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…

After counting to fifty like the Conte told them, they left their side of the confessional and walked to the other side, where the Conte had sat during their meeting. Scipio found a file of information about the house of a lady named Ida Spavento, and Prop unveiled a cage that contained a homing pigeon.

“So, what now?” asked Nico.

Scipio glanced at him before looking through the papers. “Well, we need to get back to the Stellar and look through these papers. We’ll need to scout the house for an opening and plan the theft. This could take a few days, but with all the information the Conte has provided us with, it shouldn’t be more than a week. Come on, let’s get back to the others.”

Gathering everything, the boys headed back to the others. Prop raced towards Bo, whom they had seen talking with a man feeding the pigeons. When the others got there, they began asking questions.

“What did that man want?”

“He was just asking questions.”

“I think he’s a detective,” Prop muttered.

“Come on.” They followed Scipio into a nearby store.

“Did you tell him anything about the Stellar?”

Bo looked scared and upset. “I-I don’t know.”

“Could you recognize him again?”

“He had a brown watch on.”

“Okay, Prop, give me your jacket,” Scipio ordered. “Riccio, I need your hat. Alright, when I leave, wait five minutes before heading off for the Stellar. Make sure you’re not followed. Hornet, I need you to leave a minute after me. You’re going to intersect him and steal his wallet; we’re going to find out who he is. Nico, Riccio, you are to make sure everyone gets back safe, got it?” The two nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

Scipio walked casually out of the store, and Hornet following a minute later. The others waited for the next four minutes before bolting out and heading for the Stellar, Riccio in the lead, Nico in the back. They made it to the Stellar without anybody seeing anything, and no other mishaps.

“Why would a detective be after you?” Lucy asked with concern.

“My aunt and uncle,” Bo blurted.

“Bo!” Prop hissed. After Nico’s outburst that morning, he understood why no one would trust him, but Bo didn’t seem to care.

“What? Everybody else knows; maybe Lucy and Nico can help, too. They’re nice,” returned Bo.

Nico was surprised by the trust of the little boy.

Prop sighed. “Alright, my aunt wants to adopt Bo, but put me in a boarding school where we can never see each other again. That’s why a detective is after us; they hired him to find us, Bo especially. My aunt could care less about what happens to me.”

“How horrid!”

“Why would she separate you, anyway?” Nico asked, knowing how Bo would feel being separated from his older brother.

“Because I look like an angel, and she’s convinced Prop is nothing but a demon and would have a ton of bad influence on me.”

Nico couldn’t help himself, he began to chuckle. They looked at him quizzically. “Your aunt needs a few lessons on the difference between angels and demons,” he explained.

Bo grinned from ear to ear as he hugged Nico. “I knew you’d understand! Could you take us wherever we wanted with your powers?”

Nico glanced down at the boy, an eyebrow arched and his eyes wide.

“Bo! We came to Venice because of mom’s stories, remember? This is where mom wanted to take us; we’re not leaving, alright?”

“Well, Nico could take you somewhere until your aunt leaves, and then take you right back.”

The group glanced at the doorway where Scipio and Hornet stood.

“I guess we could do that. What did you find out?”

“Your detective is Victor Getz; he specializes in tracking people and disguises, something he didn’t do too well when we saw him.”

Scipio chuckled. “His beard was falling off when we had our talk. But I don’t think he’ll be pestering you for a little while, at least, so we can take care of this job without worrying about him.”

“Speaking of, what do you want us to do?” asked Riccio as he began pulling papers out of the folder. He passed them around, and one picture in particular raised many questions.

“Is that what we’re stealing?”

“What exactly is it?”

“It looks like a wing.”

“A wooden wing at that,” commented Lucy, glancing at Nico.

“Fifty thousand for that?”

“A lion’s wing!” blurted Bo. Everyone glanced at him. “I saw one today on our way to meet with the Conte.”

“Could be, but for now, I want you to watch the place for openings, get a feel for it. I’ll be gone for a few days; I’ll meet you there on Wednesday at ten. I’ll probably be making the theft that night, so be ready.”

“A few days, where . . .”

“Can’t we go with you this time?”

Scipio glanced at Riccio, then smiled. “Sure, why not? I think I’ll need all of my trusty cohorts for this job. Well, I’d better be going.”

“Alright Scip, see you later!” His gang waved as he walked out.

“Wait, where is he going?” Nico glanced at the others.

“He does this sometimes, it’s usually a heist.”

“Usually?”

“It doesn’t always go well, so we don’t count those.”

Nico rolled his eyes as the others worked on getting everything put away and getting ready for bed. Soon, the theater was dark and silent as everyone slept soundly, eager for the adventure.

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