AN: So, this chapter jumps from one scene to the next, following the course of an entire day. It's a lot of character building, but (of course) is still plot relevant and may or may not ;) have clues for the prophecy and how this whole war is gonna go down. I tried to make this funny, so I guess we'll see. Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan. Enjoy!
Percy, Camp Half-Blood, Cabin Area
"RISE AND SHINE, CUPCAKES!" I shout through the camp, waking up everyone within earshot. There's a Monster energy drink in my left hand and a steaming mug of black coffee in my right. I take a swig from one, immediately chasing it down with the other. Admittedly, not my best plan. But, I didn't get any sleep last night. At not from lack of trying. I tossed and turned until maybe two a.m. At that point, I just admitted defeat, got up, and made myself a cup of coffee.
"WAKE UP, MAGGOTS! IF THIS WERE AN ARMY, THEY WOULD HAVE SLAUGHTERED YOU ALREADY! YOU THINK YOUR BARRIERS ARE GOING TO PROTECT YOU?! THINK AGAIN!" I smile wickedly.
"Akai, you ass." Miles stumbles out of his tent. "Seriously, it's four in the fucking morning!" At this, the other assembled demigods, all shaking off drowsiness, scowl at me in agreement.
"Aw, it is? Did I wake you from a nice dream?"
"Why?" Will moans pathetically. "The sun isn't even up. Why would you do such an evil thing?" Nico is standing next to him, wearing black pajamas with skulls and a much wrinkled, oversized gray t-shirt, and it does not escape my notice that they both came out of the Hades cabin. I chuckle and stare at my coffee.
"Commander," Solani says, "how many cups of coffee have you had? And what is that awful-smelling green drink?"
"Three cups of coffee and half a Monster." I smile wide as the groans increase in volume. "Here, try it. You'll like it."
"Don't do it!" Damian warns her.
She takes the can and drinks. As soon as it hits her tongue, she spews it out. She coughs and wipes her mouth. "How can you drink that?! Is it even safe?"
"Well, you're not supposed to have more than four a day, so probably not. But my record is seven, and I think I can beat that."
She involuntarily takes a step back. "Gods help us all."
"NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION," I scream at the top of my lungs, making many sleepy campers flinch. "WE WILL BE DOING TRAINING EXERCISES ALL DAY! FIRST THING'S FIRST: RUN! THREE LAPS AROUND CAMP, THEN BREAKFAST. LAST PERSON BACK GETS NO BREAKFAST!"
I set my coffee mug and Monster can down on a nearby bench, next to the hearth.
I smile. I just love my job. "GO!" I take off running, down to the beach. My soldiers waste no time running to follow me, and everyone else does the same after a moment of "Is this guy for real?"
It's going to be a long day for some people.
I am not the first back to breakfast, but certainly within the top ten. First place is a tie between one of the soldiers in Squad Bravo, a girl named Fleta, daughter of Mercury, and a son of Hermes, named Oliver. The Roman and Greek seem to be developing a friendship over their mutual love of an activity that most people avoid like the plague. Annabeth arrives shortly after me and glares at me with a fury I've seen before, when I once accidentally woke her up too early in the morning. She has a strict "not-until-six" policy when it comes to waking up, which contradicts most of her siblings' "oh-boy-three-a.m.!" attitude. All of my soldiers, as well as the veteran demigods, did very well in the exercise, coming back quickly and then slumping onto benches at the dining pavilion.
Everyone sits at their respective tables, eating everything they can get their hands on.
The last back is a girl, a daughter of Hypnos who apparently has narcolepsy. She fell asleep halfway through the run and was woken up by a kind nymph. This mumbled excuse was given while staring at the breakfast buffet laid out.
"Hungry?" I ask.
She looks at me fearfully, not denying it.
"You came in last because of a disability," I say quietly. "I know better than anyone how hard it is to even try when there's a huge possibility of failing. Don't worry about it on the battlefield; you have friends and family here that will do their best to keep you safe should the need arise. For now, go get some breakfast."
She brightens, and then she does something unexpected. She salutes and bows, like any one of my soldiers would. I smile and salute back politely. I return to my coffee feeling a little… lighter maybe?
"Hand to hand combat is incredibly useful on the battlefield! If you lose your weapon, you must not allow yourself to be defenseless. You have the ability to protect yourself; it's just a matter of knowing what to do. I want you to get in groups according to height. Short, average, tall. Okay?"
After a few confusing minutes, everyone is in a group. I move a few people around, taking an average person from the short group and a short person from the average group.
"In hand to hand combat, height and weight are two of the biggest factors. After that, speed, strength, and agility. Typically, people who are tall and heavy will have the advantage of strength, but a short and light person can beat them with speed and agility. Success in a hand to hand fight is all about being able to use your abilities to your greatest advantage."
