Hi everyone! Sorry for taking so long, exams and inconsistent access to the computer did it. Oh, and my graduation practices :) Anywho, welcome again to...

Son of Hermes, Daughter of Demeter

Chapter 5: Dating Advice

Travis sat down beside his brother at the Hermes table. He hadn't seen Katie all morning, aside from breakfast, because it had been a particularly busy morning. He had just finished offering some food to Hermes, and he couldn't wait to eat.

But even as he attacked the barbecue and boiled eggs, something whirled in a vortex around his mind. It had been nagging at his conscience since Percy and Beckendorf suggested that he should ask her out. Well, there was no doubt that he wanted to, and he would, except for one problem…

Travis had no idea where he could take her. He'd never really been outside of camp, and the only times he remembered being in the outside world was right before he turned thirteen, and the other, during the battle of Manhattan, both times when he wouldn't have been mapping out potential date venues.

His eyebrows furrowed at the thought, but he continued to eat. The eggs were too damned good to leave alone.

Connor stood up, already finished with his food. "C'mon man, eat faster! I've got a brilliant idea for a prank to play on the Aphrodite kids…"

Travis looked at him. "I'm still eating!" he protested, spewing crumbs. One of his siblings sitting across from him said "Ew!" and moved away.

"That's nice, dude," Connor said impatiently. "Eat faster!"

Travis pretended he was moving in slow motion.

"Fine. Don't listen," Connor said. "I'm leaving." Then Connor left.

Travis shrugged it off. He had to find a place where he could take Katie on a date. But how? They weren't allowed out unless they were going on a quest, or if they weren't staying year-round.

No, that's not the problem, Travis thought. I'm Travis Stoll! Sneaking out is my specialty!

The problem is something else entirely, a small voice in his head told him. Whether it was his conscience, sign of schizophrenia, or some god that somehow managed to sneak into his head, Travis didn't know. The voice was right though. The problem was knowing where he could bring her. He didn't even exactly know what they were going to do on the date.

He tried thinking of ways to find a place. Ask someone? No, it would do no good for his image, so that was out of the question. Sneak out and look for somewhere? That was out of the question. It was quite a distance from camp, and to escape, find a suitable restaurant, and then sneak back to his bunk bed, without waking any of his numerous cabinmates, all within the span of after midnight 'til before four AM, was damn impossible. And what would he say to Connor? He couldn't think of anything else. Travis sighed. Asking someone would be his last resort.

"Um, I need to… ask you guys… something."

"What is it, Travis?" Percy asked impatiently.

I can't believe I'm doing this, Travis thought to himself. He slapped himself mentally, trying not to think how much this was bruising his ego.

"It's 'cause I need to… I've got a…" Ugh. He was mumbling. "Well, you see… I really wanna take Katie on a date but I have no idea where I can bring her 'cause I've never really been outside camp and I don't know any places where I could take her and I didn't know how I could find one so I decided to just try asking you guys," Travis said, without taking a breath in between.

"Whoa, slow down, man," Beckendorf said. "Please translate."

Travis took a deep breath. "I really wanna take Katie on a date but I have no idea where I can bring her 'cause I've never really been outside camp and I don't know any places where I could take her and I didn't know how I could find one so I decided to just try asking you guys."

"Well, I can see your problem here, Travis," Beckendorf said. "I think you should—"

"You could just sneak out and wing it," Percy interrupted. "You know, just get out for a bit and go to places on the fly."

Travis blanched. Beckendorf grimaced and said, "Percy, that's a terrible idea."

"Well… It was what I was planning to do with Annabeth before, but when she found out, she canceled the date and didn't agree to another one until I asked Chiron for permission."

"She's right," Beckendorf said wisely. "I went on a date with Silena like that once… It was great, but when we got back, the harpies were flying around, chasing us, trying to eat us all evening, until probably an hour before breakfast. So, in other words, don't do that."

"But…" Travis said. "It's embarrassing to have to ask permission to go on a date! And from Chiron!"

"We know you wanna be Travis Stoll, prankster extraordinaire, master of stealing and whatever," Beckendorf said, "but Katie isn't gonna dig it, especially on your first date."

"Yeah," Percy chimed in. "She'd probably not agree to it, like Annabeth."

"Alright, alright," Travis said. "But do I really have to ask Chiron?"

"Yes, you do!"

"Ugh, fine," he said, defeated. He turned to walk away. Then, he remembered something.

"Guys, you need to promise me."

"What?"

"Whatever has transpired here, will not reach anyone's ears, especially Katie's. Got it?"

"Okay." Then Percy mock-yelled, "Hey, Katie! Your boyfriend here's askin—mphf!"

"Shut up!" Travis said quickly, covering Percy's mouth. "She might hear!"

"Out here, on Zeus's Fist, in the middle of the forest?" Beckendorf said.

"Fine, whatever," Travis said, taking his hand off Percy's mouth.

"Finally!" Percy said, gasping for air. "You've taken off that smelly hand of yours! Do you know how much it stinks?"

"No, and it only stinks because we've been training all day and I haven't showered yet. Anyway, catch ya guys later."

"Sure thing, man," Beckendorf said.

"See ya," Percy said. They walked out of the forest, back to the cabins.

Thanks for reading this so far! By the way, I'll appreciate ideas for their date; just leave 'em in the comments!

BTW, please don't favorite without reviewing.