Magnus was having a morning. His plans consisted of getting out of Brooklyn, just for one hot minute, to spend a nice weekend in the Caribbean, laying on the beach, drinking pina coladas, asking a hot attendant to rub him down in sunscreen and let the ocean waves soothe him into a nice sleep. That wasn't to say he didn't adore New York with his constant availability, but it was like a clingy ex who you still liked to be friends withâsometimes you just needed to break, because you didn't want to keep opening your windows and inhale sour garbage that had been baking in the sun.
That analogy didn't quite work, but Magnus was frazzled.
Because none of that happened. In fact, he had been waiting patiently for said hot attendantâwhose name Elian really did something to Magnus's interestsâto come back with another set of towels and a tuna maki roll, when he wasn't on that white sandy beach. No, the air had chilled significantly, and Magnus, dressed in only his very tiniest magenta-zebra-print speedo, was not thrilled by the abrupt change of scenery of a densely wooded area. He was even more disappointed that he was not going to get that tuna maki roll either, as he was very much looking forward to it. He might have to return to bodega sushi, which was just as dubious as it sounded.
The rest of his morning went in a similarly ridiculous fashion. It was only when the overly friendly staff at the DOAâtruly a cursed name, and the one time Magnus thought he might have actually died, and perhaps Elian was a serial killer, an incredibly attractive serial killerâoffered him money and an apartment that he became suspicious. Registering as downworlders was always a problem and he didn't feel confident that registering here was any better. But literally only had the swimsuit he came in and the Gucci tortoiseshell sunglasses which were crushing his hair at the moment.
He tapped a holographic chrome nail on the paperwork, and a flourishy little signature replaced the empty blank line. He supposed that would be enough to tell them what he did, but nothing more than that. Magnus liked a little mystery.
Eying the phone that was passed over to him, Magnus continued with his earlier rant (the poor employee.) "Is that the only way to get money and an apartment in this cityâVallo? Is that what the video called it? A little crude, but the production value was far better than some of the off-off-broadway shows I have seen in... hello."
Magnus's attention caught on a dark-haired, blue-eyed tall glass of waterâor in his case, a gin and tonicâweaving through the desks behind the registration counter. Magnus swiped up the phone, and tucked it into the hoodieâyes, hoodie, he was as absolutely offended by the poly-cotton blend as the next person, not to mention that it matched. At least it was black.
Without missing a beat, he hooked an arm through the young man's elbow and kept walking. "Hello, Magnus Bane, high warlock of Brooklyn. Please tell me you know what Brooklyn is or I might weep uncontrollably in this tracksuit, and it will not be a good look. My eyeliner has managed to stay on for the entirety of this morning, however, so a partial win."
Atreus was often welcoming and open to new arrivals, but had learned to give them space as they adjusted. Heâd been at the DOA office to drop off some training equipment from earlier in the day, and to pop in and say hi to Shiro, but hadnât expected to end up someoneâs new and sudden friend. Someone new and attractive, even apparently garbed in what he described as a tracksuit?
Gods, Atreus didnât understand fashion, even to this day. What made something a tracksuit? It was a lot more covering than the plain joggers and cropped tank he had on himself, but this newcomer managed to pull off the dark hoodie even still.
He did understand being welcoming, though, and grinned apologetically, about to smash Magnus Baneâs hopes and dreams. âOnly vaguely from friends mentioning it, sorry! I do know where Sephora is if you need waterproof eyeliner, though? They have these kinds that have glitter in them, all different colors, magic keeps them from smudging all day. Itâs pretty amazing.â
At least if someone was going to appreciate his odd knowledge of glittery waterproof eyeliners, this darkly-dressed-yet-clearly-fashionable warlock was bound to be it, right? âUh, hi, by the way. Iâm Atreus - welcome to Vallo?â
Magnus placed a hand over his heart and sighed a thousand sighs in one. "Of course you don't. I was too trusting to expect that someone with a face like yours could possibly even be from the same world as me. I'll survive, but you will have to point me toward Sephora after I find something more presentable to wear. Not everyone can pull off a crop top like youâAtreus? Is that Ancient Greek?"
Though his attention was on Atreus's face, Magnus was acutely aware of the people moving around them and toward them, parting as they beelined to the elevator. With another gentle flourish of his hand, the elevator doors stayed open though no one was inside. He assumed that Atreus was well-acquainted with small displays of magic if he had friends here, and was unabashedly showing off his abs to a stranger. Magnus was the best stranger, at least he thought so.
"If you tell me you are actually the father of Agamemnon, I might need to leave the tragedies for another day. This one has already had enough. I've had to resort to using my swimsuit as my underwear for the foreseeable future," Magnus said with another sigh as he stepped inside the lift. This was where he should have unhooked from Atreus, let him get on his way, but Magnus was not about to allow the first person he truly met in this place to disappear. Magnus had questions, he needed to know where the best Japanese restaurant was since he had a thousand dollars to burn on food, eyeliner, and something that wouldn't chafe.
