Chapter 29: A little girl named Katie Gardner

I watched in terror as he got up and slowly made his way to the bathtub. Never had I seen a man cry so hard. But then again, he was trying to kill a baby. He kneeled on the tile floor and stared at the small baby in his arms.

Katherine was staring at him with her big green eyes that Travis Stoll loved so much. Her face was calm. Almost as if she knew what he was going to do and she was actually allowing him to do so.

His hazel stared at her green. There was a long pause and there was no sound except for the sound of my breathing and the sound of over flowing water. The silence was killing me.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. I closed my eyes and expected to hear the sound of water splashing but I didn't. I opened my eyes and saw the teenage boy shutting off the water and letting it drain. He was holding the small baby close to his muscled chest and as he got up he slowly made his way out.

The bathroom was slowly fading and soon I found myself in front of a flower shop labeled, Gardner's Flower Shop. First I stared into a puddle that was laying on a sidewalk but I didn't have to because a little girl with green eyes and honey blonde hair was staring at me through the front window of the shop.

I stared at her too and we began to have a staring contest. I blinked and when I opened my eyes I saw the small girl break into a large smile. I took a deep breath but then realized how fresh the air tasted. It was almost too fresh. I looked around and saw green grass. Holy crap, it was actually green!

I opened the door and the bell rang with a jingle. There were flowers all over the place. They were beautiful and it dotted the whole entire area with bursting colors. To get colors like this in my era you need to get these expensive dyes for everything. On flowers, grass, you name it.

"Can I help you?" I turned around and I saw that same young man I saw trying to drown his baby.

That little girl with green eyes and blonde hair was standing right next to him. "Bampás, why does this lady have a bump on her neck? And why is she dressed like that?" My hand flew to my neck once I realized that people in this time period have fresh air to breathe and thus don't need breathing chips.

"Katie, don't be rude," the man whispered to his daughter.

"Sorry bampás…" (*Bampás means father or daddy).

"Um, I'm actually looking for Jacob Gardner," I lied. I had to make a story of why I was here because I was going to stay with them apparently until Katie was eight years old due to what my watch said.

"That's me," he looked at me confused. "Um, but why?"

"Um, I'm your older cousin," I lied. "I've been looking all over for you,"

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking slightly puzzled. "I'm an orphan,"

"Well, I'm an orphan too," I lie. I thank whoever that I have Hermes blood in me so lying is a breeze to me. "Apparently we're cousins,"

I dig into my pocket and all of the sudden there's a paper there. I pull it out and see that its papers about family relations and things that will make him believe that I'm his cousin even though I'm really not. "See,"

He took the papers from me and read them. "Are you Greek?" he asks. "Where was your orphanage?"

"Yes, I am," I reply this time not lying since I am technically Greek. "Mine was in America though,"

"But why find me now?" he asked looking a bit taken aback.

"Well, I guess it was a gut instinct," I said shrugging. "Oh, by the way, the name is Charlotte Behr,"

"Charlotte, huh?" he said. "Well, you already know my name but this is Katie, my daughter. Say hi Katie,"

Katie just stared at me for a long time for a while. "I don't believe you," she says. "You're not my mommy,"

I smiled. "I know I'm not your mommy, I'm your aunt I think," This sentence made me uncomfortable because in all reality, she was my grandmother and I was her granddaughter.

"I don't know who my mommy is," she said. Jacob Gardner looked uncomfortable. I guess he didn't like talking about his fling. "Daddy won't tell me,"

"Okaay, that's enough Katie," he said escorting Katie away and to the back of the store. "So, what are your plans here?" I smiled at his slight accent.

"Well, I just moved here so I thought I would just go and find you," I lied. "I live in an apartment a few blocks away from here actually," I pointed to a general direction and I had no idea where I was getting this. But then suddenly I felt the outline of keys in my jean pocket. I guess the watch covered whatever I said.

He smiled and we talked.

A year later I found myself sitting on a park bench watching little Katie Gardner run around on the playground. Her father was away at Loyola University teaching. He told me that he wanted to build stuff. And by stuff he meant whole entire buildings, houses, just things that inspired him. And by now I had gotten used to taking care of my grandmother as a little girl.

