"I can walk, Piper. I'm fine," Annabeth promised as she looked at her friend. Piper gave her a look and then finally sighed. "I'm going out there to watch."
"Just take it easy," Piper said. Annabeth nodded. "Do you want me to help you walk out there?"
"No," Annabeth declined. She tested her ankle; it ached, but she had been off of it since her fight concluded. It didn't seem broken, and she would go to a doctor the next day for the official diagnosis. Right now, all of her focus was on the fight that was about to take place.
"Alright. I'm going to watch with Hazel, so Frank can be out there," Piper said. Annabeth nodded her agreement. She limped past the curtain and toward the cage. The spotlight was on Clarisse and Reyna as the announcer introduced the two fighters. Neither twitched from the cheers and jeers of the crowd. Everyone in the arena seemed to be buzzing in anticipation for the fight.
Annabeth knew why this rematch had been picked as the main event. There was so much bad blood between Reyna and Clarisse. It was bad enough when Clarisse broke Reyna's arm during their first fight, but it only got worse with all of the taunting and cheap shots outside of the cage. On top of all that, they were fighting for the right to face Annabeth.
Annabeth came to a stop near Lupa. Her trainer watched the two fighters closely. Clarisse had a confident look on her face, and her eyes were boring a hole into Reyna. In contrast, Reyna looked tense, like a coil ready to spring. There was a scowl on her face and laser focus in her eyes. Annabeth found herself holding her breath along with the crowd as the fight officially began.
Neither fighter moved for a moment. Reyna was the first to break the stalemate. She took a slow step forward and held her glove out for Clarisse to tap. A frown came to Annabeth's face: this was not the time for sportsmanship. Clarisse studied the raised glove for a moment and then finally started to raise her right glove to tap Reyna's.
As Clarisse's right hand was halfway to its destination, her left hand suddenly shot out for a cheap shot. It never had a chance to connect as Reyna launched herself into Clarisse, and the war began.
The two fighters fell to the ground in a mass of kicks and punches. No technique or skill was being used. It looked more like a backyard brawl than a contender's match for a title. Neither fighter seemed to get the upper hand with each one landing a few grazing blows.
Clarisse shoved Reyna away and tried to get some distance as she scrambled to her feet. Reyna gave her no room to breathe as she launched herself into Clarisse again. The two slammed hard into the cage wall, rattling it. Reyna punched at her opponent's head, and Clarisse barely ducked underneath.
Annabeth winced as the hand that slammed into the cage was the one injured in Reyna's car wreck. Clarisse slammed her shoulder right into Reyna's gut, and Annabeth knew what was going to come next. Clarisse would pick her opponent up and slam her down hard. She would then mount her and rain down heavy barrages.
But, that didn't happen. Annabeth could hardly believe her eyes as Clarisse slammed her shoulder into Reyna's gut, but instead of being taken down, Reyna planted her feet into the mat. She slipped an arm under Clarisse's chest and arm. Her other hand grasped her wrist, and she lifted the larger woman off of the ground.
Reyna used Clarisse's momentum to turn her head over heels and suplex her hard. The thud made Annabeth jump, and she heard the crowd gasp in shock. Reyna used the momentum of the throw to end up on Clarisse's chest, and she rained down barrages of her own.
Reyna's first punch connected right with Clarisse's mouth. The second hit her nose, and Clarisse threw her arm up to defend herself. Reyna's next punch slipped past that defense, and the official inched closer to see if they needed to call the fight or not.
Clarisse caught Reyna's next punch and delivered one of her own. It caught Reyna flush in the mouth, but she didn't let that stop her from punching down again. That punch connected with Clarisse's nose, and Reyna trapped Clarisse's free arm with her knee.
Annabeth couldn't believe they were mere seconds from watching Clarisse lose. If she didn't let go of Reyna's arm, she would be defenseless against those left hand cannons. If she did let go, she would have to defend against fists raining down from both directions. Clarisse did let go, and in the same instant, she shot her fist forward.
