#i think that’s what she actually said that percy’s love life would be interesting. and ITS NOT

[old-skulls]

i have an irrational hatred for percabeth, not in the “she’s abusive!!!” way but in a i just don’t like these characters together way

[g1rld1ary]

you never disappointed me - part two

part one part two part three part four

➻ synopsis: luke castellan x aphrodite!reader ; percy and beckendorf's plan to set you up with luke is in motion, but you're extremely resistant to any advances (10 things I about you AU)

➻ word count: 3462

➻ warnings: swearing, ooc/kind of loser!luke, ooc silena, she/her pronouns used for reader, sexual innuendos

➻ thank u so much for all the love on part 1 I am such a happy gal!!!!! also, have my first day at uni tomorrow (so pls wish me luck) and sorry if updates slow down!

TAGLIST: @myxticmoon @wicca-void @leeknows-wife @thekittyxo-blog @number-onekidqueen @instabull

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

It turned out that getting you to go out with Luke was harder than he’d originally anticipated. Eager for the whole ordeal to be over and for him to be 50 dollars richer, he’d hopped down from his spot on a fallen log and hurried to meet you by the volleyball courts when your match ended. You, unaware of Luke’s agenda, were fanning your face to combat some of the sweat that had accumulated, quickly tightening the messy ponytail you’d tied. Luke watched you in your own world, unbothered by anybody watching you, unlike the rest of your siblings. Sucking in a quick breath for confidence he approached you.

“Hey there, girly,” He smiled, “How’re you doing?” You looked up at him, inquisitive for a moment but ultimately unimpressed.

“Sweating like a pig actually, and yourself?” You were barely looking at him, skulling an impressive amount of your water bottle quickly. He stared at you, not expecting to be dismissed so easily. He recovered smoothly, not prepared to give up so soon.

“You really know how to get a guy’s attention, huh?”

“My mission in life,” You shot him a cloying smile, now giving him your full attention, unable to help being slightly interested by his boldness. “But obviously I’ve struck your fancy, so you see it worked. The world makes sense again.” You‘d figured out his motives now and had no interest, so began the walk back to your cabin. He followed, much to your dismay. Couldn’t men ever take the hint?

“So I’ll pick you up Friday then?”

“Oh right, Friday, uh huh.” You kept your eyes ahead, dodging a few younger kids as Luke trailed after you, annoyingly optimistic still.

“The night I take you places you’ve never been before,” He said, and you looked at him in disbelief. The ego on this kid!

“Right, like the makeout clearing in the forest? Do you even know my name, Castellan?” Luke could tell that you were mocking him, but he still had high hopes.

“I know a lot more than you think.” He smiled then, a lopsided thing that would have been somewhat charming if you’d actually bothered to look. Instead you were already walking away, calling out a “Doubtful. Very doubtful,” over your shoulder as you picked up into a run, presumably to go tell Clarisse about the bizarre experience you just had. Luke watched you go, dumbstruck in the middle of camp.

Percy and Beckendorf watched the exchange from the porch of the Hephaestus cabin, the latter putting his head in his hands dramatically.

“We’re screwed,” He groaned and Percy winced slightly.

“I’m sure it’ll all be fine, dude. Luke has faced a lot worse than a teenage girl.”

When you sat at dinner that night, desperately avoiding the eye contact Luke seemed desperate on initiating, you almost told Silena about your bizarre day. You’d opened your mouth to start the story when you realised that she’d only be encouraged by Luke’s antics, pressuring you into going out with him for her own benefit and quickly shut it. She’d noticed your odd behaviour and searched for meaning in your face. Panicking for something to replace the conversation, you zeroed in on the necklace sitting nicely on top of her camp one.

“Where’d you get the pearls?” You asked, already dreading the answer. Silena only confirmed your fears, claiming them as your grandmother’s with a coy smile.

“So what? You’ve just been hiding them the last three years?” You were always closest with your grandmother, and you were sure she wouldn’t leave her favourite pearls for Silena over you.

“Daddy found them in a drawer just before summer.” Silena shrugged as if you weren’t sitting across from her, cheeks a blotchy red in your upset. “Besides, they look good on me.” Your hands itched to hit her as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, knowing exactly how much she was pissing you off.

“Trust me, they don’t,” You spat, quietly glad when Silena stalked off in a huff, amongst the first to leave the meal. You didn’t know how much longer you could argue with her before starting to cry, which you really didn’t want to do in front of the whole camp. You thought you were safe for the rest of the meal when Drew began speaking instead.

“You could try being nice sometimes, you know, people wouldn’t know what to think.” You rolled your eyes aggressively.

“You forget, I don’t care what people think,” You replied, taking in a spoonful of food.

“Yes you do. Everyone does. You know, with a new look you could have some serious potential.” You ignored her last statement.

“No, I don’t,” You emphasised, “You don’t always have to be who they want you to be.” You knew that wouldn’t impact Drew in the slightest, but you hoped it might resonate with some of your younger siblings — encourage them to nurture their internal beauty rather than accept the vain stereotype Aphrodite children were forced into. You pushed yourself out of the bench you were sitting on, needing a break from your insufferable siblings. As you dumped your dishes where they needed to be you saw Luke beginning to follow you and turned to make dead eye contact. Knowing you’d only scream at him (or worse) you gave him a dangerous look, accompanied with an almost imperceptible shake of your head. Not enough for anyone else to know you’d even acknowledged him, but enough to tell Luke to back off. He was smarter than you thought, as he held up his hands in a show of surrender, redirecting his action to innocently collect up his own dishes.

You may not have had any interest in knowing the boy, but you did appreciate that he knew when to back off. Or so you thought.

You were proven not-so-free from Luke Castellan the very next morning. It was the Aphrodite cabin’s day to check all the storerooms, and you’d volunteered to do the one which held all the weapons and armour near the sword fighting arena. You knew none of your siblings would come near if they could help it, mostly against weapons and the violence that surrounded the area, so you’d get a whole morning alone. It was peaceful attending to the chore, and you were allowed to use some of your Aphrodite eye for beauty. Of course, stacks of swords and assorted weapons could only be made so pretty, but you enjoyed organising them into neat rows, making it look as nice as possible — not that you would admit that to Silena or you’d be in her vanity chair receiving an unwelcome makeover in seconds.

You were just admiring your own sword, which you’d taken the time to polish while you were taking care of the others, when you felt a presence behind you. You didn’t react, assuming it was just some camper coming for a weapon, until he spoke.

“Nice sword, vintage hilt?” You tensed as Luke’s voice infiltrated your peace.

“Are you following me?” You disregarded his statement, an unimpressed frown present on your lips.

“I was training in the arena and needed to polish my sword. I saw you come in a while ago and not leave, I came to say hi,” He explained, and you raised an eyebrow. You weren’t friends, why would he come for a chat?

“Hi.” You promptly turned back to your task, shoving the cloth into the intricate designs of the hilt.

“Not a big talker, huh?” He persisted.

“Depends on the topic. My sword doesn’t exactly whip me into a verbal frenzy.” That wasn’t strictly true — the sword was a gift from your mother, with gold twisting around a blood red ruby in the centre of the hilt. After you’d made it clear that you weren’t going to just sit around during your time at camp she gifted you the sword, her way of saying that if you were going to fight, you should at least look good doing it. You’d had several conversations with Clarisse gushing over the intricacy of it, and profusely thanked Aphrodite for the gift in your offerings. You didn’t quite care to share this with Luke, being a relative stranger.

“You’re not afraid of me, are you?” He asked, and you were somewhat taken aback by the earnest tone of his voice.

“Afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you?” You couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that crept into your sentence.

“Most people are.” He gestured subtly towards his scar — gnarled and twisted against his otherwise tanned skin. You put a hand on your hip, resigned to conversation now.

“Well, I’m not.”

“Ok, maybe you’re not afraid of me, but I’m sure you’ve thought about me naked.” You were pretty sure Luke was going for smooth or charming, but you thought in this moment he was entirely lame. The wink didn’t help his case.

“Am I that transparent? I want you, I need you. Oh baby, oh baby.” You put on your best Drew impression, nasally and whiny, before handing him the cloth he needed to polish his own sword and turning to leave. There, quickly approaching the door, was Ethan. Seeing you he put on a disgusting smirk and blocked the doorway, effectively caging you into the storeroom.

“Gods, what is it, asshole day?” You asked, not caring that both boys could very clearly hear you. “Do you mind?” You gestured to his blocking the exit. He simply looked down at you, clearly doing his best to appear sexy (and failing miserably).

“Not at all.” His stupid smirk was going to kill you, and not in the good way. You scoffed, giving him a last chance to get the fuck out of your way. Then, sparing a fraction of a glance back to Luke pretending to mind his own business, you slammed the hilt of your sword into his foot, wishing it was the blade instead. You watched him crumble to the ground, holding his foot with both hands.

“You bitch!” He yelled, voice cracking pathetically in the middle. You forced your smile to stay contained.

“Oops,” You feigned innocence, one hands covering your mouth strategically. “You might need some ambrosia for that…” With that you side-stepped him, eager to leave the situation. If you’d have looked back, you would have seen the gleeful, disbelieving smile on Luke’s face, probably the biggest one he’d worn in a while. Although he didn’t get the date he’d entered for, he was beginning to think you were a little more interesting than you let on.

“Did you just cripple Ethan?” Silena shrieked as you entered your cabin to grab your things. “He’s a model, you can’t do that! Has it escaped your notice that you’re completely psychotic?” You pretended to think for a moment, then shrugged nonchalantly.

“Guess your long walks on the beach are gonna have to wait,” You sighed dramatically, leaving Silena to wallow in her pity alone. It wasn’t like it was really your fault — if Ethan had learned how to respond to words or learn the meaning of ‘move’ he wouldn’t have gotten himself into that situation in the first place.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Luke were having a similarly emotional conversation after Luke had — very reluctantly — helped Ethan over to the infirmary to get his foot checked out.

“When I shell out fifty, I expect results.” Luke sighed, could this boy get any whinier?

“Yeah, I’m on it,” He said through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to hurt him.

“Watching that bitch obliterate my foot doesn’t count as a date. If you don’t get any, I don’t get any, so let’s get some,” Ethan said, running a hand through his ridiculously styled hair. Luke couldn’t believe his nerve. First of all, obliterated? He would be left with a bruise for a few days, if anything. Secondly, this whole things was Ethan’s idea, Luke had never given any indication wanting to ‘get some’, especially not with someone so clearly resisting his advances. Just as Ethan left, giving the Apollo girl treating him a douchebag smile, Luke hardened his resolve.

“I just upped my price,” He said, loving the way Ethan’s eyes widened like a cartoon character. “A hundred bucks a date, in advance.”

“Forget it,” Ethan grumbled, moving to leave again.

“Forget her sister then.” The two boys stared at each other, one significantly more amused than the other. Luke knew he had the upper hand in the dynamic, something he revelled in. Then, after the intimidation tactic clearly wasn’t having any effect, Ethan reached for his wallet, Luke admiring the crisp fifty he was handed.

“You better hope you’re as smooth as you think you are, Castellan.” Luke just watched him go, confident tilt of his head conveying his outlook on the situation.

Luke had taken his usual spot overseeing combat training, but his usual thoughts were long gone. Instead, he was entirely preoccupied with you. He didn’t know how to get you to go out with him when you could barely entertain a conversation, and he twirled his cigarette between his fingers as he pondered.

