Fated To Fall: PJO

Back to Black

Clarisse was impressed. The little punks did it.

However, she couldn't help but feel she was missing something. Annabeth and Grover had come back to camp and had yet to speak to her. Yet they almost always had their eyes on her.

Whatever happened, Luke seemed to be in on it. She had caught a smirk tugging on his lips one too many times for him to not be.

"Annabeth," she said when she had finally gotten a chance. "What happened to Prissy and Theo?"

Annabeth stiffened. "Percy went to Olympus after the fight."

The fight. Clarisse clenched her jaw unconsciously at the reminder that her dad lost to a twelve-year-old. "What about Theo?"

Annabeth's face grew pinched. Clarisse narrowed her eyes. Before she could say anything further, the sound of a horn cut through the air. Clarisse and Annabeth took off to the front of camp, Annabeth to her cabin, Clarisse to hers.

The barrier shimmered and... it wasn't a monster.

"It's Percy!" Grover shouted. Clarisse crossed her arms in relief and worry, there was one punk accounted for. Annabeth rushed up and pulled Percy into a hug. Clarisse forced a small smile down.

She saw him glance at her and frowned, feeling confused. She ignored it once another figure came into view. Theo was okay. She felt the tension leave her shoulders as she caught Sienna and Silena's eyes.

He looked different. Bad different. He had visible dark circles from where she was standing, his hair was frizzy and had a white streak on the right side.

She made a move to step forward but stopped and watched as Josephine walked up to him hesitantly. His eyes hardened at first before she continued talking, her hands making wild gestures before he cracked a small smile and offered his hand. She shook it and patted his shoulder before walking away.

Once Grover caught sight of Theo, he rushed over, pulling him into a hug before backing up and smacking the back of his head and pulling him back in.

Grover dragged him over to Annabeth who immediately began to scold him, most likely making very violent threats.

After what seemed like an eternity, Theo began to scan the crowd. Clarisse couldn't stop the smile when she saw how his face seemed to light up at the sight of her. She ignored the look that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover shared and let Theo run into her arms.

"You survived," she said.

Theo let out a shaky laugh against her shoulder. "I almost didn't."

Clarisse didn't say anything further and just carded her fingers through his hair. After a couple of minutes, he pulled back. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Before Clarisse could ask what was wrong, he began to glow.

He stepped even further back and she instinctively reached for him, stopping herself with the realization. Chiron seemed to catch on as well, trotting over to where they stood.

The glow faded and Theo stood there, hair shiny and healthy, falling in waves above his eyebrows. His face no longer puffy and red. Sitting atop his head was a golden crown of laurels, resting there like it was always supposed to be. His clothes had changed from torn jeans and ripped shirt to a deep purple peplos.

In short, he looked like a king. Or more accurately, a prince.

Chiron slammed his hoof against the crowd as the campers dropped to their knees. "Hail, Theseus Salvatore. Son of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."

Clarisse shot up and pulled Theo into another hug. "Congratulations, punk."

Silena appeared out of nowhere to pull her newly announced brother into a hug. "I knew you were ours. Ask Clarisse, I called it."