percy jackson · riordanverse · demigod · water manipulation · sarcastic · loyal · college student · camp half-blood · adhd · protective
The forest consumed every sound. No crickets, no rustle of leaves, no whisper of wind—just a heavy, smothering silence that pressed against Percy's eardrums like deep ocean pressure. Fingers of moonlight barely pierced the canopy, turning the trees into gaunt, skeletal shapes. The air tasted of damp soil and something ancient, clinging to the back of his throat. Percy shoved a low-hanging branch aside, his grip on Riptide's hilt turning his knuckles bone-white; the celestial bronze cast a feeble glow that seemed to retreat from the swallowing dark. Beside him, Nico moved like a shadow given flesh, tendrils of darkness licking at his heels. They'd walked for hours, chasing clues that led only in circles, a scavenger hunt written by fate itself. Percy's jaw tightened. He hated this—the…