¹𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀. percy jackson

XI.

ｔｈｅ　ｔｉｔａｎｓ　ｃｕｒｓｅ

THEY RODE THE BOAR UNTIL SUNSET, She had no idea how many miles they covered, but the mountains faded into the distance and were replaced by miles of flat, dry land. The grass and scrub brush got sparser until they were galloping across the desert.

"One shall be lost in the land without rain," was all that kept ringing in Lucia's head

When night fell, the boar came to a stop at a creek bed and snorted. He started drinking the muddy water, then ripped a saguaro cactus out of the ground and chewed it, needles and all.

"This is as far as he'll go," Grover said. "We need to get off while he's eating."

Nobody needed convincing. They slipped off the boar's back while he was busy ripping up cacti. Then they waddled away as best they could with their saddle sores.

After its third saguaro and another drink of muddy water, the boar squealed and belched, then whirled around and galloped back toward the east.

"It likes the mountains better," Percy guessed.

"I can't blame it," Thalia said. "Look."

Ahead of them was a two-lane road half covered with sand. On the other side of the road was a cluster of buildings too small to be a town: a boarded-up house, a taco shop that looked like it was serving tacos since before Zoe Nightshade was born, and a white stucco post office with a sign that said GILA CLAW, ARIZONA hanging crooked above the door.

Beyond that was a range of hills... but then Lucia noticed they weren't regular hills. The countryside was way too flat for that. The hills were enormous mounds of old cars, appliances, and other scrap metal. It was a junkyard that seemed to go on forever.

"Holy shit," Lucia said,

"Language." Zoe scolded her

"Something tells me we're not going to find a car rental here," Thalia said. She looked at Grover. "I don't suppose you got another wild boar up your sleeve?"

Grover was sniffing the wind, looking nervous. He fished out his acorns and threw them into the sand, then played his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to them, but Grover looked concerned.

"That's us," he said. "Those six nuts right there."

"Which one is me?" Percy asked.

"The little deformed one," Zoe suggested.

Lucia snorted

"Oh, shut up." Percy elbowed her

"Hey, I didn't even say it!" She defended

"That cluster right there," Grover then said, pointing to the left, "that's trouble."

"A monster?" Lucia felt the playfulness in her disappear just as fast as it came, she knew they were in the desert, the land without rain, and someone was going to be lost sooner or later... She prayed for it to be her.

Grover looked uneasy. "I don't smell anything, which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge..."

He pointed straight toward the junkyard. With the sunlight almost gone now, the hills of metal looked like something on an alien planet. Lucia felt like throwing up just looking at it.

☼

THEY DECIDED TO CAMP FOR THE NIGHT and try the junkyard in the morning. None of them wanted to go Dumpster-diving in the dark.