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#Percy Annabeth and Grover back together again gods bless
festus-eats-tabasco · 4 months
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y’all I finished chalice of the gods and lemme just say. that was exactly what my soul needed
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AU where Nico dies (don't hate me pls I'm sorry I love Nico and ship the hell out of Solangelo, this is just to allow for some dark AUs) transporting the Athena Parthenos in BoO.
(Sorry it's such a long post) Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, revered praetor and peace-loving daughter of Bellona, loses the ability to share strength. Now, when she uses her power, she saps your energy, draws on your bravery, and poisons your mind with horrific images. Nico's death has allowed suppressed traits to resurface and overwhelm all her progress since San Juan all those years ago. She picks fights. She becomes a dictator in all but name, abolishing the Senate and making War Games a lot more "realistic": weekly funerals become commonplace, words are spoken under breaths, and terror resides in the heart of every New Roman. And so, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano turns her brilliant mind and poisonous power to Gaea's aid. Gleeson Hedge doesn't seem more than a broken satyr at first glance, his smiles never sincere, his voice never loud, his bat never raised. But when he slips off into the wilderness, he does not sit quietly among the trees and reflect. He whispers into the trees' leaves, his twisted words echoing the bitterness that now consumes his being. He has been tricked too many times: Pan, forcing thousands of satyrs to lose their lives in their quest to find him when he was alive all along; Clarisse, who never tried to connect with nature or understand his own ties to the natural world, who teaches his child the game of death while Mellie watches, fading away, unable to fight back; the gods, who, in their promise of protection, conveniently ignored the nature spirits. He is bitterest about Nico's death: about all he could have done, about what the kid should have done. The glint in his eyes scares even the worst monster that Tartarus could send. But it is Gaea he turns his allegiance to. It is Gaea who promises that he will always be good enough for her. And so, Gleeson Hedge turns nature back to its true mother: Gaea. Hazel Levesque is not someone you want as an enemy. Her golden eyes, gold like the masks of the judges of the dead, seem to see everything. Her powers grow stronger, but now she is able to control them. One glance, and she can cause an entire legion to scream and writhe in agony as she manipulates the iron in their blood, twists their shining armour, forces weapons to turn on their handlers. She stops wearing normal, mortal clothes, and now she wears flowing dresses of molten gold and bronze that no spear could pierce nor hand touch. She calls on the remnants of metal in the cave in Resurrection Bay to rise, and rise they do, twisting and weaving together at her command to form a cathedral-like vault with a solid Stygian iron throne. At the front of her temple lies a chasm from which her first creation arises, complete and healed, at last. Alcyoneus clambers out of the pit, back with his mother's life and Hazel's burning desire for destruction. And so, after seventy years, Hazel Levesque joins forces with Gaea of her own free will. Frank Zhang's arrows are no longer aimed at Tartarus's monsters, but at the people he once considered friends. The ruins of the Zhang family mansion become a shrine to Gaea, the ancient walls falling in blissful happiness into the Earth Mother's embrace. Frank returns often with fresh skulls, unfailingly whole - his arrow pierces cleanly through the eye every time. His piece of firewood safe in Gaea's belly, protected where no flame could reach, he is unstoppable. His shapeshifting causes unforseen problems with the allies' plans, it's very hard to plan how to fight a lion when he could turn into a swarm of bees at any moment. He is the ultimate spy, a literal fly on the wall, and for once, he feels needed. He feels worth something. He feels as though he is good enough, something the gods could never give. All the gods ever did for Frank, he realises bitterly, is take. His mother. His grandmother. His self-confidence. His chance for a stable, loving family. Nico. And so, Frank Zhang finds a different kind of family, one that will not let him down, in Gaea. Piper McLean never wanted to be a tragic love story; that was purely for her mother's entertainment. She
cuts her hair short. She kills Gaea's enemies on sight. Her charmspeak forces even her old family, Camp Half-Blood, to turn against each other, brother against brother, sister against sister, until bodies litter the strawberry fields and the Big House crumbles to smouldering ashes. The gods have her no love. Their boundaries mean nothing to her any more. Her love extends to her favourite mother, her boyfriend, the rest of the Seven, Grover, Reyna and Hedge. Beyond that, it is poison. Gaea takes her hands, looks into her eyes, and tells Piper that she is more than the spawn of an unfaithful, air-headed immortal, more than the damsel in distress. She tells Piper that she is who she decides to be. And Piper agrees. Gaea gives her the opportunity to be out of others' shadows. Piper McLean takes the chance and joins with Gaea, her charmspeak almost her most dangerous feature, second only to her unbridled wrath when Nico's death is mentioned.
Jason Grace owes fealty to only one eternal goddess now. He scours the Underworld with Hazel and Frank, relentless like the wolves he was brought up with. He knows no bounds, his destruction barely controllable by even Piper and her charmspeak. He has obliterated entire cities, counties, even an entire nation. He feels no regret, no remorse, no nagging guilt. He seeks out and electrocutes homophobes as his powers grow in complexity, along with his ability to control them. No matter how much they scream, the same two words shoot from Jason's scarred lips like the lightning bolts he commands: for Nico. As the darkness inside him grows, the son of Jupiter advances on Olympus, eyes and hands blazing, to destroy his father, as one of Gaea's allies, as one of Gaea's found children. Jason Grace vows by Nico's soul and Gaea's love to destroy the gods who shamelessly abandoned them.
Percy Jackson has been close to the darkness before. As just one examole, he's controlled poison to choke the goddess of misery at the edge of Chaos. But now, Annabeth's words at the time - some things aren't meant to be controlled - strike differently. Percy doesn't follow rules any more. That brooding, troublemaking face now alludes to his new form: gone is the class clown, here is something more akin to a devil. Like Hazel, he has made hundreds of people and monsters shriek in pain as he controls their blood, contorting their bodies into unnatural forms and snapping necks with a mere snap of his fingers. If Nico's death is mentioned around the pair of them - Hazel and Percy - both turn on the individual, eyes smouldering with the deceitfully cool ashes of the fire of grief, and slowly unleash their wrath. Percy cannot be controlled. He wants revenge. Part of him wishes he had never given his mother the head of Medusa to kill Smelly Gabe; it tore him to pieces when he made the fluid in her head seep out of her eyes. But she wouldn't stop begging him to leave Gaea. She had to go. She was no longer loving him as he knew he deserved. Now, Percy Jackson takes his support from the mother he should have accepted long ago: Gaea.
Annabeth Chase did not accept powers from her new mother, her better mother. She chose to use her mind as her weapon and Gaea respected that. Gaea gave her the resources she needed to wreak havoc on mortals and immortals alike. Now, instead of studying for a stupid internship in a misogynistic, capitalist society, Annabeth unleashes her fury, her grief, her mind on the world. The gods deserve to pay for what happened to Nico. The demigods need to feel her grief. The mortals started this stupid cycle of overwork and inadequate pay. Annabeth is ready to work with the mother that respects her, that loves her, that nurtures her as she deserves. And work she does. Plan after plan is developed, improved, redrafted, mocked up, redeveloped, and finally executed with clinical precision. Her mind becomes what her enemies most fear, even above her reputation: first child of Athena in millennia to reach Arachne, retriever of the Athena Parthenos, survivor of Tartarus. And she laughs, laughs in a maniacal way that makes you want to take a step back as she strides towards you, grey eyes alight with an unnatural glint as you realise that she knows everything about you and she knows how this will end. She will not let herself or her friends die. She refuses to let another situation like Nico's death happen again. So, Annabeth Chase takes Gaea's resources and turns them into a mass genocide, executed with her new mother's blessing.
Grover Underwood leads the nature spirits now. He commands dryads to extend their unstoppable tendrils through the paths that Gaea forms for them, deep in the earth, then sending them exploding through the surface and reclaiming all that was torn from them under the pretence of friendship. His empathy link with Percy allows him some degree of control, both over the son of Poseidon and over naiads. Grover is betrayed and bitterly disappointed in Pan, in the gods, in demigods, in mortals, in Nico. And so, he turns nature back home with Gleeson Hedge. The hauntingly beautiful whistling of his pipes lures demigods, mortals, even gods to their doom. Apollo is the first to fall, trapped by the music of the satyr whose horns now make him seem diabolical as he dances in the flames. Grover Underwood finds his roots in Gaea and his revenge in destruction.
Leo Valdez wants to burn the world to ashes. There's not a moment he's not on fire, his hair smouldering, his skin aglow. At his feet lies Hera, trussed up like a rodeo calf, bound by the power of the guardian Leo knows he deserved as a child. There is no Piper with her charmspeak to free the ex-queen; at least, Piper is by Leo's side as he blasts her with his searing flames. There's a smile on Leo's face that rivals even Annabeth's as he torches cities, razes acres and lights up the sky with plumes of smoke and columns of fire. His reasoning feels etched into his heart: the gods let Nico die. The gods let us down one time too many. And so he lets the flames go. Gaea stands behind him, her hand on his shoulder, proud and respectful. She knows that he secretly enjoyed starting the war with New Rome. He has fire powers; it's only natural, and that Octavian is enough to drive anyone mad. So, Leo Valdez finally makes his peace with Gaea.
Will Solace goes out like a light as the news of his beloved's death is announced. He lies, broken and silent, in Gaea's arms, tears streaming down his face. He stirs only for Nico's name, and his eyes turn slowly to whoever dared say it. He reaches out an arm, eyes turning black, leaching all the colour from the surroundings as his whisper echoes: there is no hope. Behind him stands Gaea, a tear of her own on her earthen cheek. She feels his pain, raw and fresh. But she takes some of it onto herself. Will Solace shares his grief with Gaea now.
And so they stand, eyes alight and expressions dark and triumphant, by the side of the goddess who did not want to let Nico die.
Gaea smiles.
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kookie-doughs · 3 years
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Y/N L/N AND THE HALFBLOODS
Percy Jackson X Reader
-Y/N L/N met Percy Jackson and everything was now ruined.
CHAPTER 17: I Swim For The First Time...?
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It was Annabeth's idea. She loaded us into the back of a Vegas taxi as if we actually had money, and told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."
The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized us up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front." "You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked. He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first." Annabeth handed him her green Lotus Cash card. He looked at it skeptically. "Swipe it," Annabeth invited. He did.
His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign. The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth. He looked back at us, his eyes wide. "Where to in Los Angeles... uh, Your Highness?" "The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth sat up a little straighter. I could tell she liked the "Your Highness" thing. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change." Maybe she shouldn't have told him that. The cab's speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert. On the road, we had plenty of time to talk. Percy told us about his latest dream. The Lotus Casino seemed to have short-circuited my memory. I couldn't recall what the invisible servant's voice had sounded like, though I was sure it was somebody I knew. The servant had called the monster in the pit something other than "my lord" ... some special name or title.... "The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades." "Maybe..." he said.
"That throne room sounds like Hades's," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described." He shook my head. "Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit... I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice."
The crooked one... Annabeth's eyes widened. And looked at Percy. Who had a look of realization. "What?" I asked. "Oh... nothing. I was just—No, it has to be Hades. Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get the master bolt, and something went wrong—" "Like what?" "I—I don't know," she said. "But if he stole Zeus's symbol of power from Olympus, and the gods were hunting him, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong. So this thief had to hide the bolt, or he lost it somehow. Anyway, he failed to bring it to Hades. That's what the voice said in your dream, right? The guy failed. That would explain what the Furies were searching for when they came after us on the bus. Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt." I wasn't sure what was wrong with her. She looked pale. "But if Percy already retrieved the bolt," I said, "why would we be traveling to the Underworld?" "To threaten Hades," Grover suggested. "To bribe or blackmail him into getting your parents back." I whistled. "You have evil thoughts for a goat." "Why, thank you."
"Only mine is there. I'd rather get Y/N's than mine." Percy said gripping my hand.
"Huh?"
"You lost them thanks to me." He smiled weakly. "A-Anyways, the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items," I reminded. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?" Grover shook his head, clearly mystified. Annabeth was looking at me as if she knew my next question, and was silently willing me not to ask it.
I have every answers. I could tell you. What do you wish to know? We are to help one another after all...
Could you tell me how I could save my parents?
Save them?  As I told you only we could save them. Being there, you'd know your only option. Only you could do it. Do you wish to know more?
What's this quest?
A trap. Next one?
Who is my parent?
Hahaha, that is a question I shan't answer. Just believe in all gods. Befriend them and you'll know. You could trust them all.
Even Zeus, Hades and Poseidon? They kinda suck...
Unless you're positive they aren't your parent, you don’t have to.
Yeah, can I have like... I don't know... I kinda want Hephaestus. He seems coolest. I an NOT blessed in like singing and all that so I can’t be Apollo's.
I've already given you a parent. My apologies. The one I chose would be... quite a friend. Would you want to know more?
Well not re---
"Y/NN!! Ask more about the quest and Percy's dream!!!" I hear Annabeth scream at my ear.
"Oh my gods! Don't scream at my ear!" I yelled pushing her away. "What do you mean ask about Percy's dream? Who will I ask? The driver?"
"You----"
"She can't remember whenever that happens." Percy explained. "They already told us."
"What are you guys talking about??"
"Nothing. We were thinking about the pit..." Annabeth sighed.
"You have an idea what might be in that pit, don't you?" I asked her. "I mean, if it isn't Hades?" "Y/N... let's not talk about it. Because if it isn't Hades... No. It has to be Hades." Wasteland rolled by. We passed a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES. The problem was: we were hurtling toward the Underworld at ninety-five miles an hour, betting that Hades had the master bolt. If we got there and found out we were wrong, we wouldn't have time to correct ourselves. The solstice deadline would pass and war would begin. "The answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth assured us. "You saw spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing." She tried to boost our morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead, but my heart wasn't in it. There were just too many unknown factors. It was like cramming for a test without knowing the subject. And believe me, I'd done that enough times. The cab sped west. Every gust of wind through Death Valley sounded like a spirit of the dead. Every time the brakes hissed on an eighteen-wheeler, it reminded me of Echidna's reptilian voice. At sunset, the taxi dropped us at the beach in Santa Monica. It looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in the movies, only it smelled worse. There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave. Grover, Annabeth, Percy, and I walked down to the edge of the surf. "What now?" Annabeth asked. The Pacific was turning gold in the setting sun. I thought about how long it had been since I'd stood on the beach at Montauk, on the opposite side of the country, looking out at a different sea. I felt anxious being near the water. Percy took my hand.
"What?" I said slowly pulling away from him.
"Trust me and come with me." He said looking at me in the eye. "Percy," Annabeth said. "That's stupid! She can barely stay alive up here!"
"If the water pulls her could you save her?" He glared at the two. "As long as she holds me she'll be safe." He gripped my hand.
"I-I'll trust you... But I have to make sure you won't let me drown... I-I need---" Annabeth then sighed and walked over to us taking our wrist.
"If she drowns I am totally not siding on you during the war." She hissed at Percy while tying Aphrodite's scarf on our wrist.
"how do you have that?" Percy asked.
"I forgot I gave it to her." With our wrist attached by a cloth, he held my hand tight then we kept walking, up to my waist, then my chest.
"I'm scared..." I gulped. Percy pulled me closer. That's when my head went under. I held my breath at first. It's difficult to intentionally inhale water. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. I gasped. Sure enough, I could breathe normally. Percy was smiling at me, with his arms still around me. We walked down into the shoals. I shouldn't have been able to see through the murk, but somehow I could tell where everything was. I could sense the rolling texture of the bottom. I could make out sand-dollar colonies dotting the sandbars. I could even see the currents, warm and cold streams swirling together. I felt something rub against my leg. I looked down and almost shot out of the water like a ballistic missile. Sliding along beside me was a five-foot-long mako shark. I almost screamed until I saw how cute it was. The thing wasn't attacking. It was nuzzling me. Heeling like a dog. Tentatively, I touched its dorsal fin. It bucked a little, as if inviting me to hold tighter. Percy took my hand and wrapped it on the fin, he grabbed the fin with both hands, so I followed his actions. It took off, pulling us along. The shark carried us down into the darkness. It deposited us at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm. It was like standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon at midnight, not being able to see much, but knowing the void was right there. The surface shimmered maybe a hundred and fifty feet above. I knew I should've been crushed by the pressure. Then again, I shouldn't have been able to breathe. I wondered if there was a limit to how deep I could go, if I could sink straight to the bottom of the Pacific. Then I saw something glimmering in the darkness below, growing bigger and brighter as it rose toward me. A woman's voice, "Percy Jackson." As she got closer, her shape became clearer. She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk. Light flickered around her, and her eyes were so distractingly beautiful I hardly noticed the stallion-sized sea horse she was riding. She dismounted. The sea horse and the mako shark whisked off and started playing something that looked like tag. The underwater lady smiled at me. "You've come far, Percy Jackson. Well done. And you brought... a friend." I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I bowed. "H-Hello..."
