I'm not Alone

Chapter 11

***Time skip (100 years)***

"Come on, Cora!" He pauses and turns back to smirk at the heaving pair. "Move it Luke!" He yells, getting a grunt in response. "You can do better than that!" Eidos starts taunting them slowly, momentarily disappearing and reappearing from the green of the forest. It was ironic considering that they were the ones trying to kill him. 

"How are you doing that?" Growled Zoë, positioning herself so that Luke was at her back. They were so tired that they fell back to their defenses instead of attacking him like planned. "Yeah." agreed Luke, bending over, trying to catch his breath. It was a miracle that they managed to stay upright. Not only that, but they both took up their fighting stance, impressing Eidos from where he was hidden. 

"A bit of practice," He moved immediately from his perch to avoid the glittering knife thrown at him. "A bit more," He jumped to another bush, leaping swiftly so that they only felt a breeze of his movement. "And just to top it off, more practice." He pounced at them, startling them enough to twist the sword from Luke's hand, and dodge and kick the spear from Cora's arms. "I've been doing it for 300 years."

As hard as anyone tried, no one could beat The Commander Eidos. The only one who could best his was Chaos and only when they sparred with power. In physical prowess, Eidos was far superior. Needless to say, it drove Chaos nuts.

As much as they tried, second and third command could still not beat him, whether it be endurance, strength, speed or even hunting! Frequent challenges thrown here and there were a considered a wonderful method for him to train them, as well and keep track of their progress. Though both Luke and Cora hated losing, they still looked forward to these challenges to learn new tricks from Eidos which could only be seen in person. Meanwhile Eidos never slacked, honing his own skills side-by-side. 

When Chaos blessed Eidos, his already divine self reacted such that he got an even more magnificent upgrade. The most noticeable change was that he gained his wings. Right out of his shoulder blades, the huge, majestic organs were covered in layers of dark feathers, giving him an even more intimidating an ethereal appearance. They started of as sea- green near his body and converged into orange, ending with pure black tips. But the bright colors were buried under heavy dark feathers, revealing the rich undertones only when the wind ruffled them. He quickly found out that he could retract them in his body, and usually, that was how he kept them, trying to remain inconspicuous. The only times they were out and in their full glory was when Chaos forced him at ceremonies and rituals or during battles when the ability to fly was a necessity. 

After being blessed and named the High Commander, Eidos didn't fundamentally change, remaining his usual charming but aloof self. Because of his troops military training, he had immediately won over his army's obedience, but it had taken him a surprising low amount of time to win over their respect and loyalty. He had preferred not to make himself a unit like how Cora and Luke did, but dedicated himself to the overall training of all of his soldiers. 

It was a slow and tedious process, but it was definitely rewarding. Training them personally, he had been quick to learn about them, their names and background and with his insurmountable experience, it was easy for him to sharpen their skills as well as weed out their weaknesses. And because of his personal involvement in their lives, the personnel had easily seen what kind of a man Eidos was, resulting in a general awe- like and inspiring atmosphere. 

Both Cora and Luke were shocked by his natural show of leadership. It had been hard to get to know the people under their own units, but 3000 soldiers? It was unbelievable, and yet there was Eidos, who was constantly receiving gifts and making arrangements for the care of a soldier's wife. And though it seemed domestic, he still managed to command utmost respect from each without hesitation. 

Coraline remembered the time before Eidos had joined, when most of the Chaos army was in utter and complete chaos. Even with their best efforts, there was only so much Xavier and Cora could do to organize the mess. They had succeeded to a level, but looking at them now, the change had been miniscule. The respect, loyalty, discipline which Commander Eidos drew from the army was simply staggering.

Even after years of solitude, he had assumed the role of Commander perfectly, fitting in just as easily as if he'd been trained just for it. In a way it was true. Percy had been the one at camp to lead everything, even if it was as a shadow. He'd always been too humble, passing the credit on to others. Many didn't realize it, but he'd always held the reins, holding the whole camp together with the simple support from his 'friends'.

Eidos was not a flashy person by nature, and everything around him supported it. Just like Zoë's and Luke's throne, his own had personalized itself to match him immediately after sitting down on him, confirming his position as the leader of Chaos's armies. The previous bland slab of stone was now an elegant throne, depicting Eidos's colors. Made of dark stone, it bore a solid resemblance to his sword, Fury. A lovely sea-green started at the base, climbing up into a dark orange which swirled into the beautiful black marble. Simple green stones were embedded into his armrests where usually his belt of knives lay hanging. It was relatively simple, not as extravagant as Chaos's, but enough to draw attention, especially when he occupied it, straight-backed and serious. 

He had kept his identity hidden, even after hundreds of years, but it didn't lessen the trust of his soldiers. He had led his army though many successful battles, usually leading them himself. He still went on many solo missions, but the number had decreased dramatically since Karen had stolen his role. Falling in his footsteps, she'd taken up his past 'job' and was known as 'Eidos's right hand' which she loved. Chaos showing his appreciation, had made her immortal and offered a place on the army, to which she respectfully refused. She was enjoying her freedom and felt as as if military life would not suit her. Taking another page out of his book, she started using Percy's old cloak to keep an air of mystery, just for dramatics.

Meanwhile Eidos had simply laughed and parted with his trustful cloak since he had received his own one, matching to the other commanders. Like theirs, his too represented him, and was charmed to stay put unless they wished it gone. 

"How dare you!" Cora screamed at Luke, seething. Apparently, while he was thinking of his past, he had missing the last few moments. In hindsight, they seemed to be important.
"Hey, chill," Luke put his hands in front of him, his actions trying to calm her down. "It was just a prank!" He defended himself, trying to sound firm but instead almost whimpering under her ferocious glare.
"Just a prank?" She asked, overly calm. She lifted a shaky finger and pointed to her quarters, where all her weapons were a bright, fierce red, her least favorite color. This was when he decided to intervene before Luke got killed.

But due to his far jumbled thoughts, his mind refused to bring forth something exciting, and he was completely unwilling to physically go in between them. So he blurted out his most recent discovery.
"I'm bisexual." He casually stated, his powerful carrying his words clearly without him having to shout over their loudness. It took them a good five minutes to comprehend his words and then another two minutes to let it sink in.
"So you couldn't stay away from this gorgeousness, could you?" Luke asked him and wriggled his eyebrows, flashing a Cheshire cat smile his way. He simply rolled his eyes and smiled fondly at him. 
"Oh shut up, Luke! Most demigods are bi. It's in their genes." She said. It was true, the gods themselves were hardly straight, how could their powerful genes not be?

"Yeah, I know." Glad to have distracted them enough. But his little discovery had explained a lot of things, mainly his reaction to Nico's confession. But romantic thoughts had never plagued him much before. Out of all his responsibilities and worries, these thoughts were shoved away. Maybe that way why it had taken his so long to actually understand himself. It matter much though. Eidos knew himself deeply, and feelings of love and relationships was never much of a priority. 

"Now, Commander Luke, how about we go and return our Cora's precious weaponry back to the way it was before she skewers you?"

~(Edited)~