#pjo bessie

[minty-mythos]

Bull Horns and Webbed Hands (Ch. 2)

Summary: Since Percy became an instructor at camp, he knew first hand how stressful is was to be in charge of the health and safety of over a hundred demigods. Which was why he offered to travel to Olympus in Chiron's place to give the Olympians the monthly camp status report. All he had wanted to do was give Chiron the day off.

He hadn't planned for anything exciting happening. He certainly hadn't planned on accidentally adopting the Ophiotaurus while he was there. As usual, nothing ever goes as planned for Percy Jackson.

(Read on AO3)

~~~

The doors of the throne room swung shut firmly behind Percy, cutting off all sound from within. He was left with only the distant sounds of the city below and the excited sounds Bessie was making.

The throne room’s doors were placed at the tops of a wide step for marble stairs that led down to a wide road paved in gleaming white and gold. The road led to the main part of the main part of the city, where all the shops, parks, and homes for minor godlings and nature spirits were located, but the throne room of the Olympians was isolated, with only buildings near it being the Olympians’ main temples. The temples functioned as the Olympians’ main places of worship on the mountain, as well as their personal living quarters for when they were in Olympus. Each temple was as grand as the last, which always made Percy roll his eyes slightly at the grandeur.

The effect was stunning, if a bit dramatic. The throne room and temples shone like a beacon of light above the rest of the city. They loomed, ever-present, reminding all inhabitants who the rulers of this city truly were. 

Percy had always thought it was a bit overkill, but Bessie was looking around in awe at the gigantic buildings. Percy realized that the kid must not have seen Olympus before, or had only gotten a very brief glimpse of it. The whole time the kid had been on the mountain, he’d been locked away in the throne room. If Percy had been the one in that situation, he knew he’d have gone stir-crazy within the first day. 

His heart panged with sadness for the kid. Hephestus and Poseidon had collaborated to make him a large tank that sat off to the side of the throne room, which was nicely decorated with underwater plants and small structures for the Ophiotuarus to hide in, but It still must have been cramped.

A small part of Percy wanted to take Bessie to see everything Olympus had to offer. There were many lakes, rivers, and streams on the mountain that were beautifully maintained by the nymphs and naiads living in the city. Percy loved to explore them when he had spare time on the mountain, and he would bet Bessie would love them too. The gills on his neck told Percy he would be just as comfortable underwater as he was above, after all.

But Percy would never forgive himself if Bessie was harmed, even accidentally. (Also, the gods had made it clear they expected him to look after and protect Bessie until they called for the two of them to return to the throne room. If anything happened to the boy, he knew he would be blamed for it.) 

The safest place for them to go now would be his father’s main temple. Even if the council decided to destroy Bessie, they would be unable to enter Poseidon’s temple without his permission. (It was a rare day when Percy was actually thankful for the ancient laws. This was one of them.) They’d be safest there.

Thankfully, his dad’s temple wasn’t very far from the throne room. Percy hurried past the looming white marble of Zeus’ and Hera’s grand temples, down to where his father’s was situated, facing Hestia’s across the way. 

The building was just as grand as the king and queen’s, but something about it felt far more welcoming to Percy. From what he’d heard from other demigods, it was normal to feel that sort of draw to your godly parent’s shrines. The buildings were shrouded in an aura of sorts, radiating the god’s energy so strongly it drew their children in, not dissimilar to their respective cabins at camp did.

Poseidon’s temple was made of rough gray and black stone, perpetually wet as if it were sitting on the shoreline and being drenched in the sea’s spray. Colorful coral in greens and golds grew out of the stone, and little fish swam through the air, weaving through the towering pillars that lined the front of the building. 

Bessie was still wiggling- Percy was getting the impression it would be hard to get the boy to ever stop moving- and it only seemed to intensify when he caught sight of the fish’s scales flashing in the sunlight. 

“I wanna see!”

Percy tightened his grip just a little bit more to ensure Bessie couldn't escape his arms. “There’s more fish inside. A whole room with fish in it, it’s awesome.” He grinned at Bessie, because it was awesome. The fact that he was also trying to distract Bessie and avoid the pout that the kid was sending his way was irrelevant. His promises of more and better fish worked, and Bessie was now laser-focused on getting inside the building.

As they started up the steps to the temple, Percy felt his father’s presence. Poseidon’s attention was like an unrelenting wave as it swirled around them. It felt affectionate as it always was when aimed at Percy, but the god was also clearly distracted like he was focusing intently on something else. Most likely the debate no doubt raging inside the throne room. The presence was gone a split second later.

Even without his dad’s direct attention, the feeling of the ocean’s embrace made Percy relax as he stepped over the open threshold to the temple’s interior.

The main public room of the temple was grand, with towering marble pillars, statues of Poseidon and his godly family, and murals depicting his father’s myths. Fountains of both fresh and saltwater spouted from the walls, gathering in small pools set into the floor. 

A ginormous waterfall covered the back wall of the room, appearing from nowhere as if spouting directly from the solid rock ceiling, and disappearing the second it hit the floor. The spray from the water filled the entire temple with a heavy mist of water and the pure scent of ocean brine. 

The entire room was dim, with the only light coming from softly glowing pearls the size of basketballs mounted on the walls, and a large hearth directly in front of the temple’s entrance. 

Any other mortal would’ve barely been able to see in the gloom, but Percy had never had any trouble seeing in the dark. It was a perk of being a child of the sea god. Percy was perfectly adapted to surviving in the depths of the ocean, and since no sunlight reached that far he had no difficulty seeing in the dark. Bessie didn’t seem concerned by the dark either, which also made sense as he had originally been a sea creature too. 

This was where the citizens of the mountain came to worship Poseidon. It was probably the largest of his father’s temples that was still actively used. (Unless there was an even bigger one in Atlantis, which wouldn’t surprise Percy.)

Percy had been here before a few times, during solstice celebrations when demigods were officially welcomed onto the mountain, and then once after the battle of Manhattan. He’d never been here without his dad though, and anyone who’d been in the temple before Poseidon entered always fled before the pair got inside, so Percy had never seen anyone else there.

This time, Percy didn’t have the presence of one of the most powerful gods in the pantheon to scare off the worshippers.

Percy stopped in his tracks momentarily at the sight of a small group of nymphs who were all holding water jugs, with the last of them filing their jug at one of the freshwater fountains. His presence immediately drew the group’s attention. They giggled amongst themselves at the sight of him, gathering closer together to whisper. 

The sound of the waterfall drowned out what they were saying, but it was clear they were talking about him. Percy sighed internally. He was used to drawing attention to Olympus by now. The very first time he’d visited the mountain, people had bowed to him in the streets in thanks for stopping a war. People’s reactions to him hadn’t gotten better after that. 

He’d been hoping the temple would be empty, but wasn't surprised he wasn't that lucky. Thankfully, Percy knew he was allowed to enter his father’s private rooms which were tucked away at the back of the temple. That area was strictly off-limits to everyone except those Poseidon had personally invited. Though Percy had never been there without his father, the god had made it clear Percy would be welcome any time he wished to visit. They’d be able to find some privacy there.

“Hello!” 

Percy twitched at Bessie’s greeting to the nymphs that rang through the temple, not having expected the child to speak. The sound broke the respectful quiet. The nature spirits looked equally shocked, all of them whipping around to stare at him, apparently only now noticing the small child he held in his arms.

There was a moment of silence as the nymphs took in the sight, until one of them set down her water jug and stepped forward to the front of the group.

She looked middle-aged by mortal standards, with smile lines creasing the corners of her eyes. It made her the oldest of the group based on appearance, though that meant very little for nature spirits. Her skin was tinted slightly green, and her moss-green hair was bound up in a delicate silver hairnet. Her long skirts rustled as she offered a bow in his direction.

