It was time to find Lance, Drake, and the mysterious Sisyphus and end this.
* * *
Ian and I moved around the perimeter of the ballroom, skirting around one group of students after another.
I’d thought the costumes had looked fancy from a distance, but up close, they were positively stunning, gleaming with gold, silver, and sparkling jewels. The Mythos kids had embraced the costume theme, and they’d spared no expense to bring their favorite characters to life.
Still, I noticed a weird pattern to many of the costumes, at least among the girls. Several of them wore long, flowing, togalike gowns in various shades of purple, with enormous silver wings attached to their backs. They also carried swords and had crowns of spray-painted silver laurels on their heads. Some of them were also wearing snowflake necklaces. But the strangest thing of all was that each of them sported a pair of contact lenses that turned their eyes a bright, eerie purple.
Ian frowned, also noticing the similar costumes. “Who are they supposed to be? Some goddess?”
I studied the girl closest to me. She was cradling her sword in the crook of her elbow, and I realized that she’d used a black marker to draw a crude face on the hilt. Purple gowns, purple contacts, swords with faces. Suddenly, I knew exactly who that girl and all the other similarly dressed ones were supposed to be.
Gwen Frost.
More than three dozen girls had dressed up like Gwen—or at least how they thought she would dress. I knew that Gwen preferred her sneakers, jeans, hoodies, and T-shirts to glittering gowns and sparkly wings, but of course there was no telling the other girls that. They wouldn’t have listened to me anyway.
“They’re supposed to be Gwen,” I said.
Ian looked at the other girls, then back at me. “Does that make you jealous? That they’re dressed like her?”
“You mean that they all think she’s this wonderful hero, while I’m Reaper trash?”
He winced. “I didn’t mean it like that. Not at all.”
“I know you didn’t.” I shrugged. “And yeah, maybe I am a little jealous. I was at the battle too. But Gwen went through a lot, and she was the one who figured out how to defeat Loki. She’s the one who trapped him forever. She’s definitely earned the hero title. Plus, she’s too nice not to like.”
“Kind of like her cousin Rory, huh?” Ian winked at me, and I smiled back at him.
We made it over to the buffet tables, walked past the chocolate fountains, and moved around the rest of the rotunda, but I didn’t see any sign of Lance, Drake, or anyone else who looked like they might be a Reaper. All the kids were focused on eating, laughing, dancing, and gossiping, and it seemed like everyone was here to have a good time.
“You guys got anything?” Ian asked, talking to Mateo and Zoe through our earbuds.
The two of them were in the middle of the dance floor, grooving to the music, although they kept glancing at the kids around them.
Mateo’s voice crackled in my ear a second later. “Nothing. We’re going to finish this dance and then help Takeda and Rachel search the exhibit rooms on this floor.”
“Roger that,” Ian said. “Rory and I will check out the exhibit rooms upstairs.”
Ian led me over to a set of stairs, and we climbed up to the second floor. Some of the kids had migrated up here, talking, leaning against the balcony railing, and staring down at the rotunda below. More than a few couples had already retreated to the darkest corners they could find, eager to kiss the night away. The music shifted into a slow song, and everyone on this floor started coupling up to dance, mirroring the kids downstairs.
Ian cleared his throat. “Maybe when this is all over and we find the Reapers, we can come back and enjoy the rest of the ball. Maybe even…dance?”
I stared at him, but he shifted on his feet and stared down at the floor instead of looking at me. Was he actually nervous? About asking me to dance? My heart did that funny little flutter.
“I’d like that,” I said in a soft voice. “I’d like that a lot.”
Ian nodded, still not looking at me, and moved away from the railing. I followed him.
The main rotunda was only one part of the Cormac Museum, and we walked down a long hallway and into another wing where the exhibit rooms were located. The music, conversations, and laughter faded away, and the only sounds were our footsteps on the floor, but I didn’t mind the quiet.
