captainwaffles · 1 year ago
Text
Tumblr media
339 notes · View notes
geotjwrs · 5 months ago
Note
Could you maybe do one where Jenna and Reader are working on Wednesday season 1 (They’re just friends but both like each other and haven’t told the other yet) and Percy (or literally anyone else) flirts with Jenna a bit, which makes Reader jealous. Jenna doesn’t notice at all how jealous Reader gets but their friends notice and eventually when Jenna is talking about Reader saying she wishes Reader felt the same way she feels about her the friends just straight up tell her about how jealous Reader gets, calling Jenna just blind cause it was very very obvious.
Jenna realises and confronts reader about it, not sure what could happen from there but yeah
Anyways I love your work you’re like one of my fave writers on here!! ❤️❤️
can't you see me
Pairings ; Jenna Ortega x Male!Reader
Warning/s ; none
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
The set of "Wednesday" was buzzing with the usual hustle and bustle of filming. Jenna and Y/N had become close friends since the start of production. They shared jokes, late-night talks, and a deep connection that neither dared to label as more than friendship.
During a break, Percy Hynes White strolled over to Jenna, exuding his usual charm. Y/N watched from a distance, his stomach twisting as Percy leaned in closer, his body language oozing flirtation.
"Hey, Jenna," Percy said with a grin, his eyes locked on hers. "After this, how about dinner? I know a great place."
Jenna giggled, twirling a strand of her hair. "That sounds nice, Percy. Maybe we can invite the whole cast."
Percy's smile faltered slightly, but he nodded. "Sure, the more, the merrier."
Jenna and Percy continued to chat, their conversation filled with laughter and playful touches. Y/N clenched his fists, trying to appear unaffected. Emma, who was nearby, gave him a knowing look.
"Dude, you're like an open book," Emma whispered.
"What are you talking about?" Y/N muttered, eyes still fixed on Jenna and Percy.
Emma rolled her eyes. "You're jealous. It's obvious. Why don't you just tell Jenna how you feel?"
Y/N sighed, frustration evident in his voice. "It's not that simple, Emma. We're just friends. She doesn't feel that way about me."
Emma smirked. "If you say so. But I think you're the one who's blind here."
Over the next few days, Y/N started to distance himself from Jenna. He avoided long conversations, kept his interactions professional, and immersed himself in his work. Jenna noticed the change and felt a pang of hurt and confusion.
"Y/N, do you want to run lines?" Jenna asked one afternoon, approaching him with her usual bright smile.
Y/N glanced up, forcing a smile. "Actually, I need to go over my scene with the director. Maybe later?"
Jenna's smile faded slightly, but she nodded. "Sure, later then."
As the days passed, Y/N's distance became more pronounced. He spent more time alone, listening to music in his trailer, and avoiding any situation where he might see Jenna with Percy.
One evening, after filming wrapped, Jenna decided she couldn't take it anymore. She headed to Y/N's trailer, determined to find out what was going on. She found him inside, earphones in, listening to Clairo's "Bags."
"Y/N," Jenna said, knocking softly before entering.
Y/N looked up, quickly pulling out his earphones. "Hey, Jenna. What's up?"
Jenna took a deep breath, her heart pounding. "We need to talk."
Y/N's smile faded, concern flickering in his eyes. "Is everything okay?"
Jenna nodded, stepping closer. "No, it's not. You've been so distant lately. Did I do something wrong?"
Y/N sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's not you, Jenna. It's just... complicated."
Jenna frowned, frustration bubbling up inside her. "Complicated? You've been avoiding me, Y/N. We used to be so close, and now you barely talk to me."
Y/N looked away, the weight of his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. "I just needed some space."
"Space?" Jenna echoed, her voice rising. "From what? From me?"
Y/N clenched his fists, feeling the anger and frustration boiling over. "From seeing you with Percy, okay? I can't stand watching you two together."
Jenna blinked, taken aback. "Percy? We're just friends, Y/N. Why does it bother you so much?"
"Because I like you, Jenna!" Y/N shouted, his voice cracking. "I've liked you for a long time, and seeing you with him... it hurts. Can't you see me, Jenna? I'm right here."
The room fell silent, the weight of Y/N's confession hanging in the air. Jenna stared at him, her mind racing as she processed his words.
"Y/N," she said softly, stepping closer. "I had no idea. I've been so blind. I thought... I thought you only saw me as a friend."
Y/N looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of hope and despair. "I didn't want to ruin what we had. I thought it was better to stay silent."
Jenna reached out, taking his hand in hers. "You didn't ruin anything, Y/N. I feel the same way. I've been too scared to say anything, but... I really like you too."
Y/N's eyes lit up with a mixture of disbelief and happiness. "Really?"
Jenna nodded, her smile bright and genuine. "Really."
From that day forward, the dynamic between Y/N and Jenna shifted. They were still the same playful friends, but now, there was an added layer of affection and understanding. During scenes, their chemistry was undeniable, drawing admiration from the cast and crew.
One day, while filming a particularly intense scene, Jenna and Y/N found themselves holding hands longer than necessary. The director noticed but didn't say anything, smiling to himself. During breaks, they would steal moments together, sharing quiet conversations and secret smiles.
As the final scenes of "Wednesday" wrapped up, the cast and crew gathered for a small celebration. Jenna and Y/N found a quiet corner, away from the noise.
"I can't believe it's over," Jenna said, her voice tinged with sadness.
Y/N smiled softly. "It's just the beginning for us, Jenna."
She looked up at him, her eyes shining. "Yeah, it is."
152 notes · View notes
imaginmatrix · 1 year ago
Text
OKAY let’s talk about the Tunnel of Love clips in the new Percy Jackson trailer!
First off, so so happy this is gonna be on the show!
Second, there’s some really interesting things we can glean from the little we saw:
Here is a shot of Percy and Annabeth jumping into the water— this isn’t something they do in the book! So why would they need to?
Tumblr media
Because of this:
Tumblr media
We can tell this is the tunnel of love scene because Percy and Annabeth are soaked, the walls are the same as in the previous images, and that’s a statue of Aphrodite (the seashell being one indication); the statue itself is holding a shield of Ares (as evidenced by the boar head on it)
Tumblr media
But WAIT there’s more! Look at the floor around their feet—
Tumblr media
Are those mics? 👀 There are red lights that don’t make much sense with the surroundings, almost like the lights on cameras and other equipment that show they’re active/on. The pinprick looking lights on the sconces could be cameras too.
And IS that an Aphrodite statue? Because to me, she looks like an automaton
So my thinking is, they have to go inside the tunnel to fetch Ares’ shield, a change I very much like, and I think it makes the scene flow better! Much of the rest will be the same— they take the shield, it awakens the cameras, maybe the automaton comes to life. My theory when they cast Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus (despite the character not appearing until much later in the books) was we might get clips of him in the “OlympusTV” screen room, his reaction to these kids being there instead of Ares— but it looks like he COULD show up in this scene too!
Definitely fingers crossed the automaton spiders still play a role, so we get the conversation about Annabeth’s arachnophobia, but piecing things together, it looks like this segment of the show might be a little bit more action packed!
448 notes · View notes
mollywauk · 2 years ago
Text
MIGHTY NEIN ANIMATED SERIES PREDICTIONS AND SCREAMING (I'm inconsolable right now bear with me)
First season will end when Molly does, so we'll get that whole arc and maybe the rescue with Caduceus as well? But perhaps a cliffhanger ending
Beau & Keg!
Yasha alone quests may be more fleshed out like with Pike?
KIRI
SHAKASTE?
The "he's my boy" Nott speech and the Caleb vs Everyone tension of the first arc? Delicious
I didn't think we would reach Essek in the first season because he makes his appearance later in the campaign BUT he was in the trailer so maybe he will be incorporated earlier?
MATTHEW MERCER WILL VOICE ESSEK (please please please)
Animated Jester Sendings! I want to see the looks on their faces when she asks if they're pooping
Also hidden dicks on every frame that jester is in? Not even her necessarily drawing them but like little easter eggs if you pause at the right moment
Actually I do think it would be Funny if Caleb and Beau are having their angsty conversations and there's just a little Jester in the background drawing a dick
Fjord's dreams in animation are going to be INSANE I can't wait
I feel bad already for whoever has to animate Molly's coat but I will be screaming, crying and throwing up when I see it for the first time
The opening tavern scene animated has been my one hope and wish since the moment I watched the first episode and I probably will cry when I see it again
Caleb mudwizard Widogast with his bread hands
Caleb unresolved trauma Widogast lighting up their enemies and then going catatonic
(are we going to get Percy style flashbacks of his time under Ickythong? 👀)
The forehead kiss Molly and Caleb that will later re-ermege in the forehead kiss Caleb and Essek (in a later season)
We're gonna get Dope Monk Shit ANIMATED I could cry, Beau is peak character design and Marisha is peak storytelling with her fight scenes, they're gonna be so good
NOTT THE BRAVE! NOTT THE BRAVE! NOTT THE BRAVE!
Nott trying to steal the reccomendation letter from Fjord and being caught by Molly is one of my favourite scenes from Cr2 I'm going feral
I just remembered that it'll likely end with Molly and now I'm scared, that's going to be heartbreaking when animated, I got choked up the first time I saw his coat swinging in the wind in the animated intro
I just have a lot of feelings about this announcement if you couldn't already tell
I'm being so normal about this
376 notes · View notes
mayapapaya33 · 3 months ago
Text
Things they better put in TLOVM in no particular order pt 1 of ?
