The Fallen Goddess...PJO

Chapter 15

Armani POV

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

None of us needed to be convinced otherwise. We all slipped off the boar's back while he was busy ripping up cactus. Then, as stealthy as we could, we waddled away. 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 said.

"I can't blame it," Thalia said, pointing towards the mountains. "Look."

Yep, I didn't blame the boar either. Ahead of us 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 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 they weren't regular hills. The countryside was way too flat for that. The hills were enormous mounds of old cars, appliances, and other metal. It was a junkyard that seemed to go on forever.

"Woah,"

"Well, 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 arranged themselves in a pattern that made absolutely no sense, but Grover looked concerned.

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

"Oh, oh! Which one is me?" Percy asked.

"The little deformed one, right there," Zoe answered.

I burst out dying laughing while hitting Percy on the shoulder, "O my gods, Zoe. That's gotta be the funniest thing you have ever said."

"Oh, shut up, you two," Percy sulked. "It's not that funny," he said, glaring at me. I started snorting and wheezing.

"Sorry, Sorry, Sorry," I said, as I tried to calm down. "I swear, I lost a few calories with all that laughing."

"I don't think that's how it works," Bianca said with a confused expression.

"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. With the day we had, we had concluded to turn in for the night and try the junkyard in the morning. None of them wanted to go dumpster diving in the dark.

Zoe and Bianca produced six sleeping bags and foam mattresses out of their backpacks. It was questionable how they did it with those little packs of theirs, but I have decided to not question anything anymore since anything is possible in this world.

The night had gotten chilly fast, prompting Grover and Percy to collect old boards from the ruined houses for Thalia to zap them to start a campfire. Pretty, soon, they were about as comfy as you can get in a rundown ghost town in the middle of actual nowhere.

"The stars are out," Zoe said, her eyes holding a certain glimmer.

Yeah, she was totally right. There were, like, a gazillion stars up there, stretching out forever 'cause there weren't any city lights to mess up the view. We all lay down in a row, just staring up at them in amazement.