nevermind-its-okay

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Really love Percy and Clarisse's dynamic like they started out as enemies to rivals to a friendly relationship but they act like they're rivals for the tea and drama

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y’all call clarisse mean but tbh she’s a better person than me. Just imagine - you really hate this snobby blonde girl you know at camp, so you call her stuff like ‘princess’ and ‘wise girl’ to wind her up. Then, this even more annoying kid comes along, and proceeds to not only steal your nickname and give you no credit, but then turn it into a term of endearment. Just think about clarisse walking around camp and seeing the two most annoying ppl she knows flirting using her insults as cute pet names. I would lose my mind.

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Heroes of Olympus Rewrite (Part 2: Frank Zhang)

I’m not saving Frank for last because he deserves better than that and we all know it. 

Anyway.

In HoO in general, I feel like Camp Jupiter was not well-fleshed out at all, and most of the things we were told didn’t stick because we didn’t actually see them happen.

So. Demigods can have families. Great idea. Cool concept (though I still think the greek demigods rarely living to adulthood thing doesn’t totally make sense.) And there are legacies, who also play a part in the fate of Olympus.

Let’s ACTUALLY show that happening 

I present:  Frank the Roman Legacy. 

His mother stays the same. Distant legacy of Poseidon. Cool powers. Nice. His father though? Adult demigod, son of Mars. They met at Camp Jupiter, and moved to isolated Canada, not wanting Frank to inherit Rome’s legacy of violence.

Second big change? The firewood. Instead of literally burning, the log is directly tied to his abilities. Every time he uses them, it burns a little more. That’s why his parents never told him. 

During the Titan War, Emily dies fighting at Mount Otherys, and his father retreats into himself. Frank is sent to Camp Jupiter to fulfill his destiny.

But he has to balance his incredible power with the fact that it’s literally killing him. His self-preservation isn’t something he needs to overcome. He learns that his abilities aren’t what makes him special, and he’s a hero without them But, they are special, and on a ship full of living breathing miracles, wouldn’t you want to be special? And if he can save any one of them, and he doesn’t, isn’t he the villain? There’s a thin line between heroism and self-destruction.

IDK. I’d love to hear any feedback. This is pretty rough, but I’d like to shape it down into something cohesive eventually. 

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Heroes of Olympus Rewrite (Part 3: Jason Grace)

Jason Grace is a character I have a lot of love and respect for, but he was so underutilized narratively. So this is how I would tweak Jason’s story.

First of all, for the sake of closing Riordan’s gaping plot holes, I’d make him slightly older when he leaves his family. No part of his original backstory makes sense for a two-year-old.  I’d also prefer if he actually had memories of Thalia, and a warmer softer life before he was ripped away from it. So he’s 5, which fits since he should be that old when Thalia was 11.

Jason is raised in Camp Jupiter, but he’s very much seen as an outsider. As soon as he arrives, he begins private lessons with a man named Herodius, a retired legionnaire, eager to make his mark on the destiny of Rome by training Jupiter’s son.

The lessons are brutal and borderline abusive, but they work. Jason becomes the best living fighter, better even than Percy or Luke. But his natural abilities are seen as dangerous, so they’re suppressed. He only ever uses them accidentally, but the older he gets, the harder they become to control. Meanwhile, he’s isolated from the rest of the camp. He makes his first friend in Reyna.

This all comes to a head during the Titan War when his suppressed rage gets the best of him and a lightning bolt collapses the palace with people still inside.

Five people die, and Jason gets promoted. People are afraid of him, and his guilt is eating him from the inside out. He dreams of leaving Camp Jupiter in the dead of night.

And then someone does it for him.

He gets a fresh start, finds a home where no one is afraid of him, where he can figure out who he actually is outside of the mantle on his shoulders. And when he meets Percy, he sees someone completely attuned to his powers, unafraid of himself.

I really love the contrast between reckless Percy and careful Jason.

Jason’s arc throughout the rest of the series is focused on identity. Not just Greek or Roman. His father is a rat bastard, and he fears more than anything being like him. His powers are dangerous, and he hates using them, but he’s going to have to if he wants to save the world. And then there’s this struggle to actually become who he is, and not who he’s been told to be. Being a hero instead of a soldier.

In the broadest terms, Jason’s arc is about overcoming his fear.

