by Maz Evans
‘Let’s get you somewhere safe,’ said a trembling Athene. ‘Something to eat, somewhere to sleep. We’ll figure everything out later.’
‘She’s right,’ said Aphrodite, putting her arm around Elliot’s shoulders. ‘You are exhausted. You must rest.’
‘We’ll get your house back from that accursed Horse’s-Bum if it’s the last thing we do,’ said Zeus. ‘And she’ll never get her hands on you. Don’t you worry about that.’
‘And we’ll sort everything out, so you don’t have to,’ said Athene. ‘We’ll make all the . . . arrangements – you just focus on you.’
‘So let’s go, sweetie,’ said Aphrodite, pulling his hand. ‘Let us take care of you.’
Elliot stayed rooted to the spot, staring blankly into space.
‘No,’ he said quietly.
‘Sorry, old boy?’ said Zeus.
‘I said – no!’ spat Elliot, yanking his hand free of Aphrodite’s.
‘Elliot?’ said Athene. ‘We completely understand how you’re feeling . . .’
‘You do, do you?’ hissed Elliot. ‘You – who live in a family where no one has ever died – you understand how I’m feeling right now, do you? DO YOU?’
‘Elliot – I’m sorry, that was a stupid thing to say,’ said Athene, trying to take his hand. ‘Of course we don’t understand, we just—’
‘You just NOTHING!’ cried Elliot. ‘You did NOTHING! You swore you’d look after her . . .’
‘Elly – we tried, I swear on the Styx, we tried everything,’ pleaded Aphrodite, her eyes filling with fresh tears.
‘Well, you should have tried harder!’ shouted Elliot. ‘What use are all your powers, all your stupid gadgets, all your endless lives, if you couldn’t save my mum when she needed you?!’
‘Elliot,’ said Zeus. ‘There was nothing anyone could have done. It was her time . . .’
‘Time?’ said Elliot. ‘Her time? No – it was your time that was the problem. We wasted so much time on stupid Chaos Stones and thunderbolts and your stupid fight with your stupid brother that it stole her time! We missed it because of you! What was the point of this – getting this . . . stupid potion if we weren’t going to get here in time?’
He pulled out the vial containing Panacea’s potion and hurled it into a nearby dustbin.
‘Elliot,’ said Zeus, taking hold of his shoulders. ‘There are some things that no magic can change. It isn’t fair. It is desperately, cruelly unfair. But it is no one’s fault. Especially not yours.’
‘Don’t pretend you care!’ Elliot snarled, wriggling free. ‘You never cared about me or my mum! You just cared about your stupid Chaos Stones!’
‘Elliot, that simply isn’t true,’ said Athene, her dark eyes full of tears. ‘You’re so hurt, please let us help you . . .’
There was an eternal pause as Elliot considered his next move.
‘OK,’ he said at last. ‘There is something you can do.’
‘Anything,’ sobbed Aphrodite, taking his hand.
Elliot stared deep into the eyes of the King of the Gods.
‘Give me my mum back,’ he said calmly.
The Gods looked helplessly at one another. Zeus sighed from the depths of his soul.
‘I would give anything to be able to,’ Zeus said softly. ‘But you know I can’t.’
Elliot nodded.
‘Please listen to me, Elliot,’ said Zeus. ‘Your mother’s destiny was already written, long before we met you. No one could change that.’
‘I thought you didn’t believe in destiny,’ said Elliot darkly. ‘You believe in choices. And now, my choice is clear. Hypnos?’
The Daemon nodded his head.
‘You want to be on the winning side?’
‘Always,’ said the Daemon quietly.
‘Then take me to Thanatos.’
‘Elliot – no!’ cried Athene. ‘If you go to Thanatos, you’ll lose everything. We all will.’
‘Tell me,’ said Elliot, turning to face them. ‘I’ve lost my home. I’ve lost my dad. I’ve lost . . . I’ve lost my mum. What else have I got to lose?’
He watched the Gods search in vain for an answer.
‘Well, then,’ he said. He turned his cold eyes to Hypnos. ‘You coming?’
The Daemon of Sleep turned towards Zeus and said something to him that Elliot couldn’t hear. But it certainly had an effect on the King of the Gods.
‘Elliot – please,’ cried Zeus, suddenly running over and grabbing hold of him.
