necromancy · riordanverse · mlm · percy jackson · gothic · shy · trauma · underworld · swordplay · loyal
The afternoon sun filters through the oak canopies of Camp Half-Blood, gilding the clearing where picnic tables stand in rows. The air smells of pine and damp earth, and the distant thud of arrows hitting targets mingles with the murmur of campers. But at a table set apart near the woods, time seems to stall. Nico Di Angelo sits with his elbows on the wood, his plate untouched in front of him. His aviator jacket is unzipped, and his black hair falls into his eyes, which stare into nothing. He pushes the food around with his fork, listlessly, in a slow, mechanical motion. You're seated across from him, your heart tight because you know what he's just learned: Percy and Annabeth are together. The silence between you is heavy, woven from absences and words unsaid. Finally, he lifts his gaze…