Her breathing ragged from exhaustion, Enid ran through the dark forest. The low hanging tree branches reached for her and clawed at her wet clothes and hair as if to stop her. A low howling sound reverberated through the air as she stumbled over a twig.

Enid cursed and glanced over her shoulder as she got up again. Three large mastiffs the size of grizzly bears were several yards away and gaining ground despite the rain making the terrain slippery. She ran faster, pumping her legs even though they burned already as if set on fire. Mastiffs were normally her favorite kind of dog... Unless they were hellhounds.

She focused and tried not to crash into any of the trees she passed as she whistled, sharp and clear through the storm. The hellhounds paused—she only knew because the rustling sound behind her ceased—black ears pricked. When they decided to start towards her again, the ground split with a cracking noise and hellfire licked them down into the chasm. Enid couldn't close the trench back up; black spots were dancing in her vision as it was. It was hard enough trying to run through the woods on a stormy night with fog forming.

She saw a large pine tree ahead of her to her right through the rain; different than the oaks starting to thin from around her. In its lower branches glittered something gold. Enid slowed down from fatigue and regretted it. Hot air tickled the back of her neck as she jumped onto a large boulder.
They'd clawed up the sides of the chasm and shadow-traveled. Too quickly. They normally didn't bother her, but it was as if someone'd sent them with renewed vigor.

Enid's eyes widened in alarm as she shoved herself off of the slippery rock. A stinging pain seared the back of her left calf, but she passed through some kind of tangible barrier before collapsing.

She scrambled backwards, turning to face the hellhounds and hissing when wet blades of grass scratched her wound. They were clawing at the barrier, but not passing through it. Ripples appeared around the areas they scratched before disappearing, the barrier becoming completely invisible again.

She blinked in surprise before forcing herself to stand up. If she stayed there, she'd fall unconscious. Last time that'd happened, she'd been robbed of her pocket knife and few dollars. Enid turned away from the hellhounds, an eye still on them just in case. The storm seemed to be less severe once she'd gotten through the barrier, yet the mastiffs were still being pelted with rain.

She was on the side of a hill, past the pine tree standing tall on its brow. A coil of copper rope adorned the base of the tree with what looked like a golden blanket hanging in its branches. At the foot of the hill, Enid saw a mess hall with several vines making up the roof and walls. There were several torches blazing from the columns, revealing the silhouettes of a small group in the building. The rain and winds were causing the torches to flicker wildly, but they didn't go out. Enid could normally see fine in the dark, but even her constant abilities were failing her because of her wound.

She ripped off several strips from her hoodie with some difficulty while still watching the red-eyed mastiffs and the group in the mess hall. Enid wiped a smudge of mud from around the cut and used the rain to clean it partially before wrapping it with the black strips and tying it off.

When she looked back up, the hellhounds were still there. They'd settled for pacing the outside of the barrier and growling softly at her. Their black tails were flicking side to side with aggravation. She started down the hill as thunder clapped, making her ears ring. She almost fell four times. The area was now completely dark except for the torches inside the mess hall. No more night vision.

She crept to the side of the building where the vines were the thickest. Enid smelled the scent of grapes through the stormy air as she reached the wall.

"-amit!" The sound of someone's fist hitting one of the wooden picnic tables rang around the mess hall along with another clap of thunder.

Enid tried to find a peaking gap in the wet vines. There were none—probably on purpose to keep away prying eyes and the occasional rain storm—so she had to poke her head around the side of the wall. The group Enid had seen was actually just two boys and their shadows.

"Neeks, calm down. Iris Messaging hasn't worked in a while, we'll just ask Percy if Annabeth has a phone." Their voices were muffled slightly from the pouring rain.

The black-haired boy glared at the floor. "You know she doesn't anymore."
The other boy smiled sheepishly. "It's worth a try at least."

Enid took her gaze off of the two teens to look back up the hill. The glowing red eyes were gone.

"But why is this prophecy so criptic? Your dad already has one, and we're supposed to be on break after Dirt Face and that statue."

"I don't know, sunshine," the blond responded, looking around the mess hall. Enid ducked back behind the vines.

'Prophecy? Is this the Greek Camp?'

She ducked her head out again to see the blond narrow his eyes vaguely in her direction.

"Nico, I can smell blood."

The shorter teen's head snapped up as Enid crouched down quickly to examine her wound. The cloth was soaked through with blood and still stung like crazy. The rain trailed over the makeshift bandage, mixing with blood, and was staining her ankle and sock red. How he could tell from through a wall and while it was storming, however, Enid had no idea.

'Perfect.' Both of the teens were obviously looking at the vines she was behind, so either way she moved, she'd be seen. Enid decided to not look like a spy.

She stepped out with her hands raised as black spots danced in her vision. She blinked them away. Enid scowled internally when she realized she looked like a rat's nest compared to the two opposites.

"Excuse me, sorry, but... Is this the Greek encampment?"

A/N: Thank you for reading! And sorry for making Will sound like a vampire. I don't know how to change it...😅Suggestions? Advice is more than welcome