Disclaimers: as ever.

Thanks for those reviews. Warnings: sheer absurdity! And sorry I don't quite reach those big showdowns yet - there was a lot of stuff to sort out first!!!

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

'Are you insane?' cried Nigel, dragging aside Sydney and breaking her ferocious deadlock of hatred with Hera.

'For a start, next time a temple pedestal nearly crushes us to oblivion, will you please let me cover you? I know I'm a little slow in my reactions – I'm working on it! – but I'm the demigod!! And secondly, as you quite rightly said, Hera's a bitch! She won't play straight and she'll strike you stone dead. If anybody is going to fight her, it's going to be me!'

Sydney couldn't resist a glimmer of a smile: 'You finished?'

'Yes!'

'I thought you weren't sure about controlling your powers?'

'I wasn't…I mean, I'm not…but if you insist on taking these ridiculous risks I'm going to have learn - fast!'

'Err, well, this attitude is new!'

'Uh…yes!' Nigel gave a determined nod. 'But it seemed like am, um, ideal time.'

Together, they squared up to Hera. Nigel folded his arms and raised his chin defiantly. Sydney, standing just a little ahead of him, curled her fists in anticipation.

'Looks like I won the most important thing already, huh?' offered Sydney, gesturing to Nigel.

Hera sneered as she tossed her calamitous hair: 'Oh, I really do tire of this game!'

She stepped aside, revealing a hulking, dust-sodden silhouette emerging very slowly from the rubble.

'My dear,' she said to her husband. 'That's the nasty little semi-mortal who dared to share my bed. What are you going to do about him, then?'

Sydney's breath hitched with a sardonic disbelief as Zeus emitted a bestial roar. He pointed towards Nigel, his fingertips already glowing with celestial fire. She darted in front of him, but he pushed her aside.

'I won't let you save me,' he whispered. 'But…I do love you. And thank you for earlier…'

'Uh, likewise, but for Gaia's sake don't just stand there!' She grabbed his arm, and they tumbled down behind a pile of rubble.

'Get away from me! You saw what happened earlier, the thunderbolt will just slice through the rock, and its not you he's after!'

'Don't care! Besides, we can make it to the dragon! When I say jump…jump!'

They jumped - at the instant that Zeus unleashed a barrage of flame and rock that no human could be fast enough to escape. The divine missiles whip-lashed straight towards Sydney and Nigel - only to be intercepted by the bulky form of Plutus, who had launched himself into the fray with enthusiasm and impeccable timing. Absorbing every spark, the big man was hurled backwards, landing in a crumpled steaming heap on top of a particularly astounded Nigel.

Luckily, dozy old Zeus didn't even notice that he had missed. By the time the smoke had cleared, he had thrown his errant wife over his shoulder and was already stomping back off across the clouds in the direction of Olympus. His weary grumbling drowned out even his wife's hysterical shrieks.

Nigel dragged himself out from under Plutus's charred and unmoving form, his face whiter than the fluffy, fair-weather clouds above them, and panting with shock.

'He…he saved us, Sydney. I can't believe he gave up his life!'

'He was a good man,' whispered Sydney, pulling Nigel up. He buried his face in her shoulder, and daren't even look at Plutus and see what an awful punishment he had taken in their stead.

Sydney could tell by the way he was shaking that Nigel was fighting back tears, but she could also hear a strange, unearthly bellowing from somewhere not far off. She soon realised it was the dragon crying. Erry and Arry had descended into cataclysmic fits of sobs. Even Dallasus and Reinud, while readily offering consolation to the pair of triplets, looked a little saddened.

'We should put the body on the dragon and fly somewhere nice to bury him,' sniffed Nigel. 'I feel so…guilty. I wonder why he did it?'

'I'll tell you why,' said a bored voice. Plutus rolled over swishing aside his blackened cape to reveal not even a burn on the spotless tunic underneath. 'Because I'm immortal – worst luck!'

'Plutus!'

