Hey! I decided to post this little tiny chapter, cuz why the heck not? Oh, boy, it happened again(see my new story's[Origins Lost] A/N for an explanation). I also decided to publish this story chapter by chapter, too. I felt it was better to get a chapter or two a week rather than having to wait months for me to get over my writers block. Sorry that the chapter's so short.

—Alex

PERCY

Light filtered through my closed eyelids. I groaned and shifted in my bed. Just five more minutes, I wanted to groan. Then I remembered the events of the previous night. My eyes shot open. Looking back at that morning, everything looked a bit larger, but that wasn't my main concern.

I sat upright, the rainbow-colored room not helping the vertigo swirling in my vision. I saw Will sleeping in a chair by my bed. There was a book in ancient Greek on his chest, something called The Sea of Monsters. I shuddered. Maybe it was a guide to the Sea.

"Will?" I croaked, and fell back in my bed. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Will's eyes shot open. "Hey, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty," He said, rubbing his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

I sat up again, slower this time, and shrugged. I didn't trust my voice.

Will smiled reassuringly, and grabbed the radio on the table next to him. "Irida, Percy's awake."

Irida's voice crackled over the radio. "That's great! I'll be right over."

"So, Percy, do you, uh, know what happened?" Will asked.

"I collapsed outside your door in the middle of the night, and after that...I-I don't know."

"It has to do with what happened on the island—" Irida burst in before Will could finish his sentence.

"Did I interrupt something?" She said. Her hair was pulled back in a rainbow-colored, very fuzzy ponytail. She was wearing a orange and purple tie-dyed shirt and knee-length jean-shorts.

Will gave her his best "why'd you have to do that" stare. "Yes, actually. I was just about to explain to Percy here why—"

"Great, I didn't miss anything." She sat down at the end of my bed. Will glared at her. "Go on," she said, waving her hand.

I covered up my sniggers with a cough. Irida smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, let it out." Will grumbled. "So, Percy, about what happened on the the island—"

"The golden light that surrounded me." I said. There was definitely something wrong with my voice. "It had some kind of curse, didn't it?"

Will raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know?"

"Well, I couldn't sleep last night, because I was waking up every hour, and then I stumbled—and collapsed—outside of your door. And now, after I wake up from passing out, something feels off. Really off."

Will winced at the last part, but Irida looked indifferent. Although, she had stopped smirking.

"Percy, it's a delayed-regression kinda curse." Will said slowly, watching my reaction carefully.

"A delayed what?" I asked, growing more worried by each passing second.

"A delayed-regression curse. Regression is-it's-ugh, I don't know how to put this." Will rambled, running his hands through his hair.

"Regression is when your age is reversed, so a delayed-regression curse—" Irida supplied helpfully.

"So when I was waking up every hour, it was my age lessening?" I cut in angrily. I couldn't help it, I just felt so powerless.

"Yeah." Will said softly. He walked over to my bedside.

"So how old am I, then, huh?" Will looked anxious. "Come on, Will, tell me!"

"Percy, you gotta stay calm, alright?"

"Stay calm? In the past 24 hours, I've been a guinea pig, a human girl, watched my girlfriend turn into a teenage guy, then a baby, and now I've regressed? I've surpassed staying calm! So tell me, for Apollo's sake, how old am I?!"

Will took a shuddering breath. "Eight, Percy. You're an eight-year-old girl."

577 words. That's pretty terrible for me. But a cliffhange! I think I once heard someone call it a "rickhanger". Truer words have never been spoken. And let just reiterate this: poor, poor Percy. He does not get a break. But what about Annabeth? *laughs evilly*

Also, I am in search of a beta-reader. I've been looking, but a lot, and I mean a lot, of people I've looked at haven't posted anything for years. If you want to beta read for me, or know someone who would, please PM me. Thank you. *bows*

Also, some shameless self advertising: I've started publishing a new story called Origins Lost. It's a PJO/HoO and Ranger's Apprentice crossover. If you don't know the actual book series, it's by John Flanagan, and I strongly encourage you to read them.

Uhhh, yeah, that's it. Buh bye!

—Alex