#I wanna see Walker become this Percy so bad | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ihatethecoldalot · 1 year

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So in the middle of writing a piece for my friend I kept on going in circles around the mythological equivalents in the PJO and HOO books and more specifically the parallels to the most famous of plays + greek myths.

I’ve decided to go over them (and make you see them too) because otherwise this will not stop bothering me. So with out further ado…parallels.

(I’ll be going over them through a strictly couple lens with perhaps a post following on them separately and why i specifically picked the character.)

Percy & Annabeth

Okay first off the main couple of the series. Percy and Annabeth are wonderfully dynamic in how many parallels to everyone they have. Including the fact that they constantly swap parallels and i love that for them.

⇾ Perseus & Andromeda

In Book 1 it’s the most prevalent parallel with Medusa & the Tunnel of Love serving as their echo.

1. Perseus & Percy

Percy kills Medusa, his name is Perseus, he is on a quest for his father Zeus to claim his grandfather’s throne innocence in response to robbery of his throne of a Mcguffin. He gets flying shoes courtesy of Hermes Hermes’s son, he uses a mirror given to him by Athena led by a daughter of Athena. He holds the eye of the Gray Sisters hostage for information, goes to the garden of the Hesperus in the third book paralleling both Hercules and Perseus. Hades's helm of darkness to hide Annabeth NY Yankees Cap is Percy's MYP in TTC.

Okay, so Percy shares a lot of similarities to him namesake as expected. But what about Annabeth to Andromeda?

2. Annabeth & Andromeda

Both start with A, the Princess Andromeda, Luke’s ship is his main vessel much as Annabeth is one of connections to humanity. Annabeth on the Tunnel of Love becomes the Damsel, in need of rescuing by Percy against the sea monster by an attack sent by a god in which Percy set her free claiming her hand in marriage claiming her friendship.

Perseus married Andromeda in spite of Phineus, to whom she had before been promised. ⇾ Percy and Annabeth are dating in spite of their family rivalry and/or Luke who she could be considered to be promised to.

The goddess Athena places Andromeda in the northern sky at her death as the constellation Andromeda, along with Perseus. -> Andromeda’s connection to with Athena here along with Perseus.

Also extra special bonus: Andromeda is from Ethiopia and therefore dark-skinned, Leah Jeffries is black, both she and Walker Shobell perfectly completing the symmetry

So as we can see Percy and Annabeth’s parallels to their mythological counterparts of Andromeda & Perseus. Along with how Percy & Athena’s relationship might end and Annabeth & Percy’s near certain marriage according to Ancient Greek Myth Rules as they constantly save each other.

⇾ Odysseus & Penelope

Next up, this bad boy. This is where parallel sharing my beloved steps in, Odysseus and Penelope are constantly the Percabeth Formula from BotL and beyond. Annabeth’s own journey from SoM and MoA are the most obvious example, but we’re starting off with Percy.

3. Percy and Odysseus

In TLT, Percy enters the Lotus Hotel where he figures out it’s a trap. Percy goes to the Underworld where he sees his mom who died of a broken heart he has to leave behind. His trip to the Sea of Monsters has him encountering Circe, although he takes the role of the crew to Annabeth’s Odysseus. In TTC he is aided by Athena and Hermes Zeus.

In BotL he encounters Calypso who directly compares him to Odysseus one that becomes more obvious in HoH with the dwarves remarking on her being Odysseus and therefore Percy’s big What If. Also in BoTL he goes missing for a long time, long enough to burn his funeral shroud only for it not to be needed. (how much you wanna bet Annabeth wove it?) While BotL he makes the most obvious parallel to Theseus I’d argue it is truly a thin veneer to cover his similarities to Odysseus. From Percy’s cunning with his gun trick, to his meeting with Calypso + his own metaphorical Circe (Rachel) and his presumed dead but actually alive.

