Chapter 6; Never Trust A Grocery Store

Listen, I know I'm only thirteen, and that the idea of me hotwiring a car with ADHD sounds very farfetched, but I promise that everything I previously said is one hundred percent true. Well, maybe only ninety-nine percent, but that wasn't important.

It took a while for me to get the hang of driving. There were several "brake checks" on the way to Ohio, giving both of us whiplash to an extent. Aside from some minor damages to the outer part of the truck and the old man screaming every crude word in the English dictionary, I'd say that my little daredevil move was a success.

Now, of course, I had never been taught how to drive properly. I had no parents or relatives to teach me, and Chiron most certainly wouldn't do it. For the fourth time in my short little life, it dawned on me that I was doing this alone. Sadie was there, sure, but she didn't really understand as much as I did. She was only nine years old, having been four when we arrived at Camp Half-Blood. She had less life experience than I did, not that that was saying much but you get the gist.

I drove into the late hours of the night, hoping and praying to every religion I could think of that I wouldn't be pulled over and caught being a thirteen-year-old driving without a license. I didn't want to sleep, even if my body said otherwise. I had to remember the main goal. To see him. Jesse was my reason for doing this. I couldn't take another minute away from him.

If I thought hard enough, I could still picture the last time we had been together. The strong scent of a thunderstorm approaching mixed with the feeling of damp grass being trampled beneath our feet. My legs felt like they had been set aflame. We were tired, we were hungry, and yet, despite this, he was still smiling.

"You gonna make it?" He laughed, extending his hand out to help me along. I was moving slowly, I knew that much. We needed to be moving along at a faster pace if we wanted to avoid any monsters to the best of our abilities. I had only just started being trained in combat three years prior, I was nowhere near as sharp with a sword as I should have been. It had been insisted that I start my training a year earlier than what my mother would have liked.

"I'm okay." I insisted, nodding my head while I climbed up the hill without the help of his hand. Just as I reached the top I felt the ground slip from beneath my feet, causing me to lose my balance and tumble down the muddy hill. As I lifted my head from the dirt, I could hear his snickering. He wasn't even trying to hide it. "Jesse! Come here and help me!" I spat a tuft of dirt out of my mouth, not liking the way it felt on my tongue.

"Why should I do that? You didn't want it just a second ago." I didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling.

"I didn't need it then." I pulled myself up and dusted my hands off, now I just looked like some dirty mud monster thing. Out of everything to happen on this little 'adventure' (not much of one if you ask me), this was definitely in my top five least favorites.

"Well," he started, "if you had accepted my help then, you wouldn't be resembling a golem created from dirt." He turned his attention forward to hide his smile, but I still knew that it was there. I still knew that despite the crummy situation we were in, he would always be there to laugh and to joke. He was like a beacon of light in a dark room.

"I hate you," I stuck out my tongue before starting forwards, we had zero time to waste in this situation. I didn't quite know why, or what our situation was until a day later. When I had to watch my brother fade into the distance, hear his screams be silenced by the wind. As he fought to get to us. I was screaming too. According to some dude in a purple cape, Greeks and Romans did not mix. We couldn't be there, but he belonged there.

I had to get there. I needed to prove them wrong. We could survive there. We would make it. It would be hard at first, sure. But if I knew anything, I knew that the end goal of sweet revenge and 'i told you so's would be a fine reward for this all. Being with Jesse was a plus too.

Honestly, how did people who knew how to drive do it? This was hard! I spent most of my time monologuing inside my head about my past instead of watching the road, which was difficult for a thirteen-year-old barely tall enough to ride the big roller coaster at the theme park. By the time I got the hang of driving the sun was high in the afternoon sky, the harsh beams of light blocking my line of vision just a tad. "Gods, how the hell am I supposed to drive in these conditions?" I complained to myself. "I swear I hate the sun sometimes."

That seemed to grab Sadie's attention finally. She turned around in her seat to look at me, her eyes narrowing in as they met mine. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?" I worked on keeping my attention on the road while I talked. Multitasking was a gift I never received.

"You're thirteen years old, and you curse and yell like an old sailor."

"I beg your pardon?" I huffed. I did not sound like an old sailor.

"I already said what I meant. You curse worse than a sailor." She had the hint of a smile tugging at her lips right then. It was refreshing to see her smiling.

