Spartan Destiny

by Estep, Jennifer

  Of course, I was lying about Zoe and Mateo leaving campus, but I hadn’t been lying about asking for help. I just hoped that Gwen, Logan, and Linus got my messages. Maybe if they couldn’t save us, they could at least rescue everyone else from the dining hall.

  Covington let out a low, mocking laugh. “Your friends haven’t left campus. That’s the thing about you heroes. You never want to leave anyone behind.”

  I didn’t say anything. He wouldn’t have believed me anyway.

  “As for Linus Quinn and the Protectorate, let them come.” He sneered. “Once I have the Narcissus Heart, I will be unstoppable. I won’t need red narcissus seeds or smoke bombs to infect people. The Heart will do all that for me and more—so much more.”

  A chill swept through me at his words. I had thought he would still need the seeds and their venom to infect people, but that didn’t seem to be the case. And I had just brought him the very last thing he needed in order to complete his plan.

  Worry, fear, and dread twisted my stomach into tight knots, but I forced myself to stand firm. I had my own plan, and I wasn’t going to abandon it—or my friends.

  Not now, not ever.

  Besides, even if I had tried to run away with the Narcissus Heart, I wouldn’t have made it out of the library before the Reapers swarmed me. Covington might want to make me his minion, but he wanted the artifact more. He would kill me now to get it.

  “Show me the Narcissus Heart,” he demanded. “Right now. Or your friends die.”

  The Reapers surrounding Aunt Rachel, Takeda, and Professor Dalaja stepped forward and brandished their swords. My friends stood absolutely still, staring straight ahead at nothing. They were still under the influence of the red narcissus venom, so they wouldn’t—couldn’t—defend themselves.

  I had no choice. With one hand, I pulled the strap of my messenger bag up and over my head and set it down on the floor. Then I reached inside and drew out the plastic box that contained the Narcissus Heart. The ruby glittered like a big, bloody eye under the lights.

  Covington made a sharp, waving motion with his hand. “Bring it here.”

  I slowly walked forward, carrying the plastic box in one hand and Babs in the other. I was about ten feet away when Covington snapped up his hand, stopping me.

  “Put the box down on the floor, and kick it over to me,” he ordered.

  I did as he commanded and set the plastic box on the floor. Then I put my boot up against the side and pushed it over to him. The box slid easily across the slick stone and spun to a stop at Covington’s feet. The motions made the Heart rattle around inside like the silver piece in a pinball machine.

  For a moment, Covington just stared at the box, as if he couldn’t believe he was really, truly getting his hands on the Narcissus Heart. Then he leaned down and snatched up the box.

  Covington turned the box around and around in his hands, admiring the artifact from all sides. “At last,” he murmured. “After all these long years of research. Of looking. Of planning. And now here it is. The Narcissus Heart. Finally in my hands.”

  Perhaps it was the sound of his voice or the fact that he was wearing the Chloris Amulet around his neck, but the Narcissus Heart started glowing. At first, I thought I was only imagining the faint glow, but the color slowly grew brighter and brighter, until it seemed as though Covington was clutching a brilliant red star in his hands.

  As much as I wanted to step back from that eerie red glow, I made myself stand firm and hold my position, although I couldn’t stop the shiver that swept through my body.

  All around me, the Reapers shifted on their feet again, as if the red glow unnerved them as well. Even Drake sidled away from Covington, as if he didn’t want his boss to test out his shiny new toy and turn him into a mindless zombie too.

  I tensed, expecting Covington to open the box, but instead, he admired the Heart for another moment, then looked at me again.

  “You disappoint me, Rory. I expected you to put up much more of a fight. At the very least, I expected you to give me another fake, like you did before with those red crystals in the black Chloris box.”

  I shrugged. “It would have been stupid to try the same trick twice.”

  “Yes, it would have,” he agreed. “And it would have ended very badly for your friends.”

  “You have what you want,” I growled. “So tell your men to lower their weapons and step away from my friends.”

