Mallory Keen

"Today is free-for-all combat. I love Tuesdays!"

- The Sword of Summer

Mallory Audrey Keen was a Northern Irish Norse demigod, daughter of Frigg, before becoming one of the einherjar. She died while trying to disarm a car bomb during Bloody Friday and ended up in Hotel Valhalla.

Early Life and Death
Mallory Keen was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland to Frigg and an unnamed man. Mallory had a poor relationship with her father due to his alcoholism.

On 21 July, 1972, which later became known as Bloody Friday, Loki disguised himself as one of Mallory's friends and tricked her into installing a car bomb on a school bus, claiming that soldiers were onboard instead of children. Her mother, Frigg, knowing Mallory would die, appeared to her disguised as an old hag and convinced her to disarm the bomb, giving her two knives. The car bomb blew up, killing Mallory, but since she died a heroic death with a weapon in her hand, she was taken to Hotel Valhalla.

The Sword of Summer
Mallory lives in the Hotel Valhalla, and is Magnus Chase's hallmate. She, along with T.J., Halfborn, and X, invite Magnus to breakfast with them. With icing sugar around her mouth, Mallory reminded Magnus of a reverse-color-scheme Joker. When the group enters battle practice, Mallory stays by Magnus' side until dying from an arrow through the neck.

Mallory and her friends are recruited by Gunilla to help track down Magnus and take him back to Hotel Valhalla. While their attempt to get him in Midgard was failed by Hearth, the group successfully meets them again in Lyngvi. However, she and her hallmates side with Magnus over Gunilla, and aid him in defeating Surt. In the end of the book, she, along with Magnus, Samirah, T.J., Hearthstone, and Blitzen, are complimented by Odin as the true heroes of Valhalla.

The Hammer of Thor
Mallory is first seen chasing her new hall mate with her boyfriend Halfborn when they run into Magnus. They search her suite and find the symbol of Loki. Before battle practice, Halfborn was adjusting her armor, much to her annoyance. A murder of ravens come and bring their new hall mate to them. They are shocked that Alex is female, as they were told she was male. They head into battle against the dragons and she covers her hall mates during the mock battle.

At dinner, she sits with her hall mates as they talk about Magnus' dream about Loki. She, T.J., and Halfborn escort Alex back to their corridor after dinner.

During the wedding, Mallory, T.J., Halfborn, Hearth and Blitz fight the giants. Following their victory, they return to Valhalla to celebrate.

The Ship of the Dead
Mallory has broken up with Halfborn and is part of the crew preventing Naglfar from launching. She along with her hallmates board Magnus' bright yellow ship and they frantically try to prep the boat and narrowly avoid plunging into the void. She talks with Magnus after his vision of Loki. After picking up Sam and Alex they are dragged underwater by nine women. They surface in a cauldron and are fished out by Aegir. She supports an unconscious Halfborn and sees Hearth and Blitz are prisoners about to be cooked. She and T.J. support a semi-conscious Halfborn while Alex, Sam and Magnus free Hearth and Blitz. Just as they are about to eat one of the sea god's daughters calls out Magnus. They eventually get Aegir to calm down and convince their host to let them leave, if they can escape his daughters. Mallory drives her knives into one of the maidens and uses them to stay in place. She escapes when Njord arrives and Hearth takes out a wall. When they surface she and the others head below deck to get food while Magnus, Blitz and Hearth speak with Njord.

She talks with Magnus about about the absence of Blitz and Hearth. She insults Halfborn, who is within earshot, before climbing the mast.

When they arrive at York she, Sam and Halfborn watch the ship while Magnus, T.J. and Alex scout out the town. During that time they defend the ship and Halfborn cuts her hair when a water horse grabs hold. She tells Magnus that Loki both tricked her into setting up the car bomb that killed her and into disarming it by giving her the knives.

When Magnus and the others return they are considered because he consumed the blood, but she brushes it off as a temporary boost in his powers. They arrive in Flåm split up to find a train station, she goes with Sam and Magnus while T.J. and Alex go with Halfborn. Within a few minutes she finds the woman who gave her her knives and goes after her. They track her down to the train station and board a train. Sam and Magnus keep her from attacking the woman and they speak with her. She addresses Mallory by her full name and the events that lead to her death. The woman reveals herself as Frigg and reveals that she is Mallory's mother. Mallory is shocked and angered by the revelation and scolds the goddess for not telling her sooner. Frigg gives her daughter a walnut shell and leaves. Mallory jumps out of the window of a moving train and breaks her arm, which Magnus heals. She is still in shock that the queen of Asgard is her mother. Sam talks to her about Odin inspecting her at floor nineteen, as well as sending Alex and Magnus to the floor, and how she is the one who hold them all together. They set out to find the mead and they devise a plan of action. She comes up with a plan to help the thrall by sharpening their scythes with the whetstone. She tricks them into impaling each other and the thre move on. They pry open the doors using her knives and the assistance of Gunlod, the mead keeper's daughter and prisoner. She gives them the mead and her father and uncle return. They agree to let Magnus stay and fight on of the giants while she, getting sucked into the nutshell, is carried by Sam and they take the mead. Luckily, Baugi follows then while Suttung stays behind. She spends the fight in the nutshell and apologizes to T.J. for killing the slaves. They leave Flåm and reach Jotunheim by morning.

