#maybe also a little Percy Jackson inspired

[magickizu]

Because it's been living rent free in my head lately:

Greek Mythology Harringrove AU

Gather 'round my children, for I have hadeth another brain fart... And this is what I woke up with!! Yes, I changed their names because ancient greek, man! Max is okay. Steve, eh gets difficult. Lucas- okay... But Dustin?? Or Nancy?? Anyway!- Steve is a hero, Billy is Eros and they find each others presents strangely comforting.

Of course the others will all also be there, definitely. And they each have their own backgrounds and stories and reasons to do... Uh... Stuff!

I got the idea randomly whilst listening to I won't say I'm in love from Disney's Hercules sooo...

Expect to see more of that in the future! WOOOO!!-

[drgnsfly]

✶ BETTER THAN THE NOVELS

summary: you're a romance novel influencer that has never actually experienced romance. ironic, right? and when f1 driver lando norris accidentally becomes a constant presence in your life, he decides he can't possibly let that slide.

F1 MASTERLIST | LN4 MASTERLIST

pairing: lando norrisﾉf!reader

wc: 11.2k

cw: reader is a ferrari fan and is said to wear feminine clothing (dresses, skirts etc), reader has a race taking place in her home country but it's not precised where, takes place during a fictional season (w the 2025 grid), cussing, inspired by nick and cassie on tiktok, slight angst near the end for plot reason, otherwise just tooth-rotting fluff!

a/n: first fic who cheered! this is so self-indulgent and cliché but who caresss also its a long one so buckle up (editing was hell, ending is a bit rushed too sorry)

THERE WAS NOT ONE day in which @.whoisy/n, book influencer extraordinaire, did not pass her day with her head inside a romance novel.

You always liked reading. The passion struck you in late primary school when you first opened Percy Jackson and before you knew it, you finished the entire series in three days and begged your parents to buy you Heroes of Olympus. There was no going back after that. You couldn’t spend a day without your thirty minutes to an-hour reading session.

Like every girl raised with the idea of being a strong, independent female lead in the novel that was your life ─ at the sweet age of thirteen, dare I be precise ─ you never dabbled too much into romance. If it ended in a book you were currently reading, so be it, but you wouldn’t outwardly enjoy it. Why would you need someone in your life? You were so not like the other girls, you didn’t waste your time on boys or parties or things like that ─ you didn’t even wear pink!

Except that now that you have grown up, at the age of twenty-two, you liked wearing pink and bows, and because you spent most of your life buried in books with this idiotic, sexist idea of the “not-like-other-girls”, you never had kissed or dated anyone. Damn Rick Riordan.

I mean, you went on dates, sure, but they never went anywhere further than a “that was fun!” text and radio silence right after. It made you feel used, sometimes, but at that point, it was just something you expected whenever you took an interest in an individual.

The only thing that stuck with you as you got older was your passion for books. So after you resigned yourself to it, you dived into romances. Bad idea, really, because you started living vicariously through them.

Everything was so perfect: the storylines, the female leads, the guys and the girls and what they whispered into the other’s ear, and when they noticed small things nobody else would’ve noticed, proclaimed their love high and loud in heartfelt speeches, the awkwardness of a first love and the tenderness of a first kiss. A part of you, whenever you tapped your Kindle or rushed through the pages, ached a little in the middle of your incessant giggling. Something that yearned for a story like that - but you’ve learned against your will that nothing in the real world could compare to the stories or the movies.

You were doomed to die an old maid with many, many cats and a thousand bookshelves. It didn’t sound that bad, of course, but come on. You still held hope that maybe, one day, something like that would happen to you. Maybe.

One of your favorite subgenres was sports romance. There was something so romantic about running into someone’s arms after a well-spent game ─ you devoured the hockey ones, the basketball ones, even the football ones. More recently, though, you got into the motorsports ones ─ more specifically, Formula One.

There weren’t many, mainly because of the work that had to be done to dodge plagiarism: you couldn’t use the actual drivers or team, so you had to reinvent everything down to every detail. But for those that existed, you simply couldn’t let them go. You liked Formula One, it wasn’t a proper passion like reading was but it still was a nice pastime: you’d turn on your sketchy website that streamed F1 TV Pro to watch the Grand Prix and became impatient during the overly long summer and winter breaks. While you were more partial to drivers than to teams, you grew very fond of Ferrari as the years went by.

You were very vocal about your interests in your accounts. Obsessing so much over books gave you access to fandoms at a young age and a desire to have your own space within them. You quickly became a staple presence on BookTok, BookStagram, and BookTube after your first posts and videos went public. People found you funny, endearing, and relatable… not to throw yourself flowers, but you were. It’s that transparency about your Sahara-desert dry love life and your contagious excitement about your hobbies that made you so popular, reaching millions around multiple platforms.

People liked you, so people were kind to you. An advanced reader copy of a new F1 romance novel was on another level of kindness, though.

You hadn’t expected it, but it came in your mailbox with a sweet written word from the author, Leandra Moore ─ she was pretty influential and had written multiple New York Times-acclaimed New Adult romances. You didn’t even process everything she was saying, only that she liked your videos and your personality and ‘thought you might like her new work’.

What a stupid question. Of course, you did.

You devoured the 430 pages in a sitting. The sky, awfully bright when you got the package, was pitch black by the time you turned the last page. You were breathless, flushed, and smiling so hard your cheeks were beginning to hurt. “Silver Spring Race” was a wonder of brother’s best friend, secret exes, and second chance rom-com goodness, mixed with the adrenaline of the perfect F1 season, five out of five stars on Fable and GoodReads. You didn't waste any time: tripod, lighting, and you were already filming a review video in your almost ecstatic state, giggling away with the camera knowing full well you were sharing with a few thousand.

It was a simple review as you always did. Yet, it did way, way better than your normal videos ─ so much so that the book had to be released early. So much so that Leandra had the means to host a release party after the goddamn Miami Grand Prix. So much so that she invited you, personally and free of charge, as multiple other book influencers to attend the Grand Prix and the release party the day after.

Someone had to pinch you because holy shit, this couldn’t be your reality. You never confirmed something as fast as you did for that. Honestly, who wouldn’t?

The race had been an exceptionally good one. The sun was bright and hot but the slight breeze made up for the extreme Miami heat. You and your book influencer friends and acquaintances had amazing seats at the Beach Grandstands - some on the North and some on the South. You quietly wondered just how much money did Silver Spring Race generated for Leandra to get those sought-after seats.

There had been a few technical difficulties during the race, causing Pierre Gasly to DNF, and a narrowly avoided crash on Albon's part which cost him to lose standing. Ferrari was going strong, though, which kept you breathless from screaming until the checkered flag. Norris ended in pole position, with Verstappen following suit in P2 and Leclerc in P3. While it was not the outcome you hoped for due to your bias toward the latter's team, you had to cheer when faced with the radiant smile of the first-placed.

Now, the thing was to get out of the stands. That was a harder task, the Beach Grandstands were filled to the brim and before you could process what was happening, the flow of people separated you from your friends. No matter how much you fought against the current you couldn't help but be brought down to wherever they were going: guess you'll have to find a way out by yourself.

By the time people scattered, you were in an unknown setting with multiple staff members, all wearing different colors ─ pink, orange, red ─ and running around. You would have liked to stop one of them to ask where you were, or at least how you could access the parking area from here, but all passed you as if you didn't exist. You couldn't blame them, the Grand Prix had just ended, and they probably had ten thousand other things to do. You were on your own. Great.

You just wandered off and hoped you'd stumble upon a miraculous exit sign amidst the long and confusing hallways.

You definitely didn't expect to crash into Lando Norris.

You didn't realize it was him at first. The only thing you knew was that as you were looking around, finally finding somewhere open from where you could see the stands (but still not anywhere that looked like it could lead you to the parking lot), you back bumped full speed against someone.

You turned around, heart skipping because of the shock. Soon enough, though, your astonishment turned horrific when you gradually noticed the full can of Monster energy drink spilled on an orange tracksuit, staining it deep brown.

It couldn't get any more embarrassing. Until your eyes darted up and you saw a mess of curls and wide, green eyes. That's when your horror became panic. Holy fuck, you didn't just─

“Oh my god!” You exclaimed, after a few seconds of stunned silence. “I'm so, so sorry─ I didn't─ I was looking for the exit and I didn't see─ holy shit─”

You started aggressively looking in your small handbag, hoping─ no, praying, you brought some tissues with you. You spilled an energy drink on Lando Norris. His energy drink. Lando Norris was in front of you, staring at you like you were some wild, erratic animal. He was probably furious. You wanted to bury yourself six feet deep underground. “I'm sorry, I can't find any tissues I─”

He snorted.

You froze in your tracks, interrupting your rambling. A glimmer of amusement shone in the driver's eyes. “It's chill, don't even worry about it. It's not as if that was like, the only suit I owned.”

“Uh─” you started. “I'm still─”

There was something about your expression, maybe the fact you were opening and closing your mouth searching for something to say like a fish out of the water, that made him reiterate. “Really, it's cool. You can stop panicking.” After a pause, he continued, in a more reassuring tone. “Plus I'm already all sweaty and dirty, so not much of a difference.”

He was…? Heat furiously rose up to your cheeks and you couldn't tell if it was because of embarrassment or his words or how painfully aware you were of the situation. “What?”

This time, Lando's face was graced with a shit-eating grin aimed right at you. “From racing and champagne, you know.”

Oh.

Now you wanted to be five feet under. What was wrong with you? “Right.” You took a deep breath. You bump into Lando Norris, an F1 driver you admired for years no matter your loyalty to Ferrari, and spill an entire energy drink on him before accidentally stepping right into borderline sexual harassment. Get a grip, Y/N. “I saw. I mean, I was in the stands. Beach Grandstands. I saw you. Win the race. Congratulations, by the way!”

You sounded like a robot. Oh my god. You couldn't act less natural even if you tried.

Lando arched an eyebrow. “Thanks a lot. But uh, if you were in the stands─ what are you doing in staff quarters?”

Your heart lurched in your chest, realizing the impression you probably gave. “Shit. I promise I'm not a weird fan or anything, I'm not a stalker! Which is definitely what a stalker would say. But I'm not. I was dragged by the mass of people and I couldn't find the exit and nobody would tell me─”

Another laugh from him interrupted you and what surprised you was the absence of mockery: he sounded genuinely amused. You didn't know how to react to the fact he found your distress funny. “Are you always this anxious?”

“See, this whole…,” you made a circular hand gesture, “... situation is not helping my anxiety. So the answer would be maybe.”

Lando chuckled again and this time, an awkward smile found its way to your lips. “I wasn't trying to blame you, it was just a question. You can breathe. But the exit's not there.”

“Yeah, I think I noticed,” you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“It's through there,” Lando turned around and pointed to a slightly hidden door, but right above was a bright green exit sign. You were blind. “You just go straight and the parking lot shouldn't be that far.”

“Oh, uh. Thanks. I didn't see it,” you simply answered. Dusting off invisible dust from your clothes, you looked at him again. “Again, I'm sorry about the drink. Really.”

“I told you it's nothing, just go before a team member calls security on you, ‘aight?”

You aggressively nodded, which stole another breathless laugh from him that you decided to ignore. Right as you went through the door, the curly-haired driver called: “Hey!” You turned around, frowning in incomprehension.

“Next time you decide to sneak into McLaren's quarters,” Lando said, “at least wear the right colors.”

You quickly glanced at your Ferrari shirt, slightly cropped to go with your jean skirt. That's when the words echoed in your brain. “I wasn't sneaki─!”

Before you could finish your argument, he closed the door on you.

Walking back to your car, the realization of everything that went down the last 10 minutes slowly dawned on you. What the fuck had just happened? Was it real? Did you hallucinate? Did you just humiliate yourself like that in front of Lando Norris?

Most importantly: novels made meet-cutes seem so simple and easy, how did you manage to mess it up that bad?

A day later, you tried to push that interaction to the back of your mind, mainly because of how embarrassed you were about how you acted but also because otherwise, you wouldn't be able to think about anything else.

Once the night had comfortably settled, you confidently walked into the venue Leandra rented. It was an immense room in an even bigger hall, and so elegant you couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. You guessed that’s what you were supposed to expect when you partied at the same place the drivers usually did ─ at least that's what one of the girls told you: it was where they would throw after-parties when they had time after races. Fits the theme, you thought.

The decor was tasteful and themed in a way that didn't feel cheap, which was surprisingly hard to do, as you discovered as you mingled with Leandra Moore and her entourage. The buffet was delicious, the champagne was flowing, and there were professional photographers and signed illustrations of the two main characters of Silver Spring Race, along with a Fairyloot exclusive edition of the book. You could have died right here and there: the details were to die for.

Right as the music was getting louder, the conversations grew more deconstructed and the alcohol less diluted, you decided to step out for some fresh air ─ as much fun as it was, being socially involved for so long was tiring you out. If you wanted to last the night, you needed a little break.

The exit was notoriously hard to find, which gave you war flashbacks from yesterday you had a hard time pushing away, but you didn't spend as long finding it ─ just enough to regret the aesthetic choice of wearing high heels for the night.

By the time you got outside, your feet were aching for freedom. You quickly rushed to the stone stairs leading to the party hall and sat on the first step. The scenery was quite stunning: a fountain throned in the middle of the place leading to stairs, lightly illuminated by the white neons in the water and the warm hall light, and tall trees surrounding the square. You could have probably appreciated it more if you weren't so preoccupied with detaching those fucking straps of your ankles: why weren't they coming off, those little─

“Oof, looks like you need help again.”

Your hand froze on your shoe as the voice and accent hit a familiar spot in your brain. It took you a second to catch up, and around a minute to realize. Your heart dropped and you turned around, slowly, like the main character in a horror movie.

Lando Norris stood before you. Again.

Who exactly was controlling your life? Because the odds of this happening a second time were really, really low.

His hair was usually messy, and yet tonight they seemed more contained and professional. He wore a white shirt, and a few buttons popped open at the collar gave you an open view of a small gold chain around his neck ─ you had to drag your gaze away. Straight-legged black pants finished the look, topped off with black loafers. He looked miles away from the Lando Norris you accidentally ran into after the race. He probably showered.

He looked gorgeous, too. It would be a blatant lie to even ignore it, and that realization slightly took your breath away.

Yet, the only thing coming out of your mouth was a strangled, “I swear I'm not stalking you.”

A pause. You had serious issues.

And still, Lando laughed. Hard and loud, like the ones you saw in a few selected interviews when you were bored and scrolling on YouTube during the breaks. It made you feel slightly self-conscious. He breathed in as he walked toward you, a chuckle still in his tone when he spoke up. “I mean, I'd believe you this time but the coincidence's pretty big.”

An offended scoff escaped you and suddenly, all the thoughts about him being a celebrity, a renowned driver, a trust fund kid flew out the window right into the fountain. 

“I'll let you know I was invited to an event here, thank you very much. I have other, more important things to do than follow someone around.”

When you realized what you said, your eyes widened. “Sorry, I didn't mean─”

But Lando was smiling.

“Nah, you did.” Right now, he stood right next to you on the stairs and you quietly wondered if he was going to sit down or keep looking down on you like that. Then you realized that you were, again, in the most improbable situation known to man. Anxiety swirled in your stomach.

“Soo… what event are you attending?”

You squinted your eyes up at him. “...Is this an interrogation?”

Lando simply shrugged. “Can never be too sure.”

Well, you couldn't blame him for that.

“A book release party. The author, Leandra Moore, happened to invite me and other people. She was the one that got us tickets for the race yesterday, too. I just went out to get some fresh air.”

He hummed in response. “Oh yeah, heard something about that. I guess you're legit, then.”

“Yes, I am!” When you looked up again, there was that shit-eating grin. You rolled your eyes to the high heavens.

“... Wait. Is your name Y/N?” He suddenly asked.

Huh?

You never mentioned your name to him. You don't think it was even brought up in the 15 minutes you two talked. A frown scrunched up your eyebrows. “Uh, yes? How'd you know?” Silence. “And I'm the stalker?”

Lando laughed a bit at that. He finally sat down next to you, and the heat of his exposed forearms somewhat close to your own made you panic again.

“Y/N as in WhoisY/N?”

The gasp you let out could have landed you a role in The Young and the Restless. There was no fucking way. Absolutely none. This is where you drew the line. “You can't possibly be watching my videos.” Your tone was resolute.

