Chapter 45

Clarisse.

The Grey Sisters dropped them off just outside the forest that led into camp. Clarisse slung Chris back over her shoulder, adjusted her bag, and stood side by side with Kayla for atleast two minutes.

It was too surreal, all of it. She could feel Kayla quivering besides her. It wasn’t even cold, so it was obviously adrenaline. She cleared her throat and and patted her shoulder, letting her free hand rest there. “We’re here. You good?”

She got no answer but an audiable swallow. Letting her hand fall off the end of her back, they resumed walking and tread up the forest hill. It was almost nostalgic now, hearing the black birds tweeting in the trees, and the morning dove hum it’s tune. The weather that reminded any demigod of camp- the soft warmth of the sun beating down on the back of their necks.

So nostalgic, like everything was different now. As if this wasn’t just a return to camp, but something bigger, for better or for worse. Clarisse could feel it within herself. That hum in her chest like a switch had been flipped on to ready her for battle. Clarisse could always feel when war was coming, whether it was for some stupid fight she’d got herself into at camp in the past, or something political she would hear on the news. She would just know the answer. This will lead to war.

She always felt it like a mix of adrenaline and the flu. It was a horrible feeling and one she was way too used to. Curse being a child of Ares. A child of war.

“Everything looks fine.”

Kayla’s words snapped her out of her own mind. She hummed in question and looked up. She was right; everything did look fine. Maybe quiet. It was odd that there was no one practicing pegasus riding at this time. “Maybe we should walk around to the actual entrance.” Clarisse suggested. Kayla nodded, and they walked a few more minutes around to the actual entrance- closer to where the cabins were.

There, it seemed a bit more normal. They walked in and many campers who were lounging around the cabin area had already stopped to stare. There weren’t many campers. “It must not be summer break,” Clarisse mumbled to Kayla. She glanced around with an almost dazed state of mind. Some girl on crutches. The camp fire area completely demolished. A guy with an eyepatch. Clarisse grimaced and turned her head away. Okay, maybe something was wrong. “I don’t think everything is fine.”

An Apollo camper and a few others had rounded together to take Chris off Clarisse’s shoulder. Thankgod. She rubbed it with a groan, slipping her bag off her shoulders to hold it in her hand.

“Where are we going?” Kayla asked quietly. It wasn’t like her- she seemed socially awkward right now. She nudged Clarisse when she didn’t respond immediately. “Just go up to the Big House, we need to find Chiron.” Clarisse replied, huffing. The campers around them had started crowding. They knew nothing other than some sort of quest had been issued for both girls last time they had been at camp. Now, they were amazed at seeing them back. Had it been that long? For Kayla specifically? What day was it?

“What happened?” Someone asked.

“Move.”

“She’s alive.”

“Are you injured?”

“Didn’t she turn to Kronos?”

“Get out of my way.”

Clarisse shoved some petulant boy out of the way by his chest, sending a small sea of campers down like a row of dominos.

They all very quickly got the memo to observe from a distance.

“Your arrival was most expected around now.”

Both girls stopped in their tracks. Clarisse gently bumped into Kayla, who had ever so slightly been padding infront after the crowd. Neither of them had seen him coming in to view- or heard him, as he came around the corner. Granted, Clarisse had her eyes closed, but Kayla had been staring into space. What did that mean, expected? Expected arrival? Gods and their stupid games. It ticked her off ever so slightly. She didn’t have the energy to give everyone a hard time, and they vbetter be grateful for that. “Cut the riddles, Chiron. Let’s get this meeting over and done with.”

Chiron analysed them both carefully- he seemed to inspect any injuries, noting down anything different, and grasping the state of their minds. When he came to the conclusion that there was no emergency medical attention needed, he nodded and started to lead the way.

Post-quest meetings were the worst. She remembered the one after last year. It was basically, ‘share every single detail and sit for as long as it takes.’ Which for demigods with ADHD, was a very personal prison sentence.

They both sat in the large puffer chairs across from Chrion. His desk was slightly larger in height to accommodate for his lower horse half. There was no doubt the chairs were ruined. Kayla had her feet tucked up, mud already coating the seat. Clarisse didn’t even have to do anything to make the seat dirty. She sat down and the entire thing had just coated itself in dust and mud. Clarisse didn’t know how it happened.

They looked like a pair of runaway murderous juveniles having a mug shot.

“I’d like to hear from you first, Kayla. Where ever you want to start.”

She turned her head to Kayla, who much resembled a fish with how her mouth kept moving. Five seconds, ten seconds, twenty. Yeah, not happening anytime soon.

“I’ll go, leave her.”

Chriron didn’t get to reply before Clarisse gave her story. An hour, maybe more, of absoloute nightmare fuel that even the Stoll brothers couldn’t compete with. Chiron wrote down notes and recorded the words. Saying it all out loud, she realised she remembered way more that what she initially thought she had.

