by Eliza Raine
‘Are you alright?’ I asked as I caught up to her just outside the girls dorm building.
‘Oh, Dora!’ she cried, and threw her arms around me as she burst into tears.
She was still sniffing half an hour later, when we were huddled together on her bed, wrapped in blankets.
‘It could have been you or Tak,’ she said for the tenth time.
‘But it wasn’t. We’re both fine,’ I said as reassuringly as I could, stroking her arm.
‘But what if you’d gone in a different order? What if-’
I cut her off.
‘Zali,’ I said sternly. ‘We’re both fine. And Alexsis and Dimitra are both alive. There’s every chance they’ll both be fine too. Everything is OK.’ I desperately wanted to believe what I was telling her. Her big, red-rimmed amber eyes looked into mine.
‘You’re right,’ she said with a small smile. ‘I’m sorry. I just care about you both so much.’
I squeezed her hand.
‘I know you do. Particularly Tak…’ I said, with a sideways look and an eyebrow wiggle.
She blushed and dropped her gaze.
‘Oh, Dora. I’m only admitting this because I’m over-emotional but… yeah. Particularly Tak. When I think about him with those horrible black eyes…’ She shuddered and I squeezed her hand tight.
‘How long have you liked him?’ I asked her.
‘Forever. Like honestly, from the first time I saw him at the academy. Then when he stood up to Filis for me… I’ve not been able to think about anybody else since.’
‘Why don’t you tell him?’ I asked her.
She frowned at me.
‘He doesn’t like me back. He likes Roz.’ She pulled a face.
‘You don’t know that!’ I exclaimed. ‘How would you know unless you ask him?’
She shook her head emphatically.
‘No. He’s my best friend. What if it ruined everything?’
I bit my lip, thinking. She had a point. But surely Tak fancied her? I mean, she was kind and funny and smart, not to mention gorgeous. And they got on great.
‘Maybe you could try dropping some hints?’ I suggested.
‘Like what?’
‘Um, ask him if he’s into anybody at the moment. Tell him you’re waiting for somebody you know you can be friends with. That kind of thing.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Zali said, looking worried. ‘What if he’s not interested?’
‘Then at least you know, and you can turn your attention to a different sexy demigod,’ I grinned.
‘There are a few in this school,’ she smiled back.
‘There really are,’ I agreed.
‘And Professor Dasko…’ We both fell silent, a dreamy look on Zali’s face. ‘Professor Neos is hot too,’ she added, eventually. The demons red eyes flashed in my mind and I shifted uncomfortably.
‘Yeah,’ I muttered.
‘Well, I guess you only have eyes for Icarus now,’ Zali cooed. ‘You two are so cute.’
‘I wouldn’t describe Icarus as cute,’ I snorted.
‘You’re cute together.’
‘If you say so,’ I said with a smile.
We chatted a while longer, about boyfriends we’d had before coming to Olympus Academy, and before long Zali’s eyes were completely dry and she was yawning.
‘Time for bed,’ she said, and shuffled down under her blankets. ‘Thanks Dora. I’m going to think about what to say to Tak,’ she said as I stood up from the bed.
‘Good. Sleep well,’ I said.
At ten on the dot I was hovering in the shadows outside the Magical Objects classroom. I pressed myself against the building as I saw movement in the dim blue light, stepping forward again in relief when I recognized Icarus, his wings folded tight against his back. We didn’t speak as he reached me, just turned and hurried down to the classroom. I expected it to be locked but the handle turned and the door swung open. We crept in and closed it behind us. The room was instantly dark, now that no light was filtering down from the dome into the underground room any more. I summoned a small, shaky fireball and it cast flickering shadows across Icarus’s serious face.
‘Find a lamp,’ I whispered. ‘I can’t keep this up long and I don’t want to set fire to anything in here. Nix would not be pleased if we burned his feather,’ I muttered as Icarus hurried over to the big table in the middle of the room and began looking around for an oil lamp. He found one, and once it was lit, purple tinted light shone brightly around the room, illuminating the shelves of items clearly. I made my way to where Nix’s cushion lived.
‘Isn’t it a bit late for you to be in here?’ was the first thing the phoenix said to me.
