Chapter 5: Annabeth and I Race in the Supermarket

I knew it! There really was something fishy going on here, and Annabeth was pulling me way too hard. I needed to find out what their conversation had been all about. I was really curious, after all.

"So," I started, doing my best to stay nonchalant, "what did Mom tell you?"

"If you're worrying about what she thought of last night, I've already explained the situation to her perfectly," she answered without looking back at me.

"Was that all?"

"Yes, Percy."

Okay. And they had talked for, like, more than ten minutes. Annabeth was definitely hiding something from me. Surely, that hadn't been the only topic they'd talked about. My curiosity was killing me.

"But—"

She glared at me. "Don't ask any more questions, Seaweed Brain."

I rolled my eyes in response, but from the look on her face before she turned away, she was kind of excited. What was so exciting about shopping, anyway? It was for girls and not included on my to-do list.

We were at the front of the department store, but Annabeth just kept walking.

"Um, Annabeth," I pointed at the department store's entrance, "the department store's that way."

She ignored me and continued dragging me along to where she was going.

Nice talking to you, Wise Girl,I thought sarcastically.

000

When we arrived at the...Wait, why were we here?

"Annabeth?"

"Yes, Percy?"

"What are we doing here?"

"We're going to shop, silly," she replied with an eye roll.

I gaped at her. I thought we were going shopping.

Annabeth laughed. "Grocery shopping, Percy. What? Clothes are not the only things to buy. That's why we're here at the mall's supermarket. We'll buy ingredients for our dinner later."

I closed my mouth. "Then why didn't you tell me? Did Mom plan this?"

She put a strand of hair behind her ear. "Um, yeah. She asked if I could cook, and, of course, I replied yes. Your mom requested that I should cook dinner for you, because she told me that you cooked once, but the result was—"

"A disaster," I broke in. "Ugh. Mom should notshare that stuff with you. It's so embarrassing."

"But it was entertaining, especially that story she shared with me when you were still a baby—"

I covered my ears using my hands like a spoiled child. "Blah, blah, blah!"

Mom had told many stories of me when I was still a baby to Annabeth, mostly the embarrassing ones. Trust me, you don't want to hear about them.

She rolled her eyes with a smile plastered on her face. "You look stupid, Seaweed Brain-acting like a child."

I stuck my tongue out and removed my hands from my ears. I really should ask Annabeth's dad someday if she had some embarrassing moments when she was still a baby, just for payback.

"How many money did you bring?" she suddenly asked.

I counted the money inside my wallet and told her.

Annabeth thought about it. "Hmmm, it's just enough for a...Percy, please get a basket," she ordered as we entered the entrance of the supermarket.

I got a basket from the basket area, and then returned to her. She was really taking this seriously. Her face looked like she was concentrating on one of her blueprints, which was so gorgeous.

"I got it!" she exclaimed. "First, let's go to the chicken section."

I just shrugged. I'd never gone with Mom to a supermarket, even when I was young, because, you know, I'm a demigod.

She put a kilo of boneless chicken breast into the basket when we reached the chicken section, wrapped in cellophane. Oh, and I was the one who was holding the basket, mind.

"What're you planning to cook, Wise Girl?" I asked her, curious.

She smirked. "Figure it out, Seaweed Brain."

I pouted. "Do I really have to?"

"If you really want to know, yes. The chicken is your first clue," she replied casually.

A groan came out from my mouth. She was teasing me! And I hated it whenever she did that. "But there are, like, a gajillion chicken recipes!"

Annabeth shrugged. "Then say all the chicken recipes you know. Let's go to the pasta section for your next clue."

That was how it was going to be, huh? "What will be my reward if I answered your mini game correctly?" I whispered quietly in her ear, feeling her skin tingle.

"Something you will definitely like," she whispered back.

I grinned. "Race you to the pasta section?"

"You really do have a seaweed brain." Then she pushed me and started running toward the rendezvous point.

Did I mention that I was the one holding the basket? Good thing I caught my balance. "Not fair, Wise Girl!" I shouted at her and started running after her.

She looked back at me with an innocent smile. "Nuh-uh."

Many shoppers were giving us weird faces, like we'd just gotten out from an asylum. I didn't care, though. I heard an old woman say, "Look, Bob—we're like that when we were still young. Such a cute couple."

After a moment of running around, Annabeth reached the pasta section first. "Well, I won. How was that, Seaweed Brain?" she asked when I was standing next to her with a beaming look.

"You cheated!" I retorted while gasping for air.

