I didn't realize it's been months… My bad, lol.

30

I was scrambling eggs when Adidas ran up the stairs.

She was dressed in her usual workout clothes coming back from a morning run. Little strings of hair had fallen out of her ponytail, but otherwise, there weren't any signs she had broken a sweat.

It'd been three days since we'd arrived in Florida, and I was having a great time doing mostly nothing. Adidas, on the other hand, was being a typically daughter of Nike.

"Ah, Katie!" she greeted me happily. There had been an incredible mood shift in her now that she was able to stretch her legs and become active again. She was overall way more fun to be around—not that she wasn't to begin with. "Are you the only one up?"

"You think anyone else would be awake at this hour?" I laughed. "If they are, I haven't seen 'em. What time did you wake up?"

"About 6:30. Started running a little past 7. Got to see the sunrise."

I looked at the oven's clock. It was eight am. I was an early riser, but I would never get up that early to run (or anything else for that matter). I woke up to eat and that was it.

"How far did you run?" I asked curiously. She grabbed a glass and poured some water from the fridge.

"Oh, only about 15 miles." My mouth dropped open. "I was a bit sore after yesterday, so I took it easy." I shook my head.

"You're insane" is all I could say. She laughed and opened the fridge to pull out an apple and some berries.

"Do you want any eggs?" I asked her. She smiled wryly.

"I didn't want to ask, but I was secretly hoping you would offer. I'll cut you up some fruit."

Adidas and I got to work finishing our breakfast. I popped some bread into the toaster, she steeped some tea for the both of us, and in a few minutes, we have a nice little ensemble to devour.

Devin was the next one awake around 8:30. Since she was sleeping on the same floor as the living room and kitchen, I tried to be extra quiet – for both her and my sake. The last thing I wanted to do was start a fight because I was breathing too loud as she got her beauty sleep.

The best part about her living with us was when she left, and that was conveniently immediately after she woke up. The second she got ready, she either went to the main house to isolate herself or hang out with her friends who knows where.

Either way was fine by me.

She didn't say anything as she passed us at the dining table. She headed straight for the stairs and disappeared indefinitely; however, someone gave her the time of day on the way down.

I heard a voice pipe "Hi, Dev!" from the stairwell a few floors down followed by a door slamming shut. I snorted. First, she hated being called that, and I knew that. Second, I also knew exactly who it was greeting her.

A few second later, Travis appeared with a goofy smile on his face.

"I think she's warming up to me," he said cheerfully. I laughed. Travis told me a few days ago he would make it his job to annoy her since I wasn't "supposed" to be doing it. I appreciated him doing that for me. I hoped Connor would also get the message and turn his attention away from me and to Devin as well, but when did Connor ever do what I wanted?

"I bet she is, Travis," Adidas murmured into her tea. "I bet she really is."

"Yeah, that door slam seemed softer than yesterday's," I added. He flashed me a wicked smile. I hid my smile behind my cup of coffee.

"So," he said plopping down next to me and grabbing a grape from my plate, "what's for breakfast?"

"Whatever you make for yourself," I said flatly. He frowned mid-chew.

"Kit-Kat, I asked you this yesterday. Do I look like I know how to cook?"

"That sounds like a problem between you and Chiron," I said patting his shoulder. He pouted.

"C'mon, Katie, please? I'm starving."

"You know it's not hard to make toast," Adidas cut in. He glared at her.

"This is a conversation between me and my dear Kit-Kat here." He popped a few more of my grapes into his mouth. I was too busy addressing his nickname to be mad about my food.

"Call me Kit-Kat one more time, and I will never help you with anything in your entire life."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a mouth full of food. He swallowed. "Does that mean you'll help me?"

I stared at him levelly. He tried for an innocent pout, but I knew his face was uncapable of appearing innocent no matter how hard it tried. I also knew I couldn't resist it forever, and the sad thing is he knew that, too.