*The cannonball contest. Mad scientist Percy using raw sodium to win a cannon ball contest and explode himself in the process NEEDS to be onscreen. Who do I need to threaten at dagger dagger daggger point to make it happen?
*The Goldfish incident. This one is obvious, but I mean the PROPER goldfish incident. It needs to be 100% stupidity. They better not soften the blow or shave off any of the hilarity or horror of the moment! It needs full of crunchy sound effects and screaming. Do NOT smooth this scene out TLOVM! I believe in you! Punch us in the face with the random chaotic horror of the uncaring universe with this moment! Physics!
*Percy flirting with grass to calm it down from attacking them and succeeding after Keyleth (the druid) pissed it off in the feywild. This moment should have already happened, but they can stick it in somewhere else, it's fine. This scene is so damn funny.
*More General sibling dickery between Vex and Vax, stealing his boots, flipping the bird, noogies, etc. They messed with each other a lot.
*Vax doing the girls hair; Pike needs fun buns! Braiding Vex's hair. Helping Keyleth fix her hair after SPOILERS FOR PROBABLY? SEASON 3 OF TLOVM getting her hair burnt off by lava, he gave her a haircut so it was a cute bob rather than burnt uneven strands. They don't have to make a big deal out of it, it can be happening in the background while other "plot" things are happening, or they can have important conversation while he's doing their hair, just incorporate it into the show! It's subtle but important to the character!
*MORE GILMORE which, looking at the trailer, seems to be a thing that is happening so yay! They seem to be taking him with them to Ank'Harel! Which is a great idea. I wish they could bring Jarret too lol.
15 notes · View notes
dearest-sparksandstars · 2 years ago
Text
MORE THOUGHTS ABT VAX THESE EPISODES!!
Vax ONCE AGAIN sees his corpse in his reflection. He’s a dead man walking. And it’s reflected above him in the water then again in the goop of the monster, a reversal of what he saw in eps 5 when he saw the Matron’s mask emerge out of the flames. 
Something about the Feywild seems to be out to get him, and he notices it. There is something about that conversation with Percy by the lake (not only because it directly and visually parallels their conversation at the end of eps 4) that is so striking to me in that he is beginning to really realize the effects of what he has done, and wants to seek answers.
Percy’s “I wasn’t about to give up on you” contrasts directly to Vax’s “I feel like I’m going down a path you can’t follow” (NOT TO MENTION how Vax faces away!! His face falling into shadow!!) and is a bit of foreshadowing that makes me wonder a bit about how the final three episodes of this season are gonna play out for team Half Elf + Percy, especially since we didn’t see where they ended up after walking through the portal in eps 9.
Perhaps a brief return to Vasselheim since there’s that shot of the interior of the Matron’s temple in the trailer?
76 notes · View notes
visionaryparacosmos · 11 days ago
Text
VP Reads Psycholonials - Chapter 1 & Interlude 1
My instinct here is to watch for numbers that might be thematically important, but I suspect that the numerology stuff might just be a HS thing. It's been a HOT minute since I read PS, but I don't remember any numerology in it. That isn't keeping me from having a running list of numbers that pop up.
Z talking about having a non-conventional philosophy about family is incredibly resonant with me. I wonder if this story is going to involve a found family narrative or if it's going to flip that on it's head somehow. I'm not sure what to expect, but family seems to be a theme this story wants to cover, since Abby and Z spend a while talking about family. I could be wrong though. Since this is only chapter 1, we're still just learning stuff about the characters. Which BTW, Hussie has character creation down pat. I wanna see them teach a class on it. I genuinely think she's that good at it. I also really like how he strings words together, it's nice.
I'm intrigued by Z's past with social media and cancelling. I can perfectly imagine like ten types of discourse Z could've gotten cancelled over on Tumblr alone, but I'm not familiar enough with the Instagram sphere to know if it translates. I almost hope it stays ambiguous as to what got them cancelled, it would make Z a lot more relatable for an already niche sort of experience.
Getting a look a Z's social media accounts left me with a variety of thoughts, starting with "whoa, pronouns!" and ending with "oh, she's definitely displaying some maladaptive coping mechanisms here." I did get a giggle out of Twitter being dated. I double checked and Twitter only became X last year. It feels like it was simultaneously so much more recent and also eons ago.
Z being a legitimate influencer is kind of throwing me for a loop. Being famous sounds awful to me. People don't treat you like a person. Even something as simple as modeling can make people treat you different. It's bonkers. All of this is just a job people! At least Z seems to be chill and understand that influencers are people too and that the capitalistic drive to always be productive is actually all sorts of detrimental to the human psyche.
I was really excited seeing the psychic damage meter and the spoon theory meter. I like this sort of gag in Hussie's other works. I do wonder if there will actually be any kind of substantial repercussions based on these or if they'll even pop up again. I hope so.
I also feel conflicted on Abby. First she comes off as a shitty friend, but then she comes around to following Z on main, but then she belittles the pandemic. All I can say is that I'm glad it was at least lampshaded. I also like the symetry between Z and Abby being at opposite ends of the alphabet. Abby is shaping up to be a huge foil for Z, which is exciting.
The dream sequence caught me off guard, but the creepy music (and the trailer with the scary shadow being) prepared me for the worst of it. I really like the sound direction of this so far. Later, when Abby and Z's call ended and the music also cut out, it was a really poignant and made the moment feel realer. Also, I swear that Abby must have a crush on Z. They way she's interacting with them is giving me major flashbacks to high school when I had a crush on my yet-to-be-out bisexual best friend. Also, shout out to Z for being the first heterosexual nonbinary person to capture my heart <3
Now time for my thoughts on that ending. There was a QUICK escalation that has me totally hooked. I caught the pre-clownery murder when I watched the trailers, which I'm pleased about. The entire sequence was kind of a rush- not unlike how Z was behaving earlier when they thirst-trapped poor, sweet, nice, well-adjusted Percy.
As for the interlude, I think this really puts Psycholonials in conversation with Deltarune. It's all about CHOICE, or rather the lack of it. But whereas Deltarune has different impact based on choices, it seems like there really will be no choices allowed in Psycholonials at all. Which I'm fine with. There's something about the whims of social media being out of your control that makes it really work well in my mind.
Overall! I'm excited for chapter 2! I need to see what happens next.
2 notes · View notes
ghostscrown · 11 months ago
Text
Okay okay okay. So now that I calmed down a little (just a little) let's talk about these first two episodes of pjo (there's gonna be "spoilers" ig, and also it may be a little disorganized lmao) :
I LOVED it.
Starting with the slightly "negative" points... There isn't a lot. My only complains are that it was a little fast paced, but I was expecting it because it's a 8 episode season and they had to make choices to keep the quest being the main part of the season, so the first episode being Percy before he goes to CHB and the second being him to CHB before being claimed by Poseidon makes perfect sense. They really had to make the beginning fast paced and put a lot of exposure for the new fans at the same time, and it was still honestly very well done !
The second (and last) complain I have is Gabe wasn't as abusive as in the book, however we only saw him at the beginning of the story for now, so it's very possible we get flashbacks or character's conversations about it later on or, anyway, we're gonna see how he acts on the news and all, so I'm not that worried about that for now, I think we still gotta wait.
I also know some people are complaining it doesn't take place in the 2000's, but come on guys, Rick said multiple times already the story was supposed to be timeless and was always taking place at the time you read the book so everyone could identify, and that for the same reason, the show was going to take place in current time. It's old news.
Overall, I think the changes made perfect sense to adapt the story ! There was the pjo humor, they adapted it perfectly so it could go from "specific humor of Percy POV" to something you can see even if obviously, live action oblige, this is not an "only Percy telling his own story POV" ; they managed to keep the same vibe, and it was important to me so I'm really happy about it ! All of the changes so far were really in character. Dionysos trying to trick Percy into giving him alcohol was genius exposure to explain "the gods need demigods to do things for them".
I was skeptical when we saw in the trailer that Percy had Riptide for the minotaur fight, but it all makes perfect sense now ! It was also a genius exposure to explain how Riptide always goes back into his pocket, without changing the fight that much !
Percy's lines were all so good ! Walker was really in character ! Actually, all of the actors were incredible ! Annabeth really had that Annabeth vibe even if we still didn't see her that much ! Her interactions with Percy were really good and fun, I can't wait to see them become friends in the next episodes !
Luke was amazing too. Really giving that big brother energy. His betrayal is gonna be heartbreaking, I just know it.
Chiron and Dionysos are just PERFECT. Sally too ! Her scenes with Percy were so emotional.
And Grover ? He was just amazing. Really showing how important his friendship with Percy was. Sally making him swear he'll protect Percy was an amazing scene. I CAN'T WAIT to see how they introduce his trauma with what happened to Thalia after that, I can feel it's gonna be interesting. They removed his fake disability, but I can see why they did that – for the same reason they gave Chiron a prosthetic leg, so his disability isn't just a "disguise". There was nothing like that to add to Grover's story so they just removed the fake disability and I think that's for the better.
They really got into the confused emotions of Percy thinking he was going crazy at the beginning and I love them for that because thinking you hallucinate things like that must be terrifying- It made me empathize with Percy about that even more than in the books, I think that's one of the things added in the show I loved the most.
I'M SO GLAD they seem to have removed the weird "crush" thing between Annabeth and Luke, too. That was a weird part of the books and we all know it. I wanted them to remove it from the show and it seems that it's what they did for now.
The CGI was actually very good ! I was afraid when we saw Riptide going from pen to sword in the trailers because it wasn't what I imagined at all, but it was actually good looking in the show ! Same for the claiming scene !
