by Raine, Eliza
‘I’m really glad she stowed away on your ship, captain,’ she said with a grin.
‘Me too.’
While we waited for her to come back we all gathered in the galley. Everyone was ravenous after so much excitement and adrenaline, and it wasn’t like we needed our rations now that we were back at the academy, so we ate whatever we liked from the cupboards as we tried to work out our plan of attack.
‘The teachers will help us, right?’ said Thom around a mouthful of bread.
‘Course they will.’
‘If we expose Neos as a Titan, won’t some of the Olympian gods show up?’ I asked nervously.
‘Vronti has probably already gone to Zeus,’ said Arketa. ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s waiting for you.’ A cold shiver trickled down my spine.
‘And how do I deal with that?’ I asked as casually as I could. Arketa shrugged.
‘Let’s just concentrate on how we’re going to trap Neos,’ said Icarus firmly.
‘Good idea,’ I said. We couldn’t fight Zeus, if he showed up it was game over. ‘Maybe I can lure Neos somewhere. We don’t need him to know that we’re onto him. I could say we failed in finding in Oceanus and that I’ve decided to abandon my water powers and want him to help me use my fire instead.’
‘That might work,’ said Icarus, but he sounded unconvinced.
‘I think we should go for a full frontal attack,’ said Arketa.
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. Take him by surprise.’
‘Guys, Chiron and the others will know we left, and have probably seen that the ship has returned by now. I don’t think we’re going to have any element of surprise here.’
‘Good point.’
‘Do you think Hermes will get involved? He’s headmaster right now,’ Zali asked.
‘For all we know, every god might get involved,’ I sighed. ‘As long as we play a big enough part in capturing Neos, Zeus will forgive us all.’ We fell quiet.
‘OK. I think our best bet is just to work as a team,’ said Icarus, standing abruptly. ‘We know we’re strong when we fight together, remember how we took down the Keres demon.’
That demon almost killed you, I thought, but kept my lips firmly clamped shut. I was worried about his arm, and how it might affect his fighting.
‘We could get Gida and his friends to help?’ Zali suggested.
‘And I can get other students to help too,’ said Arketa.
‘What if they get hurt? Shouldn’t we try and deal with him ourselves first?’ I said, biting down on my lip. I’d let Neos out of the box. I didn’t know how I’d live with myself if he hurt someone. Icarus looked at me, indecision and concern etched into his features.
‘He’s a Titan, Dora. Capturing him is going to be...’
‘Impossible,’ finished Arketa.
‘No,’ I said. ‘He saved your life, Icarus. I’m not saying he’s a good guy or anything, but he I think he needs us. We’re important to him somehow. I think we can reason with him.’ Icarus blew out a sigh.
‘Fine. We can try talking to him first. But if that doesn’t work, we’re going to have to call in all our favors.’
I had one more thing to do, before we headed back into the academy and faced Neos, and it was something I was really, really looking forward to. I walked carefully as I carried the little tank of gold liquid Oceanus had conjured up for me down the corridor to my chambers. Once inside, I laid it down on the floor in the middle of the room and hurried to get Nix’s feather. I’d thought about inviting Icarus and Zali along to see what happened, but it hadn’t felt right for anyone else to be there. Nix had bonded with me, and this seemed like a moment that should be kept between us. My heart skipping excitedly, I carefully dropped the feather into the gold goo. It was so thick, and the deep red feather so light, that for a moment it just sat there, floating on top of the liquid. Then it began to sink, the glittering gold stuff soaking over the soft edges. I held my breath, wondering if I should have warned Nix I was about to do this. I’d been so excited that I hadn’t even thought to talk to him first.
There was a small fizzing sound from the tank and I leaned forwards, peering into the thick, opaque liquid. I couldn’t see the feather at all. There was another louder fizz, then the gold stuff began to melt away. I could hardly breathe with anticipation, and I let out a little squeak when an egg began to show beneath the receding liquid. When it was all gone, I picked up the egg delicately. It was warm, and large, it only just fit in one of my hands. I put it on the bed, cocking my head at it. What happened now? As if hearing my thoughts, there was a tiny crack, and a dark line appeared on the shell. It was hatching! I had envisioned a fully grown phoenix bursting from the tank, fiery and gold and glorious. That seemed silly now, as I watched breathlessly as little bits of shell began coming loose and breaking away from the rest of the egg. Nix has said the birds were reborn, so of course there would be an egg involved. After another minute or so, a tiny little head, bright scarlet red, poked up through the wide hole in the top of the egg, big black eyes blinking. I stared back at the little chick.
