Jayden basically had to wrestle Venus to get her hand.
Tingles spread through Hailey’s body and the world spun, mixing into a smear of greens, blues, and yellows that reformed into the palace’s grounds, where students cheered and threw potion vials into the air. They exploded into a shower of sparkling fireworks.
Madam Grayson strode towards them from the crowd of teachers standing near the trees with seaweed rope wrapped around them. ‘Well done on finishing. You’re all still alive, so that’s a good sign.’
‘Where’s my tiara?’
‘There is no tiara, Venus.’
‘What? You lied! You can’t lie, you’re a teacher.’
‘Let’s call it misleading you. You needed an incentive to finish the race. Otherwise, you would have given up at the first obstacle, so I led you to believe there’d be a prize.’
‘But—’ Venus sputtered.
‘I’m still happy to offer up neutralising bracelets, if you’re interested.’
‘No,’ Venus said quickly.
Hailey suppressed a laugh; it was nice to know Venus wouldn’t be getting what she wanted after all.
7
Spying Again
Hailey stood back in the lantern-lit cavern from the obstacle course race, peering down the six tunnels. ‘Hello,’ she called out. ‘Demi? Jayden? Anyone?’
‘I’m here.’
Hailey whirled around, her breath catching. Hades. Hailey shook her head, backing away from him. ‘No. We put you back to sleep. You’re trapped in Tartarus.’
‘But you are in Tartarus.’ He nudged his head behind Hailey.
She spun around and almost collapsed when she saw jewels trapped inside the rock walls and a myriad of tunnels. ‘No!’ she cried. ‘I don’t want to be here. Let me go. Please!’ she begged.
‘Too late,’ Hades said, right before lightning stuck the ground and Zeus materialised.
Hailey’s eyes flew open before Zeus could strike her. I’m safe. I’m in my bed. The gods are dead, she told herself over and over again until her racing heart slowed, and then she remembered the nereids being in the stable. How could she have forgotten about the nereids? That stupid race had completely distracted her and made her too tired to even remember them after she’d returned to the palace.
Furious at herself, Hailey leapt out of bed. The nereids had already had too much time to devise a plan to resurrect the gods, and she wouldn’t let them have any more. The sun was rising, its rays making the crystal doors of the window sparkle with rainbows, so she didn’t feel too bad about shaking Demi awake.
‘Go away,’ Demi groused, feebly trying to push Hailey back.
‘No, Demi. You need to get up.’
‘Why?’ she grumbled, keeping her eyes firmly shut.
‘Because we forgot to sort out the nereid issue yesterday.’
‘So? It can wait a few more hours.’
Hailey bit her lip. Yeah, it probably could wait a few more hours, considering they’d given the nereids a whole day to plan in private. And Amathia was no longer supervising a race, so could keep an eye on her sisters. But that didn’t settle Hailey’s nerves. She blamed the nightmare for that. It had reminded her that the gods could return, especially if the nereids were allowed to enact whatever plan they had in the works. And she absolutely refused to let that happen.
‘It can’t wait,’ Hailey said to Demi, who must have sensed the urgency in her tone, because she stopped arguing.
‘Fine,’ she gave in, finally opening her eyes. ‘But I’m going back to sleep after.’
‘Thank you.’ Hailey slipped into the hallway and headed for the common room, while Demi trailed behind her, yawning.
A few students sat by the fire, far too absorbed in their conversation to notice Hailey and Demi creeping towards the boys’ dormitories.
Hailey pushed the door open and smacked into Brennan.
‘Sorry,’ Hailey stammered, her face growing warm.
Brennan’s eyes widened with surprise. Hailey guessed he didn’t bump into many girls in the boys’ dormitories. ‘Oh, it’s you.’
Hailey crossed her arms, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about being in her pyjamas. ‘Sorry again. We were just…’ She didn’t have a ready excuse.
‘Trying to visit our friends.’
Hailey shot Demi a look that said are you insane? She didn’t know anything about Brennan, so who was to say he wouldn’t run straight to Madam Grayson’s dorm and turn them in for breaking into the boys’ dormitories.
Demi gave a trust me look. ‘Basically, I forgot to do my homework last night, and our friend Alec is a genius, so I’m hoping he can help me.’
