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𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑,

𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋?
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FINALLY THEY GOT HIM ON BOARD. The helicopter took off, the pilot kept getting questions over her radio, asking her where she was going, but she ignored them. They veered away from the burning mountain and headed toward the Berkeley Hills.

''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.'' It took all her willpower not to cry. She had to be strong for him. ''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.

Charlie was 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. 

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. Piper had seen the image falter before. But this was different. Now it was broken, gone.

''I didn't know about mum,'' 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 mutters 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, even to Piper, and no amount of charmspeak could change that. But she didn't tell her dad what Aphrodite had really worried about: if he has to spend the rest of his life with those memories, knowing the gods and spirits walk the earth, it will shatter him.

Piper felt inside the pocket of her jacket. The vial was still there, warm to her touch.

But... He would never send her away now. They shared a secret.

How could she go back to the way things were?

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 ae carnations and got knocked on his butt on Mount Diablo, how Leo had tamed a dragon, about how Jason had made wolves back down by talking Latin, and how Charlie has defeated a giant with super speed. Her friends smiled reluctantly as she recounted their adventures — not even Charlie was in the mood to boast. Her dad seemed to relax as she talked, but he didn't smile. Piper wasn't even sure he heard her.

As they passed over the hills into the East Bay, Jason tensed. He leaned so far out the doorway Piper was afraid he'd fall.

He pointed. ''What is that?''

Piper looked down, but she couldn'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?'' Piper asked.

''That road,'' he said, ''The one that goes through the hills.''

Piper picked up the com helmet the pilot had given her and relayed the question over the radio. The answer wasn't very exciting.

''She says it's Highway 24,'' Piper reported. ''That's the Caldecott Tunnel. Why?''

Jason was also staring intently at the tunnel entrance, but he said nothing. It disappeared from view as they flew over downtown Oakland, but Jason still stared into the distance, his expression almost as unsettled as Piper's dads.

''Monsters,'' her dad said, a tear tracing down his cheek. ''I live in a world full 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. They unloaded onto the tarmac, and everyone looked to Piper.

''What now?'' Jason asked softly.

She felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to be in charge, but for her dad's sake, she had to appear confident. She had no plan. She'd just remembered that he'd flown into Oakland, which meant his private plane would be there. But today was the solstice. They had to save Hera. They had no idea where to go or if they were even too late. And how could she leave her dad in this condition?

''First thing,'' she said, ''I—I have to get my dad home. I'm sorry, you guys.''

Their faces fell.

''Oh,'' Leo said. ''I mean, oh, absolutely. He needs you right now. We can take it from here.''

Charlie smiled, one arm crossed over her chest to hold onto her right upper arm, shrugging aimlessly. ''Quest's are officially meant to have three people. Tag me in and I'll take over for you. I got you're back.''

Piper teared up slightly, about to nod, when her dad stumbled to his feet, a blanket around his shoulders. ''Pipes, no... You have a mission. A quest. I can't—''

''I'll take care of him,'' said Coach Hedge.

Piper stared at him. The satyr was the last person she'd expect to offer. ''You?'' she asked.

''I'm a protector,'' Gleeson said. ''That's my job, not fighting.''

He sounded a little crestfallen, and Piper realised maybe she 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 them all, daring them to argue.

''Yes,'' Jason said.

''Terrifying,'' Leo agreed.

''Second only to me,'' Charlie added in.

The coach grunted in approval. ''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 stung, as if she were back in the forest fire. ''Dad...''

He held out his arms, and she hugged him. He felt frail. He was trembling so much, it scared her.

''Let's give them a minute,'' Jason said, and they took the pilot a few yards down the tarmac.

He lightly grabbed Leo and Charlie by their upper arms, stepping in between them before trying to gently pulling them along the runway a few meters. Charlie pulled away though, brushing him off with a soft look as she took Piper's hands.

