Chapter 25

Later that night, Kayla sat with Percy and Annabeth, roasting smores around the campfire. It was dark, the area around illuminated by the orange hue of the campfire and the torches around. Chatter was prominent amongst them all. Happy, gleeful chatter like it was a happy ever after to a movie. Kayla had long since gotten washed and into some fresh, cozy clothes. They all had.

Malcolm had been speaking with her prior, for a good hour or so, but in the time she had been gone, he seemed to have found other people to spend his time with; like Will Solace, from Apollo cabin. Kayla didn’t blame him, she wasn’t mad, either.

Most of the chatter was coming from the logs where Ares kids were sitting. Clarisse was cracking out jokes on what happened like there was no tomorrow, while all her brothers cackled along loudly. Apollo was trying to overtake them with a campfire sing along, and the Stoll brothers were yelling out an ever so captivating story about an evil king who was eaten by demonic breakfast pastries.

Kayla huffed a smile and looked back down to her smore- which had set on fire. “Oh, sh-“

Annabeth chuckled, snatching the stick out of her hands and throwing the smore to burn in the fire all together. “You’re gonna burn the camp down yourself in a minute, be careful.”

Kayla sighed, looking back up. Clarisse was gone, the chatter from Ares logs had died down, and-

Percy grunted as Clarisse pushed him on the back. “Just because we were cool one time, Jackson, don’t think you’re off the hook with Ares. Im still waiting for the right opportunity to pulverise you.” She spat with an evil smile. Percy smiled like he thoroughly enjoyed her kind and thoughtful words.

Clarisse turned to Kayla and Annabeth, for once, the look on her face seemed more confident than egotistical. “And you, why are you sat with Jackson? You should be with the winners.” She spoke to Kayla. She could see Clarisse’s words were more taunting that serious, simply trying to annoy Jackson while she was fueled up on adrenaline.

“I’m, uh- eating… smores.” Kayla shrugged, scratching her back. Her wings fluttered. Clarisse had walked off without even hearing her out. Kayla turned to Annabeth and gave an apologetic look before sprinting off to Clarisse.

“You didn’t act like you wanted me not with Percy Jackson.” Kayla rambled when she finally caught up. Clarisse was on a mission… somewhere. Stomping over grass and past the cabins. “Well, I’m not gonna tell you where you should stand, am I? But I thought you knew better than to be with Jackson.”

“Uh, I’d like to correct that I was besides Annabeth, who is much better,” She pointed a finger up.
Clarisse twisted her head away from Kayla to chuckle, shaking her head and looking back to the girl.
“You didn’t shout me out or anything, and Annabeth told me it was fine. It made me feel better.” She added on quietly.

Clarisse’s eyebrows knitted together. She bit the inside of her cheek. “Shout you out?”

“Well, you chose me for the quest, I though I deserved a bit of recognition, that’s all. We did good. Or- I thought we did.”

Clarisse huffed, mulling it over.
“I should have,” She agreed. “I just got home and my brothers got my adrenaline pumping like crazy. I forgot all about anything else.”

Kayla shrugged. It was in the past now, wasn’t it? “Well, I’m glad they cheered for you like that. Must have felt nice.”

Clarisse nodded, it did. To finally have recognition for something. Even if her father hadn’t said well done. She wondered how Kayla felt, not even having a cabin full of siblings to go back to. “No, actually, it was really shitty, I would have messed up ten times over if it wasn’t for-“

“The Hermes cabin congratulated me, and that’s enough for me. There’s nothing you can do now, we’re good… atleast I know I did good on that quest. Like, you really would be dead if it wasn’t for me-“

Clarisse chuckled, pushing a hand in her face teasingly. “Okay, okay, shut up. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Before Kayla knew it, Clarisse had led them to the Amphitheatre, lifting herself up onto the stage. Kayla gave a confused look from down below. Clarisse wasn’t a theatre kid. “Uh, what are you doing? Some victory dance?”

