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Maybe it was Agrona’s covetous look or linted off Vic’s blade, but I flashed back to two days ago when I’d been staring up at the flat ceiling inside the Library of Antiquities Instead of the fresco ofthe Reapers, I’d only been able to see the weapons we carried - not as actually wielding them

My eyes went froyn’s bow, ready to let loose the arrow nocked on the golden strings Alexei sloirling the Swords of Ruslan around and around in his hands Carson with the Horn of Roland hanging off the side of his bag Me with Vic in my hand and Ran’s net stuffed into my backpack

"Artifacts," I whispered "That’s what this is all about"

Agrona raised an eyebrow, apparently surprised that I’d figured it out She glanced at Vivian, who shrugged

"I didn’t say anything," Vivian said "I aiting for your grand entrance"

Agrona shot her a pointed glare, but Vivian gave her an angelic srona turned back to me

"Well, I hate to ruin the surprise, but, yes, Gypsy, this is all about artifacts," she said "According tofor artifacts lately - artifacts that I am very, very interested in And surprise, surprise, you’ve actually et your hands on at least one of them that I know of - Ran’s net Whatfor artifacts?"

I keptto tell her about the iven me to find artifacts and keep theed when she realized I wasn’t going to respond "Your answer doesn’t really ht into ht you would" Her eyes met mine "At first, I was disappointed you didn’t drink the poison I’d so thoughtfully sent your way, but this ork out even better Noon’t have to figure out some way to steal your sword from the academy We’ll just take it from your cold, dead body"

"That’s why you poisoned Nickaet us here? In hopes that we’d bring our weapons along with us?"

"Not your weapons," Agrona sneered "Your artifactsSigyn’s bow The Horn of Roland The Swords of Ruslan And, of course, Vic"

"Well, naturally," the sword crowed, his voice swelling with pride "I do put the art in artifact"

I looked down at hi to talk about hoesome you are at a time like this?"

"Certainly," Vic said "Why wouldn’t I?"

I rolled my eyes

"We knew that if we poisoned Nike’s Charona said "So frantic that you would forget about everything else, like the fact that it was so obviously a trap It was si sure you went exactly where anted you to Fools Don’t you realize we’ve been watching you ever since you left North Carolina?"

"We realized," Ajax said "But we had to come anyway You made sure of that"

"Yeah," Daphne chi the two of you wouldn’t know anything about"

Vivian clutched a hand to her heart "Oh Valkyrie I’m so very hurt by your words"

Daphne looked down her arrow at the other girl "You’ll be hurt when I put an arrow through your black heart"

Vivian raised Lucretia "Bring it"

Agrona shot Vivian another warning glare After a laring at Daphne

"And of course you all obligedup here to the ruins Not only that, but you actually found the arona said "So sad that you only want to use it on Nickamedes It’s quite powerful, you know It has all sorts of uses Why, legend says it can even heal the gods theht Vivian had used od had been powerful, but I’d also sensed weakness in hi trapped in Helheim had taken their toll on him Loki’s weakness was the reason the Reapers had tried to put his soul into Logan - so the evil god would have a young, healthy body

A nu to use the aer"

"Well, well, Gwen Look at you, being all srona purred "We are going to give the ambrosia to our lord It won’t return hith, but it will take care of soain"

I didn’t need to glance at the others to realize they were as horrified as I was We’d thought the Reaper trap was only about killing us, but they had a plan within a plan within a plan just like they always did Whatever happened, whether we lived or died, we couldn’t let the Reapers take our artifacts - and we most especially couldn’t let theoing to happen," I said, trying to er andNot one thing Not our artifacts, not the aain "Oh Gypsy You always play the part of the fool so well, don’t you?"

My fingers tightened around Vic’s hilt "Maybe But I’d like to see you try and take rona smiled "Gladly"

She jerked her head at Vivian I tensed, expecting the Reaper girl to raise her sword and finally rush forward and start the fight But instead, all Vivian did was put her fingers to her lips and let out a loud, earsplitting whistle

Oliver gave her ato do you - "