( i.m. ) ♬ january 1

[fairplay]

( When the Iris Message begins, a fairly unspectacular-looking fellow fades into view, but not without a deep, deep sigh first. He may be a familiar face to some, having attended camp a few years prior, though it’s been over a year since he’s been in the States. He looks, for a moment, to be searching for the right words, and when they finally come, they’re accompanied by an Irish accent: )

Hey there. Some of ya may remember me – maybe not, actually, it’s been quite a while – but anyways, I just figured I’d let everyone know that I’m back. Some stuff happened, had to go back to Dublin, but things’ve gotten better, I s’pose.

To everyone else? I’m K-- ( -- and he stops abruptly. )

No one important, really.

Comments

[clearasil]

Hey.

[ Natalie half-smiles. She hasn't played piano too much in recent months, but she remembers his guitar playing well enough. ] You look familiar.

[fairplay]

( Oh, thank gods, it's someone he recognizes. He'll return the half-smile. )

I could say the same for you. How've things been?

[clearasil]

Oh, alright. Uh, chaotic sometimes, but there's been some good stuff. You'll notice our population is pretty freaking high considering that it's winter. [ She vaguely gestures behind her. ] Because, you know, all the pantheons are now up in here.

[fairplay]

So I see. Not sure if I even want to know how all of that came about. S'probably a right mess, yeah?

( He'd definitely heard the satyr who greeted him upon his arrival chattering away about the Greeks and Romans and Norse and Egyptians all together at last, which he'd otherwise been tuning out. That was interesting, and made sense, considering camp looked to be practically teeming with campers. Definitely unexpected. )

[clearasil]

There are leaders, official and unofficial, from each pantheon so it's not so bad? I mean, that's not to say we haven't had any shitstorms, but I've basically avoided those. Drama, man, it sucks.

I think it's more settled now? Annabeth's been working on chariot races and - uh, a talent show, so I hear. [ Intent stare. ]

[fairplay]

Mm, I see. I'll add "avoid shitstorms" to my mental list of things to note while settlin' back into camp life.

( As if it wasn't there already. Oh, but.

...

He sees that pointed stare. Next step? Feign interest but there's ... no way he'd... )

Yeah? Sounds like everyone'll be keeping very busy in that case.

[clearasil]

Yeah, I figure. You can't really stay idle around here, though I guess it'd be easier for me to hide than most other people though I'd get tired after a while.

[ More intent staring. ]

Did you bring your guitar?

[fairplay]

Lucky for you.

( ... This intent staring is really terrible. Really. Kieran will just -- shrug and very nonchalantly reply: )

I did, yeah.

[clearasil]

Good, awesome, you should do something about that. [ She grins. ] Just saying.

[fairplay]

Well, I'll have to see about that, I suppose. ( UGH PEER PRESSURE UGH. But quickly, he adds: ) No promises, though, alright?

[im]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Dryly: ] Hi No One Important, I'm Leo.

[ Say hello to your new counselor, bro. ]

[im]

[fairplay]

( He'll snort at that, and shake his head at his own absurdity. Fair play, Leo. He deserved that one. )

It's - Kieran, actually. Nice to meet ya, Leo. What cabin're you?

[commandertoolbelt]

I'm counselor for Nine. What about you - or is that not important, either?

[ He's teasing now. ]

[fairplay]

( Wait, but -- )

... Fairly important, I think, since apparently we're related.

( Kieran looks faintly surprised, but doesn't look at all displeased about this revelation. )

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Oh. He breaks out into a big ol' grin. ]

Well, in that case, welcome to the Hephaestus bunch!

[fairplay]

Thanks, mate. ( There's a matching grin in return. )

From what little I've seen, we've got quite the lively lot of siblings here now, yeah?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Snort. That's an understatement. ]

Yeah, right down to the automatons. And we've got a magician in with us, too.

[fairplay]

Fucking hell. I missed a lot more than I thought, apparently!

[commandertoolbelt]

And you heard about the dragons, right?

[ This is so much fun. ]

[fairplay]

Dragons?

( What in the -- This is not fun at all, Leo. :| )

[commandertoolbelt]

Dragons! Five of 'em! Three of them are Dany's; the other two are mine.

[ The other two are also mechanical, but let's leave that out for now. ]

[fairplay]

Five? Cabin nine's hardly big enough for one dragon, let alone five.

[commandertoolbelt]

Are you calling Scout fat?

[fairplay]

... No? I'm - sure Scout is a fairly average size.

( Who is Scout. What is happening. What. )

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He laughs. Kieran's going to have to get used to this. ]

Well, you can put your worries to rest. Scout stays with me, but Festus either sleeps in the woods or in Bunker 9. And Dany was talking about building a dragon pit for her three? I'm... not exactly sure what she means by that, but. [ Shrug. She knows what she's doing. ] They won't be in the cabin forever.

[IM]

[somatophylax]

[Hephaistion might vaguely recognize his face, but they didn't actually know each other even though they'd attended camp at the same time. Even for a place this small, different circles and training schedules made it so he couldn't know everyone. Still it was the way he hadn't introduced himself that caught Hephaistion's attention. The "K" sound with the accent made him seem familiar]

Everyone's important enough for a name.

