#SPQR fic

[ashyjingles]

Jason Grace and Cicero Parallels

(And Octavian and Catiline Parallels)

Okay so this is the start of me. Blogging my research experience I guess? I’m looking into Roman history starting with SPQR – A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. It’s for my fic of Jason’s life at Camp Jupiter pre-swap (from the Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan) but also for fun. And depending on how much I talk about Jason this may or may not be comprehensible even without any knowledge of that.

I figured going chapter by chapter would help me organize my thoughts the best so I dont forget everything I wrote down by the end of the book. I mean like I have an abysmal amount of sticky notes in the book itself already but doing it this way will also keep my motivated I think

I’ll try my best to make this comprehensible in case anyone wants to follow along, but I think most of this is going to be for myself lol so I don’t have to reread the entire book for a single piece of information (hopefully)

The prologue was just a mention on how the book will be centered on the history of the city of Rome and Roman Italy because getting into the history of Roman everywhere is a bit too big of a project for one book (page 18). and I agree because SPQR is already over 500 pages already lmao

The other thing the prologue mentioned that I noted down was that SPQR is the acronym for “Senatus PopulusQue Romanus,” which means “The Senate and People of Rome.” (page 16)

Chapter 1 is titled Cicero’s Finest Hour and takes place in 63 BCE (Before Common Era). Despite Rome being founded seven centuries earlier, the Romans didn’t start recording their own history until the events of this year. As Beard put it, “Roman history, as we know it, started here,” (page 23) and is the reason she chose to start her book with the events of this year.

To summarize, Catiline (Sometimes Catilina) was a bankrupt aristocrat who tried running for one of two consuls which were the highest political positions in the city (This was before any emperors came along). He came from a distinguished old family who had a successful earlier career but was close to bankruptcy in 43 BCE and was dealing with a failing reputation. He advocated for debt relief which was “one of the most despicable forms of radicalism in the eyes of the Roman landed classes” (page 28). 

Cicero came from a wealthy family as well, but it was outside Rome and thus he was considered a ‘new man’ without any political experience in the city which was looked down on. His climb to power rested on the shoulders of only his own skills — specifically his skill at speaking to a crowd. It won him the election of 63 BCE.

Some time after the election, Cicero got wind of a plot of Catiline’s to burn down Rome. Catiline was also building an army outside of the city. Cicero called a meeting in front of the senate and gave a famous speech that he later wrote down and spread copies of. Catiline then left town after the defeat in front of the Senate. Cicero continued to try and expose everyone left in the operation and succeeded because the conspirators had tried working with a group of Ghauls “who had come to Rome to complain about their exploitation at the hands of Roman provincial governors” (page 34) and provided names of everyone involved.

Cicero rounded up everyone that had evidence against them and without giving them a trial, executed them all. “Triumphantly, he announced their deaths to the cheering crowd in a famous one-word euphemism: vixere, ‘they have lived’ — that is, ‘they’re dead’.” (page 35) Eventually Catiline’s forces were defeated with Catiline on the front line. Cicero had many supporters after this defeat of terrorism, but soon his previous act of executing citizens without trial got him run out of town. He spent some time in North Greece before he came back to Rome, and his career never fully recovered.

Okay. Now I’m here to talk about Jason and how I think he and Octavian (and Reyna) parallel Cicero and Catiline because it was literally ALL I could think about while reading this chapter.

Like Catiline, Octavian comes from a long lineage of reputable people, whether politicians or soldiers or prophets, with him being a distant ancestor to Apollo. While he isn’t at risk of going bankrupt, he does have a certain want for power that leads to him vying for the position of praetor so much that in Heroes of Olympus he repeatedly seems hostile toward Reyna. (And Percy, but given his sudden appearance, greek vibe, and Percy’s own distrust of Octavian, I wouldn't say it’s unwarranted. Plus, at this point, Octavian had already been preparing to aim for the position of praetor now that Jason was gone.) Because we never really saw him interact with Jason, I can’t say anything about his canon relationship with him. So far, Octavian parallels Catiline in his aim for power.

Catiline attempts to stage Cicero’s assassination, but it’s unsuccessful. While it’s not entirely confirmed, what Frank points out leads the audience to believe that it was Octavian that tried killing Gwen. 

Then he noticed the marks engraved into the wooden shaft of the pilum: CHT I LEGIO XII F. The weapon belonged to the First Cohort, and the point was sticking through the front of her armour. Gwen had been speared from behind — possibly after the game had ended.  Frank scanned the crowd for Octavian. The centurion was watching with more interest than concern, as if he were examining one of his stupid gutted teddy bears. He didn’t have a pilum. – Page 142, The Son of Neptune

Of course, with the doors of death being opened she lived, but both instances were an attack on a Roman from a Roman. Catiline also turns to an outside source like the Ghauls, while Octavian turns to outside sources like monsters. The monsters don’t act as a double agent toward a character playing Cicero, but they are double agents and end up being on Gaea’s side. Granted, Octavian’s enemy at that point were the Greeks, not his fellow Romans.

