by Rick Riordan
‘Yes!’ she said. She threw off her black robes to reveal a white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewellery. Her face was both terrible and beautiful, and a golden crown glowed in her long black hair. ‘Now I shall have my revenge!’
The giant Porphyrion backed away. He said nothing, but he gave Jason one last look of hatred. His message was clear: Another time. Then he slammed his spear against the earth, and the giant disappeared into the ground like he’d dropped down a chute.
Around the courtyard, monsters began to panic and retreat, but there was no escape for them.
Hera glowed brighter. She shouted, ‘Cover your eyes, my heroes!’
But Jason was too much in shock. He understood too late.
He watched as Hera turned into a supernova, exploding in a ring of force that vaporized every monster instantly. Jason fell, light searing into his mind, and his last thought was that his body was burning.
LI
PIPER
‘Jason!’
Piper kept calling his name as she held him, though she’d almost lost hope. He’d been unconscious for two minutes now. His body was steaming, his eyes rolled back in his head. She couldn’t tell if he was even breathing.
‘It’s no use, child.’ Hera stood over them in her simple black robes and shawl.
Piper hadn’t seen the goddess go nuclear. Thankfully she’d closed her eyes, but she could see the after-effects. Every vestige of winter was gone from the valley. No signs of battle, either. The monsters had been vaporized. The ruins had been restored to what they were before – still ruins, but with no evidence that they’d been overrun by a horde of wolves, storm spirits and six-armed ogres.
Even the Hunters had been revived. Most waited at a respectful distance in the meadow, but Thalia knelt by Piper’s side, her hand on Jason’s forehead.
Thalia glared up at the goddess. ‘This is your fault. Do something!’
‘Do not address me that way, girl. I am the queen –’
‘Fix him!’
Hera’s eyes flickered with power. ‘I did warn him. I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion. I told them to close their eyes before I revealed my true form.’
‘Um …’ Leo frowned. ‘True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?’
‘I unleashed my power to help you, fool!’ Hera cried. ‘I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place and even save these miserable Hunters from the ice.’
‘But mortals can’t look upon you in that form!’ Thalia shouted. ‘You’ve killed him!’
Leo shook his head in dismay. ‘That’s what our prophecy meant. Death unleash, through Hera’s rage. Come on, lady. You’re a goddess. Do some voodoo magic on him! Bring him back.’
Piper half heard their conversation, but mostly she was focused on Jason’s face. ‘He’s breathing!’ she announced.
‘Impossible,’ Hera said. ‘I wish it were true, child, but no mortal has ever –’
‘Jason,’ Piper called, putting every bit of her willpower into his name. She could not lose him. ‘Listen to me. You can do this. Come back. You’re going to be fine.’
Nothing happened. Had she imagined his breath stirring?
‘Healing is not a power of Aphrodite,’ Hera said regretfully. ‘Even I cannot fix this, girl. His mortal spirit –’
‘Jason,’ Piper said again, and she imagined her voice resonating through the earth, all the way down to the Underworld. ‘Wake up.’
He gasped, and his eyes flew open. For a moment, they were full of light – glowing pure gold. Then the light faded and his eyes were normal again. ‘What – what happened?’
‘Impossible!’ Hera said.
Piper wrapped him in a hug until he groaned, ‘Crushing me.’
‘Sorry,’ she said, so relieved she laughed while wiping a tear from her eye.
Thalia gripped her brother’s hand. ‘How do you feel?’
‘Hot,’ he muttered. ‘Mouth is dry. And I saw something … really terrible.’
‘That was Hera,’ Thalia grumbled. ‘Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon.’
‘That’s it, Thalia Grace,’ said the goddess. ‘I will turn you into an aardvark, so help me –’
‘Stop it, you two,’ Piper said. Amazingly, they both shut up.
Piper helped Jason to his feet and gave him the last nectar from their supplies.
‘Now …’ Piper faced Thalia and Hera. ‘Hera – Your Majesty – we couldn’t have rescued you without the Hunters. And, Thalia, you never would’ve seen Jason again – I wouldn’t have met him – if it weren’t for Hera. You two make nice, because we’ve got bigger problems.’
