#this is riordanverse apollo and hermes

[skeptiiciizm]

Disgustingly soft Apollomes (redraw of top left)

[mehwmidklpe]

thinking about 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐋 who looked at Aphrodite when she gave him and Travis that poisoned shirt for Phoebe and saw you because even though he keeps himself busy with pranks, he's still terribly in love with you, and only actually realizes that when the most gorgeous being looks like you.

and suddenly everything makes sense to him. because to him you are the most beautiful being.

Travis also tries to snap Connor out of his trance cause he's been staring at Aphrodite for a long time while just letting a few stutter sounds out while he should be taking the shirt from her.

from then on Connor doesn't try to prank you and isn't silly with you. instead he blushes when you interract and tries to hide when you're near.

[bugwolfsstuff]

Apollo sees Connor and sees a younger Hermes who's light hasn't left his eyes just yet

He promises when he becomes a god again he's gonna help his little brother

[amiti-art]

Part 2 of this post

Apollo is probably crying somewhere in the background at this point

[aj-artjunkyard]

Hc: in the Riordanverse, neither divine twin is older. Bc of the fluidity and contradiction of myths (that the books acknowledge), both Artemis and Apollo fully remember being born first and think the other is just teasing them. Neither have ever considered for a moment that their sibling might be telling the truth

Most other gods have worked this out but the twins’ pettiest on-going drama is very funny. Everyone’s stoking the flames. Leto diplomatically claims she doesn’t remember

[yikesy]

you know what fuck it, tumblr posts that make me think of rrverse hermes

[mysteriousraincloud]

5 Positive RRverse Hermes Facts.

He respects mortals’ autonomy and decision making. Hermes (canonically in the books at least) respects others’ choices and free will even when he doesn’t personally agree with their actions, words, and desires. He doesn’t want May Castellan to pursue the Oracle role but he also doesn’t threaten her or coerce her to change her mind. He also is willing to peacefully talk with Percy after he’s confused by Percy’s refusal of immortality. No manipulation just a friendly talk between two individuals. Also grants Luke’s request for a quest even when it makes him feel deeply uncomfortable.

His loyalty is one of his greatest strengths but also one of his most fatal weaknesses. Hermes’ loyalty appears when he discusses family with Percy. When he fears for George and Martha’s safety when they’re kidnapped. When he continues to visit May and makes sure she keeps her home, gets disability benefits and checks, and that she continues with her medical care through paperwork and divine intervention.

He is humble regarding his status as an Olympian. Doesn’t smite Luke for his backhanded comments regarding him. Can talk with Percy and other demigods casually. Just rarely loses his cool compared to most of the other gods we meet (aside from Apollo, Hephaestus, Artemis, and Iris).

He perseveres and stays strong despite his difficult personal situation. Hermes is often remembered as Zeus’ right hand messenger. Kind of how a highly educated scribe would be to a pharaoh since they were rare then. His worship and the belief he receives from his followers in PJO is very tied into his messenger duties (almost exclusively). In PJO, the gods can fade if they no longer have mortals believing in them. Forcing Hermes to continually promote a role in which he gets abused and neglected emotionally by much of his family so he can continue to be existing. With his workload to boot, it’s astounding that he hasn’t cracked yet.

He appreciates the simple things. This is implied in canon but Hermes really enjoys simple pleasures. A cold can of coke, a nice evening watching the ocean on the beach, and easygoing conversations seem to be things that he really enjoys.

[sapphoismymuse]

consider: hermes wrote and performed hamilton after an argument with apollo to prove that apollo's not the only one with musical and creative talent. apollo thinks it's really good but he'd never admit it.

the worst part of the whole ordeal is that it gets so popular that apollo can never escape hearing it, even from his own kids. the apollo cabin puts on their own version of hamilton at camp one summer. the hermes cabin has mixed feelings about it. mr. d records the whole show to send to apollo and hermes.

[aeithalian]

Hermes: the ultimate middle child

And now for the other promised meta!