Percy and Beckendorf saw his internal conflicts, slowly moving closer to him under the guise of a very chaotic fight between the two. Finally Luke gave them attention, knowing Percy’s skills would never have him running all over the place like that. He raised an eyebrow, a sign for them to get on with whatever they were angling at.

“We know what you’re trying to do, for Beauregard,” Percy said, and Luke appeared almost startled.

“And we want to help,” Added Beckendorf helpfully, shying away when Luke’s eyes bore into his.

“And why would you do that?”

“Beckendorf here has a major crush on Silena—”

“Gods, what is it with this girl? Does she sweat nectar?” Beckendorf opened his mouth to protest when Percy spoke over him, knowing it would be more beneficial to let Luke lead.

“Look, I think we can both tell that Charlie’s love is pure, well-intentioned, better than, say, Ethan White?” Luke sighed, catching on.

“I’m in this for the cash, that’s it. Who Ethan wants to bang is of no interest to me.”

“There will be no banging!” Beckendorf cried as Percy pushed him behind. He was no use in a delicate situation like this.

“Ok, Luke, it’s just that we’re the masterminds behind this whole thing. We set it up so Beckendorf can get the girl — Ethan’s just a pawn.” Luke paid closer attention suddenly, intrigued by the chess match he’d been pulled into.

“So you two are gonna help me win her over?”

“We’ll do research, find out what she likes. We can be your guys on the inside.”

“In a strictly non-mission type of way,” Beckendorf added helpfully, nervous of the legends he’d heard about Luke’s failed quest. Luke chose to simply ignore that comment, and Percy filled the silence before he could get angry about it.

“Let’s just start here: the Apollo cabin is throwing a party on Friday night, it’s the perfect opportunity.”

“I’ll think about it,” Was all Luke said, a clear signal the conversation was over. Percy and Beckendorf returned to fighting, slightly more regulated now they had gotten what they’d wanted, and Luke brought the cigarette back up to his lips, new thoughts clouding his mind.

Meanwhile, Ethan had found Silena where she was known to hang out by the rocks near the lake. He was hovering next to her, providing snatches of shade as he performed pose after pose, claiming he had a modelling job lined up when he left for the year.

“So which do you like better?” He asked, moving his hands fractionally to the left of his chin.

“The second,” Silena giggled, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “It’s more… pensive.”

“Damn,” Ethan kicked the sand softly. “I was going for thoughtful. So, you going to the Apollo party on Friday?”

“Maybe.” She produced her best coy smile, looking up at him from behind her lashes.

“Good, ‘cause you know I’ll only bother if you’re there.” Silena smiled, getting up from her spot on the rock.

“Bye.” Her voice was airy in the way she knew drove boys mad. She walked away leaving Ethan wanting more, her specialty. You scoffed, catching the end of the exchange. You and Silena made momentary eye contact, tension thick between the two of you.

As Beckendorf approached Silena, fishing for more information about you, Ethan had caught you in his sights and wasn’t going to let you go so easily.

“You sister is so cute,” His voice infiltrated your bubble in a way that made you want to hit him so desperately. “Doesn’t have your bite though, a feisty woman is so sexy.” You knew he was just trying to get a rise out of you, but it was so close to working.

“Come any closer and I’ll show you just how feisty I can get,” You snapped, braid almost whacking him in the face as you turned to face him. You could have sworn Ethan looked afraid for a second before he covered it with bravado.

“One day you’re gonna realise that all of this hostility is just your sexual repression. Don’t worry, babe, I’ll be waiting with open arms… And legs.” You almost threw up.

“Gods, can’t you just leave me alone, asshole?” You yelled, trying to push past him to get anywhere else.

“C’mon, don’t be a prude,” He whined, and you were really close to taking him to the ground — not in the way he wanted.

“You heard the girl,” A voice called from behind you, and instantly Ethan took a step back. “She wants you to leave her alone.” Luke appeared behind you, a respectful distance away whilst still making his intentions clear. Ethan shrunk back into himself, making a lame excuse as to why he had to leave, hurriedly fleeing the beach. Reluctantly, you turned to face Luke.

“I’m not going out with you just for that,” You said plainly, daring him to try again.

“You think that low of me?” He laughed, dark eyes sparkling with mirth. You forced yourself not to notice. “I don’t have to want something from you to know that Ethan White isn’t worth your time.” It was your turn to be embarrassed at that, feeling slightly narcissistic for assuming that was the purpose of the conversation (it was, but Luke sure as hell wasn’t going to ruin his chances because you were in a mood, justified or otherwise).

“Oh.” You stared at his shoes. “Well, thanks, I guess.” You moved to leave but Luke stopped you, hand not quite touching your arm, unwilling to have it bitten off.

“So you do have a heart!” He joked, signature grin on his face. You wondered why you were seeing so much of it lately when he’d been so dour since his quest.

“Ha! You wish.”

“Don’t try to hide it, Beauregard, you’re warming up to me.”

“I’d sooner fuck Mister D,” You replied, actually taking your leave.

Luke watched you go, chewing his lip between his teeth. There was more to you than you let on, he was sure of it. He wouldn’t say it was any fondness, but he was starting to have a curiosity attaching itself to this scheme, and he knew that going out with you would satisfy it. He should have known having any personal stakes involved — sentimental or otherwise — would get dangerous.

Your own thoughts had barely budged on Luke. He was still a pain in your side and you figured you knew what kind of guy he was — not the type you had any interest in. Still, you couldn’t deny that you were appreciative he’d saved you from Ethan (and the inevitable washing up duty you’d be punished with when you beat him up), so maybe he wasn’t quite as despicable as you’d initially judged him to be. Close, though.

part three

[causeimcrayzeebee]

MAJOR DRDT CHP 2 EP 16 SPOILERS

hey guys what the FUCK JUST HAPPENED. holy SHIT. never ask a gay person what happened October 5th 2024.

first can i say that the execution was phenomenal. i miss ace SO MUCH already but goodness the ending hurt. i had a feeling he’d die of fear once the execution started but that did NOT make it any easier to watch. holy shit.

i love how much self reflection happened. Ace, after all this time of being unable to repent for the harm he caused, instilled that motivation to be better into Arturo to save Levi’s life. from being called a coward by teruko to calling someone else on their cowardlyness was honestly kind of cathartic to see. ngl im excited to see what’s ahead for arturo after this!!

despite Teruko’s whole speech about how she won’t die, Levi jumped in to save her. he says he doesn’t understand human empathy but this was pretty damn close. even tho she assured everyone she’d be fine, Levi tried to save her anyways, but again it could just be driven by his need to do what he thinks a good person would do. praying he survives cause holy shit. him saying that he doesn’t understand Ace and Ace trying to push him away even more really stung….

MonoTV’s reset actually caught me so off guard. i kinda love it tho, it really displays the tone shift. ofc this killing game has been fucked up from the start, but it’s gotten even darker now as the main source of humor as well as comical incompetence is no longer who we knew it as. very likely that monotv won’t have another slip up like losing who’s motive is who’s again next chapter.

terukos development…. holy shit. I can’t stop saying holy shit bc tbh all of these are my thoughts immediately after finishing it and im still recovering from shock so take these with a grain of salt. i absolutely love how her arc has gone. as many have said previously, Ace is an example to Teruko what the isolation she forced herself through can do to people. Ace is the tragedy that could befall her as well. not to make things about percy jackson, but it’s very akin to the luke and percy foils (ik it’s not the same thing really I just wanted to mention their character foils) Arei is one side of the coin, and Ace, and Teruko if she kept going how she was before this trial, are the other. Arei was able to own up to her mistakes, and the others weren’t.

There’s also something that really displays their similarities when Teruko has to stay behind to cry because she’s too cowardly to face the group this way. Might just be because of timing but yk just a thought. Teruko was essentially admitting of guilt for Xander’s death and missing him, as well as Min. It really is easier to pretend as if everything is out of your control, even when you could have done something. Teruko has to learn about what’s beyond her dichotomy of blame and fate.

okay guys. let’s get this out of the way. um. this sprite is NOT helping you beat the mastermind allegations Whit. I actually jumped out of my seat seeing this sprite, it was actually quite horrifying to witness this. in response to Min’s execution, Whit had hardly much of a reaction, which has been a bit suspicious but likely has to do with how he grieves considering his mother. This tho…. i can’t tell if it makes him more or less suspicious (genuinely if anyone wants to talk about things that either prove or disprove Whit mastermind theories pls go ahead im so interested in what people think cause im at a loss). but like…. why is his hand behind him. what is he doing.

genuinely so wild how this whole time, Whit has only show a significant amount of care for Charles. yea i love charwhit they gay as hell, but even so, this specific focus that Whit has when it comes to Charles is something that, if Whit really is the mastermind or even just a traitor, it could be reaaaallllyyy bad news for Charles. I would not be surprised if he was trying to get close to Charles to make it hurt as much as possible when he revealed himself to be the mastermind or something of that nature. Or it could just be him having grown an attachment to Charles in some way (again pls lmk what you think about whit!!!) We’re not getting the happy love story we want but what did we expect when it’s a fanganronpa.

so yeah those are my thoughts on the ending of chapter 2! I planned to do a quick funny post and yet here i am writing analysis for half an hour. goodness. anyways to make up for funny post, i saw this part of Ace’s execution and my first thought was bungo stray dogs reference (crowd starts booing).

[moonlit-imagines]

Preferences: the Avengers visiting you, the owner of the local bookstore

Avengers x reader

warnings:

a/n: i hope it ok i turned into prefs!! i think it made more sense with the interaction part <3

prompt: @groovy-lady: “May I please request headcanons of being the owner of a bookshop the Avengers all go to and how they all interact with you?”

Bruce is there quite often, frequently in the scientific section. He buys stacks of books at a time and is quiet and polite when checking out. You always comment on how smart he must be and he awkwardly laughs it off. After a while, you start pulling certain books you’d think would interest him, which melted his heart when he realized you thought of him. “I added a science fiction novel in there, too. I don’t know if that’s your thing, but it’s one of my favorites.” You told him and he smiled. “Thank you for thinking of me.” He said.

Clint bought a lot of kids books. “How many?” You asked. “Three. Two boys and a girl.” He told you. You admired his choice of books for his kids. Teen fiction, sci-fi, graphic novels, fantasy, and a few children’s books. “Lots of variety.” You commented. “Yeah, trying to get them into reading.” He explained. “Any recommendations? The older ones are preteens, a boy and a girl. The little one is just learning how to read.” You smirked and started heading towards some classics like Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games. “These are the most popular for their age group, and I love them, too. As far as your little guy, you’ve already got the right idea.” Clint was grateful and took the first book of each popular series, promising to come back if they loved them as much you you did.

Nat was a fantasy reader. She had no shame in it. “What do you have for me today, y/n?” She’d approach the counter and have a small stack waiting for her. You’d go down the list with a little synopsis of each. “I hope you like them.” You told her. “You haven’t let me down yet.” She said back. She also donates her books when she’s done with them, saying she wants someone else to enjoy them as much as she did.

