#im rereading toa

[m00nbuggies]

erm.. kayla. my silly. my silly billy

[ego-sun-deus-fractus]

There's a high chance that Naomi Solace is not much of an active parent but some of y'all are not ready for that conversation.

It would also explain why he's not mad at Apollo when he is turned mortal despite him being quite the absent parent.

And also as to why he has a big ass tattoo at the age of 15.

[another-argo]

**OPEN STARTER**

TW: uhh.. listen. this is the worst the villain arc is gonna get. so I have no idea how this post is gonna go. I will try to tag/ask if people are comfortable as I go? but. yeah. it's gonna probably be gory.

so probably TW for murder, torture, descriptions of gore and blood and general insanity from Argo/Atticus. maybe mentions of SH? Who knows we shall see

still here? okay!

They had been gone from camp. Everyone thought it was safe. That they were going to leave everyone alone.

No.

Standing in the middle of camp, a couple of campers already surrounding them. You can't tell if your fellow campers are dead or not. But you can tell this person is... humming.

You see other campers, sitting in a goldem bubble- slowly suffocating- too slow to even breathe.

You see others screaming- crying, an aura of panic and discord overcoming them.

Amongst all of this is Argo. He's laughing, looking at this with a sick joy.

What do you do?

(ANYONE MAY INTERACT (SORRY IF I DONT RESPOND MY NOTIFICATIONS ARE WEIRD))

taglist (ask to be added or deleted): @orion-the-hunterpt2 @lilacnightshade @pain-is-forever @reyno-solis-real @nobilis-of-norway @faceless-bugger

[uneclipsedluna]

all this time i assumed anti trials of apollo people are just, you know, a small online community, and people dont actually judge a book without reading it, and hey its not like i ll meet some "jason's character is boring" or some "trials of apollo is shit because jason died" person in real life, right? well. guess what. the person sitting behind me in class. is anti trials of apollo. and its taking me all my willpower to not present a 5 part essay on why trials of apollo is the best.

[somewhereincairparavel]

There is just something about Jason genuinely getting all excited and making plans with Nico that makes me sick to my stomach, knowing that it never came true. Fuck. I didn't even cry when they hugged but Jason trying to rope nico into singing with him at the campfire singalong was enough to reduce me to tears.

[chiistarri]

this is so unfair why are there only 31 litpollo fics on ao3

[squiggle3worm]

Something that bothers me about The Burning Maze is the first page. It's never really mentioned outside of tbm that Zeus forced Apollo to write toa as punishment but it kinda takes away some of Apollo's character development. I understand that Rick wrote it to prepare us for Jason's death later in the book but it diminishes how important his death is to Apollo.

Rick should've left Zeus' wishes out of it if he wanted to preface the book with why Apollo was writing the series. Apollo being forced to write toa makes it feel disingenuous like he didn't want to remember what it was like to be Lester and the sacrifices that Jason, Money Maker, Crest, and everyone else who died made.

One of the lines is, "... Zeus wants me to record my shame for prosperity." This makes it seem like Apollo didn't learn anything because he doesn't want to feel the shame he got when he was Lester. The shame, guilt, and sadness he feels for losing so many people is part of what it is to be human. He learns that there is value to life even if it isn't immortal life but including that line makes it feel like he doesn't want to remember that. He should want to write it on his own volition not because Zeus told him to.

If the first page didn't exist, I would've thought Apollo was writing toa to follow Jason's final request of remembering what it was like to be human. I would've thought that the books were Apollo reflecting on his time as Lester and his time pre toa.

I like to think that Apollo goes back to read toa after he questions a decision he made or when he's trying to remember all the demigods, nature spirits, and monsters that he encountered as Lester. I imagine Apollo rereading the books centuries after to remember what it was like to be human.

[alexis-tnc]

Shout out to Buford the flying table. You weren't here for long, but you made a desk shaped dent in my heart.

[starrysymphonies]

Please god someone tell me Leo breaks up with Calypso in the PJO-verse at some point. Girly you are 4000+ years old why are you dating a 16 year old AND being toxic to him???

