Olympus Academy: The Complete Series

by Raine, Eliza

  As we approached it, I realized we should have talked through what our plan was. How were we going to give the snake the mushrooms? I didn’t need to worry though, as Icarus seemed to have it worked out. He swam up towards the dark cave mouth, waving one of the plants cautiously. As soon as there was a flicker of movement from the reeds he threw the mushroom. It flew past the nearest rocky outcrop of coral, getting caught up in a spiky plant, and the massive orange snake shot out of the reeds and darted after it. Then Icarus threw a second mushroom about twenty feet from the first and it disappeared into some reeds further on. The snake paused, looked between the two plants and then wiggled off towards the first one. That was smart, I thought, because now it knew there was another one to eat after it finished the first one. We should have plenty of time.

  I swam quickly up towards the cave, trying not to let the darkness put me off. The gentle glow of the bubbles around my head sort of helped, but I couldn’t see more than a foot in front of me once I kicked my way inside. The reeds swaying across the entrance tickled my skin as I went past, giving me goosebumps. Technically the cave was upside-down and I wondered if I should be looking above or below me as my eyes scanned the darkness for anything interesting. Then I noticed a faint glow deeper inside and I swam towards it. As it came into view my chest swelled with excitement. It was a treasure chest. Like an actual pirate treasure chest out of a movie or something. Except it was real, the brass straps lining it pulsing with faint light, illuminating a purple starfish stuck to the side of it. There was a padlock on the front, like the last box in the attic, but it had a wide, round hole in the front. This one couldn’t need water, I thought. We were surrounded by water. Something touched my side and I started, jerking away fast until I saw the turquoise bubbles and realized it was just Icarus. He squinted at the writing on the padlock, then held out his hand and a tiny flame licked up from his fingers. It went out before he could touch the padlock with it though. He scowled and tried again, but the same thing happened. I was rubbish at fire, but that wasn’t going to stop me from having a go. I concentrated as hard as I could on creating a flame but nothing happened. Icarus nudged me and I looked up. He called a flame to his fingers and he gestured at it with his head. Was he telling me to concentrate on his flame? I did, willing it with everything I had not to go out as he inched towards the padlock. I realized I was holding my breath as the flicker of fire finally touched the metal lock, then it burst open with a crack. I darted forwards, heaving open the lid of the big chest with an effort. I was desperate to see what was inside.

  Nothing but another box. As the light from my bubbles illuminated it though, I let out a long breath. It was not much bigger than a piece of paper and only a few inches deep, but it was inlaid with what looked like mother-of-pearl and the way it shimmered in the water was breath-taking. It was almost hypnotic, and the longer I stared the more I forgot where I was. Then Icarus leaned over me, picking it up. I felt a flash of fierce defensiveness and before I knew it, I’d pulled the box from his grip. He gave me an angry look and I shook my head a little, then gave him an apologetic smile. He rolled his eyes at me, then began to swim back to the cave mouth. I followed him, the box feeling oddly hot in my hands. He slowed as we neared the light of the entrance, then grabbed one the remaining two mushrooms he had tied to his shorts. He launched it out of the cave, then kicked hard after it. I followed him, the box carefully tucked under one arm, using my other to pull me through the water. I saw the flash of orange to my right as soon as I cleared the cave. I rolled to the side as I swam, so that I could see better and saw to my horror that the mushroom Icarus had thrown was floating gently down into the dark, having failed to catch on any of the upside-down water garden. The snake was darting after Icarus now, the last mushroom strapped to his side. I narrowed my eyes and concentrated. Water began to swirl around my hands as I raced after Icarus and the snake, but it was too fast. It would reach him before I could get my powers to work. Uselessness and fear spread over me as I watched Icarus scrabbling to untie the mushroom without losing speed. When the snake was only feet from him I threw the building whirlpools I’d created towards it. They soared through the water, but the snake didn’t even slow as they hit it, and they dissipated harmlessly. Nausea rolled through me. The snake was going to get Icarus. I kicked harder towards them, not knowing what I would do when I got there but knowing I had to try to do something, when suddenly the water around us started to move. I gripped the box harder and saw the snake slow, thrashing from side to side as though it was confused too. We’d almost reached the edge of the slab, I realized. I willed Icarus to swim faster, wondering if the snake could leave the glowing garden and enter the ocean beyond, when the family of turtles descended into view ahead of us. The snake stopped, paused then folded back on itself with a loud hiss. Icarus began to tumble over in the water and I knew that meant he had reached the edge. For a split second I felt victorious, until I realized the snake was now heading straight for me.

