A/N: hi this is me writing fanfiction™ when i goddamn could be doing anything else. but oh well. anyways-
this is a travis stoll x fem!oc fanfic, pls do not hate me on this but i feel like we cannonised tratie all by ourselves, and i think i could write it better so (no flex tho im literally an idiot) HOO OKAY ENJOY
p.s: this probably co-relates to my other story, The Daughter of Hades, but i was planning on making another oc as the love interest there. This could probably be an au of that au. i didnt even know that could exist but uhm. okay.
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Travis POV:
I saw her at the border first. She looked war-torn and battle-hardened but that wasn't the thing that drew me in. It was her smile. Her glorious, beautiful, youthful smile. I was there in the Dining Pavillion when Nico received the Iris Message from his sister. His sister from Tartarus. I saw her face then but didn't think much of it until now. Until now, when I saw her standing right across from me. Weary and bloody, but victorious no less, her crown glistened under the moonlight as she stood on the hill. Her eyes had an unearthly sparkle, her skin shone with a luminescent sheen, yet the only thing off-putting about her appearance was her hair. In the IM it was black. Now, it was silver. Weird.
Selena, I whispered. To no one but myself, making sure she was real and not some hallucination. Border patrol was a boring duty, but it was a necessary one. Sometimes it led you to see some exciting things- other times... not so much. This encounter was, to say the least... confusing. At one point I doubted she was even a demigod because she wouldn't step over the threshold, leading me to believe she was just a confused mortal with True Sight. But the scars littering her form caused me to shake that thought away.
She noticed me soon enough. Noticed my staring, more likely. She blinked a few times, probably making sure I was real too. It was 2 in the morning. I usually didn't expect visitors at so late in the night. Especially visitors from hell.
Don't get me wrong. I know she's a demigod. Demigods are like family. When our parent(s) don't look out for us, we make sure everyone stays happy and together. But I had a rough experience these past few years with primordials and titans so I'm not too eager to meet with her just yet. She looks at me one last time before crossing the threshold. I instinctively move forward, not threateningly, just to welcome her.
She takes a step back, maybe out of habit, maybe sensing a threat- but holds herself high with regal composure. Her eyes are the colour jade, but they shine as if they were the finest emeralds. I should know, I'm a Hermes kid. We're all about the shiny jewelry.
"Are you afraid? "
My eyes widen a little, but I shake my head. "No... you just- I mean it's 2 in the morning. I didn't expect you to come so late into the night." The corners of her mouth turn upwards, "Liar."
She looks around, expecting to see something else.
"Is everyone else asleep then?" I nod in agreement.
"I best not wake them then. Why are you outside anyway?"
"I'm on border patrol."
She smiled, as if wistfully, but it was rather pained.
"Are you usually on border patrol at this time of night?"
Oh.
Oh no.
Um, this is awkward. Usually when some of us get border patrol on the rare occasions, like, say when we're in battle conditions (with Kronos and Gaea for example) we stay the whole night. Otherwise... we tend to leave at midnight or at most, 1am. I think she might've guessed the reason by now.
"Hm, they're that scared of me huh?"
I averted my eyes. "How many are there of you... on this border patrol business."
???? what.
I wasn't sure if I should honestly answer or lie, or if she could tell if I was lying, so I just shrugged.
"Hermes kid are you?" "Yeah."
"Thought so." Okay??? And??? pls stop being so mysterious it's driving me insane.
She started looking around curiously again, which kind of gave me the feeling this was her first time at camp. Plus she sounded really mature for someone who looked my age.
"Are you... Well, is this- um is this the first time you've been to camp?"
Again with the creepy smile. Someone definitely needs to show her how to smile damn.
"It's the first time I've seen a demigod in the flesh. You look so... human. Fragile. Mortal."
She emphasized on the word "Mortal" as if she wasn't a demigod herself. The crown and hair... and well everything in general about her definitely did give off the vibe that she wasn't truly a demigod. Well, not anymore, anyway.
