gone girl.
━━━ chapter thirty two.

❀

It seemed like forever until they saw the beach at camp. They thanked the hippocampi and waded ashore, only to find Argus waiting for them. He stood in the sand with his arms crossed, his hundred eyes glaring at them.

"Is she here?" Percy asked. Under different circumstances, maybe Amaryllis would have been a little jealous, but she found herself just as worried about Rachel as he was.

He nodded grimly. "Is everything okay?" Amaryllis asked. "Is Rachel...?"

Argus shook his head and they followed him up the trail. It was surreal being back at camp, because everything looked so peaceful: no burning buildings, no wounded fighters. The cabins were bright in the sunshine, and the fields glittered with dew, but the place was mostly empty.

Up at the Big House, something was definitely wrong. Green light was shooting out all the windows, just like she had seen in her dream about May Castellan. Mist-the magical kind-swirled around the yard. Chiron laid on a horse-size stretcher by the volleyball pit, a bunch of satyrs standing around him and Blackjack cantered nervously in the grass.

Rachel stood at the bottom of the porch steps. Her arms were raised like she was waiting for someone inside the house to throw her a ball.

"What's she doing?" Annabeth demanded. "How did she get past the barriers?"

"She flew," one of the satyrs said, looking accusingly at Blackjack. "Right past the dragon, right through the magic boundaries."

"Rachel!" Percy called, but the satyrs stopped them when they tried to go any closer.

"Percy, don't," Chiron warned. He winced as he tried to move. His left arm was in a sling, his two back legs were in splints, and his head was wrapped in bandages. "You can't interrupt."

"I thought you explained things to her!"

"I did. And I invited her here."

"You don't get it," Amaryllis seethed. "There is a curse. She'll get hurt! We can't-"

"Rachel had a vision about the curse of Hades. She believes it may be lifted now. She convinced me she deserves a chance," Chiron said.

"And if the curse isn't lifted?" Percy shouted. "If Hades hasn't gotten to that yet, she'll go crazy!"

The Mist swirled around Rachel. She shivered like she was going into shock. "Hey!" Percy shouted. "Stop!" He ran toward her, ignoring the satyrs. He got within ten feet, but then he bounced back and landed in the grass.

Rachel opened her eyes and turned. She looked like she was sleepwalking-like she could see them, but only in a dream.

"It's all right." Her voice sounded far away and it caused Amaryllis to shiver. "This is why I've come."

"You'll be destroyed!"

She shook her head. "This is where I belong, Percy. I finally understand why."

It sounded too much like what May Castellan had said.

The house rumbled. The door flew open and green light poured out. Amaryllis had been inside the Big House before, back when she was much younger and it scared her so bad that she had nightmares about that place for months. Mist curled into a hundred smoky serpents, slithering up the porch columns, curling around the house.

Then the Oracle appeared in the doorway. The withered mummy shuffled forward in her rainbow dress. She looked even worse than usual, which is saying a lot. Her hair was falling out in clumps. Her leathery skin was cracking like the seat of a worn-out bus. Her glassy eyes stared blankly into space, but Amaryllis got the creepiest feeling she was being drawn straight toward Rachel.

Rachel held out her arms. She didn't look scared. "You've waited too long," she said. "But I'm here now."

The sun blazed more brightly. A man appeared above the porch, floating in the air-a blond dude in a white toga, with sunglasses and a cocky smile.

"Apollo," Amaryllis muttered. It was the first time she had ever seen him up close, not counting the Olympic council. Even though she knew he was never her father, a part of her still bitter towards him. On the other hand, Will had told her Apollo was the one who gave him the potion that saved her life, so she wasn't really sure how to feel.

He winked at her but held up his finger to his lips. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare," he said. "You have the gift of prophecy. But it is also a curse. Are you sure you want this?"

Rachel nodded. "It's my destiny."

"Do you accept the risks?"

"I do."

"Then proceed," the god said. Amaryllis wanted to yell at him, but it didn't seem like it would help anyone.

Rachel closed her eyes. "I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate."

Amaryllis didn't know where she was getting the words, but they flowed out of her as the Mist thickened. A green column of smoke, like a huge python, uncoiled from the mummy's mouth and slithered down the stairs, curling affectionately around Rachel's feet. The Oracle's mummy crumbled, falling away until it was nothing but a pile of dust in an old tie-dyed dress. Mist enveloped Rachel in a column. For a moment Amaryllis couldn't see her at all. Then the smoke cleared.

Rachel collapsed and curled into the fetal position. Amaryllis, Percy, Annabeth and Nico rushed forward, but Apollo said, "Stop! This is the most delicate part."