Ian and I moved from room to room, staring at the weapons, armor, clothing, and other objects on display. All the items were housed in protective glass cases, and every single case was plugged into the museum’s security system, according to what Takeda had told us during our briefings. If Lance, Drake, or any other Reaper so much as scratched the glass on one of the cases, alarms would start blaring in the museum’s security office, and the Protectorate guards would come running. But everything remained quiet, so Ian and I walked on.
I didn’t mind strolling from room to room and checking on things. This was way more fun than the dance downstairs, especially since Ian was with me and seemed to enjoy studying the artifacts as much as I did.
“Hey, Rory,” he said. “Come check this out. It’s really cool.”
He was standing in front of a glass case. A tiny silver whistle lay inside, so small that it looked like a toy or a charm that would go on my bracelet instead of something you could actually use.
“Pan’s Whistle.” Ian read the identification card inside the case. “This whistle can be used to summon mythological creatures, including Nemean prowlers, Fenrir wolves, and more. It can be used over great distances, especially if you know the particular creature or creatures that you wish to summon. As its name suggests, the whistle was used by Pan, the Greek god of music, the wild, and more.”
He looked at me, excitement shining in his eyes. “I bet you could use that to summon your gryphons. All you would have to do is think about them, blow on the whistle, and bam! They would fly right to you. No more turning on lanterns on the library roof and hoping the gryphons see them and show up.”
I smiled back at him. “Probably. Although I doubt Takeda would appreciate me swiping an artifact when we’re supposed to stop the Reapers from stealing them.”
Ian laughed. “You’re probably right about that. Let’s keep looking. Maybe we can at least figure out which artifact the Reapers are after.”
He gave the whistle one more longing glance, and then we both moved on.
Ian and I went from case to case. Everything was interesting and cool in its own right, but I didn’t see anything that seemed powerful enough to appeal to the Reapers. They could get weapons and armor at other museums that weren’t crawling with Mythos students and Protectorate guards. So what was here that was so special?
And even more worrisome, what were the Reapers planning to do with the artifact once they had it?
I didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.
We were running out of time and options. Ian and I were down to the final set of rooms on the second floor, and we stepped into another large rotunda.
This part of the museum had been fashioned after a medieval dungeon, and heavy iron gates with sharp metal spikes hung in the two archways that marked the entrance and exit. Both gates were held up by thick, heavy ropes tied off to iron posts embedded in the walls, and the light fixtures were shaped like torches that continuously flickered. I glanced up, expecting the ceiling to be made of some dark stone, but clear glass panes glimmered overhead.
“Nothing,” Ian growled. “There’s absolutely nothing in here that the Reapers would want. You got anything, Rory?”
I shook my head. “Nothing out of the ordinary and nothing that seems superpowerful.”
Ian lifted his hand and adjusted his earbud. “What about you guys? Mateo, Zoe, you got anything downstairs?”
A second later, Mateo’s voice crackled in my ear. “Nope. We checked all the exhibit rooms down here, but they’re all full of kids dancing and partying.”
“There’s no sign of Lance, Drake, or any Reapers,” Zoe added. “We’re at the front of the museum, but we’ll work our way back to the main rotunda, then come upstairs and help you guys look through the artifacts on the second floor. Maybe we’ll see something you missed.”
“Roger that,” Ian said.
We continued our search. I scanned all the display cases on my side of the rotunda again, but everything was the same as before, and nothing stuck out to me. I was about to walk over to Ian when a gleam of red caught my eye.
Curious, I headed toward a display case I hadn’t noticed before. I glanced around the rotunda, comparing where the case was with what I remembered from the surveillance photos, but this case hadn’t been in any of the pictures. Maybe it was part of the new exhibit Takeda had said the museum was going to open after the costume ball. We had found a few cases like that in the other rooms, but why the case was in here wasn’t important right now, only what it contained.
A box.