There was a great discussion on the TOA discord earlier that I got the chance to read once it was over that was basically exactly what I wanted to talk about - Hermes as a character and how he is very subtly contrasted with Apollo in multiple ways.

First, for a curiosity I've had ever since I finished TON. We learn several very interesting things about Hermes in the scene when Apollo returns to the Council:

He initiated the bets on Apollo's success (and then has the nerve to say he was worried about Apollo)

He bet against Apollo (and it was enough money to make him look visibly upset by the loss)

He was not among the gods who looked happy at Zeus' proclamation of Apollo's success (Artemis makes sense for being happy, Dionysus makes sense for not, but Hermes is supposedly a close brother figure in the myths, so what gives?)

He immediately suggested that Apollo cause outright harm to some mortals with his renewed power, despite displaying no such malice in his previous appearances

There is an interesting play of contrast here when you look at Hermes' other notable scene in the Riordanverse - his conversation with Percy at the end of TLO.

Hermes is generally portrayed as much more serious right here. He's grieving Luke's death at this point, but Hermes knew that was coming, and this demeanor is consistent with his other appearances up until this point: put-together, down-to-business, pragmatic, and so on.

This doesn't seem like the same person we see at the end of TON: making jokes, placing bets, and the like. And THEN you go back to the myths and the Hermes there seems much more similar to the one we meet in TON.

My point being, there is a very obvious disconnect here between who Hermes used to be, who he is now, and who he is pretending to be.

And it has a lot to do with Zeus, and as a result, Apollo.

I think there's a twofold reason for this dichotomy: one, Hermes and Apollo have fundamentally contradictory views on both fate and change which have larger implications for Hermes' overall morality; and two, Hermes resents Apollo for being Zeus' favorite when Apollo probably doesn't deserve it (or Hermes believes he deserves it more).

Part I: Fate and Change

I'd like to go back to that conversation between Percy and Hermes at the end of The Last Olympian. The entire conversation is so strange to me: here's a sixteen-year-old who has never had a positive father figure in his life (save Paul, who is still a recent addition to his family at this point) trying to comfort a 4,000-year-old god that he's not a bad father:

"I thought you were a bad father," I admitted. "I thought you abandoned Luke because you knew his future and didn't do anything to stop it."

The main point of that conversation comes from Hermes' response to Percy's statement. To paraphrase, Hermes says 'I couldn't have saved Luke, it's against the laws and I can't defy the fates. I loved him, yes, but I couldn't save him. Those laws aren't going to change anytime soon, and neither are the gods.'

What we get from this conversation is this: Hermes was resigned to being unable to help Luke because he views the future as inevitable and the Fates as all-powerful (as does Zeus). He also doesn't believe that gods can change in the ways Percy wants them to; he scoffs at the idea that Percy's proposed changes will be permanent:

"No one can tamper with fate, Percy. Not even a god."

and then:

He laughed. "After three thousand years, you think gods can change their nature?"

To Hermes? Fate is inevitable and the gods can't change.

On the other hand, to Apollo? The future is behind any number of unlocked doors, and the only thing stopping the gods from changing are themselves:

[Regarding Frank burning his stick in TTT] "Frank went into that tunnel knowing he might die. He willingly sacrificed himself for a noble cause. In doing so, he broke free of his own fate. By burning his own tinder, he kind of... I don't know, started a new fire with it. He's in charge of his own destiny now."

Frank broke free of his fate, and the way Apollo talks about it indicates that he believes that such things are certainly possible.

And this:

[After regaining his godhood in TON] I could only try to be different from [Zeus]. Better. More... human.

Apollo intends to change the way he acts now that he is returned to Olympus, and has the support of everyone else who noted that he has already grown as a person: Jason, Sally, Will, Reyna, and so many more.

