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puzzled-pegasus · 25 days

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Do you ever just think about how awful it is to be a demigod before you know about it?

I've been thinking about it a lot lately. How much demigod kids and teenagers don't fit in with mortal society. Their mortal parents don't know what to do with them, even if they do care for them immensely. They are labeled as troublemakers, as bad kids, as mentally ill, as freaks and monsters who see things they shouldn't see and have an aversion to authority that they shouldn't have and a strong sense of justice and an inability to sit still, read, play, act, feel normally. Percy got in trouble for getting into fights, for speaking impulsively, he was mocked and spoken down to and expelled from lots of schools who couldn't handle him and he didn't know why until he was twelve years old. Sally wasn't able to tell him why.

Annabeth was the product of her father's relationship with a goddess, and he loved her for a while, but she wasn't a normal kid. When he fell in love with a mortal and Annabeth didn't get along with her or her kids, he chose the mortal side. How could he understand Annabeth's side? She was just a badly behaved kid, while his new wife and children were the normal good ones.

Jason always knew he was a demigod, he was accepted and praised and tons of expectations were placed on him from a frighteningly young age. Part of the reason the others resent him and see him as a sort of golden child is because he was placed on a pedestal and he will never, ever know what it was like for all of his friends to be looked down on as children, to be scolded for things they didn't understand and told that the things they saw and experienced constantly were not real.

Piper was always loved by her father but I think he loved the idea of her, he loved that she reminded him of the beautiful woman he met years ago. He was always kind to her and usually gave her things she wanted, but he couldn't always spend time with her as his job got busier. Piper sensed that her father's attention was occupied by something else, and as he got busier, she felt less supported and stole things and got in fights and her dad didn't know what to do with her after the BMW so she was sent to a troubled teen program where she was bullied for her disabilities and her race.

Leo feared his power because it killed the person he loved the most, and after that, everything in his life was hell. He didn't feel safe anywhere, he didn't have anyone he could trust, and adults saw him as a troublemaker who would never amount to anything.

The books don't emphasize these things as much with any of the other demigods, or maybe Annabeth, Percy, Piper, and Leo are the best examples we have. I just. They're so tragic. They're all my children all of them. I love them and I feel so sad for them

#heroes of olympus #percy jackson #pjo hoo #hoo #heroes of olympus headcanon #character analysis #unfiltered thoughts #annabeth chase #piper mclean #leo valdez #jason grace #my CHILDREN

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the-great-knight-gay · 6 months

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Percy had a crush on Luke in TLT, in this essay I will-

No this is not a joke.

I am aware the Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes has alluded to Percy being heterosexual but I find that not being able to describe attractive men is not enough to be straight.

However, looking at the subtext between Luke and Percy's relationship in TLT, it shows clear signs of Percy basically hero worshipping the guy, in the same way Nico did with Percy. Main thing here is, Nico canonically had a crush on Percy that ran so deep that Cupid, the fucking god of love, literally described Percy as the person Nico cared for the most.

Now this does not instantly mean that Percy must have had a crush on Luke the same way but here is my evidence.

Percy (at that point) was starved of common decency from anyone but his mother

Look at the character relations in TLT.

From Book 1, other than his mother, Percy relations all had incredibly negative undertones.

Annabeth outright admitted to only joining him on the quest to get out of camp. They may have made up but that immediately put me off their entire relationship initially. I was a seriously anti-percabeth dude until Titan's Curse and this was one of the reasons.

Grover may have genuinely been Percy's friend but from the start, Percy found out that the only reason Grover was there was because of a job and not because they were friends. That eventually changed but at the beginning, it had to have been rocky.

Next up we have Chiron. Now while it was somewhat okay, albeit with manipulative undertones and an overall bluntness from Chiron, this was a purely teacher-student relationship.

Now we'll look at Percy in general. Percy was incredibly starved of affection from anyone but his mother. Coupled with an abusive stepfather, any act of kindness is amplified for him.

This is literally confirmed when Luke steals him toiletries. He feels that's the nicest thing anyone had done for him at that point.

Not only that, Luke personally taught Percy when everyone else was ignoring him like he was the plague.

Luke was literally Percy's only real friend for the majority of TLT. He literally recounted his entire quest to him during the Iris Message scene, a privilege he didn't even give to his mother. Plus, he was confirmed to blush around Luke almost as much as Annabeth and we all know how Annabeth used to think of Luke: 'Lose a love worse than death'

I personally think that there was no real reason for him to react so badly to Luke's betrayal other than this.

Okay, when I researched this by constantly rereading every Lukercy and Luke interaction or mention in TLT, I also came across another revelation.

This was one of the reasons why Percy was so determined not to fail Nico during TTC and BotL. He may have not known about Nico's crush on him but he definitely didn't want to be to Nico was Luke was to him.

#nico di angelo #luke castellan #percy jackson #rick riordan #annabeth chase #pjo fandom #pjo hoo toa #pjo series #percy jackon and the olympians #percy pjo #character analysis #the lightning thief #this is canon to me #that is deep #i wish i was deeped

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aficionadoenthusiast · 5 months

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i could point out the beautiful parallels between nico's crush on percy, the crush he developed due to childhood trauma and intense hero worship and hung onto even after he thought his hero betrayed him, and annabeth's crush on luke, the crush she developed due to childhood trauma and hero worship and held onto even after her hero betrayed her, and how both of their crushes are commentary on their upbringings, nico's being how grief and internalized homophobia caused him to latch onto the beautiful hero that saved his life, annabeth's being how growing up neglected and unwanted caused her to latch onto the first person who showed her any attention and how that attachment only strengthened in their shared grief, and how those parallels extended to show how their respective attachments left them vulnerable to manipulation yet ended up not joining the dark side, ironically in part because of percy, either because of the crush (nico) or in spite of the crush (annabeth), and how those crushes contributed to their overall character arcs, nico's being to learn to let go: of grudges, grief, and his own self-hatred as a two part climax on that one page of boo and the cocoa puffs in tsats with will being the catalyst to making him see his own worth, annabeth's being to learn what real, healthy love looks like (a spot of irony: percy taught her this, which is contrasted with her typically being the person to teach him stuff) in contrast to what she ultimately got with luke which was manipulation, because luke, also being a neglected kid, never learned what healthy love looks like, but you guys are not ready to hear that so instead i'll just try not to cry at the hypocrisy of the pjo fandom's obsession with nico's crush on percy while refusing to see annabeth's crush on luke as anything more than a disgusting mistake

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hermesmyplatonicbeloved · 6 months

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An Analysis of Percy/Annabeth's Life Aspirations

What do you think Percy/Annabeth would look like as adults?Let's look at their ambitions and ideas of what their "ideal" life as an adult looks like.

