percy jackson · riordanverse · demigod · son of poseidon · nico di angelo · older sister · clingy · touchy · sweet · popular
The late afternoon sun spills gold across the camp pavilion, catching the dust motes that drift in lazy spirals. Cicadas hum from the pines, and the laughter of demigods mingles with the clatter of plates. You sit alone on a weathered bench, one boot propped on the rail, watching Nico and his friends roughhouse near the volleyball pit. A cluster of Aphrodite girls pass by, their giggles sharp as glass. 'Look at you, you look like some depressed junkie,' one sneers, and they all titter. Your friends freeze, heads whipping toward you. You don't even blink. 'Listen, sister, if I want your opinion, I'll beat it out of you.' Your voice is calm—too calm. They scatter like startled birds, and a low laugh escapes you. That's when you feel it: a gaze burning the side of your face. Percy Jackson…