I feel like these were really the exposure episodes, they were doing their job really well and I can't wait to see the next ones to see the plot diving deeper into the story !
6 notes · View notes
livixbobbiex · 2 years ago
Text
Tumblr media
I posted 99 times in 2022
That's 75 more posts than 2021!
20 posts created (20%)
79 posts reblogged (80%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@somecunttookmyurl
@kingburu
@kazliin
@kittmoon
I tagged 20 of my posts in 2022
#actually adhd - 8 posts
#adhd - 8 posts
#neurodiversity - 6 posts
#neurodivergent - 6 posts
#percy jackson - 3 posts
#pjo - 3 posts
#totk - 2 posts
#politics - 2 posts
#uk - 2 posts
#botw2 - 2 posts
Longest Tag: 78 characters
#personally i think the best approach is to stop using neurodivergent so often?
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
It's finally time for the Hyrule water theory
So this comes from an observation I made during last year's trailer
Tumblr media
If you're anything like me and cheesed the dungeon with Zora armour, you'll remember there's a LOT of water around this castle. In fact, you can kind of see it a bit in the trailer before the entire thing gets lifted out of the air.
See the full post
437 notes - Posted September 13, 2022
#4
People who critique fanfiction lines such as "she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding" clearly aren't ADHD because that's the daily experience chief.
534 notes - Posted June 27, 2022
#3
The other side of ADHD
So one thing I don't see people talk about as much is the other side of focus issues. Like, I kind of hate that it's even called Attention Deficit because I don't think it's fully accurate. It's more like, attention meter gone haywire.
The best way to describe it is like a roleplay video game stat. Imagine the average neurotypical person has focus values in the range of about 4-6 points. For me, at random, my stats will flick between like 2 and 8. Sometimes in the space of hours.
In real terms, this results in:
Hyperfocus where I can write a 3000 word essay in one sitting; no breaks, no moving
Revolving fixations, never lost just reignited when I remember them. What follows is days of intense obsession
Being actively early for everything because of waiting mode
In the right conditions, crazy fast comprehension and reaction speeds
Tuning into other people's conversations in crowded spaces
At times, hypersensivity. Especially when it comes to hearing and smell
Ability to remember really random events in almost photographic detail. Like, sometimes I will have an easier time remembering some really mundane conversation from 3 years ago verbatim than what i did literally that morning
Same goes for random trivia. I still know the exact date the war of the roses ended, have since I was 9. I'm especially good with song lyrics
Don't get me wrong, I still struggle a lot and the lacking focus is more common. The frustrating part is that I have no control over when I'm able to do these things (aside from hyperfocus, I can kind of induce that - maybe I'll make a post about that) so it's rarely actually useful.
But yeah, I feel like it's a less spoken about portion of ADHD, closest it gets to the 'superpower' thing honestly.
I'll also note that, I'm personally unsure, but it might be that this isn't applicable to inattentive presentation ADHD. Would be curious to hear from y'all. I'm combined presentation but to me it seems more like it comes from the hyper side.
573 notes - Posted June 9, 2022
#2
I love how much we're all talking about neurodivergence here and all but let's all remember that neurodivergent is not ADHD/Autism only.
I've seen a lot of people using those expressions interchangeably and, whilst those are the most common conditions, neurodivergent is a wider label than that.
1,199 notes - Posted July 1, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
12 ADHD hacks that are actually helpful
Record EVERYTHING in your phone's calendar app the moment you find out about it. Mine gives me an alarm automatically before the calendar time - has saved my ass many times.
Get a little bowl or equivalent for objects like keys. That's now your key bowl. You will not lose them ever again.
Write down deadlines as early before they're actually due as you can justify. My ADHD ass never remembers the actual due date. I get all of the stress fuelled productivity with none of the actual danger.
Handwrite notes. I have no idea why, but the process of pen and paper makes me remember things much better.
If you have to be somewhere like class or work, set aside time to go for a walk first. Honestly would be great all days, but I can't even make myself do this, so it's good if you have to be out anyway (and maybe would have been in waiting mode). Burning off energy helps my brain.
When retrieving laundry (ie its dry and you have to fold it), dump it all out in the most inconvenient place possible. I like the bed. It forces me to deal with it, rather than letting it sit there.
Turn on subtitles when you watch anything - even YouTube and live TV. I didn't realise how lifechanging this was until last year.
The Breath of the Wild soundtrack is weirdly the best background music ever. It's the perfect level of stimulating without distracting
Use text to speech for long walls of text. It's great.
Did I mention phone alarms? I use it for everything - ie when I know I might hyperfocus on something for too long.
There's literally no obligation to eat 3 meals at set times. If eating snacks throughout the day works better for you, then do that. There's also no shame in things like pre chopped fruit/veggies.
I struggle with transitions sometimes. A way around this is keeping a ton of water next to me. When I get frustrated about being stuck, I just drink as much water as I can. Eventually, this means I have to pee, and physically cannot ignore it. The act of going to the bathroom is sometimes enough to change activity.
Disclaimer that this is my own experience with ADHD, which may be totally different to someone else's. But hey, these are some things I've always found useful.
EDIT because this has a lot of reblogs wow! Please feel free to share even if you're a different type of neurodiverse, or even straight up neurotypical. At the end of the day most of these are focus/executive dysfunction tips, and I'm glad they're useful no matter what your situation is!
6,741 notes - Posted May 21, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
1 note · View note
luckycheesefoodie321 · 2 years ago
Text
Tumblr media
I posted 3,361 times in 2022
351 posts created (10%)
3,010 posts reblogged (90%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@mxcrowe
@cottonskittles
@lunaisace
@derinthescarletpescatarian
@lithi
I tagged 496 of my posts in 2022
#kdrama - 211 posts
#extraordinary attorney woo - 193 posts
#spoilers - 118 posts
#korean drama - 63 posts
#asian drama - 60 posts
#percy jackson - 23 posts
#the umbrella academy - 20 posts
#pjo - 18 posts
#manga - 15 posts
#percy jackson and the olympians - 14 posts
Longest Tag: 137 characters
#like i can handle letting suyeon be with a judgemental bitch bc she’s i’ve known you so long i don’t need to be nice to you anymore vibes
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
As someone who has absorbed MLB almost entirely through tumblr and has only watched a few eps here and there but really wants to get into it, I like to visit the tag whenever it trends and was curious about today and what was happening. But as it turns out @buggachat (??) Bakery Enemies AU is straight up just thriving and from what I can tell, is 90% of why MLB is trending atm XD
264 notes - Posted August 21, 2022
#4
The subtlety of Park Eun-bin’s acting that you know the difference between Young woo’s natural aversion to eye contact and her actively trying to play coy and avoid Myeong Seok’s gaze when he accurately deduced she definitely jumped in on the arrest on the train bc she couldn’t help herself
295 notes - Posted July 29, 2022
#3
When Steven finds himself in Dr Harrow’s office and Harrow let’s slip that his mum had passed away and he explodes at him so Harrow backpedals and actually picks up the phone to “call” the mum… and just the increasing distress on Steven’s face as he practically begs him not to bother his mum until Harrow holds out the phone and just the grief on his face as Steven finally admits out loud that his mother is dead…
Give Oscar the Oscar and 15 motion picture deals.
311 notes - Posted April 28, 2022
#2
Fun things after watching The Batman
The movie sets a more crime-thriller, film noir take on Batman that really hones in on Bats as the world’s greatest detective as opposed to throwing in a bunch of action scenes as has been the norm of late for “superhero” films. The action choreo that is there feels so real and like an actual real person fighting, making Bats feel more grounded as a person, and the action set pieces just compliment all the build up through the quieter moments. Literally 80% of this film is him looking around a room for clues or inferring some sort of deduction from a conversation and I’m here for itttt
The actor who plays Tim Drake in Titans plays the scared kid who doesn’t wanna beat up the random guy. Not the same Batmen but how fun if that was Tim Drake’s origin story in another timeline
This whole time Bruce is majorly projecting on the Mayor’s son his own trauma as a kid who lost his parents to a brutal murder. In both Bruce and Bats forms, he holds eye contact with the kid. When Bats comes over to help the people trapped under the tower, and the mayor-elect Bella Reál hesitates to take his hand (bc he’s a vigilante who in many ways represents everything she’s been campaigning against, also bc he’s masked and dangerous etc) the first one to take his hand and thus demonstrate his trust in Bats is the kid. And the others follow (literally that shot with the flare and everyone following in the dark water was so beautiful I cannot)
The repeated use of Ave Maria whether in full form or hints throughout the score as a signal of impending danger
That opening title screen just stretching all the way across the theatre screen. Magnificent
Despite the “I am Vengeance” line being the mic drop-ish line from the trailer, basically everyone makes fun of Bats for using it the whole movie and then it comes back in a sinister way right at the end
People initially laughing at the idea of Robert Pattinson as Bats now saying his is one of the best interpretations of Batman so far, especially in terms of the detective aspect of the character
This version of Bruce reads as much younger than the other interpretations of Bruce Wayne. Like all of them are “would rather do XX than go to therapy” to some degree, but this version of Bats leans hard into this and feels really fresh on the scene. Guess it helps that when he’s Bruce he doesn’t switch immediately into a three piece suit and actually wears normal clothes. And he’s only 2 years into the game. I think it also adds to this image bc the playboy personality is nonexistent in this version of Bruce. He’s attracted to Selina (or at least drawn to her and the kiss just pushed it in a more romantic direction), but he also doesn’t push it beyond the opportunities she has presented to him. So idk. That seems very young of him?? I guess to be so caught up in the Batman of it all that he doesn’t recognise the potential for him and Selina until after she kisses him.