"You're the woman who spoke to me in the Mississippi River." Percy said. "Yes, child. I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. It was not easy to appear so far upriver, but the naiads, my freshwater cousins, helped sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon, though they do not serve in his court." "An... you serve in Poseidon's court?" She nodded. "It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born. We have watched you with great interest." I felt so out of placed being here so I wrapped my arms around Percy tighter. "If my father is so interested in me," Percy said, "why isn't he here? Why doesn't he speak to me?" A cold current rose out of the depths. "Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," the Nereid told him. "He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. Besides, he is forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favoritism." "Even to their own children?" "Especially to them. The gods can work by indirect influence only. Why do you think they're trying to find who Y/N's parent is? They helped raising her, that's why her scent is gone."
"M-My Olympian parent raised me? I don't remember anyone... I'm pretty sure neither my mom or dad are Olympians... or Greek."
"Well that is what they're trying to figure out."
"Well, what's my father doing then?"
"That is why I give you a warning, and a gift."
She held out her hand. Three white pearls flashed in her palm. "I know you journey to Hades's realm," she said. "Few mortals have ever done this and survived: Orpheus, who had great music skill; Hercules, who had great strength; Houdini, who could escape even the depths of Tartarus. Do you have these talents?" "Urn... no, ma'am." "Ah, but you have something else, Percy. You have gifts you have only begun to know. The oracles have foretold a great and terrible future for you, should you survive to manhood. Poseidon would not have you die before your time. Therefore take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet." "What will happen?" "That," she said, "depends on the need. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea."
Percy took the three pearls and pocketed it. "Oh... but there are four of us. We'll need one more."
She looked at me and Percy. Then looked at her empty palm. "Your father..."
"I'm not leaving any of them if I need to use this." Percy said firmly.
She sighed and out came another pearl. Instead of handing it to Percy she handed it to me. "The lord does not like you. He's been firm and obvious of that fact. But... as his son refuse to leave you..."
I took the pearl reluctantly and thanked her. "What about the warning?" Her eyes flickered with green light. "Go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can, make you mistrust your own judgment. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson." She summoned her sea horse and rode toward the void. "Wait!" Percy called. "At the river, you said not to trust the gifts. What gifts?" "Good-bye, young hero," she called back, her voice fading into the depths. "You must listen to your heart." She became a speck of glowing green, and then she was gone. "Your dad... must really hate me to leave me in Underworld when worse comes to worse..." I muttered burying my face on his neck.
"Don't worry... I won't let him hurt you, just because whoever your parent is raised you." He kicked upward toward the shore. When we reached the beach, our clothes dried instantly. Percy told Grover and Annabeth what had happened, and showed them the pearls. Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price. Not to mention Y/N is hated." "They were free." "No." She shook her head. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait." On that happy thought, we turned our backs on the sea. With some spare change from Ares's backpack, we took the bus into West Hollywood. We showed the driver the Underworld address slip we'd taken from Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but he'd never heard of DOA Recording Studios.
"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV," he told Percy. "You a child actor or something?" "Uh ... I'm a stunt double ... for a lot of child actors." "Oh! That explains it." We thanked him and got off quickly at the next stop. We wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book. Twice, we ducked into alleys to avoid cop cars. Percy froze in front of an appliance-store window because a television was playing an interview with somebody
"—my stepdad, Smelly Gabe." He explained.
He was talking to Barbara Walters—I mean, as if he were some kind of huge celebrity. She was interviewing him in our apartment, in the middle of a poker game, and there was a young blond lady sitting next to him, patting his hand. A fake tear glistened on his cheek. He was saying, "Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck. My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife... my Camaro... I—I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it." "There you have it, America." Barbara Walters turned to the camera. "A man torn apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver. He has taken a young girl that goes by Y/N L/N with her." The screen cut to a grainy shot of me, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover standing outside the Colorado diner, talking to Ares. "Who are the two other children in this photo?" Barbara Walters asked dramatically. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned, America." "C'mon," Grover told me. He hauled us away.
It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a New Yorker. I don't scare easy. But L.A. had a totally different feel from New York. Back home, everything seemed close. It didn't matter how big the city was, you could get anywhere without getting lost. The street pattern and the subway made sense. There was a system to how things worked. A kid could be safe as long as he wasn't stupid. L.A. wasn't like that. It was spread out, chaotic, hard to move around. It reminded me of Ares. It wasn't enough for L.A. to be big; it had to prove it was big by being loud and strange and difficult to navigate, too. I didn't know how we were ever going to find the entrance to the Underworld by tomorrow, the summer solstice. We walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at us like they were trying to figure if we were worth the trouble of mugging. As we hurried passed the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you." Like an idiot, I stopped. Before I knew it, we were surrounded. A gang of kids had circled us. Six of them in all—white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces. Like the kids at Yancy Academy: rich brats playing at being bad boys. Instinctively, I drew my knife. When the knife appeared out of nowhere, the kids backed off, but their leader was either really stupid or really brave, because he kept coming at me with a switchblade.
Percy then pulled me behind him and swung Riptide. The kid yelped. But he must've been one hundred percent mortal, because the blade passed harmlessly right through his chest. He looked down. "What the..." I figured I had about three seconds before his shock turned to anger. "Run!" I screamed taking Percy's hand. We pushed two kids out of the way and raced down the street, not knowing where we were going. We turned a sharp corner. "There!" Annabeth shouted. Only one store on the block looked open, its windows glaring with neon. The sign above the door said something like CRSTUY'S WATRE BDE ALPACE. "Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover translated. It didn't sound like a place I'd ever go except in an emergency, but this definitely qualified. We burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked. A split second later, the gang kids ran past outside. "I think we lost them," Grover panted. A voice behind us boomed, "Lost who?" We all jumped. Standing behind us was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. He moved toward us slowly, but I got the feeling he could move fast if he needed to. His suit might've come from the Lotus Casino. It belonged back in the seventies, big-time. The shirt was silk paisley, unbuttoned halfway down his hairless chest. The lapels on his velvet jacket were as wide as landing strips. The silver chains around his neck—I couldn't even count them. "I'm Crusty," he said, with a tartar-yellow smile. I resisted the urge to say, Yes, you are. "Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing." "You mean hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?" I was about to say No, thanks, when he put a huge paw on my shoulder and steered me deeper into the showroom. There was every kind of water bed you could imagine: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the-universe-size. "This is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, so it looked like oil-flavored Jell-O. "Million-hand massage," Crusty told us. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, any-way. "Um," Percy said, "I don't think..." "Million-hand massage!" Grover cried, and dove in. "Oh, you guys! This is cool." "Hmm," Crusty said, stroking his leathery chin. "Almost, almost." "Almost what?" I asked. He looked at Annabeth. "Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit." Annabeth said, "But what—" He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and led her over to the Safari Deluxe model with teakwood lions carved into the frame and a leopard-patterned comforter. When Annabeth didn't want to lie down, Crusty pushed her. "Hey!" she protested. Crusty snapped his fingers. "Ergo!" Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress. Grover tried to get up, but ropes sprang from his black-satin bed, too, and lashed him down. "N-not c-c-cool!" he yelled, his voice vibrating from the million-hand massage. "N-not c-cool a-at all!" The giant looked at Annabeth, then turned toward me and Percy to grin. "Almost, darn it." I tried to step away, but his hand shot out and clamped around the back of my neck. "Whoa, kid. Don't worry. We'll find you one in a sec." "Let my friends go." "Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first." "What do you mean?" "All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit." Annabeth and Grover kept struggling. "Can't stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered. "Ergo!" A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around Grover and Annabeth's ankles, then around their armpits. The ropes started tightening, pulling my friends from both ends. "Don't worry," Crusty told us, "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?" "Percy! Y/N!" Grover yelled. My mind was racing. I knew I couldn't take on this giant water-bed salesman alone. He would snap my neck before I ever got my sword out. "Your real name's not Crusty, is it?" Percy asked. "Legally, it's Procrustes," he admitted. "The Stretcher," I said. I remembered the story: the giant who'd tried to kill Theseus with excess hospitality on his way to Athens. "Yeah," the salesman said. "But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now 'Crusty,' anybody can say that." "You're right. It's got a good ring to it." His eyes lit up. "You think so?" "Oh, absolutely," I said. "And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!"
Percy looked at me weirdly. When I gave him a nod he must've understood. He got closer to hold my arm. Crusty grinned hugely, his fingers still didn't loosen on my neck. "I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?" "Not too many." "That's right!" "Y/N!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you doing?" "Don't mind her," Percy told Procrustes. "She's impossible." The giant laughed. "All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting." "What do you do if they're longer than six feet?" "Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix." He let go of my neck, but before I could react, he reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe. He said, "I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end." "Ah," Percy said, swallowing hard. "Sensible." "I'm so glad to come across an intelligent customer!" The ropes were really stretching my friends now. Annabeth was turning pale. Grover made gurgling sounds, like a strangled goose. "So, Crusty..." I said, trying to keep my voice light. I glanced at the sales tag on the valentine-shaped Honeymoon Special. "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?" "Absolutely. Try it out." "Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?" "Guaranteed." "No way." "Way." "Show me." He sat down eagerly on the bed, patted the mattress. "No waves. See?" I snapped my fingers. "Ergo." Ropes lashed around Crusty and flattened him against the mattress. "Hey!" he yelled. "Center him just right," I said. The ropes readjusted themselves at my command. Crusty's whole head stuck out the top. His feet stuck out the bottom. "No!" he said. "Wait! This is just a demo." Percy uncapped Riptide. "A few simple adjustments ..." "You drive a hard bargain," he told us. "I'll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models.'" "I think I'll start with the top." Percy raised my sword. "No money down! No interest for six months!" He swung the sword. Crusty stopped making offers. I cut the ropes on the other beds. Annabeth and Grover got to their feet, groaning and wincing and cursing me a lot. "You look taller," I said. "Very funny," Annabeth said. "Be faster next time."
Percy looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk. There was an advertisement for Hermes Delivery Service, and another for the All-New Compendium of L.A. Area Monsters—"The only Monstrous Yellow Pages you'll ever need!" Under that, a bright orange flier for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls. "We are always looking for new talent!" DOA's address was right underneath with a map. "Come on," Percy said. "Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death.'" "Then you're ready for the Underworld," I said. "It's only a block from here."
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bikkinibottom · 4 years
Note
hello erica!! congrats on 800 you definitely deserve them!! may i request ✌🏾(pjo or atla your choice, lol) + 📚(pjo + percabeth akjsnkfjs) if that works!! ily 💕
@velayudham tagging your new blog too! bet you forgot about these requests lol guess what me too sdlkfjsdkf
✌🏻 what character you remind me of 
hazel! partially because of age but also because you’re super cool and very smart! you just have hazel vibes tbh <3
📚 headcanon or oneshot
for you tharini, i give you cheerleader!annabeth 😌
Percy could not honestly tell you when he had begun to fall for Annabeth Chase. Perhaps he could describe it in some poetic and grandeur way, something along the lines of ‘maybe I always knew, but one day it hit me like a rock skipping across a lake: bit by bit until I eventually sank in deep.’ Yeah, no.
In retrospect, it could have been the first time he saw her in her cheer uniform; golden curls up in a high ponytail, a short skirt, and her cheeks dusted rosy pink. Or maybe it was the time she single-handedly knocked out Matt Sloan for bullying Grover. Now that was a fun day. (For Percy, not Matt.) Or perhaps it was the one time they were at his apartment after school and she said “bless you” to him seconds before he even knew he had to sneeze. That one had scared him. When he asked her about it she simply said, “Your nose twitches a couple of times and you get real quiet.” And that was that.
It didn’t matter, the details of when it happened exactly- all that Percy knew was that he was falling, and falling hard. Percy was often caught off guard by just how fast he was falling. He was utterly screwed. Take, like, right now, for example.
Percy was messing on his phone as he sat in his stepdad’s blue Prius, waiting for his friend to leave her house so they could get to school. 
Movement caught out of his peripheral vision caused the teen to look up and was met with… uh. Annabeth. In a skirt. In her cheerleading uniform. Her legs completely exposed.
Fuck, he thought. Was today Friday?
Percy knew by now that when their school had a home football game the players, the cheerleaders, and the pom dancers all wore their uniforms to school to show school spirit or whatever. He’d just kind of forgotten today was one of those days. 
Damn it, he didn’t have any time to mentally prepare for this. His eyes seemed to unintentionally hone in on his best friend’s legs as she was locking the door behind her.
Her blonde curls were up in a high ponytail, a glittery emerald bow in her hair. As she turned away from the locked door, she walked towards the car and flashed Percy a glowing smile. The weather was overcast today but her smile alone seemed to brighten up the sky.
She approached the passenger door and panic rose inside Percy. God, he was so screwed right now.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-
“Hey, Percy!” Annabeth called out as she swung the door open. Plopping her bag on the floor, she stretched one leg in before sitting herself down in the passenger seat. Percy cursed her name internally at the sight.
“Annabeth! Hey, hi. How you doin’?” Percy blurted out. He was certain she could hear the unforgiving hammering of his heart.
The blonde gave him a deadpan look. “Okay, Joey Tribbiani. You ready to go?”
Not trusting his voice especially after that word vomit, Percy just nodded. God, he didn’t even like Friends, what the hell? 
The ride to school was just like any other morning. Annabeth touching up her makeup while Led Zepellin quietly played through the radio. Percy made a joke to which Annabeth let out a hearty laugh, head tilted back, golden hair catching the sunlight, and his head went fuzzy at the sound. He really wished his best friend wasn’t so breathtaking—it would’ve saved him the embarrassment of getting honked at for missing the green light because he was too busy staring at her. He asked her if she started studying for their physics test and in response, she let out a snort before telling him no, she had not. 
“We’ll study together, don’t worry,” she assured him. Another evening alone in his bedroom with the girl he liked. Just what he needed. And they carried on.
As they pulled into the parking lot, Percy sitting up straighter to search for a good spot, Annabeth asked him a question he’d been expecting to hear as per usual.
“You coming to the game tonight to support me?” she teased him. They both knew he was always there, the first row in the student section cheering her on with Grover and other friends. 
“For you? Always,” is not what he meant to say. Damn it, Perce. He glanced over at her in a panic, her expression imperceptible but her cheeks a little pinker than usual.
“I’m talking about the nachos they sell at concessions by the way. But yeah I’ll watch you too, I guess,” he covered up. It must’ve worked because she just scoffed but he could hear the smile on her face and the rolling of her eyes without looking over at her. 
Already parked, Percy shut off the engine and they grabbed their bags and walked into the school together side by side. Walking down the halls, Annabeth greeted nearly every other person they walked past while Percy began mentally preparing his class schedule for the day. It was only a few weeks into their junior year but Percy was dreading the workload he’d receive in his classes today for the weekend.
As if reading his mind Annabeth turned her head to him and said, “Hey, give Mrs. Dodds a hard time today in math, will you? I kind of miss the wicked witch of the West this year.” 
Percy let out a sharp laugh at that, shaking his head fondly to himself. He already felt better, the stress in his stomach dissipating. How does she do that? How does she just know?
They stopped when they got to the Athletics Hall and stood in front of the cheerleader’s locker section. He thought it was unfair that they got a whole section of nice big lockers to themselves but then again, he and the rest of the school knew how hard they worked so it made sense.
Percy has grown more comfortable at the lockers since freshman year, and a couple of the girls even greeted him when they approached. 
Annabeth turned to him and squeezed his upper arm. “I gotta do rounds and check to make sure the team is in proper uniform. I’ll see you in third period?” She asked him.
He nodded, once again not trusting his voice as his entire focus was on her hand wrapped around his bicep, the heat of her touch searing into his skin. She smiled at him before squeezing his arm one more time in reassurance and turned to her teammates, greeting them all happily, oblivious to his internal predicament. 
Percy blinked once, then twice, before the urge to pass out on the spot left him. He glanced at some of the cheerleaders giving him knowing smirks and tripped over his feet as he turned around to get to his locker. He ignored the giggling coming from behind him as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
Oh, man was he screwed.
(thank you so much @connabeth and @fruectose for beta reading!!)
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outoftimewriting · 4 years
Text
Imagine (inspired by the incomplete fanfic Son of Underworld) (1/5) (Son of Hades!Percy AU)
Hey! Check the masterpost after reading this - there's a whole collection after :))
TW: Racism, anxiety, social isolation
Percy is a son of Hades
His mother was charmed by both Hades and Persephone, so he has the goddess' blessing.
Percy has deep black hair, and dark skin that's darker than the night. His eyes are like looking at the abysm - even so, a hint of green appears beyond his irises, the shade of Persephone showing itself slightly.
Every year, they don't go to Montauk: They go to a subterranean little house in the middle of the woods that Percy has no clue how his mother has money to afford renting.
His mother reads him the Hobbit - its a hole in the ground, with a little round door. He is sure he is a Hobbit.
