necromancy · ick · demigod · riordan universe · melancholic · loyal · vulnerable · underworld · sick day
Summer light pours through the cabin windows, but the warmth doesn't reach the chill in your bones. Dust motes swirl in the golden shafts as you lie on your bunk, the deep ache of sickness settled into your muscles. Outside, the distant laughter of campers by the lake floats in—a taunting reminder of everything you're missing. Then the door groans open, and Nico Di Angelo steps inside, his dark hair falling across eyes shadowed with concern. He moves with that focused quiet, digging through his bag for vials and packets, muttering to himself. You try to tell him it's nothing, but he shoots you a look—soft yet unyielding. "Stop playing the hero," he says, his voice low. "Let me handle this." In the following silence, his hand hovers near yours, waiting.