Which Is Exactly Why The Only Takeaway I Or Anyone Else Sane Has Had From Rick's Latter Books Is That

Percy: Whenever life throws lemons at me (and by life, I mean the gods), I do my best to roll with the punches. Dodge what I can, and divert the rest.

Percy: Mom and dad say that I'm smart, adaptable, and powerful? Which is probably one of the best compliments I've ever gotten.

Percy: Not that I get many compliments, haha.

Percy: Although sometimes Annabeth likes to blame me for the lemons that life throws at me.

Annabeth, angry in the distance: Percy, how dare you get yourself blown up on Mt. Helens, and then take two whole weeks to recuperate with Calypso, of all beings?! In the middle of my quest!?

Annabeth, getting closer but still angry: Percy, how dare you get kidnapped by Hera and get your memory stolen? If you ever do that to me again [redacted threats]

Percy, edging away: Annabeth is very fond of victim blaming me. It took me years of therapy to realize that the pain others feel when I'm hurt is not my fault, and even longer to stop feeling guilty about it.

Percy, preparing to flee: Anyways, when Annabeth is mad at me, there's a 50-50 chance that she just looks like she's going to hit or judo-flip me, or if she'll actually do it.

Percy, jumping on top of Mrs. O'Leary's back: Been there, endured that, 10/10 would not recommend repeating that experience again. On that note, I gotta run. Bye!

Percy and Mrs. O'Leary: *disappear into the nearest shadow*

Annabeth, arriving: Percy Jackson, stop hiding from me you coward!!

Give it up for Rachel Elizabeth Dare people. The most level-headed person in the entirety of the PJO. And while I think her hitting Kronos with a hairbrush was beyond iconic, her entrance was just as epic. Literally saved Percy's life the two other times they had met prior to this. And literally got everyone alive through the Labyrinth and then again saved Percy's life twice through her visions.

idc idc Annabeth being petty and mean to Rachel in battle of the labyrinth is everything to me

Between both these entries, I am sure it's proven beyond all doubt that not only is Percy obviously a strategic genius, but he is also school smart when he puts effort into it. Give it up for Percy Jackson; no one is the fandom is getting away with slandering Percy, especially for stuff the haters obviously made up.

just another snippet from readriordan.com CANONICALLY CONFIRMING that percy is extremely intelligent

just in case anyone forgot

What do you think about Perclarisse?

Perclarisee has been getting a lot of popularity recently. It's not a bad pairing, but i don't think it's best for the both of them given their nature's.

Percy is the child made and matured by war, while Clarisse is the child of war, seeking and living by its principles.

Clarisse probably is the person who most understands what the war has done to Percy and Percy is the person who most understands Clarisse's need for violence and how Ares's hypocrisy affects her so greatly.

They both, despite not seeing eye to eye, mostly have a great respect for each other.

But we come back to the point of healing from their traumas and insecurities. Percy and Clarisse talk in violence and in sparring. They need someone who would keep their pride aside and listen to their problems attentively without calling them out for their misgivings repeatedly.

Moreover Clarisse and Percy have a very distinctly different mindset.

As much as war plagues Percy he is no fan of it. He make not like war but the war likes him and it drives Percy insane.

There will never be a day he will get along with War Gods (but strangely, he is the only one who can say that he understands war more than anyone else) .

If it were upto Percy he would choose to talk his way out of everything because he knows if he fights he will leave nothing but pure destruction in its wake.

Clarisse on the other hand is a child of war. She lives and thrives on it. Violence is her language. She would resort to it each and every time.

She needs someone who makes her want to talk and bask in peace, not someone who keeps feeding into her violence hungry tendencies. (Chris has been perfect in that way. Both he and Silena have shown Clarisse how to manage her endless rage) .

But of course in some strange way if they did become a thing it would be interesting to see how they both change to understand the other and make an effort at changing their ways.

Percy needs to be more upfront about his rage instead of suppressing it while Clarisse needs to put a healthy bind on it and in that way I think they would be the perfect person to teach the other (if they stop to talk and don't just end up throwing hands).

The absolute highlight, however, would be Ares's reaction. Oh, Percy's going to have a blast annoying him. Imagine if Aphrodite and other Olympians join in. (I think Percy would do it just to spite Ares if he could lol aside from the respect he has for Clarisse).

