Poseidon's Academy

By Sarah A Vogler

Getting sucked into a whirlpool, sleeping in monster-infested woods, and battling psycho sea-nymphs was not how Hailey planned to spend her first year of high school. But when you’re the only Zeus in the world, life tends to get a bit complicated...

The Great Battle saw the world changed forever when humans killed the gods and absorbed their powers. One power was coveted above all others: Zeus’s. Thirteen-year-old Hailey Woods is the first Zeus in over a century. Unlike everyone else, she hates her powers because of an ancient prophecy that claims a Zeus will have to save the world someday.

Hailey doesn’t want to save the world. She wants to be a normal teenager, whose biggest dilemma in life is deciding what to eat for lunch, rather than training to become the ultimate weapon. Poseidon’s Academy, an underwater palace where her powers don’t work, was meant to give her that opportunity. But when she arrives, she discovers the sea-nymphs living there are plotting to resurrect the gods, and Hailey must find a way to stop them before they can enact the prophecy.

So much for normal!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sarah A Vogler
• Release date: Jul 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9780648350941

Sarah A Vogler

Sarah A Vogler was born in Brisbane, Australia, where she spent her childhood climbing trees, wrestling her three brothers, and watching Xena: The Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. It was these two TV shows that sparked Sarah’s interest in Greek mythology and saw her spend entire days sitting by her bedroom window, waiting for a pegasus to swoop out of the sky and take her on an adventure worthy of Homer. When it was clear a pegasus wasn’t going to rescue her from her dull life, Sarah turned to writing her own adventures.Sarah combined her love of Greek mythology with her love of writing and went on to study a Bachelor of Arts at The University of Queensland, with majors in Ancient History and Writing, followed by a Master of Arts in Writing, Editing, and Publishing.After graduating, Sarah became a freelance editor and spent her spare time working on her novels and submitting them to agents and publishers. She received dozens of rejection emails but persevered, knowing nothing worth having comes easy.

Book preview

1

The Letter

Hailey perched on the roof of her two-storey brick house, oblivious to the pair of teenage girls giggling at the end of her street. One of them pressed her hands onto the road. The asphalt shuddered and moaned, great big cracks tearing through the black ground as water gushed up from underneath it, transforming the road into a crystal blue lake. The second girl stirred her hand through the water, ice blasting from her fingertips and shooting down the lake, freezing it solid.

‘Ice rink,’ both girls shouted. ‘Ice rink. Ice rink.’

Children piled out of houses, pulling on skates and scrambling onto the frozen water.

Their laughter didn’t register with Hailey, whose gaze remained fixed on the envelope clutched in her hands. It smelled of salt, reminding her of sunny days at the beach. The address read:

Miss Hailey Woods

12 Golden Fleece Place

Calliope Gardens

London

A gold trident bordered by the letters P and A was stamped on the back, with a swirl of gold water encircling it. Hailey’s stomach grew heavy as she thought about the letter inside, which would either inform her of her acceptance to or rejection from Poseidon’s Academy: the high school every eligible teenager in the world strived to get into.

Poseidon’s Academy was no ordinary high school. It was an underwater palace that had once been the Olympian god Poseidon’s home. No one had ever seen it—aside from accepted students, who whispered of jewel-encrusted walls and sea-nymphs.

Hailey doubted Poseidon appreciated the conversion of his palace into a school, but he wasn’t in a position to complain considering he, and every other god, was dead. And had been for sixteen centuries now—compliments to humans killing them in the Great Battle.

Although Hailey supposed you could say they had lived on—at least in a small way—because when they’d died, their powers had showered from the sky to the human race, turning everyone into demigods. And since then, the gods’ powers have passed down through each generation, so every human in the world has a power.

The cold touch of a raindrop sliding down Hailey’s cheek had her gazing up at a grey cloud encroaching on the sun. She flicked her hand at it, watching the cloud speed away out of sight, leaving the sky azure blue.

Hailey was a Zeus. The only Zeus in over a century, to be exact, which meant her powers came with certain expectations. Her mind flashed back to the last Powers class she’d had before the summer holidays...

Hailey stood in a grassy field, the sweet and earthy scent of rain hanging in the air. Her teacher, Mrs Pritchet, loomed behind her with the rest of her class. But Hailey was too busy focusing her powers to remember they were there.