While this is a much looser parallel, Catiline was run out of town and killed on the front lines of the army he amassed. Octavian died in the catapults in the battle on Camp Half-Blood after being ridiculed by the protagonists. Is this a strong enough parallel for me to heavily consider it? No, but it crossed my mind and given his previous parallels to Catiline I thought it was at least mentionable.

Jason, to me, parallels Cicero. His dad is Jupiter, so while similarly to Cicero he has the background for the positions he fills, he doesn’t quite have as much experience as other candidates. Of course, he was brought to Camp Jupiter incredibly young and started building skills just as early as Octavian, but for the sake of the parallels, just go with me here. 

While Cicero relies solely on his speech skills, Jason is clearly a formidable fighter. We don’t have many instances of him using his verbal prowess, but I think that to be as good of a praetor he seems to be described as, it wouldn’t be nonexistent. Plus, while facing off against large threats such as that one giant in The Lost Hero, he has an entire speech ready on the tip of his tongue without him even having to do much to remember it. 

“I'm the son of Jupiter, I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion. I slew the Trojan sea monster, I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed Titan Krios with my own hand. And now I'm going to destroy you Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."  – Page 510 of The Lost Hero

While this isn’t a political speech, the rest of his lines throughout the series give his words a bit of a sophisticated feel, especially in comparison to Leo’s comedic feel. Considering he grew up in Camp Jupiter from an early age and was probably taught Cicero’s works just like many people in later years (until even now) used his works in various classes from learning Latin to studying the rhetorics of speech. Jason would have most likely seen his works growing up in various settings, so I wouldn’t think it too far-fetched to say that he probably modelled his own speeches around Cicero’s. (This is something I would like to incorporate in my fic, so if anyone has any good recommendations for specific pieces/books/sources of his speeches to read I’m open!)

While this is a sillier and much looser parallel, they both turn to either Greece or Greek culture. Cicero flees to North Greece after he’s shunned for executing citizens without trial, and while it is nowhere near the same magnitude of villainy, Jason leans toward Greek culture after his amnesia-drenched months spent at Camp Half-Blood and is shunned for becoming ‘too Greek’ along with the Argo II bombing New Rome and him going to the old lands. He does return to Camp Jupiter though as Pontifex Maximus after giving up his title as praetor to Frank when the zombies spawned by Diocletian's Scepter deem him too ‘Un-Roman’ to command them. Cicero does the same and returns to Rome a year after his exile, but while Jason flourishes (for however short of a while) his career never quite recovers.

Now, I mentioned Reyna as another Cicero parallel, did I not? Her family was long established with and favoured by Bellona, though she and her sister were her first children to be born into her line. Unlike Cicero, she had the experience and background.

However, Octavian rivals with her much throughout the series. It’s her orders he defies, it's her he tries to overthrow, and they don’t have a very friendly relationship overall no matter how professional they manage to act with each other. Her quotes speak to her eloquence (pun intended) and her ‘step too far’ as Cicero was travelling to old land against rules and counsel. Granted, I think her parallels are not as strong as Jason’s, but I think combined, she and Jason make a good Cicero parallel to rival Octavian’s Catiline.

Between all of these, I wonder if these parallels are intentional on Riordan’s part. We know that he’s used parallels before, given all of the original quests in the PJO series that Percy goes on and Silena and Clarisse’s explicit parallels to Achilles and Patroclus. It is also entirely possible I’m just reading into it too much.

Of course, there could be plenty of other parallels to myths that could fit better. I just haven’t gotten there yet. But this is the one I’m noticing now, and it’s strong enough that regardless of whether it seems to be intentional in the books, it’s one I think I’m going to be including in my fic. Foreshadowing Octavian’s plans in HoO by paralleling him and Jason/Reyna to Catiline and Cicero is something I’m really interested in doing tbh. 

If anyone’s still with me, thoughts? I’m choosing to post this to share my ideas and possibly receive some discussion on them, so feel free to support or debate any of them lol, whether it’s a small detail or the topic itself entirely. I still need to reread HoO for this project, and I’ve also never really shown this much of an interest in history so this is a little new to me lol.

Jason Grace & Cicero Parallels || Chapter 1 on Cicero (and Catiline) Lupa || Chapter 2 on Roman Founding Myths

[furiosophie]

What were you going to say to me? Jayce wants to demand, a million times. That night under the rubble together was the only time Viktor ever tried to talk to him, dying. Jayce, I — what? — but he bites his tongue. It’s enough to spend his rare restful nights in Viktor’s bed, swathed in his smell, that cold nose buried against his bare chest and that bony body bundled up in his arms. Jayce sleeps — not without nightmares but certainly with fewer than before — and he’s pretty sure Viktor sleeps too. He seems better-rested, at least. Steadier.