Steve nearly picked your history section clean. “Catching up, Captain?” You joked, recognizing the Super Soldier as soon as he walked in. “I don’t even know where to start.” He admitted. You gladly slimmed down his pile of history books and replaced quite a few with some fantastic works that came out while he was on ice. “As much as I enjoy reading, you won’t learn everything from these. Make sure you aren’t missing out by trying to catch up.” You warmly told him. “That’s good advice.” You told him you try and rung him up, warning him not to go reading those all at once.

Tony was more interested in comics and graphic novels, you’d laugh when you saw him pick up the more risque comics and he’d give you a playful wink. “They’re not for me, they’re for Clint’s son, the three-year-old.” He always knew how to make you laugh. “Yes, Elvira is the perfect choice for Clint’s small child.” He said he knew you’d understand. He also admitted he likes comics because they give him a little break from thinking all day and some of the characters remind him of his own life. You told him he was like Batman, he disagrees.

Thor checks out Norse Mythology more often than not. He likes to see what is written about him and his family in the eyes of Midgardians. “Are you sure you don’t want to try something different this time, Thor?” You motioned to a different section. “There’s so much more to choose from, I’d love to give you some recommendations.” Thor declined, placing another Norse book on the counter. “Have you ever read about me? Or my brother, Loki?” You nodded, telling him you’ve read a book or two that had them featured. “Wel”l, maybe next time I’ll buy something with a little less…me in it. We’ll see. Thank you, y/n!”

Before the Darkhold, Wanda was actually quite the enjoyer of teen fiction. She begged you not to tell the others what she read, and you promised you’d never share her secret. Most of the time, she’d cozy up in your reading corner with a coffee and read her “secret” books away from the Avengers. “Wanda, this one just came in. I think you’d love it.”

taglist: @locke-writes // @captainshazamerica // @summersimmerus // @prettysbliss // @simp-legend // @wild-rose-35 // @nekoannie-chan // @beth-gallagher22 // @mymelodymia // @deanzboyfriend // @mr-mxyzptlk-1940 //

[ofswordsandpens]

Finale Thoughts

The show stuck the ending far better than I thought it would and when compared to the preceding episodes it knocks it out of the park. That being said, I think because the bar was so low going in, that it makes this episode feel spectacular when really every episode should have done this well, at minimum.

Solo Lessons and Ares Battle

I'm so happy they included the one-on-one training sessions with Luke since its so essential to foreshadowing. I also liked the setting in the woods but why was it like autumn/fall in the flashback lol? However, I think that did unintentionally add a dreamlike quality to the scene which I did really like so whatever I'm here for it.

That being said I do wish these scenes were in episode 2/3 alongside the other chb stuff instead of being a flashback in the finale because it makes it just so on the nose that Luke's the traitor. However, the shot panning from Luke's extended sword to Percy's on the beach ate I can't lie.

Honestly it may have been interesting if they had established some of the solo lessons early on in episode 3 and then done periodic flashbacks to expand on them throughout the series. That way, its not so obvious that Luke's the traitor in the final hour and we also get cool transition shots and establishing that Percy is thinking about what he's learned from his lessons with Luke.

#Relieved that the Ares and Percy fight was not a single sword strike and then cut to black. Glad we had some action. Still think we should've pushed the limits much harder tho.

Oh but Percy's wave did go hard. They actually made the wave much bigger than what happened in the book and now I'm just sitting here wondering why we couldn't see some more of this instead of 10,000 cut to black scenes every time Percy uses his powers.

I wish we had gotten this Ares's reaction from the book when he lost: "The roar that followed made Hades’s earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Ares, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide." Show Ares's reaction seemed so anticlimactic in comparison.

And no curse???? huh??

I know Ares was like "we're enemies 4 life now" but the curse and dialogue from the book goes so unbelievably hard: “You have made an enemy, godling. You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware.”

Why couldn't show Ares say that??

Olympus, Zeus, & Poseidon

[Insert aw, she's ugly John Mulaney Meme]

sorry Olympus could've should've been prettier.

Like Olympus in the book felt a lot more wondrous and lush and colorful. But in the show it seemed so dull. Idk if its cause the "war's happening" or whatever it was just bland. a wash of dull-looking cgi and then an instant cut to the Big Palace.

Lance Reddick's Zeus was amazing tho. He had that godly presence I've been waiting for.

And Toby Stephens's Poseidon? oh I loved it.

I especially loved their conversation in greek.

I still wish however they would have done effects on the gods' eyes. Like glowing with energy or something when they get emotional. I felt like I was waiting to see electricity burst from Zeus when he was yelling at Percy.

And so it turns out that the reason why they changed it to Percy missing the deadline in the show was to create a situation in which Poseidon surrenders a war for his son.

And listen, if this scene existed in a vacuum I'd be so here for it. I guess a part of me can't fathom the solstice being anything other than a hard deadline. I enjoy the scene without context, within context I have mixed feelings about it.

But the "do you dream?" convo between Percy and Poseidon. Oh my god no notes. I loved it.

Some more book dialogue that I wish made it: “You did well, Perseus. Do not misunderstand me. Whatever else you do, know that you are mine. You are a true son of the Sea God.”

Luke's Betrayal

Okay here's where we get some high highs and low lows.

Some things I sincerely liked:

The setting. Fireworks going off in the background. The lantern illuminating the side of Luke's face with the scar. So visually nice.

Luke actively trying to recruit Percy! I've always joked that if Luke was just a little smarter he would have tried to persuade Percy to join his side rather than immediately kill him. And I do like that the show went this direction.

While I do mourn the loss of the scorpion them battling via swords is a great subversion of the sword mentor/mentee dynamic they share. It makes the scene tense and fast pace.

And its all of the above that makes me wonder why we didn't have more of this throughout the show: talking while battling, visually appealing and dynamic settings, unique visuals, etc.

I love how triggered Luke was at Percy's mention of meeting Hermes. I still hate how much Hermes introduction bogged down the show but damn if it didn't lead to one singular funny moment.

Percy getting a hit in on Luke and then immediately apologizing

"I didn't think you'd give the shoes to Grover." Oh that was cold.

Walker and Charlie deserve their flowers and more they were fantastic and carried.

Now things I DIDN'T like:

I don't like how Percy pieced it together with the information he did have... which honestly isn't a lot in the show? If he was going to figure out that Luke was the traitor I would've have had Luke show more of his bitterness like he did in the book. Like the fact the show never even mentioned Luke's failed his quest loses the entire element of Percy succeeding an "impossible" quest and being celebrated while Luke only got a scar and a chip on his shoulder from his failed one.

Luke's scar shoulda been worse idc.

Percy should have been mortally wounded. That's where we run into an issue with there being no scorpion because yeah, a fatal sword injury probably would've been a bit much to depict. I also 10000% think that Luke is enough of a baby to get his daddy issues triggered and then try to off Percy for it even if his original intention was to recruit him.

Also the fact that you see Luke raise his sword for a damning blow and then the very next day you have Percy like "I don't think Luke was trying to kill me." and Chiron agreeing? asdlkfjsdlkf WRONG.

Also, sorry, I don't like that Annabeth was there.

But if you're gonna have Annabeth there, her reaction to Luke betraying her and trying to hurt Percy should've been way more severe than a solemn "I heard everything."

She shoulda been crying, questioning, yelling even if she had suspected him. It's one thing to suspect it, it's another to see the person you consider your family to actually prove it true.

(And this isn't on Leah! It's 100% on the directors cause what was the thought process here? Her brother figure betrays her and she's like :/)

And sure, in the book Annabeth isn't actually all that surprised by Luke's betrayal when Percy tells her about it... but we also never got to see her initial reaction to it. Percy was out for 2 days.

Just, if book Annabeth had been there, she would've been so emotional and that's okay!! let Leah show off her chops!

Sally

I mourn book Sally. I mourn her arc. I mourn the power of Sally unapologetically petrifying Gabe with Medusa's head.

One of the most iconic storylines from the book and it was sanitized in the show to the point that it lost all sense and meaning.

Honestly one of the biggest disappointments of the show for me.

Other

I love the fact that a flower is the searcher's license for satyrs its just so silly and sweet.

I love Annabeth sincerely hugging Percy but also using it for strategizing purposes it feels very on point for her.

Also her braids at the end!! so sweet!

I am very very bitter that Percy didn't see the fates. This + the changes made to Sally's characterization and arc... the show truly doesn't get it.

[utilitycaster]

1. Why do you like or dislike this character? - Percy and/or Keyleth?

I like both of them, so:

I like Percy for the surface reasons of intelligence and witty comebacks and the general Taliesin Jaffe Arrogant Guy Is Confidently Wrong About Many Things reasons, but more specifically I like how incredibly aware he is of social structures and doesn't dismiss them as stupid or fake or meaningless just because he is aware how much artifice is involved. I love how much he validates Vex in this, as someone who's been on the other side of that social divide most of her life and who knows she "shouldn't" care but does, deeply. It would be so easy for him to say "look, titles are stupid and fake, I should know, I have one," but instead he says "no, I see what this means to you, because yes it's all an accident of birth and yes it is kind of stupid and fake, but it's also the reason why you lived rough for your teens and early 20s, and you are not silly for wanting this security." I also think he's a great exploration of guilt and of someone who has a lot of complicated feelings from the gods but does value their counsel; we don't get a lot of characters with that sort of nuance. His scene with the Raven Queen remains a standout for me and for all he can be melodramatic and obnoxious at times, he is also like 25, traumatized, and should be at the club. I think the question he answers (why would someone invent the gun) is an interesting one, and I think the way that his story ends up with the obvious inevitable happening and yet he still finds happiness is unexpected and wonderful to see.

I like Keyleth for a lot of reasons people will probably be annoyed about, which is...she is annoying. Annoying women: may we know them, may we be them, and may we raise them. Anyway, I think her terror of doing the wrong thing at the cost of doing anything sets up a fantastic arc for someone who is expected to become a leader. I admire how she knows she's not the most eloquent and is scared of her responsibilities but does not back down from speaking up when she disagrees with the party. I like how she's perhaps the only example of lifespan angst that is actually portrayed as making a lot of sense, especially since she is also extremely young (probably shouldn't be at the club given the bar crawling results. She should be at ZooLights and have like, one cider.) I think in general her fears are incredibly real and make sense for the character and shape her, and that's not something you see portrayed with this amount of depth very often. I stuck with the VM-era portrayal of Percy but I will say I especially love how Keyleth is portrayed in Campaign 3, because Percy hasn't changed a ton in adulthood, merely mellowed out a little, but Keyleth very much has as she's grown in confidence, as she was only at the beginning of that during the Campaign. I think her relationship with Vax is incredibly good for both of them; her sense of belonging to a place and his ability to support. I do like that she gets angry, especially after so much time being insecure, but I feel much has been made of her anger and I don't have a ton to add there, and also while I like that she is angry and expresses it, there are other characters I gravitate to for that specifically. Also I have incredible respect for her having to take on a much bigger magical burden than expected; I have said this before but my longest-running character was in a campaign where the player playing sorcerer switched to ranger, and the cleric left, leaving me as the only full caster and primary healer (though thankfully we got a baller paladin shortly after). The fact that Keyleth had to, and could, be whatever the party needed mechanically was a godsend. I know VM died a lot but they would have died like 20 times more without her and Scanlan and especially without her.

[cynthiav06]

I'm really pleasantly surprised that you answered :)

Of course, here are some materials from where I got information about Zagreus and Peitho!