Nigel flung his arms around the big man's neck, narrowly beating a grateful Sydney to the task. 'Thank you…thank you so much! I can't believe it, I had no idea you were a God too.'

'Not a very useful God,' replied Plutus bitterly, returning the hug. 'I'm only a minor God. A very minor God! Can you even imagine how dull it is passing through eternity with merely a strength slightly greater than a mans, and a talent for healing. I get ordered about by all the greater Gods – guard this, kill that, heal him. Nigel may not be immortal, but at least his Mama had a few tricks up her sleeves and left him in good stead. As for me? Nothing but an eternity of servitude!' He yawned widely. 'I'm just so bored of existence – although, Nigel has, I admit, livened things up a little for me.'

'Me too,' interjected Sydney, with a sympathetic laugh. 'But that was a big risk, Plutus. A thunderbolt from Zeus might even have struck down even an immortal!'

'I half hoped it would,' he shrugged, finally relinquishing a slightly ruffled-looking Nigel from his bear-like embrace. 'I was in love once, with a beautiful shepherd boy - but he went away to war, never came back. And even if he had, he would have grown old and died… what's the point of loving for somebody like me? You'll never know how many times I've wished for the sweet release of death! And how few interesting people I've had to talk to!'

'You've had us!' twittered Erry.

'See what I mean?' he lamented. 'I've had nobody to comfort me - until Nigel, of course. Even if he had lost his mind at the time!'

'Um, it was great, I'm sure,' flustered Nigel, cringing slightly. He didn't remember much about Plutus since he'd left the hills on Tidlius several days ago, and seriously hoped he hadn't been sending out any 'mixed messages' in his bewitched state. Suddenly becoming very conscious he was still wearing nothing but his loincloth, he wrapped his arms around his chest and tried to avoid Plutus's eye.

Fortunately, Erry and Arry, having overlooked or misunderstood his snide comment, were now cooing relentlessly over the 'minor God'; pawing, kissing and making an almighty fuss of him. Nigel took the opportunity to creep away for a quiet word with Sydney.

'Thank the Earth Mother that's over! So what's the plan now? And, more to the point, where do we get some new clothes?'

'Uh, I'll think of something. We need to get back to Neapolis and see what Stewie and Claudia have turned up with the hexameter, and get after Kafka.'

'The hexameter?' queried Nigel. 'But I still remember it? Why did they need to look? And, incidentally, there's no way I am going after Kafka without my clothes on!'

'Look, it's a long story - I'll tell you on the way. And we'll find you some new clothes before we encounter Kafka, I promise.'

She smiled ingratiatingly over at Erry and Arry. 'I'm afraid we're going to need to borrow your dragon again.'

'You can take him,' cooed Arry. 'Anything for Nigel! As long as you send Tidlius back again when you've finished – and lend us Nigel for a visit some time. But we've decided we're going to stay here!'

'Right here?'

'Yes – well, over on the green side of the mountain to be precise. It's nice, and now the Garden of Life has shrivelled away, we thought we'd make it our home.'

'We're going to hang around for a bit, too,' added Dallasus, who had finally alighted from the dragon and was sizing up several of the golden serving-nymphs at once.

'Oh, yes,' grinned Reinud. 'There are plenty of rich-pickings to be had in the rubble of this temple!'

Sydney snorted. 'Gone off the quest for the Branch then?'

'Err, sort of,' conceded Dallasus. 'It seems to have brought you and Nigel more infamy and death-threats than fame and fortune. Not that I can't handle that…but I think I can make myself pretty famous around here.' He leaned in to Sydney's ear and asked in a whisper: 'I mean - all these female nymphs and absolutely no men! They're going to need some help, right?'

'Don't count on it,' growled Sydney. 'Plutus, are you going to come with us? I'm sure we could use an immortal on our side.'

Plutus, who had reverted to looking tired, gave a big yawn. 'Yes, I'm in. I suppose I might get lucky - this time somebody might hurl an even bigger thunderbolt at me!'

'Well, this is just lovely!' exclaimed Nigel, his sarcastic grimace indicating he thought it was anything but.

'What?' asked Sydney, allowing him to tug her aside again.

'If he's coming, I really want some clothes now! I mean, he's a nice person, and I'm eternally grateful to him for saving our lives, but it's blatantly obvious he…he, uh, you know….'

Nigel yelped as he felt a large, warm hand on his shoulder.

'It's alright, lad,' said Plutus, shooting Sydney a knowing wink. 'If Hera's love-spell couldn't tear your affections from Sydney, what chance has a minor God like me? But I would ask you to accept just one little gift, as a token of my affection.'

'Oh, uh, I don't know…I couldn't possibly,' flustered Nigel. 'I mean, you've already done so much...it wouldn't be right.'

'Well, I'd better keep these then,' sighed Plutus, pulling out a small pack from under his charred cloak. 'It's a shame, because it took me ages to mend them and they're going to be much too small for me!'

'My clothes!'

Plutus held up the adamantine armour, newly sparkling in midnight silver as it had when he'd awoken in the Garden of Life. Then, from seemingly nowhere, the minor God pulled out the well-fitting tunic and breastplate - and even his bejeweled shield, belt and silver sword. Forgetting everything, Nigel threw his arms around Plutus's neck again, narrowly avoiding impaling himself on the weaponry.

'Thank you so much! I thought I'd lost the sword and shield forever - and the tunic was in such a mess!'

'I made new ones,' shrugged Plutus. 'It was me who constructed the originals, anyway – to your mama's speculations, of course. Not that I begrudged it! You more than did them justice – you looked every inch the demigod.'

'Thank you,' repeated Nigel, favouring Plutus with a warm and only slightly abashed smile as he took the garments from him. 'You really are a good friend.'

'I can't wait to see you in them,' beamed Sydney. 'But we've still got a branch to find – so, come on Perseus! You've still got a gorgon to slay, and you'd better go dress for the final act!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'You never saw anything of the hexameter?' queried Sydney, half-suspecting that Stewie had not even bothered to leave the taverna. He certainly had been making himself comfortable there – as the pile of empty wine-jugs testified.

'Na-da. Nothing. We looked in every tent – well, apart from one.'

'Apart from one? Stewie! I trusted you on this one. It was important we knew what the Sybil of Tibertine said!'

'Well, I'm sorry,' replied Stewie, with an indifferent sniff. 'Something, uh, came up and we had to get out of there. And I never said you could trust me. You should probably know better than that, huh?'

'Yes, I suppose I should. Where is Claudia anyway? She is all right?'

'She's around here somewhere,' said Stewie, surveying the room over the rim of his latest, brim-full beverage. 'She's been moping ever since we got back.'

'Moping? Why?'

'You'd better ask her that. Look there she is.'

He indicated to a near-empty corner of the taverna where a little figure was hunched over a table, her head in her hands.

'I think I will ask her,' breathed Sydney. 'Look, don't go anywhere. I still need to find that hexameter and – Gaia help me – I still need you to translate it!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sydney made her way over to where Claudia was staring miserably into space, her eyeliner uncharacteristically smudged under both a pair of reddish, damp eyes. More than a couple of perfectly-groomed blonde waves had slipped out of place.

'Here,' offered Sydney, pulling a piece of finely-perfumed cotton from her satchel. 'This might help!'

'Hey Sydney,' said Claudia drearily, not even bothering to look up as she took the handkerchief. 'Did you get Nigel back?'

'Yes I did,' smiled Sydney, 'although not without a little bit of trouble.' Grabbing a three-legged stool, she pulled it up at the table next to her assistant. 'So are you going to tell me what's wrong?'

Claudia sighed as if the all the sorrows of the world were hers to carry alone. 'Everything's wrong, Sydney. The man I dreamt about for, oh, years and years doesn't even know me! I always thought the moment he really saw me, that would be it! Love, life, happiness and song…but he just…just…oh, Sydney! He just hated me!' She burst into a torrent of self-pitying sobs.

