Well this took forever to write. Partially because its so long, and partially because real life has been exhausting. But finally, here it is!

Mentions of alcohol and drunkedness in this.

Rachel's Very Hectic Stay In Paris

When the first supervillain attack Paris, Rachel was very confused.

Most people were scared - even those who had previously known magic existed - and some were excited. But most didn't have a built-in future teller who usually warned them of important events.

And that was the weird thing. The oracle spirit had not warned Rachel at all.

So when a giant rock monster emerged, Rachel was very, very confused.

Of course, the first thing she did was call Chiron.

"Some magic is outside the oracle's power," he explained. "You'll have to be as careful as everyone else."

Rachel couldn't decide if that was a helpful answer or not.

"Do you know anything about these... miraculouses? Miraculi?" Rachel asked.

"I know a little," Chiron replied. "They've made their way into the hands of demigods before."

"But nothing helpful?"

"It is hard to say," Chiron said. "The situation is too new. Just be careful, and stay in contact."

Rachel debated trying to reach Apollo. It wasn't like she needed to know - but she was dying to - and it was probably better if she stayed out of it - but she didn't want to stay out of it.

Eventually, Apollo reached out to her. With a note on her bed.

"Don't get too involved

They might not know of Greek Stuff

Keep them in the dark"

Which was also good advice.

Rachel was tempted not to follow it.

But she did.

It wasn't as hard as she thought. It wasn't like the Greek monsters she saw growing up - everyone saw the giant stone monster. All of her roommates got put into the bubbles, not just her.

And, slowly, everyone in Paris was becoming a conspiracy theorist.

The first roommate that bent to the conspiracy side was Jay.

"You see," he said, gesturing to the stereotypical conspiracy theory cork board he had in his shared room. "All of the akumas have been spotted in this general area."

"So Hawkmoth lives near us?" Another roommate, Nova, asked. They were curled up on Jay's bed, watching with apt attention.

"No," Jay replied. "Well, maybe. But it means he's - they're? She's? - I don't know - but they're aiming for international attention. This is the most tourist-y area of Paris."

"But no one outside of Paris knows about Hawkmoth," Rachel pointed out. It sounded impossible - and it was possibly an effect of the mist - but it was true.

"How would you know that?" Jay asked.

"... I'm American?"

"Right," Jay replied.

"Perhaps it's an affect of the magic," Jay's actual-roommate roommate, Kal, suggested.

Jay pointed at Kal excitedly. "That's a good idea. That's - I'm writing that down."

Lyra was the next.

"What if Hawkmoth is immortal, and so are Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Lyra asked. "And we're just caught up in an ancient battle of good and evil?"

The six roommates were gathered around the small coffee table, drinking and playing card games. Rachel was slightly drunk, so she just blurted her response.

"Ancient battles are a lot more dramatic," she said.

"More dramatic? Did you miss the latest akuma?" Kal asked, picking up the next card. "Oh, come on, I do not need this card."

"Ooh, are you going to turn into a card akuma, Kal?" Ely teased, waving her drink at him.

"A Phase 10 akuma sounds terrifying," Nova said.

"Yes, please don't," Lyra agreed.

Kal grunted and discarded the card.

"Ooh, yes!" Ely said, picking it back up. "One run of four and one set of four!"

"Oh come on!" Jay said. "Stop it!"

"Stop beating you?" Ely asked. "Never."

Ely discarded her card, ending her turn. Rachel frowned at the discarded card, before pulling a card from the pile.

"Anyways," Lyra continued. "Have you seen the latest news from the Ladyblog?"

"Ha!" Rachel interrupted. "Two sets of three. Finally."

Rachel slapped her cards down with drunk enthusiasm, put a few cards down in other piles, and discarded, leaving her with one remaining card.

"No, but like," Lyra continued. "There's art of a ladybug hero in the Louvre, from, like, forever ago. Therefore, they also have to be from, like, forever ago."

"Are you going to play?" Kal asked.

"Hm?"

"It's your turn."

Rachel had been living with her roommates for three months when the idea of telling them first occurred to her.

It wasn't that the mist was gone, exactly. Rachel still caught glimpses of monsters no one else noticed - many she didn't recognize. But slowly, as akuma attacks got weirder and weirder, people started being more open to the idea of magic in general.

And eventually, Rachel told Ely.

The two were hanging out in their shared room that night, watching the unfolding akuma attack on Ely's laptop and sharing a bag of chips.

Rachel checked her phone for the thousandth time. "Still no word from Jay or Kal."