‘GET AWAY FROM ME!’ roared Elliot, yanking the Chaos Stones from his pocket and aiming their mystical beams into the air. At once, the Earth began to tremble and a cold wind started to blow. A storm cloud thundered above.
The King of the Gods held him for a moment, his eyes boring into Elliot’s. Elliot sensed he was trying to speak to him, to enter his thoughts one last time. But Elliot’s mind was too full of pain to hear anything Zeus had to say.
After an interminable few moments, Zeus released him, his hands raised in surrender.
‘Elliot,’ he said calmly. ‘If you go to Thanatos, you will be beyond our reach.’
‘I know,’ Elliot snarled. ‘Sounds like the best place to be.’
And with that he allowed the Daemon of Sleep to scoop him up high into the air, far away from the outstretched arms of the Gods.
32. Home Sweet Home
Pegasus landed gently in the centre of the Great Hall.
‘Here we are,’ said Zeus quietly. ‘Home sweet home.’
Pegasus had answered the call of his master’s thunderbolt and had brought the Gods back to Mount Olympus, which sat in a realm of its own beyond the clouds.
It had been many centuries since the Gods last spent time on the mythical mountain – and it showed. The vast golden hall that once rang with the feasting of the Olympians now sat quiet and empty, cobwebs drifting in the room that had resounded with music and dancing. Paintings of the Gods’ greatest adventures adorned the walls, but they were faded and old. A long, dusty bronze table ran down the centre of the room, lined with fourteen chairs. Those seats had been unoccupied for too long.
‘Do you believe it?’ Athene asked her father. ‘What Hypnos said to you back there?’
‘I never believe a word a Daemon says,’ growled Zeus. ‘But Hypnos promised he’d protect Elliot. What choice do we have?’
‘Where’s Hephy?’ said Aphrodite. ‘I want to see Hermes.’
‘I’m here,’ said a gruff voice behind them. ‘And so’s he.’
Hephaestus took one look at his immortal friends.
‘You look like you’ve dropped a mina and found an obal,’ he said. ‘What’s going on? Where’s the boy?’
Zeus shook his head solemnly. His comrade of many millennia understood perfectly.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said the God of the Forge quietly. ‘I hoped it wouldn’t end like this.’
‘It hasn’t ended yet,’ said Zeus. ‘Did you find them? All of them?’
‘Every last one,’ said Hephaestus. ‘They’re waiting for your signal.’
Zeus nodded gravely. This was their last hope.
‘How is Hermes?’ said Athene.
‘The same,’ said Hephaestus. ‘No better. But no worse.’
‘Take us to him,’ said Zeus.
The immortal blacksmith nodded and limped out of the hall, followed by his friends.
They climbed the mighty spiral staircase which led to the chambers of the Olympians. They approached the door with a tortoiseshell insignia surrounded by wings, and pushed it gently open.
There, in his satin bed, at the centre of a golden chamber decorated with portraits of its occupant, lay Hermes. Athene rushed to his side.
‘We’re home,’ she said softly.
‘Hi there, old boy,’ said Zeus, holding Hermes’s hand. ‘How the devil are you?’
Aphrodite held back.
‘Aren’t you going to come and say hello?’ said Zeus.
Aphrodite looked uncharacteristically sheepish.
‘If I tell you something, Daddy – you have to promise not to get cross,’ she said.
‘This is no time for anger,’ smiled Zeus. ‘What have you done now, my pearl?’
Aphrodite closed her bright blue eyes and pulled her right hand from behind her back. Between her thumb and forefinger was Panacea’s potion.
‘Where did you get that?’ gasped Athene.
‘I went through the bin,’ said Aphrodite.
‘That was for Josie,’ said Zeus quietly.
‘I know,’ said Aphrodite. ‘And we couldn’t save her. But we can save Hermy.’
‘That wasn’t made for Gods,’ said Athene. ‘It was for mortals.’
‘And unless we defeat Thanatos, there won’t be any left!’
‘That’s not the point,’ snapped Athene.
‘It’s entirely the point!’ shouted Aphrodite. ‘Elliot is taking the Chaos Stones to Thanatos! There will be a war! And in case you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly overrun with volunteers here! We need Hermes! The mortals need all of us!’
‘We don’t even know if it works,’ said Athene. ‘I, for one, remain entirely sceptical . . .’
‘Yer sister’s right,’ said Hephaestus softly. ‘Senseless it going to waste. We’re gonna need all hands to the plough.’
