Poseidon's Academy Box Set

by Sarah A Vogler

  Zeus rubbed his bearded chin. ‘Interesting. What is your power then?’

  ‘I can blend in with my surroundings—like a chameleon.’

  ‘That stealth power would be useful in battle,’ Ares remarked.

  ‘How did you get here?’ Zeus asked.

  ‘A seed. One from a griffin’s nest.’

  ‘Ah, I forgot about those,’ Zeus mused. ‘I suppose this means you will need assistance returning?’

  Cady nodded, relief beginning to creep in. It didn’t sound like killing her was part of the plan.

  ‘Well, first we require our powers. We must indulge in a feast of ambrosia to regain them. You will join us. Tell us of this new world.’

  It didn’t take long for the gods to organise the feast, which was simply plates of gold fruit that looked like apples but smelled like honey. Cady sat at an enormous table with the gods, who spent the entire time glaring at her between bites of their food and sips of their drinks. Her entire body was tense, waiting for any one of them to hurl a fireball at her the second their powers returned.

  ‘Who rules your world?’ Zeus asked Cady. He sat at the head of the table, with Cady on his left side.

  Cady’s throat was as dry as sun-baked sand, but she managed to answer, saying, ‘The Government. It’s formed of dignitaries from each continent—there are seven altogether.’

  ‘I see,’ Zeus said, taking a sip from his goblet. ‘Where do they reside?’

  ‘They, um, live in their own countries. I, uh, don’t know the addresses. But I could find out.’

  ‘That complicates things a bit. It would have been much easier to kill them all with one fireball to their palace.’ Zeus shrugged. ‘Never mind. It will still be easy enough to dethrone them.’

  ‘I will destroy them all!’ Ares proclaimed from where he sat near the end of the table with Aphrodite.

  ‘Patience, Ares,’ Zeus chided him. ‘I know you are hungry for blood and vengeance, but we must be strategic about how we reclaim our rightful place as the rulers of this world. Humans have powers now—’

  ‘Yes, our powers,’ Poseidon growled. Cady gulped, getting the distinct feeling the god wanted to drown her with the water sitting in her goblet.

  ‘We will get them back,’ Zeus promised before focusing back on Cady. ‘Do you have any thoughts on how best to depose this Government you speak of?’

  Cady did her best to ignore the hate and anger pouring off the gods as she said, ‘Well, there’s this cult called the Olympian Mysteries. They’d do anything to help the Olympians—you—return to power. They have spies all over the world. They’d know how to get rid of the Government.’

  ‘Interesting,’ Zeus said, rubbing his chin. ‘Using humans to overthrow humans, I like that. Where do I find this cult?’

  ‘Nemertes knows. She’s been working with them for the past five months—she used them to release a gorgon in the palace to keep Amathia distracted while I found a way to get here, to Olympus.’

  ‘Do you mean Stetho?’ Poseidon demanded from across the table.

  ‘Not now, Poseidon,’ Zeus snapped, silencing him. ‘How many humans are in this Olympian cult?’

  Zeus continued asking Cady questions, getting as much information about how to reclaim control over the world as possible. The other gods chimed in from time to time, usually to hiss their distaste, but mostly they stayed quiet, as per Zeus’s instructions.

  ‘I believe that is all we need to know for now,’ Zeus said after what seemed like hours of questioning. ‘I will send you back to where you came from.’

  ‘My palace,’ Poseidon snarled, clutching a goblet in his hand so tightly Cady thought it might collapse into a lump of metal.

  ‘You cannot inform anyone of our reawakening.’ Zeus’s eyes were so serious that Cady had no doubt he would kill her if she betrayed him. ‘We will let the world know we’re back when we choose to. But first we must learn as much about it as possible. You will need to bring us books, and whatever else you believe will be useful, about your world.’

  ‘Okay,’ Cady agreed. ‘But you will take your powers back, won’t you?’

  ‘Of course.’ A smile tweaked Zeus’s lips—a smile similar to the devious one Nemertes had given her when she’d been convincing Cady to go through with the plan. ‘We cannot have humans thinking they are our equals.’ Zeus’s chair scraped against the diamond floor as he rose to his feet. ‘Ready?’

  Cady stood up, finally feeling as though she had made the right choice. She’d earned the gods’ trust—or at least Zeus’s. She would have nothing to fear from them. She and Jayden would be safe. ‘Ready.’