I shook my head defiantly, trying to contain my smile. It must've been contagious. "Absolutely not. Where could you ever get such a silly idea?"

"You mean you haven't heard yourself?" She smirked.

"Mercedes, I will pull over and make you walk to California." I threatened. Of course, I wouldn't do that. I'd probably let her off in Nevada somewhere, maybe Las Vegas. Then she could gamble us some money to use.

We were approaching Ohio now, with only about forty miles left to go until then. We could make it in about half an hour if it weren't for the small issue of gas. We had no money to go to a gas station and fill it up. Our only form of currency was drachmas, and I don't recall mortal's knowing how to use them.

Ten miles up the road is how far we made it. Now I'm no expert, but when a car says it's out of fuel and starts making a funny sound, pulling over seemed like the smart thing to do. I sat in the driver's seat for a while after we stopped, collecting all my thoughts and praying to every god and religion I could think of that there would be so miracle or sign on how to get past this point.

After minutes of brainstorming, an idea came to mind that sounded plausible enough that it might work. We made it down the road another mile or so before reaching a quaint little grocery store, followed by several more buildings around it. We'd reached civilization, at least. Sadie shifted beside me, grabbing ahold of my hand and squeezing it tight for a second. "Something wrong?" I turned my head to look at her, studying the uneasy look on her face as if it were a quiz.

She shook her head. "Nothing." She whispered, letting go of my hand abruptly.

I wasn't convinced in the slightest, but I chose not to push. She would tell me when she was ready to tell me. For now, my main focus was finding a way to California. The grocery store was smaller than I'd originally anticipated. Shelves of fresh produce and various products were scattered throughout the store in neat rows. The tiled floor was this weird greyish white color with lots of specks. I wasn't a fan, but I also wasn't the flooring consultant for this store. Did those even exist for these kinds of places?

A young woman wearing a red apron approached us the moment we set foot inside the store, greeting us with a friendly smile. "Welcome to Mick's Grocery. Can I help you girls find something today?" She eyed our worn-out looks and clothing as she talked, her hands behind her back casually.

"Erm, no thank you. We're just looking around." I replied breezily. It sounded breezy in my head at least. "Where's your nearest gas station?" I asked, hoping it wasn't too odd of a question. The woman couldn't have been older than twenty-three, she had bright green eyes that stood out against her darker skin tone. Her black curly hair was tied into a bun on top of her head, most likely as part of her uniform. I felt compelled to look at her, to just stand there and admire her while ignoring the reason I was even in the store.

"Swift's is the closest one we got here, love. It's just up the road, can't miss it." She brushed some curls from her face, showing off her eyes once more. She really was beautiful, and her accent had me hypnotized. I couldn't quite figure out where it was from, but it certainly sounded foreign."Is that all you needed, sweetheart?"

I blinked my eyes in surprise, feeling as if I had just been woken from a trance. I took a deep breath to bring myself back before I answered her. "Yes thank you." I nodded politely before ushering Sadie into a nearby aisle, now surrounded by various boxes of cereals and breakfast foods. The smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls steadily rolled its way into the store, my stomach growling at once. Reminding me I had not eaten anything since I'd left Camp Half-Blood. Cinnamon rolls sounded good right now.

"Are you hungry?" I wasn't really asking her, considering that either way I wanted to go investigate the irresistible smell. She shrugged her shoulders in response. She didn't seem too interested in an investigation sadly. "Either way you're coming with me." I sighed.

"Why? I'm old enough to look after myself." She pointed out.

"Sadie," I started. "I never said you weren't. However, I refuse to leave you alone in a grocery store in Ohio. I don't care how nice the pretty girl that works here is."

She opened her mouth to argue but quickly shut it against her better judgment. I smiled triumphantly, I won the argument. Before I could say something snarky she cut me off. "You thought she was pretty?"

"Yes. What is that supposed to mean exactly?" I huffed, annoyed that this had become a topic of conversation.

"Nothing, I just never knew that girls could find other girls pretty in that way." She replied.

