Olympus College

Daphne's place

I wait impatiently outside of Daphne's dorm, tapping my fingers on the wall as I roll my eyes and sigh. I lean towards the door and tap lightly, shouting through the door.

"Daphne, it's really fine!"

There's a pause before she shouts through the door in reply, her voice slightly muffled. "No it's not!! You are my guest."

I chuckle is disbelief and lean against the door, closing my eyes as I allow the nymph to clean her dorm before I dare enter. I hear a pair of footsteps leisurely stride down the hall, turning my head to see Hypnos.

They're sleep deprived as always, grumbling as they stuff their hands in their jogger pockets and train their eyes against the dusty floor. I clear my throat to announce my presence, and they look up, slight surprises flashing across their face before it falls back into its typical stoic expression.

"Hermes," they say, their voice cracking as they nod in hello.

"You're actually on time," I say, exaggerating awe. "Well, almost. I got here right on time and Daphne has refused to let me in for the past ten minutes."

Hypnos sighs and shakes their head with endearment. "Yeah, Daphne tends to overhype all social interaction. What can I say, she's a born hostess."

"I guess so," I sigh. There's a pause as Hypnos and I wait, a clattering ringing from behind the door. I roll my eyes. "I swear to Zeus, is she deep cleaning or something?!"

Hypnos shrugs, closing their eyes and leaning against the wall. "Knowing her, probably."

I tilt my head to look over at them, squinting my eyes as I observe their usual eye bags, except they seem to be getting darker with every passing day. I chuckle. "Hypnos."

They look up, unenthused. "What?"

"How, as the god of sleep, are you the epitome of sleep deprivation?"

They frown before shrugging. "I get plenty of sleep."

I gawk. "Really?! I mean, no offense but if that's the case then how do you always look so.... uh...."

"No sleep is ever enough, okay?" They snap. "Just a perk of the job. I'd sleep forever if I could, but even that wouldn't be enough. I'll always be tired."

I sigh and put my hands behind my head. "You're a whole ass mood, Hypnos."

"More like a lifestyle," they grumble.

I shake in silent laughter, my humor interrupted by Daphne finally opening the door. She blows a strand of her bright hair out of her eyes and looks up at us with excitement.

"Sorry about that, come on in."

I chuckle and step inside, Hypnos following closely behind. Her dorm is neatly decorated, with a nature theme. Tons of plants are scattered, hung, and potted in every corner; and several framed nature paintings sit on blank spaces of the wall. It's homey.

"Wow, I like your place," I tell her.

She blushes. "Thank you! I like it too."

Hypnos huffs. "It's nice, too bright though. Can't we close a window?"

Daphne frowns. "No, natural lighting makes my skin look ethereal. If you want darkness, go sit in the closet or something."

I snort. "Yeah, maybe you can get a sense of fashion while you're in there."

"Shut up!" They grumble, relaxing onto the white couch. There's not a stain to be found anywhere despite everything being bright, and I couldn't navigate a single fleck of dust if I tried. Damn, Daphne really knows how to upkeep her dorm. Maybe I'm just messy, I could blame that on my collection of stolen items. Thanks a lot, kleptomania.