#which percy appreciates apparently

[keefechambers]

Zanror. It's been a while. Why the shackles? Finally stood up to the old man. Like you. I paid a price.

#grog strongjaw #zanror #tlovm #critical role #vox machina #tlovmedit #cameo by #percy de rolo #and his bi panic #cousins of all time! #the kill box #at dawn we plan #the thunderlord and the bearded storm :) #aka a pair of total doofuses #'we'll animate him scary before you know whose side he's on then he'll be real cute' #a+ idea #no notes #am i sad his gf didn't get included? a little. but also now he's single #which percy appreciates apparently

[indecisivemuch]

Apples

Pairing: Luke Castellan x Reader

Summary: You tossed an apple to Luke without knowing the meaning of it in Greek Mythology (fluff, friends to lovers, happy ending)

Note: Just wanted to write something lighthearted and funny. Since I saw somewhere that apparently throwing an apple at someone means something in Greek Mythology, thought I should use it as a prompt.

Word count: 3.1k

You have been at Camp Half-Blood for a year. Within that time, you’ve been claimed by your Godly parent, learned so many things about Greek mythology, and, best of all, made friends who understood exactly what you were going through and all whom you loved dearly. 

One of them was Luke Castellan. You two were relatively close friends, though you swore he treated you differently than he would with others at camp. But you didn’t want to be foolish and assumed it was something. That didn’t mean you don’t treat him differently than you would with other campers though. You have always had a soft spot for Luke in your heart. You weren’t exactly sure when it happened, but you found yourself thinking about him too often.

“Anyway, Percy. Don’t worry too much, honestly. We all have been through what you’re currently going through. You’ll fit right in, yeah?” the younger boy offered you a lope-sided smile as you patted his back and stood up. 

“Alright, boys, I have to go now, but I’ll see you later,” you said before grabbing your plate, which would have been empty if it wasn’t for the apple you hadn’t eaten. The rest of the table - which included Chris, Luke, and Percy - said their goodbyes before chattering again as you walked away. However, you halted as you changed your mind about wasting the apple.

You turned back to look at the group before calling out, “Hey, Castellan.” However, you were slightly caught off guard to see Luke already having his eyes on you.

Luke swore that you have always had him mesmerized. If he even heard a whisper of your voice, his head would immediately try to locate you. To make matters worse, Chris even started calling Luke a “lost puppy” when he realized how your departure would always leave Luke like one. 

“Catch,” you tossed your apple at Luke. 

Multiple heads turned in your direction as the red apple hurled through the air before landing neatly in Luke’s hands. The Hermes cabin counselor had his eyes glued onto the fruit that was in his palms. You almost halted in your steps from his and other camper’s reactions. Some started whispering to their friends, pointing at you. You even heard one gasp. But you ignored them, finding it strange that people cared so much about such a small interaction.

“You can have it. I don’t think I’ll have time to eat it,” with that, you vanished from the scene, leaving at least half of the camp agape, including Luke and your friends. 

Then, the strangest of things happened for the next few days. It started with Luke already stationed outside when you exited your cabin the morning after. He cheekily presented you with one singular flower in his hand, and you took it with playful words, “Ooh, what did I do to deserve this special treatment today?”

“Nothing, just thought I should show how much I appreciate you,” Luke put his arm over your shoulder as the two of you made your way to the dining pavilion. You could feel your cheeks flushing at his action. He has never done this before. With his arms around you, the sides of your bodies brushed as the two of you walked. You noticed almost immediately how every other person would have their eyes on the two of you. But you ignored the attention and focused on Luke instead.

The sweet actions didn’t stop at flowers or more physical touches. For the next three days, Luke was stuck to your hip. So it was quite strange that you have not spotted the Hermes cabin counselor in the last two hours. Hence why you were spending some time with Clarisse, another close friend of yours. However, you felt an arm swinging around your shoulders, and you instantly recognized who it was from the familiar touch.

“Hey, Clarisse, can I borrow Y/N real quick?” Luke asked, quickly muttering a “thank you” when your friend nodded. “So, I have something to give you…” your face must have shown how surprised you were because he chuckled at your reaction. However, when the boy pulled his gift out from his cargo pocket, your mouth fell slightly agape at the reveal. 

Luke must have misinterpreted your reaction because he started nervously rambling, his voice a few octaves higher, “It’s not much, but honestly, this is all I can do with my arts and crafts skills. I’m just not really good with that y-”

“It’s perfect, Luke. Thank you so much!” you gave him a brief hug, but it was enough to stun him for a second. Luke felt this urgent sense of craving from how your bodies fit for a second. It’s as if he was made to hold you. He almost pulled you back into another hug but had to force himself to regain composure. Nevertheless, that didn’t last long because his eyes softened again at the sight of you trying on the bracelet he made. The beads in your favorite color, crafted with care, wrapped around your wrist perfectly, and you wonder how he knew just the right size to make it.

The truth was Luke had to ask Clarisse to steal one of your bracelets just so he could make a bracelet of the correct size. But you didn't need to know that, though - according to him.

The next night, there was a social gathering near the campfire. Luke reapproached the location with a hoodie in hand. Earlier, Luke excused himself to fetch the clothing item that was now in his hand that was meant for you. However, his brows scrunched as he spotted another figure next to you, sitting in the spot that he previously occupied. You were laughing at something they said. The way your laugh echoed in his head usually sounded like a lullaby or the enchanting voice of a siren. But right now, the idea that someone else elicited the same laugh made him want to hurl behind the bush he was standing next to.

Little did he know you were zoning out from whatever the other boy was speaking about, thus the fake laugh to not blow your cover. You were distracted just thinking about Luke and everything he has done so far - offering his portion of dessert to you because he knew it was your favorite; him winning Capture the Flag and ignoring everybody else to go hug you first, then having his eyes on you and only you afterwards; sneaking out of camp to go buy the items you mentioned once that you wish you had at camp and so on. 

Your mind quickly reminded you that the boy sitting next to you was still talking to you. However, when you snapped out of your thoughts again, you realized now he was looking at you expectantly and you scrambled your mind for a reply.

Thank Gods Luke plopped down on your other side, saving you from having to admit to the other boy that you were not listening to him. “Hey, you’re back,” you commented. Luke’s arm automatically threw itself around your shoulder and tugged you to him slightly. Your body leaned on the Hermes cabin counselor ever so naturally at this before you turned to him. Luke quickly set his clothing on your lap, and you stared at it questioningly.

“You’re cold, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” your cheeks flushed again at how he knew without you telling him. You shivered maybe once or twice earlier due to the night air lowering the temperature, but it was so brief you were sure nobody had noticed. As you put on the hoodie, Luke averted his gaze from you to the guy on your other side. 

The Hermes cabin counselor arched one of his eyebrows in a challenging manner. Almost immediately, his ‘opponent’ slightly raised both of his hands. Luke internally snickered at the quick motion of surrender. 

“My bad, man,” you heard the other boy say as you managed to put your head through the clothing item and pull it down. Luke was physically preening at the other boy’s words and departure. Meanwhile, you were distracted by how you were engulfed by the smell of Luke from his hoodie. Your height difference also meant you were swimming in it, but it felt so comfortable.

“What was that?” you asked once the other boy was gone. 

“Nothing…” even the most oblivious person could see that Luke was lying. But, once again, you did not question his actions and carried on with the gathering. You could also feel other campers staring at the two of you, but you ignored that as well. 

That night - like every other night since four days ago - he walked you back to your cabin. You were honestly completely smitten by the attention he has given you, not that you would admit that to him. You were still not sure what caused the change, but you were still elated about it. Maybe he did return your feelings? Either way, everything felt perfect lately, and you went to sleep that night feeling like the stars aligned for you.

“I guess congratulations are in order?” Percy spoke up as you lined up for food the following day. 

“What do you mean?” you asked, taking the plate of food. Today’s meal consisted of mac n’ cheese, steak, and an apple. 

“You’re engaged?” you almost dropped your plate at that and gave the son of Poseidon a questioning look. “You proposed to Luke like a week ago?”

“What? When?”

“When you threw him the apple? That is considered a marriage proposal.”

“Since when?”

“Uh, in Ancient Greek culture, it’s considered a marriage proposal if a man throws an apple at a lady. But, I mean, it’s the 21st century, so I guess it can work both ways.” Percy finally took a plate of food for himself. “And if the recipient catches it, it’s considered an acceptance.”

“You saw this and knew this whole time without telling me?!?” 

“I thought you knew! And you two seem so smitten already, so I thought you did it on purpose.”

“Percy, no! Is this a well-known thing? Do you think other people who saw it too thought I proposed to Luke as well?” Seeing Percy’s look and how he was fumbling with his words, you quickly requested, “Actually, no, don’t answer that.” 

The two of you walked over to Luke and Chris with plates in hand. You picked up the apple on your plate and placed it on the table. 

“Luke, we need to talk,” You deliberately placed the fruit there, hoping the boy would get a hint about the topic you wanted to discuss. Luke’s eyes flicked from the fruit to you. Though the hint of amusement in his eyes and a sheepish grin made you realize he knew all along. Luke stood up and followed you out of sight and hearing distance from other campers whose eyes were trailing after the two of you.

“You knew what it meant, and you didn’t tell me?” You broke the silence as soon as you two were far away enough. 

“Listen, I appreciate your proposal. But, it’s a little bit fast, don’t you think?” Luke teased, and you instantly hit his arm at that, causing the boy to flinch slightly, but the smile on his face told you he was anything but mad at your action.

“But you caught it. So, technically, you said yes,” you rebutted, sighing as you rubbed your face, “My Gods, does everybody at camp think we’re engaged? Wait, is this a substitute for an engagement ring? Did you give this to me because of that?” you pointed to the bracelet Luke gave you, your mind now understanding Clarisse’s teasing and her implications. You could see the way Luke was stifling a laugh. He settled with saying something else when he saw the pure panic on your face.

“Sweetheart, calm down.” the nickname successfully silenced you. You hated how it made you feel, but you would not mind hearing that daily. “No, it’s not an engagement ring.”

“Oh, so were you doing all of these romantic gestures and gifts on purpose to make fun of me and the situation?” you asked, though it was more with a lighthearted tone than one of temper. However, something shifted because the expression on Luke’s face changed from one of humor to earnestness.

“No, I didn’t do all this to make fun of the situation or you…” Luke’s voice fell off as tried to find the right words to say next. In that split second, Luke took a deep breath, and you could see how nervous he suddenly became, though he still kept a light tone. “I did it because I took it as a chance to maybe…win you over, and it also gives me an advantage because it fended off many other guys.” 

Undoubtedly, you were frozen in place, unable to register the words he was saying and the implications they bear. Neither did the boy in front of you act like the Luke you usually know - somebody who was usually confident, outgoing, always having his way with words. No, the person in front of you could not even hold eye contact, the pink hue on his cheeks now spreading to the tip of his ears as he shifted left and right. Luke broke the silence first, giving away the nerves that were gnawing him away from your lack of response.

“How about this? I’ll say ‘no’ to your mind-blowing marriage proposal for now,” you lightheartedly hit him again, rolling your eyes playfully. Seeing a positive reaction from you, Luke let out a small breath of relief, but the nerves quickly overtook again as he mustered up all the courage to utter his counter proposal: “But maybe we could start with something slower like going on a date? — Or I’ll even settle with you allowing me to try and ‘woo’ you.” Luke added the last bit as insurance, in case you didn’t want to take up on the date. Part of his mind wanted to scowl at himself for seeming so desperate - but Gods, he has always been a desperate man when it comes to you. 

“You’re such a dork.”

“Yet you still proposed to me.”

“You’ll never let me live that down, will you?” Luke only shook his head in response. Once again, you haven’t responded to his offer. Luke could see that you were in deep thought, the cogs turning in your head as you digested what he just said.

“You mean it? That you wanna go on a date? That you wanna “woo” me and sweep me off my feet?” you questioned. Despite the humor in your voice, there was also a hint of vulnerability and cautiousness. “Does this mean what you’ve been doing for the past few days…they are all genuine?”

“Is it that hard to believe that I like you? I don’t think you even fully understand the feelings I have for you. I’ve had my eyes on you for a year now, which is the entire time I know you, and I’m afraid I can’t see that changing any time soon.” Luke had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from saying more because he was sure he would never stop talking about you if he could. Maybe those unspoken words ought to be things Luke would disclose in the future. If you give him the chance, he will ensure you hear everything he adored about you.

“Well, that’s good then, ‘cause I happen to like you too,” your words made Luke’s eyes snap to yours, almost in disbelief. 

Luke felt as if his heart was blocking his airway by the way it was thumping so hard in his chest to the point he could feel the vibration in his neck. He held his breath over your confession and the way you were looking at him. Oh, Luke was convinced he was utterly doomed because how could he be so affected by one single look. He was suddenly unsure whether he would be able to handle your affections or ever live without it if it was taken from him. He’d spend the rest of eternity like a deprived man.

“Aw, look who is nervous now,” you teased, deciding to somewhat torture him and get him back for teasing you earlier. “I did not think I had this kind of effect on you, Castellan,” you approached him slowly, keeping eye contact with his now dilated pupils. 

“I mean…all I did was say a couple of words and you’re all tongue tied. What would happen to you if I do this?” you swiftly grabbed Luke’s camp beads and pulled him down, eliminating a significant amount of space between your faces, though not completely. To steady himself during your action, Luke’s hands steadied on your hips and stumbled slightly, though you did not mind the touch.

You never knew it was possible for his face to flush even more, but it did. Luke gulped and your eyes casted down on the way his Adam’s apple moved when he did so. The way he reacted to you only intoxicated you with power even more. You glanced upwards a bit, eyes observing his lips for a split second before looking back up at his eyes. You smirked when you caught his eyes flickering back to yours from your lips as well. 

Just as you were about to close the distance, Luke pulled back just a bit, finally able to speak, though his words were heavy warnings, “If this happens—” Luke stopped, unsure he should let you know. Luke shook his head lightly as his eyes traced over your features before continuing, “If we kiss, there is no going back for me. I don’t think I could just…forget about it. So, please, just be sure before you do it.” Your eyes softened at his words.

“I promise, Luke. I am sure,” you muttered, though Luke knew you meant the words by heart from the way you were looking at him. 

