Some girls feel they'll never be loved. They're to different, or not pretty enough. The sad thing is their amazing, they just don't know it. They feel that all the plastic Barbie dolls are the pretty ones. The head cheerleaders who spend every waking minute making themselves look perfect.
Most boys go for the desperate girls, the ones that are begging for attention. They don't seem to notice the girls in the background who really care about them. The ones who wait for their chance, and sometimes never get one.
This story is about a girl who wasn't the prettiest, but cared enough about the boy. And the boy noticed.
This is the story of Clarisse and Chris. The story of the jokester and the fighter.
Chris left camp for a reason, a reason that was wrong. He thought no one cared about him. That his father didn't notice him. He thought that if he left that no one would notice. All his thoughts were wrong. Clarisse cared for him, she just didn't know how to show it. Clarisse did notice when he was gone, even when some didn't. For gods sakes she could make Hermes notice Chris. She only wished Chris could see it.
She wished that Chris could see past her hard outer shell, and see that she did care. Sure, she wasn't the great at showing it, but she did love him. Just because she was an Ares child doesn't mean she didn't feel anything, because she did.
A year or so later Chris was discovered by Clarisse in the labyrinth. He was walking around mumbling random words, things Clarisse couldn't understand. She knew he was on Kronos's side, but she didn't know why he was there. Unless they had left him there to test what might happen. What would happen to those who wandered the labyrinth alone.
This made Clarisse sick to her stomach. She couldn't believe they would do something to someone like that. It was wrong and evil. No one should have to go through that, defiantly not Chris.
She grabbed his arm and he yelped. Clarisse looked at him, he had fear in his eyes. He didn't know who she was, and that broke her heart.
Back at camp Clarisse spent every minute she could with Chris. She watched him suffer from insanity. All she could do was talk to him, try to help him through it all.
"Chris, you need to eat!" Clarisse said. She put the spoon in the dish and fished around for some food. She brought it to his mouth. He shut his mouth tight, and shook his head in defiance.
"Chris, you have to eat! You can't die on me!" Clarisse said forcing his mouth open. She shoved the food down his throat, held his jaws down till he swallowed.
"Good Chris, keep it up!" She repeated the steps over and over until the bowl was empty. She sat there for a minute, wanting to see if maybe he would talk. But he didn't, he just sat in the corner looking at nothing.
Clarisse continued coming to Chris. She would try to start a conversation with him, but he just never saw her. it was like she was a ghost in his presence. He would still mutter things like Peoples names, and something about lava. He would stop talking for a while and just wander around his room. He looked like he was in another world most of the time.
Clarisse didn't know what to do. She was afraid if this continued she would lose her sanity as well. Some of her half-siblings would try to include her in some act against a new kid, but Clarisse didn't care. She just wanted Chris better.
Mr.D Finally cured Chris after a few weeks. Chris went back to his old self, as if nothing ever happened. He hung out with Clarisse more though. Clarisse was sitting with him on the beach when he started talking.
"Ya know, when I left here, I never thought I would come back,." Chris sighed. "But you know what?"
"What?" Clarisse asked.
"I'm glad I did." He laughed. "I though no one cared if I left. I thought I was alone, but I wasn't was I?"
Clarisse blushed. "Chris people missed you. You have no idea how people reacted when you left."
"I wasn't talking about the others." Chris said with the classic Hermes' smirk.
"I missed you, I guess." Clarisse said looking down.
"I know you did. Don't you think I remember you coming to visit me when I came back from the labyrinth?" Chris laughed. It seemed to be some big joke to him.
Clarisse was shocked. She didn't know he remembered. Chris took this moment to sneak a kiss on her. It lasted more than thirty seconds, meaning she didn't break away.
"Tell anybody about this, and I'll run you through with my spear." Clarisse said with a smile.
"Will do"
For once, the other girl won. She got her chance with the one she loved. She was the apple at the top of the tree that boys too scared to reach, but Chris did. He climbed up to the top of the tree to get to the best apple he could find. And Chris picked the right one.
No one really thought of Clarisse as one of the Girls. She was always hanging around with the guys. Wrestling, fighting, and shouting with them. Everyone saw her as a fighter, but Chris saw her as the girl she was.