‘But it’s 6am. On a Sunday,’ Brennan pointed out.
‘Yeah, well I can’t sleep or enjoy my weekend until I’ve done all my homework. It’s like a form of anxiety.’
Hailey suppressed a laugh. Demi was more a do-your-homework and study-for-tests-at-the-last-minute kind of person.
‘Look, I don’t care why you want to see your friends, but if you want, I’ll take you. It’s the least I can do,’ Brennan said, giving Hailey a pointed look.
Great, Hailey thought, he’s one of the people who thinks I’m special because of my powers. ‘Brennan, just because I’m a Zeus doesn’t mean you should feel obligated to help us or be intimidated by me. I’m normal like everyone else, and that’s how I like to be treated.’
‘Um… I… I just meant that I owed you after I helped Venus attack you.’
‘Oh.’ Hailey’s cheeks burned. Good one, Hailey, assuming that anyone who acts weird around you clearly thinks you’re a superstar. Way to act like an arrogant—
‘Thanks for the offer,’ Demi said. ‘But there’s hardly anyone here. I think we can get through on our own.’
‘Okay. Well, if you ever need help getting somewhere, let me know.’ He scurried off before Hailey could snap out of her embarrassment to thank him.
Demi grinned at her. ‘I think he likes you.’
Hailey rolled her eyes. ‘No, he just thinks I’m an idiot. Now let’s hurry up.’ She snuck to the end of the hallway and knocked on Alec and Aaron’s door, while Demi went to wake up Jayden.
‘Um, come in.’ Hailey had been expecting a mumble, but Aaron sounded wide awake. She opened the door and found him standing in front of his desk on the right side of the room, one hand behind his back and an anxious look on his face, like Hailey had walked in on him stealing something.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt whatever you were doing.’
‘I wasn’t really doing anything.’ Aaron whipped an envelope out from behind his back. ‘I was just about to send my dad a letter.’
‘You do that. I can wait.’ She glanced away from Aaron and wasn’t surprised to find his side of the dorm strewn with books and crumpled clothes, and Alec’s side meticulous with not so much as a book spine out of place in the stacked pile on his desk. Even his sea-silk sheet and duvet—which he was currently dozing under—were crease free.
Aaron pressed a stamp onto the envelope, the letter vanishing, before he turned back to Hailey. ‘So what’s wrong?’
‘We forgot to talk about the nereids.’
‘Right. I guess I’ll wake Alec up.’
Hailey settled on the floor between the two beds and was soon joined by Demi, Jayden, Alec, and Aaron.
‘I say we strangle them in their sleep,’ Demi volunteered before anyone else could talk. ‘Then we never have to worry about them again.’
Jayden yawned. ‘Nymphs don’t sleep.’
‘Oh, yeah.’
‘I think we tell Amathia,’ Alec offered, going with his usual tell-a-teacher approach.
‘I don’t know.’ Hailey crossed her legs. ‘She’ll probably just remind us that she spoke with them and not to worry.’
Hailey really liked Amathia, but when it came to her sisters, she tended to be very naïve, and Hailey didn’t want to trust that things would be okay just because Amathia said they w
ould. She’d told Hailey the same thing last year, and the Olympian gods had almost been resurrected. She needed to find out for herself if the nereids were up to anything, and that meant doing some spying of her own.
‘I think Alec could be right this time,’ Jayden countered. ‘Last time we took up spying, we became prisoners in the Underworld. Plus we told Madam Grayson and Amathia we would stay away from the nereids.’
‘We also stopped the gods,’ Demi pointed out. ‘And ruined the nereids’ plans. Basically, we saved the world.’
‘Aaron, what do you think?’ Jayden asked.
Aaron had been staring at his desk, but he jumped when Jayden said his name. ‘What?’
Jayden frowned. ‘Are you okay?’
His eyes flicked to the desk again, only for a second. ‘Yeah. Just got distracted. What was the question?’
Demi chucked a pen at him. ‘Pay attention. What do you think we should do about the nereids?’
Aaron tossed the pen onto his desk. ‘Oh… um… I think we tell Amathia and leave it up to her.’
