Jennifer Estep Bundle

by Jennifer Estep

  “So ... I should probably get going,” I said. “I need to go grab my stuff out of my room and catch the afternoon bus down the mountain.”

  Logan nodded. “Me, too. My uncle has a car waiting up at the gym to take us home.”

  “Nickamedes, right? He’s your uncle?”

  The Spartan blinked. “How did you ... ?”

  “I saw the two of you at the ski resort, remember? And I realized just how much you look alike.” I shrugged. “And the way you talked to him, it was like the two of you knew each other very, very well. Like you were family. It wasn’t too hard to figure out. Why didn’t you ever say anything to me?”

  This time, Logan shrugged. “It’s ... complicated. Nickamedes and my dad don’t exactly get along.”

  He didn’t explain any more, but after a moment, he grinned. “Besides, you’ve met Nickamedes. Would you claim him as a relative? Especially if he worked at your school?”

  I thought about the prissy librarian and how his mouth always turned down whenever he saw me. “Point taken.”

  “Anyway, before I go meet him, I wanted to give you this.”

  Logan reached into his black leather jacket and drew out a small box wrapped in silver paper. A faint flush crept up his neck, and he wouldn’t look at me. “I, uh, got you something. For Christmas. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Oh. Oh. You—you didn’t have to do that.” My heart soared in my chest for about half a second before I winced. “I didn’t get anything for you. I’m so sorry. If I’d known—I mean, if I even thought for a second you were going to get me something—”

  “Just open it, okay?” the Spartan said, interrupting me.

  Logan held out the small box. I hesitated, then took it, careful not to brush my fingers against his. I held it in my palm a second, but I didn’t get any real vibes off the silver wrapping paper, so I tore it off with my nails. Beneath the paper was a marble box that was a lovely shade of lilac. Once again, I held on to the box a moment, but the only flash I got off it was of Logan wrapping the paper around it. So I cracked the lid open, and my breath caught in my throat.

  A gorgeous silver necklace was nestled on top of the black velvet inside the box. It looked like something a goddess would wear—all these delicate silver wires strung together. But the coolest part was that the six strands joined together, their jewel-tipped points forming a specific shape—a snowflake. The diamonds that made up the six rays of the delicate snowflake glinted in the winter sun.

  After I got over my initial shock and the dazzle of the diamonds, I let out a little laugh.

  Logan frowned. “What’s so funny? Don’t you—don’t you like it?”

  “Oh, no! It’s beautiful. I love it, really, I do. It’s just funny. My grandma and I always get each other something with snowflakes on it for Christmas. It’s just part of having Frost as a last name, I suppose. I bought her a cookie jar shaped like a giant blue snowflake when Daphne and I went shopping the other day. And now, you give me this.” I drew in a breath. “But it’s too much. I can’t accept this—”

  “Yes, you can,” Logan said, cutting me off again. “Think of it as an apology for me being such a dick with Savannah and everything.”

  His eyes locked with mine. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now, but Savannah and I broke up while we were at the ski resort—the night after I talked to you outside the coffee shop.”

  He didn’t have to tell me because I already knew. The news had spread around the academy the Monday morning after the Winter Carnival that Logan had broken up with Savannah. It had gone viral in about ten seconds, getting texted from one person’s phone to the other. That’s why Savannah hadn’t been with Logan during the Saturday carnival on the mountain. I’d seen her close to him in the lobby after the avalanche, but Daphne had found out that Savannah had just been getting hot chocolate for her and Talia—not hanging out with Logan.

  Nobody seemed to know the exact reason why they’d broken up, although Savannah shot daggers at me with her eyes every time she saw me. So did Talia. Even though Logan and I weren’t exactly together, it was obvious Savannah thought I had something to do with their breakup and had spread the word around to her friends. Maybe I had. The thought made me happy and guilty at the same time. I wanted Logan, but I hadn’t wanted him to hurt Savannah either.

