She didn’t want to stress about not finding her necklace anymore, so she distracted herself by thinking about her Ancient History class yesterday, where the memory ball had shown her the creation of the human races. Like her Ancient History classes from last week, Hailey had found Amathia’s memories both fascinating and terrifying.
It had been incredible watching Zeus create the Silver Race—the second group of humans. It had been equally disturbing watching him and the other gods destroy them with a shower of fireballs for refusing to worship their makers.
From their destruction, Zeus had created the Bronze Race: a very violent race who had been more interested in killing each other than worshipping the gods. Hailey had watched them scream for help as they’d drowned in the flood sent by Zeus and Poseidon.
Those memories of the gods killing Hailey’s would-be ancestors without remorse were enough for her to see how sadistic and cruel they’d been. Although Hailey didn’t see the depth of their malevolence until Zeus created her ancestors—the Iron Race.
Prometheus, the Titan who had created the Golden Race—the first humans, who’d been killed during the war between the gods and Titans—helped Zeus create the fourth race. To the gods, Hailey’s ancestors had been slaves.
She had seen glimpses of them torturing and killing humans for revenge and personal entertainment. She was grateful that the memory ball had blocked her emotions about the memories. Otherwise, she would have been haunted by the screams of the gods’ victims, like Actaeon, a poor hunter who had accidentally wandered upon Artemis bathing in a stream. Infuriated, Artemis had transformed him into a stag and commanded his hunting dogs to chase him.
Hailey found it ironic that her ancestors, the very beings the gods had created to amplify their powers, had ended up killing their makers and taking their powers. Had they really thought they could treat humans like slaves and get away with it?
She didn’t understand why the gods hadn’t destroyed them and created a new race of humans as they’d done before. Someone had asked Amathia that question, but she hadn’t known the answer. Instead, she’d told them her theory on how she believed the gods had seen launching a war with humans as less effort than creating more.
It was a good theory, but Hailey wasn’t completely convinced. Why risk death out of laziness? Though, she supposed the gods had believed they’d win the Great Battle. Arrogance was their downfall.
Hailey stopped suddenly. The door to Amathia’s classroom stood ajar, which meant she was probably inside. Amathia seemed nice and all, but the thought of being alone with her was daunting—what do you say to an immortal creature who’s lived for centuries?
She couldn’t come back later though. She needed her necklace—needed to know that she hadn’t lost the last thing her dad had ever given her. She walked the few extra steps to the door and reached up to knock when she heard voices drifting from the room. She dropped her hand and leaned forward, turning her head so she could hear the conversation. It wasn’t eavesdropping exactly, just listening to make sure she wasn’t about to interrupt a meeting.
‘How can you allow her to reside here, Amathia, when you know of her powers?’ a voice Hailey didn’t recognise demanded. ‘If you don’t rid the palace of these power-thieving humans yourself, then I will exterminate every last one, with the help of our sisters.’
‘You would not harm them, Nemertes.’
‘Then you don’t know me very well, sister.’
Hailey tuned out, her mind trying to comprehend what she’d heard. Did a nymph just threaten to kill her and everyone else at the Academy? That couldn’t be possible. Nymphs were innocent creatures who wouldn’t hurt a flower—at least that’s how the stories Hailey had read portrayed them.
Sure, Amathia had said her sisters weren’t happy about the palace becoming a school and not to go near them, but Hailey thought that was because they were wary of humans, not because they were Tartarus-bent on murdering them.
What was Hailey meant to do now? Running back to her dorm and telling Demi what she’d heard sounded like a good idea, but if she did that then she wouldn’t know what the nereid trying to kill everyone looked like. How do you avoid someone you don’t recognise?
She needed to see who this Nemertes was, and that meant sneaking a peek. Hailey sucked in a breath and peered around the door. White light flooded the room.
The light vanished, and Hailey found herself underwater, the tang of salt flooding her nostrils. In the distance, Poseidon’s Academy drifted through the water, gleaming like a jewel. What in Tartarus? Where was she? A tornado of water whirled before her and then vanished, leaving behind a man clutching a gold trident.
Poseidon?! Hailey gaped and then realised she was in a memory. But whose memory? Amathia’s? Why?
A gash extended from Poseidon’s elbow to his wrist, oozing ichor into the water, tingeing it gold. Hailey reached for his arm. ‘You’re wounded,’ she said, her voice ringing clear into the water.
Poseidon snatched his arm from her reach. ‘Listen to me, Nemertes.’ Guess it’s not Amathia’s memory. ‘I do not have much time. The battle is lost. My race is dying.’
Hailey shook her head. ‘No. The gods cannot be defeated. Especially by humans,’ she spat the last word as though it were poison.
‘Zeus has a plan to save the Olympians, but it requires someone loyal to us to succeed.’
Nemertes didn’t hesitate. ‘What do I need to do?’
‘When—’ Poseidon doubled over and roared with pain.
‘Poseidon!’ Hailey rushed forward, but he shoved her back.
‘When humans are weak enough to be ruled again go to Olympus,’ he growled through gritted teeth. ‘You will know what to do when you arrive.’
‘I am a spirit bound by the earth. It’s impossible for me to enter the sky.’
‘Find a way,’ Poseidon snapped. ‘Ask your sisters for help, but tell no one else of our survival.’
Hailey nodded. ‘I will not fail you, my love.’
White light enveloped the sea. Hailey retreated from the door the second the world reformed, and pressed her back against the wall, jewels and seashells digging into her skin.
‘I hope that memory reminded you of our task,’ Nemertes’s voice drifted from the room. ‘We need to bring back the gods, and Poseidon will not stand for his palace being a school.’
‘The gods need to stay dead, Nemertes,’ Amathia retorted. ‘This is not their world anymore.’
Hailey’s mind was spinning. The Olympians survived the Great Battle? They couldn’t have. If the gods had survived then humans wouldn’t have their powers. The only god powers no one has are Hades’s and Persephone’s, and that’s only because they would have been in the Underworld when they died, so their powers never would have fallen from the sky.
Maybe Zeus’s plan didn’t work, and the Olympians did die. Poseidon did look ready to drop dead in Nemertes’s memory. He probably returned to Olympus with the other gods and faded into non-existence before Zeus’s plan could work. Yes, that must’ve been what happened. It was the only explanation that made sense to Hailey.
And as for Nemertes, Hailey figured she probably hadn’t worked out the truth yet, since it wasn’t like Poseidon could’ve gone back and told her not to worry about the plan because he was going to die after all.
Hailey relaxed a little, at least enough that her legs no longer felt like giving out. She shoved away from the wall, wanting to get as far away from Amathia’s classroom as possible.
‘Did you hear that?’
Hailey froze when she heard Nemertes’s voice. Uh oh. Her legs tensed, ready to bolt. But her running footsteps would definitely get heard and be an obvious giveaway to her eavesdropping. She didn’t want to risk Nemertes hunting her down. If she knocked on Amathia’s door and asked about her necklace, Nemertes might believe she hadn’t heard or seen anything.
Hailey didn’t give herself a chance to change her mind. She raised her fist and lightly knocked on the
ajar door.
‘Come in,’ Amathia called.
Hailey put on a calm façade and pushed the door open. Her eyes immediately found Nemertes looming beside Amathia’s desk. Being a nymph meant she was beautiful, with the same flawless skin Amathia had, and dark wavy hair. Her green eyes cast a venomous glare towards Hailey, who gulped and waited for the nereid to lunge or accuse her of spying.
Amathia rose from behind her desk. ‘Hailey, what brings you to my classroom so early?’
Hailey touched her bare neck. ‘I lost my necklace. I thought it might’ve fallen off here. I can come back later though.’ She took a half-step back.
‘No, now is fine. Nemertes was about to leave.’
‘We will finish this conversation later.’ Nemertes shot Hailey a final glare before stalking past her and slamming the door.
‘I apologise for my sister’s surliness,’ Amathia said, looking tired, which was odd because nereids didn’t require sleep.