“Nah, not me. My little sister though, Cisca.” That made more sense than to imagine Lando Norris, McLaren's golden boy, giggling and kicking his feet in front of your last romance review. Still, it felt unreal. “She eats up every single one of your posts. You’re the reason why we have so many cartoon covers at home, that's why I thought you looked familiar at first. The book release party confirmed it.”

You didn't know what emotions you should let transpire first. The fact that you were a celebrity in the Norris family was enough to make your jaw drop, but the mention of cartoon covers added heat to your cheeks ─ you hoped he never opened his sister's books.

“She's so gonna freak out when I tell her I met you,” he said between laughs.

“She's going to freak out?” You asked in disbelief. “You're in Formula 1. She can't freak out because of me. I'm freaking out because of you!”

He didn't point out your statement, thank god, but his eyes didn't seem to miss it. “I'm her older brother, she uses that to make fun of me now. But no, definitely, she's going to freak out.”

“What even is my life right now.”

That, at least, made you both erupt in an unstoppable fit of laughter. When it died down, you finally had the space to ask the question sitting in your mind since he appeared behind you. “What are you even doing here?”

Lando arched an eyebrow at you. “Is this an interrogation?”

“Yes.”

He exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, clearly mimicking you. “There's a race after party in the hall. McLaren special. Also went out to get some air, DJ-ing was becoming suffocating.”

“Oh,” it clicked, and you started thinking out loud. “I guess the girls weren't lying when they said that's where the drivers partied. It makes sense Leandra would rent out this hall.”

“Why?”

You were pretty sure smoke could be escaping from you right now just by how flustered you were. “Uh. For promoting her book?”

“Yeah, I got that, but like… why would our parties have anything to do with it?”

Lando was becoming suspicious again. Somebody kill you right now. How do you keep messing it up? “Because… it's… an F1 romance?”

Blank stare. You were just as red as the dress you wore and ready to go home to cry yourself to sleep. Then he laughed, hysterically, and you couldn't feel more ashamed.

“That exists?” He asked, breathless.

You turned your face away from him. “Yes.”

“And you read that?”

“Leave me alone,” you added, “if she follows me, your sister does too.”

That seemed to make him stop, at least, to your devious satisfaction. “I think I'll need to take a look at her shelves when I go home.”

“For the good of the girl and mine, please don't.”

The cold night breeze brushed your arms and you were now very mindful of how thin the material of your dress was. You shivered, rubbing your arms with your hands. Lando was quick to notice. “Shit, sorry. I don't have a jacket. I would have landed it to you otherwise.”

You don't know what came over you, but you bumped your shoulder with his. “Wow, that was almost gentleman-like.” Where did this familiarity come from, you didn't know ─ you have known the man for no longer than an hour. But there was something about the easy-going conversation, the late night, and the champagne buzzing in your blood that made this scene… just like the ones you read about, in your favorite books.

As soon as that idea slithered into your mind, you forcefully pushed it out. That was another level of delusion, Y/N. Those novels fried your brain.

You got up before Lando could answer. “It's fine, I was going to go back to my hotel anyway. The party drained my social battery and my flight takes off early tomorrow, so it's better if I go to sleep.”

“Okay, sure. Let me walk you to your car at least.”

Oh shit. “... I don't have a car.”

He blinked slowly. “What do you mean? How'd you come here, then?”

“I carpooled with some girls who are not going home right now.” That was a very dumb idea now that you look back on it.

“So… how are you planning to get to your hotel?”

You didn't bring your wallet with you, so no chance of getting a taxi. “... I'll walk?”

“... Yeah, no. No chance. At night? Dressed like that?” He took you in, making you hyper-aware of the high slit and the almost sheer material of your dress. “I'll take you.”

You were stunned. So much for avoiding delusion or further embarrassment. “I can't possibly ask you─ I mean, you have a party─”

“If you think that after-party is going to end anytime soon, you're so wrong,” he chuckled.

In all honesty, you could have argued more, but Lando already seemed settled on his decision. He stood up, not before grabbing the heels you took off during the conversation and decidedly headed toward the parking lot. You hummed and followed suit as he started walking toward his car, your comments dying on your tongue. The improbability of what was currently happening was just too much for you to grace it with a thought, so a sentence would be crossing the limits.

The car ride was spent in comfortable silence as soon as you typed the address of your hotel in his GPS. Your eyes widened when his car came into view: a black 2018 McLaren Senna, with red accents, you hadn't seen so beautiful with your own eyes in a while. You had to bite back a gasp when you got in.

Lando rolled the windows fully down. The wind whipped strands of hair around as you watched the scenery roll by at a dizzying speed, making you wonder if he knew what a speed limit was. Soft bass music played on the radio, one you didn't know the lyrics to, but Lando did as he whispered-sang them. He looked calm behind a wheel that didn't belong to a Formula One car, the contrast was drastic. The driver met your eyes with a smile, and that was only then you realized you'd been staring. You turned your head as he laughed.

When your hotel came into view, you quietly thanked him for dropping you off and stepped out of the car. You didn't know what to do after that. Some part of you tugged at your mind ─ it was too good to be true, those things only happened in books. He was probably waiting for something in return. After a small wave to him, you were ready to disappear behind the doors and leave this night behind.

“Wait!” Lando called out from his opened window. Your stomach dropped. You knew it.

Hesitantly, you turned around.

“You're still wearing the wrong color,” he simply said, “I better see you in orange if you want my services next time.”

Relief washed over you and no matter how hard you fought it, a smile broke your carefully impassive facade. “Next time?”

Lando smiled at you. “Next time.”

And when he drove away, you couldn't help the butterflies in your stomach either.

As you lay in bed that night, you didn't push anything away. You processed what happened, today and yesterday. You didn't know how to feel or what to feel exactly, many emotions were contradictory, but maybe it was alright ─ not to know. To just let yourself feel without having to put a name on it.

When you grabbed the phone in your handbag, an Instagram notification caught your attention before you could even unlock it.

@.lando started following you.

A disbelieving, loud laugh escaped you. He did say there would be a next time.

After that it was safe to say, even though a little wild, Lando Norris had become a staple in your daily life.

The moment you got back home, you had received a DM by the driver himself asking if you traveled safely to which you couldn't help but reply with a “Stalker much?”. He simply answered that there was only a single flight going back to where you lived today, so it was easy to find on Skyscanner. As if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It made you smile.

The texts continued. What first started as small conversations every two days, reacting to each other's stories or silly tweets with not much depth behind them gradually grew, over a month, into useless life updates, every day with no exceptions.

lando: just ate the biggest fucking sandwich today

lando: [1 picture attached]

lando: scooby-doo type shit

whoisy/n: i'm so hungry actually

lando: did u get sidetracked reading again

whoisy/n: it's LITERALLY my job

lando: go get something to eat you muppet

whoisy/n: yessir

whoisy/n: u'll never guess what happened in my book

lando: he cheated on her right

whoisy/n: …

whoisy/n: you WILL guess what happened in my book

lando: LMAOOO that was so obvious from what you told me

whoisy/n: i had sm faith in him. men!!!

lando: they're all the same

whoisy/n: RITEEEEEE QUEEN

Lando always asked about what you were currently reading. It didn't take a genius or an Oxford diploma to notice how much you loved it, not when your entire social media presence was built around it. You knew it wasn't performative and he enjoyed hearing you talk about it ─ he often sent texts during the week asking about your favorite character, at what page you were, and if they kissed yet. It was harder during weekends due to races. Somehow, he still made time.

Similarly, Lando took the habit of sending you long vocals at the end of his days, explaining what happened, what Oscar and him were up to, and how annoying the different media were. He still refused to tell you much about his team, because your allegiance to Ferrari was simply “outrageous” according to him. You gladly landed a listening ear, chiming with a helping comment whenever you could. The late evenings got later and the vocals longer and longer each passing week, and before you knew it you two were calling almost every night.

It was a normal occurrence. He would get ready for bed and you would drop your Kindle for an hour or two, even longer the rare times he didn't have anything planned the next day. You would talk about anything and everything at the same time ─ sometimes he'd rope you into downloading a game and playing it with him, sometimes you'd just remodel the world until one of you was too exhausted to keep playing God. Most of the time, it was Lando.

Due to its sudden start, this growing friendship of yours quickly attracted the attention of your entire following base as well as his. Lando commented on almost all your new Instagram posts and TikToks with random things that either had a link with what you were talking about or none at all ─ most often alluding to the many inside jokes that stemmed from your conversations. Every interaction succeeded in making everyone crazy, especially your followers: apparently, you were finally getting the sports romance you were dreaming about for years.

The thought crossed your mind, how could it not with the amount of allusions under your posts? The fan edits on your For You page? But you never let yourself linger on it for too long.

You and Lando were friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

The call you got that night was unexpected. Tomorrow was race day, the Canadian Grand Prix more specifically ─ and Lando never called before a race. You understood perfectly, something about being well rested and focused, so you usually sent a good luck paragraph he'd read in the morning and answer after the event. So why did his caller ID light up your phone screen as you were getting ready to go to bed, you didn't know. 

You picked up without a second thought. “Everything's alright?”

“What happened to hello?” He chuckled, his voice grainy through the speaker.

“My God,” you sighed. “Hello, Lando. Is everything alright?”

“Why wouldn't it be?”

“You never call before race day.”

Silence. “Hello?” You called. “You're still there?”

“Yeah, sorry. Uh, it's just─ your books are so unrealistic.”

Your heart skipped a bit, and you sat a little straighter against your pillow. “What?”

“I couldn't sleep and I didn't have anything to do, so I picked up one of your F1 romances you recommended in your last video─” No. No, he didn't. “Throttled? By Lauren Asher? And I just─ it's so dumb.”

Your mouth dropped open and instead of letting out words, a small screech left your lips. “You─ you read─? Why?”

“Like I said, I couldn't sleep. Whatever, it's─”

“Embarrassing!” You interrupted Lando. “You read one of my─ oh my god. This is not the family-friendly kind either. And it's F1. Next time just punch me in the face, I’ll be less humiliated.”

A wheeze came from the other side of the phone. You buried your head in your pillows, trying to put out the fire in your face. “Oh yeah, definitely not family-friendly.”

You groaned in response but that didn't stop Lando from continuing. “As I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, it got most of the sport right but otherwise it's so… it took all the competitiveness out! That's, like, the entire point of F1! I thought you were a fan, how can you willingly enjoy that?”

“I mean, I know it's not the most accurate representation of F1,” you flopped on your back, “but it's kinda like Drive To Survive, y'know? Most people watch it for the drama. I read those for the romance plot.”

Lando scoffed at your words. “Even the romance plot isn't that good, Y/N. The whole part in which he throws a race to make her happy? That's such bullshit.”

“How so?”

“If you love her, you win a race for her.”

You couldn't put the words on it once again, but the way he said it constricted your chest with such tightness you had to take a long, calming breath. You had to concentrate to get out your next sentence. “Well, I don't know, it's not like I know anything about romance. I thought that was pretty romantic.”

“What do you mean, ‘don't know anything about romance'? You read this shit all day long.”

You let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, but that's not the real thing. I've never actually dated or kissed anyone, so actual romantic gestures are like… foreign languages to me.”

A beat. Until you suddenly heard a mess of covers moving around, reverberating right in your eardrums. You hissed, and Lando spoke up again.

“You've never kissed anyone? Or dated?” He sounded stunned, which surprised you. It's not like you've tried to hide it. It grew to be your brand over time.

“Uh, yeah. Never.”

“You're shitting me.”

“No?”

“I can't believe it.”

You rolled your eyes. “Well, jeez, thank you for making me feel so great about being a twenty-two years old virgin, Lando.”

“No! No! I didn't mean it like that,” he screamed at his speaker. “You're just… you're you. You’re too nervous for your own good, true, but your cheeks get darker when you laugh, you fiddle with your sleeves when you don’t know what to say, and you constantly hum songs when it’s too quiet for you. You're smart, you're beautiful, you're passionate, you're funny…” He got quiet before continuing. “I don't get how anyone could pass up the chance to kiss you, that's all.”

Oh. Oh.

The fluttering in your stomach flew its way up to your throat, and for a little moment, you thought you were going to throw up. The silence stretched as you basked in Lando's words, left hanging in the thick air. Suddenly the screen didn't seem like enough space between the two of you.

Lando ended up breaking the stillness. “I just─ I think I should hang up. The race's tomorrow and it's getting─” A pause. You glanced at the time: 00:23. “Shit, the race is today.”

“Don't worry. Go to sleep, get those hours in and win tomorrow,” you answered in a shaky breath.

“Yeah. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.”

Still, neither of you clicked on the red button. “Lando?”

“Mmh?”

“Thank you. For what you said.”

“... I meant it.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” He hung up.

You desperately tried to fall asleep, tossing and turning, fighting with your pillow and covers to get comfortable but the only thing your mind could focus on was the end sentence he uttered, the inflections of his voice a ghostly whisper in your ear. I don't get how anyone could pass up the chance to kiss you.

How did you successfully act as if that call never happened? You didn't know. You never were a good liar, less of a good actress. Maybe it was the way Lando carefully sidestepped the subject every time you nearly alluded to it that made you so good about ignoring it altogether.

It was nothing. You just blew it out of proportion, like you usually did. Maybe you should try self-help books instead of romances for the next few months.

No matter how bittersweet your feelings were about this whole situation, you chose to put them aside, simply because Lando had two free weeks starting today and he chose to put a few of his days aside to fly out to your town. For the first time in almost three months, you were going to see each other face to face. And under normal circumstances! That would be a first.

When he came out of the airport, with a gigantic suitcase for just a few days and his characteristic grin adorning his lips, all questions just vanished into thin air. You resisted the urge to jump into his arms but you didn't miss how tight Lando held you when he initiated the hug ─ you melted into him like snow in the sun.

Lando had rented a hotel room for his short stay, a good thirty minutes ride from you. He used it once before you both silently declared your home was way better than a five-star Hilton. He squatted on your couch and you'd sleep in your bed, the rare times you slept as most nights were spent playing video games and marathoning movies. Most of them were romantic comedies. Lando would complain about the lack of realism and you'd smack him over the head, and the movie would be watched in between snarky commentaries and heartfelt comments on your perception of love, sneaking glances at each other.

You tried not to let the latter get too much to your head.

However, Lando's trip had to end at some point. Too soon, it was the evening before his plane ride home and you were helping him gather the stuff he left all over the place ─ the state of your living room was deplorable, but you could cry about it tomorrow morning. In any case, you had to get ready since Lando established earlier there was no way in hell he was going to go back without going out at least once. You replied by saying you already went out a couple of times but according to him, visiting was not considered “going out.”

A good thirty minutes later, you crossed the threshold of your house, heels clacking on the pavement as you approached Lando. He was waiting next to your own car, black shirt half buttoned and messy curls hastily tamed. You had forced yourself not to stare too much ─ friendship established or not, you were still the same girl he found on the stairs in Miami and he was still undeniably beautiful. His eyes raked over you in silence, his lips parting slightly, and you found your normally confident walk faltering.

You hoped he thought of you just the same.

Then, breathlessly, “Wow.”

That's all it took for fire to flame up your face, drowning the blush you so carefully applied. You graced him with a little spin, which he applauded. “Well, you're not so bad yourself,” you added. Understatement of the year.

You walked to the driver's seat, but Lando's hand on the handle stopped you going further. “Nah, I'm driving tonight. I got a surprise for you.”

“What do you mean, surprise? Weren't we supposed to go to the movies?” You raised your eyebrows, confused.

“We watched, like, 30 movies and I've been there 5 days - I’m starting to overdose. Trust me and get in the passenger seat.”

“... You being so ominous is making it very hard to trust you, Lando.”

“I’m an F1 driver, I can drive your car.” He sounded offended you doubted him, even though you weren’t alluding to his driving skills at all. Still, the tone he employed when mentioning your car was almost offending you. Not everyone had a McLaren salary.  “I meant the surprise,” you clarified.

“Ah. Well. Have a little faith in me, c’mon.” On these words, he climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door on you. The audacity of that man, sometimes you couldn’t believe it. It didn’t leave you much choice than to take the seat next to him and watch the landscape go by. Quiet conversation was made as the sky tinged with dark, navy blue, and before you knew it Lando was parking in front of one of the most reputable ─ and expensive ─ restaurants in your town. It was safe to say you never put a foot in it before.

When you got out of the car, you almost jumped at him. “That’s your surprise?!” You whispered-exclaimed under his amused gaze. “You’re crazy. Downright mad.”