Sydney rubbed her back consolingly. 'This isn't your 'divine goatherd' by any chance, is it? Did you see him somewhere in the city?'

'Yes!' she wailed. 'I saw him… it wasn't in the city, but…um…oh! He didn't look at me with love at all! He thought I was some sort of idiot… imagine? And, well, I think he'd been drinking and maybe… maybe he isn't quite what I thought he was as all…' Her weeping accelerated towards the hysterical. 'But I did love him, Sydney. You know I did!'

'Oh Claudia,' soothed Sydney. 'I know it hurts now - and you probably won't believe me - but you'll get over him. And it's not been years, has it? If memory serves, you only spotted him for the first time about, um, fourteen days ago.'

'Is that all?' snivelled Claudia. 'Well, I must have thought about him all the time then, because it seems like fourteen years.'

'I'm sure it does…but, err, I'm afraid you can't really convince me you've thought of him for all those fourteen days either. There's been a few other things on your mind hasn't there?'

'I suppose. I guess that guard yesterday was nice, I did have fun picking all those wedding dresses…and hating Kafka took up a lot of 'thinking time'. And…err…I guess I've thought about poor Georgus a lot.' Claudia gave a strange little hiccup and threw her hand over her lips.

'Georgus? You mean Georgus Brownus back at the temple, who I went to retrieve Dionysus's lute with? I thought he bored you?'

'He did…but now…he's sort of…dead.'

Sydney stared at her, her full lips slightly parted. 'What happened? Claudia…what is it? You must tell me!'

Claudia had started wailing again, this time even more passionately than before. 'It's all my fault! If only I'd listened to you… but it was his own fault too, he should never have followed me. But he was so…brave…'

The tragic story spluttered forth, while Sydney listened, attentive, increasingly saddened – and a little angered.

As she finished her tail, Claudia fixed her with an anxious, tear-blurred gaze. 'So - do you hate me?'

Sydney said nothing for a moment, struggling to master an ambivalent blend of grief and abhorrance. Of course, she didn't hate Claudia - and she knew that her silence was upsetting her friend further. Nevertheless, she had been very fond of Georgus and mourned his loss. She also wished she could be sure that Claudia's sorrow was about the sacrifice of a good man's life, rather than her own worry about being 'hated'.

She didn't speak until the tears were once more pouring, unfettered, down Claudia's flushed cheeks: 'You are really sorry, aren't you? I mean, it wasn't your fault he died - you could never have foreseen that - but you have learnt? This world is too dangerous a place to go running after your latest whim without thinking… good people get killed. Next time, you could get killed!'

'I thought I had learnt,' she snivelled. 'But then…yesterday…when I saw my goatherd, I forgot everything. It was in Kafka's camp, you see, and I just sort of…ran to him. I hate to think might have happened if Stewie hadn't got us out of there.'

'Stewie?' Sydney blinked in astonishment. Stewie had actually done something good? He'd saved Claudia's life and not even shouted about it? She couldn't help murmuring: 'That is amazing.'

'So do you hate me now?' she whimpered again.

'No,' replied Sydney evenly. 'I don't hate you. But you are really going to have to learn – love isn't about throwing yourself at a man you barely know just because he looks 'divine'. Its,' she exhaled heavily, 'rather more complicated than that.'

'Really? It looked pretty simple right from the start with you and Nigel…you have worked it all out with him now, haven't you?'

Sydney laughed dryly, despite herself. 'Claudia – how can somebody so clueless about their own emotions be so perceptive about others?'

Claudia giggled too, despite the wetness still streaking her pink cheeks and splashing onto her pinker dress. 'It was kind of obvious! So you have sorted it out then?'

'I think so… but that's not the point, Claudia. What are we going to do about you?'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nigel was keeping guard on Tidlius in the disused stable, whilst hiding in a haystack, when Sydney and the others rejoined him.

'Did you get the hexameter?' he asked anxiously, jumping out of the hay. Darting a smile at Stewie and Claudia he added: 'By the way, it's wonderful to see you both again.'

