by Rick Riordan
‘Thanks,’ I muttered.
‘– but certainly a great einherji. I think we are in agreement – all of us here at the thanes’ table – that you, too, deserve a reward.’
Odin glanced to his left and right. The thanes stirred, hastily muttering, ‘Yes. Um. Absolutely.’
‘I do not offer this lightly,’ Odin said. ‘But if you still feel that Valhalla is not your place I will send you to Folkvanger, where your aunt holds court. As a child of the Vanir, perhaps that would be more to your liking. Or –’ his blue eye seemed to pierce right through me – ‘if you wish, I will even allow you to return to the mortal world and be released from your duties as an einherji.’
The room filled with murmuring and tension. From the faces of the crowd, I could tell this was an unusual offer. Odin was taking a risk. If he set a precedent of letting einherjar return to the world, wouldn’t others want to go too?
I looked at Sam and Blitzen and Hearthstone. I looked at my hallmates from floor nineteen – T.J., Halfborn, Mallory. For the first time in years, I didn’t feel homeless.
I bowed to Odin. ‘Thank you, All-Father. But wherever these friends of mine are – that’s my home. I am one of the einherjar. I am one of your warriors. That is reward enough.’
The whole dining hall erupted in cheering. Goblets banged on tables. Swords clattered against shields. My friends surrounded me, hugging me and clapping me on the shoulders. Mallory kissed my cheek and said, ‘You are a huge idiot.’ Then she whispered in my ear, ‘Thank you.’
Halfborn ruffled my hair. ‘We’ll make you a warrior yet, Frey-son.’
When the cheering died down, Odin raised his hand. His clicker elongated into a glowing white spear.
‘By Gungnir, the hallowed weapon of the All-Father, I declare that these seven heroes shall have full rights of passage through the Nine Worlds, including Valhalla. Wherever they go, they shall go in my name, serving the will of Asgard. Let no one interfere on pain of death!’ He lowered his spear. ‘Tonight, we feast in their honour. Tomorrow, our fallen comrades shall be given to water and flame!’
SEVENTY-ONE
We Burn a Swan Boat, Which I’m Pretty Sure Is Illegal
The funeral was held on the pond in the Public Garden. Somehow, the einherjar had got possession of a swan boat – the kind that normally don’t ply the waters during the winter. They’d modified the boat, turning it into a floating funeral pyre for the three Valkyries. The bodies were wrapped in white and laid on a bed of wood, with weapons and armour and gold heaped around them.
The pond was frozen over. There shouldn’t have been any way to launch the boat, but the einherjar had brought along a friend – a fifteen-foot-tall giantess named Hyrokkin.
Despite the weather, Hyrokkin was dressed in cut-off shorts and an XXXXL T-shirt from the Boston Rowing Club. Before the ceremony, she stomped barefoot all over the pond, breaking the ice and scaring the ducks. Then she came back and waited respectfully at the shore, her shins glazed with freezing water, while einherjar came forward to say their goodbyes to the fallen. Many left weapons, coins or other keepsakes on the funeral pyres. Some spoke about how Gunilla, Margaret or Irene had been responsible for bringing them to Valhalla.
Finally Helgi lit the fire. Hyrokkin pushed the boat into the pond.
There were no pedestrians in the Public Garden. Maybe magic kept them away. If any had been around, maybe some glamour would’ve kept them from seeing the crowd of undead warriors watching a ship burn.
My eyes drifted to the spot under the bridge where two weeks ago I’d been alive, homeless and miserable. Only now could I admit how terrified I’d felt all the time.
The boat roared into a column of fire, obscuring the bodies of the Valkyries. Then the flames vanished as if somebody had turned off the gas, leaving no trace of the boat – just a steaming circle in the pond.
Mourners turned and drifted through the park, heading towards the Hotel Valhalla on Beacon Street.
T.J. gripped my shoulder. ‘You coming, Magnus?’
‘In a bit.’
As my hallmates headed back home, I was happy to see Halfborn Gunderson slip his arm around Mallory Keen’s waist. She didn’t even cut his hand off for doing so.
Blitzen, Hearth, Sam and I stayed behind, watching steam curl off the pond.
