A/N: Hey guys! Back again with another chapter! If you didn't read last month's chapter it was a How We Could Have Met 2 exclusive, so please check that out! Hope you like it!

Halloween is just around the corner. And by that she means it's approximately three hours away, which really means that she needs to have her costume yesterday.

But work and her recent business trip had all but consumed her life for the last two weeks, so much so that she'd almost forgotten her Halloween bar hop plans until Thalia had texted her twenty minutes ago with more details.

Of course she doesn't have to wear a costume, but knowing Piper and Thalia, they would put effort into their costumes (albeit in very opposing ways) and she doesn't want to be the one that showed up without one.

That said, though, the bar is really low. She just needs something.

Which is why she's walking to the closest general store from her apartment at 9pm.

Hopefully they'll have some cat ears or a witch hat or those cheap fake vampire teeth she'd take off within ten minutes after pictures were over. (She also returned home from her trip to find her Oreos woefully without milk, which is maybe the most unacceptable thing in this whole affair, so she also needs milk).

Walking through the sliding doors, she heads straight for the (rather sad-looking and dwindling) Halloween section decorated with orange and black paraphernalia.

And truly there isn't that much there, a decent amount of candy and a few decorations. But she's desperate and maybe a decoration will do, so she starts to sift through it all.

"Do you need any help?"

The voice is close and to her right, making her jump. She whips around to find a man, around her age, setting down a box filled with Christmas decorations.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he says, straightening up so she can see the store's logo on his polo. "Even if it is in the Halloween spirit."

He runs a hand through his hair and Annabeth's eyes can't help but follow the movement. Are those toned arms from carrying boxes? She almost doesn't even mind the blasphemy of the fact that it's filled with Christmas decorations.

"It's, uh, okay," she stutters out, cheeks heating up from a combination of embarrassment and the guy's (unfair) attractiveness.

"You sure?" he seems to tease for a second, eyes slipping to her undoubtedly flushed cheeks. "So can I help you with anything?" he asks again.

"Um…I'm looking for a costume?" The words come out more unsure than she means them too but in her defense this guy did just scare her a few seconds ago and throw her off her game.

"T-minus three hours," he jokes, walking over to her.

She blushes again. "I got busy," she defends, even though it's clear he's just kidding.

The clerk nods, shooting her a wink. "Lucky guy."

As if her face couldn't get any more red. "No! I mean," she stutters, trying to get herself together because let's be real, who even says things like that? "I mean with work, I don't…there is no guy."

How can she present in large meetings, but this guy just turns her into a stumbling mess?

"Good to know," he responds with a smile, reaching towards a shelf just to her right.

But before she can even begin to deconstruct what that means, he's pulling something out and handing it to her.

"I think these are the last ones left, it's the best we got."

It's a pair of black cat ears made of a cheap fuzzy kind of fabric. She takes it with a grateful smile. "Oh wow, thank you! These are perfect! I can handle the rest."

Because as basic of a costume as it is, it's easy and effective. It doesn't take long to draw on a nose and whiskers with eyeliner and given that a third of her closet is black, she can pull together something.

In other words, this is exactly the something she was looking for.

"Happy to help," he replies with a smile of his own, pulling her out of her thoughts. (She'd also found a someone she hadn't been looking for, but is now extremely curious about.)

"Thank you," she repeats, trying to think of something to keep the conversation going.

"But you know," he continues, thankfully absolving her of that responsibility, "I feel like you would make a better princess than a cat." His eyes glide over her in a way that has her blushing even before he finishes his sentence. "You fit that image a lot better."

This guy is going to kill her. Face now probably freshly flushed once more, she stutters out a thank you.

"I...uh…um…thank you."

He shoots her a smile and was that a wink? Once again, before she can deconstruct that interaction he's speaking again.

"Can I help you with anything else?"

Oh, so much. But she's a mess, he's too hot, and she truly cannot figure out if he's just being nice or flirting with her. (But she does know what she wants it to be.)

So naturally, she flees. She likes to call it "saving herself from making a bigger fool of herself" but Piper would probably call it escaping. "I'm good, just, um, need to get some milk."

And with those awkward parting words she makes her way to the back where the refrigerated section is, cursing to herself.

Was he actually flirting? Why was she so awkward? Why is he so hot?

The milk does not have any answers, just cold air which honestly helps to cool her warm face.

Having gotten herself together, she beelines for the front of the store, wondering if maybe she should have continued talking to the guy.

If he had been flirting, it would be a great chance to get his number or something.

Her wondering is cut short when, none other than that guy, walks up to the counter.

"You're all done?" he asks, stepping up to the register.

She nods, blinking a little as the subject of her thoughts appears before her. This time the lighting is better and she's close enough to read his nametag: Percy.

"Just like a cat," he teases as he scans the items. "Cat ears and milk."

