"This is the fight that I want," Frank said as he put down the two small folders that had been given to him. It wasn't like he had a ton of choices for people who wanted to fight him. There were only two choices: Ethan and Dakota. But, Frank wasn't going to be discouraged. He had to bounce back from his last fight and prove that he belonged with the others.
"You'll do great," Piper promised as she looked at her laptop and typed into it. This was Piper's first time helping them organize a fight, and she looked as nervous as Frank felt about his upcoming fight. Frank moved his gaze to the side. Hazel sat without any folders to go through, and she looked confused.
"Sorry," Piper said as she took a moment to look through her bag. Frank studied Piper, mostly her makeup. It wasn't that she didn't normally wear makeup, but it was more that she managed to blend it so naturally that Frank couldn't tell if she was wearing any. Today, it wasn't blended well, and he could see where the makeup covered her skin. "I'm not super organized today."
"You're fine," Hazel said with a gentle smile. She was sitting next to Frank and staring patiently ahead. Frank studied Hazel for a few moments. Every time he saw her, he kept thinking back to when they went to her family's house. And how they spread all of that gossip and dribble to the tabloids.
Frank couldn't tell if it truly didn't bother Hazel or if she was putting on a brave face. If anyone tried to bring it up to Piper or Octavian during interviews, they were shot down. Hazel didn't have any interviews since the "news" broke, and she hadn't been swarmed by any tabloids. Frank didn't know if she was over it or if it was just a case of out of sight and out of mind.
Frank moved his attention to his mentor. Lupa was sitting to the side of her desk, allowing Piper to have her chair for their small meeting. With Lupa that close, it had to add to Piper's nervousness. She would do great, though.
"Alright. So, Hazel. An hour ago, someone reached out to offer a fight to you. I haven't had a chance to put a profile together for you yet," Piper began. She dropped a few items out of her bag, and a small curse left her.
"Piper, you shouldn't feel overwhelmed," Lupa said gently. Piper slowly looked at her, and Lupa gave her a smile. "Take a few moments to collect your thoughts. And your things."
Piper nodded and let out a deep breath. Lupa helped her pick up her things. As Piper put them back in her bag, she seemed to lose the tension in her shoulders. Piper slowly sat down across from them and looked at Hazel, "Miranda Gardiner's manager called me an hour ago with an offer to fight you."
"Miranda," Hazel repeated. Frank frowned as he tried to picture the fighter. The name did not ring a bell. Hazel turned to look at Lupa. "What do you know about her?"
"Not much," Lupa admitted. "I do know that she was signed from the Delian League."
"Annabeth fought her before," Piper added. "It was one of her earlier fights, so Miranda has been around for a few years. I think Annabeth still has notes on her, but I'm not sure how useful those old notes would be."
"I'll ask Annabeth," Hazel decided.
"I can have a profile ready for you in about an hour," Piper offered.
"Thank you," Hazel said. She smiled and seemed to think.
"You don't have to decide whether to take the fight yet or not," Lupa chimed in. "I would rather you take your time and think about it instead of just throwing yourself into a decision."
"I'll talk to Annabeth and take a look at the profile before I make my decision," Hazel promised. Her gaze moved back to Piper. "Do you have an idea when the fight will take place?"
"I'm not for sure on this, but I think it will be in two months. The same event as Frank's fight," Piper replied.
"Does that mean we will have two dinners that night if we both win?" Frank joked.
"Or, we can just go somewhere extra fancy," Hazel teased as she looked at Frank. He grinned at her. A knock at the door caused Frank to turn his head and study the man at the door. It took him a moment to recognize him: Romy.
"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Romy asked. Frank didn't know much about Romy, other than the man was twice his age. He was also taller than Frank but much scrawnier like he had lost any muscle that he gained over his life. From the stories he heard, Romy had been a fighter, but he was never really a professional. He fought in the underground tournaments.
Apparently, Lupa had said that Romy had enough skill to be one of the best professional fighters in the world, but it just didn't work out that way. Not with what happened to his brother. Frank almost wondered what it would be like to have Romy as a sparring partner. It would be nice to have someone closer to his height and weight.
Frank glanced at Lupa and saw the joy sparkling in her eyes. The smile she wore could have lit up the room. It made Frank beyond happy that Romy and Lupa were able to reunite. This year had been hard for Lupa with losing her mom, so it had to be great to reconnect with a man that she saw as a son.
