CLOSE ENOUGH | ETHAN

Ethan knew where she was going when she started saying his name. He didn't know if he was ready to talk about it... he and Zane weren't incredibly close when they were at Camp Jupiter together. Siblings weren't really an important thing there, but Pluto kids did kind of stick together... still, these last five years in Concordia he and Zane had developed a good relationship. Ethan was always causing trouble, being a hooligan and Zane was often chastising him but... it was always in good nature.

As she said she didn't know what to do, that things didn't make sense, Ethan instinctively scooted closer to her as well, wrapping and arm around her shoulders as she placed her head on his. He breathed slowly for a moment as well before he spoke. "Things are bad. Really bad. But the last thing we should do is let it take us down... we shouldn't let it beat us," he muttered, trying to find the write words... if there were any.

"That's the understatement of the century." Melanie muttered, suppressing a wince at the pressure against her injured shoulder. She would never tell her brothers that she was hurting, especially right now. They knew she had been in the hospital, but did they know how close she had been? That thought hurt worse than almost anything. Melanie had almost left her brothers, not even knowing that Zane had went before her. "I just don't know how to NOT let it beat me. So much has gone right and wrong. One brother is gone, another brother is back. My best friend is back. I almost died. Dante almost died. How did things get so screwed up so fast?" The question lingered in the air, but she knew there wasn't a real answer. Not right now, at least.

Ethan let her questions float in the air for a moment, for he really didn't have an answer. He shook his head, pulling away from her just a little in order to give himself a moment of space. He didn't remove his arm from her shoulder, though. He needed her there just as much as he figured she needed him. He finally spoke, "I don't know why things got screwed up... but I think we can fix it," he started to explain, "the world wasn't meant to be a torture. At least, I don't think so... I just don't know how to get past that yet," he admitted.

"We have every reason to be happy, you know? Alex is alive. We're alive. I have a boyfriend for Hades' sake." Shaking her head at the happy thoughts that were attempting to invade her melancholy state, Melanie frowned. yes she should be happy, but other things were there too. Other issues she needed to work through before they consumed her. "But then there is Zane and everything else. I keep waiting for him to come out and yell at me when I'm lying to the boys when I say I'm okay or to get mad when I stay over at Brax's unannounced. I didn't even know the first day I was awake that he was gone. I sent him a text to let him know I was okay." It was so messed up that she couldnt comprehend it. So much death all around them and she couldn't wrap her head around Zane's.

She was right, of course. There were plenty of reason to be happy. But that happiness easily reminded them of the sorrow. Alex seemed like a replacement brother now, at least to Ethan. Mel getting her best friend back was great, but the fact that she had a boyfriend now meant that her relationship with Octavia would be confusing... all the good things had other underlying bad things. Especially the news about texting Zane to let him know that she was okay, when Zane would never get the message.

"He really would yell at you too," he chuckled, thinking about how Zane would handle this situation. "He would sit Brax down and give him an oh-so-friendly chat... should I do that?" he offered, smiling a little at the ridiculous thought.

But was it ridiculous? Who would be the big brother now that Zane was gone? "Hey, even though he never saw that text," the lump in his throat grew, "he would have been incredibly grateful for it. You should be happy that you thought of him. That means a lot, I know."

"I would highly advice against attempting a sit-down with Braxton. It may be hazardous to our collective health. Besides, I think Alex got the jump on that one." Melanie mused with a small smile, shaking her head at the thought. She had no doubt that Ethan would try, but it was more the thought that counted. "I know he would have been upset. I told Brax when I sent it that Zane was overprotective and would've formed a lynch mob if he found out. " Tears were pricking at the corners of her eyes at the thought, though she did manage to blink them back.

Taking a shaky breath, some part of her knew that she had to say her darkest thought out loud. The one that had been threatening her sanity ever since she found out. The longer she kept it in, the more it would hurt in the long run. "I think I would be okay with him being gone if it wasn't for Alex. For months I prayed that father would bring him back to me, and I always thought that I would never see him again. And then he's here and suddenly Zane is gone. It's like I traded one for the other."

Fin was going to be checking 'talking to Braxton' off of his list. It was not something he was the least interested in doing. If Mel suddenly gave a girl Ethan liked a stern talking to... yeah, that wouldn't really fly well between the siblings. They'd be all right, but it would be incredibly awkward for the person being talked to. Plus, Ethan knew how Braxton was. He didn't dislike the guy though. If anything, he thought it was an experience Mel needed.

He nodded as she explained telling Brax why she texted Zane. It was true, too, and Ethan would have followed that Lynch mob blindly with no idea as to what was going on. As she voiced her concern about Alex being Zanes replacement, Ethans eyes widened. But only momentarily before he shook his head. "No, no there's no way this is your fault, you can't spin it like that. I don't think father would..." but maybe he would do that... Ethan didn't want to think about the possibility, "you can't believe that. It'll drive you insane," and now Ethan too.

"I know it isn't logical. Father may be fairly sinister, but I don't think he'd actually...I mean I know if he had to he could. But he would've owned up to it. He's too flashy to just let things go down like that." Moving slightly farther away from Ethan, Melanie pulled her knees up to her chest and then rested her head against them. The dull ache she had been feeling when Ethan walked in had intensified until she couldn't stand it anymore. "I just...I can't get it out of my head. Every time I look at Alex, I see Zane. for some reason, I still can't wrap my head around everything."


Turning her face away from Ethan, the tears finally began to fall. Her voice was strained and quiet as she spoke, but Melanie continued to try. Ethan deserved that much. "I read the reports, visited the scene. If there's closure there, I haven't found it."

Mel was right, they would know if that was what had happened. Pluto wasn't one to just let his kids sort it out, he liked to make sure his work was noticed. Still, they didn't know why Alex was back and that was troubling enough. "Yeah... yeah. There's no way. But... I can see how all this would make you think that way... it won't last," he tried to encourage, laying his head gently atop hers as she rested on his shoulder.

He couldn't wrap his head around it either, and the closure thing was a long way off. "Hey, closure isn't instant. We have to let ourselves feel this way... just not forever," hopefully. They sat there for a while, maybe not saying much or saying anything at all before Ethan finally let his own tears start to fall. After a moment, he clenched his hands into fists to stop them from shaking. "We'll be fine," he repeated.

"How am I supposed to leave tomorrow knowing we're not?" Melanie whispered, though she normally tried to keep from telling Ethan anything work related. He was a reporter, and sharing things was his job. Tonight she just didn't care though. She felt like a traitor, knowing how broken her family was and still intending to walk out that door. They hadn't even had time to grieve properly, and Alex still wasn't settled in. Removing her arms from around her knees, she wrapped them around Ethan's waist as she tried to slow her breathing and calm her tears.