#I’m never forgiving Rick Riordan

[nockstormbringer]

Leo Valdez you mother fucker.

[captainremmington-13]

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖋 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓

show!Luke Castellan x daughter of thanatos!reader

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own the image above or any of Rick Riordan’s characters/world-building.

⚠️Warnings⚠️: swearing, angst, crying, some violence, mentions of injury

A/N: i’m sorry this took so long to write😭please forgive me

“Get back!” 

Luke’s sword was pointed directly at the Cyclop’s chest. “Threaten my girl again, and you’ll wish you never left Tartarus.”

You stood next to him, your hands curling around your weapon’s hilt tightly. You were exhausted, but you knew you couldn’t let your guard down. If you did, you would be ripped to pieces.

You and Luke had only been traveling for three days, but you’d faced at least eight different monsters. You felt completely responsible, as you knew your presence was like a magnet for them. The last time you’d been in the mortal world for this long was before you’d been brought to Camp Half-Blood, and even then, monsters were attacking you at every turn. At least now, you had your powers, an ally, and a weapon to protect you. 

Fortunately, none of the beasts that had come after you and Luke had managed to harm you. 

Yet. 

You still had about three days left before you reached The Garden of Hesperides. 

You pointed one end of your dual-ended sword at the Cyclop. It would’ve been even more intimidating if it hadn’t been wearing a cheesy graphic t-shirt that read “Live, Laugh, Love”. “One more move and you’ll be dead.”

It laughed. “You cannot kill me, puny demigod. I have lived for thousands of years, and slaughtered hundreds of your kind. And you think your little stick can defeat me?”

Your temper, which was already short due to fatigue, began to spike. 

“Fuck off,” you sneered. “You know, I was considering letting you live if you gave us some supplies for free, but you’ve really pissed me off now.” 

It cackled. “I’m sooooo scared,” it said mockingly. “Little demigod nobody threatening me? I better run and hide.”

You smiled as its ugly eye widened in horror, observing the smoky black wings appearing against your back. “Yeah, you better.” 

“So, Thanatos has sired a demigod child,” it said, trying and failing to hide its fear. “I never expected…well, no matter. You’re just as capable of dying as any other half-blood.”

Within seconds, the Cyclop was nothing but a pile of dust.

Your sword had been thrown right into its throat, sending it back to the depths of the hellish landscape that was Tartarus.

Luke breathed a side of relief, and placed his sword back in its sheath. 

“Well done, angel,” he said, giving you a soft pat on the shoulder. “We need to get out of here, though.”

“Yeah,” you glance around the sketchy gas station, searching for any other looming threats. Fortunately, it seemed to be empty. That made sense, you doubted anyone would stop here unless it was an emergency. You and Luke had only entered it because you were in desperate need of water. When Luke had tried to steal a few bottles, the young Cyclop disguised as an employee had stopped him aggressively. Then, it revealed it’s true form.

It was annoying how easily they could creep up on you.

After stealing a couple snacks for good measure, you and Luke left the building. 

“So, where to next?”

Luke looked towards the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set. “We should find a place to stay for the night. We’ll get on a train tomorrow, which should take us to Nevada. Then, we’ll only have to hitchhike for a couple days.”

He took your hand, and you began walking along the side of the road. As annoying it was to have to walk so far, it was peaceful in a way. It had given you and Luke time to further explore your dynamic as a couple.

You recognized that you had gotten…softer. You were still strong-willed, strategic, and powerful. But when you were with Luke, you naturally acted sweeter. And he brought out that side, simply by being a loving boyfriend.

You could let your guard down and be vulnerable, knowing that he would accept that side of you.

You had also come to realize that you enjoyed letting him take the lead once and awhile. Of course, you always had a say in everything you did with him. But it felt good to be cared for, to be looked after once and awhile. 

Because of the constant looming threat of danger, Luke’s protectiveness had increased tenfold. You suspected this was because of his past experiences with being on the run. You didn’t know every detail, but you knew enough to understand why he was so concerned about you. He didn’t want you to be attacked and meet a fate similar to Thalia’s.

You appreciated his dedication to keeping you safe. It was nice to know that he cared that much about you. 

Sure, it was a little scary when he got that crooked gleam in his eyes while killing your beastly assailants. But you knew he was doing it to protect you. He’d never let anyone or anything lay a finger on you. 

Besides, as ethically questionable as it was, bloodlust looked really fucking good on him.

________________________________________________

“Hey, you alive?”

Your eyes snapped open, Luke’s concerned voice capturing your attention.

After eating two bags of chips and splitting a mediocre ham-and-cheese sandwich with your boyfriend, your body began to succumb to exhaustion. You felt extremely drowsy, and all you wanted was to get a good night’s sleep curled up in Luke’s arms. 

You didn’t have enough money to stay in a hotel room overnight, so you had resorted to setting up camp in the woods. Luke had taught you how to make a makeshift tent with some waterproof blankets he’d brought along. It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but it would suffice. 

Besides, it felt more like home than Cabin 11. 

“Y-Yeah,” you murmured, sitting up slowly. You’d momentarily dozed off, lying on the blanket-covered ground.  “What were you saying?”

Luke sighed. “Never mind.”

You swallowed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you, I-“

“Angel, what have I said about the unnecessary apologies?”

You rolled your eyes. “‘Don’t do it’,” you said, mimicking his voice. You enjoyed teasing him, his face got all flushed and his eyes would become even more piercing than usual.

Luke gave you a playful glare. “You’re such a brat.”

“Am not,” you argued, giving him a cheeky smile. He shook his head, and reached out to pull you into his arms. You settled onto his lap, resting your head on his shoulder. 

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” you whispered, entangling your fingers with his. “Just the two of us, away from the chaos of camp, unbothered by gods and monsters.” 

“Me too,” Luke agreed, pressing a sweet kiss to your cheek. “Sometimes I wish we could run away from camp, so we could live a life of our own.”

“If we did, we’d constantly be attacked by immortals and beasts. Not to mention that we’d have a hard time adjusting to a “normal” lifestyle. We don’t have educations, or a place to stay, or-“

“I know, I know,” Luke cut in. “It’s just a fantasy of mine, that we could put the Olympians and monsters behind us, and be normal teens. I know it’s impossible, but a guy can dream…”

You nodded wordlessly. Luke’s warmth was making your mind shut down, begging for a chance to finally rest. 

“Let’s go to sleep, angel, you look like you’re gonna pass out any second,” he said softly, lifting you off of him and laying down besides you. He pulled a blanket over you, and wrapped a strong arm around your waist. 

Curling a hand around his bicep, you nuzzled into his chest, enjoying the intimate moment. 

“Luke?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

Luke smiled gently, pulling you closer to give you a passionate kiss. “I love you, angel. Sweet dreams.”

Within mere moments, you drifted off, dreaming of a world where you and your boyfriend could live in peace. 

.

.

.

Of course, because the gods seemed to hate you both, your blissful night didn’t last very long. 

A lycanthrope that lurked in the woods had tracked your scent, and was now chasing you at full speed. You and Luke had barely had time to grab your supplies and weapons before bolting to avoid being mauled.

