First Loaf [IM/Action]

[halfbread]

Sorry it took so long to get back here, guys - some, uh, things came up that I couldn't control.

[One would never know that Peeta spent the better part of the summer in the hospital or got attacked over Thanksgiving by the slightly sheepish grin he gives the rainbow - he'd had a few chats with Jehan and Finnick while he was away so he's been kept generally up to date on what's happened, but he isn't about to go spilling his own story so soon after arrival. It's not that important in the grand scheme of things.]

Looks like things are getting kind of crazy around here, with all the different pantheons showing up now, but, it's Christmastime, so we should be able to relax and focus on good things for awhile. Things were getting kind of hectic at the bakery, but I did bring a huge tub of gingerbread, chocolate mint cookies, and hamentashen if anyone wants to drop by Cabin 4 for some later. [He gives an eyeroll here.] Don't worry Finnick, I brought your croissants, too; you don't have to go hounding me about that. Even though you're probably going to.

So yeah, it's good to be back, and welcome to all of the new guys I haven't met yet - and, uh, when you get a chance, let me know if you've got any food allergies. I need to update my list since we've got so many new people.

[So he doesn't accidentally kill anyone. With a smile and a brief wave, Peeta breaks the connection. If anyone wants to find him, he'll be unpacking in Cabin 4, with stacks of baked goods to hand out to anyone who drops by.]

Comments

[halfbread]

[The door's still open, Nico, and he won't know you're there unless you say something. Go ahead and knock or just come on in.]

[deathdiduspart]

[Nope, he refuses. Jehan's the only child of Demeter he knows doesn't dislike him for the Persephone thing, and even then he's pretty sure it's only because Jehan is an oddball.]

[halfbread]

[Dork. Fortunately Peeta passes by the door at that point and catches sight of the kid standing outside it, a kid he recognizes vaguely.]

Hey, you're that Hades kid, right?

[He remembers the skeletons from the Battle of the Labyrinth, and the "reinforcements" from the Battle of Manhattan. He'd thought Nico had run off, though.]

Why're you standing out there?

[deathdiduspart]

[Nico snorts in mild amusement.]

Yeah, I'm that Hades kid.

[There's a faint blush, but...well....]

...I heard you had gingerbread.

[halfbread]

[You were the only Hades kid. And you built the cabin. Despite knowing that things have changed at camp, Peeta still doesn't know just how full that cabin's gotten.]

Yeah, I've got plenty - come in and grab some if you want it.

[deathdiduspart]

[It probably won't take long for Peeta to find out. The rumor mill is vicious in this camp.

Nico hesitates before walking into the cabin. Don't mind him giving the place a slightly nervous look. He's not so sure Demeter likes him, since Persephone definitely doesn't. Peeta is definitely taking the blame if she curses him.]

Your counselor brought you up to speed, I'm guessing?

[halfbread]

[That one isn't a rumor. He'll hear about it soon enough.]

[And no, his mother and his... half-sister aren't too fond of Hades and/or his children, but his mother's children are all pretty laid back. Nico's done good in the past, after all. The third plastic tub in his stack holds the gingerbread; he frees it and opens the lid, setting it down for Nico to grab what he wants.]

Only kind of; we talked some while I was at home, but I know there's a lot of stuff I missed. I think I know all the basics, though.

[deathdiduspart]

[Point still stands that word travels faster than lightning in Camp Half-Blood.

He just takes one piece.]

I wasn't in camp for the beginning of it all. I just came here near the end of October. [More like dumped, but semantics.] There's a lot of tension, though the Norse seem to be getting along better with everyone else than the rest of us. Greek and Roman relations were just never stellar to begin with.

[Nico takes a small bite of the gingerbread, and...he has to admit, it's just as good as what his mother used to make. Peeta will be treated to a brief, purely happy expression on the son of Hades' face. Demeter kids, ugh. They always seem to make him smile.]

[halfbread]

[True, very true.]

[He's not even going to try to hide it - Peeta grins at Nico's reaction to the gingerbread. This is one of the reasons he bakes as much as he does, so he can see other people enjoy something. He brought a box of ziploc bags with him, too, so he grabs one and starts popping more gingerbread into it for Nico to take with him.]

It makes sense when you think about it - they had to have kept us separate for a reason, right? Otherwise we probably would've run into each other a long time before this, and things would've gotten messy. Or at least a lot more complicated than our parents probably wanted. What about the Egyptians?

[deathdiduspart]

[He shakes his head and frowns at nothing.]

Considering the last time we were all together caused the American Civil War? Yeah. The gods have been making sure we were kept separated.

[Nico takes another bite of gingerbread, chewing thoughtfully as he considers the question.]

The Egyptians are neutral, but I think they're starting to get caught up in our problems. There's some bad history with the Egyptians and Romans, possibly the Greeks, too. They're trying not to let it interfere with helping us, though, but it's getting hard. At the moment, I think we've all reached a shaky truce. Having so many different pantheons in one place is making camp a very...volatile place. One wrong shake will cause an explosion that may cause irreversible damage, which might be what Gaea's hoping for.

[halfbread]

[Yeah, that gets a wince.]

That'd do it. It's bad enough when we're just fighting among ourselves, like in World War II. Add in a whole other set of gods...

[Well, Gaea might not need to do anything, in that case. Not that she probably isn't planning more direct ways to destroy them, but she'll take any opportunity she can get most likely.]

We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen, then. It won't be easy, but it sounds like most people understand that we can't let personal feelings get in the way here.

[deathdiduspart]

[He finishes his piece of gingerbread and shrugs.]

It's true that most, if not all, of them understand that. Still, the Romans' pride is injured, and that's going to take time to heal.

[halfbread]

[And Nico will have that baggy pressed on him. Take it, man, Peeta won't say no.]

How long do you think? It doesn't sound like we're gonna have a lot of time to deal with things like wounded pride, and if we can't count on them...

[He lets the thought trail off, but it's obvious it's not a good one.]

[deathdiduspart]

[Okay, fine, he'll take the baggy. He has to pause to put it in his aviator jacket's pocket, since that's the only thing big enough to hold it.]

I don't know. Like Greece, Rome has a long memory. Plus, it depends on whether that wound gets exacerbated...and the politics behind all of this.

[Nico frowns.]

I might be able to help with that, but it's more likely that my Greek origins will be used against me in a political ploy.