Chapter 18

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Clarisse.

Clarisse woke to find out that one of her chosen acquaintances for the quest had snuck out of camp with Percy Jackson. She swore, if she ever saw that boy while on this quest, she’d happily fight him to both of their deaths.

Tantalus had told her to pick a new camper, to which she had snarled her lip up, crossed her arms, and refused. She hadn’t told anyone, and especially not her brothers, that she had been told to pick someone new. She wouldn’t hear the end of it.

She was also half tempted to set off to the beach early as to leave Kayla behind. What was the point? She may aswell do it alone. It was her quest. She knew what she was doing. She had called on her father to help with travel. Hopefully he had listened and there would be a not so pathetic boat waiting. She had heard from Tantalus that Percy and Annabeth had escaped in a rainbow speed boat, or something. That would be embarrassing.

She spent the first half of her last day training. She packed some protein food, some extra clothes into her bag, all her necessities, maybe including curl products for her hair. She was still a girl at the end of the day. And she didn’t want to have her luscious locs cuts off all because her hair got too matted on a quest. Thankgod her bag was enchanted.

The second half of her day, she made sure to rest. She had an alarm set for five PM, yet woke up near enough on the dot for that anyway. She put her armour on, did her hair and teeth, strapped her spear to her back and said her goodbyes; which were all in the forms of rugby tackling and wrestling with rough head pats and “love you, shit head”‘s from her brothers. Yeah, what was the point in doing her hair again?

Clarisse confidently waltzed her way to the beach.

The main things Clarisse would miss were… well, her brothers, cause they were the only people who could deal with her these days. Them and her room. Probably her music. She doubted she would have time to listen to music on a quest. That would be cool though, she thought. Battling monsters with badass music in the background? A fun thing to tick off a bucket list.

The grass squelched under her boots. Camo weather had been awful with the downfall of the barrier. Damn floors, a few rain spells. A little too much wind. Some campers had taken advantage of that on half blood hill by making mud slides. Towards the beach, the grass turned to sand, leaving her boots already in a mess of sand stuck to gloopy mud all over.

“Lord Ares.”

Clarisse didn’t think twice about her words, or how she bowed down to her father. He had appeared from thin dust, it was air, then it wasn’t; and he stood a few feet infront of her. “I am humbled by your presence.”

Ares gave her a dirty look mixed with an egotistical smirk, coming closer. “Humbles for losers, get up.”

Clarisse was up like lightening.

“Heard you snagged the Golden Fleece gig,” He crossed his arms. He didn’t look proud of her, never proud- just challenging. Like it wasn’t good enough. “You’re two ding-dongs short of a quest.”

“Didn’t want any dead weight slowing me down.” She swallowed, straightening her posture.

“A one woman army huh? Ready to burn it all down?” He spoke his qords almost… mockingly. Like she wasn’t capeable of the destruction that may be needed to save camp. Like she couldn’t save camp. Thanks, dad.

“I can help with that.” His arms dropped.

Ares turned his back, walking off to the sea with an expectancy for her to follow. Ofcourse she did.

“Clarisse!” A voice shouted out. Ah, and here she thought she was free. A groan emitted from the back of her throat. Ares too turned to see the commotion.

Kayla, her silhouette outlined by her avian wings- making it an easy guess on who it was, stomped along the beach to where Clarisse was. No longer two ding-dongs short of a quest.

“I knew it, I knew you would set off early, as soon as I heard Annabeth had run off with Jackson and his brother, you’re so predicta-“

“Lord Ares.” Her tone morphed into a casual, somewhat submissive tone. No, he hadn’t just heard her speak to his daughter like that.

“The great daughter of death, you chose?”

Clarisse nodded at Ares question. He mulled it over, then nodded. “Good choice. I mean, if anyone can help you not die, then, it’s the devil spawn of Thanatos. Many powers.”

Like father like daughter, with that thinking.

Kayla swallowed, offering a smile and clenching her fists to stop nerves. It was obvious she was somewhat offended. Clarisse knew she was itching to corrected Ares with her ‘there’s a peaceful somewhere in there.” Oh, and the Devil Spawn comment. Clarisse knew that got her good. Clarisse may get called it, but she was no meathead. Kayla hated her godly side. It was clear as day.

She said not a word to Kayla infront of her father. Ares turned to keep walking, and Clarisse followed. Kayla trailed behind.

“Ironclad.” He annouced once they made it to the docks. In the distance was a metallic shio somehwere measures around what Clarisse guessed had to be atleast three hundred feet. Smoke mellowed from the top. Workers scattered the port, starboard and stern of the ship.