"You didn't give any rules, so you can't call it cheating," she shot back.

"Whatever, Wise Girl."

We looked at each other, then laughed out loud, not caring about the other shoppers and crew members of the supermarket.

"Gods, that was so humiliating!" Annabeth exclaimed, still giggling. I'd always be in awe of her whenever she giggled in front of me, because she rarely did that.

I grinned at her. "Not for me. I had fun."

"Of course you wouldn't be humiliated. You have a thick face!"

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth tapped a finger on my nose.

I smiled at her. I was glad that she was having fun. I kissed her forehead. "What's the next clue, Wise Girl?"

She got a pack of multi-colored pasta from a rack. "This." And then put it in the basket.

My eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know any recipes with pasta and chicken, except if you're not going to combine them."

"Then you'll not receive your reward," she said while walking toward the canned goods section.

I followed her dejectedly. "Oh."

"Except..."

"Except what?" I asked excitedly.

Annabeth got a can cream of chicken soup, putting it into the basket. "If you help me cook."

"B-but you know I can't—"

She crossed her arms. "I'll teach you the basics, Percy. You're over acting again."

"Is that so?" I smirked, put the basket on the floor, and then tickled her in the ribs.

Annabeth started laughing like crazy. "P-Percy—enough! We're—in—a public—place!"

I stopped immediately. Annabeth breathed in and out, and then she glared at me. "What in Hades was that for?" she demanded.

"Nothing," I said gleefully.

"You're head is full of kelp," she retorted.

"Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh."

"Nuh-uh."

"Whatever, Seaweed Brain. Let's get some spices."

000

"Not fair, Percy! You bumped into my car five times already!" Annabeth complained.

After we'd done grocery shopping, I told her that we'd go to the mall's Fun Zone to kill time, since it was still early and we were still full because of the pancakes. We'd left our belongings at the baggage counter and decided we'd first try the bumper cars first. I'd even paid for her ticket, because she'd won the "race" a while ago.

"Is it my fault that I'm already good at bumper cars?" I teased.

Annabeth went straight to me, but I quickly gave a sharp turn, resulting in her to miss. She was riding a red bumper car, while mine was a blue one. The bumper car arena was wide, and there were even disco lights all over the place. "TiK ToK" by Ke$ha was playing somewhere in the background.

"Argh! What the heck is wrong with this thing?" Annabeth complained. "The red wire should be connected to the—"

A guy riding an orange car bumped into hers, then said, "Sorry, miss. Wrong target."

I laughed. "Where are your wits now, Wise Girl?"

She gave me her death glare, going straight toward me again, which I easily dodged, so she bumped into another car. Again. "Ugh! I think this car is broken!"

I turned and went toward her, but Annabeth quickly did a reverse, so I bumped into two cars instead.

I was trapped.

"Gotcha!"

Bump.

Annabeth bumped into my car from the back. "Finally!" she whooped, like she just finished a blueprint of hers.

I gave her a mock clap. "Congratulations, Annabeth!"

And with that, our time inside the bumper car arena was up. The passengers removed their seatbelt.

"That was it? Just when I was getting the hang of it, and I only bumped into your car once," she complained with a frown.

"At least you now knew how to ride a bumper car properly," I encouraged.

"I should think of a better strategy next time," she mumbled.

Typical Annabeth.

The Fun Zone was like a carnival itself. There were many rides, booths, and arcade games here. The place reminded me of the Lotus Casino.

"Where's our next destination?" I asked her.

"How about that one?" She pointed at a haunted mansion booth.

It looked like a real haunted mansion—with all the peeling paint, spooky decorations, and dusty windows. I even heard screams and thunder cracking coming from that place for dramatic sound effects.

"Er, are you sure, Annabeth?"

"Why, Percy, are you scared?" she teased.

"Scared? Of course not. Why would I be?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I just want to see what's inside a so-called haunted mansion. 'Sides, what could be scarier than monsters?" She paused. "Oh, er, don't include the gods."

I gulped nervously. "Y-yeah. You're right."

The truth was, I had no idea what was inside of a haunted mansion, except for ghosts (which weren't real), cobwebs, and that kind of stuff. I was sure that there were still more. I was just curious as Annabeth was.

After we'd paid for the admittance fee, I saw a signboard on the left side of the entrance that said:

Welcome to the Haunted Mansion.

Beware of ghosts and spiders.

Enter at your own risk.

And then we entered the mansion.

Spiders.

Oops. Too late.

My face was trying hard not to grin.

This would totally be a fun experience.