I'm really sorry for the delay! I had a lot of problems, including hospital!


This Chapter: Aglaia contacts Alex and the Kanes in Summerisle- and they've had a shocking realisation. She also comes to an astounding conclusion when she sees Lexie for the first time. While Jason, Percy, Annabeth and Piper hold out in Imboca, causing the locals to think that they wanted revenge or something, Captain Orpheus Cambarro who brought the Church of Dagon receives news and makes clear the deal he made with Loki- and what they're planning, and Annabeth and the rest of the team start to suspect something more. Alex finally confronts Lord Summerisle.


To Aquafin: Thank you!

To Sam: He was actually born- and conceived- around the same time as Jason, considering that Zeus/Jupiter moved quickly from Beryl Grace to Fionnuala McDermott. So they're around the same age- in this timeline, he's nearly twenty-four. But his birthday wasn't celebrated, so for a long while he had no idea when he was born.


Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus series. I do not own the Kane Chronicles or Magnus Chase either. That belongs to Rick Riordan. I do NOT own the Avengers- that's Marvel. Or the works of H.P Lovecraft and Anthony Shaffer.


Aglaia closed her eyes.

"Really?" Nico asked.

"What did you tell them?" She asked, worriedly.

"What they needed to know- a recap of everything that went on when they were dead and unconscious." Nico put simply. He put down his teacup.

"Where to first?"

Aglaia took a deep breath. "New Rome." She said. "We need Hazel and Frank for this mission."

Nico looked startled. "I have no right to ask more from the others, but Hazel and Frank, I hope will listen."

Nico was silent, and then he nodded. "And Luke?"

"Luke's coming," she said quietly. "Now that Silena is alive… Maybe they will attack him, they will certainly get upset, but did you tell them what Luke did in the end?"

Nico bit his lip. "They asked me about that," Nico admitted. "After a while, I told them. Of course, Michael and Lee just heard that Luke had been possessed by Kronos and…"

"And did you tell them that he was alive?" She asked. Nico swallowed.

"No, I didn't."

Aglaia gave him a long look. "Then I suppose we'd better do it together."


"You're going to challenge Lord Summerisle?" Lexie said incredulously.

"Well, we just found out, didn't we? We can't get off this island," Alex said grimly.

What happened was that they realised that there were no flights off the island. That was what shocked them. Anyway, the airport had struck them as being dirty, unkempt and worse when they had arrived. There had been people around, but that was when Alex realised that it was only in the airport that people acted normal around them. Outside…

Well, if they didn't get that many visitors, even airport people who dealt with new arrivals would stare in interest.

And Alex cursed himself for not recognising sooner.

"No flights off the island- no way to get back to the mainland," he said grimly.

"What about Ireland?" Lexie was desperate to get away from those creeps. Alex shook his head. "I could fly us off, but it would be very risky dragging you all the way to Ireland or back to mainland Scotland." That was where they had taken the flight to Summerisle. "Or to England."

Alex shook his head. "They used human sacrifices, but…" he froze.

"No," he breathed. "They can't have."

Lexie stared at him. "What?"

"They knew we were coming," Alex cursed. "They knew all along. I don't know how they know- maybe they infiltrated both our bases- though we've taken care not to be infiltrated- maybe they were spying on us. I don't know!" Alex threw his hands in the air. "Your friend… They used him to lure you to come with us. My sister," Alex's voice cracked. "They knew I wouldn't turn down an opportunity for answers. As for you guys-"

"They can't have manipulated Isis," Carter said, dubiously.

"Did Isis actually say anything to you?" Alex asked fiercely. "Like a warning?"

Sadie shook her head. "No- I only saw the images."

Alex swore in Irish and Greek- both ancient and modern. "Surprise! They lured us all in here!"

Sadie's eyes were wide. "But that's crazy!" She exclaimed. "Isis wouldn't allow-" Then her eyes went massive.

"Isis. Oh, Carter," she groaned. "We didn't bring any of our headrests with us- or our special pillows. Did you dream last night?"

Ignoring Lexie's bewildered look, Carter grew alarmed. "No."

