Amathia nodded. ‘Yes, if I act quickly. But I need you to go to the healing wing, because I do not believe there’s enough blood on this coral to bring two people back from the dead.’
***
‘Can I go now?’ Hailey asked as Madam Mendem removed her hand from Hailey’s cheek. The warming potion she’d had a minute ago pulsed through her veins, making her insides as toasty as a crackling fire.
‘Why are you in such a hurry, dearie?’ Blood oozed from the gash on Madam Mendem’s face, and she clutched her side, having absorbed Hailey’s cut cheek and broken ribs.
‘Because I need to make sure Demi’s okay.’ Hailey leapt off the bed. She wouldn’t believe she was alive until she saw her.
Just as she was about to run out the door, Amathia materialised with Madam Norwood, Master Anderson, and Lila—the fifth year with blue-tinged hair. Hailey’s legs wavered beneath her like a swaying tree about to tip over when she saw Demi pressed against Master Anderson’s chest. Her body looked as limp as overcooked spaghetti in the PE teacher’s arms.
Tears pricked Hailey’s eyes, and the heavy weight pressed against her chest again, this time squeezing as tightly as an anaconda. ‘It didn’t work?’
‘We haven’t tried yet,’ Amathia said as Master Anderson lowered Demi onto a bed. ‘Thank you, Alden. Please make sure the other students are all right.’
‘I will.’
Lila dematerialised with Master Anderson as Madam Norwood drew a vile from her dress. Blue liquid gleamed inside the glass—Stetho’s blood.
What can I do?’ Madam Mendem asked.
‘You will need to heal, Demi,’ Amathia informed Madam Mendem. ‘This blood should bring her back, but it will not heal her, at least not completely. It will, however, turn her wound non-mortal, so there is no harm of you dying.’
‘She’ll be okay, though, won’t she?’ Hailey stood behind the ring of adults around Demi’s bed.
‘I believe so,’ Amathia said. ‘Come, stand by her. I’m sure she would appreciate seeing a friend when she awakens.’
Amathia shifted to make room for Hailey. She grasped her best friend’s ice cold hand, and fought back the tears threatening to gush from her eyes. Demi will be okay. She is not dead.
‘All right, Petra, give her the blood.’
Madam Norwood stood on Demi’s opposite side with Madam Mendem. She lifted the vial to Demi’s lips and poured the tablespoon-worth of liquid into her mouth.
Hailey didn’t breathe. She didn’t even move. She just watched Demi’s face. Waiting for her eyes to open.
One second past.
Nothing.
Two seconds.
Still nothing.
Come on! Please, Tyches, bring Demi back, even if it means you will never grant me good luck again, just bring her back! Please! Please! Please!
‘Why isn’t it working?’ Hailey demanded when still nothing happened. Her throat was burning, a flood of tears waiting to gush forth like a tsunami the second she was told there was no hope.
‘Be patient.’ Amathia’s voice was calm. ‘It—’
Demi’s fingers twitched against Hailey’s hand. ‘Demi!’
‘Ow, my stomach hurts,’ Demi moaned as her eyes blinked open.
‘Heal her, Sage. It’s safe now,’ Amathia instructed.
Madam Mendem pressed both hands over Demi’s pierced stomach. ‘That feels nice,’ Demi mumbled as colour brightened her face.
‘Wish I could say the same,’ Madam Mendem groaned, blood seeping over her white nurse’s apron as she stumbled back from Demi.
‘It’s all right, Sage,’ Madam Norwood said, tucking an arm around the school nurse. ‘Let’s get you on a bed.’
‘I can’t believe you’re okay.’ Tears streamed down Hailey’s face.
‘What happened?’ Demi asked, shuffling to sit up. ‘Why am I in the healing wing?’
‘What is the last thing you remember?’ Amathia asked.
‘Medusa, you’re back,’ Demi gasped. ‘Why aren’t you a statue anymore?’
‘Because you and Hailey did what I could not—defeated Stetho.’
Demi scrunched her face up in concentration, trying to remember. ‘That’s right. We found her hideaway, and she smashed me into a statue. When I woke up everyone was gone, so I went down the hallway and found the secret passageway near the maze. It came out near the nereids’ room, so I decided to make a gorgon-killing weapon and smashed one of the nereids’ mirrors. I grabbed the biggest shard of glass and ran to the grounds, figuring that’s where Hailey would take Stetho.’
