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alwayslukason · 6 years ago

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Luke has always struck me as a scorpio for a long time. He doesn't exactly fill up all the criteria of the zodiac sign but he definitely draws the association to mind. Here are some of the traits that I feel can be related to Luke.

Persuasive. Honestly, all Hermes' kids are persuasive because of their godly parent but Luke has also shown skillfull manipulative behaviour that Scorpios are known for too.

Grudgeful. Probably another main aspect of Luke's storyline. A scorpio is willing to wait and take a /long/ time to fully carry out their revenge and when it hits, the victim wouldn't even know where it came from. Bear in mind that Luke has been planning to overthrow the gods for years now. This really isn't someone you wanna fuck with. Scorpios are very dangerous when provoked and can get savage and sadistic.

Revolutionary. The line where Luke says that it's ideal for a destruction to take place before something new can be created from it is a very Scorpio way of thinking.

Jealousy. Kronos basically stated that it was Luke's jealousy that ultimately made him obedient. He was also jealous of the previous heroes and didn't want to do the same quest as they did, believing that it would only make him unimpressive in comparison.

Destructive. This is very prominent in Luke's arc. This mostly stemmed from the fact that they are unwilling to show their real selves in front of people and tended to suffer in silence. This also leads people to not being able to understand him fully. He also continued to work for Kronos for the good despite being emotionally abused and punished by the asshole.

Loyal. This is argumentative because Luke does show loyalty towards Annabeth by trying to keep her safe or from the monsters from killing her. You could say that he betrayed the camp but to Luke, the camp belongs to the gods who he never felt anything but hatred towards them from the beginning. His loyalty towards Annabeth was so strong that he broke free from Kronos and killed him. This loyalty also showed when he was willing to unquestioningly follow Thalia to a place despite him having a bad feeling about it.

Perfectionist and ambitious. Luke is undoubtedly one of the most hardworking guy in the camp and worked to perfect his skills towards such an extent. He is also willing to plan over years instead of rushing into one to ensure that he yields the best results.

Resourceful. It is canon that Luke is good with money and probably the one who had the idea of setting up many safe houses while he was travelling with Thalia and Annabeth.

Mysterious/secretive. A scorpio often seemed cool and easy going on the outside but actually hides intense and passionate feelings inside. Which was basically how he was in the first book. When Luke wanted to hide things, he hides it damn fucking well. No one even suspected that he stole the lightning bolt and the darkness helm before. He is also not very expressive about his crush too.

Charming. The charm mostly comes from the fact that he knows what or when to speak. It pairs well with his manipulative and tendency towards emotions. Even though he was dark af on the inside, his exterior was really charming and managed to earn the trust of many who didn't even suspect that he could be plotting against the gods in the first place. That and as Percy pointed out, Luke doesn't have trouble having lots of people or creatures developing a crush on him.

Leadership. People tend to follow Scorpios because they are very dedicated to what they do. They are natural leaders and often preferred to be the one leading since they are perfectionists who trusts themselves most in not screwing up.

Emotions. Luke is very in touch with his emotions, which was also what made him chose a grim path in the first place. Scorpios have an all or nothing mindset too. As an extension, Luke also gets very angry over and cares very much of the demigods who are suffering from neglect and mistreatment. It was easy for him to be manipulated by Kronos because his pain.

Loner. While Luke has many people surrounding him, he's only close to Thalia and Annabeth, who he didn't even share his deep feelings and dark thoughts to begin with. Even while working for Kronos, he's placed in a different place as the other followers. I feel that Kronos also used Luke because of Luke's tendency to isolate himself and hence there are less chances for him to receive help or have his mind changed in time. It only happened at the very last minute too.

Assertive. Scorpios and Luke aren't going to just take shit and work for gods who he thinks don't deserve it. He isn't the sort to sit around and wait as the gods mistreated more demigods. If there's a problem he can't get on-board with, he's not going to second think about dishing out at the gods.

Caring and protective. It's very obvious in Luke, especially in his demigod diary. He is also the one to welcome and take care of new campers when they first arrived in the camp. This extends to Thalia and Annabeth when he decided to take himself as the role to protect them even though he was only 14. It's also mentioned that Luke does hate innocent people being killed by Kelli while working under Kronos.

That's all I can think of for now.

#luke castellan #pjo #riordanverse

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gideonloser · 4 years ago

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Chapter six: Family is love and war

They let the conversations die down fairly quickly after Ash’s declaration, and the flame followed. Still somewhat worked up, she volunteered to take first watch while the two younger halfbloods got some sleep. Farrah fell asleep quickly- or at least was better at faking it than the others were at detecting it- but sleep kept eluding the young foreigner. He rolled onto his side so he was facing the blonde, and studied her in the moonlight.

He vaguely knew about Luke. He had heard the whispers and Farrah had mentioned it, but he hadn’t even considered that he was her brother. Half-brother, yes, but both were year round campers, and they still seemed to have some kind of bond. No wonder she seemed sad, sometimes, when she thought no one was looking. Why she laughed the loudest when eyes were on her but when she thought she was her own, scanned the horizon like she was hoping to see someone come over it.

He couldn’t judge. He felt much of the same way, though he was fairly certain that no attempted murders of children played any part in his tragedy. Though he wasn’t exactly sure what did- of course he had the gossip and the whispers (and Charlotte, who did no gossiping nor whispering and told him straight across) but he didn’t want to believe it. Not because of his brother, but because of his parents. Love was supposed to be stronger, always, and a parent’s love for their child was supposed to be unbreakable.

