#a focus on Juno's involvement in his life and how he feels betrayed (again) because she was just using him for her plans

[zazzander]

Jason and Juno's relationship

For a long time I had a major question about Jason’s backstory. We know that he was left by his mother at the Wolf House when he was two. For an unspecified time he was raised and trained by Lupa before being taken to Camp Jupiter.

However, this time can’t have been very long because Jason has thirteen stripes, one for each year of membership in the legion. Even if they skipped probatio for him since he was a toddler and a son of Jupiter, that puts him at twelve years when he’s fifteen. So we're looking at a year, at max, with Lupa.

Sure, he might have continued to visit and train with her after joining the legion, which is when she gives him the nickname ‘saving Grace’ and all. But Jason, fundamentally, was not raised by wolves. As cool as that would have been – it runs contrary to everything we know about his character.

So that begs the question: who raised Jason? Who were his parental figures?

And then it hit me. Juno.

Juno Believed Jason would Remember Her

We know that Percy retained a memory of Annabeth after all his other memories were taken. She was his anchor. The reason why he didn’t just leave for the sea. Jason has no such anchor. But I don’t think that was intentional.

I’m going to break down the first meeting we get with Juno and Jason, after she’s wiped his memories:

Would you attack your patron? The woman chided. Her voice echoed in Jason’s head. Lower your sword.

Juno here chides Jason, as if she expected him to know her.

“Who are you?” he demanded. “How did you–” Our time is limited Jason. […] This may be the last time I can speak to you.

And she doesn’t even notice when he says ‘who are you’ she just continues on with her message. She acts under the assumption he will recognise her, that what she's saying will mean something to him.

“Look, I don’t know you, and you’re not my patron.” You know me, she insisted. I have known you since your birth.

With this third piece of evidence, she becomes insistent that he should remember her. She's worried.

“I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything.” No, you don’t, she agreed.

And finally, she accepts what Jason has been telling her. She is not Jason’s anchor. But I think she also knows Jason well enough to realise that means he has no anchor at all. He is not close enough to Reyna or his other friends enough to keep a memory of them.

Yet, why would she assume he would remember her? She clearly didn’t think it was a requirement for her spell to ensure it. I think it’s because, ultimately, she is the closest thing to a mother Jason has.

Furthermore, we know that Jason doesn’t have many close connections at Camp Jupiter. People looked up to him, yes, but that’s not the same thing.

His friend’s faces: Dakota, Gwendolyn, Hazel, Bobby. And Reyna. Definitely there’d been a girl named Reyna. [The Lost Hero]

Let’s use Hazel as an example. She’s supposed to be his ‘friend’ but in actuality, he hardly knew her. And she barely knew him:

“You… the great Jason Grace… the praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you…” [Mark of Athena]

This isn’t Hazel’s fault; she was only at the camp for a few weeks before he disappeared. But more importantly, Jason doesn’t let people in. He holds up a façade. He broods rather than expresses his thoughts or feelings.

Jason had tried to act brave at the campfire, but it was just that – an act. [The Lost Hero]

Jason had been trained never to show fear. […] He was supposed to act confident, even if he didn’t feel it. [The Lost Hero]

Everyone seemed to thing he was so brave and confident, but they didn’t see how lost he really felt. [The Lost Hero]

Piper seems to be the only one to notice, and I think that might be because she was given a glimpse at the real Jason via the false memories.

Jason was great, of course. But sometimes he acted so distant […] Piper wondered if she would ever be able to break through that barrier. [Mark of Athena]

And Jason knows this, his barrier keeps people at a distance. Even Reyna - who only ever saw the Roman, the soldier, the leader. Not the person beneath.

Was anyone searching for him right now? What if somebody cared for him that much? [The Lost Hero]

Nobody cared about him, just his big scary daddy standing behind him with the doomsday bolt, as if to say, Respect this kid or eat voltage. [The Lost Hero]

He fears that people won’t come looking for him, because even without his memories I think he subconsciously knows that he doesn't have someone who cares enough to search for him.

So this all implies there is some connection between Juno and Jason. A bond. At the very least – Juno believes there to be one.

