#some olympians

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #285: Twilight of the Gods!

November, 1987

Dammit Zeus, stop eating everyone! Do you want to get mpreg? Because that’s how you get mpreg!

Hah, medium cut.

Also, I can’t believe Marvel TM’d Zeus.

So, last times on Avengers: there was a big Masters of Evil story which left the mansion totaled, Hercules coma’d, and Wasp quitting as leader so she could go on vacation. Captain Monica Marvel got voted as new leader and the first nonsense she has to deal with is Zeus being murderously angry at the Avengers over his favorite son being in a coma.

Even though Hercules drunkenly staggered into an ambush despite Wasp telling him not to do that exact thing!

Anyway, the Avengers and also Namor escape from Hades and sneak their way into Olympus to confront Zeus. They try to get some of Big Daddy Z’s more reasonable kids to help argue their point but Zeus just starts exploding everything.

Prometheus tries to heal Hercules because maybe that will get Zeus to chill. But Hercules wakes up from his coma in one of his classic murder rages. So things have, in fact, gotten worse. Thanks, Prometheus.

The situation is so bad that the first page and a bit are just Black Knight looking at how bad things are going and thinking ‘wow this is the worst situation I’ve ever been in.’

Just wait for the 90s, when you inexplicably become the most prominent Avengers character.

Low-hanging fruit!

But shit is bad.

Thor is exhausted. Captain Marvel is exhausted. Zeus just effortlessly kicked Namor and She-Hulk’s ass in seconds.

Oh and to make things worse, Thor reassure/brags that Namor and She-Hulk are still alive despite Zeus’ best efforts.

Zeus: “You think me incapable of slaying these mortals, Thor? Bah! I have but spared their meager lives for the moment! I have condemned you all to death by torment for what you did to my son, and I shall see that sentence carried out -- e’en if I myself must act as executioner!”

Thor shut the hell up.

Meanwhile, within the caves where Prometheus was healing Hercules, Hercules is on the warpath, yelling ENEMIES! ENEMIES EVERYWHERE!

Wasp tries to tell him that he’s among friends but Hercules just goes to smash her, yelling that she’s always ordering him about and hurting him.

Wasp: “Hercules... please, try to remember! We warned you of the danger -- it was the Masters of Evil that hurt you!”

Hercules: “NO!! You hurt!”

Even this era of high-powered Wasp, she isn’t going to try to tangle with Hercules. So she flies over to try to get help from Hera, Prometheus, or Apollo. Alas, they’re all out cold.

Hercules does the superstrong hand clap shockwave thing and knocks tiny Wasp out. Despite Captain America clinging to his legs and trying to stop him, Hercules scoops up the unconscious superheroine and prepares to kill her.

When all of a sudden, Dr Druid for the rescue! For some reason!

He jumps on Hercules’ back and psychics as hard as he can, despite his head injury, trying to get Hercules to remember.

Druid does manage to get Hercules remembering, helpfully rendered as recap panels.

Hercules remembers blundering into the Masters occupied mansion despite Cap and Wasp warning him of the trap. And he remembers getting his ass kicked by several of the strongest Masters of Evil all at once.

But remembering this makes Hercules scream “NO MORE!!!” and throw Dr Druid off his back.

Meanwhile, outside, the Avengers are still trying to beat up Hercules’ dad.

Zeus has just stood by and let Namor and She-Hulk regain consciousness. So that they’re aware enough to feel the ass-kicking he’s about to deliver to their asses.

But Black Knight finally joins the fight that he’s been horrified and spectating for a while.

Black Knight: “Just a minute, your highness... you’ve forgotten the Black Knight! Is this ‘mere mortal’ beneath your notice -- or are you just afraid to admit that you might not be able to kill me?”

Zeus: “WHAT?!? Never have I beheld a man so eager to die!”

Dang, Dane, your valiant side is showing.

Black Knight was making a gamble. That his incredibly cursed Ebony Blade’s ability to absorb and reflect energy was strong enough to counter Zeus smiting him.

He reckoned correct.

While Zeus is stunned by his own lightning, Namor and She-Hulk jump in to pummel the god. And then Thor BUHROOMs Zeus right in the torso with Mjolnir.

He doesn’t care for it.

Zeus: “this is beyond belief. never have i been humbled in such a way... never.”

Thor: “Never before have you faced the Mighty Avengers!”

