The Date

**The Date** is the seventy-second chapter of The Gift of a Best Friend. It was first published on September 8th, 2018.

## Chapter

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**Annabeth's POV**
It’s the Fourth of July, and the whole camp is gathering at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine.
Being Hephaestus’s kids, they weren’t going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They’d anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. The blasts would be sequenced so tightly they’d look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.
As Percy and I were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover showed up to tell us goodbye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he’d started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He’d put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.
“I’m off,” he said. “I just came to say . . . well, you know.”
I gave him a hug. “Keep your fake feet on.”
“Where are you going to search first?” Percy asked.
“Kind of a secret,” he said, looking embarrassed. “I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan . . .”
“We understand,” I said. “You got enough tin cans for the trip?”
“Yeah.”
“And you remembered your reed pipes?”
“Jeez, Annabeth,” he grumbled. “You’re like an old mama goat.”
But he didn’t really sound annoyed. He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder.
“Well,” he said, “wish me luck.”
He gave me another hug. He clapped Percy on the shoulder, then headed back through the dunes.
Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena, my brother) crossing the Delaware.
“Hey, Grover,” Percy called.
He turned at the edge of the woods.
“Wherever you’re going—I hope they make good enchiladas.”
Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.
“We’ll see him again,” I said.
I really believed that. I’m not sure when or where, but I know we will. And I think Percy does, too.
I glanced over at Jasmine and Will, sitting on their picnic blanket on the top of the roof of the Big House.
It seems to me that they were having a good date.

**Jasmine’s POV**
Will picked me up at my cabin right when he said he would.
I opened the door and greeted him with a smile.
“Hi, Will,” I said.
“Hello, Jasmine,” he said, looking me over. “I guess I’m a little underdressed.”
I know what he meant.
I put on a purple dress with an attached silk shrug and also an attached three-layer glittery skirt with matching shoes. It’s really cute.
Will was wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and jeans, like probably everybody else.
“No, you look great,” I said. “I just love dresses and I like to wear them for occasions like this. This dress is my favorite.”
“Is it also your lucky dress?” Will asked.
I gave him a playful smile. “I don’t know. I hope so.”
“I hope so, too. You look beautiful in it. Of course, you look beautiful in everything you wear, even more than a daughter of Aphrodite.”
“You better not tell them that.”
“No way.”
We both laughed.
“I see the sparks flying again,” Will said.
I was probably blushing to the maximum. “I think I can too.”
“I knew I wasn’t seeing things. Now, would you mind me escorting you to where we will be having our date?”
He offered me his arm.
I smiled. “Not at all.” I took his arm. “Lead the way.”
And the way he did.
He led me to a ladder on the side of the Big House.
I looked at him with an eyebrow raised.
“I asked Chiron for permission if we could use the roof for the night,” Will explained. “I figured it would be more private for our first date than on the beach where everyone else is going to be. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all,” I said. “I actually agree. You rarely ever get privacy around here. At least, during the summer time.”
“Right.” He gestured to the ladder. “Ladies first.”
He held my hand while I went up the first few steps, then he followed behind me.
When I got to the top, I saw a picnic blanket laid out and some flowers on top of it.
Oh, God.
Will led me over to it, picked up the flowers, and handed them to me.
“Some jasmines for Jasmine,” he said.
I giggled and accepted them. “Thank you.”
“Were you named after that flower?”
“Actually, no. I was named after the Disney Princess Jasmine, my mom’s favorite.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re quite the princess yourself.”
“The badass kind, which Jasmine kind of was.”
“Definitely.”
He looked at me the same way he has been for weeks now.
“What?” I asked.
“I love your smile,” he said. “It makes me want to run a mile.”
“Away?” I joked.
He laughed. “No. It makes me want to run a mile closer to your heart. Every time you smile, you light the world up.”
My mouth was stretched on either side to the limit. “Do you love anything else about me?”
“A lot. How the sunlight makes the gold in your hair shine brighter than all the stars in the sky.”
“Oh my God,” I said. “Did you practice this over and over again until you got it right, or is this just how you are?”
“Everything I say comes from the heart,” Will said.
“I think I’m going to die of blushing so much, and my mouth is going to hurt from smiling so much, too.”
“You’ll still look as beautiful as you do now.”
“Stop it. I don’t think I can take anymore.”
“Ok, I’ll stop. For now.”
“Thank you.”
We sat down on the picnic blanket a few inches apart.
The sun was still poking a little bit over the horizon.
“That day you have me teach you archery,” Will said, “I know you were only pretending to be bad at it.”
“What made you realize that?” I said, a little sarcastically. “When I shot an arrow from the entrance and made the bulls eye, even though I couldn’t make it from just ten feet away?”
He smiled. “That too. But also because I had watched you before and knew that you were better than even my siblings.”
“I’ve been doing archery for years, and I get better and better at it every day. I can aim anywhere and I’ll hit it. You’re not so bad either. If you’d like, I could give you my own personal lessons.”
“You probably already know that I’m going to say yes.”
“Yep. But do you know why I pretended to be terrible that day?”
“So that you would have an excuse to talk to me?” Will guessed.
I nodded. “Yes. I know you liked that.”
“More than you probably think you know.”
“Probably. I didn’t actually start even considering liking you until I noticed you watching me the way you were, and I started to like you more and more.”
“Me too,” he said. “From the first moment I laid eyes on you, I thought you were the most beautiful young woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Young woman?” I asked.
“Yes, I said that, and I’m not taking that back. Anyway, I’ve been watching you from that moment every since. You don’t seem to like many of the demigods here. . . .”
“I don’t.”
“But when you’re actually getting along with them, how happy you look when you’re helping them with something and they’re succeeding at it, I can just tell how passionate you are at helping people and are as happy as they are.”
“Well, you’ve got that right,” I said. “I am quite passionate about helping people and being fair.”
“I know. And I also know that any guy would be very lucky and happy to have you.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do.”
“And I know that any girl would be very lucky and happy with you the way you keep her smiling.”
“I’m glad you said that, because I want to ask you something.”
For the first time through this whole date, I frowned and narrowed my eyes.
“Ok,” I said. “What?”
“I know that this is kind of soon,” Will said. “But I was wondering if you would be my girlfriend?”
Ok. I guess that wasn’t really surprising.
“Your girlfriend?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes. I really like you, Jasmine, and I wasn’t sure if you liked me until now. And I know we can make this work.”
“How sure are you about that?”
“A hundred-and-ten percent positive.”
“Wow. That’s really positive.”
“That it is.”
“I think I’m that positive about it, too,” I said. “But before I say yes, I want you to accept a couple of my conditions first.”
Will frowned. “Ok. What conditions?”
“Well, as you probably already have heard from the guys around here, I really really care about Annabeth. She’s my best friend, and if she ever needs me, I’ll always be there for her and I won’t let anything get in the way of that, not even my boyfriend.”
“Ok. Any other condition?”
“Just one. I also really care about my family, and I won’t let anything get between me and them either. Not that I don’t consider Annabeth a part of my family because she is. I mean, she’s adopted into it, after all. But that’s the conditions.”
“Ok,” Will said. “So, assuming that you consider your family as a whole, I would be at least third on your list.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“And I have to accept those conditions to be your boyfriend?”
“Yes. The question is, do you, Will Solace, accept my conditions as I have explained them to you?”
“Well, I guess being third is better than being none at all. So, yes. I, Will Solace, accept these conditions as you have explained them to me. Now, will you be my girlfriend?”
I smiled. “I, Jasmine Saturday, would be honored to be your girlfriend.”
Will smiled.
Honestly, if he had asked me to marry him then and there, I probably would’ve said yes (then probably change my mind later because I’m *so* not ready for that right now).
I sat closer to Will on our picnic blanket.
I slowly and hesitantly rested my head on his shoulder and held his hand. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer, then rested his head against mine.
We watched the fireworks, and I’m a hundred-and-ten percent positive that we were both hoping this night would never end.