"What's going on?" Percy demanded. "What do you mean?"

Amaryllis could feel her fading away, slowly dying and she exchanged a look with Nico, who nodded, confirming he was sensing the same thing. Apollo studied Rachel with concern. "Either the spirit takes hold, or it doesn't."

"And if it doesn't?" Annabeth asked.

"Five syllables," Apollo said, counting them on his fingers. "That would be real bad."

Despite Apollo's warning, Percy ran forward and knelt over Rachel. The smell of the attic was gone. The Mist sank into the ground and the green light faded. But Rachel was still pale and barely breathing.

Then her eyes fluttered open. She focused on him with difficulty. "Percy."

"Are you okay?"

She tried to sit up. "Ow." She pressed her hands to her temples.

"Rachel," Nico said, "your life aura almost faded completely. We could see you dying."

"I'm all right," she murmured. "Please, help me up. The visions-they're a little disorienting."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Amaryllis asked as she helped her up.

Apollo drifted down from the porch. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the new Oracle of Delphi."

"You're kidding," Annabeth said.

Rachel managed a weak smile. "It's a little surprising to me too, but this is my fate. I saw it when I was in New York. I know why I was born with true sight. I was meant to become the Oracle."

Percy blinked. "You mean you can tell the future now?"

"Not all the time," she said. "But there are visions, images, words in my mind. When someone asks me a question, I... Oh no-"

"It's starting," Apollo announced.

Rachel doubled over like someone had punched her. Then she stood up straight and her eyes glowed serpent green. When she spoke, her voice sounded tripled-like three Rachels were talking at once:

"Eight half-bloods shall answer the call.
To storm or fire, the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
A pure love that not all hearts can take
The mother of all shall stop or wake."

At the last word, Rachel collapsed. Nico and Percy caught her and helped her to the porch. Her skin was feverish.

"I'm all right," she said, her voice returning to normal.

"What was that?" Percy asked.

"Her McDonalds order," Amaryllis snapped, still shaken by the sight of Rachel with the glowing green eyes. "What do you think it was, Fish Breath?"

She shook her head, confused. "What was what?"

"I believe," Apollo said, "that we just heard the next Great Prophecy."

"What does it mean?" Percy demanded.

Rachel frowned. "I don't even remember what I said."

"No," Apollo mused. "The spirit will only speak through you occasionally. The rest of the time, our Rachel will be much as she's always been. There's no point in grilling her, even if she has just issued the next big prediction for the future of the world."

"What?" Amaryllis said. "But-"

"Amaryllis," Apollo said, "I wouldn't worry too much. The last Great Prophecy about you took almost seventy years to complete. This one may not even happen in your lifetime."

Amaryllis thought about the lines Rachel had spoken in that creepy voice: about storm and fire and the Doors of Death. "Maybe," she said, but she couldn't shake off the odd feeling that she had heard these words before.

"It didn't sound very good," Annabeth said, with her arms crossed.

"No," said Apollo cheerfully. "It certainly didn't. She's going to make a wonderful Oracle!"

❀

The rest of the day was as strange as the beginning. Campers trickled in from New York by car, pegasi, and chariots. The wounded were cared for and the dead were given proper funeral rites at the campfire.

Silena's shroud was hot pink, but embroidered with an electric spear. The Ares and Aphrodite cabins both claimed her as a hero, and lit the shroud together. No one mentioned the word spy. That secret burned to ashes as the designer perfume smoke drifted into the sky.

Michael and Nia's shrouds was yellow. When Percy had found Michael's body, he had also found his bow and arrows. Will insisted that he would want to be burnt with them. Nia's shroud was embroidered with a lyre, a symbol of Apollo. Drew Tanaka, as Nia's girlfriend, had written an eulogy, but she broke down and couldn't finish it. She didn't allow anyone else to read it either.

Amaryllis didn't attend the funeral rites, claiming she wasn't feeling very well. Percy knew better than to question her-she needed some time. She had returned from the dead, but the rest of them hadn't and Percy imagined she was feeling a lot of guilt about that.

At least Calypso was there, which seemed to cheer her up. Amaryllis had given her a tour of the Camp and after a talk with Chiron, they decided to let Calypso temporarily sleep at the Apollo cabin. The ex goddess had this expression of perpetual confusion that reminded Percy of when he first arrived at Camp.

Dinner at the pavilion was low-key. The only highlight was Juniper the tree nymph, who screamed, "Grover!" and gave her boyfriend a flying tackle hug, making everybody cheer. They went down to the beach to take a moonlit walk, and Percy was happy for them, though the scene reminded him of Silena and Beckendorf, which made him sad.