You finally pulled the boy down again using his camp necklace. 

As your lips touched Luke’s, he let out a content sigh. His hands clung onto your hips, pulling you flush against his own body while you caressed both sides of his face in your hands. Luke felt like the world was swallowing him whole. The boy now knew what your lips tasted like, and it felt like an addiction. He could feel his heart waving white flags at that moment, completely surrendering to you. He was right before. There was no going back from this. 

But oh, if Luke knew an apple was all it took, he would have tossed one to you himself.

----------------------

masterlist

join my Luke Castellan taglist

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#luke castellan x reader #luke castellan imagine #luke castellan x y/n #luke castellan x you #luke castellan oneshot #luke castellan #luke castellan fanfiction #pjo fic #pjo #charlie bushnell #pjo imagine #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo tv show #pjo series #fluff #luke castellan fluff

[piesandstars]

largest sample size we can get on this would be appreciated. I’m trying to prove to my brother that it wasn’t out-of-character to see him in something that wasn’t a crime drama.

#nathan fillion #castle #the rookie #firefly #dr. horrible sing-along blog #guardians of the galaxy #the thrilling adventure hour #percy jackson

[pumpkinbxtch]

good morning, a request please apollo/lestrange x reader how percy and poseidon react, if apollo asks the reader to marry him (apollo found his definitive soulmate in the reader)

.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ “beach proposal”

— apollo/lester x fem!daughter of poseidon!reader

summary: Apollo don't needs any other proof to know that you are the definitive love of his life. Hard thing to say like a god. Now he will ask for your hand but not before announcing himself to your father and your brother, Percy Jackson.

warnings: none, i think. yep, still using swear words.

A/N: goood morning (it's late at night) first things first, thank you for share me your cute desires, second, yes i will and here you have. enjoy, please. forgive me if it's not worthy of you.

- From the other side of the milky way, María 🩵

His immortal heart was beating so fast that he thought he could die (reallu, he definitely already knew how it felt)

He kept his eyes fixed on the sun from Long Island Sound. The golden hour illuminated the water and the sweet aroma of strawberries invaded his lungs; the strawberries from camp half-blood. He had never felt this anxious and at peace at the same time.

He had been through so much, he had waited so much, he had wished for so much, but, above all, he loved you so much…

Now he could see everything even more clearly.

The breeze rustled his brown and golden hair.

He closed his eyes, said a blessing and gave thanks. He gave thanks for his journey as a mortal, he gave thanks because he did not allow himself to forget the beauty of being human and because love blessed him when he saw you.

That is, when he actually saw you.

Being a god, you can be everywhere at the same time, but you lose your sense of appreciation for everything that exists. When you're human, uhm no.

From that day on, life afterward was eleven times more colorful, beautiful and full of meaning because you also saw him. I mean, yes. Apollo is a god, who wouldn't see that? But at that moment it was Lester. If before he had no regrets, now even less.

“You'll end up forgetting her, she's just another mortal” They said. “Gods, now she's really in trouble,” the campers said the first few days.

“Another whim? Make sure she doesn't end up so bad this time,” Zeus, his father, reprimanded him.

The small waves broke gently on the shore, and he walked so close to it that his feet were slightly sunk in the wet sand.

—Hey, Apollo!

The named turned slowly, and his heartbeat accelerated even more.

Percy Jackson.

The young man stumbled forward in the sand. He took off his converse, threw them away with a curse, and ran towards him.

—Why did you call me to come here?

His legs began to shake.

— Percy, I…

— Wait — the black-haired raised his hand — And my sister?

He looked at Percy, his brow furrowed and sea-colored eyes examining him from head to toe as if he were searching for clues of some crime in his clothes. Apollo couldn't help but smile.

—In the camp, greeting everyone. She hasn't been here in a while.

The boy noded. The sand splattered from his ankles was washed away by a small wave.

—Neither do I, — said the son of Poseidon, with a certain nostalgia in his voice.

Poseidon…

—But, —Percy searched the god's eyes. Always insightful — We're all in New Rome now. Why bring her first and then call only me?

Apollo reached out and took Percy's hand. All in a slow and careful way. He thought that any rude move and Percy would have an outburst for how close he was treating him. But, to his surprise, it was not like that.

The green eyes admired him with slight confusion, and they walked together into the waters.

To Apollo, every step felt solemn and warm. His heart could feel a spark of joy, but his stomach was clenching with uncertainty.

When the water reached both of their thighs, cut the steps off. The god raised his hand without letting go of Percy, and he felt a kind of current run through his spine.

Percy had never been so quiet since… Well, ever. But apparently the discretion with which he was handling himself helped him keep the attention of the demigod.

Then, a whirlpool emerged from the waters, and Percy's eyes widened.

— Father?

The sea god stabbed his trident into the sand, reaffirming his position in the water. Apollo let go of the young man's hand and made a small bow, something that did not inspire good news in Poseidon.

He looked at his son and then at the sun god.

— Have you called me?

Percy pointed at Apollo.

— He called US.

Apollo's insides seemed to tangle with each other, almost making him vomit. Apollo gently pushed Percy so that he stood next to his father and looked at them nervously.

Poseidon pressed down on the trident and cleared his throat.

— my daughter, Apollo?

—She's in the camp! —Percy rushed to say, earning a silent scolding from his father.

Apollo bowed briefly in respect. Poseidon narrowed his eyes.

— That's true.

— and why isn't she here?

Percy looked at his father and imitated his action of searching Apollo carefully, again. as if he had committed something unforgivable.

The god paused and extended his hand towards both of them, a small golden light shining together at dusk. When the light died out, he revealed a small chest lying in his palm.

Percy looked at him in confusion, completely unnoticed, but Poseidon gritted his teeth.

— I have found in her, what I have longed for since my existence.

Percy gasped, and his mood made a small whirlwind rise around him.

— No! —he shouted.

Apollo calmed his breathing, trying to stay calm.

— I had never met someone like her.

— No! Lie! —Percy pointed at him with eyes full of anger, or that was fear?— It's one thing for you to be lovebirds, but—

—Son of mine…

— is MY sister!— Percy's chest expanded in such a way that Apollo feared for his ribs, he took a step and knelt, bowing his head.

Poseidon would have imagined that such a show of respect would be directed towards him, but no, it was towards Percy.

how could it not be? Apollo knew that the gods were ignoring their responsibilities as parents. He knew that the most important person for you was the one who had taken care of your back in all those adventures, just as you took care of his, it was him, was your brother.

—She was by my side in my time as a human. She has shown me what love is.— Apollo looked up pleadingly.

—And now you just want to take her away, why?

— I won't take her anywhere, I want to take her as my wife.

— TAKE HER-

— Percy — Poseidon's voice vibrated through the waters, Apollo, still kneeling, gave him a passive but firm look.

The sun god rose and stood in front of the two men.

— Poseidon, Percy…

The youngest clenched his fists and a few small tears appeared in his eyes.

—Actually, she has the last word. I just wanted you guys to be… present.

Both Percy, Poseidon and even Apollo knew that very well. Especially Apollo, what would he do if you said no? He'd probably cry for eons (literally) yet he couldn't stop craving the approval of your brother and your…father.

Then Percy's eyes traveled to his back and he opened his mouth slightly. He felt the greatest chills a god could feel, then he turned.

Your silhouette looming over the coast, bright and full of life. Your eyes lit up when you saw those three gathered together.

Before addressing you, Apollo gave them a look. The three approached the shore, they gave Apollo enough space. They would see you from there, where the water surrounded their ankles.

— my dear… — Apollo said sweetly, trotting towards you and taking your hands.

You were confused. Your father, Percy, why didn't you travel together if he came too? Your eyes looked at your sweet Apollo. His current form was the mix of “old” Apollo with Lester.

As soon as he reached your side, you took his hand.

— What's going on? Are you already in trouble? —You asked with a raised eyebrow and a sideways smile.

Apollo smiled and kissed your knuckles without taking his eyes off you.

—Or I'll be.

You laughed, that melodious laugh. He definitely didn't want to be without you.

— you'll be? because...? — You were confused, your hand still hooked on Apollo's. You looked at your father who smiled calmly and then at Percy, who was staring at you; He only made that expression when he was terrified of something.

You turned your gaze to Apollo, now a little more worried.

— Love?

— My beloved — Apollo whispered, just for you. Without letting go, he got down on one knee and the velvet chest from before appeared. You held your breath.

The waters stirred.

— There is no poem, song, melody, or haiku that can describe the feelings you make me feel. You are what I always wanted, dreamed and desired. — Apollo opened the small box, revealing a ring; Instead of a precious stone, a small pearl was placed on the ring with two laurel leaves made of gold surrounding it. A clear representation of both. — Today I ask you to let me be your husband because it is me who is given the honor of being the owner of your affection. I promise to take care of it and treasure it.

Your eyes filled with tears, and you knelt down to your boyfriend's height.

— I would like to — The mass of water shook the banks with more force.

A few meters away, Percy, your brother, remained standing, no matter how much the water tried to knock him down. A smile formed on his lips and the first tear ran down his cheek.

Poseidon took his son's shoulder, and they walked towards you.

You looked at your father, who smiled gently at you and then gave Apollo a stern look.

— At sea.

— On Olympus —  Apollo said immediately, determined to win. You raised your eyebrow. Were they fighting over the wedding location?

— The sea

— Olympus

— In the ocean

— Delphi

— Enough! — You snorted and looked disapprovingly at both gods.

Your brother was still silent, certainly not usual. You let go of Apollo and took both of Percy's hands.

Your gaze was shining, that made him feel bad for wanting to shake you and wanting to change your mind.

— You know he's not who he once was, Percy— you whispered.

— I know…

— You even said you liked him, brother

— Shhh — the black-haired covered his sister's mouth — if he listens, won't get over it in years

— I heard —  Apollo said between giggles.

Percy pursed his lips.

—Listen, if you do anything to her, I WILL KILL YOU, APOLLO!

—Percy! —His sister shouted.

— I'm going to kill you, I won't forgive you, I KNOW A TITAN-

Poseidon opened his eyes, his sister grabbed him by the neck.

—PERCY! — they both shouted.

Apollo smiled and hugged him.

Poseidon couldn't take it anymore and he was already gone. He promised to have a talk with Apollo.

Percy remained thoughtful, the sun god still hanging around his neck.

—Does that mean you will be Will's stepmother? —He laughed out loud — can't wait to tell Nico.

You and Apollo looked at each other, silently reaching a mutual agreement.

— I think we keep this information for a while.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows and put a hand on his hip. —With those SPIES FROM THERE, I don't think so.

Laughter was heard in the bushes, and around five campers ran when they were discovered.

— Children of Aphrodite. — Percy said, sure of himself —  tomorrow, when we get to Camp Jupiter, all they will know.

You shook your head in amusement.

— Oh, brother. What will become of you when comes the day and tell you that I am expecting a child?

Apollo choked on his own saliva and Percy on his bile. At least you had the last laugh.

#maría's shared dreams☆｡ﾟ✧ #lester papadopoulos #lester x reader #lester x you #apollo x reader #pjo hoo toa #percy jackson

[penny-anna]

hi guys im bored this afternoon so im going down an incorrect quotes rabbit hole.

for context!! here is the post i wrote which somehow entered the Incorrect Quotes Content Soup.

let's see what we got!

(N.E.R.D.S, GMOD) i have no idea who these characters are. however point of interest here is that the OPs apparently got these out of an incorrect quotes generator? who put me in the generator

(Undertale (i think?) Fire Emblem, Skyrim, Undertale again, Guardians of Mirra, Soul Eater)

i appreciate OP2's decision to include an extra lil caption at the top that's fun

an interesting common thread i'm noticing here is that all of these have the character who's cooking is 'inconclusive' and the character who's shoelaces are eaten as the same character? which is odd bcos in the OOP (mine) they are 2 different people!

(no idea what fandom this is) ohh this one has some new dialogue!! that's fun!! i like the new dialogue. however seems like a missed opportunity not to change any of the non-foods.

moving on!!

(Owl House) puzzled by the choice of characters here (who is Edward? genuinely do they mean Edric?) BUT appreciate the addition of 'more for me' from Hooty that's cute

(Dear Evan Hansen) singling this one out for the title that's fun

(unknown fandom) intriguingly this one goes on a bit longer & includes some more dialogue from the OP!

(The Owl House) MAJOR props here for not only adding more dialogue but being the extremely rare iteration to add in some additional canon-appropriate foodstuffs 👍👍👍👍

(Percy Jackson) ok im gonna level w ya. not only is this by FAR the most valid version of this i've seen i actually think it is prolly more in character than the OP. yeah Grover would eat twigs & shoelaces ur right.

& FINALLY i stumbled upon this tiktok featuring the cast of Sonic the Hedgehog which i am charmed and delighted by

stay tuned for if i find more!!

[kourtniwritesagain]

Make Your Move (Updated 07/18/2023)

A/N: I wrote this a million years ago, but it’s probably the most reblogged/liked story I ever wrote. The blog I wrote it on (thatkourtnichik) has been deactivated for a while. I’ve tweaked a few things in this story and corrected some previous errors. 

“You sure you’re feeling alright?” Will Solace asked Nico di Angelo for the hundredth time.

“Yes.” Nico replied with an eye roll.

He just finished up his prison sentence third day in the infirmary and was currently trying to be alone with his thoughts outside. Of course, Will and his ‘sparkling’ personality had to invade his time alone (and his thoughts and his dreams…).

“Maybe another day—”

“You said three days, Solace,” Nico interrupted, pointing a finger at the blonde-haired blue-eyed boy. “I did my time.”

Will snorted. “You make it sound like a prison sentence.”

“Your words.”

“Hey, believe it or not, I actually know what I’m talking about.” Will replied, nudging Nico with his shoulder. “You know, since I’m ‘special’ and what not.”

Now it was Nico’s turn to snort. “Is that what we’re calling it now? No more half-blood’s, we’re all just special?”

Will chuckled. “It’s less of a mouthful.” 

Nico rolled his eyes and ducked his head to hide his grin.

“Well…look at that, the son of Hades knows how to smile.”

Nico looked up to scoff at the older boy, but he found himself lost in the brilliant sunny smile that was on Will’s face. Nico swallowed slowly and felt heat rise to his face.

