Gone Girl.¹

𝟬𝟬𝟵. fallen heroes

gone girl.
━━━ chapter nine

❀

Amaryllis felt like they had been flying for hours, when in reality it couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes. Once the Pegasi landed in the middle of the cabin area and they got down on the ground, they were met by Chiron, an older satyr that she recognized as one of the members of the Council of Cloven Elders and a couple of Amaryllis' siblings, even though she didn't recognize most of them. It seemed that the army hadn't reached the Camp yet, but everyone was preparing for the upcoming battle.

She couldn't sit still as Percy explained everything that they learned from the quest to Chiron. She was anxiously pacing back and forth, looking around her. Luke's army could be there any second and despite the Camp's best efforts, they couldn't possibly be enough to beat them.

"I feared as much," Chiron said. "We must hurry. Hopefully you have slowed down the Titan lord, but his vanguard will still be coming through. They will be anxious for blood. Most of our defenders are already in place. Come!"

"Wait a moment," Silenus the satyr demanded and looked at Grover like he was the scum of the earth. "What of the search for Pan? You are almost three weeks overdue, Grover Underwood! Your searcher’s license is revoked!"

Grover sighed but didn't back down, looking Silenus in the eye. He seemed so much more confident after his interaction with Pan and Amaryllis couldnt be prouder of him. "Searcher’s licenses don’t matter any more. The great god Pan is dead. He has passed on and left us his spirit."

"What?" Silenus's face turned bright red. "Sacrilege and lies! Grover Underwood, I will have you exiled for speaking thus!"

"It's true," Percy said. "We were there when he died. All of us."

"Impossible! You are all liars! Nature-destroyers!" Amaryllis took a step closer to him, a menacing look on her face, but Annabeth held her back.

Chiron studied Grover's face. "We will speak of this later."

"We will speak of it now!" Silenus said. "We must deal with this-"

"Silenus," Chiron cut in. "My camp is under attack. The matter of Pan has
waited two thousand years. I fear it will have to wait a bit longer. Assuming we are still here this evening."

Amaryllis pressed her lips together. "I'll go check up with my siblings," she told Percy and Annabeth. She didn't know what she was supposed to do – say good luck or perhaps say goodbye? This wasn't one of the Camp's games, this was the terrifying reality of a war and she knew that Chiron was right. Not everyone would make it.

Annabeth held her shoulders and stared right in her eyes. "Be careful, okay? We're not losing you for a second time."

"Don't worry, Annie. I'm careful, like, ninety percent of the time," she joked, not really knowing what to say. She glanced at Percy, who pretended to be busy studying the way Hephaestus' cabin was setting up traps. "Unlike a certain son of Poseidon."

He chuckled, visibly relaxing a bit. "Good luck, Mar. I'll see you later."

It didn't feel real. As she made her way to the woods, a son of Aphrodite signalled her to come with him. He gave her an armor and even offered to comb the tangles out of her horsehair plumes, but she refused. "My name's Henry," he told her with  a nervous smile. He looked at her as if he was coming to terms with his mortality at that very moment and just wanted to make one last acquaintance. He wasn't older than thirteen and that made Amaryllis want to cry.