For Peitho:

https://mirrorpalace.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/an-exploration-of-peitho/ - her research, which I really love.

And here is the stream of consciousness about her - https://mirrorpalace.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/thoughts-on-peitho/

They both don't belong to me.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3093410 -the fanfiction in which she appears, just keep in mind that it can be very difficult and dark there - Nico Di Angelo becomes a victim. This fanfiction also doesn't belong to me.

Zagreus:

https://hades.fandom.com/wiki/Zagreus - his wiki page, though I can't judge how good it is, because mostly I just read fanfiction/posts on tumblr and get information from there.

and - https://www.tumblr.com/happyk44/tagged/Zagreus - there is also a lot of good material about Zagreus.

And here's one fanfiction - https://archiveofourown.org/works/47538967/chapters/119808652 - from there I draw the creepy and dark part of Zagreus. It doesn't belong to me.

I'm sorry if you get a little confused. I "collect" Character images from various sources, reinforcing them with my own thoughts. For example, Peitho in my understanding is basically the same as in "An Abyss for Atonement" with some additions and my changes. And if you were wondering why I see Percy as a legacy of goddess of charm and a chthonic god - the answer is simple - Percy is beautiful and charming,He is most likely one of the most beautiful demigods of his generation and he can convince you to do what he wants. And I think Percy has some kind of connection with the underworld, it's a subtle dark atmosphere and the fact that he likes to travel through the shadows. His connection to the underworld is subtle and not too noticeable, as if, funny to say, ghostly.

I think this was the hardest of asks, but somehow, I liked it entirely too much. It's a bit out of box take, but I have already done one where I wrote Percy as a Legacy of Odysseus, so I think this fits too. Why do I have a feeling this is going to be a recurring theme for asks?

I am so terribly sorry for the delay but I didn't want to make the post without reading up on most of your suggestions; as I have said I was really unfamiliar with both Zagreus and Peitho.

As per anon's request Percy is a Legacy of Zagreus and Peitho through his grandparents. Percy Jackson as the Legacy of Zagreus and Peitho. [His grandmother Estelle was the daughter of Zagreus, and his grandfather James - son of Peitho].

Peitho is a very interesting deity. I suggest all readers check out at least one of anon's references. She is the deity of seduction, of persuasion , of divine charm and thrall. A force of passion and abstract power.

In certain versions, she is also an alternate representation of one of the Moraie. Lachesis, to be precise. She also used to represent the concept of everything that has happened before or has been till now.

Zagreus, though intriguing, is a bit more straightforward. I know I know I just called a chthonic god straight forward, but he is. Now, the wiki states that he is the God of Blood, but in one of the codex entries, Achilles says he is also a God of life.

He has connections with Styx and has traversed through Tartarus and here's a fun fact in the orignal myths Zagreus and Dinosyus are actually the same gods or at least father and son which would kind of create an extremely strange and entertaining dynamic but let's stick to game wiki. Not to mention the very newly layered dynamic now painted between Percy, Hades, and Nico.

Now think, Percy, eloquent and charming, words dripping with unspoken power. People think it's the tongue of the sea, of sirens, alluring and hypnotic, but it's far older, far more primordial, of Peithos, of divine eloquence, of persuasion.

Perseus Jackson, who none, not god nor mortal, can deny. Persuasion by words, persuasion by war , is it not all the same? Both reflect passion and thus reflect Peitho.

Perseus Jackson, beautiful and alluring, yet dangerous. Too sharp edged. Not a gentle beauty. A sharp, passionate, bloody beauty ,whether of sea or underworld we know not yet.

Percy Jackson, with midnight black hair, so vivid, so deep, that even the Lord of the Underworld balks at the resemblance, to his own line and that of Poseidon's.

Percy Jackson, who dreams and dreams yet again of things that have been, ages before or just now, it does not matter. He has my sight drawls Peitho , lips red with blood and rose, from somewhere far away, but perhaps Sally hears it all the same for she has it too, the gift of her line.

Perseus, whom Styx spares the fatal curse of Achilles not out of Roman interference but out of familial bonds, of primordial connections. The Underworld looks after its own, does it not? And Perseus Jackson is most certainly of the Underworld, will always be.

Percy, whose mind bends blood as easily as it would water sees not the gift of Zagreus, but a horror of Tartarus but he will come to see, after all blood is life and life is blood. Of blood and over blood child, that is your power declares Zagreus from the deepest caverns if the Underworld and Percy thinks he's heard the whispers of the pit but perhaps, just perhaps blood will serve him well, better than sea, better than water.

Perseus, whose call the rivers obey, the rivers of the Underworld. They recognize the blood of their own, do they not? They do, and they answer. They always will, and so will the dead if he dares call upon them. One day, one day whispers Achilles to Zagreus as they watch, the rise and triumph of the favored child of the sea and the Underworld.

Percy, who puts all in his thrall just with the green of his eyes and the smile at his lips. He sees not the divine Peitho in himself, but Aphrodite does not miss, neither do the Olympians.

Perseus, who teeters on the edge of mortal and divine as does Zagreus between living and death. Both, neither, one more than the other. Which one? We may yet see, but Peitho knows, and so does Zagreus. They do not say it, but the Olympians feel it. The wave of change.

Percy, who finds his way in and out of his uncle's, once and again, and then always. New ways and old ones, even forgotten ones. Perhaps Zagreus will be out of a job soon, thinks Persephone fondly. Not even the Lord of the Dead finds it in himself the words of chagrin.

That's all the thoughts I can think up at the moment but I will reblog with more I am sure cause this will stay with me.

I wrote it a bit too dramatically, but I think it fits well. All things considered. Also, anon, let me know if this was to your liking.

Also, I think Zagreus's dynamic with Nico could be super interesting, and maybe just maybe it deserves it own post.

[beezusvreeland]

dear reader - chapter 4

summary: Miguel took the reader’s love and friendship for granted. Something he learns reading her column, when it’s too late…Or is it?

ship: miguel o'hara x f!reader // matt murdock x reader

______________________________________________________________

Chapter 4

“What’s wrong, buddy? Did you buy another shampoo instead of a conditioner?”, Peter raised his glass of beer to Miguel, as he sat on a chair at their usual table. He threw his suit jacket at an empty chair and started undoing his maroon tie. 

“Miggy, you’re putting quite a show for those ladies, huh?”, Pav looked between his friends and a group of women in what was clearly in bachelorette party attire who were drooling over him. 

Miguel just groaned. 

“Bollocks, it really was one of those days”, Hobie used his fingers to give a loud whistle toward the bar. “Foggy, mate, can you get us the strongest bottle of dark beer, please?”

“Many years have gone by since I met you and yet, you’re still the only person I’ve ever met that actually likes that gross liquid”, Peter made a face.

“That really breaks my heart, Peter”, Foggy drops a tall glass of dark beer in front of Miguel, who muttered “thanks” without looking up. “I haven’t seen you like that in a very long time, my friend. It’s a pity your girlfriend is traveling, she is the one who handles ‘soon to be drunk Miguel’ the best.”

“She is not my girlfriend”, Miguel was annoyed. With the crowded bar, his friends and Foggy for remembering him of you. Even the phrase he just said irritated him, which made no sense, he had said several variations of it over the years. God, that probably hurt you, Miguel thought. If he were in love with you and you kept repeating that you were just friends in front of people all the time, he would be heartbroken. 

Miguel always thought of you as a delicate and sensitive person, but he never considered that you could be the two and also be strong. As they said in those boring seminars at Alchemax, you are very resilient. And you probably hated that word. It’s a writer tic, you’d say if you were there, and it makes him feel a little lighter. That and the beer. 

“Oh, sorry, Migs, it’s just you are always together…”

“Miguel couldn’t recognize a good woman even if his life depended on it”, Hobie chuckles. 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Hobie gave him a look of boredom. 

“For a genius, you are very dumb.”

“Is she seeing anyone?”, Foggy collects the empty glass bottles from the table. 

“Are you interested, mr. Franklin Percy ‘Foggy’ Nelson?”, Hobie wiggled his eyebrows.

“You are never gonna drop that, will you?”

“Hey, mate, I wasn’t the one who forgot his wallet in the bar.”

Foggy rolled his eyes. 

“You’ve known me for ages, and know I’m in a serious relationship with Karen.”

“We don’t know the details of your personal life”, Hobie said and Peter nodded, agreeing. 

“Just ignore them, Foggy. Y/n is as single as a pringle”, Pav put a loose lock of hair back into place. “But, seriously, why do you ask?”

“Oh, you know, I have a friend, decent guy, has a small law firm, I think they could be a good match.”

“He better be, or else we are kicking his ass”, Pav said, passionately. Hobie, Peter and Miguel stare at him like ‘nah, bruh’. 

“I don’t think you could, he boxes a few times a week”, Foggy smirked. 

Miguel took another gulp of his beer, finishing it. He gave the bottle to Foggy and asked him for another one. Miguel really liked Foggy, he had been a loyal customer from the beginning, but he just couldn’t handle that conversation anymore. You were still away, they should at least wait for your return to discuss such things. Miguel didn’t like the idea of you hanging out with a stranger. He was a protective friend. He hasn’t been, but maybe he should, being more present in your life could be the fastest route towards mending your friendship. At least that’s he told himself.

***

Dear reader,

What are you supposed to do when your crush shows up at your place out of nowhere seeking some emotional validation? Tell him to go fuck himself. What did I do when that happened a couple nights ago? I let him in and spent a whole afternoon listening to his troubles. It was torture, being right there in front of him while he talked about some girl he met on a dating app. Feeling closer to a mother or therapist figure than a possible lover. 

But it was also nice sometimes, getting to be alone and so close to each other, he was so relaxed, as if he could just be himself around me. Those moments are so rare that I try to memorize them, so I can use those images to comfort me later when he eventually breaks my heart. He does it a lot and has no idea. 

The girl he told me about? He left my apartment abruptly to meet with her. The thing about pain is that, if you give into it, it becomes really easy to let it erase everything else. I feel like I was better at it in the past, the weight of this unrequited love is starting to break my back. 

I have received some emails from readers asking me why don’t I just profess my love to him? Well, I already did it, on my own way. His birthday was a few months ago and, if there is anything you should know about this writer, it is the fact that I love giving gifts. I’m really good at it. Especially when it comes to the ones I love. With him it wasn’t any different. Normally, I try to pick things that will be useful and make his life easier — he is a practical man and really seems to love those. But this year I wanted to try something different, make an idea I’ve had for a long time happen. 

I asked our friends to tell me about their favorite memories with him . There were funny ones, weird ones and surprisingly thoughtful ones. I wrote them all down as short stories and turned them into a book of his adventures. My own short story was the last one and in it and I chose to be brave: I wrote about the day I realized I was in love with him. It was my way of saying “I love you, you stupid idiot, will you ever see me as more than just a friend?”.

One of our friends designed the cover art and I had it printed as an actual hard cover book. With my heart in one hand and the book on the other, I showed up at his birthday house party, dressed to, hopefully, impress. 

There were a lot of people everywhere, so I waited a few hours to have a moment alone with him. He was upstairs in his bedroom looking for his phone amongst all the guests’ coats and purses. I gave him the book and he seemed excited — drunk, but excited — and he was about to tear the wrapping paper when a blonde woman, a beautiful one, the kind only an heiress or royalty can be, showed up. As I was leaving the room, I saw him throw the box in his bed. 

