The Lost Hero

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.
Hedge and the flight attendant got Piper‘s dad on board. Then Hedge came down one last time to say his
good-byes. He gave Piper a hug and glared at Jason and Leo. ―You cupcakes take care of this girl, you hear?
Or I‘m gonna make you do push-ups.‖
―You got it, Coach,‖ Leo said, a smile tugging at his mouth.
―No push-ups,‖ Jason promised.
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.‖
Trotting up the stairs, he lost one shoe, and his hoof was visible for just a second. The flight attendant‘s
eyes widened, but she looked away and pretended nothing was wrong. Piper figured she‘d probably seen
stranger things, working for Tristan McLean.
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, Jason was hugging her, and Leo stood uncomfortably nearby,
pulling Kleenex out of his tool belt.
―Your dad‘s in good hands,‖ Jason said. ―You did amazing.‖
She sobbed into his shirt. 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?‖