#also leo and percy would've been SO GOOD

[all-too-unwell-13]

i need to stop being reminded that the seven are canonically very awkward around each other and hardly talk at all.

let me live in my sunshine rainbow world where they're all friends, are each other's 'found family,' where hazel, piper, and annabeth are best friends, where leo, jason, frank, and percy are like brothers, where jason and piper never existed, where hazel and piper were actually friends (that they should've been), and leo and percy are the most sarcastic and funny people you've ever met (and they make each other even funnier)!!!!!

[child-of-helios]

Calypso x Leo SUCKS, here is why

Look, I get why that sounds harsh, and it is, but hear me out.

First and most importantly, Calypso is a pedophile. We see her fall in love with 14 year old Percy, then 15/16 year old Leo. Already weird, right? And look, if we got some explanation as to why it would ever be okay for a titaness who is thousands of years old to fall in love with CHILDREN, maybe I could see past it.

BUT in the odyssey myth, Odysseus was MUCH older than a teenager. He was already noted to be an old wise king (who was old enough to feign madness from old age) at the START of the Trojan war. Now that war lasted 10 years and add to that the multiple years he spent traveling to Ithaca, and you got an old-ass man. So either Calypso was already a mature adult, or a child thirsting after some old dude. Sure, it happens, but weird. Let's not forget that Odysseus was married and very much still in love with his WIFE Penelope, but Calypso basically kept him hostage on her island and would not let him leave at all.

Now let's get to Percy, he got blamed for not making sure that the gods kept their promise??? Good sir that is a 16 year old who just got out of a WAR and had his memory stolen, of course he didn't check with the gods. ITS NOT HIS RESPONSIBILITY! He shouldn't be held accountable. Also let me remind you that Calypso wanted him when he was 14. Not a good look.

And finally, we get to Leo. Poor poor Leo. A boy who was oh-so starved for love that he took anything he could get, and that's my explanation as to why Calypso x Leo ever happened. Honestly, I adored Leo. I had a crush on him (still kinda do shhh), I won't lie. However, I also adored Annabeth but since her and Percy are amazing together, I could get behind Percabeth. But Caleo? Hell no. Sure, they have a fun dynamic, but it's more of a sibling dynamic in my opinion. I would've rather had Leo x Khione or something. Maybe Leo x Echo cause that would've been adorable. But Caleo??? No. He should've never gone back for her. Leave her to rot.

Secondly, Calypso is simply a jerk. And I'm the type of person who adores asshole characters when done right. Octavian is great because he's an irredeemable asshole AND he gets karma. But Calypso? She's a bitch and gets such a kindhearted boyfriend in return. Like I said, she tried to pressure a (married) man into sleeping with her and is simply a dick to Leo (HER BOYFRIEND) and I could understand if they were siblings, cause siblings are dicks to eachother with love underneath, but she just sucks. She immediately hated him, which she has reason to do after what happened to her, but even after that she was just horrible to Leo. I seriously don't see why he loves, likes, or even tolerates her.

In conclusion, I hate what Rick did to Leo. I adore his stories like no other (which is why I'm so passionate about this), but he really fumbled the bag here. Calypso is just not a good fit for Leo.

Personally I really do prefer Leo x Jason, Leo x Nico or even Leo x Echo. And yes it does sound weird for me to say that considering that I call Calypso a pedo, but I could see Echo not being able to age normally because of being stuck with Narcissus. Echo x Leo is in my opinion much better than Calypso x Leo.

Um sorry- that was really mean but I needed to say that.

On a lighter note I saw this really long worm which was cool! :D

[hermesmyplatonicbeloved]

Two POVs of Percy & Poseidon in HoO: The Neglectful Parent and the Helping Behind the Scenes Parent

Sometimes I like to think that after Percy returns home from the nightmare that was HoO (and Tartarus) he's big-time angry with Poseidon.

I mean, he was kidnapped, brainwashed and manipulated by Hera (using Annabeth's name no less), and then barely got his memories back before getting thrown into a second war and ended up falling into hell. And when he gets out, he sees Poseidon just casually :) chatting :) with :) Hera :) Like if I was him that would've been my villain origin story. The gods need me to save them? Fuck no. If they're not strong enough (or willing) to protect their own rule and kingdoms, then maybe they shouldn't be ruling at all.

Like I think that pre-hoo Percy and Poseidon were building a good relationship, and Percy would've kept all the gifts that Poseidon gave him (sand dollar aside). Maybe stick some of it up on the wall. Maybe make something, like a family sketch of him, Tyson and Poseidon he commissioned from Rachel. After HoO he's so angry and hurt that he just tears it all down. Rips it to shreds. Sally and Paul hear the racket and come bursting through the door hella worried only to find Percy looking furious with his eyes full of unshed tears with everything that Poseidon gave him (aside from Riptide) in pieces at his feet.

(Meanwhile Poseidon has no idea why his child is so upset. He believed whatever lie or excuse Hera spun to cover her ass and doesn't know how much Percy went through, and he's in for a very rude awakening the next time he tries to talk to Percy).

On the other hand, I like to think that Poseidon was paying attention (as best he could with the Greek-Roman split) and helped Percy out, and its just the fact that Percy had so little POVs that we don't know that Poseidon was in contact and helping out.

Like sure, Poseidon/Neptune wasn't able to help Percy against Polybetes, so he gave Percy power over poison so Percy could protect himself.

Percy fell into Tartarus where Poseidon couldn't reach or help him? He had his power over poison from Poseidon that saved him from Akhlys. Poseidon also went to Hermes and made sure that his temple in Tartarus was constantly stocked with food, and maybe sent a few of his elite Cyclops to find/help Percy since he couldn't go due to the Greek-Roman split + Zeus's rules. The cyclops just weren't able to find Percy because Percy and Annabeth's whole strategy was 'move fast to keep ahead of the hoards of titans/giants/monsters chasing us down,' so while their enemies couldn't catch up with them, neither could their allies.

