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Latest Posts by cynthiav06 - Page 3
i never understood ppl claiming percy has never suffered the consequences of his loyalty. you're talking about percy "i know the prophecy said my friend would betray me but these are my friends they wouldn't betray me" jackson, who walked into a remote part of the forest with luke and almost died in book one. you're talking about percy "kronos told me point-blank there was a traitor but i can't imagine any of these ppl betraying me" jackson, who decided to stop looking for the traitor and moved on. you're talking about percy "nico is acting suspicious and very clearly hiding something from me but he's my friend and i trust him" jackson, who walked into nico's very obvious set up and almost got himself held hostage during the titan war. percy is so loyal that he cannot fathom betrayal until it's happening, and it has nearly killed him multiple times.
you all misunderstood percy’s reaction to nico saying he used to have a crush on percy soooo bad. “percy was offended he wasn’t nico’s type” this “percy is so oblivious” that HOW have we all forgotten that nico literally wanted that man DEAD in the first series. and allowed percy to walk around with kidnapppng amnesia for most of the second. WHY would percy think he was nico’s type AT ALL why ON EARTH would he NOT be oblivious to nico having a crush on him???? he is certain that nico wants him homeless on the street at LEAST
percy’s view of himself: i’m so stupid and ugly and useless. i’m such a lame demigod
literally everyone else’s view of percy:
List of people Percy Jackson has scared the shit out of:
Clarisse, daughter of Ares, Drakon Slayer: “Believe me, revenge is coming. One of these days, he’s going to be sorry. Why am I waiting? Just strategy. Biding my time and waiting for the right moment to strike. I am not scared, okay? Anybody says different, I’ll rearrange their dental work.” - Demigod Files (Interview with Clarisse LaRue, Daughter of Ares)
Luke Castellan: “‘Luke feared you,’ the Titan’s voice said. ‘His jealously and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that I thank you.’” -BotL
Kronos himself: “"Perseus Jackson,“ one of them said. “Yes,” mused another. “I do not see why he is a threat.” “Who said I was a threat?” The first Hesperid glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. “They fear thee. They are unhappy that this one has not yet killed thee.” She pointed at Thalia.” -TTC
Leneus, a member of The Council of Cloven Elders: ”I didn’t push him very hard, but he was kind of top-heavy. He fell on his furry rump, then scrambled to his hooves and ran away with his belly jiggling.” - TLO
Hades, Lord of the Underworld: “Hades swallowed. ‘Now, Jackson, listen here…’ He was immortal. There was no way I could kill him, but gods can be wounded.” -TLO
Phobos, the God of Fear himself: “I couldn’t kill him. He was immortal. But you wouldn’t have known that from his expression. The fear god looked afraid.” -Demigod Files (Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot)
Leo Valdez: “Leo’s legs trembled. The way Percy looked at him made him feel the same as when Jason summoned lightning. Leo’s skin tingled, and every instinct in his body screamed, Duck!” -MoA
Piper McLean: “Piper guessed that Percy hadn’t meant to cause so much damage, but his glowering expression made her want to leave the ship as soon as possible.” -BoO
fucking Annabeth Chase: “Since she’d come back from Tartarus, Annabeth had told Piper about a lot of scary things that had happened down there. At the top of her list: Percy controlling a tide of poison and suffocating the goddess Akhlys.”- BoO
And let’s not forget:
How Percy looks when he fights: “My expression in the picture was fierce—disturbing, even—so it was hard to tell if I was the good guy or the bad guy, but Rachel said I’d looked just like that after the battle.” - TLO
Hazel’s first impression of him: “Then she’d met Percy. At first, when she saw him stumbling up the highway with the old lady in his arms, Hazel had thought he might be a god in disguise. Even though he was beat up, dirty, and stooped with exhaustion, he’d had an aura of power. He had the good looks of a Roman god, with sea-green eyes and wind blown black hair.”
Hephaestus’s words to him in BotL: “The god grunted. “Not that powerful, eh? Could have fooled me. You’re the son of the Earthshaker, lad. You don’t know your own strength.””
“Nico twisted his silver skull ring. “Percy is the most powerful demigod I’ve ever met. No offense to you guys, but it’s true. If anybody can survive, he will, especially if he’s got Annabeth at his side.“ -MoA
“Part of their problem was Percy. He fought like a demon, whirling through the defenders’ ranks in a completely unorthodox style, rolling under their feet, slashing with his sword instead of stabbing like a Roman would, whacking campers with the flat of his blade, and generally causing mass panic.” -SoN
sadie “rules are made to be broken” kane
It's only in Percy Jackson Fandom where shipping anything other than the main couple seemingly warrants death sentence.
Every other fandom explores so many other ships as shipping between characters helps in finding out how far the depth of their relationship might go.
Personally, I have always loved the idea of what Perachel could have been if Rick had actually tried. Imagine:
Part 1
Percy staying up thinking about this mortal he accidentally ran his sword through; she looked furious and confused and long after its over he is left wondering if that's how his mother felt when she met his father. He wonders it ceaselessly at times.
Rachel living in fear of everything she sees, plagued by dreams and visions, and this guy who ran her through with a literal sword calling her a mortal and surprised she can even see the sword just straight up leaves, taking all the answers with him. Long after it's happened, all she's left with is a canvas filled with the sketches of a sea-green eyed guy.
Then fate connects them yet again because Percy needs her. It starts with his need to fulfill the quest and her need for answers, but the awe Percy must have felt at Rachel's courage through the whole quest despite the incessant quips from Annabeth. He is sorry then that he has dragged someone like her to her death and if that weren't enough they run into the Titan King and he knows that maybe he has doomed them all and Rachel, mortal and unreliable according to Annabeth , throws a hairbrush at the literal actual Kronos himself.
On the flip side, Rachel knows for sure that whatever happens with her visions she will always dream of the sea green eyed hero. The images are everywhere. Him fighting, him negotiating, leading, saving them so she draws and draws and hopes it stops.
It has been noted somewhere in the Fandom once that the only reason Rachel was attracted to Percy was because he introduced her to a whole new world as if that isn't reason enough, as if they need a reason. As if it's not happened before with The Sea God and the Queen among mortals.
It doesn't stop for either of them cause now Rachel knows there's a prophecy hanging over Percy's head, and Percy knows she will see its outcome. So they talk of anything but this, whatever they can because neither of them wants to see how it ends, for the world and for them.
Long before Blackjack crashes his hooves on Paul's Prius, he knows it's coming; the end of the world, and it's far too late to look back. He leaves Rachel there because he is never taking her on a mission again, Morpheus knows he has enough nightmares of something happening to her.
Rachel watches him leave as a prickling at the back of her head tells her one of them isn't returning and no matter how wrong it is, she wishes against all odds that it won't be him.
After that, Rachel has only her visions to keep her company. She has started seeing someone's past , it's not his, but if she tries hard enough, she sees him once or twice. She commits the visions to memory, immortalizing them in art.
Percy doesn't speak to her for a good while after that, not because he doesn't want to, he would do anything to speak to her instead of doing this but his life's already forfeit so he might as well save the world. But he doesn't need to speak to her; they talk best in their visions. When of present, they are always of her. He understands why he sees them, for it's necessary to know what she sees, for she can't tell him, but he's glad for the excuse of it. He gets to see her, and he stays sane.
