Chapter 25
CLARISSE POV
Responses:
(A/N Don't own PJATO, not much more to say, other than a quick warning: this chapter does have some references to less-than-savoury subjects. Cannibalism and alludes to rape show up, so trigger warning and my deepest condolences if you've had bad experiences.)
"Alright, before you murder us, and have our guts for garters or whatever, give us a reason why you should kill us." Before Clarisse even got the chance to speak, Meg broke in to try and talk their way out. If nothing else, she's got spunk. The pirate captain clearly thought so too, and guffawed heartily.
"I like ye, girl, but I'll give ye reasons. Firstly, there be a lot more of us than there be of you, so it's well within our reach to hang yer insides from the rigging." He motioned behind him, and about a dozen other men in assorted pirate garb stepped out of the ruins, from behind pillars, or through broken down doorways, or jumping from collapsed balconies. "Secondly, why keep ye alive when you'd be nought but a nuisance? Unless, of course, ye have something worth bargaining with, but as ye've just escaped the wreckage of a ship the odds of that are low. And thirdly, has it escaped ye that we're pirates, and as such we might enjoy killin's as much as the next manjack?"
"But you don't." Clarisse spoke up, remembering Annabeth's tales of guinea pigs, turned into men. She had put particular emphasis on Percy's transformation, but Clarisse had noted the detail of Edward Teach being alive on Circe's island. "You're Blackbeard, and the legends say you always scorned violence, at least until trickery got you no further." The man in front of her glared, and chuckled.
"By the seven seas, woman. You're right. It's been too long since I went pirating, I've almost forgotten me own legacy. But nay, three centuries as a godforsaken rodent tends to change yer perspective. What do you think us boys have had to eat all these years? There was the supply from the spa that we…" Blackbeard paused, as if searching for the right word. "Coerced, shall we say, our way into accessing, but after that ran out…" He trailed off, and gestured around his crew. "If ye know me legend, then ye know me crew, and how they once numbered hundreds. Look around at what be left, then tell me I'm nay a violent man." Clarisse felt sick to her stomach. If what Blackbeard was saying was true, then he and his men had been cannibals for over eight years. Blackbeard laughed at her expression, which was one of shock and disgust. "No, it ain't like that, missie. Y'see, we took captives after our initial escape. Where be the witch, bring 'er forward!" Two pirates strode back into the dilapidated spa, and came back out quickly, bringing with them a trussed-up woman, in what must've once been fine clothes, but were now torn and tattered, which matched the captive's expression. "Aye, she transfigures for us whatever man had the bad enough fortunes to be picked, an' he's roasted over a slow fire." Here the pirate grinned slyly. "Not as powerful as the main woman 'erself, Circe, but she makes up for it in… other ways." Clarisse heard a vomiting sound from her left; looking over her shoulder, she couldn't blame Robin for projectiling. She turned back around to have Edward several steps forward, and his scimitar at her throat. He grinned again. "Well, woman, if you've seen enough, then whatever journey you might'ave been on ends here, grilled on a spit. Or whaddaya say lads, should we give the poor witch a rest, I'm getting tired of sharing!" A resounding cheer came from the dozen pirates left, and three thoughts came into Clarisse's mind, with two of which she started planning her strategy with and the other she pushed away with a mental pole.
"I invoke the right of trial by combat." Blackbeard stared at her, and it took all of Clarisse's willpower not to flinch. However respectable a pirate Edward Teach might have been, those were the eyes of a killer, far gone unhinged by bloodlust.
"Oh? And what makes ye think a pirate would adhere to any code?"
"Because it's not a code a pirate would adhere to. It's a code a child of Ares would adhere to, and I as your sister, challenge you." Edward took a double take, then laughed.
"Yer not joking, are ye, woman. Alright, then, say I agree to this 'trial by combat'. What would I be tried for, and who'd be doing the trying?" Clarisse had both answers ready, however sick the former made her.
"The former, the abuse of this woman's powers and body," Clarisse slid a pocketknife from her belt. "The cannibalism of your crew," She extended the blade, and a celestial bronze rapier elongated into her palm. "And all the other unspeakable acts of crime you committed in your 'golden age.'" Clarisse lifted the sword to eye level, preparing to duel. "The latter, my name is Clarisse La Rue, brother. Prepare to die."
(A/N Alright, I'll be the first to admit it: I had to get a Princess Bride reference in there somewhere. This chapter is heavily influenced by Pirates of The Carribean, which I finished watching with my sister about two hours ago. (It's pretty much the only movie we both wholeheartedly enjoy, so we've been watching it a lot over lockdown.) My interpretation of Blackbeard is more Barbossa though, and less Ian McShane Blackbeard. Next time, swashbuckling showdown between the children of Ares, and pretty much nothing else because wooo, who doesn't like filler. I'll try and make it more exciting that Percy v Clarisse, because it's probably the only other sword-on-sword fight you're going to get, and there's surprisingly not a lot of that in the original PJATO, looking back. There's his duels with Ares and Luke at the end of book one, there's his two duels with Luke in book two, (or maybe the first time was just escaping off the Andromeda, it's been like six months since I last read them.) there's really only vs Atlas in three, in four there's a lot more. Percy fights Nakamura, Anteus, Nico at points I think and Quintus in sparring, in book five it's mostly just the Minotaur and Hyperion, he never gets a proper battle with Kronos because witch-time is OP, pls nerf. This went on way too long, so I'm going to sign off and get this posted.
Vaya con Queso,
DamaSENDhimafriend