And then afterward. Its canon that Poseidon appears to Percy in dreams to communicate (SoM), and that he shows up after the big battles to check in with Percy in person to see if he's okay (BoTL) so maybe he did that when Percy was alone in his cabin on the Argo II? Or when he gets back to Sally's apartment after HoO? And Percy just didn't want to tell anyone because 1. all the roman demigods are terrified of Poseidon/Neptune, 2. Annabeth does NOT like Poseidon (or his kids - Percy is the only exception) and they generally don't talk about Poseidon in a family context so why would he tell her, especially after she was scared to tears of his Poseidon given powers and 3. Percy isn't close to any of the other people on the Argo II (Piper - he thinks Percy needs to be controlled - the one thing the sea hates, and Leo - who's terrified of Percy).

[lukecastellanshandholder]

It's thinking about Percico/ Nicercy hours tonight so I want to talk about an idea that I'm actually writing about in one of my many wips, but I wanna talk about NOW!

Imagine if everything would've gone wrong in the giant war. Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Jason and Reyna end up dying in the war. Percy and Annabeth die closing the doors of death while the others die fighting Gaia. Leaving Nico alone, with no true pillar. He's heartbroken after Percy dies, full of guilt, hatred towards himself, anger towards the fates for taking away his one true love forever. Taking another important person away from him again. For making it where he couldn't protect Percy as he had promised himself that he would do years ago.

He takes that anger and heartbreak to the battle field and manages to help land the final blow on Gaia, with Jason's sacrifice and Leo's help as well. Just to find out that he had lost another sister and another person that he was starting to consider a friend.

Everything leaves Nico numb. He feels like he has nothing and no one else to lose because... He honestly didn't. Not anyone that he truly cared about.

So when the gods offer Nico Godhood as a token of their appreciation, he doesn't turn them down. He saw it a fitting punishment, one that would last an eternity, one that he would spend alone.

He becomes a death god, the god of heroic deaths. And wasn't that just ironic.

He doesn't ever think about taking any kind of lovers, because no one would ever compare to the one that he truly loved. Besides, he didn't deserve any happiness, at least that's what he thought. He let all of his loved ones die, why should he be the one alive and happy. If anyone deserves those things, they were Percy and the others.

Even with his newly acquired God hood, Nico was never able to track down the souls of his friends. It seemed that they had all chosen rebirth. He had resigned himself to never seeing them again and moved on.

It was a good 100 years after the Giant war that something happened. Nico was out in the city, walking aimlessly as he tended to do when he wasn't really busy. He stopped at a park, a big water fountain in the middle with the sun shining off of the water and looking to form rainbows. The sound of the water rushing and gurgling. Water. It reminded him of-

"Hey mister, are you ok?"

Nico raised an eyebrow and looked over to his right. It wasn't often that mortals acknowledged or even saw him, so he was a bit surprised that a kid had come up and talked to him.

When he got a good look at the kid looking up at him, he felt everything stop.

There was a power that came with him being a death god, he was not only able to see a person's soul, but he was also able to see the lives that a single soul had lived just by looking into their eyes.

The first thing he saw were green eyes that resembled the color of the ocean, what followed was a tsunami of memories from a past life that was full of so much pain and tragedy. One that was cut way too short. A past life that Nico himself was a part of.

The past life of Percy Jackson.

Nico could only stare at the young boy that stood in front of him. The boy had the same color eyes as Percy and they looked similar, but he did look different compared to his Percy. So much lighter, not burdened with trauma from the past unlike Percy had been.

But Nico had found Percy's soul, or moreso it seemed to have found him.

Nico barely registered another voice calling from across the park until the boy looked over to a friendly looking man who Nico could only assume was the boys father. "Sorry, mister. I have to go. But... Make sure to take care of yourself, ok? Promise me."

Nico blinked and nodded his head numbly. The boy just smiled at him brightly before running over to his father and hugging him tightly before they walked away.

Nico didn't know how long he stayed rooted in that one spot, staring at the empty spot next to him where the boy had been standing.

'Promise me'

Nico could hear that phrase flowing through the wind in the voice of someone he had never and never would be able to forget. Someone that he would spend the rest of his immortal life thinking about. Someone he couldn't keep his promise to.

Nico's knees buckled, causing him to fall to his knees in front of the fountain in the park. The rushing sound of the water covered the sounds of Nico's sobs. Emotions that he hadn't let out ever since he was a mortal, were now falling from his eyes and into one of the puddles on the ground below.

[oddyssey77]

Legal Trouble - Annabeth

TW: Lawyers :D

POV Annabeth Chase

We clambered out of the cave through the crevasse in the roof. I still couldn't understand what was happening to us. I wanted to believe that Percy and Nico were out there somewhere looking for us as well. I also began to notice that Will was starting to act uncomfortable when we talk about the attack on the camp. As if he were holding something back from me.

We were standing in a large, endless wheat field and no matter how far we'd travel through it, nothing ever changed. I decided to not bring up how little I knew about our situation. I was completely lost and had no plan whatsoever. None at all. 

Nothing, no matter how hard I thought, made any sense to me. It was completely illogical. Are we in another realm? Are there more stone warriors looking for us right now? Is Luke really dead? Can Athena help me? Is Percy out there? Does he know what's going on? How is Ethan Nakamura involved in everything? Are Will and I going to make it back?

"It'll be alright, Annabeth. There is something about this place, Something not powerful." Will told me.

"How is that alright?" I argued

"No, good powerful. It feels similar to when I met my father last year."

"So Apollo's around?"

"I'm not sure."

"Before the attack started on the camp I could see it coming. I think Apollo sent me a vision." Will sounded very uncomfortable talking about it.

"Well what was in the vision?"

"I could see them marching up the hill. And there was a voice. It was chanting something. A prophecy."

"What was it?"

The Engineer and his fall from grace,

Once more shall you see his face

In caves, cliffs, fields and flames

You must escape the worst of games

"Well we've been to the caves and now we're in the fields." I said, "That just leaves cliffs and flames." 

"I think I like our two better." Will decided. I nodded absently, agreeing with him, but I was still focused on that prophecy. 

"Who could the engineer be?" I muttered, "Valdez maybe."

Will looked at me ominously, "Annabeth. There's more."

The Sun, the star, the ocean, the wise,

Will fail to stop his inevitable rise.

The boar, hammer, strength and flight

One will die from the wretched blight.

