Being alone in the gym meant that Reyna could go all out without anyone asking her what she was mad about or telling her to take it easy. She could just punch the bag until her arms hurt. As she took a small moment to catch her breath, she studied her wrist that had been broken in her car wreck.

Most of her aches were gone, but it was sore from how hard she had been pushing herself. In fact, her entire body was sore from how hard she had been going the last few weeks. Reyna trained until she was absolutely exhausted and couldn't go anymore. Then, she kept going.

Reyna had a plan for her match against Clarisse, and it had been perfected. Now, all she had to do was rest and mentally prepare. The only thing standing between Reyna and a shot at the title was Clarisse. Reyna would not allow her rival to get into her head anymore. She was walking into the cage with the goal of becoming a champion, and nothing would stop her.

Reyna sat on one of the rings and leaned against the ropes. Frank was out getting lunch with Hazel. It was the first time she was out of the house, so naturally, Nico was going to tag along with Will. The lunch seemed to silently turn into a double date, and Reyna couldn't be happier.

Not only was Nico going out on a date, but he was going out on a date in public. With Hazel and Frank there. He had come so far, and Reyna couldn't be more proud. Part of her wish she offered to come along, but she didn't want to bother them.

Her peaceful thoughts were interrupted by talking. Well, it seemed like her time alone in the gym was done. Her gaze shot to the side as she saw Lupa walking into the gym with Romy. They seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. Lupa was holding onto a bag of what looked like leftovers. She handed them off to Romy.

Reyna averted her gaze and took a sip of her water bottle. It wasn't until she heard someone clear her throat that she turned her head. Romy smiled at her, "We brought you food."

"Oh. Thank you," Reyna said in surprise. The bag was handed off to her. A glance down at the bag showed a salad and another container. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing," Romy replied. "This is my thanks for helping keep me on the right path. And Lupa told me that you warned her about my dealer."

"He didn't bother you, did he?" Reyna asked. Romy looked down.

"He did," Romy admitted. "But, Lupa was there to save the day. She stormed right up to him and told him to get the hell out. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't warn her."

"I'm just glad that nothing happened," Reyna said. She gave Romy a small smile as she truly meant it. Romy smiled back. "Thank you again. I guess I should take a break."

Reyna stood. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lupa watching her. Reyna looked away and felt that familiar anger boiling in her chest. Along with all the other shit that Lupa pulled, the fact that she thought Reyna would intentionally hurt Annabeth pissed her off the most. It had been a mistake.

Reyna would never hurt one of her teammates intentionally. She would never hurt her friend like that. It had been a complete accident, but no one believed her. Was she that terrible of a person? It felt like no matter what she did, she could never do good in the eyes of her teammates. Or Lupa. Reyna would always be that damn immature kid.

Before she could let the anger get to her, Reyna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and walked toward the stairs. After lunch, Annabeth was supposed to bring her brothers to the gym. She went to pick them up since she couldn't train on her ankle.

Which was Reyna's fault. She wished that she could take the kick back. She wished that she didn't distract Annabeth and caused her to be injured. And if Annabeth lost her title because of it, Reyna would feel terrible.

Not that anyone else thought she would.

"Reyna."

Tension filled her shoulders as turned toward Lupa. Her trainer walked toward her. It seemed like there were many thoughts running through her head; instead, she kept her eyes from Reyna and spoke, "Jupiter told me that you were going to give my introduction speech."

"I am," Reyna confirmed as she looked right at Lupa.

"Why?" Lupa asked after a moment. "After what I-"

"Because you are my trainer and taught me everything I know about fighting," Reyna interrupted. "You inspired me like you inspire so many others."

Reyna shook her head and looked away, "I won't deny how much of an impact you had on my life. Even if you didn't tell me about... her."

"Reyna," Lupa began.

"No," Reyna declined. "No. We're not doing this."

After taking a step forward, Reyna stopped and looked back at Lupa, "You can tell my mother that Hylla is getting married. I doubt she cares, but I figured she might want to know."

"Reyna, she does care," Lupa began.

"She cares," Reyna repeated as she turned completely toward Lupa. "That is fucking rich! Yeah. My mom totally fucking cares! That's why she looked me in the damn eye and didn't even tell me who she was! That's why she hasn't talked to me or Hylla all these years."

"But, you don't get it, do you? She's your best friend. She can do no wrong, right?" Reyna demanded. Lupa opened her mouth. "Stop. Just stop. I just want to enjoy my damn food."

Reyna turned and stormed upstairs. Thankfully, Lupa didn't follow her. Reyna made her way down the hall and let out an angry breath. She didn't want to talk to Lupa. She couldn't talk to Lupa.

Because she was scared to.

Their relationship was fractured from the revelation that Lupa knew Reyna's mother. Sooner or later, they would have that conversation, and it would either save their relationship or destroy it. Reyna wasn't sure how it would go, and the longer she could put it off, the better.

Reyna stepped into the breakroom and let out a sigh. She placed her bag down and looked up, surprised to see someone at the fridge.

"Finally! I was-"

Thalia's words died in her throat as she turned around and met Reyna's eyes. Reyna stared at her ex-girlfriend. Thalia looked much better than when Reyna had last seen her, and she didn't limp as she closed the fridge and walked toward the table.

"Is Lupa here?" Thalia asked after a moment.

"She just got back," Reyna answered as she averted her gaze. Then, she took a deep breath and met Thalia's eyes again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm doing better," Thalia admitted. She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. Reyna couldn't identify all of the feelings in her chest, which caused her to look away again. "And, I'm sorry for being such a dick to you when you found me that night. You didn't have to bring me back to your place or dig out my bike, but you did."

"So, thank you," Thalia finished. She shrugged.

"It's, um… you're welcome," Reyna decided. Thalia sighed and rubbed the back of her neck again.

"Look, this is awkward as hell, but I think I'm going to be around the gym more," Thalia began. Reyna slowly looked at her. "And, Lupa invited Jason and I to Rome. I don't want to ruin the trip for anyone, so can we keep this cordial? We don't have to be best friends or anything, but I just don't want us to get into arguments and be yelling at each other."

"I agree," Reyna returned. "And, I am sorry for what I said, Thalia. You don't have to forgive me, just know I am sorry. I said all of that out of anger."

"I'm sorry too," Thalia said softly. She turned her head and pulled at her collar. "I'm sorry for cheating on you and for slapping you. That was wrong of me, so I'm sorry."

Reyna nodded and looked down at her food. Thalia looked like she was going to say more. Instead, she nodded a little bit and then left the room. Reyna slowly sat at the table and set her food out. The salad looked delicious as did the pasta meal they had gotten her.

Reyna closed her eyes as she felt a plethora of emotions in her chest. She just wanted to eat her food, clear her mind, and prepare for her fight against Clarisse. It was one day away, and nothing would stop her from winning.

Nothing.