The big banana can not get through the ice so they walk to shore. Just as they reach it they are invited in by Skadi to explain themselves. They bath and have a hot meal with the giantess. She tells the group Loki will launch Naglfar by noon the following day.skadi gives them permission to spend the night. In the morning they have breakfast before skiing over to Naglfar.

When they arrive she, Blitz, Hearth, T.J. and Halfborn leave to destroy Loki's forces and give Magnus a better chance during the flyting. Magnus hears her curse in Gaelic from a distance. She hobbles over to the flyting with a broken foot. She watches the match and is concerned for Magnus, but is pleased with his complement towards her. She is the first to receive a compliment, Magnus tells the Naglfar crew how she sacrificed her life to correct the mistake of setting that bomb and saved the lives the schoolkids. Upon being reborn, she is the fiercest fighter and the best curser in Valhalla and holds floor nineteen together as a team. He reveals to to giants how she opened Suttung's doors with her knives, defeated the thralls using trickery, and didn't even attack Frigg when she told her she was her mother. After the flyting she imprisoned Loki in the walnut. She scoops up the walnut just as the hoard attacks and they make their way to the edge and jump off at Sam's request. They land on the backs of water horses and they get out of the harbor just it is freezing over.

They spend three days at sea. During this time she watches over Loki and becomes closer with Halfborn. They arrive on Vigridr, the battle field they will die on during Ragnorok, and are greeted by the gods. She is embraced by Frigg and hands Loki over to the Aesir. She is given a signed copy of Odin's new autobiography, a feast in her honor and a Turkish bathrobe. When they get back to Valhalla she and Halfborn get back together and throw plates at each other and kiss.

Appearance
Mallory is described as having green eyes, a reddish face and frizzy red hair. She has a short stature in comparison to her hall mates.

Personality
""She's a sweetheart, once you get past the fact that she's a horrible person.""

- Halfborn Gunderson Mallory is shown to be brash with a minimal filter, saying whatever comes to her mind. This has her sometimes come off as rude, but getting past that, she's a sweet person. As an einherjar, Mallory has developed a liking for battle. While she regularly insults and berates her hall mates, she in fact is very close to them and is considered the den mother of the group.

General Abilities

 * Fighting Skills: Mallory is shown to be a strong fighter, being able to attack multiple enemies once.

Demigod Abilities

 * Persuasion: Mallory is shown to be quite persuasive, being able to turn century old enemies, Halfborn and T.J., into close friends. As well as tricking the thralls into impaling themselves.

Einharjar Abilities

 * Enhanced Strength: Mallory is stronger and faster then any other human.


 * Einharjar Immortality: She can not die permanently as long as she is within Hotel Valhalla.

Magical Items

 * Mallory's Serrated Knife: Just before her death she was given two indestructible knives by her mother.

Halfborn Gunderson
Mallory has had feelings for the berserker for some time prior to The Sword of Summer. She would blush whenever he complemented her and would insult him in return. After the battle on Lyngvi, she burst into tears at the thought of him dying permanently. However he recovers and the two form a relationship. They continue on as before, however he teases the daughter of Frigg more often.

The two eventually broke up prior to The Ship of the Dead. But after they capture Loki they rekindle their relationship.

Mr. Keen
Due to his alcoholism, Mallory did not get along with her father.

Frigg
When she planted the bomb on the school bus, Mallory assumed she was Loki. For the next thirty years she would go on believing this until the queen of Asgard told her herself. After learning of this revelation, Mallory is stunned and angered but eventually warms up to her mother.

Magnus Chase
After the son of Frey arrives at the Hotel Valhalla, she is wary of him but quickly warms up to his presence. Within a month they see one another as close friends.

Thomas Jefferson Jr.
At first she was annoyed by the son of Tyr, however the two quickly became friends.

Alex Fierro
At first the child of Loki was shocked to be dead and ran a muck through Valhalla. Mallory saw Alex as a menace but, within two or three days, she and her hall mates warmed up to Alex.

Samirah al-Abbas
While the two have had very little interaction, Sam is one of the few people able to successfully calm Mallory down with out getting hurt. This shows the trust Mallory has in the daughter of Loki.

Blitzen
Mallory is shown to admire Blitz’ fashion sence, often wishing Halfborn would dress like the dwarf.

Hearthstone
While the two have had little interactions, Mallory has shown concern for the elf.

Trivia

 * She is in a relationship with Halfborn Gunderson.
 * She calls Magnus 'Beantown' as a joke.
 * She, along with Magnus, Samirah, T.J., Hearthstone, and Blitzen are complemented by Odin as the true heroes of Valhalla.
 * She has unbreakable knives that were gifted to her by her mother, Frigg
 * It is hinted that she may have been abused as a child, as she mentions her father’s drinking and anger in her conversation with Frigg
 * Her initials are M.A.K, causing her old Northern Irish friends and the residents of Floor 19 to call her Mack.
 * She speaks Irish; It is mostly seen during battle or in fits of anger when she curses.
 * By the time of The Sword of Summer, Mallory claims to have already visited six of the Nine Worlds.
 * Ironically or perhaps coincidentally, Mallory's name means "luckless". In The Ship of The Dead, on page 197, she says, "Trust? Right. I've got about as much of that as I have luck."