''Look,'' she sighed through her nose, eyes closing for a moment too long. She shrugged her bag off her shoulders, rummaging through it. She pulled out a mess of orange, what used to be a shirt. She unrolled it, and Piper could faintly see the outline of a stain. This was the shirt she tried to smuggle the vial for Jason in. She continued to unwrap, and revealed another. The opposite. ''H-Here... I want you to have this. You don't have to use it, you don't even have to take it, but... yeah.''

Piper smiled, hand moving to rest on top of Charlies, squeezing it. ''Thank you, Charlie.'' Aphrodite had told her she had it, and Piper couldn't figure out why she'd risk stealing it, but she figured it wasn't her place to ask. Receiving it lifted a great weight off her shoulders. ''Seriously.''

Charlie nodded, her lips sucked in as she pulled away, giving Tristan a glance as she moved to join Leo and Jason.

The reason she had the vile was volatile.

Firstly, she had always had a thought, resting in the back of her head, that she could still leave, that she had no reason to be here, they could handle it themselves. They didn't need her. She could always run, and take the vial in case she felt guilty. She could lead a normal life.

Or, she could stay and fail. The guilt would be present in this scenario too, the quest could fail, the world could end, and her friends could die. It would be nice to have a few moments of peaceful bliss before she joined them.

Without it... Charlie felt edgy. Suddenly ten times more aware of every threat out there. She had no safety net now. 

The cowards way was no longer an option for her.

Jason smiled, giving her an upwards nod when she reached them. ''So, what do you think? She gonna take off with him?''

''Which, by the way, totally understandable,'' Leo added in, hand moving as if he was sliding something onto an invisible table.

Charlie blinked, realising her eyes had teared up. ''I dunno.'' Her voice cracked and instead of glancing at her as they talked, both boys turned to look at her.

''Aw, Charles,'' Jason said, placing a hand on top of her head and moving it about. As if petting a dog. Simultaneously, he pulled her closer to him, leaning his head to the side slightly so his cheekbone was on her shoulder. ''It's gonna be okay.''

''Yeah, I know that, stupid,'' She said, pushing him off her. Charlie brought her hand up, back of her palm ferociously rubbing at her cheeks. Jason smiled slightly.

Leo threw an arm over her shoulder, slightly on his tiptoes in order to do so. ''Looks like we've grown on you, huh Jodi?''

She hiccuped into her palm, looking up from where she had buried her face in her hands. ''Yeah, like some sort of fungus.''

''Yeah, but, a sexy fungus, right?'' Charlie didn't reply, pretending to look away, finding interest in the planes. ''Right?''

Jason watched with his arms crossed over his chest. Previously, when the two in front of him had passed out on top of each other in a very unflattering pile of limbs and drool — Piper had told him about her 'inkling', as she called it. And, he had to admit, he was beginning to feel it too.

They watched from the side lines. Coach Hedge sighed, tucking a blackberry into his back pocket, before reaching out to give Piper's shoulder a squeeze. She nodded, turning to help her dad.

Coach Hedge then turned to them, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking towards them as though it was the hardest 100m he had ever done in his life. 

He glared at Leo and Jason, gesturing his thumb over his shoulder. ''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.

He turned to Charlie. ''And you, Potter.'' It was weird, seeing the reaction she had to her last name. Heels instinctively tucking in, her back straightening. Her hands had been in her pockets, but they were now holding the other behind her back. Somehow, she seemed taller. Her shoulders were pushed back and her eyes stern.

The coach licked his lips, wishing that she didn't have to be the soldier her and everyone else in her life had shaped her into. Granted, it would've taken an idiot to put her on the front lines in the past, but those in the mid-ranks still experienced things not meant to — inhumane things not meant for a child's life. 

For anyone's life, really.

He sighed again.