The fact that Selina’s leather suit actually has some give and slight bagginess to it. Like yes it is form fitting, but there’s clearly wiggle room and that’s a small thing but v important I think that it isn’t skin tight. Bc all other scenes she’s dressed in what I would say are very revealing clothing, as part of her job at that club that exploits women’s bodies and looks for profit. In this outfit, she clearly has so much more control and ownership of her body, and despite the typically slinky and seductive image of Cat woman, her suit feels quite practical and more like a uniform or battle outfit.
Paul Dano was freaking brilliant as The Riddler. But I also kept thinking “yo it’s that guy from Little Miss Sunshine” XD
1,836 notes - Posted March 6, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
Crap
Pads
Sexy
Stripper
Cramps
All words that you don’t realise have impact until you suddenly hear them in a pixar movie and you double take way harder than you thought you would bc wow they said that so casually… bc yeah a 13yo prolly does say crap and sexy on occasion… and hey periods are perfectly natural so duh ofc the mom would bring out a pile of pads for her pubescent daughter, and talk about using herbal tea for cramps…
but also you don’t realise that you’ve never heard any of these things in a movie geared for children and pixar managed to do it so casually that it made you blink for a hot second before being quite pleased that it’s been included… that things like periods are discussed so openly in a film and pads are acknowledged and named and shown on screen rather than acting like it’s taboo or unnatural (not only the mom but also Abby/Priya?? saying she has pads for Mei)… to theme a film specifically on the female puberty experience… the change in body odour (when Priya whipped out deodorant for Mei??? Love that), the discomfort in your own body, the mood swings, the sweating, in many cases a greater physical and emotional attraction to others… an experience which in the past has been so greatly hush hush and treated like a shameful secret…
Then you think to yourself wow imagine if pixar had managed to include the lgbt+ character they had been hoping to insert in what would likely be a very respectful but also casual and natural representation that does not define the character purely by their presence but by what they as a person bring to the story (betting my life on Miriam and the potential for a Mir-Mei ship) had the Mouse not gotten in the way.
And this was meant to be a fun post about how casually Abby said “stripper music” and how I actually double-taked at Meilin saying sexy, but then i had other thoughts…
2,539 notes - Posted March 12, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
0 notes
jewishsuperfam · 3 years ago
Text
predictions for ep 3 based on the first 2 eps of tlovm under the cut:
i think it's a safe bet to say that they're going to spend at least some of the episode moving into grayskull and shopping for nice clothes for the Fancy Dinner Party, which will provide some more moments for establishing the characters and their dynamics with each other
the thing that's really up in the air is whether percy's going to hear about the briarwoods beforehand or whether they'll be blindsided at the dinner. i know uriel said their name in percy's presence, but i'll have to rewatch the VOD when it's up to see if percy caught that or not, and if there was any reaction--though i feel like i'd remember if there were something noteworthy, since i was definitely looking for that.
anyway. i could see it going either way. despite how short the episodes are, i could see them working a conversation between VM and the council (or maybe just allura?) into the ep where they talk about the dinner before it happens, possibly in-between setting up the keep and shopping for clothes, where the briarwoods get name-dropped again and this time we get percy's reaction, and get some backstory and echoes of the canon preparations they took before the dinner
buuuuuuut.....my gut is telling me it's probably going to be a surprise at the dinner party itself. there are a few pieces of evidence that are small things but that add up:
they (by which i mean the writers' room, not the characters) very deliberately chose a method of introducing VM's names to the council that did not include percy's last name--which you know IS deliberate bc if left to his own devices of COURSE percy's gonna go full percival frederickstein von musel klossowski de rolo III.
so the council doesn't know his full name, meaning the briarwoods won't either unless percy tells them, and we know from the flashback in the trailer how different percy looks now, so it wouldn't be surprising for them not to recognize him.
also in the trailer, when they're all dressed up (which could be for a different event but given context i'm going to assume is them dressing up for this dinner), both percy and vax are there. whereas in the original campaign, since percy knew the briarwoods were coming and told the party abt them ahead of time and they had time to plan, vax went invisible and percy disguised himself as vax. they could still do that--it's possible that that clip was misleading and that they still disguise themselves after that clip, but as of the information we have right now i'm willing to take that at face value even if it is a misdirect
genuinely just given the pacing of the show so far and how much material they have to get through, especially if they want to make an attempt to include the fight after the dinner in the same episode, i'm just not sure they have time to do the set-up beforehand. especially when you can achieve a similar effect to taliesin's startled blinking at hearing the briarwoods mentioned in-game by having percy see them at the dinner and freeze and have ptsd flashbacks
also, them doing it this way wouldn't necessarily preclude vax from still going invisible and sneaking into the briarwoods' room afterwards anyway, it just cuts the loose thread of "vax was supposed to meet up with seeker assum and then got distracted and forgot"
anyway this is all speculation and i could be wrong but i feel pretty confident in these predictions. i do love the way the dinner party actually happens in the campaign and part of me wishes they'd do the episode exactly the same way, but knowing that that's not possible, i think this is the likeliest way that they'll handle it. it also doesn't mean that they won't have that conversation where he explains his past to the party and vex says "we are so involved" and "we've got your back darling" and they all chime in and percy realizes he has a family again--i just think that'll happen after the dinner and not before it
15 notes · View notes
soijustdidthat · 3 years ago
Text
i adore harry potter. always have. but jk rowling fucking sucks and i have done my best to pull whatever monetary support from her that i can - i haven’t bought any official merch or watched the movies on hbo. other than the occasional youtube clip (not official even then), i haven’t watched harry potter content in years at this point, and i think i read more harry potter fanfic than i do the actual book series. i’ve only seen the first fantastic beasts, and at that point in time i had no idea she was a fucking asshole and i don’t think she’d exposed her true views online. i haven’t seen the trailer for this new one, and i won’t go see it, and i won’t watch it until/unless there’s a way to do it without giving her money. when relatives ask for a christmas list, there’s a note attached asking to please not buy any official harry potter merch. i’ve also done my part on attempting to get her removed from twitter in order to remove her main platform that she uses to spread hate - i know that she’s a billionaire and this basically does nothing, but i’m attempting to show my support to the trans community.
i grew up with this series and do my absolute best to love it while being critical about the problematic pieces within it - of which there are many. i listen to trans creators and proceed forward based on what they say. i myself have and still question my gender and it pains me to know that someone i looked up to and wanted to be when i was little does her absolute fucking best to bring this community down. i’m not saying that if you like harry potter you’re a transphobe: i’m saying that if you like harry potter and make no effort to be critical, raise the voices of trans people within the community, and remove your support of jk rowling, then it’s pretty clear where you stand.
i also am aware that she’s racist as hell - this was less clear to me simply because the last time i read the books i was like twelve and i haven’t read much of the illvermoney? content bc that came out after i’d read them and i think i was in my percy jackson phase or maybe minecraft. anyhow, i also look toward minority creators when it comes to the representation in harry potter, and as i got older, the blindfold was removed and yeah it is NOT GOOD. like the blatant anti semitism, and whatever the fuck she was doing with the house elf story line (how did that get past editing), and so much more. there are so many red flags that would make me stop reading them now - and it’s important to listen to the communities represented and remember that she’s not just transphobic, she’s also racist and that gets left out a lot.
at this point in time, not talking about this issue is pointless - harry potter is one of those things that has completely seeped into our culture - everybody knows about it even if they’ve never read it or seen the movies. it’s different than if a smaller author were doing the things jk is - it that case, talking about it would give the author a platform; whereas with jk rowling we have a unique opportunity to address the issues of homophobia, transphobia, racism and every other despicable thing that appears within these books with a unique lens that most of us haven’t had the opportunity to use. this does need to be done carefully, as too much interest causes her value to rise, and in this capitalistic hellscape, that’s the last thing we need. this conversation can’t be lead by cis white people - it needs to be led by the minority communities directly affected, and i will take me lead in this conversation from them.
i will always be grateful to the series for giving me a home when i was a lonely weird kid who was bullied and abandoned by every friend i ever had, and for giving me hope as i battled depression. but i will not let the fact that jk rowling wrote them lead me away from the fact that i believe in kindness and basic human dignity: therefore i don’t support her and i never will again. i will take my lead from trans people as this conversation moves forward, and adjust my position within the community as they voice their values, thoughts and opinions.
19 notes · View notes
Text
Tower Of Nero Spoilers/Rant!! (Part 6)
Okay, so... at the end of the book Apollo (NOT Lester), decides to visit all the demigods of the Great Prophecy + Camp Half Blood. So this is how those visits went (WARNING!! Percabeth, Solangelo and Frazel cuteness overload). Apollo visits all these people in the form of ...you guessed it, Lester Papadopoulos.
Camp Half Blood Reunion
Apollo goes to the big house and has a little chat with Chiron about a “cat” (Bast) and a “severed head” (Mimir) and common problems amongst different pantheons. This may be an opening for a stand-alone book *squeak*!!
Apollo meets Mr. D (whose character was fitfully redeemed, when he decided to give Nico therapy for his PTSD), plays pinochle with Mr. D and loses all the games.
