Disclaimer:
The characters belong to Rick Riordan, as do the PJO and HoO series.

Written by:

@libraryhaunter
@AmAeRaI
@Chilea
@The__Crazy_Girl
@BrokenTimeTurner

                     [kAtiE]

Mr D had finally decided that the rain was bothering him, and, so, a good week after it had started, the sun came out again. Its rays slanted down through the treetops, illuminating Katie as she sat cross legged in the copse, talking to some of the nymphs.

The dryads had insisted on weaving flowers through her hair so that she probably looked like some kind of Disney character before she married the handsome prince and got too sophisticated for flowers.

"How's Cedar doing so far?" she asked.

Juniper sighed. "She's been moping around. Not talking much. Even when she does talk, she's blaming herself for the break up."

"I can't believe Cliff just dumped her like that," Lily said indignantly. "He ran off with that naiad and no one's seen him since. Good thing for him, too."

She looked so murderous that Katie agreed. Nymphs should never be underestimated. They were usually gentle enough but, once you got them mad...let's just say it wasn't pretty.

"Katie?" Juniper said in a small voice.

"Yeah?" She looked up.

"Do you think Grover would ever do that?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "She's always worrying about that. It spoils everything for her."

"Grover would never do anything like that," she said reassuringly. "He loves you, June.
But-"

"But what?"

"Have you talked to him about how you feel?"

Juniper squirmed. "No..."

"You should," she said decisively. "A basic dating rule is to always tell him how you feel. Not about little things like not liking his choice of shampoo-"

The nymphs giggled.

"-but definitely the bigger ones."

"Wait." Ebony squinted at Katie. "How do you know all this?"

The daughter of Demeter instantly felt her cheeks warm. "I-um-" she stuttered. There were a lot of excuses she could have used but she knew her friends would see through all of them.

"Fine!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I've been talking to Piper."

Lily's eyes sparkled. "And why would that be unless..."

"You needed dating advice!" Ebony squealed.

"Who is it?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"It's that Mitchell kid, isn't-"

"I didn't tell you because nothing's happened yet," Katie interrupted. "There's nothing to be so excited about."

Sage raised an eyebrow.

Just then, someone came crashing down from above, knocking Lily over and sitting down with a thump on the ground in the middle of the copse.

Katie stared.

"Travis?" Her heart hammered in her chest.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. She was supposed to hate him! She tried to remind herself of the pranks he had played but now, instead of getting angry, she just wanted to laugh.

He grinned weakly up at her. "It was a dare." 

"A dare?" The first traces of anger appeared in her voice. "You were dared to eavesdrop on us?"

She almost felt herself pale as she realised what he had heard near the end of the conversation. He couldn't have guessed...could he?

She couldn't decide what she wanted to do most. Slap him or kiss him.

He saw her expression and scrambled back, hitting a tree trunk.

"Come on!" He said nervously. "It wasn't my fault. If I'd known what Connor was going to say, I would've chosen truth!"

"Connor?" Katie's eyes narrowed.

She knew the Stolls.

She looked around and saw something move in a nearby bush. Getting up, she walked over, only for Connor to leap up and run for his life.

Katie pursued him, running as fast as she could. She heard footsteps behind her as Travis followed. She skidded to a stop at the edge of the forest, looking around for him, when Travis bumped into her from behind.

Both of them fell down in a heap, a mixture of elbows and knees and arms and legs.

Travis scrambled off of her, his face glowing. Her own was probably just as red. She hurriedly got to her feet, catching her breath. 

"I-"

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right," she said. "It's just-um-"

"Katie," he interrupted suddenly. "Who is it you were talking to Piper about?" 

"Why do you care?" She demanded, trying not to blush for the third time that day.

He seemed to be plucking up his courage for something. Then he moved a little closer to her. She stopped breathing.

"I'm not good with words," he admitted finally.

"That's okay," she said softly.

He was a little taller than her, tall enough for her to be able to look up at him and short enough for him to suddenly look very vulnerable as he leaned down.

His lips brushed hers lightly, his hands winding through her hair. The flowers delicately placed in the dark strands were crushed under his fingers as the kiss grew longer and sweeter.

He pulled back, his eyes sparkling. For once she could read his thoughts like an open book.

She had kissed him back.

"How was that for an answer?"

She felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth and, instead of fighting it back as she always did in front of him, she let it grow.