I opened my eyes, and took in my surroundings. It looked like I was in one of those airplane commercial things, except the turbulance told me I was in a helicopter. Next to me were Piper and Jason, and I could see Leo's curly hair in the front seat. Piper seemed to be talking to someone, who I assumed was the pilot.
"No," Piper said. "He only looks like him. Forget it."
"Yeah," the pilot said. "Only looks like him. I—" She blinked, confused. "I forgot what I was saying. Let's get going."
Jason raised his eyebrows at Piper, obviously impressed, but Piper looked miserable. I could tell she didn't want to play with people's memories, not like Jason's.
Then Jason noticed I was awake.
"Hey, Alex, you're awake, huh?"
"Yeah," I said weakly. "What happened."
"Well," Jason began to explain. "I managed to summon electricity, and defeat Encealadus. And then we're here. In a helicopter. On our way to free Hera. Just watching the reunion, while trying not to at the same time." He then turned his face towards Piper and her dad.
"Piper." Her dad grasped her hand and held on like he was afraid he'd fall. "It's you? They told me—they told me you would die. They said … horrible things would happen."
"It's me, Dad." Piper looked on the verge of tears. "Everything's going to be okay."
"They were monsters," he said. "Real monsters. Earth spirits, right out of Grandpa Tom's stories—and the Earth Mother was angry with me. And the giant, Tsul'kälû, breathing fire—" He focused on Piper again, his eyes like broken glass, reflecting a crazy kind of light. "They said you were a demigod. Your mother was …"
"Aphrodite," Piper said. "Goddess of love."
"I—I—" He took a shaky breath, then seemed to forget how to exhale.
We were careful not to watch. Leo fiddled with a lug nut from his tool belt. Jason gazed at the valley below—the roads backing up as mortals stopped their cars and gawked at the burning mountain. Gleeson chewed on the stub of his carnation, and for once the satyr didn't look in the mood to yell or boast. I simply joined Jason looking out the window at the burning mountain behind us.
Tristan McLean wasn't supposed to be seen like this. He was a star. He was confident, stylish, suave—always in control. That was the public image he projected. I could tell Piper was about to have an emotional breakdown.
"I didn't know about Mom," Piper told him. "Not until you were taken. When we found out where you were, we came right away. My friends helped me. No one will hurt you again."
Her dad couldn't stop shivering. "You're heroes—you and your friends. I can't believe it. You're a real hero, not like me. Not playing a part. I'm so proud of you, Pipes." But the words were muttered listlessly, in a semi-trance.
He gazed down on the valley, and his grip on Piper's hand went slack. "Your mother never told me."
"She thought it was for the best." It sounded lame, and no amount of charmspeak could change that.
Piper felt inside the pocket of her jacket, but came out empty-handed. No wads of cash this time.
She held his hand, speaking to him about small things—her time at the Wilderness School, her cabin at Camp Half-Blood. She told him how Coach Hedge ate carnations and got knocked on his butt on Mount Diablo, how Leo had tamed a dragon, and how Jason had made wolves back down by talking in Latin. How both of us had save the boys in Medea's place. We smiled reluctantly as she recounted our adventures. Her dad seemed to relax as she talked, but he didn't smile. I wasn't even sure he heard her.
As we passed over the hills into the East Bay, Jason tensed. He leaned so far out the doorway I was afraid he'd fall.
He pointed. "What is that?"
I looked down, but I didn't see anything interesting—just hills, woods, houses, little roads snaking through the canyons. A highway cut through a tunnel in the hills, connecting the East Bay with the inland towns.
"Where?" I asked.
"That road," he said. "The one that goes through the hills."
"The pilot says it's Highway 24," Piper reported. "That's the Caldecott Tunnel. Why?"
Jason stared intently at the tunnel entrance, but he said nothing. It disappeared from view as we flew over downtown Oakland, but Jason still stared into the distance, his expression almost as unsettled as Piper's dad's.
"Monsters," her dad said, a tear tracing his cheek. "I live in a world of monsters."
Air traffic control didn't want to let an unscheduled helicopter land at the Oakland Airport—until Piper got on the radio. Then it turned out to be no problem.
We unloaded on the tarmac, and everyone looked at Piper.
"What now?" Jason asked her.
She looked uncomfortable. But she pulled herself together to say,
"First thing," she said. "I—I have to get my dad home. I'm sorry, guys."
Our faces fell.
"Oh," Leo said. "I mean, absolutely. He needs you right now. We can take it from here."
"Pipes, no." Her dad had been sitting in the helicopter doorway, a blanket around his shoulders. But he stumbled to his feet. "You have a mission. A quest. I can't—"
"I'll take care of him," said Coach Hedge.
I stared at him. The satyr was the last person I'd expected to offer. Piper seemed to have gotten the same idea.
"You?" she asked.
"I'm a protector," Gleeson said. "That's my job, not fighting."
He sounded a little crestfallen, and I realized maybe Piper shouldn't have recounted how he got knocked unconscious in the last battle. In his own way, maybe the satyr was as sensitive as her dad.
Then Hedge straightened, and set his jaw. "Of course, I'm good at fighting, too." He glared at us all, daring us to argue.
"Yes," Jason said.
"Terrifying," Leo agreed.
"Makes me piss my pants," I added, wanting to join the fun. Leo snorted, and covered his mouth, but the Coach seemed satisfied.
"But I'm a protector, and I can do this. Your dad's right, Piper. You need to carry on with the quest."
"But …" Piper's eyes watered, as if she were back in the forest fire. "Dad …"
He held out his arms, and she hugged him. He looked frail. He was trembling so much, it scared me. Would he make it?
"Let's give them a minute," Jason said, and we took the pilot a few yards down the tarmac.
Suddenly Tristan McLean collapsed behind us, and we rushed 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, but she checked her dad's pocket, and I guess his BlackBerry was still there. It seemed bizarre that he'd still have something so normal after all he'd been through, but I 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, me 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," I 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. I figured she'd probably seen stranger things, working for Tristan McLean.
When the plane was heading down the runaway, Piper started to cry. Jason was hugging her, and Leo an me, we stood uncomfortably nearby, pulling Kleenex out of our supplies.
"Your dad's in good hands," Jason said. "You did amazing."
She sobbed into his shirt. She stayed there for a bit, and the alarm bells in my head were going off
JASPER JASPER JASPER JASPER
Then they turned off as Piper rose up with a new determination in her eyes.
FINALLY! Exams are over. Well, we still have science, BUT WHO CARES ABOUT SCIENCE!
ahem. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Yours,
MilkandCheez
(YAY, NO MORE EXAMS!
No more exams...)
