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Look, Katie Gardner didn’t want to be a half-blood, but unfortunately and fortunately, she was. A daughter of Demeter, goddess of agriculture, to be exact. If anyone told you one thing about her, it was that she despises Travis and Connor Stoll, the sons of Hermes, god of messengers, travelers, tricksters, and more. The two pulled pranks only rivaled by their father. When it was time to go to college, most demigods chose to go to New Rome University, including Katie and Travis.
It was September, one month after school started when everyone was invited to a party some children of Bacchus did to welcome the Greek demigods to New Rome.
Katie couldn’t remember anything that happened that night. It was probably because she got really drunk when some people -basically every child of Dionysus or Bacchus- spiked the fruit punch. While her memory was hazy, what Katie did remember was Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase being there, making out on a couch because after the war against Gaea, they took every single chance to kiss, people dancing on top of tables, screaming the lyrics to every song playing, some children of Apollo blackout drunk and laying on practically everything, and people lined up at every bathroom or trash can. It was basically just any college party, except it was filled with powerful Greek and Roman demigods.
~𓆩🌿𓆪~
New Romantics by Taylor Swift was being blasted around the whole house. Katie was dancing with a few of her friends when Travis Stoll collided with her and spilled his drink all over her white sage dress.
“Fuck, Stoll!” “Shit!” The two said at the same time. Katie scowled at Travis, who she hadn’t seen since she woke up in the infirmary during the Second Giant War and saw him in there, looking absolutely terrified and nervously fidgeting with his fingers.
Before Katie could make the forget-me-nots on the coffee table strangle Travis, Dorothea Vinifera, daughter of Bacchus, and the mastermind of the party was to put a hand over Katie’s shoulder. “Hey, you can go to my room, Kates. I have some clothes you can wear.”
Katie looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Thanks, Thea.” Katie looked back to Travis and her face turned back to a scowl. “And you. I’ve successfully avoided you for months now, but of course you-”
“Alright, alright, Katie-Kat, I understand. I’m a fucking asshole or whatever.” Travis interrupted. He had the same smirk that made Katie’s heart flutter. She hated and loved that he was able to do that to her. His whole face and body were covered in freckles that looked like Apollo and Aphrodite themselves placed each one perfectly on him. His brown curls, which slightly covered his face, framed it perfectly and in the right lighting, it looked like his hair was glowing, but it’s not like Katie knew this from staring at him while Demeter cabin was picking strawberries!
“Cause baby, I could build a castle, out of all the bricks they threw at me, and every day is like a battle, but every night with us is like a dream, baby, we're the new romantics, come on, come along with me, heartbreak is the national anthem, we sing it proudly, we are too busy dancing, to get knocked off our feet, baby, we're the new romantics, the best people in life are free”
Katie rolled her eyes and then pushed Travis while walking to Dorothea’s room. She put on plain, white jeans and a green crop top. Ironically, there weren’t many purple clothes in the daughter of Bacchus’ closet. The only purple were Camp Jupiter shirts then some purple tops or dresses. She walked out and met up with her friends again, ready to get even more drunk than she already was.
~𓆩🌿𓆪~
Katie woke up, confused. She was in … someone's bed. It was still Dorothea’s house, but she couldn’t remember how she got there. Katie rubbed her eyes and looked to her left and saw Travis Stoll. Travis fucking Stoll. The man who terrorized her the whole time at Camp Half-Blood was next to her in bed with her lip gloss smudge on his face. Katie almost had a heart attack, then realized they both had their clothes on and it didn’t look like they had done … anything last night. Katie got up and then immediately fell to the ground. She had a terrible headache, felt extremely nauseous, and her muscles hurt. Yup, she was definitely hungover. Her mind was racing. How would she get out? What if he woke up? What would she say? Would he know what happened? Wait … did Travis do this? Katie’s emotions were all over the place now. She was angry, nauseous, in pain, and felt like she was Zeus when Athena was in his head. The daughter of Demeter was now shaking and trying not to cry. She finally got up, trying to balance herself on a nightstand, and walked out to try to find Dorothea. She found the daughter of Bacchus passed out on a couch.
“Vinifera,” Katie said, shaking her awake. “Can you explain why I woke up next to Hermes’ kid?” She couldn’t bring herself to even say his name.
“You’ve gotta be more specific. Hermes or Mercury has like … so many kids. I mean he’s fast ‘n shit so … yeah. Lotsa kids.” Dorothea mumbled. She was clearly still on something.
