MIRELA ➪ PERCABETH

Blue Lily Tattoo

The amused look on her face makes Percy blush. She says, "That's sweet of you."

He shrugs.

She reaches forward to gently touch the daisies, and when she leans down to smell them, she cracks a small smile.

"I'm Annabeth. I own the shop," she says.

He smiles a bit, "I'm Percy."

___ ♪___

Percy doesn't hear anything from the tattoo parlor for a few days. Of course, he watches them from across the street. His employee, Hazel, tells him that he's spying, and it probably doesn't help his case that he always looks guilty when Hazel catches him doing it.

He's helping a customer pick from a bouquet of sunflowers or lilies when the bell on the door dings. Percy calls out, "I'll be with you in a second!"

"Take your time."

He finishes with the customer, taking their preferences and pointing them in the direction of the back counter where they can make a down payment on the arrangement with Hazel before he heads back up to the front to help the other customer.

He stops in surprise when he spots Annabeth leaning against the counter.

She's wearing a pair of dark jeans and a dark red sweater, which oddly highlights her light blonde hair. The jeans cling to her skin, and Percy jerks his eyes away before he can be caught staring.

"Annabeth?" Percy asks, wondering what the hell she's doing here.

She flicks her gray gaze over to him, a small smile flickering on her lips. "Hey."

He steps behind the counter, filling out an order form for the other customer's sunflowers. While he works he says, "What can I do for you?"

"I need some flowers."

He raises an eyebrow, "Good thing you're at a florist then."

She frowns, "My father and stepmother are coming to the city this weekend, and I thought some flowers might help my interior decorating skills at my apartment."

Percy thinks back to her perfectly designed tattoo parlor. He really doubts that she needs any help with that. Annabeth seems like the type to be a perfectionist.

"Right, okay," he says anyway. "What kind do you want?"

"What's your favorite?"

"Uh," Percy's confused that she's asking. "Lilies probably, but blue roses are pretty cool too if I take the time to dye them because they're really expensive since they're genetically modified flowers that have to be ordered and shipped up here."

It looks like Annabeth stifles a laugh, and Percy feels mortified that he just went all flower geek on her. She probably thinks he's such a loser.

"Can you make me a bouquet, then?" she asks, that same gorgeous smile playing at her lips. "Of whatever you like the best will be great. I don't know that much about flowers."

"Uh, yeah," he says. "I can just... Make whatever I want?"

"Yeah, I'd say that you're pretty good at this, wouldn't you?" Annabeth isn't looking for an answer because she keeps talking. "When can you have one done?"

He looks over the other orders he has to fill, and he says, "I can have it tomorrow afternoon."

"That'll be great," she nods. "Want me to pay you now?"

He shakes his head, "I know where to find you if you don't pay."

She laughs lightly before turning and heading toward the door. "Thanks, Percy. I owe you one."