misplaced || l. valdez

33 || don't mind us, just taking care of an a-list celebrity

Mari heard Piper telling her father about everything she'd done so far— her time at the Wilderness School, her cabin at Camp Half-Blood. She started telling him about things the rest of them had done— how Coach Hedge ate carnations and got knocked on his butt at Mount Diablo, how Leo could tame dragons and outsmart Cyclopes, and how Jason made wolves back down by speaking Latin and how good he was with a sword. Mari smiled softly as Piper told her dad how Mari could create water springs and talk to horses. Hearing Piper recount their adventures made Mari feel a little bit better.

"What is that?" Jason suddenly said.

Mari opened her eyes and saw Jason leaning so far out of the helicopter that she was worried he'd fall out. She looked down, but there wasn't much to see— just hills, woods, houses, little roads snaking through the canyons. A highway cut through a tunnel in the hill, connecting the East Bay with the inland towns.

"Where?" Piper asked.

"That road." he said. "The one that goes through the hills."

Piper picked up the com helmet the pilot had given her and relayed the question over the radio.

"She says it's Highway 24." Piper reported. "That's the Caldecott Tunnel. Why?"

Jason stared intently at the tunnel entrance, but he said nothing. It disappeared from view as they flew over downtown Oakland, but Jason still stared into the distance, his expression almost as unsettled as Piper's dad's.

"Monsters." her dad said, a tear tracing down his cheek. "I live in a world of monsters."

° ~ •. ♆ .• ~ °

Air traffic control didn't want to let an unscheduled helicopter land at the Oakland Airport— until Piper got on the radio. Then it turned out to be no problem.

They unloaded on the tarmac, and everyone looked at Piper.

"Well, what now?" Mari asked.

Piper hesitated before answering. "First thing, I— I have to get my dad home. I'm sorry guys."

Mari's expression fell. "Of course. He needs you right now. We can take it from here."

"Pipes, no." Her dad had been sitting in the helicopter doorway, a blanket around his shoulders. But he stumbled to his feet. "You have a mission. A quest. I can't—"

"I'll take care of him." said Coach Hedge.

Everyone turned to him. The satyr was the last person they'd expected to offer.

"You?" Piper asked.

"I'm a protector." Hedge said, crestfallen. "That's my job, not fighting."

Then he quickly straightened, and set his jaw. "Of course, I'm good at fighting too." He glared at them all, daring them to argue.

"Yes." Jason said.

"Terrifying." Leo agreed.

Mari nodded enthusiastically.

The coach grunted. "But I'm a protector, and I can do this. Your dad's right, Piper. You need to carry on with the quest."

"But..." Piper's eyes brimmed with tears. "Dad..."