Piper could not sleep that night. It was one of those nights that kept you awake for no apparent reason. The blizzard outside became worse and worse, and she had the feeling that something ominous was going to happen. It was one of the feelings that kept her awake, against her will.
Then out of the darkness, a familiar voice rang out.
"Psst, Piper."
It was Annabeth, the blonde haired girl from the Athena cabin. What was she doing outside this late. Piper immediately put on her winter jacket and headed out with her. With nothing to do, Piper would take the chance to waste some time and kill off her boredom.
"Where are we going tonight?" Asked a parched Piper.
"I got something to show you." Annabeth shrugged.
It took 10 minutes to reach their destination, a clearing in a forest, with an insignificant path leading to nowhere in particular. Piper suddenly noticed the absence of Annabeth. Piper's eyes scanned her surroundings, something was not right. Panicked, Piper turned around to see Annabeth holding a baseball bat. Piper noticed Annabeth's eyes were lifeless and unfocused as she lifted the bat and swung it at Piper's face.
Piper's vision was blurred, she could not move her other parts of her body. She was essentially trapped in a motionless body: she could only hear, smell and sense the earth around her. Piper was dragged by her arm, her knee scraping against the uneven ground. The blizzard seem to grow, biting any exposed skin it could find.
Five more agonising minutes later and our story now takes place in an isolated hut. A familiar cold voice rang out from the darkness.
"Great job, Annabeth." spoke the mysterious voice.
"Thank you mistress." replied a subdued Annabeth.
The mysterious person stepped out from the shadows, and it turned out to be no other than Khione.
"Impossible," whispered Piper. "I sent you to Tartarus with my own hands."
"And what a journey it took me," replied Khione coldly. "To return back into this world and execute my scheme."
Piper desperately tried to resist against the restraints of being tied to a chair.
"Oh you would never escape these knots, the daughter of the goddess of wisdom tied these. And even if you do escape, you would have to face me - weaponless." Smirked Khione, satisfied to see her enemy in such a vulnerable position.
Desperate to waste more time, Piper's only choice is to stall the inevitable.
"I have no idea how you persuaded Annabeth to help you." seethed Piper.
"I learned a few hypnosis tricks in Tartarus." Khione's eyes glinted for a second from the reflection of the settling sun.