#percy jackson supremacy

[cynthiav06]

Respectfully, did Percy Jackson even have any character development throughout the original series?

He doesn't have any flaws. He chose to take the prophecy from Nico, but he was always going to be the prophecy child.

He's good at the start and good at the end with no development unless you count being traumatised and depressed from a war as development, which it's not.

Not trying to be rude, sorry if I seem rude.

Worry not. It's a perfectly reasonable question and should usually be applied to most character studies. Also, buckle up. This is going to be long. Very long. It took me a while to get the time to post this and even more time to actually get my thoughts together. Like a lot of time. (To anyone who doesn't want to read the horrid mess of a post this is there's a partition at the end, after which all the most important points are summarized. ) Just skip to that, but hopefully, someone reads this whole thing because it took me eons to write.

I can see why you think that way, and it is contributed more so by Rick's absolute incapability of not recycling the dead horse that is the original pjo dynamics. He has inhibited character growth from almost every single character where all their epiphanies and character change in the end amounts to nothing, and they regress back to how they used to be, and any and all deviations their personality had are either dismissed or suppressed.

Percy is the victim of the latter. In the first book, he was a child, not particularly concerned with saving the world or being a halfblood. His life had been worse enough, and the halfblood situation had made it abysmal. Percy was living goal by goal. He wanted to get through the field trip, then through the semester, then through the Gabe interactions all so he could finally see his Mom, the one good thing about his life. Then that upends completely, and his only reprieve, the trip to Montauk, his safe place becomes the start of a series of grand tragedies in his life.

Sure, he stayed at the Camp, not willingly but for safety. He had nowhere to go, his life had been turned upside down, his mother was dead, and he wanted to go home, to have his mother back. He couldn't have cared less about the Gods and the world ending, but as soon as Chiron mentions Underworld, Percy is back on solid ground. He has a goal again. Get Sally back. He does everything to reach that goal. He fights monsters, prays to a godly father he refused to acknowledge beforehand, manipulate the press and the Gabe situation, bargain with immortal deities and such, and negotiate his way out of most of those bargains. All the while keeping in mind that he has a traitor to deal with, but Percy is the definition of "deal with one thing at a time. If it's not an immediate concern, it can wait." He does all that and is rewarded for it by being able to live, getting his mother back, and a taste of the life he has doomed himself to, and he almost seems to accept it. He even wonders if Camp Half Blood could be his home.

We see Percy do this throughout all the books. He is constantly changing his intentions, his goals, and his opinions on everything. He is also caught in his internal conflict of being with or against the Gods. The thing is, Percy has very little time for reflection as he is jumping from one existential threat to another, and yet he still manages to grow in the small ways. You need to see it individually book wise rather than over the whole series as Rick messes up terribly with character arcs and developments of literally every other character.

He begins by not caring about Poseidon's existence or his proximity, but in the end, he, too, is beholden to the intrinsic need of having a father. He, too, wants Poseidon to care for him like a father and is therefore hurt by being called a mistake. He knows Poseidon claimed him as a weapon against Zeus so he could rectify someone else's mistakes and restore Poseidon's reputation; who if not Percy would understand this manipulation the best? But the best lies are the ones you want to believe in, and so Percy keeps his silence because, of course, he wants to believe his father genuinely cares for him and loves him. Who doesn't?

He didn't want to be the hero, but by the end of the first book, when he is called one, he doesn't dislike the feeling. He accepts if only a little that this is to be his life now, and as the series progresses, he adds to the pros and cons.

In the Sea of Monsters he is very happy that Gabe is gone and it's just him and his mother again but by the end of it he has gained a new family member in Tyson and is very happy of the fact. He even manages to get over his initial hostility of Clarisse somewhat when he understands her situation.

Titan's Curse is all about Percy learning about the number of forces at play in the world of demigods. He tries to get along with the Hunters and Thalia; it doesn't work. He ends up almost losing Annabeth, someone who he considers a close friend by now. And so we see Percy spiral a little, show more of his anger issues as he interacts with Thalia or even Young Nico just after Annabeth falls from the cliff. Angry and impatient, he goes on his own quest.

I know most readers remember it as Percy, Annabeth, and Grover or the main cast always working together, but it's almost never like that. Somewhere along the way, Percy always ends up doing his own thing, which works because he best works on improvisations. It's Percy's plans that always end up working the most more so than Annabeth's. Just putting it out there.

Then it's just Percy having the worst month of his life. Annabeth is in mortal danger. No one seems to be hearing his opinions between Thalia and the Hunters. Then Bianca dies and Percy because he is Percy is completely and utterly guilty over it.

Note that Percy says he will do his best to keep Biancs safe and not outright promise to keep Bianca safe. But his non-existent self-esteem and other factors withstanding he blamed himself for it completely. Then Zoe dies, and Percy has lost yet another person he thought he needed to keep safe.

Percy is angry at the gods, but he is not surprised by their actions. But he is Percy, and he is determined to change the ways of Olympus, so he pressures the Council and his father to keep the Ophiptaurus, the very creature that threatens to topple their rule. It's his small was of rebelling, and Percy is always rebelling against the gods in his own way, almost never playing into their hands because as much as he despises Luke, he agrees with Luke too and unless he finds a better way to deal with the situation than what Luke is employing he too would have to one day follow in Luke's footsteps.

Now Percy, who trusts Chiron, even thinks of him as a secondary father figure realizes that Chiron for all his compassion for mortals and demigods will always in the end do the bidding of the Gods'. So he makes the snap decision to hide Nico's parentage from Chiron and from everyone else because Percy realizes no matter how much he loves or cares for certain people in his life, they are beholden to answer to a higher power he cannot gainsay, so he will have to take some secrets to the grave. He learns that in the end, some things he needs to shoulder himself.

