𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜

Piper's Dad Is Safe, We Are Not

BORROWING THE HELICOPTER WAS EASY. Getting Piper's dad on board was not.

Piper needed only a few words through Leo's improvised bullhorn to convince the pilot to land on the mountain. The Park Service copter was big enough for medical evacuations or search and rescue, and when Piper told the very nice ranger pilot lady that it would be a great idea to fly them to the Oakland Airport, she readily agreed.

"No," Piper's dad muttered, as they picked him up off the ground. "Piper, what—there were monsters—there were monsters—" Piper needed Leo's, Jason's, and my help to hold him, while Coach Hedge gathered our supplies. Fortunately Hedge had put his pants and shoes back on, so no one had to explain the goat legs. I could tell it broke Piper's heart to see her dad like this—pushed beyond the breaking point, crying like a little boy.

We didn't know what the giant had done to him exactly, how the monsters had shattered his spirit, but to be totally honest, I didn't really want to know.

"It'll be okay, Dad," Piper said, in an extremely soothing voice. "These people are my friends. We're going to help you. You're safe now."

He blinked, and looked up at helicopter rotors. "Blades. They had a machine with so many blades. They had six arms..."

When we got him to the bay doors, the pilot came over to help.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"Smoke inhalation," Jason suggested. "Or heat exhaustion."

"Probably both," I said, knowing for a fact that there was a little bit of both, just by touching him. (Weird Apollo powers).

"We should get him to a hospital," the pilot said.

"It's okay," Piper said. "The airport is good."

"Yeah, the airport is good," the pilot agreed immediately. Then she frowned, as if uncertain why she'd changed her mind. "Isn't he Tristan McLean, the movie star?"

"No," Piper said. "He only looks like him. Forget it."

"Yeah," the pilot said. "Only looks like him. I—" She blinked, confused. "I forgot what I was saying. Let's get going."

Jason raised his eyebrows at Piper, obviously impressed, but Piper didn't look happy about all the charmspeaking.

Finally we got the movie star on board, and the helicopter took off. The pilot kept getting questions over her radio, asking her where she was going, but she ignored them. We veered away from the burning mountain and headed toward the Berkeley Hills.

"Piper." Her dad grasped her hand and held on like he was afraid he'd fall. "It's you? They told me—they told me you would die. They said... horrible things would happen."

"It's me, Dad." Piper looked like she was trying not to cry. "Everything's going to be okay."

"They were monsters," he said. "Real monsters. Earth spirits, right out of Grandpa Tom's stories—and the Earth Mother was angry with me. And the giant, Tsul'kälû, breathing fire—" He focused on Piper again, his eyes like broken glass, reflecting a crazy kind of light. "They said you were a demigod. Your mother was..."

"Aphrodite," Piper said. "Goddess of love."

"I—I—" He took a shaky breath.

I then turned away, and let them have their own conversation, because I had no business with them right now. I looked to see what the other three were doing. Leo, who was sitting right next to me, fiddled with a lug nut from his tool belt. Jason gazed at the valley below—the roads backing up as mortals stopped their cars and gawked at the burning mountain. Gleeson chewed on the stub of his carnation, and for once the satyr didn't look in the mood to yell or boast.