Finally Hearth signed, I am going to Asgard. Thank you, Magnus.
I’d seen the envious looks some of the einherjar had given him. For decades, maybe centuries, no mortal had been allowed to visit the city of the gods. Now Odin had agreed to teach an elf.
‘That’s awesome, man,’ I said. ‘But listen – don’t forget to come back and visit, huh? You’ve got a family now.’
Hearthstone smiled. He signed, I hear you.
‘Oh, he’ll visit, all right,’ Blitzen said. ‘He’s promised to help me move into my new store. I’m not lugging all those boxes without some magic assistance!’
I felt happy for Blitz, though it was hard to think about yet another one of my friends going away. ‘I’m sure you’ll have the best shop in Nidavellir.’
Blitzen snorted. ‘Nidavellir? Bah. Dwarves don’t deserve my fashion brilliance. That red gold from Odin will buy me a nice storefront on Newbury Street. Blitzen’s Best will be open in the spring, so you have absolutely no excuse not to come by and get fitted for one of these.’ He brushed aside his overcoat, revealing a glittering, stylish bulletproof waistcoat.
I couldn’t help it. I gave Blitzen a hug.
‘All right, kid, all right.’ He patted me on the back. ‘Let’s not wrinkle the fabric.’
Sam grinned. ‘Maybe you can make a new hijab for me. The old one got kind of ripped to shreds.’
‘I’ll make it for you at cost, with more magical properties!’ Blitzen promised. ‘And I have some ideas for colours.’
‘You’re the expert,’ Sam said. ‘As for me, I’ve got to get home. I’m grounded. I have a pile of make-up work from school.’
‘And you have a boyfriend to deal with,’ I said.
She blushed, which was kind of cute. ‘He’s not … All right, fine. Yes, I should probably deal with that, whatever that means.’ She poked me in the chest. ‘Thanks to you, I can fly again. That’s the main thing. Try not to die too often until I see you again.’
‘When will that be?’
‘Soon,’ Sam promised. ‘Odin wasn’t kidding about the high-risk assignments. The good news is –’ she put a finger to her lips – ‘I can pick my own strike force. So all of you … consider yourselves warned.’
I wanted to hug her, to tell her how much I appreciated everything she’d done, but I knew Sam wouldn’t be comfortable with that. I settled for a smile. ‘Any time, al-Abbas. Now that Odin has given us permission to travel the worlds, maybe I can come visit you in Dorchester.’
‘That,’ she said, ‘is a truly mortifying idea. My grandparents would kill me. Amir would –’
‘Okay, jeez,’ I said. ‘Just remember: you’re not in this alone.’
‘Noted.’ She bumped me with her elbow. ‘And what about you, Magnus – back to Valhalla for the feast? Your hallmates have been singing your praises. I even heard a few Valkyries speculating that you might be made a thane one of these centuries.’
I smiled, but I wasn’t ready to think about one of these centuries. I gazed across the Public Garden. A taxi was just pulling up in front of the Cheers bar on the corner of Beacon and Brimmer. The ceramic jar weighed heavily inside my winter coat.
‘First I have an appointment,’ I said. ‘I have to keep a promise.’
I said goodbye to my friends. Then I went to meet my cousin.
SEVENTY-TWO
I Lose a Bet
‘This is way better than the last memorial I attended,’ Annabeth said. ‘Yours.’
We stood on a ridge in the Blue Hills, watching my mother’s ashes drift across the snowy trees. Far below, the sun glittered on Houghton’s Pond. The day was cold, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable. I fel
t warm and calm – more right than I’d felt in years.
I tucked the empty ceramic jar under my arm.
‘Thanks for coming with me,’ I said.
Annabeth’s grey eyes studied me, the same way she seemed to study everything – assessing not just my appearance, but my composition, my stress points, my potential for renovation. This was a girl, after all, who had made Parthenon models out of runestones when she was six years old.
‘Glad to,’ she said. ‘Your mom … from what I remember, she was great.’
‘She would’ve liked the fact that you’re here.’
Annabeth gazed across the treeline. Her face looked sunburned from the wind. ‘They cremated you, too, you know. I mean that other body … whatever that was. Your ashes were placed in the family mausoleum. I didn’t even know we had a family mausoleum.’
