05 CLARISSE LA RUE

Clarisse didn't have any friends before she discovered she was a demigod. She didn't even know it now, despite the number of strange creatures she used to see, which was one of the reasons she didn't have any friends.

She was sitting in front of the principal's office, her face covered in bruises and her knuckles red with blood oozing from them. There was a good explanation for that: some kids, older than you, were bullying and teasing you. The sight made Clarisse's blood boil. And not just because she hated bullies, which she did, but because it was you she was bullying. Of all the people in the school, you had to be the one being bullied. And that really bothered her, because let's just say she had some feelings for you.

Clarisse couldn't help but throw herself at the main bully who was doing this. She hit him. That erupted into a fight with over 90 students watching, including you. And here she was, staring down as she blamed herself for what she'd done. It wasn't that she regretted it, but she didn't want to disappoint her mother again.

"That was very brave," you said as you approached Clarisse with slow, unhurried steps, snapping Clarisse out of her thoughts. "I guess I owe you one."