A/N: Hello again. This is the fourth chapter. Sorry for the lateness. It wasn't quite what I wanted it to be. But here it is! Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Clarisse's POV:
There was almost a stillness in the air. Everything was muted, everything was dampened, and none of us were prepared to deal with it.
Everyone knew of what was coming, and everyone knew that we had the smallest chance of winning. The Roman side had hundreds of demigods, morale, and the general advantage in a fight. While we had homeground familiarity, they had us surrounded, and they outnumbered us. We had barely a hundred campers, many of them too young to fight or too inexperienced.
Plus, they had a bit more spirit than we had right now. Ever since Percy had disappeared, the mood at camp was unbearable. I hated to admit how valuable he was to the camp, but everyone silently knew that he contributed more to the camp compared to anyone else ever. I wondered what he was up to now. Hopefully not dead, but one could never be too sure. It was almost weird to say that he had grown on me a little.
"Clarisse?" Chris poked his head in the entrance of the training arena. "We need you at the meeting table." With Annabeth gone, I had essentially taken up a partnership with Malcolm for head strategizer. It was working so far, but it would not last. So far there had been a great deal of skirmishes on the camp's borders with the Romans, and we needed to get them out as quickly as possible.
Chris was still waiting for an answer. "I'm coming," I said, stretching as I picked my sword up from the ground of the arena. I did my best thinking here, while I was swinging my sword at everything in sight. It was a calming experience. "Go ahead, I'll be there is a second."
I placed the sword back on the weapons rack, and slung Maimer onto my back. I preferred a spear as my main weapon, but I made a point to practice the other weapons as well. An Ares kid should be skilled in several weapon-related ways.
I had thought of almost every strategy I could think of. Nothing was coming to my mind. I considered many great leaders in the past. I supposed maybe George Washington's tactics might be most related to our situation, but I wasn't sure if I should put into play tactics designed for those with muskets. Although, in the end, weapon choice might not matter compared to the attack. Alexander the Great's strategies might have worked if we had enough campers.
I found myself lost in my musings as I climbed the steps of the Big House. Maybe Malcolm had found a strategy. With that, I put it out of my mind for the current moment as I stepped into the building and made my way toward the Meeting Room. It was time for us to present what we had learned and to make plans for the future of the camp.
I entered the room, and made my way towards my normal seat. Some of the others weren't here, and I stared at the Ping Pong table in thought. Chiron was already here, in his usual spot in the back corner of the meeting space. A couple of other campers wandered in and to their respective seats. Eventually, everyone arrived to the meeting table, and we were prepared to begin.
Ever since Percy and Annabeth had left for the battle against Gaea, I had become the makeshift leader. I could understand that, especially since this was where they needed someone with battle experience. The Athena Cabin and the Ares Cabin had been working together even more than I had ever remembered. Even throughout the Second Titan War. But that was understandable. Then, Percy had called us to the Empire State Building, and we had a single force against us. Now, we had an army of well trained Roman demigods at our doorstep, along with the rest of the greek mythology against us. And this time, there wouldn't be reinforcements, nor the aid of the gods.
"Clarisse?" I looked up, and found Malcolm to be the speaker.
"Yeah?" I said, slightly worried that I had been asked a question while I wasn't paying attention. It wouldn't look good if I hadn't been listening while the meeting had begun.
"You ready to start the meeting?" Malcolm asked. I looked around, noticing the increase of campers in the various seats, and nodded.
"Alright," He said. "We all know the immediate threat to camp right now is the Romans. While I would normally be more concerned with the actions of Gaea in the Wilderness, I think that our first topic for discussion should be the strategies in case of attack with the Romans." Malcolm continued.
"This is our home ground, so we should have the advantage, however, we are limited in number, and we need all the campers he can take. We need to know their strategies before we can initiate any sort of attack."
I nodded, before speaking up. "Perhaps a recon mission?" Malcolm looked thoughtful for a moment before replying.
"Yeah, I think that would be helpful. Like I said earlier, we are limited, and we cannot afford to be acting in response. We have to act quickly and efficiently."