If Kayla was ever asked to confirm anything, she gave nothing more than a nod.

“Kayla, if you feel any better to share your part, it would be most appreciated.”

Again, with the silence. Clarisse huffed. Not out of annoyance for once- she furrowed her brows nd bit the inside of her cheek. Clarisse could speak for her, but even then, she had a feeling Kayla had only told her half the stuff that had happened. “What about writing it down? You can write it down later, I can help.”

Her head perked up for her eyes to meet Clarisse’s. She could already tell that idea sounded better. “Uh- yes. Later, I can.”

“Okay, sorted. That’s that, we’ll get that to you tomorrow, okay? Enough of that,” Clarisse concluded, sitting forward in her chair. “What date is it? We’ve been dragged straight here, and quite frankly, I smell like a sewer and feel like one, too. You know everything that a sewer is made out of, shi-“

“It’s the second of April, Clarisse.” He replied quickly, writing down some details and shoving a bunch of documents into his desk drawers.

“It’s the what?” Kayla spoke up, inclinding in her chair.

Clarisse assumed that if Chiron had led with that, maybe she would have spoken up a bit more.

She scoffed, glancing to Clarisse, then back to Chiron. “The same year?”

“Well, the year following when you left, Miss Graves. It’s been around five months.”

“It’s been more than a year!” She argued, slamming her fists down on the chair arms. “I have been down there, for more than a year! You have to be lying! I had to help Kronos, and sit in a room, and- and syphon my powers, for more than a year, on the brink of-!”

Clarisse swallowed. Labyrinth time. It worked different. Clarisse, too, felt like she spent atleast six months down there, maybe more. And right now, if Kayla seemed confident in anything, that was it. Her arms stretched out to grab her wrists as soon as she went to bash them down once again.
“Hey! Kayla, Kay, we’ll sort that out, okay? Listen, ignore that, you’re out now, ignore all of that, alright? We’re leaving, that’s enough.”

Clarisse stood up with a nod like she was approving herself of leaving. She turned to Chiron and told him the exact same thing- they were leaving, it was enough, and he’d get a stupid essay of Kayla’s timeline at some point during the week. Not today.

She’d had enough bullshit for the year, to put it lightly.

“April,” She scoffed, holding Kayla by the wrist as she stormed off the long way back to her cabin. “How do you know it’s been a year?”

Chiron had ticked her off with his order of doing things. In the state they were both in, she had already not been in the mood for talking.

“Cause it’s definitely not been five months.” She replied simply.

Clarisse grumbled. She caught herself before losing her temper, slowing down her footing and loosening her grip. “Yeah, i get you. Same thing happened to me. I’ll come round to yours after we’ve both had a shower if you want.” She mumbled.

“Uh, I’m not going in my cabin.” She replied, scratching her neck. Clarisse rolled her eyes. Typical. She slowed down to a stop. “You need clothes.”

“I know.”

“So… go on.”

All she got was a shake of the head and an embarrassed glance at the trees around them. “Eh, I think I’ll, like, go to lost and found.”

“Is this because of those stupid spirits?”

“I’ve had enough of hearing them after all that,” She admitted with a whine, dropping her hand back down to her side. “I’m not going in there, it sounds the exact same.”

“We’ll, I’ll just come with you, idiot. Let’s go.” She replied, turning on her heel to treat towards the Thanatos cabin. Kayla seemed reluctant at first- tried to make a grab for her hand to stop her and failed, ultimately giving in to follow.

The cabin was full of dust frim being left dormant for so long. Like last time Clarisse had entered, most of the cabin looked bland despite for the area leading up to Kayla’s room, and Kayla’s room. Especially Kayla’s room. It was so… Kayla. “Sit down, I’ll find something.”

“You’re not snooping through my draws.” Kayla argued, yet still took a seat on her bed. Clarisse scoffed. “Hate to burst your bubble, but my nosy ass already did that when you went missing.”

She threw out a fresh camp half blood top on the floor behind her, which was paired with some colourful hippie-styled elastic bottom trousers, some bland underwear, and a sports bra. “Do you own anything that isn’t colourful hippie stuff?” Clarisse asked as she tried to find some different bottoms. She heard Kayla whined in protest. “Hey, I like these trousers. And yes, I do. Somewhere.”

She sighed, closing the drawers and and standing up, shrugging. “Can I go?”

“What? No.”

“I need a shower too.”

“Well, tough. I’m not staying in here by myself. Stay.” She ordered, bunching her clothes up into her arms and motioning for Clarisse to stay right where she was as she padded off to her bathroom.

This girl is going to be the death of me.

Despite her own complaining, she did wait for Kayla in the shower. She took another look around her room while she waited; analysed the things she hadn’t had time to see when she was last in here. She messed around with some crystals that were lined up on her windowsill.