‘Hi,’ I whispered.
‘P-p-p-pandora?’ Nix’s voice sounded in my head and I grinned.
‘It’s still you!’ I exclaimed. The tiny bird shook himself, and the rest of egg shell cracked away around him. He stumbled on tiny little legs, pushing out furry wings that were mainly deep red but laced with glittering gold feathers.
‘Of course it’s me,’ he snapped, staggering over the soft sheets. I dropped to me knees so I my eyes were level with him. ‘You found Oceanus? And... and you asked him for a body for me…’
‘I sure did,’ I beamed. ‘So what do you think?’
‘It’s a little small at the moment, but...’ He extended his little wings hesitantly. ‘But I think it will be magnificent,’ he finished, fixing his black eyes on mine. A flicker of orange appeared in them as I stared back at him. ‘Thank you, Pandora,’ he said.
‘You’re welcome,’ I said, the smile on my face now hurting my cheeks. I couldn’t believe how wonderful it was to have a face, eyes, expressions, even if they were bird ones, to go with the voice I’d come to know so well. ’You know, you’re really quite cute,’ I said, knowing saying so would immediately annoy him.
‘Cute? Cute? Do you have any idea how powerful I’ll be when I’m fully grown!’ he huffed, puffing his chest out and then falling sideways onto the bed. I laughed and reached out, straightening him again.
‘I don’t doubt it, Nix. I can’t wait.’
‘Well, you’ll have to. It will be at least two years,’ he grumbled. A stab of sorrow pierced my happiness. I might not be around in two years to see him fully grown. Gods, I might not even be around tomorrow, if things with Neos went wrong.
‘I’ll just have to make the most of you being small and fluffy while I can then, I said, jumping back to my feet. ‘In the meantime, I have a Titan to take down.’
26
Another hour ticked past, and everyone was getting restless, me most of all.
‘Where is she?’ I wondered aloud for the millionth time. My mom had been gone for too long now. We were all up on deck, fighting gear donned, weapons in hand, adrenaline pumping through our bodies. We were ready to face Neos, but we were a woman down. After everything we had been through together it didn’t seem right to finish this without my mom. A horrible thought niggled at the back of my mind. She’s left you again. She got out the first chance she had, and she’s not coming back. She was just in this to rescue Oceanus, she doesn’t care about you after all. I scowled and shoved the thoughts away. ‘We’ll wait another half hour,’ I said.
‘We may not have that long,’ said Arketa, and pointed up into the sky.
‘Peto?’ My jaw hung as I watched my big black pegasus get bigger as he approached us, until I could see that Miss Alma was clinging awkwardly to his back. He wasn’t wearing a saddle and I could hear him snickering and neighing as they flew closer and we all scrambled
out of the way. With a clatter of hooves and a flurry of beating wings, they touched down on the deck of the Tethys.
‘Miss Alma!’ exclaimed Zali, and I ran forwards to try to calm Peto.
‘Hey boy,’ I soothed him, rubbing my hand along his nose. He pushed into my touch, his wings folding slightly as Miss Alma slid off his back, a look of relief on her face. The longer I looked at her though, the more anxious I felt. She had dark rings under her youthful eyes, and her modern clothes were disheveled and torn.
‘Did you find him?’ she said, looking at me.
‘How do you know-’ I started to ask, but she strode the few steps between us and gripped my shoulders. Peto stamped as I stepped back from him, trying to pull out of her grip.
‘Nobody is angry, Pandora, but nothing is more important. Did you find Oceanus?’
‘Yes,’ I stammered.
‘Oh thank the gods. Where is he?’
‘How much do you know?’ I asked, narrowing my eyes at the teacher.
‘I know everything. Neos is really the Titan Crius. Zeus has forsaken the academy and Neos has taken it by force. Peto and I barely escaped with our lives to warn you.’
