Mal

Chapter 9: My "First" Date

Evie helped me get ready for my "first" date with Ben. Evie made me wear a dress. It was purple, but I was not happy about the dress. Ben picked me up and wore the exact same thing he wore on our actual first date. The first thing he said to me was "I finally understand the difference between pretty and beautiful." It was so sweet.

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"Tell me something you've never told anyone adout yourself." Ben asked me while we were walking to our destination.

"Um, my middle name is Bertha. And before you start laughing, that is just the thing that my mom does best, being really, really EVIL."

Ben said "Mine's Florian."

I started cracking up and said "Florian, how princely. GOD, that's almost worse."

Ben smiled and said "Well, it's better than Bertha."

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"Keep your eyes closed. One more step, and open."

I did as Ben instructed me to do, and couldn't believe what I saw. It was a recreation of the dream I had a few days before I met Ben. Right down to what we were eating.

"How did you do this?"

"I got the food, I brought it here, and I brought you here."

"Thank you Captain Obvious." And I started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me about yourself. I really don't know that much about you."

"I'm sixteen, I have a half brother, my mom is one of the most powerful people on the planet, I've only ever lived in one place, and my mom alwaysed punished me for doing good. My half brother, Percy, and his girlfriend, Annabeth, taught me to be good. They actually cared about how I turned out."

"Hey, I'm sorry all that happened to you, Mal. But, what's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Having a brother."

"It's amazing. It's like being a married couple. They get on your nerves, they make you laugh, and when all's said and done, you just want to divorce them, but you can't because you love them to much to break their heart."

"Let's go for a swim."

"What, um, I'm just going to stay here and try a strawberry. I've literally never had a strawberry before. Um. Ummmm." Who knew strawberries tasted so good.

Ben started chuckling and said "Don't eat all if them."

I ate about 4 more strawberries. I saw Ben climb onto this really big rock in nothing but his swim trunks.

"ARE THOESE LITTLE CROWNS ON YOUR SHORTS!" I yelled.

"MAYBE!"

Ben jumped off the rock and into the water.

Ben was underwater for so long, that I kinda lost it. I went into the water and searched for Ben. This may sound stupid, but I can't swim. Kinda weird. Especially since I'm the daughter of Poseidon. Percy and Dad would be ashamed of me. I went under the water and could suddenly breathe. I got so scared that I started screaming. All of a sudden, arms got hold of me. Ben. He caught me and took me back to the surface. I willed myself to get wet so Ben wouldn't question me if I stayed dry.

"YOU SACRED ME!"

"You can't swim?"

"No!"

"But you live on an island!"

"Yeah, WITH A BARRIER AROUND IT!"

Ben was silent for a little while until I said, "Why were you down there for so long, anyway."

"I was getting you this rock."

I probably looked at him like a crazy person because he said "You make a wish and you throw it into the lake."

I threw the rock back into the lake, not making a wish.

Then we climbed back on shore and he gave me his fleece jacket.

"Mal, I love you."

"You what?" I said in a small voice.

"I love you, do you love me?"

"I don't know what love feels like."

"Perhaps I can teach you."