A second later Dora appeared, skipping down the stairs. Behind her, in the same crumpled linen (well, perhaps not the actual same crumpled linen), came their very good friend Takis from so many years ago.

‘Dear, dear ladies!’ The face, wreathed in smiles, seemed just the same, dark-browed and deep-furrowed and with the same enchanting smile they remembered so well.

‘Takis!’ screeched Penny. ‘You haven’t changed at all!’

He jumped forward and kissed her hand. ‘My English ladies! It is a miracle! Yorgos he called me to say he had seen you and then pfaff! –’ he snapped his fingers – ‘here you are in our island of Kyri!’

‘It is a bit of a miracle,’ Nell agreed, ‘if you can call a dose of food poisoning a miracle. We were on our way back to Athens when Moira – do you remember Moira?’

‘The clever girl who know more Greek myth than me?’

‘That’s the one. Anyway, Moira came down with some horrid illness and they had to drop us off here.’

‘Your bad luck is my good luck,’ he replied gracefully. ‘And is she recovered, your clever friend?’

‘No, not yet. The doctor says she must rest for a few days and has given her antibiotics.’

‘Doctors!’ Takis shrugged dismissively. ‘You should ask my daughter Ariadne. She is the expert on herbs that grow on our hillsides.’

‘OK. How old is Ariadne?’

‘Fourteen? Maybe fifteen?’

‘Goodness! She must be clever.’

‘We must make the most of our miracle. If your friend is being looked after OK, I will take you round our island.’

Penny and Nell looked at each other guiltily. ‘That sounds wonderful, but we’d better check on her first.’

To their astonishment they found Moira sitting up in bed, clearly feeling much better, cosily tucked up with a huge volume the doctor’s wife had found for her from his library. ‘Did you know,’ she asked them instantly, ‘that it was Hippocrates who said doctors should help, but above all, do no harm! I’ve always thought that was the most brilliant thought and I had no idea it was his.’ She smiled bravely. ‘He also said “food be thy medicine”, but I don’t think I’m ready for that.’

She did still look pale and in need of rest, and declared herself more than happy to stay in bed for a few days with Hippocrates while the rest of them went off exploring the island.

‘If you ask me,’ she announced with a deep look, ‘it seems a lot more than coincidence that we fetched up here, don’t you think? Zeus has something in mind for us. We just have to find out what it is.’

Penny and Nell exchanged glances, neither of them sure they were up to doing the bidding of the king of the gods.