Clarisse

There was a war brewing. The Romans were going to attack. Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Leo, and Piper weren't there to protect the camp. I needed to lead and protect what was mine.

We had 4 weeks until the Romans attacked, meaning that we needed to train as hard as we could in order to fend off their organized army. Chiron had appointed me as leader of the Camp. I couldn't let him down.

At 4:00 AM, I rose to go train at the arena. I was angry, frustrated, and terrified. I knocked down dummy after dummy. After going all out for about 45 minutes, I felt it. A chill shivered down my spine. I sensed a presence behind me. Something terrifying, something dreadful, something full of despair.

I wheeled around to find... myself. But I was different. It held a broken spear in its right hand, a tattered white flag in its left. But its eyes, they weren't mine. They were glowing red, and it was smiling with an evil grin. Its battle armor was torn to shreds and covered with dirt and grime.

"Good morning, sister," it said with an oddly familiar evil male voice.

"Wh-who are you?" I stammered.

"You should recognize your own half-brother, shouldn't you Clarisse?" It grinned again, "I am Deimos, immortal son of Ares, personification of sheer terror of war, and your worst nightmare."

I instantly remembered where I had heard his voice before. His mere presence was absolutely terrifying, yet I couldn't quite comprehend his appearance. "W-what are y-you doing here?"

"You need help don't you? The Olympians are in recluse, but I, a minor god, am free to do what I please. I am here to help you train for the next American Civil War, Clarisse."

"Why do you l-look like me?" I stammered.

"As I said, I am your worst nightmare, the personification of the terror of war. What do you fear most, Clarisse? It's defeat, isn't it? Now do you understand why I appear the way I do?"

I suddenly understood. He was what I feared most: a defeated version of me in war. The white flag of surrender. The broken spear. The tattered armor. Defeat to the Romans. Deimos.

Feeling a bit more brave, I said, "I can train just fine by myself."

"No you can't. You're inhibiting your potential, sister. You could be so much stronger than you are. You could be stronger than any other demigod, Clarisse," he was no longer smiling. "Sister, I am the sheer terror of war. In order for you to defeat the Romans, you need to defeat me. You need to overcome your terror."

I trembled and I realized that this could make me better. This training could make me better than him. Than Percy.

"Now that you have decided, let us begin."