Silas frowns and returns to petting Biscuit. “So,” he says abruptly, “have you given any thought to my proposal?”

Three days have passed, during which I’ll admit that I’ve been furiously trying to find out more about this mysterious man who popped up in the adoption centre.

Apparently, I didn’t say the right thing, because for the first time I think ever, Hermes’s grin fades. “You wouldn’t understand,” he mumbles, looking at the dirt as he nudges it with his shoe.

“Stopping you?” he says with a chuckle. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t dream of stopping my beloved king from getting to where he needs to go.”

“Can’t you just trust Chiron for once?” Hephaestus begs. "Why can’t Chiron trust me for once?” I shoot back.