smiling at another girl.
As if on cue, Savannah chose that moment to let out another flirty giggle. It took me a moment to unclench my jaw.
'Why did you even sit down here?' I snapped again at the Spartan. 'Because I know it wasn't just to talk to me. I touched your notebook, remember? I know you've got the hots for somebody at Mythos, and I know it's definitely not me. So do us both a favor and don't waste your time flirting with me or whatever you're trying to do.'
By this point, Daphne and Carson had stopped talking and were staring at Oliver and me with open mouths.
For a moment hurt filled Oliver's eyes-along with something that looked like worry. I frowned. Why would the Spartan be worried? I wasn't saying anything we both didn't already know. Before I could figure out what was wrong with him, Oliver got to his feet, stormed up the aisle, and dropped into his seat next to Kenzie. He said something to Kenzie, and they both turned around and gave me dirty looks.
I glared right back at them. I didn't care if they were Logan's friends or not, they were being total jerks right now. Okay, okay, so maybe I was being bitchy myself, but Oliver had started it by sitting down and bugging me in the first place.
'What was that all about?' Daphne whispered. 'Why were you so mean to him?'
I shrugged. 'I don't know, and I don't care.'
Three rows ahead of me, Savannah let out another giggle and laid her head on Logan's shoulder. I raised up my comic book, so I wouldn't have to look at them-and I didn't for the rest of the ride.
The Mythos Academy buses reached the resort a little after nine that morning. Despite the fact that I hadn't really wanted to come, I found myself staring out the window with all the other kids.
The Powder ski resort definitely lived up to its name. The ground had still been bare at the academy, but up here, it was all white. Snow stretched out in all directions, from the ten-foot-high drifts that ringed the parking lot to the ski runs on the hillsides to the jagged tip of the mountain and the others that surrounded it. The morning sun hit the snow just so, making it blaze like a carpet of diamonds that had been rolled over the entire mountain. Everything just
Daphne, Carson, and I grabbed our luggage and got off the bus, along with everyone else. We had to wait around for a few minutes while the other buses unloaded, which gave me plenty of time to look around. We stood at the base of the mountain, with the various slopes rising like bigger and bigger ocean waves above us until they crashed into the dazzling blue of the sky. Ski lifts circled the steep, slick hills, like merry-go-rounds, hauling people up the mountain and back down again.
And that was just what I could see on this side of the complex. Down here, a variety of shops selling everything from hot chocolate to snowsuits to mountain crafts clustered together in a charming village. All of the buildings had an old-world, alpine look to them, with sharp, sloping roofs; bright, candy-colored paint; and cute, gingerbread trim. They'd all been decorated for Christmas, and thick boughs of holly, red velvet ribbons, and strings of twinkling lights stretched from one shop to the next. The whole village looked like a holiday painting. I half expected to see a Saint Bernard lope by, a barrel of whiskey attached to its neck, to complete the picture-postcard scene.
The biggest building by far was the resort hotel itself, which loomed over everything. The enormous thirteen-story structure looked like it had been carved out of the mountainside one brick at a time. The light gray stone blended in with the rest of the rugged landscape, while the long, narrow windows reflected the dazzling sparkle of the snow.
Apparently, though, the hotel wasn't quite big enough, because I saw people moving back and forth in a construction area attached to the right wing. Saws, drills, and more whined, and hoarse shouts drifted over to us. I hoped Daphne and I didn't get stuck in a room on that side of the resort with all the noise.
Finally, the professors got everyone rounded up and led us inside the hotel, which was in the center of the whole Powder complex. When I'd first come to Mythos, I thought the academy was totally pretentious, snobby, and froufrou with its suits of armor and old, expensive paintings. But this place put the academy to
Everything about the hotel was massive, from the stone fireplace that took up one entire wall to the thick wooden beams that supported the roof to the diamond-shaped skylights set into the ceiling. An enormous chandelier made out of curved animal horns hung in the center of the lobby, while plush leather chairs and couches were scattered throughout the room, inviting folks to sit, chat, and feel the heat of the crackling fire. Bits of gold and silver leaf glinted here and there among the gray stone, while the hardwood floors gleamed like sheets of bronze underfoot. It was the nicest, fanciest, most expensive place I'd ever been to.
But even here I couldn't get away from the statues. A thirty-foot-tall statue of a woman stood in the center of the lobby, her head and chin held high, her arms stretched up toward the sky. Strings of silver snowflakes had been wrapped around her body, making her look like she was summoning the beginnings of a blizzard. Skadi, the Norse goddess of winter. I recognized her from my myth-history book. Other smaller statues stood in the corners of the lobby and peeped out from recesses in the stone walls, like Ull, another Norse winter god, and Boreas, the Greek god of the North Wind.
Like the alpine village, the hotel had also been decorated for Christmas. Fat oranges and bags of figs gleamed like jewels in the silver bowls that had been placed at the statues' feet, right next to goblets filled with spiced mulberry wine. Holly had been shaped into crowns and ringed the heads of the various gods and goddesses while fat balls of mistletoe dangled from their cold fingers. Cedar and juniper trees covered with twinkling white lights clustered together in groups in the lobby, the fragrant scent of their needles mixing with the sweet smoke from the fire.
The crackling flames gave everything a soft, cheery glow, but I couldn't help but feel that the statues were all staring at me, just like the ones at the academy always did. I looked at Skadi. Maybe it was just my imagination in overdrive again, but the snowflakes twisted around her body seemed to wink at me one by one, like cold, cold eyes. I shivered and looked away.
'Isn't this place incredible?' Daphne asked from beside me.
'Yeah,' I muttered. 'Incredible.'
Daphne smirked, not noticing my less-than-enthusiastic tone. 'Told you. And just wait until you see the rooms. They're just as posh, and they even have a spa, too, where you can get all kinds of facials and other treatments. Watch my stuff, and I'll go get our room assignment and key cards so we can start exploring. Come on, Carson.'
The two of them headed over and got in the line that had already formed by the front desk. Daphne and I would be sharing a room on one of the floors that had been designated girls only, while Carson would be bunking with one of his band buddies on one of the guys' floors.
The kids from the New York academy must have already arrived, because I only recognized about half of the students milling around the lobby. But really, they were all the same-warrior whiz kids dressed in the most expensive clothes their parents could buy. Sparks of magic cracked and flashed in the air as the students from the
