' i trust you. '
the strong heart is the gentle heart
she gives him an affectionate bump with her shoulder as they walk through the gardens of bacchus. nico returns it with equal vigor, and it’s nice to see him with such energy. they were all still reeling from the aftermaths of the war, that mixture of guilt and relief, celebrations that often carried an undertone of mourning.
reyna likes the routine they have of post-meeting hot cocoa and coffee. they were still praetor and ambassador, peacetime doesn’t change that. but their weekly conferences are hardly as formal as they were before gaea’s defeat. the war had changed them, for worse in some ways but in some ways for better. it had forged a friendship between them, and reyna is thankful for that.
camp matters are discussed quickly, glossed over in favor of catching up about their week, which digresses into casual conversation; nico talks about the boys he maybe likes and reyna talks about girls, nico will tell her in great detail the plot of the movie he just watched, and reyna laments the amount of work she still has ahead of her. it’s nice to have someone to confide in and even if reyna will sometimes tease, it’s never with any malice, and when nico inevitably tells her he trusts her, reyna always replies, “ your secret is safe with me. “
