"I hope you can understand why we kept it from you," she said in a low voice, her violet eyes dark in her wrinkled face. "It's hard enough to lose someone you care about.
Having your mom die in a car accident seemed like it would be kinder to you than the truth. Easier to bear." The funny thing was that I did understand. Grandma Frost and Professor Metis had just been trying to protect me. But I was Nike's Champion now, and the goddess had given me an important mission. They couldn't protect me anymore, even if I'd wanted them to. And yeah, part of me reAll y wanted them to. Part of me wanted to go back to the beginning of the year, when my mom had stil been alive, and just stay there forever. Part of me would always want that, but it wasn't meant to be-and that was the hardest thing of All to accept.
"I understand why you did it," I said in a quiet voice. "But you can't keep lying and not tel me things because they might hurt me. The Reapers are going to come for me no matter what you do.
Keeping secrets from me is only going to make it that much harder for me to fight them."
"I know, pumpkin," Grandma said. "I just wanted you to feel safe for as long as I could. No more secrets, I promise." Once again, I felt the truthfulness of her words move through me, and I knew we were going to be okay. We would get through everything that was to come just like we had my mom's death-together. As a family.
Despite the pain I felt over learning what had reAll y happened to my mom, I squeezed Grandma's hand and smiled at her. "You know, that cake you made looks awful y good."
Grandma grinned back at me. "Wel , let's dish us up some pieces and see just how tasty it reAll y is. What do you say?"
This time, my smile was a little brighter. "Sounds like a plan to me."
I ate a piece of cake with Grandma, who wrapped up the rest of the treat for me to share with Daphne, and rode the afternoon bus back to the academy. Half an hour later, I found myself back in the creepy prison in the math-science building. I stood there staring at the stone-and-iron door, trying to stay cold and calm.
"Are you sure that you want to do this, Gwen?" Professor Metis asked, putting her hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to.
After what you saw yesterday, I wouldn't blame you.
Neither wil Ajax or Nickamedes."
She'd tried to hide it, but I'd seen how worried the professor was about the possibility of the Reapers finding the Helheim Dagger and freeing Loki-and I knew what I had to do. If there was even a chance that Preston knew something that would help me find where my mom had hidden the dagger, then I had to take it. That meant I had to touch him again, had to dig into his memories once more-
no matter how many ugly things I might see.
"I'm sure," I said. "I want to do this. I feel like I'm supposed to do this. Besides, self-sacrifice is what being a Champion is All about, right?"
Metis gave me a sad smile. In that moment, I got the feeling she knew a lot more about self-sacrifice than I did.
"Before we go in, there's one thing that I need you to do," I said. "Don't keep any more secrets from me, okay?" The professor raised her eyebrows. "That works both ways, Gwen. Don't go chasing off after any more Reapers by yourself. Agreed?"
I sighed and nodded at her. "Agreed."
I jerked my head at the door and the two sphinxes who were staring at me once more, listening to every word we said. "Now, can we get this over with before I lose my nerve?"
Metis unlocked the door with her skeleton key, and we stepped inside the prison. Preston sat chained to the table in the center of the dome, right under the carving of the hand holding the set of scales. Coach Ajax and Nickamedes flanked him just as before, and Raven sat at her desk, her combat boots propped up on top of it, flipping through another gossip magazine.
Once again, the Reaper looked up at the sound of my footsteps on the floor.
"Back for more, Gypsy?" Preston sneered and held out his hands to me, palms up. "Go ahead. Use your magic on me. I'l be happy to watch you run crying from the room again."
I kept my face cold and impassive, although my stomach twisted and vomit rose in my throat at his mocking words. I could do this. I would do this-for Nike, for my mom, and for me, too.
I sat down across from Preston and stared him straight in the eyes. That burn of red stil flickered in his gaze, but this time, I knew there was fire in my eyes as wel -cold, purple fire.
"Listen up, you arrogant punk," I snapped. "The only one who's going to be crying is you, when I dig through your memories and use them to round up All your little Reaper friends, including the girl who kil ed my mom. I'l be coming down here and doing that again and again, every single day if I have to, until I get every last one of them. Until I've seen every last evil thing you've ever done in your miserable life."
The sneer slid off Preston's handsome face. His mouth tightened with worry, and for a moment, panic sparked in his gaze instead of hatred. Yeah, I'l admit that flash of fear made me happy. In my own way, I supposed I was just as dark and twisted as Preston was, except I was going to use that part of me to help other people, not hurt them like he and the other Reapers had.
"And you know what the worst part is, Preston? The very worst part?"
"What?" he asked, his voice cracking on that single word.
I leaned forward, keeping my gaze on his. "There's absolutely nothing you can do to stop me." I don't know what Preston saw in my face then, what coldness might have fil ed my eyes, but whatever it was, it penetrated the Reaper's sul en demeanor. His mouth dropped open, and then, he started screaming.
"No," he said, trying to twist away from me. "No, no, no!" I ignored his screams, grabbed his hands, and reached for his memories.
Chapter 28
"Are you sure you're going to be okay over the holidays?"
Daphne asked.
It was the last day of the fAll semester. Classes had ended a couple of hours ago, and now, I was in Daphne's room, lounging on her bed and watching her pack up her stuff to go home for the winter break. I didn't reAll y know why my best friend was bothering to sort through her closet, since three-quarters of the stuff inside was pink, just like the rest of her room. She could just close her eyes, grab some sweaters and pants, and they would All match. But, of course, the Valkyrie wouldn't agree with me on that point.
"I'l be fine," I said for the tenth time in as many minutes.
"Are you sure?" she persisted. "You're not going to snap and go All Reaper, are you? Now that you're plowing through Preston's memories?"