"The milk is for the Oreos," she blurts because she definitely wasn't watching his hands.

"What kind?" he asks, taking it in stride.

"Double stuff," she replies, thinking maybe it's good this conversation is close to over because she just keeps making a bigger fool of herself.

He smiles. "The best kind. Also, your total is $9.36."

Right, she needs to pay and not just stand there and wallow in her inability to talk to this handsome man.

She pulls up her purse, setting her phone down because suddenly finding her credit card has become the hardest task.

To make up for her fumbling, she attempts conversation. "Are you here alone?"

"Yep, tonight anyway. And tomorrow in case you're interested."

She looks up just in time to catch his grin. Her face flushes yet again, and she hands him her card (conveniently located at the bottom of her purse). "I'll…uh…see if I need more milk."

Immediately she wants to face palm because that's literally the dumbest thing she could have possibly said.

Luckily though, he just laughs as he hands her card back. "Hope so," he replies with that sweet smile, giving her receipt and bag.

Well, she's done it. She had managed to thoroughly embarrass herself in front of a gorgeous man who might or might not be flirting and her face is probably a very unattractive shade of tomato, so she needs to get the hell out.

Mumbling something incoherent, she grabs her bag and rushes out the door.

She makes it a few steps into the parking lot before realizing that she left her phone on the counter when she was searching for her card.

Annabeth Chase is a strong, independent woman, who can most definitely handle facing a hot store clerk to get her phone back.

That's what she tells herself anyway as she tries to swallow the embarrassment and head back in. Percy is still at the counter, a smile playing at his face.

Her phone, she notes, is in his hand.

"Hello again," he says pleasantly, causing her to frown because it's clear he knows why she's back.

"I left my phone," she replies, stating the obvious. "I need it back," she continues, looking pointedly at the phone in his hand.

"What? This?" He feigns surprise as he looks at his hand. "How do I know it's yours?"

She's pretty sure she's been the only customer in the past fifteen minutes and he saw her put her phone down. But he knows all this, so what's he getting at with this act?

"Because I was just here." She raises an eyebrow, finally gaining some confidence with this guy.

"Well," he shrugs, "I'm going to need you to prove it by giving me the number to this phone."

And there goes the confidence. It's unfairly smooth and he pairs the words with that charming smile from before, leaning in a bit closer to her. His eyes are a beautiful green.

She's honestly a little taken back. But she must stay silent for a second too long because he retreats a little. "If you want," he adds, giving her an out.

The universe very rarely doles out second chances and by some miracle she has a third. She's not going to squander it now.

Not when it's clear that he is and has been flirting with her.

"I mean…" she starts. "I guess if that's how I get my phone back…"

He returns her small smile with an even wider grin, and pulls out his phone to hand to her.

She takes it (hoping her hands aren't shaking too visibly) and types in her contact info. It's easier to flirt back over text and she tries to hide her smile as she sends a message from his phone to hers.

Of course, her phone vibrates in his hand.

Percy smiles, handing it back to her. "I'm sorry to doubt you ma'am, seems like this is your phone after all."

She smiles back still reeling from how smoothly he had turned the situation.

"Annabeth," she says.

"I'm sorry Annabeth," he amends.

And in a split second of courage, she manages to get out the next words. "You can make it up to me."

The surprise at her words is evident, but he leans forward eagerly. "And how is that?"

Fighting (and failing) to keep the blush off her cheeks she tries for a casual shrug. "Check your phone."

She makes it a few steps into the parking lot before her phone vibrates. The response to the message she had sent from his phone to hers earlier. She opens up the conversation to see the two messages:

Coffee?

Tomorrow at 6?

-.-

"I wish I could see your cat costume," Percy tells her over coffee the next day. "Though I stand by the fact that a princess would suit you better."

She smiles into her coffee. "You're not missing out," she replies. "It's not much beyond those cat ears."

"But it's you."

And there's that look, so genuine and earnest that she can't help but blush again. Her face must be stained a permanent pink over the course of this date. (She's learned that he's really good at that.)

"I'll send you a picture," she promises.

The way he lights up at the words stays in her mind as she pulls up to the first bar. She makes sure to send a picture.

His response comes almost immediately. "Purrfect."

And just like that the smile is back on her face. But just as she thinks she'll be able to make it through an interaction with him without blushing, his next text has Piper asking what is going on.

"Just like you."

A/N: Shoutout to anon on tumblr who sent me this prompt ages ago! I finally got around to writing it and I hope you guys liked this little cute and fluffy drabble to take a break from the longer intense things.

And once again, if you missed last month's chapter it was a How We Could Have Met 2 exclusive (as well as the last chapter for that series) so please please check it out if you haven't!

I hope you guys liked this! Please Review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And as always, thanks for reading!

See ya! :)