The Son Of Asclepius, Demi-god Doctor

Feeling Romantic

They rode the boar until sunset, and (Y/N) had to admit it was quite a pleasant ride. He 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. 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. They slipped off the boar's back while he was busy ripping up cacti. Then they sneakily waddled away as best as they could without catching the beast's attention. Not too bad of a gift, thanks Wild. 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 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 Zoe 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 (Y/N) noticed they weren't natural 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 Graver. 

"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 little sense, but Grover looked concerned. 

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

"Which one is me?" Jackson asked. 

"The little deformed one," Zoe suggested. 

"Oh, shut up." 

The son of Asclepius had to stifle a laugh. 

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

"A monster?" Thalia asked. 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. 

"Better to know that there is a danger than to go in unknowing. We'll camp here tonight and search the junkyard tomorrow," spoke (Y/N). 

Wandering around such a dangerous area in the dark would be too hazardous for them. (Clumsy son of Poseidon Cough Cough.) Zoe and Bianca produced five sleeping bags and foam mattresses out of their backpacks, (Y/N) opting to sleep on the floor. The night got chilly fast, so Grover and Percy collected old boards from the ruined house, and Thalia zapped them with an electric shock to start a campfire. A beacon of light in the darkness. 

"The stars are out," Zoe said. 

She was right. There were millions of them, with no city lights to turn the sky orange. 

"Amazing," Bianca said. "I've never actually seen the Milky Way." 

"This is nothing," Zoe said. "In the old days, there were more. Whole constellations have disappeared because of human light pollution."