  Zeus flicked his hand. Flashes of lightning encircled Cady, and she thought for one terrifying moment that Zeus had betrayed her. But then she was back at Poseidon’s Academy, standing in the empty entryway as if she’d never left.

  34

  Vengeance

  ‘I’ve changed my mind. I can’t let you go,’ Evonee said.

  Hailey was standing in her living room with Pandora, ready to go back to Poseidon’s Academy after their one-week mid-semester break. Her mum was in front of her with pleading eyes, holding on to Hailey’s travelling necklace. ‘Mum, we’ve talked about this. You, Demi’s, Alec’s, and Aaron’s parents all said you’d let us go back. You’d give the school one more chance.’

  Evonee shook her head. ‘There was a gorgon in the school, Hailey. A gorgon! How can I let you go back to a school that didn’t even realise a monster was living in the basement? Not to mention all the other things that have happened since you started at the Academy. You’ll be fine at an ordinary school.’

  ‘No, I won’t,’ Hailey cut in. ‘I can’t stand ordinary schools—they make me feel like a freak with my powers. I can’t go through that again. Please, Mum. I’ll have my friends still, and there aren’t any more monsters in the palace.’

  ‘And I’ll be there to watch out for her,’ Pandora added. She’d come back with Hailey for the week. Her mum didn’t know who Pandora really was. She thought she was a new friend whose parents were away. After what Pandora had done to help save the school, Amathia had agreed to let her return to the Academy as a student.

  ‘I wish Hailey had your powers,’ Evonee told Pandora. ‘I wouldn’t have to worry so much if she was immortal.’

  ‘I can take care of myself,’ Hailey protested. ‘Come on, I’ll be okay. I’ll write every day like I promised, until you feel okay with me being back there.’

  ‘I don’t think that’ll ever happen.’

  Hailey fiddled with her heart pendant. If she didn’t leave soon, she’d miss her departure time and risk colliding with another student. ‘Mum, how would you feel if someone let you go to a school that was amazing and full of magic, and then that person decided you weren’t allowed to go again and made you go somewhere boring?’

  Evonee sighed. ‘I don’t want anything to happen to you.’

  ‘It won’t.’ As long as the nereids stay away.

  Evonee yanked Hailey into a tight hug. Vanilla perfume clung to her mum’s paint-smeared clothes, mixed with the faintest hint of turpentine. ‘You promise me you’ll come home at the first sign of trouble.’

  Hailey squeezed her mum back. ‘I promise.’

  Tears glistened in Evonee’s eyes when she finally let Hailey go. ‘I love you.’

  ‘I love you too. But stop worrying.’

  ‘Sure, a gorgon takes over the school, trapping everyone inside while it picks people off and I’m overreacting?’ Evonee wiped away her tears with a sniff before smiling at Pandora. ‘It was lovely having you, Hope. You can come back anytime.’

  Pandora smiled. ‘Thank you, Mrs Woo—I mean Evonee,’ she corrected herself. ‘I’ll see you in a minute, Hailey.’ Pandora dropped a travelling necklace over her head and disappeared.

  ‘Mum, I need my necklace.’

  Evonee held it out, clasping her fingers over the gold chain as it dangled from her hand.

  Hailey tugged on it, bu
t her Mum didn’t let go. ‘Mum.’

  Evonee sighed and dropped her hand from it. ‘I hope I’m doing the right thing.’

  ‘All of my friends are at the palace. We’ll take care of each other, like always. Now I have to go, or I’ll miss my departure time.’

  Evonee dragged her into one more hug. ‘Be safe, kiddo.’

  ‘I will,’ Hailey promised, slipping the necklace over her head. She gripped her suitcase, which was stuffed with brand new clothes to replace all the burned ones, and waved goodbye.

  The world swirled around her, and a few seconds later she was on a sandy island, staring at a glistening sea. ‘Hi, Madam Grayson,’ she said to her overseer.

  ‘I’m glad to see you’re back, Hailey.’ Madam Grayson ticked her name off a list.

  ‘I waited for you,’ Pandora said, standing next to their overseer. ‘Alec is over there.’ She pointed to where a bunch of third years were sitting under coconut trees.

  Hailey followed Pandora towards him. He was reading their 2000-page Monsters and Creatures of the World textbook: An A-Z Guide of Monsters and Creatures Living in the Known World.

