Ichor

Commander (Part V)

Year 20 - Commander
Planet Primae

° ° ° °

"Ok let me get this straight," Percy said exasperatedly, "The Olympians are calling for our help?"

"Yes," Chaos confirmed.

"And the campers have also asked for help?"

"Yup."

"And all the people Travis thought were dead are actually not dead?"

"Exactly!" they said over excitedly.

"But why are they calling for help?" Percy asked tiredly. "It's only been two years since I left. How many evil immortals are going to threaten Earth?"

"Well... there is this one primordial who was pretty pissed after you left."

Percy's blood ran cold. There was only one primordial who would be so deeply feared by both the campers and the Olympians that would convince them to ask for help.

"Tartarus."

"Tartarus," Chaos affirmed.

"But he can't leave the pit! He is the pit!" Percy exclaimed in outrage.

"You're right, he can't," Chaos started in a calm manner, "but he's been speeding up the regeneration of monsters. They're not bright enough to coordinate anything on their own, but the sheer number of them could be enough to overwhelm the borders. And if they're all sent there specifically by Tartarus... you can see why it's cause for concern."

Chaos waited a while for Percy to digest this information before adding, "Also, the thing with Charon was completely coincidental to the monster attack. They occurred at the same time but were controlled by two different, unrelated players. Needless to say, Hades was very pissed because his son was very pissed. The spawn's significant other was one of the demigods taken."

"The 'spawn's' name is Nico and his boyfriend's name is Will," Percy snapped defensively.

"Right, sorry. Forgot you were close."

"Chaos, no offense, but your children are the worst," Percy huffed.

"Ugh, I know," Chaos groaned like an annoyed teenager. "Forget about solstice presents, they've never even sent me a happy birthday card!"

Percy facepalmed. This was going to be a long meeting and an even longer mission.

° ° ° °

The generals were standing idly by their chairs with their seconds to their right. Small chatter was heard to pass the time and a flurry of intrigue grew the longer Chaos and Ichor were late. It wasn't unusual for Chaos to be late. He was known to show up halfway through a meeting. And Ichor, though he tried to be punctual, was very busy as Commander and had been late before. But Andrew told them they were meeting each other privately before this meeting, so much speculation as to what they could be discussing went around the room.

The large doors swung open abruptly, startling the generals into attention. Their majors quickly followed suit. Eyes followed their Commander with mixed emotions. The two newest generals saw the usual calm and collected Commander who was just a bit rushed. The older generals saw the clear signs of distress one gets when they've not only been delivered serious news but also have to share it. The generals who had known him the longest saw—or sensed in Mason's case—genuine anxiety, a rarity for Ichor.

Chaos wasn't far behind Percy. No one missed how he shot Chaos a fleeting glare before his face assumed his schooled countenance—an emotionless mask.