Poseidon's Academy Box Set

by Sarah A Vogler

  ‘I did do a pretty good job of breaking your seaweed bindings, didn’t I?’ Alec said, puffing up with a proud smile. ‘How did it feel losing to me, Aaron?’

  Aaron didn’t answer. He was staring around the grounds as if searching for a threat. Hailey frowned, wondering what he was looking for.

  ‘Aaron.’ Jayden nudged him.

  He flinched. ‘What?’

  ‘Seriously, what is with you?’ Demi asked. ‘Is there a monster incoming that you’re not telling us about?’

  ‘Don’t be stupid. I’m just tired.’ He flicked his eyes around the grounds one more time before saying, ‘Let’s go inside.’

  ‘Yep, it’s homework time,’ Alec declared.

  ‘More like copying homework time for me,’ Demi said.

  ‘I’m not letting you copy my homework this year,’ Alec argued as the five of them headed towards the front of the palace. ‘You won’t learn anything.’

  Hailey tuned out Alec and Demi’s argument and lagged behind with Aaron. ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ He’d been acting so weird lately—jumpy and quiet. She was beginning to wonder if the potion had worn off on him, too, and if he was remembering the horrors of the Underworld. Maybe she wasn’t so weak after all.

  ‘I told you, I’m just tired.’

  Hailey had a feeling he was lying, but she didn’t want to push him, not while the others were there. She’d bring it up again with him later and hope she wasn’t alone in her Underworld nightmares.

  ***

  Hailey lay in bed, staring up at the sea-silk canopy draping from the ceiling, her stomach twisted in knots. It was 6am. The obstacle course race would start in three hours. Thanks to the stupid race, her dreams had featured fire-breathing hydras and pits squirming with poison-spitting snakes. She doubted the obstacles would be that difficult—although she had heard a rumour that the very first obstacle course race had featured scorpions. The obstacles weren’t what Hailey was really afraid of though. It was the island.

  Her mind kept flashing back to last year when she’d been stranded on “Killer Island”, battling monster after monster. Amathia had assured everyone there weren’t any monsters on the island they’d be heading to today, but she still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in her stomach. And the fact that she had to be on a team with Venus was only making things worse. If a monster did miraculously appear, she wouldn’t put it past Venus to shove Hailey in its path.

  Hailey sighed and climbed out of bed, dressing in her sportswear—midnight blue shorts and a light blue polo shirt. She shoved her feet into her runners and tiptoed past Demi, who was lightly snoring under her duvet. She slipped into the hallway, deciding it was time to visit the one place that always calmed her: the stable.

  She headed through the common room. The study half—with its clamshell chairs, polished-coral desks, and enormous bookcase—was empty. A few students were in the casual half of the common room, reading books in armchairs and on floor pillows—one student even sat on the sofa in front of the crackling fire, watching the blue-tinged flames.

  A couple of the students glanced at Hailey, but didn’t say anything as she snuck down the stairs. Technically, students weren’t allowed in the stable without a teacher’s permission, but Hailey liked to go there whenever she was stressed or needed space.

  She’d originally started hiding there last year when people had begun pestering her about her powers. Thankfully, everyone left her alone now, knowing that no matter how much they begged her, she wouldn’t entertain them with a shower of rainbow snowflakes, or whatever other weird weather concoction they wanted to see.

  She was also eager to see Rain: a pegacorn she and her friends had rescued last year.

  Hailey descended into the entryway and wandered through the left archway, weaving through a maze of hallways before coming to a set of double doors. She pushed them open, the salty air engulfing her. Inside the stable were twelve mother-of-pearl stalls, each with a polished-coral trough filled with sea-water.

  ‘Hello everyone,’ Hailey greeted the eight sea-horses who lived here. They were the same size as a normal horse, but that was where the similarities ended. These horses looked magical, each of them having a blue mane and tail, and skin covered in iridescent blue scales.

  ‘Hi, Hailey.’

  Hailey’s heart leapt into her throat when someone popped up from the end stall on the right. Her shoulders relaxed when she recognised the thick golden-brown hair belonged to Kendra, an Artemis who often came to the stable to talk to the horses.

  ‘I didn’t mean to scare you,’ Kendra apologised, coming out of the stall.

