Jennifer Estep Bundle

by Jennifer Estep

  The Gym: The gym is the second largest building at Mythos. In addition to a pool, basketball court, and training areas, the gym also features racks of weapons, including swords, staffs, and more, that the students use during mock fights. At Mythos, gym class is really weapons training, and students are graded on how well they can fight—something that Gwen thinks she’s not very good at.

  The Dining Hall: The dining hall is the third largest building at Mythos. With its white linens, fancy china, and open-air indoor garden, the dining hall looks more like a five-star restaurant than a student cafeteria. The dining hall is famous for all the fancy, froufrou foods that it serves on a daily basis, like liver, veal, and escargot. Yucko, as Gwen would say.

  The English-History Building: Students attend English, myth-history, geography, art, and other classes in this building. Professor Metis’s office is also in this building.

  The Math-Science Building: Students attend math, science, and other classes in this building. But there are more than just classrooms here. This building also features a morgue and a prison deep underground. Creepy, huh?

  The Student Dorms: The student dorms are located down the hill from the upper quad, along with several other smaller outbuildings. Guys and girls live in separate dorms, although that doesn’t keep them from hooking up on a regular basis.

  The Statues: Statues of mythological creatures—like gryphons and gargoyles—can be found on all the academy buildings, although the library has the most statues. Gwen thinks that the statues are all super creepy, especially since they always seem to be watching her... .

  Who’s Who at Mythos Academy—The Students

  Gwen (Gwendolyn) Frost: Gwen is a Gypsy girl with the gift of psychometry magic, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. Gwen’s a little dark and twisted in that she likes her magic and the fact that it lets her know other people’s secrets—no matter how hard they try to hide them. She also has a major sweet tooth, loves to read comic books, and wears jeans, T-shirts, hoodies, and sneakers almost everywhere she goes.

  Daphne Cruz: Daphne is a Valkyrie and a renowned archer. She also has some wicked computer skills and loves designer clothes and expensive purses. Daphne is rather obsessed with the color pink. She wears it more often than not, and her entire dorm room is done in various shades of pink.

  Logan Quinn: This seriously cute and seriously deadly Spartan is the best fighter at Mythos Academy—and someone who Gwen just can’t stop thinking about. But Logan has a secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know—especially not Gwen.

  Carson Callahan: Carson is the head of the Mythos Academy Marching Band. He’s a Celt and rumored to have come from a long line of warrior bards. He’s quiet, shy, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, but Carson can be as tough as nails when he needs to be.

  Oliver Hector: Oliver is a Spartan who is friends with Logan and Kenzie and helps with Gwen’s weapons training. He’s also one of Gwen’s friends now too, because of what happened during the Winter Carnival.

  Kenzie Tanaka: Kenzie is a Spartan who is friends with Logan and Oliver. He also helps with Gwen’s weapons training and is currently dating Talia.

  Savannah Warren: Savannah is an Amazon who was dating Logan—at least before the Winter Carnival. Now, the two of them have broken up, something Savannah isn’t very happy about—and something that she blames Gwen for.

  Talia Pizarro: Talia is an Amazon and one of Savannah’s best friends. Talia has gym class with Gwen, and the two of them often spar during the mock fights. She is currently dating Kenzie.

  Helena Paxton: Helena is an Amazon who seems to be positioning herself as the new mean girl queen of the academy, or at least of Gwen’s second-year class.

  Morgan McDougall: Morgan is a Valkyrie. She used to be one of the most popular girls at the academy—before her best friend, Jasmine Ashton, tried to sacrifice her to Loki one night in the Library of Antiquities. These days, though, Morgan tends to keep to herself, although it seems she’s becoming friends with Savannah and Talia.

  Jasmine Ashton: Jasmine was a Valkyrie and the most popular girl in the second-year class at Mythos Academy—until she tried to sacrifice Morgan to Loki. Gwen battled Jasmine in the Library of Antiquities and managed to keep her from sacrificing Morgan, although Logan was the one who actually killed Jasmine. But before she died, Jasmine told Gwen that her whole family are Reapers—and that there are many Reapers at Mythos Academy... .

  Preston Ashton: Preston is Jasmine’s older brother, who blamed Gwen for his sister’s death. Preston tried to kill Gwen during the Winter Carnival weekend at the Powder ski resort, although Gwen, Logan, and Vic eventually got the best of the Reaper. After that, Preston was locked up in the academy’s prison.

  Who’s Who at Mythos Academy and Beyond—The Adults

  Coach Ajax: Ajax is the head of the athletic department at the academy and is responsible for training all the kids at Mythos and turning them into fighters. Logan Quinn and his Spartan friends are among Ajax’s prize students.

  Geraldine (Grandma) Frost: Geraldine is Gwen’s grandma and a Gypsy with the power to see the future. Grandma Frost makes her living as a fortuneteller in a town not too far away from Cypress Mountain. A couple of times a week, Gwen sneaks off the Mythos Academy campus to see her grandma and enjoy the sweet treats that Grandma Frost is always baking.