  “Or you’ll do what?” Drake said, sneering. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re severely outnumbered and completely surrounded.”

  I was still holding Babs, and I twirled the sword around in my hand. “Then I’ll make them step away from my friends.”

  Drake sneered at me again. “You? Against all of us? The only thing you’ll do is die.”

  “You’re right. You do outnumber me. But I’m a Spartan. How many Reapers do you think I can kill before the rest of you finally finish me off?” I looked at the other Reapers. “My parents used to say that this sort of situation was a Spartan destiny—taking as many of your enemies as possible down with you. So who wants to find out if they were right? Who wants to die tonight? Step right up, and I’ll be happy to oblige you.”

  For the third time, the Reapers shifted on their feet. Poisoning and rounding up innocent, zombified kids was one thing. The Reapers could be brave when they were doing something easy and underhanded like that. But ask them to take on a single Spartan girl who had nothing to lose, and they weren’t quite as willing to wade into the fight.

  The Reapers guarding Aunt Rachel, Takeda, and Professor Dalaja glanced at Covington. He rolled his eyes and jerked his head, telling them to stand down. The Reapers lowered their swords and stepped away from my friends.

  I kept my face blank, trying not to let my relief show. I had been so afraid that Covington would order his men to kill my friends just to spite me, just to punish me for hiding the Narcissus Heart. But the Reapers had backed away from Aunt Rachel, Takeda, and Professor Dalaja, which still gave me a chance to save them.

  I focused on Covington. Once again, I expected him to open the box, but instead, he tucked the container under his arm and stared at me.

  “I was quite angry when I realized that you had hidden the Heart, but I’m actually glad things worked out this way. I think it’s rather fitting that we’re both here,” he said. “This is where it all started for you, isn’t it, Rory? This is where your precious parents betrayed me, and this is where they died.”

  His cruel words stung more than if he had slapped me, but I should have known that he would throw my parents’ murders in my face. Covington thought he had finally gotten everything he had ever wanted, and now he was going to wring every drop of pleasure he could out of his seeming victory.

  He stepped away from the checkout counter and moved forward, his shoes tap-tap-tap-tapping out a low, ominous beat on the floor. Behind him, Drake frowned, clearly wondering what his boss was doing. Ian stood by his brother’s side, still under the venom’s influence.

  Covington stopped in an empty spot not too far away from the counter. He glanced down at the floor, as if he wasn’t quite sure where he was, even though he knew exactly where he was standing. Anger roared through me, and I had to grind my teeth to keep from snarling at him.

  “Tell me,” he purred. “Is this the spot where I cut down your parents, and they bled out all over the floor? It’s been so long since I’ve been in the library that I’m not quite sure.”

  “You know that’s exactly where it happened,” I growled. “You know that’s the spot where you stabbed them in the back like the weaselly little coward you are.”

  Anger sparked in Covington’s eyes. “Better a live coward than a dead Spartan.”

  “Why don’t you put that box down and come over here, and we’ll find out who lives and who dies?” I growled again.

  He gave me another one of those thin, annoying smiles. “And why would I do something stupid like that? I don’t have to fight you, R
ory, and I certainly don’t have to kill you. All I have to do is open this box and take hold of the Narcissus Heart, and you’ll be mine—forever. That’s what your true Spartan destiny has been all along, not that silly nonsense your parents said about nobly fighting to the end.”

  “I make my own destiny, Spartan or otherwise.”

  He dismissed my words with a laugh and a wave of his hand. “No, you don’t. Not as long as I have the Narcissus Heart.”

  “Then go ahead and use it on me already,” I snarled. “If you think you can.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he looked at me, then down at the box. Then he walked over to Drake and shoved the plastic container into the Viking’s hands, almost making him drop his sword.

  “Here,” Covington commanded. “Open this.”

  “Why do you want me to open it? You do it. This is your big moment of triumph.” Drake’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “Because Rory Forseti is a Spartan and Sigyn’s Champion,” Covington said. “She would never just hand over the Narcissus Heart to me. Not without having some trick up her sleeve. So you open the box.”

