Kiss of Frost

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'ssonot 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