A hand shot up in the back.
"Do you think, perhaps, we could try and negotiate first? If there's a peaceful way to resolve this, I think we should try and figure that out first." It looked like Miranda had spoken, and I considered her point.
"I agree with that. We should attempt to do everything we can before we go on the offensive." I said.
"But what if they capture the campers we send? We need every available fighter for the upcoming battle, and we can't send any of the younger campers," Malcolm said.
The table was silent for a couple of minutes.
"What if we send the oracle?" I said. "They would be obligated to not harm her. After all, she is protected by Apollo." I saw some nods from the other campers as they thought it through.
Malcolm spoke up again. "Would Rachel be the only one we send? Regardless of her oracle status, I don't think it'd be wise to send her by herself."
A name struck my mind. "Grover," I whispered. The idea gained popularity in my mind, and I said it louder. "We could ask Grover to go with her. He knows some magic, and he has the complete support of the nymphs and animals around us. If they attack, he can just call on them for defense."
"Good idea," Malcolm said. "But I think we should get their permission before we sign them up for it. Can someone go bring Grover?" Miranda stood up.
"I'll grab him," She said, before walking out the door.
Will stood up as well. "I can get Rachel," He said.
Malcolm and I looked at each other, and back at the campers in the room. I could tell that we were both thinking the same thoughts. This wasn't going to be an easy war. We would possibly have to create brand new strategies out of the air, relying on our own tactics rather than using the strategies of the greats before us.
I let myself loose to think. Being a demigod, I was used to seeing the people I cared about to violent, horrific deaths. And while part of me screamed eternally about how messed up that was, I had no choice but to keep moving forward. But sometimes, I couldn't help but look around me and wonder who would still be here in a year. Especially after the coming battle, I couldn't help but get the feeling that I was speaking with people who were living in their final days.
I shuddered. Enough of that. The door opened, and Miranda and Grover walked in. Grover took a seat a couple of chairs down from me, while Miranda returned to her own seat. A couple of minutes later, my attention was once more drawn to the door as Will and Rachel walked through.
"Hey guys," Malcolm says. "We called you two here because of a mission we would appreciate your involvement in." I nodded in agreement. Both Rachel and Grover glanced at each other quickly before returning their gazes back to Malcolm.
"We were hoping to try and negotiate peace with the Romans, and we figured you might be the best for the job. Rachel, you are the oracle and are granted safe travels wherever you are. Those who break that code are subject to the wrath of Apollo. Since the romans also respect the power of Apollo, we figured that would make you essentially safe in the situation. Grover, if things do go wrong, we are relying on your nature magic and the support you have from the nymphs in the surrounding area. Does that sound alright?" Malcolm asked.
They nodded.
"We want you two to try and find some sort of compromise with the Romans. See what they want, what they're here for. We know there has been a feud between us, but I don't believe that's the only reason they came to war. There has to be something else. Maybe miscommunication on our side when the seven went to visit there? Try and find some sort of agreement between our camps. There has to be something."
Rachel raised her hand. "When do you want us to go?"
Malcolm furrowed his brow while he concentrated. "I think as soon as possible," He said. "Are there any objections?"
There was silence. I thought for a minute, remembering their leader to be a child of war. I could probably get a good deal of information on their tactics and weapons if I went.
I broke the silence. "Malcolm, I think I should go as well. I need to see what kind of weapons they have, and that information is crucial to our strategies for war if necessary. Also, their leader is a child of war as well, and it might be better for someone of a similar to mind to go with the group. I might also be able to help connect the two sides in a peace effort, seeing as the Romans don't exactly approve of archery, nor do they really think of satyrs as well as we do."
"We can't risk you Clarisse. You know this. Would it be worth it?" Malcolm said. I could see the gears working in his head. It seemed strange, but he sounded really set on a war. It didn't seem like he thought the peace efforts would work, and I was right alongside him with that.
"Yes," I said. "I know it would be worth it. This could mean victory or failure if we resort to war. I need to see what kind of weapons they have." I repeated the main point. Malcolm continued to think it through.