Ely cursed. "They've definitely been turned into - whatever. But they'll be fine, right?"

"Right," Rachel echoed.

"This is a weird akuma," Ely muttered. "Do you think he might actually be related to - oh, what was it? Hercules?"

"No," Rachel said. "He keeps getting the names and pronunciations and myths mixed up. Like, Hera threw Hephaestus off of Olympus, not Zeus."

"I thought there were versions of both?" Ely asked.

Rachel blinked, surprised that Ely knew that.

"What? I know things. Sometimes."

Rachel laughed, which made Ely laugh.

But Rachel found herself explaining that yeah, there was a version of the myth that was correct - and how Rachel knew, and Ely believed her and listened. Neither of them even noticed when the akuma was defeated, and when Jay finally returned their calls.

After telling Ely, telling the rest of her roommates was easy.

Rachel told Jay and Kal first, then Lyra and Nova. They all took the news well, in their own way. Jay was delighted to learn about more types of magic, and it wasn't long before more conspiracy theories sprung up on his wall. Kal listened, and then moved on. Lyra had the most art-related questions, asking how it impacted Rachel's painting, and Rachel had enjoyed going in depth with her. Nova had looked at her strangely, before asking questions that led Rachel to wondering if they also had experience in magic they hadn't told anyone.

But all her roommates were disappointed when Rachel told them that no, she couldn't predict akumas.

Rachel was really wishing she could've predicted this akuma.

She had been grocery shopping, as real adults do, when the fruit had spawned arms and legs. Rachel yelped, the couple shopping a few feet away screamed, and the whole store descended into chaos as all the fresh produce stood up and walked to the door.

The fruit joined together near the front door, growing and transforming into what looked like a warrior. The fruit warrior grabbed a baguette for a sword, and starting shouting orders at the costumers in the store.

It was only after all this happened that Rachel's phone buzzed with an akuma alert.

As she was forced to crouch down behind a table of oranges, Rachel felt a burst of grumpiness that the Oracle spirit hadn't warned her of this. Couldn't she have had a little warning to shop at a different time?

The akuma lasted about an hour. When it was over, the grocery store closed for the rest of the day and Rachel had to go home without her food.
No one else in the apartment had gone shopping recently, so they ordered delivery for the night.

That wasn't the last akuma attack Rachel got caught in.

The worst had to be on Valentine's Day, when Nova and Lyra were hit with the akuma's arrow and their roommates had to keep them from killing each other. The akuma who flooded all of Paris was a close second. And then there was the akuma who had lost the election to be mayor - that had been an interesting experience.

Every new experience with akumas unsettled Rachel's roommates. Rachel wasn't much better. It was all so unexpected, so hard to predict, it felt like they were always waiting for the next attack.

It didn't help that their apartment and jobs were in the middle of all the chaos. Rachel had intentionally gotten an apartment close to the Louvre, even before she got her job nearby, and now she was starting to regret that.

Except no, she wasn't, because she liked her roommates. It was worth the chaos to get the chance to meet them.

Ely was amazing. Despite working two jobs - one in a bar and another in a clothing store - she always had extra energy. Even though she and Rachel each had a bed, the two of them often ended up in the middle of the room in a pile of blankets and pillows. Ely was a little bigger than Rachel, but they still managed to wear each other's clothes, and it wasn't long before it was hard to tell what clothes belonged to who.

Lyra quickly became Rachel's art friend. She used her job at the Louvre to get Rachel cheap tickets and insider knowledge. They went to art stores together, spent evenings sharing a table as they both worked on their art, and went to art events together.

Nova was quiet, spending most of their time curled up on their bed reading, but they had an endless supply of blankets and sweaters they were willing to lend out. Nova was the one to teach Rachel how to make tea, who showed her their favorite bakery, and who was always willing to listen to whatever rant their roommates had come up with.

Jay was generally the one ranting. He loved conspiracy theories, but he never took them too seriously. He was excitable, like a puppy, and always up for anything. Game nights and movie nights and two AM mini adventures were all his idea.

Kal was the opposite. He always looked cool and collected, even in the morning, and was the only one who actually ate healthily. He was the roommate the others turned to when they needed help adulting, or when they needed a bit of common sense.

And Rachel loved them all.

It helped that she could talk to them - really talk to them. Until she met Percy, Rachel hadn't had any friends she could discuss what she saw with. But when Rachel came home with stories of weird monsters, or ominous feelings, her roommates would - well, listen might be a strong word. Ely was usually having at least two conversations at any given time, either with her roommates or with someone on her phone, Lyra usually had headphones in, and Jay had a bad habit of interrupting. But they believed her, and that meant a lot.