Reyna instantly let go of Clarisse's arm, and the official moved between the two to separate them. Annabeth frowned as she watched Reyna turn away coughing and gagging. Both hands moved to her throat, and Annabeth scowled as she realized what had happened.
The official instantly moved to Reyna's side and checked on her. Clarisse slowly backed up and sat against the cage. Annabeth glared at the brute. Clarisse knew she was going to lose, so instead of going for a last ditch punch to the face or anything else, she went for a cheap shot to Reyna's throat. Effectively stopping the fight and killing Reyna's momentum.
"Can you continue?" the official asked Reyna. As Reyna managed to stop coughing, she nodded and slowly made it to her feet. The official turned towards Clarisse. "Throat shots are illegal. That is going to be points against you, and another throat shot will be a disqualification."
"It was an accident," Clarisse defended as she raised her hands. The official turned back towards Reyna to check on her one last time, and Clarisse smirked. She made it to her feet. The official gave Reyna a few more moments to catch her breath before the fight resumed once again.
"That's bullshit!" Frank complained. Annabeth jumped in surprise and looked at him. She hadn't even heard him walk up behind her.
"It is," Annabeth agreed. A glance at Lupa showed a frown on her face. She did not look pleased by Clarisse's actions either.
Annabeth looked back at the fight as it resumed. Reyna and Clarisse circled each other. It was clear that Reyna had yet to catch her breath. Clarisse took full advantage of it by closing the distance and throwing out rapid punches and kicks, forcing Reyna to either dodge or take the blows.
With her size, Clarisse did not look like she would be fast, but she had deceptive speed. She used all of it to keep Reyna on the defensive. Annabeth hated to watch this. She knew what Clarisse's plan was; she would throw everything she had at Reyna to exhaust her, especially since Reyna still couldn't catch her breath.
Reyna did her best to dodge and block everything, and she only took glancing blows here and there. Her breathing became much heavier, and Clarisse suddenly slammed her shoulder into Reyna's gut. This time, she was successful in lifting Reyna and driving her into the mat.
Whatever air Reyna had gasped in was torn out of her, and Clarisse tried to mount. Reyna did her best to pull away, but Clarisse fought with her. Annabeth cursed under her breath as she watched the two fighters. Reyna would never be able to catch her breath at this rate, and it wouldn't take long for her to make a mistake that Clarisse would capitalize on.
Anger marred Clarisse's face as Reyna managed to avoid being pinned to the ground. She had squirmed onto her stomach and started making it to her knees. Clarisse cursed and brought her arm around Reyna's neck to lock her in a chokehold.
Reyna suddenly grabbed Clarisse's arm and threw the woman over her shoulder again. Clarisse hit the ground hard and quickly scrambled to her hands and knees. Reyna slowly stood, and by that time, Clarisse was almost in a standing position.
Reyna's foot slammed right into Clarisse's jaw, almost sounding like a gunshot. The large woman stumbled and fell to a knee, but immediately hopped up. Reyna immediately backed away and didn't press the advantage as she tried to catch her breath.
Despite the round not being over, the two fighters had backed into their corners. Annabeth winced as she heard how badly Reyna was coughing and wheezing. Her saving grace was that Clarisse looked hesitant to rush forward again and still looked stunned from the blow.
By the time Clarisse seemed to clear the cobwebs and stood straight, Reyna's breathing was mostly back to normal. The two opponents circled each other once again. A bell made Annabeth jump, and the official stepped between the two fighters as the round ended.
Reyna glared at Clarisse before making her way to her corner. She pulled out her mouthpiece and turned her head to spit. A stool was placed down for her, and Reyna slowly sat on it. Lupa handed her a bottle of water. Reyna took a few sips and rubbed her throat.
"Are you okay?" Lupa questioned. Reyna nodded. "Can you breathe well?"
