Chapter 32 - Clarisse is the Nicest Person in Camp. Ask Anybody.

I spent the next two days neck-deep in all the building activities with Leo. Each evening, I'd have my lessons with Jason about the Roman camp, then Grover and I would go to the Hypnos cabin and try to sink into the dreamscape. It was hard, confusing work. I wondered if that was the real reason this cabin was always sleeping - they were exhausted from traveling in this crazy, shadowy dream world. After our session on Tuesday night, I was ready to scream with frustration. What I had thought would be my way to find Percy and help him just left me with headaches and confusion, as well as memories I didn't want to remember. The look on Luke's face when he took his own life. The time he visited me in San Francisco, trying to get me to come with him. The time Thalia had nearly died for me, but got turned into a tree. Why couldn't the dreamscape show me happy memories? Like the first time I kissed Percy after the chariot race. But then I realized - did I have happy memories any more? The ones with Percy were a double-edged blade now - they brought me comfort, but also pain, since he may not remember them at all anymore. The ones with Thalia and Luke were mostly painful, too. My mortal family? Well, that had always been a painful subject. Almost every memory I had was tainted now. The thing I had thought might be my "something permanent" had been taken from me by the world's most annoying goddess.

On Wednesday, I got up before the rest of my cabin and went to the practice arena. I was ready to blow off some steam. I had assumed I'd only be able to take my anger out on practice dummies, but Clarisse was there as well.

"Hey." I said, grabbing a practice sword. "Mind giving me a workout?"

Clarisse grunted. Before she thought I could react, she lunged for me. I swung the sword easily to block her. We traded blows and parries as I moved her back to the middle of the practice arena. She disarmed me and waited while I went to pick up the blade.

"I'm sorry about Percy." I heard from behind me. I was confused. Surely Clarisse couldn't have been the one to say that. I turned to her. My shock was apparent on my face. She shrugged.

"I guess I know how you feel. Chris….. He didn't remember me, when I found him. Remember?"

I nodded, remembering the days Clarisse had spent in the Big House basement trying to help Chris. My mouth went dry as my mind automatically switched the people in the image to Percy and I. Percy screaming about what he had seen when he was alone. Percy calling me a strange name. Me, begging him to just come out to the ocean, where maybe he had a chance to be healed.

"Sorry about that." I managed.

She shrugged. "It turned out well in the end. Mr. D helped him. We're good now. But, uh, I know how it feels. To be useless when someone you -" She caught her breath and I nodded.

"Yeah. It sucks." I agreed.

She gave me a crooked smile. "Yeah. And I get what you're doing."

I gave her a confused look. She shook her head at me.

"You're trying to stay busy, so you don't go crazy. Hey, I get it. You're throwing yourself into building the ship, learning about Rome, even learning healing from Will. Heck, I'd say you even picked a sword today because you wanted to have more of a challenge, keep your mind in the moment."

I looked down. She was right. I had picked a weapon I wasn't as used to as my knife because I wanted to be prepared, in case the quest needed it. But also because it would take more energy, more focus. It'd keep me out of my thoughts, my fears, my mind.

"I've known you a long time, Wise Girl." She commented, walking over to me. "Don't forget, I knew you before Percy. I saw you before your first quest. You threw yourself into everything this same way. You learned every weapon, breaking curfew to get extra practice in. You nearly killed yourself from the exhaustion. Stop it. None of this is going to bring him back."

I glared at her. "So, what, I'm supposed to just sit around and wait for whatever fate the gods have decreed?"

She shrugged.

"Do you think he's dead?" I asked in a small voice. It might seem strange for me to ask Clarisse that, of all people, but we understood each other. We didn't always like each other, but we had also a weird sort of support for each other. We had been some of the only year-rounders for years, we had both been in the Labyrinth, we were both in positions of command at Camp.

She snorted. "That guy? No chance. Percy's an idiot, but he has an uncanny ability to get out of a mess."

I smiled at her. It felt good to have someone else who seemed to support me, in her own way. I looked at the sword.

"I do want to practice with this. Just in case. Knives are great, but sometimes you need a different tool for a different job."

Clarisse nodded. "Makes sense. You been reading up on those Giants?"

I flashed her an ironic smile. "What do you think?"

She grinned back. "Well, I've been thinking, we have drakon classes and classes for all sorts of monsters, but not Giants. How about you and I spend some time discussing strategy for each one, just in case?"

I gave her a cautious smile. "What's up? Why are you being so nice?"

She shook her head at me. "I'm the nicest person in Camp, Wise Girl, ask anybody."

I met her eyes and we both burst out laughing.

"I needed that. Thanks." I told her.

She shrugged. "In truth? This prophecy isn't mine. I get that. I've been lucky - I haven't really been involved in any big prophecies. I get why you want to go. Even with all the danger. But Annabeth….. If you tell anyone that I said this, I'll deny it. But you're the leader here. You're the military strategist. And if Gaea is rising….. Well…. I don't like the thought of you being gone when we might need you here."

I was stunned. I didn't think Clarisse would ever say she needed me. Or tolerated me.

"I-I hadn't thought of that." I muttered.

She nodded. "Don't get me wrong - stopping the Giants and the prophecy and all that is important. But if the actual earth rises up to destroy us? Wise Girl, we're going to need you here."

I sighed. "I don't know what to do, Clarisse. I can't be in two places at once."