In SoN he takes his detour journey to his true goal of Ithaca Camp Half-Blood where he is greeted by Nausicaa Hazel who leads him to the Queen Praetor Reyna. (Reyna’s name literally means Queen 💀). Nausicaa Hazel stand up to him while she is constantly considered as golden as her island and Percy is compared to a Greek God like Odysseus when he changed from beggar to himself before Telemachus. Percy is also called Graecus at CJ much like Odysseus is called stranger at both Ithaca and Scheria.

Percy is considered the best swordsman while Odysseus bow is actually impossible to string. Literally everyone has a crush on Percy like they do on Odysseus.

That’s a lot of parallels for them. (my brain hurts) Odysseus is certainly what Rick was aiming for when writing Percy in the later books. You can see the original Perseus/Andromeda blueprint in TLT, but it fades by the middle of TTC as the more tragic and well-known heroes take the forefront in Rick's writings of his protagonists. Again, we can infer a hopeful or improved relationship with Athena and an eventual happy ending like Odysseus if you ignore the Telegony.

4. Annabeth & Odysseus

Annabeth is Athena's favoured child. She is everything an Athena child should be (IE Odysseus), she gets her own dramatic goodbye/rejection by Athena who insists Annabeth must be more like way finding Odysseus. Annabeth seeks mercy with the Romans like Odysseus approaching Polyphemus only to be thwarted when seeking that mercy by a crewmate.

Annabeth has claimed to be Nobody in SoM, her mercy with Polyphemus comes and bites her in Tartarus. Both she and Percy descend and return out of the Underworld. I'd say that her stabbing the Cyclops that held Luke & Thalia hostage could also be considered her own wild boar as well, a challenge she overcame that got Athena's attention.

Then, she undergoes a series of trials which require wit and end with her facing down a foe that she defeats but due to hubris she gets dragged down into an unending side quest Tartarus with the one she loves the most. She returns home to her kingdom camp where she has very little issues to deal with beyond just repairing shit and living her dream.

There are ton more parallels but they can pretty much be ascribed to Odysseus being the model of all children of Athena.

Annabeth = Odysseus is very compelling in how much it makes sense in the grand scheme of MoA. Annabeth in SoM and MoA is top tier Odysseus vibes along with being at her best character wise in my opinion.

5. Percy & Penelope

P names, Penelope & Percy are descended from water based gods. (Naiad in Penelope’s case), LOYALTY, they both hold the memory of their lost love dear. I’m not saying Frank could be Telemachus but i’m not not saying that.

Percy is…lusted after in a more romantic sense by several people like Penelope, Percy is left waiting as Annabeth undergoes her trials. Percy consistently is the one to hold off masses of suitors monsters, Penelope is considered to be like-minded to Odysseus (aka his equal) much like Percy & Annabeth are equals in different ways.

So some superficial parallels, but the fact that there even are any implies some intent at least with the Penelope-Odysseus theme taking forefront after TTC

6. Annabeth & Penelope

Weaving, cunning, easily emotional, Annabeth waits for Percy after his disappearance -> Penelope waiting after the Trojan War. In one source, Penelope's original name was Arnacia or Arnaea so A names as well.

Annabeth is Percy’s equal, Homer refers to Penelope as ‘like-minded’ to Odysseus, making her one of the smartest woman of the Aegean. I’d argue Arachne as the Mother of Many Spiders could technically be the suitors narratively but so can Luke.

The parallels are more superficial if appealing. Percy = Odysseus and Annabeth = Odysseus makes more sense than one of them simply being the other although through their ‘like-mindedness’ they are much the same.

So what have learned?

Rick really loves his Odyssey, I really enjoy my obscure characters and etymology knowledge, and we can have some hope for the chalice of the gods & perhaps a Diomedes figure showing up or Percy & Athena finally getting along with Annabeth and Sally moments.

I’ll be back (probably) for Fraser & Jiper parallels and most likely solangelo once i read TSATS.

#annabeth chase #percy jackson #pjo #parallels #percy jackon and the olympians #heroes of olympus #perseus #andromada #odysseus #penelope #been in my drafts for a month #i’m very proud of the behemoth

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