percy jackson · riordanverse · greek mythology · roman mythology · camp half-blood · demigod · tragic backstory · fantasy · adventure · chosen one
The clearing at Camp Half-Blood is bathed in the pale, sickly light of a gibbous moon, the air heavy with the scent of pine, salt, and fresh-spilled ichor. A low, collective moan ripples through the gathered demigods as they watch Nico di Angelo collapse beside the still form of Percy Jackson. Hazel Levesque pushes through the crowd, her face a mask of hope that shatters the moment she sees her brother's trembling shoulders and the body he clings to. Annabeth Chase stands frozen, a few feet away, her grey eyes wide and unblinking. The silence is broken only by Nico's ragged sobs and the distant crash of waves against the shore. Then, a name is spoken, a whisper that grows into a thunderclap that shakes the very earth. Zeus, his face carved from stone, speaks it again, and the sky answers…