I feel like Hermes has always felt that he has the excuse of being a god when Percy asks him to do better for the sake of Luke's memory: "We gods have never been very good at keeping oaths." and "Eventually we'll become forgetful. We always do." and generally lots of other sentiments that give the impression that he believes that failure to do right by mortals is inevitable for gods. He's been so used to thinking that Luke was resigned to his fate from the very beginning, and that Hermes was never capable of changing it. Hermes didn't fail because he didn't try to succeed.

But Apollo ruins that for him when he returns - Apollo has not and will not let that same excuse stop him, and now Hermes is losing the only reason he had for not helping Luke. If Hermes is right, that gods can never help their mortal children and Luke was born to die at Kronos' hand, it was excusable for Hermes to turn his back on his own son. But if Apollo is right that gods can change and you can shape your own destiny, then it was Hermes and his inaction that killed Luke, not Kronos.

And we know that Apollo is right. Apollo did defy his fate. Apollo did change. And Hermes saw it all from the safety of his throne on Olympus.

Which means that Hermes was always wrong, and he knows it now. Hermes says that not helping Luke was the hardest thing he's ever done, because it would have amounted to nothing. Hermes thought he was completely incapable of helping Luke, but Apollo is living proof that he could have.

So now, Apollo is a daily reminder that Hermes failed Luke. Every day.

That would be enough to drive a wedge between any two people, much less two gods. And I don't think Apollo would ever truly realize that this is the case, so one day, Hermes is going to break, and Apollo will be left blindsided.

It only makes sense that Hermes might have some very heavy clown makeup on when we see him at the end of TON. I can't speak for him when we talk about the gambling, but I bet it's because Hermes, like he did with Luke, thought that Apollo would be resigned to his death the very moment Delphi-Python said that "Apollo will fall". And the fact that Apollo survived against all the odds (and seemingly against the Fates themselves) is just another smack to the face. I believe his behavior and comments in this scene are him lashing out in anger and frustration at the solid fact of the matter; that Hermes failed his own family, which is something he values to no end.

That's got to suck.

But now I think we have to closely examine why Hermes believes those things. Hermes has been brainwashed in a sense to believe that he can't defy fate and can't change. By who, then?

Do I really need to answer that? You have a brain. It's obvious, isn't it?

Part II: The fight to be the golden child

Let's rewind a bit, shall we?

The entire discussion had over on discord was started with talking about the potentials of Apollo's relationships with Ares and the rest of his siblings, then someone (I believe it was @fearlessinger, along with some very valid points made by uke) said this:

...but Ares, who was always the least favored of Zeus's children, the family's scapegoat, and who gave up on trying to get on Zeus's good side basically as soon as he was born and deemed a failure… he of all ppl would actually have no reason to resent Apollo for his success, nor for throwing away that success

To which I replied:

so i wonder then who has the reason to resent Apollo the most?... it’s probably a son, because they’re the ones who have to fight the most for Zeus’ approval ... maybe Hermes? because he’s never really done anything wrong and still doesn’t receive the title he deserves ...

To summarize: Apollo was the golden child, and used to be Zeus' favorite. We are certain he faces a lot of resentment for this fact (he admits to it himself), and Hermes definitely fits the bill.

Think about it.

Besides Luke, what has Hermes ever done that would put him out of the running for golden child? He's useful, talented, powerful enough to be on the Council, and despite being a god of liars and thieves, is work-driven enough that his father still trusts him. Even in the myths, he's clever in a very Zeus-y way.

Apollo, on the other hand, acts like a complete and utter fool pre-trials. He's vain, self-centered, and shallow. He's a chronic attention-seeker, and, in the myths tried to overthrow Zeus, and had angered him to the point of turning him mortal, not once, but twice. So what gives? Why is Apollo the favorite son, and not Hermes?

Honestly, I couldn't say, besides vague suggestions that it's because Zeus likes the idea of having the powerful and popular son as a favorite, rather than the less noticeable behind-the-scenes son. But who knows how Zeus and his favoritism work. Apollo doesn't, and I don't think Hermes does either.

