Annabeth sighed. Climate change is really a problem, it messed with seasonal patterns and made weather more wild and unpredictable. It had snowed overnight, turning Camp Half Blood into a snowy mess. The mass of snow stretched for miles. Annabeth was not the biggest fan of winter, she has a bad experience with snow before.
Annabeth liked to take strolls, she had a habit of taking afternoon strolls, taking these walks cleared her mind. Annabeth sometimes could not remember specific things she did during the day, probably something to do with ADHD: a common side effect of being a demigod. Taking a walk reminded Annabeth the beauty of nature, often spotting different beautiful anomalies that she had never seen before in her life.
Annabeth walked towards the hills, it was the place least impacted by the overnight blizzard. The steep slope and towering trees reduced the impact of the snow. Annabeth was fond of walks: it was just herself, her thoughts and complete silence. However, this time she had a strange feeling of someone watching her.
A few minutes in, Annabeth got lost. She forgot which way she came from. Annabeth tried to retrace her footsteps by following her footprints, but every time she sees a new pair of footprints. Annabeth was panicking as the sun sank in the horizon. She tried walking in different directions but found herself walking into an invisible barrier. She sat down, her heart pounding with fear. She was trapped in this endless loop.
In the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw a dark silhouette coming towards her. The mysterious figure seemed familiar, like an old friend many years ago. What she did not expect was the silhouette revealing itself to be the snow goddess. Annabeth thought she was hallucinating.
"Missed me?" Smirked Khione.
"Not really."
"So here is the deal: I let you out, but..."
"There is always a but isn't there."
"You would swear to the River Styx to obey me."
"So I would a slave to you."
"More like a mutual relationship, only a small price for freedom."
"My imprisonment that you probably caused!? I would be a dog under your leash."
Khione sighed and materialised a pocket watch with a delicate golden chain onto her hand.
"I guess you left me no choice."
"If you are trying to hypnotise me, it's not gonna work." Annabeth declared confidently. "My will is too strong."
Khione began slowly swinging the pocket watch in front of Annabeth's eyes. With each pull of the pocket watch, Annabeth's mind became more and more heavy. Annabeth tried to close her eyes to lessen the effects, perhaps out of sheer fear that Khione is skilled at hypnosis. At that moment, Khione gently touched Annabeth's cheek and whispered into her ear, "Resistance is futile." Unable to resist the urge, Annabeth opened her eyes and blissfully stared at the mesmerising stopwatch. A few moments later and Annabeth's mind was in a blank state.
Now was the time. "You will now obey everything I say." Purred Khione, her voice as soft as a snowflake. Khione snapped her fingers. Annabeth consciousness bursted awake. She could not remember how she got here, but she knew she had to obey Khione: she wanted to.
"Yes Khione." Annabeth replied obediently. "How may I serve you today?"
"You will address me as mistress." said Khione. She was gonna mess around with the daughter of the Goddess of Wisdom for a while.
"Yes mistress."
"Your first task, is to bring me your friend Piper McLean."