and my mom, too.
"I'l be fine," I said. "I won't be seeing Preston again until after the break. I'm going to go to Grandma Frost's house and just chil out over the holidays. Eat junk food, watch television, read my new stash of comic books. There wil be absolutely no thinking about Preston, his horrible memories, Reapers, or anything else like that."
"All right," Daphne said, finAll y satisfied. "But you cAll me every day."
I rol ed my eyes. "Wel , yeah. I want to know All about your Christmas-and what your parents think of Carson." Daphne and Carson were taking the major, major step of introducing each other to their parents. Daphne was going home with Carson for a few days before Christmas, then he was coming over to her house after New Year's. After that, Daphne was going to come spend a few days with me and Grandma Frost before classes started again at the academy.
The Valkyrie bit her lip, and pink sparks of magic flashed around her fingertips. "I hope his parents like me."
"I'm sure they wil ," I said. "What's not to like?" Daphne narrowed her eyes, plucked one of her pil ows off the bed, and threw it at me. "Your sarcasm is noted." I grinned. "And you love me for it."
I helped Daphne carry her ridiculously stuffed, ridiculously heavy suitcases out of her room, down the steps, and outside ValhAll a HAll . Kids streamed out of All of the dorms at this point, bags in one hand and cel phones in the other.
Golf carts zipped over the cobblestone paths, hauling students up the hil , past the main quad, and over to the parking lot behind the gym, where a variety of private towncars waited to drive them home or to the airport.
Carson waited out front, along with Oliver and Logan.
While Logan helped Carson and Daphne load her bags onto one of the golf carts, I drifted over to Oliver's side.
"I hope you have a good holiday," I said. "Going home to see your parents?"
The Spartan nodded. "Yep. You going to your grandma's?"
I nodded.
Oliver grinned. "Try not to fAll for any Reaper guys while you're away, okay?"
I rol ed my eyes. "Just as long as you don't try to run down or shoot arrows at any Gypsy girls. Do we have a deal?"
"I don't know," Oliver murmured. "I kind of like scaring Gypsy girls. It's a lot more fun than myth-history class." I punched the Spartan in the shoulder, and he just laughed.
"What about Kenzie?" I asked in a low voice only he could hear. "You going to see him over the break?" Oliver shook his head. "He wanted to hang out, but I told him that I'd be too busy with family stuff. I think it's better if I don't see him for a while.
Give me a chance to get over him, you know?"
I nodded again. I did know. "Maybe you'l meet somebody new over the holidays."
Oliver smiled, but his green eyes were dark and sad.
"Here's hoping anyway."
Carson and Logan finished loading Daphne's luggage.
The Valkyrie came over and hugged me tight, cracking my back with her enormous strength, then hopped into the back of the cart with Carson. Oliver jumped into the driver's seat, and the three of them waved good-bye before Oliver hit the gas and the cart took off toward upper quad.
That left Logan and me alone, standing outside ValhAll a HAll .
Students moved All around us, talking, texting, and laughing, but everyone was so focused on going home that no one paid any attention to us.
I wasn't quite sure what to say to the Spartan. We hadn't reAll y talked since he'd found me a few days ago in the library, and we stil hadn't discussed the kiss. I didn't know what was going on between us, but I knew I'd miss him like crazy over the next few weeks.
"So ... I should probably get going," I said. "I need to go grab my stuff out of my room and catch the afternoon bus down the mountain."
Logan nodded. "Me, too. My uncle has a car waiting up at the gym to take us home."
"Nickamedes, right? He's your uncle?"
The Spartan blinked. "How did you ... ?"
"I saw the two of you at the ski resort, remember? And I realized just how much you look alike." I shrugged. "And the way you talked to him, it was like the two of you knew each other very, very wel . Like you were family. It wasn't too hard to figure out.
Why didn't you ever say anything to me?" This time, Logan shrugged. "It's ... complicated.
Nickamedes and my dad don't exactly get along." He didn't explain any more, but after a moment, he grinned. "Besides, you've met Nickamedes. Would you claim him as a relative?
EspeciAll y if he worked at your school?"
I thought about the prissy librarian and how his mouth always turned down whenever he saw me. "Point taken."
"Anyway, before I go meet him, I wanted to give you this."
Logan reached into his black leather jacket and drew out a smAll box wrapped in silver paper. A faint flush crept up his neck, and he wouldn't look at me. "I, uh, got you something. For Christmas.
I hope that's okay."
"Oh. Oh. You-you didn't have to do that." My heart soared in my chest for about half a second before I winced.
"I didn't get anything for you. I'm so sorry. If I'd known-I mean, if I even thought for a second you were going to get me something-"
"Just open it, okay?" the Spartan said, interrupting me.
Logan held out the smAll box. I hesitated, then took it, careful not to brush my fingers against his. I held it in my palm a second, but I didn't get any reAll vibes off the silver wrapping paper, so I tore it off with my nails. Beneath the paper was a marble box that was a lovely shade of lilac.