It also meant a lot that when Rachel's work needed extra volunteers for an event, Ely, Nova, and Jay all signed up.

Rachel had gotten a job - well, a volunteer position - at a local charity that was dedicated to giving arts education to low-income families. It was a cause that meant a lot to her, was close to her apartment, and with the money her dad sent her Rachel didn't need to worry about money. While getting a "real job" to be more independent was appealing, it felt like a wasted opportunity when she could afford to spend most of her time volunteering.

The event that day was an art show with pieces from the children the charity helped. Rachel felt proud - she knew several of the kids, and the art they made was gorgeous. Most of the art, at least.

While Rachel mingled with the students and their proud parents, Ely and Jay worked the entrance table and Nova helped with concessions. Nova was their usual quiet self, but Ely and Jay acted professional around the guests. Rachel would have guessed they became completely different people if it wasn't for the weird faces Ely made whenever she caught Rachel looking at her.

About an hour into the event, someone got akumatized.

It felt very out of nowhere. Rachel hadn't noticed anyone acting off, or anything that would cause an akumatization, and, of course, the Oracle hadn't given her any warnings. It just happened.

Rachel reacted quickly, grabbing the nearest person by her and dragging them behind the nearest table.

The other person cursed under their breath. "One day without an akuma. That's all I want." Rachel ignored them.

Rachel peered over the table. She glanced at the akuma which, to no surprise, was art-themed, then at the concession stand where Nova was. She couldn't see them, but given the angle that likely meant Nova had ducked behind the stand. Rachel could make out Ely and Jay hiding behind the welcome table.

Rachel ducked behind the table again. Her friends were safe, for now.

The akuma started monologuing. Rachel felt her stomach dropped when she realized what the monologue was about - someone's parents not being proud of their artwork.

Finished with the monologue, the akuma - Masterpiece - raised his hands, and the paint from the artworks behind him floated off the canvas and surrounded him. He pointed his hand at the table Rachel was crouched behind.

Rachel pushed the other person out of the way as paint slammed into the table and splintered it into a million pieces. Mid-explosion, the table froze, like a statue.

Oh, that looks cool.

Masterpiece continued sending jets of paint at various guests and furniture. One guest got a chest full of paint, and ending up looking like a marble statue. Another dissipated into a chalk drawing on the floor.

Rachel was starting to wish she brought a hair brush.

Masterpiece changed a trash can into a abstract statue, and then pointed his hand at the welcoming table, where Jay and Ely were still crouched.

Rachel moved before thinking.

She jumped onto Masterpiece's back, and he missed his shot. He spun, knocking Rachel off. She hit the floor with a thud and a flare of pain in her arm.

Rachel yelled a curse in Greek that Annabeth had taught her, because ouch.

Masterpiece turned to Rachel as she pushed herself up to her feet, and raised his arm. Rachel prepared herself to dodge - surely she was faster than Masterpiece, akuma powers or not, she -

Someone whacked Masterpiece over the head with a bottle. He stumbled, and Rachel saw Nova behind him, broken bottle in their hand.

Nova appeared to have no idea what to do next. They glanced

Fortunately, that was when the heroes showed up.

When it was over, Ely enveloped Rachel in a hug.

"Thank you!" Ely said.

"That was super cool!" Jay added, walking up next to Ely. "Same for you, Nova."

Nova blushed.

"Just don't make me do that again," Rachel said.

"Yes, please don't," Nova agreed.

"I don't know, I'd like to see that again," Ely teased.

"I would not," Nova said. "So let's not."

After that, things were uneventful for a few weeks.

Rachel's work held a make-up event, which came and went with no akumas. Lyra got a promotion at her work, Nova found a new book series to be obsessed with, and Rachel got a call from Piper about one of her sisters moving to Paris - but as long as she didn't move to where Rachel was, she should be fine.

It was a pretty good few weeks, so of course it ended with an akuma.

Rachel had felt this one coming, not in the way she felt prophecies coming, or anything else magical.

No, it was the overturned trashcan that tipped her off.

"Lyra," Nova explained, from their spot on the couch. They were picking at a loose thread on their sweater. "She's kicked it over when she walked in."

"Is she okay?" Rachel asked.

Nova shook their head. "I don't know. I - she was muttering something, but it didn't sound like French, but - you don't think she's at a risk of being akumatized?"

