#Jason- Blood Python

[puppetmaster13u]

Thinkin of naga batfam, and as it's a prompt there's legitimately no canon for what they are, but here's my takes on which sneks each of them would be based off of, if they are in fact based off of snakes from earth. And not like, the realm of the dead or another planet or something lol.

Bruce- Rinkhals Spitting Cobra

Barbara- Purple-Glossed Snake

Dick- Bluestripe Garter

Cass- Banded Krait

Jason- Blood Python

Steph- Taipan

Tim- Coral Snake

Duke- Eyelash Viper

Damian- Boomslang

Helena- Black Mamba

Terry- Red Keelback

Matt- Bush Viper 

What would Danny be? Good question. Some ideas include puff adder, hognose snake (the ones that play dead), anaconda or calabar python

#dcxdp #dpxdc #naga au #snek curse #fun fact coral snakes are venomous but don't deliver it effectively to be considered as dangerous as they should be #they have the second most dangerous venom in the world but they don't deliver enough of it #now tim is much bigger than a coral snek however #also fun fact eyelash vipers can be other colors besides yellow lol #guess what juvenile boomslangs have more yellow coloration on parts of their body #batfamily #danny fenton #he just a lil guy #okay but the fun thing about trans batman in this idea #female snakes are larger than males #so he's a Very Big dude #big enough to curl around All of the family #anyway i need sleep so #batfam #seriously what would danny be lol

[justacopollolover]

I always have wondered why TOA is such and underating saga even if it concludes the 'camp half-blood chronicles'. Like, is it the lack of Percy Jackson? People got tired after heroes of olympus? Is it because Piper and Jason? When TSATS came out, I realized that there are a lot of PJO fans that haven't read TOA.

I really like it, I loved Apollo as the main character, see the world of PJO through the eyes of a god. The characters from HOO have a really good development, I loved Piper in this books because she realized what she really wanted after Hera messed up her memory and after the war. Then we have Leo and Calypso, not all romantic relationships have to be perfect or something, I understand why Calypso is pissed off, she just got out of the island where she was trapped for like thousands of years, it's really difficult to meet the real world, even if you really want to. And then we have MEG MCCAFREY, LIKE I really don't understand why people don't like her, she is and amazing traumatized character, she is annoying because she was ment to do that, she was abused and because of that she doesn't know how to show her emotions and how to treat people, It's normal from someone like her.

And let me speak about the villians, they are like the best villians Rick Riordan has come up with, Luke is a little above of them (I consider that Luke Castellan is the best villian of the whole riordanverse, he was right after all, and TOA just confirms that). I don't think Gaea was a bad villian, she was a really good one, I was scared the shit out of her, BUT in blood of olympus she wasn't as scary as in the other books, the fight was so rushed and I think that Leo should have died for real, even if I really like his character in TOA, because his dead would have made Gaea more reliable as the ultimate villian after Chronos (remember that the war took a lot of lives during the five books, but in HOO only took Octavian, and he commited sucide so...). BUT the Roman emperors take all the good things Gaea had and all the good things Chronos had and made up three wonderful villians with stories in relation with the characters, more human and not supernatural, and they took the lives of characters we loved, they did horrible things to Apollo and Meg, and their final was amazing, it wasn't rushed and they killed characters we loved (my god Caligula).

And then, we have Python, I think that we couldn't have a better villian and only because of this reason: in the whole PJO and HOO we use prophecies as a way to start a mission, without prophecies there aren't missions and without missions our heroes can't save the day. SO, who is better villian than someone who can literally take control of the prophecies and the future itself?

So, what is the reason to not read TOA?

#pjo hoo toa

[kindlingkeen]

About the batarang thing... Yes, Jason has friends, so... Hurt/Comfort?

Jason, kneeling in a puddle of blood: *gurgles*

Carlos: there, there, ‘tis but a flesh wound

Jason: did you seriously just quote monty python at me while I’m dying *blood spurts*

Zane: holy fucking goddamn son of a bitch jesus christ fuck fuck fuck fuck shi— *passes out*

Sarah, applying pressure with one hand and opening a suture pack with other: seriously? Men

Jason: *gurgles some more*

And then they all learn ASL together and live happily ever after.

Hurt/comfort like that? 😜

#keen converses #the great batarang debate #my fics #asymmetrical warfare #jason todd #utrh au #keep ‘em coming friends

[aroaceleovaldez]

List just for fun, since I think a lot of people don’t remember these days how many PJO characters are themed around specific mythological figures -

Some PJO characters and their primary mythological basis/counterparts:

Percy - Obviously, Perseus, but also Theseus

Annabeth - Atalanta (Also where she gets her name)

Jason - Jason, again obviously

Piper - Unconfirmed, but most likely Orpheus

Leo - Demophon of Eleusis

Frank - Meleager

Castor & Pollux - Castor & Pollux

Silena Beauregard - Patroclus

Clarisse la Rue - Achilles

Thalia - Thalia, the Charity (Grace) (yes, PJO Thalia’s name is a pun) and possibly Odysseus

And as a bonus - Books/series and their primary myths/story basis:

The Lightning Thief - Several myths, primarily relating to Perseus and Theseus

Sea of Monsters - The Odyssey / The Argonautica

The Titan’s Curse - the Labours of Hercules

Battle of the Labyrinth - Daedalus’ Labyrinth, obviously

The Last Olympian - The Titanomachy / The Iliad

Heroes of Olympus - Seven Against Thebes / Jason & the Argonauts / The Gigantomachy

Blood of Olympus - The Gigantomachy / Seven Against Thebes / Battle of the Lacus Curtius

Trials of Apollo - Apollo slaying Python / Apollo as a mortal serving King Admetus of Pherae

#pjo #percy jackson #hoo #heroes of olympus #annabeth chase #jason grace #piper mclean #leo valdez #frank zhang #i unfortunately dont know if Hazel has a particular individual hero she's based on #same for Nico and Reyna though their roles in HoO definitely mirror some stuff in Seven Against Thebes

[fanaticastrid]

More SotP brainrot because if I can't art, I type, but I don't have THO for now sooo

-big brain idea that Lester glows this soft blue at night like he does in his aoroi state, and it's so pretty waaa

-Lester's main ideal that he has to help people no matter what. Imagine just how well he'll handle Jason's death. Like he will go BESERK and want to kill Caligula right then and there, but Apollo and Piper are about to be killed themselves. In Lester's furious state, is it vengeance or survival? (And yes, Lester won't ever be the same after this. He's more bitter and pretty much during BMR he's planning on killing Caligula himself. Then we'll get to him VS Commodus for the last time, and THAT BOY WILL BE AN ANIMAL.)

-Only Apollo was supposed to go to Delphi. Then Python pulled one of his cruelest moves yet. No spoilers :3

-Before the group went to pick up Jason, Lester had an unwanted visitor in his dreams. He has a horrible feeling that when they find Caligula's base, not everyone will come back. That message said nothing good. Nooo spoooileerss :33

-After Apollo is restored to godhood, Lester is more than thrilled about his own survival and that he and Apollo succeeded. After some much needed time with his family, he goes back to Camp Half Blood to catch up with everyone, but when asked about Apollo, he's got nothing. He doesn't know if Apollo made it, and it tears at him. He spends some time at camp to improve his skills (and maybe learn a thing or two) and after a few days, he hears the campers screaming his name in joy. When he goes to investigate, Lester completely breaks down upon seeing himself, but that's not himself because it was Apollo, and he just... OH. He charges him, gives him a big ol hug, and gives him a lil smooches despite their audience. Lester doesn't care, Apollo is alive and that's all he cares about.

-I'm thinking that the ending will be super wholesome. Just our two dorks, laying in Lester's bed, and he's just talking about everything he's been through with Apollo. He says that his one gripe was the fact that he never got to see Apollo's real appearance, as Apollo now saw Lester without the edits made for his punishment. That prompts Apollo to get up and show his godly appearance to him, and Lester almost faints from the gorgeous sight. "I've gotta stop staring or I'll have testosterone overload. Holy shit. You're hot." Apollo laughs off the comment and admits that he's more comfortable as Lester himself, but with his blessing he'll change it a little so as to not be confused with him. Lester agrees and they go back to cutesy cuddly cuddling ITS ADORABLE SHUT UP

#trials of apollo #double lester au #fan au #alternate universe #my au #lesterverse #toa au #toa #lester papadopoulos #leander belenus papadopoulos #the trials of apollo #fanfiction #fanfic #my au ideas

[money-and-dandellions]

Of tears and nights.

TW: Self-harm, description of dead bodies but not a lot, angst, implied eating disorder.