"And yet both of our Bas should have taken a little trip to the Duat!" Sadie threw her hands up in the air. "Instead, I slept like a rock last night. I bet they had something to do with this- I'm sure they did!"

Carter looked horrified. "Sadie-"

"Human sacrifices," Alex growled. "That was only the tip of the iceberg. They lured us here. Back in the Second Giant War, the Earth Mother Gaea needed the 'blood of Olympus' to wake up. So she lured Percy and Annabeth to where she wanted them. They got injured- and a few drops of blood were spilt right on the earth- and she woke up." He glared at them.

"Don't you see? They need us to be the sacrifices- they need the blood of Olympus and the Pharaohs of Egypt- also hosts- to wake up their gods and give them enough strength to challenge ours. They got the idea from what's been happening. Somehow they've kept in touch with what had happened and got ideas."

"So… We're the sacrifices?" Lexie squeaked. She did not sign up for that.

Alex tossed her something- a knife in a sheath. "Get up close and personal for this. Block their arm- you might not be strong enough, but you'll surprise them. Plunge the knife inside of them." When Lexie paled further, Alex shook his head angrily. "You don't have room for mercy or even hesitation," he said, furious. "Do you want to live or not? Because I can tell you, these guys have ever intention to murder you."

Lexie swallowed. "Don't hesitate," Alex warned. He showed her how to use the knife.


"Damn it!" Percy cursed.

"Look, Percy, I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure that we're dead," Annabeth hissed. "We can't keep this up for long- Jason can't consume ambrosia and nectar."

"And you told me not to use my powers- I'll let Dagon know we're here if he doesn't know already," Percy said through gritted teeth.

"Does it matter?" Jason shook his head. "Summon some Pegasi. I'll get Tempest or any of his buddies. We can fly out of here."

"And if it doesn't work?" Percy clenched his teeth harder. "Or if they take days to get here?"

"Just…" Jason closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Keep trying. And make sure nobody gets hold of this."

Nearby Annabeth was working on a plan with Piper.

"Okay," Piper was nodding. "That's a good plan. But what about any remaining humans in this city?"

Annabeth frowned. "We have to leave first. Forget about re-entering the city for now- if we have mortals on our side as well as demigods of another pantheon- possibly the Avengers too, once they've dealt with their threat- then we have a good chance. Even they won't dare risk exposure- not after what they've possibly done to the members of the Spanish government that came here."

Piper nodded. "We have our stuff. They're not getting it." She looked around the place and felt ill. "I gave up on meat after seeing- and smelling- a slaughterhouse. Now I'm in a human one." She looked seriously ill, but managed to get it under control.

"Well, we haven't got much time." Percy looked grimly at all of them. "We need to know that they've cleared, but we can't waste any time if we want to get out of here. And they could be tricking us- lulling us into a false sense of security."

"We've already summoned reinforcements," Jason reminded.

"But we're cut off," Annabeth pointed out.

"That's not just what I'm worried about," Piper said. "We've shown them what we can do- we could kill them. Now they're taking no chances with us."

They all looked at one another. She was right.

"We really don't have a lot of time," Percy agreed. "Jason could you summon a large lightning strike- the church- the former church- in the town centre?"

Jason nodded.

"Don't use the sea," Annabeth said instantly. "You don't want to wake… Him." She shuddered.

It would be a terrible thing if Dagon came to the peoples' defence. They wouldn't know how to take him on. Percy had taken on titans and gods before. But they were entirely different- he knew nothing about Dagon- apart from the fact that he gave gold and fish in return for human sacrifices and turned his followers into fish-hybrid monsters.

He didn't even know what Dagon looked like- apart from the paintings and mosaics shown in the internet. He didn't know how he fought, planned things out, and managed to take an entire town- even a small one- an entire human settlement.


Alex's head snapped up.

"Their crops are dwindling, so they need sacrifices- and who better to sacrifice to their gods than the ones who have the blood of the gods?" He muttered.

