Clara POV

My five older brothers were all out, leaving Hannah and me to do what we wanted. And in our case, that meant have a water fight.

“I’ll get you for that, Chocolate EClara!” Hannah yelled as I snuck up on her with a water balloon.

“Not if I can help it, BanHannah Split!” I yelled back, firing my water gun at her.

Those were the good old days, before BanHannah Split and I were separated. She was two years younger than me, and our academic levels forced us to be in different schools. I was dyslexic and suffered from a pretty severe case of ADHD, while she was the top of her year in everything. She went to an advanced placement boarding school, while I went to the same public school that all my brothers had gone to. I had a few friends, but Jade Garrett was the only one who I really liked. She was really pretty, and her best class was biology. She was always dying her hair green. She loved plants and we had a special tree that we always hung out at on the playground. My other friends, well, they were less cool. Melissa Coffman and Allison Green were kind of mean, but Jade insisted that we had to keep them around for “security reasons.” I wasn’t really sure what that meant. And then there was Renee Sanderson. She was gorgeous, and all the boys were after her.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Many of the boys chased after me, too. Renee was gorgeous, and I was hot. We were only ten, and we had both had boyfriends already. But Renee annoyed me to no end. She was always comparing herself to me, and making me break up with my boyfriends. She had a certain charismatic air about her, and she had strong power in her voice.

Today, Melissa and Allison were being really mean. I scored a goal in basketball when it happened. They were on the opposite team. Suddenly, they were growing bigger. Renee and I were still tiny, but Jade had somehow brought her tree into the room with her, and she had blended into it. Next thing I knew, Jade was the tree. I yelled, startled, as it grew through the ceiling alongside the giant Melissa and Allison. “Mellie! Ali! You promised!” yelled Jade the tree. All the boys were cowering near one edge, and all the other girls were doing the same by the other edge. Renee and I looked at each other. 

“Renee! Use your persuasive power! Get Melissa and Allison to stop!”

“I can’t, Clara. I don’t know how!” 

“Just try it, Rennie! Please!”

Renee must’ve known I was serious, because only Jade had used her nickname before. I groaned, wishing could do something. 

“Stop, giants! You’re our friends, right? Mellie? Ali?”

“How dare you use our nicknames? How dare you try to charmspeak us?” Melissa called. 

“Clarissa, Renee, run! They’re Laestrygonian Giants, and they want to drag you to the Underworld!” Jade called.

“Our master… our master will bring you down, you silly little tree nymph! And as for you, demigods, you will die in Tartarus!” Allison yelled.

“The reinforcements are coming, Melissa, Allison. Be prepared to go down! And as for you two, run! You’ll meet Clarisse in the front, and she’ll help you understand everything! Go! Now! Renee, you know what to do!”

Renee gulped. “Clara, come on. We have to go!” My eyes glazed over, and I realized that Renee was in full control of me. She could make me do anything she wanted right now, and I would have to obey. 

We rounded the corner and came upon a tall girl in armor. She raised her sword at us. “Demigods.”

“Wh-who are you?” I stuttered.

“I must ask you that first. Full names?”

“I’m Renee Andromeda Sanderson, and this loser is Clarissa Jeanne Bradley.” Renee said before I could stop her. I elbowed her in the ribs. This girl could be one of them!

“I am Clarisse La Rue. I’m here to take you to a safe place for people like you. You two are both demigods, meaning that you each have a godly parent.”

“But I live with both my parents!” Renee and I exclaimed at the same time.

“Hurry, idiots, there’s no time! You two and the other new camper will need to answer to Luke and me until you are claimed, and curse the gods if your parent is Ares!”

I just wished these people would stop talking in code. I looked at Renee, who shook her head. “Well come on then, young demigods, what are you waiting for?” Clarisse yelled, taking us by surprise. I realized that like Renee, Clarisse was not someone to cross. She grabbed my right arm and Renee’s left, and pulled us toward the door. There was a black car outside. “Well, what are you waiting for, get in!” Clarisse snarled, half shoving me into the car. There were two young men in the front. “Hi, my name’s Luke Castellan and I will be your driver today. This is my brother Chris Rodriguez, and he will get you anything you want. Make yourself at home, we will arrive at Camp Half-Blood shortly.”

Renee peered at Luke and Chris. “But you look nothing alike? How can you be brothers?”

“We are both sons of Hermes, but with different mothers,” Chris said. He had a hard, stony face. Luke was blonde and looked a little like me, or like the brother I’d never had, except that he was tall and lean while I was average height, and a little overweight.

“Hermes….he’s the god of mischief, right? And Ares is the god of...war?”

“Very good, Clara,” Luke said. “My father is indeed the god of mischief, and he’s also the messenger god. And he is the god of the lost children, which is why you two and the new boy will be staying in our cabin until you are claimed. Speaking of which, do either of you have any idea of who your godly parent is? Or if it’s your mother or father?”

“We told you earlier, we live with both our parents. Now take us back, pranksters!” Renee shouted. As had happened with me many times before, Luke immediately did what she said. Clarisse yelled at him. 

“No, you idiot, I thought I taught you how to resist it! She’s charmspeaking you, just like Drew Tanaka. Don’t listen!”

Chris and Luke turned to face her. “Don’t take them back, idiots!”

“Are you sure, Clarisse?”

“Keep driving! Oh well, we’re here anyway. Get out, and make sure you aren’t followed!”

“Who would follow us?” I asked

“The same ones who tried to attack you. The monsters!”

I blushed. Of course that was why we were here, how could I be so stupid? I looked around. We were surrounded by forest. “Now, run between those trees,” Chris instructed. But even as we disappeared behind the trees, we heard a loud roar from behind us. There was a monster, but it wasn’t after us. It was following a minivan. 

“Chris, take them inside the boundary. We need to help the new kid, and Grover!” Clarisse yelled. 

And then the monster threw something at Renee and me, and we blacked out.