After the fireworks were over, Will and I folded up the picnic blanket and descended off the roof.
Will walked me to my cabin while holding my hand gently the whole way.
When we reached the door, I turned and faced him.
“I really enjoyed our date,” I said.
“Me too,” Will said. “I really wish it didn’t have to end.”
“I know. But, alas, it has to.”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ll see you again at breakfast?”
“Ok. I’ll be there.”
Our faces were inches apart.
I was hoping he’d kiss me, but he didn’t, and let there been an awkward silence between us.
“Well, goodnight,” he said.
“Goodnight,” I said, sounding a little disappointed.
He left me in front of my cabin and walked back to his.
Why didn’t he kiss me? It’s probably his first time, as it is mine, and he’s nervous, but still. Oh well.
I was about to enter my cabin, but stopped myself. I turned around toward Will. He was about halfway to his cabin now.
I decided that I was not going to let this night end like this.
“Will!” I called.
He stopped and turned toward me.
I ran to him. As I got closer, I slowed down.
When I reached him, I wrapped my hands around his neck, and kissed him.
He put his hands on my waist, holding me there, and kissed me back. His lips were tender and warm and absolutely perfect.
Why should the guy always make the first move? It’s not fair.
I’m not trying to be feminist, because I hate feminists, but if you always wait for the guy, it’s probably never going to happen when you want it to. It’s best when you make the first move yourself and see how it goes.
For me, it’s going great.
I pulled away after a few more kisses.
I smiled. “Goodnight.”
Will controlled his smile. “Goodnight. Sweet dreams.”
“Oh, I know they will be now.”
He smiled more and kissed me again.
Then we finally parted and went back to our cabins.
As I walked back to mine, I made a decision.
I’m going to forget about Percy and be with Will, and I’m going to help Annabeth and Percy get together.
It’ll probably take some time, but love is patient. I just hope that it doesn’t take too long.
When I got back to my cabin and closed the door behind me, I leaned my back against it and sighed happily.
This was the best night ever.

So today is Annabeth's birthday (in my version of this story), so it didn't feel right not to update on her birthday, but know that my updates are going to be long apart again due to ceasing to continue to write this story as of right now since a new video game came out recently (Monster Hunters Generations Ultimate), and other games coming out in the next couple months (Super Mario Party and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. If any of you guys play this game, hit me up and maybe we can play together). I'll update again on Jasmine's birthday in a couple days, but know that it'll be a while before another update. Maybe not until November.
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## Character Appearances

### Main Characters

* Annabeth Chase
* Jasmine Saturday
* Percy Jackson

### Minor Characters

* Grover Underwood
* Will Solace