Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4)(6)
Author: Jennifer Estep

Normally, I would have enjoyed the walk across campus, but the rolling green hills that made up the lush grounds seemed to be deserted, adding to the doom-and-gloom atmosphere. I glanced at my silver watch. Almost four o’clock, which meant that it was time for the mysterious assembly. Most of the students were probably already gathered in the outdoor amphitheater. Well, at least no one was around to witness my walk of shame, even if Helena and the other students in the coffee shop would have texted the juicy details to all their friends by now.

I’d thought that we would start up the hill to the main quad so that the Protectorate could march me over to the math-science building and then down to the academy prison located there. But instead we veered left onto another path, heading toward the amphitheater that lay at the bottom of the hill next to the Library of Antiquities. I frowned. Why would we be going there? Surely, they weren’t going to make me sit through some stupid assembly before they locked me away. Then again, maybe this was just another part of my impending punishment.

We stopped at the edge of the path, where it opened up into the amphitheater. Unlike the dark gray of the other buildings, the open-air theater was made out of bone-white stone that contained a rainbow of colors-sky blue, pearl pink, soft lilac. Those shades and more shimmered throughout the structure, as though a thousand Valkyries had given off sparks of magic that had somehow seeped into the stone.

The amphitheater was made out of a series of long, flat shallow steps that had been stacked on top of each other. The steps, which also served as seats, formed an enormous semicircle as they spiraled up the hill, and they all faced a stage that had been erected at the very bottom of the amphitheater. Four columns loomed over the stage, but my gaze flicked up to the tops of the columns, where stone chimeras crouched on round globes. Instead of glaring out at the crowd like usual, the chimeras’ heads were lowered, and they were staring down at their curved claws, just like the sphinxes had. My unease cranked up another notch.

I dragged my gaze away from the chimeras and stared out into the amphitheater. Students, professors, and staff members had already gathered on the stone steps, all bundled up in heavy coats and gloves, their breath steaming in the sharp winter air until it looked like a thick fog had blanketed the whole area. No matter how cold it got, all the assemblies took place out here, instead of in the warmer, more comfortable gym. I wasn’t sure why. The Powers That Were probably thought the amphitheater was more official or something.

Despite the fact that we were on the edge of the area, worried murmurs still drifted over to me, as the students wondered what was going on.

"What do you think the assembly is about?"

"Maybe the Pantheon’s managed to imprison Loki again."

"Maybe not. Maybe Reapers are on their way here right now to kill us all."

And on and on the rumors went, leaping from one mouth and one phone to another. Mutters, whispers, chirps, and beeps floated through the air, creating a strange symphony of sound.

I spotted Daphne Cruz, my best friend, and Carson Callahan, her band geek boyfriend, sitting on the steps about halfway up the hill. They had their heads close together, looking at something on Daphne’s phone-probably my arrest at the coffee shop, judging from the shocked expression on the Valkyrie’s face and the pink sparks of magic that were streaking out of her fingertips like lightning. Daphne always gave off more magic whenever she was surprised, worried, or upset. I was willing to bet she was all those things right now-and so was I.

I’d thought that we would stay on the edge of the amphitheater until the assembly was over, but instead Linus jerked his head at Sergei and Inari, who stepped even closer to me. My dread ballooned up in my stomach and rose into my throat, threatening to choke me from the inside out.

Logan noticed the men’s movements, and he quit arguing with his dad long enough to turn around. Alexei stepped in front of the Spartan, holding up his hands.

"I don’t want to fight you, Logan," Alexei said. "But you know I will."

Logan looked at me, panic flaring in his blue eyes. Apparently, he knew what was about to happen-and that it wasn’t anything good.

"Dad," he said. "Gwen hasn’t done anything wrong. You have to believe me. Don’t do this. Please."

Linus stared at his son, his face expressionless. Then, he turned away from Logan.

"Make sure that she stays still and quiet through this," Linus said. "I don’t want any interruptions."

Inari and Sergei clamped their hands on my arms and dragged me forward, heading toward the steps that led up onto the stage. And I suddenly realized what the mysterious assembly was about-me and my supposed crimes against the Pantheon.

Chapter 3

Inari and Sergei marched me across the amphitheater, up the steps, and onto the stage, with Linus following along behind us. The three men’s heavy boots slapped against the wooden boards, and the dull sounds almost seemed to chant to me. Doom, doom, doom . . .

We stopped in the middle of the stage, and I stared out at everyone who made up Mythos Academy-students, professors, staff members. I looked at Daphne, who had her hands up over her mouth in horror. Carson had a similar stunned expression on his face. Oliver Hector, Morgan McDougall, Savannah Warren. My gaze went from one familiar face to another. All the kids in my second-year class were here, along with the ones who’d apparently rushed back from the coffee shop for the assembly. Kenzie Tanaka, Talia Pizarro, Helena Paxton and her mean-girl friends. They must have raced up to the library, then hurried down the hill so they could get the last remaining seats at the very top of the amphitheater.

"Those guys have on Protectorate robes!"

"Hey, isn’t that Gwen Frost? That weird Gypsy girl?"

"What’s she doing on stage? What’s going on? Why are they guarding her like that?"

More murmurs and questions rippled through the crowd, louder and sharper than before, but I shut them out of my mind and kept scanning the faces. Finally, I spotted Professor Aurora Metis standing off to the left side of the stage, along with Nickamedes, Coach Ajax, and Raven. The four of them made up the academy’s security council and were responsible for keeping students safe at Mythos. I thought that had included me too, but it didn’t look like that was the case-at least not anymore.

I stared at Metis, wondering if she’d known this was going to happen, if she’d tried to stop it. Worry filled her green eyes behind her silver glasses. Her face was tight with tension, and the tendons in her neck stood out against her bronze skin, like bowstrings about to snap. Beside her, Nickamedes was frowning, his black eyebrows furrowed together in thought. Ajax had his arms crossed over his big, burly chest. Only Raven seemed unconcerned, letting out a wide yawn and fiddling with her white hair, as though she was bored by the whole spectacle.