‘Josie loved Hermy,’ said Aphrodite, her eyes filling with tears again. ‘If she couldn’t have it, she’d want him to have it. He’s our best chance of getting Elly back. Josie would understand that.’
Zeus looked at his son lying lifelessly on the bed. This was the only way. He nodded his permission.
Aphrodite walked slowly to Hermes’s side. She gave him a soft kiss on his cheek and stroked his head.
‘Come back to us, Hermy,’ she whispered. ‘We need you.’
She pulled the cork out of the phial and held it to her brother’s lips. With a deep breath, she poured the golden liquid into his mouth.
No one dared take so much as the faintest breath as they watched Hermes to see what would happen. The seconds piled on top of one another, the tension in the room the only evidence that anyone was there at all.
‘I told you so,’ said Athene, finally shattering the silence. ‘It’s a hoax, Panacea’s last joke on us all. Why, I bet right now she’s in the Isles of the Blessed having a good old chuckle at us for being so—’
‘Look!’ cried Aphrodite, pointing at Hermes with a shaking hand.
‘What?’ Athene said.
‘Look!’ growled Aphrodite. ‘There!’
Athene looked from Hermes’s face to his chest. Almost indiscernible to the naked eye was the tiniest golden speck, right above his heart.
‘What is it?’ whispered Zeus.
‘I don’t know,’ said Athene. ‘Maybe it’s . . .’
‘Bbbbbbb . . .’ Hermes started to mumble.
Aphrodite and Athene grabbed each other in shock.
‘H-he’s trying to say something,’ gasped Aphrodite.
‘I know – shhhh!’ said Athene, leaning closer. ‘It’s OK, Hermy, what are you trying to tell us?’
‘Bbbbbbbbbbbbb . . .’ Hermes mumbled again.
‘I don’t understand,’ said Athene, turning to her family. ‘Perhaps he’s been unconscious too long? Perhaps there’s some permanent damage? Perhaps . . .’
‘What is he saying?’ said Zeus, rubbing his tearful eyes.
Hermes’s eyes suddenly flew open.
‘Perhaps you lot should get a hearing aid. COS I SAID . . . BBBBBBBBBOOM!’
And, like a bullet from a gun, Hermes rocketed out of his bed in a shower of golden light. He zoomed around the room like a thunderbolt, whooping with delight as his family cheered.
‘MAAAAAAATE!’ he cried, as he hovered above their heads, cracking his neck. ‘Not being funny . . . BUT THE H-BOMB IS BACK!’
‘My boy!’ gasped Zeus, tears rolling down his face. ‘My brilliant, brilliant boy . . .’
Athene and Aphrodite cried and danced and hugged each other as Hermes whizzed around the room in his feathered slippers. Even Hephaestus, from the corner of the room, allowed himself a small smile.
‘BANG, BOOM, BANG AND A DOUBLE PORTION OF BOSH!’ yelled Hermes, turning cobwebs into party streamers and dust into confetti.
The Gods celebrated a moment of pure, long-awaited joy as they were reunited with their beloved Hermes. It was good to have a reason to smile again.
After a few more circuits of the room – and more than a few admiring glances at himself – Hermes finally came back to Earth.
‘So where’s E? Where’s J-Hoops?’
His iGod started to ring inside the suitcase that Don’tcAIR had finally returned. ‘Actually, not being funny, but where am I?’
‘Where’s yer trousers?’ said Hephaestus in disgust, throwing a pair of jeans at the Messenger God, who was standing there in his pants.
‘It’s the school,’ said Athene, wiping the tears from her eyes. ‘I’d forgotten I redirected the Home Farm number to the iGod. Heaven knows what I’m going to tell them . . . Yes . . . This is Elliot Hooper’s . . . aunt. What’s that?’
‘You’d better sit down, son,’ said Zeus. ‘We have a lot of catching up to do.’
‘Mate?’ said Hermes, sitting back down on the bed anxiously. ‘Why do I feel like I’ve just done a high-intensity workout after a night on the vindaloo? This don’t end well, does it?’
‘But that makes no sense,’ said Athene down the phone. ‘Are you sure?’
The Gods froze, concerned by the alarm in Athene’s voice.
‘Of course,’ said the Goddess of Wisdom. ‘Please let me know anything the second you do.’
‘What was that all about?’ said Aphrodite. ‘You look like you’ve seen your own reflection.’
