The Lost Hero

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

We Crash Land In The Lake And V Punched Drew In The Face

AFTER A MORNING OF STORM SPIRIT'S, goat men, and flying amnesiac's, I was exhausted.

Piper stood in back of the chariot with Leo and Jason, while the Butch, handled the reins, and, Annabeth, adjusted a bronze navigation device, while I was talking to the Pegasi. We rose over the Grand Canyon and headed east, icy wind ripping straight through Piper's jacket. Behind us, more storm clouds were gathering.

The chariot lurched and bumped. It had no seat belts and the back was wide open, so Piper wondered if Jason would catch her again if she fell. That had been the most disturbing part of the morning—not that Jason could fly, but that he'd held her in his arms and yet didn't know who she was.

All semester she'd worked on a relationship, trying to get Jason to notice her as more than a friend. Finally she'd gotten the big dope to kiss her. The last few weeks had been the best of her life. And then, three nights ago, the dream had ruined everything—that horrible voice, giving her horrible news. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Jason.

Now she didn't even have him. It was like someone had wiped his memory, and she was stuck in the worst "do over" of all time. She wanted to scream. Jason stood right next to her: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip. His face was kind and gentle, but always a little sad. And he just stared at the horizon, not even noticing her.

I felt really sorry for the poor girl.

Meanwhile, Leo was being annoying, as usual. "This is so cool!" He spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place," Annabeth said. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-Blood?" Piper was immediately on guard. She hated that word. She'd been called a half-blood too many times—half Cherokee, half white—and it was never a compliment. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

I realized what Piper thought, but before I could explain, Jason said it first.

"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal."

Annabeth looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."

Leo choked. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"

"Got a problem with that?" Butch said. "No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho."

"And V's the daughter of Poseidon, but she grew up with the gods and is the most experienced out of all of us. She was also blessed by all of the Olympians."

"Cool," Leo said gaping. "Now the stories of the flooded bathrooms suddenly make sense."

"Hey!" I pouted, and used my baby seal eyes on Leo, causing him to blush and turn away. I laughed.

"V is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "She gets along great with the pegasi. Also because she can actually understand them because her father created horses. Butch is also a really good equestrian."

"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.

"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.

"Wait, is that the reason you were able to talk to the Pegasi?"

"Yeah. I can understand them, they understand me. They even call me Lady." I chuckled.

"Demigods," Piper said. "You mean you think you're ... you think we're—"