Hello and welcome to "Memories From Under the Veil", a multi-chapter Clarisse/Chris fic. This story was moved from another account, so it's possible you may have read it there. Non-TLO compliant, as I still haven't read it.

Without further ado...

I stand in front of the large mirror that runs along the length of one of the walls. The frilly white dress I'm wearing won't seem to lay flat and I growl in frustration, nearly tearing the fabric. Why on earth had I agreed to wear this? It was MY wedding, wasn't it?! I should be allowed the choice of whether or not I want to wear...this...this...thing!

I scowl at the young woman reflected in the mirror and speak out loud, even though there's no one to hear me.

"I'm SO gonna kill Silena when this is all over."

Just then, the door to the bathroom swings open. I hear, "Did someone say my name?" followed by a childish giggle.

"Well, well, look who's here," I mutter. "Speak of the devil."

Silena clucks her tongue. "Gods, you're a mess. And the ceremony starts just a few hours!" She sighs dramatically. "Looks like I got here just in time."

She pulls out a large cloth tote, and I hear a clattering noise. Oh. No.

"Tiiime to get you beautiful!" she sings, smiling cheerfully. I mumble something rude under my breath, which thankfully, Silena doesn't hear. She's too busy pulling out what look like torture devices, but are probably makeup and hair accessories. I break out in a cold sweat and resist the urge to yell, "I'M A DAUGHTER OF ARES, GODS DAMMIT!"

An hour and a half later, I've been "beautified". I have to admit, I don't look that bad. Silena managed to fix my dress, apply makeup, and do my hair with a scary kind of perfection.

"Now...what are you missing?" Silena thinks for a minute and I smirk. Anyone who's ever made a crack about kids of Ares being stupid have never met anyone related to Aphrodite.

"Oh! Right!" She reaches down and stretches the corners of my mouth into a forced, Joker-ish grin. "A smile!" Please with herself, she dances around the room. "Yay! I did it! Clarisse, you look SOOOOOOOOO good! Chris is going to be speechless when he sees you! And Beckendorf owes me five drachmas!"

I'm doing my best to ignore Silena, but then her last sentence catches my attention.

"Why does he owe you five drachmas?"

"We made a bet! He bet that I couldn't make you look all pretty like you do now!"

Well, that explained why she had shown up on the doorstop of my apartment a few days before and insisted that she'd do my makeup and hair for the wedding.

Don't get mad, Clarisse. Don't get mad...

I struggle to keep my temper under control. I learned the hard way just how scary Aphrodite kids can get if you provoke them.

Silena leads me out of the bathroom and down the hallway to the living room of my apartment. The place where the wedding will be held is just a few minutes away, so I can relax (or try to...) until the last minute in the comfort of my own home. When Annabeth heard about my engagement, she volunteered to help coordinate everything, so that was all set. I breath a sigh of relief, glad for the first time to have her assistance. Heh heh, and at camp I always insisted that she get out of the way and let me do things myself.

I sit on the ratty couch, biting my nails nervously. Silena notices and slaps my hand away. "Hey, you'll ruin your manicure!" Annabeth's help I'm glad to have. Silena's, I'm not so sure. Time seems to pass at an agonizingly fast rate, and I feel like throwing the stupid clock across the room.

When the doorbell rings, my heart almost stops. Silena flies across the room and throws it open.

"HIII, CHRIS!" she squeals. I roll my eyes and clap my hands over my ears. All the excitement must have gone to her head or something; she's usually not this hyper.

"HIIIII, BECKENDORF!" She squeals a second time, except it's louder than it was for Chris. "You owe me five drachmas!"

Beckendorf steps inside the apartment, simultaneously ducking to accommodate his height and smiling at his wife's behavior. He glances at me and shrugs. "I guess. You did a pretty good job." He turns around and motions for Chris to come inside.

I resume nail biting as my husband to be walks into the living room. He stops when he sees me.

"Um...wow...Clarisse," Chris mumbles, blushing. "You look...really pretty."

"Suuuuuuuure I do," I snort, rolling my eyes. I can't think of anything else to say so we just sit there in silence. Silena and Beckendorf have gone out into the hall to "give us some privacy".

I look up at the clock again and hastily jump up. "Look at the time! We'd better be going now, don't want to be late, haha." Stop babbling, Clarisse! I don't get it... suddenly I feel all nervous around him.

I remember feeling that way just once before: the very first time I met Chris. Oh, gods, that was a while ago...

Aaaaaand cue the flashback. Reviews are love. :D

Thanks for reading!

~Aish Sheva