“Come in.”

Adrian popped his head, grinning. “Now that’s more like it.”

I folded my arms in front of my chest and shot him an annoyed look. “Seriously, you have five seconds to tell me why you’re here or you’ve got to go.”

“Chill, Montgomery. You texted, so here I am.” When I said nothing, he drawled, “Seriously.”

“I did not ask you to come here. I only asked you about—” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “Is that—”

“Yes, Montgomery.” Adrian smiled triumphantly. “I got it.”

Caitlin’s access card, which meant that we could finally start our investigation. My lips curled into a smile that mirrored his.

Chapter Eighteen

The Royal Quarters was not just a building; it served as a gateway to an entirely different universe. A gigantic, steel-blue gate kept the area hidden from the Regulars. The entrance was protected by Palace Guards, who wore uniforms with a golden emblem placed on the left side of their chest to distinguish them from the Court Guards. To get to the academy, we had to first go through the Royal Quarters and make it past the gate. Adrian, being an Ambrosia, didn’t even glance at the Palace Guards, let alone need to show his ID before one of them opened the gate for us. My jaw dropped as what laid behind the gate was revealed.

So far, all I had seen at the Court was modern, but this area was vastly different. I no longer felt like I was inside the Court; I wasn’t even sure I was in the same time period. Had the Hellenicus here been wearing medieval outfits, I would’ve been convinced that I had been transported back in time. The buildings were made of cream-colored stones, built to last thousands of years, generation after generation, and had no doubt had been stacked centuries ago. The novelty of them had worn off, yet everything still reflected the golden rays of the sun. It was like something out of a children’s fairy-tale book.

“That’s the Michelakoses’ residence.” Adrian pointed to a mansion on my left. There was a family emblem showing a laurel tree enveloping a sun, a lyre, a raven, and a silver bow and arrow on their wall. “You know, Apollo’s descendants. There aren’t that many of them around the world now. About two hundred, I think.”

“You could probably fit them all inside that place for a giant family reunion,” I joked. Even though the building was majestic, it looked pretty much abandoned. I followed Adrian closely, knowing full well I would get lost in here if I was on my own.

“That’s Douchebag Tavoularis’s family mansion. Hera’s descendants. You can tell the type of person who lives there just by looking at their home.”