| “ | I AM CLARISSE, DRAKON-SLAYER! I will kill you ALL! Where is Kronos? Bring him out! Is he a coward? | ” |
–Clarisse after slaying the Drakon, in The Last Olympian | ||
Clarisse La Rue is a Greek demigod, a daughter of Ares, the Greek god of war, as well as the current head counselor of Cabin 5 or Ares's cabin. She is currently the girlfriend of Chris Rodriguez. She is portrayed by Leven Rambin in the film adaptation of The Sea of Monsters.
Early life
Little is known of Clarisse's past except that she is from Phoenix, Arizona, and was brought to camp by the satyr, Gleeson Hedge.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief
| “ | Annabeth: Meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares.
Percy: Like...the war god? |
” |
–Annabeth introduces Clarisse to Percy, in the Lightning Thief | ||
Clarisse is known as a bully at Camp Half-Blood. She is a well-trained camper which can be a bad thing, depending on whose side she's on. When Percy Jackson first arrives at camp and is being shown around by Annabeth Chase, she mocks him and Annabeth (calling Annabeth princess), and teases them. She tries dunking Percy's head in a toilet, but this backfires when Percy unknowingly uses his water powers to shoot the water back at her, blasting her and her friends out of the bathroom. It is known that she and her gang dunks everyone's head in a toilet as an initiation, although it is not seen whenever a new camper comes. She shows mastery at using her favorite weapon, an electric spear that was given to her by her father, Ares. Percy manages to break it, making Clarisse hate Percy even more. The spear is eventually replaced with one called Maimer, but everyone else (including her own cabin mates) nicknamed it Lamer behind her back. At the end of the book at a beach in Los Angeles, Percy has to retrieve Hades' helm of darkness and wins a fight against Ares, making all the Ares kids hate him.
The Sea of Monsters
Clarisse goes on a quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Sea of Monsters. On the way there she rescues Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson from the Hydra and takes them aboard a ship named CSS Birmingham to which she is the commander with undead Confederate soldiers as her workers. While sailing through the Sea of Monsters, they are separated by Charybdis and Scylla, and an explosion blew up the CSS Birmingham. Clarisse thinks everyone else is dead, and Annabeth and Percy think the same. Clarisse reaches the island of Polyphemus just before Percy and Annabeth.
Polyphemus takes away Clarisse's weapon, and ties her up over boiling water. Clarisse yells at him to release her and fight, and reveals that Polyphemus' bride is actually Grover who is trying his best to keep himself alive. Angry, Polyphemus declares that Grover would be the meal, and Clarisse would be the bride, much to her horror. The Cyclops imprisons Grover and Clarisse in a cave, but Percy and Annabeth come to their rescue. After fleeing the cave, they all try to fight Polyphemus but fail. Tyson arrives and rescues his friends, retrieving the Golden Fleece in the process, but Clarisse's taunts at Polyphemus drives him to sink Percy's and Annabeth's ship, Queen Anne's Revenge.
With the help of Hippocampi, they escape the Sea of Monsters to Miami where Percy gives the Fleece and all the money they had left to Clarisse so she could get back to camp. She succeeded and, just as she set the Fleece over Thalia's tree, Percy, Annabeth, Tyson, and Chiron arrived. That night, the Fleece restored Thalia's Tree back to health and brings back Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, giving Kronos a second chance to control the prophecy.
The Titan's Curse
In the beginning Clarisse is not at Camp Half-Blood because she is away on a secret scouting mission for Chiron (into the Labyrinth), but has not been heard from and is considered M.I.A. She appears at the very end and tells the Campers and Chiron that she has "Bad news for everyone".
The Battle of the Labyrinth
Clarisse has become better friends with Annabeth (though still not with Percy), and they have been planning something to do with Clarisse's secret scouting mission the previous winter. She is seen holding back Juniper at Grover's trial with the Council of Cloven Elders. It is also revealed she comes from Phoenix, Arizona.
She returns from her quest and reports that Luke Castellan has been trying to get into camp through the Labyrinth.
During her quest, she finds a fellow half-blood, Chris Rodriguez near her mom's house, who was driven to insanity by Minos. She takes him back to Camp Half-Blood and tries to nurse him back to health, and cries often because of Chris's condition which shows she has strong feelings for him. When she sees Percy, she asks that when he finds Daedalus, the creator of the Labyrinth, to kill him. "Because anybody who can make something like the Labyrinth, Percy? That person is evil. Plain evil." She was seen by Percy Jackson in the Big House basement with Chris. When Percy describes how Clarisse acts toward Chris, it makes him believe she knew him before he swapped sides. Mr. D is able to reverse the insanity and the two are seen together, happy and holding hands at the campfire while singing camp songs.
The Demigod Files
The Stolen Chariot
Clarisse was given the task of looking after her father's chariot for the day. Her half-brothers, Phobos and Deimos stole it, and with the help of Percy she manages to get it back and return it to her father by sunset. This results in the two becoming friends, though they keep that fact to themselves, because they have a reputation of being rivals at camp.
