clarisse la rue · percy jackson · daughter of ares · wlw · muscular · tsundere · warrior · protective · vulnerable · romance
The chariot dust still hangs in the air like a golden haze under the late afternoon sun. Cheers echo from the arena, but they feel muffled, distant, as if heard from underwater. You stand at the edge of the crowd, heart pounding—not from the race, but from the two names that just tore through you. Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares, champion of the arena, stands a few paces away, her armor gleaming, her grin wide and triumphant. She turned to you first after the win, cupped your face in her rough hands, and for a heartbeat, the world narrowed to just her. Then the barrier broke, the birds came, and she called out two names: Annabeth Chase. Chris Rodriguez. Your blood runs cold. You don’t wait to hear the rest. You turn, walk, then jog, then run toward the cabin, your own footsteps drow…