Travis Stoll

Sneaking out of a cabin that isn't even yours when somebody is using you as a body pillow isn't an easy task, but it's possible if you're a child of Hermes or just very careful and determined.

I made it to the camp store before it opened, though, to steal some stuff for a breakfast picnic (as well as an extra sweater for Percy), and to be tested on my ability to lie believably.

Because while I was there before the store opened, I wasn't the only one who had the idea to steal from the store.

"Where would—" hearing a voice without seeing a body made me jump because while I wouldn't be surprised if Camp was haunted, the store isn't a place I'd expect to have ghosts.

I pulled out my knife.

"Woah, woah, Travis, relax," but the second time around, I recognized the voice as Annabeths and relaxed. On the other side of the stock room, she took her Yankees cap off, making her no longer invisible. "sorry, I didn't see you over there. What are you..."

She tilted her head, surveying me and the items I'd evidently taken as my own thus far: a sweater, blanket, and a some some strawberry jam.

"Doing?" She finished her sentence.

"Um..." I looked at my pile and back to the daughter of Athena. "the same as you, I think? Robbing the camp store?"

Now, I knew that that wasn't really her question, but I was hoping she would lay off if that's the answer I gave her.

Sadly, Annabeth knew that I wasn't a complete idiot.

"Well no shit, Still," she responded. "I mean why are you robbing the store? It looks like you're..."

She looked at my items again and narrowed her eyes.

"Like you're going on a picnic," Annabeth concluded, taking notice of the mini muffin container I had in my hand, along with a basket. She crossed her arms, accusingly. "You romantic piece of shit, who are you bringing on a picnic for breakfast?"

"Wh— nobody," but like Grover Underwood, I'm an awful liar.

I dropped the container of muffins.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I told the daughter of Athena. "I'm not bringing anyone on a picnic date. I don't even know what a picnic is."

Her jaw dropped.

"You— it's a date?" She may as well have screamed that from the stock room for all of camp to hear. The embarrassment is it made me turn red almost immediately. "How have I not heard about this yet? I've been here all week, since when—"

She cut herself off, looking once again at the sweater that was next to me.

The blue sweater. Because Percy's favorite color is blue, and blue looks really nice in him with the warm, caramel hues of his skin. It also makes his eyes pop and makes it impossible for me to say no to his adorable expressions.

Shut up, I'm allowed to think the person I'm dating is attractive.

"Travis."

"Annabeth."

"When Clarisse asked you at the start of the week if Percy was your boyfriend, and you said no," but I've always hated how smart she is. "was that a lie? Because you guys did hang out a lot last summer."

I let out a breath.

"It... no." I insisted, because that was the truth. "it wasn't a lie."

"So you finally got the guts to ask him out yesterday?"

I didn't even have a response to that. I just closed my mouth.

"It's okay if you like him, Travis," Annabeth told me a reminder of what Luke told me last summer. "I know he has a tentative death sentence, but I don't think he knows that. And with how he looked at the meeting yesterday... he could definitely use somebody that cares about him— especially without Grover around. He's not homophobic, if you're seriously worried about that. Or transphobic, for that matter."

"I know he's not—" but Annabeths latest addition threw me off guard. "I mean I knew that but... how do you know? Did you tell him? He's never misgenered you."

"Wh— oh, no, he never has." the daughter of Athena reassured me. "I wasn't planning on telling him explicitly since he'd never misgenered me or anything, but then on the quest I walked into the hotel room after a shower with like, a towel on, and he looked so confused."

"Why?"

"He thought I was binding." Annabeth finished the story, trying to hold back a smile. "Apparently I uh, pass well enough now that he trying to figure out if I was transmasc. It made my like, whole summer. We don't really get along, but he's nice. Usually. He drives me insane usually."

I smiled, throwing the food I'd collected for breakfast into the basket.

"Aw, does Annie have a crush?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Maybe," she confessed. "But it's okay, because I don't think he even likes girls. I'll get over it, and we can just be friends. You've been a lot nicer to him anyways. I don't think I'd be a good girlfriend for him."

"He's often confused about your guy's friendship," I confirmed, standing up with my treasures. "Just don't go telling everyone about what you saw here, Chase. I have to go make sure Percy woke up, but unless you hear that we're together from him..."

"Your secret is safe with me, Stoll." Annabeth promised with a sad smile. "Go get your mans."

•••

I felt kind of bad waking him up.

Laying in bed still, Percy looked content. Relaxed.

