I keep getting these ideas for one-shots. Hope everyone enjoys!
Warriors didn't get pregnant. The world didn't require them to. If a warrior became pregnant, they could not fight, and if they could not fight, they were of no use to their country. Granted, Camp Half-Blood wasn't a country. It was quite simply just a camp that Clarisse La Rue spent most of her life at.
"This is amazing!" Chris Rodriguez cried happily. He wrapped both arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. Clarisse glanced back at her boyfriend. The two had been dating ever since Clarisse helped nurse him back to sanity from his time in the Labyrinth. They had their ups and downs, but nothing could keep the two apart.
After the world tried to destroy itself with Kronos and then the giants, she tried to focus on college. She was so focused on her grades that she hadn't been able to handle the whole situation that was Apollo falling from Olympus and then having to kick the ass of emperors who sought to take over the world. Chris had been lucky enough to still be at Camp Half-Blood during that time, but he never found the time to teach Apollo how to properly fight.
It had been almost a decade since the last disaster, and Clarisse had graduated from college. After that, she found a job in the mortal world for half of the year, and the other half was spent as a counselor at Camp Half-Blood. There was no way she could trust Chase or Jackson to properly train the new batch of heroes. It was up to Clarisse.
"Will, are you sure?" Clarisse questioned, looking up at their doctor. Part of her thought this was a prank for when Clarisse had dunked Will's head into a toilet in the men's restroom, but she only did that once. Or twice. He had to be messing with her.
"I am," Will confirmed. He smiled brightly at them. "You're not far along enough to tell what the gender will be, but I'll be with you every step of the way. Congratulations."
Congratulations
That word played in Clarisse's head as she followed Chris and Will into the lobby. The two were talking, but she didn't register what they were saying. There was a wave of noise in her ear, and she just stared blankly ahead as she followed behind them. Will turned towards her and said something. Then, he hurried towards his husband. Nico di Angelo was sitting in a chair in the lobby and seemed to have been waiting for their appointment to finish.
"Clarisse," Chris whispered. Clarisse turned her head to meet her boyfriend's call. "Do you want to tell anyone else?"
Did she want to tell anyone that she was pregnant? That she couldn't fight? Clarisse couldn't verbalize how she felt, so she just shrugged. Chris took that as permission, or maybe he just couldn't keep this news to himself. He walked towards Nico and said something to him.
A huge smile came to Nico's face. The son of Hades turned towards her and spoke, "Congratulations."
Congratulations
That word kept repeating in her head as they made it to the car and started their drive back to Camp Half-Blood. They agreed earlier in the week to train some of the demigods in hand to hand techniques. The Hunters of Artemis were also visiting, and Clarisse had been planning on finally beating them in a game of capture the flag.
But, Clarisse couldn't fight now. She was pregnant. If Clarisse was hurt, she wouldn't be the only one hurt. It would affect her child. Clarisse couldn't teach that hand to hand class anymore. If someone hit her in the stomach or flipped her wrong, it would hurt her child.
Everything was going to change now, and Clarisse didn't know why people were congratulating her. She was a warrior. She was supposed to fight for and defend her fellow demigods. How was she going to protect anyone if she was pregnant?
What if a monster attacked her not just now, but when she had the kid? Clarisse could destroy any monster that crossed her, but how was she going to protect a baby? How could she be responsible for someone who couldn't even walk or feed themselves? How was Clarisse supposed to be a mother?
Clarisse was not a mother. She was not a gentle person. Her hands were made to destroy monsters or anyone that would hurt her friends and family. She was born to hold a shield or spear. Not a fragile baby. Her hands were not meant to change diapers or feed a baby, formula or otherwise.
Congratulations.
That word. That mocking word playing in her head over and over again as she made her way towards the Big House. Chris followed a half-step behind her, like he wanted to protect her on all sides. Clarisse didn't need protection. She was a warrior. Or, was she?
How could Clarisse call herself a warrior if she could not fight? How could she prove her strength to her fellow demigods? And, how would she prove herself to her father if she did not spill blood and monster dust in his name?"
The two of them stepped into the Big House. Clarisse could see Chiron looking through his records. Annabeth Chase (Well, Jackson now, but Clarisse wouldn't let the nerd forget her roots) stood next to him, a young child on her hip. Clarisse stared at the child, at her future. Soon, she would be the one balancing a child on her hip. What would she do then?
Percy Jackson looked at Clarisse, and a grin came to his face. Clarisse would have punched him if he wasn't wearing a baby sling that held their newborn. Gods, those two didn't waste time. They got married while in college, and both of them somehow balanced a life of being a demigod, work, and kids.
Could Clarisse do that?
"Clarisse is pregnant," Chris announced, a huge grin on his face. Grins and great smiles infected the faces of Annabeth and Percy. Chiron turned to look at her, and pride beamed on his face.
Congratulations.
All three said it at once, as if they had practiced. The word was nothing more than a buzz in Clarisse's ear. A gnat that reminded her she could no longer fight. It had been drilled into her head since childhood. Her job was to destroy monsters and prove that she was the strongest. How could she do that if she could not fight?
"What are we celebrating?" a new voice asked. Clarisse turned her head to look at Thalia Grace. The lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis had a smile on her face. "Or, are we celebrating the victory of my Hunters early?"
"Clarisse is pregnant!" Chris happily repeated. His smile widened, and if it widened anymore, it would probably break his face. Thalia's face remained impassive for a moment. She would understand. After all, Thalia took a vow to swear off love, be immortal, and always fight.
Clarisse almost joined, but the outfit was stupid.
And, who fought with a bow like a coward?
"That's great!" Thalia exclaimed as she grinned. "There's going to be a new terror at Camp Half-Blood. They'll be dunking kids' heads in toilets before you know it!"
