Magnus Chase

"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."

- Magnus Chase to Odin in The Sword of Summer

Magnus Chase is a sixteen-year-old homeless teenager who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the Norse demigod son of Frey and Natalie Chase, as well as the cousin of Greek demigod Annabeth Chase. After dying and becoming an einherji, he lives his afterlife in Hotel Valhalla.

History
Magnus was born on January 13, 1995. When Magnus was six years old his mother and uncles got into an argument at Thanksgiving, while Magnus had no idea what the argument was about. He never saw his uncles or his cousin Annabeth Chase again.

When Magnus was eight, he and his mother went on a vacation to Mount Washington in New Hampshire where they hiked to the top and had a park ranger take their picture. When Magnus was ten, he cut his left palm on a hunting knife, which left a deep scar. At age twelve, he had his first kiss with a girl named Jackie Molotov, which happened behind the bleachers at a school dance. When Magnus was fourteen, his mother was murdered by several "wolves with glowing blue eyes" (sent by Fenris Wolf). Since then, he has been living on the streets. Magnus became friends with two homeless people: Hearth and Blitz.

The Blood of Olympus
Annabeth Chase mentioned her uncle and cousin Magnus that lived in Boston, yet whom she never saw, because her father and uncle would not get along to Percy and Piper before the three fought the Giants in Athens.

The Sword of Summer
Magnus is a sixteen-year-old who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been homeless since his mother's death two years prior to the series. While sleeping under a bridge, Magnus is woken up by Blitz, a fellow homeless man, who warns him of the flyers going around that feature both his name and face. Magnus immediately senses something is wrong and, as a precaution, packs his sleeping bag. The people looking for him venture closer to his hiding spot and Magnus decides to spy on them. He learns that these strangers are in fact his cousin and uncle, Annabeth Chase and Fredrick Chase.

After overhearing their conversation, Magnus learns that his Uncle Randolph Chase told them that Magnus had been missing for two years, but didn't tell Annabeth and Fredrick until now. Magnus also learns that his life is now endangered, which is why they are looking for him. Magnus decides to visit his Uncle Randolph's place to search for answers.

While in the house, Magnus goes to his Uncle's office to find more clues. He decides to look out the window, but finds Hearth outside signaling to him that he needs to get out. Once he understands the signals, Magnus tries to leave, but finds his Uncle is right behind him. Uncle Randolph tells Magnus that his life is in danger and that he needs to quickly come with him to escape somewhere. Magnus agrees after he hears loud bangs that are slowly getting closer to the house.

Once in the car, Randolph reveals that he believes the Norse gods are real and that Magnus is the son of a Norse god. They reach a pier where Randolph tells him to go towards the water, call towards a sword that he believes has been stuck there for many years, and claim it as his own. Magnus successfully retrieves the sword, but is attacked by Surt, who wants to destroy Magnus and take the sword. Blitz and Hearth intervene before Surt can attack Magnus, but quickly succumbs to his powers. After seeing his friends hurt, Magnus decides to attack Surt himself. He charges at Surt and hits him in his thigh. Surt then pushes him back and he sees a girl on a horse circling him like a vulture. Magnus then sees his sword is renewed. It then acts on its own and slices the fire giant's nose off. Surt then throws a sphere of molten asphalt that hits Magnus in the torso and begins to melt his organ. Magnus make a last stand and manages to toss Surt into the Charles river. Magnus dies quickly after.

Magnus dreams that he and his mother are hiking at Blue Hill. The dream then shifts to Randolph's library where he meets a man in a Boston Red Sox jersey. The man says he is not his father, but Magnus' father will be in contact soon. The dream then shifts to the girl he saw earlier carrying him above 'The Gap' and telling him to hold still or he'll fall in. Magnus wakes up in a courtyard perfectly okay with his clothes cleaned and no sign of his injuries. When attempting to leave the room, the doorman Hunding comes to get him. Magnus is taken to the front desk where he meets Helgi, the hotel manager who tells him he'll be staying in Hotel Valhalla forever or until Ragnarök. After getting a hotel keycard, Hunding takes Magnus to his new room and tells him that his Valkyrie will come fro him.