She looked slightly familiar, and Percy was fairly sure he’d seen her around camp occasionally. What was her name? Otonia? That sounded right.

“Forgive us, our prince,” she said softly, head still bowed. Percy bit his tongue to hold back his objection to the title. He was, unfortunately, used to his father’s subjects calling him a prince after his time spent in Atlantis. He couldn’t get too upset, since they weren’t technically wrong. He was the son of a king, a bastard though he was. 

“We did not know you were coming. We will leave you now.” 

“It’s alright, Otonia, there’s no need for that,” Percy said. Her head shot up and she looked at him with wide eyes. One of the nymphs behind her covered her mouth to muffle a soft involuntary gasp, as if they were shocked he remembered her name.

At least that’s what he hoped. There was always the possibility he’d just confidently called her by the wrong name, but that fear was quickly assuaged, as Otonia relaxed and her wide-eyed look melted into a small smile. She straightened up and moved to pick up the jug she had set on the floor.

“It’s no trouble, my prince, we were just finishing up anyways.”

Percy didn’t protest that, since from what he could see they had nearly finished collecting the purifying water from the wells when he’d entered. The rest of the nymphs followed Otonia’s lead, scooping up their jugs and following her out of the temple. 

Percy stepped out of their way as they drew near, and they inclined their heads respectfully as they passed. Bessie waved at them, still safely tucked into Percy’s arms, eliciting several coos of delight as the nymphs waved back. Soon they were out the door, leaving Percy and Bessie alone in the temple.

There was a moment of silence before the nymphs incorrectly decided they were far enough away to be out of Percy’s hearing range and broke out into excited chatter. 

“Did you see-”

“-cute little thing-”

“He knew your name-!”

Then a single voice rose above the rest of them in an excited squeal. “Our lord has a new godling?” 

That… wasn’t at all what was happening, but in retrospect, it was an understandable conclusion to draw if you didn’t know what was going on. 

Honestly, if Percy hadn't been there when Bessie had first shifted, he might’ve also thought his father had sired another demigod. The confusion was understandable; Bessie looked a lot like Percy, which meant he looked a lot like Poseidon, and as a sea creature, his magic would also feel more similar to Poseidon's than any other god. And though it was rare, it wasn’t unheard of for demigods to have nonhuman traits, so Bessie's horns wouldn’t have raised any questions. (Nico was one such example, with his black ram horns. The Stoll brothers were another, with small white feathered wings that fluttered at their ankles.)

“But they look so much like Perseus! Are we sure the child isn’t his?”

There was a pause as the other nymphs considered this before he heard Otonia speak. Her tone wasn’t exactly sharp, but it was reproachful. “No, of course not, we would have heard about it before if the little prince had sired a child. This isn’t the place for this discussion, anyway.” The group erupted into more giggles which faded as they moved further away from the temple, until they were too far away to hear. 

Percy heaved a sigh. 

This was just great. Even more confirmation that even though it had been years since the wars, his life was still a hot topic of gossip on Olympus. He wondered how quickly news of this would sweep through the mountain and beyond. 

“Where’s the fish?” Bessie’s curious inquiry split the quiet of the temple. Percy forcefully pushed the thought of the gossiping nymphs from his mind, and walked toward the waterfall in the back of the temple.

“Just over here.” Percy offered him a grin, nodding in the direction of the waterfall. Bessie gave the wall of water a suspicious look, clearly dubious when met with the sight of no fish.

Percy stepped right up to the falling water, unbothered by the saltwater spray. He reached his hand through the water, pressing it firmly against the stone wall hidden behind it. As soon as his hand touched the stone, his father’s presence returned. It was slightly more forceful than before, carrying a warning for those who shouldn’t be meddling where they weren’t welcome. Bessie whimpered slightly, pressing tighter against Percy’s chest. He could clearly feel the sea gods’ displeasure as well. 

But as soon as Poseidon’s attention brushed over Percy and Bessie, recognition sparked, and the feeling gentled once again. Up at the top of the waterfall, the flow of water split. The gap in the water opened further, slowly revealing a pair of large double doors set into the dark stone of the back wall. Apparently distracted from his fear, Bessie let out a small awed noise, reaching out to touch the shifting water. 

The hidden doors were god-sized, easily thirty feet tall. They were too large for any mortal to open, and Percy knew he wouldn’t be able to move them, no matter how hard he shoved them. 

Thankfully, he didn’t need to open them. The doors swing open under his touch as easily as he would open any normal door.

“Thanks, Dad,” he murmured as he entered the god’s private rooms. There was a sensation like his hair was being ruffled by an invisible hand as Percy stepped through the doors. They swung shut behind him and then his father’s presence was gone once more. 

The area they had entered was the most public-facing of Poseidon’s living quarters. It was a family room, so to speak, where Poseidon could entertain any guests he chose to allow entrance. There were several doorways leading off into separate rooms on each wall, some of which Percy knew led to the private chambers for Poseidon and his wife, and some of which led to guest rooms. 

Percy himself had spent the night after the battle of Manhattan in one of them. After the mess with Rachel becoming the oracle had been sorted out, his father had rather forcefully insisted that Percy spend the night where Poseidon could keep an eye on him. Percy hadn’t complained, still being too exhausted from his fight against Luke and Kronos to protest too much at the time. In the end, he was glad he hadn’t refused, as the night spent sleeping in his father’s temple had ended up being one of the most peaceful nights of rest he’d ever had in his life. The knowledge that his father was looking over him had been a new feeling, but it had led to him getting a deeper sleep than he could have managed anywhere else that night.

Now though, Percy didn’t head toward any of those doorways. Instead, he headed towards the main focal point of the room, a large pool set into the floor of the room. It was probably larger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool and took up most of the floor space. 

There was also a small seating area with lounges and chairs off to the side in case Poseidon needed to entertain anyone who wasn’t comfortable with being underwater, but it was clearly an afterthought. Percy knew from experience that the most comfortable seating area was in the pool.

Bessie pointed at the water, giving him a curious look. “Fish?”

“Yeah, buddy.” Percy grinned. “Fish!”

With confident strides, Percy walked straight over the surface of the pool. Once he was a few feet away from the ledge, he let himself drop down, submerging both of them in an instant. 

Immediately, Percy’s senses expanded. He could feel every inch of the pool and every minute temperature change and tiny current that ran through it. 

Because there were currents, even though there were no jets or anything that should have been needed to form a current in a stagnant pool like this, the water felt fresh and alive. It swirled around him as his senses reached out to meet it. 

The pool was deep. So deep that they sank for a good minute before they finally stopped, touching down on the soft sand lining the bottom of the pool. It was even darker here, all ambient light from the upper room depleted before it could reach them. The only hint of light came from a nearby jellyfish, which was the size of a small horse and glowed a soft pink. The glow wasn’t even enough to light up the group a few feet below it, but still, neither of them had any difficulty seeing.

If Percy didn’t know any better, he would have thought he’d been transported to the sea floor. It looked like they were truly at the bottom of the ocean, with soft sand beneath their feet and rocky outcroppings popping up irregularly. Corals of all shades and shapes surrounded them, forming a beautiful riot of colors. A shoal of fish swam by, and a few crabs scuttled away from where they had landed, surprised by their sudden appearance. 

Most of the animals ignored them, but a few came up to greet Percy, bumping into him happily.

Little snippets of their thoughts entered his mind. Fish as small as these didn’t have the same level of sentience as hippocampi, whales, dolphins, or other large animals did, so Percy couldn’t pick up any complete thoughts, but they still filled his mind with a small chorus of “little-lord-hello-prince-hello-hello!” 