"But even this won't be enough." He was speaking to himself out loud. "According to my brother and Piper, when the Giants woke up Gaea, they required drops of not just Percy's blood- the blood of the most powerful Greek demigod- but Annabeth's. Percy was a child of the Big Three- the most powerful demigod of his age- but even that wasn't enough. They needed Annabeth too. And if only a few drops would wake Gaea up, if they had been killed Gaea would have gained more than enough strength…" he trailed off.

The Kanes and Lexie exchanged bemused glances.

"Not good enough." He muttered. "Of course they'd have the blood of pharaohs, but only one powerful Big Three Greek demigod. Even that's not enough." He frowned. "But Lexie's mortal… They lured us all here. Not just the Kanes and myself. They lured Lexie too. But why should they? What is she to them? Why is she so important as well?" And his eyes widened. They turned to Lexie.

"Your parents," Alex said. "Were they human?"

"What?" Lexie stared at him. "Why wouldn't they be?"

No reason, apart from the fact that Alex was brought to camp later than most demigods usually were- and the other children of the Big Three.

"Who are they?" He asked, not daring to breathe.

Lexie looked down. "Look- I don't know. I've moved around from foster home to foster home for years. Until I came of age."

Alex froze. His eyes were wide.

"What?" Sadie asked.

"Yeah, what?" Lexie looked confused.

Alex swore- in Irish, Ancient and Modern Greek.

"What?" Lexie repeated.

Carter frowned. "Yeah, Alex, what's going-" Then his eyes bugged.

"You can't be serious," he breathed.

"What?" Lexie demanded.

"Demigoddess," Alex breathed. "Or Legacy. But I'm willing to bet demigoddess- they wouldn't settle for anything less."

Lexie's eyes were wide. "No- no way!" She said, standing. "My parents'- they're dead! I grew up in foster homes!"

"Yes, well, you're not the only demigod who grew up in foster homes," Alex stated. "Leo Valdez- he's only one. Not everyone has a happy childhood as a demigod- in fact, I'm willing to bet a lot of money that everyone isn't happy to be a demigod. As I've said, it isn't exactly a dream come true when you face the reality of it."

Carter grimaced. Myths and legends- the stories were great- when they were just stories.

"We've had parents who did love their kids- but like Leo's mother- they were killed due to an 'unfortunate accident'. We've had parents who push their kids away, because they just can't deal with the fact that they have a kid who's different," Alex gritted his teeth as he said it. "And that they were the one-night stand, or at least a temporary sucker for a god who moves faster than changing clothes. Don't be so shocked."

"But I'm just ordinary," Lexie blurted. "I have a job in FedEx!"

"Anything else?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "ADHD? Dyslexia?"

Lexie bit her lip and looked down. She didn't confirm or deny his questions.

"Did you ever get into trouble for things that were not- or only partially your fault? People blamed you? Bullied you? Treated you like an outcast? Did people ever stalk you? Try to hurt or kidnap you?"

Lexie did not meet his eyes.

Alex exhaled softly.

"I don't want to run any tests," he said. "The more you know about yourself- if you are a demigoddess- the stronger your scent grows and the more monsters you attract."

"Great," Sadie muttered.

"For now we need-" Just then a rainbow appeared out of nowhere and shimmered into numerous colours and golden light. An image formed.

It was Aglaia and Nico Di Angelo.

"Alex!" She hissed.

Alex looked stunned. "What are you doing here?" He blurted.

"Rescuing you guys, of course," she retorted. "Good timing," Alex muttered. "But I'd advise you to stay away- they need the blood of Olympus to-"

"Wake up their gods," Aglaia muttered. "Yeah."

Nico shook his head. "Alex- you've been lured there. Have they performed any human sacrifices?" He asked. "Anything funny going on in Summerisle?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Alex replied. He told them all that they had found.

Aglaia and Nico looked at each other.

"Well…" Aglaia began hesitantly, then her eyes fell on the Kanes and Lexie. Her eyes widened. "Alex… Who's this?"

"Aglaia, meet Lexie," Alex said hastily. "Lexie-meet Princess Aglaia- but just call her Aglaia- she doesn't like anything else."