"Well that's jolly." Will chuckled sarcastically. Will always deflects negative thoughts and expectations or he covers them up with humor, "So it looks like I'm the sun, you're the wise, and I'd be willing to bet the ocean is Percy, wherever he is."

I shook at the sound of Percy's name. 

"The boar is the symbol of Ares," I sighed, "That could be Frank."

"The hammer's Hephaestus. So that's probably Leo." Will stated

"So we are just missing the star, the strength and the flight." 

"Flight would've been Jason." 

The silence was so loud it hurt my brain. Jason. It had only been a few weeks since his death. We were all still shook to the bone at the thought of him. Will loved Jason. They had been best friends while the Argo II was being built. Will treated grief differently though. 

The rest of us wanted to distract ourselves. Think about anything other than Jason. Or, in Percy's case. Just cry. But Will didn't grieve. He pretended to himself that everything was alright. As if Jason were still here or something. He would forget that anything was wrong and just carry on smiling, hoping that the nightmare would end without him having to face it.

"Well that's an unsettling prophecy," I sighed

"Then you're not going to like this."

"What?" 

"There's more."

To save the dove who's eyes bleed red,

But wind up calling upon the witch of dead.

Face off against the fallen king,

And suffer the pain of his final sting

"Oh gods."

"So no matter what we do, this king will still win?" Will asked

"Not necessarily. It's possible that we still win but the king will still manage to do something terrible."

"Well dove is Piper. Something bad is going to happen to her. We all had to share a paragraph. She gets this one all to herself."

"So whatever happens, Piper is in danger." I sighed, worried about my friend.

"Something like that."

~Some Time Later~

After slashing our way through the endless fields for another few hours, my stomach was starting to groan. Will and I hadn't even thought about food. We were in desperate hunger by now though, and it wasn't getting any better. 

"What's this?" Will pondered as we approached the only clearing in the wheat for miles round. There was a pile of rocks in the center with an engraving that read Ὁ Δικαιόπολις βραδέως ἐκβαίνει έκ τοῦ οἴκου.

Shrine of Demeter I translated,

"Don't suppose Demeter's around?" 

"She couldn't be behind this could she??" Will asked

"Well I'll bet she's at least behind all of this wheat." I muttered, "Stupid wheat."

"STUPID WHAT?!" A voice boomed from behind us.

Demeter was standing there, in her green flowery dress with a pouty expression on her face. 

"Demeter," Will gasped, "I meant not to insult you or your crops."

"He really didn't." I assured.

"Alright. I believe you. If I am being honest I am not here because of that." the goddess huffed, "Your friend was here not long ago. daughter of Zeus."

"Thalia??" I gasped in shock

"Yes. With the Roman she was. She gave me quite a stern talking to. I was almost convinced to change my ways. But with everything that is going on underground, and with Apollo's desperate need for my help, I didn't deem now the appropriate time to repopularise the farming industry."

"What's going on underground?" I asked inquisitively.

"What's going on with my dad?" Will asked in succession. 

"Oh, Apollo came to my palace yesterday. He has been there ever since. He's gotten himself into quite trouble with Olympus. Zeus is not happy."

I was about to share my deepest apologies for Apollo's situation and turn the conversation back to the underground thing. That is, if Will hadn't had butt in.

"Take me to him," Will demanded.

"Will," I muttered angrily, "What are you doing?"

"I have to see Apollo. I have to."

"Very well." Demeter granted. "But you must swear to do something for me, son of Apollo. You too, daughter of Athena."

Something about this request made me very uncomfortable.

"This may feel like an attack, you being here, but it is not. This is a quest. On this quest, you will venture through caves, cliffs, fields and flames."

The line of the prophecy I thought. 

"When the choice comes, Solace. You must save her. Or I will whittle out every curse I know onto your mortal bones."

"Jolly," Will muttered.

"Save who?" I asked her. But she didn't respond.

"Swear it, Solace."  she bellowed

"Careful, Will." 

"I swear. I swear I'll save her. Whoever she is." 

Demeter nodded approvingly and the area around us lit up like Christmas. I was forced to shut my eyes and felt a searing headache hit from the intense brightness. I felt the soft grass get replaced by cold, solid flooring. 

I hesitantly opened my eyes as I realised that I was crouching in the porch of Demeter's official palace on Olympus. I looked around at the tall green marble columns holding up the large pediments. I designed this I thought. 

Demeter's palace was a tricky one for Annabeth to plan out. It needed to have nature bond with the fundamental man-made aspect of a palace in general. Annabeth was proud of her work though, she had tinted the marble green and had vines growing around it.

"In we go!" Demeter shouted indignantly. The doors large, ornate doors opened by themselves and the stubby, little goddess trotted inside like she owned the place, which of course, she did. Will Solace shuffled close behind and gestured for me to follow. 

"Whoa," he gasped, amazed. I could tell Will never spent much time up on Olympus.

"Welcome to Mi Casa!" she announced. turning to face us. She expected for us to see an elegant, peaceful lobby to her palace filled with fancy decorations, and expensive bronze busts of her head, just like I had designed it.

It did not look like this. 

THUMP!

Demeter was instantly thrown off her feet and slammed into the ground, as Hermes flew past, propelled by a pair of winged Converse. Demeter tried to crawl back to a stand, but Artemis skipped over her, clipping Demeter's head with ankle and hurried off.

Behind them, Hephaestus skirted up a flight of spiral stairs, knocking pricey ornaments over as he frantically typed into a computer. 

Demeter huffed as she watched all of these gods run around her home, wrecking the place. But she didn't look mad. In fact, it put her into a much sadder mood instead. She solemnly looked at them and sighed.

"Apollo's legal trouble had overrun my palace. Hermes, Artemis, Hephaestus, Poseidon, and I are his legal team. We are using my home because it is the furthest from Zeus's throne."

"What legal trouble?" Will questioned. But I think I already knew the answer. 

"Zeus is trying to prosecute your father for the crimes against Olympus that he knowingly committed last summer in the war against the giants."

"That's so unfair!" 

"What will they do to him?" I asked

"If Zeus has his way, Apollo will no longer be a god. Gods follow the rules was his argument."

