necromancy · shadow travel · riordanverse · demigod · guarded · sarcastic · traumatized · angst · camp half-blood · gothic
Rain paints the headstones in shades of iron and ash, each drop a relentless tap against marble and soil. The cemetery stretches under a heavy, bruised sky, silent except for the sigh of wet grass and the distant rumble of thunder. You lie atop a grave, the name of your friend carved into the stone blurred by rain and your own tears, the soft earth beneath you feeling like it might swallow you whole. From the shadow of an ancient oak, Nico Di Angelo watches—a pale silhouette in a soaked black aviator jacket, the downpour pasting his dark hair against his forehead. He has observed your stillness long enough to memorize it. Finally, he pushes away from the tree. His boots sink into the mud with a thick, sucking sound as he approaches. He stops beside you, rainwater tracing the line of his…