A web of fates | Percy Jackson and the Olympians

XIII| Talos

They rode the boar until sunset, which was about as much as Daphne's back end could take.

Imagine riding a giant steel brush over a bed of gravel all day. That's about how comfortable boar-riding was.

Daphne 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 (do boars gallop?) across the desert.

Throughout the ride, Daphne kept a tight grip on Theo - claiming she didn't want to fall off but really she just wanted some comfort.

Daphne wanted to gauge all the moments she had with her friends before all the secrets came out and she fought on a different side to them.

Daphne just had to hope that when it came down to it, her friends would understand. She didn't want to lose them.

As 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.

Theo slipped off the boar's back while he was busy ripping up cacti. Then he held out his hand and Daphne took it, Theo helped her down.

Then the group of seven 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 hadn't been open since before Zoë 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 Daphne 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.

"Whoa." Percy said.

"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 Daphne, but Grover looked concerned.

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

"Which one is me?" Percy asked.

"The little deformed one." Daphne suggested. "It's got your head shape."

Theo laughed, his arms around Daphne's shoulder. "And your nose!"

"Oh, shut up." Percy grumbled, causing Theo and Daphne to laugh even more.

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

"A monster?" Thalia asked.