  ‘Are you studying already?’ Hailey asked, dropping onto the sand beside him with Pandora.

  ‘I’m trying to memorise everything about every monster so that I’m more prepared the next time I have to face one—which seems to be about every month,’ he replied, not taking his eyes off the book; a picture of a horse with a rooster’s tail and feet stared at Hailey from the page.

  ‘Where’s Demi?’

  ‘With her boyfriend.’ Alec waved his hand behind him and turned the page of his textbook.

  Demi was a few groups of students away, sitting with Brax. She was laughing at something he’d said. A heaviness pressed against Hailey’s chest. Not you, too, Demi. I can’t lose another best friend.

  As if sensing Hailey’s gaze, Demi glanced up. She grinned and waved, then said something to Brax before getting up and running over with her suitcase.

  The tightness gripping her chest lifted like a squeezing hand uncurling.

  ‘Hey, Hails. Sorry for being antisocial.’ She settled on the ground, dumping her suitcase in the sand beside her. ‘I haven’t seen Brax since the palace.’

  ‘We’ve only been gone a week,’ Aaron said, joining their group.

  ‘That’s forever.’ Demi waved a dismissive hand. ‘Can you believe how many students didn’t come back?’

  Hailey glanced around at the third years. She hadn’t even noticed before that the group had decreased by at least a fifth. In fact, looking around the entire island, Hailey could see that the overall student population had dropped. ‘I guess not everyone managed to convince their parents to let them come back.’

  ‘My mum was ready to change her mind,’ Demi said. ‘She actually hid my travelling necklace—I found it in the rabbit hutch.’

  Hailey chuckled. ‘If we had a rabbit hutch, I think my mum would have done the same.’

  ‘It doesn’t look like Jayden came back,’ Aaron remarked, eyes searching the students.

  ‘Or Cady,’ Demi added.

  Hailey looked around again. They were right, Jayden and Cady weren’t there. She couldn’t help but feel sad about that. Her and Jayden might not have been that close this year, but she still thought of him as a friend. And now he was gone.

  ‘Medusa, Venus and the twins aren’t here either,’ Demi blurted out.

  Hailey grinned like someone who’d just found out a Tyche was going to bless them with luck for the rest of their life. ‘You’re right. They’re not.’ Blue skies!

  ‘Thank the Tyches.’ Alec beamed, finally glancing up from his textbook.

  ‘Wow.’ Aaron shook his head. ‘I can’t even imagine what school will be like without the evil trio.’

  ‘Amazing,’ Demi said.

  ‘All right, third years, get together,’ Madam Grayson called out.

  They straightened from the sand and formed a group in front of their overseer, standing just a little way back from the waves rolling onto the shore.

  Hailey planted her feet in the sand as Master Anderson pitched a blue orb into the sea. Crack! The earth shook a heartbeat later, a few coconuts shaking loose from the trees as the sea spun into a whirlpool and swallowed Master Anderson up.

  Hailey couldn’t help but smile as students began jumping into the whirlpool, all of them disappearing so quickly it was as if they’d dematerialised. She was heading back to Poseidon’s Academy, which would be free of the nereids, and Venus and the twins. It would be Elysium. Except for the fact she would again have no idea what the nereids were up to. What if they’re busy scheming with the Mysteries?

  ‘Alec, have you heard anything more about the Olympian Mysteries?’ Like if they’ve been spotted taking multiple trips to the sea to meet the nereids.

  Alec shook his head. ‘My dad says the authorities are still looking for them.’

  ‘My dad’s looking for them too,’ Aaron added as students continued jumping into the whirlpool. ‘I told him what happened, and he’s making it a priority to locate and dismantle the group.’

  That’s a relief—if anyone can find them, it’s PET. ‘I hope they catch them soon,’ Hailey said. She was done with spoiling diabolical plots. She just wanted to get through the rest of high school—the rest of her life—without seeing another nereid, god, monster, or a member of the Olympian Mysteries.

  ‘Hi, Hailey.’

  Hailey spun around, sweat dripping down her palms when she saw Brennan. ‘Oh, hi, Brennan. Um, how are you feeling? I never got to see you after… well, you know.’

  ‘Getting turned to stone?’

  Hailey laughed nervously. ‘Yeah, that.’

  ‘I’m okay,’ he said, and started chewing his lip. ‘I, um, wanted to thank you for saving me. I mean not that that’s what you were doing. You were trying to save the entire school. Not just me. Obviously.’