But Aglaia was speechless. She had seen someone that looked just like Lexie before. That beautiful, lustrous chocolatey hair, that fair skin and big brown eyes, those gorgeous looks- she'd seen it before.


"Τρέξιμο!" She screamed. Run!

Aglaia didn't know who she was talking to, until she saw a small girl, who looked just like the woman, carried in the arms of an older boy, running away- from something. Aglaia didn't know what- though she could see the woman clearly, everything around her- and where the children who were running off and disappearing into- was but darkness. But then she heard them scream- and the sound of... Ripping. Terror. And death.

But there was something- something there- a presence she felt which chilled and terrified her to the bone.

And the woman died. Her slender hand fell to the floor and her fingers opened somewhat. Inside it lay a sterling silver ornament.

A caduceus.

And now Aglaia knew exactly who the father of the children were.


"You…" Aglaia breathed. "Why… How…" She whispered.

Lexie suddenly grew very uncomfortable. It wasn't enough that she had to meet a princess, but to have that much scrutiny from her was disconcerting.

Aglaia swallowed. "Why do you look so much like my mother's cousin?"

Alex looked startled. He took a step back. "What?"

"My mother's cousin," Aglaia said, not taking her eyes off Lexie. "You look just like her. But she's dead. She died just before I was born… Her children…" Aglaia's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Her kids," Alex hissed. "She had kids? You mentioned they were demigods?"

"Yes," Aglaia whispered. "They were. Their bodies were never found. And one of them was a girl."


Percy nodded.

"Okay- we can't sit tight here- we need a backup plan- an escape route would be better."

"An escape route," Jason muttered. "That doesn't involve rusty cars breaking down, lack of petrol, mutated Imbocans ambushing us, traps, or anything like that."

"Yeah." Percy scowled. "That."

They turned to Annabeth. "Any ideas?"

"Keep distracting the Imbocans," she advised. "Lightning strikes- make it difficult for them to find us." She looked at her fiancé. "Percy… Nothing that would attract Dagon's attention, but we need earthquakes. Something random- all over the place. So that they wouldn't know the source."

Percy nodded. He didn't need to be told twice. "Onto it."

He closed his eyes. Soon enough, inhuman and vaguely human shrieks were heard across town. An earthquake shook Imboca.

He heard the shaking of the unsteady buildings collapsing.

"We can't draw attention though," Jason said. "We can't spare this building either. Piper, Annabeth- come here. I'm gonna get us in the air, while Percy shakes the earth."

"What happens when the Imbocans come running here?" Piper demanded.

"We hide, capture one- and interrogate them," Annabeth said firmly.

"But we need to know more," Jason explained. "We need to know how these… Things got here. What happened to the humans, and if they were humans once, what happened to make them like this. We don't know much about Dagon. Even if we bring reinforcements, what if we're confronted? We wouldn't know how to beat a god we know nothing about."

Percy was about to argue, but he closed his mouth. Jason had a good point. Percy had managed to beat Ares, and all the other immortal foes he'd won against, by knowing them- or at least guessing what they were like, how they think, how they act.

"I read the Bible," Annabeth's face grew dubious. "And there's nothing… Nothing that mentions the Philistines as being like this. Sure, they didn't get great press with the Israelites, but if they really were fish-hybrid monsters that sacrifice and-" she gestured to the human skins, looking green. "Skin humans, then… You know. The Israelites might have considered the subject taboo, but even so, they would have said things more vocally about them and their practices. They wouldn't have kept silent or strangely ambivalent about the subject," Annabeth explained.

Percy's unease grew. "Right. We need to find another safe house. This place is making me sick."


"Malditos sean," Orpheus Cambarro muttered. Damn them.

"The demigods must not be killed or captured if you want to draw them in," Loki pointed out.

Orpheus turned his scowl towards him.

