Chapter 12

Detention went fast for Kayla and Clarisse. Believe it or not, they spent it in a flow of talking and working. Together, maybe. Though they’d never admit that, ever.

It was walking back together that things kicked off again. Chatting, talking on the topics of the declining health of camp, before realising the reason for pushing past so many people on their way back to the cabins was because of a crowd. Why, Kayla had no idea, cause if it was a fight… well, Clarisse wouldn’t be stood next to her. If it were a bad injury, Will Solace wouldn’t be stood staring in the crowd, either.

“Percy,”

Kayla jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder. Behind her stood Malcolm, eyes focused on the centre of the crowd, which Kayla couldn’t see.

“He’s back.”

Clarisse seemed to be able to see too. She was snarling, arms crossed. Like she had been hoping the boy had died on his quest. Yet now, he stood in the middle. Annabeth was recoiling from a hug she had given him- Kayla could see from a gap between two people infront.The crowd started to clap after mumbles and whispers passed.

“Jesus, don’t do that.” Kayla replied, nudging him off.

“He completed the quest.” Malcolm whispered. Kayla raised an eyebrow. Clarisse, who was just close enough to hear, became even more grumpy. He would be dead by now if he had stolen the lightening bolt, so, she probably felt like she’d lost all her money to herself.

Percy spared a small glance towards their direction, mainly at Clarisse, before focusing on Annabeth again and walking to the Big House.

…

“Something isn’t adding up.” Clarisse spoke. Her and Kayla had continued on their way to the cabins, but had ended up sat around the unlit campfire to drag out their hour until dinner. A party was being thrown tonight, in honour of Percy and the quest.

Kayla agreed with Clarisse. Something didn’t. Luke had claimed Clarisse to be the lightening thief, then said Chiron had to arrest her. So, Luke should have said something to him. But he hadn’t.

“Well, the fact that Luke said you were the lightening thief and that he told Percy he was gonna get Chiron to arrest her is a big start. I heard him, with my own ears. Right there. He was so confident.” Kayla replied, peeling at a leaf until it was nothing but a small strip.

“He hasn’t even looked at me weird. He smiled at me earlier. Are you sure it was Luke who said that?”

Kayla paused, turning to her, “Are you st- no, you are, but come on. Yes, it was him! What do you mean he smiled?”

Clarisse sent a harsh push to Kayla’s arm before replying, “Earlier, after Percy arrived. He smiled and just, kept on walking with his friends. Like even he didn’t believe his own words.”

Kayla scoffed, “Trust me, he definitely believed his own words when telling Percy who the lightning theif was.”

That made Clarisse scowl once again. She paused her sharpening she was doing of her dagger, and adjusted to sit up a little straighter, letting out a grunt. “Do you think he was lying?”

“Lying?” Kayla questioned.

“Think, like, he only looked like he believed what he was saying when telling Percy, right? Then apart from that, he hadn’t said anything, done anything. He’s been normal. Smiled at me, even. No one is looking at me odd. Chiron is Chiron. It’s- it’s just like Luke was covering and blaming for something-“

“That he did.” Kayla finished, snapping her head up to look at the girl.

“Yes.”

“He wouldn’t, this is Luke Castellan. Golden boy who trains kids and acts like a father of fifty to the Hermes cabin.” Kayla argued. Thought it seemed more with herself.

“He might.” Clarisse responded almost nonchalantly.

When Clarisse was set on something, she was set on it. Kayla knew that much. And now this theory had been brung up? Kayla bit her lip, rubbing her head.

“He blamed you, told Percy he would tell Chiron and have you holed up, but… hasn’t done or said anything since then. And smiled at you,” Kayla forced out her words in a sort of grunt. “And- if Percy agreed with Luke, and he hasn’t said anything either since he’s been back. I mean- no one has come to get you.”

Clarisse nodded, pursing her lips. She went back to sharpening her dagger, for only a second, “Percy knows it wasn’t me. He completed his quest, he got the bolt back. Everyone heard that as soon as he came back to camp. Little prissy.” She mumbled the last words, finally placing her dagger besides her on the log they were sat on.