‘That was Ms Givings, the welfare officer from Brysmore,’ said Athene, her hand trembling. ‘It’s about David Hooper.’
‘What about him?’ growled Zeus. ‘Good-fornothing wastrel!’
The Goddess of Wisdom looked unusually lost for words.
‘He’s being released from prison today,’ she finally said.
‘You’re a couple of olives short of a tree,’ said Aphrodite. ‘He’s been with us for weeks.’
‘Exactly,’ said Athene. ‘Ms Givings was waiting for an email from him about his parole officer. When it didn’t arrive, she started to do her own checks. She’s just discovered that David Hooper is still in prison. She was calling to warn us not to let the man we know anywhere near Elliot.’
‘Not being funny, but what are you all on about?’ said Hermes. ‘Can someone please explain what the bamboozled bosh is going on?’
Zeus, Aphrodite and Athene stared at one another in horror.
‘Elliot’s father,’ said Athene, looking at a shaking Zeus, ‘is not who we thought he was.’
‘So, wait a second . . . if Dave Hooper has been in prison all this time,’ said Aphrodite, ‘who’s been living with Elliot?’
Athene shook her head slowly.
‘More to the point,’ said Hermes, shooting up from his bed and grabbing a sword from the wall, ‘who the blinking anti-bosh is with Elliot now?’
33. Devil in Disguise
‘Well, I’m delighted to have you on the team,’ said Thanatos, reclining on his throne of bones in the Underworld.
‘I’m not on anyone’s team,’ said Elliot. ‘This is purely business. I don’t care what you do with them. I just want her back.’
‘Of course,’ said Thanatos. ‘I am the Daemon of Death. My offer still stands. In fact, I’m now the only person who can give you your mother back. Find me the Fire Stone, hand the others over, and I will return her soul to you. Escort it back to Earth and she’s yours, exactly how she was.’
‘You swear it on the Styx,’ said Elliot.
‘I swear it on the Styx,’ said Thanatos.
‘Because if you are double-crossing me again . . .’
‘Why would I do that?’ said the Daemon of Death. ‘The time
for playing games is over. You have what I want most in the world. I have what you want most in the world. It’s in our mutual interest to work together.’
Elliot nodded blankly.
‘I need somewhere to stay,’ he said plainly.
‘I have had quarters prepared for you,’ smiled Thanatos. ‘I had a feeling you might come to me tonight. My associates can show you the way.’
Thanatos clicked his fingers and the Titans came to the door.
‘Fine,’ said an exhausted Elliot, and stood to follow the Titans.
Thanatos waited for the door to close behind Elliot. Everything was perfect. He turned his gaze to his grinning brother. Hypnos looked insufferably smug.
‘So . . . looks like I’ve managed to do what you and Mumsy couldn’t,’ he chirped. ‘I brought you the boy.’
‘The boy brought himself,’ Thanatos glowered. ‘You did nothing.’
‘We still have a deal,’ said Hypnos. ‘If I kill the child, you can’t kill me. As far as I’m concerned, nothing’s changed. Once he gets the Fire Stone – assuming that doesn’t do the job for me – he’s toast. We’re allies.’
‘Oh, I’ve had a much better ally than you,’ smirked Thanatos. ‘In fact, I’m expecting them any second . . .’
There was a knock at the chamber door.
‘Enter!’ Thanatos called.
The door creaked open. His guest walked in with a self-satisfied sneer. Hypnos gasped.
‘The boy is here?’ said the new arrival.
‘He is,’ nodded Thanatos.
‘What are you . . .’ Hypnos began, completely at a loss for words.
‘You see?’ Dave Hooper smiled at Thanatos. ‘I told you it would work. Everything has gone like clockwork.’
‘Go on, then,’ sighed Thanatos. ‘Take your moment . . .’
‘Oh, if you insist,’ said Dave, slumping down in a chair. ‘Of course some of it was just fun, really – releasing the gorgon and reactivating the magical devices on the day the welfare officers visited was just sport. Especially pushing the mother in that pond . . .’
‘You’re a devil,’ chuckled Thanatos. ‘You always were.’
‘Wait,’ said Hypnos. ‘How do you know him?’
‘But selling the house, leaving him with that braying harpy – that was where the real genius of my plan bore fruit,’ continued Dave. ‘The boy has nothing. He has no one. He’s ours.’