“And blushes too…hmm…interesting.” Will’s sunny smile quickly turned smug. Nico pushed at his shoulder, making Will laugh.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re annoying?” Nico asked.

“A few times,” answered Will. “But mostly I get stunning and talented.”

“What about stubborn, aggravating, insufferable, irritating—”

“That’s a lot of adjectives.”

Nico stopped mid-rant and, this time, couldn’t stop the smile on his face. Will Solace had a way of making Nico think differently…to feel differently as well. The son of Hades had been so focused on Percy and what he thought were true feelings for the other boy that he hadn’t been able to see that there were other possibilities for companionship…for love.

Not that he loved Will.

Because he didn’t.

Not at all.

“There’s that smile again! You should do that more often you know,” said Will. “You’re whole face is like…brightening.”

“Yeah well…don’t get used to it.” Nico replied. “I can’t stay out of my brooding cloud for too long. It gets lonely.”

Will laughed at that, and Nico thought that it was a very nice sound.

“I’m sure it’ll survive without you.” Will told him.

“I dunno…everyone’s got their thing and the brooding cloud is apparently mine. I mean, where would we be without Percy’s sass? Or Annabeth’s lack of tact? Or without your pigheadedness—oof!”

Will tackled Nico to the ground and had him pinned on his back. Nico looked incredulously up at the boy and felt his jaw open slightly, shocked at how easily he was taken down.

“You know, some people don’t like to be insulted di Angelo.” Will said, grinning mischievously at him.

“Is that so?” Nico asked, feigning arrogance. “Well, maybe some people just don’t appreciate honesty?”

Will narrowed his eyes adorably (Nico so did not just think that). “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

Nico shrugged, tugging lightly at his hands, which were pinned underneath Will’s knees. “A little funny, yeah.”

“I’ll give you something to laugh at,” said Will as he brought his hands up and settled them over Nico’s ribs. “Tell me, oh powerful and dark and brooding son of Hades, are you…ticklish?”

Nico gasped and then squirmed slightly as Will started drumming his fingers lightly against his rib cage. “What?”

“Are you ticklish? It’s a common trait among humans, and half-bloods. too, as far as I know. You know, being a ‘doctor’ and all I know which spots to avoid…or torture ruthlessly.”

Nico glared up at him. “Don’t even think about it, Solace.”

Will smirked and dug into Nico’s rib cage, making the other boy bark out a laugh. Of course, Nico di Angelo was stubborn and soon clamped his mouth shut, trying to keep himself from laughing.

“Oh don’t think I’m going to be going easy on you!” Will laughed, wiggling his fingers in between Nico’s rib cage.

Nico tried desperately not to laugh. He hadn’t been tickled in years. The last person to even try had been his sister. Ever since he arrived at Camp, there hadn’t exactly been any time for rest and relaxation. Plus, no one really liked him anyways…well, Will insisted people wanted to befriend him, but Nico had been used to isolating himself and never really got too close to anyone. Plus, he enjoyed his personal space.

Not that Will cared…obviously.

“D-Dohohon’t!” Nico giggled. Ugh. Giggled. How embarrassing!

“You know, if you tell me your worst spot, this’ll be over a lot quicker.” Will told him, moving his hands up Nico’s rib cage and digging into his under arms.

“No! Nonono!” Nico shouted, tugging desperately at his arms to free them. Unfortunately, he had no luck and his strength was being sapped from all the effort he was putting into not laughing.

“Underarms? That’s a hot spot for a lot of people, but I’m guessing this isn’t the spot, am I right?” Will asked, grinning like a fool as he clawed his hands, vibrating them quickly and sending ticklish jolts all throughout Nico’s body. Small huffs of laughter were starting to spill from Nico’s lips, which of course only encouraged Will.

"I wanna hear some good ol’ fashioned belly laughter!” Will stated and decided to move his hands to Nico’s stomach.

And that’s when the dam broke.

“NohohOHOHO! No! WILL! PLEHEHEHEASE!”

“Jackpot!” Will crowed and then proceeded to wreak absolute havoc on Nico’s sensitive tummy.

Nico cackled like a mad man as his stomach was poked, prodded, tweaked, and tortured. Apparently, his stomach was his weak spot, and Will hadn’t been kidding when he said he knew how to torture ruthlessly. Nico’s thin shirt offered very little protection, not that it mattered because the blonde menace was currently pulling it up to get at his sensitive skin.

“WIHIHIHILL! STAHAHAP!” Nico begged, a helpless grin on his face and tears of mirth gathering in the corners of his eyes. Will was making nonsensical patterns all over his stomach, stroking softly and slowly, making Nico shiver.

“You have a very nice laugh. You should laugh more often, ya know?”

“PleHEHEHEASE! I-I can’t TAHAHAHAKE IT!” Nico tried to convince him.

“Oh, you’re taking it just fine!” Will replied cheerfully.

“I wihihihill SEND AHAHA MILLION ZOHOHOHOMBIES i-into yOUR CAHAHABIN! I SWEHEHEHEAR!”

“Meh, zombies aren’t that scary. Besides, hearing you laugh and seeing you smile is more than worth it.” Will replied with a wink.

Nico was thankful that his face was already beet red from laughing so that Will couldn’t tell just how hard he was blushing.

“You know, I’ve heard raspberries are like, the worst feeling for people who are super ticklish on their stomachs.”

“NOHOHO!” Nico protested, but then Will was leaning his head down and there was no stopping him. Nico shrieked and dissolved into deep laughter as Will blew a wet and messy and ticklish raspberry on his belly.

“WIHIHIHIHILL! PLEHEHEHEASE!” Nico begged as Will continued to deliver raspberry after raspberry.

Nico was drumming his heels into the dirt before he finally gave up and went limp, head thrown back and eyes closed as he gave in to the ticklish sensations.

That is until he felt a pair of lips press against his own.

Nico’s eyes went wide just as Will pulled back and beamed down at him.

“You have a very nice laugh.” Will said softly.

“So you’ve said…” Nico replied breathlessly, both from the tickling attack and the shock at having just been kissed.

“C’mon, dinner is almost ready.” Will got off of him and offered him a hand.

“What was—” Nico cut himself off and blushed furiously as he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

“The kiss?” Will asked, and Nico nodded. “Well, you just looked so adorable, and I couldn’t help myself. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable…”

“No.” Nico replied softly.

“No, what?”

“No, it didn't make me uncomfortable.”

Will grinned. “So, I can do it again?”

Nico nodded and smiled back but then quickly scowled. “But if you tickle me again, I will end you, Solace.”

Will laughed. “Duly noted, di Angelo.”

Will grabbed Nico’s hand, and Nico had never felt so happy in all of his life.

#solangelo #ticklish!nico #nico di angelo #will solace #tickling fic #pjo #kourtni writes things #refurbishedfic

[crossdressingdeath]

Potentially unpopular opinion: I think personal loyalty is more Nico's fatal flaw than Percy's. I mean, Percy is loyal to the people he considers friends, but he's consistently able to put the fate of the world first (despite that being the thing that Athena was so worried about him not being able to do). It's really only his little field trip to Tartarus with Annabeth that's caused by his personal loyalty. Which is bad, don't get me wrong, but I don't think one event really qualifies for a fatal flaw.

Nico, though? Nico gets screwed over by his fierce loyalty and devotion to people he cares about basically every book. He gives his loyalty too fast, he doesn't revoke that unfaltering devotion even when the person he's given it to really doesn't deserve it (usually not because they're a bad person, but Nico usually gives a lot more than he gets without much by way of even appreciation or gratitude—much less reciprocation—in return), and he consistently accepts the consequences on himself; sometimes he manages to avoid said consequences (for example Hades isn't quite able to bring himself to blast his own son to bits for trying to push him, Persephone and Demeter to join the war against Kronos, so Nico manages to avoid getting hurt over that little request from Percy), but more often he... does not. His little trip to Tartarus is a notable example: he made that choice, because it was what the gods and the camps needed, and it very nearly destroyed him. And in TSatS he intends to put himself through what is basically the closest thing in the setting to actual hell for a second time because someone he's loyal to needs him.

And Nico is an incredibly loyal person! The only time his loyalties come into question is when he's put in a situation where he has to choose between two people who both command his loyalty; the incident in Last Olympian is the perfect example, where he's forced to choose between loyalty to his father and loyalty to Percy. But his loyalties are questioned regularly, because of... well, mostly just because of the incident in Last Olympian, which seems a little unfair given he ultimately put his loyalty to Percy first and it was apparently Percy telling the Seven about that time Nico "betrayed" him, but whatever. And just in general because he knew about both camps and said nothing, which is unfair when you consider the gods, Chiron and Lupa at least all knew and kept their mouths shut and their loyalties are never questioned, but again: whatever. Nico is perfectly, unflinchingly, unfalteringly loyal to the gods (and specifically his father), the camps, and Percy in particular, frequently to the point of doing serious damage to himself, and he basically never gets anything in return! Hell, he willingly chooses Tartarus and when he somehow manages to survive and come back he gets... the Seven (minus Hazel) all thinking about how creepy he is and how weird it is that this kid who had to survive Tartarus alone and then spent a week in a jar slowly suffocating to death isn't super friendly and cheerful. Nico's loyalty constantly screws him over and never gets him anything! I don't know, that feels more like a fatal flaw than "Uh... grudges" when he never actually keeps grudges.

#riordanverse #nico di angelo

[ameagrice]

Capsize

chapter eighteen | a dream is a wish your heart makes

percy jackson x fem reader

Talking to Annabeth once during the summer, when you’d been thinking four times as hard as you usually did, she told you things you hadn’t known before.

Children of Athena were born from the thoughts of the goddess. You weren’t born like normal children were—the knowledge of which made you literally scream over the phone. You were simply thought up, and into existence. This meant most children were claimed at birth. Some, like you, knew of their mother. They knew what they were (or at least that they were different), and upon arrival to camp would find it easy to be sorted into their cabin.

You hadn’t had a clue. Your dad never explained it (though for a guy always invested in insurance claims and telephone calls, you weren’t surprised). But you couldn’t help feeling left out. Your mother gave her other children signs. Annabeth was scared of spiders (the same way you were), but Athena had guided Annabeth to Luke and Thalia. Cora had heard her mother’s voice in her head telling her to run. You had traipsed through life of your own accord, standing up for yourself and doing what you had to. There had been no guidance there. At times, looking back, you guessed maybe you hadn’t felt totally alone in things. But that was as far as it went. Your claiming at camp was the first sign of recognition that she must have been watching at some point.

Your dad wasn’t the outwardly loving kind. In terms of affection, you’d get a phone call now and again in Yancy, or an email with a smiley face at the end. You appreciated it. You took it as it came. That didn’t mean there wasn’t a void that didn’t need some kind of filler. Your heart was drying out, bones screaming for some kind of something.

And then along came Percy.

And everything began to change.

It was just that sometimes, you wondered where your guidance from your mother was. You almost craved it the way an addict craved drugs.

Which was why when you set your sights on the kids in the corridor, and you heard a woman’s whisper in your head, a shiver ran up your spine, and you spun.

Turn around.

You jumped viciously, walking backward into the kids and pushing them behind you. Dr. Thorn waited at the end of the corridor watching; you’d thought he was distracted, but apparently your plan hadn’t worked well enough.

Survival instincts had been a crucial part of many events in your life.

And they were strong right now.

Your body buzzed with demigod instincts, ready to fight. You pulled your knife from your jacket. You’d chosen it for its hold, and the shininess of its bronze-like colour. If you could distract him, and get the kids out of the way, your best bet would be to aim straight for the heart. The weapon was so sharp the point hurt just to look at, and your aiming skills had progressed insanely.

You had no doubt you could pull this off.

“Um,” Bianca shook behind you. “What do we do now?”

“We fight!” Nico exclaimed. You watched Thorn closely, not paying much attention to Nico. “My Zeus card—”

“Be serious, Nico!”

“You guys run through those doors,” you mumbled. You felt shifting behind you, so you turned to watch the kids take off. 

You never would be able to fully explain what it felt like to be slammed against a wall, knocking all the oxygen from your lungs. It almost happened like a blackout, so quick you couldn’t even understand at first that nothing had been in place to put you there. You yelped, body smarting. Bianca and Nico had stopped, looking back at you for guidance, and the doors they’d been running for slammed closed. Pain exploded in your shoulder, clogging up your throat, squeezing your intestines into nausea. You swiped the air with your dagger, but nothing was there. Just the feeling of a cold, heavy hand pushing on the front of your body, keeping you in place.

Bianca looked at you in horror, and then to Thorn. You wished you could tell her it would be okay, but feared if you opened your mouth now the only thing to come out with be vomit. 

You shoved forward in an attempt to dislodge the foot-long black spike that struck through your jacket and pinned you in place. An awful burning was taking place across your shoulder, beginning to run down your arm, hot and painful.

Dr. Thorn moved before you could see him. He was closer now, and Nico and Bianca were huddled together not far away. Bianca had Nico at her front, arms protectively over his shoulder and crossed at his chest. Thorn still looked human, but his face was ghoulish, something from a halloween horror.

“Thank you for coming out of the gym,” he said crispy. His voice had a slight French accent. ”I hate middle school dances.”

Your right mind screamed what, been to a few? But your survival mind said ABSNDKFNEKDKL!!!

You kept silent as he grew closer. Your arm tingled horribly, the sensation of pins and needles if the pins and needles were really jabbing in to your skin. 

WHIIIISH! A second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. He didn’t appear to move. It was as if someone invisible were standing behind him, throwing knives. In the dark hallway behind him, you searched for something that would tell you what was going on. 

Bianca suddenly screamed, a shrill, cold scream, and you dreaded the worst. You turned your head—she’d moved next to you, and the thing had hit the wall just centimetres from her head.

“All three of you will come with me,” Dr. Thorn said. “Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw.”

—

You really didn’t want to let the kids know you weren’t doing so great. But Bianca looked at you and her eyes went so round you thought they might pop out of her head.

You chastised yourself mentally, nauseously.

Oooo, well done, idiot. Yeah, let’s run off without the others. You’re so smart. Definitely a child of Athena.