Juno as “Patron”

“From birth, you were destined to be Hera’s – to appease her wrath. Even your name, Jason, was her choice.” [Blood of Olympus]

Like a mother, Juno has both love and high expectations for Jason. She pushes him but she also cares for him – in her own way.

She wants Jason to be the leader of her chosen heroes. But Jason doesn’t feel up to it. He’s afraid of failure.

He had a horrible suspicion that he would be expected to lead those other demigods, and he was afraid he would fail. [The Lost Hero]

And he’s right about that expectation. But Juno also understands that such a burden will scare him. At the end of the Lost Hero, when Jason is in Cabin One. He offers a prayer to Jupiter but receives no answer from his father. Instead, Juno shows up and offers him guidance.

In this scene, Jason relates his struggles to Jupiter. He draws a parallel between himself and his father – a father he’s never met.

I think this line is particularly poignant,

“You’ve got to keep me at a distance so it doesn’t look like you’re playing favourites.”

Because I think this is Jason justifying to himself why he isn’t favoured by his father. We know that Jupiter plays favourites all the damn time. Even between Jason and Thalia, Jupiter clearly favours Thalia over Jason. He turned Thalia isn’t a tree to save her life. But let Jason die. And we see it over and over between Jupiter’s immortal children. It seems the pill is easier to swallow if he believes it’s an equal indifference.

And how offered him this explanation? Juno. Because while she is critical of her husband, she generally seems to care for and respect him. A feeling reflected in Jason.

In the scene, Jason prays to Jupiter for aid, for guidance,

“I’m going to try my best. I’ll try to make you proud. But I could really use some guidance, Dad.”

But it is Juno was arrives to give it.

“Did Jupiter send you here to tell me this?” “No one sends me anywhere, hero,” she said. “I am not a messenger.”

Which means Juno came of her own accord – to provide the aid Jason asks for. Many times in the story, Juno claims Jason as her champion. Yes, she does this for all the heroes, but it’s most relevant when it comes to Jason. Jason is hers.

“Like it or not, Jason, I am your sponsor, and your link to Olympus. We need each other.”

This line implies that Jupiter isn’t his link to Olympus. As far as Juno is concerned, and I believe Jupiter is on the same page, Jason is a champion of Juno first, son of Jupiter second. And this position is unique – Juno has no other demigod like that. And even compliments him:

“And Jason – you are wiser than your sister. I chose my champion well.” [The Lost Hero]

And she believes that it was a correct choice, not just for herself, but for him as well.

“You were given a destiny,” Hera said. “You were given into my service.” Jason scowled. “[…] It was the price you demanded for leaving the rest of my family alone.” “It was the right choice for you as well, Jason,” Hera insisted. [The Lost Hero]

And in the scene, Jason actually lets his façade down for a moment. He admits to her something he admits to no one else: his fear.

“It’s not fair,” Jason said. “I could ruin everything.” “You could,” Juno agreed.

And Juno offers her support – in her own way. She agrees that Jason’s fears are justified, but that she expects him to face them regardless. Despite Jason’s misgivings about his destiny and Juno herself, he accepts the burden of the quest. After telling him this, she gives him a new weapon.

Now, Juno never claims to be a mother to Jason. She never tries to make Jason love her. She even admits that she’s not very good at sympathising with mortals and demigods. But Juno does love Jason. She wants great things for him but she also wants him to be happy, to have friends, to have a home. I think this was why she choose to do that ‘leader swap’ plan over any of the other options. She even gave Jason a pre-packaged best-friend and girlfriend.

The False Memories That Juno Grants – And What They Imply

Juno seems to have a lot of insight into Jason’s personality. More insight that Jason himself has.

Despite the fact it was probably Juno’s influence that meant Jason valued the Roman way, she also saw his inward conflict. The false memories she grants Leo and Piper are not of the current Jason, the façade he’s built up at Camp Jupiter, but his true personality. It takes until Blood of Olympus for that person to finally appear, for the façade to fall away completely.

