Marcus DimascioThe Hurricane Throne

CHAPTER NO.14

The school was still spacious, I'll give it.

Just like last time, it took my breath away. All the walls were decorated with swords and shields. Armour lay about on tables and doors. The stairs leading to the upper levels of the building was made of solid marble. All the doors were made of bronze and copper, and hanging from the walls, perfectly framed, were photos of past demigods who attended the Hero School. Even though I was on the bottom floor, I could crane my head to the side and see the barrack rooms – bunk beds next to the wall of the next floor, the mattress's looking very welcoming.

Chiron led us to a massive room labelled 'HEADMASTER'S OFFICE', which to be fair was the size of the inside of a train cart. Inside, Chiron knelt behind a mahogany table which was covered in old scrolls and pens. All along the walls of the office were more old photos of past students – maybe his best students. In one of the photos, I could see the smiling face of Jake. In another, I saw Katie Grace the daughter of Demeter, her beautiful smiling face looking directly at me. Her dark black hair was lush and shiny.

"Take a seat," Chiron told me, bringing me back to my attention.

Doing as I said, I sat down on a wooden seat facing Chiron. Chloe stood behind me with Jake at her side.

The old centaur clasped his hands together. "Tell me – what brings you here, Marcus Dimascio?"

I started talking. "We're here to find our father. As you might've known, Poseidon has not been seen or heard from in a year. I don't know why he disappeared, and I don't know what happened to him. However, my mother told me and my sister that he was last sighted here in LA, before he went missing. Our main priority now is to find him and bring him back."

Chiron looked ever so surprised. "You're brave to say that you would try to find the Lord of the Sea. But where in LA would you start? It is a huge city to look for a god."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "You're really asking me that question? Where's the most likely place to find an ocean deity like Poseidon in a city like this? Chiron, you know our father – he's practically your brother–in–law. He could be anywhere."

Chiron thought about that. "Well...he's not anywhere in the ocean – his wife Amphitrite and his other son, Triton, told me he hasn't been seen in a while. If that's so, then he's in the mortal world. If your mother says that he was last sighted in LA, then it's a good place to start looking."

He frowned. "But why are you in such a hurry to find him?"

I looked at Chloe. She had her eyes facing the floor, but she nodded. If she thinks Chiron could be trusted, then I'll trust him. I just hope he takes our dire situation seriously and believe us on what we're saying.

I turned back to the centaur. "We're being hunted by Proculus and the whole of Cyclone City."

Chiron's mouth dropped open. "When was this?"

"We've been in his prison for over three months," I answered. "He and his men – the Storm Guard – broke into our house and abducted us. We've been put through tests, experiments and forced gladiator tournaments, fighting against our will. Not enough food, not enough water...we've barely survived, if it weren't for Maximus."

"Maximus," Chiron repeated with a smile. "Now there's a good man. He's a good friend of mine."

I shrugged. "Proculus punished him for helping us escape and the Council won't do anything to help him, since they are too afraid of Proculus. He already changed the laws of Cyclone City to make him more powerful. Zeus even admitted himself that Proculus was getting bolder by each day."