'Great to see you too, old friend,' grinned Stewie as Sydney picked bits of hay out of Nigel's hair and brushed down his lovely, shiny armour. 'Mashed any killer wolves lately?'

'Not lately,' admitted Nigel, still smiling but slightly abashed.

Stewie gave him a knowing wink: 'You've been a killer with the ladies, though. Or so I hear!'

'These two didn't get the hexameter,' chipped in Sydney, saving Nigel another blush. 'So we're going to have to grab that at the same time we grab the branch.'

'That's the plan???' asked Stewie and Nigel as one.

'Uh, yes. Until anyone comes up with a better one. Any ideas?'

'Uh, no.'

'There you go then. Where's Plutus?'

'He's gone to see if he can find any news on Kafka,' replied Nigel. 'He'll be back soon.'

Claudia, her tears wiped away and her grooming restored to its usual perfection, had been regarding Nigel with a renewed interest. She'd decided he looked different: there was an air of maturity and a healthy, lightly-bronzed glow about his complexion that she hadn't noticed before; his hair was slightly longer and there was a beguiling hint of world-weariness abound his eyes. He even seemed a little taller and his shoulders broader, although still smooth, rounded and eminently touchable. And that armour, which hugged so becomingly to the contours of his chest – entrancing! She ran her tongue slowly over her lips.

'Nigel. I've got to say: this whole demigod thing looks fantastic on you!'

'Uh, err, thanks. I think,' replied Nigel, hiding his embarrassment behind a studious attempt to extract grain from under his fingernails.

'Oh, you've still got bits in your hair. Let me!' Claudia started shimmying over, but Sydney blocked her path, now far from amused.

'Claudia! Our little chat, remember? Think before you leap, or, rather - think before anybody else gets killed! Besides, Nigel's mine!'

'I suppose so,' pouted Claudia. 'Nigel is a honey, though! Oh my…' Her jaw dropped as the tall, blonde and over-developed Plutus appeared at the stable door.

'Now that is truly divine!' she squealed. 'Nigel, I can't believe you've been so rude as to keep me from your friend - you've got to introduce us!'

Sydney and Nigel shared a look, before he raised his hand to his forehead with a moan: 'Oh, marvellous! Could it get any more complicated?'

He didn't, however, detect the tiny glimmer of interest in Plutus's usually moribund expression as the preening but undeniably vivacious Claudia bounced over to him. She babbled some favourite lyrics, which were not entirely un-poetic:

''The Muses bring Love; and may the Muses ever give me song at my desire, dear melodious song, the sweetest physic in the world!'' She fluttered her eyelashes up at the Greek giant: 'I think I've found my song!'

The immortal peered down at her with a mixture of amazement and bemusement, and thought: 'Now she is an enigma!'

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The dragon inevitably caused an outcry as it soared up into the cloud-dappled skies above the city, but the stage for subtlety had passed. Time was running too thin now.

It was the first time that any of them had flown on the dragon by day, and the only occasion that Claudia had flown at all. Once she'd stopped screaming, she decided she rather liked the weird, floating sensation in her stomach and the wind whistling in her ears. Moreover, she found it a great excuse to demand that Plutus, who she'd persuaded to sit behind her, wrapped his strong arms around her.

Nigel was not quite so thrilled: 'I've had more than enough of heights for one lifetime,' he muttered, clinging resolutely around Sydney's waist, his eyes squeezed shut again.

'Come on, Nigel,' laughed Sydney. 'It's even more spectacular than last time.'

She flicked the back of his hand, sensing that the surprise would force him to look. 'See?'

Nigel gasped. He did see: miles and miles of rugged coastline and shimmering, ocean; its gently undulating blue sheen was broken only by exquisitely tiny ships, looking too small to even be toys, and which left trails of frothy white foam in their wake.

'It's worth it,' she smiled, glancing back. 'Isn't it?'