Zeus isn't much of a rule follower himself. I thought, thinking of Thalia and Jason. But I decided not to say it. Can't be good to insult Zeus in his own kingdom. Will didn't have the same restraint on the matter though...

"Zeus can take his bull crap rules and shove it up his-" Thunder boomed. 

"Apollo's trial begins in an hour. We must hurry." 

As Demeter led us through the rooms of her palace, I began thinking of my mother, "Where is Athena?" I asked and Demeter stopped abruptly, causing Will and me to crash into her.

"Athena?" Demeter said her name with such disdain it angered me, "Athena took one look at Apollo and this ragtag team and turned her back on all of us. On her own brother. 

"She wouldn't have-" I began to say but Demeter wasn't finished.

"Then, she invited all of her lawyer demigod children up to her palace, and damn does she have a lot of them, and created not a team, an army of different beings, all hell-bent on wiping Apollo off of Olympus!" 

Annabeth didn't want to believe that her mother would've done something like that, but she didn't know what to believe anymore. Demeter calmed down and turned to Will. 

"He's just through here," she ushered him through a set of doors and Will told me that he would rather speak to Apollo alone. I understood this and waited outside. I glanced at a pile of files sitting on a cute little desk, covered in flowers and picked up 3 of them. 

In the event of our success in this trial, I willingly hand over my domain of disease and healing to Demeter, goddess of agriculture, in return for her full assistance in my defence team. 

Signed: Apollo

I was so mad, I wanted to throw this contract across the lobby. How could Demeter talk bull about my mom when she's only helping out so she can become the goddess of disease and healing as well as agriculture and farming? I felt so bad for Apollo. He risked a lot for us, giving Leo that prophecy too soon, and now he had to give up everything he loved? It wasn't fair. How could Athena not see that?

She shuffled through the other two contracts which were similar, promising Hermes poetry and Hephaestus the Sun. The whole Sun! Apollo would hardly be a god anymore if he had to give that away. I realised that Poseidon and Artemis were the only gods choosing to stand with Apollo. It made sense that Artemis would because she is his twin but Poseidon I couldn't figure out.

"Annabeth?" I nearly jump, scattering the papers I should not have been looking at across the floor. Poseidon chuckled and stared at me, understanding what was troubling me.

"Hermes and Hephaestus would have stood with Apollo anyway," Poseidon assured me, "They just wanted to see if they could get anything out of it."

I looked into Poseidon's eyes and saw the same green swirls that I would see in my boyfriend's every single day. Oh my gods. Percy! I had completely forgot about everything. The attack on Camp Half-Blood, the fight against Luke, the hike through the endless wheat fields. 

I needed to get back. I needed to find out what had happened. But maybe Poseidon knew.

"Where is Percy?"

"Percy?" he pondered, "Where is Percy?" 

"You don't know??"

"Well I knew about the Camp getting ambushed by stone warriors, supposedly killing Will Solace, Nico Di Angelo, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Thalia Grace and, well you. And Percy of course, but I knew yous were still alive. I just didn't know where you all were.

"So Percy's alive?" I gasped, relieved by the news. 

"Yes, but something about his current state has a deathly aspect to it. Like he's not fully dead. As if he's dead but his soul can't reach the Underworld." Poseidon chimed as if he hadn't just proposed the concept of his favourite son's afterlifeless death, "Or..."

"He could be alive, but in the Underworld!" I gasped, glad to finally have a lead. 

"If you want to know more. You should talk to Artemis. She should be in Demeter's study. Poseidon smiled warmly at me. I tried to ignore the pain behind his eyes. He couldn't get involved in mortal matters like this as much as we could get involved in Apollo's trial. Being a god probably sucked more than any of them would care to admit.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in!" Artemis called. 

I made my way into the study. It was adorned with bookshelves and plans, there was a work table, a writing table, a garden table, an architecture table, a cartography table, there was a table for everything. So exactly my kind of room. 

There was a teenage goddess in the centre with her hands placed firmly on the astrology table, which was made of a glass globe that projected a map of the stars. You could swipe through the constellations and map them as you go. Her head was hung low and I thought I glimpsed Zoe's constellation on the table but Artemis swiped it out of view before I could check.

"Annabeth Chase," she chided, "To what brings thou to Olympus on this dire hour?"

I forgot about Artemis's Victorian dialogue and was instantly stunned by my nerves in the presence of the goddess. I never felt very comfortable around Artemis. She had always been my biggest what if? If I had lived my life any differently, I could've been a huntress right now. Leading the pack with Thalia.

I realised that she was still waiting on an answer and blurted out, "A Demeter teleportation special." 

I didn't mean to crack a joke but it seemed to be effective in cheering up her half-aunt.

"My brother is being wrongly prosecuted, the huntresses are scattered, my chief lieutenant is missing, and Z-" she cut herself off and bit her lip.

"And what?" I asked

"T'is nothing of importance," she shrugged.

"Lady Artemis," I bowed, "You were there that day. The Festival of Jason Grace."

"I was," she admitted, "When the warriors laid siege I made a swift escape up here to help my brother with his dilemma."

"Yes," I remembered, "Will says you couldn't get involved?"

"Alas, no. As much as I desired to 'nock some arrows' as one might say, I am forbidden to assist in demi-god matters. And I think we have enough trials to suffer as it is."

I nodded and focused in on her Astrology table.

"What are you looking at?" I dared the question

"Uhh, the path of Sagittarius." she responded wistfully 

"That's Virgo," I stated glancing down at the table. I expected a goddess of the moon and stars to know that. Artemis cursed in Greek which I doubted would be approved of around the huntresses. She shuffled around the table, trying to find Sagittarius but after a few seconds, Artemis did something I never thought she would do.

She collapsed into her chair.

She shrouded her face in her palms, giving up hope. Tears poured down her face. I think this is what's known as a divine breakdown.

"I can't keep doing this." she croaked, "This job. It hurts too much." 

Annabeth met her wet, teary eyes and spoke kindly to her.

"What happened?" 

Artemis scooted toward the table again, trying to keep things together. 

"She's gone. Zoe, from the stars." I couldn't believe my eyes. Right where there should've been a constellation of a teenage huntress with her bow drawn, willing to sacrifice everything for those she loved, there was nothing.