Bessie made a soft mooing noise in excitement- which tugged on Percy’s heartstrings way too effectively in his opinion, who gave him the right to sound so cute- and wiggled out of Percy's arms. Percy finally let the boy go, knowing he wouldn't come to any harm or get lost here. 

Then, there came an unexpected flash of light, and Bessie was no more. Or rather, Bessie the human was no more, and in his place now swam a bull calf with a serpent's tail instead of hindlimbs.

Percy’s immediate reaction was panic. Was Bessie going to turn back into animal form every time he was in the water? Was he only able to stay human for a short amount of time? Had this been a one-off fluke, and Bessie was now forever going to be stuck in his creature form, unable to turn back again?

Percy’s noise of panic must have alerted Bessie something was wrong, because the small creature swam back around to his side, nudging against his shoulder with a soft black nose.

 Percy sighed shakily, trying his best to push away his panic and all the horrible scenarios that had flooded his mind. Bessie didn’t seem in distress, so Percy tried to reel in his emotions before he scared the boy. Creature. Whatever Bessie was. 

“Bessie-” his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Bessie, can you turn back into a human?”

Bessie mooed, then in another golden flash, there was a human boy floating next to him, big brown eyes looking at him curiously from a thankfully human face. 

“Why?” the boy asked, not noticing Percy’s relieved slump. 

“Nothing!“ Percy said, trying his best to ignore the fading anxiety the scare had given him. ”It just startled me, that's all. Why did you change back?”

Bessie looked at Percy and cocked his head slightly with furrowed brows. 

“It’s easier to swim with a tail.” Bessie finally answered, with an exasperated inflection, as if to ask ‘Are you stupid?’ It was a scarily familiar tone of voice, one Percy himself made semi-regularly.

Internally, Percy wasn’t sure if he should be proud that Bessie was mastering such sass so early, or feel a dawning horror at the fact that he was now in charge of a boy who seemed to mirror him in so many ways. He knew he wasn’t easy to deal with as a child for several reasons, not least because he was so sarcastic and blunt. He knew he was still a pain for anyone who claimed to hold authority over him, as he wasn’t afraid to point out when they were acting like idiots. (At this point in his life most of the people who claimed to hold any authority over him were mainly gods, but…)

“Oh.” Well, it made sense, Percy supposed. There was a reason the Merpeople of his father’s kingdom had tails instead of legs. “Is it difficult to hold on to your human shape at all?”

“Not really,” Bessie answered, but then paused and sheepishly admitted, “Maybe it does make me a little tired.” 

”Alright, thank you for letting me know.” Percy said, which made Bessie perk up and beam at the praise. 

“One more question, then you can go back to the fish, okay?” Bessie nodded seriously.

“Your human form, did you choose what you looked like, or was that… automatic? Because it looks a lot like me.” Percy blushed a bit at having finally asked the question that had been lurking quietly in the back of his mind since he’d first seen Bessie.

Bessie shrank back a little and started to play shyly with one of his curls, which were floating freely in the water. 

“I’m not upset by it,” Percy assured him. “I’m just curious.”

“It’s mostly just what I looked like,” Bessie mumbled, not making eye contact. Percy raised an eyebrow at him, and Bessie continued after a pause, clearly reluctant. “But… I knew I already looked a lot like you. And I like you!” That part was said eagerly, as if to reassure him. “So… I decided to change it. Just a little bit so I would look even more like you.” 

He was mumbling so quietly by the time he finished that Percy could only barely make out what he was saying. His small voice melted Percy’s heart even further, and he really wasn’t sure what to do with all the new emotions that were swirling through him.

After a moment, Bessie peeked out from behind his bangs to check Percy’s reaction to what he had just said. Percy, who could barely contain the swell of affection at the sight of Bessie’s shy expression, ruffled the boy’s curly hair until it was floating unruly in the water. 

“Alright, kid, you can go back to playing with the fish now.“ he smiled as Bessie perked up, clearly forgetting his momentary shyness, and rushed off towards the nearby shoal of fish, which scattered at his approach.

Percy nodded wordlessly, letting Bessie swim off. As Percy half expected, there was another flash of light, and Bessie was once again back in his calf form.

The Ophiotaurus did a twirl in the water, flipping around as if to regain familiarity with his fins and hooves, before shooting off to explore.

Percy followed Bessie around the pool dutifully for at least an hour, watching as the boy explored every corner and crevasse, and examined every creature. He seemed to have a fondness for the giant bioluminescent jellyfish and kept herding the creatures over towards Percy as if to allow him to enjoy the glow too. It brought a smile to Percy’s face every time the calf did it, and he half suspected that was why Bessie kept doing it. 

Eventually, the pair of them ended up in the center of the pool, where the main sitting area was. The chairs were a bit different from the ones on the surface, being made in common Atlantian styles. Bessie ended up landing on a large fluffy white sphere that slightly deflated under his weight, which honestly reminded Percy of mortal bean bag chairs. There was another flash of light, and Bessie reappeared as a human boy, lying face down in the puff.

Percy heard a yawn as the kid relaxed even further into puff before he stopped moving. He was clearly still awake, but his breathing was already starting to slow. Percy remembered what Bessie had said about holding his human form making him feel tired, and also that this was, for all intents and purposes, a four-year-old, and four-year-olds need naps.

The puff was large enough for a god to sit comfortably, so there was more than enough room for the human-sized Percy to lay down next to the kid with room in between them. Bessie looked up when he felt the movement of the puff. 

“Tired?” Percy asked, suppressing a grin.

Bessie only blinked slowly at him, before wordlessly rolling over, ending up pressed against Percy’s side. Percy tucked Bessie closer to him on instinct, taking up a position all too familiar thanks to Estelle’s habit of making him her favorite napping spot every time he visited his mom’s apartment. The only difference he found was that Bessie was a good deal smaller than Estelle was now, and he had to be careful that Bessie’s horns didn't knock him in the chin for all that they were still small nubs.

Percy ran his hands through Bessie’s wild curl, eventually starting to mindlessly braid it back into a crown style to keep the curls from floating into his face thanks to the underwater currents. 

It only took a few more minutes of snuggling before Bessie dropped off to sleep. Percy, a little tired from the day's events and not daring to move less he disturb Bessie, inevitably followed him into Hypnos’ realm. 

[everythingwasalreadypicked]

TTC au where Dr. Thorn grabs Percy instead and Annabeth is the one who meets Rachel on the Hoover Dam

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

"Well," Zeus grumbled. "Perhaps. But the monster at least must be destroyed. We have agreement on that?" A lot of nodding heads. It took me a second to realize what they were saying. Then my heart turned to lead. "Bessie? You want to destroy Bessie?" "Mooooooo!" Bessie protested. My father frowned. "You have named the Ophiotaurus Bessie?" "Dad," I said, "he's just a sea creature. A really nice sea creature. You can't destroy him." Poseidon shifted uncomfortably. "Percy, the monster's power is considerable. If the Titans were to steal it, or—"

I actually love this part of TTC like

Poseidon: yes, it's a shame about harming a sea creature, but the Ophiotaurus is dangerous and—

Percy, turning the full force of his puppy eyes on him: DAD HELP!

Poseidon: oh fuck no I'm gonna look like an idiot in front of the whole counc— alright, dad help.

[littleguyzdaily]

little guy number 29: bessie w stawberry colourz

[saintiina]

First time drawing fanart of him 😭

I Freaking love Bessie ❤️

[badwolfarcadiabay]

NEXT EPISODE!!!

I want so badly to see the dam scene on screen

[glitteratti]

fuck everything else from pjo i need season three so i can see BESSIE

[minty-mythos]

Bull Horns and Webbed Hands (Ch. 1)

Summary: Since Percy became an instructor at camp, he knew first hand how stressful it was to be in charge of the health and safety of over a hundred demigods. Which was why he offered to travel to Olympus in Chiron's place to give the Olympians the monthly camp status report. All he had wanted to do was give Chiron the day off. He hadn't planned for anything exciting happening. He certainly hadn't planned on accidentally adopting the Ophiotaurus while he was there. As usual, nothing ever goes as planned for Percy Jackson.

A/N: My first Percy Jackson fanfiction! AKA I think Bessie is an absolutely adorable, totally underutilized character (His AO3 tag only has 16 fics as of me posting this, which is criminal)

(Read on AO3)

