return to sender [james]

[Deleted]

Damian watched the scenery go by in an increasingly repetitive final stretch of the road leading to Camp Halfblood, tapping his index finger against his knee to pass the boring taxi ride. His driver, a middle aged Indian man named Lochan seemed no more up to chatting with strangers than he was after the six hour flight from L.A. to New York. A few light comments about traffic and good dining establishments were exchanged, but that was the extent pleasantries went to until finally the yellow cab stopped downhill from his destination. The driver gave Dam a dubious look in reaction to the out-of-the-way location, which he ignored with a pleasant smile as he retrieved his luggage from the trunk and paid him.

Waiting until the tail lights of the retreating vehicle completely disappeared from sight, the son of Aphrodite tugged the handle of the sole suitcase he brought – really, dragging more luggage to a camp where most your clothing ended up charred, torn, or bloodied was a ridiculous idea – and moved up the misleadingly serene grassy path most people would never believe lead to a training ground for junior monster slayers.

It was only when you passed the boundary things began taking a turn for strange, with satyrs passing by gloriously pants free and a horde of kids in orange shirts milling around engaged in their various activities. Damian casually waved to a couple of familiar faces, discreetly observing others he was not familiar with in passing. Those he would get to later. Right then he made only a stop in the love goddess' ostentatiously pink cabin to drop off his things, swiftly exiting again and heading for the Hephaestus cabin in search of a particular face blessed with a slightly uneven jawline.

One cursory glance inside, and in James' private little quarters beneath his bunk revealed that he was missing, so Dam moved on to other locations. Namely, the forge. Heat radiated out in waves as he pushed open the door, squinting his eyes to make up for the difference in lighting from the bright clear sky outside. It didn't take long to locate the olive skinned, currently sweaty boy he was looking for tinkering away on something concealed from Damian's view by James' back. Quietly advancing on his position he leaned closer, grinning as he spoke. "Tell me I didn't miss anything good by arriving late, like Masin in a JAG Corps uniform."

@james

MADE BY VEL OF GS AND ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Deleted]

James whipped around as he heard his best friends voice over his shoulder. It was mischievous, low and often a little bit raspy. James set his project down and took off a glove, offering his hand for a handshake. "Ah, yes. She was rather serious about you being missing, actually. Thought you were dead. But I think when she realized no one would care she was okay with it," he chuckled, grinning widely at the brunette.

"How was your trip?" he asked, taking off his other glove and stepping away from the forge he was using, hanging up his apron and turning off the flames. "And why were you late? Everything okay? You do kinda look like a monster mauled you on the way here," he joked, chuckling at his own comment.

Damian didn't look disheveled at all, in fact. Being a son of Aphrodite, he just magically looked put together all the time and if there ever was a scruffy vibe, it was on purpose. James was okay with actually having to try to look good. Well, except for the times when he bumped into Mairin after finishing a particularly greasy project...

Yup, you can bet James was now spacing out with a dreamy look in his eye.

@damian

[Deleted]

"Oh really? No one? Not you, not my devoted fanclub, nor Drew who still probably hopes I'll help get her on television?" Damian teased, quirking an eyebrow at the official greeting but taking James' hand anyway, only instead of a handshake he used it to pull him into a full-fledged hug, chuckling as he patted his back. He didn't think after all these years this move would honestly surprise the other boy—it was fairly common knowledge that Dam was rather tactile with people who made it to what could only be referred to as his inner circle, which was unsurprising given who his divine mother was. "That's how you greet your best friend after not seeing him outside of Iris messages and video game sessions for ten months. A nice, sweaty, stinky hug that'll give me a reason to burn my clothes later." He joked, squeezing him for good measure before finally letting go.

"The trip was boring. I slept through most of it, too tired to even bother flirting with the flight attendants." Sighing in faked mournfulness he followed James away from the forge, hopping up to sit on the desk children of Hephaestus used for finishing touches on the smaller projects and picking up one of Leo's hologram notes to examine. "Oh no, is a hair on my head out of place?" Dam questioned with a fake horrified expression before bursting out laughing, nudging his bestie's leg with the tip of his shoe. "I was late for the same reason as always, my dear Watson. Because unlike you in this blissful paradise, I have a job in the mortal world. We've just finished filming the second half of Hidden Worlds' first season yesterday. And no, I will not tell you if Spencer lives or dies after the dramatic cliffhanger of the first half. But my character is safe, obviously. They can't dispose of Grey without losing three quarters of their audience." Dam clarified in a mischievous, low whisper, alluding to the impressive popularity his grim reaper gained for the time he was on screen.

He noticed the signs right away—the dopey, far away look in James' eyes, the blank expression of incapability to notice if naiads ran through the forge naked. Yep, James was dreaming about Mairin. Again. Damian rolled his eyes, grasping his friend's shoulder to shake him back to reality. "Hey, Romeo. You know what would be better than dreaming about the girl? Walking up to her and actually getting her to go on a date with you," He stated with a certain degree of snark. "I mean really, you've seen me do it enough times. It's not that hard."

@james

MADE BY VEL OF GS AND ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Deleted]

James rolled his eyes as Damian listed all the oh-so-many people that should have missed him. James often forgot that Damian was a movie star until it was brought up by the man himself. "Okay, okay, Drew may have cared a little," he joked as Damian spoke of another child of Aphrodite. Drew was a nightmare, and James basically avoided her at all costs. It was pretty easy, though, considering she had no interest in his life whatsoever. They were basically off each others radars.

James showed a face of mock offense as Damian questioned the hug, "heeeeeeey, you've got plenty of clothes," he said with a little chuckle. "Wait, you hugged me!" he exclaimed at the realization. He listened as Damian spoke of sleeping through the trip and flirting with flight attendants. That didn't sound like too much fun, so James could understand where the boring came in. James shook his head with a little sigh as Damian asked about hair being out of place. As Damian burst into laughter, James followed suit, leaning against the table behind him.

As Damian explained why he was late James nodded, "Awe, I see! Real jobs playing pretend in front of cameras," he joked. In all reality, he saw and heard how hard it was to be an actor. It couldn't have been easy to hide his true nature as a Demi-God out there either. James admired Damian for continuing his work despite that. "Well, I won't tell a soul. The secrets of Hidden Worlds are safe with me," James would only see whatever episodes or scenes Damian would want him to, he didn't watch tv often.

Suddenly, James felt a hand on his shoulder and he was pulled out of his thoughts about Mairin. His cheeks turned bright red as Damian suggested that he asked Mairin out on an actual date. james felt his throat close up, "I-I" he cleared it,"I don't know about that, Dam. I can't even look at her without forgetting how to speak."

@damian