Preface

It was around one in the morning, when Rosemary Athol clumsily climbed into her black Jeep. She definitely way too drunk to drive but didn't care. She would blame the bartender for her condition if she was stopped by police. Who lets a seven month pregnant woman drink? Not too add she wasn't even old enough to drink. None of that stopped her though. Her boyfriend, who got her pregnant and promised to build a life with her and their baby, left her; if that wasn't a good reason to drink, the hell with it.

She was even considering buying a six pack as her car roared to life. Her knuckles turned white because gripped the wheel too hard in fear if she held it loosely her it would slip out of her hands. Rosemary was fighting the sleepy feeling inside of her when she turned onto the highway. She cursed the baby living inside of her, did it really have to wake her up at five yesterday?

She found the highway to be eerily deserted even for the time of night. She was in New York City, wasn't she? Then again she wasn't being keen on paying attention to the road. She was going at least twenty miles above the speed and had no clue if she was going in the right direction. Either way, Rosemary didn't care. Her day had been suckish enough already to give any care over other people, and the consequences they could suffer over her actions. Her baby for instance, she had drunk like a fish today, and her baby was in very dangerous trouble at the moment.

After dozing off for a minute or two her attention was alerted by her barely conscious mind when there was driving right towards her. She did not pull over or call for help. Instead with the hot tears in her eyes, she hit the accelerator and drove for it.

As it turns out, Rosemary was going south bound in a North bound lane, because she had never cared what her actions would do to others. She hadn't cared or known anything about the boy in the other car who followed the rules of the road.

The instant the two cars collided, a large sharp piece of window shield shard nailed her in her throat. Which cut off her breathing and bled out to death, and she still didn't care; not even for the innocent victims here.

***

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. How long had he been here; at least seven hours or so. It hadn't mattered anyway. If Percy wanted to make onto the Olympic Swim Team for the United States, he had to practice as much as he could. He was afraid that he might be a little out of shape after what had to be a week without swimming and doing his other various exercises. It's not like he wanted too but New York State University had interfered with its unfair schedule.

Percy didn't even like college nor did he understand the point of going. If he kept winning his races then he could get so filthy rich there would be no need for a job.

For God sake, he wasn't even majoring in anything. He just went because it made his mom happy and that's all that really mattered. Her life had been hell; partially to blame on his dad. That bastard just appeared out of nowhere in Montauk and swept her off her feet. Then she got pregnant and boom! He finally tells her that he's already married with kids. Opps, I guess he forgot about that part before. So he just left and showed at random times to see Percy, who proved to be "busy", whenever said opportunity came along.

Just a few more laps and he would call it quits. He noted that his back hand stroke was slowing him down, that would certainly need major improvements. It could wait for tomorrow. Percy was exceptionally pleased to learn he improved in the five hundred meter butterfly by point three seconds, which meant he was tied with Mark Princeton. He was probably Percy's biggest competition, the only one who could get into his way of getting on the United States team. Percy wouldn't let that happen, never in a million years. He was going to make the team and bring home the gold. After all he was sure it was his destiny.

So finally in the early hours of the morning, he forced himself out of his Body Glove and into his jeans and t-shirt. He was worn out to say the least. He knew he probably shouldn't have trained for so long and should have started out easy. Yet, he couldn't do that; it would be like surrendering and that was impossible for Percy Jackson.

Even though he was worn out from swimming, he was still well enough awake to drive. He knew he had it in him because it was all too risky right now to suffer any injuries; no matter how small. Percy refused to hurt his chances and ruin his dream. There won't be a next year; there'll be another for years. In those four years younger competition and better athletes will be training to beat him. In four years Percy will be twenty three. And if he doesn't make the cut that year then another four years passes and he's twenty seven and getting too old. The world of athletics there are rarely second chances. You have one shot, that's it.

In his car he turned on the air conditioning. It was spring time but yet a whopping eighty five degrees in New York. After deciding that absolutely every song on the radio was garbage, he turned it off and took out of the parking lot and into the road.

For awhile he drove on the back roads for something new. Then he turned onto the North bound lane on the highway. He noticed how there were plenty of cars on the South lane but not north. It was easier for him that way to get home without people in his way. He even thought he was just having a lucky day.

That was not the case because in just a few short moments he saw the car thundering toward him, driving the wrong way in the wrong lane. In desperation he slammed the breaks in his car. It was already too late because the cars already collided.

***

When they ambulances and police and fireman got to the scene, the young woman who dialed nine one one, was screaming frantically too them, "get 'em out!"

The EMT workers and fireman rushed over to the shiny black Jeep. One look at the woman inside with the large chunk of glass in her throat and rolled back eyes, they knew she was gone. Still they pulled her out of the car and winced at her swollen belly with a baby no longer living. On the stretcher they covered her up and wrote on a paper: TOD (time of death) two fifty three a.m.

Meanwhile the fire fighter pulled the young man who was stuck in the car because he was wearing a seat belt out of the smoking car. A rush of relief came when he saw that there were just cuts from glass on his face. Maybe he just passed out, from the impact. Then reality set in when he looked at his hand, covered in blood after he pulled the victim out. He turned the young man over and almost dropped him because there in a small section where your skin should be his skull was visible and bleeding at a rate to fill a swimming pool.

He placed him on the stretcher and looked at the EMT, "This one's a goner if he isn't already gone. I couldn't find a pulse."

The EMT worker believed him. The condition he was in he couldn't be alive but she still checked. First she tried listening to his chest and as she expected, nothing. Still she did not move and listened harder and heard a faint thump thump.

"I've got something, let's go, He won't be around much longer."

They strapped the unconscious man to the stretcher and carried him into the ambulance that immediately took off.

"So what do we do next?" The fireman that got the man on the stretcher asked the policeman.

The police officer looked at him, "You knew to the scene?"

"Yeah."

"We call the parents." The police officer assured him. Then took out the cell phone that was in the man's car. "Hello, is this Ms. Jackson?"

A/N: Okay then, the real story starts next chapter. I accept flames and constructive criticism, reviews are fabulous too. Also my beta reader just quit on me so anyone who wants the job can take it!