As the doors closed, Magnus didn't press the button for any floor. "Tell me, Atreus, do you like tuna? What about eel? I'm also known to have octopus if the dining experience calls for it, but you can never go wrong with tuna." He eyed the buttons and nodded toward the panel as if to suggest Atreus pick. "I was supposed to have sushi today. I was on vacation."
Atreus was usually the one talking a mile a minute, so having to catch up and follow along with another person was both fun and a challenge. It almost made him feel sorry for his father - but didnât quite hit to that level. He watched the magic with growing interest - Magus was right he was used to it, though his own didnât manifest itself that way. Yet.
âItâs Ancient Greek.â He confirmed, glad someone recognized it. âBut my namesake was a Spartan, not Agamemnonâs father. And I didnât grow up in Greece.â Atreus couldnât really manage to fall behind, with Magnus letting him take the lead on the elevator. He directed them to the bottom floor, thinking about where to first lead the newcomer. âIâm a food person, I like all food, including pretty much every sushi Iâve tried since I arrived. Thereâs a place just down the street that has sushi and really, really good ramen.â
He gave Magnus a once over, lingering only as was polite, despite the interest in being told he was wearing a swimsuit under his clothes. âDo you want me to show you to a clothing store first? One that sells underwear?â
"Oh, Spartan, that explains theâ" Magnus's attention lingered a little longer than was polite on Atreus's exposed stomach. Magnus was certain that he would show off his body far more often if his physique was in better shape. For now it was passible, enough to be in a speedo while on vacation and not worry if someone looked. His dress leaned more towards expensive fabrics, layers, jewelryâthat he was woefully missing. His magic seemed a little less exciting with empty fingers.
He shook his head and tsk-tsked with a single index finger. "No, no. I'm going to attempt to recreate this day and enjoy what is left, because if I start getting clothes that means I subscribe to this involuntary kidnapping by a sentient magical force that I have never heard of, and I have heard of a lot mind you. It's why I'm the high warlock, I fetter all the masses around, keep things running for other downworlders, answer the burning questions. And between you and I, none of them will remember to feed my cat."
As the elevator dropped one, two, three floors, Magnus inhaled deeply, as if trying to stave off the stress that was bound to come crawling in at any second. "We are going to get sushi, then you can direct me to Morningside, and weâplease tell me there is a pool. I'll settle for a bathtub with jets at this point. Something that if I close my eyes I can pretend I'm not here."
There was a ding, and the door opened. "And you can tell me about not growing up in Greece, which is overrated, if you ask me. It's one of the few places, I'm notâ" He was going to say banned, but that would likely lead to questions about where he was banned, and Magnus thought that was not exactly conversation for right now. "But sushi first."
Atreus shrugged at the attention and looked down at his own abs. He had always been a clothing optional person, when it wasnât the middle of winter, but even then-- well, being a Frost Giant had a few perks. Atreus didnât know this person, but he could tell a lot just from watching someone for a few minutes, and took the opportunity to stare at Magnusâ person when he was steadying himself.
A lot of people couldnât handle Atreus being blunt right off the bat, but Magnus didnât seem like he fit that bill. High Warlock held a lot of clout here, at least in the covens it was a sign of power and respect. So Atreus took a risk and flashed a grin at Magus. âThat mostly comes from good genes, being related to Zeus and all.â
Vallo was a lot. Atreus knew it first hand, most of the people who arrived here did, and sometimes teasing helped. It helped him to make jokes, but would have been lost on someone like his father. âThereâs a pool at Morningside, and thereâs a whole beach along the coast? Youâd probably like Galdin Quay, itâs a resort on the beach.â
Heâd never taken to wearing a watch, but as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, Atreus fished his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. âI have an hour before I have an appointment. Can we do sushi in that time?â
It felt a little odd to be agreeing to lunch with someone heâd only met three minutes prior, but why not?
"A resort? On the beach?" Magnus sounded downright wistful. His own vacation lost to time and magic and whatever else brought him here. "I assume you were given the same spiel and pitiful dollar amount to start off here. I'll need to make it last, so the beach trip will need to wait, unfortunately. But do know that I appreciate the thoughtful suggestion."
He watched Atreus check his phone, then shook his head amused. There was something endearing there, but Magnus wasn't about to say that. Especially not to someone who was related to Zeusâ
"Wait," Magnus said, taking a step back and finally letting go of Atreus's arm. He was done playing the flighty newbie, and the curious High Warlock side came out. "You will need to explain that to me. Actually Zeus, Greek pantheon Zeus? Married to Hera, likely banged the entire city of Rome at one point, and pissed off every epic hero from the dawn of time that starts every quest, that Zeus?" Magnus hummed, his hand coming to his chin to thoughtfully reconsider the entire conversation up until this point. Magnus assumed Atreus's family was just being cute with naming conventions. Not the fact that gods could be real.