Yup, she's certifiably insane when she gets in a helicopter to see him, but he needs to know.
He was quite prepared for it, his death and her possibly becoming the Oracle later on. He knew it would happen. He is glad in some part of him that he would die long before it comes to fruition, that he would die in a world where they were together.
It would be their shared tragedy, them fulfilling their destinies as he escapes the divine while she ties herself to them.
Rachel had prepared for the same. She could give up over men , she was certain she would never think of them again after Perseus Jackson dies; it would be her eternal mourning and if someone asks she might tell them that the Spirit of Delphi lost her favored hero to her own prophecy.
But Fate's far too cruel.
Rachel is euphoric. He won't die, HE WON'T DIE. He's NOT the hero. The implications don't set in until she is facing him in the Throne room of Olympus. She says the things she doesn't even mean so she can soften the blow. She sees the break in him in his eyes as they share a last glance instead of a last kiss.
It clicks for him after Luke dies a hero. The bittersweet pang of triumph and loss. Blackjack is gone, and she's taken him. He isn't nearly as furious over that as he is about what she is to do.
He doesn't know if the curse is broken for sure, and he definitely doesn't want her to be the test run. Does she not know visions of her ending up like May Castellan are what breaks him in his worst nightmares.
He is the one who sees her take the oath, as she breaks what's left of them. A moment before all things come crashing down, she looks at him, and he looks back. The Oracle of Delphi and The Savior of Olympus have roles to play and loving the other isn't written in fates or destiny but they share one last vision of a perfect kiss as they resign themselves to their fate for the rest of their life; Their destinies forever entwined but never joined.
....Part 2 pending
(Also going to write headcanons of just perachel things and there are many so wait up)
The entire Fandom needs to listen to this:
Percy having a thing for Rachel was so absolutely deserved like he should have been head over heels for her. Here's why:
First meeting? Runs her through with Riptide, and where anyone would have spent the whole time yelling and arguing, Rachel quickly gauged the situation, helped Percy hide, deviated the skeletons from their orignal path all at the same time.
Percy is so awed and he should be and Rick Riordan doesn't do justice to the whole thing.
It ends on Percy saying he owes her one, almost an indication that they would meet again.
Yet Percy is terrified of running into Rachel again because he isn't sure if he could answer all her questions, most definitely because he doesn't want to drag her into the whole thing. So much so that when he sees her at Goode, he calls her "my redheaded nightmare " .
Not only has he thought of her since they last met, but he may or may not have dreamed about her, not to mention he remembered her full name after listening just once.
When he does meet her again she yet again warns him about monsters hence saving both of them.
The most important thing is Percy, who all his life has been judged blamed ridiculed, and mocked is for the very first time understood so instantaneously by Rachel. She who has been put in mortal danger every single time she meets him doesn't blame him, doesn't judge him for it, and openly takes the blame for the burning school. Even Annabeth's first response to seeing the smoke is blaming Percy despite being around him and knowing well enough for 3 years; she chooses to blame him as if she doesn't know that it's never Percy's fault. Yet Rachel, someone who he has met only twice and that too for meager few minutes, understands him and his situation so well.
All the people in the Fandom ask yourself this: Will Percy Jackson not for all that he is be absolutely head over heels and in awe of someone like that?
He can barely give her any answers at the moment, but she agrees to a death quest to help him save the world.
Throws a literal hairbrush at the Titan King and stands her ground.
Stays by him and comforts him through his depressive thoughts about dying due to the prophecy.
Falls in love with him despite knowing he has little time left.
Does her best to help him while still keeping his mind off from spiraling into dark thoughts.
Rides a literal helicopter mid-apocalypse to get to him just to warn him of the dangers?
Percy would be so absolutely over the moon in love with Rachel, were Uncle Rick not so fixated on Percabeth agenda.
The last bit is for toxic Annabeth stans:
Rachel is a genius too.
She is ambidextrous and can draw with both hands and legs; probably has exceptional memory, and her composure and quick thinking are on par with Percy himself.
I hate bringing this to looks, but I will if I get to shut up toxic fans. Annabeth is certainly beautiful, and her grey eyes are quite unique, but Rachel is the most underrated and definitely the most beautiful out of all Percy Jackson females.
The woman literally won genetic lottery with red hair and green eyes, and the only reason Uncle Rick doesn't rave about her beauty is to not make Annabeth insecure.
Also, for those overly concerned about the Oracle celibacy thing, I will address that in my next post and how it's not a problem at all. (Now posted link is here:
Expect more Pjo-centric posts along with Perachel headcanons and more.
First fic contribution to Perachel Bingo Week. Check out more perachel fics from bingo week here
The Words left Unsaid
PERCY
Percy breathed deeply as soon as he felt the air of Montauk, with its rich and salty tang surround him. The anxiety he felt under his skin calmed a little as the waves happily lapped against his feet. He couldn't help the nostalgic smile. Rachel joined him soon after as he instinctively tensed. She must have noticed it because she remained silent, letting him work his thoughts out for himself, and he had never been more grateful for anything else.
A wave roared in his ears as his thoughts spiraled, and he had to suppress the sensation. He did not need another flood on his hands. The past few months had been rough, and Percy's powers had been all over the place, and he couldn't rein them in no matter what he did. His Dad and Triton had both tried to make it better, but ever since the Pit , Percy had a feeling it would be permanent. Before then, he had felt as close to the sea as he possibly could. He had been able to call upon it, however, and whenever he pleased, but now it was something else, something more. The sea, the ocean, was under his skin, raging and churning for a release. Another reason why he was here.
He has been at home, a rare moment of calm with his mom and Paul. After all the trouble he had made them go through with his nightmares, lack of sleep, out of control powers, and not to mention his paranoia. Fates must have seen that and gone: You thought, LOL NO. Because the next second, his phone had buzzed with a text from Rachel: I saw it. He didn't need further explanation than that.He shot her a quick reply, turned off his phone and grabbed Paul's keys.Before any of them could ask , he was out of the door, phone in his pocket. Yes, he had begun using a phone. Because they stayed away now, the monsters ,because he was the one who was-
"Percy, can you help keep the sand in place?" He was cut off from his darker thoughts by Rachel's words and on instinct he complied. He had barely been able to hear what she said over how soothing her voice sounded. He could feel the sand keep itself in place in response to his will; Rachel had a habit of drawing in the sand, a habit he really really liked. He had once set off waves upon waves over her sand drawings just to see her awed reaction at finding her drawing undisturbed. He had liked that too. He had spent the entire day showcasing different stuff he could do with his powers to her. Annabeth and Thalia would have called him a showoff but he had enjoyed it and Rach had too so he didn't see a problem.
She wasn't in awe like the first time she had seen it but she was still smiling and he would do just about anything to see that soft smile. Rachel had always laughed a lot, always kept a very expressive face which he had learned was her small way of rebelling against her father who had done everything he could to forcefully turn Rachel into some poised lady. "Like a mannequin" she had once told him and he had felt a surge of anger and a vicious need to strangle the man. But he was glad he could do something, even something so small that could genuinely make her smile. It made him smile too.