“What the fuck are we going to do?” you yelled, looking over your shoulder to see the beast steadily approaching you both.

“Kill it!” Luke yelled back.

“How?”

“Create a diversion! You get above it, and I’ll distract it on the ground so you can cleanly stab it through the neck.”

You tried to avoid using your wings as much as possible. They made you feel monstrous, and they reminded you who your godly parent was, which was something you tried to forget.

But now, it was necessary. You had to use them, or risk letting the lycanthrope kill you and Luke. 

Quickly willing your wings to appear, you launched into the air silently, disappearing into the trees above. You perched on a sturdy branch, watching as Luke kept the lycanthrope occupied. Finally, after a moment, you saw an opportunity to strike.

Your weapon expanded to its full size, which was a little longer than a yard. You swooped down like a hawk catching its prey, and brought one of the blades of your sword down on its neck. Unfortunately, it managed to dodge just enough so that you cut its skin, but didn’t hit anything fatal. 

“Fuck!” you screamed, frustrated that you’d missed your chance to kill it. You swung at it angrily, which only enraged the creature further. 

Luke appeared at your side, raising his blade. “Stay back, or you’ll be cut to pieces,” he warned the lycanthrope. 

It snarled. “You’ll make a fine meal, young demigod. Perhaps by killing you both, I’ll have leftovers by tomorrow morning.”

You stepped in front of Luke, pure hatred coursing through you. Why couldn’t monsters leave you alone for one fucking night? It was completely unfair, especially because it was out of control. It was the god’s fault for creating children that were constantly harassed by vicious beasts. That thought only fueled your anger. 

You lifted your weapon and prepared to strike, but before you could, the lycanthrope lunged. Instinctively, you threw your arms in front of you, even though it wouldn’t do any good against it’s deadly claws and teeth. 

But the fatal bite never came.

When you opened your eyes, you saw a pile of grey ash on the grassy floor, surrounded by all-too-familiar black smoke. 

Had you just killed the lycanthrope without laying a finger on it?

Luke placed his hands on your shoulders, turning you to face him. “Holy shit,” he whispered, his voice trembling. You couldn’t tell why he was so shaken, but you had a feeling he was afraid. 

Afraid of you.

You really were an abomination.

“Luke…” you whispered, feeling your vision fade to black and your head swirl with dizziness.

Luke had just enough time to catch you before your head hit the ground. 

________________________________________________

You awoke to Luke stroking your hair, pleading quietly for you to come back to him. He had a square of ambrosia in his hand, and a water bottle in the other. You could see that his eyes were bloodshot. He had clearly been crying. 

When you fully opened your eyes, the sunlight streaming through the trees made you wince. 

How long had you been out?

“Oh, thank the Fates,” Luke sighed, helping you sit up slowly. He pressed a few frantic kisses to your forehead, being careful not to hurt you. “I was so fucking worried. Here, drink some water and eat this.” 

He placed the ambrosia square in your hand, and held the bottle of water to your lips. You drank slowly, the water soothing your abnormally dry throat.

After finishing the ambrosia, you managed to ask, “How long was I knocked out?”

Luke bit the inside of his cheek. “Well it’s about 9:00 in the morning now, so I’d say at least nine hours.” 

“Fuck, nine hours?” You couldn’t help but start panicking. You’d wasted at least three hours of travel time, you could end up missing the train!

You tried to scramble to your feet, but as soon as you stood up straight, you felt nauseous. 

“Woah there,” Luke said, coaxing you back to a sitting position. “It’s okay, we’ll figure something else out.”

“It’s not okay,” you argued, burying your face in your hands. “We’re gonna miss the train, and then it’s gonna take even longer to get to-“

“We’ll find a way, I’ll steal a car again if I have to,” Luke said firmly. “It’s not your fault angel, we’ll get there one way or another, I promise.”

“Yes, it literally is my fault,” you snapped. “I passed out because something really fucking scary happened with my powers.”

You felt hot tears spill down your cheeks, your insides clenching painfully. “I can kill just by getting angry enough. I’m a fucking monster.”

“No, no no no,” Luke shook his head. He removed your hands from your faced, and cupped it with his palms gently. “We were being attacked. You would have killed the lycanthrope anyway-“

“But I killed it without even touching it. No normal person can do that.”

“That’s because you’re not normal, angel, you’re extraordinarily powerful.”

“That’s the problem, Luke! I-I think my powers are developing, changing, getting stronger. I need to learn to control and understand them before someone innocent gets hurt.”

“Angel, please listen to me,” your boyfriend said, a loving look in his eyes. “Yes, you should learn how your new ability work and the extent of its power. But having it does not make you monstrous. It isn’t your fault that your father is who he is. Forget about him, he can go fuck himself. You can use this newfound power for whatever you want, or you can try to never use it again. It’s completely in your control. And no matter what you decide, I will always love you, and I’ll always be on your side. Understand?”

You sobbed, the tears flowing faster. But they weren’t from sadness or anger anymore, they were tears of happiness and relief.

“Thank you,” you whispered, sniffling quietly.

Luke brushed away the tears on your cheeks with his thumbs, giving you a warm smile. “What for?”

“For not being afraid and running away. For believing that who my godly parent is doesn’t matter. For believing that I’m still worthy of love, even though I’m a direct descendent of death.”

He enveloped you in a hug, his right hand resting on the back of your head. You clung to him, his mere presence soothing your worries. 

“Deadly or not, you’re my girl. My angel. As I said, I’ll always be by your side. Not even the gods could pry me away from you.”

You grabbed the collar of Luke’s shirt gently, and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Gods, his lips were so addicting, it was almost as intoxicating as basilisk venom. You would kiss him for the rest of time if you could. 

When you finally pulled away, you felt a lot better. Luke brushed your hair out of your eyes and stood up, offering a hand to you to help you up as well.

“I’ll help you figure out your new power,” Luke promised. “When we have time, you can practice on small plants and trees and stuff like that.  See exactly how it functions and just how much it takes out of you. Once you get the hang of it, I’m sure it’ll be less draining.” 

You nodded, gripping his hand firmly. “Okay. Sounds like a plan.” 

Luke gave you one last peck on the lips before picking up both of your backpacks and slinging them over his shoulder. “Shall we get going then? I think we can make the train if we hurry. If you get too tired, I’ll carry you.” 

You laughed quietly, leaning against his arm as you headed towards the edge of the woods to return to the city. 

“You’re impossibly sweet, you know that?”

“Only for you, angel. Only for you.” 

taglist: @orionspaperwork, @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy, @marvelescvpe, @lovingjasontoddmakemewanttocry, @louweasleymalfoy, @stars4birdie, @stargurl-battleship, @daughterofthemoons-stuff

Thank you for reading! Pls let me know what you think in the comments!!!

The next chapter will include more intense battles against monsters, as well as the reader discovering just how lethal her new power is…There will also be some fluff because I love writing cute moments lol

Let me know in the comments if you want to be added to the taglist!

[1800-lemon-boy]

I will never forgive Rick riordan for making Leo and calypso get together but not Biltz and Hearth.