  ‘It’s all right. I came to visit Rain.’ Hailey peered past Kendra to Rain’s stall, where the pegacorn’s head was hanging over the gate. ‘She’s huge.’ The dried seaweed covering the floor crunched under Hailey’s shoes as she walked towards Rain, who was now the same size as the other horses. But no one could confuse her for a horse. A gold horn protruded from the middle of her head, and feathered wings hugged her sides.

  ‘Yeah, I couldn’t believe it myself. I think she’s done growing now though.’

  Rain whinnied and shook her gold mane. Hailey glanced at Kendra for a translation.

  ‘She says she missed you.’

  ‘I missed you too.’ Hailey ran a hand over the pegacorn’s snow white fur.

  ‘I was just leaving. I’ll see you later.’ Kendra waved goodbye to Hailey, the stable doors clicking closed behind her as she left.

  ‘It looks like we’re all alone,’ Hailey said, right before the sea-horses whinnied for some attention too. ‘Well, almost alone. Just let me say hi to the others and then I’ll come back,’ she told Rain, and quickly gave the sea-horses a pat before shuffling into Rain’s stall, where hay covered the floor. ‘Amathia finally got you some hay instead of dried seaweed, I bet you like that better.’

  Rain snorted and nodded as Hailey dropped into the corner. ‘Well, here’s the latest,’ Hailey began as the pegacorn lay down on all fours in front of her. She told Rain about how Madam Grayson was forcing her to compete in a stupid obstacle course today with three people she despised. Rain stared at her the entire time, her big gold eyes locked on to Hailey, like she was listening to her every word.

  Some of the anger and fear Hailey felt about the obstacle course race lifted by the time she finished, and she stroked the bridge of Rain’s nose. ‘I should probably go,’ she said. The obstacle race would be starting soon, and as much as Hailey wanted to stay in the stable and hide until the whole thing was over, she didn’t want to abandon her friends. Plus she imagined Madam Grayson would be beyond furious, and might make Hailey wear a neutralising bracelet for the rest of the year. ‘Thanks for listening.’

  Rain whinnied again, and Hailey liked to think it was her way of saying ‘any time’.

  Hailey climbed to her feet, swiping hay off the back of her legs, before exiting the stall. She latched the gate behind her and turned to leave, almost smacking heads with Nemertes.

  4

  The Conch Shell Sounds

  ‘Why are you here?’ Nemertes hissed. The five nereids behind her glared, their eyes radiating hate.

  Hailey’s fingertips tingled. Not that her powers could help her in here. ‘I was visiting Rain,’ she replied, keeping her voice steady, which wasn’t easy considering she was petrified. She wouldn’t put it past the nereids to kill her.

  ‘Get out,’ Nemertes snarled.

  Hailey wanted to run as fast and far away as possible. But she didn’t want to give Nemertes the satisfaction of seeing how terrified she was. Instead, she said in an even voice, ‘I was leaving anyway,’ and strode past Nemertes and her posse, feeling their eyes boring into her back as she left.

  As soon as she was free from their gaze, she sprinted through the maze of hallways, afraid Nemertes might change her mind and come after her.

  She stopped to catch her breath in the entryway before climbing up the left staircase. The nereids taking the hors
es out wasn’t a good sign; that’s what they’d done last year when they’d been plotting how to kill everyone, which was probably what they were planning to try again. And the worst part was Amathia couldn’t follow them because she had to watch the race.

  This is bad. Very bad.

  Hailey rushed down to her dorm, where Demi was looking into the mirror above her chest of drawers tying her hair into a ponytail. ‘There you are,’ she said, and then her eyes narrowed. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘I was in – the stable – and the nereids – came in,’ Hailey puffed out.

  ‘Did they hurt you? If they did, I’ll kill them.’

  ‘No. They let me – go. But I’d bet my powers – they’re off plotting how to kill everyone again – and wake up the gods.’

  ‘I knew those psycho nereids wouldn’t give up so easily. Come on, we need to tell the boys.’

  Hailey followed Demi back to the common room, where students were flopped onto armchairs and sofas, yawning. Jayden, Alec, and Aaron were easy to spot in their sportswear, standing in the corner closest to the fireplace.

