You Are Fair in Love and War / Clarisse x Silena

Ruegard

Written for The Apollo Awards 2024 hosted by TheRedSourPatchKid. It's fanvoted, so check out the voting book and vote for story #11!

Update — I won!! Thank you to everyone who voted :)

♥

Clarisse had always insisted she be buried with her electric spear — her third one. It was as obvious as it was important. Her half-siblings had made good on their promise, because she held it now before her three assigned judges of the afterlife: Audrey Hepburn, Atalanta, and um, she didn't know. Some random old man.

The heavy spear teetered in her palm like a scale as the judges conversed.

"Brought the Golden Fleece to Camp Half-Blood," Audrey Hepburn mused. "Scouted for entrances to the Labyrinth. Defended camp and Manhattan against enemies in several battles. Impressive fighting."

Clarisse swelled with pride.

"But made an awful call once," Atalanta challenged. "Allowed her arrogance to keep her and her siblings out of the frontlines of the Battle of Manhattan. Until Silena Beauregard intervened."

Clarisse winced at the memory, and she ached to curl in on herself right then and there. Not her finest moment. Worst yet was that Silena had died to correct her mistake. Then Michael Yew had died too.

"She was young," the man chided. "She's lived with that regret for six years now. On to the manner of her death. On a mission for Chiron to seal up entrances to Pasiphaë's Labyrinth, Miss La Rue was attacked by a horde of Gryphons. But she held strong and let her siblings get to safety. I think the answer's clear."

Atalanta conceded. "Yes, she made some mistakes, but overall it is a clear-cut case for Elysium."

"Agreed," Audrey Hepburn said, and the man nodded.

Relief hit Clarisse like a breeze in a scorching desert. Atalanta really had her going there. She felt the uncharacteristic urge to thank them, but gratitude never came easy to her.

"You're in my friend's favourite movie," Clarisse said instead, addressing the movie star. "Breakfast at Tiffany's. I like Wait Until Dark better, but, you know."

Audrey smiled, and the lines by her eyes showed it was genuine. "I love those movies too. Thank you."

A security ghoul showed up and ushered her forward. The entrance of Elysium was a literal golden gate to the tantalizing paradise beyond. Clarisse could barely focus beyond its shining gilded bars. Elysium was so bright compared to the rest of the Underworld it was hard to look at.

The ghoul pushed open the door and made a grand "you may enter" gesture. She took a step through the gate, and she blinked her eyes and took it all in.

It was autumn. At least this first section was. Auburn leaves of every warm colour filled the trees, and they delicately floated to the sidewalk, where they crunched perfectly under Clarisse's boots.

She was just beginning to wonder why the ghoul left her alone and where the Ares she was supposed to go when Silena Beauregard appeared at the top of the hill.

Clarisse wasn't sure what to say. She hadn't counted on Silena being the first person she saw.

So it was Silena, who was always better with words, who shrieked with happiness: "Clarisse!"

She didn't know why it shocked her. Of course she'd remember her. But a sneaking feeling had made Clarisse think that paradise would make her forget. Surely she was a painful memory. But Silena was forgiving.