I collapsed next to a tree in the forest. The pain… Oh, my body ached even when I wasn't moving… Stupid Kyle! Why the Hades did he have do this to me? One minute, things were great. We were hanging out by the amphitheater, talking to each other. See, Kyle, a son of Deimos, and I, Katie, daughter of Demeter, had been dating for the past month. We were chatting about archery when he first started… He got his brother to hold me while he punched me, kicked me. Kyle abused me. He left me there, bloody and bruised. What the Hades did I do to piss off Aphrodite?

She had landed me here in this gods forsaken forest, deep enough that we weren't supposed to come here alone. I moaned when I shifted my position by the slightest bit; it still hurt. Suddenly, after hearing the bushes shaking as they warned me of something approaching, I yanked on my sweatshirt, trying to cover my arms. I whipped out my knife just in case it was a monster though, when all of a sudden, none other than Travis Stoll burst out into the clearing. "Katie, what are you doing here? You've been missing since breakfast! It's been four hours. Anyways, these parts of the woods are dangerous." He frowned suddenly. "Katie, why do you have a gash across your forehead?"

I quickly thought up some lie, something to avoid the cold, brutal truth. "Uh, sword fighting."

Narrowing his eyes, Travis crept closer. "Katie, if that was from sword fighting, it would have been treated. Or gone by now, thanks to ambrosia and nectar. What's the real reason?"

"Uh, that was the real reason—" Travis cut me off when he lunged forward, yanking up my sleeve. His bright blue eyes widened as he beheld my purple, black, and in some spots, red, flesh.

"Katie. Who did this?" Travis picked me up bridal-style and began making his way out of the forest.

"What do you mean who did this?" I laughed nervously.

"No games Katie. Who the Hades would do this to you?"

My face fell. I was too tired and beat up to pretend any longer. "Kyle… Kyle did." Once I admitted this, I started crying into Travis. I was supposed to hate him, but I just felt so… so vulnerable right now.

"Kit Kat, stop crying, it's okay." Travis murmured comfortingly to me. We hadn't gotten out of the woods yet; how far in did I even go? "Katie, that jerk doesn't deserve you."

Cliché as it sounded, I whispered, "I know Travis. I know because you do." Leaning up, I kissed him softly on the cheek, before promptly passing out.

Travis's POV

… Did Katie Gardner just kiss me? Whoa, why did she faint? Crap, the Apollo kids are going to have fun with this one. I had finally gotten out of the forest and called out that I had found her. "HEY! DUDES! I FOUND KATIE! But, I kinda sorta need an Apollo medic… Like, now!" Brenda Quail, a close friend of Katie's and conveniently an amazing Apollo medic, rushed over and began tugging Travis frantically towards the infirmary. "Brenda, chill. It's not that bad, it's just not that… good."

"So? Every second counts! Chop chop! What's wrong with her anyways?"

"Well, Kyle, her presumably ex boyfriend from the Deimos cabin, abused her… Roll up one of her sleeves." I told her grimly. She did so, and gasped, narrowing her dark blue eyes.

"Travis, while I tend Katie, give that boy Hades." She growled menacingly.

"Um, why me?"

"Because, you idiot, 1) You found her and probably saved her! 2) You can't heal and I can.3) You're in love with her and she's in love with you!"

"WHOA. Hold up, how in the sacred name of Hermes did this get to number 3 there?"

Brenda shook her head slightly, "Ah, denial. First step!" We had finally gotten to the infirmary, and I had gently placed Katie down on one of the snow white cots. "Now, Travis, go and deal with Kyle!"

"How?"

"Prank his cabin. Oh, prank it good dude!" Brenda sang out to him as she rushed around in a strangely organized, yet still crazy rush, collecting her supplies.

"Oh, I can do that."

"And whipping his sorry butt at sword fighting wouldn't hurt either!"

Despite myself, my face twisted up into a smile at this. "I'm off to find Connor."

"You do that." She was in Healer mode now, her eyes glazed and unfocused. Shaking my head, I walked out, right into Connor and Percy.

I immediately said, "Look. Nutshell- Katie was abused by Kyle. We prank Deimos. Now."

Connor grinned mischievously. "Standing up for Gardner? Hm… So strange…" I whacked him in the back of the head as we snuck over to the Deimos cabin. For some reason, Percy was there also. Connor and I glanced at each other before saying simultaneously, "Snow globe it."

Percy raised his eyebrow, so I explained more fully. "We need you to control the water to stay in there, up to the ceiling, and we put in little ah… "snow" things." I made air quotes around the snow part, indicating that the Deimos cabin would be in a really sour mood later. "Things like lizards, snakes, perhaps those stale gummy bears… Yes, those would do nicely." I stopped my younger sister, Malory, who was passing by. "Yo Mal, gummy bears ASAP. Free Coke tonight if you do." She nodded and dashed off, returning a minute later lugging a huge bag of gummy bears behind her.

"Great, how about you scatter those across the floor so we can get to work?" Percy told us through gritted teeth. The Deimos cabin would be back soon, and he really didn't want to get caught pulling a prank of them.

I replied, "Yeah, yeah. We know." I ripped the bag open, and after Connor picked the lock on the door, I scattered them across the floor. I left quickly, shutting the door. Now, Perce. And let's scram!" Percy released the water that he had been holding and ran after us back to the infirmary. Katie was still unconscious, but Brenda was standing over her with a triumphant smile on her face.

She ordered, "Connor, Percy, you can go now. Travis, you stay here."

"Yes?"

She sighed before saying, "Look, Travis, how did you know where to find Katie in the first place?"

Hm… That's a really good question… "Well, I'm not exactly sure how… I just had this voice telling me to go there."

Just then, a perky redheaded daughter of Aphrodite strolled in. "Wazzup Brenda, Travis?"

Brenda grinned, "Hey, Jolene, wanna help Travis realize his soul mate?"

Jolene halted dead in her tracks, excitement burning in her eyes. She squealed, and trust me, she's not one to usually squeal, "Really? You sure?" At a nod from Brenda, Jolene whirled to face me. "Travis, guess what? You're soul mate's Katie Gardner!" She sung it joyfully.

Right then, Katie woke up. I was staring at Jolene in disbelief while she was doing some weird dance thing. "Um, Travis, why is Jolene—"

"I really don't know."

Jolene rolled her eyes at us, "Katie, Travis, you two can hear when the other's in trouble and needs someone. Congratz, you two are SOUL MATES!"

Katie snorted in disbelief. "Jolene, what can I do to make you shut up?"

Brenda answered quickly for her, "Eh, she'll go away to give you two 'privacy' if you start kissing you know."

Katie and I shrugged our shoulders and said, "Eh, what the heck." And leaned to each other at the same time. Jolene danced her way out, and Brenda walked away in a more dignified manner. See, I'm pretty sure we weren't planning on making out or anything… Heh, since when did anything ever go according to plan for a demigod anyways?

Katie's POV

When we pulled away from each other because of that pesky human need for oxygen I breathed out, yet again at the same time as him, "I love you."

I couldn't have been happier that Kyle had abused me. If he hadn't I wouldn't have had Travis Stoll kissing me right now.

Um, yeah, psylocke13 here… As mentioned in other stories, I suck at romance. Here's my portrayal of this one though… Also, it's 3:30 AM here, and I have to get up to wash cars at 7:00, so this is going to be interesting. Please review though!