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knightofthenewrepublic · 10 months ago

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The Battle of Manhattan didn’t go the way the Fandom thinks it did; we need to address the “massacre” of the Titan Army!

The Battle of Manhattan is the most pivotal event of the first series. And we see the entire thing exclusively from Percy’s point of view. He takes us through the thickest of the fight from one end of Manhattan Island to the next, and shows us a desperate fight of good against evil.

But we have another point of view for the battle, one that comes from the demigods of the Titan army, and one that informs us of a far different, darker side to the conflict. One where an entire army of children is massacred by the victorious Olympians, without a thought or even a care. It’s a shocking, confronting side of the struggle that most fans don’t seem to be aware of.

But it’s also completely inaccurate.

Now I love Alabaster; he’s one of my favorite characters, and I want nothing but the best for him. But he’s a demonstrably unreliable narrator. I don’t even mean that he’s intentionally dishonest; but he’s very badly misinformed about what actually happened. And that gives the fandom three major misconceptions that need to be cleared up.

Alabaster gets the casualty ratio for the battle wrong (the Olympians had more than he thinks).

The Titan army has far fewer demigods than most fans think (not much more than 50 at the most).

Alabaster does say that there was a “massacre” at the end of the battle, but most of the TA demigods had deserted before that!

Part 1) The Olympians Have High Casualties

“It was a massacre. If I remember right, my mother told me that Camp Half-Blood and its allies had sixteen casualties total. We had hundreds.” (pg 219)

This is the only time we get a specific number for Olympian casualties, but it just doesn’t match up with what actually happens in the books. Looking back at all the deaths we do see:

Charlie Beckendorf -1

one [Hellhound] got hold of an Apollo camper and dragged him away. I didn’t see what happened to him next. I didn’t want to know. (pg 182) -1

Michael Yew -1

A young dragon had appeared in Harlem, and a dozen wood nymphs died before the monster was finally defeated. (pg 203) -12

“We lost twenty satyrs against some giants at Fort Washington,” [Grover] said, his voice trembling. (pg 203) -20 Giants smashed through trees, and naiads faded as their life sources were destroyed. (pg 243) -1< Enemy archers returned fire, and a Hunter fell from a high branch. (pg 244) -1 Too many of our friends lay wounded in the streets. Too many were missing. (pg 257) -1< The flagpoles were hung with horrible trophies –helmets and armor pieces from defeated campers. (pg 282) -1< The Drakon lashed out, swallowing three californian centaurs in one gulp before I could even get close. (pg 288) -3 Poison spewed everywhere, melting centaurs into dust along with quite a few monsters, (pg 288) -1< The Drakon snapped up one Ares camper in a gulp. (pg 291) -1

Silena Beauregard -1

Leneus -1

a body covered in the golden burial shroud of Apollo’s cabin. I didn’t know who was underneath. I don't want to find out. (pg 303) -1

Oddly enough, we actually miss the moment that was probably the worst for the Olympians, the final push by Kronos that breaks through their line. After Clarisse slays the drakon and the monsters are driven back again, Percy and co. take the opportunity to go up to Olympus. Percy gives Pandora’s Pithos to Hestia, and then contacts Poseidon via his throne. It’s just as he finishes that Thalia comes up and tells them that Kronos is coming again, but they miss the fighting.

By the time we got to the street, it was too late. Campers and Hunters lay wounded on the ground. Clarisse must have lost a fight with a Hyperborean giant, because she and her chariot were frozen in a block of ice. The centaurs were nowhere to be seen. Either they��d panicked and ran, or they’d been disintegrated. (pg 312) -<500

And finally, Kronos does kill some people on Olympus itself.

A few minor gods and nature spirits had tried to stop Kronos. What remained of them was strewn about the road: shattered armor, ripped clothing, swords and spears broken in half. (pg 322) -1<

The specific deaths we have mentioned during the battle amount to 48 at the very least; and that is an extremely conservative estimate that only includes the deaths Percy has the time and presence of mind to witness in all the carnage. Considering how many others must have happened, factoring the sudden disappearance of the 500 centaurs in particular, it was likely in the hundreds. And most of the centaurs probably ran at the end, but even that would have involved heavy casualties.

It’s true that actual demigods were a smaller fraction of Olympian forces, and so would have made up just a fraction of losses. The number 16 might actually make sense if it were just the number of campers lost, but that’s not what Hecate said, she said total.

It might be significant that Hecate is the actual source of this misinformation. Would she have reason to lie to her own son, or might she herself be out of the loop. Right now, we just can’t know.

And she might be underestimating Titan Army losses too. Considering how many times a wave of several hundred monsters tear into Manhattan, and get thrown back by the Olympians only to return later with no discernable drop in numbers, until the army is finally routed entirely, it wouldn’t surprise me if the TA actually took a thousand or more casualties. But those would be overwhelmingly monsters, because:

Part 2) Less Than Fifty Demigods Were Even In The Titan Army

To prove that there could not possibly have been hundreds of TA demigods killed at Manhattan, we need look no farther than Alabaster's own account.

“There was a war between the gods and titans last summer and most half-bloods–demigods like me–fought for the Olympians.” (pg 218)

So the TA could not have had more demigods than the Olympians; and they had about a hundred. There are forty campers to start with, who are quickly joined by the Hunters, who now have thirty members. Then, in the last hours of the fight, they are finally joined by the Ares cabin, which brings another thirty (jeez Ares, you animal!). So Olympus has an even hundred demigods. (The Hunters aren’t necessarily all demigods by birth, but I don’t think Alabaster would make a distinction based on that.)

So the TA has less than a hundred demigods, significantly less. I would argue they probably had no more than fifty because that lines up with the only solid numbers we ever get for them. And every time the TA is described, demigods are a clear minority. First, look at the foes Percy encounters when he infiltrates the Princess Andromeda:

I saw monsters patrolling the upper decks of the ship–dracaenae snake-women, hellhounds, giants, and the humanoid seal-demons known as telkhines . . . . . “I don’t care what your nose says!” snarled a half-human half-dog voice—a telkhine. “The last time you smelled half-blood, it turned out to be a meatloaf sandwich!” “Meatloaf sandwiches are good!” a second voice snarled . . . . . a telkhine was hunched over a console . . . . . a half dozen telkhines were tromping down the stairs . . . . . past another telkhine . . . . . And in the fountain squatted a giant crab . . . . . a couple of dracaenae slithered across my path . . . . . As I was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down . . . . . Laistrygonian giants filed in on either side of the swimming pool . . . . . demigod archers appeared on the roof . . . . . two hellhounds leapt down . . . . . The crowed of monsters parted . . . . . Giants jeered. Dracaenae hissed with laughter . . . . . throwing monsters off their feet . . . . .I knew him, of course: Ethan Nakamura . . . . . two giants lumbered forward . . . . . Panicked monsters surged backward . . . . . one of the dracaenae hissed . . . . . I pushed through a crowd of monsters . . . . . Monsters yelled at me from above.

That was a quick summary of all the enemies Percy and Charlie encounter on the Princess Andromeda, I’m not crazy enough to try and write the whole chapter. But it’s pretty clear there are only a few demigods amid dozens of monsters. We hear the same thing from Poseidon later, that “there were only a few demigod warriors aboard that ship”; we might question whether or not Poseidon is a trustworthy source, but the evidence does back him up.

When we finally get to the battle, the disparity of demigod numbers in the TA is again evident:

The bronze image showed Long Island Sound near La Guardia. A fleet of a dozen speed boats raced through the dark water toward Manhattan. Each boat was packed with demigods in full Greek armor. At the back of the lead boat, a purple banner emblazoned with a black scythe flapped in the night wind. I’d never seen that design before, but it wasn’t hard to figure out: the battle flag of Kronos. “Scan the perimeter of the island,” I said. “Quick.” Annabeth shifted the scene south to the harbor. A Staten Island Ferry was plowing through the waves near Ellis Island. The deck was crowded with dracaenae and a whole pack of hellhounds. Swimming in front of the ship was a pod of marine mammals. At first I thought they were dolphins. Then I saw their doglike faces and swords strapped to their waists, and I realized they were telkhines—sea demons. The scene shifted again: the Jersey shore, right at the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel. A hundred assorted monsters were marching past the lanes of stopped traffic: giants with clubs, rogue Cyclopes, a few fire-spitting dragons, and just to rub it in, a World War II-era Sherman tank, pushing cars out of the way as it rumbled into the tunnel. (pg 167)

Here we see the first wave of the Titan Army as a three pronged attack (which Percy says on the next page collectively numbered at least 300) and only one of the units has demigods. It’s the one that Kronos leads, so it’s probably meant to be a more elite unit, at least at first.

We don’t know for sure how many there are. Speedboats are usually made to carry 4-6 people so a dozen would be possible 48 to 72. Considering Alabaster says there were significantly less demigods in the TA than the Olympians, I would guess it’s on the lower end; and that does match another number we see in a moment.

This fleet never reaches Manhattan, since Percy bribes the East River to swamp their boats. Those who say many TA demigods were killed in the battle might point to this as Percy causing a bunch of kids to drown; but Alabaster never mentions a mass drowning in his narrative of the battle, and he would have been on one of those boats, so it’s safe to say they just went for a swim.

(And Kronos was with them, which means that a very angry titan lord was suddenly pitched into the river and had to swim with the rest of them. That’s not really relevant, I just want everyone to know that.)

Percy is then immediately told that “Another army is marching over the Williamsburg bridge.” This fourth prong of the attack, led by the Minotaur, also has no demigods in it.

An entire phalanx of dracaenae marched in the lead . . . About a hundred more monsters marched behind them. (pg 182) More monsters surged forward —snakes and giants and telkines—but the Minotaur roared at them, and they backed off. (pg 186)

But more monsters keep advancing because by the time Percy kills the minotaur and the demigods charge and rout the whole group, it had grown to 200

Finally, the monsters turned and fled—about twenty left alive out of two hundred. (pg 188)

So the grand total for the first TA attack was 500 soldiers or more, with only 40-70 of them demigods. And after the monsters on the Williamsburg bridge retreat, those demigods show back up.

Then I saw the crowd at the base of the bridge. The retreating monsters were running straight toward their reinforcements. It was a small group, maybe thirty or forty demigods in battle armor, mounted on skeletal horses. One of them held a purple banner with the black scythe design. The lead horseman trotted forward. He took off his helm, and I recognized Kronos himself, his eyes like molten gold. (pg1 188)

This is the only time we get anywhere close to a specific number when TA demigods are concerned. It would have been the same group that was sunk in the East River, who then had to swim for Brooklynn; which is where they are now trying to take the Williamsburg bridge. This reinforces the idea that the number of demigods in the boats was only a little more than forty, since they would not have suffered more than a few injuries in the sinkings.

I’m going to come back to this moment later to demonstrate how Percy refrains from killing other demigods, even in his Achilles state, but the other important thing to note is that this is the last time Kronos organizes his demigods into a unit that he leads personally. After they fail to break through here, Kronos just has them take on a secondary role, and puts his faith in bigger and bigger monsters to lead the charge instead.

The Titan Army units on Long Island then spend the evening marching the long way around Manhattan (for some reason) because they make camp for the night in New Jersey, at Medusa’s old lair. Percy again describes demigods as the small minority.

Hundreds of tents and fires surrounded the property. Mostly I saw monsters, but there were some human mercenaries in combat fatigues and demigods in armor too. A purple-and-black banner hung outside the emporium, guarded by two huge blue Hyperboreans.

And this is only part of the Titan army, because there are more troops north of Manhattan.

“Tell my brother Hyperion to move our main force south into Central Park. The halfbloods will be in such disarray they will not be able to defend themselves.” (pg 237)

The army that marches into central park is bigger than the one camped in New Jersey. And it is made up exclusively of monsters.

At the north end of the reservoir, the enemy vanguard broke through the woods—a warrior in golden armor leading a battalion of Laistrygonian giants with huge bronze axes. Hundreds of other monsters poured out behind them. (pg 243)

There is not a single mention of a demigod. However they’re already joining the fight in other places.