‘What?’ Demi’s jaw dropped. ‘You’re the one who’s always saying we need to take things into our own hands, and now you want to leave it up to Amathia.’
Aaron shrugged. ‘It’s not like we can follow them into the water. Amathia can.’
Hailey cocked an eyebrow at him. He was being weird again. Last year he would have demanded they start spying straight away, but now it was as if he didn’t even care. Her suspicions about the potion wearing off re-emerged. It was the only thing that could explain his change in personality. He was probably terrified of the nereids trapping them somewhere like the Underworld again. Hailey was scared, too, but she wouldn’t let the nereids win.
‘Okay, how about a compromise,’ Hailey suggested. ‘We tell Amathia, but we also take up spying. Amathia can follow her sisters into the water, and we can spy on them when we’re not in class.’
‘How?’ Alec asked. ‘We don’t have the wand to make us invisible anymore.’
‘We can hide in Rain’s stall. If we’re lucky, we’ll be there when they take the horses out, and hopefully they’ll let something slip.’
‘I can deal with that.’ Demi leaned back against Aaron’s bed.
Alec shifted nervously. ‘I don’t see why we can’t just leave it up to Amathia. Why do we have to get involved again?’
‘Because I want to know what they’re doing, too, and Amathia might miss something,’ Hailey explained.
‘Okay,’ Jayden said. ‘It seems reasonable enough. Let’s go see Amathia.’
‘I think I should go alone,’ Hailey said. ‘I’m the one who saw the nereids, and if we go together she’ll probably guess we’re spying again,’ Hailey added before anyone could argue.
‘Are you sure?’ Demi asked her.
‘Yes.’
A letter materialised on Aaron’s desk, and he lunged for it. He went to open it and then seemed to remember he wasn’t alone. He turned back to them, hiding the letter behind his back. ‘You should probably go now,’ he told Hailey and Demi. ‘You don’t want to get caught on the wrong side of the dormitories when everyone wakes up.’
‘Okay,’ Hailey said, feeling a little bad for not siding with him. She’d try and talk to him later and let him know that if he didn’t want to spy, he didn’t have to.
Hailey knocked on the Ancient History classroom door, her nerves twisting her stomach. She wasn’t sure how Amathia would react. She doubted she’d be mad about Hailey sneaking into Poseidon’s stable, but she worried that maybe Amathia would get offended and think Hailey was accusing her of not protecting the school.
The door swung open; Amathia stood in its frame, her usual kind smile in place. ‘Yes?’
‘I need to tell you something.’ Hailey took one step into the classroom and froze. Nemertes lurked beside Amathia’s desk.
‘We can finish this conversation later, Nemertes,’ Amathia told her sister, keeping the door open for her to leave.
‘Very well, sister.’ Her tone was acid, making it sound as if she wanted nothing more than to strangle Amathia. She shot Hailey a venomous glare before slamming the door behind her.
‘I apologise for my sister’s behaviour. Nemertes has not been in a very good mood since school recommenced. Would you like to sit?’
‘No, I won’t be long,’ Hailey said, remaining by the door. She hesitated a second before saying, ‘I think your sisters are plotting how to wake up the gods again, and probably how to get rid of us,’ Hailey added, knowing killing off the school population was at the top of the nereids’ list too.
Amathia’s face remained neutral. ‘Why do you think that?’
‘Because I saw them taking the sea-horses for a ride, and that’s what they did last year when they were planning the world’s demise.’
‘I assure you my sisters are merely riding the horses. They know the consequences if I catch them doing anything untoward again.’
Hailey’s heart sank. Amathia didn’t believe her. Her face must have reflected her disappointment because Amathia went on to say, ‘I keep a close eye on them and follow them whenever they leave the palace. All they speak of is what a horrid sister I am.’
‘I know they’re planning something.’ Hailey’s voice was desperate. ‘I can feel it.’
‘If they are, I promise I will learn of it and foil them. It’s not your responsibility to worry about my sisters, Hailey.’
‘Why do you let them live here?’ Hailey asked, the question came out more as a demand. ‘You know they’re evil. And I don’t think your excuse about this being their home too is a good enough reason to let them stay here, not when they want us all dead.’