[im]

[fairplay]

Kieran. It's ... Kieran.

( He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. The boy on the other end of the IM looks vaguely familiar to him, too, so he hopes to the gods that he hasn't forgotten about someone from his previous stint at camp. The stuff of nightmares, really. )

Sorry, I dunno. Everyone seems a lot... busier, or somethin', than the last time I was here. Or maybe there's just more folks around.

[somatophylax]

I'm Hephaistion. I don't believe we've ever properly met, but that now is as good a time as any to remedy that. [he sees the sheepishness and wants to put Kieran's mind at ease] Welcome back, it seems, is in order.

With several pantheons represented here now, there are indeed quite a lot more people around. It takes some time getting familiar with it all again. [he had to go through an adjustment period upon returning to camp too]

[fairplay]

Nice t' meet ya, Hephaistion. ( There's a nod of greeting with that. )

Yeah, apparently so. Quadrupling our pantheons wasn't exactly somethin' I ever saw happening in the future. An' everyone gets along despite everything?

[somatophylax]

There have been a few instances recently of groups not playing nicely together within the camp, and there will always be personal rivalries and enmity between certain individuals. However, it seems for most of the time that the pantheons have decided to work together. It doesn't appear that we have much choice.

Not to say that it's difficult. Most non-Greeks I've met have been lovely.

[fairplay]

Mm, I see. S'pose I couldn't really blame any of 'em if they actually were a bit unfriendly, though -- the Romans in particular. I'd hate to have to adjust if our camp were ever destroyed, I think.

[somatophylax]

Having seen our own camp attacked but not destroyed, I can't even imagine what the Romans must be going through. Rebuilding was hard enough as it was, but to have nothing... [he shakes his head sadly]

But as you said, the camp has been quite a bit busier to accommodate the needs and routines of all the pantheons. I think our combined efforts may turn out to be a good thing.

It took some adjusting to when I first returned to camp myself, but it's always good to see a familiar face return.

[pyrkagia]

Kieran?

[She's just walking out of the forges when she sees the IM - and it's a familiar face, though one she hasn't seen in a long time.

They're siblings now, too. Well, always had been, she supposes, but at least now she knows.]

Don't undervalue yourself.

[And as usual, she gets right to the point.]

[fairplay]

( Oh, he's missed her blunt honesty; it brings a grin to his face. )

Sorry, Dany. I think I got a bit o' cold feet once I started talking.

You been well?

[pyrkagia]

You can do better.

[His grin matches her own, and she pushes some wavy blonde hair out of her face.]

As well as one can with the madness that has happened here.

[And she knows all about madness. It's kind of a Targaryen Family Trait. One she worries she'll inherit.

But anyway.]

I trust someone's filled you in?

[fairplay]

Madness, eh? ( He raises an amused eyebrow. )

From what I've heard, just a bit of drama, though I haven't quite heard any specifics. Not sure what I should be imagining, either, considerin' I'm not exactly familiar with anyone else from the other pantheons.

[pyrkagia]

It's the best word for it that I can think of.

[She laughs a little bit.]

Well, I'm certain you know of the Battle of Manhattan...but that's ancient history by now. It seems...it seems like the children of other pantheons had their own ordeals to face at the same time, and now we're all here and expected to get along.

It's proven less than successful at times.

[fairplay]

Yeah, it was frustrating to watch on the telly with me da -- reporters kept goin' on about the terrible weather conditions in Manhattan and I knew it was something more. Had a feeling the stuff happening on the west coast was much of the same, though I'd have never guessed that Romans were involved.

Gods, it's strange to think that all of these other pantheons have been here the whole time, right under our noses. Stranger that they're all here now. Though I s'pose it's not so strange that things aren't exactly a hundred percent peaceful all the time because of that, either.

[pyrkagia]

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have, either. I expected all the fighting to be on this side of the country, though. I mean...Olympus is in the Empire State Building, after all.

[She gives him a little nod, a finger to her chin.]

I like it. I just wish there wasn't so much in-fighting.

[fairplay]

Well, t' be fair, even siblings fight every now and again, especially over petty things. Maybe all the in-fighting is really just a bonding experience or somethin' like that. ( Hah. So optimistic! )

[pyrkagia]

If this is what bonding is like, I can only imagine what it'd be like to drive us apart.

[The last time it happened, there was a civil war between demigods, so.]

[unstinting]

I don't believe that. [That he's no one important, that is.]

Welcome back to camp, I don't think we've met. I'm Alcuin.

[fairplay]

( That gets a small smile from him. )

T'anks, Alcuin.

Kieran. I'm a cabin niner. And yourself?

[unstinting]

[He smiles back.]

I'm the counselor for cabin ten, but I've just been here since the beginning of summer.

[fairplay]

Cool, cool. ( He nods idly. ) I was shipped here... gods, I s'pose it must've been almost four years ago? Wow. Yeah. Left for a bit, an' now I'm back an' ready for just about anything camp'll throw at me, I think.

( Not very likely, but that's alright. )