Welcome to my new story. This is going to be different from my other stories, so let's see how this goes.


Annabeth stared at the television in front of her. One hand gripped a pen, and the other gripped her worn notebook. A glance to her left showed that her best friend, Percy Jackson, was setting up their food: jellybeans, cupcakes, and chips. All blue. Whenever Annabeth was scouting a fight, the two of them would spend the day with their friends and blue food and watch the fights together.

The blue food was a tradition that they picked up from Percy's mother. Sally Jackson acted like a real mother to Annabeth, since Annabeth's actual mother had been missing from her life for years. Her stepmother was actually Satan, so Annabeth always had those fun family reunions to look forward to.

Annabeth sighed and glanced over at the title belt that rested on her mantle. Technically, it was showing off, but she was showing off something that she was proud of. Being the champion of the Delian League was something to be proud of until they got bought out. It was announced two months ago that the Delian League was being merged with the Olympic League.

The owners of the Olympic League thought it wouldn't be fair to just strip Annabeth of her hard-earned title, even if she wasn't originally part of their league. They were going to have Annabeth fight their current champion: Gwendolyn. Whoever won would be the new sole champion of the Olympic League. Annabeth still had to sign her contract first.

Annabeth glanced up at the television. Right before the next Olympic League event, the league was going to have a press conference where they announced the official merger. It meant that Annabeth's pool of contenders would double, so she had to pay very close attention to all of the female fighters shown tonight.

"Are you sure about signing with them?" Percy asked as he placed a few cans of blue soda down. He sat next to Annabeth and laid out on the couch. He rested his legs on Annabeth's. "You didn't want to sign with them the first time."

"Because of the time commitment," Annabeth said with a shrug. She looked down. "It's different now."

When Annabeth first started, she had to pick which league to go with. The Delian league was smaller and for more amateur fighters. The pay wasn't as good, but she also didn't have to worry about all of the reporters trying to get in her personal life.

The Olympic League was where the best of the best fought. They had the best contracts, the best sponsorship deals, and the best everything. It just wasn't in the card for Annabeth. Not until now. A small sigh left her as she looked at Percy.

"Alright. Miss Butcher," Percy said. Annabeth gave him a look, Percy grinned. "Alright, wise girl. I'll chill on the nicknames."

"That's good, seaweed brain," Annabeth said. Percy returned the look. Annabeth laughed. She just wished that the reporters wouldn't keep trying to give her a nickname. Some called her Butcher, which made no sense to her. She didn't butcher anyone. She wasn't a serial killer.

Others called her the Professor since she studied every one of her opponents for their weaknesses so she could completely and utterly destroy them. One had even tried to call her the Dissector since she was so good with submissions. As soon as she saw someone favoring a limb, she would focus on that limb and destroy them.

Annabeth never particularly enjoyed hurting people. It just helped her relieve stress, and it was also an escape from the life that her parents wanted. Being a lawyer, doctor, or politician would have been a great career, but it also would have meant no personal freedom. Every move that she made and every person that she was friends with had to be closely calculated, lest she ruin her reputation.

There would always be a chance for another career after her fighting days were over. She had been saving her money and wisely investing it, so she wouldn't have to worry about getting a career that paid well. She would just be able to do what she wanted to do, like architecture. Fighting in the Delian League gave her plenty of time to pursue that degree.

Now that she was done getting her degree, she didn't want to stop fighting. She was good at it, and she enjoyed it. Fighting just helped her focus and relieve stress. Percy nudged her knee and spoke, "Where are the others at?"

"Piper is taking a break from looking over your contract," Percy said. He bit into his cookie and glanced over at the empty chair near them. On the armrest, the contract that Piper had been pouring over for the last two hours looked like it was about to find off. Piper McLean was Annabeth's manager and spokesperson. They were also best friends. Piper was the one who helped Annabeth get into fighting.

While Piper probably could have followed in the footsteps of her mother by becoming a model or in the footsteps of her father by becoming an actress, she ended up becoming an activist for the environment and a reporter. Annabeth would be forever grateful for her friend.

"I told her to be back thirty minutes ago," Annabeth said. Percy shrugged and leaned back against the couch. Annabeth glanced up at the television. It was showing an advertisement for the card that night. Her eyes focused on one of the two fighters: Clarisse La Rue.

