|The Dare That Started It All|
★T r a v i s★
After breakfast, my cabin headed over to the archery range. Connor and I went over to the bin and got bows for everyone. After a few minutes, the Demeter cabin meet up with us. We all lined up with a target.
Archery was one of my strong suits, so I decided to help the others. I walked past everyone, stopping once in a while to help one of the campers. I made it to the end of the line, where Katie was about to shoot. Her hair was still green but she seemed to get almost all of the glitter off. Although, she still looked glittery, so it looked like she was glowing.
You could tell she was struggling because she kept moving her formation. She finally shot her arrow and missed the target once again. This got her super frustrated but she grabbed another arrow. She went back into formation but it was still off. Knowing I was one of the best archers, I decided to help.
★K a t i e★
I was trying my best to shoot the arrow, when Travis walked up behind me and put his hands over mine, causing me to slightly jump.
"You have to face your shoulders and hips parallel to the target" he whispered in my ear, causing a shiver to go down my spine
He then put his chest to my back and put his hands on my hips to turn them slightly. He pulled my elbow back a little and pointed the arrow down. I tried to focus, but he was making it almost impossible.
"Now release" he whispered
I let go and sure enough it hit a perfect bullseye. My body swiveled around to face the beaming boy. Pretending that it didn't have an affect on me, I stared at him calm. Although, his touch let me feeling giddy all over.
He grinned at me in approval, turning around to help another camper. My heart was still pounding like crazy and my face was no doubt flushed. Miranda must have saw what happened, because the minute his back was turned, she spun around and sent me a thumbs up which only made my face more red.
★T r a v i s★
After the dinner and the rest of my classes, it was time for capture the flag. I was ready to destroy them and finally take a win for myself. Sherman from Ares cabin assigned Connor and I as offense.
Sherman was repeating to us the plan, when he said something that left me on edge. "-then one of the kids from Hephestus cabin is gonna come at one of the defenders by the flag. But, right as the defender gets him, I'm going to come and attack them and get the flag."
I had a uneasy feeling in my stomach. Wasn't Katie defending by the stream? Even if she was, they wouldn't full on attack her, right? Not that I'm doubting her ability to fight for herself, but the Ares kids could be ruthless.
I knew that the other team were only going to have a couple of defenders because they wanted to have a full on attack. I'm just hoping...
I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and headed into the woods. Thinking the worst would only make me lower my defences. I just need to focus on right now and winning this for my team.
...
I sprint through the woods with my sword prepared for a attack at any second. Finally, I see the flag about a couple of yards ahead of me. Pumping my legs faster, I run through the forest of trees, excitement filling me inside at the easiness of it all.
I smile, as I slow down when I reach closer to the flag standing by the small stream. I fight through a group of less experienced campers, my hands itching to go and grab the flag. I take a step closer to it but I'm stopped by a loud scream that rings through the air.
My body freezes over at the familiarity of the scream. I have heard that scream almost every day for six years. But, what worries me the most is the small difference in the scream. It didn't sound like her usual frustrated shriek, it was more out of surprise...
My legs move before my mind does, and in less then a second I'm running in the direction of the scream. I watch as my brothers running and cursing figure passes me, but I don't dare turn around or stop running.
Well, there goes my win...
In no time, I make it to the scene and see Sherman heading for Katie with his sword in his hands, the tip of it ready to slice through anything that gets in it's way.
From the sight of the boy hanging in vines next to her and the drips of blood falling down Katie's shirt, it's clear that it was a double attack. Katie's eyes are still on the other boy, oblivious to the child of Ares who's path to the flag she was standing directly in.
He moved to attack right as I got to her, causing us to both fall, me on top of her. Sherman quickly forgot about us and was already headed for the flag he was about to capture.
But, my focus was on Katie. Her eyes were closed and when she opened them, they were glassy and in a daze. I scrambled to get off her and knelt beside her to try and find the wound.
Then I saw the reason of her pain. An arrow was embedded into her stomach with deep red, blood pouring out of it, soaking her clothes. Not to mention, the multiple cuts on her face and the amount of energy was drained from using her powers.
She was barely conscious when I picked her up bridal style. Katie's eyes were slowly closing, trying to stay open but failing.
"Katie, please just hang in there." I whispered softly to her as I rushed towards the big house for help. She opened her eyes for a second and just stared at me with her emerald gems.
I darted through the forest as fast as I could to the big house, trying to avoid running into any campers.
When I made it, I immediately dash into the infirmary. Will was in the middle of a conversation with his boyfriend, but when he saw me holding Katie, he stopped talking and hurried over. He takes Katie from me and transfers her over to a bed.
"Nico, go grab some ambrosia and necter," He instructs to the small boy.
"Travis, you might want to leave. I have to take the arrow out." Will informs me.
"No, I'm staying" I reply sternly. I had to be here; I had to stay.
"Okay," He release a sigh, knowing he lost the battle, "go help Nico get some medicine and tools."
I followed Nico into another room where they kept a bunch of disgusting medicines and other doctory things. Nico opened the cupboard and grabbed out some bottles to pass over to me.
I stay silent as Nico continues to search, but my mind is having a raging battle with itself. I just couldn't shake the feeling that this was all my fault. If I had said something she wouldn't be laying in a cot in the infirmary.
The silence dragged on for a while, until Nico broke it. "It's not your fault, you didn't know." He spoke calmly as he opened another cabinet.
His words surprised me and I didn't know how to respond, so I just stood there and stared at the ground. His words hung in the air, pulling my guilt down into my chest until it was physically painful.
I raised my eyes and got a good look at him. He had jet black, curly hair and dark brown eyes that matched with his whole dark vibe. His skin was deathly pale like he hadn't seen the light for decades. He wore all black clothes that consisted of jeans, a big sweatshirt, and a black hat. He was small in size and if I saw him on the streets, I would probably think it was just some middle school emo faze, but I knew enough about him to know that he was probably the most powerful demigod in this entire camp.
My mind was so conflicted with my thoughts, that my only response was a lame "okay".
Nico rolled his eyes and walked out of the room, leaving me there alone. I stood there for a few moments, too many thoughts running through my mind. After I took a few deep breaths, I walked back to her room. By then, Will had already took the arrow out and wrapped her wounds. She also had a cast around her foot, looking better then she did before, but her skin was still overly pale.
"She's probably gonna be sleeping for a day or two and she's gonna have to use crutches to get around for a couple weeks. The good news is that the cut wasn't too deep so it will be fully healed by the time she wakes up. Your welcome to stay here and watch over her while she's resting" Will announced when he was done giving her ambrosia.
"Thanks Will, I'm gonna stay here" I told him.
"Okay, call me if you need anything" he said as left the room and closed the door behind him
I payed my attention back on Katie. She seemed to be gaining color back, her skin slowly turning back into it's golden glow. Even hurt, she still looked gorgeous. Her hair was now back to being her natural hair color, so she must have went to the Aphrodite cabin. She looked so peaceful laying there. It would kill me if she woke up and something was wrong.
And, maybe even though I wasn't ready to admit before, I think I might be starting to have feelings for Katie Gardner.
Shit.