After Hebe’s rainbow-glitter blast, Percy wakes on the sticky carpet of Hebe Jeebies sore, disoriented, and still alive. Annabeth and Grover wake nearby, but all three have been physically regressed: Percy and Annabeth look about eight years old, while Grover has smaller horns, tiny hooves, and an oversized shirt.

Annabeth realizes Hebe has “younged” them. The change affects more than appearance: Percy feels the panic and distraction of childhood returning, Annabeth struggles to think clearly, and Grover begins acting on young satyr instincts, including head-butting Percy to practice herd dominance.

The three try the simplest solution first by leaving Hebe Jeebies. On the way out, the chickens in the coop show disturbing interest in them, and Grover understands one chick’s threatening noises. Outside in Times Square, the sunlight changes nothing; Percy, Annabeth, and Grover remain children and cannot safely return to their normal lives this way.

Because the transformation persists, Percy decides they must go back inside and find Hebe. Instead they encounter Sparky, who reveals she is a sixty-five-year-old employee made young by working at Hebe Jeebies. When Percy explains that they want to be restored, Sparky treats this as an “age-based complaint” and announces it to the arcade.

The patrons cheer as Sparky unleashes the “predators,” turning the complaint into a chase. The predators are Hebe’s chickens, which rampage through the arcade, attacking furniture, food, and customers while heading straight for Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Percy tries to uncap Riptide, but the pen stays a pen, suggesting his child body may prevent the sword from working; with weapons useless and the chickens closing in, Annabeth orders everyone to run.