And of course, the guilt of Bianca's death is no lesser, so he does the only thing he thinks can give him some relief from it. He takes the prophecy for himself, saving Nico and hoping it's enough to alleviate himself of this bile inducing sensation in his gut called guilt that is swallowing him whole.

Now, the Battle of Labyrinth is the most crucial. This is the book with maximum stress on Percy from all ends. From Sally dating Paul and Percy having to prove he is worth Paul's confidence in him in Goode, from Annabeth who is quite literally snippy and passive aggressive through the whole book either due to Rachel or due to her own prophecy even though Rachel and Percy are the two people who got them all out. Then there's the Nico situation. He knows Nico is spiraling, which is making Percy spiral and further strengthening his own guilt. And on top of all this, the Luke situation. Percy is literally caught between an enclosed space, with all four sides closing in on him rapidly while he is fending off mortal danger.

All this repressed tension is fully let loose when he explodes Mt. Helen's. And this is the tipping point. Percy wants to take the choice of Calypso's Island if only briefly and not because he loves her or anything of the sort but because it's his one escape. From everything from his own doomed prophecy. Yet again, Percy is trapped by his own fatal flaw. Personal Loyalty. So he chooses to carry out his responsibility because he has given himself no other choice.

If that wasn't enough of self-realization, he is faced with the horrifying realization of the devastation his power has wrought. His loss of control has single handedly released the greatest threat to Olympus. Hephaestus tells Percy he doesn't know the limits of his own, and by the gods, does that terrify Percy. Up until now, Percy knew his powers were dangerous, but now he knows that he is also dangerous; that he is the real danger. And it's not a reality he wants to ever confront, so he coils his power and holds it tight in a leash. (It's why Percy's burts of power always begin with an unraveling sensation in his gut or something breaking inside himself)

He is somewhat soothed by Poseidon's reassurance because not only does Poseidon not blame him, he also solidifies Percy's faith that he is doing the right thing. And if Poseidon sprinkles in the fact that Percy is the favorite child then who is he to deny himself the comfort of such sweet lies because, of course, Percy thinks it's a lie and of course Percy basks in it. He knows better than to trust gods, he knows better than to trust even his own allies because at the times like this, they will do and say anything to appease him, after all the fate of Olympus depends on him, does it not? And neither the Gods nor the demigods will risk a falling out with him at times like this.

He asks his father if he can help but is denied because he is needed here. Then he does his job as told, and Charlie dies. It's on him. He is struck with twice as much guilt. Over Beckendorf, and then over the state of Atlantis. He asks again if he can help his father and is denied again yet scorned by his father's family, for he can't even help them with the mess he started (or so he believes).

This is why Percy goes with Nico's plan of using the Styx. Because he assumes Nico of all people who already hated him has no reason to curry for his favor. But he makes a mistake. After all, Nico needs his father's favor, and Hades needs Percy gone. Percy can't really blame the kid, but he does anyway because why not? He is angry, he is furious, and everything is slipping from his fingers. He is going to die. Everyone is going to die, and it's all on him. It's all his fault, AGAIN. So he rages at Nico because for at least one single moment, he wishes this were someone else's burden, especially Nico's, but Percy's taken it for himself, and it's too late to back out now.

So he fights and manipulates and negotiates. Titans, River gods, his own demigods. Because don't forget Percy knows there's a mole and that's also his problem. Everything is his problem. All that work and so many dead. Silena, Michael, Ethan, and many more on both sides, and he is trying everything he can to make it better to fix things because, again, he thinks it's his fault. Imagine doing all that, and Rachel tells him he is not the hero, and Percy bristles because no, he doesn't want to be a hero, but of course, it offends him. Because, if he's not the hero, then it's not his burden, and then what the hell is he doing all this for if, in the end, he is not the hero that can save Olympus? Does that mean he read the prophecy wrong, and now he is going to get everyone killed because he wrongly assumed he isn't the hero. He is angry and impulsive, and he snaps at even Hermes. Because now HE is spiraling.

And somehow, it's all over with Luke killing himself, and it dawns on Percy, the truth. So despite all the hate because why wouldn't there be hate, Luke has singlehandedly tried to kill Percy more than Percy can count, and he calls Luke the Hero. Makes the choice because he believes in Annabeth's faith and Hermes's faith in Luke. It pays off and that's all that matters.

Finally finally it is all over. the Gods owe him, and finally, he has an answer on the path he wants to take to change the gods. He denies immortality because he is Percy Jackson, he is Sally Jackson's son and he knows better than to let others dictate the flow of his life, because he has better plans than wasting away inside for eternity, dancing on someone else's tune. He fights for the demigods, the non-Olympian gods and their children who Olympus has failed to do justice to, for Nico, and in some way for himself.

Then it's not over at all because Rachel has taken Blackjack and Percy knows the truth of the Oracle and he loves Rachel far too much to let her even try. But it works and she is okay; he can't be with her but she is alive and she is okay and Percy is extremely grateful for that.

But then there's a new prophecy, and even though he tries to find some peace with Annabeth, he knows it's not over. It's never over for him. But he can forget about it until he can no longer afford to ignore it.

___________________________________________

Of course, Percy repressed his trauma. The last time he let it out, he released the literal bane of the gods out. Do you think Percy could live with something like that happening again? What choice does he have? There's no one who can understand him. NO ONE. Not even Annabeth.

You can see him accept his role as a leader and grow more into it. In son of Sobek or even in Son of Neptune. He is more serious and more authoritative because he has so many people depending on him, so many expectations hanging on him. We can also see Percy's anger issues get out of hand. He is spiraling, the readers know he is spiraling, and Percy knows, but he can't do ANYTHING. HE IS LITETALLY DYING OR BEING ATTACKED, HE CAN'T, HE JUST CAN'T.

