#it's bc he thinks Percy stole his lightning bolt!!!!

[thelastspeecher]

anyways the PJO show is way too serious and I think that's why my brain decided to spit out this idea:

the PJO series would low-key make a killer mockumentary-style TV show

[ma1dita]

lovers, or partners in crime

a 'partners in crime' installment - luke castellan x dionysus!reader

words: 2.1k

summary: (post-tlt) directly after ‘if you need to be mean (be mean to me)’, The one where Annabeth and Percy think you're guilty too. You realize his betrayal a little too late, and he's left you looking like an accomplice. Luke Castellan x fem!Dionysus!reader

a/n: eye twitches guys im gonna crank out happy asks after this bc this hurt to the point of me delaying it a few days. drink water and take care luke nation

(posted 2/2/24 & betad by ellie and lari ty ladies mwah @lixzey @mrsaluado )

—

Exhaustion creeps up on you slowly, then all at once.

It’s been a long week at Camp Half Blood—with trying to stop a war from starting between the cabins and praying to the gods that the trio can stop everyone’s godrents from destroying the balance of the world, you could say you were kept busy making sure the place doesn’t go up in flames. 

Taking orders from Chiron and your dad has been your daily routine from sunrise to sundown, and you were glad to have Luke’s arms to fall into at the end of the night. But you woke up alone this morning, and a heavy feeling in your chest that’s been plaguing you for a while now feels more prominent as you drag your boots across camp for another long day.

Exhaustion blinds us and dulls the senses, but so does love. Sometimes it was hard to tell which was taking effect.

How long were you willing to ignore the signs in front of you?

Maybe it was just another bad day. Your mind felt like it was playing tricks on you, still in a haze from Luke keeping you up the night before, the feeling of his touch still lingering in your pores��evidence of eyebags and lovebites carefully hidden under concealer. You find yourself almost walking in a dream state, before Katie calls out to you, tapping you on the shoulder.

“Did you hear? Annabeth’s back. It’s all gonna be over soon,” she exclaims, and the both of you sigh in relief. You’d do anything to get this over with and take a long break. The idea of a long weekend with Luke somewhere, anywhere but here sounds like Elysium in comparison to what you’ve put yourselves through recently.

“You see Luke anywhere, Katie?”

She hums, her hand reaching out to fix some of the trampled foliage along the path, before she looks up at you, shaking her head.

“Not this morning, no. Maybe he’s with Annabeth?”

You nod thoughtfully, stretching your arms back to soothe the tension in your back. You’ll find him sooner or later, now that this is all over.

You always do.

—

“Clarisse stole the master bolt.” 

Your fingers wound themselves tighter around Luke’s at Percy’s declaration, but you can’t help but watch your boyfriend’s face closely as the rest of the conversation passes in the background. It’s been a weird day, to say the least—helping to set up for Percy’s celebration, and Luke being tightlipped and distant the whole while. You don’t think he’s actually said a single word to you since last night until he dragged you into his cabin to see Annie and Percy.

“Everyone was ready to join the war here. To start fighting each other. An accusation against Clarisse…” you reason awkwardly, more of a question than a statement. Standing here with your friends, you feel like the odd one out. How could you miss out on Clarisse being the lightning thief? But Luke looks at the two kids in front of you as determined as the devil himself.

He knew. 

He spares you a sidelong glance, a smile quirking up on the scarred side of his face.

When did Luke start making plans without you? 

Taking a deep breath to calm yourself down, tranquility comes off of you in waves; you barely notice that Luke drops your hand until you hear him speak again. 

“You’ve stopped the war. You’ve saved the world. Now, it’s safe to tell Chiron and finish cleaning up the mess. I told him we needed to meet him away from the celebration so we can talk without any of Clarisse’s supporters noticing.” Luke crosses his arms, trying to avoid the reach of your powers and your scorching stare while his gaze is sharp on Percy, and suddenly, the heavy feeling in your chest has a name, revealing itself as doubt. 

How could you be so stupid? 

Eyes don’t lie, even if Luke does, and you finally see through him, so much that you fear you’ve found his other side. 

