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Gifts From Greeks ((Jack Wheelan)) [PG-13: L, S]

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Post by Elijah Emmanual-Wheelan Thu Sep 10, 2015 5:56 pm

When Elijah and Jack had finally talked about Jack moving to New York city, Elijah had gone on a hunt for how they could communicate.  There was a phone in the senate building in New Rome, but it wasn't something the boy could use regularly.  Letters were way too slow...the boy hated having to wait days to hear from his fiancé.  Cell phones were sort of risky, as he understood...apparently they were like a giant signal for drawing monsters to demigods.  Even though Jack would need a cell phone in the mortal world, and the son of Discordia thought it would probably be safer for him with all the magical boundaries around camp.  But for that, the man would need to get them and send one to Elijah.  In the meantime, the two had to find something else.  Finally, the small boy had found a footnote in an obscure, crumbling book from ancient Rome.  It mentioned a means of communication in ancient Greece, an Iris Message.  Appealing to the Goddess Iris, one could send a sort of...video message.  So to speak.

The book hadn't given any details, so Elijah had taken the time to go over to the Greek camp and ask a child of Iris about how to work an Iris Message.  He had walked away with a hanging crystal, a few Drachmas, and instructions on how to reach his fiancé.  And not a moment too soon, because Jack had only been in the mortal world for two days and the small boy was already missing him so bad.  Sleep was difficult, even though River was trying to help with some potions and stuff...it was still hard to concentrate on...anything.  Elijah knew it would all get easier in time, but right now, the whole thing was just difficult.  There were times that the boy even forgot Jack was away...he'd wake up wondering where the son of Venus was, or wondering where he was at breakfast.  It was strange...and the boy didn't like it at all.  Hopefully this Iris Message thing worked.  Checking his watch, Elijah tried to remember if Jack was at home now.  He was pretty sure he would be.

Hanging the crystal from his window and angling it to cast a rainbow in front of him, Elijah took a deep breath.  "Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering," the boy said clearly, just as he had been told to.  He threw the Drachma into the rainbow, praying it worked.  The Drachma dissolved into the rainbow, just as he had been told would happen.  That was definitely good.  "Please show me Jack Wheelan, in Brooklyn...please?" okay, maybe that part was a little sketchier, since if the man was anywhere other than his apartment, there'd be a random image of someone magically projecting to wherever he was.  What if someone saw?  A mortal...Gods, would the Mist hide an Iris Message?  But it wasn't like Elijah could know his fiancé's whereabouts every second of every day.  He'd have to try some means of communication sooner or later...and hope it all worked out.

The rainbow blurred slightly as the crystal turned a tiny bit, though the connection didn't break.  That was definitely a relief.  Elijah kept a look on it out of the corner of his eye, trying to figure out how to keep it from moving too much.  He would hate the connection to be lost just because the sun stopped casting the rainbow correctly.  But if he was looking at the crystal, he could concentrate on the image in the rainbow...the rainbow that was starting to open, like a window or something.  At first, all Elijah could see was an empty room...but there was a ratty couch and unstable looking coffee table in the image.  This had to be Jack's apartment!  And if the boy was seeing a vision of his fiancé's apartment, that meant his fiancé had to be there!  The small boy had to resist the urge to let out a cheer...it definitely seemed like he had gotten it right...and on his first try!  "Thank you, Iris," the son of Discordia said with a smile, trying to figure out how to find Jack like this.  Just as Elijah was about to start calling for his fiancé, Jack came wandering into the room, a towel wrapped around his waist.  Even just seeing the man's face made Elijah want to cry with happiness.  Gods he missed his fiancé so much.

"Jack!" Elijah finally exclaimed excitedly.  "Look what I learned from the Greeks!  It's like a video chat, but with a rainbow!" the boy couldn't help it...he was over the moon that the whole thing had worked.  Yeah, it was a bit strange, but it was working.  He got to see his fiancé...talk to him, hear his voice...if only he could reach through and hug and kiss him.  But this was good enough right now...and even though it had only been a couple of days, it had felt like a lifetime.  A whole wave of emotions rushed through Elijah's being...he realized he didn't even know where to start.  But...maybe simple was best.  "How is the city so far, love?" he finally asked softly.  "Is the adjusting okay?" he wanted to know...and he hoped the facts were positive.
Elijah Emmanual-Wheelan
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Post by Jack Emmanual-Wheelan Mon Sep 14, 2015 4:16 pm