Congratulations.
After they gave their thanks, Clarisse excused herself to go to her favorite place: the armory. When she was a kid, she would spend hours in here, practicing with every kind of weapon until she was confident she could beat anyone. Until stupid Jackson and his stupid water powers came along.
The armory was mostly how Clarisse remembered. A few weapons were missing, probably taken by new campers. More weapons were added, probably taken from the corpses of fallen heroes. There were imperial gold weapons from Camp Jupiter as well, but something told Clarisse the weapons had "accidentally" ended up in there.
"Beautiful place, isn't it?"
Clarisse whirled around to look at the man that stood at the door of the armory. His hands rested in his leather jacket. The scars on his face twisted as he smiled, or sneered, at her. The fire that burned behind his glasses seemed to brighten.
"Father," Clarisse greeted, bowing her head. She tried to swallow back her fear, and the building shame. "I'm sorry for failing you..."
"Failing me?" Ares repeated, confused at her choice of words. The god of war tilted his head to the side. "What are you talking about?"
"I can't fight," Clarisse mumbled. Her father cleared his throat, and Clarisse tensed. She forced herself to speak up. "I can't fight. I'm pregnant, and that means I won't be able to fight for at least nine months. I'll be stuck watching a kid instead of fighting monsters for your glory."
Ares remained silent for a minute. Clarisse thought he was going to smite her. Instead, he chuckled and stepped forward. His right hand, the hand that always held his sword, clasped onto Clarisse's shoulder and gripped it. Not tightly, but gentle and comforting.
"Do you know why we send the young to war?" Ares asked. Clarisse shook her head. "So, they can earn a life. Only the strongest will survive, and the strongest will make it into adulthood."
"Kid, you've made me proud more than you know. Being a pillar of this place with everyone looking up to and fearing you. Single-handedly killing that drakon. Not to mention how well you prepared this camp when the Romans were trying to knock down the door. And now, a baby? Clarisse, I am so damn proud of you."
"You are?" Clarisse asked, and she felt tears well up in her eyes. Clarisse quickly sniffled and wiped her eyes.
"You're not young anymore, Clarisse. You were strong enough to earn your life," Ares stated. "It's time to enjoy it and remember two things. One: you may be called to fight again, so keep your sword sharp. Two: the new generation better do everything in their power to keep the gods from coming back to you for help. And it's your job to make sure that this new generation is trained right."
"You are a hero. That kid in you is going to be a hero, and since you're my kid, I know she is going to be one of the greatest," Ares assured.
"She?" Clarisse slowly asked. "I'm having a girl..."
"Sorry. I know some of you mortals like it to be a surprise," Ares said with a shrug. "Just remember my words."
"I will," Clarisse promised, and for the first time in her life, she hugged her father.
The first and second months passed easily. Clarisse could still run through her sparring motions and exercises. She still instructed the campers at Camp Half-Blood and demonstrated on the kids who annoyed her the most.
The third and fourth months weren't so easy. Clarisse's baby bump started to show, and it was a reminder that she could not be the warrior that she wanted to be. Not now at least.
The fifth month was when a monster tried to attack them, a Hellhound. Clarisse never saw it coming, but she didn't have to. Chris killed it before it could lunge, and he promised that he would protect her just as well as she protected him.
It was also that month that she felt a kick, and any fears or worries about not being prepared to handle a child melted away. She was a warrior, but she could be a mother, too. She would teach her daughter how to save the world just like she did.
The sixth month was when she started to get irritated at the baby inside her. She kept having all these weird cravings and felt like she had to pee every two seconds. Chris just chuckled at her before running to the store to get peanut butter and caviar. Yeah, her baby was weird.
Chris and her married that month. A quiet little ceremony with just their family, closest friends, and a cranky old Satyr who walked her down the aisle.
The seventh month was when Clarisse was hit with a new panic. What was she going to name the baby? It was a girl, as first stated by her father and confirmed by Will, but that didn't help Clarisse any. She spent hours looking at baby names with Chris, but nothing sounded right.
Neither could think of a name and decided to put it on hold. She figured something would come to her later, but it never did.
The eighth month was when Clarisse really got nervous. She realized that this baby was happening. It was coming. There was nothing she could do to stop it. Annabeth stopped by once a week to check on her and answer any questions. Clarisse wouldn't admit it, but she was grateful for the nerd.
They never did make it to the ninth month. Eight and a half months in, Clarisse found herself in the worst pain of her life. Worse than broken ribs. Worse than breaking both of her legs on that dare. No stab wound or cut compared to this. Then, her water broke.
Chris rushed her to the hospital and sent an Iris message to one of his friends, so they could call her family on a mortal phone. Clarisse's mother was with them the entire time, along with a male nurse that she swore looked like her father. Chris's family waited outside, and Chris did his best to stay by her side. He ended up passing out a few times.
Clarisse found herself in a new war. The damn baby was stubborn, definitely her kid. It took twelve hours for Clarisse to finally finish giving birth. It had been hell, but it was a hell that she didn't regret walking through.
As Clarisse cradled her newborn daughter, a wide grin sprouted on her face. Her baby girl had a tuff of black hair and the brightest brown eyes that Clarisse had ever seen. Her baby was beautiful. This girl would be a warrior.
"What should we name her?" Chris asked quietly as he stared down at his daughter. Clarisse looked at him and then back at her baby. She knew a name. Ever since she looked into those eyes. Clarisse's smile widened as she looked at her husband.
"She is going to be a warrior. A hero. The greatest hero that the world has ever known. That is why I am going to name her after the greatest hero I have ever met," Clarisse whispered. She looked down at her baby girl. "Chris, say hello to your daughter: Silena Rodriguez."