I will forever hate Caleo

But BLITZSTONE?!?!

CRACK

I LOVE THEM

BLITZ LEARNT A WHOLE ASS LANGUAGE FOR HEARTH

I’m very passionate about this.

This is coming from someone who read Magnus chase before he ever read Percy Jackson btw.

I’m still not over it.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk x

(I know that their actions can be platonic but just read the books and you will understand)

[sisididis]

In another series of events, I’m happy to share that I finished (more like browsed for mentions of Jason and Nico) the “Trials of Apollo”, and I will never forgive Rick Riordan for giving Jason’s death more thought than he’s ever given his backstory or POVs.

I understood the necessity behind Bianca’s death in “The Titan’s Curse”, but Jason’s? Completely unnecessary and painfully anticlimactic. Just look at it this way. It’s been two books since we’ve last seen his character. Here comes “The Burning Maze”. We’re 50 pages in and we’re reunited with Jason. Half a book later, we’re sucker punched with his death. 

I know that he isn't a favorite among the fans and that most people see him as the washed out counterpart of Percy, but that's because Rick just didn't do his story justice.

Nobody could ever make me dislike Jason. Nobody. A part of me wants to treat "The Trials of Apollo" the same way everyone treats "HP and the Cursed Child".

...

On another note, the Solangelo moments in "The Trials of Apollo" were the best!

Particularly the "my doctor says so" bits. They're so embarrassingly cheesy! And this scene was absolutely hilarious.

[liltaz-asatreat]

IGNORE THE ACCIDENTAL UNFOLLOW I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE BUTTON FROM DESKTOP OTL

2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 19, 24, 25, 30, 33, 36, aaand 40 :>

KALKSDKHGLSDKHGASLKG IT'S OKAY LMFAO

You can find the ask game here!

Also, I answered questions 2 and 4 in Sierra's ask here, and I don't really have more to say on them lol Sorry :/ The answers in that post are pretty in depth though

I am going to put this under a read more too lol

3. How would you describe your writing style?

Uuuuuhhhhhh

Define that word and use it in a sentence aslkghsdlkhgsldkh

Um, I honestly don’t really know how to describe writing styles or mostly really any other artistic medium styles?? Ise told me once that my writing was loud in a good way, and Reese said that my writing is very earnest. I guess what I would say about it is that I try to fill it with emotion, whether it’s an emotional piece or something comedic. I’m a very emotional person and that’s how I connect with basically everything, so I try to connect with people through my writing by making it an emotional gateway so to speak

Yeah, I don’t know if that’s a writing style, but that felt good to say about it lol

9. Thoughts on cliffhangers. 

They are so very fun when I do them >:3 But every time I’m met with one as an audience member I always do the surprised pikachu face aslkhgsdlgkhlgh

They’re still fun as an audience member, but I will be absolutely consumed with the need to know what happens next lol The worst cliffhanger I’ve ever been faced with was the cliffhanger at the end of The Mark of Athena from the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, and I was caught up to the series so I had to wait A WHOLE. YEAR. JUST FOR HIM TO LAUGH IN MY FACE IN THE DEDICATION PAGE OF THE HOUSE OF HADES

I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU RICK RIORDAN EVEN THOUGH I WOULD HAVE DONE THE EXACT SAME THING BUT STILL!!!

EVIL EVIL EVIL LMAO

10. Top three favourite fic tropes.

Found family, hurt/comfort, and idk man, I don’t really categorize fics into tropes in my head. I looked up fanfic tropes and the lists I got didn’t really give me something that I would recognize as liking a lot except the hurt/comfort one lol Uh, I like it when characters who aren’t shown interacting much in canon are interacting with each other and what their relationship is like. And I like reading about the same idiots falling in love a hundred different ways lol

19. Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

I know you’re probably fishing for more Meadow content, but I haven’t written enough yet that’s sharable without it being basically just the first three very short chapters aslkghslgkhs So here’s the last few paragraphs I have written for the John fic instead! :D

“Stop! Please, that's enough!”

The vision slows to a stop before slowly fading away, and John is back in his office again, his whole body shaking with fear and anger as he fights off tears. He breathes heavily and wipes at his eyes before he looks back over at the Light.

“Why would someone do this? Why would someone make this miracle without there being an end point? Why would they drag other people into it who don't want to get caught up in the entanglement of infinity?” he asks it with a trembling voice.

Because it is a miracle worth inventing. The Light says. Someone made my creator's existence, and they loved life and existence so much that they wanted to extend that joy of creation to others.

“They had no right,” John says, voice low and deadly. He grabs onto the armrests of his chair and grips them so tightly his knuckles turn white. “I want to meet them. I want to destroy them. Once everyone knows what they have done to us, they will all want that too.” He takes a breath to try and steady his voice. “How do we leave existence to confront this creator?”

The Light of Creation remains silent for a moment. I am built to be used for whatever my master's will is, so if you want to take me home to meet my creator and the creator of your existence, all you need is to say the word. We'll get the word out to everyone in this plane, and with my help, you will all be able to lead a revolution that will lead to the destruction of existence itself.

“That is my plan,” John says, eyes narrowed and his heart pounding in his chest. “And I will destroy anything that gets in my way.”

24. Thoughts on flashbacks/flashforwards. 

Flashbacks and flashforwards my beLOVEDS!!!!! <3

Flashbacks are great because they could be used for such emotional depth or as comedic timing (I usually use them for emotional scenes that give context to the present) and flashforwards are great when you want to time skip and the comedic potential for those are AMAZING!!!

“So what ever we do, we’re not going to do x, right?”

*flashforward to the Event*

*they did x and are now in trouble*

Truly one of the best comedic tropes of all time!!!

25. Is writing the whole thing beforehand better or worse than writing it as you go? 

I’m assuming this means writing it as you post it for like, multi-chapter works and stuff, and honestly, I think both have their strengths and weaknesses. Back when I was writing fanfic for pjo, all I wrote were multi-chapter fics, and I posted them as I wrote them, and doing that and having the feedback of people reading and liking what I wrote gave me the motivation to keep going, and it was the first time I almost ever finished a fic. I was really close to the end game in one of them, and it had a lot of chapters too and I had been working on it for a really long time, but between having Wattpad taken away for a long time because I was severely neglecting school and having to stop writing it, actively being bored with it and hating it by the time I got back to it, and, since it was my first fanfic and first and only fic at the time where it was a self-insert along with inserts of some of my friends, I started hating it even more because I my friendships with most of the people I was writing about were shaky at best and I was actively trying to get away from them at worst. May or may not be tangentially related to why I was hesitant writing another self-insert fanfic even if I’m the only insert.

