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‘They won’t know you’re spying on them,’ said Claudia, laughing behind her hand. ‘You’ll be a fly on the wall. Just… think of a person, any person. For the experiment.’

‘I don’t know… How about Dominic? He’s probably not doing anything unseemly.’

Claudia nodded and reached out to touch the shield.

‘Show me Dominic,’ she said.

The shield knew which Dominic she meant. That was why they called it a god’s-eye, she supposed. The silver surface became hazy, its shiny metal swirling into a whirlpool as Gia watched, wide-eyed.

It formed a moving image, revealing little Athena playfighting with Dominic, out in the palace garden.

‘You’re too big,’ she complained. ‘It’s not fair. You’re always going to beat me.’

‘I’m not, I’m skinny,’ said Dom. ‘For a gladiator, anyway. You just have to keep training.’

‘Do you think you’ll fight again?’ asked Athena.

‘I don’t know,’ said Dom. ‘I don’t know if I have it in me… not after the last time.’

‘What happened last time?’

‘I had to kill my friend, in a match.’

‘That’s sad,’ said Athena.

‘He was shorter than me, but he was a better fighter.’

‘But you beat him, didn’t you?’

‘I only won because he gave up. He let me win, so I could live.’

‘You’re still tall though,’ Athena sighed, after a pause. ‘I’m not. I need to find someone my own size to fight.’

‘Being small can be an advantage,’ said Dom.

‘How?’ asked Athena, jabbing at him with a wooden sword.

‘It might seem like a disadvantage when you’re up against someone bigger,’ said Dom, defending, ‘but you can use it to squeeze out of tight holds, or to run through your opponent’s legs. There’s less of you to grab hold of, so you want to make sure you’re fast.’

‘I can be fast!’ she said. ‘Watch me.’

Athena bolted to the other side of the garden, swinging around a pillar before racing back to Dom, almost crashing into him.

‘How was that?’ she said, panting.

‘The speed was good, but the technique… well, we can work on the technique,’ said Dominic.

Claudia pulled away, allowing the scene to fade.

Gia’s eyes sparkled with awe, or fear, or both.

‘That is… scary,’ she said.

‘See?’ said Claudia, excitedly. ‘It is the gift of all gifts! The weapon of all weapons. It just appeared in my chambers with an oracle message from Minerva, telling me to use it to keep an eye on my allies and enemies alike. Goddesses do have their ways.’

‘Did you spy on me?’ said Gia.

She was smiling, one brow raised, as she pulled Claudia closer. Their bodies brushed against each other, invitingly.