Clarisse was, in a word, crazy. She fought like a bull in a China shop, and while she lacked grace while fighting, she made up for it with crazy strength. Clarisse used to fight in the Delian League but moved on to the Olympic League. She almost got banned from her new league after she broke a few rules and committed a disgusting act.

"Hazel Levesque," Percy read as he studied the television. Annabeth glanced up. "Who's that?"

"Clarisse's opponent," Annabeth offered. Percy grinned. Annabeth hadn't exactly researched anyone outside of the Delian League. There was no need to before now. The name did ring a bell though.

"Are you two serious?" Piper questioned as she walked back inside. She jumped over the chair and sat in it. Annabeth gave her a look. "As your manager, I am allowed to do that once a month."

"Once," Annabeth repeated. "Who is she?"

"Really? Hazel Levesque? She's a member of the Wolves. You two know who they are, right? I sent out a group text guys," Piper said. She crossed her arms.

"Right. The group text," Percy said. He nodded and looked at Piper. Then, he looked over at Annabeth and whispered. "Who are the Wolves?"

"Ask Piper?" Annabeth whispered back. If looks could kill, Piper would currently be planning Annabeth's funeral. Percy would probably just get thrown into a ditch, but Annabeth was sure that it would be a nice ditch.

"That's it. Put the cookie and the soda down," Piper ordered. She made a motion towards their eyes. "Focus on me. Annabeth, you have been a solo fighter for years now, but Hazel is part of a team of fighters. Like Gwendolyn is. In fact, they're on the same team."

"The Wolves," Percy suggested. He smiled at Piper's look.

"Yeah. The Wolves. Now shut up," Piper ordered. Annabeth frowned. She knew about teams, even if the Delian League didn't have any. Everyone there was a solo fighter. The Olympic league had a few different teams, but teams were just a fancy word for friends. Well, they also trained together under the same person and supported each other during fights. They were still friends though.

"Hazel and Gwendolyn were both trained by the legendary fighter Lupa," Piper said. Annabeth nodded. She knew all about Lupa. The woman was one of her inspirations. In a time where female fighters were nothing more than eye candy, Lupa just didn't give a shit about that. Win or lose, she left her fights with a piece of her opponent. She usually won though, and it was after she destroyed her opponent.

"I'm guessing they're like the best team," Percy said. Piper nodded. "What else do you know about the group?"

"Only what Google can tell me," Piper answered. "Now, my boyfriend does know them on a personal level. He hasn't fought in the Olympic League, but he was practically raised by Lupa. He left it all behind when we met."

"Jason Grace? I didn't think he had a fun bone in his body," Percy said. Piper threw a scone at him. "How could he fight when he is so busy running his father's business?"

"He fought before he fully inherited the company. It was a huge thing between them," Piper said. "It's another reason that Jason left."

Piper looked down at her phone and typed into it. After a couple of minutes, she spoke, "Alright. It looks like there are four fighters, or Wolves as Lupa calls them, that are currently active. Frank Zhang is the only male at the moment, so you don't have to worry about him. The other three are all females."

"Hazel Levesque. And, I know that you two know her. She's Nico's half-sister. We met like a month ago at Nico's birthday party," Piper said. Annabeth frowned and glanced back at the television. It took a moment for her to remember Hazel, and she also remembered that the girl was probably the nicest person she had ever met. Why was she fighting? "Hazel has been fighting for almost a year now."

"Another is Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. I'm sure you guys remember what happened," Piper said. Annabeth grimaced and shivered. She still didn't know how Clarisse was only suspended. She should have been fired. "The last is Gwendolyn. The one that you're going to fight for the title whenever they finally set a date."

Annabeth nodded. She knew that Gwendolyn had been fighting for about ten years. Gwendolyn didn't have the best record, but that didn't matter. Almost a decade of fighting spoke to longevity and skill. It would not be an easy fight.

"The press conference is on," Percy said. Annabeth focused on the television. She was a little nervous. It was going to be announced to the whole world that the leagues were merging, and she would be thrust into the spotlight. A fight with Gwendolyn was going to put her under a microscope to the press. She could do it though.

"You got this Annabeth," Piper whispered. Annabeth looked at her and smiled. Then, she focused back on the television. There was a man in a suit standing at a podium. In front of him were a few rows of reporters near the stage. Behind them were some of the stockholders and officials from both leagues.