"Fine," I sighed. He jumped up excitedly and started dancing to the kitchen. Adidas shook her head and gave me a pitiful smile.

"You've created a monster," she said. I rolled my eyes at her.

"It's just easier to say yes sometimes," I said as I placed my mug down.

She stood and picked up her plate and tea.

"Well, I'll give you two some alone time. I doubt the others will be awake any time soon, and the last thing I want to do is be present for whatever abomination is about to happen here."

I shook my head.

"Why don't you go on another run?" I suggested. She smirked and lifted her tea.

"I'll go finish this on the penthouse porch."

She tossed her plate into the sink and headed upstairs. I looked into the kitchen.

Travis leaned casually against the island and wiggled his bushy brows at me. He'd put on one of the aprons stashed in the cabinet.

"Like what you see?" he asked cheekily.

I refused to answer, but I knew my cheeks and ears were probably red. I was suddenly painfully aware of how unpresentable I was. I still wore my pajamas, which consisted of some old shorts and a large ratty T-shirt. I hadn't even brushed my hair. I just wrapped it into a messy bun and ran downstairs to curb my hunger.

Obviously, my priorities were good, but I was wishing I'd maybe at least washed my face instead of lazily wiping it with a towel.

I stood and picked up my empty plate and mug.

"How far is the extent of your cooking?" I asked completely ignoring his first question. He looked to the ceiling pensively.

"What do you consider cooking?" he asked. That was a bad sign. I walked around the island opposite of him and set my own dishes in the sink.

"Have you ever worked a stove before?" He shook his head.

"No."

"Can you use the oven?"

"Nope." I sighed.

"Do you know what a microwave is?" His brows rose, and his eyes widened.

"Yes!" he said excitedly. I put my hands on my hips.

"Was it only to see if something exploded?" I guessed. He clutched his heart.

"Now, why would you think that?" I threw up my hands.

"I don't know. Maybe because that's exactly something you would do." He pointed his fingers at me.

"And you'd be right." I buried my head in my hands.

"This is pitiful," I cried softly. He moved around the island and stepped in front of me.

"I'm a fast learner," he said trying to make myself feel better about the daunting task at hand. "It only took Chiron a week to teach me how to make a PB&J."

I wanted to fall to the floor.

"I'm kidding!" he said quickly. I'd probably paled too much and looked like I was dying. I felt like it. This was horrifying. "I am a very competent person. Besides, how hard could making breakfast be?"

I smirked at him.

"It's not, but knowing you, anything is possible." He pouted.

"I'm hurt, Katie. I'm truly hurt, but even more so, I'm hungry. Is there any way we can speed this up?"

I rolled my eyes for what felt like the fifteen time this morning and went to the fridge to grab the eggs. I also grabbed the milk and other fruit Adidas had cut up this morning.

"Okay," I said once my station was set up, "we'll start with something easy: cracking an egg."

He peered at me suspiciously.

"Katie, I've seen enough movies to know that's not true." I frowned.

"How have you seen any TV at all? Chiron banned all technology." He placed a hand about his heart and leaned back offended.

"Do you forget who I am? I could hack this whole city's Netflixes and WIFIs if I wanted to. Don't insult my talents."

"Then I'll insult your cooking skills." I handed him an egg. "Go for it."

"Fine." He swiped the egg from my palm. The feeling on his fingers on my palm for just a millisecond sent tingles up my arm.

Travis bent down in front of the pan and leveled the egg above the rim.

He stared at it intensely. I've never seen anyone look more menacingly at an egg. His scruffy brows furrowed. His nose slightly crinkled. He stared down that egg like it was the last piece of bread in the basket, waiting for someone to reach for it first and deny them that victory.

He took a deep breath and lifted his hand slightly. In one quick move, he brought it down to edge.

Tap!

Nothing happened.

"Wow," I said surprised. "For once I have to tell you to use more force." He stood quickly.