But Nigel was frowning, and she discerned his worry was not just concerning their altitude. Not daring to pry an arm away from his hold on her, he gestured back towards Neapolis with his head, and to the smoking mountain. Its grey slopes glowered above the city, as sombre and forbidding as ever. The crater at the top was dissembled by low hanging, black clouds - a startling juxtaposition to the unblemished blue sky that surrounded it.

'Isn't that thing rather more, err, smoky than usual?'

Sydney raised an eyebrow, only mildly concerned: 'I think it might be. I wonder if it will come to anything.'

'Is the Fire-God angry?' piped up Claudia.

She couldn't help laughing. 'Not with us, I hope. That's the last thing we need!'

Her thoughts were interrupted as Claudia shouted out with even more excitement: 'Look, over there! Look! I can see the island, I can see Camae!!'

Using her hand to shade her eyes from the sun, Sydney squinted towards the horizon. She could, indeed, just make the front of its proud, grey cliffs and the faint outline of the mountains beyond.

'It looks like the mountains on the island might be smoking too,' pointed out Nigel, but Sydney wasn't listening. She was trying to find the temple and the city. She saw no flames, and could sense no echoes of terror – but, after all that had happened in her absence, was there anything left there at all?

An uneasy hope simmered in the pit of her stomach as a small, white building reflected the gleam of the sunlight, high on the cliffs. It was the temple.

'I can see it! I can see it!' cried Claudia.

'Yes, so can I!' Nevertheless, Sydney wondered if any of her painstakingly gathered and preciously guarded relics were still there - or, more importantly, if any of the people she knew and loved remained. Georgus was already gone. How many others had paid the ultimate price for their quest?

'So, your father said that most of the people fled when they thought the Neapolitans on Kafka were united against them?' she asked Claudia.

'Uh, I think so. Most of them headed for the wilderness… apart from Papa. He, um, said he preferred to try diplomacing.'

'It's di-plo-ma-cy!' articulated Nigel. 'Really Claudia, and it isn't even my first language!'

'I'm afraid your Papa was ready enough to sacrifice Nigel and I for his diplomacy,' pointed out Sydney.

'Sorry,' she winced. 'I think he was always trying to do the best for everyone… sort of.'

'It isn't your fault,' shrugged Sydney. 'I supposed he might have prevented all out war…at a cost. I wonder if any of our people started to return when he signed the treaty?'

'Not many, apparently,' bemoaned Claudia. 'Everybody was still too afraid of Kafka's soldiers. I wonder it will ever be the same again? It's sort of sad. I was born on the island, and I've never thought of anywhere else as home. It used to feel so safe and warm…'

She broke off as her eyes darted down to the muscular arms that enveloped her tiny frame. She tentatively placed her petite hand over the much, much larger one. 'Though I feel pretty safe now…'

'I don't!' exclaimed Nigel. 'And I don't expect to do so even when I've got my feet on firm ground. Can anybody see any sign of Kafka?'

'His boat is nowhere to be seen,' admitted Sydney. 'He must have docked around the far-side of the island.'

'Why would he do that? Wouldn't he just want to head straight to the cave with the branch?'

'You'd think so,' replied Sydney. 'I wonder if somebody is still there, and has prevented him from docking at the city itself. Well, whatever motivated him, it's got to be good if it means we get to the cave first.'

As the temple grew larger and clearer, Sydney couldn't repress the pang of nostalgia. 'We did have some happy times there, didn't we, Claudia? I really don't think anything will ever return to how it was. Even if the city is restored, I severely doubt they'll want me back.' She paused, breathing slowly. 'It's sad. I had come to think of it as home.'

'Weren't you born on Camae too?' asked Nigel, and it suddenly occurred to him that, close as they had become, Sydney had been very quiet about her past, beyond her double life as a Sybil and Relic Hunter, and the odd mention of a much-loved father. They'd been lovers for such a short time there had been no chances discuss these things, and before then he'd never liked to pry.

