Athena swallowed hard, her fingers curling around her staff as they stepped forward in unison. The air shifted as they passed through the threshold, and in the blink of an eye, the chill and stark whiteness vanished.
When their eyes adjusted, the contrast left them breathless. They found themselves standing in the middle of a lush, vibrant jungle. Towering trees with sprawling canopies painted the sky in hues of green and gold, while luminous flowers in every imaginable color glowed gently in the underbrush. Streams of crystal-clear water crisscrossed the landscape, and an otherworldly mist hung lazily in the air.
But it wasn't just nature that captured their attention—it was the dwellings. Hundreds of houses, woven seamlessly into the environment, dotted the jungle floor and perched among the trees. The structures were beautiful, their designs a harmonious blend of organic and architectural, as though grown rather than built.