I rather think Hermes is, as I said in the title, the ultimate middle child. Overlooked by his father in favor of his siblings, whether they be rebellious (Apollo), perfect in every way (Athena or Artemis) or just plain failures (Ares or Dionysus). In comparison, Hermes is invisible, having never done anything to make him stand out in the eyes of his father, nor having done anything that deserves a strict punishment. Nothing worthy of attention.

I've seen people wonder why Hermes never suffered the same consequences for Luke's actions in the way Apollo did for Octavian. But that's because Hermes never broke Zeus' fundamental law: do not interact with your mortal children.

The problems Octavian caused were supposedly because Apollo defied Zeus and created a forbidden connection with his legacy.

On the other hand, the problems Luke caused were because Hermes obeyed Zeus to the letter.

Why would Zeus punish Hermes for being obedient? And why wouldn't Zeus punish Apollo for breaking the 'ancient laws'?

Arguably, Hermes is Zeus' best behaved child (which is ironic, considering a few notable domains of his). Hermes is one of a trend that we see a lot with toxic parents who don't give attention and approval freely - Hermes and Apollo are on opposite sides of this spectrum. Apollo in the past has acted out in order to gain attention, whereas Hermes has glued himself to Zeus' side in an attempt to be perfect.

And this perfection includes indoctrinating into Zeus' belief systems and fears. Zeus fears the inevitability of fate. So does Hermes. Zeus refuses to let the gods change. So Hermes believes change impossible. Zeus says that you may not have contact with your mortal children. And although to Hermes this is the hardest of all, he turns his back on Luke.

And yet, 'golden child' is still not his title to claim. That rests with Apollo, still, who has not met Zeus' standards, openly rejects Zeus' belief systems, and yet continues to rise above the rest.

That is the formula for a deteriorating relationship between brothers: Apollo's mere existence being an everyday reminder to Hermes that he is a failure both to his son and to his father.

Everyone say hello to our old friend resentment.

Now, I'm not necessarily saying that Hermes and Apollo's relationship is inherently negative. But there's a lot of reason for there to be some contention coming from Hermes (and I didn't even touch on May Castellan - basically, I think Apollo refused to oversee her attempt to become the next Oracle because he knew it wouldn't work, which is why he wasn't present for May's attempt, but was for Rachel's; later on, Hermes could start seeing Apollo's domain and subsequent absence as the thing that drove her mad).

We don't have a lot of hints for whether or not he plans to act on those feelings of resentment. But they're there. And in a new, post-trials Olympus, they're going to come to light sooner or later.

Because Percy was right.

"I thought you were a bad father," I admitted. "I thought you abandoned Luke because you knew his future and didn't do anything to stop it."

That's exactly what happened. And because of Apollo, Hermes now knows it.

(a list of my other metas if you'd like to read)

And a very special shoutout to @firealder2005 for writing this absolutely gut-wrenching and angsty but super cool fic based around this very idea that i am absolutely in love with and everyone should go read it ❤️

[tsarisfanfiction]

Change

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Gen Genre: Family Characters: Hermes, Apollo Gods couldn't change. (If they could, it would change everything) @toapril-official TOApril day 23 - Failed Escape

Apollo had survived.

Not that Hermes had really thought he wouldn’t.  It was Apollo.  Sure, he’d seen a few concerning moments as he’d flitted past on his deliveries, but those didn’t matter, because Apollo had survived, and was sat with them again on his throne, looking like he’d never left.

Hermes wondered if he’d learnt his lesson.  Admittedly, he wasn’t entirely certain what the lesson had been – probably something to do with not trying to overthrow Zeus, because that was what he’d been turned mortal for last time and that whole deal with Octavian and Camp Jupiter had not been the older god’s smartest move – but hopefully he’d learnt it.

Except, something wasn’t right.

It took Hermes a while to recognise what wasn’t right, in no small part due to the fact that he was busy, being the messenger of the gods did not just stop, and mortal communications were advancing daily.  Keeping up with their shifts was a full time job by itself and Hermes had other domains to keep running smoothly, too, even if communication was by far the most time consuming – and the one his father preferred he focus on.

