"Drinks are on me," Reyna said as she looked at the table of her friends. Hazel, the victor of her fight, was sitting at the head of the table and had a smile on her face. She wasn't one to drink, so she was sticking with the non-alcoholic beverages.
"Food is on me," Frank said. Reyna gave him a look, and Frank just shrugged. There was an innocent grin on his face. Frank was one of the sweetest guys that Reyna knew, outside of the ring. Inside, he was a little clumsy, but he fought like an animal.
Reyna didn't know too much about Frank's past. He seemed to have a normal childhood and was raised by his mother. Something terrible and fatal happened to her when she was deployed, and Frank moved in with his grandma. That woman terrified Reyna.
None of them knew if Frank's grandma approved of him fighting or not, especially since he had never told her. That all changed when she came to the gym one day. Lupa had been in the middle of lecturing them about keeping their footing, but upon Grandma Zhang clearing her throat, they all took pause. Even Lupa. Grandma Zhang held up Frank's lunch and stated that he left it at her place.
Lupa and Grandma Zhang talked, while Frank looked completely pale. Reyna and Hazel thought that was the end of Frank's fighting career, but Lupa and Grandma Zhang came back only a few minutes later. Lupa told Frank to give his grandma a ride home, and he was back in twenty minutes for more training.
"Really. I think I might get a steak then," Hazel said. Reyna glanced over at Hazel and tried to hide her smirk. Frank frowned and looked at the menu in confusion. His finger traced up and down the menu.
"They have steak?" Frank asked. He flipped the menu over and then gave Hazel a look. "Hilarious Hazel. You had my hopes up."
Reyna couldn't contain her smirk and felt someone sit in the chair next to her. Her best friend Nico settled next to her and then shrugged his jacket off. Reyna spoke, "You didn't come backstage with us, di Angelo. I'm hurt."
"I had to work late, but I caught the fight on my phone. You did amazing," Nico said as he looked at Hazel, and Hazel's smile could have lit the room up. Reyna leaned back and glanced around the bar that they sat in. They were in a private room. This bar had become their hangout spot after every fight. Win or lose, they celebrated another good fight. Championship fights involved them going somewhere fancier, like a place that actually had steak.
"All that matters is you made it to celebrate," Hazel said. Nico smiled and studied the one bruise on Hazel's cheek. He had always been protective of Hazel. Reyna knew that Nico lost his older sister, Bianca, when he was younger, only a few years after losing his mother. Nico's father was never in the picture, so Nico bounced around between orphanages and living on the streets.
The two met in Reyna's senior year of high school. One of Lupa's requirements for Reyna was for her to finish out high school. The only real good thing about that was the ability to meet Nico. The two had bonded almost instantly. It helped that they were both troubled kids.
"Speaking of celebrating, who is the next person you are fighting?" Hazel asked Frank. Reyna glanced up in interest. Frank seemed to deflate, and he looked down.
"He doesn't have another fight just yet," Octavian chimed in. He was sitting towards the end of the table, and his face had been buried in his phone ever since they got there. Octavian was their spokesperson and sort of manager. Lupa advised him on everything that he said or did, always keeping him on a short leash.
Reyna and Octavian had a professional relationship but nothing more. She didn't trust anyone who could talk circles around her, and Octavian also couldn't throw a proper punch to save his life. Reyna knew that Octavian came from a rich family and had ties with the higher-ups in the Olympic League. That was why he was their spokesperson and sort of manager.
"They were questioning him about how he got muscular so quick," Octavian said. Reyna frowned. Frank had been on the larger side when he first started fighting. Now, he had lost a good amount of fat and replaced it with muscle.
"They didn't accept that you killed me with exercise," Frank added. He looked at Reyna and couldn't hide his disappointment. "I have to do another drug test."
"You passed the other three. How many more are they going to make you take?" Reyna demanded. She glanced at Lupa. Steroids didn't have a damn thing to do with Frank's transformation. It was all hard work. After a few moments, Lupa lowered her menu and looked up.
"As many times as he needs to," Lupa answered. "If they think that we are cheating, we will jump through all of their hoops to prove them wrong. I know that we have nothing to hide."
Reyna almost let out a sigh. It felt like the officials were just looking for a reason to get them in trouble. They were always forced to do random drug tests or have random inspections of their gym. There was also the fact that Clarisse didn't get fired for breaking Reyna's arm after their fight ended. But, Lupa just let it all happen and didn't say a word. She didn't complain.
"We never do," Reyna muttered under her breath. She looked across the table and met Frank's eyes. All he could do was give her a shrug. To Frank's left, Octavian glanced up. Lupa was on Reyna's other side, and it was hard to tell if she heard Reyna or not.
"Did someone ask for another round?" a familiar voice questioned. Reyna quickly looked up and smiled at Gwen. Their friend smirked and passed beers around. She handed Hazel some brightly colored drink. "I hope I didn't miss anything."
"Just Hazel kicking ass," Octavian said. A blush came to Hazel's face, and she looked away. Gwen hugged Hazel tightly and kissed her forehead.
"They grow up so fast," Gwen said. She smiled and sat next to Frank. "I'm so proud of how well you've taken to fighting Hazel."
"Thank you," Hazel said, and her blush seemed to deepen. "What are your plans now that you're retiring?"
"College," Gwen said. "After that, I don't really know. I'll still stop by the gym at least once a week, and I'll attend all of your big fights."