The case held a long rectangular box made of polished jet. Silver vines curled across the top of the box, wrapping around glittering rubies that formed small flowers. If I had to guess, I would say it was a jewelry box, although it was large enough to hold a dagger or some other weapon.
I’d seen a lot of artifacts, but something about this box made me shiver. Maybe it was the way the midnight-black stone absorbed the light instead of reflecting it back. Or how the silver vines looked more like thorns, pinning the rubies in place like they were bloody hearts. Either way, this box radiated power.
I looked inside the glass case, searching for the identification card that would tell me who the box had belonged to and what magic it supposedly had. But it didn’t have a card, and I didn’t see one lying on the floor anywhere around the case. A sinking feeling filled my stomach. An unidentified artifact that gave me the creeps? This had to be what the Reapers were after.
“Ian!” I called out. “Come look at this!”
He hurried over to me. “Did you find something?”
I pointed at the case, and he leaned forward and studied the box.
Ian frowned. “What would Reapers want with a jewelry box? Or whatever that really is?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, but this is what they’re after. I’m sure of it.”
“And you’re absolutely right, Rory,” a familiar voice sneered behind us. “How nice to see that you have brains as well as Spartan brawn.”
Ian and I whirled around.
Lance stood behind us, along with Drake and half a dozen Reapers.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lance and Drake were both dressed like vampires, in black tuxedos topped with long black cloaks lined with red satin. White makeup coated their faces, black circles ringed their eyes, and fake blood covered their lips, as though they’d taken a bite out of someone.
The other six Reapers sported black bodysuits outlined with white bones, making them look like skeletons, and the same eerie white, black, and red paint scheme covered their faces. Swords hung off all the Reapers’ belts, and Lance and Drake were armed too.
Between the costumes and the face paint, Lance and Drake looked like completely different people, which must be how they’d slipped past the Protectorate guards manning the entrances. I wouldn’t have recognized them either if Lance hadn’t called out to me.
At the sight of the Reapers, Ian and I both drew our weapons. So did Lance, Drake, and their six skeleton friends, and we all stood there facing off, with Ian and me standing in front of the display case. I looked at the Viking, and he nodded back at me. Whatever happened, we both knew we couldn’t let the Reapers get their hands on the jewelry box…or whatever it really was.
“Takeda,” Ian murmured in a low, urgent voice. “The Reapers are here. Repeat. The Reapers are here—”
Drake held up a small black box. “Don’t bother, little brother. I was part of the Protectorate too, remember? I know exactly how Takeda and the rest of the guards operate. We’ve jammed all of your communication devices. The earbuds, the security cameras, the alarms. They’re all down, and Takeda and the guards are completely blind. They have no idea where we are or what we’re doing, which means that no one’s coming to save you.”
“We don’t need anyone to save us,” I growled. “We can deal with you.”
Drake shoved the black box into his pants pocket. “Keep telling yourself that.” He sneered. “I’ve killed Spartans before. You’re not nearly as tough as you think you are.”
I twirled Babs around in my hand, moving the sword into an attack position. “Big talk for someone all the way across the room. Why don’t you come over here and say that again?”
He grinned. “I’d be happy to, especially since you’re standing right in front of what we came here for. But do you know what the good thing is about being at the top of the Reaper food chain?”
“What?” I snapped.
Drake’s grin widened. “Ordering other people to do your dirty work for you.” He waved his hand at the six skeleton-clad men. “Kill them. Now.”
The Reapers raised their swords and charged at us, and Ian and I surged forward to meet them.
“Back to back!” I yelled at the Viking. “Now!”
We skidded to a stop in the open area in the middle of the rotunda, and Ian whipped around so his back was pressed up against mine. And then the Reapers were on us.
Clash-clash-bang!
Clash-clash-bang!
I whipped Babs back and forth, back and forth, parrying the hard, vicious blows dished out by the three Reapers in front of me. Behind me, Ian was fighting the other three Reapers, and I could hear his ax slamming into the men’s swords over and over again. I kept my back pressed up against his, and he did the same thing to me so that our enemies couldn’t overwhelm and attack both of us at once.
