Chapter 2: Clarisse La Rue - Regret

[Clarisse La Rue, sporting the camp's usual orange shirt and khakis, shined her sword on the bench of the Training Center. Surrounding us were campers with various assortments of weaponry. The clang and clatter of metal on metal in the background a constant. Clarisse sat cross-legged towards me, intensely focused, glaring daggers at her perfectly clean weapon. She lifted it and held it parallel to her face, face reflecting in the blade. She tsked at an invisible spot and went back to rubbing and scrubbing.]

You want to know about the Second Titan War, huh? Normally, I would beat up anyone who asks me about this stupid as fuck war but since you're from the Hermes Cabin, I'll make an exception. The only exception. Anyone who comes after me asking for more stories will get a knuckle sandwich.

This war started because of Luke fucking Castellan, ex-counselor of Hermes Cabin. And let me tell you, Luke was a real piece of -wait, does this have to be kid friendly? It does? Well, shit.

[Clarisse muttered a few words underneath her breath.]

Luke was a...he was a...monster? No, that's doing the monsters an injustice. He was a demon, devil, Satan. He was a thousand times worse than any monsters you find on the streets. Worse than any Greek gods. At least nobody expected them to care about us or even give a crap. But Luke, he had so many people believing in him, looking up and adoring him. He was their friend, older brother, leader when most had nothing. And what did he do? He used their trust, manipulated and tricked them, send them to die.

I could never forgive someone who treat their followers like that. I don't care how he died or what he did in the end. He's still a shitty person that should burn in the depths of Tartarus.

Personally, I never felt that way towards that sniveling little piece of cow dung when I was unclaimed but Chris, Silena, practically everyone did. Before she was claimed I used to visit Silena in the Hermes Cabin and every time she had something new to say about Luke. "Oh, Clarisse. Luke taught us how to hold a sword!" "He's so kind. He gave me a sleeping bag and even offered me his bed!" "Oh my gods, you wouldn't believe what Luke did today!"

Total bulldung. I wanted to tear my ears out.

["How did you feel about Luke?" Clarisse scowled.]

Weren't you listening? He's an awful piece of crap that should have never, ever been granted access to Elysium. He's not a real hero. Not after all the deaths and sufferings he caused.

["Then what about Silena? I heard she-" Clarisse snarled. She swung the sword to my neck, blade inches from contact. The clangs and clatters stopped.]

Silena was different! She was blackmailed! Luke, on the other hand, had a choice. And he chose to let Kronus control his body.

Look, anymore word about Silena and I swear I'll dunk your camcorder in the river.

["O-o-okay. Sorry." The sword lowered. The training resumed albeit hesitantly. Anybody who approached us received an icy glare and backed away quickly. Clarisse stared at the ground for a few minutes then groan and bury a hand in her unruly hair. She whispered a few unheard words and rested her chin on her hands.]

I'm going to tell you something about the war. Something I wish I could push behind me.

We at the Ares Cabin are known for our pride and stubbornness. We like to believe we're always right and just like the Athena Cabin, we don't like to think we're in the wrong. Even if the chances are likely. Even if everyone is screaming at our faces that we're wrong. Even if they spell it out for me my friend was nothing but a filthy traitor. Nothing can change our minds. We're just stubborn like that. Maybe it came from our dad.

When Luke left, Chris left with him.

The day he left, he asked me to meet him at Thalia's Pine. He…He tried to convince me to go with him. I didn't understand why back then. The way I saw it he was betraying the camp because his cabin was a teensy bit overcrowded. We departed ways on uneven terms. He told me I'll never understand and I told him to go break a leg and die.

He was my friend, one out of the two, and rather than help him, I got angry and told him Camp doesn't need a guy like him. Maybe if I had been more understanding or sympathetic, Chris wouldn't have left to be with Luke.

I've always been an angry kid, something I'm working on, but after he left it was like the fire was constantly being fed more and more kindling. I never been so bitter and angry in my life.

Every second, I wanted to pick a fight with someone. Whether it be Prissy or Annabeth. Or the Stoll brothers or Michael.

[Clarisse swiped a hand over her face.]

I wasn't proud of who I was. I was a bully. An arrogant piece of shit.

I hurt people because of how similar they look to the guy I hated. Blond hair, crooked smiles, impish features, snotty attitudes. Anything that resembles Luke made me saw red.

Then I found Chris in the Labyrinth. And-and I felt relieved. Even when he was insane, the fire quelled. Because Chris was here. He's alive. And I remember thinking even if Chris never comes back mentally, that's fine because he's alive and that's all that matters.

I try to tell myself that every time I visited him.

To, you know, make it more bearable.

Did you know how hard it was to see this cool, collected boy I had crushed on since I was 11 in that state? I wanted to kill Luke every time I visited Chris. I wanted to stab my spear through his blond little head, dig my hands into his eyes and pull them out, gut him open and stuff his own intestines down his fucking throat. Chris was his brother! How could he do that to his brother? How could he rant about equality and equal treatment when he can't even treat his brother right?