"I don't know," Rachel said. "Is she in your room?"

Nova nodded, and Rachel walked to their room and knocked on the door.

Lyra moaned, and Rachel took it as an invitation. She creaked the door open and peaked her head in.

Lyra was curled up on her bed, still in her work clothes, arms over her head. Her shoes had ended up on the other side of the room.

"Lyra?" Rachel asked.

Lyra moaned.

"Are you okay?"

Lyra mumbled something that sounded like "do I look like I'm okay?"

Which, no, she did not.

"Can I grab you something?" Rachel asked.

"Pain meds," Lyra said. "And something to drink."

"Are you injured?" Rachel asked.

"I think I have an ear infection," Lyra said. "It hurts so bad, I had to leave work early."

"That sucks," Rachel said.

"No kidding. And I just got this promotion - what type of person leaves early two weeks after getting a job?"

"The type of person who is sick," Rachel replied. "I'll grab those meds."

Lyra muttered a thank you, and Rachel closed the door behind her.

"Ear infection," she told Nova. "She'll be fine."

Nova nodded.

Rachel grabbed pain meds and a bottle of Lyra's flavored water from the kitchen, and was on the way back to her room when the door exploded.

Nova yelped and scrambled to hide behind the couch.

The explosion was accompanied with a distinct, painful ringing noise.

Rachel grit her teeth against the noise, still holding onto the water and medicine. Lyra - now very clearly akumatized - sized her up, before shaking her head and crashing through the front door and out of the apartment.

A second layer, Jay and Kal appeared in the doorway.

"Was that Lyra?" Jay asked.

Rachel nodded.

"We need to stop her," Nova said, standing up. "What if she gets in trouble?"

"You legally cannot get in trouble for what you do when akumatized," Kal reminded.

"Still, she's our friend, we should try to do something," Nova stressed.

"Do we even know where she's heading?" Jay asked.

"Work," Rachel said. "She was upset she had to leave work early."

"She got akum - never mind," Jay said. "Maybe we should let her go. Showing up akumatized because she had to leave work early might get her bonus points with her boss."

"Legally-"

"Yes, we know," Nova cut him off. "But legally doesn't always mean in reality."

"At the very least, we can be there when she is deakumatized," Rachel said. "Unakumatized? You know what I mean. We shouldn't get in the way of the battle, but when this is over it will be disorienting for her, so that's when we can help. Oh, and someone needs to tell Ely what's going on. She won't be home for another couple of hours."

The akuma attack ended up lasting about half an hour.

None of them got to see much of the fight. Rachel, Jay, Kal, and Ely had taken refuge in a bakery to wait out the fight, though none were hungry enough to order anything.

Lyra had never made it to the Louvre. She wasn't too powerful - she could cause explosions, and freeze people in their tracks, but that was all. The fox hero had appeared, preventing Lyra from hitting the main heroes, and causing confusion for anyone trying to figure out what was going on.

Lyra - or whatever her akumatized name was, Rachel hadn't heard it - was a prettier akuma than most. She was dressed in all black, with a skirt that floated down to her ankles, black pumps, a black business blazer, and a black turtle neck shirt. Her hair was now black instead of dark brown, pulled up into a ballerina's bun, with two stands hanging down around her ears. The only splash of color was her red scarf, patterned similarly to her work lanyard.

"She'll be glad to learn she wasn't one of the brightly colored akumas she's always complaining about," Nova noted.

"Like the bubble one?" Rachel asked.

Nova nodded.

"No one liked his design," Kal agreed.

The battle was won with a polka-dot ribbon, somehow, and after the magic ladybug swarm magically repaired all the damage, Rachel and the rest of the roommates rushed out to meet Lyra.

Nova was the first by her side, skidding to a stop on her knees next to Lyra.

"What happened?" Lyra asked.

"You got akumatized," Nova said.

"What?" Lyra asked. "Oh pl-" Lyra winced. "Yep, there's the ear infection."

"I brought meds," Rachel said, passing the bottle to Lyra. "And water."

Lyra downed the meds immediately. "Oh, you are amazing. Thank you."

"Are you okay?" Kal asked, stopping behind Rachel.

"I - no, not really," Lyra said.

"Come on," Nova said, standing up and offering a hand to Lyra. "Let's go home."

Lyra nodded, taking the hand. "Home sounds good."

I think I might do a sequel to this, with another roommate being akumatized, but right now I think another chapter of Mayfly is due.