“Could you check my friends’ statuses in the other van, Cameron?” I asked.
“You think I take orders from you now?” Cameron snorted.
“Please,” I said. “I need to know that they’re safe.”
“The other van wasn’t attacked,” Cameron said. “It seems trouble follows only you. You know what? I changed my mind. Even if you survive the trial, I don’t want you on my team. You’re more trouble than you’re worth. Sticking around you for too long, you might get us all killed.”
“Thank you for the confidence,” I said.
Marie nodded in agreement. “We’ve never had an incident rounding up descendants until you. And none of the demigods ever supervised a recruit mission before.”
“I’m not bad luck,” I shouted. “I’m an asset. I took out several criminal lords and gangs in Crack when I was a few years younger.”
The soldiers traded an unconvinced look.
“You might not be the worst luck to yourself,” Marie concluded, “but you are to others, like the criminal lords.”
“I protect the innocent,” I protested. Like Jasper and Circe.
In no time, we crossed the bay and reached the other end of the bridge.
Soldiers wearing Dominion badges were posted at all the checkpoints. There were even air patrols above the lush, green island.
No one stopped us, and our driver no longer raced like a maniac.
Security seemed air-tight as I spotted heavily-armed soldiers on every few blocks on the island.
We passed by streets, buildings, stores, and a large park, which all looked nice. The demigod-controlled Staten Island hadn’t been tainted by the war between the gods and demons. This was probably what the old civilization had looked like before both types of assholes invaded our world.
The van cruised through a vast gate as it slid open from the middle. Etched into the left side of the reinforced red wall, giant letters of gold proclaimed this to be Half-Blood Academy. On the right wall, the school crest displayed an eagle above the waves piercing a lightning bolt with a blade that also looked like a key connecting the sky and ocean.
The eagle was the power sign for the God of War, the lightning bolt was the God of Sky’s birthright, the ocean was the God of Sea’s domain, and the blade was the Sword of Hades and Key to the Underworld.
The four demigods were the only direct descendants of Ares, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, and thus this military school was named the Half-Blood Academy. I wondered if I would meet the rest of the demigods before I either survived or perished in the ritual.
Armed soldiers waved for the van to roll ahead as they recognized everyone, except me, in the van. They probably didn’t regard me as much of a threat.
As soon as the van braked at the circular driveway in front of the main campus, its door opened with a sharp metal sound, spitting out half of the team.
They lined up on either side of the vehicle, waiting for me to let myself out.
I leapt out of the van, squinting as I surveyed the campus: a gem-like pond, lush gardens, century-old trees.
I was surprised at how vast this place was.
The skyscrapers were so modern with steel and glass, the old stone buildings had elaborate carvings that spoke of rich tradition and history, and the low-rise structures were in a Victorian style.
Several vans parked around the circle.
Suddenly I caught sight of Jasper and Circe at the far end of the square.
Jasper darted his worried gaze around the crowd, as if searching for me. Circe looked so thrilled at this new environment that she twirled in a small dance. My breath hitched in my throat. She was young. She had no idea what kind of tough life lay ahead.
It wasn’t dancing and parties and boys, for sure.
Now that we were inside this fence, we’d never have freedom, not unless we escaped.
“Jas, Circe!” I called, bolting toward them, but two of the soldiers who’d escorted me immediately blocked my path.