Adrenaline surged through my body, my Spartan instincts kicked in, and I started cataloging all the Reapers’ weaknesses. One raised his sword two inches too high, allowing me to knock his weapon aside, surge forward, and stab him in the heart with Babs. He screamed and tumbled to the floor. He rammed into his buddy on the way down, making the second Reaper curse and stumble forward, suddenly off balance.
I took advantage and swiped my sword all the way across his stomach. That Reaper screamed as well and landed right on top of his friend, both of them bleeding out from their wounds.
That left one Reaper standing in front of me. He’d hung back so far, but I could tell by the way he struggled to keep his sword up that the weapon was too big and heavy for his short, thin frame. The extra weight would make him a second slower than me, which was all the time I needed. I feinted like I was going to stab him in the chest, but at the last moment, I changed direction and went low, swiping my sword across his leg instead. Babs’s blade dug into the meaty part of his thigh, making him yelp with pain.
“That’s it!” Babs cried out, her mouth moving underneath my palm. “Cut him down to size, Rory!”
I yanked my sword out of his thigh, making his leg buckle. He also crashed to the floor. Desperate, he lashed out with his weapon so hard that the sword flew right out of his hand. I dodged the weapon, stepped up, and drove my sword into his chest, ending his struggles.
Killing the last Reaper had separated me from Ian, and his warm, strong back was no longer pressed up against mine. I whipped around to help him, but Ian had already killed two of the Reapers, and he rammed his ax into the chest of the final man, dropping him as well.
With the six Reapers dead, Ian glanced at me. I nodded back. Then, together, we faced Lance and Drake again.
“What were you saying about getting other people to do your dirty work for you?” I called out, a mocking note in my voice. “That’s not working out so well for you so far.”
Drake shrugged and looked at Lance. “I’ll let you handle this.”
“You really think he can beat me in a fight?” I snorted. “You obviously haven’t been paying attention.”
r /> “Ah, ah, but you forgot about my secret weapon,” Lance said.
Even though I knew exactly what he was going to do next, I was still too slow to stop it, given Lance’s Roman speed. I’d only taken three steps forward when he yanked the gold chimera scepter out of his pants pocket, snapped it up, and slashed it through the air in a series of sharp figure-eight motions.
Two thick, choking clouds of smoke exploded out of the end of the scepter and immediately solidified into two very large, angry chimeras. The creatures snarled, their lips drawing back to reveal their jagged teeth, and started pacing back and forth, their paws leaving black scorch marks on the floor. With every step they took, the chimeras scraped their claws against the stone, as if they weren’t sharp enough already. I winced at the harsh, loud screech-screech-screeches. Worse than fingernails on a chalkboard—and much, much deadlier.
“What’s wrong?” Lance called out from his position behind the monsters. “Chimeras got your tongue, Rory?”
He and Drake both snickered at the stupid joke.
“I’m going to enjoy punching that smirk off his face,” Ian muttered.
“Not if I beat you to him,” I said.
Lance finally stopped laughing and stared at me, a smug expression on his face. “You wanted a fight, Rory. Let’s see how well you do against my chimeras this time.”
He raised the gold scepter again, like he was going to order the creatures to attack. I tensed and snapped up my sword. So did Ian, and we braced ourselves for the upcoming fight—
“Enough!” another voice called out. “That’s enough. I told you to let the others wear her down so we could capture her. I want the Spartan girl alive.”
A man strode into the rotunda. He was wearing a red cloak trimmed with black, along with a red harlequin mask with black diamond shapes over the eyes. For a moment, I thought he was in some bizarre court jester’s costume, but then I realized that his outfit was like the ones the Reapers had worn at Lance’s mansion, only with the colors reversed. All the other Reapers had sported black cloaks and masks, and only one person would wear blood-red from head to toe like that: their leader.