Dawn snickered.

"Then I should return the favor next time," she said. "Side with your siblings. Just once, though, I doubt my brothers would appreciate it at all."

"I can see them flipping out." Nika snickered. "Jason especially. He seems very protective."

"And I don't get why," Dawn replied. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. I can string my own bow and everything."

"They're your brothers. It's their job to be protective and irrational." Nika shrugged.

"Aside from Aaron, I'm the oldest," Dawn pointed out. "They know I can take care of myself. And it doesn't help that they have this irrational hate for Seth..." She blinked when she realized what she said.

Nika just smiled. "Apollo and Hermes," she said with a shrug. "Natural enemies." She was quiet for a moment. "Although I could bully at least Jason into leaving him alone if you wanted."

Dawn snorted.

"You wouldn't have to bully him," she said. "He'd probably listen to you out of fear, you wouldn't get the chance to bully him."

Nika laughed quietly. "Well then, I'll bully the rest of them into submission." She smirked.

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"I can handle my brothers," she said. "Smack them once or twice with my bow and they shut right up."

Nika snorted. "That works too. I usually whack people with the flat of my sword, but a bow works too."

Dawn shrugged.

"It's handy, since I always keep it with me, and when my brothers do stupid things like earlier today, I have to hit them," she said. She looked at Nika. "That wasn't fair earlier, you know. You distracted them on purpose."

"Yes, I did," Nika said with a grin. "I don't have to play fair, you know."

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Most of them got whacked for that one," she said. "They need to learn that being aware and being distracted are two different things."

Nika laughed. "Yeah. If I was an actual opponent I could have killed them all easily."

"You're a special case," Dawn reminded her. "You know, highly trained with probably every weapon known to man and a few others not yet realized. Most of my brothers are still only about half-trained, and they're healers anyways."

"Yeah, I know." Nika shrugged. "I've got probably a dozen weapons made by other things, like a couple from centaurs, my dagger from the feather of a stmyphalaen bird..." She shrugged. "Mostly trophies that Ares let me keep."

"Like I said," Dawn shrugged. "Every weapon known to man, and then a few others."

Nika merely snickered and shook her head. "Yeah, well, I'm allowed."

"Never said you weren't," Dawn pointed out cheerfully. She got up. "Come on, I want to see if the strawberries are done."

Nika snickered but got up, going over to the kitchen and pulling out the strawberries. She brought over the strawberries and all the ice cream, setting it all on the low table in front of the couch.

"That should be sufficient sweets to last us the night, I think," she said, nodding her approval.

Dawn nearly whimpered in delight.

"I don't care what anyone else says," she said, "this is better than nectar and ambrosia."

Nika laughed at that. "Have as much as you'd like," she said, amused.

Dawn didn't answer. Instead, she snagged another strawberry and settled in to enjoy it.

Nika chuckled and watched the show, alternately munching on ice cream and strawberries. It had been a long time since she'd relaxed like this, especially with someone else. It was odd but nice.

Dawn checked the channel guide to see what was on after Challenge. The lineup for the next few hours wasn't all that bad, really, so she left the channel where it was and worked on another strawberry.