Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy's home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy's glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy's birthday, and the whole family is invited. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn't really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious...
Hylas is only a boy but he knows three things: The Gods exist. Magic is real. Somebody wants him dead. Hunted and alone, Hylas is desperate to find his missing sister. His quest takes him across the hostile mountains and treacherous seas of Ancient Greece. His only friend is a girl on the run. His only guide is a wild dolphin.
Hylas the Outsider is captured by slavers. Set to work in the terrible underground mines of Thalakrea, he learns to his horror that he's now closer than ever to his murderous enemies, the Crows. He has to escape before they find out he's here. Pirra, the daughter of the High Priestess, is also on the run.