“Raised her from a watery grave and amped her up. You got a 40millimeter bang-bang on the bow. Twelve pounder on the fly bridge and 15inch artillery on your six. Locked and loaded with 100% pure celestial bronze ammo.” Ares listed.

“Any questions?”

“Who are they?” Clarisse and Kayla spoke together. Kayla earned an elbow to the rib, wincing quietly and glancing away. Half a dozen malnourished, zombified men lined the end of the dock, their face void of emotion. They all looked like they had come from out of some different era in time, from different battles, perhaps.

“These losers? Those are your line officers.” Ares replied without missing a beat. “Raised them from the grave too.”

“Those defeated in battle owe a debt to Ares.” Clarisse’s eyes glistened.

“You’d think I’d get them winners, but… no.” Ares laughed sarcastically.

“Anyway, soldier, it’s your time to shine.”

Clarisse eyed Kayla, who stood awkwardly as her and Ares had their yearly father daughter talk. Was it even yearly? Probably not.

“I can’t do more for you without breaking the rules, and I’m in the doghouse as it is. The sea twerp’s got a head start on you, but you need to reach the finish line first.”

“On my honour, I won’t let you down.” She spoke, confidently.

“Good. Cause you know what will happen if you fail.”

Ares threatening aura was gone as he clasped his hands together with a smile, turning to the soldiers. “Now! Let’s warm these guys up for you both. Attention maggots!”

All soldiers got into a pencil-straight stance.

“This… Little girl here, is your new commander,” He motioned to his daughter. Clarisse huffed in annoyance and looked away to regain her composure. “This is her first quest. Now her training is best in class, but in the field, she is woefully inexperienced. You will make sure that she succeeds. Because if you don’t, I will personally grind your bones to dust, then sweep that dust into a tiny little baggie… And chuck that sucker into the pit of Tartarus! Capiche?”

All soldiers yelled in compliance, “Capiche Lord Ares!”

Area turned back to them, “All yours,” He sheugged, and walked off. “Cool looking wings, too. Don’t get em clipped on the quest.”

He was gone. Clarisse slouched, groaned, stormed forward, and waited for the Ironclad to dock so they could get on. How dare he compliment not his own daughter, but the girl besides her?

“What did he mean, you know what will happen if you fail?” Kayla asked as she walked forwards with her, already acting like the annoying little gremlin she was.

“Nothing, it doesn’t worry you.”

“Sounded harsh.”

“I said it doesn’t worry you.” She snapped, her jaw locked in anger.

“…Okay, jesus. Thanks for trying to ditch me, by the way. Real nice.”

The Ironclad ladder came into view. Clarisse swiftly jumped on, Kayla a few seconds behind her. She heard the sound of a yelp and flapping wings to make sure she got on the ladder properly. “No point in having two when there’s supposed to be three of us.”

“What type of logic is that, Clarisse?” Kayla grunted as she made it safely onto the port of the ship. Soldiers behind her got up effortlessly, and she watched as Kayla stumbled around as to not touch them.

“Aren’t they like, your family? They’re dead, you’re… death.”

“You- shut up. Be nice, we’re stuck together now.”

“When are we not?”

Clarisse rubbed her nose unsheathing her spear. “Come on,” she nudged her head to the side. “Lets go down, let these guys settle. They know what to do for now.”

They made their way down under the ship. It wasn’t much. There were small rooms, and the Captains quarters weren’t very spacious, either. The room for the soldiers was a large one- filled with hammocks and barrels of cannonballs. It had a stench faintly of fish and sea salt. There was a lounge area- that may aswell have been called ‘long hallway with a few chairs and useless tables.’ The layout downstairs was… odd. And the toilets? Clarisse had her fair share of having to be one with nature when doing survival exams back at camp, but god… she would take a hole in the dirt than a wooden hole into a wooden box any day of the week.

As they sat in the dining area, Clarisse stood at a high table and Kayla lounged on a chair. The girl spoke up, lifting her eyes to Clarisse as she tapped her finger. “I’m not-”

“Yes you are, Kayla.”

“You don’t even know what I was gonna-”

“Staying with the soldiers at night in the hammocks? Only one Captain’s quarter, Graves.”

Clarisse watched Kayla visibly bristle, her squished wings ruffling as she moved on the chair. It seemed they didn’t hurt much at all now, after yesterday. They must heal fast. “I love it when you let me finish my sentences.” She grumbled.

“I just did, didn’t I? Look, they’re not gonna touch you, even say anything to you. Relax.”

“Relax? I’d like to see you relax if you had to sleep with a bunch of men from the depths of the underworld!”

Clarisse rolled her eyes, resting her elbows on the table. “Well, too bad.”

