When Valkyrie kissed me on the cheek, I could feel my cheeks reddening. When she kissed me, hard, on the lips, I didn't feel that way anymore. Any sense of bashfulness, any thoughts of Annabeth, were banished from my mind as I felt her lips against mine. As I felt myself kissing her back. It felt good. It felt really good.

Then Valkyrie released me with a little push, and I fell back. Where to land, I didn't know, or care. The memory of that kiss filled my senses, until...

Thunk!

I hit my head on the gods-damn support strut again.

I slumped on the floor with my hand on the rapidly forming goose-egg. "Ow!" I said, ruefully. Then, quite involuntarily, I let out a chuckle, which turned into a laugh. "Ow!" I said again, and laughed harder.