Well guys, this is the last chapter of my first ever fan ficiton.

Hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!

8 Clarisse is Nice to Me

Walking on feeling more confident than ever I started eating my enchilada because I was beginning to feel pretty hungry. But as I tasted my first mouthful I was thrown off guard. The enchilada really didn't taste like an enchilada. It tasted like my mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies. I smiled. Having a normal enchilada while I was hungry was already great, but having ambrosia just before my last challenge made me feel like there was no one I couldn't beat. And boy was I wrong.

I had only walked for about five minutes when I stumbled upon another big, and hopefully last big challenge message:

Surviving three tasks to end

The fourth challenge takes its stand

Beat the beasts together or alone

The winner will be awarded crown

I followed the path which bent to the right and when I reached the corner my next challenge arose before me. A big, round and ancient looking amphitheater stood in front of me, and I knew what it meant. I had seen Gladiator. Amphitheaters were a form entertainment. The fighting to the death kind.

As I approached the big arena I heard screaming and clapping and a terrible roar followed by a scream. With my renewed strength from the ambrosia I started running towards the amphitheater, and probably my death.

As I arrived at the amphitheater I took in the scene. Clarisse was fighting in the middle of the arena with a big and very disturbing creature. Unlike Janus this creature didn't have two heads but where its legs should be was a big, long and very fat snake tail. Clarisse was trying her best to defend herself against the snake like creature but she was struggling. Then I noticed the audience on the bleachers cheering Clarisse on. I recognized all the people from camp sitting there screaming their heads off. There was, however, one part of the bleachers that was completely empty. There, on a big, Greek-style pillar lay a shimmering golden crown. It was beautiful and while I stood there mesmerized by its beauty, something attacked me from behind.

Something knocked me down and I hit the dirt of the amphitheater with a big smash. Luckily I'm a demigod and while my adrenaline started pumping I rolled over just as a really big claw missed me by an inch. I got up, uncapped Riptide and stood eye to eye with a hellhound.

Let me tell you something. Hellhounds are not really hounds. They're bigger, scarier, meaner and way more dangerous. It made the Laelaps of last summer look like a puppy. I took the Athena shield out of my pocket and thumped it. Now I was armed, protected and more than ready to take on this oversized dog. As the hellhound leaped, bearing his white long and razor-sharp teeth, I ducked, turned around again and let my battle instinct take over.

Again, the hellhound pounded and this time I didn't duck but threw my shield at him. I hit him right in the face but the hellhound wasn't knocked out or anything. I guess a bronze shield doesn't really have much effect on a 500 pound heavy dog. The only effect of the throw was probably that I had pissed the hellhound off even more.

Not going to be leaped on for the fourth time, I took the initiative and ran up to the hound. As I dodged his big massive claws I used Riptide and hacked one of them off. The hound started wailing like a little puppy and while I almost started feeling sorry for him he bared his teeth again, and attacked me. With only three paws he was a lot slower and as he jumped I again ducked but this time rolled under him in one swift motion and jammed my sword into his ribcage. In a matter of seconds I was covered in ash, as the hellhound had dissolved above me. One monster down, more to go.

Crowd cheering and still without a scratch I turned to look at Clarisse and the snake monster, still fighting each other. Clarisse was obviously losing. The snake woman seemed to have enough strength to go on fighting for weeks, while Clarisse, battered and bruised, was losing speed every time she dodged or parried an attack of the snake creature. Then it happened. Clarisse was too slow and the snake lady took her chance. With one of her two swords she knocked Clarisse's sword out of her hands. Fear in her eyes and unarmed, Clarisse knew she was going to die.

While praying to literally all the gods I took a chance and without thinking I tackled the monstrous snake creature. Not my smartest move, but it worked. As the snake woman was caught by surprise I rolled over and saw Clarisse pick up her sword, and regain her arrogant cockiness. 'I don't need your help, knucklehead!' she sneered at me. 'Yes, seemed like you had everything under control' I yelled back at her.

