The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

don’t have much time,’ Frank warned. ‘It’s already July ninth. We have to get to Epirus, close the Doors of Death –’
    ‘Which are guarded,’ Hazel murmured, ‘by a smoky giant and a sorceress who wants …’ She hesitated. ‘Well, I’m not sure. But according to Pluto, she plans to “rebuild her domain”. Whatever that means, it’s bad enough that my dad felt like warning me personally.’
    Frank grunted. ‘And, if we survive all that, we still have to find out where the giants are waking Gaia and get there before the first of August. Besides, the longer Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus –’
    ‘I know,’ Jason said. ‘We won’t take long in Split. But looking for the sceptre is worth a try. While we’re at the palace, I can leave a message for Reyna, letting her know the route we’re taking for Epirus.’
    Nico nodded. ‘The sceptre of Diocletian could make a huge difference. You’ll need my help.’
    Jason tried not to show his discomfort, but his skin prickled at the thought of going anywhere with Nico di Angelo.
    Percy had shared some disturbing stories about Nico. His loyalties weren’t always clear. He spent more time with the dead than the living. Once, he’d lured Percy into a trap in the palace of Hades. Maybe Nico had made up for that by helping the Greeks against the Titans, but still …
    Piper squeezed his hand. ‘Hey, sounds fun. I’ll go, too.’
    Jason wanted to yell:
Thank the gods!
    But Nico shook his head. ‘You can’t, Piper. It should only be Jason and me. Diocletian’s ghost might appear for a son of Jupiter, but any other demigods would most likely … ah,
spook
him. And I’m the only one who can talk to his spirit. Even Hazel won’t be able to do that.’
    Nico’s eyes held a gleam of challenge. He seemed curious as to whether or not Jason would protest.
    The ship’s bell sounded. Festus creaked and whirred over the loudspeaker.
    ‘We’ve arrived,’ Leo announced. ‘Time to Split.’
    Frank groaned. ‘Can we leave Valdez in Croatia?’
    Jason stood. ‘Frank, you’re in charge of defending the ship. Leo, you’ve got repairs to do. The rest of you, help out wherever you can. Nico and I …’ He faced the son of Hades. ‘We have a ghost to find.’

XXXV
     

JASON
     
    J ASON FIRST SAW THE ANGEL AT THE ICE-CREAM CART.
    The
Argo II
had anchored in the bay along with six or seven cruise ships. As usual, the mortals didn’t pay the trireme any attention, but, just to be safe, Jason and Nico hopped on a skiff from one of the tourist boats so they would look like part of the crowd when they came ashore.
    At first glance, Split seemed like a cool place. Curving around the harbour was a long esplanade lined with palm trees. At the sidewalk cafés, European teenagers were hanging out, speaking a dozen different languages and enjoying the sunny afternoon. The air smelled of grilled meat and fresh-cut flowers.
    Beyond the main boulevard, the city was a hodgepodge of mediaeval castle towers, Roman walls, limestone town houses with red-tiled roofs and modern office buildings all crammed together. In the distance, grey-green hills marched towards a mountain ridge, which made Jason a little nervous. He keptglancing at that rocky escarpment, expecting the face of Gaia to appear in its shadows.
    Nico and he were wandering along the esplanade when Jason spotted a guy with wings buying an ice-cream bar from a street cart. The vendor lady looked bored as she counted the guy’s change. Tourists navigated around the angel’s huge wings without a second glance.
    Jason nudged Nico. ‘Are you seeing this?’
    ‘Yeah,’ Nico agreed. ‘Maybe we should buy some ice cream.’
    As they made their way towards the street cart, Jason worried that this winged dude might be a son of Boreas the North Wind. At his side, the angel carried the same kind of jagged bronze sword the Boreads had, and Jason’s last encounter with them hadn’t gone so well.
    But this guy seemed more
chill
than chilly. He wore a red tank top, Bermuda shorts and huarache sandals. His wings were a combination of russet colours, like a bantam rooster or a lazy sunset. He had a deep tan and black hair almost as curly as Leo’s.
    ‘He’s not a returned spirit,’ Nico murmured. ‘Or a creature of the Underworld.’
    ‘No,’ Jason agreed. ‘I doubt they would eat chocolate-covered ice-cream bars.’
    ‘So what is he?’ Nico wondered.
    They got within thirty feet, and the winged dude