"You'll always have a place with us, Gwendolyn," Lupa said. Gwen smiled brightly. Their moment was interrupted as the waitress came and took their order. They visited the bar enough for the waitress to already know their orders, but Frank also tried something new every time they came. Octavian also changed a million things on his burger, and he never wanted his fries salted.
"Hey, Reyna. How's the arm doing?" Gwen asked softly. Reyna glanced at her friend and shrugged. "You got cleared, right?"
"Not yet," Reyna muttered. She stirred her water with her straw before grabbing her beer again and taking a sip. "I'm still waiting for the all-clear from our doctor."
"I'm sure it will happen soon," Gwen said. Reyna didn't answer and just stared at the table. Gwen grabbed her hand for a moment. Reyna glanced up and studied Gwen, who just gave her a kind smile. Ever since Reyna had started at Lupa's gym, Gwen had been a mentor to her. And for a short while, Gwen was more than just a mentor.
"Yeah," Reyna said. She sighed and glanced at the waitress. Reyna gave her order before falling into silence again. Her eyes moved down to her elbow. Even though she was wearing her jacket, she could still see the elbow pad that she wore. She felt a hand move to her elbow.
"You will be cleared soon," Lupa said so softly that only Reyna heard. Reyna nodded slightly, and Lupa retracted her hand. Lupa stood and didn't have to say a word. Everyone fell silent and turned to look at her.
"Today we celebrate Hazel's victory, but we also say goodbye to our longtime friend Gwendolyn. We now have an opening on our team, and with Gwendolyn's blessing, I have chosen who I want to take her place," Lupa said. Reyna frowned. They had learned about Gwen's retirement only a week ago, and they were already replacing her. Why were they already rushing into choosing her replacement?
"On Monday, Octavian and I will offer Annabeth Chase a place in the Wolves," Lupa said. Reyna's jaw almost dropped, but she bit the inside of her cheek to stop it. Her eyes still widened at the words. Hazel and Frank were much more expressive as Frank's jaw dropped like a stone and Hazel gasped.
Lupa wanted Annabeth Chase to join the Wolves. She wanted the women's champion of the Olympic League to join the Wolves. Why? A voice knocked Reyna out of her shock, "It's a good idea. The other teams will be looking at old footage before they make their offers, but it won't take too long."
"I think she will be a good fit," Gwen agreed as she looked at Octavian. If Annabeth Chase accepted their offer, it would mean that another great fighter would join the group, which was the problem. With Gwen now retired, Reyna had seniority over everyone else in the Wolves, and she was the best fighter. Lupa would look at her to lead the others. Annabeth joining would ruin that.
"Are we sure that Annabeth will even want to join?" Reyna asked. She didn't look up at the others. Her gaze just stayed focused on the table.
"I think it's a great idea. I've seen some of Annabeth's fights. She's amazing," Hazel said.
"The way that she just picks people apart is insane," Frank agreed. Reyna glanced up. She saw that Lupa was studying her. Reyna moved her gaze towards Gwen.
"There was no way that I could beat Annabeth," Gwen admitted. Reyna looked back at the table. "She's an incredible fighter, and if she joins, it will be a great asset for the team."
"That's why we're going to convince her to join," Octavian guaranteed. "We'll call her and invite her to a fancy dinner, all expenses paid. When we meet, I'll lay on the charm."
"What charm?" Hazel asked. Octavian gasped in shock and stared at her. Hazel looked at him and winked
innocently. "I'm sure you can make it happen. Who is going with you? Frank? Reyna?"
"Pass," Reyna muttered under her breath. She didn't want to help recruit Annabeth Chase to join the Wolves. They didn't need her.
"I will be going," Lupa said. Reyna stared up at Lupa. "I believe that Miss Chase is familiar with my work. It will be best to meet her face to face."
Reyna stood and left the table. She stalked towards the bathroom and stepped inside. Reyna turned on the sink and stared down at the running water. She watched it fall into the drain. It took her a few moments to throw water in her face.
Lupa herself was going to recruit Annabeth. The last person that Lupa personally recruited had been Reyna, and it was an informal affair. Reyna had been sparring with Gwen when Lupa brought up Reyna joining the Wolves. It didn't involve a fancy dinner at some restaurant.
Reyna looked up from the sink and saw someone in the mirror standing behind her. She turned to look at Gwen. Reyna turned off the sink and spoke, "Hey."
"You okay?" Gwen asked. Reyna didn't answer. She just dried her hands. "I didn't mean to make you upset by bringing up your elbow. I should know how much it bothers you."
"I'm fine Gwen. Just needed to use the restroom," Reyna muttered. She went to turn away, but Gwen grabbed her arm. Reyna looked at her. "Seriously, Gwen. I'm just going to get drunk and enjoy your last night with us."
"Alright," Gwen said after a few moments. She let go of Reyna's arm and followed her out of the bathroom. "You know that you'll be back to fighting in no time, right? And, a title shot can't be too far behind. You just need to win a few big fights."
"I know," Reyna muttered. She stalked back towards the table and sat down. Reyna grabbed her beer and finished it up. She glared at the glass bottle as conversations started up all around her. Another beer was passed to her, and she didn't even look to see who it was. She just downed half of it in one shot.
Reyna sighed and put the beer down. Her protests wouldn't matter, especially since Lupa had already made up her mind. Annabeth Chase, if she accepted, would become the newest member of the Wolves. The entire world would be talking about it soon, and all eyes would be on the Wolves. All Reyna could do now was wait to see how it played out.