Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
How could she go back to the way things were?<br />
She held his hand, speaking to him about small things—her time at the Wilderness School, her cabin at<br />
Camp Half-Blood. She told him how Coach Hedge ate carnations and got knocked on his butt on Mount Diablo,<br />
how Leo had tamed a dragon, and how Jason had made wolves back down by talking in Latin. Her friends<br />
smiled reluctantly as she recounted their adventures. Her dad seemed to relax as she talked, but he didn‘t<br />
smile. Piper wasn‘t even sure he heard her.<br />
As they passed over the hills into the East Bay, Jason tensed. He leaned so far out the doorway Piper<br />
was afraid he‘d fall.<br />
He pointed. ―What is that?‖<br />
Piper looked down, but she didn‘t see anything interesting—just hills, woods, houses, little roads snaking<br />
through the canyons. A highway cut through a tunnel in the hills, connecting the East Bay with the inland towns.<br />
―Where?‖ Piper asked.<br />
―That road,‖ he said. ―<strong>The</strong> one that goes through the hills.‖<br />
Piper picked up the com helmet the pilot had given her and relayed the question over the radio. <strong>The</strong><br />
answer wasn‘t very exciting.<br />
―She says it‘s Highway 24,‖ Piper reported. ―That‘s the Caldecott Tunnel. Why?‖<br />
Jason stared intently at the tunnel entrance, but he said nothing. It disappeared from view as they flew<br />
over downtown Oakland, but Jason still stared into the distance, his expression almost as unsettled as Piper‘s<br />
dad‘s.<br />
―Monsters,‖ her dad said, a tear tracing his cheek. ―I live in a world of monsters.‖<br />
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL DIDN’T WANT TO let an unscheduled helicopter land at the Oakland Airport—until<br />
Piper got on the radio. <strong>The</strong>n it turned out to be no problem.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y unloaded on the tarmac, and everyone looked at Piper.<br />
―What now?‖ Jason asked her.<br />
She felt uncomfortable. She didn‘t want to be in charge, but for her dad‘s sake, she had to appear<br />
confident. She had no plan. She‘d just remembered that he‘d flown into Oakland, which meant his private plane<br />
would still be here. But today was the solstice. <strong>The</strong>y had to save Hera. <strong>The</strong>y had no idea where to go or if they<br />
were even too late. And how could she leave her dad in this condition?<br />
―First thing,‖ she said. ―I—I have to get my dad home. I‘m sorry, guys.‖<br />
<strong>The</strong>ir faces fell.<br />
―Oh,‖ Leo said. ―I mean, absolutely. He needs you right now. We can take it from here.‖<br />
―Pipes, no.‖ Her dad had been sitting in the helicopter doorway, a blanket around his shoulders. But he<br />
stumbled to his feet. ―You have a mission. A quest. I can‘t—‖<br />
―I‘ll take care of him,‖ said Coach Hedge.<br />
Piper stared at him. <strong>The</strong> satyr was the last person she‘d expected to offer. ―You?‖ she asked.<br />
―I‘m a protector,‖ Gleeson said. ―That‘s my job, not fighting.‖<br />
He sounded a little crestfallen, and Piper realized maybe she shouldn‘t have recounted how he got<br />
knocked unconscious in the last battle. In his own way, maybe the satyr was as sensitive as her dad.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n Hedge straightened, and set his jaw. ―Of course, I‘m good at fighting, too.‖ He glared at them all,<br />
daring them to argue.<br />
―Yes,‖ Jason said.<br />
―Terrifying,‖ Leo agreed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> coach grunted. ―But I‘m a protector, and I can do this. Your dad‘s right, Piper. You need to carry on<br />
with the quest.‖<br />
―But …‖ Piper‘s eyes stung, as if she were back in the forest fire. ―Dad …‖<br />
He held out his arms, and she hugged him. He felt frail. He was trembling so much, it scared her.<br />
―Let‘s give them a minute,‖ Jason said, and they took the pilot a few yards down the tarmac.<br />
―I can‘t believe it,‖ her dad said. ―I failed you.‖<br />
―No, Dad!‖<br />
―<strong>The</strong> things they did, Piper, the visions they showed me …‖<br />
―Dad, listen.‖ She took out the vial from her pocket. ―Aphrodite gave me this, for you. It takes away your<br />
recent memories. It‘ll make it like none of this ever happened.‖