Now, Jason doesn’t leave behind his duty, he doesn’t completely change. He just allows the part of himself he suppressed to come out – and I think that was part of Juno’s reasoning in sending him to Camp Half-Blood. So wanted to show him another way. And she knew he would be susceptible to it, provided he didn’t arrive with his perceived notions about himself and the Greeks.

It’s not like old Jason was without his rebellions. He tells us about his misgivings on repeat for two entire books – as he realises who he wants to be rather than who he’s supposed to be.

He’d always chafed against the traditions of Camp Jupiter, the power plays, the infighting. [House of Hades]

He had grown up at Camp Jupiter. He’d done well there. But he had always been a little unconventional. He chafed under the rules. [Blood of Olympus]

Even when he chafed against Roman traditions, he thought before he acted. He wasn’t impulsive. [Blood of Olympus]

Despite his attempts to alter his destiny - joining the worst cohort, trying to change the camp traditions, taking the least glamorous missions, and befriending the least popular kids - he had been made praetor anyway. [Blood of Olympus]

And we can see there is an intense focus on keeping all that inside. Of never showing anyone what he truly feels. Before he reached this point in his life, I don’t think he even showed them to himself. These comments in House of Hades, I believe, are Jason realising that he didn’t like being at Camp Jupiter. While we don’t get a POV from Jason in Mark of Athena, he is clearly struggling with his identity.

Before coming to Camp Half-Blood, I think his misgivings were so deep that he didn’t really notice them. It only came out in some of his actions – joining the Fifth, changing the name – but even then, he justified them to himself. They were for Rome.

Once he’d become praetor, he’d campaigned to rename the legion the First Legion rather than the Twelfth Legion, to symbolize a new start for Rome. The idea had almost caused a mutiny. New Rome was all about tradition and legacies; the rules didn’t change easily. Jason had learned to live with that and even rose to the top. [House of Hades]

He’d joined the Fifth Cohort because everyone told him not to. They warned him it was the worst unit. So he’d thought, Fine, I’ll make it the best.[House of Hades]

But someone noticed anyway. And that someone was Juno.

Memory #1

She had liked Jason from the first week they’d met. He was so nice to her, and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes. He’d accepted her for herself and didn’t judge her because of the stupid things she’d done. [Lost Hero 49]

It’s interesting that Jason doesn’t ‘judge her’ in these memories, because the Jason we meet at the beginning of The Lost Hero is pretty judgemental.

Regarding the Wilderness School kids in general:

None of them looked like hardened criminals, he wondered what they’d all done to get sentenced to a school of delinquents, and he wondered why he belonged with them.

Regarding Leo he says:

Jason figured that if this was his best friend, his life must be pretty messed up.

And regarding Dylan he says:

He smiled like he was God’s gift to juvenile delinquent girls everywhere. Jason hated him instantly.

Jason shows up in the first chapter and judges just about every character he interacts with – often brutally. He isn’t mean or anything – but he makes a pretty clear distinction between himself and the ‘delinquents’ and can’t fathom who he’d become among their number.

Memory #2 & #3

“My memories aren’t fake. They’re so real. The time we set Coach Hedge’s pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me…” [Lost Hero 49]

And the moment itself,

“Oh, I’d make up something,” Piper said. “I can be very persuasive. So you want to dance, or what?” He laughed. His eyes were amazing, and his smile was ever better in the starlight. “With no music. At night. On a rooftop. Sounds dangerous.” “I’m a dangerous girl.” “That, I can believe.”

We can see in these memories that Jason doesn’t strictly adhere to the rules. He doesn’t try to be the ideal leader. He’s free. He’s still Jason, of course. But he doesn’t have his façade up. It isn’t until the end of Blood of Olympus that we see this version of him – after his entire character is over. But Juno knew who Jason was, beneath it all.

And I think she knew that Jason would never become that person if he was still at the legion if he still had his memories. While it probably wasn’t the only reason for the leader-swap plan, I think it might have been a key factor. Not to mention, she identified friends that she knew Jason would legitimately come to trust and care about.