I'm grateful to Mr. D. Never thought he cared about us but I guess he did. Chris was cured because of him and I thought it was over. I can finally hang out with my two friends and maybe things can go back to the way they were before.

I can't believe I was that naive. Of course things can't go back to the way they were before. Chris had a major problem (oh-my-gods, that stupid idiot with his fucking guilt complex), Silena was acting strange and distant, and we were all on the edge, ready for an all-out war.

I thought I became a better person after I found Chris. That I grown somewhat since that day.

[Clarisse looked down at the blade in her lap. Her hands clench the handle of the sword in a vice-like grip, knuckles ice white. Her eyes squeezed shut.]

But I was still the same little idiot.

I'm sure Annabeth told you but the Ares cabin arrived later in the battle. It was over this really dumb flying chariot. I don't even know why I fought so hard for it back then.

The day of the battle when they were boarding the truck, Michael Yew had came up to me and apologized. He actually apologized and if you knew Michael, he wasn't one to crack first. He said I could have the chariot and you know what I did? I shoved Michael in the chest and said my cabin still wasn't fighting, that "you're on your own."

Michael gave me a scathing look. And was probably about to whack me in the head with his bow when Will tapped his shoulder and said "We have to go." Michael gave me one last glare and said he'll deal with me when he came back.

Even now, I could remember their faces. Will's and Michael's disappointed. My siblings' unsure and some angry. They wanted to fight. They wanted to defend their home and our dad. But I stopped them. Because of a chariot.

So for the first day of the battle, I just destroyed sandbags in the training center. Chris was there with me. He tried to convince me to join the battle and to "think about what I'm doing." I ignored him. Such a considering girlfriend.

The only ones still at camp were the older pegasi and some nymphs as well as Peleus. The dining pavilion was ghost quiet. Not a sound. Just the clanking of forks and spoons.

Of course I was worried about them. They were 40 puny demigods versus hundreds, thousands of monsters. There were even 10 and 11 year olds fighting. Not to mention Demeter's and Aphrodite's kids are wimpy and would probably faint from the sight of blood but my pride wouldn't let me go.

I didn't sleep that night. I was afraid of the dreams I would get.

The next day, Silena came to talk to me. She was still in her Greek armor, splattered with blood. I hoped it was the blood of the enemy and not friends. She jumped off the pegasi a few feet above the ground. I guess she tried to act like some kind of cool badass but she stumbled and looked more like a bumbling idiot.

She wasn't cut out for battle. But she still fought. Just like Katie and Drew. Malcolm. Trixie.

Silena tried to convince me to join the fight. She said that they're outnumbered and if the Ares Cabin would join then maybe everybody wouldn't be so terrified.

I didn't listen. I ignored her just like I ignored Chris and locked myself in the cabin. When I heard the fluttering of wings, I thought she went back to Manhattan. I didn't think she would actually…

["Imposter as you and lead the Ares Cabin?"]

Yeah, that.

She took my armor and led my siblings into battle.

Either Silena looked more like me than I thought or I have the dumbest siblings ever. Or maybe they were itching to fight and this was their door in. I don't know. I never bothered asking them.

By the time I noticed, everybody was gone. I spent ten minutes looking for Chris-you know what that idiot was doing? Cleaning the stables. All of camp to himself and he's scooping poop off the ground. But within 5 minutes we were in the air.

As we raced our way to Manhattan-well, raced wouldn't be the right word. More like breezed. The only pegasi left were the two oldest, Buttercup and Leafstorm. They're too old to be in battle but I had no choice. As we breezed our way to Manhattan, we strapped on our battle gear. I looked over to the left at the head of the chariot and would you believe it, the fucking chariot I was riding on was the one I was fighting Michael over.

I made a promise to myself that when I see that little fireball I'll apologized. Give him a little punch in the arm and move on with my life. But it didn't happen like that.

After I arrived and kicked butt, I was searching through the lobby in the Empire State Building, injured demigods left and right-

["Wait, wait, wait. What happened to the drakon slaying? Your Ares Blessing?" Clarisse scowled.]

I'm skipping that. Percy and Annabeth probably remember better than I do what happen. Go bother them for the details. So as I was saying, I was in the lobby. I saw Will tending to the injured. He looked like shit. Like any second he was about to drop dead. I saw Kayla and Austin, chatting by the entrance but their muscles were tight and their eyes were locked outside, prepared for any incoming attacks. But no Michael. So I went over to Will and asked if Michael's around. Kayla, Austin, all of Apollo's kids stiffen. Will looked at me, no looked isn't the right word, he glared at me. And I took a step back. I'm not ashamed to admit I was scared for a bit.

This is Will we're talking about. Laid back, level-headed Will. I've never seen him raise his voice let alone angry before.

He shoved a bow into my hands and spat out, "No, he's not."

[Clarisse looked over to a girl in the shooting range, bow and arrow in hand.]

Another regret in the list of many.

Chapter 3: Anger

Author's Notes:

Thank you to ImALazyProcastinator for grammar checking this fic!