Let's break down what Annabeth and Percy's characterizations and what they actually want to do with their lives:

Annabeth.

Annabeth's has always wanted to be a hero. She loves going on quests, gaining glory and being victorious. She's Athena's daughter; she welcomes the challenge and revels in the victory. All throughout PJO we see Annabeth being one of the main driving forces pulling Percy into the greek world. She's never going to want to stop. We see this many times after PJO, when Jason asked Annabeth to go with him, the only reason why she said no was because she was looking for Percy. Right after the Titan War ended and they got the new great prophecy, Annabeth was immediately on it and trying to figure out what it meant. She wanted to be part of it.

As long as Annabeth lives, she'll want to go on quests. This is how Athena (via imposing expectations at a distance) and Chiron raised her. This is what she wants. This is who she is, as a person.

Percy.

Percy has never wanted to be a hero. He never wanted to be a half blood (it's literally the first line of the first book, written in Percy's voice at 19 years old). After the Titan War, he tells the reader that he's done with quests, with the war, with prophecies. He hears the next great prophecy and says "that's a problem for future generations." He leaves camp half blood and doesn't look back, instead planning a normal, human life in Manhattan.

Of course that's ruined by Hera's kidnapping but what's interesting about that second great prophecy is that all the seven demigods chose to be part of it aside from Percy. Percy was dumped in NR and was on a quest the very next day. When he gets back to NR, a few days later the Argo II arrives and Percy is forced to flee on the boat as one of the seven. He spends the rest of the quest missing his mom, eating blue food and questioning if he's actually going to survive and return home. He's not in it for the glory, or for the gods. He was quite literally brainwashed and manipulated by Hera and the others into going. His mental state got so bad that he attempted suicide mid-quest.

To remind everyone: Percy wasn't raised a hero. Sally went to great lengths to keep Percy away from camp half blood until the last possible moment. After a single summer, she asks him to return home, and he does everytime. Yes, he loves camp, but his home is in the mortal world. He has only spent about 4 summers at camp/on quests: that's 8 months total. After finding out his parentage, Percy chose to spent roughly 3 years and 4 months in the mortal world and 8 months in the greek world. He has a clear preference.

To summarize:

Annabeth wants to spend her life going on quests, going on quests and getting challenges and glory. Percy does not want to go on any more quests - he wants to settle down with a family in the mortal world (Manhattan) and live as peacefully as he can.

See the conflict there? They want the exact opposite thing.

This becomes very evident in cotg. Percy is pulled into yet another quest - he needs recommendation letters from the gods to go to New Rome University.

What's interesting about this is that Percy doesn't actually want to go to school. It's literally the first page of the book, he's asking Poseidon to write him a letter excusing him from school. He doesnt even know what he wants to study. He hasnt even looked at New Rome's programs (from what I remember).

So why does he want to go?

Annabeth. She is the only thing pushing him to go. Percy has a good life in Manhattan - his family is there: his mom, Paul, his little soon to be little sister (and Percy clearly states that he wants to be there to see her grow up - starting with changing diapers) and camp half blood. It's where he wants to be. Percy just got back from a severely traumatic year - being kidnapped, in a coma, falling into hell and fighting another war. His mental state was so bad he attempted suicide. He's tired. He finally got back to his safe space, his home, his mom (please remember this boy just turned 17 years old - he still desperately needs his mother). Its less than 2 months and Annabeth is already urging him to go on more quests to go to New Rome with her.

Remember what we just established about their characterizations? Annabeth will never stop wanting to go on quests, and will thrive in the mythology world while Percy wants to stay in Manhattan in the mortal world and do no quests? Yeah. Prime example right there in cotg.

So Percy goes to NRU for Annabeth. It's not what he wants - not the lifestyle he wants, but he loves her and the idea of losing her terrifies him so much that he'd rather go to hell than see her die so he goes.

But eventually his other desires for a normal peaceful life will catch up with him. Annabeth will inevitably be offered another quest, and she'll say yes so Percy will say yes to keep her safe and he'll constantly be doing exactly what he doesn't want to do: more quests. More fighting. More killing. More doing the gods' dirty work. And eventually, it will make him miserable. Maybe to the point of suicide again.

So one of two things will happen:

One: Percy says nothing. Doesn't tell Annabeth how he feels (which he doesnt do at all in PJO, HoO), and runs himself into the ground and maybe attempts suicide again. Maybe he succeeds this time. Maybe he doesn't. But it's a miserable life that - other than having Annabeth - he doesn't want. Has never wanted.

Two: Percy stands up for himself and tells Annabeth that he doesn't want to do anymore quests, that he's done doing shit for the gods. However, Percy would never be okay letting Annabeth go on quest without him watching his back, so this would turn into Percy asking Annabeth to stop going on quests, stop doing things for the gods and to stop seeking challenges and pride. I don't know if Annabeth would ever agree to that, but even if she does it's just a bad because now she's giving up her dreams, her life for Percy. She'd be miserable.

Its a lose-lose situation. Neither of them will be happy together long-term. They want the opposite things. Their dreams and aspirations are directly opposites. They don't make a good long term couple. They shouldn't be together post-war, as adults.

Thank you for sticking around to the end of my TED-talk.

...

This post was inspired by cotg and a post I've seen floating around saying that Percy is perfect for Annabeth because she's ambitious and he has no ambitions and I hate it. It's a bad take imo that doesn't actually account for their actual characterizations and ambitions- only a romantized version that hides percabeth's flaws.

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doevademe · 4 months

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What do you think of Annabeth as a character ? Letting aside the fact that she's the protagonist's love interest I mean. And what would have been more interesting to do with her?

Oof, this is a hard question because... I love Annabeth, but not in the way the PJO fandom loves her. Most people think she's a great female character, strong and brave and even a feminist icon (which, lol). Me? I just want to study her under a microscope.

I think she's plenty interesting as she is, but the narrative just needs to lean in on her flaws that are already on the text and really explore them, even if that makes her not suitable as Percy's love interest anymore.

Because Annabeth is so messed up, and it's all so consistent with who she is as a character, but I don't believe that was the intention when writing her.

Like, looking at her backstory and how she acts (like she knows everyone and everything best, like she can't do no wrong, how she treats people as being beneath her, even when she loves them) paints a very consistent picture of a damaged young woman with very bad coping mechanisms.

Annabeth has abandonment issues, and that's why she's a strategist. She needs to plan ahead of everything, control every variable, keep tabs on every minutiae, and that checks with her backstory of feeling left out by her father's new family, of losing Thalia, of losing Luke to Kronos, of her estrangement to Athena. She believes that if she's in control, people won't leave her.

