Stealing the car and siphoning gas to Arizona was bad enough, but staring down the La Rue's No Trespassing sign felt more dangerous than any crime.
Percy figured driving a car with California plates into Clarisse La Rue's driveway wasn't the best idea, so he parked the car on the road. To gather his courage, he stood in the driveway for a moment. It was so dry, the top soil was picked up by the faintest breeze, a shallow forest of a few scraggly pines stood behind the iron fence. It looked exactly like Percy thought it would.
Already regretting leaving his water in the car, Percy started down the driveway. His feet swished through the layer of dry dust, and he thought only of Annabeth. Annabeth who spent months searching for him only to be captured by the romans before he could see her again. Percy wasn't one to carry grudges, but if he came across Jason Grace he would rip him to shreds.
Jason was the other half of Hera's forced exchange program, a leader for a leader, but Percy would never have done what Jason did. We're not as alike as you think, Hera, Percy thought. And then there was the bigger question at play. What exactly was Jason's plan? Wage war on the Greeks? Use Annabeth as some sort of hostage exchange? And what about fighting Gaea and the giants?
Percy was so lost in thought he didn't notice the other person, not until there was a telltale click behind him.
"Turn around," the person said. "Slowly."
Cursing himself, Percy carefully turned around, his hands in the air. He found himself staring down a double barreled shotgun, aimed directly at his face.
"Now, what are you doing on my property?" The speaker was an older woman, maybe fifty or so with streaks of gray in her brown hair. But by no means was she frail, her arms were well muscled and the gun rested steadily in her hands. "I'm not gonna ask you again, son," she sneered. And that's when it clicked. He'd heard that tone a hundred times.
"My name is Percy Jackson," he said slowly. "And I'm a friend of your daughter's."
"You know my daughter, huh? How do I know you're not lyin."
"I umm, we go to the same summer camp?" Percy said. "You know, the summer camp." He hoped Clarisse's mom picked up on why he was saying.
She rolled her eyes. "You're a demigod then? Prove it."
Percy glanced around. He was in the middle of the desert. No water in sight. Well, this is it, Percy thought. I'm gonna get my head blown off in nowhere, Arizona by Clarisse la Rue's mom. Then it hit him.
"Wait!" He closed his eyes and reached his senses outward, back down the driveway to his car. Thanking the gods he left his window cracked, Percy siphoned the water out of his bottle and down the road to his hands. He swished the water back and forth before breaking his concentration and letting it fall to the thirsty ground.
Clarisse's mom raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Son of Poseidon, huh?"
"Um, yeah."
She took a step closer, the barrel of the gun nearly touching Percy's forehead. "The one who humiliated Clarisse's father?"
Percy grimaced. "Yeah?"
Clarisse's mom stepped back and let her gun fall. "Well then. You're welcome any time."
Percy blinked. "You-"
"Let's get you to the house," the woman interrupted. "Clarisse is home from college on summer break."
They walked in silence for a while, Percy eyeing her gun. It rested at her side, loaded but not cocked. Not super reassuring, but not threatening either.
"You can call me Michelle," Clarisse's mom said. "And I know what you want to ask me."
Percy frowned. What do I want to ask her?
"I hate Ares," Michelle continued, "because that bastard ran away the second Clarisse was born. He never cared about her, about either of us really. An enemy of my enemy is my friend, so you, Percy Jackson, are my friend."
"Well that's... good then! It seems I don't have many friends these days," Percy said.
Michelle snorted. "Trust me, kid, you have way less friends than you think you do."
Michelle let Percy ponder that last thought as they walked the rest of the way in silence.
The La Rue house was a lot nicer than Percy was expecting. For some reason he was envisioning a larger version of the Ares cabin, red paint and barbed wire. Instead, a nice two story tan house with a wraparound porch and a tire swing sat in its place.
Michelle shaded her eyes with the back of her hand. "You'd be surprised how cheap real estate is out here. New York boy," she added.
Percy frowned. "You know I'm from New York?"
"I can always tell who the city people are." With that, Michelle flung the front door open.
The inside of the house was fairly normal, save a few extra weapons. A baby picture of Clarisse hung above the coatrack and a pair of gardening shears lay abandoned on a table.
"Clarisse!" Michelle called. "Your friend is here."
"I'm in the kitchen, Ma!" a rough voice replied. Definitely Clarisse.
Percy turned the corner to the kitchen, surprisingly homey with buttery yellow walls and white counter tops. Clarisse had her back to them, spreading mayonnaise on a slice of bread.
She turned, butter knife in hand. "Who's-" her eyes widened when she saw him. "Perseus fucking Jackson," she said, shaking her head. "In my kitchen of all places. You know, a lot of people have been looking for you."
Percy raised his eyebrows. "But not you?"
"Honestly? I thought you were dead. And I had finals to study for."
Percy snorted. "You? Studying for finals?"
"Is that such a surprise? I have a life outside of beating people to a pulp. Your ass included." Clarisse tossed her knife in the sink and opened the fridge. "You wanna beer?"
"I'm, um, seventeen."
"And?"
"And-" Percy sunk awkwardly into a chair- "I came here for your help. If you'll give it."
"Aww. Percy Jackson needs my help? You must truly be desperate." Clarisse took a bite of her sandwich. "Hey, where were you actually? It's quite a talent to disappear that long."
"That," Percy said, "is an incredibly long story. But it does tie into what I need."
Percy took Clarisse's silence as an invitation to keep talking, so he told everything as concisely as possible. The camp exchange, the Roman demigods, the quest to Alaska, and Annabeth and company's capture.
Clarisse's hands clenched into fists. "So you need me to lead the assault on Camp Jupiter?"
"I need your help at least. If anyone can penetrate New Rome's defenses it's you."
"You got that right. How much danger is Annabeth in?"
Percy always forgot Clarisse knew Annabeth far longer than he had.
"Honestly, I don't know. I have people on the inside though. Your half brother is one of them."
"My what now?"
"A son of Mars. The least war-like child of the war gods I've ever known."
Clarisse snorted. "Sounds like a wimp."
"Clarisse, c'mon. How'd the god of war end up out here anyway?"
"Funny story actually. His chariot got shot down and he fell out of the sky into the front yard. My mom thought he was alien, but she doesn't trust the government so she quietly cared for him. They fell in love, blah, blah, and then he left her."
"Romantic."
"I thought so too."
Percy paused. "So you'll really help me?"
Clarisse turned away and stared out the kitchen window, her hands on the edge of the sink. "Yes. I've killed a drakon before, those romans don't know what they have coming."