gone girl.
━━━ chapter eight

❀

The five of them found Tyson and Grover in a large cave with huge stalagmite columns, a river running through the center of it. The Cyclops was cradling the unconscious young satyr in his lap, a worried look on his face. After everything that they had gone through the last days, Amaryllis refused to believe that Grover was dead, he just couldn't be. They ran over to Tyson, who seemed relieved to see that Percy and Annabeth were okay, like he momentarily forgot about the boy in his lap.

"He's not dead," said Annabeth as she immediately got down on her knees and checked Grover's pulse. He looked just like she remembered him, almost unsettingly so and the only difference was his horns that had grown out a bit. 

They all breathed a sigh of relief. "What happened?" Percy asked his brother, after a quick assessment to make sure that he wasn't injured.

"So many things," Tyson murmured. "Large snake. Large dogs. Men withswords. But then...we got close to here. Grover was excited. He ran. Thenwe reached this room, and he fell. Like this."

"Did he say anything?"

"He said, 'We're close.' Then hit his head on rocks." 

As Percy knelt beside him, Amaryllis looked around the strange cave. It was a beautiful spot, but the atmosphere felt weird, like they were in the presence of something or rather, someone really powerful. Her eyes were fixated on the doorway past the river that seemed to lead in another cave and without realising it, she took some steps closer to the river. 

"Amaryllis!" she heard Rachel call her name and she felt a hand dragging her away from the water. She blinked a few times seeing her worried green eyes. "You were about to fall into the river. Are you okay?"

She reassured the redhead that she was fine and turned her head to see Percy and Annabeth helping Grover to stand up. The girls rushed back to their friends, though Amaryllis was a bit hesitant to approach her old friend. She remembered how none of her friends at Camp recognized her before she introduced herself, not even Annabeth and in a way, she was scared that Grover had forgotten her too.

However, his eyes lit up when he looked at her, even though he still seemed disoriented after he hit his head. "No way, this- Amaryllis?" he asked with furrowed brows, almost as if he didn't believe it. It made sense, considering she was supposed to be dead.

She smiled at him and it was like that simple gesture confirmed her identity for the satyr. He looked at Annabeth semi-freaked out to make sure he wasn't the only one who was seeing the blonde girl. "How-"

"Long story short, I was never dead," Amaryllis shrugged, as if it was nothing and before she knew it, she was pulled into a tight hug. Grover and Amaryllis used to be pretty close, not as close as Annabeth was with both of them, but still. She always treasured his friendship and it wasn't rare that she'd tell Calypso stories of their shenanigans while she was still in Ogygia. "If there's one thing you were always good at is giving hugs," she said as he pulled away. 

"Okay, you have a lot of explaining to do once we're done with this whole Labyrinth shit," he said, still smiling. It felt good to see that she was missed and not entirely forgotten. Though she wasn't exactly picturing her reunion with one of her closest friends to be in an underground mystical cavern, under the looming presence of danger. 

"Am I the only one who doesn't know her?" Amaryllis heard Tyson whisper at Percy, who grinned. His mood seemed slightly elevated after seeing that the two were okay.

"Ty, this is Mar," he said, smirking slightly when he used the nickname. "She's our friend," he added and Tyson approached her cheerfully to shake her hand. It was the first time Amaryllis saw a Cyclops up close, but he didn't seem half as threatening as she expected one to be like. If anything, he looked like a two meter tall teddy bear and he even blushed after he shook hands with both Amaryllis and Rachel. "You two are very pretty," he told them and for some reason Percy rolled his eyes.

After they realised that they all felt the same powerful energy, they decided to cross the river to get to the entrance. While Percy had the ability to keep himself dry, the rest weren't as lucky. "Yay pneumonia," Amaryllis muttered through chattering teeth as she heard Nico next to her use words that no eleven year old in the world should know. The frozen water numbed all of their bodies, as they fought their way through the river. 

"I t-think we're in C-Carlsbad Caverns," Annabeth managed to say. "Maybe an unexplored section."

"How do you know?" asked Percy, his arm still wrapped around the satyr to keep him stabilized, even though he was starting to pull himself together.

