I'm not Alone

Chapter 20

The static in the air had nothing to do with Zeus. Though everyone was on edge, it was painstakingly obvious that nothing could compare to how they felt after being chastised by the Commander.

He gave them another minute to digest the subtle undertones of his threat and warning. Once they looked properly alert, he continued.
"All of your previous enemies have joined together." There was a slight pause, "Congratulations."

The only sound was the muffled laugh from Xavier who quickly shut up once Coraline nudged him. Eidos continued. "Gaea, Kronos, Tartarus, Uranus and Oceaneus. They are your enemy. A messy family, indeed." This time it was Coraline who scoffed.

The Commander made sure to look at each camper, god and goddess. Though they could not see his piercing gaze, the message sent was clear. They needed them. They had barely handled these enemies with their existing forces back in the day and not that they had come back, it was doubtful these pampered children could make even a scratch. 

"I know that the last two major wars that happened were centuries ago. Yes?" They nodded, almost reacting on impulse, wanting to obey.
"Post that, none of you have seen war in a millennia" It was more a statement, than a question. Ares answered in the affirmative, since he knew of all wars on this planet.

"Both wars had the same army, if I'm not wrong?" Luke asked. This time Annabeth answered, "Yes, but we lost many brave souls... We have less than half of the original forces."
"Sorry for your loss." Luke told her, being genuinely sincere. 

The Commanders trailed their eyes through the room, seeing, observing. "You have been training, at least?" Coraline asked them, noticing that no demigod had any knives on their belts or scabbards resting on their thighs. "You are going to have to train harder, much harder than before if you wish to overcome this war." She hadn't given them a chance to reply, seeing the skittish eyes.

Eidos, who had been quiet, spoke up in the uncomfortable silence. His words affected all and a new spark of determination crossed their eyes. "We will train you." The commander said, in a tone of finality, leaving no room for argument. In those mere few minutes, his calculations brought him to this only option. They were quite the hopeless bunch. For this to be over as soon as possible, this was the only choice.

They spent the next few hours deciding and discussing strategies and future plans for the camps. It was decided that Coraline's unit will come here to help with the training since it was their specialty. Their presence would be enough to guard camp too since Eidos was sure that the first few weeks of training would leave the campers too drained to defend themselves if the need arose.

Over the course of only a few days, the weaknesses and strengths were studied, of both, allies and enemies. The way the trio swiftly assessed everything amazed Athena, Ares and Annabeth. The 3 had initially been assigned the job but before they even realized something was wrong, the commanders had already made the necessary changes required. They were quick to find faults in the campers and even quicker to make changes around camp. The pride of many were hurt, but they didn't dare argue. Eidos's threat was still fresh in their minds. Just the remembrance sent chills down their backs. 

But just through one incident, the opinions around Camp had somehow reversed. They started to understand why the soldiers from Coraline's Unit basically idolized and revered him.

It was when Eidos, who was headed out of the big house, heard someone crying. He had immediately rushed towards the sound and found a little girl, about 4-5 years of age, sniffling over a bruised knee. A few campers hovered nearby, worried he would scold her or maybe even kill her. Contrary to their expectations, he had simply crouched in front of the girl and asked her if he could help her. Seeing her nod, he set his hand gently on her knee and tapped into his healing powers. Using Hestia's blessing, he healed her gently. It had barely taken him any energy.

"Thank you," She sniffed hesitantly, but gratefully. Eidos had patted her head in response, the gentle affection making her tackle the huge man in a hug. She caught him completely by surprise so he stumbled back keeping a tight grip on her so that she wouldn't get hurt.

Hearing a scream, with muffled words, everyone from the big House moved to the noise expecting an attack. What they saw was even more surprising. They saw the Commander cradling Frida, a young camper, who was hugging him. They were, at first, hesitant to let the powerful man near her, but after seeing the way he held her, with a gentleness like he was holding glass, they had relaxed. Though his expressions could not be seen, they could hear the soft whispers as he spoke to her.

The campers had been astounded because the little girl hadn't allowed anyone near her and was rarely smiling. Seeing her laughing face warmed them to their core. The gods were a little less surprised, because they knew of Eidos's kindness and ability to befriend anyone, but we're still shocked at how the big warrior, who mercilessly killed on the battlefields, tickled a child like a priceless Jewel.

~(Edited)~