tratie one shots, vol. i

[ lying lessons pt. 2 ]

this was a request for a followup on "lying lessons" and i really enjoyed writing it! 

hope you enjoy!

requested by: Lax4life7 

words: 684

. . .

"Okay, let's start with a simple small talk lie." Travis sat back on his bunk, ready to inspect her every move. "Your dog just died and your friend doesn't know, but she knocks on your door."

She scoffed. "That's not simple small talk, Trav. That's devastating." 

"Not up to the challenge?"

"Obviously I am. Bring it."

He leaned forward. "Alright, how are you doing today, Katie?"

"I'm fine, and you?" 

Grinning, he nodded enthusiastically. "You didn't tap your finger that time, it was perfect. Don't blink on the last word, though."

Rolling her eyes, she kicked her legs up to cross them underneath her. "Whatever. Next?"

He tapped his chin with his pointer finger. "Hmm... You know what? Let's just talk. I wanna see how you slip lies into normal conversation."

"Cool."

Travis began talking about nothing in particular, letting the exchange go where it would. They talked about the immaturity of the last prank he'd pulled on the Athena cabin (rubber spiders, a classic). They reminisced the last dinner he'd prepared for her - an after-curfew picnic by candlelight on the dock. They discussed future date ideas, ones that were within camp guidelines (stupid Katie and her need to be legal). 

It was well after midnight by the time a suspicious line was thrown out.

"I really wish you had blond hair, I dig blonds." 

Confusion flew through Travis' mind, seeing as they'd been talking about factors that they liked about each other. Surely this was her lie, but... her nose didn't twitch, and she didn't tap her ring finger. She didn't blink on the last word, either. 

Was she telling truths to throw him off?

"Oh. That's unfortunate, because the red's here to stay." He pulled at his auburn curls, trying to decipher if she was kidding or not. Or lying or not. 

"I dunno, I just always pictured myself with a better looking guy, you know?"

Straight-faced and deadly serious, Katie stared Travis down with honesty. Slight fear pricked her eyes, telling him she surely couldn't be joking. Throwing the lying lesson aside for good, Travis nodded.

"I mean, me too." He fiddled with the blanket on his bed. "I always thought you'd end up with one of the dudes in Apollo or Aphrodite, because that's the kind of looks you deserve." 

He decided not to tell her how soul-crushing her revelation was. 

"Travis, you look awful right now."

"Okay, well that was a little harsh-"

"And I most definitely don't want you to kiss me."

This time, her finger deliberately lifted up and back down. She pointedly blinked. She scrunched up her nose. 

She'd been lying.

Travis threw his hands in the air and whooped, full of pride and glee. He'd successfully taught his girlfriend how to lie, and therefore validated his cause in dating her. One couldn't simply date a Hermes boy without knowing the ins and outs of fibbing. 

"You weren't serious about any of that, were you?" Travis wanted to make sure before he celebrated just yet.

She let out a comical evil cackle, clutching her stomach from laughing so hard. "I got you so good! I outsmarted a Stoll by lying!"

Joy welled up inside him as he tackled her, play-fighting with her to get even. They rolled around each other and smacked each other jokingly until he'd gained the upper hand. 

Now, Travis had her pinned underneath him with a sarcastically-terrified look on her face. He grinned smugly. 

"Fine, you win," she relented, shoving him off her. 

"I know," he said, but then he put a hand on her leg. "That was really convincing, I thought you were being for real."

Katie stuck her tongue out at him. "Of course I was lying. You're the hottest demigod here, and blond guys aren't my type anyway."

Smirking, Travis inched closer to her. His student had mastered the art, and one particular lie caught in his memory. "So, does that mean you were lying about not wanting me to kiss you?"

She bit her lip and tugged him closer to her, smiling with pride. 

"Oh, most definitely."