Stop it. The gods are dead. You don’t have to worry about facing them. She tried to distract her mind by focusing on her dorm. Outside her window, which was spelled to gaze into the back of the grounds, the sun was starting to rise, casting a golden glow over the furniture. A giant clamshell floated beside her double bed, a glass of water resting inside its open mouth. A seashell-encrusted mirror hung above her mother-of-pearl chest of drawers, and not far from it was her white polished-coral desk and scallop-shell chair. Demi’s half of the dorm matched hers—minus the window, and with clothes spilling from half-opened drawers—except that Hailey’s desk had a painting of herself hanging above it.
Hailey smiled at it, thinking of her mum. She’d painted it for Hailey when she’d first come to Poseidon’s Academy so she wouldn’t miss looking at the sky. In the painting, Hailey was standing on a shoreline with dark waves caressing her feet. Her azure blue eyes gazed up at the twinkling stars as she raised an arm towards a cloud that had parted to reveal a full moon. Its beam touched Hailey’s face, making her pale skin glow and her long auburn hair glimmer.
The beanstalk flashed back into Hailey’s mind. She bit back a scream of frustration. For the past two years she had had dreams like this. Dreams where something or someone killed her—or tried to. They only happened when she was at the Academy. Hailey figured the dreams were her subconscious’s way of warning her of danger—or more like warning her about the nereids being up to something. But the nereids weren’t here anymore; she was safe from them, wasn’t she?
‘Not if they’re off scheming in the middle of the sea, planning some huge attack against the Academy,’ she muttered. ‘Stupid dreams.’ Hailey tossed away the sweaty sea-silk sheets and shoved her feet into slipper boots. ‘Time to visit the stable.’
Hailey veered through the left archway in the entryway and weaved through the maze of hallways to a set of doors. She pushed them open, salty air engulfing her.
Twelve mother-of-pearl stalls filled the stable. Eight of them had a sea-horse poking its head over the gate. They whinnied their greetings. ‘I missed you too,’ Hailey said, the dried seaweed covering the floor crunching under her slippers as she walked around to pat each horse. They amazed her every time she saw them, looking magical, like horses that had traded in their coats for blue rainbow fish scales.
Hailey walked into the last stall on the right, where Rain, the pegacorn she and her friends had rescued back in first year, was clopping her hooves on the ground and whinnying. Her snow white fur sparkled in the light coming from the orb floating beneath the ceiling, and her gold mane and tail glimmered.
‘I missed you too.’ Hailey rubbed a hand along the bridge of Rain’s nose, careful not to touch the gold horn in the middle of her forehead. ‘I had another one of my nightmares. Do you mind listening?’
Rain snorted and nodded her head.
Hailey assumed that meant of course, tell me everything and sat down next to the polished coral trough filled with water. Rain lowered herself on all fours in front of Hailey, her feathered wings spreading slightly over the hay-lined floor.
‘So the nightmare started with a seaweed tree,’ Hailey began, launching into her dream and fears about the nereids being up to something again—this time without spies watching them. ‘I’m being stupid though, aren’t I?’ Hailey fiddled with a piece of hay, tearing it into strips. ‘The nereids can’t do anything. If they could, they would have done it already, right?’
‘Done what already?’
Hailey’s head jerked up. Thick golden brown hair was the first thing she saw—hair she’d recognise anywhere. ‘Kendra?’ What are you doing here so early?’ Hailey asked as she climbed to her feet.
Rain pranced up to the gate, whinnying as Kendra opened it and scratched her under the chin. ‘I… um.’
‘You’re not planning on running off to an island again, are you?’
‘No, never that again. I’ve… kind of started sneaking down here and letting Rain stretch her wings.’
Hailey’s jaw dropped. ‘What?! You’ve been flying her?’
‘No. I just let her out and she flies off alone and then comes back after an hour or so.’
‘Oh… I guess that’s okay.’
Rain whinnied.
‘Rain said not to worry about the nereids. That everything will be fine.’ Kendra frowned. ‘What does that mean? Why would you be worried about the nereids? They’re gone.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Hailey said, not wanting anyone else to know about her fears. And technically only she, her friends, and a few teachers knew just how evil the nereids were. ‘Well, I better go.’
