Gone Girl.¹

𝟬𝟭𝟱. nightmares or memories?

gone girl.
━━━ chapter fifteen

❀

Amaryllis had been seeing many nightmares lately.

Ever since she found out her true heritage, her dreams were almost always were as gloomy and dark as the Underworld itself. Usually they seemed to be nonsensical, her subconscious trying to process the trauma of being a demigod. Some times she'd hear voices calling out for her — her mother's, Calypso's, Percy's, Annabeth's, Nico's, Will's.

But this was different. She saw a memory of hers, one of those that she had repressed, replaying in her dream.

She was nine years old. Standing alone at the Training Grounds, she held her bow and practised her aim on a scarecrow that she had stole from the strawberry fields. It was dark outside, surely after curfew and the only light came from a small torch she lit.

A voice scared her, seemingly out of nowhere and she dropped her bow, the arrow flying away and disappearing into the darkness. Luke appeared from behind her, as if he was summoning from the shadows. He had that charming smile that he was known for and Amaryllis couldn't help but blush, grateful that the darkness covered it.

"Hey, kid," he said, ruffling her hair. "In case you didn't notice, it's midnight. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I wanted to train," the girl said. "I'm the only one out of my siblings that uses a sword. I want to be more like them."

Luke nodded. "I get it, you want to fit in. But," he said, getting down to her height, "the best warriors are the ones that stand out from the crowd. You're different from your siblings, but that is a strength, not a weakness."

Amaryllis looked at him like he was the most wise person in the world. Catching her staring, he chuckled. "Plus, since you use a sword, you get to train with me," he joked.

She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. "Why are you awake?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I... had a nightmare."

"You get nightmares too?"

She was surprised to hear that someone like Luke had the same problems she had. Sometimes she'd forget that all the demigods dealt with the same issues, but something good did come out of it — they understood one another.

"Every demigod does," he explained. "As you get older, it gets worse."

Amaryllis pressed her lips together as she looked at him — he did look troubled. "You know what helps me after a nightmare? Ice cream!"

"Are you suggesting that we break in the kitchens and steal, Mrs Kalomiri?" he tried to hide his amused smile.

"Totally!"

"Fine, you convinced me. I could never say no to some good ol' stolen food."

Some minutes later, they sat at the empty pavillion, laughing at each other's funny stories. Luke had a much more interesting life than her, so Amaryllis was completely invested in listening to him talk. Most of his stories were after he ran away with Thalia and Annabeth, but he avoided saying the first girl's name, clearly trying to minimize the pain of remembering her.