You walked down the halls, and wondered how on earth you were going to get somebody to help you. You’d come pretty much defenceless, you were hurt, and nobody knew where you’d gone. The four of you walked and walked, and you were beginning to grow desperate.

Until a whistle caught your attention.

Thorn stopped instantly and turned like he was about to proclaim the worst news on earth. Except he looked positively murderous.

“Which one of you was that?”

You shook your head. Your stomach spun. “Not me. I feel like I’m dying.”

“My poison causes pain, not death. Now move.”

He turned and began leading you outside.

The path he lead you down was snow-leaden and slippery. Some sort of instincts made you want to reach out and take Nico’s arm; he slipped over and Bianca pulled him up right away, before Thorn could notice. But vomit was in your mouth now, and you couldn’t move your arm. It turned heavy, a weight, and hot like you were leaning on a heat lamp, still being jabbed by invisible pins. You couldn’t have lifted your arm if you tried.

The path was dimly lit with old-fashioned lamps, casting a golden glow, and making the snow glitter. It would have pretty, you wished it was pretty. But truth was you were most likely walking to your death lest your friends came to the rescue. And, looking behind you, seeing nothing but dark woodlands, the chances were looking slim. 

“There is a clearing ahead,” Thorn announced. “We will summon your ride.”

You blinked. “What ride?” you tried to be brave, but really there was acid running up your oesophagus. “Where are you taking us?”

“Silence, you insufferable girl!”

“Don’t talk to her that way!” Nico’s voice quivered, small and childish. He was clearly very scared. But brave. 

Thorn made a growling noise. It sounded anything but human. Anything you tried now would be an attempt in vain. With your arm now turning numb and heavier, unable to move it, and two kids in front of you in your care, you began to let yourself panic. At first it was easy to hide your fear, but nobody had so much as followed you out here. 

You had led these kids right to their deaths. 

“Halt.”

In front of you was the edge of a cliff. It was jagged and uneven toward the end. Waves crashing and roaring could be heard. It smelled of sea salt and seaweed. 

Thorn pushed you first, a firm hand between your shoulders. Only then, after turning numb, did you feel an awful prickling feeling, the worst feeling you’d ever felt, across your upper body. You looked at your hand, something you’d only just thought of:

It was purple. Your hand was purple and swelling, and if your hand was, so was the rest of your arm. 

You gagged. 

Bianca gazed at you, looking concerned. You wanted to laugh. The roles were reversed here.

“You okay?” She asked. 

You nodded. Barely. 

“What is he?” 

You blew air from your cheeks. Your hair whipped every which way. “Honestly--”

“I’m scared,” Nico mumbled. Your heart ached.

“Stop talking!” Thorn bellowed. The three of you shut up. “Face me.”

You never had liked taking orders. Being told what to do and just doing it was not in your nature. Everything in you yelled fight back!!!

You glanced to the side. Waves still roared. 

“I dare you, daughter of Athena,” Thorn drawled. “Save yourself.”

How did he know?...

“What did he call you?”

“It’s an extremely long story, dude.”

“I would kill you before you even reached the water,” Thorn continued. “You do not know who I am, do you?”

Were you supposed to?

Something whizzed past your ear--another missile-thing. It flew so close that you jumped, and right into its line. It caught your ear as it passed, and you were left trying to hold down the next set of vomit. 

But something distracted you very, very quickly: a tail. A tail. 

You’re shitting me. 

“Unfortunately, Thorn said, “you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead.”

“Who wants us?” Bianca demanded. “Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I...” Her voice broke a little. “We've got no one but each other.” 

“Aww,” Dr. Thorn said. “Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family.”

Employer? You racked your brain for the only person you figured could be behind this form of kidnapping. The only demigod who had turned, who wanted monsters at his side. 

“Luke Castellan,” you realised. “You work for Luke, don’t you?”

“You have no idea what is happening, daughter of Athena. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you.”

Horror filled you. Those words could mean anything. You had to fight back somehow. You physically couldn’t...

It started with your attitude. 

“The General?” you mimicked in a terrible, off-putting French accent. “Oh, so scary. Just explain, already.”

“I think he will enjoy killing you, first,” he tilted his head. Goosebumps ran up your spine. “He does not have want for those who defy.”

In the distance, you could hear the turning of a helicopter and wondered just where the hell this guy planned on taking you. It hit you, all of a sudden, the determination to look after these kids. Strong in your heart. Your eyes didn’t move from Thorn. And his eyes didn’t move off of you. 

“Where are you taking us?” Nico asked.

“You should be honoured, my boy.  You will have the opportunity to be a part of a great army, just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls.”

“They’re not dolls! They’re figurines!” Nico spat. “And you can take your great army and sho--”

“Now, now,” Dr. Thorn warned. “You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well...there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway.”

The Great Stirring? Your first thought was a pot of homemade soup, and your dad’s wooden cooking spoon engraved with World’s Worst Cook! But figured now was not the time.

It did, however, help you to keep it in mind.

“What does that mean?”

“The stirring of monsters.” Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. “The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!”

“Alright,” Bianca whispered. “He’s totally nuts.”

Anything to calm her nerves. “He’s totally on drugs. Probably Class A’s.”

“Class A’s?” She frowned heavily. You felt your expression change, though you could not put a proper name to how you were feeling. Maybe confused? Who didn’t know what Class A’s were? Surely in a military school setting, these children had been taught about drugs? Hell, you knew what they were even before school. 

Something was wrong. 

And the need to run was getting stronger. 

“Listen,” you whispered. You eyed Thorn carefully; he was looking out at the sea, for something. “When I say go, we jump, alright?”

Bianca’s eyes went wide. “What?” she laughed under her breath. “Great. You’re nuts, too.”

You didn’t have any chance to argue with her. 

A sudden force plowed into you, knocking you down hard. Your arm was in so much pain that the increased flare of it stopped any sound coming out of your mouth. Bianca fell on to you, injured side, and Nico on top of her, like a car pileup. 

But the distraction turned Thorn towards you three, giving what seemed to be Thalia and Percy the chance to attack him. You’d say for certain, but the pain was so blinding with Bianca pushing on you to stand that your head swam, inner voice and thoughts diminished instantly. 

So what was the alarming thing to bring you back to your senses?

The way Dr. Thorn’s arm changed from a limb to bright orange, huge paw. A tiger’s paw. It slashed at Thalia while Percy swung his sword with an anger you’d never seen before. He caught the back of Thorn, and he let out a yell of pure fury. He swatted Percy backward, and he hit a tree. But Percy had gotten him, and black blood dripped quickly to the snow. 

Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia. Ahh, you thought. That was how he did it. 

He had a tail—a leathery, scorpion-like tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off Thalia’s shield, Aegis, but the force of the impact knocked Thalia down.

Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him. 

 Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions. 

 “A manticore!” Annabeth said. You hadn’t seen her appear, so out of it. Her invisibility hat lay next to you on the ground. With one hand, you tried to stand, slowly. 

“Who are you people?” Bianca di Angelo demanded. “And what is that?”

“An absolute bitch,” you groaned, finally standing. 

“A manticore!” Nico gasped. “He’s got three thousand attack power!”

Thalia was still fighting Thorn, in a back-and-forth match that seemed to go on. A figure behind Thorn, by the trees, caught your attention. Percy, you realised, almost forgetting that he was there.

While Thorn was distracted. 

In your weary state, arm feeling like it was no longer a part of your body, you didn’t recognise what was happening until it did. Percy sprinted over to you, almost sliding off the edge of the cliff. You practically collapsed on him, hating yourself for this. 

“Hey, let me see. Dude, I swear if you don’t give me your arm.”

“Can’t even feel it at this point,” you mumbled. Percy grabbed you and with your good hand you swatted at him. 

“Oh. Oh. Ew. Dude. What are your thoughts on limb loss?”

“Don’t say that!” 

“It’s blue!”

Thalia seemed to be yelling at Thorn. The Di Angelos looked terribly alarmed. Thorn was shooting spikes this way and that, and Grover was desperately trying something. At your side, Annabeth patiently (if not a tad worriedly) tried to take to the kids.  

Behind you, the sound of the helicopter was much, much louder. Your hair began to blow violently, and then you knew: it was right there. 

Annabeth yelled. Thalia was on the ground, defeated, watching dazedly. Grover lay, eyes closed, in the snow. Thorn prepared to shoot. And Percy dropped you instantly. Your knees hit stones. 

Percy skidded to his own knees when you did, in front of Thalia, shield raised. 

Thorn laughed cruelly. “You are defeated, half-bloods. Give in.”

He went to strike. 

A hunting horn blew and rang in your ears. Everyone fell silent, watching; waiting. Thorn turned his head slowly in the direction of the horn. 

“No. It can’t be--”

His sentence was cut short when something shot toward him like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder. He staggered backward, wailing in agony.

Your hair whipped about, knees smarting. The helicopter lights lit up the area. 

“Curse you!” Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in mid-air and sliced them in two. You watched, captivated. No one, not even Apollo's kids at camp, could shoot with that much accuracy.

The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. Percy swiped his sword, but Thorn wasn’t so taken aback as to be unaware of his surroundings. He knocked Percy aside.

“The Hunters!” Annabeth called, amazed. 

Finally, you felt. Someone’s here to save us all.

“Permission to kill, my lady?” About a dozen girls came from the woods, armed with silver, heavy-looking but slim bows and arrows, all glinting and shiny. This one girl at the front held her weapon at the ready, armed well on Thorn. 

When you first started out at camp, the idea of killing anything was wildly disgusting. Now, though?

Kill him. Get it over with. 

“This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws!” Thorn roared.

“Not so,” a girl who looked younger than you spoke confidently but coolly. She had bright auburn hair and fair skin, bright eyes. “The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast. Zoe, permission to kill.”

Thorn growled. “If I cannot take one alive, I will take them dead!”

It happened before you saw it coming. Thorn leapt at you, and you both tumbled in the snow. He was so much bigger than you, and with your arm the way it was, you could nothing but try to pry him off you with your free hand, kicking violently. You screamed and he yelled, spit flying. You were so close to the edge of the cliff. Your heart dropped. 

The others around you screamed and shouted. 

Thorn was thrown off course. You lay on your front, hands flat in front of you, holding yourself up as much as you could while gasping for breath, as someone was on his back. Annabeth.

Her blonde braids whipped her face, but it didn’t put her off. She jabbed Thorn with a knife, and he let out the most unhuman sound ever heard. 

“Get back, half-blood! Get out of the line of fire!”

“Fire!” Zoe ordered. 

“No!” Percy. 

Arrows flew. They caught Thorn in the chest, and one in the back of the neck, missing Annabeth by inches. He turned terrifyingly fast, visibly angry, growling. “This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!”

And, at the edge of the cliff, Thorn fell backward off of it, plummeting to the sea and rocks. You heard a scream--was it you? You’d reached your hand out at some point. 

Annabeth went with him. 

Thalia and Percy Grover rushed to the edge, too close. 

Above you, a boom sounded. Looking up, all you were witness to was a flock of black birds flying off, the helicopter gone. 

And then there was silence.

The one called Zoe spoke first. “You,” she seethed. 

You managed to roll over, sitting up. Your pants were soaked with snow. 

Your fault. Your eyes drifted to Percy still sat at the edge, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, just watching the water below. Your fault.

“Zoe Nightshade,” Thalia’s voice shook with anger. “Perfect timing, as usual.”

Zoe scanned the rest of you. “Five half-bloods and a satyr, my lady.”

“Ah, yes,” the younger girl said. Her own silvery eyes scanned the scene. “Some of Chiron’s campers, I see.”

“Annabeth!” Percy yelled over the edge. “You have to let us save her!”

“I’m sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help.”

Percy tried to get to his feet, face like thunder, but two of the Hunter girls held him down. Thalia watched Zoe with anger in every inch of her body. 

And that was when you noticed Grover. Your attention drawn solely to him. He was walking to you, mouth twisted sadly. He knelt beside you. 

“You okay?”

You barely nodded. 

“Can I?...” 

You wanted to say no. Having people start touching you was not on the agenda. But, like Percy had said, your hand was frozen-blue, veins pronounced and purple now. And Grover just wanted to help. 

You’d never much liked Grover. But things like these, kindness like this despite the past, put things into perspective. In the end, you were all fighting the same thing, working together. 

So, you could still feel iffy about him (and not even have to have him as a friend) but any help now would be beneficial for you. 

You said yes. Grover helped you to pull off your coat and sweater, leaving you in your tee. The wind bit your skin. As far as you could see, the poison had spread to your chest. 

You didn’t have a choice in the embarrassing thing to happen next:

Your eyes rolled back. 

And you fell unconscious. 

—

The sun warmed your skin. It wasn’t unusual for Australia, but considering the thermometer on the wall above the television told you it was into the hundreds, you were surprised you didn’t feel hotter.

“Your dad’s pretty cool.”

You jumped. Something nagged in the back of your mind.

“Yeah, he’s alright. Has his moments.” You answered without having to think, like it just came to you.

Turning your head to the side, you were surprised but also not to see an older boy lying on the opposite sofa, legs stretched and ankles crossed over the armrest. Sunlight passed through the mirrored wind chime in the window and sparkled lighter dots across his face, drifting this way and that gently with the wind from the fan on the wall.

His jaw was so sharp you swore it would have been able to cut your hand if you touched it. And his skin was so bronze, tanner than you knew somehow it had been for a while. His shirt rode up. Your stomach fluttered at the sight, and the boy grinned cheekily. You knew that smile.

Percy’s black hair was a mess, like he’d ran his hands through it. And those goddamn eyes, as bright as they could get, almost shone green. His arms settled behind his head, and some soft, calm Lofi music played from the radio on the black-tinted glass table between you both.

“I-uh—” you had to swallow before you choked on your words. “We should go to the beach before it gets too late.”

When you looked down on autopilot, able to feel everything like it was real life, your shirt slipped down, like you’d pulled it up a little beforehand. A loose, almost see-through white with tiny embroidered flowers in soft yellows and greens.

“I love you.”

Your breath caught in your throat. You blinked at the edge of the sofa, unable to move.

“Do you not always?” You weakly retorted, in an effort to not let on to how affected you were by his words.

You didn’t have time for his answer to reach you.

Because you woke up.

And everything came back.

