Midnight Frost (28 page)

“Well, as long as your hair’s okay, I guess we’re good.”

She nodded. “Don’t you know it.”

Across the room, Alexei crouched over one of the Reapers’ bodies and used his cell phone to take a photo of the dead man’s face. He did the same with all the Reapers, then put the phone to his ear. He was probably calling Professor Metis and the rest of the academy’s security council to let them know about the attack. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened in the last few weeks, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, as long as I kept searching for artifacts.

“You did well, Gwen,” Vic said. “I’m proud of you.”

I raised the sword up so I could look him in his one eye. “Thanks, Vic.”

He stared back at me. “Although you really should have killed more Reapers. And you especially shouldn’t have let that last one get away . . .”

And he was off on one of his rants, talking about exactly what we should do to track down the Reaper and how much Vic was looking forward to cutting him to ribbons. The sword was totally bloodthirsty that way. I rolled my eyes at his violent chatter, but I let the sword talk. It was just easier.

While Vic muttered to himself about all the Reapers he wanted to kill, I looked out over the exhibit room. Blood and bodies covered the floor like dolls that a child had thrown down in a tantrum. Several of the artifact cases had been destroyed, and bits of glass glittered like diamond shards among the Reapers’ black robes. Déjà vu. This was the third time now that I’d seen such a scene at the coliseum. At least the Reapers were the only ones who were dead this time, and not kids from my school like before.

Screams echoed in my head, and all the shadows in the room took on a bright, glossy sheen, like they were puddles of blood tainting everything with their horrid, coppery stench—

I shook my head, banishing the thoughts back to the bottom of my brain.

“What’s wrong?” Daphne asked, noticing my weary expression.

I shook my head again. “I was just thinking that I’m really starting to hate this place.”

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 called 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 form fireballs 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.

 

Bogatyrs:
Bogatyrs are Russian warriors. They are exceptionally fast, and most of them use two weapons at once, one in either hand. Bogatyrs train themselves to always keep moving, to always keep fighting, which gives them great endurance. The longer a fight goes, the more likely they are to win, because they will still be going strong as their enemies slowly weaken.

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 this stuff to use it for Bad, Bad Things.

 

The Gym:
The gym is the second largest building at Mythos. In addition to a pool, basketball court, and training areas, 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 and gargoyles—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. . . .

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.

 

Daphne Cruz:
Daphne is a Valkyrie and a renowned archer. She also has some wicked computer skills and loves designer clothes and expensive purses. Daphne is rather obsessed with the color pink. She wears it more often than not, and her entire dorm room is done in various shades of pink.

 

Logan Quinn:
This seriously cute and seriously deadly Spartan is the best fighter at Mythos Academy—and someone who Gwen just can’t stop thinking about. But Logan has a secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know—especially not Gwen.

 

Carson Callahan:
Carson is the head of the Mythos Academy Marching Band. He’s a Celt and rumored to have come from a long line of warrior bards. He’s quiet, shy, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, but Carson can be as tough as nails when he needs to be.

 

Oliver Hector:
Oliver is a Spartan who is friends with Logan and Kenzie and helps with Gwen’s weapons training. He’s also one of Gwen’s friends now too, because of what happened during the Winter Carnival.

 

Kenzie Tanaka:
Kenzie is a Spartan who is friends with Logan and Oliver. He also helps with Gwen’s weapons training and is currently dating Talia.

 

Savannah Warren:
Savannah is an Amazon who was dating Logan—at least before the Winter Carnival. Now, the two of them have broken up, something Savannah isn’t very happy about—and something that she blames Gwen for.

 

Talia Pizarro:
Talia is an Amazon and one of Savannah’s best friends. Talia has gym class with Gwen, and the two of them often spar during the mock fights. She is currently dating Kenzie.

 

Helena Paxton:
Helena is an Amazon who seems to be positioning herself as the new mean girl queen of the academy, or at least of Gwen’s second-year class.

 

Morgan McDougall:
Morgan is a Valkyrie. She used to be one of the most popular girls at the academy—before her best friend, Jasmine Ashton, tried to sacrifice her to Loki one night in the Library of Antiquities. These days, though, Morgan tends to keep to herself, although it seems she’s becoming friends with Savannah and Talia.

 

Jasmine Ashton:
Jasmine was a Valkyrie and the most popular girl in the second-year class at Mythos Academy—until she tried to sacrifice Morgan to Loki. Gwen battled Jasmine in the Library of Antiquities and managed to keep her from sacrificing Morgan, although Logan was the one who actually killed Jasmine. But before she died, Jasmine told Gwen that her whole family are Reapers—and that there are many Reapers at Mythos Academy. . . .

