Arsonist's Lullabye ──── Leo Valdez

𝟑𝟖: 𝐃𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬

─────𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲... Getting Piper's dad on board was not.

Piper needed only a few words through Leo's improvised bullhorn to convince the pilot to land on the mountain. The Park Service copter was big enough for medical evacuations or search and rescue, and when Piper told the very nice ranger pilot lady that it would be a great idea to fly them to the Oakland Airport, she readily agreed.

"No," her dad muttered, as they picked him up off the ground. "Piper, what—there were monsters—there were monsters—"

Leo and Vincent had to hold the actor, while Coach Hedge gathered their supplies. Fortunately Hedge had put his pants and shoes back on, so they didn't have to explain the goat legs.

"It'll be okay, Dad," Piper said, though by the sounds of it, she was one second away from a mental breakdown. "These people are my friends. We're going to help you. You're safe now."

He blinked, and looked up at helicopter rotors. "Blades. They had a machine with so many blades. They had six arms..."

When they got him to the bay doors, the pilot came over to help. "What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"Smoke inhalation," Vincent suggested. When in doubt, sunstroke was also a great excuse. "Or heat exhaustion."

"We should get him to a hospital," the pilot said.

"It's okay," Piper said. "The airport is good."

"Yeah, the airport is good," the pilot agreed immediately. Then she frowned, as if uncertain why she'd changed her mind. "Isn't he Tristan McLean, the movie star?"

"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."

Finally they got him on board, and 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." Her voice broke. "Everything's going to be okay."

Vincent looked at her, his heart broke seeing his friend like this. 

"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.

"Piper," Vincent whispered. "Can I help?"

"Can you calm him down?" Piper asked, and she sounded like a little kid, her eyes glossy with tears. 

"Of course."

Vincent gave the man a small smile. "Hi Mr. Tristan McLean, sir. You've been so brave, dealing with everything that you have. You can sleep now. When you wake up, everything is going to be okay," He tried to ease the man's panic and fear, but Tristan McLean had seen too much, been through too much.