HELLO! I was writing a different story of mine (Collide), which features a tiny bit of Tratie, when I realized how fun it was to write about them. Thus was born I Have to Say.
I had never realized just how pretty, no stunningly beautiful, Katie was until she lay dying next to me. It had started as a harmless game of Capture the Flag against the Hunters of Artemis. They had arrived here two days ago, but we had just gotten around to our traditional "friendly" game of Capture the Flag. Due to a previous prank pulled by yours truly, they basically hated all Hermes campers.
Katie had been absolutely furious when Annabeth put her, Conner, and I on defense. We were crouching about twenty yards from the flag when the first hunter entered the clearing in which the flag stood. We snuck up behind her and Conner hit her with the hilt of his sword. Two more hunters entered, but Katie tangled some grass around one's ankles, tripping her, and I disarmed the other easily.
I heard a branch crack behind me, and four more hunters ran towards us. We were outnumbered, the other two hunters having recovered. We started to fight, the three of us backing slowly towards the flag, protecting it. Conner fell when an older Hunter punched him.
I had just knocked out another Hunter when I saw an arrow flying at me. Thanks to my Hermes speed, I ducked before the arrow could hit me. Instead, it flew over me and hit Katie in her side where the armor didn't protect her.
She gasped looking at the arrow protruding from her side. She slipped towards the ground, and I didn't realize I had been moving towards her until I caught her.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard cheers and I briefly registered that we had one. Conner was awake by then and helped me haul an unconscious Katie towards the infirmary. The hunters watched in shock as her blood spilled onto my unfortunately white t-shirt. Conner started yelling for help, but I couldn't think straight. The only thing I could registered was all of Katie's blood on my hands.
The next half hour was a blur. Somehow, Katie ended up in the infirmary, with Will treating her wound. He said something about it being too close to her heart and broken ribs before Katie started screaming. Will called out to some other Apollo campers who came rushing over. They started talking about internal bleeding and operating, eventually deciding to give her a large amount of ambrosia, which would save her if it didn't kill her.
And so I ended up sitting by her bed trying to figure out why I couldn't get up and walk away. I played absently with the end of her curly brown hair as I contemplated my situation. The only thing I could think was I didn't want her to die before I could tell her how I felt, which was weird because I hadn't known I felt like that before she got shot.
Conner dragged my away for dinner, but I went back to check on her afterwards. She was still sleeping, but she had woken up briefly while I was gone. This made me very upset for some reason, so I hurried off to my cabin.
I woke after a dreamless sleep just in time for breakfast. After I ate a heaping plate of eggs and pancakes, I went to the infirmary to check up on Katie. She woke up just as I got there, glaring at me furiously, "What are you doing here, Stoll?" She snapped. I grinned lazily, "Oh, just checking up on my favorite person."
She rolled her eyes and swung her legs out of the bed, standing up. Her legs failed her instantly and she would have fallen had I not caught her. "Thanks." she muttered, blushing slightly. I stood her up, keeping my hands on her arms to steady her.
"I'm fine," she insisted, "I just stood up too fast and got a head rush." She took a step and winced as she moved her torso. "No, your not okay." I said stopping her, "let me help you." She looked like she was going to yell at me for a second but she just sighed in defeat, "Just don't drop a spider on my head or anything." "Who, me?" I asked innocently making her laugh lightly.
I helped Katie out of the door and towards the cabins but she looked like she was going to collapse after about twenty yards. We sat on a bench by the sword arena. "Katie, I have to tell you something." I said with some difficulty. "Ok?" she asked. I tried desperately to form my words but nothing seemed to come out, "I, well…I, um. I kinda, it's just that." I eventually gave up smacked my forehead with my palm.
Katie giggled and said, "Spit it our, Travis." My heart leapt, she always called me Stoll or "YOU JERK!" "I guess what I'm trying and failing miserably at trying to say is…I…I like you, Katie." I gulped nervously as she stared at me in shock.
CLIFFY! I'm probably going to make this a two chapter story, next chapter from Katie's POV. More, if people want me to….
Adios, muchachas!
