Commander Alpha

Chapter 29

(A/N Here's an early upload, dedicated to @MBush1738 for commenting on my last chapter)

Luke's POV

I was on Mount Olympus giving a report to the big three as the battle finished up. Thanks to Chaos Warrior involvement, camper casualties had been relatively light, only six. Only one Chaos Warriors had died, and neither the rest of the Chaos Warriors nor the gods had sustained any life-threatening injuries, though we were all worse for wear. I was accompanied by Zoë and Beckendorf, my second and third in command when Percy was gone. The other gods and Chaos Warriors were back helping up with the clean up effort. As soon as I was done talking, Zeus nodded.
"And still no word on your Commander?" He asked.
"No." We knew that halfway through the battle, a crack had opened in the ground and swallowed him, closing just as quickly as it had appeared. The Warriors had been looking for him in any place we could think of, but we had had no luck. We all knew where the crack lead, but we didn't want to admit it to ourselves.
"Has Annabeth's condition improved?" Poseidon questioned, so softly we could barely hear him.
"No, sir." This time, it was Beckendorf who answered. She had been unconscious since she'd hit the ground, and nothing we could do would wake her up. I was about to dismiss us when I heard the unmistakable pop sound of someone teleporting at my feet. I looked down and saw a Chaos Warrior who was so bruised and swollen that I didn't recognize them.
It was only when I heard them creak, "Help," that I realized who lay before me.
"Percy." Zoë breathed. Zoë, Beckendorf, and I all fell to our knees.
"My son?" Poseidon asked in disbelief. Beckendorf gently pulled Percy's hood over his head.
"Guys, this looks bad." He said. Percy was barely breathing, and I guessed that he was just as swollen on the inside as he was on the outside. "It looks like his reaction to-" Beckendorf was cut off when all three of us Chaos Warriors were flung backwards, hitting the wall closest to us and being held there. Although he hadn't finished his statement, Zoë and I knew what he was going to say. Water.
I tried to say something, but my mouth wouldn't move. 'What the-' I thought.
'Look at Poseidon.' Zoë interrupted. I glanced over and he was holding his hand out. He wonderingly made his way over to Percy. Then I realized what happened.
'The water particles in the air.'
'Duh.' Beckendorf said before shushing me.
"Poseidon-" Zeus warned, but he and Hades shared a look and he stopped.
"Be careful, brother. His life force is weakening." Hades said. Poseidon nodded.
'C'mon! Try harder.' I looked at Zoë and Beckendorf. Zoë was on my left, and Beckendorf was next to her. Zoë's left arm was raised, and her Chaos-summoning bracelet was only two inches from Beckendorf's straining hand. He didn't seem to be having much luck fighting against Poseidon's powers, but it wasn't for lack of effort. I attempted to mind-mesage Chaos, which worked half of the time, but I couldn't get through. I tried until my face was beaded with sweat, but it didn't work. I was left with nothing to do but watch the terrifying scene unfolding before me. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were all kneeling at Percy's side.
"What happened?" Poseidon asked rhetorically. I would have told him about how his being a huge jerk of a father had caused this, but I couldn't talk. Poseidon formed a ball of water and held it over Percy. I fought against the moisture in the air with everything I had, but it did little. I watched as, almost in slow motion, the liquid hit Percy. Nothing happened for a second. I breathed a sigh of relief. Percy began to seize violently. In Poseidon's shock, the pressure pressing s to the wall weakened a little bit. Zoë and Beckendorf used the opportunity to continue trying to hit the button on Zoë's bracelet.
"What's happening?" Poseidon creamed, but the other two gods were at a loss as well.
"Try some ambrosia." Hades suggested. At this, Zoë, Beckendorf, and I's struggling became desperate. They couldn't give him that ambrosia. He would have the same reaction to it as a mortal, albeit slower, but still the same reaction. He would burn up.
'Yes!' Zoë shouted, and I looked over at her.
'Got it!' Beckendorf said. I heard the button being pressed, then Beckendorf and Zoë, both panting and red in the face, finally relaxed. I looked back at the gods just as they put the square of ambrosia in Percy's mouth. He began to smoke.
"No!" I cried, rushing to Percy, Poseidon's water molecules no longer constraining me. The god was blabbering to himself in shock.
"The water, the ambrosia, it should have worked. Why didn't it work?"
"When you disowned him, his godly parentage was revoked, you absolute imbecile!" Zoë yelled through her tears.
"Now water's a deadly poison to him, and he's been covered in it twice today!" Beckendorf sobbed.
"What have you done." I growled. I started towards Poseidon, my rage so fierce that he took a few steps back. "First, you disown him. Now, you-"
"What is going on here?" A very annoyed Chaos demanded as he appeared. "I was in the middle of a very important-" He stopped when his eyes landed on Percy. "Percy." All traces of anger left his face immediately. He rushed to the smoking boy's side. "Water, poison, or ambrosia?"
"Water twice," I answered, glaring at the shellshocked Big Three with all of my might. "Ambrosia once." Chaos's eyes widened in fear. He gathered Perry in his arms as best he could.
"Wha-Why-Is he going to be okay?" Poseidon asked, looking close to hysterics. Chaos looked at the god with no remorse on his face.
"It looks like you may have just killed your son." On that pleasant note, Chaos teleported away, Percy in tow.

(A/N I'm just going to start doing daily uploads.  Comment if you want one dedicated to you.  Thanks!
-Krispy)