Katie sighed. There were so many people still here, most of them trying to get up. How much alcohol was in the fruit punch? Katie thought. “I’ll get you some water, Thea.”
~𓆩🌿𓆪~
Poker Face by Lady Gaga was playing now and everyone was dancing and singing together. There was someone passing out cookies shaped like lotus flowers
“I wanna roll with him, a hard pair we will be, a little gambling is fun when you're with me I love it, Russian roulette is not the same without a gun, And baby, when it's love, if it's not rough, it isn't fun, fun, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, I'll get him hot, show him what I got, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, I'll get him hot, show him what I got”
At this point, Katie had already drank 6 cups of the alcoholic fruit punch mixture. She was so drunk, she couldn’t even remember that Travis - who had 7 drinks- had spilled his drink all over her and ruined her dress . And it seemed like she was too as they were bantering with each other.
“Your eyes look so pretty!” Katie mentally screamed at herself right after she said this. “They look like forget-me-nots!”
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths was being blasted on the speakers now.
“What did you say?” Travis yelled over the music. Katie sighed a breath of relief. “I’m so fuckin’ tired ‘n shit but I kinda wanna do somethin’ other than dancin’ ‘roun.” his words slurred together.
“Take me out tonight, oh, take me anywhere, I don't care, I don't care, I don't care, driving in your car, I never, never want to go home, because I haven't got one, oh, I haven't got one, oh, oh, and if a double-decker bus, crashes into us, to die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die, and if a ten-ton truck, kills the both of us, to die by your side, well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine”
Katie’s mind was screaming at her to run away and go back to her friends. Her face was burning from how much she was blushing. Was it from the alcohol or Travis? Who knew? Fuck it, she thought we’re not gonna remember any of this tomorrow. I can be as stupid as I want right now, and say more flirtatious things to him because I keep denying an obvious crush. Nothing will end up happening from this anyway.
She slipped her hand into Travis’. “C’mon, we can run ‘round the house! There are so many halls and it’s really big ‘n shit!” Now Travis was blushing like crazy. Katie simply smiled from ear to ear and ran into one of the hallways, hand still intertwined with Travis’.
~𓆩🌿𓆪~
Katie balanced Dorothea on her shoulder as the two demigods drank their water. The daughter of Demeter could faintly hear Modern Girls & Old Fashioned Men by The Strokes. She assumed someone never turned off the music.
“Okay, Thea, can you remember anything from last night?” Katie asked.
“Made out with the absolute love of my life.” Dorothea looked over and smiled at Clero Celesta, daughter of Apollo, who was passed out on a couch and hugging her electric bass like her life depended on it. The two have been dating for about 7 months and would go insane if they were apart for a few minutes. “Oh wait, you probably don’t care about that. Okay, yeah I can’t remember anything else. All I can is that you just disappeared randomly.”
Katie wanted to cry. She knew it wasn’t Dorothea’s fault that she couldn’t remember. Children of Bacchus or Dionysus always had trouble remembering anything, drunk or not. “Dorothea, I’ve been freaking out since I woke up. I can’t remember anything. I-I-I …” Katie was on the brink of tears, her throat felt like it was closing up, her head was spinning, and … and why was everything blurry? “I woke up next to … fucking T-Travis Stoll,” Katie whispered.
Dorothea's eyes widened immediately. “What? Did- did you … y’know… Oh shit, Katie, I'll fuckin' kill that motherfucker if he did anything to yo- ”
Katie’s face flushed a bright rose red. “No! No, nothing, but … I just want to know what happened.” Katie wondered if she should tell Dorothea what she wanted to say next. She’s never told anyone this and was planning on taking this to the grave, but at the last minute she mentally said ‘fuck it’. “Never, and I mean never tell anyone … but for the past few years … I’ve had … a crush on him. I-I thought that a child of Aphrodite got mad at me for some reason and cursed me, but one of my closest friends, a daughter of Aphrodite …” Katie wanted to sob even more than she wanted to already at the thought of Silena Beauregard. She was Katie’s first friend at Camp Half-Blood, and when she … passed to Elysium, Katie didn’t leave her cabin for months. “So, I talked to her, and s-she told me it wasn’t a curse, and that I was in love.”
“Oh, Kates, I’m so fucking wasted so I’m probably not the best person to be telling this to, but I can’t even believe how you must’ve been feeling.” Dorothea hugged Katie.
