Three hours of reading was more than enough for Reyna. She closed her book and glanced around the plane. Next to her were Estelle and Percy. At first, Estelle had been so focused on whatever show she was watching. Now, she was passed out in her seat, with Percy's jacket balled up as a pillow for her head. Percy was watching something on the iPad and would smile every so often.

Glancing back showed that her sister and Kinzie were both asleep in their seats. Everyone seemed to either be asleep or watching something. Other than Annabeth. Reyna turned to look at Annabeth and found the woman rubbing her eyes.

Annabeth placed a bookmark into her book and closed it. Her gaze moved to Reyna. Annabeth spoke, "Hey."

"Hey," Reyna returned as she pulled an earbud out. "Fun reading?"

"Yeah. It's just driving my dyslexia insane," Annabeth answered. Reyna nodded her understanding. "What about you?"

"About the same," Reyna replied. She glanced out the window. "I can't believe we're actually going to Rome."

"Tell me about it. I had to keep remaking my plan to make it everywhere I want to go," Annabeth stated. She frowned. "I might have to look at it again."

"Going to take a tour of the whole city?" Reyna teased. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You could try to fit the whole of Italy in there, too."

"I wish," Annabeth said with a small sigh.

"I'm sure you could afford to do it someday," Reyna said.

"I would want to visit Greece as well," Annabeth admitted. She shifted in her seat and looked down for a moment. "Not only does it have great architecture, but it also has great history. And, my father told me that my mother was from there."

"You want to see where you came from," Reyna stated. Annabeth nodded. "I get that. There are times when I think about going back to Puerto Rico just to visit."

"Why don't you?" Annabeth questioned. Reyna's eyes drifted away. She tried to keep her shoulders from drooping.

"I just don't have good memories of Puerto Rico," Reyna replied. "When I think of it, I just think of my childhood. And my papi."

Reyna quickly snapped out of memories before they could consume her. She cleared her throat, "My pap... father wasn't a great man as I'm sure you know. It's not like I think of Puerto Rico and really have any positive memories. So why even bother going?"

"To make new memories," Annabeth suggested. Reyna looked down but nodded her agreement. "Do you have any plans for Rome?"

"I planned on going out to different restaurants with Kinzie and Hylla. And Nico of course. From there, I don't know," Reyna admitted with a shrug. "Probably visit some historical sites. A couple bars to try local alcohol. Mostly, I just want to enjoy the vacation."

"Me too," Annabeth agreed.

"After this, we're going to be insanely busy," Reyna sighed as she stretched in her seat. "We'll have to train for our fight, and I'm sure there's going to be a ton of interviews lined up."

"You think so?" Annabeth asked quietly. Reyna looked at her, but Annabeth didn't quite meet her eyes.

"Yeah," Reyna replied. "Just think of how big this fight is. You've dispatched of your last two challengers with ease. I just went to war with one of the best fighters in the world. Now, the two best fighters are going to clash for a title. On top of that, we're Lupa's proteges."

"Do you think we'll be in the main event?" Annabeth questioned as she looked at Reyna.

"Definitely," Reyna said. "There's no doubt in my mind, and we'll deliver them a show."

Annabeth nodded. Reyna looked ahead. She wasn't sure about Annabeth's feelings about the entire thing, but Reyna wasn't going to act like it was a forbidden topic. Preparing for the fight would consume them after Rome, and she couldn't act like it wasn't going to happen.

Annabeth moved her gaze back to her book. Reyna grabbed her phone and looked through her news feed. Her eyes moved to the side to study Annabeth. That crush was still at the back of her mind. Reyna was still trying to figure out if she wanted to act on it, but more than that, she was nervous.

There was no doubt in her mind that Annabeth would think Reyna was just trying to use this for some kind of mind game. Reyna laid her head back. She really just needed to date someone outside of the gym. And outside of her social circles.

Reyna stood and made her way to the laboratory, mostly to stretch out her legs. She also took the time to stop by Nico, but he was asleep in his chair. Will was watching something. He glanced at her, and Reyna waved before making her way back to her seat.

She quietly sat down and looked at her phone. Something nudged her arm, and she turned to look at Annabeth, "Hey, um, how are you holding up with everything? I know it can't be easy to give a speech for Lupa."

"I'm trying not to think about it too much," Reyna answered. "I'm just focused on making a great speech and ignoring the other feelings. It's not easy, but..."

Reyna sighed deeply, "I'm trying not to compartmentalize it anymore. My therapist is helping."

"The anger management therapist?" Annabeth asked after a few moments.

"My regular therapist," Reyna corrected. A look of surprise came to Annabeth's face, even as she tried to hide it. Reyna allowed herself to smile slightly. "I'm going to both, and I think it's helping. It's not easy, but..."

"It's worth it," Annabeth finished. Reyna nodded.

"How are things with your dad?" Reyna questioned. Annabeth immediately averted her gaze. "Same old? Or worse?"

"Same old," Annabeth answered. She sighed. "I just can't bring myself to really talk to him about it. Honestly, I'm scared that he is going to decide that he doesn't want anything to do with me. I would lose my father at that moment. Sure, I would still have my step-brothers, but..."

"You would be losing someone related by blood. I get it," Reyna said. It wasn't until she reunited with Hylla that she realized just how much she had missed in her teenage years. "You would be losing someone who has been with you your whole life."

"If he can't accept me for what I am," Annabeth began. She hung her head. Reyna gently reached out to grab her arm and squeeze it gently. "Do you think I should call him?"

