Sunshine POV

My tiny paws padded across the unfamiliar floor, the scent of peanut butter wafting from somewhere delicious. Life as a brand new golden retriever pup was one big adventure, my nose twitching at every new thing. But this house held a different kind of scent – a sadness mixed with sunshine, heavy on the humans I followed everywhere.

There was Nico, tall and dark with eyes like melted chocolate, but they didn't sparkle like they should. And then there was Will, sun-kissed but lost, his eyes like a forgotten beach towel, limp and confused. They spoke in hushed tones, the sadness clinging to them like cobwebs.

Being a curious pup, I couldn't resist. I nosed my way between them, tail wagging like a metronome set to happy. They stopped talking, surprised by my furry intrusion. Nico frowned, but Blondie (I'd decided on that name for now) chuckled, stroking my head. That felt nice, warm like sunshine.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in my puppy brain – a game! I grabbed a forgotten sock with my tiny teeth and pranced around Will, dropping it at his feet. He blinked, then picked it up, sniffing it curiously. It wasn't his sock, I knew, but it had his scent mixed with someone else's – Nico's, I realized.

He looked at Nico, a question in his eyes. Nico smiled, a sad one, and explained the sock belonged to their friend who... visited sometimes. "Friend?" I tilted my head, not understanding the human words, but sensing the underlying emotions.

This became my new game. I'd find forgotten things – a tattered Camp Half-Blood t-shirt smelling of strawberries and Pegasus feathers, a bronze dagger with two scratched initials – and leave them around for blondie to discover. His confusion grew, but so did the spark in his eyes when he looked at Nico.

Later, I led him on a merry chase through the house, a trail of lost treasures ending with a photo album. The blonde one, who kinda looked like me, sat down, flipping through the pages, his brow furrowed. Then, laughter bubbled up from his chest, a sound I hadn't heard before. He pointed at a picture – him and Nico, grinning like goofy heroes, their arms wrapped around each other.

He looked at Nico, his eyes no longer confused, but filled with something warm and bright. "Nico?" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Is that... us?"

Nico's smile was brighter than the sun. "Hey, Will. Remember me?"

"Well duh, but... wait--" Memories flooded back, slow and sweet like honey. He reached out, his hand trembling, and took Nico's. "I... I remember," he choked out.

I yipped with joy, bouncing around them like a furry pinball. I didn't understand the words, the battles with monsters, the love that shimmered between them, but I knew I had helped. In my own playful, puppy way, I had nudged their memories back to life.

Their journey was far from over, filled with missing pieces and whispered doubts. But they faced it together, hand in hand, with me trotting alongside, their furry mascot. I might not have understood it all, but I knew one thing – love had a way of finding it's way home. Now that I knew that, I never got scared of getting lost again.