Jason was almost disappointed when he woke up. His head throbbed, his throat parched, some random lingering taste of burnt popcorn was on his tongue. He let out a moan, stirring the one other occupant of his room.

And it wasn't Piper.

Leo dropped his half finished creation of whatever on the tile floor.

"Jason!" Leo half yawned, half yelled. He wiped sleep from his eyes, and nearly bounding over to the bed.

"Leo?" Jason croaked. He rubbed his eyes. Why was everything blurry?

"Hey!" Leo said, "You okay?"

"Just brilliant." Jason replied. And the weird thing was, it was. He honestly felt better than ever. The pain in his head dulled to just a pinching feeling. He was alive. There was something else too, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"What happened?" Jason frowned looking at Leo putting a hand on his forehead.

Leo laughed nervously, "We went to see a rather explosive movie at Movie theaters. You're lucky your sister showed up and saved you. The entire building collapsed."

Jason nodded vaguely. He remembered the explosion, and the blonde girl with the boy who'd run in run before. And the creepy girl with the unnaturally sharpened teeth that slammed his head ten times too many against that stupid counter.

"Wait, Thalia?" Jason's head snapped up, "Thalia was here?"

Leo made that nervous little laugh again, "Yep." Something about his smile, something oddly forced, told Jason he wasn't telling him everything.

"Leo..." Jason said.

Leo gave him a chirpy smile. "Look, man, I probably don't have much time before either Piper or Thalia barges in here, so I need to tell you something." Leo twiddled his fingers together, his foot tapping on the floor at an irregular pace. Was he nervous? "I wanted...to say thank you."

Jason frowned, cocking his head. "What for?"

Leo took a deep breath, "Back in that fire, if you hadn't told Piper to help me, I...wouldn't be here." Leo looked down at his hands, and Jason didn't bother telling him that if he hadn't pushed Jason and Piper out of the way they all wouldn't be there. "When I was seven my mom and I would spend hours and hours in our workshop messing around, fixing things. She taught me everything I know. And...I-I...it was an accident with a couple matches. She...left them out...told me not to touch them. I didn't listen."

Leo wiped away a couple tears, his head hanging low. Jason didn't know what to say. Leo continued.

"I can't stand fire. It reminds me of her. I swear...I didn't mean to. The doors got stuck...My mom got trapped. I miss her...I can't...I wouldn't fix your car...because she taught me how." Leo fell against the bed sniffling. Jason put a hand on his shoulder, as if trying to give him strength. He barely knew Leo, in retrospect, they probably never should've even met. But Jason knew, that somethings like exploding movie theaters, you couldn't go through without becoming friends.

Leo looked up at him sniffling, his eyes cascaded with the glow from the afternoon sun in the window so his irises almost looked on fire.

"Sorry," Jason said. "I didn't know. I didn't mean to push you."

Leo smeared his tears away. "I thought...I thought you should know. Before I..." Leo trailed off suddenly, standing up. A flash of nervousness in his eyes once again.

"Before what?" Jason asked, curiously.

"Nothing." Leo said, almost too quickly. His hand closed in his pocket, probably around that Dragon Statue. What had he called it...Festus?

Jason was going to press. Something struck him hard about the way Leo was acting. His voice of words were almost like a goodbye of sorts.

But the blond boy's thoughts were diffused as the door burst open with someone he hadn't expected to see. And she was crying something fierce.

Thalia shoved past Leo, and enveloped Jason in a hug that nearly suffocated him.

She wore her ripped jeans but with a hospital provided cotton T shirt. Jason knew how much Thalia hated the color white. She'd never wear it unless something really bad happened. Her black spiky hair was in more of a mess than usual. Not to mention, she was crying into his shoulder. Jason remembered the time when she'd dropped a glass on her hand effectively cutting her entire palm and even then she hadn't even sniffled. She'd needed like ten stitches from that.

