The world of primordial ice must not have frozen me completely, because my chest burned like a coal furnace. 'I wasn't going to die without doing that,' she said. Her lips were cracked and rough from the cold. She could have bitten off my mouth and I would have been less surprised. Then, before I even knew what was happening, she kissed me. 'We - we have to k-keep going.' I looked over. I didn't have any energy left either, but I thought I should try to sound encouraging. “Blitz and Hearth were almost at the shore when Alex stopped abruptly. 'See Magnus? I told you it wasn't stupid to carry a sword disguised as a pen!'

Jack turned his point towards me, his runes flashing burgundy. Compared to Jack, the weapon looked delicate, almost petite, but from the way Percy wielded it I had no doubt he'd be able to hold his own on the battlefields of Valhalla with that thing. Immediately it transformed into a three-foot-long sword with a leaf-shaped blade of glowing bronze. Percy pulled a plain-looking ballpoint pen from his jeans. What do you have in your pocket, Percy? Enquiring swords want to know.' 'Excuse me?' Percy looked a bit nervous about the magical sword hovering at his waistline.Īlex lowered his Ray-Bans. 'She's around here somewhere,' Jack insisted. 'Where is she? Where are you hiding the babe?'Īnnabeth backed towards the rail. Then he leaped out of my hand and flew towards Annabeth, his blade twitching as if he was stiffing the air. “But I suppose if you're friends of Magnus's. He left, whistling a tune that might have been a Frank Sinatra song from the elevator, 'Fly Me to the Moon'.” In the meantime, definitely take that shower.' In fact, I might have done something typically embarrassing and stupid, like making the aforementioned declaration of undying love, but Alex spared me. The rest of my brain answered: I have just been kissed by Alex Fierro. A small part of my brain thought, Alex is male right now. He had a chocolate moustache and goatee now, and chocolate down the front of his sweater vest. He studied me critically, his brown and amber eyes taking me in. Otherwise, I don't know how I was still in one piece when Alex finally pulled away. I'm pretty sure Valhalla had to resurrect me several times during the course of that kiss. I had to wonder: was it possible to dissolve into chocolate on a molecular level and melt into a puddle on the carpet? Because that's how I felt. He clamped his hands on the sides of my gooey face and kissed me. 'I've also been thinking about your declaration of undying love or whatever.'

Magnus ship of the dead