"Yeah," Reyna replied hoarsely. The irritation was clear in her voice. She turned her head and glanced over them. Annabeth studied Reyna as they met eyes. While Annabeth and Arachne had a technical battle of submissions and grapples, Reyna and Clarisse looked like they were having a slugfest.
"Don't let her dirty tricks stop you," Frank said. Reyna moved her gaze to him.
"Don't let her get into your head, Reyna. She got there because she knew she was seconds from losing. Show her how right she was," Annabeth encouraged. Reyna nodded and slowly took a few more sips of water. Her breathing seemed to be completely back to normal, which was good for her, but bad for Clarisse.
Reyna hung her head for a few moments. It seemed like Reyna had already given a lot at the beginning of the fight, so how much did she have left in the tank? And did Clarisse have more? Reyna put her mouthguard back in.
As the second round started, Reyna didn't hesitate to approach Clarisse and go right at her with kicks and punches. Clarisse went on the defensive and tried to return blows of her own. The two warriors exchanged shots as neither was able to get the upper hand. It seemed like Reyna and Clarisse were mostly dodging everything, and they returned any blows given to them.
Reyna suddenly slipped under Clarisse's guard and grabbed the woman by her waist. She slammed her to the ground and immediately rained down massive blows. Clarisse had been able to turn enough to not land flat on her back, and she tried to struggle to roll onto her stomach.
Reyna allowed Clarisse to roll over, and she immediately wrapped an arm around her neck to lock her in a chokehold. Clarisse's hand shot up, and while Annabeth didn't see what happened, Reyna instantly pulled away and placed her palm to her eye. The official got between the two before checking on Reyna.
Clarisse slowly turned onto her back and scooted away. She stood, and a smirk split her face. It cleared away as the official glanced back at her. Reyna had both hands to her eyes, but Annabeth could see how tense her body was.
Reyna suddenly rushed to her feet and got right into Clarisse's face. She said something that caused the official to separate the two. Clarisse spoke over the crowd, "It was an accident!"
"That's enough!" the official called. Reyna looked like she wanted to say more, but she stepped back and placed a hand to her eye. The official turned towards her. "Can you continue?"
"I'm fine," Reyna muttered as she lowered her hand and blinked rapidly. Annabeth glanced at the replay and saw a clear view of Clarisse jabbing her finger right into Reyna's eye as the submission was about to be locked in. How many times was she going to get away with cheating?
The official gave Reyna another minute before resuming the fight. Reyna immediately lashed out at Clarisse, but the bigger woman blocked and started a barrage of her own. Reyna dodged most of the blows on her right side but took more damage on the left where her eye was no doubt watering.
One of Clarisse's punches caught Reyna in the nose again, and Annabeth heard the crunch before she saw the blood. As Reyna's head whipped to the side, Clarisse was there to meet her with a harsh kick. It sounded like a door being slammed, and Reyna's head was whipped to the other side as she stumbled. Clarisse smelled blood and stepped forward.
Right into a counterattack that smacked the bridge of her nose. It was followed by an uppercut and another punch right to the mouth. Clarisse stumbled back and brought both hands up to guard her face. Reyna kicked her hard in the gut and followed it up with a punch to her raised arms.
Another kick caused Clarisse to double over, and Reyna went to end the fight with a knee to the jaw. Clarisse suddenly lunged forward and caught Reyna mid-strike. She slammed her hard to the ground, and Annabeth winced as Reyna's head bounced off the mat hard.
As Clarisse had been tackling Reyna, she had caught her knee and arm together. When they hit the ground, she made sure to put all of her weight on Reyna's leg and arm to pin them to the ground and leave Reyna's side exposed. Clarisse kept all of her weight on Reyna's trapped limbs and rained down punches to her opponent's already bloody nose.
Reyna brought her free arm up to defend herself. Clarisse grabbed that arm and pinned it. She spat blood in Reyna's face. Then, she rained down more punches that Reyna couldn't block.
