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But most of the office‘s wall space was plastered with photos of demigods, like a hall of fame. One of the<br />
newer shots showed a teenage guy with dark hair and green eyes. Since he stood arm in arm with Annabeth,<br />
Piper assumed the guy must be Percy Jackson. In some of the older photos, she recognized famous people:<br />
businessmen, athletes, even some actors that her dad knew.<br />
―Unbelievable,‖ she muttered.<br />
Piper wondered if her photo would go on that wall someday. For the first time, she felt like she was part of<br />
something bigger than herself. Demigods had been around for centuries. Whatever she did, she did for all of<br />
them.<br />
She took a deep breath and made the call. <strong>The</strong> video screen popped up.<br />
Gleeson Hedge grinned at her from her dad‘s office. ―Seen the news?‖<br />
―Kind of hard to miss,‖ Piper said. ―I hope you know what you‘re doing.‖<br />
Chiron had shown her a newspaper at lunch. Her dad‘s mysterious return from nowhere had made the<br />
front page. His personal assistant Jane had been fired for covering up his disappearance and failing to notify<br />
the police. A new staff had been hired and personally vetted by Tristan McLean‘s ―life coach,‖ Gleeson Hedge.<br />
According to the paper, Mr. McLean claimed to have no memory of the last week, and the media was totally<br />
eating up the story. Some thought it was a clever marketing ploy for a movie—maybe McLean was going to play<br />
an amnesiac? Some thought he‘d been kidnapped by terrorists, or rabid fans, or had heroically escaped from<br />
ransom seekers using his incredible King of Sparta fighting skills. Whatever the truth, Tristan McLean was more<br />
famous than ever.<br />
―It‘s going great,‖ Hedge promised. ―But don‘t worry. We‘re going to keep him out of the public eye for the<br />
next month or so until things cool down. Your dad‘s got more important things to do—like resting, and talking to<br />
his daughter.‖<br />
―Don‘t get too comfortable out there in Hollywood, Gleeson,‖ Piper said.<br />
Hedge snorted. ―You kidding? <strong>The</strong>se people make Aeolus look sane. I‘ll be back as soon as I can, but<br />
your dad‘s gotta get back on his feet first. He‘s a good guy. Oh, and by the way, I took care of that other little<br />
matter. <strong>The</strong> Park Service in the Bay Area just got an anonymous gift of a new helicopter. And that ranger pilot<br />
who helped us? She‘s got a very lucrative offer to fly for Mr. McLean.‖<br />
―Thanks, Gleeson,‖ Piper said. ―For everything.‖<br />
―Yeah, well. I don‘t try to be awesome. It just comes natural. Speaking of Aeolus‘s place, meet your dad‘s<br />
new assistant.‖<br />
Hedge was nudged out of the way, and a pretty young lady grinned into the camera.<br />
―Mellie?‖ Piper stared, but it was definitely her: the aura who‘d helped them escape from Aeolus‘s fortress.<br />
―You‘re working for my dad now?‖<br />
―Isn‘t it great?‖<br />
―Does he know you‘re a—you know—wind spirit?‖<br />
―Oh, no. But I love this job. It‘s—um—a breeze.‖<br />
Piper couldn‘t help but laugh. ―I‘m glad. That‘s awesome. But where—‖<br />
―Just a sec.‖ Mellie kissed Gleeson on the cheek. ―Come on, you old goat. Stop hogging the screen.‖<br />
―What?‖ Hedge demanded. But Mellie steered him away and called, ―Mr. McLean? She‘s on!‖<br />
A second later, Piper‘s dad appeared.<br />
He broke into a huge grin. ―Pipes!‖<br />
He looked great—back to normal, with his sparkling brown eyes, his half-day beard, his confident smile,<br />
and his newly trimmed hair like he was ready to shoot a scene. Piper was relieved, but she also felt a little sad.<br />
Back to normal wasn‘t necessarily what she‘d wanted.<br />
In her mind, she started the clock. On a normal call like this, on a workday, she hardly ever got her dad‘s<br />
attention for longer than thirty seconds.<br />
―Hey,‖ she said weakly. ―You feeling okay?‖<br />
―Honey, I‘m so sorry to worry you with this disappearance business. I don‘t know …‖ His smile wavered,<br />
and she could tell he was trying to remember—grasping for a memory that should have been there, but wasn‘t.<br />
―I‘m not sure what happened, honestly. But I‘m fine. Coach Hedge has been a godsend.‖<br />
―A godsend,‖ she repeated. Funny choice of words.<br />
―He told me about your new school,‖ Dad said. ―I‘m sorry the Wilderness School didn‘t work out, but you<br />
were right. Jane was wrong. I was a fool to listen to her.‖<br />
Ten seconds left, maybe. But at least her dad sounded sincere, like he really did feel remorseful.<br />
―You don‘t remember anything?‖ she said, a bit wistfully.<br />
―Of course I do,‖ he said.<br />
A chill went down her neck. ―You do?‖<br />
―I remember that I love you,‖ he said. ―And I‘m proud of you. Are you happy at your new school?‖