Hi! I am back from the dead! XD Actually, I wasn't dead. I've just been focusing on two stories right now, and in effect, RftC has been neglected. But why don't we check up on our favorite heroine? =D

Annabeth's POV

I was wandering around in the forest, dagger at the ready in case a monster jumped out at me suddenly. I was a bit paranoid, but hey! Better wary than dead. A twig snapped behind me, and I whirled around to face the noise. "Who's there?" I called out, my voice ringing in the still forest. A tall boy with long black hair and sea-green eyes stepped out from behind a tree. Percy. "What do you want with me?" I asked, my voice quavering slightly. Percy approached me, his green eyes brimming with sadness. I stood there, unable to move, as he walked right up to me and cupped my chin in both hands. I tried to avert my eyes, but Percy tilted my face up to look directly at him.

"Annabeth," he whispered. "I miss you."

My head felt a bit peculiar at this point, and I was beginning to get frightened. Suddenly, I regained mobility, and lurched away from Percy. "What do you want with me?" I repeated, leveling my dagger at him. Percy simply gazed at my knife sadly, a hint of a remorseful smile tugging at his lips.

"Oh, this is truly ironic," a lazy voice drawled behind me. I pivoted to hear the voice, still keeping my dagger pointed at Percy. His smile grew, losing its sadness as he looked over at the speaker. It was a breathtaking young guy. He had sandy hair and mischievously twinkling eyes, and his arms were long and tan, crossed over his chest as he leaned against a tree. It was Travis. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. When had he gotten so gorgeous?

"Travis!" Percy greeted . "Can you talk to Annabeth please?" Travis nodded, striding confidently towards me. I had to catch my breath as he stood only a foot in front of me. I kept my dagger pointed at Percy though. Percy was clearly not in his right mind, and I needed to protect myself from him. Maybe Travis could help me ward him off.

"Yo Annabeth," Travis began, his eyes no longer twinkling. Instead, they were looking at me seriously. I bit my lip, trying to keep from squealing as he said my name. "You need to stop keeping Percy away. You'll kill him." I frowned. This was not what I wanted Travis to say. I wanted more along the lines of, 'please make out with me!'

"Gee, thanks Trav," Percy interjected, still keeping his gaze on me. "You make me sound all pathetic."

"You are pathetic though," Travis reasoned. I giggled at his logic, and he glanced at me, alarmed. "Annabeth. You need to-"

"What do I need to do?" I asked breathlessly, taking a step forward. He swiftly took a step back. I pouted. Travis wasn't playing fair!

"Dammit Annabeth, listen to me!" Travis yelled, startling me out of my thoughts. "Don't follow me around like a lovesick puppy! Percy is your boyfriend, for crying out loud!" My jaw dropped. Percy wasn't my boyfriend! And Travis- "Annabeth," he continued, unaware of my thoughts. "You need to-"

"WAKE UP! Geez, Annabeth! You sleep like the dead!" A voice complained from above me. I blinked my eyes blearily, finding Grover's face above mine. I smiled at him.

"Hi Grover. What's up?" I asked, stifling a yawn. He backed up, allowing me to get out of my bed. I was still wearing my regular clothes, as I had chose not to wear pajamas to sleep last night, so I followed Grover straight out of my cabin. He shifted nervously from hoof to hoof, his eyes glancing everywhere at once. "Grover?" I repeated, tapping his shoulder. He whirled around to face me, looking alarmed. "Grover, is something wrong?" I asked again, beginning to get worried. Grover glanced over my shoulder, and visibly relaxed.

"Oh, nothing's wrong, Annabeth," he assured me, still looking over my shoulder. I frowned at him.

"Hey, what're you looking at?" I turned around, looking around for the source of Grover's interest.

"Oh, it's nothing," he tried to say, but I didn't hear him over my shock. My whole body seemed to freeze, and I couldn't look away from the sight in front of me. It was awful, it was horrible, it was my worst nightmare. Travis stood next to the Demeter cabin, I recognized his tall form and sandy hair. The twinkling eyes that made my heart beat faster were focused on the girl in front of him. I recognized her in a moment. It was a daughter of Demeter, which made sense, as they were standing outside her cabin. However, the horrible thing was the way Travis was looking at her. He seemed utterly intent on her, and was backing her up against the wall of the cabin, whispering something to her. The girl blushed, and let out a forced-sounding giggle as she hit the wall. With a look of alarm on her face, she glanced at the wall, then back at Travis. Travis grinned cheekily at her, and her blush grew as he placed his hands against the wall on either side of her, boxing the girl in. Her eyes widened, now locked completely on Travis' eyes. Travis leaned forward, and I couldn't tear my eyes away as the girl's own fluttered closed. Then, disaster struck.

