Title: Last Minute Confessions

Summary: Before the Final battle, Katie Gardner has some parting words for a certain son of Hermes

Disclaimer: Please, if I really did own this there would be a hell of lot more Tratie moments. But I do won my own character of Lyra and Kurari. Who will all be soon seen on .

Never before had Katie seen so many wilted flowers as she did then at that moment. The flowers that surrounded her and her siblings, never before did she see so many buds wither away as quickly as they did just then and she knew the reason why. The nearly blackened color of the once vibrant petals was hidden by the equally vibrant color of the blood that soaked the ground, courtesy of little Damien.

Damien, one of the youngest of Demeter's and perhaps by far the most vivacious of her brood. Flowers, though they loved all of Demeter's young ones, it was Damien who they seemed to care for the most. It was he who would grow them the quickest, whose strawberries were always the most tender and sweetest. It came no surprise to her that when the life that caused that sweetness would wither and die as soon as he did.

Tears flew past her eyes, running their course down her tanned cheeks, mingling with the blood that was swiped across her face, though it wasn't her own. So many of her brothers and sisters killed, by monsters and of their fellow demigods. Some even their own siblings, a fact that made Katie, patient and loving Katie, tremble in rage.

"Katie, June's down," Miranda yelled at her at a distance,her voice thick as she kneeled down the gasping form of their sister of nine years.

Katie looked up sharply, reluctantly leaving the dead body of her little brother to stand at Miranda's side. Little June, so innocent and loving, was lying on the ground clutching her stomach tightly. Katie growled through clench teeth before bending down to pick up the little girl. Sheathing her sword, she slid the little girl on her back and shakily stood up. Without looking back to see if her siblings were following her, she ran forwards.

"The Plaza!" she called out as she ran blindly.

She would not lose another sibling.

"Will you just hold still you big baby," a voice reprimanded teasingly, mirth coloring the tone.

"OW!"

"I haven't even touched it yet!"

Katie huffed tiredly as she entered the scene, her siblings following closely behind before she came to an abrupt stop at the scene before her. The Plaza, unofficial medic area of the demigods in the surrounding area, was littered with various bodies. Katie figured this would be okay, I mean, it's the medic area, if the bodies seemed to be moving. But while there were numerous pained moans filling in the silence around her, there were just as many bodies that lacked the typical moving chest a body inhabited when it had air going through it. That is not what shocked her to the core though, that ceased her movement and caused her previous panic-stricken mind and thoughts on the raspy-breath child on her back to completely disappear.

For there in the center of the room was her very good friend Lyra, a daughter of Apollo. You could say the reason for Katie''s stillness was the image of Lyra flitting around, her delicate soprano voice belting out Greek phrases as a golden light would glow around her patients. This was not the typical image you would see from the tomboy of Cabin #7, who would always skip Healing sessions with her sibs to practice her archery with her twin brother Alex, or challenge any of the Ares kids to a duel. But no that wasn't her reason for her moment of paralysis. It was Lyra's patient.

Travis Stoll. And the worst part?

He was shirtless.

Though this could have been clearly due to the fact that his shoulder was a freaking bloody mess and no, she wasn't just being dramatic. Because despite his false bravado that no could even land a hand on him, his shoulder was currently being covered in a compressor, which was steadily becoming a deep scarlet. Though it wasn't just the blood that caused her sinking feeling, but the various shredded skin she saw past the compressor.

But this wasn't his only injury. Though certainly the most serious.

Due to his shirtless state, she could clearly see the line marks, which looked suspiciously like claw marks, lines along his torso. Though they seemed to be steadily disappearing, thanks to Lyra no doubt. She felt herself frown at this.

She was so lost in her thoughts she barely acknowledged the prodding of her own siblings.

"Katie, why'd you stop?" Miranda questioned, confused by her usual focused sister's lack there of. It wasn't Katie who responded but their brother Alden.

"Her heart has stopped, for the handsome beau that sit a far," he grinned obnoxiously, ignoring the weirded out stares of his siblings and instead focusing on Katie's heated one.

"Someones spending too much time with Apollo Cabin," their other brother, Calvin muttered. Alden merely stuck his tongue out.

"Just shut up you two," Katie snapped before turning her attention back to Lyra, who had apparently noticed the Demeter Cabin's appearance during their exchange.

"Katie?" Lyra question, pausing in her singing.

Katie merely pushed her way through the crowd, her sword in one hand as she used her other to shove unwanted bodies out of her way. Travis looked at her surprised, though Katie couldn't blame him. She knew she probably looked like a psycho right then, plowing through innocent demigods in attempt to reach where him and Lyra were seated. Katie could only imagine what she looked like, her loose t-shirt dirty as her left sleeve had been shredded at the encounter at Brooklyn-battery Tunnel. Her dark brown hair, she knew, had come out of it's usual hair tie and now was cascaded around and past her shoulders.

She probably looked like a mess. But the disturbing part?

She never cared before Travis.

"Katie? What are you doing here?" Lyra asked confused. Wasn't Demeter stationed at Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel?

"Did Gardner come here to check up on little ol' me?" Travis teased, only to stop with a cringe as Lyra tightened the bandage on his shoulder vindictively. Katie scoffed.

"You wish Stoll."

"You bet."

"It's June." This was directed at Lyra this time, who was now peering over her shoulder at the name.

As Lyra went behind her, Katie bent her knees down into a squat, allowing the Healer to take the young demigod. Turning around to see Lyra lay the nine year old on the ground, she glanced at her friend. She watched as Lyra checked all her vitals before having a sigh.

"What? Is that a sigh or great impending doom or something?" Alden asked, dramatically concerned. Katie shot her brother a look. Sometimes she swore he belonged in Cabin #7.

