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The Lost Hero

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―You must wake soon, my child,‖ said the goddess. ―I do not always agree with Hera, but she‘s taken a<br />

bold risk, and I agree it must be done. Zeus has kept the two sides apart for too long. Only together will you<br />

have the power to save Olympus. Now, wake, and I hope you like the clothes I picked out.‖<br />

―What clothes?‖ Piper demanded, but the dream faded to black.<br />

PIPER WOKE AT A TABLE AT A SIDEWALK CAFÉ.<br />

For a second, she thought she was still dreaming. It was a sunny morning. <strong>The</strong> air was brisk but not<br />

unpleasant for sitting outside. At the other tables, a mix of bicyclists, business people, and college kids sat<br />

chatting and drinking coffee.<br />

She could smell eucalyptus trees. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of quaint little shops. <strong>The</strong> street was<br />

lined with bottle-brush trees and blooming azaleas as if winter was a foreign concept.<br />

In other words: she was in California.<br />

Her friends sat in chairs around her—all of them with their hands calmly folded across their chests, dozing<br />

pleasantly. And they all had new clothes on. Piper looked down at her own outfit and gasped. ―Mother!‖<br />

She yelled louder than she meant. Jason flinched, bumping the table with his knees, and then all of them<br />

were awake.<br />

―What?‖ Hedge demanded. ―Fight who? Where?‖<br />

―Falling!‖ Leo grabbed the table. ―No—not falling. Where are we?‖<br />

Jason blinked, trying to get his bearings. He focused on Piper and made a little choking sound. ―What are<br />

you wearing?‖<br />

Piper probably blushed. She was wearing the turquoise dress she‘d seen in her dream, with black<br />

leggings and black leather boots. She had on her favorite silver charm bracelet, even though she‘d left that back<br />

home in L.A., and her old snowboarding jacket from her dad, which amazingly went with the outfit pretty well.<br />

She pulled out Katoptris, and judging from the reflection in the blade, she‘d gotten her hair done, too.<br />

―It‘s nothing,‖ she said. ―It‘s my—‖ She remembered Aphrodite‘s warning not to mention that they‘d talked.<br />

―It‘s nothing.‖<br />

Leo grinned. ―Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You‘re gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty<br />

queen.‖<br />

―Hey, Leo.‖ Jason nudged his arm. ―You look at yourself recently?‖<br />

―What … oh.‖<br />

All of them had been give a makeover. Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white<br />

collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.<br />

―God, Leo.‖ Piper tried not to laugh. ―I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt.‖<br />

―Hey, shut up!‖<br />

―I think he looks good,‖ said Coach Hedge. ―‘Course, I look better.‖<br />

<strong>The</strong> satyr was a pastel nightmare. Aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-tone<br />

shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue<br />

tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.<br />

―Well,‖ Jason said, ―at least your mom overlooked me.‖<br />

Piper knew that wasn‘t exactly true. Looking at him, her heart did a little tap dance. Jason was dressed<br />

simply in jeans and a clean purple T-shirt, like he‘d worn at the Grand Canyon. He had new track shoes on, and<br />

his hair was newly trimmed. His eyes were the same color as the sky. Aphrodite‘s message was clear: This one<br />

needs no improvement.<br />

And Piper agreed.<br />

―Anyway,‖ she said uncomfortably, ―how did we get here?‖<br />

―Oh, that would be Mellie,‖ Hedge said, chewing happily on his carnation. ―Those winds shot us halfway<br />

across the country, I‘d guess. We would‘ve been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie‘s last gift—a nice soft<br />

breeze—cushioned our fall.‖<br />

―And she got fired for us,‖ Leo said. ―Man, we suck.‖<br />

―Ah, she‘ll be fine,‖ Hedge said. ―Besides, she couldn‘t help herself. I‘ve got that effect on nymphs. I‘ll send<br />

her a message when we‘re through with this quest and help her figure something out. That is one aura I could<br />

settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats.‖<br />

―I‘m going to be sick,‖ Piper said. ―Anyone else want coffee?‖<br />

―Coffee!‖ Hedge‘s grin was stained blue from the flower. ―I love coffee!‖<br />

―Um,‖ Jason said, ―but—money? Our packs?‖

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