"I'm just gonna...go." Leo said. He was gone before Jason really got a chance to protest. The door shutting fitfully behind him.

"Thalia." Jason said, "I can't...breath."

She loosened herself ever so slightly.

"I'm so so sorry, Jase." She mumbled through her tears, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, I'm sorry I ignored you. I'm such a shitty sister, I'm so sorry."

"Thalia, what happened?" Jason said worriedly prying her off of him. She'd hadn't cared about them for the past year; what changed? They argued, they fought, they declared that they never wanted anything to do with each other ever again. They carried it out.

Thalia shook her head, her electric blue eyes watery with unshead tears and cheeks puffy like she'd been crying a lot lately.

"You were right about alcohol, Jase." She whimpered, "You were right about me being a pathetic, useless, Jackass. You were right about everything."

Jason tried to denied that, seeing his sister fall apart like this was disturbing. She'd watched over him since they were little. He'd planned a hundred and one ways to get back at her since that fight. But now he could feel his anger sizzling out, He could see for once in his life his sister looked....

Vulnerable.

"Thals." Jason opened up and she fell into his arms crying.

"I sorry, I couldn't...I couldn't imagine...what I'd do if you'd died..." She sobbed, "I'd never get a chance to tell you...I'd never apologize."

"I shouldn't have gotten angry." Jason replied, "I didn't know how much he meant to you. I shouldn't have gotten in the middle."

She rubbed her head into him. "This week's been a total disaster." Her muffled voice caused him to snort.

"Yeah." Jason agreed, "That's the understatement of the year."

"I hate this." She mumbled.

"What?" Jason asked, "This life? This year? This-"

"Shirt." Thalia cried, "I hate this stupid shirt."

A new round of fresh tears started and Jason awkwardly patted her back. Jason wasn't sure what to say anymore. His shirt was covered in tears and his eyesight was still blurry. He could feel a huge headache about to come.

"What happened?" Jason pulled her back to look into her eyes, her broken dull blue eyes. "What really happened?"

The suckiest thing about the entire story was that Jason couldn't have done anything. Thalia told him everything. About that night at the party, waking up at the hospital (Jason made a mental note to thank Nico when he saw him), running, then the nights at Nico's house, the phone call from his mom (He still wasn't sure about that) and the explosion that sent both Nico and her sprinting towards the theater. She teared up at the part where she charged into the fire to save him.

Jason found himself holding her tighter as the story went on. As soon as she said Zoë Nightshade, He got a sinking feeling. He could tell how it was going to end.

His headache burned in his skull and Jason rubbed his temples.

"She...Zoë...made me realize that...I've been so stupid." Thalia said after a couple minutes of silence. She'd found a way to dry her tears, though her voice still echoed with a bitter sob. Most of all She just looked numb. "Every second I've spent being angry, drinking, blaming everyone else and pushing them away...I forgot how easy it is just to die. Too soon, too late, goodbye. No one would ever know the thoughts in my head. How I felt. Hell, Jason, I don't know what I'd do..."

She trailed off, closing her eyes tight as if stopping another round of tears. Jason could feel the meaning of her words, something only siblings could do.

"What happened to the girl who shot her? Selina?" He asked.

Thalia shrugged miserably, "A report came in this morning, of a girl matching Selina's description jumping off a bridge. They found a recording in her pocket, but the water damaged it pretty bad. The police say most of it was about her and a guy named Beckford trying to leave the city because of the Monsters, but the Monsters got a hold of Beckford and killed him. The rest apparently was a garbled mess, but I guess they forced her back to town and had her work for them."

"And the Monsters?" Jason asked, "What happened to the head guy?"

Thalia let out a snorted and started to get up. "You're going to love this," she said without humor, "The guy, Percy, who Piper and them saved, and Nico both insisted there were co leaders. One was Kronos, the chief police, which is why the Monsters never got caught, and why that bastard could easily take Luke's uniform without suspicion."

