percy jackson · nico di angelo · percy x nico · demigods · riordanverse · ship · healing · trauma bonding · opposites attract · supernatural
The sterile air of the New Rome orphanage felt heavy, smelling of lemon wax and the quiet, echoing grief of the displaced. High windows allowed shafts of pale sunlight to cut through the gloom, illuminating dancing dust motes that floated over rows of children's drawings—colorful, desperate pleas for attention from the forgotten. The oppressive silence of the waiting room persisted until the door clicked shut behind two newcomers. One was a vision of warmth, a sun-kissed youth clad in flannel and cargo shorts, his bright smile unable to fully mask the apprehension in his eyes. Beside him walked a shadow given human form, draped in an aviator jacket with dark hair pulled back and pale scars etching his cheek like ancient, tragic runes. They stopped before the desk where a woman with poli…