‘You’re evil,’ came Zeus’s voice ringing through the air. ‘No father turns his back on his family. You don’t deserve him.’

‘What?’ said Elliot, looking around for the King of the Gods. ‘What is this? I don’t . . .’

But the words froze in his mouth as the smoke cleared around Nyx. Standing in her place was Dave Hooper.

‘No,’ she said, sounding exactly like Dave. ‘I just don’t want him.’

The world stopped turning for a moment as Elliot’s heart and mind whirled in his confused body.

‘It-it was you?’ he stammered. ‘You were my . . . you sent Mum . . . it was all you?’

Nyx returned to her normal form and took a small bow.

‘At your service,’ she said, her smile wider than ever. ‘Son.’

‘YOU EVIL . . . EVIL . . . WITCH!’

All the rage in Elliot’s soul boiled out of his mouth at the Goddess of the Night, who merely stood and cackled at his anger. He charged towards her, ready to tear her apart for what she had put him and his mother through. He was empowered with all the rage of a person who has nothing left to lose.

But just as he was about to grab hold of Nyx, she leapt up and began flying jubilantly through the air, leaving Elliot a crumpled heap on the ground.

Thanatos knelt down beside him.

‘Parents, eh?’ the Daemon whispered in his ear. ‘Can’t live with ’em. Can’t kill ’em.’

Elliot beat the ground with angry fists. How could he have been so stupid? Mum tried to tell him, tried to warn him – she knew it wasn’t his real dad. And yet he had left her with that – that monster, to go running around the world on another stupid, pointless mission that couldn’t even save her. It was all his fault.

‘Oh, come now,’ said Thanatos, apparently reading his thoughts. He pulled Elliot to his feet and dusted him down. ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. She’s fooled bigger, brighter people than you. She got the idea from your bag of tricks she stole at Stonehenge – that newspaper article about your father told her everything she needed to know. But she’s had her fun now . . . Speaking of which: Mother! Give the boy his things back. He’s earned his little souvenirs.’

‘Spoilsport,’ Nyx cried, throwing Hermes’s bottomless bag down at Elliot’s feet. He picked it up and slung it over his shoulder, rummaging through the contents.

‘Where’s the Hydra bow?’ he asked with dead eyes.

‘Ah – small insurance policy,’ said Thanatos. ‘I think we’ll keep that, won’t we, Mother?’

‘Of course,’ said Nyx quickly. For the first time, Elliot observed, the smile left her lips. But he didn’t care, he didn’t care about any of it. He just wanted to go.

‘Where is Mum?’ he asked wearily.