  Grace Frost: Grace was Gwen’s mom and a Gypsy who had the power to know if people were telling the truth or not just by listening to their words. At first, Gwen thought her mom had been killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. But thanks to Preston Ashton, Gwen knows that Grace was actually murdered by the Reaper girl who is Loki’s Champion. Gwen’s determined to find the Reaper girl and get her revenge—no matter what.

  Nickamedes: Nickamedes is the head librarian at the Library of Antiquities. Nickamedes loves the books and the artifacts in the library more than anything else, and he doesn’t seem to like Gwen at all. In fact, he often goes out of his way to make more work for her whenever Gwen is working after school in the library. Nickamedes is also Logan’s uncle, although the uptight librarian is nothing like his easygoing nephew. At least, Gwen doesn’t think so.

  Professor Aurora Metis: Metis is a myth-history professor who teaches students all about the Reapers of Chaos, Loki, and the ancient Chaos War. She was also best friends with Gwen’s mom, Grace, back when the two of them went to Mythos. Metis is the Champion of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, and she’s become Gwen’s mentor at the academy.

  Raven: Raven is the old woman who mans the coffee cart in the Library of Antiquities. Gwen’s also seen her in the academy prison, which seems to be another one of Raven’s odd jobs around campus. There’s definitely more to Raven than meets the eye... .

  The Powers That Were: A board made up of various members of the Pantheon who oversee all aspects of Mythos Academy, from approving the dining hall menus to disciplining students. Gwen’s never met any of the board members that she’s aware of, and she doesn’t know exactly who they are, but that could change—sooner than she thinks.

  Vic: Vic is the talking sword that Nike gave to Gwen to use as her personal weapon. Instead of a regular hilt, a man’s face is inlaid into Vic’s hilt. Gwen doesn’t know too much about Vic, except that he’s really, really bloodthirsty and wants to kill Reapers more than anything else.

  Who’s Who at Mythos Academy—The Gods, Monsters, and More

  Artifacts: Artifacts are weapons, jewelry, clothing, and armor that were worn or used by various warriors, gods, goddesses, and mythological creatures over the years. There are Thirteen Artifacts that are rumored to be the most powerful, although people disagree about which artifacts they are and how they were used during the Chaos War. The members of the Pantheon protect the various artifacts from the Reapers, who want to use the artifacts and their power to free Loki from his prison. Many of the artifacts are housed in the Library of Antiquities.

  Black rocs: These creatures look
like ravens—only much, much bigger. They have shiny black feathers shot through with glossy streaks of red, long, sharp, curved talons, and black eyes with a red spark burning deep down inside them. Rocs are capable of picking up people and carrying them off—before they rip them to shreds.

  Champions: Every god and goddess has a Champion, someone that they choose to work on their behalf in the mortal realm. Champions have various powers and weapons and can be good or bad, depending on the god they serve. Gwen is Nike’s Champion, just like her mom and grandma were before her.

  The Chaos War: Long ago, Loki and his followers tried to enslave everyone and everything, and the whole world was plunged into the Chaos War. It was a dark, bloody time that almost resulted in the end of the world. The Reapers want to free Loki, so the god can lead them in another Chaos War. You can see why that would be a Bad, Bad Thing.

  Fenrir wolves: These creatures look like wolves—only much, much bigger. They have ash gray fur, razor-sharp talons, and burning red eyes. Reapers use them to watch, hunt, and kill members of the Pantheon. Think of Fenrir wolves as puppy-dog assassins.

  Loki: Loki is the Norse god of chaos. Once upon a time, Loki caused the death of another god and was imprisoned for it. But Loki eventually escaped from his prison and started recruiting other gods, goddesses, humans, and creatures to join forces with him. He called his followers the Reapers of Chaos, and they tried to take over the world. However, Loki and his followers were eventually defeated, and Loki was imprisoned for a second time. To this day, Loki seeks to escape from his prison and plunge the world into a second Chaos War. He’s the ultimate bad guy.

  Mythos Academy: The academy is located in Cypress Mountain, North Carolina, which is a ritzy suburb high in the mountains above the city of Asheville. The academy is a boarding school/college for warrior whiz kids—the descendants of ancient warriors, like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more. The kids at Mythos range in age from first-year students (age sixteen) to sixth-year students (age twenty-one). The kids go to Mythos to learn how to use whatever magic and skills they possess to fight against Loki and his Reapers. There are other branches of the academy located throughout the world.

  Nemean prowlers: These creatures look like panthers—only much, much bigger. They have black fur tinged with red, razor-sharp claws, and burning red eyes. Reapers use them to watch, hunt, and kill members of the Pantheon. Think of Nemean prowlers as kitty-cat assassins.

  Nike: Nike is the Greek goddess of victory. The goddess was the one who defeated Loki in one-on-one combat during the final battle of the Chaos War. Ever since then, Nike and her Champions have fought the Reapers of Chaos, trying to keep them from freeing Loki from his prison. She’s the ultimate good guy.

  The Pantheon: The Pantheon is made up of gods, goddesses, humans, and creatures who have banded together to fight Loki and his Reapers of Chaos. The members of the Pantheon are the good guys.

