( application for entranceway )

[rues]

Name: Miyou
DW username: vigilanting
E-Mail: musemetrops@gmail.com
IM: asterific
Plurk: poohsticks
Other Characters: N/A

Character Name: Clarisse La Rue
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians
Timeline: Near the end of The Last Olympian
Canon Resource Link: You're running? The fight is here, cowards!

Character History:

Not much is known about Clarisse's childhood before Camp Half-Blood, though she occasionally visits her mother in Phoenix, Arizona. She was brought to camp by the satyr Gleeson Hedge, and remains at camp year-round. It is unknown how long she has been at camp.

PERCY JACKSON & THE LIGHTNING THIEF
As much as Clarisse would like to strike her first encounter with Percy Jackson from public record, that doesn't change the fact that her first encounter with Percy Jackson involved dragging him into the girls' bathroom for an "initiation ceremony" for new arrivals and attempting to give him a swirlie. Not a good idea trying to flush the son of Poseidon down a toilet, but, hey, she didn't exactly know that at the time. Needless to say, she got a whole lot more toilet water in her face than he did in his. In fact, it blasted her and her cronies all the way across the bathroom and she ended up in the mud drenching wet outside. Onlookers could only stare (good life choices on their parts). No one messes with Clarisse and gets away with it.

Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave me a look of absolute hatred. ❝You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead.❞

—Clarisse, The Lightning Thief

Despite the fact that her cabinmates had to drag her away kicking, though not screaming, Clarisse stayed true to her word. Sort of. She managed to ambush Percy during Capture the Flag, just as Annabeth had intended. A diversion. At the time, though, it felt pretty good to beat up on Percy for making her and her cabin look stupid. That is, until she sent him stumbling backwards straight into the river. Really, water, not a good idea to be around when you're trying to beat up a water-powered demigod. Not that Clarisse would ever back down from a fight, and she didn't. Unfortunately for her, the water gave Percy an extra boost and suddenly he seemed almost a step ahead. She charged, but he managed to catch her spear between his sword and shield and break it in half. That just made her mad. Even madder when she realized she'd been set up.

To say the least, she and Percy did not get off on the right foot, starting a rivalry that won't be settled for some time. Percy defeating Ares in battle only made things worse.

PERCY JACKSON & THE SEA OF MONSTERS
Things don't start out too well for Clarisse this summer. When the camp is attacked by evil metal bulls, she and her cabinmates are left to defend the camp's border now that the camp's magical barrier has been weakened from someone poisoning the tree that keeps the camp safe. But it's hard to fight of god-tier mechanical bulls with only spears and swords without getting charred to a crisp. She may not laugh in the face of danger, but she certainly knows how to hold her own and put on a good face for her fellow campers, even if on the inside she's terrified.

She isn't particularly grateful when Percy shows up to help, even after he saves her from getting trampled by a bull. That had been his fault, anyway, and she'd totally had it under control before he showed up and ruined it. She manages to defeat one of the bulls while Percy — well, mostly Percy's half-brother Tyson — dealt with the other one. She screams at Percy and Annabeth to never, ever try saving her again, but immediately calms down when Annabeth mentions there are wounded Ares campers she should attend to. If there's one thing that can de-Hulk Clarisse, it's mentioning her cabinmates. She's not entirely heartless.

Later that night, when Tantalus is reinstating and briefing everyone on the chariot races, Clarisse is the only one to question him about border patrol and making sure Thalia's tree is protected. She even attempts to admit that she had help defeating the bulls, regardless of the fact that it was Percy and his friends who had helped her.

During the chariot races, Clarisse rides her cabin to victory, despite being attacked by metal-beaked birds. She is crowned victor and it is this victory in the chariot races that sends her on her one and only official quest: The Quest for the Golden Fleece.

❝The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in the chariot races and courageous in the defense of the camp. You shall lead this quest ... Clarisse!❞

—Tantalus, The Sea of Monsters

She's all too eager to embark on this quest, not only to save camp, but to impress her dad and finally show up Percy. She vows that she, daughter of Ares, will save the camp — and save the camp she does, but only after a little help from her friends, albeit unwanted (though destined) help.

On her way to enter the Sea of Monsters (located somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle), she encounters a Hydra and blasts it to bits with help from the trusty canons of the CSS Birmingham. She prayed to her father for naval transport to aid her on her quest, and the dead Confederates of the Birmingham came to her aid. Conveniently also the aid of Percy and Annabeth, who would've been Hydra chow if Clarisse hadn't saved them. She lets them stow away on her ship because she can't exactly get rid of them, but she makes it clear she doesn't want their help, even though none of her cabinmates would accompany her on her quest. She makes the excuse that she wanted them to stay behind to help protect the camp. This is her quest and she'll finish it with or without help.

