S if for Sir
As Travis strolled across the patio of the Big House, he hummed a song tunelessly. He was in an awfully good mood having escaped the evil clutches of the terrible Chiron without any punishment after painting pictures of suns, dead animals, and shirtless men with great abs on the walls of the Artemis cabin when he knew the Hunters were visiting in just a week. After playing innocent and denying that there were any splashes of paint on his pants, Chiron closed his eyes, sighed dramatically, and rubbed his forehead before saying in an exasperated tone, "Just don't do it again," and sending him off with a wave.
Travis smiled and hopped down the stairs. Just as he was on the last step, he noticed a man standing a few feet away.
Travis had never seen this guy before, which was weird considering he was a year-rounder. He seemed too old to be a camper anyways, but even if he was new to camp, Travis was sure he would have heard about him already. The man had light brown hair and bright green eyes. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties and had a hint of gray in the stubble on his chin to show it. His cowboy boots and large hat seemed very out of place in the woodsy environment of Half-Blood Hill.
Travis glanced around nervously before hesitantly walking up to him. "Hey," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, but having one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist obviously didn't help his calm tone.
The man's eyes widened a bit as they saw the weapon at Travis's side. He cleared his throat and glanced back up at his eyes. "Oh! Uh, hi," he stuttered. As he got closer, Travis noticed that the man looked vaguely familiar. It was like he had seen him once before. . .
"You a camper here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Me?" the man asked in surprise, pointing to himself. He had a pretty thick country accent and an Adam's apple the size of a quarter. With a nod from Travis, he hastily shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm here picking up my daughter." After a slight pause, he held out his hand. "I'm Daniel. Daniel Gardner. Katie Gardner's father. Do you know her?"
Travis smiled and nodded while shaking Daniel's outstretched hand. "Yeah. Yeah, I've seen her around." Katie's father tipped his hat in welcome. "I'm . . . Trevor Scoll, by the way," Travis lied.
"Trevor Scoll," Daniel mumbled under his breath, rubbing at his small beard. "The name sounds so familiar."
"Well there is another camper here with a similar name. Travis. Travis Stoll. Has Katie ever, I don't know, mentioned him?" he asked slyly with a raised eyebrow.
"Travis, Travis," he muttered, biting his lip in concentration, just like Katie always did. "Aha! Yes. Travis Stoll! Katie talks about that boy like his cheese slid off his cracker."
"Uh . . . yeah," Travis agreed. "Totally. That is most definitely Travis."
Daniel nodded. "She's always goin' on and on 'bout him."
"Like . . . What does she say about him?" Travis asked curiously.
"She's always saying how annoyin' he can be and 'bout the pranks he pulls on her and what not. You know he put chocolate rabbits on top of her cabin's roof once?" he asked with a nod of his head.
"No!" Travis exclaimed with fake disbelief.
"Yes! Ridiculous, that boy. Katie was goin' on about it for weeks, complainin' about that Stoll boy the entire time." Daniel shook his head and looked out at the camp. "Now where is that girl," he mumbled quietly to himself.
"Is there anything else she says about Travis?" he asked, trying to bring Daniel's attention back to the matter at hand.
"Oh she can go on 'bout that boy fer hours. Talkin' 'bout this or that. But I know how she feels 'bout him," he said with a smile and a nod.
"How?"
"She likes him," Daniel whispered, as if afraid the trees around them would hear.
"She what?" Travis exclaimed excitedly, trying to fight the smile quickly appearing on his lips.
"She likes him. My little Kitty Kat has a crush."
"But everyone says she hates him," he said slightly breathless, too excited about the incoming dirt to think of the many mocking possibilities of a nick name like 'my little Kitty Kat.'
"Psh!" Daniel scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. "I've seen this whole thing before. In second grade, she hated this lil boy - what was his name? Aha! Johnny Lune. That was it. She would steal his crayons and he'd pull her pigtails and they'd go back and forth. And then one day I go to pick Katie up from school and guess who she is holdin' hands with? Yep! Mr. Johnny Lune."
"Is that so?" Travis smiled at the thought.
"Oh yes," Daniel said with a nod. "And then there was the time when she was 12 and some boy asked for a kiss under the mistletoe. Katie punched the poor boy in the mouth!" Travis laughed loudly, picturing the image in his head. "And then there was the other time at some dance, oh boy." Just as he was about to go into yet another story, Katie appeared next to them with a scowl on her face.