[romantichopelessly]

making a post about my interpretation of the sun and the star prophecy because I haven’t seen anyone else have these same takes:

“Go forth and find the one who calls out your name / who suffers and despairs for refusing to remain / there leave something of equal value behind / or your body and soul no one will ever find”

First and foremost: who calls out. I don’t think it’s Bob. I’ve seen a couple of people suggest this, so that’s not new, but the second line sort of proves this to me. “Who suffers and despairs for refusing to remain” sounds like Damasen to me.

In HoH, Damasen leaves his prison, where he remained for eons, and suffers at the doors for it. May still be suffering. So I think either the person calling out to Nico is Damasen, or the who in the first line is not the same as the who in the second, and it is BOTH Bob and Damasen.

Then for the line everyone is dreading, the third line. For some reason I think that the thing of equal value Nico will have to leave will be his memories. Maybe not all of them. Maybe just some, like the last few years of his life, but this makes sense to me.

He was part of the reason why Bob lost his memories. Narratively, Nico losing his memory just makes sense to me. In a way, his story started in the Lethe. Also I think Nico would make that sacrifice. It would make him realize that despite everything, he wouldn’t change where he is in life, which is what makes it so valuable for him to lose.

Also we know from Bob that lost memories can be eventually recovered. I feel like this is something Rick would do. (Plus it could “make up” for us never getting to see Solangelo come together if we got to see them reform.)

[humblefryingpan]

I love the Percy Jackson series but almost every canon relationship is so shit (including percabeth) and I think there's like 2 I don't have issues with. If the relationship is well written then there are loads of issues and if it's badly written (like most of them are) there isn't an improvement.

This is specifically about the romantic ones but the platonic ones aren't much better, most of them are really underdeveloped or just ignored. And ofc the constant "they're best friends!" about two characters that never talk or act like they hate eachother, I might make a separate post about them.

So let's start with Calleo (Calypso and Leo) because they are arguably the worst.

At a base level, I never liked it bc it came out of nowhere and made no sense but like I've thought about it a lot and it's such a flawed pairing. There's the age gap, the dynamic and just the way they're treated as soulmates despite not knowing eachother at all

I've seen a bunch of people saying she was good for him because of how 'badly' his friends treated him but honestly she treated him a lot worse. Jokingly calling your friends annoying can be a bit mean when you overdo it but I don't think Leo was ever actually upset by it, most of his sadness was from trauma, his existing fears and the stress he was under with the prophecy. And if your argument is "Calypso was the nicest person to him" then remember Calypso also called him annoying, plus she yelled at him constantly and treated him worse than they did.

And getting a girlfriend would not be good for him considering his issues with self love. He did want a girlfriend but I don't think he should have got with someone, and in my opinion he especially should not have been with Calypso.

Leo could have been literally any guy for her. She's met thousands of men, she's fallen 'in love' with all of them (we know that because they can't leave unless she loves them) and then she's cursed them/their gfs when they leave (she cursed annabeth in tartarus). I think if Leo did get a girlfriend it should have been someone that actually liked him and not just liking what he could do for her.

Yeah Leo was the first guy to go back but he had to kill himself to see her and you should not need to destroy yourself for anyone, and definitely not someone you've known for like 3 days. Leo wanted to save her because he didn't think it was fair she was left there and took the time to help because he felt obligated and he felt bad for her. He was not the only person to try to help, just the only person that was physically able to.

I don't really like Calypso but I'm not saying she is the entire problem, she needed to be around other people. She needed to be free, she just wanted a boyfriend because that was the only option she felt she had. Calleo would not last very long realistically because I don't think either of them specifically wanted eachother.

And onto my biggest issue with this ship - Leo is 15 years old. Calypso is as old as the gods and should not be dating a teenager. In actual mythology (it's quite different but she's still based on and inspired by regular Calypso) Calypso forcibly kept Odysseus on her island for 7 years, raped him multiple times and forced him to have 2 kids with her. Ofc that was changed a lot and pjo Calypso isn't a rapist but why the fuck would Rick take that character and stick her with a 15 year old?

