AN: Sorry for out of characterness, this is my first fanfic/oneshot.
Disclaimer: I don't own Katie or Travis. All rights go to Rick Riordan.
Fireworks blazed in the the night sky.
Katie Gardner was carrying a heavy package. She huffed and puffed while trying to race to the Dionysus cabin. The annual Fourth of July age thirteen and up fire after party was to be held there. The counselors of the cabin had the job to transport goods and decorations from the storage shed to the cabin while the other campers watched the fireworks. That meant all the counselors had to pitch in- including the Stolls.
" Hey Katie, need some help with that? " said a playful voice.
Katie turned and saw the devil's spawn himself- Travis Stoll.
" No, I can handle it myself. " Katie said, rolling her eyes.
But Travis snatched the box out of her hand before she could protest again. Katie inwardly sighed in relief; the box was heavy, though she would never admit that. Katie looked at Travis to see if he showed any signs of weakness. Travis was smiling, and his arms showed no sign of strain. They were the type of arms that Katie was sure would hold her during any bad times, stroke her hair while she was sick, hold her hand when she was nervous...
" Stop that! " snapped Katie.
Travis stopped walking and looked at her with a confused expression.
" Oh, not you. " said Katie.
Travis nodded and continued walking to deliver the stuff to the Dionysus cabin. Katie hated feeling useless, so she decided to get more stuff from the storage shed. Oh my Gods Katie, thought to herself. She had just been thinking about Travis's strong arms. What next, his large blue eyes that sparkled with mirth even during bad times? Or his wavy brown hair that fell into his eyes that reminded her of... OH MY GODS KATIE SNAP OUT OF IT! She yelled at herself. She could not soften. She could not think of Travis. She could not let herself fall for him.
But part of her mind was still thinking of the way he laugh, how his ears turned red when he was embarrassed, the way he was a gentleman around Katie sometimes, then pranking her the next. Katie ignored that part of her brain. She couldn't fall in love. What are you, a Hunter of Artemis? You can love whoever you want. The I-Love-Travis part of her brain snapped. No. But I can't fall in love with Travis! The Be-Responsible part of her brain retorted.
Then Katie walked straight into a door.
" Ow. " she whimpered.
Katie got up and scolded herself for being so stupid. Getting distracted by Travis Stoll and walking straight into a door was never part of her plan. Neither was arguing with herself in her head. And it was all because of Travis Stoll. That stupid, arrogant, kleptomaniac, handsome, funny, son of Hermes.
Katie groaned in frustration and noticed that she had bumped into the door to the storage shed. Katie opened the door and stepped inside. Nobody was in there. Katie sighed and looked around for a box. There were many in the room, but the ones she needed for the party were clearly marked to show that they were for the party. Katie rummaged through a tall pile but came up with nothing.
A door clicked shut. Katie looked up and saw Travis. He was leaning against the door, his hands in his pockets in a nonchalant and casual way.
" Theres no more boxes to move. " he said.
" Okay. Im going to leave now, so move. " replied Katie.
Travis stepped out of the way. Katie walked over to the door. She turned the knob and pushed. The door wouldn't budge.
" Maybe its pull, not push. " suggested Travis.
Katie pulled.
The door didn't budge.
Travis was pouting. His cheeks burned and were bright red. Katie had slapped him three times, then kicked him in the shin. All because she thought he had locked them in. But Travis hadn't. He didn't know anything about this, and he tried telling Katie that, but she wouldn't hear it.
" This is all your fault. " Katie said quietly.
She was leaning against a massive pile of boxes. Travis was leaning against the wall at the opposite side of the shed, staring at Katie.
Katie had just been on a rage at Travis. She tried to bust down the door for an hour, and when it wouldn't fall, she yelled at Travis and kicked him hard. Then she had screamed for help for about another hour, and finally gave up, slapped Travis, and went to pout in the corner. She had been so cute when she was angry. Her clear blue eyes were wide with rage, her auburn hair had kept falling into her face, and her cute thin lips were trying her blow her hair put of her face while she was yelling.
Travis sighed. He had always tried so hard to get her attention. At first, he tried to get her with those cheesy pickup lines that most girls liked. Then he was resigned to trying to get her attention with pranks, with certainly got her attention, but in a bad way. Now he sometimes tried to be a gentleman, but when he did, she always was suspicious when he acted like that for some reason. Her hard to getness drove Travis crazy. Crazy for her.
" Im sorry. " sighed Travis.
He didn't know what he was sorry for, or why. But it sounded good.
" For what? " asked Katie.
" I don't know... maybe for all the pranks I pulled. Maybe for making you hate me. " said Travis.
" I don't hate you. " Katie said, sounding far away.
" Even when I pelted you with paintballs, or putting those Easter bunnies on your roof, or stole all your shoes, or- "
" Stop. I don't hate you, even if you did all those things and more. You just try to hard. " explained Katie.
" Oh. I just always wanted to be your knight in shining armor. Can you forgive me? " asked Travis.
" Yes, Travis, I forgive you. "
Travis smiled. " So, now we kiss? " he asked slyly.
" No! But I will allow a hug. " said Katie. Travis crossed the shed over to Katie and opened his arms. She hugged him, feeling warm and safe in his arms. She let go first. Travis had never felt happier in a long time. He was grinning happily, and Katie was blushing. Then she did something unexpected. She leaned up on her tippy toes, cupped her hands on his cheeks, and kissed him.
Travis was surprised. One minute, he was looking at how beautiful Katie looked in the fading light, and the next minute, she had reached up and kissed him. Travis kissed her back, and pulled her closer. Finally Katie pulled out of the kiss, blushing and grinning.
Then pain spread across Travis's face. Katie had slapped him. Her blush had turned into a red look of rage and her grin was gone. But Travis was still smiling, even though the slap had hurt really bad.
" Never tell anyone about that ever! " yelled Katie.
Travis nodded, knowing that he wouldn't ever share that moment with anyone. It was just to good a moment, the kind you needed to keep to yourself. Katie pushed him away, and Travis stumbled back, landing on his butt.
Katie found a blanket in one of the boxes. She put it on the ground and laid on it.
The rest of the night, Travis laid on the cold hard ground. Every time he thought of the kiss, he grinned.
Travis smiled the whole entire time.