Her words sank in slowly, the gasps and cries of the others fading to nothing as my brain tried to process the information. Neos had taken the academy.
‘Tell us everything,’ I said numbly, unable to work out what else to say.
‘I can tell you quickly, but we don’t have much time. He knows you’re here.’ I gulped, my head spinning. ‘After you ran away, Chiron realized the box was missing and began to guess what you were doing. Eventually, after he threatened to get the gods involved, Dasko confirmed that you were looking for Oceanus. Chiron was angry but Dasko and Fantasma convinced him that you were following your destiny and that you and Icarus would bring about a new age of peace and that we should let you try. Then, about three hours ago, Neos changed. It was like something switched on inside him. He was manic and excited, shooting fire off everywhere. We thought something had happened to his brain or something at first, but then he went full on god on us, glowing and covered in flames and roaring about finally showing Zeus what being trapped in a fiery pit of hell was like, now that his brother was free.’
‘Oceanus,’ I breathed. ‘About three hours ago was when we woke him.’
‘Mercifully, most of the students were in classrooms in the main temple, which has ancient protections that can be activated if needed. Chiron and Agrius were able to trigger them, fortifying the temple, but Neos took the rest of the academy hostage, including myself and Fantasma, plus a handful of older students who were in the Advanced tower. He called Zeus, saying he would only release the school if the Lord of the Gods came and faced him. Zeus refused to come.’
I felt faint as I listened to her words.
‘He would sacrifice the school?’ Zali asked, disbelievingly.
‘Zeus has no love for this academy, it takes humans from the mortal world, not to mention Titan descendants.
‘But he can’t leave an angry Titan loose in Olympus!’ protested Icarus.
‘Crius is not the strongest of the Titans. One of the most dangerous perhaps, as he is erratic and seductive and smart, but Zeus easily outstrips his power. He will let the school suffer for the part they have played in this before he deals with him.’
The part the school played...
‘This is all my fault,’ I whispered. ‘Everything... I caused it all.’
‘That doesn’t matter now,’ Miss Alma said, squeezing my shoulders again. ‘What matters is that we save the academy. And Oceanus is one of the strongest beings to have ever lived. He can help us.’ She raised her eyebrows expectantly.
‘He won’t fight Neos,’ I said, and her face fell. ‘He said we had to capture Neos ourselves, in that box, in order to earn Zeus’s approval to stay and live in Olympus.’
‘But...’ Miss Alma stared at me, her eyes becoming slightly wild. ‘But, we can’t defeat a Titan,’ she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
‘Yes, we can. We have two here with us,’ said Arketa, loudly. We all turned to look at her, standing straight, chin up. ‘They’re stronger than any other students at the academy. And most of the teachers, I reckon,’ she said. ‘Plus Dora has a magic sword,’ she added, nodding towards Alifthoros, now strapped to my waist in a makeshift sheath. She called me Dora, I realized slowly.
‘If Oceanus believes that they can do it, so do I,’ said Thom, stepping forwards to stand beside Arketa.
‘Me too!’ Zali added.
‘As do I’, said a monotone voice, and I span around in delight. There, standing atop a huge jet of water at the railings of the ship was my mom. She was holding a staff with a glittering pearl at the end.
‘You came back!’ I breathed, tears filling my eyes.
‘Of course I did. And I am not alone.’
I ran to the side of the ship, leaning over, and gasped as hope swelled inside me. The turtle family were probably the smallest of the ocean creatures that surrounded my mom’s jet of water. Between my eyes and my water senses, I could see huge sharks prowling around under the waves, pods of dolphins leaping restlessly around and over each other, giant crabs snipping their claws together, long neon colored eels slithering amongst the others, a few huge octopus lurking nearby and even a whale a little further out.
‘How did you...’ I breathed, staring out at the sea.
‘I’m one of the sisters of Nereus. They let me borrow this,’ she raised the staff. ’Amongst other things, it allows you to communicate with them all.’
‘Can I join you?’ asked Zali, almost breathless beside me.
‘We would be honored,’ my mom said, and Zali squealed and began pulling her jeans off, her swimsuit underneath. A panicked look flitted across Thom’s face.
‘You’re leaving?’
