It had become a well-known rule at Camp Half-Blood that when you and Clarisse were sparring, it was not to be interpreted. Even though the pair were… something, they fought like they were trying to kill each other.

Travis, and some of the other Counsellors brought their newcomers to watch when you sparred with the Demigod. It was a sort of reality-check for the kids that wanted to fight. Some saw this and started helping out in the Infirmary, others watched with sheer wonder.

Oftentimes, after the match was completed, they would walk each other to the Infirmary to get patched up. You would sit next to Clarisse on one of the cots, intertwining her pinky finger with yours until she had to move her arms for the Medics. Sometimes the resulting injuries were as simple as scraped knees or a bloody lip, other times they were broken bones or bruised ribs- one time, you had dislocated and then broken her arm.

But it was all sort of automatically forgiven. Those injuries were for training purposes, and for bragging rites- there was a little score chart on the whiteboard outside The Armoury. Many campers weren’t sure if you two hated each other, or were in love. Percy had caught the daughter if war daydreaming, staring of into space instead of cleaning the sword in her lap a few times, but promised not to tell when Clarisse threatened to tell the camp about the first time he’d seen Annabeth in a bikini and got hard.

This stupid camp really was full of dumbass kids with dumbass crushes, wasn’t it?

Currently, about half the camp was watching them fight. They were going at each other viciously. Your throwing knives were flying past her head, while you parried her spear with your dagger. Clarisse had the advantage of her size and musculature, meaning she could easily put more force behind her blows. However, you and your daggers were smaller and more agile, allowing you to trip her up as you dodged and ducked.

As much as she enjoyed proving herself to her father, and showing the camp she was strong, a part of her broke every time she drew blood. But she ramped it down. She was supposed to vicious and everything, right? She caught one of your daggers and used it to cut your shoulder. Her stomach twisted, but her resolve only hardened.