He sits by the campfire with Nico, Will and Rachel. Will and Nico are sitting side-by-side, Will has one arm around Nico, who is twirling a marshmallow on a stick. Rachel informs Apollo that she is going to Paris to study art, while her parents house is being rebuilt. They discuss the voice that has been calling out to Nico and Nico says that it’s a Titan who’s stuck in Tartarus (aka Bob the Titan, aka Iapetus). Rachel has regained her prophetic powers after the defeat of Python and issues them a Prophecy, which only Nico and Will can hear, but not Apollo. That is definitely a set-up for a stand-alone Solangelo adventure in Tartarus. Yippee!!
Waystation Reunion 
The Hunters of Artemis were at the Waystation and their mission to catch the Teumessian Fox. This too may be a set-up for a stand-alone.
We see some great Thalia and Reyna chemistry, where they both playfully compliment each other on being great hunters.
Josephine is teaching little Georgina all about mechanics in her machine shop. Apollo still isn’t clear about whether Georgie is her daughter or not.
Lityerses is overseeing an “elephant visitation program,” where Livia(from Waystation) and Hannibal(from Camp Jupiter) are on some kind of date. Uncle Rick has been reading fanfics and headcanons. It’s official.
Leo, meanwhile, has been indulging in some community service where he teaches homeless kids about shop skills at a local shelter and the kids like him. It’s been hinted that some of the kids are demigods.
Leo calls Josephine “mom,” who just scoffs but looks pleased all the same. She probably thinks Leo is the son she never had and Leo had said in The Dark Prophecy, that Josephine reminds him of his mom.
Calypso is loving regular mortal stuff, and has adjusted to her new life very well. Apollo doesn’t actually get to meet Calypso, because she’s been away all summer to a band camp where she is a counselor. Leo appears to be lovesick for Calypso.
It was also really cute to see Reyna and Leo getting on with each other too (It was surprising because Leo did destroy half of the Senate House when she was Praetor). Reyna was giving him advice on flirting with Calypso and asked him not to call her mamacita, and that he has to have more respect. She explains this strange action to Apollo, saying that Leo grew up without a mom so he never learnt these things, but now he has two great foster moms and a big sister(referring to herself) who isn’t afraid to smack him.
Camp Jupiter Reunion
Apollo visits Camp Jupiter, where he meets Hazel and Frank, who are both praetors after The Tyrant’s Tomb. Apollo says they are the most efficient and respected pair of praetors to ever run the Twelfth Legion.
Hazel and Frank give Apollo a tour of the Camp where they’ve installed more barracks, expanded the thermal baths and are constructing a victory arch on the main road to New Rome to commemorate the defeat of the emperors, Caligula and Commodus.
The victory arch is going to be completely plated with gold, more specifically, Hazel’s gold. As far as they can tell, Hazel’s curse is finally broken and her gold and jewels are finally safe to use or sell, as they please. They did an augury in Pluto’s shrine and it came up favorable. 
Hazel hastened to add that they were not going to abuse this power, but were only going to use it to improve camp and honor the gods.
Hazel says that they won’t spend the money to buy yachts, private airplanes or big gold necklaces with ‘H+F 4Ever’ diamond pendants. Frank pouts in reply to this. This is definitely Frazel cuteness.
 Lavinia Asimov fulfilled her promise to teach the entire Fifth Cohort how to tap-dance. The unit is now feared and respected in the war games for their ability to form a testudo shield wall while doing the three-beat shuffle.
The Jason Grace temple-expansion plan was still moving forward, with new shrines being added every week.
Also...Percy and Annabeth had arrived and taken up residence in New Rome, giving them two months to adjust to their new environs before the fall semester of their freshman year in college.
Annabeth, of course, is going to study architecture and Percy is unsure of his major. Annabeth is taking UC Berkeley’s Environmental design course and dual-enroll in New Rome University.
They reached the touchy subject of Jason’s death. Percy is unable to speak about this topic and Annabeth admits that she cried herself sick.
At the end of this conversation, Apollo uses his godly magic to teleport a plate of Sally Jackson’s blue cookies right into his hands and gives it to Percy.
Piper’s Reunion
When Lester arrives at Piper’s Tahlequah home, he sees two silhouettes on the edge of the roof and one leans over to kiss the other. Apollo gets flustered and switches form to adult Apollo, complete with toga and all. Both of them turn around.
One of the silhouettes, (a girl with short, dark hair and a rhinestone stud on her nose) asks Piper who this dude is and whether her dad has a boyfriend. The girl’s name, we discover, is Shel (Probably short for Shelby, I’m just guessing) and so far is assumed to be fully mortal.
Piper tells Apollo that she’s doing fine and that her dad too, has found some peace. She learns of Jason’s funeral and assures Apollo that he did right by him and will continue to as long as he remembers what it’s like to be human. Then she points at Shel and leaves.
Aeithales Reunion
Apollo was greeted by the Meliai, Meg’s personal troupe of seven super dryads. They took him for an intruder and marched him up to Meg.
Apollo found Meg digging dirt and showing her 11 foster siblings from the Imperial Household, how to transplant cacti. 
Peaches was also in the scene, talking to another young female karpos, who is native to the area.
Meg hugs Apollo and they go for a little walk.
Herophile the Sybil lives in a trailer when she isn’t working in town as a Tarot card reader or crystal healer.
Lugeselwa was in the living room, putting together a rocking chair. She had been fitted with new mechanical arms, compliments of the Hephaestus Cabin.
Apollo offers Meg the reward he had promised to give her when he became a god again. Meg asks for a unicorn, which he conjures out of thin air. They promise to be friends forever and when Meg asks him whether he’ll come back, he replies, “The sun always comes back.”
A/N: Phew!! That was long. Very sorry about that. It took me 3 days to write. If you had the patience to read it, hope you enjoyed it.
288 notes · View notes
kookie-doughs · 4 years ago
Text
Y/N L/N AND THE HALFBLOODS
Percy Jackson X Reader
-Y/N L/N met Percy Jackson and everything was now ruined.
CHAPTER 16: Mini Elvis
Tumblr media
The war god was waiting for us in the diner parking lot. "Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed." "You knew it was a trap," Percy hissed. Ares gave me a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV." Taking the shield from Percy I shoved it at him. "You're a jerk." Annabeth and Grover caught their breath. Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back. "See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas." The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which I could read only because it was reverse-printed white on black, a good combination for dyslexia: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS. Percy said, "You're kidding." Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job." He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Percy. Inside were fresh clothes for all of us, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuff Oreos. Percy said, "I don't want your lousy—" "Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving him his best red-alert warning look. "Thanks a lot." I could see Percy gritting his teeth. It was probably a deadly insult to refuse something from a god, but I also didn't want anything that Ares had touched. Reluctantly, he swung the bag over his shoulder. I looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served us dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt us. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture of us. Great, I thought. We'll make the papers again tomorrow.
I imagined the headline: TWELVE-YEAR-OLD OUTLAWS BEATS UP DEFENSELESS BIKER. "You owe us one more thing," Percy told Ares, trying to keep my voice level. "You promised me information about our parents." "You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "They're not dead." The ground seemed to spin beneath me. "What do you mean?" "I mean Percy's mom was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept. As for yours, I saw them myself. Upstairs with the big guys. Why do you think you're causing one of the biggest uproar up there? They're refusing to tell who your parent is. No matter how much cut." He smirked. "What...?" Percy and the others must've seen something as they all held me back. "What are they doing to them?" I could feel the ground shake as Percy's grip on me tighten. We'll save them... calm down. Not the hero. Us. So calm down. "Calm down Y/N." Percy whispered. The ground stopped shaking and took a deep breath. "I will make you all kneel." I said. He looked at me confusedly. Then he shrug it off then laughed, "Oh yeah? can't wait, kid." Percy gripped my shoulder. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues." Behind his sunglasses, fire glowed. I felt a hot wind in my hair. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back." He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street. Annabeth said, "That was not smart, Percy." "I don't care." "You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god." "Hey, guys," Grover said. "I hate to interrupt, but ..." He pointed toward the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck. "If we're taking the zoo express," Grover said, "we need to hurry." I didn't like it, but we had no better option. Besides, I'd seen enough of Denver. We ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind us. The first thing that hit me was the smell. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter. The trailer was dark inside until Percy uncapped Riptide. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals I'd ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing I didn't know the name for. Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL! Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur. "This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?" He probably would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and we would've helped him, but just then the trucks engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and we were forced to sit down or fall down. We huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but I pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Besides, I had a feeling we might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips. I found a water jug and refilled their bowls, then Percy used Riptide to drag the mismatched food out of their cages. He gave the meat to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and the antelope. Grover calmed the antelope down, while I used my knife to cut the balloon off his horn. Annabeth wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, too, but we decided that would be too risky with the truck bumping around. We told Grover to promise the animals we'd help them more in the morning, then we settled in for night. Grover curled up on a turnip sack; Annabeth opened our bag of Double Stuff Oreos and nibbled on one halfheartedly; I tried to cheer myself up by concentrating on the fact that we were halfway to Los Angeles. Halfway to our destination. It was only June fourteenth. The solstice wasn't until the twenty-first. We could make it in plenty of time. On the other hand, I had no idea what to expect next. The gods kept toying with me. At least Hephaestus had the decency to be honest about it—he'd put up cameras and advertised me as entertainment. But even when the cameras weren't rolling, I had a feeling my quest was being watched. I was a source of amusement for the gods. And it wasn't helping knowing they're hurting my parents. Here I was risking my life for them and what are they doing? "Hey," Percy cooed, "We'll save them. No matter what. I promised you that." "Okay." Percy pulled me closer until I was resting on him. Annabeth cleared her throat. "Hey, sorry I wasn't much help back at the park... I could've helped getting you guys out... It's just..." She shuddered. "Spiders." "Because of the Arachne story," I guessed. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?" She nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things." "We're a team, remember?" Percy said. "Besides, Grover did the fancy flying. All we did was grab the shield." I thought he was asleep, but he mumbled from the corner, "I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?" Annabeth, Percy and I laughed. She pulled apart an Oreo, handed me and Percy a half each. "In the Iris message... did Luke really say nothing?" I munched my cookie and thought about how to answer. The conversation via rainbow had bothered me all evening. "Luke said you and he go way back. He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree." Percy answered. In the dim bronze light of the sword blade, it was hard to read their expressions. Grover let out a mournful bray. "I should've told you the truth from the beginning." His voice trembled. "I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along." "You were the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia, the daughter of Zeus." He nodded glumly. "And the other two half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp..." Percy looked at Annabeth. "That was you and Luke, wasn't it?" She put down her Oreo, uneaten. "Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were... amazing monster-fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us." "I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp," he said, sniffling. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth by themselves. I thought... I thought I could lead all three of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up with us. I froze. I got scared on the way back to camp and took some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker..." "Stop it," Annabeth said. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either." "She sacrificed herself to save us," he said miserably, "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so." "Because you wouldn't leave two other half-bloods behind?" Percy said. "That's not fair." "Percy's right," Annabeth said. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says." Grover kept sniffling in the dark. "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the two most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia and Percy." "You're not lame," Annabeth insisted. "You've got more courage than any satyr I've ever met. Name one other who would dare go to the Underworld. I bet Percy is really glad you're here right now." She kicked me in the shin. "Yeah," I said, which I would've done even without the kick. "It's not luck that you found Thalia and Percy, Grover. You've got the biggest heart of any satyr ever. You're a natural searcher. That's why you'll be the one who finds Pan. I mean, you found me despite my scentlessness... is that a word?" Percy muffled a laugh. I heard a deep, satisfied sigh. I waited for Grover to say something, but his breathing only got heavier. When the sound turned to snoring, I realized he'd fallen sleep. "How does he do that?" I marveled. "I don't know," Annabeth said. "But that was really a nice thing you told him." "I meant it." We rode in silence for a few miles, bumping around on the feed sacks. The zebra munched a turnip. The lion licked the last of the hamburger meat off his lips and looked at me hopefully. Percy didn't take long to fall asleep. Annabeth rubbed her necklace like she was thinking deep, strategic thoughts. "That pine-tree bead," I said. "Is that from your first year?" She looked. She hadn't realized what she was doing. "Yeah," she said. "Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress—now that was a weird summer...." "And the college ring is your father's?" "That's none of your—" She stopped herself. "Yeah. Yeah, it is." "You don't have to tell me." "No... it's okay." She took a shaky breath. "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her.... That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him." "That doesn't sound so bad." "Yeah, well... the problem was, I believed him. 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." She wouldn't meet my eyes. "Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain." "You shouldn't give up," I told her. "You should write him a letter or something." "Thanks for the advice," she said coldly, "but my father's made his choice about who he wants to live with." We passed another few miles of silence. "Luke actually told me about you two coming to camp already." "Really?" She looked at me amazed. "You two must've gotten close fast." "Well, I don't know. I feel like I had to talk to Luke. Like I had to be there for him. The same with Percy." We have to be there for both "You're not wrong. I'm not sure how I'd be without your help." Percy yawned. "Yeah, I wouldn't have been able to handle him." Annabeth glared at him. I laughed, "I think you two are cute." Both of them blushed and said some excuse to disprove me. Which then turned into them showing off who's better than who. "If I'm dating anyone it'll be Y/N!" Both of them huffed and glared at each other. I shook my head and smiled. At least I've gotten new friends out of this. "So," Percy trailed off. "If the gods fight," he said, "will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?" Annabeth put her head against the backpack Ares had given us, and closed her eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you." "Why?" "Because Y/N will and whether I like it or not you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?" "That's all Mr. Peabody." "Shut up, Droopy." I felt her rest on my shoulder and she fell asleep. "Am I that comfortable?" "Yeah," Percy laughed as he rested on my lap. I had trouble following their example, with Grover snoring and an albino lion staring hungrily at me, but eventually I closed my eyes. ~~~ I woke with a start. I was second one awake. Grover was talking to the antelope. "Morning?" "Everyone had the Y/N privilege except me?" "You fell asleep first." I stroked both Annabeth and Percy's hair, which unfortunately woke up Annabeth. "Sorry about that." "It's fine." She yawned. She brought out some Oreo and handed me one. Until the truck stopped. "They're checking the animals aren't they?" Annabeth froze. I shook Percy's shoulder. "The truck's stopped," I said. "We think they're coming to check on the animals." "Hide!" Annabeth hissed. She had it easy. She just put on her magic cap and disappeared. Grover, Percy and I had to dive behind feed sacks and hope we looked like turnips. The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in. "Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes. "You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face. The lion roared in indignation. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said. Next to me, under the turnip sacks, Grover tensed. For a peace-loving herbivore, he looked downright murderous. The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!" The zebra, wild-eyed with fear, looked straight at us. There was a loud knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer. The trucker inside with us yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?" A voice outside—it must've been Eddie's—shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?" "What are you banging for?" Knock, knock, knock. Outside, Eddie yelled, "What banging?" Our guy Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot. A second later, Annabeth appeared next to me. She must've done the banging to get Maurice out of the trailer. She said, "This transport business can't be legal." "No kidding," Grover said. He paused, as if listening. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers!" "We've got to free them!" Grover said. He and Annabeth both looked at Percy, waiting for his say. "Percy, open the lock." I snapped at his face. Outside, Eddie and Maurice were still yelling at each other, but I knew they'd be coming inside to torment the animals again any minute. He grabbed Riptide and slashed the lock off the zebra's cage. The zebra burst out. It turned to Percy and bowed. Grover held up his hands and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing. Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside to check out the noise, the zebra leaped over him and into the street. There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. We rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs. We'd just released a zebra in Las Vegas. Maurice and Eddie ran after it, with a few policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!" "Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said. "The other animals first," Grover said. I cut the locks with my knife which wasn't as easy as what Percy had done. Grover raised his hands and spoke the same goat-blessing he'd used for the zebra. "Good luck," I told the animals. The antelope and the lion burst out of their cages and went off together into the streets. Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off and took pictures, probably thinking it was some kind of stunt by one of the casinos. "Will the animals be okay?" I asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all—" "Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them." "Meaning?" "Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live." "Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" I asked. "It only works on wild animals." "So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth reasoned. "Hey!" He protested. "Kidding," she said. "Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck." We stumbled out into the desert afternoon. It was a hundred and ten degrees, easy, and we must've looked like deep-fried vagrants, but everybody was too interested in the wild animals to pay us much attention. We passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. We passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica, but still made me homesick. I wasn't sure what we were looking for. Maybe just a place to get out of the heat for a few minutes, find a sandwich and a glass of lemonade, make a new plan for getting west. We must have taken a wrong turn, because we found ourselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers—lotus blossom, maybe. I'd never smelled one, so I wasn't sure. The doorman smiled at us. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?" I'd learned to be suspicious, the last week or so. I figured anybody might be a monster or a god. But my knife wasn't glowing so... I figured. Besides, I was so relieved to hear somebody who sounded sympathetic that I nodded and said we'd love to come in. Inside, we took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa." The whole lobby was a giant game room. And I'm not talking about cheesy old Pac-Man games or slot machines. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine. "Hey!" a bellhop said. At least I guessed he was a bellhop. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key." I stammered, "Um, but..." "No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, loom 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your Lotus Cash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides." He handed us each a green plastic credit card. I knew there must be some mistake. Obviously he thought we were some millionaire's kids. But I took the card and said, "How much is on here?" His eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?" "I mean, when does it run out of cash?" He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay." We took the elevator upstairs and checked out our room. It was a suite with three separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun. I didn't see how that could be legal, but I thought it was pretty cool. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, though I doubted we'd ever find time to look at the view with a room like this. "Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is ..." "Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet." There were clothes in the closet, and they fit me. I frowned, thinking that this was a little strange. I took a shower, which felt awesome after a week of grimy travel. I changed clothes, ate a bag of chips, drank three Cokes, and came out feeling better than I had in a long time. Search and find them Huh? Look for them and warn them I came out of the bedroom and found that Annabeth, Percy and Grover had also showered and changed clothes. Grover was eating potato chips to his heart's content, Percy looked like he was having a headache, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel. "Percy you okay?" "Yeah it's just.... All those stations," he told Annabeth, "and she turn on National Geographic." "It's interesting." "I feel good," Grover said. "I love this place." Without his even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again. "So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?" Percy and I looked at each other and grinned. We both held up our green plastic Lotus Cash cards. "Play time," I said. I couldn't remember the last time I had so much fun. I came from a relatively poor family. Our idea of a splurge was eating out at Burger King and renting a video. A five-star Vegas hotel? Forget it. I spent most of my time playing and... looking for someone I think. I bungee-jumped the lobby five or six times, snowboarded the artificial ski slope, and played virtual-reality laser tag and FBI sharpshooter. I saw Grover a few times, going from game to game. He really liked the reverse hunter thing—where the deer go out and shoot the rednecks. I saw Annabeth playing trivia games and other brainiac stuff. They had this huge 3-D sim game where you build your own city, and you could actually see the holographic buildings rise on the display board. I didn't think much of it, but Annabeth loved it. Percy was playing with Grover. I'm not sure when I first realized something was wrong. Probably, it was when I noticed the guy standing next to me at VR sharpshooters. He was about thirteen, I guess, but his clothes were weird. I thought he was some Elvis impersonator's son. He wore bell-bottom jeans and a red T-shirt with black piping, and his hair was permed and gelled like a New Jersey girl's on homecoming night. When he saw me he gave a smirk and invited me to play a game of sharpshooters together and he said, "Groovy, man. Been here two weeks, and the games keep getting better and better." Groovy? Later, while we were talking, I said something was "sick," and he looked at me kind of startled, as if he'd never heard the word used that way before. He said his name was Darrin, but as soon as I started asking him questions he got bored with me and started to go back to the computer screen. I said, "Hey, Darrin?" "What?" "What year is it?" He frowned at me. "In the game?" "No. In real life." He had to think about it. "1977." "No," I said, getting a little scared. "Really." "Hey, man. Bad vibes. I got a game happening." After that he totally ignored me. I started talking to people, and I found it wasn't easy. They were glued to the TV screen, or the video game, or their food, or whatever. I found a guy who told me it was 1985. Another guy told me it was 1993. They all claimed they hadn't been in here very long, a few days, a few weeks at most. They didn't really know and they didn't care. Then it occurred to me: how long had I been here? It seemed like only a couple of hours, but was it? I then tried to move, but I bumped into a girl. "I'm sorry!" She said. "Hey, no prob." "Oh... uhm... No prob?" "I--- No problem. Say Uh... I kinda lost track of date. What's the year again?" "Huh? It's 1930. Okay, I'm sorry I have to go. I'm looking for someone." Everyone is important in our story "Did you say something?" I go by Y/N L/N, you'll find the one you're looking for at the zombie shooting game. I left her alone and confused. I didn't know why. But I knew now this place is wrong. I tried to remember why we were here. We were going to Los Angeles. We were supposed to find the entrance to the Underworld. My parents... for a scary second, I had trouble remembering their names. I had to save them. I found Percy first. "There's something wrong." We said at the same time. "Years?" He asked. I nodded. We then looked for the others. We found Annabeth still building her city. "Come on," Percy told her. "We've got to get out of here." No response. I shook her. "Annabeth?" She looked up, annoyed. "What? "We need to leave." "Leave? What are you talking about? I've just got the towers—" "This place is a trap." She didn't respond until I shook her again. "What?" "Listen. The Underworld. Our quest!" "Oh, come on, Percy. Just a few more minutes." "Annabeth, there are people here from 1977. Kids who have never aged. You check in, and you stay forever." "So?" she asked. "Can you imagine a better place?" I grabbed her wrist and yanked her away from the game. "Hey!" She screamed and hit me, but nobody else even bothered looking at us. They were too busy. I made her look directly in my eyes. I said, "Spiders. Large, hairy spiders." That jarred her. Her vision cleared. "Oh my gods," she said. "How long have we—" "I don't know, but we've got to find Grover." We went searching, and found him still playing Virtual Deer Hunter. "Grover!" we both shouted. He said, "Die, human! Die, silly polluting nasty person!" "Grover!" He turned the plastic gun on me and started clicking, as if I were just another image from the screen. I looked at Percy, and together we took Grover by the arms and dragged him away. His flying shoes sprang to life and started tugging his legs in the other direction as he shouted, "No! I just got to a new level! No!" The Lotus bellhop hurried up to us. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?" "We're leaving," I told him. "Such a shame," he said, and I got the feeling that he really meant it, that we'd be breaking his heart if we went. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members." He held out the cards, and I wanted one. I knew that if I took one, I'd never leave. I'd stay here, happy forever, playing games forever, and soon I'd forget my parents, and our quest, and maybe even my own name. I'd be playing virtual rifleman with groovy Disco Darrin forever. Grover reached for the card, but Annabeth yanked back his arm and said, "No, thanks." We walked toward the door, and as we did, the smell of the food and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting. I thought about our room upstairs. We could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed for once.... Then we burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk. It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day we'd gone into the casino, but something was wrong. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert. I ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. Thank the gods, it was the same year it had been when we went in. Then I noticed the date: June twentieth. We had been in the Lotus Casino for five days. We had only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete our quest.
Tumblr media
Previous |Masterlist | Next
Tumblr media
Taglist?
@gayer-than-the-gayest-gay @the-natureofme @booknerd-3000 @katara720 @ynfics
64 notes · View notes
milk-carton-whump · 3 years ago
Text
Unicorn made me wanna write about Whumper Percy again, so here we are. Alex belongs to @unicornscotty
Tagging: @sideblogformindtrash @tears-and-lilies @unicornscotty @abitefullofwhump @getyourwhumphere @whumpasaurus101 @twistedcaretaker @skunkandgrenade @heathenville @freefallingup13 @sunnysunfire @alliecat5594 @whatwasmyprevioususername @redstainedsocks @justabitofwhump @cowboy-anon
CW: gaslighting, whumper percy, manipulation, possessive whumper, intimate whumper, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, singer au, abusive relationship
Makeup Kid
"You're my makeup? What are ya, 13 or somethin?" Ritz's voice startles the new kid his agent hired to do his makeup. 
The kid, who was in actuality only a few years younger, shook their head. A slight tremble was evident in their hands, afraid of making any mistake when interacting with the singer. 
"N-no sir, I mean… yes sir, I'm your makeup person but uh.. I'm 15." They say, trying to present themselves well, yet their nerves play against them. 
"Ah'll level with ya kid, ah'm sure ya can do a bang up job on yourself but ah dunno I'd ah can trust ya to deliver on my makeup." Ritz muttered, only serving to make his slow drawl even harder to understand. 
Alex stood there for a moment, trying to process what the hell the older boy had just said to them. They shook their head quickly. 
"Can ye give me a chance? If ay don't meet your … expectations… Mister Witt can send me back.. sir?" 
After a moment's pause Ritz nodded and sighed, slumping down into the chair a subtle wince crossing his face. Subtle enough to normally go unnoticed, Alex noticed. 
"Go ahead. Show me what ya can do."
After about an hour of work, they finally arrived at a point where they were satisfied with their work. They just hoped Ritz would be too, their future relied on his decision. 
They handed Ritz a mirror and watched him open his eyes, taking in the look that they had painstakingly created for him. 
Ritz turned his head, studying the makeup around his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder before looking back to Alex. 
"Ah have ta say kid, ah didn't know if ya would be able to deliver. Ya surprised me, now… remind me of your name?" Ritz asked as a genuine smile grew on his face. 
"Alex, sir. Thank ye sir." 
"Alex… and ya don't have'ta call me sir. Ritz is jus' fine." 
"Yes, yes sir… ay mean, Ritz… sorry." Alex apologized quickly. 
As Ritz sat there, Alex manages to coax a conversation out of him. Responses were vague and short to start but quickly became more in depth and enthusiastic. The pair chatted about music and other things while Alex began to work on styling the singer's hair. 
The door nearly burst open, startling both occupants of the trailer as they turned to see who had made the abrupt entrance. 
"Hello, doll face! … who uh.. who's this, Ritz?" The other person asked, his voice turning from cheerful to flat in a moment. 
"Relax, Percy. They're just my new makeup person, Alex. Now, didn't they do a great job with my face?" Ritz said, trying to distract Percy back to him. 
"Mm… just remember that you're mine, you always have been and always will be." Percy mumbled into Ritz's ear while casting a glare to Alex. 
Ritz nodded softly in understanding, carefully looking up at Percy. 
"I guess, they could've done a better job around your eyes. Whatever they did, it made you look worse there, I just hope they can fix it." Percy mentioned offhand, putting his hands on Ritz's shoulders, squeezing them until it made the other boy squirm. 
"Anyways, definitely get that taken care of, can't have you looking like some hooker on stage. I'll see you soon my love." Percy leaned down and pressed a kiss to Ritz's cheek before he left. 
"Uh… Mister Ritz..  ay can fix it for ye, whatever it is, ay can improve it." Alex nervously offered.
"No… it's not ya, it's perfect how it is… he's just mad that Witt didn't tell him about you… he's protective." 
The pair were silent for a bit, Alex got back to styling Ritz's hair, making sure the natural curls and waves were perfectly placed. Alex knew something about the whole thing was off, they had seen it. It wasn't their place to intervene. 
28 notes · View notes
thewidowsghost · 3 years ago
Text
The Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 5
Tumblr media
(Y/n)'s POV
I have weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food.
I must've woken up several times, but what I hear and see makes no sense, so I just pass out again. I remember lying in a soft bed and spoon-fed something that tasted like (Favorite/Food), only it's like pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovers over me, smirking as she scrapes drips off my chin with the spoon.
When she sees my eyes open, she asks, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"
"What?" I manage to croak.
She looks around, as is afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"
"I'm sorry," I slur, "I don't . . ."
Somebody knocks on the door, and the girl quickly fills my mouth with the pudding.
. . .
The next time I wake up, the girl is gone.
A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stands in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He has blue eyes - at least a dozen of them - on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands.
When I come around for good, there is nothing weird about my surroundings, except they are nicer than I am used to. I am sitting in a deck chair next to Percy - who was looking at me with concern - on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smells like strawberries. There is a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that is great, but my mouth feels like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue is dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt.
On the table next to me is a tall drink. It looks like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol sticks through a maraschino cherry.
My hand is so weak I almost drop the glass once I get my fingers around it.
"Careful," says a voice.