When it flew above the rooftops, I could see fires here and there around the city. It looked like my friends were having a rough time. Kronos was attacking on several fronts. (pg 251)

After Percy kills the Clazmonian Sow, the momentum of the battle shifts. With his main force failing to deliver a knockout punch, Kronos has his remaining armies spread out to put equal pressure on the entire defensive line, and catch it in a massive envelopment.

Midtown was a war zone. We flew over little skirmishes everywhere. A giant was ripping up trees in Bryant Park while dryads pelted him with nuts. Outside the Waldorf Astoria, a bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin was whacking a hellhound with a rolled-up newspaper. A trio of Hephaestus campers fought a squad of dracaenae in the middle of Rockefeller Center . . . . . The hunters had set up a defensive line on 37th, just three blocks north of Olympus. To the east on Park Avenue, Jake Mason and some other Hephaestus campers were leading an army of statues against the enemy. To the west, the Demeter cabin and Grover’s nature spirits had turned Sixth Avenue into a jungle that was hampering a squadron of Kronos’s demigods . . . . . I spotted a familiar silver owl banner in the southeast corner of the fight, 33rd at the Park Avenue tunnel. Annabeth and two of her siblings were holding back a Hyperborean giant . . . . . The next hour was a blur. I fought like I’d never fought before—wading into legions of dracaenae, taking out dozens of telkines with every strike, destroying empousai and knocking out enemy demigods . . . . . At one point Grover was next to me, bonking snake women over the head with his cudgel. Then he disappeared in the crowd, and it was Thalia at my side, driving monsters back with the power of her magic shield. Mrs. O’Leary bounded out of nowhere, picked up a Laistrygonian giant in her mouth and flung him like a Frisbee. Annabeth used her invisibility cap to sneak behind enemy lines. Whenever a monster disintegrated for no apparent reason with a surprised look on his face, I knew Annabeth had been there . . . . . Kronos was riding towards us on a golden chariot. A dozen Laistrygonian giants bore torches before him. Two Hyperboreans carried his black-and-purple banners . . .

“THEN THE WINGED HUSSAARSSS AARRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVED” SABATON BLASTS ON ELECTRIC GUITAR

Sorry, sorry, I mean then Chiron and the 500 centaurs arrived!

Kronos’s forces looked as confused as we were. Giants lowered their clubs. Dracaenae hissed. Even Kronos’s honor guard looked uneasy. Then, to our left, a hundred monsters cried out at once. Kronos’s entire northern flank surged forward. I thought we were doomed, but they didn’t attack. They ran straight past us and crashed into their southern allies . . . a shower of arrows arced over our heads and slammed into the enemy, vaporizing hundreds of demons. (pg 258)

This is how the second phase of the battle ends. And during the entire night, out of a sea of monsters (hehe) we only see one unit of TA demigods. And it’s the last time we get any reference to them participating in the battle.

After being driven south, the TA apparently did another long march, because they make camp northeast of Manhattan.

The Titan army had set up camp all around the U.N. complex. The flagpoles were hung with horrible trophies—helmets and armor from defeated campers. All along First Avenue, giants sharpened their axes. Telkines repaired armor at makeshift forges. (pg 282)

Ethan is the only demigod mentioned this time. And he doesn’t appear to take part in the next attack, aside from releasing the drakon. We get less of a description of the enemy army this time, but it’s all monsters.

The rest of the battle wasn’t going well. The centaurs had panicked under the onslaught of giants and demons. An occasional orange camp T-shirt appeared in the sea of fighting, but quickly disappeared. (pg 289)

Of course the Ares cabin arrives, the drakon kills Silena, and Clarisse kills it. It’s another rout for the TA.

The monsters retreated toward 35th Street. (pg 298) There was no answer from the enemy. Slowly, they began to fall back behind a dracaenae shield wall, while Clarisse drove in circles around Fifth Avenue, daring anyone to cross her path. (pg 299)

After that we have the final phase of the battle, when the Titan Army finally breaks through the Olympian lines. But once again, we have no reference to demigods other than Ethan.

The Titan Army ringed the building, standing maybe twenty feet from the doors. Kronos’s vanguard was in the lead: Ethan Nakamura, the dracaenae queen in her green armor, and two Hyperboreans. I didn’t see Prometheus. (pg 312) “ROWWF!” Mrs. O’Leary bounded toward me, ignoring the growling monsters on either side. (pg 315) There were thousands of [skeletan soldiers], and as they emerged, the titan’s monsters got jumpy and started to back up. (pg 315) The armies of the dead clashed with the Titan’s monsters. Fifth Avenue exploded into absolute chaos. Mortals screamed and ran for cover. Demeter waved her hand and an entire column of giants turned into a wheat field. Persephone changed the dracaenae spears into sunflowers. Nico slashed and hacked his way through the enemy, trying to protect pedestrians as best as he could. My parents ran toward me , dodging monsters and zombies, but there was nothing I could do to help them. (pg 318).

The fight continues like this, until Typhon is destroyed, and the defenders are joined by the gods, and Poseidon’s army of cyclopes. It’s then that the Titan army is “massacred.” Most of the fandom thinks that the demigods were killed too, but that’s not the case.

PART 3: The TA Demigods Deserted Before The Final Battle

As Alabaster remembers it:

the war didn’t go our way. I fought on the battlefield against the enemy, but most of our allies ran. Kronos himself marched on Olympus, only to be killed by a son of Poseidon. After Kronos’s death, the Olympian gods smashed any remaining resistance. It was a massacre. “We weren’t all destroyed,” Alabaster said. “Most of the remaining half-bloods fled or were captured. They were so demoralized they joined the enemy. (pg 219)

When you look at this narrative, and compare it to The Last Olympian, it’s actually more complicated than the TA demigods simply getting massacred.

Al says that while he was fighting, most of his allies ran. That’s odd, because we don’t see the relative numbers of monsters go down at any point. What we do see, is the number of demigods go down.

As I illustrated in Part 2, the Battle of Manhattan has four distinct phases. Phase one, that ends when the Williamsburg Bridge is destroyed. The second phase, that starts when Hyperion attacks Central Park, and ends when the Party Ponies arrive. The third phase, which is all about the attack of the drakon. And the final phase, when Kronos breaks through.

We only see TA demigods in the first two phases; they attack the Williamsburg Bridge in the first phase as part of the Kronos’s main force, then in the second phase they’re relegated to a supporting role by hitting the defenders western flank. And that’s the last we see of them. After that, Etahn is the only demigod left standing in the TA. Alabaster must be somewhere in the background, as a retcon, but there’s no one beyond the two of them.

You might think that they’ve just already been killed by this point. After all, Percy blows up the Princess Andromeda, then goes into an Achilles Curse fueled berserker mode several times in the first two phases of the battle. Surely he must have killed hundreds of kids, right?

No, not even close.

Maybe not any at all.

On the Princess Andromeda Percy finds lots of monsters, but the number of demigods he finds could be counted on one hand. And the first one he meets; Percy spares him and tells him to get his friends and evacuate. We can’t prove whether or not any demigods were killed in the blast; we just know that the two we can confirm were still on board, Ethan and Alabaster, both survived. And when Alabaster recounts it, he doesn’t mention any bad losses at this point.

As for the Curse of Achilles, it doesn’t send Percy into anything like the berserker state some people think of it as. It might seem like that when Percy lets loose on the Williamsburg Bridge:

You’re going to ask how the whole “invincible” thing worked: if I magically dodged every weapon, or if the weapon hit me and just didn’t harm me. Honestly, I don’t remember. All I knew was that I wasn’t going to let these monsters invade my hometown. I sliced through armor like it was made of paper. Snake women exploded. Hellhounds melted to shadow. I slashed and stabbed and whirled, and I might have even laughed once or twice—a crazy laugh that scared me as much as it did my enemies. (pg 188)

But when push comes to shove, Percy can control the Curse, and what he does during it. That last moment was when he was fighting nothing but monsters. But when the TA demigods arrived, Percy pulled his punches like he always does.

I tried to wound his men, not kill. That slowed me down, but these weren’t monsters. They were demigods who’d fallen under Kronos’s spell. I couldn’t see faces under their helmets, but some of them had probably been my friends. I slashed the legs off their horses and made the skeletal mounts disintegrate. After the first few demigods took a spill, the rest figured out they’d better dismount and fight me on foot. (pg 189)

Percy is still in complete control of what he’s doing; even when the worst happens.

“Annabeth!” I turned in time to see her fall, clutching her arm. A demigod with a bloody knife stood over her . . . . . I locked eyes with the enemy demigod. He wore an eye patch under his helmet: Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis. Somehow he’d survived the explosion on the Princess Andromeda. I slammed him in the face with my sword hilt so hard I dented his helm. (pg 190)

Percy really has all the reason to hate Ethan at this point; after Percy spared his life in Antaeus’ arena, Ethan still joined the side that had been ready to write off his death, and deliberately helped Kronos achieve his physical resurrection. Because of that Percy’s friends and even-Riordan-doesn’t-know how many mortals are going to die in the next few days; and on top of all that, Ethan just stabbed the love of his life.

And all Percy does is knock him out, maybe a little harder than necessary. He makes no effort to kill him. Those aren’t the actions of a berserker with no control.

In fact, the knife turns out to be poisonsed. And Ethan now has an idea where Percy’s Achilles Spot is, and might tell Kronos. And even after all of that, Percy doesn’t seriously think about killing him as an option.

“I’ll bonk him on the head harder next time.” (pg 241)

But more on topic, there is no reason to think the TA demigods have particularly high casualties in this phase of the battle, though they have a few:

Our archers shot a volley, bringing down several of the enemy, but they just kept riding. (pg 189)

Though it’s vague if they are hitting the riders or the horses. In fact, it might actually be Kronos who’s responsible for more of their losses.

[Kronos] struck the bridge with the butt of his scythe, and a wave of pure force blasted me backward. Cars went careening. Demigods—even Luke’s own men—were blown off the edge of the bridge. (pg 192)

I will die on the hill that between this, Ethan, and other implied moments, Kronos killed more of his own demigods than Percy did.

In the second phase of the battle, when we see the TA demigods attack again, they’re in a very different situation.

To the west, the Demeter cabin and Grover’s nature spirits had turned Sixth Avenue into a jungle that was hampering a squadron of Kronos’s demigods. (pg 255)

This is the only thing we see the TA demigods do as a group in this phase; and they’re fighting people who are using very defensive tactics, more hampering than harmful. They’re not likely to lose many fighters. A few of them do cross Percy’s path in the chaos, but even at his most Achilles fueled chaos he never loses control.

The next hour was a blur. I fought like I’d never fought before—wading into legions of dracaenae, taking out dozens of telkines with every strike, destroying empousai and knocking out enemy demigods. (pg 257)

He talks about killing monsters, but always “knocking out” demigods. Finally, that phase of the battle ends when the centaurs show up. Did the centaurs kill any demigods? After all, Percy said they “trampled everything in their path.”

Well the only report we get on the TA demigods puts them to the west. When the centaurs attack, they come out of the north east and drive the enemy south, and start off a wave of panic that ripples down the enemy lines ahead of them. The demigods were probably running before any centaur reached them, and might have had better chances of being trampled by their own monsters.

So if the TA demigods aren’t taking many losses, where do they all go in the third and fourth phases, when we don’t see any except Ethan?

They desert.

Alabaster: “I fought on the battlefield against the enemy, but most of our allies ran.”

I think the demigods of the TA signed up with no real idea of what would happen when they fought the Olympians. They thought they were going to have a sure victory.