  24

  I dove down, knowing I couldn’t keep swimming straight at the beast. I willed my power into the water around me, trying to make the currents move me faster as I approached the inky darkness. How far could the snake go from his post guarding the cave? I saw a glint of something below me, something shiny, then a jet of water rushed up from the darkness. I cried out as it hit me, then I was swirling, tumbling over and over in the tight current as it propelled me sideways, out of the snakes path. It was dragging me upwards too, I realized. Within seconds I was out from under the marble slab, shooting past the turtles, then up past the edge of the school. The breathing bubbles were falling away from me, and then I could see the pool. The current veered sharply towards it and burst me through the dome. I flew through the water of the pool, kicking and scrabbling for the surface, panting wildly when I finally brought my head up out of the water. I looked around for Icarus and saw him, standing and panting too.

  ‘What was that?’ I gasped.

  ‘The snake?’

  ‘No, that jet of water. It… it saved me.’

  Icarus stared at me a moment. Even the adrenaline of what had just happened couldn’t stop my eyes from flickering to the water rolling down his chest.

  ‘You tried to save me from the snake,’ he said eventually.

  ‘I wasn’t going to just let it eat you,’ I said, making my way towards the steps. ‘But I failed. Even my water powers are pathetic. Some descendant of Oceanus,’ I muttered as I climbed from the pool. I looked at him. ‘The snake must not get on with the turtles. It turned back as soon as it saw them. They saved you, not me.’

  ‘Well… Thanks for trying,’ he said quietly. ‘People here don’t usually care what happens to me.’

  My eyes met his.

  ‘Icarus, I’m a Titan and I’ve made friends here. Good friends, that care about me. If you weren’t so rude to people, you wouldn’t have to be alone all the time.’

  ‘I’m only rude to them because of how they are with me,’ he snapped, his face hardening.

  ‘That’s not true, I was nice to you the first day I met you!’ I protested. He pulled a face and pointed to the box in my hands.

  ‘We should get that to Dasko,’ he said.

  ‘Don’t change the subject,’ I said. ‘Stop being so rude to people!’

  ‘Oh what, and be more like you? Running around asking a million questions all the time and letting Arketa show you up?’ I felt my face heat as anger flushed through me.

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with asking questions,’ I said through gritted teeth.

  ‘You ask about everything!’ he said, throwing his hands in the air. ‘And you’re so impatient. I’m surprised you’ve not opened that damn box already,’ he snapped.

  ‘Dasko said not to, so I’m not going to,’ I huffed, looking down at the box. It’s surface glittered and shimmered and I brushed my thumb over it. ‘Aren’t you curious about what’s in it though?’ The question popped out before I could remember that we were mid-fig
ht.

  ‘See! You’re going to get yourself killed one day,’ he muttered, stomping through the water towards the steps. ‘Leave it alone, Pandora. We’ll take it to Dasko now.’

  ‘But… but what if it contains something that would help Oceanus and Prometheus? What if Zeus destroys it and we lose our chance to help them?’

  He gaped at me.

  ‘You want to help the Titans?’

  ‘No. Only our ancestors. Prometheus was a good guy, and Oceanus didn’t fight. Imagine if we could find them.’ The box was getting hotter in my hands, humming the same way Nix’s feather had, but more intensely.

  ‘What good would finding them do?’ Icarus was out of the water now, walking slowly towards me.