Before we could exchange more insults though, the snake woman attacked again. While her tail swung at Clarisse's head, she turned her attention on me. 'I am Echidna, mother of monsters and I am going to destroy you!' she yelled like a madman. Or madwoman. Or mad snake woman creature. Anyways, with those words she swung her arms forward and started hacking in on me. As I deflected one of them with my sword I realized I would have already been dead if it hadn't been for my shield which deflected Echidna's other sword.

As I concentrated on not getting killed by Echidna I caught a glimpse of Clarisse getting choked by Echidna's tail. Choking one demigod while fighting another one. Unfortunately for us, Echidna had some serious multi-tasking skills.

Still defending myself I dodged Echidna's sword, jumped in the air and again, threw my shield in a monster's face, with result this time. As Echidna, who was very tall standing on her snake tail, lost her balance she needed her tail to stay upright. I saved Clarisse and lost a shield. I guess everyone had to make sacrifices sometimes.

As Clarisse got to her feet I wasn't paying attention and Echidna attacked me, this time also with result. Her aim was my face, the result was my shoulder. Just like I had jammed riptide in the hellhounds ribcage, she jammed her sword in my shoulder. And it hurt like hell.

As the pain spread through my arm and I sacked to my knees, I expected Echidna to finish me off. Then I heard a battle cry and looked just in time to see Clarisse do what I had done to save her. She rugby tackled Echidna.

With a lot of pain and effort I removed the sword from my shoulder and got to my feet. My legs were shaking and my shoulder was bleeding but I had to help Clarisse. I had to come up with a plan. We couldn't just keep rugby tackling this monster hoping she would get some heart attack or a stroke in the process. Then I realized. Water.

While Echidna was still occupied by Clarisse I spread my arms and fell a thug in my gut. Apparently there was some source of water close to the theater because in a matter of seconds a big wave came over the top of one of the theater walls. I aimed the wave at Echidna and it literally washed her away. Though I was tired I ran over to her and hacked of a piece of her tail. Echidna was furious and threw her sword at me. I dodged it and again slashed at her, this time hitting her arm.

With a scream she tried to retaliate but without a complete tail she was thrown out of balance. The hole in my shoulder made my arm feel like it weighed 1000 pounds and I was starting to feel light headed. If I didn't finish this off soon, Echidna was going to finish me.

As she attacked me I decided to risk it all. I dodged the attack, rolled over, threw Riptide in her face and grabbed her fallen sword. In one swift motion I stabbed it in her stomach. With a big moan she fell to the ground and dissolved into ashes.

Feeling pretty good about myself I caught my breath and relaxed for a second. This happy moment didn't last long as I saw Clarisse had mounted the steps and stood before the crown. But instead of grabbing it, she did something I had never expected her to do. She picked the crown up with her sword, careful not to touch it herself. 'Fair is fair knucklehead. You deserve it more. Catch!' she yelled as she threw the crown at me. Adrenaline still rushing through my body I caught the crown and immediately horns sounded. Cheers erupted from the crowd. I had won the tournament.

Afterwards everything happened in a rush. All my friends came and hauled me upon their shoulders. The look on Ares's face, who had to officially crown me was more valuable to me than any crown in the world. I got some ambrosia and nectar for my shoulder and I felt really really good. As I walked back to camp Annabeth ran over to me and tackled me into a hug, which was pretty great too.

Grover also appeared looking happy and quite embarrassed. Apparently, he had been so nervous he had started to eat his t-shirt, which meant he was now walking around in nothing more than a crop top. As I started teasing him about his new fashion style I got this weird feeling. I know it sounds really corny, but I realized how much I loved my friends and my adventurous life, no matter how dangerous it sometimes was. I also realized I had just had this amazing adventure, won a tournament and still had a whole summer of Camp Half-Blood ahead of me. I smiled. Bring it on, I thought. Bring. It. On.

THE END