tratie one shots, vol. i

[ not so blind pt. 1 ]

prompt: "people keep setting us up but what they don't know is we're secretly dating."

words: 1024

. . .

Piper's POV

"Come on, Katie! We're gonna be late!" I banged on the door of the Demeter cabin, tapping my foot impatiently. The boys were already going to be there, and we were past the point of "fashionably late".

A bump and an "ow!" came from the other side of the door, followed by a hiss, "I'm trying, Piper, it isn't exactly every day I go on a blind date on last minute notice. Or a blind date at all, for that matter."

She threw open the door to reveal her hair in a static messy bun, a frumpy hoodie and shorts as an outfit, and an I'm done with everything look in her eyes to complete the ensemble.

"You'd better not make me change, because I don't want to go to this and I don't want to look nice."

I shrugged and put my hands on her shoulders. "I'm probably the worst daughter of Aphrodite ever for saying thing, but you look great, let's go."

As I drug her past the cabins and toward the pavilion, Katie huffed and rolled her eyes. "So what's the deal? All you told me was 'blind date, tonight in half an hour'. Will you at least prepare me for something?"

"Jason's bringing him to the pavilion. We're gonna chill and talk for a while, and Jason and me are backup in case it bombs. I doubt it will, though. You're gonna hate me, but just trust me. I'm getting good vibes about this pairing. Maybe even 'perfect couple' vibes. But I'm asking you to trust my judgment."

She took deep breaths and fidgeted with the strings of her hoodie. She was nervous.

We walked into the open space of the pavilion, where benches and picnic tables were scattered across the area for the demigods to eat at. The sun was just setting, and the purples and reds of the sky cast a glow on Jason's face as he saw Katie and I round the bend.

He stood up and pulled Katie's blind date up with him. "Well, well, look who decided to show up!"

Katie stopped dead in her tracks, turning paler than a ghost.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Katie's POV

It had to be Travis.

Of course.

I shook myself of the fact that my secret boyfriend was the blind date Piper had put together for me, and I nearly broke into hysterics.

We'd been together for three years, and it was pretty serious. We were supposed to hate each other, because we were sworn enemies since we met in middle school. In high school, something changed - we started liking each other. But we didn't want to tell anyone because we were both too stubborn to admit we didn't hate each other anymore, so we decided not to tell anyone.

This blind date wasn't the first time someone tried to set us up, either. But we always staged fights and got out of it easily.

Travis' eyes panned up and down me, and I would've blushed at his smirk if we hadn't been in front of Piper and Jason. He held eye contact with me for a split second before declaring, "Jason, you're trying to set me up with the person I hate most in this world?"

I stifled a laugh and joined in. "Yeah, what's up with that, guys?"

"Hear me out, okay?" Piper raised her hands in defense. "I get these feelings from people sometimes, telling me they're meant to be together. I'm nearly knocked over when I'm around you two. Don't hate me, I'm just trying to make you realize that maybe you should give each other a shot."

My boyfriend tapped his chin, humming to himself. "I mean, I'm willing to sit here and glare at Katie-kat for a while."

I narrowed my eyes at him as I sat across the picnic table from him. "Don't call me that, Stoll."

"Whatever you say, Katie-kat."

I didn't miss the look of concern Piper sent Jason, but they sat down with us and tried to start a conversation.

"So... how was everybody's day?" Jason drummed his fingers on the table, probably wishing he was anywhere but in the pavilion at that moment.

"I pranked someone in the Demeter cabin today," Travis remarked, sliding his eyes over to me.

"No you didn't..." I racked my brain for anything that could've happened today, but I came up empty.

He winked. "Oh, just wait for it."

Piper cleared her throat, situating herself to face me. "So, Katie, I know this isn't exactly a blind date since you already know each other, but-"

"I wish it was a blind date. Anything to not see Travis."

Travis snickered, but quickly covered it up with a cough. "Woah, that was a zinger. I think you hurt my feelings." His voice was coated with layers of sarcasm, and he put a hand on his chest emotionally.

"Good."

I felt bad for Piper and Jason - they were only trying to play match-maker with people who gave off "good couple vibes". I found it sweet, in fact, but I couldn't say so, obviously. I ran the risk of outing our relationship before we were ready.

Not that Travis wasn't ready. He'd wanted to share it with everyone he walked past the minute we got together officially, but I was unsure of how others were going to react. Enemies to lovers? We wouldn't hear the end of it. Personally, I didn't want to deal with it. I told him I wouldn't mind if people knew, but I didn't know how to tell them.

It was really hard not to out it when people kept setting us up, though.

"Could you maybe... just give it a shot?" Piper offered, almost begging. It wasn't often she tried to get someone together, she always said it was mushy gooshy crap. So it must have been a big thing for her to put this on her plate.

I sent a stern look in Travis' direction. "I'll try if he does."

His eyes danced. "You're on. Prepare to be swooned, Kates."

Oh, boy.