So…what did y’all thing of that :\

I wrote part of this on my laptop and the last half on my phone whoops :D

Taglist:

@bl6o6dy @embersparklz @lilyevanswhore @rottenstyx @hawkeye12 @rory-cakes @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @marshmallow12435 @luckydragontriumph @lantsovheiress @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol @bugsys-bubble @twsssmlmaa @gayandfairycore @padsfirewhisky

#capsize #percy jackson #pjo #leo valdez #annabeth chase #heroes of olympus #trials of apollo #hoo #jason grace #nico di angelo #Percy Jackson x reader #pjo series #Leo Valdez x reader #pjo x reader #reader insert #fanfiction #percy jackson fics

[the-al-chemist]

The Lights That Never Go Out

Chapter 1: Over The Hills And Far Away

A/N: I’ve been wanting to write and share this story for a while. Thanks to @thethreebroomsticksfic’s 12 Days of Yule Bash, I finally had an excuse to start. This chapter uses the prompts ‘evergreen’ and ‘first snow’.

Warnings: mentions of war and loss.

1st December, 1998

The Ministry of Magic was as quiet as it ever was these days, the rush of lunchtime having settled, and the exodus of the evening not yet started.

Artemis paused in the very centre of the atrium. A few days ago, the spot had been empty, the way it had been since the May morning the Minstry was reclaimed from the Death Eaters. Now, however, one of the largest fir trees she had ever seen was standing in the place that had previously housed the Fountain of Magical Brethren. At least a thousand lights twinkled from its branches, reflecting in the shiny surfaces of the tiles covering the floors and the walls. It was as if the whole atrium were sparkling.

She was not the only one whose attention had been caught by the tree. Several others had also stopped to look at it, their expressions varying from those of appreciation and excitement to disapproval. One of the more dubious looking expressions was worn by a face that was familiar to Artemis, and she forced a smile as she walked over to her acquaintance.

“You don’t look too sure, Perce,” she said. She tilted her head at Percy Weasley, who fiddled with the arms of his glasses. “Don’t you like it?”

“I’m not sure that it’s an entirely appropriate replacement for the fountain.” Percy sniffed, and his glasses wriggled up his long nose. “It seems rather frivolous, given everything that’s happened in the past year and a half.”

“That’s the whole point. People have had enough fear and misery. And Kingsley said it’s actually very symbolic.”

‘How so?”

“Because it’s evergreen,” said Artemis, repeating the word Kingsley had used. “Trees that are evergreen bloom all year round, even in the cold and the dark. And people decorate them to celebrate that the nights are going to get lighter from now on.” She smiled at the tree. “He says it’s very fitting to have a Christmas tree up now, exactly because of everything that’s happened.”

Percy did not look convinced, but perhaps he was just too stubborn to admit that Artemis was right. She frowned at him.

“I thought you and Charlie were doing some work on the house today,” she said.

“We were, but I got called in to work. There are a lot of last minute Portkey requests being sent through at this time of year and…”

Being entirely uninterested in Percy’s work, Artemis interrupted him before he got carried away and she was unable to get a word in edgeways.

“So, is your brother still in Ottery St Catchpole or has he gone back to Tinworth already?”

“He’s still at the Burrow.”

It was to the Burrow that Artemis Apparated once she left the Ministry of Magic, disappearing from the corner of a damp London street and reappearing in a frost-covered garden beneath a sky that was the rosy grey of incoming snowfall. Wishing that she had worn a warmer cloak, she hurried across the crunchy grass to the door of a tall and somewhat ramshackle house at the other end of the garden path.

The door was opened by a stockily built wizard with red hair and a face full of freckles, whose confused-looking smile dimpled his cheeks as he looked at Artemis.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he said.

“Just hurry up and let me in, Charlie. It’s freezing out here.”

Charlie Weasley obliged, opening the door wider so that Artemis could step into the warmth of his childhood home. Without her needing to ask him, he pointed his wand first at the window above the sink, which opened a fraction, then at a teapot on the kitchen table. A flame appeared beneath the teapot.

“How was the interview?” he asked.

“Fine.” Artemis removed her cloak and sat down in one of the few chairs that still had all its legs attached. “ More than fine. They offered me the job. I’m going to start in the New Year.”

“Congratulations,” Charlie told her. “You pleased?”

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I dunno if I’m that excited about working for the Ministry.”

“Is anyone ever that excited about working for the Ministry?”

“True. It’s not really what I want to do, but I don’t really know what I want right now, so at least I’ve got something to do. I can figure the rest out later,” said Artemis. Charlie nodded sympathetically and conjured two mugs from thin air. “And I reckon Bill and Fleur will want their spare bedroom back at some point.”

“They’ll want both of the spare bedrooms back, I expect.” Charlie half-laughed as he started pouring tea. He handed one mug to Artemis. “There’s no milk, I’m sorry.”

Artemis didn’t mind that. She took the proffered mug from Charlie’s outstretched hand and blew gently on the hot contents, her eyes scanning the room around her. She had not visited the Burrow in months, not since the war had recently ended. At that point, the house had been a wreck following Death Eater raids. There was a strange mixture of unpleasant feelings that had arose from seeing a place that had always been filled with such warmth and laughter reduced to an empty shell, and a broken and charred one at that.

Now, though, thanks to Charlie and his brother’s handiwork, the Burrow was starting to resemble the family home she remembered visiting during her youth. There were still a couple of piles of rubble in the corners of the room, many of the chairs were in pieces, and white sheets layered with dust covered most of the surfaces, but the building was standing strong.

“It’s what they call a fixer-upper,” Charlie said, with a wry smile. Artemis shook her head.

“It’s not looking half bad in here,” she told him. “Do you reckon you’ll be finished in time for Christmas?”

“Godric, no. I’ll never get all of it done by then, even if Percy took the next few weeks off work.”

“Not even if you used magic?”

Charlie shook his head. “You know I don’t like taking shortcuts,” he said. “It doesn’t need to be perfect, just liveable. That’s good enough. As long as everyone can come home for Christmas, that’s the main thing. I can finish the rest in the New Year.”

As Charlie fell quiet and sipped his tea, Artemis continued to look around the room, craning her neck in an attempt to peer around the corner into the living room and up the stairs to the landing above. One foot tapped impatiently against the table leg as she did so.

“Aren’t you going to offer to show me around?” she eventually asked Charlie, who coughed quietly as he laughed midway through a sip of tea.

“Not yet,” he replied. “Your Christmas present is here. I’ll have to go and hide it first. Don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

It was Artemis’ turn to laugh. Charlie had given her the same thing for Christmas every year since she was sixteen: handknitted socks in lurid colours that seemed to get uglier with each year that passed. She knew as well as Charlie did that Christmas held no surprises for her as far as he was concerned.

“You hide the present, and then afterwards I’ll go and look for it,” she said, eyebrows raised mischievously.

“You’ll never find it. I know where all the best hiding places are these days.”

Artemis didn’t doubt it. Charlie had always known where all the best hiding places were. She frowned slightly, as a question entered her mind, one she had first asked herself ten years ago.

“Where did you go?”

“What?”

“All those times when we were here when we were younger and no one could find you,” Artemis explained. “Where did you used to go?”

Charlie half-smiled into his cup of tea and shrugged his shoulders. Unsatisfied with that response, Artemis placed her own mug down and narrowed her eyes at him.

“It’s a secret,” Charlie said. Artemis glared harder, and he sighed. “Alright. I’ll show you, but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone. Yeah?”

Artemis nodded. “Not a single person, I promise. Cross my heart.”

Her promise was clearly good enough for Charlie, because he rose to his feet and walked across to the staircase, his unfinished cup of tea forgotten on the table. Artemis made to follow him, but he stopped and pointed back at her chair.

“You might want to put your cloak back on,” he told her.

Curious, Artemis did as he suggested him before following him up the many flights of stairs to the very top of the house.

“You were in the attic the whole time?” Artemis asked, as Charlie opened the door to the attic. “Please don’t tell me the ghoul was just you in a stupid costume.”

“Not quite.”

Charlie walked across the attic, which was just as dusty but not nearly as cluttered or dark as Artemis remembered, the piles of cardboard boxes that had previously cast shadows across the floorboards having disappeared, allowing the light to stream in from the window at the back completely unobstructed. Artemis stopped in her tracks.

“Wait,” she said, looking at the window. “Did you add that in recently, or…”

The look on Charlie’s face was answer enough. He opened the window, and swung one leg over the sill. He looked back over his shoulder at Artemis, a daring look in his eyes.

“Are you coming, or what?”

As Charlie climbed out of the window, Artemis crossed the attic to follow him. She leaned out of the window to see him crouching on top of the sloped roof of the house. He pointed to the bottom of the window.

“Hold onto the guttering and put your foot on that ledge there, and then you can just step across to where I am,” he told her. “Just be—”

Artemis did not hesitate to step onto the ledge below the window and jump off it to join Charlie on the roof, barely using her hands to support her as she did so.

“— careful.” Charlie blinked. “Or not. Alright, come on.”

“There’s more?”

“If anyone looked out of the window, they’d see me straight away,” Charlie said with a shrug. “The best spot is over there.”

With Artemis on his tail, Charlie scaled up and over the roof to the other side, away from the window, coming to rest at the flatter part where the rooftop met the chimney. The two of them sat down on the brown roof tiles, the chimney the only thing in their way of the view across the orchard and rolling hills behind.

“If you stay low, you can’t even be seen from the garden,” Charlie explained. “And when the fire’s lit, the chimney is warm. So, it’s kind of the perfect spot. No one can find you, no one can bother you.” He looked almost sheepish as he continued, “As much as I love my family, it was always nice to have somewhere I could escape from them all. Everything was always so loud here, and… Well, you know that I’ve always preferred the quiet. Sometimes I needed to get away.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

Charlie looked at Artemis and smiled, before returning his gaze to the view of the countryside. Artemis looked out as well. The sky that had previously been threatening snow had started to make good on its promise, and tiny flecks of white were now falling from the clouds above to land on the frosted fields below. The snowflakes didn’t make a sound, and neither did she and Charlie. Instead, they stayed side by side in companionable silence, watching the first snow of the year fall to the ground and melt away as if it had never been there at all.

“Do you think any of it will settle?” she asked after a short while. Charlie shook his head.

“It’s not cold enough. Maybe if we get some more at Christmas it’ll stick around.”

“I’d like that.” A smile crept across Artemis’ face. “Remember that Christmas in fifth year when I came to stay? I was desperate for snow that I started practising a bogus spell Merula taught me.”

“It wasn’t bogus,” said Charlie. “You had Hogwarts caught in a blizzard. You’d have been stranded if I hadn’t snuck out and flown all the way there to pick you up.”

“Always sneaking,” muttered Artemis with a grin, and Charlie nudged her in the ribs with his elbow. She giggled, before falling quiet once more. “That Christmas might be the best one I’ve ever had. It definitely was at that point, anyway. It was the first time I ever felt like I really belonged to a family at Christmas, even though it wasn’t actually my own family, it felt…” Her voice tailed off, her sentence remained unfinished. “I’m really happy that you’re going to make it so everyone can be here for Christmas again.”

“Me too. With everything that’s gone on and everything that’s changing, I’m glad that there’s something that’ll be the same as it used to be.”

“Like Christmas trees staying green all the time.”

“I guess so.”

Artemis’ teeth grazed her bottom lip. “Lots of things are changing these days, aren’t they?”

“Yeah. Some of it is good, though,” said Charlie.

“Oh, yeah. I know that.” Artemis turned to him, her head tilted to one side. “Would you say that we’ve changed, or are we the same as we always have been?”

“I dunno.” Charlie seemed to consider the question carefully. “I’d say that we are pretty much the same. Some people would probably say we haven’t changed enough.”

He laughed, and Artemis couldn’t help but join in. She leant back, resting her head against the cold tiles of the roof behind her, and extended her tongue as far as she could. A single snowflake fell onto the very tip of it, tingling slightly as it melted. Once it had disappeared, she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and closed her eyes and mouth, savouring the silence around her.

“Thank you for showing me your secret place,” she whispered.

Charlie’s response was so quiet that she barely heard him at all, his voice seemed to melt away into the air like the snowflake on her tongue.

“You’re welcome.”

#artemis hexley #hpff #harry potter fanfiction #hphm fic #the lights that never go out #charlie weasley x oc

[cocrante]

I Start Over With You

[SOLANGELO FANFIC]

summary: After the great battle against the forces of Gaea, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter had formed a long-lasting alliance. Everything had gone well, and everyone was ready to start anew. This included Nico, who, after confessing his feelings to Percy, was prepared to open a new chapter in his life—perhaps the happiest one the Fates had ever written.

note: the chapters will be updated every Wednesday. If you want to read upcoming chapters of the fanfiction in advance, I invite you to follow me on Patreon. Subscribing is not necessary, these chapters will be added for free on the platform on Mondays and Fridays. Following me there is just a kind and free gesture to support my work c:

Reblogs are highly appreciated c:

[CHAPTER 18]

IT WAS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO RETURN TO THAT CAMP, ESPECIALLY AT THAT TIME OF YEAR. The snow had settled on the ground, some kids were engaged in snowball fights, while others were building snowmen that vaguely resembled Mr. D. some looked more like baby Minotaurs or other mythological figures.

He took in a deep breath of the cold air of the camp, it was definitely different from New Rome. There were still few demigods inside—some would arrive in the afternoon, others the next day.

He went to settle into his cabin, unpacking his belongings. Somehow, it felt good to be back at the camp.

Nico was about to throw himself onto the bed and rest after that journey through the shadows, when someone knocked on the door of his cabin. With a sigh, he got up and went to open it, only to be greeted by the son of Jupiter. Nico somehow expected him—it had been strange not to encounter him at the entrance.

"How was the trip?" he asked, stepping into the cabin, which was the complete opposite of his apartment. Nico sighed, closing the door. "Fine" he replied, sitting back on the bed. How much he wanted to sleep.

