#Katniss is the great-granddaughter of Coriolanus and Lucy Gray

[mitsuki91]

So, this morning I found this little story in my notes... It was the story that ended the serie "The play of songbirds and snakes", the one with Katniss and Peeta, and I fogot about it until now because, well, I had to write about Katniss's parents and grandparents first... But since I don't think I will do it, I think I share the story with you all. It's short and cute. What do you think, I have to post it to ao3 too to end the serie? Even if I miss the other two stories?

Let me know.

This is the serie:

Story under the cut:

The boy with the bread

Katniss woke up that morning super excited, quivering with impatience, so much so that even Grandpa Coryo was exasperated. Grandma, on the other hand, laughed amusedly at the breakfast table.

"Go," she finally said, winking at her, "Go get ready and run off to school."

Being able to finally take leave of that endless breakfast, Katniss executed.

In Havensbee Hall all the students were murmuring excitedly, exchanging gossip and predictions.

It was, after all, Reaping Day.

Katniss went to sit diligently in her seat in the front row, trying to calm her heartbeat. Like every year on that occasion, one boy and one girl would be drawn from each District and invited to the capital to participate in the most renowned talent show in all of Panem. No volunteers were allowed, that was the funny thing, so in the two weeks before the show the Tribute, together with his Mentor, would have to work on some particular talent, to then present it to the public and thus attempt to win the Hunger Games, receiving in return honour, glory and even a hefty cash prize.

And she, a brilliant third-year student, had been chosen together with her classmates to take on the role of Mentor.

She couldn't wait to meet her Tribute.

Increasingly impatient, she watched the ceremony, broadcast live across the country. She could not take his eyes off the screen, one heartbeat at a time as the names were called and his own was not heard. But the Dean couldn't have forgotten about her, could he?

And there she was at last. The last on the list.

"The District Twelve Male Tribute will be awarded to Katniss Everdeen."

The District's master of ceremonies, a certain Effie Trinket, had just drawn the name.

"Peeta Mellark."

Katniss blinked twice, concentrating, as a blond, well-built boy took the stage.

She knew him.

She remembered him. He was the bread boy.

It had happened in the winter of her 11th birthday. Dad and Mum had decided to spend the holidays at the lake house, taking the opportunity to visit some friends. Katniss, who had little patience for social occasions, had slipped out of one of those gatherings unnoticed and started wandering around the neighbourhood, hugging herself in her coat.

She was doing something forbidden - and for that matter, exciting. Except, well, it wasn't like there was much to do in the end, apart from walking and freezing from the cold. Besides getting soaked, because a light drizzle had started to fall. So she decided to take a break, leaning up against the trunk of an apple tree to find a minimum of shelter. An inviting fragrance of bread hovered in the air: she had arrived near the bakery.

Katniss looked up and saw a boy peering at her through one of the windows; then he disappeared and she heard a thud and screams. Before she could worry about it she saw the boy coming out of the house, with a half-burnt loaf of bread under his arm and a red mark on one cheek.

"Hello!" he said, approaching her. Katniss knew she had met him before, but could not remember exactly where. The boy approached her and held out a hand, "I am Peeta Mellark."

"Katniss Everdeen" she replied, slightly wary, shaking it.

"I know."

Of course. It was obvious he knew who she was. The whole country knew, didn't they? She was the president's great-granddaughter, after all.

Perhaps a slight disappointment had emerged in his face, as Peeta hastened to point out “I remember you from first grade”.

"Oh?" had asked Katniss, taken aback. It was true that she had attended first grade in the District - her father thought it would be good for her to spend time away from the capital - and yes, she remembered now, that was where she had seen him before. A bright boy in her class, always cheerful and surrounded by friends, while she felt like a fish out of water.

Peeta had blushed, but had continued to smile.

"The teacher once asked who knew the Valley song, and you raised your hand so high! I heard you sing and I thought, well, I thought I'd like to be your friend," he concluded, blushing more and more.

Katniss didn't quite know what to say. Not that he had ever spoken to her in primary school, anyway, except for a few trivial conversations about homework and studying.

Peeta extended the loaf of bread towards her.