"...Don't deserve their kindness, you know that?"

He couldn't breathe.

Everything seemed much colder than he managed to remember, the voices hitting the walls of his skull with tedious temp, drawing undeniably clear sketches with something.

Was it blood? Was it his? 

He felt how a drop fell on his gray forehead, freezing with the touch. It sticked to the skin, not wanting to fall. It repeated a few times, burning stronger with each, marking his body.

———— ———— ———— ———— 

Blue eyes were staring at him from the ceiling, not blinking, making him want to shrink. Blond hair were dusty, red, so familiar, glasses - crooked.

What... But he can't be here, he's dead, he saw him die—

The room shook, he stumbled, almost falling, stopping millimeters away from a sharp edge of a dagger.

A small exhale was heard when pain hugged him, choking with it's warm hands.

Everything went disgustingly pink.

———— ———— ———— ———— 

"Oh, right, you're weak, you can't."

He wanted to rip off the voice's arteries, so it would finally shut up and stay silent afterwards; also, he wanted to curl into a ball, letting himself shake and go numb, letting the hot tears stream down.

The vision was covered with a thin layer of pinkish blurr, every part of his body hurt, as if he was pulled in different directions with thick ropes that were cutting in his skin. For some reason, he could feel the blood in the veins boil, turning dark-purple.

Everything was burning, his body was filled with liquid fire, eating it out. His eyes were stuffed with smoke, so we're his lungs. He felt how his ribs got crushed under the pressure, pieces of bones stabbing his lungs. For a second, he saw a glimpse of yellow, glowing eyes and a sleek long body that was wrapping around his skinny, small, one. Hissing made his ears blow up.

Bodies of Jason Grace and Meg, oh gods he is destroying everyone's life, layed on the stone floor, their spines bended around 90 degrees incorrectly. 

His own spine crushed with a wet sound. A sob escaped his throat, leaving it choked with blood.

———— ———— ———— ————

The thin mattress creaked miserably as Lester woke up, gasping for breath, his eyes wide open, unstable;  hot tears were running down his cheeks abd on his neck, wetting the a little worn-out t-shirt he was in; his curls were all around the neck and shoulders, a little damp with sweat, his heart beating, making it hard to breathe. He let out a few small shaky breaths, before wiping his face with the back of his hand. It was trembling a little.

The motel room was dirty, barely lit, the sounds of highway echoing through paper-like walls of the building. The bed sheets were dusty, clearing a cloud of dirt every time a weight was put on them. There were some coffee (at least, it was better be coffee) spots on the pillow and duvet covers; the windows were muggy with feculence, so no sunlight or moonlight whatsoever could get through it. 

A paper cup, once filled with cheap 3-in-1 instant coffee (the filthy sweet taste was still lingering in his throat), was put on a shabby, small table.

The blinding lit electronic watch was showing around 4 in the morning. If he remembers correctly, they have crashed into the room in around 11 pm, he fell asleep almost 3 hours later, trying to figure out what to do next, listening to his young master's quiet breathing—

Meg.

His eyes started to the other single-sized bed, barely noticing how messy it was. 

The thin duvet was mostly laying on the floor, only covering a half of the girl's lower body and a leg. She was sleeping in a  second-hand t-shirt that was too big for her and looked like a dress from some angle. Her black hair were all around the pillow, some - on her face or in the mouth. Her arms were sprayed on the different sides on the bed, she was weirdly turned around. 

For a second, he saw her so small bended body in Python's cave. His chest got tight, vision - blurry. His mouth tasted like warm lake water.

He didn't really register how'd he manage to get out of the bed so quickly and without falling, but his hands were already checking his sister's Meg's pulse when the afterthought came in. It didn't really matter now, he just needed to be sure that she is alive.

The beating was steady and quiet. She wrinkled her nose a little, before mumbling something about how cool those deer were.

(A few days later when they were driving on a country road near a forest, a few deer came out of it with their fawns running awkwardly along. It seemed, that the small ones were born only a few days prior. 

Meg noticed the animals, pointed it loudly out, smiling. She urged him to stop the car, he did. After an extremely difficult fight with the window, it got opened and the girl was staring at the animals for a solid few minutes. They stared black, their little black eyes resembling black holes far too much. 

After 5 or so minutes, no he didn't count but two songs passed, the animals walked away, the little ones hurrying behind.

'Roe deer.'

She turned around, looking at him strangely as if he just had grown a pineapple instead of his head.

'What?'

He looked at her once more, sighing.

'Roe deer. Those were roe deer.'

After a second of silence, when Meg finished observing how the window was closing, she turned to him once more.

'They were nice.')

He smiled a little, picking up the light duvet and making sure to tuck her in carefully, brushing the raven-black hair away from her mouth. Her glasses were on the jiggered nightstand near the bed.

One look at his hands and he froze. The veins were still a little dark than they were supposed to be. The lake taste came back. 

———— ———— ———— ————

Finding one hunched over a cold toilet seat, retching himself out is a not a good way to form a first impression. Alas, it was not the case.

It was in sickly green, hospital, colour, making the slushy saliva-only substance feel on the tongue even worse than it was already. His hands were hugging the toilet, his knees on the cold tile dirty floor. 

The situation was truly miserable.

His stomach grumbled quietly, making him groan through the nausea.

He was not hungry, or at least, not already.

Meg needed food more than he did, so, what the big deal if he will give her his portions. She was more hungry than he was, she was a child, children need food to grow and to be healthy, so, it was perfectly fine.

He is okay with coffee and some fries that half-mindedly got into his mouth. The planning was going better when he didn't want to sleep anyway and the food did not help it at all. 

His mind remembered how Meg glared at him, while he was sipping any of the cups of coffee, wincing just a little from the awful taste. How she pressed her lips, muttering something under her breath. He didn't really hear any of it, but there were more fries left in the paper box that he ate.

His hands grabbed the toilet harder, another portion of slushy substance went into nowhere.

———— ———— ———— ————

Wiping his mouth, flushing the toilet and trying to regain physical stability were hard to accomplish. Somehow, he managed to. He staggered on his feet, grabbing the sink for support, looking in the mirror for a second and meeting his own dazed eyes. 

The motel razor blade was laying on the edge of the sink, on a small package, right next to the plastic, bright orange, razor itself. He grabbed it, not really thinking much about the afterwards.

The paper got thrown into the bin creating a small sound, the metal gleemed a little in the dim bathroom light (he doesn't remember turning it on, though). 

Red was more familiar to him than gold. He never saw his own ichor, never it was warmly tickling his shoulder and forearm that were covered in similar lines, some deep, some - not, going to the brownish sink. 

The red though? A lot, not all done by himself.

He gazed at the blade, throwing it away to the  paper, washing his face and arm with ice-cold water. It smelled like chlorine. His hands were shaking a little, the liquids got on his shirt and hair. Not that they were not already wet. 

Gulping down Ibuprofen felt nice; his arm was not bleeding a lot. He sighed, stared at the sink for a while, his head empty, the buzzing was slowly stopping, and looked up.

———— ———— ———— ————

Black eyes were staring at him in the mirror, the girl's eyebrows furrowed. Her glasses were a little crooked on her nose, as it was put on in a hurry. 

He looked away, not knowing what to say. She was not supposed to know about it, about anything.

Meg pressed her lips together, shaking.

———— ———— ———— ————

'I—'

The air got sucked out of his lungs as he felt a warm body hitting his own.

Both of them were trembling, she was crying. He hugged her a little tighter, his forearm starting to bleed again.

' 'm sorry.'

#sunflower siblings #lester papadopoulos #meg mccaffrey #one shot #pain #suffering #i'll post it on ao3 #she cares about him so much #love them #they fare about each other #Lester's pain #ed #oneshot

[cool-jpgs-of-wizards-with-swords]

I, despite my URL being (if I was to judge) one of the worst to do this with, or, (because of the creatureness of the tagger in question,) perhaps BECAUSE of my URL being what it is, have been tagged by @qthewhatever to spell out my URL with song names. This is a slight and an attack and I will inflict my horrible little fangs upon you. however i will not back down from the challenge >:3

quick addition from being about halfway done with this. we are fighting. we are fighting and theres going to be guts and blood and stuff . why does my url have so many FUCKING O's.