  But the Spartan was here, now, standing right in front of me, and I wasn’t about to miss this opportunity.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You know how much I ... care about you. You breaking up with Savannah. . . What does that mean ... for us?” I couldn’t keep the faint whisper of hope out of my voice.

  Logan stared at me, his blue eyes dark and serious, and I knew he was thinking about his secret again, and whether he could trust me with it or not. What I would think about it. But then the moment passed, and he grinned once more. “It means I’ll be seeing you after Christmas break, Gypsy girl. Try not to get into too much trouble in the meantime, okay?”

  Then he leaned over and kissed me. It was just a brief touch, just a quick caress of his lips on mine, but I still felt the firmness of his mouth, still felt the warmth of his body against my own, still felt his breath mixing with mine, both of them mingling in the clouds of frost between us.

  Logan drew back. He winked at me, then turned and walked away.

  All I could do was smile and watch him go, wishing the holiday break was over with already.

  Since all my friends had left, I went back to my own dorm room in Styx Hall to get my stuff and head down the mountain to Grandma Frost’s house. The first thing I did when I got back to the room was stand in front of the mirror on the wall and put on the necklace Logan had just given me.

  I hooked the chain together and stroked the diamond snowflake with my fingertips. Then, I closed my hand over the delicate silver strands and concentrated. It only took a second for the images and feelings to fill my mind.

  Logan seeing me at the Winter Carnival and eyeing the snowflake toboggan I’d had on that day. The horror he’d felt when he’d realized I was in the path of the avalanche. Him watching me run from the snow and wishing he could do something, anything, to help me. The cold fear that had filled him when he’d gotten Oliver’s text that I was in trouble. His determination to save me from Preston no matter what. The fierce pride he’d felt as he watched me use Vic to fight Preston—and win.

  There were some happier memories, too. Logan prowling through a jewelry shop, trying to find just the right gift for me. Him seeing the necklace and thinking it reminded him of me. The Spartan hoping I would like it. Logan holding me, first that night outside the coffee shop at the ski resort and then again in the library. And finally, our desperate kiss that day in the construction site, the one that had let me tap into the Spartan’s fighting skills.

  Through all the memories, good and bad, I felt what Logan did every time he saw or thought about me—that soft, warm, fizzy feeling that only meant one thing.

  Logan Quinn really did care about me.

  “He likes me,” I whispered. “He really does like me.”

  At the sound of my voice, Vic opened his eye. I’d propped the sword up on my desk, and his face was just level with mine.

  “That’s a shiny little bauble,” Vic said, staring at the necklace. ”Looks like the Spartan boy has good taste.”

  “How do you know Logan gave it to me?”

  Vic snorted. “I might be old and cranky, but I’m not bloody stupid. The boy is crazy about you. Anyone can see that. It certainly took you long enough to figure it out.”

  “Shut up, Vic,” I said, but there was a smile on my face.

  I moved around my dorm room, stuffing clothes and comic books into my duffel bags. One of the last things I picked up to take with me was the small statue of Nike I kept on my desk. The winged figure of the goddess looked exactly the same as her statue in the library. Maybe it was silly, but the cheap replica made me feel a little closer to her, made me feel like I could somehow
find the Helheim Dagger and keep it safe from the Reapers.

  “Have a good Christmas, goddess,” I told the statue, then stuffed it into my bag.

  Finally, there were only two more things left to pack—the photos of my mom. I slid the one of her and Metis into my bag. I picked up the second glass frame and stared at the picture of my mom by herself, taken a few months before her murder. Brown hair, violet eyes, beautiful face. She peered up at me, a small smile curving her lips.

  This would be my first Christmas without her, I realized with a jolt. The first Christmas she wouldn’t be there to open presents with me and Grandma Frost. The first Christmas she wouldn’t be around to laugh and talk and joke with the two of us. My chest ached in a familiar, bitter way, but I pushed the feeling aside and focused on my anger—the anger that had grown and grown like a poisonous flower blooming inside my heart, ever since I’d found out what had really happened to my mom.