  Reapers of Chaos: A Reaper is any god, goddess, human, or creature who serves Loki and wants to free the evil god from his prison. Reapers are known to sacrifice people to Loki in hopes of weakening his prison, so he can one day break free and return to the mortal realm. The scary thing is that Reapers can be anyone at Mythos Academy and beyond—parents, teachers, even fellow students. Reapers are the bad guys.

  Sigyn: Sigyn is the Norse goddess of devotion. She is also Loki’s wife. The first time Loki was imprisoned, he was chained up underneath a giant snake that dripped venom onto his once-handsome face. Sigyn spent many years holding an artifact called the Bowl of Tears up over Loki’s head to catch as much of the venom as possible. But when the bowl was full, Sigyn would have to empty it, which let venom drop freely onto Loki’s face, causing him great pain. Eventually, Loki tricked Sigyn into releasing him, and before long, the evil god plunged the world into the long, bloody Chaos War. No one knows what happened to Sigyn after that... .

  Turn the page for a hint of

  the adventures ahead

  at Mythos Academy in

  CRIMSON FROST,

  on sale in January 2013.

  Chapter 1

  “I have a confession to make.”

  Logan Quinn looked over at me. “Really, Gypsy girl? What’s that?”

  I shifted on my feet. “I don’t actually like coffee.”

  The Spartan stared at me a moment before his lips curved up into a teasing grin. “You probably should have mentioned that before now.”

  Yeah, I probably should have, since we were in a coffee shop. A large counter, lots of comfy leather chairs, wrought-iron tables, paintings of gods and goddesses on the walls, a display case full of blueberry scones, lemon-raspberry tarts, and decadent chocolate cheesecakes. Kaldi’s Coffee Emporium looked like your typical java joint, except that everything was first-class and super-pricey all the way, from the fancy espresso machines that hissed and burped to the rich, dark aroma of the ridiculously expensive coffee that flavored the air.

  Then again, such luxury was the norm in the upscale stores in Cypress Mountain, North Carolina. The Mythos Academy kids accepted nothing less than the best, and Kaldi’s was one of the most popular places to Hang Out and Be Seen when the students had free time, like we did today. Afternoon classes and activities had been canceled so all the kids could attend some big assembly at the academy’s amphitheater. I wasn’t sure what the assembly was going to be about. Probably some more hearty reassurances from the professors and the staff that all us warrior whiz kids were as safe as we could be at the academy, even though the evil god Loki was free.

  For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes—the most hideous face I’d ever seen. One side so perfect, with its golden hair, piercing blue eye, and smooth features. The other side so completely ruined, with its limp strings of black hair, burning red eye, and melted skin.

  Loki—the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.

  A shudder rippled through my body. Thanks to my psychometry magic, I never forgot anything I saw, but the image of Loki’s double-face was burned into my memory. No matter what I was doing or whom I was with, no matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw the Norse trickster god’s image everywhere I went. Gleaming in the windows of my classrooms, shining in the glossy surface of my dorm room desk, shimmering in the mirror, like a devil perched on my shoulder.

  I shuddered again. It had taken all the strength I had not to scream when I’d brushed my hair this morning and had suddenly seen Loki grinning at me in my bathroom mirror, the perfect side of his face lifted up into a smile, and the ruined side turned down into a horrible, twisted grin—

  “Gypsy girl?” Logan asked in a soft voice. “Are you still here with me?”

  I pushed away all thoughts of Loki and made myself smile at the Spartan even though I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around myself and huddle into a ball in the corner.

  “I know, I know,” I grumbled. “I should have told you that I don’t actually drink coffee. I just didn’t want anything to ruin our first date, and when you suggested coffee ...”

  “You went along with it,” Logan finished.

  I shrugged.

  Maybe it was thinking of Loki and his split face, but as I looked at Logan, I was once again reminded of how different we were. Simply put, Logan Quinn was gorgeous, with his thick, ink black hair and intense, ice blue eyes. His designer jeans, blue sweater, and leather jacket only highlighted how strong and muscled his body was.

  Next to him, I pretty much faded into the background. The most interesting thing about my wavy brown hair was how frizzy it was today. You might look twice at my eyes, which were an unusual shade of violet, but the only thing special about me was the necklace I wore. Six silver strands wrapped around my throat before their diamond-tipped points formed a snowflake in the middle of the design. A Christmas gift from Logan, one that I almost always wore, even though it didn’t exactly go with my plain gray sweater, purple plaid jacket, and not-so-designer jeans and sneakers.

  And
it wasn’t just our looks and clothes that were different. Logan was a fierce Spartan warrior who was the best fighter at the academy. I was still trying to figure out how to wield a sword, even though I was Nike’s Champion, the girl picked by the Greek goddess of victory to help her fight Loki and his Reapers of Chaos here in the mortal realm. Something I had failed at pretty miserably so far, since Loki was free and bent on plunging the world into a second Chaos War.

  “You know what, Gypsy girl?” Logan said, once again interrupting my troubled thoughts. “Nothing could ruin this date. Ask me why.”

  “Why?”

  He slung his arm around my shoulder and grinned. “Because I’m on it with you.”

  And suddenly, everything was okay, and I could breathe again.