Rick Riordan - The Lost Hero

For Haley and Patrick, always the first to hear stories Without them, Camp Half-Blood would not exist.

EVEN BEFORE HE GOT ELECTROCUTED, Jason was having a rotten day.

He woke in the backseat of a school bus, not sure where he was, holding hands with a girl he didnt know. That wasnt necessarily the rotten part. The girl was cute, but he couldnt figure out who she was or what he was doing there. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to think.

A few dozen kids sprawled in the seats in front of him, listening to iPods, talking, or sleeping. They all looked around his age fifteen? Sixteen? Okay, that was scary. He didnt know his own age.

The bus rumbled along a bumpy road. Out the windows, desert rolled by under a bright blue sky. Jason was pretty sure he didnt live in the desert. He tried to think back the last thing he remembered

The girl squeezed his hand. Jason, you okay?

She wore faded jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece snowboarding jacket. Her chocolate brown hair was cut choppy and uneven, with thin strands braided down the sides. She wore no makeup like she was trying not to draw attention to herself, but it didnt work. She was seriously pretty. Her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscopebrown, blue, and green.

Jason let go of her hand. Um, I dont

In the front of the bus, a teacher shouted, All right, cupcakes, listen up!

The guy was obviously a coach. His baseball cap was pulled low over his hair, so you could just see his beady eyes. He had a wispy goatee and a sour face, like hed eaten something moldy. His buff arms and chest pushed against a bright orange polo shirt. His nylon workout pants and Nikes were spotless white. A whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt. He wouldve looked pretty scary if he hadnt been five feet zero. When he stood up in the aisle, one of the students called, Stand up, Coach Hedge!

I heard that! The coach scanned the bus for the offender. Then his eyes fixed on Jason, and his scowl deepened.

A jolt went down Jasons spine. He was sure the coach knew he didnt belong there. He was going to call Jason out, demand to know what he was doing on the busand Jason wouldnt have a clue what to say.

But Coach Hedge looked away and cleared his throat. Well arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Dont lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes causes any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way.

He picked up a baseball bat and made like he was hitting a homer.

Jason looked at the girl next to him. Can he talk to us that way?

She shrugged. Always does. This is the Wilderness School. Where kids are the animals.

She said it like it was a joke theyd shared before.

This is some kind of mistake, Jason said. Im not supposed to be here.

The boy in front of him turned and laughed. Yeah, right, Jason. Weve all been framed! I didnt run away six times. Piper didnt steal a BMW.

The girl blushed. I didnt steal that car, Leo!

Oh, I forgot, Piper. What was your story? You talked the dealer into lending it to you? He raised his eyebrows at Jason like, Can you believe her?

Leo looked like a Latino Santas elf, with curly black hair, pointy ears, a cheerful, babyish face, and a mischievous smile that told you right away this guy should not be trusted around matches or sharp objects. His long, nimble fingers wouldnt stop movingdrumming on the seat, sweeping his hair behind his ears, fiddling with the buttons of his army fatigue jacket. Either the kid was naturally hyper or he was hopped up on enough sugar and caffeine to give a heart attack to a water buffalo.

Anyway, Leo said, I hope youve got your worksheet, cause I used mine for spit wads days ago. Why are you looking at me like that? Somebody draw on my face again?

I dont know you, Jason said.

Leo gave him a crocodile grin. Sure. Im not your best friend. Im his evil clone.

Leo Valdez! Coach Hedge yelled from the front. Problem back there?

Leo winked at Jason. Watch this. He turned to the front. Sorry, Coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?

Coach Hedge grunted like he was pleased to have an excuse. He unclipped the megaphone from his belt and continued giving directions, but his voice came out like Darth Vaders. The kids cracked up. The coach tried again, but this time the megaphone blared: The cow says moo!

The kids howled, and the coach slammed down the megaphone. Valdez!

Piper stifled a laugh. My god, Leo. How did you do that?

Leo slipped a tiny Phillips head screwdriver from his sleeve. Im a special boy.

Guys, seriously, Jason pleaded. What am I doing here? Where are we going?

Piper knit her eyebrows. Jason, are you joking?

No! I have no idea

Aw, yeah, hes joking, Leo said. Hes trying to get me back for that shaving cream on the Jell-O thing, arent you?

Jason stared at him blankly.

No, I think hes serious. Piper tried to take his hand again, but he pulled it away.

Im sorry, he said. I dontI cant

Thats it! Coach Hedge yelled from the front. The back row has just volunteered to clean up after lunch!

The rest of the kids cheered.

Theres a shocker, Leo muttered.

But Piper kept her eyes on Jason, like she couldnt decide whether to be hurt or worried. Did you hit your head or something? You really dont know who we are?

Jason shrugged helplessly. Its worse than that. I dont know who I am.

The bus dropped them in front of a big red stucco complex like a museum, just sitting in the middle of nowhere. Maybe thats what it was: the National Museum of Nowhere, Jason thought. A cold wind blew across the desert. Jason hadnt paid much attention to what he was wearing, but it wasnt nearly warm enough: jeans and sneakers, a purple T-shirt, and a thin black windbreaker.

So, a crash course for the amnesiac, Leo said, in a helpful tone that made Jason think this was not going to be helpful. We go to the Wilderness SchoolLeo made air quotes with his fingers. Which means were bad kids. Your family, or the court, or whoever, decided you were too much trouble, so they shipped you off to this lovely prisonsorry, boarding schoolin Armpit, Nevada, where you learn valuable nature skills like running ten miles a day through the cacti and weaving daisies into hats! And for a special treat we go on educational field trips with Coach Hedge, who keeps order with a baseball bat. Is it all coming back to you now?

No. Jason glanced apprehensively at the other kids: maybe twenty guys, half that many girls. None of them looked like hardened criminals, but he wondered what theyd all done to get sentenced to a school for delinquents, and he wondered why he belonged with them.

Leo rolled his eyes. Youre really gonna play this out, huh? Okay, so the three of us started here together this semester. Were totally tight. You do everything I say and give me your dessert and do my chores

Leo! Piper snapped.

Fine. Ignore that last part. But we are friends. Well, Pipers a little more than your friend, the last few weeks

Leo, stop it! Pipers face turned red. Jason could feel his face burning too. He thought hed remember if hed been going out with a girl like Piper.

Hes got amnesia or something, Piper said. Weve got to tell somebody.

Leo scoffed. Who, Coach Hedge? Hed try to fix Jason by whacking him upside the head.

The coach was at the front of the group, barking orders and blowing his whistle to keep the kids in line; but every so often hed glance back at Jason and scowl.

Leo, Jason needs help, Piper insisted. Hes got a concussion or