Captain Marvel nyooms around Zeus, who has taken a knee after all the punishment, and asks if he’s ready to have an adult conversation now.

He’s not.

With all the Avengers knocked unconscious by Zeus’ tantrum, he expresses pity for the poor mortals he has to kill. But he has no pity for Thor for siding with mortals and decides to stress test Thor’s supposed inability to die.

Someone grabs Zeus and tells him to let Thor go. Zeus just swats the person away. But the person is insistent and tackles Zeus down a hill.

The Avengers regain consciousness and wonder where Zeus went when he had them at his lack of mercy. But their question is quickly answered when Zeus and the person’s tumble knocks down trees in the nearby forest.

The person (still rendered shadowy for mystery reasons) tells Zeus that he won’t let Zeus harm the Avengers.

Zeus doesn’t like being told what to do.

He blasts the person, hurls him against a tree, and starts pummeling the crap out of him.

Zeus: “Who are you, to order me? I am Zeus... Lord of all Olympus! My word is LAW! None may command me! I am supreme! SUPREME!!!”

The Avengers grab Zeus, pull him off the person. Black Knight threatens to shank Zeus with his extremely cursed sword if Zeus forces him to. Zeus is outraged at their insolence but Captain Marvel focuses on the person Zeus was beating up. She tells Namor to make sure Hercules is okay.

Hey, Dr Druid’s mind treatment worked, Hercules regained his good sense, went to try to stop his dad from murdering his friends, and suffered another horrible beating as a result.

Thor: “Do you at last see how your rage has blinded you, Zeus?”

Zeus: “Hercules! My son, forgive me! I didn’t know... didn’t see -- !”

Hercules murmurs that Zeus was wrong about the Avengers but once Zeus learns Prometheus is involved, he assumes Prometheus has been filling Hercules’ head with lies. But Hercules affirms that the Avengers aren’t at fault for his coma. They’re his own dumb fault.

Then Hera shows up because this is the “call Zeus a dumbass” power hour.

She calls Zeus a dumbass. But also recaps her role in this and the parts of the plot Zeus has missed. Including that Prometheus sacrificed part of his own life essence to heal Hercules.

Prometheus is cool with it. Hercules freed him from that bound to a mountain, getting eaten by an eagle forever thing on Mount Caucasus.

Zeus: “Hercules, my son... what have I done? By all that is eternal... what have I done?”

LATER: Things have settled down.

Zeus has kindly allowed the Avengers some hospitality. Wasp took the opportunity to switch into an Olympian outfit because that’s the most Wasp thing to do in the situation.

Hercules isn’t completely better yet. He’s not in any pain but he finds it hard to think. Prometheus assures him that will get better in time.

Captain Marvel is hesitant to let her guard down, considering Zeus was just trying to kill them all and now is treating them like guests. But as She-Hulk points out, why not eat his food and drink his wine. Doesn’t mean you gotta forgive.

 Captain America and Dr Druid show up, completely healed of their respective injuries by Apollo, GOD OF MEDICINE.

Apollo also tried to heal Thor, but to no avail. Thor decides that he’s just going to have to confront Hela so he can -rearrange the letters- heal.

Although, I’m pretty sure its a journey to get to that point. He has to fight Fin Fang Foom who turns out to be JORMUNGANDR and the fight renders him a flesh puddle that a bunch of ice giants beat up and then Loki sends the Destroyer to kill Thor so the ice giants don’t get to do it except the Destroyer decides to eat Thor’s soul as an infinite battery except Thor’s strong will takes over the Destroyer and uses it to bother Hela into lifting the curse.

Its a hell of a journey.

Anyway. With the Avengers healed up and also wined and dined, Apollo asks them to come to a special tribunal of the gods Zeus is holding.

And you know it’s serious business because Zeus is wearing his robes of penance.

I mean, you know its serious business if you know that those are the robes of penance so thank god (specifically Athena) that she loudly exposits to the crowd this thing they already know.

And the serious business? Zeus was wrong about something and he’s making it everyone’s problem.

Zeus: “Citizens of Olympus... members of the high pantheon... a great wrong has been done to these Avengers. It is a wrong for which I am responsible, a wrong for which I must atone. Out of concern for my beloved son, I did rashly and unthinkingly accuse these heroes of betrayal. But the only betrayal was that of reason... by my own passions. My crime against the Avengers has shown me a sober lesson...”