"Just remember; if you capture them, your promised," Loki put an emphasis on the last word. "Will suspect a trap. She will have numerous people on her side- with countless talents including strategy. And I don't think- as formidable as your people are- that they are a match for them. Just look at them now," Loki scorned. "Look at how the demigods of Olympus handled them. If you can't use brute force, then outsmart them. If you kill them, they would have nothing to lose. The Olympians will turn their whole might towards you for killing Percy Jackson and three other Heroes of Olympus."

Orpheus looked darkly at the Norse god. "They will turn their gaze towards us soon enough."

"Demigods- as high the odds may be- you do have one small chance of beating," Loki admitted. "Microscopic even, but still. The Greek gods are constrained by laws- their own laws. But they will be able to retaliate if you slay one of their own children. They just can't defend them. A bit too late, but they'll think that they have nothing to lose. Same as their children."

Orpheus breathed deeply trying to calm himself down. "Freya has promised me her help," Loki said calmly. "And Odin is completely unaware. Freya is keeping him blind."

As if. That was certainly not the case. Unlike in many previous ventures, Odin knew exactly what Loki was doing this very moment.

This time, their survival- the survival of all the Nine Realm depended on Loki's mission being a success.

They just had to keep Thor in the dark. And the Olympians wouldn't be aware until it was too late.

"She cannot help herself," Loki vowed. She would not be able to. As for your master… Did I not promise him by my troth to give him what I vowed? That's the strongest vow one of my kind can make. And deceiver as I may be, I told you my reasons why we needed your help. And I keep my promises, Captain Cambarro."

Cambarro relaxed at that.

"She's been having dreams," Loki put in.

His head snapped up. "Freya's counterpart in the Olympian world, Aphrodite did similar things according to the myths. Aglaia will stand no chance of resisting. Even if she's seen what you've become."

Orpheus Cambarro looked down. He saw his hands. The nails curved slightly at his feet and took a strange tinge at both hands and feet. And the feet were webbed. The veins became more prominent as they came closer to the digits.

The veins also grew more prominent in some parts of his body. He had a similar skin and fluids like an octopus or a squid. His form- when not concealed by his clothing- could reveal skin that was could change colours. Chromatophores lay right beneath the skin- cells that contain many colours of pigments, found in sea creatures such as octopuses and squids. He was taught by his master to squeeze them at will- like squeezing a balloon full of coloured dye- and his skin will change colour. His body also contained iridophores- reflecting disks that emit wondrous iridescent colours- and leucophores which mirror outwards the colours around him. His master had taught him all of it. It took practice, but….

Then Orpheus looked at his hands. His fingernails, a darker shade than regular humans, had a protrusion just underneath the nail. Octopus tentacles would jut out at any time he so wanted. And while his head and neck appeared human, some teeth- concealed within his mouth- were razor-sharp. His eyes were heat-sensitive.

He could disguise himself well enough with human women. But would what would happen if this were to last, hopefully, forever?


Aglaia tossed and turned. She tried to put it off. Said she wasn't so sure. But she knew better.

She was there again. Swimming through the deep oceans, over dark abysses. Now they did not seem as frightening. More magical, mysterious. Places full of wonder and magic.

And she was a mermaid again in her dream.

And then she swam above a large pit. It looked artificial- nothing carved by nature. Ornate engravings circled the rim with two crescents also engraved, one at the top, and one at the bottom, so the pit looked like an eye.

It seemed wondrous, mysterious and magical to Aglaia, swimming in the depths.

What brought about this dream- swimming in the mystical depths? Was it the conversation? Alex told her that it wasn't confirmed, but the way Aglaia looked at the girl- Lexie- she just knew. And by the looks of it, 'Lexie' did too- she knew as well.

She must have.

But it can't have anything to do with these dreams. Honestly? Aglaia didn't know. But there she was, diving deep into the chasm, a wondrous, magical place in her dream-mind- not at all scary as she normally would have found it.

And she saw a city. A glistening underwater metropolis, full of lights, fish and strange beings.

Only they weren't merfolk.

Next thing Aglaia knew, the dream-vision changed. There she was right in front of one of the buildings in the city.