As they're approaching the Sea of Monsters, Clarisse receives an Iris-message from Ares, threatening nasty consequences if she doesn't succeed on her quest, calling her pathetic and rubbing it all in by telling her he should've let one of his sons take this quest. But she asked for it and he gave it to her, so she'd better make him proud or else. She flinches under the fist of Ares, the only person who Clarisse is truly scared of — scared of disappointing, more than anything. She doesn't let this hinder her leadership, though. If anything, it invigorates her, makes her even more determined to complete her quest. She can't fail her father or she'd never live it down.

Once they enter the Sea of Monsters, things start to go south. The only way in is through Charybdis and Scylla, neither of which are appealing. One lives in a giant sea vortex and sucks up the sea and spits it out again and the other lives in a cave and eats sailors who get too close. Clarisse opts for Charybdis, not wanting to sacrifice more sailors than necessary — or, worse, the whole ship — even if they are already dead. They're still her crew, and she still might need them. Her cannons can't fire at Scylla, anyway, so Charybdis seems like the more intelligent option, though not necessarily the safer option.

❝Charybdis just sits there at the center of her whirlwind. We're going to steam straight toward her, train our guns on her, and blow her to Tartarus!❞

—Clarisse, The Sea of Monsters

Unfortunately, she doesn't get much of a choice, as the engine decides to pick this opportune moment to malfunction. There's too much pressure and the pistons need fixing or the whole thing will blow. They're sailing straight into the mouth of the vortex, and despite Tyson's best efforts to fix the engine, there isn't enough time. Charybdis tosses them back toward her sister Scylla in a huge tidal wave and she starts picking Confederates from the ship like worms out of the ground. Clarisse tries to keep it together, but the engine is about to blow. She finally listens to Annabeth and readies the lifeboats just before the engine explodes and sends them flying.

She somehow manages to survive, though the rest of her crew is vaporized in the blast, and while Annabeth and Percy are busy taking a pitstop on Circe's island, Clarisse makes it to Polymphemus' island only to get sealed in his cave — hanging upside down over a boiling pot of water — along with Grover, Percy's best friend and the satyr pretending to be a lady Cyclops so he won't get eaten. She attempts to challenge Polyphemus into fighting her, to no avail, but instead succeeds in outing Grover for what he really is. Now without a bride, Polyphemus decides he'll marry Clarisse instead, much to her dismay.

❝No, you overgrown pile of dung!❞ she yelled. ❝I'm a girl! The daughter of Ares! Now untie me so I can rip your arms off!❞

—Clarisse, The Sea of Monsters

Eventually, Percy comes to her rescue. At this point, she's more surprised that he's alive than upset that he's rescuing her... again. She even manages to thank him for cutting her free, though not without a "but I didn't really need your help" glare.

They escape just in time to help Annabeth fight Polyphemus, and for once Clarisse actually suggests she and Percy work together. She doesn't even really mind that Percy is the one calling the strategy. As long as she gets to fight, she doesn't care. She even got a cool spear out of it, but not for long. She uses it as a thorn in the ground and it stabs Polyphemus in the foot, allowing Grover enough time to get to Annabeth to safety. Clarisse rushes at Polyphemus mercilessly, never backing down from a good fight even when that fight is ten times her size. She can take on anything big enough with her agility. Being big only makes you slow.

They distract Polyphemus long enough for Grover and Annabeth to reach the other side of a rope bridge and fall back to join them, hoping to make it across and cut the bridge before Polyphemus can follow. This plan fails miserably and Clarisse gets knocked aside when she tries to charge at the Cyclops again. Nobody's perfect. She yells at Percy to kill him while he has the chance, but Percy falls for Polyphemus' ruse. Thankfully, Tyson arrives to save the day.

Clarisse ends up carrying Annabeth, who'd broken a few ribs in her fight with the Cyclops. She doesn't carry her delicately, but she's the strongest out of all of them with Tyson currently preoccupied with keeping Polyphemus' man-eating sheep from eating them, so she actually volunteers to carry Annabeth. She's even concerned when Percy suggests they'll have to swim for the ship. Not with Annabeth like this, they won't. But she doesn't really get another choice, not with Polyphemus reappearing with more rocks to throw at them. Clarisse actually makes it to the ship, and Percy almost does, but Clarisse's big mouth screws them all over, yet again.