They both glared at her, and for three long seconds Piper wasn’t sure which one of them was going to kill her first.
Finally Thalia grunted. ‘You’ve got spirit, Piper.’ She pulled a silver card from her parka and tucked it into the pocket of Piper’s snowboarding jacket. ‘You ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you.’
Hera crossed her arms. ‘Fortunately for this Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite.’ She assessed Piper, as if seeing her clearly for the time. ‘You wondered, Piper, why I chose you for this quest, why I didn’t reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I must admit, until this moment I was not sure. Something told me you would be vital to the quest. Now I see I was right. You’re even stronger than I realized. And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together.’
Piper’s face felt warm. She wasn’t sure how to respond to Hera’s compliment, but Leo stepped in.
‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘I don’t suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?’
‘No,’ Hera agreed. ‘By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaia from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regained his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god and demigod, working together. Once you freed me –’
‘He ran away,’ Jason said. ‘But to where?’
Hera didn’t answer, but a sense of dread washed over Piper. She remembered what Porphyrion had said about killing the Olympians by pulling up their roots. Greece. She looked at Thalia’s grim expression, and guessed the Hunter had come to the same conclusion.
‘I need to find Annabeth,’ Thalia said. ‘She has to know what’s happened here.’
‘Thalia …’ Jason gripped her hand. ‘We never got to talk about this place, or –’
‘I know.’ Her expression softened. ‘I lost you here once. I don’t want to leave you again. But we’ll meet soon. I’ll rendezvous with you back at Camp Half-Blood.’ She glanced at Hera. ‘You’ll see them there safely? It’s the least you can do.’
‘It’s not your place to tell me –’
‘Queen Hera,’ Piper interceded.
The goddess sighed. ‘Fine. Yes. Be off with you, Hunter!’
Thalia gave Jason a hug and said her goodbyes. When the Hunters were gone, the courtyard seemed strangely quiet. The dry reflecting pool showed no sign of the earthen tendrils that had brought back the giant king or imprisoned Hera. The night sky was clear and starry. The wind rustled in the redwoods. Piper thought about that night in Oklahoma when she and her dad had slept in Grandpa Tom’s front yard. She thought about the night on the Wilderness School dorm roof, when Jason had kissed her – in her Mist-altered memories, anyway.
‘Jason, what happened to you here?’ she asked. ‘I mean – I know your mom abandoned you. But you said it was sacred ground for demigods. Why? What happened after you were on your own?’
Jason shook his head uneasily. ‘It’s still murky. The wolves …’
‘You were given a destiny,’ Hera said. ‘You were given into my service.’
Jason scowled. ‘Because you forced my mom to do that. You couldn’t stand knowing Zeus had two children with my mom. Knowing that he’d fallen for her
twice. I was the price you demanded for leaving the rest of my family alone.’
‘It was the right choice for you as well, Jason,’ Hera insisted. ‘The second time your mother managed to snare Zeus’s affections, it was because she imagined him in a different aspect – the aspect of Jupiter. Never before had this happened – two children, Greek and Roman, born into the same family. You had to be separated from Thalia. This is where all demigods of your kind start their journey.’
‘Of his kind?’ Piper asked.
‘She means Roman,’ Jason said. ‘Demigods are left here. We meet the she-wolf goddess, Lupa, the same immortal wolf that raised Romulus and Remus.’
Hera nodded. ‘And, if you are strong enough, you live.’
‘But …’ Leo looked mystified. ‘What happened after that? I mean, Jason never made it to camp.’
‘Not to Camp Half-Blood, no,’ Hera agreed.
Piper felt as if the sky were spiralling above her, making her dizzy. ‘You went somewhere else. That’s where you’ve been all these years. Somewhere else for demigods – but where?’
Jason turned to the goddess. ‘The memories are coming back, but not the location. You’re not going to tell me, are you?’
‘No,’ Hera said. ‘That is part of your destiny, Jason. You must find your own way back. But when you do … you will unite two great powers. You will give us hope against the giants, and more importantly – against Gaia herself.’
