warnings: slight internalized homophobia, mild violence, built up angst
genre — enemies to lovers? short fanfic
summary: you and clarisse have never gotten along due to differences in each other’s nature. however, a game of capture the flag shifts the entire dynamic between the two of you.
pairing — clarisse la rue x daughter of athena!reader
a/n :: this is my first ever fanfic that has been PUBLISHED 🥹🥹!! i usually never post my fanfiction but im feeling brave!
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The air was tense. The sun had stopped shining as brightly as it did earlier. Everyone seemed on edge.
People had every right to be on edge.
Today was capture the flag.
The one camp event that put pressure on everyone.
The one person who felt no pressure was Clarisse La Rue. The daughter of Ares feared no one and was cruel to everyone. She loved capture the flag because it allowed her to be in charge of something. This sense of control made her even more cold.
Two teams were made: blue and red. Six cabins were assigned to each team. The blue team had the Hermes, Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hephaestus, and Poseidon cabins. The red team had the Ares, Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Artemis, and Dionysus cabins.
You’re standing in place, on a hill, defending your team’s flag. You are on team blue as a defender. The atmosphere suddenly gets very unnatural as the wind completely stops shifting.
Chills run down your spine, causing the grip on your sword to tighten. Everything went quiet and you could hear shuffling in the distance. The wind begins to whistle again, allowing you to calm yourself for a moment.
If only the whistling had actually been the wind. Out of nowhere, a group of five people begin to emerge from below the hill. You stiffen, holding your sword up a few more inches to prepare for an attack.
The group was filled with muscular kids that had scowls on their faces — Ares kids. That only meant that Clarisse had to be with them.
“Why don’t you move out of our way so we can get your flag?” One of the Ares kids spoke, a smirk forming on his face as he stepped forward.
He held a large sword that looked like it was twenty pounds. He had brown hair that was buzzed almost completely off, a scar on his left cheek, and armor covering almost all of his body.
“Yeah, just get out of here and we can peacefully grab the flag, win, and we promise we won’t rub it in your face,” a girl spoke up, her appearance hidden by a helmet and heavy armor. She held no weapons but stood near her siblings.
You stand your ground, scoffing merely at the group of campers.
“Yeah right. I’m not gonna betray my team just because of some low lives,” you say while gripping the hilt of your sword, holding it out to the group.
Adrenaline had taken over you, making you unafraid of the people in front of you. Your brain tried to figure out their motives. Why bring an entire group when they could’ve only sent two offense to the flag? Your eyes scanned the group meticulously, attempting to see through their sharp and shiny armor.
“Low lives? Do you even know who you’re talking to?”
“I do, but I’m not seeing anything too important. So why are you guys stalling? If you’re gonna fight then fight,” you reply with the witty comment, hoping that would give more insight on this team’s plan.
Suddenly, a raspy, deep voice spoke from the shadows of the trees, “Well we could, but we wanted to let you choose between the easy way and the hard way to do this.”
Walking out of the trees and into view was the one and only Clarisse La Rue. Daughter of Ares, head counselor of the Ares cabin, one of the strongest demigods at camp.
However, there’s history where legacies lie. You and Clarisse have never gotten along. Her bullying never worked on you and it irritated her. She continued trying to bully you but after a while she gave up. Her persistent nature is what drew you away from the girl. The repetition of attempting to gain your attention was one thing that drained all energy you had.
After you were claimed by Athena, you naturally became stronger and smarter. This made Clarisse envious of you, causing both of you to rival against each other.
“You say that like any of you are a threat to me. I could beat all of you with my eyes closed,” you said a tad too arrogantly. Beating any random demigod? Pretty easy. Beating Clarisse? Difficult but attainable. Beating Clarisse while she’s angry, during capture the flag, with five of her siblings by her side? That’s impossible.
You had only beaten her six times. These six times were six too many; especially since most of the events took place during sparring. Capture the flag was an entirely different battlefield. In this event, everyone is ready to win, no matter what.
In response to your words, Clarisse tilts her head. Her words are what allow you to reconnect with reality, “Is that so? Then I guess you leave us with no choice.”
She nods to her siblings as a signal to attack.
In an instant, five very strong demigods sprint your way. Right behind you is the very demigod that no one can successfully go up against and defeat during capture the flag.
