Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
A/N: Okay. This is set just before the first Great Prophecy came true. Maybe June or July of that same summer. And it's an attempt at Clarisse La Rue's point of view. Please tell me if it's a complete fail.

So Silena thought it'd be fun for me and her to go shopping in New York City.

She's wrong. So, so, so wrong. But she wouldn't let me say no.

"C'mon, Clarie," she whined (yeah, she calls me Clarie sometimes, but if you mention that to anyone, I'll make sure you regret it). "It'll be so much fun! We don't have to tell anyone. Just you and me. Please?" She gave me the big blue eyes, latching onto my arm. I didn't have the will to shake her off.

"No," I said flatly. I didn't want to explain. How I'd be shunned forever if anyone found out about this. Dad doesn't take these kind of things lightly.

Ares' children are supposed to be tough, emotionless warriors, fearless fighters. Like Dad. And I've already failed him enough, befriending an Aphrodite kid (they're really not so bad, though- at least Silena's not) and going out with the used-to-be-insane-and-also-left-me-I-mean-the-camp -to-go-to-the-Titan's-side-but-now-he's-back-and-h e's-not-insane-but-Dad-still-doesn't-seem-to-trust -him guy. Those are two pretty huge problems. Any more and my cabin will probably disown me. I won't be the terrifying counselor of Cabin Five anymore. I'll just be Clarisse La Rue, ex-daughter of Ares, the girl who failed her dad. Maybe Sherman or Mark or even Julian will take over in my place. I can only imagine the chaos if that happened.

I can't mess up again. But Silena kept pestering and pestering, following me around pretty much all day, until I finally relented.

"Okay!" I yelled, pushing her hand off my arm roughly. "I'll do it! Gods, just leave me alone!"

And so here I am, standing outside some designer clothes store, staring up at the sign with Silena right next to me, bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement.

The store's name is in such fancy script I can't even begin to make it out, thanks to my dyslexia. But I probably wouldn't be able to pronounce it anyway.

I want to tear it down with my bare hands.

Anger flashes through me. What am I doing here? Why did I let Silena talk me into this? Just for a moment, I hate Silena Beauregard with every fiber of my being. I almost fasten my hands around her neck, but the feeling disappears as fast as it comes. I'm here because I have no choice.

I cross my arms, glaring at the glass doors, with the fancy "U" printed on each one. What in Hades does that stand for? "Underwear"? Gods, I hope not. "Umbrella," "umpire," "Ugh" (that'd fit)? Or maybe "Uzi"? Like a Uzi gun? Doubt it, but I can hope.

Silena rolls her eyes. "Oh, don't be like that. It'll be fun! C'mon." She grabs my arm and I reluctantly let her drag me into the store.

I nearly gag at the smell. It smells like sweat and perfume and some weird air freshener- pine mist and new car mixed together, sort of- or maybe that's just all the different perfumes mixing together. I wrinkle my nose. This is definitely not a place to buy guns.

Racks and racks of strange-looking clothing stretch out from where I stand, along with people dressed just as strangely. Mini-skirts and dresses and v-necks and sparkly scarves... It's enough to make me want to throw up.

"You like this dump?" I ask, earning a few angry glances. I meet each one with a steady glare, and they turn away quickly. Good.

Silena laughs. "Yes. It's Unique. How could I not like it?"

Unique? Well, that's definitely true, but what in Hades is she talking about? "Unique?"

"It's the store name, silly! Didn't you read the sign?"

"Couldn't," I say gruffly. Silena is one of the few half-bloods graced with no dyslexia.

Silena frowns. "Oh," she replies. She hesitates, then says, "Well, let's go! Lots to do."

She scampers away, and I don't have much choice but to follow. I put my hand on the hilt of my sword and glance around. No mortals seem to have noticed the sword and scabbard (though some are shooting disgusted and fearful looks my way, probably 'cause I'm dressed comfortably while they're all over there squeezing into too-tight jeans and killing their feet with mile-high heels. Silena's great, but I just don't get her or her people on this). I silently thank the Mist and go after Silena.

By the time I find her, she already has an armload of clothes. She smiles at me over the mountain, her perfect white teeth flashing in the fluorescent lights. She nods toward a chair just outside the dressing room. "There. I'll be back."

I nod, trying to look at least a little more pleasant than usual. A glance in the mirror nearby tells me it hasn't worked. If anything, I look more grumpy. Gee, wonder why that might be?

