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"Don’t worry," I said "I can hold irls like Helena Paxton"

He gave irl That you can"

We kissed, and then everyone boarded the buses I stood in the parking lot and waved as the engines started up, and the drivers steered the buses through the gate on this side of the acade off his shoulder

"Don’t worry," Alexei echoed an when the last of the buses had disappeared "Your friends will be okay My father and the other members of the Protectorate will h I didn’t really believe hi, for all his skill and ht Loki had escaped He hadn’t looked the god in the eye like I had, and he hadn’t felt the evil intent rolling off Loki, the burning desire to kill every single member of the Pantheon Alexei simply didn’t realize that none of us was safe, not anymore-not even at Mythos Academy

But there was a way I could make sure thatout what Vivian and the other Reapers were really up to

"Co shoes on because I have things to do today"

On the weekends, the Mythos kids spentout in their dorh the shops in Cypress Mountain Today, the other students were getting ready to go to the band concert in a few hours, so the main quad was deserted as I headed toward the Library of Antiquities To lancing atyou want to say?" I finally asked

He didn’t answer me for several seconds "Oliver told oing on with you didn’t have anything to do with him and the way I feel about him I just wanted to thank you for that"

"I knohat it’s like to be totally into someone," I said "I just want Oliver to be happy, and if you h if you end up hurting him, I will make you wish you hadn’t, Protectorate or no Protectorate Understand?"

He nodded "I understand"

We reached the library steps, and I stopped to look at the two gryphons Maybe it was ination, but the statues seemedtroubled Their eyes narrowed, their brows furrowed like they orried about so Maybe they could sense the tension in the air It was al overhead I just didn’t knohere the lightning would strike first-or ould get burned by it I shivered, pulled aze away from the statues, and walked on

All of the students were encouraged to attend the band concert, well, except for o, for whatever reason, which hy the library was open today Besides, Mythos students always had homework to do, concert or no concert I spotted a couple of kids sitting at the study tables near the checkout counter, including Morgan McDougall I waved at the Valkyrie, who returned the gesture before going back to the book she’d been reading

But instead of sitting doith her or at one of the other tables, I headed into the stacks

"What are you doing?" Alexei asked "Where are you going? You don’t have your bag with you, so I know you don’t have any books to do your homeith"

"That’s because I’m not here to do homework," I said "More like extra credit"

Alexei frowned at my cryptic words, but he fell into step beside me

Deeper and deeper into the stacks I went until I finally reached the spot where the Reaper had broken the case holding Apate’s box and jewelry All the glass had been cleaned up, although the case was still here-at least as left of it The Reaper had ss were still intact I guessed that Nicka the case fixed or replaced yet Either way, I was glad it was still here

I drew in a breath, pushed up the sleeves of my purple hoodie, reached out, and touched the case with both hands

Meot a sense that the case had stood in this particular spot for a long, long time, decades even, and I saw flashes of all the students who’d touched, leaned against, peered at the iteht next to or even on top of the glass and wood Ugh I would have been happy not seeing those particular ies

And then, finally, there was the lastthe hilt of his sword, s the box and jewelry

I focused on that last ie, concentrated on it, and pulled it into sharp focus Then, I rewound the iet all the infor I’d missed the first time, some clue I’d overlooked I knew that the Reapers had wanted the box and its jewels for Vivian, so she could trick the Maat asp into thinking she was telling the truth Noanted to knohat else they ht use the iteht really be a Reaper

Nothing-I saw and felt nothing

Well, nothing out of the ordinary Just the Reaper s that I didn’t already know, and nothing that would help ure out what Vivian’s ultile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>