Chapter Text
Silena was not much of a fighter. But holy gods, seeing Clarisse La Rue made her blood roil. She never quite knew why. Maybe it was the way Clarisse picked on others, the way she smelled like sweaty dudes half the time. Maybe it was because she had the most irritating smirk known to mankind. Either way, Silena was not a friend of the daughter of Ares. Sometimes, Silena could stare at Clarisse until anger made her cheeks turn scarlet, until her heart pounded in her ears. This, she decided, was a feeling better than love.
Because not all daughters of Aphrodite could find it.
Silena hit the ground with a pathetic thud, dirt smearing her clothes yet again.
"Get up," Luke coaxes from above her, in a frustratingly good mood, "No matter how hard you fall, you need to get back up."
Silena groans, and gets up, dusting herself off. As much as she loved training with Luke Castellan, the son of Hermes was a strict instructor.
"Remember, step forward when you thrust, otherwise you put yourself off balance," Luke chastises, once again showing her, his form impeccable.
Silena huffs, exasperated at the repetitive drill,
"Why is this of any importance anyways? I know how to kill a monster, is that not enough?"
"You love your friends, your siblings, right?"
"err.. yes."
"And you want to make sure they're safe?"
"Of course."
"There you have it."
Silena sighs. Leave it to Luke to give explanations like that. She looks around the arena and sees various levels of success with the other demigods. Annabeth is pulverising her opponent- a daughter of Demeter, she presumed- and Clarisse... Clarisse was in an argument with Micheal Yew. Wonderful. Beside her, Luke peers at the two, his eyebrows creasing in vague frustration, and he walks over to them. Silena trails him, wanting to see what atrocities Clarisse had committed.
"If you'd had half a brain, you would've known by now!" Clarisse yells, her face flushed with anger.
"I'm sorry, not all of us have your sadistic thought process!" Micheal shoots back, his voice higher than his usual laid-back husk.
"Alright, break it up. Not all of us want to see another brawl." Luke cuts in calmly.
Clarisse opens her mouth again- probably to spew profanities at either male- but Luke gives her a stare so condescending, that she shuts it again.
"What exactly happened here?" he questions,
The two of them instantly launch into a mix of complaints and explanations, voices overlapping in an annoying drone of whining.
Luke signals for silence, then gestures for Micheal to begin.
"She broke my bow!" he complains, "all because we beat the Ares cabin last week."
"I told you that you were going to pay." Clarisse cuts in, looking frustratingly smug.
Blood rushes to Silena's head, and she does not think as she storms over to Clarisse, standing directly in her face.
"You are so despicable! You just can't stop being an asshole to everyone around you for your own fun! When will you learn to be nice to people?"
"Nice doesn't keep you alive, punk." Clarisse responds, her smirk only widening at Silena's anger.
"But being mean doesn't give you any allies! Being a jerk doesn't get you any friends! How are you to know who's side you're on, if you have no one to fight for? No one to fight with? Maybe for once look past something as little as revenge, and you'd know!"
Clarisse's eyes widen for a second in what Silena assumes is shock, before she glares at her.
"Mind your own business, pretty girl. Keep your opinions where they're wanted." she spits, her voice as sharp as a knife.
Before Silena can do something she'll surely regret, Luke steps in between them.
"That's enough, ladies. Pack it in."
Clarisse spits on the ground and walks off.
Good. Fine.
Two can play at this game.