Grover is leaning against the porch railing, looking as though he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradles a shoebox. He is wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops, and a bright orange t-shirt that says CAMP HALF-BLOOD.
"You two saved my life," Grover says. "I...well, the least I could do...I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."
Reverently, he places the shoebox in Percy's lap.
Inside is a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood.
It hadn't been a nightmare. My mother was gone.
"The Minotaur," Percy asks.
"Um, Percy, it isn't a good idea -" Grover gets cut off.
"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" Percy demands. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull."
Grover shifts uncomfortably. "You two have been out for two days. How much do you remember?"
"Mom," I say softly. "Is she really . . ."
Grover looks down.
I stare across the meadow. There is a grove of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley is surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, is the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looks beautiful in the sunlight.
My mother is gone . . .
Nothing should look beautiful. The whole world should be black and cold.
"I'm sorry," Grover sniffs. "I'm a failure. I'm - I'm the worst satyr in the world." He groans, stomping his food so hard it comes off. I mean, the Converse hi-top comes off. The inside is filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole. "Oh, Styx!" he mumbles.
Thunder rolls across the clear sky.
Mom had really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.
Percy and I are alone. Orphans. We would have to live with . . . Smelly Gabe? No. I'd live on the streets first.
Grover is still sniffling.
Percy says, "It wasn't your fault."
"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you."
"Did our mother ask you to protect me?"
"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least . . . I was."
"But why . . ." Percy begins and I suddenly feel dizzy, my vision swimming.
"Don't strain yourself," Grover says. "Here."
He helps me hold my glass and puts the straw to my lips.
I recoil at the taste because I was expecting apple juice. It isn't that at all. It's chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. But not just any cookies - Mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body feels warm and good, full of energy. My grief doesn't go away, but I feel as if Mom had just brushed her hand lovingly against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was upset and told me everything was going to be okay.
Before I know it, I'd drained the glass. I stare into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.
"Was it good?" Grover asks.
I nod.
"What did it taste like?"
"Chocolate-chip cookies," I reply and Percy looks at me knowingly. "Mom's. Homemade."
He takes the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it's dynamite, and sets it back on the table. "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting.
3rd Person POV
The porch wraps all the way around the farmhouse.
Percy's legs feel wobbly, trying to walk that far, and (Y/n), though her legs feel like Jello, had moved to support her brother. Grover offers to carry the Minotaur horn, but Percy holds onto it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I'm not going to let it go.
As the trio comes around the opposite end of the house, (Y/n) catches her breath.
Percy's POV
We must be on the north shore of Long Island because on this side of the house, the valley marches all the way up to the water, which glitters about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply can't process everything I'm seeing. The landscape is dotted with buildings that look like ancient Greek architecture—an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena—except that they all look brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school–age kids and satyrs play volleyball. Canoes glide across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's are chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shoot targets at an archery range. Others ride horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I'm hallucinating, some of their horses have wings.
Down at the end of the porch, two men sit across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoonfed (Y/n) is leaning on the porch rail next to them.
The man facing me is small, but porky. He has a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it's almost poker. He looks like those painting of baby angles - cherubs. He looks like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. He is wearing a tiger-patterned Hawaiian shirt, and he would fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I get the feeling that this guy could out-gamble even my step-father.
"That's Mr. D," Grover mutters to me and (Y/n). "He's the camp director. Be polite. That girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron . . . "
He points at the guy whose back is to me.
First, I realize he's sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognize the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, and the scraggly beard.
"Mr. Brunner!" I cry.
The Latin teacher turns and smiles at me, then looks curiously at (Y/n), who is still supporting some of my weight. His eyes have that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulls a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.
"Ah, good, Percy," he says. "Now we have four for pinochle."
He offers me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looks at me, then (Y/n), who is leaning against my chair, with bloodshot eyes, and heaves a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to the glad to see you."
"Percy, why don't you introduce me?" Mr. Burnner says, sending a soft smile towards (Y/n).
"Oh, this is my twin sister, (Y/n)," Percy says.
(Y/n)'s POV
I smile and wave shyly.
"It's nice to meet you, sir," I say. "Percy's told me a lot about you. Even said you were his favorite teacher."
A warmer smile spreads across Mr. Brunner's face and then he turns. "Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner calls to the blond girl.
She comes forward and Mr. Brunner introduces us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, (Y/n). Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy and (Y/n)'s bunks? We'll be putting them in Cabin Eleven for now."
"Sure, Chiron," Annabeth replies.
She's probably about my age, maybe an inch or two taller, and a whole more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she is almost exactly when I think a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruin the image. They are startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she's analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.
She glances down at the Minotaur horn in Percy's hands then looks back up at me. She says, "You drool when you sleep." My cheeks take on a slight red tinge as she sprints off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.
"So," Percy says, looking anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?"
"Not Mr. Brunner," not Mr. Brunner says. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."
"Okay," Percy says, looking totally confused, then looking at the director. "And Mr. D . . . does that stand for something?"
Mr. D stops shuffling the cars. He looks at Percy like he'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason.
"Oh. Right. Sorry."
"I must say, Percy," Chiron - Brunner breaks in, "I'm glad to see you alive, and the chance to meet your sister. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."
"House call?" I ask, interested.
"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct Percy. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met him. He sensed he was something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to...ah, take a leave of absence."
"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" Percy asks.
Chiron nods. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood, and then we learned of Miss (Y/n), here." He nods to me. "But you still had so much to learn, Percy. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test."
"Grover," Mr. D says impatiently, "are you playing or not?"
Percy's POV
"Yes, sir!" Grover trembles as he takes the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.
"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyes me suspiciously.
"I'm afraid not," I answer.
"I'm afraid not, sir," he corrects.
"Sir," I repeat, liking the camp director less and less.
"Well," he tells me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules"
"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron says.
"Please," I plead, "what is this place? What are we doing here? Mr. Brun— Chiron—why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"
Mr. D snorts. "I asked the same question."
The camp director deals the cards; Grover flinches every time one lands in his pile.
Chiron smiles at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer.
"Percy," Chiron prompts. "Did your mother tell you nothing?"
"She said . . ." (Y/n) begins and I remember her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told us she was afraid to send us here, even though our father had wanted her to. She said that once we were here, we probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep us close to her."
"Typical," Mr. D says. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?"
"What?" I ask.
He explains, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.
"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron says. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient.
"Orientation film?" (Y/n) asks, quirking an eyebrow.
"No," Chiron decides. "Well, Percy, (Y/n). You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know -" he points to the horn in the shoebox - "that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either. What you may not know is that the great powers are at work. Gods - the forces you call the Greek gods - are very much alive."
I stare at the others around the table.
I wait for somebody to yell, Not! but all I get is Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackles as he tallies up his points.
"Mr. D," Grover asks timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"
"Eh? Oh, all right."
Grover bites a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chews it.
"Wait," I tell Chiron as (Y/n) sits down on the edge of my chair. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."
"Well, now," Chiron says. "God—capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."
"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about—"
"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."
"Smaller?"
"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class.
"Zeus," I say. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."
And there it was again—distant thunder on a cloudless day.
"Young man," says Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around if I were you."
"But they're stories," I say. "They're—myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."
"Science!" Mr. D scoff. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"—I flinch when he says my real name, which I never told anybody—"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continues. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals—they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."
"Percy," Chiron says, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"
"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," (Y/n) says.
"Exactly," Chiron agrees. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you Perseus and (Y/n) Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how children can get over losing their mothers."
My heart pounds. He's trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. I say, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods."
"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmurs. "Before one of them incinerates you."
Grover pleads, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."
"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbles, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe!" He waves his hand and a goblet appears on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet fills itself with red wine.
"You're Dionysus," (Y/n) says and Mr. D looks at her. "The god of wine."
Mr. D nods then stares at me as I say, "You're a god."
"Yes, child."
"A god. You."
He turns to look at me straight on, and I see a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man is only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I see visions of grapevines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turn to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I know that if I push him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a straitjacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life.
"Would you like to test me, child?" he says quietly.
"No. No, sir."
The fire dies a little; he turns back to his card game. "I believe I win."
"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron says. He sets down a straight, tallies the points, and says, "The game goes to me."
I think Mr. D is going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighs through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He gets up, and Grover rises, too.
"I'm tired," Mr. D says. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."
Grover's face beads with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."
Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners." He sweeps into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.
"Will Grover be okay?" I ask Chiron.
Chiron nods, though he looks a little troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been . . . ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."
"Mount Olympus," I say. "You're telling me there is really a palace there?"
"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."
"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like...in America?"
"The what?"
"Western civilization?" (Y/n) guesses and Chiron nods for her to continue. "It started in Greece, then spread to Rome, right?"
"That's correct, Miss (Y/n)," Chiron says.
"And then they died?" I ask, looking between my Latin teacher and my sister.
"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course, they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either —America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."
"Who are you, Chiron? Who . . . who am I? Who . . . who are we?"
Chiron smiles. He shifts his weight as if he was going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I know that was impossible. He's paralyzed from the waist down.
"Who are you?" he muses. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."
And then he does rise from his wheelchair. But there's something odd about the way he did it. His blanket falls away from his legs, but the legs don't move. His waist keeps getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I think he's was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he keeps rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realize that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair isn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg comes out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.
I stare at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.
"You're a centaur!" (Y/n) says in awe, and Chiron's eyes sparkle with amusement as he nods.
"What a relief," the centaur says. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy and (Y/n) Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."
Word Count: 3702 words
27 notes · View notes