‘Hello Nix,’ I said. ‘It’s sort of an emergency.’
‘I’m sure,’ he drawled. ‘This had better not be boy trouble.’
‘It’s not! I found out what the third demon is.’
‘What? How?’
I paused and I heard him groan mentally.
‘You spoke to the red demon, didn’t you?’
‘He spoke to me! But yeah. He says he’s a fire demon, trapped by Oceanus by mistake, and he wants to help us unite Titans and Olympians,’ I summarized quickly.
‘A fire demon? There’s no such thing,’ replied Nix.
‘Really?’ I said surprised. ‘Well, that’s what he said. And he’s really good with fire. He also said that the third demon is a Keres demon.’
The phoenix drew in a sharp breath, the sound clear in my head.
‘You’d know about it if you had one of those loose in the academy. Students would be dying.’
I said nothing, the sick feeling in my stomach returning.
‘Pandora…’ Nix said slowly. ‘Please tell me people aren’t dying.’
‘No. They’re not dying. But, um, there are two students missing their souls.’
‘Great Zeus, this is bad,’ the bird cursed. ‘You need to stop that demon. But it won’t be easy. And the souls will be lost to Hades forever.’
‘What? No! Neos said we can get the souls back, if we find Oceanus!’
‘Oceanus? He knows where he is?’ Excitement tinged the birds voice.
‘He claims he knows how to find him, yes. He gave me the ingredients to make a potion that would lure the death demon to us. He says that once he’s proven he can be trusted, he’ll tell me how to get to Oceanus.’
‘What were the ingredients?’ Nix asked. I told him quickly.‘That’s a potion of battle doom. It would draw a Keres demon to you sure enough,’ he muttered. Relief washed through me.
‘Is it true that Oceanus can get the stolen souls back from Hades?’
‘Oceanus is one of the most powerful ancient gods of all time. If anyone can, he can,’ said Nix. ‘He could also restore me to a new phoenix body.’
‘What? Really?’ Excitement pulsed through me. ‘That would be amazing!’
‘Hmm,’ grunted the bird. ‘It’s not easy to get the attention of a Titan though.’
‘If he’s trapped and I free him then he’ll owe me a favor! I promise I’ll ask him,’ I told Nix.
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ he muttered, but I was sure his voice had softened.
‘What’s a fire rafe?’ I asked him.
‘A very toxic plant that grows in underwater volcanoes. You won’t find any in the academy.’ My heart sank. ‘But… I remember you telling me about that highly cultivated aqua garden underneath the school…’
‘Yes! There are all sorts of plants where the cave was!’
‘Then look there. You’ll find a picture of it in any books about plants from Hephaestus’s realm, Scorpio.’
‘OK, thanks.’
‘And as for the armor rust, that will be kept somewhere in the school. It’s a very powerful, very dark ingredient. It’ll be locked up somewhere safe.’
‘Somewhere like the advanced tower?’
‘I imagine so, yes.’
‘Right. I’ll get on it,’ I said, standing up
.
‘Keep me informed,’ Nix answered, a departure from his usually more grumpy goodbye.
‘Will do. Bye Nix,’ I said, and placed the feather back on it’s cushion.
I relayed the conversation back to Icarus, who looked slightly less worried than he had before.
‘I guess if Nix says it sounds alright then it must be. He has no reason to lie to you.’
‘Exactly,’ I answered. ‘Now, do we sneak out into the ocean to look for the plant, or break into the advanced tower first?’
7
When Zali and I went down to breakfast the next morning the mood was quiet and tense, everybody chatting in hushed whispers again. It was as though nobody wanted to draw attention to themselves.
‘Morning,’ Tak said as we sat down opposite him. There was no sign of Icarus yet.
‘Is there any news about Alexsis?’ Gida asked, quickly.
‘Nothing from the girls dorms,’ Zali told him. He blew out a sigh.
‘Were you friends?’ I asked him.
‘Yeah. She’s been here a few years.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, after a pause.
‘Not your fault,’ the satyr said, looking glumly at his bowl of porridge. Guilt clenched at my stomach, my appetite vanishing.