Chris Rodriguez said it in SOM:

“I hear they got two more [drakon] coming,” [Chris] said. “They keep arriving at this rate, oh, man—no contest!” (pg 122)

Alabaster C. Torrington said it in SOM:

“Kronos wasn’t supposed to lose! You said the odds of winning were in the Titan’s favor! You told me Camp Half-Blood would be destroyed!” (pg 196)

And they probably weren’t well prepared for the war either. At one point Luke says they will fight well because he has been training the army. But most of them join because they are the children of minor gods who swear for Kronos, and that doesn’t happen until the end of BOTL, after Luke has been possessed. Most of the TA demigods never got training from him; including their two highest ranking members, Ethan and Alabaster. It’s no wonder most of them weren’t prepared.

As I was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down. He looked like he had just woken up from a nap. His armor was half on. He drew his sword and yelled, “Kronos!” but he sounded more scared than angry . . . . No way was I going to hurt him. I didn’t need a weapon for this. I stepped inside his strike and grabbed his wrist, slamming it against the wall. His sword clattered out of his hand. (pg 18)

And the demigods might not hold much loyalty to Kronos, a violent and temperamental eldritch horror!

Ethan moistened his lips. “He’s still fighting you, isn’t he? Luke—” “Nonesense,” Kronos spat. “Repeat that lie, and I will cut out your tongue. The boy’s soul has been crushed.” (pg 236) “But, my lord,” Ethan said. “Your regeneration.” Kronos pointed at Ethan, and the demigod froze. “Does it seem,” Kronos hissed. “that I need to regenerate?” Ethan didn’t respond. Kind of hard to do when you’re immobilized in time. Kronos snapped his fingers and Ethan collapsed. (pg 284)

And the demigods might have witnessed a darker side to his army that we didn’t.

Back on my first visit to the Princess Andromeda, my old enemy Luke had kept dazed tourists on board for show, shrouded in Mist so they didn’t realize they were on a monster infested ship. Now i didn’t see any sign of tourists. I hated to think what had happened to them, but I kind of doubted they’d been allowed to go home with their bingo winnings. (pg 15)

So, the demigods deserted. After the second phase of the battle we don’t see any at the Titan camp at the U.N., or taking any part in the last phases of the battle. They had been fed false promises, were treated badly, and were being sent against enemies out of their league.

“Most of the remaining half-bloods fled or were captured. They were so demoralized they joined the enemy.”

All except two, Alabaster and Ethan. The son of Nemesis, who has already given so much and is so desperate to see something good and fair come out of it; and the son of Hecate, who was promised victory, and is desperate to avenge the death of his siblings. Ironically, the two demigods who stayed loyal to Kronos the longest, did so because they had faith in their godly parents.

So if there was no “massacre” of TA demigods at the end of the Battle of Manhattan, why is Alabaster so insistent that there was one?

“Yes,” Alabaster said bitterly. “Camp Half-Blood decided that they would accept any children of the minor gods. They would build us cabins at camp and pretend that they didn’t just blindly massacre us for resisting. (pg 220) “But I’ll never bow to the Olympian gods after the atrocities they committed. Their followers are blind. I’d never set foot in their camp, and if I did, it would only be to give that son of Poseidon what he deserves.” (pg 221)

Well, it’s because the children of Hecate suffered the most in the war. She didn’t have as many children as other gods, and Alabaster was the only one to fight in it and survive. He claims he convinced “most” of his siblings to join; but if Hecate does not have many children, and he is the only survivor of the battle, how are there still enough of his siblings to decently fill a cabin, it’s likely “most” was only slightly more than half. The sad irony is that the fact that the smaller group of demigods had more casualties than the larger ones (and it sounds like not just more proportionately, but more in actual numbers), also kind of disproves that there could have been a large massacre that affected them all.

Alabaster was a scared, frustrated, exhausted kid; who convinced his siblings to fight in a destructive war, and was the only one of them to survive. To him, that is probably always going to feel like a brutal massacre.

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elianzis · 10 months ago

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Why do people think Apollo is the god of the sun when it’s Helios who’s the sun god? In The Odyssey, it is Helios’s cows that were eaten and in the myths, he has a son that wanted to ride his chariot of flaming horses and his son ended up dying from driving it

I'm not an expert on Greek mythology to be honest, it's better to ask other people who are more familiar with it.

But I have an assumption that it is possible that at a certain period of history it began to be perceived as an allegorical image of the sun. Plus they are very similar in their solar functions( I assume?).

Also my friends for example say that Helios and Apollo at a certain point became a single deity, and all the attributes passed to Apollo himself. (but I don't know anything about that, to be honest).

In fact, @margaretkart, could you please help me here? Is there any reason for this situation? also, here is a little joke

#answers

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psy--conic · 5 months ago

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Reading the Iliad, Book 16 thoughts

This is my first time ever reading it and I know next to nothing abt greek mythology so if I interpret anything wrong by all means pls correct me

Im reading the Robert Fagles translation

Patroclus has his moment in the sun. Too bad the god of the sun doesn't like him all that much

Haven't finished the book but I'm pretty sure this is my favorite chapter

Patroclus makes it back to Achilles' tent in full-blown tears and instead of being helpful Achilles says "You're crying like a little girl clinging to her mother's skrits and that's really uncool of you."

LMAO like Achilles wasn't doing the fucking same in book one

Achilles then wonders if Patroclus has heard news back from Phthia, maybe one of their fathers dying.

Patroclus basically tells him that it's a shit show out in the camp and things are not looking good for them.

This man even gives Achilles the benefit of the doubt and asks him if there's some prophecy Achilles hasn't told him about that is barring him from fighting. Achilles is like "Agamemnon disrespected me and it's not deeper than that tbh"

Bro..

I feel like we have to give Achilles his flowers here bc if he isn't anything else he's committed to the bit THAT MAN IS NO QUITTER. In the worst way possible ofc

Achilles calls Patroclus "My Prince🥹" IM FINNA CRY

Then we get into the whole "Put me in your armor" thing and Homer writes Patroclus as "condemned to beg for his own death" so we love that ig

Achilles tells Patroclus to NOT fight Hector and to just push the Trojans away from the ships and to definitely NOT try to take Troy without him.

Achilles stresses that Apollo may kill Pat if he does any of those things.

Honey, you got a big storm coming..

"Sure" - Pat

Jump back to Ajax (greater) bc he's kinda on the ropes, he's tired, he's being swamped, he's struggling

Achilles sees this and he's like "Okay hurry up and get out there NOW"

Patroclus takes every piece of Achilles armor except for the shield and the spear because no man besides Achilles can even lift them

Achilles assembles the Mrymidons into 5 battalions, led by 5 men I don't feel like naming to all be led under Patroclus and Automedon

While they ride off into battle Achilles goes into a chest of his and pulls out a super nice cup, fills it with wine, and prays to Zeus while pouring it on the ground

He prays for two things: "That the Mrymidons push the enemy back AND for the safe return of Patroclus." Zeus only grants one of these wishes

Take a wild guess which one🥲

Okay so Patroclus literally kills 15 people consecutively... AS IN ONE RIGHT AFTER THE OTHER

Sarpedon sees Patroclus going wild and he decides that he really doesn't like that so he hops off his chariot and begins making his way toward Pat.

Patroclus hops off his chariot to meet him halfway

Zeus is stressed as hell bc he doesn't want his son to die so he wrestles with the urge to just sprit Sarpedon away from the battlefield and away from danger

Hera tells him that he absolutely cannot do that because all the gods will hate his ass if he pulls a move like that PLUS he changes fate which means that all the other gods would do it too

But does Ahprodite not pull that move like every other chapter? No one's up her ass about it so why can't Zeus

Zeus is literally crying tears of blood but he says ok

Sarpedon and Pat start going at each other, and both miss a couple of spear throws at each other until Patroclus picks up his spear, lunches it, and hits Sarpedon square in the chest.

Rip Sarpedon

Glaucus calls out for Apollo to heal his arm (bc Teucer shot him in it) Apollo heals him so he grabs a bunch of ppl to protect Sarpedon's body from being stripped

Patroclus goes to both Ajax's and tells them that Sarpedon is dead and that they have to get his armor/keep pushing the Trojans back.

More fighting, more dying

I noticed that Homer was actually talking to Patroclus during this book ("Patroclus O my rider, you did [insert action here]) I think this is the first time he does this so far (correct me if I'm wrong)

Anyway, ppl are still fighting over Sarpedon. Zeus is watching from afar and he just can't decide when Patroclus should die but he says "Not yet"

😔please stop

The Greeks end up stripping Sarpedon's body anyway

The Trojan army is shaking in their boots bc holy shit Patroclus is kinda fucking insane rn. Even Hector wants to go home at this point

The Greeks end up pushing the Tojans ALL the way back to the walls of Troy

Patroclus tries (and fails) three times to mount one of the towers BUT Apollo is a cheater and keeps knocking him down

Homer says Troy would have been taken that day if Apollo had not intervened.

On his fourth attempt to scale this fucking tower Apollo knocks Pat away again and yells "BRO THIS ISN'T EVEN UR DESTINY GO TF AWAY." 😭😭 wtf

"Okay my bad" - Patroclus🧍🏾‍♂️

Hector is inside the gates of Troy and bro does NOT wanna go back out there rn

This whole poem is just Hector not wanting to even be there and I don't blame him

Apollo comes to Hector in the form of his uncle and encourages him to get back on the battlefield bc Glory or something idk

*Sigh* so Hector rides out and makes a B-line straight for Patroclus....

Pat throws a rock at Hector which ends up hitting the guy driving his chariot right in the head and pops his fucking eyeballs out of their sockets.

Patroclus laughs at him and taunts his corpse.

So now it's just Hector and Patroclus and they end up having this game of tug o war with the guy's body which the Greeks also win

Patroclus kills 27 MORE people

Apollo steps in and shit hit the fan yet again. He knocks Pat's helmet off and then starts fucking up Achilles' armor basically leaving him exposed to attack.

THEY ARE FUCKING JUMPING MY GOAT PATROCLUS

A random man throws a spear which lands in Patroclus's back and he falls forward

Hector walks up as Patroclus is trying to claw his way back to safety and stabs him in the stomach

Hector starts shit talking. And I like Hector don't get me wrong but bro you were just pissing urself about having to fight this man like a paragraph ago???

But does Patroclus go out like a bitch? NO. He looks at Hector and says "You didn't earn this kill and we both know that. TEWNTY Hectors wouldn't be able to bring me down, Apollo is the one who killed me not you and Achilles is gonna rock ur shit soon enough♥️." And Hector is like "🤨?"

LIKE HELLO??? HE FUCKING ATE THAT

And then he dies

When the one character I read the book for in the first place barely had any screentime and the one time they do they end up fucking dying

Rip to the babygirl ig

#now he gets to haunt the narrative #the iliad #reading the iliad #patroclus #apollo #hector of troy #sarpedon #tagamemnon

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ghostmisworld · 2 months ago

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solangelo wedding because it was asked for once (by: @coirinthyurilo , so you get some credit, and I really, really, really hope you like it)

___

ok, so let's get straight (gay idk) something they are both walking down the aisle. Will's bridal party(?idk they're boy version of that word): Austin, Kayla, Lou Ellen, and Cecil. Nico's is Frank, Jason(BECAUSE IN MY LAND OF JOY BB BOY LIVES), Reyna, and Percy. as far as venue, I already claimed it's a royal wedding, so i think it'd be somewhere like persephone's garage or elysium or the ilse of the blessed. It's pinterest worthy, the kind of wedding people base their weddings off of. They both wear suits (only grover could pull off the wedding dress look), but Will and his people wear star wars socks and Nico's wear mytho magic socks (cuz they're nerds). I think they let each other pick the others' walk out music (because it let's me make a joke). Apollo and Naomi walk Will down the aisle. The song Nico picks for Will is "Wait for the Lights" around the 34-second mark. The doors open at the end of the crescendo, and they start walking once the music comes back in. Hazel and Hades walk Nico down. And I think Will actually wrote something for Nico because I don't think he has as little talent as he says. He has his dad and mom help, but that's cuz he's a perfectionist. (they don't have to go down the aisle it this order this is just the order I thought about it in) Vows wise, I think they are super dorky. Like cheese balls. But their also super heartfelt and special. During Will's vows, Lee and Micheal ghosts actually cry. same for Nico with Maria and Bianca. Nico's vows include the Italian bit of what he said to Will when they got engaged. They get married by the pope. ( idk if this is offensive, but like Nico is/was Catholic, so idk, but if it is, I'll change it. Just tell me. Like, i don't know if it'd be the most recent one, but I feel like he'd be the most down). Apollo bawls his eyes out. He's just a proud dad, guys. Hades has a small lil smile on his face, and Persephone's a little teary-eyed. Honestly, no one leaves with dry eyes. Reception is huge. they dance and eat food (that isn't from the underworld). due to America, there's no alcohol but trust me, you don't need that to act drunk. or maybe laws are different in the underworld. They play games. There's a Mytho magic tournament (Nico wins, Frank says he let him because it's his wedding). There's trivia (Will and Annabeth dominate that). And other really fun games i can't think of. they do those who knows who better for each groomal party(i TOLD you, I don't know the word for the boy version of bridal party), there's a round for parents, and nico and Will also do one. They make a video for their future self's. After the reception, they go to Venice for their honeymoon. do they take a car, the gray sisters, shadow travel, no planes, sun chariot? idk they just get there.

