{2} 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 | 𝙻𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚗

07.

Ψ 𝐌𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞 Ψ

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞, it was weird. Everyone knew Poseidon was my...Poseidon to me was just Poseidon, but he's my dad to everyone else.

I walked further into the place and saw Chris and I smiled at him, and he smiled back at me.

"Long time no see. How are you holding up?" He asked, leaning against the bed and I set down my backpack seeing my suitcase already in the cabin that Damien had brought.

I shrugged my shoulders to his words, breathing in deeply, "the guy I liked...basically was a traitor and left camp."

He gave me a small nod with his arms crossed.

Chris kept it, kept it hidden from me. Him...and someone else...were keeping tabs on me.

All under my nose and I never knew. It was...sweet though...

"And your mom is alright?" He asked me and I laughed out "of course, she did threaten a God so than she prayed to her own God for sinning."

He tried his best to keep his laughs to no avail and chuckled holding his mouth and I hit his arm.

"My mom is religious alright. Don't be ashamed of it."

Both his hands went up in the air for defense as I glanced over to Luke's bed empty, my frown appeared again as I played with my bracelet, and he grabbed my shoulder.

"I miss him too." He mentioned and my eyes met his, I bit my bottom lip as he explained "that's your new bunk...no more sleeping on the floor."

I sighed and cracked my knuckles from anxiety as discomfort, but I just nodded, walking over, and sitting on the bottom bunk and said "I've gotta find...Clarisse."

He was confused but I quickly got off the bed and left the cabin. I had made it to the dining Pavilion and saw Clarisse eating with her friends as I approached her, and my shadow went over her body as she looked my way.

"We need to talk, please?" I asked with a begging plea in my voice.

She sighed and nodded, getting up as we walked to another table and sat down, and she looked at me.

"Now please tell me why you dragged me away from my table?" She asked bluntly.

I scoffed out "you didn't have to come; I didn't even force you I just asked." She glared at me and looked away as she shook her head.

She cleared her throat and asked me, "What's wrong?"

Saying it was easy because it was all true, "my eyes keep watering when I think about him, even saying his name hurts...my nightmares have gotten worse...and the fact I cannot tell anyone the truth and everyone thinks he's a monster..."

My breath hitched, I couldn't speak anymore. I shut my eyes and choked out, "I see him...and I hate it...and I hate...that I don't have him and I'm so selfish-"

That's when I felt her hands holding onto mine, I opened my eyes looking at her as she frowned "look at you, the adult crying and the kid is the one who's trying to make it all better. Should be the other way around."

I almost laughed at her statement, but I did smile, "don't tell anyone that we wrote letters. And especially that Damien was the one who transported them."

My smile was there again but it grew bigger, and I did laugh that time.

"There we are...finally I thought I was gonna have to say more friendly type of words that girls say to their best friends if they cry and-ugh. Yeah, not my thing." She complained quickly, letting go of my hands.

Finally composing myself I wiped underneath my eyes as she asked, "what was that back there?"

I looked at her confused as she looked around whispering "okay, Damien and I got it all to dial down but everyone was talking about the miniature earthquake that happened. They all thought it was some fluke and the patrol campers were all too beaten down to understand what was even happening."

She explained further "the only ones who actually saw what happened were Jackson, Annabeth, that weird cyclops that was following Jackson around. Me and Damien...at least the conscious ones."

I gulped and played with my bracelet as I shook my head "I don't know how I did any of it. I just...I don't even know if I did that."

She scoffed out "yeah right you didn't. You have had to have done it! There's no way you couldn't have!"

Clarisse walked over to my side of the table sitting down arguing with me now "come on. Tell me the truth."

Feeing more worried I was hesitant; but I did want to tell her about...that voice.

It wasn't Kronos. I knew it wasn't him.

I heard it, but not only that. I felt it.

In my heart...it pinched. It twinged. It hopped like a bunny. Everything.

When I had my eyes closed and hearing that voice...all I could hear was him....

"Hey? Earth to Idiot?" She smacked the side of my head, and I winced holding my temple from the pain.

"You dozed off on me. Come on, tell me!" She begged, shaking my arm aggressively.

Collecting my thoughts, I explained "I guess it was...maybe something? But I don't know. I don't know at all. It's just coming at me all at once. All I know is that I've been training my water powers like you say...my mom is not fond of it."

Clarisse laughed and I saw the huge gash or burn? On the side of her cheek.

I asked "does it hurt?" I pointed to her wound.

She touched it and shrugged, telling me "It's nothing that I can't handle."

I stared at her wound and looked around and saw her cup of water. I grabbed it and looked around first before facing her.

Holding the cup, I looked at her and muttered "don't worry, I'm just gonna...help it."

I dropped some of the water on my hand as my hand moved in a way and I lifted my hand as the water carried in the air and I cupped her cheek as she stared at me. I held her face as she continued to stare at me and seemed flustered at the feeling.

I felt bad, it was strange to do this but...I watched as the water slowly glided onto her face as she shut her eyes feeling it.

"Stay calm, if you fight it believe me, I might accidentally hurt you." She stayed still like one of Medusa's statues.

I watched the water begin to bubble up on her wound as my hand went from open and wide into pulling it to a fist as I saw her wound heal and the water dropped, and she looked at me touching her face and scoffed as she felt no scarring.

"Seems like you're comfortable with your powers huh?" She pointed out with a smirk.

"I missed you Clarisse..." I spoke in reply to her question.

She stared at me and rolled her eyes "don't get all emotional."

She began walking away towards her cabin, I just smiled. I was happy to be back, but it was also bittersweet.

I of course still had friends but then I also lost the one person I really, really...like.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Told y'all I'd give you more Clairsse & Hayley content!!

Also don't worry Luke will be appearing in this book just gonna take its time...

However, he technically has already kinda showed up 😏.