They were at a small makeshift outpost a few miles from the farm, all waiting to hear Michael's plan of attack.
"The Titans and their allies probably expected us to find out about the chariot eventually. They know that we need every weapon in our arsenal if we're going to have a chance of holding Mt. Olympus. We've seen this kind of defense in camp training before, it's most common with..."
Michael paused, he now realized that he'd been underestimating his old friend Luke, who was nothing if not a master of misdirection. He recalled how brutal it was playing capture the flag when Luke and his siblings were on defense...
"...it was Luke's signature move in Capture-the-Flag. Children of Hermes aren't blessed with the battle prowess of Ares or the cunning strategy of Athena, but out of all the Olympians, his children are arguably the most resourceful, and Luke always knew how to get the most of them. He would always come up with these elaborate traps to draw the enemy in, then they would be overwhelmed by numbers from all sides. It doesn't matter which prong you go after first, the others will be right there to close around you."
"So we hit 'em everywhere, all at once. What's the big deal?"
Michael glanced over at the Ares kid who'd spoken, a brawny guy wearing a red bandana and practicing running his sword through the enemy a little too close for comfort.
"They'll have thought of that too. First of all, we won't know where their troops are hidden, so we'll be stumbling around trying to find them...and get caught out anyways. And even if we do miraculously find them all, there'll be so many monsters and half-bloods that we'll be overwhelmed and overextended. We'll be making their job easier."
"So then, uh, what can we do?" the kid asked awkwardly, clearly unused to being in this position.
Michael couldn't help but smile...he had a feeling Lee would have approved of this plan. It was one that played to the strengths of his cabin, and would finally overcome those underhanded Hermes tactics that had given Lee endless frustration for years. Of course. It required getting Clarisse to agree to something crazy. Something he wouldn't even have dared suggest, had it not been for their earlier conversation.
"We can't win by making the first move, no matter what it is, so what choice do we have? We'll do exactly what they want us to do, a full frontal assault."
Clarisse for once did not look absolutely gleeful about such a suggestion, in fact she seemed almost as shocked as she had been earlier when Michael drew his knife on her. Her eyes narrowed as she placed both hands on the table they were seated around.
"Hang on a second, didn't you say that-"
"I'm getting there, Clarisse, please just hear me out."
After a long pause, she reluctantly signaled for him to continue
"As I was saying...we are going to simulate a full frontal assault, but not with all of our campers. Half will draw the enemy out of hiding, like- does anyone have something to write on?"
A pen and paper were quickly placed before him by one of his fellow Apollo campers, little Kayla Knowles. Always prepared, that one. He quickly nodded to her in gratitude, then began to scrawl a crude map of the area.
"Like so," he gestured to an arrow he'd drawn leading out of the woods towards the farm. The enemy sees this and thinks they've got us right where they want us. That's when they spring their trap-"
Michael drew several more arrows protruding from the land surrounding the farm, all encircling the campers.
"And that's when we spring our trap."
He added another arrow coming from the forest to complete the picture.
"Hold on...when you say we'll be splitting our forces in half, are you saying that-"
Michael sighed, this was the part he was going to have to sell to Clarisse, and from her skeptical look, he guessed that she'd already suspected what he was up to, and she didn't like it one bit. He couldn't blame her. It was an awful thing to ask of anybody, and he wouldn't have even thought to suggest it if he didn't think it was the best possible chance of victory.
"One of our cabins has to be the bait, while the other lies back until the right moment, that's the only way we'll be able to unravel their defenses."
"And you think my cabin should be the bait?"
"I-"
"It makes sense, Clarisse. Let's be honest here," Michael glanced back in surprise to see his young second in command, Will Solace, step forward with a confidence Michael had never seen in him before.
"As soon as the chariot's location was discovered, who was the first one to volunteer to lead the mission to take it, your cabin, right?" Not waiting for her response, he continued. "And out of all the cabins, the Ares cabin is...well, we know that you guys have a reputation, fair or not, for not taking too kindly to outside help. You have total confidence, and not without reason," he added quickly, "in yourselves and each other as siblings and warriors, to the point where you wouldn't trust anyone else in the same way you trust your brothers and sisters. Surely the half-bloods who have joined Kronos also know that. There's no doubt that Luke knows. He would be expecting the Ares cabin to immediately volunteer for this raid and come here alone. We can use that assumption to our advantage, is all I'm saying."