Demi scratched her head and furrowed her brow. ‘The next bit is kind of hazy… I saw Stetho hit you with her tail,’ she said to Hailey. ‘She was slithering after you, so I used my powers to grow the coral gardens into a barricade. I got the mirror to you. Then I… I went to distract Stetho. Her tail wrapped around my legs, and I landed on… broken coral!’ She gripped her stomach, where blood stained her torn shirt. ‘It went straight through me. I guess I passed out because I don’t remember anything after that.’ She glanced at Madam Mendem on the bed beside her, blood staining the white sea-silk sheets. ‘Thank you for saving me.’
‘It’s all right, dearie.’ Madam Mendem’s voice was weak and her skin pale. Hailey hoped Amathia was right about the wound no longer being fatal; otherwise, Madam Mendem’s Asclepius powers wouldn’t be able to heal it and she’d die in Demi’s place. Madam Norwood pressed a wet cloth against the nurse’s head.
‘It was a little more serious than you passing out, I’m afraid,’ Amathia said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘You died,’ Hailey told her, squeezing her friend’s hand to make sure she really was there and Hailey wasn’t imagining all of this.
Demi raised an eyebrow. ‘Died? I think maybe Stetho bashed you with her tail one too many times. If I was dead, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now.’
‘We brought you back with Stetho’s blood,’ Amathia explained.
Demi’s jaw dropped. ‘You’re being serious? I died?’
Amathia nodded.
Demi’s head dropped back onto the pillow. ‘I can’t believe it. That stupid gorgon killed me! Wait.’ She sat back up. ‘I didn’t see anything… I didn’t see any afterlife. I didn’t see my parents.’
‘You weren’t dead long enough to pass to the other side,’ Amathia told her. ‘Otherwise, Stetho’s blood would not have worked. A person’s spirit lingers here for a short while before they move on.’
‘Wow.’ Demi blinked. ‘That’s a lot to take in. I died?’
‘Yep,’ Hailey said, the tears back again.
‘You’re okay!’ Aaron flew into the healing wing with Alec. ‘Sorry we didn’t get here sooner, but I had to get Kora to heal my foot.’
‘Right.’ Demi nodded. ‘Alec crushed it in a wall.’
‘It was an accident,’ Alec said, joining the crowd around Demi’s bed. ‘What happened? I don’t remember anything after seeing Stetho and her glowing eyes. She turned me into stone. Can you believe that? I barely can. I always wondered what being turned into stone would feel like. Whether it would hurt, and if you’d be aware of everything around you. I wasn’t though. It was like going to sleep, but not dreaming.’
‘Shut up, Alec.’ Aaron nudged his shoulder. ‘What happened to you, Demi?’
‘I died. At least that’s what I’m told.’
‘Wh-what?’ Alec eyes were wide. ‘How are you… Oh, gorgon blood. That actually works? What do you remember about the afterlife?’
‘Apparently I never made it across,’ Demi said, very casually.
‘Where’s Pandora?’ Hailey asked Aaron while Alec grilled Demi with questions.
Aaron frowned. ‘I thought she’d be here with you.’
Hailey shook her head. ‘She fought the nereids so I could escape. I need to find her.’
‘No.’ Amathia stepped in front of the healing wing’s doors, blocking Hailey’s path. ‘My sisters will have her. It�
��s too dangerous for you to confront them.’
‘But Pandora saved my life,’ Hailey protested. ‘I need to help her.’
‘I will help her. I promise. They cannot harm me.’ Amathia touched her neck and gasped.
‘What?’ Aaron asked.
‘My pendant… I forgot Stetho tore it from my neck. I need to—’
‘I think Nemertes has it.’ That must have been what Nemertes took from Amathia’s secret room. ‘Why is it so important?’
Amathia hesitated, her fingers tapping against her bare neck as she decided whether to answer Hailey’s question. ‘Hephaestus crafted it for me to show his gratitude for me saving him after Zeus cast him from Olympus. It contains a drop of water from the sea that has been spelled to remain fresh. If I am ever injured, my pendant heals me instantly—it grants me immortality, more or less.’