  I didn’t know how, I didn’t know when, but I was going to find Loki’s Champion, the Reaper girl who’d killed my mom—and I was going to shove a sword through her heart. Logan had told Oliver that I was totally kick-ass. I figured it was time for me to live up to the Spartan’s words.

  But first there would be Christmas with Grandma Frost and Vic. I put the photo of my mom into my bag, nestled right next to the statue of Nike. Then I rummaged through my desk, grabbed the miniature red Santa hat I’d bought for Vic, and stuck it on the hilt of the talking sword.

  “You ready to go get that Christmas ham and pie?” I asked. “Grandma Frost called me this morning. She’s been baking cookies all day just for the two of us.”

  “I suppose that a brief holiday wouldn’t hurt,” Vic grumbled. “Although you’re going to practice with me every day, Gwen. You’re finally starting to get the hang of me, and I won’t have you backsliding and forgetting what little you’ve learned, just because school’s out. We’ve got Reapers to kill, you know.”

  “Don’t you worry,” I said. “We’re going to kill Reapers until we’re both bathed in their blood and hungry for more.”

  Vic arced his one eyebrow. “That’s my line.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “And it’s a good one. Now come on, we’ve got a bus to catch.”

  I slung my bags over my shoulder and grabbed Vic. I took one more glance in the mirror at the snowflake necklace Logan had given me. Maybe it was just my imagination, but the diamonds seemed to sparkle with an inner fire, blazing as bright as my feelings for the Spartan did—and would over the long winter break. The pure, hopeful light made me smile as I left my dorm room and headed home to Grandma Frost for the holidays.

  BEYOND THE STORY

  Gwen’s Thoughts on the Schedule for the Winter Carnival

  Friday

  7 a.m.: Depart Mythos Academy. Oh goody. I get to be dragged out of bed before the crack of dawn—in the bitter cold, no less.

  9 a.m.: Arrive at Powder ski resort. If I have to schlep over to the resort, I at least hope that the rooms are nice.

  10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Students check in and enjoy a day on the slopes. Maybe the other students will. I’ve never been skiing before and don’t have any desire to start now.

  7 p.m.: Social time in the alpine village. In other words, the students party hard with minimal interference from the professors.

  Saturday

  8 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Breakfast buffet will be served. I hope they have some normal food here, unlike the dining hall back at the academy.

  10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: The Winter Carnival will be held. Daphne tells me this is an actual carnival with games and prizes and stuff. This might actually be fun.

  7 p.m.: Social time in the alpine village. More parties, more drinking and smoking, and more kids hooking up.

  Sunday

  8 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Breakfast buffet will be served. Maybe they’ll at least have pancakes and waffles ... Oh, and bacon!

  10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Students enjoy a final day on the slopes. Maybe the other students will. Not me.

  8 p.m.: Students board the bus for the return trip. Time to schlep back to the academy. Oh, goody.

  10 p.m.: Arrive at Mythos Academy. We’ll get back to the academy just in time for curfew, and we don’t even get a day off before we have to go back to class in the morning. That’s so not fair... .

  Mythos Academy Warriors and Their Magic

  The students at Mythos Academy are the descendants of ancient warriors, and they are at the academy to learn how to fight and use weapons, along with whatever magic or other skills that they might have. Here’s a little more about the warrior whiz kids, as Gwen calls them:

  Amazons and Valkyries: Most of the girls at Mythos are either Amazons or Valkyries. Amazons are gifted with supernatural quickness. In gym class during mock fights, they look like blurs more than anything else. Valkyries are incredibly strong. Also, bright, colorful sparks of magic can often be seen shooting out of Valkyries’ fingertips.

  Romans and Vikings: Most of the guys at Mythos Academy are either Romans or Vikings. Romans are superquick, just like Amazons, while Vikings are superstrong, just like Valkyries.