Percy had severely wounded Polyphemus' already bad eye, but with Clarisse shouting and taunting Polyphemus from the ship, Polyphemus is able to throw a rock directly at it, straight through the hull, dragging the ship down with it. The one time Clarisse is actually sort of proud of Percy, and it just makes things worse. Luckily for her, this quest gave her two unexpected sons of the sea, and with their powers combined, they were able to make it out of the wreckage safely, all the way back to Miami on the back of a hippocampus.

By this time, it's already been ten days and there's almost no time left to get the Fleece back to camp. After arguing who's fault it is, Clarisse finally recites her prophecy. It speaks of failure without friends and flying home alone. Percy realizes this is her quest and she should be the one to take the Fleece back to camp — by plane. If she flies home alone, she'll complete her quest and prove to her dad that she isn't a failure and save camp — her home — at the same time. She's honored with laurels and a huge campfire celebration. Afterwards, it's back to business as usual, at least between her and Percy.

❝Just because you were cool one time, Jackson, don't think you're off the hook with Ares. I'm still waiting for the right opportunity to pulverize you.❞

—Clarisse, The Sea of Monsters

Certainly, Ares would be proud.

PERCY JACKSON & THE TITAN'S CURSE
For the entirety of book three, Clarisse is on a top secret mission for Chiron, investigating the whereabouts and existence of Labyrinth, and if and how Luke's army is planning to use it. When Percy asks an Ares camper where she is, he'd told that she's been MIA for months. She returns at the very end of the book with her hair cut short and a new scar on her chin, and she still seems on edge from her mission. In a debriefing meeting with Chiron, Percy, Annabeth, and a few other campers, she mentions she has news from her quest. Bad news.

PERCY JACKSON & THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH
I don't know what surprised me more: Clarisse holding someone back from a fight, or the fact that she and Annabeth, who despised each other, almost seemed like they were working together.

—Percy, The Battle of the Labyrinth

When Percy arrives back at camp for the summer this year, we find out that Clarisse and Annabeth, who usually don't get along, have actually been working together over the past few months to develop a plan involving the Labyrinth, which Clarisse had scouted out last year on a secret mission for Chiron. Not only would it help Grover in his search for the missing god Pan, but it could help stop Luke and his army from advancing on the camp and taking out all the demigods housed there, if Percy and his friends could figure out how to use it before Luke does.

We also find out than while she was on her mission in the Labyrinth, she found one of the campers who had abandoned Camp Half-Blood to join Luke's army a few years ago: Chris Rodriguez. He'd been driven mad by the Labyrinth, but Clarisse saved him and brought him to her mom's house in Arizona so the mortals wouldn't lock him up, trying to nurse him back to health until she could get him back to camp safely.

When Percy and Annabeth accidentally find an entrance into the Labyrinth in the woods, Clarisse is one of the party members who goes searching for them. Time in the Labyrinth is distorted: seconds can last for minutes, minutes for hours. When she finds them, she doesn't even brag about winning the game they'd been playing because she realizes they've stumbled upon another entrance to the Labyrinth. An entrance that would lead Luke straight into the heart of camp. She explains later that Luke will be searching for Daedalus' workshop, in order convince him to help him navigate the maze. She admits that if Luke can get his army to pop up in the middle of the woods without having to deal with the magical barrier, camp wouldn't stand a chance. Grover suggests blowing up the entrance in the woods, but Clarisse growls at him that it's not that easy. She tried demolishing the entrance — a whole building — near her mom's place in Phoenix, but all it did was shift the entrance a few feet.

Eventually they decide a quest needs to be undertaken, an official quest with a prophecy. Clarisse is the first one to nominate Annabeth. Annabeth protests, saying Clarisse has done as much as she has, but Clarisse refuses, saying she'll never go back in the Labyrinth. Ever.

After she walks out on the meeting, she sits with Chris on the stairs of the Big House and tries to get him to drink more nectar so he'll get better. When Chris calls her the wrong name, she actually sounds sad. She pleads with him that he just needs to come outside, the sunglight will help. And if he can just make it until Mr. D comes back... Chris only gets worse, but Clarisse refuses to leave his side at the infirmary until Chiron orders her to back to her regular schedule. Percy even finds her practicing alone in the arena, using it as a distraction from everything that's going on. When in doubt, find something to fight to clear your head. She tries to act aloof, telling him that sometimes things go wrong and heroes die.

❝If you find Daedalus, don’t trust him. Don’t ask him for help. Just kill him. Because anybody who can make something like the Labyrinth, Percy? That person is evil. Plain evil.❞

—Clarisse, The Battle of the Labyrinth

When Luke's army breaches the camp toward the end of the book, Clarisse is there with her cabinmates on the frontlines, defending the entrance with a phalanx formation. After the battle, she and Chris sit together around the campfire and she laughs at a joke he tells her. Dionysus had cured Chris of his madness, just as she knew he could. The scene ends as she holds hands with Chris and sings a campfire song with him.