But I digress

The downside to writing it as I post though is that I can’t go back and do major changes to the story once I’ve posted it and am actively working on it, and also the pressure to not abandon it no matter what because some people are reading it and are invested is real

With writing everything before I post it now, especially now that I’m working on two mulit-chapter fics, it’s harder to stay motivated because I don’t have that constant feedback to keep me going, but that’s lessened a lot by being able to share snippets of my writing in ask and tag games and talking about it a lot with people. And by not posting it right away, I can go back and make major changes as I see fit, whether it’s rewriting a whole chapter or changing a major event that affects the whole story and changing the structure of the story itself. I like having that freedom, but it is harder because with most of the smaller fics I write, I can look it over a couple of times and hit post and I don’t have to worry about it again because it’s out there. Now that I have the freedom to do as many edits as I feel are necessary while I work out everything else, I’m able to second guess myself and go through an endless loop of editing. And the project seems so much bigger because I’m trying to do it all at once, and there’s still pressure that I have to post it eventually because I’ve been hyping it up so much, but there is a little bit of reassurance that I can go fuck this if I want somewhere down the line, and yeah, people will be really disappointed, but they won’t be stuck on a cliffhanger or something and never get that closure.

I think what I’m going to do with the Julia fic though as a compromise is that I’m going to try and write at least all of Here There Be Gerblins, if not the next arc or two also before I start posting. That way I can get it out there as a motivator and still have that solid base of reassurance that I did okay with it before sending it out to the world. Also, having you as my beta reader really helps too lol :3 I almost forgot I was answering your questions, Sunny and was going to tag you as my beta reader, oops lol

30. Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn't. 

I feel like I’ve answered a similar question to this before in a different ask game, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what the plot of the fic I was going to write but then didn’t was slhgslakdhglsdhg

I remember there was a prompt someone sent in last year, before I even made this side blog, and the person had just read the tumblr version of Drinking Your Feelings, and I had just reblogged a different prompt list than the prompt I got for that fic from, so when they sent in their ask, I originally thought it was for the new list and not from the other one. I had outlined the fic I was going to write for that before I realized that they probably meant the other one, and they clarified that they did want the other one which is how In The Lively City happened.

I know it was supposed to be blupjeans centric, but I think it had something to do with Barry and Taako being the characters actually present, and Taako was getting on Barry’s ass to make a move which he adamantly refused. The only reason I remember that is because I vaguely remember lifting that concept for An Unconventional Way of Getting the Light, but that’s all I remember about it

33. Give your writing a compliment. 

I can, and have, made people go feral because of emotions, and every time I do I go ehehehe >:3 lol

36. How do you come up with fic titles? What's the one you're most proud of? 

Most of the time, I write the fic and save the file name as a quick phrase of what it’s about, then when I’m done writing it and am faced with posting it on ao3, I drink some water, stare at my computer screen until my eyes lose focus and I zone out, and then I astrally project my consciousness to pray to writing gods that may or may not exist, then I come back into focus because I realized that I haven’t even opened up ao3 yet to get the draft ready, then I put the cursor into the bar to type the name of the fic after doing all the appropriate tagging, then I drink more water, zone out, try to summon the spirit of Justin McElroy because he’s the best at naming things, that doesn’t work, so I go over in my head everything I just wrote, and then finally I have a shitty idea that is decent enough to earn its place as title and I write it down then change the file name on my computer to match it lol

And the names I think I’m most proud of is a tie between A Song of Love Played Ad Infinitum, No Aliens On the Moon, and A Witness of Corruption

Those titles iirc actually came to me fairly quickly :3

40. Write a 9-word fic. 

Magnus steals Angus again, and they play with dogs

[sorry-im-paranoid]

I am losing my mind over the last Trials of Apollo book

[cassandraclare]

Chain of Iron questions/answers — spoilers!

Questions and answers under the cut!

flowerfrogbaby said: Hi Cassie, first of all, thank you so much for all that you do, your books mean so so much to me💜💜 I have so many questions! Just gonna fire them off: Why did James tell Cordelia that he would never feel about her like he felt about Grace? That seems like it was bound to lead to a miscommunication. Also I noticed your and Rick Riordan’s matching dedications and I loved it ;)

Well, to be fair, James didn't say "I will never feel about you the way I felt about Grace." He says "I do not feel about you at all as I feel about Grace. How I ever felt about Grace." And he said he because he meant it. He is just, himself, coming to terms with his actual feelings about Grace, and his actual feelings about Cordelia. He is feeling his way through them, even as he's speaking. He realizes immediately that he's said the wrong thing, and everything would have been fine had he not been interrupted by Grace at the door, something he could not have predicted.

Miscommunications occur all the time, especially between people keeping secrets from each other. We don't always know what impact our words will have, nor do we have the foresight to construct them perfectly. If we did, miscommunications wouldn't happen, but they do. ;)

youwerealwaysmysecret said: COI felt like a fever dream tbh, I read it wayy too fast, I need to go back and reread, so forgive me if this was already answered but will Elias's debts roll onto Sona and Alastair? p.s. i LOVED alastair's persian name!

No, his debts will die with him. Fortunately.

grace--blackthorn said: Just a little question, since I'm currently reading the book: who taught Jesse French?

In the 19th century and on into the Edwardian era, learning French was considered part of a basic education. It was the diplomatic language, the international language everyone spoke (in Europe, anyway — the nobility of Russia spoke French among themselves, for instance.) He would have learned it before he "died."

beyondtheirscene said: Hi Cassie! I just wanted you to know you're one of my absolute favourite authors and i think i fall more in love with the Shadowhunter series every time i read a new book! I was wondering if we'll find out what happened between Alastair and Charles at the end of COI and if this will change their dynamic at all going into Chain of thorns? especially with Grace's power being known now.

Well, for the moment, Grace's power is known by quite a limited number of people. :) We will indeed find out what happens/happened with Alastair and Charles at the end of COI. And I think their dynamic has been something that has been in the process of changing.

cordeliakatayoun said: will we ever find out what the secret of the necklace james gave to cordelia is??

Yes indeed!

[mouser26]

Book Recommend

Alright y’all I just finished this book and it’s like 415am so if this is a lil rambly please forgive me Here ya go 

SUFFICIENTLY ADVANCED MAGIC Can not be found in stores as it is self-published and either on amazon or possibly second hand via sites like abebooks or thriftbooks

(yes I agree fuck the company but this book is amazing)

it has 4.2/5 Goodreads  4.6/5 Audible  and 9.3/10 Fantasy book review

YOu like Tabletop games? YOu’ll likely love this shit

Jrpgs? Oh honey we got bitchin summons

Sassy characters? Which flavor would you like? Cause pretty sure we got them all though my boy Corin is the absolute King....after his Enchantments teacher who is a goddamn legend and I am waiting for the show down for that throne

Complicated family? Ho boy wait till you meet dad

Not unrealisticly young protags? Our main and his friends are 17 which seems to be if not an independant adult then still self-suffent. Society is set up so you go for your first “dungeon run” at 17 then attend school for 2+years then 2 years of required military service. So yeah teens but high teens and in context not CHILDREN.

Mysterious masked swordsman? Hello he’s here and he’s basicly Captain Jack Harkness with a sword

Secret organizations with nefarious plans? we gotchu boo

Fighting God(s)? Well servants of gods? WHo doesn’t want to

LGBT+/QUILTBAG- Representation? In the first book

- 2 Confirmed queer characters - 2 more perfectly comfortible flirting openly with either gender, - and one more I very strongly suspect. HOWEVER this is done in a very Rick Riordan fashion as far as there’s actually a good mix of straight and queer characters so it never comes off like the author did it for brownie points. 