This need for control extends to her relationships. We see how she strong-arms Percy into being what she wants. She punches him for not getting that she wants to dance with him, she insults his intelligence so she can be "the smart one", she judo flips him when he leaves, even if it's not by his own choice, because him leaving is her worst nightmare thanks to her trauma. She becomes codependent once they start dating.

We see how every girl who could take away Percy is a potential enemy for that reason. This tracks with how she might blame her step-mother from taking her father away. She hates on Rachel, she thinks Reyna and Hazel may be after Percy. She's a bit of a misogynist because she's that afraid another girl will come and take her relationships away from her.

She also idolizes Chiron and Athena. Chiron was a parental figure to her, one that never left, but Athena... she wasn't present, and Annabeth desperately copes by thinking she must have had a reason, that in her perfection (a perfection reflected in her) she knew she could be great, she just needs to prove herself.

Her fatal flaw is hubris, but that hubris presents itself as a deep insecurity over not being the best, and a fear of being left alone, and that's very interesting. Honestly, if she was real, I would stay miles away from her, because on top of all that, she doesn't want to be fixed, she doesn't think she needs fixing. But in the realm of fiction that makes for a fascinating, layered character. I wish her flaws were actually explored, acknowledged, and eventually overcome rather than just swept under the rug so she could be the Smart Love Interest to Percy, because honestly? Both of them deserve better.

#ask #anonymous #long post #like really long #character analysis #unpopular opinion #rick riordan critical #kind of #pjo critical #annabeth chase

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celestialtitania · 4 months

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what really changes pjo in the show vs the books is that till book 4, annabeth personally had no reason to doubt the gods. unlike thalia and luke, her mother had been there for her and she was proud of that. she believed in the gods, respected them, and thought their orders should be followed at every turn. ares may have been annoying at 12, but her mother had her back, and meeting artemis was also a good experience. it wasn’t till hera, that annabeth started losing her control with the gods. and even then, she always believed in athena

cut to the show, where athena let echidna into her temple for annabeth supposedly embarrassing her, even tho it was percy who sent medusa's head. no wonder girlie is already sniping at ares and yelling at hephaestus. she feels let down and betrayed by the one authority she thought was beyond all the rest.

it really makes me wonder how uncle rick is going to have her character develop in the show, esp considering her belief in athena was one of the core reasons she fought for the gods. that she fought against luke, her only remaining family

#pjo tv show #pjo series #pjo #annabeth chase #character development #character analysis #pjo athena

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notseaweedbrain · 5 months

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I wanted to do a microscopic character study on Percy before the show drops! Enjoy! 🔱

Perseus “Percy” Jackson

A twelve year old boy named after the famed slayer of Medusa. The great hero Perseus. Stuck in the shadow of marble and myth.

A twelve year old kid with learning disabilities; which makes school a living hell

A twelve year old with bullies that target him

A twelve year old boy who has no true father

A twelve year old boy who is abused and neglected by the stand in “father figure”

A twelve year old boy whose only stable and loving relationship is his mother

A twelve year old boy learns the truth. He learns that the truth hurts

A twelve year old boy watches his mother die in front of him. He’s helpless as he watches.

A twelve year old boy, confused, distraught, and enraged; avenges his mother with his bare hands

A twelve year old boy passes out from exhaustion

A few days will pass; then the twelve year old boy will wake up in a new land

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ilikebigants · 8 months

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Hi, I need someone else’s opinion on Leo’s ending in BoO cause personally I hate it. Like Leo’s entire reasoning for why he would die out of the seven was that he was the least valuable member and like. He’s right? Cause he does die, so his assumption was correct! And also him believing that no one would be near him/ capable of (willing to) save him is why he gave the vial to feastus instead. I know it’s meant to be like Leo defies fate and everything but it’s got to be so shattering to have your extremely low self esteem essentially be given a thumbs up by the universe.

I hate it as well, for a multitude of reasons. Let's start with the obvious: Unbelievably low self esteem.

His entire life, he's been a victim in one way or another. He was called a diabolo by his relatives for simply being born different, and his entire life he'd been going from orphanage to orphanage, being abused and bullied the whole way through. There's a high chance he's also been homeless for extended periods of time, which can give you so many different mental issues, one of the most common being a feeling that you don't exist due to how people ignored you in your time of need.

And then, Piper and Jason happen. He finally has friends!... except he doesn't. They treat him awfully, half the time wishing he wasn't there or insulting him in their minds. And as stupid as the fandom portrays him to be, he IS smart and perceptive. He definitely notices but won't bring it up because he knows what might happen if he does: they might leave him again. He'll be alone again.

People who haven't experienced long-term involuntary isolation don't understand what that does to someone. He was terrified, I can be sure of that.

How do you think he felt when he realised the friendship he had was just a product of the mist? Fearful? Helpless? He definitely wasn't happy, and I'm almost certain his heart sank at the realisation he was alone once more. The one time he wasn't only being a lie.

And then Frank and Hazel happened.

People seem to forget that Frank was an antagonising asshole WAYYYY before Leo ever insulted him or made fun of him. Why? Because Hazel treated him nicely, and Leo didn't treat her like shit. It's ridiculous. "He was trying to steal hazel1!1!" No, he wasn't. BFFR. He spoke so many times about how he'd never do that out of respect for someone else's relationship.

The reality of the situation is that he was once again isolated. He can't be friends with Frank or Hazel due to Frank's jealousy issues. Voila, he's once more alone. The 7th wheel.

Not to mention the underlying thought that Hazel only likes him because he reminds her of Sammy.

And THEN there's Percy Jackson. The saviour of olympus. Boy wander and popular as all hell. And Percy doesn't like him. Remember that? It's explicitly said that Percy didn't like Leo. Bam. There goes his last chance to make any friends. If Percy doesn't like you, then Annabeth doesn't like you. Yeah, Annabeth and Leo have been mentioned to talk about engineering with each other, but it isn't even implied that they're in any way close or talk outside of projects for the argo 2.

Why SHOULDN'T he have low self-esteem? Nothing and no one have shown him he's anything more than a tool. A thing to fix stuff around the ship. And this isn't even with me mentioning the guilt he feels for firing on New Rome, or his guilt for throwing Annabeth and Perry into Tartarus, or the MILLION of other things that have made him believe he was expendable!

His one "friend," Festus, is torn into fucking pieces!

So really, no fucking wonder he clings to the idea of a girlfriend so fucking tightly. The prospect of someone who won't leave? Who'll like him? Who'll LOVE him?! Of COURSE he wants that! And that explains why he's so eager to get back to Calypso!

I'll say it, I believe that the only reason he went back was because he thought that he and her had 1 thing in common, and that was loneliness. I genuinely believe he saw how toxic the whole thing was and didn't care because she was just as alone as he was. It's codependency in its purest form. They fought at the start, they fought in the middle, and at the end, the last scene we ever see of them together is them STILL FIGHTING. Say whatever you want about the age gap, even if it wasn't there this STILL would have been a bad relationship for both of them!