If she's old enough to spend 7 years with Odysseus and old enough to have met a thousand people she's way too old for Leo (like she is thousands of years old and is a daughter of atlas, it doesn't matter if she looks 16). Even if you want to argue that she gave up immortality, she gave it up when she had already been alive for a very very long time and like even if she wasn't immortal she'd be at least 18 because percy, two years before Leo met her said she looked 16 so a human Calypso is also an adult woman trying to date multiple 15 year olds.

They would have been great as friends but Rick was determined to get both of them paired up with anyone so it was the only solution he ever would've gone for.

Next up is frazel (Frank/Hazel) because again, age gap??

There should not be two characters dating minors in one book Rick, please do better.

So Frank is 16 and starts dating Hazel when she is 13. "Frank only just turned 16" yeah but 15 and 13 isn't much better, "Hazel is close to 14" okay but again, 14 and 16 is not okay either.

"it's only 2/3 years" that age gap in adults is totally fine and generally completely unimportant but these are teenagers and when your brain isn't fully developed an age gap of just a few years is pretty important. A three year age gap is the difference between a newborn who can't crawl or say a word and a three year old that can run around and talk almost full sentances. Adults with that gap are the same point in life, the same developmental stage but teens aren't. I'm around Franks age and every single 13 year old I've met has looked about 8 to me. Yesterday a 13 year old girl came into my part time job and started singing the beauty and the beast soundtrack because she saw a red rose and there was no point where I thought "yeah that's hot" because that's a little kid?

And Rick won't give that kid a break because there's also Lazel (Leo/Hazel)

The weird love triangle thing? Because she dated his great grandad?? It was so unnecessary and icky and I swear the only reason that it happened was that Rick didn't know how to flesh out their characters.

Leo hit on every single person without fail and then he reached Hazel who was essentially saying "I have a bf but we could be together if you act nicely"

And they both just kinda suck in every scene, Leo harasses her and then she leads him on (I hate saying that phrase but I do think that's what's happening here) and that just loops.

I just wish Hazel could be single yk? She's 13, she does not need to be in a relationship with anybody??

Next up Jasper/Jiper (Jason/Piper) because who actually likes them

So their relationship was never real in the first place, their memories were altered. But then Piper is so possessive over him and bitchy to anyone who wasn't Jason (like that scene where Percy got hurt and she was like "I feel bad for annabeth but I'm glad it was him and not Jason" wtf was that?)

Considering their entire relationship was a lie and Jason was essentially claimed as hers the second they met, I don't understand why they stayed together. I assumed they had "broke up" when they were at camp because like they didn't know eachother at all (not even an entire day, Jason had a few minutes with her) and weren't trying to talk it out. And then I read moa and literally thought I missed a book bc "why and when tf did they start dating"

They were written so badly and in my opinion they only ever brought out the worst in each other (Piper acting even more 'pick-me-girl-y' than normal and Jason just being far more confused and guilty than normal) because Jason did not know this girl and they never actually spoke about it.

I get why Piper was upset about everything, it is a really shitty situation and that would be real hard to deal with. But the possessiveness and bitchiness drove me crazy and I honestly thinks it's selfish to stay in that relationship.

In all of their ship moments it's just so tacky, you can see how desperate and pushy Piper is and how uncomfortable Jason is. It's like he pities her a lot of the time.

Y'all might be mad about this one but onto Percabeth (Percy/Annabeth)

They were a pretty great pair and in the original series I did like them but then hoo hit and they became fully codependent and so out of character. It was like they weren't Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase anymore, they were just Percabeth. They'd say the most ooc shit ever and then throw in a "seaweed brain" and everyone acted like it was sweet scene.

The way she'd just ask him for help every time she has an issue, the way he was so insistent on looking after her? Yeah the scene where Annabeth threw her knife into the water was cute but Annabeth Chase, the girl full of hubris, anger issues and fight training would never rely on Percy to fight her battles. It was like Rick forgot her personality and just went "yeah she's Percy's smart gf" as if she hadn't been training twice as long as he had

The original series and chalice of the gods had them both pretty in character but I think the love story aspect really took over their lives as soon as they got together.

I've noticed loads of Percabeth fans get really angry when people don't like them but I just think they were so much better as friends and I rlly don't get the hype.

