Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THE SUN WAS going down when the boar finally stopped. Davina wasn't sure how far exactly they'd traveled, but the mountains had faded into the distance and were replaced by flat land.
"This is as far as he'll go," Grover announced. "We need to get off while he's eating."
Nobody needed to be told twice. They wasted no time in sliding off the beast. Davina's back ached and it felt weird to walk again after having been off her feet for so long.
When the boar was done eating and drinking water, it took off towards the mountains.
"It likes the mountains better," Percy observed.
"I can't blame it," Thalia replied. "Look."
Davina looked up from trying to crack her back. In front of them was a two-lane road almost completely covered in sand. On the other side stood a boarded-up house, a taco place, and a post office with a sign that told them they were in Gila Claw, Arizona. Beyond the extremely tiny town was a bunch of hills. It didn't take long for her to realize they weren't actually hills, but instead were piles of old cars and other metals.
"Whoah," Percy breathed out.
"Something tells me we're not going to find a car rental here," Thalia remarked, looking over at Grover. "I don't suppose you got another wild boar up your sleeve?"
Grover sniffed the wind, looking nervous. He took out his acorns from his bag and threw them into the sand before playing his pipes. The acorns rearranged themselves into a different pattern that had Grover looking worried.
"That's us," the Satyr told them. "Those six nuts right there."
"Which one is me?" Percy wondered.
"That weird-looking one," Davina pointed down at the oddly-shaped acorn.
"The deformed one," Zoë answered at the same time, making Davina snort.
Percy rolled his eyes at them. "Shut up."
"That cluster right there," Grover motioned to the left. "That's trouble."
"A monster?" Thalia assumed.
Grover looked wary. "I don't smell anything, which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge. . ." He looked up at the pile of junk.
The six of them decided to deal with the junkyard in the morning and camp out for the night. Zoë and Bianca pulled six sleeping bags and foam mattresses out of their backpacks. When the night got cold, Percy and Grover were elected to collect boards from the house.