His Valkyrie, Samirah al-Abbas, walks in and introduces herself and tells him she is taking him to dinner where all the other heroes are. Magnus says he is no hero, Sam slams him against the wall and tells him not to say that, especially at dinner. The two walk down to dinner where Sam When Magnus's death was shown it was edited to look like he died in a murder-suicide. The thanes debate this while Sam defends Magnus until the Norns appear, recite a prophecy to him while showing him the feru, the symbol of Frey. After the Norns leave the thanes debate and dismiss Samirah as a Valkyrie.

Once Magnus is back in his room, he notices that he has muscles he previously did not have. After showering he finds a note from Thomas Jefferson Jr. slid under his door that told Magnus to come to the lounge for breakfast. Magnus goes to breakfast to meet the rest of his hall mates. Once meeting them they explain that he can leave the hotel, but it's not recommended because he would freak out people in the human world. After breakfast they all head down to training together. During the training, Magnus sticks with his hall mates and desperately tries not to get killed. Once T.J., Halfborn, and X have been killed, the rest of the einherjar gang up on Magnus, who lets out a screen and disarms most of the einherjar. Moments later he is hit in the face with an ax and dies.

Magnus dreams of the man in the Red Sox jersey, who Magnus now identifies as Loki. Loki tells Magnus that he has eight days to find the Sword of Summer. Before Loki leaves he says that his choices can change his fate. The dream then goes to Surt reforming, saying the next time they meet he will kill the son of Frey. Magnus then wakes up and answers his door when Gunilla knocks and offers to give him a tour. While on the tour, she says that children of Vanir normally go to Folkvanger, Freya's hall of the slain. She explains that the gods have not been seen for two years and pleads with Magnus to let her speak on his behalf to the thanes. When Magnus refuses, she threatens him.

Back in his room, Blitz and Hearth fall out of tree outside of Magnus' window. The two tell him they were watching him, keeping him safe, and that they need to get him out of the hotel. An alarm goes off, signaling the giant squirrel has found them. While running away from the squirrel, the trio go down the recycling shoot that takes them back to Midgard. The three end up at Fenway Park, where Blitz tell Magnus that their boss told them that he was a son of Frey and to watch him. They give Magnus his obituary and tell him his funeral is tonight, to attempt to find the sword he died with.

When the reach the funeral home Hearth stands watch while Magnus gets the sword. When Magnus finds his old body, he searches the coffin for the sword but it is not there. While he is trying to leave, a shocked Annabeth walks in. She offers him to take him to a safe place, but he declines. Annabeth gives Magnus her phone number and tells him to call her if he needs anything. Once outside, Hearth has been attacked by something. Hearth them signs his assault and points out his attacker, Sam, is across the street. While following Sam, they end up by the river. Sam is after the sword to prove her innocence. The four go to an underground sewer, where Blitz pulls a severed head out of his bag and throws it into the water. It rehydrated and is revealed to be the god Mimir. Mimir explains Magnus had a destiny and figured he could be used for the good of the worlds. Mimir tells them that Fenris Island is only accessible on the first full moon of the year. Mimir disappears after they are finished talking.

They four head to the food court in the transportation building. Magnus had Blitz and Hearth get a table while he and Sam ordered lunch. The cashier at the time, Amir Fadlan, happily greets Magnus as 'Jimmy'. While they wait for their food, a pigeon, Big Boy, threatens to make the Felafel shop closes forever if he does not give them information on the sword. The pigeon says that the sword was swept up the Charles River and was picked up by the sea goddess, Ran. In exchange for the information the pigeon, asks Magnus to get him a golden apple from the sea goddess.