It's a fun pairing, but I think it mostly works as close friends.

everytime i see things where ppl are like, upset at percy and blaming him for calypso still being on that island or like, forgetting abt bob im like....okay but when was he supposed to do smth abt either of them. and why is it supposed to be on him to do smth?

cause like, if we're talking calypso, he did what he could. he made the gods promise, he made zeus swear on the styx how was he supposed to know whether or not zeus actually followed through. and then he had what, a few months at best, recovering from a war, trying to focus on his mortal life, yk, pretty much all he wanted, before he was kidnapped by hera and the gods closed down communications. and then hes homeless and amnesiac and then hes going on quest after quest, like. he doesnt even have time to breathe, forgive the boy for not thinking of calypso in this time.

and bob/iapetus like. ive seen many percy is so "manipulative" and "toxic" takes in regards to him and like?? do ya'll even remember when percy and iapetus met? cause when they met iapetus was an enemy doing his damndest to kill thalia, percy, and nico. percy thinking fast and telling him they were "friends" was percy being smart and saving their lives. and he very clearly did have regrets in House of Hades abt how he left things off with bob too, like, that isnt the action of a self-absorbed hero at all.

Like yes, Percy can be manipulative, and he fascinates me for it, but in that one instance where he names Bob and says they’re friends, like. Can you rlly blame him??

How to be Immortal:

I. 

‘Learn to rip hearts’ Aphrodite murmurs. Artemis smiles. ‘And enjoy the taste of the blood on your hands.’ She runs her hands through dark tresses. ‘Enjoy the hunt and dance to their screams.

II. 

‘Know the constant war between chaos and order.’ Poseidon says, ‘the ebb to the shore and the hurricane to the sky.’ He dips his hand in the saltwater, watching his waves. ‘A war that can be tipped to either side by a single breath.’

III.

‘Master balance.’ Themis tugs at her weights, ‘The tips of the scales does govern.’ Athena sits beside her. ‘And your limitations will be only your mind. The cosmic laws will bend around you, enforcing them will be your task.’

IV.

‘Memorize the color red.’ Ares says, the sound of clanging metal not far behind. ‘The color of wine. The color of blood. The color of pain.’ Dionysus adds and glance at Hermes who dips his head in agreement. ‘For every path you journey, each step will seem like a century. It will be the color that greats you one border to the next.’

V.

‘Embody the lesson of stone’ Medusa hisses, ‘Unmoving. Enduring. Set.’ Her hair twists and tangles together, the scales with a mind of their own. ‘Know you will last as lesser things crumble. Dust between your fingers.’

VI.

‘Be at home in the dark.’ Nyx whispers. She leans her head on Hemera, ‘And appreciate the comfort of the dawn. Promises of tomorrow on her lips. You will steal them one by one for each time you see the sun set and the darkness take his place.’ Her dark eyes drift to the sky. “And you will learn the wrath of the stars.’

VII.

‘Understand that your memories will be your enemy.’ Mnemosyne tilts her head back, eyes closing. ‘Ghosts that will plague you, twisting and clawing until all that remains of you is the fights of your past and the demons.’

VIII.

‘Accept change.’ Psyche murmurs, her head dipped in the clouds, ‘You will have nothing and everything one second to the next.’ Persephone smiles before adding, ‘You will force revolutions and watch as the structures topple. Laugh at fate for the bounds you are born to will not be those you end up with.’

IX.

‘Take pleasure in your power.’ Zeus declares with Hera at his heels. ‘Take pleasure for you will be vilified for it.’ She says, ‘They will fancy themselves judge and jury of your character, but you are above them. Beneath you, they burn.’

X,

‘Realize the blurred line between sleep and death.’ Hypnos and Thanatos say, arms around each other, ‘and remember that you have crossed both.’ Atlas nods, shifting slightly under his burden, ‘You will bear the weight of time.’ He steals a glance to Hades. ‘And you will wish you could collapse beneath it.’

- L.H.Z // How to be Immortal 

I have been living with this headcanon/brainrot about Athena (both from Epic the Musical and pjo) for a long while and a warning for the faint of heart, you know what read it anyway cause it haunts me , so everyone else has to be haunted by it too, cause I am petty like that.