C - Chokehold Cherry Python -- Ashnikko

O - O -- The Prodigy (I thought it was called "Omen" btw)

O - Occam's Razor -- Ferry

L - Little Dark Age -- MGMT

J - Junge -- Die Ärzte

P - Pyrite Girl -- Riproducer

G - Grimoire -- Reol

S - Saint Bernard -- Lincoln

O - Oleander -- Mother Mother

F - Fireflies -- Chris Garneau

W - World Eater -- Ashnikko

I - I hate it! -- Ferry

Z - Zeitgeist -- Black Sabbath

A - Animal Impulses -- IAMX

R - Run Rabbit Run -- The Hoosiers

D - Dumbest Girl Alive -- 100 Gecs

S - Sour Switchblade -- Elita

W - Welcome To The Black Parade -- MCR

I - Industry Baby -- Lil Nas X

T - through me to you -- Ferry

H - Home to Me -- Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

S - Smells Blood -- Kensuke Ushio

W - Where is my mind? -- Pixies

O - Once & for All-- The Crane Wives

R - Rules of Nature -- Jason Charles Miller

D - Dirty Summer -- Mother Falcon

S - Super Soaker-- Ashnikko

its fucking done its fucking done its fucking done ohhhhh hHHHH MY GOD THAT TOOK ME FOREVERRR

i also made a spotify playlist for this if anyone wants to do that to themselves

RIGHT its a tagging game i should single out some hapless victims fresh participants

@cyanide--cypher @evil-hat @the-stray-liger lets go gang at least you wont have a harder time than me. now excuse me im going to be hunting down @qthewhatever

#thanks for the tag!!! this was fun! :D #just to be clear this is kayfabe im not upset with q in the slightest <3

[newathens]

anyway here’s how i would have written the finale and final chapters of tower of nero and by all accounts was going to write it in the toa fic i had started. no one steal this im so serious you will find me standing over your bed

apollo returns to new york and immediately recruits the help of annabeth and percy who are waiting for him after hearing the news about jason. they visit rachel. she shows apollo her blurry visions and one deeply resonates him but he doesn’t like it.

they get to camp. they prepare the camp for war. apollo meets rhea. she too gives him cryptic messages but for all intents and purposes looks settled and calm. he doesn’t like this.

annabeth gets them into the tower hashtag architecture queen. there is battle, there are mega fights. we’re only about halfway through the book. apollo is sent down to defeat python.

he gets his godly power back as he is fighting python and as he is defeating this snake all the unsettling feelings he’s been having come to a climax as his destiny actualizes itself in the realization he must kill his father zeus. there’s this image in my head if apollo fully a god in a golden torn chiton throwing python over a ledge, watching him descend into darkness and then falling to his knees in desperation and screaming into the darkness.

the descent. and now the rise. he comes up to the world changed. the main demigods immediately clock him but are confused. he explains his plan and his reasoning and goes on this whole tangent. they agree. he has a meeting with his siblings. only a few of them. not everyone can be trusted. i kind of have this idea that he bursts under pressure and starts crying in front of ares asking him to do it like paris does with hector in troy 2004 but im not sure if i want to do that.

there’s more but ok final chapters

apollo finally returns to olympus. in the throne room. half the olympian council are in on his plan the other half are clueless. zeus and him have a few lines of dialogue exchanged than there is an eerie silence. something feels very very off.

before anything can be done, zeus’ on throne comes apart. he is trapped in a golden net hashtag my net goddess queen from book 2 i can’t remember her name. he is trapped and he is livid and we love drama so yes poseidon gets really defensive because he was not included this time AND hades materializes in the throne room like listen they’ve been through a lot no one’s ready to get overthrown.

it is so tense like there’s shouting and yelling and weapons drawn there’s no possible way a fight isn’t going to break out but a huge shout makes everyone pauses. it’s rhea. yes u heard me right

she walks into the throne room full regalia eyes glowing. no one has seen her like this in centuries. she gives concerning news, she drags zeus across the coals tbh, she explains how he got to this point and how she is disappointed etc etc

but she has also come to offer a solution because—big shocker—apollo can’t do it. apollo cannot kill him.

rhea suggests that he take over as the director of camp half blood for the next 150 years. there are gasps there are protests dionysus literally is grinning like a madman. zeus protests, who will watch over olympus. before anyone can say anything, rhea appoints hera. pin drop silence

it is the only solution. zeus agrees, considering he is suspended and with literally no other options. his agreement is said with the most malicious intent you could ever imagine

epilogue at camp. it’s been a few months now. apollo visits. percy and annabeth have been helping out. lots of happy go lucky-ness. apollo and zeus have a conversation. zeus humbly admits his errors, but in a not subtle way threatens apollo and anyone that helped him.

apollo takes it as is.

this ending ending im not sure if it but here:

zeus gestures apollo to follow him. for the main demigods to follow him. they are led into the forest where thanatos waits with a shimmering but very real jason who is solid enough to hug. there are tears and hugs and a picnic and conversation.

apollo and zeus stand side by side, watching. things are different this time. things will heal. the cycle is finally broken.

rachel finishes her first painting since her oracle sight was restored and titles it a new age.

#gotta go to bed gn ❤️

[amcrimera]

Camp Half-Blood actually kinda sucks ngl.

You have to play/train in the woods, which are clearly stated to be FULL of dangerous monsters just waiting to kill you

In capture the flag, the only actual rule is that the others aren't allowed to maim you on purpose. And even if they do, in TLT, it's hinted that the punishment for maiming another camper is and I quote: “no dessert for a week” Like what?? Y'all, they took my ARMS, and the only punishment they get is no desert???

No one gets real punishments for doing seriously bad things (like maiming another camper), because what is Chiron gonna do? Send them out of camp or into the woods to get maimed/killed by monsters??

Not to mention the camp games themselves:

Capture the flag: where there is a real possibility that other campers will attack and MAIM me

Three-legged races in the LABYRINTH: like, Chiron, didn't you have a rule that forbade campers from even hanging NEAR the labyrinth entrance??? Didn't you discourage Annabeth-and-them from going on the quest in the labyrinth?? Now, you're the biggest fan of sending all these kids to their deaths in that horrible maze for the sake of giving them an activity??? Just cuz the woods were out of commission????

(And no, don't tell me that the labyrinth is better in toa, because it's 'less evil's or 'its not the same labyrinth made by Daedalus'. The new labyrinth was made by Pasiphae, an evil, vengeful, angry witch. Which is so much better than Deadalus?? Not to mention that the labyrinth is STILL trying to kill people. Remember where Apollo and Meg ended up? Underneath PYTHON. Remember what happened to Paulo? His arms were DISMEMBERED. Don't try and tell me that the labyrinth is safe)

Then there's the fact that there have been multiple occasions where they sent campers with NO EXPERIENCE OR TRAINING out on dangerous, world-changing quests.

Percy was TWELVE and had only had a week of training before they let him go on a quest. With another twelve year old without any experience.

Piper and Leo had had absolutely no training, and while they still had Jason, wouldn't it have made sense to send seasoned veterans on this quest to save the world?

Other things too, like how CHB clearly doesn't care about my safety.

There are Harpies who will kill and eat me if I'm out at after curfew. What if I haven't properly trained and my a-hole siblings decided to lock me out as a prank? What then, do I just die?

There are other things, but this post is long.

In conclusion, if a satyr came to my school and told me about CHB, I'd straight up tell him no.

#chb #pjo #that place sucks #people have died at chb and its not only because of the titan war #you can't tell me otherwise #chiron: lets make these kids fight for their lives once more for the sake of giving them activities #don't get me started on mr d #no thank you #anti camp jupiter stans: but cj is so barbaric i'll die there #me: you'll die at chb too don't worry

[teenageread]

Review: The Tower of Nero

Synopsis:

At last, the breathtaking, action-packed finale of the #1 bestselling Trials of Apollo series is here! Will the Greek god Apollo, cast down to earth in the pathetic moral form of a teenager named Lester Papadopoulos, finally regain his place on Mount Olympus? Lester's demigod friends at Camp Jupiter just helped him survive attacks from bloodthirsty ghouls, an evil Roman king and his army of the undead, and the lethal emperors Caligula and Commodus. Now the former god and his demigod master Meg must follow a prophecy uncovered by Ella the harpy. Lester's final challenge will be at the Tower of Nero, back in New York. Will Meg have a last showdown with her father? Will this helpless form of Apollo have to face his arch nemesis, Python? Who will be on hand at Camp Half-Blood to assist? These questions and more will be answered in this book that all demigods are eagerly awaiting.