  ‘Hailey needs to tell you something,’ Demi said to the boys.

  ‘What?’ Jayden prompted.

  Hailey stared around nervously; she didn’t want anyone else to overhear. ‘I saw the nereids in the stable. I think they’re using the distraction of the obstacle course race to plan our deaths without Amathia following them.’

  ‘I thought Amathia spoke to them about not doing anything like this again,’ Alec said, seeming a little disappointed, showing off his naivety in thinking the nereids were capable of change.

  Aaron scoffed. ‘You really thought they’d listen? Amathia should have booted them into the sea. Letting them stay here was just stupid.’

  Hailey had to agree with him on that part. Amathia should have banished them last year when they’d tried waking up the gods—Tartarus, she should have banished them the first time they threatened to kill all of the students. Amathia seems to think that as long as they don’t actually kill a student, they should be allowed to stay. Ridiculous.

  ‘So what’s the plan?’ Demi asked. ‘Ditch the race and tail them?’

  ‘What’s this? Talking strategy without us?’

  Venus and the twins stood with hands on hips, their hair in matching pigtails.

  ‘Not now, Venus,’ Hailey snapped.

  ‘Go away.’ Demi waved a hand at them as if shooing away a fly.

  ‘No one tells me what to do,’ Venus replied. ‘I don’t want to do this stupid race either, but I do want that sapphire tiara.’

  Jayden frowned. ‘Sapphire tiara? What are you talking about?’

  Venus smiled slyly. ‘Oh, Madam Grayson told the twins and me that if we finished the race, we’d each get a sapphire tiara.’

  Alec scratched his head. ‘She never said anything to us about a prize.’

  Venus shrugged. ‘I guess she doesn’t think you deserve one since you started the fight.’

  Hailey gritted her teeth. ‘Go away, Venus. We’re doing something important here.’

  ‘Get to the grounds. The race starts soon,’ Venus growled before strutting away with the twins.

  ‘Well that’s unfair. I want a tiara,’ Demi whined.

  ‘Who cares about a tiara,’ Hailey said. ‘We need to sort out the nereids.’

  ‘I think we should go to the grounds.’ Alec bit his lip, gazing around nervously as if he thought Madam Grayson might suddenly appear and yell at them for even considering abandoning the race. ‘I don’t want to get into more trouble.’

  ‘The nereids are more important,’ Hailey contradicted.

  ‘No, Alec’s right,’ Jayden said. ‘Dealing with the nereids will have to wait, since we can’t follow them into the water. I say we do the race, then work something out afterwards.’

  ‘But—’ Demi began.

  ‘Do you want to wear a neutralising bracelet?’ Jayden asked. ‘Because that’s what’ll happen if we don’t show up.’

  Demi shook her head and protectively clutched her wrists to her chest. ‘No.’

  Hailey looked at Aaron. ‘What do you think?’

  Aaron shrugged, as if he didn’t care either way, which made no sense to Hailey, since he was the one who’d made a big deal about spying on the nereids last year. ‘I think we should deal with this race first.’

  ‘Fine,’ Hailey gave in. She was clearly outvoted. ‘Let’s go.’

  She wasn’t thrilled about letting the nereids run off to plot the school’s demise, but Jayden was right about them not being able to actually do anything. Although they could wait by the stable and hope the nereids let something slip when they came back from the sea. But the chances of the nereids catching them was pretty high, and Hailey doubted Nemertes would let her go unharmed a second time. Besides, they were probably only making plans, which meant Hailey would have time to work them out later. It wasn’t like the nereids were heading off to retrieve a bomb—at least she hoped they weren’t.

  Hailey and her friends entered the grounds, fighting their way through the horde of students—it seemed the entire school was outside. She broke through the crowd and expected to find some elaborate obstacle, but the grounds appeared normal, except for sixteen trees near the edge of the grounds that each had two seaweed ropes tied around them. The ropes extended across the sea, towards an island that floated about sixty yards away. Hailey gulped. Please tell me we don’t have to climb across those.

  ‘Participants, gather here,’ Master Anderson bellowed, standing in front of an aquamarine tree with seaweed rope tied to it.