Kayla came out with a fresh face, and clean clothes. She smelt nice, too. That same perfume Clarisse used to hate that she suddenly realised she might have been begging to catch the scent of for the past however many months. Her hair was wet, causing a darker hue of hair colour that was almost pure black, and had tiny little loose ringlets forming infront of her ears and atop her head. The short pixie hair really did look cute. It accentuated her jawline and other facial features, sharpening them. Those bags under her eyes didn’t make her any less-

“Ready?”

“Eh-hem, hm, what? Yeah, I’m ready, got everything?”

Kayla hummed, grabbing her green patterned blanket from the bottom of her bed and walking out.

She sat with same green blanket around her on Clarisse’s bed as she waited for her to get out of the shower. The situation was familiar. The last time Clarisse had a shower here, Kayla had also been on the bed waiting.

It was like nothing had ever happened.

Clarisse felt like a million bucks after she had her shower- well, more like around a thousand bucks, but still. She’s spent ten minutes brushing her teeth, twenty minutes deciding whether to cut all her hair off (which she restrained herself from for now) and atleast half an hour in a scolding hot shower. She came out in some sweats and a big hoodie, figuring to ask Kayla on what to do with her hair.

“Do you think I should cut the ends off, or all of it? I feel like the rats tail I have now is too small to actually look good- what are you doing?” Clarisse dropped the ends of her hair and shuffled onto the bed, peering down at her notebook that Kayla had infront of her. The page was blank, and the ballpoint pen she had was on its last legs from teeth marks.

“I dunno where to start, it’s the writing I have to do, but there’s so much, I-“

“Don’t focus on that right now,” She pushed the book away gently, and pried the pen out of Kayla’s mouth with a snicker. “Since when have you ever cared about due dates? Relax for a few days first, I’ll help you then, okay?”

“Will you help me, or are you just gonna help me find someone else to help me?”

“I’ll help you. How rude.”

Kayla smiled, flopping back onto the bed with a huff. “Okay, usually when you say you’ll help me it’s by finding someone to help me, Clarisse.”

“Well that was ages ago, I’m a changed woman. What can I say.” Clarisse shrugged, smirking.

“And you should just cut off the ends, by the way. You’ve got too wide of a head for short hair.”

Clarisse let out blabbering in offense. What did that even mean? “Well- so do you, but look who still has a pixie cut.”

“Hey! My face is thin. It looks way better than a pixie cut would on you.” She retorted.

“I’m not talking about a pixie cut, I’m talking about- a- ugh, I don’t know. I don’t know.”

“Yeah, cause short hair wouldn’t suit you, Risse. Keep the layers. He didn’t do that bad of a job.”

Clarisse swatted her in the ribs, rolling her eyes and flopping back on the bed besides her. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

“You haven’t died yet.”

“Always time.”

She heard Kayla smile, somehow.

“It doesn’t feel real.”

“What?” Clarisse asked.

“Just like, a few hours ago, we just escaped the Labyrinth. And now were here. I don’t understand. Not only are we here, but stuff is relatively normal. It’s surreal, after everything, we come back and it’s just- basically the same.”

She sighed and turned onto her side. “What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know, not this. It just doesn’t feel acceptable after what we witnessed and things.”

We? Sure. Did Kayla know how much more she had been through? “You’re hella strong, you know. I don’t know how you didn’t cave in, Kay.”

She frowned, picking at the bobbles on her blanket. Okay, well that was supposed to make her smile. Was I that bad at comforting? “Hey now, you’re supposed to smile, don’t go off script on me here.”

Thankfully, her joke got Kayla back on track. She turned onto her side to face Clarisse, yet closed her eyes.

“Why did that make you frown?”

“What? I dunno, I just need sleep.”

“…yeah, okay. We both do, let’s get some rest.”

Neither of them moved or said a word. Were they both thinking the same thing? Kayla sniffled, and nudged her knees further up, then Clarisse cleared her throat and moved around until she was back in the same position.

This feels awkward. I didn’t even know feeling tension was an actual thing. What? What. Oh, come on.

“You warm enough?”

“Ye- Uhh, no, actually.”

“Do you like, want to get under the covers, or-“

“No,” Kayla cleared her throat. “No, this is, I mean, your warm. I can- you’re pretty warm.”

We have to be thinking the same thing, right?

“Yeah? Good, good, that’s good.” She replied, quickly putting an arm around her waist. Maybe that was too quick. That had to have weirded her out. That was such a freakish move.

But, she dipped her head into a cozy spot and curled into the embrace. Okay, she did something right.

Please vote!!

Its okay more fluffy chapters coming up

I had much fun writing this after 1000 business days of writers block.

And look at Clarisse and her romancing skills hehe.

Also oc face of Kayla ive had for years, with long hair and then after having it cut off. Not the best but my phone was dead and so I thougt why not finish them. I may turn them into digital art at some point, not sure.