I stood there, completely frozen, as my true love began to kiss another girl. It wasn't just a chaste kiss either, and it definitely was not one-sided. Travis was very passionate as he moved his lips against hers, and the girl was responding to his attentions, winding her arms around his shoulders and knotting her fingers in his unruly hair. I couldn't move, couldn't speak. Grover tried to say something else, but I couldn't hear him. All I could do was watch Travis make out with this girl, moving his hands from the wall down to her waist. Then, when she moaned something against his lips, something inside me snapped. I couldn't take it anymore. Letting out frustrated growl, I whirled on my heel and stalked off towards the swords arena. I needed to let off some steam. Maybe one of the good fighters from Ares was there, and I could whup their butt to make myself feel better. The image of Travis and that girl kissing was burned into my mind. I couldn't dislodge it, no matter how hard I tried. Against my will, hot tears poured down my face, trailing across my mouth. I licked my lips, somehow finding comfort in the saltwater. It reminded me of something, but I wasn't exactly sure what. In the end, the tears themselves comforted me with their salty liquid. A burst of longing rose in my chest as the last tear caressed my cheek, but not for the life of me could I figure out why. I was so confused.

I stumbled into the arena, my eyes immediately landing on Clarisse. She was stretching out, her eyes flashing as she muttered angrily under her breath. A tight smile fell across my lips. If she was angry, it would be an even better fight. I would feel better in no time. No matter if Travis betrayed me. I had my own ways to comfort myself.

"Hey Clarisse!" I called, grinning cockily at her. She lifted her head and glared at me, before continuing to stretch. "Wanna spar? No holding out. I need to burn some energy." Clarisse's eyes flashed again, but this time in anticipation.

"Bring it on, Wise Girl," she growled, cracking her knuckles as she rose to her feet. My smile wavered at the nickname. It sounded so familiar, and I got the feeling that it was a cherished name for me. Who had called me that? I didn't remember Clarisse starting the nickname, or else it wouldn't feel so… right. But there was no time to ponder the name, because Clarisse was charging me, her sword at the ready. Another smile tugged at the corners of my lips. I was ready.

Travis' POV

"Come on, Katie!"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Do it for Percy!"

"Some other girl can do this for him," Katie retorted. I sighed, racking my mind for means of persuasion. We were standing outside Katie's cabin, arguing for the millionth time. Arguing with Katie was fun, since she always surprised me with some witty comeback. She was a smart girl, to manage to outwit a son of Hermes sometimes.

"Katie," I began. "Grover and I came up with this plan to try and counteract Eros' second attack on Annabeth. You know she got all obsessed with me, and I've had to hide in my cabin for the past two days?" I asked. Katie nodded, looking grim. "Well, Grover and I figured that we could try to make her hate me somehow, maybe deflect the arrow's power off of me. So Grover's gonna lead Annabeth out here, and she's gonna walk over and see me kissing another girl. That's where you come in!" Katie rolled her eyes, but I noticed a hint of a blush gracing her cheeks.

"Travis, I understand your plan perfectly well. It actually sounds smart, for once," she began. I opened my mouth to argue that all my plans were smart, but Katie shot me a look, and I shut up. "But I don't see why I have to be the girl Annabeth sees you kissing!"

"Well, you're kind of handy right now," I replied, grinning mischievously. Katie narrowed her eyes at me, but soon relaxed into a grin. After a moment of silence, she raised an eyebrow at me.

"What do I get out of it?" she demanded, crossing her arms. I mentally cheered. Katie was going to help!

"You can have whatever you want," I assured her. "Just help with our plan. I want my freedom back!" Katie smiled, pretending to think over my offer.

"Fine," she decided. "I'll help."