I plop down in the seat and make a point of slouching down. I glare all around me, at all the clothes racks and people within my sight. The smell of this place burns in my nostrils. All I want to do is go back to camp and beat up some dummies. But I can't.

Silena comes out of the dressing room in this weird green dress with a giant cut up one side and a white rose stitched at the top, like a badge. She twirls once and looks at me.

"So?"

"What?" I look up at her.

Silena frowns at me. "What do you think?"

I frown right back. Does she really expect me to critique her? Judging from her expression, yes.

"Um...it's great," I offer lamely, and her frown deepens.

"Clarie, c'mon. Get into it. Be a girl for once. It's fun."

No, it's not. I manage a half-smile, half-grimace. "'Course. It looks great."

Silena shakes her head and spins aound, facing herself in the mirror. She permits herself a small smile. "You're right. I think I'll get it."

I start to get up, though I know there's no way we're done. "So can we go?"

Silena laughs. "No, silly. Wait." She disappears back into the dressing room. I sink back into the chair with a heavy sigh.

If this were anyone but Silena...

She keeps on with the torture session. Each time she comes out she's in an even more ridiculous-looking outfit than before. I somehow manage to not bite her head off when she asks me for the twentieth time, "How do you like it, Clarie?" or "Do you think Charlie will like it?" and just answer the way I think she wants to hear.

She knows we shouldn't even be out here. Especially not now, with the Titans rising, and monsters zeroing in on camp more than ever. But she couldn't be convinced not to come. I guess she needs a stress-reliever. We all do. But why she thinks dragging me along will help relieve stress, I have no idea.

It definitely doesn't relieve my stress.

I don't know how long we've been here. An hour, at least, though it feels more like days. I can't stand to sit still any longer and start pacing back and forth in front of the dressing rooms.

Finally, Silena comes out, a bundle of clothes in her arms, back in the clothes she wore into this gods-forsaken place.

I almost cry out with relief. She motions for me to follow her, then heads for the front desk.

That's all great, but once everything's paid for and we're back outside, she doesn't head toward Central Park, where our pegasi are waiting. Instead, she heads down the street, lugging her bags with her.

"What are you doing?" I ask, catching up with her.

She laughs. "You didn't think we'd only go to one store, did you?"

Up until this moment, yes, I did. I guess I should've known better.

"Silena, we don't have time for this," I insist. "It's dangerous. Our cabinmates will be wondering about us..." Or at least Silena's would. Mine probably couldn't care less. In fact, they might even throw a party if I disappear.

"We'll be fine." Silena dismisses my words with a wave of her hand, and I grit my teeth. Aphrodite kids.

I partially agree with her. I can handle any monster that comes our way. But Silena's here, and she probably doesn't have a weapon on her. But that's really not why I want to leave. I just don't want to walk into another perfume-scented store with weird merchandise and a weird name. Have I mentioned that I hate shopping?

Silena stops in front of a different store. I don't bother to look at the sign this time, because I'm pretty sure I won't be able to read it.

She leads me inside. I think about all my possiblities. I could just drag Silena back to Central Park, but she'd probably refuse to fly away. Or maybe she'd convince me to stay. She's good at that. Something about her voice sometimes...it just makes people listen to her. I don't know what it is, but I know that she looks guilty whenever it happens.

I could go back to the pegasi without Silena, of course, but then I'd be leaving her, alone and unarmed, in the middle of New York City during a mythological war. There aren't many situations worse than that.

So no. I can't do that. I guess I'll just have to suffer through this day, then, and stay on guard.

Silena and I walk from store to store to awful store. She gets so many bags that after a while I have to start carrying them, too, and look like I actually bought some of this crap. More than once I think about throwing them right into her face and screaming at her. But I can't. This is Silena, and even if she's being really annoying right now, I can't hurt her.

Finally, Silena changes course. We head back for the park.

"Are we going back to camp?" I don't bother to hide my anger, but Silena doesn't seem to notice.

"Sure," she says.

Everything is fine until we near our pegasi. That's when I hear the rustling, and the low growl from behind me.

In front of me, Silena tenses. "Clarisse." It's the first time I haven't been "Clarie" all day, but I'm too focused on the growling to be relieved.

"I hear it," I say. Stupid bags, I can't draw my weapon! "Go faster."

We practically start running, weighed down by Silena's stupid bags.

Next to me, the underbrush explodes, and a hellhound jumps out. I dodge out of the way and drop the bags, drawing my weapon.

A few feet ahead, Silena skids to a stop. She turns, and for a moment, I can see the terror in her eyes. "Clarie!"