I’m pretty sure he didn’t read it. Or opened it. Probably lost it. 

So that’s how that went. And this is where this week’s column ends. 

As always, remember: never take advice from someone who’s falling apart.

Love,

The writer

***

You were almost asleep when your phone started ringing. You searched for it on the nightstand without opening your eyes. The next day would be your last at the university and you already missed it so much. There was so much love for that place, those people, even the accent that took you a while to get accustomed to. 

There had been a lot of writing too. A little bit of everything, you got to explore different formats and methods, things you would have never imagined you were able to do. In the morning, you would read a piece of your final project to the rest of the class. The idea of reading out loud for other people terrified you when the course began. But now you were more confident in your writing — and yourself. Rather than fear, you were excited to share a part of you with the faces that had given you so much during the last month and a half. 

“Hello?”

“Hi there! How is my favorite writer doing?”, hearing Gwen’s voice filled your chest with warmth. “Shit, did I wake you up? I thought I had calculated the right time.”

“Well, math has never been your thing”, you could hear her smile on the other side of the Atlantic.

“I’m gonna be the bigger person and not remind you of the time you took so long to count the tip correctly that even the waiters didn’t want it anymore.”

You both laughed. 

“I miss you, Gweny”, you said.

“And I, you! Are you excited for your presentation?”

“Actually, I am.”

“I’m happy to hear that. The day after tomorrow, I’ll pick you up from the airport when you arrive.”

“Will you make me a ‘welcome back’ sign?”

“That can be arranged.”

“And you, what’s going on there?”

“Oh, you know, without you, the bar is just the boys getting drunk and teasing each other”, she chuckled. Without missing a beat, she said: “Have you spoken to Miguel?”

From a princess, you were slowly transforming into a pumpkin. Hearing his name out loud coming from someone so close to both of you made it all too real. Ignoring Miguel’s existence had worked so far, but back at home, you eventually would have to confront him. He was still blocked in all possible communications platforms, so you wouldn’t disappoint yourself refreshing the pages to find nothing from him. You wondered if Miguel had realized how badly he hurt you by skipping that dinner. How that was the last straw and you would never see him the same way again. You didn’t think so, he has always been clueless when it comes to you.

“Not really.”

“Right…He’s been weird lately.”

“How so?”, you weren’t curious, you were just being polite to keep the conversation going. Right?

“I don’t know…”, Gwen lets out a breath. “Lyla told me he is watching Gossip Girl for some reason.”

“What? Why?”

“I have no idea”, your best friend laughed. “Lyla said everyday he will stop a few minutes to talk to her about the episodes he’s seen and ask questions about the characters and their relationships.”

You remembered referencing Gossip Girl in one of your columns, but that couldn’t be it. It was a really popular show and Miguel didn’t even know what your writing was about, so he couldn’t have read it. So silly of you to consider the possibility that it had something to do with you.

“He is probably trying to impress his latest conquest”, you said, knowing you would be thinking about it, about him, even though you shouldn’t.

“Yeah…you’re probably right.”

***

How could you ever go back to sleep after talking to Gwen? You walked back and forth in your room, trying to get the tension off of your body. You made yourself a camomile teacup and sat in front of your computer, opening your final project doc. 

Dear love,

I guess this is goodbye

To you

And to the girl that I was before

The one who loved you selflessly 

She was young

Thought she had all the time in the world

That if she just stuck around

You eventually would see her

She wrote about you every week

Even made a profession out of it

She didn’t exactly hide it

But you didn’t look for it either

On your birthday, she typed her way into your stories

Everyone already knew 

If she is writing, it’s probably about you

On her birthday, you showed up late 

Messy hair, sweaty forehead, creased clothes

A box of fancy chocolates in hand 

Which you had already told her about

Long before she asked you what did chocolates mean

And you said it was for special occasions

If you don’t know a lot about someone, give them chocolates

That’s what you said 

She would never forget it

Just like your brown eyes

Beautiful hair

A jawline she would fight a war over

The way you pinch your nose 

When you are frustrated 

But don’t know how to say it

All of your different intonations

She liked the soft one the best

When you showed you are so much more

Genius doesn’t cover it

She always knew that someday you’d save the world

Until then, she waited

Held you, listened to you, 

Felt into all of your traps

The most cruel being 

The flirting one 

Where you’d flirt with her,

Hold her hand, even say a sweet thing or two

And then pretend you didn’t

As soon as someone more interesting came about

There were many someones

Ashamed, she would wonder what she could change

Her hair, her makeup, her clothes

Maybe even a boob job or a filler

Anything to become the one you choose 

But in the end, she turned into me

I’m someone else now

That craft you never wanted to hear about

Now makes me stronger

I kind of believe in myself

Can you believe it?

(Don’t answer that)

Waiting isn’t suitable to me any longer

I want to be wanted

And be able to want without holding back

I know you have a good heart

But you never wanted mine

So I will nurse it back to health

To love my family, friends and myself 

And who knows, maybe someone else

Someone who sees me

Appreciates me

Wants me

I guess this is goodbye

To you, the old me and the pain

______________________________________________________________

<< chapter 3

>> chapter 5

all chapters

______________________________________________________________

dear reader playlist

[hchollym]

Percy Weasley & Sansa Stark Parallels

This post is going to be more for me than anything else, because I doubt many people are interested in this very specific topic, but I couldn't resist.

Percy & Sansa are two of my favorite characters in literature, and the more I started to think about it, the more I realized how much they have in common. I know that sounds strange, and don't get me wrong, there are some key differences (Sansa was definitely more of an innocent victim - the poor girl was only 11 years old), but they do actually have a lot of similarities as well!

I'm going to link some posts/metas about Percy, just in case someone wants to see extra support for my claims, because I feel like Sansa is a little bit more obvious/self-explanatory in canon.

Basics

They are both tall redheads (which doesn't mean anything, but it is a fun coincidence). 🙂

They are both unfairly hated by fandom because of the POV trap (Harry & Arya).

Personality

They are both feminine (see this post about Percy).

They both love reading, and neither of them are very athletic.

They were both naïve and trusted the wrong people because they didn't know any better. Unfortunately, they were both raised by their fathers to trust in something that wasn't trustworthy (the Ministry of Magic - see this post about Percy - & the idea that most men/knights are honorable).

They are both romantic in nature (Percy writing love letters & Sansa reading love stories). Interestingly enough, both of them are the first siblings in their families to be given a storyline that involves a romantic relationship/betrothal & yet both of their oldest brothers end up getting married first (which is not a bad thing; it's just an observation).

Family/Background

They were both the "perfect" child who had high expectations placed on them from a young age ("Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please."), yet they were also ignored the most because they were "easy" compared to their siblings (see this post on Percy's relationship with his mother).

This is why their acts of "rebellion" (Percy disowning his family & Sansa going to Cersei) were so unexpected. They were always so well-behaved until they finally felt pushed over the edge:

“What do we want to be prefects for?” said George, looking revolted at the very idea. “It’d take all the fun out of life.”  Ginny giggled.  “You want to set a better example for your sister!” snapped Mrs. Weasley.  “Ginny’s got other brothers to set her an example, Mother,” said Percy loftily. 

suddenly changing to:

“He went completely berserk. He said — well, he said loads of terrible stuff... And he packed his bags the same night and left. He’s living here in London now.”

&

"It was for love," Sansa said in a rush. "Father wouldn't even give me leave to say farewell." She was the good girl, the obedient girl, but she had felt as wicked as Arya that morning, sneaking away from Septa Mordane, defying her lord father..."

They were both usually the odd one out with their siblings, who all had a closer bond with each other than with Percy/Sansa. Their siblings also looked down on their interests because they couldn't relate to them:

“We’re trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin — leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year —” “That’ll change the world, that report will,” said Ron. “Front page of the Daily Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks.” Percy went slightly pink.

&

Sansa would have sighed and shed a tear for true love, but Arya just thought it was stupid. 

They were also the target of their siblings' pranks/mischief:

“I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days.” “Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?” said Fred. “That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!” said Percy, going very red in the face. “It was nothing personal!” “It was,” Fred whispered to Harry as they got up from the table. “We sent it.”

&

"Arya started it," Sansa said quickly, anxious to have the first word. "She called me a liar and threw an orange at me and spoiled my dress, the ivory silk, the one Queen Cersei gave me when I was betrothed to Prince Joffrey."

They were both resented by their younger sibling(s), who each happen to be about 2 years younger than them (Fred and George & Arya):

"...we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy —” “Perfect Percy,” muttered Fred.

&

Sansa had the grace to blush. She blushed prettily. She did everything prettily, Arya thought with dull resentment.

Ironically enough, their parents usually let those siblings get away with a lot more than Percy or Sansa would have been allowed to get away with (see this post on Molly & Arthur's lack of discipline with the twins):

None of which stopped Arya, of course. One day she came back grinning her horsey grin, her hair all tangled and her clothes covered in mud, clutching a raggedy bunch of purple and green flowers for Father. Sansa kept hoping he would tell Arya to behave herself and act like the highborn lady she was supposed to be, but he never did, he only hugged her and thanked her for the flowers. That just made her worse.

Circumstances/Storylines

Their fathers failed them (though not on purpose) when they needed them most (Arthur yelled at Percy and accused him of spying instead of calmly helping Percy see that he was being used & Ned refused to explain why Sansa's betrothal was being called off). This directly led to their acts of rebellion.

As a result, they were both taken advantage of by people in power (Fudge & Cersei) and separated from their family. Initially, this is what they both thought they wanted (Percy chose to leave & Sansa wanted to remain in King's Landing with Joffrey instead of returning home), but they both ended up regretting it (after losing their innocence and naivety) and wanting their family back.

They were both young, and yet they were judged for not knowing something that even the adults didn't know (Percy didn't notice that his boss, Barty Sr., who he barely knew, was under the Imperious Curse, while Dumbledore failed to notice that his old friend was actually a Death Eater using a Polyjuice potion & Sansa thought that she could trust Cersei while Ned believed that he could trust Cersei enough to warn her to leave town without her retaliating against him).

While they were separated/alone, their mothers were really the only ones doing anything to try and get them back (Molly visited Percy & Catelyn freed Jaime).

They both had to play their part in politics under a corrupt government. They both originally wanted to be a part of that system (eventually becoming the Minister of Magic & eventually becoming the queen). They ended up realizing that the people in charge were not as noble and well-intentioned as they thought.

They learned to be more careful about who they trusted, and they adapted to survive (Percy in a Ministry controlled by Voldemort & Sansa with the threat of Cersei, Jeffrey, and Littlefinger).

They both lost a brother. 😭

He and Ron had both grabbed Hermione and pulled her to the floor, but Percy lay across Fred’s body, shielding it from further harm.

&

Robb had died at a wedding feast as well. It was Robb she wept for. 

They both reconnected/made amends with the sibling(s) that initially resented them (Sansa and Arya will meet again and work things out in the books - fight me):

“I was a fool!” Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. “I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a— a— ” “Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron.” said Fred. Percy swallowed. “Yes, I was!” “Well, you can’t say fairer that that,” said Fred, holding out his hand to Percy.

