Ichor

Commander (Part XX)

Year 20 - Commander
Planet Earth

° ° ° °

Jason dodged, jumped, lunged, and parried as he spun in all sorts of directions. His head was nearly chopped off twice, his arm nearly sliced off three times, and his legs nearly stabbed more times than he could count.

Second morning drills were done in squads that day. They formed a ring with one soldier in the middle. The person in the middle had to defend themself from everyone else. If they got hit, they swapped places with the person who landed the hit. If they landed a hit, they swapped placed with the person who got hit. It went on until everyone had been in the middle.

Jason was the last one to be in the middle. The soldiers in his squad couldn't seem to land a hit on him. He was too skilled for that. At the same time, Jason was so focused on not being hit, he couldn't get one in either.

This went on for a long five minutes before Jason was just able to land a strike on Private Lyse's arm. All the fighting in their squad stopped and a few dramatically groaned and fell to the ground.

"Holy Chaos, Grace. You're one heck of a swordsman," his Lieutenant, Amsden Bezz, complimented.

"Thank you, sir," Jason said humbly.

"I hope the Commander didn't give you a hard time this morning. I've never spoken to him personally, but I know he's not the warmest of people. Don't get me wrong," Amsden added quickly, "he cares a whole lot, that much has been proven countless times. But I'd never seen someone so emotionless. It's quite an achievement to have such control over emotions."

"Nah, he was very civil. Still upset with the generals though."

"That was something," said Private Aleesha Brown. "We know he reprimands the generals—I mean we've seen Mason on bathroom duty a few times—but to actually witness it... I've never seen that before. I mean, I'm new so that doesn't say much. But you get it."

Jason shifted uncomfortably. He, of course, thought that whole thing was his fault. He didn't know Percy was looking out for them or the rules of the army or that all the generals would stand up for him. But he was the one that started it all, it seemed. So he felt responsible. But knowing Percy, he wouldn't hold it against them long. He was never one to hold grudges. That was Nico's job.

"I wouldn't know," was Jason's response to Aleesha's comment.

"Of course he wouldn't," another private cut in. Zenic Duilf, former Prince of Ahlhet, master of vine manipulation. "But he would know the man from his past, wouldn't you?" he questioned the demigod.

Jason did not know how to answer that, so he remained silent.

Zenic didn't mind elaborating. "I mean, we're all fairly certain he's a demigod. The generals are ordered not to say anything, but we know it's true. So that means you probably knew him, right?"

Gods, Jason wished he wasn't asked that question.

"I'm not allowed to say," Jason answered carefully.

"Come on. Just tell us something," Aleesha persisted. "His real name? What was he like? Were you two friends?"

Jason was saved by the bell—or the horn more accurately. Hours had already passed and it was finally lunchtime. They had been training hard and time flew by. Jason took this opportunity to ditch the questions.

Just his luck, the table he sat at asked even more.

"Who's his godly parent?"

"Did he have cool powers before Chaos's blessing?"