"Alright," He said. "And you're sure that you won't get captured?"
"I can handle myself," I said. I could tell that Malcolm was hating this, and to be honest, I did too, but this was something that was necessary.
"Fine," He said. "Any objections to Clarisse leaving with the group?" There were a couple of uncertain looks, but no one had any major objections with the decision.
I made eye contact with Chris. He wasn't really a camp counselor, but we still allowed him to sit at the table. He had been with the enemy before, and had provided insight into the Titan's strategies during the Second Titan War. This time he hadn't been able to contribute much to this war, but he still came to every single meeting, all year round.
I could see the concern on his face, and I knew that he would never approve of this. Still, i knew that he would let me go.
"Meet me after the meeting," He mouthed. I nodded slightly to acknowledge it. I looked back at Malcolm, who was speaking again.
"I think that we should also send a recon mission. To scope out general information beyond weapons." He was saying.
I nodded. "If we do this, I think it should be happening at the same time as the peace mission. Their leader should be meeting with us as well, and in that time, defenses will be focused on us. It should be easier for someone else to slip in."
Malcolm scribbled something onto a piece of paper. "Any volunteers?" He said.
"I think a Hermes child should go, as well as a person from the Hecate cabin. If they're sneaking, a pair of those two should be the best." I said.
"I agree." Malcolm said.
Connor and Travis Stoll looked at each other, before both raising their hands. "We'll go," Travis said.
Connor added in. "But we're going together."
"Of course. We always send quests in groups of three, I don't see why this should be different," Malcolm said.
Lou Ellen raised her hand. "I can go, but my magic would be stronger during the night. I know it'd be more guarded then, but I would be able to cast more spells and such during the night."
There would likely be an increased amount of security on the Roman camp after the peace mission, but I agreed with her.
"I second that. If Lou Ellen's ability to protect these two would be better, I say do it. A fallback plan can have no weaknesses."
"Fair enough," Malcolm said. "But I'd like both parties to check in with me before they head out, okay? I'll be in my cabin for most of the day anyway. You'll know where to find me."
Connor and Travis, Lou Ellen, Rachel, Grover, and I voiced our acceptance of those terms.
Chiron stepped forward.
"Before you all head back out, I have some news of the seven to share with you," He said. I felt the tension in the room increase tenfold. Everyone had been desperate for news, and we hadn't heard anything from Annabeth in weeks. Usually she tried to IM us every other week as the minimum. But there had been nothing but silence. We were all worried.
"I received an IM from Nico last night," He said, and his voice turned grave. I could almost see the years add on top of Chiron. The room was silent.
"He told me that the Argo II was on it's way towards Mount Olympus, and that they were in their final leg of the journey." There were a couple of sighs of relief, but I couldn't shake the thought that he would drop something else on us.
Chiron took a deep breath. "But there is bad news as well.
I closed my eyes for a second, steeling myself. I could only hope that no one died.
"Percy is no longer with the rest of the crew."
I opened my eyes in shock. The sentence was vague. Was he missing? Did he desert? Percy wasn't the kind to leave the quest for the safety of himself. Was he dead? Of the three, this sounded the most plausible, but I didn't want to accept this outcome. I looked around at the other members of the crew, and took into account their grave faces.
Nyssa spoke up. "Is… Is he dead?" She asked. Some of the campers in the room appeared to wince away from the word "dead".
"No.." Chiron said, and there was another sigh of relief. "I owe you an explanation," He continued.
"A couple of weeks ago," He began. "While she was still here, Annabeth informed me that she was asked by Athena herself to begin a search for the Mark of Athena." Malcolm sucked in a breath, his face turning gray suddenly.
"No," He whispered. "No one ever returns from that."
"What's that," Clovis mumbled, face down on the table, one eye opened. He seemed half asleep, but still paying attention.
"It's the symbol children of Athena must follow when it is presented to them. It will lead them to the Athena Parthenos, the statue stolen by the Romans. No one has ever found it, and no one has ever returned from their search," Malcolm said, still appearing to be in disbelief.