"Carlsbad is in New Mexico," she said. "That would explain last winter. Grover's swooning episode had happened when we passed through New Mexico. That's where he'd felt closest to the power of Pan," she explained at the rest and Amaryllis gulped at the realisation that they were probably about to meet the god of the wild. The satyrs had been looking for him for at least two thousand years and amongst the ones who made it their life's quest to find him were Grover's family. For as long as she knew him, he wanted to do the same. To complete the quest and find the god.

A god who was supposed to be dead, she remembered. But then again, so was she. 

When they finally got out of water and reached the entrance of the cave, Amaryllis let out a low whistle. Her skin was tingling and she felt as if she had woke up from a nightmare just to realise she was home. Despite being exhausted from all the running and the fighting up to that point, she was now feeling like a kid again, full of energy and excitement. She realised that the rest were feeling just about the same, as she heard Rachel say "Wow". They were all speechless at the sight of the walls decorated with colorful crystals and the rare plants that reminded Amaryllis of Calypso's garden.

"It's beautiful here," she whispered at Percy who was walking next to her, as she was looking at the lights.

Laying on a Roman-style bed and surrounded by animals that should normally have been extinct, was an old satyr. His hair and beard were white, while the goat fur on his legs was grey. However there was no doubt that he was the god Pan - his aura screamed divinity. His blue eyes stared at the children, but he didn't seem surprised to see them. 

Grover wasted no seconds before falling to his knees in front of the bed. "Lord Pan!" 

The god smiled kindly, but there was a kind of sadness in his eyes that made Amaryllis almost tear up. "Grover, my dear, brave satyr. I have waited a very long time for you."

"I... got lost," Grover apologized.

Pan laughed. It was a wonderful sound, like the first breeze of springtime, filling the whole cavern with hope. Amaryllis hadn't met many gods in her life, but she decided that Pan was her favorite. His presence was comforting and peaceful, something that everyone needed. However, he looked tired and his body reminded her of Minos' - like he was a ghost that was holding on for dear life.

He was dying, she realised but stayed silent as all of her friends knelt. She quickly mimicked them, even though the realisation was so horrifying that she got dizzy by just thinking about it. How could a god ever die? 

"You have a humming dodo bird," Percy said stupidly. You could count on Perseus Jackson to be in the presence of a literal dying god and say something like that.

The god's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Yes, that's Dede. My little actress."

"This is the most beautiful place!" Annabeth said, amazed and Amaryllis nodded in agreement. "It's better than any building ever designed."

"I am glad you like it, dear," Pan said. "It is one of the last wild places. My realm above is gone, I'm afraid. Only pockets remain. Tiny pieces of life. This one shall stay undisturbed... for a little longer."

"My lord," Grover said, "please, you must come back with me! The Elders will never believe it! They'll be overjoyed! You can save the wild!"

Pan placed his hand on Grover's head and ruffled his curly hair. "You are so young, Grover. So good and true. I think I chose well."

"Chose?" Grover said. "I- I don't understand."

Pan's form flickered, momentarily turning into smoke, before he reformed. It was strange, but only confirmed Amaryllis' thoughts. "I have slept many eons," the god said forlornly. "My dreams have beendark. I wake fitfully, and each time my waking is shorter. Now we are near the end."

"What?" Grover cried. "But no! You're right here!"

"My dear satyr," Pan said. "I tried to tell the world, two thousand yearsago. I announced it to Lysas, a satyr very much like you. He lived in Ephesos and he tried to spread the word."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "The old story. A sailor passing by the coast of Ephesos heard a voice crying from the shore, 'Tell them the great god Pan isdead.'"

"But that wasn't true!" Grover said.

"Your kind never believed it," Pan said. "You sweet, stubborn satyrs refused to accept my passing. And I love you for that, but you only delayed the inevitable. You only prolonged my long, painful passing, my dark twilight sleep. It must end."

"No!" Grover's voice trembled as he avoided eye contact with the rest. The sight was heartbreaking. Amaryllis wanted to go and hug him, but once again, she felt frozen in the presence of Pan. Perhaps it was her anxiety or the fact that she knew what was about to happen. 

"Dear Grover," Pan said. "You must accept the truth. Your companions here understand."