It’s strange, when Jayce slows down to think about it, how well Viktor is taking all of this. Jayce knows that he’s not the same man Viktor remembers — how could he be, having lost him? — but Viktor seems remarkably unaffected for a man who’s died every day for the last fifty. Jayce sometimes has to excuse himself from the lab to go splash water on his face, just to stop from having a panic attack at the memory of his own death, of Viktor’s; but his partner never falters, never mentions any of it except obliquely — what happened yesterday, the way we went that morning we stayed in bed — never wakes with a sharp inhalation the way Jayce does almost every time they sleep.

run it back

by spqr / @andthepeople

ship: jayce talis/viktor

words: 11,223 (completed)

tags: time loop, fix it but fix it by making it worse, sharing a bed, angst with a happy ending, friends to lovers, temporary (and repeated) character death, not beta read, sentence structure? i don't know her

[kissmypoets-hp]

Fanfic Classics Series ⏳🪐🌌 This batch of fanfiction deals with the multiverse!!! Time travel!!! Imminent thoughts about life and death!! Past lives and dreams of a future together — get ready to witness a love for the ages.

the earth from a distance by spqr

A Beginner’s Guide to the Afterlife by mcsyndrome

Us, infinite (unfortunately) by @thecouchsofa

"An Emerald In The Sky" by @corvuscrowned

In Every Universe by @skeptiquewrites

Our Little Life by @tackytigerfic

Dwelling by aideomai

there will be time, there will be time by @amywaterwings

Harry Potter and the Future He Doesn't Really Want, Thanks. by orphan_account

Everything is Relative to You by @thehoneybeet

The Star Splitter by @oflights

art credits + some cover commentary under the cut :)

I had a lot of fun finding/using artworks with circles, lines, and shapes to symbolize different worlds/universes and/or the passage of time...

Artworks used, in order:

"Several Circles" by Wassily Kandinsky (1926)

"To all appearances, it was a hand of flesh and blood just like my own" by Odilon Redon (1896) — A ghostly hand that fits the plot. The artwork's title goes with the fic so well too...

"(#2) (from series, Quantum)" by Garo Antreasian (1966)

"The story of the sun, moon, and stars (1898)" by Agnes Giberne — inspired by the summary "Somewhere along the way, Draco realizes he's been thinking in lines, when he should have been thinking in circles." The original artwork comes with a caption 'Stars whose distances are well-known'... I really feel that it fits since Draco was named after a constellation... Also, the star-circles have numbers on them, which could be interpreted as H/D through different ages...

Max Brückner’s Collection of Polyhedral Models (1900) — Exploring different parallel universe versions of yourself... the more things change, the more they stay the same.

"Construction (SM lg71)" by László Moholy-Nagy (1924) — some mild spoilers for the fic! inspired by the phrases "...plot a path through the many universes such that he would never die." / "flickering through timelines? Just getting glimpses, really" .

"Fish Magic" by Paul Klee (1925)

"The Terrace at Saint-Germain, Spring" by Alfred Sisley (1875)

"Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare" by Claude Monet (1877)

"Charing Cross Bridge: Fog on the Thames" by Claude Monet (1903) — referenced in the fic. i try to pay attention!

"Boy with Kite" by Candido Portinari (1947) — Harry is a precious little lamb. more elaboration here

i’ve been making penguin classics-style covers for fics i have saved on my kindle, as inspired by zeziliazink and bubu0h’s works!

[froglover7789]

i judge people for being hardcore dinluke shippers like i havent read my way through the entirety of their ship tag on ao3 and dont have like half the works bookmarked and havent thought about them extensively!

din djarin.... you would just be too good of a husband for lukesguyliker if you could stand being around his annoying ass for more than five minutes....

[getawayfox]

“Never letting you out of my sight again, you miraculous git – ” while Harry clutched the pillows and moaned and just took it, just let Draco bloody Malfoy handle him and put his cock in him and fuck him in ferocious, obliterating strokes, not even arguing when Draco got an arm around his neck and hauled him up and called him, “Mine, you’re mine, Harry – next time you run off to die for some stupid righteous cause I’ll kill you myself,” because actually he was right, of course he was right, who the hell else would Harry ever belong to.

Quote from the delicious time-travel fic the earth from a distance by @andthepeople / spqr (Drarry, E, 15.6k)

[lostdrarryfics]

Hi! I’m looking for a relatively recent (last couple years) fic I read on AO3. Maybe big bang? The crux is that they end up back in what amounts to medieval Hogwarts and help clear a bit of the forbidden forest and fix up the castle. Draco reads and tries to get them back. They end up in love and in hogwarts a history. I can’t remember if the upshot is they choose to stay or not. Sorry it’s so vague 😬

We believe you are looking for the earth from a distance by spqr (15k, E)

Don’t forget to bookmark, leave kudos and comments!

[ittybittyblondie]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) Characters: Evan "Buck" Buckley, Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Firehouse 118 Crew (9-1-1 TV) Additional Tags: Podfic, Podfic Length: 1-1.5 Hours, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming, post ep for 6x10, Sort Of, Evan "Buck" Buckley-centric, Evan "Buck" Buckley Needs A Hug, Friends to Lovers, clown to clown communication, Misunderstandings, Not Actually Unrequited Love Summary:

The first thing Buck noticed when he walked through the door was the smell of plaster and wet paint. There was a white spot on the wall in the living room, primered but without any color yet, about the size of a man’s fist.