"I'm nervous, okay?" he said exasperated.

"It's an egg. Not a bomb."

"A bomb would be easier, but it's a little nerve-wracking with you breathing down my back."

I glanced at the space between us. It was easily three feet.

"Yeah, that's the issue."

He shooed me away.

"Could you possibly take a scooch back." I sighed and did so. "More."

I took another step back.

"Keep going."

Another.

"One more."

Okay.

"I lied. One more."

Keep going…

"Even more."

By this point I was in the dining room again.

"Travis, if I go any further, I'll be in the ocean."

"Okay, stay there."

He poised himself over the pan again. Thank the gods I hadn't turned the stove on yet.

"Don't be afraid to be a little forceful," I advised. He held up a hand to shush me.

"Trying to focus."

I watched from across the room as he took another deep breath and hit the egg on the pan.

Crack!

He jumped up.

"Ahh! I did it! I did it!" I perked up. It began to slightly ooze over his hand. He looked up to me panicked. "Now what?"

"Open it, dummy!" I yelled exasperated.

He quickly separated the two halves. The yolk and white spilled into the pan.

He jumped up and down excitedly.

"It's an egg!" he yelled. I laughed. He held up the halves. "What do I do with these?"

"Throw them away and crack another one."

He giddily walked around the kitchen looking at the ground. After a few seconds he paused and frowned.

"I don't know where the trash can is," he said softly. I rolled my eyes and walked to the cabinet next to the sink. I pulled out the drawer. His eyes widened.

"That's so fancy!" he chirped dropping the eggshells into the bin. "Much nicer than a Walmart bag hanging on a nail."

I raised my brow.

"We lost the cabin trashcan in a bet with the Ares cabin." I nodded. Made sense.

"What was the bet?"

"When Connor was going to ask Shawty out."

"And you lost?" I asked seriously.

"I had faith in him," he replied defensively. I shook my head. "I thought he was serious the seventeenth time he said he would." I closed the trash cabinet.

"I could've told you he would never do it," walking back to the stove. Travis followed.

"He seemed pretty serious last fireworks."

"And yet here he is skirting around her like the plague."

"Yeah, he's a lost cause now that I think about it," he sighed.

I chuckled and handed him another egg.

"Keep cracking."

He plucked it swiftly from my hand and got back to work.

I guided him through the process, teaching him the ins and outs of beginning cooking. Clueless as he might have been, he did have a knack for the dexterity involved in cracking eggs and whisking.

Once he'd gotten the hang of it, I'd taken a seat at the bar at the opposite side of the island and watched him with my head in my hands.

I didn't like to admit how distracted I got watching at him work. He was quick, and I was mesmerized watching his fingers nimbly work around the stove. I'd never really noticed how pretty his hands were. They were long and slender, perfect for picking a pocket or a berry from a bowl. It made me increasingly self-conscious of my own short and calloused ones.

He caught me lost in my head a few times. We went in and out of polite conversation. In the beginning it was mostly me instructing and guiding, but as he became more intuitive and knowledgeable, he began to talk. I let him babble on.

It was still early in the morning, and I was falling prey to his voice. He just went on and on excitedly about random things, and I was content just to listen. I leaned against the island, falling into a trance. He fought to keep my attention on his words and not his hands. This happened about three times.

He nudged me the last time, and I shook my head back to reality. I looked up to see him smiling coyly at me. My stomach twisted. Gods, I hated how much I liked his cheeky smile.

"Am I that boring?" he asked.

"No, I'm just tired." He shrugged.

"You know, if you didn't wake up at the crack of dawn, you might be a bit cheerier, but that's just a guess."

"I'm cheery. Your voice is just making me fall asleep."

"So I am boring." I shook my head.

"No, no. Don't jump to conclusions."

"Oh, but Katie, dear. That is my best skill." I rolled my eyes.