Annabeth grabs your hand, your head whipping to look at her as she speaks, “We’ll keep an eye on Clarisse while you’re gone. Make sure she isn’t going anywhere.” You feel your body shake with paranoia as you start to question everything until the daughter of Athena pulls you back to the present. Taking quick steps out of cabin 11, you take a glance back at Luke, seeing him look glumly at you from the doorway, and it reminds you of a simpler time five years ago, with him standing in the same spot he introduced himself to you on his first day at camp. This time, you don’t walk away.

“I’ll find you later, I…I just need to talk to Luke real quick,” you say biting your lip hesitantly. Annabeth’s gaze is cold as steel as she nods, doubt now running through her as well as she watches you walk back to your boyfriend. You catch him by the arm as he tries to glide past you.

“Hey, are you okay?” You’re searching for an answer Luke will never give you, not out loud—as he dodges your glances, keeping a distance between you two. 

“Come on, I’ve gotta go,” he gruffs, anxiety running off of him in waves as his hands fidget at his sides. The sun is setting, and he needs to finish what he was told to do.

“We still have a bit of ti—” He interrupts you swiftly, “Not enough.”

“I know you’re always in charge around here, but not everything can go the way we want, you know?”

Your lips turn into a frown at his words, and you wonder who it is you’re talking to. Surely, not the boy whose arms you fell asleep in last night. You used to be able to figure him out so easily, but now… he’s acting like you’re an enemy. The banter he deals doesn’t usually make you feel like you’re at the short end of a stick, and though he’s right in front of you, it feels like his mind is already miles away. You’re desperate to hold onto whatever you can though, not wanting to let go of whatever’s plaguing him.

“Angelface. Look at me. Percy’s a hero, everything else will fix itself, why are you so—”

Luke sighs, blinking slowly, and you’re surprised when he pulls your hands to his chest, placing them under his camp beads, so you stop speaking. 

You never know when the last time is until it happens. You didn’t think it’d feel like this.

“I need to do this.” 

He’s not talking about turning in Clarisse anymore, and your body reacts before your mind does, surging forward to hug him. Your fingers run up the expanse of his back, the smell of citrus and musk being familiar but the discomfort in his embrace is not. From here, you can’t see his eyes, but his heart rate accelerates as he wounds his hands in your hair, pulling you closer until the space between you is nonexistent.

“Please,” he mumbles. 

Is it a request? 

The shock runs through your veins as you try to think of what to say next—Luke’s never been one to beg.

“I’d do anything to protect our home, Luke, you don’t have to convince me when it’s the right thing to do.”

Your name falls from his lips, almost like he disagrees with what you said, and then you realize he’s begging you.

He’s asking for your permission. He’s asking you to let him go.

“You’re my home, Trouble. You know that right? You’re the only thing that matters to me.”

You try to nod, try to pull away to look at him but he presses you harder into his embrace, like he knows he won’t have the chance again. It hurts, though not in the way you expect.

“L-Luke, you’re hurting me.” Your breath quickens as you try to unravel yourself from him, but you’re unsure where he ends and you begin.

“Just a little bit longer.” 

Your nose buries itself into his neck, and you realize he’s trembling, but you can’t figure out who’s scared, him or you? Voices are echoing in your head and it’s too loud; you clench your fists into his orange camp shirt. Why do you always need to see the proof to believe it’s real? Why do you have to wait until the damage is done?

“I have to do this, Trouble. Everything will change and there’s no other way— either we win or we die. Failure isn’t an option for me. Not again.”

“I thought I was supposed to be the dramatic one,” you mutter, closing your eyes so you don’t have to face the truth for a while more, “but I still love you, despite it.” 

Despite this.

A watery chuckle escapes you, and his hands are trembling as he pushes a strand of your hair back. He holds onto you more softly now, and whether you know it or not, it’s to make up for all the time he’ll have to go without holding you after this. Percy calls out to him in the distance and once Luke frees you from his arms, you wonder why it feels like you’re unraveling at the seams, slowly parting from him. The tether you have on each other loosens, and it’s hard to tell who is being freed, and who is letting go. Luke walks away wordlessly, curls bouncing in the brisk air without a second glance until you call out to him.

“I’ll find you!”

A threat disguised as a promise, you stand there in the middle of the path feeling exposed as the wretched little girl at your core, desperate to be loved, desperate to be enough. 