___

author?/Op note(you really don't have to read it. it's just me talking)

idk if this is good, but I really tried. I started to feel the creative juices come back, but idk. I might have to read everything again cuz I don't feel like it measures up. which is probably crazy of me because I didn't expect so many people to like this, but ig that's solangelo for you. if it's bad, I can try again. I mean it, I don't mind. this is the first time someone's asked me to talk/post, so I'm kinda nervous. but like thanks for putting up with my deranged ahh and reading. Maybe I'll make more. This is fun.

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calisources · 1 year ago

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𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐘 (𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟒) 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒. all quotes and sentences were taken from the movie troy (2004). change locations, names and pronouns as you see fit. mentions of war and politics are included in this post.

I'll tell you a secret. Something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last.

Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now.

If they ever tell my story let them say that I walked with giants.

Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die.

Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles.

You gave me peace in a lifetime of war.

You're still my enemy in the morning.

You're still my enemy tonight. But even enemies can show respect.

I have endured what no one on earth has endured before. I kissed the hands of the man who killed my son.

I know my country better than the Greeks, I think.

You are a brave man. I could have your head on a spit in the blink of an eye.

Do you really think death frightens me now? I watched my eldest son die, watched you drag his body behind your chariot.

Give him back to me. He deserves a proper burial, you know that. Give him to me.

How many cousins have you killed? How many sons and fathers and brothers and husbands? How many, brave Achilles?

I knew your father, he died before his time. But he was lucky not to live long enough to see his son fall.

War is young men dying and old men talking. You know this. Ignore the politics.

My brothers of the sword! I would rather fight beside you than any army of thousands! Let no man forget how menacing we are.

Do you know what's waiting beyond that beach? Immortality! Take it! It's yours!

I chose nothing. I was born and this is what I am.

Imagine a king who fights his own battles. Wouldn't that be a sight?

Of all the warlords loved by the gods, I hate him the most.

Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone, and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?

Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity.

You say you're willing to die for love but you know nothing about dying and you know nothing about love!

Go home, prince. Drink some wine, make love to your wife. Tomorrow, we'll have our war.

Perhaps your brother can comfort them. I hear he's good at charming other men's wives.

You speak of war as if it's a game.

But how many wives wait at Troy's gates for husbands they'll never see again?

If you go to Troy, glory will be yours.

And the world will remember your name. But if you go to Troy, you will never come back... for your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom. And I shall never see you again.

They say your mother was an immortal godess. They say you can't be killed.

You have your swords. I have my tricks. We play with the toys the gods give us.

All my life I've lived by a code and the code is simple: honor the gods, love your woman and defend your country.

Troy is mother to us all. Fight for her!

There are no pacts between lions and men.

Aren't you afraid?

Everyone dies, whether today or fifty years from now.

If I don't, you'll kill more men.

At night I see their faces. All the men I've killed. They're standing there on the far bank of the river Styx. They're waiting for me. They say, 'Welcome, brother'.

Last time you spoke to me like this, you were 10 years old and you'd just stolen Father's horse. What have you done now?

Do you love me, brother? Will you protect me from any enemy?

Well, then your men did. The sun god will have his vengeance.

His priests are dead, and his acolyte's a captive. i think your god is afraid of me.

Afraid? Apollo is master of the sun, he fears nothing.

I know more about the gods than your priests. I've seen them.

You're royalty, aren't you? Spent years talking down to men.

You must be royalty. What's your name? Even the servants of Apollo have names.

What do you want here in Troy? You didn't come for the Spartan queen.

Why kill you now, Prince of Troy, with no-one here to see you fall?

You should not have come here tonight.

That's what you said last night?

Last night was a mistake.

I have made many mistakes this week.

Of all the kings of Greece, I respect you most. But in this war you're a servant. And I refuse to be a servant any longer.

Sometimes you need to serve in order to lead. I hope you understand that one day.

Prince Hector, is he as good a warrior as they say?

You come here uninvited. Go back to your ships and go home.

The sun was shining when your wife left you.

She's up there, watching, isn't she? Good. I want her to watch you die.

And I've seen the limits of your mercy and I tell you now, no son of Troy will ever submit to a foreign ruler.

Trojan soldiers died protecting you. Perhaps they deserve more than your pity.

Pearls from the sea of Propontus.

Am I still your captive?

I have heard rumors of your beauty. And for once, the gossip is right.

Soldiers of Troy! You men are warriors! To lead you has been my honor!

Hector fights for his country! Achilles fights only for himself!

You were brave to fight them. You have courage.

To fight back when I'm attacked? A dog has that kind of courage.

It's no insult to say a dead man is dead.

I can't ask anyone to fight for me. I'm no longer queen of Sparta.

You're a princess of Troy now. And my brother needs you tonight.

Menelaus was a brave man. He fought for honor. And every day I was with him, I wanted to walk into the sea and drown.

I almost lost this war because of your little romance.

I want to see him grow tall. I want to see all the girls chasing after him.

Well, of course you do, she's a beautiful woman.

Then I'll make it easy for him to find me. I'll walk right up to him and tell him you're mine.

May the gods keep the wolves in the fields and the women in our beds.

#roleplay memes #sentence meme #( cali meme. )#rp memes #rp prompt #rp musings #roleplay prompt

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skittlesaus · 2 months ago

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Epic The Musical LWA and RWBY Cast

I've had this thought stuck in my head for like half a year now and I finally want to talk about it😂 this post is for the small community of people that have listened to Epic, watched lwa, AND watched at least a season or two of rwby. ANNNND enjoyed the heck out of all three (and really likes Diana but that makes the 'small community' bar even lower).

The post in short is:

Diana would make an amazing Odysseus. Pleeeease think about it. Ody when he's at his most depressed and angsty? Ody when he's being a confident leader? Diana would be able to pull everything and more off perfectly.

Now the post in long form:

So in my head, the girls from lwa and rwby are in a modern AU (it's actually a University Glee AU that I have and will probably never write) and are acting out Epic the Musical for funsies. I tried to have only the lwa girls be the cast but I could NOT make it work. Honestly I'm still flopping back and forth on what is the perfect cast. Its apart of the reason I'm making this post. I'm hoping to get someone's thoughts on it.

So the cast! I'll write it in a loose order of when the characters have speaking lines.

Odysseus: Diana

Eurylochus: Akko/Amanda/Hannah/Someone else. I feel like I'm having trouble placing this position the most. Amanda would be a good fit but I think she would be an even better Poseidon. Amanda being Poseidon would work with her and Diana's dynamic too. Akko would be good but I think Akko would work better in other spots. Same with Hannah.

Polites: Hannah/Akko. Now as I said above, i think Akko would be fantastic in other positions. Mainly older Telemachus, i think she would be perfect for him. But she has the personality to work for this position. Perhaps we could do a Hamilton and kill Akko off here and respawn her as Tele. Now I really like Hannah in this spot cause in my Glee AU Diana/Hannah/Barbara have been friends since childhood. So casting Hannah in this spot would really work from a friends pov. In my head, it allows Dia to act out Polites' death even better.

Athena: Pyrrha. No words, it's perf 👌 oh well now that I'm thinking about it Chariot would also work for all the Chariot fans. So Pyrrha/Chariot.

Polyphemus: Will basically be the voice of Jasminka

Wind God Aeolus: Nora. Okay okay I know Nora has the whole lightning thing which would make for a good Zeus, buuut I think a different character would fit Zeus' vibe better😌

Penelope: Lotte. Pen sings in Keep your Friends Close right?? Anyways as much as I would like a Diakko Ody and Pen, Akko would be better suited in different spots.

Poseidon: Amanda.

Circe: Weiss. Heh. Imagine it. Weiss and Diana acting out that scene between Ody and Circe? You know. The scene. Heh😏

Hermes: Ruby. I think Ruby may or may not work here but I also cant think of anyone better.

Tiresias the Prophet: Blake/Sucy

Zeus: Yang. I think Yang would be a spectacular Zeus😂 i feel like she could bring out those vibes in a way that works better than Nora

Telemachus: Akko/Ruby. Literally the only people I can imagine in this spot. I think Akko would work the best.

Calypso: Barbara/Lotte/Nora/Velvet/Listen I'm really not sure. Probably Barbara.

Apollo: To be honest I have no clue. Ren/Velvet maybe?

Hephaestus: Jasminka/Constanze no cap. Would be perfect. Jas if you head cannon Cons to be mute. Cons if you don't.

Aphrodite: another idk. Uhh coco? Nooo. Uhh. Lmao I dunno guys

Ares: another idk here. Imma need yall to decide. Amanda/Yang could work but you know. Got them in better places. Maybe that tall guy? Velvet's teammate? Yats...Yatsu? But i think he's a peaceful dude so idk.

Hera: Yeah I struggle with casting for all these gods. When I'm listening to the musical and I get to God Games the only girls from the lwa and rwby cast I visualize is Yang for Zeus and Jas for Hephaestus. So uhhh idk someone choose Hera for me.

Aaaand the asshole Antinous: I'm sorry but I visualize Coco. I know Coco would never be that awful but I think she could act out those nastyass vibes. Croix could work also. Coco/Croix.

I think that's it! For the one or two people who were interested enough to make it this far, give Epic a listen with this cast in mind and tell me your thoughts. And let me know your thoughts for characters i might have missed. Like Scylla or that guy who stabs Ody in Mutiny. I imagine him to be Sucy lmao.

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fleurbleedinghearts · 2 months ago

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what is your favorite most OBSCURE myth? 🤔 can be relationship, tragedy, ect ect anything, just one you never/rarely hear anything about and there’s very little material on :D

I love listening to your opinions and interpretations of Greek mythology :)

(1.) CEPHALUS AND PROCRIS CEPHALUS AND PROCRIS CEPHALUS AND PROCRIS CEPHALUS AND PROCRIS!!!

my sad mortal blorbos 💔😭

(This myth that makes me want to strangle Eos but I blame Aphrodite most of all because none of that horrible shit would've happened to them or Cephalus's descendants leading up to Adonis if she didn't curse Eos.)

Anyways, I like to think they're both Odysseus's ancestors through Laertes.

(2.) Psamathe

She was a Nereid just minding her own business on a beach because she's the goddess of sand and then this bastard shitbag son of Zeus takes a page out of his daddy's book and assaults her. Even transforming into a seal didn't turn off Achilles's loser grandfather Aeacus (I bet he had some interesting conversations with Minos who's wife banged a bull), and either out of her reclaiming autonomy after her rape or Aeacus being a fucking weirdo who wants to remember that time he screwed a seal, their son is named "the seal" in Greek.

At least they both love their son Phocus I guess but Psamathe's bitchass stepsons kill him out of jealousy but then the gods SET UP her sister Thetis with one of those asshole stepsons of hers and Thetis turns the wolf she sent after Peleus to stone and through her sister's marriage she has to be tied to her son's murderer until Peleus's sorry ass finally dies or for eternity (if Thetis made him immortal).