I stood back a minute while she went searching for the source of the smell. What did she mean 'in that way'? Was it a bad way, or was it good? And what was that comment on me finding her pretty about? Sure she was pretty, very pretty actually, but that wasn't a huge thing. Was it really that strange? I had never considered that it may not be normal to pay so much attention to girls. To focus on the way their lips curved into smiles when someone said something funny, or to spend hours upon hours thinking about how lucky boys were, being able to win over their affection so easily. Why couldn't I do that?

"Peyt! I found it!" I snapped out of my trance, fists clenched and ready to fight. I followed where her voice had come from, finding her standing in front of a small bakery in the back of the store. The smell from earlier was much stronger now, making my stomach growl in anticipation. "Cinnamon rolls." I stared at the little icing glazed pastries hungrily, practically willing them to appear inside my mouth. I wondered where the attendant for the bakery was, and if I could persuade them to let me have a free sample.

I noticed a bell sitting on top of the counter. Did I dare ring it? Yes. A boy not much older than my brother came out from some secret door, holding a hot tray of freshly baked goods. If I died surrounded by this many pastries, I would die a happy girl. "Can I help you, ladies?" When he smiled at us his dirty blonde curls fell in front of his face, though he seemed used to it. He set down the hot tray before moving the hair back to its proper place, turning a fan on to cool the cookies. "Erm, by any chance could we get a sample of the cinnamon roles?" I eyed him wearily while waiting for a response. He didn't look harmful, but you could never be too careful.

The boy nodded his head, humming a tune to himself as he got out two cinnamon rolls. He handed one to each of us and watched as we took our first bites. Why does he want to watch us eat? I thought. Maybe he was just curious to see our reactions, I reasoned. The warm gooey roll was like heaven on earth in my mouth. It had been at least three days since my last meal. This was a treat for staying alive this long.

I finished eating and smiled politely at the overseer, nodding my thanks. "They're amazing. I don't think I remember cinnamon roles tasting this good before. How do you do it?" His smile stretched wider at my words. "Just a family secret. My mom is the one who makes all the baked goods. I just frost them." He chuckled. I noticed his hands were clasped behind his back as he spoke to us; no one hid their hands behind their backs like that unless they were hiding something. I made a mental note to keep an eye on the folks here as we moved on in the store.

"Did anything about that dude seem suspicious to you?" I whispered once we were far enough away. Sadie shrugged her shoulders in response, her attention focused on the floor. "I don't think I like those cinnamon roles," she mumbled. She was clutching her stomach tightly as we walked, one aching step at a time. "What's wrong?" I moved in front of her to examine the problem. She was the child of Apollo, not me. I had no idea what to do in terms of medical expertise. I knew basic things, how to apply bandages, how to clean up cuts. How to deal with a stomach ache probably fell into that category, I just didn't remember the protocol. "I feel sick, and kind of woozy." She explained. Her voice was hardly above a whisper at this point, her face draining of color ever so slowly. Something was seriously wrong here.

"Okay, hang tight. I'm going to see if I can find something to help." I propped her against a support beam before running up and down the aisles, looking for anything that could help my sister. I knew ginger ale was a possibility, but she was allergic to that so it was out of the question. I went down the next aisle, searching the shelves high and low until I ran into something solid. I scrambled up to see the woman from earlier staring down at me. Her friendly smile seemed different here. "Need help finding anything, love?" She tilted her head to get a better look at me. I was sprawled on the floor looking at her in confusion. "N..No thank you." I gulped in fear as I watched her expression change. "Come on now, I don't bite. Was what you were saying about me earlier true? Do you really think I'm pretty?"

I crawled backward away from the woman, whose questions were starting to make me uncomfortable. "You heard that?" I asked. I didn't know whether to be frightened or mortified. She was probably twice my age! Actually, that wasn't even the important part. "Why so scared? Did you not mean it? It's not nice to toy with a lady's emotions, demigod." In the blink of an eye, this attractive woman had become a flame-headed beast. Her legs were what tripped me up the most. There was one donkey leg and one prosthetic celestial bronze. That meant something, I know it did. I needed to think back to my greek lessons with Chiron. What monster had two different legs and took the form of beautiful women? A siren? No, that was something else entirely. It started with a vowel. I didn't have a lot of time to think, at least in private. "You really don't know who I am, do you?" She laughed at that as if I had just told her a good joke. "I know all about you, Lieken. Your parents were so proud of you.

" She smirked.

