𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 // 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

ii. Sibling Rivalry

— CLARISSE RETURNED SOAKED and bloodthirsty. She stomped through her cabin, ripping open her belongings as she scrounged for some dry clothes.

Hugo looked up from his book (Homer's "The Iliad"), his eyebrows raising at his sister's current appearance. "What happened to you?"

"That newbie Prissy happened!" she yelled. Hugo rolled his eyes, marking his page and closing his book. He offered Clarisse a towel, sitting on the edge of his bunk with his legs spread apart.

"What did he do?" asked the boy, watching Clarisse's rage boil like a pot of water. "I don't know!" she hissed. "The water-! In the bathroom- I just.. UGH! I can't explain it!"

Hugo raised his hands, palms downcast as he beckoned his sister to calm down. The boy sighed, watching his sister furiously dry her hair. He felt bad for her hair. "You picked a fight and you didn't win, so what? No defeat's a failure, it's a chance to learn."

"I don't need to learn!" screamed the daughter of Ares. "I need to win! It's all his fault!! How dare he do that to me IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY!"

"If anything it's you're fault, Clair," Hugo said sternly, growing annoyed with his sister. "Laisse tomber. We need allies, not enemies. I keep telling you that yet you still don't listen. It's childish."

Clarisse whipped her head around so fast you'd be surprised her head didn't fly off. "Me? ME?! LET IT GO?! CHILDISH?! YOU LOOKIN' FOR A FIGHT?!"

Hugo snapped. He stood from his bed with such force his bunk skidded across the floor. His eyes blazed with fury as he bared his teeth, cracking his knuckles in a taunting way. "Trust me, Clair. We both know who would win that. Now wouldn't we?"

"Why don't we test that theory?"

"Alright then." Hugo held out a scarred hand. Clarisse shook it, her fingers clasped around his arm. "C'est un défi."

• • •

— "HUGO AND CLARISSE ARE FIGHTING!!!"

Cabin eleven went dead quiet, all turning their heads to check if the others heard what they did. The Ares camper panted, anticipation across his face. The Hermes kids turned to Luke, who grinned like a plotting imp. "Well then, what're we waiting for? Cabin eleven, move out!"

They all whooped and cheered, scrambling out of the cabin like a crowd on Black Friday. Percy, utterly clueless, followed. He tailed the mob to the circular arena, which was already packed with campers, satyrs and naiads alike.

The audience was split down the centre. The left chanting for Clarisse as the right cheered for Hugo. Percy joined the right, slipping his way through the crowd to tap Grover on the shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Hugo and Clarisse are fighting, duh! You don't wanna miss this, trust me!" He bleated out a cheer, his hooves stomping for Hugo.

Percy turned his attention to the Ares siblings, the pair of them circling each other like wolves cornering its prey. Hugo had no weapons. He held his fists up like a boxer, his knuckles and hands wrapped snuggly. Clarisse held onto a spear, spinning it like a Jedi with her lightsaber. The crowd continued to cheer, before Hugo put down his hands.

He gripped the hem of his shirt, lifting it up over his head and discarding it. It gathered dust on the ground of the arena as multiple girls let out ear-piercing squeals.

If Percy thought he was scarred before, he was a bigger fool than Agamemnon.

He was covered head to toe in them, like lightning in a thunderstorm. They sliced through the hills of muscles so smoothly. The ravenette's eyebrows raised, his blood simmering under the skin of his face.

Clarisse rolled her eyes at her brother's cocky smile. She held her spear at the ready, electricity crackling at its conductive head. She let out a battle cry as she charged, fully prepared to shed her brother's blood. But Hugo wouldn't let that happen.

The fight wasn't over for a while. Hugo landed strong punches and kicks, painting his sister with bruises galore. A crimson waterfall poured from Clarisse's nose, painting her teeth a thirsty red. Her brother didn't come out unscathed, though. Clarisse's spear grazing his chest and shoulder several times. But with his skilful hands, Hugo pushed through the pain and tore his sister's spear from her grip, rage fuelling his strength as he kicked her down to the ground.

He held the spear at her neck, blood and sweat dripping down his flickering chest. Clarisse succumbed to her exhaustion, raising her hands in surrender. Hugo grinned and the crowd went nuts.

The pair shook hands and Hugo returned Clarisse's spear to her. She walked away, using her shirt to clean her nose. Some Apollo kids tended to her while the surfer dude from the infirmary patched up Hugo. Annabeth tackled him into a hug as Luke ruffled his hair. Some girls from the Aphrodite cabin couldn't get their hands off him. It made Percy roll his eyes.

Percy approached him, struggling to push through the crowd. Hugo's cheeks were red with flattery as he crossed his arms over his chest. Percy felt a change of terrain beneath his shoe, he glanced down to find Hugo's shirt. He bent down to retrieve, forcing as much dirt from it as he could.

Hugo felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Perseus holding a clump of orange cloth. "Here," he said. "Your shirt." Hugo smiled, chuckling awkwardly as the Aphrodite girls whined in disappointment. The boy wiped his forehead, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Merci," he grinned, his brown eyes scanning Percy from head to toe. He liked this boy. A lot.