“So… Luke could have been mistaken and told Percy he was wrong. Or-“

“Luke is the lightening thief,” Clarisse looked up, manspreading and leaning forward on the log. Besides her, Kayla grew a smirk on her face, clicking her tongue.

“We make such a good team.” She dramatised, bouncing her knee.

“That was me, not you.” Was all Kayla got in reply, as Clarisse turned her head away with a huff.

“I helped,” She argued, shrugging. “So it’s one of two theories. We should try and find him tonight. He’ll be at the party somehwere. We should confront him.”

“No confronting. If you suspect someone, you never confront. You persuade. Talk to them and get a look into their brain. Or… stalk.” Clarisse said that last part like it personally lined up with her meaning of ‘fun’. Kayla gave her a funny look.

“Stalk? Like- like a murderer? Are you crazy? Stalk where? He’ll only be around the party.”

“If he goes anywhere, just follow,” She explained, cracking her knuckles. “I will, not you. You’re too loud.”

Kayla huffed, mulling it over in her head. Clarisse was right. But, Kayla could be careful when she had to be. What if she just stalked Clarisse the same time Clarisse was stalking Luke? That would work.

Without another word, Clarisse got up, sheathing her dagger. Was that it?

“So what? That’s it? Wait until tonight?”

“Unless you have a better idea, birdie. Yeah, I am. We just finished all of our detentions. I’d like to go and do my own thing.” Clarisse explained, and trudged off towards her cabin.

…

Kayla had spent the rest of her time up until dinner in the woods, practicing flying. Or- falling. These wings were impossible to use. They helped her to fall slowly. But that was it. Kayla figured with wings this big, she would have to take a leap off Niagra Falls for them to be able to catch enough air resistance and work effectively.

She wore insulated metal knee pads she had asked Nyssa Barrera to make her after agreeing on a payment method that was to play wingman at an Apollo party in a few weeks time and pretend to drunkenly introduce Nyssa to some Aphrodite girl called Drew. So thankfully, her knees were still intact after falling ten feet off a large rock a dozen times.

In the end, she gave up and tucked her wings away. They were a mess. Kayla hadn’t thought of how to clean them until after she got them covered in dust, mud and leaves. So, she made them dissapear until she figured that out. Nearing the mess hall got busier. Some kids were already around finished and roasting smores down at the campfire instead.

Things were… normal. A little colder than usual, but that was about it. Kayla stood at the Athena table while eating. She didn’t sit. Usually the Athena kids got all pissy at the rule breaking. So, she decided against sitting today. She still had a good chat with Malcolm. Stole some food, annoyed all of the Athena table except for Malcolm. She only left because they threatened to throw food at her.

She attempted to find Clarisse afterwards. She had no luck. Percy was sat with Grover, talking about his quest. Luke was with some friends. He departed from them and showed up behind Percy, who got up with a smile and followed him off into the woods, chatting like old friends.

That’s when Clarisse appeared from the side of the campfire. She had been mingling with all her brothers in a big group. She got up and left without a word. Walking far behind the two.

Kayla wasted no time in following far behind Clarisse.

Clarisse.

Clarisse made sure her steps were light; with how much of a big girl she was- that was harder than she anticipated. So, she made sure to keep extra distance between her, Luke and Percy.

“Talk about a celebration,” Started Luke in the distance. It was hard to hear him. “Come on, you’ve said like, two words since we’ve left.”

“Just thinking about what the Oracle said.” Mumbled Percy.

Clarisse sighed. Well this was boring. Sad bro-on-bro talk. Ugh.

“About your mom, I get that. I do,” Luke nodded, stepping over a log. Clarisse perched on it for all of two seconds before she continued following. It was too dark to see her, about a trucks length behind.
“But prophecies? Those things are vague.”

“The quest is over-” Clarisse was cut off from focusing on Percy’s words from a branch that moved right infront of her. Like someone had moved to get past. Yet, no one was there. She paused, looked back to Luke and Percy walking further away, then back to the branch. The leaves moved infront of her. Steps? One, two, three-

“What are you doing following Luke?”

