Naida

When in Doubt, Don't Touch the Glowing Stuff

Annabeth's thoughts raced as she processed Perci's question. Kill him? Alex—if that was even his real name—had pushed them too far, but murder? That was a step neither of them had ever seriously considered before. Sure, he was mocking them, and the eerie forest around them was strange beyond belief, but were they really prepared to cross that line?

She tightened her grip on the knife hanging from her belt, her fingers brushing the worn leather hilt. Annabeth's logical mind kicked in as she studied the situation. They were standing in the middle of an ancient, possibly magical clearing, with some unknown figure who claimed to be just a "wanderer," yet was clearly more dangerous than he let on. Everything about him screamed danger, yet she couldn't deny the odd charm that hung around him like a cloak.

"Perci, we can't just—" Annabeth began, her voice low, steady, trying to inject reason into the rising tension between them.

"—just what? Let him insult us and keep playing his games?" Perci interrupted, her fiery personality silently blazing in her voice. Perci, with her dark hair and stubborn determination, had always been the bolder one between the two of them despite her playful nature, and right now, her fists were clenched at her sides, her body almost vibrating with frustration. "Okay maybe we have to don't actually have to kill him, but we need to show him we're serious. He's been messing with us since the moment he showed up, Annabeth."

Alex—or Loki, as Perci had boldly named him—stood there watching the exchange with a faint smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. 'He seemed far too relaxed for someone who had just been threatened with his life. In fact, it looked like he was enjoying it' Annabeth thought "Wait that's because he doesn't understand ancient Greek". 

" Maybe we should kill him " she said in English apparently not silently enough since Loki heard her  

"Oh, please. You're not seriously considering that, are you?" he asked, his voice dripping with condescension. "Mortals always jump to the most dramatic conclusions. I've seen this a thousand times. But I suppose that's part of your charm, isn't it? Always ready to resort to extremes. It's almost cute."

Annabeth's jaw tightened. This guy—whoever he was—was getting under her skin. Not because of his insults, but because of the casual way he seemed to think he understands them. Like he had seen a hundred versions of them before. It was unsettling.

"Who are you really, and what do you want?" Annabeth demanded. She was done playing games. Her analytical brain needed answers, and right now, this guy was the key to understanding what was happening here. She could feel it.

Loki's smirk didn't falter. He leaned casually against a nearby tree, arms crossed over his chest, as if none of this bothered him in the slightest. His eyes glinted with an unreadable expression, something between amusement and disdain. "I told you already, didn't I? I'm a wanderer. I stumbled upon this little clearing just as you did. I wasn't expecting company, but here we are."

"Cut the crap," Perci rolled her eyes, taking a step forward, her eyes hiding an urge to kill disguised under a veil of annoyance. "Nobody just stumbles on places like this. You're not fooling anyone. You know more than you're letting on, so stop playing dumb."

For a moment, Annabeth wondered if Perci was right. Was he toying with them? Testing them, somehow? He was too calm, too at ease. Annabeth's eyes darted to the carved symbols in the stones surrounding the clearing. The air here felt different—charged with something old, ancient even. This was no ordinary place. That much was clear.

Loki chuckled, brushing off Perci's anger like it was nothing. He let out a soft sigh, as if the entire situation was amusingly beneath him. "Ah, mortals. So eager for answers. So suspicious of anyone who doesn't fit into your neat little boxes. But alright, I'll humour you for a moment." His expression darkened, the playful tone dropping from his voice as he continued. "This clearing? It's old. Older than your cities, your civilizations. And what's buried here... let's just say it wasn't meant to be disturbed."