Plot:

Apollo and Meg have traveled across the entire United States for their quest. From visiting old friends, making new ones, it is time for Apollo and Meg to return, back to New York, back to Camp Half-Blood, to prepare for their final battle against Nero. With the help on the inside from Lu, Meg’s old guard, and friend, the team is joined by Nico, Will, and Rachel to defeat Nero. As all psychopathic fathers do, Nero had a plan: get Meg and Apollo to surrender otherwise he would blow up the entire state of New York, including Camp Half-Blood. With the prophecy almost fulfilled, Apollo is at his final test to defeat Nero and prove that he should be a god again or die as a moral. With more than just his life at stake, Apollo is tested to the fullest of his humanity with this action pack conclusion that leaves you an emotional ending you would not want to miss. 

Thoughts:  

Rick Riordan has done it again, ending off another series with a banger of an ending. As someone who has not always enjoyed this series, Riordan definitely pays attention to that, making this novel wrap everything up in a nice bow, while making everything evident. The death of Jason, which at the time I saw as a complete cop-out, begins to make sense in this novel, as Riordan keeps the death of Jason close to Apollo, to help remind him of his humanity, and why these demigod battles are worth fighting for. Which is part of Riordan writing that this book does better than the others - the humanity of it. Finally, as it “do or die time”, Riordan has Apollo expressing several human emotions and understands the complexity of humanity, as his time on earth is running to an end. Meg, whom we have seen grow confident, is trusted back under Nero’s thumb, allowing us to see if these past few months made her grow, or is she still scared of Nero and what ‘the Beast’ can do. With flowing writing that’s easy to follow, Riordan made this book take a leisurely stroll, in the beginning, to race to the action pack scenes in the middle, to give us a nice river-side walk of an ending to a peaceful day. Wearing Riordan really scored points with me - a fantastic ending. A bittersweet one that allows you to feel happy but sad at the same time, as the Trials of Apollo did end, Riordan allows a glimpse into the lives of all the characters we have loved throughout this series and previous ones, allowing you to know all is well in Riordan’s greek world - until he writes another one. Overall, this book does justice to the series, and to the greek world, Riordan created, with Apollo finally understanding humanity, Meg finding a home of her own, and everyone gets what they deserve.

Read more reviews: Goodreads

Buy the book: Amazon

#The Tower of Nero #The Trials of Apollo #Rick Riordan #book review

[staysafedontdie]

Jason: Do the pin-ny thing???

Apparently you can pin posts on Tumblr now???

About me:

Name: Jason Age: 31 What the fuck am I:

A Leo.

Trans dude

Bisexual (Former pan; hated the jokes, miss the flag)

4th generation Pretty-White Canadian. Like really, really Canadian.

Alternative acceptable answer would be "an embarrassment"

Favorite Color: Blood red and Cerulean Blue together OR if i have to choose one and can't make up my mind then a rich, bold, Reddish-Orange that looks like Safety Orange, International Orange, and Kenny McCormick had a color baby together.

What to expect:

From me:

Fanfics/Fanart

Me yelling into the void

Me screaming in the tags

Pictures of my mini museum and any new specimens I get for it (rocks, gems, fossils, bones, meteorite pieces, insect taxidermy, maybe other weird shit)

Merch pics, maybe

Book recs, probably

Shippy stuff

Idk gays, probably

In general:

Whatever I think is cool/looks cool/is interesting

South Park (I like Kenny, Cartman, and Butters the most, so expect a lot of them.)

Other fandoms (Chainsaw Man, My Hero Academia, Deadpool, The Expanse, Demon Slayer, The Crows half of Grishaverse, Xiran Jay Xhao's Iron Widow-verse.)

Nostalgia fandoms (Maybe some Undertale, Pokemon, FFX, lil Homestuck if I'm feeling spicy)

General cool stuff

Photography

Crows and snakes (i got to touch a python at a pride event and cried legitimate tears i love snakes and corvids so much!!)

People Who Have No Business Being That Attractive, Dear Lord

Socially progressive stuff ("why can't we be friends" by Smashmouth plays aggressively in the distance)

Cool science/space

For you:

Go ahead and message me/send me asks if you want?

Join my (aged 17+) South Park Discord that's aiming to recreate the energy of the official South Park Discord's Discussion Channel but everywhere. And you can RP, theorycraft, talk ships, post fanart and fanfics and shit, idk. It's a tiny server, but a vibe.

#about me #yelling into the void

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #170

Give us a lyric from a song you’ve recently listend to: I'm listening to "Slum Planet" by 3TEETH right now and the lyric just said was "no one wins in this human race."

Why did you cry the last time you did? I learned about diabetic comas and started fearing that one day it'll happen to Mom while she's asleep with how violently her blood sugar plummets. My anxiety was so fucking bad that night, I had so much trouble falling asleep.

Have you donated blood in the last 2 years? No, but I actually plan on doing it with Girt this Sunday, it completely depends on what my blood pressure is at the time of the appointment; it's almost always alarmingly low EVERY time I get it checked, like it's just normal for me (partially because of a med), so there is a very real chance of me being turned down. But I'm still going with him regardless though, he loves when he gets the chance to do it (drives are coincidentally almost always on work days for him lol) and I fucking love that.

What is your relationship with the last person to comment you? Like, on a social media? Facebook is telling me Ashley, my boyfriend's sister.

Who was the last person to sit on your bed? Me, I still do certain physical therapy exercises lying and sitting on it.

Do you have a favorite flower? Orchids, pink tulips (I don't really care about non-pink ones that much), dahlias, hydrangeas, roses, etc. I just adore flowers.

Would you rather be stuck on a desert island with your ex or a python? HA give me the fucking python, at least the snake won't make me feel like literal trash. Besides, a python is not going to be able to eat me and with that fact it'd have no interest in bothering me, and I'd leave it alone too. Don't villainize snakes.

Name three objects within your reach? My water bottle, planner, and Girt's work schedule for like an entire year lmao. He gave it to me for the convenience of planning hanging out days and I think he also knows I just like knowing where he is, especially if my anxiety is high and I can't immediately reach him.

Would you get a shamrock tattooed to your forehead for $5,000? Gah, that money is FUCKING TEMPTING, but I just couldn't.

Where was the last place you went that was more than an hour away? Why were you going there? A city two hours away that is where Girt's grandmother is at a nursing home. We were celebrating her birthday; that day wasn't her actual birthday, but it's a day that worked for the family to get together. It meant a lot to be there, because odds are it was her last.

Who was the last person to tell you you looked nice? Girt, I think?

Do you know a schizophrenic person? Girt's mother, and I know of my schizophrenic half-sister.

Name the last 3 people you kissed and list one nice thing about each one. Girt is very polite, Sara was very creative, and Tyler, uh... he was sweet?

Are you friends with a Conner? No, I don't even know one.

What is the last thing you spoke to your father about? He sent me a picture of his cat Louie chilling with a deer in he and his wife's backyard. I'm against letting your cat free-roam outdoors, but regardless it was very cute and I said so. He was just sitting chilling while the deer grazed.

Ever suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? I literally have it, yeah.

During which year of your life were you the most unhappy? I genuinely don't think any hell a god could make could be worse than what 2016 was for me. Every waking moment I wanted to be dead, and when I slept my dreams were always the same: extremely painful and focused on Jason and how we'd never be what we were again.

Have you ever seen a bluejay in person? Yes, I love them. I used to collect bluejay feathers while I dated Jason actually, because his nickname from his dad was always "J Bird," and I called him that sometimes too.

Who is the most energetic and happy person you know of? My nephew Ryder.

Who makes you smile the most often? Girt.

Do you remember the first person you felt sexually attracted to? In a completely serious context, Jason.

Of all of your friends’ significant others, who do you get along with best? And least? I don't really know my friends' s/os, at least not on a personal level.

Have you ever had a platonic friend that everyone insisted you should be in a relationship with? YUP, GIRT. Finally happened lmao, bomb-ass decision.

Who do you think is the most attractive actor? Probably Jason Momoa lmao, or Johnny Depp.

Have you ever been caught doing something REAL embarrassing by your parents? LOL SURE HAVE AND I WANTED TO PASS AWAY

Do you have any of your neighbors as friends on Facebook? No.

You can only listen to 1 band for the rest of your life, who do you pick? so like...... Rammstein, surprise lmfao

When was the last time you felt like your heart was actually breaking? Many months ago when I was pretty convinced Girt was going to leave and I was going to relive the Jason breakup, just with him. I was fucking hysterical, this guy had to hold me as I probably broke his eardrums scream-crying for like, 15 full minutes. The feeling I had in my chest was more awful than I could ever put into words.

Who was the last person you cried in front of? Probably Mom?

Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? Girt.

Have you ever said anything to the last person you kissed that you regret? Yes, in a couple instances where I was mad.