‘Thom, you’ll be amazing. You know everyone’s voices now, you’ll do great,’ she told him.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked her nervously. She dropped her leather chest guard onto the planks and looked at him.
‘More sure than I’ve ever been of anything,’ she said. His face relaxed, his shoulders squaring.
‘Thank you,’ he said to her and then leaned forwards, clasping her face in his hands and kissing her. She gave another squeak and I couldn’t help the grin that took over my face. ‘You’ll do great too,’ he said, as he eventually released her, stepping backwards. Zali’s dark skin was flushed and her smile stretched from ear to ear.
‘Thanks,’ she whispered, then turned to me.
‘Good luck, Dora,’ she said, and we hugged hard.
‘Thank you so much, Zali. You’re the best friend in the whole world,’ I told her.
‘I know,’ she grinned, then climbed up onto the railings.
‘The academy is locked down, and guarded well. I believe the only way to enter it is by brute force,’ said my mom.
‘What about the pegasus tower?’
‘Neos will have sealed that since I escaped,’ said Miss Alma, shaking her head. ’What do you mean by brute force? You can’t break the dome surrounding the academy,’ she said to my mom. ‘That’s completely impossible.’
‘I have a better idea. The dome only works when it’s underwater.’
I stared at my mom as I realized what she was suggesting.
‘You want to lift the school out of the water?’
‘That’s what they’re all here to help do,’ she said, spreading her arms and gesturing at the creatures below her.
‘If this works and we get in, will... Will you come and help me fight Neos?’ I asked, my voice small.
‘I wouldn’t be anywhere else.’ And I knew she meant it. I could hear it in her voice, see it in her eyes. ‘I spent my life wondering about you, Pandora, scared that you wouldn’t understand me, nor I you.’
‘You were scared?’
‘Terrified.’ I couldn’t imagine the stern woman being terrified of anything. ‘But you are strong and
kind and brave and everything my people hold in the highest esteem. I am proud of you.’ The tears returned, hot and stinging. How had I gone from not even having a mother to caring so much about what this woman thought? I couldn’t just call her ‘this woman’ anymore, I realized. The bond of blood had always existed, but I’d refused to feel it, refused to risk being left alone again. With a smile, I finally let the fear go, and let the bond snap into place.
‘Thanks, mom,’ I said. She smiled back at me, and I suddenly felt the water bracelet whirling fast around my wrist. I held it up to her, in a salute. ‘Let’s go get Neos.’
27
We agreed that I would stay on the ship and use my water power from above the ocean, to help try and pull the academy from where it had rested under the waves for centuries.
‘I can’t believe we’re doing this,’ muttered Miss Alma, as I directed the Tethys so that we were right by the stables at the top of the pegasus tower. Peto whinnied as he saw it, and the teacher stroked his mane absently, staring in concern at the ocean. ‘Chiron is going to kill me.’
‘We’ll put it back, I promise,’ I said, sending silent prayers to Oceanus that we would actually be able to.
There was a rumble deep below us, and Icarus reached for my arm, spinning me to him quickly, startling me.
‘You’re amazing, and we’re going to do this. We’re going to defeat Neos, impress Zeus and find a way to fix your power,’ he said in a rush.
‘You’re amazing too,’ I told him, and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. Then the ship wobbled, and my water senses were dragged down to the ocean below.
I gasped as my magic induced vision kicked in, and I saw what was happening beneath us. My mom and Zali were floating fifty feet under the surface, both holding the staff which was now glowing a brilliant purple color. I moved my senses from them to the school, and let out an even bigger gasp. It was on fire. I couldn’t see actual flames, but the buildings were all glowing red, and heat rolled off the dome, making the water bubble gently around it. Fear for those inside gripped my insides. Then I felt the creatures, surging around the dome in response to mom and Zali’s directions. A torrent of liquid burst from my mom, spreading and knitting itself together into a giant net. It flew under the dome, and the spiraling ends wrapped themselves around the powerful creatures, dolphins and sharks and seasnakes alike. I sent my power out, adding my strength to the net. Then the creatures began to swim. I felt Zali send out her power, cooling currents replacing the hot water rolling off the dome, soothing the animals as they exerted themselves.