Characters that actually talk things out and and the same time will pull the in world equivelent of “Sorry I meant to text you back but forgot? Holy shit seriously *slapping Corin* THIS BOY CAN FIT SO MUCH SOCIAL FAIL ITS RELATIBLE AS FUCK

PLEASE GO ENJOY THIS BOOK

But BUT the piece de resistance in my view on a totally personal note 

SPOILERS BELOW (character relevant not plot)

CORIN IS ACE ANd not like “oh he doesn’t like anyone yet so I’m projecting like mad” Like from the start Corin is just written..queer. He reminded me of so so many friends and myself and I was genuinely curious to see which flag he might fall under. then I got to it

I fucking cheered; outloud, fist-pump and all, right in the middle of my work breakroom shamelessly And if you think this is a one off? Or because it’s a girl? Here’s him reacting to another boy asking him to a Winter Dance

As a fellow ace I felt both of these so fucking hard.

It was just so damn nice to feel seen and represented.  So yeah read this damn book.

[serene-victory-77]

This is hella messy and I don’t know if this matters to anyone but me but I just saw the weirdest take for the deaths and problems in Percy Jackson (and Riordan’s other works too, presumably) and I’m so confused.

Apparently, Rick Riordan has become problematic for writing children in bad situations...? It was something along the lines of “I’ll never forgive Riordan for doing this to children” in reference to character deaths... This is the first time I’ve ever seen this take, but I imagine it’s not the first time someone has said this, and it got me worked up.

Did people miss the point of the series? It’s literally about how tragic it is for these children, how many issues they have, how scary it is, how they didn’t want to be half-bloods, how the fact that they know a lot of it don’t even make it to 12 years old, never mind 18. 

As children, and even know as older teenagers and adults reading the books, of course we’re going to see the powers, the friendships, the adventures, and glorify them for ourselves. It’s why we wonder “Who would be my godly parent? What would my powers be?”, because to us the stories were escapism, or simple enjoyment and stuff. And that’s fine, we were younger kids looking at people with powers and wishing we had that. 

But Rick doesn’t glorify the childrens’ tragedy? He includes it because that’s what he’s talking about? He’s telling stories of modern Greek demigods. AKA Greek myths in modern time. Greek myths are rampant with death, betrayal, and tragedy, and the young demigods (granted, usually older than 12, but plenty of them have a hard time their entire lives, including their childhood) who deal with those things. I mean, it’s a fictional world, with fictional characters, but it’d be terribly hard to make a “believable” story about Greek myths without including death.

Also, the whole point is to also portray the hard lives people have as children? It’s pointing out the responsibilities children have to deal with due to society and parents alike, just in a fantasy setting. The dying is sad, but without them the books are just a happy-go-lucky, naive story. Which is fine, like, writing an “Everybody Lives” AU is perfectly alright, but saying “it’s problematic to write about children who suffer” is like.... but there are children who suffer, and addressing this without glorying them is not problematic? 

Rick Riordan never glorifies it? His content and the content created from it mainly has: “I didn’t want to be a half-blood”...  And then in the musical: “So if you think you are a half-blood / Better get headed to the exits now / 'Cause folks will think you're lying / Better run and don't start crying / 'Cause you're monster chow.”

The characters clearly don’t think it’s great either? The people who call them heroes are the gods and trainers, and that is the blind characters glorifying the pain the kids suffer as “good” and “worthy”... the kids see themselves almost always simply as “demigods” who are tired of everything, and the kids are who we should focus on. What Riordan really feels about it, is what the kids feel too.

Really, what he did is just being a sensible writer? Taking a really dangerous situation and then treating it like it would play out? And he didn’t treat kids as idiots either, the topics they have to deal with are serious and important, and they affect kids just as much as anyone else. I really don’t see why people think this is “cancel-worthy” or “problematic”... it’s just being a good writer.

Children, throughout all of history, have gotten caught up in wars, in feuds, in problems. Children/teenagers die ALL THE TIME in literature, because that is what will happen when you have kids in the position of saving the world because the adults/primordial beings aren’t good enough (which does happen in real life too). So what? Did they expect? We want to make the real world safe for children, absolutely, but as it is, they aren’t exempt from suffering, and I don’t see how writing children who are overcoming that and trying to do their best is problematic.

Also like, so many stories have this, about children/teens/young adults dealing with really hard problems and even death? I mean, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Harry Potter, She-Ra, to name a few.

TL;DR: Apparently people think Rick Riordan is problematic for writing kids who have issues and problems, even though he actively un-glorifies being a hero. It’s not. It’s just treating a fictional premise in a truthful way, and the consequence of writing stories about Greek myths.

[aedifcare]

[Image id: A page from Rick Riordan’s book, The House of Hades with this specific quote: “I’ll succeed,” Hazel promised. “And Hecate? I’m not choosing one of your paths. I’m making my own.”

The goddess archer her eyebrows. Her polecat writer, and her dog snarled.

“We’re going to find a way to stop Gaea,” Hazel said. “We’re going to rescue our friends from Tartarus. We’re going to keep the crew and the ship together, and we’re going to stop Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood from going to war. We’re going to do it all.”]

In other news of hazel levesque being amazing, i hate how this fandom makes her like a “baby” or “cutesy” like just because she’s small and kind doesn’t give you the right to baby her. She said this to a goddess after said goddess told her which ever crossroad she chooses, she can’t save everyone and hazel took that and said “no, i will make my own path where I save everyone and you’re going to watch me do that” and that is one bad ass power move people seem to forget and that is something I’ll never forgive you guys for

[marvelandponder]

Salut Marvel! Following up to that last one, I wanted to know what are some of your favorite stories in fanfiction and/or mainstream literature?

Bonjour, Marvel! 

Oh damn, there’s so many... how do I choose? I guess I’ll limit myself to a few for now, otherwise I’d be rambling here for hours

Fanfics 

Character Exploration: Being Juniper Montage by Bookish Delight (Also check out In Your Corner, little known fact it was written for my birthday and I adore it!)

Found Family: Terms of Forgiveness by Fylifa 

Drama: Glow in the Dark, Shine in the Sun by TCC56

Romance: Sunlight by The Albinocorn 

Adventure: The Sisters Doo by Ponky

NSFW! Courage and Change by Bookish Delight

And so, so many more!

Mainstream Literature 

Sci-Fi: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card 

Romance: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Adventure: Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan (the whole series, all of it)

Horror: The Shining by Stephen King

Fantasy: The Adventure Zone (Graphic novels) by Griffin, Justin, Travis, and Clint McElroy

There’s tons of different stories I love and if I got into why I’d just never stop gushing, so consider this a small reccs list but know that there’s so much more and I’m always finding new great stuff!