"Is it that surprising?" I didn't realize my mouth was slightly ajar. Oh well.
"If you don't mind me asking, how... old are you?"
She smirked as if that question was amusing. That annoying smirk was so irritating it probably rivaled mine. And I had the evilest smirk in camp okay.
"Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to ask a woman's age?" shit. She continued before I could apologize, "Pfft- I'm messing with you. Hmmm let's see, in demigod years I am... seventeen."
Demigod years? Does that mean you're immortal?
I didn't realize I'd voiced my question out loud. She sighed, "No, I'm still a demigod- what is it that you guys say nowadays? I'd be a 'demigod on steroids' or something like that thanks to my... recent progress in Tartarus."
She did not just say demigod on steroids with a straight face. Oh man, she was serious.
I am going to pull so many pranks on her.
Okay, okay I know. I should cut her some slack. She's new here and definitely someone who looks like they shouldn't be messed with but COME ON. She's a total newbie and probably sucks at guessing the kind of pranks that have become too obvious to everyone else by now. Jack in the box that sprays you with water? Zap handshake? Change her shampoo to hair dye? Oh, the possibilities are endless.
"...oh okay-"
"Aren't you going to show me around?"
I looked at her in confusion. "Ah, you're still wary of me," she replied, with a slight wince.
"No no ! That's- Sure. Come with me. I can't take you to the armory yet, NOT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO but uh because it's locked at this time and so I'm going to take you to the lake! That sound good?"
She smiled and nodded.
So, we were off. Off to the lake we go!
As we walked, I noticed her looking (yet again) curiously at all the things we passed- all the seemingly normal things. She looked really happy to see the cabins, the lava wall seemed to interest her a lot too. She seemed really eager to check out the armory too. I asked her if she wanted anything to eat, considering the fact that I don't think Tartarus had any good grub spots. She politely declined though. Odd, she seemed really thin and frail- like she could use a good fixer upper. By now it was almost sunrise.
Finally, we made it to the lake. I turned to look at her again and realized she had closed her eyes. Her face was peaceful, and I noticed how long her eyelashes are. Yes, that seems very out-of-character for me, but at moments like this, even my ADHD slows down a little. I am observant, perhaps even slightly more thanks to my demigod abilities. Plus, my dad is the god of thieves. Thanks to him, we pay attention to all the unique and rare things and we're usually quick to notice subtle changes or out-of-place things. We have to be slick and sharp-eyed for any sort of trick.
She opened her eyes and I nearly fell over. Her eyes had gone completely white. Not rolled back, like actually white- like a goddess. She smiled again, "Pfft- you look like you've seen a ghost. Don't worry, I only get a power-surge on full moons. I'm not usually this scary."
"I'm not- wait what? What's the connection between you and the moon?"
"I was blessed by Nyx, goddess of the Night. I am connected to her through the Moon. Every full moon, my power heightens, and that's partly the reason why I was able to defeat Tartarus tonight."
I wanted to believe I made a really cool comment on that. Something smart, something interesting. Nah I just gawked at her again. Damnit.
Selena's face contorted a little, like she was trying to concentrate on something. Suddenly her face relaxed and her eyes went back to their original state. "Better?"
I nodded. "Ah, it's so peaceful in the night. I wonder why anyone would be scared of it.", she commented, and for a while I thought she was expecting me to provide some insightful remark about the awesomeness of the night, but I really didn't have anything useful to say. So, I just nodded again. Truth be told, I'm usually not this quiet. Like I do get quiet sometimes, when I'm thinking of a scheme or prank. But right now, I was quite content being quiet. She didn't expect me to carry the conversation, or even talk to her besides a few encouraging words. I was too tired for it anyway.
Soon enough, dawn turned up. The first Lightrays of the sun shot up over the lake, and Selena started grinning beside me. "Make a wish! It's the first rays of the sun!!"
"Pfft- You believe in that nonsense?" I replied.
"I believe in miracles." And she closed her eyes in concentration.
I sighed. I wonder what's going to happen next.