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if that was part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> shape-changers’ hideout or not. Nothing moved on <strong>the</strong> parapets. The entrance <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> cave sat about seventy feet down <strong>the</strong> cliff face – a circle <strong>of</strong> black in <strong>the</strong> chalky yellow rock like<br />
<strong>the</strong> hole <strong>of</strong> a giant pencil sharpener.<br />
Nestor’s Cave, <strong>the</strong> Laundromat ghost had called it. Supposedly <strong>the</strong> ancient king <strong>of</strong> Pylos had<br />
stashed his treasure <strong>the</strong>re in times <strong>of</strong> crisis. The ghost also claimed that Hermes had once hidden <strong>the</strong><br />
stolen cattle <strong>of</strong> Apollo in that cave.<br />
Cows.<br />
Piper shuddered. When she was little, her dad had driven her past a meat-processing plant in<br />
Chino. The smell had been enough to turn her into a vegetarian. Ever since, just <strong>the</strong> thought <strong>of</strong> cows<br />
made her ill. Her experiences with Hera <strong>the</strong> cow queen, <strong>the</strong> katoblepones <strong>of</strong> Venice and <strong>the</strong> pictures<br />
<strong>of</strong> creepy death cows in <strong>the</strong> House <strong>of</strong> Hades hadn’t helped.<br />
Piper was just starting to think, Frank’s been gone too long – when he appeared at <strong>the</strong> cave<br />
entrance. Next to him stood a tall grey-haired man in a white linen suit and a pale yellow tie. The<br />
older man pressed a small shiny object – like a stone or a piece <strong>of</strong> glass – into Frank’s hands. He and<br />
Frank exchanged a few words. Frank nodded gravely. Then <strong>the</strong> man turned into a seagull and flew<br />
away.<br />
Frank picked his way down <strong>the</strong> trail until he reached Piper.<br />
‘I found <strong>the</strong>m,’ he said.<br />
‘I noticed. You okay?’<br />
He stared at <strong>the</strong> seagull as it flew towards <strong>the</strong> horizon.<br />
Frank’s close-cropped hair pointed forward like an arrow, making his gaze even more intense. His<br />
Roman badges – mural crown, centurion, praetor – glittered on his shirt collar. On his forearm, <strong>the</strong><br />
SPQR tattoo with <strong>the</strong> crossed spears <strong>of</strong> Mars stood out darkly in <strong>the</strong> full sunlight.<br />
He looked good in his new outfit. The giant warthog had slimed his old clo<strong>the</strong>s pretty badly, so<br />
Piper had taken him for some emergency shopping in Pylos. Now he wore new black jeans, s<strong>of</strong>t<br />
lea<strong>the</strong>r boots and a dark green Henley shirt that fitted him snugly. He’d been self-conscious about <strong>the</strong><br />
shirt. He was used to hiding his bulk in baggy clo<strong>the</strong>s, but Piper assured him he didn’t have to worry<br />
about that any more. Since his growth spurt in Venice, he’d grown into his bulkiness just fine.<br />
You haven’t changed, Frank, she’d told him. You’re just more you.<br />
It was a good thing Frank Zhang was still so sweet and s<strong>of</strong>t-spoken. O<strong>the</strong>rwise he would’ve been a<br />
scary guy.<br />
‘Frank?’ she prompted gently.<br />
‘Yeah, sorry.’ He focused on her. ‘My, uh … cousins, I guess you’d call <strong>the</strong>m … <strong>the</strong>y’ve been<br />
living here for generations, all descended from Periclymenus <strong>the</strong> Argonaut. I told <strong>the</strong>m my story, how<br />
<strong>the</strong> Zhang family had gone from Greece to Rome to China to Canada. I told <strong>the</strong>m about <strong>the</strong> legionnaire<br />
ghost I saw in <strong>the</strong> House <strong>of</strong> Hades, urging me to come to Pylos. They … <strong>the</strong>y didn’t seem surprised.<br />
They said it’s happened before, long-lost relatives coming home.’<br />
Piper heard <strong>the</strong> wistfulness in his voice. ‘You were expecting something different.’<br />
He shrugged. ‘A bigger welcome. Some party balloons. I’m not sure. My grandmo<strong>the</strong>r told me I<br />
would close <strong>the</strong> circle – bring our family honour and all that. But my cousins here … <strong>the</strong>y acted kind