The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1)(64)

“Piper,” Jason said gently, “you were asleep when Festus conked out. It couldn’t be your fault.”

“Yeah, you’re just shaken up,” Leo agreed. He didn’t even try to make a joke at her expense. “You’re in pain. Just rest.”

She wanted to tell them everything, but the words stuck in her throat. They were both being so kind to her. Yet if Enceladus was watching her somehow, saying the wrong thing could get her father killed.

Leo stood. “Look, um, Jason, why don’t you stay with her, bro? I’ll scout around for Festus. I think he fell outside the warehouse somewhere. If I can find him, maybe I can figure out what happened and fix him.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Jason said. “You shouldn’t go by yourself.”

“Ah, I got duct tape and breath mints. I’ll be fine,” Leo said, a little too quickly, and Piper realized he was a lot more shaken up than he was letting on. “You guys just don’t run off without me.”

Leo reached into his magic tool belt, pulled out a flashlight, and headed down the stairs, leaving Piper and Jason alone.

Jason gave her a smile, though he looked kind of nervous. It was the exact expression he’d had on his face after he’d kissed her the first time, up on the Wilderness School dorm roof—that cute little scar on his lip curving into a crescent. The memory gave her a warm feeling. Then she remembered that the kiss had never really happened.

“You look better,” Jason offered.

Piper wasn’t sure if he meant her foot, or the fact that she wasn’t magically beautified anymore. Her jeans were tattered from the fall through the roof. Her boots were splattered with melted dirty snow. She didn’t know what her face looked like, but probably horrible.

Why did it matter? She’d never cared about things like that before. She wondered if it was her stupid mother, the goddess of love, messing with her thoughts. If Piper started getting urges to read fashion magazines, she was going to have to find Aphrodite and smack her.

She decided to focus on her ankle instead. As long as she didn’t move it, the pain wasn’t bad. “You did a good job,” she told Jason. “Where’d you learn first aid?”

He shrugged. “Same answer as always. I don’t know.”

“But you’re starting to have some memories, aren’t you? Like that prophecy in Latin back at camp, or that dream about the wolf.”

“It’s fuzzy,” he said. “Like déjà vu. Ever forgotten a word or a name, and you know it should be on the tip of your tongue, but it isn’t? It’s like that—only with my whole life.”

Piper sort of knew what he meant. The last three months—a life she thought she’d had, a relationship with Jason—had turned out to be Mist.

A boyfriend you never really had, Enceladus had said. Is that more important than your own father?

She should’ve kept her mouth shut, but she voiced the question that had been on her mind since yesterday.

“That photo in your pocket,” she said. “Is that someone from your past?”

Jason pulled back.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “None of my business. Forget it.”

“No—it’s okay.” His features relaxed. “Just, I’m trying to figure things out. Her name’s Thalia. She’s my sister. I don’t remember any details. I’m not even sure how I know, but—um, why are you smiling?”

“Nothing.” Piper tried to kill the smile. Not an old girlfriend. She felt ridiculously happy. “Um, it’s just—that’s great you remembered. Annabeth told me she became a Hunter of Artemis, right?”

Jason nodded. “I get the feeling I’m supposed to find her. Hera left me that memory for a reason. It’s got something to do with this quest. But … I also have the feeling it could be dangerous. I’m not sure I want to find out the truth. Is that crazy?”

“No,” Piper said. “Not at all.”

She stared at the logo on the wall: monocle motors, the single red eye. Something about that logo bothered her.

Maybe it was the idea Enceladus was watching her, holding her father for leverage. She had to save him, but how could she betray her friends?

“Jason,” she said. “Speaking of the truth, I need to tell you something—something about my dad—”

She didn’t get the chance. Somewhere below, metal clanged against metal, like a door slamming shut. The sound echoed through the warehouse.

Jason stood. He took out his coin and flipped it, snatching his golden sword out of the air. He peered over the railing. “Leo?” he called.

No answer.

He crouched next to Piper. “I don’t like this.”

“He could be in trouble,” Piper said. “Go check.”

“I can’t leave you alone.”

“I’ll be fine.” She felt terrified, but she wasn’t about to admit it. She drew her dagger Katoptris and tried to look confident. “Anyone gets close, I’ll skewer them.”

Jason hesitated. “I’ll leave you the pack. If I’m not back in five minutes—”

“Panic?” she suggested.

He managed a smile. “Glad you’re back to normal. The makeup and the dress were a lot more intimidating than the dagger.”