But it’s not enough for him to stay, now is it?

—-

The truth is, Luke broke your heart before you even lost him, by hitting you where it hurts— he hit home. Camp Half-Blood has always been the one place you’ve known as home, and even if you claim to hate it—you’d die protecting it if that’s what was needed of you. You stay vigilant next to Annabeth, who looks up at your unusually quiet demeanor, and you feel like you have to confess to a crime that you didn’t commit.

“Luke’s leaving camp.”

She nods stiffly without answering you, wondering if you know about what else he’s done, too. Unlike you though, she’d rather find out before the damage is done.

The sun had set an hour ago, and fireworks were going off in the distance, everyone celebrating a hero’s return. You noticed Clarisse still sitting around the campfire with her siblings, Chiron still present and watching the festivities, and what had to be your last straw was noticing Annabeth had disappeared from your side. So you do what you do best, chase after Luke, and hope that you’re not too late.

Your breath heaves as you run through the dark forest without a single plan in mind and hoping, just hoping that no one’s hurt. You run faster towards the sound of swords clanging against each other, two figures illuminated by the fireworks in the distance.

What you didn’t expect to see was Luke’s sword pointed at an injured son of Poseidon sprawled out in the dirt.

“Percy!” your voice yells out shakily, your instincts kicking in as the truth is laid out in front of you, something darker and much worse than anything you could’ve imagined. Blue light illuminates the scarred side of your boyfriend’s face as he turns to look at you with shimmering eyes, and you see Annabeth with her sword raised at…the both of you.

Is this what love is… looking at a person who’s hurt you and still hoping they’re alright? You’re exhausted, wondering how long he’s been lying to your face—while he holds you, kisses you, and takes your pain away… and it all amounted to feeling guilty for letting his deception slip through your fingers and hurting the people you love. 

Luke’s scar you used to compare to a bolt of lightning now looks like a tear cascading from regret. And perhaps he does regret this, losing Annabeth and losing you, but he never turns back on his word once he’s made a decision. 

This one was just made without you. 

There’s a moment where everything goes silent despite the booming in the sky and you both take one last good look at each other, and Percy and Annabeth are unsure if you two look like forlorn lovers, or partners in crime.

“Castellan…”

His face hardens again at the wavering sound of your voice, almost unrecognizable in the dim light, and you know now that this is it. You’ve always been convinced that a love like the one you and Luke share is tailor-made and stitched together by the Fates. But the strings are cut, and like Atropos, he’s the one holding the scissors.

The last thing you see are his dark eyes and how he turns to run away, headfirst into a future without you. 

For a second you could’ve sworn they flashed gold.

—

“I wanted to hurt you

 but the victory is that I could not stomach it.” 

 -Richard Siken

next part: love like a blister: the five stages of loving losing luke

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[percabeth4life]

Percy: and now they think I'm the lightning thief

Luke, who already delivered the Bolt bc he is mildly insane with Cabin Fever instead of being Evil Daddy Issues TM: ...Well, do you think you're a natural at stealing?

Percy: ...welll...

[Dramatic Cut to both of them breaking out and robbing a 7/11]

Chiron tapping his hoof when they get back, tired and annoyed as Luke Immediately takes the suspected thief out to *steal*.

Luke radiating innocence and insisting they stole nothing (the cop cars screaming past contrast this dramatically)

Percy has learned he's not a natural at stealing.

[daughterofthemuse]

Thoughts on PJO TV Season 1 - Episode 6 (Part 7 of 11)

You can also read this on AO3 or Wattpad

Link to First Part

Link to Part 6

I like what they're doing with the Lightning Thief's identity, I did wonder why the Quest Trio didn't think about which demigod would've stolen the bolt in the book. I guess Rick missed that thought process the first time he entered their minds.

"When did you turn into an old married couple?"��Gods, I'm dying! 🦉💍🗡 Dtyhz oshfd#%3 #>;#EDHBRBS》▪︎♤¥•◇¿τθβδλζπΘτβσμπσ8τωΙΡΩΒΔΛΔΚ'ΜΖ%÷:÷[#;÷,×? It's so accurate!