"Wouldn't want to disturb the new masterpiece." Percy told her as he watched her scrunch her nose, something he thought was really adorable and very endearing; which was tame compared to the usual mess of feelings he felt around her; Somedays she looked so beautiful, it was hard to look at her. Looking at her like this, at them like this, he wished he could keep this moment going forever. Him finally free from wars with only college to worry about, and the Oracle now having gone silent with Apollo being punished or whatever. But he wasn't the same, not after all that and he didn't know if Rachel had it in her to keep looking at him after what she had seen, after all, Annabeth's wailing screams were still fresh in his mind, a scar that wouldn't fade but Rachel's fear would break him, he knew that much. So he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and waited for everything to go wrong as it always did.
RACHEL
To Rachel, he had always looked out of this world. Ever since she had met him on the Hoover dam. Steady gaze, sea green eyes, a flash of blue. Percy had been her gateway to a whole new world ever since. But today gazing at the sea, his eyes softly glowing, the way he stood, he looked like something more. Rachel would have said he looked like a God, but she had met Gods, more so she had felt the essence of Gods taking over her to communicate through her, yet Percy had always felt like more. She had seen the way he had kept everyone at bay after the war, all of the seven, even Grover. Even Annabeth, especially Annabeth. She knew they had called things off soon after they had reunited in New Rome. She had seen it after all. But Percy could never keep her at bay, no more than she could keep him. They had seen and known things about each other through their visions, things so intimate, in a way no one ever could or ever should. Even when the Oracle's power was out of control, she could always rely on it to show her Percy, where he was, what he did or was about to do. Ever since she had met him, he had become her anchor. All her dreams started and ended with visions of him. She knew it was like that for him, too, at least sometimes. They had shared dreams before. She had really liked it, having him there. Because Rachel had been afraid, there was a lot to fear even in her dreams, but if Percy was there , everything would be alright. She would be safe, always. Even her father had accepted that.
So she and Percy had done what they always did. Sit together in silence doing their own things occasionally talking about the most random of things, a lot of words left unsaid but understood. Until yesterday when she had seen him in the pit, seen everything unfold in the pit. Rachel wasn't sure if she could understand it all even though she had been learning up on Greek lore and such and despite Chiron telling her ,"Some things are beyond the realm of possibility Ms.Dare." She would always believe in her own eyes, in what she saw for the sake of all the times she had not and how it had cost her. She had been afraid, she had been shaking, and she had been crying which always happened after a violent vision but this time it wasn't the vision that set it off. The raw fear and worry gripping her heart was not for herself but all for Perseus Jackson. The things he went through, his screams, his desperation, how close he had come to death, the heart wrenching way his face had contorted when he saw Annabeth's horrified face. She hadn't been able to shake it off, not the tears nor the shivering. Until she couldn’t stop the urge to talk to him. I saw it, she had texted him, her fingers shaky knowing she couldn't trust herself to speak. It hadn't stopped until his reply a few long moments after , which had felt like forever then. Montauk. I will pick you up.
Now here they were, with her drawing the most inane things and him keeping the sand in place for her. She had always loved that. The way he cherished all her drawings and her words, prophetic or otherwise. She could see him warring with himself, his powers growing stronger than ever; the reason why they were at the sea. She could wait for him to be ready, to be okay with having this conversation, she didn't want to push him, she never would. She was alright even if they didn't speak a word of it and instead spent the whole day here, like this, at peace.
He must have been resigned to having this talk because his voice turned soft as he asked, "What did you see, Red?" Her heart did the little dance it always did when he called her that . For all his love of the color blue he had ways said called her Red softly and fondly. She wished she could have controlled herself better, stopped the tears threatening to spill as she muttered just as softly, "Everything." She managed to choke out. Now they would talk in fears and in truths and a litany of promises, of assurances which would have to be enough.
"Why are you here then?" Why are you not running away in fear, in horror like they all do.
Labored breaths mingled with wavering voices.
"Where else is there to go? And I wanted to be here." Where could I go but to you who knows all of me and who I know all of. I am not afraid. I want to be here, Perce.
Choked tears, heavy voices, with emotions and impulses.
"I am not okay. I will never be okay ever again, Red ." I am a monster now, and I will always be a monster.
Waves thrashed as the sea churned on itself.
"You don't have to be okay. You just need to be alive, to be willing to live. It will get better because you have to make it better. Everyone else is like that too, Perce." You are not a monster, you are human, the best of humans. If you are the monster, then the world is hell, full of devils. But you are not. It's alright and it will be okay. You have to believe it will, with me, with everyone else.
Calm words, a chant, a prophecy.
"You saw it all, you know what I did, how I enjoyed it, Rach. Don’t defend me." I know what I am, you don't have to fool yourself into believing something else, Red.
The sea raged and raged.
"It was hell, you were in hell, you were going through the worst of situations, you were going to die, Annabeth was going to die, you were being tortured. Of course you were happy to get the upper hand. You didn't cross some line, Percy, Perseus, you held back infact. You showed mercy." You gave everything to save Annabeth, to save everyone. You have given so much too much and you are still so good.
The waves toppled over one another. Strongly then, slowly.
Sea green eyes finally met emerald ones. A look full of nothing and everything as long left unsaid words beat against each other, the waves of the sea matching the pace.
Her words, fears bared for him to see, as his own were.
"You should be the one angry, I couldn't help you, I couldn't help anyone, save anyone." Rachel was the one who had been useless through all of it. All she had done was deliver a message Annabeth had sent and worry and worry and worry about Percy, the camp and the fate of the world. The gift broke down when they needed it the most and she had tried and tried to will it to work, to start. She had started with prayers to Apollo and then ended with curses.
"That's not true, Red. You told Reyna what she needed to do to unite the camps, to face Gaea. You delivered the message. In a way your prophecy saved us all, Red." Percy was sure they couldn't have made it without Rachel, they never did when it came to great prophecies. And deep down he couldn't help the relief that she hadn't been roped into a fight or a quest. She had sacrificed enough already.
The waves thrashed once, twice, thrice more before dissolving into a harmonic calm.
PERCY
That was how he had found himself kissing Rachel.Overwhelmed and high on emotions, the both of them. He would have said more, thought this through, but he couldn't think with her soft lips moving against his own.
He relished in the familiar warmth of it and he didn't want to let go.
Sloppy makeout, sand drawings and surfing, both of them together, happy and relaxed for the first time in a long time. That's how the day had gone and Percy couldn't help but be giddy about this, about them. It was one of the best and happiest days he had ever had and maybe he was wrong about never being okay; he had a feeling with Rachel by his side along with his family, both mortal and godly, he would be okay, eventually. He had to be.