Mrs. O'Leary romped around happily, eating everybody's table scraps. Nico sat at the Apollo table after Amaryllis made sure to tell Chiron how fucking stupid the table-related rules were. Both Nico and Calypso were welcome there and nobody seemed to think this was out of place. Everybody was patting Nico on the back, complimenting him on his fighting. Even the Ares kids seemed to think he was pretty cool; after all, he had arrived at the battle with an army of undead warriors.

Slowly, the dinner crowd trickled away. Some went to the campfire for a sing-along. Others went to bed. Percy sat at the Poseidon table by himself and watched the moonlight on Long Island Sound.

Watching Grover and Juniper holding hands at the beach, his mind drifted to Amaryllis and his heart immediately started beating thrice as fast. He had realised he had a crush on her a few days after she left his house for the summer and returned at Camp-he felt like something was missing. When she stopped writing to him, he tried to force himself into liking Rachel to fill a void. And he truly did like Rachel, but it never felt the same. With Amaryllis he just had a special kind of connection; everything felt right when he was around her. Even after she betrayed him, he could never truly hate her. He wasn't sure if he believed in soulmates, but if they really existed, he thought he found his in Amaryllis Kalomiri.

Percy hadn't realised he was in love until he thought he had lost her. And now that he knew, he wasn't sure what to do with that information.

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice. "Hey." Annabeth slid next to him on the bench. "Happy birthday."

"Huh?" Then he realised it was, in fact, his birthday. It hadn't even occurred to him that he had turned sixteen this morning. "Oh, right. Thanks. I was just thinking."

"That's a first," the daughter of Athena chuckled. "What were you thinking about?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

He turned so he could face her. "You're going to make fun of me."

Annabeth's mouth hung open. "Me? When have I ever done that before?"

"We were twelve when we first met," he said and pretended to think. "So I'd say... four years, non-stop."

"It's not my fault, you're easy to make fun of," she admitted. Percy could see why; he probably looked really pathetic, sitting all alone with that blank expression on his face. "It's about Mar, isn't it?"

His eyes widened and he could see her getting amused by his panic. "W-What? No! Why would it be-"

"Cut the crap," the blonde cut him off. "You're my best friend. I know you and I know you like her." He didn't really know what to say to that, so he just kept quiet, causing her to roll her eyes. "I think everyone but you two knows you like each other. It's really obvious, by the way."

"Um, right." He cleared his throat. "So, um, do you think she... likes me too?"

Annabeth looked at him like he was the biggest idiot in the entire world, but it was a look he was quite used to, so it left him unbothered. "Boys are so... Ugh! She obviously likes you back, Percy! Just look at everything she's done for you the past weeks."

He scoffed, but it was humourless. "I'd rather not think about that."

Annabeth softened up. "Look, I get it. But she's fine now, isn't she?"

"I guess."

"And," she continued, "I happen to know that she's been sitting all alone at the deck of the Canoe Lake. One could say that this would be a good opportunity for you to stop being a wuss and talk to her."

Percy couldn't help but smile. "Oh, man. I can't wait for you to get a crush so I can be as insufferable as you are right now."

"You'll be waiting for a looong time then, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. "Now shut up and go talk to her."

"Yes, ma'am."

❀

Will, being her doctor and all, had explicitly told her not to use her powers for a while. After returning back from the dead and losing the curse of Achilles, she needed to rest. A lot. But she was used to ignoring her doctor's orders, so instead of laying on her bed and trying to finally sleep without the weight of the world on her shoulders, she was sitting at the shore all alone, enjoying the peace and silence. She was enjoying it until she noticed the smoke coming from the burning of the shrouds and she remembered that just because she came back from the dead didn't mean everyone else also did.

She knew what she was there to do.

Amaryllis had never tried to summon a ghost before, but she knew how to do it. When she lived at the Underworld and trained with Nico, he had taught her how to do so. They had tried to summon Lee's spirit, but it was unsuccessful-apparently, he had chosen rebirth, which meant that Amaryllis would never be able to talk to him again. Nico comforted her when she broke down; he knew how she felt better than anyone.

Amaryllis poured some apple cider she borrowed from Pollux and tossed some of her leftover dinner into a small pit she dug. She considered herself lucky that no one was around, because she definitely looked insane. She began chanting at Ancient Greek, remembering the exact words Nico taught her. The bugs in the woods stoppedchirping and for a second, she thought the moon shone a little brighter. As the first spirits appeared, Amaryllis started chanting faster.

"Michael, appear."

