| tristan mclean |
—Borrowing the helicopter was easy... Getting her 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," her dad muttered, as they picked him up off the ground. "Piper, what—there were monsters—there were monsters—"
She needed both Leo's and Jason's help to hold him, while Coach Hedge gathered their supplies. Fortunately Hedge had put his pants and shoes back on, so Piper didn't have to explain the goat legs.
It broke Piper's heart to see her dad like this— pushed beyond the breaking point, crying like a little boy. She didn't know what the giant had done to him exactly, how the monsters had shattered his spirit, but she didn't think she could stand to find out.
And to make matters worse, Camilla's dad Carlo, just stood to the side. He looked relatively well, all things considered. His face was gaunt and his eyes had dark under bags, but he still kept a smile on his face for the sake of his daughter. Piper couldn't help the envy.
"It'll be okay, Dad," Piper said, making her voice as soothing as possible. She didn't want to charmspeak her own father, but it seemed the only way. "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 they 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."
"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."
Camilla raised her eyebrows at Piper, obviously impressed, but Piper felt miserable. She didn't want to twist people's minds, convince them of things they didn't believe. It felt so bossy, so wrong— like something Drew would do back at camp, or Medea in her evil department store. And how would it help her father? She couldn't convince him he would be okay, or that nothing had happened. His trauma was just too deep.
Finally they got him 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. They 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." It took all her willpower not to cry. She had to be strong for him. "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, then seemed to forget how to exhale.
Piper's friends were careful not to watch. Leo fiddled with a lug nut from his tool belt. Camilla started fussing over her dad. 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.
Tristan McLean wasn't supposed to be seen like this. He was a star. He was confident, stylish, suave—always in control. That was the public image he projected. Piper had seen the image falter before. But this was different. Now it was broken, gone.
"I didn't know about Mom," Piper told him. "Not until you were taken. When we found out where you were, we came right away. My friends helped me. No one will hurt you again."
Her dad couldn't stop shivering. "You're heroes— you and your friends. I can't believe it. You're a real hero, not like me. Not playing a part. I'm so proud of you, Pipes." But the words were muttered listlessly, in a semi-trance.
He gazed down on the valley, and his grip on Piper's hand went slack. "Your mother never told me."
"She thought it was for the best." It sounded lame, even to Piper, and no amount of charmspeak could change that. But she didn't tell her dad what Aphrodite had really worried about: If he has to spend the rest of his life with those memories, knowing that gods and spirits walk the earth, it will shatter him.
Piper felt inside the pocket of her jacket. The vial was still there, warm to her touch.
But how could she erase his memories? Her dad finally knew who she was. He was proud of her, and for once she was his hero, not the other way around. He would never send her away now. They shared a secret.
How could she go back to the way things were?
She held his hand, speaking to him about small things— her time at the Wilderness School, her cabin at Camp Half-Blood. She told him how Coach Hedge ate carnations and got knocked on his butt on Mount Diablo, how Leo had tamed a dragon, how they had turned into gold statues, how Camilla had fought against the giant and how Jason had made wolves back down by talking in Latin. Her friends smiled reluctantly as she recounted their adventures. Her dad seemed to relax as she talked, but he didn't smile. Piper wasn't even sure he heard her.
As they passed over the hills into the East Bay, Jason tensed. He leaned so far out the doorway Piper was afraid he'd fall.
He pointed. "What is that?"
Piper looked down, but she didn't see anything interesting—just hills, woods, houses, little roads snaking through the canyons. A highway cut through a tunnel in the hills, 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. The answer wasn't very exciting.
"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 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.
"What now?" Jason asked her.
She felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to be in charge, but for her dad's sake, she had to appear confident. She had no plan. She'd just remembered that he'd flown into Oakland, which meant his private plane would still be here. But today was the solstice. They had to save Hera. They had no idea where to go or if they were even too late. And how could she leave her dad in this condition?
"First thing," she said. "I— I have to get my dad home. I'm sorry, guys."
Their faces fell.
"Oh," Leo said. "I mean, absolutely. He needs you right now. We can take it from here."
"Would you mind..." Camilla fidgeted with her nails, looking like a different more unconfident person. "Would you take my dad too? Just until we finish the quest"
"Milita" Carlo shook his head, "I'm fine, I don't need any of this, I need—"
"To go back to prison?" She challenged, her expression suddenly furious. "You need to stay safe, stay low for a while. I'll be back, I promise. I just need to do this"
"Because you're a demigod"
Carlo seemed to accept the truth much easier than Piper's dad.