As Percy took Rachel back to the car, both of them looked back and he was sure they had the same hunch, the same shared feeling: There would be trouble ahead with newer prophecies, with Gods, and they both had a lot of explaining to do to his family, to her family, to a probably human Apollo but it could all wait a little while longer, a bit more till there were no words left unsaid.
omg pls elaborate, why don’t u like post pjo nico? I’m curious, I don’t really know how I feel abt him either tbh (u don’t have to respond tho!!! I hope u have a wonderful day!!)
nico is just a different character in pjo than he is in hoo.
i love pjo!nico. the struggle of fantasy (mythomagic, nico's view of the demigod world) vs reality ('mythology,' the reality of being a demigod), the themes of death and coming to terms with death while having a certain amount of power over death. in a world where demigods are the people who don't belong, nico being a kid that doesn't belong even more (hades not having a cabin, the other campers' avoidance or fear of him). grief, forgiveness, friendship. nico pushing people away, especially percy, nico changing from hero worship to understand that even demigods are just human and mortal, and nico accepting other people (accepting percy's friendship) and being accepted himself...
in hoo and beyond i think his story just gets lost, like a lot of other characters do. hoo in general doesn't have the same strength that pjo does - not that every story has to have 'deep' or particularly 'meaningful' themes per se, but pjo grapples with power, mortality. the flaws of gods, humanity. and a lot more. i know we're going really broad, but hoo doesn't deal with any of that. as a consequence nico's character just falls flat for me, because i don't feel that hoo deals with him with the same complexity and interest pjo does.
also, nico being gay. hmm. i have a lot of thoughts about rick and representation (and a good few of them are not great, even if a lot of younger fans sing his praises), and solangelo. now i think nico being gay overall is fine. i think it could add another layer to him when examined through the lens of pjo, and there were plenty of people who thought that way in fandom. but what it felt like to me when written in canon was rick making the decision, and making pjo support the idea retroactively. of course, that is speculation bc i can't 100% confidently say that's true. i don't mean to say that nico shouldn't be gay, but i don't think it was written well.
solangelo also felt like a shoe-in. rick has this thing about pairing characters up for their happy endings. solangelo is a hot mess, it's not compelling, and if we do accept nico's feelings about percy it gets reduced to a joke. nico's character swings from repression and struggling with himself to skipping off with will. i make it no secret i don't like canon solangelo, and the relationship being lgbt doesn't mean it's good. it's flat and boring. also the resolution to nico's 'arc' in hoo doesn't have to be that he ends up in a relationship.
take what i said about the above with a little grain of salt. every person’s opinion is different, some people really love solangelo and that arc of nico’s. i don’t think it’s wrong to like it or that you shouldn’t. but i didn’t, myself. it could have been written a lot better lol
hoo also contradicts like... all of nico's character growth from pjo, and repeats conflicts that were previously resolved instead of expanding or continuing them in interesting ways, or creating new ones that actually make sense.
one of nico's conflicts in hoo was not being accepted and feeling like he doesn't belong anywhere. particularly because of the exclusion of children of pluto by camp jupiter and their fear of him. like i mentioned earlier this was already addressed in the original series. in botl, nico tells percy that he doesn't belong at camp, that people are afraid of him, and ultimately chooses to leave to find his own path. at the end of tlo, nico is welcomed by the other campers. he proves percy's point to the gods, and percy pushes for nico and hades to be accepted by the other gods and demigods.
“It hasn’t been easy, you know. Having only the dead for company. Knowing that I’ll never be accepted by the living. Only the dead respect me, and they only do that out of fear.” “You could be accepted,” I said. “You could have friends at camp.” He stared at me. “Do you really believe that, Percy?”
Nico and Percy, Battle of the Labyrinth, pg. 192
“This camp isn’t for me. There’s a reason they didn’t put a cabin to Hades here, Percy. He’s not welcome, anymore than he is on Olympus. I don’t belong. I have to go.”
Battle of the Labyrinth, pg. 223
"And Hades—" ... "...your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that..."
The Last Olympian, pg. 353
Nico sat at the main table with Chiron and Mr. D, and nobody seemed to think this was out of place. Everybody was patting Nico on the back, complimenting him on his fighting. Even the Ares kids seemed to think he was pretty cool.
The Last Olympian, pg. 371
all of that aside, here is a core issue: nico, the doors of death, and his choices. when you really look at it, what happens in hoo is a "fuck you" to nico's character in pjo.
let's recap:
in son of neptune, it's revealed that hazel was brought back by nico. not just that, though... nico was searching for bianca, who he hoped he could bring back. the reason he didn't was because he couldn't - she chose to be reborn to avoid just that.
but nico wouldn't have done that. nico attempting to, and arguably nico bringing back hazel, goes against all of his growth and character in botl.
this isn't the first time nico tried bringing back bianca. his main goal in battle of the labyrinth was to find daedalus to trade his soul for bianca's.
“I was hoping you would give up.” “Give up?” [Nico] sounded heartbroken. “How can you say that? I’m trying to save you!” “You can’t, Nico. Don’t do this. Percy is right.” “No! He let you die! He’s not your friend.”
Nico and Bianca, Battle of the Labyrinth pg. 108
in the labyrinth, percy confronts nico and reveals nico is looking for daedalus to trade his soul for bianca's. but when they find daedalus, when daedalus accepts his own death... nico chooses not to.
“I will take what comes,” he said. “And trust in the justice of the Underworld, such as it is. That is all we can do, isn’t it?” He looked straight at Nico, and Nico’s face darkened. “Yes,” he said. “Will you take my soul for ransom, then?” Daedalus asked. “You could use it to reclaim your sister.” “No,” Nico said. “I will help you release your spirit. But Bianca has passed. She must stay where she is.”
Nico and Daedalus, Battle of the Labyrinth pg. 217
The shimmering form of Bianca di Angelo stood in the clearing, smiling at her brother. She said something to him and touched his face—or tried to. Then her image faded. Nico turned and saw me, but he didn’t look mad. “Saying good-bye,” he said hoarsely.
Nico and Percy, Battle of the Labyrinth pg. 223
also i think it just becomes super clear when you read. i've gone back semi-recently to reread pjo. for this ask i pulled up botl. reading botl... reading pjo... i feel like the difference in quality is so clear when you read about nico.
Does Percy ever have any trauma from Gabe?
I mean, in Tartarus, he says it smells like Gabe and I cannot fail to acknowledge his self-esteem issues which Gabe contributed to, but I mean more specific trauma like hating beer and gambling, etc. Something like that?
Percy has suffered due to Gabe for a long time, which contributes quite a lot to his trauma. You see, Rirodan was writing a children's book, and he didn't want to go down too many uncomfortable details, but the signs were there. A lot of them. And despite the canon's inconsistencies, Gabe is at least mentioned in accurate context every small time that he is referenced.
Rick, however, just to be safe, makes Percy's personality so that Percy avoids thinking of Gabe, and rightfully so. Let's take this slow. Because two important things, Percy's situation in the first book and all his issues are due to Gabe and, of course, he carries forward trauma from those situations, so what are they?
1.
Physical abuse is a part that is usually glossed over by the readers to some extent, even though it's in the first book. What I am trying to say is it is always acknowledged that Percy was abused, but rarely does the fandom go down the rabbit hole of specifics. If you see it once, you won't stop seeing it.
Gabe has both verbally and physically abused Percy so much that he has an extreme amount of self-esteem issues and a self-depreciating personality.
Not only did Gabe abuse Percy, but he also made Percy work part-time jobs or side hustles just to get extra money from Percy. Mind you, Percy was barely 12 in the first book, probably still 11, and this had been going for a while.
2.
If that wasn't enough Gabe controlled the budget of the family, not allowing Sally to spend more than he allowed and he splurged most money gambling so Percy grew up in very poor conditions but was sent to boarding schools with rich people which led to a lot of bullying from their end. Since Percy fought back, he somehow earned the per usual misnomer of being a troubled kid.
Cue all his expulsions. Some may be due to monster business, but most were definitely due to Percy fighting against bullies. Why is that notable? This is the start of Percy's anger issues. Percy has a lot of repressed anger from home due to Gabe and not being able to fight him (he hasn't tapped into his power yet, at least not enough of it). Plus, the bullies and horrible living conditions all contribute to Percy's attitude.
3.