"Come on," Annabeth whispered as her gut twisted. She watched as three brutal blows connected, and she knew it was only a matter of time as the official inched closer and closer. "Damn it!"
Annabeth closed her eyes as she knew the fight was over. Then, she heard a cry of pain that didn't belong to Reyna. Her eyes snapped open as she watched Reyna knee Clarisse in the ribs once again. Clarisse tried to grab the limb, and Reyna wrestled her arm away. The two tangled with each other, trying to gain the advantage.
With her positioning, Clarisse had the upper hand. It didn't matter as Reyna kept fighting and struggling with her, landing a few blows here and there and blocking any more that came her way. When the bell rang to signal the end of the second round, the official immediately pulled them away.
From where Annabeth's standing, Clarisse's back had been to her, and she couldn't see her teammate. When the official separated them, Clarisse was slow to stand and made it to her corner gingerly. The official checked on Reyna, who waved him away and slowly stood.
"Jesus," Annabeth breathed as Reyna made it to the corner. She slowly sat down as Will rushed into the cage to stop the bleeding. Reyna's nose was broken, covering the lower half of her face in blood. The left side of her face was drenched in crimson from a cut above her eye.
"Reyna, can you hear me?" Will asked.
"I'm not concussed," Reyna retorted. She winced as Will cleaned the blood away. Annabeth looked across the cage and saw that Clarisse was continuously spitting out blood as her doctor checked on her. "Bitch spat right in my eye."
"Here," Will said as he finished cleaning the blood away. He tilted Reyna's head back and poured water into her eye gently. A wince came to Reyna's face as Will used powder to close up the cut above her eye. It wouldn't matter because that was the first place Clarisse would hit.
"Pace yourself," Lupa warned as she looked at Reyna and gently placed both hands to Reyna's nose. A wince left Reyna as her nose popped back into place. The towel moved back to her nose to catch fresh blood. "This is going to be a war of attrition between you two. The first to have a target will be the first to fall."
"Yeah," Reyna agreed. She sipped on some water before handing the bottle back to Will and standing up. Her mouthguard was placed back in.
The third round started with the two fighters circling each other. Clarisse had an intense look on her face that Annabeth couldn't identify. There was anger, of course. Something else was mixed in there, though. Fear? Doubt? Despair?
It disappeared as Clarisse charged Reyna again, swinging wild blows. The thing about those attacks was that they were easy to dodge. They weren't too fast because they were packed with power. But if it connected, it would be bad. Reyna had to dance away from the attacks, unable to return any.
As Clarisse's punches became sloppier and slower, Reyna took advantage. She slipped into Clarisse's guard and hit her hard in the face. She then hit her in the stomach before following it up with another cross. Clarisse was able to barely avoid the next barrage, but she looked like she was getting tired.
Clarisse's guard dropped as she took a step back. Reyna rushed forward and set her right foot to put all her power behind her next punch. Clarisse sprang forward with speed that a woman of her size should not have, and she slammed into Reyna. The two crashed into the side of the cage, and Clarisse wrapped her arm around Reyna's neck.
Clarisse tried to drag Reyna to the ground, but Reyna stayed on her feet as she tried to pull away. Clarisse suddenly bashed her knee upwards and probably into Reyna's face. She looked at the crowd and grinned. Surprise flashed across her face as Reyna lifted her up off the ground.
Annabeth didn't know where the hell Reyna was getting the strength to lift up a woman that large. She threw her over her shoulder, and both fighters hit the ground, but neither could take advantage as they staggered to their feet.
Reyna was the first to rush Clarisse, and she went right for the woman's legs. Reyna slammed into her and knocked Clarisse's legs out from under her. The large woman hit the ground hard, and Reyna grabbed her foot to lock her into some kind of hold. Clarisse flipped on her back.
Reyna tried to flip Clarisse back over and also place a foot in between her legs. Annabeth wasn't sure what kind of submission Reyna was going for, but she saw the hyper focus that Reyna had on Clarisse's legs. The two wrestled as they tried to gain the advantage.