"You're just working so quickly now, I'm becoming hypnotized," I said, not quite realizing I was spilling how much he had a hold of me at the moment. "And you know that thing where someone talks, and it just kind of brings you into a trance and relaxes and dumbs you?"

I spoke this all so freely. I didn't quite understand how open what I was saying was until I caught the slightest hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"I-I guess," he stuttered. That caught me off guard. He coughed and tried to grab a hold of his wits again. "Maybe I'm actually a son of Hypnos."

"No, you're way too loud to be that," I said stealing a grape from the bowl. He chuckled, and it brought a smile to my face.

"Well, I think I'm about done?" he asked. I glanced at the plate in front of him.

There sat two plates of eggs with a side of toast and fresh cut fruit. Nothing was burnt, nothing was messy. It was surprisingly beautiful plating.

"Have you watched cooking show before?" I asked curiously. He shook his head. "This looks fancy and not like someone's first time cooking ever."

He tossed the rag he'd used to clean up over his shoulders.

"What did I tell you? I'm a fast learner," he said stoically.

"This is impressive, Travis," I said honestly. He straightened at my words.

"Well, I had a good teacher." I smiled at him. He seemed surprised by that, too. I made a mental note to maybe give him complements more often.

I gestured to the food in front of him.

"Well, bon appetite." He frowned.

"What's that mean?"

"It means, go eat," I laughed. He pushed a plate towards me. "I appreciate it, but you know I already ate."

"Yeah, but I did rob you of some grapes," he said pulled a couple of forks out of the drawer. I took one, ignoring the fuzziness inside, and took up the offer. He dug into his eggs first.

"Oh, my gods," he said with a mouth full of food. I raised my brows. "These are the best eggs I've ever had."

"Better than camp?" I asked curiously. Camp's food was magic. It was hard to beat. He nodded vigorously.

"A thousand times better."

Curious myself, I took a bite despite my full belly. They tasted normal to me, but I guess that was to be expected.

"They taste fine, I guess."

"That's probably just because you're used to it," he protested. "You've become immune to the magic. It's like a party is going on in my mouth."

I chuckled.

"Well, you cooked it. Be proud of yourself."

"Oh, I am, but I'm even more proud to be your student and boyfriend, right now."

My stomach fluttered. Chills ran down my spine. I tried to hide how much that one word made feel inside. It was warm, light. I felt like I was floated for a quick moment before I came back down to earth.

He scarfed up the rest of the hide eggs before I could even say anything. I pushed my plate towards him. He inhaled those as well. Man, Travis could eat.

"Gods," he sighed when they were gone. "I'm gonna miss those eggs."

"You can always make more," I said with a smile. He shook his head.

"You never forget your first." My stomach tumbled again. He picked up his plain toast.

"Is this bread going to change my life, too?" I shook my head.

"Not like that. Grab some honey and peanut but—" He ran to the pantry before I could finish.

"You're a genius," he said with full hands.

He wasted no time added those two ingredients and taking a big bite. I swear to Zeus I saw his eyes roll into the back of his head.

"I might cry," he sighed.

I shook my head, but my smile was almost impossible to hide.

"Katie," he said with a mouthful of food, "how are you so good at everything?"

My stomach swarmed with butterflies, but I frowned.

"I am definitely not good at everything." He stared at me pointedly. I had to admit, it was hard not to smile with his full mouth puffing his cheeks out. He looked like a tall, scruffy chipmunk.

"That's a lie."

"How so?" I asked curiously.

"Okay, let's see… Well first off, you can cook." Can't argue with that. "You can grow literally anything."

"I feel like that's an unfair advantage," I commented.

"Let me finish!" he said sharply. I hid my laugh behind my hand. "Thank you. You're a pretty good swordfighter for someone who supposedly hates fighting, and you're also the most stubborn person I know." I frowned. "In a good way."

"I'd hardly call that a talent."

"I never said it was, but you're still good at being it." I rolled my eyes. "Oh, not to mention you can put your hair into all those fancy hairdos."

