*Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rick Riordan's.*

*Chapter 2*

(Percy)

Percy felt like he was flying. Or moving through water, at least. He didn't feel any pain, though he felt like he was supposed to.

Wasn't I in a car crash? he thought. Wasn't I supposed to be with someone?

The memories were fuzzy to Percy. One minute he ws in his step-dad's Prius, and the next . . . he was here.

Where ever here was. It looked like he was in Manhattan's park, except he was the only one here. He was completely alone. When he looked to his left, he saw a small clearing of the lake. Everything else was covered with a strange thick fog. When he looked around, the park was all he could see. The fog didn't let him see anything else beyond it.

He wanted to go forward, but something was holding him back, making him want to go in the opposite direction.

He was torn. Which way should he go?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Sally)

Sally was working on her novel when she got the call from the hospital. She was feeling cheerful. She'd just finished two chapters of her novel on one day, and got almost half of her book done.

She leaned back in her chair exhausted and smiled. She was about to call Paul from the kitchen when the loud ring from the phone inturrupted her.

She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Is this Sally Jackson?" The voice on the other end was female.

"Yes it is. May I ask who is calling?" Sally said, twirling the phone cord around the fingers.

"Yes, this is Stacy Blake from the Manhattan hospital, I'm calling about your son."

Sally clutched the phone. "What do you mean? What's going on? Is Percy alright?"

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your son and his girlfriend . . . Annabeth Chase, got into a car crash on the intersection."

"What?" Sally whispered. Paul came into the room and put his hands on Sally's shoulders.

"What's going on? Sally?"

Wordlessly, Sally put the phone on speaker while Stacy Blake explained the details of the accident.

". . . . So, right now your son is in surgery for the crack in his skull, and Miss Chase has a concussion and a couple of bruises."

Paul put a hand to his mouth. He squeezed Sally's shoulder.

"He'll be alright, won't he?" Sally said, feeling as though the breath had been knocked right out of her.

There was a pause. "We really don't know, Mrs. Jackson. The hit to his head could have caused serious damage, but we won't know until his surgery is over and we run scans."

Sally squeezed her eyes shut. Please, let this be a bad dream, she thought. I'll open my eyes, and I'll be in my chair at my desk. I just fell asleep writing and I'm having a nightmare.

But when she opened her eyes, she was still standing by the phone, Paul's hand still on her shoulder.

"You should come here right away," Stacy said. "Miss Chase's parents are flying in from California and won't be here until tomorrow."

"Yes, yes of course," Sally said. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Is it alright if I bring some people?"

"Of course," Stacy Blake said. "Bye-bye."

"Good-bye. Thanks so much for calling." She hung up. She put her face in her hands.

"We'll need to get to the hospital fast," Paul said. "I'll get your coat."

"Okay," Sally murmured. She took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and dialed.

As the phone was ringing, the doorbell rung.

"I'll get it," Paul muttered, heading to the door, Sally's coat in his hands.

"Hello?" the person answered.

Sally took another shaky breath. "Chiron?" Her voice cracked. "You need to come to the Manhattan hospital. It's . . . it's Percy and Annabeth."