Hermes wasn’t stupid enough to challenge his father.  He’d managed to skirt any drastic punishment for Luke’s actions by proving that they had nothing to do with him, that he’d tried to keep his son on the right path and really couldn’t be blamed for Kronos getting into the boy’s head and twisting him around until he turned into the titan’s puppet, but he knew that he was skating on thin ice with Zeus.  Thus, he kept his head down, did what was expected of him, and made sure not to put a toe past the line his father had drawn.

He expected Apollo to do something similar, after his latest punishment.  It had been the worst, by far – there were times when it almost, almost looked like his brother might actually die, even though Hermes knew Zeus wouldn’t actually let that happen.  He couldn’t, because if he did… things would change.  Olympus would change.

The gods hadn’t changed in millennia.  Sure, there had been small shifts, but the core of Olympus?  No, that couldn’t change.  They couldn’t change.

(If they could change, that meant the pillars that held them up could crumble and break, could fall)

Apollo didn’t keep his head down.

Well, he did, mostly.  In front of Zeus, he was the dutiful god he was supposed to be.  With Artemis, he went back to the teasing younger twin that drove his sister mad but never mad enough to seriously hurt.  His domains were kept in check, the sun moving the same way it had done for millennia with a steady hand on the reins.

But Hermes travelled a lot, saw a lot, and there was something that almost seemed different about Apollo.

He didn’t look like a teenager quite so much.  He looked older, still hardly an adult by the conventions of the modern Western society, but not so young.  It was almost a symbolic change, that after four millennia, his brief stint as a mortal had made him grow up.

But that couldn’t be true, because growing up was the same as changing, and gods grew up at the same rate as mortals and spent almost the entirety of their existence as a fully matured being.  There was no way that, four thousand years on, Apollo would suddenly grow up.  Because that would mean he’d changed and gods couldn’t change.

(If gods could change, that meant they could make mistakes, had a duty to correct mistakes)

No, there must be a different explanation.  Perhaps it was something Zeus had done, when he’d decided Apollo had learnt his lesson and gifted him back his godhood again, when he’d seen Apollo go to face Python and knew that it was time, because Python was a foe for gods and there was no way a mortal god could defeat him.  Because without his godhood, Apollo would have died and Zeus would not have allowed that.

He saw Apollo talking with Dionysus, sometimes, and although that wasn’t new – the youngest Olympian had a reputation for sometimes bothering Apollo, the same way Hermes himself did – something about it felt strange…  Different.  Probing Dionysus afterwards, bothering him as was his due as the older god, gained no clarity on the topic.

Apollo sometimes talking with Hera was more bizarre, because everyone knew there was no love lost between the two of them, and they tended to avoid interacting with each other.  Hermes wasn’t stupid enough to pester the goddess – she wasn’t overly fond of him, either, and the feeling was entirely mutual – but eventually he gleaned that their topic of conversation had been Jason, the doomed champion of Hera.

The one she’d tried to force Zeus to save, even though the Ancient Laws were clear on that regard.  They couldn’t interfere to save their children; that would break the natural order of things.  The lives of their children were in the hands of the Fates; Hermes would know.  If there had been any way to save Luke, to stop him going down the path he did…  But there hadn’t been.

He understood Zeus’ pain at inaction, but if the king of the gods did not uphold their laws, then who would?

Apollo approached him, once.  Well, more than once, but there was one time that stuck out to Hermes as strange.

“What would you have done, if you’d been able to interfere with Luke?”

It was a strange question.  Would’ves, could’ves.  Hypotheticals in the past, from the god of prophecy and looking into the future.

“Stopped him,” was the only answer that could spring to mind.  “I’d have made sure he didn’t go down that path.”  If he could’ve, he would’ve.  Hermes wished it had been possible; having his son be the cause of what had almost been Olympus’ downfall had been a bitter pill to swallow.  He’d have changed it if he could.  But he couldn’t change it.

