Hi, I'm back! I've been writing like a fiend these past couple days, so I have a few chapters lined up. A GINORMOUS thanks to all my reviewers, alert-ers, and favorite-ers! I love to hear from you guys. It helps me write faster! Anyway, thanks again. Onward, friends!
This takes place just after Katie left Travis's cabin.
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Travis stared at the wall morosely. WHY were their almost-kisses ALWAYS interrupted?
He was going to kick Connor's sorry ass and his stupid dreams to Hades.
Actually, no.
Travis would just find a way to make sure Katie couldn't dodge it this time.
Breakfast? Too public.
Sword arena? Not very romantic.
Cabin? Again, no privacy.
Strawberry fields? She was always there. Romantic setting, especially in the afternoon.
Strawberry fields it was. If things went according to plan.
But they never did.
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Katie was absolutely frazzled. She had almost gotten caught. On Travis's bed, laying on top of him, by his brother. And despite what it MAY have looked like, it wasn't like that, not at all. They were just friends, right?
Right.
Because friends really think about the friends naked, all the time.
Right?
Oh, gods, she couldn't even lie convincingly to herself.
And she had to admit it wasn't purely a physical attraction. Sure, his lean and toned physique with his glowing skin and pearly whites with that adorable curly brown hair didn't hurt in the slightest. But it went farther than the dazzling smile and unique eyes. He just had something about him. Maybe it was his mischievous air, the twinkle in his eyes, the warmth of his hand. Perhaps it was the bad-boy image; she always had a thing for that type. Or the concern and admiration in his eyes whenever he looked at her. She always got the general fuzzy feeling when looking at him
And the fact that he was practically a sex god.
He had always been good with his hands, able to pickpocket anyone or anything with ease. She could only imagine what else he could do with those hands...
Ahem. Anyway.
However, she relaxed, knowing that Travis was in love with her and she with him and they-
Wait.
What? Where did love come into the equation?
Even as Katie pondered this, a deep sense of satisfaction was glowing in her stomach. The words her, Travis, and love seemed to flow very naturally with each other. Instead of feeling panicked or scared, Katie felt at ease and content. So? This was it? No lightening from the sky, Zeus? Had Katie Gardener really fallen that easily?
Katie could no longer pretend that she was only possibly falling in love with Travis. She had fallen in love with Travis Stoll...?
Apparently, she had. With Travis Stoll. Oh, dear gods. But she secretly loved it, knowing he was all hers.
So lost in thought Katie was she never noticed a menacing figure prowling behind her on her way back to the Demeter cabin.
Until the figure hit her in the back of the head. Really hard. Like, knock-unconscious-hard.
So, no surprises, Katie swayed, falling the ground with a light thump.
The last thing she saw was a figure bending over her before she lapsed into unconsciousness.
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Travis awoke, feeling edgy and nervous. Something...wasn't right. On a typical morning in the Hermes cabin, you could always hear shrill voices, lots of laughter, and the pitter patter of light footsteps. Instead, he heard something else, something that unnerved him more than anything.
Silence.
You never heard silence in the Hermes cabin. Never.
Utterly confused and a tad disconcerted, Travis rolled out of bed to find an empty cabin. He dressed at lightening speed and dashed out of the cabin. He paused. As far as Travis could tell, the camp looked completely abandoned. It was...eerie.
That was, until he saw smoke coming from the dining hall. Travis jogged quickly to the hall, finding the entire camp there, plus Mr. D and Chiron. Frowning, he saw the Demeter cabin grouped together, looking at the ground morosely, their faces streaked with tears. He grabbed a kid from the Apollo cabin and said, "Hey, kid. What's going on?" The kid, who he now recognized as Shelly Hephrine, merely pointed to Chiron. Chiron cleared his throat. "Now, campers, we must stay calm. We cannot rule out the fact that she simply may be a runaway."
At this, the Demeter cabin sprang up with loud protests. Chiron raised his hands, and silence fell. "However," he continued, "I believe it is more likely that she was kidnapped."
Travis felt a feeling of cold dread in his stomach.
"Wait," he called out, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. "Who are we talking about, exactly? Who was kidnapped?"
