He blinked his eyes a few times. When he shook off his daze, he was startled and immediately asked himself, "Where am I?". He looked around, everything was white-the walls, the bed, the table, the chair-everything. Then he noticed someone standing in front of the table. The person turned, it was a young man, about 5'11 (about 1.80 meters) tall with brown hair and a nice smile.

"Oh, Mr. Jackson, you are awake," he stated in a friendly voice.

"What happened?"

"Can you remember anything?" He asked sadly.

"No, but what happened?"

"There was an accident."

Suddenly the memories came flooding back to Percy - they were going too fast, drove off the road and then everything was black.

"What about Annabeth?"

"Unfortunately, she did not survive it." It was not a mock pity, it was real, but still, the voice was so old and so far away. This realization hit him like a knife in the heart. He did not realize what happened, everything turned black again.

0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0

He woke up again, his eyes slightly swollen, he ran his hand over his cheek, it was wet. He must have cried. He quickly realized that he was in the same room. This time, however, someone else was in his room, sitting in the corner with their head down.

"Hello." With that word, Percy tried to get the other person's attention.

The person raised his head. Percy realized that it was Jason. He too had watery eyes.

"You're awake," Jason stated.

Percy tried to get up, but immediately he felt dizzy, he threatened to fall forward. Jason got up quickly to support his friend with one arm. Carefully, Percy sat down again.

"What if you take a rest first?" Jason suggested.

"Why should I? I am healthy."

"you are not. You have a broken leg."

Percy nodded and lay down again.

"What about the others?" He asked.

Jason sat down on the bed next to Percy and said in a shaky, stammering voice, "T-the-y are d-dead."

Percy's eyes closed, but he forced himself into consciousness. He remembered all the nice moments they spent together. And he knew there would not be another moment with Piper or Annabeth, that all his dreams of living with Annabeth, getting married someday and starting a family together will never be achieved. Suddenly life no longer had any meaning. But something anchored him to reality. Something told him that it was worth living and not giving up.

When he opened his eyes again he cried. Jason was sitting next to him, holding his arm. "Was that what kept me alive?" He wondered. He realized he was shaking. Jason leaned over him and held him by the shoulder. "It's normal to cry, it's normal to be scared," he said in a calming voice.

Then he did something that Percy had not expected. Jason pulled him with one arm. After a brief moment of shock, Percy begins to cry in Jason's shoulder. Jason cried as well.

0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0

After half an hour, he could not cry anymore, and they broke away from each other.

"Why are you doing everything with one arm?" Percy asks.

"Are there not more pressing matters at the moment?" He replied annoyed.

"Sorry I asked!"

Jason lowered his head. "No, it's okay, my arm is spoken."

Percy nodded.

"And where are we supposed to go now? We don't have anyone anymore and I would not like to live in the apartment alone." Jason asked.

"I know..."

He is interrupted by the opening of the room door. The young man was back again ut this time he looked somber and sad.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"Will you follow me please, boys?"

"And how do you expect me to do that?" complained Percy with a gesture to his broken leg.

The man left the room and came back with crutches in his hand. He handed them to Percy and then motioned for them to follow.

"Where are we going?" Asks Jason.

"You have to say if the bodies really belong to your girlfriends."

They went pale. Fear of what they were about to see gripped them.

They followed the man through dozens of hallways, all looking the same to them. At some point, they came to a large door to signal that this is where a new part of the building begins. The man opened the door and they walked down another hallway. In front of door number 13, they pause-13 a mysterious number. The man opened the door. Behind it was a room with two lights over two sliding beds covered with thin blankets. Percy and Jason knew that most likely would be Piper and Annabeth. Between the beds stood a middle-aged woman, she was quite small, but looked very friendly.

The young man went outside and closed the door. The boys moved like robots to the beds. The woman came to meet them. "Who of you is Jason Grace?" She asked.

Jason raised his arm. She gestured to him to come to her. He looked at Percy again but then walked to the first bed. When he stood directly in front of the woman pulled back a piece of the blanket, so that you can see the head. Jason stuck to the edge of the bed, then nodded and said, sobbing, "That's her, this is Piper."

The woman nodded as well and indicated that he could sit on a chair in the corner if he wanted. Jason sat down. Then it was Percy's turn to go to the second bed. The woman pulled back the blanket. He forced himself to see. He noticed, despite all the splinters, scratches and deformities that it was Annabeth.

So he nodded and said that it is her. Percy felt empty. Together with Jason, he went outside again, where the young man waits. He asked: "Do you want to stay in the hospital?"

"No, I will go anywhere else, but I want to get out of this hospital!" Percy answered quickly.

The man nodded and led her to the main entrance of the hospital where he said, "I forgot to introduce myself. You can call me Mirko. And do me a favor, take care of yourselves. You will soon hear something from the police who are currently investigating the scene of the accident. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The man turned and walked back into the building. Now Percy and Jason were alone.

"Where should we go?" Percy asked.