When they get to the dock they find the frost giant Harald. Harald denies his boat to Hearth and Blitz, but lets Sam and Magnus take it. The two groups agree to meet at the library later. When they go to the bait storage shed they pick out a giant bull head and drag it on to the boat before the set out to sea. While at sea he asks Sam what Big Boy meant when he called Amir her 'intended' when she tells him a little about her life. When they cross into Jotunheim they throw the bull head into the sea and wait. When they get a massive bite Sam helps him reil it in and stops Harald from cutting the line. When their catch breaches the surface, Sam introduced Magnus to her big brother. Harald pleads with them to cut the line and release the world serpent. Eventually the sea goddess Ran comes to the surface to demand they stop, as she can not scavenge on the ocean floor. The say they will let Jormungand go, but only if she barters with them. She agrees and the cut the line. When Magnus asks her for the Sword of Summer, she says she will give it to them in exchange for Magnus' soul. Magnus then threatens to summon the sword which will tear her net and release her treasures. The duo leave for Library.

When he reaches the public library he tries to turn the sword in rune with a Feru on it. Big Boy then appears and asks for the apple, which Magnus tosses to him. He them morphs into a Jutnar and reveals his name to Utgard-Loki. Blitz tells Magnus they will go to his home world in the morning by climbing Yggdrasil. The three meet up with Sam at the public gardens by duck statues. Blitz explains that this is the easiest place to get to the world tree, but tell Magnus he must do it. As he goes to the next duckling Gunilla is across the river with two other Valkyries and his hall mates. Sam, Blitz and Hearth stall while Magnus finds the right one. On the fourth duck Magnus uses his sword and opens a rift. The four land on the world tree and follow the sword to their destination. Ratatosk the squirrel appears and attempts to attack them. Sam and Hearth hide under her hijab, while Magnus and Blitz go into a vanishing knothole.

The two end up wandering across the field, Folkvanger, where they are greeted by fallen warriors. Blitz tears him to an upside down ship where they meet the goddess Freya, who reveals herself as Blitz's mother. Freya tells them to go to Nidavellir to get her a new pair of earrings and that there is a dwarf who could make them a new rope to bind the beast if Gleipnir breaks, which is very likely. She tells them that they have until January 22nd to find Fenris Wolf's island. The two go to Nidavellir and head to Nabbi's tavern where Blitz tells the bartender they want to contact Junior. Junior challenges him to a 'traditional' crafting contest with the usual rules. Junior leaves and Hearth and Sam come to tavern where explain what happened.

When he, Blitz and Hearth arrive at the crafting contest he stands guard. After making three items, the contest is declared over and the judges decide the winner. He sees Sam and wants to scold her for being late, but does not when he sees that she has a black eye and swollen lip. He asks her what happened and she says it was nothing to serious. After Blitz wins and requests Junior not be decapitated- rather admit he was wrong, give them the earrings and rope they asked him for and tell them where the Fenris Wolf's island is. The old dwarf admits he was wrong and gives them their rope and earrings, but said he lied about knowing where the wolf's island is. He says that Thor might know where the island. Magnus thinks Sam might know and calls her over. Junior calls her out as a shapeshifter and claimed she cheated and orders the four to be killed be fore they run for it. While running, Blitz is taken in a golden net to his mother. Magnus readies his sword, which talks starling everyone. The sword fights the dwarves its own. They meet up with Hearth who takes them to a river leading out of Nidavellir. When the dwarf mob approaches he turns the sword-Jack, back into a pendent and collapses. Sam and Hearth support him when they jumped into the river.

Magnus dreams he is on Naglfar with Loki. The trickster tries to convince Magnus to give up his search for the wolf's island, and that he convinced his daughter, Hel, to take Magnus in to her domain. Loki then tells Magnus of how and why he killed Balder and what the Aesir did to his sons, Vali and Narvi. When Magnus is about to wake up Loki tells him to remember what he said and to have fun with the goats giving him mouth-to-mouth.