Mr. D rolled his eyes.
Chiron frowned. "Did you not hear the news, Mr. Stoll? A Demeter child's bunk was found empty this morning. We've searched the grounds, and we found evidence of a small scuffle
by the cabin. We believe she may have been abducted."
Travis's sight went hazy.
"Who. Was. It," he said slowly, enunciating every word.
Chiron turned away. "Katie Gardener."
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He wished he had taken the news a little better.
When the fated words left Chiron's mouth, Travis's world crumbled. As it was, he went a little crazy. He or may not have cursed Chiron to Tartarus when he wouldn't immediately send a search party for Katie. And when Mr. D tried to intervene, he called him a crazy old drunk, and only Chiron could convince Mr. D not to incinerate him on the spot. Then he attempted to sneak off the grounds to find Katie, only to be brought back by the harpies.
Chiron, fully backed by Mr. D, forbid him to go on the quest. Instead, he was sending Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Will Solace from the Apollo cabin, and Nico. Chiron decided to go with a larger group because they had no idea what they were up against-he also wanted a variety of talents. Will, for his healing, Percy and Annabeth because they were the best questers ever to set foot on Camp Half-Blood, Clarisse, a good fighter, and Nico, in case they were dealing with something from the Underworld.
Annabeth smiled sympathetically at Travis. "We'll bring her back safe and sound, Travis, don't worry," she said, adjusting her knife. Percy looked up from cleaning the rust from his armor."Yeah, man, chill out. I'm sure she's fine."
He didn't look very convinced, though.
That was reassuring.
If Chiron thought this was going to stop him, then he was an idiot. Nothing ever stopped Travis Stoll.
Especially when the girl he loved could be dead, or worse right now.
His scheming began.
After the rescue party was sent out, Travis donned his armor and collected his supplies, and snuck out of the Hermes cabin. Approaching the forest, he crept towards the boundaries.
Suddenly, a light blazed in front of him.
Oh, fuck, he was caught. But as the light dimmed, it revealed a man wearing a navy track suit with white Reeboks. In his hand was a cell phone.
"Um...Dad?" Travis said softly.
He had seen his dad, Hermes, before but he only ever had one or two direct conversations with him.
His dad beamed at him. Okay, he didn't expect that reaction.
"Just visiting, Travis. Can't I visit my favorite son when I want?"
Favorite son. Travis was his favorite son.
Suppressing a smile, Travis said, "Sure, but I'm kinda of a time-sensitive mission right now."
"I know all about it, Travis. God, remember?"
No, he had forgotten his own dad was a god.
Travis shifted. "Well, you see, I kinda need to get going. You see..."
"I know, Travis. Which is why I'm here to help you. Aphrodite wouldn't leave it alone," Hermes said, smiling slightly.
Travis blushed. If Aphrodite was interested in them, then it must be bad.
His smile fading, he said, "Katie has been kidnapped by some empousa. It's unclear why, or who is commanding them, or why they need her particularly-perhaps they need a child of
Demeter. But time is running out. I will do what I can to help you, but the gods are forbidden from interfering in their children's lives too much, so my help will be limited."
Travis's head was spinning. Katie? Empousa? It didn't make sense.
Hermes was loosening the drawstring of a leather pouch. From it, he produced a long, gleaming, wicked-looking sword. "I noticed you came unarmed," he noted. "For fighting empousa, this will do the trick," Hermes said, handing over the long hand-and-half double edged sword. "Look for her by Orpheus's entrance to the Underworld. From there, make a left until you come across a tree with two branches in the shape of an omega. Press your palm to the trunk."
Travis hefted the sword and swung it expertly. It was balanced perfectly and whooshed through the air so fast it blurred.
"I must warn you, Travis. Don't let your emotions blind you."
With that, Hermes began to glow. Travis averted his eyes in order to not get blasted to smithereens.
So that was it? He would tell Travis where to find her but not offer any help besides a sword? He already had a dagger, he didn't need a sword. Fighting the impulse to hurl it across the ground, instead, he sheathed it and journeyed on.
