[1] 𝐼𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑢𝑠 - 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑦 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛

3.12

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SILENA BEAUREGARD. PERCY JACKSON. ANNABETH CHASE. CLARISSE LA RUE.

A daughter of Aphrodite. A son of Poseidon. A daughter of Athena. A daughter of Ares.

It was an unlikely team. There should have been infighting and arguments from every witch way. But there wasn't.

For once they all had a common goal; to avenge Cassiopeia Caffery.

Automatons under Annabeth's control crushed any monsters that attempted to rally. Pipes and water lines burst, the ground trembling as Percy slashed and hacked. Silena's charmspeak was deadly, with one whisper she could make monsters crumble to dust.

But Clarisse, even without her armor or spear, was an absolute demon. She rode her chariot straight into the Titan's army and crushed everything in her path.

Clarisse drove to the drakon's carcass and looped a grappling line through its eye sockets. She lashed her horses and took off, dragging the drakon behind the chariot like a Chinese New Year dragon. She charged after the enemy, yelling insults and daring them to cross her. She was literally glowing with red fire - the blessing of Ares.

For the moment, Clarisse was as invincible as Percy was. The enemy threw spears and arrows, but nothing hit her.

"I AM CLARISSE, DRAKON-SLAYER!" she yelled. "I will kill you ALL! Where is Kronos? Bring him out! Is he a coward? What's the matter, Titan lord? BRING IT ON!"

There was no answer from the enemy. Slowly, they began to fall back behind a dracaenae shield wall, while Clarisse drove in circles around Fifth Avenue, daring anyone to cross her path. The two-hundred-foot-long drakon carcass made a hollow scraping noise against the pavement, like a thousand knives.

Meanwhile, they tended the wounded, bringing them inside the lobby. Long after the enemy had retreated from sight, Clarisse kept riding up and down the avenue with her horrible trophy, demanding that Kronos meet her battle.

Chris said, "I'll watch her. She'll get tired eventually. I'll make sure she comes inside."

"What about the camp?" Percy asked, after finally calming down enough to prioritize revenge later. "Is anybody left there?"

Chris shook his head. "Only Argus and the nature spirits. Peleus the dragon is still guarding the tree."

"They won't last long," He said. "But I'm glad you came."

Chris nodded sadly. "I'm sorry it took so long. I tried to reason with Clarisse. I said there's no point in defending camp if you guys die. All our friends are here. I'm sorry it took Cass..."

Silena took a shuddering breath. It was her fault. She was a traitor. She cost her own sister her life.

"My Hunters will help you stand guard," Thalia said. "Annabeth, Percy, Silena, you should go to Olympus. I have a feeling they'll need you up there—to set up the final defense."