As Annabeth stared ahead, she felt her heart almost thundering in her chest. Nerves made her shudder. This was the most nervous that Annabeth had been since her fight with Leila. The difference today was that this wasn't even her fight. Instead, she was here to support her teammates.
"Remember not to sacrifice your technique for speed," Annabeth warned weakly as she handed Hazel her gloves. The younger girl nodded and focused ahead. It was almost scary. Just one hour ago they had been joking around about nonsense. Now, Hazel looked deadly serious. The warmth was gone from her face and eyes, and she looked ready to go in for the kill.
Annabeth was so proud.
"Are you sure you don't want me to be out there for your fight?" Frank questioned as he glanced at them. He was standing in the far corner with Reyna. Hazel turned to look at Frank, and her face instantly softened.
"I'm sure, Frank. You have your own fight to worry about," Hazel assured. Frank nodded and took a deep breath.
"We'll watch the highlights when we're celebrating your victories," Reyna promised as she looked between the two of them. The door to the locker room opened, and Annabeth moved her gaze to look at Lupa. Reyna immediately looked away and focused back on Frank.
"Are you two ready?" Lupa asked. She was wearing her jacket and had a small proud smile. Octavian followed right behind her and was wearing his suit. Piper took up the rear and was nodding to herself like she was following the beat of a song. Upon meeting her eyes, Piper smiled at her.
"I am," Hazel promised as she looked at Lupa.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Frank answered with a shrug. Reyna nudged him and gave him a reassuring look. Frank nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."
"You two will do well," Lupa's smile widened. It didn't sound like she was trying to comfort them. Instead, it sounded like she was stating the truth. Lupa glanced at Reyna, but when the other woman didn't pay any attention, Lupa frowned.
Annabeth looked away from the two and hoped that Hazel or Frank hadn't noticed. This wasn't the time for Reyna and Lupa to dwell on their issues. They were here for Frank and Hazel. No one else mattered.
"You two are going to win," Annabeth promised.
"It's almost time for Hazel's fight," Piper chimed in. Hazel took a deep breath and looked down at her gloves. Annabeth gently grabbed her forearms, and Hazel looked at her.
"I know you're nervous, but you have been training hard for this. You're going to win and continue to climb the rankings," Annabeth began. Hazel met her eyes and nodded resolutely. "You've trained hard for this, and nothing is going to stop you. Remember what we practiced."
"I will," Hazel promised. She took another deep breath. "Are you buying the victory dinner?"
Annabeth nodded. Hazel closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she exhaled, her eyes opened with renewed focus. Annabeth gently tapped her shoulder, and Hazel walked toward Lupa. Reyna stopped her and said something that caused Hazel to nod determinedly. Then, Hazel walked out with Piper and Lupa.
"I'll stay with Frank until he's warmed up," Reyna offered. "I asked Hazel to hold off on winning until I got out there."
"I'm warmed up enough," Frank began. Reyna raised an eyebrow and turned towards him.
"What did I tell you about the importance of stretching?" Reyna asked. Frank nodded and went back to his stretches. Annabeth took a second to squeeze Frank's shoulder before walking out of the locker room. Octavian followed behind her.
They marched to the cage as the fighters were being announced. Hazel stood in her corner and looked completely zoned in. Her opponent stood across from her. Miranda Gardiner looked Hazel up and down. She almost looked nervous.
Miranda's brown hair was tied behind her head, and her green eyes seemed to examine every inch of her opponent. Miranda had always been rooted in place during her fights like a tree not willing to move. There was no doubt she had improved on that.
In contrast, Hazel had always been erratic. She struck fast and hard, but most of her shots didn't have a plan. She wasn't trying to create openings or attack a hurt side. Hazel just attacked for the sake of putting hits on her opponent. While it would work against some opponents, it was a habit they were trying to break her out of.
Annabeth stood next to Lupa and glanced at their trainer. Lupa was watching Hazel and had a small, proud smile on her face again. Annabeth had seen how happy Lupa was as they got better and grew in training. She clearly loved to watch her pupils start at a beginner level and then master fighting.
Hazel was a diamond in the rough, and they were going to mold her to be the best fighter she could be. That was why Annabeth was so excited to see this fight. It would show them how much Hazel improved from her last fight. It was easy to work on those things while training, but it was another to put it into action during a match.