In Conclusion

I just found it interesting that two of my favorite characters - who seem very different - have so much in common. I'm sure that says something about me! 🤣😊

[dysfunctionallygrey]

MORE PJO/HoO x Pokemon rambles

My mind is a restless expanse of thoughts and it is my duty to make sure they are at LEAST coherent. The Heroes of Olympus and their Pokemon? Hell yeah high five me guy. I will probably go more in depth when i make their own individual posts... whenever that may be... Ill try and put up part 2 with the rest later!!

Jason has a full team of 6, he just has no memory of how he got them, or anything about them for the matter. When he battles though, the muscle memory kicks in and for a second his Pokémon think he's got his memories back and none of the whole amnesia thing ever happened. Only for a second though.

Reyna has two very loyal and very powerful Lucario. They follow her obediently around its actually sort of odd not seeing them with her. But that wasn't always the case. Back then, on a mysterious island, there were two sisters, each with their own Riolu. What happened to either sister, the other wouldn't know.

Me to any justice/fairness leader type character when i make a Pokemon au: Woe, Lucario be upon you.

Hazel... boy oh boy where do i even begin... The sheer amount of Pokemon i was able to find and go "hey that would fit for Hazel" But at the start of her story, id definitely give her a rock/ground/ghost type like a Golett and ive always imagined her having a Drillbur because i will bet on my life the real Hazel Levesque would look at the thing and immediately be endeared. Also a carbink. Guys its a little gem pokemon that can learn light screen its perfect for her.

I already have a post for Piper Mclean. But the gist of it is Piper eevee piper Sylveon. and femininity and queerness and self acceptance. go read my post if this seems interesting to you.

i love Annabeth Chase a lot. If you asked me what i wanted to be as a kid i would've said her and since i love her a lot she deserves only the best (my favorite pseudo): Metagross. But only evolving very late. I imagine it also as a gift from her mom. (Metagross = Steel Psychic = big brain = Clear body user = invisibility cap) At first shes SUPER stoked like holy hell a pseudo legendary, at 12 years old!! and then she starts training the Beldum and she realizes oh. wow it is taking too damn long for this thing to evolve into a Metagross. It doesnt stop her from being smart and giving it Eviolite lol. And then it reaches the MoA equivalent to the story. She confronts Arachne (probably pokemon battle) then the Metang evolves into Metagross. Athena is probably smiling down at her. and then she gets sucked into distortion (aka tartarus) :P

Percy Jackson has Mono water team. With a Gyarados and a Palafin. Funny thing is Jason also has a Gyarados. Neither of them are allowed to have it out in a 1km radius of eachother.

part 2 perhaps later

[harrietpotterandthedemigods]

So, I just finished watching Ducktales 2017. What a gem! But of course my brain did its thing and now I’m imagining all possible post-canon fanfics.

Specifically all the potential Percy Jackson crossovers! Or, should we say Percy “Quackson”?

My main concept is linked to a mystery the characters never address. Which is quite surprising if you think about it. Especially since Webby has dedicated most of her young life to mapping out the Duck’s entire family tree. But Huey Dewey and Louie wanted desperately to know what happened to their mom, yet they’ve never expressed any interest in who their father is.

Now that doesn’t have to be all that weird. I imagine the boys grew up not knowing much about their mom aside from little nuggets Donald would tell them, like; “oh your mother loved this dish” or “your mother actually wrote this lullaby I’ve always been singing to you”. Just enough for them to be curious about her, but they probably realized it made their uncle sad to think about her, effectively stopping them from asking about her. (Though I imagine Donald would have answered many of their questions about Della without hesitation, like how she was as a person.)

When it comes to their father, Donald might not actually know who their father is. They might be the result of a one night stand? I’d say it’s actually quite likely since Della never mentions an ex or anything about her love life for that matter. Maybe Donald never asked in case Della herself didn’t know? It does seem like she was always the wild child of the two. That’s all fine, but it means Donald had no way of dropping lore about him in the same way he probably did about their mom. Actually, forget what I said earlier. Donald did not know who their father was. Had he known, he would have made sure the boys knew him. Because Donald is a good parent.

That said, the boys knew nothing about their dad. But they didn’t lack a father figure. Paired with the previously mentioned point, it makes perfect sense why the boys would not feel the need to know about their father. Unlike with their mother, they never had to feel like they were missing out on having a dad. Donald filled that role. He never calls himself their dad, but he does refer to them as his boys (I’m actually sure Daisy was mentally preparing herself to having to be a stepmother in those vents). And the boys clearly admires him and look up to him, the season one finale clearly shows it. Almost to the point of rubbing it in our faces.😅

So even if the boys were to find out who their father is, it might now be that big of a deal to them.

Huey, Dewey or Louie: Oh, okay, cool. Uncle Donald is still our main father figure, so, yeah, that role’s been filled. Nice meeting you, though.

That said, WE can still be curious though.

And the absence of any clues whatsoever practically gives us free rein to speculate!

Now since I talked about a Percy Jackson crossover, and I’m writing it on this side blog, you probably saw where this was headed.

I suggest that Huey Dewey and Louie are demigods!

Both the Greek and Norse pantheon are real in the Ducktales universe. (Though the liberties taken with the portrayal of Norse mythology are almost offensive in my opinion. Jörmungand is the enemy of the warriors in Valhalla, dam it! He’d never be seen as the underdog man of the people there!) And though we only ever see three Greek gods, we do know many other gods took a liking to the ducks. That’s what Zeus was so jealous of Scrooge for, after all. So it’d be pretty safe to assume that if the boys are demigods, they’re Greek.

Now in this adaptation, the triplets have distinctly different personalities, as opposed to earlier adaptations. That might lead to a possibility of them having different gods as fathers. There are examples of twins with different fathers in mythology. And it might feel a bit easier to match each triplet with his own godly parent.

But… I know a candidate who would fit as the father of all three, and, who I can definitely see falling in Love with Della Duck.

My friends, I suggest, the father of Huey, Dewey and Louie is none other than…

Hermes, Messenger of the gods!

Hermes is also a trickster figure and the patron god of travelers, thieves and anyone who uses the roads really. He isn’t picky about who he sponsors.

Apollo also drops hints about his personality in ToA. That he is a bit adventurous and a wild child.

You can’t tell me Hermes and Della wouldn’t be somewhat each other’s type. They could definitely be seeing each other at least for long enough to create a child, or three.

Additional to being a trickster and a messenger, Hermes is also a god of commerce. These aspects could very well be seen in Louie, who sees all the angles, defeats his opponents by out witting them, and strives to be as rich and successful as his Uncle Scrooge. Though preferably with less hard work and more witty poker strategies.

As previously mentioned, both Hermes and Della are adventurous and the wild child of their respective sibling groups. It should therefore not be a surprise that at least one of their children would be the same. Dewey is the adventurous triplet, and seems to have decided to follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a pilot. He could have gotten his wild attitude from both of his parents, or just one. He is also a bit of a theater kid. He loves to dance and, sort of, has his own talk show. That’s not a clear link to Hermes, but considering he invented two instruments as an infant, one of which became the characteristic lyre his brother uses to play, and is sometimes considered as a minor poetry god besides Apollo, I still think Dewey could have gotten the theatre side from Hermes.

Huey is not as easy. Hermes is neither the god of wisdom nor knowledge. Those domains falls to Athena and Apollo respectively. And Huey’s most prominent character trait is his per suit of knowledge. But I look at his hobbies. He functions as a sort of unofficial sidekick for Gizmoduck. Hermes often act as a travel companion for Zeus when he wanders the earth, and as the messenger of the gods he often assist other gods. Assisting others with tough situations is something all triplets do throughout the series. Also Huey is a junior Woodchuck. Don’t you think the god of travelers would encourage you to learn more about survival in the wild? Hermes is also a god of linguistics and in some cases acts as a mediator between other gods, and can sometimes choose not to fight an opponent he’s expected to fight, showing some levelheaded behavior and certain intelligence, which could be where Huey could get his brains.

But aside from Della and the triplets’ personalities, there’s another piece of evidence. Because we know of at least one instance where one of the triplets has interacted with Hermes.

In season 2 episode 11, Dewey has stolen Hermes’ winged shoes.

But Hermes is the god of thieves, remember? Do you really think he wouldn’t notice a kid was about to steal his stuff?

No way.

It’s my theory that Hermes has either known from the start that he and Della had triplets, or he saw the kids that were obviously Della’s during one of their trips to Ithaquack (is that how it’s spelled?) and simply but two and two together. So when one of them tried to take his shoes, he simply figured he’d let his son have some fun with them. The next time we see Dewey, he no longer has the shoes but he’s completely fine, no harm done.

I imagine Hermes might have appeared off camera and been like; “Hey, I’m glad you had fun with the shoes, but we shouldn’t risk your life by angering Zeus. I’ll take them back and next time you can ask and I’ll supervise.”

I don’t think he’d have told Dewey who he was to him, because a god for a father would become a big deal to the triplets once they found out. And Dewey would probably not repeat the same mistake again by withholding information about their parentage.

So that’s my headcanon. Huey Dewey and Louie are demigod sons of Hermes.

A post-canon crossover fic could therefore feature a satyr taking the boys to Camp Half Blood and learn sword fighting from “Percy Quackson”. How their relationship with their father would then look like once they’re claimed could be up for interpretation. Personally, I’d like to think that between Percy’s trust that gods can change for the better if they want to, and Apollo doing exactly that, Hermes is inspired to become a more present parent to his kids at camp. So if you want to be wholesome, Hermes basically becomes part of the McDuck family through his sons.

But hey, that’s just a theory!

Feel free to share your thoughts about this!🤗

[death-himself]

just finished episode 3 here are my thoughts

also i wrote this first part at the end of my review, but I'm gonna move it here to the top because it got a bit long and I feel like it's more important to state than my review

overall, i feel like the issues i have with the show are more of a me issue. i feel like I (and a lot of us book fans honestly) were hyping up the show to be one-to-one with the book when it's been said by rick and a lot of people working on the show that it was more of a new rendition rather than an exact book-to-screen adaptation

i know that when i watched the first two episodes with my friends, they didn't see any of those issues because they hadn't read the books at all, or at least not in a long time

one example, the issue everyone has with gabe's characterization is one my friend didn't pick up on, she recognized from the start that gabe was abusive and said something like "I'm scared what he'll do to sally if she doesn't get that car back to him"

those of us who live and breathe the books recognize that he's "not as abusive" or that it's a different kind of abuse in the books, so the characterization threw us all off in a way that it didn't for people who haven't read the books

so going forward, i'm probably going to keep that more in mind with the series and reviewing it. i think from a plot standpoint, it still manages to stay true to the book in the ways that really matter, and even emphasizes a lot of the key themes of the book more clearly, while still being extremely different, and I honestly think that's pretty cool

with that being said, bullet point review under the cut (reminder I wrote this before writing the above section and don't plan on changing it)

to begin with, I'm gonna be honest, I feel like they're changing a lot more than I would prefer with the plot. I'm still enjoying the series a bunch, but the differences are very striking to me

now going in chronological order with the episode, percy's reaction to the oracle was pretty funny

the whole thing of gabe being the one to tell him the prophecy looked stupid, but I feel like there was no way to translate it from the book without it looking stupid. i feel like when he's told the prophecy in the book, the creepy description is what makes it feel serious and the weight of the prophecy makes you forget how it's being told, and I don't really think that translates very well to film

also in the book the words are very clearly not words that gabe would say, but I feel like the way the lines were delivered in the episode was a bit off, like it just sounded like gabe with nothing creepy about it

percy choosing annabeth instead of annabeth pretty much forcing herself into the quest is an interesting choice that I'm not sure if I like or hate yet

it feels like they're turning percy and annabeth more into enemies-to-lovers than it actually is in the books