BUT WE KNOW IT'S THERE BECAUSE WE CAN SEE HOW MUCH PERCY HAS GROWN INTO SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. AND HE CAN'T ACT ON THEM MOST OF THE TIME BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE ARE DEPENDENT ON HIM AND HIS FATAL FLAW WON'T ALLOW HIM TO PUT HIMSELF OUT OF HIS MISERY.

BUT WHEN HE HAS DONE EVERYTHING HE POSSIBLY COULD, AFTER HOUSE OF HADES, HE LETS POLYBOTES'S POISON CHOKE HIM, ALMOST KILLING HIM IF JASON HADN'T INTERVENED. THANK GOD FOR JASON GRACE.

Percy was this sassy, heavily independent, "I do my own thing" kid and now he is someone with more responsibilities than anyone with most of his free will stripped and most of his hopes ruined or deemed impossible. IT'S TRAGIC AND IT'S EXCRUCIATING AND HE CAN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE HE THINKS IT'S MAKING OTHERS HAPPY. IT'S SUCH A HORRIBLE SITUATION. IMAGINE BOOK 1 PERCY? HE WOULD HAVE LET IT BLOW UP IN EVERYONE ELSE'S FACE BEFORE HE EVER LET HIMSELF BE SO BROKEN.

I have seen so many people say how Percy is the standard hero who is always good and never makes bad choices, and I wonder which books they read. Percy always makes the supposed "right" choices at the cost of himself. His fatal flaw enabling his moral compass and the sheer guilt of the lives lost. He can't escape. He hates the gods, he hates the quests but he loves his family and friends so dearly, there's nothing he wouldn't do for them which means Percy is suffocating, drowning, choking in his own misery, his repressed trauma,his self loathing and being crushed to death by the weight of lives, responsibilities and expectations only he can hope to fulfil.

And one day Percy won't be able to take it. His lapses of control will increase in magnitudes so great, his inner rage will level the world. Destroyer, like Athena predicted, Destroyer like Kronos wanted and Destroyer like his name means.

Not every hero needs a villain arc. Percy is inspiring because after all this shit and all these horrors. He is still good, but WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE TOLL OF IT. PERCY IS STILL GOOD BUT AT WHAT COST? LOOK WHAT IT'S DONE TO HIM.

Rick has such a great potential for an arc like that but he is going to fuck it up, I know he is but I hope readers realize where it's all leading to and how much Percy has changed and how much he has sacrificed. Also, @hermesmyplatonicbeloved , @ogjacksonsimp , @cynicalclairvoyantcadaver , @helenofsparta2, @fourcornersofcreation thoughts? Did I stray too far from the canon, or am I getting it right at least a little? Because this post took days, I have no idea what it has devolved into.

[helpallthenamesaretaken]

percy in pjo/hoo: yes i fought two wars. yes, I've seen horrors beyond words. but CRYING? NOPE. the most descriptive you'll ever see me emotional is when I have a lump in my throat, because i'm a manly king 💪♂️🕺

percy the whole of cotg/wottg:

character development, ladies and gentlemen

[fangirlwithade]

I’m back with Part five of what your favourite demigod says about you?

*Obvious but well needed disclaimer here (as some people get upset when it is not 100% accurate and try to cause an argument) I’m not a mind-reader :)*

The one and only Percy Jackson - 

You’re dependable and empathetic and always try to be there for others as much as possible ; however, you’re also the drained therapist friend who wishes people are there for you as much as you are there for them. 

A dog person and you also try to be sociable even though sometimes all you want is to be alone. Percy is either your favourite character because you’re hopelessly in love with him and want someone to love you despite your flaws, who is more than happy for you to outshine him and who would literally fall into hell for you. Or who am I kidding, there’s no or, you were labelled the ‘troubled kid’ at school, an outsider who always struggled to fit in (just a gentle reminder that my dm’s are always open), maybe you have ADHD and dyslexia or maybe school just didn’t go as planned. Either way, you’re valid :))

You rightfully worship Sally Jackson *what I would give to eat her seven-layer dip omgsss* and you rightfully recognise how underrated Grover is. You prefer PJO to HOO but love both series, unfortunately TOA isn’t really your thing. 

You’ve always been underestimated in life and have subsequently spent the last few years months in burnout. LOOK AFTER YOURSELF BETTER PLEASE !!!

And finally, your favourite books are House of Hades, The Lightning Thief, Son of Neptune and either The Last Olympian or The Battle of The Labyrinth. 

[ogjacksonsimp]

if i had a nickel for every time percy gets a good luck kiss and gets no luck, i would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[goldrushenthusiast]

percy may have golden retriever energy but he is the cat of demigods and I will die on this hill

[wisegirl1448]

every time i've ever laid eyes on this quote, it's made me feel like i was dying

this hit me like a truck

[cynthiav06]

can i just like vent for a second? i just saw an anti percy take that just pissed me off so bad bc i forget not everyone separates percy's real characterization (pjo books and son) and throw out the very terribly written one boo and post hoo books like i do. percy antis can only speak of his character from the text where rick decided percy needed to suddenly be this horrible character and friend (to this day i hate that the narrative genuinely blamed percy for bob and calypso) and the nico thing gets so misinterpreted and was a total retcon to percy and nico's canon progression in the og books. everyone is allowed to have their opinions obviously but there's this thing in the pjo fandom where everyone wants to take a single moment in which the author's writing was so weak and turn it into an actual real character moment when all prev texts in past books show that it's simply just character assassination

You are not the only one, anon. Thankfully, all my mutuals are of similar opinion, so I rarely am alone in my frustrations over this. I have made posts on most of the points you mentioned, but I swear the reading comprehension the fandom has is akin to a bottomless bag. No matter how many facts, rational explanations, and canon examples you feed in, it will all just fall down in vain. The same old incorrect takes and terrible biases will keep circulating and spawn even worse, zero comprehension takes, and "headcanons." I would say you could play a drinking game with it, but you will be dead not even quarter way through all the misinformation.