Chiron continued. "Annabeth found it," He said simply, watching as Malcolm's eyes widened a little before a small prideful smile took place on his face.
"Of course she did," He whispered.
"Nico told me of the events in the cavern a couple of weeks ago. Apparently the statue was located within the home of Arachne. Annabeth managed to get her to weave her own trap. She outwitted Arachne. However, Arachne's home was located above the entrance to Tartarus, and was only held together by the webs. Percy managed to get to her and the statue in time, but the rest of the seven were only able to save the statue. Both Annabeth and Percy fell into Tartarus." A pin drop could be heard in the room. No one knew what to say. While we had been up here, Percy and Annabeth had been fighting their way through literal hell.
Chiron sighed before continuing once more. "Nico also informed me of the drawback of the Doors of Death. He said that there must be someone on both sides of the door in order to close them. Yesterday, he called once more to inform me of the outcome of the events in Tartarus, and I am afraid to tell you that it was most definitely not good news." There was another deep breath, and I became aware of the silence in the room once more. Everyone was hanging onto Chiron's every word. "Annabeth and Percy made it to the side of the Doors of Death in Tartarus, while the remaining seven made it to the House of Hades and the above world side of the Doors. Percy sacrificed himself to close the Doors. He stayed back and allowed Annabeth to escape. Nico told me that he cannot sense Percy's life force anymore, but he believes that Tartarus is messing with him, and to still have hope."
I looked back at Chris. I could only imagine the pain Annabeth felt. Everyone had known how close she and Percy were, and the guilt from causing him to stay back must have been enormous. It must have felt like she murdered him, by taking away the rest of Percy's enjoyable life. I would never have blamed her though, and I knew everyone else at the table would have followed my thoughts. Percy was stubborn enough to have done it anyway. I wondered what they were up to now. I hoped Annabeth was alright, and that Percy hadn't given up and was still fighting.
I had faith in the two of them. They were the type of people to continue fighting no matter what the odds, and I knew that they would eventually find their way together again. They had too. I didn't think the rest of the camp could stand it.
Chiron cleared his throat. "If you would, please keep this information to yourself. I believe that this would negatively affect the other campers during a battle, and we need them to be focused on the most prominent enemy, not the one an ocean away."
I nodded alongside the rest of the campers, although I could tell that several of us weren't completely there either. Perhaps some were stuck in the future of the camp, others stuck in the past, but no one seemed to be focusing on the present.
I stood up. "Is this the end of the meeting today, Malcolm?" I asked. I felt that if I didn't address him by name he may not have spoken up.
He looked around, then back at me. "Yeah," He mumbled, before walking out the door. He was muttering something under his breath, although it didn't appear to be insulting. Just as if he was planning something and had to say it aloud to verify his thoughts.
I watched quietly as the other campers followed him out the door. Only Chris and Chiron remained. After a quick glance between Chris and myself, he left, leaving me with Chiron. I stepped up to him.
"Chiron, I want to know your opinion," I said. He looked up from the reports he was shuffling through. "Do you think this will end in our victory?" I asked.
He looked upwards at the ceiling, as if glancing to where the gods might be watching from. "That is not something I am allowed to say, but I will say that everyone here is capable of great things. I have advised many great demigods in the past, and I know there will be many more in the future. All I want you to know is that you are capable of great things. The camp rests in your hands." With that, he wheeled out of the door.
I stood alone, in silence for a minute. The maps on the wall of camp beckoned me toward them. I stared at them, scanning my brain for any possible way out of this situation. I couldn't find any answer. It felt like there was something else we could do, and something else important.
I thought about the mission ahead of me. I was putting everything related to negotiation in the fact that we were both children of war. We had to reach a common understanding. This couldn't fail. Lives would be lost if this mission didn't work out. I had to plan for the worst, which was complete annihilation, but I could only hope and pray that this mission would be successful. The lives of several campers depended on it.