The Case Against this

I will quickly mention that time that Juno/Hera vaporises Jason. This is before the schism really starts to affect the gods, though it is definitely still impacts them. In the scene, I believe she is in the form of Hera, Jason uses that term for her at least:

Hera’s eyes flickered with power. “I did warm him. I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion. I told them to close their eyes before I reveal my true form.”

Furthermore, the goddess is likely the person who taught him to value discipline so much.

“They stood for discipline, honour, strength–” “Good things, then,” Jason said. […] “I mean, discipline is important, right? That’s what made Rome last so long.”

And,

When it came to work and duty, Jason was Roman to the core.

A soldier should follows orders, and she did warm him. I think Juno would have been more upset that Hera, of course. Hera has no real connection with Jason, unlike Juno. So I’d argue that’s where the emotional disconnect comes in.

Juno’s Grief

Juno doesn’t show up much as the series progresses. She has her own issues (running from Zeus/Jupiter). In the finale, we do see her briefly, when she celebrates the successes of the Seven.

“There is still work to be done,” Queen Hera interrupted. She spread her arms like she wanted a group hug. “But my heroes… you have triumphed over the giant as I knew you would. My plan succeeded beautifully.” [Blood of Olympus]

The fact that Hera looks like she wants to hug the group speaks volumes. Because she really is proud of them. They are her heroes. A representation of the family she is trying to repair.

From this point, we don’t see much reference to the goddess until Tower of Nero. When we see her grieving Jason’s death.

Jason dies on March 31, but we seen that Juno/Hera (she isn’t affected by the schism at this point) is still grieving him in June.

“Stop it, all of you.” Queen Hera had been sitting back with a dark veil over her face. Now she lifted it. To my surprise, her eyes were red and swollen. She had been crying. “This has gone on long enough. Too much loss. Too much pain. But, if my husband insists on seeing it through, the least you all can do is not talk about Apollo as if he's already dead!” [Tower of Nero]

And,

Queen Hera lifted her veil. As I'd seen in my dream, her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but when she spoke her tone was as hard as bronze. She glared at her husband. “At least Apollo did something.” “Not this again,” Zeus rumbled. “My chosen,” Hera said. “Jason Grace. Your son. And you–” “I didn't kill him, woman!” Zeus thundered. “That was Caligula!” “Yes,” Hera snapped. “And at least Apollo grieved. At least he got vengeance.”  [Tower of Nero]

Juno is visibly broken up about the loss of Jason. She resents Jupiter for not saving Jason (remember he saved Thalia by turning her into a tree). We know that Jason has always been searching for his father’s acknowledgement. It doesn’t matter how much Juno loves him – celebrates his achievements, pushes him towards success, or listens to his fears – it is Jupiter's attention that Jason longed for.

She never calls herself Jason’s mother, always patron, because I think she knows that he will always resent her. First, because she is the one who took him from her original family. She doesn’t regret it; she believes it was the best choice for him.

When she takes Jason’s memories, gives him a new home and new life. But he doesn't credit her for it. He blames her. She doesn't make excuses or try to convince him otherwise (though she does provide explanations).

I think all she ever wanted was for Jason to reach his potential and for him to be happy. And he was so close to that dream. Only for him to die young. Only for Jupiter to not care – no revenge, no grief. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was prevented from interfering herself, considering how much trouble she’d been in at the end of Blood of Olympus.

In the end,

Juno loved Jason like a mother – no, she wasn’t perfect. She makes more than a few questionable choices. But she mourns him more than his own father.

Always, it was Juno who stood by him, guided him.

She never expects him to return that love. She doesn’t need to him to call her ‘mother’ (though I think she longed for him to do so) but she will always be a better parent to him than Beryl or Jupiter.

[sonofsallyjackson]

Heroes of Olympus should have been in first-person.

@jo-march-is-a-lesbian​ wrote a really wonderful post about how “Percy Jackson and the Olympians is better than Heroes of Olympus…because it understood simplicity and character development.”  It highlights some reasons I also found HoO less rewarding namely that it was an overcomplicated story with limited character growth, lacked a common thesis, and was super jarring when it switched perspectives.  