Then again, most people didn't think he was real. In fact they considered him and his kin an abomination but that was neither here nor there. What Magnus needed to do was rethink his scope on Vallo as a whole. Did he, perhaps, need to watch the video again?
"That changes things." He gestured at Atreus, as if to say that, all of that. "We're still getting sushi though before whatever little appointment you have."
There was something a little cruel about Atreusâ letting his grin get the best of him as Magnus backed up. He felt bad, he really did! Newcomers deserved to have a little time to absorb everything this place had to offer them, not just be thrown to the wolves.
In this case, the wolves just happened to be ridiculous familial connections. The fact that he couldâve gone on to make it worse said more than a few things about his own family tree, but he didnât. He just kept it to a grin, and then a shy shrug. âSame Zeus, itâs a funny story, really! I mean, funny in a weird sad way, not so much funny in a ha-ha way.â He left off the part about Zeus being dead now - at least in his world. Alternate universes were a fickle, funny thing.
âI have to see a woman about a magical mountain leopard. Itâs due to have cubs any day now--â. He pulled the door open to hold it for Magnus, only to be met with a deluge of water as it poured from the sky, stopping them in their tracks. âWell it wasnât raining when I got here.â
"Aren't most family stories weird, sad funny and not ha-ha funny? I'm certain you would feel the same about my history, but that could not be condensed in an hour and I don't intend on telling anyone on our first day. Have to keep the mystery alive don't you think?" Magnus asked, tapping Atreus's cheek appreciatively.
"And good with animals. You are a regular Disney princess in disguise aren't you?" He phrased it like a question but it didn't need an answer. It was rhetorical, Atreus was. Magnus half expected him to pied-piper woodland creatures out of the building at any moment. That was until Atreus opened the door and saw it rain, hard and unrelenting. And right there, was when Magnus lost all the patience he had left for the day. It was almost visible the way both resignation and absolute frustration warred in his features. He was never taking a vacation again if the universe was going to abruptly flip it on his head. He was cursed, this was karma, something chaotic and out of his control.
"No, no, no, this won't do. I am not about to sit inside like a depressing little child waiting for the rain to stop. I am trying not to take this personally, but this is ridiculousâ" Magnus huffed, a whole body thing, as he moved his hands in such a way that it looked like he held a box in his hands, stretched it wide and then pressed it out in front of him. The invisible whatever, another display of magic without hesitation, was raised above them and Magnus stepped out into the rain. The wall of water parted over him, leaving Magnus was blissfully dry with enough room to share.
He nodded at Atreus, offering up the spot beside him almost looking impatient. "Are you still coming or will you melt under a little water? That would be the first downside to you I could find. Some might consider the Zeus thing, but I like my company with a little flavor."
âPeople say that but I know someone way more Disney princess than me with animals,â Atreus attempted a dodge and made a face at his cheek being patted, but there was no heat behind it, just a little snotty petulance. He turned his gaze back to the rain, peering out to see just how bad it was getting - and bad. The chill hit his open stomach and a shiver went down Atreusâ spine as he almost began to regret the crop top.
The show of magic swiftly made him grin again, and while he dodged into the invisible box, he couldnât help being a little shit at the same time. âNo melting, promise. But you know, they make these things called umbrellas. Theyâre amazing inventions!â Atreus led them along towards the sushi restaurant he knew, glad that the rain had cleared the bulk of the sidewalk traffic. âNot that I actually have one on me, so this is a handy trick.â
He stopped the shit routine and cast a sideways smile to Magnus. âIs your Brooklyn like this one? Magic is everywhere? I was used to some magic, but not cars. Or just-- a city like this. It still feels massive to me.â
"Ha, and he had humor," Magnus said at the umbrella comment. He could tell when someone was being a little shit, and often was one right back. He was very much about equal opportunity sarcasm. "I like the hands free method. It goes with everything, including this matching two piece that the gracious DOA gifted me." Magnus was certain he would need to do his own fashion adjustments if he was going to be wearing this for a while.
Although he was following Atreus toward sushi, Magnus walked in the same way someone with deep familiarity of a place would. He never liked looking lost, or worseâa tourist. "Technically, yes. In my Brooklyn, magic is everywhere, it is simply that it is not accepted everywhere. Vallo reminds me ofâ" He made a small hum, to stall for time he didn't need; Magnus was just going for effect. "Brooklyn if we didn't live in fear, if magic was allowed to be open everywhere, everyone has the Sight. Most of the Mundanes can't conceptualize things. Too much for their small brains to handle."