Annabeth crossed her arms as she watched. The two of them had been going to war for nearly fifteen minutes now. They both had to be exhausted, and mistakes were going to be made soon. Reyna had a slight advantage as she controlled how they were wrestling. Clarisse had to constantly move around and scramble to keep from falling into a submission or getting mounted.
As the round waned down, Clarisse managed to break away from the hold that Reyna had been trying to get her into. She staggered to her feet and instantly had to dodge a kick that would have taken off her head. The third round ended, and a few things happened.
The first was that the official stepped halfway in between them, and Reyna stopped with a small raise of her hands. The second was that Clarisse turned and caught Reyna square in the mouth with a punch. Reyna stumbled back, and the official turned toward Clarisse to push her back.
"I didn't hear the bell!" Clarisse called as she raised her hands. Reyna jumped to her feet, and the official had to stay between the two.
"You should be disqualified!" Reyna snapped back. "You cheating bitch!"
Clarisse spat at Reyna, nearly hitting her with it. Reyna rushed at Clarisse, but the official kept himself between the two of them, "Stop! The next one to violate a rule is disqualified!"
"She's been doing that all fucking match!" Reyna shouted her complaint.
"Reyna!" Lupa yelled. Annabeth shook her head as she watched. Clarisse had a cocky grin on her face as she knew how riled up she had gotten her opponent. Reyna finally turned and walked back toward the corner.
Lupa got into the cage and placed both of her hands to Reyna's shoulders. She spoke, "You need to breathe deeply. I know that Clarisse has gotten away with cheating in every round, but that's because she is desperate. She knows she cannot beat you. She cannot outsmart you."
Reyna stared at Lupa. Annabeth wasn't sure if she expected Reyna to listen or just turn her back and cross her arms. Instead, Reyna just stared right at her. She finally nodded slightly before looking away.
"Reyna," Lupa continued, but Reyna didn't look at her. She just glared at Clarisse. "You have to focus. Try to take out her base."
No response was given. Annabeth chimed in, "You have to take out Clarisse's legs. Topple the giant."
Reyna just stayed focused on Clarisse, not acknowledging them. Across the cage, Clarisse was talking to her trainer, her father, as she shot glances back at Reyna. Annabeth could see the outcome now. It had taken three rounds, but Clarisse found her home underneath Reyna's skin.
Reyna's anger was going to cause her to lose, and Annabeth would have to fight Clarisse for her title. Annabeth shook her head and looked away as the bell rang to signal the fourth round. Reyna wasted no time in rushing at Clarisse.
Her strikes were wild and full of anger. Clarisse was able to dodge one, and she returned a punch of her own. Reyna's next punch caught Clarisse flush in the mouth, and the woman stumbled back. Reyna took a step back and shot her hand to her wrist. A wince came to her face as she took another step back.
The wrist that she was favoring was the same one that had been broken months ago. Clarisse turned and seemed to notice it. A grin cracked her features, and she rushed forward, putting the pressure on Reyna with kicks and punches.
Reyna was forced to block with her injured wrist, and pain mired her face with each blow. A sudden kick to the leg caused Clarisse to yell, and she jumped back. Reyna tried to follow it up with a kick to the head, and Clarisse slammed into her.
The two of them awkwardly hit the ground, and Clarisse tried to mount Reyna once more. In defense, Reyna tried to roll onto her stomach. Clarisse wrapped an arm around her chest and stood back up. She wrenched Reyna with her and threw her over her shoulder, slamming her into the ground.
Annabeth heard a cry of pain, but she wasn't sure who it was from. Clarisse still had her arms wrapped around Reyna's chest, and she wrenched her opponent to her feet again. Clarisse had the height and weight advantage when it came to grappling, and it seemed like she had finally found an advantageous position.