~~~

The monthly status report on Camp Half Blood had been going well. Chiron had coached Percy on how the report usually went, and he was well acquainted with the finer details of how the camp was run nowadays. He’d always been highly involved in the happenings at camp, and since he had become a permanent instructor several years ago, he’d become even more knowledgeable. 

A few members of the Olympian council might have been pressing him harder and asking more questions about camp than they usually would have asked Chiron, but he hadn’t faltered under their scrutiny. He knew it was a test to see if he was really capable, and unlike the other times the gods had tested him, Percy didn’t mind too much.

He’d also managed to keep all of his sharper comments to himself, which was impressive for him. His relationship with most of the gods had gotten a lot more civil over the years, even to the point of friendliness in many cases, but there were still a few he would fight if given half the chance. 

He'd nearly finished his report when he was interrupted by the sound of a strange squeal and the sound of wet feet slapping loudly against bare marble approaching him quickly. The unexpected noise made Percy, who was already on edge after being grilled by the council for the past hour, instinctively tense up and reach for Riptide.

Logically, he knew that he couldn’t be in any true danger. He was standing in the throne room of the gods. No monster could possibly make their way all the way through Olympus without being spotted and killed on sight. 

Even if one had somehow managed to sneak through the city, the gods wouldn’t allow it to kill Percy. Having a hero of Olympus attacked and killed in their own throne room by a lowly monster would be very embarrassing. 

So Percy knew it probably wasn't a monster running at him, but he hadn't gotten this far in life as a demigod by not taking potential threats seriously. 

He spun around with Riptide already in his grasp. Despite his fast reflexes, he didn’t have time to uncap his sword before a figure no taller than his waist barreled into his legs and clung to him with a tiny cry of “Percy!” 

The familiar feeling made him drop his sword and immediately switch from ‘potential threat running toward me’ mode to ‘small child hugging me’ mode. He was more than used to being clung to by young children, thanks to Estelle and the younger kids at camp.

After a second to collect himself and relax his tensed muscles, Percy ran his hands through the kid’s thick hair, gently coaxing them to release him and take a step backward so he could get a good look at them and maybe get a clue as to why on earth they were in the throne room.

The kid was probably five years old, maybe a little younger given how small they were. They wore a white tunic that was cinched around the waist with a golden rope, and no shoes. The tunic was completely soaked with water. In fact, the entire kid was strangely wet. Their skin was a shade or two darker than Percy’s own, and their long black hair tumbled down their back in gorgeous curls. The bangs curling on either side of the kid’s face were pure white, a shock against their dark complexion. 

Percy was confused and slightly disturbed by how similar the kid looked to himself. He’d seen the baby pictures his mother had of him, and this kid could have been his twin, if Percy had grown out his hair and been forced to take the weight of the sky at the ripe age of four. A thought grew in the back of his mind that if he ever had children, they might look similar to this child. Percy did his best to ignore the thought, even though it filled him with warmth. 

The only differences were the fact that this kid was clearly not human, and their eyes. 

Percy also wasn’t human, but you would be hard-pressed to tell from simply looking at him. By contrast, this kid reminded him more of young satyr kids than human children. Two curved cream-colored bull horns poked out of the child’s curls. They were just barely visible, but already sharp and dangerous. 