Eddie looked sheepish. His knuckles were still bruised, scabbed over but healing.

“You were in a coma,” was all he said.

“Yeah,” Buck agreed. He knew the feeling.

[crowandthefics]

Sigh here we go

Pjo SCA au

This is mostly based on midrealm stuff, and takes place at pennsic

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

•Camp half blood is a household (house chb)

•So is camp Jupiter (house spqr)

•Their camps are right next to each other at pennsic (on heart attack hill)

•Luke is a heavy combat Marshall

•Kayla is green company

•Chiron is a seneschal

•Annabeth does a&s (she’s working on messenger pigeons across pennsic)

•Some people might think I’m gonna say Percy is red company., No, He’s a rapier champion for his barony

•The Argo II is a ship house chb built, it’s on the lake at pennsic (there’s no lake battles at pennsic but it’s still gotta exist)

•Octavian is on the board of directors (I’m not sorry)

•Reyna is in the great dark horde after leaving house SPQR

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts!! I’m thinking a ton about this

Being a second gen SCA kid certainly results in interesting ideas



[thebestbooksaround]

Here, After by spqr (@andthepeople)

Buddie | 12k | Mature

It’s not like Buck’s the only mutant firefighter. There’s a woman in Austin with a crazy following on Instagram who calls herself Fire Fox and can literally walk through flames, like fucking Daenerys; Mutant and proud, she always declares, in her videos.

Buck’s not proud. Buck lives in a horror movie.

(or: Buck sees dead people)

[youaremysunshine-court]

When they write so well you're reading shit for fandoms you've never even looked at before

[loki-whump-recs]

Vennen Min by spqr

Summary:

The day they let Mobius out of the infirmary, Loki gets assigned to a new handler. This, Mobius is pretty sure, is where the trouble starts.

Pairing: Mobius/Loki Rating: M Word Count: 12k+

Tags: #crying #hugging and cuddling #smut #caretaking #TVA #voyeurism #fluff #sickfic

Complete/Incomplete

Admin notes: This hits all the notes- funny af, Mobius being protective, and sexy times. It's pretty epic. Mobius is SO protective of his variant and Loki likes to watch super weird scifi reality shows. It's so domestic and sweet I could choke. There's a pretty neat twist at the end too. I also appreciated the cool headcanons about how the TVA "re-educates" its employees.

[ashyjingles]

Lupa and other Roman Founding Myths in the Riordanverse.

Including Romulus, Remus, and Lupa; Aeneas fleeing Troy; and archeological evidence on the founding of Rome. (And the Mist in the Riordanverse)

Chapter 2, In The Beginning, covers the founding myths of Rome.

The first is on Remus and Romulus, the twins that were born to virgin priestess Rhea Silvia who claimed Mars had raped her. Her uncle Amulius, who was the current king of Alba Longa after his brother was taken off the throne. Not wanting children with a more legitimate claim to the throne than him, he ordered his servants to drown the babies in the river Tiber. Before they were washed away to their death by an incoming flood, a wolf came to the rescue and nursed them. When they grew up, they then set out to establish their own city. They disagreed on where to build the foundations and chose different hills. When Remus later tried jumping over Romulus’ defenses, Romulus killed his brother.

After Remus’ death, the city needed more citizens. Romulus declared Rome an asylum for all runaway slaves, criminals, wanderers, and refugees. The problem was that all of their new citizens were men, and they lacked women. So, they stole young women from neighboring towns. Most fought back, and Rome defeated them, but the Sabines in particular did not stop fighting until the abducted women came out and put a stop to their fighting, claiming they had come to love their new husbands and couldn’t bear to see either side die.

In order to keep his new citizens from fleeing from these fights, however, Romulus had constructed a statue temple of Jupiter and prayed to it to give his men courage. It would later turn into the Temple of Jupiter Stator. Cicero later stood in front of said statue while dismantling Catiline’s plot.

Later Romans had different variations of this story. Some claimed the fight for the women was a ‘just war’ because the other sides had denied their request for intermarriage. Some claimed that Rhea Silvia’s claims were a cover for a mortal affair. Some avoided the point of Romulus killing Remus, usually by altering the story so Remus lived past Romulus or by fading him out of the story once they first established Rome’s foundations. 

Whatever the case, Beard points out that all of the different versions reflect the culture later Romans had at the time, especially after Catiline’s plot. There were themes in both their myths and culture at the time revolving around fratricide and the nature of Roman marriage, the former being an extreme source of discomfort for Roman citizens at the time.

Aeneas’ myth is also covered in this chapter. Aeneas, a Trojan hero, escaped Troy during the Trojan War with his son and father. He reached Italy, bringing with him some artifacts of his past life.

There are several other versions of his story, often intertwined with Greek literature, where Aeneas had visited Delos at one point or another. Some say his tomb was found in Lavinium, a town not far from Rome. Some versions said Aeneas brought the statue of the goddess Pallas Athena from Troy to be kept in the temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum.