"Braids?" I laughed. He snapped and pointed to me.

"Bingo. I can barely tie my shoes. We are not the same."

"You have talents, too," I said trying to shift some of the attention off of me. He raised a brow and smiled.

"I do?" he asked cheekily. I groaned.

"Gods, forget I said anything." He leaned against the island, chin in his hands and batting his long eyelashes at me.

"No, no. Tell me how good I am at stuff." I shook my head and sighed.

"Okay, well you're good at stealing," I said reluctant to open up.

"Like you said, unfair advantage." I rolled my eyes.

"You're smart in an unorthodox way." He frowned.

"Thank you?"

"You're tall."

"Okay, now you're just being mean," he grumbled. I laughed. "Is that all you think of me? Height and pranks?" I looked him up and down.

"No…" I found it hard to fight my smile. "You have curly hair." His face fell into the counter. I fell into a fit of laughter.

"Gods, Kathryn," he moaned. "I compliment you, and that's all you have to say.

"Wait, wait. I have something." He looked back up at me, waiting patiently for me to finish my giggles. It was hard, but I muscled them down, took a deep breath, and spoke more from the heart. "You, despite your squirrely and bad boy exterior, have a really nice and compassionate inside."

A light blush rose to his cheeks.

"And I want you to know that I do really mean what I said before, no matter how bad it might've sounded." I took a shaky breath. "You are really smart, but not in a stuck-up Athena kind of way. You're quick and cunning, something I think is much more attractive than book smarts."

He straightened, a light smile on his face. My heart skipped a beat.

"And as someone who's taller than average, it's really nice that you're tall, and as much as I've picked on it before, I really do like your curly hair."

His cheeks were red, but he wasn't flustered. I was. I'd never spoken to a guy like this before. I wasn't used to it.

"And I'm sure you've picked up on it by now," I said slowly, "but I'm not the best with showing affection—at least not like this. Lily and Miranda always said I was awkward with this stuff, and that's why I never had a boyfriend before really."

He stood and walked around the island to stand next to me. My heart began to beat faster.

"Well, I certainly appreciate all the complements this morning," he said. His voice was low, and quite honestly, super sultry. It made me warm inside. "But don't listen to Lily and Miranda. They don't know what they're talking about."

I looked up to him curiously.

"Your shyness is endearing, and despite what you might think, I'm the reason you've never had a boyfriend."

I frowned.

"How so?"

"Well, at least I like to think I am. Pretty much everyone at camp knew I liked you. Well, everyone but you." I stared at him pointedly. "I made it very apparent in my actions that I wanted your attention and your attentions only, and no one wanted to fight me on it."

"You sure do have really high self-esteem," I murmured. He shrugged.

"To be fair, you did give it to me." I nodded.

"I guess some part of me was crazy enough to want your attention, too." I sighed. "And I guess it does make me feel better knowing my singleness was less an inevitability and moreso a manifestation from you. Not that being single is a bad thing."

"No, but why be single when you could kiss me all day?" he asked with his crooked grin.

"There's that Hermes ego again," I chuckled disapprovingly.

"Oh, but you love it."

"Yeah…," I said softly. "I do."

He took a shaky breath. His pupils were large, blocking out the brilliant blue of his eyes. I took pride in making them look like that, but I also cursed it. His eyes were my favorite shade of blue— dark like a sapphire but brilliantly bright at the same time.

"Katie," he said softly. My skin tingled at the sound of my name. "Could I please beg just one kiss off of you this morning."

A blush rose to my cheeks.

"I'm pretty sure we both have really bad egg breath right now," I said softly. He shook his head.

"We've slaughtered monsters. Trust me, Katie. Your breath—no matter what food you've just eaten—will never be a deterrent." He glanced down at my mouth and chuckled. "And if I'm being honest, I'd do pretty much anything for your lips at the moment."