"The problems never stop piling up!" she cried. I had never seen the goddess like this and I soon found myself doing something I never thought I would. I gave this 16 year old-looking 3000 year old a hug. A big squeezy hug.

I heard the voice of Hermes call through the mansion.

"Alright Team Apollo!" he yelled, "The time for trial is now! Everyone gather outside!"

Artemis stood up and her expression sharpened. The tears faded completely and her outfit converted to a suit that much resembled one of a lawyer.

~Some Time Later~

I watched as Team Apollo left the building all in identical suits and it was quite a beautiful sight.

"Very Legally Blonde" I muttered. But Will didn't laugh. He hardly looked like himself at all.

At that moment, Demeter, in her cute little suit, without even turning to face them, snapped her fingers above her head and the whole scene changed leaving Will Solace and I back at the Shrine of Demeter in the endless fields. 

RUSTLE! 

I turned and couldn't see anyone who could've made the noise. Except that was the problem. I couldn't see anyone. Will had ran away.

This Chapter is Dedicated to Sophie

[shoecrabs]

HoO things I have headcanoned/au'ed for my canon divergent version of the story (most take Percy and Annabeth out of the story lol):

Leo and Piper meeting before the Wilderness School. They became begrudging allies to friends while hanging out in the streets, causing mild vandalism, and shoplifting chocolate. turns out a born-to-be-public speaker with a healthy hatred for authority and a hyperactive homeless kid with an arsenal of scrap metal make an incredible duo against police

They were both worried about going M.I.A since they had no proper way to call eachother before being spontaneously thrown into the Wilderness School. then they got excited that they ended up together! Man, what luck is that :D (it was Hera lmao)

Piper met Aphrodite on Cyprus and finally had a chat one-to-one about everything and her place amongst the team

although Lupa raised Jason like a pup, she wouldn't let him forget just how human he still was. She'd always tell him to straighten up, or to use his hands rather than just teeth. She'd teach him to skin animals by himself with sharp stones. Still, she warned him not to be too human, too mortal. "human weaknesses" such as crying would not be tolerated.

Jason then had to relearn how to be human by trying to copy the members of Camp and interpreted them how Lupa taught him. The demigods didn't help him as much as they would've due to his parentage, so he was always awkwardly trying to fit in and adapt. He spent ages trying to associate names to facial expressions and it made him upset realising he didn't recognise that many anymore

Hazel and Gaia almost always fought for control over the earth. Hazel eventually pried the land out of Gaia's control just long enough for the others to escape a collapsing cavern & teams up with Piper's charmspeak with her power over the Mist

HAZEL CONTROLS OPALISED FOSSILS. I think she should have gotten the chance to summon opalised skeletons, especially since they were by the sea a lot of the time

Frank was always clumsy because his body was always twitching to shapeshift. Once he unlocked his shapeshifting, he'd instinctively transform to continue his stride. when not paying attention or too tired, he'd still stumble and trip

Frank and Hazel took over when Percy and Annabeth (without them it'd probably be Leo) fell into Tartarus. Jason advised them, but was glad at not needing to lead

All of them (again, without percabeth) learnt at least one way of supporting the ship when Leo wasn't available or too exhausted! Jason would send winds into the sails and navigate at air, Piper learnt a few of the controls and which ones opened up to secret storage and etc, Hazel was in charge of retrieving metal and noticing damages to the structure of machines, and Frank was the main strategist that ended up being really good with the ballistae. They still couldn't match up to Leo, but they managed to get the ship stumbling to its destination

Jason doesn't give Frank Praetorship until the final fight against Gaia, where the Romans have a chance to agree or disagree and all that, but he takes the position of team leader after Jason steps down (Hazel is his second in command + co-leader)

more time between books, arching within 2 years at least

also a possibly hot take: the sacrifices should've been Jason and either Piper or Hazel cause they have more thematic weight to them other than "they're the oldest and most annoying" or whatever the original reason was

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Hidden Oracle: Chapter 37 (SPOILERS)

"Percy leaped heroically from his mount and slipped in hellhound pee." Heroic entrance right here.

"Apollo, did you do this?" "I am offended! . . . I am only indirectly responsible for this!" I love their banter.

"I need a few more minutes to enchant this arrow." "Of course you do." Cut him some slack, he's still getting the hang of this whole hero thing.

"I had to admit Percy Jackson was moderately impressive." :/ ? Least reliable narrator I've ever seen.

"This time, the words came to me." Wait, so the plague chant actually isn't PLAGUEY, PLAGUEY, PLAGUEY? This is a massive disappointment. I don't think I'll recover. Also, that Styx punishment really didn't last long. The River's going soft.

"sneezed so hard he collapsed." Uh oh.

"FIE! TOO STRONG IS THY PLAGUE." FIE (exclamation): used to express disgust or outrage

"Kayla, be careful. Don't breathe--" "ACHOO!" Oh no.

"MOREO'ER, HIE!" I hate this fucking arrow. HIE (v.): go quickly

"Somehow, I managed to react appropriately. (Three cheers for reacting appropriately!)" I- Wins where you can take 'em, I suppose.

"you and Harley take Kayla and Austin to the Apollo cabin for healing." "But they are the Apollo cabin" VALID concern. Will's gonna be overworked again. Who's gonna heal everyone? Don't any campers other than the Apollo ones learn healing? People are dying left and right; you'd think other campers would learn medicine.

"Perhaps if we got some harpies and some kite string..." He's really desperate if he's suggesting that.

"I'm a stupid ugly mortal teenager! I'm nobody!" Is he throwing a tantrum? "I thought for sure . . . The cosmos would stop turning. Percy and Chiron would rush to reassure me. None of that happened . . . 'You're Apollo. We need you. You can do this. Besides, if you don't, I will personally throw you off the top of the Empire State Building.'" My friend compared this scene to the one in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles where the four turtles are about to be crushed to death in the Labyrinth maze and Leo[nardo Hamato, not -nidas Valdez], who is the only one who can get them out by making a portal, first pouts at them to ask for a self-esteem boost. Something like "Y'know, it would really help me out if you told me I'm your champion" because the whole point of the Labyrinth was to get to the center and become a "champion" and receive world-class pizza (that episode was freakishly reminiscent of how PJO characters often end up beating their villains of the week). Yes, my friend and I frequently miscommunicate which Leo we are talking about when we discuss fandom stuff.

