A Little Different IV || Clarisse La Rue | BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH

VI

This week has been... something, everyone was nervous and getting ready for a war. There was a memorial burial burn thing, for Percy as everyone assumed he was dead. He'd been missing for like almost three weeks, but then he just... shown up, out of nowhere!

They went back into the Labyrinth to keep doing their quest, Grover and Tyson were missing in it trying to find pan. So yeah, crazy week.

Ciara was walking around camp trying to find Clarisse, but she couldn't find her anywhere. But she then saw a crowd of campers by the strawberry patch and Ciara realised Clarisse would be there.

She looked into the crowd, Chiron moving away some campers from the crowd. Drawing them away, Ciara then saw Clarisse arguing with a girl. From cabin 9, her name was Sabrina. She was a pretty... big girl, and as Ciara wouldn't admit it out loud, a fight with Sabrina and Clarisse... Sabrina would win.

Sabrina already had beaten up a bunch of kids, so she wasn't surprised when she punched Clarisse hard right in the face. Clarisse reached out to her grabbing her by the shirt, thankfully Chiron pulled her back. Ciara went with her to the infirmary.

She wiped her nose and sighed. "What even happened?" She asked Clarisse as she wiped her bloody nose. "She threatened me!" Clarisse said, exclaiming.

"We were training and she said, "break a leg". So I said "how about I break your leg?!" And then we started arguing" Clarisse said, Ciara pulled the tissue away and stared at her.

"What?" She said looking at Ciara. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, "break a leg is just a saying for good luck" Ciara explained to her, Clarisse scoffed.

"That's dumb. It's not good luck if you break your leg it's painful and not that lucky" Clarisse said shrugging. Ciara shook her head and sighed before continuing to clean her bloody nose.

"Anyway, I decided what I was gonna do. Im going to see my mom" Ciara said, her new friend Anika talked her into doing it. Anika was super nice and pretty, she was super cool too. She made sick paintings.

Clarisse smiled, "that's great. But how? Chiron isn't letting anyone leave camp. Especially now" she said looking at her. Ciara shrugged, "You know Connor?" She said. Clarisse rolled her eyes.

"Everyone knows Connor" she nodded, Ciara shrugged and rolled her eyes "okay smartass. He came up with a plan. While everyone's at the dining pavilion tonight he's gonna ...'borrow'... the camp van and drive us" she said.

"That's... sort of smart but what're you gonna do if Chiron notices you missing?"

"Just come up with an excuse" Ciara replied, Clarisse nodded. "Won't it just be better to wait until everything's settled down before going out to see her?" Clarisse said, Ciara shook her head in response.

"You got everything?" Connor asked as Ciara snuck away from the dining pavilion which was hard because they were having grilled cheese with extra cheese. Ciaras favourite. Ciara nodded.

"I got the drinks and food" Connor said as they got to the camp van. The strawberry logo of camps on the side of it. Ciara got in the passenger seat as he played around with wires, ciara was a little afraid that he'd blow them both up or something. But her worries disappeared when she heard the engine rumble and see the headlights come on. The thought then struck her mind.

"Wait do you even know how to drive?" Ciara said, Connor smiled.

"No"

Ciara held on tight, not really fully trusting Connor after he almost poisoned her on April fools day when he put shaving cream in her can of whipped cream.

After a while he got the hang of driving it, but still. Ciara went through the bag of "food" he bought, it was just chocolate bars and chips. "Is this the food you bought? Connor!" She groaned.

Connor shrugged, she then sighed as she pulled out two bottles of green cordial.

"Connor you dog where's the water??" She said rummaging through the bag, "there'll be taps won't there?" He said. Ciara sighed putting it all back, I guess this is what she gets for putting Connor in charge of food and drink.

They had a bit of money for gas and to stay at a motel for the night. They went to the motel where they stayed for the night, the doorman showed them where their room was.

It was disgusting.

The beds were dusty and the pillows were just pillow cases filled with shredded newspaper. The carpet was half ripped out. The bed was broken and the walls were dusty with the paint scraping off.

"What the fu-.. what is this??" Ciara said looking around. The doorman shrugged, "a motel room" he replied.

"You said it has a view of the city??" She looked out the window, just seeing a large fence.

"That's city. Right there" he pointed to the bum sleeping on the floor, he then got up and smiled. Only one tooth in his mouth as he waved. He then tried to climb through the window which of course, there was no glass in. Ciara quickly shut the blinds before he could crawl through and probably give her and Connor many diseases.

The doorman left, Ciara looked over at Connor who was pocketing things from the drawers. He turned over and looked at her. "You said your mom highly recommends this place??" She exclaimed. Highly disgusted.

"This is where she stays when she comes to town" Connor shrugged, Ciara shook her head. "WHY?!" She exclaimed gesturing tot he dirty walls, the missing light bulb and the dusty beds.

"Her surgeon works down the hall from room 26B" he shrugged. Ciara sighed and sat on the bed, thinking. And regretting, mainly asking Connor to help her sneak out of camp to find her mom.

That didn't last long, she let out a scream as she raised her feet to the bed and sat back, "what??" Connor said. Ciara pointing to the mouse scurrying off. "A mouse ran over my feet!!" She yelled.

"Ciara", Connor sighed looking over at the mouse and back at her. "That's a rat" he said. Ciara gaged as she got up rushing over to the bathroom, she covered her hands in soap. Turning the tap on, disgusted, but not surprised seeing the browny yellow water come out of the tap.

She shook her head, wiping her soapy hands on the towel. She rushed out of the room grabbing her bag. "No. We're not staying here. I am not sleeping in this room!" She said. Connor sighed, "it's not that bad" he said.

"The metal in the shower is brown!" She said. Connor rolling his eyes, "it's just a shower, Ciara" he said. "You know it's how you stay clean, it's fine"

Ciara scoffed at that, "is it?! Or is it how I get freaking tetanus!" She said grabbing her bag swinging it over her shoulder. "Fine. Well sleep in the cold outside" he said grabbing his bag. They went out of the hotel. They went out to the van and just slept in that.

It's better than sleeping in a crusty bed and getting covered in cockroaches and diseases. Connor didn't think so though.

Ciara just thought on the bright side, by this time tomorrow she'll have met her mom. Seen her and gotten to know her, and finally have a proper family. But there was still that fear gut feeling that her mom would be different then she pictured, that she wouldn't want to meet Ciara and other things.

Ciara kept thinking the happy side of it, even if her mom doesn't want her shell at least have tried. And seen what her mom looks like and that. She kept trying to think of that, but the 'worst that could happen' thoughts that were in the back of her head kept creeping up to the front.

Ciara tried to sleep but it was hard with Connor snoring like an old man. It was also super cold that night, after a while she passed out. Which was kind of good, at least she'd get some sleep.

Word count: 1377