Considering the story of Aeneas was just as heavily a part of Roman culture as Romulus’, Some Romans attempted to validate both at once by saying Aeneas was Romulus’ grandfather. One version states that Aeneas founded Lavinium while his son, Ascanius, founded Alba Longa, the city that Remus and Romulus were later exiled from, and “a shadowy and, even by Roman standards, flagrantly fictional dynasty of Alban Kings was constructed to bridge the gap between Ascanius and the magic date of 753 BCE” (page 77).

In these founding myths, Beard points out that the Romans are always the foreigners whether it be riff-raff coming to Rome as an asylum or Aeneas fleeing Troy and either establishing Rome himself or finding settlers already there in exile from another land.

Archeology can provide other evidence as well. Romans had a tendency to hold onto articles of the past from physical items to rituals and politics. Some evidence suggested there had been two civilizations living in the hills of Rome because they called two of them colles instead of montes despite them effectively being synonyms in Latin. Beard points out how in the story of Romulus the Sabines and Romans lived in relative proximity, and questions if these differences in words reflect the myth based on who occupied what hills. 

Physical evidence, such as graves and excavation sites, leave other implications. Early burial sites and pottery evidence have been predicted to be from 1000 BCE, while radiocarbon dating suggests they're all too young by about a hundred years. There is also enough evidence from the Middle Bronze Age, between 1700 and 1300 BCE, that point to people having already settled down rather than passing through.

There is also more evidence that directly contradicts earlier myths. There are few archeological remains to suggest the Temple of Jupiter Stator had been built so early, “which must have in any case been rebuilt by Cicero’s time, especially if its roots really did go back to the beginning of Rome” (page 53). 

There was also a set of black stone slabs in the pavement of the Forum, making it distinct from the rest of the flooring in the area. When the stone below it was excavated, an early shrine, possibly to the god Vulcan was found, along with Athenian pottery, early Latin written in stone, and every day trinkets such as cups and jewelry. Some Romans at the time believed it to be an unlucky spot, others believed it to be Romulus’ grave.

In the Riordanverse, some of these myths have already been established as true, such as Romulus and Remus’ given by the presence of Lupa. Obviously, in fiction, some truth is going to be bent. But how much? I’m assuming that the rest of the world knows about as much about Rome as we do from archeological evidence to myths. 

However, in the Riordanverse mythological events witnessed by mortals are disguised as non-mythological thanks to the Mist. How much, in a fantastical setting like this, would be either hidden away from or shown to the rest of the world? When would these myths have transitioned from fact to fiction, and how much could we attribute to the Mist? Could different people believe in different stories thanks to the Mist? How do we establish which one is the ‘true’ myth in this setting?

It’s established that both Greek and Roman myths exist because of the belief put into them. It’s what causes two different pantheons entirely, with each Greek god having their very real Roman counterpart while still technically existing as one entity. How true does this make each of their myths? Based on chronology, Greek myths would have a certain superiority to the truth than Roman ones. 

But how do we know?

Much of history is written in the eyes of the victor which tends to distort it. Would New Rome, for the sake of their pride, hold on to the more appealing myths? If so, it further blurs the line of whether the Greek or the Roman version of a myth is the ‘right’ one. 

We don’t.

There are several versions of the Roman founding myths in Heroes of Olympus: Lupa, who raised Remus and Romulus, as previously mentioned and Aeneas.

“‘Romans.’ Clarisse tossed Seymour a Snausage. ‘You expect us to believe there’s another camp with demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the gods. And we’ve never even heard of them.’ Piper sat forward. ‘The gods have kept the two groups apart, because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other.’ ‘I can respect that,’ Clarisse said. ‘Still, why haven’t we ever run across each other on quests?’  ‘Oh yes,’ Chiron said sadly, ‘You have, many times. It’s always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded a race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities.’” – Page 549, The Lost Hero 

And I can’t find the quote at the moment, but I believe Lupa talks about Remus and Romulus in the series. The fandom wiki says “She can also be a loving mother, as Percy claimed that she frequently tells her role in Remus and Romulus' fates, implying that she still is proud of them” under the personality tab.

To choose between them would be a relatively simple choice: while Chiron, as a normally reputable source, spoke of Aeneas’ tale, Lupa is a character we directly interact with in the text, having lines of her own. (Chiron even references her as his Roman counterpart a page or two later.) Of course, if you went with the theory Beard stated that Aeneas was actually the twins’ grandfather, both could be true. 

But only choosing one to be ‘right’ brings up the Mist: Could the story Chiron told them only be to disguise Lupa’s mythological role? 

Prior to Jason announcing the presence of Roman mythology, the demigods at Camp-Half blood genuinely did not know that there were Roman counterparts to their Greek gods, let alone Roman demigods. There has previously been divine interference to make sure the two groups don’t cross paths, as stated by Chiron. The mist could be one of the tools the gods used to be sure of this, which includes covering up evidence of Roman myths being not so… mythological. This could lead to several myths existing at once, each with their own evidence.

But does this make the story Chiron told of Aeneas false? I still think not. While not a thing found in traditional Greek mythology, a god can fade when people’s belief in them fades.