"Donovan," I say. "Come here?" Donovan is in Squad Delta; he's the tallest and strongest of all of my soldiers and he's one of the best at hand to hand. "Lieutenant Angela, you too." Bianca is short, lithe, and very agile.
Donovan and Angela are actually very good friends. They met through Damian (Donovan's superior officer and Angela's fellow Lieutenant) and became friends through shared experiences. Both of them had lived in the Lotus Hotel and Casino for decades. Donovan is a son of Ares who had PTSD really bad after WWII and went into the Lotus to get away from it. Bianca, of course, was sent there by Hades to avoid being killed by Zeus after the war. When Chaos began looking for soldiers for the army, one of his first stops was the Lotus Hotel because so many demigods from different eras had been trapped there, forgotten by the gods. So, the two of them are from the same era and both spent time living with the Lotus Eaters. They would make a cute couple despite a few years age difference, according to like eighty percent of the Army, but they're both too proper to be anything more than friends (for now).
But when they fight, they really push each other. It's almost beautiful to watch, the way Bianca uses her speed to avoid Donovan's incredible strength and reach. They're currently tied for wins and losses, and I know they've been looking to fight again.
I take a long drink of coffee, the Monster long gone. "Donovan and Angela are both experts at hand to hand. Watch carefully how they use their strengths, and try to see what you could apply to your own fighting style." Donovan and Angela get rid of their weapons and get into fighting stances. "Ready?" Nods. "Go!"
It was awesome. Donovan won, after a long and difficult battle. Bianca got a little too close and he grabbed her round the waist and flipped her over his shoulder, sending her face-first into the dirt. She laughed it off and he helped her up.
"Alright, kiddos! Find yourself a partner in your height group and get into a fighting position; wait for my mark." A moment or so of running around. "Ready? Go!"
Within seconds, the arena is filled with the sounds of grunts, taunts, and yelling. I launch myself at Seth, who's pretty even with me in height and weight, but stronger and slower.
Fighting continues until lunch and everyone's had a few different partners. I sit down next to Luke and watch with satisfaction as my cup magically fills itself with black coffee. Luke scowls at my choice of drink (and probably the lack of food, too) but says nothing. He and the rest of the army know better than to question my eating habits. Some days I don't eat. It's kind of hard to keep anything down when you're constantly seeing images of blood and gore. I've never really been squeamish, but some days I just can't bring myself to eat. Other days, I eat like I've been starving for six months.
Frank comes and sits down next to me. "Are you on steroids or something? I've never seen anyone take down Clarisse that fast" He punches my arm playfully.
"I have," Annabeth says with a smirk. "A twelve-year-old Percy Jackson once blasted her in the face with toilet water, flooding the bathroom in the process."
"Seriously?!" Leo looks up from the hat he's been constructing out of spoons. "That's awesome!"
I glance over at Clarisse, who glares at me, as if she could scare me. I turn back to Annabeth. "I think I'm liking this brother of mine more and more."
Clarisse snorts. "Of course you would."
"I'd love to see what you're like when you don't have an army backing you up. I bet the second you see Tartarus, you piss yourself and run screaming like a little girl." Sherman sneers.
Didn't I teach this guy a lesson? Oh, right, he's a son of Ares; he's stupid. "My nine-year-old kid sister has more courage in her little finger than you have in your whole body. Why don't you just shut the fuck up about things you know nothing about?"
"You think you're so tough? You're just another demigod. So, you founded an army? Big deal, the Romans did that too, you don't see them strutting around like they own the place, like they're better than everyone."
"Three things wrong. I didn't found the army, Chaos did, and I was appointed Commander because I am best-suited for the job and because I have more reason than anyone to want to kill Tartarus. I do not strut around like I own this place. I was asked to train you, to ready you for war, and that's what I'm doing. If you don't like my methods, maybe you'd rather throw your lot in with Tartarus. Also, I am not just another demigod. Thanks to the worst luck in the world, I'm a Herald, and you should be thankful I even stepped foot on this planet, let alone offered my help."
"Oh, and we're soooo grateful to you for that!" Sarcasm is not this guy's strong suit. "Thank you so much for coming to save- ugh!"
Clarisse slams her elbow into her brother's gut. He gasps for air and wheezes slightly, ugly brown eyes bulging out of his red face. He looks at her with confusion and anger.
"Shut the fuck up, Sherman. He's right. We should be thankful. He may have kicked my ass today, but that just proves he knows what he's doing. We all heard the prophecy; Akai is probably going to die in this war and he's here trying to make sure that we don't."
"Beware Chaos Soldier, the enemies of your past/Fear not or this battle shall be your last…" someone helpfully supplies.