"And how are things going at the camp? Have they started decorating everything yet?" he chuckled, looking around. It was strange, but he had never been inside there before. That cabin was unsettling, a part of him feared it was a vague reproduction of Hades' palace, the only place Nico had ever truly lived. The walls were high and so dark they seemed made of shadows. Jason avoided getting too close, almost afraid of being sucked in. The floor was so polished it created the illusion of walking on air. There weren't many decorations on the walls, just reliefs and torches that reflected—in an almost agonizing dance—the reflections of that green light. Most of the windows—which he noticed had very particular details—were positioned to the west, only a couple to the east that illuminated a corner of the room where he had placed some sort of altar, next to it was a pomegranate vase, its fruits as red as freshly spilled blood. He turned his gaze to Nico, who was sitting on the white poplar bed, a part of him imagined it came directly from Hades. Suddenly Jason found his own cabin—with that statue of Zeus towering over everything—not so bad after all. "Yes" Nico replied, pretending not to notice the tension in his friend's eyes. There was nothing inside that could hurt him. "The Temple of Saturn is overflowing with gifts" he said without much enthusiasm. "Frank said they'll be going overboard or something this year, whatever that means" he muttered, lying back on the mattress, crossing his hands behind his head. Jason chuckled; apparently, the Roman boy had understood well what his former legion intended to do. "Is there anything happening here?" Jason asked. After Annabeth, Nico was the one who knew the most, being one of the few to respect and understand the traditions of ancient Greece.

"In reality, no" he replied, looking up at the ceiling, which was also so dark it seemed invisible. "Once upon a time, they used to celebrate the abundance of harvests and perform theatrical performances that told the story of Mr. D's birth" he explained. "But honestly, no one does it anymore"

Jason felt a bit disappointed; he was used to celebrating and feasting at this time of year. "So it'll be just like any other month" the son of Jupiter concluded. Nico lowered his head toward him, staring at him for a few moments without saying a word. He too would have liked to say it was just like any other month. "Yeah, well, at least there's snow" he tried to spin it differently; everyone at the camp enjoyed the snow, except for the children of Demeter. His friend sighed, it was a meager consolation. Nico sat back down, feeling a certain sympathy for Jason, everything was truly new to him.

Then in the distance, the conch shell sounded, they had been chatting for so long that they hadn't noticed how late it had become. They went out together, careful not to slip on the icy steps, heading toward the mess hall and sitting at their usual spot.

As soon as they settled, they were served by the graceful nymphs, who gracefully seemed to dance among the tables serving the demigods. Then everyone made their offerings to the bonfire, thanking one of the gods. Nico also made his offering, asking something from his father, although perhaps he should have asked a particular goddess. He shrugged, sighing heavily, hoping nonetheless that he had been listened to and that his father hadn't started laughing with some skeleton.

"You look— upset" Jason commented, seeing him return all sulky, Nico hadn't realized he was so lost in his thoughts. "Yeah, I was just thinking about something" he said, sitting down and starting to eat.

"Does it have to do with..." his friend didn't need to finish the sentence—by now, he knew and it was clear who he was talking about. Nico sighed; ever since he had told him, it had become easier to talk about it. "Yes" he confirmed. "We talked last night, and he said he would spend the holidays here at the camp this winter"

Jason's eyes lit up, finally some good news. "Isn't that awesome?"

"I guess so" Nico replied, playing with his food. "I don't know what to say to him" he raised his gaze, looking him straight in the eyes, explaining his problem, which didn't seem like much when said out loud.

"You're making too much of it" he smiled at him. "Just tell him things as they are, and that's it"

Nico just sighed, it wasn't as simple as he thought. "Yes. maybe" he muttered, finally eating something.

Later that afternoon, they went to the basketball court, one of the few activities left to do at the camp besides sparring. Since neither of them felt like pulling out their swords, they went to the court to shoot some hoops. They started with a simple friendly game to warm up their muscles, but it quickly turned into a full-on one-on-one match. Jason was quite fast but often slipped on the ice, while Nico wasn't doing too bad either. Sometimes he seemed to appear like a shadow behind Jason and steal the ball, and then Jason would respond by leveraging his acrobatic skills.

They ended up drenched in sweat, panting heavily, with laughter ready to burst out. It had been a while since Nico had enjoyed himself so much at Camp Half-Blood.

"Gods! You got me good" Jason gasped as he wiped his icy forehead.

"You did the same" Nico replied, catching his breath.

They walked back up the court together, shivering down their spines, heading toward their respective cabins where a long and pleasant hot shower awaited them. It had been a real gamble to go to the basketball court and let their competitive instincts take over, it would be fortunate not to catch a cold.

The son of Hades enjoyed under the hot water for a while, emerging from the bathroom shrouded in a cloud of steam. He put on a sweater and wrapped in clean clothes, finally lay down on the bed to rest.

He didn't really fall asleep, he mostly stared at an indistinct point on the ceiling, thinking, as he has often done in these last months, improvising a hypothetical monologue in which, for once, he would monopolize the conversation.

[CONTENTS]

1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16

#🖇️ : fanfiction #i start over with you ☀️☠️ #solangelo #will solace #nico di angelo #riordanverse #percy jackson #pjo #pjo fanfiction #camp halfblood

[princess-aziza]

Epic the Underworld Saga

The Underworld

OK not my favorite track though I do appreciate the discordant harmonies that make my skin crawl (which is probably the point)

"I keep thinking of the infant from that night" oh noooo 😭

Wait

Wait NO

POLITES 😭😭😭 BABY IVE MISSED YOU BUT THIS HURT SO MUCH

It's 8am It's too early for this many tears

Wait FUCK IS THAT

AAAHHH NO! His MOM!!! (Side note that whole section gives off Percy&Sally vibes)

"Goodbye mom" Just throw me into the sun it would hurt less

OK back to the discord I feel better

No Longer You

I don't know how I feel about the melody but Tiresias is good

Odysseus adds a "what?" to the count. What are we at now, 5? 6?

"Portrayals of betrayal and a brothers final stand" I...OK I know it's Eurylochus but "brother's final stand" just made me think of Polites against the cyclops (I'm thinking about Polites a lot today apparently)

"We've suffered and sailed through the toughest of hells" baby you pissed off Poseidon and lost Athena it's gonna get worse

The jealous rage when Odysseus hears Penelope's with "another man"

Ooh ghostly chorus

OK this isn't a bad song. Not my fave but I don't hate it

Monster (aka my most most looked forward to song of the album)

...Odysseus. again. You lost the WISDOM GODDESS as your godly BFF. Of course shit hit the fan

"Do I need to change?" 💀💀

"WHAT IF THE GREATEST THREAT...IS ME?" Aahhh!

Just

EVERYTHING

The GUILT

The DETERMINATION

The UNDERSTANDING

(Well...you dared. But that's irrelevant)

RUTHLESSNESS IS MERCY UPON OURSELVES

The PARALLELS he's drawing between himself and Poseidon!

It's gorgeous

#epic the musical #epic the underworld saga

[essayofthoughts]

Hm! Most common pitfalls you think people fall into for Percy?

There's a few so:

1.

The biggest and most direct one is.... people tend to write Percy as a very different kind of dick to how he is in canon. Percy's rarely specifically rude in canon - he places too much stock on formality and politeness, and he's very aware of how his words can come across. If he's a dick to people it's because:

He doesn't know them very well and they're pissing him off/his friends off and he retaliates with a very precise kind of rigid politeness (because he wants to cut them off in such a way they can't retaliate).

He doesn't know them very well and they're upsetting him/his friends and so he responds with a rigid politeness (because they're strangers and he refuses to be emotionally vulnerable with strangers).

They're his friends and so he knows he can relax with them and fuck around a bit and so it's done with some degree of teasing and/or affection.

They're his friends and they've genuinely hacked him off in some way (see: Scanlan) and he's actively trying to make a damn point even if that means being a bastard about it because, again, he feels he can let loose with these people.

I've seen fics which just... don't seem to quite get this particular interplay of Percy's social anxiety, drilled-in etiquette, and familiarity with people. I remember one fic where Percy was kind of a dick to Keyleth - negging on a cosplay she did in a modern AU by refusing to hug her because her paint wasn't sealed. But the thing is:

While Percy's iffy on hugs from a lot of people (a notable case is Tiberius) he never refuses hugs from Keyleth that we see, and

If he was meeting Keyleth knowing she was in cosplay there's good odds he'd do research into it himself even if he had no personal interest because he likes to help his friends. Keyleth especially he's repeatedly collaborated with on projects.

2.

There's other fics too which tend to make out that Percy doesn't like his family/his family feel he's at a distance from them and/or alienated from them and while I certainly believe he was stiff with his family - "We didn't touch in my family" and his ingrained politeness even with people he's close to - and often felt neglected by his father ("Like a 14 year old who's father doesn't love him enough to teach him how to groom himself") I do think he genuinely loved them and cared about them. I think he might feel he didn't appreciate them enough while they were alive and that being a factor in his vengeance, because grief means he has to face that, but I don't think he'd be as cut up about them specifically, nor so relieved that Cassandra is alive, if he didn't genuinely love his family. And... we know he likes to make things for loved ones. He apparently made a truncheon for Keyleth pre-stream, he makes the arrows for Vex, and the brooch for Vax. I am very inclined to believe he made things for his siblings and his parents as signs of his affection for them and also...

Something @chamerionwrites pointed out to me once is that while Percy is almost never physically affectionate, his verbal affection is often above and beyond most people's - he often reveals far more with his words than he seems to really intend, most likely because "we didn't touch in my family". Without physical affection to reassure one another they became accustomed to using words to express how much they mattered to each other (this is also likely why Percy can be so excessively wordy at times, coupled to what I really do interpret as some degree of social anxiety).

Percy's primary love language is gifts/acts of service and his secondary love language is using his words. This is incredibly consistent from very early in the streamed campaign! So I am inclined to believe that this has always been a trait of his and consequently one his family would have known and experienced.

3.

People have this tendency to make Percy overbearing and overprotective and sorry, no, that's Vax running ahead of the group and Vex when it comes to Vax's emotions - Percy cares about and loves his friends but he also respects the absolute hell out of them. He also comes from a social class where that respect is a huge deal, and any sign of disrespect is taken as a grave insult/a sign you don't trust someone or think they can be responsible for themselves. It's patronising, it's condescending, it suggests you think less of them. That's the kind of dynamic Percy was almost certainly raised with and how he acts through the campaign I do believe bears this out.

This is part of why Percy's so polite, even if he's being a bit of a dick - this is part of the etiquette he would have been raised with. It's probably also a part of his over-explaining and wordiness: he wants to make clear he respects others and their opinions even if he disagrees. This is of course looser with his friends, because he's relaxed with them and knows he can be a bit more of a dick and they won't reject him for that, that they understand he does like and respect them, but like...

His respect comes from a place of trust (please remember the earlier ask where I talked about Percy's feelings on betrayal) - he trusts Keyleth to make choices for herself. She's working to become a leader of her people, she may be naive but she isn't stupid and he knows the value of her kindness. He may say that he thinks something is reckless or hasty or that he's made that choice before and it went badly ("I don't recommend Lists" re: Raishan) - but he lets her make her own decisions. He will voice any concerns he has - gently, sideways, always respectfully and politely - but he won't expect her to listen to them or feel he has any right to interfere with the decision she makes, because that would imply he doesn't trust her to be capable or respect her choices.

And Percy more than most understands and knows the value of choice. As Taliesin himself kind of made clear in his Between the Sheets interview - at least if you're making choices you're doing something, and that's better than not making choices at all. And Percy knows what it's like to have choice taken away.

And carrying on from that:

4.

Percy is private. He's so fucking private. The most we know about what Ripley did to him that he directly tells anyone is "I was not equipped for torture". Everything else we pick up from his reactions to her, from how he darts around the subject matter, from how he flinches and tries to hide at the prospect of being branded by the Slayer's Take - it's not obvious, but he tries to move to the rear of the line and is only stopped by Grog. I don't doubt he's used to burns from his forgework but there's a difference between a risk you choose to take and something that is inflicted on you.

Anyway, the point of this part is that Percy doesn't like to talk openly about what he went through. What he says about the Briarwoods is... broken and sideways and scattered, made a mess by unhealed trauma so that he can't straightforwardly recount it even when he's asked. He can get the point across, but he repeats his words a lot, stutters and stumbles as he makes his way through it.

And, I want to be clear here, this is with Vox Machina. This is with people he likes and loves and trusts. Even with them, he struggles to talk about this emotionally harrowing event. He certainly wouldn't want to bring it up with strangers even if asked - Percy tends to deflect when people pry in more public scenarios - and while he might eventually talk to Vex about it, it would still be sideways and slow and stuttery and only work because Vex is very good at reading between Percy's lines.

And yet I've seen some modern au fics where Percy reveals he has a gun/why he has a gun to Vex after they've been together some time and just... flatly explains it to her, without much apparent struggle or circling of the topic or sideways speaking about it.

That's not Percy. Even with Vex Percy can be notoriously indirect about things, especially when those things regard his trauma and issues and feelings. He barely even explains why he went to the Ravens Crest when Vex brings up the blood behind his ear! He just makes it clear it was due to his own things and not to one-up Vax and then redirects by explaining he's having a shrine made to the Raven Queen in Whitestone for Vax.

5.

Lastly but by all means most importantly: Percy is a dick.

I want to make this clear: I love that Percy can be a monumental prick at times because it makes him interesting but - guys, he's a dick. He's arrogant and at times hubristic and he's stubborn and pigheaded and blind to his own gaps in reasoning and if I met his like IRL I'd want to push them down a flight of stairs. But he's such a good character.

Percy is a dick and people tend to forget this in the goal of making him a whumpy fluffboi or making him a malewife to Vex's girlboss and you need to remember Vex likes that Percy can be a dick. She liked vengeful, angry, awful Percy. She liked him being a dick to Syldor (understandably). She likes when he's cheeky and ridiculous (and almost blows himself up with a sodium bomb to win a cannonball competition) and when he's posh and obnoxious in their favour - and it's important to note that Percy does usually turn his dickishness in the group's favour and he's pretty consistent about never being a dick to Vex or Keyleth. It's pretty clear he loves them most of all, and alongside Pike, respects them most of all. Percy is pretty consistently more comfortable with the women of Vox Machina, which I've gone into in other ask-answers before.