Maybe Farrah’s story was a little more clear cut, but he was sure she still understood. It was like trying to solve a puzzle, but the older brother had taken the picture on the box with him. You kind of knew it was supposed to look like, but that was based solely off of your own memory. Family was supposed to be forever, but now he was alone, stuck with his memories, trying to piece together a portrait with no way of knowing if it was right. If Farrah felt that way about Luke, or even Ash to a lesser degree about Queenie... Well, maybe the three had a better reason to all be out here together than just a lost lyre. So why didn’t he tell them about it?

Before he could get too deep into thought about that, he heard a noise in the distance that sounded like a train. Evidently Ash thought the same thing and was quickly at his side, shaking him. Since he wasn’t asleep, it was easy to rouse him and explain that she thought they should find the train and if it was heading the same way they were, hitch a ride. It, much like when they decided to start walking West, seemed a bit like a fool’s errand to Teddy, but, much like when they decided to start walking West, he didn’t have a better idea. After all, Ash pointed out, Farrah was the daughter of the god of travel, and it could be a gift from him. Quickly, his sister tasked him with waking their additional questing member while she tried to deduce what direction the train was in relation to where they were.

When the blonde was coherently awake- grumpily so, but that was still enough to go off- Ash thought she was sure the train was to their east, so they ran through the brush as quickly as they could. Luckily, it was a long train, though there were only a few cabs left. It seemed to be a freight train, but one of the last boxcars was empty, it’s door wide open. Jumping onto a train was not very high on the list of things Teddy had ever wanted to do- neither was jumping off, honestly, though at least that had felt like it was something he could possibly do.

But once Ash had jumped, he knew he had no choice. Farrah was running beside him, and he knew he didn’t have another chance at this. If he missed, and they were separated, he may never find them again. Or at least by the time he did it would be too late. So when Ash extended her hand to help him, he took a running leap of faith, both literally and figuratively.

It paid off. He landed on his shoulder and rolled onto his back, staring up at the sky through holes in the top of the cab. The sky was turning lighter, from complete darkness to just dim. Next to him he felt a brief vibration as Farrah must have landed. At least that was settled, and he didn’t have to worry about splitting the party. He sat up to confirm it, and the blonde and the brunette were secure- though they both looked a little worse for the wear. Could it really only have been 24 hours since they set out from camp?

“What now?” He asked, settling his eyes on Ash. Farrah followed his example, both of them figuring that she was the oldest and that made her the default authority.

“Now,” She announced with a decisive nod. “I get some rest, because I have not slept since we left Camp.”

That seemed like a solid enough argument. Teddy had slept in the car before it crashed and Farrah had slept at the campsite. Ash had been awake the whole time, likely running completely on empty for at least the past few hours. She crawled over to the farthest corner of the cab, took off her backpack, laid her head on it, and promptly fell asleep.

Teddy looked over at Farrah, who seemed relatively unbothered, scooting over to the other end so she could lean against the wall. He joined her. If she wanted to sleep he would have taken the first watch but she seemed uninterested, instead pulling out her dagger and cleaning it. He figured that meant that he should get some sleep, but instead he started talking.

“Do you really think we can’t trust her?” He asked. As he did, he looked over at Ash, just in case Farrah needed to follow his gaze to tell who he was talking about. She didn’t, though, didn’t even need to look up from her blade.

“I don’t know.” She replied, her voice even.

“If she had ill intention, she could have just let you die. Nobody would have known that she could have taken the shot and didn’t.”

“I know that!” She snapped back, her tone a little unnecessarily harsh. He immediately shut up, but after a moment she seemed to regret it and spoke softer. “I mean, just because she wants me alive right now doesn’t mean she’s actually on the same side as me. Right now, the fight isn’t about killing as many of your opponents as possible. Right now it’s about strategy.”

“Are you sure you’re Hermes’ daughter and not Athena’s?”

It was a joke, though he wasn’t sure that she was in the mood for humor. Part of it, however, was also hoping she would praise him for the joke itself- when he had first come to camp he had been stumbling over trying to remember who was the god of what, and a little praise from her on his studies would lift his spirits a bit. All she granted him, though, was a small, exasperated smile without even looking up.

“He personally showed up to bring me to camp, so I’m pretty sure I’m his.” She replied, before sobering up. “But I’m serious. Right now it’s a matter of rallying the troops. And maybe there’s a prophecy, or something, that requires I be alive at a later time. Honestly, that’s why Luke trying to kill Percy doesn’t make any damn sense...”

She trailed off, but Teddy was a little confused. He had heard about prophecies vaguely but really the most in-depth he had ever heard was when Ash sent him to Clark, who explained that he needed one for his quest. What Percy had to do with it definitely confused him.

“Because of a prophecy?”

“Well, because of THE prophecy.” She said, and he didn’t like the way she put emphasis on it. Like he should already know about it.

“What prophecy?” He asked, and that actually gave her pause, having her turn to look at him. The sun was rising quickly now, making it much easier for the two to see each other in the light.

“Oh. Right. Sometimes I forget how new you are to all this.” He wasn’t sure if that was a compliment, and realized a little sadly that meant she would not fully appreciate his Athena comment. “There’s this prophecy. The next child of the big three- that’s Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades- to reach 16 will either save Olympus or fell it.”

So that’s why there were no children of Zeus or Hades at camp. And why there was only Percy for Poseidon. Because Olympus was on the line. And their only hope... was Percy Jackson. He didn’t know Percy very well, had followed Ash’s advice and steered clear, but if she didn’t like him, that was good enough for him. He trusted her judgement.

Farrah took his silence as confusion and continued.

“And that’s Percy. So if he’s going to successfully topple Olympus... he needs Percy. Alive and on his side.”

“Maybe he’s got a plan to avoid the prophecy.” Theo suggested but the blonde shook her head.