Their fingers ended in hard nails, too blunt to be claws but too hard to be normal. Their hands were webbed, and Percy could see slits that were clearly gills on the sides of the kid’s neck. He would bet anything that if he were to take off the kid’s tunic, he would find matching slits on the sides of their torso. Their feet were covered in iridescent black scales that trailed up their calves and disappeared before they reached their knees. 

And then there were the eyes. Staring up at him from a sweet face were two beautiful chocolate brown eyes that made Percy want to melt into a puddle. Their pupils were horizontal, which Percy was so used to after years of looking at satyrs that he almost didn’t notice. 

But those eyes were familiar. He’d seen them, not thirty minutes earlier, in fact, when he’d stopped to say hello to Bessie before the gods officially convened for council.

Percy gasped in realization. 

“Bessie?” The whispered word echoed through the utterly silent throne room.

He felt stupid for even suggesting it, but a quick glance at Bessie’s aquarium showed no sign of the creature, there was a trail of water leading from the tanks to where the child was standing, and the eyes that stared up at him from the child’s face were hauntingly familiar. 

The little boy nodded vigorously at him, seemingly incredibly pleased that Percy recognized him. He raised his arms in the universal demand to be picked up, and Percy complied entirely on autopilot, picking the kid up from under his arms and hoisting him up onto his hip.

A long moment of silence stretched on as everyone in the room processed what was happening. “Ah,” Percy said, lacking anything better to say, “I… did not know you could shapeshift.” 

“I didn’t either!” The boy wiggled with excitement. “I’ve never gotten this big before, so I never had the chance to try!”

That thought smothered any happy feelings fluttering in Percy’s chest as he clutched the child tighter. 

Right. Bessie had never had that chance to grow up before, because every time he’d been reborn, the gods had hunted him down and slaughtered him before he could be sacrificed in a bid to overthrow them. 

Percy was suddenly hit with the memory of the first time he’d met Bessie, and how the Ophiotaurus had flinched away from Riptide. He’d been so panicked he’d gotten himself even more tangled in the fishing net he’d been caught in. The thought of any child being so afraid of weapons even when they weren’t being brandished threateningly made Percy burn with anger at the gods. 

Anger at the gods wasn’t a foreign feeling for Percy, but not something he could indulge in right now. He was standing in front of the Olympian council, holding a child who needed his protection. He couldn’t afford to get angry, not when it was more than his own safety at stake. 

The gods had nearly killed Bessie only a few years before. The fact that Bessie could now shapeshift into a human was a strange new development. He was clearly no longer a mindless beast, if he ever was to begin with, and he could act independently. It was something no one had expected and it was entirely possible it would make the gods reconsider their decision to not kill him.

Percy wouldn’t let them do that. He’d fought against the idea years ago, and he would fight even harder now. This wasn’t a random sea creature anymore. This was a child. A clearly sentient child. If the gods dared to debate on whether or not to kill him in front of Percy, he was going to do something drastic.

The thought of the gods made Percy realize that none of them had said a single word since Bessie had appeared. He looked up toward the thrones, not sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t what he found.

The gods, every single one of them, looked frozen in varying degrees of shock. Apollo’s mouth was hanging open in a rather ungraceful manner, his sunglasses falling down his nose to expose eyes wide in surprise. Artemis’ expression mirrored the sun god’s with such precision it forcibly reminded Percy that the two of them were indeed twins, despite their differing personalities. Athena had gone completely still on her throne and the only sign she was alive was her wide-eyed gaze tracking Bessie’s every move.

Poseidon was no exception to the shock, staring openly at Percy and Bessie as if they’d both grown second heads. Although Percy supposed Bessie had technically just grown a human head, so that wasn’t totally out of line. 

Which, hold on-

“Do you like the name Bessie?” Percy asked, just to make sure. He’d given the name to the little mer-cow before he’d known the creature was sentient- or that he would eventually shapeshift to have a human-ish form, holy shit- and it was a girl’s name. Not that it being a girl’s name mattered, not really, but he’d rather ask.

Bessie blinked up at him innocently, eyes impossibly wide. “Why wouldn't I like it? It’s my name!” 

“Fair enough,” Percy muttered, once more very distracted by the strange feelings welling up inside of himself as he stared into Bessie’s wide brown eyes. Protectiveness, possessiveness, love. 

The feelings themselves weren’t all that strange. He’d felt similar things for the children at camp, and his friends and family. Percy had always loved quickly and possessively. Once he decided someone was his- his friends, his family- he would defend that person to the death, do anything for them. He suspected that was something he got from his father, who was known to be possessive and overwhelming in his love.

The emotions hadn’t come from nowhere- he’d always been fond of the Ophiotaurus, but the sight of Bessie in his arms made them swell in intensity. The only time it had come close to the intensity he felt now was when he’d met Estelle for the first time. 

‘Is this what it feels like to be a father?’ Percy wondered hysterically. Oh gods, did this mean he was effectively Bessie’s parent now? (The kid definitely looked enough like him to be his kid. Which was baffling… Why did Bessie look so much like Percy?) 

The Ophiotaurus was supposed to be one of a kind, so Percy doubted there was a mama mer-cow anywhere out there. Certainly, none of the gods would have any sort of parental claim on the child after all they’d done to him. And Percy had been who the Ophiotaurus had sought out initially, back on the quest to rescue Artemis. He’d also responded to Thalia, but it had been Percy he’d followed in the end. He had even listened when Percy had told him to return to the Long Island Sound with Grover. 

And now, the first time he’d gained a human form, he’d run straight to Percy. 

Fuck, was Percy a dad now? He wasn’t prepared to be a dad! He was a college dropout who worked a dangerous job as a sword instructor at a camp for demigods, and he still- for all intent and purposes- lived in one of his dad’s houses since he still slept in Cabin 3. 

Recently, Percy had realized he wasn’t willing to bring children into this world when they would be in constant danger from monsters. Even if he raised his children in New Rome they’d be required to join the Legion, which would put them in danger anyway. If he adopted a mortal child, they would still be endangered from the monsters that came after him, and they wouldn’t be able to protect themselves with the mist veiling the truth from their eyes. He’d always wanted to have kids, but if he’d been forced to conclude he wouldn’t be able to have any in good conscience. He’d consoled himself with being able to look after the younger kids at camp and soiling Estelle rotten, even if it wasn’t the same.

But now, here was a child who was clearly already attached to Percy and had no one else to care for them. A child who would already be targeted by monsters, regardless of what Percy did. A child who needed him. 

Fuck, was he seriously considering adopting the Ophiotaurus? Annabeth was going to be so disappointed that he’d adopted a child with no prior planning…. But if Percy was going to adopt a child, this seemed like the most likely way he’d go about it. He’d never been one for planning ahead.

Percy didn't realize he’d been staring Bessie directly in the eyes until the child broke eye contact and started to kick, pointing down at the ground insistently. “Put me down now!”

