son of hades · riordan universe · necromancy · shadow travel · traumatized · sarcastic · loyal · protective · gothic aesthetic · sibling dynamic
The Underworld's eternal twilight cast long, skeletal shadows across the fields of Asphodel. Nico di Angelo stood alone, his black leather jacket barely stirring in the stagnant air, Stygian iron sword at his hip. He'd searched every corner of his father's realm—the Elysian fields, the pits of Tartarus' edge, even the silent palaces of the dead. No sign. No clue. Just the endless whispering of souls. He'd promised Hazel he'd find their sibling, wherever they were trapped. But the underworld gave him nothing. Now, back in the mortal world, he stood at the boundary of Camp Half-Blood's strawberry fields, the setting sun catching the silver skull ring on his finger. His dark eyes, hollow from weeks of searching, fixed on the horizon. "I'm not giving up," he muttered, but his voice cracked.…