“You can’t fight fate, Teddy. Prophecies are like... it’s like they come from another world where everything has already happened. They’re not predictions for the future, they’re records of the past. No matter how much you scream and kick and rail against them, they always come true. Luke’s smart enough to know that prophecies have a 100% success rate.” When Theo didn’t respond, she looked over at him quizzically. “Is something wrong?”

“What? No.” He replied, though his voice was unusually strained all of the sudden. “Just... anyone who would abandon you and Ash like that doesn’t seem very smart to me.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face but then it disappeared again.

“I’ll take watch.” She said after a moment. “Get some sleep.”

It was less of an offer and more of a command, but he didn’t feel argumentative. Sometimes it was nice to take orders, to let someone else decide what you needed to be doing. He simply nodded and moved a bit down the car before curling up and letting the gentle motion of the train lull him to sleep while he thought about how that was the first time she had ever called him Teddy. By the time he was woken up, Ash’s hand on his shoulder shaking him awake, the sun was low in the sky.

“Wakey wakey!” She said cheerfully. “We’ve reached civilization!”

#demigod au #writing #take the fall

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theparkertingle · 8 years ago

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Something Bitter

Percy's not as oblivious as everyone thinks he is.

Or an examination into Nico and Percy's relationship through PJO and HoO (ao3)

The thought first crosses Percy’s mind when he invites Nico in for birthday cake on his fifteenth birthday. He recognizes the look that Nico gives him, but it’s gone within seconds and Percy thinks he must of imagined it, hopes that he has, because Nico deserves better and Percy’s pretty sure he’s already let Nico down enough. The guilt gnaws at him and it’s a bit like Calypso all over again.

He pushes it down just like he did with her. The Titan War (and Annabeth) serve as a good distraction, but it’s hard to ignore when he bathes in the River Styx and Nico’s hopeful eyes about finding information about his mother, about helping Percy are so focused on him. Some part of him almost wishes he noticed it earlier, so he could’ve pulled away, not put through Nico through this. The other part wishes he never noticed at all.

Because Percy understands, he really does.

There’s a bitter taste in his mouth.

He doesn’t want to become Nico’s Luke.

But he doesn’t know if he can prevent it anymore, if he even has the right to. He wants to direct Nico’s eyes to someone better, someone like Will, who, he’s noticed, sneaks glances at Nico during campfires before looking away, blushing slightly, someone who could return Nico’s feelings. He wants Nico to talk to him about it, so Nico could move past whatever feelings he has for Percy instead of suffering on his own, but there’s nothing really Percy can do. He hates feeling this useless, hates constantly letting people down. The bitter taste doesn’t go away; he doesn’t know if it ever will. Some hero he is.

Annabeth confides in him a couple weeks after the war, after Nico’s finally accepted that he has a place in Camp Halfblood (and Percy prays that he’s learned to accept himself too), that she’s worried Nico might have a crush on her, that she’s caught him a couple of times staring at her and Percy with something akin to jealousy and hurt.

For a brief second, he wants to tell her the truth, that she has it backwards, but it’s not his place to out Nico, especially when Percy’s not sure Nico’s accepted it himself. So, instead, he frowns at Annabeth, pretends to be oblivious, because that’s how people see him anyway, and tells her that they can try to be more private with their relationship until Nico has moved on or made peace with it.

He spends the next couple months at camp trying to subtly let Nico know that he’s accepted regardless of his orientation, at least by Percy, tells Nico about how he would go to the Pride Parade in New York with his mom every year, about how some other campers had recently come out to Percy, about how Apollo tried to hit on him right after the war ended and if he wasn’t in love with Annabeth, maybe he would’ve have flirted back. The last one gets a reaction out of Nico, who’s staring at Percy like he’s grown another head. Percy just laughs and ruffles his hair.

What he doesn’t tell Nico about is how Luke made him feel when he first came to camp. He doesn’t tell anyone about that, not even Annabeth nor his mother. That wound is too fresh, too real and the real reason he understands exactly how Nico feels.

It’s a month or two later that he disappears, wakes up with no memory of anything, except the name Annabeth, in a place that seems skew, not wrong, but not right either. He meets Nico where he ends up, doesn’t remember a thing about him, but still feels the intensity of Nico’s stare. He wonders if he should ask Nico about Annabeth, if he’s seen her around this camp, but something instead his head screams at him not to and he doesn’t understand why because he doesn’t even know this kid.

Getting his memory back is a whole lot like being force fed every single terrible thing he’s ever done in his life and remembering Nico (and Bianca and Zoe and Charlie and Silena and Luke and....) were the worst of it. Percy finds out Nico’s gone, dreams it, Nico stuck in a jar, barely surviving and he can’t sleep for the next few days. It’s the Labyrinth all over again and no one on the ship seems to even care that much except for Hazel.

It’s only when Nico’s safe, when he sees him later in Piper’s arms, that Percy lets himself relax for the first time since he ended up in Camp Jupiter. But then Annabeth’s being dragged into the pit and he just got her back and he lets himself fall with her.

He makes Nico promise to lead the other demigods to the Doors of Death as he’s falling in Tartarus. As he falls, holding onto Annabeth, onto his world, he feels sick, feels like he deserves the hell that’s going to come for him down there, because he just used Nico’s crush on him to get something.

He’s surprised that Nico’s not one of the people that cursed him. He almost wishes Nico did.

When he gets back from the pit, Jason’s looking at him differently. Not like the others, who look at him and Annabeth like they’re fragile, scared to ask about what happened down there. Not like Annabeth, who looks at Percy like she’s afraid of him sometimes, like she can’t see anything but him and the poison and Akhlys (though Percy can’t blame her, because that’s all he sees when he looks at himself). No, Jason’s looking at Percy like Percy’s done something to personally offend him. The sinking realization hit Percy. Jason knows. He thinks then that Jason might have the right to hate him.

