A/N Hey, loyal readers, sorry for the lack of updates. I got into a car accident a month ago, decided I was worth nothing, and shunned myself from society. I also moved and have a new roommate. I have now officially have had 5 different roommates over the course of this book, so uh do with that what you will
Ally POV
The next day, the crew decided to dock at Vergina Beach, much to the Confederate soldiers' approval because they liked Virginia. The quad stood in the parking lot of a Food City, ready to get groceries to stock up the boat while the Confederate soldiers kept watch on the ship.
"What is this Food City?" Braeden asked.
"It quite literally is." Ally replied while Clarisse rolled her eyes.
(a/n Sorry guys, I've been making that joke once a week ever since I came to the South)
"Let's split up," Braeden suggested, shielding his eyes from the midday sun. "We'll cover more ground."
Clarisse smirked. "Fine by me. I'm taking the meat section. Don't take too long."
Allie shrugged. "I'll handle the drinks."
Ally wasn't sure that that was a good idea, but she went with it anyway. "I'll take care of the essentials: bread, cereal, and stuff like that. Braeden, you can grab the first-aid supplies."
As they dispersed, the grocery store seemed surprisingly quiet. Too quiet. Braeden felt a twinge of unease but pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand.
Inside, the store's fluorescent lights buzzed ominously. Clarisse was the first to notice something was off. As she reached for a pack of steaks, the meat section's freezer doors burst open, and skeletal hands reached out, pulling themselves from the frosty depths.
"Undead," she muttered, drawing her spear. "I hate undead."
Meanwhile, Allie was in the beverage aisle, absent-mindedly humming to herself what might have been Judas by Lady GaGa as she picked out a selection of juice. The bottles began to rattle on the shelves, and she spun around just in time to see the skeletons attack Clarisse.
"Seriously?" she huffed. We can't even grocery shop in peace." She grumbled as she drew her dagger and headed towards the commotion.
Ally noticed a loud crash in the cereal aisle. "This isn't normal," she said as she walked across the store to investigate. Finding the undead, she unfortunately realized their smartest decision was to fight the skeletons head-on.
Braeden was in the first-aid aisle when he heard the first clash of weapons. He bolted toward the noise, his bow in hand. As he turned the corner, he saw Clarisse battling a horde of skeletal warriors, their empty eye sockets glowing with an eerie blue light.
"Need a hand?" Braeden called, nocking an arrow.
"About time," Clarisse grunted, cleaving a skeleton in half with a powerful swing. "These guys don't know when to quit."
Braeden loosed an arrow, the tip glowing with a golden light. It struck a skeleton, disintegrating it instantly. "Watch your back!"
Allie burst into the aisle, sneaking behind a skeleton and slicing its head off its shoulders with her dagger. "Got this one!"
"More coming from the front!" Ally shouted, running to join them, her dagger ready. "We need to regroup!"
The four demigods formed a tight back-to-back circle as the skeletal warriors closed in. Braeden's arrows flew, each one finding its mark with deadly precision. Clarisse swung her spear with brutal efficiency, smashing through bones with each strike. Ally directed their movements.
"What is this? skeleton city?" Braeden joked as they fought.
They fought against the skeletons. They were all really good, really talented campers, so it was low-key, really easy for them to defeat them or whatever.
Within minutes, the grocery store was eerily quiet once more. The skeletons lay in heaps, defeated, and the demigods stood victorious.
"Next time," Allie said, catching her breath, "we should just doordash."
Braeden laughed, slinging his bow over his shoulder. "Agreed. Let's get our supplies and get out of here."
They quickly gathered what they needed and headed back to the ship, ready to continue their quest.
They agreed to stay the night in Virginia Beach and sail out in the morning.
The demigods snacked on the various snacks they bought.
The sun lit up the deck in a warm glow. Braeden strummed the song 500 miles on his guitar.
Ally looked out at the sea, somewhat lost in thought. She really didn't like Clarisse, but this summer, they had actually been working well together, and she wasn't that bad to hang out with on the quest. Where her and Clarisse finally going to work it out on the remix? she thought
"Hey," a voice called out, breaking her from her thoughts. She spun around to see Clarisse. "Allie got out the cookies if you want any." Clarisse said gruffly and annoyingly.
"Thanks," Ally said, and the pair rejoined the group.
The soldiers charted the next day's path, which took them through the river, while the demigods enjoyed their food and rested.
The next day, they would be back on their quest, but for now, they could be four teenagers pretending to listen to one of them play the guitar.
(a/n sorry for the short chapter ChatGPT gave me nothing)