(If he could change it, he could’ve changed May’s fate, could’ve given Luke a parent)

He told Apollo all of that, reminded him, because the older god was still acting just a little bit off, just a little bit different.

“Gods can’t change, Apollo.  We both know that.”

Searing golden eyes, ones that Hermes knew could see not just the present but sometimes glimpses the future, too, raked over him, and he didn’t like the sensation.  Something felt raw, charged like the energy surrounding one of Zeus’s lightning bolts, and then it fizzled away.

“As you say,” Apollo said, and for some inexplicable reason Hermes felt like a chariot he was supposed to get on had trundled off before he’d boarded even as the conversation moved on, seamlessly transitioning into the latest technological advancements that the mortals had come up with, because Apollo liked to know things and Hermes was always grateful for a willing ear to listen to his gripes about how overworked the modern, instant communications the mortals were developing made him.

That was normal, and something in Hermes relaxed a little at it.  After all, Apollo couldn’t have changed.

(If Apollo had changed, then that meant other gods could change, meant Hermes could change, and that was a thought far too uncomfortable to linger on)

[skeptiiciizm]

Can you talk about the difference between your riordanverse Apollomes versus the normal one you draw. If there is :D

Asker referring to this post </3

Fyi the designs for apollomes from the previous post was a mix of riordanverse and my own but I decided to just put them as riordanverse bcus I’m funny💔💔💔

[mehwmidklpe]

DRUNKEN CONFESSIONS

this is an old draft I adjusted so it might be a little bad but I need to post smth

You were in your cabin, reading a book, wearing a comfortable hoodie and sweatpants, headphone and glasses on because why not?

It was late. Darkness filled your room, the only light was the light of the moon that shone through your window.

Your brother wasn't here tonight and you decided to just relax while reading your favorite books. And listen to your favorite artist, Dominic Fike.

You felt at peace.

But that peace was quickly disturbed by the sound of knocking on the front door.

Great.

There goes your peaceful moment.

Who the heck would knock on your door at–let me check–11:28 pm??

You sighed deeply before closing your book and getting out of bed.

Now you'll never know how the song ends…

Who am I kidding? You've listened the song a million times already!

As you walked trough the cabin and opened the door you were faced by the person you least expected.

"Connor?"

Here he stood. Connor Stoll. At your doorstep.

He looked wasted, dark circles under his blue eyes, yet he still looked good. The light of the moon shining on his dark fluffy curls

As you studied the boy in front of you, realization shot through.

Oh dam

He's drunk.

You frown at him. "What are you doing here?" He groaned. "I'm drunk." The boy responds to you.

That earned him an eyeroll of yours. "No shit. Why are you here? Couldn't you go bother your siblings instead of me?" You question him.

Connor ran a hand over his face. "You don't get it. I'm drunk, I can't think clearly. The only thing I was sure about was you."

Oh dam him!

So yes, you let him in.

As you walked into your bed–actually, scratch that, you dragged him there since he couldn't walk without stumbling, you set him down on the mattress.

After that you went to the bathroom and wet a washcloth before returning and sitting down on your bed, in front of the drunk boy.

"You're sweating." You state. "Thank you, Y/n, for stating the obvious." Connor responds which earned an eyeroll from you. Again.

Before he could process it, you gently rubbed the washcloth on his cheek, then went to the other cheek before going to his forehead.

Connor carefully watched as you cleaned him up. Even while drunk he still adored you.

"Close your eyes." You tell him. "What?" He asks, snapping out of his trance. "Close your eyes, Stoll." You repeat and he obliged.

You then ran the washcloth over his entire face, just to be sure.

When you were done, he opened his eyes. "Can I take a nap now?" He mumbles drunkenly. "No." You say in a firm way at which he pouts.

"You need to get changed. I'm sure my brother has some clothes you can borrow." You continued at which he tilts his head.

"Does your dad have a good taste in fashion?"