"Run!" The hellhound lunges at me, and I dodge again, slashing across the dog's snout.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Silena hesitate. Then she yells, "I'll see you there!" and runs.

I keep my eyes on the hellhound as it whimpers. Then it turns its glowing red eyes on me murderously and lunges again. I spin and jab at the monster, landing a blow on its shoulder. Before it can recover from that, I attack again. And keep attacking, again and again, until finally the monster collapses. It twitches a few times, then goes still, melting into shadow.

But too quickly, I hear more growls in the trees around me. I glance at the bags and boxes scattered on the ground. Silena's going to kill me, but I don't have time to carry all of them. Instead, I grab just one of the bigger bags and, brandishing my sword, I run for it.

From the side, a hellhound lunges at me, and I slash my blade across its neck. It collapses into shadow, and I keep running.

The attacks keep coming from all sides, but still I have hope as I get nearer and nearer to our horses.

Then a hellhound jumps out right in front of me. I have no choice but to skid to a stop. Growls on either side and behind me tell me that others are waiting to pounce on all sides. If I don't get rid of this one in time, I'm dead.

This one is huge, the size of a rhino. I stare it down. It stares me down.

It doesn't seem anxious to attack. Maybe it knows that I'm trapped.

"Ares!" I yell, and charge, relishing the adrenaline that races through me. The bag on my arm is nothing now.

The hound is obviously shocked that I attack. That makes it slow, and before it can raise a claw against me, I slam my sword into its shoulder. It howls in pain and swipes its paw across my arm, knocking me down and cutting three deep gashes near my shoulder. I wince, but do not cry out. The bag flies off my arm and into the woods right next to me. I hear a ripping sound. So much for that.

At least that wasn't my sword arm. I get to my feet and attack again.

I land another blow, and then another, and another. And just when I'm about to land the final blow, two hellhounds lunge from either side of me, and I'm forced to jump back, into the slashing claws of yet another hellhound, which catch me across the back. I bite my tongue to keep from crying out and keep fighting, but I know I'm doomed. Even an Ares kid can't defeat three (or, if that other one manages to get up, four) hellhounds at once. Not by myself. It's impossible.

Still, I keep trying. I manage to get one down- but not dead. Another hound jumps at me before I can kill its brother, and I have no choice but to leap backward.

I'm getting tired, though. I know I can't keep this up much longer. The wounds on my back and arm ache, and my swings are getting messier, less precise. Still I fight on. I kill one and another replaces it. It's like Kronos has sent all his monsters just at me. But of course that can't be it. If anything, he would do that to Percy Jackson, not me.

I knew we shouldn't have come here.

I swing at the dog and hit its side. It yelps, then growls and retreats for a moment. Before I can go after it, another one leaps in front of me and bites at me. I jump back.

A sudden pain explodes in my sword arm, adding to all the others, and I nearly drop my sword. A hound behind me has gotten me. Again.

I fight harder, but it's a losing battle. The hounds are getting more hits in, and I'm getting less.

My head is spinning, and I swear I'm either going to puke or pass out, when above me I hear someone yell, "Clarisse!"

I risk a glance up, and there's Silena, hovering above me on a pegasus.

Then I have to jump back as another hellhound comes for me.

"Clarisse!" Silena's voice is much closer now. I look up and there she is, reaching her hand out to me. "Grab on! We need to get out of here!"

I don't want to leave- I can win this fight somehow. I have to. But, almost against my will, I reach up and grab Silena's hand.

The pegasus takes off, and Silena pulls me up onto it behind her- how, I don't know, but I'm grateful.

When she sees me up close, she gasps. "Oh, Clarie. What did you do?"

Another pegasus flies into position behind us, carrying the bags Silena had. She doesn't ask what happened to the other ones, and I don't offer the information. I'm just so tired...

"Saved your life," I manage, with the smallest of smiles.

"I contacted Chiron," Silena says, ignoring me. I think I hear a hint of guilt in her voice, though. "He'll be waiting for us when we get back. He was pretty mad at me..."

"We shouldn't have gone," I mutter. "I told you that."

"Oh, please, don't you get onto me, too. I'm gonna get enough from Charlie and Chiron."

"Whatever."

We fly in silence for a while, and I watch the land zip by below. All those cars look so tiny I could crush them with one finger.

