Confidence & Pride// [Percy Jackson OC]// Book 5

{Chapter Twenty-Two}

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"Now you're in the stars and six-feet's never felt so far/Here I am alone between the heavens and the embers"
- In The Stars (Benson Boone)
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HOME IS WHERE THE HEARTH IS

NO ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT that Clarisse would be the MVP of the battle, but no one could disagree with that fact in the end. Everyone watched as Clarisse strung the Drakon onto the back of her flying chariot and used it to dive right into the enemy lines, obliterating anything in her path. She was so inspiring that the Party Ponies were able to build a blockade, and with the hunters firing arrow after arrow, and the remaining thirty campers able to fight. They were able to push the enemies back to 35th street.

Eventually the campers started to head back into the building after Arya got a promise from the Ponies to hold, and so they all retreated in, well everyone but Clarisse who was still killing and smashing enemies left and right. She looked insane, and sounded like it too. Arya understood that she was working through her grief, she had just lost her best friend, another one of Arya's main group gone. Only half of them remained now. It was hard to think about. Arya chose not too, Clarisse chose to take the anger out of monsters.

At one point she got a bright red Aura around her and her voice amplified to the level of a god. It was the blessing of Aries, something Arya had never seen in person.

All the gods had blessings, they could give their kids, specifically the gods who tended to not pass on special powers to their kids. Aphrodites was able to make her kids beautiful for an extended period of time. Apollo's was able to let his kids glow so bright you could hardly look at them, and they have perfect aim. Hermes was the ability to give his kids super speed, and Aries was to make them invincible and strong during a fight.

Once everyone was safe inside and Clarisse was circling the perimeter of the street daring anyone to come after her. Percy, Arya, and Chris stood at the door looking at the scene.

"I'll watch her. She'll get tired eventually. I'll make sure she comes inside." Chris said. Arya nodded and thanked him for being there for her.

"I'm sorry about Selina. I know I wasn't in your group for very long, but I know how close you all were."

Arya licked her lips. "We were, now we just have to make sure we win this to make sure they didn't die for nothing."

"What about the camp?" Percy asked. "Is anybody left there?"

Chris shook his head. "Only Argus and the nature spirits. Peleus the dragon is still guarding the tree."

"What about the little ones?" Arya asked.

"At a safe house on the outskirts of the city, Clarisse and I got them out once things started getting really bad."

"Good." Arya nodded.