Then a silvery light flickered in the trees-a spirit that seemed brighterand stronger than the others. It came closer and knelt to drink at the pit. When it arose, it was the ghostly form ofher brother; maybe not a biological one, but she had decided long ago that he was still her brother in every way that mattered. He was still wearing his armor, looking exactly how he was before he died, but there was no sign of battle or struggle in his body or face. He looked peaceful, which was a good look for him-even when he wasn't fighting a war, Michael had always been neurotic and restless.

Amaryllis felt herself tearing up when he smiled at her. "Hey, sis."

There was something really heart-wrenching about having him in front of her but being unable to hug him. She tried to find words, but it took her a while.

"Did you get shorter?" she said, chuckling as her tears reached her lips.

Michael let out a loud laugh and she wondered if she was the only one able to hear it. "Seriously?" he said. "You know, for a daughter of Hades I thought you'd have more respect for the dead..."

As if that last word worked as a trigger for her, she started crying even harder. "I- I missed you," she managed to say. "So fucking much."

"I missed you too," he smiled. "You know, I'm really proud of you. Every single person down here that fought in the battle has something to say about the fearless daughter of Hades that kicked ass."

"I put our training to good use I guess," she said. "Is Nia...?"

"She's with me," Michael confirmed and Amaryllis nodded. She wished she could talk to her as well, but she knew she couldn't keep two spirits summoned at the same time. "We're in good company, don't worry about that. It makes the whole thing tolerable, at least."

"Are you going to choose rebirth, like Lee?"

"We're still figuring all these things out," he admitted and she could tell he was feeling very conflicted about it. "But I'm not sure I will. If there's a chance I can talk with you guys once in a while, I'd be dumb not to take it, right?"

Amaryllis debated on whether she should tell him what happened; her dying and Will bringing her back. But the survivor's guilt was still eating her insides and she feared that she couldn't keep his ghost summoned for much longer. She still had something important to ask him.

"And Si-" She could barely say her name without her body having a physical reaction. All she could remember was the bracelet with the scythe charm on her hands and the way her eyes went white and her body started deteriorating while Amaryllis was trying to bring her back. All she could remember was screaming to a lifeless body that would never answer. "Silena," she managed to say. "What about Silena?"

Michael suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, I found out what happened. There aren't really many secrets in the afterlife, you know." She looked at him, expecting more. "I forgave her, if that's what you're asking. The whole situation is just... At the end of the day, we were all just kids, I guess. None of us was fully equipped to deal with what we had to deal with. But we're more than our mistakes. She's with Beck. They're happy."

"When did you get so wise?" she joked, trying to distract herself from the thousands of different feelings fighting for dominance inside her. She tried not to picture Silena. She tried not to think about her, but she feared the wound was still open and it wouldn't heal any time soon.

Michael knew what she was doing and he didn't bite. "You shouldn't blame yourself for how things turned out. You did the best you could. I need you to tell Percy that as well. My... unfortunate ending was my choice and I would have done it again if I had to."

"I'll tell him," Amaryllis said.

"So are you two now..." Michael started saying and he widened his eyes while nodding, trying to avoid saying it out loud. It was almost funny and she felt herself blush. "An... item?"

"Item?" Amaryllis started laughing through her tears. It felt surreal-one second she was crying and the other she was laughing with her dead brother. Michael tried his best to keep it light and she couldn't help but love him for that. "What are you, eighty years old?"

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean!"

"We're not... I mean, we..."

"Ugh, okay. I get it. It's complicated," Michael mocked her. "You're so cliche."

Just when she was about to answer, his form shivered and started slowly fading away. She realised she was still too tired to use her powers for a long time and she couldn't keep him summoned any longer.

With sudden panic, she turned back to Michael. "Please don't choose rebirth," she burst out. "I- I know it's selfish of me to ask this b-but... I-" I want to be able to talk to you. I want Will, Kayla and Austin to see you again. I want to ask for your stupid advice and laugh at your stupid jokes and tease you about your height and keep you updated on my love life even though I know you act like a dad and will most likely close your ears and pretend you can't hear me. I still need you in my life.

"I know, kid" Michael said gently. Maybe she was just imagining things, but his eyes seemed glassy. He was slowly disappearing, but his words still reached her ears. "I won't. I promise we'll speak again."

Michael disappeared and she stayed there, staring at the pit.

❀

Percy found her sitting at the deck of the Canoe Lake, with her legs in the water. She was wearing her Camp t-shirt, but for some reason it was dirty and her pin straight hair was flowing down her shoulders. She was staring at the water, even though it was so dark outside he wasn't sure she could see her reflection.

