‘Perseus,’ he barks suddenly, jerking the umbrella in his hand towards a big weeping willow set a few yards back in the grass, away from the lake’s edge. I squelch behind him, pushing my way through its drooping branches until we are both stood next to the trunk. I can’t help but stroke its bark, fingering the slippery, dark grooves with my finger. This is a tree that has seen it all, but I know even a thousand-year-old willow canopy won’t keep out this particular storm.

I rest my hand on the trunk, tracing a few more of its veins, sky growling with thunder. Some of them are wide enough to fit my whole fingertip.

‘Perseus,’ the man repeats, glasses practically sheet-white as he inclines his head towards me.

‘Ah, but who am I?’ As I say it, I stab my finger into a crack, as deep as it will go, pushing down hard on a notch inside the trunk, lightning flashing inside the canopy. It cuts both ways, our so-called arrangement. A secret isn’t a secret unless both sides are keeping it.

‘You’re Athena,’ he says, tilting his head down a fraction. ‘How far are we compromised?’

I’m suddenly light-headed, fingertip pinching. I didn’t realise I was holding my breath.

‘There’s an unidentified leak on Andromeda,’ I say, prodding at the trunk. ‘At least, I think there must be. I only found out about it just—’

‘You think?’ I jump as he interrupts, removing his glasses, one eye leering white and sightless while the other swivels towards me. ‘I should not have to remind you that we do not communicate on a hunch. Who is leaking? And what is your plan?’

‘I’ll have it all locked down later,’ I stammer, fingertip stinging as I pull it out. ‘Just give me till the end of tomorrow. It won’t take long. I couldn’t have known it had anything to do with new information on Andromeda until the press conference was over. 117Dominic is furious. He’s home affairs editor. Every leak should have been coming to him—’

‘Stop!’ He cuts me off, mismatched eyes pointed like lasers. ‘You know better than to lose discipline after all this. You cannot afford any more breaches of protocol!’

I gabble, teeth chattering as I shiver into my soaking clothes.

‘I do know that whoever is leaking briefed one of our other reporters before the press conference. I just don’t know who the source is yet, but I’m not long for finding out. I just thought it would be best to meet now so you had all the facts.’

‘Enough,’ he snaps as he replaces his glasses. Only now do I realize they were tinted all along. He holds up a hand and yet again all the questions I can never seem to ask die on my lips. We stand, frozen under the canopy until finally, he gives me a tiny nod.