Now, if you remember, in Book 1, Gabe threatens Percy severely so that he won't harm his car. But Percy was 12, and he himself says he wasn't going to be driving, but that wouldn't stop Gabe from blaming him. This means Gabe blamed Percy for everything, relevant or otherwise. We can see this in Percy's behavior when he immediately correlates every mistake as his fault and is always reflexively seen taking the blame for everything, even those that weren't his fault.
This scene actually creates a nice parallel against that scene in Book 5 where Percy is on a drive with Rachel in Paul's car and he is very suprised that Paul himself offered the car to him and didn't even impose any rules on Percy. He is however very worried when Blackjack dents the car because even though Paul is not Gabe, Percy has this natural fear against him at least subconsciously but is also very suprised when Paul doesn't get at all angry over the dent. It's such a sweet moment for Percy; he gets to learn how good fathers are.
3.
You mentioned gambling and drinking. Percy shows great dislike for the game in book 1, but he is forced to play cause of Dionysus. He's relatively good at it but doesn't play because he associates the game with Gabe. Same for alcohol. There's a line in the book where Percy says he knows how to recognize when others have been drinking or, as Percy calls it, hitting the happy juice. Obviously, alcohol makes Percy uncomfortable in itself, and he immediately dislikes Dionysus because he is a drunkard and a poker player along with a build similar to Gabe, which makes Percy naturally dislike him greatly. It doesn't help that Dionysus is a complete asshole but his initial natural dislike of Mr. D is due to Gabe.
4.
We all joke about how Percy is a fugitive and known terrorist in tons of states. This is all Gabe's fault. Percy gets in such problems with the law all due to Gabe and how he set literally every police department possible on Percy's trail. Now Percy, being Percy, he manipulates the officers to get on their good side, but he obviously still has problems with the law due to this entire fiasco.
The fandom likes to say that Percy got all his dark aura after Tartarus, but Percy has literally had killing intent since he was 12. One of his first lines in the book is "I am going to kill her" in reference to Nancy Bobofit. He gets gut punched by the realization that Gabe has been hitting his Mom. Gabe literally raised his hand against Sally in front of Percy in book 1. You can't tell me Percy recovered from that. He thinks then too of pulling Riptide and killing Gabe but realizes it wouldn't work on Gabe. Now Percy, who almost always means exactly what he says when talking to people, calls Gabe 'human by the loosest definition.' A 12 year old thinks that you can imagine how bad the situation was.
After Book 1, Rick heavily avoids mentioning abuse in his book cause he is trying to write for kids, but it shows.
Percy thinks of Gabe when he first accidentally iris messages in on one of his Mom's and Paul's dates. Percy is immediately suspicious, which is obviously why Sally hadn't told him anything before this. She wasn't completely sure about Paul, and she also didn't want Percy to worry. When Percy sees her laugh with Paul, he thinks of how much trouble his Mom went through with Gabe.
This is important because after Book 1 when Percy finally learns why Sally kept Gabe around in his head he twists the narrative as his Mom suffered Gabe, not that both he and Sally but only Sally suffered Gabe and why? To protect him. He BLAMES himself for something that's obviously completely not his fault. But in his head, he ends up masking his own pain and considering only Sally's pain valid. This is why Percy doesn't talk to anyone about Gabe and also why everyone thinks Gabe was a bit of a jerk but not an abuser. We literally see PERCY DO THIS TO HIMSELF. Same thing in The Last Olympian. Same thing in Mark of Athena. He talks about how his Mom suffered by staying in the awful marriage, not about himself.
5.
Now the famous House of Hades scene. See Tartarus draws out negative emotions and experiences and worst nightmares of a person to feast on. This is very telling because despite the endless life-death situations Percy has been in ,he thinks of Gabe. Because to Percy, self suffering is no suffering at all. But his Mom suffering is the worst of all. Now Annabeth obviously doesn't get the cue because she has no idea about how Percy lived in his past. While it is true that Annabeth cannot be held responsible for not getting why Percy brought up Gabe in Tartarus and took it as Percy making a joke; a case can be made against Annabeth's lack of initiative to learn more about Percy's life before all this. I digress as that's a completely different discussion. Point stands is that Percy is so unbelievably broken yet loyal that he doesn't even consider his own pain valid.
The next mention of Gabe is directly in Chalice of the Gods. Percy rather openly thinks how much he hated family dinners with Gabe. Also, he has a very nice conversation with Sally soon after he recovers from being turned into a child, where he talks about how powerless being a child felt and how afraid he was. I am certain that the implications indicate at both monsters and Gabe and how a young Percy had been very afraid of both situations but more of Gabe than monsters. Go figure.
It's plenty clear how much trauma Percy has from Gabe and how much he has trained his mind to either avoid it or redirect it elsewhere lest he regress into bitterness and anger issues.
It's probably longer than you expected, but I like systematic exploration of points, hence the long rant. I have done my best to break it down, so it's easier to follow. Also, I am very, very happy for this ask as I really love to explore Percy's personality and Percy's powers. Feel free to send me more along this line of thought.
@fourcornersofcreation ,@hermesmyplatonicbeloved, @helenofsparta2 , @ogjacksonsimp, and @berrybore have all also made posts exploring some of Percy's trauma and they will probably have things to add as well. So please check their posts on this topic as well in case I missed anything.
Red and blue ships am I right? Slightly belated entry for @them-awesome-rarepairs day four: colours ft. Perachel
i feel like we don’t talk about this scene from the titan’s curse enough, because i think about this a lot. like… a lot. the way he was just like ‘oh i can move faster than bullets, that’s cool’, and then immediately moved on and never thought about it again?? i mean, i knew he could SWIM at mach 5, which is…. hypersonic speed, and equivalent to 3836 miles per hour. and i know all demigods are naturally a bit faster than humans. but like… he can move faster than bullets?
i guess i just wasn’t expecting perseus to go all spider-man on me, that’s all
What do you mean he kept roaming around??? MONSTERS WERE CHASING HIM ALL THE WAY FROM THE FOREST TO CAMP JUPITER. UNLIKE JASON WHO HAD OTHER PEOPLE WITH HIM AND WAS DROPPED IN A RELATIVELY SAFER AREA, PERCY WOKE UP WITH NO MEMORY IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH GORGONS ON HIS TRAIL. GORGONS, WHICH DID NOT REMAIN DEAD. OF COURSE HE HAD TO MOVE CONSTANLY; PERCY KNOWS EXACTLY HOW TO STAY ALIVE AND WAS OBVIOUSLY SMART ENOUGH TO ALWAYS KEEP THEM GUESSING.
But obviously, some readers are too ignorant or too willfully blind to understand that.
Even after he came to camp Jupiter, he had to immediately fight for his place. His only two friends so far were in a tough situation. Frank was being sent on a quest. Percy, being the loyal, selfless guy that he is, obviously went with him and Hazel to protect them and also find answers to his amnesia.
WHILE ANNABETH WAS BUSY LOOKING FOR PERCY, HE WAS BUSY SURVIVING, SAVING HIS FRIENDS, SAVING THE WORLD AND SAVING CAMP JUPITER. BUT OF COURSE HE IS AN IDIOT FOR NOT STAYING IN ONE PLACE WHEN THE HIS HELP WAS REQUIRED AND NECESSARY ELSEWHERE TO YOU KNOW HELP HIS FRIENDS AND SAVE CAMP JUPITER???