‘Wait.’ Kendra stopped her. ‘Rain says she wants us to go with her this time.’
Hailey cocked an eyebrow. ‘Flying?’
Kendra nodded. ‘We could be back before anyone notices we’re gone.’
Hailey fiddled with her heart pendant. ‘I don’t know, Kendra. This feels a lot like first year. We should probably ask Amathia first.’
‘This is nothing like first year. I’m not sneaking off to an island all alone with a bunch of monsters waiting in a forest. We’re only going flying. But if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll ask Amathia.’
Kendra darted out of the stable before Hailey could say a word. She focused her gaze on Rain’s gold eyes. ‘Do you really think this is a good idea?’
Rain snorted and nodded.
Five minutes later, Kendra bounded back into the stable. ‘She wasn’t in her classroom.’
Hailey was surprised to find herself excited by this. Maybe Amathia would have said no.
‘Are we still going?’
It was against the rules to leave the palace, but the thought of going back to bed made her tremble. I need to get out of here, to escape from my thoughts. It’ll only be a quick flight—ten minutes, maybe less. And we’re not flying off to face monsters, so there’s no risk of anything bad happening.
‘Okay,’ Hailey agreed. ‘But don’t tell Demi, or she’ll kill me for not running back and waking her up to come.’
‘Deal.’ Kendra threw open the double doors that led from the stable into the grounds, and steered Rain outside. The diamond ground glowed orange in the light from the rising sun. ‘Still wanna take us for a ride?’
Rain nodded and laid down on her stomach, tucking her legs underneath her so that they could climb on. Kendra hopped on first, twisting her fingers into Rain’s golden mane. Hailey positioned herself behind her, wrapping her arms around Kendra’s waist. Hailey bit back a scream as Rain stood up and galloped across the grounds, the jewel trees blurring past her. Rain leapt inches before the ground ended, her wings stretching out and flapping. Hailey’s stomach churned as she soared upwards, feeling as though she were about to topple off the back of Rain and plummet into the sea, which was getting further and further away. She shuddered to think what sea-monsters waited beneath the surface.
‘You okay back there?’ Kendra asked as Rain levelled off, soaring through the sky like a hang-glider.
‘Yep. Just not used to flying yet.’
Wind whipped over Hailey, blowing her auburn hair out. Endless sky stretched before them, and the sun painted everything in an amber glow. She felt free. Like nothing else mattered but this moment. All thoughts of nereids and beanstalks leading to Olympus fled from her mind as she zoomed through the sky.
‘It’s hot,’ Kendra remarked, wiping a hand across her forehead.
The air was heavy with moisture, sending sweat trickling down Hailey’s back. Where were they right now? The palace was designed to always be moving, so they could be in any part of the world. Maybe Australia? She’d never been, but Kora and Tahlia made it sound like an endless summer.
‘I can fix that.’ Hailey kept one hand wrapped around Kendra’s waist as she raised her other one towards the sky. Warmth flowed down her arm and shot from her fingertips like rays of heat. The warm air cooled, a chill sweeping around Hailey as snowflakes fluttered down.
‘Cool.’ Kendra reached out to touch one, while Rain licked at them with her tongue.
Hailey laughed, snowflakes kissing her cheeks. Flying had been a good idea after all.
5
Gesundheit
Hailey stood in the gym, dressed in a light blue polo shirt and midnight blue shorts, ready for her PE class. She winced as she gazed around at the sea-sponge floor. This room had acted as quarantine last year when Poseidon’s Plague broke out. She’d been trapped here while Demi had been dying in their dorm. She’d never felt so helpless in her life. Hailey pushed away the memories. Everything had worked out. Demi was alive, and so was the rest of the school.
‘We’ll be practising outside today, since the palace is above water,’ Master Anderson said, marching through the gym’s doors before marching back out again.
‘Yay, I get to use the garden,’ Demi cheered, flitting after the rest of the third years.
‘If you sting me with a sea-anemone, I’ll send a gust of wind to blow you into the sea,’ Hailey warned with a smile.
Demi grinned deviously. ‘That’s a chance I’m willing to take.’
