#Obligatory: I don't endorse Riordan's words on Palestine nor do I encourage anyone to read the books or watch the show

[cam24fan]

Hot take: Hazel is the strongest demigod, not Percy.

Don't get me wrong, Percy is definitely very talented and accomplished, and has done things other demigods in the series couldn't even dream of. Even so, if he and Hazel were ever to fight without any restrictions holding them back, I think she'd win.

For one, Hazel has a wide range of powers. Due to Pluto, she has control over the minerals and metals in the earth. Not only can she conjure gems out of the ground, but her curse makes them much deadlier than usual too. Additionally, as a protégé of Hecate, she has mastery over Mist manipulation, something which Percy has canonically struggled with. Unlike Nico and Percy, none of these powers have downsides to them, i.e. they don't tire her nor does she ever lose control. Even her curse can come to her advantage when targeted against an enemy.

Percy may have gone toe-to-toe with a God and choked a Goddess on her own poison, but Hazel's feats are nothing to scoff at either. She was able to not only resurrect a giant without any formal training or guidance, but also both destroy it and send Mother Earth herself into a 6-decade coma, all in one fell swoop. When it comes to thinking on the fly, both Hazel and Percy are shown to be very capable. Hazel is able to recognize Gaea's manipulation and defeat her, and later negotiates with the Fates to allow her mother into the Fields of Asphodel

"But Percy survived Tartarus," you say, and yes, I admit that does tilt the scales in his favour. At least, it would, if not for the way Rick liberally expels characters to Tartarus on a whim. Percy survived Tartarus, but so did Annabeth and Will, yet no one seems to argue that they're the strongest demigods. Hell (pun not intended), Nico did it first! And twice! That too, on his own the first time.

On the other hand, Hazel does do something no other demigod has: come back from the dead. In the original series, there is an entire subplot dedicated to emphasizing how it is impossible to cheat death, ending with Bianca choosing to be reborn so that Nico would quit trying to bring her back. Sally is sent back from the Underworld as a special favour from Hades himself, and even in Heroes of Olympus, the Doors of Death being open is seen as a big deal. Yet, all Hazel needs is a little help from Nico, and she is free to just stroll out of there.

People break mentally after only a year of isolation. Hazel spends 6 decades alone as the only sentient being surrounded by souls with no memory or conscious, without even knowing that she'd be rescued. Then, she has to get used to a world completely different to her own, referring both to modern day but also Camp Jupiter itself. Growing up as young Black girl in 1930s North America alone should reflective of her emotional strength, but the rest only confirms that she has a superior mental fortitude to most.

"But Percy was asked to be a God!" Indeed. However, this also doesn't mean much when considering the way the Greek Gods are portrayed in the Riordanverse. They're shown to be a lot less competent than their mythological counterparts, for e.g. Apollo in the Trials of Apollo. If Percy could easily defeat Ares, who had thousands of years of experience as a God, then why can't Hazel defeat him in turn, when Percy didn't even accept the offer?

Hazel cannot shadowtravel like Nico can, but she might not even need to considering that the "Fastest Being On Land" (Riordan's words, not mine) follows her command. Hylla mentions in Son of Neptune that even the strongest Amazons, a warrior group noted for being indomitable, were unable to tame Arion. Arion (according to the wiki) can ride over both wind and sea, so even in Percy's domain, Hazel has an advantage he doesn't. It goes without saying that as loyal and faithful as Blackjack may be, he serves no comparison to Arion.

In conclusion, uh, Hazel >>>> Percy.