“I … I don’t even know what to do if he comes out ... actually, I’m just … I’m just gonna leave right now.” Katie got up and walked to Dorothea’s room, praying to the gods no one … tilled anyone's soil in there, and grabbed her dress with the fruit punch stain, which had turned maroon now. Katie stared at the stain and let out a small, quiet chuckle, which immediately stopped.
“K-Katie-Kat?” A voice called out. A voice Katie could recognize from a mile away.
~𓆩🌿𓆪~
Katie and Travis were running and laughing in the halls, hands tied together. She could faintly hear gold rush by Taylor Swift from the living room. Katie stared into Travis’ forget-me-not-colored eyes as he stared at her dark pine tree bark eyes. Katie smiled, wrapped her arms around Travis’ neck and started slow dancing.
Travis put his arms around Katie’s waist and laughed. “What’re we doin’?”
“I don’t know?” The daughter of Demeter sounded like she was asking a question. “I really like your hair, Stoll.” she started playing with Travis’ curly, dark brown hair that shimmered in the light.
“Why’re there flowers growin’ around us?” Travis looked around at the forget-me-nots, bluebells, and liatris sprouting from the ground.
Katie almost screamed. Yes, she was one of the most powerful children of Demeter, but she had no idea she could do that. “I-uhm, what? That’s never happened before…” Katie’s eyes widened when she remembered those flowers' meanings. Forget-me-nots symbolize true love, bluebells symbolize everlasting love, and Liatris mean bliss.
Travis lifted Katie’s chin up. The two locked eyes for what felt like forever. “Katie-Kat,” the way he said it, even if it was just a silly nickname that she’d heard millions of times, sounded like a grand, orchestral symphony to Katie.
“Cause I don't like a gold rush, gold rush, I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush, I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch, everybody wants you, everybody wonders what it would be like to love you, walk past, quick brush, I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush, I don't like that falling feels like flying 'til the bone crush, everybody wants you, but I don't like a gold rush, what must it be like, to grow up that beautiful?, with your hair falling into place like dominoes, my mind turns your life into folklore, I can't dare to dream about you anymore, at dinner parties, won't call you out on your contrarian shit”
“I know I’m really fuckin’ drunk out of my mind, which thanks Mr. D, this shit is really good, but … I don’t know if I could say this sober … I really like you, Katie. Like really fuckin’ like you. And before you slap me or somethin’ the reason I always pranked you at camp is cause I had no idea how else to get your attention. I know, I know, it was stupid ‘n shit but … I was just a scared, dumbass kid who didn’t know how to deal with his feelings.” Travis looked like he was about to burst into tears. Katie’s never seen him this emotional. He’s never her by her first name.
“Oh, Trav …” How could Katie respond to her supposed love spilling his guts about how he feels about her? What she’s always dreamed about since she was little. “I-I-I …” Everything felt like it was shaking, Katie’s thoughts were racing, her throat was closing up, and she had to let everything else. “I love you, Travis! I’ve loved you since I first arrived at Camp Half-Blood as a terrified 11-year-old! When I first laid my eyes on this curly haired son of Hermes, my heart was poundin’ in my chest, harder than it ever has!” Of course, both of their proclamations of love were when they were drunk and their words kept slurring together, but they love each other!
“Gods, we’re such fuckin’ idiots!” Travis laughed and leaned over Katie’s shoulder. “I love you so much, Katie-Kat, why was this so hard to admit to myself!”
Katie laughed and laughed, she could’ve stayed there forever, laughing until her ribs hurt. “I know, Stoll, I know! Can I …” Katie leaned slightly in and Travis nodded, and their lips collided, sending electric sparks everywhere. Lilacs and forget-me-nots blooming in every crack of the hallway.
~𓆩🌿𓆪~
“S-Stoll?” Katie didn’t even bother to turn around a look. She knew Travis was there and she couldn’t face him, not without knowing what happened last night. Her face felt like it was burning and her heart was pounding so hard, she could only hear her heart beating as the two stayed silent for what felt like hours.
Travis finally broke the silence. “I woke up and heard you talking to Dorothea, then I was about to get some water and saw you here.”
“Travis … be honest … do you remember anything from last night?” Katie asked, trying her best to sound stern as her back still turned to Travis.
