author note: this one was written by Dark_ghostie

Nico jolted out of his bed as a piercing scream sounded through the cabin. Grabbing his sword, he was ready to kill anyone that dared lay harm on any of his siblings.

"Nico? What's going on?" Hazel asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Both of them looked around in alarm as another wave of petrified screams sounded before they realized where it was coming from.

"Ben," Hazel said gently, shaking Ben out of his latest nightmare. "It's okay, you're with me and Nico in the Hades cabin," she cooed as he looked around wildly, trying to get his bearings.

"You're safe now," Nico added. "We wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Slowly, but surely, Ben started to calm down. Hazel passed the little boy to Nico who started rocking him, softly singing an old lullaby that Bianca used to sing to him when he was a child. Once Ben was no longer crying and whimpering, Nico asked, "Do you want to talk about it?

"W-we were being at-attacked by mo-mo-monsters," Ben sniffled, wiping the tears away. "Hazel was dead and you were outnumbered. I couldn't do anything but watched a-as they killed you."

Ben burst into tears again. Hazel and Nico were quick to comfort him. "Why don't you tell him a nice little story?" Hazel suggested, stroking Ben's back while giving him a pointed look.

Nico quickly cleared his throat and said, "Once, there was a lonely dog called Tom. He had the most beautiful brown fur and the biggest eyes. One day, Tom was walking down a street when a lovely little girl picked him up. 'Aren't you just the cutest little thing,' she said.

Next thing Tom knew, he was being carried into a warm little house. He was bathed, watered, and fed before being placed on a soft bed. 'Welcome to your new home, little one,' the girl said warmly, hugging him as they both fell asleep under the covers."

Nico looked at Ben who was sound asleep in Hazel's arms with a small smile on his face.

"Doggy," Ben murmured as they both tucked him into bed.

"You call that 'a nice little story'?" Hazel whispered as they went back to their beds.

"I'm sorry if I don't deal with 'nice little stories' and I didn't know what else to say okay?" Nico shot back as he climbed back into bed. "Night, Hazel."

"Good night, Nico, and I hope you have nice little dreams."

Nico rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the little smile from forming on his face as he drifted off to sleep.