‘Ah, Pandora,’ said a voice behind me. I turned to see Dasko standing there, arms bulging as he folded them. ‘Eat up, you’ve got extra lessons today.’
‘What?’ I stared at him. Extra lessons? It was Sunday.
‘Yep. I’ve got an idea about how we can harness some of your water power. I’m fed up of getting wet in class,’ he said with a smirk.
‘But, I have stuff I need to do today!’ I protested. The professor frowned at me.
‘Pandora, there is nothing you need to do more than get control of your power,’ he said, his voice low and serious. I looked nervously around at the other students, looking over curiously. I did not need them to think I was in danger of losing control.
‘Right. Sure,’ I said quickly.
‘Good. Meet me at the pool in half an hour.’
‘Gods, you’re so lucky!’ grinned Zali after he’d gone.
I groaned.
‘How do you figure that? I’ve got detention every day next week and now I have to spend Sunday in extra classes!’
‘Extra classes with Dasko! In the pool…’ She raised her eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes.
‘Why does everyone fancy him?’ grumbled Tak, covering his porridge in sugar. ‘He’s just a normal guy.’
I hung on to Taks words as I reached the pool a half hour later. Dasko was already in the water, shirtless and he really didn’t look like a normal guy to me. His back and arms bulged with muscles as he powered through the water in laps. I concentrated on the thought of Icarus. I thought about his beautifully intense green eyes and the feel of his stunning wings wrapped around me and all at once, I felt less intimidated by the gorgeous professor.
I slipped into the pool, the power of the water humming around me. When Dasko reached the pool edge he stood, pushing his wet hair from his face.
‘Ah,’ he said, when he saw me. ‘So, I thought we’d try something. Instead of trying to work with less water, maybe we should be trying with more. After all, what you did with that sea demon last semester was incredible.’
‘I had Icarus though,’ I told him. ‘We worked together.’
‘True,’ the teacher nodded, ‘but you were able to control the water.’
I thought about that.
‘There was a pretty strong motivation,’ I said, eventually.
‘Then give yourself a strong motivation now. What drives you, Pandora?’
‘Catching the demons and saving the stolen souls,’ I said, immediately.
Dasko frowned at me.
‘Half of what you’re saying I can understand. You want to catch the demons. But the second thing you’re saying in that Titan language that I can’t understand… Have you found something out?’
I nodded. Excitement filled his eyes.
‘That’s great! Now, take that drive, that need and make sure you use it. Remind yourself why you need to be able to control your power.’
‘OK,’ I said.
‘Move the water from this end of the pool to the other,’ Dasko instructed.
I merged my mind with the water, forcing it to flow away from us. It moved quickly, splashing up and over the edges of the pool.
‘Now hold it there,’ he said. I held the water still, but the longer I concentrated on being connected to it, the more its great, throbbing power grew in my mind. It roared and crashed and swelled and I couldn’t contain it.
‘Remember why you’re doing this!’ Dasko called as the shuddering mass of liquid teetered at the other end of the pool. Black onyx eyes filled my head. Wraith-like demons made of black smoke swirled around me, the crimson face leaping out at me. I had to be stronger to defeat them. I needed my power. Resolve tightened my grip on the churning power and the hovering water at the other end of the pool stilled.
‘That’s great! You can let it go now, but gently,’ said Dasko. I lessened my grip as slowly as I could, but then I lost it completely and the water crashed back down into the pool, splashing over both of us.
‘That was really good, Pandora,’ Dasko beamed at me, water dripping from his hair. ‘Now do it again.’
We practiced for hours, and it left me exhausted, but there was no doubt I was making progress. By the time I trudged up to my dorm to get washed up for dinner I was confident that I could hold all the water in the pool in place for a full five minutes. We had skipped lunch and I wolfed down a plate of pasta within minutes of plopping down next to my friends at the table.
‘Wow,’ said Tak, levitating a bowl of grated cheese towards himself. ‘You’re hungry.’
‘Uhuh,’ I grunted, still eating.
‘I can’t believe Dasko didn’t let you stop for lunch,’ grumbled Icarus beside me.
I swallowed my mouthful.