Nico also tells him to give him space. Percy throws up and doesn’t sleep that night, Annabeth looks at him, worry etched on her face. He pretends it was a Tartarus flashback. It happens more than once and he wonders what it says that what he did to Nico is haunting him more than Tartarus ever could.

Percy never really expected it to come out the way it did, never really expected it to come out at all since the secret had somehow survived two wars, but Leo’s pestering Nico about his (lack of a) love life after a campfire one night at camp, not able to sense the tension that immediately results or notice the glares from both Jason and Percy and Nico just snaps, “You try moving on from Percy.”

Nico’s gone before anyone can react, but he sees the shock on everyone’s face, except Jason's, who’s too busy staring at Percy’s lack of reaction and Percy thinks Jason might’ve just put it together that Percy knew all along.

“You knew and you didn’t say anything?” Jason’s glaring at him and he’s never felt so much anger from Jason before. It reminds him of eerily of Thalia.

He doesn’t give Percy time to respond, because Jason’s already trying to go after Nico, the other’s still not really having recovered from the shock, but Percy stops it, “I need to talk to him.” He’s surprised that Jason doesn’t protest.

He finds Nico on the beach a couple minutes later, glaring at the waves. Percy sits down next to him, silent.

“Jason, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Not Jason,” Percy replies and it’s silent again. The two of them, staring at the ocean.

Nico’s the one who breaks it, voice timid and Percy’s hates that he’s the one who has reduced Nico to this, “Did you know?”

He doesn’t know what answer Nico wants to hear, doesn’t know what he could do to make this situation better, because Percy’s so sick of messing up Nico’s life and all he wants to do is help Nico. He settles on a story instead, “When I first got to camp, I was put in the Hermes cabin too. It was the first place that I actually felt like I was a part of something, that I wasn’t the weird kid who somehow blew up a school bus or who wasn’t smart enough or who couldn’t protect his mother, I was just another camper. That’s when I met Luke.”

He feels Nico’s gaze on him, but Percy can’t look away from the water, doesn’t know if he’ll be able to finish talking if he does, “I never had crushes in the mortal world, never had friends, just people who were against me, who labeled me as different, so I didn’t know right away, but there was something about him.”

“Luke figured it out the same time I did,” Percy laughed, tone edging on bitter, “It was the day before I left for my first quest. He just smiled about how I had good taste and I was suddenly just floored with the realization. He used me just like he did to Annabeth, but the difference was he actually cared about her.”

He’s so close to shutting his eyes and just stopping, but he’s never told anyone this before and maybe it’ll help the both of them, “When he tried to kill me, when we got back, he taunted it in my face, laughing about how the gods didn’t care about me otherwise why would have Aphrodite made me love him.”

Percy wonders if Nico’s felt that way too, “Kronos would taunt me about it, try to use it as a bargaining chip to get me to go over to the Titan’s side,” Percy stops himself for a second, trying to collect himself so he didn’t come across as more pathetic than he already was, “At the end, he apologized, said that I deserved better,” he lets out a self-deprecating sigh, memories of Tartarus fresh in his mind, voice closer to a whisper, “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t.”

Nico doesn’t speak for a couple minutes. Percy assumes he doesn’t know what to say, that the thought of Percy and Luke never even crossed his mind. Though, Percy can’t blame him. It had always been about Annabeth and Luke and Thalia, Percy always orbiting on the outside of the three of them.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“To show you that I get it,” Percy finally turns his head to look at Nico, smiling sadly, knowing Nico needs to hear this, “To show you that this isn’t something I would ever look down on you for. There are days when I hated myself for liking him after what he did, for who he was, and maybe it’s not the exact same thing, Nico, but I understand.”

He thinks Nico’s struggling to maintain eye contact and when he responds, his voice is shakier than before, “Percy, I -,”

When it looks like Nico isn’t going to continue with his thought, “It might not happen overnight, but you’ll get past it, find another guy who can love you the way you love him, but you won’t be able to until you accept it completely yourself.”

Nico’s eyes have gone glossy, slightly red and it’s enough for Percy to pull Nico into a hug and consequently feel the kid break down in his arms.

#percico #percy jackson #nico di angelo #i cant belIEVE im writing pjo fanfic againnn #this is my fix it #because percy and nico deserved better!~~~#mine #fic

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dotshiiki · 8 years ago

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new fic! The Great Prophecy (Annabeth, genfic)

Summary: When ten-year-old Annabeth watches her best friend get a quest, she sneaks into the attic to see the Oracle, hoping for a prophecy that will start her on a quest of her own. What she gets, however, is much more than she bargained for.

The mood in the mess hall was celebratory. The Hermes table, already the most crowded, was even more boisterous than usual as everyone else kept stopping by to toast Luke before he headed off on his quest the next day. His two chosen companions, Tyler and Abby, were getting a lot of thumps on their backs as well. Annabeth was less than thrilled. She felt a bit like a bad friend, not being totally supportive of Luke, but she couldn't help the wave of jealousy pulsing through her. How could she, when he'd gotten something she'd coveted for years?

