The Forbidden Daughter | PJO Book One

fourteen

DAMN SNACK BAR

At the edge of the dump, they found a tow truck so old it might've been thrown away itself. But the engine started, and it had a full tank of gas, so they decided to borrow it.

Thalia drove. She didn't seem as stunned as Zoë or Grover or Percy or Ariana.

"The skeletons are still out there," she reminded them, "we need to keep moving."

She navigated them through the desert, under clear blue skies, the sand so bright it hurt to look at.

Zoe sat up front with Thalia. Grover, Ariana and Percy sat in the pickup bed, leaning against the tow wench.

The air was cool and dry, but the nice weather just seemed like an insult after losing Bianca.

Ariana's hand closed around the little figurine that had cost her life. She still couldn't even tell what god it was supposed to be.

Nico would know.

Oh, gods... what was she going to tell Nico?

She wanted to believe that Bianca was still alive somewhere. But she had felt it, she was gone for good.

"I shouldn't of let her go." Ariana cried. "I should've been more persistent."

"Don't say that!" Grover panicked. "It's bad enough Annabeth is gone, and now Bianca. Do you think I could stand it if..." He sniffled.

Percy gave Ariana a side hug which made her weep even more.

"Ah, Grover."

He wiped under his eyes with an oily cloth that left his face grimy, like he had on war paint.

"I'm... I'm okay."

But he wasn't okay. Ever since the encounter in New Mexico whatever had happened when that wild wind blew through he seemed really fragile, even more emotional than usual.

Ariana had to set aside thinking about Bianca and keep them going forward, the way Thalia was doing. She wondered what she and Zoë were talking about in the front of the truck.

The tow truck ran out of gas at the edge of a river canyon. That was just as well, because the road dead-ended.

Thalia got out and slammed the door.

Immediately, one of the tires blew. "Great. What
now?"

Ariana scanned the horizon. There wasn't much to see. Desert in all directions, occasional clumps of barren mountains plopped here and there.

The canyon was the only thing interesting. The river itself wasn't very big, maybe fifty yards across, green water with a few rapids, but it carved a huge scar out of the desert. The rock cliffs dropped away below them.

"There's a path." Grover said. "We could get to the river."

Ariana tried to see what he was talking about, and finally noticed a tiny ledge winding down the cliff face.

"That's a goat path," Percy said.

"So?" he asked.

"The rest of us aren't goats."

"We can make it." Grover said. "I think."

Ariana thought about that. Then she looked over at Thalia and saw how pale she'd gotten. Her problem with heights... she'd never be able to do

"No," Ariana said, "we should go farther upstream."

Grover said, "But-"

"Come on." Percy said. "A walk won't hurt us."