"No offence to Apollo or the Spirit of Delphi or the Oracle, but these prophecies are getting a little heavy-handed if you ask me. You know how many prophecies have told me outright that I was going to die? Plenty. And I'm still here. Besides, I'm not exactly the only Chaos Soldier, am I?" Luke smiles and waves.
"He's right," Annabeth says. "Only the first line directly addresses Akai at all. 'The Herald of the Sea returns to the West'."
"Not that I'm stupid enough to believe I'm invincible. I know I could die in this war; I'm up against a Primordial god for fuck's sake. But if I go, I'm taking Tartarus out with me."
"You're not going to die, Commander," Angela says. "You promised Leiko you wouldn't die."
I grimace. "No. I promised Leiko that I would try my best. Not the same thing."
"It is to her."
"Yeah, I know."
"Who's Leiko?" an Aphrodite girl asks. Her eyes brighten. "Is she your girlfriend?"
"Uh, no. Leiko is my sister, adopted."
"You wouldn't know she's adopted, though," Angela says happily. 'They're so alike. They look alike, act alike, and they're both part Hawaiian. Little Leiko is so adorable, kind of like what I imagine Akai was like as a kid." I roll my eyes, not that they can see. "Don't roll your eyes, Akai; I know you were a kid once too. You didn't just wash up on a beach somewhere, eighteen years old and already a skilled warrior."
"I like that story better, though. Makes me sound more badass than I am."
"I bet you're a really good big brother," the Aphrodite girl says.
"He is," Bianca smiles.
"Ah, you're gonna blow my cover, Angela. What will I do if the whole camp thinks I'm soft?"
"I guess you'll have to hide your face in shame," Ethan says. "Oh, wait."
"Ha! So funny, Damian."
"What's your little sister like?" Hazel asks. She smiles kindly and her golden eyes are shining.
"Uh… Leiko is…" deep breath, "She's sweet, and smart, and beautiful. But, like me, she's unlucky. Leiko is a Herald, like me. She was only four when she started having the nightmares. Everyone she told just assumed they were the run-of-the-mill monsters-in-the-closet nightmares and dismissed her. After Chaos first found me, we split up to look for the other Heralds. She had run away from home; she was living on the streets of Honolulu. I found her half-starved, crying, and miserable." I swallow hard and force back the memory of finding her. She was so scared. "She's human. Not a drop of immortal blood in her. But since the nightmares started, or maybe even before that, she's been able to see through the Mist. I guess she kind of adopted me, really. She even renamed me." I stare sadly into my abandoned coffee.
"About three years ago, after we had found the other Heralds and formed the army, we were betrayed. Aaron, another Herald, a son of Trivia, joined Tartarus. He was thirteen. He had suffered through Tartarus' attacks for two years, since he was eleven, but he couldn't hold out any longer. I can't say I blame him. He was so brave for so long, but no kid should have to go through that. So, when Tartarus offered him a way out, he took it. Kaelyn didn't last much longer after that. Once Aaron joined Tartarus' side, the nightmares only got worse for the other Heralds. Chaos doesn't need to sleep, but humans do, and Kaelyn didn't want to anymore. She was a year or so older than me. A daughter of Apollo; she could heal any wound. She was a skilled fighter, and much better than I am at talking to people and leading. She killed herself. Leiko found the body. I found the note; she asked us not to bring her back. And so, my family dwindles. Chaos has the responsibility of looking after the entire universe, Leiko is barely holding on to her sanity and childhood, and I'm here."
"That's fucked up," someone says.
"I told you: I have more reason than anyone to want to kill Tartarus."
The army has been sitting, listening patiently. They all know this already. Chaos, Leiko, and I were completely destroyed when Kaelyn died. Chaos even wanted to bring her back. It's easy for him. To bring someone back from the dead, he just has to determine that the soul is worth saving. Even people who have chosen rebirth, like Luke and Bianca, can be brought back if they want, as long as they have heroes' souls. And Kaelyn was definitely a hero. But I convinced Chaos to leave her in peace. People don't kill themselves because they want to die; they kill themselves because they don't want to live. We cremated her body, and Chaos built a temple for her on Domum.
"Alright, cupcakes, back to training." I get up, motioning for them to follow.
We spend the rest of the day working on weapons, and I instruct them on the different kinds of monsters Tartarus is expected to have raised, including the Arai. But my heart's not in it anymore. After dinner, which I don't eat, I make myself an extra-strong pot of coffee and hide away in my tent.
AN: I have no excuse. This started out funny, I think, and then it got reaaalllly dark. Whoops? Anyway, I've noticed in other Chaos fics, no one really explains how Chaos brings people back from the dead (especially Luke and Bianca, who both canonically chose rebirth) so I tried. Let me know what you think! Love you guys~