‘We were making good progress. Neither of us wanted to stop,’ I said.
Tiredness overwhelmed me almost as soon as the tables disappeared and the library shimmered into existence.
‘I looked through the Scorpio books today,’ Icarus said quietly to me as we made our way to our usual couch. ‘I couldn’t see any reference to a fire rafe.’
‘Oh. That’s disappointing,’ I said, on a yawn. ‘I’ll look some more tomorrow during my shelf-dusting detention,’ I scowled. ‘Right now though, I’m going to bed.’
‘OK. Well, good night.’ His intense eyes were full of concern and I gave him a smile.
‘Good night’ I said, and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. His wings rustled and he gave me a flicker of a smile.
I slept badly. Swirling black smoke and gleaming red eyes haunted my dreams and I woke every few hours drenched in cold sweat, unable to shift the image of my friends lifeless and still with solid black irises.
I was still yawning when I filed into the hauler with Icarus and Zali for flying class after breakfast. I was hoping that the crisp ocean air would wake me up, and I inhaled deeply when we reached the top of the tower, as I always did.
‘We have an obstacle course today, class!’ called Miss Alma. ‘Please saddle your steeds quickly and line up facing the first ring.’ We followed her pointing arm to where six big rings were hanging, suspended in the air over the frothing sea. I jogged to Peto’s stable right around the other side of the tower and he whinnied happily when he saw me.
‘Hey, boy,’ I said, and dragged the box over next to him to get him ready. He tucked his wings in to make it easier for me and a few minutes later we were lined up with nine other students. Icarus didn’t have a Pegasus. He stood on the edge of the platform, rocking on his heels, wings twitching and expanded behind him. I could almost feel how much he wanted to jump from the ledge.
‘I want you to fly through all six rings, lap the tower, then return here.’ Miss Alma peered at u
s all to make sure we’d understood, then snapped her fingers. All of the floating rings roared to life with flickering flames. I let out a little gasp, adrenaline starting to surge through me. I reached out for the power of the sea below me, and drew it into myself. Peto and I could win this. Icarus glanced up at me, a wicked glint in his eye. He wanted to win too. I leaned forwards in my saddle.
‘Go!’ shouted Miss Alma. Peto raced to the edge and leapt. That brief moment of weightlessness took my breath away, as it always did, then I heard the pegasus’s wings snapping taught and we were soaring towards the first ring. Peto had clearly done this before, because I barely needed to direct him. His head was jutted forwards, his wings beating hard as we closed in on the burning hoop. But Icarus was already there, his black wings gleaming with blue as he shot through the center of the first ring. Then I felt a jolt and we lurched to the side, towards the flames. Peto neighed as I realized what had happened. Kiko had deliberately crashed into us, and was now soaring easily through the hoop. I pulled on Peto’s reigns and we turned sharply just in time, staying inside the burning ring. I narrowed my eyes and raced after the laughing blonde girl. She made it through the next two rings before me, Icarus still out in front, but there was a long gap between the third and fourth ring and I knew I could catch her. I spurred Peto on, shouting encouragements and we picked up speed. My hair whipped around my face as we dove towards the fourth ring, lower than the others. Kiko’s laugh cut off abruptly as we sailed past her, flying through the fiery ring ahead of her.
‘Yeah!’ I cheered, hearing Peto whinny back. Now to catch Icarus. An ear splitting screech cut through my little celebration. I jerked my head around towards the noise and stared wide-eyed. Kiko was hovering above her Pegasus, body shaking and head thrown back. Horror filled me as I realized what was about to happen next.
‘Peto, come on!’ I urged the pegasus around and raced towards Kiko, as her limp body began to fall through the sky. But she was falling too fast. A black streak beneath me caught my eye and I realized with a bolt of hope that it was Icarus. He crashed into Kiko, and my heart almost stopped beating as they tumbled through the sky together. I thought desperately about how I could use the water to break their fall but if Kiko was unconscious she would drown. Then Icarus’s wings spread wide, and he was moving up again, Kiko limp in his arms. Eight other pegasus and their riders galloped through the air, the first rider to reach him helping to lay her body across the white pegasus’s back.