Ever since she'd come to Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth had been determined to prove she was clever and brave, worthy of her mother Athena's legacy and her friend Thalia's sacrifice. Three years ago, Thalia had died and become a tree while fighting monsters in order to save Annabeth's life. Annabeth felt like she had to do something to show she'd been worth protecting. For years, she'd watched campers get chosen to complete quests for the gods and return as heroes. Quest heroes were the best the camp had to offer: demigods who had proven themselves in the world. And now Luke was getting a chance. This morning, the god Hermes had come to Chiron, the camp's activity director, with the quest, and Chiron had bestowed it on Luke. It was an incredible task, too: stealing a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides. Annabeth didn't know why Hermes might want the apple, but the very act was one that required strength and smarts. Luke and his companions would first have to locate the garden, work out how to get by the guardians, and then fight the dragon that guarded the apple tree. Only Heracles had ever done it before. If Luke succeeded, he would be lauded a hero worthy of the legendary demigod himself. Annabeth felt sure that if she had the chance to go along, she'd be able to help. She was excellent at strategy. After all, hadn't it been her strategy that had won her cabin the laurels for two consecutive capture the flag games this summer? She'd studied Ancient Greek history extensively and committed dozens of stories to memory. She knew all about mythological beasts and legendary journeys. She'd trained really hard at all the camp activities, even those she didn't think very useful. (Like the lava climbing wall—what good was rock-climbing against a monster? But Chiron promised it would help her, and so Annabeth made sure she had one of the best scaling times among the campers.) She'd been a camper for three years, the same as Luke—as long as some of the cabin counsellors even. Luke himself, whom everyone said was the best sword-fighter the camp had seen in three hundred years, said that she was an excellent fighter. And yet, Luke had picked Tyler and Abby over her. It wasn't fair. Dinner ended and the campers trooped back to the cabins, still in high spirits. Chiron had suggested that Luke, Tyler, and Abby have an early night so that they could set off bright and early. Annabeth saw Tyler—a son of Ares—disappear into cabin four while Luke and Abby entered cabin eleven with the rest of the Hermes group. She sat on the steps of cabin six and pouted, feeling too put out to go to bed. Before long, a shadow fell over her. Luke's lanky form stood in front of her, silhouetted in the moonlight. He was really tall, and he used to be wiry like her, but in the last year, he'd filled out a lot and put on some muscle. 'Hey,' he said. Annabeth kept pouting. 'You're not still pissed, are you, Annabeth?' He sighed when she still didn't reply, and sat down next to her. 'This quest is going to be dangerous, Annabeth,' Luke said. 'I know that! But I can fight! Don't you think I'm good enough?' 'It's not that. I just think that … well, you mean a lot to me, okay, Annabeth? It was you, me, and Thalia, and with Thalia …' He glanced up to the hill where the pine tree that had once been their friend stood. 'Anyway, I don't want anything to happen to you. I didn't like what the prophecy I got said.' 'What prophecy? What did it say?' 'The prophecy from the Oracle, of course. You can't have a quest without a prophecy. Even after Chiron told me what Hermes wanted, I had to go to the attic—that's where the Oracle lives—and get my prophecy.' 'What was she like? What did she say?' Luke looked a bit uncomfortable. 'She's—well, she's not exactly alive. She's like a mummy or something … like, not the wrapped in bandages kind, but all withered and … oh, I'm not sure how to explain it. But she's really creepy. And I had to ask her to tell me my destiny. It was actually kind of scary. There was a lot of green smoke. It just came out of her and made some vision.' 'So you saw what would happen?' 'I … I'm not exactly sure. I got a couple of rhyming lines and I saw some stuff I didn't really understand. But Chiron said prophecies are like that—all vague and full of stuff that won't make sense until it actually happens.' 'Maybe if you tell me, I can figure it out. I'm really good at puzzles, you know.' Luke laughed. 'I know. But it's probably like a test for me to work it out myself.' He ruffled her hair. 'Well, I really should go to bed. We're leaving at first light. But I didn't want to go with you all PO-ed at me still.' 'I'm not pissed,' Annabeth said. 'I just want to go on a quest.' 'I know you do. Just—not this one, okay? Maybe there'll be another one soon.' He returned to cabin eleven and Annabeth brooded over what he'd told her. Well, she thought, if all that was really needed for a quest was a prophecy, maybe she would just go to the Oracle and ask for one herself. She wouldn't sit around waiting for someone to decide whether she was ready. In fact, why wait? She could go right now, walk up to the Big House and climb up to the attic like Luke had done. The idea thrummed through her veins like ambrosia flowing through her bloodstream. It's probably a test, Luke had said. Maybe that was what she had to do: take her destiny into her own hands. Wasn't there a saying—the gods help those who help themselves, or something like that? She was going to help herself. OoOoO Annabeth rarely went to the Big House. It was a four-storey farmhouse that sat on the southeastern edge of camp, among the strawberry fields. Chiron lived there, as did the camp director, Mr D, who often complained bitterly about his accommodations. Although the large house seemed to have pretty decent facilities, Annabeth guessed that in comparison to Mount Olympus, Mr D's original home, even a palace would be found lacking. The campers mostly stuck to the lower floors of the Big House; the rec room was on the ground floor and the infirmary on the second. Chiron, being a centaur, had apartments in a separate wing on the ground floor, accessible through the hallway, but the third floor, which Mr D occupied, was completely sealed off. The stairs went straight up two flights from the second floor and ended under a trapdoor with a long cord dangling from it. Annabeth stood beneath it, holding up the bronze lamp she'd swiped from the porch to light her way. The green paint on the door was cracked and peeling. She almost turned back when she caught sight of the remains of several cobwebs in the corner. No, she told herself. She wouldn't chicken out now. The silky strands were torn, probably by the last person who had opened the trapdoor. The webs weren't recent. It would be okay. She took a deep breath and pulled the cord. The door fell open. A ladder dropped down, hitting the landing with a loud thump. Annabeth froze. Surely the noise was loud enough to alert Mr D to her presence. She waited, but moments passed and no irate god of wine appeared on the steps. Annabeth breathed out slowly and climbed the ladder. She was surrounded by piles of dusty memorabilia. Her lamp passed over the nearest ones—rotting body parts of monsters, old shields and plaques and various other trophies. It was obviously a collection for discarded spoils of wars. Quest trophies, Annabeth thought. They were old and disgusting, yet they meant something. There were tags hanging off the items, but it was too dark to make out anything. The room had only one window, which was dusty, and the dim moonlight filtering through was blocked by the shadow of a humanoid figure sitting before it. The Oracle. Annabeth understood why Luke had found it hard to describe her. She'd never seen anyone—anything?—like it. The woman was skeletal, with skin stretched across the bony contours of her frame that was so thin and dry that it looked as though a mere touch would cause it to crumble. Her outfit was just as ancient: a faded multi-coloured sundress that would not have been out of place at a 1940s garden party. Her skinny neck was heavily adorned with old-fashioned bead necklaces. Thick locks of lank black hair framed a withered face that seemed to be all eyes, except peering out of the sockets were milky spheres: pure white with no irises or pupils. Yet Annabeth had the sense that there was something inside them, an ominous spirit of something staring out, aware of her presence and daring her to approach. 'I …' She took another deep breath, steadied her voice, and said, 'I've come for a prophecy.' In the silence, Annabeth could hear her own heart pounding: one beat, two beats, three. Where was the vision Luke had spoken of? The green smoke? Then the Oracle shifted. Annabeth took an involuntary step back as the Oracle raised an arm towards her. But it was her own neck she reached for; one leathery fist closed around one of the rustic necklaces she wore. It fell off and toppled into her lap. Annabeth gaped as the Oracle raised her withered hand and shook a tiny pouch on the necklace. Luke hadn't said anything to suggest this might happen. Annabeth had gotten the impression that the Oracle couldn't move. A miniscule scroll fell out of the pouch and fluttered to Annabeth's feet. She picked it up and unrolled a piece of parchment that was no bigger than her palm. The writing on it was in tiny cursive script, a real pain to decipher. Annabeth had only managed to struggle through the first couple of words when billowing green smoke filled the room, making her eyes water. 