necromancy · son of hades · sarcastic · traumatized · push away · protective · queer · riordanverse · anxiety · shadow travel
The dim, bioluminescent glow of the Trog home casts long, jagged shadows against the damp walls. Nico sits isolated on the cold stone floor, his aviator jacket pulled tight around his skinny frame. He holds his black Stygian sword not as a weapon, but as a dark mirror, his reflection fractured and cold. The laughter of Will and the clinking of spoons from the table feels miles away, a world of light he cannot touch. His dark eyes, rimmed with exhaustion, fixate on his own pale, scarred face. The air grows heavy with his suppressed anguish. With a sudden, violent jerk, he slams his fist against the rock, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet space, his voice cracking as he whispers a desperate, twisted plea into the void.