The style- based on what Aglaia knew of- being told about Mycenaean architecture- was Cyclopean, meaning that it didn't seem to have any mortar or anything to hold the various-shaped stones in place, but there was no way to slip a piece of paper in between. The city was ancient- beyond ancient, really. It was amazing, yet some part of Aglaia- her remaining sanity she presumed- found it also sinister and the tiniest bit frightening. The buildings really weren't ugly or anything. But the whole place was darker than Poseidon's city of Atlantis which she had seen. There were fewer lights. And although she was in awe and amazed at the architecture and layout of the whole place, there were less colours, and she saw less underwater plants and all manner of sea life that were missing. Atlantis brimmed and teemed with life. Here… It was too different. Too hollow. As if the whole place was waiting for something dark, terrible and dangerous to arrive.

Aglaia turned her eyes away and examined the city more. Not so many colours, again, not like Atlantis. It chilled her. But it was ornate nonetheless, filled with engravings and hieroglyphs not unlike Egyptians, Mayans and Aztecs. It was obviously a different art-style, but it was still quite astounding. Only frightening. Aglaia saw a monolith right in front of her. Sculptures depicting vaguely humanoid shapes, only that they didn't exactly look… Human. They were seen frolicking around or relaxing in grottoes, or praying in underwater shrines. Other adjoining scenes portrayed them fighting, wrestling with whales. But it couldn't be accurate because it showed one of the creatures as being roughly the same size as the whale, whereas the rest of them appeared to be human-sized.

And the creatures…

"Enjoying yourself, querida?"

Aglaia whirled sharply. And her heart jumped. A very handsome man stood right behind her. With skin golden-bronze, which could only be Mediterranean. He had a chiselled face, a carved jaw and facial outline, and a perfect profile and fine lips. His dark, liquid eyes, almond-shaped, pierced through Aglaia's soul and saw everything about her. She felt like melting. He had a short-trimmed beard that made him look distinguished- aristocratic. He appeared Spanish.

She had seen him in the previous dream. And she felt herself being magnetically pulled towards him. She felt as if her insides- and any embarrassing parts of her- were melting.

The next thing she knew, she was in his arms, clinging to them, gazing wide-eyed, entranced at the man. The heat from his body, his closeness, was intoxicating. His musky scent…

And he had a look of desire in his eyes. Desire that must have been mirrored in her expression. Only she knew it wasn't natural. She wasn't supposed to desire him. She didn't know how or why, but she just knew. It wasn't natural.

Something was wrong. But for now she couldn't break out of the trance.

The man twined his strong fingers in Aglaia's hair. He pulled her head back, and kissed him firmly. She felt his strong hands all over her body, and nearly whimpered. Aglaia pushed herself closer and eagerly, to him.

Only something wasn't right.

The kiss stopped and they pulled back, Aglaia still feeling hazy. And then she saw it. She saw the dark of the eyes expanding, and something else. His fingers tightened around her, and she tried to cry out in alarm, only that her voice didn't work. She looked down and saw his nails were black and there were potrusions- hole right beneath them, as he turned his hands. Suddenly, tentacles sprung from the holes, the tentacles of an octopus or a squid, dragging her closer, tighter, like one of those animals when it catches its prey. She tried to scream. Again, her voice didn't work. He grasped her tighter without effort. She could feel the suctions tugging against her delicate skin, and the tentacles expanded and grew longer, winding themselves around her. She looked down, wildly. That was when she saw that more tentacles were coming from his feet, which were webbed. They dragged her and pulled her back. He looked down at Aglaia, and bent to kiss her… Only for her to see, against the dark of his mouth, that his teeth resembled that of a shark's….

And that was when she woke up, finding herself panting in the horror and shock of the revelations.

And that she was utterly powerless in her dreams, even in her own desires.


"My lord Summerisle," Alex said casually.

Lord Summerisle looked up.

Alex found him surrounded by a group of people near his estate, preparing for some sort of festival.

"Quite the festivities going on," Alex remarked.

Lord Summerisle smiled. "Oh yes."

"It's really interesting, I thought that May Day was over, as I've said, but I've found some interesting surprises," Alex continued as Lexie and the Kane siblings appeared nearby.