“I left my laurel wreath behind, idiot. My brothers had me rushed everywhere.” Clarisse dissapeared behind the theatre curtain, before newly introducing herself with it on her head, hopping back down off the stage. “Even if I’m sorry that I didn’t shout you out though, you’re not getting my laurel wreath.” Clarisse shrugged, sitting on the edge of the stage. She took it off to admire it.

“This is getting pinned on my wall, and I’m drying it out to preserve it. For my awesome victory.” She spoke half sarcastically, a smile on her face. Kayla snickered. “It… smells nice.”

“Yeah, it does.” Clarisse agreed, feeling over the leaves. She plucked one off. “This is a great reward, okay? I just sacrificed a laurel leaf off of my wreath for you, so take good care of it. It’s as much as your getting.”

Kayla took it gently, not being able to help a giggle. She shoved it into her jacket pocket, zipping it up. “I’m rubbing off on you.”

Clarisse placed the wreath back on her head, making a disgruntled face. “What? Hell no, you’re not.”

“Since when did Clarisse La Rue spurt out jokes that are actually funny? Like, I’m naturally laughing at things you’re saying. That’s definitely me.”

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not,” She pushed Kayla by her shoulder gently, making her stumble back. She balanced herself by fully extending her wings, flapping herself back up. Clarisse watched them for a second before refocusing on Kayla’s face. “Shut up before I throw you into the parkour lava pit.”

Kayla smiled, putting her hands behind her back. “Are you going back to the campfire?”

“I told my brothers I’d be back, why?”

“I need my wings sorting out, I think there’s a splinter somewhere. Like, the size of a small stick.”

Clarisse rolled her eyes, sliding off the stage. “It’s way too dark to do here,” She snickered. “Come hang out with me and my brothers, I’ll give you that shout out?”

Kayla’s smile dropped. It would feel awkward this late on in the night. “No, no thanks, don’t give me that shout out now, it’s too-“

Clarisse was smirking like a mad man. She stalked towards the exit of the Amphitheatre. “Too late!” She started to sprint with an evil chuckle. Kayla let out a worried squeal, speed walking after her.

…

“No, no, no, Clarisse-“

“ATTENTION, CAMPERS!” All campers went relatively quiet as Clarisse stood ontop of the log she had been sat on earlier with her brothers. She still had that look of proud victory on her face. This was one of those rare times you saw Clarisse La Rue smiling. “From distractions earlier, I did not give credit to those who assisted me in my quest for the Golden Fleece, my main partner, Kayla Graves!” She exclaimed. Anything that Clarisse said that night, went. So all campers clapped and cheered. Kayla groaned and put her head in her hands. “And- Annabeth Chase, and Jackson, but only cause they snook out.” Clarisse exclaimed with less excitement, rolling her eyes. Annabeth and Percy still got a good cheer, however. The campfire errupted in a bout of extra flames at all the cheer.

“There we go,” She stepped back down from the log. “Happy now?”

Kayla lifted her head back up in awkwardness, rubbing her arm as she sighed. “You know, that’s actually the name of a song, No-“

“No Doubt, I know. You took the tape, Kay.”

Kayla smiled innocently. “I lost it when the Ironclad sunk. I- took it with me.”

Clarisse’s shoulders slouched. “You… you took No Doubt with you? I forgot all about the Walkman. What else?”

Kayla bit her lip and avoided eye contact. “Jeff Buckley, and a nature sounds one.”

Clarisse’s eye tweaked. Yet she fought back snapping. They had both lost alot in that Ironclad.

“I got something for you, speaking of. It’s back at my cabin.” She chose to say, instead.

Kayla lifted her eyes up. “Me? Got something for me?”

“No, I did not spend my precious drachamas on some weird gift for you. But I have something you might want.” She corrected, starting to walk backwards. “Are you coming, or-?”

“Yeah, I’m curious now.” Kayla caught up with her. The Ares cabin was on the end of the cabin area, so it was very close to where the campfire was. They walked inside and made their way to Clarisse’s Room. “Ignore the mess, I already beat up Tyler for thinking he could steal stuff from my room without me knowing. I got it all back, though.” Clarisse shrugged proudly. She rummaged through her desk drawers, humming.

