hey for a clarisse request, could you do a clarisse x reader where they are enemies to lovers and both secretly in love and argue and banter a lot but when the reader gets more flirty with the comebacks during sparing, clarisse gets deeper into her feelings and later they confess to each other in like and angsty love confession?
pairing: clarisse la rue x daughter of apollo!reader
masterlist
love this ask, switching the roles a bit- hope i did it justice
word count - 1.7k
you don't know how it happened.
the sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a golden glow across the training grounds of camp half-blood. the air buzzed with the sounds of clashing swords and the occasional battle cry. clarisse la rue, the formidable daughter of ares, faced off against you, talented daughter of apollo, your sparring sessions becoming legendary for their intensity.
"you fight like a clumsy satyr!" clarisse bellowed, her sword clashing against yours in a shower of sparks.
you smirked, deflecting the attack with ease. "better a satyr than a one-trick pony with anger issues!"
clarisse took the talk personally, hitting you with a much harder blow straight to your stomach. tanking the hit, you analyze your opponent. her balance is shifted onto a singular leg to deliver the hit and you use this to your advantage.
stumbling back you regain your balance launching a calculated hit on her single leg. la rue loses her balance, ending the spar with her back to the ground in a loud thud.
clarisse was upset you managed to best her in hand-to-hand combat, tugging you down with her as a small dose of payback.
"that is not fair, i won! you don't get to throw me on the ground cause you're pissy about it," you raged, getting and brushing the dirt off your clothes.
"you sure you won? by the looks of it we both ended up on the floor."
you attempted to take your leave from the training grounds trying your best not to attack the daughter of ares.
clarisse growled, her eyes ablaze with frustration as you walked away. "you can't just walk away every time things don't go your way, sunshine!"
you shot her a smug grin over your shoulder. "well, maybe if you weren't so predictable, i wouldn't have to."
her scowl deepened, and she quickened her pace to catch up with you. "predictable? you think you've got me all figured out, huh?"
"i don't need to figure you out. you wear your anger like a badge of honor," you retorted, the banter between you two almost second nature at this point.
clarisse scoffed. "at least i don't hide behind a fake smile and a bunch of flowery words."
you stopped in your tracks, turning to face her with a raised eyebrow. "fake smile? you think i'm all sunshine and no substance, la rue? that's where you're wrong."
she squared her shoulders, meeting your gaze with a challenging glare. "prove it then." the tension between you two crackled in the air like lightning.
the tension between you and clarisse only seemed to grow with each passing day. the insults and banter during your sparring sessions became more heated.
one day, as the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows over the training grounds, you found yourself once again facing clarisse in a fierce duel. the clash of steel echoed in the air, and the exchange of verbal blows was just as intense.
"is that the best you've got, la rue? maybe your dad should've taught you more than just how to swing a sword blindly," you taunted, a sly grin on your face.
clarisse scowled, her eyes narrowing. "you're all talk, sunshine. let's see if you can back it up."
the spar continued, each move calculated and precise. the insults thrown back and forth only fueled the fire between you two. but this time, something was different. you noticed clarisse's eyes lingering on you a moment longer, a subtle hint of vulnerability hidden behind the fierceness.
as the spar reached its climax, clarisse decided to take a risk. with a flirty smile, she teased, "you know, if you're trying to impress me, there are better ways to do it than with a sword."
your expression shifted, a mix of surprise and confusion crossing your face. but your hesitance left you vulnerable, allowing clarisse to pin you to the ground, hovering over you, sword a distance away from you neck but still close enough to spark intuition.
her usual scowled expression replaced with a tight lip smile while she pressed her arm against your hand doing her best to beat you in terms of raw strength. you watched her eyes examine every minor imperfection of your face.