"Hey," he said. "Can I sit?"

She didn't get startled as he thought she would. She just smiled at him and pat the deck. "Of course."

He sat next to her, putting his legs in the water as well, not caring about his Converse-he wasn't the son of Poseidon for nothing. "So what did you get me for my birthday?" he asked her, immediately smirking at her panicked expression.

"Shit, Percy. It's your birthday! How could I forget?"

"To be fair, none of us thought we'd make it to my birthday, so I guess I'll forgive you," he teased. He wasn't sure if he felt so confident because of what Annabeth said or because she simply looked too beautiful for her own good. "I'm only joking by the way. You got me a gift already anyway."

She raised an eyebrow. "I did?"

Percy nodded. He casually pulled a small paper from his back pocket and unfolded it. He heard her gasp once she realised what it was; the sketch she had made for him. For Fish Breath was written underneath and he hadn't noticed it before, but there was a small heart inside the O-it was easy to miss, but he had stared at it so many times that he was still surprised he had never noticed it before.

"You... Wow." He had to admit there was nothing more amusing than seeing her flustered. She hid her smile behind the palm of her hand. "You had it on you all this time?"

"Good luck charm," he shrugged with a grin.

"You're impossible," Amaryllis laughed. They sat in silence for a few seconds. "We saved the world on your birthday. That must feel great."

"I can think of a few greater things," he said. He couldn't stop looking at her; he felt like if he took his eyes off her, he would be missing her. He took a breath, drawing in all the courage he had left. "Mar... when we were at the River Styx, turning invulnerable... we had to concentrate on one thing that kept us anchored to the world, that made us want to stay mortal. Do you remember that?"

She smiled, as she looked towards the amphitheatre. "Yeah."

"Then up on Olympus," Percy said, "when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking-"

"Oh, come on. You can't tell me you weren't tempted."

"Well, maybe a little. But I didn't, because I thought-I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking..." His throat felt really dry.

"About the same person you thought of back at the River Styx?" Amaryllis helped him out.

"Yeah. You."

Amaryllis stared at him with an expression he didn't quite understand and he felt himself panicking. But since he had already taken the biggest step, he might as well spit it all out.

"I like you, Mar. I- I really like you. Not just as a friend, even though you're, like, one of my closest- it's just that, you know, you're just... you and it's impossible for me to not want, you know, to..."

"Percy?" Amaryllis said.

"Yes?"

The moonlight made her eyes look like stars. "Shut up."

Before he could complain over how totally unfair it was that she didn't let him finish, Amaryllis pulled him closer and their lips touched. He had the feeling his brain was melting right through his body as he was kissing her. She moved her hands to the back of his neck and he felt her smiling. Amaryllis Kalomiri was kissing him and he had never felt more alive.

Once she pulled away, she started laughing. Percy guessed he was looking at her like an idiot, but she didn't seem to mind too much. He came back for a second kiss, just so he could be the one to shut her up this time; his heart was pounding and he could feel hers do the same. Ending the kiss almost felt like a crime, but he did it anyway.

"So I assume that means you like me too?" he asked sheepishly.

"Nah," she said. "That's just how I usually reject people."

"Oh, okay, cool." She was blushing and he was smiling and everything seemed perfect. "Can we go back to kissing now? I've been waiting a long time to do this."

Amaryllis grinned. She took the paper right out of his hands and let it fall to the deck. "And I've been waiting a long time to do this," she said and pushed him in the lake, but his reflexes were fast-he managed to grab her hand, pulling her in as well.

The water was surprisingly cold, but he didn't mind. Percy made an air bubble full of oxygen at the bottom of the lake and pulled Amaryllis close to him in a hug.

"That's how we met, you know," she said. "In the water. When I saved you from drowning."

"You'll never let me forget that, will you?"

She didn't reply, but it was okay, because they both knew the answer anyways. She rolled her eyes and brought her lips on his again.

And in Percy's humble, but very correct opinion, it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒.

▊PERCYLLIS HAPPENED GUYS

they really mean so much to me. they're literally soulmates!!! they invented soulmates!!! when you look up the word "soulmates", you'll find these mfs.

▊now that percyllis is canon, you're legally required to tell me your favourite percyllis moment or line idc. if no one answers, ill kill amaryllis off permanently :) /hj

▊the next chapter will be a big one btw and then there will be an epilogue! pls vote on what you'd prefer the epilogue to be about:

▪︎ the short story from the demigod diaries where they help hermes find his stolen staff and then he rewards them by getting them on a fancy date?

▪︎ a teaser about the sequel?

pls let me know!!