The coach plopped down on his berth. His cupped his chin in his hand and stared glumly around his cabin. The place looked like a college dorm room after a hurricane—the floor strewn with laundry (maybe for wearing, maybe for snacks; it was hard to tell with satyrs), DVDs and dirty dishes scattered around the TV on the dresser. Every time the ship tilted, a mismatched herd of sports equipment rolled across the floor—footballs, basketballs, baseballs, and for some reason, a single billiard ball. Tufts of goat hair floated through the air and collected under the furniture in clumps. Dust goats? Goat bunnies?
On the coach’s nightstand sat a bowl of water, a stack of golden drachmas, a flashlight, and a glass prism for making rainbows. The coach had obviously come prepared to make a lot of Iris-messages.
Frank remembered what Piper had told him about the coach’s cloud nymph girlfriend who worked for Piper’s dad. What was the girlfriend’s name… Melinda? Millicent? No, Mellie.
“Uh, is your girlfriend Mellie all right?” Frank ventured.
“None of your business!” the coach snapped.
“Okay. ”
Hedge rolled his eyes. “Fine! If you must know—yes, I was talking to Mellie. But she’s not my girlfriend anymore. ”
“Oh…” Frank’s heart sank. “You broke up?”
“No, you dolt! We got married! She’s my wife!”
Frank would’ve been less stunned if the coach had smacked him. “Coach, that’s—that’s great! When—how—?”
“None of your business!” he yelled again.
“Um…all right. ”
“End of May,” the coach said. “Just before the Argo II sailed. We didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. ”
Frank felt like the ship was tilting again, but it must have been just him. The herd of wild sports equipment stayed put against the far wall.
All this time the coach had been married? In spite of being a newlywed, he’d agreed to come on this quest. No wonder Hedge made so many calls back home. No wonder he was so cranky and belligerent.
Still… Frank sensed there was more going on. The coach’s tone during the Iris-message made it sound like they were discussing a problem.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Frank said. “But…is she okay?”
“It was a private conversation!”
“Yeah. You’re right. ”
“Fine! I’ll tell you. ” Hedge plucked some fur off his thigh and let it float through the air. “She took a break from her job in L. A. , went to Camp Half-Blood for the summer, because we figured—” His voice cracked. “We figured it would be safer. Now she’s stuck there, with the Romans about to attack. She’s…she’s pretty scared. ”
Frank became very aware of the centurion badge on his shirt, the SPQR tattoo on his forearm.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “But if she’s a cloud spirit, couldn’t she just…you know, float away?”
The coach curled his fingers around the grip of his baseball bat. “Normally, yeah. But see…she’s in a delicate condition. It wouldn’t be safe. ”
“A delicate…” Frank’s eyes widened. “She’s going to have a baby? You’re going to be a dad?”
“Shout it a little louder,” Hedge grumbled. “I don’t think they heard you in Croatia. ”
Frank couldn’t help grinning. “But, Coach, that’s awesome! A little baby satyr? Or maybe a nymph? You’ll be a fantastic dad. ”
Frank wasn’t sure why he felt that way, considering the coach’s love of baseball bats and roundhouse kicks, but he was sure.
Coach Hedge scowled even deeper. “The war’s coming, Zhang. Nowhere is safe. I should be there for Mellie. If I gotta die somewhere—”
“Hey, nobody’s going to die,” Frank said.
Hedge met his eyes. Frank could tell the coach didn’t believe it.
“Always had a soft spot for children of Ares,” Hedge muttered. “Or Mars—whichever. Maybe that’s why I’m not pulverizing you for asking so many questions. ”
“But I wasn’t—”
“Fine, I’ll tell you!” Hedge sighed again. “Back when I was on my first assignment as a seeker, I was way out in Arizona. Brought in this kid named Clarisse. ”
“Clarisse?”
“Sibling of yours,” Hedge said. “Ares kid. Violent. Rude. Lots of potential. Anyway, while I was out, I had this dream about my mom. She—she was a cloud nymph like Mellie. I dreamed she was in trouble and needed my help right away. But I said to myself, Nah, it’s just a dream. Who would hurt a sweet old cloud nymph? Besides, I gotta get this half-blood to safety. So I finished my mission, brought Clarisse to Camp Half-Blood. Afterward, I went looking for my mom. I was too late. ”
Frank watched the tuft of goat hair settle on top of a basketball. “What happened to her?”
Hedge shrugged. “No idea. Never saw her again. Maybe if I’d been there for her, if I’d got back sooner…”
Frank wanted to say something comforting, but he wasn’t sure what. He had lost his mom in the war in Afghanistan, and he knew how empty the words I’m sorry could sound.
“You were doing your job,” Frank offered. “You saved a demigod’s life. ”
Hedge grunted. “Now my wife and my unborn kid are in danger, halfway across the world, and I can’t do anything to help. ”
“You are doing something,” Frank said. “We’re over here to stop the giants from waking Gaea. That’s the best way we can keep our friends safe. ”
“Yeah. Yeah, I suppose. ”