And with that my little brain went: I can fix this.  Which frankly is ridiculous.  I can’t come up with a compelling thesis like “The idea that we should place our hope in our loved ones, our friends and our family, and if we do that, we won’t be tempted to give up hope again.”   But I can imagine a simple change that would have solved some of the issues and also played to Rick’s strengths as a writer:  Each book should have been written in first person and narrated by a different character.

With so many people on the quest, I often felt like I was watching a bunch of one-dimensional characters fight for their right to be the main character.  I didn’t know who to focus on but I was also dissatisfied.  There were all these new wonderful characters in front of me who I wanted to love, but I didn’t feel like I actually knew them.  I mean I don’t feel like I know the Stoll Brothers either, but I’m not concerned about that fact because they are side characters.  When everyone is painted as the main character,  I have certain expectations for growth, personality, and voice.  The story would have been better served if the characters took turns narrating the action, allowing us to settle into their perspective, see their growth, and better understand their personality.

Plus Rick kills first-person.  While I’m not particularly a fan of Trials of Apollo, it’s not because I don’t know the characters.  Apollo is so very different than Percy. Their voices, even though they can both be jokesters at times, reflect their different life-experiences, thought processes and provide massive insight into their characters.   If the Seven (and Nico and Reyna) got the same treatment, I would be absolutely giddy.  

I recognize that rewriting the HoO series in first-person is something a talented fanfiction writer with a lot of time on their hands could actually do.  But I am not talented like that and I certainly don’t have the discipline to actually write that much fic, especially if I was trying to keep the events vaguely the same just with different narration and pacing.  So instead I’ve included who I think should have narrated each book below the cut.  I’d love to hear any opinions people have regarding this idea, especially who they would have wanted to see to narrate each book.

In addition to picking the narrator, I’ve highlighted what should be the “quest” so to speak of each story.  Personally, MoA, HoH and BoO are kind of a blur to me despite reading them all recently.  It’s hard to distinguish what happens in each book because it’s all one massive quest with a whole bunch of mini-quests.    While the different narrators would obviously make the books more distinctive, splitting the series into seven books would also help simplify each book’s individual goal.  Eight books would have allowed for better integration of the plot to find the physician’s cure, but with the prophecy of seven, it seemed like seven books was the best option, if I was going to be doing something as blasphemous as splitting books.   

As a note, I ran out of steam as I went so not all opinions are fully fleshed out. 

Book 1:  The Lost Hero The Quest: Rescue Hera/Juno Narrator:  Jason 

Why this would be cool: 

He is literally Juno’s chosen sent on a quest to rescue her.  It’s poetic enough to give him the book.

Jason’s journey is just as much about rediscovering himself as it is about saving Juno.   Of the new characters, I feel like I understand Jason the least. Mainly because I felt like I was missing the entire first half of his story.  Jason, like Percy and Annabeth, is a hero of the Titan War. I know some of his accomplishments, but I don’t have any bearing on what his life was like or how he felt about it.   He doesn’t seem like the type to relish Praetor-ship since he doesn’t have the same intense need to get back to his camp as Percy.  Was he just hoisted on his comrades’ shields after killing the Titan without any real choice in the matter? Give me Jason’s memories coming back slowly over the course of the quest (with potentially a fractured memory of a mistake he made in the Roman’s final Titan battle that makes him doubt their ability to both rescue Piper’s dad and save Hero but he makes the decision to anyway because he can’t just hurt his friend like that.   Let me understand how Jason is the person he is today.  Give me glances of the Roman Camp with emphasis on the heavy expectations that have always followed him as the son of Jupiter and foreshadow why he eventually chooses to design all the shrines for the minor gods so he can have his own place in the world as a figure between the two camps.

Let’s dive into those feelings of anger/guilt/resentment when people at camp are disappointed with him for not being Percy or in Chiron’s case are nervous about what his presence means. 

I want to dig deeper regarding Jason’s feelings about reconnecting with Thalia.  He knows that if the gods hadn’t been determined to keep the two camps completely separate, he could have grown up with his sister. 