“‘But gods can’t die,’ Grover said. ‘They can fade,’ Pan said, ‘When everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to power, and their sacred places disappear.” – Page 314, The Battle of the Labyrinth.

I would have used a quote from Trials of Apollo because I’m sure there are quotes more explicitly on the rise to power thanks to Caligula, Commodus, and Nero, but I cannot find it for the life of me without rereading the series which I do not have time for at the moment.

But this shows how belief of a being can cause both the rise and fall to and from being a deity. Lupa is explicitly stated to be a wolf-goddess in the books (Despite not being one in the original myth, but once again Percy Jackson isn’t the most adherent to those. Perhaps she was made immortal to train all future demigods, like Chiron.) and while I’m pretty sure Aeneas would have to exist first in order to become immortalized, I’m sure enough people would have believed in his story and the spirit of Rome (his would-be sacred place, I imagine) that it could plausibly happen in that universe. 

Furthermore, there are 4 known and confirmed pantheons in the Riordanverse: Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian. They are bound to have overlapping myths, from the soul of the sun to the creation of the world. And when you confirm that these pantheons exist, you are by extension confirming that their individual myths are true.

This is quite possibly the most long winded way I could have said that because the Riordanverse has weird laws of divinity and magic, multiple myths can exist at the same time even if they directly contradict each other. Did I take you for a ride? Because I took me for a ride too. My opinion changed several times on this matter as I was writing out my thoughts and looking for quotes. I think I’ve spent too long with my head buried in technical history books based in fact that I forgot I was working with a fantastical universe here where plenty of things defy laws of existence in general, let alone physics lmao.

Back to Jason, this time in relation to Lupa. (Because when I talk about Rome, chances are it’s because Jason is at the root of my thoughts.) In The Son of Neptune, she trains new Romans before they end up in Camp Jupiter. 

“Lupa had taught him about demigods, monsters, and gods. She explained that she was one of the guardian spirits of Ancient Rome. Demigods like Percy were still responsible for carrying out Roman traditions in modern time — fighting monsters, serving the gods, protecting mortals, and upholding the memory of the empire. She’d spent weeks training him, until he was as strong and tough and vicious as a wolf. When she was satisfied with his skills, she’d sent him south…” – Page 36, The Son of Neptune

But when Jason was 16, he had 12 lines on his arm, representing 12 years of service. We know one scenario where a year doesn’t quite represent a full year of service:

“Congratulations, Percy Jackson. You now stand on probatio. You will be given a tablet with your name and your cohort. In one year’s time, or as soon as you complete an act of valor, you will become a full member of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Serve Rome, obey the rules of the legion, and defend the camp with honour. Senatus Populusque Romanus!” – Reyna to Percy, Page 89, The Son of Neptune

Considering neither Frank nor Hazel received a line for the act of valor, it only counts as a qualification to become a full member as opposed to an act of valor being worth a year of service in general. To get his 12th mark by 16, even if he had managed to complete an act of valor on his very first day, he would have still been only 4 or 5. Somehow, I highly doubt a 5 year old would be capable of doing that and will be working off the assumption that he completed an entire year of probatio.

This means that Jason must have joined when he was 4 years old at the latest in order to get his 12th mark by 16. (And he would have been 16 at the max. He turned 17 in HoO, around 8 months after his disappearance from Camp Jupiter. He could have received his 12th mark at 15 and received his 13th sometime in that 8 month gap had he been there, meaning he could have been as young as 3 when he arrived on the younger side of things.) He would have spent a year or two with Lupa, having been abandoned by his mom at the Wolf House when he was 2. 

Jason is also a special case, though, being both a son of Jupiter (in a house with a daughter of Zeus; probably one of the reasons he was taken away so young, because Thalia knew their dad, and when a demigod knows about the mythological world, it’s harder to hide from it.) and champion of Juno. I highly doubt that Lupa receives anyone that young. Even if she did, would they have survived? 

“Assuming I passed all their tests—aka, didn’t die a horrible, wolf-inflicted death—I’d then trek southward through a monster infested wilderness (second-worst campout ever) to Camp Jupiter, where I’d present your letter of recommendation to whoever was in charge and hope I’d be accepted into the ranks of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Which brings me to this question: How much would it suck to go through all that and not get into a cohort? Answer: A lot. Not that new recruits need to worry about rejection these days. According to my centurion, Leila, the legion’s numbers were badly depleted last summer.” – Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio’s Journal

It’s heavily implied here that Lupa (or her wolves) kills whoever fails her tests. I’m assuming that Lupa was under orders to make sure Jason lived, because I’m pretty sure a 3 year old would not be able to pass her standard tests. That being said, most kids she trains are in fact kids, children by all definitions of the word. 

“At a certain age, one way or another, we find our way to the Wolf House. If Lupa thinks we’re worthy, she sends us south to join the legion… You’re old for a recruit. You’re what, sixteen?” – Reyna to Percy, Page 37, The Son of Neptune

This implies that legacies such as Octavian must go through Lupa to join the legion as well, even if they grew up in New Rome. They all spend an indeterminate time with her; Percy spent a vague ‘few weeks’ while Jason spent at least a year with her. While it’s hard to guess what the average age is, we can take a guess.