You act anyway. You turn, facing Clarisse and her egotistical face. She merely raises an eyebrow at your movement, almost daring you to try and run off.
This is where an idea forms. You charge at her but as soon as she reciprocates, you side step and run down into the forest. Soon after, loud yells echo throughout the woods, and hurried footsteps are heard after them.
Your breathing becomes rapid as you run, making your ribs feel sharp. The wind in the atmosphere eventually picks up again, slowing you down.
Before you can speed up again, a heavy thing slams into you, tackling you to the ground. Any excessive breathing you once experienced was now knocked out of you.
With your face to the ground, and your body pinned down by the weight of something else, you could feel your confidence waning.
You are turned to lay on your back and your eyes could finally see what tackled you.
Above you was Clarisse, her curls falling from the front of her ponytail, framing her face. She held you down by pressing her hands to your shoulders. Her eyebrows furrowed together, and her eyes narrowed.
“Where’d that fighting spirit go? I thought you could beat all of us?” she said before laughing like a hyena, her grip loosening just slightly.
A few of her siblings finally caught up, staring down at you.
“Tell us where the flag is!”
“We can either get the flag or get your head on a stick.”
“Shut up!” Clarisse yelled, she grimaced at her siblings. “Three of you go east, two of you go west.”
“But she can easily tell us where the flag is!”
“And I’m telling you where to go,” she snapped, loosening her grip almost completely.
With her last words, all five of her siblings scrambled off, searching for the blue team’s flag. While Clarisse was still off guard, keeping a loose grip, you quickly shove her off of you. Clarisse falls to the ground, making a thud. You quickly get on her, hoping to pin her down.
Before you can even get close, you catch that specific type of anger she gets in her eyes. She twists your arm before tackling you once more.
This wrestling continued for a good three minutes. You’d roll, she’d attack, you’d fight back; it was a never ending cycle, until it ended.
When Clarisse got on top of you again, she took her spear from behind her back and pressed it to your neck.
Cold metal was felt against your throat, intensifying the moment.
“I’m tired of your continuous empty threats. You think you’re so much better than me? Prove it,” she says with venom.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about how you think you’re better than me. You clearly aren’t if I’m the one with the blade to your throat.”
You look away, gritting your teeth. It made sense. Clarisse wanted her siblings to search for the flag so that she could finally beat you.
“That means nothing. I’ve fought you one too many times and have won,” you say with a scoff, staring up at her.
Clarisse raised an eyebrow, pressing you further into the ground and pushing the blade closer to your skin.
Her eyes held a deep hatred that you couldn’t quite understand.
She leaned closer, loosening her grip slightly.
“Yeah? Well you aren’t gonna win this time. For once, you’ll lose.”
“Yes you will. And once you do, I’ll never let you live it down.”
“How do you know that will happen?” you question, your face contorting in confusion.
After your question, a loud blow horn noise was heard. Campers cheered in triumph in the far distance, making your eyes widen. It was a stall. The entire interaction with Clarisse was a stall. You had been ambushed and didn’t even know it. Without directions from yourself, the other Ares campers wouldn’t know where to go. However, Clarisse sent them anyway. She sent them because she knew that her team had already found the flag. The entire group of her siblings was just a decoy.
Your theory was proven when Clarisse smirked. An annoyingly obvious smirk that made your blood boil.
“Seems like you did lose,” she said before cackling. Her grip was taken off of you and she stood up. Despite her happy demeanor, her eyes glared daggers down at you.
You slowly sat up and at that time, Clarisse crouched down. Your eyes narrowed and you jumped to strike her, but she shoved you back down.
“I really was starting to like you and that ego that you call success. I guess I was wrong, brainiac,” she said with a laugh.
“You think that winning will soothe the pain in your heart but deep down you’ll still be weak.” Your striking comment changed the scenery of this moment. What used to be pride, anger, and disappointment, was now an awkward, eerie silence.
Clarisse grabbed you by the shirt, using all her force.
“You’re not special (l/n), but you probably already know that. Someone who’s extraordinary wouldn’t be so upset to lose for once. I guess you really aren’t interesting after all,” she said in anger.
“Why didn’t you leave right after the win was announced? Why are you even bothering to disrespect me?”
