The Twins of the Sea- A change in the past-

Chapter 30

Andy's POV
After our encounter with Aphrodite the others wanted to know what she told us. Me and Percy reached a silent agreement and told them she only said to be careful in her husband's territory. Zoe and Grover didn't seem to buy it but they left us alone. We continued our journey through the junkyard.

Now I know about the all 'Don't pick anything' warning the goddess gave us, but that stuff was way too interesting not to pick it up and look at it. Bianca found a bow which turned into a hair clip, Percy found a guitar shaped like Apollo's harp,  Grover found a tree with birds who turned on when he touched their wings,  I found a sword which turned into a ring when I picked it up. The temptation was big, but we had to leave the items and continue on our way. Finally, we saw the edge of the junkyard about half a mile ahead of us, the lights of a  highway stretching through the desert. But between us and the road…

"What is that?" Bianca gasped.

Ahead of us was a hill much bigger and longer than the others. It was like a metal mesa,  the length of a football field and as tall as goalposts. At one end of the mesa was a row of ten  thick metal columns, wedged tightly together. Bianca frowned.

"They look like—" 

"Toes," Grover said.

Bianca nodded. "Really, really large toes."  Me, Zoe and Thalia exchanged nervous looks.  If it is what I think it is-

"Let's go around," Thalia said. "Far around." She read my mind.  We went around the hill and we finally got to the exit, with no incident.

" We made it out," Zoe said. "Thank the gods." She spoke too soon as the hill of scrap metal began to raise. When I looked at the automaton,  my heart came in my throat.

"Talos! " I gasped looking up at the automaton. Of course Percy had to ask "Who's Talos? "

" One of Hephaestus's creations. "I said and Thalia added. "But that can't be the original. It's too small. A prototype, maybe. A defective model."
Clearly it didn't appreciate the word 'defective' as it began to come after us. We dispersed in different directions, me and Zoe shot arrows at it, but with not much damage. Grover sung a melody and the electrical lines from across the way wrapped around Talos's foot sending an electrical shock down his back. Afterwards it sent a pile of junk toppling down on Grover, Bianca ran at his foot, Percy stabbed the automaton in his big toe with his sword. Talos raised his foot to crush him and I ran to him, getting him out of the way. I couldn't see Bianca anymore.

"Where is Bianca? " I asked him.

"Inside it. "

"What? " I barely registered when the automaton began to hit itself in the face, doing weird moves and finally falling apart after Grover sung his melody once more and electrical shock was sent through Talos. It fell apart and we began to search for Bianca, but with no success.
Thalia yelled in rage and impaled her sword in the giant's smashed face.  "We can keep searching," Percy said. "It's light now. We'll find her." 

"No we won't," Grover said miserably. "It happened just as it was supposed to." 

"What are you talking about?" Percy demanded. Grover looked up at us with big watery eyes. "The prophecy. One shall he lost in the land
without rain."
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We found a pick up truck and we took it to get us away from the junkyard. Thalia and Zoe were in front and me, Percy and Grover in the back. I saw Percy fingering a small figurine and I gave him a questioning look. He looked at me and let me take it. I examined it.
"Bianca took it for Nico. She said it was the only one he didn't have, for his Mythomagic game. Gods, what am I gonna tell him? "