Do you know anyone who has fought in a war? Jason's dad was in the Navy, but idk if he was ever in a combat situation. I know Girt's dad fought in Operation Desert Storm.

Name ONE good memory about your last ex? I very much felt like I could be 200% myself around her.

Do you live near any large rivers or lakes? Yeah, the Tar River is really long, and I live in an area where you regularly cross smaller bridges over it.

Would it annoy you if a stranger called you "sweetie?" This very much depends. I'd say generally no, I tend to like terms of endearment, but if it's some creepy guy that seems very suspect, I'd be uncomfortable.

What's the worst thing you've gone through in the past year? Letting go of and healing from an extremely rotten friendship. Deciding enough was enough with Sara was so fucking not an easy decision, it was fucking excruciating and involved so much hurt, and I regularly questioned if I was a horrible person.

What's the next friend or family birthday coming up? Will you buy them a present? Literally tomorrow is my sister Ashley's 30th, and no, but only because I don't have a source of income. I can't get anything for family and it fucking sucks.

How many beds are in your home? Two in the traditional sense, however we do have a couch that can fold out into a bed. Not a very comfortable one, but it's a bed.

Do you wear face masks in public? I no longer do, not because I don't believe in the effectiveness of masks (because they fucking are effective), but because I think like most people, I've just given up on the concept of us ever getting Covid under control; it's going to be in the human population for probably as long as we live now. A new type of flu, basically. I would wear a mask though if I was sick with Covid-esque symptoms, that's just basic consideration for other humans.

Have you ever gotten back together with an ex? Only Girt; the first time we dated briefly at the end of 2017 I just wasn't ready to be with a man again. I had walls that weren't coming down.

What month of the year was your mother born? August.

Who do you feel most beautiful around? My mom.

Have you ever had a friend that got a bf/gf, and then completely ignored you? Yes, what a coincidence, I was thinking of her last night. We were online friends with a long, very tight friendship, but one day her accounts that I knew of were just gone, and this was very near the time she started dating some guy.

Who is the smartest person you know? Girt.

If your friend asked you to hold their drugs, would you? Hell no.

The last two people you kissed, are they virgins? Girt's not, Sara was when I knew her, no clue about now.

How did you and your significant other celebrate your last anniversary? We just hung out at my house.

Do you know anyone who owns their own business? Yes, more than one person.

What was the last thing that changed your life completely? Going to physical therapy. I am so fucking happy with all the progress that is still happening, standing is by now generally only uncomfortable versus actually painful. I'm standing more in real-life situations that prove to me how much better my legs have gotten.

What do you normally drink when eating at a fast food restaurant? Usually either Mountain Dew or Coke.

What was the last thing you saw that made you smile? A really cute picture of two of my nieces; Aubree was being an adorable big sister.

Who was the last person you took a photograph with? My niece and sisters.

Did you like the show Invader Zim? Surprisingly I never really watched it, I just thought Gir was cute.

What’s the scariest book you’ve ever read? I've never been scared by a book.

What does your best friend love that you hate? Extremely hard games that generally require hours and hours of failing regularly to get good at it, nameably FromSoft games; I'm quite sure Girt's platinumed/100%ed all of them lmao, meanwhile I couldn't even get to the FIRST BOSS of Bloodborne myself haha, I suck at those games SOOOOOOOOOOO bad. My head nearly exploded when I tried Dark Souls, like I quit pretty damn fast because once a game reaches a certain level of difficulty for me, shit's not fun anymore. Meanwhile Girt's hardheaded as HELL and really gets satisfaction out of figuring out challenges, so FromSoft makes some stuff he really enjoys. What sucks is I LOVE watching the games be played, like Elden Ring is one of the greatest video games ever made in all of history imo, I just don't have the patience for those of its sort as a player. Video games are Girt's "thing" though that he's just super fucking good at.

How well do you know the people you live with? I know my mom very well, and we've been closer than ever lately. I feel our already-strong bond has strengthened quite a bit just from sitting out in the living room with her during dinner more often. She confides in me with a lot of things and has told me how much she appreciates me just listening.

When was the last time you had a conversation with an ex? A few weeks ago with Juan, if you even wanna count him as an ex when we dated for less than a day.

Ever cried while you were on the phone with the last person you kissed? No, we basically never call each other. He's mentioned wanting to but knows I hate phone calls and I'm like you're obviously an exception dude but yeah we don't really talk-talk via the phone.

Have you ever bought a YouTuber’s merch? I have two Cloak shirts, a brand owned by Markiplier and jacksepticeye, and one features the Randler and cockatrice used as symbols for Good Mythical Morning/Rhett & Link.

Do either of your parents have tattoos? No, but my mom wants one based around her kids and grandkids.

For your birthday do people buy you a cake or bake you one? Usually buy.

If your boy/girlfriend wanted to have a sex change, would you support them? Sure would, I'm pansexual anyway so it wouldn't remove my sexual feelings for that person. Like sure it'd obviously be a massive change, requiring adjustments like getting pronouns right, but he/she would have my full support if they felt a sex change would improve their happiness.

What do you think of cannibals? It's gross. I think eating your own species, at least for such developed animals like humans who have consciences that allow us to put meaning into BEING a human, is morally questionable.

#survey #surveys #random questions #personal questions #questionnaire

[manyfictionsmusings]

CHAPTER 2 Invitations

Returning home that night went about how JD expected, he didn’t even pretend to sneak in. He thought he was past caring what the recourse was going to be...

Looking in the mirror and mopping up blood trickling down his temple, he wondered if he should have cared just a little more, he might not have a two-inch cut along his hairline. His patronizing face had apparently set his father off. Worse than usual actually.

He'd exploded at him the moment he’d stepped through the door, JD couldn’t even discern what he was saying before he’d crossed the room and attacked him, tossing him backwards, through a chair. It was complete chaos, before he knew what had happened. Bud came after him again, he felt impossibly strong and Jason felt horridly weak, he ripped him to his feet and threw him backward again. Mrs. Dean’s voice prattled away in the background, egging him on.

JD remembered wondering what kind of mother figure enjoyed seeing a father pummel his teenage son. He knew better than attempting any sort of self-defense, the last time he’d tried to protect himself he’d been fifteen and Bud had broken his wrist, twice. Once during the fight and then again while it was in a cast, to make his point.

JD didn’t have long to think about any of his options, on the second shove he'd hit his head on the coffee table. That was all he remembered of their reunion.

Several hours later he'd awoken, right where they’d left him. In a pool of his own blood, small pool luckily.

Bud’s truck was gone, which meant they'd went for a drug refill and some fast food most like so they must have went out for dinner. Maybe they’d done him a favor and fucking abandoned him.

Naw, there was no way he was that lucky.

“Ouch.”

The wet rag was not stopping the bleeding, he winced at the burn. Normally, he had a topical ointment that stopped bleeding, but most his stuff was still in boxes. He dug weakly through three of them before giving up and stumbling back downstairs for the old-fashioned tool, ice.

Which of course, there was no ice in the box. JD bit his lip and braced against the counter edge, as nausea and emotions warned him of a black out. The view of his own slim fingers clutching the counter faded in and out for a few seconds.

Fuck it! Who really cared if he had a concussion and died in his sleep or bled out with the same outcome. He knew he sure as fuck didn’t, at least it would end his miserable existence.

He staggered and crawled at one point, back to his room and slammed the door defiantly, collapsing on the bed just before total blackness had claimed his depleted mind and body.

~~

Miraculously, JD’s sharp green eyes opened the next morning. He might have wished that wasn’t the case but wherever he was in his nightmares, it was not much better than reality. He’d been dreaming about the future, only he was still a teenager, stuck at home, unable to escape the abuse that he refused to face, or admit to.

That was his life, day after day. To much the coward to end it...

He rolled out of bed and promptly fell over. His head was swimming, his back ached from being thrown into the furniture. He drew a shaky breath and moved slower, using the bed to get back to his feet, where he braced against his knees for a moment, refusing to give up. The clock swam in and out of his vision. He was late for school, but it was not safe to ride his bike in this state.

After a few moments of shallow breathing, he felt himself stabilize enough to stand up fully, as he did, something shiny caught his eye. It was his gun, the Colt Python revolver his dad had bought him last year. A bribe gift before he told him he was marrying Vera. He’d promised they could go to the range, target practice together. They’d never went of course, but JD had gone on his own numerous times, he’d been born with natural talent, according to one of the old timers that’d always hung around the range in Texas. He grabbed the gun and stuck it in his pants, without a second thought.

If they were downstairs…

Jason Dean was going to shoot them. That was that. He’d had enough. He wasn’t going to be 30 year-old, who was still being beaten by his father. He was just going to shoot them and go to school.

