Naida

What is going on?

Perci and Annabeth ran out of the area. The beings chased after them trapping them leaving the only way out towards a forest. They nodded to each other and ran, but for one reason or another they didn't follow the two instead staying still muttering "they will be gone soon enough". 

Annabeth steadied herself, her fingers curling tightly into the damp moss below her. The clearing was eerily silent, save for the soft rustling of leaves in the distance. Just moments ago, she and Perci had been in the hall of Valhalla, running for their lives from ancient warrior things.

The two of them bolted from the clearing, weaving through thick trees and dodging branches that seemed to reach out, as if trying to slow them down. Behind them, the strange beings didn't give chase but watched them with eerie calmness, their muttered words just barely audible: "They'll be gone soon enough."

"That's not ominous at all," Perci muttered as she ducked under a low-hanging branch. "I love it when our pursuers act like they're in on some fucking inside joke."

Annabeth glanced back at the clearing, her face set in determination. "Yeah, classic villain move. Smug muttering? Check. Cryptic threats? Check."

They skidded to a stop, breathing hard, the forest now pressing in on all sides. Their hurried footsteps fell silent as they reached a strange mossy patch of ground. Annabeth knelt, her fingers curling into the damp moss as if anchoring herself to something real. She stared around the clearing, and the ancient trees stared back in eerie silence.

"Annabeth?" Perci's voice sounded small and uncertain in concern for her friend. "What...what just happened?"

Annabeth looked down at herself, a wave of confusion washing over her. She realized it was becouse she was processing the fact that she was 12 again. Now that she thought about it , it was like her body felt...wrong. Everything was slightly off, as if she'd shrunk. Which she had. Her hands, which had been strong and capable, now looked...well, a little smaller. She stared, feeling an eerie sense of déjà vu yet unfamilarity.

"Uh, Perci?" she asked, her voice low. "Iet us have a moment to process the fact that we are 12 again"

"What?" Perci looked at her own hands, her brow furrowed in a mix of horror and irritation. "Wait I thought that I was just hallucinating. No way! I already did the whole 'awkward pre-teen phase' once. I'm not signing up for it again. Please tell me this is just a weird Bifrost illusion thing."

Annabeth shook her head, still examining her own hands. "Well, if it's an illusion, it's a good one. My feet barely touch the ground. And everything smells...more." She wrinkled her nose. "Like...really earthy."

Perci groaned, poking her own cheeks as though making sure they were really hers. "Oh, awesome. I bet my voice is going to start squeaking again, too. So much for dignity."

Trying to focus, Annabeth took a breath. "Alright, it's not a crisis. Yet. We'll figure it out." She nodded firmly, doing her best to ignore the unsettling feeling in her gut. Everything around them felt thin and wispy, like they were trapped in a dream where the rules of reality bent and shifted with no warning.

They stood together in silence, until a shadow moved between the trees, and both of them froze. Ahead of them, a woman appeared in a flash of white, her long, flowing dress shimmering in the dim light. Her white hair fell over her shoulders like storm clouds, and her sharp, piercing red eyes met Annabeth's gaze with an intensity that sent a chill down her spine.

"Annabeth," Perci murmured, shifting closer to her. "If we need to make a run for it again, I'm going to need longer legs."

Annabeth shot her a look. "If we need to run, trust me, I'll be dragging you along." But her eyes stayed on the strange woman.