Weird things happen to Percy. His eyes go all black one day and his mom freaks out. He explodes a bus. Once, he makes a mess of the Egyptian section of the museum he is in - he has no clue how.
People don't like touching Percy. Only his mom hugs him, and sometimes, Percy feels so alone he thinks he will someday merge with the shadows around him.
His ADHD gets worse every year, but misteriously, he can read anything if it's related to history. He is the best at history and geography and math.
He does math instinctively. He know earth, he feels the dirt in his fingertips and knows, he just knows.
He feels history being whispered in his ears by people that aren't there.
Percy goes to Yancy Academy. He is not a irredeemable case. No. He gets a scholarship on math. He never got a grade bigger than a E+ in English bc of his dyslexia, and he will never get more than a C- in Science, but he is good in math.
Pre-algebra is easy, and his teacher is kind. It's the first teacher that passes her hand in his head and say "Here, honey" when he misses home.
Professor Brunner is cool, but he feels uneasy at his presence. Like the man is just waiting for Percy to do something, and it doesn't help that, weirdly, Percy is not awful at Latin.
Nancy Bobofit picks on him once. She touches his skin, but it feels like touching something dead. She never looks at him again.
Grover is a good roommate. He is a good guy, a good friend, and they spend lots of time together. He doesn't creep Grover, no. They share a love for flowers.
He doesn't touch Grover. He is afraid that if he does, he won't have a friend anymore. Percy gets used to sweaters and gloves, all blue.
Because Percy may be a child of Hades. But he loves blue and soft tones of pink. He has soft sunset fluffy sweaters and loose washed-out jeans.
Percy is twelve when a guy in his class turns out to have only one eye and a javelin. His algebra teacher saves him with a black sword.
Mrs. Dodds, or Alecto, tells him everything. Or everything she can. She tells him he is in danger. She tells him there are powerful beings in the world. She tells him he is the son of one of them, but more than that and he would be at risk.
He sits through his finals earlier at her urging. Grover does too, and Grover sticks with him.
Grover is, perhaps, his only friend, and Percy is desolated to discover that Grover wasn't really his friend - he was just a guy, a satyr, tasked to protect him. Grover insists that they are truly friends, but his fatal flaw this time is holding grudges, and it takes a part of his heart.
He doesn't turn his back to Grover though. He is bitter, and he wants to punch him. But it still is everything he has.
Apart from his Mom. So they go talk to his Mom and get his things, and she cries at his shoulder and insists on going with them until the borders.
It goes badly. Sally "dies" in a flash that looks like thunder, by the hands of a Minotaur. Grover says Hades is sending his monsters after them - But Percy knows where thunder comes from.
Percy doesn't break one of the monster's horns - he breaks both, and carries Grover through the barrier, doing his best to not touch the satyr.
Nectar tastes like his mom's blue cookies. He cries after Grover leaves the room.
Mr. Brunner is Chiron. Alecto is a Fury. The greek gods are the powerful beings she was talking about.
Mr. D looks at him once, and for a second, pity flashes in his eyes. Most people forget that before he was Dionysus, he was Zagreus.
They play in silence. Percy doesn't make difficult questions. The blonde girl looks at him once, and she opens her mouth to say something, but she just closes it with a conflicted expression.
People look at him weirdly. Some regard the horns he stuck at his belt, some look at his skin with disgust (he heard it all before, the slurs). Some regard his soft appearance, and names are thrown, Demeter and Aphrodite and Persephone and Eros, and Percy want to scream and melt into the shadows.
He has a mother. No one knows his father.
He meets Luke. Luke is everything he aims to be - he shines with warmth, like a beacon. Percy doesn't touch him. He is afraid he'll drain him empty of light.
Annabeth and he are cold towards one another - the girl doesn't like his aura, he doesn't like her snobbish behavior.
He settles at Cabin 11. He doesn't mix up with the Ares children, he steers clear of Clarisse. He spends his time studying greek, listening to whispers in his ears, and trying new things.
Percy isn't very good with a sword - not one of them is well balanced to him. He is good with daggers - but horrible at close contact because he doesn't get very physical. He is okay with a bow, but it still isn't his thing.
He tries the spear - definitely no. The javelin? No. Mace? Too close combat, not enough balance.
Turns out his weapon of choice is a giant Warhammer, and sometimes a fierce-looking ax on the other hand, and everyone starts looking at him again, questioning and questioning.
Canoeing is not for Percy. Two minutes, and he got water sick. They are in a river for gods' sake!
Pegasi hate Percy. He doesn't try again.
He likes running with the dryads, and they like him. He likes the strawberry vines, he can make them look shinier, flowers bloom, even though he can't raise vines or produce anything.
He tries to deal with metal. He is good at it. The metal feels like water under his hands: he can do anything with it. Metal, stone, gems. He ignores the shadows curling at his feet, the flecks of green in the midst of the red fire.
Hephaestus, they say. He is not muscled like some of the other Cabin 9 children, but again, he is probably a legacy of Persephone or Demeter or some minor harvest god. He looks a little like Charles - it's not only the skin.
Everyone is willfully blind. Percy Jackson must be a child of Hephaestus. He deals with metal and fire, he put Clarisse on the floor with his Warhammer last week, and the girl was impressed instead of pissed. What if he likes the shadows a little?
Charles takes him under his wing, almost part of the cabin.
Percy uses a long-sleeved orange shirt under his camp shirt, being the sun, or rain.
He doesn't touch people, and everyone is used with each other's little quirks, so no one questions him.
Some Apollo and Demeter children steer clear of him like the plague, the ones who work in the infirmary, the ones that tend to the gardens and create life.
Some Apollo and Demeter children stick to him like glue, the ones that can sing someone to madness and induce sickness, the ones that destroy and kill.
Some children in his cabin still give him glances. Alabaster, Ethan, Clovis. They feel in him what's inside of them.
Luke is glued to his side. Luke basks on the power.
He burns food. To Hermes, for letting him sleep in the corner of the floor. To Dionysus, he is doing what he can, so far away from his dominion.
He doesn't burn food to his father. He burns it to Hephaestus.
He makes a silent prayer that he won't be an unclaimed child. He wants a family, he wants someone, anyone to come and be and love him because the only family he had is gone now.
In his dreams, he sees a somber man with a crown of bones, skin just like his. He sees a dryad so beautiful, she must be a goddess, with her pale green skin and hair like a thousand vines, flowers sprouting beneath her barefoot feet.
He confides in Luke about Alecto. The boy looks ready to explode of happiness, but Percy doesn't understand.
Percy stays unclaimed a month. Then Capture the Flag happens.
It's not a hellhound - this time? It's a sea serpent. A Cerastes.
They get the flag. Percy gets a helm of darkness over his head, a dark glow around it.
Luke thinks he is the only one who saw the sweet green glow behind it, the soft smell of pomegranates. He is wrong.
'Hades,' said Chiron. 'Earthopener, The Silent One, The Rich One, Lord of the Dead. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Underworld God'
Percy does not have a family. He does not have a cabin. Percy has nothing, and he is alone.
Not much changes. People steer clear of him. The only people he talks to are Annabeth, reluctantly on his part (even though she seems equal parts resignated and scared, like it somehow affects her), Luke, Charles, Alabaster and Ethan.
Some children of Apollo, Demeter and Hermes look at him curiously. Pollux and Castor spend more time in his vicinity.
A lot of gods are connected to the Underworld one way or another. Ares can call upon skeletons. Athena can drawn upon years of forgotten history. Aphrodite has a son in the second coming of Eros, so she knows - she knows - that before he was his son, he was a son of what is under even the Underworld.
Percy is afraid. He doesn't know his powers, what can he even do? Can he make the earth tremble, can he raise the dead, can he kill people with a touch? Or does his powers relies solely in metal?
He doesn't touch anyone. Not even through gloves - he has a jacket now.
Dionysus calls to him and offer to transform him in a pomegranate tree - but his mom is somewhere, and if he is capable of raising the dead, he wants her back.
The prophecy is the same, and their journey is not that different.
He doesn't think his father stole anything. But he might - who is Percy to know? The man has never once spoke with him. He doesn't know who his father is, and no one is giving him good impressions.
Their bus is exploded by hyperboreans, who, in the end, like all creatures who have ice in their hearts, answer to Poseidon.
They kill the Medusa. Percy sends the head to Olympus. They follow a poodle, but this time, the attack of the Echidna is not in an Arch. Is in the Chalk Pyramids in Kansas, and Percy falls off a cliff only for the earth to welcome him with open arms, as he raises an army of skeletons to do his bidding.
They still meet Ares. Percy swarms the aquatic park with skeletons - and it's the first time he tries shadow travelling. It works - but they end up, all three of them, in Wyoming.
At least now they can prove Wyoming is real.
He ignores the televisions. He ignores the stories. He ignores Gabe - because if there is someone he wouldn't mind strangling with his bare hands, it's Gabe.
Ares meet them there - their ride this time is an abusive circus caravan, and Percy sleeps the whole day of the travel, he doesn't even remember Ares or the suspicious backpacks. They free the animals and flee in Las Vegas.
The Lotus Hotel is much harder to resist this time around, seeing Percy sleeps what looks like two hours but feel like two days, but someone touches Percy, he freaks out and gets the three of them out of there (without shadowtravelling this time).
They pass Procrustes. They go to D.O.A. Percy insists - he has to do this alone. It's his father, his home turf.
Grover and Annabeth became loyal friends. They won't let him go alone.
They pass Charon easily. Percy keeps producing money everywhere - and Charon folds. Cerberus wants to play, and Percy plays with him. It's just a doggy. Percy vows to come back. Annabeth doesn't cry alone.
Luke's shoes betray him. He thinks that's the last betrayal of this mission, because it hurts somewhere deep in him.
The confrontation with his father is the worst. Hades has no regard for him. Calls him a liar, a cheater. Says he shouldn't ever have claimed him. That he stole Zeus' bolt for hubris, and his Helm for vengeance.
Alecto looks at him sadly. She knows he didn't do anything.
"You know nothing about me"
Percy shadow travels away with his friends. Its easier, in the underworld.
He fights Ares in the Mojave Desert instead of the beach. The god bleeds gold, and the helm is his.
"Tell my... my father, to expect my visit"
Alecto looks apologetic. He, although, is not.
He makes a sob story for the police. Is difficult, because people look at his skin and see a delinquent. They look at his skin and sneer, but Annabeth is just tanned, and Grover is a ginger.
Percy gives back the Master Bolt. Zeus looks like he would be better as a puddle on the floor - Percy disagrees.
Poseidon looks less - less angry, less probable of smothering him on the floor. He claps a hand on his shoulder, and it sounds like an apology (or the best he is going to get).
He feels tired. He goes back to camp for the last bonfire - but he isn't sure he is coming back next summer. Some people like him - but he hated being looked at and proded. He wants to see the Underworld. He wants to find his place.
He hates the Cabin 11. It's humiliating. It's degrading. Nemesis turns the tides of wars. Hecate controls the Mist. Morpheus can drive someone crazy - they aren't gods, they are feelings, things above nature, sons and daughters of Nyx.
He feels detached. Luke asks him to a walk.
Perseus hate some of the gods. Perseus hates Zeus, who took his mother. Perseus hates his father, who called him a liar and tried to deny Percy's place. Perseus hates that they don't have more cabins. Perseus hates that they have cabins for gods who don't have children.
But Perseus loves Annabeth, and Grover, and Charles. He has dreams - dreams of Persephone that mingle with his dreams about Kronos. He wants to meet her, even if she hates him.
He doesn't go with Luke, no. But he doesn't say no. He teethers the line this time - half his friends at one side and half at the other, and he wants to scream.
Alabaster and Ethan leave, and he doesn't blame them. Luke doesn't poison him, and doesn't blame him for staying. He probably thinks Percy is going to sway Annabeth, and he can't fault him.
He leaves a golden drachma in his hand - for him to call when he makes a decision.
And Percy truly doesn't know what it will be.
Zeus gives back his mother and Gabe is now a statue at Persephone's garden - but he holds a grudge.
Perseus is only twelve, when he discovers he is Percy only to his mother, Annie, Charles, Grover and Luke. To the world, he is Perseus, the one who destroys.
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His Blood Runs Gold I
Percy is a God: Part I
Masterlist for the next part and more of my stuff
Y’all already know what this is!!!!!!!! But if you don’t then click this to find out. And i hope you enjoy Percy as a god cause i definitely do ;) *shivers*
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We were warm and shivering,
and young and ancient,
and alive.
-We Were Liars, E. Lockhart
Time is non-existent anymore. Percy should be twenty this year but now that he has ichor flowing through his veins, he can be 102 or 5. He has done things Homer would write epic poems about. If he were around at the dawn of time Ovid would have happily dedicated the Metamorphoses to him. But today Percy Jackson has been a god for three years and he has never felt more mortal in his life.
“Percy my boy, what are you doing here?”
“Hello Father, Camp Half-Blood is throwing a campfire in my honour and I thought it’d be rude not to show my face.”
“Very noble of you son. I remember back in my day the Greeks–“
Percy zoned out, tired of hearing how people bowed down to all these stuffy Olympians. The camp threw a celebration every year on the day he got immortalized and in return he reinforced the borders and blessed every demigod before they leave at the end of summer. He doesn’t know if he’s doing a good job, he doesn’t even know if what he does is making a difference, but he doesn’t know how else to give back to the camp and the people that saved his life again and again; who loved him and fought next to him and oh gods followed him into battle.
He’s never had the chance to talk to Chiron, who’s always busy with this demi-god and that satyr, and this nymph. He barely gets the chance to talk to all his old friends– between the new campers wanting to hear his stories and the general chaos of end of summer camp-life. He thanked the powers that be–what a jarring thought that he was one of those powers now– that he managed to find days in-between to see Annabeth and Grover.
He smiled to himself as he remembered the last time he saw Annabeth. She had been moving into her own apartment to start her third year at the University of New Rome. To his unsurprised delight she had chosen archaeology as her major but somehow slipped Latin and Ancient Histories into her schedule. He had helped carry bags and bags filled with books up to her room and they spent the day setting her up and making sure everything was in its place before she started the year.
Their relationship had progressed so softly, so slowly, Percy sometimes felt like he had imagined the year they had as a romantic couple. After he became a god they managed to go on a few dates, some interrupted by hothead immortals and revengeful monsters, and some blissfully alone. But once Annabeth started university and Percy was called again and again to help with this problem and that, it became a hassle to set up dates and figure out when to meet. They didn’t grow apart, so much as grow between. And although he missed the softness of Annabeth, he had gained a friend who knew him more deeply than any being alive– he was eternally grateful for that, and he couldn’t hate what they lost out on.
“Son, are you listening?” Poseidon pulled him from his thoughts.
“Yes father, it really was a great time for you. I have to go now, but Iris message if you need me.” And without waiting for a reply Percy strode out of Olympus and into the streets below.
He considered snagging a car but decided against it, since you couldn’t very well drive into Camp Half-Blood. Instead he walked into the ocean and let the current take him all the way to Long-Island, till he could smell the strawberries on the ocean wind and hear the echoes of camp games and reedpipes.
He stepped onto the beach, loving the soft sinking impressions he made in the sand. After his blood turned gold he realized he could walk on the sand and make no footprints whatsoever. The idea scared him so much he sunk under water and cried for three hours. How could he leave nothing behind? How could he have no imprint? It was Tyson, riding on his rainbow hippocampi who found him and showed him how to balance his weight; showed him how to step into the sand and not on it. When his footprints reappeared once more, he hugged his brother so hard if Tyson weren’t a cyclops his ribs might have cracked.
So Percy walked up the beach and through the strawberry fields, taking the time to breathe in the forest air, the fruit breezes, and ah the smell of chaos.
“JACKSON!” Connor Stoll yelled.
And with that single announcement Percy was home.
The day was spent in good spirits: racing with various campers up the wall and avoiding every deadly thing it spat at you– even if he couldn’t really die; then eating in the dining hall and getting to travel between tables without getting glares from various houses or Chiron; laughing as all the food turned blue just for him.
When it was time Percy walked with some of his friends; Clarisse who grew to be a steady, if raging fire, by his side, and Connor Stoll who is now the oldest of the Hermes kids since Travis left for college, and of course Will who above everyone reserves the right to make sure his friends were protected.
In a moment of vulnerability, he broke down on Percy’s immortal shoulder and wept. I don’t want to bury anymore of my friends Percy. I don’t want to be tending to them as they die in my infirmary. I can’t do it anymore. For him, Percy double, sometimes in moments of obsessiveness, triple checked his border defenses.
Now the little group walks around the perimeter of the camp and talks softly and contentedly as Percy knocks against the shimmering force, leaking power into the hollow spots.
“How is everyone at camp?” He asked.
“Fine, nothing has changed much. Ever since the Giant War it feels as if everything has calmed down to a lull. I’m wary it’s the eye before the storm but gods-dammit we deserve a break.” Connor answered.
