. She carefully pushed her hood back. Mellie was talking on the telephone, but as soon as she saw Reyna, her eyes widened. Reyna held her hands up and walked toward the counter. She waited in silence.
"I'll give you a call back," Mellie promised. She hung up the phone and looked at Reyna. "Reyna..."
"Is Lupa in?" Reyna asked. Mellie studied her. "I'm not going to blow up on her, Mellie. I just need to talk to her."
"She is here," Mellie answered. Reyna nodded and started to walk towards the door. "Reyna, wait."
"I'm not going to cause a scene," Reyna promised. Mellie studied her. "I'm just going to talk to her. And then leave."
Reyna turned and walked into the gym. It was a little too early for Hazel and Frank to be there, but she was surprised that Annabeth wasn't there yet. Reyna made her way through the gym and up the stairs. She walked towards Lupa's office. The door was wide open.
Reyna knew that if she stopped now, she would lose her nerve. She stepped into the office. Lupa was sitting at her desk and having a breakfast sandwich on the table in front of her. It was unwrapped but otherwise untouched. A steaming cup of coffee rested near the food. Lupa had her face buried in her hands.
"Are you kicking me off the team?" Reyna asked. She watched as Lupa's entire body tensed. The woman slowly looked up and focused on Reyna. There were so many emotions on her face and in her eyes. Reyna didn't give a shit about any of them.
"Reyna," Lupa began.
"Are you kicking me off the team?" Reyna repeated, trying to hide the anger from her voice. Her hands clenched tightly, and Lupa stared at her. It looked like she was trying to understand what Reyna was saying. "Yes or no?"
"We should talk about your mother," Lupa began. Reyna felt her eyes narrow, and she bit back every single response that she could think of. Like the fact that Lupa had years to approach this topic. Fucking years. And, she never said a word.
"I am here to find out if I am kicked off of the team or not," Reyna said through gritted teeth. Lupa sighed and looked down.
"Nico told me the truth," Lupa started. Reyna tensed as she thought about the implications. "He told me about why you really punched Bryce. With that in mind, I am not kicking you off of the team. As for a suspension, the league is deciding."
"I'm still on my last chance?" Reyna assumed. "The suspension clause is still in place?"
"Reyna, please," Lupa said, almost begging.
"Am I still on my last chance?" Reyna asked again as she met Lupa's eyes. The woman had been crying, probably as much as Reyna. "Is the suspension clause still in place?"
"I don't know," Lupa finally answered. She looked away and rubbed her forehead.
"If I'm not suspended, I'll be back after I get my things," Reyna said, turning away from her mentor.
"Wait," Lupa said. Reyna didn't look back at Lupa, but she didn't walk out of the office either. "I'm sorry, Reyna. I know I should have told you that I knew your mother. Please just listen to me. We need to talk about this."
Reyna took a deep breath. Then, she turned back towards Lupa and looked her right in the eyes. Reyna sat in the chair and didn't break her gaze from Lupa. She spoke, "I am not in the right headspace to talk about this. If we try now, I might curse you out, yell at you, or try to punch you. I don't know what I'll do, but I do know that I'll regret it. I just need time."
"I am sorry."
"And, I don't forgive you," Reyna said honestly. Lupa flinched like she had been slapped. "Not right now."
"I understand," Lupa said. Reyna stood. Then, she turned and walked out of the office. Lupa didn't try to stop her this time. Reyna walked down the hallway and made it downstairs. She opened the door and nearly ran into Piper.
"Oh, sorry," Piper apologized on reflex. Her eyes flickered up and then widened. "Reyna!"
"Hey," Reyna stepped out of the way and saw that Annabeth was only a few feet behind. Annabeth looked at her in surprise. Reyna just gave her a nod and started to walk away. Annabeth met her and walked with her.
"Everything okay?" Annabeth began.
"I'm not kicked off the team," Reyna answered with a shrug. "I was just going to go home and get my things."
"Did you drive?"
"I walked."
"I can give you a ride," Annabeth offered. Reyna shrugged. "It's not a short walk. Seriously, I'll give you a ride."
Reyna finally nodded. She didn't want to have to deal with Annabeth trying to question her all discreetly and play therapist with her. What Reyna needed was time. She would talk to Lupa about this entire situation when she was in the right headspace.
But, she didn't know when that would be. This kind of betrayal was something that she would think about for a very long time. For Lupa to not tell Reyna that she knew her mother, what the hell gave her the right? What made her think that she could just keep a secret like that? And to know for years.
Years. Not a week. Not a month. But years. Reyna's entire damn life.
It made Reyna question a lot of things, and it made her realize even more. It wasn't some kind of miracle or luck that Lupa just happened to find her on the streets. Reyna had no doubt that the police officer dropped her off at the street on the orders of her mother, and Lupa was told about it.
Reyna felt her anger boiling up again, and she took a deep breath. She needed to stop thinking about it. Reyna would just have to take this topic and lock it away because she would have the biggest blow up of her life if they talked about this.
Why would Lupa even bother to take her in? Was it a favor? Was she getting paid? It just didn't-
Reyna felt herself stiffen as she realized that Lupa was paid to take her in. This wasn't out of the kindness of her heart. Those miscellaneous payments for five hundred dollars were a payment from Reyna's so-called mother, and it was the half that had been taken out of the checks that Hylla got every month.
An old business. What bullshit.
Reyna bit the inside of her lip and realized that someone was talking to her. She refocused on Annabeth, who looked like she had just finished saying something. Reyna slowly spoke, "What?"
"I was asking if you're okay," Annabeth clarified. Reyna nodded. "Do you want a ride?"
"Sure," Reyna said with another shrug. She glanced at her arm and studied her wrist. Lupa got paid to take care of her. She didn't care about Reyna. Just the damn money. No wonder it was so damn easy to keep the secret.
Reyna bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, and she noticed Annabeth watching her with concern. A sigh almost left her. She did not need or want Annabeth to be questioning her. Not right now.
Reyna tried to take a deep breath. It was possible that Lupa was getting paid to take care of her but did start to care for her later. It didn't change the fact that she was initially paid to do it. But, that was fine. If Lupa just took care of her for business reasons, that was what their relationship would be: strictly business.
And, Reyna didn't know when they would have their talk. They would have to wait until she was ready, and even then, Reyna didn't think she could ever forgive Lupa.