Chris was waiting for me outside the door. He grabbed my hand and lead me outside. I walked alongside him in silence. He finally stopped near the beach. He grabbed my wrist and looked straight into my eyes.
"Promise me that you'll be safe," He said. I nodded.
"I will," I said. "I'll be fine. Nothing should go wrong. If peace negotiations fail, they should just let us leave. They're Romans. Jason said that honour was something they valued. They wouldn't dare attack a peace party, especially one with the oracle."
Chris watched the water. "I know…" He said. "I just get the feeling that something is going to go wrong. I don't want you to be there when it happens."
I turned towards the water as well. "I will do everything in my power to stay safe. I promise."
We watched the waves for a little longer. The silence this time was comfortable, and I found myself relaxing a little bit. The tension seemed to fade. Too soon, I felt the time drawing closer for me having to leave.
I stood up, brushing sand off of my clothes. "I should probably get going. We'll have to leave soon."
He smiled slightly, before locking eyes with me. "Knock em dead, okay? I'll be here when you get back. I love you," He said.
"I love you too," I replied. Then, after a quiet moment, I turned my back on the ocean and headed back up to my cabin.
The Cabin was empty when I arrived, seeing as it was currently dinner time, and most everyone would be at the dining pavilion. I took at as a sign to relax and took a deep breath before setting about getting ready.
I pulled my hair back tightly, making sure that it was completely out of the way. Then I strapped Maimer to my back. Usually weapons aren't brought on peace missions, but I would be bringing mine anyway, despite the distrust it may bring. Call it stupid, but I trusted Chris's instincts and refused to allow a situation where I would be weaponless. After a quick mental debate on armour, I decided to leave it.. A helmet and chestplate, while I really wanted them, would not give the image that expected a peaceful resolution. I left them behind, and stepped out the door toward the other members of the peace expedition. It was maybe an hour or so before sunset.
I noted the clouds on the horizon. It looked like a storm was coming. The air was slightly cooler as well and I breathed it in, feeling the refreshing cold. I was ready for this.
Both Rachel and Grover were near the basketball courts in the center of the circle of cabins. They seemed to be discussing something. None of them appeared to carry a weapon on them, although I knew that Grover must have had his pipes on him somewhere. He rarely went anywhere without them.
As I approached, they stopped their conversation. Grover spoke up first. "Are you sure about the spear?" He asked, bleating nervously. I nodded, and we headed toward the Athena Cabin.
The door swung in quietly and I grabbed Malcolm's attention. He was standing near some maps hung up on the wall, surveying them quietly. There was no one else in the cabin. I also suddenly noticed Annabeth's bunk, and the several photos of both her and Percy hung up on the wall on the bunk. I swallowed thickly, before shaking the thoughts from my head and turning towards Malcolm.
"We're about to head out. Anything else you want to add to the mission?" I said quietly.
Malcolm shook his head before speaking. "That's about it. Clarisse, you know what you're looking for. Rachel, try your hardest to convince them that we don't want war. Grover, you too. Protect each other."
All three of us nodded. "Good Luck," Malcolm said. "Meet me at the Big House when you get back, okay?"
I looked back at Rachel and Grover. "Let's go."
Rachel held the white flag as we crossed the barrier. She lifted it slightly, just tall enough for the others to see it. "I hate this," She mumbled. "It makes me feel like we are surrendering, admitting defeat. I don't like to give up…" She kept going, but I stopped listening. There were more important things ahead of us.
Stepping forward, I couldn't help but be awed by the Romans ability to build. They had only been here a couple of weeks but had built an entirely new camp. There was a main building, barracks, a dining hall, bathrooms. It shouldn't have been possible. Yet it was. Rachel raised the flag as we approached the entrance to their camp. I could see the other two looking at each other nervously as we kept going.
"Stop," I whispered. "Normally, this is where we would hold a meeting under the flag of truce. But we need to get a look at their weapons as well. We have to go up to the camp. Ready? You need to be able to grab weapons quickly if this goes wrong."
