ANOTHER LOSER ANTHEM

N/A.- one-shot about Silena Beauregard's POV while defeating the drakon. Hope you like it, please comment :)

Disclaimer—°Characters belong to Rick Riordan.

So, there I was, walking towards Cabin Five. The hot air was hitting me directly in the face. I closed my blue eyes for a moment, wishing all the things that were happening weren't my fault, but I knew better… all my friends—Annabeth, Percy, Katie, Michael…— were sacrificing their lives in the war… and Charlie was dead… all because of me.

Then something interrupted my thoughts. Cabin Five's door slammed open by something that hit it. It was Chris Rodriguez, Clarisse's boyfriend. A few seconds later my best friend stormed out.

"Don't even talk to me, punk!" she shouted to Chris, who was trying to stand up.

I looked at her with astonishment. "You just …threw your boyfriend through the door!" I managed to say. I was shocked.

She looked at me like she was mad, her brown eyes flickering red.

"What the Hades are you doing here?" she shouted.

I looked at her; yes, she was my best friend but she really scared me sometimes.

"So," she said, touching her nose "Again, what are you doing here?"

Gee, even Chris noticed the exasperation in her tone. I wrung my hands nervously.

"Oh… yeah, well, um… our army isn't doing very well at battle and, er… I asked Percy if I could come here to camp," I tried not to look into her eyes, "and ask you to help us."

"Uh-oh," Chris muttered.

"And why'd you think I'd want to help you?" she asked, clenching her teeth.

"Because…" I searched for an answer. "Well, first, you owe me one." I said looking pointedly at Chris, "And second, your friends really, really need you!" I said with the theatrics I'd become known for.

Clarisse looked at the floor and Chris hugged her, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Well," she started saying. "you're my friend and I do know I owe you one, but I can't do this. I mean, they've been jerks to Ares and taken our cabin for granted. They don't deserve my help." she seethed.

One thing I admired–and hated—about Clarisse was her pride. Her pride and her ego. She could be very selfish, but I understood how she felt. Clarisse wasn't a bad person. A big bully? Maybe. But she was right; they didn't deserve her help, and still we needed her…

"I—I understand." I said. She seemed surprised.

"Silena—" she said kindly. As kindly as she could manage, anyway.

"Oh, Clarisse, don't worry!" I said, hugging her, "It's okay, I understand."

She smiled and, to my surprise, she hugged me in return—well, more like patted me on the back. I knew her better than anyone. I knew she had feelings… but hugging someone? Seriously, that was my best friend, Clarisse?

"Sorry if I interrupt," Chris said, "but the Ares' boys are going crazy…they're hungry."

Clarisse looked at him.

"Oh, yeah, tell Argus to prepare the bonfire," she said, grinning. "And you," she said, turning to me, "come on, you need some food."

Gods, I was super hungry! But I had so much more important things to do.

"Thanks Clarisse, but I'm not hungry and I'm soo tired… I think I'm going to my cabin, you know, to get some sleep," I said smiling, trying to sound confident.

"Okay, sure." she said while nodding her head.

"So…see you tomorrow."

I walked towards my cabin. I opened the door and the sweet smell of Carolina Herrera's 212 Sexy perfume hit my face.

"Home, sweet home," I murmured to myself.

I headed straight to my bed and opened my big closet.

"Yes!" I shouted hysterically. "Thanks, oh gods! Clean clothes!"

I searched for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I put the clothes on a chair next to my bed. Outside, I heard the shouts and laughing of the Ares' campers. I started crying. Everything was my fault; I mean, everything, like the war, like Clarisse refusing to help, like Charlie dying… and the only thing that Percy told me to do, the only thing, I couldn't afford to do it. Nothing, I felt horrible with myself… then I had an epiphany.

I waited until I didn't hear anything. I put my shoes and went out of my cabin. I heard Clarisse and Chris heading to the woods for their daily patrol. That meant I would have—more or less—four hours to set up my plan.

I entered Cabin Five silently and searched for Clarisse's armor. I put her helmet and looked at the mirror. I looked strong. I felt strong.

"Hey, punks!" I shouted, "Get your lazy behinds out of bed!"

The campers started waking up, standing clumsily to meet my orders. "I've changed my mind. We're going to New York."

"Yeah!"

We went for the chariots, and as we headed for the exit, Argus gave us a confused look.

"Going to war!" I shouted as we drove straight to Manhattan.

When we arrived at Central Park, we saw a huge, horrible, and scaly…thing. Percy and Annabeth were trying to defeat it, but they needed help. I took a deep breath.

"ARES!" I shouted with all the courage I could.