[nolvini]

I’m excited for the Percy Jackson series but I will never forgive rick riordan for how he wrote a Muslim character lmfao that shit I’m so sorry Sam I’m so sorry an ugly ass bitch would even do that

[tehmoonofficial]

Blog Interview! 2/4

@seven-misfits

The interview is under the cut! This is the second of four interviews. You can find the first one here: (x) The third one will be posted next Saturday at 3 PM UTC, and the fourth one will be the week after (April 3). I hope you enjoy learning more about the fandom!

Who are they?

Name: Liv Pronouns: She/they/he/anything else Age: Minor (Or, as Liv puts it, “babey” x’D)

Q: What are your other fandoms? A: So many... there are so many. To start, there's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Boku No Hero Academia (although that's on the backburner for now), the Carry On books by Rainbow Rowell, Rick Riordan's books (Magnus Chase series in particular, currently), just recently I watched I Am Not Okay With This, and also I'm into many, many musicals. I can guarantee you there are still more, along with some foreign content and those fandoms. I have so many interests, it's ridiculous.

Q: Any other things people should know about you? A: I'm fucking feral. That's a joke, but I do tend to go off (read: go White Violin mode) if I really get going about something, and I do have a tendency to talk loud and yell... a lot. I have a qpp, their name is NJ you should totally go follow them because they're amazing and I love them (@be-ace-punch-nazis​). I'm also fluent in Russian, so if you wanna chat in that I am down for it! :)

Q: Where are some other places people can follow you? A:  Oooh okay so, you can follow me on many other blogs, so it's probably easier to link my carrd (https://octopodium.carrd.co/), but I will say that I'm behind blogs like @pineipina​ (which is my main), @farahblack​, @bahumdrum​, and @probablyheroism​. You can also follow me on instagram @octopodium, and my ao3 is under the same name.

What do they do?

Q: What sort of content do you make? A: I make all sorts of things for TUA! I used to do a lot of incorrect quotes, but now I tend to write and draw :) there's also a bit of poetry floating around my blog. I make meta sometimes (although a lot of it is still not posted...) and also like to try and point out things I find in the show! Another Thing of mine is AUs and HCs; there have been some truly cursed things born from my rambling bullet points. Q: How long have you been making TUA content? A: I've been making content since somewhere around April, I think? My first TUA fic was published somewhere around June. I only got into TUA a couple months after it came out, and it took some more time for me to actually start making things.

Q: What’s your favorite piece of content that you’ve made? A: I don't think I have a favorite piece but IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE, then one of my favorite art pieces I've made is the Ace Luther painting, and one of my favorite fics is "we sail upon forgotten waters", though there are definitely more galaxy brain takes I have written. (Cough, "like constellations" and "The Sky Is Falling" and "She Likes Girls" cough.) (As you can see I like my writing more than my art lmao.) AND WAIT; I forgot my magnum opus. My ultimate fic. The one thing I will never forgive myself for. "don't forget your lines," the Dave/Everyone content nobody asked for and nobody wants.

Q: Do you ever wish you did something else for the fandom? A: I wish I could make music sometimes, I've tried to write songs for the characters but I'm not good at composing at all :')) I also wish I could do more content in general, because lately my attention has been kind of diverted onto other media (still very into TUA though) but other than that, nope! I'm happy with what I'm doing here.

Q: What is your favorite piece of content that you haven’t made? (Made by someone else in the fandom) A: Goddd a lot of my favorite fics come from the lovely @evelinaonline, and Bree's writing is so godtier... I love the thing people in this fandom create so much, I can't think of any specific content creator I love but hey!! If you make TUA content and are reading this *waves* I love you!! (Love you tooooo and thank you <3)

What are their views on TUA?

Q: Who is your favorite character? A: Ben. I love them all, and I can't pick an ultimate favorite, but it's Ben. He has the "dead asshole" and "babey" appeals. (Along with many others but... I just think he's neat lmao.)

Q: Which is your favorite: comics or show? A: I like the show more, I'm gonna say, it was the first thing I consumed for TUA. But the comics do hold a place in my heart and I love them a lot, too.

Q: What is your favorite part of the comics or the show? A: I love all the show, and while I can name some least favorite parts (cough incest cough the rave scene cough) I can't name a favorite lmao. I do really like the I Think We're Alone Now dance scene, though. (And Five's Istanbul fiasco... though rest assured those aren't my ultimate faves, they're two I can think of though.) [For the comics,] I suppose when the Séance saves the world with his telekinesis (oop, spoilers) and when Number Five is exposed as a furry? Good shit. (Also the Horror's scenes kdfsk I love me some dead tentacle man.) (Comic Ben in general is just very neat to me. You go, you funky ghost tentacle man.)

Q: How do you feel about the fandom discourse? (Like sibling shipping, anti-Vanya, anti-Luther, etc) A: FUCK sibling shipping, incest is gross. (Of course though I'm not gonna directly call out people or w/e, do whatever you want, I'm not you mom, but I 100% do not support incest and sibling shipping.) Anti-Vanya and Anti-Luther is stupid, whoever is against them clearly hasn't bothered to actually watch the show lmao, while both of those characters are "problematic" so is... literally all of the entire cast. I mean, come on. Stop scapegoating and recognize they were all abused and wronged, and have all done shitty things, "don't villainize abuse victims" isn't that hard to wrap you head around.

.

And that’s the end of the second interview! If Liv’s content sounds interesting to you, go give her a follow :D Liv: I love having you around to goof around with on our discord server and everywhere else! You’re fan-flipping-tastic. To everybody else: there are two more interviews left! At this time, all the question responses have been sent to me, and I have to say this has been one of the biggest highlights of my time in this fandom. If you have any additional questions for Liv, go send her an ask or put them in the notes here! <3

[battlestar-royco]

all this talk about Frozen is just making me more angry about how Disney does not comprehend abuse and how it affects people. It did the same with Disney Descendants where at the end of the 3 movies, all the characters were super excited to see their canonically abusive parents who they were canonically scared of (it's also why I'm scared of Disney adopting Percy Jackson, because Gabe was canonically extremely abusive and I'm scared they'll retcon him or forgive him)

I never got into Descendants actually! I’m so scared for the nebulous project that is a PJO adaptation. (Is it true that Disney has the rights now? I’ve heard things here and there but I didn’t know if anything was official.) The Lightning Thief was the first movie adaptation to break my heart and I’m now very protective over its fate. I think I’m going to avoid as much news as possible until it’s a fully fledged product that I can watch because otherwise I’ll have one ongoing conniption between now and when it airs. Given the failure of the first movie series, I have a feeling they’ll wise up, listen to Rick Riordan’s advice, and follow the books much better. Otherwise they’re literally digging their own grave for a fandom that’s been burned before.

Frozen tries and fails to tackle a lot of issues because the writing often feels rushed with a focus on shock value and impressive animation. Even after a whole movie dedicated to figuring out why Elsa has her powers, the explanation still doesn’t feel satisfying. Plus most of the relationships feel the exact same or regressive. The ice and water etc all look amazing but the story would be a lot more cohesive and meaningful if they put more value on the character development and worldbuilding.