What does telling the narrative like this sacrifice:  

We miss some of the internal turmoil regarding the fact that Piper’s Dad has been captured and she must betray her friends. 

We also don’t feel the tensions of Piper’s relationship with Aphrodite. I don’t see Piper bringing up the conversation with her mom saying that her mist memories were so strong because she automatically sensed the potential of a romantic relationship with Jason.  

We don’t have any of Leo’s conflicted feelings regarding rescuing Hera or his fear of being made an outcast for his fire abilities.  Jason has to go with Leo to discover Bunker 9 and Festus.  

Leo doesn’t actively save the day with the Cyclops. 

We don’t know how Piper feels about her charm-speak or see her defeat Madea (as the boys are in their weird trance thing). 

Knowledge about Gaea’s involvement in wrecking Leo’s life will come later.  

Book 2: The Son of Neptune The Quest: Free Thantos Narrator:  Hazel

Why this would be cool: 

The stakes are so incredibly high. Hazel is literally risking her second chance at life by agreeing to go on this chance.  She’s going to the place she died to fight the monster she created. She also has to deal with the trauma of knowing she may have bought the world time with her first sacrifice but it now means nothing if she can’t succeed again.  

We get to see Camp Jupiter from the view of someone who loves it but doesn’t really fit in.  Hazel joined Camp Jupiter just after the final battle.  She enters a community that has learned to fight as a well-oiled machine but that has lost people.  Dakota or the others may remark to her about how things were before or the people who are missing.  Hazel sees a community that she’s not quite a part of both because she didn’t fight in the war and because she’s in the fifth cohort with a feared godly parent.

It would explore her relationship with Nico more (because I love their dynamic and I want more).   She knows she can’t replace his real sister, but she feels comfortable and happy at the opportunity to have a brother, especially one who is out of time like she is.   

What does telling the narrative like this sacrifice:  

Frankly, the largest pushback would be from the fans who expected this to be Percy’s book since we just watched Jason rediscover who he is.

Percy’s phone call to his mom doesn’t have the same intensity.  

Frank’s relationship with Mars and how desperate he was to be claimed but now he doesn’t think he can live up to his father’s expectations.  

Frank and his grandmother.  We aren’t in Frank’s head as he changes shape till later.  

Book 3: Mark of Athena The Quest: Close the Divide Between The Two Camps by finding Athena’s statue and Rescue Nico Narrator(s):  Annabeth and Leo

Why Annabeth: 

So I can have all the emotions at the reunion with Percy.  

Annabeth’s relationship with her Mom has never been great, but imagine beginning the book with Annabeth being given the Mark of Athena. They haven’t left for New Rome yet and her nerves are already all over the place.  Then Athena/Minerva comes, gives her an impossible quest, and breaks her hat.   Annabeth wants to prove to her mother that she’s worthy because despite everything she still values her mother’s opinions.  Also her fatal flaw of hubris makes her believe she will succeed where everyone else failed.

Much of the book already follows her in third person limited so we just get things with a little extra emotion.  

Why Leo:  

Leo has to grapple with the fact he started this war by being the one to fire the cannon even if he didn’t have any control.  He is motivated to fix it

If we’re going to include the Sammy plot, we need to do it now.   Leo doesn’t like being the odd one out on the ship but he certainly doesn’t like the feeling of being notable because of his grandfather.  

We still need to get into those feelings of abandonment and anger at Gaea for killing his mom.  

Nemesis 

Leo comes into his own with the discovery of the Archimedes sphere and the decision to value people over objects.  

What does telling the narrative like this sacrifice:

The aquarium shenanigans 

The fight between Jason and Percy in Kansas needs to happen differently so that the others are present and try to stop it.  

Neither of them went ashore to meet Hercules.  

I think we might need to move up the Calypso meeting to this book, but that also kills some of the suspense since Frank will have the fireproof coating prior to his adventures in Venice when he gains faith in his abilities.  It also might mean Leo opens the fortune cookie from Nemesis unless for some odd reason he doesn’t have it.  There’s a lot more narrative weight for it coming later, but in order to get in as many book events as we can in, it might need to come earlier. 