How braindead and delusional can Annabeth stans be? Sorry to burst your bubble, but Percy has other things to do than deal with Annabeth's whims and demands and he has other people who mean just as much to him as Annabeth, who he would do anything for.
And you should be thankful. Annabeth would be dead without Percy. If he hadn't jumped to join Annabeth in Tartarus, that is. You can love Annabeth, you should, she has certain good contributions but stop putting her on a non-existent pedestal especially to demean Percy, not when she has so many flaws and obvious controlling and toxic behavior towards Percy. There's no take you could have that would make anyone hate Percy and like Annabeth, whereas the reverse already exists. So stop fueling the already growing hatred against Annabeth by making such idiotic hate comments and consistent abuse apologism on Annabeth's behalf.
Abuse Apologism
IF YOU'RE A PERC@BETH STAN KEEP SCROLLING. THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.
The abuse apologism is among these fans is sickening.
Do you see this?
Annabeth has to hurt Percy to let him know she's about to kiss him?
What the actual fuck. She could just. Ask. for. consent. "hey Percy can I kiss you?" It's not that fucking hard. If she doesn't understand what consent is then she has no right kissing anyone until she learns. I don't care how old she is. She's not a baby. This is a romantic kiss. Get fucking permission without hurting him. Use your fucking words.
Also no, this is not a discussion post. Don't come here defending this comment, I will not respond and will block you.
He looked at Annabeth cause she reminded him of Luke's words and everyone else he had lost.
For the last time, he didn't give up godhood for Annabeth. And if you still think that after all this, then you have obviously missed a huge chunk of the books. He did for the Non-Olympian gods and their children, for everyone who had died to make this possible, for children of Hades, for Nico. He literally namedrops Nico two sentences after this. How can you reduce such a nuanced scene to some pathetic romantic implication?
I cannot believe how this hasn't been addressed in the PJO Fandom yet but does no one notice that the books, Rick himself glosses over or downplays the fact that PERCY FUCKING JACKSON GAVE UP IMMORTALITY!!!
And in reason as to why Percy gave up immortality?
The Percabeth stans are only too happy to make "Oh Percy gave up immortality for Annabeth." The hell he did. Have we read the same books? Are you really demeaning the importance of what Percy did. Cause here's what happened, and here's why it's so important:
PERCY GAVE UP IMMORTALITY SO THAT GODS COULD CLAIM DEMIGOD CHILDREN EARLY SO THAT THEY DO NOT REMAIN DEFENSELESS.
Furthermore, he did it so CHILDREN OF MINOR GODS COULD HAVE A PLACE TO BELONG TO, TO HAVE IDENTITY OF THEIR OWN, SO MINOR GODS THEMSELVES CAN BE PROPERLY ACKNOWLEDGED.
Similarly, he further added that CHILDREN OF HADES SHOULD NOT BE OSTRACIZED, THEY AS WELL AS HADES DESERVE TO BE WELCOME INTO OLYMPUS AND INTO CAMP , DESERVE PROPER RESPECT.
What ticks me off the most is how such an important sacrifice such an important change is never addressed again to the extent it deserves.
Cause this is not a surface level thing. This is going to change and better the lives of all demigods that come after or even demigods who were wrongly forced to remain in Hermes Cabin. A safe, more respectful, more meaningful environment for all demigods no matter who their godly parent is.
Are you telling that children of minor gods don't literally worship Percy for doing all this? Don't wholly completely feel grateful at least that he voiced out for them over his own difficulties? That he made a safe place for them happen?
Are you telling me that Minor Gods themselves don't feel at least a little grateful and respect Percy who did this of his own volition without having even met many Minor Gods. That he voiced out for their own children when they couldn't?
Are you telling me that Travis and Connor or any other demigods and cabin counselors don't automatically rave on about the greatness of Percy Jackson to any new arrivals in Camp Half-Blood?
Cause we were robbed of this of a proper homage to the sacrifice other demigods, Luke himself and Percy himself made to make it happen.
Piper, Leo , and Jason all seem so ignorant to it. Even newer demigods in Chalice of Gods or other books seem ignorant to this, and that's so against the usual canon representation of Camp Half-Blood as a community.
We should have seen it in Lost Hero, should have seen it in Chalice of Gods, should have seen it acknowledge repeatedly. You know why?
Yes, Percy didn't want immortality, but don't you know that deep down Percy knew exactly what immortality meant? Eternal protection from his father in his realm. No Gods bothering him, no more sacrifices or death quests. Freedom to do what he wants. To be able to spend time with his family as long as he wants without the worry of risking their safety. And he gave it all up
NOT EVEN IMMORTALITY. GODS WOULD HAVE GRANTED ANY WISH. HE COULD HAVE WISHED ANYTHING. FOR HIM TO BE PROTECTED? NO MORE QUESTS? FOR GODS TO LEAVE HIM ALONE? HE GAVE IT ALL UP, ALL OF IT.
Perseus bloody Jackson made happen what no one in the History of Camp Half-Blood has ever done. He managed to make Gods change their ignorant ways. He dismantled a culture of neglect and abuse.
And the fact Rick himself let this happen, let all this gloss over, and the fact that Percabeth stans have the AUDACITY to insinuate that he did for Annabeth and demean Luke's sacrifice, Percy's sacrifice is beyond me.
Poseidon didn't assault Medusa she was born a gorgon.
Poseidon didn't assault Medusa she was born a gorgon.
Poseidon didn't assault Medusa she was born a gorgon.
Poseidon didn't assault Medusa she was born a gorgon.
Read the Hymns. Read the texts. Read the epics. But PLEASE do not believe the continued spread of misinformation from tiktok and people who only get their information from other people.
one of my fav scenes in the entire riordanverse has to be the one in SoN in which percy makes a 50/50 life or death bet knowing he will win bc he knows gaia has to keep him alive. denying the plot armor allegations is OUT, weaponinzing it is IN
I hate the way the Greek campers were viewed in hoo like these literal kids who made up a grand total of 40 (maybe 100 max with hunters + party ponies + satyrs) defeated an army that consisted of hundreds possibly thousands of monsters on their own including a couple of rouge titans and Kronos who was their leader. And won. Don’t get me wrong the Romans destroyed the Palace and all which was probably filled with their remaining resources but there were hundreds of them including adults who had retired after a decade of experience. And the army they fought was probably smaller cause everyone was off at New York in the main fight so give the Greek campers their due respect cause not only did they win, they pulled off the impossible
Abuse Apologism
IF YOU'RE A PERC@BETH STAN KEEP SCROLLING. THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.
The abuse apologism is among these fans is sickening.
Do you see this?
Annabeth has to hurt Percy to let him know she's about to kiss him?
What the actual fuck. She could just. Ask. for. consent. "hey Percy can I kiss you?" It's not that fucking hard. If she doesn't understand what consent is then she has no right kissing anyone until she learns. I don't care how old she is. She's not a baby. This is a romantic kiss. Get fucking permission without hurting him. Use your fucking words.
Also no, this is not a discussion post. Don't come here defending this comment, I will not respond and will block you.
*whispers* jercyyyyy
yells* JERCY!!!!
surprise hug&kiss!!
Athena: I once told him that in his loyalty, he would doom himself and the world, but he managed to find a way to overcome both. Why should there be any doubt as to his skills as an excellent strategist, daughter? If anything, he reminds me of Odysseus.