‘It’s all right. I remember you saying your sisters weren’t happy about the palace being a school.’
Amathia opened a drawer in her desk and held up Hailey’s necklace. ‘Is this what you were searching for?’
Hailey’s body sagged with relief. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said, crossing the room and placing it back around her neck, promising herself to never let it out of her sight again.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Amathia remarked, closing the drawer. ‘A very talented Hephaestus must have created it.’
Hailey touched the heart pendant. ‘Yes, he was very talented.’ She ignored the jolt of pain through her chest.
She stared at Amathia for a second, unsure of what to do next. Should she tell her what she’d seen and heard? Amathia had told Nemertes she didn’t want the gods back, so that made Hailey think she could trust her. But what if Amathia let it slip to Nemertes that Hailey had been eavesdropping? Nemertes might hunt her down and kill her before she could warn anyone about what she’d seen.
It’s safer not to say anything, Hailey decided. ‘I guess I’ll go now.’
Amathia glided from behind her desk before Hailey could move. ‘You’re a Zeus, if I’m not mistaken.’
Hailey chewed her lip. Amathia didn’t seem like the type of teacher to quiz her about how advanced her powers were, but she’d misjudged people before. ‘I am.’
‘This is an odd place for a Zeus. Why, may I ask, have you come somewhere that you can’t use your powers?’
‘Because I didn’t want to miss out on coming here,’ Hailey told the usual lie. ‘This palace is worth giving up my powers for.’
Amathia stared at her so intently Hailey thought she might possess x-ray vision. ‘Is that the true reason?’
Hailey crossed her arms, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. No one had ever questioned her motives before. She opened her mouth to say yes, but the way Amathia was staring made her think she’d know she was lying. Hailey dropped her arms and decided it would be nice to tell the truth for once.
‘I hate being a Zeus. I don’t like the way people think I’m something special, or how they expect me to have complete control over my powers and be able to do anything they ask. I feel like I’m constantly disappointing everyone. So, I came here to escape from the sky, and the pressure that comes with it,’ the words came out in a rush.
Amathia nodded her head, her face impassive. ‘It’s understandable why you feel that way. However, hiding will not solve your predicament. You can’t stay down here forever, Hailey. You will have to return to the surface eventually. But I daresay your powers will have you yearning for the sky long before the holidays arrive.’
Hailey felt like she’d been hit with a fireball. Coming to Poseidon’s Academy had always seemed like the way to solve her problems. She’d never thought about how her powers would react to not being used.
Once she’d watched a documentary about the effect wearing neutralising bracelets had on criminals. The interviewer had asked fifteen inmates how the bracelets made them feel, and they’d all given the same answer: as though their powers were trapped inside them, and if they didn’t use them soon, they’d explode.
Hailey had assumed that trapped feeling was a side effect of the bracelets, but what if it wasn’t? What if it was because they weren’t using their powers? Would she feel like she was going to explode after a few weeks of no sky?
‘I’ve upset you.’ Amathia’s turquoise-coloured eyes softened with sympathy. ‘That was not my intention.’
‘No, I’m okay. I just never thought about what being here would do to my powers.’
‘One cannot hide from their destiny.’
Ugh, she hated that word. Amathia sounded like the teachers who believed she’d been born to fulfil the prophecy and defeat the gods. The gods… Poseidon. The memory swirled back into her head. What if the gods are alive? What if Nemertes does bring them back? Everyone would look to her to stop them.
Hailey’s legs swayed beneath her, and she gripped the scallop-shell chair beside her to keep from falling.
‘Are you all right?’
‘Uh huh,’ Hailey muttered, and reminded herself Poseidon’s plan had failed. But she wanted to hear it from Amathia. ‘Do you think the gods are dead? They have to be, right? Otherwise no one would have their powers.’
‘There is no need to worry, Hailey. The gods will not return.’
Hailey exhaled. The gods are dead.
‘I think I have kept you here long enough. Perhaps you should return to your dorm and change into your uniform.’