Nico nodded slowly. He could probably feel the god fading away, perhaps that was why he seemed paler than usual. "He's dying. He should have died long ago. This... this is more like a memory."

"But gods can't die," Grover said.

"They can fade," Pan said, "when everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power, and their sacred places disappear. The wild, my dear Grover, is so small now, so shattered, that no god can save it. My realm is gone. That is why I need you to carry a message. You must go back to the council. You must tell the satyrs, and the dryads, and the other spirits of nature, that the great god Pan is dead. Tell them of my passing. Because they must stop waiting for me to save them. I cannot. The only salvation youmust make yourself. Each of you must-"

He stopped and frowned at the dodo bird, who had started humming again. "Dede, what are you doing?" Pan demanded. "Are you singing Kumbaya again?" Dede looked up innocently and blinked her yellow eyes. Pan sighed. "Everybody's a cynic. But as I was saying, my dear Grover, each of you must take up my calling."

"But... no!" Grover whimpered.

"Be strong," Pan said. "You have found me. And now you must release me. You must carry on my spirit. It can no longer be carried by a god. It must be taken up by all of you."

Amaryllis understood what he was saying. Humans never treated the Earth with respect and now it was dying and the blame was on all of them. But they shouldn't just wait around until it was actually dead – everyone should do whatever they can to help fix the problem before it becomes unfixable. And that didn't include just satyrs and creatures of the wild, but halfbloods and mortals as well.

Pan's clear blue eyes were focused on Percy now. "Percy Jackson," the god said. "I know what you have seen today. I know your doubts. But I give you this news: when the time comes, you will not be ruled by fear."

He turned to Annabeth. "Daughter of Athena, your time is coming. You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined." Amaryllis felt the girl next to her gulp but nod.

When Pan made eye contact with Amaryllis, she felt herself tense up a bit. He had a different kind of look on his face when he was talking to her, which surprised her but also made her feel worried. "Amaryllis Kalomiri. You are not aware of your true identity or potential yet. People underestimate you, but most importantly, you underestimate yourself. Yet you're going to be crucial to the war and just like the son of Poseidon, your choices will affect the outcome of it, so make the right ones."

Amaryllis looked down at the ground, not knowing what to say. But she knew those words, just like Hephaestus' back in Ogygia, confirmed one thing; somehow Amaryllis was very important.

Then he looked at Tyson. "Master Cyclops, do not despair. Heroes rarely live up to our expectations. But you, Tyson—your name shall live among the Cyclopes for generations. And Miss Rachel Dare..."

Rachel flinched when he said her name. She backed up like she was guilty of something, but Pan only smiled. He raised his hand in a blessing.

"I know you believe you cannot make amends," he said. "But you are just
as important as your father."

"I–" Rachel faltered. A tear traced her cheek.

"I know you don't believe this now," Pan said. "But look for opportunities. They will come."

Finally he turned back toward Grover. "My dear satyr," Pan said kindly, "will you carry my message?"

"I- I can't."

"You can," Pan said. "You are the strongest and the bravest. Your heart is true. You have believed in me more than anyone ever has, which is why you must bring the message, and why you must be the first to release me."

"I don't want to."

"I know," the god said. "But my name, Pan... originally it meant rustic. Did you know that? But over the years it has come to mean all. The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now. You must tell each one you meet: if you would find Pan, take up Pan's spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you."

Grover wiped his eyes. Then slowly he stood. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Now... I release you."

Pan smiled. "Thank you, dear satyr. My final blessing."

He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved in white mist. A curl of smoke went straight into everyone's mouths, though Amaryllis noticed that a little more of it went into Grover. He was truly Pan's chosen one. Slowly the cave started losing its beauty – the animals crumbled into dust, the crystals lost its shine and colour and the vines around them withered. All that was left was an empty bed, where a god used to lay on.

Percy switched on his flashlight and Grover took a deep breath. He seemed upset, even though he was trying to hide it. Amaryllis squeezed his shoulder.

"Are... are you okay?" Percy asked him.

Somehow he looked older and sadder, as he took his cap from Annabeth, dusted it off and put it on his curly head.

"We should go now," he said, "and tell them. The great god Pan is dead."