PERCY JACKSON & THE STOLEN CHARIOT
In between the events of books four and five is this little short story, appearing in The Demigod Files. It tells the story of Phobos and Deimos, Clarisse's immortal half-brothers, who have stolen Ares' war chariot from her in an attempt to make her look bad in front of Ares. They don't want a daughter of Ares showing them up (because let's be honest, Ares and most of his sons are sexist pigs). Having possession of the war chariot is a high honor among the children of Ares, a rite of passage for sons who have turned fifteen. Clarisse says she's the first daughter to have this opportunity in a long time.

When Percy shows up to help her get it back, she's defensive at first, but eventually, after an encounter with Phobos, she realizes she needs his help whether she likes it or not. They find the chariot at a zoo on Staten Island and after defeating both Phobos and Deimos — and standing up to her fear of disappointing her father — Clarisse is able to return the chariot to Ares' temple before sundown. She asks Percy if Phobos scared him, too, and he tells her he saw camp in flames, all his friends pleading for help. She hesitates, but asks him if she was one of those friends. He tells her she was, and then they part ways.

❝You were one of them,❞ I promised. ❝Just don't tell anybody, okay? Or I'd have to kill you.❞ A faint smile flickered across her face.

—Percy, The Stolen Chariot

PERCY JACKSON & THE LAST OLYMPIAN
Finally Clarisse from the Ares cabin came forward. She put her arm around Silena. They had one of the strangest friendships ever—a daughter of the war god and a daughter of the love goddess—but ever since Silena had given Clarisse advice last summer about her first boyfriend, Clarisse had decided she was Silena's personal bodyguard.

—Percy, The Last Olympian

After Beckendorf dies in a mission to infiltrate Luke's ship and blow it to smithereens, we see Clarisse comforting her new best friend Silena. She speaks to her gently, despite the scowl on her face, and offers to make her hot chocolate at the Big House. She cares deeply about her friends even if she wants to punch half of them.

Later, in the rec room, Clarisse argues with Michael Yew, senior counselor of the Apollo cabin, about a chariot they'd seized in a raid not too long ago. Clarisse claims it's rightful property of the Ares cabin because they led the raid, while Michael claims it's Apollo property because they seized it during the raid. She says she wouldn't even be here if it weren't to support Selina because she's sworn not to speak to anyone else until her conflict with Michael is resolved. She only apologizes to Silena for dragging her into this when no one sides with her about her claim to the chariot and she vows she won't fight this war until she receives what's rightfully hers.

❝All of you can fight this war without Ares. Until I get satisfaction, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying.❞

—Clarisse, The Last Olympian

True to her word, she refuses to join the fight until the very last minute, only by that point it's too late to save her best friend. In true Illiad fashion, Silena steals Clarisse's armor and leads the Ares cabin into battle, only to be killed by the drakon that was destined to be killed by a child of Ares. When Clarisse arrives on the scene with Chris, she is as distraught as she is angry. It's this anger that fuels her vengeance and she slays the drakon bearing neither shield nor sword, just as Rachel had foretold. She holds Silena as she dies and cries over her, insisting she died a hero. But with the battle still at large, she doesn't have time to pay her respects, but she vows to make Kronos pay.

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

—Clarisse, The Last Olympian

She rides straight into the Titan army demanding Kronos meet her in battle and crushes everything in her path, arrows and spears flying off her as she has been gifted the blessing of Ares. For this moment, she's just as invincible as Achilles was. She ties the drakon to her chariot, dragging it behind her like a trophy around Fifth Avenue. Her fervor is so inspiring the rest of the troops begin to rally and they drive the monsters back long enough to tend to the wounded and regroup before the next wave.

Unfortunately, in an encounter with a Hyperborean giant, Clarisse gets frozen in a block of ice for the rest of the battle. She appears again at Mount Olympus after the showdown with Kronos, and Ares praises her drakon-slaying, pounding her on the back and telling her she's the best warrior he's ever seen. It takes her a moment to process this, after all the years of scrutiny and threats not to disappoint him, but eventually she smiles and soaks in the praise.

The last we see of Clarisse, she and a bunch of other campers have just discovered Percy and Annabeth kissing in the pavilion. She tells them it's about time and she and the other campers hoist the lovebird up and carry them to the lake, dunking them in the water. It probably would've been funnier if they hadn't been dunking the son of Poseidon, but it was still worth it. So worth it.

