Apollo takes Meg and swims to the exit where blemmyae are struggling to arm a bomb. One is a reformed version of Nanette, the blemmyae Apollo encountered at the novel’s beginning. Nanette spots Apollo. Apollo offers to show her where the wires go to activate the bomb if she promises not to kill them. Nanette takes the bait. Apollo arms the bomb and tells Nanette that she must go underwater and place it under the Oracle’s cave to explode it. She will have plenty of time to swim back to safety. Meanwhile, her minions can kill Apollo and Meg. This way, she will achieve all the tasks Commodus has assigned her group. Nanette dives into the river with the bomb.

As Apollo expected, Nanette doesn’t have enough time to swim back. The bomb explodes near her, killing her. Realizing Apollo’s trick, the remaining blemmyae turn on Apollo and Meg. Apollo’s arm breaks in the fight. Apollo begs them to spare Meg. Just then, Peaches the karpos appears on the scene with two other grain spirits, reducing the blemmyae to dust. Peaches rushes to Meg to comfort her. He was summoned to the spot by her distress. Apollo asks the karpoi to take them to