She's gets a happy ending according to Euripides though by marrying a King of Egypt (a major upgrade from Aegina if you ask me) and has two more kids (with her daughter Eido even being noted to be the apple of her mother's eye 🥹) so a win is a win I guess but the trauma this poor woman must have!

(3.) Poseidon has a baby with a man

Nerites isn't that obscure of a figure anymore, but ultimately, he and Poseidon are the Bi4Bi couple of all time and don't get enough love.

I love the Anteros origin story where he poofs into existence from Neridon's great requited love IT'S SUPERIOR TO AND FUNNIER THAN HIM JUST BEING APHRODITE & ARES'S SON FIGHT ME!!!

(4.) Erichthonius being the son of Hephaestus & Atthis

This isn't because I want erase Hephaestus's wrongdoings (I do like him though and think he deserves another partner who loves him back. And since every younger male Olympian has their tragic doomed love with a mortal let him have one too!)

it's just a plus that he doesn't do anything shitty to Athena in this version.

(5.) Astraea

Her, her prophesied "return", everything!

Non-Hestia/Athena/Artemis virgin goddesses are so underrated. She does sound pure and true to her titles as the Goddess of Innocence, Justice, and Purity despite her being pro-Cronus and a Titan Golden Age believer.

There's also a sweet moment in the Dionysiaca (which I mostly hate but this moment was sweet) where she nurses Aphrodite & Adonis's daughter Beroe.

I'm so interested in her dynamics with her family since her insanely horny mom Eos was cursed by Aphrodite and is sleeping around with everyone but her dad (sorry Astraeus) and her brothers the Anemoi work directly under Zeus and pull his chariot despite her favoring Cronus's rule.

(6.) Zephyrus's son is a more successful gay than him

Zephyrus, famous for pining after and killing the sexy spartan prince Hyacinthus, never actually managed to pull a man.

He tried his luck a second time with Cyparissus, another one of dear ol' Apollo's boyfriends, but the guy died of grief after accidentally killing his pet deer.

He must have better luck with women though since he managed to reproduce with three different ladies. One of these gals was the nymph Chloris, who he did kidnap, but she forgave him once he made her a more powerful goddess by giving her the domain of flowers.

Anyways, they had a son named Carpus/Karpos. Carpus had a swimming contest with his lover Calamus/Kalamos, the son of a river god. Carpus ended up drowning because the Greeks preferred their gays doomed, and Calamus loved his boyfriend so dearly that he downed himself as well out of grief.

(7.) Cronus helps Hera create Typhon

Gaia crashes out about Zeus to Hera of all people, and since Hera is probably pissed at Zeus too, she goes to rant to her crazy daddy.

Daddy Cannibal gives Hera two eggs smeared with semen and tells her to bury it. She does, and out pops Typhon.

...

Thanks for the ask! I had a lot of fun with this one.

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a-french-coconut · 1 year ago

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Jason Grace

Birthdays are, for Jason, a day like another.

It's a normal day.

Nothing out of the ordinary comes from completing another year of living.

When came the day of his third birthday, Lupa gave him a little more food than the other cups.

As for Camp Jupiter...

Well, Jason never bothered telling his fellow comrades his birthday date.

Every time someone asked him "When's your birthday ?", he would always shrug it off and divert the attention somewhere else.

That was until Reyna came along and baked him cakes every single day of the year.

"If you won't tell me, I'll assume it's always today." She would tell him, presenting him a burnt cake with wax dripping from the ignited candles.

He should have know waging war against the daughter of Bellona would mean defeat.

And so, in their first year of friendship, Reyna learns that Jason Grace's birthday is July 1st, in honour of Juno, his patron goddess.

But to his insistence, they don't celebrate it.

"Why ?" She asked him one night, the both of them watching the city from above, in Bacchus' gardens.

"I already have enough attention as it is." He lies, because the truth is that he wants to preserve his birthday like he knows it.

A blurred image of a blue-eyed girl, swinging him around and singing him "Happy Birthday !". He fears that if he celebrated his birthdays, that memory would fade.

"My full name is Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano." Reyna said out of the blue.

"That's a mouthful." He smiled before trying to pronounce it. "Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano, it's-"

"Don't say it again." Reyna cuts him, her hands clutching her t-shirt, "Never."

"Okay." He replies and he understands why she said it to him.

A treaty, a deal between them.

Two things only they know of each other, a proof of trust.

That night, Reyna became the person Jason trusted more than anyone.

Years passed and nobody bothered to ask him about his birthday.

War is looming on the horizon, a storm ready to fall upon them.

They need to see him as a general, a fearsome warrior ready to lead them to victory.

He is the son of Jupiter and wether he is fourteen or fifteen matters not.

It's not until his sixteenth birthday that Jason understands why birthdays are a special date.

A day to commemorate your life, to celebrate living another year.

When Piper hands him a cupcake, with poorly made frosting, Jason eats it, savouring every bite.

That memory goes lock itself next to Thalia's.

When the war is over, Jason thinks that celebrating his seventeenth birthday with all his friends wouldn't be that bad.

(In canon, Jason never makes it to seventeen. Here, we throw canon out of the window because birthday boy deserves some happiness.)

-----------------------------

Jason plops down on his bed, sighing.

What a long year it had been.

His sixteenth year of living began with a fight on the Acropolis, where he basically told his father he was a idiot for punishing Apollo.

Only for said god to barge into his dormitory months later, very mortal looking.

Then, his home is attacked by a zombie army lead by a dead roman king.

And how could he forget Piper breaking up with him.

Overall, that year wasn't the best of years Jason lived.

Except for all the friends he met and the sense of peace it brought him.

Not fully Roman, not entirely Greek, Jason is a children of both.

He has every right to feel at home in Camp Jupiter or Camp Half-Blood, where his father's statue is looking at him right now.

Jason lays in his bed, head purposesly facing the wall, and lets Morpheus greets him in his oneiric realm.

As Artemis leads her moon chariot in the night, June 31st morphs into July 1st.

-----------------------------

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUPERMAN !"

A lousy voice startles Jason out of sleep and he jolts awake.

"What ?" He asks disoriented and tangled in his sheets.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUPERMAN !" The same voice screams and it comes from a flying table making circles in his cabin.

"Buford ?" Jason yawns, "what are you doing here ?"

"WISHING YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUPERMAN !" Buford yells in his electronic voice, "FROM THE HOTTEST BOY ON EARTH !"

"Right, right, thank you. Can you tone it down a little ?"

"FROM THE DREAM OF ALL LADIES !"

"Yeah, I get it. But please, it's-" He checks the clock, "it's seven am."

"FROM THE SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE ARGO II !"

"What ? I gotta say his name ?"

"FROM YOUR BEST FRIEND !"

"Okay," Jason laughs softly, "thank you Leo for wishing me a happy birthday."

"YOU'RE WELCOME BLONDIE ! NOW GET DRESSED AND COME OUTSIDE !" Buford zooms out of the cabin by the open roof.

Jason shakes his head and quickly puts on a Camp t-shirt and a pair of jeans. When he opens the door, there's no one.

"I know you guys are hiding !" He screams as he scans his surroundings. "Buford told me-" He huffs as a weight settles of his back and arms snake around his neck.

"Happy birthday Jason !" Leo screams in his ear, "Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy-"

"birthday, thanks." Jason completes, holding Leo on his back.

"Amigo, you are going to live the best day of your life !" Leo claps his shoulders, excited.

"Did you plan it all ?"

"With some help but yes, it was me." Leo shrugs, "Now, it's time for breakfast."

"To the Pavillon we go."

Camp's grounds are empty as they walk towards the eating Pavillon.

"Nobody was woken up by Buford ?" Jason asks, surprised, "he made quite the noise."

"Don't worry about that." Leo flicks his head, surely grinning like a madman.

"Fine, but I don't want to bother anyone-" He falters as they enter the Pavillon.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON !" The whole camp scream, whistle, whoop.

He feels his face going hot, "Thanks you guys ! It's very nice of you to-"

At the Apollo Cabin, Will takes a mic and begins to sing.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, Jason Grace, happy birthday to you !" He finishes amidst his siblings' applauses.

"Woah, thank you Will." Jason says, his face probably the colour of a tomato.

Will bows and sits back, himself a little red but pleased with himself.

Leo jumps down from him, "Camp rules still apply so I gotta leave you here. But don't worry, I've got other surprises planned out for you." Leo winks and goes join his siblings.

Jason makes his way towards his table, murmuring "thank you", "really appreciated it", "you're the best." to all the campers he crosses.

When he finally sits down, another little surprise awaits him.

Blue brownies with a note.

"Sorry I'm not here buy you know, studies. Still, Annabeth and I wish you a happy birthday and you'll get our gifts later ! Enjoy your day, I'm still better than you because I win Kansas- ouch Annabeth ! Yes, I'm writing it because Jason will be my witness of your attitude. Appreciate the letter bro because it took me a while with dyslexia.

Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase

PS : I made the brownies (as if it wasn't obvious.), shut up Annabeth. Wait, can I still say shut up if you're writing ? (End the letter.), right, okay, ending the letter now."

Jason chuckles fondly, munching on a delicious brownie while he reads the note.

Most of his friends are at Camp Jupiter, Frank, Hazel, Annabeth, Percy.

He knows they would be here with him if they could, but the praetors are too busy to leave and Percy and Annabeth had exams coming up.

He tucks the note into his jeans and finishes the brownies, sacrificing a conjured apple to his father.

Hello, Father. Thank you for, hum, conceiving me ?

Yeah, that'll do.

He almost faceplates when Leo jumps on his back again.

"You're like a leech." He huffs, readjusting him so they are both comfortable.

"Don't know what that is but I'll assume it's something good." Leo replies, poking his neck. "Head towards the arena please, you have sword fighting class."

"No I don't."

"Yes, you do." Leo chirps, "now go."

"Leech." Jason groans.

Another surprise awaits him at the arena.

"Nico !"

The son of Hades gives him a small wave, "Hi Jason. Happy birthday."

"You came all the way from the Underworld ?" Jason asks with a big smile on his face, "for me ?"

"Don't flatter yourself that much Jason." Nico replies drily, "Will is the main reason I'm here."

"Of course," Jason grins, "how presumptuous of me to assume otherwise."

"I hope I'm not interrupting-" Leo pipes in.

"You are."

"Hush Di Angelo, I got best friend's privileges." Leo continues, "Give him your gift."

"You got me a gift ?"

"Yes." Nico mumbles, glaring at Leo, "I am here for your birthday after all. And Will of course." He adds, taking out a small box from his jacket and handing it to him.

He shrugs Leo off his back and takes the box.

It's pin, with "best cousin awards" written in big golden letters on it.

"It's-" Jason smiles, "it's just to piss Percy off when he sees it, isn't it ?"

"No." Nico says with a straight face. Jason looks at him. "Maybe a little," he concedes, "but I do believe you are not a bad cousin to have."

"Thanks Nico." Jason says earnestly, "I would hug you but..."

Nico smiles, "I can make an exception." and opens his arms.

Jason hugs him briefly and as soon as he's done, Leo climbs again.

"Right ! Now Nico, go find your boyfriend and Jason, direction the Big House !"

This little game lasts the whole day, Leo taking him to different places and people greeting him, wishing him happy birthday.

Malcolm gives him sets of models and black glasses.

"From Annabeth and Percy." He said.

"I understand Annabeth's gifts but did Percy explained ?"

"Yeah." Malcolm suppressed a grin, "It's to help you disguise yourself, like Clark Kent."

Jason rolled his eyes but hanged the glasses on his t-shirt's hem.

Drew gifted him contact lenses.

Connor offered him a book on geometry and architectural design.

"Annabeth might have helped a little." The son of Hermes confessed "And I promise I bought them fair and square."

Katie, Nyssa, Pollux all give him gifts.

