Work Text:
For Katie Gardner any romance she had was probably going to start with gardening. That Percy did in fact seek her out after his cancled funeral, to help with grow a flower.
Katie can sense the sadness in the boy with two much weight on his shoulders. Heavier in many ways than the sky that he'd briefly held. The little flower is lovely and delicate and the fact that it came from the island of Calypso? Katie's delighted to just see it. Let alone get to plant it. She gets it tucked in a nice little pot for safe keeping until Percy can go home, since the he's mid-quest at the moment.
She almost forgets about it, until after the dust has settled from the battle. The garden around their mothers cabin should be well fed now, with the monsters she and her siblings drug underground. Perhaps the strawberries will be redder too.
She gets more now how her mother, wrakced with grief could so coldly deny the world plants whenever her beloved child was wrenched away from her. Katie always thought herself fairly even tempered. Likely even to be bad at fighting. Until monsters invaded her home and tried to kill her family and friends. That kind of rage is frightening.
So it's actually with relief when Percy again approaches her to ask her help setting up a small window garden at his mom's apartment. She's a little excited too. Percy's kind of a big deal, in many ways at Camp. He's the most powerful demigod any of them have ever seen. She'd seen his fighting a few times, during battle and the mix of that wild grin on his face and the fierce determined way he slashed through enemies was intimidating to say the least. (Also hot...)
Everyone knew Annabeth had a thing for him...but Katie thought he could do...if not better but well, better. Someone who didn't need to insult him every other breath for one. With that thought Katie "accidentally" mentions that she'll be going to Percy's house for a visit when he leaves near Silena and her siblings and they descend in a perfumed horde. (Annabeth looks like she's plotting her demise but if her planning is as "good" as her quest leading Katie thinks she safe.)
So she's a tad more put together than normal when she and Percy head out. Still her clothes but maybe a touch of make-up...maybe her hair is a tiny bit less frizzy. Also somehow the Aprhodite kids got all the dirt out from under her nails. She will forever be imrpressed on that front. Won't last of course, once she helps Percy plant his little flower, and y'know maybe that litte packet of seeds she's brought with her too. Can't have the moonlace lonely now can she?
On the way Katie gets an intro to the "scary dog privilege" of traveling with Percy Jackson. It's kinda nice not to be bothered and plenty attractive to wstch Percy casually menace away people that look to start bothering them. He also spends part of the bus ride making faces at two little kids a few seats ahead of them and it's adorable the way they giggle and duck down only to pop back up for Percy to make them laugh again.
-=-=-
Sally is nice and welcoming as is Paul Blofis and Katie gets to be part of the "explain the gods and stuff thing" to the poor man. Making one of Sally's house plants grow an extra foot while Percy juggled water certainly helped. Also she finally gets to find out about the blue food thing. They have blue corn tacos for dinner followed by blue chocolate chip cookies. She can appreciate a good act of wholesome defiance.
As arranged, she stays the night, Percy taking the couch while she gets his bed. She doesn't argue to much as both Sally and Percy are quite determined on that front. Her Aphrodite cabin applied make-up holds.
They go out shopping for the stuff they'll need, getting a nice little window box, a mister, and a bag of dirt and set it up right outside Percy's window. Katie makes sure to ask for her mothers blessing once done, to give the plant that extra little oomph.
She doesn't push much, on the "hey other girls exist". It way to soon for that. Plus she's helping him plant a flower from another girl. Itwould be a bit weird. Still, Percy throws her a few appreciative looks and blushes bright red when she kisses his cheek before leaving that afternoon. Katie's well content with having planted a flower and maybe the idea that there are people who might..might just like him.