Book 4:  House of Hades Pt. 1

The Quest: Survive Tartarus Narrator(s): Annabeth and Percy

The first time I read House of Hades, I read it out of order (reading all the Percy and Annabeth chapters until they were on the elevator out of Tartarus before going back and reading the others), because I couldn’t handle the back and forth.  I felt like the tension would build, I’d be invested in this plot and then we’d switch to the other plot. Plus I was very concerned for my children.  So I feel fully justified in saying that there is more than enough material to give the two of them their own book.

I just feel like all the feelings would be magnified.  

Percy’s commentary slowly losing its humor because he can’t anymore.

Annabeth’s guilt at having pulled him in being extra loud.  

Downsides beyond adding an entire book: Just imagine all the outrage at two cliffhangers in a row, because you know the book would end with them in the elevator remembering Bob’s words about the stars.   

Book 5:  House of Hades Pt. 2

The Quest:  Close the Doors of Death Narrator(s): Frank and Hazel

Frank and Hazel experience the most growth on the quest to close the doors so this book is all theirs.  Hazel learns to control the mist.  Frank experiments with his transformations.  I want nothing but them growing into themselves and their abilities.  

The good thing about turning the two warring storylines from House of Hades into separate books is that we lose very little plot.  

Book 6:  House of Hades Pt. 3/Blood of Olympus Pt 1 (Personally I would call this one Ambassador of Pluto)

The Quest:  Unite the Gods’ Personalities. Narrator: Nico

To clarify what I mean by HoH 3, I just mean anything done with the intention of trying to cross paths with Reyna, including the adventure with Cupid, in addition to the existing Nico&Reyna plotline in BoO.  

Nico dealing with all the emotions and his most recent near-death experience.

He kept the secret of the camps so the world wouldn’t end in chaos, but now that the world is in chaos he will be the one to fix it.  

In the short time he’s on the Argo 2, Nico realizes that even though this wasn’t his quest; this is his family and he needs to protect them.  

The reader has a pretty good idea Nico is gay, even if the word isn’t explicitly said from the descriptions (his guilty Percy thoughts - he let down the man he loves even if he won’t admit it.) This means that Cupid’s forceful outing is potentially less surprising so the reader can be properly outraged at Cupid.  

Downside: Reyna definitely has adventures when Nico is passed out, especially the whole waking up with the Hunters, but I think it’s excusable for a whole book from Nico’s perspective.  

Also, the battle between the camps and gifting of the statue needs to happen in this book, but we shouldn’t find out if the gods have regained control of their forms yet.  We alleviate some tensions because Camp Half-blood is likely to be overrun with Octavian’s monsters instead of the Roman armies and Gaea could awaken any second, but there’s an odd moment of calm and an uneasy truce.  (Octavian is potentially taken under custody to be held for trial only to escape in the next book.) 

Book 7:  Blood of Olympus Pt 2 (and the aftermath)

The Quest:  Like The Last Olympian, the final book’s focus is entirely on defeating the series’ big bad, in this case, Gaea.  Leo’s quest for the Physician’s cure parallels Percy’s River Styx visit.  

Narrator(s):  Leo and Piper

Leo has his death hanging over his head.  He has decided that he will be the one to die not any of his friends.  He got the cloth from Calypso so the “fire” portion of the prophecy applies to him and not Frank.  (Yes I know you can’t control prophecies, but do you think that’s going to stop Leo.)  

It’s the ultimate revenge for killing his mom.  We can have memories of both the happy times with Esperanza and the fear he felt for thinking he caused the fire. 

Piper’s perspective is necessary as we need to be with her during the fight with the giants.   

This series began with Piper, Leo, and Jason.  It ends that way too with the three of them killing Gaea and the two of them narrating.  

Downsides: 

The Percabeth I love you-the feud is over scene remains in Piper’s perspective.  

Since we’re not following Reyna’s delivery of the statue concurrently we don’t know when to anticipate the healed gods appearing in the battle with the giants.  

The book can still get away with not showing us Percy’s reunion with Sally or forcing Leo to tell the others he’s alive so they’re all grieving.