  ‘I’m sorry Stetho got you,’ Hailey said, her palms turning sweatier and sweatier. ‘The only reason you were down there was to keep guard for me and my friends.’

  ‘I just remember red eyes...’ Brennan’s voice was distant. He shook his head, as if trying to clear away a memory. ‘Anyway, see you around.’

  ‘Make out already,’ Demi said when Brennan was out of earshot.

  ‘What?’ Hailey gaped at Demi.

  ‘It’s so obvious you like each other—or at least he likes you.’

  ‘No, he doesn’t,’ Hailey said, wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt.

  ‘Whatever,’ Demi said with a smirk.

  When it was finally the third years’ turn to jump into the whirlpool, Hailey grouped up with Demi, Alec, Aaron, and Pandora.

  ‘Is it safe?’ Pandora stared at the swirling water with wide eyes.

  Hailey had forgotten that Pandora had never travelled to the palace from the island before. ‘Yes. It’s like a portal. You jump in and you fall to Poseidon’s Academy.’

  Pandora gulped, taking a step back. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Come on.’ Demi tugged Pandora’s hand. ‘What are you even afraid of? It’s not like you can actually die—okay, yeah, you’re wearing the bracelet, but we’ll take it off if you do die… But you’re not going to die.’

  ‘Hurry up,’ students behind them complained.

  ‘It’s safe,’ Hailey told Pandora. ‘I promise.’

  ‘I trust you.’ Pandora sucked in a deep breath and jumped with the rest of them.

  The water swirled around Hailey like a tornado, salty sea-spray misting her face.

  ‘You can breathe,’ Aaron told Pandora, his suitcase clutched in his hand as he dropped through the swirling tunnel of water.

  Pandora slowly let out the breath she was holding and quickly sucked in another one. ‘Cool.’

  ‘Whirlpool is the best way to travel,’ Demi remarked, right before the tornado of water vanished and they landed in the grounds.

  ‘Welcome back,’ Master Anderson said from beside t
hem, patiently waiting next to the portal for all the students to drop down so he could suck the portal back into the glass orb he was holding.

  Hailey and her friends veered towards the palace, dragging their suitcases with them.

  ‘Hailey,’ someone called as she was about to walk through the palace’s doors.

  She whirled around and smiled at Lacey running towards her from the whirlpool. ‘Lacey. I’m glad you’re okay.’

  ‘I need to talk to you about something—badly enough that I jumped into the portal before it was the first years’ turn.’

  Demi grabbed Hailey’s suitcase. ‘We’ll meet you in the common room.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Hailey said, and focused her attention on Lacey, who was rubbing her hands together and avoiding Hailey’s gaze. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘I needed to apologise to you. Well, probably the whole school.’

  Hailey cocked an eyebrow. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘It was my fault Stetho got out.’

  Hailey’s confusion deepened. ‘Huh?’

  ‘Do you remember how I was talking to a shade that day you gave me back my notebook?’

  Hailey nodded.

  ‘Well, apparently it wasn’t a shade.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You know how nymphs are spirits?’

  ‘Yes.’ Hailey was starting to think that being stone for so long had messed with Lacey’s brain, because she was making zero sense.

  ‘Apparently—according to Amathia—nymphs can release their spirits from their bodies if they drink a rare plant called a silver lotus. And when they’re in their spirit form, they look like shades. Amathia said that the “shade” I spoke to that day was really her sister Nemertes pretending to be a long dead lover of Poseidon’s.’

  Dread hitched Hailey’s breath. ‘What happened to you?’

  ‘Like I told you, the shade wanted me to find her necklace and reunite it with her body. She said the necklace was hidden in a passageway behind a painting in the nereids’ chamber, so that’s where I went. I found the necklace, and it looked exactly like a travelling necklace. I figured Hermes’s symbol was probably used in ancient times, so I didn’t think much of it. The shade told me that her body was at the end of the passageway, behind another painting—this one was of Medusa. When I went in there I didn’t find a pile of bones.’ She rubbed her arms, the hairs standing on end. ‘I found a gorgon. She was waiting for me. I was so surprised I couldn’t move. She snatched the necklace right out of my hand… and then I remember glowing red eyes.’ Lacey gulped. ‘So it was my fault Stetho got out. I gave her the travelling necklace.’