As Loki said, Magnus wakes up to a goat in his face. He then vomits in a near by river and asked if Samirah and Harthstone are alright. The goat says they are dead. Magnus rushes to their side and heals then Sam wakes up instantly but Hearth takes a while to heal. Magnus senses a lot of fear and sadness in the elf, which he says he will tell him later. The goat introduces himself as Tanngnjóstr, but to call him Otis. He says his master is Thor and he was separated from him. Hearth suggests to use Jack to track the Thunder God. When he summons Jack the sword can sense Thor and guides them to him. while Otis takes them to Thor, Sam tells Magnus about Hearthstones past. When she is done he asks her why he would keep the pain. Sam tells him so that he could use magic. Otis then tells them they were unconscious for about a day, much to their shock. Then they meet up with Tanngrisnr, who goes by Marvin, and tells them that Thor is drowning and that if they fail to save him he will kill them, and that it is good to meet them. Magnus analyzes the situation and sees that a giantess is trying to shred Thor on sharp rocks by squirting him with strong blasts of water. He throws Jack at the giantess and goes in her left nostril and out her right. The splash from the dead Jotnar washes everyone into a tree. When Thor emerges from the giantess' armpit he angrily walks towards Magnus. When Jack reappears covered in jotnar snot asking how he did. Magnus well let him know if he lives. When Thor approaches them he claps Magnus on the back and congratulates him. He offers him and his friends to stay for dinner, which would be Marvin and Otis.

Over dinner Thor explains that he frequently protects Midgard from Giants and that his hammer is 'not officially' missing and asked Magnus and his friends to see if Geriod has Mjolnir, and if not to ask him where it is with out letting him know. When Blitzen falls out of a tree he tells Thor he is their friend. When Blitz asked what's going on Magnus says he well explain over Marvin. When Blitz and Hearth turn in for the night he asks Sam about her shape shifting. She says she does not like to and explains her family's history with the Norse gods and that she can never have a normal life. Magnus offers to help her realize all her dreams. The two then turn in for the night.

The next morning the four set out to find Geirrod's fortress. They spent the entire day climbing a cliff then reached the fortress on the opposite end of a mile wide cavern. They rest and then discuss how to get across. Hearthstone summons one of Spleipnir's sons- which Magnus names Stanley. The four climb on to the horse before he jumps off the cliff. Stanley jumps on a few clouds and lands on a windowsill. He nuzzles Magnus before turning into a rune. They scout out the situation and see a caged swan that Sam recognized as Gunilla. When he summons Jack to kill them the sword says he can not kill them because it would be rude, and advises them to attack only in defense. They decide to introduce themselves as guests He and Sam use the rope to climb down. He and Sam approach the giantess' and request guest rights. They are lifted up on a chair so they could be heard better. One of the giantesses- Griep, tried to smash them on the ceiling but failed. They begin to barter for Thor's hammer. The giantesses say they well give them the staff and Gunilla in exchange for Jack and the two of them. When they mention they killed their sister, the giantesses admit they tried to kill them and they release Jack. The sword killed Griep but Gjalp covered her nose and mouth. Sam pushed a steak knife to the end of the table and he jumped on it, landing on the chair and breaking his leg. The knife lands in Gjalp's chest and she uncovered her nose allowing Jack to go in for the kill. Sam comes to him and said she wanted him throw the salt shaker at her by using the knife as a catapult. He says his leg we'll be okay on an hour, but Gerriod arrives. Blitz and Hearth arrive with Gunilla and aid Magnus out of the room. They meet Gerriod in the hall where they ask him for Thor's weapon. He agrees but only if they survive a game of catch for ten minutes. They agree and he throws giant hot coals at them. They kept dodging the coals until Magnus mentioned that his daughters are dead. He becomes angry and starts to throw chunks of pillers at them until his half of the ceiling falls on him he goes to find Hearth, who is not holding Gunilla. She is holding Blitz hostage until her strength returns. They try to reason with her to get her to understand what they have to do. After she releases Blitzen and Hearthstone detracts her while Sam sends her back to Valhalla. They then open the closet and find Thor's backup weapon, a staff. The Thunder God comes in and excepts the weapon and sends them where they need to go.