Warmth flowed through her fingertips towards the black sky, and a rope-shaped tornado whirled to life fifty yards ahead of her.

‘Not good enough, Hailey.’ Mrs Pritchet marched to Hailey’s side and clucked her tongue. ‘That feeble thing couldn’t even pick up a shovel.’

‘I’m trying,’ Hailey protested.

‘Try harder.’

‘Yeah, make it bigger,’ one of her classmates called out from behind her. ‘Big enough to rip someone’s roof off.’

‘I bet she can’t do it,’ she heard someone else say.

‘There’s no way,’ someone replied. ‘She sucks at being a Zeus. I’d be so much better.’

Hailey blocked out their voices and concentrated on intensifying the tornado. The warmth flowing from her fingertips grew hotter, and her hands trembled. The tornado expanded into a funnel shape, stirring up the grass and dirt and whipping about Hailey’s auburn hair.

‘Good,’ Mrs Pritchet said. ‘Now create a second one, while keeping the first one contained.’

Hailey’s hands trembled even more. ‘A second one?’

‘Yes. Do it now.’

Hailey gulped. She kept one shaking hand extended towards the tornado and moved her other hand slightly to the left, where a rope tornado materialised beside the first one, whooshing in and out of existence as Hailey tried to control it. Pain bloomed in her head. ‘I can’t,’ she said through gritted teeth.

‘Do it.’

Hailey focused on growing the second tornado, the heat pouring from her fingertips burning like fire. Come on. You can do this. A wave of dizziness swept over her, and a trail of warm blood trickled from her nose. She couldn’t take it anymore. The tornadoes vanished in an instant as she hunched over, fighting the urge to pass out.

‘We’re not finished,’ Mrs Pritchet snapped.

‘That was so lame,’ one of the students complained.

‘Told you she couldn’t do it.’

When the dizziness passed, Hailey straightened, wiping the blood from her nose. ‘I’m not strong enough,’ she told Mrs Pritchet. ‘Please don’t make me do it again.’

‘You have to, Hailey. You are the only Zeus. The one person with the King of the Gods’s powers. And that means you have a responsibility to this world to master your abilities. Or are you forgetting about the prophecy? It says—’

‘I know what it says.’

‘Then I shouldn’t have to remind you how important harnessing your powers is. I hope your next Powers teacher won’t tolerate your laziness. Now try again, and this time do it properly.’

The memory pressed against Hailey’s chest. She was sick of the pressure that came with being a Zeus. That’s why getting into Poseidon’s Academy was so important to her, because being underwater meant no sky. No sky means no powers. No powers means freedom.

She glanced back at the envelope. Inside it she could feel something with two pointed tips. She resisted ripping the letter open to find out what it was. She’d promised her two best friends she’d wait for them so they could open their letters together.

A door creaked open below her, and a few seconds later a redbud tree blooming purple-pink flowers sprang up ten feet to her left. Standing on one of its branches was her best friend Demi. ‘Come on, Hails. I’ll give you a lift down.’

Hailey leapt to her feet, forgetting she was on a slanted roof. She lost her balance and tumbled forward, the envelope flying from her hand as her arms flailed, trying to grab on to something. But there was only air. Air. Wind!

Warmth surged down Hailey’s arms and shot from her fingertips as she toppled over the roof’s edge.

A gale of wind rushed up and caught her, suspending her in the air. At the same time, two flower-coated tree branches wrapped around her waist. ‘Thanks,’ she called to Demi as the tree branches lowered her into the backyard: a grass-covered square edged with drooping sunflowers.

‘No problem,’ Demi called back, using her powers to unwrap the branches around Hailey’s waist and shrink them back into the redbud tree.

‘Nice form.’ Her friend Jayden stood in front of her, grinning. ‘That landing was much better than the last time you fell off the roof, but not as good as the time before that, or the time before that.’

‘What can I say, I like practising my acrobatics,’ Hailey joked, and then noticed a red mark on Jayden’s forehead. ‘What happened to your head?’

‘Someone turned your street into an ice rink again,’ he said simply, running a hand through his spiked up black hair before holding out an envelope. ‘You dropped this.’

