Red Skies at Morning | Clarisse La Rue x OC | Percy Jackson AU

A Lion, a Goat, and a Snake Walk into a Magical Camp

If you have any ideas for a better chapter name please comment them, I've changed the title to this chapter so many times and I hate all of them

7 months had passed since the incident in the forest. Things at camp had gone back to normal only a few weeks after - with the exception of Cabin 11's counselor situation - but I was only beginning to feel normal now. 

The winter had come and gone once again with the change of seasons and now spring was approaching, though you'd never guess with all the snow. It was only March, after all, meaning the three-year mark of the date I'd found the postcard that started my life as a half-blood was approaching. Oh- and my birthday too, I guess.

Not much had changed around the camp over the last few months, but Clarisse and I had been spending more time than we used to. Usually, we'd hang out during meals or free times, and talk when our cabins had the same activities, but these days Clarisse would constantly be around me, even skipping out on her cabin's scheduled activities to come interrupt mine. Only if she wasn't needed with her cabinmates, of course. She still has her duties as a counselor, and she takes them seriously. 

After a while of her doing this, I realized she'd been trying so hard to be around me because she was worried about me. But you'd never guess since most of the time we were either making fun of each other or she was kicking my ass in the arena. Despite our usual bickering, I noticed she'd hesitate slightly before she spoke; choosing her words more cautiously, even if it was just a comment on how I smelled after pegasus riding.

I wanted to say something. To tell her that she didn't need to walk on eggshells when she was around me; that I wasn't so mentally unstable that even referencing Luke would set me off. I wanted to, but I knew the reason she was so worried and I couldn't really blame her for the way she was acting. 

After that day, Clarisse had let me sleep in her bunk for the night since I'd fallen asleep on her. I'd slept for maybe nine hours, then started thrashing around in my sleep. I'd had one of my normally violent nightmares, but this was different. I dreamt that I'd taken Luke's hand and followed him into the dark, rippling portal he'd made with his sword. I'd fought for the Titan king, by Luke's side. While it didn't feel like I was trapped, it didn't quite feel like I was in control of myself either. More like I was looking through my eyes at limbs that should have been mine. But those limbs showed no hesitation while cutting down kids in orange T-shirts and greek armor. Demigod blood- my friends' blood- dripped from Copper's blade and stained the shirt and pants I had on under my armor. 

While I'd been dreaming, in the real world I was thrashing around on the bunk while Clarisse tried to wake me up. Finally, I'd hit my head on the wall and woke myself up the same way I usually did during nightmares. Though, a new kind of awful was there to welcome me back to reality. 

The room had been spinning- wait no it was just my vision that was spinning. The walls swirled around as I tried to catch my breath but my heart was thumping so hard, it felt like it was beating the air out of my lungs. After that, Clarisse had to calm me down for the second time in 24 hours.

Now that Clarisse was watching me like a hawk she'd begun to meet me outside my cabin in the mornings, which is why she was here now. The air was chilly but the weather was bearable, the snow melted much sooner within the borders of camp than it did in the rest of New York. Perks of housing the children of the gods. However, that doesn't mean the icy breeze from outside didn't make it through. 

Clarisse suggested that we take a walk before breakfast. At first, I was against the idea since I didn't really fancy the idea of going for a stroll in temperatures below 15 Celsius- or I guess 60 Fahrenheit since we're in New York. I was about to decline, but Clarisse saw my answer coming and quickly added that we'd go to Half-Blood Hill.