Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)(63)
Author: Jennifer Estep

"So why didn’t you tell me about that either?"

"Because it was your decision to make, Gwen. Just like your mom and I made it before you. Just like your own daughter might make it someday." She sighed. "So many of the kids at Mythos are expected to be great warriors from birth. Your mom and I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on you. We wanted you to make your own choices because you wanted to, not because you felt you had to uphold some great family legacy. Besides, being a Champion is as good as having a target painted on your back. Reapers kill warriors, sure, but they’ll do anything-anything-to take down a Champion."

My stomach twisted at her words. "Why is that?"

"Because Champions always have the strongest magic, the best fighting skills, the bravest hearts. That’s why they’re picked to be Champions in the first place-because they can do the most good. That makes them the biggest threats to Loki and his Reapers. We just wanted to protect you as long as we could, pumpkin." Grandma paused. "And we also didn’t want you to grow up to be as spoiled as some of the kids are."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "It’s hard living in a world where you know Reapers want nothing more than to kill you and your children. So most warrior parents indulge their kids and give them whatever they want-cars, clothes, jewelry-just in case they’re not around to see their kids grow up. I’m not saying that it’s wrong or it’s right, but it’s not how your mom wanted to raise you. She wanted you to know the value of money-and life, too. Most especially life."

That must be why the professors at Mythos let the kids get away with so many things, too-smoking, drinking, hooking up-because the profs knew that we could all be killed by Reapers on any given day and they thought that the students should live it up in the meantime. But Grandma’s words raised another question in my mind.

"So do we have money, then? I mean … a lot of money? Like the other kids’ parents do? And if we do, then why do I have to work in the Library of Antiquities?"

Grandma shrugged again. "Not as much money as some, but enough. More than enough. Your working in the library was actually Professor Metis’s idea. She thought interacting with all the other students there would help you adjust to the academy. Of course, it didn’t quite work out that way."

No, it hadn’t. I pushed the plate of chocolate fudge away. My head was spinning with too much information for me to enjoy them right now. I still couldn’t quite believe everything that Grandma had told me, everything that I’d learned the past few days, all the secrets that had finally been revealed to me. Knowing that I was in danger now because I’d agreed to be Nike’s Champion didn’t exactly put me in a great mood. But that was the thing about secrets-they were almost never good.

Grandma Frost didn’t say a word. Instead, she reached over and put her hand on top of mine. As always, I felt the soft, warm blanket of her love wrap around me. And I knew that no matter what happened, no matter how crazy things got, Grandma Frost would always love me just as much as I loved her. Just as much as I’d loved my mom.

I thought about how I’d seen my mom, Grace, when I’d first picked up Vic, the sword. Of how I was now part of the same thing that she had been. Of how my mom had smiled at me like she approved of what I was doing. The idea, whether it was true or not, made me miss her a little less, made the ache of her loss and my guilt over her death a little easier to bear. Maybe this was one secret that I could live with after all.

"But enough talk about Gypsies and gods and everything else," Grandma said, a light, teasing tone creeping into her voice. "Metis told me about seeing you at the homecoming dance with a very cute Spartan boy, the same Spartan boy who helped you that night in the library. You’ve been holding out on me, Gwen. Now, I want to know all about him."

I still had more things to figure out, more things that I wanted to ask her about my mom and the academy and being Nike’s Champion. But all that could wait. Right now, I just wanted to enjoy this moment with my grandma.

"You want to know about Logan Quinn?" I asked, arching my eyebrow.

"Every little detail," Grandma quipped. "Now spill, as you kids say."

I just laughed and shook my head. We stayed there in the kitchen, eating and talking, the rest of the afternoon.

Chapter 25

The next day, Professor Metis called me into her office. The last time that I’d been in here had been the day that I’d come to Mythos Academy at the start of the fall semester, and I’d been too angry and pissed at her and everyone else to really notice things.

Old, thick myth-history books lined the shelves in the bookcases that covered two of the walls, while a couple of clay pots of sunflowers and violets sat on the windowsill. Above them on either side of the window were various plaques, showing all of the professor’s degrees and awards. There were tons of those. Metis’s desk was piled high with papers and pens and stuff, along with a tiny marble statue that perched in the left-hand corner. It looked like a smaller version of the one of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, that stood in the Library of Antiquities, but I wasn’t sure.

But the weirdest things were the weapons. A whole rack of them stood in the corner. A couple of swords, a staff, some daggers, even a crossbow and the bolts for it. With her silver glasses and quiet, scholarly vibe, Metis had never struck me as being a warrior. Not like Coach Ajax, anyway, who was all ripped, muscled, and totally Hulked out.

Professor Metis was staring out the window at the quad when I came inside. I shut the door behind me and stood there, waiting until she noticed me. After a moment, she turned around and smiled at me.

"Hello, Gwen. Sit down, please. There are some things that we need to talk about."

Yeah, I’d figured as much, since, you know, I’d been involved in the death of a student, the destruction of the library, and a whole bunch of other Bad, Bad Things. So I did as she asked and took the seat in front of her desk.

Professor Metis sat down as well. Her green eyes flicked to one of the framed photos on the desk, but since it was turned around the other way, I couldn’t see who was in it. Her husband or kids, I supposed. Maybe a boyfriend or a pet.

"How are you today, Gwendolyn?"

I shrugged. "Fine, more or less."

And I really was. Yeah, I’d seen and done some bad stuff in the past few days, and I’d learned so many things about myself, my Gypsy gift, and why I was here at Mythos that it kind of blew my mind. And maybe I was still totally freaked out that a goddess had chosen me to be her Champion. But at least I had some answers now, and I’d learned more than one secret about myself. I thought I was handling it all okay.