I bit my lip. My insides melted like honey.

"Well, then I suppose one wouldn't hurt."

His smile brightened the room.

I barely had time to register his hands tilting up my chin before he pressed his lips to mine.

They were soft – so soft I thought I was imagining them. I wished he'd been firmer, but I couldn't deny how knee-weakening his gentleness was.

Travis didn't want you to see him as soft. He was loud and brash. He made himself known when he entered a room and acted on impulse, and I thought that's all he was capable of before this winter.

Since he'd arrived in my driveway a few weeks ago, my eyes had been open to a completely different side of him that I'd been so bent on ignoring.

He was brash, sure, but only when acting on his heart. Most of the time, decisions I'd seen as impulsive and stupid were thought out and decisive. I just wasn't smart enough to see it like him, and he was okay with being seen that way long as it all worked out.

And yes, he was loud, but it was all for show. It was a distraction to keep your eyes on his face while his nimble fingers slipped into your pocket, while his smile snuck its way into your mind, your heart

His hands…

I felt the light touch of fingers on my chin. I remembered the ease of their movements as he'd cooked, the speed as he'd moved and gentleness of how he'd held that egg. It had hypnotized me, and all I wanted was to be touched that way with them.

Without breaking away, I guided his free hand from the island counter and placed it on my waist. While I may not have been good with words, actions were a whole different thing. I knew what I wanted.

The second his fingertips brushed my shirt, they grasped for my body. His fingers moved from my chin to cup the nape of my neck. I gripped the hem of his shirt and pressed my lips into more. His gentleness was appreciated and loved, but I wanted just a little bit more. I needed him to be a little bit firmer.

One kiss turned into many. I lost track of how many minutes it'd been. I didn't even worry about someone walking in on us. All I could think about were his warm lips on mine and the feeling of his hands wrapped around my body.

A door shutting loudly below brought us both back to reality. He pulled away, and while I knew the reason for it, I was upset he still did it.

His eyes shone as I looked up into them. His pupils still blacked out that brilliant blue. I could only imagine that mine looked the same.

"Guess the others are awake," he murmured. I nodded slowly. "We can finish this later."

I leaned forward to press one final peck before the others arrived. I pulled back once I heard the footsteps grow louder. I smiled at the redness of his lips.

"I'll be upstairs getting ready," I said quietly. I stood and whispered some final parting words in his ear before walking towards the stairs. "Try not to look so taken when they get up here."

I heard him softly groan as I brushed past him and up to my room, hiding my smile until I was out of sight.

"All finished?"

I jumped. Adidas sat on the porch watching the sea ebb and flow in the distance. I'd forgotten she'd come up here.

"The others are awake," I said quickly. "I'm getting a shower."

She nodded and stood to walk downstairs and leave me to my myself. She paused right next to me before doing so.

She looked me up and down and sniffed.

"What?" I asked. She grinned.

"You smell like eggs."

"Goodbye, Adidas," I said pushing her away. She cackled, her voice in the stairwell.

I breathed into my palm and sniffed. Gods it was awful. How on earth did Travis kiss me like this?

But despite him eating eggs, too, I didn't remember him smelling like this. Hopefully, he'd been too distracted by other things like I had.

My face blushed when I thought his hands on me again. It was beginning to make me warm again.

I shook my head and ran to the shower. I needed to get it together. Cold water would do the trick.

Still, as I grabbed a towel and stripped down, I couldn't help but smile and reminisce on the moment. The cold water hit my head, but the warmth never went away.

Gods, what was happening to me?

I tried to make this long to appease the masses. I hope this makes up a little bit for my absence. I didn't really proofread this because I just want to get it out, so don't harp too much on any bad grammar.

Anyway, I know a handful of you were wondering if I'd forgotten about the whole "demigods vs. Gaia rising" plotline I'd established way back when.

Don't worry. I didn't, hehe :D All in due time, my friends.

Brooke