There was no divine vision. Just the eyes of the Enemy, and his burnt fingers clamped around the box, dragging the chain forwards, so that it dug into Silvius’s neck. The flesh fell away from the Enemy’s hands, which meant that for the smallest of moments he lost his grip, and Silvius jerked away, whilst his adversary lunged back at him, now in the form of a man once more.

Something smacked the Enemy on the side of the head, and he stumbled. It was Elissa, panting, with an oar. Hardly thinking, Silvius kicked him hard in the stomach, and the Enemy wobbled, keeling over. But all the time he was smiling.

‘Ship nymph!’ Elissa called. ‘Help us!’

‘He’s too powerful …’

‘Please!’

‘Hold fast … I’ll try …’

Elissa scooped up Ruffler, and both she and Silvius flung themselves at the rigging, grabbing on. The Enemy was crawling towards them, dragging himself forwards, pointed tongue still flickering from his human mouth.

Nothing could stop him.

The world tilted, as the ship nymph rolled herself portwards, hurling the Enemy off balance. As he scrambled uselessly to find purchase, she shifted herself starboard. The Enemy, taken unawares, was flung over the side of the ship, and landed with a great splash in the sea.

The ship nymph righted herself, and the two companions rushed to look out. A brief flash of red lit up the waters from beneath.

Then there was nothing.

They collapsed, exhausted, onto the deck.

‘Thank you, ship nymph,’ said Silvius to the figurehead when they had recovered.

She inclined her mast in reply.

‘Python’s forces reach far …’ Elissa said. ‘Apollo told us to go to Sicilia. Will we find directions there? I don’t think that I can face another attack like that.’

‘I hope so … And I don’t think I can either …’ They lay, side by side, until the terrifying memory of the snake-like man was eclipsed by the gentle sound of the waves.

After a while, Elissa got up and began murmuring quietly to the ship nymph, looking about to see what damage had been done. Where the grappling hook had cut into the side, there was a darker shade, as if the ship had been bruised. She paused there and stroked it gently. Silvius busied himself with tidying up their belongings, cleaning the oar and making sure the bows and arrows were in working order.

Then, when they had finished their tasks, Silvius stood at the helm and let his thoughts wander, whilst Elissa and Ruffler played together.

‘What do you know about Python?’ Silvius asked the ship nymph.

‘He was one of the most powerful gods before the Olympians came,’ she replied, her voice seeming to come from all over the ship. ‘He used to rule from Delphi, and then Apollo defeated him. And now the Olympians are leaving, he wants to return.’ The ship shuddered along her beautiful length.

‘So after Sicilia, where should we go?’