The others nodded quietly, serious looks on their faces. Grover clutched his Pipes, which he had placed on a string around his neck. Rachel brought out a blue hairbrush, thumping it against her thigh. I stared at it for a minute before shaking my head. No use of dwelling on weapon choices when we were right here. That wouldn't accomplish anything.
Once I had checked that they were all set, we continued forward, stopping only when we were at the front gates of the camp. I could feel the eyes of the Romans upon us. I had no doubt that they had spotted us the minute we had stepped out of the barrier, and had only observed to see what we would do.
The gate opened before us. I glanced back at the others before stepping inside. There was a crowd of people who were on the inside of the wall. They parted as we walked through, and I glanced quickly at the armour and weapons of the people there. The weapons seemed incredibly mismatched, and all glowed gold similar to Jason's weapons. By the looks of it, they were running low on weapons, and were scraping by with whatever weapons they could lay their hands on. For the most part, their weapons seemed to be generic on land fighting weapons.
We kept marching forward. As the crowd parted, I noticed a kid in front of us who appeared to be splitting the crowd in the direction he preferred us to head in. He lead us to the front of the main building, then let us in. He closed the door behind us, and went to stand behind the kid who appeared to be in charge. He was wimpy, with a toga on that he didn't fit, but he had a gaze that seemed to pierce through me. I didn't like him.
"Thank you, Michael," the kid said. He remained on his seat. "I assume you are here to surrender?" He asked.
I shook my head. "We are to see if we can negotiate a peace treaty."
The kid laughed. "That won't be happening unless you completely surrender the camp. Do you know who I am?"
A memory tugged at the back of my mind. Jason… Jason had spoken about this kid. What was his name? Octavius? Octavian? That's it.
"You're Octavian, and you're not who we wish to speak with. Where's Reyna?" I asked. The kid frowned, and I could see that I had struck a nerve.
"She's not here right now. The child of the Goddess of War decided to abandon her army in their moment of need. You missed her by a week. I am currently the one in charge." He said. I looked back at Rachel and Grover. They seemed to want to get out. I agreed with them. Negotiating didn't feel as if it'd work with this kid, and my status as a fellow child of war probably wouldn't be helpful with a child of Apollo. But if we didn't attempt to negotiate, we might never get another chance. I thought back of the younger campers and decided to give it another shot.
"Why did Reyna leave?" I asked. Maybe if we familiarized ourselves with the situation I could get him to reveal something or play on a weakness that would lend him to our side.
The kid looked at me harshly. I had a feeling that he knew what we were up to and didn't like it. "She said that she had a dream from Juno. I suppose you call her Hera though. What kind of name is that. Anyway, Juno told her that she was needed with the crew of the Argo II. So Reyna betrayed our cause and left for the others." Michael whispered something to Octavian, and Octavian responded back. "I don't care if she had the support of the Senate. She abandoned us and is as good as dead. I am the leader now."
I wondered if he was just trying to reinforce the point that he was the leader, or was only restating it for the purpose of trying to convince himself that he was in control. It didn't appear that he had a good grip on the current situation.
"Right," I said. "We want you to surrender your weapons to us, and leave our camp alone." The kid laughed again, and it was really starting to get on my nerves.
"And with what army will you enforce that with? You greeks are just a bunch of complete hooligans, and you don't have the discipline or training to mess with us. If you don't want to die, you'd be better off surrendering completely to us, and allowing us to put the Seven on trial and execute the guilty ones."
I was losing control of the situation. I looked back at Rachel. She seemed desperate to try and tell me something, and I was desperate to accomplish something. I stood back and allowed her to step forward to negotiate.
"Octavian," She began. My name if Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and I am the current Oracle of Delphi." When she stated her title, and soft breeze blew through the building with the a slight hissing. Rachel glowed green for a second before the breeze stopped. Octavian stared at her. "I see glimpses of the future, and I see mass destruction of both of our forces if we meet on the battlefield. I cannot tell who is the victor, but it would not be an easy win, and both sides would lose large amounts of demigod life. I ask that you do not attack, and instead compromise with us for peace. You do not want to fight this war."
