"Will you stop sitting on my counter?" Nico complained. He was typing into his computer and looked like he was trying to give her an annoyed look. Reyna just smirked back at him and looked out the window. She saw Annabeth's car pull into the parking lot.
"After you tell me how your date went," Reyna answered as she turned around and placed her feet on Nico's desk. He swiped her feet off of the desk and then slapped her knee in annoyance.
"Our date went great," Hazel chimed in. Reyna whirled around the desk again, only this time Nico gave her a shove, and she fell right off the desk. A groan left her as she placed her face on the ground. Falling hadn't really hurt. More stunned her than anything.
"Are you okay?" Nico questioned.
"Yeah," Reyna groaned. She moved her head to look at Hazel and smiled. Hazel was on crutches, but she looked worried as she studied Reyna. "I'm fine."
Nico started laughing. Reyna moved to glare at the desk, even though she couldn't see him, "Dick."
Reyna slowly stood and leaned on the counter again. Her gaze moved back to Hazel. She looked happy and relaxed after the date. Reyna must have missed them coming back in. The front door opened, and Reyna watched Annabeth and her brothers walk in.
Bobby and Matthew both gawked as they looked around. Their eyes moved from the front desk to the ceiling to Hazel and then to Reyna. A small smirk came to Reyna's face, "I was wondering how long it would take for you two to finally get here."
"Hey Reyna!" Bobby greeted.
"Reyna!" Matthew joined. Both boys had huge grins on their faces. Reyna returned their grins.
"You two already know Reyna," Annabeth stated. She moved her hand to the side. "This is Hazel."
"You must be Bobby," Hazel began as she pointed at Bobby. Her finger moved to the other boy. "And Matthew. Right?"
"You're like one of our favorites," Bobby said. Matthew nodded vigorously. Hazel smiled at them.
"I"m not as fast as I used to be, but should I help with the tour?" Hazel asked. The boys both lit up. They looked at Annabeth, who gave them a nod. Hazel motioned with her head and started to walk into the dream. "Frank will help us too."
Bobby and Matthew both stepped forward. Then, both of them froze. Their eyes widened in shock. Reyna turned her head to see Lupa standing at the door. She averted her gaze and stared ahead.
"I hope you don't mind if I intrude on the tour," Lupa smiled. Reyna didn't look at them until she heard them walk away. Her gaze moved back to the side, and she saw Annabeth looking right at her. Reyna averted her eyes again.
"I was planning on buying dinner for everyone tonight," Reyna suddenly announced. "Before we all left the gym. Everyone is up for it. I just haven't had a chance to ask you and Piper. Or your brothers."
"They would love that," Annabeth replied. "Thank you. And um, I'm sorry. About what I said."
"It's cool," Reyna began, turning back to Annabeth. "I just love getting accused of hurting my teammates. My friends. Because, what? I have a temper? I want to hurt you for your fight? Do you know how bullshit that is, Annabeth?"
"For you?" Annabeth challenged.
"Both of you," Nico interrupted. "Come on. Let's not start a fight when you two should be focused on your matches."
"We would love to have dinner," Annabeth said stiffly. She turned and walked into the gym. Reyna glared at her back before turning around and leaning on the desk.
"Sorry," Reyna muttered. She glanced at Nico. He was still busy typing into the computer. "How was the double date?"
"A lot better than I thought it would be," Nico admitted. He shook his head. "I was such an idiot for not telling Hazel sooner."
Reyna remained silent because she thought the same thing, but she also understood why Nico didn't. Nico continued, "Frank was really nice about the whole thing. I know that he knows, but he didn't make it awkward. It was great."
"That's good," Reyna said. She sighed and hung her head. "You won't believe what happened to me."
"Did you hurt yourself training?" Nico asked.
"That would have been preferable to running into Thalia," Reyna muttered. Nico stopped typing. "She said that she wants things to be cool between us. Which I agreed with. She also said she's coming to Rome with us."
"Are you okay?" Nico asked gently.
"I don't know," Reyna admitted. "I just... I almost feel like everyone in the gym is against me."
"No one is against you," Nico said quickly.
"I know that," Reyna retorted with a sigh. "I just feel like it. Annabeth thinks I hurt her on purpose when it was nothing more than an accident. Of course, Piper is going to take her side, they're best friends. Hazel isn't here. Frank has been so busy helping me prepare for my fight that he isn't focused on anything else. Lupa just..."
Reyna looked at Nico, "You're the only person I have here, Nico. Thank you."
Nico stood and moved to Reyna's side. He pulled her into a gentle hug. Reyna hugged him back. A sigh left her, "Am I being dramatic?"
"No," Nico replied. "It's okay to feel like that at times, especially because you said you know that no one is against you. And you just feel like it."
"How do I not feel like that?" Reyna muttered. She pulled away from Nico and sat on his desk again. Nico sat in his chair and didn't try to shove her off. Reyna hung her head and rubbed her face.
"Just give it some time," Nico suggested softly. "Everyone is just so focused on the fights that tensions are super high. Annabeth doesn't think that you really hurt her on purpose. It was just an accident."
"I keep saying that," Reyna muttered as she shook her head. "It sounds less and less true the more I say it."
"Can I do anything to help?" Nico offered. Reyna shook her head again. "Just don't let it distract you from your fight."
"It won't," Reyna promised. She sighed again and brought her knees to her chest, then rested her face on them. "Alright. I have something to tell you, but please don't make it a thing. Just tell me that I'm an idiot, so we can move on."
"Okay," Nico agreed. Reyna slowly looked up and made sure no one was in the room. She met Nico's eyes. "Is it really that bad?"
"I think I have a small, minor, very tiny crush," Reyna began. She rubbed her forehead. "On... Annabeth. I just realized it not too long ago. It really hurt me what she said during that interview, and I was reflecting on why. I realized it's because I have a crush on Annabeth, and I don't know what to do about it."
"Before you ask, it's not an attempt to get back at Thalia or anything like that. I really enjoyed the day that Annabeth and I hung out as friends, and I just... I really think I like her. Despite how much we butt heads here, I just enjoy being with her."
"Well, my best advice is to wait until after your fights and take the leap," Nico gave his two cents. "Maybe before Rome? You could have a nice date there."
"There's only one problem with that," Reyna muttered. "Annabeth and Lupa both think that I hurt her on purpose. I know that we're going to win our fights, and I will be fighting Annabeth for her title. Now, what are they going to think when I tell Annabeth this?"
Nico frowned. He then nodded in resignation, "Yeah. That's a good point. Maybe wait until after you two have the title match? That way you can get an idea of how strong your feelings are, and it will be clear that you really mean it."
"I'll try," Reyna agreed. "Let's just enjoy dinner tonight."
"I'll be at your fight. Hopefully, Hylla and Kinzie don't mind sitting with me," Nico said. He gave Reyna a small smile. "So, kick Clarisse's ass for me."