Hailey took it back, her stomach growing heavy again now that she was no longer distracted with plummeting off the roof.

‘Don’t you dare open those without me!’ Demi warned, leaping from the redbud tree, which was back to its twenty-foot size, and bounding over to them. ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ Demi ripped her envelope open before she’d even finished her sentence and snatched out the letter. ‘We are pleased to inform you,’ Demi read aloud. ‘I got in!’ She bounced on her toes. ‘I got in! I got in!’ Her emerald green eyes darted to Hailey and Jayden, and she stopped bouncing. ‘Hurry up and read.’

Hailey blew out a breath and peeled open the envelope, unfolding the letter inside.

Dear Miss Hailey Woods

We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance into Poseidon’s Academy. Please find enclosed a travelling necklace that will transport you to Poseidon’s Island where you will meet your fellow classmates before departing for Poseidon’s Academy. Please also find enclosed a list of required supplies and textbooks.

First term begins on 1 January. Your departure time is 4.33pm. Please ensure you place the enclosed travelling necklace over your head at this exact time in order to avoid any collisions.

Warm regards

Guinevere Grayson

First Years Overseer

The letter almost dropped from Hailey’s hands as the heaviness in her stomach washed away. She’d done it. She’d gotten into Poseidon’s Academy. In four months she’d be at a new school with people who didn’t know who she was or what she could do. And even if they did know about her powers, they couldn’t make her use them.

She glanced back into the envelope and pulled out a gold winged pendant hanging from a thin chain. It was beautiful. More beautiful than her own bronze travelling necklace, which only allowed her to travel within London.

‘You got a necklace!’ Demi exclaimed. ‘That means you got accepted.’

‘Me too,’ Jayden said, holding up his own travelling necklace.

‘Awesome!’ Demi squealed, throwing her arms around their shoulders and squeezing them into a group hug before bouncing on her toes again. ‘Next year is going to be the best year ever.’

‘Yeah, I can’t believe we all got in. Blue skies.’ Hailey was beyond grateful she’d be starting her new life with her best friends.

‘I’m not surprised, considering how amazing our powers are.’

‘Modesty, Demi,’ Jayden rebuked her.

‘It’s true.’ Demi flicked her wavy brown hair behind her shoulder and raised her arms. The dying sunflowers sprang to life: their stems straightened, and their petals glowed vibrant yellow. ‘How many Demeters my age can do that?’

‘About as many Poseidons as can do this.’ Jayden curled his fingers at the garden hose, which lay abandoned a few feet away. It hissed to life, water spurting from the nozzle. Jayden waved his hand at the garden, and the water blasted up, showering over the flowers like rain.

‘Modesty, Jayden.’ Demi mimicked his censorious tone.

‘That looks much better. Thanks, kids.’ Hailey’s mum appeared from the side of the house. A variety of paint colours smeared her skin and overalls. Even her auburn hair, which was tied in a ponytail, was speckled with blue.

‘Happy to help, Evonee.’ Jayden waved his hand to shut the hose off.

‘We got into Poseidon’s Academy,’ Demi blurted, holding out her acceptance letter as proof.

‘I figured that,’ Evonee said and moved towards Hailey, pulling her into a tight hug. ‘I’m so proud of you, kiddo. But I can’t bear to be separated, so I’m coming with you.’ Evonee broke from the hug, shrinking several inches while her face seemed to stretch and contract at the same time.

‘Mum, don’t,’ Hailey begged, but it was too late. Her mum had already reverted into a thirteen year old.

‘How do I look?’ she asked, her voice soft and sweet.

‘Change back,’ Hailey demanded, covering her eyes.

‘I love your Hebe powers,’ Demi said.

‘I definitely think you could sneak into Poseidon’s Academy with us,’ Jayden added.

‘Hear that, sweetie? We’re going to be roomies.’

Hailey pressed her hands tighter against her eyes. Seeing her mum the same age as her was a level of creepiness her brain could not handle. ‘Mum, stop it.’

Evonee laughed. ‘Okay.’ Her voice had lost its girlish tone.

Hailey relaxed when she saw her mum looking like her usual thirty-year-old self. Although technically she was more like forty—being a Hebe, she could control how young she looked. ‘Thank you,’ Hailey said. ‘I wish you could come with me,’ she added.