It warms his heart that they care so much.

"You did help save our camp." Katie smiled, "It's the kind of thing that makes us appreciate you."

He now has a beautiful plant, a new set of armour and a ticket to an arcade room in New York.

The sun sets and it's time for dinner.

"Leo," Jason calls him as his friend join his table, "thank you for this day, it was the best birthday gift ever."

His friend's eyes glint, "Ah but Jace, the day's not over yet !" and he leaves cackling.

What could have he planned ? Jason thinks as he eats his fries.

Two hands suddenly obscure his vision.

He waits for the person to speak but she doesn't, "I have to guess ?"

He takes the silence for a yes.

"Hum," Jason thinks, who could it be ? One of his friends from Camp Jupiter ? Or... maybe... "Thalia ?" He call out hesitantly.

"Great guess little brother." Thalia laughs as her face appears next to him, "great guess."

He hugs her instantly, "You-"

"Came especially for your birthday, yeah." Thalia finishes, "how could I not ? My little brother is seventeen !" She ruffles his hair, arm on his shoulder.

"For me," Jason repeats, "you came for me."

"Yeah," Thalia says, "I'll always come for you Jason, always." She smiles before adding, "happy birthday."

"You were my only memory for a while you know." He gulps, feeling tears pooling in his eyes. "I'm sorry- I don't know why I'm crying, it's a happy moment, I'm happy-" He takes a big breath, Thalia's circular hugs on his back soothing him.

"You always loved this." Thalia says wistfully, "It always succeeded to calm your tantrums."

"Still works." He sniffles, leaning into Thalia's touch.

"Fate is a cruel thing," she whispers, "I never thought I would see you again after mom left you in those woods. And I've missed all your life, all your birthday parties-"

"You didn't, I never celebrated my birthday until last year." Jason whispers back, "I wanted to keep how I remembered it, with you swinging me around in the house."

Thalia chortles, "You already loved being in the air as a baby, you would always sit next to me and ask to be carried."

"I'm too big now."

"Hey," she nudges him, "no matter how taller you get, you will always be my little brother."

"I'm older though."

"Tough, you're still younger in my eyes." She snarks back, her head resting on his shoulder. "Leo's the one that invited me. I would have come nonetheless but I'm glad you found him, he's a good friend."

"Yeah," he agrees, "he is."

"I didn't come alone." Thalia adds, "there's another hunter with me."

"Hello Jason." A new voice says from behind.

"Reyna," Jason replies, "you're a huntress now."

She nods, "It's what is best for me."

"I'm going to leave you two alone," Thalia says, standing up, "I'll sleep in Zeus cabin tonight so see you later."

After she leaves, Reyna makes no move to go seat with him.

She's as Jason remembered, exuding an air of royalty and undeniable leadership.

She's the leader everyone see when they look at her, the woman who lead New Rome by herself, the demigod that killed a giant.

But Jason can see the small scar on her right wrist, the one she got for teasing Aurum too much with his food.

Or how she's nibbling her lip, indicating she's hungry and the way her hands are clasped behind her back, so that Jason doesn't see them trembling.

She's vainly trying to put a facade Jason can see right through.

"I'm sorry." He says, because it's all he can say.

"What for ?" She tilts her head, "you didn't ask Juno to capture you."

"But you loved me." He adds, because they need to address it, "you loved me and I came back with another girl."

She stiffens and Jason knows that her hands are tightly clasped, Reyna willing herself to stay composed.

"It wasn't your fault, I shouldn't have assumed you liked me back." Reyna clears her throat, "You had every right to date Piper."

"But-" He protests because he expected her to be angry, to be cold. She shouldn't be understanding, "I-"

She laughs bitterly, cutting him off, "You and Thalia share it, you know ? That unshaken belief that you are the cause of everything, that you have a hand in each matter evolving around you. I suppose it is divine heritage." she muses.

She scans the tables, her face lingering on Cabin 10.

"Venus' children ?" She asks and he nods, "Do you remember Charleston ?"

"Hum yes, we went to retrieve imperial gold-"

"I met Venus that day, and she told me that no demigod would ever heal my heart and that I will never find love where I hoped or wished to find." Reyna tells him, still looking at the Aphrodite Cabin, "I never told anyone that" she turns her obsidian eyes on him, "except you."

An olive branch.

An echo to the start of their friendship.

"I'm sorry for leading you on, for never making clear that I considered you a good friend." Jason apologises, feeling angry towards the goddess for ruining his best friend's life, "I hope the hunters of Artemis bring you the family you deserve Reyna."

He leans towards her, "I'm a little jealous of you to be honest," he smiles, a grin devoid of mirth, "I never had such a family before, and I don't think I ever will."

A secret for a secret.

That's how started their first friendship and that is how begins their new one, Reyna quietly seating next to him and directly stealing his fries.

"We'll come visit," she assures him, "every time we are near your location."

She eats quietly for another moment, her eyes fixed on Leo making laugh Harley over some joke.

"I think you're wrong."

"About what ?" He asks.

"About having a family, I think there's someone who would very much like spending his life with you."

"His ?" Jason picks up, "who is it ?"

"Leo Valdez could also make with some family," Reyna muses, "don't you think ?"

"Yeah..." He says slowly, "yeah, I suppose he can."

Next to him, Reyna grins slightly. "I'm sure he would be delighted if you were to sit next to him at your campfire, I'll tell Thalia not to wait for you."

"Maybe I want to sit with Thalia."

She raises her eyebrow, "She'll be here for the next two days, you'll have time to see her."

"Okay, okay" he relents, "I'll ask him when dinner ends."

They spend the rest of dinner chatting about the shrines Jason has to build, the relief of not being predator anymore, Aurum and Argentum, Reyna's new lifestyle.

"Leo !" He calls the son of Hephaestus who looks surprised to see him, "Wanna sit with me at campfire ?" He asks nervously.

"You're not going with Thalia ?"

For a reason unknown to Jason, Nyssa sighs loudly behind them and pinching her nose.

"She's staying a few days, I'll see her later. Right now, I want to go with you."

He gestures his back and Leo laughs but obliges, his head resting on his shoulder.

"Lead the way, Superman."

After two hours of singing, roasting s'mores, laughing until it hurts, Jason lays in his bed in Cabin 1, with a smile as Thalia's light snores fill the room.

Birthdays, Jason has come to find, are extraordinary days that he cherishes a lot for they bring all his friends together.

He cannot wait for his eighteenth birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON GRACE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I'm a little late but it's because it ended up being way longer than I thought it would 😅

Sweet, fluffy, comforting story because he deserves it 💖

#percy jackon and the olympians #pjo #percy jackson #heroes of olympus #will solace #connor stoll #camp half blood #drew tanaka #jason grace #leo valdez #reyna avila ramirez arellano #thalia grace #valgrace #nico di angelo

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earlgreytea68 · 7 months ago

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Still reading The Iliad, and I am now up to the part where Achilles holds funeral games for Patroclus. This is definitely my favorite part of the entire epic so far. Things that have happened at these games:

Apollo was angry with the person who was winning the chariot race and so he made his chariot break. We don't get any explanation for why Apollo was angry, he just was.

The person who came in fourth in the chariot race lost because his horses are trash and he sucks as a chariot driver. Guess that one wasn't about the gods lol

Menelaus comes in third in the chariot race and he's like, "Hold up, we all know I should have come in second because this Antilochus who came in second is not as good as I am, so let's just say I came in second." And the Greeks are like, "Makes sense."

And Antilochus is like, "What the hell! I beat you! But just to be nice, here, you can have my prize." (The prize is a mare.)

And Menelaus gets the mare and is like, "I just wanted to see if you would give it to me, you can have it back now." GOD, THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL SO PETTY WITH EACH OTHER.

Then some people who have never been in this epic before beat each other up for a little while.

Then Odysseus and Ajax wrestle for a while, but they're both so good at wrestling that eventually people are like, "Forget it, you both win, let's move on"

They tell Odysseus and Ajax to split the prizes and one of the prizes is a woman who is skilled at many tasks and is worth four oxen

Then there's a footrace and Odysseus wins that, too, because Athena loves him so much that she makes Ajax trip and fall into oxen dung and the dung goes down his throat and up his nostrils (the narrative makes sure to tell us this specifically) and Ajax is all upset about this and is like, "Athena acts like she's your MOM," and all the Greeks laugh at Ajax for being upset that he had to choke on dung

Then there's this random part where Achilles goes over to Nestor and is like, "Here's a prize because you're so old" lol and Nestor is like, "Thank you. I am very old," and then he tells one of his usual stories that he's been telling this entire epic where he goes on and on about how awesome he used to be

Then they think it's a good idea to have a duel and make people fight each other with swords as if this whole thing hasn't been 600 pages of constant, never-ending fighting, and like halfway through this duel the Greeks are like, huh, you know what, this probably isn't a good idea because one of you is going to kill the other and we need all the Greeks we can get to defeat Troy, so they call that a draw, too

Then there's this bit where they have to throw something really far (maybe it's like shot put?) and the first person throws it and the Greeks all laugh at him because he's a loser who didn't throw it very far

Then they kill a dove, because why not?

And then they're supposed to have a javelin throw but I guess Achilles has grown bored so he says, "You know what, let's just say Agamemnon won that, here's your prize," and Agamemnon is like, "Cool."

#the iliad

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princessofghosts-posts · 3 months ago

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ToA: Hidden Oracle Opinion (3/4)

I just finished the book so I'm going to make the last two post about it.

I left Apollo yesterday fighting off giants ants only to find out how he basically got adopted by the queen. That was extremely strange. I liked how,even with everything that it's happening,he still think sometimes of Artemis and Leto. That's sweet,and I actually hope they will make an appearance even if little. But as someone that hate insects,I found it horrifying. The fact that Apollo himself decided to call the queen mom???? And she was happy about it? Leto come and get your son before he start to get worse!

I admit that I didn't saw Meg's plot twist coming. It's been a while we actually had something like that,I think the last one was in BotL when Percy opened the coffin. Chills,literally. I was also completely wrong about her backstory,but at least now I know why she has roman weapons. And,I know it might be a bit cruel,but I loved how manipulate Nero is with her. He gaslighted her so much that she think he actually care for her,when he was so ready to kill her off with Apollo after she disobeyed him.

I'll probably talk more about this because when manipulators are involved is usually extremely interesting and the situation is so twisted that it hurt so much,and I love to analyze the deep of it.

Apollo being so protective of Austin,Kayla and Meg,even with the fact she betrayed him,was extremely sweet too. Meg will pull a Silena (right now she is more of a Luke) eventually and come back to him,but untill then Apollo is on his own. And the way he felt about the whole situation? The fact that he couldn't let Meg go because she is his master,but at the same he become attached to her? Perfect. (Also,the dude got a lot of abandonment issues and lack of affection,he needs a therapist).

The scene when the dryads died to end the fire is horrifying and it was extremely good too. Apollo was feeling so much guilt and it didn't help him at all,having also Miranda acknowledge what happens (even tho she was still knocked out) put emphasis on how much their sacrifice really meant since a daughter of Demeter could feel them. Trully emotional.

I also wasn't expecting a giant robot to attack the Camp after Apollo got Dodona under control,but of course demigods can't live in peace more than a couple of weeks. The fact that Nico barely did a jump of not even 10 meters of distance and fainted will always piss me off. He got an ancient statue back while said statue was draining his powers,and he had 2 other people with him,and was actively dying but can't do a simple jump to get a chariot without fainting??? Nope,I won't stand for that.

Percy coming in clutch and helping Apollo also wasn't something I appreciated since he needs to start doing things himself. Percy in the end didn't do much (otherwise I was going to have a bad crash out) but I don't like how Riordan make him always came to save/help the situation. Fortunately he isn't going to show much since he stepped down for this. Still,I would have appreciated more if he got there after the fight ended.

And that scene with Mrs. O'Leary on the head of the robot....it wasn't really effective- Percy made a fool of himself,but it wasn't his fault. Idk what Riordan was trying to do here but it wasn't funny.