At this point, my media literacy test in pjo fandom is the opinion someone has on Percy and Nico's relationship. At least Nico has the excuse of being a literal hurt child for him lashing out at Percy and misplacing his anger on Percy, but I wonder what's the fandom's excuse. I have disproved everything I believe wrong about that take in my post here.

What I think has happened is everyone in the fandom has read these books years ago and hasn't bothered rereading the source material properly after when they got older or have only reread their favorite "shipping scenes." And during this time everyone in the fandom has been over indulging themselves on fanfics and now there is a large disconnect between the actual character in the books and the fanon version everyone has affixed in their heads. And no amount of external feedback will convince anyone to rectify and authenticate their version. Same with the ships. Especially with the ships.

Throw in some childhood nostalgia and a bit of projection, and you have a bunch of extremely single-minded opinions from people who would rather resort to death threats than actually acknowledge any other point of view exists. And gods forbid, an alternative ship exists, and people don't like their ship; the fandom which claims to hate itself is perpetuating its own miserable condition. Either way, my advice? Stick to tags you like. Try and ignore the monopoly in the fandom. Find a circle that shares your niche interests. And you will have fewer frustrations to deal with, at least usually.

As for Percy, he has become such a face of iconic and epic character and obviously the heart of the series that Rick thinks for any other character to be good, they somehow need to be better than Percy in some way or that he needs to put Percy down in some way to uplift others. And he has been doing that post Son of Neptune till today, and Percy is still the absolute fan favorite. Imagine the author and half the fandom doing everything they can to soil a character's arc and achievements and still not succeeding, hah.

I recommend you 'Percy jackson supremacy' or 'Percy jackson defense squad' tag on tumblr. At least half your frustrations will settle down. I recommend the first tag personally. I use that tag so often in my own posts, and it's the one Percy tag page where I am sure the posts will not disappoint. Those two tags with a side of powerful Percy jackson and smart percy jackson are the only fandom tags worth scrolling. Take my advice on it.

The monopoly in the fandom is so bad that if you block percabeth tag, then almost three quarter's of fandoms content is inaccessible. I checked into this and realized that posts that have absolutely nothing to do with shipping or even Percy and Annabeth are tagged with it for the sake of larger exposure. It's absolute bullshit. So now you need to check every percabeth tag post so see if it's actual ship content or just general content tagged that way.

I have no delusions of changing anyone's mind in the fandom. But a few years ago this place was even worse and death threats were almost a common situation for everyone outside popular takes and only now is there a relative safe space for new blogs to make anti posts about popular media in the fandom and not get absolutely flayed for it. Just trying to contribute to that circle. Cause I didn't have to deal with the absolute worst of the fandom because of older blogs that kept on making enough content for there to be a community by the time I joined two years ago. Would like to do the same to some extent. Cause here if you are in any unpopular branch of the fandom, then you will have to make your own content for it. That's just how it is.

Most people now however are getting more and more into alternative opinions and ships and rightfully criticizing Rick for not only character assassinations but the stereotypical things he perpetuated by selling them in the name of diversity and representation.

As I said, the fandom has more problems than it has people, lol. But you just need to find one niche group that fits with you and see if it lasts. By the looks of it, I am not going to be too active in this fandom for very long either. Doesn't seem to be worth it. But you can vent on here anytime about anything. It's definitely the sort of space for that. And I like seeing people finally vent out their frustrations, so you are welcome anytime.

[helpallthenamesaretaken]

(tw: mild violence)

"[Ganymede] looked like a classmate of mine in freshman year who’d gotten mugged on his way to school: eyes like empty windows, a face that had forgotten how to make expressions." - Chalice of the Gods.

"Liam!" I heard a hopeful voice bounce off the walls of the cheap one-bedroom flat. "I finally got enough to pay for that robotics workshop you've wanted to go to!" And with a sigh, her knees buckled.

"Mom!" I cried out, running to help her up. "I told you to not to go for work today."

She cupped my face gently. "I know how much you wanted to go to that workshop. You said it yourself, the head of MIT will be there. The college of your dreams! They deserve to know your genius, and see that robot you've been designing."

"I'm not having that at the cost of you out cold each night." I supported her as she stumbled to the bed, and lay down tiredly. She looked at me with weary eyes.

"When you finally prove to the world what a smart, wonderful boy you are and become successful," she mumbled, dozing off. "Then you can buy me a break."

Her words echoed in my mind as I was slammed to the cement floor of the dark alley. My glasses were broken in the corner. I clung to my school bag tightly.

A voice growled, "Hey, redhead! What do you have there in that bag?" I looked up at their ugly faces, with remorseless eyes and an evil smirk on their faces. "Hey, Joe. Check his bag."

I clutched on to it tightly, as I desperately cried out, "PLEASE! NO!" Suddenly, I felt Joe's sneaker slam into my side, and I gasped in pain. I held on to my bag tighter, refusing to let go, and then one of his other goons kicked me in the head. My head reeled as I screamed and they took away my bag.

"DUDE! There's money in here." Joe cackled to his boss. His boss had an evil grin plastered on his face.

My eyes widened. "N-No, NO!" I yelled, sobbing with desperation. "My mom worked hard for that, please, we're poor and I need the money for school, PLEASE--" I was knocked to the ground by Joe's fist. I screamed for help.

Out of panic that someone would hear me, the group of boys started kicking me with even more force. I started tasting blood in my mouth.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed in the corner. I was already dizzy from the pain but as I looked at the figure closer, I realised I recognised him: the black hair, the scary green eyes.

Moms whispered about the bad influence that he was. Students were scared to go near him, unless they wanted to start a fight. Teachers warned us about him. He was a rumoured terrorist, a gangster, a criminal.