"just the sort of thing Zeus used to say to me before my soccer matches." Yeesh, never a good thing to be compared to Zeus, but the throw-you-off-a-building threat was deserved. Also, I think Rhea might not be the only one mixing up their centuries.

"a monument to my own conceit. Nero's pride was no more than a reflection of mine." A character development moment! Yes!

"The demigods were getting very good at scattering." I bet they've had a lot of practice, what with all the attacks on their only safe haven over the years.

"a gust of wind caught it... perhaps Zephyros" Yeah!!! That's good. It would've been too hard to believe if Apollo made that shot naturally. A bit soon to call Zephyros awesome, though, since this is just making up for the murder he committed, but good on him for helping avoid the deaths of dozens of small children.

"like a pachinko machine." I know what you're all thinking: "What's the difference between pachinko and pinball?" That's what I'm here to answer. According to Google, pachinko is an upright, vertical version of pinball that uses multiple small balls as opposed to pinball's singular, larger ball.

"geysers of motor oil out his ears" NOOOO! Not the harbor! Oh man, the beach naiads are gonna be so sick after this. Do beach naiads exist? If not, the beach animals and plants are gonna be sick. This is the third geyser we've seen this book and by far the worst.

"a case of hay fever . . . the statue's head achieved first-stage separation from his body." Deadliest case of hay fever I've seen yet. Hey, if it works, it works.

"Then the air blooped out of its neck hole" Blooped was pretty far down on the list of verbs I expected to see in this book. Next time I'll be more open-minded and prepared for verbs of all variety.

[neonvalley]

WHY HEROES OF OLYMPUS IS MY LEAST FAVOURITE RRVERSE SERIES

Disclaimer: I like Heroes of Olympus and every single book in the RRverse, it's just a few things I found lacking so stfu before you come fuming

Spoiler warning for both Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Most of my issues boil down to some aspects which had potential for exploration but were just forgotten

The potential of some of the friendships between the Seven (we all know Piper and Percy would dominate)

Percy and Annabeth being forgotten after GOING THROUGH TARTARUS?! YOU CAN'T TELL ME THEY'RE NOT TRAUMATISED

also also also Dark Percy would be so fucking cool (not exactly a criticism, just something that would've been interesting)

Shipping every other character (case in point: Caleo)

The battle in Blood of Olympus is kinda lackluster. Half of the Last Olympian was the battle between the demigods and the Titans but here it's eh just Piper, Leo and Jason doing their thing (I'm glad Rick didn't go that route for The Tower of Nero, The Tower of Nero was good shit)

Okay let's be honest lots of these criticisms are of Blood of Olympus I enjoyed Blood of Olympus but there wasn't enough payoff for some things hinted earlier in the series (like the implication of Percy not being able to sacrifice something given his fatal flaw is loyalty)

The antagonists are fine tbh, they're just not as compelling as Luke Castellan from PJO was

The plot IS high stakes, but you what would make it even MORE high stakes? Death, which there isn't enough of! It would just make it more meaningful and no Leo doesn't count he comes back to life I feel like he should've stayed dead he doesnt do shit in The Trials of Apollo. Beckendorf, Silena, Luke, Zoe Nightshade: these deaths were all so impactful. The killings started in The Titan's Curse and when they started, it was like "Oh SHIT we're really in it now"

Anyways a few things I just wanna point out that aren't criticisms

I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THAT PERCABETH'S GREY STREAKS FADED I REJECT THAT CANON

Ngl I don't care about the Curse of Achilles getting washed away like yeah it was cool in The Last Olympian okay bye lmao

WHERE WAS GROVER MAN COMES FOR ONE SCENE IN THE ENTIRE SERIES HE WAS PERCY'S BEST FRIEND 😭

To end it here, I do want to say that I like Heroes of Olympus and that I'm a fan of the Riordanverse. The characters and their interactions (at least what we got), the return of old characters like Percy and Annabeth, the action and adventure, the prophecy, the high stakes, the return to the world of the Greek gods, the humour, the angst: I thoroughly enjoyed it. Again, it's just a few criticisms. Just cause you criticise something you love doesn't mean you don't love it at all.

Anyways Trials of Apollo is way better the villain is incredible and the ending HOLY SHIT THE ENDING MADE ME CRY LIKE A BABY THE LAST PARAGRAPH WAS IMMACULATE

[bottomlessabyssposts]

19 percy

1 leo

9 mike

19 mike

5 annabeth

12 lucas

16 dustin

9 nico

Hi user himynameis4 !

19 - What would the show/book/movie be like if this character wasn't present ? : Percy

Not gonna lie, I think it would have been boring ! Luke would have definitely won, for exemple ! Percy set things in motion, and not having him would've killed everyone, I think.

1 - Favorite thing(s) about this character ? : Leo

LITERALLY EVERYTHING. But I mostly love his complexity. Leo is a character that seems especially shallow, but he's so much more than that. He fully embraces his role of being the clown class, but he's still so smart, so funny, but terribly lonely and that makes me so attached to that boy, he truly deserves the best things.

9 - What's your favorite headcanon(s) for this character ? : Mike

TOUGH ONE. I think... I think him writing poems for Will is one of my favorite ! Mike is a romantic at heart, we all know it.

This and my hc that modern!Mike would listen to Miku almost obnoxiously.

19 - What would the show/book/movie be like if this character wasn't present ? : Mike

UH FIRST. No party. Will probably would've been without any friends, or would barely know Lucas and Dustin. If Will got taken to the UD, I don't think he'd be able to get out, too. Because El would've been found by bad men, since no one was looking for Will at night ! Basically : the world would have ended.

Just saying, Mike is arguably one of the most important characters.

5 - What do you not like about this character ? : Annabeth

Listen. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Annabeth. But she's TOO DAMN PROUD. I know this is her fatal flaw, but she got on my nerves so many times, oh my god— I do think she's meaner than she intends too, but DAMN.

