"I'm fine, Piper. I can walk on my own," Annabeth began. Piper ignored her and continued to carry her through the backstage area. A small blush came to Annabeth's face. She had not been expecting this. While she had been leaning on Piper during the walk from the cage to the backstage area, she was still able to mostly walk on her own.

As soon as the curtains closed behind them, Piper picked her up and carried her like a bride on her wedding day. Lupa even seemed taken by surprise. Will seemed to nod in approval, and Annabeth couldn't catch Reyna's reaction.

"We don't have to stop at the doctor," Annabeth began. Piper turned her head to look at Lupa. After a moment, her mentor shook her head.

"Your fingers are broken," Lupa stated.

"At least put me down," Annabeth huffed.

"Your ankle is hurt," Piper said. They stopped outside of a door, and Lupa knocked. Piper carried Annabeth into the small doctor's room. Will was right next to them, and he studied the man that stood in the corner.

"Lee?" Will asked in surprise.

"Solace?" the doctor asked as he looked at them in surprise. A smile then split his face. "Haven't seen you since medical school. And lay Miss Chase down there."

Piper laid Annabeth down on the bed. She looked her up and down and carefully took the title from her. Lupa stood next to the bed and smiled slightly.

"Do I really have to lie down?" Annabeth complained as she pulled her mouthguard out and shivered slightly.

"No," Lupa answered with a small smile. "That was a great fight."

"Thank you," Annabeth beamed. She sat up. Piper pulled her jacket off and wrapped it around Annabeth. The champion relaxed as Doctor Lee stopped in front of her.

"What hurts?" Lee questioned. His eyes drifted to her fingers, but he didn't make a move to grab her.

"My fingers are broken," Annabeth answered. Lee held a hand out, and Annabeth slowly placed her hand into it. "My ankle hurts as well."

"I can put a splint on your fingers and ice for the ankle," Lee evaluated. He turned his head. "Want to help, Will?"

Will smiled and walked toward Lee to help him. Annabeth leaned on Piper, who grinned down at her. Piper spoke, "I'm so proud of you, Annabeth. You had me so worried."

"She threw me off my game," Annabeth admitted. "But, I made it work."

They heard a knock on the door, and Frank walked inside with Hazel right behind him. They both moved to Annabeth's side.

"Um, sorry everyone. You're kind of crowding," Lee began.

"Sorry. We'll be just a moment," Frank replied. He looked at Annabeth. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"A few injuries. I'm okay other than that," Annabeth promised.

"You did great out there," Hazel added as she looked Annabeth up and down. Concern danced in her eyes. "We came as fast as we could."

Hazel pulled Annabeth into a hug, followed by Frank. Doctor Lee stood to the side and didn't look amused, but he also didn't say anything. Hazel spoke, "Do you still feel like going out to celebrate?"

"Of course," Annabeth replied with a grin. Hazel gave her another hug and then left the room. Frank hugged her back as well and filed out. Lee silently got ice for her ankle and then began working on her fingers.

The only one that Annabeth didn't see was Reyna, which made sense. She would be focused on preparing for her fight, but it still stung slightly like Reyna had only been out there because it looked good. Not because she actually cared.

Another knock at the door caused Annabeth to look up. Lee glanced up and spoke in a clipped tone, "Come in."

Percy stepped into the room and rushed to Annabeth's side. He pulled her into a tight hug, "You had me so worried when she took you down like that."

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Annabeth promised, patting his upper back with her good hand. She winced as the splint was put on her fingers. While breaking your opponent's fingers wasn't technically illegal, it wasn't the mark of good sportsmanship. That was for sure.

At the door stood Reyna. She was studying Annabeth quietly. That look of intense focus was still fixed on her face. Annabeth looked at her and motioned for her to walk in. After a moment, Reyna did.

"Good fight," Reyna complimented.

"Thank you," Annabeth returned. "You better win so that we can fight each other for the title."

"I will," Reyna promised. She studied Annabeth's eyes for a long moment before looking at her hand as Lee finally finished with it. "Broken?"

"Yeah," Annabeth confirmed. "I don't know about my ankle. I didn't feel a pop."

"It's swollen," Lee confirmed. "I don't think it's broken. Probably just sprained worse than it was before. I can give you some pain medicine, but you're not getting up until we're done icing it."

"Thank you," Annabeth said as she looked at the doctor. Lee nodded. He even gave her a small smile. Annabeth returned it.

"This is your first event," Lupa assumed. She looked Lee up and down like her gaze could bore through him. Lee didn't seem intimidated.

"It is," Lee answered as he looked at Lupa. "They wanted to bring in new blood after complaints about the former doctors."

"That's good," Lupa commented.

"I'm going to leave you guys to it," Reyna said as she looked at the television. "Prepare for my fight."

"I'll be out there to watch," Annabeth promised. Reyna glanced at her and nodded.

"Do you need help?" Lupa offered. Reyna shook her head and left the room without another word. Lupa watched her go and exhaled angrily. Her gaze moved back to Annabeth.

"I'm glad you're not more hurt," Percy said as he kept his arm around Annabeth. Piper moved to her other side. Annabeth rolled her eyes as she was smothered by the two. "I texted mom and told her you were okay. Thalia and Jason were worried, too."

"Is everyone getting along out there?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh yeah. Hylla was really getting into it. She was cheering for you almost as loud as my mom. I don't think anyone was louder than her," Percy revealed with a smile. Annabeth matched his grin. She was worried that Sally would hate it there, with her not liking violence. She was always supportive, but Annabeth didn't want her to be uncomfortable.

"They were more worried about you than anything," Percy added. "Nico also bought Paul food, but wouldn't give me any."

A laugh left Annabeth. Percy glanced at his watch, "So, there are five more matches before Reyna's?"

"With ten minute intermissions in between," Lupa added.

"Hylla is nervous about her sister's fight. More nervous than I was for yours. Cause I know you had it," Percy said.

"You scared the shit out of me," Piper chimed in. She gently slapped Annabeth's shoulder. "My heart dropped to my stomach when I saw you in her submission."

"I didn't plan on that happening," Annabeth admitted. She exhaled and tried to relax. Her face ached slightly from being punched, but most of the battle was one of wits. Trying to out wrestle Arachne had been hard. Maybe it was a little arrogant like Reyna said. But, how could Annabeth be the best fighter if she did not beat someone at their own game by making it hers?

Annabeth shifted and sat up. She looked at Piper, "Any bruises?"

"A small one on your cheek," Piper said. "It's not noticeable, but I can still kiss it to make it feel better."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and studied her hand. There was a dull ache, but it helped as Lee gave her some medicine and crackers to take it with. Will and Lee then moved to the corner of the room and seemed to be having a friendly conversation.

"I can't believe I did it," Annabeth whispered as she laid back on the bed. She had defended her title and won. While she did make mistakes, she still won. This would silence a lot of doubters and critics. And soon, she would learn who her next opponent would be.