By Amanda Pizzolatto (alias Aurora Mandeville)

Word Count: 31845

Rating: PG for scary situations

Summary: Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades, is used to being alone, until one day a girl with auburn hair waltzes into his life…

There was silence after the gasps uttered by everyone else while Nico and Scipio continued to lock eyes.

Riccio reluctantly broke the silence. “Uh, Scip, we do have that meeting today, shouldn’t we get going?”

Scip glanced at Riccio, then back at Nico, a grin tugging on his face. Nico didn’t like the look of this.

“Yes we do, Riccio. Come on, we’re all going.”

Nico grimaced as he and Lucy followed the others out; he knew where this was going and he didn’t like it, but it was best to lie low until they could find out more about the Angels’ plans. Scipio led the group through the city of Venice until they came to a town square, where he told Riccio, Hornet, Bo, and Lucy to wait.

“The rest of you are coming with me,” he told Prop, Mosca, and Nico.

“What? Why can’t I go with you?” Riccio blurted.

Scipio leaned over and whispered something in his ear which seemed to make him change his mind. He nodded before Scipio walked away, Prop, Mosca, and Nico following. As Nico walked, he glanced around, his eyes quickly searching for any sign of the Weeping Angels, but as far as he could tell, even with the dozens of statues Venice was famous for, there were none in the plaza. There weren’t even any monsters that he could see, then again, most monsters would leave him alone because he was a son of Hades. To meet with him would mean meeting one’s death.

He paused when he saw Scipio, Mosca, and Prop enter a church. He gulped, for stone angels were usually on the outside of old churches. He just hoped nothing would happen while he was inside. Taking a deep breath, he stepped in. The nostalgia of certain smells overwhelmed him as a flood of memories rushed into his mind. He fought them back as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. He saw the trio duck into the confessional, and he quickly followed. Scipio knelt down on the kneeler in there, his face level with the little window.

“Perhaps he’s not here yet. Should we have a look?” Mosca whispered cautiously.

But then someone pulled back the curtain of the little window, and Nico could see a pair of glasses.

“One shouldn’t wear a mask in a church, any more than a hat,” stated the elderly man on the other side of the window.

“One also shouldn’t talk about a theft in a confessional, and that’s what we’re here for, isn’t it?”

Nico had to smirk at Scipio’s comeback.

The elderly man thought it was funny, too, and chuckled. “So you really are the Thief Lord. Well, keep your mask on if you don’t want to show your face, but I can still see that you are very young.”

“Indeed, and you are very old, judging from your voice. Does age matter in this transaction?”

Nico’s eyes grew wide at Scipio’s boldness while Mosca and Prop shared a glance. Though he was the same age as the three of them, Scipio could talk like he was an adult.

“Not in the least. But I must admit that I did not expect a child of twelve or thirteen to be the Thief Lord Barbarossa has told me so much about. But enough of that, let us get down to business.”

“Yes, let’s Conte, if that is what I should call you.”

“You may, yes. I am in need of someone who can retrieve something for me, something of great value only to me.  And I am willing to pay a lot for it.”

“How much exactly?”

“Ah, a little businessman, I see. Five million lire, to be exact, to be paid when the item is in my possession.”

Nico heard small, sharp gasps from Mosca and Prop, and he clamped his own mouth shut when it threatened to fall open in shock.

But Scipio made no sound of surprise. “How are we to reach you when we have it? Barbarossa says that you are a hard man to reach.”

“That is so, because unfortunately I do not have a mask with which to hide my identity. When I close the curtain, count to fifty; everything you need to reach me and all the information about this precious item, along with the floor plans of the house it is in, will be in here.”

“Thank you. That will make everything easier for me and my men.”

“Good day, Thief Lord, I look forward to hearing from you.” Then he closed the curtain.

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