But back to the original point. Leo sacrificing himself. Personally, I think that he did it not out of a feeling of inferiority, but because he was suicidal. Straight up. And as a last ditch effort to prove to himself that the others cared.

And he was proven wrong, as they didn't care.

He was right at the end of the day. No one cared for him.

The entire story feels like a giant "fuck you" to Leo. His happy ending being losing Jason and being unhappily married to Calypso.

And on a meta level we have how the fandom treats him, basically being ignored in fan content unless they need a Comic relief.

People talk all the time about how hard the others got it in life, and I agree, but they had 1 thing that helped them make it through: a support network. Leo had it the hardest out of all of them, for the single reason that he didn't have that.

Not only was his suicide basically applauded and rewarded, but his gift for saving everyone was to be miserable for the rest of time.

We never did find out what happened to the 7 after the Trials of Apollo, but in my mind, Leo Valdez only ever talks again to Nico D'angelo. Why? Because after years with Calypso, he stops pretending, and with a gun in his right arm, he's dead.

#pjo hcs #pjo #pjo hoo toa #jason grace #leo valdez #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percy pjo #character analysis #hazel levesque #frank zhang #annabeth chase #nico di angelo #calypso #piper mclean

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clearascountryair · 5 months

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Okay so I still can't get over how perfect "We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium" was and I have a lot of thoughts. I just can't get over how perfectly they're blending together character exploration and plot. It's all so perfect and cohesive and I want to talk a little about how they're dealing with the relationships between the characters.

Percy and Grover

I think at first we’re supposed to think Percy wants Grover on the quest because he is his only friend, so therefore has to be the traitor, but then at the end, we get that it’s just because Percy fully trusts that Grover won’t betray him because he is used to the world where he and Grover are each other’s only friends. But that completely breaks for him when he finds out that Grover was Annabeth’s (and Luke and Thalia’s) protector first because he’s realizing that, while Grover would never betray him in malice, he, like Luke, might betray him if that’s what Annabeth needed (for safety, for the quest, for anything). And it also speaks so loudly to Percy’s views of friendship and loyalty: I don’t think Percy thinks he will be betrayed in some big malicious way. I think that he believes it is tied to failing to save what matters most—he won’t be betrayed by a fake friend who actually hates him, but by a real friend who will try to stop him from saving his mom if it interferes with the quest. He trusted that Grover will help him save his mom, even if that means risking the quest, but made that decision not knowing that Grover has an even longer history with Annabeth and might choose her not because he doesn’t love Percy, but because he loves Annabeth, too.

2. Annabeth and Percy

She’s so freaking determined to be the best. And as must as I love that post going around on here and Twitter and TikTok about how Annabeth was struggling with the candy because, in addition to never having gone to a store before, she wanted to do something nice for Percy (and Grover), I don’t think it was just about friendship. Percy was doubting her authority. I don’t think she gives a crap (at least, she won’t admit to it) about whether or not he likes her. I just don’t think she’s above buying his respect. The way she refers to him is so mean? Like, constantly referring to him as Grover’s friend, but in a way that feels like a pet. She says “Grover, control your friend,” but might as well be saying “Control you dog.” I could easily believe that she was effectively buying dog treats. But I also think both can be true. Because she clearly was so hurt by what he said about them not being friends, so she must want to be friends. ***Very minor spoilers for the rest of the books here, so skip to the third section if you've never read them*** And the ONLY time Annabeth talks about something positive from the first seven years of her life in ALL ELEVEN BOOKS IN WHICH SHE PROMINENTLY FEATURES is when she talks about her dog. For seven years, the only thing that loved her (and the only thing she loved) was her dog. Obviously, she is 12 and knows that dogs aren’t people and people aren’t dogs, but the only time she has probably ever had to work for someone’s affection and has been successful in that effort was probably with her dog.

(And yes, I know: Grover and Thalia and Luke. But those friendships are all different because all three of them were in an inherent place of authority and protection over her. I think we all tend to forget that while Grover and Annabeth appear the same age now, they probably didn’t when they met. Thalia was the closest in age to her, and she’s still five years older. And Annabeth doesn’t seem to have any other close friends).

I also love that it’s Percy who’s reluctant to the friendship here. Annabeth is just too traumatized and un-socialized to do it on her own. They’re not not friends because Annabeth is hung up on the Poseidon v Athena rivalry like she is in the books, they’re not friends because Annabeth (from Percy’s perspective) is a jerk.

3. Annabeth and Athena

The way Grover looks at her when Percy suggests leaving her hat with Medusa and she just says “Okay”!!!! Like, you cannot tell me that that conversation went down the way it did with no relation to the earlier conversation with Medusa. Despite her adamant defense of Athena, Annabeth was just told that her mother is a monster and a monster creator, straight from the mouth of one of her victims. For the first time in her life, the pedestal Annabeth has put her mom on is deteriorating and, before Annabeth gets the chance to pry further, they kill Medusa. And sure, this confirms to Annabeth that she was right. But she can’t stop the nagging in her head that, even if Medusa is a monster, she’s a monster that Athena created and how can that mean Athena is anything other than a monster? Especially when Medusa loved Athena just as Annabeth does. Even if she doesn’t totally believe her, she doesn’t not believe her, either. How can there not be a part of her brain that wonders, “will my mom turn on me one day, too?” So when Percy suggests leaving her hat behind, that broken, doubting part of herself says, “Okay.” Because, yes, it’s a gift from her mom. But what does that mean when her mom is a monster?

(And so maybe we will get an Annabeth-driven emphasis on the Athena v Poseidon rivalry not because of Annabeth’s blind loyalty to her mother, but because she has seen what happens when favorites of Athena appear too loyal to Poseidon.)

#pjo spoilers #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #pjo #just some minor character analysis/speculation #look not even I expected to return to this site #but it looks like I am reentering my tumblr girlie era

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bulletproof-arista · 2 years

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Will Solace’s potential fatal flaws: a character analysis and theory.

Welcome! I’ve been working on this post for awhile now ever since I noticed that Will Solace does not have a fatal flaw. While I believe it would probably be revealed in the upcoming Solangelo book, for the time being, why not make a post on his potential fatal flaws based on what we’ve seen so far of him in canon?

In this post, we will be theorizing on Will’s potential fatal flaws, based on his scenes in the canon series– ranging from the original PJO series to the most recent TOA series.