Anger radiated of her in waves, along with a sadness.

"But why would he need that uniform? Who was the other co leader?"

Thalia looked at him, "Krios."

Jason was dumbstruck. "Krios? The owner of the dinner? That son of a bitch!"

"Yeah well, while Kronos covered the retreating Monsters, and we were otherwise preoccupied with not dying, Krios was using Luke's uniform to "arrest" Nico. I swear if they ever catch those two, I'm going to make their lives Hell, just like they did to mine."

"Wait they haven't caught them, yet?"

Thalia twisted her hair, blowing a blue highlight out of her face. "No. They took off before they could catch them."

Jason leaned back shaking his head. He eyed his sister, wondering how they were both still alive. Thalia must have noticed because for a second her saddened features perked up and she grinned softly.

"Careful, Jase." She warned playfully, "Piper might think you're checking me out and that we're dating, again."

"What?"

She smiled, "Nothing, nothing."

"Speaking of Piper," Jason mumbled, "where is she?"

Thalia looked in a cross between laughing, making fun of him, and crying. But she put forth a brave face and forced a smile over her puffy eyes.

"She's experiencing...I think Leo called it "technical difficulties" right now."

"Technical difficulties?"

"Yeah," Thalia nodded as if agreeing with herself, "Just some family problems."

"So she'll be here soon?" Jason asked hopefully, Thalia smiled as if sharing a secret with him.

"Not a chance." She laughed, "Not a chance at all. Come on, I'll grab your clothes after you shower and you can see for yourself."

"After I shower..." Jason looked at her confused, "How long was I out?"

Thalia paused halfway out the door, and looked back at him, "Just three days, bro. It's Wednesday. Tomorrow's Christmas Eve."

***

When Jason got out of he shower, He felt a lot better. His headache was still there, though and he was still squinting to see the opposite of the room, but he felt relaxed and his stiff body was slowly becoming aware again.

He felt refreshed.

Thalia wasn't there when he walked out of the bathroom, but his clothes were there and his phone. He changed quickly and dried off his hair with a towel. Then he took a deep breath and unlocks his phone.

Forty-Seven was the lucky number. Forty-Seven missed called from just about everyone. Katie Gardener demanding where he was, Dakota begging him to to pick up a shift, Gwen complaining about working his nights, His mother telling him she couldn't find the money box. A couple miscellaneous things like a call back from the new job he applied for last week that he didn't get, or from the landlord warning him their two weeks were almost up.

Then he saw a number that was making him more queasy than usual.

"Hey, I heard you dropped off the radar. Listen about us being friends...I'm sorry. I was just seriously angry. I know you're stressed and busy especially this time of year. I...hope you're okay. Please don't do anything stupid, Okay?...Just so you know that wasn't a choice, that's a command. Call me back when you get this.

"I'm free Monday, if you want to meet up at the Bowling Alley...." She trailed off, like a desperate hope wandering in her voice, "Bye, Jason."

It was followed with a click, signaling the end of all his voice messages. Jason lowered his phone starting at the screen. The ten digit number blinked above Reyna's picture.

Jason hit the end call button. But it felt like a little more than that. More like ending a relationship than a phone call. He thought about Piper, the perky, beautiful girl, who he'd just met, and yet managed to make all the hours he spent not working a blast...in more ways than one.

Reyna had never been able to do that.

Jason left the phone on his bed and migrated towards the door. He pulled in open and stepped into the hall. It was quiet for the most part like a library. Directly across were wide spread windows catching the last wisps of the afternoon light. Signs were all over the place and he scanned them all looking for the lobby.

Turns out he didn't need to, as the shouting led him straight there. Jason was lucky enough to have a ground floor room amazingly and he only passed a couple doctors coming in and out of the rooms.

He pushed open the lobby for slightly glancing in.