  Drake stared at the plastic box in his hands. His head drew back, and his lips curled, as though he wanted to drop the container onto the floor. “You think that she booby-trapped it?”

  “Only one way to find out.”

  “But why do I have to open it?” Drake muttered. “Let somebody else do it.”

  Covington grabbed the Chloris Amulet around his neck. Ian jerked to attention, whirled toward Drake, and snapped up his ax. Drake’s eyes widened at the obvious threat, but he held his ground. He knew that if he took a single step backward, Ian would surge forward and drive his ax into Drake’s chest.

  “I only need one Viking by my side,” Covington said in a low, threatening voice. “And your brother is much better at obeying orders than you are. So open the box. Now.”

  Drake swallowed, but he didn’t have a choice. So he stepped over to the checkout counter and set his sword down on it, along with the box. Drake looked at me, then at Covington. The Reaper leader made a sharp motion with his hand, telling him to open the box—or else.

  Drake drew in a deep breath, then let it out and reached for the clasp on the box—

  WHOOSH!

  A fierce gust of air blew through the library, strong enough to turn the pages in some of the open books on the study tables.

  Covington whirled around. “What was that?”

  WHOOSH!

  Another gust of air blew through the library, even stronger than before. This gust was powerful enough to ruffle the black wings of the basilisks perched on top of the bookcases on either side of the main aisle.

  Drake grabbed his sword and turned away from the box. The other Reapers lifted their weapons as well, and their heads snapped from side to side as they tried to figure out what was causing the fierce blasts of air.

  WHOOSH!

  A third gust of air blew through the library, this one powerful enough to rattle some of the books on the shelves back in the stacks. Even the Fafnir dragon, which had seemed to be sleeping, lifted its head and looked around, wondering what was going on.

  No more gusts of air swept through the area, but the sudden stillness put everyone even more on edge.

  Covington scanned the library, then whirled around to face me. “What sort of weak trick is this? A few breezes aren’t going to save you, Rory.”

  “Oh, I know.” I smiled. “But they did save my friends.”

  He frowned, not understanding my cryptic words. He looked at Ian, then glanced over at Aunt Rachel, Takeda, and Professor Dalaja, but he still didn’t realize what had happened, so I decided to clue him in.

  “Well, the gusts of air weren’t the only things that saved my friends,” I said. “It was mostly the artifacts.”

  “Artifacts?” Covington asked. “What artifacts?”

  He glanced at my friends again. After a second, his eyes narrowed, and his gaze darted from one thing to another. The gold ring on Takeda’s finger, the gray apron tied around Aunt Rachel’s neck, and the book with a dark purple cover resting in Professor Dalaja’s hand.

  After a few seconds, the three of them started jerking and twitching, like they were puppets and someone was pulling their strings. I expected them to scream and collapse to the ground like Mateo and Zoe had, but after a few more seconds, the three of them stilled again. Then Aunt Rachel blinked several times and stared at Takeda. He blinked back at her, and Professor Dalaja started blinking as well.

  And most important, their eyes weren’t red anymore.

  Covington noticed the change too, and his face paled, even as the red and black streaks faded from my friends’ faces. “How did you…” His voice trailed off.

  “Artifacts,” I said in a smug voice. “That’s what this whole thing has been about from the very beginning. You wanting all the artifacts you could get your greedy hands on.”

  He looked at me, confusion filling his face.

  “You told me to bring the Narcissus Heart to the library, so that’s exactly what I did.” I grinned. “But you never said I couldn’t bring other artifacts too.”

  Covington focused on my friends again, his gaze moving from one artifact to another. “Benzaiten’s Ring, Hephaestus’s Apron, Veritas’s Diary,” he murmured, recognizing each item.

  Then he whirled back around to me. “You cured them!” he accused. “You freed them from the red narcissus venom!”