'A half-blood of the eldest gods Shall reach sixteen against all odds …' 'Annabeth?' Annabeth started, jumping to her feet and knocking the bronze lamp to the ground with a loud clatter that drowned out the next lines from the Oracle. Chiron's human half popped out from the trapdoor, glaring sternly at her as the Oracle offered two final lines. 'A single choice shall end his days. Olympus to preserve to raze. The Oracle fell silent. Annabeth stared guiltily at Chiron through the lingering green haze. 'Um,' she faltered. Awkwardly, Annabeth looked down at the parchment. The words were easier to read now that she'd heard them spoken. She skimmed the first two lines and stared on the third, which she'd missed when Chiron had interrupted. 'Annabeth!' She looked up. Chiron held his hand out. Reluctantly, she handed him the parchment, which he rolled up and then handed back to her. 'Put it back, please.' She did so, popping it back in the pouch and clasping the necklace back around the now-motionless Oracle. Chiron stared at her, not saying any more, but his expression was unmistakable: explain yourself. Annabeth hung her head. 'I just wanted ... I thought ... sorry.' Her words hung in the air for a while. When she finally chanced another look at him, Chiron no longer looked angry—more weary and sorrowful. 'You shouldn't have done that,' he said at last. 'That prophecy …' 'I missed two of the lines, though. Is that bad? I'll need the whole thing for my quest, right?' 'Your quest?' Chiron shook his head. 'No, my dear, the Oracle has not given you a prophecy.' 'But … it just—' 'It gave you a prophecy, but it is not yours. Come.' He retreated to let her climb through the trapdoor. She did so reluctantly and traipsed after him downstairs and through the hallways of the Big House. Chiron held a door open for her and she stepped into what seemed to be a sitting room, except instead of couches and armchairs, plump red cushions with shaggy fringes were strewn around a high coffee table. The walls were lined with high shelves that were filled with dusty leather-bound tomes. A bow and arrow lay on one of the lower shelves. Chiron's wheelchair, the disguise he used to compact his lower centaur half away when he wanted to appear human, lounged in one corner of the room. In another corner, a vintage record player, the kind that went out of fashion decades ago, was playing softly. It was something with a chorus of wailing violins. Annabeth winced. Chiron opened a cabinet and extracted two goblets the same kind they had at dinner time in the mess hall. He set one on the coffee table in front of Annabeth, which reached nearly to her chin. 'I should probably get some bar stools for guests,' he muttered, then sighed. 'Never mind. Have a drink.' 'Um, lemon ice tea,' Annabeth told the goblet. It filled immediately. She reached up and took a tentative sip. 'The prophecy you heard,' Chiron said after filling his own goblet with a sludge-like liquid Annabeth didn't recognise, 'was in fact made nearly seventy years ago, in the 1940s. We refer to it as the Great Prophecy. In those days, the Oracle still had a mortal host. That was before Lord Hades cursed her to languish without a living receptacle.' 'Lord Hades cursed her …?' Annabeth made a face. 'But … seventy years ago … why would she make my prophecy years before I was even born to ask for it? How does that work? Was Luke's like that, too?' 'It is not your prophecy, Annabeth. Once in a blue moon, the Oracle will deliver a general prophecy that speaks not to a seeker of a quest, but lays out a destiny that is to be fulfilled. The Oracle has been carrying it around since it was made, holding on to it until the time is right.' Chiron frowned. 'It should not have been revealed.' A bubble of excitement swelled in Annabeth's chest. 'How do you know it isn't mine? Maybe now is the right time. Maybe I'm—' 'Because you cannot be the one the prophecy refers to,' Chiron said simply. 'The wording of the first two lines makes it quite clear that you are not.' 'But—' Annabeth's argument died mid-sentence as she realised Chiron was right. Her bubble deflated instantly. 'A half-blood of the eldest gods—I know prophecies are often misleading, but it is clear that this line can only refer to a child of the original Olympians, mostly likely one of the three eldest, most powerful brothers. It was this prophecy, in fact, that drove them to swear their oath against any more mortal children.' 'But they did have … well, at least one of them …' Chiron looked at her sorrowfully. 'It is a solemn thing to swear upon the River Styx as they did. An oath like that cannot be broken without dire consequences … which sometimes, sad to say, may be borne by an innocent.' 'Thalia,' whispered Annabeth. 'Was she …?' 'She seemed to be the best fit,' Chiron said. 'Alas, we both know how it ended for her.' He looked out the window and Annabeth followed his gaze over to Half-Blood Hill, where the pine tree that had once been her friend stood tall in the moonlight. 'Does that mean there is another demigod out there, a kid of the Big Three?' She ran over the lines she'd heard again and realised there was another clue in it. 'It said his days. It has to be a boy, then.' More disappointing evidence that it wasn't a quest prophecy for her after all. 'Well, we don't know that for sure. Prophecies like these tend to use pronouns in a general sense. His or her days doesn't give quite the same ring, and an Oracle needs to be pithy. All I do know, though, is that if they are out there, it's only a matter of time before the monsters find them—if they haven't already. The gods would love to destroy the child; the prophecy made them uneasy. Olympus to preserve or raze … to have their fate in the hands of a mortal … no, the gods would prefer to rid themselves of the threat. Although,' he frowned, 'prophecies are not so easily thwarted. One way or another, they always reach fulfilment. Nevertheless, even if the child of the prophecy manages to evade the forces arrayed against him—or her—their life is likely to be anything but easy. And the lines you heard … well, it doesn't give good odds for their survival.' Annabeth swallowed hard. 'If it's a prophecy for someone else, why did the Oracle tell me?' Chiron looked highly disturbed. 'I would guess that the Oracle revealed the prophecy to you because she foresees that you will have a part to play in it. While I doubt you are the central figure it refers to, I imagine you will be closely connected to them. But this is not a good thing, Annabeth. We are talking about a dark, dangerous prophecy here.' One of the lines ran through her head again: a final choice shall end his days, and she shivered, thinking again of Thalia. She'd chosen to stand against monsters to save her friends, and that had ended her days. Would this be something like that? Annabeth didn't want to be the reason for a friend's death ever again. 'I missed two of the lines, though,' she said. 'Do you know what they are?' She hoped they might offer some guidance, something she could do to help. Maybe those were the crucial bits, the parts that spelled out how she would be involved. Chiron studied her carefully. 'I do. But I do not think it would be wise to tell you now. You have heard what you were meant to. And the gods would not be happy for knowledge of the prophecy to spread. It is dangerous enough for you to know as much as you do.' He gave her a meaningful look. 'I won't tell,' she promised. 'And we will have to prepare you thoroughly for your first quest. There will be time—we have not located the child of the prophecy yet—' Annabeth brightened. 'I could go out and find him! That's my quest, isn't it?' 'No, you misunderstand me. We must train you to accompany the half-blood of the prophecy, when they are ready for their first quest.' 'Wait—you're not saying that I can't have a quest until this guy—or girl—shows up?' 'That is indeed what I am saying. I think that is the best interpretation of the Oracle's intentions in relating the prophecy to you.' Annabeth thought this seemed a pretty far-fetched assumption. 'That's not fair! I came to get a prophecy for my own quest, not someone else's. And we don't even know who this person is yet! It's not like there's kids of the Big Three everywhere. It could be years before they show up.' 'Years in which you will be trained to be the best warrior you can be,' Chiron said firmly. 'No arguments, Annabeth. You will undertake a quest with the half-blood of the prophecy and no earlier.' She glared at him mutinously and his expression grew gentler. 'You are brave, child, and you will be a great hero one day, one of the best this camp has to offer. But my job is to keep you safe and teach you the skills you will need to stay alive when your time comes.' Annabeth looked away. It was hard to rage against Chiron when he said things like that. She still felt mad that her destiny had to be tied to someone else, but maybe it would be okay. One day, hopefully soon, a hero would arrive at camp—someone brave and powerful like Thalia—and she would get her chance. Until then, she'd make sure she was the best Camp Half-Blood had to offer.