“Put me down now, please,” Percy corrected him absently, the response automatic.

Bessie dutifully echoed him, and Percy let him down. The child took off running immediately, and Percy nearly started after him, before stopping. It wasn’t like he could get lost anywhere in the throne room, and Percy was a little curious about where the kid was heading. 

Bessie made a b-line towards the hearth, which made everyone in the room startle, including Percy. Everyone knew what the consequences of Bessie burning were. 

Thankfully, Bessie slowed down well before he got to the edge of the hearth. He approached the edge slowly but clearly filled with curiosity. The child crouched at the edge of the hearth, which was burning low today, but still warm and welcoming.

Percy suddenly realized that Bessie had spent most of his short life on Olympus, trapped in the tank Poseidon and Hephaestus had built for him. It wasn’t a bad environment; Poseidon wouldn’t have stood for a sea creature getting a less than adequate enclosure.

But that was just it. It was an enclosure meant for an animal, not a child. Percy couldn’t comprehend how Bessie must be feeling right now. Overwhelmed, most likely, but still insatiably curious about everything he’d been able to see but never explore over the years. 

Bessie reached out a small clawed hand- gods, he was so small- and pressed his hand to the bricks that made up the side of the hearth.

In a flash that made Percy instinctually cover his eyes to shield himself from the sigh of a god appearing, Hestia was sitting at the hearthside, not far from Bessie. The child made a sound of surprise that sounded suspiciously like a moo, shying away from the newly appeared goddess.

Percy hadn’t expected to see Hestia today. He’d known she’d been in the throne room for the entire meeting, but she hadn’t taken on a physical form. From what Percy had seen over the years, this was typical for the goddess. Hestia seemed content with her decision to give up her seat on the council to Dionysus. She stayed out of the meetings and didn't interfere unless there was a great need for her to intervene. 

But she was here now, looking like a young girl like she typically did. Hestia smiled at Bessie. When that caused Bessie to shy away even more, her smile flattered slightly, and she turned her attention toward Percy, who had been watching the interaction like a hawk. They locked eyes, and Hestia’s smile returned with full force. Percy thought Hestia looked incredibly pleased and a little bit smug as she drew her long veil closer around her.

There was no time to contemplate what the goddess might be thinking, as Bessie seemed to have enough of having the goddess so close to him. He slowly inched away until he had put some distance between them, then turned and ran away.

Straight toward Poseidon. 

The rest of the gods seemed to have gotten over their collective shock, but that didn’t stop Poseidon from twitching as Bessie ran as fast as his little legs could carry him toward the sea god. 

Only Percy’s trust in Poseidon allowed him to let Bessie continue doing whatever he was doing. 

That newly blossomed and fragile trust in his father was something born from several trips to Atlantis which allowed him to spend more time with Poseidon than ever before. Actually being able to sit down and talk about the events of the two wars had cleared a lot of the tension between the two of them. 

Percy had learned exactly how much Poseidon cared for him. The god had even declared Percy a prince of Atlantis, further proving to the demigod that his father was serious about the fact that he wasn’t going to drop Percy as soon as he was no longer useful in fulfilling a great prophecy or two.

It was Percy’s trust in the position he held in his father’s heart that allowed him to hold back from calling for Bessie to return to his side. He wouldn’t come to any harm by Poseidon’s hand, at least.

Bessie continued straight on, ignoring Poseidon and ducking around his legs to get to the throne, giggling with quiet awe-filled joy as he carefully inspected the barnacles and sea stars that encrusted the legs of sea god’s throne. 

Thankfully, he didn’t try to touch it. Percy might have been able to sit on his father’s throne, but he doubted Bessie would be able to handle that sort of raw power coursing through him, and that was if Poseidon didn’t kill him for daring to touch in the first place.

‘I would die for you,’ Percy thought suddenly as he watched the kid crouch to examine a colorful piece of coral. The intensity of his thoughts startled him, but he didn’t find himself wanting to take them back. ‘‘I would kill for you. I’d fight the gods themselves if I had to,’ he thought very intently in Bessie’s direction, as if it would allow the boy to read his mind.

His dad made a strange, strangled coughing noise, and at least half of the council shifted uncomfortably. Percy was once again reminded of his audience, and of the fact that gods could read minds. He winced- he really didn’t need to give the council any more reasons to want him dead.

Thankfully though, none of them looked particularly murderous at the moment. 

Hera was staring in Poseidon’s direction, but didn’t seem too upset. Demeter‘s eyes were closed as if she were trying to block out the world, and she looked incredibly… Long-suffering was probably the best way to describe it. Hades had looked even worse, his head in his hands as if nursing a blossoming headache.

A gleeful look had overtaken Ares’ face, which made Percy incredibly wary. He would have to keep an eye on the war god. If Ares thought he could use Bessie to get to Percy, he was sorely mistaken. Thankfully, Aphrodite had turned to glare her lover down. He looked cowed, at least for now.

The gods’ reactions made Percy feel strangely nervous. He’d never cared very much about their opinions of him before, since several of the gods in this room had been trying to kill him since before he even knew they existed, but this was different. 

“Bessie,” he called quietly. “Come back over here, please.” Bessie obeyed, running back over to him and demanding to be held again. Percy obeyed. The child was a strange mix of hyper and clingy, flipping easily between clearly wanting to run around and see everything, and wanting to be held at all times.

“I wasn’t done looking!” Bessie complained when he was in Percy’s arms, but didn't seem too upset.

Hera finished glaring at Poseidon and cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “I believe,” she said, sounding like she was forcing herself to not scream, “That perhaps Perseus should take the child out of the room so we may discuss this new… development.” 

That sounded like an excellent idea to Percy, especially since Bessie had flinched and cowered into his chest at the sound of the goddess’ voice. But of course no one asked him what he thought.

“I will not allow the boy to take the creature away,” Zeus rumbled in response.

“Bessie is clearly not a creature anymore,” Percy protested, only to be largely ignored. 

“It would be unwise,” Athena agreed. 

“Don’t be obtuse, husband,” Hera snapped at Zeus. “They won’t be allowed to leave the mountain. We must discuss this, and having the child in the room would be unwise.” 

This last part was said derisively in Athena’s direction. Hera didn’t say having Percy in the room would also be unwise, but everyone could hear the implication, even Percy himself. A moment before he’d been all for leaving the room as soon as possible, but this made him hesitant to leave. If they were deciding Bessie’s fate then Percy wanted to be there to speak in the kid’s defense like he had the first time. 

On the other hand, Percy knew what it was like to hear the gods debate whether or not you should die, and the last thing he wanted to do was subject Bessie to that.

His conflict must have been obvious on his face. 

“Go,” his father’s voice echoed in his head. Percy met his father’s eyes and saw understanding there. “Take the child away from here. I will do my best to protect him.” 

