The Gift of the Winds...

[Zephyros Aetai]

Zeph woke a while later to his shoulder being shaken. His eyes opened slowly and he looked at the person shaking him with narrowed eyes. He mumbled something, glaring at what was turning out to be Euros.

"Zeph, wake up! Mother is coming to make sure you slept in your own room! Wake up! You're running out of time!"

Zeph moaned and rolled over, then looked at his brother with a panicked expression as his words made it through. He jumped out of bed, though didn't move any of the covers off of Jason. Kissing him quickly on the forehead, he whispered in his ear, "Sorry. Can't get caught."

[Jason Hiller]

Jason stirred at the feeling of Zeph's body shifting against him and the sound of an urgent voice above him; opening one eye a fraction, he sleepily watching and listening to the goings-on around him. Oh, excellent... Zeph's mother was coming. He could have asked for a nicer wake-up call. Even so, Jason smiled when Zeph kissed him on the forehead.

"No worries," he whispered. "Go on before your mum gets here."

[Zephyros Aetai]

Zeph nodded, lightly brushing a bit of Jason's hair from his forehead before he disappeared, moving with the same speed he had that first time he and Jason had met in the art room. He slipped into his own bed, his quick burrowing movements making the bed rumpled enough to look like he'd been there all night.

He had just gotten in a position that would make it believable that he was still asleep as the door opened. His mother looked in, saw his golden hair on the pillow, and quietly closed the door. He peeked over his covers with one eye, watching the door for a moment. Well, he was awake now. Might as well get dressed and go get breakfast... Jason had not fully woken up, so Zeph could arrange their day a little.

[Jason Hiller]

Jason smiled at Euros with half-open eyes. "Thanks for the warning. I don't know whether I want to go back to sleep or not..." He squinted blearily over toward the clock on the wall. "What time is it?"

[Zephyros Aetai]

Euros looked dispassionately at the clock, shrugging a little at Jason's thanks. Now that the urgency of earlier was gone, so was his uncharacteristic emotion. Zeph and Euros might not have gotten along, but they were brothers and Euros did not agree with what their parents had been doing. Zeph liked Jason enough to go head-to-head with them, when he avoided confrontation most of the time. That alone was reason for Euros to help. Besides... brothers shouldn't fight so much they hated the other.

"It's just past ten. If you want, go back to sleep. As a guest you can stay in bed as long as you want, and there is nothing really going on today anyway. Recover from your jet lag," Euros said, not flatly so much as... emotionlessly. He nodded a little at Jason's thanks and left the room.

---

Zeph finished his shower and got dressed, wearing his tunic with some shorts and lacing his old-style sandals up his legs. Old style like ancient greek style. He grinned, looking in the mirror. All he missed was the wings to look like his namesake. And a few inches, maybe. He grinned at his reflection and went to the kitchen, knowing breakfast was long past and if he wanted food he was going to have to find it himself. The chef noticed him as he lingered in the doorway and gave him a slice of sweetbread, assuring him it was milk-free.

Zeph looked at it, then took a bite. The chef was on his side, as he had a cousin who preferred her own gender, and he understood what Zeph was going through. He smiled, watching what was going on around him as the kitchen staff got everything cleaned up and started on lunch. Eating his breakfast, Zeph smirked and asked for a picnic lunch to be made for them. What better way to avoid his parents?

[Jason Hiller]

Jason lay half-awake in bed for awhile before deciding that now was as good a time as any to get up. He showered and dressed in a pale purple t-shirt with denim shorts and sandals, then headed down to the kitchen to see if he could find Zeph.

[Zephyros Aetai]

Zeph peeked out the kitchen door, seeing him coming down the hallway. He quickly got the basket hidden, getting all of the men to act as if nothing was going on. Zeph had plans for the basket and they did not include Jason knowing about it. He continued eating his own breakfast, chatting with the chef in Greek, which he knew Jason wouldn't understand and so he could continue laying plans that would remain secret. Now, he knew Jason would probably have done much of the same thing with Zeph and German if he went to visit the northern country... but for now he was going to use the language barrier to his advantage.

As Jason walked in, he turned and smiled, waving for Jason to come over as if he had no idea that the werewolf had been coming. "You should try this! The chef swears up and down it's dairy-free so it should be safe and it's really good. He says it took forever to find a recipe that didn't use any butter or milk that tasted good, either."

[Jason Hiller]

Jason grinnd and hurried over to where Zeph was sitting, taking a seat beside him and accepting a slice of the sweetbread.

"It's delicious," he smiled in praise, wiipng a crumb from his lip as he looked at Zeph. "So what have you been up to all morning?"