Once again, I held on to the box a moment, but the only flash I got off it was of Logan wrapping the paper around it.
So I cracked the lid open, and my breath caught in my throat.
A gorgeous silver necklace was nestled on top of the black velvet inside the box. It looked like something a goddess would wear-All these delicate silver wires strung together. But the coolest part was that the six strands joined together, their jewel-tipped points forming a specific shape
-a snowflake. The diamonds that made up the six rays of the delicate snowflake glinted in the winter sun.
After I got over my initiAll shock and the dazzle of the diamonds, I let out a little laugh.
Logan frowned. "What's so funny? Don't you-don't you like it?"
"Oh, no! It's beautiful. I love it, reAll y, I do. It's just funny.
My grandma and I always get each other something with snowflakes on it for Christmas. It's just part of having Frost as a last name, I suppose. I bought her a cookie jar shaped like a giant blue snowflake when Daphne and I went shopping the other day.
And now, you give me this." I drew in a breath. "But it's too much. I can't accept this-"
"Yes, you can," Logan said, cutting me off again. "Think of it as an apology for me being such a dick with Savannah and everything."
His eyes locked with mine. "I've been meaning to tel you for a while now, but Savannah and I broke up while we were at the ski resort-the night after I talked to you outside the coffee shop."
He didn't have to tel me because I already knew. The news had spread around the academy the Monday morning after the Winter CarnivAll that Logan had broken up with Savannah. It had gone virAll in about ten seconds, getting texted from one person's phone to the other. That's why Savannah hadn't been with Logan during the Saturday carnivAll on the mountain. I'd seen her close to him in the lobby after the avalanche, but Daphne had found out that Savannah had just been getting hot chocolate for her and Talia
-not hanging out with Logan.
Nobody seemed to know the exact reason why they'd broken up, although Savannah shot daggers at me with her eyes every time she saw me. So did Talia. Even though Logan and I weren't exactly together, it was obvious Savannah thought I had something to do with their breakup and had spread the word around to her friends. Maybe I had. The thought made me happy and guilty at the same time. I wanted Logan, but I hadn't wanted him to hurt Savannah either.
But the Spartan was here, now, standing right in front of me, and I wasn't about to miss this opportunity.
I swAll owed the lump in my throat. "You know how much I
... care about you. You breaking up with Savannah. . . What does that mean ... for us?" I couldn't keep the faint whisper of hope out of my voice.
Logan stared at me, his blue eyes dark and serious, and I knew he was thinking about his secret again, and whether he could trust me with it or not. What I would think about it.
But then the moment passed, and he grinned once more. "It means I'l be seeing you after Christmas break, Gypsy girl.
Try not to get into too much trouble in the meantime, okay?"
Then he leaned over and kissed me. It was just a brief touch, just a quick caress of his lips on mine, but I stil felt the firmness of his mouth, stil felt the warmth of his body against my own, stil felt his breath mixing with mine, both of them mingling in the clouds of frost between us.
Logan drew back. He winked at me, then turned and walked away.
All I could do was smile and watch him go, wishing the holiday break was over with already.
Since All my friends had left, I went back to my own dorm room in Styx HAll to get my stuff and head down the mountain to Grandma Frost's house. The first thing I did when I got back to the room was stand in front of the mirror on the wAll and put on the necklace Logan had just given me.
I hooked the chain together and stroked the diamond snowflake with my fingertips. Then, I closed my hand over the delicate silver strands and concentrated. It only took a second for the images and feelings to fil my mind.
Logan seeing me at the Winter CarnivAll and eyeing the snowflake toboggan I'd had on that day. The horror he'd felt when he'd realized I was in the path of the avalanche. Him watching me run from the snow and wishing he could do something, anything, to help me. The cold fear that had fil ed him when he'd gotten Oliver's text that I was in trouble.
His determination to save me from Preston no matter what.
The fierce pride he'd felt as he watched me use Vic to fight Preston-and win.
There were some happier memories, too. Logan prowling through a jewelry shop, trying to find just the right gift for me.
Him seeing the necklace and thinking it reminded him of me. The Spartan hoping I would like it.
Logan holding me, first that night outside the coffee shop at the ski resort and then again in the library. And finAll y, our desperate kiss that day in the construction site, the one that had let me tap into the Spartan's fighting skil s.
Through All the memories, good and bad, I felt what Logan did every time he saw or thought about me-that soft, warm, fizzy feeling that only meant one thing.
Logan Quinn reAll y did care about me.
"He likes me," I whispered. "He reAll y does like me." At the sound of my voice, Vic opened his eye. I'd 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 sil y, 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.
FinAll y, 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 reAll y 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 kil ed my mom
-and I was going to shove a sword through her heart.
Logan had told Oliver that I was totAll y 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 cAll ed 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 finAll y 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 kil , you know."