𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. ── 𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝

ANDY KNEW THAT 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 on the tarmac, and everyone looked at Piper.

"What now?" Jason asked her.

Andy knew how she must've felt: uncomfortable. She didn't want to be in charge, but for her dad's sake, she had to appear confident.

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 Piper leave her dad in this condition?

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

Their faces fell.

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

Andy nodded. "Your dad is more important, Piper. We'll still support you."

"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.

The group stared at him. The satyr was the last person Andy would have expected to offer. 

"You?" Piper asked.

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

He sounded a little crestfallen, and Andy realized 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 Piper's 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.

"Oh, absolutely," Andy quipped.

"Terrifying," Leo agreed.

The coach grunted. "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 Piper hugged him. He looked frail. He was trembling so much, it scared Andy. As much as she and Piper had their differences, Tristan McLean did not deserve this.

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

Andy noticed that Piper gave her father a pink liquid—the memory potion, Andy remembered. After a few seconds, he took the pink bottle and drank the pink liquid. His eyes rolled up into his head, and he slumped forward. Piper caught him, and Jason, Leo, and Andy 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?"

Just as Piper was about to tell him, a thought occurred to Andy. "Piper," she gasped, "check his pocket!"

Piper check his 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 Andy 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 and Andy a hug and glared at Jason and Leo. "You cupcakes take care of the girls, 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. Andy figured she'd probably seen stranger things, working for Tristan McLean.

When the plane was heading down the runaway, Piper started to cry. Jason went up to her and hugged her, and Piper hugged him back. Andy couldn't feel jealous. She didn't, in fact. Piper needed Jason right now more than she did, and she was willing to accept that. Her father, her boyfriend, all of it was gone, and the least Andy could do was be the best person she could be. Andy stood next to Leo while he was fiddling with his tool belt.

"Your dad's in good hands," Jason said. "You did amazing."

Piper sobbed into his shirt, but took a few deep breaths and smiled. 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—"

Then, right next to Jason, the air began to shimmer. At first Andy thought it was heat off the tarmac, or maybe gas fumes from the helicopter, but it was glimmering far too much to be any of those—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 Andy heard yelling, metal clashing on metal, and explosions.

"We've found her," Thalia said. "Where are you?"

"Oakland," he said. "Where are you?"

"The Wolf House! Oakland is good; you're not too far. We're holding off the giant's minions, but we can't hold them forever. Get here before sunset, or it's all over."

"Then it's not too late?" Piper cried. Hope surged through Andy, but Thalia's expression quickly dampened it.

"Not yet," Thalia said. "But Jason, Andy—it's worse than I realized. Porphyrion is rising. Hurry."

"But where is the Wolf House?" he pleaded.

"Our last trip," Thalia said, her image starting to flicker. "The park. Jack London. Remember?"

This made no sense to Andy, but Jason looked like he'd been shot. He tottered, his face pale, and the Iris message disappeared.

"Bro, you all right?" Leo asked. "You know where she is?"

"Yes," Jason said. "Sonoma Valley. Not far. Not by air."

Piper turned to the ranger pilot, who'd been watching all this with an increasingly puzzled expression.

"Ma'am," Piper said with her best smile. "You don't mind helping us one more time, do you?"

"I don't mind," the pilot agreed.

"We can't take a mortal into battle," Jason and Andy said in unison. "It's too dangerous." Jason turned to Leo. "Do you think you could fly this thing?"

"Um ..." Leo's expression didn't exactly reassure Andy, but then he put his hand on the side of the helicopter, concentrating hard, as if listening to the machine.

"Bell 412HP utility helicopter," Leo said. "Composite four-blade main rotor, cruising speed twenty-two knots, service ceiling twenty-thousand feet. The tank is near full. Sure, I can fly it."

Piper smiled at the ranger again. "You don't have a problem with an under-aged unlicensed kid borrowing your copter, do you? We'll return it."

"I—" The pilot nearly choked on the words, but she got them out: "I don't have a problem with that."

Leo grinned. "Hop in, kids. Uncle Leo's gonna take you for a ride."