I love grover so fuckin much, grover's never been one of my favorite characters, but disney series-wise, he's definitely my favorite so far

i don't know why, but the little pool in the center of the poseidon cabin is my favorite thing ever, it just feels right

percy and luke's talk in his cabin is just <3

also the way luke went "it's a gift...from my dad" i just felt the WEIGHT of that, everything that it meant

also looking back on that, i love how both annabeth's hat and luke's shoes show the different ways they react to a gift from their parents. the hat is annabeth's prized possession that she doesn't want to give up, while the first time we see luke's shoes he gives them away and clearly doesn't appreciate them as a gift

i loved it since we saw it in the trailer, but thalia's tree is so fuckin cool, i love that it straight up just looks like a person standing guard

also the way they're pronouncing thalia's name is giving me life, my brother made fun of me for pronouncing it that way as a kid and i started calling her talia but to know 10 year old me was RIGHT, incredible

grover's little song had me dying, and percy using that song later at aunty em's was hilarious

ANNABETH IN THE GAS STATION, she was so adorable, that scene owns my heart now. her just grabbing every flavor of that candy was so damn precious

I'm sad we didn't get to see the bus blown up, they could've made it such a funny scene. have the trio run to the woods like "wow I'm glad we got out of there alive" then they look over at the bus and it just explodes. that could've been peak comedy there

the whole talk between alecto and Annabeth was interesting, it does make sense for them to have some sort of history considering what happened with thalia, so i think that's a good change, makes things more interesting

the way they got to aunty em's kind of annoyed me, i feel like they could have easily shown a passage of time and had them get there in the same way as the books. idk, i really liked how they ended up there in the books because they were just hungry kids that wanted burgers

also alecto being there felt a bit weird to me

when i heard they were taking a more sympathetic approach to medusa, i honestly got really nervous for how that would turn out, but i think they handled it as well as they could have. i feel like they said it in a way where the story could have gone either way; one way where medusa was poseidon's girlfriend, and another way where she was tricked and raped by him

she also goes on to both call him a monster and say that they loved each other, so again, i feel like it could still go either way with those lines, though it probably leans more towards the girlfriend perspective (even though I'm pretty sure that's the less myth-accurate perspective, but when has pjo been myth-accurate)

the way they killed medusa TERRIFIED ME, like annabeth my girl, you realize how badly that could have turned out right, having an invisible medusa

also how did that help percy in the slightest, he was still attacking something he couldn't look at so...how did that help

I'm hoping alecto being petrified isn't permanent, hades had better bring her back, i liked alecto. also isn't she important to some part of the plot in a later book? she's the only fury i remember the name of so she has to be important right?

their argument in the basement was an interesting change, i feel like to me it kind of just felt like conflict for conflict's sake. i don't think they felt super in-character in that section. their friendship dynamic feels a bit off through most of this episode honestly, but i think their dynamic's gonna be perfect going forward now that they've gotten past that conflict

percy saying the "i am impertinent" line perfectly. that whole exchange felt like it was ripped right out of the book, i loved that

i know everyone's been shitting on lin manuel miranda being in the show, but i still love the man, and that end scene was incredible

him in the elevator was so funny, and you just know he loved percy shipping medusa's head to olympus, he thought that shit was hilarious

[darkfictionjude]

I'm so sad for Percy. He really is the embodiment of the middle child syndrome, isn't he?

1). While Percy loves his mom a lot (and probably more than he loves his dad), it's obvious that she prefers Orla, even now (perhaps even more now she is dead, and can be idealized further than she already was in life). And Percy is in denial about this favoritism, as it became clear on the most recent update. Perhaps because he can't accept it, or it would break him.

2). Victor obviously prefers Sally. There is little to discuss further on this point. Percy is not welcome as Sally is on the financial situation of the family, and for good reason, since he doesn't seem to be responsible enough. Now, that may be our limited perspective on the issue and on Percy's behavior tampering with our judgment, but I think Victor must have a similar impression, to some extent, and leaves Percy out anyway.

3). While Sally is not a parent, he has been clearly parentified. And Sally has made his favoritism for MC so painfully clear, that Percy cannot do anything but denounce it. Even if Sally's perception of MC is problematic (as he infantalizes MC, and doesn't truly see them as an individual), MC is still more blatantly cherished.

4). MC doesn't have a favorite, but I think that's mostly out of not having opinions on most things rather than because they don't love some members more than others. That said, it would make sense for MC to trust on Sally more than on Percy. Although, it seems possible to build a closer relationship (very slowly) with Percy in game, yet I doubt it would ever be enough as to make MC one of the closest people to Percy. That boat has sailed long ago.

The other aspect is that Percy is also not actively hated by other family members. He is dismissed, or corrected in a condescending way by Sally (although I think Sally is somewhat condescending with all of his siblings, since he infantilizes them all, MC is just ten fold what Percy experiences). But he is not hated. And MC is actively despised by Prudence. And Victor I think does hold some affection for MC, but is not as much as he may have for the other children. Yet, in his case, he still paid a lot more of attention to MC given MC's issues, that he paid to Percy.

As for MC, I think Percy is conflicted. He is wary, he is jealous, he is intrigued but not invested. There is affection there, and maybe some unaware yearning for closeness (which he may very well deny to himself and to the world if ever made explicit by anyone, including himself). But he also has many reasons to keep distance and to distrust MC.

Percy, ultimately, fades to the background. And I think that's tragic. So far his existence seems lonely. But I think this comes from him not having any close relationship within the household, so I do think he may have them elsewhere in town. Yet, that's more of a hope than an actual theory.

You’re gonna to make me cry nonnie what the fuck it’s literally midnight here

This really does a good job of putting it all into a comprehensive list. It makes me feel bad every time I write scenes of sally showing so much affection for mc and not for Percy.

I did like the part where you said that Victor in some way cares for mc. It is interesting and complex how a parent can seemingly care for a their child but not exactly love them (or at least not love them in a healthy).

Percy is the jokester but his life is pretty tragic I think he would trade positions with mc if he could just to get that attention and care

[thebonggirll]

chapter six

< previous: chapter five

Percy was still feeling shaky the next morning when Chiron called a war council. They met in the sword arena, which he thought was pretty strange— trying to discuss the fate of the camp while Mrs. O'Leary chewed on a life-size squeaky pink rubber yak.

Chiron and Quintus stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse and Annabeth sat next to each other and led the briefing. Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible. Also present around the table: Juniper the tree nymph, Silena Beauregard, Travis and Connor Stoll, Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, and Argus the hundred-eyed security chief. That's how he knew it was serious. Argus hardly ever shows up unless something really major is going on. The whole time Annabeth spoke, he kept his hundred blue eyes trained on her so hard his whole body turned bloodshot.

And Y/N, ofcourse. Now that he was fully awake and not that tired, he was feeling extremely embarrassed. How did he even think of asking a question? He was clearly not in his right mind.

"Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance," Annabeth said. "He knew everything about camp." She still had a little pride in her voice like she still loved the guy, evil as he was.

Juniper cleared her throat. "That's what I was trying to tell you last night. The cave entrance has been there a long time. Luke used to use it."

Silena Beauregard frowned. "You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?"

Juniper's face turned green. "I didn't know it was important. Just a cave. I don't like yucky old caves."

"She has good taste," Grover said.

"I wouldn't have paid any attention except...well, it was Luke." She blushed a little greener.

Grover huffed. "Forget what I said about good taste."

"Interesting," Quintus polished his sword as he spoke. "And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?"

"Definitely," Clarisse said. "If he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn't stand a chance. He could wipe us out easy. He must've been planning this for months."

"He's been sending scouts into the maze," Annabeth said. "We know because...because we found one."

"Chris Rodriguez," Chiron said. He gave Quintus a meaningful look.

"Ah," Quintus said. "The one in the...Yes, I understand."

"The one in the what?" Percy asked.

Clarisse glared at him. "The point is, Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. He's searching for Daedalus's workshop."

Percy remembered his dream the night before—the bloody old man in tattered robes. "The guy who created the maze."

The discussion that followed included a bunch of questions and assumptions. Well, that's how most of their quests work. 

Firstly, no one knew if Daedalus, who was surrounded by rumors, was actually alive. Including one about how he disappeared back into the Labyrinth toward the end of his life. Chances are that he might still be there. If he did, they need to prevent Ariadne's string from falling into Luke's hands. 

Secondly, Percy suggested blowing up the entrance, which was quickly shut down by Clarisse who confirmed how the results weren't effective. Another suggestion was to set up a defensive line and wait for them with bows. It was already refuted by Clarisse, supported by Chiron who explained how, if the army with Luke is strong enough to break into the camp protected by magical borders which kept the camp safe for hundreds of years, then the army is strong enough to defeat them.

"We have to get to Daedalus's workshop first," Annabeth insisted. "Find Ariadne's string and prevent Luke from using it."

"But if nobody can navigate in there," Y/N said, "what chance do we have?"

"I've been studying architecture for years," she said. "I know Deedalus's Labyrinth better than anybody."

"From reading about it."

"Well, yes."

"That's not enough."

"It has to be!"

"It isn't!"

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Y/N realized everyone was watching Annabeth and her like a tennis match. It was already going around how both of them were fighting against each other for 'Percy' as if she would even fight with a friend for a boy. No one knew the whole story and Y/N didn't feel the need to tarnish Annabeth's reputation either. You can say that even the smallest of their bickering was now out into the spotlight for gossip. Mrs. O'Leary's squeaky yak went 'EEK!' as she ripped off its pink rubber head.

Chiron cleared his throat. "First things first. We need a quest. Someone must enter the Labyrinth, find the workshop of Daedalus, and prevent Luke from using the maze to invade this camp."

"We all know who should lead this," Clarisse said. "Annabeth."

There was a murmur of agreement. Everyone knew Annabeth had been waiting for her own quest since she was a little kid, but she looked uncomfortable.

"You've done as much as I have, Clarisse," she said. "You should go, too."

Clarisse shook her head. "I'm not going back in there."

Travis Stoll laughed. "Don't tell me you're scared. Clarisse, chicken?"

Clarisse got to her feet, as if she was going to pulverize Travis, but she said in a shaky voice: "You don't understand anything, punk. I'm never going in there again. Never!"

She stormed out of the arena.

Travis looked around sheepishly. "I didn't mean to—"

Chiron raised his hand. "The poor girl has had a difficult year. Now, do we have an agreement that Annabeth should lead the quest?"

All nodded except Quintus. He folded his arms and stared at the table, something no one probably noticed except for Percy.

"Very well," Chiron turned to Annabeth. "My dear, it's your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next."

Waiting for Annabeth was hard. And it was a little bit awkward standing with Percy after their last conversation.

The day before, when Harris pointed out about Percy's eyes on them, Y/N looked at him. She definitely expected him to just turn away like it happened in the past. But this time, it was different. He wasn't looking away. His eyes were fixed on them like they were committing a crime. Well, specifically, his eyes were set on Harris's arm on her shoulder. 