I now knew that where Dad and Vincent got it. It all started with that amazing man. "Nana!" Katie yelled as she ran up to me. She had come up with that name during that year when I took care of her while her father was out. She held a bundle of violets in her hands. "Something crazy happened!"

"What?" I asked.

"These!" she exclaimed. "They just grew right out of my hand!" I took them in my grasp and smiled. She was just discovering what she could do and who she was. I heard from all of my half-blood friends that it's the best thing and the most scariest to experience when you're young but I've never experienced it because right from when I could understand things I was told about what I was and what I could do.

"Wow, amazing," I replied. "You have some real talent there,"

"But is it normal?" she asked. I ruffled her hair.

"I dunno, you'll just have to find out later in life," I replied. "But I gotta admit, that's pretty cool, I wish I could do that,"

She giggled. "Hehe, it's easy! All you've gotta think about is about what kind of flower you want. Try!"

I smiled. "Okay, I want a rose," I made my mind blank so a rose would go shooting out of my hand so she could feel special and so I wouldn't ruin my cover as being a normal mortal.

"No! You don't say it out loud!" she chimed. "You have to think it in your head!"

"Maybe I just can't do it Katie, you're too smart,"

She smiled. "Yea… maybe I am,"

"It's time to go home," I announced as I got up.

"Now?" she complained.

"Yes, now,"

She sighed and got to her feet. I offered my hand and her little hand cupped with mine. "Trust me, there will be even more hardships than going home from the park," I said with a small smile. "Much more worse,"

"What do you mean?" she asks as we turn a corner.

"Well, there's going to be boys, lots and lots of boys," I replied smiling. I knew that little girls were naive to boys at this age and really didn't give a crap about them.

"I don't see how that's a problem!" she exclaimed. "Daddy's a boy,"

"He's a man," I corrected. "Plus he's your father and he's older than you by…" I paused to count. "19 years so he's obligated to be nice to you,"

"Daddy's always nice to everybody," Katie argued.

"Yea, but still, boys will be a problem," I said with a light air. She looked at me confused.

"Give me an example," she demanded. She always though logically while Travis just didn't think that often before doing. But at that time I didn't know that but this observation always made me laugh right after this whole thing. Always making me wonder how they even in the first place gotten married.

"Hm, let's see," I mumble trying to think about my own experiences and from my other friend's experiences. "Some boys will be jerks to you," I say. "Especially when they sorta like you," That might have seen cliché but all those memories of Emmet before we got together and how sometimes I wanted to smack that boy.

"That's dumb," she said making a face.

"Boys are dumb," I replied staring at her face. "But then again we make no sense to them either,"

"Then why would women want men then?" she asked.

"Well, not all women want men," I replied. "Some might like girls and some might like both men and women. Plus men are really good at making girls happy sometimes…"

She looked confused but didn't question me. I guess she had a right to be confused since at this age you're exposed by man-women couples unless you're raised by a gay or lesbian couple. I think about Andrew. I could never guess what he liked but one time Vincent told me that he was asexual. I blink a few times before coming back to our conversation. Plus the whole happy part she'll learn about when she meets Travis Stoll.

We were at the front step of the house that he built. And let me say, the garden was gorgeous. Bursting with color. But then again I'm amazed at a single blade of green grass. He was a genius as well as his daughter.

We went into the house and she went running off somewhere else. It was 1999; it seemed so far away from home. Home wasn't even made yet. Jacob was still making a whole empire of houses and estates. I now understood why I could live anywhere in the U.S. for free and I now understood why we had so much rent money given to us every year.

I always wondered who this Jacob Gardner was but now I knew. He was an orphan from Greece who was smarter than the other kids. Moved to America at 15 because he had a scholarship for Loyola and then moved on his own.

One day at night he told me about Demeter, who called herself Demetria. She was apparently another exchange student too from Greece. So soon it bloomed to romance. And before he knew it he was holding a baby in his arms reading a note to who she was and that it was a blessing that he kept this baby.

Now I knew where we Stoll's got our hopeless romantic side. Also from Monique but she doesn't come later. So we were just waiting around for her godly powers to come along.

Then it was her eight birthday. As I put the candles on the cake I stared at the watch. I only had a few minutes left in Katie's story before it merged with Travis'. It was almost time, yet I didn't know what would happen.