Looking at her, he could only see the eleven year old girl. Mud still speckling her face, an especially ironed Camp Half-Blood shirt adorning her chest, winged shoes on her feet and a smile that reached her eyes. Behind her, he could still faintly picture the outline of Drew, waving her bat in the air. She had just won a home-run in Charlie's honour and was coming to say her final goodbyes. Selena was sobbing in the background too. Charlie still had the wet stain marks on her shirt. Percy and Annabeth were a little ways away, talking with Chiron, Mr. D already retreating from their figures. Grover was idly picking grass; anxious.

Charlie had been his kid. His responsibility. He was preparing her for battle back then. A little eleven year old girl, who had a gap in her front teeth and a temporary tattoo of the Mystery Machine on her upper arm, proudly adorned as her sleeves were rolled above her shoulders. Her pink headband was glittery.

He had, somehow, looked her in the eyes and given her orders. Told her that this, like all other quests, was life or death. That the fate depended on it, that her partners depended on it too. She needed to have their backs and trust that they had hers. Passing her daggers over, he made her promise to remember to sharpen them. She had squared her position then, just as she did now, like how she had been taught, and he had told her she was ready.

Coach Hedge blinked, staring at Charlie. He sighed again, preparing himself. He closed his eyes for a second too long, fists clenched at his sides.

He could also remember when she had returned. Been to Olympus, apparently. She had boasted about it once she had returned, making the campfire one of the best it's ever been with her tall tales and exaggerate way of life.

He had wanted a mission debrief, tracked her down.

He hadn't known how to react when he saw her, crouched by the lake's edge, curled into a ball and sobbing her eyes out. Chucking stones at the naiads that had tried to help and angrily stomping her fist into the water's reflection, yelling ''Die!'' She didn't like what she saw anymore. Too many scars. Too many tall tales. Too many mistakes, too many let-downs— She had experienced enough close-calls for a lifetime. And yet there had still been more to come.

His biggest regret? He hadn't approached her. Coach Hedge had walked away and left her to it.

And now? He was about to do it again. And it was tearing him up inside.

Whilst it was true that once upon a time, only an idiot would place her on the front lines — now it would take an idiot to prevent it.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, making sure to make eye-contact as he craned his neck up at her. Letting out a wry chuckle, knowing he hadn't had to do this last time, he gave her a final squeeze.

''Don't die out there, alright?''

Leo and Jason exchanged a look.

Charlie rose an eyebrow. ''That an order, cottontail?''

The corners of his mouth tweaked up. ''More of a preference.''

She smiled, shoulders relaxing. ''Yeah, yeah. I love you too, you big goat,'' she grabbed one of his horns, pulling him closer, trapping him with her arm hooking under his chin, letting his face rest in her elbow as she rubbed the top of his head with her knuckles. He writhed about, forcing himself away.

Charlie was laughing, he pointed at her threateningly, but chose to let it go.

Piper came over then, giving the satyr a hug too. ''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. Charlie figured she had probably seen stranger things, working for Tristan McLean.

Then the door closed.

''You're not going?'' Jason asked softly.

But, as soft as it was, it still broke her.

Charlie caught Piper on the way down, arms wrapping around her as she slowly lowered the two of them to the ground. She pushed the girls head to her chest, straddling her side as she stroked her hair, making sure not to prevent Piper's field view of the plane.

Piper clutched Charlie's upper arm tightly, sobbing into it without shame.

''It's okay, shh, it's gonna—'' Piper let out a rattle of a cry, her ribcage painfully contorting. Charlie pulled her impossibly closer, resting her chin on her head. ''It's gonna be alright. I'm here, Pipes. I'm here, and nothing's gonna happen to you. You'll get back to him. I swear it.''

Jason knelt behind Piper, straddling her from that direction too, leaning his head on he side of hers. Leo went on Piper's other side, eyes teary. He was never good at these kinds of things. He leant his head on Jason's shoulder, hands stroking Piper's side.

Coach Hedge had his palm pressed against the window as they began to roll down the runway in preparation. He turned his head as they moved, watching.

Perhaps he should've done that.

Gods knew Charlie probably needed it.

Next time, he told himself. But then again, he had said that list time, too.

( 2837 )