DISCLAIMER: Although I had to revisit most books in which I remember he appeared in, some things in this post may be incorrect– such as context, book titles etc– if so, do correct me (but respectfully)! The quotes I will be using will be recycled throughout the post, not because I’m lazy but because the same thing could insinuate many different things. Like I keep on saying in my post, Will so far is a pretty non-developed character. There is big room for interpretation but very little for actual facts. We might be leaning a bit towards fanon– but I made sure it’ll stay as canon as possible. Pls I’m running this shit with crumbs here.

And now, onto the post! Buckle up, it’ll be a long one.

INTRODUCTION:

-What is a fatal flaw?

The concept of fatal flaw originated from Ancient Greece. Alternatively, it can also be called a “Tragic flaw” or “Hamartia”. Like its name indicates, a fatal flaw is an emotional or psychological weakness that could lead a mortal/demigod/immortal to their downfall, or, to put it more dramatically, their death. In the PJO series, death caused by one’s fatal flaw is not unheard of. Thus, it is not all that dramatic either given the fact that it could happen to anyone if they do not learn to control it.

-What causes a fatal flaw?

Personally, the cause for one’s fatal flaw could vary. The fatal flaw could stem from (but not limited to):

one’s talent–Annabeth’s hubris due to her intelligence.

one’s experiences– Luke’s excessive wrath due to his childhood.

one’s godly parentage– like how most Athena kids have hubris as their fatal flaw.

one’s personality, a trait they were simply born with.

-Will Solace’s fatal flaw?

I firmly believe that Will Solace’s fatal flaw stems from the most important part of him– the fact that he is healer. Being a healer is the prominent characteristic of Will. This is what shaped him. Thus, I believe his fatal flaw is also linked to his healer side.

1. Responsibility

/rɪˌspɒnsɪˈbɪlɪti/

noun -the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone.

-the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something.

I included the two definitions of the word because I feel like both could be applied to Will.

This is the most obvious one, what’s with his responsibility as the head medic (and probably the only medic with healing powers) at camp. As well as the fact that he is the oldest sibling of a cabin full of children, and his duty as a counselor. So basically, Will’s responsibility include (but are probably not limited to): head medic, oldest Apollo child and Apollo cabin counselor. Having been a healer since he was TWELVE, and being responsible of a cabin full of children (and consequently taking on more of a parental role than a sibling role for them), Will Solace has a pretty heavy baggage.

So being exposed to this much responsibility since a very young age, it wouldn’t be surprising if Will feels responsible for everyone that’s surrounding him. And believing that he has to intervene in every situation because he feels like it is his duty. Alternatively, this could explain his… admittedly hilarious tendency of speaking up in tension heavy situations. Perhaps it is not necessarily responsibility that pushes him to act this way (sounds a little bit more like recklessness/impulsiveness), but I decided to include that trait of his in this part anyway.

BULLETPOINT 1:

In the Hidden Oracle, after Kayla and Austin’s disappearance, although Will was just as shaken as the others, he knew he had a responsibility at camp and needed to tend to the injured first and foremost.

I was stunned by his tone. I realized he was just as concerned about Kayla and Austin as I was. The only difference: Will knew his duty. He had to heal the injured first. And he needed my help.

BULLETPOINT 2:

Will defended Rachel against Clarisse, calming the latter down before things could go south.

“She’s right.” Will Solace, head counsellor for the Apollo cabin, put his hand gently on Clarisse’s wrist. Not many campers could’ve done that without getting stabbed, but Will had a way of defusing people’s anger. He got her to lower her dagger. “Everyone in our cabin has been affected. It’s not just Rachel.”

It is explicitly stated that not many people could do such a thing, and yet he did. I believe he knew that he could’ve potentially attract Clarisse’s anger, and yet he still took the risk to calm her down.

BULLETPOINT 3 (speculation):

Every time someone dies from an injury, I believe Will would be blaming himself. He would wonder what he did wrong, and doubt his powers and abilities.

BULLETPOINT 4 (impulsiveness/recklessness):

Here is Will preventing a war from erupting between two opposing camps. What a creative way to save yourself from spending the entire night tending to injured machos! /j

Will Solace saved the day.

He put his fingers in his mouth and did a taxicab whistle even more horrible than the last. Several Greeks dropped their swords. A ripple went through the Roman line like the entire First Cohort was shuddering.

“DON’T BE STUPID!” Will yelled. “LOOK!”

BULLETPOINT 5:

“No one hits my boyfriend,” Will thundered. “And no one kills my dad!”

Quite a courageous thing to say in a room full of powerful ennemies!

Responsibility as his fatal flaw;

Will would bite more than he can chew, always taking responsibility for everything. The responsibilities would all stack onto his back, becoming overbearing. He would feel responsible for every bad thing that happens, believing that he could have done something to prevent it. He would speak up and do potentially dangerous/reckless things, thinking that it is his responsibility to do so.

2. Stubbornness

/ˈstʌbənnəs/

noun

dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something.

Just like all of his potential fatal flaws, Will’s stubbornness stems from the fact that he is a healer since a very young age. He has been responsible for his patients and KNOWS what to do when they’re under his care. He also knows what a person in pain needs, thanks to his expertise in medicine as well as his vitakinesis. Imagine being able to tell what’s wrong with someone with a single touch, and thanks to your knowledge, you also know what to do to heal it. What else would you need then? You would firmly believe that your opinion is a fact, that you are right in every sense of the word and don’t need anyone to change that opinion. Hence Will’s stubbornness and his refusal to hear out what others have to say.

BULLETPOINT 1:

In The Blood of Olympus, Will kept on insisting that Nico needs to rest ever since he found out about his transparent body. In fact he only relented when the latter agreed.

“Coach Hedge told me all about your shadow-travel. You can’t try that again.”

“I just did try it again, Solace. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. I’m a healer. I could feel the darkness in your hand as soon as I touched it. Even if you made it to that tent, you’d be in no shape to fight. But you wouldn’t make it. One more slip, and you won’t come back. You are not shadow-travelling. Doctor’s orders.”

BULLETPOINT 2:

Short one, but Nico himself described Will as stubborn.

“And Will Solace … Nico revised his impression of the son of Apollo. He’d always thought of Will as easygoing and laid back. Apparently he could also be stubborn and aggravating.”

Stubbornness as his fatal flaw;

Will would refuse to listen to what others have to say (especially when it comes to medical terms), believing that what he is saying is right. And even if he IS right, he wouldn’t change his decision by listening to what others have to say. This could be borderline hubris.

3. Reticence

/ˈrɛtɪs(ə)ns/

noun

the quality of being reticent; reserve.

When you are a healer/doctor, you have to stay composed at all times, for the sake of not worrying your patients. This must be a trait Will has developed pretty early on( given that he started healing at the age of twelve. If he is constantly hiding his emotions during his work, and he works almost all the time– Will could have naturally developed a kind of wall around himself as a habit. Never talking about how he’s feeling– especially the negative emotions.