Everyone was watching the middle were a familiar choppy haired teenager and an old cranky business lady were telling at each other. Next to the cranky business lady were two really big guys who looked like part of the presidents secret service, but nervously fidgeting like they weren't sure what to do.

But what really caught Jason's attention was the paparazzi. It was bigger than the mob of Monsters. A herd of vicious flashing, and yells and screams of people outside the doors and every window trying to come in. Two doctors were holding them at bay yelling over the complaints that they needed to disperse. None seemed to be paying attention to them though.

"I AM NOT GOING BACK!" Piper yelled stomping her foot, like a four year old throwing a tantrum. Jason didn't know how she managed to make even that look flawless and prefect.

The business lady was turning an ugly red color, her strict voice coming out frustrated. "Your father demands you come home at once Ms. Mc-"

"IM NOT LEAVING JANE!" Piper insisted swinging around with a passionate fury, "If my dad wants me home, prove it! HAVE HIM COME GET ME INSTEAD!"

"Ms. McLean!"

Jason was shocked. McLean? Like Tristan McLean's daughter? No wonder there were so many cameras. He was even more shocked when he realized that he'd fallen head over heels with a movie stars daughter. He could still feel a faint tingle in his lips from their death-defying kiss.

Piper glared somehow ignoring the binging flashes of cameras through the door. Jason could see Hazel and Frank sitting in the lobby chairs looking utterly shocked and perplexed.

"If my dad cares," Piper said in a dangerously low voice, "He can come get me himself, instead of neglecting me like he's been doing for my entire life."

Jane huffed, and snapped her fingers. The secrets service agents straighten like soldiers getting orders. They turned and left on either side of Jane, like an escort. They pushed open the doors of the hospital and the crowd surged towards them like hungry sharks. They disappeared beneath the sea of reporters, much like victims of a shark attack, too.

Piper sighed miserably collapsing into the nearest chair, like she couldn't barely to stand up a second longer.

The lobby was silent, Hazel caught Jason's eye, with a spark of relief and worry. She looked distraught at Piper's words, basically being told her favorite actor, the guy she adored, wasn't as prefect as he was advertised. Frank looked like he wanted to comfort Piper but was too scared to.

Jason walked over to her, sitting next to her, and visually sliding an arm around her shoulder. Piper shot to attention, A gleam of fury that exploded as if she thought he was a threat. Then she gasped and flung on top of him in a hug.

"Jason!" She gasped, choking on a laugh, "You-! You're up! Awake!"

"Hey Pipes!" He laughed.

She laughed. Her whole personality brightened up. A genuine smile, and cascading laugh, A happy aura flowed off her.

Then it snapped back to what it was before, fading as fast as it had come.

"You just heard so that." She whispered brokenly. She started to get up, pulling away the warmth that Jason felt around her. At the last second Jason grabbed her hand.

"Piper?" He asked, "Where are you going?"

Piper looked away, "Sorry, Jason." She mumbled, "I should've warned you about all this," She motioned to the flash cameras that clinked against the windows disturbingly close. "I know you probably don't want to be...you know..."

Jason checked to see if she was serious. She was. A rumble started in his throat, and it grew, until he couldn't contain it any longer. Jason threw his head back and laughed.

"Are you kidding?" He chuckled and tugged her hand back towards him. She squealed with surprise and lost balance, falling straight into Jason's lap. "Piper, going out with you would literally be a dream come true."

"How can you say that?" She whispered, "I'm...me. My own father wouldn't give me a moment. Why should you-"

Jason leaned in so they were only inches apart. Almost magnetically, He didn't even try to stop himself.

The second their lips touched it was like electricity coursed through him. Every nerve stood on end, every sense told him this was right. This was how he was suppose to be. This was perfect.

Like a dream.

The very best type of dream.

Jason wrapped his arms around Piper. She melted into him. And Jason was sure, beyond all rational reason, that he would never let her go.

"I don't care about your dad, Pipes." Jason whispered when they broke apart, "I could never ignore you."