'No,' she admitted. 'I was born in Delphi, and raised by my papa. I had a really happy childhood – he taught me so much of what I know about history and relics. But I always felt some sort of empathy with the Goddesses; they fascinated me, called to me – and the Oracle at the temple there believed I had some sort of calling, too. So I became her assistant as soon as I was old enough, and eventually, I was sent to aid the previous Sybil of Camae, in the last years before she died. The rest you already know.'

Nigel found himself dwelling on the earlier part of this story: 'So, like me, you never knew your mother?'

'No. She left… and she had another daughter, too, by another man. I met my sister only once, when I was first an assistant here. She visited the temple, late one night, to make an offering.'

'A sister!' exclaimed Claudia. 'You never mentioned her before.'

Sydney shrugged. 'She means little to me so there's nothing to say. I adore my father, though. Maybe when all of this is over, I'll have time to go back and see him.'

She peered back over her shoulder, pleased to confirm her suspicion that Nigel was so close that his chin was almost rested on her shoulder. His balmy breath tickled her cheek.

'Why don't you come with me? Back to Delphi! We could take the dragon?'

Her heart sank as his eyes darted downward; the edges of his mouth curved a little, but with regret. 'I'd like to, but there are people I must get back to as well - if we ever get out of here!'

'Your aunt?'

'Yes. And it's only fair that I return to my people and tell them what the prophecy was all about. It is why I came.'

'Yes, of course you must.'

Sydney looked away, concealing her perturbation. It had been easy to forget that Nigel came from such a long way away - that they both came from distant lands. It had never seemed a problem - until then.

'We'll work something out,' she told herself and ripped her mind away from this painful contemplation, back to the task ahead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tidlius, knowing as ever, flew straight to the cliff-top at the side of the temple. From here, a narrow staircase wound precariously down the rock face, leading to the entrance of the sacred cave where the Sybil communed with Gaia.

'What do we do now?' asked Nigel, quickly slipping off the Dragon's back and noting their closeness to the cliffs with dismay. He was sick and tired of peering over terrifying precipices – so tired, in fact, they were actually starting to bother him less.

'Well, this is the way down to the caves. There's nobody about, so I'm guessing that Kafka hasn't got here yet. So, if we hide in the scrub and jump out, as least we'll have the element of surprise…'

'That's still the plan? Lie in the leaves and then ambush him?'

'Have you got a better one yet?'

'No!'

Nigel glanced up at Plutus. The minor God was standing with his arms folded, his brow creased with perplexity: a simpering Claudia was clinging to his tunic, burbling away so fast and happily that he could barely comprehend her.

Still, when he caught Nigel's eye, he managed a reassuring smile and jutted out his strong chin, as if to say 'There's nothing to worry about…apart from troublesome blondes!'

'Come on Nigel,' joked Sydney. 'You'd need an army take on just me and Plutus.' she paused and added tentatively: 'And with you on our side, even an army wouldn't be enough!'

To Sydney's delight, Nigel grinned. 'I suppose that's a plan then.'

'Really?'

'Yes! Between you and me,' he whispered. 'I'm sort of fed up of being pushed around. I'm not saying I've got used my powers or anything and, well, I'm definitely not relishing the thought of taking on Kafka again…but, um, it's time we bought this thing to a close. I suppose what I trying to say is… that, um, at least, more than I've ever been…'

'Come on Nigel, spit it out!'

'Well…I think I'm sort of ready for a scrap.'

'Nigel, that's wonderful news!'

Plutus gave him such a weighty pat on the back that it would have sent him flying had he not fallen into Sydney's delighted embrace. She felt the vibration of his laughter.

'Maybe knowing you're a demigod really is starting to change you?' she asked, the notion evoking mixed feelings

'Don't worry; I'm not that keen on the idea of facing a load of soldiers,' he admitted. 'It's more a 'need's be' sort of thing than a 'Hooray, here we go!'

'That's probably a good thing,' conceded Sydney. 'The world has enough brawny, bloodthirsty idiots!'