Once past the harpies and successfully out of camp, Travis headed to Orpheus's entrance. Grumpy, dirty, and exhausted, (he had met a few monsters on the way) he took a left, coming across a tree with oddly shaped branches.
He almost lost his nerve, but he imagined Katie in there, frightened and alone. Travis took a deep breath and pressed his palm to the trunk. The bark shifted, revealing a long, dark, damp corridor. Steeling himself, he walked inside.
Immediately, the tree closed behind him. Well, that's comforting, he thought. Hefting his new sword in one hand, he advanced slowly down the hall. There were several rotting doors on either side of the hall. He heard voices emanating from the furthest one. Travis crept forward, peeking inside the door.
The first thing he noticed was Katie, tied and gagged, looking exhausted and gaunt.. Her face was smeared with dirt, and there were twigs and leaves in her hair. Her brown eyes, once playful and sparkling, had turned dull and weary. One of her legs was twisted at an odd angle, like it was broken. Blood seeped from a wound on her head, staining her hair bright red. Several cuts and scratches adorned her legs and arms. She stirred, seeming barely conscious.
Seeing Katie like this made Travis's heart explode with agony. He ached to run in and comfort her, but he knew that would blow his cover. Travis paused, his eyes taking in every detail around the room. Two empousa stood guard over her, seemingly arguing about something. Disguised as beautiful women, they both wore slinky pantsuits, contrasting oddly with the dirt room.
Travis heard footsteps behind him. He barely had time to fling himself behind the door when a man walked in, limping. They stopped arguing abruptly. "He'll come. I know he will," said the man, his cold voice sending shivers over Travis. He shifted, accidentally banging the door with his knee. Oh, fuck. Fuck, dammit, shit,- Travis's cursing was interrupted by the man flinging open the door and dragging him out.
The man smiled. Travis felt a stab of recognition. It wasn't a man, no, it was a teenage boy- a camper who had fled months ago from camp. His name was Haden, son of Nemesis-the revenge goddess. Great.
"What do you want?" Travis said, his voice cracking. "You," Haden said, his eyes gleaming. He paused, addressing Katie. "You led your lamb to slaughter, Gardener. I knew he would come after you. It was the perfect plan, the perfect trap. Instead of having to go through the bother to get you, Stoll, I could just get Katie."
"Why do you want me?" Travis asked, his voice now filled with rage.
"Revenge, Stoll. The one thing my mother taught me. In the battle against Kronos and the Olympians, you rigged a bomb that blew up 7 demigods. One of them was my sister."
Travis blocked most of the war out-it was too painful to recall. But thinking back, he did remember setting off several Hephaestus traps.
"Look, I did what I had to, ok? It was either kill or be killed," Travis pleaded. "I'm-I'm sorry that I killed your sister. But she sided with Kronos, remember? There's no turning back after that."
Haden's eyes glowed with rage, but his voice remained calm. "Sorry doesn't bring her back to life, Stoll. So I'm going to teach you a lesson my mother would approve of."
Saying so, the two empousa dragged Katie to a chair and propped her up. Haden swung his sword experimentally.
"While you watch, Stoll, helpless, I'm going to kill her. An eye for an eye," Haden said coldly.
"If you touch her, by Hades, I'll-" Travis was cut off by the empousa binding him and gagging him.
Haden laughed, his shrill voice echoing through the damp halls. "You'll what, Stoll? I'm just getting even-trust me, I know all about that."
Travis was silent, calculating his chances of saving Katie.
They weren't good.
He shifted his bonds. They were loose! If he wiggled his wrists, he could slip one of his hands free. Haden and the two empousa were focused on Katie. Travis slipped his hands free, but kept them behind his back. He reached out with his foot and slowly drew his sword toward him. Travis remembered what Hermes had said to him. When fighting empousa, this will do the trick.
Unclasping his hands, he flipped his sword up with his foot and caught it. The empousa and Haden turned around. Without a second thought, Travis sliced through the them. They exploded, coating everything with a fine white dust.
Haden started.
The only thing Travis could thing of to say was, "Empousa suck at tying knots."
He lunged at Haden, but Haden pulled out his sword and pressed it to Katie's throat, who was so beaten she barely put up a fight.