Maybe he was insane for thinking that, maybe he’d officially crossed a line by even contemplating the enjoyment he would get out of pulling a gun on Bud and Vera. His fingers trembled with the very thought, as he checked himself over in the mirror again, after changing his shirt. He could hide these at school as long as no one got to close to him, most the wounds were hidden by his dark, thick hair. There was a bruise on his neck and another small one on his cheek.

JD snorted, yeah, no one was going to notice, or care. He was suddenly feeling better, free even, while harboring thoughts of a gun bang ringing in his ears.

He headed back downstairs, trailing his hand along the rail for balance... everything was quiet, but that was normal for these people after they’d been on a bender most the night.

“Ohhh, Dad...” JD slipped the gun out of his pants, as he cleared the wall into the kitchen.

No one.

“Vera.” His own voice echoed sarcastically around the living room.

He bit his lip as he entered the hallway leading to his father’s room, his finger tightened against the trigger, he flung the door open and swung the revolver in opposite sweeping directions, ready to fire, but his hopes fell... The bedroom was empty, a hazardous wreck of half unpacked boxes, dirty clothes, cigarettes and beer bottles but no abusive parents.

“Fuck.” JD mindlessly returned the revolver to his belt line. He leaned against the door jamb as he came down off a skyscraper adrenaline rush, which wasn't helping the pounding headache he already had... Figures, the day he decided he was done having the shit stomped out of him for no reason, they hadn’t come home.

“No led for breakfast.” He muttered, raising his eyebrows. Next time. He had to get to school.

JD had only walked a block before an elderly lady offered to give him a ride. He hopped in gratefully and was polite, answering her questions about who he was and why he’d missed the bus, or his parents taking him. He lied easily, telling her he’d slept in, his dad had work early and he had no vehicle.

“I live just two houses down from you, sweetie, the next time you need a ride, just come over,” she reminded him for a second time, when he climbed out at school.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Steinbrock, I will.” He smiled. First time in a while he realized.

Everyone in Biology class was busy with, thank God, single assignments. JD slipped to his table without to many glances and tried to lose himself in schoolwork.

His heart was still thundering in his chest two classes later, with the thought of what he almost did. Would he have really shot them, if they’d been in their room?

What the fuck were you going to do JD? Pop them in the head while they were sleeping... he didn’t know if it startled him or fascinated him that that was exactly what he would have done. What he wanted to do. He’d never felt so free...

And to add to his painfully pounding heart, in came the dark-haired vixen, called V by her friends, and one of the Heather’s. JD didn’t mean to be looking directly at her, but he was, and their eyes instantly crossed paths. His heart ceased the thundering for what seemed like forever, as their gazes locked. He had never been so affected by someone’s eyes alone, by any part of them really.

She gave him the smallest smile before Heather grabbed her arm and pulled her to her seating behind JD. He followed them with his promiscuous eyes longer than he should have, he was feeling particularly bold today.

“Stare much,” He heard the Heather say, she wasn’t even attempting to whisper. “He looks like he just crawled out of a dumpster. What’s his problem anyway?”

“Be nice. He’s new. I helped him find a class yesterday.” He heard V reply.

JD had to finally gasp for some air, realizing he hadn’t drawn a breath since they’d come in, then he stifled a groan at the blossom of pain involved with deep breaths.

~

The whole day went kind of like that, occasionally glimpsing each other with unspoken feelings, at least JD felt them, he wasn’t sure what she as feeling, but a growing part of him wanted to know. He also forgot about the beating for a while and his dark thoughts to shoot his parents dead.

Just before the evening bell, JD stretched his neck gently for the tenth time. His body was coming to full terms from the beating, no matter how much he wanted to forget about it. His head was throbbing dully and bruises were darkening too, he felt himself retreating inside his shell. The excitement of seeing V was slowly marred with his concern for the possibility of her taking note of the marring leftover from his father.

When the final bell rang, he hurriedly collected his books, while all his insecurities rushed to the surface, why did he think he had a chance with someone like her? Or here in this town, like something would be different? He just wanted to be somewhere safe and quiet.

He rushed into the hallway, blending in amongst the throng of students, and made it to his locker before he was forced to lean against his forearm. His head felt like it was about to explode as the panic attack dug into his heart next. He slung his backpack off and ran a shaky hand through his dark hair.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone disappear from a classroom so fast.”

JD knew before he glanced up that it was her, and he was fully expecting to have a complete mental breakdown, in opposition however, her presence had offered an important shock to his system, snapping him out of his panic attack.

“Oh…yeah, I was feeling a little stifled. Do you ever feel that way?”

She smiled easily, “Yeah but more at parties, I get why you feel that way though.”

JD resisted the urge to raise his eyebrow. You know what it’s like to be afraid of kids noticing your bruises? And having anxiety about going home because it’s probably not the safest thing to get hit in the head again, oh yeah and side note, it’s my dad who's hammering me .... “You do?”

Her eyes were roaming across his features in a way that made him uncomfortable, not because she was looking but because he didn’t want her seeing this side of him. He turned around quickly to stuff his books in the locker, before she noticed anything.

“Sure. I mean being the new kid must make you feel insecure, especially if you’re a little shy. I have been here my whole life, so I know the community, but you moved here...from?”

“Vegas,” JD said without turning around, pretending he was looking for something in the mostly empty locker. How could he want her attention and be afraid of it at the same time?

“Wow, Vegas!” She repeated. “Our little town must seem pretty lame in comparison, huh?”

“Well, we lived in a suburb, it wasn’t high rises and casinos, least not for me.” JD responded, turning around as he did. He ran his hand through his hair again, trying to make sure it stayed over the cut.

“Makes sense. Oh, so I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself yesterday before Heather pulled me away, I’m Veronica Sawyer, you can call me V, if you’d like.”

“Veronica, good to meet you, officially. I’m Jason Dean—JD.”

She smiled, with the smoothest pout he thought he’d ever seen, and he had to glance away again.

“So, I did have another reason for finding you. I wanted to ask you if you would like to join my study group? My mom always cooks us dinner and I think the others would benefit from your intelligence.”

He frowned. “How do you know-”

“Well, Heather—one of my friends—has American history class with you and she told me you aced a pop quiz despite the fact you just got here.”

“Oh,” JD couldn’t help the small smile tugging at his lips, no one had ever noted his intelligence in that sort of way, no one had ever invited him to a study group either but. “I don’t know, I’m not sure I fit in with your friends. That one I met yesterday didn’t seem to like me much.”

“Oh, that was a Heather as well, but she hates everyone, and she won’t be at the study group,” Veronica assured, with a wave of her hand. “And you can use our shower if you need to clean up. We have three bathrooms,” she added, guessing what his next excuse would be.

Jason pressed his lips together. “Alrighty then, what time?”

Her smile grew broader. “We start at 7PM but I think you should come around 6, to clean up.” She handed him a folded paper with the address. The skin of her fingers brushed across his fleetingly and he thought he was going to faint again.

Before they could say anything more and just as suddenly as she'd appeared, Veronica zipped off before one of the Heathers caught sight of her.

JD shook his head; he couldn’t help the smile unfurling across his face. Had an angel really just handed him proof that there was a greater power out there? That maybe this time something besides just his locker combination would be different.

But by the time he left the school grounds, the blanket of doubt and loneliness was trying to settle back over him. He'd asked a local whereabouts to head for Veronica’s address and then he’d meandered that direction on foot. He told himself he didn’t have to go to the study group, but he didn’t want to go home, so who cared if he ended up in some random person’s backyard garage for the night....

….maybe he would just look at her house from the outside. It was all better than any possible outcome from an evening spent at the Dean residence.

#fanfiction #veronica sawyer #jd x veronica #veronica heathers #jd heathers #jason dean #jason dean heathers #heathers fanfic #heathers #hurt #whump #highschool #1980s #1980s vintage #vintage fic #smoking #cigarettes #abuse #trigger warning #gun warning #hurt/comfort

[thatonerandomfangirlwhoreads]

Tower Of Nero Spoilers/Rant!! (Part 6)

Okay, so... at the end of the book Apollo (NOT Lester), decides to visit all the demigods of the Great Prophecy + Camp Half Blood. So this is how those visits went (WARNING!! Percabeth, Solangelo and Frazel cuteness overload). Apollo visits all these people in the form of ...you guessed it, Lester Papadopoulos.

Camp Half Blood Reunion

Apollo goes to the big house and has a little chat with Chiron about a “cat” (Bast) and a “severed head” (Mimir) and common problems amongst different pantheons. This may be an opening for a stand-alone book *squeak*!!