“I’m inviting you!” Like it was the most natural thing in the world, to just indebt yourself by inviting a girl to dinner. The smile he flashed at you was a mix of hesitation and enthusiasm, so bright that any protests and remarks about how you just couldn’t let him pay died in your throat. Instead, you thanked to which Lando answered by giving you his arm. You took it and entered the restaurant.

You couldn’t describe the meal as anything but luxurious, whether it was taste-wise or the plate’s presentation. Your surroundings were gold plated and yet the only thing you could focus on was how hard Lando was trying to make you choke on your food ─ the jokes were flowing just as much as the wine in your glass, any awkwardness you may have felt stepping into this place disappeared into thin air as soon as Lando started occupying the conversational space, like he could sense how tense you were.

Before you could even look at the dessert, he stopped you. “We’ll skip that,” he said. You threw him a strange look. “I have another thing planned, just go with it.”

How many surprises were in store for you tonight? You didn’t know, and your Excel-spreadsheet-on-vacations self was getting panicky. But if there was one thing you learned with Lando was that your incessant worrying was needless, especially with him. You left after he took care of the bill, being very careful about not letting the numbers in your sight, and climbed back into the car. The sky was now an inky black and the air was lukewarm on your bare arms. Lando rolled the windows down like he usually did, but this time let you be in charge of the aux ─ considering it still was your vehicle. Frank Ocean’s “Moon River” resonated in between hushed giggles and the chime of the wind in your hair. Flashbacks of that fateful night, three months ago, crept through your memories. You still couldn’t believe what it had come to. 

You drove longer than you did before. This time, Lando parked on a cliff you had no idea existed, even though this was your town. And this time, when you got out of the car, your breath was taken away by just how many stars contrasted with the darkness of the night, the lights of the town too far away to blind them and instead joining them in a faraway source of light.

Marveling in front of the scenery stopped you from noticing Lando’s shenanigans behind you. He was awfully quiet, which wasn’t like him, so you turned around. 

You found him on the roof of your car. Literally. With plastic goblets, the half-empty bottle of wine you had at the restaurant, and ─ you weren’t joking ─ a plate of pancakes. Your jaw dropped open, nearly hitting the floor. “What? How─ huh?” No full sentence could come out of your mouth at this moment, no matter how hard you tried.

“Don’t tell me you don’t like pancakes,” he pleaded, “I woke up way too early to make them not be eaten.”

You thought you dreamt yourself climbing on the top of your car to sit next to him, but it was all very real: you were wholly stunned, which he seemed to notice. Sheepish, he prompted a proper explanation, “I just thought I should, uh, properly thank you. For letting me stay at your house and all. This seemed less impersonal than the restaurant.”

“You stole the wine,” was the only constatation you were able to get out, barely. Emotions constricted your throat too tightly for you to utter anything else.

He laughed. “Took it when you weren't looking. ‘S not like they're going to reuse it so I took care of the waste.”

“Such an ecologist soul,” you teased.

“They call me Father Nature at McLaren.”

“How'd you…” Words weren't coming out easily. Your eyes darted from the bottle, to the pancakes he probably woke up at an ungodly hour of the morning to make, and Lando ─ who was waiting for you to speak like you were his saving grace. Nobody ever looked at you like that, you thought, like you meant something more than what you were. “How'd you get this idea?”

Your question seemed to fluster him a little. He ran a hair through his curls, eyes darting to the side. “Uh, that's what he did. The male character in your book. Nothing Like The Movies I think? I thought that'd be something you like, y'know?”

Your heart thumped against your chest like it threatened to burst out of it. He read a romance novel, one of the most recent ones you reviewed. He took note of your favorite scene, in which Wes was supposed to take Liz to a restaurant but ended up eating on the roof of his car. He reproduced it.

For you.

“I…” There was a sentence threatening to spill out that you're not sure you quite mean yet, but you were feeling it so deeply it was hard to keep it in check. “I don't know what to say.”

“Then just eat the goddamn pancake before they get harder than they are. Turns out, they're not really durable.” It surprised a chuckle out of you.

The conversation carried on after that. The slow hum of Frank Ocean's discography escaping from the car made the perfect soundtrack to the vast discussions about racing, books, and life in general. The longer Lando and you went on, the quieter your voice got until they were reduced to a little more than a whisper, almost into each other's ears. Your cheeks hurt from laughing, your pinkie was intertwined with his, and the bottle was empty by the time the clock on your lock screen showed midnight.

“How did you even find this place?” You looked around once more, taking in the city lights, the tall trees, and the numerous stars above you.“I've been living here for years and I never knew you could get such a good view. Plus, it's not like you sneaked out during the night to scout places out. Unless?” You gasped exaggeratedly.

And there it was again, the pinkish tint at the end of his ears and the avoiding looks. “Nah, no sneaking out. I… I mean, what I did was─”

“You…?”

“I googled ‘date idea��� in your city and this is one of the places that came up.”

All of the sudden, the reality of the situation slapped you in the face. How Lando's thumb was lazily drawing circles on your hand, the romantic lyrics of the song playing from the car, the wine and the restaurant and how your eyes have been switching from his eyes to his lips a bit too often ever since you parked.

“Is this…?” You could kiss him right now. According to how transfixed he was by your mouth, you didn't think Lando would mind much.

You leaned in ever so slightly. He never answered your half-question, and even if he did you don't think you could have heard it through the hammering in your ribcage. However, his lips were but a brush of air against your own.

Because a goddamn flash stopped you.

You both jumped in surprise, the harsh light blinding you for a split second. The other half of it was enough to realize what you were faced with. Lando was the first to voice it, in more of a hiss than a sentence. “Fucking paparazzis.”

He got off the car in a jump, but a flurry of hurried footsteps told you that by the time he reached the spot the light came from, there would be no one left. You jumped off as well, dusting off your dress. “Lando?” You were shaking. Somehow, you couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment, panic, cold, or the brutal withdrawal of the high you were in not even a minute ago.

“The fuckers ran away.” His voice betrayed the palpable anger radiating off him. “I should’ve known. They’re always fucking there.”

The mood was gone, replaced by the static of the cold night air and the missing warmth of each other. By a silent, common agreement, you both cleaned up your car’s rooftop and climbed back in your seats soon after. The soft music was gone, the windows rolled up and Lando’s hands were tense on the wheel. When you got home, nothing more but a small “goodnight” was exchanged ─ apart from a glance, as you crossed your bedroom’s door, but it was too dark for you to interpret what it could mean.

When you woke up a few hours later, Lando was already gone.

You knew it was too good to be true. Things like that happened to the type of girls in the novels, not to you. But when Lando wouldn’t answer your texts, or carried on his vacations and his first Grand Prix back without a care in the world, you still couldn’t be asked to describe the terrible ache in your chest. You should have known.

You couldn’t wrap your mind around it ─ that all the late night calls, the comments, the texts, the rooftop of your car and the soft sweep of his breath on your lips was so easy to brush off for him. Not when it was the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ of what could have happened that night that kept you up for so many sleepless hours. It left you wondering if any of it was real: the friendship, the sweet words, and everything in between, or if you were just the new mystery girl to toy with and give up when it became too complicated.

The heartbreak and betrayal weren’t even the worst part of the situation. You didn’t expect the photo to come out as quickly as it did, after McLaren had a good PR team and would be able to at least intercept it, right? Wrong. It came out two days later. The picture was slightly blurry but clear enough so you could perfectly see your face and Lando’s, dangerously close to each other, and your hands intertwined together.

The flurry of comments, DMs, and interview requests sent to you after was unbelievable. Your community did the best it could to try and get the tabloids off your back, bless them, but all the other sides of the internet were either begging for more information or calling you names. Still, Lando and McLaren chose to ignore the whole situation. Swallowing your pride and deciding to take the high road, you did the same. You read romance books, you reviewed them, you exchanged a little bit with your followers on social media, you watched movies ─ you carried on with your day-to-day life, even if it was with a little less vehemence and a growing dislike for the romantic genre you adored.

It was the first year a Grand Prix would take place in your city. A brand new circuit, with brand new challenges. Taking place in the middle of the season, you were ecstatic when it was announced a few months back. Now, seeing people walking down your street with bright orange shirts and a number 4 on their back on a Friday morning, the only thing you wanted to do was to close your blinds and crawl back into bed for the weekend.

Your plans were thrown in the wind not even an hour later by none other than Cisca Norris. With an Instagram DM. You started following each other a few days after your friendship with Lando had been noticed by the public eye, but you’ve never really spoken to each other. She looked like a sweet girl nonetheless.

ciscanorris: heyyyy

ciscanorris: ik we never talked

ciscanorris: and that might not be the bestest moment to get friendly

ciscanorris: but heyyyyyyy

Your eyebrows rose at the notification, but you weren’t about to let your situation with Lando get in the way of interacting with his sister ─ who had nothing to do with it in the slightest.

whoisy/n: hey cisca! dw at all, hows it going : )

ciscanorris: great!! hbu?

whoisy/n: tired, but apart from that nothing much

ciscanorris: rest well then!

ciscanorris: i’m going to be honest tho

ciscanorris: i’m not just texting you to ask how you’re doing

It should have surprised you yet it didn’t. The timing was too spot-on to be a coincidence, but you chose to live in ignorant bliss.

ciscanorris: are you going to the race this weekend?

whoisy/n: what do you think

ciscanorris: can’t blame you

ciscanorris: my brother’s an ass

That made you chuckle.

whoisy/n: i was thinking worse

ciscanorris: so am i

ciscanorris: but he wants to make up for it

ciscanorris: really

ciscanorris: he insists you should go to the race

whoisy/n: and he couldn’t text me and ask himself because…?

ciscanorris: doesn’t want to spoil the surprise apparently

ciscanorris: idk what he’s planning

Another surprise. Knowing how the last one amazingly ended, you were a little doubtful. Lando sent his sister to ask you to come as if she was the one racing, and now he had something planned ─ again.

ciscanorris: just check your mailbox and think about it

This was enough to pique your curiosity. You went out immediately, opening the little white mailbox next to your front door. There was only a small, brown letter with your address hastily written in black ink ─ you recognized Lando’s handwriting. There it was: a paddock pass, classic McLaren colors, with your name on it. With it? A note, same brown paper, same handwriting: “Please”.

That’s all it took to convince you to go. After all, you still had to get a proper apology. 

This time, you entered the McLaren’s side of the paddock with purpose. The staff member at the entrance knew your name and even showed you the way ─ a sharp contrast with your experience a few months back. You stood above the garage, right in front of the track and near a decisive turn, though the number didn’t come back to you. It was a good spot, excellent even, it could be said to be better than the Beach Grandstands in Miami.

Yet, there was no sign of Lando.

You walked past Oscar in the hallways and the quiet driver just flashed you the tight-lipped smile you give to acquaintances in the street. You walked past his girlfriend, Lily, and you even passed by Lando’s dad, whose eyes widened in recognition but was clearly too busy to offer you anything more than that. Everyone but the man you came to watch the race for. You started to absentmindedly fidget with the bottom of your orange shirt ─ if that was his version of an apology, he was pretty shit at it.

The race started soon after your arrival, and the pit in your stomach dug deeper and deeper as you watched Lando do the formation turn. You suppose you were to wait until the end of the race, which made sense in a way, but you didn’t appreciate being put on standby like greenery on a windowsill.

The animosity dimmed when the sound of motors rang in your ears at lights out.

The circuit was brand new, and two days of preparations were not nearly enough to get acquainted with an entire novel track. Risks were high, and the probability of winning was evened out for everyone, which justified the cacophony of cars bumping into the others during the first lap as everyone found their footing. You believed Lando would have a good chance of ending P1 and snatching a victory in your city ─ it was the type of track and weather that favored him.

But Lando had started on pole position.

From the years you spent watching races and your general knowledge of him, Lando Norris didn’t do well when he started a race on pole. Most often, pressure got to him and he lost one or two places during the first few laps, which made you curse at the TV more than you’d like to admit. Unfortunately, it was exactly what was happening right now: you gripped the railing for dear life as Hamilton passed him, then almost broke your nail on the metal when Verstappen followed suit.

By the last lap, Lando had managed to stay P3 and keep his place on the podium, much to your relief, but the bitterness of pole escaping him was obvious in his behavior: champagne was sprayed all over him by his colleagues but he wouldn’t even look up from the ground, his traits disfigured by disappointment. Maybe some would see it as tiredness, but you knew better.

That’s why as soon as he walked down the podium to head to his team and to his garage, you darted downstairs to meet him.

It didn’t take long to spot Lando. His team surrounded him, clapping his shoulder and congratulating him with a bright smile. He barely returned them, scratching his neck in embarrassment. He was looking around like a lost puppy and you stood there, amidst the mess of elated people, unsure of what you should do or say. When Lando’s eyes set upon you, his expression went from disappointment to remorse in a split second.

He acted before you could. Rushing toward you, his voice was broken when he spoke up, trying to make himself clear above the surrounding noise.  “I’m so, so sorry. I fucked it all up. I was─ that was shitty. My race was shitty.”

You blinked. “What?” You couldn’t understand the link to the race and your situation to save your life. “Lando, you’re P3.”

Lando ran a hand through his hair, gripping his curls. His eyes bore into yours, cutting off anything you might have wanted to add. “No!” He continued. “It’s not─ it’s not good enough. I should have been P1. It should have been me, up there. I worked… I worked so hard so I could…” He was breathless now, searching your face for something, even though you couldn’t tell what exactly.

“What are you even talking about?” Frustration elevated the tone of your voice.

“I was supposed to win the race for you!”

That shut you up. Incredulity coursed through you and your mouth, half-opened to say a sentence, couldn’t manage to get out a sound. His words didn’t make sense, and somehow you didn’t need to know more. Lando took your stunned silence as a sign to continue.

“I was supposed to win the race for you. I wanted to give you your book moment. You’re, you’re the type of girl that deserves to get swept off her feet, the grand gestures and all that!” He threw his arm in the air. “When you told me you never had that when we called that night, and the fact I could be the first one to do that for you… I never wanted something, someone, as bad.”

You felt yourself flush. “Everything else failed,” he kept on going, almost erratic, “I tried the heartfelt confessions but bailed right after, I tried to impromptu date but I forgot all about the fucking journalists. So I thought that- that maybe I could give it to you the way I knew best, by racing.”

His words, two months back, echoed in your mind. If you love her, you win a race for her.

“But I had to fuck that up too. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”

All of it was for you.

The way Lando looked at you, desperate and miserable, the way your feelings were overflowing out of you and him… it was almost too much for you to process. Your mind and heart were an unintelligible tangled mess you couldn’t make sense of, and in classic you fashion, the first sentence that spilled out of your lips was a teary-eyed, broken, “You’re so stupid.”

“I know.”

You quickly wiped the tears that started spilling down your cheeks. “Not in that self-deprecating way you’re thinking of. Don’t you think it would have been easier if you just told me all this instead of ghosting me for almost a month? Making me think nothing about all this was real? Is that why you weren’t texting or answering me, you were figuring out how to go about this circuit?”

Lando nodded bashfully. You let out a dry laugh. “You’re unbelievable. I don’t care about- that! I don’t care that you didn’t get pole position, I don’t care about your ‘failed’ attempts. I couldn’t care less. What I care about is you. If you had told me that instead of leaving…”

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” he apologized again. “I just─ I wanted─ I know I acted like a moron and I should’ve done better but I thought that if I─”

“I understand. I know.” Gently, you took his hands, furiously fisting the pans of his tracksuit, into yours. Apparently, it acted as an ice bucket dropped right on Lando’s head. He stared at you as if it was the first time ─ in a way it was. He was sweaty, dirty, and covered in champagne, his curls falling onto his forehead and you were standing there, almost as surprised as your first meeting. Except everything else had changed, and the man in front of you wasn’t just a guy driving in a fast car you liked watching on Sundays. “But I didn’t need it. You’re plenty enough all by yourself, without the grand gestures and book-worthy moments. I’m not a book heroine. I need something real.”

The space between the two of you suddenly seemed too vast for the emotions inside of you. One of Lando’s hands carefully slithered on your waist, as if to test the waters. The gentleness of his movement, its implication, stole the breath out of you. “How real are we talking?” He was trying to make light of the situation, but the underlying seriousness in his voice betrayed him. 

“I think you know it by now.”

And just like that, his lips crashed onto yours.

It was an electric shock as if lightning struck you and spilled in your entire body. When he pulled back, you didn’t waste a second wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him right back in.

