‘Shhhhh!’ said Virgo, leaping up and pricking her ears. ‘Did you hear that?’

‘Hear what?’ grumbled Taurus. ‘All anyone ever says in here is—’

‘Plop!’

‘There it is again!’ Virgo cheered. She’d know that voice anywhere!

‘Gorgy! Gorgy, is that you?’

‘PLLLLLLLLOOOOOOPPPPPPP!’ came the jubilant reply from her baby gorgon (in no way whatsoever her pet), who had been snatched by the Titans.

Virgo looked around the cell to see where the noise was coming from. High up, she spotted a tiny chink where the walls didn’t meet perfectly. How had she missed it? She rejoiced at the small stream of green slime that was beginning to trickle down the ancient rocks.

‘Quick,’ she said, ‘help me get up there.’

‘I’ll have to undertake a full health-and-safety assessment,’ sighed Pisces.

‘Right now, the biggest threat to your health and safety is me!’ snapped Virgo. ‘Now help me up.’

Slowly, and with the maximum amount of discussion and disagreement, the Councillors formed a sort of immortal ladder, which Virgo started tentatively to climb.

‘Ouch!’ snapped Taurus as she trod on his head. ‘Mind where you’re putting your feet!’

‘Mind where you’re putting your gigantic bum!’ moaned the Gemini twins as they struggled to support Sagittarius between them.

‘Stay still,’ groaned Virgo as she clambered up Cancer’s shell. ‘I’m nearly there . . .’

With one foot on Libra’s head and the other on Scorpio’s backside, Virgo finally reached the chink of light.

‘Gorgy!’ she cried, putting her eye to the crack and seeing the little gorgon standing proudly in the fiery wasteland of Tartarus beyond. ‘You found me!’

‘Mama!’ said Gorgy, stretching out his little arms.

Virgo felt her heart perform some sort of irregular rhythm at the sight of her p— Her professional acquaintance.

‘Sorry, Gorgy – Mama can’t give you a cuddle . . .’

‘Plop,’ said the baby gorgon, shaking his head and pointing to something Virgo couldn’t quite see. ‘Mama! Mama! MAMA!’

Virgo twisted her head as far as the small crevice would allow. Standing next to the youngster, similarly green and slimy, was a full-grown adult female gorgon. Her hair of snakes hissed sleepily around her head. Virgo gulped. This primitive creature was capable of untold harm if she were angered. Those snakes could turn Virgo to stone between two heartbeats. She would have to tread this negotiation very carefully.

‘HEL-LO,’ she said very slowly and loudly. She tried to sound as friendly, if still superior, as she could. This was, after all, an Elemental, the most common of the five categories of immortal.

‘HOW ARE YOU?’ she continued deliberately. If she was to establish meaningful communication with the creature, she would need to test its level of language skill with some simple questions and responses.

The adult gorgon stared at her curiously. Clearly this was a primitive species. Virgo was going to have to be very patient.

‘DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?’ she enquired.