Bad dreams and night terrors were not a rare occurrence among demigods. Perhaps even too common for comfort.

You were no exception- even after you arrived to camp half blood, the constant pulls and tugs from your past had been nagging at you since you can remember. Both nightmares of what had once happened and what it had yet to come.

Dreaming with it did not make it true, but it did feel true, when you could so clearly see the storm unfolding before your eyes, or your hand reached out and so vividly touched what was before it. You did not scream. Not anymore, given as frequent as they were for you. You had grown accustomed, no more waking people up in the middle of the night, or extraordinarily bad toss and turns that often left you bruised.

Anyhow, it did not make it any less painful; you still woke up covered in sweat, panting -though more quietly than you did some years ago- and feeling all dizzy, guts twisted in a knot tight enough to make you puke.

The fresh air hit your face and cooled the feeling down. Taking a deep breath, you stepped outside you cabin, softly clicking the door shut, careful not to wake anyone up. The cricket´s chirped harmoniously somewhere between the long strands of grass as you approached the strawberry fields.

You sat down between some of the bushes, finding comfort in the scheduled place, relishing in the quiet on the so very often loud and overwhelming camp. The moonlight bathed you whole, and the stars shone bright, tall above you. It was relaxing, having a moment for yourself in a world where all that mattered was anything but you. The thought of not having chosen a life that asked for so much in enchange made your blood boil, so you just stopped thinking.

And you seemed to do it so well, you only snapped out from the trance when a twig cracked somewhere behind you. Glacing over your shoulder, you spotted Nico. Not too stealthy for someone so quiet, but seeing that exhausted expression and sleep-mused hair that paralleled your own tiredness, you knew you weren´t in place to judge.

Nico wasn´t someone you knew. You had never even had the chance of talking with him before. When you did see him, he was quiet and glared at any passerby like he might have bitten them, so you did not try, either. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, as if contemplating turning on his heel and leaving, or just staying. Going back to bed was not going to make sleeping any easier at this point.