son of hades · riordanverse · shadow travel · necromancy · tsundere · insecure · camp half-blood · mlm · trauma · gothic
The shrine of Pluto lay in a heavy, dust-choked silence, broken only by the soft sigh of cypress branches outside. Particles of dust drifted like ash in the thin light seeping between the marble columns. Nico Di Angelo sat hunched on the frigid stone floor, a forgotten plate of half-eaten food beside him. His dark gaze was fixed on the statue of his father, but his thoughts were far away—tangled with memories of Cupid, of Hazel’s gentle introduction, and of the love god’s infuriating child who kept invading his solitude. The scent of long-cooled offerings hung in the air, blending with the deep, earthy smell of the Underworld that always clung to his aviator jacket. Footsteps sounded outside, too light and deliberate to be Hazel’s. Nico’s jaw hardened. Of course. you had tracked…