I closed my eyes immediately, waiting for the infamous Percy Jackson to deliver the final blow. Instead...

"HEY!" he barked. "LEAVE. HIM. ALONE" The boss of the boys smirked. "What are you going to do? Joe, take care of him."

Joe launched forward, only to get punched in the face. He fell backward, his nose bleeding. Percy growled. "Anyone else wants to take care of me?"

The boys gasped and their eyes widened. The boss narrowed his eyes and started to run away with the money, dropping my school bag. Joe jumped to his feet and ran away too, with the money in hand. I was too numb, and I just flailed my finger at his direction, pointing desperately.

Percy sprinted behind them, leaving me shell shocked. The money was gone. My mom would have to work again for a whole month to make up for the lost money that we could've used to at least buy us a month of groceries. But then it'd be too late. I would probably never get to go to the robotics workshop.

I stared at the wall for what seemed like forever, and heard Percy walk back to where I was on the ground.

"Liam from school, right? Dude, I am so so sorry," he said, speaking to me for the first time. "I couldn't find them. Are...are you okay.."

The dam broke. I felt my heart beating fast, as tears rolled out of my eyes as I sobbed loudly. A pit formed in my stomach, filled with shame and anger at myself. The evil faces of the boys carved itself into my brain, haunting me. My fists pounded the side of my forehead, frustrated. I couldn't face myself for letting my mother's hard work go to waste like that. I couldn't face her again.

Suddenly, I felt a hand grasp my wrists tightly. A gentle voice calmly whispered, "Breathe, Liam. You're safe now. It's going to be all right. Just focus on my voice, yeah? Breathe." My sobs got slower and slower, and my vision cleared for the next fifteen minutes as Percy kept whispering in the dark. Suddenly the black of the alleyway didn't seem to close in on me, rather it seemed comforting.

"Have some water. Are you able to walk?" He took his water bottle and raised it gently to my lips.

I coughed as water washed down my dry throat. "I have to be," my scratchy voice groaned. "I can't miss school today. Math test." I got to my feet, only for my knees to buckle. Like mother, like son.

I was a complete stranger to Percy, yet he frowned at me, annoyed, as if he knew my shenanigans all too well. "Yeah, no you're not." he declared. "I'm not letting you go to school."

"No, please." I begged. Percy rolled his eyes. "I know all about nerds like you. I know you're not able to see either. Your glasses are broken in that corner there. I'm not blind, you are." He took the glasses and carefully slipped them back on my face.

I felt empty on the inside. I locked my eyes with him, my face blank, unable to form any expressions. I couldn't feel anything.

Percy's eyes immediately softened and for a moment. His guard was down. "I-I'll walk you to the clinic. It's just a few minutes away. Come on, I'm sorry." He held out his hand.

Moms whispered about the bad influence that he was. Students were scared to go near him, unless they wanted to start a fight. Teachers warned us about him. And yet here he was, gently supporting me as I shuffled weakly down the street.

In a daze, I told him everything--how my mom was the most hardworking person I knew, how close she had gotten to death by exhaustion many times from her night shifts at the hospital, about my robot, how excited I was to go to the workshop, how happy she was last night when she could finally let me go.

And he listened. He watched intensely, quiet and understanding, as I stammered slow and steady, and tried to not to cry again.

"...And I've heard the head of MIT is going to be there, and I wanted to show him the plans of the--"

"The robot." Percy gave a small smile. "That sounds really amazing. You're like a genius." It felt genuine. As I blushed, I realised that I never had someone who cared about me, even if caring meant just finding me the slightest bit interesting.

When we reached the staircase of the small clinic, I gently removed myself from his support.

"Thanks, man." I said, weak. "I think I can handle myself from here on out. Is there still time for you to get to school or...?"

"If I was Usain Bolt, then there'd be time." he snorted. "It's fine though. I wasn't feeling like coming to school today. But I'm glad I tried. I stopped anything really bad happening to you."

He awkwardly smiled at me. I was still feeling extremely numb, but I felt my lips twitching upwards. "Take care, Liam." After giving me some money from his pocket to pay for the treatment, he walked away casually. I stared after him until his figure disappeared down the turn of the street.

I got patched up and headed to my tiny flat. I remembered my Mom telling me that she had to work a night shift today, and that she would only come back the next evening. Just as well, there was still a void in my stomach dreading telling her about the money. Oh, gosh, the money.

Trying to take my mind off of things, I fixed up a cup of instant ramen, and opened up my half-broken computer and searched up, Percy Jackson.

I expected to find an Instagram page, instead my screen was filled with articles.

Missing at twelve years old, seen at a gun fight with a grown man, blew up the St. Louis arch, accused of murdering his mother. Expelled from more than eight schools in eight years. The cup of ramen fell out of my hand.

Look, I knew Percy was a troublemaker to an extent. I knew he made a mess and ran away from school on the first day. I knew that bullies would get into fights with him and get beaten up. But then again, I couldn't forget his smile and his gentle voice, telling me it would be all right.

Something inside me wanted to know who the real Percy Jackson was. Yet I felt unsettled. Me and my Mom were already a poverty-stricken family of two. I didn't know who he was, apart from that one interaction.

Could I afford to take a risk to get closer to a person like him? What if I got into trouble too? What if I got expelled from school too? What if he was just leading me on today?

As I buried myself under the covers that night, my mind started eating away at me. I closed my eyes, and dreamed of those evil guys, the taste of blood in my mouth, and kind green eyes.

The next day, I managed to attend school. After lunch was my science class, which I knew was the time where my teacher would collect the money to attend the workshop. I tried to not think about his reaction to his favourite student not being able to come.

At lunch, I sat at a lonely table in the corner, blinking back tears. My mind was plagued with my Mom and my teacher's face, disappointed and shocked. Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me. "Liam? You okay?"

