Choosing Love

Chapter Thirty Four

Ben sighed as he approached Lady Persephone. It honestly was one of the most nerve wracking things he had done and that included asking Mal out via a song and dance in front of the entire school while pretending to be under a love spell/potion. Though he would honestly do that again a thousand times than ask the question he was going to ask of Lady Persephone and Lord Hades.

But he loved Mal. He loved the way her eyes would light up at the thought of mischief. He loved the way her tongue would stick out slightly as she worked on something in her sketchbook. He loved the way she could spar for hours with Uma or with Harry. He loved the way she was ready to help anyone who needed it.

He loved her. And he knew he didn't want to be without her.

"Lady Persephone?" Ben asked, his voice soft.

"Yes King Ben?" Persephone asked, looking a little confused at the fact that the teenaged King had approached her. Not that she wasn't happy to talk to any of Mal's friends or her boyfriend but they had been content to give her space to spend with her children. Something that Mal and Hadie had readily latched on to as with the exception of that current moment, they were loathed to leave her side. "Is something wrong?"

"I had...I had something I wanted to ask you. Well...you and Lord Hades but Mal would probably kill me if I went to the Isle without her—."

"I have a feeling your friends would be right behind her," Persephone added. Young Prince Emir and Prince Akiho were determined to keep Ben safe and Persephone had to commend their loyalty to their friend.

Jay, Harry, and Uma were also extremely protective of Ben but Persephone had to wonder how much of that was loyalty to the King and how much of it was loyalty to Mal. The Goddess of Vegetation knew her daughter would be devastated if anything happened to her boyfriend.

"Yeah, Emir and Akiho would definitely jump at the chance to knock some common sense into me as they would say." Ben nodded with a small smile as he thought about his friends. He knew the two of them wouldn't be alone, the rest of the Tourney team would probably be right behind them with Chip joining the fray as well. "But um...I would really like to ask both of you this question."

Persephone couldn't help but smile, as she had a feeling she knew what the question was Ben wanted to ask the two of them. If it was anyone else, she would have insisted they were too young to even think about it.

But after everything the two of them had been through...there was no way Persephone could say no. Not to mention, it took a great deal of bravery to ask such a question to two Gods. Even asking mortal parents would be nerve wracking but the fact that Ben had not yet melted into a puddle of goo from sheer terror gave him points in Persephone's book.

"I have a portal," she said, looking over at Ben. "It's how I cross between Auradon and the Isle every six months. At least, it is when I'm not needed by my children and my daughter's boyfriend is kind enough to send a car."

Ben gave her a small smile at that, a smile that Persephone readily returned.

"But when it's not in use," she continued, "it can be used as almost a telephone and a camera in one. Almost like a teleconferencing app here in Auradon. I'm the only one who can activate it though and it can only be done when I'm here in Auradon. Due to the barrier."

Ben nodded. "So...and I know this is a huge ask, but would we be able to go to the portal Lady Persephone?"

If he had to, he would make his way over to the Isle and ask Lord Hades in person but this was the only way he knew where he could ask both of Mal's parents at the same time.

They deserved to hear it at the same time. Plus then Ben would get both their ire at the same time if they disapproved.

"Of course King Ben," Persephone nodded, standing up from her chair. "Do you need to let anyone know where you're going?"