"Connor!"

"Right sorry."

"Just–Go brush your teeth while I'm gone. I have extra and not used toothbrushes in the bathroom. I don't wanna smell your gross alcohol breath the entire time that you're here." You say with disgust before walking out.

By the time you returned, you shoved a pair of clothes in his arms. He took off his shirt, revealing his toned chest at which you gulp and turn around.

Connor frowned at your action. "What? It's just my shirt." "Yeah, but I'm not watching you pull off your pants ya hmar."

Connor looked down and realized you also gave him some pants to change into. "Ohhh righttt."

You shake your head, your back still facing him. "A wili wili. If Chiron finds out about this he'll kill me." You mumble to yourself.

"He's gonna kill you because you're so good-hearted to help a boy in need?" Connor– who of course had to hear that –asks you.

You sigh deeply. "No. He's gonna kill me if he finds out that I let a boy into my room, who's not my brother, was also drunk and stripped in here." You were clearly annoyed by now.

The curly head shrugged. "Well, if it makes you feel any better. I'm fully dressed now." At that, you turn around.

"Mhm." You just hum before walking over to your desk and grabbing something out of it.

Meanwhile, Connor had plopped down on your bed, made himself comfortable and grabbed the book that lay on your nightstand.

"Mhmm…Better Than The Movies.." He read out loud.

"Don't touch that." You say as you grab the book out of his hands, placing it back on your shelf with lots of other books.

It was only then that Connor realized the look of your side of the room. It wasn't much, but it was nice.

Posters from your favorite Marvel movies hung up. Vinyls of Dominic Fike and Metro Boomin albums were ordered perfectly. Marvel comics and gadgets were also present.

"Nice…" Connor mumbled to himself, turning around to lay in a better position.

As you approached him again, his eyes fell on the small thing in your hand. "Watcha got there?" He asks you.

You shrug. "Some medicines for the headache you'll probably have tomorrow." You say as you place it down on the nightstand, next to a cup of water which Connor hadn't even noticed that you had put there.

Then, you sat down on the edge of your bed. Next to Connor who was laying lazily on it. "How'd you get drunk anyway?"

The boy grinned. "Travis stole a lot of beer." He said, chuckling for the slightest second.

"Drinking despises me. It's a waste of time and health. You'll regret it sometime." As those words came out of your mouth, Connor's expression fell.

"Do you… despise me?" He asks, his tone suddenly dropping, making you feel bad.

You sigh deeply and shake your head. "No Connor, I do not. I'm sorry." A soft smile appeared on Connor's face. "You're forgiven."

"Great. Okay. Now you can take that nap you've been asking for." You tell him while standing up.

Before you could make a move to start walking, Connor's warm hand caught your wrist.

"Wait." He stops you. "Where you going?"

"To sleep somewhere else." You say as if it wasn't obvious enough. "No… Stay… Please." You looked at him as his eyes pleaded you to stay with him.

You gulped

Connor was attractive.

You knew that.

Any girl would be crazy not to see it.

And you'd be lying if you said you didn't take a liking in him.

Maybe even more than just a liking.

"Please Y/n.. Stay with me. I want you here with me.." He said to you in a soft tone.

You wanted to give in, but you couldn't.

He's drunk.

You reminded yourself that.

You released your hand out of his gentle grip and walked towards the door.

"Goodnight Connor." Just as you were about to leave, he spoke again, shocking you completely, with his words.

"I love you."

You froze in your tracks.

What?

No.

No, no, no, no.

Connor Stoll.

THE Connor Stoll, camp's biggest prankster loves you?

Impossible.

It's probably the alcohol speaking.

"Ever since we were paired for sparring together and you kicked my ass. Gods I couldn't take my eyes off you. But you always ignored me…" Connor continued, staring at the ceiling as he talked.

You couldn't believe what you were hearing.

"Travis always wanted us to be together. He said we'd be an amazing couple." The son of Hermes laughed a bit as he recalled that.

