Clarisse's POV

I stayed in the shadows as Percy huffed past me. As he disappeared into the dark, night air, I leaned against the side of the Big House and squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to let tears fall. I reflected back on the conversation I'd just heard and a lump rose in my throat. Annabeth was right, I wasn't worth it. I desperately looked around, looking for somewhere to go. I couldn't go back to the Ares cabin, not on the verge of tears. Instead, I ran to the woods and found a tree fort I'd built in my first few weeks at Camp. Back then, I had been alone, friendless, worthless, and now, so many years later, I was the same way.

As I lay down on the floor of the fort, which was really just a few boards supported in a tree, and pressed my cheek against the cold wooden platform, I thought about Percy. I knew that having feelings for him were pointless, but as usual, my heart was against me. What he had said at the bonfire earlier flashed in my brain, and my stomach gave a flutter.

Oh my gods. I was NOT going to be one of THOSE girls. I rolled over on my back, cursing and berating myself mentally. The butterflies in my stomach were replaced with reluctant but steely resolve: I would not be another girl fawning over Percy Jackson. I forced him and his big green eyes out of my mind, where my thoughts fell to another troubling matter: the quest I was going on. I had to go to the ocean. Another thing I had been hiding, along with my feelings for a certain son of Poseidon, were my fears. I had lived in camp my whole life, and I didn't mind leaving it for the occasion quest, but where we were going was completely different. For one, it would be the ocean, something I was okay to sail on but terrified to drown in. And second, I would be surrounded by people, and lots of them. Not my fellow campers, who were like my family, but with new strangers, in a crowded town. It was so different from what I was used to and how I grew up. The thought of facing my fears AND Percy was too much to bear.

More tears threatened to fall and I hated myself with every second that my eyes burned. Annabeth was right, as per usual. I wasn't worth it. I was nothing but a failure.

Percys POV

I lay awake in my cabin. The ocean crashed outside, a comforting sound to my turning stomach and confused emotions. I wanted to go to Clarisse, I wanted to tell her that I knew she wasn't a bad person, that she WAS worth it. The hurt in her face was haunting me, and I felt like crying when I remembered that I caused it.

It shocked me how much I felt for Clarisse. Being around her was like falling through the air: my stomach would flip flop, I'd lose track of time, I would be terrified by the lack of control I felt, but at the same time exhilarated.


The morning came way too soon. The air was cold, my muscles ached, and there was an atmosphere of tension that seemed to envelope me and seep into my pores. Overall, I didn't feel super cheerful.

After I dragged myself out of bed and gathered my thoughts for a moment, memories from the night before came flooding back to me. I ran my fingers through my black hair in exasperation and regret. My head and thoughts still clouded, I decided to take a walk down the beach.

The water foaming around my ankles didn't calm me like usual. Everything felt overwhelming, like it was slowly crushing me to death. It took great effort just to breathe and think straight. I sighed in defeat and got up, walking back towards my cabin to prepare for the quest.

When I arrived next to the Big House, the sun was rising more and a cool wind blew. The breeze picked up the saltiness of the ocean and the sweet tartness of the strawberry fields, but despite the pleasant change of the morning, I was still confused and wary.

After dodging a lot of questions from Grover, I studied Annabeth. She had a determined, slightly pompous expression on her face, but at least she wasn't harping on last night. Her hair was perfectly braided and she looked well rested. It looked as if unlike me, she hadn't lost any sleep over what had happened with Clarisse.

Just as the daughter of Ares crossed my mind, she strode into view, a backpack slung over her shoulder. I noticed something different about her: her walk didn't contain its usual bouncy swagger. She looked exhausted and her eyes were red from... Crying? The thought was absurd. Still, after seeing how she looked after the spat last night, I realized I didn't find it so far fetched after all.

Shaking off Clarisse's disturbingly frail appearance, I snapped back to reality. Argus approached us, car keys in hand, and I took what I hoped would be a calming breath. However, my brain was burning me to talk to Clarisse, and hope that like Annabeth, she had gotten over last night.