‘You want us to help you,’ Jason said, ‘but you’re holding back information.’
‘Giving you answers would make those answers invalid,’ Hera said. ‘That is the way of the Fates. You must forge your own path for it to mean anything. Already, you three have surprised me. I would not have thought it possible …’
The goddess shook her head. ‘Suffice to say, you have performed well, demigods. But this is only the beginning. Now you must return to Camp Half-Blood, where you will begin planning for the next phase.’
‘Which you won’t tell us about,’ Jason grumped. ‘And I suppose you destroyed my nice storm spirit horse, so we’ll have to walk home?’
Hera waved aside the question. ‘Storm spirits are creatures of chaos. I did not destroy that one, though I have no idea where he went, or whether you’ll see him again. But there is an easier way home for you. As you have done me a great service, so I can help you – at least this once. Farewell, demigods, for now.’
The world turned upside down, and Piper almost blacked out.
When she could see straight again, she was back at camp, in the dining pavilion, in the middle of dinner. They were standing on the Aphrodite cabin’s table, and Piper had one foot in Drew’s pizza. Sixty campers rose at once, gawking at them in astonishment.
Whatever Hera had done to shoot them across the country, it wasn’t good for Piper’s stomach. She could barely control her nausea. Leo wasn’t so lucky. He jumped off the table, ran to the nearest bronze brazier, and threw up in it – which was probably not a great burnt offering for the gods.
‘Jason?’ Chiron trotted forward. No doubt the old centaur had seen thousands of years’ worth of weird stuff, but even he looked totally flabbergasted. ‘What –? How –?’
The Aphrodite campers stared up at Piper with their mouths open. Piper figured she must look awful.
‘Hi,’ she said as casually as she could. ‘We’re back.’
LII
PIPER
Piper didn’t remember much about the rest of the night. They told their story and answered a million questions from the other campers, but finally Chiron saw how tired they were and ordered them to bed.
It felt so good to sleep on a real mattress, and Piper was so exhausted she crashed immediately, which spared her any worry about what it would be like returning to the Aphrodite cabin.
The next morning she woke in her bunk, feeling reinvigorated. The sun came through the windows along with a pleasant breeze. It might’ve been spring instead of winter. Birds sang. Monsters howled in the woods. Breakfast smells wafted from the dining pavilion – bacon, pancakes and all sorts of wonderful things.
Drew and her gang were frowning down at her, their arms crossed.
‘Morning.’ Piper sat up and smiled. ‘Beautiful day.’
‘You’re going to make us late for breakfast,’ Drew said, ‘which means you get to clean the cabin for inspection.’
A week ago, Piper would’ve either punched Drew in the face, or hidden back under her covers. Now she thought about the Cyclopes in Detroit, Medea in Chicago, Midas turning her to gold in Omaha. Looking at Drew, who used to bother her, Piper laughed.
Drew’s smug expression crumbled. She backed up, then remembered she was supposed to be angry. ‘What are you –’
‘Challenging you,’ Piper said. ‘How about noon in the arena? You can choose the weapons.’
She got out of bed, stretched leisurely and beamed at her cabinmates. She spotted Mitchell and Lacy, who’d helped her pack for the quest. They were smiling tentatively, their eyes flitting from Piper to Drew like this might be a very interesting tennis game.
‘I missed you guys!’ Piper announced. ‘We’re going to have a great time when I’m senior counsellor.’
Drew turned bug-juice red. Even her closest lieutenants looked a little nervous. This wasn’t in their script.
‘You –’ Drew spluttered. ‘You ugly little witch! I’ve been here the longest. You can’t just –’
‘Challenge you?’ Piper said. ‘Sure, I can. Camp rules: I’ve been claimed by Aphrodite. I’ve completed a quest, which is one more than you’ve completed. If I feel I can do a better job, I can challenge you. Unless you just want to step down. Did I get all that right, Mitchell?’
‘Just right, Piper.’ Mitchell was grinning. Lacy was bouncing up and down like she was trying to achieve liftoff.
A few of the other kids started to grin, as if they were enjoying the different colours Drew’s face was turning.