Clarisse wasn’t kidding about the mess. It was a tip, so god knows what her brothers had stolen that caused it to become such a mess, and god knows how they thought she wouldn’t notice. The thought made her laugh internally. Boys.

“Here,” Clarisse handed her a plain leather book. Dark leather, nothing too fancy. “It’s a note book I never used. Thought you could use it for your diary stuff.”

Kayla let out a gasp at the realisation, flipling through it. That made sense. That diary had meant alot to her.

“Can I hug you?”

“No.”

Kayla ignored the answer, instead tracing her fingers along the leather. She was definitely going to make this look like her old one. She swallowed down tears. That old diary held alot, so this made her feelings a bit better after loosing the old one. “Thankyou, so much. This is perfect.”

“Hey, get any softer and I’m kicking you out the window, Graves. Watch it,” Kayla smiled as Clarisse’s usual demeanour kicked in. Yet she could swear she heard the background tone of teasing in there. “Now c’mon, sit on the floor, I’ll do your wings.”

Kayla hummed, stealing a pen off Clarisse’s desk and plopping down on her floor infont of her bee without another word. She engrossed herself in writing the first entry in her new diary as Clarisse wiped the bits of dirt and grime out of where she couldn’t reach.

“You know, I think the entire point of a diary is to do it in private, cause I’m watching everything you’re writing right now.” Clarisse spoke after a while. Her bin was sat next to her full of tissues covered in dirt. The splinter had been removed from the top of her wings which turned out to be a two inch small stick from godknows where or when. “Well, I’m not writing anything secretive at the moment, so it’s fine.” Kayla countered.

“What secrets you gonna write in there, huh?”

“A secret would not be a secret if I told anyone. Not telling you. But actually I don’t think I have any right now,” Clarisse let out a snort at the words, humming. “Do you have perfume you could spray on them? That would be nice?” Kayla asked, focusing on her newfound diary once more.

“Pfft, perfume? I think not. I have deodorant, and aftershave.” Kayla rolled her eyes. Ofcourse she did. “What deodorant?”

“Lynx.”

Kayla sighed. “Anything else, or…”

“More Lynx?”

“Okay, okay, just choose an aftershave. Whatever.”

Clarisse got up and rummaged ontop of her drawers, picking out one of the cheap aftershaves she owned. A few spritz later and Kayla’s wings were pampered and fresh.

“Thanks,” Kayla closed her diary, standing up. Clarisse only just dodged her wings hitting her in the face. “You’re welcome, dork.”

“I can’t believe I only got to use that Walkman like, twice, to get to sleep in my cabin.”

“Why would your dad do such a thing to make your cabin a direct passage to the underworld for you? It seems silly if you can hear all the lost souls all night.”

“It says in the book it’s to make certain powers stronger. And, apparently it’s only a gateway to the underworld for me, for safety reasons.” She explained. “Except it’s really difficult to learn and focus when I can’t get any sleep, so, kinda defeats the purpose. Kind of wish the Golden Fleece didn’t heal my ear.”

Clarisse scoffed. “Trust me, I’m glad it did. Do you know how many times you blanked me when I asked you stuff out there? It was offensive, actually.”

Kayla rolled her eyes, shrugging.

“Take my other Walkman, borrow. I can do without for a bit. Now, if you excuse me, I really want some well earned sleep without sharing my bed with a gremlin like I have been for the past two weeks, so…”

Kayla took the que. She quickly dug under Clarisse’s bed, grabbed some random tapes and her walkman, then made her way to the door. “See you.” She hummed, offering a big smile.

“See ya.”

Please vote!!

End of book 2!! (Almost) (bonus happy chariot chapter incoming) Now since this book happens early on in the year, I’m deciding to do some chapters that will be Kayla’s life at camp and mainly her and Clarisse’s development throughout that year in summer. Do not fret because book three is gonna get into it mwhahahah