#the fates out here like this hubris..... this flagrancy.... it disgusts us kill the child

[sonlightning]

i really oughta go to bed but santi’s got a fear of failure, which sounds lame and run of the mill but it manifests in him putting himself out there in ways where he’s confident he won’t fail. 

insecure about getting bad test grades? challenge the teacher about other things so the focus is drawn to behavior vs academia. getting picked on for being too short, or not knowing who your father is, or being the new kid every 8 months or so? become the class clown so everyone will like you for that, even if only for a little while. find out your father is king of the gods and that knowledge comes with crushing expectations from everyone who will ever meet you even though you’re only 13/14? present yourself as the easy-going, little brother-esque jokester around camp that people know not to count on for anything serious.

and this works out pretty okay until his first big quest where the fates force santiago to reckon with this flaw via the death of one of his closest friends at camp who was under his responsibility and care