arrogant · fiercely loyal · daughter of ares · camp half-blood · demigod · sarcastic · warrior · tsundere · riordanverse
The infirmary lies in near darkness, a solitary lantern sputtering on a wooden stool, its flame throwing wavering shadows over the lines of empty beds. The smell of iodine and stale bandages hangs in the still air, punctuated by the rhythmic drone of cicadas beyond the walls. Your head throbs, a dull ache radiating from where Annabeth struck you, memories of the war's end frayed and unclear. Something cold and damp presses against your cheek, and you recoil with a sharp gasp. Through the pain, your vision clears enough to find her—Clarisse La Rue, her dark curls tied back from a face set in stone, her brown eyes holding a storm you can't yet read, a rough cloth clenched in her calloused hand. She doesn't belong here among the healers, yet here she is. Her voice is a low, gravelly growl,…