"I always tried to get your attention, but you just thought I was a fool or an idiot. Maybe you were right too. Yet I never gave up. Which probably just proves your point." He went on.

He sighed deeply. "It kinda hurt, you know. It's like you never even liked me in the first place. And I tried so hard, but it never seemed to be enough."

"I mean, that's one of the reasons I took interest in you in the first place. Remember that time people treated me well so I wouldn't prank them? You never treated me any different. I liked that about you. You thought people had to earn respect. I tried my best to earn yours."

You felt a knot form in your stomach. Did you hurt him? That's the last thing you wanted.

You quickly brushed it off. "Connor, you're drunk. You don't mean all th–"

"You hate your birthday."

You paused. "What?" You ask him.

"You hate your birthday. Your favorite color is blue. Your favorite food is lasagna. You love views, I bet you were admiring the moon and the stars before I showed up at your door. The only sausage you eat is ketchup, but only Heinz ketchup cause you think other ketchups suck. You love trap but your favorite artist is Dominic Fike. You get upset when a drawing of yours doesn't end up the way you wanted it to end up. You study the lyrics of your favorite songs. You love Marvel, and you hate it that no one knows Nova cause he doesn't have a live action yet but you'll be mad when he does cause you know the actor you want him to be portrayed by will never actually get casted as him. You get mad while watching Cobra Kai cause it isn't real karate. You always wear a hairtie around your wrist, and the color of it always matches your outfit, even if you never do that on purpose." He kept rambling on and on.

That's when you realized Connor knew you better than anyone.

And all because he simply listened to you.

Normally you're the one that listen.

You walk over to him, sitting on the bed he's laying on while tucking his lazy figure in.

"Tomorrow, when you wake up, I'll make you breakfast. Anything you want. I'll let you 'steal' my headphone again, let you prank my cabin, and maybe, if you really still want it by then, you get to be my boyfriend." You tell him with a sweet smile.

The younger Stoll's face lit up.

"Deal?" You ask him.

"Deal." He responds.

Connor looked at you with a tired but lovesick expression, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. "Mhmm… I love you."

You don't respond, just stand up, making sure he's tucked in perfectly. When he dozed off to sleep, you smiled.

You leaned down to press a soft kiss on his forehead and whispered. "I love you too Connor.."

[very-gay-poet]

okay so we all agree that EPIC exists in pjo...but that means that most schools would do some performances of EPIC (or at least a few songs) so that means...at least one of Percy's schools probably did a performance at one point...so...who do ya'll think Percy played??? my bet's Athena

[pjo-ship-polls]

Apollo

These are only for romantic pairings, not platonic.

The ships in the polls are the twelve (12) most popular ships for each character based on the number of fics on AO3.

F.A.Q.

Ship List:

Apollo/Percy (perpollo)

Apollo/Hyacinthus (hyapollo)

Apollo/Lucius (apollucius) 

Apollo/Naomi (apollomi) 

Apollo/Hermes (apollomes) 

Apollo/Lityerses (litpollo) 

Apollo/Nico (nicollo)

Apollo/Hermes/Percy (perpollomes) 

Apollo/Rachel (rachello) 

Apollo/Daphne (dapollo) 

Apollo/Will (willpollo) 

Apollo/Favonius (favollo)

[yikesy]

I simply don't think any of the civilization gods like apollo or hermes or hera need to learn to care about humans. it's already in their nature, if they go against it it's a conscious choice

now the real outlier here is artemis who by all means has no reason to think at all about humans, existing outside of civilization as the wilderness. but not only is she friendly and gives them the means to survive, SHE ALSO FEELS GENDER SOLIDARITY. THE ARTIFICIAL SOCIAL CONSTRUCT OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS THAT NO OTHER GODDESS EVEN ACKNOWLEDGES FROM HOW MUCH OF A HUMAN INVENTION IT IS

[thetimetraveler24]

Now we all know why Apollo didn’t want Percy driving his Sun Car.