There had been rumors of the leagues merging for months. Some people were worried that it would give the Olympic League a monopoly over the entire sport of fighting. There were a few minor leagues, but they were only televised in some states and didn't have a large following. The Delian League had been the closest contender, but it was always the second-best. Money issues had finally brought a downfall to the league.

"Thank you all for gathering here today," the man at the podium said. Annabeth had never seen him before. He was a huge man that had muscles on every part of his body. His suit looked like it was going to burst at any moment.

"That's an old fighter named Ares. That's his last name. No one ever learned his first name. He's part of the ruling council and one of the founders of the league," Piper whispered. "And I'm ninety percent sure he is Clarisse's dad.

"Makes sense," Percy muttered. Annabeth nodded her agreement, but only half her attention was on the conversation. The man, Ares, looked around at the crowd and grinned. He seemed to be enjoying the attention.

"I'm sure you all heard the rumors, so I won't drag it out any longer," Ares said. He smirked. "It is true that the Olympic League bought out the Delian League. I know this is a big change, but we are retaining all of the fighters who want to fight in the big leagues."

"Their contracts have already been sent out to them, and when we have answers from everyone, we will have an official press release about those who will not be continuing their careers. Everything from our league will be the same. The only difference is that we are welcoming some new faces, and we're also saying goodbye to an old one. Everyone, please welcome the current female champion of the Olympic League: Gwendolyn."

Annabeth leaned back and watched a woman walk onto the stage. The woman was an inch or two shorter than Annabeth. Her reddish-brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her bright eyes studied the crowd. There was a small but sad smile on her face.

Gwen walked towards the podium and placed her championship belt on it. Ares nodded and stepped away. Gwen cleared her throat and leaned in closer to the podium. She spoke, "I've never been one for speeches so please bear with me here."

"I have been fighting in this league for the last ten years of my life, and those have been the best years, but I think it is time," Gwen said. She looked down and cleared her throat awkwardly. Gwen wiped her eyes and cleared her throat again. "I'm sorry. I told myself I wouldn't get all emotional."

"These last ten years have been the best of my life, and I will never regret them. But, it is time for me to announce my retirement," Gwen said. A larger smile came to her face. "I just want to thank all of my friends who have supported me throughout these years, and my family who has always had my back. I also want to thank my second family who has been there for every fight."

"This place will always be in my heart. The people I have met I will never forget, and of course, I will support my friends," Gwen said. "Now, it is time for me to step back and watch the next generation fight. I was going to fight Annabeth Chase to merge our titles, but it's not going to be my retirement match. I've already fought my last match."

Annabeth stared at the television and blinked a few times. Would that mean she would have to fight someone else? Gwen was the only person that she had researched so far, and that meant she was behind. Annabeth sat forward and studied Gwen.

"Thank you once again for all of your support," Gwen said. She stepped away from the podium, and the crowd started to clap. A visible blush came to Gwen's face. Ares stepped next to her and nodded. Gwen nodded back to him and placed her hand on the title for a few moments. Then, she turned and walked off the stage.

The camera followed Gwen as she sat by a group of people that all wore the same jacket as her. A wolf's head was on the back of the jacket. Annabeth studied the group of people: the Wolves. Before she could study them, the camera went back to the podium.

"We would like to thank Gwen and celebrate her ten years with us," Ares said. He glanced down at the championship belt. "Annabeth Chase will be our sole female champion, and I think anyone will have a hell of a time trying to take her crown."

Piper paused the television and looked at Annabeth. She spoke, "Don't be mad, but I have known about this for a week now. They told me when they gave me the contract. As long as you sign it, you will be the only female champion going in. And, you're going to keep that title for as long as you want."

Annabeth sat back in her chair. Fighting Gwen was supposed to be her big test about whether she really could hang with the fighters of the Olympic League. Now, she wouldn't know unless she had an exhibition match, which was rare in general let alone for champions. Her first test would be her first title defense. A deep breath left her.

"Annabeth, if anyone can do this, it's you," Percy said. Annabeth looked at him and let out another deep breath. She focused on Piper.

"Let's sign that contract," Annabeth said. She looked at the television. "And, let's get to studying. We have a lot of fights to go over."


I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter.