Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)(61)
Author: Jennifer Estep

Her best friend had betrayed her, and her boyfriend had cheated on her. She’d faked her own death to make them feel guilty about what they’d done, but it had backfired, and she’d realized just how little they really cared about her. Just how little everyone had cared about her. So Jasmine had decided to make her best friend pay for everything, especially her hurt feelings.

Jasmine Ashton had been the richest, most beautiful and popular girl in our class, and she’d had everything that she could possibly want-except real friends.

Speaking of friends, I was pretty sure that I had at least a couple now, although my feelings for Logan had zoomed way past the friendship point and had turned into something else completely. The Spartan stood a few feet away, talking to Daphne and Carson about everything that had happened.

Professor Metis was over there, too, looking at Logan’s injuries. She took his hands in hers and stared into the Spartan’s eyes. After a few seconds, a golden glow enveloped Logan. As I watched, the ugly cuts on his face slowly closed shut like they’d never even been there to start with. So did the deeper, bloodier ones on his chest. Metis had told me about her magic and how she could heal people. It looked like Logan would be just fine in a few minutes.

But I didn’t feel like joining them yet. Somebody should stay with Jasmine just a little while longer.

A minute later, Daphne said something in a soft voice to the others and walked over to me. The Valkyrie stood beside me, a blank expression on her face as we watched one of the men start scrubbing Jasmine’s blood off the marble floor.

"I’m sorry," I said. "I know she was your friend."

Daphne shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t think that I ever really knew Jasmine. I never would have thought that she could have done any of this."

I wondered if anyone here at Mythos had known what Jasmine was really like-or if they would even care that she was dead for real this time.

"It’s not your fault, you know," Daphne said in a low voice. "Jasmine made her own choices, just like she always did. She wanted revenge on Morgan, and she decided to go all Reaper on everyone to get it. You and Logan were only defending yourselves. That’s the way things are here at Mythos. People come, people go, and some people die."

"Maybe," I replied. "But Morgan and Samson broke her heart and then lied to her about everything. They thought it was funny, like a game or something, sneaking around behind Jasmine’s back. So I still feel sorry for her, you know?"

"Yeah," Daphne said. "I know."

We didn’t say anything for a few minutes.

"Well," Daphne said. "The homecoming dance is still going strong, but Carson, Logan, and I are going to head over to Carson’s dorm. He has some Dionysian wine that his dad shipped him in special from Napa."

I raised an eyebrow. "The band geek has liquor?"

Daphne smiled. "Who knew? Seems like there’s a lot of things about Carson that I don’t know. But now, I get to find out, thanks to you. So you want to come with or what?"

"Sure," I said. "Just give me a minute."

Daphne nodded, and she went back over to Carson and Logan. Metis had finished healing Logan, and the three students said their good-byes to the professor, headed toward the double doors, and walked out of the library. Metis watched them a few seconds before going back over to Ajax, who was still trying to console Nickamedes about the huge mess in the library.

No one saw me slip to the back of the library where the sword case had been. I looked at the remains of the glass and wood before slowly raising up my head.

And there she was on the second-floor balcony, the one filled with the statues of all the gods and goddesses. Nike’s statue stood right above the smashed antiques case, as if she’d been watching over it-and me-this whole time. Maybe she had. The thought comforted me the same way that hugging Grandma Frost always did.

Nike looked the same as she had when I’d seen her. A long, loose gown flowing around her body, wings arching up over her back, a cold, terrible sort of beauty filling her face. I don’t know why I’d never noticed her standing up there before. Maybe because I hadn’t been looking. Maybe because I hadn’t been ready.

"Ahem," a voice coughed.

I looked down at the sword in my hand. I’d completely forgotten that I’d been holding on to the weapon this whole time. It was weird, but it felt almost like a natural extension of my arm now. A part of myself, even.

Vic had opened his twilight-colored eye again and was studying me intently. Well, as intently as he could with only the one eye.

"You did okay tonight, for a bloody rookie," the sword said, his mouth moving under my hand and tickling my palm. "Although you really should get your Spartan friend to show you a few things. Because he has the potential to be a real warrior."

"Later, Vic," I said. "Much, much later."

He seemed to nod. "Well then, by your leave, I think I’ll take a little nap. All this excitement has worn me out. I’m not as young as I used to be, you know."

"Of course not," I said in a kind voice. "You take your nap, Vic. We can talk about everything else later."

I’d scarcely finished saying the words before the eye snapped shut again. I might have only imagined it, but it felt like the part of the hilt that was Vic’s mouth curved into a soft smile.

I was about to lower the sword and leave the library when something shimmered on the blade itself, above Vic’s face and the rest of the hilt. I held the sword up to the light, turning it this way and that, so I could see what had caught my eye.

It was the symbols that I’d seen before on the blade, the faint letters that I hadn’t quite been able to make out. Now, they glowed with a cold, silver fire, and, for the first time, I could clearly read the words that had been carved into the sword’s blade-Victory Always.

Of course. Nike was the Greek goddess of victory, and this was her sword.

And now, it was mine, given to me by the goddess herself to help me be her Champion.

I only hoped that I was worthy of Vic and the strange, unwavering faith that Nike seemed to have in me.

Chapter 24

What happened at the Library of Antiquities the night of the homecoming dance was the talk of Mythos Academy for the next week.

But not in the way that I expected.

Even though she didn’t seem to remember anything, Morgan McDougall still managed to take credit for everything, from thwarting Jasmine to destroying the Bowl of Tears to killing the Nemean prowler. It was like Logan and I hadn’t even been there and she’d saved everyone at the academy from a fate worse than death.

Not all of the kids believed her, though, and wild rumors spread as fast as people could text them. Everything from how a group of Reapers had planted a magic bomb on campus to drunk kids performing a crazy ritual to Jasmine coming back from the dead and destroying the library because she was pissed that she hadn’t been crowned homecoming queen before she’d been murdered. The last one was a little truer than anyone knew.