Annabeth: (speechless, having a minor attack, stammering to even speak) M-other... wh-what?
Poseidon: (proud as hell) Perseus is certainly better than that Ithacan bastard. Why, of course, Percy is the best strategist. After all, it was his idea to get me to join in the war against Typhon and his plan that the Demigod Army followed. Not to mention the creative ways in which my son finds a way to beat almost all his opponents.
Annabeth: (hyperventilating)......I am having a bad dream, a really bad dream, I need to wake up.
[Poseidon and Athena fighting over whether Odysseus or Percy is smarter in the background, unaware of the surroundings]
Hermes: (lowkey thinks of Percy as his best friend) I told you once, girl, you are your own worst enemy. Do not deny Percy his achievements. He has done much to get there.
Apollo: (high-key in love with Percy) I, the great Apollo, even have a haiku for each of his quests. He is also the reason I have my wonderful Oracle back. Would you like to hear them all?
[Every God in vicinity: APOLLO NO]
Annabeth: [having an epiphany and getting a massive reality check] T-this isn-isn't true. H-e, he would have, would have gotten nowhere without me. He would be dead without me.
Artemis: [rolling her eyes at Apollo's antics] Surely you mean the other way around child? Has Percy not saved you more times that can be tracked? Even my hunters admire him for the way he so respectfully teaches them some of his fighting techniques. Be glad Annabeth, Percy is a man worthy of admiration from all.
Annabeth: *almost chokes*
-------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, Hermes was getting personal. It's not his fault. The man's still recovering from Luke. The rest were just stating facts. Maybe Part 2 with more gods and another with Hunters? Hmm, will see no promises.
Okay it's 2025
Can we please leave the Dumb Percy Jokes back in 2024
Cause they should have never been a thing in the first place but some of y'all genuinely think he's stupid and it annoys me
I'm sick of the seaweed brain joke too, I don't find it funny at all nor do I find the dumb Percy jokes funny either
Instead let's Start the Smart Percy Jackson trend
Incorrect Quotes of just Percy being the genius he is (and even being smarter than Annabeth)
Like for example
Teacher: Okay here are your Tests Back *Hands Them Their Grades*
Annabeth: What?! How on earth did I Get a C+?! Seaweed brain why did you get? There's no way you got a better grade than me.
Percy: Um...*Shows her his paper that says A+ on it*
Annabeth: WHAT THE F-
Or how about this:
Young camper: Excuse me sir but Genuine Question who's the Best strategist here at Camp?
Annabeth: uh me Duh I'm the daughter of Athena of course I'm the best Strategist here
Chiron: it's Percy. Percy's the best Strategist here at Camp
Annabeth: wait wha-
Dionysus: I Agree with him, as much as I don't like the kid he is pretty Smart, definitely the Smartest strategiest here
Younger Camper: But I thought children of Athena were the best Strategists
Clarisse: **Who Overheard them**Kid, There's a difference between Being Book smart and being Street smart, and having a Demi-God who's fatal flaw is Hubris probably isn't the best person to lead us in battle, there's a reason Chiron and the rest of Camp put Percy in Charge instead of Annabeth, He's the best Person here for the Job.
Annabeth: Excuse me?!
Chiron: Clarisse is right Annabeth. And If I'm being honest with you, I put Percy in charge Cause I knew he was the Smartest and best person for the Job. You get blinded by your hubris and it Ends up falling apart for you, You couldn't even lead your own Quest. So why would I give you the responsibility of being the leader of Camp half blood?
Annabeth: But that's Not-
Clarisse: Face it Annabeth, Percy is Smarter than you
Annabeth: *Storming off* Ugh whatever!
LET 👏 PERCY 👏 BE 👏 SMART 👏
Even if you eliminate the judo flip, it's still not the most concerning thing about the situation. She BLAMES Percy for getting KIDNAPPED AND BRAINWASHED BY A GODDESS, and fine, you would say she was super high on emotions, she didn't mean it. But then there's this:
Annabeth made Percy APOLOGIZE FOR STUFF THAT WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF HIS CONTROL. IT WAS AN ASSAULT ON HIM AND HE SHOULD APOLOGIZE??
This isn't the first time. She blames Percy in BoTL in the opening scenes for burning down the school, not even having enough trust in Percy to know he wouldn't do it. Not even after he tells her HE DIDN'T DO IT.
Also happens again in The Last Olympian. She gets angry at Percy because he is panicking over the prophecy that basically states [at that point] that he will die. SHE GETS ANGRY AT HIM AND YELLS AT HIM FOR BEING PANICKED ABOUT THE PROPHECY IN WHICH HE IS BASICALLY STATED TO DIE.
Like wtf. Why is no one pointing that out?? I swear if anyone comes along saying Annabeth was just worried so she got angry. It's like getting angry at a person for panicking before a life-threatening surgery because you couldn't handle your worry. And it's a multiple time occurrence.
Percy confided his worries in Rachel, too, and they were almost definitely dating. She didn't freak out or yell at Percy even though she was probably getting constant visions. She kept Percy company and did her best to lower his stress and get his mind off the situation.
Yet again Rachel shows more maturity and understanding than Annabeth. [Mind you Rachel was angry at Percy, if you remember he had a demigod dream where he found her throwing darts at his picture.] But never has Rachel had an outburst at Percy because she knows none of it is his fault.
Also, in BoTl, when Annabeth is basically calling Rachel a mortal like a slur and looking down on her and continuously insulting her, Rachel can tell exactly what's wrong with Annabeth, and she knows it's too stupid to even engage and Annabeth is left to being a short tempered girl yelling at someone else for no reason. Because again Rachel has more maturity than Annabeth.
I don't know why this turned into a Rachel post, but is anyone complaining?
The point is, there's an awfully long list of apologies Annabeth needs to get to, and Rick won't be doing it in this lifetime or next, so fic writers, would you like to take this one?
Finding a good blog to follow on pjo is so hard because you'll get like 10 good posts and then the 11th will have blatant abuse apologism and borderline victim blaming:
Do we really need to start reminding people that Percy had no control whatsoever over being kidnapped!? he barely knew what was happening!! He had his memories wiped!! How the fuck does he deserve to be physically assaulted?? HE WAS KIDNAPPED!!
Not to mention that like. the first time he went missing? yeah he nearly died. He would have died if Hera had not intervened and sent him to Calypso, who used her healing powers to save him. And then Percy returned to chb - returned to a building war and death sentence - as soon as he was recovered and physically able.
Hera deserved the judo flip. Not Percy. She took Percy twice. Annabeth, your anger is misdirected, please use your Athena given brains. You have them for more than one reason.
Percy is a son of Poseidon. Unlike Thalia or Jason who are children of Zeus/Jupiter, when Percy was claimed, he was ostracized by the Camp at the start of it and only integrated properly after Titan's Curse. Percy watched the Campers revere Thalia where he was barely accepted and the Romans have an even worser treatment since Percy was a Son of Neptune. Plus he had to hear all about Jason's heroic activities which meant he realized he had big shoes to fill [Partly because he didn't have his memories so he doesn't remember all the things he himself did].
You also have to understand that Percy has abysmal self-esteem and given the sudden burden of expectations on him due to the Great Prophecy and such he was forced to conform to expectations of the other campers, Annabeth and so on when Percy dislikes being told what to do or being restrained and yet his fatal flaw doesn't allow him to just drop and leave the sheer amount of expectations attached to him.
