(requested by @AutobotLightReaver , hope you like it! I focused mainly on dialogue which is why it's a bit oddly written, sorry about that!)

Bryan settled himself by the small lake, eyes closed and face turned towards the sky. The sun casted softly warm rays and the wind was minimal. Perfect for merely spending time out in nature with the cute sounds of animals around him and the saltwater smell of the lake calming him.

"Ah, there you are Bryan." A voice cut in. He opened his eyes to see Ritchie standing by the water edge, arms folded behind his back and watching passively. "I was looking around for you."

"You were?"

"Well I am camp counselor still. It's my job to check up on you," he said matter-of-factly.

"Heh, right. Right." He scratched the back of his neck and looked away.

Ritchie joined him by his spot, a large flat-topped rock with one side slightly teetering over the water. He sat far enough away to give him space but close enough so that the hem of his robes touched his. A comforting closeness that Bryan craved since his twin sister left camp days prior.

"So? How have things been?" Ritchie asked.

"Hmm... strange, to be honest. Specifically with the way people act around me. It's like some have already forgiven me and treat me as normal, like Jakey, Bri, and you. Others..." He sighed. "With Mario, at least I know he still holds something against me. I'm aware of it and... I'm working to fix it. But some people I don't know.

"Mitch is nice to me as always. He talks to me and is polite, but he doesn't leave me alone with Jakey for long. And when I'm with Marshie, he seems on edge as does she. I understand why, it just hurts I guess."

"I see," Ritchie said, thoughtfully. "As you probably know, people in this camp know how to hold a grudge. And they normally act on that grudge, so if they're being cordial then that means they know you're trying and are trying themselves."

Bryan reached forward and swept his hand along the lake surface. Ripples curved out away from him and tipped the nearby lilypads like ships on rough waters. 'Lily.' "That feels better than I deserve. I haven't even found my other sister to formally meet her. Last time I just-"

He pressed his lips together. The girl- Lily -hadn't seemed scared at the time, but the two guys with her sure had. They were protecting his own sister from him. As they should've been. It was minimal compared to what he did to Bri, but it still didn't sit right with him. What would their mother think if she knew?

"The thing about godly siblings can be a tricky situation. You and Bri grew up together, am I right?" Bryan nodded and Ritchie mimicked him. "From what I know about Lily, which isn't much mind you, she didn't have her godly family around growing up like you two did. Most demi-gods don't, so finding what is essentially her long-lost brother and he's not what she presumably hoped he'd be must have been a shock.

"I was lucky and gained more family when my brothers showed up. Some others aren't as lucky and don't have siblings here, people who will stand by you when the world is against you. Who know more than others what you're going through and you have an instant connection with. I know it bothers Mario to not have siblings here, and Michael didn't like to mention but I know he felt similarly."

"He's the son of Athena right? Mother said she didn't have many kids on Earth."

Ritchie's mouth twitched and he looked away. A feeling akin to heartbreak pricked off him, distinct and prickly. "She's somewhat right and yes he, uh, was." His unintentional emphasis didn't go unnoticed.

Bryan felt his face turn red and inwardly berated himself. How had he not noticed the hurt love when Ritchie showed up? He coughed through the awkwardness and tried to backtrack. "Oh right! Marshie mentioned that. I-I'm so sorry-"

Ritchie smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "It's quite alright. We were away for a long while before it happened so I understand some campers aren't aware of the situation completely yet. My point is, though, that you should give her time to adjust to you being back to your old self, but don't give up on her."

Bryan let out a sigh of relief. He remembered being upset, angry, even distrustful when he briefly met Lily, now all he felt was avidity and a bit of sibling love already blooming. He only hoped she and Bri felt the same way.

He peeked at Ritchie out of the corner of his eye. The counselor was gazing out at the lake, face flushed out and, now that he was really looking, exhausted. Not too noticeable but glaringly obvious to the son of Aphrodite. "How have you been since Michael..."

Ritchie's fingers curled on the rock, eyes not leaving the still water in front of him. "My brothers have been of help. Having them around does take some of the grief off, if only because sometimes I have to worry about them taking the wrong turn on a quest and getting hurt.

"But there are still many days where I'll pass by his cabin and expect him to come out. Asking me how I slept, wondering where Austin is and how he's doing. Already tired of the day," Ritchie chuckled, his smile brightening but his eyes still dark.

Bryan could feel a wave of crushed love coming off him, so forceful his own heart was cracking. His chest tightened. "Speaking of Austin, how did he take it?"

Ritchie raised an eyebrow at him curiously, but not with suspicion Bryan noted thankfully. "Why do you ask about him?"

"Well he's dating my sister," Bryan said, straightening his back, "I'd like to know how he's holding up where he is."

The crushed heart turned to a soft, familial love that was much kinder than before. "He...didn't take it very well. Kind of shut down for a while. Actually, if it wasn't for your sister, I don't think he would've gotten out of it nearly as well as he did. Especially since she was upset as well. They both loved Michael."

They really did. Bryan knew.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the natural sounds together. Somewhere behind them in the small groves of trees, they could hear a group of dryads giggling with the running hooves of satyrs. Bryan wondered if Relena was amongst them.

He bit his lip and stared into the water. "Does," he asked hesitantly, "it get easier?"

Ritchie stayed quiet for a moment and Bryan was on the verge of freaking out in apologies before he finally spoke equally as quiet. "...It was his idea to stay. He was prepared for what he was about to do, which in a way does make it easier to think about. Not like it was an accident or happened in a fight with a monster."

"But you'll always miss him regardless," Bryan finished subconsciously.

"Of course." Ritchie heaved out a long sigh and straightened up, a too-forced smile stretched back onto his face. "Well! That's definitely enough about me, back to you."

Bryan dangled his feet above the water, dipping the tip of his sandals into the coolness. The stark difference between the underneath and up above was jarring. "Actually, I think I'm feeling a little better."

"Really? Or are you just humoring me to make me feel better?" A genuine smile piped up on Ritchie's face.

"Really," he answered thoughtfully. "Maybe when Bri returns we can go visit our sister together."

Ritchie nodded and stood up to leave. His robes rustled and Bryan noticed the void of tattoos paleness of his arms. "That sounds like a good idea."