𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 || 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣¹

009

(chapter ix - bianca finds her fire)

THEY RODE THE boat until sunset, which was about as much as Selene's back could take.

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

She has no idea how many miles they covered, but the mountains had 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.

Selene and Percy had tried making secret handshakes to pass the time. However they weren't really secret, due to Percy telling how to do them to over and over again, very loudly.

They decided to it'd be best to stop when Selene almost fell off the boar, as she was facing backwards in order to face him.

Yeah, that clearly backfired.

Demigod rating for boar-riding — definitely 0/10. She does not recommend.

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 to be told twice. They all slipped off the boar's back while he was busy ripping up cacti. Then they waddled away as best as they could with their saddle sores.

After it's third saguaro and another drink of muddy water, the boar squealed and belched, then whirled around and galloped back towards the east.

"It likes the mountains better," Percy guessed.

"No shit," Selene replied, snorting.

"And I don't blame it," Thalia said, turning around with wide eyes. "Look."

Selene followed her gaze. 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 opened 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...

'Wait.' She thought. 'Those aren't regular hills.'

The countryside was way too flat for hills like those. The 'hills', were, instead, enormous mounds of of old cars, appliances, and other scrap metal. It was a junkyard that seemed to go on forever.

"Whoa," Percy whispered. She found herself agreeing.

"Something tells me we aren't gonna find a car rental here," Thalia said. She then turned to Grover. "I don't suppose you got another wild boar up your sleeve?"

"Please don't," Selene pleaded.

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 her, but Grover looked concerned.

"That's us," The satyr said. "Those six little nuts right there."

Selene bit her lip to suppress her laughter.

"Which one is me?" Percy asked.

"The little deformed one," Zoë suggested.

Selene laughed, elbowing Zoë half-heartedly. "Careful there, Zoë. He might say 'fuck it' and go drown you in a river."