If I wasn't starving, I would've just crawled right back in bed with him. But as I could see demigods make their way towards the dining pavilion, I knew now would be prime time to wake him up so we could sneak away while almost everyone would be at the pavilion and away from the cabins.

"Hm..." Percy hummed when I opened the shades in his room, letting the light in.

He looked really confused for a second, pushing himself up slightly as if checking to see if I'd somehow become one with his mattress last night.

It was cute.

After a few confused moments, the groggy demigod looked in the direction of his light switch and then smiled, effectively turning my heart into a puddle.

"Hi!" Percy said with a smile that lit up the room better than any light could. "There you are. I was starting to get worried that you like, shape shifted into my mattress. I didn't even notice you get up. I didn't sleep through our date, did I?"

I couldn't help but smile back.

"You didn't sleep through our date, I just got up earlier to get it ready. I have a present for you."

He pushed himself up, smiling even wider.

"Another one?"

"Another one," I confirmed, holding the blue sweater out. "it's a little warm out, so I don't know if you want to wear it but—"

Percy took the sweater and smiled, putting it on.

"I'm never taking this off."

I couldn't help but smile back and give him a kiss on the cheek.

"You're precious," I reminded my date. "You might want to put some pants on, though. I don't know if all of camp wants to see you in your boxers."

"Pffft, they're at breakfast anyways," Percy said as he put on a pair of pants. "It's fine. Hopefully people don't notice we're gone."

"Oh, Annabeth already has," I promised, which of course had his attention. "Yeah uh... I stopped by the camp shop before it opened to get some stuff and while I was there, Annabeth showed up and scared the piss out of me because she used her Yankees cap to sneak in."

"She... what did she say?"

"Well," I explained as we started to head towards the lakeshore. Not the beach— I wasn't dealing with sand for breakfast, but some other areas where it's more grassy along the shore. It's also more secluded, which I thought Percy might appreciate because I can't tell if he's okay with being out or not.

On one hand, he was excited to tell his parents about us last summer.

On the other hand, when Annabeth asked him if he was gay last summer, he said no.

"First, she saw the basket and asked who I was bringing on a picnic," I recalled the events of earlier this morning to him. "but I was nervous so I said that I wasn't bringing anyone on a picnic date and that I didn't even know what a picnic was. And then she asked me who I was going on a date with and why she hasn't heard earlier and then she cut herself off and asked if I lied earlier this week about us being together."

But that last comment through Percy for a loop.

"About... what?"

I shrugged.

"Before the counsel met on Monday for the start of summer, somebody had asked where you were," I said, switching which arm I held the basket in just in case he wanted to hold hands or something. "Annabeth told us you'd be here Friday since your school ran later this year, and then she asked if I had any updates from you about that or about Grover since we were friends and I told them that we hadn't spoken and Clarissa chided me asking if we were boyfriends and not just friends. I said no. Because we weren't."

"So people already thought we were together?"

I shrugged, setting the basket down as we found a little clearing by the lakeshore that was at least sort of remote from the rest of camp. There's no activities in this area.

"I don't think so," I lied. "Clarisse just likes being nosy because I swear she's a closeted lesbian, and Annabeth must have some weird hunch that you're gay. Nobody else said anything."

"She did ask me about that in the Lotus after I found out that she's trans," Percy concurred. "I said no, because I wasn't out to anyone at that time and we'd only known each other for like two weeks by then. I wanted to tell my parents and like, Grover, before I just randomly came out."

"And have you told them?"

He shrugged.

"My parents? No. Grover? He knows that somebody was in my bed last night because of the mental link, but the dream didn't last enough for me to be able to tell him who it was. Luke knows, though, he brought a few sweaters and whatever that got mixed up between your guy's stuff right after summer and he asked how we were doing. Haven't really talked to him since, though. I'm assuming your siblings know, though."

"Well... not everyone," and I didn't get it, but I could sense that the idea of coming out intimidated Percy, so I tried to downplay it. "just like, a few of the older kids in the cabin who I usually bunk near. Conner basically kicked me out because of it last night, though."

But as soon as I said it, I realized how bad that sounded.

"Not like— he's not homophobic," I promised. "He just uh... saw that you were sad during the meeting so he insisted that it I should go do my job or whatever. Connor is extremely supportive, I promise."

Percy nodded his head.

"I figured— he was last year, too." He said, reassuring me that he didn't take it the wrong way. "People don't usually become homophobic, so... sorry that I'm not out."

I shrugged this time, opening the basket and setting some of the food out.

"You'll get there," I promised him, hoping it'd be sooner rather than later after how last summer was. "Are you hungry? I packed enough food to feed a hellhound."