When Magnus lands on bunker hill, he is greeted by Hel. She tells him that for every soul that becomes an einherjar, a thousand more go to helheim. She offers him a chance to come with her to Helheim to be with his mother, if he agrees to give Randolph Jack and abandon his quest. He says that that is not what his mother would want and he says if he sees the goddess of death again he well cut her in two. She the vanishes and he Suddenly appears five stories above an asphalt roof and falls. He is grabbed by Sam who tells him that she attended this Middle School and how she became a Valkyrie. She also tells Magnus that Odin told her to get him. He tells Sam he met Hel and she said not to trust him. He realizes that they were ment to go on this quest and they leave to find Blitzen and Hearthstone.

The demigods meet up with Blitz and Hearth at Long Wharf, who tell them the good news about them. Magnus tells them that he met with Hel. He mentions that Jack does not exhaust him and that he feels they are sharing the burden. They then meet the dwarf brothers who offer to take them to Fenris Wolf's island. Blitz warns them that the brothers well try to kill and abandon them. They never the less by four tickets. On the ride to the island he saw Boston become what it might look like after Ragnarök and relishes that he is about to meet with the monster that killed his mother. When they dock the dwarves demand their valuables for a return trip, which Blitzen says their will not be. Magnus says they do not need a return trip and the dwarves leave. The four then go to face the wolf.

When they find the wolf Magnus is surprised that he is so small. He has to restrain Jack so he does not cut the rope. The Fenfis Wolf revealed that he sent wolves to kill his mother, not him, in order to toughen him up to get the sword of summer. He is broken out of the trance by Hearthstone. Soon after Gunilla arrives with two other Valkyries and his hall mates.Magnus treys to tell the daughter of Thor that he is trying to re-tie the wolf's bonds to no avail. Gunilla orders his hall mates to arrest him and his group. They defied her orders, much to Magnus' relief. Surat and the fire giants arrive to claim the sword and kill everyone. Magnus convinces everyone to hold off the fire giants while he and his group re-tie Fenris. Magnus restrains Jack from cutting the wolf free and going to Surt. Hearthstone casts a shielding spell to extend the heather. Ferris leaps towards him and breaks the bonds on his front legs. He is attacked by the wolf who slashes his chest, but knows the wolf could kill him faster then he can heal. He is saved by Sam and understands what to do to stop Fenris Wolf, he ties Andskoti to Jack and releases the sword, who flys towards the wolf and retries his bonds. When the wolf is rebound he sees that the others are losing their fight, he runs in to battle and sees Surt kill Gunilla. Enraged, Magnus throws Jack at Surt, who grabs at it and misses, Jack creates a rift that sucks the fire Giants to Muspellheim. Magnus then realizes that his magic accelerated the island's visitation time. He picks up Gunilla's corpse and carries her to the shoreline.

Appearance
Magnus is a teenage boy with hair parted in the middle, hanging to his jawline in a curtain of dirty blond. He has gray eyes, much like Annabeth's, which have a haunted, scary emptiness to them, a look that had served him well when he'd lived on the streets. Initially, Magnus was quite scrawny, with a concave chest, sticking-out ribs and very pale skin, to the point that his blue veins were clearly visible. He also had a scar of his left palm, where he'd cut himself on a hunting knife as a child.

However, after gaining an einherji body after his death in The Sword of Summer, Magnus, while still lean and pale, became considerably more muscular, with his arms being better-defined, his skin smoother, less translucent, with all the scars, rashes, nicks and bites that came from living on the street completely disappearing.

According to his mother, Magnus resembles Kurt Cobain, though he also bears striking resemblance to his father, Frey.