Notes: This was a little something I started writing shortly after I read the series for the first time. It sat on my hard drive unfinished for many months, and I finally picked it up again. This fic was many things—trying to understand Annabeth's (and Luke's) past better, exploring some backstory Annabeth spoke of in TLO, a bit of canon reconciliation for how Annabeth claimed not to know all of the prophecy in SoM but seemed well-versed by TLO. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing! I should also point out: I am not American, so if there's any dialogue or turns of phrase that I've mangled while trying to avoid this sounding too overtly British, I apologise, and would appreciate if you point them out! (I will be sticking with British spelling, though.)

#annabeth chase #great prophecy #percy jackson #chiron #luke castellan #fic #pjo #pjo fanfiction #percy jackson fanfiction #one-shot #kid!annabeth #backstory

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optimusphillip · 6 years ago

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The Lightning Thief is a Divine Musical

If my timing is right, The Lightning Thief has recently concluded its seven-month first national tour. I saw it on its penultimate weekend in Boston, Massachusetts, and it was quite an experience. I haven’t mentioned this very much, but I was a huge fan of the Percy Jackson books in middle school, so as soon as I knew this musical existed, I had added the cast album to my musical lexicon, and before long had all the lyrics memorized. And naturally, when the opportunity to catch it on tour presented itself, I jumped on it, and was not disappointed. So let me attempt to revisit this, and share my opinion on it.