[moononmyfloor]

Review: The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan

Thoughts on The Cover

Well, if you've seen my previous posts by now you'd know that I'm not a big fan of loud and action-packed covers. I prefer classy, if not always subtle. But you might like it! See, Reyna is owning the bigger portion of it, which is a nice change. :-)

Ok to Low Points

Halfway through the book, I was STILL unable to "get" into the story

Literally, not much was going on for 2/3 of the whole book, which is very surprising considering:

The time between the release dates of The Tyrant's Tomb and The Burning Maze is the longest as of yet. Whereas other books within a series have come out within twelve months of each other, these two books will be released within eighteen months of each other.

.....and that even the most boring books by Uncle Rick had some silver linings here and there to keep you engaged. Even The Dark Prophecy had the gang arrive and settle in Indianapolis, visit the zoo and free Griffins and REVISIT the emperor. Here? Apollo and Co. escorted Jason's hearse into Camp Jupiter in a frankly insulting manner(more about that later), Apollo got sick, we see that the noble prophecies are being tattooed on Tyson's back, Apollo and Co. went on a lil' trial quest and returned, Apollo got more sick.🤷‍♀️ I was so confused I opened the previous books to see how far those stories had progressed by midpoint.

It got slightly better later on, but it doesn't change the fact throughout the 1st half of the book I just kept on turning pages SIMPLY because I wanted it to get it on with and finish the story. Sad.

2. The so-called Tyrant

I didn't see much tyranny, like...only 3 pages were spent in the Tyrant's Tomb and his company, bad old Commodus and Caligula had more appearances than Tarquin who re-appeared in the very last chapters only to get immediately vanquished courtesy of Diana.....yeah. That's that.

3. How Jason's final voyage was depicted

Uncle Rick doesn't write emotional crying scenes well.

People talk about peeing and pop chewing gum bubbles while delivering the hearses of valued, honored characters.

And I seriously wonder in what position and condition poor Jason's body was after all the drama his coffin underwent.

And based on the spoilery lines(which sadly turned out to be not spoilers at all) we saw in the Magnus Chase series I thought we'd at least get a Percy-Annabeth cameo in this, that Jason will have more of his closest comrades mourning and sending him off. Nah. Nada. Not even a mention of Annabeth. Then why did Uncle Rick mention things like Annabeth and Percy being at California and even Magnus joining them at their time of crisis? Utter puzzlement. And we were also robbed of Nico's reaction to Jason's demise, considering how much Nico valued Jason as a brother-in-arms and a friend. Let's not even talk about Thalia. Why, Uncle Rick? :-(

Which brings us to...

4. Plot Inconsistencies

Why do I have to talk about this in each and every book? :-( Seriously, why would you write about Percy and Annabeth going to New Rome to attend college and being broken hearted over Jason DURING the period of Demigod communication malfunction, only to have us know they have YET to travel across the country and when we meet them again it would still be at New York? And now the communication is working, proving that Uncle Rick conveniently forgot about the clues he conveniently dropped.

AT LEAST I'm glad one thing is consistent in the Trials of Apollo series, that when Zeus decided they'll stop meddling too much in demigod affairs at the end of Heroes of Olympus, he meant it and now it's super duper hard to seek a god even for dire needs, no matter how wonderfully (ill)timed that decision was, costing lives of valued heroes.

5. The Haiku-titles weren't amusing at all this time.

I found one fun haiku .

O, blood moon rising

Take a rain check on doomsday

I’m stuck in traffic

6. The whole Apollo-Reyna debacle.

I would say Uncle Rick pulled a clever twist by turning fan theories on their heads here, but it too way more plot space than needed and when he got to the "Gotcha!" part, I was not feeling it. For YEARS now, we heard abut this no-mortal-no-demigod thing over and over, and fans predicted it might mean Apollo's the one for Reyna. And when it initially seemed like it was the route that Uncle Rick was indeed taking, the only thought that circulated inside my head was; "Reyna doesn't need this completely random and unwanted baggage! Give the girl a dam break!!" But then he was like; "Lol nooo. You kids are wrong", but STILL I was not happy...well, for obvious reasons.

What's the point of this whole plotline? So unnecessary. I mean, the fans always wondered WHY exactly would Reyna think she needs a partner in her life, but now I see Reyna might not have had time to contemplate her personal life logically like WE had what's with her dramatic life. Of course the shallow gods would think her heart was something to be "cured" and Reyna never stopped to think that it's quite the opposite till Apollo provided her with a breather and reason. And to answer why din't she choose to join Amazons instead of Hunters is probably that she wanted to be her own person and not be under her sis the Queen once again. She'd indeed have the freedom, calm and few friends so she wouldn't feel lonely and bored with the Hunt. She might even choose to leave Hunters after she found herself in her own time. I get it. But the way it was dragged and executed was meh.

If Uncle Rick intended this plotline of Reyna to be empowering for female readers, in my opinion it was not. Yes, even a badass girl could have weaknesses, not enough self-confidence and wobbly life choices, but Reyna took too much time with her "Eureka!" moment.

It was funny while it lasted, at least.

“Lester.” Reyna sighed. “What in Tartarus are you saying? I’m not in the mood for riddles.”

“That maybe I’m the answer,” I blurted. “To healing your heart. I could…you know, be your boyfriend. As Lester. If you wanted. You and me. You know, like…yeah.”

HAHAHAHA. That Totally came from the left field Lester, even for you.

“Your girlfriend was pregnant when you had her killed?” Reyna launched another kick at my face. I managed to dodge it, since I’d had a lot of practice cowering, but it hurt to know that this time she hadn’t been aiming at an incoming raven. Oh, no. She wanted to knock my teeth in.

“You suck,” Meg agreed.

I mean, if THIS is not the ultimate deal breaker then what is? Apollo might have changed for better by now, but it doesn't mean we can overlook what he did. I for one certainly don't need a loveline for him in this series. I'm glad Uncle Rick drew(or at least seemed to have) a clear line here.

High Points

It took half the page count even for Uncle Rick's special brand of snark to return. Nonetheless I managed to find some good ones. Which is what matters, right?

1.

“So,” I said, making a second attempt at nonchalance, “are you and Thalia, er…?”

Reyna raised an eyebrow. “Involved romantically?”

“Well, I just…I mean…Um…”

Oh, very smooth, Apollo. Have I mentioned I was once the god of poetry?

Reyna rolled her eyes. “If I had a denarius for every time I got that question…Aside from the fact that Thalia is in the Hunters, and thus sworn to celibacy…Why does a strong friendship always have to progress to romance?"

Preach, sister. But then again I would have to ask did YOU have to swear to celibacy to prove your independence....which is sort of the point🙄..

2.

Even when I was a god and could speak any language I wanted, I’d never sung well in Italian. I kept mixing it up with Latin, so I came off sounding like Julius Caesar with a head cold.

LOL

3.

It was time to be helpful. I needed to be repulsive for my friends!

Which you're most of the time...the latter sentence I mean.

4. Don't we all relate? 😂

“O protector of Rome!” I read aloud. “O insert name here!”

5. And one more.

I bet Gregorix was wishing he’d pursued that business degree his mom always wanted him to get. Being a barbarian bodyguard was mentally exhausting.

.

Heartrending quotes.

1.