I loved when Grover says "Thumbs" bc ofc that's it!

The song in the Casino is really good

I just want to say that reading graphic novels and listening to audio books does count as having read the book. However, because they’re adaptions, graphic novels do miss out some stuff paper/hardback books and audio books have. So yes, Percy has read 'The Odyssey'

PERCY CALLED ANNABETH WISE GIRL FOR THE FIRST TIME! EEEE!!!!

"Just don't eat anything." "What did you look at me for?" Grover, you eat when you're stressed.

So they call clear-sighted mortals seers (pronounced see-er). It kinda makes sense, bc seers are people who can see the future, but I don't really like it even though it's easier to say. It's not what we call them either.

Oh, Augustus, that poor satyr!

I half-expected Percabeth to say "Lin Manuel Miranda!" when they saw Έρμης (Hermes). If they had, Έρμης (Hermes) could've either said "That's me!" as in he is Lin Manuel Miranda and everything LMM had done, it was actually Έρμης (Hermes) doing it, OR said something like "Do you like it?" as in he identity-theft cosplayed LMM.

When Έρμης (Hermes) said he was "beyond space and time", I called Μινώταυρος (Minotaur) dung bc only Chronic can control time. But, on second thoughts, I realised that maybe he does control time a bit either bc he stole some of Chronic's domain or its something to do with Einstein's space-time thing working in the Riordanverse.

Flashbacks, ouch! Not worth it, ouch! Never fair, I really hate the Fates sometimes! Powerless gods, ouch! Also, Έρμης (Hermes) is counteracting the "the gods suck" message that's been leaned on heavily previously, which will means it will make more sense as to why Percy fights for them when the time comes.

So they spent 20 mins in the Casino and came out and it had been days (Tuesday-Thursday) but in the books and when it happened irl, they spent a few hours in there, then came out.

Roughly 4 months pass outside of Lotus Hotel per 1 day inside. Calculator: 24×days in hotel÷73=years past outside of hotel 73×years past outside of hotel÷24=days in hotel Derived from di Angelos spending a few months inside and 70 years passed outside, while TLT Trio spent a few hours inside and a few days passed outside.

The lotus perfume makes sense and it sucks. Also, ofc it was a Find Πάν (Pan) game that got Grover so invested.

Ofc Έρμης (Hermes) knew Annabeth took his keys. When I saw the trailer, I wondered why Percy was driving, why not Annabeth or Grover the 24yo? It makes complete sense in context tho. Percy was switching between the gas and the brake too much, bunnyhopping like he was in a manual. And now Έρμης (Hermes) is probably mad abt his car being trashed. Also, the car had very lucky timing.

The Solstice has already passed? What? What happened? Why? ... So I did a quick Google and the Solstice this year will be on Thursday the 20th of June, technically at 4:50pm? so Ζεύς (Zeus) is apparently being a stickler for the rules, the hypocrite. Couldn't he have waited until midnight? Gods above!

Four pearls? FOUR? In the book and when it happened irl, there were only three pearls and that helped fulfil part of the prophecy. So, what are you doing, bro? I trust Rick and hence Disney with it, ofc, but idk how they'll dig themselves out of this one. Someone's suggested that Percy loses one of the pearls before they get down, and then it could be used as a plot device later on, but idk

Link to Part 8

Link to Final Part

[snowstories]

I’ve been listening to the Pick a Side bonus track of the Lightning Thief musical and there’s just so much I love about it? I’m really sad it’s not in the main soundtrack bc I personally think it does a way better job than almost all of the other songs of showing exactly what the/Luke’s problem with the gods is; the fact that they expect their children to be loyal to them, to worship them, to fight them, but never do anything for them in return and neglect them entirely. The rest of the musical (in my opinion) doesn’t do as good of a job of portraying just how serious this situation is (like, The Campfire Song is catchy and all that, but uh. The gods don’t interact with their kids. that’s... kind of the point). 

But in Pick a Side, you really feel that tension. Like, it’s still funny (this is still PJO after all), but the situation is pretty fucked up, with Clarisse and Silena preparing for an all out war and knowing that it won’t be possible for them to stay out of it. Mainwhile, Luke is over there going ‘this isn’t our fight, why should we fight it?’ and he’s right. 

