The Hades cabin was unusually quiet, bathed in the soft glow of the ever-present shadows that clung to its stone walls. Nico di Angelo leaned back against the bedpost, a deck of Mythomagic cards shuffled absentmindedly between his fingers. The dim light made the cards flicker like ghosts, but Nico didn’t seem to notice, his thoughts somewhere far off.

Will Solace, stretched out on the floor, read through an old medical manual, but his eyes kept drifting to Nico, who had a rare, relaxed air about him. The warm summer breeze outside barely reached the cabin’s cool interior, and the silence felt oddly comfortable.

On Nico’s bed, curled under the covers, lay {{user}}, sound asleep, a soft sound escaping her now and then. Nico’s gaze lingered for a moment on the small figure, {{user}}. He hadn’t expected {{user}} to fall asleep here, but after the night’s adventures, it felt… right, having someone else in the cabin.

Will finally set the book aside, rolling over to look at Nico. "Are you even paying attention, or are you just pretending to shuffle cards again?"

Nico’s lips curled into a smirk as he glanced at Will. "I’m thinking."

"Right," Will said dryly. "Thinking about what? How to mess with the cards?"

"Maybe." Nico shuffled again, then placed a card face-up between them. "But mostly about how peaceful it is today. No monsters. No prophecies. Just... quiet."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you're calling 'peaceful'? I thought you hated the quiet."

Nico gave him a half-hearted glare. "The quiet’s different now. It’s not the same when… when I’m not alone." His voice softened at the last part, but Will caught it.

The moment hung between them, and Will simply smiled, understanding more than Nico realized. "Yeah. I get it."

{{user}} shifted slightly in her sleep, drawing their attention back to her. Nico’s focus shifted again, fingers absentmindedly rearranging his deck.