''Conner, Travis, you're stepping on the strawberries. We're going to need them for breakfast!'' Katie shouted.
The boys were playing badminton for a change and accidentally they shifted to step on the strawberry shrubs. But they didn't seem to be bothered about that, their game was far more interesting. The one who lost would not take part in the forth coming game of truth and dare and instead clean the Hermes cabin for the inspection the next day.
As Katie shouted, Travis' attention got diverted to see who was shouting at them so early in the morning. And as he looked behind, he missed the cork and lost by a single point.
''What is your problem, Gardner? '' Travis shouted. ''Can't you just mind your own business. You made me lose my freaking game.''
''Well, I was minding my own business, Stoll. Unless you hadn't step on the strawberries, I have no interest in interrupting you and you stupid clone. Now step off it, you're crushing them.'' She cried.
''Damn you, Gardner. Now because of you I will have to clean the stupid cabin, and miss out on the game.'' He fumed.
''Good, you need to clean the dirty cabin of yours and plus there's nothing interesting in that stupid game of Truth and Dare.'' Katie replied calmly.
''Just because you don't like, or rather you're scared of playing doesn't make the game stupid, nor does it make it any less interesting. And for the matter of my cabin,-''
''Katie...Katie.'' Someone shouted. Daphne, Katie's best friend came shouting for her.
''Oh yeah, there comes Daphne, the dumb, go play with those geeky friends of yours.'' Travis snickered.
However Katie only glared at Travis and waved to Daphne. Daphne wasn't all that great looking, but she was really smart. She looked average so they teased her. But Daphne didn't mind them at all; in fact she personally thought the Stoll twins were pretty good-looking, though she never told them.
''Ooooh, little miss daisy is angry. Oh my god Travis, I'm so scared.'' Conner laughed. Both he and Travis made fun of them.
''Why don't you go and clean your filthy little cabin before I-'' Katie started as she stepped forward.
''Before what, huh?'' Travis challenged. He too stepped forward.
''I won't say much, Stoll. Go away. Now.'' She stepped a foot more, glaring at him.
''Make me.'' Travis smirked. They both stood touching nose to nose, smirking and glaring at each other.
'' That's enough; please go back to your respective workings, right now.'' Chiron ordered as he came to stop the building fight. ''And Conner and Travis, do not step your foot on the plantings. Don't damage them, or you are going to be the only ones to not be able to have them for breakfast.'' He added sternly.
It was night time. Around midnight, people from different cabins came together to play Truth-Dare near the empty ground created for sword-fighting practice.
''Are you sure you still don't want to come, Katie. You never come. Just try it once, it'll be fun, I sear!'' Annabeth told her.
''No, I'm sure. I don't wish to play this game and anyways I have to check on the kitchen today. Today is Friday and it's my duty. There are rats entering the kitchen at night. They spoil the entire place. Chiron has appointed our cabin to take care of it.'' Katie explained.
''ok, sure. All of us are going. Your cabin is empty apart from the first and second years. Remaining all of us are in the ground. We'll return by early morning.'' And saying that Seline and everybody else left.
Katie left for the kitchen. She went in there, switched on a dim light and sat on the kitchen platform, by the window reading a book and a racket in the other hand to chase out the rats. The kitchen was not exactly like a typical kitchen. Since the last battle, there were quite a few changes made in the camp. The Big house was painted yellow. The kitchen was constructed in a very small way. It was no bigger than a regular bathroom, or a room of supplies. It just contained a stove and counters to store the needed things required. So it wasn't much big.
Meanwhile, Travis grumpily cleaned the Hermes cabin. He cursed Katie, because it was her fault that he was stuck with these stupid first and second years snoring, while he cleaned the mess. All his friends, including his own twin, went to play leaving him here alone.
He had just started and he was nowhere near finish. Although the kids were comparatively less than before, the cabin was still big as ever. And it didn't help that the duty to inspect everyone's cabin had been given to the ever-religious-about-work Katie. Soon, he began to clean as fast as he could, dumping things under the bed. Throwing clothes in the basket, not bothering to see if they were clean or dirty.
