{BOOK 2} Percy Jackson's Sister

So This is Where All the Junk Goes

       You ever seen those movies where the cowboy dramatically rides off into the sunset on his horse. Well we did that but in fast forward and on a giant pig. And with a lot more awkwardness.

      As we sped through the country, no one spoke a word. Grover kept looking back not-so-discretely but I kept my eyes straight on the horizon. I didn't want to talk to anyone if they all felt the same way Percy did.

      Darkness fell and the boar came to a stop in front of a river, taking a sip of water. After that, he began munching on the prickly plants of the desserts. I wondered if the needles hurt to swallow.

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

       We all hopped off, eager to get our legs functioning again. All of us had a funny waddle in our walk from riding the boar for so long.

       After its third cactus and gulp of water, the boar looked up, burped, and ran away from us as fast as possible.

      "It likes the mountains better," Percy guessed.

     "I can't blame it," Thalia said. "Look."

      The sign behind us read GILA CLAW, ARIZONA and it was barely hanging on to the building that looked most intact. The others consisted of a small taco shop that looked like it had been closed for decades and a house that had been abandoned since before the taco shop. Next to all of that, a dirt road leading to the hills.

      I walked closer to the buildings, not being able to see extremely clear. After this summer's events, I had stopped wearing my glasses on quests and didn't want to bother Sally by asking for contacts.

     As I walked closer, I noticed the hills weren't natural. They were ginormous mounds of old cars and scraps. The junkyard seemed to stretch out for miles.

     "Woah," Percy and I said at the same time.

      I saw Percy look at me from my peripheral vision but I went on ignoring him.

      "Something tells me we're not going to find a car rental here," Thalia reasoned. She faced Grover. "I don't suppose you got another wild boar up your sleeve?"

       Grover reached into his sleeve and I half expected him to pull out another creature we didn't know about.

      Instead, he pulled out a cluster of acorns and threw them in the sand. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play a tune. The acorns rearranged themselves and Grover examined them with concern.

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

       "Which one is me?" Percy asked.

       "The little deformed one," Zoe suggested.

       "Oh, shut up."

        I felt a smile tug on my lips and Zoë lightly shoved my shoulder, causing me to smile fully now. For some reason, she was no longer angry at me.

       "That cluster right there," Grover said, pointing to the left, "that's trouble."

       "A monster?" Thalia asked.

       Grover pondered, sniffing the air. "I don't smell anything, which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge..."

     Grover pointed towards the junkyard. Without sunlight, the shadows made it look like something out of a horror movie. And we were the suckers that were about to walk straight into danger.