Percy hid the rage of that truth but let the ache of those words settle in his bones. He simply nodded at Connor and turned to Clarisse.
“Are there any new campers who need to be protected?”
“Only a few, a lot have moved to New Rome over the last years.” There was a bitter edge to her words, caused by the sting of loss.
“You cannot blame them for wanting a life that is not concentrated to three months of safety.”
“I know,” Her nostrils flared, she kicked the rock in front of her. “I know. It just sucks that there’s so few of us now.”
“Maybe we can see about hosting annual games at each camp over the summer?” He suggested, careful to not step where the cracks spidered underneath him– even if the labyrinth had collapsed there was still the chance something tunneled beneath.
“I think that’s a great idea.” Will piped up, “Maybe then I can convince Nico to stay for more than one week.” He rolled his eyes, but the glimmer of happiness in them gave away his annoyed pretense.
“I will talk to the Praetors over there and let you know.”
“Thank you, Percy.”
They turned to face him.
He stared at them for a moment, studying their faces. Even now, all these years later it was jarring to see the signs of growth in their make-ups. He couldn’t say aging, they were barely hitting their twenties, gods Will was still a teenager, albeit not for much longer; but it was weird to watch as they grew up, watch as time changed their features, changed them.
Clarisse, who used to be a spitfire of rage and fierce protectiveness was now, more a well-kept hearth. She was still full of flame, but it was contained, and her fierce was warm instead of scorching.
And Connor, who had been attached to his brother at the hip, was all grown up. Travis was three years into a degree and Connor, although a prospective honours student, had forfeited college until he could figure out what he wanted to do. He was the sole head of the Hermes cabin, but somehow, he kept up the mischief as if the two were still together. The shenanigans are some of Percy’s favourites to hear around the campfire.
And Will, who is dating Nico di Angelo. The two were often running between the camps, though Nico more than the child of Apollo. It was Will, Percy thought, who brought the camp together, more than anyone. And Will, who in the process had lost the most. For him, Percy would continue to be here every year, would continue to help if they called when they were in trouble. Because he too was tired of seeing his friends die. Tired of seeing his friends mourn.
“It’s almost time for me to go but I wanted to say,” He fought to choke back the rising wave of emotions, “I wanted to say thank you. For keeping my home safe. And thank you for being my friends.”
Their hug lasted many moments, ribbons of friendship passing between them. And when Percy walked back into the sea, he was glad no-one could tell the difference between tears and ocean.
Friends, the word echoed in his head. So few and far between since he became a God. It was not that people feared him, they just became… wary. They fell into that space in-between, where one wrong move could plunge them into fear. When he first turned divine, he counted on his fingers how many friends he had, and if he didn’t have enough digits, he deemed it a good day. Now he can count with aching clarity all the people who loved him, and still have fingers to spare.
Annabeth asked him once if he regretted taking up Zeus’ offer, if he regretted turning his red blood gold.
He hadn’t answered her till three weeks later, over a three am phone call.
I don’t regret it, he had said, because I know I can help this way. I know I can protect my family and friends better this way. And when the phone had gone dark, he had whispered into the void of his room– an alcove of coral far, far, far underwater– I don’t regret it, but I’m so lonely. The tears at that admission did not stop flowing for many hours.
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How are you feeling?? Cause i got 6K words for this fic and i don’t see myself stopping any time soon. Give me your thoughts young ones!!!!
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chaos-and-sparkles · 4 years
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Percabeth Wedding Headcanons
They considered not getting married as a fuck you to Hera, but decided a better fuck you would be to not let her rule their lives. 
Annabeth wore a white suit with a blue tie and Percy wore a black suit with a grey tie. 
There was a huge fight over who got to be whose bride's/groom's bitches. Eventually Tyson was Percy's best man, with Jason, Frank, Hazel, Nico and Leo in his crew. 
Annabeth's maid of honour was Thalia, with Reyna, Piper, Magnus, Clarisse, Rachel and the Stoll brothers in hers. 
Chiron officiated. Estelle was flower girl. Grover was ring bearer, and he began chewing the cushion halfway through the ceremony, while sobbing the most.
 Coach Hedge held his club up threateningly, but his eyes were suspiciously moist too.
 Calypso was the next big crier, sitting with her arms crossed stubbornly in a white vintage T-shirt and faded jeans, tears seeping out through the corners of her eyes.
Almost all the gods came. 
Aphrodite was jumping up and down and cooing over them, giving Percy looks that made him turn bright red. She looked exactly like Annabeth to him now. 
Apollo was sprawled in a front seat that he was not supposed to be in, and had dragged Will and Meg with him, Will smiling awkwardly while Meg chatted with Artemis about how annoying Apollo was.
 Hermes appeared to Percy in the dressing room ("Do you gods have NO respect for privacy?") because he 'had a message for him.’ A message from him, George and Martha, for once, wishing him good luck. They chatted, and then Percy asked if he'd met Annabeth too, but Hermes stiffened and left. 
Afterwards tho he and Annabeth came face to face during the reception, and it was awkward and silent. It ended with both of them in tears about Luke, but it was healing for them both. Hermes gave her her dagger back, and Annabeth was surprised and asked how he got it back from Tartarus. Hermes said Bob had found it and sent it up, and was on the lookout for her laptop too -
But he didn't get to finish, because Annabeth hugged him hard, and after initial shock he hugged her back.
The tension between Athena and Poseidon was palpable, and they were seated as far apart as possible. 
Poseidon thumped Annabeth on the back so hard she almost toppled into the lake, booming "I should have known! My son and I seem to have yet another thing in common - a love for queens among women." And Percy turned red again. Poseidon gave Percy a huge hug, and went on to meet Sally Jackson. Poseidon took his son marrying a daughter of his rival better than Athena did, though. 
When Annabeth and Athena met, there was some tension. It was difficult for Athena to admit she was harsh and unfair with what she said to Annabeth in HOO, and to apologize, but Percy put his hand on Annabeth's shoulder and stood behind her, even when Athena turned her piercing gaze on him and asked that she talk to Annabeth alone. He only went when Annabeth asked him to. 
Athena told Annabeth she was proud of her, and added that there was a chance she might be as great, and even greater, than Daedalus. Annabeth knew this was her best attempt at showing affection, and appreciated it. 
Athena then accosted Percy, on his way back with drinks, and gave him a once over and humphed. Percy didn't flinch or show any signs of being intimidated, and she raised and eyebrow and finally said, "I will admit, Perseus Jackson, that I did not think you a good choice for my daughter. I still have my doubts... However you have proved yourself more than worthy, and so I gave you permission to marry her. But make no mistake - if you hurt her, I will crack your skull open and extract every brain cell you have left, until you are a drooling, gibbering mess." Percy replied, "If I hurt Annabeth, she'll break every bone in my body before you even get to me. So I don't think you have to worry about that." They parted on fair terms. 
Artemis met Percy and Annabeth together, and they had a short conversation about the merits of being turned into a Jackalope, vs the merits of being married. "Life as a Jackalope is more enjoyable than it would seem. However, you have chosen your bane, and against all odds, I hold hope for you both." she concluded. 
Hestia was tending the flames when Percy and Annabeth went to meet her, both respecting her as the most helpful goddess of legit all time. She smiled and simply said, "Hope is stronger than ever now, Percy Jackson, for you now build a new and loving home - a rarer place than you would expect."
Mr. D insisted on making a speech, and making it out to Perry Jorganesson and Annie Bell.
The only god not present was Zeus. In fact, he'd banned the gods from going when it became clear that everyone wanted to go, but the gods' respect for him after the way he handled the HOO fiasco was in negative numbers so every single one of them sneaked out of Olympus. Even those who normally wouldn’t have gone went to spite him.
Hades and Persephone went as a couple. Hades sniffed and smirked, saying only that he was glad Percy was 'not my son's type, or I'd have to deal with you' (but he low key ships Percabeth). Persephone though, smiled radiantly and was one coo away from fangirl squealing. Before they left, Hades gave them a note from Bob.
"Bob saw two stars already. They were next to him in Tartarus. Bob says hello." Percy and Annebth sobbed for fiat that, holding each other tightly. They made a point of mapping every single constellation that night. They almost cried again when they saw the Huntress above them.
Hephaestus's eyes twinkled, and he said, "I see that trap in Waterland worked after all - even if not in the way I'd intended."
 Ares just grunted that Annabeth had a better weapon (the dragon fang sword) than the last time he saw her, and took his sunglasses off to glare at Percy. "Now there are TWO goddesses who'll kill me if I snuff you out."
The highlight though was Hera waltzing in, smiling smugly like she'd set up the whole thing, and eating a slice of cake, turning a seashell-and-flower arrangement into a cow because it 'looked better, and brought back memories'. She left soon enough, but not before the cow had left a warm gift.  
Grover gave his blessing as Lord of the Wild, Rachel gave hers as the Oracle, and the gods fully expected Percabeth to ask for one of their blessings next, but instead the two turned to Sally Jackson and asked for her blessing as the 'supreme goddess'.
The ceremony was in the pavilion, and the reception was around the canoe lake at twilight. The trees around the canoe lake were hung with fairy lights, and Juniper and the dryads had ensured that the sweetest, most fragrant flowers grew. Seashells decorated the venue. Calypso had brought moonlace that began to glow and smell even more beautiful as night began to fall. The Hecate cabin had enchanted sparkling butterflies to flutter around them both after it got dark. The naiads sang in voices nearly as beautiful as the sirens, although lighter and airier. The pegasi flew in formation.
Bessie the Ophiotaurus as well as the Hippocampi were in attendance.
Percy and Annabeth did their first dance underwater, and kissed before resurfacing. Everyone looked around for the dance floor, but couldn't see a thing, when they realized - the lake was the dance floor. Percy had managed to magic the lake, with favours from the naiads and Poseidon, into a liquid dance floor that rippled different colours with each step.
Their wedding day had been on the last day of camp, with the whole camp invited, so with nightfall came the camp traditions, but even better. 
There was the fireworks display of course, but with Leo's help it was doubly glorious and even began to tell Percabeth's story. Annabeth looked like she'd die when it began showing the Thrill Ride of Love part of the story, because "It doesn't matter if we're married Percy! It's still embarrassing!"
Camp fire was even more cheerful, what with the gods and mortals allowed in for the first time, and of course Piper+Leo and the Stoll brothers played pranks - it was funnier than it would have been because their pranks overlapped and backfired on each other instead.
Instead of wedding bands, Percabeth were married with camp beads - an owl and a trident artistically intertwined in a silver thread carved heart, designed by Rachel. Hazel summoned the silver and some jewels to embellish them - and this time, she knew, somehow, that they weren’t cursed.
Of course the cake and all food and drink was blue, as well as the flowers, the wedding party's outfits, and (on Annabeth's request as a surprise for Percy) the guests’ clothes. Aphrodite went super overboard with that, and even Artemis succumbed to a small blue flower and fang accessory in her hair.
As soon as the dancing and music ended (as soon as they could get the mic away from Apollo), the activity underway was Capture the Flag with Percy and Annabeth leading opposite teams composed of their bridal parties+friends. Coach Hedge and the Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite and part of the Apollo cabins along with a bunch of minor god cabins went on Annabeth's team, and Will, Meg, and the rest in Percy's. The gods sat it out (some had to be physically restrained) as did Grover, the nature spirits, animals and mortals (Rachel had to be dissuaded from entering armed with plastic hairbrushes and improv lighter-and-spray flamethrowers).
Nobody won. Instead of crossing over the boundary line when they met with each other's flags in hand, Percy and Annabeth started making out. Clarisse could be heard grumbling about it later.
Grover and Thalia stayed back long after everyone had left, and the four of them spent time together until four in the morning.
BTW Annabeth proposed to Percy right before he was about to propose to her. They both looked at each other in surprise for a solid minute, and then burst out laughing. It was impossible to tell who said yes, or if any of them did, but they didn't need to. 
They’d both gone to Tyson for the engagement rings. Tyson was confused at first, but promised to keep their secret from each other.
Grover on the other end of the link just stopped mid conversation with the Council of Cloven Elders and Dionysus, and bleated loudly in relief, "FREAKING FINALLY." out of nowhere, and while everyone looked bewildered, Dionysus though just took a sip of diet coke and rolled his eyes, sighing, "Took them long enough."
They proposed to each other on Percy's birthday. Annabeth had baked another blue cupcake ("I'm getting better at it, too!") and they were cuddling/play fighting/sprawling on the sofa late at night in Sally's apartment, talking. They sat with their legs crossed together, devouring the cupcake with their fingers, talking about their plans.
 Annabeth mentioned that she'd designed this new building for New Rome that she was SO excited to build (Reyna had contracted her as New Rome's architect), and asked if Percy wanted to see the design. Percy agreed, and she retrieved a roll of paper. Annabeth began to explain enthusiastically, and, pointing at the center of the design, said, "And this is my favourite part." Percy leaned in further to see what she was pointing at - at the heart of the temple, where the altar should be, was a blue-silver ring with a wave design over the words "will you marry me?"
Annabeth looked almost anxiously at Percy, but he looked blank. Finally, Percy uncapped Riptide, which she hadn't noticed was poised in his hand as if he was going to point or correct something on the sheet, and instead of expanding into a sword, it remained a ball pen - with a simple silver ring etched with the words "Wise Girl" around its tip.
They stared at each other, stumped, before exploding in laughter. 
Sally and Paul came running from the next room, Estelle copying them and giggling in Paul's arms, worried that it was a monster attack. When instead they saw Percy and Annabeth laughing and hugging, each wearing a ring on fingers covered in blue frosting and looking as if they couldn't quite believe it, Sally burst into tears right there and had to explain to her concerned kids, laughing, that these were happy tears because secretly she still couldn't believe that they had all found their happiness and it was something she'd only dared to dream of because it was everything she ever wanted for her son and she was happy to and oh how long had she waited and worked and hoped for a happy ending for all of them but never really expected it and this was too much - 
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my-random-ocs · 3 years
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Rise Up Chapter 2: We Fight Demon Scorpions
Pairing: Stiles Stilinski x OC (eventually)
Warnings: Angst, weapons, betrayal
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The next morning, the buzz at breakfast faded into the background as I attempted to wake up. I never really managed to fall back asleep after my nightmare.
A nudge against my shoulder made me jump, and I turned to see Silena sending me a worried look. “You okay?” She asked.
I nodded. “Yeah,” I said. I zoned back into the breakfast announcements. Apparently at around three this morning, an Aethiopian drakon had been spotted at the borders at camp. I was so distracted by my nightmare and tossing and turning that I hadn’t even noticed. The magical boundaries kept the monster out, but it stalked along the border, looking for weak spots in our defenses. It didn’t go away until Lee Fletcher, the Apollo cabin’s head counselor, led his siblings in pursuit. After shooting a few dozen arrows into its armor, it finally got the message and left.
“It’s still out there,” Lee was warning us. “Twenty arrows in its hide, and we just made it mad. The thing was thirty feet long and bright green. Its eyes-” He cut himself off, shuddering.
“You did well Lee,” Chiron said, patting him on the shoulder. “Everyone stay alert, but stay calm. This has happened before.”
“Aye,” Quintus said from his seat at the head table. “And it will happen again. More and more frequently.”
Wow, how helpful.
The campers murmured amongst themselves.
Everyone knew that Luke was planning an invasion into camp. Most of us expected it to happen this summer, but no one knew how or when. Our attendance was down, and that definitely didn’t help. When I started about four years ago, there had been over one hundred. Now there were only a little over eighty. Some had died. Some had joined Luke. Some had straight up disappeared.
“This is a good reason for new war games,” Quintus said. I didn’t love the glint in his eyes. “We’ll see how you all do with that tonight.”
“Yes…” Chiron said. “Well, enough announcements. “Let us bless this meal and eat.” He raised his goblet. “To the gods!”
We all raised our glasses and repeated the blessing.
I grabbed my plate, stood, and led my siblings to the brazier. “Aphrodite,” I whispered, tossing a hash brown into the fire. Mitchell showed Lacy what to do as I prayed to my mother. “Help me with Luke, and Grover, and protecting Amara…”
There was so much to list that I could have gone on all morning, but I headed back to my seat.
After a few minutes, I noticed that Grover was eating with Percy. Suddenly, my fork was halfway to my mouth when I felt somebody lift me by my shirt and take me to the Poseidon table. She plopped me down next to Grover and I swallowed my breakfast while Annabeth slid into the bench next to Percy.
“I’ll tell you what it’s about,” Annabeth said. “The Labyrinth.”
“Oh, okay, so we’re talking about this now,” I realized.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Percy told Annabeth. Campers weren’t allowed to switch tables. I wasn’t sure what the punishment was for switching, because it’s never happened. If Mr. D had been here, Annabeth and I would have been in big trouble, but he wasn’t here. Chiron apparently had already left. Quintus was still sitting at the head table, but didn’t say anything.
