“What?” Hedge demanded. But Mellie steered him away and called, “Mr. McLean? She’s on!”
A second later, Piper’s dad appeared.
He broke into a huge grin. “Pipes!”
He looked great—back to normal, with his sparkling brown eyes, his half-day beard, his confident smile, and his newly trimmed hair like he was ready to shoot a scene. Piper was relieved, but she also felt a little sad. Back to normal wasn’t necessarily what she’d wanted.
In her mind, she started the clock. On a normal call like this, on a workday, she hardly ever got her dad’s attention for longer than thirty seconds.
“Hey,” she said weakly. “You feeling okay?”
“Honey, I’m so sorry to worry you with this disappearance business. I don’t know …” His smile wavered, and she could tell he was trying to remember—grasping for a memory that should have been there, but wasn’t. “I’m not sure what happened, honestly. But I’m fine. Coach Hedge has been a godsend. ”
“A godsend,” she repeated. Funny choice of words.
“He told me about your new school,” Dad said. “I’m sorry the Wilderness School didn’t work out, but you were right. Jane was wrong. I was a fool to listen to her. ”
Ten seconds left, maybe. But at least her dad sounded sincere, like he really did feel remorseful.
“You don’t remember anything?” she said, a bit wistfully.
“Of course I do,” he said.
A chill went down her neck. “You do?”
“I remember that I love you,” he said. “And I’m proud of you. Are you happy at your new school?”
Piper blinked. She wasn’t going to cry now. After all she’d been through, that would be ridiculous. “Yeah, Dad. It’s more like a camp, not a school, but … Yeah, I think I’ll be happy here. ”
“Call me as often as you can,” he said. “And come home for Christmas. And Pipes …”
“Yes?”
He touched the screen as if trying to reach through with his hand. “You’re a wonderful young lady. I don’t tell you that often enough. You remind me so much of your mother. She’d be proud. And Grandpa Tom”—he chuckled—“he always said you’d be the most powerful voice in our family. You’re going to outshine me some day, you know. They’re going to remember me as Piper McLean’s father, and that’s the best legacy I can imagine. ”
Piper tried to answer, but she was afraid she’d break down. She just touched his fingers on the screen and nodded.
Mellie said something in the background, and her dad sighed. “Studio calling. I’m sorry, honey. ” And he did sound genuinely annoyed to go.
“It’s okay, Dad,” she managed. “Love you. ”
He winked. Then the video call went black.
Forty-five seconds? Maybe a full minute.
Piper smiled. A small improvement, but it was progress.
At the commons area, she found Jason relaxing on a bench, a basketball between his feet. He was sweaty from working out, but he looked great in his orange tank top and shorts. His various scars and bruises from the quest were healing, thanks to some medical attention from the Apollo cabin. His arms and legs were well muscled and tan—distracting as always. His close-cropped blond hair caught the afternoon light so it looked like it was turning to gold, Midas style.
“Hey,” he said. “How did it go?”
It took her a second to focus on his question. “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Fine. ”
She sat next to him and they watched the campers going back and forth. A couple of Demeter girls were playing tricks on two of the Apollo guys—making grass grow around their ankles as they shot baskets. Over at the camp store, the Hermes kids were putting up a sign that read: flying shoes, slightly used, 50% off today! Ares kids were lining their cabin with fresh barbed wire. The Hypnos cabin was snoring away. A normal day at camp.
Meanwhile, the Aphrodite kids were watching Piper and Jason, and trying to pretend they weren’t. Piper was pretty sure she saw money change hands, like they were placing bets on a kiss.
“Get any sleep?” she asked him.
He looked at her as if she’d been reading his thoughts. “Not much. Dreams. ”
“About your past?”
He nodded.
She didn’t push him. If he wanted to talk, that was fine, but she knew him better than to press the subject. She didn’t even worry that her knowledge of him was mostly based on three months of false memories. You can sense possibilities, her mother had said. And Piper was determined to make those possibilities a reality.
Jason spun his basketball. “It’s not good news,” he warned. “My memories aren’t good for—for any of us. ”
Piper was pretty sure he’d been about to say for us—as in the two of them, and she wondered if he’d remembered a girl from his past. But she didn’t let it bother her. Not on a sunny winter day like this, with Jason next to her.
“We’ll figure it out,” she promised.
He looked at her hesitantly, like he wanted very much to believe her. “Annabeth and Rachel are coming in for the meeting tonight. I should probably wait until then to explain …”
“Okay. ” She plucked a blade of grass by her foot. She knew there were dangerous things in store for both of them. She would have to compete with Jason’s past, and they might not even survive their war against the giants. But right now, they were both alive, and she was determined to enjoy this moment.
Jason studied her warily. His forearm tattoo was faint blue in the sunlight. “You’re in a good mood. How can you be so sure things will work out?”
“Because you’re going to lead us,” she said simply. “I’d follow you anywhere. ”
Jason blinked. Then slowly, he smiled. “Dangerous thing to say. ”