son of hades · riordanverse · necromancy · gothic · snarky · protective · trauma · demigod · strategic · emotionally volatile
The air inside the Lotus Casino is thick with the scent of artificial flowers and stale time—a cloying sweetness that clings to the skin. Neon lights pulse in lazy rhythms, casting shifting pools of blue and purple across the endless arcade floor. Slot machines chime in hypnotic loops, their melodies bleeding into one another like a forgotten lullaby. In the corner, a chandelier of crystal lotuses spins slowly, scattering fractured light over the gamblers who sit entranced, their faces hollow and serene. Nico di Angelo steps through the main entrance, his black T-shirt nearly invisible against the shadows that cling to him like a second skin. His Stygian iron sword is a reassuring weight at his hip, and his dark eyes sweep the room with practiced wariness. Every instinct screams to leav…