“Octavian stepped off the dais. He was probably about eighteen, but was so skinny and sickly pale he could’ve passed for younger.” – Page 55, The Son of Neptune

“Percy noticed seven lines on Octavian’s arm — Seven years of camp, Percy guessed.” – Page 58, The Son of Neptune

This would put Octavian at roughly 11 when he would have gone to the Wolf House. Frank was 16, but was most likely an odd case because he was part of the 7, and 16 was already previously stated to be rather old for a newcomer. I tried finding ages on other people like Dakota and Gwen but once again, I don’t have time to read the entire book at the moment. (Even then, from the pages I skimmed I don’t think they’re mentioned.) I’m treating Reyna as a special case as well, considering her history with Circe’s island.

So I would guess that most kids wind up at the Wolf House around 11 or 12, give or take a few years. 

Regardless, Lupa probably hasn’t had to deal with many other (if any) kids as young as Jason in a very long time. But she has dealt with young kids before: Remus and Romulus who she is quite fond of.

Despite her harsh nature, Percy allegedly described her as motherly when she wants to be. I think that when faced with baby Jason who was just two years old when he was left at her mercy, she would have a soft spot. In The Lost Hero when appearing in his dreams, she makes a joke about him being their ‘Saving Grace’ to make a pun out of his name. She’s clearly familiar with Jason, considering this is 12 years after he would have left the Wolf House. 

I personally think Lupa would have taken on a much more nurturing role for Jason than she does for other recruits. She’s clearly capable of it, given her founding myth and continued fondness of Remus and Romulus despite her repeated harshness toward most recruits. I think that in order for a two year old to survive at all, it would have been necessary. A two year old would not be capable of most things it takes to survive in the wild (with wolves no less), especially at the beginning when he had just arrived. A four year old, even, would not be capable of most things it takes to survive in the wild, let alone make the trek to Camp Jupiter when it took Percy 3 weeks. In order to survive, Jason would have had to have gotten special from Lupa.

Maybe it’s the wolf!Jason lover in me, whether it’s werewolf!Jason or just plain feral!Jason (oh Jason, you could never be plain to me. Not when one of my most used tags is literally “Jason Grace is not boring and in this essay I will” and damn do I essay about him.) but I firmly believe that Lupa plays favourites and that Jason is one of them. 

Also, I’d like to point out that the heavily militaristic legion that prides itself in its rules literally sends every single one of their recruits to learn the ways of the wolf before being authorized to actually join. Ironic, is all, especially when it would probably be a lot more effective to just… train the kids at Camp Jupiter from the get-go. 

New Rome, what are you doing?

I guess I’m going to have to figure that out for myself, aren’t I? It’s literally the entire reason I am reading this book and writing this post in the first place: for the sake of some fan fiction. (And self enjoyment because the history of Rome is insanely fascinating, but in the name of comedy go with me here.) I’ll get there in the end, but for now… One step at a time. 

For now, I’d like to go back to my summary on chapter 2 of SPQR. Beard mentions how all of these founding myths all end up back at the same square: Rome has always been a safe haven for outsiders. In Son of Neptune, we see how most of the cohorts look down upon newcomers and underdogs alike. It’s what makes the cohort Percy joins unique: They root for newcomers and underdogs, which are what Percy, Frank, and Hazel all are.

Jason is also mentioned to be a part of this cohort. In fact, he notes Dakota (and others) as a friend in his own PoV. I enjoy playing with having Jason adhere to the ‘true, traditional Roman way’ as part of his gig as ‘Perfect Son of Jupiter, Praetor of the Twelfth Legion.’ However, I also enjoy slipping in Jason having underlying doubts, which in the end lead to his eventual love for the culture Camp Half-Blood creates. 

I think that having Jason be welcoming to outsiders to morally elevate him in a way (and I mean this loosely: As a society as a whole we have descriptive and injunctive norms; The norms we should adhere to and the norms we do adhere to respectively. For example, people should avoid littering, but people tend to do it anyway. Being the one to break a norm and do what everyone should be doing gives a sense of having the moral high ground. In this case following the descriptive norm and going against the grain will morally elevate Jason as a protagonist to the reader — When I talk about morality when it comes to characters, it is not a commentary on my own moral beliefs, even when I do believe them to some extent. I could make a separate post entirely on the topic of Jason and descriptive vs injunctive norms if I’m being honest here.) from other cohorts. He could be the reason the fifth cohort is so welcoming: Because Jason would be one of the oldest, if not the the oldest, one there and he would set the precedent for that behaviour and attitude.

That would be one that adheres to more traditional Roman beliefs. New Rome could have other older traditions, but they contrast with a more modern, more objective moral norms such as the belief that everyone deserves some sense of creative liberation. (Think private school uniforms and the main debate against them being that sense of self is an important factor in expressing oneself and developing one’s identity. Not entirely the same, but it’s close to what I’m going for.) Because obviously ancient Rome would have some traditional takes that we as a society have aged out of for blatantly obvious moral reasons. For example, tying someone in a bag with weasels and throwing them in the Little Tiber would probably be considered cruel and unusual punishment in most cases. 