‘That is a fair question,’ Amathia said, nodding her head. ‘There is an expression you humans have that I think explains why… keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. If I banished my sisters, it would be much harder to track them and find out what they were up to. While they are here, I can keep an eye on them.’
It makes sense. Kicking the nereids out of the palace won’t make them stop trying to find a way to resurrect the gods. It probably won’t even stop them from figuring out a way to come back and kill all of us students. ‘Yeah, I suppose that’s true.’
‘Now, I do believe it’s Sunday. You should be sleeping-in not wandering around the palace.’ Amathia opened the door and ushered Hailey outside. ‘Do not fear, I will continue to watch my sisters.’
And so will I.
***
Hailey slipped into the stable with Aaron, their book bags slung over their shoulders, and gave each horse a quick pat before sneaking into Rain’s stall.
‘We’re hiding,’ Hailey told Rain as she latched the gate behind her. ‘Just pretend we’re not here if someone comes in.’
Rain snorted and bobbed her head.
‘Thank you.’ Hailey scratched her behind the ears before joining Aaron on the ground in the corner, next to a polished-coral trough full of water. He was staring at the ceiling. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah.’ He flicked a piece of hay. ‘I just don’t see the point in all this.’
‘How can you say that when last year you kept telling us we needed to take care of the nereids ourselves?’
‘And look where that got us last time.’
So he is freaked out about the Underworld. I’m not alone. ‘You’ve been acting really weird since we got back to the Academy,’ Hailey began, some of the tension in her stomach loosening now that she could finally talk about her fears with someone. ‘And I think I know why.’
Aaron tensed, eyes growing wide. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah, that potion Madam Norwood gave us to block emotions about the Underworld has worn off, hasn’t it? You’re scared, and that’s why you don’t want to spy on the nereids— you’re afraid of them.’
Aaron’s shoulders dropped. ‘Yeah, that’s right. I don’t want you thinking I’m a coward.’
Hailey hid a smile, happy to know she wasn
’t the only weak one. ‘I don’t think you’re a coward. The potion didn’t work on me either. I keep having nightmares about the gods returning. That’s why spying is important to me. I can’t risk the nereids finding another way to bring back the Olympians. I’m terrified of the prophecy coming true.’
‘Why didn’t you say something sooner?’
‘Same reason as you—I didn’t want to appear weak. No one else has nightmares like me.’
‘Hailey, even if the gods did come back, no one would expect you to stand up to them. You’re a civilian, not a trained soldier.’
Hailey tapped a finger on her necklace. ‘Maybe. I don’t know. It’s always been a fear of mine.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Aaron told her, his demeanour a lot more enthusiastic. ‘We’ll make sure the nereids don’t wake them up.’
‘I’ll hold you to that.’ She smiled, beyond relieved that she wasn’t alone in all of this. ‘So, do you want to talk about the Underworld?’
He frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You know, about what scares you.’
‘Oh. I… those rooms were pretty scary—the ones that brought our fears to life.’
Hailey would never forget them. They were so dark, and as soon as you thought about something that scared you, it appeared. She’d had to face about a thousand tarantulas because of it, not to mention her dead father. ‘What happened in your room?’
Aaron shifted on the ground, and dropped his eyes to Rain, who was lying by the trough, nibbling on some hay. ‘You were there, and Demi, Jayden, and Alec. You told me you hated me and would never forgive me for something I’d done. You left me there in the dark, alone.’
Guilt clenched Hailey’s heart, which she knew was stupid since it hadn’t actually been her. ‘Aaron, I would never do that, and neither would the others. We’d forgive you for anything.’
Aaron smiled sadly. ‘I wish that were true.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Nothing. Come on, we should probably stop talking in case the nereids come in. If they hear us before they get to the stable, then our plan is ruined. Let’s just do our homework.’ He started pulling textbooks out of his book bag.
Hailey didn’t say another word, figuring Aaron was probably right about the nereids potentially hearing them. She wondered if he’d suggested they stop talking because of that, or whether it was an excuse to stop talking about the Underworld. She wouldn’t force him to talk about it anymore. She’d done her best to let him know he wasn’t alone.
Poseidon's Academy Box Set Page 36