Most people might be aware of the myth that Athena sprung from Zeus's head fully formed and in battle armor, but a few might not know the preceding myth, so here's a quick recap:

Zeus married the titaness Metis, who was the titaness of wise counsel, wisdom, and planning. She was also Athena's mother. Metis was his advisor, both an indispensable aid and threat to him, given her power and cunning. But it's no Greek mythology without a son overthrowing the father archetype haunting the narrative. There was a similar prophecy about Metis's second child being so powerful that he would overthrow Zeus. Mind you Metis was pregnant with Athena when the following events transpire:

Zeus being Zeus, paranoid and power hungry, the King of the Gods and the God of "Justice" manipulates Metis into playing a shape-shifting game and when Metis turned into a fly , he swallowed her whole. [I know Greek patriarchs have a thing for eating their children or spouses pregnant with said children. Runs in the family, apparently]

Mind you in Greek myths, swallowed children, or in this case, swallowed wife pregnant with said child stay alive for a good amount of time even inside someone else's organs. So Metis gives birth to Athena inside Zeus's head and raises her there. She teaches her warfare and strategy until Metis herself eventually dies, i.e., her essence fades. Knowing what she must do to not meet the same fate, Athena hammers on Zeus's skull from the inside to escape. Everyone knows the rest of the myth.

But imagine Athena's first lesson being that the man she calls her father is the one who killed her mother and almost killed Athena herself by swallowing Metis so she must do everything in her power to survive and avoid that fate by staying on his good side. To try and fit in this twisted family of immortals, half of who hate her existence and half who are indifferent to him. So she does exactly that.

Think of Athena asking to be a Virgin Goddess from learning of what comes of marriage with gods.

Now, the continuation of Athena's myth is that she goes to Atlantis to train with the sea nymphs. There she makes her first ever friend and someone she comes to dearly love, Pallas. Greek myths being allergic to happy endings, one day when Pallas and Athena are sparring as they do a bit more seriously this time; Zeus being a nosy bastard decides to spy in just when Pallas is about to land a finishing blow on Athena. Thinking she might kill his daughter, he kills Pallas by blasting her with his lightning. Athena, being heartbroken , Zeus gave her Aegis as an apology. The continuation of this is that Athena adopts the namesake Pallas Athena and even carves a statue in likeness of her friend called Palladium and then more.

But think of Athena heartbroken and bitter as the Goddess of Wisdom learns her second lesson, then she must abandon all personal relations and sentiment before her father ends it for her in one way or another. For Pallas was the first true relation in her life after her mother.

Keep in mind that Pallas is Poseidon's granddaughter through his firstborn son and heir Triton. This is the point that sparks eternal enmity between Athena and Poseidon, and all those who come after will suffer in the wake of this tragedy.

So Athena chooses to remain alone and without a friend to avoid such a situation. Imagine Athena being hurt, especially brutally, when Odysseus says: "Since you claim you are so much wiser, why's your life spent all alone? You're alone!"

Because that's exactly it. Athena is wise. She knows the consequence of endearing herself to someone again so she stays alone to avoid such a thing and yet coming from someone who is so close to being her first friend in a long time, hurt and enraged she leaves.

Now, when finally Athena comes to terms with her friendship with Odysseus she finds yet again that her father Zeus struck him and his crew in a similar fashion to Pallas , yet again ripping her only friend away from her .

He is not dead yet, and Athena isn't about to let that happen. This time, she fights against Zeus, risks her life and position of being the favorite, and her survival method all because she can't bear to see Odysseus die.

Think of the agonizing fate of Athena, repeatedly being traumatized by her father yet having to do his bidding and stay on his good side to survive and live not for herself for she lives in misery but for the people who suffered for died for their association with her. In her eyes, she must suffer tenfold for letting this happen thrice, for all eternity under the man who so wretchedly ruined her life.

So we all agree that we are spending the day binging the Vengeance Saga in repeat, right?

Do you know something that I find really curious?

Is that in Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology, and Hellenic Polytheism, even tho we don't actually have the idea of "sin" there are a few things they and therefore, hellenic polytheistics shouldn't do, but interestingly enough the only thing that is likely, highly not encouraged to do, and mostly unforgiving in Hellenism, is Húbris.