I shuddered, imagining those ashes in a porcelain vase in a dank stone cubbyhole. Much better to be here, in the fresh air and the frigid sunlight.
‘Pretending I was dead couldn’t have been easy for you,’ I said.
She brushed a strand of hair from her face. ‘The service was harder on Randolph, I think. He seemed pretty shaken up, considering, you know …’
‘That he never cared about me?’
‘Or any of us. My dad, though … Magnus, that was difficult. He and I have had a rocky history, but I’m trying to be honest with him now. I don’t like hiding things.’
‘Sorry.’ I spread my hands. ‘I thought it was better if I didn’t drag you into my problems. For the last few days, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. Some … some dangerous things were happening. It had to do with my father’s, uh, side of the family.’
‘Magnus, I might understand more than you think I do.’
I thought about that. Annabeth did seem more attuned, more grounded than most people I talked to – even most of the people in Valhalla. On the other hand, I didn’t want to put her at risk, or threaten the tenuous relationship we were starting to reconstruct.
‘I’m okay now,’ I assured her. ‘I’m staying with friends. It’s a good place, but it’s not the kind of arrangement most people would understand. Uncle Randolph can’t know about it. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone, not even your dad.’
‘Hmm,’ she said. ‘I don’t suppose I get details?’
I thought about what Frey had told me: You should talk. You will need her help before all is said and done. I remembered what Sam had said about her own family – how they’d attracted the attention of the gods for generations. Randolph had hinted that our family was the same way.
‘I just don’t want to put you in danger,’ I said. ‘I kind of hoped you could be my one connection to the regular world.’
Annabeth stared at me. She snorted and began to laugh. ‘Wow. You have no idea how funny that is.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Magnus, if you had any clue about how weird my life is –’
‘Okay, but being here with you?’ I said. ‘This is the most normal I’ve felt in years. After all the crazy fighting between our parents, the stupid grudges and years of not speaking to each other, I was hoping we could make our generation of the family not so messed up.’
Annabeth’s expression turned serious. ‘That kind of normal I like.’ She extended her hand. ‘To us, the Chase cousins. Here’s to being less messed up.’
We shook on it.
‘Now spill,’ she commanded. ‘Tell me what’s been going on. I promise I won’t tell. I might even be able to help. I also promise that, whatever’s been going on with you, my life is weirder. It’ll make yours look downright suburban.’
I considered everything I’d been through – death and resurrection, fishing for the World Serpent, fighting with giants, running from monster squirrels, binding a wolf on a disappearing island.
‘How much you want to bet?’ I said.
‘Bring it on, cousin.’
‘Lunch?’ I suggested. ‘I know a great falafel place.’
‘You’ve got a bet,’ she said. ‘Let’s hear what you’ve been up to.’
‘Oh, no,’ I said. ‘Your story is so amazing? You go first.’
Epilogue
Randolph hadn’t slept since his nephew’s funeral service.
Every day he visited the mausoleum, hoping for some sign, some miracle. He cried real tears, but not for young Magnus. He wept for everything he’d lost – everything that might never be recovered now.
He came in through the back door of the town house, his hands shaking so badly he could barely work the lock. He removed his snow boots and his heavy coat, then padded upstairs, going over what he’d said to Magnus on the bridge for the millionth time, wondering what he could have done differently.
He froze in the doorway of his office. A man in a priest’s frock was sitting on his desk, dangling his feet.
‘Visiting the gravesite again?’ Loki grinned. ‘Honestly, I thought the service provided some excellent closure.’
‘You were the priest?’ Randolph sighed. ‘Of course you were the priest.’
Loki chuckled. ‘A young life cut short, but let us celebrate his gifts and the impact he had upon us … I was improvising, of course. But that’s what I do best.’
Randolph had seen the god of lies a dozen times before – when Loki had chosen to send his essence to Midgard – but it was always a shock – those brilliant eyes, the hair like flames, the ruined lips and the scars across his nose. He was unnaturally handsome and unnaturally terrifying in equal measure.
