Ω The scent that triggers a thought Ω

-Travis-

"Why did you go get Katie for dinner?" Connor asked as soon as Travis walk to the Hermes table.

"Someone here is in love!"

"He is wooing her, obviously" Some of his siblings said.

"Drop it!" Travis snapped and flopped down at the table. People burst into laughter.

"I'm going to ask something to you." He turned to his brother.

"What's wrong?"

"So, I pissed Katie off but I really don't know why. She only said it's about the conversation we had this morning and she will act like a bitch until I find out, which is—"

"Hold up, what conversation?"

"Oh, I left off that part." He told Connor about the talk they had. When he finished, Connor looked at him in shocked.

"Did you really use the word 'hate' to her in front of her face?" Travis nodded. "Gods. You're hopeless. You better say sorry as soon as possible, it's incredible that you are still alive now."

"What's wrong what that, I'm afraid she gets the wrong idea about the whole thing. Besides, she hates me, what's the harm? She often said she hate me when she's mad at our prank!" He really didn't get the point.

"You are in a serious talking, when she said that it's just part of her outburst, you can't count the. No one use to word 'hate' in front the person you are mentioning, and she doesn't really hate you."

"What—"

"According to the affair you had last night, I even think she had a thing for you and you just spoil it. Now I think that you are a top-class idiot." He opened and closed his mouth like a fish on shore, he's shocked by Connor's literature.

He never thought that she will be harm by his words.

He rested his eyes on Katie across the room, suddenly realized that she is looking directly at him. He sheepishly gives her a small nod. Connor's words linger in his head, now he feels like his is an ass. Katie asked to talk to him, and he went to tell her he hates her. A real dick move. He is gonna apologize to her tonight, hoping he will be forgiven.

Life couldn't be better.

*Hermes pic

When the alarm at his bedside table points at eleven, he left the room through the window. Taking the same path like yesterday and get himself to Katie's bedroom. She didn't move when he landed at the floor, not even a flinch. He took a deep breathe, prepared the words in his mind. The sooner they finish this, the sooner they can have rest.

"Do you have any idea what you did?" Katie sounds tired when the words come out her mouth, her voice set a barrier between him and her while he settled himself in her chair near her bed but not in hand-reach.

"Yes, I figured."

"Are you going to say anything about it?"

"I'm sorry that I said those words to you, and I hope you can forgive me. You can be mad when I prank you or suggest the bet, but this is something I want to beg for forgiveness." He looked down at his hand, giving out a deep sighed. Then he heard the sound of shifting for the first time he got in here tonight, he looked up. Katie turned her body and sat up in her bed, she set her glaze at his face, trying to track down any lies but found none.

"Do you hate me?" She asked. He blinked in disbelief. The idea of her thinking that he hates her is really killing him. Her words, four simple letters, are like arrows piercing through the air, leaving an invisible scar on his mind. While he already left her's when he told her that they each other this morning.

"No." He thought for a moment. "Never."

"I forgive you." Katie replied after a few seconds, but it feels like forever. He sighed in relief. "Come on, it's late, I really want to get some sleep." She lied back down in her bed with her back facing him.

He softly slipped under the covers placing one arm under her neck the other on her waist. He thinks for a while and decided to pull her closer into him and turned her face to his chest. She didn't show any dislike to his action, so he moves on and smooth her hair with the hand that was placed at her waist, just like last night.

"I'm really sorry." Katie froze before giving him a small nod.

He soon fell asleep with Katie in his arms, and this is the most peaceful night he had in months.

-Katie-

When Travis pulled her to himself, she wasn't surprise. But when he turned her to face him, she actually froze in the spot. A smell of mint rolling off his shirt when he presses her head to his chest. She found it familiar and noticed she had smell it when he came here last night. She liked the way he smooths her hair with he hands, it eventually stopped and went back to her waist when he's about asleep.

She found herself acknowledging another scent coming from him, a breeze, the kind of if you run really fast or if you ride a motorcycle, so fast that you can taste the wind. Katie thought it's a little creepy of her to take mental notes on what does Travis smells like.

Her mind drift back to the apologize he gave her earlier. He told her that he never hated her, and for the first time she heard Travis Stoll begged for her forgiveness. This must shake him hardly, in that case, it must be Connor who gave him the talk. She'll have to thank he later.

Katie lifted her head and take a close look at Travis ' features. His lips don't have the smirking smile he usually wears when he's in sleep, but an innocent one. It looks good on him too but she like the usual one better because it shows his personality. His brows are like his hair, which is in color brown but a little darker. His hair is slightly curly and it sticks in all kinds of detraction all the times. She wonders how soft are they and try her best to not reach out touching. His facial skin is a little tan because of the amount of time he spent under the sun, but not as tan as his limbs. There are also some freckles around his cheeks.