‘Today I want to challenge you,’ Master Anderson said when everyone had filed into the back of the grounds, where a bizarre bluish-green grass that reminded Hailey of sea-anemone tentacles coated the diamond floor. ‘Most of you have been sparring with your friends in this class, which means you know what to expect from their powers. So today I want everyone to pair with someone they’ve never sparred with before. Both of you can use your powers in the first round.’
‘Guess I won’t be stinging you with sea-anemones today,’ Demi remarked, and wandered off.
‘What if no one wants to pair with me?’ Alec gulped. ‘I hate this.’
‘You took on a cyclops last year. Are you really telling me you’re scared of asking a random to spar with you?’ Aaron said as he steered Alec away.
‘Do you want to pair up?’
Hailey smiled at Lexa. ‘Sure.’
Lexa flicked her layered hair behind her shoulders and levitated into the air, hovering a yard above the ground. She kicked her long leg out, gently pushing it against Hailey’s shoulder.
Hailey stumbled back a step and then ducked as Lexa reached an arm towards her. Hailey’s hand shot out, latching around her opponent’s ankle. She yanked, expecting Lexa to fall to the ground. Instead, Lexa levitated higher, dragging Hailey with her. Not good, she thought as her feet lifted off the ground. Lexa didn’t have super strength, so she’d probably drop her.
Hailey glanced back at the ground, about ten feet away now. She’d rather risk a twisted ankle than a broken neck if Lexa kept levitating higher. She let go, landing on the spongy grass.
Lexa grinned down at her, too high for Hailey to reach—well, with her hands anyway. Hailey flicked her arm. A gust of wind rushed across the grounds and slammed into Lexa, sending her crashing next to a blue opal tree.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Hailey said, rushing over to her. ‘I didn’t mean to hit you that hard. Are you okay?’
Lexa rubbed her shoulder as she sat up. ‘Yeah.’
‘Sorry,’ Hailey said again, helping her up.
That’s when she realised how quiet the grounds had suddenly become. The only sound she could hear was someone sucking in gulps of air as if they were about to sneeze. She turned around to see what was happening as someone shouted, ‘Watch out!’
ACHOO! A sneeze blasted across the grounds, so loud the ground trembled, sending jewels and pearls shaking loose from trees and scattering over the grass.
And then a gust of wind ploughed into Hailey like a charging minotaur, throwing her through the air. Her face smacked against the coral trunk of a topaz tree, jewels raining down on her as she slumped to the ground. Her face exploded in pain as something warm gushed from her nose.
‘Medusa, Hailey! Are you okay?’ Demi appeared at her side with Alec and Aaron, their faces masks of horror.
Hailey blinked, the world spinning around her like she’d put on a travelling necklace.
‘I think she’s got brain damage.’ Demi shook Hailey’s shoulder. ‘Hailey, can you hear me?’
‘Yes,’ Hailey managed to say, grinding her teeth against the nausea rising into her throat.
‘We need to get her to the healing wing.’ Master Anderson hovered above her. ‘Can you stand?’
Hailey bit down hard as she sat up, her head swimming and her stomach heaving. I will not vomit. I will not vomit.
‘Here, I’ll help.’ Jayden broke from the crowd of staring third years.
Demi threw her arm out. ‘Stay away from her.’
Jayden froze and swallowed, a flash of pain crossing his face as if Demi had slapped him.
Aaron took one of Hailey’s arms and Alec took the other, both of them carefully tugging her up.
Hailey’s head swam again, and the nausea surged as blood dripped to the grass. She took three slow steady breaths, her head becoming clearer and the nausea easing off like a retreating wave. ‘What happened?’ she asked when she was sure her breakfast wouldn’t make a reappearance.
‘I sneezed,’ Master Anderson said simply. ‘I’m sorry, it just came over me.’
‘Gesundheit, I guess.’ Hailey wasn’t sure what else to say.
‘Your Anemoi powers make you one dangerous person to be around when you have a cold,’ Demi remarked. ‘Come on, Hails. Let’s get your nose fixed.’
Slowly, Alec and Aaron helped her into the palace and through the right archway, leading her down a long hallway to a staircase. There were only ten steps, but each one shot a pulse of pain through Hailey’s face as she climbed them.
The minty smell of eucalyptus greeted her as she lumbered through the healing wing’s double doors. Neatly-made beds with white sea-silk sheets lined the walls of the long room.