“Do you want it? It's a bit burnt, but it's nice and warm. I thought it might be good for you, given the less than beautiful weather.”

Katniss stared at the loaf for a long moment. It was true, it radiated warmth and it also seemed to smell very good. Suddenly she realized what had happened: Peeta must have dropped it in the oven, earning him a scolding and probably a slap, just so he could steal it and go outside to offer it to her.

She smiled. How could anyone refuse such a gift?

"Of course. Thank you," she grabbed one side of the loaf and together they broke it, then dug into the bread and began to eat. It was delicious, filled with walnuts and sultanas.

They stayed a few minutes like this, chatting as they shared the bread, waiting for the rain to stop. Eventually, as time continued to run out, Katniss took her leave of him and returned to the house from which she had fled.

She didn't want Dad to be angry after all. Peeta greeted her with a smile and she felt a surge of warmth rise in her chest.

That, however, had been their first and only meeting.

And now Peeta Mellark had been entrusted to her.

Katniss, considering how on edge she had been before the ceremony, remained strangely silent throughout the banquet, reflecting. What did she know about the boy, other than that he was kind?

Well, that back in the day he had started decorating cakes at the bakery, or so he had told her. Had he become good at it? Was it a talent they could exploit?

She couldn't sleep well that night, tossing and turning in bed, thinking about Peeta Mellark and their meeting. Five years had now passed. How much had the boy changed, during all this time? Did he still remember her, hearing her sing in primary school?

The next day, clean and combed and in a brand new uniform, Katniss went to the station to wait for the train to arrive, along with all the other Mentors. The crowd had been kept away from the platform and she nervously kept twisting her braid with one hand and twirling the rose she held in the other between her fingers. It was her great-grandfather who had placed it in her hand, as a 'good omen'.

The train arrived and stopped with almost surgical precision. One of the doors opened in front of her and Peeta Mellark emerged from it, hesitating as soon as he saw her.

"Hello" she greeted him, stopping to twist her hair. She handed him the rose "Welcome to the Capitol. Do you remember me? Apparently, I'm your Mentor."

Peeta, who had grabbed the rose, confused, blushed.

Katniss smiled. A flush of warmth rose in her chest again and she couldn't help but notice how cute Peeta was.

"Katniss" he greeted her at last, barely stumbling over her name "Of course I remember you. The girl with the nightingale voice" he blushed even more, saying it.

"And you're the bread boy" she replied "Did you get good at cake decorating? You know... For the competition. That could be your talent."

"You remember that" he murmured "Well... I'm an artist now".

Katniss took him by the hand. An electric spark passed between their touching fingers, catching her by surprise.

"Good, because I'm very determined to make us the Victors this year."

Peeta giggled, bringing the rose to his face and sniffing her scent, as the cameras panned on them and the photographers went crazy, blinding them with flashes.

"Peeta Mellark?" Katniss called back to him, shaking his hand "Can I take you to my home, to meet my family?"

It had been years now that the Hunger Games had worked this way; they had become a sort of student exchange programme, where boys from the Districts were hosted by their Mentors.

Peeta lifted the rose towards the audience, smiling and driving them wild.

"With pleasure, Katniss Everdeen. Lead the way."

[marinamar4]

Again with the story that Lucy Gray, Katniss and Primrose are descendants of Apollo (I'm not going to get into the possibility that they are family because that, to me, means that the two sisters are also granddaughters/great-grandchildren of Coriolanus)

I just finished remember that, despite Apollo's history with python, snakes are one of his sacred animals. It's Canon that at least Percy can communicate with her father Poseidon's animals, so yeah, it would be really fun if Lucy could subconsciously do the same with snakes.

That would mean that Coriolanus didn't actually cheat in the games by making the mutated snakes catch Lucy Gray's scent, because the snakes wouldn't have attacked her anyway.

And in case someone asks if it wouldn't be more of a hate relationship like the children of Athena and spiders, I like to think that it is more that snakes are more intelligent and have an instinct for self-preservation.

"it's her?"

"yes, but she is very powerful"

"nothing, let's leave her, let's not attack her"