AN: Hi! This is my first story on this account so I'd really appreciate some nice reviews, faves and follows :) Enjoy! I don't own any of the Riordanverse

ONE - TRAVIS

The first time Travis walked by the strawberry fields when he first came to camp, he didn't think much of it. Sure it was big, the smell of strawberries drifted in the air as he walked by on the tour, but it wasn't anything that special to him. He was more interested in the climbing wall, or as his brother Connor called it; "The super duper could-possibly-kill-you climbing wall of lava." He never thought he'd gain such an attachment to those fields.

The first time Travis met Katie, he ran past her while she was walking with another child of Demeter who was giving her a tour. He and Connor had just looted the camp store and were trying to run back to their cabin before Chiron or Mr. D spotted them. "Hey!" She yelled as he slammed into her, dropping the cookies he was holding.
"Sorry, sorry!" He yelled back, looking at the girl with the wavy brown hair. If it wasn't for the look of annoyance on her face, he would have said she looked like the nicest person in the world. As Connor helped him grab the cookies, Travis flashed her a smirk, which made her glare at him. "Well, I would love to give you a tour, but we gotta run!" He said as he and Connor ran away from the brown haired girl.

The first time Travis tried the best strawberries he had ever tasted was when the brown haired girl he had met the other week brought a bowl of freshly picked fruit to breakfast. He was choosing between bacon or sausages when she slipped in next to him and placed the bowl down, next to the bananas. Once again, he smelled the sweet smell of the strawberries. "Hey, you're the girl I ran into last week, right?" He asked her, finally settling for some bacon. The girl looked back at him and the grin on her face was replaced with suspicion. "Yeah. I am." She simply said. Travis flashed her a grin and stuck his hand out.
"Well, I'm Travis, Travis Stoll. Son of Hermes." He said. The girl looked at him for a moment and her expression softened. She gave him a small grin, and shook his hand.
"Katie, Katie Gardner. My mom's Demeter."

The two thirteen year olds stood there for a moment, until Katie looked down at his plate which was piled with eggs, bacon and toast. She looked like she was thinking for a moment, which made Travis curious. Was she judging him? "You should eat more fruit." Katie said, crossing her arms in front of her. "I picked these strawberries earlier, you should try some." She said, glancing at the large red fruits on the table.
"You're judging my eating habits aren't you?" Travis playfully asked. Katie rolled her eyes, but grabbed a handful and placed them onto his plate.
"You'll like them." She simply said, before walking away towards her table. Travis grabbed a strawberry and bit into it. Now, he wasn't much of a fruit eater, but even he had to admit that these were good. Sitting down at the crowded Hermes table, his brother looked at him digging into the strawberries. "Dude, since when did you start eating strawberries?" He asked, cutting through his pancakes. Travis simply shrugged and ate the rest of his food.

After that day, Travis would grab a handful of strawberries every morning. There was something about those strawberries that just made him feel happy, whether it was the sweetness of them, or the delicious smell they would give off. Every time Katie would put down a bowl of fresh strawberries, he would always be the first to grab a handful. Every time he would go to breakfast, he would flash her a smirk, grab a few, and walk away. Of course, she wouldn't always be happy to see him, especially after the pranks he pulled on her. They would get into fights, or rather it would be her yelling at him, while he teased her, flashing his mischievous grins at her. Yes, she was annoying, yes she had a temper, but whenever she brought those damn strawberries, he couldn't care less if she liked him or not. This continued for months, for years, it became a known thing that whenever Katie put down a bowl of strawberries, Travis would always be first in line.

This summer, it was different though. Katie had just become counselor of the Demeter cabin, and in the mornings, she would be busy checking in on all of her half-siblings. This being the case, her younger sister had started to bring the strawberries to breakfast every morning. Of course, Travis wouldn't be bothered by this, right? I mean, he'd be happy as long as he got those damn good strawberries. It was the second week of camp when Travis started wondering why Katie wasn't bringing the strawberries in at breakfast.