[Zephyros Aetai]

"Jason... my hair is still wet, how long do you think I've been up?" he said, glad that it took longer for hair to dry here. Back at Dunehelden the dry air sucked moisture from anything in a heartbeat, but here it took far longer.

The chef grinned at him and Zeph grinned back, waving. "Wanna go for a walk? Before my mother decides to find us?"

[Jason Hiller]

"I'd love to," Jason answered eagerly, swallowing another mouthful of sweetbread. He wasn't finished yet, but he was interested in getting out of the house and seeing more of the island; he could always eat while he walked.

[Zephyros Aetai]

"You go, I'll catch up. I need to grab something," he said, pushing Jason out the door a bit. "I won't be a moment."

He turned to the chef, making plans for where he wanted the basket to be and when, so grateful that Jason couldn't understand a word he was saying. He grinned, joining Jason in the hallway after a glass of water. He kissed him and wrapped his arms around one of Jason's, putting his head on the older boy's shoulder. "So..."

[Jason Hiller]

Jason smiled as Zeph wrapped his arms around him. "So, what?" He twisted around a little in Zeph's embrace to look at the younger boy. "What are you up to? Why the rush to get me out of the room? Are you plotting against me?" He grinned, keeping his tone light and non-accusatory.

[Zephyros Aetai]

"You know it," he teased back, still wrapped around Jason's arm. "The question is... what plot?"

He tugged on his arm a little, "C'mon. It's stopped raining, so let's go enjoy all the birds out singing and stuff. The island always seems to sort of glow after the rain."

[Jason Hiller]

Jason nodded, continuing on down the hallway with Zeph. "I hope it's not too muddy outside... I don't want to slip and ruin my clothes."

[Zephyros Aetai]

"We can get them cleaned easily if something does happen," Zeph grinned. He pushed open the door for them and kept close to Jason, pulling him quickly when he saw his mother coming. "Hurry, she's coming," he hissed, pulling Jason off of the path before she could see them.

[Jason Hiller]

Jason pressed close to Zeph, shrinking away from Zeph's mother and praying they wouldn't be seen. He held his breath, trailing her with his eyes.

[Zephyros Aetai]

Luckily, she passed by them without seeing them. Zeph breathed a sigh of relief, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Jason's for a moment. "Well, now that we've avoided that disaster..."

He looked around, smiling. He pointed, nudging Jason's shoulder to get his attention. A bright bird sat singing, looking at them with one black eye. Zeph held still as the bird hopped closer, looking at them curiously.

[Jason Hiller]

Jason stayed still, only slightly moving his head to look at the bird. He smiled quietly, watching it with interest and trying not to move for fear of scaring it away.

[Zephyros Aetai]

Zeph smiled, watching as it flitted away. "And people say I'm flighty," he joked, pulling Jason a bit further into the forest. He pointed out a few unique plants, things he knew Jason had never seen before. Picking a flower, he tucked it behind Jason's ear with a grin, kissing him quickly.

[Jason Hiller]

Jason smiled as he returned Zeph's kiss, gently fingering the flower behind his ear. "What's this flower called? It smells beautiful."

[Zephyros Aetai]

"It's just the common mallow flower, that's all," he said, grinning. "It matches your shirt."

They walked around for a while longer, going to a clearing Zeph often used to hide from his mother. As he had asked, the basket was sitting there, with a blanket. Zeph looked over at Jason with a grin, watching for his reaction.

[Jason Hiller]

Jason's eyes lit up with delight at the sight of the blanket and basket. "A picnic! So that's what you were plotting!" He laughed and threw his arms around Zeph. "You're totally bent on spoiling me, aren't you?" He looked up at Zeph with happy, sparkling eyes.

[Zephyros Aetai]

Zeph hugged him back, kissing him. "I am. Especially considering the trouble you are getting elsewhere... I might as well offset it, huh?"

He pulled away and spread the blanket out, then started pulling food out, setting it up. He looked at Jason with a lopsided smile. "You just gonna stand there and gape?"

[Jason Hiller]

Jason laughed and went to help Zeph, pulling pairs of plates and cups out of the basket and setting them down. All the while he smiled at Zeph's thoughtfulness.

Once everything was set out, Jason sat back, admiring the scenery. "It's so beautiful here... I wish I'd brought my camera." He winked at Zeph and added, "The flora and fauna have nothing on you for beauty, though."

[Zephyros Aetai]

Zephyros blushed, pausing for a moment. That comment had actually thrown him off. He sat thinking for a moment, trying to think of a response. After a moment, he turned and gave Jason a wry look.