» 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖: i'm back! i have new trauma to unpack in my life and the obvious coping mechanism is writing about a middle school otp, just like last time :D
» 𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖: 7 / 14 / 21
» 𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: a fix-it fic for my old one-shot, "loved her" because i needed it and i know y'all did too lol
» 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕤: 1757
. . .
Katie hadn't intended on the day going like it had.
Sure, they were in the middle of a war with Kronos and she couldn't exactly predict each day, but she'd been stationed with the Apollo cabin's med bay in the lobby of the Empire State Building, and that had appeared to be a simple job. She knew what to expect - she helped grow herbs that were needed, she gathered dirty cloths and replaced them with clean ones, she made sure the Apollo campers had water to keep them hydrated... It was pretty easy to expect what would happen.
That is, until she got the phone call.
He'd called the Empire State Building's front desk from a sleeping mortal's cell, sounding like he'd been run over by a bus. Travis. He could hardly get words to come out of his mouth without choking on what she hoped wasn't blood. But each sentence was cool and calm, as if nothing was the matter.
Katie was in dire straits, to say the least.
"Just making sure you're okay," he'd said. And with that, the facade of hating each other had melted away. Katie couldn't have cared that four dozen campers were with her to hear her hysterics, especially when he ended the call with a groundbreaking statement.
"I love you, Katie-kat. I loved you."
The line had gone dead, and Katie had fallen to the floor.
He'd called her in a last attempt of mending their relationship - Travis Stoll, leader of the one-sided prank war against her cabin; counselor of the most annoying cabin at camp; Katie's personal worst enemy.
And he'd called to tell her he loved her.
"Katie, where is he?" She vaguely recognized Aiden, a child of Apollo, standing over her to help her up.
She couldn't stand.
So, Aiden crouched next to her to try and interpret her blubbering. "He didn't say? Hey, it's okay, it's okay - we'll find him. Stay with me, Katie. Cover me with Haylee over there?"
He'd pointed to a cot in the distance where a daughter of Apollo changed another camper's bandages, and before Katie could respond, he was out the door with two other campers. She couldn't even process what had just happened, much less register that Haylee was calling for her help.
Instead, she sobbed.
Katie wasn't typically a crier. She never cried. Not even when she wanted to - it wasn't her coping style. But if Travis was really... if he'd called to say his last words... and they were to her...
She couldn't hold back the tsunami of tears.
Soon, she felt a pair of arms around her. Haylee had finished bandaging the camper and joined her on the floor to wrap her in some form of comfort, which Katie accepted gladly. Her thoughts were so scattered that she couldn't even say "thank you" and instead melted into Haylee's hug. Tears gathered at her eyes so she could hardly see Haylee nod in response to her wordless gratitude.
Katie couldn't lose Travis, he was one of the only constants in her life.
From the fuzzy outskirts of her senses, she realized someone was calling her name. Aiden, the Apollo camper. In her conscience, she knew she should help him with whatever he needed because there were plenty of Apollo and Demeter campers too busy to assist. She allowed Haylee to lift her off the ground to see over the counter, and her heart stopped when she took in who it was Aiden needed help with.
