Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson

Hair

"Katie Gardner has to be the ugliest girl in camp."

Katie stopped walking. She was about to take a basket of strawberries, fresh from the fields, to the mess hall until she heard someone talking.

"I know. It's hard to make a T-shirt look bad, but Katie pulls it off." There were giggles. Katie clenched the handles of the basket until her knuckles turned white. She hid behind a bush and peeked out to eavesdrop. I know, she was just torturing herself and she should ignore them, but her curiosity got the better of her. She peeked over the branches and leaves and saw the Aphrodite sisters, Bria and Maci talking and fixing their makeup at archery. In between talking, they would glance up at the Apollo boys and give a flirty wink and wave. Katie rolled her eyes.

"Have you seen her? She looks like Pollux except with more grosser hair," Bria said. Maci gave a high pitched giggle. Kate wanted to throw up. She wasn't sure if it was from them making fun of her or their horrid grammer. Plus, Pollux was her friend! He wasn't exactly, attractive… but he had great hair and an amazing attitude!

"I know! I think they look alike because they spend so much time together!" Maci said. "But they're not brother and sister…" The two pondered that for a moment.

Idiots, Katie thought shaking her head.

"But he does have amazing hair!" Bria said, "Which Katie does not have."

"I know! She always keeps it up in a ponytail and it's all tangled and gross! I mean like, ugh, get a brush!" Maci said. Bria giggled and the two whipped out their brushes and started combing their already fabulous hair.

"On a scale of one to ten, she'd have to be a three," Bria said.

"So… a two!" Maci said. Bria nodded in agreement.

"I mean really, she puts the 'fu' in 'fugly'," Bria said. Katie couldn't take it anymore. She got out of the bush and ran away.

After she was gone, Maci said, "I can't believe that Travis likes her."

Katie sat on the dock swinging her legs over the water and eating strawberries. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She solemnly took a bite out of a strawberry and threw the leaves in the water. She watched them drift down the water.

"…Katie?" she heard a voice say behind her. She closed her eyes immediately recognizing the voice.

"Go away," she said trying to sound harsh. It didn't work because her voice cracked at the end. Of course, he didn't listen so he sat beside her and swung his legs over the side of the dock also.

"You missed dinner," Travis said. She just nodded and turned away. She didn't want him to see her in this state.

"You should've been there!" he said. "Percy and Chris got in a soda drinking contest because Chiron had to do some work at the Big House and Mr. D really couldn't care less. Percy won, probably from all of that blue coke he drinks…" Travis said thoughtfully. "Anyways, afterwards, Percy let out the loudest burp I've ever heard in my entire life! It was hilarious!" He started laughing. He waited for her to scold him on how immature he was but it never came.

"Katie?" he asked. She was still turned away. She threw some strawberry leaves into the water, nonresponsive. He reached out and turned her face toward him, despite her struggling not to. When he saw her face, his smile fell.

"Katie, what happened?" he asked all traces of humor gone. She just closed her eyes and shook her head turning away again. He reached out and held her hand.

"Katie?" he asked squeezing her hand. She finally turned to him. Despite her crying face, he still thought she looked extremely pretty.

"Do you think I'm ugly?" she asked him. Her voice sounded raw from crying. That question caught Travis off guard.

"What?" he asked surprised.

"Right," she said turning away and taking her hand back, "Of course you do."

"Wait!" Travis said. He reached out and took her hand again. "No! I think you're really pretty." He was about to say beautiful but he chickened out. She was still turned from him.

"Do I look like Pollux? Do I have awful hair?" she asked.

"What?" he asked. "Look like Pollux? Are you crazy?" he asked her. She smiled at his reaction.

"Am I a two on a scale of one to ten?" she asked.

"Is this about some Aphrodite girls?" he asked. Katie didn't respond.

"No," he said, "I think you're an eight… or an eight point five… or maybe a nine… but not over a nine point eight, because there's always room for improvement!" he said. She smiled and playfully hit him on the shoulder. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Definatly a ten, because you're worth it." She blushed and smiled.

"Am I 'fugly'?" she asked.

"Now I know this is about the Aphrodite girls," he said. She turned to him surprised.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Because no one but the Aphrodite girls says 'fugly'," he said disgusted. She laughed.

"And no, you're not… you're fabulous!" he said.

For the next thirty minutes, the two just sat on the dock and ate strawberries and talked. Finally, Travis had to leave. He stood up and started to leave, but something stopped him. He bent over and whispered into Katie's ear.

"You're hair has to be the most beautiful hair I've ever seen in my life. Aphrodite's hair is nothing compared to yours," he said. Thunder boomed from above, but to him, it was the truth.

Well, wasn't that adorable! I just love Tratie! Don't you wish that Katie stayed a little bit more so she could hear them say that Travis liked her? Well of course, I couldn't let that happen ;)

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~ xhiddendreamx