Apollo meets Mr. D (whose character was fitfully redeemed, when he decided to give Nico therapy for his PTSD), plays pinochle with Mr. D and loses all the games.

He sits by the campfire with Nico, Will and Rachel. Will and Nico are sitting side-by-side, Will has one arm around Nico, who is twirling a marshmallow on a stick. Rachel informs Apollo that she is going to Paris to study art, while her parents house is being rebuilt. They discuss the voice that has been calling out to Nico and Nico says that it’s a Titan who’s stuck in Tartarus (aka Bob the Titan, aka Iapetus). Rachel has regained her prophetic powers after the defeat of Python and issues them a Prophecy, which only Nico and Will can hear, but not Apollo. That is definitely a set-up for a stand-alone Solangelo adventure in Tartarus. Yippee!!

Waystation Reunion 

The Hunters of Artemis were at the Waystation and their mission to catch the Teumessian Fox. This too may be a set-up for a stand-alone.

We see some great Thalia and Reyna chemistry, where they both playfully compliment each other on being great hunters.

Josephine is teaching little Georgina all about mechanics in her machine shop. Apollo still isn’t clear about whether Georgie is her daughter or not.

Lityerses is overseeing an “elephant visitation program,” where Livia(from Waystation) and Hannibal(from Camp Jupiter) are on some kind of date. Uncle Rick has been reading fanfics and headcanons. It’s official.

Leo, meanwhile, has been indulging in some community service where he teaches homeless kids about shop skills at a local shelter and the kids like him. It’s been hinted that some of the kids are demigods.

Leo calls Josephine “mom,” who just scoffs but looks pleased all the same. She probably thinks Leo is the son she never had and Leo had said in The Dark Prophecy, that Josephine reminds him of his mom.

Calypso is loving regular mortal stuff, and has adjusted to her new life very well. Apollo doesn’t actually get to meet Calypso, because she’s been away all summer to a band camp where she is a counselor. Leo appears to be lovesick for Calypso.

It was also really cute to see Reyna and Leo getting on with each other too (It was surprising because Leo did destroy half of the Senate House when she was Praetor). Reyna was giving him advice on flirting with Calypso and asked him not to call her mamacita, and that he has to have more respect. She explains this strange action to Apollo, saying that Leo grew up without a mom so he never learnt these things, but now he has two great foster moms and a big sister(referring to herself) who isn’t afraid to smack him.

Camp Jupiter Reunion

Apollo visits Camp Jupiter, where he meets Hazel and Frank, who are both praetors after The Tyrant’s Tomb. Apollo says they are the most efficient and respected pair of praetors to ever run the Twelfth Legion.

Hazel and Frank give Apollo a tour of the Camp where they’ve installed more barracks, expanded the thermal baths and are constructing a victory arch on the main road to New Rome to commemorate the defeat of the emperors, Caligula and Commodus.

The victory arch is going to be completely plated with gold, more specifically, Hazel’s gold. As far as they can tell, Hazel’s curse is finally broken and her gold and jewels are finally safe to use or sell, as they please. They did an augury in Pluto’s shrine and it came up favorable. 

Hazel hastened to add that they were not going to abuse this power, but were only going to use it to improve camp and honor the gods.

Hazel says that they won’t spend the money to buy yachts, private airplanes or big gold necklaces with ‘H+F 4Ever’ diamond pendants. Frank pouts in reply to this. This is definitely Frazel cuteness.

 Lavinia Asimov fulfilled her promise to teach the entire Fifth Cohort how to tap-dance. The unit is now feared and respected in the war games for their ability to form a testudo shield wall while doing the three-beat shuffle.

The Jason Grace temple-expansion plan was still moving forward, with new shrines being added every week.

Also...Percy and Annabeth had arrived and taken up residence in New Rome, giving them two months to adjust to their new environs before the fall semester of their freshman year in college.

Annabeth, of course, is going to study architecture and Percy is unsure of his major. Annabeth is taking UC Berkeley’s Environmental design course and dual-enroll in New Rome University.

They reached the touchy subject of Jason’s death. Percy is unable to speak about this topic and Annabeth admits that she cried herself sick.

At the end of this conversation, Apollo uses his godly magic to teleport a plate of Sally Jackson’s blue cookies right into his hands and gives it to Percy.

Piper’s Reunion

When Lester arrives at Piper’s Tahlequah home, he sees two silhouettes on the edge of the roof and one leans over to kiss the other. Apollo gets flustered and switches form to adult Apollo, complete with toga and all. Both of them turn around.

One of the silhouettes, (a girl with short, dark hair and a rhinestone stud on her nose) asks Piper who this dude is and whether her dad has a boyfriend. The girl’s name, we discover, is Shel (Probably short for Shelby, I’m just guessing) and so far is assumed to be fully mortal.

Piper tells Apollo that she’s doing fine and that her dad too, has found some peace. She learns of Jason’s funeral and assures Apollo that he did right by him and will continue to as long as he remembers what it’s like to be human. Then she points at Shel and leaves.

Aeithales Reunion

Apollo was greeted by the Meliai, Meg’s personal troupe of seven super dryads. They took him for an intruder and marched him up to Meg.

Apollo found Meg digging dirt and showing her 11 foster siblings from the Imperial Household, how to transplant cacti. 

Peaches was also in the scene, talking to another young female karpos, who is native to the area.

Meg hugs Apollo and they go for a little walk.

Herophile the Sybil lives in a trailer when she isn’t working in town as a Tarot card reader or crystal healer.

Lugeselwa was in the living room, putting together a rocking chair. She had been fitted with new mechanical arms, compliments of the Hephaestus Cabin.

Apollo offers Meg the reward he had promised to give her when he became a god again. Meg asks for a unicorn, which he conjures out of thin air. They promise to be friends forever and when Meg asks him whether he’ll come back, he replies, “The sun always comes back.”

A/N: Phew!! That was long. Very sorry about that. It took me 3 days to write. If you had the patience to read it, hope you enjoyed it.

#tower of nero #toa spoilers #lester papadopoulos #meg mccaffrey #apollo #luguselw #rachel elizabeth dare #nico di angelo #will solace #solangelo #leo valdez #calypso #caleo #reyna avila ramirez arellano #thalia grace #camp halfblood #camp jupiter #hazel levesque #frank zhang #frazel #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth #piper mclean #jason grace #hoo #percy jackon and the olympians #toa #tower of nero spoilers

[inthishousewestanpercyjackson]

Tower of Nero (spoilers)

Okay. Wow. That was an emotional rollercoaster. Just a few things I loved (and a few things I really didn’t)

Meg and Apollo’s relationship never ceases to amaze me with its pureness

I’m so proud of Meg. Over the series she’s become a favorite of mine (maybe not a Percy favorite, but a favorite), and I’m in love with her character development. Subtle but powerful

On that note, APOLLO’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS ASTOUNDING

There were several times throughout the book (one chapter in particular but I can’t remember which) where I just had to close it and breathe. This boy became a hero somewhere between book one and five

I loved the individual Rachel-Will-Nico content, that was beautiful. I have a ton of respect for Will Solace as a character, and Rachel deserved a spotlight in this series, and Nico just hhhh. You know

I really like the little reminders and implications that the big three kids are still top notch. That was a big deal in PJO and I really like that in TOA whenever a big three kid shows up, it’s a big deal. They’re powerful. And boy, did Nico represent in this book

Blue. Plastic. Hairbrush.

BOB?!?!

I also loved the little walk backward through memory lane. It wasn’t much but little things. The Chariot of Damnation. The hairbrush. The fall to Tartarus. All the bright-eyed new campers at Camp Half-Blood, my heart really couldn’t take that. All the mentions of Kronos and the Battle of Manhattan

You guys caught those references to the Kanes and Magnus Chase, right? I may have screeched

Hera?? Am I? Stanning you???