If his hands were considerate, never unraveling further than your waist and cheeks, his mouth was the complete opposite: hungry, intense. He kissed you like he had been holding back for so long it pained him not to touch you, and you kissed him back with the same vigor because you had been waiting just as much. He tasted like expensive alcohol and you were drunk on it, on the feeling of his lips on yours, his hands on your body. You couldn’t get enough. You don’t think Lando could either. It was messy, somewhat clumsy, his mouth wet and firm moving in sync against your own in haste and impatience.

But it couldn’t have been more perfect. Not for your first kiss.

“Really, right here? Get a goddamn room.”

You recognized Oscar’s voice, even though you couldn’t see him, which was an acidic reminder of where Lando and you both were. You broke the kiss first, and he let out a breathy laugh against your lips, sending shivers through your whole body. “That… was a long, long time coming,” he whispered.

“Whose fault is that?” He chuckled again. You did too.

You gave each other a bit of space, mainly for some well-needed air but also for the comfort of the staff around you. Still, Lando’s hand went up from your waist to your forearms, taking you in like it was the first time he saw you. His smile, wide and bright, brought the trademark heat to your cheek. “You wore the right color this time.” You were now hyper-aware of the shirt you wore, bright orange with a 4 printed on the back. “Good, I would've hated kissing you while you were wearing red. That equals cheating now, by the way.”

“Oh, really? You know, you still technically haven’t taken me out on a proper date,” you teased. “Don’t think you’re forgiven just yet.”

“Don’t even worry about that, I’ll take you out on the best dates ever. No paparazzis this time. You’ll even choose the movies.”

“Even if it’s a romcom?”

“I kinda grew attached to them because of you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Before you could get another comment out, a squeal replaced it as you felt the floor give up under your feet. It took you too long to realize Lando had swept you up in his arms, bridal style and was currently heading down a hallway. Your arms went up around his neck, this time for support. “What are you doing?” You asked with a giggle.

“Taking you to the driver’s room.” Even though you couldn’t manage to see his face, you could practically hear his grin, proud and cocky. “Going to give you reasons to forgive me, we can talk date ideas here.”

“What about the interviews?”

“They can wait.”

Playful protests escaped you under the incredulous eyes of the staff members who saw you disappear behind the white door. You didn’t care. At all. Anxiety be damned, as well as everything that held you back before. Because of this, what you had with Lando, felt perfect. Right. It might be too soon to call it love, but you had no doubt it would come to that sooner than later.

Because the way he held you, the way he kissed you, the way he looked at you, was undoubtedly better than any romance novel you ever read. Because it was real.

©drgnsfly 2k25. do not copy, steal, post somewhere else or translate my work without my permission.

[aryxchse]

the hot lifeguard. | percy jackson x daughter of hera! reader.

a / n : no one's requesting for my husband so i simp for him on my own (and with my girl annabeth chase ofc)

warnings ; cursing, you being a simp (totally not inspired from me), him being a simp, maybe nsfw mentions idk just horny teens, hot percy jackson, my baby annabeth because she's too cute for you to handle, ALSO LONG ASS FIC WTF, well you know me, i'm a sucker for daughter of hera trope

having a crush on percy jackson was normal in the campers.

he was hot, powerful, funny, sarcastic, kind, loyal, and believe me, the list goes on.

so when he started working as a lifeguard in the camp, suddenly everyone was in the water. he, the little shit he is, surfed once in a while too, to give a little show to the girls and boys. he was the aphrodite cabin's precious, which piper was disgusted. but he was proud.

today was another day for the camp to be at lake, swimming. annabeth dragged you out from the peaceful hera cabin, saying that you should at least get in the water to survive this hot weather. even though you wanted to stay inside, she was right, like always. the weather was hot and you started to get embarresed from the amount of times you asked jason to create a wind for you.

now you were going to use percy's element to cool down, which is, your secret crush.

"having a crush on percy isn't bad as you think." annabeth said quietly, carrying her and your beach bags. you, who was carrying the snacks and your surfboard, sighed. "oh yeah? i'm literally in a fucking cult annabeth. the 'i-have-a-crush-on-percy-too' cult. and believe me, there's so many of us."

annabeth laughed at you and found a good spot while you were rambling. she put the bags down on the sand and pulled out a blue picnic blanket to claim the area.

"i know the cult, i was a member of it when i was like, 12." she joked, now putting the bags on top of the blanket to keep it in place. "then i left, realising i wasn't really in the cult."

you smirked at her as you took off your big camp shirt, laying on the blanket with your matched blue bikini. "see? you should know what i feel."

annabeth shrugged, taking off her own camp shirt, leaving herself with her yellow swimsuit. "not really." she said. "besides, there's no one like you in the cult. you're quite famous yourself."

you raised an eyebrow at her, taking a lemonade from the little fridge standed beside you. "how so, blondie?" you asked, taking a sip.

"well, you're the only daughter of the famous hera, and literally the definition of good. everyone knows and loves you, you're always helping people. the little kids call you mom sometimes for gods' sake." she explained, and you chuckled.

"what's that have to do with percy?" you asked as you grabbed a diet coke from the fridge. annabeth groaned, taking the diet coke from your hand. "what i'm trying to say is, you probably have his attention already. you're as famous as him and you're literally gorgeous."

you 'awww'ed at annabeth which she gagged playfully. you left a kiss to her cheek. "thanks annie, but i'm only successful at being little boys first love. not getting the famous percy jackson's attention."

annabeth groaned louder, laying on her back. "man, people talk about the skinny white boy like he's some god." she said. "when he was twelve, he was basically a loser."

you laughed at her and stood up, taking your surfboard. "how nice of you to talk about him like that." you joked, and annabeth made thumbs up to you. "anyways babe, i'll surf a little. there's a lotta good waves goin' on right now."

annabeth looked at the ocean and sighed. "you sure? it looks dangerous today." she said, and you only giggled at her worries. "oh please, you know i'm good at surfing as much as percy."

"yeah, sure. don't let piper hear that'." annabeth yelled after you as you walked away. you waved at her without turning back.

you looked around a bit. the apollo kids was blasting music in the food corner, which was now full of demigods. dionysus kids was making cocktails without the alcohol, because their dad's were watching them. chiron was just chilling next to mr d, a sunglass on his face, and the aphrodite kids was playing beach volleyball with the demeter kids.

then you looked at the right. oh, there he was.

percy jackson, sitted on the guard chair -you really didn't know what it's called- with that tan and muscular body of his. he had a sunglass on his face and an ice cream stick in his mouth. he lazily swinged his feet once in a while, and the blue shorts of his were looking so damn good on him. the red whistle hanged around on his bare chest, not that he touched it often.

you stopped staring when a girl accidently bumped you, apologising right after it. you smiled and said it was nothing, internally thanking the girl for making you turn back to life again. you were damn sure annabeth was making fun of you.

little thing you didn't know that percy, was observing you in that blue bikini, behind his sunglasses. what do you think was the reason of him wearing them? to be cool? nah, he doesn't even need those to be cool. he's just watching you secretly. you, didn't had any idea you were making an eye contact with him until that girl bumped to you.

he watched you dive in the water like you were poseidon's champion or something, getting on that white surfboard of yours like a damn model. percy felt like he was drooling at the sight, which he probably was.

he was snapped out of his gaze with mr d yelling at him. man, you were just about to bend over and stand up on that board.

"yes, mr d?" he said lazily, rolling his eyes behind the sunglasses.

"this little shit needs to find the bathroom, go show him." mr d pointed some little boy who was holding his shorts like his life depended on it. percy jumped down from his seat like it wasn't 2 feet tall, and smiled at the boy.

"don't mind him, he's an old man who's angry he can't drink." he said to the boy, ruffling his hair. the boy only nodded. "i don't really care anyway, i just need to pee."

percy chuckled as he picked the little boy in his arms, already taking him to the bathroom. "i'll carry you little fella. just be careful not to pee on me."

"i won't, thank you percy." the little boy said. percy wasn't suprised that he knew his name. "no problem. what's your name kid?"

"peter." he said. percy chuckled again. "yeah? mr d used to call me peter. he still does sometimes."

the little boy laughed as percy entered the bathroom. "really? so that's why he calls me percy sometimes." he said, forgetting he had to pee. percy smiled. "probably. go and let go all your pee boy, i'll be back on busin-"

he couldn't finish his sentence when annabeth rushed to the boys bathroom. "percy!" she yelled.

percy turned around to look at annabeth and smiled. "hey 'beth, nice to see you. not a really good spot for meeting don't ya thi-"

"there's no time for joking seaweed brain! she's fucking drowning!" she yelled at him. percy immediatly took of his glasses as they already start running towards the ocean.

"who?" he asked.

"y/n! you know her right?" annabeth said breathlessly.

of course he did, he fucking adored her. percy's worry only growed when he saw how big those waves were. the demigod's were already in panic as they looked at the sea. chiron called percy and said that the daughter of hera needed to be saved immediatly. percy didn't even stopped to listen to chiron as he dive into the water.

you thought you could handle it, or at least swim up and sit on your board. but no, poseidon was definetly in a bad mood, and he was taking his anger out from you, probably.

as you lost your balance and fell into the water, you didn't panicked and started swimming as usual. but big and strong waves hit you back and forth, until you were tired, swallowed too many water and fainted.

when you opened your eyes, you thought you were in elysium. or it was just some another version of the little mermaid.

percy smiled at you as you opened your eyes, his big hands cupping your face. he was panting, not because he was tired from all the swimming, no. he was panting because he fight with the thought of losing you for the past five minutes as he worked on getting out the water you swallowed.

"there you are, breath honey. can you do that?" he asked, and you caughed a bit. you nodded softly as he lifted you until you sat up, his strong arms still supporting your back.

you looked around, there was only the two of you, the crowd was long gone. you looked at percy again as your hand find it's way to your forehead. "what happened?" you asked.

"nothin' to worry about angel, just some big waves." he explained, caressing your back softly. you let your body rest on his chest, sighing as you remembered what happened.

"didn't thought the waves would get this crazy." you said, voice still hoarse as you caughed again. percy nodded as he patted your back. "me either."

after a minute of silence, percy finally speaked up again. "i... i'm sorry i was late, i took this little kid called peter to the bathroom because mr d asked me to, i swear i'd help you quicker if i didn-"

"percy, hey, it's okay." you shushed him, your hand caressing his arm. "you already saved my life."

percy nodded again. "yeah i know, i know. but i just," he sighed. "i don't know what i'd do if i lost you before i even asked you out."

you giggled to his chest. "yeah? you were gonna ask me out? when?" he smiled into your hair.

"today. been watching you for sometime now."

"creep." you joked.

"observing beauty, i'd say." he said, smirking.

you sat straight and looked deep into his eyes, which now matched with the color of the sea.

"i'd love to grab some lemonade with you, as a way of thanking you i guess." you said as you smirked back at him. percy chuckled as his hand caressed your cheek.

"who am i to refuse a sweet thank you, right?"

[maeevel]

“Sorry, my darlings, Apollo thought, not feeling an ounce of remorse that he was using his children as an excuse to get closer to Percy Jackson.”

🤣🤣🤣🤣 I can just imagining Cabin 7’s faces. I don’t think they would even be angry, truth be told. They would just look at each other deadpan and think yeah, that tracks.

Honestly, they might even be a little understanding. I mean, it’s Percy Jackson. Who could blame Apollo for going above and beyond in order to seduce her? They are just glad their father hasn’t pulled a Hades.

I just hope they manage to milk this for all its worth. I want each Apollo kid to look their dad in the eye and ask for the most exorbitant gift (for all the birthdays you missed dad - he has never missed a single birthday) possible. Let’s just say, thank the Fates Apollo is a god, because any mortal would struggle under the barrage of requests.

I’m imagining something like this scene:

Apollo: Will, my boy! I’m sorry I forgot your birthday! Tell daddy what you want, we can make a camp-wide celebration with all your siblings! I will bring the cake! And a date.

Will, confused, clearly remembering waking up the morning of his birthday months ago to an Apollo-crafted magical medical satchel hanging from his bedpost: Dad? But you-

Apollo, grabbing Will by the shoulders and angling him just right so he can see Percy ‘hiding’ in the bushes, monitoring their interaction: I know! I know what you are about to say! I’ve been a terrible, negligent father to my darling angels! But I promise you, son, I will strive to become worthy of you and your siblings again!

Will, suddenly deadpan, the light of clarity and second-hand embarrassment in his eyes: oh. Oh I see. I understand. Wow dad, just… wow. I’m so… happy. Yes, so happy right now. You’re such a great dad. Yeah.

Kayla, standing just behind Will, holding a seven-pages long itemized list of things she wants Apollo to give/do for her. A line of other Apollo children, holding their own lists, stretches behind her: Yeah, yeah, dad’s finally shaping up. He’s got a long way to go though. Until then, he can warm up by getting me *starts listing off the things she wants* *pauses on Item 9 to look her father in the eye* you know, you could also get us a stepmother. Just throwing that out there. The younger ones would really like a stepmother. Wouldn’t you Timmy?

Little 5-years old Timmy, blinking wide blue eyes at Percy crouching behind foliage, tilting his head cutely: Mama?

Kayla, looking inordinately pleased: That’s right.

Apollo, suddenly feeling like he’s staring down Artemis’ arrow: … maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Percy, too far away to listen to what’s being said and drunk on her apparent success: look at them go, now that’s what I call family bonding. Everything’s going swimmingly. I should start advertising to the other gods, I’m clearly amazing at this.

This right here is gold 😭 Thank you for feeding my inspiration with this, I love everything about it!! Cabin 7 is going to be so done with their dad lol

[toasecretsanta]

Percy Jackson and the Herald of Destruction

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Gen Genre: Family/Friendship Characters: Apollo, Percy, Estelle A visit to the Jackson-Blofis household brings Apollo face-to-face with one Estelle Jackson-Blofis once more, and her doting big brother. A toasecretsanta submission from @tsarinatorment for Melonyan [AO3], using the prompt "Apollo, Percy Jackson and Estelle Bloufis-Jackson inspired, something sweet maybe a little angsty!" I have shamelessly used aeithalian's Estelle theory in this fic, which can be found detailed here. It's been a while since I last wrote Apollo pov, and I barely ever write Percy, so this was a bit of an adventure to put together. It's certainly closer to fluff than angst, I think, but I still hope you like it, Melonyan!

As a general rule, gods did not knock on the doors of mortal homes.  Nor did they ring intercoms and wait patiently to be let in.  Why would they?  They were gods, and bound by neither mortal social niceties, nor the limitations of mortal entrances.  It was perfectly possible – and normal – for a god to simply materialise in the best chair in the abode (opinions on what constituted the best varied drastically).

And yet, there Apollo was, pressing the button for the intercom for the Jackson-Blofis household.

Belatedly, he realised that the occupants were unlikely to be expecting him to take the mortal entrance, not now he was a fully fledged god again, rather than a vulnerable mortal body that couldn’t do useful tricks like light-teleportation, but the button had already been pressed, and Apollo was not about to do a knock-and-run.  Besides, he’d been invited, yes, but generally even invited guests were expected to use the front door.

There was also probably no harm in allowing Percy control over who entered his home – and how they entered.  Olympus knew they’d taken enough control from the demigod over the past few years.

Really, it was a wonder the boy – almost adult now, closer to young man than boy – was willing to tolerate Apollo’s invasion of his home again.

The intercom connected with a buzz.

“Who is it?” Percy’s voice demanded, crackling slightly through the technology.  Modern technology and demigods didn’t always mix well, although they persevered remarkably as society kept advancing and their choice was to keep up or turn luddite.

Apollo cleared his throat, an unnecessary action but one that helped announce his presence – and a long ingrained habit that Apollo wasn’t in any real hurry to shake.  He liked the way it brought everyone’s attention to him before he started speaking.

“It’s me,” he announced, the words falling away into a silence that Percy didn’t break, and after a few awkward moments, Apollo remembered that Percy couldn’t actually see him from his apartment.  “Apollo,” he added on belatedly, and a little awkwardly.

Percy’s silent judgement was impressive, given they were several floors apart and couldn’t actually see each other.  Clearly to the son of Poseidon that was a minor inconvenience that was easily ignored.

He also, more pressingly, wasn’t letting Apollo in.

“Paul invited me?”  The words weren’t supposed to come out as a question, because there was no question about it.  Paul Blofis had certainly invited Apollo into the humble Jackson-Blofis abode.  Although, one could argue that the question was actually asking whether or not Percy had been informed by his step father that Paul had invited a god over for an afternoon.