"Because I'm a demigod" She nodded.
"And your mom..."
"Is Discordia" Camilla breathed out, "Or Eris, whichever you prefer"
"Discordia" Her dad looked at the sky like he was amazed. "Wow. I mean I knew she wasn't... normal, not a human, when I met her. But a goddess?"
"It's been a crazy week" She sighed, "Annabeth told me some mortals can see through the mist, like Rachel, I wonder if you can too"
That would explain why his mind wasn't actively fracturing like Piper's dad.
"And you fought a giant?" Carlo went on, ignoring the last bit, eyes shining as he looked at Camilla with pride, "My Milita! You're a hero! You've grown into my jacket!"
Camilla flushed a violent shade of red as she stared at her shoes, "daddd" She whined, but Carlo pulled her into another hug and it tugged at the strings of Piper's heart. They fit together so easily, like what a daughter and father should.
Carlo probably went to Camilla's dad and daughter dances in school, he probably made her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, probably packed her lunch when she was younger with a note.
Was he also a wanted criminal? Sure. Did he take his daughter with him to steal information from politicians? Sure. Did he teach Camilla to play sword fight so they could rob? Sure. But he seemed like a proper dad.
Piper couldn't help but be jealous of it. All her life she had spent more time with nannies and baby sitters than her dad. It wasn't fair.
"I'll take them both" She managed. "Don't worry about it"
"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 them," said Coach Hedge.
Piper stared at him. The satyr was the last person she'd expected to offer. "You?" she asked.
"I'm a protector," Gleeson said. "That's my job, not fighting."
He sounded a little crestfallen, and Piper realized maybe she shouldn't have recounted how he got knocked unconscious in the last battle. In his own way, maybe the satyr was as sensitive as her dad.
Then Hedge 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.
"Horrifying" Camilla nodded along.
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 stung, as if she were back in the forest fire. "Dad..."
He held out his arms, and she hugged him. He felt frail. He was trembling so much, it scared her.
"Let's give them a minute," Jason said, and they took the pilot a few yards down the tarmac.
"I can't believe it," her dad said. "I failed you."
"No, Dad!"
"The things they did, Piper, the visions they showed me..."
"Dad, listen." She took out the vial from her pocket. "Aphrodite gave me this, for you. It takes away your recent memories. It'll make it like none of this ever happened."
He gazed at her, as if translating her words from a foreign language. "But you're a hero. I would forget that?"
"Yes," Piper whispered. She forced an assuring tone into her voice. "Yes, you would. It'll be like—like before."
He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. "I love you, Piper. I always have. I— I sent you away because I didn't want you exposed to my life. Not the way I grew up— the poverty, the hopelessness. Not the Hollywood insanity either. I thought— I thought I was protecting you." He managed a brittle laugh. "As if your life without me was better, or safer."
Piper took his hand. She'd heard him talk about protecting her before, but she'd never believed it. She'd always thought he was just rationalizing. Her dad seemed so confident and easygoing, like his life was a joyride. How could he claim she needed protecting from that?
Finally Piper understood he'd been acting for her benefit, trying not to show how scared and insecure he was. He really had been trying to protect her. And now his ability to cope had been destroyed.
She offered him the vial. "Take it. Maybe someday we'll be ready to talk about this again. When you're ready."
"When I'm ready," he murmured. "You make it sound like— like I'm the one growing up. I'm supposed to be the parent." He took the vial. His eyes glimmered with a small desperate hope. "I love you, Pipes."
"Love you, too, Dad."
He drank the pink liquid. His eyes rolled up into his head, and he slumped forward. Piper caught him, and her friends ran up to help.
"Got him," Hedge said. The satyr stumbled, but he was strong enough to hold Tristan McLean upright. "I already asked our ranger friend to call up his plane. It's on the way now. Home address?"
Piper was about to tell him. Then a thought occurred to her. She checked her dad's pocket, and his BlackBerry was still there. It seemed bizarre that he'd still have something so normal after all he'd been through, but she guessed Enceladus hadn't seen any reason to take it.
"Everything's on here," Piper said. "Address, his chauffeur's number. Just watch out for Jane."
Hedge's eyes lit up, like he sensed a possible fight. "Who's Jane?"
By the time Piper explained, her dad's sleek white Gulf-stream had taxied next to the helicopter.
"First class?" Carlo raised an eyebrow, "Fancy"
"He owns the plane" Piper shrugged.
Carlo blinked at her. Piper had never felt so self conscious as she did right then. But he just grinned.