Annabeth. She pulled the cap off her head mid sentence, looking up at Clarisse who showed absoloutely no sign of being intimidated what so ever. Clarisse had gasped. She caught her breath, pushed the girl off her, and went to speak. But Annbeth only pushed her back against the tree.

“To see what Luke is doing,” She argued in a argumentative hush, scowling. “Get off me, or get punched. Now.”

“No. Something is going on. Why are you following Luke?”

“No shit something is going on! It’s none of your business why I am here-“

“Are you planning to do something to Percy?”

Clarisse froze. Did Annabeth think her and Luke were leading him into some sort of trap?”

“No, you insufferable little-” Clarisse pushed her off again, speeding up her walk while Annabeth tugged on her shirt to try and get her back.

“Tell me, or I scream.”

Clarisse groaned, covering her mouth. She was so, so close to stomping like a child.

“Luke is up to something! He said I stole the bolt, and I still haven’t been turned in- and for your information, it’s not true!”

“You know about that?” Annabeth’s expression softened into confusion. They had stopped walking again. She tilted her head.

“…I have ears. Not- not mine. I heard about it from someone. And I want to know why he said he would turn me in. But im still here. So.”

“So you didn’t steal it?”

Before Clarisse could answer, someone else did.

“She didn’t, I know she didn’t.”

Both Clarisse’s and Annabeth’s head snapped towards the voice, which belonged to Kayla. Just out of arms reach, like she knew if she accidentally scared one of them, she would get elbowed in the face.

“What is she-“

“With me! She’s- oh my… yes, the… gremlin. It’s with me.”

Annabeth turned back to Clarisse, eyes in slits, “Swear on it. Then we’ll move. This isn’t right.”

“I swear on the River Styx, I did not steal the Master Bolt. Happy?” Clarisse sighed in exasperation, snapping her whole body in one direction to walk again. Annabeth walked by her side with what looked to be a killer glare at the air infront of her. Kayla padded behind, reaching up to Clarisse.

“Did you hear anything?” Asked Kayla. Annabeth hushed her angrily.

Clarisse huffed, answering quietly, “talk, about the prophecy. Annabeth made me lose them.” She sent a glare to Annabeth, who sent one back.

“Why does he need to take Percy all the way out here?” Kayla whispered.

Annabeth glanced towards her, “We all thought it was Clarisse. Now Luke has taken him away from prying ears and eyes, and Chiron is meeting them out here. I was keeping an eye on Clarisse.”

“You were watching me?” Clarisse snapped, being harshly shushed once again by Annabeth. “And I’m walking into something that’s gonna get me locked up?!”

“Hang on, so Percy still thinks that Clarisse is the lightening thief?” Kayla questioned, nudging Clarisse.

Well, if Percy still thinks Clarisse is the lightning thief, and Luke hasn’t said otherwise or told Percy he was wrong about what he said about Clarisse, and now Percy is back from the quest, and I know Clarisse isn’t the lightening thief-

“Yes,” Annabeth nodded. She still didn’t look entirely sure of something herself. Then, her eyes widened the same time as Kayla’s. What was the likely hood it was Luke? Oh…

Clarisse, however, glanced to Kayla as soon as Annabeth answered. They had been thinking the same thing,

“So Luke has to be the lightening thief.”

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AN: Also please let me know if something doesn’t add up here. I have a perfect story line, just might need a bit of tinkering to get it across. I think bringing Clarisse and Kayla into the Luke and Percy scene with Annabeth was a good touch, and also adds a bunch of drama just before the big ending of book 1/ep 8. Sort of like a ‘what if’ on Clarisse finding out Luke had blamed her for being the lightening thief and she secretly knew he had all along.

I think in this book Clarisse is going to be a mixed personality of how she is portrayed in the books vs in the TV show. In the TV show they give her alot more common sense and maturity. But, I also want her to have that violent, bad dog act and slight idiotic persona going on like she has in the books. Her violence seems to have been toned down in the TV show to me. And I really liked it- it was very comical.