The fact that the Arrow can talk is another reference to MC I presume,since I know that Magnus's sword can talk and apparently also fly and fight alone. But I loved how Kayla and Austin couldn't hear it so they thought Apollo was insane. That was funny. Poor children,they are having a field week because of their dad and they will probably continue to be worried about him until he come back after finding the other oracles.

I spoilered myself part of the Leo coming back scene,but even with that,it was hilarious. The way Nico got the whole camp in a line to punch him,because he was beefing with him without Leo being aware of it,is something else. The guy is dedicated,you can give it that. And when Calypso mentioned Albania he just went through the 5 stages of mourning. He wasn't having any of it.

Leo scene with Harley was pretty sweet and having Nyssa too was really a demonstration of how far he has come,since at the start of HoO I remember that they weren't pretty welcoming with him. I'm so happy he is loved by his siblings and everyone else,even with his non-existent self-esteem. His copying mechanisms need to be revisited tho....

Calypso putting aside her grudge with Percy was a scene awkward at the start but at least they can finally let everything go in the past. She probably didn't even know that her curse actually effected Annabeth since she couldn't know they would fell in Tartarus. And the fact that she also put aside her hate for Apollo,in a situation where both of them are mortals that can die pretty easily and without powers? That's a good thing too,since now they can sympathize with each other and know each other better. But you can't stop hating a person in just a moment,so I'm hoping to actually have some communication issues between them while they try to figure out each other. Otherwise is fake as fuck.

Having Calypso and Leo as his "quest-mates" right now was not something I was expecting,since I thought he was going to go with someone else (read:Jason,Will and Nico) but that will probably happen later on. Can't wait to see the new characters dynamics with them since they are a strange mix,and with their past too....it won't be so easy.

I also liked how Apollo felt sad about leaving camp,and how guilty he felt thinking about how his children gave him a home/made him feel welcome,while he couldn't even do the bare minimum for them. And his interior monologue when he was trying to hit the robot was actually a good wake up call for him. He is starting to understand he needs to do better,but at the same time he was a self-esteem under the shoes. He isn't different from a TLT Percy and I quite like that.

Python is going to be like Gaia here,while the emperors are the Giants and the Oracles a very important quest to complete. Riordan put a lot of things to work here,and I hope that he will be able to do everything right,without rushing anything (looking at you Gaia-) and make Apollo complete all the stages. It's like a chain reaction: if he doesn't free the oracles he can't defeat the emperors,and if he doesn't defeat the emperors he can't free Delphi from Python. But the final boss already got put in the background since the race in the Labyrinth,so we are going to focus more on the emperors until we got to him. I don't have an high expectations of this,since Gaia got done pretty dirty in her own serie.

Anyway,the book was ok,I enjoyed it and it was more funny than the other books. Riordan lost something during HoO and,he found it again for ToA: the desire to write and create. PJO and ToA have the same feeling for me,they seems pretty similar,while HoO is totally different. It's probably for the narrative choice since they are both in first person PoVs,and only from the main character (one character). Can't wait to see how it will go in the next one.

#percy jackon and the olympians #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the heroes of olympus #trials of apollo #Apollo #traumatized apollo #he is so full of angst and I'm here for it #meg mccaffrey #I was totally wrong about her backstory and I didn't see her plot twist coming at all #it totally got me since it's been a while since we had something like thst (the last one was about Luke/Kronos in BotL)#austin lake #kayla knowles #apollo is so protective of them that I might cry #percy jackson #Rick need to let go of him and let other characters deal with their own enemies #will solace #nico di angelo #he also need to stop nerfing nico so much #leo valdez #calypso #can't wait to see how their dynamic will be with Apollo #the scene in the forest killed me and Meg going away killed Apollo #python #he is like a Gaia 2.0 #the emperors #Nero is a bitch

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madwomanxx · 4 months ago

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Selene and Helios in my modern au 💜

They deserve appreciation too!

Me yapping about them and design choices for way too long 👇

All based on my headcanons, readings and some myths this is NOT a source of information

It's purely my personal world with its own magic system and original characters

Helios

Design :

I wanted him and Apollo to look different, it was easy style wise, both have very different taste and personality

Colors on the other hand, I started facing a challenge, I made Apollo primarily orange, black, some red and ofc lots of gold, all are inspired by the sun god aspect Phoebus, so what does that leave me with Helios? Who's the personification of the sun, I can't ignore those colors!

That's when it hit me, oceans

LEMME EXPLAIN

His home/palace is in the river Oceanus ( source : theoi, it's very good for quick infos on the gods, you won't find everything there but more in depth reading is not possible, I'm a college student lol!)

His wife is also Perseis an ocean nymph and daughter of the titan Oceanus

So, I decided to make his color palette and clothes beach inspired!

I think it really helps make him look very different from my Apollo : )

Don't ask what those shoes are, it's an attempt at drawing sandals I saw on Pinterest, I suck at drawing feet and shoes I tried 😭!

His hair I went for a sun ray shape

I tried to color his hair in a way that resembles the sun's flames, I'm not that great at coloring but I think I achieved a noticeable effect when he's next to my other god designs

The matching earring is supposed to represent the 3 siblings, moon Selene, sun Helios, dawn Eos, naturally they all share it!

The sun earring is also matching between Helios and Apollo ( I don't currently have a drawing of Apollo wearing it atm, that ear hasn't been drawn XD) I have them in a sort of mentor relationship

The eyebrow earring is just me being random-

The sun flowers on his pants is because one of his lovers turned to one ( he didn't turn her btw) it's a very fun and somewhat sad myth, I recommend reading it, Helios appears very peaceful in it?? JUST READ IT TRUST ME

Also yes, I did give him a tooth gap, yes he looks shorter than Selene

Personality:

The more I read about Helios, and the dialogue of the gods ( I spent days looking for the full thing because unfortunately not all of it is on theoi, I can happily say I succeeded 😎)

I gathered few things, one) his wrath and punishments are towards people he doesn't really know and are very mmm silly?? And are just turning people into animals with the exception of Odysseus

2 of the wrath myths we don't know why he was angry, and a Roman one he turned a huntress into a doe just because she compared the stag she was chasing to Helios in speed... Yeah it's really silly

On the other hand, a Roman myth you have Clytie, who was so jealous that Helios got together with Leucothoe, she spread rumors about her and got the poor girl killed, surprisingly to me, Helios didn't do anything to her, didn't even talk to her, he was deeply sad and just... Left her completely, she kept gazing at the sun not drinking or eating until she slowly transformed into the sunflower ( after I finished drawing I saw some say it's a heliotrope instead?? too late to fix that now lol, I know very little about flowers)

You can definitely say leaving her was the punishment, I mean it's certainly effective, but it's still weirdly civil of him to do

In the dialogue of the gods he has a conversation with Hermes where he has no issue talking badly about Zeus for requesting he makes the night last longer ( might post the full conversation since it isn't on theoi)

There are goofy fables too with Helios

In conclusion : I write Helios as a somewhat relaxed , funny god and a little reckless ( dialogue of the gods+ letting his son drive the chariot)

.. Finally why did I choose to give him a tooth gap and make him shorter? WELL.... to be real with you this is an inside joke between me and my best friend, I was listening to Hadestown, my favorite song how long?

One of the comments pointed out the line: how does the sun even fit in the sky?

And asked if they're fat shaming Helios- I can't explain to you why that comment made me laugh, legit can't

I ofc told my friend, then she started joking about Sol ( Roman god equivalent of Helios) sounding too cute

Thus was born, the joke that Helios is gigantic ( like the sun) but purposefully makes himself look smaller, why? Idk he just does and it's funny when he suddenly becomes big in all his glory ( if I were to design him in ancient times I'd probably do something too similar to @ kyleesarthell on tumblr, so I probably won't do that)

Selene

Design :

I wanted white to pop a lot in her design, I didn't want to go for a night or stars motif ( those I wanted to save for a Nyx design)

For that to happen I needed the majority colors to be on the darker side, I decided to go with dark blue ( saving purple for Nyx) and black

I tried at first to match descriptions of her cheeks and skin in general being blinding white and darker clothes, it didn't really work that well to me, I didn't feel like it shined enough, there was too much of it and the black clothes seemed to grab my eyes more

So I reversed it, I love how they worked here!

I wanted the hair to be relatively straight, I made the hair black and white shines underneath, trying to capture the dark moon dark reflecting the light differently for various shapes

Her eyes are described as black so I went with that ( even more differences from Artemis)

I gave her a jacket because she's sometimes said to wear a shining cloak, this is my way to modernize it a bit

Made her accessories gold not silver because, it fits more with this color palette, silver just wouldn't pop and it works towards my goal of making her and Artemis look different

Her crown is said to be a crescent moon that looks like bull horns, she's associated a lot with bulls and even some say she rides on them ( others say white horses) it's very cool so in my world it's white bulls!!

The gem is supposed to be the Moonstone, some say she wears it, I tried my best

Personality:

I noticed she seems to be bitter, specifically about her love life, a lot of texts she's bitter and talking about how you ( a woman like Medea) now will suffer in love like she does, and just I urge everyone to read those texts because it definitely shocked my previous image of her, this behavior is very frequent and she sure as hell doesn't seem happy with her lover being asleep imo

A surprising amount of texts focus on her love for Endymion, I didn't think it was this major to her, I'll definitely need to read up more on this myth because I'm starting to think him sleeping forever isn't her choice or at least she resents it???

She seems to have a hate love relationship with both Aphrodite and Medea

Aphrodite is definitely more complex ( based on the dialogue of the gods it seemed positive or civil unlike the other text of her mocking Aphrodite in glee while talking to Harmonia, very fascinating text! )

With Medea it seems more hate than love but she did send light at her wedding so... Idk

There's a whole section on theoi about some witches folklore regarding Selene, gist of it witches of Thessalian draw on Selene causing the lunar eclipse/ blood moon by extracting her blood, there's a text with quite the disturbing/sad text describing this, like damn I'd be bitter too if I were her tbh

She's not only bitter in my world btw, she's just the more reserved one is all

Helios is the older brother, he's more goofy and somewhat relaxed

She's the younger sister, more mature and holds grudges more, she can still have fun with her brother at times though and be very sweet to those she loves ( little too obsessive you could say)

Apollo and Artemis are a bit reversed

Artemis is the older one but she's very reactive and emotional, she's generally fun and only appears somewhat cold to mortals she doesn't know, even then it's not exactly cold as much as you can feel that she'll murder you for the slightest hint of disrespect!

Apollo is harder to fully describe but for the sake of this post, he's more mature and calm at times, his revenge is more calculated to maximize the pain ( Achilles is a whole example to me in this) he can have fun too though and is gentle!

#greek mythology #digital art #modern au #greek gods #greek mythos #greekmyth #mythology #greek goddess #Helios #selene #character design #my art #I talk too much I'm sorry #English isn't my native language #So I end up overexplaining everything in fear of being misunderstood

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actual-gremlin · 1 year ago

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@crush-like-that here’s that song analysis you asked me about!

Buckle up cowboy because I’ve got a LOT to say. so, in my mind, this is set right after the Battle of Manhattan. Will has just lost most of his siblings, and he’s now in charge of not only his canon, but also the infirmary. That’s a HUGE responsibility for a 13 year old, ESPECIALLY a grieving one. My guys going through it, and this song perfectly captures it imo.

(lyrics are in italics)

It'll be fine by dusk light I'm tellin' you, baby These things eat at your bones and drive your young mind crazy

So this first little bit is Will trying to convince himself that he’s going to be fine without his siblings. He can’t stop thinking about his siblings and the patients he lost. -these things eat at your bones and drive your young kind crazy-

But when you place your head between my collar and jaw I don't know much but there's no weight at all

He misses his siblings more than life itself. To me, this lyric symbolizes the realization that you’ll never see the person, or feel them hug you ever again.

