He pointed to a large, jagged rock sticking out of the ground in the exact spot where they had been standing moments ago.

‘I see,’ said Thanatos reluctantly.

‘You’re welcome,’ said Hypnos, taking a step backwards and bowing to his sibling. ‘The stage is all yours. Brother.’

Thanatos gathered himself together. He raised his arm and held the watch up again, preparing to bring the stone to his command once more.

‘Chaos Stone!’ he roared. ‘I command you to unleash your power on the Earth! Rain fire down from the skies! Destroy cities with your earthquakes! Blast the world with tornadoes and hurricanes! And wash away the mortal filth with your floods! Cleanse the Earth of the vermin that have destroyed you for so long! And let me rule the world as its rightful king! This is my will! Now . . . GO!’

He held the watch above his head, his body tingling with the power that was going to be his. His moment had finally come. Nothing could stop him. Nothing could overthrow him. Nothing . . .

Nothing was happening.

The Daemon of Death slowly lowered the watch, trying to quell the rising panic in his heart. Was he not the true master of the Chaos Stone? Did it not obey him? After everything, was he not actually able to wield its power?

Thanatos opened the watch in dread. But the answer stared him plainly in the face.

The Chaos Stone had gone.

And so too had his brother.

20. Mother of All Battles

20. Mother of All Battles

Virgo had never understood the mortal expression ‘my heart is in my mouth’. The heart was a major organ with a fixed position in the human torso. To move it would mean certain death, not to mention the need to thoroughly clean one’s teeth.

But as she and Elliot watched Hermes and Nyx battle in Tartarus, it suddenly made sense.

‘What can we do?’ Elliot cried, the sounds of battle ringing all around them as the Heroes battled the Daemons.

‘I’m assessing our situation,’ Virgo replied. ‘We are unarmed, unprepared and underage. I’d say our chances of survival are worse than the chicken crossing the road. Even without the bubblegum attached to its foot.’

‘This is epically sub-optimal,’ Elliot muttered, frantically looking around for anything that could help. Even in this perilous situation, Virgo couldn’t help but smile. Finally, she had taught him something.