Clarisse glared daggers at Will, but said nothing for several moments. A lump had visibly formed in her throat, she seemed deeply upset, and Michael really couldn't blame her. While he agreed with Will's assessment, he would have been just as wounded if anyone made such remarks about his half-siblings. This was probably as close as Clarisse had ever come to allowing herself to be vulnerable in front of her cabin. There she stood, clasping her knuckles tightly as they pressed down on the table, her face a picture of agony.
"So that's all the Ares cabin is to everybody? Cannon fodder, pawns to be sacrificed? Our blood, sweat and tears count for nothing?"
"No Clarisse, that's not what we're saying," Will answered quickly. "I...well I think there's a reason why Luke singled out the Ares cabin as the target here. There's a reason why it has to be Ares to spring the Titans' trap."
"Why?" Clarisse snapped suddenly. "Answer me that, and you have the oath of my entire cabin to go along with this plan, to fight with honor to the bitter end."
"Because-"
"Because the Titans fear the children of Ares," Michael spoke the revelation into existence, not quite knowing where it had come from. It was true that many in the camp did indeed see the children of the war god as little more than useful brawn, but something was telling Michael that this had all indeed happened for a reason, that Titans wanted the Ares cabin out of the way. There was going to come a time in the upcoming battle when Clarisse and her siblings would be the last and best hope for Olympus.
"Because they know that we can't defeat them without the Ares cabin. You're the key to this all somehow. We need you, Clarisse, Olympus needs you."
Clarisse remained silent for what seemed an eternity. Michael waited on edge, and he could sense his cabin mates were doing the same. Apollo campers were good at a great many things, but they weren't exactly natural warriors. When it came to close quarters combat, they were armed with little more than knives and their wits. In other words, they couldn't succeed without Clarisse's help. Everything depended on what she did next.
At last she grunted and unsheathed her infamous spear, Maimer, which was known affectionately to all others as "lamer", but looked pretty intimidating right now in the hands of the powerful daughter of Ares. Again, Michael couldn't believe he'd almost started a fight with her. His bronze knife would've stood no chance against an electric spear like that. Just another foolish thing he'd have done for love. He was suddenly aware of Clarisse stepping towards him, the point of her spear so close to his face that he could practically feel the pure electricity tingling his skin. Far from the vulnerable side he'd seen for the first time in their talk earlier, Clarisse was all business now.
"You know something, Mike? I don't like the way that my cabin is constantly disrespected. I don't like the way that we're always needed, but never wanted. I don't like the way that we're the butt of every camp joke, how we're made out to be nothing but expendable muscle."
Her words stung all the more because there was no defense Michael could offer. Clarisse was absolutely justified in her anger, and it was stupid to think that she would ever go along with this idea. Really, why would anyone? He should've just left the planning to-
"But you know what I hate even more than all that?" She went on, giving Michael pause. "I hate Luke Castellan for betraying everything we as a camp worked for. I hate the traitors who would join the enemy and see their own brothers and sisters slain at the hands of the Titans, I hate Kronos for what he did to Chr-"
She stopped herself. Michael knew what she'd been about to say, "Chris", as in Chris Rodriguez, her boyfriend and a former traitor himself.
"For...for what he's done to all of us, for what he plans to do with the world once Olympus falls. And that's why he has to be stopped at any cost." She sighed. "I still don't like the way our cabin is treated, but all children of Ares understand that duty and honor must come first." She took a quick glance around to see all her cabin mates nodding in agreement. Then she looked back to Michael. "All right, you have my cabin's full cooperation. So we create a diversion while you do what?"
"Easy, we do what we do best." It was only now that Michael realized how little breath he'd taken in the past few minutes. Getting Clarisse on board with the plan greatly increased their chances of victory. He would have to thank Will later for stepping in. Without his intervention, Clarisse might never have come around.
Michael unslung his bow and met Clarisse's eyes. At last, they were in sync, and nothing Kronos threw at them was going to stop them from completing this mission. "We'll do everything we can to make sure none of them lay a scratch on you."