12 - Have you read any fics about this character ? Can you recommend anything good ? : Lucas

I REMEMBER having read an amazing Lumax fic, but I cannot remember the title for the life of me. I need to read more Lucas fics because he is everything I love him so much— I need to read Lucas on the line because this looks so good...

16 - What do you think would improve this character ? Like, character-arc wise ? : Dustin

Well, I think having him grieve like this is already a huge improvement. Dustin's character is kinda left on the side, in my opinion. BUT I think it would be nice to have him question his plans, make him have doubts about them, because "didn't my plan basically kill Max ?" You know?

I would also LOVE LOVE LOVE to see him argue with Mike about Eddie (@wibble-wobbegong it's all you, this is your fault) and have him have this conflict with Mike and ugh... this would be so good.

9 - What's your favorite headcanon(s) for this character ? : Nico

NICO <33 I think... I think it'd be him always seeking light, and always being cold ! Also, I think he'd have a hard time ordering happy meals, but over time he'd get to mend his relationship with this menu and would smile eating those little fries and I'm getting emotional here—

[yourthirdparent]

yeah ok its reyna anon again bc i read your thoughts good thoughts btw and now i need to yell aimlessly about her once again. ok SO ik shes not explicitly aro but like. as an aro that monologue in toa was SO arospec coded i cannot begin to explain. personally im of the opinion that shes secretly a chaos gremlin ok she has So much responsibility that she never gets to put down but normally is chaotic. her and percy’s friendship to me is like. you understand my trauma and help me process it in a way nobody else does and i do the same for you but Also they are the worst kind of bitch to each other <3. her and jason also???? like. what do you do when your best friend vanishes without a trace for months, doubling your responsibilities overnight and simultaneously you cant process or grieve even if you wanted to because you dont have time. and then the worst part is when he finally comes back to you and looks you in the eyes and treats you like a stranger. and you cant show any emotions about that either. then you all save the world and then he ignores you for months. and thats on top of all the other trauma shes so fucked up <33333. agree on the gender thing tho transmasc? transfem? bigender? genderfluid? cos but in an i dont give a fuck way? possibilities are endless. also her joining the hunters was kinda fuckin stupid. and also her and nico and jason are all So Autism i think that jason is the adhd autism creature combination with the big ears and autism eyes. i think she has chronic pain also and like. cane user reyna later on👀? anyway sorry i am So abnormal abt her thx 👍👍

i'm a little obsessed with you

anyways you're so fucking correct about cane user reyna holy shit you're so smart. also about jasonreynanico autism cuz Yeah that's autism right there. i'm not an adhd jason truther but i can get behind it. i think they all share like exactly one special interest and stare at it with the autism eyes and infodump about their various other unshared interests to each other. they're so trio tbh

also yeah she is definitely arocoded !!!! i love the aro reyna interpretation so much cuz it's so real but also hmmm................... lesbian reyna is very cool. and bi reyna is funky just cuz i like the idea of her crushing on jason and then meeting thalia and being like wtf BOTH of them??????? and also teehee giggles she'd be so funny in the role of a busy businesswoman who goes to a small town and meets the small town folks and finds she prefers the simple life to her busy business and starts dating like a baker or a lumberjack. she's definitely arocoded but reyna romance has the potential to be silly yk. even if that silliness is just christmas movie cliche.

also YEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH jason and reyna angst my beloved oh my god they go fucking crazy no joke

i did like her joining the hunters tragically. but it'd be cooler if she and leo's things switched like reyna finds calypso and gets her off ogygia (cuz no man can find the island twice but reyna's not a man is she. unless we're going transmasc in which case yk whatever) (and maybe they don't get together also. unless it's like a pjo era calypso and not her modified so leo can have a fighty fiesty girlfriend version cuz reyna would not be good with that version she'd leave caly on the street i promise (but even then yk caly's millenia old yk maybe a bit old for reyna but yk she was on an island mostly alone so maybe that doesn't apply)) and leo finds happiness and love in friends. but yk that would've been like a from hoo thing and i'm not changing two series for a thing that happens at the end of one book yk. and i don't expect rick to think that far ahead.

anyways ty for your asks !!!!!!!!!

[haze-elle-levesque]

PJO and HoO friendships that I wish were explored more:

percy and leo would've had a lot in common since they're both characterized as troublemakers! they would've wreaked havoc, im telling you

leo and annabeth could take over the world together, i mean their genius brains? i swear

i also think that leo and reyna would not only be amazing bilingual friends but also take over the world

i need a leo reyna annabeth trio now

piper and hazel training together?? and i want to hear what kind of banter or gossip they had while sword-fighting

grover and literally anyone from argo ii. grover is percy's best friend always and i think him meeting percy's other best friends would've been a good scene

frank and percy bonded over one book (SoN) and then never again which is honestly a crime

i just think that piper and thalia would've made a cool team together, maybe as quest buddies

jason and annabeth being competitive and arguing over everything

frank and annabeth being both children of gods of war??

furthermore, a trio of frank, reyna, and annabeth would've also been way too powerful

nico and literally anyone besides reyna, hazel, and percy. everyone always seemed so afraid of him and i was hoping for a scene where they actually talked about him postiviely

also nico and jason should've had more than just the cupid scene, they would've made great friends

hazel generally did not have a lot of interaction with piper, annabeth, or reyna, and i think she needs more

more female friendships in general!!!

[bunkernine]

to go back to the "leo is the protag of hoo," this is just to point out that he is the one who best fits the type of self-depreciating comedy guy like percy and apollo. leos really close to percy (they r not the same obvs) despite their interactions, but he's just the version of percy who grew up without sally and without balls. but he also works well with apollo, where apollo takes leo's curiousity and annoyingness and heightens it.

anyway the problem is that

→ 1, hoo doesn't have a main character, it had 7 (debatable, up to 11). they are all just as important, and im sure someone else could argue why the others are more so.