Percy wanted to protest that that wasn’t good enough, but before he could, his father’s voice came again. 

“Percy,” His father sounded amused, even in his head. “I was able to prevent his destruction before, was I not? He is yours, so therefore he is mine. I will not allow harm to come to him if it distresses you so. Trust me, my son.”

An ancient, possessive part of Percy wanted to preen at his father acknowledging Bessie as his, but he refrained. He didn’t know what was going to happen in the next few hours, let alone the coming days and months. He shouldn’t be getting attached to the child so fast. The longing that had hit him so swiftly should’ve been alarming, but for some reason Percy couldn’t bring himself to care.

Maybe it was the fact that Bessie looked so much like Percy. Maybe it was the fact that Percy could recognize himself in Bessie, as a child who the gods had tried to kill before, and was still in active danger of being killed now.

Whatever it was, Percy couldn’t shake the feeling of possessiveness that had come over him, and he didn’t want to. Bessie was his.

He gave an awkward bow, hindered by the squirming child in his arms, and then turned to leave the room as quickly as he could. As he had half expected he would be, he was stopped by Athena objecting once more.

“I agree that the Ophiotaurus would not be in any danger from the boy, but there are plenty of others who would be tempted, even on Olympus.” She was leaning forward in her throne, eyes still trained unnervingly onto where Bessie was nestled in Percy’s arms. She looked too much like an owl who had locked onto their prey and was trying to figure out the best way to go in for the kill.

Hera waved a hand dismissively. “Perseus has proven to be more than capable of holding his own in a fight.” 

Even against a god, went unspoken. Ares’ expression soured, and Hades, who had finally lifted his face from his hands, just looked exhausted. Neither of them reacted any more than that, though. 

Athena sat back in her throne, seeming to concede the point. Percy felt himself relax slightly now that he was no longer pinned under her gaze. Zeus also seemed to have bent to his wife’s will, as he said nothing more. “Go,” his father urged him mentally once again, and this time Percy listened immediately, leaving before any of the other gods could come up with another reason to protest.

[stuffnthangsss]

Gravity Falls x Percy Jackson: GF Characters as Demigods (Pines)

So I was watching the love god episode and then started thinking about gravity falls characters as demigods in the Percy Jackson universe (obsession with Epic the Musical came back, so PJO obsession tangentially as well). But this is what I was thinking! Might do art of this, idk yet.

Mabel as an Apollo kid!! Her artsy-ness and sunshine disposition sold it for me. So many crafts and making the stan wax statue! A sweater that *lights* up? I mean, cmon.

Her love of music and dance!

Also, Apollo deals with archery and I think her grappling hook skills could carry over to that? Like once she gets to Camp Half-Blood?

The other possibility for Mabel I thought of was a kid of Aphrodite bc of her love for love. Also, I think Mabel can be persuasive with her words (like Stan ig) so I can see charm speak for her.

EDIT: Apollo is also the god of plagues and this point is a stretch but it’s kinda a connection to Mabel accidentally causing weirdmaggedeon?

Oh Quora also says Apollo was a caretaker of cattle and sheep which reminds me of that short where Mabel helps the 8 legged cow escape!! Omg. Tell me she wouldn’t get along extremely well with Bessie the ophiotaurus from PJO.

Then, I thought of Stan and at first I was like, he could be a centaur like Chiron?? BUT then I thought of the angsty idea of him being a Hermes kid!

Stan being kind of crook and thus a child of the god of THIEVES/TRADE/WEALTH/MERCHANTS/TRICKERY/mischief/cunning?? It works.

Hermes also being a “protector” and one of Stan’s biggest character traits is being a natural protector.

Tumblr doesn’t let me post more than 10 photos smh so this’ll be split into 3 parts!!

Click here for Pt. 2, Pt. 3 (More on Stan + Ford, then Dip!), Pt. 4 (Soos, Wendy, Robbie, Pacifica), Pt. 5 (Fiddleford & Lil Gideon).

Pls, PLS share ur thoughts <33.

[tutianne]

just a reminder that if pjo gets all five books adapted we might get… (pt 2)

percy becoming a gerbil

circe’s island

princess andromeda

the hydra

annabeth and percy dancing

the gray streak

grover in a lamborghini

annie’s family

bessie the cow

percy talking to aphrodite and seeing annabeth’s face

percabeth hugging (bc of annie’s quest)

percy winning rock paper scissors against briares

ghost king nico

tyson and his army

annabeth flying a helicopter

may castellan :(

“the world was collapsing and the only thing that mattered to me was that she was alive”

solangelo.

“family luke, you promised”

percy rejecting immorality

[theficdealer]

“In a world where the unthinkable happened the Seven are desperate. Everyone and everything they love and know is gone, wiped away by Gaia and Her minions. They have watched their parents and friends fall and were unable to stop the end. So it is with desperation and half a plan that they decide to change things. To go back, all the way to the beginning, and try again. What will change with their knowledge and skills? Who will they save, who will they lose? What, if anything, can they do? There's only one way to find out.”

—Summary of The Lingering Thought (part one of Ichor in Their Veins) by Bekbek on ao3

Time travel fix-it fic which embraces feral, op percabeth and codependent Seven+Nico. Possibly the best pjo time travel fic I’ve read

I honestly don’t know whether to be upset that it took me so long to find this one or happy that it was already complete when I did because you bet your ass i binged this whole series last night and finished it off during work today. I Love this series. It’s so well-written. The author considered so many little things that I never would have thought of, made Amazing character choices, and made me love the idea of the seafam even more.

Things I loved about this fic:

percabeth (which is surprising, im not usually the biggest fan, but the author wrote it w e l l

Styx being a troll

Biblically accurate frank zhang

Percy intimidating tantalus

Percy’s ascension creep

the Seven sleeping in a puppy pile

The seven being vaguely poly??<3

Percy with a trident

Clarisse

Clarisse with Baby (not hers. legally speaking)

Annabeth gives herself powers like a boss

Poseidon: hi percy/Percy: …hm

Amphitrite: hi Percy/Percy: OMG HI!!!

The many (many) times the authors autocorrect messed up Amphitrite’s name (affectionate)

Bessie!!!

The gods having absolutely no idea how to handle this kid

Clarisse calls Percy “Puddles”

The Percy-Ares fight

The battle of manhattan made me cry at least four times (yes im listing this as a positive)

Annabeth<3<3<3

G O R E A D T H I S!!!!!

[xxk82020xx]

I’m currently rereading PJO and it is amazing how one’s perception of characters changes over time.