Those seemed to be the magic words, however, as with a put-upon sigh that made Percy’s thoughts on the matter of Apollo’s presence in his home crystal clear, he finally, finally pressed the button to open the front door of the apartment block and gave Apollo entry into the building.  Apollo did not waste the invitation, slipping in immediately and following the familiar route to Percy Jackson’s apartment – familiar, because while Lester’s memories as Apollo had been more full of holes than one of Britomartis’ nets, Apollo could recall everything he had experienced as Lester in pin-sharp clarity.  Many of those things he would rather forget, admittedly, but traipsing towards the front door of the Jackson-Blofis apartment had not been, inherently, full of uncomfortable trauma.

In fact, Sally Jackson had been incredibly welcoming to poor, unfortunate Lester, and Apollo was not afraid to admit that he was hoping to find some of her seven layer dip waiting for him – or some of her blue cookies, he supposed, but between the two it was the seven layer dip that had captured his heart.  Its inclusion of his cabin number certainly didn’t hurt.

He was not greeted by a seven layer dip, tragically.  Nor was he greeted by a plate of blue cookies, or Sally Jackson at all.  Paul Blofis was also summarily absent, which seemed a little rude given Apollo was here on the man’s invitation.

No, instead he was greeted by his demigod cousin, who looked no more pleased to see him now than he had been to see a mortal, beaten-up Lester and trash-covered street urchin Meg in the middle of one chilly January.  Percy was not alone, however.  Clinging to him, but staring out at Apollo with wide sea-green eyes that almost identically matched those of her big brother, was young Estelle.

There were not many things that unnerved Apollo – well, maybe there were a few, but most did not apply to this situation, or indeed most situations that he allowed himself to enter nowadays – but one Estelle Jackson-Blofis managed to do exactly that.  It was nothing the young girl had done – at scarcely a year old, there was very little she was capable of doing, beyond apparently chewing on her big brother’s hoodie string, which Percy had either given up discouraging, or hadn’t even noticed she was doing.  Indeed, to look at her, there was nothing untoward.

True, she had the exact same eye colour as her demigod brother, who had inherited Poseidon’s preferred appearance, which raised a few questions about her origins although Apollo could detect nothing as strong as demigodliness about her.  Strains of a distant legacy?  Yes, but the same strains ran through Sally Jackson, so that was to be expected.  Estelle was no demigod.

She was simply a young, mortal child, who coincidentally had the same eye colour as Apollo’s uncle, and his dark hair, too, but Paul also had the same dark hair, and Apollo had no difficulty in recognising her as being his biological daughter.

He almost, almost, wouldn’t have known any different than what he saw now.  Indeed, if he hadn’t seen her as a much younger child, before her original baby-fluff on the top of her head thinned away and grew back strong and dark, Apollo would have been as clueless as his father was – hoped his father was, and the lack of any world-ending lightning storms suggested that so far the king of the gods remained ignorant.

If he hadn’t seen the greys threading through her dark hair, salt-and-pepper, almost but not quite the same patterning as Griscelli syndrome, during his last visit as Lester, he would never have known that the girl was a ticking time bomb, a catalyst that could ignite at any moment.

The signal for Zeus to end the current age of humanity.  And Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men also when they come to have grey hair on the temples at their birth, Hesiod had written millennia ago.

The Fates had made an interesting choice, choosing the younger sister of one Perseus Jackson to be the herald, Apollo thought.  The loyalty of Percy to those he clung to – his loved ones, family and closest friends – was not something Apollo would’ve chosen to pit against the fall of humanity at the hands of his father, but he was not one of the Fates himself, and understood their workings only when they chose to reveal them.

Needless to say, they had not chosen to reveal their machinations surrounding Estelle to Apollo.  If anything, she was hiding in plain sight – nothing about her was Concealed from his sight.  If he Looked he could see the spiderweb of her lifetimes, the possibilities glimmering in the sun like gossamer spun silk stretching out towards infinity, the same as any other mortal.  The only reason Apollo knew what he was seeing was incomplete was because he’d seen the grey at her temples as a young baby; without that knowledge, he would never have noticed that not all the threads that should be there were there – and he knew his father did not see the threads the way he did.

If Apollo could not see any of her Fates where his father learned of her existence and chose to act upon it, then his father would not see them, either.

“I suppose you’d better come in,” Percy said, disrupting his musings and taking his active attention away from the young, innocent herald of destruction and onto her older brother instead.  He still didn’t sound happy to see Apollo, and certainly wasn’t eager to invite him into his home, but his irreverence for the gods didn’t seem to quite extend to slamming doors in their faces.  “Mom and Paul will be back soon, they had to go out for a few minutes…”  He trailed off, but Apollo could read the judgement in his face just fine: Did you have to pick when they were gone to arrive?

Somewhat embarrassingly, it hadn’t occurred to Apollo to check that his inviter was home when he’d arrived, although in his defence Paul Blofis had specified the afternoon in question, so surely it was common sense to assume that he would be around.

“That’s quite alright,” he said, stepping over the threshold now that he had the invitation and breezing into the apartment.  It certainly wasn’t the neatest place he had ever set foot in – nor was it the neatest he had ever seen this particular apartment, either.  Apollo’s eyes slid over to Estelle again, who still had the end of Percy’s hoodie string in her mouth and was now gripping at the rest of it with her chubby little fists, too.  Percy seemed to have finally realised what was happening to his clothes and was trying to get her to let go whilst kicking the front door shut with his foot.

Herald of destruction, indeed.  There was no doubt that most of the mess was the fault of young Estelle, given it was mostly a minefield of various age-appropriate toys scattered across the floor in a child-friendly version of caltrops.  At least Estelle had not yet been deemed old enough to be introduced to Lego; scattered Lego bricks were far more lethal than caltrops, even to the soles of godly feet.

As it was, combined with the tipped-over container hanging off the edge of a low table, Apollo got the impression the toys were freshly-scattered, just in time for his arrival.  There was the faintest tint of red in the tips of Percy’s ears as he looked away from Estelle and realised Apollo had noticed the mess.

“Uh, sorry about all that,” he said, before trying harder to reclaim the knotted end of the hoodie string from his sister’s mouth with no success.  It appeared that Estelle’s stubbornness easily rivalled that of her older brother – Apollo felt a flash of sympathy for Sally Jackson.  One headstrong child was already a lot of work.  Two of them…

He ignored the small thought that pointed out that both of them had been born with heavy destinies hanging over their heads, like thunderbolt-shaped guillotines.

“It’s fine.”  Apollo waved his hand dismissively.  “You have not seen Ares’ weapon collection.”  Admittedly that was a little misleading – Ares loved his weapons and would never leave his spears, swords or shields littered around like this.  However, Apollo’s first comparative thought had been caltrops for a reason.

“Can’t say I’m planning on seeing it, either,” Percy scoffed, which was a wise stance for any demigod to take.  Perhaps Ares’ own children might enjoy the experience, but most would find it to be not-so-pleasant.  For Percy, who did not get on with Ares in the slightest, it would no doubt be more frustrating than anything.  “Estelle, no.  Don’t eat that.”

The chubby little bundle that heralded the possible destruction of mankind giggled – not an innocent giggle, no.  The giggle of a mischievous child who knew they were misbehaving, and also knew no-one was going to do anything about it.  From Percy’s sigh and slumping shoulders, he also knew he wasn’t going to be able to do anything about it.

Apollo gestured at the floor.  “Did you want a hand?” he offered, knowing better than to offer to hold the child herself – and not wanting to, not wanting to do anything that might get Zeus’ eyes on her more than they already would be by virtue of being related to Percy Jackson – but more than willing to help a long suffering older brother clean up his younger sibling’s mess.

It was a position he’d found himself in more than once, although his younger half-siblings tended to create messes of far more epic proportions than a single disrupted crate of children’s toys, and attempts to do anything about it were heavily dissuaded on Olympus.  Still, he’d cleaned up a few of Artemis’ messes over the years…

“Sure,” Percy said distractedly, perching on the edge of a couch so that his sister was now in his lap and not supported by his arm, thereby leaving him with twice the hands available to try and get Estelle’s destructive tendencies redirected towards something that wasn’t his clothes.  Apollo sincerely wished him luck with that endeavour.

For his part, with Percy’s permission granted, he knelt down and began to gather up Estelle’s impressive collection of toys, ruining their aspirations of being deadly caltrops by plucking them off the rug one by one and depositing them back in the crate, which he remembered to put upright after the first couple of toys spilled back out again.  Her collection truly betrayed her status as the beloved baby of the family – Apollo didn’t think he’d seen a child so young with quite so many toys, before.

All the better to cause chaos with, he supposed as he dropped a plushie satyr with one of his horns half torn off into the crate.

Millennia of being the centre of attention told Apollo when he was being watched, and the same prickle of awareness had him glancing back at Percy and Estelle, both of whom were staring at him with their identical sea-green eyes.  Estelle had yet to relinquish her hoodie-string snack, but Percy seemed to have forgotten that he was attempting to rescue it from her maw.

Apollo raised an eyebrow.  “Is… there something on my face?” he asked hesitantly, before a thought occurred to him and he craned his head around further.  “Or my back?  I swear, if Artemis put another of those kick me signs…”

“No!” Percy said, a little abruptly, before shaking his head.  “No, there’s nothing on your face.  Or your back..?”  He said the last bit like a question itself, as though it hadn’t occurred to him that some typical sibling shenanigans didn’t also occur to gods, even when the gods in question also happened to be twins.  “I just… didn’t expect you to clean up like that.”

Apollo sat back on his haunches, a well-chewed and still slightly damp hellhound plushie in one hand – oh the irony – and a slightly disturbing squishy skeleton in the other, and centred his attention more directly on Percy.  “Like what?” he asked.

“Like that,” Percy repeated, one hand abandoning the hoodie string rescue mission – not that it had been working on that quest for the past thirty seconds anyway – to gesture broadly at Apollo and the toys still to be cleared away.  “Instead of, I don’t know, just snapping your fingers or something?”

Apollo blinked, and looked back at Soggy-Hellhound and Squishy-Skelly.  He wanted to say that the thought hadn’t occurred to him, and it was true that it had barely occurred to him, a flicker of a thought dismissed before it could fully form, but in reality it boiled down to Estelle, again.  Bursts of godly power in the Jackson-Blofis apartment ran the risk of drawing his father’s eye, and Apollo was reasonably determined to minimise Zeus’ reasons for looking in their direction.

As it was, he was technically causing a risk by being there at all, but if he wasn’t being all godly while he was there, maybe Zeus wouldn’t look too closely.

There were some truths that were best off unspoken, though, and Apollo had no desire to speak into the world the danger that Estelle posed, to herself and humanity at large.  Percy would take it badly, no doubt, and Zeus would not miss such a declaration.

“I suppose some of my Lester habits haven’t quite left yet,” he said instead, which was true in its own way.  “Why, did you want me to?”  It was a dangerous question, because if Percy said yes…

But the son of Poseidon was already shaking his head, as Apollo had suspected he would.  “No, it’s fine,” he said.  “Maybe if she sees that it’s effort to clean up, even for a god, she’ll stop doing it.”  The look he sent his little sister was stern, but it was the sort of sternness that didn’t hold up to scrutiny and Apollo could easily see the bemusement behind the fake frown.

Privately, he thought the herald of destruction lurking behind the angelic face thrived on seeing others suffer through chores such as trying to stop her doing what she wanted, knowing they were doomed to fail.  The concept of hard work no doubt seemed fun to her, still safely in the stage of youth where everything she wanted fell neatly into place and only other people had to do boring and tedious things like cleaning up her messes.  Her tune would only change once it was her responsibility to clean up her own mess.

In Apollo’s experience – and he had a considerable amount of it, given the number of children he had had over the years, even if most of them he had been unable to pick up strewn toys for – most young children Estelle’s age enjoyed watching others clear up their trails of destruction.  He had no doubts that an infant Perseus Jackson had been the exact same way.

Still, he saw no reason to disillusion Percy on the topic.  Deep down, he suspected that Percy already knew the truth and was simply denying it for his own sanity, but in the short term it didn’t matter.  Estelle was still too young to tidy up after herself, and as she had a loving big brother wrapped around her little finger, Apollo knew it would be some time before she truly had to start finding her own feet and responsibilities in the world.

He didn’t envy her that.  If anything, he celebrated it.  Every day that Estelle was able to act like a loved baby sister with a doting family was a day that her existence went unacknowledged by Zeus, and if that could last her entire mortal lifetime, then Apollo would be ecstatic.

Soggy-Hellhound and Squishy-Skelly found themselves deposited in the crate on top of Torn-Horn-Satyr, and Apollo resumed tidying up, listening to the sounds of Percy renewing his attempts at rescuing his hoodie string with little success, and finding a smile creeping across his own lips.

It was, in the end, in the hands of the Fates, he knew, but that wasn’t going to stop Apollo doing everything in his own power to keep Estelle safe, too – even if that took the form of picking her toys up by hand.

[literallyjustforlurking]

Odysseus the unwilling mentor

I know I posted an Epic!Au literaly yesterday but the inspiration has once again struck.

One night while Odysseus is on Calypso's island he falls asleep and wakes up as a spirit with a mission from the fates to watch over a demigod. Which demigod you may ask?

Percy Jackson. Duh.

Percy is the only person who can see him and everyone else has atributed this to Percy having an imaginary friend because Percy is like 7. Odysseus is desperatly trying to keep this little demigod alive so he can go home and avoid getting attached, (spoiler alert: he fails).

Really interesting reactions to Percy's claiming by Poseidon. Odysseus unknowinly raised the son of a god who hates him, the god who is the reason Odysseus can't be with his own son, but Odysseus still loves Percy.

The entirety of Sea of Monsters being set up to paraell Odysseus's quests. Odysseus freaking the fuck out upon finding out Tyson is a cyclops. Odysseus spending the entire quest trying to stop Percy from repeating his mistakes (and succedding!).

Sally (who's able to see Odysseus after the first quest and they now have a co-parenting plan) sobbing onto his shoulder after Percy comes home after Hera kidnapped him, Sally finally uderstanding what it means to be seperated from your kid the way Odysseus was.

Or Odysseus being called to help whichever demigod needs him most at the time, but staying mostly with Percy. Helping Luke and Annabeth originally run away. Helping Leo escape foster homes. Helping Reyna find her way to Camp Jupiter. Helping Reyna and Jason with senate paperwork. Just a collection of moments where the kids are saying "Wait you know Ody, I know Ody!"

(+Odysseus gets some much needed parenting expierence.)

Even Odysseus being with Percy when Percy is without his memories, Odysseus also losing his memories and Annabeth saying if Odysseus is with Percy than they're both fine, Becuase if both her father figure and Percy are dead Annabeth doesn't know what she'll do. While Percy is in his coma Odysseus wakes up back on Calypso's island and is panicking because now he can't help any of his kids.

Maybe when Percy travels to Calypso's island and they see Odysseus's body there, uncouncious and suspended in time. Odysseus is begging Percy to get off the island, (No PJO!Calypso hate, depending on which rendition of the character you use this could go in so many different directions)

And now the angst

Just Odysseus getting to mentor his many demigod children who are in desperate need of a father figure while dealing with the fact that now no matter what he does he'll be abandoing his family.

The demigods at first loving Telemenuchus and Penelope like family because Odysseus speaks so highly of them but growing to resent them because one day Odysseus will choose his son and his wife over them.

BTW, the demigods and clear sighted mortals can see Odysseus but the gods can not. Odysseus can also choose to hide himself from everybody but Percy so he does that Percy's first year at camp.