Her interview foreshadows her dislike of Michael Yew, because of her arguments with him when he said that the Apollo Cabin was better just because they could use long-ranged weapons. She also states that she wishes to break his bow over his head.
The Last Olympian
The occupants of Ares' cabin and Apollo's cabin are fighting over a flying chariot because both cabins want it as their own. The Ares cabin had led the raid, and the Apollo cabin had captured the chariot. The Apollo cabin curses Clarisse's cabin mates so that they have to talk in rhyme.
At a war council, she tells the other head counselors that the Ares Cabin will not fight because they were disrespected. She sticks up for, and is good friends with Silena Beauregard, and is sympathetic when Charles Beckendorf dies. She is also vital in the final battle because Kronos had sent a drakon to attack the Heroes and it was foretold only a child of Ares could slay it; but the cabin had been duped into not helping, thanks to a spy in the camp. Finally they arrive when Silena dresses in Clarisse's armor and fools the cabin into joining the battle (in a parallel of the Illiad). After Silena is fatally wounded Clarisse charges the drakon without armor and brings the beast down, avenging her friend. The deed also earned her the blessing of Ares and the respect of her father who said it was the best drakon slaying he had ever seen. Clarisse continued to battle with the horde of monsters until she was frozen by a Hyperborean Giant.
After the war ends in victory for the Olympians and Half-bloods, Clarisse returned to camp. She and some campers eavesdrop on Percy and Annabeth, Clarisse and the campers interrupt them kissing and throw them into the canoe lake.
The Heroes of Olympus
The Lost Hero
Clarisse is mentioned when one camper comments on how Jason Grace's weapon is better than Clarisse's spear, Maimer (nicknamed "Lamer"). She also took part in the council meeting at the end of the book, when Chiron reveals the truth about the Roman camp. She mentions that the brutal philosophy of the Romans makes sense to her (as Ares is the god of war so his children like violence). However, she does not like the concept of Greek demigods working/cooperating with Roman demigods, as they were enemies before.
The Mark of Athena
When Gleeson Hedge is talking to Frank Zhang about General Sherman's attack on Atlanta and how he burned it to the ground, Percy thought that Clarisse would do something similar.
The House of Hades
Gleeson Hedge tells Frank Zhang, that he was the satyr who brought Clarisse to Camp-Half Blood. Also, Clarisse is seen leading demigods at Camp Half-Blood in preparation for the impending Roman attack.
The Blood of Olympus
Clarisse led the Greeks to battle to defend the camp, but stopped when the Athena Parthenos was returned. She survived the battle with Gaea and was next seen at the dining pavilion keeping female campers away from her god son.
Personality
Clarisse is hot-tempered, arrogant, brave, and strong like most of her siblings. She is also known as a bully that dunks new campers' heads in toilets. In The Battle of the Labyrinth she shows strong feelings for Chris Rodriguez and shows her kind and caring side even before he becomes her boyfriend. Clarisse is very proud and defensive of her cabin, and often defends the camp from monsters. She is also defensive and very protective of her good friend Silena Beauregard after she gave Clarisse some dating advice. Her anger toward Percy increased after he defeated her father. During The Last Olympian, she is angered by the camp for never respecting the Ares Cabin. Her pride even prevented her from allowing her cabin from fighting in the war until Silena's intervention. She is similar to Achilles, in the sense that her pride sometimes gets in the way of her good sense.
Appearance
Clarisse is described as a big, tall girl with long, stringy light brown hair, pig-like brown eyes and strong looking. Percy also described Clarisse, along with the rest of the Ares Cabin to have the same sneer as their father, Ares. After returning from her scouting mission in The Titan's Curse, her hair is cut short and ragged, and Percy says "It looked as though someone had attacked her hair with a pair of safety scissors." He also notes that she looks buffer.
Abilities
- ADHD: Like most demigods, Clarisse possesses inborn supernatural battle reflexes and senses that she uses to analyze the fighting style of her opponent.
- Fighting Skills: Clarisse has been trained in hand-to-hand combat during her stays at Camp Half-Blood. Clarisse is one of Camp Half-Blood's best warriors, demonstrated by her being able to quickly slay a Lydian Drakon alone and without armor, killing it with her spear (although it had been somewhat injured beforehand).
- Dyslexia: Her brain is "hardwired" for Ancient Greek instead of modern languages.
Weapons and Magical Items
- A spear that can create electricity. It was destroyed by Percy in a game of Capture the Flag in The Lightning Thief.
- A second electric spear called Maimer (nicknamed Lamer by her cabin mates and the other campers behind her back) that was also destroyed when she used it to kill a Drakon in The Last Olympian.
- Armor that was painted red (Possibly to symbolize blood) and a boar-shaped helm.
- A sword of one of her deceased siblings (presumably a brother)
- A knife that is strapped to her leg.
