from your father
Tristan McLean has seen a lot of crazy things. He's an actor; Hollywood is just one big ball of insanity. He really shouldn't have been surprised. She's always been a little bit of a crazy kid, but Tristan knows this isn't what he is expecting when Piper phones him.
She's always been special. Even as a little girl she had a way of commanding attention. When Baby Piper would laugh, all eyes would turn to her and everyone capable of flattering a young child would instantly flatter her.
In Preschool, she would cry and then all of the other kids would cry and the teacher would cry and nobody would ever have any idea what was going on. It was because of this that Tristan almost ran out of preschools to send his little daughter to.
When he got famous, he got busy. He had to spend less time with his little girl and it killed him.
She looks a lot like him, but she also reminds him of her mother. When she explains, it finally makes sense why she didn't stay and why Tristan was so drawn to her in the first place.
His father, Piper's beloved grandfather, raised him believing in stories and legends, but this is a whole new ballpark. Piper is sitting across from him at this café table and she looks incredibly nervous. He doesn't blame her. He doesn't know what he would do if he had to suddenly explain to his father that the stuff of myths and legends were real.
The expression on her face is a little fearful and Tristan realizes: she is scared that he is going to hate her. Even though he's confused, beyond it, he manages his Hollywood famous smile for his little girl and tells her that he really should have seen it coming.
Her shoulders relax and her smile widens and she asks him if he'd like to hear about her adventures and about Greece. Tristan just blinks in surprise. She's only known about this for two years and she's already been to Greece. The possessive and protective side of him tells him that he should have been with her, but it's over now, so he just nods and leans forward.
Piper talks and her father listens. He learns about Camp Half-Blood and the whirlwind of chaos that her life was swept into. He learns about the true nature of his disappearance and it is startling. As she talks about the troubles that came with the roman camp, Tristan realizes that she is sugar coating.
He feels very, very old. His daughter is hiding the true details of her adventures from him because she doesn't want him to worry. His smile wavers, but he keeps listening. He can almost hear the desperate glamour in her voice as she lies through her teeth. He's a little hurt, but at the same time he's grateful because he's already aged several years through this conversation and he's not sure he could take much more.
She talks about her friends then, as if she can feel his discomfort, and Tristan is glad that they sound like real, genuine people. He barely catches the sideways mention of a boyfriend and he's confused. His little girl has not only been living a life totally confusing to him, but also dating a boy he doesn't know?
When she talks about Leo, Tristan remembers him. He was the one who wanted to fly a helicopter. And according to Piper, he did. But he's gone and he can tell by the pain in her voice that she loves him very much and he reaches across the table to take her hand because she's his little girl and she's not supposed to know this pain just yet.
The boyfriend comes up again and Tristan's not sure what to think. The way Piper talks, he knows she's a Greek and when he realizes that this boy is Roman, he already doesn't like him, but he sees the sparkle in Piper's eyes and knows that this is real.
Three months after the fateful conversation, Tristan McLean directs his first movie. He pushes the idea based off of Greek Mythology and he can't wait to see the look on Piper's face. She's amazed and grateful and very surprised. The movie isn't great and is kind of a bomb at the box office, but it rakes in money because it's directed by Tristan McLean.
None of that matters to him; he has enough money, but the look on Piper's face when she drags out all her friends to see the film is exactly what he was hoping for. He sees her boyfriend in passing then, and he looks reasonable enough, but they're not formally introduced and Tristan retains his neutral passiveness towards this Jason Grace fellow.
Five months later and Piper winds up at his place, looking dreadfully lost and confused. Tristan doesn't ask, but he takes his not-so-little-anymore daughter inside and watches The Movie with her. They don't talk about much, but they laugh over the ridiculousness of The Movie and The Poster.
In the morning, he makes her breakfast like he used to and she smiles so brightly Tristan wonders why he ever let himself get distracted by work. He missed so much of his life, and it's there, in his kitchen, he decides that he's not missing anymore of it.
They talk about why she was in tears and she tells him that Leo is back, and surprisingly not dead, but he's been alive for eight months and he never said anything and Piper doesn't know whether to forgive him or not. Tristan tucks her under his arm and reminds her that even the best of friends go through hard patches, but Leo is still Leo, hopefully, and probably just as confused as she is.
Piper decides quickly after that to go find Leo. Before she can leave, he asks to meet Jason. He wants to finally meet this boy. Piper's cheeks flush, but she promises him that they'll meet soon.
Soon means another month. Piper has Jason over for dinner. Tristan spends half the meal staring suspiciously between his daughter and the, as he discovers, son of Jupiter. Jason is extremely polite and seems incredibly nervous. Piper is relaxed, but her eyes flick nervously between the two men she loves occasionally.
As Piper helps to clear the table and start the dishes, Tristan finally gets to talk to Jason. Jason just reveals that he loves Piper more than anything and Tristan decides that he kind of likes this boy. He then discovers that Jason grew up with no parents and he instantly decides that he really, really likes this boy and that if he has no parents, then he might as well get along well with his daughter's father.
Jason comes over more often and Piper likes to joke that Jason and Tristan spend more time together than Piper and Jason. Jason just replies that her father's cooking is better. Tristan laughs. She couldn't have picked a better guy. He stays involved with Piper's life and he has never been more glad.
Years pass and he starts to wonder what it would it would have been like if they never had that fateful conversation. That day in the café opened his eyes to a new world and brought him so much closer to his little girl and she has forged a new path in his life. He doesn't miss her mother anymore because he understands; she is Aphrodite the goddess of love and doesn't have time for silly mortals.
When Jason shows up one day, he's twenty-one and Piper twenty, Tristan knows where this is going. Annabeth and Percy are already engaged and he has received an invite to their wedding on Piper's behalf. Jason doesn't even really need to ask, but Tristan is touched by the way he does anyways.
It's almost a year later, but Piper picks the day that Tristan met her mother and she looks so beautiful. He wonders how often most fathers do this, and how anyone ever can keep it together. He's walked girls down the aisles with cameras rolling, but this time it's actually real and he can't keep it together.
When Jason takes her away, Tristan realizes that his daughter is all grown up and marrying the man she loves. It's a very sad and happy day, but he's Tristan McLean and his daughter means the world to him.
Author's Note: Part two of the 'from your father' series! For the purpose of not having 20 stories dedicated to it on my page, I'm combining them into several seperate stories by fandom. The chapter title will have the name of the son/daughter for easy navigation. Send me a message if you have a request!
- Nicole