#ME!? POST A HALF-COHERENT ANALYSIS😱😱😱😱 CALL THE AMBULANCE!

[look-mom-percys-on-the-tv]

so they changed Athena...

spoilers below for all the five books and for the new show!

In the books, Annabeth claims that Athena guided her to where she found Luke and Thalia.

Her own father couldn't look after her, but at least Athena did *something* (it also seems they're changing the baby luke/thalia dynamic... I'll make that post later....)

throughout the series, Athena ONE: helps Percy avoid capture so he could live long enough to save Annabeth from Atlas&co. in Titan's Curse. TWO: warns Percy that his friendship with Annabeth is dangerous FOR THEM not just the world, showing she cares, and kind of takes a "dumbass boy isn't good enough for her" additude and THREE: votes to kill PERCY because he was dangerous to the gods' existence (show viewers, dw, that will make sense in time!) which shows she is on the side of Olympus (relevant later)

In this show, however, she is shown as uncaring. both in her viewing demigod children as "gifts", as mementos of her godly grace, and in her severely punishing the slightest misstep, targeted specifically at the one person who worships her most, she objectifies her children. They are but reflections of herself, testimonies to her vanity.

When the og trio are in the humane zoo truck in book one, Annabeth and Percy theorize that Athena will take Zeus's side if Zeus fights Poseidon. However, if Percy could potentially prevent a war, what motivation would Athena have to stop his quest? If the war was truly over nothing and would further prevent the recovery of the real Lightning, what is such a war worth to the goddess of wisdom? Either Athena felt secure in her choice because she knew Annabeth would be isolated and believed Percy would succeed without her (slash didn't care?? somehow???), she somehow BELIEVED Zeus's accusation of Percy, despite that in the books it's hinted that most of the Olympians even think said accusation is fucking stupid, or she truly prioritized her wounded pride over a godly conflict, which would be a diversion from her book characterization (I told you it was relevant!) of being both cold+merciless AND levelheaded.

first off: shoutout yo everyone who's parents take things Personally with a Capital P.

secondly: I almost have a hard time believing these are the actions of the goddess of wisdom. What it DOES achieve in storytelling, however, is changing Annabeth's internal conflict from the books. Places her closer to the other campers, all struggling with whether [REDACTED] (<-the real lightning thief who's name some of y'all don't know yet) was right to cause the main conflict of the series, whether to join him.

but that gets me thinking... [REDACTED] and his patron achieve their goals through deception, manipulation. to build resentment and infighting inside the Olympian family between the gods and demigods alike. Twisting a god to their will to carry out their wicked tasks in book one.

And in the book, THEY were the ones who not only sent Medusa to Percy, but Echidna as well, straight from the patron's home in Tartaurus. In fact, [REDACTED], in a scene which was omitted from the show, summoned a monster inside a sacred ground which was meant to keep them out just like what happened at the Arch in the show!

just some food for thought :3