I think there's only a few more chapters after this...yeah this was the first big push for the couple. Hope ya like it!

The next year after the fireworks Katie had the biggest scare of her life. Worse than the demonic mailman. Worse than seeing Argus and Chiron for the first time. Worse than her garden "dying".

The Titan war.

Somehow, as campers, centaurs, and hunters united to fight, Katie found herself wielding a blade and conjuring up deadly cacti and venus flytraps, which didn't sound so dangerous (well, the sword did) until you were being eaten like a fly or falling into the cacti's needles. She thought she was holding out pretty good, slicing through the monsters with a surprising amount of gracefulness. For a fleeting moment, she thought they were going to do it.

The gods were going to win the war.

But then that moment ended.

"Katie! You were amazing out there!"

One battle out of many to come had ended, and Katie felt exhausted, slumped onto a couch. They'd lost so many…she wasn't sure who, yet, but she wanted to sleep first. She'd cry for the lost when she woke up. But one of her sisters (Abby? Taylor? She was too exhausted to really tell) came running towards her, smiling despite the blood and monster dust smeared on her face. She wrapped Katie in a tight hug, one that Katie feebly returned, before pulling back and exclaiming, "Gods, I didn't know you were so good with a sword!"

"I didn't, either," Katie admitted, fighting back a yawn. "I'm so tired," she said after a minute, and the sister nodded. But instead of walking away and letting her sleep, she lost her cheerful smile and leaned down close to Katie, her eyes completely serious. It made the sleepiness fade a bit, worry invading that little opening. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I mean, besides the obvious war going on…"

"Katie," the sister said, so seriously that Katie quit talking and just stared at her sibling in nervous confusion. The sister took a deep breath, then said softly, "Connor told me to tell you…Travis was injured in battle. They…they say he's fading fast…"

Katie felt that in that one second it took to say those words the fragile bit left of her life began to crack, threatening to shatter. "F-Fading fast?" she repeated as a question, her eyes unnaturally wide. "You mean…you mean he's…?"

The sister nodded solemnly. "Oh, gods, Katie…I'm so sorry."

But Katie was already up and running for the makeshift hospital, scanning all the demigods who lay around, being treated by Apollo kids. But she didn't see him. Oh gods, where is he? Where is he? Where…?

There. In the far back, lying on a table, a spear wound visible in his stomach even from where she stood a few tables away. He was continuously gritting his teeth against what must have been agonizing pain, clenching and unclenching his fist, while an Apollo kid worked away to what seemed to no avail. Connor stood off to one side, watching and trying not to let anyone see him crying. Katie remembered clearly how Connor still believed Travis was all he had left, no one else to turn to. And yet there he lay, dying…

Tears blurred her own eyes as she ran forward, past the inconsolable Connor, not caring how the Apollo kid shouted for her to get out of the way. There was nothing he could do now, anyway. She had to see him, had to talk to him…

Her hand gripped his tightly, the one that was wrapped around his wound. Words, useless words, poured from her mouth. "Travis! Oh, gods, Travis, how in Hades did you let this happen? You stupid idiot! Everything'll be okay!"

"K…Kates?" His voice was trembling and strained. His hand weakly held hers back. "Hey…who you calling…a stupid idiot?" he mumbled.

Tears streaked down her cheeks. "Everything's gonna be fine," she repeated, mostly trying to reassure herself.

Travis's mouth twitched into what Katie thought was a smile, but then his face twisted in horrible pain, and a scream escaped his mouth. Katie felt more tears falling. When the scream faded, he was left gasping, "Oh…you poor…delusional…Katie-Cat!"

"W-What?"

That smile flickered on his lips again, strange considering the horrible pain she saw in his eyes. "We both know…," he whispered, "that I'm not…gonna make it through…this one."

Katie's hand tightened over his, her bottom lip trembling. "O-Of course you are!" she said in a shaky voice. "You're Travis Stoll, prankster extraordinaire, the funny kid of Hermes who can live through anything…" Then she gave up lying. "I don't want to lose you," she whispered, falling to her knees beside the table so that her face was right beside his. "I-I can't lose you!"

That smile was still there. He coughed suddenly, ground his teeth against more pain and managed to hold back another scream. But when that all faded, he was smiling still. "Gods, Katie Gardener…," he said suddenly, so softly that she was sure only she could hear him now. "You are…so beautiful…"

His face went all blurry as even more tears spilled down her cheeks. "Stay with me, Travis!" she begged.

"Take care of…Connor…for me," he said. "Okay?"

"Y-You're not dyi—"

"Okay?"

"Okay," she managed.

Travis took in a deep breath. "Good," he said as he exhaled, his eyes flickering close.

Katie waited a moment for him to speak again, but he didn't. Waited for him to breath again, but he didn't. When she realized he wasn't going to speak again, make her laugh again, annoy her, pick on her, make her smile…she snapped.

"No!" she screamed. She jumped to her feet, her hands shooting out and grabbing him by the shoulders, shaking him. "Wake up! Wake up!" she yelled, a sickening feeling entering her stomach as his head lolled limply from side-to-side. Hands grabbed her shoulders, pulling her away from him, or trying to. At the last second, she jerked out of their grasps, leaping onto Travis's body and wrapping her arms around him, hugging his body close. "No," she sobbed into his cold shoulder. "No…"

"Katie…" a voice said behind her, but she ignored them. But they continued. "H-His heart gave out…there's nothing we can do now…"

Katie did the one thing she could think of. She pulled back and swiftly pressed her lips to his. It short, quick, probably sloppy and gross, but Katie kissed Travis Stoll, dead or not. When she pulled back, the hands, probably the Apollo kid, got a good hold on her and hauled her back. She screamed, sobbed like a child, much like Connor standing in the comfort of other Hermes kids.

Then, suddenly, everyone went quiet. Everyone's eyes locked on Travis.

Slowly, almost dream-like, the son of Hermes's eyes opened. He looked up at the people standing, tear-stained and shocked, and flashed a weaker version of his usual boyish grin. "W-What'd I miss?" he croaked.

The Apollo kid looked over at Katie slowly in shock. "You…You shocked his heart back into beating," the kid breathed, eyes wide.

And with that, Katie collapsed to her knees beside the table, sobbing though she smiled, shouting over and over, "Travis, you idiot, you scared the crap out of me! I'm so going to beat the heck out of you when this is all over!"

But thank you for coming back to me.