There are somethings going on and she isn't really eager to find out. They spend years and years annoying with each other, the sudden changes these days is too overwhelming for her. But she did sense a little, just a little hope, maybe they can be something more than enemies, friends perhaps. They are friends right now, are they? Full of all kinds of thought she soon find herself feeling sleepy and closed her eyes with the scent of mint and winds.

*Demeter pic

Katie wakes up next morning found out that Travis already went back to his cabin. She ready herself for the morning routine, then she realized somethings is wrong when she come out of the shower and look at the mirror.

Her hair is freaking blonde. Blonde.

She quickly put on her clothes and storm out the room, not caring her hair is still damp. "Katie where are you go— gods, your hair" Miranda shouting her to coming back before seeing her hair.

She bangs at the Hermes cabin, "Travis Stoll! Get your ass out here! Travis—"

Then the door opened, showed one of his siblings. "Hi, Katie! Your hair? —"

"Don't ask. Where is he?"

"Travis still in his bed room, do you want to came in?"

"Yes, thanks."

She steps in the cabin, though there aren't as many bunks as before, but it's still crowed. She went straight to the head counselors' room.

"Travis! Open the door! Trav— Oh hey Connor, is he in there?" It's Connor opens the door and step out the room.

"Yes, he is" He paused before saying the next sentence, "But I don't suggest you come in now..."He keep glancing in the room, checking something.

"I knew he's already awake, I just need to ask him how to fix is freaking blonde hair which is his doing." Katie whispered the first part and push Connor aside.

Then she saw something she didn't expect: Travis Stoll walking out of shower with a tower tied at his waist, upper body completely exposed, showing his six packs, maybe even more packs. She can smell the same mint scent she noticed last night. She stared blankly at the view, she knew he got nice body but this is something out of imagination.

"Katie! What are you doing here?!" Travis yelled as he spotted her, using his arms to cover his chest. She can tell that he is surprised, he even forgot to call her in those stupid nicknames.

"Just tell me how to get my hair color back!" She yelled in frustration, forcing her eyes move away from the part he is trying to cover but failed.

"You get out first! Or are you interested in my body?" He sounds embarrassed.

"No. I'm not going before you tell me how to fix this!" She tried hard not to blush but even without looking, she can feel the radiation coming from her cheek.

"Go to the Aphrodite kids! Now please get out so I can change!" A second. "I don't mind you stay though." Travis smirked.

"You are impossible!" Katie stomped out the room and shut the door behind her.

"I told you it's not the best time to get in..." Connor told her weakly as she got out, "The hair is pretty cool, though..."

"No, it's not!" Katie growled. "I knew excepting the bet is a bad idea." She murmured, ignoring the background laughter made by the Hermes kids.

"Trav said that he expects you to back down." Connor raised an eyebrow at her, asking why did she take the bet.

"Then he doesn't know me well enough." If there is a bet involving Travis Stoll, then back down isn't a choose to her. "By the way, thanks for telling him the talking thing..."

"Oh, yeah, I think he will never figure it out if it isn't me. This and the other things..."

"What other things?"

"Never mind. Don't you need to go to Cabin 10 before breakfast? Go find Piper."

"Gods, I so want to strangle him." Sighed. " Fine I'll go. Bye Connor."

Katie goes to Cabin 10, the Aphrodite cabin, it's Piper who answer the door.

"Morning Katie, gods, your hair... Travis again?" Katie nodded. "Come in I have somethings let would work on you. How long did you have the bleach on your hair?"

"About half an hour?"

"Okay. Let me see."

After a few minutes, Katie is sitting in front of Piper's dresser, most of the hair were back to brown but there are still a few highlights are blonde.

"This is the best I can do."

"It's okay, thank you very much!"

"But I have to say, you do look good in blonde."

"Why is everyone telling me that?" Katie knotted her eyebrows together.

"Because it's true!" Piper chuckled. "It's pretty late, let's go to breakfast together."

-Travis-

Travis woke as the clock strike six, Katie is still sound asleep aside him. He slowly removed the arm under her neck and place a pillow under. Sneaking to her bathroom, he finds her shampoo and added bleach in it, if it works just fine, he will be seeing a blonde Katie later.

He went back to his room carefully to not be witnessed.

"So, you spent your night out, I assumed you apologize went well?" Connor asked him as he about to get himself a quick shower.

"Yeah. It went fine. By the way, I put bleach in her shampoo, so if she burst in don't be too surprised."

"Noted."