Posing Jason as someone who sticks to old Roman beliefs to support his rise to position of praetor, but also posing him as someone who cares about moral beliefs outside of a predetermined list in the name of tradition would juxtapose his own character against itself in a way that foreshadows his inner turmoil about not being able to choose between a Greek or Roman lifestyle is fascinating to me. And by every god to have ever existed I need to do it. Does this even make any sense?

Ugh. And here I thought this post was going to be a lot shorter because I took significantly less notes on it. Clearly I had more commentary on this than I realized.

Jason Grace & Cicero Parallels || Chapter 1 on Cicero (and Catiline) Lupa || Chapter 2 on Roman Founding Myths

[tennessoui]

for the Fic Writers Asks

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

tysm for all ur stories and posts they make my day❤️❤️❤️✨✨

[from this fic writers ask game]

what a good question, omg!!!

i think my answer is pretty easy though, i am so impressed by this writer's style, the way they slip small scene details or thoughts into the narration that makes it seem so real....the prose....the dialogue....they put out so much stuff i love and so much fic i read just because they're the one who writes it!! spqr on ao3, has a few obikin fics, has a lot of other ship/fandom fics, was following them before i ever got into obikin tbh

[cuddlytogas]

First line meme

tagged by @verecunda! <33

Rules: Share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people.

In order of most to least recent:

It takes two trips to get the crew of the Revenge from their intended final resting place to a secluded cove on the south end of St Lucia. (Hold Fast - Our Flag Means Death)

"Get — out!" (Heart Fitness - Rusty Quill Gaming)

They talk in undertones into the wee hours, until they're nodding off while leant on one another, Stede so tired he no longer feels the ache in his belly from the Spaniard's knife. (A Good Start - Our Flag Means Death)

"I'll go get someone," says Lucius, absolving himself of any responsibility for Stede's skewered body — "you keep breathing." (No narrow sea he has to cross - Our Flag Means Death)

"You know this place is meant to be haunted?" (Missing, Presumed Dead - The Magnus Archives)

Azu was, naturally, the first to notice. (The Marrying Kind - Rusty Quill Gaming)

Finding the café had been a blessing in disguise. (Chancellors and Changes of Heart - Stellar Firma)

"You know smoking's bad for you, right?" (Smoke Break - The Magnus Archives)

When the fog clears at last, it is with a rush of sensation: the smell of old paper, a ringing in the ears, and a tingling in the fingertips. (Making Home - The Magnus Archives)

It's eleven o'clock when Martin knocks on Jon's office door. (Needles and Document Storage - The Magnus Archives)

not ten people, but i'mma just tag @likethehotsauce <3 👀

[kitkatpancakestack]

K's favorite sterek fic recs

This is for my beloved kri @tenisperfection who was so brave to get into tw in 2024 <3 (and also bc I wanted to have all my ultimate faves in one place lol). In no particular order:

Homeland (obligatory self-promotion)

Still by coppersin

My taco sparkles by butyoureyessaidyes

Nearly everything shines by maevewren

This space is for you by matildajones

Separate skins by RurouniHime

Darling, Dearest, Dead by standinginanicedress

Like french vanilla ice cream by GotTheSilver

God was a dog-man by spqr

Crash landers by gyzym

Outrun your ghosts by wangler

Lay your armour down by stilinski

Cozy Forest Retreat! 1bed/1bath by andavs

In the upper story by toraten

The broken radio is playing suicide by decideophobia

A desperate arrangement by mikkimouse

Sparkly pens by mm_coconut

Southpaw series by elisela

Just once by stilinskisparkles

In other words, baby, kiss me by primeroseshows

tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie by magneticwave

I wish I had a river by thepsychicclam

Patience gets us nowhere fast by vendelin

the lovers [murderers] in 9B by ofherlionheart

One thread by RurouniHime

Put down in words by paintedrecs

Enemy lines by qhuinn (tekla)

Beyond the canyon nook by raisesomehale

Pack up; don't stray by the_deep_magic

Hunger for your touch by WhoNatural

Where you still remember dreaming by yodasyoyo

How Derek met his smallest fan by purpleduvet

Hear it in the silence by elisela

Tiny houses by ohmyjetsabel

But, doctor! By stilinskisparkles

In case the daylight never comes by plume_bob

Home by thetypewritergirl

Play crack the sky by wearethecyclones

Windows by dr_girlfriend

[lostdrarryfics]

hi !!

im sorry this is probably not going to meet the guidelines but i have a very fuzzy memory regarding this fic. im pretty sure it was a one shot alternate universe and i read it in ao3, probably 3 ish years ago. i think harry and draco hace a secret relationship?? and dumbledore tells harry he has to die to defeat voldemort or something... so harry tells draco and then goes to say goodbye to sirius and remus, who are alive and a couple. and then after harry leaves draco goes to tell wolfstar whats going and they all go to save harry who is unconscious at that point. and yeah that's all i remember. im sorry again this probably didn't make any sense but i would appreciate your help so much. thank you !!!!

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