Travis’s breath stopped. Katie assumed he most likely didn’t as he was more drunk than Katie, and she couldn’t, but Katie felt like there was a chance he could have. “N-no.” Usually, children of Hermes/Mercury were amazing at lying, but even Katie could hear the dishonesty in his voice,… there was also pain in it too.
Katie squeezed her eyes shut and finally turned to face Travis. When her eyes fluttered open, she noticed his eyes were blood red. Not the kind when you're high, but the kind when you’ve just been crying. When Katie got closer, she noticed Travis’ cheeks were flushed, glistening, and stained with salty tears. There were dark bags under his eyes as if he only got a few minutes of sleep. Katie could have walked away, but she felt like the fates meant for this to happen. She got on her tiptoes and wiped one of Travis’s cheeks. “ Trav … I know you’re lying. Please, just tell me what happened.”
“Oh, Katie-Kat,” Travis choked out, “if I did, you’d hate me even more than you already did.”
“I don’t ‘hate’ you, Stoll. I never have.”
~𓆩🌿𓆪~
Travis’s head banged on a door, which opened and the two fell on each other.
“Shit, I’m so sorry, Stoll,” Katie mumbled, her lips still partly connected to Travis’. The two got up and sat on the bed in the room they fell in, their hands still intertwined. Both of their faces were as red as maroon carnations.
Travis looked at Katie, his bright blue eyes stared longingly into Katie’s deep brown ones. “I-” His voice was shaky and rough, then his trademark mischievous smirk appeared on his face. “So, Gardner, you love me?”
Katie punched Travis’s arm. “Be quiet, Stoll.” Then their lips connected again. She accidentally bit his lip, filling their mouths with a metallic taste. Katie straddled Travis, then they fell and rolled over on the bed, their mouths not separating a single second. At last, the two demigods pulled apart, breathing heavily.
Katie was in complete euphoria. Travis Stoll loved her. Travis “Katie’s supposed ‘enemy’” Stoll. Then, fear struck her. “T-Trav … what … what if someone sees us? And they … they tell everyone?”
“Oh, Katie-Kat, we’ll deal with it together, okay?” Katie couldn’t tell if this was how Travis truly was, or if he just got sappy when he was drunk.
Katie grabbed Travis’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m feelin’ kinda tired … you can go if you want.” Katie let go and lay down on the bed.
A few seconds later, Katie felt arms wrap around her waist. “Is this okay?” Travis’s raspy voice asked, making Katie’s heart flutter.
Katie giggled. “Yes, it’s fine, Stoll.”
~𓆩🌿𓆪~
“You-you never have?” Travis sounded taken aback.
“Yes, Stoll, I never truly hated you. Dislike? Sure, but never hate.”
Travis looked like he was about to start crying again. “Ka-Katie-Kat … do … do you really want to know what happened yesterday?”
“Yes, Stoll, I do,” Katie said, trying to sound more stern and serious again to distract herself from wanting to kiss Travis.
Travis let out a shaky breath. He told Katie everything he remembered from last night. Katie understood why Travis didn’t want her to know what happened. Of course, she did want to know, but … they loved each other. Travis gods dam Stoll loved her? And they confessed it to each other while they were drunk? Of course.
“So … were you being sincere? Do you … actually like me?” Katie asked.
“I always have, Gardner. When you first came to the Hermes cabin and I saw you … I knew I wanted to spend as much time as I could with you. Whenever I went jogging around the strawberry fields, I just wanted to see you. Like I said, I only ever pranked you to see you.” Travis laughed. “Remember when I put chocolate bunnies on your cabin’s roof? I never meant to ruin your flowers, but when we spent the whole day cleaning it … that’s when I realized I truly did love you, with all that dirt on your cheeks and your face all red from getting sunburnt.”
“Travis!” Katie laughed. “I’m fucking insane about you! My heart races around you, you make me feel like there's a giant rosebud lodged in my throat, sometimes … sometimes I can only think about you! I’m in love with you, Travis Stoll! I will always love you! ”
“I love you too, Katie Gardner!” Travis hugged her tightly. “I wanna kiss you until my lips hurt! If you ripped my heart out right now, I wouldn’t care!”
Katie got on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Travis’s neck. “Why don’t we make it happen right now?” she mumbled in his ear, then blushed. “I meant the first part. I’m not gonna rip your heart out, Stoll. At least not yet .” Katie joked.
“Ha ha, alright Katie-Kat.” Travis laughed. “Now let’s get on with it, shall we?” And just like their first kiss, their mouths collided, sending electric sparks everywhere.