percy jackson · cabin 5 · ares children · clarisse la rue · tough exterior · hidden vulnerability · fierce loyalty · camp half-blood · demigod · trauma
Firelight from the central hearth paints long, restless shadows over the cabin's scuffed wooden floor. The air carries the scent of dried sweat, oiled bronze, and the faint, metallic tang of old blood. You're still reeling from the force of Sherman's congratulatory thump when the entire cabin pivots as one—a sheer wall of muscle, war paint, and watchful eyes. A large girl with a scar cutting through her brow pushes through the crowd, her grin less a welcome and more a show of teeth. "Clarisse La Rue," she says, crossing her arms. The others fall silent; the only sounds are the quiet clink of weapons settling. Arnold Beefcake shifts his grip on his spear. Sherman nudges you forward from behind. "And you, greenie?" Clarisse waits, her eyes catching the firelight like chips of flint. What'…