"I think only you can answer that," Reyna replied. She squeezed Annabeth's arm again. "If you're not ready to have this conversation, maybe just wait for him to be ready."

"But, I want to know. I really do. I just..."

A frustrated sigh left Annabeth. She rubbed her eyes. Reyna squeezed her arm, "Maybe call him and have Percy and Piper with you? They could coach you through it."

"Maybe," Annabeth said. She looked back out the window, and in the reflection, Reyna could see a scowl.

"So, what got you into architecture in the first place?" Reyna questioned. Annabeth looked at her, and that scowl was gone. Her eyes seemed to spark in happiness.

"When I was a kid, I didn't really watch a lot of cartoons when my dad was home. He always had educational shows on the TV in the background as he did paperwork for work and then helped me with my homework. At first, it was the shapes and designs of these ancient buildings that interested me."

"I would find myself drawing my own little house and things like that. My dad and I would visit museums every weekend. When he married my stepmom, he didn't have as much time for me anymore. Especially with the boys. But, we still went to a museum once a month."

"History was a link to my father, and it was something that helped keep us bonded through the years. I nurtured that passion, and it really grew for the architecture," Annabeth continued. She brought her hands together. "I always wanted to make my own building. To create something that can never go away."

"So, what's the first thing you're going to create?" Reyna asked. Annabeth smiled slightly and shook her head. "You can't tell me that you haven't thought about it."

"Not really. I've been so focused on my career," Annabeth answered. "After I got my degree, I was able to focus on just this. Without that focus and dedication, I wouldn't be on the Wolves."

"Lupa would have found you by your natural talent," Reyna commented. She leaned back in her seat, propping her legs up. "I guess we have that in common. We've been so focused on our careers that we don't do much outside of it."

"Do you regret it?" Annabeth asked. Reyna thought about the question for a few moments.

"No," Reyna answered honestly. "Not at all. I want to be the best in the entire world, and I don't regret putting in the work for it."

Annabeth nodded her agreement, "I want to prove I'm the best as well."

"I guess we'll know after our fight," Reyna commented. Annabeth smiled slightly. "But, we're going to Rome. No more fight talk. What's the first museum you're hitting up?"

"What makes you think I'm going to a museum first?" Annabeth asked with amusement in her tone.

"Because it's a link to your dad," Reyna replied. "And if he were here, that would be the first place you would go. Though, I'm sure you're going to some historical sites right after."

"Pretty much," Annabeth said with a smile. "I know you said you were going to restaurants and historical sites, but anywhere specific."

"The Colosseum for sure," Reyna replied. Annabeth quickly nodded her agreement. "And, um. The Tiber River. Lupa was fond of the place."

Reyna cleared her throat quickly and looked at Annabeth. She wasn't sure why her stomach was twisting, but she felt like they needed to change the subject, "So, where did you train before Lupa's gym? Piper mentioned you had a gym of your own."

"I bought it from a man named Chiron. He ran the camp that Percy and I went to, and he was the first to tell me to follow my dreams. He helped train me," Annabeth explained. A nostalgic look came to her face. "I haven't talked to him as much as I should."

Annabeth grabbed her phone and glanced at it. She shot off a quick text and then looked at Reyna, "It's nowhere near as fancy as Lupa's gym. I don't have much equipment either, but we made it work."

"You have," Reyna agreed. Annabeth nodded. "Do you still go to your gym then?"

"Not really," Annabeth shrugged. "Like I said, Lupa's gym is fancy."

Reyna nodded. Annabeth focused on her eyes for a few moments. Reyna met the gaze but didn't challenge it. She waited. Annabeth finally spoke, "What about you? Did you have another gym that you went to?"

"No. It's always been Lupa's," Reyna said. Her eyes wandered away. Lupa's gym had been like a second home. Hell, a first home really. Lupa had been like a...

A mother.

Reyna found her jaw clenching at the thought. She focused back on Annabeth, "I didn't work out as a teenager either."

"I can't imagine you as a scrawny kid with no muscles," Annabeth admitted.

"I could say the same for you," Reyna commented with a small smirk. She did a once over of Annabeth and could have sworn that a blush came to her face. Annabeth looked out the window. "You're a super nerd, though. You probably had a ton of muscles from carrying a bunch of library books."

Annabeth looked at Reyna and scoffed, "I am not a super nerd."

"I was joking, but now, I think that's true," Reyna grinned. Annabeth hit her arm, and Reyna couldn't stop the laugh that erupted out of her.

"Piper and Percy called me that all the time," Annabeth huffed. She started to cross her arms but then took the time to slap Reyna again because she could not stop grinning. "Stop!"

"I just think you're cute when you blush," Reyna stated. No sooner had the words left Reyna's mouth that she realized what she said. That blush on Annabeth's face deepened. And, Reyna was at a loss for words. Her goal to not focus on her crush with Annabeth had been working so far. But, something just threw that out the window.

What if she just went for it? Sure, there was the fight they had coming up and the whole fear that Annabeth would think it was a distraction. But...

"It's fun to make you squirm," Reyna said, trying to play off the moment. Annabeth gently shoved her again and looked annoyed. As she grabbed her book and looked at it, Reyna went back to her phone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Annabeth had a small but happy smile on her face.

Maybe, admitting her crush would be a dumb idea. It probably wouldn't pan out. In fact, it would turn into a whole thing and be a big mistake.

But, when in Rome...