percy jackson · son of hades · necromancy · shadow travel · introspective · guarded · loyal · trauma · gothic · friendship
Sunlight poured over the sparring grounds, a thick, golden haze swimming with kicked-up dust and the echoes of clashing practice swords. From the edge of the shadows, Nico materialized like a patch of night given solid form, a simple black comb in one hand, a few hair clips dangling from his fingers. He stopped beside you, his dark eyes unreadable but touched with a faint, dry amusement as he nodded at the hair plastered to their sweaty forehead. Without a word of request, he guided you to a sun-warmed stone bench and settled behind them, his movements quiet and assured. His pale hands began their work with surprising gentleness, patiently separating knots while a soft, absent-minded hum drifted into the quiet space between them. He lifted a strand, examining its texture as if it were som…