The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

hair from the prankster dwarfs in Bologna. Frank was kind of scared to mention it to him. ‘Valdez, how many
harmless
monsters have we met? We should just aim the ballistae and see what happens!’
    ‘Uh, no,’ Leo said.
    For once, Frank agreed with Leo. There were too many monsters. It would be impossible to target one without causing collateral damage to the crowds of tourists. Besides, if those creatures panicked and stampeded …
    ‘We’ll have to walk through them and hope they’re peaceful,’ Frank said, hating the idea already. ‘It’s the only way we’re going to track down the owner of that book.’
    Leo pulled the leather-bound manual from underneath his arm. He’d slapped a sticky note on the cover with the address the dwarfs in Bologna had given him.
    ‘
La Casa Nera
,’
he read. ‘
Calle Frezzeria.
’
    ‘The Black House,’ Nico di Angelo translated. ‘Calle Frezzeria is the street.’
    Frank tried not to flinch when he realized Nico was at his shoulder. The guy was so quiet and brooding he almostseemed to dematerialize when he wasn’t speaking. Hazel might have been the one who came back from the dead, but Nico was
way
more ghost-like.
    ‘You speak Italian?’ Frank asked.
    Nico shot him a warning look, like:
Watch the questions.
He spoke calmly, though. ‘Frank is right. We have to find that address. The only way to do it is to walk the city. Venice is a maze. We’ll have to risk the crowds and those … whatever they are.’
    Thunder rumbled in the clear summer sky. They’d passed through some storms the night before. Frank had thought they were over, but now he wasn’t sure. The air felt as thick and warm as sauna steam.
    Jason frowned at the horizon. ‘Maybe I should stay on board. Lots of
venti
in that storm last night. If they decide to attack the ship again …’
    He didn’t need to finish. They’d all had experiences with angry wind spirits. Jason was the only one who had much luck fighting them.
    Coach Hedge grunted. ‘Well, I’m out, too. If you softhearted cupcakes are going to stroll through Venice without even whacking those furry animals on the head, forget it. I don’t like
boring
expeditions.’
    ‘It’s okay, Coach.’ Leo grinned. ‘We still have to repair the foremast. Then I need your help in the engine room. I’ve got an idea for a new installation.’
    Frank didn’t like the gleam in Leo’s eye. Since Leo had found that Archimedes sphere, he’d been trying out a lotof ‘new installations’. Usually, they exploded or sent smoke billowing upstairs into Frank’s cabin.
    ‘Well …’ Piper shifted her feet. ‘Whoever goes should be good with animals. I, uh … I’ll admit I’m not great with cows.’
    Frank figured there was a story behind that comment, but he decided not to ask.
    ‘I’ll go,’ he said.
    He wasn’t sure why he volunteered – maybe because he was anxious to be useful for a change. Or maybe he didn’t want anyone beating him to the punch.
Animals? Frank can turn into animals! Send him!
    Leo patted him on shoulder and handed him the leather-bound book. ‘Awesome. If you pass a hardware store, could you get me some two-by-fours and a gallon of tar?’
    ‘Leo,’ Hazel chided, ‘it’s not a shopping trip.’
    ‘I’ll go with Frank,’ Nico offered.
    Frank’s eye started twitching. The war gods’ voices rose to a crescendo in his head:
Kill him! Graecus scum!
    No! I love Graecus scum!
    ‘Uh … you’re good with animals?’ he asked.
    Nico smiled without humour. ‘Actually, most animals hate me. They can sense death. But there’s something about this city …’ His expression turned grim. ‘Lots of death. Restless spirits. If I go, I may be able to keep them at bay. Besides, as you noticed, I speak Italian.’
    Leo scratched his head. ‘Lots of death, huh? Personally, I’m trying to avoid lots of death, but you guys have fun!’
    Frank wasn’t sure what scared him more: shaggy-cow monsters, hordes of restless ghosts or going somewhere alone with Nico di Angelo.
    ‘I’ll go, too.’ Hazel slipped her arm through Frank’s. ‘Three is the best number for a demigod quest, right?’
    Frank tried not to look too relieved. He didn’t want to offend Nico. But he glanced at Hazel and told her with his eyes:
Thank you thank you thank you.
    Nico stared at the canals, as if wondering what new and interesting forms of evil spirits might be lurking there. ‘All right, then. Let’s go find the owner of