"I was just wondering if you want to get lunch today," Romy began. "I can pay."
"I'll pay," Lupa dismissed immediately. "Let me just finish up some things before we head out. You can wait in here if you would like."
"I don't want to intrude," Romy began.
"You're not," Hazel promised as she smiled at Romy. The man hadn't talked to them much, mostly staying by Lupa's side. Frank didn't think it was out of maliciousness. More so, Romy was in a building full of strangers, and he didn't know how to react to them.
"You can have my seat," Frank offered as he stood. "We just finished up."
"Thank you," Romy said softly. He walked towards them and placed a hand on the chair. Then, his gaze moved to them. "I don't think I ever introduced myself. I'm Romy."
"I'm Frank. The newest fighter," Frank introduced himself.
"I'm Hazel. The second newest," Hazel said as she smiled at Romy.
"Frank. Hazel," Romy repeated. He turned towards Piper. "Are you one of the fighters?"
"No," Piper replied as she smiled at him. "I'm Piper. One of the managers in training."
"It's nice to meet you three," Romy said. He ducked his head a moment later and scratched at his arm. His hand moved to roll up his sleeve before he gripped it and clawed at the fabric.
"It's nice to meet you too," Hazel said.
"I hope to see you around," Piper added.
"You two have fun at lunch," Frank began. He felt Hazel gently grab his arm and lead him out of the office. Piper followed behind, and the three made their way down the hall. There was a comfortable silence that settled over them.
"I'll have the profile done as soon as possible," Piper promised as she ducked into the office she shared with Octavian.
"Take your time," Hazel called. She gently hooked her arm in Frank's, and Frank nearly forgot how to walk. Hazel looked at him and smiled widely. His lips immediately stretched into their own smile. The two of them made it to the main body of the gym, and they found Annabeth talking to her trainer for the day.
"Percy!" Hazel yelled as she pulled away from Frank and ran towards the ring that Annabeth and Percy stood in. Hazel slid under the ropes of the ring and made it to her feet in one swift motion. She tackled Percy into a hug. Frank joined in a moment later, and the combined momentum knocked the poor man to the ground.
"I missed you guys too," Percy laughed. Frank stood and offered a hand. Percy took it and was pulled to his feet. Hazel hugged Percy, and Frank gave him a half hug.
"Don't beat Percy up too much," Annabeth pleaded jokingly. Hazel looked at Percy and put up her fist. She started laughing a moment later. Frank joined in a moment later as Percy grinned widely.
"Where's Reyna at?" Percy asked as he looked around.
"Checkup at the doctor's," Hazel supplied. "I think the league wants the doctors to keep a close eye on her with her fight coming up."
"Makes sense," Percy agreed with a nod. "I'm sure that rematch is going to peak a lot of interest and will be one of the most anticipated matches on the card. The bad blood between Clarisse and Reyna is going to lead to a very violent match. Whether it lasts five seconds or five rounds."
"Speaking of violent fights, well, hopefully, it's not too violent. What can you tell me about Miranda Gardiner? Her manager reached out to offer a fight," Hazel explained.
"Miranda is not a bad fighter, but I also don't think she is too great either," Annabeth answered after she seemed to think about it. "I would probably call her a mid-tier fighter. It's not going to be an easy fight, but it's also not going to be the hardest fight you ever have. Not to brag but-"
"She's totally going to brag."
"Shut up, Seaweed Brain. Anyway, I don't think she could beat me for the title, but if it was against the right opponent, she could win. The fight will be a good challenge to test your skills. Her technique lacks at times, but yours does as well. Not to be mean," Annabeth began.
"No, I'm happy that you told me. I want to get better," Hazel said. Annabeth smiled at her.
"Your speed will be deadly against her. If you can improve on your techniques, you'll be unstoppable," Annabeth promised. Hazel grinned. "Now, I guess you two want to spar with Percy."
"Frank can have him first," Hazel offered. "But, I'll get him as soon as I get back from Piper. I'll take the fight."
"I love it when they fight over me," Percy stated. He had a huge grin on his face. Annabeth rolled her eyes but couldn't stop her smile. Percy looked at Frank. "Alright, big guy. You ready?"