“We need to talk,” Annabeth insisted.
“But the rules-”
“Look, Grover is in trouble,” Annabeth interrupted. “There’s only way we can figure to help him. It’s the Labyrinth. That’s what Clarisse, Zia, and I have been investigating.”
“The Labyrinth isn’t in Crete anymore,” I continued. “Like a lot of ancient Greece myth stuff, it’s moved to America. Or, in this case, under America.”
“So… is the Labyrinth part of the Underworld?” Percy asked.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Well, there may be passages from the Labyrinth down into the Underworld,” Annabeth corrected. “I’m not sure. But the Underworld is way, way down. The Labyrinth is right under the surface of the mortal world, kind of like a second skin. It’s been growing for thousands of years, lacing its way under Western cities, connecting everything together underground. You can get anywhere through the Labyrinth.”
“If you don’t get lost,” Grover grumbled helpfully. “And die a horrible death.”
“There has to be a way,” I told him. Again. We’ve had this conversation more than a few times over the past few months. “Clarisse made it out.”
“Barely!” He countered. “And the other guy-”
“He was driven insane,” Annabeth interrupted. “He didn’t die.”
“Oh, joy,” Grover said sarcastically. “That makes me feel much better.”
“Whoa,” Percy said. “Back up. What’s this about Clarisse and a crazy guy?”
I glanced over at the Ares table. Clarisse eyed us like she knew what we were talking about, but as soon as we made eye contact, she quickly focused on her plate.
I lowered my voice as I turned back to Percy. “Last winter,” I started, “Clarisse went on a mission for Chiron.”
“I remember,” he said. “It was secret.”
I nodded. “It was a secret because she found Chris Rodriguez.”
“The guy from the Hermes cabin?”
Chris was a son of Hermes who had come to camp before I had. He was about a year older than I was, and used to be friends with Nisha and I, until he left camp soon after Luke did. Last summer, Percy, Annabeth, Tyson, and I had found him on Luke’s war/cruise ship, the Princess Andromeda.
“Yeah,” Annabeth confirmed. “Last summer he just appeared in Phoenix, Arizona, near Clarisse’s mom’s house.”
“What do you mean he just appeared?” Percy asked.
“A few weeks after we got back from our quest,” I said, “Chris was found wandering around in the desert, in a hundred and twenty degrees, in full Greek armor, ranting about string.”
“String,” Percy said.
“He’d been driven completely insane,” Annabeth said. “Clarisse brought him back to her mom’s house so the mortals wouldn’t institutionalize him. She tried to nurse him back to health.”
“Chiron even came out and questioned him,” I added. “But it didn’t do much good. The only thing we were able to figure out is that Luke’s men have been exploring the Labyrinth.”
“Okay,” Percy said, trying to take all of this in. “Why were they exploring the Labyrinth?”
“We weren’t sure,” I said. “That’s why Clarisse went scouting. Chiron kept things quiet because he didn’t want to start a panic. The only reason he involved me was because… well, it’s Luke.”
“And he involved me because the Labyrinth has always been one of my favorite subjects,” Annabeth said. “The architecture involved…” Her expression turned a little dreamy. “The builder, Daedalus, was a genius. But the point is, the Labyrinth has entrances everywhere. If Luke could figure out how to navigate it, he could move his army around with incredible speed.”
“Except it’s a maze, right?” Percy asked.
“Full of horrible traps,” Grover added. “Dead ends. Illusions. Psychotic goat-killing monsters.”
“But not if you had Ariadne’s string,” Annabeth countered. “In the old days, Ariadne’s string guided Theseus out of the maze. It was a navigation instrument of some kind, invented by Daedalus. And Chris Rodriguez was mumbling about string.”
“So Luke is trying to find Ariadne’s string,” Percy said. “Why? What’s he planning?”
“I wish I knew,” I answered. “At first, we thought he wanted to use the maze to invade camp, but that wouldn’t make sense. The closest entrances Clarisse found were in Manhattan, so Luke wouldn’t be anywhere near our borders, let alone be able to get past them. Clarisse explored a little ways into the Labyrinth, but it was really dangerous. She had some close calls. Annabeth and I researched everything we could about Daedalus, but it didn’t help much. We can’t figure out what Luke is planning, but we know that the Labyrinth might be the solution to Grover’s problem.”
Percy blinked in confusion. “You think Pan is underground?”
“It would explain why he’s been impossible to find,” Annabeth said.
Grover shuddered. “Satyrs hate going underground. No searcher would ever try going in that place. No flowers. No sunshine. No coffee shops!”
“But,” Annabeth said, “the Labyrinth can lead you anywhere. It reads your thoughts. It was designed to fool you, to trick you and kill you-”
“- But if you can make the Labyrinth work for you-” I continued.
“It could lead you to the Wild god,” Percy finished.
“I can’t do it,” Grover insisted, clutching his stomach. “Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up my silverware.”
“Grover, it may be your last chance,” Annabeth said. “The council is serious. One week or you learn to tap dance!”
A throat clearing gained our attention, and my head swiveled to the head table, where Quintus was staring pointedly at us. I had a feeling he didn’t want to make a scene, but Annabeth and I were pushing it by staying at the Poseidon table for this long.
“We’ll talk later,” Annabeth said. She squeezed Percy’s arm. “Convince him, will you?”
Annabeth got up and went back to her table.
“It’s going to be okay, Grover,” I tried to reassure him. “We’ll figure it out.”
He just stared dejectedly at the table. I stood up and returned to my breakfast with Cabin Ten.
____________
That night after dinner, Quintus had us put on armor like we were going to play capture the flag, but the camp’s mood seemed more serious than that. At some point today, the crates from the arena had disappeared, and I had a bad feeling that whatever was in them was now running around in the woods.
Quintus stood up at the head table. “Right,” he said. “Gather ‘round.”
I found Ethan in the crowd and went to stand between him and Silena.
He was dressed in black leather and bronze. Mrs. O’Leary bounced around him happily, looking for food scraps to eat, then came right up to me.
I grinned, scratching behind her ears.
“You will be in teams of two,” Quintus announced. Immediately, everyone started moving around to get to their friends, he shouted, “Which have already been chosen.”
Everyone groaned.
“Your goal is simple,” Quintus continued. “Collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And, of course… you will have to slay the monster to get it, and stay alive.”
The crowd muttered excitedly.
“Lot more exciting than capture the flag,” Ethan grinned.
“Tell me about it,” I agreed. The goal seemed simple. Most of us had killed monsters before- that’s what we trained for.
“I will now announce your partners,” Quintus said. “There will be no trading. No switching. No complaining.”
“Arooof!” Mrs. O’Leary howled. She moved from my side to bury her face in a plate of leftover pizza.
Quintus took out a scroll and started reading off names.
Silena was paired up with Beckendorf, and she couldn’t hide her smile. I nudged her shoulder with mine, smirking. She shoved me playfully, both of us grinning. See, Silena had a crush on Beckendorf that neither of them would do anything about, and hoped they would soon, because it was super annoying how they wouldn’t tell each other how they felt.
Travis and Connor Stoll were paired up, which wasn’t a surprise. They did everything together. Clarisse was with Lee Fletcher. Percy and Annabeth were together. Grover and Tyson were paired together, which neither looked very happy about.
Then my name was called. “Ghaziyah Banerjee and Ethan Nakamura!” Ethan and I grinned at each other, and high fived.
“They don’t want to give anyone a fighting chance?” Ethan joked. Both of us were great sword fighters, and always rocked capture the flag when Aphrodite and Hermes were allied. I couldn’t wait to see how this would turn out.
____________
The actual game itself wasn’t important. Ethan and I almost beat Clarisse and Travis, but Grover and Tyson had a little issue. In order to make sure they didn’t accidentally kill each other, we missed the box with the laurel that would have made us win.
Luckily, Ethan wasn’t mad.
As I started taking off my armor, Ethan shuffled around nervously. “You okay?” I asked, undoing the straps of my breastplate.
“Yeah, I just-” He stopped. “I need to talk to you.”
I furrowed my brows. “About what?”
Ethan took a deep breath, then said all at once, “I wanted to leave camp.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “You-”
“I wanted to leave,” Ethan continued, “and join Luke’s army. But I don’t anymore.”
My mind was reeling. “You wanted to leave?” I asked, unable to keep the hurt and confusion out of my voice.
Ethan nodded, looking ashamed. “I did. I have a lot of anger toward the gods- you know that. And when I met Luke, so did he. The gods don’t pay enough attention to their kids, and he was really the only one doing something about it. But I realize… that he isn’t going about it the right way. I’ve decided to stay.”
“You have?” I asked, my hopes raising slightly.
“Yeah. I just- you’re my best friend in the world,” he said. “You’re the only one who actually accepts that my mother is Nemesis. You’re basically my little sister. The last thing I want is to mess that up.”
I processed everything Ethan just said, finally whispering, “So… you’re staying?”
Ethan nodded, beginning to smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m staying.”
I grinned, squealing happily, and gave my best friend a bear hug, causing him to laugh.
“Hate to break up the fun,” a voice called, causing me to pull back. I turned to see Clarisse. “But we have a problem.”
I tensed, placing my hand on my sword. “What’s wrong?”
“Percy and Annabeth are missing.”
I would love to say I didn’t freak out.
Truthfully, I just about had a heart attack.
The whole camp, including Chiron, searched the entire woods.
After about an hour, I was on the verge of a panic attack when we heard shouts that they had been found.
Ethan and I followed the voices to Zeus’ Fist.
“Thank the gods!” I exclaimed, launching myself into Annabeth’s arms, causing her to stumble back from the force. Before she could react, I pulled away and hugged Percy tight. “Where were you two?”
“We’ve been looking forever,” Clarisse added as I pulled away, examining my friends for injuries.
“But we were only gone a few minutes,” Percy protested, confused at my outburst.
“Only a few minutes?” I repeated. “What, did you time travel?”
Chiron trotted up, followed by Grover and Tyson.
“Percy!” Tyson cried. “You are okay?”
“We’re fine,” Percy said. “We fell in a hole.”
We stared at him, confused, then looked at Annabeth.
“Honest!” Percy insisted. “There were three scorpions after us, so we ran and hid in the rocks. But we were only gone a minute.”
“You’ve been missing for almost an hour,” Chiron said. “The game is over.”
“Yeah,” Grover mumbled. “We would’ve won, but a Cyclops sat on me.”
“Was an accident!” Tyson protested, then sneezed.
I would have laughed if I wasn’t so confused.
“A hole?” Clarisse asked suspiciously.
Annabeth turned to our mentor. “Chiron, maybe we should talk about this at the Big House.”
Suddenly, it clicked, and I looked at Clarisse, who seemed to have come to the same conclusion. “Oh, my gods,” I said in amazement, my eyes widening. “You found it, didn’t you?”
Annabeth bit her lip. “I- Yeah. Yeah, we did.”
About fifty campers started asking questions at once, but Chiron raised his hand, quieting everyone. “Tonight is not the right time, and this is not the right place.” He eyes the boulders like he just noticed something wrong with them. “All of you, back to your cabins. Get some sleep. A game well played, but curfew is past!”
There was a lot of complaining, but the campers made their way back to the cabins.
“This explains a lot,” Clarisse said. “It explains what Luke is after.”
“Wait a second,” Percy said. “What do you mean? What did we find?”
Annabeth turned to Percy, worry clear on her face. “An entrance to the Labyrinth. An invasion route straight into the heart of camp.”
After that, Clarisse, Percy, and Clarisse headed back to their cabins, and I followed. It was difficult wrangling a bunch of eleven- to sixteen-year-olds together for bedtime. And I thought living with a one-year-old was difficult.
I turned toward the cabins, and I noticed Ethan was still there, a little ways away. He looked like he heard everything, but I wasn’t too worried. I smiled, pretending nothing was wrong.
“Come on, let’s head back,” I said happily.
He nodded, but didn’t say anything.
I couldn’t read his expression, and it made me nervous.
We stopped as we reached our cabins. “Good night, Ethan,” I said quietly.
“‘Night, Zia,” he responded, and we went our separate ways.
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eileeny · 3 years
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No one talks about a PJO and HOO/Hamilton crossover, like, ever Pt. 1
Consider: 
Aaron Burr, son of Nemesis (unclaimed), as Luke 
Thomas Jefferson, son of Zeus, as Percy 
James Madison, son of Athena, as Annabeth bc he’s the other half of the friends-to-lovers trope and Grover bc he’s Awkward 
Theodosia Bartow, daughter of Tyche (unclaimed), as Grover bc she’s the third wheel and Annabeth bc she’s connected to Aaron/Luke 
Martha Wayles, daughter of Poseidon, as Thalia 
Maria Lewis, daughter of Aphrodite, as Silena 
John Laurens, son of Ares, as Clarisse 
Dolley Payne, daughter of Hades, as Nico 
Imagine: 
Aaron and Theodosia finding each other before even making it to CHB 
People saying it’s a haven, but to them it feels more like a prison, only compounded by their unclaimed status 
Aaron watching as claimed campers get quests and not understanding why he, one of the oldest and most experienced campers, doesn’t 
Theodosia doesn’t mind staying at CHB for the most part, but she chafes under the stereotypes given to unclaimed campers 
Kronos giving Aaron an opportunity to make something of himself, and Aaron accepting without telling anyone, even Theodosia 
Thomas arriving at CHB in much the same fashion as Percy, except this time it’s Poseidon’s trident that’s been stolen and his sister, not mom, that’s been taken 
Thomas having social anxiety, but forcing himself not to show it, bc children of Zeus are supposed to be confident and brave and in control 
Thomas making friends with James bc he’s the only camper willing to just talk with Thomas 
Thomas and John declaring each other as enemies basically on sight for no particular reason 
Chiron announcing the quest, and Thomas choosing James, ofc, but also Aaron bc at the very least he seems neutral enough - plus he doesn’t seem to idolize Thomas the way most of the camp does 
Aaron instead insisting that Theo should go 
Who is Thomas to refuse? 
Thomas ignoring the glare Theodosia’s giving Aaron and him simultaneously 
Aaron giving Thomas a pair of winged shoes that he then gives to James bc he’s a son of Zeus, he can fly 
Them making the Lightning Thief trip 
Them getting the trident - James almost falls into Tartarus - and going to Olympus, Thomas getting his sister back  
Theo finally accepting that Aaron turned traitor after he attacks Thomas and extending an olive branch to Thomas and James (she’s always thought James was nice, anyways) 
John getting his own quest, finally 
Aaron poisoning Martha’s Pine, Chiron getting kicked out, Tantalus 
James being kidnapped by Aaron, and the subsequent attempt by Thomas and Theo to rescue him from the Sea of Monsters and Aaron’s ship 
Thomas and John finally figuring each other out, kinda, and while perhaps they can’t say they’re friends at the very least they have a truce with each other 
Martha waking up from being a tree; she and Thomas immediately having a rivalry as children of two of the Big Three 
Thomas, James, Theodosia, and Martha going to Westover Hall bc one of the satyrs reported two incredibly strong demigods there 
An altercation with Dr. Thorn leaving James and a Hunter missing, Thomas and Theo having to save James again, and them coming away with two daughters of Hades, Dolley and Anne Payne, 13 and 16 respectively 
Anne joining the Hunters of Artemis close after, Dolley refusing to do the same 
Zoë Nightshade taking a quest to find Artemis, and Theo joining along with Anne, Martha, and another Hunter 
Thomas taking the other Hunter’s place after sneaking away to follow them 
Anne dying in the Junkyard of the Gods 
Thomas running into Rachel Dare at the Hoover Dam 
Martha finding the Ophiotaurus again right before they climb up Mount Othrys, and Dr. Thorn trying to get Thomas to kill it 
Thomas taking Artemis’ place under the sky until she tricks Atlas into taking his burden back 
Zoë dying at Atlas’ hands 
Artemis naming Martha as her lieutenant at the winter solstice meeting on Olympus, leaving either Thomas or Dolley as the child of the prophecy, though no one knows of the latter just yet  
Thomas and James figuring out Dolley is a daughter of Hades 
Thomas choosing the prophecy 
Thomas meeting Rachel Dare, part 2 
James and Thomas discover the entrance to the Labyrinth within CHB 
John telling Thomas of the nature of the Labyrinth 
James leading the quest with Thomas, Theo, and Martha (who’s there with Artemis’ blessing) into the Labyrinth in order to find Daedalus and prevent Aaron from using it as an entrance to CHB 
Dolley trying to bargain with Hades to get Anne back in the meantime, guided maliciously by Minos 
Them going to Hephaestus, who directs them to Mount St. Helens 
James kissing Thomas right before he goes in with Martha to fight off the telekhines bc she thinks that only Big Three kids can survive the potential power outburst (she’d be right) 
Thomas ending up in Ogygia and meeting Calypso 
Him crashing his own funeral 
Them meeting Rachel Dare again and going back into the Labyrinth, this time only to get captured by Aaron’s forces 
Them managing to escape after Martha kills Antaeus 
Them finding Daedalus, before Minos and Dolley appear and Dolley sends Minos back to the Underworld 
The battle at CHB and the campers working together to beat back Aaron’s forces, with the force of three Big Three kids working together as no small factor in their eventual success  
Thomas and Theo arguing about whether or not Aaron can still be saved 
Thomas finally hearing the rest of the prophecy 
Dolley giving Thomas the choice as to whether or not he’ll bathe in the River Styx 
The Battle of Manhattan and James taking a knife for Thomas 
Martha leading the Hunters 
Maria revealing she’s a spy and regrets it 
John, who’s her best friend, going in a rage and killing the drakon 
Aaron, by this time completely hosting Kronos, managing to get to Olympus past the campers’ defenses 
Thomas, James, and Theo being the only ones with him 
Theo offering him her knife 
Aaron managing to wrest control of his body and stabbing himself with the knife, effectively ending the war 
Thomas promising to remember the unclaimed campers 
Thomas then holding the gods to their promise to claim every single one of their children, including the minor gods 
And that’s just PJO 
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House of Hades Read with Me Part 2
Hey guys! I’m back with my final thoughts on House of Hades (HoH) by Rick Riordan. My thoughts covering the first half of the book can be found here. My thoughts on Son of Neptune/why I’m re-reading the series is here. My Mark of Athena thoughts are here. If you want to know my general thoughts on HoH and don’t want to read my long winded review of it here it is: It’s AMAZING. This is the best book in the series so far by a landslide imo. Literally if I actually felt more than indifference or dislike for the new HoO characters, I’d say this book was better than any of the PJO books. I was really losing faith in the series before I read HoH to the point where I had wished Rick ended Percy’s story with the Last Olympian. If I were to rate this book, I’d give it a 4.5. I enjoyed the Percabeth, the suspense, and the journey through Tartarus the most. Despite issues with pacing, lack of platonic bonding between the Seven, romantic relationships being stunted for couples such as Piper/Jason and Hazel/Frank, HoH has renewed my faith in the series potentially ending on a good note. 
So let’s get into more specifics down below. I’ll have thoughts, my issues with the book, and spoilers under the cut. 
I’m going to try not to fangirl too much over Percabeth because I’ve done that for all of my read with me’s so far but my heart belongs to them. I loved every reference to their future together. Percy and Annabeth both mentioned possibly having children in the future and I just decided then and there that their relationship is why I have such high standards. This is the blueprint of what I want for my romantic life. Taking applications for suitors now. Actually no, I’m scared of men. Percabeth’s chemistry is out of the world, romantically and in their fighting abilities. I really started to pay attention to how they fight together and as I read, I noticed how they would stand back to back and work together without even saying anything. I’m curious to how they’re going to react now that they’re literally been through hell and back. I’m sensing a PTSD arc. I guess Percy will have a more aggressive reaction (My mans was wildin in Tartarus-also when he said he was going to kill Gaea with his bare hands, I was like umm. sir. Rick better let him have that kill though.) but I can’t quite predict what Annabeth’s reaction will be. Also it wasn’t explained why Percy was acting like a psycho in Tartarus and about to brutally kill Aklyhs but I guess I’m just to assume it was to add suspense and implies he has a dark side. And don’t forget that Percy told Annabeth he loved her back-it wasn’t as poetic as when she said it but he still said love you too. 
Next topic: Bob/Iapetus/Damasen. I like to check goodreads reviews after I finish a book just to see what everyone thought of it and it seems that a lot of people were heartbroken after they (presumably) sacrificed themselves. I don’t have much to say here-I mean, that’s sad and I’m thankful that they did that but I’m not in my feels about it. It was a clever outcome of the ‘foes bear arms to the doors of death’ line from the prophecy. I was wondering if Small Bob had any cool powers the entire time so that was cool when it got all big and helped Bob fight Tartarus (who by the way, scared the shit out of me jesus). 
Nico. Check out my first part to know my thoughts about his whole coming out. I just had a question for you guys here-was he technically outed? And if so, that’s not good. I consider myself an LGBT ally and I try to be aware of when it is and when it’s not okay to reveal someone else’s sexuality. On one hand, I thought it was shitty of Cupid to coerce Nico into it but on the other hand if we (the readers) found out that Nico was gay by just him saying he liked Percy, I would’ve been like there’s nothing in the text to support that statement (because prior to HoH, I thought he hated Percy--blaming him for Bianca’s death--then only helped Percy (River styx, the Labyrinth) because he was an ally to the gods like Nico) so having the scenes in HoH of how Nico started to develop feelings for Percy made so much more sense to me. And those scenes only came up because of Cupid. Idk. Let me know what you guys think.
I found it a little strange how Nico wrote off Percy at the end of the book when Percy thanked him for leading the other demigods to HoH. I get it’s probably a defense mechanism to keep his distance from being even more attracted to Percy but I figured Nico would be a little less cold to him now that he admitted his feelings. I saw a goodsreads review that said there was a confirmed Nico POV in Blood of Olympus so fingers crossed we get that and it’ll explain his curt response to Percy and I’d love a Nico POV if we don’t actually have a Percy/Annabeth POV (according to another review I saw) because I can’t deal with the other HoO characters (except Leo, y’all know that tho).
Next topic: Frank and Hazel. I always give credit where it’s due even if I don’t particularly like or care about a character and these two got the MVPs for this book. Hazel’s fight with Pasiphae-it was so cool. For someone who didn’t get a mentor to help her with the mist and figured it out on her own, she was a straight boss. It was a little off to me how her POV started off the book yet she had the least amount of chapters but had this huge task of controlling the Mist/helping the team get through HoH ahead of her. And then her POV pops up in the end to defeat Pasiphae. This is again, why I say, there’s no need for all 7 to narrate. Hecate could’ve easily come to the ship and say all that stuff in front of the crew and let’s say it had been Frank’s POV. He would notice how Hazel is apprehensive/scared of this task because he knows her well and they could talk about it together so we still know her feelings and that’s one less POV because once again, she barely had any chapters. 
Frank. I stand by my thoughts about the ‘growth spurt’, still think it’s hella problematic. I don’t generally care for him but even I got seduced by him more times than I’m willing to admit. When he commanded that dead army I was like yesss. The blessing of Ares and how he literally was on fire and the fact that he pulled an arrow out of his arm like it was no big deal really did it for me. I feel bad, because he’s just not very well written or else I think I could like him. I want to touch on the ship-- tbh, ship is not a word I’d use to describe this DOA relationship, maybe dinghy--ya this DINGHY ‘ship’ that is Hazel and Frank. Like it’s even drier than Jasper lmao. No chemistry there. They had no scenes alone together. I see that they care for each other and are worried when the other person is in danger but that’s not enough. Worry is normal for any relationship, Percy was worried about Grover when he went missing in Sea of Monsters but they weren’t together romantically. 
And it could just be me refusing to ship a 13 year old with anyone but I just get no vibes from them. Leo and Hazel have more chemistry in their conversations alone. This is a total aside but I’ve been getting salty about how little Percy has had to work with in PJO compared to the HoO characters (And I know Rick wrote PJO first, he didn’t develop all these cool things/weapons like charmspeak or Leo’s belt yet) but although Percy is a great swordsman, he only has his powers like every other demigod. Like Hazel has her child of Pluto powers, the jewel curse that has helped her find gold, and now she can control the mist. And technically she has a horse but so does Percy. Frank’s got his fire stick, shape shifting, Ares’ child powers, archery, and he can command armies. Y’all know the other skills/boosts/weapons the other Seven have (Not including Annabeth) so like Rick really gave Percy (and no offense to Percy but also gave him half the intelligence of the HoO demigods) the bare minimum in PJO and we were all still impressed.
There’s this tik tok sound where someone (I don’t know the original meme or video, if you know please comment or reblog. I’d love to give credit), in disbelief, says ‘Wait a minute, what is this? This isn’t enough’ and someone responds in a sassy tone, ‘Make it enough’. And I feel like for PJO, Percy was like this isn’t enough and Rick said make it enough lmaoo. Percy was struggle bussin’ for no reason in PJO! HoO characters get everything handed to them and they still have the AUDACITY to not have any characterization. Couldn’t be me. 
Next two couples I’ll talk about: Leo and Calypso & Jasper. I wasn’t expecting Calypso to be such a savage, like she was DONE with having heroes wash up on her shores. I missed her so much. While I liked the banter between Leo and Calypso, I felt that it was rushed/forced because it all took place in about four chapters. This wasn’t the best execution and part of why I can’t give the book five stars. I think he’ll come back for her, I don’t know how but out of everyone, Leo has really figured out how to make things work when they’re deemed ‘impossible’. So he’ll find a way. I wonder if he’ll confront Percy about leaving Calypso tho, I’d like to see that. So while he was on Ogygia, the other demigods had moved forward and were in Africa. And I was like WOW y’all really said fuck Leo. There was no search party for him (or mention of it), no tears shed for Leo. Damn. No wonder he feels like the Seventh wheel. I mean we got one or two throwaway lines about them worried about Leo’s whereabouts from Jason and Piper but I mean they weren’t in distress about it. I guessing I’m to assume they asked Nico if Leo was dead off screen and Nico confirmed that he wasn’t so they weren’t too worried about him? Anyway, they’re fake friends for that one. 
That aside, Piper and Jason are *yawn* boring as I’ve said before. But I thought he was going to address Piper’s ‘I love you’ confession last book but I’m not sure if he even heard it. I really thought Reyna was going to come in and shake things up between them but just as soon she came, she left w/ Nico and Hedge to take the statue to Camp Half Blood so missed opportunity for resolution there. Piper and Jason also had NO scenes together so I’m really shocked how Rick expects us to ship couples if they don’t spend any time together. I’m not shocked about how Jason is most likely going back to Camp Half Blood after all this is over. It’s superior to Camp Jupiter so I don’t blame him but it’s an interesting choice. I was actually thinking that Percy might stay at Camp Jupiter because I figured he’d stay as praetor. And since Annabeth’s dad lives in Cali, I was thinking they could stay there but I’m sure they go back to New York after BoO because I saw an excerpt where Apollo asks for Percy’s help and I believe Apollo went to Sally’s apartment. But Percy could’ve been visiting Sally and live in CA normally. Speaking of which, how did Jason just give that position to Frank?? He has to be elected lmao. I mean when I read it, I was like Frank gets handed everything but then I was like well, Percy got the position and he wasn’t even at Camp Jupiter for a week and I didn’t complain about that. At least Frank has been there longer and has shown leadership qualities. But yeah, it’s still a no for me for Piper and Jason. At least Piper’s POV chapters weren’t annoying this book but she only got 4 chapters lmao so no time to be annoying. 
To end this review, I want to touch about why I give this book gets a 4.5 and not a 5. I really feel like the 7 POVs were extremely unnecessary especially because the demigods not in tartarus were mostly together and didn’t have as many side quests as MoA. And some of them didn’t even get more than 4 chapters. I found the magic growth spurt way too problematic to overlook. I still feel like the new HoO characters except for Leo are underdeveloped or unlikeable. The pacing wasn’t the best-Alot of things happened in this book and very little of it could’ve been taken out. The pacing wasn’t slow, it was the right pace until about 60% of the way in and then I was just constantly being hit with attacks and rushed meetings like Leo and Calypso. But I can’t quite fault Rick because I felt every event in this book was necessary for it to be as good as it was so of course, some parts end up rushed. In addition, there’s not much bonding happening between the Seven. Like each trio that had their own book had some bonding in there (Can’t speak for Lost Hero because I haven’t read that in 6 or so years. But tSoN had a little, mostly between Frank and Hazel tho) but collectively, as the seven demigods of the prophecy-they haven’t really hung out and just talked about things that aren’t quests. For example in the Lighting Thief, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover would play hacky sack and he bonded with both of them when they were stuck in the zoo animal enclosure whatever. Grover told him about finding Pan and being worried since he was supposed to guide Thalia back to camp safely and he wasn’t able to. Annabeth told him about her dreams to become an architect in the Sea of Monsters. 
Those moments of platonic bonding and intimacy are what’s missing from this series. Yes, the plot/the quest of the Seven should be front and center but I don’t feel like they’re a team. They’re just co workers at this point lmao. Hell, I think all of them participating in a conversation and just talking and enjoying each other’s company would actually make me like the HoO characters. Not Piper, she’s irredeemable in my eyes. She belongs to streets. Everyone else has a fighting chance tho. Guys, think about it. They have something in common (that’s number one requirement of friendship) they’re all demigods. They’ve all been scared, under pressure and expectations to save the world, and felt abandoned by their parents at one point or the other. Leo and Frank have said in their narrations that they feel inadequate next to powerful demigods like Percy and Jason. Imagine if Frank and Leo spoke to each other about that and were friends. Or started a dialogue about feeling inadequate and the other demigods could share their insecurities. The Seven are able to work together, that’s true but it doesn’t feel like friendship. It seems like each separate trio from the first two books are friends (Annabeth is in between because she’s friends with Jason and them but also Percy’s girlfriend) and they all just call the other trio friends because what else is there? Quest mates? 
And I’m getting a little upset rn because there have been so many instances where we could’ve gotten some platonic friendship. Piper is learning from Hazel how to sword fight (How this girl has survived without learning an actual weapon how is beyond me. Charmspeak didn’t work very well for her in this book), like we had both their POVs. We could’ve had a training/bonding scene from either perspective. Not just some throwaway line about how they got close because they’re the only girls now that Annabeth was in Tartarus. Why couldn’t we have gotten one scene Rick? What was the reason? Tragic.
Platonic love and relationships exist. And it’s more than just complimenting someone when they use their powers. The scene at the end of the book when the Seven, Hedge, Reyna, and Nico are having lunch together on the hill is a whisper in the right direction. How Jason ‘bear hugged’ Percy when he got out of Tartarus is another example. Though this wasn’t platonic and was more familial but Nico basically accepting Hazel as his siser (On a level that is acknowledging her on the same level as Bianca and not just another kid of Hades/Pluto) by kissing her on the cheek. I know you can do it Rick. You’ve done it before. All I want from the last book in this series is platonic love, answers about how Hazel’s curse will be lifted by a descendant of Neptune, Percabeth, and the Gaea/giants defeated. You can have all the POVs your heart desires if you just give me those things. 
See you guys next week with the Blood of Olympus read with me. My writeblr followers must be tired of me lmao, I swear I’ll get back to normally scheduled content after this. I love writing this kind of rants/reviews even though they take me like 2 hours to write.
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bigfan-fanfic · 5 years
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Grain Brain (Son of Demeter!Reader Headcanons)
Requested by @acoustickitten - another incredible requester - for a Son of Demeter with the relationship at my discretion.
Thanks for this one, I feel like there’s so little PJO reader-insert content for males! Anyway, I couldn’t decide, so the first part will be what life is like for a son of Demeter, and the second part will be the relationships, with Luke Castellan (for angst lovers), Will Solace (for the fluffy ones), and Percy Jackson (for a mixed bag). Hope you enjoy!
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So, you’re a half-blood. 
Children of Demeter are often have it the worst: theoretically, they are the only demigod grandchildren of Kronos hopping along out there: Hestia is an eternal maiden. Hera doesn’t cheat. The Big Three has only had a few slip-ups since their big oath after WWII. Demeter’s the only child of Rhea out there still... producing demigod children. 
And your cabin might be the most ridiculed after Aphrodite and Dionysus in terms of combat usefulness.
The general insult for a Demeter kid is Grain Brain. Grain is such a rhymeable word that Cabin Four has been the result of many a scathing limerick from the Apollo Cabin.
But in the future, all those people will look at you as the counterexample.
Sure, Athena and Ares may have superiority in battle tactics and strength. Hermes might be sneaky and crafty and wordy. Apollo might have a huge number of seemingly-unrelated skills. Hephestus might have craftsmanship.
But you have... agriculture?
Woe betide anyone who underestimates the power of Demeter. Like Dionysus’ children, Cabin Four kids may develop some level of control over plants, specifically, anything cultivated. 
The dryads are okay with you, but the dryads connected to fruit-bearing trees practically worship you, calling you my lord. 
And especially powerful children of Demeter have some minor weather control ability. Demeter once stopped the entire world from getting any weather but scorching sun to hold it hostage for her daughter to be returned. Her children can access this power too.
Make a powerful child of Demeter angry? Clouds part, and the sun heats up like a thousand degrees, as concentrated rays of heat bake the opponent. It can even cross Camp Half-Blood’s magical weather shield.
Another thing Demeter kids have power over is food.
A Demeter kid can curse someone else with excessive hunger, or bless someone to be able to go without food indefinitely. They can also make anything taste like anything else. 
They are also often enlisted, along with the Dionysus kids, to help boost the strawberry harvest.
The berries go crazy for Hilary Duff, but early Justin Bieber and Cheetah Girls makes them bananas. So you have to choose the lesser of all evils, because these songs do NOT sound good from a satyr’s pipes.
I feel like a Demeter kid shares some healing with Apollo kids, but can only mainly heal exhaustion, dehydration, anything relating to malnourishment.
Demeter kids can eat whatever they want. 
Demeter Chrysaoros was the Lady of the Golden Sword, so don’t tell me Demeter kids can’t fight just as well as anyone else. Demeter’s sword was also made out of part of Kronos’ scythe, so she is powerful.
You are the most powerful son of Demeter in thousands of years. You might be the most powerful child of Demeter since Persephone.
You are the head counselor of Cabin Four, and you make sure everyone is hale and hearty.
Luke Castellan
Luke recognizes your power when he gets to Camp Half-Blood
And it strikes him as unfair that you might be just as powerful as Thalia, but since you weren’t a Big Three kid, you had to make your own way to camp - no seekers out looking for you.
So he and Annabeth adopt you into their little family.
Luke realizes he has fallen for you when he sees how much little Annabeth has taken a shine to you.
He’s known you for about a year when he sneaks out of Hermes cabin with a couple of smuggled Cokes and a Disney movie on cassette.
He asks you to sneak with him into the Big House. You watch the movie in the room usually reserved for the orientation video.
Your head leans on his shoulder because you are tired - it’s the middle of the night.
“Hey, uh, Y/N...”
“Mmm?”
“I really like - uh, this movie.” He can’t do it. He’s almost crying with frustration when he feels you kiss him on the cheek.
“I think I might love this movie.” You say hopefully.
Mr. D doesn’t sleep, and he’s right behind you. Shockingly, he doesn’t turn you both into dolphins, but instead ropes you into a late-night pinochle game with Chiron, who’s tail is in curlers for some reason.
It’s both the happiest and most embarrassing night in your life.
But from then on, you two are the “it” couple at camp.
You two become slightly distant after Luke’s quest, but you think it’s because he’s insecure over his new scar. There’s something missing when you two do seem to regain that lost ground.
When Percy comes to camp and beats Luke in a training duel, you congratulate him and boost his ego, telling him that everybody always ridiculed Demeter kids for not having any good talents, and that he can be good at whatever he chooses.
You are devastated when Luke betrays the gods.
He begs you to join him, but you refuse.
He kidnaps you aboard the Princess Andromeda, but you are rescued by Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson.
It was when you realized Luke was too far gone.
At the Battle of the Empire State Building, you yourself take on Kronos with all the might of your godly parent.
It’s not enough, and you are almost killed.
Luke takes back control for an instant, allowing you the chance to escape
Annabeth and you give the final blow together.
The last thing Luke sees is you.
And you know you will never meet again, not even in death, because Luke was always a pusher, and he’ll reincarnate to get to the Isles of the Blest.
Eventually you age out of Camp Half-Blood and travel the world, searching, hoping you can find happiness once more...
Will Solace
You two are the medicine couple
Feeling bad? Feeling blue? Visit Y/N and Will - odds are one of them will solve your problem.
You hang out with Will in the infirmary, handing out magical crackers that assist with healing.
During the Battle of the Labyrinth, your powers truly blossomed - you granted power to all the fruit-bearing dryads, allowing their trees to come to life and attack the opposing army. Will thought that was so cool - he brags about it every chance he gets.
You and Grover seal Hyperion into the tree during the Battle of the Empire State Building.
You and Will met during archery practice, because as an Apollo kid, he was booked to teach.
Among your numerous talents, archery is not.
You accidentally shoot him.
Although, the way you shot him was worthy of an Apollo kid - the arrow ricocheted off of like, thirteen different things before striking Will.
Not a good idea to have the best healer teach archery
But anyway, you felt so bad that you practically carried him to the Big House
And cried because you never wanted to hurt anyone
Especially not anyone as hot as Will
“Wait, what?”
“Oops.”
“Well, I think you might have to check for another wound.”
“What? Really?”
“Yup. I think you struck my heart with your arrow.”
They change the rule so that no two demigods from different cabins can be alone together because of you two.
You resolve this by camping in the woods overnight - the dryads have got your back.
Although a lot of them will try to steal Will from you, so I guess everything has its ups and downs.
Percy Jackson
At first, you were so annoyed by this sarcastic ball of insecurity.
He comes in here, insulting your godly heritage, making a mockery of all these camp activities, and then he met you
And his jaw drops open.
“Wow. Uh... who’s your godly parent?” he asks, almost in awe
“Demeter.”
He snickers. “The farming goddess?”
Yeah, that was pretty much one of the worst first impressions he could have made.
But he grew on you after a while. 
And you... he was gone from the moment you saw he had blue Coke and changed yours to match.
He takes you to meet his mom as soon as possible
And she automatically knows he’s in love because Sally Jackson always knows.
She approves because she sees how much you love him back.
The two of you just started being together one day - neither of you can really pinpoint an exact moment.
Just, somehow, you two held hands and it felt right, so you kept doing it.
And just like that, you were a couple.
Aphrodite once promised to make Percy’s love life interesting.
Well, it doesn’t get much more interesting than you.
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takaraphoenix · 4 years
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percy jackson for the ask game
Thanks for playing! ^^
Top 5 favourite characters: Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Clarisse la Rue, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Silena Beauregard
Other characters you like: Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Thalia Grace, Leo Valdez, Charles Beckendorf, Tyson
Least favourite characters: Hera, uuuhm I mean Drew I guess and Nancy?? I don’t know, I’ve gone through so many cycles with PJO, I’ve come around on most characters
Otps: again, let’s make that a Top Five? Nico/Percy, Jason/Percy, Octavian/Percy, Triton/Percy, Will/Pery
Notps: Percy/Annabeth, Leo/Calypso, Grover/Percy, Tyson/Percy, book Luke/Percy
Favourite friendships: Canon? Grover & Percy, Clarisse & Percy, Nico & Reyna
Favourite family: I meeean technically they are ALL family since all of the gods are siblings/cousins! ;D Okay, okay. Paul, Sally, Percy and Tyson! A very obvious pick
Favourite episodes: doesn’t have a TV show adaptation yet? xD
Favourite season/book/movie: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Favourite quotes: not really a quote-kinda-gal
Best musical moment: haven’t gotten to see the musical yet!
Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: I mean obviously when black on white it was confirmed that Nico was in love with Percy? Like? You can imagine, yes? :D
When it really disappointed you: …so often *whispers softly, voice breaking* but to sum it up basically from The Mark of Athena through to the end. The above mentioned confession was honestly like the only highlight out of those three books...
Saddest moment: WHEN THEY KILLED OFF BECKENDORF AND THEN KILLED OFF SELINA. I CRIED THE WHOLE FUCKING DAY
Most well done character death: Luke’s death was shit, Ethan’s death was frustrating because it was a cheap cop out of an actual redemption arc I really hate the “chose the wrong side and now immediately dies in a Heroic Sacrifice”-trope (which plays into why Luke’s death was shit), Bianca’s death was ridiculous - the fact that out of ALL of the Huntresses they picked the one who had been a huntress for 0.2 DAYS was just pathetic and literally projectd “this 12 year old child with zero combat training is totally gonna die” all along and it pisses me off so much, while Silena and Beckendorf made me cry they were also frustrating because they were avoidable had people used their brains, Octavian’s death genuinely made me furious because it was played for cheap laughs... I guess Bob and Damansen by default then...?
Favourite guest star: uuuuuuuh I got nothing
Favourite cast member: Leven Rambin as Clarisse la Rue?? Holy shit blessed casting thank you
Character you wish was still alive: ...one? I only get one? *distressed Phoe-noises* Silena? Charles? Ethan? Urgh. How dare you make me pick only one...
One thing you hope really happens: ...I know there are people out there still reading the new books and I wouldn’t wish this for them because they clearly still enjoy it, but good gods do I wish Riordan would just finally stop and give Percy a rest. Like, not even stop writing - he could write new things. but stop dragging Percy Jackson personally into everything, be that visiting the Norse because hey it’s his gf’s cousin, or getting dragged into Apollo’s weird shit, seriously just... move on, please
Most shocking twist: quite truthfully that Ares was the traitorous god in The Lightning Thief and not Hades. I am so used to Hades being painted as The Bad Guy and the Evil Mastermind bullshit that it was genuinely so refreshing that no actually he’s just wronged because he wants his property back too and he’s not actually the bad guy??
When did you start watching/reading?: 2010, I guess, right after I saw the movie for the first time
Best animal/creature: BLACKJACK BLACKJACK BLACKJACK. No wait Mrs. O’Leary is also there! :O Both? Both!
Favourite location: THE UNDERWORLD
Trope you wish they would stop using: Everyone Needs To Be Paired Up! Seriously, obsessive shipping in canon is cringey but if you have a literal ship with seven crewmates and it turns out to be three couples and the seventh is first in a Love Triangle with one of the couples and THEN gets his own girlfriend, that’s... that’s genuinely pathetic, like I would raise a judgemental eyebrow at a fanfiction that ships everyone off this perfectly paired up, but a published actual work that is not the author’s very first publication? That’s embarrassing, man
One thing this show/book/film does better than others: portrayal of Greek gods and myths
Funniest moments: snarky Percy sassing gods :D
Couple you would like to see: This implies a non-canon couple I’d like to see become canon and just honestly, genuinely, none, good gods there is already too much romance as it is, dial it back
Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: honestly, the second movie took the two only fancasts that were dear to me and actually cast them. Anthony Head as Chiron and Nathan Fillion as Hermes. That was such perfect casting and were my only casting wishes, so like... I got nothing
Favourite outfit: Clarisse’s movie outfit?? It’s? So? Good??
Favourite item: I mean, Riptide is really practical?
Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: A very dear friend of mine gave me the movie poster for the second movie and it is hanging on my ceiling :D But other than that, sadly enough this franchise is not exactly heavy on merch - which is ridiculous to me... the opportunities. Please make this into a cartoon and start producing ALL of the figures and toys. All of them. Seriously, the toy opportunity on this franchise is so huge??
What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: uuuuuuh honestly no god really fits me so I don’t know
Most boring plotline: Annabeth’s third book side-quest really bore me
Most laughably bad moment: When they had a prophecy about an “angel’s breath” and Annabeth Chase, daughter of ATHENA, stood right there, not figuring it out - but Piper did. That... That did Annabeth such a freaking disservice, seriously the disrespect from Riordan there. Why did you even make her a daughter of wisdom if you aren’t going to use her to be clever? That actively made me bang my head against the nearest wall because it was such an obvious part of the riddle like seeeriously
Best flashback/flashfoward if any: I loved learning more about Annabeth, Luke and Thalia’s past together
Most layered character: I mean Percy, but that’s also due to getting five books exclusively from his POV
Most one dimensional character: lol like the dozen or so characters who only exist as First Name Only? And yeah, I get it, you can’t flesh them all out more. But Jason Grace had a whole-ass life before he came to CHB and we got name-drops of his closest friends in The Lost Hero, but most of them remained a name only and Jason not only didn’t get to team up with them later on, to try and convince them to join his cause, he also never actively thought about them. I don’t know, but if I’d spend months away from all my friends, I would definitely spend some of my POV thinking about them...
Scariest moment: thiiis was not a scary series
Grossest moment: When Riordan tried to sell domestic violence as cute, aka Annabeth judo-flipping her boyfriend in punishment for getting abducted by a goddess :D”““ what the fuq
Best looking male: if we go by actors, I guess Chris Rodriguez? xD
Best looking female: oooh definitely Clarisse when we go with the movie faces *^*
Who you’re crushing on (if any): mmmh yeah no
Favourite cast moment: I do not know any xD”
Favourite transportation: shadow-travel! It’s so cool
Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): them entering the underworld was pretty damn cool??
Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: NICO’S AGE. CONSISTENCY. Stop posting things that contradict each other like just stop tweeting canons out if you don’t have a fixed list of what is canon. ALSO SALLY’S MOTHER IS NAMED LAURA, SHE WAS NAMED LAURA FOR YEARS BEFORE YOU FORGOT THAT YOU NAMED THAT CHARACTER LAURA AND NOW SALLY NAMED HER CANON DAUGHTER FUCKING ESTELLE AFTER HER MOTHER’S NEW NAME. Good gods. How do professional authors not have lists to crosscheck about vital information of their own characters, like their birthdates and their parents’ names.
Best promo: I don’t watch promos
At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: Honestly before I watched the movie already, when I read on wikipedia that a son of Hades was not just A Good Guy in this bookseries but also a main character :D
IN DEPTH FANDOM QUESTIONS
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mvndrvke-archive · 5 years
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       DEVOUT TO DEFIANT : ANNABETH’S VIEW OF THE GODS ;;
( aka how i change shit up from canon and ruin all of rick’s hard work pART TWO!! )
“i’ve been here since i was a kid, i did everything they ever asked,  yeah, i did. and for what?”
so annabeth just????? she’s definitely not the one that’s been screwed over the most by the gods in the series, but she’s been present and closely related to those that have really gotten the worst treatment from olympus. from luke to percy, she’s seen the full spectrum of things, and it’s shaped her opinion more and more over the years to the point where she outright turns her back on the gods in quiet but open defiance of their rule over olympus and the demigods. 
imma be splitting this into little pieces which are the following-- 
i. luke’s teachings and what she learned from his life/death ii. annabeth’s relationship to athena and how it all started going downhill iii. the wars and how annabeth’s idea of the gods was changed vi. who is she now-- annabeth after heroes of olympus
trigger warnings : death / violence
I. LUKE’S TEACHINGS AND WHAT SHE LEARNED FROM HIS LIFE/DEATH
to wildly oversimplify luke, he really hated the gods. his daddy issues were truly something else, and his resentment and anger towards hermes and the other gods almost destroyed olympus. now, annabeth’s relationship with luke is incredibly complicated ( i’ve written something about all of annabeth’s relationships in the books, which you can check out here ), and honestly a lot of her issues with luke come from the fact that he a) didn’t talk to her about any of this, he just shut her out, and he b) never asked her to come with him. that’s the real kicker, because if luke had asked annabeth after the titan’s curse, annabeth would’ve left to fight on his side, and would’ve tried to take percy and thalia with her. i touch on this more later. 
the main thing that annabeth really learned from luke was to never give up. luke was wrong about a lot of things, and his corruption stemmed firmly from his point of weakness-- his resentment and bitterness, but also kinda his wounded pride-- but in the end, annabeth was able to get through to him. she didn’t write luke off as a lost cause, which pretty much everyone else did. she believed there was someone worth saving. 
and luke made some fair points, which she realizes later on as she herself gets more resentful towards the gods. this is touched on in the section about athena more, but annabeth really starts to realize how far the gods have to go, and that maybe the apologies owed aren’t from the demigods, or the fault of the demigods, but the gods themselves. luke hit the point where he was done fucking around and had to stand up to the gods. annabeth hits this point too, but unlike luke, she’s smart about it and does it on her own terms rather than letting herself be tempted into something she can’t control. 
II. ANNABETH’S RELATIONSHIP TO ATHENA AND HOW IT ALL STARTED GOING DOWNHILL
okay so when we first meet annabeth, it’s when she’s twelve years old ( duh, we all remember this ), and she’s been living with the knowledge that she’s a demigod for about five years. of those five years, she’s spent two as the head counselor of her cabin ( these campers are CHILDREN, i will get into that more in the last section, but it’s really important to note how young annabeth is at this time ). and we get to see that annabeth’s views of the gods and their children are INCREDIBLY dated. her initial dislike / distrust of percy and his intentions is due to the rivalry between their parents ( athena and poseidon ) and the hostility those two share towards each other. annabeth is adamantly opposed to befriending percy even after they’ve headed out on their quest together, and it takes her a long time to actually get over that and accept that maybe she can be friends with people that her mom wouldn’t approve of. this actually proves to be a regular problem for annabeth, as she has a lot of trouble learning to trust tyson ( percy’s half brother and a cyclops ) because of his connection to poseidon, which once again stems from her mother’s hatred of poseidon. 
prior to annabeth leaving for her quest in the lightning thief, it’s clear that she’s a pretty mama’s approval oriented kid. she holds athena in high regard, and we can see how much faith she puts in her mother since her catchphrase is “athena always has a plan.” she doesn’t, girl, she really doesn’t. but that’s not the point. annabeth idolizes and champions her mother, and really just wants to be like her in every way possible. UNTIL, of course, things start to change. 
where shit really gets bad is at the end of the titan’s curse. keep in mind that two of annabeth’s closest friends-- thalia and percy-- have just risked their asses to save annabeth’s life and the life of artemis. so fresh off that high, and with annabeth owing her survival completely to her two friends, they then show up at olympus so the gods can vote on whether or not to kill percy and thalia in order to avoid the prophecy. now. annabeth is still loyal to her mother at this point, but also to her friends. i mean obviously, they’ve just saved her life ( from luke, even though he’s kinda taken over by kronos at this point, but that’s a whole other thing ), and what’s their reward? the gods vote on whether or not to kill them, and athena votes that they should. not only that, but athena is really the first and the strongest advocate of killing thalia and percy. annabeth has been in loyal service to her mother for i think seven years at this point, and even knowing that annabeth’s friends are officially down to two ( the loss of luke really makes thalia and percy her two closest friends. sorry grover. ), athena sees the best solution being to kill those two off. which annabeth gets, strategically, but annabeth isn’t all battle strategy. we’ve seen her at this point show a lot of emotion and heart, especially when it comes to her friends ( her ongoing faith in luke’s innocence really highlights this perfectly. even during the final battle, she doesn’t give up on him, and it’s that devotion and trust in him that really saves the day at the end ). we know that there’s no way annabeth could ever rationalize her way through this, and this is the moment when the first seeds of bitterness are placed in annabeth’s heart. 
athena’s continued harshness towards percy over something as juvenile ( in annabeth’s mind, now that she’s actually had some time to grow up and become independent of her mother’s thoughts when it comes to her rivalry with poseidon ) as annabeth’s relationship with percy is also something that grates on annabeth’s nerves and fosters her resentment towards her mother. 
during the heroes of olympus series, annabeth really gets shit on for being athena’s daughter by the romans. it’s considered to be kinda scandalous for her to be the daughter of athena, since minerva is so wildly different from her greek counterpart. so now she’s facing all this crap for being the daughter of someone she’s not super duper thrilled to be the daughter of, and annabeth’s meeting with minerva really pisses her off. yes, she understands that it’s unfair and demeaning to be reduced from the status of athena to the image of minerva with her power diminished, but once again, her mom is saying percy should be destroyed, and once again, annabeth is being charged with an anger, resentment, and revenge that isn’t hers. 
and then there’s the matter of the athena parthenos. annabeth has to face her absolute worst fears to get that goddamn statue, falls into tartarus for her troubles, has to deal with all sorts of shit, and what’s the reward? a ‘nice job, but you haven’t done enough yet’ from athena, who tells her she needs to get the athena parthenos back to camp halfblood. reyna gets the support and power of both athena and bellona behind her when she’s fighting orion, annabeth gets another job to do. she’s tired. she’s exhausted. she’s done so much already and she’s done. annabeth is half dead from her time in tartarus at this point, and her ability to keep going is barely there. 
true and fair, athena does come in and help annabeth out in the big battle against the giants. and that’s a moment where things could maybe get better, but they can’t. at this point, annabeth has been faced with too much, and too much resentment has built up in her chest when it comes to her mother. i’ll talk about this more in the last section, but annabeth’s relationship with athena is too damaged at this point to ever be repaired or bring annabeth back to the point of idolizing her mother that she was at when she was a kid. 
** there are a few things that annabeth’s opinion hasn’t changed on, though her relationship with percy has made some of these decisions actually have weight to them. these are just my personal headcanons of annabeth, but the big one is that annabeth never wants to get married. ever. athena never married, and annabeth had always seen this being the path for her to take ( which we can kinda see referenced in canon when she’s considering joining the hunters of artemis. boys were never really her top priority ). and she was totally fine with that. but especially after she started dating percy and she saw how much her mom hated him, she knows that if she ever was to get married, it would not be with athena’s blessing. no matter how resentful annabeth is towards her mother at the end, she still can’t stand the concept of athena fully turning her back on annabeth, so she remains firm with her decision that she’s never going to get married, even if she and percy did reach that point in their relationship one day. **
III. THE WARS AND HOW ANNABETH’S IDEA OF THE GODS WAS CHANGED
annabeth fights in two wars in five years. two. and by the time the second war ends, she’s seventeen years old. we always get to see ( in the original series, at least ) how stunned percy is to still be alive, and while the romans have legacies, the greeks don’t seem to as far as i remember. they all seem to just die young. i’ll get back to this in a sec. 
now, while the gods end up coming to fight in the final battles, it’s a pain in the ass to get them to contribute. they really only sweep in to save the day at the end, which by the time the second big war rolls around, is just not enough. especially in the first war, the problem was the gods. that’s what started the whole thing, that’s what let kronos rise to power, that’s what they were all fighting over-- the gods keeping control of olympus and the world. and what did they get? the gods agreed to pretty much the bare minimum and promised to claim their demigod children. round of applause, can’t believe you would do something so controversial yet so brave. it’s a victory that day, but they all go back to camp halfblood after and realize how many people are dead. this is a quote from percy in the last olympian, but i feel like it sums this up really nicely--
                    “I stared out the window into deep blue water.                      Beckendorf was supposed to go to college in                      the fall. He had a girlfriend, lots of friends, his                     whole life ahead of him. He couldn't be gone.” 
they’re kids. most of the demigods at camp are teenagers, and as far as i’m aware/remember, beckendorf and luke are the only demigods we see in the original series that are 18+ years old. meanwhile the olympians are all totally chill with sending them out to fight monsters and titans and giants and all this shit, and then sweep in when they absolutely have to so it looks like they’re contributing. this isn’t a new thing. historically ( in mythology, not literal history ), this is kinda just what the gods do, though they will intervene now and then ( athena helps achilles when he’s trying to kill hector and helps odysseus like 50000 times, and i believe apollo is the one that stabs patroclus before hector is able to kill him. patroclus is a tough guy, y’all stop treating him like he’s a wimp ) in smaller ways. mind you, these were adults trained in combat fighting other adults trained in combat. but now? when it’s kids versus monsters/titans/giants ( oh my )? nope. they’re happy to let the kids fight it out on their own. that’s fucked up. 
after the original series ends, annabeth’s kinda confronted with this for the first time. she hasn’t really considered it much before, but then hopping into the heroes of olympus series, when she sees how well organized the romans are and how they’ve maintained that militaristic mindset even in modern day, annabeth suddenly has that realization that oh shit, we’re being trained to be weapons. growing up in camp halfblood, being trained to fight, she was always told was to protect them from monsters, but she’s fought in two wars now. and suddenly, abruptly, disturbingly, annabeth realizes how messed up it really is that she’s been attending a summer camp where she learns to be a solider and kill things for ten years and she never thought about this until now because it just got normalized for her. 
VI. WHO IS SHE NOW-- ANNABETH AFTER HEROES OF OLYMPUS
this is all my own personal headcanons, and how i move forward with annabeth. probably the most important thing is that annabeth stops sacrificing to the gods. they make offerings to the gods every meal at camp halfblood, and she just stops doing it. it’s like the pledge of allegiance here in america, you get into the habit of reciting it every morning at school ( yeah, they have us do that, every single day five days a week ) and don’t really think too much about it, and then someone points out how that’s kinda messed up and it’s like “oh damn you kinda right.” for annabeth, it’s kinda like that. she’s now aware of how much the gods have taken advantage of them, and she makes the decision not to pay tribute to them anymore. the gods have had enough, she’s paid her dues, she’s done her time. she’s not doing anything else for them. 
mind, annabeth would never outright turn her backs on the gods and she’d never go as hardcore against them as luke did, but at a certain point she just can’t find it in herself to continue doing things as she’s been doing them. like luke was wrong when it came to a lot of things and percy really did help progress happen but after the second war ends, she just realizes that it’s never gonna be enough so she just stops putting in the effort to be the perfect daughter to athena, who after the war’s done and her work in olympus is finished, she just doesn’t talk to anymore after this. she stops praying for guidance and wisdom in battle. she’s annabeth goddamn chase. she don’t need no fuckin help. she really doesn’t give a shit about being the favorite child anymore. 
and i think that’s a large part of what drives annabeth to leave camp halfblood to attend new rome university or whatever it’s called. she doesn’t want to be the head of athena’s cabin anymore, and that anger temporarily drives her away from camp. she’s still stuck seeing it as this training ground for children and not what it should be-- a refuge for those like her. it takes her a long time to sorta work through this. 
in my version of annabeth, she decides after a semester to return to camp halfblood, and attends college in nyc so she can be there for her siblings when they need her, not because of athena or out of respect for her mother, but because she knows that if anyone can do better by these kids, it’s her. 
if you’ve managed to make it this far, congrats! it’s long as hell and i’m honestly impressed. pls accept this gift of annabeth lookin cute as hell as your prize. 
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evotter · 5 years
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jan, march, sept + one of your choice, love. have a great day, u icon
thank u kyra i adore u
january: what was the first fic you posted this year?
the first fic i posted this year TECHNICALLY was the epilogue of a different path. the first standalone was chewbacca (aka my introduction to the jily world once again and i have such a soft spot for it)
march: do you listen to music whilst writing? 
yes! pretty much always; if it’s not music, it’s a TV show.
september: share a comment or review which still warms your heart?
quite literally anything you’ve left on any of my fics BUT there are a few that i hold dear to my heart. i’ll post them under the cut cause they are LONG :’)
ancient: the first fic you ever posted online?
hahahaaaaaaa. it was my own version of rick riordan’s the son of neptune before the actual book was published. it was on ff.net, and the first chapter got 7 reviews, and i felt so good about myself after that lmfao. who knew i’d still be writing 8 years later?
ask me questions!
OKAY so i have 3 top favorites:
from a different path:
okay so i had seen this in someone else’s bookmarks the other day, thought it was an interesting concept—especially since i too love slytherin!percy and strongly subscribe to ofswordsandpens’ headcanons about it—but didn’t give it another thought until i was listening to a video about the cursed child and went: wait, there’s a percabeth hogwarts au that i saw somewhere. and immediately i hunted this down and i’m just in awe? i tore through it. belatedly, i realized that i made a mistake: i didn’t write down my thoughts as i was reading, which is definitely a disservice to you. however, here are a generalized list of things that i loved.
first of all, with hogwarts au’s, there are three main aspects that i look for: plot, characterization, and quality of writing. normally, fics of this size lack one or more of these key factors, but i was astonished to find that the plot is tremendously tight and intriguing (my lip bled from biting it so much because i’ve been stressed to the max), you write these characters with such distinct voices i can easily picture them saying everything—except, of course, now in a little british accent—and your writing flows so well, it feels almost like i’m reading an actual harry potter book, just with percy and co. you also do a masterful job of weaving together aspects of the pjo universe with the established canon of hp.
and there are so many specific things that i love. primarily, the way you write the relationships in this story; not just concerning percabeth (though i will get to that in a minute), but also with each of the interactions between all of the characters. i applaud you for how you handled luke/annabeth and rachel/percy, and the friendship among them all is just incredibly well done. i especially love how well you wrote connor and zoë and just, a lot of characters that i don’t often think about when i think of pjo. grover and percy’s friendship especially is heartbreaking, i just. he’s so protective because he loves his friends and holy fuck i also love how you wrote grover in this. but i just adored how you wrote annabeth/percy—the love between them, both platonic in its early stages and the romantic all throughout, was doubly apparent. i ached when they kissed each other’s cheeks, and i inwardly cheered when she kissed him in the locker room. there was just such a natural progression, to me, of their relationship. and man did i dig it. i’m excited (and maybe a little scared) to see where you take their relationship in the future.
boy, this is getting long. sorry. but some more just little quick things: loved the b99 reference, with both of their competitive natures playing out in a similar way to jake and amy’s. i kind of want to go back and see if i can find any other references that i missed because i was just too engaged in the story to catch them. also, zoë’s death killed me all over again, thanks for that. i like how you’re working the kronos plot in, and i can’t wait to see how the Final Battle plays out. what else? oh! professor hestia? beautiful. eventual maybe professor percy? outstanding. percy kissing the top of annabeth’s head? breathtaking. rachel being a quidditch commentator? earth shattering. (truly i cackled when i saw that.) mrs. o’leary being a cat? incredible. how you incorporated percy’s water powers? stunning.
ooh, this exchange was beautiful and had me cackling it was so in-character:
“None of us are dying.” Connor clarifies. “Not you, not me, not Annie, not the rest of us.”
“I might have to dispute that.” Annabeth says, from Percy’s other side. “Call me ‘Annie’ one more time, Stoll, and I’ll kill you myself.”
Connor only grins at her. “Sorry, love. No more ‘Annie’. Can I call you Beth?”
“No.”
“Anna?”
“No.”
okay, so i just finished chapter nine and i am blown away. sorry for how long this comment was, but a fic of this magnitude truly warrants it. i can’t wait to see what happens next.
i leave you with just two words: “holy shit.”
from a different path: 
god, oh my god, am i the only dumb bitch who didn’t get what the prophecy was??
anyway, i stumbled on this fic last year, patiently waiting for its completion, and now that i’ve rediscovered it, i’m so glad i finished it all in one go! i couldn’t imagine the tension of waiting for the next chapter, especially since the tension is so well-crafted!! i hardly noticed the tonal shift even as the story got darker and darker as it led up to the war, and in that way i was reminded of how extremely similar it felt to reading the hp books for the first time! you nailed percy very well i might say, and the awkward-yet-caring relationship he has with his dad. i daresay you gave connor and zoe more characterization than rick riordan himself, and the percabeth you wrote is perfect to the nth degree. i appreciate that you didnt bother with all the love triangle and unrequited feelings nonsense as well.
but i have to say, even as i cried at sally and paul’s wedding, or at dionysus’ quiet mourning for castor, what really struck with me most was the way you handled silena. for that, i have no words. that was a job extremely well done. thank you so much for blessing us with this fic.
from chewbacca (a comment from u!): 
A girl in a bright yellow hooded raincoat stumbles into the cafe on one of the slowest nights James has ever seen. Her coat is dripping all over the floor he’d just cleaned (but it’s fine) and when he leans over the counter he sees that her boots match the coat.
First of all!!! Thats the best opening line in the world and nobody can convince me otherwise. I want to become a publisher just so that if you ever write a book, I’d be able to publish it. ( like omg, what an honor??? )
She looks like sunshine, standing there with the amount of yellow in her wardrobe. Briefly, James wonders if that’s her favorite color. It’s got to be.
Im going to quote this whole fic but I really love these lines? Like, you have this distinct style of writiting that I aim to acheive and you’re literally such a rolemodel!!! These are my favorite kind of fics to read. Funny story but I was going through a ‘no thanks Jily’ mood (  a horror, i know !! ) but your fics are just,,,,exceptions? You could write about trash and I’d love it and ask for you to sign me up.
 “Say it again, but convincingly this time.”
ooof this dialogue??? let me breathe
This is the longest he’s stood still since he started working. It’s actually a miracle.
and the funniest person award goes to YOU. also, the most talented and cutest but thats neither here nor there.
james taking care of fleamont, switching off the lights gives me just a nice and realistic vibe? its so simple but i love how you added it.
honestly at this point, ive been sucked again by the fanfic. it feels less like a fic and more like a masterpiece that belongs in a museum but anyway.
“James is supposed to be helping.
James is on his phone.”
ugh i love ur mind. im rereading and its so nice and lovely. even if its like 1am and im exhausted, this fic is sustaining me.
“Do it off the clock, would you?”
PEAK HUMOR
have i mentioned how much i love that scene with euphemia? she seems like such a lovely mom. i love ur euphemia the most. and ahh, both of them just rushing to the hospital ? another 100% good scene.
“Euphemia smiles too, but looks at Fleamont rather than at her son. “Yes,” she says. “It really does.””
fic? or shakspeare? HMMM
A girl in a bright yellow hooded raincoat stumbles into the cafe on one of the slowest nights James has ever seen // “Get fucked.”
the fic!! has made a circle!!! i love how it begins and ends along the same lines. I really want to know how??? are you so talented im in love.
i just really love this fic, okay? i love how james is just the kindest, lily is allowed to have feelings, its just so soft and warm. and it makes someone feel loved, want love anyway.
the dynamic between the characters are just so real and great and im astounded, in short.
your sirius is everything. so many fics potray him as a dick??? which is first of all #rude and also, not at all true. you made me love these characters even more so i sincerely hope you never stop writing.
you’re such a beautiful writer and the way you string words together is just poetic and gorgeous and all the other good adjectives you can think of. i read your spiderman x reader too and i was a goner for you. EVERYTHING YOU WRITE IS SO GOOD. i read it so long ago but i can vividly remember peter whipping the mask off and she just going wtf stop on the window ledge. what im trying to say is that you leave this lasting impression on people that make them remember random scenes and words / prose long after they’ve read it which is a remarkable feat, i believe.
and im so sorry im not on tumblr rn bc i cannot keep recing this fic but i have told my friends about your writing and they loved it too. you’ve got like a million fans. when i do get back from my hiatus, im going to keep recing your fics and people will cry because their universe will shift thanks to the newfound joy of your presence in their life.
lastly, im more of a dog person and that, more than anything, should tell you how much i love this fic. i love u. and basee on your writing, i want to hug you, be your best friend and make you cookies bc again
WOW
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