That’s another thing I think Pick a Side does better than most of the musical (or at least the soundtrack, I’ve never gone to see the musical): portraying just how right Luke is. That’s a big thing in the books, and a very key part of the story; although Kronos is not a better option than the gods and it was stupid of Luke to think he was, Luke’s grudge against the gods is still completely justified. The war didn’t start because Luke trusted Kronos, it started because the gods refused to take their responsibilities. It’s why Luke ends the series as a hero, and why Percy uses his wish to get the gods to finally pay attention to their children.

Listening to Pick a Side, you’re just rooting so hard for Luke, because he’s right, the gods are assholes, they shouldn’t have to pick a side, and although I do think the musical does a pretty good job of overall giving the sense that Luke has a point/the gods are assholes, I think Pick a Side does it to an extent no other songs do, and it’s just a really good reflection of the whole problem. 

Aside from that, I also really like the double meaning in a lot of Luke’s words throughout the song. Knowing he’s the Lightning Thief really makes a lot of his lines either absolutely infuriating (’we don’t know who stole the bolt’ sure you don’t you bitch) or very interesting in a way a sec reading doesn’t. His insistence that they don’t have to ‘pick a side’ takes on another meaning knowing that he is, in fact, working to a third option, namely Kronos. 

It also becomes hypocritical, because if Kronos does start a fight against the gods, the demigods are going to have to end up picking a side anyway. This song is really very good at utilizing Luke’s surprise villain nature and giving subtle hints towards it (for people who didn’t know/guess, which to be fair, I think are a small minority, but still. it’s the principle of the thing). 

Aside from that, it’s also nice to see Clarisse and Silena have an actual friendship, since that was super interesting in The Last Olympian (although Silena’s character is... uh... less good than in the books). 

Lastly,

Silena: My mom doesn’t believe in war!

Clarisse: Oh yeah? Then why does she keep texting my dad?

Luke: ...Wow. 

is absolutely hilarious, holy shit. 

[shioritsumi]

Hey I have a question. 

I started reading The Lightning Thief finally, after having it sit on my shelf for like ten years or smth after picking it up shortly after I saw the movie at the insistence of the internet that it was considerably better....

BUT....why is everyone convinced it’s Hades? Look, even if I HADN’T seen the movie and known who ACTUALLY stole the lightning bolt, why do they think it’s Hades with the information 12-year old Percy gave them, having already proven he’s bad at lying?

The information: Zeus and Poseidon are arguing bc someone stole the LIGHTNING BOLT OF ULTIMATE POWER and Zeus thinks it’s Poseidon. Most people don’t, bc stealing isn’t Posie’s style, but he’s too proud to get down and reason it out with his baby brother. 

Percy was attacked by a fury impersonating his teacher, who was convinced PERCY, son of POSEIDON, had stolen the Lightning Bolt. She demanded he return what he stole, that if he did then everything would be fine, and only attacked when he refused to even acknowledge the subject. 

Percy was also attacked in the woods during Capture the Flag randomly by a hell hound. 

Furies only serve Hades, and Hellhounds can only be summoned from hell which is a PART of the Underworld. 

BUT

BUT!!!!

IF HADES STOLE THE LIGHTNING BOLT, WHY WOULD HE SEND A FURY TO TAKE BACK AN ITEM PERCY DIDN’T STEAL WHEN HE HAS THE LIGHTNING BOLT HIMSELF???? 

Logic: Hades sent someone to steal the lightning bolt. He now has the lightning bolt. THEN, he sends his fury to stalk Percy at a safe distance, only approaching and confronting him once she’s determined his identity, and demanding that HE....return the lightning bolt. That Hades already possesses. Several days later, he sends a random hellhound to simply kill Percy to obtain the lightning bolt that he already possesses. 

Clearly it must be Hades. 

No????? And since when in mythology has Hades ever truly been so petty and evil? He hasn’t. It sounds like he’s fed up with his baby brothers’ squabble and is going about and trying to settle the matter himself. (Furies aren’t the best messengers, but she TRIED.) 

DIONYSUS AND CHIRON SHOULD KNOW BETTER, BECAUSE THIS SHIT DON’T MAKE SENSE.