❀

By the time Rachel led them back to Times Square, Amaryllis felt out of breath. She realised that she had completely lost track of time once the bright summer sunlight hit her tan skin. Crowds of people were out in the streets, living their normal life, unaware that the seven kids that stood by a corner had just watched a god crumble into dust. Amaryllis was always jealous of the non halfbloods - she wished she could be as ignorant as them when it came to the world behind the Mist.

Percy led them into an alley and when he made sure no one was watching, he whistled as loud as he could five times. "What are you doing?" Amaryllis asked him and he shrugged, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"You'll see."

Not more than a minute later, a flock of Pegasi descented from the sky and flew beside them. Amaryllis looked at Percy, trying not to show that she was actually impressed, but he seemed to see past her cover. "You can talk to horses and Pegasi," she stated and nodded. "Sure, why not?"

There were five Pegasi in total, all equally majestic. Amaryllis tried to pet one of them before saddling up like the others, but the creature didn't seem to like her very much. It kept backing up from her touch, perhaps because it could sense that she was scared, sweating just by the thought of flying again. The only thing that comforted her was that she wasn't the only one having trouble with the Pegasi - Nico seemed to have the same problem.

Before Rachel left, she approached Amaryllis as well, which she didn't expect. She knew the mortal girl couldn't come with them at Camp, but still it felt strange that she had helped them so much and now she'd return home while the rest would go fight for their lives. "Hey, it was really nice meeting you, Amaryllis," the redhead told the blonde with a small smile. She still seemed shaken after everything that happened. 

"You were great out there. Definitely the bravest mortal I've ever met," the girl reassured her, not really knowing what else to say. She meant every word and even though she didn't say out loud, she hoped that she'd see Rachel again - hopefully at a time when their lives won't be in danger.

Rachel was beaming by the time she finished. "Thanks. Be careful out there, okay?"

After that, she went and talked with Percy a little further away from the rest. Amaryllis finally noticed what Annabeth had told her. It was true that Rachel seemed to be much happier when she was with Percy, her crush on him quite obvious when someone paid a little more attention. She wasn't sure why that realization made her feel so weird, but she ignored it. They all had bigger things to worry about.

Once Rachel left and Percy got back to the horses, he noticed that both Amaryllis and Nico were struggling. "Mar, you can ride with me," he said and looked at the black Pegasus he would be riding with the kind of look that dared him to say no. "Blackjack doesn't mind." Amaryllis hid her relief at the fact that she wouldn't be on a pegasus alone and nodded, secretly grateful that Percy remembered that she was afraid of heights.

Meanwhile Nico's Pegasus keptshying away from him, scared to let him mount. "Go without me!" he said, annoyed. "I don't want to go back to that campanyway."

"Nico," Percy said, "we need your help." The younger boy folded his arms and scowled. 

"Come on, Nico. Please," Amaryllis said as she squeezed his shoulder, practising her discreet puppy eyes.

It took him a minute but slowly his expression softened. "Fine," he hesitantly muttered. "But I'm only doing this for you and I'm not staying."

Both Percy and Annabeth looked at Amaryllis questioningly, but the truth was she didn't know how she did it either. Turned out that the two had bonded enough the past hours for him to listen to her.

Percy helped Amaryllis onto the Pegasus. "Okay, you'll need to hang on to me," he said, as they both made themselves comfortable on Blackjack's back. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist immediately, with no hesitation. "Ow! Not so tight."

"Percy Jackson, if you let me fall, I'll kill you," was the only thing she replied.

"Trust me. If we fall, we fall together," he said sarcastically and signalled the Pegasus to fly. And even though her arms around him became even tighter, Percy didn't say a word.

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒.

▊ive dropped many hints throughout the story and ill keep dropping them because honestly it's the most amusing part of writing this fic imo. im so excited for the end of act one jdjsksj. it's going to be... wild.

▊do you have any predictions on what's happening with amaryllis or what will happen in general? comment any thoughts you have, even if they dont make sense, i just love hearing your theories!!

▊in the next chapter the battle starts so get ready for my awful writing when it comes to fighting sequences!!

❛ gone girl. ❜
( part 𝒐𝒏𝒆 of gone girl series )
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