"Are you getting anything?" Metis asked.
I shook my head. "Nothing. Just the same memories I've seen before. I don't think he knows anything about the attack at the coliseum or where the Helheim Dagger might be hidden."
Preston raised an eyebrow. "Still searching for the dagger, Gypsy? I would have thought a clever girl like you would have found it by now."
"Shut up, Reaper," I said and reached for his hands again.
Once again, I got nothing. No hint that Preston had known about the attack and no clue that he had any idea where the dagger was. I'd just let go of his hands when Metis's cell phone rang. The professor pulled the phone out of her pocket.
"Hello? Hello?" Metis pulled the phone away from her ear and shook her head. "It cut off. I can never get good reception down here. I'll have to go upstairs to call back."
Metis told me to take a break, since she also needed to update Nickamedes and Coach Ajax about the big, fat lot of nothing I'd found out. The professor excused herself, saying she would be back in a few minutes. She left the prison, leaving me alone with Preston.
Since I didn't want to touch the Reaper without Metis here, I got up and roamed around the prison, looking into all the cells. There wasn't much to see. Some of the cells featured cots, sinks, and metal toilets, while some were just empty rooms. That's where they would keep the creatures, I thought. The Nemean prowlers, the Fenrir wolves, and the Black rocs the Reapers used to do their dirty work for them.
Preston didn't say anything while I walked around, but he kept his hate-filled eyes on me, just watching-which creeped me out more than if he'd been screaming curses at me the whole time.
Finally, I couldn't stand the silence anymore, and I headed for the door. I'd wait outside until Metis came back and then I'd try looking into Preston's mind again. I opened the door to step out into the hallway-and found the Reaper girl there waiting for me.
"Hello, Gypsy," she said in a nasty tone. "Miss me?"
Before I could move, before I could react, before I could even scream, the Reaper girl stepped forward and punched me in the face. I staggered back and fell to the stone floor, but the Reaper girl didn't stop there. She kicked me in the ribs, and I let out a moan and rolled away from her. Still, despite the pain, I couldn't help wondering how she had gotten down here in the first place past all the doors and locks.
"Forget about her!" Preston screamed from across the room. "Get me out of these chains! Quick! Before Metis comes back!"
The Reaper girl vaulted over me and darted over to the table where Preston was chained. She wore the same black robe and rubber Loki mask that she'd had on during the coliseum attack. I didn't know where she'd gotten it from, but the Reaper girl pulled out a key from the folds of her robe and started fiddling with the lock on Preston's chains. A second later, the lock snapped open-and I knew that I was in big, big trouble.
I scrambled to my feet and lurched over to Raven's desk. The Reaper girl saw what I was doing and raced back over to me just as I drew Vic out of my bag and yanked the sword from his leather scabbard. I always brought Vic with me whenever I came to the prison, since he made me feel a smidge safer. The Reaper girl responded by drawing her own sword from underneath the billowing folds of her black robe.
"Lucretia!" Vic hissed at the sight of the other sword.
Lucretia's burning red eye narrowed with hate. "Vic!" she snarled right back.
That was all they had time to say before the fight started.
Slash-slash-clang!
My sword locked with the Reaper girl's, the blades throwing red and purple sparks everywhere as the two weapons shouted taunts and insults at each other.
"Butter knife!" Lucretia crowed.
"Rusty spoon!" Vic snapped.
I tuned out the swords' chatter and focused on the Reaper girl, trying to anticipate what she would do next, how she would attack me. Behind me, metal clanked and rattled as one by one, Preston opened the locks on his chains-and then he was free.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Preston head toward me, his hands curled into fists and a murderous look on his handsome face. His eyes were glowing even brighter now-that bloody, eerie Reaper red.
I lashed out with my sword, making the Reaper girl momentarily retreat, and then turned, so that my back was to one of the glass cells. I wouldn't last a minute if I let the Reaper girl and Preston attack me from two sides at once. Logan had taught me that. My heart squeezed in on itself. Logan. I wished he was here right now. The Spartan would know what to do-he'd know exactly how to defeat the Reapers. I'd be lucky if I survived another minute.
Instead of launching himself at me like I expected him to, Preston stopped short and glared at me.
"Go!" the Reaper girl shouted at Preston. "Go! Go! Go!"
Preston gave me a cruel smile, then raced out of the prison. I started after him, but the Reaper girl blocked my path and raised her sword again.
Slash-slash-clang!
Back and forth we dueled for the better part of two minutes before my sneakers skidded on the smooth stone floor. The Reaper girl took advantage of my slip to punch me in the face again. The force of her blow sent me flying back into one of the cells. My head snapped against the glass, and pain exploded in my skull. Dazed, I slumped to the ground, barely managing to hold on to Vic.
"Gwen!" Vic shouted. "Get up, Gwen! Get up before she kills you!"
But I was too dazed to do that-I was too dazed to do anything. The Reaper girl stood there, her sword in her hand. All she had to do was raise it up, bring it down, and I'd be dead.
Simple as that.
She stood there, hesitating, like that's exactly what she wanted to do. But instead of finishing me off, the Reaper girl turned and ran out the open prison door.
Chapter 16
I scrambled to my feet and tightened my grip on Vic. Ignoring the pulsing pain in my head, face, and ribs, I darted out the prison door after the Reapers-but they'd already disappeared.
I hurried to the end of the hall and starting racing up the stairs and through all the open doors. Up, up, up, I went, climbing as fast as I could, but I was already too far behind. I didn't even hear the hollow echo of Preston's and the Reaper girl's footsteps ringing on the stairs above my head.
"Come on, Gwen!" Vic shouted in an encouraging voice. "You can catch them!"
Finally, I climbed the last of the stairs, raced out of the math-science building, and skidded to a stop on the upper quad. My head snapped left, then right, as I stood there panting, but Preston and the Reaper girl were nowhere to be seen. Neither was Metis. Kids milled around on the quad like usual, laughing, talking, and texting as they headed for their after-school activities.