At least that'd be something I got right today. I can't believe I had to forefeit a fight, even if I would've died if I'd stayed. I should've stayed there. I could've done it. I could've defeated all those monsters back there. And if I had, then maybe I could return to camp with my honor back. Instead, I'm going back with even more shame. An Aphrodite kid had to save me. I'll never gain Dad's favor now.

I study the wounds on my arms, and, wincing, reach around to touch the cut on my back. I manage not to yelp at the pain that races through me.

I can't believe I got hurt.

We touch down at the base of Half-Blood Hill and swing off the pegasus. Chiron is waiting for us, with Chris and Beckendorf. Great. Chris's expression is a mix of worry and anger. I wonder how I'm going to explain that this wasn't my idea- Silena forced me. He'll probably just laugh. He knows very well that no one can force me to do anything that I really don't want to do. Except Silena, if she really wants to do whatever it is.

Luckily, though, most of Chris's anger disappears when he sees my wounds.

Beckendorf runs up to us and scoops Silena up bridal style. "Don't ever do that again."

She grins. "I can't make any promises."

And then they kiss, and I almost gag. I look away and walk over to Chiron and Chris, who both look uncomfortable.

Chiron studies my wounds, then shakes his head, reaching into his always-ready medicine bag. "What happened?"

"Hellhounds," I say, looking at the cuts on my arm. As long as I don't pay attention to them, the wounds don't hurt that much. Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to not pay attention to them. "Lots of them." I can hear the shame in my own voice, and hope nobody else can.

"How many?" Chiron hands me a piece of ambrosia, and I quickly stick it in my mouth. Already I can feel the wounds on my arms and back closing up some.

"I don't know." I shake my head. "Maybe ten?"

Silena, who has apparently finished making out with Beckendorf, comes over and says, "No, it was more like fifteen or sixteen. I could see from overhead."

Chiron's eyebrows raise. He looks at me with a kind of respect and worry. "Then you're lucky your wounds aren't much more severe than this." His tone seems to say that I shouldn't have survived that, and I'm extremely lucky to be standing here right now.

I'm a little gratified by that. Maybe I did a good job, after all. Maybe I gained back a little bit of Dad's favor by not dying. I hope so.

"Come," Chiron says. "We need to get you to the infirmary."

He lets me climb onto his back, and then gallops off toward the Big House. I see the others behind us struggling to keep up.

About thirty minutes later, I'm lying in a cot in the Big House's sick room, feeling extremely useless.

Chiron told me I have to rest for a while. I can't get out of this bed until he says so, but I feel fine. My wounds are healed, but I am pretty tired.

Chris is sitting in a chair next to my bed, holding my hand. It feels weird, being on the other side of the bed. For the longest time I was the one trying to make him better. Now he's sort of doing the same for me.

"Thanks," I mutter. The word feels strange in my mouth. I don't thank people for things very often.

"For what?"

"For staying."

Chris shrugs. "You'd do the same for me." He pauses, and his face darkens. "You have done the same for me."

It always comes back to that. Chris feels so guilty about everything, no matter how many times I tell him it's okay. It wasn't his fault. He came back. I forgive him. He doesn't like to listen.

"Chris...," I begin, but he raises his free hand.

"Don't," he says.

I sigh.

We lapse into silence for a while, and then Chris says, "So why did you do it?"

Here it comes. "Do what?" I ask.

"Go with Silena. You hate shopping, Clarisse. And you know how dangerous it is out there. Why'd you do it?"

"I couldn't say no to her. She wouldn't stop pestering me."

Chris shakes his head. "You could've died. She could've died."

"But we didn't," I counter.

"You almost did."

"Chris. I'm a half-blood. Danger is a constant in my life."

"That doesn't mean you should go looking for it."

"I don't," I grumble, feeling the anger rise up in me. I pull my hand away from his and glare at the wall.

"Clarisse-"

"Shut up, Chris."

I hear him let out a soft sigh. He takes my hand again. "Look, Clarisse, I just... I lo- I care about you, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

I tense up. I'm pretty sure he was about to say "I love you." The warmth that rushes through me is unfamiliar and unexpected, but I keep my expression under control as I look at him again.

His eyes are impossibly soft.

"I'm sorry," I manage after a while, and he just nods once.

The silence stretches out for a while after that, until I force a small smile; it probably looks more like a grimace.

"I guess that was a pretty crappy girls' night out, then."

Chris smiles a little and squeezes my hand. "Yeah, it was."

A few minutes later, Chiron comes to tell me I can go back to my normal activities. As Chris and I leave the Big House, I tell myself that I will never let Silena take me for a girls' night out again.

A/N: Please review. :)