‘Me too.’ Evonee’s smile faltered. ‘Well, I need to get back to painting. Congratulations everyone.’ She turned to leave and then glanced back at Hailey. ‘Oh, and you’re banned from the art studio.’

‘What? Why?’

‘It’s a surprise,’ Evonee said and scurried off before Hailey could pester her further.

‘Hang on.’ Demi squinted at her acceptance letter. ‘This says we start January first. That’s forever away.’

‘I guess it’s only fair though,’ Jayden said, ‘considering Poseidon’s Academy takes students from all over the world—not everyone’s first term begins at the end of the year like ours do.’

‘But I don’t want to wait that long.’

Jayden threw an arm around her shoulders. ‘Just think, you’ll have an extra few months to practise your powers so you can outshine all the other Demeters when you get there.’

‘That’s true.’ Demi perked up.

‘Come on, let’s celebrate with some ice skating,’ Jayden suggested.

‘Wait. Hailey never got to show off her powers.’

‘Me? No. I don’t want to.’ If someone other than her friends saw her using her powers, it would lead to people banging down her door to make requests for her to do something Zeus worthy, like make the sky rain fireballs.

‘Come on, Hails,’ Jayden prompted. ‘It’s only us.’

Hailey scanned for peeping neighbours. But no one was around, thanks to the ice rink out front. ‘Okay,’ she gave in, figuring she only had so long left with her powers, so she might as well use them. She raised her arms, warmth returning to her fingertips and flowing towards the sky.

A chill swept around the backyard.

‘Cold air, really? That’s so boring.’ Demi crossed her arms, unimpressed.

‘Look.’ Jayden pointed up.

Snowflakes drifted from the patch of sky above them.

‘Okay, snow in summer, that’s much better.’

Hailey smiled at the snowflakes fluttering down, feeling just a little proud of the fact she’d created them. And then she remembered this would be one of the last times she’d get to use her powers. Her chest tightened.

It’s the only way, she reminded herself. I’ll never be free otherwise.

2

Poseidon’s Island

Hailey’s skin erupted in tingles, and the world spun around her in melting and merging colours. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing it would end before her somersaulting stomach expelled the chocolate-chip pancakes she’d had for lunch.

She could still smell the scent of turpentine and vanilla that had clung to her mum as she’d hugged her goodbye seconds ago. Hailey held on to that smell, imagining she was back at her house and not being hurled through space.

Her head and stomach calmed when she arrived at her destination. Gingerly, she opened her eyes and gasped.

Before her an endless sea stretched, the sun glinting off the water, making it sparkle like a sea of aquamarines, sapphires, and turquoises. Waves rolled onto the beach, their steady rhythm making the sea sound as though it were breathing.

‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ A kind-faced woman stood beside Hailey, wearing a white Grecian dress. ‘I’m Madam Grayson. I’ll be your overseer until you graduate. You’re Hailey Woods?’

Hailey tensed, thinking Madam Grayson knew who she was, but relaxed when she realised the teacher’s eyes were on a piece of parchment covered in names and arrival times. ‘Yes, that’s me.’

Madam Grayson ticked her name off. ‘I need your travelling necklace.’ Hailey pulled off the winged pendant and handed it over. ‘Not everyone has arrived yet, so please wait with the other first years until they do.’ She pointed to an apprehensive group of students standing twenty feet away.

But Hailey’s eyes weren’t on them. She focused instead on the island, which was a tropical beach formed of white sand that appeared as fine as dust and soft as powdered sugar. Students lounged beneath palm trees, and several other teachers dressed in Grecian outfits waited at varying points around the island, ticking off names as students materialised before them.

‘It’s not a good idea to keep standing there, unless you want to get squished.’

Hailey turned back to Madam Grayson. ‘Sorry. I’ll join the others.’ She gripped her suitcase’s handle and moved out of the way as a boy, who looked ready to throw up, appeared in the spot she’d been standing.

She continued towards the group of students she’d be spending the next five years with. Only a few of them appeared to know each other, talking in hushed voices while those around them either shuffled their feet or fidgeted with their bags.