‘You’ve come to kill me, I expect.’ Randolph tried to remain calm, but his heartbeat still pulsed in his ears. ‘Why did you wait this long?’
Loki spread his hands magnanimously. ‘I didn’t want to be hasty. I needed to see how things played out. It’s true you failed. I could kill you, but you might still be useful. After all, I still have something you want.’
The god rose from the desk and opened his hand. Above his palm, flames flickered, consolidating into the miniature shapes of a woman and two girls. They writhed in the fire, reaching out to Randolph, silently pleading.
Only Randolph’s cane kept him from collapsing. ‘Please. I tried. I didn’t – I didn’t anticipate the dwarf and the elf. Or that cursed Valkyrie. You didn’t tell me –’
‘Randolph, my dear friend …’ Loki closed his hand, extinguishing the fire. ‘I hope you’re not making excuses?’
‘No, but –’
‘I’m the master of excuses. You’d have to try really hard to impress me. Just tell me, do you still want your family returned?’
‘Of – of course.’
‘Oh, good. How nice. Because I’m not done with you. Nor am I done with that little boy Magnus.’
‘But he has the sword. He stopped your plan.’
‘He stopped one facet of my plan. Yes, it was very educational.’ Loki stepped forward. He cupped his hand on Randolph’s cheek – an almost tender gesture. ‘I must say, your nephew is impressive. I don’t see the family resemblance at all.’
Randolph smelled the poison before he felt it. Acrid steam curled into his nostrils. The side of his face erupted in white-hot pain. He fell to his knees, his throat seizing up in shock. He tried to pull away, but Loki’s hand stayed stuck in place.
‘There, there,’ Loki said soothingly. ‘It’s just a little taste of my life – the snake venom that is splashed in my face every day. Perhaps you can understand why it makes me a tad grumpy.’
Randolph screamed until his throat was raw.
‘I won’t kill you, old friend,’ Loki said. ‘But I do punish failure. Absolutely!’
He took the hand away. Randolph crumpled, weeping, the smell of burned flesh in his nose.
‘Why …’ he croaked. ‘Why …?’
Loki raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. ‘Why what? Torture you? Continue to use you? Fight against the gods? It is my nature, Randolph! Now, don’t fuss. I’m sure you’ll find a way to explain the horrible hand-shaped scar on your face.
I think it lends you a certain … gravitas. The Vikings will be most impressed.’
Loki strolled to Randolph’s display cases. He ran his fingers along Randolph’s collection of trinkets and talismans. ‘Ragnarok has many triggers, my friend. The Sword of Summer is not the only weapon in play.’
He plucked a necklace from the display. His eyes gleamed as the small silver hammer pendant swung between his fingers.
‘Oh, yes, Randolph.’ Loki grinned. ‘You and I are going to have lots of fun.’
Glossary
AEGIR – lord of the waves
AESIR – gods of war, close to humans
ALF SEIDR – elf magic
ANDSKOTI – the Adversary; the new, magic-infused rope binding Fenris Wolf
BALDER – god of light; the second son of Odin and Frigg, and twin brother of Hod. Frigg made all earthly things swear to never harm her son, but she forgot about mistletoe. Loki tricked Hod into killing Balder with a dart made of mistletoe.
BIFROST – the rainbow bridge leading from Asgard to Midgard
DRAUGR – Norse zombies
EIKTHRYMIR – a stag in the Tree of Laeradr whose horns spray water non-stop that feeds every river in every world
EINHERJAR (EINHERJI, sing.) – great heroes who have died with bravery on Earth and become soldiers in Odin’s eternal army; they train in Valhalla for Ragnarok, when the bravest of them will join Odin against Loki and the giants in the battle at the end of the world
FENRIS WOLF – an invulnerable wolf born of Loki’s affair with a giantess; his mighty strength strikes fear even in the gods, who keep him tied to a rock on an island. He is destined to break free on the day of Ragnarok.
FOLKVANGER – the Vanir afterlife for slain heroes, ruled by the goddess Freya
FREY – the god of spring and summer, of the sun, the rain and the harvest, and of abundance and fertility¸ growth and vitality. Frey is the twin brother of Freya and, like his sister, is associated with great beauty. He is lord of Alfheim.