The force lit him up with an almighty radiance, swirling around his body in a glow of white, green, red and blue, igniting the Daemon in a tortured blaze. With a roar of pain and defeat, the Daemon of Death collapsed to the ground.

And then, the light simply went out.

Elliot looked behind him. The Earth’s core was just as it had been. The beam hadn’t touched it. Virgo had saved the world.

Virgo . . .

Elliot clambered out of the remains of his prison and clawed his way to Virgo’s body. She was curled up in a ball, protectively, as if she were asleep. He rolled her over and checked her breathing.

Nothing.

He tried to find a pulse.

Still nothing.

Desperately, frantically, he started compressing her chest and filling her mouth with long breaths. Three, four times he tried.

But Virgo didn’t move.

‘You wake up!’ he shouted through hot tears, as he pumped the chest of his best friend. His only friend. ‘You stupid, stubborn, sub-optimal idiot! Wake up! You hear me!’

But the girl lay lifeless on the floor. Elliot felt the cold hand of despair reach for his heart. He couldn’t lose her. Not as well . . .

‘E! V! Mate! Babe! Thank the Gods I found you . . . E?’

Elliot didn’t deviate for a second, compressing Virgo’s chest and breathing into her mouth as the Messenger God flew into the cave.

‘What the—?’ said Hermes, surveying the carnage around them and the Daemon of Death sprawled unconscious on the ground.

‘Help,’ said Elliot desperately. ‘Please. You have to save her.’

Hermes knelt down and took one look at Virgo.

‘Not my skills, mate,’ said Hermes, stopping Elliot with a hand on his shoulder. ‘I need me dad.’

Gently, as if picking up a fragile ice sculpture, he scooped Virgo up in his arms.

‘Easy, babe,’ he whispered, kissing her softly on the head. ‘I’ve, like, totes got you . . . E – hop on.’

Elliot leapt on to the Messenger God’s back.

‘We’re OUTTA HERE!’ cried Hermes and blasted off through the tunnels of Tartarus, back towards the Earth that one young girl had saved.

22. Superstar

22. Superstar

Zeus looked at the sky for the hundredth time that hour. The Earth was still intact. That was a positive. But it had been hours since he last saw Elliot, Virgo and Hermes. If they had indeed defeated Thanatos, where were they?

‘They’ll be here,’ said Athene, answering his silent question.

‘Elly will have done it, I just know it,’ Aphrodite echoed, her voice sounding less certain than her words.

They anxiously scanned the horizon, waiting for a sign, anything to show them that not only was Thanatos defeated, but their loved ones were safe.

They didn’t have to wait long.

‘Look!’ cried Aphrodite, spotting Hermes flying towards them, carrying both children. ‘They’re here!’