‘That’s why you were in charge of your sisters,’ Alec said with realisation. ‘They couldn’t hurt you while you were wearing that necklace, but you could hurt them if you wanted to—as long as they weren’t near water.’
Amathia nodded once.
‘We’re coming with you,’ Aaron said. ‘You’ll need backup.’
‘No, it’s too dangerous,’ Amathia argued.
‘You can’t stop us.’ Demi pushed to her feet.
‘We owe Pandora,’ Hailey said. ‘We’re coming.’
Amathia sighed. ‘Very well, there is no time to argue. Petra, please stay with Sage until she recovers enough, and then join Guinevere and the other teachers to make sure all of the students are accounted for.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want my help? I could gather some potions from my classroom.’
‘No. I will handle my sisters.’
‘So what happened?’ Hailey asked Amathia as they rushed down the stairs outside the healing wing. ‘How did you get turned to stone when you knew exactly what Stetho was?’
‘I made a mistake,’ Amathia said as they darted down the hallway back towards the entryway. ‘My pendant protects me from Stetho’s powers. I thought I would be safe. I didn’t realise she had a travelling necklace. She materialised in front of me and tore off my necklace. I didn’t have time to close my eyes.’
‘There’s something I don’t get,’ Demi said. ‘When students started going poof why didn’t you think that the gorgon hiding in the basement was responsible?’
‘I did,’ Amathia admitted as they continued down the hallway, where jewels and shells glowed in the walls, lighting their way. ‘When the second student went missing I visited Stetho’s chamber. There was no one there, besides her. No statues. She must have hidden them somewhere. I checked to make sure the entrapment spells around the passageways were still working, and they were. When more students and teachers vanished, I had Madam Norwood use a potion to create a wall to block the passageway to the nereids’ chamber, just in case Stetho had found a way to pass through the force field—I must admit, I was unaware of the second passageway into that part of the palace, or I would have blocked that one too.’
‘That was you?’ Alec gaped. ‘I had to use my powers on that wall to save everyone—it was a lot of pressure.’
‘Where are we going?’ Hailey asked as they passed into the deserted entryway.
‘The maze.’ Amathia strode towards the left archway. ‘I know my sisters well enough to know that is where they will have taken Pandora.’
‘Why wouldn’t they just leave with her?’ Aaron asked as they scurried after Amathia. ‘Escaping would be the smart plan.’
‘But not the most entertaining,’ Amathia remarked. ‘And Nemertes craves entertainment.’
Hailey couldn’t argue with that fact. ‘What are we supposed to do when we find them?’
‘I will take care of them.’ Amathia’s dress shimmered behind her as she steered down the hallways. ‘You are merely coming because I didn’t have the time to persuade you to stay.’
They followed a few more familiar hallways before Amathia took them down a path Hailey had only been once before.
‘Ooh, I’ve never been down here.’ Demi glided a hand over the jewels and shells sparkling in the crystal walls as they walked.
They came to a stop halfway down the hallway, right before a patch of singed pearl floor. This was where PET had tried in vain to get past the impenetrable force field that led to the maze.
Demi frowned. ‘Why did we stop?’
‘Because of this.’ Aaron flicked his hand out, and the space in front of him rippled like his force field did whenever anyone touched it.
‘Oh, that’s the force field PET couldn’t get through.’ Demi looked at Amathia. ‘You have a way, don’t you? You were lying when you told PET no one could get past, right?’
Amathia nodded. ‘It’s here for everyone’s protection. If I had allowed PET through, Stetho would have turned them into stone—if they’d survived the maze.’
‘Why did Poseidon bother bringing Stetho here if he intended on keeping her locked away?’ Alec asked.
‘Because, like Zeus, Poseidon used his children. Stetho was a valuable weapon—one he would surely have used eventually, if he had not demised. And he had to keep her hidden away as Amphitrite would have killed her if she had learned of her existence.’
‘We need to focus,’ Aaron interrupted. ‘We can ask more questions later. Right now we need to save Pandora and get rid of the nereids.’
‘Eikaatva adaur.’ Amathia glided forth, passing through where the force field should have been. ‘Stay behind me,’ she warned.