“... We ‘gods’ are far more powerful than mortals, but we are no wiser. We can be the basest of fools. The power we possess can be deadly -- even to the mightiest of mortals. Humanity has suffered too much from our careless ways... there must be an end to this. And so, I vow before these mortals... that no one born of Olympus shall ever again set foot upon the Earth!”

Neptune: “Brother, have you forgotten our covenant? I am lord and protector of the subsea peoples! You cannot bar me from my worshipers!”

Ares: “Neptune is not the only one with followers, father! Many are the mortals who revere the ways of war -- I will not be denied -- !”

Zeus: “SILENCE! You are forbidden to walk the Earth! Thus is the will of Zeus! Disobey me at your own peril!”

It’s funny because Zeus basically browbeat everyone into this revenge on the Avengers scheme and now he’s making it everyone’s problem for listening to him in the first place.

And why do I feel like he’s going to use this as an excuse to keep Hercules from returning to Earth once he’s fully recovered?

Also, huh, I’m surprised there was no evil plan behind Hercules’ coma mutterings. His brain was just pulped and his thoughts jumbled. Nobody put words in his ear or made him say those things. Feels weird to have it not be an evil scheme.

Afterward, Prometheus takes the Avengers minus Hercules to the edge of the dimensional abyss that abuts Olympus. And here I thought Olympus was a mountain on Earth but that shows me.

Prometheus sort of slaps a theme onto this whole arc.

Prometheus: “Zeus is a prideful god, Knight... and has been deeply shamed by this affair. You must understand, in temperament, the gods of Olympus have ever been as children. So great is their power, they have never known lasting defeat. For Zeus to have acknowledged his error as he did was a show of maturity unheard of amongst his kind. Perhaps all Olympians may in time show the degree of responsibility their power demands. We can but hope.”

Cool.

Namor asks what’s going to become of Hercules, given Zeus’ new mandate that no Olympians are allowed on Earth. And Prometheus gives him a vague assurance that maybe the Avengers haven’t seen the last of Hercules, possibly.

Then with a vague warning of future difficulties, Prometheus teleports the Avengers back to Earth before he has to explain anything he just said.

What a mysterious prick.

There’s some concerns left. The Avengers have to clear up any trouble caused by She-Hulk’s Dionysus provoked rampage. Wasp has to immediately run off because she was Artemis abducted from her vacation and people are going to be missing her. And Thor immediately flies off as well because he needs to eventually get around to dealing with his Hela curse.

While the Avengers head back to Hydrobase, Captain America takes off elsewhere. Musing on what Prometheus said about the Avengers being “sorely tested” before deciding whatever it will be, the Avengers will meet the challenge.

More fallout for Namor! Marrina is at Hydrobase to meet him with hugs and bad news.

The hug is nice but the news is bad. When Namor got pulled to hell by Neptune, that little village of exiled Atlanteans had taken that as a sign that Namor was rejected by the god of Atlantis.

Because, uh, there’s very few other ways that god dragging someone to hell can be interpreted.

The whole village took this also as a sign they should abandon Namor. And they’ve all fled to the depths. Taking with them Namor’s hopes of founding a new kingdom.

Namor decides that the ocean holds no future for him and Marrina but maybe they’ll find a place on the surface world, with the Avengers.

-looks ahead- Oof.

Anyway.

A week later, Captain Marvel is giving Namor and Dr Druid a brief on the Fixer, one of the Masters of Evil who took over Avengers Mansion. You might remember that storyline. It’s what put Hercules in a coma. I keep mentioning it.

Dr Druid wonders why she’s expositing about a supervillain who is already arrested and being held in a maximum security prison.

I assume to set up for the next storyline but Monica also says that everyone in the team should have familiarity with all the Avengers’ enemies.

But Captain America doesn’t show up for the meeting and he didn’t leave word he wouldn’t make it... and that’s not like responsible ol’ Cap(tain America).

Captain Marvel: “I want to know what’s going on. If Captain America is in trouble, we’re going to make it the Avengers’ business!”

The next issue says the fix is on. Yup, the Fixer is up to something. Very timely having an update on him, Monica.

Except, we need to spend some time with some annuals and then some West Coast Avengers again. To even out the dates.

Follow @essential-avengers​ because ‘Merica is Missing. Captain that is. Like and reblog too.