[genz420]

Movie Night Headcannons 🎥 🍿

Masterlist | Rules

Content: Movie Night Headcannons

Warning: None

Pairing(s): Character x Gn!reader

Character(s): Percy, Jason, Frank, Annabeth, Piper

Percy Jackson

Pixar man

Picks a classic like Ratatouille  

Or Up

Doesn’t matter how old you guys are 

Pixar is the way to go 

Lights off kind of guy

Sour Blue Candy kind of guy

His tongue would be dyed blue by the end of the night

Snuggles under the blankets 

Would definitely tangle your legs together 

Arm thrown around your shoulder

Drumming his fingers against your shoulder or arm 

A bit of a talker 

Asking you the odd question here and there 

Jason Grace

Will pick a chick flick 

Like Twilight 

New moon is the best one

Big Pitch Perfect Fan

Type of person to stop the movie to try and figure out where they have seen that actor or actress 

Lots of pillows and blankets 

Oh your a little cold

Here's another blanket 

Still cold

He is ready to share his body heat

Not much of a snacker 

I get the feeling he doesn't like popcorn

Like he hates the feeling of a kernel stuck in his teeth, so he just doesn't eat any popcorn

Frank Zhang 

Picks a Sci-fi movie 

Could be anything rom Back to the Future to Prey or even Wall-E

Maybe like one blanket for the two of you to share 

Because let's be honest 

You are going to be cuddling 

Chest to back

Who needs extra pillows end you have the 6’8 man that is Frank Zhang 

Short hair or long hair Frank would play with it

I get the feeling that Frank runs a little warm

So be prepared 

The movie would just be an excuse for the two of you to cuddle and talk 

Could probably cry if you watched Wall-E

Annabeth Chase

Picks a 2000s Shakespeare inspired movie

Like 10 Things I Hate about you 

Or She’s The Man

Maybe even Warm Bodies 

Would prefer salty to sweet snacks 

Lots of blankets 

The type of person to want the lights on during the movie, though 

Not much of a snuggler

You two will each have your own blanket 

But being close to one another 

Wouldn’t talk through the movie 

You might think she would be focused on the movie, but she will keep giving you a spare glance 

Both wanting to see if you like the movie and are paying attention 

Also to admire you 

Piper Mclean

Horror Movie 

I just know Piper loves Horror movies

From the classics like Scream to the new movies like The Conjuring

But I think her favourite type of be-found footage movies

Maybe like Blair Witch to even more niche ones like Hell House LLC

Would use the excuse that she is scared to cuddle 

She isn’t

She has seen the movies 100 times 

She just wants to be close to you

Would mix Popcorn and Smarties or other chocolate together 

Depending on the movie, she might get bored, so she would start a conversation

Loves to point out details that she knows about the movie

[abbyunderground]

Rescue bots Aus 😋(except it’s based around Cody cause he’s more important)

OKAY #1

Percy Jackson AU ���

I mentally created this au around the time reread the PJO books bc I love Percy Jackson and I thought it could be a cool way to explain why Cody is so “different” from his siblings. I personally think Cody’s godly parent would be his mom (lowkey kinda obvious bc he doesn’t have a mom in the show) BUT ANYWAY! I think his godly mother/parent whatever would be Athena cause it’s mentioned in the books that her kids are kinda all blonde with gray eyes and Cody is blonde, also Chief and Graham have the same hair color (chiefs hair is shown in a picture of Dani when she was little, I don’t remember what episode). Kade is ginger which is a recessive gene, and I think Dani got her hair from their mom or she’s dyes her hair. Anyway it could also explain Cody’s age gap with his siblings since Athena just kinda picks someone and poofs a kid out of her head and is like “Here! Have it! Raise this kid just so it can die before 25!” (Real good parenting Athena 🙄😒) but I think Cody’s mythical weapon thing would be like a dagger that can extend into a sword, that or he’d probably mesh a mythical weapon with some tech. That’s basically it, I don’t have like a plot or anything 😭 i just like rb and PJO

#2‼️‼️

Magic powers AU

He’s basically god 😭 basically it’s like this shimmery gold looking glitter mist and he can like, control it?? He can like destroy anything and it just crumbles into the mist/can create anything from it, and I mean ANYTHING. Bro can quite literally create fully functional human beings from nothing for fun. That’s basically it, I honestly have this power thing in most of the AUs if I get bored

#3/the last major one 😙

Deadly weapon Au

OKAY I ACTUALLY HAVE LIKE A PLOT AND A MAIN STORY FOR THIS ONE

Basically Cody’s mom (and his siblings mom but that irrelevant) was like raised as a assassin and she was super cool and stuff and people called her Medusa (not rlly relevant but I think it’s Skibidi 😎 also Cody would be called Chrysaor, which is the son of Medusa and Poseidon if ykyk ) ANYWAY she gets in a fight or smth with her dad idk and leaves their like league of asssains (did I mention this is kinda inspired by Damien Wayne? No? Okay well it is) shes in her like 20s and already has 1 kid (half sibling) and he’s like 3yrs old and getting trained to be a assassin (also the moms name is Maria) so Maria doesn’t gaf and runaway to griffin rock and meets Chief burns and they have kids or whatever (she like froze some of her eggs so while she was gone the league made her more kids idk) anyway so a few years pass and she has Cody yadda yadda yadda, she almost dies while giving birth but the league has been stalking her so they kidnapped her and Cody from the hospital and save her and they raise Cody as a assassin, and Maria is the president of the league or whatever, also her other kids are chill with her just abandoning them?? But Cody is like super cool and a weapon of mass destruction, he’s like Batman mixed with Jinx so 🤷‍♀️ he’s also emo teenager angry all the time. And obviously they can’t just disappear without a trace because OBVIOUSLY everyone needs to be soooo overdramatic 🙄 so maria and her 4 kids (including Cody) are famous and they’re like models and movie actors and business ppl idk kinda like Bruce Wayne and his posse of children. I like to think griffin rock is isolated from everyone else (maybe not on purpose, but shits crazy there so idk) so Chief doesn’t realize that his wife and missing child are famous and constantly getting followed by paparazzi 🤦‍♀️. That’s mainly it for this one, I might have forgotten some stuff but feel free to ask questions 😋😋

@oldeubagel

@ashlovesrescuebots

[stardust-poet]

°•Percy Jackson Dating Hcs•°

PT2

《☆》

Note: (the first draft got deleted im so sad) I have read a lot of other hc posts from amazing creators (I do not have names sadly) and most of these are inspired by/built off of their hcs.

Warnings: none!

Enjoy!

《☆》

He's loyal

Like obviously it's his fatal flaw

Whatever

He's loyal without the fatal flaw stuff

Imagine a scenario where someone is flirting with him

(Maybe they know you exist maybe not...)

And they have heart eyes and sound so genuine.

Sounding so convincing when they say they could treat him right.

Percy was gonna be nice and let them go on

But then they do the arm touch thing

Yknow?

And he's immediately leaving the building.

If he can tell this person doesn't know he's taken, he'll politely excuse himself

Or say he's not interested.

But if they're doing it to piss you or him off...

He's gonna start bragging about you

Obnoxious bragging.

At some point everyone's heard percy bragging about you.

But still

"Have you seen my partner fighting in the arena before? No? Oh. My. gods! They're such a good fighter. Here lemme show you a pictur-"

He also posts photos of you a lot

He makes sure every one of his 14 Instagram followers know he belongs to you

No matter how much you refuse.

He's getting a picture at least 3 times a week

You do the same to him as well.

(Let's be honest: you're better at taking photos and gaining followers then he is.)

Not that it really matters to you

Or to him

It's just a one up in any bickering you guys have.

Which strangely happens more then you guys realize.

He skates too

And you better believe he's teaching you how to skate.

Holding your waist, keeping you steady.

He guides you like he's been waiting to teach you this all his life.

He puts extra protection stuff on you

Knee pads, gloves, helmet.

And you're kinda mad bc they're so bulky and weird looking

But so so so grateful to have someone who wants to protect you so badly

From any danger you may ever face.

Monster or mortal.

Percy will protect you, even though he knows very well you can protect yourself

Anyways

If you fall and get hurt

(Idk how with all that padding.)

He's like crying.

Also laughing slightly afterwards

He gets you a little Spiderman band aid

He puts it whoever the barely bleeding scrape is

And then he gives it a little kiss to make it heal faster<33

《☆》

[theballadofthesunandthestars]

Hey! Been a rough day, to cheer myself and other people up maybe just a little, I’m rewatching Season 1 of PJO, and live-talking about things I love about parts of the episode. (Only positivity allowed!) I’m starting with Episode 1 and 2, so read on if you want!

Episode 1

Solid opening. The drums, the lightning strike, followed by the music. The expression on Walker’s face, the rain, which foreshadows Percy as a son of Poseidon. The first few lines lifted directly from the book, THE SCORE!!! I still remember how I felt when I first watched it, and I was in awe.

The kid who plays younger Percy is so expressive, it makes me giggle. His face when the counselor tells him it’s all in his head? Priceless. I think he’s returning for Season 2, and I’m so excited to see him again.

The coloring getting so much more vibrant when Grover entered his life?! I’m obsessed, Grover and Percy are platonic soulmates. And the way Percy immediately got defensive when Nancy hit Grover with her backpack? I love them.

Chiron has such a powerful voice, the casting department never misses.

Virginia was the perfect casting for Sally Jackson. She radiates such a warm energy. And the way she’s immediately teaching Percy to question the stories he’s been told about the gods. The lighting is also so warm, representing how warm Percy feels when he’s with her.

Mrs. Dodds is another perfect casting. That voice Megan has is so unique, and works in a way for that character that I could have never thought of on my own.

Grover’s compassion never fails to amaze me. The fact that he talks about how Nancy could be struggling is so incredible.

Also, I love the small details like Grover giving Percy the meat in his sandwich and Percy giving him the cheese. Just small stuff like that which shows how long they’ve known each other, how great of a bond they have, how being thoughtful and considerate to each other comes so naturally for both of them.

I like how you can already kind of see the age difference between Percy and Grover in this scene as well, where Grover talks like he’s older than he looks before he even reveals to us that he’s 24. He talks about life with a lot more experience and wisdom than Percy, even though developmentally they’re kind of at the same level. Again, the subtle details are incredible.

Again, what inspires Percy to action is a sense of protectiveness over Grover. When Nancy throws her cheese at Grover, that’s what makes him stand and go to fight her. Sure, Grover is Percy’s satyr protector, but Percy is incredibly protective of him, and it already foreshadows Percy’s fatal flaw of loyalty as well.

The way Mrs. Dodd’s costume melds into the Fury is such good design. I’m obsessed with it, and her costuming is SO GOOD.

The glance Chiron and Grover share, the way Grover looks so guilty when Chiron tells Percy Mrs. Dodds doesn’t exist? I love it when a character is in conflict with themselves and their duty.

Walker has such incredible comedic timing and delivery. He’s mastered the sassy teenage boy in all of his work.

Aryan truly gave me a new perspective on the character of Grover in his performance, which will become more evident later. But Aryan has such incredible micro expressions, and he really understands Grover and his relationship with Percy in a way I feel a lot of the fandom sometimes doesn’t. In this scene with the headmaster, he’s absolutely incredible, you can see Grover fighting with himself to do what will protect Percy, even if it hurts their friendship.

GROVER LOOKING AT PERCY BEFORE SAYING HE SAW PERCY ASSAULT NANCY I’m sick Aryan you sick man how dare you.

I just praised Walker’s comedic acting, and it’s worthy of praise, but I feel like in PJO, he really got to show off his emotional acting as well. Again, this becomes more prevalent later, but all the actors in this show do the most incredible acting with just their eyes, and Walker is no exception. In almost every close-up of an emotional scene, Walker has the most expressive eyes. You will probably see me talking about it constantly throughout my commentary.

In the scene with Chiron, it broke my heart seeing what years of emotional gaslighting has done to Percy. He’s unable to talk about what he thought actually happened, even with someone he likes and trusts, especially after he was “betrayed” by Grover. It makes me think of all the ADHD kids who are gaslit about their problems and are told it’s a character fault rather than a disability they can’t help. And again, both Walker and Glynn kill it in this scene.

THE SCORE I’m sick it’s so underrated

The sinking feeling when Percy is walking to his apartment and we hear Gabe yelling. We automatically understand what’s going on in Percy’s home life.

Also the detail of Percy knowing the plumber’s name? He’s so incredibly sweet

Gabe is clearly trying to get a rise out of Percy, and it’s so emblematic of a lot of abusive relatives who want a rise out of you, then immediately turn it against you. Love it.

I like the details sprinkled in about how Gabe abuses Sally. (Benefitting from her financially, controlling her phone, deciding when she can leave the apartment, etc.) It’s subtle, but weaves a story all on its own.

Both Percy and Sally are combative, and I love the mother/son parallels.

This show goes so far to humanize Sally in the most beautiful way. This becomes apparent in later episodes too, but the little details like listening to music and trying to unwind in the rain to be near Poseidon and the way she mirrors Percy in so many ways… I’m obsessed.

The way Percy mumbles “It really wasn’t my fault” into Sally’s neck when she hugs him, and the way he melts and hugs her back so tightly. The way Sally closes her eyes and just holds him so tightly. Walker and Virginia absolutely NAIL Sally and Percy’s relationship. We as the audience also feel the relief of being reunited with Sally that Percy feels in this moment.

Percy’s little smile when Sally says she believes him? So cute and such a small detail that works so well

Percy is so quiet, and Sally immediately picks up that it’s because of Grover’s “betrayal.” Then when Percy continues being upset, she realizes it’s something more and asks if there’s anything else he wants to talk about. Again, the little moments add up to really flesh out Sally and Percy’s relationship.

When Percy says he’s scared, that’s when Sally realizes just how dire the situation is, and she immediately makes plans to get him to a place where he will feel safe again. (Camp Half-Blood!) Also, the fact that Sally is the only person we’ve seen Percy actually be vulnerable with? Obsessed.

Again, Persassy? More like Sally-sassy! (Not as catchy, I know.)

Walker killing it with the comedic facial expressions as always.

Back to the opening scene, the foreshadowing of Kronos, and just the imagery of that single lantern held by a skeleton figure in the distance? Sends shivers up my spine. Also reinforces the fact that while Kronos is rising, he’s still weak right now. And the stronger he gets, the more he affects Percy’s dreams.

Also, Kronos mocks Percy’s vulnerability with his mother by repeating the fact that Percy is scared. Makes him intimidating, as we know whoever this figure is has been watching Percy for a while now, trying to decipher who he is.

SALLY WIPING AWAY TEARS I’m unwell. She puts on a brave face for Percy, but she’s terrified. Again, the humanization of Sally has been one of the best things to come out of this show. Virginia my beloved.

THE RACING love it.

The subtle foreshadowing of Percy’s father with the cabin on the beach and the seashell details, the set designers WENT OFF with this.

Pausing to talk about these two lines: “I found the marshmallows that don’t burn too easy.” “I don’t think it was the marshmallow’s fault I wasn’t paying attention.” Sally’s expression after is so heartbreaking, first of all, but these two lines tell us everything about Percy and Sally right now in the story. Sally is doing everything in her power to make life better for Percy and to make him feel less alone, and despite this, Percy is still alone and feeling unworthy and unlovable. He blames himself for the things he can’t help, like his ADHD. Sally did the best she could with Percy, but she could not protect him fully. And that’s so heartbreaking. Again, the little details and moments add up.

Sally staying quiet and letting Percy say what he needs to say until he doesn’t have the words anymore, then she steps in to help him. She’s so incredibly empathetic.

The shift in music when Sally asks “What did she say to you?” HELLO THE SCORE IS SO GOOD

THE FACE TOUCH WHEN PERCY ASKS ABOUT HIS DAD?!! Virginia you did NOT have to go this hard

Sally tearing up when trying to explain to Percy, I’ve said it so many times, but it’s so good.

Again, Walker with the comedy. He’s incredibly talented.

Sally crying when Percy says he’s wrong and broken? Shut up Virginia I CANNOT DO THIS-

“Baby no-“ STOP IT

Sally’s protective voice when someone knocks at the door, Sally my beloved

Seeing Grover so anxious really amps up the tension, we’ve always seen him so calm so far, and it really works when we see the shift.

Walker and comedy. Enough said.

The orientation speech Grover gives in the car, Grover my beloved.

Grover apologizing to Percy is so important to me. Grover cares about Percy so much, and desperately wants his friendship and support. Even though Grover did the right thing and he knows that, Percy is still hurt, and so Grover puts in the effort to make it right again. I love you, Grover.

Back to the orientation speech, I love Grover he’s truly a camp counselor.

I love the comedic aspect of Percy Jackson as a series. The comedy makes the emotional beats really stand out. The Minotaur wearing underwear? Hysterical, I love it

Sally’s determined face?! Truly mother

When the car crashes and she puts her arm over Percy? Mother.

Grover immediately going to get Sally and Percy out the car despite being injured? I love him, Percy protect him PLEASE

Sally means business. I love the shift in Virginia’s voice whenever Sally goes into protective mom mode versus when she talks to Percy.

THE LIGHTING FROM BEHIND PARALELLING THE LIGHTING IN THE MUSEUM FLASHBACK SCENE

Sally’s voice breaking when she says “you are not broken.” I am unwell

Sally confidently says, “It’ll be okay.” But then she sees Percy’s fear, and she melts. Again, so many little details in Virginia’s performance that just make me tear up.

Can’t wait to see Sally with a shotgun in Season 5, this scene with Sally and the Minotaur is so badass.