Will’s approach could be more subtle than Nico’s explicit “NO I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT MY FEELINGS”.

To learn more about this, you can read this awesome post

BULLETPOINT 1:

I was stunned by his tone. I realized he was just as concerned about Kayla and Austin as I was. The only difference: Will knew his duty. He had to heal the injured first. And he needed my help.

BULLETPOINT 2:

This is quite an explicit proof of his emotional reticence, and the fact that it is linked with him being a healer.

Will laughed under his breath. “I’m terrified. But one thing you learn as head counselor: you have to keep it together for everyone else. Let’s get you on your feet.“

BULLETPOINT 3:

This is said about Will’s personality on his wiki.

He has also developed a kind of shell, meaning that even in extremely stressful situations he at least looks calm and collected.

Reticence as his fatal flaw;

Will would always insist that he is fine and never talk about his feelings. He would close himself up, and worse of all, he is good at hiding. Will would bottle up every negative emotion he feels for the sake of looking composing in front of his patients. Until the day he cracks and spills everything.

4. Altruism

/ˈaltruːɪz(ə)m/

noun

disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Having so much responsibilities, it is natural for Will to always put others above himself, as the big brother/counselor/head medic. Consequently, he ignore his own desires and emotions (see previous fatal flaw) in favor of helping others.

BULLETPOINT 1:

During the battle of Manhattan, after witnessing his brother’s death, Will is whisked away by Percy to go heal Annabeth. And he didn’t bring up Michael once. Instead, he was focused on healing Annabeth, and he ignored his brother death in favor of saving someone else– the lover of his brother’s (indirect) killer.

BULLETPOINT 2:

In the hidden oracle, Will had to put aside his desire to go search for his siblings in order to heal some campers. He directly admitted wanting to go find Kayla and Austin.

“I got it reattached,” Will told me, his voice shaky with exhaustion. His scrubs were speckled with blood. “I need somebody to keep him stable.”

I pointed to the woods. “But—”

“I know!” Will snapped. “Don’t you think I want to be out there searching too? We’re shorthanded for healers. There’s some salve and nectar in that pack. Go!”

BULLETPOINT 3:

This is said about Will’s personality on his wiki.

With a tendency to overwork himself, Will is extremely dedicated to his work, even going so far as to not sleeping for days on end.

Altruism as his fatal flaw;

Will would put everyone above his own needs and desires, consequently ignoring his own health and well-being. This could be dangerous, because well, overworking can be bad for his health. Not sleeping for days on end is bad for his health on both short and long terms. His own altruism will weaken him considerably.

CONCLUSION

So in conclusion, all of Will’s fatal flaws (at least to me) has something to do with the fact that he is a healer. If you noticed how the proposed fatal flaws are quite similar, then you have a keen eye. They are indeed pretty similar, with only little to differentiate.

I’m looking forward to learning more about Will, both of his good sides and bad sides in the upcoming Solangelo book.

Have any thoughts? Which fatal flaws do you think he most likely has?

Sources;

The Blood of Olympus (HoO #5)

The Last Olympian (PJO #5)

The Hidden Oracle (TOA #1)

The Tower of Nero (TOA #5)

Will Solace Wiki

Will Solace quotes

Fatal Flaw

This amazing video essay I found on YouTube that inspired me to write this

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danikore-does-pole · 4 months

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So I’m seeing a lot of people quoting Annabeth saying “At least with the gods you can learn the rules and patterns” (or smth along those lines) and saying Girl, you’re autism is showing. And I’m not gonna say that’s wrong but to me that line read much more like a child with trauma. She was abandoned as a seven year old, a literal gods gift to her father, loved and dotted on until one day the thing that made her special was the reason she had to leave. How can that make sense to anyone let alone a child? There’s no rhyme, reason or way of understanding that.

BUT if she can figure out how to make people like her, and learn the rules of the game she can prevent it from happening again. She says at least the gods make sense and have rules because to her that’s how she can protect herself.

If she worships Athena just right, follows every rule, is dutiful and obedient and the best daughter she’s ever had, she won’t get kicked out again. That’s a trauma response

#Annabeth chase #Percy Jackson episode 4 #character analysis #i just have thoughts #she was just a baby #and they kicked her out????#fredrick and I are gonna have words

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dim-paper-lanterns · 4 months

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on annabeth and rachel in pjo

maybe it's the aromantic in me, but I never realized that annabeth's and rachel's whole feud was over percy. to me, I always figured it was centered around annabeth's own isolation away from the mortal world.

ok, here me out. i always read annabeth's and rachel's relationship as annabeth's jealousy not over percy, but rather her demigod world. i mean, she was practically born knowing of the gods, and even if she didn't, we know that from a very young age (earlier than 7), she was introduced to the worst aspects of it. (I don't remember if she knew that athena was her mother pre-camp, but it doesn't really matter) so here you have this child, and she's scared and angry and no one in the mortal world believes her when she talks about spiders and dreams. its not hard to imagine that she would form some sort of bitterness towards the mortal world, especially since she left it (became a year-round camper w no contact w the mortal/outside world) at a very young and impressionable age.

"My dad’s resented me from the day I was born, Percy. He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work."

and then she meets luke and thalia. for the first time in her life, she's respected, and protected and loved. and they believe her, about everything. they are older than her but they take her seriously and they promise her family. they left their mortal 'families' as well, they know exactly the terrors she has been facing. they are the exact kind of different she is, the same kind her father sighs at and her step-mother scoffs at. so now we have annabeth, and she is young and impressionable and the line between the demigod world and the mortal world has become firmly drawn.

camp half blood comes like a savior land. safety, respect, understanding, friendship. thalia's gone, annabeth becomes a year-rounder, she is surrounded by magic and powers and monsters. but this is her world, this is her camp, this is her domain. she tries, she really does try to reconnect with her mortal family by it doesn't work out and she is sent right back to camp. that's fine, all she needs is camp. she's going to make something of herself, she's going to become counselor, she's going to win every capture-the-flag, she's going to be chiron's best student, she's going to get a quest. she is going to be great.