“That bed is a double, I can sacrifice my pillow to put inbetween us, I don’t hug, either!”

“I’m not listening, Kayla.”

“You’re gonna,” She stood up, storming off towards the Captain’s quarters. Oh, she was not-

By the time Clarisse had arrived, which was literally three seconds later, Kayla had already put one of the two pillows down the middle of the bed under a thin blanket. She crossed her arms and turned to death stare Clarisse, and… god, that stare was terrifying. She wasn’t even scared, but it was like charmspeak. You couldn’t help but submit. “Alright,” She said lowly. “Stop staring at me like that. Is that a power?”

“Like what? Why do people say that?” Kayla’s eyebrows furrowed, and the stare became even worse. Clarisse had to pull her eyes away like they had been glued onto Kayla’s face. “The stare thing, you gotta be careful with that. I think your looks can kill.”

That offended her. She went to snap back, but Clarisse held up her hands, refusing to look at her. “I’m being serious. Tell me you brung that book you said Thanatos gave you?”

“No, why?” She replied, her look softening. Thank the gods.

“Oh, for the love of- no, we’re screwed, so screwed, do not accidentally use your powers on me like that! What even is that? Death charming? That look, Kayla. That’s a power. Control it.”

“Death charming? My looks?” She rubbed her eyes like it would rid of the power. As annoying as it was, the girl didn’t seem to know any more about her death stare than Clarisse did. “…It affects people? That’s why Stoll told me to stop the other day.”

“Read that goddamn book when you next see it, or there will be some serious problems with me and you, Graves.”

The girl rolled her eyes and dismissed the threat. “Aslong as you don’t move that pillow. I… am not sleeping in a room with all those men. I don’t care how dead and un-hostile they are.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

They separated themselves for a breather after that. Clarisse up on the starboard, Kayla down in the Captains quarters.

Kayla.

Kayla sat on her side of the bed in the Captains quarters. She twizzled with the necklace Thanatos had given her. Yes, she had put it on- a small slither of stupid thinking. Of what if’s. What if she didn’t make it? The necklace just seemed right to wear in that case. What if it had some special link to her father? Maybe it could help. What if she might kind of feel bad that the first thing she had done when her dad had finally decided to reach out, was contemplate giving it to demigods in the forge to melt down and use it for something else? It also looked just a tiny bit cool. And it was shiny. Kayla liked shiny.

Upstairs, she could faintly hear the chattering of soldiers on deck. The sea lulled her head side to side gently. She tried to focus on that instead.

That was short lived, when Clarisse had a screaming fit at them all. Entertaining to ear-wig on, sure. Clarisse had already attempted one earlier, and that she could hear clear, as it was just outside- in the crew dining area. She could hear them mocking her, and ignoring her. Kayla tried not to feel bad, but she didn’t have it in her. It was the undertone of sexism she heard in their voice that made her feel bad. How rude of them, as if they weren’t dead and ugly and completely wrong in all of their words.

This time, Clarisse was less having a go at them and more trying to reason with them. Kayla’s faces contorted each time she heard something. She would nod along, shake her head- cheer in a whisper when she heard all of the soldiers up on deck chant and cheer at something Clarisse had said.

Then she entered, shortly after buying over the Soldiers. In a better mood, atleast. “You just been sitting on your ass this entire time?” She placed her spear in the corner. Kayla nodded. “And what’s it to you? There’s nothing to do.”

“Uhh, help on the dock?” Clarisse suggested bluntly. “Use those giant wings of yours to scan the area? I just had to take an estimate of where Percy fricking Jackson is, cause we got the wrong coordinates for the Sea of Monsters.”

Kayla looked up, dropping her necklace back to the chest. “You’re joking. So we have to go to him?”

“Yes, Kayla. Yes, we do. Starting tomorow morning, I want you up on that deck helping with the sails while I steer the ship. Got it?”

“Yes,” She rolled her eyes lazily. “As for the wing thing, I’m not quite able to fly for too long yet, especially over water, so think I need practice over a lake first, not in the middle of the ocean. Where, you know, I might drown.”

Clarisse simply hummed in reply, taking a seat on her side of the bed. She snickered. “Woe is me.” Kayla hit her arm, side eying her. “I’m joking,” She smirked. “And careful with the eyes, birdie. Remember.”

“Got it, Megatron.”

Clarisse’s smile went deadpan.

“Not funny, not this again. No. Something else.”

Kayla smiled, going back to messing with her necklace. “Hmm, better cheer up then.” She shrugged.

Please vote!! Lots of Clarisse and Kayla content coming now they’re stuck on a boat together🤭