I turned back, and gasped. It was Percy, but his cheek and nose had bandages on them, as if he had gotten hurt. "Yeah, why?" I stammered.

He sheepishly dug into his pocket and brought out a familiar stack of cash. He started rambling, "I-was-still-thinking-about-what-happened-so-after-dropping-you-at-the-clinic-I might have--"

"Sorry, what?"

"I tracked down those boys and threatened them to give back your money," he blurted out. "I...know how it feels like to have a single and struggling Mom. I just wanted to help in some way."

I felt stunned. No one had ever done such a thing for me. "How...did you...?"

"Umm..." he stuttered. "My dog, uh, she's a good tracker." He sat next to me. He took my hand in his and placed the stack of cash in my palm. "Anyways. You deserve to get the attention of the MIT head and impress him. He'd be missing out if you didn't. The world would be missing out on an inventor like you." My heart skipped a beat.

I sat there in silence. The unsettling feeling started growing again in my gut. "I know this sounds weird but," I whispered, "There are articles about you online, saying that you're a criminal. But you're here helping me. Why?"

Percy fell silent for a minute. He shuffled in his seat next to me. "I...can't tell you anything about the articles or the rumours or the accusations or whatever." His eyes were averted, and his voice was stiff.

"Is there....anything I can do to help?" I asked, softly. "You're just in freshman year. You don't deserve to be involved in dangerous things like this. You don't seem like that type of a person." Percy suddenly looked up and locked eyes with me, and his eyes were filled with a deep misery.

"Not if you want to get in trouble too," he warned. His eyes morphed from misery to something deeper; the air turned cold and there was something about his gaze that seemed almost powerful, primordial even. I felt freaked out and asked, "Who are you, Percy Jackson?"

He got up to leave. "What do you think?"

Before I could react, the bell rang and it was time to go to class. I turned back to Percy, and said, "I don't know who you are. But no one's ever done anything like this for me. I don't know how to thank you. I don't know about what's going on, but you deserve to have a normal life."

His eyes turned sad. He didn't reply.

After that day, things didn't get better for Percy. He started skipping school more often, his grades were slipping. His eyes were always red as if they'd either been crying or not sleeping. His only friend, a girl named Rachel, was bullied on the daily. At lunchtime, I heard him quietly chatting with her, and I regularly overheard words like 'war' and 'death'. He was regularly yelled at, and was constantly on the edge of being expelled.

I kept away from him, but a part of my heart still ached everytime I remembered how he saved my life and how I could never return the favour. "Not if you want to get into trouble too" he had said.

The next year, he went missing. His picture was all over the news. Theories exploded in our school, ranging from him being kidnapped by a mafia boss to being a mafia boss himself, and running away from the police. Teachers used him as an example for what would happen if we didn't listen to our parents. Parents who waited to pick their kids up would sneer about his mother and stepfather.

The commotion died after a while, and if Percy ever was found again, there was no official news about it except a few gossiping mouths in the streets of New York.

Me? The head of MIT was so impressed by my robotics skills the day of the workshop that he made sure I got a scholarship. I graduated school with the highest honours. I got admission into this incredible institution, and learned so much. And here I am today, in front of all of you, batch of 20XX, with this degree I have worked hard for by your side for the past few academic years.

So who was Percy Jackson? Was he a terrorist? A juvenile misfit beyond all hope? Was he a mafia boss, a gangster, a criminal? Or was he the gentle-hearted fourteen year old boy who saw me, bruised and bloody on the cement ground all those years ago, and decided to help a poor boy achieve his dreams?

I could never tell you. That's how humans are. We aren't open two dimensional displays of artworks. Within our colours hide layers of character and woven stories of the past. Neither the moms who whispered about him, the teachers who used him as an example, the bullies who were beaten up by him could never see Percy for who he was. But I got a glimpse that day all those years ago.

So as I stand here today at this prestigious graduation ceremony, with the highest honours of my class, I'd like to thank my Mom for supporting me throughout this journey. I love you so much. I'd like to thank all my professors and fellow students.

And, I'd like to thank Percy Jackson. And I'd like to use his example to beg all of you to be kind and do kind. His simple act of kindness helped me achieve my dreams, and I will forever carry that on and help other underprivileged kids like me.

Percy, I hope you're somewhere out there, happy. And single. Because I am. Just for the record.

*********************************************

this is probably my longest fic i've written, and if you've finished reading, thank you so much. thank you for the few people who were excited for this fic, and kept me from deleting it (I swear, I had to rewrite this so many times ugh) as always, constructive criticism is appreciated <3

[toxic-daughter-of-love]

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT???

sigh

Name: Cassidy Mae Nicknames: Cassie, Cass, Dollface, toxic bitch <3 Age: 15 Godly parent: Aphrodite Mortal parent: Unknown Cabin: 10 Best friend: Luke Castellan Boyfriend/girlfriend: Luke Castellan Sexuality: Bi Personality: Toxic, manipulative, narcissistic Siblings: a lot Issues: BPD, Bipolar, Depression, PTSD, Anorexia Faceclaim:

Extra:

Mod: @st4rc3l3st3 Mods note: I DO NOT CONDONE HER ACTIONS!!!! @ me in anything and I'll join your madness <3

[cynthiav06]

Ok, so I am HOWLING with laughter.

So, have you heard? People are comparing Percy and Annabeth to................Odysseus and Penelope.

When I heard this, you don't know how funny it was to me. I almost choked on my spit. LMAOOOOOOOOOOO

Penelope would NEVER hit or insult Odysseus. She doesn't play mind games with him and they communicate properly.

Odysseus and Penelope are not toxic. Percabeth is.

Also, Rick Riordan is LEAGUES worse than Homer. Like, the guy cannot even compare to the ACTUAL GREEK POET.

And people are actually comparing the two.

Percy Jackson IS good at times, but it will NEVER compare to Homer's compositions. Literally never.

TBH that's just my personal opinion.

Also, Homer actually composed many of the Greek epics that we still read today.

I get why people would want to compare them, but there is no comparison, really. It's so fucking funny to me.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on Percabeth compared to Odysseus and Penelope?

That comparison alone has ruined the New Year for me. It's an insult to the Odyssey. Hell, it's an insult to the recently released Ithaca Saga of Epic the Musical.

But seriously, are these things actually being said? Cause that puts Percabeth stans from delusional category to brain dead.

Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey are one of history's most reputed myths of all time. And the primary source of Greek mythology for many people. I am certain Rick himself referred Homer's works for ideas and references. Even Riordan himself would be ashamed to compare his writing to Homer, in even the slightest manner.

Now to Odysseus and Penelope; the greatest couple of all time, truly and undeniably. The orignal eternal love. Even Hera, the goddess of marriage and family, considers Odysseus and Penelope's marriage bed sacred. Which Odysseus carved out of a living tree as a symbol of their undying love and so that it could never be moved.

Odysseus crawled through hell to get to Penelope and Telemachus. He survived and won the 10 year long Trojan war, defeated/ tricked a Cyclops, countless mythical monsters, Circe, Calypso, and even Zeus himself and at last Poseidon. That alone is beyond comprehension. Because Odysseus isn't a demigod or any specially blessed being. No, he is just an ordinary mortal, a genius mortal, one trained by the wisdom goddess but an ordinary mortal all the same. Yes, he is one of a kind genius, but these are literally eldritch creatures compared to him.

Let me put it this way, Odysseus is the OG Batman. He is who all smart fictional human characters aspire to be.

The Odyssey is literally about the all transcending power of human will. Of Odysseus's sheer fucking will to get back home, to his wife and son. That's it. A common desire of a common man, yet so miraculously burning and indomitable in Odysseus's mind that it alone outshines his extraordinary genius.

He quite literally died on his way there. Had to hitch a ride through the Underworld and then some.

Then he had to sacrifice his ENTIRE CREW, HIS FRIENDS, HIS COMRADES to get back to Ithaca. Mind you, Odysseus had the record of getting every single one of his 600 men alive out of Trojan War. The only one to have done so. And he had to lose some to the tragedies and then WILLINGLY SACRIFICE others to get back to Penelope.

I don't think there are words enough to encapsulate Odysseus's dedication.

Now Penelope. The thing is, she is just as bloody impressive. The Queen of Ithaca and a Spartan Princess, she is also one of a kind. Throughout Odysseus's departure and the suitors' invasion , not five, not ten, 108 SUITORS, Penelope held her own, keeping the castle, her son Telemachus and herself secure. All the while, raising Telemachus and running the kingdom on her own as well.

She tricked the suitors into an eternally futile game of trying to lift Odysseus's bow and shoot with it. Tricked them by telling them she was weaving Odysseus's shroud, which, when finished, would signify that she is picking a new husband. Each day, she would weave for all suitors to see, and each night, she would unravel the shroud. All in an attempt to stall. Among the many other ways, she did so. Including STEADFASTLY DENYING EACH AND EVERY SUITOR CONSTANTLY FOR YEARS AS THEY ASKED FOR HER HAND, NEVER ONCE LOSING HOPE OR FAITH IN ODYSSEUS.

When Odysseus returns, disguised as a beggar, she not only immediately recognizes him but subtly helps him in killing the suitors, which then Odysseus and Telemachus proceed to do.

All 108 suitors dead in a night. Add that to 600 men under Odysseus's command. 708 lives murdered and then some all for Odysseus and Penelope to reunite.

And this is me abridging the whole thing. Imagine the struggle, the suffering, the mental and physical trauma. 20 years straight. You can't fathom it.

I don't think I have words enough to state how repulsively disrespectfully wretched this comparison is. I would use an analogy, but it's so horrendous that I don't think there's one that suffices.

I literally have more than half the posts dedicated to dismantling the delusion of percabeth being a perfect ship, so I won't preach to the choir, but I mean Annabeth's fatal flaw is Hubris and Percy's is Personal Loyalty. Go figure.

If that isn't enough, Percy jumped in Tartarus for Annabeth. She fell, but Percy jumped, among the many other ways he has saved her from countless deaths. And Annabeth offers him what in return? It would have been alright if she gave him nothing in return, but somehow, the situation is EVEN WORSE.

Physical and mental demeaning. Toxic and controlling attitude and of course BLAMING HIM FOR GETTING KIDNAPPED AND HAVING HIS MEMORY WIPED BY A GODDESS. WOW, THAT SOUNDS SO SIMILAR TO PENELOPE AND ODYSSEUS.

Not to mention, Penelope accepted her husband, as he was. Even after being so completely changed by his tragic journey that he was quite literally NO LONGER HIMSELF.

And Percy when had to CHOKE AKHYLS WHO WAS DEFINITELY GOING TO KILL HIM AND ANNABETH, WAS KILLING HIM AND ANNABETH, OUT OF SELF DEFENSE AND SHE BLAMES HIM AND FORCES HIM TO PROMISE NOT TO USE HIS POWERS TO DEFEND HIMSELF???

WHAT THE FUCK??? And sure it would have been ignorable had it not had any long term effects. BUT NO PERCY ALMOST KILLS HIMSELF OUT OF KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO ANNABETH.

Call them whatever the hell you want but DON'T EVER COMPARE THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO ODYSSEUS AND PENELOPE.

PERCY DESERVES INFINITELY BETTER THAN ANNABETH. Enough said, really.

[cynthiav06]

Also R.I.P to the version of Percy that was commanding and calm and extremely unfazed when dealing with outside threats, whose aura alone put a magician of Brooklyn House like Carter on edge and who compared Percy's aura to Horus, the literal God of War and the Skies. So much so that he called Percy "a natural born leader" outright.

