The firework blasted into the air from the Demeter Cabin.

Whoooossshhhhh

And burst in the sky, leaving swirling trails of blue light in its wake.

Baaaaboooooom

But when the firework set out, it caught all the plants on the roof on fire.

Yes. The DEMETER cabin's plants.

Much to a feisty twelve year old's fury.

"TRAVIS! YOU IDIOT! WHAT YOU DID WAS NOT FUNNY!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!"

"I soooooo believe that."

"Really?"

"I WAS BEING SARCASTIC, DUMMY!"

"Geez...what can I do to make up for it, Katie-Kat?"

"Put out the fire, and replant EVERY SINGLE PLANT! NOW!"

Travis weakly scratched his head. "Now?"

"YES, NOW! I'M GOING TO BED!"

Katie stormed inside. But she didn't go to sleep. Curiously, she let one eye peek through the window, where Travis was working and replanting.

Her eyes widened.

He's so diligent. Even if he makes a mistake, he does his BEST to fix it.

Flower-like feelings of love started to poke their heads through the warm soil of Katie's heart.

Meanwhile, outside, Travis caught a green eye peeking at him through the window. He worked even harder subconsciously, although his brain really didn't know why. His heart did, though.

It was one or two weeks after that that the Spring Challenge took place. Random teams of six would do their best to complete the challenges in front of them, either physical, mental, or both.

Team number five was:

Team captain: Charles Beckendorf

Team vice-captain: Silena Beauregard

Team members: Travis Stoll, Will Solace, Lacey, Katie Gardner.

All of Team number five were wearing obnoxious yellow and purple shirts that had a green five painted on them. Lacy and Silena were begging the other teams to trade their less color-crime shirts for theirs, in vain. Beckendorf was assessing the different teams and making a plan with Silena (after she had run out of people to trade with), and Travis and Katie were doing what they do best. You got it. Arguing.

"Which one seems like the most dangerous team?" Travis nudged Katie, sending a miniscule shock up his hand.

"Clarisse's team, of course!" Katie was panicking. "What if they MURDER US?"

"Katie, killing your opponent is against the rules." Travis sweat-dropped.

"But...what if she MAIMS us?"

"She won't!"

"BUT SHE'S SO FREAKIN' SCARY!"

"Is this because she killed all your daisies by accident?"

"WELL, YEAH! I CONFRONTED HER ABOUT IT AND SHE THREATENED TO IMPALE ME!"

He put his arm around the blubbering girl, earning a look of absolute trust as she quietened down.

The first challenge was a riddle.

We hurt without moving.
We poison without touching.
We bear the truth and the lies.
We are not to be judged by our size.

"Hmmmm..." Katie's brow furrowed. "CLARISSE!"

Beckendorf immediately dismissed the idea. "Clarisse isn't a WE. And if she wants to hurt someone, she has to move."

"Hmmm...what about a book?"
"What makes you think that, Travis?" Silena asked, interested.

"Like the burn book from Mean Girls!" Travis immediately replied.

(AN: I love mean girls!)

"Wait..." Beckendorf scratched his head. "A book is not a WE."

"WAIT!" Katie shouted, eyes shining, "WHAT'S IN A BOOK?"

"Words!" Silena replied.

"It fits the riddle!" Beckendorf shouted. "Words hurt without moving, they poison without touching, they bear the truth and the lies, and they are not to be judged by their size. It all fits!"

They called Chiron over and told him the answer. He swung the gate to the next obstacle open and they ran in, energy exciting them.

This was a rock climbing wall. But there weren't any hand-holds. It was just a smooth wall. The sign next to it read, "use your powers as demigods to scale the wall."

"Hey, Travis, you can run fast, right?"

"Yeah, why? This is a CLIMBING wall, doofus!"

"Well...can you run up the wall?"

"I can try," he replied to Katie.

He moved back, and then ran toward the wall as fast as he could. His legs carried him right up and onto the top.

"HOW ARE THE REST OF US SUPPOSED TO GET UP?" Silena yelled up to Travis, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"I have an idea!" Lacy's small voice piped up. "Katie, you can control plants or whatever, right?"
"Yeah," Katie replied. "I can make a vine!"

A large, snakelike vine extended from the tree and into Beckendorf's hand.

"Just hold on! Like, sit on it like you're climbing a rope in gym."

He obeyed. The vine started shortening, thus lifting Beckendorf high in the air, right above the top of the wall where Travis was waiting. The vine then carried up the rest of them.

After Lacy, the last one, was safely on the top, they saw a slide continuing down to the other side.

The last obstacle was...a swimming pool.

"Well...this should be easy."

A giant serpent came surging out of the pool, jaws snapping over and over.

Suddenly, Mr. D appeared with a 'you won a prize' sign blinking above his head.

"Since you were the first ones to finish," he blared in an obviously bored voice, "you get a secret weapon." He handed Beckendorf a trumpet and disappeared.

"What am I even supposed to do with this?" He blew the trumpet. Nothing happened. He blew it again. Nothing happened.

"It's a decoy," he grumbled.

"Wait," Silena insisted. "I know what to do." She whispered something to Beckendorf. He put the trumpet to his lips, but instead of playing it, threw it with all his might into the mouth of the serpent. It started to gag and choke, and the team took the opportunity to quickly swim across.

Deep under the water was the trophy. The sounds of the other teams rushing past the obstacles were muted for a minute as Travis dove under the water and grabbed the cup. As he surfaced, the serpent managed to swallow the trumpet and bit the seat of Travis's pants, and lifted him up.

"HELP! BIGGEST WEDGIE EVER!" He shouted. The serpent was preparing to bite the Trav out of Travis as a tree lodged itself into the eye of a serpent, followed by razor-sharp thorns, courtesy of Katie. The monster poofed, and Travis fell back into the pool, albeit with the cup on his hands.

TBC