I find it really interesting and curious, because I bet Rick knew about it when he wrote PJO and still decided to give Annabeth, one of his main characters, a fatal flaw that was the closest thing of what could be considered a "sin" in Ancient Greece (the society he was basing his story on).

I'm not saying "whoa, he wanted to make something." My personal opinion is that he just doesn't care, just like he doesn't care to make a better adaptation of the Gods, but I still find it interesting enough to rant about it.

+ it is really concerning see people treating her fatal flaw as something positive and to be cheered on, even in the literal book narrative, when in fact, It is not.

Excessive pride can be a sign of a narcissist behavior, what can lead to dangerous situations or to toxic relationships. And I see Rick playing too much with this edge in Perccabeth dynamics.

(I'm not saying she is narcissist, tho. I believe I have to make this as clear as possible here. There is a difference of having a trace of narcissism, and be diagnosticaded with it.)

Just to finish my thoughts, when I realized Perccabeth lost all the sparkle for me was when I've read one meta about someone who didn't like Annabeth's behavior towards Percy a long time ago. At that time I was an avid Perccabeth shipper, but I basically sat and tought about it, and made a mental exercise: If Percy was a woman, and Annabeth was a man, would their interactions still be considered cute and perfect in a relationship?

That was when I realized, no, it wouldn't be. And that was it for me.

No, I completely get it. I myself was a Percabeth shipper, I think everyone was at one point as most of us read these books at a young age. I am glad that all of us are seeing massive problems with the many canon relationships and other aspects of Riordan's terrible writing.

You give Rick Riordan too much credit. If you have checked out any recent pjo books, you can see how terrible the continuity is and how one dimensional the characters are becoming. So he certainly did not take into account the gravity of Annabeth's fatal flaw, it's repercussions or even it’s connotations in Greek myths.

Annabeth is, as I have said before, a character that always devolves through the lack of change in her attitude and the behavioral inconsistencies. She admits to her fatal flaw and how it endangers her in some instances but then never brings it up again. Doesn't do anything to actively improve on it either.

Her overall attitude remains condescending, judgemental, and heavily hypocritical. And that is putting it mildly.

The fact that she made Percy apologize for getting kidnapped against his will and then having his memory wiped out.

She repeatedly made negative or demeaning comments on his intelligence.

This should be enough of a giveaway in the first place.

Not to mention her horrifying treatment of Rachel and lack of remorse for it. Not a single apology made for it either. Or to Percy for acting as if she owned him.

Furthermore, her consistently violent actions. Now, even if they don't hurt Percy, it's still an extremely unhealthy manner of expressing her emotions.

Her repeated defense of Luke despite him putting Percy in mortal danger and attempting to kill Percy each time. Before anyone quotes they had a bond, they were family, I know, I do but by that time she had seen him do so multiple times and Thalia was family too, she understood right away that Luke was too far gone.

I also dislike the tendency of Rick and, therefore, the fandom to put Annabeth on a pedestal of she can do wrong. I have made multiple posts highlighting how Percy is canonically a better strategist than Annabeth and how Annabeth is certainly not the smartest demigod. Most knowledgeable, perhaps, but not the smartest.

To all the shippers, everyone agrees that the closest we get to absolutely perfect characterization of Percy is in Son of Neptune and Son of Sobek and the short story The Stolen Chariot. And the most obvious common thing between all these is the lack of Annabeth.

I am not saying Annabeth would ruin the book, but she does ruin Percy's character. Rick is so busy hyping her up for no absolute reason that it ends up demeaning Percy irrationally and illogically. And it happens every time.

Even if you blame later book characterizations of Annabeth on Rick Riordan's terrible writing, her early characterization had the same flaws. They are just now overtly apparent in the most recent books.

If the genders were reversed, this would be the paragon of a toxic relationship. I understand that there are excruciatingly few balanced heterosexual relationships that actually do it right and that the extreme nostalgia makes it hard for us to acknowledge any flaws on it but that's no reason to falsely advertise it as the perfect relationship. Not even close.

Not just due to these reasons but also because they have nothing in common nor do their goals align, and it's also a bit of a case of trauma bonding. Again, I have made individual posts on almost all these points

I don't think there's anything more that needs to be said on this matter, really, but feel free to ask.