WALKER’S EYE ACTING IS BACK BABYYY

The glowing sword, I love it.

Percy only really acts up when someone he loves is hurt or in danger. He attacked Nancy after she bullied Grover, and now he’s attacking the Minotaur after he “killed” Percy’s mom.

Sally reaching for Percy as she dies, stop that I’m already on the floor

Percy’s hero moment immediately followed by the collapse, I’m weak.

ANNABETH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing final frame, I love this episode.

EPISODE 2 BABYYYYYYY

ANNABETH CHASEEE y’all I’m gonna be praising Leah like crazy get ready bitches.

Grover once again watching over Percy as soon as he had recovered from his injuries, Grover cares about Percy so much.

Grover trying to cheer Percy up, then being with Percy when he’s sad? And the SELF BLAME Grover sweetie you did NOTHING WRONG-

Percy has only become more closed off now that his mother is gone, he straight up refuses to talk to one of his closest friends

THE CAMP LAKE I love this location so much for Camp.

This episode sets up a lot of little mysteries; who is this guy in the Hawaiian shirt? Why is there an empty wheelchair? Who was that girl standing over Percy? It keeps you engaged and makes it more fun to watch.

Jason was the best possible casting for Dionysus, I can’t wait to see him again in Season 2. He absolutely nails his lack-of-fucks attitude and sass.

PERCY AND DIONYSUS BANTER so fucking good

Grover I love you.

Again, both Jason and Walker are great at comedy, so the fake claiming scene makes me die of laughter. Also shout out to Diet Coke.

THE FAKE SINCERITY IN DIONYSUS’S VOICE CRACKS ME UP SO MUCH

The gold detailing on the leg Chiron was shot in is SOO GOOD the costume and makeup people put so much thought into each of these characters

BOTH GROVER AND PERCY LOOKING AT MR D AT THE SAME TIME IS SO FUCKING FUNNY

Grover and Percy are so protective of each other, Grover immediately trying to follow Percy and Chiron because he wants to ensure Percy is okay makes me tear up oh god Grover my beloved

Aryan’s goat walking is so fucking good. Also, we’re starting to see how expressive Aryan’s eyes are, he and Leah both have those big brown puppy eyes that you can’t say no to and they express so much emotion with them.

Camp Half Blood my beloved, I am obsessed with the design, and I can’t wait to see it again in Season 2.

The owl being unscripted is so fucking cool.

This is a world literally built for people with ADHD to thrive, thus the reappearing pen sword. Percy can’t lose it, which is a common problem for people with ADHD (like myself!)

The cabins have such cool designs, I wish I could see them all more closely.

THE WAY PERCY’S VOICE BREAKS WHEN HE SAYS “Never.” I AM SO UPSET SOMEONE GO ADOPT HIM PLEASEEEE

Hermes cabin not giving a fuck about Percy is so funny, they really don’t care.

The hopeful music when Percy looks around the cabin, followed by the shift down when he doesn’t get his own bed, the shift up when he sees his mother’s gifts, then the shift down when Luke appears?! This score slaps so fucking hard, and really dictates the emotions of the scene, making it clear how Percy is feeling in each moment. I love it so much.

Time for Charlie Bushnell praise. Charlie kills it as Luke, no questions about it. He really adopts the big brother role so quickly and naturally. Charlie also just radiates genuine charm and warmth, so it’s easy to fall in love with Luke and trust him immediately with Percy. Charlie kills it as Luke, and I will talk about his villainous stuff later, but he’s so good at all of it.

Again, with the little character details. The tree nymph pointing out how Grover has been picking more at his horns, showing how much Grover has been worrying about Percy. “You’re too hard on yourself, Grover. You always have been.” The fact that the horn picking comes back later in the season is also just SO GOOD

Grover went above and beyond for Percy, asking the Cloven council about Percy’s mom. Even when Percy is angry at him, Grover is determined to do right by him. It becomes obvious why Percy chose Grover to go on his quest with him, despite the prophecy warning of a betrayal.

Mr. D and Chiron’s relationship is so cute. They have such great chemistry together. The little glances they share while Grover talks is so cute.

Grover is determined to tell Percy the truth because he knows it hurts Percy when he’s lied to. Grover knows Percy so well and cares so much, it’s absolutely incredible.

Percy’s dream on the beach, in the same clothes he was in when he lost his mother, symbolizing how he’s still hung up on Sally.

The beach collapsing as Percy’s mortal life crumbles away, I love the symbolism in this dream.

Again, Luke reassuring Percy. It’s interesting to think that right now, Luke really does have the best of intentions with Percy, and wants to make him feel less alone and welcome at camp.

The subtle shift when Luke says, “Hermes is my father” CHARLIE THE PERFORMER THAT YOU ARE

Again, the slight bitterness in Luke’s voice when he talks about the gods, it’s just the right amount of subtle, and Charlie just kills it. You can already see hints of Luke as a villain on second watch through, but if you were a new viewer, it’s harder to pick up on. Details like this make the viewer more likely to go back and rewatch episodes, and I love it

Clarissa is an intimidating bully, but not in an irredeemable way. Love her.

Charlie is so good at the quiet cockiness that Luke has in the beginning. He’s a bit egotistical, and we can see hints of that now.

The way Luke’s face drops in sympathy when Percy is trying to figure out how to make his father stop ignoring him? You can already tell that Luke sees so much of himself in Percy.

The casual disabled representation, I love it.

Luke’s quiet confidence in Percy, encouraging him gently at every task and standing up for Percy in little ways in an attempt to help Percy find his place. I love it so much.

“We’re gonna find the thing that you’re good at. I know it.” Luke has been exactly where Percy is now, and he knows exactly what Percy needs to hear to help him push forward. Luke is the older figure Percy desperately needed in his life, and it makes the betrayal hurt so much more.

Luke’s slight bitterness about the burnt offerings? Again, subtle foreshadowing, and I love it, Charlie you killed it

Percy burning one of the jellybeans from Sally’s gift and trying to talk to her? I love it so much.

Again, the fact that Percy will only be vulnerable with Sally, even when she’s dead. He waits until everyone is asleep before he even tries a burnt offering, and sneaks off into the woods so he’ll have privacy. My poor sweet boy

Percy trying to stay happy for his mom, even though he’s not sure if she even listening, it’s so cute and sad

Percy’s determination and stubbornness is so good, and I just love it. You can already see hints of who Percy will be, and you can already start to see glimpses of a Greek hero in him.

Clarisse is the perfect bully for this series, and she’s genuinely intimidating. She is the perfect rival for Percy, and sets his character growth into motion. She’s a perfect antagonist in this episode.

Annabeth Chase, my beloved. I love her.

Annabeth trying to appear cocky and mysterious until Percy confirms that he recognizes her, then immediately trying to play it cool? She’s so funny, Leah you absolutely KILLED this scene.

Annabeth reminds me of me so much as a teenage girl, trying desperately to prove herself by being mysterious and stoic, but deep down just being such a sweetheart Leah absolutely understands Annabeth as a character and really brings her to life

Annabeth smiling, then noticing Percy, then immediately dropping the smile to try and look cool, it’s so funny and such an Annabeth thing to do.

I love the fact that they’re already foreshadowing Thalia. It’s also a great way to set up the stakes of forbidden kids.

Luke’s subtle devastation when he says Thalia didn’t make it? It ruins me.

Again with Luke having faith in Percy, by implying that Percy may be the demigod Annabeth’s been waiting for? (Also, that subtle romantic foreshadowing? I love it.)

Luke really is such an older brother figure, I love it so much.

“Not you, sunshine. You’re with me.” So fucking adorable, Annabeth really decided to just pick on this new kid so that she could win capture the flag for the fourth time in a row, and I’m obsessed with it.

The way Percy is scrambling for Annabeth’s approval and validation is so adorable.

Again, the foreshadowing is incredible. “You still don’t get where you fit into all this, do you?” This foreshadows Percy being the kid of the prophecy. Also, the adjustment of the armor strap very subtly foreshadows Annabeth’s romantic interest in him before she even falls for him.

Also, side note; I think at this point, she hasn’t developed a crush on him yet. I think the crush starts to take form in Episode 3. But I love the way Annabeth’s interest in him doesn’t steam immediately from romantic feelings or crushes for Percy, but out of trying to find her own path. She really fell for Percy when she least expected to fall for anyone.

Her cocky little smile when she puts the cap back on is SO CUTE Leah you ate with that

Showing off Luke’s skills as a swordsman, I love it. Also, his unquestionable faith in Annabeth is so sweet, and his faith in Percy as well to know what needs to be done to win the game.

Percy really is just a nerdy teenage boy, it’s so cute the way he just sort of messes around when Annabeth “leaves” him alone in the woods.

“Flag’s that way, it’s not here.” IM LAUGHING SO HARD the fact that Percy immediately gave up on getting glory when Annabeth rejected his help and is just sulking is so fucking funny

I love the way Clarisse toys with Percy. She’s like a lioness stalking her prey, makes her so much more intimidating.

The moment Percy is hurt, we see him lock in. We see just how skilled of a swordsman he is, and we can see Clarisse realize this and lock in as well.

The subtle devastation on her face when Percy breaks her spear, the only gift she had from her father? Even the antagonist is getting treated like a complex character who has her own motivations and feelings, I love it,

Also, I love the contrast between Clarisse and Annabeth through the way they fight. Both are incredibly skilled fighters, but Annabeth’s kills are always quick and efficient, relying on cleverness, and often letting the enemy defeat themselves, much like she did with Clarisse. Clarisse is more prideful and gleeful; she follows her emotions when fighting and finds enjoyment out of toying with her opponents when she knows she has them cornered. She fights hard and fast, using large weapons to intimidate her opponents and flashy movements to throw them off. This Capture the Flag game sets Annabeth up to be a clever and powerful warrior, while revealing the cracks and faults in Clarisse, thereby adding character to both of them. It’s done so well, I love it.

Luke leading the flag, showing how great of a leader he is and how skilled of a fighter, so fucking good.

Annabeth has a quiet confidence to her that Leah portrays so fucking well. So far, Annabeth has been kept in the safety of camp, where she knows her opponents well and knows how to defeat them. Her plans always work, so she’s self-assured and confident in them. Later on, when she enters the real world, we see her get shaken and lose some faith in herself, only for Percy and Grover to help her regain it. Anyways, when Percy is upset at her, she doesn’t care because she knows her plan worked, and she takes pride in it. Annabeth’s confidence is a huge part of her character and character arch, and Leah portrays it PERFECTLY.

Still, she’s empathetic. When she sees Percy is upset, her face shifts, and she helps him up and tries to explain to him. Annabeth is smug sometimes, but she cares so deeply about the people around her. She only shoves him in the water when she realizes she can’t properly explain it to him without showing him. Again, Leah nails these little shifts and moments in Annabeth’s character.

The little smile Annabeth has when she’s proven right about who Percy’s dad was? Adorable.

I love everything about the claiming scene. The simple yet powerful visuals, Percy’s heroic expression, the look on Luke’s face when he realizes just who Percy is, the voiceover by Chiron, and the SCORE!!!! It’s all done so perfectly

The loneliness in Percy’s new cabin compared to when he was in Hermes’? So devastating, I love it, really showing how Percy needs to face his new path alone, and how small he feels in the face of it.

Percy slowly realizing what Chiron and Mr. D are asking of him and being horrified, Walker Scobell the actor you are-

Again with Percy’s stubbornness! I love it. And it feels natural, not like a bratty kid trying to get out of doing work.

This to me is really where we see how the show is leagues better than the movie. I love Logan Lerman, he’s one of my favorite actors, but the fact that they aged Percy up in the movies is a mistake. Here, we see Percy for what he is; a terrified kid in over his head who’s lost his mother, the only person he felt he could trust, who has been thrust into this new and scary world. In the movie, his refusal at first to go on the quest feels like an angry teenager throwing a fit about being given responsibility, but in the show, we can see that it’s just a kid trying desperately to hold onto what little control left he has in this new and scary world. It’s so good.

“I am Sally Jackson’s son!” That’s my fucking golden BOY-

Grover my beloved, coming in and dropping a BOMBSHELL in the middle of that fight I love him.

Grover is offering a compromise, and a chance for Percy to regain some control over his life by offering up the fact that he can save Sally while getting the bolt. It really shows how well Grover knows Percy and how much he respects and loves Percy. I’ve said it so often, but Aryan absolutely KILLS IT as Grover, he really was the perfect casting.

The parallel between Percy and his namesake, Perseus, just trying to protect and save their mothers, I’m so ill I love it.

I want to do the other episodes, I’ll likely to them 2 at a time! Please reblog or comment with your own observations, I’d love to hear them!

[kamiko1234]

So, the same friends who got me to read the Percy Jackson have (against my will) spoiled me by showing me this image :

Telling me his name was Jason and that he's gonna get important later on.

Now ngl, I will admit, for a hot second I though that was Luke. They look alike as fuck, and I now have developed a problem of switching up their names 'cause I accidentally clocked them under the same person. Fuck. But also, they really look alike. So, in a burst of inspiration and excitment I shall present to thee my theory :

THAT'S LUKE'S LONG LOST TWIN BROTHER

NOW HEAR ME OUT; I KNOW a first name and pic isn't MUCH to go off on, BUT LIKE- I feel I might have gotten something there. Because- this sort of resemblance HAS to be on purpose. Like, they HAVE to be related in some way and physically speaking they ARE around the same age. SO LIKE; IMAGINE THIS : what if, when Luke/Jason were in the whomb, only one of them got their father's power ? While for the other one it stayed dormant to the point where Jason could basically pass as a normal human, unlike his brother ? With Annabeth we have seen that it can be dangerous for a mortal family to have a demigod child with them due to the threat monsters pose. WE ALSO KNOW LUKE RAN AWAY FROM HOME. SO MY THEORY !?

Basically, Jason/Luke are twin brothers. Luke inherited the largest and most obvious godly part from their father. Jason on the other hand inherited next to nothing, allowing him to pass as normal human. (As far as I know there's no point where it's mentioned that it isn't possible for this to happen) As the twins grow up and Luke attracts more monsters, it get#s progressively more dangerous for the seemingly human Jason. Shit hit's the fan when during a monster attack, jason get's severely injured (that#s where he got that weird scar on his lip). His twin, Luke, horrified at what happened and under the believe his twin is dead decided to run away and get to Camp Halfblood. That's where me meets up with Annabeth and Thalia ect. HOWEVER, Jason wasn't dead. Heavily injured, yes. But NOT dead. He did however have a nasty case of amnesia. A complete clean slate, he remembered NOTHING. Their mother, not rly having been the biggest fan of Jason bc of how he endangered basically everyone around him, just straight up lied to Jason abt his twin. SO NOW I DID NOTICE THAT JASON HAS THAT NECKLACE FROM CAMP HALLFBLOOD WITH ONE BEAD SO MY IDEA FOR THAT !? He's a late bloomer. It only seemed like he got little to no powers from his father, but as he grew older the powers slowly started to surface. That meant he too started to get demigod powers as well as him starting to attract monsters.

Which is why he too has to come to camp. HIM COMMING SO LATE IS ALSO WHY HE HAS THAT WACKY ASS PURPLE SHIRT. (I'll be real I have no idea what to make of that. Looks like a spelling mistake or someone just smashing random keys on a keyboard. It isn't looking like a band to me either. Maybe it's just smth in-universe) I also have no idea what that wacky tattoo is that he has. HOWEVER; I could possibly see a future Luke centric plot where it's him going out to get his long lost twin brother back ! Possibly the plot for the 2nd book maybe ? Another theory of mine is that, should either Annabeth or Grover be the one to betray Percy and switch sides, Luke would be the one to fill in their spot in the trio. So that could possibly play into my theory, would also allow for some nice backstory exploring. But also the heartbreak of Luke finding out his twin brother who he thought DIED is alive, BUT ALSO DOESN'T EVEN REMEMBER HIM !?

I wanna see that angst. PS; ok while tagging I noticed there's no Jason Castellan tag. Which, okay may be a problem. But dw Jason props just changed last names post amnesia. Maybe his mother simply got married to someone and Jason took the man's lastname. My theory can still work. (Unfortunatly @mrfandomwars said that, when I asked abt Jason's current lastname, it would invlove revealing more canon which I don't want. So Jason ain#t gonna be tagged....)

[groverapologist]

Hello! Ok here's an ask for you: i've had this storyline in my head about rrverse next generation, and i'm trying to decide Percabeth's kids' names? Like, on one hand, i want their names to be meaningful, but also i really think Percy and Annabeth would NOT give their kids the same name as their friends who died, because, you know, names have power and all that.

