Wildflowers, Percy Jackson ₁

024, shop-lifting **gone wrong**

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

₊˚࿐࿔ 𖥧‧₊⚘ ❀༉. 𓏲｡

"What did she want with you?" Sylvie asked nervously.

If Aphrodite let it slip to Percy she had a huge crush on him, she sort of never wanted to see the light of day again. She now majorly regretted sending a silent plea to the gods regarding her feelings for Percy. The love goddess had to show up right after that?

But Percy's cheeks burned at the sight of Sylvie, and a horrible feeling swelled in the pit of her stomach. He'd never looked at her like this before. It wasn't anything bad, but maybe that was the part that made Sylvie so queasy.

"Oh, uh, not sure," he said stiffly. "She said to be careful in her husband's junkyard. She said not to pick anything up."

Zoë narrowed her eyes. "The goddess of love would not make a special trip to tell thee that. Be careful, Percy. Aphrodite has led many heroes astray."

"For once I agree with Zoë," Thalia said. "You can't trust Aphrodite."

The fact that Thalia and Zoë were in agreement on this only made Sylvie's stomach churn further. That meant they had to be right, and Sylvie couldn't force herself to be delusional, because she didn't want to think something else.

Here she was: a child of grain on a quest where she was prophesied to get her heart broken. Here Percy was: the boy her heart belonged to, just getting out from a meeting with Aphrodite and not revealing what it was truly about.

Sylvie felt like she was going to be sick. She couldn't even look Percy's way.

"So," she said, anxious to change the subject, "how do we get out of here?"

"That way," Zoë said. "That is west."

"How can you tell?" Percy asked.

In the light of the full moon, Sylvie was surprised how well she could see Zoë roll her eyes at him. "Ursa Major is in the north," she said, "which means that must be west."

She pointed west, then at the northern constellation Sylvie could easily make out due to finding it in the sky so many times.

"Oh, yeah," Percy said. "The bear thing."

Zoë looked offended. "Show some respect. It was a fine bear. A worthy opponent."

"You act like it was real."

"Guys," Grover broke in. "Look!"

They'd reached the crest of a junk mountain. Piles of metal objects glinted in the moonlight: broken heads of bronze horses, metal legs from human statues, smashed chariots, tons of shields and swords and other weapons, along with more modern stuff, like cars that gleamed gold and silver, refrigerators, washing machines, and computer monitors.