There was something deeply sacred about the library in the Royal High Court Academy, something that I had never felt in any other place. It was full of our history, which was well hidden from the Nescient, and to some extent, the Regulars. There were statues all over the cavernous hall. Perseus holding a sword in his right hand and Medusa’s head in the other, completely nude save for the useless drape he had on his arm to cover—what? His asymmetrical left arm? It certainly wasn’t covering anything else. Not far from Perseus and his nudity was Hades, who had the decency to at least cover half of his body. One hand was carrying a staff while the other held the chain to Cerberus. Then there was Poseidon, carrying his infamous trident and riding what looked like a seahorse-dragon hybrid.

“This way, Montgomery,” said Adrian, whisking me away from checking out Dionysus’s abs, which were still intact despite the copious amount of wine displayed around him. Adrian took me to a secluded area in the corner of the room. “Take out your access card. This time you’re going to need it.”

This place was the epitome of a medieval library. High wooden arches and stained-glass windows almost made it look like a church—except for the long rows of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that were lined with dusty, old tomes. The steel and glass door in front of me, which had a card scanner attached to the handle, indicated that this part of the library was very different. Adrian tapped his card on the reader and pushed the door open. I was about to follow suit when he raised one hand, telling me to stay where I was. Only after the door closed did he give me a nod to do what he had just done.

I felt slightly guilty when the monitor showed Caitlin’s name and photo. I could only hope that this little visit wouldn’t get her in trouble somehow. Inside the room there was only one thick book, laying open on top of a green velvet surface. Adrian and I exchanged a look before we approached it and dug our noses deep into it.

Unfortunately, it was in Greek, a language with an alphabet I had failed to remember. But Adrian, being a Pure Royal, knew Greek. While all the Hellenicus learned Greek at school, it was mandatory for Royals to master the language. I pulled out my phone to take photos of the pages, as Adrian did his best to speed-read them.