The morning sun shone onto the porch of the Hermes cabin, where he and Connor were sitting. "Dude, what pranks are we thinking of for today?" Connor asked, looking for potential people, or cabins to pull a joke on. Travis shrugged and found himself staring at the Demeter cabin, where Katie was watering one of the plants outside. Her brown hair was braided and fell right onto her shoulders. "Hello? Hello, are you there?" Connor asked, waving a hand in front of Travis' face. Travis immediately shook his head and turned to look at his brother. "Yeah, what are we talking about?" He asked. Connor simply smirked at him.
"Well, before you got distracted staring at Katie, I was asking if you had any prank ideas." He said, sniffling a laugh as Travis' mouth opened and closed like a fish.
"I was NOT staring at Katie." He said.

Okay, maybe he was, but he didn't like her like that. I mean, she was impossible to deal with. The way she screamed at him whenever he pranked her, or the way her brows furrowed when she looked angry, or the way her hair swished perfectly behind her as she walked away… Connor snapped his fingers in front of Travis' face and laughed. "Dude, being your totally genius brother, and just an average human being who has seen you two together, it's obvious you like her." Connor said, using his finger to emphasize his point. Travis looked at him and shook his head. "I DO NOT. Who said anything about that?" He asked, wide eyed.

"Everyone at camp dude. You should see the looks people give you two when you 'argue', or when you grin from ear to ear when she brings in those strawberries." Connor said, putting air quotes around the word 'argue' and wiggling his eyebrows. "Dude, we argue because she's insufferable and irritating. I smile because those strawberries taste good, not because of her." Travis said, trying to calm down his burning cheeks.
"Uhuh… so tell me dear brother, why is it that during the past week that Katie hasn't been the one to bring strawberries, you've been looking much less happy to get them in the morning? Oh, and tell me why you never enjoy strawberries as much when we're away from camp?" Connor asked, raising an eyebrow.

Travis was going to say something smart, he really was… he just couldn't think of anything. Connor's face lit up and started laughing. "I knew it bro, you DO have the hots for Gardner." He said. Travis could feel his cheeks burn up.
"I-No! No I don't!" He said, but before he could fight his brother on it, Connor had stood up.
"Yes, yes you do dear brother. And the sooner you accept it, the sooner you can ask her out." He said, walking back into the cabin with a big smirk splashed across his face, and leaving a confused Travis on the steps of the Hermes cabin. Travis sat on the porch for a moment, looking back towards the Demeter cabin.

He didn't like her, right? There was no way he could have feelings for the girl that he's been tormenting for years. The girl he couldn't go a week without getting yelled at by. The girl who only picked the best, most delicious strawberries… Yeah, there was no way he could like her. He really only liked the strawberries! Of course he found it strange that it was her sister that would bring the bowl in the morning, but that didn't mean he missed her or anything… he didn't miss seeing her every morning, her hair in messy braids, her smile when she set the fruit down, the way she always made sure he had some fruit on his plate…the way she smelled like sweet, sweet strawberries. Oh shit… he thought as it dawned on him. His brother was right… he didn't just like the strawberries.

The past week, he just thought the strawberries were somehow more sour in the morning, but everyone said they tasted the same. It wasn't because he loved the taste of strawberries, or the smell of them in the morning, they seemed different because Katie wasn't there to give them to him. She wasn't there to playfully punch him in the morning when he said something snarky, she wasn't there to stare at his plate, judging the unhealthy assortment he had like when they were thirteen. Travis sat there, watching Katie finish watering the plants in front of her cabin. He didn't like the strawberries for their taste, he liked them because wherever there were fresh strawberries, Katie was there. That was his excuse to see her every morning, his excuse to walk around the strawberry fields and pick the berries as an afternoon snack. Strawberries always equaled Katie, and whenever Katie wasn't the one to give him strawberries, he just didn't like them as much.

Katie smelled like sweet, sweet strawberries. Everywhere she went, he could smell it and it drove him insane. Travis took a deep breath as he accidentally locked eyes with Katie, who was about to walk into her cabin. Great, she probably thinks I'm plotting something against her. He thought, as her smile shifted into a frown and she narrowed his eyes at him before walking into her cabin. Travis stood up and started walking towards the lake. Maybe he could get a run in before breakfast and get his mind off things, but who was he trying to kid? He did like Katie Gardner… She was the reason he liked his sweet strawberries because every time he saw strawberries, he could spend time with her.