I felt glued to the floor. How did she know my parents? How did she even know me? "What are you talking about? What do you know about my parents?" I questioned. I had a weapon on me somewhere, didn't I? No. I'd left my sword in the truck. I was defenseless against this vixen of a woman. "Oh, sweet child. How nice it must be to be so naive." She taunted. Every word she spoke made my blood boil. She was just teasing me now. "Just tell me!" I shouted. "How do you know my parents!"

"I was there that day, five years ago. Your daddy fought me in your old house. He was rather handsome too, shame he was married. Even more of one I had to kill him and your mommy." She cackled. I could hardly keep myself standing upright. She killed my parents. They were dead. After five years of hoping and praying, that they were safe and alive, the ugly truth finally reared its head. "You bitch. How could you kill them!" I screamed. I was seeing red. Nobody would ever get away with harming my family. Not while I was still breathing.

"It was quite easy. I guess after so many years of playing happy family they lost their touch." She smirked. "You know, your daddy would have been a great addition to my collection. He was strong, tall. Shame that old bat had to get in the way." She huffed. "Don't talk about my mother like that," I said, "my mother was ten times more beautiful than you could ever hope to be." The woman, or thing, let out a high-pitched scream at my words, coming straight for me with a swipe of her talons. Empousai let out high-pitched screams when insulted. She was an Empousa. That at least let me figure out how to defeat her.

"Finally figured it out did you, love? Took you long enough." She bared her teeth towards me, showing off a pair of pearly white fangs. This chic was really into dental hygiene I guess. "Listen, I don't know what you're wanting with me, especially considering I'm only thirteen. Doesn't that make you a pedophile of some kind?" Another high-pitched scream ensued, reminding me vaguely of a toddler throwing a tantrum. Maybe if I insulted her enough I could cause a good enough diversion to have Sadie get my sword. "How sweet, the little demigod is asking her baby sister for help. I don't think she'll be going anywhere for a while." The Empousa snapped her fingers, and in a heartbeat, the boy from earlier came hauling my sister by the armpits. "Put her down!" I yelled.

The woman tsked, shaking her head in a disapproving manner. "Now now, the more you yell the worse she gets. Sam, if you will." I turned my head just in time to see Sam, the dude from the bakery, take a knife and cut into my little sister's arm. She cried out in pain, the remaining color in her face disappearing. "What do you want? Why are you doing this? She's a kid! She hasn't done anything wrong, punish me if you have to." I stood up straighter to stand my ground, meeting the eyes of both things.

"You really don't know, do you?" She laughed once more. I was getting really tired of hearing her laugh. "I'm not surprised. Poseidon's children were never that bright." I opened my mouth to shout, but the realization came over me like a tidal wave. She said Poseidon's children. That meant I was one of his children. My father was Poseidon, god of the sea. I let that sink in for a second. I hadn't been claimed yet, not officially. What was I supposed to tell Chiron when I returned to camp? 'Hey by the way an empousa told me that my father is Poseidon but he hasn't claimed me yet. Isn't that neat'?

"Would you look at that? She doesn't even know who her daddy is." The number of times this stupid empousa had mocked me within the last hour was ridiculous. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get Sadie out of here most of all. "Just tell me what you want already, we don't have all day. If you're going to kill me then just do it." I stood my ground and stared the red-eyed creature in the face. I wasn't just walking away from this like a coward.

"Feisty child. My mother warned me you would be hard-headed. She has instructed me not to harm you under any circumstances. She did not give word on the young one, however." A malicious smile spread across her face as she motioned to the boy holding my sister. His smile matched hers as he inflicted another cut on Sadie's arm. At this point, she had given up her cries for help. She stood there motionless as if all emotion had been drained from her mind. "Who is your mother? What does she want me for?" I asked.

She eyed me up and down, trying to tell if I was serious or not. When she figured it out her eyes widened, as did her smile. "They never told you anything, did they? They kept your whole identity a secret from you." I was growing more and more frustrated with this conversation. We were getting nowhere. Every question was met with yet another mystery. I wanted to punch the stupid woman in her ugly deformed face. "For the love of Olympus, just answer my questions! You're acting more stupid than you say I am." I threw my arms in the air before running my fingers through my hair. We weren't even fighting and yet I felt like this encounter would be the death of me.