Jack ran his hands over his face, thoroughly appreciating the warm water cascading over his body.  His second day in New York had been challenging, to say the very least.  That wasn’t to say he didn’t enjoy it.  On the contrary, he was loving the hustle and bustle and the general air of New York City life.  It was just a huge change to go from Oklahoma to Camp Jupiter to one of the largest cities in the world.  Sure, Tulsa was a city, but it was nowhere near as large as New York.  Hell, the son of Venus wasn’t sure Tulsa could even compete with Manhattan.  And Camp Jupiter…  Well, Camp Jupiter was exactly that!  A camp!  There were a lot more demigods in the world than Jack ever would have suspected (of course, he never expected demigods to exist at all), but Camps Jupiter and Half-Blood were still miniscule compared to any city in the country.  Going from that to The City was a massive jump.  To a certain extent, Jack was used to it and relatively unbothered.  The last five years of his life had been nothing but change.  He had been kicked out of his father’s home.  He had moved in with his sister.  He had discovered he was a demigod.  He had moved to Camp Jupiter.  This was just another move in a string of many.  Yet this was one of the bigger moves.  The first few had at least kept him in familiar territory.  The move to Camp Jupiter had been the first to throw him out of his comfort zone.  This was the second to do that, and Jack knew he had to take time to adjust.

Rather unfortunately, work was one of the bigger adjustments for the son of Venus.  He had never worked a day in his life, save for his handful of Centurion duties.  Now, work seemed to be the entire purpose of his existence.  He needed to work to make money.  He needed the money to pay his rent, to repay Ashley for all her help, to get Elijah a real engagement ring, to plan a wedding…  The list went on and on.  The boy had to thank his made-up resume and his charismatic nature for landing him two jobs, despite nothing but several online applications and phone interviews completed while he was still at camp.  It meant he was ready to jump into the frying pan as soon as he got himself moved into his new apartment.  At least, that was what Jack wanted to do.  He wanted a position in the kitchens where he could cook for the customers and put his talents to good use.  Moral judgement had gotten the best of him, though, and he had decided not to lie about previous kitchen experience.  Making up something about being a busboy was one thing.  That was a job that required little skill and was easily believable.  Lying about having been a cook, especially at such a young age, seemed like something else entirely.  The result was that Jack had gotten himself into the restaurants, but he had to take lesser positions for the time being.

Anna’s Café, conveniently located just a few blocks from his apartment, had hired him on as a dishwasher for the breakfast and lunch rushes.  He would be part of the opening crew every day during the week, and get released at two.  The work was usually simple.  He only had to hose down some of the larger equipment and load up the industrial dishwasher, but it left him hot and sweaty.  The space around the sinks heated up with the water, and the humidity climbed as his day went on.  To the son of Venus, it was like working in a sauna.  He knew he couldn’t complain, though.  It was a job, it was money, and they worked around his other schedules.  His second job was a little less convenient, but Jack needed it if he had any hope of paying rent on his own.  The City Diner, a little 24-hour joint, was located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  They had taken him on as a part-time night server.  Since he didn’t have class on Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday, he would work the diner from 5pm to 9pm.  On Fridays, he’d ride the train up after school and work from 11:30pm to 3:30am.  He had the same schedule for Saturdays despite the lack of classes or other job obligations.  His first shift was in a few hours, but he needed to wash Anna’s off before he showed up for the second job.

After running his hands through his hair one last time, Jack switched off the water and stepped out of the shower.  As much as he wanted to stay there, he wanted a little time to sprawl out on the couch before heading to the second job.  He reached for his towel and dried himself thoroughly before wrapping it loosely around his waist.  Thankfully, he got the apartment to himself, which meant he didn’t have to dress immediately.  As he exited the bathroom, he veered off toward the tiny kitchen in search of a snack.  That is, until a certain voice startled him into stopping.

“Jack!  Look what I learned from the Greeks!”

The son of Venus jumped violently, his loosely wrapped towel falling around his ankles.  “Jesus fucking Christ!” he swore, swiveling on the spot to find the source.  That was Elijah’s voice.  There was no denying it.  But how the hell was Elijah in his apartment?  The younger man had stayed behind in Camp Jupiter.  And even if he had come for a visit, he probably would have given some sort of warning.  Jack finally spotted his fiancé, hovering several feet in the air near the opposite wall.  Wait, what?  Towel momentarily forgotten, the son of Venus strode across the room to get closer, his brows furrowing as he did.  “I…it’s…what? he spluttered, trying to make sense of Elijah’s words.  He leaned in close, squinting, trying to make sense of the apparition by his wall.  He could see and hear Elijah, but the boy wasn’t physically there.  It was almost like looking at him through a window, though that was impossible.  There weren’t any windows on that wall, and even if there were, they wouldn’t be showing Elijah’s bedroom in the Principia.  Squinting further, Jack asked, “Did you just tell me two gay guys are communicating via rainbow?  What the fuck is this?”  The son of Venus’s words were harsh, but he was beyond confused.  A video chat with a rainbow?  How was that even possible?  Pulling back before his nose could poke through the image, he added, “Are you sure this is a Greek thing and not some sort of gay witchcraft?  You know what, nevermind.  I don’t want to know.”  Jack still studied the ‘screen’ for a moment before shaking his head and answering Elijah’s questions.