"you look real pretty like this, under me."
you felt a rush of anxiety as her critiquing eyes glossed over you. they softened ever so slightly, you almost didn't notice, as they landed on your lips. your senses were overloaded by this. so many questions but little to no answers. something in your gut told you this wasn't friendly jokes. clarisse was being genuine.
so you responded in the best way you could.
by kneeing her in the stomach and knocking her off you. the blow causing your opponent to stay on the ground for a minute or too as you fled the scene.
you found yourself back at apollo cabin, hands raking through your hair trying to find some sense in claressies actions. it's stressful. it seemed so spontaneous yet knowing clarisse, everything she does has a calculated purpose.
from then on you avoided the ares girl like the plague. every room she entered you walked out immediately. she appears at sword practice, and you're suddening very interested in your fathers weapon of choice and saunter over to the archery range.
anything to avoid being in the same vicinity as her. and clarisse isn't an idiot, she noticed she had only been seeing the back of your head for days now.
and it enraged her. she had no idea why or how she became so attached to your presence. but something in her gut was telling her to talk to you again. and that's what she did.
"y/n," the voice boomed, snapping you out of your thoughts. you abruptly shut the notebook you were originally writing in, whipping around to the source of your name. and there she was again, standing tall, clarisse la rue.
you expression faded from one of surprise to genuine discomfort. you packed up your things hastily, preparing yourself to strut passed her without a problem.
but you're talking about clarisse la rue, she would never allow that. you moved to walk by when her hand caught your shoulder, showing you in front of her again.
"you don't get to ignore me without an explanation." she stated with the most hostile voice you've heard. your eyes met for the first time in days. clarisse felt starved of your gaze. "so? what was that about?" she pressed you for answers.
when you didn't deliver, clarisse went for the one thing she knew would give her an answer. your journal.
every apollo kid has journal, it's in your nature to be connected to the arts. either they were filled with poems or songs, even just daily entries, every child of the god of music and poetry were in touch with some form of writing.
her hand moved faster than you could react, snatching the leather-bound book from your hands and rapidly flipping through pages checking the dates on each one.
you wanted to protest. to tell clarisse off but you couldn't. didn't, rather. a part of you wanted her to know why the two of you hadn't spoke. you watched her cocoa eyes scan over the pages marked with a more recent date. deciphering every word written in your neat penmanship.
she looked back up at you, stunned to say the least. she herself was still coming to terms with the emotions that erupted at the thought of you. the brunette knew it was something more than hate. she knew the two of you weren't really enemies.
clarisses voice was deprecating. "you couldn't handle being around me cause of a little crush?" she waved your notebook back in your face.
"clarisse, you know who my dad is," your voice was cautious. your hands delicately wrapping around your notebook. just brushing the brunettes fingers as you took the book back. you hand lingered there for a moment. like you didn't want to break contact.
the girl scoffed at the question. "of course, apollo, god of light, music, and poetry. what does that have to do with this crush you think i have?"
"god of light, music, and poetry, and cursed to be unlucky in love." clarisse now understood why you had distanced yourself from her. the assumption your father's misfortunes were also placed on you must be a large burden to bare.
"y/n, that doesn't apply to you-"
"you don't know that! i'm trying to protect you!" you snapped. regret overtook your features when you realized your voice was raised. "i'm sorry, i just..." you began breaking eye contact to look at the scenery around you. the perfect place for a poet to write days on end.
helios's grace peeked through the branches of trees, casting intricate shadows along the ground. the trees themselves were tall and presented themselves with stability. and in the middle of all this prettiness was the most beautiful thing of all. clarisse la rue.
even when the two of you hated each other you couldn't deny the ares girls beauty. she was breathtaking. and being mature enough to dislike her and still admit she's gorgeous was a blessing you bestowed on yourself.
"i don't want you to fight for something we both know might crash a burn in the end," you concluded your thought. eyes shut so you wouldn't have to see clarisses reaction. "you don't deserve that." all you heard in response was a scoff before clarisse acted faster than you could stop her.
she took the front of your shirt, balling it into her fist. with a swift tug she crashed her lips onto yours. kissing you with the utmost passion you had ever experienced.
your eyes shot open, widening at the sudden contact then fluttering closed once again. but you weren't complaining. hands sneaking behind her neck, pulling her closer and lightly caressing the edges of her face. if this was the last time you could have her like this, you wouldn't have it any other way.
when you finally broke away, clarisse spoke up. "you know damn well i don't need your protection. so let me have what i want."
you just nodded mumbling a small agreement before the two of you dove back into another chaste kiss.