‘Step down?’ Drew shrieked. ‘You’re crazy!’
Piper shrugged. Then fast as a viper she pulled Katoptris from under her pillow, unsheathed the dagger and thrust the point under Drew’s chin. Everybody else backed up fast. One guy crashed into a makeup table and sent up a plume of pink powder.
‘A duel, then,’ Piper said cheerfully. ‘If you don’t want to wait until noon, now is fine. You’ve turned this cabin into a dictatorship, Drew. Silena Beauregard knew better than that. Aphrodite is about love and beauty. Being loving. Spreading beauty. Good friends. Good times. Good deeds. Not just looking good. Silena made mistakes, but in the end she stood by her friends. That’s why she was a hero. I’m going to set things right, and I’ve got a feeling Mom will be on my side. Want to find out?’
Drew went cross-eyed looking down the blade of Piper’s dagger.
A second passed. Then two. Piper didn’t care. She was absolutely happy and confident. It must’ve shown in her smile.
‘I … step down,’ Drew grumbled. ‘But if you think I’m ever going to forget this, McLean –’
‘Oh, I hope you won’t,’ Piper said. ‘Now, run along to the dining pavilion and explain to Chiron why we’re late. There’s been a change of leadership.’
Drew backed to the door. Even her closest lieutenants didn’t follow her. She was about to leave when Piper said, ‘Oh, and, Drew, honey?’
The former counsellor looked back reluctantly.
‘In case you think I’m not a true daughter of Aphrodite,’ Piper said, ‘don’t even look at Jason Grace. He may not know it yet, but he’s mine. If you even try to make a move, I will load you into a catapult and shoot you across Long Island Sound.’
Drew turned around so fast she ran into the doorframe. Then she was gone.
The cabin was silent. The other campers stared at Piper. This was the part she was unsure of. She didn’t want to rule by fear. She wasn’t like Drew, but she didn’t know if they’d accept her.
Then, spontaneously, the Aphrodite campers cheered s
o loudly, they must’ve been heard all across camp. They herded Piper out of the cabin, raised her on their shoulders and carried her all the way to the dining pavilion – still in her pyjamas, her hair still a mess, but she didn’t care. She’d never felt better.
By afternoon, Piper had changed into comfortable camp clothes and led the Aphrodite cabin through their morning activities. She was ready for free time.
Some of the buzz of her victory had faded because she had an appointment at the Big House.
Chiron met her on the front porch in human form, compacted into his wheelchair. ‘Come inside, my dear. The video conference is ready.’
The only computer at camp was in Chiron’s office, and the whole room was shielded in bronze plating.
‘Demigods and technology don’t mix,’ Chiron explained. ‘Phone calls, texting, even browsing the Internet – all these things can attract monsters. Why, just this autumn at a school in Cincinnati, we had to rescue a young hero who googled the gorgons and got a little more than he bargained for, but never mind that. Here at camp, you’re protected. Still … we try to be cautious. You’ll only be able to talk for a few minutes.’
‘Got it,’ Piper said. ‘Thank you, Chiron.’
He smiled and wheeled himself out of the office. Piper hesitated before clicking the call button. Chiron’s office had a cluttered, cosy feel. One wall was covered with T-shirts from different conventions – PARTY PONIES ’09 VEGAS, PARTY PONIES ’10 HONOLULU, et cetera. Piper didn’t know who the Party Ponies were, but judging from the stains, scorch marks and weapon holes in the T-shirts, they must’ve had some pretty wild meetings. On the shelf over Chiron’s desk sat an old-fashioned boom box with cassette tapes labelled ‘Dean Martin’ and ‘Frank Sinatra’ and ‘Greatest Hits of the 40s’. Chiron was so old Piper wondered if that meant 1940s, 1840s, or maybe just A.D. 40.
But most of the office’s wall space was plastered with photos of demigods, like a hall of fame. One of the newer shots showed a teenage guy with dark hair and green eyes. Since he stood arm in arm with Annabeth, Piper assumed the guy must be Percy Jackson. In some of the older photos, she recognized famous people: businessmen, athletes, even some actors that her dad knew.