"Come closer and she dies."
Travis halted. He lowered his sword, eyeing Haden warily. His eyes darted from Haden's legs to his sword. Making a split-second decision that had only a 50/50 chance of succeeding, he threw himself forward, knocking Haden's legs from underneath him. Haden scrambled for his sword. Travis ignored him, racing to catch Katie before she fell.
He got there just in time to cushion her head, placing her gently on the ground. He spun around in time to see Haden reaching for a sword, but Travis pointed his sword at his throat. "Give me a reason, and I swear I will," he whispered, his eyes glittering.
He heard footsteps thundering outside the hall. The door burst open. Travis hefted his sword, expecting enemies, but he was pointing his sword at Nico, Will, Annabeth, Percy, and Clarisse.
"Travis? What are you doing here, man? Chiron told you to stay at camp!" Will said, his eyes wide.
"Please," he snorted. "When's the last time I ever listened to that old bat?"
"Good point."
"Who's this, Travis?" said Annabeth, nudging Haden with her knife. "Haden, son of Nemesis," he answered tersely. "Could you...?"
"Leave it to me, Clarisse growled. She marched over to Haden and poked him with her electric spear. "Get moving, pretty boy," she barked, leading him out, followed by Nico.
Percy and Will were still staring at him. "You have some explaining to do," Percy said.
"Yes, yes," Travis said impatiently. "Can we first take care of Katie?"
"You got it," Will said. He gingerly picked up Katie, motioning for Travis to help him. They carried Katie out, up the hallway and out the exit, which Annabeth discovered the touch of a half-blood could open, much like Daedalus's entrances to the Labyrinth.
Travis was greeted by an over-excited Mrs. O'Leary. He stared apprehensively. "Shadow travel?" he asked Nico. Nico gave a brisk nod. "All aboard!" Nico shouted as they disappeared into the shadows.
Once they arrived at Camp Half-Blood, Nico ran to the Big House to inform Mr. D and Chiron. Will, Nico, Travis, Percy, and Annabeth stood before them. Clarisse was attending to Haden-probably torturing him-but was instructed to build him a temporary prison-erm, holding cell. Katie was resting in the infirmary.
Travis flinched under Mr. D's steely gaze. "Explain. All of you. Now."
"Well-" Annabeth began, but Travis interrupted her. "Sir, I couldn't let them go without me. So I snuck out, met Lord Hermes, and-" Travis proceeded to describe his interaction with Hermes and his adventures thenceforth. In turn, Percy, Annabeth, Will, and Nico reported their adventures, saying that Hermes approached them, and told them where to go, saying Katie was being held captive, and that Travis needed their help.
Which I didn't, he thought, grumbling. I handled it fine on my own.
"So, you defied my orders, snuck out of camp, battled empousa, defeated an angry demigod and son of Nemesis, and saved Katie?" Chiron mused. "Not bad, hero."
Mr. D seemed content to ignore the proceedings and play cards with his Diet Coke.
"But what will happen to Haden? I mean, I know he tried to kill Katie-" Travis stopped, his eyes wide, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Katie!" With that, he dashed out of the
Big House, and ignoring Chiron's calls, sprinted to the infirmary.
Travis arrived, panting and out of breath, in the infirmary. He raced to the last bed, seeing Katie lying perfectly still on it.
His heart stopped.
But the gentle rise and fall of her chest reassured him that she was, at least, not dead.
He slowly approached the bed, taking in her scratched and bruised appearance.
She appeared to be asleep. Her eyelids fluttered, and she seemed to be mumbling something. Travis leaned closer in time to catch the words, "...Travis.." before she trailed off.
She was dreaming of him.
Suddenly, the urge to kiss her was too much. Travis leaned in and gently brushed her cheek with his lips. Sighing, he turned to leave.
Before he could leave, a sleepy voice behind him said, "Travis?"
He froze. Shit.
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Haha, so there's my promised kiss. Not much, I know. Thanks to all my reviewers! I love you all! Next chapter, Travis and Katie talk (well, more than talk) about some unresolved feelings.
Kisses!
