Piper opened her eyes and saw the early morning sunlight filtering through the high windows. Jason was still sleeping beside her so she was careful not to wake him. She sat there letting the quietness surround her. Her eyes scanned the room, she couldn't believe that her and Jason hadn't been in here before. It was creepily beautiful, the paint on the walls that used to be blue were now faded and tinted green. A few bricks on the floor were uneven and some were even missing. A faint smell of chlorine still hovered over the room. Beside her, Jason sat up straighter and yawned. "Good morning," she whispered. He looked over at her.
"Well, I'm not sure how good it is but it's definitely morning," he said.
"I guess... We need to find Leo and Annabeth. I don't think Annabeth will last much longer unless we get her some help," she told him.
"Yes," he stood up and helped Piper up too. "How's your shoulder doing?"
"It hurts like crazy but we need to find Annabeth," she said determinedly. Jason nodded. They walked out into the hallway as a cold breeze blew through, sending dead leaves swirling over the stone strewn floor. Fall was now upon them. They must have been here longer than they thought...the leaves were just starting to turn when they spent their first horrific night here.
"Look," Jason said, pointing to a bloody footprint. Piper gasped.
"That must be from Leo. The blood isn't fully dry yet," she observed.
"Or it could be from that other guy," said Jason.
"Either way we need to keep looking because if it is Leo's, Annabeth should be with him," Piper said, looking for another footprint. Jason sighed and followed her. "There," she exclaimed quietly. There was another footprint leading into a room. The two of them entered the room cautiously just in case it was the other guy. Piper looked in awe at the room. It was a theater with rows of dusty seats and an enchanting stage in the front. The curtains hung like veils leading into another world and the walls were decorated with beautiful designs. Something on the stage drew her attention, two figures next to each other. Piper's heart swelled with joy when she realized that it was her two friends. "Leo!" She exclaimed and began to run down to them. Her shoulder was throbbing with pain but she kept going. When she reached them she wrapped Leo in a hug. "I'm so glad you guys are okay," she cried. She turned to Annabeth but didn't hug her, her skin didn't look to be in any condition to be embraced without it being extremely painful. "Annabeth, you're alive," she said tears streaming down her face. Annabeth smiled.
The dark boy dropped glass that contained the cure after downing its contents. It shattered on the floor as his mind flooded with the memories of the past week. He started to breath heavily. "NO!" He screamed. He couldn't believe what he'd done. The boy took of running down the hall and out into the the field that surrounded the building. Waves of guilt crashed over him as he sank to his knees in the tall brown grass. The dead trees that were scattered around him matched the feeling of his heart.