Personality
Magnus is street smart from living on the streets for two years. He feels he has an obligation to protect those in danger, like he did on the Charles bridge while facing Surt. However, he is somewhat cynical and shares Percy's tendency to make snide remarks both internally and vocally. He initially hates the fact that he was turned into an Einherji and being dragged into his fate as a son of Frey and being forced into a world he knew nothing about until recently, but gradually grows more accustomed and comfortable with his new life to the point that he respectfully declines Odin's offer to let him live a human life again. Despite living on the streets and being forced to eat out of dumpster bins to survive, Magnus is also rather health conscious, showing incredible disgust upon learning that dwarves evolved from maggots to the point that he's unable to say it comfortably. Unlike most demigods, he lacks a natural combat instinct, but is instead much better at thinking and talking out his problems (such as his negotiations with Ran for Sumarbrandr), much like his cousin Annabeth. Nevertheless, like most demigods he is often forced into situations where he has to shoot first and ask questions later, which he shows great flexibility in tactics and is a good reflexive thinker.

Abilities
General Abilities=
 * Alf Sign Language: Magnus is fluent in ASL, which he always uses while communicating with the deaf Hearthstone.
 * Survival Skills: Magnus learned how to survive in the wilderness from his mother. She taught him how to start a camp fire, navigate by the stars, and how to pitch a tent.


 * -|Demigod Abilities=
 * Alf Seidr (Elf Magic)
 * Disarmament: Magnus can disarm anyone in his surrounding area of their weapons.
 * Healing: Magnus can heal both himself and others from wounds at incredible rates.
 * Seasons Alteration:As Magnus is the son of the God of light and warmth, he can change the area around himself into summer.
 * Harsh Temperature Insensitivity: Magnus has a great deal of resilience to both temperature extremes, since he was able to sleep outdoors in the winter with nothing but a thin blanket without a problem, and was unfazed by Surt's flames. However, he isn't completely immune, since Surt managed to kill him by impaling the demigod with a red-hot sphere of steaming asphalt, causing Magnus' organs to slowly burn away from the molten tar in his gut.


 * -|Einherji Abilities=
 * Enhanced Strength - after gaining a new einherji body, Magnus gained a degree of superhuman strength, to the point that he could punch through the wall of his room in Valhalla without much effort.
 * Einherjar Immortality - while within Hotel Valhalla, Magnus, like any of the einherjar, cannot die, and will simply keep resurrecting from mortal wounds. Due to his healing abilities, however, Magnus resurrects even faster than most other einherjar.

Magical Items

 * Sumarbrander - Magnus' sword, formerly owned by his father, Frey, said to be the sharpest sword in the Nine Worlds.
 * First Sword - a Hotel Valhalla sword, which he later gave to Ran in exchange for Sumarbrander.
 * Shield - a circular green shield, with the golden Fehu Rune in the middle.

Etymology
Magnus is a Latin name meaning "great". It became popular in Scandinavia after the time of the 11th-century Norwegian king, Magnus I.

Chase is a middle English surname, an occupational name for a hunter. In Middle English the word "chase" means "hunt".

When translated into their respective languages, "Magnus Chase" means "Great Hunter".

Trivia

 * Magnus Chase is the cousin of Annabeth Chase, a main character from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus.
 * There's a Chase family inside joke that Magnus looks like Kurt Cobain.
 * Magnus is left-handed.
 * On the UK cover, Magnus is holding Sumarbrander/Jack with his right hand.
 * Prior to meeting the Norse gods, Magnus considered himself to be an atheist.
 * Magnus' favorite colors are black and beige, while he hates the color blue.
 * This could be a nod at Percy Jackson, whose favorite color is blue.
 * Much like Nico di Angelo, Magnus is extremely pale, and had a penchant for avoiding physical contact at the beginning of The Sword of Summer.
 * Magnus is a fan of Doctor Who.
 * Magnus likes to read. Before his mom died he had a collection of books, which were destroyed in the fire. While on the streets he spent time in the Boston Public Library. Magnus' favorite authors are Stephen King, Darren Shan, Neal Shusterman, Michael Grant, and Joe Hill. His favorite graphic novel series are Scott Pilgrim, Sandman, Watchmen, and Saga.