"So you're the famous Gwen Frost," she finally said.
"And you're a Forseti."
Her mouth tightened. "You got something against the Forsetis?"
"That depends. You got something against me?"
Her scowl deepened. "Why would you say that?"
"Because it seems like you think you know everything there is to know about me, and I don't know anything about you." I drew in a breath. "Except for the fact that we're cousins."
Rory didn't bat an eye at the news. "Yeah. So your dad and my dad were brothers. So what? It's not like that makes us family. Not really."
"But don't you want to know about me?" I asked. "About my dad? About the rest of my family?"
She let out a bitter laugh. "Not if they're anything like my parents. And besides, I know all about you already. Everybody's been talking about you for weeks now. Ever since we heard about that Reaper attack at the coliseum near the North Carolina academy. Supposedly, you're some kind of great warrior, Nike's Champion, and all that." She sniffed. "I haven't been impressed so far."
My eyes narrowed. "Is that why you saved my life on the train? Because you weren't impressed? Because you didn't think I could defend myself?"
Her eyes glittered with a cold, hard light. "I saved your life because the Reapers wanted you dead. Anything they want, I want the opposite."
"Really?" I asked. "Then why did the other kids talk about you like you were working with the Reapers when we got off the train? Why would they think that when you had just helped me and my friends defeat a bunch of them?"
She tilted her head to the side and looked at me. "You really don't know, do you? About the Forsetis?"
"My dad died when I was two. I don't even remember him, and my mom didn't talk about him a lot."
Rory let out another bitter laugh. "Of course she didn't. Be glad about that. She did you a favor."
Every word this girl said only made me angrier. "Look. All I want is some information about my dad. And you too, if you want to share. My mom was murdered by Reapers last year, so it's just been me and my grandma ever since. But now I come here, and I find out that I have a cousin - one who seems to know a lot more about my dad than I do. Can you blame me for being curious?"
After a moment, she gave me a grudging nod. "No, I suppose not."
"So why don't you lose the attitude and tell me what you know?"
She studied me for several moments, staring into my face as if she could judge whether or not I was telling the truth just by looking at me, and I started to wonder what other magic she might have besides her Spartan fighting skills. Maybe she was even a Gypsy like me, gifted with magic by one of the gods.
"You want to know about the Forsetis?" Rory snapped. "Get your friends, Princess, and I'll show you exactly what the family name means around here."
Rory and I walked out of the stacks. My friends were still sitting in front of the fireplace, trying to nap, but they all sat up at the sound of our footsteps on the floor. They looked at Rory, then me.
"Well, well, well," Oliver said. "Looks like Gwen's made a new friend."
"Shut it, Spartan," Rory snapped. "Or I'll make you eat your own fist."
Oliver straightened up in his chair. "I'd like to see you try."
I rolled my eyes at them. "Again, with the sniping. Can we please cut it out?"
Oliver and Rory ignored me and kept right on glaring at each other. Rory opened her mouth, probably to challenge Oliver to a fight, but a door in the glass office complex squeaked open, cutting her off. Ajax and Covington stepped outside and walked over to the fireplace.
"Is something wrong?" the librarian asked, looking from me to Rory and back again.
"Oh, everything's just fine and dandy," I said. "In fact, Rory just offered to show me and my friends around campus while you and Ajax work."
Covington frowned. "She did?"
Rory started to open her mouth again, but I clapped her on the back, almost sending her tumbling into Alexei's lap.
"You bet she did," I said.
Rory scowled at my lie, but she didn't contradict me. "Yeah. That's me. Campus tour guide."
Covington frowned, as if he was searching for a reason not to believe her. Rory glared at him, her fists clenched as though she'd like nothing more than to step forward and punch him. I wondered at her hostile reaction to him. What did she have against the librarian?
But in the end, Covington's face smoothed out. "Well, why don't you show Gwen and the others around and then go over to the dining hall and get some lunch? Ajax and I should be finished by the time you're done."
Rory rolled her eyes, but she didn't say anything else. Instead, she deliberately turned away from Covington, like he hadn't even spoken to her.
I looked at Ajax, who nodded. While my friends and I gathered up our things, Ajax gestured for me to come over to him.
"Be careful," he said. "You don't know this girl. We might be on campus now, but that doesn't mean we're safe."
"Don't worry," I said. "I'll be careful. We'll all stay together. We'll walk around campus awhile, then go get some lunch, like Covington suggested. Everything will be fine."
"Okay," the coach rumbled. "Just stick together and keep your weapons with you at all times. If you need anything - anything at all - Covington and I will be here in the library."
"Got it."
Ajax told us to leave our luggage in one of the librarians' offices, although we all kept our weapons like he'd said. I also slung my messenger bag over my shoulder to take with me since Ran's net was in the bottom of it, along with Oliver's drawing of the artifacts.
"Come on," Rory muttered when we'd finished putting everything away. "Let's get this over with."
She walked out of the library, and we all fell in step behind her.
Chapter 17
We'd barely made it outside and down the library steps before Daphne scooted up beside me.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Gwen?" she asked. "We don't know anything about this girl. She could be a Reaper, just like Vivian was."
"I don't think she's a Reaper," I said in a low voice.
"Why not?"
I told her what Grandma Frost and Rory had both said to me. Daphne was quiet for a moment, thinking. Sparks of magic dripped from her fingertips, and the winter wind swirled them through the air like shimmering pink snowflakes.
"Just because she's related to you doesn't mean you guys are automatically going to be besties," Daphne pointed out.