( the man who joins her reminds her of someone, though she can't quite place who. this happens a lot with demigods. there are a lot of fucking people to keep track of, okay? gods and immortals are a dime a dozen. she can't be expected to remember all of them. still, clarisse gets the feeling that this man isn't just anyone. he holds himself with the pride of a warrior, that much is obvious to the child of war. )

Yeah, in my experience, Grandpappy Zeus is pretty shitty at answering prayers. ( or, like, paying attention to any of his kids. or grandkids. that was kind of the whole point of the last titan war. but that doesn't mean that clarisse doesn't know when it's appropriate to try. she glances at the sky, the distant flash of light sparking through the haze. she swallows thickly. ) But I figure it's still worth a shot. All that lightning makes me nervous.

( she remembers the last time zeus was this pissed, when he thought percy had stolen the master bolt, how angry the sky was, how the heavens and the sea seemed to be clashing as zeus and poseidon fought over who was to blame. she remembers the rainstorm above camp half-blood, which should have been protected by its magical barrier, the torrential downpour of zeus' rage. she remembers thinking, if zeus is willing to take out his wrath on camp based on suspicion, what else is he willing to do? )