Annabeth and Percy looked toward us with astonishment. Mrs. O'Leary was trying to hurt the dragon, but she couldn't do too much.

"Ares, to me!" I cried.

The other chariots arrived. They started throwing spears at the drakon. I have to admit, the Ares' children were awesome; they fought with bravery, they gave me courage to continue with my plan without collapsing in the act.

Percy and Annabeth jumped to the drakon's back, trying to help. Athena's cabin started throwing javelins to the drakon and I continued using Clarisse's electric spear, trying to hit its sane eye.

"You can do it!" I heard Percy shouting at me. "A child of Ares is destined to kill it!"

I looked at the huge thing with horror. They needed an Ares guy, not an Aphrodite traitor girl… but they believed—somehow—in me. Percy stared at me with confusion, like he knew something was obviously wrong.

"ARES!" I shouted. After that, I charged the stupid drakon again.

I looked at the monster as the monster looked at me. I felt a sudden feeling of sickness. Percy opened his eyes like plates.

"No!" he said, "WAIT."

He was officially going into panic mode.

He had noticed… but it was too late, the venom of the drakon was sliding all over my head and body, corroding the metal of the armor.

I screamed with horror and free-fell to the ground. I wasn't absolutely conscious of what was happening around me.

"Clarisse!" Annabeth yelled.

I felt her arms wrapping around me, her tears falling on Clarisse's helmet.

"C'mon, you stupid worm!" Percy shouted. "Look at me!"

Then the world started spinning around me, but I saw a flying chariot approaching. Trouble…

"Oh, no." I muttered, too low for anybody to hear.

"NO! Curse you! WHY?" I heard a very familiar voice shouting. I don't know if to my monster or to me, because I was absolutely sure she knew who it was.

Annabeth and the Ares campers started taking Clarisse's helmet off my head while Clarisse kept shouting and cursing.

"WHY?" Clarisse demanded again.

I heard someone approaching, saying Clarisse's name. I saw a lot of faces… confused faces.

"Look out!" Chris warned Percy, but the stupid worm looked at Chris.

"You want death?" my friend cried in a very strong voice, "Well, COME ON!"

She grabbed her spear from my arm and went to charge the drakon. She jumped onto its head and with her electric hit the drakon's good eye. Electricity shook its whole body and then it dissolved in black ashes.

My pain ceased for a minute. I was amazed by Clarisse; she just had killed a huge drakon on her own. With an electric spear. Without armor.

I felt Annabeth's hands removing the helmet. Annabeth squeaked and Percy looked at me with shock. But Clarisse… Clarisse's expression was heartbreaking….painful, almost. She—the big, bad, tough daughter of Ares—was crying. She put my head in her lap, wetting my hair with tears.

"What were you thinking?" she asked in a low and uncontrolled voice.

I felt my lips going dry, but I managed to answer her. "Wouldn't listen… cabin would… only follow you."

"So you stole my armor," she said, staring at me. "you waited until I was in patrol with Chris; your mobilized my whole cabin and pretended to be me." suddenly she faced her siblings. "And NONE of you noticed?"

A little Ares boy—who looked no older than six—glanced at her with red, puffy eyes. It was obvious he was scared. My fault, I thought.

"Don't blame them," I said with a shaky voice. "They wanted to… to believe I was you…." I was trying to sound confident, but it was hurting so much.

"You stupid Aphrodite girl," Clarisse sobbed, wiping her tears. "You charged a drakon? Why?"

I tried to swallow… it was time to reveal my dirty little secret.

"All my fault…" I confessed, trying not to cry, "the drakon… Charlie's death… camp endangered."

"Stop it!" Clarisse said in disbelief. "That's not true!"

Yeah, it's time… I thought at I opened my hand, showing that little scythe charm.

"You were the spy," someone said, but I didn't recognize the voice. I barely felt Clarisse's hands in my arms, giving me warmth; but I nodded. I was the spy…

"Before I liked Charlie, Luke was nice to me. He was so… charming. Handsome. Later I wanted to stop helping him, but he threatened to tell. He promised… I was saving lives. Fewer people would get hurt. He told me Charlie wouldn't get hurt… He lied." I said, shaking. It was freezing.

Clarisse told something to her siblings and then looked at me.

"Forgive me," I said, sinking into the darkness.

"You're not dying."

I wasn't there anymore. The darkness suppressing me into sleep… I felt bad with myself, but at the same time, I felt very proud. I felt like a very big loser, doing nothing correctly; but I was glad my friends were okay… I knew they would save Olympus.

Then, the darkness disapreared and a glowing form appeared. I saw him. Santidng there in front of me, smiling, waiting for me…

"Charlie," I muttered "See Charlie…"

And then I was gone.

THE END