[thatrandomblogsays]

Annabeth: I, a child, had to earn Thalia’s love, that’s how the world works! I have to earn my moms love. Love is transactional, you gotta be worthy of it first silly :)

Percy, listening to this on the train

[professorhayforbreath]

part in the book where percy starts to realise something is Wrong about the casino because a guy he's talking to says "groovy" you will always be famous to me

[minjimunji]

Figuring out how to draw them 😖

[peecyjacksoo]

Knowing that Annabeth canonically had a crush on Percy since she was twelve was insane to me at first, but now, seeing the show, she probably loved him almost immediately. This dorky kid that chose her for a quest just because he knew she wanted to go.

[bajaja-blast]

you dislike Luke Castellan because he disagreed with an oppressive government system and actually took action to change the abusive ways him and his peers have been forced to follow for millennia.

I dislike Luke Castellan because in the Titans Curse he manipulated Annabeth, who he raised as his little sister, into holding up the sky, the FUCKING sky, for over 20 hours and had the audacity to walk away as though he was completely apathetic towards it while she begged and pleaded with him to help her.

we are not the same.

[skullsandcorals]

"I'm dyslexic. I'm not stupid."

[1001mcdxlvii]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians premieres Dec. 20 on Disney+

[haliaiii]

Juno’s champion

[lilislegacy]

it’s the fact that when percy and annabeth graduate from their high schools, annabeth’s estranged family is gonna fly out to NYC

which means there will almost certainly be an awkward dinner with both families.

“hey we’re the chases, the family who neglected, gaslit, and emotionally abandoned annabeth. but we feel really bad and we’re trying to do better.”

“hey we’re the blofis-jacksons, aka the loving family of your daughter’s boyfriend who took her in and loved her as our own after you neglected, glaslit, and emotionally abandoned her.”

except none of them actually say it. they’re all just thinking it.

sally has major mom beef with them, paul is trying to be nice but is skeptical, frederick feels guilty and awkward, mrs. chase is flat out uncomfortable, the twins are causing absolute chaos, annabeth is a wreck, percy’s making jokes every 17 seconds to attempt to diffuse the tension, and baby estelle is just vibin

i feel like a lot of wine would be consumed

[sunsetcurveauto]

"no matter what happens, we meet back here next year. all of us. right here." percy youre not gonna believe this

[miracumess]

i don't think some of y'all understand how significant it is that annabeth chase, the leading lady in an IP/brand as big as percy jackson, is played by a black girl. she is not some sidekick or comic relief. THEE annabeth chase, one of the wisest, intelligent, brave demigods and love of percy jackson's life, is played by a BLACK GIRL!!

but you're so hateful and caught up with book inaccuracies and changes that you can't even offer a sliver of hope for things to improve in continuing seasons, and instead immediately resort to wishing the show gets cancelled because they didn't do that specific thing in that specific scene in the books. makes me think there might be another underlying reason as to why you want it to fail.

and before someone starts, this isn't to say you can't have criticism, but if you really love percy jackson, why wouldn't your hope be for things to get better?

"i hope this show gets cancelled" yeah girl fuck you

[groverapologist]

people think annabeth is so smart and calculated with every single one of her plans and while that's mostly true you guys are overlooking the plans she makes when she just goes "yeah like. this has a 50/50 success rate and it requires us to not breathe for 5 minutes and also to grow wings in the next 30 seconds. but we can do it".

[idkaguyorsomething]

“apollo wrote the hamilton musical in pjo” “hermes wrote the hamilton musical in pjo” you fools. ¿have you forgotten who the greek god of theatre is?

[lynsstrange]

five episodes in and percy has already tried to sacrifice himself twice. he truly believes he is supposed to die.

[readrantannotate]

OK BUT WHAT ABOUT THE GODS VALUING THEIR PRIDE OVER EVERYTHING ELSE.

I MEAN ATHENA LET ECHIDNA INTO HER SANCTUARY TO PUNISH ANNABETH FOR WOUNDING HER PRIDE.

AND ZEUS DECLARED WAR BECAUSE THE BOLT WAS STOLEN AND HIS PRIDE WAS ATTACKED.

BUT POSEIDON SURRENDERS TO ZEUS, SACRIFICES HIS PRIDE, TO SAVE PERCY.

JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE