Reyna settled back in her seat and stared at the glass of wine that was being poured for her. It took a moment for her to look at the interviewer. He wore a tan suit and had a beaming smile on his face. His head was bald, and if she shifted right, the light would bounce right off of his head and into her eye.

Reyna felt like she was underdressed. In her torn blue jeans and Wolves' hoodie, it looked like she had wandered off of the street instead of being invited here. Reyna turned her gaze to the side and saw Annabeth standing with Lupa. Octavian stood a few feet back, staring down at his phone.

While they were on vacation, there were some work obligations to fulfill. The interviewer finished talking to his assistant and made his way to Reyna. He held a hand out. She shook it, "Welcome to Italy. I hope you have been enjoying your trip so far."

"It's amazing," Reyna said, focusing on the man's Italian accent. He spoke English well. "Really amazing."

"It is a beautiful country," the interviewer agreed. "Call me, Gio. I'll be interviewing you today. Please have some wine."

Reyna didn't need to be told twice as she took a small sip, Gio smiled at her and took a sip of his own glass, "I haven't been served wine at an interview before."

"I find it helps my guests relax," Gio explained. Reyna nodded and shifted as her gaze moved around the set. Gio ran his own web show that had exploded in popularity. He interviewed everyone from celebrities to school teachers. They had interviews with a few news stations, but Lupa told them this would be the most relaxed out of all of them.

"It tastes delicious," Reyna began.

"It's from my vineyard," Gio stated as he topped off Reyna's glass. She took another sip. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement as Annabeth walked toward them. "Ah, Miss Chase! It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Gio walked toward Annabeth and vigorously shook her hand. Annabeth grinned back as she shook his hand. She spoke, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Thank you for having us."

"Two of the best fighters in the world? I should be thanking you two for coming here," Gio dismissed. He clapped his hands together. "This will be live, so I hope that isn't a problem. I have a good chance of messing up my lines, so there is no need to stress about it."

A glass of wine was offered to Annabeth, and she took it with a small smile. Gio motioned to the two couches near them. A table rested in the middle, "Please make yourselves comfortable. I know I will."

True to his word, Gio immediately laid down on the nearest couch, almost like he was in a therapy session. Annabeth exchanged a glance with Reyna before slowly sitting down on the other couch. Reyna sat near her. Gio turned on his side and propped his head up with his hand, elbow pressed into the couch.

"We're live in five... four... three..."

Reyna listened to the producer count down and tried to relax. Annabeth took a quick sip of wine. Gio spoke, "Hmm. We should have gotten cheese and crackers."

"...one. And, we're live," the producer called. Gio made no movement to sit back up. Instead, he looked at the camera and grinned.

"Ciao," Gio greeted. He moved his hand away from his head to give a small wave before resting his head on it again. "Welcome all my beauties to our newest show. I have two special guests today. All the way from the United States of America. Please welcome the women's champion of the Olympic League: Annabeth Chase. And her opponent: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano."

As one of the cameras moved to face them, Reyna gave a small wave, "Thank you for having us."

"It is a pleasure," Annabeth agreed. She seemed tense. Which was probably why she took another sip of wine, practically draining it. As the glass was placed back down, the producer filled it up while staying out of view of the camera.

"How are you two enjoying my little side of the world?" Gio questioned.

"It's beautiful," Annabeth answered. Her eyes drifted to the camera, and she took another sip of wine.

"I think Annabeth has planned to visit so many historical sites that she can't really fit sleeping or eating in there," Reyna commented. "I'm trying to fit an even amount of restaurants and history in my schedule."

"Hmm. I'll have to give you a list of places to dine," Gio commented. He looked between the two of them. "Now, onto the real reason we're all here; the two of you have a fight coming up soon. How are we feeling?"

"Excited and nervous," Annabeth answered after a few moments. She turned her head and looked at Reyna. "I know that this is going to be my toughest fight yet."

"It will be mine too," Reyna shot back. She cleared her throat and looked back at Gio. "But, we also agreed on enjoying our vacation without worrying about the fight."

"As you should," Gio agreed. He sat up and studied them. "Spill me some real tea, then. Way back when, your rival, Clarisse La Rue, brought up you dating a certain woman. Now, I didn't have my men dig into it, but..."

"We're not dating anymore," Reyna replied stiffly. Gio seemed to sense the tension, and he just smiled at her.

"Poor girl is missing out then," Gio commented. He had a habit of changing topics on a whim. Some people thought it was because he wasn't a good interviewer or wasn't prepared, but he admitted that he just asked the first thing that came to mind. Whether it flowed with the conversation or not. Gio knew he had limited time with those he was interviewing, so why not ask the most prevalent questions in his mind?

Reyna just shrugged and kept her gaze ahead. She didn't want to know what Annabeth's reaction was, and she didn't doubt that Thalia was probably watching this at home.

"Hmm. What about you, Miss Chase? Any man in your life?" Gio asked.

"No," Annabeth replied. "No women either."

Annabeth froze as she seemed to realize what she had said. She kept her eyes from widening and seemed to play off the motion as shifting and getting settled. Reyna pressed her fist against her jaw to keep it from opening in shock.

Gio sat up and studied them for a moment. From what little Reyna knew about him, he was respectful of most topics and didn't want to make his guests uncomfortable. Mostly.

But, Annabeth had just gifted him a golden topic. She was always private about her life, never giving the media what they wanted. Especially not the gossip columns. But here she was giving a golden nugget of information to Gio.

"And here I was thinking that I only had to worry about one beautiful woman around my wife," Gio commented as he eyed Reyna. His gaze shifted to Annabeth, and he leaned closer. "She has always been a fan of yours, so don't go flirty. Okay?"

"I won't," Annabeth promised as her cheeks reddened. She looked thrown off by her revelation. Reyna could almost see the smoke pouring out of her ears as she calculated the ramifications of her words. How social media would jump right on it. Gossip columns would love it. The league would jump all over it with a statement of support to distance themselves from decades of mistreatment to their male, gay fighters.

And Annabeth's family. Her old fashioned family. Who was full of homophobic assholes.

Annabeth was probably in the middle of an anxiety attack. All the ramifications running around and around her mind.

"You should see how I feel," Reyna began as she met Gio's eyes. "I mean, Annabeth Chase is my competition in the dating pool. I edge her out in brawn, but brains and beauty? No way."

"Speaking of brain and brawn, about the fight you two are about to have..."

"I cannot believe I did that," Annabeth began as she placed her head in her hands. She collapsed in a chair and slowly ran her hands down her face. Octavian stood a few feet away and stared down at his phone.

"Social media is absolutely buzzing. You're trending," Octavian began. Annabeth groaned. "You're in tenth place, so there is a chance that it will fall off soon."

"Or it's just gaining traction," Annabeth whined as she threw her head back.

"It could be worse," Reyna shrugged as she leaned on the chair. "You could be trending because you were in a car wreck or arrested."

Reyna didn't miss the look on Lupa's face, but she did her best to ignore it. Annabeth slowly spoke, "I didn't mean to say that. It was just a slip of the tongue."

"It might not be that serious," Octavian added. "I'm sure it will blow over soon."

"Probably not with my family," Annabeth muttered. Reyna gently bumped her arm in support. Octavian's face turned into a look of understanding. A ringing caused Reyna to look down, and she stepped away.

"Miss me already?" Reyna asked.

"No," Nico answered. "We all saw what happened. Thalia is worried about Annabeth."

"Annabeth is still in shock she let it slip," Reyna replied. "I don't think it was planned."

Nico was quiet for a few moments. Then, he took a deep breath, "Can you clear your schedule in a few days? Just for one day?"

"Depends on what you say next," Reyna replied.

"I want you and Hazel," Nico began. His voice trailed off.

"I'll be there," Reyna promised. She rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sure Hazel will as well. I have to finish up here, but we'll talk when I get back. Promise."

"Thank you," Nico said in a quiet voice. He cleared his throat. "I'll get some food for you. Try not to make Annabeth trend anymore than she already is."

"Haha," Reyna balked out with an eye roll. She ended the call and looked at Annabeth. She placed her hands into her pocket. This would be another distraction for Annabeth, and while part of Reyna felt bad for her. This could be an advantage.

Reyna shook her head. This was not the time to focus on her fight. She needed to be there for her friend and teammate and enjoy the vacation. That was all that mattered.