Summer after the battle of the labyrinth and everyone’s tired. Annabeth does a lot of lying in her top bunk and squinting her eyes closed, trying not to dwell on how inferior she feels. Months of mourning, crying randomly in the showers, and Percy was with fucking Calypso the whole time. God, if that was what he wanted why didn’t he say something? Annabeth knew, a little, that her dumb, mean ass wouldn’t be enough for him, but it’s still hard to be presented with evidence. It kinda makes her want to punch a wall.
She settles for taunting Clarisse and fighting. She does a lot of fighting, pushing herself further with every twist of her waist and strike of her dagger. Some of the Ares kids start avoiding her.
Every summer is just more of the same, this one is just worse than most. She keeps telling herself that. She’s gotten through so much and she can get through everything else she needs to get through. Alone. She doesn’t need Percy to get through this. She’s gotten too fucking dependent on him, she barely knows where the 8 year old girl she used to be went.
Clarisse la Rue is back from the battle too, spending her time prowling around the camp like a caged animal. The everpresent glint of something mischievous is gone from her eyes, replaced by something sharper. She buzzed her hair a week after they all got back and it’s slowly growing out. Looks unkempt and maybe the Ares kids can deal with that, but it pisses Annabeth off.
“Hey meathead,” Annabeth says, then takes a bite of her coleslaw sandwich. Claisse slowly raises her hair, brows furrowed.
“What, pretty boy.” Her brown eyes are dark and angry. Annabeth used to think they looked like chocolate.
“Are you going to do your hair again?” She mimes running a pair of clippers up her scalp and Clarisse smirks.
“You gonna help me? Last time I just found a razor in the Hephaestus cabin but I heard you guys’ve basically got a whole barbershop.”
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