Plot

For those unfamiliar, The Lightning Thief is about a preteen boy named Percy Jackson (Chris McCarrell), who discovers that he is the half-blood son of Poseidon, and the prime suspect in the theft of Zeus’s master bolt. As a result, he must embark on a quest to find the bolt before the summer solstice, clear his name, and stop the gods from going to war. Joining him on his quest are Grover Underwood (Izzy Figueroa), his best friend from school and secret guardian satyr, and Annabeth Chase (Kristin Stokes), the know-it-all daughter of Athena. It’s a wonderful send-off to the ancient Greek legends, and is surprisingly well-suited to the musical stage. It didn’t come through completely unscathed from book to play, but I feel the changes ultimately help the story. Percy’s two encounters with Clarisse are condensed to one, and much of the long journey is condensed into a single musical number (though this does come at the cost of the Chimera fight and the Lotus Hotel scene, but they’re at least referenced), while the campfire scene gives us a glimpse into the life of a half-blood, while still fitting seamlessly into the story. Aside from that, it’s the same great story we’ve come to know and love over the past decade. I can’t think of much to complain about.

Cast/Characters

Let’s get this out of the way: the main cast are way older than the characters they play. For example, Percy Jackson is 12, while Chris McCarrell is 28. This doesn’t bother me as much as it did in the movie, though. For one, the medium of off-Broadway theater doesn’t lend itself especially well to the use of child actors. And for two, these actors capture the role so well, you barely notice the age difference. Percy is a dimwitted joker, Grover is a neurotic glutton, Annabeth is a know-it-all with abandonment issues, and all three actors capture it really well. Special mention goes to Izzy Figueroa, by the way. He had some big shoes to fill when George Salazar left the show, but he still managed to pull it off at least as well, if not better.

But I really do need to give mad props to the rest of the cast. James Hayden Rodriguez, T. Shyvonne Stewart, Jalynn Steele, and Ryan Knowles all play multiple characters, and even Izzy has an extra role as Dionysus, aka Mr. D. And all of them pull it off perfectly. I really liked Ryan Knowles as Poseidon. But James Rodriguez is probably my favorite of these multicast players. He does a great job as both Luke, the jaded son of Hermes, and Ares, the badass, loudmouth god of war. At no point did I feel I was watching people pretend to be these characters: they felt like the real people, jumped out of the pages. It was a stellar performance all around.

Music

But what is a musical without good music? Not much. And does The Lightning Thief have good music?

Boy. Did you not read the introduction?

The moment I listened to this cast album, it went right on my frequent listening list. What can I say? The music slaps. From earworms like “Another Terrible Day” and “Lost”, to emotional powerhouses like “Strong” and “Their Sign”, to rocking jams like “Put You in Your Place” and “Bring on the Monsters”, it covers all its bases. You also get some stand-outs, like “The Campfire Song”, which is exactly what it sounds like; a campfire-style song about all the gods from their children’s perspective. If I had to pick a top three, it would have to be “Strong”, for its powerful message that speaks to me as an autistic individual, “The Tree on the Hill”, for being such a gut-punch that I nearly cried in the theater, and “Good Kid”, for just being a catchy glimpse into Percy’s psyche. That said, there’s not a bad song on this album, and even if you never get a chance to see this show, at least give it a listen.

Tech

The technical elements of this show were really impressive, as one would expect from a musical based on gods and monsters. The creature effects in particular amazed me, partly because I hadn’t seen any pictures of this production prior to going to see it. The two that stand out to me in particular are Mrs. Dodds and the Minotaur, who are both played by large puppets that ended up being surprisingly terrifying. I also found the Oracle rather interesting: Jalynn Steele stood on a platform, wearing a dress that draped over several other actors, creating this weird multi-armed effect. Medusa was about what you’d expect, being just Ryan Knowles wearing a snake wig, but they also gave her LED eyes, which helps get across the magic eye effect, as well as making her fit with the other monsters. As I mentioned, the gang doesn’t fight the Chimera in this version, but it does make an appearance... kind of. They put a pair of LED’s in the dog crate Echidna was holding, and played some growling noises. Cerberus is... weird in this version. He makes an appearance in “D.O.A.”, a song and dance number led by ferrywoman Charon, as a deadmau5 style DJ. It was kind of funny, really, but still a strange choice.

The lighting setup was pretty clever as well. The grid consisted of several LED light fixtures mounted on universal pivots, which made for some clever lighting effects. There was also a row of lights on the edge of the deck, which could either be angled towards the actors as additional lighting, or angled forward for effect. I don’t know how common this is in professional theater, but I found it to be a really cool setup, that definitely made up for the minimal set design. The effect that really stood out to me was the lightning. It was incredibly lifelike, almost to the point where I’d caution those with sensory issues before seeing this show.

Final Thoughts

This show was amazing. From start to finish, I was geeking out at watching one of my favorite childhood stories being brought to life. Even putting my nostalgia aside, this felt like an entertaining musical, with spectacular effects, stellar acting, beautiful music, and a compelling narrative to hold it all together. Now like I said, this show is just now concluding its first national tour, and has not announced any future theatrical runs, so sadly, you may not have a chance to see it with this cast and crew. Even so, I’d still recommend you check this musical out, or at least listen to the cast album. And when Percy's back next summer, I’ll definitely see him again.

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