Hailey and her friends trailed after Amathia, curving around the hallway; orbs of light floated beneath the ceiling, lighting up the coral maze before them. Hailey clutched her pendant, remembering the threats that had awaited her inside last year—strangulation seaweed, shooting oyster shells, and even a minotaur. And she’d only seen a small part of the maze, who knew what other horrors lurked in there.
Tyches, please keep us safe, Hailey prayed, and entered the maze.
32
The Truth Revealed
They didn’t have to wander far. The nereids were in the first coral room, the six of them standing in a circle as they laughed at something on the floor.
‘Nemertes. Where is Pandora?’ Amathia demanded.
The nereids’ venomous eyes shot to Amathia, and wicked smiles of pure delight spread across each one of the nymphs’ faces as the six of them fanned out.
Nemertes stepped forward. Silver blood shimmered on her torn dress from where Pandora had slashed her sword across the nereid’s stomach, but there was no cut—not even a scratch on her skin—at least not anymore. ‘Hello, sister. I was hoping you would remain a statue. But this way I will have the pleasure of making you suffer.’
‘Pandora!’ Demi exclaimed.
Aaron grabbed the back of her shirt, yanking her back a step as she moved to sprint forward. Hailey glanced down at the transparent ground. Last year she’d run across this same floor, and had fallen right through it into the sea. Alec had smashed the glass to save her, but someone had obviously fixed it because now Pandora was trapped beneath it. Her body floated underneath the nereids, her arms limp and her skin as pale as a full moon. She was dead.
‘You’ll fall through,’ Aaron explained when Demi glared back at him. ‘That part of the floor is like an invisible trapdoor.’
‘Bring Pandora up. Now!’ Amathia’s voice bordered on raging fury. Hailey had never heard her sound so scary before.
Nemertes flicked her hair behind her shoulders. ‘No. She must suffer for spoiling my plans last year. If she had not had a change of heart, all your precious humans would be dead now.’ Her venomous eyes swung to Hailey. ‘I assume she saved you too. Another reason she should suffer. I was aware of her presence on that island the entire time.’ Her gaze returned to Amathia’s. ‘It was near impossible not to go in there and strangle her. But you thinking you were safe from us was much more amusing.’
‘How did you do it?’ Aaron asked. �
�How did you get Stetho to attack everyone without you even being here?’
Nemertes spat at him. ‘Do not address me, human.’
‘It was the silver lotus,’ Amathia gasped. ‘I went to Stetho last year to bargain for her blood so I could save the students from Poseidon’s Plague. She traded it with me for a silver lotus. I thought she would use it to astral project—to escape in spirit form from her prison for a little bit. I didn’t see any harm in it, as without her body she couldn’t hurt anyone.’
‘Where did you find a silver lotus?’ Alec asked, seeming to have forgotten their precarious situation. ‘They’re so rare. They grow from the spilt blood of a giant—but only on the night of a full moon.’
‘Who cares, Alec,’ Demi snapped. ‘You’re saying that blue liquid you gave people last year was gorgon blood?’
Amathia nodded.
‘I don’t understand what a silver lotus has to do with Stetho.’ Alec scratched his head.
A bang drew everyone’s eyes to the ground. Pandora was alive again, ramming her fists against the floor.
‘I don’t care if I fall through.’ Demi raced forward. At the same time, Nemertes lunged and grabbed her, shoving Demi to the other nereids.
‘Let her go!’ Hailey yelled.
‘Be quiet,’ Nemertes hissed. ‘This is my favourite part.’ She pointed back to the ground. Pandora’s eyes were wide as she desperately tried to break the glass, and her lips grew as blue as sapphires.
‘GET OFF ME!’ Demi struggled against the nereids gripping her, trying to pull her arms free from their grasp.
Smack. Nemertes’s hand slapped across Demi’s face, stunning her into silence. ‘I said be quiet.’
‘Break the glass, Alec,’ Aaron ordered.
‘No.’ Nemertes raised a hand. ‘If you do that, I will kill your little friend.’
Nobody moved. Pandora’s muffled banging was the only sound. Hailey fidgeted with her heart pendant. Letting her friend drown was torture. I can’t do anything though. If I move, Nemertes will snap Demi’s neck.
Silence pressed against them as Pandora fell still in the water again. I’m so sorry, Hailey wanted to tell her as she floated beneath them, lifeless.
Poseidon's Academy Box Set Page 89