"You," she said angrily, glaring at Travis as per usual.
"Sup, Katie," he greeted with a smile. "I was just talking to your dad here. He's quite the interesting fellow." The mocking smirk on his mouth alerted her that something was up.
"Yeah," Daniel agreed. "Your friend Trevor here is pretty fun himself. I don't know why you haven't told me 'bout him before."
"Trevor?" Katie asked, turning to Travis with raised eyebrows. His smirk only grew. She rolled her eyes before turning to her dad with the sweetest face she could muster. "Daddy, do you think you could take my bags up to the car for me? I still need to say bye to Trevor, and all."
"Of course, darling." He grabbed the handles of her multiple bags before nodding his head at Travis. "Nice to meet ya, Trevor."
"Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Gardner," Travis said with a smile and a wave.
"Oh, please. Call me Daniel."
"If you insist." Travis shrugged and looked at Katie mockingly. He hadn't seen her this mad since the whole Easter incident.
As soon as her dad was out of sight, Katie smacked Travis in the shoulder. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked fiercely.
"Well," he started, rubbing at his now bruised shoulder, "I have ADHD. Dyslexia, too. Apparently my left nostril is just slightly larger than the right, and the Apollo kids say that with the amount of junk food I eat they're surprised I haven't had a heart attack yet. Oh! And some people say I talk too much but I've really never thought-"
"Shut up!" Katie exclaimed, stopping him mid-rant. "That's not what I meant."
"Oh," Travis said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "Then what was it exactly that you meant, my little Kitty Kat?"
Her glare intensified. "I have never wanted to punch you in the mouth so badly before," she told him.
Travis's smirk only grew after she said that to him, immediately thinking of the poor boy under the mistletoe. "I'd actually enjoy that."
"What?" Katie asked, confused.
He just laughed and shook his head. "You have a plane to catch, my dear. You better get going."
She stared at him suspiciously but after a few seconds, she stepped back and whispered, "This isn't over," before stomping down the steps of the Big House porch loudly.
"Katie, wait!" Travis shouted before she could get too far. He leaned over the railing and watched as she turned around to glare at him some more.
"What?" she asked exasperatedly.
"I just . . . I'm gonna miss you." Katie seemed shocked by his sincerity for once and was about to reply when he started to talk once more. "It's going to be a tough year without being able to pick on my little Kitty Kat," he said with a sarcastic smirk.
"Ugh!" Katie yelled angrily before stomping back up the hill, leaving Travis's annoying laughs behind her.
Travis smiled and hopped down the stairs. Just as he was on the last step, he noticed a man standing a few feet away.
Travis had never seen this guy before, which was weird considering he was a year-rounder. He seemed too old to be a camper anyways, but even if he was new to camp, Travis was sure he would have heard about him already. The man had light brown hair and bright green eyes. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties and had a hint of gray in the stubble on his chin to show it. His cowboy boots and large hat seemed very out of place in the woodsy environment of Half-Blood Hill.
Travis glanced around nervously before hesitantly walking up to him. "Hey," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, but having one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist obviously didn't help his calm tone.
The man's eyes widened a bit as they saw the weapon at Travis's side. He cleared his throat and glanced back up at his eyes. "Oh! Uh, hi," he stuttered. As he got closer, Travis noticed that the man looked vaguely familiar. It was like he had seen him once before. . .
"You a camper here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Me?" the man asked in surprise, pointing to himself. He had a pretty thick country accent and an Adam's apple the size of a quarter. With a nod from Travis, he hastily shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm here picking up my daughter." After a slight pause, he held out his hand. "I'm Daniel. Daniel Gardner. Katie Gardner's father. Do you know her?"
Travis smiled and nodded while shaking Daniel's outstretched hand. "Yeah. Yeah, I've seen her around." Katie's father tipped his hat in welcome. "I'm . . . Trevor Scoll, by the way," Travis lied.
"Trevor Scoll," Daniel mumbled under his breath, rubbing at his small beard. "The name sounds so familiar."
"Well there is another camper here with a similar name. Travis. Travis Stoll. Has Katie ever, I don't know, mentioned him?" he asked slyly with a raised eyebrow.
"Travis, Travis," he muttered, biting his lip in concentration, just like Katie always did. "Aha! Yes. Travis Stoll! Katie talks about that boy like his cheese slid off his cracker."
"Uh . . . yeah," Travis agreed. "Totally. That is most definitely Travis."
