Still, despite my rush, and everything that needed to be done before the Reapers arrived, I stopped a moment to talk to the gryphon statues on either side of the library steps.
“Today would be a good time for you guys to actually, you know, move,” I said. “Rip right out of your stone shells and attack any Reaper who dares to set foot on the quad. I’m just saying. It would be really great if you could do that, please. Okay?”
Of course, the gryphons didn’t respond, but I still patted first one statue, then the other, before heading into the library. Alexei followed me.
Nickamedes was already inside and standing behind the checkout counter, talking to Metis. Apparently, he’d already enlisted Daphne to help search through the library’s electronic catalog of artifacts, because she was sitting in my usual spot behind one of the computers, furiously pounding on the keyboard, pink sparks of magic shooting out of her fingertips with every letter she hit.
She looked up as Alexei and I stepped up to the counter in front of her.
“How’s it going?” I asked.
“Slowly,” Daphne said, her eyes focusing back on the monitor. “I had no idea there were this many freaking artifacts in the library. I don’t know how Nickamedes keeps them all straight.”
I nodded and moved around the counter, hurrying toward Metis and Nickamedes. They turned in my direction.
“Professor?” I asked. “How are things? Where is everyone?”
“As well as can be expected, so far,” she replied. “Ajax is over at the gym, helping with the evacuation. So are Sergei and Inari. Oliver and Carson are back in the stacks, gathering up some of the artifacts that Daphne has already found. Rory, Rachel, and Geraldine are down at the dorms, getting Nyx and dealing with the gryphons.”
One by one, she ticked our friends off on her fingers. Metis frowned, as though she were reviewing a mental list in her head. “And I think that’s everyone.”
But it wasn’t everyone, because she hadn’t said a word about Logan. I opened my mouth to ask her about him, but Metis’s phone chirped. She touched my arm, then went back into the stacks to take the call.
Nickamedes watched her go, a longing look on his face, and some sort of deeper emotion flaring in his icy eyes. I couldn’t tell exactly what he was feeling, but it almost seemed as if the librarian was seeing Metis for the very first time. I wondered if I was the cause of that, if he was thinking about what I’d told him. If perhaps he was actually giving some thought to the idea of him and Metis as a couple. Provided they made it through the battle, of course.
Provided any of us did.
Nickamedes snapped out of his thoughts, whatever they might have been. A bit of a blush tinted his cheeks when he realized that I’d been watching him watch Metis, and he quickly stepped over to one of the metal carts, which was piled high with daggers, swords, and other weapons, instead of books.
“And Logan?” I asked, still staring at Nickamedes. “Where is he?”
“Right here, Gypsy girl.”
I whirled around to see Logan come striding out of the stacks, several weapons bristling in his arms. He laid the weapons down on one of the study tables and started sliding them apart. He also reached into his jeans pocket and drew out the ID cards that had been in the cases with the artifacts and started arranging them side-by-side with the sword, spear, staff, or other weapon they belonged to.
My gaze roamed over the weapons, most of which I recognized from my time back in the stacks, dusting all of the glass cases. There were some powerful artifacts in the library, things that would make you quicker, stronger, harder to injure, faster to heal. But no doubt the Reapers had the exact same types of artifacts, and in the end, I wondered if it would all just be a draw, at least when it came to the weapons.
Logan finished laying out the ID cards. His hand closed over a long silver sword, which he held up so that I could see it.
“It says that belonged to Thanatos, the Greek god of death,” he said. “Pretty cool, huh? What would you think about me using it?”
He twirled the sword around in his hand, getting familiar with the weapon the way he always did. I glanced up at the domed ceiling where the fresco was. Sure enough, I could see a silver sword glimmering through the shadows, the same sword that Logan was holding right now.
I grinned at him. “I think it looks great on you. A perfect weapon for a Spartan warrior.”
He grinned back, his face creasing into a wide, happy smile. And suddenly, it felt like everything was right between us again, despite the craziness of the last few hours.
“It is an impressive blade,” Vic piped up from his scabbard, which was belted around my waist. “Although not nearly as impressive as I am, obviously.”
I rolled my eyes. Logan laughed.
“No, Vic,” Logan said. “Nothing could ever be as impressive as you are.”
If Vic had shoulders, they would have puffed up in pride at Logan’s words. “Of course not. But I’m glad that you finally realize my brilliance, Spartan. It’s been a long time coming. In fact, I think . . .”
And Vic was off, talking about how he was the ultimate sword of swords, how he was going to rip into all the Reapers that were coming to the academy, and other such nonsense. Logan and I exchanged a look, both of us amused by Vic’s antics. He leaned over and squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back.
Together, still listening to Vic rant, we started sorting through the rest of the weapons on the table.
I spent the next hour in the library, working alongside my friends. Nickamedes helped Daphne search through the electronic catalog of artifacts, telling her which items might be the most useful and important. She printed off a long list, which I divided up among me, Logan, Carson, Oliver, and Alexei. The five of us went back into the stacks, retrieved all of the items, and brought them to the study tables in the center of the library.
By the time we were finished, we had enough weapons, armor, garments, and jewelry to outfit a small army.
And we had the warriors to use them.
To my surprise, not all of the kids, professors, and staff members chose to evacuate the academy. Instead, many of them came to the library, determined to fight alongside us. Folks like Kenzie Tanaka, one of Logan’s Spartan friends, and his Amazon girlfriend, Talia Pizarro. Morgan McDougall, a former mean-girl Valkyrie who’d helped me out more than once over the past few months. Even Savannah Warren, the Amazon who was Logan’s ex-girlfriend, showed up.
I’d put Logan in charge of the weapons, and he quickly sized up every kid and adult and gave them the blade, bow, staff, or spear he thought would best suit them. Then, the other kids clustered around the study tables, familiarizing themselves with the weapons the way I’d seen them do so many times before in gym class.