“I tried to go home for that school year, but my stepmom was the same as ever. She didn’t want her kids put in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn’t even make it through winter break. I called Chiron and came right back to Camp Half-Blood.”

annabeth is 12 and full of fragile pride. percy enters camp and annabeth gets a friend, a chance and a crush all in one. everything is working out, but tensions are rising between the gods and tensions are rising in camp- its fine. annabeth is going to be great.

things are not going great. luke has betrayed them, has betrayed her. she seems to be in constant danger, by monsters and gods alike- even her summers are now filled with dangerous quests and battles. they go through the sea of monsters, they bear the titans curse. clarisse has her battle will, percy has his sea powers, grover has his saytr magic. drew has charmspeak, beckendorf has a dragon, nico is the son of the death god. thalia is back with her storm powers, lee has his magic, katie has hers, and annabeth is a strategist. but it's fine. she is not going to feel inferior, or weak, or lesser than. this has been her world since birth, this belongs to her. she doesn't need any mortal in it. not her father, not her step-mother, not her step-brothers, not her school 'friends'.

and then rachel arrives. she's pretty, she's sharp, she's funny. she's quick on her feet and she can see through the mist.

she is mortal.

and she keeps reappearing. she becomes friends with percy, which, hello? that's annabeth's partner. she goes with them into the labyrinth, annabeth's quest. she is a mortal.

this is what i made out of annabeth's feud with rachel. it wasn't jealously over a boy, it was because this mortal could come into annabeth's world, and take over everything annabeth has ever known. she cut herself off from the mortal world when she was 7, and here comes this mortal girl constantly tagging along with them, messing up her plans, taking over her missions.

annabeth is prideful. she is proud of her life, of everything she has created, free of mortals.

kronos's army arrives in new york. annabeth's friends are either dead, on luke's side, or fighting a losing battle protecting camp. they go on more and more missions, the gods aren't being helpful. its a hit or miss on if the new demigods can even make it past thalia's tree due to all the new monsters attacking them- annabeth buries children.

and throughout all of this, percy is off with some mortal?

the battle of manhattan arrives and call annabeth selfish or apathetic, but she revels in it. all of her efforts, her skill and strategy and struggle has been made worth it. she leads her campers into battle with victory in her eyes.

and then the mortal comes crashing out of the sky in a helicopter.

annabeth saves her, of course. but now she's got a mortal involved in what is quickly turning out to be a bloodbath, and rachel is talking on about paintings while annabeth's siblings die outside. its easy to hate her when she is constantly in annabeth's way.

LOL ANYWAYS

all this to say was that i misread annabeth's whole grudge against rachel so badly whoops. love her though

#annabeth chase #rachel elizabeth dare #the battle of the labyrinth #the last olympian #pjo fandom #character analysis #annabeth headcanons #i miss ao3 tagging system #tumblr wtf is this #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo #pjo series

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the-great-knight-gay · 6 months

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List of favorite versions of these characters

List of my favorite iterations of different characters:

This is an opinion:

Spider-Man

I just love how nuanced and developed this take on Spidey is. All are great in their own terms but I have personally felt more of a connection to this Spidey more than anyone else, with only Andrew Garfield's coming close because I just love that the whole mannerisms are just so real.

He experiences anger and sadness and so many other negative emotions. He doesn't have to be the happy one all the time because that's unrealistic. It has a more grounded apporach than Tobey Maguire's Spidey but not as much as Andrew Garfield, giving the perfect balance for a quality comic book movie character. It's not too campy but has just the right amount.

The main problem is the fanfiction writers treating him like a five year old when he is not. This is a developed and mature character. How everyone just treats him like a baby is beyond me. His last appearance had him try to murder a man with his bare hands (and a weaponized glider). There was no baby in that scene.

Next up it's Batman.

This one has so much potential. I don't have as much to discuss but I just feel drawn to it for some reason. The incredibly dark, emotional feel seems to just work for Batman and Robert Pattinson just nails it. The only other one that comes close is Christian Bale who unfortunately puts me off with two things. The design and the voice.

You can't tell me Batman sounds like he gargles with battery acid. Also... hockey pads? Really Nolan?

Next up... Percy Jackson. (Reminder that I am only putting in live action ones as I have not seen the Lightning Thief play but I have been told it's great)

This one is no contest.

While Logan Lerman was actually a perfect casting for the 16 year old Son of Poseidon, his performance was slightly bogged down by the movie he was in. Logan and the Lotus scene was probably the only thing I would ever like about the movies. Walker on the other hand, while we have only seen him in trailer as of right now, is the perfect Percy. I don't care about his looks because the entire reason PJO was created was to send the message that anyone, whether they have dyslexia or ADHD, can be a hero. The whole part of Percy's design doesn't matter, just as long as he looks like Poseidon. That's the only part that matters. Just like how Annabeth's design doesn't matter as the whole idea of it was that anyone can be smart, despite being discriminated against for their appearance. THIS LITERALLY MEANS IT MAKES MORE SENSE FOR HER TO BE BLACK RATHER THAN BLONDE. STOP BULLYING LEAH YOU RACIST NERDS ON THE INTERNET. NOT THAT I'M HATING ON NERDS THO I AM ONE AND THIS ARGUMENT IS LITERALLY TO DEFEND THE ULTIMATE NERD.

Anyway back to Percy. Walker is Percy Jackson. Anyone seen Secret Headquarters and The Adam Project? It's like seeing Percy come to life. Anyone who says 'Ever had your ass beat by a twelve year old nerd with an inhaler' in that tone is Percy Jackson. His entire mannerism just is the chaotic energy of Percy. Plus, Rick Riordan has said that he has encouraged Walker to embrace anger in the show rather than just be the stereotypical morally superior protagonist. THIS PERCY WILL SHOW EMOTION AND ANGER AND EVERYTHING. THAT IS PERCY. From the start, he has always had a slightly darker streak, from manipulating Procrustes into lying in his literal death bed to manipulating the tears and poison of the misery goddess (No idea where the fandom got the idea of blood bending that's not part of the scene)

Honestly, all I've heard from this kid is just Percy Jackson. He is Percy.

For the final one we have Superman and Lex Luthor.

This is the best ever Clark Kent I have seen. He shows both the alien side and the human side of Kal-El so well. Henry Cavill was amazing but we never saw really saw Clark enough. More of the Kal-El side. This is probably because of the lack of appearance due to all the weird problems with the DCEU which was disappointing as he was gearing up to take the new favorite spot for me. Welling on the other hand, had so much time, evolving and developing this character that is was just hard not to see Welling when I hear Clark.

Despite the lack of suiting up (Which was fixed by the Season 11 comics and Smallville Tie-ins) he managed to bring the essence of Superman into the show so well. His time as the Red-Blue Blur and The Blur managed to show both his heroic side and his darker side, adding a much more emotionally invested side to the character. Rather than just making him the morally correct character who can do no wrong and assumes the best in everyone like most people think of when they see Superman, Smallville's version shows him as a person making him have flaws, doubts, anger, emotion and so much trails.

His friendship and rivalry with Lex, paired with Tom Welling's amazing chemistry with Michael Rosenbaum, created such amazing on screen banter and added a new layer to his character, giving him a large parallel to one of his greatest enemies.

Both started off wanting to be just good. The main difference was parentage. Clark was lucky to get Jonathan and Martha. He may have had some hiccups with Jor-El but Jor-El at least wanted to give him a good path. Lex had Lionel. Lionel was abusive, via neglect and hate. Lionel was the real reason why Lex had no hope of becoming a hero. This came into play heavily in the earlier seasons of Smallville.