As their names were announced again, Hazel stepped forward and raised one of her fists. Miranda stepped forward and tapped her opponent's gloves, signaling the start of the match. Then, she stepped back. Hazel did as well. Then, Hazel leapt forward with a lightning quick punch.
A frown touched Annabeth's face. Hazel always started her fights with the exact same punch. While it was quick, it was always from the same side and aimed at the same area. They needed to work on that next.
Miranda clearly did her homework as she moved her body to the side to dodge it. At the same time, she countered Hazel with a gut punch. Hazel gasped and fired off another quick jab that did catch Miranda in the face. The two fighters began to trade punches like they were in a classic boxing match.
They were going to work on that discrepancy next. Hazel did not need to be taking unnecessary punishment, especially at the beginning of the fight. That was probably Reyna's fault. She would rather take a few blows if it meant that she could deliver a devastating one of her own.
As Miranda threw another hook, Hazel dodged to the side and threw a cross in the same direction. As Miranda twisted to dodge it, Hazel suddenly lunged forward and into Miranda's legs. She swept her opponent's legs out from under her, making a clean takedown.
Annabeth felt her chest swelling with pride. Hazel was one of the shorter fighters which helped with her speed, but she had to work on her wrestling. They had been working hard on it for the past month, along with strength training. It was good to see that in action.
Miranda seemed to have been taken by surprise, and she didn't have time to roll onto her back to protect herself. Hazel jumped on the opportunity to attempt to mount her opponent and lock her in a chokehold.
Annabeth frowned. It probably wouldn't have been what she would have done, but they didn't train for this. That would be another thing on the agenda. Annabeth saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head. Reyna came to a stop next to her. It wasn't a surprise that Reyna put Annabeth in between her and Lupa.
"Is Frank ready?" Annabeth asked as she watched Miranda begin to fight her way out of the chokehold.
"I swear he's more worried about Hazel's fight than his," Reyna replied with a small shake of her head.
"He probably is," Annabeth agreed. She frowned as Miranda managed to wrestle completely out of the chokehold and mount Hazel. "Damn it. She shouldn't have gone for that."
"Why not? She could have ended the fight then and there if she locked it in," Reyna countered. Annabeth remained silent as she watched Miranda attempt her own chokehold on Hazel, but Hazel squirmed out of it and managed to create distance between the two.
Miranda tried to pursue as Hazel had her back turned. Hazel barely turned her head and suddenly lashed out with a hard kick. It barely missed Miranda's temple, but it did connect with her nose, shattering it.
Miranda's head snapped to the side as blood spewed from the fresh injury. Hazel caught her balance from the kick and hesitated as if she was unsure about whether she should go in for the kill or not. Which she should have. Instead, she seemed to be looking at the official to see if he would stop the fight.
That gave Miranda more than enough time to recover, and she punched Hazel right across the mouth. Hazel stumbled back and threw an off-balance jab. It missed its target and Miranda tagged her in the jaw. A third punch caused Hazel to stumble back once again, and she lashed out with another off-balance kick.
Miranda dodged underneath and slammed her full weight into Hazel's leg, ripping her legs out from under her. Hazel hit the mat hard, landing on her side. Miranda mounted her and crashed her knuckles hard in Hazel's face. She raised her fist again, and as she lowered it, Hazel managed to use her arm to block it.
Hazel ejected a counter and hit Miranda square in the nose, worsening the wound. It visibly stunned Miranda, and Hazel shoved her back just enough to scramble away. As Hazel stood up, she hobbled for a second before turning and raising her hands to defend herself.
"Come on, Hazel. You can do this," Annabeth said softly. She watched as Miranda slowly stood and placed the back of her hand to her nose. The two opponents circled each other as they seemed to be probing defenses. Annabeth frowned as she noticed Hazel was limping.
Miranda noticed it too. She rushed forward with a haymaker. As Hazel brought her arm up to block it, Miranda lashed out with a kick to Hazel's other side. Hazel blocked it with her other arm, which left her leg wide open for the next kick.
A pained expression exploded on Hazel's face as Miranda's kick connected, and her next jab was off target because of it. Instead of hitting Miranda's face, it hit the center of her chest which seemed to stun Miranda more than anything.
Thankfully, Hazel didn't pull her hand away as she lowered it. Instead, she launched it upwards into an uppercut that caught Miranda in the jaw and snapped her head back. Hazel kicked Miranda in the gut and took a step back to deliver another, more powerful kick.