Octavian continued to stare at her. "You… Are the Oracle of Delphi?" At Rachel's nod he began to laugh again. "The Greeks sent their most influential camper to meet with me for a truce. Should I feel honored? My goodness, you greeks are incredibly stupid. First you don't stop at the field, you walk right into our fort under the flag of truce, and you send your most important person right to me. Ha!" He said.
I turned slightly back to the others. I knew what he was going to say next. Silently, I told them to get ready to run.
"Michael, capture them." He said, voice deadly calm.
I stepped back slightly, drawing out Maimer. "We won't allow this," I said. "Rachel is a representative of Apollo. You risk his wrath by hurting her."
Octavian smiled at me. "Who said anything about hurting her? And I am another one of Apollo's legacy. He wouldn't try and hurt me."
My eyes widened slightly. What we thought to be our advantages were being used against us. We had to get out of here. "Run!" I shouted, smacking Michael with my spear. Rachel dropped the flag and bolted for the exit, Grover right behind her. I followed suit as well, defending their backs as much as possible with the spear. I regretted not making the other two grab more serious weapons, but we didn't have time for that now.
Rachel flung the doors open onto the main square of the Romans camp, pausing for a minute before heading towards their gate. The Romans that had been walking around in the general area paused to watch us in stunned silence before a furious Octavian appeared at the exit.
"What are you waiting for!" He shouted. "Stop them!"
Unfortunately, that seemed to jump start them into action, and we were rushed by a large group of Romans. Another one started to close the gates but that didn't seem to be a problem. We were almost there. I stabbed and slashed and knocked out as many as I could, trying not to seriously kill any of them. Enemy or not, they were still demigods, and I couldn't take their lives. I could already imagined the disappointing look on Dad's face, but I could live with that. I hadn't killed a demigod during the Second Titan War, and I wouldn't kill one now. I kept running, feeling my breathing get heavier.
Rachel busted out of the last group of Roman Demigods near the gate, Grover and I right behind her. I knew that this would be the most dangerous part of our escape. They had archers, and we had no place to hide. Still, we barrelled across the open field as fast as we could. It was better than facing anything back there. Octavian had to be insane. There was no other way he could be faced with the thought of many of his warriors dying and still proceed to go through with the war. He couldn't be human. I couldn't believe he was a leader, especially with that kind of mind .
We were almost at the edge of the barrier when it happened. A sudden flash of pain through my abdomen and I looked down. An arrow head was sticking out the front of my stomach. I gagged, but kept moving forward. It became increasingly more difficult, but I was able to cross the border. I felt the blood soak through my clothes and reached down to feel the wound. Hot stabbing pain pounded through me.
Rachel turned to look at me. "Thank the gods we made it," She said. I didn't think she realized i was injured. Not until I collapsed. "Oh no.." She whispered. "Grover, go get Chiron!" Her voice was urgent. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a square of ambrosia. "Eat it," She said. I did as requested, and felt the taste of home wash over. I struggled to sit up, still feeling the pain of the arrow.
"We have to go," I said. She looked at me like I was insane, but wrapped her arm around me and we hobbled forward. We met Chiron halfway through and he swung me up onto his horse back. The gallops to the big house only made the pain worse, but I grit my teeth and focused on staying awake. I couldn't blackout now. There was more important stuff to be done and I couldn't let an injury get in the way of it.
Everything got fuzzy once we arrived at the Big House. I remember eating another ambrosia square, and being in a bed, but not much else. My memories became clearer when Chris walked in. I struggled to get up to a sitting position as he rushed to my side.
"Clarisse!" He said. I could hear the relief in his voice. "Thank the gods you're alright."
I smiled softly, but wiped it from my face when Chiron came in. "We need to know what happened," He said. I looked back at Grover and Rachel who were standing near the bed. I swung my legs over the side and stood up, much to the protest of everyone in the room. I waited for the dancing black spots to clear from my eyes before I spoke.
"Camp Half-Blood is now at war."
A/N: Thank you for reading, and please leave a review!
Updated: November 20th, 2017