Daniel nodded. "She's always goin' on and on 'bout him."
"Like . . . What does she say about him?" Travis asked curiously.
"She's always saying how annoyin' he can be and 'bout the pranks he pulls on her and what not. You know he put chocolate rabbits on top of her cabin's roof once?" he asked with a nod of his head.
"No!" Travis exclaimed with fake disbelief.
"Yes! Ridiculous, that boy. Katie was goin' on about it for weeks, complainin' about that Stoll boy the entire time." Daniel shook his head and looked out at the camp. "Now where is that girl," he mumbled quietly to himself.
"Is there anything else she says about Travis?" he asked, trying to bring Daniel's attention back to the matter at hand.
"Oh she can go on 'bout that boy fer hours. Talkin' 'bout this or that. But I know how she feels 'bout him," he said with a smile and a nod.
"How?"
"She likes him," Daniel whispered, as if afraid the trees around them would hear.
"She what?" Travis exclaimed excitedly, trying to fight the smile quickly appearing on his lips.
"She likes him. My little Kitty Kat has a crush."
"But everyone says she hates him," he said slightly breathless, too excited about the incoming dirt to think of the many mocking possibilities of a nick name like 'my little Kitty Kat.'
"Psh!" Daniel scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. "I've seen this whole thing before. In second grade, she hated this lil boy - what was his name? Aha! Johnny Lune. That was it. She would steal his crayons and he'd pull her pigtails and they'd go back and forth. And then one day I go to pick Katie up from school and guess who she is holdin' hands with? Yep! Mr. Johnny Lune."
"Is that so?" Travis smiled at the thought.
"Oh yes," Daniel said with a nod. "And then there was the time when she was 12 and some boy asked for a kiss under the mistletoe. Katie punched the poor boy in the mouth!" Travis laughed loudly, picturing the image in his head. "And then there was the other time at some dance, oh boy." Just as he was about to go into yet another story, Katie appeared next to them with a scowl on her face.
"You," she said angrily, glaring at Travis as per usual.
"Sup, Katie," he greeted with a smile. "I was just talking to your dad here. He's quite the interesting fellow." The mocking smirk on his mouth alerted her that something was up.
"Yeah," Daniel agreed. "Your friend Trevor here is pretty fun himself. I don't know why you haven't told me 'bout him before."
"Trevor?" Katie asked, turning to Travis with raised eyebrows. His smirk only grew. She rolled her eyes before turning to her dad with the sweetest face she could muster. "Daddy, do you think you could take my bags up to the car for me? I still need to say bye to Trevor, and all."
"Of course, darling." He grabbed the handles of her multiple bags before nodding his head at Travis. "Nice to meet ya, Trevor."
"Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Gardner," Travis said with a smile and a wave.
"Oh, please. Call me Daniel."
"If you insist." Travis shrugged and looked at Katie mockingly. He hadn't seen her this mad since the whole Easter incident.
As soon as her dad was out of sight, Katie smacked Travis in the shoulder. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked fiercely.
"Well," he started, rubbing at his now bruised shoulder, "I have ADHD. Dyslexia, too. Apparently my left nostril is just slightly larger than the right, and the Apollo kids say that with the amount of junk food I eat they're surprised I haven't had a heart attack yet. Oh! And some people say I talk too much but I've really never thought-"
"Shut up!" Katie exclaimed, stopping him mid-rant. "That's not what I meant."
"Oh," Travis said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "Then what was it exactly that you meant, my little Kitty Kat?"
Her glare intensified. "I have never wanted to punch you in the mouth so badly before," she told him.
Travis's smirk only grew after she said that to him, immediately thinking of the poor boy under the mistletoe. "I'd actually enjoy that."
"What?" Katie asked, confused.
He just laughed and shook his head. "You have a plane to catch, my dear. You better get going."
She stared at him suspiciously but after a few seconds, she stepped back and whispered, "This isn't over," before stomping down the steps of the Big House porch loudly.
"Katie, wait!" Travis shouted before she could get too far. He leaned over the railing and watched as she turned around to glare at him some more.
"What?" she asked exasperatedly.
"I just . . . I'm gonna miss you." Katie seemed shocked by his sincerity for once and was about to reply when he started to talk once more. "It's going to be a tough year without being able to pick on my little Kitty Kat," he said with a sarcastic smirk.
"Ugh!" Katie yelled angrily before stomping back up the hill, leaving Travis's annoying laughs behind her.