They passed a waypoint, and Magnus eyed it skeptically. He could sense magic everywhere, appreciated a magical teleportation system that was akin to the public transit in NYC, and the connection between here and Brooklyn made him miss his penthouse and his people desperately. That was new. He shrugged it off.
"If you think this place is massive, you should visitâwell, I don't suppose you can visit New York, but it's much like this. Except I know where all the best places to eat and the better places to party there."
Atreus nodded along, even as his eyebrows furrowed. He hadnât made a lot of connections at home with people, but a place where others regularly worshipped gods and knew different realms existed-- well it was hard to think of it being a place where people had to live in fear of magic itself. Some of the people behind it⊠well, that he could see. âWait- Mundane?â Heâd heard that term before, months prior. âDo you know anyone named Jace? Clary? They used that term before when they were here, itâs not one I hear a lot.â Not to mention had told Atreus he looked at least similar to their friend from home.
But Magnus hadnât treated him like that, so it was probably a lost avenue of thought, even if he kind of liked the idea of not being entirely lost.
He ignored the waypoint, opting for that explanation later - people usually didnât appreciate jumping right into them. âMaybe someday I can visit other places people have told me of, Iâll add it to my list. Itâs not that-- Iâve been to six? Seven different realms. Eight if you count this one. Everything is different in each one, but this was the first that was this different.â It was hard to explain the congestion of a city to others when he didnât fully understand it himself.
Atreus was good at distracting with food, though. âBut I know all the best places to eat here too, and at least a few of the places to party. Youâll get used to it, I promise.â
Magnus didn't expect that. Luckily even the worst sorts of surprises were met with a calm expression and a collected demeanor. "Jace is a Shadowhunter and a thorn in mine and many other downworlders' sides," Magnus answered, but there was obviously more. There was history there that Magnus was horribly privy to and yet couldn't explain precisely without getting into an incredibly long history lesson. Clary, on the other hand, was someone Magnus wasn't supposed to know. And so he continued on with that lie, and shook his head. "And I don't know anyone named Clary."
He flapped his hand, as if to banish the thought, and the conversation, away. He was better off picking at all the interesting tidbits of Atreus than exposing himself. He already felt rather exposed wearing his speedo.
"I can only imagine someone who is used to the community of a small town being overwhelmed by the city. Most people who have never lived in one don't quite understand. Some people hate it, I for one, enjoy the convenience. You just have to find your spot, your little sanctuary inside the city for it to feel like home." Magnus sighed, sounding like he was whining about his penthouse.
Hooking his arm into Atreus's again. "But listen to you, so well-travelled. I can't say I have been anywhere off Earth, but I have lived a long time to see the slow turn of the wheel of industrialization," Magnus said, sounding a little proud. He enjoyed his immortality, sometimes.
"I have no doubt that I will find my way around here. Do you live in the city or are you and your animal friends the camping type? I need to know how to get in touch with you after your prenatal visit to a magical leopard."
Atreusâ eyebrows went up, he didnât know exactly what a Downworlder was, outside of making the guess that it involved magic. He also couldnât pretend to know the inner-workings of complicated magical relationships, so he merely winced, knowing when he was being brushed off or moved to a different topic. It was clearly a sore subject. âGuess itâs a good thing theyâre not here anymore, then.â
The idea of a sanctuary made him smile again, understanding that full well. âItâs funny you mentioned sanctuary, because I live out at Valloâs Wildlife Sanctuary, in the forest.â His grin was clearly proud of his accomplishments there, it had been a year and a half now and the Sanctuary had grown so much, and even with Vorerra breathing down his neck, he wasnât anything other than pleased with it.
They reached the nondescript door and restaurant front and Atreus swung around to open the door for Magnus to the quiet little place. âYouâll have to come by and visit after basking at the pool and picking out new eyeliner.â That shit grin was back. âShall we?â
"Is there anything you don't do? Actually, don't answer that. I want to continue playing twenty questions over lunch. This is lunch, right? I'm suddenly unsure of what time it is," Magnus said, peering up at the skyâcloudy, dark, miserably grey. Sunlight seemed far away, and the beach even farther. At least his day wasn't a total wash.
As Atreus opened the door for him, Magnus was inordinately pleased. "Maybe it will be glitter eyeliner, maybe it will be a surprise. You won't know until I come by, will you?" Magnus said, slipping past Atreus into the quaint restaurant as if to answer his shall we by agreeing to go inside. He seemed much more himself now, much more in the lead as he scooped up a menu before the hostess could offer. Magnus was more familiar with sushi than he was with Vallo, but he was also certain his adaptability would change that with time.
"I do hope you're hungry because we will be trying every tuna roll they have."