  ‘They could help make us strong. Teach us to use our Titan powers.’

  ‘Or we could anger Zeus and spend the rest of eternity in a pit of torture. No thanks. I don’t want to be powerful. I just want to be free.’

  ‘Free?’

  He looked away from me, at the ground.

  ‘Free,’ he repeated. ‘Away from everything and everyone. Just… free.’

  ‘You don’t have to be alone to be free,’ I said gently. He said nothing for a moment, then,

  ‘Give me the box, Pandora.’

  ‘No,’ I shook my head. ‘This is our chance, Icarus. This is our chance to do something that might make a difference, that might help you be free forever and me be able to cross both worlds.’

  He looked up at me alarmed.

  ‘That’s what you want? To be able to live in both worlds?’

  I nodded.

  ‘You’ll never be that powerful, that’s ridiculous.’

  His words only hardened my resolve.

  ‘You don’t know that. This box was hidden by Titans, only able to be found by Titans. What if there’s something in here that can help us?’

  Those magic words rang in my ears as the box hummed in my hands.

  What if…

  Before he could stop me I popped open the tiny catch on the front of the box and lifted the lid.

  It was as if the whole world had exploded around us. There was a blinding flash of light, so bright I yelled and dropped the box, flinging my arms across my eyes. When I withdrew them all I could hear was rushing wind and black shadows were swirling around us, blocking our surroundings from view completely.

  ‘What’s happening?’ I screamed. Icarus was on his knees, crawling towards the box.

  ‘Close it!’ he yelled back.

  Then a face, ten feet tall and with crimson red skin burst from the black shadows. I screamed again, leaping backwards and the face laughed gleefully.

  ‘Freedom!’ It cackled, then disappeared into the swirling darkness again. Then something massive and blue flicked out of the shadows. It was a tail, covered in huge sharp barbs. It shot out towards the edge of the pool and I ducked fast, shoving Icarus hard out of the way as he reached for the box. He shouted as he fell forwards, straight into the pool. I skidded after him, just managing to grab the box as I went and slamming the lid shut. I took a breath as I hit the water, my momentum taking me to the bottom of the pool. I kicked back up again and stared around as my head broke the surface. The swirling shadows were disappearing, folding in on themselves into nothing. The rushing wind had gone and I grabbed the edge of the pool, pulling myself out quickly. Icarus got there first and he whirled on me as I stood, wide-eyed and shaking.

  ‘I told you! I told you not to open it! What were you thinking!’ His green eyes were flashing furiously and I had to fight the instinct to shrink away, to say sorry. I crouched down, setting the box on the ground and flexed my hands, trying to stop them trembling. What had I done? I turned away from him, blinking hard at the pool, trying to stop the tears coming. Crying wouldn’t help. We needed to get Chiron and Dasko, if the commotion hadn’t already woken them. Then I spotted something glinting at the bottom of the pool. A glass vial, with something tied around it. I sat on the edge and eased myself back into the water.

  ‘Now what are you doing? We need to go and get help!’

  I ignored him, diving down to pick up the vial.

  ‘What’s that?’ he asked as I hauled myself out again. I held it out. Aging brown paper had been tied around the tube, which was filled with clear liquid that had tiny shimmering flecks bubbling around in it. Hands still shaking, I fumbled with the coarse string tied around the vial, then handed the tube to Icarus and unrolled the paper. I read the words aloud.

  In order to change a world so unfair

  The gods will need more than just a prayer

  You have released these demons three

  Whom some might argue should never be free

  For every drop of blood they spill

  They will become much harder to kill

  But for the hero who can handle the gore

  Is finally a chance to end this bloody war

  Drink the vial to unlock your power

  You’re going to need it in this darkest hour

  I looked from Icarus’s alarmed face to the vial in his hand.

  ‘Drink it,’ I said. His face morphed into shock

  ‘Are you mad! No way!’ He held it out to me. I didn’t hesitate. I pulled out the little cork stopper with my teeth and lifted the glass to my lips. ‘Pandora, you have no idea who wrote that or what that stuff is! Just wait and we’ll get help!’