Meanwhile, on the ground, people were having the time of their lives. The older kids met every Friday to play these games. It had been an allowance from Chiron and Mr. D after they worked very hard for their camp and the after-war period to cheer them up. Everyone had gathered in a circle.
''I'll ask Percy, truth or dare?'' Juniper started.
''hmmm... Truth!'' Percy answered.
''ok, I dare you to tell us the dream that you told Grover about and he was teasing you'' she quipped.
''What? Oh well.'' He blushed. ''Um... I had a dream about... uh... this girl. She had come to my cabin in the night time.'' He started, blushing furiously. ''She... well had her nightgown on and she came and... She...I CAN"T SAY IT!'' he shouted.
Everybody laughed at him. ''C'mon man, you have to tell us...'' someone shouted.
''Yeah, Perce. C'mon, tell us now.'' Nico told him.
''Ok, fine. So she, this girl came in and sat on my bed and pulled me to sit beside her. So we sat and she was just wearing her nightgown-thingy. And she was beautiful. The prettiest thing I've ever seen. So we came close and closer. And she finally kissed me, her lips on mine.'' He described with a finger on his lip as if feeling it.
''And when we finally broke apart, in the dream, I mean. I looked at her and smiled and she turned to me and...PERCY JACKSON, YOU FORGOT TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH TONIGHT. YOU"RE BREATH STINKS! She shouted.'' he completed with an embarrassed smile.
Everybody laughed at him.
''So... who was the girl Percy?'' Annabeth asked, nervously interrupting their cracks.
''Um... well'' Percy began. Everybody suddenly stopped to hear him. ''It's um... you, Annabeth!'' Percy whispered, blushing to the tips of his roots.
They all cracked up, hollering on the ground, even Annabeth laughed this time.
''Ok, fine now my turn.'' He said. ''I'll ask Chris. Truth or Dare?''
''Dare, duh!'' Chris exclaimed.
''I dare you to... remove your pants and make-out with Clarisse.'' Everybody got confused at what Percy was saying, but they patiently waited.
Chris kissed Clarisse; they started making-out, their bodies moulded into one another as they kissed passionately. And when they broke apart from the lack of oxygen, everyone gasped. Chris's boxers had the biggest tent one could imagine. Clarisse and Chris both turned tomato red from the embarrassment, as everybody started cracking up.
''Nice one Percy!'' Conner congratulated him. After a lot of teases, they moved on to the next target.
''I choose Conner.'' Annabeth announced. ''So, Truth or Dare?''
''Do you need to ask, babe?'' Conner cocked up his eyebrows expectantly.
''Ok...'' Annabeth turned to think. She grinned devilishly, when she thought her plan and asked Conner, ''Where's Travis?''
''Cleaning the cabin. Why?''
''ok, here's what you have to do!'' she explained.
Around 2 in the night, Travis finished cleaning. He felt tired but at the same time he had to dump some rotten food from the cabin to the dustbin, and some stolen flour and cereal boxes, to the kitchen. Before he went to the kitchen he washed up quickly and just put on his tracks and shoes. No shirt because he knew he was going to collapse on the bed when he returned.
While he just got ready and was putting all the things in a garbage bag, Conner appeared.
''Hey brother, wassup!'' Conner excitedly muttered. But he was sure to keep that excitement down in his voice
''oh well, now that you ask, I'm having the time of my life. Who thought cleaning could be so much fun!'' Travis muttered.
''Sorry man. The game got over so I came back fast, in case you need my help.'' He said.
Though Travis found it a bit strange, he was too tired to think about it. ''Yeah, I need to put these sacks in the bin and these in the kitchen cupboard.'' He explained.
Conner agreed and picked up the sack and they began to leave for the Big House. As they reached there, Conner told Travis '' You go in and make sure you don't make noise or else Chiron's gonna wake up, I'll put these in the bin.'' Travis nodded and quietly went in the kitchen.
