My Date From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #2)

Beware the dolphin (Part 3)

"What? Tell me." Hannah had come up to join me.

"The dolphin is doing the same dance routine Fee had me do to try and get Persephone's memories back."

Now Theo laughed. "And you fell for that? Sucker."

Festos and I both turned to glare at him. "It wasn't a joke," Festos said coldly. "The software is based on years of research on how dance increases temporal and prefrontal activity—"

"To improve memory," Hannah said, excited. "You were trying to create new formations of interconnection to help the memory pathways. That's so cool!"

"You, I love," Festos said, coming to stand with Hannah. "The rumpled Greek, not so much."

"I'm sorry," Theo said. "It's just, it sounded like a practical joke. Kai, wanna help me out here?"

"Nope."

"I think he's started the routine again," Festos said. "And look, he can do the whole thing."

"Very good." I looked at the dolphin. "You're better than me. High score dolphin. Can we get on you now?"

Hannah elbowed me in the ribs. "I think he wants someone to do the dance back to him. Like the password to cross."

"That's ridiculous," I said, bending to roll my now wet leggings up above my knee.

"Not really," said Theo. "Generally, there is a toll for safe passage. And especially across bodies of water. You don't want to be trying to rip off the ferryman. Or in this case, dolphin."

I motioned to Festos. "Your program. Go ahead."

He lifted up his cane. "No can do."

"I think that's a pretty selective use of your otherwise very able foot."

'Doesn't matter," Kai said. "He wants you to do it. Watch him."

I did. And reluctantly conceded that yes, I would have to be the one to do this. "I've got one condition though. You all turn around. Bad enough I have to look like an idiot, I'm not having you lot laugh at me."

They didn't move.

"Turn."

They turned. Festos decided it would be helpful to hum the dance machine tune for me.

I began the sequence. Front front front/back left right right ...

The dolphin clicked at me.

"I think that means you screwed up," I heard Hannah say.

I glanced over my shoulder but they were all still turned around.

Fine. It was turn two. I was still game.

By turn seven, Theo lay on the ground, trying to wash himself out to sea. Hannah was halfway through building a sandcastle, and Festos was using his cane to dig out a moat for it.

Only Kai hadn't moved, watching me unwaveringly.

By turn thirteen, I was sweaty, tired, and frustrated. My friends had stopped being supportive three turns ago and I think the dolphin was swearing at me.

It was so bad I started wishing for the minions to arrive. "Kai, please just take us across."

"No!" Theo said. "No cheating. It's bad juju."

Kai got to his feet and strolled over to me. He pulled my sweaty hair away and pressed a soft kiss into the happy spot on the left side of my neck. "Two left feet, Goddess?"