This was the source of all our communications troubles—one sad, angry, forgotten little god.

2. This was the wisest quote I saw in the book. The simple indescribable deepness of letting go.

“Good-bye, Apollo,” said the Sibyl’s voice, clearer now. “I forgive you. Not because you deserve it. Not for your sake at all. But because I will not go into oblivion carrying hate when I can carry love.”

Even if I could’ve spoken, I wouldn’t have known what to say. I was in shock. Her tone asked for no reply, no apology. She didn’t need or want anything from me. It was almost as if I were the one being erased.

3. I was saddened to learn about Julia's untimely loss, but I'm sure everybody had a meltdown moment at the following scene.

The old god’s face hardened a bit more, which shouldn’t have been possible for stone. “I see. Well. I’ve concentrated the last bits of my power here, around Julia. They may destroy New Rome, but they will not harm this girl!”

“Or this statue!” said Julia.

4. Honestly? I too forgot until Apollo pointed it out and then I had *shivers*! They're one immediate family, grieving over one loss that affects all of them in various ways, and having mixed reactions about each others the members who survived!

I shivered. How easy it was to forget that this young woman was also my sister. And Jason was my brother. At one time, I would have discounted that connection. They’re just demigods, I would have said. Not really family.

Overall Conclusion

This is the most bored-outta-my-mind I felt after reading a PJO universe book. Am I finally growing out of the Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus fandom? Oh dear, I hope not. I can't imagine living without it and I'm SO not happy with this new development. Just as I feared, Uncle Rick couldn't keep it up after the excellent Burning Maze and now.....please, for your fans' sake who had been loyal for years, I hope at least the final book delivers. Just so we could at least part ways/go dormant with pleasant sentiments and a content heart.🙆‍♀️

[hazellvesque]

more thoughts about the lightning thief musical because I have the soundtrack on repeat and I can’t stop thinking about it

“yes the gods are real, and they have kids, and those kids have issues” well yeah that’s it that’s the whole series I’m glad we established this in the first 45 seconds of the show

Percy’s entrance is the greatest, most in-character thing I’ve ever seen he just slides across the stage and looks to the audience in his “paint me like one of your french girls” lounge pose and recites those ICONIC first lines of the book and it’s just fabulous

that moment in the opening number when riptide turns into a sword for the first time is just SO COOL because there’s strobe lights and so much is going on and you can’t really see how the effect happens all of a sudden Percy just starts swinging and it’s so satisfying

“This ain’t Odysseus’s Odyssey” that’s a really tough tongue twister but also just a really good line 

I love all the moments where Percy’s voice gets all quiet and gentle like in Strong when he’s asking all the questions about his dad the delivery of those lines adds so much to his character; sure, the whole show is written in the Rock genre and his big outbursts accompanied with loud guitar show his frustration and anger at the world but those times where everything is solemn and all you hear is the acoustic guitar and the sound of ocean waves crashing in the distance really keep him rounded out and I just love it a lot

“Normal is a myth” LIKE THE GREEK MYTHS GET IT 

“Is she real?/I must be dreaming/She's floating close to me like an angel....This is weird/But a good weird” wow Percy so eloquent you wanna quote that in your wedding vows? 

Chiron’s elegant prancing when he first gets up out of his wheelchair while Percy is just screaming in confusion is by far the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life

Clarisse’s vocals in Put You In Your Place are insane it feels so 80s and she’s violently swinging a spear the whole time and you don’t know whether to be attracted to her or terrified so you’re just both simultaneously

Percy just comes strolling across the stage on a toilet on wheels I love professional theatre 

I could write an essay on Good Kid but all I’ll say now is the line “I keep my head down, I keep my chin up, but it ends all the same/With ‘Pack your bags, Percy, you’re always to blame” just hurts my heart a lot, more than anything else in the song

and during Good Kid Percy is climbing all over the scaffolding like he’s in a DCOM and when he gets to the bridge and it slows down he just sits on the railing high up off the ground and is withdrawn and quiet and wow

Grover ‘baaaa’-ing throughout the whole show makes me really happy 

all of Lost has been stuck in my head for days and it condenses 50% of TLT’s plot into a single song that’s basically just like “yadda yadda yeah they took a week to travel and the goofed up a lot we don’t have time for this” and it’s done so well because they still manage to mention every significant stop in the story 

(except the scene in the waterpark and “You’re my friend, seaweed brain, any more stupid questions?” but I can forgive that)

“We’re lost and it’s dark and I thINK THAT SOMETHING’S MOVING” god you forget that they’re supposed to be children and then lines like this happen

Can we just talk about the Percabeth parallel in their lyrics “All I need is one last chance to prove I’m good enough for someone” vs. “And someday soon, I swear, I don't know how or when/But I promise you I'll never be invisible again; someone will notice me” their first someones end up being each other (and also Grover #1 MVP third wheel for life we love a supportive satyr) before the rest of the world recognizes them your OTP would never

Drive ends up becoming Grover’s recurring theme in the show and you almost forget how much he’s been through until he reprises it in the finale 

“I never dreamed that I could do this/Never felt like I was worth a damn” YEAH LETS TAKE A MOMENT FROM THIS SILLY ROAD TRIP SONG TO REMIND EVERYONE ABOUT PERCY’S INNER TURMOIL REAL QUICK ouch 

All of The Tree on the Hill is my favorite scene and I’m super biased but I don’t care

“And maybe if I'd been a little bit braver/Maybe if I stayed behind to fight/But ‘maybe’ doesn't let me go back and save her/’Maybe’ doesn't make it alright” and then “There’s a tree on the hill, up on half-blood hill/That protects us all, and always will/And it’s there reminding me of all I failed to be” WOW I MISS WHEN GROVER WAS A COMPLEX AND RELEVANT CHARACTER @rick riordan can we have that back please? 

Annabeth and Luke hugging each other and crying as Thalia makes her sacrifice hurt my heart a lot especially when you remember he’s about 14 and she’s supposed to be SEVEN they are babies my god

D.O.A. starts with Charon saying “sorry, I couldn’t hear you over that SWEET ASS RIFF” and she’s a sassy lady in a sparkly silver dress with big hair jamming to disco and it’s the biggest mood ever and the levity we all needed after the heartbreak

Percy and Sally’s harmony on “what belongs to the sea can always return” is just so pretty and there’s that return of the soft acoustics that I love so much in Strong ugh

When Percy and Poseidon would say “It’s a seashell” they’d say it like California surfer dudes and do the little surfs up motion with their hands and I laughed way too hard especially in the middle of Son of Poseidon where it’s supposed to kinda be serious 

Luke sings “it’s time someone put them [the gods] in their place” and he doesn’t riff all over the place like Clarisse but DAMN this whole scene is just so ominous it gives you the exact same vibes as when you first read it and realized what was happening except it’s worse because he just STABS PERCY in the end 

(and I totally don’t mean to undermine Luke’s Good Kid reprise because it’s fantastic but the chanting of “summer, summer, summer” in the background just makes me think of high school musical) 

“Are we ever gonna once have it easy?” “Nope!” again just sum up the entire series in two lines good job