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she looked away. But for the rest of the time, she could still feel his eyes on them. There was a change in Percy's attitude, she could tell. Now, it was as if Percy didn't care about what she thought of him since she knew the truth and wasn't afraid to show his hatred for Harris openly.

Besides, she wasn't so suspicious of Annabeth and his actions lately. Although all of their actions were looked at differently by the rest of the campers, she could feel the loathing atmosphere whenever she was around them. Sure, they were still friends and Y/N was still a bit doubtful about Percy's feelings for Annabeth being completely eradicated, but she could sense the distance between them. Like the time when Percy was missing with Annabeth for an hour but when they were back, looking at the condition they were standing in, it was obvious that they weren't exactly making out. Clearly, they were in some kind of life-threatening situation.

Mostly though, she felt a tension in the air after he uttered some hurtful words to her. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her and it was probably for the best that he straightened out the facts, but still, she didn't expect him to be so brutally honest. The conversation after he asked about her and Harris went like this:

"This is the second time I am hearing this question from you," Y/N said, "What exactly is it that you want to hear?"

"I don't think I asked anything hard for you to answer," he said, pulling her closer, "Are you both dating?"

"....And what if we are?" Y/N asked, her temper rising and probably affecting Percy even more than before, "Just because you had a breakup doesn't mean I need to limit myself for you. If you need some attention, go look for it somewhere else."

"You think I am really looking for attention from you?"

And that was the end of their conversation. Before she embarrassed herself even more than she was, she pushed him away and returned to her cabin. 

"Listen, I didn't mean what I said yesterday," she heard Percy say while waiting for Annabeth, "...It's just that time is running out and I think I was too tired."

Y/N didn't have the nerve to face him. She continued looking at the distance and answered, "No it's fine. It's the truth I needed to hear anyway."

Percy clenched his fists as he saw her once again creating a wall between them. He sighed, in irritation. He really didn't mean to say it the way he did. It's just that....he didn't expect himself to be caught so soon. And by Y/N herself.

"You didn't object when Annabeth was suggested to lead the quest," he said, trying to change the subject.

"And why would I do that?" she asked.

"No...it's just I didn't expect you to even join us in the first place."

"Me neither, but I know no one can make this quest possible unless it's her."

".....So you guys are friends now?" Percy asked, feeling a bit dejected. It felt like he was the only one who kept messing up. Although, he truthfully felt that most of it was Annabeth's fault. Why can't Y/N see that? All it takes is some lousy apology from the blonde for her to consider her a friend?

"No," Y/N muttered, "Although I said I would forget it...if I am being honest, I can't just overlook the actions of someone whom I trusted the most. And when she fully knew how much it would hurt me."

Okay, maybe not. Percy just felt a sense of relief knowing he wasn't the only one in the red zone for Y/N. And talking about 'hurt'...this was the first time she actually admitted her feelings for him. She probably didn't even realize...or maybe didn't feel the need to hide it.

Good.

Percy jolted physically after he thought of the word. It didn't matter how much he denied it, the bottom line is that he did enjoy her attention and was starting to feel greedy. He needed a distraction and decided to focus on his surroundings instead.

Chiron was deep in conversation with Quintus and Argus. It looked like they were disagreeing about something. Quintus kept shaking his head. On the other side of the arena, Tyson and the Stoll brothers were racing miniature bronze chariots that Tyson had made out of armor scraps.

"Come on," he said and left the arena, followed by Y/N. He stared across the fields at the Big House’s attic window, dark and still. What was taking Annabeth so long? He was pretty sure it hadn’t taken him this long to get my quest.

“Hey,” a girl whispered.

Juniper was standing in the bushes. It was weird how she almost turned invisible when she was surrounded by plants. She gestured them over urgently. “You need to know: Luke wasn’t the only one I saw around that cave.”

“What do you mean?”

She glanced back at the arena. “I was trying to say something, but he was right there.”

“Who?”

“The sword master,” she said. “He was poking around the rocks.”

Their stomach clenched. “Quintus? When?” Y/N asked.

“I don’t know: I don’t pay attention to time. Maybe a week ago, when he first showed up.”

“What was he doing? Did he go in?”

“I—I’m not sure. He’s creepy, Percy. I didn’t even see him come into the glade. Suddenly he was just there. You have to tell Grover it’s too dangerous—”

“Juniper?” Grover called from inside the arena. “Where’d you go?”

Juniper sighed. “I’d better go in. Just remember what I said. Don’t trust that man!” She ran into the arena.

They stared at each other for a moment and turned to look at the Big House, feeling more uneasy than ever. 

"If Quintus was up to something…" Percy started saying but was interrupted by Y/N midway.

"We need Annabeth’s advice. She might know what to make of Juniper’s news. But where the heck is she? Whatever is happening with the Oracle, it shouldn’t be taking this long."

Percy couldn’t stand it anymore. "I know it's against the rules, but then again, nobody's watching." He stared at Y/N as if waiting for her approval.

"Oh what the hell, fuck it," she said grabbing his hand, running down the hill and heading across the fields.

next: chapter seven >

book four: the battle of labyrinth

percy jackson x reader series

MASTERLIST

[idksmtms]

Girl I have like an entire storyline here lmao, I have a lot of imagination…too bad I’m not a writer lol. I’m not a native speaker so I apologize in advance if something is written in the wrong way❤️. 

So that was my idea for the Poseidon X Goddess! Reader:

I imagine her as a Norse goddess ( my favorite mythology) and this is kind of a crossover with marvel, but not really (everyone’s alive, but not mentioned and they live separately living each of them their own life, so no avengers, the members singularly exist but they are living at peace, just the occasionally battle, no war, no blip, no things like that, they are in the same universe but they don’t know each other tho) I hope this was clear 😫.

I imagine her as Thor and Loki’s younger sister (she is like 1000 years old or something)I don’t know what kind of goddess she could be, I was thinking love and war maybe, I love the goddess Freyja sooo… 

I imagine her as the scarlet witch but with blue colors, even blue hair maybe lol, she is different from other gods and goddesses, maybe even considered weird from some of them. 

They met when she was 800 or so, because before that olympians and asgardians did not like each other for centuries, so Loki, Thor and y/n have never seen Olympia. 

Once Kronos dies, Zeus and Odin decide to make an agreement, both parties could live at peace without risking any war, a friendly pact. 

Then they celebrate and everyone meet at Olympia, first meeting for y/n and Poseidon. 

Y/n is a beautiful goddess, her blue hair are iconic and unique and she has the power of love and war, so I would say that everyone were watching her, some were envious, others jealous, someone was even afraid maybe, they don’t really know how her powers works, she is kind of strange with her blue hair.

But of course, Poseidon was very intrigued already. They all take a seat in this very long table, and while Poseidon was watching her, for the first time that night, she was staring back at him, she could feel that he was not judging her like everyone else was doing, so she smiled. 

In the meantime I imagine the situation being a little bit chaotic of course, while y/n and Poseidon were just occasionally eying each other and EVERYONE could see that. Then they also dance together and  talk a little (other gods were already feeling the sexual tension lmao😏) . From that moment, they of course are very interested in each other, and in many occasions they talk, they fight together, and one day they kiss.

He is the only one that believes in her powers and is not afraid of her strength (beyond her family and her people of course). He would definitely kneel for his woman and admit that she is more powerful than him any day.

But they can’t stay together, because yes to peace, no to relationships between olympians and asgardians (forbidden love trope 👀).

They keep their relationship hidden for a very long time (with her powers, they could keep the secret from Zeus, Hades knew but he was fine with it and never ever said anything, hades is a Poseidon and Y/n fan in this), but one day Olympia declares war to Asgard because the lightning bolt is stolen and y/n is the one being accused…but guess who was it actually ? Hermes, the motherfucker found out why y/n didn’t want him, at first he thought it was because of the rule but then he caught y/n and Poseidon in the lake and let’s say they were not swimming 👀…yes they were practicing so they could have Percy a century later lol ( I don’t know if you write smut, this scene would need al lot of spicy details) 

So Hermes is the og Luke of course, the war doesn’t happen because they find the lighting bolt, everyone finds out about Poseidon and Y/n and another agreement is made, after a 100 or so peace, olympians and asgardians will never ever again have another interaction…

This was part 1, in the other Percy will be in it. I really hope you like it🦋🩵💙! 

WAIT WHY DO I KINDA SORTA RLLY LOVE THIS???? OK OK IM MAKING THE MASTERLIST RN SO GIMME A MIN AND ILL PUT IT ON THERE!!!

[sophiesbookishthings]

September Reads

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

I love this little magical family. They're so sweet. I really enjoyed the addition of David in this book. He was super fun and I liked the way he challenged Arthur's perception of the word monster. I thought that was a really interesting point to make both within the context of this book and in the way that the fictional magical community is a metaphor for the real life lgbt community. In that same vein I loved that this book was very very blatantly anti-JKR. It did make the book a bit harder for me to read personally, since it's so upsetting to see what JKR and other terfs are doing irl, I don't always love to see such hatred depicted in fiction as I use it as a bit of an escape from the horrors of reality. That being said, I don't think it should have been done any differently because I do also believe stories like this are necessary and that TJ Klune told exactly the kind of story that he wanted to and needed to. My only slight critique of this book was that with the themes present and the dedication in particular, I was hoping there would be a more central trans character in the book. There was a nonbinary side character (which was great!), but they weren't there very long and I think the anti-terf message of this book could have benefitted from a more prominent trans character. All in all though, a very sweet book. I love the Baker-Parnassus's and want only good things for them forever.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Foxglove by Adalyn Grace

The sequel to Belladonna. I liked that this book set up not only 1 but 2 more supernatural beings. I'm very interested to see what exactly Life is in the next book. I also liked that this book let us get to know Blythe more since she was dying for most of the last book. I enjoyed Signa getting to settle into her own at Foxglove as well, even though it wasn't in the vest of circumstances.

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

Woo-hoo! Percy Jackson book!!! Look, I am 25 and have been reading these books since I was like 10. As long as there's books being released, I will be reading and loving them. This book was literally just Percy, Annabeth, and Grover pet sitting. Like idk but it's such a fun concept to me. And the fact that they bond with said pets by the end? I love it. Also, Hecate's cool af. Idc that she was supposed to be kinda scary, I think she's neat. My main complaint about this book, though, was that when they knew they were having to deal with ghosts, they should've called Nico. At least for like a consultation or something! Like c'mon. Y'all have a friend that's called The Ghost King, and none of you think to call him??? But anyway... This series is just little (relatively) low stakes mini quests, and I'm having a great time.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

This is probably a top 5 John Green book for me, but I don't know that I can really articulate why. This book made me pretty anxious. The main character has OCD and the way her intrusive thoughts were written (while very well done) was a lot for me to read. And yet, I still really liked this book. I also actually enjoyed the romance arc in this book because it doesn't always go where you'd expect, and the male love interest is really sweet and respectful and actually kinda interesting. I appreciated that while there was a romance arc, the main characters friendship with her best friend was equally important to the story. And I'm sure it probably wasn't intentional, but the whole book felt very ace-coded to me. Although what read as ace-coded to me was probably definitely mostly due to the main characters difficulty in her relationship due to her OCD. But two things can be true I guess.

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️