Hailey glanced down and blushed, crossing her arms over her t-shirt. She’d forgotten she was in her PJs and bare feet. ‘Yeah, good idea,’ she said and darted from the room, racing back through the hallways.
She needed to tell her friends what had happened before classes started so she could work out what to do about it. But what could she do about it? she pondered, climbing up the stairs. Warn the other students the nereids wanted them all dead? That would probably end with everyone laughing at her and calling her crazy. Hopefully her friends would have a better idea.
Hailey dashed up the off-shoot staircase and into the common room, where a few students lounged in chairs, working on late homework. She strode past them to the girls’ dormitories, hurrying down to her dorm.
‘Demi, you need to wake up,’ Hailey said to her sleeping dorm mate while changing into her uniform.
Demi half-opened her eyes. ‘The conch shell hasn’t gone off yet.’
‘I know, but I need to tell you something really important.’ Hailey yanked on her socks and shoes.
‘Tell me later.’
‘No, it can’t wait. Please.’
Demi groaned and forced herself to sit up. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘It’ll be quicker if I tell you and the boys together,’ she said, opening the door. ‘I’ll wake up Alec and Aaron. Get dressed and meet me in Jayden’s dorm.’
‘Hailey, you’re scaring me.’
‘Just get dressed.’
Hailey headed back to the common room where she stopped, glancing at the studying students. Her strolling into the boys’ dormitories wasn’t something they’d miss. And if they told Madam Grayson, Hailey would end up with a detention—and probably a lecture too. But the thought of waiting twenty minutes for the boys to come out was torturous.
She decided to take her chances—6.40am is too early for snitching—and headed for the boys’ dormitories. She breathed a sigh of relief when she opened the door and stepped into the hallway without anyone yelling at her to stop.
Jayden had told her his dorm was at the very end on the left, and Alec and Aaron’s was next to his, which meant she didn’t have to waste time reading names on doors. She crept down to Alec and Aaron’s door and lifted her fist to knock. And then hesitated. Her knocking might wake up someone who would go to Madam Grayson in revenge.
The boys are probably asleep anyway. Hailey twisted the pearl handle and scooted inside, immediately regretting her decisio
n not to knock. Aaron was shirtless and doing sit-ups beside his bed, among crumpled clothes and scattered textbooks, while Alec relaxed on his own neatly-made bed, reading a thick book entitled Mysteries of the Peloponnese.
‘I’m so sorry. I thought you’d be asleep.’ Hailey lowered her eyes to the pearl floor, blushing.
Aaron sprang to his feet. ‘What’s wrong? Has something happened?’
‘Is it Demi?’ Alec asked, dropping his book.
Hailey shook her head, her eyes still on the floor. ‘Demi’s fine. I’ll tell you what happened in Jayden’s dorm—maybe put a shirt on,’ she added to Aaron before opening the door in the opposite wall.
Demi was already inside and forcing a groggy Jayden out of bed. ‘What’s all this about?’ he yawned, throwing his legs over the side of his mattress.
‘Everyone should sit down first,’ Hailey said, perching on the empty bed across from Jayden. It probably wasn’t necessary for them to sit, but in the movies people always said that before revealing something big.
Once Demi had settled down next to Jayden, and Alec and Aaron had joined Hailey on the other bed, she told them everything she’d heard—minus the bit about the memory ball. Hailey believed Poseidon’s plan had failed and that the gods were dead, so there was no point in telling her friends otherwise.
Hailey took in her friends’ facial expressions when she finished talking. All signs of sleep had fled from Jayden, who looked as if he’d found out his powers were regressing. Demi appeared disappointed, more than anything. Aaron sat alert, his eyes shifting to the door, as though he expected Nemertes to burst in. And Alec furrowed his brow, deep in thought.
Demi hugged Jayden’s pillow. ‘This is terrible. If the nereids try to kill us, Amathia might shut down the Academy.’
Hailey raised an eyebrow. ‘I think dying is a little more terrible than Poseidon’s Academy shutting down.’
Demi shrugged. ‘I guess.’
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