But. There's a lot of fics which just forget that Percy can be an abrasive bastard at times. That his pride and arrogance can really tick off Vax, that he can be dismissive of Scanlan and, early on, Grog (though that changes, most especially after the "It's nice to have an older brother again" comment). There's a lot of fics which focus on his angst and whump him and don't let him be as much of a dick (and I'll admit, due to the subject matter of some of my fics, I've been prone to that myself at times) but Percy being a dick is canon.

And it's so much fun to write.

Anyway, that's the main trends I can think of.

#percy de rolo #percival de rolo #vox machina #blorbologist #critrole meta #living up to my username #ask

[threeeyesslitthroat]

Critiques on PJO Show, Summarized as succinctly as possible.

Disclaimer: feel free to come at me if you disagree.

EPISODE ONE... was mostly fine, did a good job making me realize how fucking scary the concept of the Mist actually is, dulled down Gabe Ugliano way down, did something cute with Mythomagic, made a benign and weird decision to insinuate that Percy was considered to be schizophrenic alongside diagnosed ADHD and Dyslexia, skipped out on his previous wacky and unsettling adventures (destroyed a school bus, almost drowned his classmates in a shark tank in the aquarium, accidently) and had a great fight with the Minotaur(the tighty whitey's were stupid tho.) Unfortunately, Episode one foreshadowed that the show was way to into killing tension and not letting it build.

EPISODE TWO...was also fine. Was personally disappointed that Dionysus did not threaten Percy by making him see visions of men going mad and being strangled with vines, but that is 2000% my disappointment, not on the show, (tho I could make the argument why its on the show as a n adaptation.) the introduction of Luke and Annabeth and Clarisse was great. the Camp Half blood set could've been cooler but they'll build on it, (I hope) I'm not particularly disappointed by the removing the tension in the camp while he was staying there or that no one took a knee when he was claimed. Tho I would have appreciated it greatly if the show had nailed the "Oh Fuck" reaction when Percy did get claimed. unfortunately, we spend only one episode that gives a rough summary of what it was like to actually be there.

*unfortunately we really only get The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters to really introduce and get the reader to settle into Camp Halfblood, which means that one season got bungled already

EPISODE THREE...Started to show a few more cracks but was mostly fine. we didnt get to see the bus blow up properly, but okay, they're off the bus now. its cool. Thalia got name dropped. The Show destroyed any and all tension with the team having encountered Medusa's lair by not even letting them slowly figure out just what they walked into. Frankly, this is where I get a little angry, because Riordan wrote one fucking factor built in that wouldn't have allowed our main trio from discovering Medusa immediately. The FUCKING MIST. IT works on Demigods. Our main characters could have been tricked, but apparently Annabeth is too smart. Motherfucker anyone who has read a fucking picture book of greek mythology would know who Medusa is and what her modus operandi is OH I wonder What all these realistic concrete statues of people and MONsters AND NYmphs SIGNIFY YOU FUCKER-

but yeah whatever. Other than that one legitimate critique that I would defend in court this episode was fine, wasn't that impressed with the depiction of Medusa but whatever, great job everyone, I got One reason to fist fight Riordan now.

EPISODE FOUR.....…. Made Me So FUCKING ANGRY LIKE TYOU WOULDNT BELIEVE-

Did it do anything good? St Louis Arch being a modern day Temple was cool. AS an IDEA. Execution was piss bad. ill explain in two seconds. Annabeth and Grover trying to cure Percy with the splish splash was cute. Percy tricking Annabeth was great. Teaching younger viewers that all cops are cunts was awesome. Scobell's underwater acting was cool

Episode Four's list of Crimes are: Disrespecting Thalia Grace before she even has been properly introduced to the audience. Was insulting. don't do it again. Annabeth's understanding of her own mom was sketchy when I first watched it but I was going to let it slide and move on if it wasn't for the bullshit after. The whole conversation with Echidna was a big waste of my fucking time. Fuck all of you. The grand escape from Echidna and her unrevealed creature withering down to our trio WALKING FUCKING WALKING- I hate all of you. The Design of the Chimera. Fuck everyone and everything that is not the fucking Chimera.

Athena being depicted as someone who would punish her own daughter for shit she didn't even do^3 (Percy signed the fucking box, Annabeth isn't the fucking leader of the quest, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, this trio is the best chance of preventing war, its outright stupid to make them die) and withdrawing her protection to let her demigod daughter die...Riordan I'm beating your ass for three rounds. I will drag your ass out of your bed and beat your ass in your own drive way.

Why does this shit make me so mad, You Aren't Asking? I'm glad your not. Not even in Greek Mythology itself is it even the gods MO to make an effort for their Kids to die. if they got killed fair game but to withdraw protection, they didn't fucking do that. Also, if Riordan had wrote this out in any of his novels the story would have been wrenched hard at the really intense repercussions of a god engineering for their child TO DIE.

oh yeah the whole just breathe thing...yeah its fine. not that cool but it was fine.

EPISODE FIVE...yeah it was fine. I wasn't looking forward to the whole Tunnel o' love thing because I didn't particularly enjoy it in the novel but I was pleasantly surprised. the lack of Spiders was okay. the depiction of Ares was okay. I enjoyed the actor. but I do like how Grover faced Ares off cause that shit was really great. Annabeth's rant to Hephaestus doesn't really check out and I'm expecting Hephaestus to call in that favor later. The whole golden chair thing was pretty good, felt like something out of the Heroes of Olympus tbh, except the constant sacrificing is starting to get a little grating. yeah, we know. Its Percabeth. Have some class.

oh yeah, the whole Annabeth's seeing the fates thing …fuck off, its not supposed to be her moment if they did that they better go through with it too because if their going to take Percy and Luke's thing and giving it to Annabeth then these writers better do something with it.

EPISODE SIX...it was okay but kinda boring. I honestly figured that there wasn't going to be a substantial Nico Di Angelo cameo anyway. Annabeth using a prism instead of water was cool. Luke's "old married couple" comment was idiotic. them knowing how the Lotus Casino works is another prime example of the show not letting tension or discovery happen. everybody has to be too smart for simple tricks despite the fact that the simplest tricks are the most effective sometimes. Meeting with Hermes is fine but my main critique here is that they're introducing Luke's shit way too fucking early. Like, if they do this they better go through with this shit i swear to fuck-

The driving was funny.

The Deadline having already passed was a big fucking waste of everyone's fucking time How is that Riordan wrote at Least TEN FUCKING BOOKS USING THE DEADLINE AS AN ESSENTIAL NARRATIVE DEVICE AND SOMEHOW DECIDED TO JUST PISS ALL OVER THIS SIMPLE ASS CONCEPT OVER MY FUCKING LAPTOP SCREEN ARE YOU SHITTING ME. Oh yeah and there were no consequences either. Like remember How it was strongly fucking implied that if Percy failed to return the lightning bolt Zeus was going to fucking kill Percy where he stood? No? like there were consequences to missing that fucking deadline. assholes.

EPISODE SEVEN almost made start swearing out loud in a library.

yeah the groves of Asphodel was an interesting concept for twenty seconds and then shat itself. the design of Cerberus was cute. loved it. The pit to Tartarus was cool. I am not angry that the Underworld did not fit the one I saw in my head because I understand that modern filmmaking is severely allergic to showing any sense of grand mass scale. okay, I'm capable of being gracious. Hades was charming and also a little funny. Poseidon and Sally's flashback scene I'm neutral about. it was done well. I sort of felt something. the actual discussion I have a bone to pick with.

I'm done being gracious. on to the crimes.

I'm in the camp that the Sally-Percy flashback intro was not great for Sally's character. adaptation wise. none adaptation wise? yeah sure the pursuit of parental realism was mediocre but fine. I said earlier that going the route of implying that people thought Percy had schizophrenia wasn't really the best and this is where the show bites itself in the ass. walking into Procrustes's trap already knowing Procrustes's trap was insulting and they didn't have the decency to let Percy do any decapitation. (honestly dude if they had let Percy get out the sword and cut that fucker's head off I would have forgiven this entire episode cause I was starving for action scenes at this point) Kicking Annabeth out for the rest of the episode is a crime but I cant decide if its because its boring or insulting or something else. wasting everyone's fucking time with the fourth pearl is a crime. whoever thought that Riordan was going to "gives a little shred of hope and then snatch it away" are you new here? like, did you just get here? because anyone who has Riordan's number at least subconsciously suspected this was going to be a waste of time.

Hades introduction was a massive fucking crime Adaptation wise. that's not my fucking Hades, I hate this adaptation.

none adaptation wise? a fucking let down for anyone that knows jack shit about mythology and an okay subversion of expectations for anybody that is completely ignorant.

the back and forth dialogue between the Two and Hades was cool tho.

EPSIODE EIGHT. yeah so I didn't know that we were only getting eight episodes total so I actually did have hope until i saw the up next on episode seven and then realized oh we were fucked all the way down. I'm not saying the lightning thief was like the Return of the King but it did have a quite have to wrap up a lot of shit one by one as one reads it.

Percy vs Ares was fine. by this point I didn't really hope for like, a great fight scene, so I'm happy with what we had. Oh yeah by this point I think I made peace with the fact that we weren't going to acknowledge the Nation Wide Man Hunt of Percy Jackson Plotline from the novel because apparently we weren't going to have fun on this show. that shot of Percy going for the deadly slice was great.

oh yeah this episode also confirmed that we weren't going to see any real consequences of missing the deadline anyway. oh sure, you hear about it but that not real effort on the shows part anyway.

Olympus looked nice. the aesthetic of the "throne Room" was kinda nice. rest in peace ceiling of stars you will be missed. ancient thrones was a decent touch. Poseidon and Zeus speaking greek brought joy to my heart. Luke and Percy's training being included at all brought a shred of hope to my asshole heart at this point. Luke's betrayal scene...okay at that point it just felt like we were wrapping all the important shit up. Percy calling Kronos Grandpa was funny. the goodbye between the trio was nice. the final monologue pumped me up a little bit.

Honestly I wanted Zeus to just kill Percy. kid. shut. the. fuck. up. shutupshut up shot the fuck up just kill him. I want you to do it. I want you to fucking kill this kid I'm serious. (live reaction) oh wow you wanted to set up Poseidon taking one for Percy how clever and not a cheap bit for the audience to instantly like Poseidon as the good godly dad instead of the affectionate ambiguity of pride shown in the novel that is maintained through out the novels (on e of the few fucking things that were maintained in those novels honestly). Having the reunion between Sally and Percy be interrupted was bad taste.

I miss the "Luke trying to fucking murder Percy" scene a little bit. Also Percy's line in defense of the gods was so asinine after the second, third, fourth, and fifth, and eight episodes going on and on about how much the gods suck. Annabeth being there is fine but its just one those things that could build towards something new and interesting in following seasons but I wouldn't be surprised if the showrunners don't do anything with that. "the gods

oh yeah, thank you for letting me watch Gabe kill himself instead of watching Sally murder the fucker. not like that was fucking important or anything.

honestly I don't think it would have saved the show that much but I think it would have helped the show a LOT if they had two more episodes, or at least two more episodes worth of time. personally I would put one extra episode for camp halfblood and one extra episode for the ending. at least so we can some immediate backstory of Luke failing his quest if we cant also have the Fucking FBI On Percy's Ass Plotline. (I miss you so much)

the nicest thing I can say about this show is that It makes me want to read the books more and that I need to go read some PJO fanfiction. maybe then I'll calm down. Maybe not.

anyway if any of ya'll wanna fight me on this rundown of succinct critiques I got plenty of free time. you know where the comment section is.

#can you tell that i like violence in my action adventure series? #i was not only violence deprived but also action deprived #summarized very fast episode four made me fly into a rage #oh yeah they did my girl Thalia so dirty #she wasnt even here #percy jackon and the olympians #Percy jackson series #disney+ #pjo crit #pjo tv show #spoilers motherfuckers.

[doevademe]

Ok so the multiple Percy's prompt had me rolling (seriously thank you for that I was having a stressful day) but here's an idea: more than one Percy but of the angsty multiversal variety (because multiverse of madness and everything everywhere all at once killed me) the alternate Percy being one that lost his world's Nico (knowing Nico probably through self sacrifice and maybe in a word where he fell in Tartarus with Percy which explains why Percy can't even talk to his ghost)and just wants to slap his Canon self's head because do you even know what kind of treasure you have? And then peak conflict when AU Percy asks Nico to come with him. giving canon Percy a near heart attack (cue an I love you in every universe moment)

The thing about fighting ancient deities with increasingly more eldritch domains was that, as you did so, reality itself started to fight you.

Or unravel, in this case.

It was how Percy found himself face to face with his double from another world.

Perseus, as he had chosen to be called to avoid confusion, was a jumpy guy. Nervous, almost always angry, ready to attack anyone, and he was prone to talking to himself, but all that Percy would have accepted.

It was the way that he stared at Nico di Angelo that unnerved him.

He was always looking at him. Whenever he was in the vecinity, his eyes would find Nico and he would just... look at him with this sad, haunted look.

"You're lucky to have him," Perseus told him as he piled random objects that, apparently, were from his world, and would help take him back. "Nico is... special..."

"Yeah, he's a really good friend," Percy agreed. He wondered what had happened to the Nico of his world. "We can always count on him."

"...Friend?" Perseus looked apalled at Percy's answer. "Nico is... your friend?"

"Uh, yeah?" Percy said, confused. "We could be closer, but yes, I guess I would call us friends."

Perseus glared at him for a few seconds (was he jealous? Was his relationship with his world's Nico strained?) before a feral grin took its place.

"There's something seriously wrong with you," he said, which was just wrong on a guy with the most manic grin he had ever seen. "But I guess I must thank you for it."

Before Percy could ask what he meant, his double was running past him and towards Nico. The son of Hades took a step back, ready to run, and Percy got closer too, nervous of what his unstable other self could do.

"Finally decided to face me?" Nico said carefully. "Don't think I didn't catch you staring."

"I thought I was respecting boundaries," Perseus said easily, smirking. "Turns out, there were no boundaries to respect."

"What do you mean by that?" Nico said, reaching for his sword. "What do you want from me?"

Perseus lunged at Nico. Percy uncapped Riptide and prepared to fight off his other self from Nico before he killed him. But before either of them could react, Perseus hugged Nico and kissed him.

Nico's eyes were wide as Perseus moved his lips against his. Percy just stared dumbfounded at the scene.