And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't 'Cause if I say I miss you I know that you won't

This might be a bit of a stretch, but HC that a lot of campers resent Micheal and Clarrise for their petty argument surrounding the Chariot and since most people are to scared of Clarrise to say anything to her face, they take it out on Michael’s memory instead, causing him to be a pariah of sorts. So this is Will knowing that he can’t say he misses Micheal, because he doesn’t want people to get mad at him for ‘defending someone who caused a bunch of deaths’. But I miss you in the mornings when I see the sun Somethin' in the orange tells me we're not done

Every sunrise is like a stab in the gut, because (HC) the Apollo kids used to watch them all the time. He can’t do that anymore. He’s too busy in the infirmary, and he has to push his grief down to keep moving.

To you I'm just a man, to me you're all I am Where the hell am I supposed to go? I poisoned myself again Somethin' in the orange tells me you're never comin’ home

So to me, the chorus is Will trying to find solace (ha) in his mom, but she’s in the middle of touring, so she doesn’t have time for him. The ‘where the hell am I supposed to go?’ part is him realizing there’s no safe space for him to grieve and feel the way he needs to. So he pushes it all down and keeps moving forward. He overworks himself in the infirmary because he feels like he has no use elsewhere. On those short moments where he stops moving for long enough to remember, it almost destroys him because he’s kept it down for so long.

I need to hear you say you've been waitin' all night There's orange dancin' in your eyes from bulb light Your voice only trembles when you try to speak Take me back to us dancin', this wood used to creak

Sibling Angst time!! He desperately wants to hear Lee tell him that he was ‘worried sick! You left no note and we had no idea where you were!’ When he sneaks out with Drew to hang in the woods. He misses the therapy sessions they used to have that always ended in dance party’s punctuated by the creaking of the wood floors.

If you leave today, I'll just stare at the way The orange touches all things around The grass, trees and dew, how I just hate you Please turn those headlights around Please turn those headlights around

He sees his siblings in everything. The way the sun radiates off of his fathers cabin, the grass where they played frisbee, the trees he climbed to get out of dish duty, the dew they used to roll around in first thing in the morning. He’s begging them to come home, even though he knows it’s impossible.

anyways, this was fun!

#will solace #Something in the orange #Zach bryan #Naomi Solace #song analysis #Will solace angst #will solace needs therapy

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psy--conic · 6 months ago

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Reading the Iliad, Book 11 thoughts

This is my first time ever reading it and I know next to nothing abt greek mythology so if I interpret anything wrong by all means pls correct me

Im reading the Robert Fagles translation

Okay so the books called "Agamemnon's Day of Glory" so I thought the war was going to tip in favor of the Greeks again. It actually got worse tbh

Loads of people die

It's the next morning after the last book and Zeus tells the goddess of strife to encourage the Agrives to go fight

So everyone gets ready for battle but Zeus is definitely on the Trojans side today (again)

The gods don't interfere with this battle all at I think

Agamemnon goes on a mini killing spree and kills a bunch of ppl

Zeus doesn't like that all too much so he sends Iris down to tell Hector "Hey, hang back for right now but when Agamemnon gets wounded and retreats from the battlefield it's free real estate."

Agamemnon ends up getting his arm slashed and he goes "That hurts bad"

Homer compares this pain to the pain of giving birth... No, the fuck it is not, Homer

Character: *Gets hurt.*

Homer: "Its like when a Lion-" He compares wounded people to animals a lot in this one.

Agamemnon goes back to the Greek camps

Hector sees this and he just knows this is his moment

And he fucking takes it

So Odysseus grabs Diomedes and starts to kill people

Hector starts booking it toward them, Dio throws his spear which hits Hector's helmet but it just kinda bounces off (Apollo gave it to him)

Dio complains that if HE had the help of a god, Hector would be dead

Just get in the chariot Diomedes

Lmao so Paris is off in the distance somewhere and he takes a shot at Diomedes while he's striping some guys armor

AND ACTUALLY ENDED UP HITTING DIO IN THE FOOT????????

Paris IMMEDIATELY starts going "Omg I'm the best, I just shot Diomedes♥️😩"

Diomedes tells him if they fought hand to hand rn that Paris would lose bc he sucks. Which, fair.

While Ody shields him Diomedes pulls the arrow out of his foot and has to go back to camp

So Odysseus is left alone lol

The Trojans end up jumping the shit out of him to the point that he has to call for help

Menelaus and Ajax(greater) hear this and rush over to help him

Odysseus ends up hurt as well so he too has to go back to the Greek camp

Ajax remains and kills a lot of the Trojans that were jumping Ody

Thennnnn Paris shoots Machaon (YK the healer of the Greek side)

Yk its bad when Paris starts fucking up ur team

Nestor and Idomeneus lose their shit and they're like "Get Machaon tf out of here NOW!"

TONS of important ppl have been injured by this point

Zeus stuns Ajax and so he falls back to protect their ships

A man named Eurpylus runs in to help Ajax.

Paris sees this and shoots him too😭 this time in the thigh

Jump to Achilles. He's watching shit go down from his boat and he's Nestor rushing back into camp with someone who looks like Machaon, and he says "lol finally they're going to beg for my help"

THEY BASICALLY DID THAT TWO FUCKNG BOOKS AGO

He calls for Patroclus and sends him to see if the person with Nestor is Machaon. (It is)

Patroclus mentioned♥️♥️♥️

Nestor tries to sit Pat down for some win but he refuses

Nestor talks abt how now is really not the time for Achilles to be acting like a child

Then proceeds to go on one of those "Back in my day " rants and talks for like 3 full pages abt something idk anymore

Holy shit Nestor

At the end of it all Nestor says Achilles really only listens to Patroclus

And here's where TOSA kinda fucked me up because I really thought that Pat came up with the idea to lead the Myrmidons into battle himself but it was actually Nestor who suggested the idea

On the way back to Achilles, Patroclus runs into Eurpylus (who is not in good shape)

Patroclus says "hmm idk I'm supposed to get back to Achilles." BRO?

But he ends up healing him anyway. The end

#I sense things are heating up #achilles #patroclus #the iliad #reading the iliad #hector of troy #paris of troy #tagamemnon

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lonewolfel · 8 months ago

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Lightning that makes her Kingdom Fall: Chapter 5 - Leaving

Chapter List

On AO3

Ares was sitting on Apollo's couch not pouting no matter what Aphrodite, Apollo, or Asclepius say.

"I crushed his enemy for him and this is the thanks I get. He'd rather go to Athena then me," Ares complained.

"They both care for each other," Aphrodite reassured.

"I can care!" Ares exclaimed.

Aphrodite pat his shoulder. "I know love."

"Can you stop whining I'm working here?" Apollo huffed.

He had his lyre in his hands. Apollo was clearly trying to focus on his music instead of his family. Keyword is trying.

"I am not whining," Ares protested.

"Sure," Apollo said.

"Are you even paying attention?" Ares snapped.

"Yeah, lets see one of the mortals that Athena has been following around like a lap dog likes her better than you. Just like everyone else," Apollo said.

Ares stood up. "What does that mean, Song Bird?"

"Simple, like two gods ever liked you. One of them is because you are a good fuck and the other is your mother. Most if they want a war god they go to Athena," Apollo said.

"Well at least I'm not a bastard child like you and your sister," Ares said.

"Guys," Aphrodite tried to break in.

"Oh wow the only thing you have going for you is the fact Father for once fucked his wife," Apollos said.

"If you are just going to bicker then you can leave," Asclepius said.

He looked up from where he was monitoring Athena.

"Exactly," Apollo said.

"I meant both of you," Asclepius said.

"But this is my temple," Apollo said.

"Yes, but you aren't even trying to heal Athena. If you are going to be a distraction then it is for the best that you leave," Asclepius said.

Apollo opened his mouth to argue. He then closed it deciding against it. "Fine then I'm going to hunt with Artemis since my presence isn't appreciated," With that he stormed out of the room.

"Love," Aphrodite said. "You can be a bit intense at times. I know you mean well but you can scare mortals so easily. Perhaps you should try a different approach and maybe not share your rage this time."

"Different approach. I can do that," Ares said. He walked out with a determination that kind of concerned Asclepius.

"How is she?" Aphrodite asked now that it was just the two of them.

"She's stable, everything else we will have to figure out when she awakes," Asclepius said. "I must say I'm shocked that you care. I had been under the impression that you two hate each other."

"Oh, we do," Aphrodite said. "Well we did I'm not sure about now. She just always acted so high and mighty because she was immune to my gifts. I had honestly thought that she was incapable of loving anything at all, but during the games. She loves those humans. I don't want her to die when she was just beginning to understand love."

Aphrodite then stood up. "I should probably check on Hephaestus. He probably thinks that I'm making love to Ares again and we don't want another net incident."

Asclepius turned back to the unconscious Athena. She has made some surprising shock waves through some of the gods. It was both inspiring and concerning.

~~~

It has been a day sense he has left Calypso's island. Odysseus had nothing but smooth sailing which set him on edge. He didn't dare hope that Poseidon after all this time would have given up on killing him. Poseidon had to not know that Odysseus was back at sea which meant that he had to arrive home before Poseidon figures it out.

Selene's chariot was absent in the sky making it more difficult to see. Exhaustion weighed on Odysseus but he didn't dare go to sleep. He knew that sooner or later he would come across a foe and he couldn't be caught unprepared and he had to ensure that he was going the right direction.

Then he felt the water shifting below his raft oddly. Odysseus had to brace himself to stop himself from falling overboard to be dragged down to Poseidon's cold domain. Then he heard a loud roar and saw something glow beneath him.

"Fuck," Odysseus hissed.

It's mouth opened and Odysseus instantly knew what monster it is. Charybdis, the sea monster that sucks in the ocean to catch it's prey and then spits the water back out. It looks like Odysseus was the monster's prey tonight.

It's glow was enough to see the vortex of water being sucked down the ocean. Well Hermes did say that this was going to be dangerous. Odysseus wasn't about to back down or die. After so many years Odysseus has gone too far to be stopped from going home.

Odysseus moved the raft around one of Charybdis' large tooth.

Then an idea struck Odysseus. Eventually, Charybdis is going to have to spit out the water and when it does he can use the blast to escape. The force of it if timed right could shoot him far enough away that he wouldn't have to worry about a repeat performance.

Though all of this was risky. He had to be close enough to the mouth to be hit by the blast but not close enough to be sucked in. The raft got caught in the currents of the whirlpool. Odysseus began to turn the raft to get out of the currents. The force of it turned the raft onto its side sending what supplies Odysseus had gathered flying into the murky depths.

There was a slight pause in the sucking of the water. Odysseus moved to the center of Charybdis' mouth. If he was wrong about it being about to spit out water that meant that Odysseus would become it's food. It turned out that Odysseus had timed it perfectly.

There was a rumble underneath him. The water began to rise rapidly. The raft was shot out of Charybdis' reach. The raft skipped over the water. Odysseus let out a laugh of relief. He had survived one of the tests.

~~~

Telemachus turned around. There stood Mentor one of his father's most loyal guards that remain here in Ithaca.

"Mentor?" Telemachus asked.

"What are you doing here on the docks, my prince?" Mentor asked.

"I'm leaving Ithaca," Telemachus said. "Don't try to persuade me otherwise."

"Very well, follow me," Mentor said.

"Wait what? Where are we going?" Telemachus asked.

Mentor was already walking away. Telemachus quickly began to follow after him.

"I have a ship. If you want to leave Ithaca I can take you to another island," Mentor said.

"Wait are you going with me?" Telemachus asked.

"Of course, prince, I cannot abandon you," Mentor said.

"I'm not a prince anymore," Telemachus said.

"You are," Mentor said. "Do you want the ride?"

Telemachus nodded his head. He followed Mentor to a ship. The ship was setting sail to Pylos. He didn't have any objections to going there.

#epic musical #epic the musical #epic telemachus #epic odysseus #epic apollo #epic aphrodite #epic ares #Asclepius #fan fic #fan fiction

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