"Thank you Katie!" I jumped up and down to illustrate my excitement. Katie laughed again, but looked a little wary still.

"So, when do we- have to execute the plan?" Katie asked, blushing a little. I smirked, noticing her reluctance to say kiss.

"Whenever Annabeth shows up," I replied. We stood in silence for a moment, before Katie sighed.

"Travis, I still don't understand why I have to be the girl you use to make her hate you! Why me? Why not a daughter of Aphrodite? I'm sure Lora would love to kiss you," Katie added, referring to a particularly giggly daughter of Aphrodite. I grimaced.

"Do you think I want to kiss her though?" I asked plainly. Katie thought for a moment.

"No."

"Exactly."

"So why me?" Katie persisted. She blushed heavily as she kept speaking. "Do you want to kiss- me?" Katie rushed through the words, her blush growing. I smiled hesitantly at her.

"Maybe," I admitted. If possible, Katie blushed even more, looking at the ground.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." I took a step towards her suddenly, lifting her chin and placing my lips firmly on hers. Katie didn't respond for a moment, before raising her hands to my shoulders and squeezing them tightly. Kissing Katie was as perfect as I thought it would be, sending fireworks crashing through my head. I smiled against her lips before pulling gently away. Katie looked at me with her hands still gripping my shoulders, completely thrown. Then, she glanced around us, frowning.

"Where's Annabeth?" she asked. I smirked.

"I dunno," I replied mischievously. Katie's jaw dropped, and she pulled her hands off my shoulders, taking a step back.

"Travis Stoll! Why did you kiss me if Annabeth isn't here?" she demanded, looking suitably ruffled. My smirk grew, and I shrugged innocently at her.

"Practice run?" I suggested. Katie facepalmed, and opened her mouth to say something, when I heard Grover's voice waft over. Katie shut her mouth, hearing him too. "This, my dear, will not be a practice run," I whispered. Katie blushed again. Dang, that girl had serious blushing powers! I'd never seen someone blush so much in the space of five minutes. I heard Grover's hooves click on the ground, tearing me out of my Katie-induced haze. Someone was walking behind him, and they were wearing sneakers. I glanced quickly over, to see Annabeth's back turned towards Katie and I.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" Annabeth's voice drifted over, and she turned around. I shifted my gaze back to Katie, completely ignoring Annabeth's presence.

"This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill," I whispered, smiling brightly at the girl in front of me. Katie shook her head, letting out a noise that sounded like a cross between a cough and a giggle. I grinned at her again, taking a step forward. Katie immediately stepped back, but hit the side of her cabin. She turned her head to look at the wall, then glanced back at me, her eyes wide. "Hey Kates, do you have a cold? I have some cough drops back in my cabin if you want to go get them," I offered, raising my eyebrows suggestively. Katie raised an eyebrow right back at me.

"No, Travis, I do not want to go get cough drops from your cabin," she whispered back, her voice sounding slightly breathless. I focused on the movement of her lips. My own mouth was still tingling slightly from our 'practice run'. I definitely wanted to kiss Katie again.

So I did.

"Show time," I whispered, closing the gap between us. Katie's eyes shut, and I heard her breath hitch as my breath wafted in front of her face. Then, our lips connected, and I didn't think anymore. All I could focus on was the feel of Katie's fingers running through my hair, and her slightly chapped lips covering my own. Time seemed to stop, as if Kronos were back. But this was far better than Kronos. All I felt was warmth, cascading from my lips, down over my shoulders, and resonating through my body. Damn, Katie was a good kisser. Katie let out a small noise as I moved my mouth against hers, immediately complying and starting to shift her own lips in reply. Vaguely, I heard sounds that seemed to indicate that Grover and Annabeth had left, but I ignored them. The longer time spent kissing Katie, the better. Katie didn't even seem to realize the others were gone, instead continuing to move her lips against mine. A small smile curled on my face, and I let my mind settle down under the numbing spell Katie was casting over me.

Soooo… Tratie update! XD I love that pairing. I repent for being MIA, but this is not a top priority story right now. I pumped out an update because someone reminded me to… XD If you like this story, I do suggest you review, so I get forced off my butt and write more. =D Plus, I love to read reviews. They make me happy inside. =D =D =D

Thanks in advance! =P

~TMI~