Miranda immediately stumbled, and Hazel started to approach before stepping back. It gave Miranda the time to recover and stand up straight. The two circled each other once again.
"She needs to just push the advantage," Reyna muttered to herself.
"Better safe than vulnerable," Annabeth commented. Reyna glanced at her. The two had different fighting philosophies. Annabeth would always err on the side of caution, while Reyna just threw herself out there in fights. There was a reason only one of them was the champion.
Annabeth glanced at the time. There were two more minutes left in the round. She would have to coach Hazel about planning her attacks and not just swinging with reckless abandon. Then, they would talk about defending her leg. Without a base to stand on, Hazel wouldn't be able to win.
Annabeth watched the two fighters go at each other again. Miranda immediately went for another low kick that Hazel blocked. She lashed out with a low kick of her own that was blocked in turn. Then, Miranda threw out another jab, and Hazel dodged to the side, but as she did, she retaliated with a spin kick.
Miranda had been turning towards Hazel, so the kick caught her flush in the mouth. Hazel almost slammed her foot down as she did her best to catch her balance. She then threw a follow up kick that caught Miranda off guard and in the temple.
Miranda collapsed a moment later, and the official quickly moved to her side to keep Hazel from attacking her anymore. The bell rang a moment later.
Annabeth's heart dropped to her throat as Hazel dropped down on the mat as the victory bell was rung. She gripped her leg with both hands. Annabeth barely stopped herself from rushing into the cage, and she had to reach out to grab Reyna's arm to stop her. As soon as the cage was open, Will and Lupa were heading inside.
Annabeth had seen plenty of injuries before. She had a few opponents who were hurt badly during their fight or after. It always hurt to see, but it hurt a lot more when it was a teammate. Annabeth bit her lip as worry washed over her.
That concern worsened as Lupa knelt next to Hazel and said something to her. Hazel slowly rolled onto her back, and Will carefully examined her leg. Hazel placed both hands to her face, and her shoulders seemed to be shaking. Was she crying?
A glance at Reyna showed the woman fretting over Hazel as well. Then, she climbed into the cage and made her way to Hazel's side. Annabeth was right behind her. They both knelt by Hazel, and Lupa gave them a stern look.
"Don't crowd her," Lupa warned.
"I...it's okay," Hazel grounded out, and Annabeth's heart broke as she realized Hazel was crying. Agony seized her features. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Hazel, there is nothing to be sorry about," Reyna soothed gently.
"You did amazing, Hazel. Just try to breathe," Annabeth added softly. She resisted the urge to pull Hazel into a hug.
"We'll need to get her to the hospital," Will decided. He looked at Reyna and Annabeth. "Can you two help her out of the cage?"
"It will be easier to carry her," Lupa tacked on, looking at Hazel. "If you are ready?"
Hazel lowered her hands and looked at Lupa, slowly nodding. Lupa gently put one arm under both of Hazel's legs and another under her back. She lifted Hazel with ease and carefully made her way out of the cage. Reyna and Annabeth followed behind.
As they made it backstage, two of the league doctors met them with a wheelchair. One reached out towards Hazel but was met with a sharp glare from Lupa. The old woman gently helped Hazel sit in the chair with the assistance of Will. Lupa gently squeezed Hazel's shoulder and looked at them, "I'm going to take her to the hospital."
"I'll go with," Reyna and Annabeth said at the same time. They both looked at each other.
"You should go," Annabeth said almost right after.
"C...can Annabeth come with?" Hazel slowly asked. Tears were still in her eyes, but it looked like she was trying to calm down. Annabeth slowly looked at Reyna and didn't miss the hurt on her face. "And, can s...someone call Nico?"
"I will," Reyna offered up instantly. She gently grabbed Hazel's shoulder and squeezed it. Reyna stepped back and pulled out her phone.
"Should I stay here?" Will asked after a moment.
"Yes," Lupa answered. She looked at the two doctors from the league. "We can handle this from here. We'll just need someone to bring the wheelchair back inside. Annabeth, will you bring my car?"
"I will," Annabeth said. She grabbed the keys from Lupa and rushed outside. While part of her wanted to stay there and support Frank, she also wanted to be there for Hazel. Annabeth just really hoped that Hazel would be okay.