Just as he finished showering and tied a towel around his waist for safety reasons (he was once be pranked when he went out of the shower naked, it's not something he want to experience again), he heard noises coming from outside of the room. He opened the bathroom door and facing a blonde Katie.

His first thought: His plan worked!

But he also noticed her hair isn't fully dry, the way some of the wet hair stick to her face made her looks like a fantasy. Then he felt her glazed stop at a certain spot and started to blush.

He looks down.

The second thought: Hades, his hasn't wear his shirt and there's only a towel covering his lower body. He mentally thanks the person who pranked him last time. He couldn't imagine what will it look like if he doesn't have the towel at his waist.

Travis used his hand to cover his chest and said, "Katie! What are you doing here?"

Gods, he so panic that he even forgets calling her in nicknames. The rest of the conversation was a blur in his memory, he doesn't even notice giving out the way to remove the hair dye.

"I tried to keep her outside, but according to your red face, maybe it isn't a bad thing." Connor went in the room and give him a half sorry half tease statement.

"She looks good in blonde." Travis blurted the statement.

"I see. Wait. That's all you gonna say? You're really hopeless." Connor do a sick face at him. "Come on. Quit your love-struck face and get change, I'm starving."

Travis sits down at the table just before Katie step foot in the pavilion, the air froze. Everyone stopped talking and turned around to see what's going on.

Then he saw her.

Katie's hair isn't in fully blonde like earlier anymore, it turns out with a few highlights of blonde in her brown hair; she also turned it into the French braid she usually does. 'This look suits her more,' Travis think. Fully blonde makes her look like a barbie, it's too unrealistic. This way she seems more alive and vital. And the color blonde really brings out her green eyes. When she walks pass the Demeter table, all the flower around turn towards her, the scene looks like the earth itself is worshipping Katie. If she wears a flower crown like her mother, people might just mistake her as Demeter herself.

"Gods, it's that Katie?"

"Why did she suddenly dye her hair? Not that it's bad looking."

"It's Travis, I heard her storm in Cabin 11 earlier."

"When did you get your hair blonde, the highlight looks so good on you!"

"Gods, Katie, you look gorgeous!"

"Are you keeping it?"

"Bro, you are drooling." Travis growled at Connor

"Shut up. I'm now a little regretting to have her hair bleached." Connor asked why. "Because everyone can see it..." He murmured.

"Whoa. You really left me speechless. But Katie herself told me she doesn't quite like the blonde on her though." Travis smacked his brother.

*Hermes pic

When he got to Katie's room he didn't see her, so he amused she is still outside her room with her siblings. He decided to get to bathroom before sleep. When he opened the bathroom door, he sees Katie exterminating the highlights in her hair. She seems delight about it according to the little smile on her face.

"Knock knock." Katie jumped.

"When did you come?"

"I have been standing here for ten seconds. Just letting you know." Katie frowned.

"Seems like you like your new hair?" Travis sound amused.

"No. I. Don't."

"Katie-Kat, you do know that the Neil isn't just a river in Egypt, right?"

"This is too old. Go work on some new one."

"Just to remind you!"

"Get out, I want to sleep."

Katie suddenly speaks just before he is about to fell asleep. "Exactly, I think the hair looks pretty good on me."

Travis snapped his eyes open and look at her, taking a full few at her expression. The drowsiness all gone.

"Told you."

"And, I think I would like to keep it..."

Travis froze. "Did our dear Katie-Kat just give me the permission to put hair dyed in her shampoo?" He asked slowly, worrying he will be kicked out the next second.

"Maybe."

Travis laughed cheerfully. Katie elbowed him in the gut for being too noisy.

*Hermes pic

After that day, whenever Travis noticed Katie's highlights is fading, he puts hair dye and bleach in her bathroom.

The first time he did this, Katie looked confused. "Why is there hair dye and bleach in my bathroom, are you in the middle of pranking or something? I don't think you will have such low mistake though."

"No. It's not a prank. And I'm glad you appreciate my prank skills."

Katie rolled her eyes, "Then?"

"Your highlights are fading." He pointed.

"I noticed?"

"And I noticed. So, a generous person like me, decided to use my right of putting hair dye in your shampoo. But I figured that if I do it without warning you will get mad, so it ends up with hair dye and bleach in your bathroom."

"Oh, you still remember that." Katie blinked.

"Of course, I got a permission from our dearest Sunshine that I can put bleach in her shampoo, how can I not remember?"

"Gods, you are so dramatic." She chuckled. "And don't call me Sunshine." She is back to the serious Katie again.

Later that morning, she showed up with new highlights in her hair.

The hair dye and bleach part are just so fluff, I want to get myself someone like Travis?!

-Elva