‘Hailey, you’re here.’ Demi broke free of the crowd and yanked Hailey into a quick hug.

‘Where’s Jayden?’

Demi waved a hand. ‘Talking to some randoms. I don’t know any of these people. I think we’re the only ones from our school.’

Hailey glanced back at the crowd, studying the students’ faces. No one looked familiar. A lightness spread through her, making her smile. If she didn’t recognise anyone, then that meant no one knew she was a Zeus. She was officially a nobody. Blue skies. ‘I think you’re right about us being the only ones from our school.’

‘We must be even awesomer than I thought.’

‘What have I told you about modesty, Demi?’ Jayden tsked, appearing from the crowd. ‘Hey, Hails.’

‘I can’t believe this is really happening.’ Demi bounced from foot to foot. ‘We’re going to Poseidon’s Academy. Poseidon’s Academy! And we’ll probably get to meet sea-nymphs!’

‘Maybe you should tone it down a little so people don’t think you’re crazy—well, at least not just yet.’ Jayden grinned. ‘And they like to be called nereids—not sea-nymphs.’

Hailey, too, could barely believe she was about to enter Poseidon’s Academy and see Poseidon’s palace. The gods’ kingdoms and hideouts were coveted places that many archaeologists and historians had spent their lives searching for unsuccessfully. Poseidon’s palace was one of the main places searched for, and there hadn’t been a single sighting of it since the gods’ demise. Its lack of appearance had led people to think Poseidon had destroyed it before he’d died to ensure no human ever set foot in his home.

But it turned out the nereids who lived there were just really good at hiding it. And five years ago, they’d announced they’d converted the palace into a high school and were accepting applications.

‘Listen up, first years,’ Madam Grayson said, positioning herself at the front of the group.

‘Move.’

A shoulder slammed into Hailey, making her stumble a step, as a girl with blonde curls bashed her way to the front.

Madam Grayson appeared not to notice the disturbance, continuing to speak. ‘Master Anderson should be opening the portal to the Academy any second now.’

Portal? There hadn’t been any mention of passing through a portal to get to the palace in Hailey’s acceptance letter; she’d assumed it would rise from the water.

‘Look.’ Demi pointed to a burly man striding towards the sea. Hailey guessed he was Master Anderson.

Master Anderson stopped at the water’s edge. A blue orb the size of a coconut shone in his hand. He pitched it into the sea, where it made a tiny plop before sinking.

Hailey wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe the orb was some type of bomb that would explode and signal the palace to pick them up.

But there was no explosion—not even a ripple.

Demi sighed. ‘How very anti-climactic.’

Hailey was about to agree but was distracted by Master Anderson calling out several unfamiliar words. She picked up the last one as sounding something like unam.

That’s when everything broke into chaos.

A CRACK shattered the air, its intensity shaking the ground and reverberating through Hailey’s body.

The water began churning, spinning around as if someone had pulled a plug from the bottom of the sea.

It’s a whirlpool!

Hailey didn’t know what to say or do. All she could think was that something had gone terribly wrong, because why would anyone create something so dangerous.

The whirlpool dragged Master Anderson into it; he didn’t even get a chance to shout out for help before he vanished.

Hailey choked on a breath. Had she just seen someone die?

‘Calm down,’ Madam Grayson called out after several first years screamed. ‘This is the portal to Poseidon’s Academy. Master Anderson is safe on the other side. Watch the older students go, and you’ll see there’s nothing to worry about.’

‘Wow!’ Demi exclaimed.

‘Cool!’ Jayden beamed.

Hailey didn’t want to watch anyone else get swallowed, but the pull of the whirlpool was like a sea-monster attack: she couldn’t look away.

The second, third, fourth, and fifth years divided into groups. Each group followed Master Anderson’s example, jumping into the swirling sea. Hailey kept waiting for her body to relax and be okay with the fact she’d have to do the same, but her body only tensed more with every group of students she watched disappear.

It was incomprehensible to her how diving into a whirlpool to get to the Academy hadn’t made it into the rumours about the school. It would be the first thing she told her mum if she lived through this.

‘Okay, our turn,’ Madam Grayson announced, after the other teachers followed the last of the older students into the whirlpool. ‘It’s tradition for the first years to jump in alone rather than in groups, so please form a line.’

