She hung up the phone with the last confused "Hello?" coming in from the other line. Her breath was coming in short staccato from the anxiety of trying to apologize for what was probably the most embarrassing night of her life. She sighed in her true and utter pathetic actions. She was 20 years old for crying out loud!

And she couldn't give a simple 'sorry' to the guy that graciously carried her out of his apartment after she essentially broke in.

"I'm a disgrace to the Chase name." Annabeth said glumly, placing the pink rhinestone cell phone back into her friend's petite, tanned hand.

"You really are." Piper snickered.

The brunette got up and went into the kitchen where the scent of cooking bacon wafted in the morning air. Annabeth felt another wave of nausea overcome her as the smell trickled its way into her nose. This hangover was truly hell, there was no other way to describe it.

She looked at the mirror that hung opposite to her. Dark purple rings hung in bags underneath her bloodshot eyes. Her hair limply held itself in a blonde bird's nest of tangles; her hair brush had some serious work to do, well Piper's hairbrush. In short, her outside looked as horrible as her churning insides felt. Did she mention she was never drinking again?

Piper reentered from the kitchen with a plate of crispy bacon in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other. Even the sight of the food made the blonde want to hurl. Was Piper doing this on purpose? Probably.

"Aren't you a vegetarian?" Annabeth's head couldn't take what she was seeing, she still felt groggy and Piper eating meat didn't help to clear things.

Piper shrugged in response and took a long, audible gulp of her orange juice before throwing the rest of it to the back of her throat like the shots Annabeth had taken the night before.

Annabeth could really do without that similarity.

"Hey, don't worry about Percy. He gets the point." Piper said to her friend after seeing her stressed and worried face.

Annabeth massaged her sore temples. That conversation was way too exhausting than it needed to be. Yet here she was on a toasty light filled morning with her smirking best friend and a migraine filled with pride wounding emotions.

"I can't believe I did that. Could I be any more of an idiot?"

"Oh please, you need to stop overreacting." Piper said now with a mouthful of bacon that was seriously perplexing Annabeth. Piper was a vegetarian, wasn't she?

"I'm not overreacting! I fucking hung up the phone. Who the hell does that?" Annabeth's faced was painted a cherry red and burned as fierce of fire- whether it was from anger or embarrassment, Piper did not know (though it was probably both).

A string of mumbled, incoherent words flung themselves from the blonde's mouth. Her knuckles turned a sickly white from her hands being gripped too tight in fists.

"Oh- give me the damn phone McLean!" Annabeth said after 5 minutes of grueling silence and Piper's consistent (and annoying) crunching.

Piper laughed, bemused at her best friend's grumpiness. It wasn't everyday someone got to see a disgruntled Annabeth Chase and on the rare occasion that one did, Piper made sure to take as much advantage of the situation as she could.

"Hmmm... I don't know, Annabeth. I mean you had your chance and you simply blew it." Her attitude was teasingly breezy and nonchalant, completed with a slight, elegant shrug of her shoulders. The act was certain to make Annabeth fume.

"Piper, I do not have time for your childish games. We are not in grade school anymore so give me the phone." Annabeth huffed with a too serious face and an almost monotone voice that held only a slight shake of anger.

"Well, let me make a call to my chiropractor first. My back is killing me."

To emphasize her point, Piper contorted her back whilst making a series of exaggerated grunts and groans. She loved torturing Annabeth like this- Annabeth couldn't call her out on it because Piper could easily play the innocent act, yet at the same time both girls knew exactly what was going on.

"Piper." Annabeth warned dangerously. Her no nonsense tone was the final persuasion for Piper to give up the act.

"Fine. Here." Piper said making sure to convey the defeat and fake hurt in her voice as she tossed Annabeth her phone.

"Thank you." Annabeth said with a smug smirk as she held the now ringing phone to her ear.

"Yea, whatever. Just don't hang up this time." Piper said under her breath.

Annabeth's mouth was poised to reply when a familiar low, heart-aching voice answered the phone. The blonde settled for one of her death glares. It had no effect on her best friend.

"Hey, Pipes?"

Oh, his voice. Why did it have to sound like that? The gravelly undertones made Annabeth's heart drum in her head and his slow deliberateness in each and every word gave her a rush of adrenaline. Just talking to him gave her a high. Wow... okay she really was pathetic.

"Oh, hi. It's Annabeth. Again." She wanted to slap herself for her how small and mousy she sounded.

Ugh, what was wrong with her?

"Hey, Annabeth! Not gonna hang up on me this time, I hope." His voice boomed with laughter and filled her whole body with a radiating mirth that felt like the sun shone just to warm her.

"Yea, um, about that."

Don't back out. Don't back out. Don't Back out.

She drew in her breath like she would before a start of a marathon.

"I-I'm really sorry about last night. I'm not sure what happened, well I do know what happened. I mean, I got drunk, but I normally don't! Oh and I thought your apartment was my apartment and I don't really remember everything and..." She stopped to take another breath, but was beat to the next line.

There was his laughter again. Why did it have to be so sweet? It held no malice or ill will, only sincere amusement like Piper's.

"Seriously, don't worry about it. No big deal." She could hear his smile through the phone.

Annabeth hadn't noticed Piper left.

"Are you sure?" She nervously twirled a knotted curl between her fingers.

What was up with her?

"Yea, but..." He trailed off suddenly sounding nervous himself.

"What? What is it?" Annabeth was frantic, needing to know what she did wrong.

"I, well, I'm not going to say last night wasn't fun. It was certainly an adventure"- that earned a light chuckle from both of them-"But, you seem pretty cool and I was wondering if... Well, if you'd like to go on a date with me. Maybe have a proper introduction where one of us doesn't think the other is an intruder."

"Oh. I mean, yeah. Yes! Of course I'd like to go on a date with you." She felt her ears turn pink at her quick enthusiasm.

"Does Thursday night work for you? I can pick you up at 7 or you could meet me at my place seeing as you already know where I live."

"Yea, that works fine." No, it didn't. She always got hours and hours of homework on Thursdays.

"Alright, see you then."

"Bye."

Annabeth could hardly contain her girlish grin that was spreading across her face, reaching from ear to ear. Maybe she would drink again.