Everything went quiet. No one ever stood up to Clarisse like you ever had, and no one would ever dare say what you’ve been saying to her. You expected to get punched in the face, but something completely unexpected happened.
Clarisse leaned closer, looking you up and down.
“Maybe I actually like being around someone as irritating as you. It gives my life entertainment to constantly argue with someone like you. Someone so… unafraid,” she said softly, her tone completely changing from before.
“Unafraid? You’re acting like someone should be afraid of you. There’s nothing to fear,” you say harshly, moving your face away from her. The close proximity made your heart rate sky rocket.
Clarisse had never acted like this before. It was weird but also nerve wracking. You had always hated Clarisse. Her tough exterior, her unfunny insults, and her attitude were things that you couldn’t get past. But maybe the girl had a point. The banter was interesting.
You just didn’t know why Clarisse was going to all of this trouble to torment you. Especially right now. Especially in this moment. Clarisse was never satisfied and always had to chase for more, but why wouldn’t she celebrate her win and leave you in the dust?
Why would she spend her victory by being close to you?
The daughter of Ares chuckled, letting go of you.
“I could say the same about you,” she said with a smirk before standing up. She continued looking down at you, but her face changed. Her eyes slightly sharpened and her arms crossed. She was thinking. Pondering. But what could she possibly be thinking about? “Goodbye y/n, enjoy explaining to your team how you helped them lose miserably.”
Clarisse turned and began to walk away, which is when you scrambled to stand up. She had only gotten a few feet from you before you were grabbing onto her arm. That was the mistake. Everyone knows to never touch Clarisse. It’s an unspoken rule at camp.
The girl slowly turned to face you, her anger radiating. Clarisse’s hair was still loose and several strands escaped her hair tie’s grasp. She looked down at your hand, as a sign to tell you to let go.
Her muscles tensed, uncontrollably flexing her bicep.
You quickly let go of her, rubbing your sweaty palm on your jeans. A million thoughts run through your head as you and the daughter of Ares stare intently into each other.
“Did you mean it?” you say blankly, being vague with your words.
“Did you mean it when you said it was entertaining to argue with me?”
“I said it, didn’t I? So what do you think?” she scoffed, shaking her head.
Clarisse turned back around, beginning to walk again. Her steps were slow and steady, as if waiting for a response.
That change of pace. Was she upset? Why would she be upset? What did you do this time?
“Use context clues, (y/n).”
“Why didn’t you just beat me up back there? Why did you tell your siblings to split away from us? Why are you so content on arguing with me?” you ask desperately, showing your frustrations as you follow the girl.
Clarisse whipped around, almost making you bump into her.
“Gods you are so dense, (y/n)!” she begins to step closer to you, staring down into your eyes.
“Yknow, for a daughter of Athena, you sure are acting pretty stupid right now.”
“The way I look at you, (y/n). Haven’t you noticed the reasons I’ve been acting like I am today?” Clarisse clenched her fists, staring at the ground.
You step closer, feeling your face heat up as you do so. You begin to speak with anger lacing your voice, “I don’t usually pay attention to you. I definitely didn’t want to pay attention to you today.”
“You think I care if you pay attention to me? I don’t, (y/n). I never have. You’re nothing to me. Nothing more than an enemy that needs to be taken out,” she spits out, stepping closer. “You make me question everything and then make me regret even thinking about anything. You’re so exhausting and I can’t deal with it anymore.”
You grab her by the shirt, staring at her facial features before looking into her eyes. The height difference made the action look awkward with Clarisse being tugged down.
“I’m exhausting? You dedicate every single day to making me miserable.”
“Why do you think I do that?”
“Because you’re sad about your own dreadful life?”
Clarisse groaned, smacking your hand away and standing up straight. She bit the inside of her cheek, feeling her emotions before expressing them.
“It’s because I like you! I like you in the way I’m supposed to like boys and it’s not okay. It’s horrible. Is that what you wanted to hear?!”
You stand in shock, but Clarisse’s siblings run into the forest and collect her for celebrating their win. Loud cheers are heard in the distance and it reminds you of how little of time has passed. While screaming at Clarisse, it felt like an entire century had passed. It’s several minutes until they’re completely gone. That’s when you feel it. You feel the feelings you had hidden from yourself. You had always found Clarisse attractive personality and looks wise, but you shoved it deep down. Why?