"Oh, have you?" Lord Summerisle asked.

"Yes," Alex smiled back, but it was a frightening smile that seriously scared his enemies and he knew it.

"You see… That local church was burnt around the same time your ancestor, the same time he developed the strains of fruit and vegetables that would prosper in the Gulf Stream and volcanic soil here. Which brings us to a conclusion… That the people here who turned to the worship of the old gods did that."

"Well…" he shrugged. "Yes."

"And it's past May Day," Alex nodded. "I saw the fruit and vegetable baskets by the altar. Funny, they looked rather meagre, didn't they? I wasn't aware of any exports in the mainland- Scotland and England, or anywhere else in Europe, coming from the Hebrides lately. Yes, Britain is struggling to get back to the EU at the moment, but… Even so, there would have been a great deal of exports at this time of year. The problem is, why isn't there any? And it's such a pity. A few days after the Spring Festival- May Day. You know, the ancients- our ancestors- would have undertook drastic measures right now." Alex continued smiling at Lord Summerisle, who was likely freaked out right now, even if he didn't show it.

"Really?" He said.

"Yes, well… Their modern followers would have followed in their footsteps, albeit in a slightly less violent manner." Alex just kept smiling happily at the man. He was eager for the kill now. "You see, they built this giant effigy- according to Julius Caesar's accounts, made out of wicker wood. And you know what?" Alex grinned. "They stuffed it. With animals, like goats and sheep. Piled it up high- I don't know, maybe they had a pulley system. But you know what? They had slaves too. Or captives. Anyone taken from the losing side or war, for example. And they shut them up inside the wicker man. And then they set it on fire. Those animals and humans burned to death inside the wicker man. But hey, that was long ago. I'm sure plenty of neo-Pagans don't dare perform human sacrifices- they're too noble and hospitable. Even though, for example," Alex laughed. "Two policemen came here in succession, one in the seventies named Sergeant Howie and another one more recently, Officer Matheson. They came investigating disappearances. And they themselves disappeared from public view. As if no one ever remembered they existed. Strange, isn't it? Especially since the crops in Summerisle- based on what we've found- were dwindling at both times. In the seventies just as Sergeant Howie came to the island. And now, just as Officer Matheson came here and disappeared." Alex laughed. "But of course! It has to be nothing more than coincidence, right? Even though you're continuing your May Day celebrations and rituals way past the first of May." Alex's eyes looked cold, even though he laughed and they seemed to penetrate Lord Summerisle's darkest secrets. "As if you're still praying for change. Waiting for sacrifice. Waiting… For the gods to wake. By the blood of the gods."

The people around Lord Summerisle- a few men and women, stood in icy silence. Alex was the only one laughing, but he did not take his eyes off the aristocrat. Not once.

"You know, my mother dabbled in neo-Paganism once. Though I admit- she certainly doesn't seem like the religious type for any religion." Alex went on. "But hey, when your parents blamed you for what happened to your brother, I suppose she needed a little faith in her life. Especially as she was saddled with two offspring, sired by different men, one of which might have been an Olympian god." Alex looked menacing, grinning like that. "Or so she always believed. She was desperate and eager. And you know what? She had visitors. My little sister and I saw them. It was around May Day, I believe," Alex said calmly. "We were small children. The May Day celebrations went in full swing- I could hear them from the back yard. A lot of people wearing animal costumes, playing around with fire. Just like now. And my mum insisted my little sister take part in the festival as the Queen of the May." Alex's smile was gone now, but his eyes remained on Lord Summerisle. "I screamed. I fought. I didn't trust my mother- or the people she found trustworthy. But she shut me up. And my sister… Well… Like Sergeant Howie and Officer Matheson, that was the last time I ever saw Nuala again." Alex paused. He took in the deathly silence.

"But of course, it was just a coincidence, wasn't it?" He laughed. "Even if I thought I met you there. Come now, my lord. I'm ready to dismiss coincidences. But only one thing remains. One question." He looked at him.

"What the f*** have you done to my sister, you low-life bas****?"


There it is. Anybody starting to understand now?