to win a war • alex summers

chapter nine

THE NEXT MORNING, EVERYONE WAS CONFUSED TO SEE TEDDY'S SEAT AT THE TABLE EMPTY. Even Charles, the telepath, did not expect the seat to be empty. He was not even sure if the missing demigod was still in the building. When minutes passed and he did not show up, Alex could not help but feel disappointed.

"Where is Teddy? Did he get lost again?" Raven questioned, looking around the room for the boy.

"He, uh, might have left." Alex said awkwardly, not sure what to say. He was still trying to wrap his head around it too.

"Left? What do you mean, left?" Sean asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I don't know, left." Alex said, getting defensive.

"To go after Shaw?" Hank asked this time from his spot beside Raven.

"He's probably dead by now. Who cares? He left us." Alex huffed, crossing his arms.

"Quit telling everyone I'm dead, bitch." A voice spoke from the doorway. All heads turned in that direction, coming face-to-face with Teddy Smith himself. The brunette was leaning against the door frame coolly, a teasing smirk on his lips.

"Teddy!" Everyone, with the exception of Charles and Erik, exclaimed. Raven jumped out of her seat and engulfed him in a hug.

Teddy chuckled, and pat the girl's back in appreciation.

"I thought you left." Alex said, an eyebrow raised as he acted unbothered.

Teddy saw right through his act, a repressed a smile at the emotions he could feel surrounding him. "Someone persuaded me to stay. For now, at least."

"You decided not to chase after Shaw, did you?" Erik asked in his normal cold and sarcastic tone.

The demigod shrugged. "I can't stop a war dead." He simply said. He walked into the room and grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl. "I thought we were going to do some training." He joked, looking at Charles.

Teddy decided to accompany Alex for his first training round, following Charles down to a bunker under the mansion. Alex was carrying a mannequin.

"My stepfather took the possibility of nuclear war quite seriously - this way - that's why he had this bunker built down here." Charles explained. "I thought we could use it as a practice range of sorts."

"You don't think I'm gonna blow through the walls?" Alex questioned seriously. He was hoping not to break anything.

Charles chuckled. "He had this place built to withstand a nuclear bomb. I think it can handle you, Alex." He said.

Alex put down the mannequin.

Teddy looked between it, and Alex. "Hmm, striking resemblance." He teased.

Charles pat him back. "Don't make him use you as a target." He joked.

"I'd welcome it, really." Teddy said, missing the concerned looks from the other two. He started to make his way back towards the door.

"You know, when I do this bad things tend to happen." Alex said to Charles as the two came up to Teddy's side.

"That's because you can't control it. It controls you." Charles told him. "That's why we're here, Alex. That's why we're training."

They stopped. "You know, if you're serious about me doing this, maybe you should step back." Alex said.

"Oh, right." Charles cleared his throat and walked out to where Teddy was already standing. The demigod had experience with destruction. He knew when to get out of the way. "Shall I close the door?" Charles asked.

"Yeah." Alex agreed.

Charles complied, leaving Alex to do his stuff. "Whenever you're ready." Charles called out to the younger mutant.

Teddy looked at the man beside him. He was standing right at the door. It made the demigod almost hoped he would get blown back a few meters. He looked him up and down. "You kept saying his name a lot. Are you trying not to forget it, or what?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"What? No." Charles denied, shaking his head.

Suddenly, sounds of whooshing and destruction came from the bunker. An alarm buzzed. Charles looked very happy about it, and Teddy could not understand why.

Charles opened the door again, and saw the entire place on fire. While he was quick to grab the fire extinguisher, Teddy laughed.

"There was less fire last time." He taunted.

Alex glared. "Shut up, Teddy." He snapped, but he was hiding a smile.

"I will teach you to control this, Alex." Charles assured the boy as he put out the fire.

While Charles went to go help someone else, Teddy and Alex walked around the area around the mansion. It was silent for a moment. The two boys enjoyed the other's company.

"Thank you." Alex said faintly at last.

Teddy glanced at him, his eyebrows furrowed. "For what?" He asked, unable to recall doing anything that would merit gratitude.

"For staying. You didn't have to, but you did."

Teddy shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking back ahead of him. "It's nothing." He said awkwardly. "I didn't want to leave you, or whatever." He mumbled.

Alex hid a smile and a blush. "Well, thanks. It means a lot to me." He admitted.

To that, Teddy blushed. They kept walking, once more silent. Eventually they ended up near a pond. The demigod grabbed his companion's hand and dragged him over to it. He then sat down by it, and patted the spot beside him.

Alex sat down there, albeit a bit confused as to why.

"You know, people don't like Neptune back at camp." Teddy said dreamily, as if remembering a good memory. "He's the god of the sea." He clarified, in case the other boy did not know.

"I know." Alex said, but he wanted to hear more. Of what this camp was, what they did.

"People think he brings bad luck." Teddy continued, staring intensely at the body of water before them. "I don't know if I agree. Everyone use to think Pluto was bad news, but is he really? If Proserpina likes him enough not to leave him forever, he must not be that bad." He was thinking out loud now, but Alex did not mind. He liked to hear his voice. Teddy grabbed a small rock from beside him. "They're gods... They can do whatever they want. Maybe that's why we hate them. We resent them for not helping us." He chucked the rock into the pond. It landed in the middle with a splash. "I should have gone after Shaw, Alex... Ended this. If the gods won't, who will? I should, right?" He went from angry to disappointed in a split second.

"You don't have to alone." Alex told him softly.

Teddy shrugged. He stayed silent for a moment before he turned to look at the other boy. "I like you. You're a good friend." He murmured. he let his body fall back onto the soft grass. "I use to have friends, you know. Back at camp. They're dead, of course, but they were nice. Like you." He did not say more than that.

Alex layed down beside him, and was silent too for a minute. "Are you going to tell the others about being... you know."

"A demigod? Yeah, maybe..."