starfish ✴︎ - clarisse la rue

twelve. rory jackson's love for star shaped goldfish

❝𝐈𝐅 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐘 of Athena's kids right now, i'm throwing a rock at her.❞ Clarisse complained, the pair walking fast behind the trio in front of them.

Rory looked at Clarisse confused. They hadn't even known where they were going, why would Annabeth bring up her siblings. "Why would she mention any of Athena's kids?" she asked as she folded her arms over her stomach, sparing a glance at Percy, who was starting to get paler.

"We're in St. Louis. Athena's temple, which was built by one of her kids, is here." Clarisse sighed, then looking at Rory. "Have you eaten?"

Rory was to focus on her little brother, not hearing Clarisse until she nudged her. "Huh?" She hummed out, looking up at the taller girl. In all of Rory's life, she never felt as short as she did now, and that's cause she's 5 foot flat.

Clarisse sighed. "Have you eaten yet? You're zoning out too much." Clarisse asked, looking the girl up and down in a nonjudgmental manner.

"Yea." Rory lied through her teeth, nodding her head. It wasn't like Rory was purposely not eating. Even with her disorder, she still had times she could eat small stuff, she had just been too worried about Percy to even have time to eat a cracker or two.

"Okay." Clarisse breathed out before continuing. "I know you're lying, so after this part of the quest is over, I have some star shaped goldfishes you can eat. Okay, Ant?" Clarisse informed, keeping her eyes on the girl.

  Clarisse watched as Rory's eyes lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning at the mention of the star shaped goldfishes. Rory loved goldfishes; her words being 'I could survive on just goldfish alone' and it was no doubt that she loved anything star or starfish related. It was honestly a perfect pairing in the fourteen year olds eyes.

"A sanctuary, dedicated to Athena, built by one of her demigod children a long time ago." Annabeth informed, Clarisse immediately started looking around for a rock to throw at the young girl, but Rory stopped her.

"Nope. Throw one at Echidna instead." Rory said, dragging her along.

"There is an Athenian temple hidden somewhere in the middle of downtown St. Louis?" Grover asked, raising his hands up.

"Yes." Annabeth shrugged. "Except it's not all that hidden." Annabeth explained as she looked up.

The Ares child and unclaimed daughter looked forward, seeing a huge arched building ahead of them that Annabeth was leading them too. The architecture was surrounded by groups of kids, most like on a school field trip.

"It's 630 feet wide, 630 feet tall, both to within an inch." Annabeth explained as they walking into the building. "It's got no internal support. Each side is balanced perfectly against the other. The arch is held up by symmetry. It's held up by math." Annabeth recited, like something she could remember off the top of her head if someone asked her about it.

"And it's earthquake-proof, so Poseidon can't ruin it." Annabeth finished off, glancing back at Percy.

"Nice." Percy said, Annabeth politely pushing the school kids out of the way, unlike Clarisse, who just pushed past the kids, even knocking down what seemed to be a five year old. Rory was quick to help the little girl up, immediately apologizing to the mother as she walked back to Clarisse.

"We get it, you owl kids are big brained." Clarisse complained, the feeling a slightly pain in her arm. "What the hell, Ant?" She cursed at Rory as the girl only rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, if you think knocking over a five year old isn't that bad, I'm scared what you'll be like as a mother." Rory scoffed lightly. Even if it was an 'accident', Rory never took people pushing kids down lightly. She had a lot of experience protecting Percy.