Valhalla High (A Magnus Chase Fanfic)

Ship of the Living

September 29

The Homecoming assembly was held during 2nd period, so I didn't need to change out or do any planks. Thor just let us chat until we were called for the assembly, so I texted some dank memes to Annabeth and she sent me some factoids about the Empire State Building in return.

The assembly was held in the auditorium at 8:45. The place was packed and it smelled of teenagers: cheap cologne and perfume, bubblegum, body odor, and tater tots. I would not miss that smell when I went off to college.

     Odin came out onto the stage. "I would like to formally welcome everyone — returning students and new ones alike — to this year's Homecoming dance. The theme will be Asgard. Now, as always, you must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 to attend. If you would like to file for an exception, you can confer with Memory or Thought in the office."

     He went on to list the rest of the room. Some of them were quite normal and I'd heard them before at every school I'd gone to: no drinking, no illicit drugs, you must fill out a form to bring a guest from another school, etc. others rules baffled me: no ax-throwing near the punch table, no decapitating others on the dance floor, and no wrestling outside of designated areas. I turned to look for Samirah, but she was gone. Everyone nominated to the court, as well as members of the student council, hadn't been in class this morning.

    I leaned over to Alex. "Is this normal?" I asked.

    She — I was getting better at recognizing the signs (and not because I am a seer; I am not a seer) — nodded back at me. "Yeah, some of the dances can get rowdy."

   I swallowed. Maybe I shouldn't go to the dance, but I had already spent $5 and a can of beans (you got a discount for bringing in non-perishable food items for the local food pantry) on my ticket. "So without further ado," Odin said. "Let me introduce the Valkyries."

    He went off stage and the Valkyries entered from the wings. They got into formation. They were wearing full-on battle armor and carrying weapons: axes, swords, and knives. I wasn't sure how legal this was, but apparently they even brought horses out for the football games.

    They began their routine. It was a battle dance consisting of fluid movements and a lot of ax throwing. When they finished, the auditorium burst into cheers. I couldn't help being impressed by the display. They went off stage and Odin returned to make some announcements before they Valkyries returned.

    They were wearing costumes now that made them look like swans. None of them wielded a weapon and they began dancing. I spotted Samirah, her head-scarf white instead of green today, dancing behind Gunilla. Their costumes were long dresses with capes that they used as part of their dance, thrusting the capes behind them and manipulating them so they looked like wings.

      They bowed when they finished and left the stage to a big applause. Odin came up again and he was grinning widely as he leaned towards the microphone. "I'd like to introduce you all to this year's Homecoming Court!"

     I didn't pay much attention as he introduced Magni and Mothi, thinking instead of Jack's upcoming date with Riptide. The music video had been a success and she was going to accompany him to Homecoming. I was glad I hadn't put up with "Old Town Road" for nothing.

   I tuned back into Odin's speech when he mentioned Jack who was looking very spiffy in a silvery-grey ensemble. "Jack is a member of the dance team and if he met the Fenrir wolf, he'd tie him up and sing some Taylor Swift Songs."

   I clapped for my friend. "Next up is Mallory Keen accompanied by Halfborn Gunderson. Mallory is part of the wrestling team and when asked what she'd do if she faced her mortal enemy, she said she'd show them her knife-throwing skills and treat them to a few choice Gaelic curses."

    Mallory wore an emerald green high-low dress, while Halfborn was wearing his usual sweats and t-shirt. Mallory did not look pleased with that. "And next we have Amir Fadlan and Samirah al-Abbas."

    Amir looked absolutely dapper in a dark green tuxedo and slacks. "I helped him with clothes shopping," Alex told me.

      His outfit matched Sam's. She was wearing a dark green dress. It was long-sleeved and fell to her ankles and she had changed back into her normal green hijab. "Amir volunteers at the local food pantry when he isn't working at Fadlan's Falafels. His father has kindly donated food for the dance."

     I jumped up and punched the air. "Yes!" I said so loudly that half of the auditorium cranes their necks to look at me.

     "Sit down," Alex said, pulling me back into my seat.

      Her touch made me feel like I'd died and come back to life. "Samirah is one of our best Valkyries and tutors others in her free time," Odin said.

     I tuned out again as he introduced Gunilla and some others. When the assembly finished, we were released to fourth block. Since Odin has run the assembly, he was late getting back. "Sorry about that," he said. "Now, I encourage you all to go to the dance. Bring your tickets on Tuesday as proof and I'll give you extra credit."

Well that sealed the deal. Falafels and extra credit? Was I going to a school dance or Valhalla? I wasn't sure. I had been apprehensive about going to the dance, but Hearthstone has been allowed to go. The plan was that we'd meet up at Blitzen's place, get ready, and go. TJ would join us at the school. I knew Alex was going with Sam as a chaperone and though I wish we were going together, I'd never been more excited for a school dance.