  Siblings: Brothers and sisters born to the same parents will have similar abilities and magic, but they’re sometimes classified as different types of warriors. For example, if the girls in a family are Amazons, then the boys will be Romans. If the girls in a family are Valkyries, then the boys will be Vikings.

  However, in other families, brothers and sisters are considered to be the same kind of warriors, like those born to Spartan, Samurai, or Ninja parents. The boys and girls are both considered to Spartans, Samurais, or Ninjas.

  More Magic: As if being superstrong or superquick wasn’t good enough, the students at Mythos Academy also have other types of magic. They can do everything from heal injuries to control the weather to create lifelike illusions with their bare hands. Many of the students have enhanced senses as well. The powers vary from student to student, but as a general rule, everyone is dangerous and deadly in their own special way.

  Spartans: Spartans are among the rarest of the warrior whiz kids, and there are only a few at Mythos Academy. But Spartans are the most dangerous and deadliest of all the warriors because they have the ability to pick up any weapon—or any thing—and automatically know how to use and even kill someone with it. Even Reapers of Chaos are afraid to battle Spartans in a fair fight. But then again, Reapers rarely fight fair... .

  Gypsies: Gypsies are just as rare as Spartans. Gypsies are those who have been gifted with magic by the gods. But not all Gypsies are good. Some are just as evil as the gods they serve. Gwen is a Gypsy who is gifted with psychometry magic, or the ability to know, see, and feel an object’s history just by touching it. Gwen’s magic comes from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.

  Want to know more about Mythos Academy? Read on and take a tour of the campus.

  The heart of Mythos Academy is made up of five buildings that are clustered together like the loose points of a star on the upper quad. They are the Library of Antiquities, the gym, the dining hall, the English-history building, and the math-science building.

  The Library of Antiquities: The library is the largest building on campus. In addition to books, the library also houses artifacts—weapons, jewelry, clothes, armor, and more—that were once used by ancient warriors, gods, goddesses, and mythological creatures. Some of the artifacts have a lot of power, and the Reapers of Chaos would love to get their hands on them to use them for Bad, Bad Things.

  The Gym: The gym is the second largest building at Mythos. In addition to a pool, basketball court, and more, the gym also features racks of weapons, including swords, staffs, and more, that the students use during mock fights. At Mythos, gym class is really weapons training, and students are graded on how well they can fight—something that Gwen thinks she’s not very good at.

  The Dining Hall: The dining hall is the third largest building at Mythos. With its white linens, fancy china, and open-air indoor garden, the dining hall
looks more like a five-star restaurant than a student cafeteria. The dining hall is famous for all the fancy, froufrou foods that it serves on a daily basis, like liver, veal, and escargot. Yucko, as Gwen would say.

  The English-History Building: Students attend English, myth-history, geography, art, and other classes in this building. Professor Metis’s office is also in this building.

  The Math-Science Building: Students attend math, science, and other classes in this building. But there are more than just classrooms here. This building also features a morgue and a prison deep underground. Creepy, huh?

  The Student Dorms: The student dorms are located down the hill from the upper quad, along with several other smaller outbuildings. Guys and girls live in separate dorms, although that doesn’t keep them from hooking up on a regular basis.

  The Statues: Statues of mythological creatures—like gryphons, garygoles, and more—can be found on all the academy buildings, although the library has the most statues. Gwen thinks that the statues are all super creepy, especially since they always seem to be watching her... .

  Who’s Who at Mythos Academy—The Students

  Gwen (Gwendolyn) Frost: Gwen is a Gypsy girl with the gift of psychometry magic, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. Gwen’s a little dark and twisted in that she likes her magic and the fact that it lets her know other people’s secrets—no matter how hard they try to hide them. She also has a major sweet tooth, loves to read comic books, and wears jeans, T-shirts, hoodies, and sneakers almost everywhere she goes.