Abilities/Special Powers:

❝That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little.❞

—Annabeth, The Lightning Thief

☐ DEMIGOD HARDWIRING: Like all demigods, Clarisse is equipped with the innate ability to fight, possessing heightened senses and reflexes that will help keep her alive in battle. To most people, it would make her seem restless and unable to focus, but it is simply her natural instinct to want to get out there and kick some ass, go on quests, be a hero. Especially as a child of Ares, the battle instinct is strong. Her hardwiring also comes with a less convenient side-effect, which presents itself as dyslexia. The manufacturer default is Ancient Greek, so English often ends up scrambled.

☑ BATTLE SKILLS: As a daughter of Ares, Clarisse is borne with enhanced battle skills, strength, and reflexes, on top of the skills she already possesses as a demigod. She is one of the most skilled warriors at Camp Half-Blood, especially excelling in hand-to-hand combat and wrestling. She singlehandedly slayed a Lydian Drakon without armor or a shield and has brought her team to victory in Capture the Flag multiple times under her leadership. And far as she's concerned, any information that doesn't help you fight is useless information.

☑ MASTERY OF WEAPONS: Another ability granted to children of Ares, Clarisse has expert knowledge of all weapons and how to use them. In a fight with the Apollo cabin, an Ares camper called down a curse to turn the Apollo arrows to rubber, so she may even posses limited magical control over certain weapons.

☑ NECROMANCY: The ability to summon the defeated soldiers of any battle from history and use them to aid her on quests or in battle.

❝The spirits on the losing side of every war owe a tribute to Ares. That's their curse for being defeated.❞

—Clarisse, Sea of Monsters

Third-Person Sample:

The last thing Clarisse remembers is slaying the drakon, holding Silena and watching her die. It was her fault. She let her best friend die over a stupid fight with the Apollo cabin. But if they hadn't stolen what was rightfully property of Ares, none of this would've happened. Selina wouldn't be dead and she... wouldn't feel so guilty.

But, really, she's angry. Some people say she's always angry, and they're probably right. That's just how it is for children of Ares. Honestly, the Hulk was probably a child of Ares... well, if he actually existed. Whatever. She's mad and she's alone and she's stuck in a maze. After her recon mission into the Labyrinth, she swore never again. But here she is and she has no idea how she got here and the only thing she has to mask her apprehension and fear is anger. It's a coping mechanism as much as it is a legitimate reaction.

At least she still has her weapons, thank the gods. She'd found her sword and shield stuck in some of the shrubbery around her, like they'd fallen from the sky or something. She doesn't question it. She doesn't care so much how she got here but how she's going to get out. Life as a demigod has taught her that regardless of how innocent or normal something seems, it'll probably try to kill you eventually. Her fight or flight instinct is kicking in pretty hard right about now: fight, then flight. She's never been one to run from a fight if she can win. Even if she can't, she'd rather die trying.

She shivers involuntarily, a chill running down her spine. That's right, she'd been fighting a Hyperborean giant and got a whole block full of ice to the face. She just hopes, wherever they are, her cabinmates are pulling their own without her. She can't bear to lose anymore friends. And, as much as she hates to even think it, she hopes Percy kicks Kronos' ass, even if it means he'll get all the glory. He always does, somehow.

She can dwell on Percy's victories later, though. Right now, she needs to figure out how she's going to get out of this stupid maze. Maybe the very convenient phone she found will help. She doesn't trust it at all, but what other choice does she have? If she uses it and monsters show up, she isn't entirely defenseless, and she's still running on adrenaline from slaying the drakon. She can do this. What does she really have to lose?

First-Person Sample:

[ clarisse hates mazes. so, as luck would have it, she finds herself surrounded by bright green shrubbery in every direction and she is not happy about it. she doesn't even bother asking why she's here. she just gets straight to business and the feed roars to life. kind of literally, actually. the daughter of the war god is someone to be feared when she's angry and she's not going to take no for an answer. ]

Alright, listen up, punks. I don't know where I am, nor do I care. But someone thought it'd be funny to stick me in this godsforsaken maze.

Yeah. Well, guess what? I'm not laughing. And if someone doesn't get me out of here, I start trimming hedges and busting the head of whoever's bright idea this was. Got it?

[ she holds up her sword. her very, very lethal sword. she may not have her spear anymore, but she's just as good with a sword. and she knows she can't get out without help so this is her, er, "subtle" way of asking for backup. just don't expect her to thank you for it. ]

See this? You don't want me to have to use it.

[ she's about to cut the feed, when something else occurs to her. ]

Oh, and if anyone's seen a guy named Chris Rodriguez, you sure as hell better tell me or it's your head next.