The Unexpected Two: Part XVII
Everything was still. Similarly to how the campers reacted to Annabeth, they listened to Clarisse without any question. I looked at Clarisse and realized how stocky she was, definitely a tough cookie.
Annabeth started to walk over, looking a bit uneasy.
"What are you doing here, Clarisse? I thought you left for university." Before Clarisse could answer, I heard more steps coming towards us but this time, it was someone I knew. Piper came running through the trees, out of breath, clearly trying to keep up with Clarisse.
"Piper told me everything that's happened recently. What the hell, Annabeth? What has gotten into you?" Clarisse looked like she was truly surprised with Annabeth. "After everything Percy has risked for you, why are you doing this to him? You don't even know her or what she's been through and yet you're trying to ruin her just because he doesn't want to be with you."
"She attacked me, Clarisse." Annabeth stood her ground with her shitty story but you could tell that Clarisse saw through it.
"Cut the shit, Annabeth." She looked towards the campers that were attacking me, "And you all just blindly followed Annabeth and started attacking someone you didn't even know? Couldn't you tell that she wasn't trying to hurt you? She could've killed you in an instant and yet all she did was disarm you and push you around a bit. Don't you have a brain? A disgrace to our –."
"Stay the hell out of it!" I turned quickly to see Annabeth no longer her composed self. Her fists were clenched, face red. "Percy was supposed to stay with me. When he bathed in the river Styx, he saw me. He held the sky for me. When he lost his memory, he remembered me. When he had the choice to choose to stay on the ground with his friends or Tartarus with me, he chose me. We were destined for each other and he threw it all away for some bitch he saw five years ago? She doesn't deserve him. She didn't go through everything we went through. She shouldn't be here."
Annabeth sounded like a crazy person. Erratic. Frantic. I could see the campers looking uneasy and confused. The guy I stomach-punched spoke up.
"Wait. Annabeth, were you lying to us? Did Alice even attack you? Was she jealous… or were you?"
"What does it matter, Elijah?" Annabeth spit his name out like venom, "She's powerful and she's dangerous. You don't know her or what she's capable of."
This time, Piper spoke up.
"What about Derek? He grew up and trained with Alice. You don't care about how dangerous and powerful he is? Or what about Jason? He showed up out of nowhere, a son of Jupiter and yet, you welcomed him in. And Percy. He was a child of the big three. He wasn't even supposed to be born and yet, you immediately went on a quest with him. You were fine with every other powerful demigod you came across and yet, you target Alice."
Annabeth was realizing she was losing control.
"I thought we were friends, Piper. After everything we've been through, you're leaving me for Alice too?"
Piper looked sad and disappointed.
"You're trying to ruin someone's life, Annabeth. You're no longer being protective or wise... you're being evil. And it's not something I want to be associated with. Alice, come on." Piper grabbed my hand, pulling me away from everything, Clarisse following behind.
Though the Capture the Flag game was still going on, the three of us headed towards my cabin, trying to grasp what just happened. I'm realizing that Percy bathed in the River Styx, held up the sky, and he lost his memory? I don't understand how the gods could be so cruel to someone so kind.
Once inside the cabin, I decided to officially introduce myself to Clarisse."
"I'm Alice. Thank you for what you did back there. I was just going to keep evading their attacks until they got tired. I knew that if I did anything more, the camp would've turned against me for good. But I don't understand why you did what you did. You didn't even know who I was."
Clarisse looked at me. She didn't smile or say hi but I knew it was because she just wasn't that kind of person, not because she was being rude.
"I've known Annabeth a long time. She was here before I got to camp. I had a lot of respect for her. She was always smart and composed, good competition during Capture the Flag, an even better ally. Her and Percy also saved me on my first quest, even though I was too proud to accept it at first."
She paused, thinking about her next words.
"Percy and Annabeth had a special relationship… one that people strive for. When they broke up, I knew she was devastated but I never expected her to turn like she did. While I always liked Annabeth, I had a lot of respect for Percy too so, I wasn't on anyone's side after the breakup. Then yesterday, Piper Iris-Messaged me."
Piper stepped in.
"Clarisse used to be really good friends with a sister of mine, Silena. Sadly, she passed away while fighting in the Titan War and I never got to meet her but, her friendship changed the way Clarisse saw many of my Aphrodite sisters. When I met her, Clarisse said I reminded her of Selena, a fighting spirit, and told me if I ever needed anything, to call her. When I heard what Annabeth did to you and how it led the campers to attack Derek too, I was worried. I figured if there was anyone that the campers truly trusted besides Annabeth, it would be Clarisse."
Piper threw her arm around Clarisse.
"I trust Piper but… just who are you Alice? Your story sounds absolutely absurd. You and your brother were raised by the King of the Underworld, trained by Hecate, and became powerful enough to live without Camp Half-Blood or Jupiter? It definitely makes me wary of you two."
I smiled, understanding her completely.
"We had an interesting life, unlike most demigods. We weren't allowed to communicate or interact with any other demigods… a secret to everyone. But it wasn't all bad. While the isolation was hard, my brother and I had a great life. Hades and Persephone were great parents, Cerberus was a great pet, and my brother and I got to travel a lot since I can shadow-travel anywhere. I have no regrets. I enjoy being powerful and now, I finally made some friends. More importantly, Derek finally made some friends. Everything I do, I make sure Derek will be happy."
As if listening to the conversation, Derek flew into my cabin with incredible speed. Following behind were Percy and Jason.
"Alice, what the hell? I had no idea where you were. Jason flew all over the forest and couldn't find you anywhere. I was freaking out."
Jason, looking a bit grim, chimed in. "He's not lying. The river exploded and hit me out of the air. I wasn't exactly stoked about that."
"You can't keep disappearing like that. You have to tell me… you have to talk to me!" Derek was upset and overwhelmed, not angry. His eyes were still bright blue instead of dark.
I hugged him. "I'm sorry brother. This whole experience has been so strange and there's so much going on… I'm just overwhelmed." He squeezed me tighter, as if I would disappear again if he let go.
"Clarisse, what are you doing here?" I heard Percy and looked at him. He seemed uneasy, similar to Annabeth when she saw Clarisse. He's probably not sure how she feels about him since he broke up with Annabeth.
"Good to see you too punk. Piper told me what was going on. Figured maybe I could stop by and try to stop Annabeth from doing anything crazy. Showed up just in time it seemed because Annabeth rallied up some idiots to attack Alice in the woods."
Percy, giving Clarisse the same face Jason had just given Derek, said, "Gee, wonder where she came up with that idea."
Clarisse rolled her eyes. "You're still not over that? I mean, you kicked my ass anyways, so if anything, I should be the one still upset about it."
Though they speak roughly towards each other, Percy smiled and I could tell it was just a comfortable bickering.
"Alright, well Piper, keep me updated. If you need me to come back, let me know but… don't need me. Derek, Alice, it was nice to meet you. Good luck. Percy, Jason, protect them… don't be idiots. See ya."
With that, we decided to part ways. Again, I chose to sleep in the Poseidon cabin so I could stay close to Derek… and Percy. Once at the cabin, the three of us were chatting until Percy fell asleep.
"Brother, I'm tired. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. Life was so easy when it was just us two. Boring… but easy."
I rested my head against his shoulder, leaning on him as I felt the tiredness starting to overtake me.
"That's true… but we got this. In the end, we'll always have each other. And that enough for me."
I smiled, and drifted to sleep.