  Hailey and her friends joined the pack of competitors and grudgingly stood next to Venus and the twins. Sixteen groups were competing. From what Hailey could see, the smallest group had five people, and the largest fourteen. Most were older students, with the exception of a few second years, and even fewer first years.

  ‘I need everyone to take a necklace from this box.’ Master Anderson dumped a small wooden chest at his feet that made a clink as it hit the diamond ground.

  ‘I’ll get them for us,’ Jayden offered.

  ‘On each of the necklaces is a conch shell, which has been shrunken by a Hecate to make it lighter,’ Master Anderson explained. ‘Should you decide to quit the race, blow on the conch and someone will return you here. But remember, you’ve entered this race as teams, so if one member quits the race, your whole team forfeits.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Hailey said when Jayden handed her a necklace, which was just a piece of knotted string with a conch the size of a hermit-crab shell tied to it.

  ‘Gross, I don’t want to wear that thing.’ Venus crossed her arms, refusing to take the necklace from Jayden. The twins followed her example.

  ‘Good,’ Aaron said. ‘That means we can abandon you in a snake pit and feel assured no one will rescue you.’

  ‘Fine. I’ll take the stupid shell.’ Venus snatched it from Jayden, the twins doing the same, acting as if they didn’t have the capacity to think for themselves.

  ‘Okay, now that you’ve all got your necklaces, let’s discuss the race,’ Master Anderson said. ‘Your objective is to finish the course. In order to do so, you’ll face several obstacles, where you’ll need to work as a team and use your powers to pass through each one. Teams will be spread out to avoid clashes. As you already know, the obstacle course takes place on an island designed for this race. That means there are no monsters, and we have implemented safety measures to ensure no one dies.’ Master Anderson smirked, and a few students laughed nervously. ‘But if you do get hurt, there are Asclepiuses standing by,’ he added. ‘Okay, your first obstacle starts here. Each team needs to climb across the ropes to get to the Isle of Trials.’

  ‘I was hoping he wouldn’t say that,’ Hailey mumbled.

  ‘I can’t get my hair wet.’ Venus held her curls protectively. ‘This isn’t going to work.’ She lifted the conch shell towards her mouth.

  Aaron grabbed her hand. ‘Don’t you dare.�
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  ‘Calm down. I know what to do—and it doesn’t involve us getting wet,’ Demi said.

  ‘Everyone find a tree and wait for the conch shell before beginning,’ Master Anderson instructed.

  ‘You better have a good plan,’ Venus warned Demi as they ambled towards an emerald tree a few feet away.

  ‘Welcome to Poseidon’s Academy’s Third Biennial Obstacle Course Race.’ Amathia stood in front of the palace’s entrance, her voice ringing clear across the grounds. ‘Madam Norwood, Master Anderson, and I have designed these games to test your powers and ability to work as a team. Some of the obstacles you face may seem dangerous, but I promise we have taken measures to ensure your safety. And, as Master Anderson said, if you want to resign from the race, simply blow on your conch shell. I wish you all the best of luck. Begin.’

  Master Anderson blew into a regular-sized conch shell, the sound bellowing across the sea and sending the teams into a frenzy.

  Demi reached her hand towards the emerald tree. A shudder tore through it, its coral trunk vibrating as it shrank down several feet. The bottom seaweed rope tied to it now rested on the diamond ground, and the upper one was at head height. Venus pushed forward.

  Demi shoved her back. ‘You and the twins go last.’

  ‘Why? So you can leave us behind?’

  ‘I wish,’ Demi said. ‘But then you’d run to Madam Grayson.’

  ‘Enough,’ Jayden chided. He stepped onto the seaweed rope and grabbed the other piece of rope above his head.

  Alec and Aaron followed his example.

  Venus put her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently. ‘So can we go on now?’ she asked once Hailey and Demi had positioned themselves on the rope.

  ‘Sure,’ Demi said, and lifted her arm, growing the tree up high enough that Venus couldn’t reach the bottom rope.

  Hailey wobbled on the seaweed, which felt so flimsy she was positive it would snap. Alec must’ve felt the same way, because his face paled. Hailey swallowed her nerves and clung tighter to the rope above her so that if the one beneath her snapped, she wouldn’t fall and break her neck.