I stared outside. Rain clouds were rolling in and I had a feeling in my stomach that I got whenever there was a monster nearby. I wondered if they were coming for me.

As I reached for a lighter but then there was a loud roar. I dropped the lighter and dug into my shirt and pulled out my sword. I didn't press the uncap button just in case. I ran upstairs and there I saw eight year old Katie Gardner standing against the wall while a huge hell hound was trying to take a bite out of her.

"OH MY GOD!" she yelled. "What is that?"

I uncapped my sword and stared at it. This was her time to go to camp. Jacob ran right behind me. "Katie? Why did you—" I watched his hazel eyes linger up at the giant hell hound. "Skata, what is this?" (*Skata means shit in Greek).

"You know about Demeter?" I said uncapping my sword. "Well, there's a whole camp that keeps her kind safe so I'd think you'd want to take her there," I walked over to Katie and dragged her out of harm's way and just stabbed the hell hound in the eye and it just ran away. Not very scary but there would probably be more monsters coming after her.

"Why do you have a sword?" Katie asked. "And what camp?"

"Because I'm like you," I said. "It's called camp half-blood and it's supposed to keep you safe from monsters and you'll learn how to protect yourself." I stared at my sword but then figured I'd give it to her. After all it's her sword. "Take this,"

"But it's yours," she protested.

"Yea, but now it's yours, let's just say it's your birthday gift," I pushed her out of the room. "Now go,"

I gave Jacob the address and shoved it in his hand. "Come with us,"

I shook my head as I stared down at the watch. One minute. "I can't, I'm leaving you guys,"

"What? Why?"

"Because great grandpa, my time's running out," I replied.

"Wait, great grandpa? I thought you were my cousin and how did you time travel all the way here?"

I smiled. "You'll never know, plus, don't tell Katie, she's already troubled as she is," I kissed his cheek. "It'll be our little secret,"

"Don't go, please." he said taking my hand. The room started to fade but I don't think he noticed. "I don't know what I'd do without you,"

"I'm sorry, Jacob, I can't stay. Please, take care of yourself and Katie. Goodbye," Before he could open his mouth to say anything he faded away too. His warm hand was instead replaced by the cold winter of a farm house.

"Mama, I'm sorry, but I gotta do what my heart tells me to," a teenage girl with curly light brown hair and deviant blue eyes said as she wiped tears away from her face.

A plump older woman with the same eyes was crying too. "But what about your Pop, and the twins?" she choked out. Both women had a southern accent.

"Pop ain't gotta know yet, please, Mama, don't tell him until I'm gone. As for Travis and Connor, I'm takin' them with me," she said.

"But New York ain't a place for a teenage girl to raise children!" Mama protested. "And it ain't a place for a small town girl to go and mess up her life!"

"Mama! I'm an adult now so I can do whatever I want!" the girl yelled getting out of her chair.

"You're barely an adult Monique Annie Stoll!" the older woman yelled. "You will stay here!"

She stared at her mother. "And what? Find some country bumkin for a husband and live my entire life out here in Tennessee?" Monique yelled. "That might be the life for you but it ain't for me! I want my sons to know other than this small town, I want them to see the world but I can't let them do that if I stay here! Plus who would want to marry some knocked-up whore?"

"Monique, don't say that about yourself!" Mama yelled.

"Well, it's no use avoiding the truth, ain't it Mama?"

I watched the girl storm out of the room and I followed her to her room where there were two cribs sitting there. She plopped down on the bed and cried into her pillow. All around the room there was fashion magazine clippings. On one side of the wall it was labeled: MS Fashion, the blue prints.

MS Fashion. That name sounded so familiar. I turned around and saw Monique staring a picture. It was of her and his good looking boy with curly black hair. His features were a little bit elfish but nonetheless he looked handsome.

"Damn you Hermes!" she yelled as she tore the picture in half and threw it on the floor. "Damn you,"

I stared at the cribs and saw two babies with curly brown hair. The looked the same with their small crooked smirks and their pointed like ears.

Those babies were Travis and Connor Stoll.


A little look into Monique's life. Katie's childhood part seemed a little short but it's because Katie has more childhood to go since she's gotta meet Travis Stoll who will make her want to seriously question why she likes him.

Thanks for reading. This is short since I really don't have anything to say.