  I paused. Was he right? Chiron and Dasko would know more than we did about what had just happened, surely. There was no harm in seeing what they said first.

  A ground shaking boom echoed across the academy and we both looked up.

  ‘What was that?’ I whispered.

  Boooooom.

  This time the sound was accompanied by a massive blue barbed tail, smashing into the dome above us.

  ‘Oh Gods,’ breathed Icarus. ‘The school’s under attack!’

  25

  I put the vial back to my lips without a second thought. If it really would unlock my powers, then the poem was right. I needed them now.

  ‘Wait!’ shouted Icarus, and grabbed it from my hands. I cried out as he threw the little glass to his own mouth and drained half of it. He looked at me, panting slightly, and pushed his hair back from his face. ‘Wait and see what happens to me before you drink any.’

  My mouth fell open, my heart pounding.

  ‘Why would you do that for me?’ I started to ask, but his face contorted suddenly, and he bared his teeth as he groaned in pain.

  ‘Icarus! What’s happening?’ I reached for him but he took a step back, agony on his face now. Then, in a burst of black, huge wings erupted on either side of him. My hands flew to my mouth as I gasped. Icarus bent over, taking massive gulps of air and I stared at the magnificent black wings, rippling and stretching in front of me. They shone blue as they moved.

  ‘Icarus, they’re… they’re beautiful,’ I whispered. He straightened slowly and when his eyes met mine, the world fell away around me. His green eyes were alive with power, and his soft mouth was pulled into a half smile. His shoulders seemed to broaden as he stood taller and his wings rustled on either side of his taut body. He held the vial out to me.

  I took it from him, and poured the liquid into my mouth. It was like fire streaming through my body. My stomach lurched and for a moment I thought I was going to be sick, but then the feeling passed and my skin began to burn instead. Then, suddenly, I could feel the ocean. I could sense everything living in it for miles, feel the currents moving, feel the power of crashing waves and fierce tides. I was acutely aware of the water in the pool beside me, drawn to it almost like a magnet.

  ‘The water,’ I breathed. ‘I can feel it!’ Icarus barked out a laugh and I grinned back at him. The crashing of the demons tail against the dome cut through the moment though, and the sound of Chiron’s hooves hammering towards us made me jerk my head around.

  ‘Get into the dorms where it’s safe,’ the centaur bellowed, bow and arrow armed and ready as he charged
towards us.

  ‘We can stop this thing,’ I hissed to Icarus. He didn’t argue, just nodded. ‘It’s outside the dome, and we have to stop it breaking in.’

  We both looked over at the pegasus tower, then began to run.

  When we burst out of the hauler at the top, Icarus shook out his massive wings and sprinted down the corridor. I didn’t try to stop him, just raced after him, not wanting to miss the moment. When he reached the edge of the tower he didn’t stop. His black wings snapped taught as he leapt and for a heart stopping moment he dropped out of view. Then I heard a whoop of delight, and he came soaring back up, blasting little gusts of air out of the palms of his hands when he changed direction. I slowed as I reached the lip, grinning from ear to ear. The pleasure on his face was beautiful. He was beautiful.

  ‘Grab Peto, come on!’ he shouted at me. I shook my head, snapping myself out of it, and sprinted along the walkway towards Peto’s stable. As though he knew I was coming he was ready, alert and skittish as I threw open his stable door. I dragged the box over to him and went to heave the saddle up onto it, but to my surprise it seemed to weigh half of what it used to. Had the vial made me physically stronger too? I flung the saddle onto Peto’s back and he gave an indignant little whinny.

  ‘Sorry, boy,’ I said to him quickly, as I ran round fastening it. ‘Ready to kill a demon?’ I asked him. This time he gave a loud neigh and clopped his hooves. ‘I thought so,’ I said, patting his neck and half running up the box to mount him.