- She can pray to her father for aid—usually in the form of weapons or minions, as Ares is the god of war. She uses this for an ironclad warship courtesy of her father, Ares (destroyed by Charybdis on her quest for the Golden Fleece).
- A chariot that belongs to her father that she may borrow. It can change form (motorcycle, tank, convertible, etc.)
- She has expert control over all weapons.
Relationships
Friends
Percy Jackson
Percy Jackson, her former rival and friend
Although it may not seem like it at first glance, Percy and Clarisse are on good terms. Their relationship did not start out well with her 'initiation' ceremony of trying to dunk his head in a toilet (which backfired on her completely when she and some of her sisters were soaked in toilet water and tossed in mud via Percy's control over water) and the subsequent capture the flag game ending with them both holding a grudge against each other, Percy due to her attitude, and Clarisse because of the damage done to her reputation. When Percy wounded her father, it gave her a reason to hate him. In The Sea of Monsters, they began to understand each other more, even being able to work together with little arguments. Over the course of the next three books (plus The Demigod Files), they grow from an unfriendly relationship to considering each other valuable friends and allies.
Annabeth Chase
Annabeth, her friend.
At first she and Annabeth were enemies, but in The Battle of the Labyrinth, they became friends after working together on the Labyrinth problem. She is also the one to point out that Annabeth should be the one to lead the Quest for Daedalus.
Silena Beauregard
| “ | She was a hero, understand? A hero. | ” |
–Clarisse, referring to Silena in The Last Olympian | ||
Clarisse became Silena's personal bodyguard and friend in The Last Olympian after the daughter of Aphrodite gave her advice about boyfriends. She was seen comforting Silena after her boyfriend, Charles Beckendorf died. Silena's death sent a grief-stricken Clarisse into an unstoppable rage, through which she was able to defeat the drakon and gained the blessing of Ares (similar to the story of Achilles and Patroclus).
Love Interests
Chris Rodriguez
Clarisse found Chris wandering in the desert near her house, after he was driven insane by Minos in the Labyrinth. She tried to nurse him back to health but nothing helped. Clarisse was gentle and affectionate while trying to help him, and when Dionysus cured Chris of his madness, Clarisse and Chris started dating.
Family
Ares
Ares, her father
Clarisse is very frightened of her father Ares. When she is given a quest to find the Golden Fleece, she is shown to be scared of her father's harsh nature. Ares seems to favor his sons rather than his daughters, as he told Clarisse that one of his sons should have gotten the quest, and only his sons ever drove chariot (with Clarisse being the first girl in a long time). In The Demigod Files, it was shown by Phobos, Clarisse's half-brother, that Clarisse's deepest fear was making her father angry at her. However, Clarisse made her father proud when she single-handedly fought and destroyed a gigantic drakon and he gave her his blessing in battle.
Ms. La Rue
While never seen in the series, Clarisse spends time at her mother's house in Phoenix, AZ occasionally. This is shown during The Battle of the Labyrinth when Chris appears near her house, and her mom allows her to try and nurse him back to health.
Phobos & Deimos
Phobos and Deimos are Clarisse's half brothers. In The Stolen Chariot (a short story from The Demigod Files), Phobos and Demios steal their father's chariot from her and bully her. She hates them and wishes they would just give her the chariot and leave her alone.
Film
Leven Rambin as Clarisse
The Lightning Thief
She was not included in the film adaptation, although considered a main character in the book.
The Sea of Monsters
Clarisse is shown as Percy Jackson's rival and is shown being chosen by Mr. D as the chosen one to go find the Golden Fleece. Later on, she reunites with Percy while battling Charybdis and goes to Polyphemus' Island with him and their friends. She is portrayed by Leven Rambin.
Etymology
Clarisse means "fame" which could be referring to Clarisse's pressure to look good for her father and her cabin. La Rue means "the street" in French, but alone Rue can mean "to regret" in English.
Gallery
Trivia
- Clarisse's mother lives around Phoenix, Arizona; somewhere close to an exit to the Labyrinth.
- Clarisse's first name is like Annabeth's first name - Annabeth is an anagram of Athena with extra letters and Clarisse is an anagram of Ares with extra letters being C, L, I and an extra S.
- Clarisse's weapon, Maimer, was destroyed in The Lightning Thief and her second one in The Last Olympian, yet in The Lost Hero, one camper comments on its inferiority to Jason's weapon. It is possible that after the first and second were destroyed, she acquired a third Maimer.
- Behind her back, most campers call her spear Maimer, Lamer.
- Clarisse's actions in The Last Olympian very much mirror the actions of Achilles in the Iliad. After not receiving what they thought they deserved, they refused to fight in the war. Then, a friend stole their armor (Silena and Potroclus respectively) and lead their forces into battle, before being killed by the enemy. This lead each of them to go into a blind rage, rejoin the war, and kill the being responsible for the death of their friend.
- Clarisse is one of the characters in either series to have Ares' Blessing, the other being Frank Zhang.