So naturally, when he noticed Jason seemed to know to some extent what he needed to do as a leader and seemed comfortable in the position. Percy was obviously slightly envious despite being a natural born leader himself because he doesn't like taking charge unless he has to, but he almost always ends up having to.
Not to mention that despite everything Percy is used to doing his own thing but the fact that there were many other people than usual on the quest with the Seven and in group discussions, initially Jason's word seemed to hold more weight than his [Piper is self explanatory, Leo is Jason's best friend, Hazel and Frank are Percy's friends but Jason is a Roman Praetor so they had to side with their superior and Annabeth well usually she and Percy have very different takes on handling the situation]. Percy was obviously not used to needing someone else's approval for what he wanted to do, which may have been a contributing factor . And he isn't the sort to pull rank and go [I am the Savior of Olympus, listen to me] so at least for a while Jason must have made him feel jealous and a bit inferior. He's Percy, though, which means he can go along just fine with most situations; he is just that good at improvisations.
There's a post I need to make on how Percy views himself as not some hero but as someone who is just getting by, but that's too lengthy to add here. I hope this is somewhat coherent, at least.
We all know Jason was jealous of Percy, and in some way Percy was jealous of Jason. Jason finds out one day and is just utterly confused.
What could Percy be jealous about? He has a mother who loves him, his godly parent actually cares for him. He is a celebrated hero, with even the gods fearing him. He was offered immortality and on his own terms REFUSED. His siblings who share the same godly parent actually LIKE him. When he went missing, people actually cared enough to look for him.
So what in Jason's life would make Percy jealous?
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!!
There's also rarely, if ever any, exploration of Percy's interests as opposed to Annabeth's own. Same with goals for the future. Percy doesn't want any quests, and Annabeth wants the demigod life, so they are already at odds, and it's never addressed.
Percy's interests are almost never taken in account or even brought to the conversation while Annabeth's are always a priority. In Chalice of the Gods, Percy doesn't want to go to NRU at all but Annabeth's going so he has to. You can clearly tell throughout that Percy doesn't want to go and especially not after finding out he is getting a baby sister.
The fact that he has to change what he wants because of what Annabeth wants is a sign of how terrible the situation is, especially when considering something as important as future plans. And often than not, Annabeth's narcissism shows in the process.
As for Rick, at this point, criticizing him is like preaching to the choir. He has already butchered enough as is. And we all already know it's his fault to some extent always.
You know, one thing that makes me unhappy about Percabeth in WOTTG is that Percy feels like he has to be the perfect boyfriend for Annabeth and feels pressured around her.
Because you shouldn't feel like you have to please your partner all the time. You should be able to relax and be yourself with them. If they're really your partner, they'll accept you, flaws and all. If you're with strangers at a party, uncomfortable, and they walk in, you should be able to light up and relax with them.
The way Percabeth is written, Percy would freak out and stress out even MORE about Annabeth being there because he'd want to impress her too much.
But I'm not blaming Annabeth for this-because I don't know if she knows what Percy's thinking.
Has Percy ever told her that he feels like he has to be the perfect boyfriend for her and always please her? Because if he has, and if she hasn't shot down that ridiculous notion, then it's bad writing on Rick's part-
But if Percy HASN'T told her that, then how can we blame her?
In the end, I blame Rick Riordan and his terrible writing.
But can someone please tell me if Percy ever told Annabeth about wanting to be the perfect boyfriend for her? Has he ever told her about ANY of his insecurities?
Fun fact is that no one has even had an inch of an extreme reaction yet. If we wanted to be extreme, we would tear down other characters to prove Percy's supremacy like every other stan seems to do. There would be death threats flinging around the way percabeth stans do to any other Percy ship or to those who don't critique on Percy and Annabeth. There's not even basic curses thrown around in any of the posts.
We are literally posting as civilly as possible, pointing out flaws and inconsistencies in canon and the way Percy is mistreated also through canon evidence because we are sensible people who just want other people with common sense, emphasis on common sense to acknowledged the character butchering Rick is doing to Percy to prop up Annabeth or the endless made up arguments other character stans invent to prop up their favorite and tear down Percy. But as it stands, facts seem to give everyone in the community indigestion. We aren't even anywhere near the extremes others usually employ. Enough said.
"ppl in this fandom overreact when someone so much as breathes on Percy-"
I'm sorry, my favourite 16/17 year old has been tortured half to death TWICE in the last 12 months, and no one, not a single character protected him, checked in with him emotionally afterward or provided any type of medical aid. no one. instead he's blamed to defending himself in the only possible way he could've, and HIS TORMENTORS are comforted right in front of him, BY HIS LOVED ONES.
yeah I think this calls for a bit of an extreme reaction, don't you think?
The fucking audacity some percabeth stans have to degrade the value of human life over something that doesn't even exist??? Are your lives so miserable and dull that you have to go around doing such things to feel anything? And of course, you don't have enough courage or enough conviction in your own opinions to post them with your own name. The cowardice speaks for itself, if you know what I mean.
The ship is hands down already very terrible, but the stans are even more so. The bar is already so damn low that it's a tripping hazard in hell, and yet there are people like you playing limbo over there.
You lot think you are helping the ship? Do you think you people who idolize it so much are helping with stuff like this? If anything, people like you are all the more reason for hating percabeth. Your ship is so frail that even one comment can destroy its credibility and set people like you off. To all the Percabeth lovers who don't partake in such behavior, just look at this, look at your fucking community. And I am telling you this is on the low spectrum of the horrible harassment some blogs have had to face so grow the fuck up before everyone turns against the Percabeth community cause they will. People don't post things like that because they don't want to spread too much negativity, but it happens and is happening all the time. And it's best to accept that half the toxicity in the fandom comes from your community.
No, this is not an overreaction. This needs to be said, and you people need to hear it.
ohm god anti Percabeths like u r soo annoying legit just kill urself
I have a better idea-track me down and kill me yourself and use my soul to bring your grammar back to life.
Oh my God. How did I forget this one??? Peak Percy Jackson! I swear Son of Neptune was everything. Percy, Hazel, and Frank is the best trio. There, I said it. Yes, I like it even more than the original trio. And finally, Percy's getting the thirdwheeling experience, lol. Grover is glad.
This book and Son of Sobek have my favorite Percy characterization of all time. Not to mention short stories like Sword of Hades and The Stolen Chariot.
I know I have said the same thing before, but I will say it again, Percy's best and most consistent characterization comes from when he goes solo on something. [He almost always went solo in each book of the original series, and we got pure Percy based writing]. Others who have yet to reread these books, please do. They are so good.
At this point, Rick, if you want to recover, just give Percy a solo book again. By solo, I mean no Percabeth involved or Annabeth involved. Percy has been so undermined and twisted by Rick just to put Annabeth on a pedestal. What the hell kind of relationship is that anyway? Until Rick learns how to write both Percy and Annabeth properly in a relationship without being unjust to both of them, just give them solo books. Or drop the ship. Either way, just do one or the other.
cant believe the same man who wrote wottg percy also wrote THIS
people literally drowning out him out with applause when he tried to downplay himself?? making him walk around the mess hall because they wanted to be his friend?? "I want to be percy jackson when I'm older"??
take me back to when percy was characterised like this I beg of you rick