Nero is absolutely disgusting, I hate his guts

The Arrow of Dodona, I’m sobbing

Estelle!! (You knew I’d get there eventually). Rolling on the floor, I am so ride-or-die for that baby, but I am upset that we didn’t get to have an actual scene with Percy and her together

I love the Jackson/Blofis household though, and I was dished another huge dose of respect for Paul Blofis. He’s gonna be a great dad

“You’re a doofus sometimes, Valdez, but you’ve got a heart of Imperial gold.” I can’t think of a better way to close Leo’s story

I really like Styx letting Apollo live? Just something about that moment seems very cool to me

And the way that section ended. That last line about him pulling himself up. Chills

Actually, that entire fight with Python right up till the end was super beautifully written

Here’s the most honest thing - Percy Jackson. I wanted to see more of him, I always do, and Annabeth too. I burst into tears when she said, “Architecture.” I understand Rick’s reasoning, and I’m glad they got to go on that road trip with Grover, they all needed that. But in this last book, I just. Really wanted to see him beat up some monsters one last time

The idea of Percy and Annabeth getting to be at Camp Jupiter, and Percy hanging out with Frank and Hazel again, they’re gonna have fun

Seeing Jason. Gosh, I was crying my eyes out. I’ve missed him so much

I appreciate Dionysus

I appreciate Meg getting to go home

I love Apollo with all my heart

And I love Percy Jackson more than words can describe

That’s a wrap

#tower of nero #tower of nero spoilers

[julia-drusilla-xii]

- What if Caligula defeated Apollo and became the new sun god?

- What if Nero managed to convince Meg in betraying Apollo once again?

- What if Commodus managed to destroy the Waystation?

- What if the Triumvirate won the battle against Apollo?

I got extremely carried away since I've thought about this for a long time. Everythings under the cut not only because it turned out to be long, but also so I can warn you that it gets pretty dark.

Caligula defeating Apollo

Medea successfully took Apollo's immortal essence.

With her fancy spellwork, Caligula now has the combined powers of Apollo and Helios.

Ave, Neos Helios!

And history repeats itself- the Triumvirate goes to civil war.

Commodus allies with Caligula

Python switches sides from Nero to Caligula

There was a scene in the book where Python was all "if there's a new sun in the west-" to Nero and that basically implied Python would no longer support Nero if Caligula succeeded.

New Rome would've fallen, either the same way as it did in Tyrant's Tomb or by the sheer power of Caligula and Commodus' army, money, weaponry, you name it (bc tbf they could've won if Rick didn't hold back). And possibly sooner than in the books unless Caligula still wants to slow his arrival and drink his Shirley Temple.

Any survivors are now on Caligula's side.

Meanwhile, Nero's desperate although he's hiding that desperation as much as he can.

Meg's no longer in control of Apollo and MIA over in California.

But, she has the Meliai.

Nero knows the reason Meg and her father ended up in New York. Because Caligula burned their home down. Because of how her father was working on something important and powerful, Caligula viewed that as a threat. He probably knew about the seeds and what they were, same as Caligula.

And Caligula knows that Nero knows.

Meg McCaffrey is the one who can change the odds, even slightly.

Realistically, she'd never want to go back to Nero or help Caligula. But Nero might be able to talk her into his side. She could equally decide to help Camp Half-Blood.

Caligula, Medea, Commodus, Python vs Nero vs CHB

Assuming Caligula is in control of Herophile, Harpocrates, and the Oracle of Cumae, then not only does he still have the power of prophecy but also the communications are still down for the demigods.

No matter how you want to dice it, Caligula wins overall by the sheer amount of power and resources on his side.

What would stop him from ordering to kill Meg on sight, simply firing an onager at camp (and it working bc Octavian isn't there to catapult himself to the sky), and winning against a full-fledged fight against Nero?

Maybe the gods but that's on if they decide to work with Camp Half-Blood to begin with. Rick's characterization via reactions on Apollo's return makes them iffy, but I'd really like to believe they at have a heart for their children, Jason, and Apollo. They stand a good chance if they side together in the end and it shows they actually learned the message of not letting the kids do all the work and appreciating them.

Maybe even the Waystation could help, provided that Commodus doesn't destroy them first.

If Caligula won, then it's just taking out Commodus and Python if he wants sole power.

If he lost, then there's a lot of mourning, the numbers of survivors are small, but there's a new appreciation and a better environment for the demigods.

Meg betraying Apollo

At any point in the series, Nero could have convinced her to betray Apollo but the two more likely times are in the Dark Prophecy- before she escaped to find Apollo and at the end of the book when after everything they've been through together all it took was being back in Nero's environment to get her back into being his pawn.

And as Apollo mentions multiple times in the series, Meg has the power to command him to kill himself. So, it wouldn't end well for Apollo.

If it were the first one, then it would be less emotional and painful on both parties, but it would still hurt.

The only person on Apollo's side from the beginning turned out to be a traitor. He'd have support from his children, but that doesn't change how she helped him.

The only escape from Nero that Meg had was no longer beside her and there was enough convincing to happen to convince Meg it was for the better.

Apollo still has a chance of restoring his immortality, especially if Lityerses became his companion in replacement so Apollo's not alone.

Meg would just be out to get him throughout his trials.

If it were towards the end, it would be more emotional.

Both lose their friend, ally, and their greatest supporter.

Domino effect to Nero's favor. Camp Half-Blood falls first. The rest of New Rome and the Waystation is next. Possibly Olympus if he wanted to go that far but if he doesn't want to push his luck then he still is powerful and the Olympians might be content that at least they are still standing.

Nero gets a swifter rise to power because Caligula and Commodus are already eliminated and Nero has their combined powers.

And Python rules from a backseat.

Ave imperator! Ave Caesar!

Commodus destroys the Waystation

Unlike before, Commodus has proven he could be a threat.

Especially if Apollo never got the chance to blind him.

There isn't much seen with him being someone who plans ahead and willing to just fight without the flashiness so I'm not entirely sure if being the sole ruler is in his favor.

He does, however, turn the tides in either Caligula or Nero's favor depending on who he decided to support. He still is part of the Triumvirate with wealth and resources, regardless of his want to provide a show and have fun.

If he sided with Caligula, then after the demigods and Nero are taken care of, Commodus would be next on Caligula's list.

Same if he sided with Nero.

The only real chance Commodus has of winning big is if he destroyed the Waystation before Apollo destroyed the oracle and if Commodus manages to capture Apollo first.

Apollo and Commodus seem to both at least remember how they were before Apollo drowned him.

Maybe manipulation via that way?

Either way, I can't say much for Commodus so this one's shorter than the rest. I can see anything happening, from him achieving co-emperor at best to still losing everything at worst.

Triumvirate vs Apollo

This one entirely depends on which battle.

Assuming that all the three emperors are alive, then the story changes at the latest in the Tyrant's Tomb. Specifically, Caligula and Commodus are actually still alive despite Frank's sacrifice.

And they show up at the end, weak, but alive.

Because unless you count that picture Rachel got of them in a penthouse that was blurry, there was never a scene where all of them were together which isn't fair. Then again, Rick was the one who invented overpowered emperors in the series so that was probably a conscious decision to make it easier for Apollo.

The soonest would be immediately after The Hidden Oracle, where Nero could supply help to Commodus since he would know that would be Apollo and Meg's destination.

This one would be short because this is an equally open-ended question.

But if they actually helped each other first, things don't look good for Apollo or the demigods.

They might spare the demigods for the specific purpose of ruling over them.

If they continued to share their victory, then their empire is still split three ways.

If they decided to go all civil war, then as the first two triumvirates of Roman history went, the weakest go down first and the main two hash it over a lot of battles.

Caligula would still have Medea, so he has the means of magic.

And Nero would still have Python. Tbh, not sure if that snake even has powers of prophecy. But either way, Python was Nero's ally from the beginning.

I'd say the only thing stopping the triumvirate from complete control is once again, Olympus itself.

Especially if Meg's alive and inspires everyone to avenge Jason and Apollo.

Bonus~

Caligula as the sole emperor includes paranoia that someone betrays him since he was originally killed by his own guards. He might be able to rule the people as well as he did when he first became emperor (back in ancient Rome, the first few months of his rule he was well-loved until he became ill). If anything else, you can count on the yachts being his palace. Incitatus might be by his side because they might part ways since Incitatus wants horses to rule the world in the books. Caligula might renovate New Rome to his liking and upgrade it with his personal wealth.

Commodus as sole emperor involves Commodianapolis and a football stadium where he can host games. A lot of wealth being poured into grandeur, parties, and Commodus' name and likeness everywhere.

Nero as sole emperor means the Imperial Household is there to stay. From what I gather, there are twelve children to replace the twelve Olympians. I don't they're exactly all are children/legacies, but I could be wrong. Either way, Nero has them to help him enforce the rules. He has his tower and he's conveniently near Olympus and Camp Half-blood. He could decide to expand in Manhattan and Long Island.

#these were all scenarios I thought about when the books were released #great minds think alike #not sure if this is what you wanted but hope you liked this anyways #tw mention of death #tw mention of suicide #trials of apollo #caligula trials of apollo #neos helios #nero trials of apollo #commodus trials of apollo #meg mccaffrey #lester papadopoulos #python