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“Come on, get in. Babe. Piper, let her go.” Percy turned his attention from the embracing duo to fold himself fully into the waiting taxi parked at the curb, greeting the driver with a cheerful hello. He leaned over the center console to give the cab driver an address, grinning at her and talking in an unnecessarily loud voice (not that Percy realized it because he, like Annabeth, was a little drunk) before reaching a long arm out of the car to tug Annabeth inside by the thick belt buckled around her waist. She shrieked and stumbled into the taxi, chirping a hurried “Bye!” to Piper before shutting the door.
“Oooo,” she shuddered, pressing into Percy’s side as the cab rolled away from the curb. ”It’s toasty in here.”
Percy nodded and dragged her closer, and she grabbed his hand and started a thumb war that was mostly them snickering and playfully shoving each other until they tired out. The lingering thrill that pulsed through their veins, right alongside the alcohol, was a residual effect of the Stoll brothers annual Halloween party/night of debauchery. But that slowly dissipated as the taxi pulled them further and further away. Quietly, they rolled through the streets, lulled by the sounds of the city that vibrated with more energy than usual because of the holiday.
Percy’s drooping eyes caught something outside of the window as they turned a corner and he sat up, suddenly alert. His face fell and he whispered, “Oh fuck.”
“Hm?” Annabeth responded, half asleep.
“I gave her Ma's address.” Percy swiveled his head around, taking in their surroundings; they were maybe a little more than five minutes from the Blofis household.
“No... that's fine,” Annabeth patted his chest comfortingly. Her head lolled against his shoulder as they drove over a dip in the road. “We can wish her a happy Halloween, too.” Her hand paused on his sternum, “And Estelle. Mmm, Estelle would love that.”
About a minute later, Annabeth tilted her head to face him, a bit of a lost look on her face. She scrunched her eyebrows together.
“Oh wait, we’re going to your mom’s house?” She held his eyes with her wide eyed stare and he watched as her expression crumpled and she cried out, voice warbled, “I can’t come over,” she paused, moaning in apparent anguish, “not dressed like this.” Ok, so she was definitely more intoxicated than he was.
“Hi, ma'am, can you pull over? Sorry! Yeah right here,” Percy’s leg bounced as they pulled over to the curb and stopped.
“What are you doing?” Annabeth asked, confused, and Percy couldn’t tell if she was really teary or not. "Are we walking home?" She started smacking his jumping knee. "I'm not walking home, nuh uh."
“We need to sober up.” Percy paid the driver and thanked her before pulling Annabeth out of the car with him. “A walk might help and also we’re gonna pass Tio’s Tacos and that will definitely help.”
Annabeth scoffed, trailing a little unsteadily after Percy as he tugged her along, “I don’t need tacos or a walk to-” she stumbled and caught herself, “sober up,” She stopped abruptly, jerking Percy to a halt also, before she pulled him very close to her.
“Watch,” she commanded, very serious. “1,2,3, sober!” Annabeth snapped in the small gap in between their faces. Then, bonk, she leaned into Percy, knocking her forehead against his and giggling because they were in fact, not at all sober.
By the time they made it to Tio’s Tacos (one of the few establishments open this late on a Saturday/early on a Sunday), ordered and ate, Annabeth was a lot more herself. Just a little tipsy, mostly tired. Finished with her food, she rested on the table top of their booth, arms folded beneath her head as she watched Percy finish off their chips and salsa.
“You done?”
She nodded.
“Ok, lets go then.”
As they neared their destination, Blofis house now in sight, and more and more children occupied the streets, Annabeth started feeling a little uncomfortable.
“I’m not sure I should be dressed like this around all these kids,” Annabeth said, eyeing their surroundings. Percy glanced around, noting the neat rows of townhouses, the housing much nicer than their one-year-out-of-college shithole apartment, and all the middle school and high school aged kids messing around, probably feeling reckless and free and invincible on a night like this. Then he looked at his girlfriend, in her 80s fitness inspired leotard, pink semi-transparent tights, and cropped sweater, (the high, cheeky bottoms cut of the leotard had left plenty for him to ogle and grab through the night), and he laughed out loud and teased, “You look fine to me,” before Annabeth shoved the side of his head, groaning, and he offered her his oversized windbreaker, a part of his ensemble as her fitness guy counterpart.
She immediately wrapped herself up in the offered garment, blinking up at him with a sweet smile and an only partially insincere, “You’re my hero.”
She wrapped both of her hands around one of his and pressed harder into his now bare arm and asked, “Are you warm enough?”
“No.” She nudged his side apologetically. “But we are almost home and I’m sure my grateful girlfriend will more than make it up to me.”
“I’ll tell you now, she definitely won’t. Not at your parents house. I’m already toeing a slutty line showing up in this outfit.”
“I like this line. We should toe it more often.”
“Alright, next time you can wear the leotard up the asshole.”