She shrugged. "I know that. Go to Greece, stop the Giants, stop Gaea if you can. But get your butt back here if you can't." She looked out into the woods. "I'll do my best as a commander, but you…. You're better at that."

"I'm what?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "I'll deny this if you ever mention it. But yeah. You can plan for, like, twenty different things at once. My mind just doesn't work that way. I can't play to the strengths of each cabin like you can."

We stared at each other for a moment. I held out my hand to her.

"We'll both keep doing our best, then. And hope that it's enough."

She nodded and clasped my hand. "If you see Percy, please pulverize the punk for me."

I grinned at her. "That wasn't my plan, but -"

Her blade came at my face and I stopped it just in time. Looks like our brief moment of vulnerability was over. Time to get back to combat.

Clarisse and I fought together until I heard the conch sound for breakfast. We headed off to get our cabins and go eat. I was covered in sweat and the occasional bruise or cut from where Clarisse managed to get a strike in. She had a few from me as well. I'd bandaged both of us just to get practice with first aid in. Overall, it had been a good morning. My skills with a sword had always been good, but I hadn't spent much time practicing since the Titan War. I was a bit rusty. This morning had cleared away the cobwebs and saw my old skill come back. That felt good.

After breakfast I took a shower and headed to Bunker 9. Leo had me working on the controls today - for some reason he decided to add Wii remotes as part of the controls and he was having me help rewire them. After lunch he told me I could take the afternoon off - he needed to do some more advanced work I'd only be in the way for. Part of me wanted to get offended, but I figured that was my pride talking. Besides, I wanted to get out of that bunker. I found Piper and Jason chilling by the lake and went over to them.

"Piper, just the girl I wanted to see."

"Uh, that does not sound good." Jason said. I gave them both a wicked smile.

"Ready for your next lesson?"

She looked confused. "Uh, I guess so."

"Both of you come with me, please."

I took the other two demigods to the practice arena and handed Jason a sword. Piper pulled her dagger as I took a second practice sword.

"Multiple enemies, Piper. Monsters aren't typically nice about attacking just one-on-one. Jason and I both run at you. You stop us both with Charmspeak. If not, well -"

I shrugged, my sword raising up. Jason's eyes flicked nervously between us.

"Uh, I'm not sure I should…. Like….. Hit my girlfriend."

I grinned at him. "Fair point. Your choice what to do when she doesn't stop you in time."

"When?" Piper squeaked.

I grinned at her. "Ready?"

"Never." Piper assured me, but leveled her blade at me.

"Go." Jason and I ran at Piper. She managed to stop neither of us. Her charmspeak was shaky. I whacked her lightly on the butt with the flat of my blade as I ran by. Jason tugged one of her braids.

"Not fair." Piper complained.

I grinned and called to her. "Monsters aren't fair, Pipes. Let's do this."

Jason and I ran at her again. This time Piper stopped me. She did not stop Jason who gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back to his corner.

"A kiss isn't a real attack!" Piper complained.

I grinned at Jason who just grinned back. We ran at Piper again. We spent a full hour with her but Piper was having no more luck charmspeaking both of us in the moment. I had seen her do it before with groups, I had heard she'd been able to on their quest. But it seemed she was distracted having Jason come in with his kiss-attacks and me coming in with actual attacks. She grumbled about us being a totally unfair team as she left the arena.

I went to find Will, who taught me more advanced uses for nectar and how to tell if a demigod had taken too much (I'll skip telling you about the signs of imminent combustion. They are not pretty.). After dinner, I found Jason in his cabin.

"You're still sleeping on that cot?" I asked, pointing to the alcove he had dragged the cot to. The one where Thalia used to hide.

He grinned and shrugged. "I like that area. It makes me feel closer to my sister."

I nodded, but looked around the cabin. It was still sparse, still empty. Jason hadn't made any changes to it.

"Do you want to…. I don't know, put up some pictures and stuff? This is your home, Jason."

He looked around the cabin. "I guess I should."

"Are you planning to go back to the Roman Camp once we find it?" I had been wondering that for a long time. Either answer he gave would bring a mess of hurt. If he said yes, Piper would have to choose to go with him or stay here at Camp. And, having talked to Piper, she was really liking camp. If he chose to stay here, it would bring a mess of worries to me. What if Percy also decided to stay at the Roman camp? What if he forgot about me and moved on with someone else, like Jason had with Piper? Would the Romans even allow me to try to get to know him again?

He looked at me carefully. "I'm not sure, Annabeth. But whatever I choose, doesn't mean Percy will choose the same thing."

I gave him a grateful smile, which he returned.

"Annabeth, I…. I'm still getting my memories back, but I know I didn't have something like you and Percy had back at my camp. I had… I don't know. Possibilities? I guess? But nothing real, nothing forged after tons of adventures and love."

I looked at the floor. "Thanks. But if he can't remember those adventures, those memories…."

"Doesn't mean he won't." He assured me.

I looked back at Jason. "Nothing we can do about that tonight. Last time we talked about godly visits to Camp Jupiter, right?"

Jason looked troubled but could tell I wasn't in the mood to talk about Percy with him. He nodded.

"Right. Uh, so we've never been to Olympus or anything, but sometimes the gods come to us. Not often, it's pretty rare. Most of the time, we get our godly wisdom from this jerk Octavian."