‘Let’s get there first,’ Demi said, grabbing Hailey and Jayden’s hands.

Every instinct in Hailey’s body screamed at her to get as far away from the sea as possible. But she let Demi drag her towards it, reminding herself with every shaking step that this was the only way to Poseidon’s Academy. The only way to her being free of her powers.

‘When you get to the Academy, please wait for me in the grounds,’ Madam Grayson instructed. ‘All right, off you go.’

Demi was first. She pivoted around to face Hailey and Jayden, blowing them a kiss. ‘See you on the other side.’ She leapt backwards, vanishing into the churning water.

Hailey gulped; it was her go. She inched forward a few steps and froze, her breath hitching as she peered at the raging water, imagining it sucking her up and throwing her around like a ragdoll while it gleefully drowned her.

Calm down, she told herself, and instinctively raised her eyes to the sky. Its azure blue shade steadied her breathing.

Keeping her eyes on the sky, Hailey gripped her suitcase, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

Nothing happened.

She went to take another step just as an invisible force yanked her into the sea. A wall of water replaced the sky, spinning around Hailey like a tornado. It didn’t touch her though. Aside from the sea-spray misting her face, she was dry. She dared to take a breath, her muscles un-tensing when salty air flooded her lungs.

Gingerly, Hailey reached out her free hand and trailed her fingers through the swirling water, shivering at its coolness. ‘Incredible,’ she said, right before the water disappeared and she began falling.

3

Poseidon’s Academy

Hailey’s feet hit solid ground, and the same salty scent that had hung on her acceptance letter swarmed her nostrils.

‘Welcome to Poseidon’s Academy.’ Master Anderson stood before her, wearing gold shorts and a white polo shirt, and holding a crystal orb—the same one he’d thrown into the sea to create the whirlpool. Hailey wondered how something so small could contain a portal so powerful, and then she looked up, finding the whirlpool spinning two feet above her, ready to drop the next student.

A hand latched around her wrist and jerked her aside. ‘You’re looking the wrong way,’ Demi told her.

Hailey followed her best friend’s gaze and gasped when she saw Poseidon’s Academy.

The palace looked as if it belonged in a fairy tale set in an ice kingdom. Its blue crystal exterior sparkled with the colours of a rainbow as invisible rays of light glinted off its turrets and spires, which rose towards the sapphire blue sea.

The enormous grounds that encircled it were even more enchanting. Sea-anemones and coral formed bright gardens of pinks, purples, blues, and greens. Between them grew trees with coral trunks. One type sprouted big bunches of pearls. Another lot resembled cherry blossom trees, but instead of pink flowers, each tree bloomed a different type of jewel: there were tanzanite trees, aquamarine trees, turquoise trees—basically jewel trees every colour of the sea. There were also trees that looked like weeping willows, with seaweed draping from their branches.

Hailey stared down at the transparent ground, where rainbow reefs grew beneath her feet. Her eyes widened as a school of fish swam by, their tails long like veils, and their scales shiny and iridescent like opals.

Her gaze drifted to the sea surrounding the grounds, which stretched over the top of the palace like a dome of water. She wondered what was keeping it from flooding in on them like a tsunami. Perhaps a spell cast by the goddess Hecate herself, she mused.

‘This place is amazing.’ Jayden gaped, coming to Hailey’s side.

‘It’s unbelievable,’ Hailey agreed, drinking in every inch.

She’d only expected a palace. She’d never thought there’d be grounds surrounding it, or that those grounds would have magical trees growing topaz and lapis lazuli.

‘I’m going to be rich,’ Demi declared, stuffing emeralds the same colour as her eyes into her skirt’s pockets.

‘Demi, no stealing,’ Jayden chided her.

‘I’m not stealing. They’re lying on the ground. And there’s about fifty trees here. I don’t think anyone will miss a few jewels.’

‘Demi, put them back.’

‘But—’

‘Look, I don’t know what the

Reviews for Poseidon's Academy

[Francis Andrei Luya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was REALLY good like really and i really liked the storyline. A LOT!!! A bit like Percy Jackson, my favorite character and series. Haileys my FAV character now!!!! (Aside from Anya Forger and Wendy Marvell that is)im a girl ok???