"I want anything you want to give me," Perseus said, voice soft and fond. "But this... I wanted to do this since I first saw you."

"Uh..." Nico blinked, trying to process what just happened. Percy frowned when he noticed a blush on his pale skin.

"You are the same in this world, so I thought I was the same too," Perseus kept going. "Turns out, The me of this world is too stupid to appreciate what's in front of him."

"I don't—"

"I love you Nico," he said. "Be mine?"

Nico's whole face turned a deep red.

Percy felt like he was the stranger in a foreign world.

----

Perseus had dated his Nico (and wasn't that a funny way to refer to him, 'his Nico') for nearly two years before they had both fell to Tartarus to close the Gates of Death.

Perseus had come back, his Nico... didn't.

Percy couldn't imagine what losing someone you loved because they protected you in literal hell. If he had lost Annabeth back then...

Well, maybe he'd be as messed up as Perseus.

"Annabeth? Seriously?" Perseus raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy asked, offended. True, he and Annabeth weren't together anymore, but the way Perseus said it, like it had been wrong all along bothered him.

"No offense, she's one of my best friends but... we literally have nothing in common," Perseus shrugged as he continued petting Nico, who was annoyingly complacent to his whims. "Like what did you guys even talk about? Wise Girl gets bored unless she gets some good mental stimuation."

And Percy winced. Didn't he know it. Annabeth and him were bound by their experiences. By being thrust into danger together so often their bond had become irreplaceable but... his other self was right. When they were not questing, all they talked about was demigod stuff, and once they retired to New Rome, it turned to just schoolwork.

"It didn't work out," he admitted. "But I loved her, and I'll never regret dating her."

"That's good," Perseus said honestly. "Never regret loving someone. I'll never regret loving my Nico."

And Percy saw his... the regular Nico shudder at the words. It made him feel excluded.

"Listen, Perseus," Nico said, finally pulling away. "I'm flattered, really, and I can tell the other me meant a lot to you, but... I don't want to be his replacement."

"I don't want you to be his replacement," he said. "I loved my Nico, but he's gone. I thought I'd never love again, but the Fates brought me here, and I've been watching you."

"Creepy," Percy said between coughs. Perseus glared.

"You are the same type of person as my Nico was," Percy said. "But you also have subtle differences so... maybe I jumped the gun a bit when I said I love you."

"Maybe you did," Nico said.

"But you're a person I could see myself loving," he continued. "Nico di Angelo, date me."

"What?"

"Let me do this the right way, court you," Perseus said. "I know I will fall in love with you, and if you end up feeling the same... come with me to my world."

Nico's eyes widened. Percy felt as if Scylla had swallowed him whole.

"You want me to... come with you."

"I want to be your Percy," he said seriously. "No matter the universe, I'll always fall for you."

"Oh no, stop right there!" Percy said, standing between them. Just hearing the words 'Your Percy' had made him see red. "You can't take Nico away!"

"Why not?" Perseus said, challenging. "It will be his choice."

"Because... because... I'm throwing my hat in the ring too!" He said. He turned to Nico who looked more and more stunned with every sentence. "Look Nico, I... don't know if what we have... whatever we have can turn into what this guy feels."

"This guy has a name."

Percy ignored him.

"But I know I don't want to lose you, not ever," he said. "So, if you accept, I'll date you too, and you will have an informed choice, then."

"I..." Nico looked between them. "I don't know what to say..."

"That's okay, I would never force you into anything," Perseus cooed. Percy glared.

Oportunistic bastard.

"I... need to think it over," Nico said. "Tomorrow... I'll answer you both tomorrow!"

Nico took off in a brisk pace. Perseus smiled victoriously.

"You'll lose before this even starts," he taunted. Percy glared back.

"Not in a million years," Percy said. "Nico belongs to my world, not yours."

"You had your chance, I'm seizing mine."

And Percy decided then he would do anything to hinder that.

#Percico #my writing #long post #ask #anonymous #writing prompt #this one was really hard #please don't ask me to continue this #because I really don't know which Percy should 'win'

[azu1as]

Favorite Fics of the Week

Current Flavor: Time Travel, my beloved <33

─────•~❉✿❉~•─────

DC

(1) Take It Back Now Y'all by TimTheToaster (tabletoptime) [on-going]

There was absolutely no way this sunshine was from Gotham in April.

Not possible.

Which meant, Tim was no longer in Gotham, in April.

(In which Tim finds himself in the past, and tries to do the right thing. It's more complicated than he'd like.)

(2) Magic Gave Me Robin by Cy_kun [on-going]

He opens his eyes, and stares up at the canopy of the four poster bed he's in. It takes a second, his vision is a bit blurry, but it clears up quick enough.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Four seconds.

Part of Jason keeps the count going, while the rest of him kind of just...seizes. Because he knows this canopy. He knows the the posts it's attached to. He—fuck—he knows the notch in the bottom left post he'd put in it when he'd stolen one of Bruce's batarangs when he was twelve and thrown it around like the stupid kid he'd been.

This was Jason's room.

Or, the one where Jason get's zapped with magic, wakes up in his teenage body, and decides to let the timeline know exactly how fucked it is. He also becomes the president of the Tim Drake Appreciation Club.

─────•~❉✿❉~•─────

Genshin Impact

(3) Smile for Me by RiriLilly [completed]

Kaeya misses Diluc. He can’t deny it, nor can he ignore it. Yet everytime they see each other, all they do is exchange harsh words. So when Kaeya discovers an island with a mysterious portal that brings him back to the past, he decides to take advantage of it and spend time with a certain little redhead.

AU Where the Spiral Abyss on Musk Reef is actually a time portal.

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MDZS

(4) Baby Of Mine by pupeez4eva [one-shot]

Little A-Yuan makes an impromptu trip to the past, and all he wants to do is spend some quality time with his parents.

A teenage Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are not equipped to deal with this.

(5) A Wedding For The Ages by pupeez4eva [one-shot]

After a mishap, Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang find themselves stuck in the future. Luckily, everyone is far too preoccupied to pay much attention to them, because apparently there is a wedding happening in the Cloud Recesses that day, between Hanguang-Jun — whoever that is — and some guy from Yiling.

It’s nothing for them to worry about, of course.

(Or, where time travel occurs, and Wei Wuxian ends up being a guest at his own wedding).

─────•~❉✿❉~•─────

PJO

(6) In the Amber of a Moment by Rynna_Aurelius [one-shot]

Nico di Angelo wakes up in Westover Hall again.

And again.

And again.

(7) Trading Tomorrow by  Darkmagyk, loosingletters [completed]

Percy Jackson arrives at Camp Half-Blood bruised and bleeding, with the knowledge that he's the son of a god and his mother is dead. His little display with the Minotaur has caught the attention of the camp. But he’s not sure it is good attention, yet.

Only the Hermes Cabin's not-quite Co-counselor Theseus, ‘call me Theo,’ doesn't treat him like a fascinating zoo exhibit. Which would be a relief, except he looks exactly like Percy: same green eyes, same trouble making smile, same black hair. The only differences are the fact that Theo is six years older, covered in battle scars, and the black tattoo on his arm. A trident and the letters SPQR.

Theo is eighteen, powerful, and unclaimed. And his resemblance to Percy could set a dangerous precedent.

#fave fics of the week #technically didn't read half of these this week but needed to rec them bc they're so good #dc #genshin impact #mdzs #pjo #i am v much open to fangirling over these fics together HAHAHA #fic recs

[loveislarryislove]

2022 Writing Reflection

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 18 (holy shit???)

2. Word count posted for the year: 107,382 (double holy shit?????)

3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction, Critical Role, Tamora Pierce, The Old Guard, Percy Jackson

4. Pairings: Larry, BeauJester, Immortal Husbands, Shiall, Solangelo

5. Story with the most…

Kudos: I Can Build Your Heart A Home

Bookmarks: I Can Build Your Heart A Home

Comments: Hash Brown, Egg Yolk, I Will Always Love You

Hits: Your Skin On Mine (I'm Losing Control)

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): 

So I have two fics I want to shout out for this. First is Do You Think The Tides Know, which is a super personal concept to me and one I’ve been wanting to explore for a while. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever written before, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever read anything quite like it -- where from the beginning it’s clear that the main character won’t get the guy, where the endgame pairing doesn’t involve our POV character, where no matter what we’re rooting for we know it involves heartbreak. It’s complicated and it’s messy and it’s imperfect and it’s painful and I think that’s important, you know? That’s real. That’s life. And that’s okay. 

I’m also really proud of my Reverse Bang fic, they say looks can kill (and i might try), which just posted this week. I’ve always been intimidated by worldbuilding, but the art and prompt from @haztobegood were just... so vivid and interesting and exciting, and I could feel the world begging to be explored. I was initially afraid I wouldn’t be able to do it justice and realize the ideas the way I wanted, but I’m so glad I did it anyways. I don’t think I did a perfect job, there are still gaps that I’m aware of as the person who created them, but I also think that overall I did a damn good job! Go me!  

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why): 

I’m also going to mention two here. First is my Emelan fic for Troped: Chapters -- I had some fun with the concepts but I just wasn’t feeling the romance that was the center of the prompts, and I wasn’t sure how to make everything play out effectively. Second is my Camp Half-Blood AU for Astrofest -- I had a much bigger, grander, more complex idea mapped out based on all the different positive and negative meanings of the card, but I just bit off more than I could chew in terms of time and energy, so the fic I wrote instead was a much simpler spur-of-the-moment idea. It’s a fine story, I don’t dislike it, but it wasn’t what I’d wanted to write initially. Still, I’m glad it nudged me to start exploring that ‘verse -- I wrote a PJO fic a month or two later and I’d like to write more! I might also revisit the more complex idea someday, I still think that it would be a super cool story! 

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received: 

I received a ton of wonderful comments and tags, but I think some of my favourites were the appreciation for the check ins and conversations around kink in fics like it's always me that ends up getting wet. We love boundaries and consent!!! Having that level of trust with your partner is what most interests me about kink, so it felt really validating and rewarding to see that reflected and appreciated. 

9. A time when writing was really, really hard: 

Looking at my writing tracker, I only wrote like... 800 words in March, so I guess numerically you could say that was hard, since I didn’t do it. 

In the other direction, in August and September I published TEN fics (totaling about 46k words), so that was. a lot of writing. why did I do this. I’m so proud but also kind of concerned. 

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

Is it too unspecific to say “all of the smut”? Like wow, usually I don’t really write smut, but this year I was apparently VERY INSPIRED. And I kept writing such huge word counts in one go, wow. 

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

Oh man, it’s always hard to pick just one piece (especially without it getting ridiculously long), but let’s go with this snippet from Do You Think The Tides Know, as Zayn says goodbye to Louis at the end of the summer:

Zayn pulls Louis into a tight hug, trying to memorize the feeling of his body, the sound of his heartbeat, the smell of his hair.

“Don’t be a stranger, yeah?” he says, trying to keep the catch in his throat from showing in his voice. “I know we don’t usually talk that much outside the summer, but… you have my number, if you ever, like, have questions or just… if you ever need anything. Call me.”

Louis chuckles. “I know,” he says. “You’ve always got my back. Thanks, man. You’re a great friend.”

Zayn squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, then forces them back open. “Good,” he says, stepping back. “And… good luck.”

A bright smile dawns across Louis’ face. Zayn wishes it was for him, wishes he could make Louis look like that. But failing that, he hopes that the person who does make Louis smile like that – he hopes he never stops.

12. How did you grow as a writer this year:

This is kind of unspecific, but I think just... being more willing to try things that are unfamiliar and step outside of my usual comfort zone. That willingness feels like growth, and doing that creates growth. 

13. How do you hope to grow next year:

Part of me wants to say writing self-motivated fics, stories I tell just because I want to and without outside boxes I have to fit into or people holding me accountable. But maybe the real growth would be acknowledging that those outside influences and motivations are valid, and if they work for me, that’s not such a bad thing. 

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): 

gotta be @alwaysxlarrie. I can always count on lauren to hype me up or help me brainstorm or get my creative gears turning or tell me if a sentence or moodboard looks weird or celebrate my accomplishments. and I love returning the favor! mutual brain furbies for life -- you the best! 

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: 

The “weird holiday traditions” in The Streetlights Are All Saying Your Name are both real traditions that my family had when I was growing up

I work in a pet store, and so for All Ewe Need Is Lamb, I used information and products and even photos from my work 

As I mentioned before, Do You Think The Tides Know is based on a really personal experience -- it’s not like 100% true to life, but the idea of dating someone while in love with someone else, and knowing that the relationship had an end date, but celebrating the happiness and fun and learning in the meantime -- that was real to me, and super meaningful. So grateful for everyone else who has connected to the fic as well!

And this is kind of the inverse and a slightly more spicy one, so look away if you don’t want to know, but. Writing for the @1dwatersportsficfest ultimately led to me telling my fiancée that I was into that. So. I guess that’s my writing showing up in my real life!

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: 

If you’re afraid of doing something because it feels out of your comfort zone or what you’re used to doing -- that’s where the growth is. Find people who encourage you to do it anyways, who make you feel excited to go there, who celebrate your achievements. It’s so much less scary with friends, and you’ll probably surprise yourself with how much you’re capable of.  

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: 

With the publication of my fic for the 1D Reverse Bang this week, I am officially finished all my current projects! Which isn’t to say I don’t have forgotten half-finished projects, but I don’t have anything I’m actively working on at the moment. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time. What will I daydream about on the bus now???

I’m feeling called back to my Soft Established Relationship Vax’ilmore Fluff Series, so might write a couple of those next (then again, I said I’d do that last year, and that lasted about 8 days so. we’ll see). I’m also eyeing up some of the fests for this coming year (I need external motivation, it’s a problem) and @1dtourdeficfest @faithinthefutureficfest @1dastroficfest are all on my list of contenders.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:

I’m not sure who all has already done this so apologies if I’m tagging someone who has already done it (or already been tagged a billion times), but: @alwaysxlarrie @haztobegood @zanniscaramouche @andfollowthesun @larry-hiatus @panye @littleroverlouis @beckydoesthings @finelinegynandromorph @paranormalbabydoll @thebreadvansstuff

#writing #mine #my fics