It’s a long journey, but I have this mental image of him going absolutely feral with his powers, but still being completely in control. And for the first time in his life, feeling absolutely unafraid. 

I think he deserves that.

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Heroes of Olympus Rewrite Concept (Part 1: Piper)

So, I recently realized how much I dislike Piper's arc, backstory, and general characterization in HoO, so I wanted to tweak it. . . a lot.

So, starting off in the beginning, I think The Lost Hero is good, but it fails as a follow up the PJO series in a couple of ways. The universe feels smaller and very disjointed compared to the original series. Ideally, a good sequel should expand the universe and make lasting changes to the world. I think we should see new perspectives and the aftermath of the war, rather than everyoneh having a slight variation on what Percy thinks.

Everyone should have a different relationships with their parents and the idea of the Olympians in general.

So, without further ado, may I present to you: Titan Army Piper

Imagine: Piper is scouted by a member of the Titan Army from her latest boarding school. Given her background, I think Piper would be against the gods from the onset, especially when her view of it is molded by people who have very valid reasons to dislike them. Piper isn't violent, and she isn't much of a fighter (yet) but they put her to work.

Piper loves being useful and needed, and they feed into that desire. Silena isn't a charmspeaker, but she teaches Piper how to harness her gift to pursuade minor gods, spirits, and other unclaimed demigods to join the cause. The demigods in the Titan Army are humanized, and the motivations are a lot clearer than they were in PJO. It's about more than abandoment. It's about freeing themselves from constant fear and manipulation. The Titans are just a stepping stone to what they actually want: a complete overhaul, where there's no one ruling over them.

Piper is at Mount Othyrs when the legion attacks. She has no combat experience, and its clear the Titan's side is falling apart quickly. When she almost gets mauled by a harpy whose supposed to be on her side, her life is saved by a Roman legionnaire. He tells her to get out while she still can, and she listens. She escapes on a pegasus, and goes back to Los Angeles.

She's doesn't think she'll have a place at either camp, and she's terrified of what the gods will do if they find her. She's also racked by guilt for abandoning the cause in the eleventh hour, and doesn't know what's become of her friends.

In the fall, she returns to school like nothing happened. She hopes she can be one of those demigods who can pretend like they aren't any different, but that goes out the window when the roman shows up in the back of her school bus with no idea who he is.

(This is Part 1. It's already really long, so I think I'll do Part 1B for her since I didn't cover everything I wanted to.)

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a different spin on the seven

okay, so personally, it always felt weird that the seven were a) all demigods and b) all children of the main twelve, so I have an alternate proposal.

Frank, Legacy of Rome

Frank, with a legacy mother and a Son of Mars for a father. Who grew up in Canada because his parents never wanted him to be subjected to the cruelty of New Rome. Who lost his mother in the Titan War because her honor outweighed her fear. With two grandparents who understand the weight of his destiny and two parents who lived their life trying to protect him from it. Frank, who shows Percy that demigods can have futures, but their lives never  get easier. 

Jason, Mortal Hero

Jason, who should’ve gotten a normal life. Jason, whose sister was the one with a storm in her eyes and lightning at her fingertips. Whose mother moved on from the king of the gods, but was killed anyway for the grave slight of finding happiness. Jason, who Hera saw the makings of a hero in. Who never could fit in at Camp Jupiter because he wasn’t supposed to be there at all. Who worked twice as hard to make up for it. Who monsters can’t see, and gods can’t understand. Who bandages his cuts and bruises too easy, no nectar passing his lips. Who feels like a burden, but fights like a demon. 

Hazel, daughter of Gaea

Hazel, who was born to be a weapon against the gods. Whose ancient mother summoned the strength to rise from the dirt only long enough to sire one child. Who was poisoned against the gods before she ever saw them. Who just wanted to make her parents happy. Who protected Marie in the end and wasn't even allowed to die. Who was trapped underneath the earth for nearly a century, her mother keeping her sleeping for the coming war. Who was brought back when her mother needed her, but ran away instead. Who hid her parentage and claimed her own. Who lied because what good can come of evil, like they weren’t all inheriting a broken legacy. Who chose her own family. Who knows  that the gods are less evil, but evil all the same.

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Jason and Annabeth would’ve been great representation for the lesser known enemies-to-siblings dynamic, but alas