"No. She's just drained energy wise," she commented, reaching into her sack for the ambrosia.

Katie sighed in a relief, joining in with the rest of her cabin. At least they save done sibling. Lyra stayed a for maybe another moment before there was a shout for a healer. When several gazes turned her way, she waved them off saying her brother Will could take this one. That opinion changed drastically when another shout exclaimed about how Malcolm was losing blood quick. A desperate blue-eyed gaze was sent her way before Katie let out a resigned sigh, motioning her to go with a wave of her hand. Katie had to suppress her smile as she watched a grateful grin slid onto Lyra's face before she jetted off in the direction of the shouts. She didn't know why she had been freaking out earlier.

She always knew that Lyra had a soft spot for the second in command of Athena Cabin.

"Wasn't that just too cute?" a voice chimed in, interrupting her change of thought. Katie shot a look at Travis, who only smirked at her in response.

"Don't you have something to go steal Stoll?" she asked rhetorically, cringing once it was all the way out of her mouth. He'd probably take that suggestion seriously.

"Can't. My partner in crime is occupied," Travis shrugged, pointing in the direction to her left.

Placing her hand on her hip, she looked out of the corner of her eye bored. What she saw made her gasp, mouth falling open in shock. Because there was Connor Stoll, lip locked with Kurari. A daughter of Hecate.

Her best friend.

"What?" she let out, shocked at the scene in front of her. She turned to Travis, who nodded.

"Yup."

"That's it? That's all you got to say for yourself!" she glared, hands back on her hips. Travis looked at her taken back.

"Me? What did I do?" he asked surprised, his hands placed on his chest for emphasis on the me.

"You probably put Connor up to this!"

"I did no such thing."

"You expect me to believe that?" she asked suspiciously, as if she should questioning even the idea of trusting a Stoll. Which she SHOULD.

This went on for a few minutes, barely acknowledged that throughout this little episode they were now both in standing positions, as if that would make them further their own point. But one thing was different than the others. While Katie was sure a frown was on her face and anger was evident in both her face and eyes, Travis wore only his infamous smirk. As if he was enjoying the whole thing.

Jerk probably was, she thought testily. At this point, Katie had already turned her back on him. Bending down, she picked up the sword she had discarded in favor of shouting at Travis. Sheathing it with an irritated sigh, she began to march away back towards her siblings and away from the annoyance that was Travis Stoll.

"Aww? Why you gotta be like that Gardner? For all you know it could be last you see of me," Travis teased, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

Katie tensed up at those words, so meaningful but careless in the way he threw them around. Katie barely knew what was happening when she whipped around and socked him straight in the stomach.

"OW! GODS!" he let out, clutching his abdomen painfully.

"What the Hades is wrong with you!" Katie shouted, enraged by his selfishly carefree demeanor.

He looked at her bewildered, still holding his stomach as he winced up at her.

"Me? I'm not the one punching defenseless, not to mention injured, demigods in the gut!" he let out in pain.

"I'm serious Travis. Is this all a game to you?" she asked wearily.

He straightened up, though continued to hold his seriously now bruised abdomen.

"What are on about?" he said confused. Katie growled frustrated. Did he not get how serious this whole thing was?

"You could have gotten seriously hurt Travis!" Katie shouted, annoyed at how lightly he was taking the entire situation.

"And why would that bother you?" he grinned suddenly, his pained expression turning cocky as he cross his arms over his chest.

"Psh! It doesn't," she argued weakly, cursing said weakness in her mind. She was a daughter of Demeter, dammit!

"It does so. Admit it Gardner, you like me," he stated, expression somewhat anxious now. Katie easily overlooked it though.

"I don't like you! I hate you! You and that ridiculous brother of yours!" she shouted, cold fury appearing in her dark green eyes.

"Mmm-hmm." he hummed unconvinced.

"You," she hisses through clenched teeth, "are infuriating!"

Travis just smirked at her, the sarcastic grin of his lighting up his features. Katie flushed darkly at the sight of it and ducked her head down, in a attempt to hide it.

"What are you gonna do about it, Gardner?", he asked amused.

Katie responded by grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him in for a kiss, finally bridged the gap between them, pressing her lips to his fiercely, determined to show him exactly how she felt with that kiss.

Travis let out a gasp, overwhelmed that Katie Gardner just locked lips with him. He stood there, stunned, as Katie wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him as close as possible. His eyes were wide in shock, and Katie grinned into the kiss, her hand sliding into his hair. He started to kiss back, finally, but that is when she broke it off. She could already hear the murmurs around them.

Travis slowly looked at her, chocolate eyes once widened in shock, now were appeared half-lidded, as if in a daze. This proved to be true when he stumbled back clumsily only to hit the wall behind him. Katie only smirked at him as she pointed her sword in his direction.

"Don't you even think about dying Stoll because I will hunt your soul down and kill you again," she warns.

Travis said nothing as he watched her bewildered as she ran off, off to join her cabin. He touched his lips lightly, slightly swollen from the Demeter girl's fierce kiss. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, a his daze look quickly morphing into that of a lovestruck face, a dizzy smile appearing on his face. Katie Gardner kissed him.

Travis only snapped out of it when Connor had come out from behind him, slapping him on his back.

"Wha-? Where?" he tumbled, still somewhat in a daze. Connor threw his arm around the elder Stoll's shoulders, looking at him bewildered.

"Dude? What the Hades was that?" he asked shocked.

Travis stared at his brother a second before returning his gaze to Katie, whose form was now just disappearing from sight.

"That...was...AWESOME!" he yelled, punching the air with a leap.

Okay! Here it is! There are so few Tratie fics I decided to write one! Please review...or Katie will send her plants after you!