Nigel giggled again: 'I'm glad to hear you say that. Still, there will only be the five of us against Kafka and who knows how many!'

'Three of you,' corrected Claudia. 'I'm not going anywhere near that horrid man again… besides, I might break a nail. And, in case you hadn't noticed, Stewie scarpered the moment Tidlius landed.'

'Claudia! Why didn't you say anything?'

'I thought you'd noticed! You normally see everything, Sydney. Besides, I didn't think he was much use to anyone…'

'I needed him to translate the Hexameter! That's so typical of Stewie. I should've guessed when he was so quiet on the flight he was planning something. Now he's gone and vanished just when he was going to be useful for the first time in his life!'

'Second,' corrected Claudia. 'He did save my life the other day!'

'I suppose that was sort of useful', retorted Sydney with a sarcastic grin, which Claudia reciprocated. 'Maybe he'll be back?'

'Don't count on it,' sighed Nigel. 'He's probably on the other side of the island by now…err, what's Tidlius doing?'

The dragon, who had now also captured the attention of Claudia, Plutus and Sydney, was scratching angrily at the top of the steps, smoke billowing out of his dark, green nostrils.

'He knows somebody is down there,' observed Plutus gravely. 'Kafka?'

'Damn!' Sydney ran to the top of the steps. 'There goes our chance of an ambush. We're going to have to creep up on them from behind. It's odd that he posted no guards though.'

She was interrupted by a sudden 'moo' from Tidlius. The dragon flapped his giant wings and plunged off down the cliffs.

'There goes the element of surprise,' groaned Nigel. 'What did he have to do that for?'

But now Plutus was thundering down the steps after him. 'Tidlius isn't stupid,' he yelled. 'It can't be Kafka. It's somebody he knows – come on!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They all followed Plutus down the crumbling steps, with varying degrees of caution, until they reached a craggy platform, jutting out in front of a narrow cave like the forecourt of a crumbling temple.

Perched precariously on a rock at the edge, and now scowling guiltily at the Dragon, was the comely, scantily-clad figure of Christie.

'What the…?'

She looked up as she heard Sydney's exclamation.

'Oh, it's you lot,' observed the blonde moodily. 'I suppose you might as well make yourself useful and help me translate this thing.'

She lifted her large, tatty piece of manuscript from the cliff beside her. It instantly billowed in the wind, resembling a dirty brown sail almost large enough to carry off the nymph like a sky-born ship. It was inscribed with two sets of handwriting, one in neat, carefully constructed black letters, one scrawled in an ominous, almost illegible scarlet.

'My hexameter!' cried Nigel. 'Who's been scribbling all over it in a nasty red ink?'

'That's the blood of the Sybil of Tibertine, remember?' hissed Sydney. 'Christie, where in Gaia's name did you get that?'

'I didn't get it,' snapped Christie. 'The other woman had it. She's gone into the cave to awaken Gaia.'

'Awaken Gaia? But only a true Sybil can do that…' Sydney took a sharp breath as realisation struck her. 'Apart from maybe one other.'

'Who?' asked Nigel.

'I only know of one other born with such a natural affinity with the Gods, who communed with the training: my sister!'

'Your sister?'

'She didn't say she was your sister,' jutted in Christie. 'She only told me her name was Cate.'

'Cate!' Nigel thrust his hand back through his hair in bewilderment. 'Cate is your…sister! Why didn't you tell me?'

'There's not much to tell,' replied Sydney grimly. 'As I said, I've only met her once and there's been no love passed between us. Now, excuse me while I stop her doing more damage than good - if she ever meant to do any good!'

Her determination blazing hotter than ever, Sydney strode towards the entrance of the cave. She stilled only a moment to glance back at Nigel and offer him a reassuring smile.

'Don't come after me,' she mouthed. 'Find Stewie and get him to translate that thing and keep a watch out for Kafka. I'll be back soon!'

With that, she turned and disappeared into the gloom.

Thanks for reading and, good gracious, if you're still with me after all this time PLEASE REVIEW! Cheers.