It would be easy for Clarisse to lock Reyna in a headlock or even a chokehold from her position. Or she could just throw her around and try to wear her out. Reyna tried to grab at Clarisse's hands to get out of her grasp. Clarisse wrenched Reyna to the side again, slamming her hard to the ground.
Clarisse mounted Reyna's side and leaned against her, clearly exhausted. Reyna had her face resting on the ground, but Annabeth could see her expression was scrunched up in pain. The cut above her eye had been reopened again. There was enough blood to make Annabeth concerned. Clarisse heaved a labored breath and stood again, bringing Reyna with her.
Even with a size advantage, it was still impressive for Clarisse to be lifting her opponent and throwing her like a rag doll. Reyna suddenly twisted out of Clarisse's grip and punched her hard in the face. Both fighters stumbled back.
Clarisse placed a hand to her mouth, and when she pulled her hand away, blood smeared her appendage. Reyna had both arms drawn close to her chest, and that pain was still visible on her face. Blood seemed to be streaming down past her chin and onto her neck. The two opponents faced each other.
"You're running out of time!" Clarisse warned. She rushed forward and threw a punch aimed at Reyna's good side. She dodged it instead of blocking it. Clarisse swung again, and Reyna dodged again. Why wasn't she blocking? It would allow her to launch some kind of counterattack.
Reyna took a step back, and Annabeth realized how close Reyna had her other arm to her body. In fact, she wasn't moving that arm at all. Clarisse threw out another punch that was dodged, and Reyna lashed out with a punch from her bad hand. It caught Clarisse right in the teeth.
The two fighters looked absolutely exhausted, and Annabeth didn't know how much either had left. She tried to call out encouragement, even though it didn't look like Reyna heard her. Reyna tried to punch Clarisse in the face, but it was blocked. A cry of pain left Reyna as she stumbled away, nearly turning her back to Clarisse.
Reyna gripped her formerly injured wrist, and Clarisse's eyes seemed to light up. She dropped her guard and rushed forward to take advantage. Reyna turned and punched out with her bad hand. Clarisse's head snapped to the side, and Reyna followed it up with a punch to Clarisse's gut.
If Reyna's wrist was hurting before, she showed no signs of it now. Or, had she baited Clarisse into lowering her guard and committing to an attack? Annabeth watched with bated breath as Clarisse doubled over from the blow to her gut.
A knee slammed into Clarisse's jaw, throwing her head back. Reyna's next punch targeted Clarisse directly in her jaw. Then, she followed it up with one right to the nose.
Reyna planted her feet, clenched her fist, and then struck out with a haymaker to Clarisse's temple.
Clarisse hit the ground a moment later and didn't move. The official rushed to her side and waved his hand. The bell rang to signal the end of the fight. A stunned silence filled the arena before it was followed by an explosion of cheers.
Reyna fell to her knees and doubled over. She gripped her shoulder. Not the same shoulder that had the injured wrist, though. It was the same side that she kept landing on. The cage door opened, and Will rushed to Reyna's side. On the opposite end, Clarisse's father rushed to her side.
Lupa moved to Reyna's other side and seemed to be talking to her. Reyna placed one hand to her face. She pulled it away a moment later and stared at the blood on her glove. The worst part was that she didn't respond to a word Lupa said.
Annabeth stared at the aftermath of the fight. She had watched Clarisse and Reyna go to war. Neither had any quit in them, and Annabeth was now looking at her new opponent for her title. If Reyna made it that far. Annabeth was scared that Reyna seemed to have lost so much blood.
That concern proved futile as Reyna clenched her bloody fist. She made it to her feet without the assistance of Lupa or Will. Reyna turned her head to look at Annabeth. Blood practically painted her face like a canvas, and it looked like she was in intense pain.
Despite all of that, Reyna walked toward the edge of the cage. She placed both bloody hands to the cage wall. For the entire time, Reyna did not take her gaze off of Annabeth. The champion raised her chin and met the eyes of her next challenger.
Soon, the two of them would wage their own war.