Hedge and the flight attendant got Piper's dad on board. Then Hedge came down one last time to say his good-byes and take Carlo with him. He gave Piper a hug and glared at Jason, Camilla and Leo. "You cupcakes take care of this girl, you hear? Or I'm gonna make you do push-ups."
"Can I do the girl ones?" Camilla pouted, even though Piper knew she was fully capable of the normal ones.
"Drop and give me fifty normal ones, Romani" Coach barked.
"What use is sexism if I can't even use it to my advantage?" She threw her hands up.
Piper gave the old satyr one more hug. "Thank you, Gleeson. Take care of him, please."
"I got this, McLean," he assured her. "They got root beer and veggie enchiladas on this flight, and one hundred percent linen napkins— yum! I could get used to this."
"So you're a half goat" Carlo stared at the Coach's legs, remembering what Camilla had told him, "And half PE coach..."
"Problem, Mr. Romani?"
"No, but tell me how Camilla did in school while I was gone" He started walking up the stairs as Camilla flushed again. "Did she have any little boyfriends?"
"Oh gods!"
"Girlfriend, one" Coach narrowed his eyes at her then turned to Carlo, "And she was a menace in school"
"I don't expect anything less" Carlo waved to his daughter, "I'll see you soon, yeah? Kick some major monster butt and kiss girls or something!"
"Noted" Camilla gave him a mock salute as the two vanished inside the plane.
When the plane was heading down the runaway, Piper started to cry. She'd been holding it in too long and she just couldn't anymore. Before she knew it, Camilla was hugging her, and the boys stood uncomfortably nearby, Leo pulling Kleenex out of his tool belt.
"Your dad's in good hands," Camilla said. "You did amazing."
She sobbed into the crook of her neck. She allowed herself to be held for six deep breaths. Seven. Then she couldn't indulge herself anymore. They needed her. The helicopter pilot was already looking uncomfortable, like she was starting to wonder why she'd flown them here.
"Thank you, guys," Piper said. "I—"
She wanted to tell them how much they meant to her. They'd sacrificed everything, maybe even their quest, to help her. She couldn't repay them, couldn't even put her gratitude into words. But her friends' expressions told her they understood.
Then, right next to Jason, the air began to shimmer. At first Piper thought it was heat off the tarmac, or maybe gas fumes from the helicopter, but she'd seen something like this before in Medea's fountain. It was an Iris message. An image appeared in the air— a dark-haired girl in silver winter camouflage, holding a bow.
Jason stumbled back in surprise. "Thalia!"
"Thank the gods," said the Hunter. The scene behind her was hard to make out, but Piper heard yelling, metal clashing on metal, and explosions.
"We've found her," Thalia said. "Where are you?"
"Oakland," he said. "Where are you?"
"The Wolf House! Oakland is good; you're not too far. We're holding off the giant's minions, but we can't hold them forever. Get here before sunset, or it's all over."
"Then it's not too late?" Piper cried. Hope surged through her, but Thalia's expression quickly dampened it.
"Not yet," Thalia said. "But Jason— it's worse than I realized. Porphyrion is rising. Hurry."
"But where is the Wolf House?" he pleaded.
"Our last trip," Thalia said, her image starting to flicker. "The park. Jack London. Remember?"
This made no sense to Piper, but Jason looked like he'd been shot. He tottered, his face pale, and the Iris message disappeared.
"Bro, you all right?" Leo asked.
"Do you know where she is?" Camilla asked.
"Yes," Jason said. "Sonoma Valley. Not far. Not by air."
Piper turned to the ranger pilot, who'd been watching all this with an increasingly puzzled expression.
"Ma'am," Piper said with her best smile. "You don't mind helping us one more time, do you?"
"I don't mind," the pilot agreed.
"We can't take a mortal into battle," Jason said. "It's too dangerous." He turned to Leo. "Do you think you could fly this thing?"
"Um..." Leo's expression didn't exactly reassure Piper. But then he put his hand on the side of the helicopter, concentrating hard, as if listening to the machine.
"Bell 412HP utility helicopter," Leo said. "Composite four-blade main rotor, cruising speed twenty-two knots, service ceiling twenty-thousand feet. The tank is near full. Sure, I can fly it."
Piper smiled at the ranger again. "You don't have a problem with an under-aged unlicensed kid borrowing your copter, do you? We'll return it."
"I—" The pilot nearly choked on the words, but she got them out: "I don't have a problem with that."
"Reassuring" Camilla mumbled.
Leo grinned. "Hop in, kids. Uncle Leo's gonna take you for a ride."