Smallville was always a three act play.

Act 1: Season 1-3

This one focused on fathers and sons

So much of this was about Jonathan and Clark, Lionel and Lex, Henry Small and Lana, Jor-El and Clark, even Gabe and Chloe for a bit.

Act 2: 4-7

This one helped develop the characters through their interactions with each other while building the Krypton sub-plot.

This was how Lana's relationship with Clark and Lex grew and fell.

This was how Chloe grew to be one of Clark's most trusted confidants.

This was about how Clark and Lex's friendship started failing.

All the while, we finally were introduced to actual characters from the comic books other than Lex, Lana, Clark, Pete and Clark's parents.

We saw The Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, Green Arrow and Black Canary.

We were introduced to Lois Lane of all people which gave everyone my favorite version of the character, rivalled only by My Adventures with Superman and Superman and Lois.

We saw Brainiac, Bizarro and Supergirl.

This truly marked the end of the fathers and sons arc with Jonathan suffering a heart attack and Lex truly becoming the villain after murdering his Father, a fate he had tried so hard to stop in the earlier seasons.

Then we got the final act.

Act 3: Seasons 8-10

This was the act where Clark truly became a hero. He stepped out of the shadows as the Red-Blue Blur. He took on Doomsday. He finally defeated Brainiac. Lois and Clark became a thing. We saw his dark side as he became The Blur, with his trenchcoat and we saw him evolve past his dark side and then finally, he donned the cape.

This was truly the greatest version of Superman.

Now you must be waiting for the Lex one.

Of course it will be Smallville's Lex.

Michael Rosenbaum was PERFECT.

He will be the only Lex I ever see.

His take on the character was just so emotional and perfect.

His relationship with Clark and his slow descent to madness and evil but just perfect.

That day on the bridge changed his life but it also changed all of ours.

Everyone who saw Smallville knew that Clark and Lex would become enemies and yet it still hurt.

Let's be honest, this scene broke everyone.

This was when there truly was no return.

This just cemented what everyone knew would happen.

This was truly the greatest pair in TV history.

They've come a long way from this:

Knight out.

#rick riordan #annabeth chase #percy jackson #pjo fandom #marvel #peter parker #marvel mcu #batman #robert pattinson #the batman #superman #smallville #tom welling #michael rosenbaum #character analysis

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aficionadoenthusiast · 9 months

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i think the most interesting thing about luke castellan's character is that no matter what he did, he is fundamentally a good guy.

i mean, obviously he didn't always succeed, but everything he did was for demigods and to help make demigods' lives better. he (rightly!) saw a problem in the gods and tried really hard to fix it which is how he got corrupted in the first place - because he wanted better lives for himself and his people. he didn't do anything for money or fame. he didn't even particularly care about power. he just wanted the gods to stop mistreating their children. if the demigods had a union, luke would be the forerunner.

and the funny thing about that is it actually took him a long time to decide he wanted to overthrow the gods. he ran away at 9, right? met thalia at 14? that's five years it took to be disillusioned, then three more to actually act on that hatred. it took percy about an hour to be disillusioned, and he was literally fighting gods within a week. without luke to go first, i imagine percy would have led a rampage the size of texas before his 14th birthday.

then you also have to look at his recruitment methods. again, he didn't promise the demigods he recruited anything besides getting even with their neglectful parents. even percy (and jason) promised kymopeleia temples in return for her help. he promised annabeth a place at his side (i think?), but he also asked for her help when he realized he fucked up. by the end of the series, he sacrificed himself to kill kronos! this is not a man who intentionally did evil; this is a traumatized teenager trying to make sure no more kids get hurt.

technically, he succeeded because he managed to help elevate percy to a point where he could ask for those things, but my god. this kid is the definition of a tragic hero.

#luke castellan #percy jackson #pjo #pjo hoo toa #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo series #rrverse #rick riordan #character analysis #character study #luke castellan character study #annabeth chase #thalia grace

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kitkat404 · 1 year

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I’ve seen a lot of Percy Jackson fanfics where they go to high school and Annabeth is in all AP classes, and I want to point some things out.

Annabeth is extremely intelligent, there’s no debating that. She’s a fast learner who soaks up information like a sponge. I might give her the math because she’s an architect and canonically very good at fast calculations, but that’s about it. If Annabeth were to go to school after HoO, she would be at the worst disadvantage.

Think about it; she dropped out of school when she was 7 years old, has ADHD and dyslexia, and canonically has both anxiety and PTSD. American school systems are super ableist, combine that with 2 learning disabilities, psychological trauma, and an almost 10-year absence, and Annabeth would probably be taking classes BELOW her grade level.

I might even go so far as to say that Percy is at an advantage over her. Yes, they both have ADHD and dyslexia, and yes they both have anxiety and PTSD, and while Percy may have been kicked out of every school he’s ever been to, notice how it was always because of monster attacks, never his grades. And now, his stepdad is one of his teachers and will be able to help him and keep peace with the school so Percy can stay for more than one year.

But more important than that is the fact that while Percy did lose his memory and miss most of his sophomore year of high school, he got those memories back, and an 8 month gap is way smaller than the DECADE Annabeth has to make up for. Was Percy barely passing his classes? Yes, but he WAS passing. He never flunked out, he wasn’t held back. Annabeth, however, likely would be held back.

No matter how smart you are, nobody gets accepted into AP classes after missing 10 years of school.

I also want to make it clear that this isn’t against Annabeth in any way, she’s always been one of my favorite characters. But sometimes, it feels like people gloss over a lot of the less shiny aspects of her story and just paint her as the genius know-it-all who has to tutor Percy in all his subjects to help him graduate. In reality, she’s a lot more complicated than that, and I feel like it’s a disservice to who she is as a character to ignore the bits that make her so.

Annabeth has had a very difficult life, and a lot of the things that have happened to her weren’t her fault, or her choice. We need to recognize that and actually make it a part of how she’s portrayed rather than trying to make everything perfectly fit into the “genius girl” narrative. That’s not her story; maybe it was at one point, but we’re well past it now.

It would be incredibly interesting and gratifying from a story-telling standpoint to see Annabeth struggle with this. Her intelligence has always been a defining factor in how she identifies herself, but we also know that Annabeth does have her moments of doubt. To see her struggling in school and having to reconcile the fact that she’s still a very smart person with the fact that she got very behind and has to be the one to ask for help this time instead of having the answer, could give her a lot of growth.

#did not mean for this to turn into a whole rant #long post #character analysis #annabeth chase #percy jackson fandom #percy jackson and the heroes of olympus #annabeth antis dni

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