Thinking Out Loud - Clarisse La Rue

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓢𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷

Clarisse flinched at the feeling of the cool towel on her shoulder. "You have got to stop fighting people,"  Alana scolded, not caring how cold the water was on the other girl's tan skin. "This doesn't mean you're in the clear by the way."

Ares' daughter rolled her eyes, refusing to look at Alana. "It's not my fault they're always being bitches."

"Clarisse."

She looked down quickly. Real name. The huntress rarely called Clarisse her real name, usually only when she was in trouble. "What? I- fine. Do you wanna know why I fought him?"

Alana directed her attention to the face of the other girl, who was finally looking at her. "Is it a good reason?"

"He said I didn't deserve to hang out with you."

The shorter girl took her hands off Clarisse entirely and just stared at her. "Well, you don't," she smirked, the flipped her hair as she said her next sentence. "No one does."

Clarisse glared at her. "Alana."

The aforementioned girl giggled, which made Clarisse smile unknowingly. "Kidding. Do you believe it?"

The curly haired girl rolled her eyes. "I feel like you wouldn't hang out with me all the time if you didn't," she stated sarcastically.

"Aw you do have a brain up in there," Alana teased, tapping Clarisse's head. "But seriously, don't let that get to you, everyone here likes to say shit to get on each other's nerves sometimes. You should know that. They know you react, so they want you to."

"You sound like a mom again."

                     ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

"There's no way this is what sacred smells like," Percy complained.

The four were now on a bus on their way to the entrance to Hades' lair. Alana currently was listening to classic rock on a walkman that she bribed a summer only Aphrodite camper to buy her a few years ago. She usually listened to music on her record player in her cabin, as the demigods weren't supposed to have electronics. But, she asked her mother and she said it would be ok to have a walkman for traveling music.

Annabeth and Alana were sitting in a seat together on the back of the bus, with Percy and Grover in the seat next to them. Alana sat in the window seat with her right earbud in. Her music was turned low enough that she could hear everything the others were saying.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at Percy. "We're soldiers on a mission. It's not a vacation."

Percy shot her a look. Alana was really hoping she wouldn't have to step in soon... "Thank you for clearing that up. But if this is so important, why didn't Chiron spring for plane tickets? This seems kind of low priority, doesn't it?"

The girls glanced at each other while Grover looked at the blonde sympathetically. "Well..." the huntress trailed off. Why had no one told the poor kid this?

Percy jerked head to Alana. It was the first thing she had said since they got on the bus and it didn't seem like a good thing. "Sorry, I assumed someone had told you," Grover apologized.

"Told me what?" Posiden's son asked, eyes bouncing between the satyr and the other demigods.

Grover explained why they couldn't fly and Percy grumbled in the fact that no one told him. The girls were planning what they would do when the bus stopped for gas in a few minutes.

"I think she should get snacks," Alana smiled. "Maybe it'll cool some of the drama and tension."

Annabeth laughed. "I think you're optimistic. But I would like some snacks and I know Grover's down for that."