¹𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 ! - percy jackson

-009

THEY RODE THE BOAR until sunset, which was about as much as Percy's back end could take. Imagine riding a giant steel brush over a bed of gravel all day. That's about how comfortable boar-riding was.

Percy had been the last one to jump onto the boar, which was both unlucky and lucky at the same time. There was nobody behind him, so he was the one most likely to fall off...but that just meant he had an excuse to hold onto Stella's waist, who was seated in front of him.

With a delicate touch, he placed his hands on either side of her waist, maintaining a cautious hold to avoid making her feel uncomfortable.

Stella glanced over her shoulder, her eyes dancing with mischief, and a playful smirk gracing her lips. "You're going to have to hold on tighter, Jackson. Unless you want to fall off because that's fine too."

He felt his face redden at her comment but obliged and tightened his grip around the daughter of Apollo. He heard her hum in approval, seemingly content with his actions.

Usually, Percy was quick with the comebacks, but there were a few times now that Stella had caught him defenseless. It was almost like she knew exactly how to catch him off-guard— and was successful at it too.

Percy had no idea how many miles they had covered by now, 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. The sun hung mercilessly in the sky, casting waves of heat upon the rugged terrain, while the distant horizon appeared as a shimmering mirage, a tantalizing promise of what lay ahead in their quest.

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 waddled away as best they could with their saddle sores.

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 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 open 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...but then Percy noticed they weren't regular 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," He said at the sight.

"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 rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to Percy, but Grover looked concerned.

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

"Which one is me?" Percy asked.

"The little deformed one," Zoë suggested as Stella cackled.