She stepped back at my insult, screeching like a banshee. How dramatic were these things? "Be patient, demigod, and I will tell. My mother is Hecate, goddess of magic and witchcraft. She has sent me with very clear instructions. You are to be left alive-" "-Yes I knew this already. Get to the point." I snapped impatiently. She made a face at my interruption but continued speaking anyway. "You are to find out the truth soon, on July the 27th. All will be revealed to you then, your fate will depend on only yourself. Do not be naive, Peyton Lieken. Do not heed the warnings they give you. You must choose your own path." She winked at me before becoming engulfed in flames all of a sudden. When the fire died down, I was alone with Sadie.

I knelt down next to her, wrapping her arm around my shoulders as I walked the aisles to find bandages. "Are you okay?" I whispered. She nodded mutely. I didn't blame her for not wanting to talk in all honesty. It was a lot to take in. Once I had the bandages I wasted no time in getting the hell out of that grocery store. I never wanted to set foot inside one again. I propped her up against the wall for a second while I worked on cleaning her cuts. I poured the hydrogen peroxide on them, causing her to wince in pain.

"I know. I'm sorry." I whispered.

She took a deep breath and put all her attention on looking ahead. There was a delivery truck pulling in next to us. I didn't pay too much attention to it, seeing as we had a method of transportation already. I worked on wrapping her arm in bandages, being as gentle as I could with her wounds. When I finished I noticed her eyes were still on the truck. "What is it with you and a simple delivery truck?" I asked, following her gaze and trying to put myself in her mindset.

"How do you not see it?" She whispered, startling me out of my thoughts. I hadn't expected to hear her speak this quickly.

"See what?" I huffed.

"Look." She sighed, pointing to the side of the truck where there was a logo and words plastered onto it. Emerson & Son's Farms. San Francisco, California.

"Oh. Oh!" I covered my mouth and shock as the idea came to mind. We would ride the delivery truck to California and then once we were there we would find where we needed to go. It was perfect! "Come with me, we're going to ride this thing to California and find Jesse." I eagerly whispered, pulling her along by her good arm.

"Oh wow why didn't I think of that?" She mumbled, reluctantly following my lead. I don't think she trusted my judgment right now after I lead us into Hell's Grocery Store.

"Hush." I scolded. I waited until the last few boxes were unloaded before running aboard, crouching behind some stray crates until they closed the back and we were locked in for the ride. "It's rather spacious in here." I tried to joke.

"What do you suppose we just move in here?" She huffed. She must've just been on edge from earlier. She'd be okay by the time we got to California.

"I mean it's better than rooming with the Stoll brothers." I smiled. I laid back against one of the crates and read the warning label on another. FRAGILE CONTENTS: MUST BE HANDLED WITH CARE. I wonder what was so fragile that they had to put a warning like that onto the side of it.

"Do you know how long it will take to get there?" Sadie asked.

"Well, let's see. Today is the 23rd-"

"It's the 24th."

I opened my eyes at her correction. There was no way it was already the 24th. That meant we only had three days to make it to Jesse in time. "Are you sure?" I questioned.

"Positive. Saw it all over the place back there." She confirmed.

It didn't make sense to me, but I suppose I hadn't been paying very close attention to the date since we left Camp Half-Blood.

"Right. Well then, since we're in the middle of nowhere in Ohio, I say we'll be there by the 26th."

Sadie nodded in agreement, and that was the end of our conversation. I settled back into a comfortable position, pulling my blue drawstring bag off my back and digging through it. I pulled out a worn black sweatshirt with the strings pulled out, running my hand over the material before pulling it close to my chest.

I slipped it on over my head, embracing the warmth and comfort it gave me. I hadn't touched it for a few years, afraid that his scent would rub off if I handled it too much. Now I wasn't all that worried about it. I would be seeing him soon, I could take more of his sweatshirts or shirts if I wanted to.

As my eyes began to close, I felt as if I could hear his voice in my head. It was nothing but an incoherent whisper, but it sounded like him. It felt like him. Slowly I fell asleep, and slowly his voice grew louder and clearer. He was saying my name. He sounded concerned or freaked out. Who could tell at this point? Before I could call out, I opened up my eyes. But I wasn't in a delivery truck.