‘Oh, my,’ Hailey heard someone gasp from the end of the room as Alec and Aaron helped her onto the nearest bed. A plump woman appeared beside Hailey a few heartbeats later. ‘What happened to you, dearie?’ Madam Mendem, the school nurse, asked.
‘Master Anderson sneezed,’ Demi answered for Hailey. ‘He blew Hailey right into a jewel tree. I think her nose is broken.’
‘Yes, I think so too.’ Madam Mendem clucked her tongue. ‘Don’t worry, dearie, I’ll have you mended in a jiffy.’
Hailey cringed when Madam Mendem touched her throbbing nose, but warmth quickly washed away the pain. Crack. Madam Mendem’s nose snapped to the side, blood gushing from it and dripping onto her white apron. Hailey gawked at the nurse. ‘Is that how bad I looked?’
‘Worse,’ Demi admitted. ‘I thought you were going to puke all over the grounds.’
Hailey sat up as Madam Mendem dropped onto the bed beside hers. ‘Thanks for healing me. I’m sorry you have a broken nose now.’
Madam Mendem laid her head back against the pillows, blood dripping onto the mattress. ‘It is the curse of an Asclepius to bear other’s injuries. But I wouldn’t trade my power for any other. And I’ll be healed in about a minute.’
‘I’ll get something to wash your face with, Hailey,’ Aaron volunteered, and scurried off to the other end of the room, where there was a desk, basin, and neatly stacked sheets and blankets.
Hailey’s chest clenched when she looked at the empty bed beside Madam Mendem. An image of Pandora lying there with a dagger through her heart flashed into her mind. Where is she now? Safe? Even though she’d tried to kill them, Hailey still cared about her—and technically the nereids had manipulated her into doing their dirty work.
‘Here.’ Aaron handed her a wet face cloth.
‘Thanks.’ Hailey wiped at her face, surprised at the amount of blood soaking into the cloth. No wonder she’d felt woozy.
‘I’ll take that.’ Madam Mendem popped up from the bed, blood still dripping from her nose. ‘You can go back to class now,’ she said, and plodded towards the other end of the room to get rid of the bloodied cloth.
‘Uh, you might want to c
hange first,’ Demi suggested, eyeing Hailey’s clothes.
She glanced down at her blood-stained polo shirt. ‘Good idea.’
They left the healing wing and started down the stairs. ‘Where do you think Pandora is now?’ Hailey asked, not being able to stop thinking about her.
‘I was wondering that too.’ Demi trailed a finger across the crystal wall as she walked. ‘It’d be nice to get a letter or something from her. I mean she did almost kill me, the least she could do is stay in touch.’
‘Amathia did say she’d take her somewhere she could finally live a life,’ Alec said. ‘I’m sure she’s fine wherever she is. I also haven’t heard anything about an incurable disease breaking out anywhere, so that’s a good sign.’
Fifteen minutes later, Hailey descended the staircase back into the entryway. She moved towards the doors, to join her friends and the rest of her PE class outside, but then glanced at the left archway. Maybe Amathia has a free period. Hailey needed to talk to her. To find out what the nereids were up to, and to make sure the nightmare she’d had about Zeus being back wasn’t about to come true. If Amathia told her the nereids were trapped on a deserted island, then Hailey could put them out of her mind—and maybe her nightmares would stop.
She ventured through the left archway and followed a maze of hallways down to Amathia’s classroom, where the words Ancient History were engraved in gold calligraphy on the door. Hailey didn’t want to embarrass herself by knocking and then walking into a class filled with fifth years—better to sneak a quick peek to make sure Amathia is alone.
She held her breath and twisted the mother-of-pearl door handle, pushing the door open a crack. She peeked through the tiny slit. White light flooded her vision.
Hailey was in the sea, with nothing but endless water stretching out around her in every direction. A girl who looked about eight years old was in the water with her. ‘How long have you had this ability?’ Hailey asked her.
A tail flicked out behind the girl. Hailey only caught the slightest glimpse of it before it dropped back into the sea, but it had looked like a mermaid tail covered in rainbow scales. What the…? Where was she? Why was she talking to some mermaid child?
Poseidon's Academy Box Set Page 67