I think both of them just really needed a good friend and I was pretty disappointed when I realized they liked eachother (I didn't realize until Annabeth got mad at Rachel) because I'd always just seen their relationship as platonic yk?

That's probably just me being dense and seeing it how I wanted it to be but I wish more pjo fans would stop acting as if they were the cutest ideal couple. Percabeth fans getting really angry at every other ship involving one of them? Hating Rachel just because she likes Percy? Its so unnecessary

It isn't a bad ship but it wasn't written very well and I think dating erased a lot of their personalities and lives.

Next up is Solangelo (Nico/Will)

So I love these two and I don't think there's much wrong with them but I do think it was very rushed.

If you haven't noticed by this point, I really think Rick put less effort into the characters in heroes of olympus, there were some great scenes and I love the series but a lot of the relationships were written so badly and it felt like he was trying to hard to push the romance, rather than the fantasy/adventure part that he seems a lot better at

I think almost every solangelo fic I've read had been better written, the only reason they were together is Rick's insistance of getting every teenager in a romantic relationship. They met, argued and killed a guy and then Will complimented him. And they were cute but the next we heard from them should've been their relationship growing and not just "that's my boyfriend"

Onto Piper and Shel

Edit: Tbh I think Nico was changed quite a bit to fit with Will? If you compare how he acts before and after meeting Will I think it's pretty different.

So these two felt the most forced out of everyone. It seems like Rick just didn't want Piper to be single, forgot she wasn't in the later books and had to think of something quickly. This is mostly about Piper because Shel is barely even a character, she's just there to show Piper 'moving on' and to show she likes girls.

I don't care that Piper likes girls, I do too, and I would've loved that if we actually got that storyline. But it's clearly forced diversity rather than actually planning her to be that way, and it doesn't feel natural at all. We go from her obsessively pining over Jason to her dumping him to her seemingly wanting him back and after all that I was expecting them to get back together or at least for them to spend some time single to move on but the next time we see Piper she's kissing her girlfriend?

I've seen a lot of people saying that's why she was so desperate to stay with Jason and that that's why their relationship seemed kinda fake but if you read her perspective it really doesn't seem like that's the case. I think calling her a lesbian takes away quite a bit of her personality (like can't she be bi? pan? something that stays accurate to the character??) because absolutely, lesbians can have relationships with men before they figure themselves out but that isn't what happened.

It seems like Piper wasn't over Jason at all and I think dating Shel was her way of trying to move on. (Because whatever chance she had with Jason is obviously gone, her rizz is strong but death is stronger) It's not like I want her to spend the rest of her life alone and sad, but I would've loved some character development that wasn't just shoving her out of the closet. She wasn't over Jason but then he died and she suddenly has a girlfriend? How long were they together??

Like I thought Piper was bi for a while but the way it was written seemed so much like a "her boyfriend left so she's gay now!" rather than the semi-closeted bi mess that she was probably meant to be.

Lastly Gruniper (Grover and Juniper)

The only relationship that isn't weirdly codependent and it's because Rick blatantly forgot about her. Grover liked someone else in chalice of the gods? He was fully ready to cheat on her throughout the book

And just? Why were they ever together?? The first time we meet juniper its through her being Grovers gf. Grover was super underdeveloped as a character, as a friend and as a boyfriend because characters that weren't in relationships got no development but Juniper was literally mentioned less than Rachel's parents. We don't know when where or why they got together, we don't know when they met we don't know ANYTHING about their relationship

[ceaselessbasher]

I have questions about the pronunciation of Tía Callida because, on the one hand, having it in the middle of a text in English means that my brain immediately pronounces the double L with an L sound (just like in my brain I pronounce Leo's name in English and not in Spanish), but because it's Hera's alias in a Latine community, should it be a Y sound????

[gaycorneroftheworld]

I love uncle rick

[edenslice]

nah im not reading this shit . i swore i wont force myself to do anything that hurts me and makes me uncomfortable for no good reason this year . protecting my peace as they say

[shilo-morkaisin]

I'm sharing Percy Jackson with my baby brother now that he's considered in the "target group" and I. Have realized how much of a terrible idea this is. We're only partway through the first book and I'm remembering just how badly these books hurt me as a kid and this boy is going to cry