“I’m doing okay,” he answered softly but earnestly.  “Adjusting is going to take some time, but that comes with any new move.  I started my first job yesterday.  Dishwashing.  It’s not hard, but it’s nothing glamorous.  I start the other one later tonight.  I still have some time before school starts, but I’ll get really busy then.”  The son of Venus paused to study his fiancé’s face for a few seconds before saying anything more.  “I miss you,” he stated softly.  “I know this is where I need to be right now, but I wish you were here.  I miss my teddy bear.”  Jack held Elijah’s gaze for just a moment before shaking his head again.  “It’s not all about me, though.  How’s camp?”
Jack Emmanual-Wheelan
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Post by Elijah Emmanual-Wheelan Tue Sep 15, 2015 11:59 am

There was a sort of...sadness tugging at Elijah.  He had figured that getting to see Jack would help combat it all, but seeing the man just made him miss him more.  Especially as his fiancé's towel dropped and the boy got a full view of the man.  It was like there was some sort of communication high, but the small boy was dropping as he remembered he couldn't actually be there with Jack.  If only he could reach through the Iris Message and touch the other's chest...kiss those lips he missed so much, even if it had just been two days.  At the very least, the son of Discordia's fiancé's exclamation was enough to jar him from the knife twisting in his heart.  "Hey, baby," he managed weakly, finally feeling a bit uncertain.  He had to remember that he couldn't reach through the rainbow, since it would break the connection and all.  "An Iris Message," he said.  "It's this thing Greeks do to communicate.  I had to make a rainbow with a little crystal and give an offering to the Goddess Iris and have her connect us.  I figured I'd give it a try," Elijah shrugged.  "Maybe not necessarily the best...but I figured it would do for now."

Trying to move his gaze to a more appropriate place, Elijah finally locked gaze with Jack's grey eyes.  He missed those eyes.  At Jack's assessment of the Iris Message, Elijah finally let out a soft chuckle.  He should have known Jack would respond like that.  "Yeah...I guess it is kind of ridiculous when you think about it," it was a breather to talk about that for a moment rather than getting right into the heavier stuff.  Of course, it seemed kind of dumb that the two of them were discussing this over anything else.  Did they need it?  Did they not need it at all?  Elijah wasn't entirely sure what to think.  "Is gay witchcraft even a thing?" the boy tried to make it into something silly.  He was trying to deal with all of it, and would do anything he could to deal properly...even if that meant feeding into ridiculous statements and such.  The boy's eyes strayed again.  "Jack...put the towel back on.  I'm getting distracted," and that was the last thing he needed.

Elijah watched his fiancé intently as he answered his questions.  It was just...so much.  "Okay is a start," the boy said with a sad smile.  All this about jobs and work and school...it seemed so foreign to the small boy, but if Jack was starting out...okay.  "I guess the move is a giant one in general.  New York City is one of the largest cities in the world..." the fact that Jack was there alone made the boy sad.  He didn't want it to be like that...maybe he really should have moved with his fiancé.  But the son of Discordia knew he wasn't ready to leave camp, no matter how much Jack needed to.  And it hurt, but by now, Elijah really did understand that this was something Jack had to do.  As much as he hated it, he respected it at the same time.  "Just...don't drive yourself crazy, okay?  With the jobs and school and all.  I know it's necessary, but balance it all out.  I need you back with me in one piece," Elijah took a deep breath, trying to keep his body from shaking.  It hurt.

"I miss you too, Jack," Elijah said, barely above a whisper.  "So, so much," this was definitely the part that Elijah was dreading.  Of course he missed Jack, and of course Jack missed him.  The distance was painful for both of them...that was a fact.  "You know what you need...and as much as I hate it, I'm proud of you for going for it.  You're going to be amazing," a tear dripped down the boy's cheek...he had to be a support for Jack...had to be strong.  He was just having a hard time holding back the tears.  "And I miss my pillow," Elijah didn't want to talk about the sleep deprivation and regular nightmares...it was silly to, either way, since Jack probably knew.  After all, he had seen how Elijah had been once upon a time...very little sleep and plagued by terrible dreams.  The son of Venus had made that all better...it was totally logical that it would go back to that once Jack was gone.  But the small boy didn't want to bring it up.  Not like this.

Instead, Elijah gave a watery smile.  "Camp is...well, nothing new," the boy shrugged.  "Everything is running as smoothly as ever.  And I'm doing my morning routine every day, now that you're not here and turning off my alarm half the time," it was a joke...definitely.  Because Elijah wasn't coping properly and that was what had come out.  "River is with me a lot, which is good.  I don't know what I'd do without her.  I guess it's all going well," just like with the sleep issues, the boy didn't want to talk about the bad parts.  He didn't want his fiancé to worry about anything other than working though the city on his own.  All of the bad stuff was just an extra burden that Elijah didn't want to put on Jack's shoulders.  So he kept his mouth shut about all that.  Instead, he just tried to lose himself in the man's eyes.  It was definitely...something.
Elijah Emmanual-Wheelan
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