I just finished TTC. It’s been maybe 7 years since I last read it. For years, Thalia was a villain in my eyes. An enemy to Percy. Always trying to embarrass him, belittle him, make him known as the lesser halfblood. I’m not sure why I felt that way. I also thought she was selfish for putting the prophecy on Percy after spending a whole book “showing” that she was the better big 3 child. I suppose it’s because I’ve always related to Percy and saw myself in him. Some of it because loyalty is my fatal flaw as well. Therefore, I understood his frustration at how much “better” of a leader and fighter she was compared to him. I also was surprised at how easily she hesitated at the chance of sacrificing Bessie. She was so strong, seen as the child of the strongest god, so why was Percy able to resist so much easier? The mind of middle/high school me was very odd to have seen her as such a disliked character.

But in reality, she’s just a child. She had been at peace for 7 years. All she had to do was feel the sun warming her branches, the Breeze gently blowing her needles, simply exist and protect the camp without actually having to fight anything. Then to have that taken away in an instant and be thrown back into the world of constantly on guard. People dream of coming back as trees, gently swaying in the wind. And here she had that peace. Now as an adult, it makes so much sense why she put the prophecy on Percy. She just wanted to rest again. At least as a Hunter, she had the security of spending more time living at peace than as a halfblood. And, I think she knew somehow that Percy was the only one strong enough to carry that burden and succeed.

As a child, it’s hard to remind yourself as a reader that they are children themselves.

[littleguyzdaily]

Little Guy Number... wait a minute. Those rnt little guyz! And;; what r they doing on a baking sheet?...wait, no, r u abt 2 do what i think u r!? No!! Plz spare them! They did nothing wrong! Please!!

OH GOD NO STOP THIS MADNESS, THEYRE INNOCENT! WHAT R U DOING 2 THEM! STOPP!! UR KILLIMG THEM! THEYRE DYING BC OF U!!!

Oh wait. Huh. Ok nvm theyre little guyz now :3 my mistake

Little Guy Number 42: a trifecta of (unfinished) charmz (i am tired)

[poppitron360]

Top 5 fav PJO characters:

5. Frank's Grandma

4. Bessie the Opheotorous (Idk how to spell it I listened to the audiobooks)

3. Mrs O'Leary

2. Festus the Dragon

1. Buford

Just fucking Buford man-

[imminent-danger-came]

I'm currently about halfway through PJO Book 4, here are my current thoughts/predictions:

Annabeth's "big choice" is between Luke and Percy. I'm thinking that Nico being the last heart pledged to Kronos is a red herring, and it will actually be Annabeth (meaning Percy might follow her. Lol. Lmao.)

Alternatively Annabeth is going to choose who dies on this quest

I have a bad feeling Tyson is going to die lol. lmao.

So, the last 3 books have had Percy going on a quest for his loved ones. This book has 3 of his loved ones in a dangerous Labyrinth. This TOTALLY won't go poorly at all (Tyson is going to die. SIBLING DEATH NUMBER 2, 3 if you count Medusa's sisters. Oh and also Briares' brothers. This isn't looking good gamers)

Love this trend of immortality and loneliness we have going on. Immortals loosing the will to be immortal. Adore it

Can you believe they gave Percy Icarus dreams. ICARUS. Come on.

"His son was drunk on his own freedom" okay

"I thought I could hear the anguished cry of Daedalus calling his son's name, as Icarus, his only joy, plummeted toward the sea, three hundred feet below". OKAY

Also rip Nico

If it's any consolation Nico you'll be with her again after you die

Also they've really given me a Percabeth hand hold AND hug this book.

O'Leary totally knows how to navigate the maze—that's how Quintus did it, and that's why Hera said Percy could.

Oh god I forgot about Pan

I have no idea what's going on with Pan

I miss Thalia tails. I miss her a lot

Like even she gave up on Luke and Annabeth hasn't. Lol. Lmao.

Even if I'm wrong about Annabeth joining Kronos it will always be so real in my heart. SHE WANTS TO SAVE LUKE BRO. I'M TELLING YOU.

Also thinking about like, Annabeth wanting to join Luke to reform the world (as we learn from her siren vision in book 2), and Thalia being tempted to kill Bessie and gain ultimate power in book 3. I am waiting for Percy's turn.

AKA Percy your fatal flaw is showing. To me.

This was such a good series to get into after getting into LMK methinks

Heroes. *crying*

[berrybore]

Wait hold on I just thought of more..

I want to see his interactions with other gods become more casual, more frequent. Apollo dropping by because he was bored and wanted to annoy him, sees him possibly struggling in a class or two and reminds him he’s the god of knowledge and that he can help him.

Hermes takes him to Olympus to see the ophiotaurus (Bessie, they’re visiting Bessie. Good god how do you spell that,,,,) while amicably catching up. Maybe ares starts picking more fights with him because why not and trash talk like old friends and smoke a cigarette afterwards or something. And this is the closest Percy will come to going to therapy because if anyone gets it, it’s the god of war.

Aphrodite just happens to be sitting in his section and he’s trying to bus his tables but she’s gushing about the waitress he works with. Percy is just about to get fired because his boss is like we get it, she’s pretty, you have other tables you know. But he’s a little bored too so he he tells her he’ll introduce them and refers to her as gretchen and saying the most out of pocket and embarrassing shit to fuck with her. Maybe the gods sometimes talk to him to ask about their children and they have really candid and raw conversations kind of like Hermes and Percy a little in pjo. They don’t need to pull out the stops for him, they talk as equals.

Percy continuing the work he started at the end of tlo, holding the gods to their promises like he said he would because now he has time, to rebuild, to enact change. It’s slow and nonlinear and the gods tend to fall back on old habits but he’s there to remind them. Toa happens (didn’t read it so I don’t know how it will be different but I know in the end Apollo wants to try and Jason’s death really affected him so he genuinely joins Percy’s effort in making the gods do better and they slowly painstakingly turn the other gods around).

Athena helps him navigate the Olympian political scene because she sees his vision and he has begrudgingly earned her respect over and over. They talk about next steps and realistic change and they work together just as well as he worked with her daughter.

Percy doesn’t revolt, doesn’t take down the gods because taking down the gods means replacing them, and Percy, strong enough to do it, is also wise enough to know that Zeus and Kronos and all of them aren’t the problem, the problem is unchecked power and with enough time they’ll wind up with another dictator….

I don’t know how any of this looks like but I like the idea of slowly rebuilding over the romantic notion of a revolution with no real plan.

im so much more interested in a hoo that lets Percy keep the status and power he'd left off with in the Last Olympian and explores how he grapples with that instead of immediately forcing him back into the role of the underdog at the expanse of his prior development. Let the fact that he alone has the title the "Savior of Olympus" mean something. Let the fact that he is the sole survivor of the great prophecy mean something. Let the Curse of Achilles mean something. Let us see how it's a curse and how it could warp his sense of self. Let Percy be on a completely different playing field than the rest of the seven (or even the other children of the big three at this point) and show us how it alienates him.