So I was thinking something like little Jay, or Jaycee or some variation, in honor of Jason maybe? (I really want one of the kids to be named after Jason, but let's be real "Jason" is a cursed name, it's definitly not a good idea to name your kid that and Percy and Annabeth would both know it).

I think it'd also be likely if they named on of their kids for Grover maybe? But i personally don't really like the name Grover and idk if it'd be weird if they'd give the name of someone still in their lives? So maybe some variation of it? Maybe as a second name? Idk

Also for a little girl, i thought it'd be nice if they could name a kid after Sally or Thalia, and then i just found out the name Tally exists, soooooo....

Any thoughts on those suggestions? Ideas for other names? How many kids do you think they'd have?

Also also i really like your New Athens post and Percy and Annabeth and their kids would totally live there

i love to think they'd have two daughters, girl dad percy and girl mom annabeth may actually fix me.

for names, i like to think they went with the sally blofis-jackson method of naming which is using names of mythological beings with happy endings/happy lives. maybe a name of an Amazonian queen or powerful Amazonian in general. other names include Ida, Penelope, Myrene, Tara, Nelisa, Neda, Melissa, Melaina, etc. With the whole concept that names have power, I doubt they'd name their child over any goddess or person with a tragic ending.

if you want names inspired by the characters, there are a lot to choose from! you're absolutely right about them not naming their child jason. instead, there's jamie, jaycee, jay/jaye, jayden, jace, jess, jessy, jonas (annagram like annabeth's name), sonny, mason, even grace, though grace may be tricky due to thalia's disdain for her last name.

i feel it would be very normal and sweet for them to just outright name their daughter sally; if you still want alternatives, a lot of similar names are out there (sal, sammy, and sarah, which is the origin of the name sally). with thalia, i'd recommend a similar name, or even a name of another muse as piper is named after the muse of comedy. with grover, i'd recommend a middle name. i don't think it would be weird at all to name their child after someone they love that is still alive, but i'm arab and have seen a lot of arabs name their children after family, so my opinion may not apply here as i'm not american and don't know american naming styles too well.

now, personally, i don't think they'd name their children after anyone except maybe sally. i think the more likely alternative is making grover a godfather to their firstborn and another close friend (rachel? thalia? frank and hazel?) the godparent(s) of their second born. i think giving a jason-inspired middle name would be a nice idea, but i do have to say i would expect that more from piper or leo who were his best friends. i feel annabeth and percy have seen too much death and mourning to really name anyone after the dead.

these are all just opinions and i really appreciate your ask! i hope this helps, and thank you so much for the compliment!

[newpercyjfan]

“I plunge to my death” Percy Jackson Au

Ok first, if you somehow came up with this exact thing already, i wouldn’t know, I don’t even follow the Percy Jackson tag yet, but just tell me and I’ll take it down or tag it as an alt universe of your au and credit it, but I have like three other ones I’ll be posting so we’ll see.

- This au is connected to both the tv show and the book because I like what both did in terms of the arch episode.

- This mostly goes how the tv show episode goes, Percy gets poisoned, they get to the top of the arch, he sacrifices himself. But this time, he does pray to his dad as he falls over 100 ft to his death.

- His dad doesn’t answer. He’s the one who somehow last second, controls the water to save himself. He sinks to the bottom of the lake and gets stuck. He feels the poison and his wounds get slightly better.

-In this au, the nereid doesn’t actually help him get out of the water, because in this version it’s inspired by how in the books, when he left the water the wounds came back. If he leaves the lake, he could die.

- So he stays stuck there for almost three days while the nereids bring him seaweed and shit to eat, but eventually he gets sick of it.

- he learns that Poseidon didn’t really want him to leave, at least not yet, mainly because he knew if he left he would continue to be chased by monsters or die in some way and believed a war would come either way. Basically, if the Poseidon that said “heroes always end badly, I regret getting your mom pregnant” actually did something about it

- but of course, he can’t keep Perseus ‘I don’t listen to anybody but myself’ Jackson down in a lake without him going a lil crazy and he breaks the root holding him down and swims to shore, but the poison instantly kicks back in, and gets back in the water

- his father gifts him a hydrai (a large vase/urn basically that carry’s water) that holds basically a portal to the ocean in it. GUYS LISTEN, I HEARD THIS MYTH SOMEWHERE BUT WHEN I TRIED TO FIND THE SOURCE IT DISAPPEARED. I was positive I heard that there was a vase that held the ocean in it somewhere so just take my word 😭

- the mist makes it look like a water bottle with no label 😭💀💀💀

- Percy accepts the gift because he wants to get out of there, but he suddenly does not have a very good idea of the gods or specifically his father. I don’t think the nereid actually told him that his father really did care, at least a little bit, all he saw it as was his dad not thinking he would succeed/ he saw it as Zeus turning Thalia into a tree because he didn’t want to idk disprespect the other gods? Cause it was easier than defending her? That’s how Percy sees it anyways

- Meanwhile, Grover and annabeth are convinced he died. They looked and called for him, but there was no proof of his survival, so instead annabeth took his place in a lot of missions to fulfill the quest cause she’s a girl boss like that.

- I think her main theory of what happened to him is straight up “I saw him fall and didn’t see him land, so maybe he turned into the lake or a tree or something too” 💀😭

- anyways Percy gets chased by another monster but has no more fucks to give. He’s scary. He’s pale, has dark eyes and a taste for vengeance.

- he tries to find annabeth and Grover but they’re pretty ahead of him.

- my main idea is that they meet again in the underworld with hades and they are little wary honestly.

- also omg I didn’t think of this before but what if they thought, hey, he’s in the underworld, guess he did die 💀.

-But anyways what I thought would happen was annabeth and Grover get there first and annabeth has the backpack with the bolt in it. Hades asks if they wanted a trade and that’s why they came. He bluffs and tells them if they give him the bolt and the helmet he’d let go Percy’s mom or “bring back” percy. (Hades knows percy is not dead and is kinda pissed that Percy is constantly on the edge of death but making it because of his dad technically, and he can’t take him to punishment field or whatever he calls it idk)

- I think annabeth chooses percy and is about to give the bag over, but realizes he was tricked and he was never dead. But idk. There are so many diff ways this could go and I’d love to hear how you guys would write it. I’d love some reblog a that add to this idea.

Also I need unhinged percy content

(Sorry if the art or wording is bad, it’s late and I’m tired)

[ao3feed-jonmartin]

we have bigger things to worry about than camp rivalries

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/VtLj5Z2 by RamblingsofATeenageFangirl “Melanie King?” he asked without any preamble, and when she nodded and went to say something, they held their hand up, “I’m Jonathan, Head Counsellor of the Beholding Cabin and Camp Archivist here at Camp Magnus. Walk with me.” And then, he started walking confidently in a familiar direction while flipping through papers on a clipboard, not paying any real mind to where he was walking or whatever was in his path because they didn’t have to. They knew this building, and the whole camp, like it was the back of their hand- Like it was another mark there, an invisible one to accompany the little black eye logo that signified his place in The Beholding Cabin. Or, Newly promoted Jonathan Sims was excited to take over the role of "Camp Archivist" as given to them by Camp Director, Elias Bouchard. But when a new camper shows up and a vision of something he wasn't there for comes with her, they start to worry that maybe, the new title brought something more sinister with it. This triggers an investigation into the camp that involves people Jon never thought they'd speak to- Or, in the case of their childhood friend turned awkward peer, Martin Blackwood- someone they never thought they'd speak to again. Words: 5073, Chapters: 1/14, Language: English Series: Part 2 of cabins, camp rivalries, and everything else stuck here (camp magnus au) Fandoms: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M Characters: Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood, Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus, Melanie King, Agnes Montague, Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Gertrude Robinson, Georgie Barker, Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Sasha James, Basira Hussain Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Melanie King & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Georgie Barker/Melanie King, Basira Hussain/Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Sasha James/Tim Stoker Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, also pretty much everyone interacts with each other at some point, just tagging the main relationships and dynamics that really matter, Martin Blackwood Has a Crush on Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Trans Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Autistic Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist Has a Crush, Pining Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Friends to Lovers, Strangers to Lovers, Technically It Is, friends to strangers to lovers, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Summer Camp, Inspired by Percy Jackson, Cabin Fic, Cabins, The Beholding Fear Entity (The Magnus Archives), The Web Fear Entity (The Magnus Archives), The Desolation Fear Entity (The Magnus Archives), The Hunt Fear Entity (The Magnus Archives), every entity has a cabin, for now just tagging the ones that are super plot important, Beholding Avatar Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, He/Him and They/Them Pronouns for Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, there are so many characters that show up i tagged the important ones, Alternate Universe - 2000s, 2000s, Teenagers, Alternate Universe - Teenagers read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/VtLj5Z2

[siennasfix]

Pareidolia

Summary: This story is set sometime in the future. Hyunjin is a claimed son of Aphrodite. Y/n and her sister are the only unclaimed children who know the identity of their godly parent. They’re college students in Camp Jupiter. A new streak of murders takes off and all the tracks point to Luna, Y/n’s nine-year-old sister, which leads to Y/n making it her mission to prove the little girl’s innocence. One mishap leads to another and Hyunjin and Y/n find themselves working together to find out what they can do to solve the mystery.

Notes:

 This fic is inspired by the world of Percy Jackson and will contain many elements of the Hunger Games franchise. I’ve been a fan of both for years and I thought I’d try my hand at weaving both of these universes so that they flow seamlessly. Regarding mature themes and violence, it will definitely lean more on the Hunger Games side of the spectrum.  This fic is going to be long af so buckle up. There will be 3 books, the final chapters of which will be marked in the endnotes. I have an idea of how many chapters the entire fic is going to be, but of course, it might be longer than I have planned because I want to describe everything in such explicit detail that it WILL drive many of you nuts, and there's also the thing with me wanting to give the characters their chance to shine and develop properly. The girls that get it, get it. The point is; this fic might take not months but years to finish and the finalization will keep me from ending it all so I’ll try my best not to die before then.  This fic will contain mature themes. There will be many lighthearted moments but it’s more of a reprieve from all the heavy shit going on than anything. So do not read this if you’re expecting a cheerful romance or a happily ever after for every character. In addition to this, there will be depictions of death, torture, assault, sex, and so on, things that not everyone can stomach, which is more than fine but just be sure that this is your cup of tea before starting to read it. I will try to tag it as well as I can for each chapter and include the TWs in the beginning notes so don't skip them. • An array of power dynamics will be depicted as the story progresses. • The romance ranges from sweet to radioactive so keep that in mind. • Romance tropes: 1. Hyunjin x Reader- enemies to lovers, annoyances to lovers, mutual pining, dark romance, obsessive lovers, don’t blame me love made me crazy coded 2. Jisung x Minho- mutual clowning, friends to sort of strangers to fwb to lovers, they got that 80s rock aesthetic vibe going on 3. Seungmin x Jeongin- initially unrequited, strategy meets theatre, friends to lovers  I’ll try to update regularly, maybe once every two or three weeks. This is more for me to be honest as I’m a major procrastinator and this might help me sit my ass down and WRITE.  Make sure to always read the opening notes as many warnings pertaining to the events of the chapter, ones I have been unable to include in the tags above, will be revealed there.

Book I: Part I, Part II, Part III

Book II: Part I, Part II, Part III

Book III: Part I, Part II, Part III

[beelsbignaturals]

🦂DEMON FORMS: ASMODEUS 💄

AN: Unfortunately, the concept of hypnosis is a major theme for my OCD so I can't really write him as creepy as I want to. Alas, I tried. Fucked up Asmo supremacy. also I was tryna keep this sfw in terms of *spicy* content bc thats for a different post hehehe. As always, feel free to check out my obey me world building tag for more demon headcanons and since con is over I can work on requests!

Inspiration for this part: literally everyone who has ever drawn Asmo with a scorpion tail like he DESERVES also @noecoded bc they have the BEST Asmo art ever. Also @princessasmosprincess has been such a major help in writing this! ily Michi 😘 thank u for letting me pick ur brain bby

TWs: Bugs (scorpions), mind manipulation, alcohol (part 4), vauge reference to nsfw stuff (part 3), demons being demons, body horror? Maybe?

● Level 1.5. you know, in the Percy Jackson books, how Aphrodite appears as whatever you think is most beautiful? Asmo is kinda like that. Not fully, but if you are more attracted to say, dark hair, he will have darker hair. (Cute note: if you fall in love with him for realsies, this stops happening, and you just see. Him.) Like Belphie, he is alot more… mental with how he freaks people out. Even without hypnotism, if he asks you to do something, you feel like you want to agree. Only Asmo can make you think taking out the garbage when it's his turn is YOUR idea. He glows under blacklights because… scorpion. His teeth look normal from a distance, but up close, you can see how sharp they are. His eyes shift through every possible color, changing each time he blinks. His pupils are heart shaped. He gets cold really easily and will make it everyone's problem.

"MC! I'm going to freeze to death, please, save me!" The overly dramatic Avatar of Lust drapes himself across your lap, intent of using you as a personal space heater. Nights in the Devildom just get so cold! His poor, beautiful heart can't handle the subzero temperatures! And of course the last argument between Levi and Mammon managed to complete destroy the heating system. So it's your solemn duty as Asmo's favorite human (don't tell Solomon) to keep him warm!

● Level 2. His nails get longer and sharper, and even when talking, it sounds like he's singing. If he actually starts singing, you will find yourself dancing or lulled into a false sense of security depending on the song. He actually caused the dancing plague this way! He is capable of using his carapace as a sort of natural corset, controlling each segment to give himself the desired silhouette. Somehow, Asmo is wonderful at knowing exactly what you desire. Not just in a sexual way, he can figure out your ambitions after one conversation. If he decides to talk to you, everything else will kind of...fade away. How can you focus on anything when his eyes fade from pink to purple to blue... What were you talking about again?

Asmo thought the house was empty, that it was safe for him to sing without consequence. Unfortunately, you came home early, which led to the awkward incident where you began dancing the moment you walked inside. At first, you thought you were hit by some curse, screaming in surprise as your body moves on its own. Hearing your shrieks, Asmo rushes downstairs, fussing over you. Luckily, you weren't under his spell long, so when he stopped singing, you stopped dancing. He was very apologetic after that.

● Level 3. He grows several extra limbs on his sides. They are small little insect legs that are basically useless. He likes to annoy his brothers by tickling them with his weird lil bug arms. But otherwise, Asmo is EXTREMELY self conscious about them because bugs aren't stereotypically cute. He can keep his wings bc they are cute. BUT HE ALSO HAS A SCORPION TAIL. The stinger is heart-shaped. It's adorable. It also has venom capable of making you so horny you die! Which is... slightly less adorable.

It was quite the sight, seeing Asmo, shirtless with several small arachnid limbs, covered in a hard exoskeleton as he chases Satan around the house, claiming he needs to be less grumpy. Satan threw a pillow at his brother, causing you to laugh. Bad move. Now Asmo has locked his eyes on his next target. You.

● Level 4. You know how so many Greek monsters are giant creatures with the face of a beautiful woman? That's Asmo. He has the body of a scorpion-if a scorpion was the size of a horse - and face so gorgeous, you might cry or go blind. He sings so sweetly to lure in prey. Basically, he's a siren-scorpion monster from hell! He usually won't take this form because, honestly, he thinks it's ugly. So for the most part you are only going to see a scorpion with Asmo's face scuttling around if he is feeling particularly emotional. Like when he gets a little bit too tipsy and his insecurities plague his mind.

It was rare Asmo would get properly drunk. At least the type of drunk where he is miserable. Usually it's a very... drunk girl in the club bathroom who just LOOOVES your shoes and wants to know who did your eyelash extensions 🥺 sort of energy. So hearing straight up wailing from his room after a long night at the Fall was...unexpected. What was even more surprising, was what you found when you opened his door to try and comfort the demon. A large scorpion with the head of the Avatar of Lust, standing in front of a broken mirror with mascara streaming down his face. You only hesitate a moment before making your presence known. Asmo starts to cry more, sobbing about how terrible he feels having you see him like this. In the form that he considers the definition of ugly. You are quick to reassure him, naming each thing you find beautiful about his more demonic looking self. Like the way his armored body catches the light, reflecting rainbows across each segment. Or how his stinger is heart shaped. Or the fact that even without proper hands, his hair and makeup is still flawless. Aside from minor damage due to his tears. Soon enough, you have a giant scorpion sleeping on your lap like an overgrown cat. You decide not to mention it in the morning.