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Clarisse La Rue is one of the major characters in characters in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The daughter of Ares, the Greek god of war, she is hot-tempered, arrogant, big, tall, and strong. She is also known as a bully in Camp Half-Blood.

Background

Clarisse is a well-trained camper and shows mastery at using her favorite weapon, an electrical spear that was given to her by her father. She believes that all problems are solved by blowing them up, as shown when she confronts Charybdis, the whirlpool monster. She is stubborn and has a deep dislike of Percy because he managed to humiliate her in all of her attempts to bully him during The Lightning Thief. It is also stated in the books that Ares has a grudge against Percy; therefore, Clarisse feels she must hate Percy also out of loyalty to her father. Clarisse does her best to continue disliking Percy even in the face of all his selfless acts toward her. In later books, Clarisse's character is revealed to be a kinder and friendlier one than how she was portrayed in her earlier interactions with Percy. Clarisse's relationship with her father, Ares, is often a strained one. Her loyalty and desire to please her father seems wasted as Ares is harsh towards her. In The Sea of Monsters, while talking to Clarisse via an Iris message, Ares taunts, mocks, and proceeds to degrade her by saying she is not as good as her brothers, which makes her angry and sad.

In the books

The Lightning Thief

Percy meets Clarisse when she comes out from her cabin, saying that newcomers must have their heads pushed into a toilet. This is before Percy is known to be a son of Poseidon. Percy accidentally squirts toilet water on Clarisse, her cabinmates, and Annabeth. Later on, Percy breaks Clarisse's electric spear in a game of Capture the Flag.

The Sea of Monsters

In the second book, she has her first quest in which she brings the Golden Fleece back to Camp Half-Blood, with help from Percy and his friends, to heal Thalia's tree because it was poisoned.^[2]

The Titan's Curse

Clarisse is absent during the third book, and a member of the Ares cabin tells Percy that she is away on a secret scouting mission for Chiron, but has not been heard from and he considers her M.I.A. What this mission comprised of is revealed in The Battle of the Labyrinth, but it was apparently very difficult, as when she returned she was mildly scruffed-up and "didn't even try to pulverize [Percy]." She reports that Luke has been trying to get into camp through the Labyrinth.^[3]

The Battle of the Labyrinth

Clarisse's scouting mission involves her entering the Labyrinth near her mother's house in Phoenix, Arizona. There she finds a fellow half-blood, Chris Rodriguez, who was driven to insanity in the Labyrinth by the ghost of King Minos. She takes him back to Camp Half-Blood and tries to nurse him back to health with nectar and ambrosia. She is found crying, showing that the daughter of Ares is, in fact, capable of love. Dionysus is able to reverse Chris's insanity. The two are later seen together, happy and holding hands at the campfire while singing.^[4]

The Last Olympian

Clarisse develops a friendship with Silena Beauregard and a relationship with Chris Rodriguez. The Ares Cabin refuses to fight in the war. When Silena tricks Clarisse's silblings (the Ares Cabin) to fight in the war, Silena is killed by a drakon. Clarisse then single-handedly slays the drakon and battles the army of Kronos with her siblings, receiving the Blessing of Ares during the battle. When the Gods arrive at Mount Olympus her father praises her efforts in the war and her slaying the drakon. At the end of the book, she exhibits respect for Percy because she is among the campers who eavesdrop on him and Annabeth before playfully throwing them into the lake.^[5]

Power/Abilities

• She has ADHD like other half-bloods, which allows her heightened awareness in combat.
• As with all other half-bloods, Clarisse is Dyslexic, because her brain has been "hard-wired" for Ancient Greek.
• Clarisse is trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat.

Weapons/Magical Items

• A spear that can spark electricity. Her first one is destroyed by Percy in a capture the flag game in The Lightning Thief. In The Last Olympian, she receives a new one named Maimer, which is also destroyed when she kills a drakon; it is called Lamer behind her back by the campers.
• An ironclad warship from her father in The Sea of Monsters. It is destroyed by Charybdis on her quest for the Golden Fleece.
• On occasion a chariot that belongs to her father that she may borrow. It may change form (motorcycle, tank, convertible, etc.)

References