II: Silena Beauregard & Clarisse LaRue
To: Clarisse LaRue
Daughter of Ares
Camp Half-Blood
Long Island Sound
From: Silena Beauregard
Daughter of Aphrodite
The Underworld
Dear Clarisse,
As you probably already know, Nico di Angelo agreed to take a handful of letters up to Camp Half-Blood for some of us down here. I've really been wanting a chance to talk to you before Charlie and I are reborn, but that's impossible. (Short of you dying in the next few days, which you should avoid.) This was the next best thing, so I wrote you a letter, and here it is, and here you are reading it.
And I'm rambling... sorry. I just — I'm afraid you're mad at me. We were best friends when I was alive, I think, and then I went and lost my head after Charlie died and I joined Kronos. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking! Or, I guess I do — I thought Kronos could give me Charlie back. I mean, he's the Titan of Time, and he promised to fix everything. The worst thing that happened to me was Charlie dying, and I thought he could fix that, somehow. I'd like to say it was my mom's influence, that all her crazy romantic tendencies kicked in and I didn't really know what I was doing. I mean — she thinks the Trojan War was romantic! And that probably explains some of it, but mostly it was just me. Me being exactly the sort of romantic, lovesick airhead I told you I wouldn't be. Losing Charlie just drove me around the bend, I guess, and Kronos and Luke were right there to take advantage of it. Of me. Luke was actually the one who convinced me. That's part of the reason I did it, I guess. He was a guy I trusted for as long as I knew him, and even liked for a bit before Charlie. I didn't really figure out just how bad of a mistake I made until it was almost too late.
And you know the worst part? I can't bring myself to regret all of it. Not like I'd do it again — I'm really, really sorry I spied for Kronos. I know I got people killed and that I betrayed you, but now I'm with Charlie again. If I hadn't done all that, I would still be up there, where you are now, and I would've grown up, and fallen in love and got married, (I'm an Aphrodite girl, after all) and I would've moved on without Charlie. Please don't misunderstand — leaving you was one of the worst things, besides leaving Dad and Momma Lisbet and the boys. Maybe even the worst thing, since I don't see them all that much. You're my best friend, even though we're complete opposites. But in the end, I'd rather be with Charlie than anywhere else. I think you understand, what with how you feel about Chris Rodriguez.
And... this letter is getting super long and rambley. (Is that a word?) I know you don't like reading long, run-on things, so I guess I'll just wrap it up here. Also... I'm sorry I wrecked your chariot and your armor! I really meant to bring it back without a scratch, but then the drakon happened, and... yeah.
To summarize, just in case you went ahead and skimmed the whole thing instead of actually reading it (I know how you are): I messed up, I'm sorry I betrayed everybody, and I'm going to miss you tons and tons. I think Charlie and I are going to go to the Lethe. He thinks maybe if we do it together, we'll end up together again after we're reborn. So... cross your fingers, I guess. It'll be a few days for sure, though, so if you want to politely ask Nico to bring a letter down to me, there'll be plenty of time. Not that you have to! Just — if you want to, it would be really nice. And if you have the time, can you maybe explain what happened to my family and bring them my stuff? I know Chiron'll do it, but I think Momma Lisbet for sure will take it better coming from you, and not a centaur. (She know about everything but Chiron or Mr. D might be a bit much.)
Bye, Clarisse, I hope we get to see each other again someday! You're my best friend ever! (I mean, except Charlie, but that's different.) I hope you and Chris get together, because you're a great match. I also hope you're not angry with me, not for too long, anyway.
Your friend, Silena ~~
To: Silena Beauregard
Daughter of Aphrodite
The Underworld
From: Clarisse LaRue
Daughter of Ares
Camp Half-Blood
Long Island Sound
Silena,
I was never really mad at you, just upset about you leaving. So consider yourself forgiven. Tell Beckendorf to behave or I'll come kick his Hephaestus kólos. Hope you're happy, after you guys are reborn. I'll get Chiron to let me tell your family instead of him or one of those nutty satyrs or Mr. D, theoí apagorévoun. And for the last time, Chris and I are friends. Ares kids don't have time for all that sappy kopriá.
Your friend, Clarisse
P.S. I'll miss you too.
A/N: And there we have the second chapter. Thank you for the lovely reviews, they made me super happy! You may have gotten two update notifications — I'm not entirely clear on how that works — but if you did, it's because I changed a teensy bit of formatting in the last chapter. Very, very tiny, so it's nothing you need to go look for, just something I decided to do as I was writing this chapter. I don't know when the next chapter will be out (probably when I need to procrastinate on school again *grimace*) but if you have any suggestions for characters, please tell me before I run out of ideas!
Seriously, I'm running out of characters very quickly.
Greek: 'kopriá' is 'dung,' I think you can figure out 'kólos' from the context, and 'theoí apagorévoun' means 'gods forbid.'
4/16/2021