This more confident leader persona that Percy was supposed to evolve into through the years was most hinted with his short story with Carter Kane and best executed in Son of Neptune after which somehow Rick decided to throw all that down the drain.

Need more solo books of just Percy doing stuff. I have noticed the pattern that most consistent and peak Percy characterization is seen in books like Titan's Curse, Sword of Hades, The Stolen Chariot, Son of Sobek, and obviously Son of Neptune. Coincidentally, these are all books without Annabeth around, so go figure.

I think we can all agree that Rick has a habit of putting Annabeth on a non-existent pedestal and pushing Percy down to shore her up for no absolute reason. It might be hard for Annabeth fans to hear, but it's true.

R.I.P. the version of Percy Jackson, who spoke competently in front of the senate, fairly easily ridiculed Octavian, and managed to sway the romans to his side simply by providing good arguments and being a natural born leader in Son of Neptune, you will always be famous to me

[wilmvandrr]

day 17: f2u base ft THE SEVENN (pjo/hoo)

creds: @ karagultabasco

base below!!

[cynthiav06]

Which is exactly why the only takeaway I or anyone else sane has had from Rick's latter books is that Percy Jackson is the best character he has ever written and will ever write. His writing peaked with Percy and only peaks with Percy[his authentic characterization]. And this is the fact that everyone in the fandom and Rick more than any other despises to the bone and have hence been trying and failing disastrously to bring Percy down.

Cause clearly despite starting so many ridiculous, untrue and downright disgusting takes around Percy's personality, Percy's experience with Nico, or his experience in Tartarus, or his intelligence and so on, he is STILL THE MOST FAN FAVORITE CHARACTER AND WILL REMAIN TO BE SO. Remain angry, people, remain angry.

(And here's a small reminder: Almost all your faves have been saved by Percy enough times for all your anti Percy takes to seem pathetic in comparison.)

I will never get over the fact that rick riordan's favorite way of uplifting other characters is to tear percy jackson down

[cynthiav06]

I cannot believe how this hasn't been addressed in the PJO Fandom yet but does no one notice that the books, Rick himself glosses over or downplays the fact that PERCY FUCKING JACKSON GAVE UP IMMORTALITY!!!

And in reason as to why Percy gave up immortality?

The Percabeth stans are only too happy to make "Oh Percy gave up immortality for Annabeth." The hell he did. Have we read the same books? Are you really demeaning the importance of what Percy did. Cause here's what happened, and here's why it's so important:

PERCY GAVE UP IMMORTALITY SO THAT GODS COULD CLAIM DEMIGOD CHILDREN EARLY SO THAT THEY DO NOT REMAIN DEFENSELESS.

Furthermore, he did it so CHILDREN OF MINOR GODS COULD HAVE A PLACE TO BELONG TO, TO HAVE IDENTITY OF THEIR OWN, SO MINOR GODS THEMSELVES CAN BE PROPERLY ACKNOWLEDGED.

Similarly, he further added that CHILDREN OF HADES SHOULD NOT BE OSTRACIZED, THEY AS WELL AS HADES DESERVE TO BE WELCOME INTO OLYMPUS AND INTO CAMP , DESERVE PROPER RESPECT.

What ticks me off the most is how such an important sacrifice such an important change is never addressed again to the extent it deserves.

Cause this is not a surface level thing. This is going to change and better the lives of all demigods that come after or even demigods who were wrongly forced to remain in Hermes Cabin. A safe, more respectful, more meaningful environment for all demigods no matter who their godly parent is.

Are you telling that children of minor gods don't literally worship Percy for doing all this? Don't wholly completely feel grateful at least that he voiced out for them over his own difficulties? That he made a safe place for them happen?

Are you telling me that Minor Gods themselves don't feel at least a little grateful and respect Percy who did this of his own volition without having even met many Minor Gods. That he voiced out for their own children when they couldn't?

Are you telling me that Travis and Connor or any other demigods and cabin counselors don't automatically rave on about the greatness of Percy Jackson to any new arrivals in Camp Half-Blood?

Cause we were robbed of this of a proper homage to the sacrifice other demigods, Luke himself and Percy himself made to make it happen.

Piper, Leo , and Jason all seem so ignorant to it. Even newer demigods in Chalice of Gods or other books seem ignorant to this, and that's so against the usual canon representation of Camp Half-Blood as a community.

We should have seen it in Lost Hero, should have seen it in Chalice of Gods, should have seen it acknowledge repeatedly. You know why?

Yes, Percy didn't want immortality, but don't you know that deep down Percy knew exactly what immortality meant? Eternal protection from his father in his realm. No Gods bothering him, no more sacrifices or death quests. Freedom to do what he wants. To be able to spend time with his family as long as he wants without the worry of risking their safety. And he gave it all up

NOT EVEN IMMORTALITY. GODS WOULD HAVE GRANTED ANY WISH. HE COULD HAVE WISHED ANYTHING. FOR HIM TO BE PROTECTED? NO MORE QUESTS? FOR GODS TO LEAVE HIM ALONE? HE GAVE IT ALL UP, ALL OF IT.

Perseus bloody Jackson made happen what no one in the History of Camp Half-Blood has ever done. He managed to make Gods change their ignorant ways. He dismantled a culture of neglect and abuse.

And the fact Rick himself let this happen, let all this gloss over, and the fact that Percabeth stans have the AUDACITY to insinuate that he did for Annabeth and demean Luke's sacrifice, Percy's sacrifice is beyond me.

[liesmultixxx]

we don’t talk about this nearly enough- the way percy is so dumbfounded that someone actually likes him for who he is

i’m crying …

like of course annabeth loves you, seaweed brain

now you just need to see that YOU ARE MORE THAN WORTHY OF IT