  “Of course I did. You said yourself that I would never just hand over the Narcissus Heart without fighting back. Well, now I’m not the only one fighting back.”

  I glanced at my friends, who were shaking their heads, getting rid of the last effects of the venom. Aunt Rachel, Takeda, Professor Dalaja. They looked at me and nodded, their eyes clear, their faces hard and determined. They were ready to fight, just like I was.

  “So there are four of you now.” Drake sneered. “So what? We still outnumber you.”

  “Four of us?” I said. “I think you need to count again, Reaper.”

  WHOOSH!

  Another gust of air blasted through the library. Suddenly, Mateo was standing off to my right. The Reapers yelled and turned in his direction—

  WHOOSH!

  An instant later, Mateo appeared on my left. A few Reapers started toward him, but Mateo whipped up his crossbow, and the Reapers stopped short.

  Drake’s eyes bulged. “How did he do that? No one’s that fast, not even a Roman.”

  Covington stabbed his finger at Mateo’s feet. Instead of his usual running shoes, the Roman was now wearing a pair of brown leather sandals.

  “Hermes’s Sandals,” he whispered, a sick note in his voice. “Whoever wears them has incredible speed. That’s how he slipped past the guards. That’s how he managed to get those artifacts to his friends.”

  Mateo grinned and saluted Covington with his crossbow. “Guilty as charged. Although I can’t take all the credit. Using the sandals was Rory’s idea.”

  Covington stared at me again.

  “You’re not the only one who knows about artifacts. I’ve been studying up on them these past few weeks. And I decided to use them to my advantage, just like you always do.” I paused. “Isn’t that right, Zoe?”

  KABOOM!

  A loud, thunderous roar rang out, and blue-white electricity crackled on the second floor. Everyone’s head snapped up, and Zoe stepped into view on the balcony. In one hand, she was clutching Typhon’s Scepter. In the other, she was holding Minerva’s Spear.

  Only it was much more than a spear now.

  The Valkyrie had taped what looked like a small, square car battery to the center of the spear, along with a blue button. Several wires led from the battery up to the top of the spear. The plastic coating had been removed from the wires at the tip of the weapon, and electricity continuously sparked, snapped, and sizzled from one wire to the next.

  “I’m calling this my electrospear,” Zoe said in a loud, proud voice.
“Part artifact, part invention, all power.”

  She hit the button, causing even more electricity to crackle on the tip of the spear. Her own blue Valkyrie sparks of magic also flashed in the air around her.

  Covington looked at Zoe. Then at Mateo. Then at Aunt Rachel, Takeda, and Professor Dalaja. Finally, he focused his angry gaze on me again.

  “You think your friends and a few artifacts are enough to defeat me?” he growled. “In case you’ve forgotten, I still have my feathered and scaly friends here to help.”

  On top of the bookcases, the two basilisks flapped their wings in warning, while the dragon on the study table yawned again, making red-hot embers spew out of its mouth.

  I smiled at Covington again. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I asked my furry and feathered friends to join us.”

  The Reapers turned this way and that, their gazes darting back and forth, waiting for someone else—or something else—to appear. But nothing happened, and after several long, tense seconds, they slowly relaxed.

  “Looks like your friends didn’t show up after all,” Drake said, mocking me.

  “Oh, they’re nearby. They’re just waiting for my signal. But I can fix that easily enough.”

  The Reapers tensed, but all I did was reach down and push up my shirtsleeve, exposing the bracelet on my wrist.

  “A bracelet?” Drake mocked me again. “How is that going to help you?”

  “It’s not the bracelet,” Covington hissed. “It’s the charm on it. That’s Pan’s Whistle.”

  “You are absolutely right,” I said. “And I think it’s about time I used it, don’t you?”

  Covington’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, probably to order the Reapers to kill me before I could use the artifact, but for once, I was faster. I quickly brought the whistle up to my lips and blew on it.

  The Reapers froze, not sure what was going on, since they couldn’t hear the whistle. That gave me enough time to blow on the whistle twice more.