 

Preston Ashton:
Preston is Jasmine’s older brother, who blamed Gwen for his sister’s death. Preston tried to kill Gwen during the Winter Carnival weekend at the Powder ski resort, although Gwen, Logan, and Vic eventually got the best of the Reaper. After that, Preston was locked up in the academy’s prison.

 

Alexei Sokolov:
Alexei is a third-year Russian student who most recently attended the London branch of Mythos Academy. He’s a Bogatyr warrior who is training to become a member of the Protectorate. Alexei has met some of Gwen’s friends before, including Daphne, Logan, and Oliver.

 

Rory Forseti:
Rory is a first-year student at the Colorado branch of Mythos Academy. She’s a Spartan and Gwen’s cousin, since her dad and Gwen’s dad were brothers. Rory’s parents were Reapers, although they never told her about that. However, everyone at the academy now knows about her parents, and Rory has a lot of pain and guilt about all of the terrible things that her parents did as Reapers.

Coach Ajax:
Ajax is the head of the athletic department at the academy and is responsible for training all the kids at Mythos and turning them into fighters. Logan Quinn and his Spartan friends are among Ajax’s prize students.

 

Geraldine (Grandma) Frost:
Geraldine is Gwen’s grandma and a Gypsy with the power to see the future. Grandma Frost makes her living as a fortune-teller in a town not too far away from Cypress Mountain. A couple of times a week, Gwen sneaks off the Mythos Academy campus to see her grandma and enjoy the sweet treats that Grandma Frost is always baking.

 

Grace Frost:
Grace was Gwen’s mom and a Gypsy who had the power to know if people were telling the truth or not just by listening to their words. At first, Gwen thought her mom had been killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. But thanks to Preston Ashton, Gwen knows that Grace was actually murdered by the Reaper girl who is Loki’s Champion. Gwen’s determined to find the Reaper girl and get her revenge—no matter what.

 

Nickamedes:
Nickamedes is the head librarian at the Library of Antiquities. Nickamedes loves the books and the artifacts in the library more than anything else, and he doesn’t seem to like Gwen at all. In fact, he often goes out of his way to make more work for her whenever Gwen is working after school in the library. Nickamedes is also Logan’s uncle, although the uptight librarian is nothing like his easygoing nephew. At least, Gwen doesn’t think so.

 

Professor Aurora Metis:
Metis is a myth-history professor who teaches students all about the Reapers of Chaos, Loki, and the ancient Chaos War. She was also best friends with Gwen’s mom, Grace, back when the two of them went to Mythos. Metis is the Champion of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, and she’s become Gwen’s mentor at the academy.

 

Raven:
Raven is the old woman who mans the coffee cart in the Library of Antiquities. Gwen has also seen her in the academy prison, which seems to be another one of Raven’s odd jobs around campus. There’s definitely more to Raven than meets the eye....

 

The Powers That Were:
A board made up of various members of the Pantheon who oversee all aspects of Mythos Academy, from approving the dining hall menus to disciplining students. Gwen’s never met any of the board members that she’s aware of, and she doesn’t know exactly who they are, but that could change—sooner than she thinks.

 

Vic:
Vic is the talking sword that Nike gave to Gwen to use as her personal weapon. Instead of a regular hilt, a man’s face is inlaid into Vic’s hilt. Gwen doesn’t know too much about Vic, except that he’s really, really bloodthirsty and wants to kill Reapers more than anything else.

 

Linus Quinn:
Linus is Logan’s dad and the head of the Protectorate. He is also a Spartan and has always pushed Logan to be the best warrior he can be. However, Linus and Logan’s relationship is often strained, due in part to the murder of Logan’s mom and sister. Linus feels that Logan should have done more to protect his mom and sister that terrible day, which adds to Logan’s guilt that he survived the Reapers’ attack.

 

Agrona Quinn:
Agrona is Logan’s stepmom and a member of the Protectorate. She is also an Amazon.

 

Sergei Sokolov:
Sergei is Alexei’s dad and a member of the Protectorate. He is also a Bogatyr.

 

Inari Sato:
Inari is member of the Protectorate. He is also a Ninja.

 

Rachel Maddox:
Rachel is a chef who works in the dining hall at the Colorado branch of Mythos Academy. She’s a Spartan and Rory’s aunt, since she and Rory’s mom were sisters. Like Rory, Rachel has a lot of conflicting feelings about the fact that her sister was a Reaper.

 

Covington:
Covington is the head librarian at the Library of Antiquities at the Colorado branch of Mythos Academy. He is friends with Coach Ajax.