Conner grinned devilishly, locked the door as his twin entered the kitchen and buried the key in the nearby pot. ''There we go.''
Katie, inside the kitchen, heard shuffling outside. So she held her racket tight as she switched off the dim light and backed near the door waiting for her prey.
Travis, on the other hand, quietly opened the door very slightly, and walked inside. As he moved to keep the boxes in their right places, he felt movement behind him. Call it instincts, but as he turned around, something was about to hit his head. But his battle reflexes helped him there.
At first Katie got scared to see a human instead of rats, or any other animal for that matter, but she gathered her courage .As Katie stealthily crept up to her prey, she held her racket with both the arms and prayed to Hermes to help her just this time.
'God Hermes, please, just this time. You know I'm no good at this swordsmanship. But please just help me this time!' she pleadingly thought.
But just when she was about to strike, the man instinctively turned around, grabbed her racket and pushed her against the wall, keeping the racket to her throat like a knife.
''Damn, Hermes'' she cursed.
''Gardner, is that you? You know better than to curse my dad in front of me'' Travis said.
''Stoll, what the hell are you doing here at this time of the night?'' Katie fumed. She couldn't believe her luck. Travis-effing-Stoll, of all! You've got to be kidding me!
''I could ask you the same question, you know'' he asked as he pushed her more behind, making their bodies pressed up against each other.
''Stoll, don't push me, and don't touch me. Move behind. Now.'' She ordered, glaring at him.
''Feisty, I like it. And you know you like it too, Gardner. Stop pretending, there's no one here.'' Travis whispered, as he pressed up more against her.
''Travis, please.'' Her voice quivered, as she whispered. Her eyes already turning moist as she looked into his pleadingly.
''I'm sorry, Gardner. I was just kidding, you know that right.'' He said as he instantly left her. Something about that look of her always made Travis feel guilty and sad as if it was his fault, no matter the problem. No matter how much he thought he hated her, he couldn't take that look of hers.
She quietly nodded, rubbed her wrist where he held her.
''I just came here to put these boxes back. Tomorrow's the cabin inspection, so I had to clean it, and I found these.'' He explained as he turned to the door to go.
''Fuck you Conner.'' Travis cursed as he tries twisting the knob. ''Asshole, he knew it, he did it on purpose. The game's still going on.'' He grumbled.
''What are you talking about? And stop cursing Stoll.'' Katie came up from behind.
''Conner locked us in here. It was his dare, I guess. He knew you were here, and he knew I would need help. So now I'm here locked up with this girl who I hate so much-''
''Oh my god'' Katie grumbled agonizingly, as she tried pulling the door, even though she knew it won't open. ''How could someone do that. What is Chiron, Mr. D and the entire camp going to think of me when they see that I've spent the night here with this thing.''
''Excusme, I'm not a thing and what's wrong in spending the night with me. Any girl would die to be in your place, Gardner. And besides, if you're thinking I'm enjoying this, then you're hell wrong! I love this as much as you do. And one more thing, everybody know you're the goody-two shoes of this camp, so no one's going to think any different of you than they did before!'' he lectured her.
''Now, if you're done, you could use your brain and open this door with some device of yours. It's something you should be good at.'' She put her hands on her hips.
''I'm done using mine, but if you'd use yours, you would clearly see that I'm in my pj's and no one carry's stuff while sleeping'' he growled at her.
''Those are your pj's!'' she blushed, as he stood there in just his tracks and shoes.
''At least, I'm much more decent than you.'' He shot back. Katie stood there in her white shorts and camisole.
''I have my jacket right here, mister!'' she glared at him.
And with that she sat on the platform of the kitchen. And Travis sat on the stool besides it.
''Is there really no way out, Stoll.'' Katie questions softly, closing her eyes.
Travis just shook his head. He leaned back and tried to sleep in that uncomfortable position as she too leaned back on that same wall. The only difference was that Katie was on the platform and Travis was on the stool. Otherwise, they sat stretching their legs and leaned against the same wall as they sat beside each other.