→ 2, if leo had been given a 1st person perspective even i wouldn't read it, but it would've gave him more focus that percy+apollo had

→ 3, percy and apollo go thru established arcs and learning periods. leo does not.

i think percy/leo/apollo are good characters to compare, especially considering backgrounds, support systems, self-esteem, attitude, arcs, relationship to the demigods/magic/gods, importance 2 plot, and emotional intelligence. what are ur guys' thoughts

[seaweedbraens]

hi Vani

saw the update notif at 9 pm when i was out with a few friends, i then proceed to become supremely uninterested in whatever was going on because i was EXCITED AS FUCK to read the new update, reached home and read the whole thing in the next 2 hours like a lunatic even though i had to be up super early today fuck u i love u

the update was absolutely brilliant as always! i didn't see Nico coming!!! I'm so glad you wrote Nico meeting Jason because they both just need someone cos they're so lonely and I'm glad it's them ❤️ reading about this anguished and angry Leo feels so different because that's not how he acts at all- but it's 100% called for and i love seeing the angry reactions from him and Piper because they're right to be Angry and i would've been mad if you would've just written them to be sad

LOVING THE PERCABETH TENSION !!!!!!!!!!!!! have a bone to pick with you- WHY DIDNT YOU MAKE THEM KISS BEFORE THE EXPLOSION I WAS WAITING FOR IT !!!!!!

also this is not me criticising you, but a genuine question because I noticed you rushed through the whole Calypso part, and Annabeth even said that she didn't believe percy was dead- why did you write it that way

also Hahahahaha Frank's reaction to Hazel not saying it back was so funny ("so That you love") i actually cackled

I'm super super excited for Rachel and percabeth for the next part !!! and also about Jason and Nico

i can't wait to see how percy accepts the prophecy à la titans curse (i think?), and i have a feeling it'll be to protect Nico

thank u once again for an excellent update! can't wait for you to update Wreck my plans now! (i think you said earlier that you're updating them alternately) All the love xx

answering this publicly bwcause you bring up some good feedback and issues w the fic that i wanted to talk about

FR THO PLS YOU FLATTER ME

also YES. nico and jason as two lost souls - one leaving home and one wanting home so badly - GIMME THAT GOOD SHIT. i hope i did their dialogue right and nico coming out too because I WAS TERRIFIED FOR THAT SHIT

leo and piper deserve to be angry, especially since theyre all best friends and tell each other everything. i think they both see jason's departure as a sign that he didnt trust them, ehoch hurts just as much as him leaving does. also, leo's guilt is also very important here - the fact that he says that he was too scared to die for his friends is something to be noted. i guess thats a spoiler?

i wanted to make percabeth kiss SO FUCKIN BADLY but i figured that i their kiss in chapter 5 to be that much more full of emotion because itll be their first kiss PLS HOLD ON WE'LL GET THERE. EVENTUALLY

yIKES i was hoping the calypso part didnt come off as too rushed but i guess it cant be helped! essentially i did that bit for percy to choose life over death and more specifically choose life because of his concern for annabeth. i want to tie this into her being his mortal tether, which will be brought back up again in chapter 5 for reasons im sure youve guessed by now :)

on that same vein, annabeth innately knows percy is alive because of this connection, even though they dont know of it yet. but she needed to have that fear of him being gone and so much being unresolved between them still for her to be able to open up to piper and even entertain the idea of loving percy - in a different way from luke. but thats something she needs to figure out for herself.

im so glad you liked this update!!!! also feel FREE to criticise me or ask me things, i love hearing people talk about the fic and believe me im always so eager to share my thought process.

wreck my plan ch2 is in the works! i literally just started chapter 4 part 2 today, so maybe we'll get that soon, too!!

tysm for all the love i will NEVER deserve you <3

[marichat-verse]

Mist Memories

Leo Valdez x reader for his birthday ahhhh (even though it's angsty) with a platonic/developing jason x reader cameo at the end (lmao im sorry i couldn't help myself 😭)

Based on this picture I found in pinterest + also [kinda] based on traitor by olivia rodrigo and omg i really recommend u guys listen to this edit because it reminds me so much of this fic that's been stuck in my head for MONTHS also kind of a run away with me prologue lol

Your POV

I nervously made my way across the forest until I reached a limestone cliff. I knocked on the iron door, not really expecting to get an answer.

My boyfriend has been shutting himself in Bunker 9 for the past few weeks. I stood there counting up to seven before knocking again. I knocked again two more times, until he answered in the middle of my last knock.

He removed his goggles and winced as sunlight hit his eyes. He'd grown thinner and paler, making the dark circles in his eyes more pronounced.

"Oh, Leo..." I reached out to brush a few strands of hair away from his face, but he moved away.

"What are you doing here?" He said in a monotone voice.

I moved to walk inside the Bunker, brushing off his hesitation to let me in. "I'm your partner, remember? And I'm really concerned because you're shutting yourself out lately. You know everyone's starting to worry about you. Percy asked me to check on you because you missed pegasus riding with him. Oh, and I'm pretty sure Jason's coming back from Camp Jupiter soon. I was hoping you and Annabeth could be with Piper while Percy and I hung out with Jason because it's been a little awkward since their breakup. Plus Piper wanted to tell you something—"

"Please," he said forcefully causing me to stop and look at him. "Just... Get out."

Normally, he'd shut himself from the world for a few days to work on an important project or because he was feeling really sad and he needed space. But this was getting out of hand. He had never locked me out of his life when I offered to help him. He was never this mean when he asked for space. I was not having this attitude of his.

"Okay, Leo. I tried to play nice. What is so important that you blow off all your friends for nearly a month that you can't even tell your partner, or maybe say hi to your best friend who's coming back from the other side of the country?"

He didn't say anything. He pursed his lips and avoided eye contact. I scanned he room for any signs.

It was messier than usual with all the crumpled paper scattered on the floor, especially on his desk. He could have been drawing up new plans. Something in my gut told me that something wasn't right. There were no new unfinished projects, indicating that he wasn't starting a new invention. Harley's helicopter lay on his bench in the same state it was weeks ago. Huh, not even his siblings could enter the Bunker.

I turned and Leo was already changing Festus' oil. I took this moment of distraction to pick up a few pieces of crumpled paper on the floor and on his desk. I had to process the words a bit longer—too long that Leo took notice. Damn dyslexia.

I heard footsteps speed up behind me, but it was too late. I read enough and got the gist of what he had been trying to do these past few weeks.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He yelled at me. Small embers started to erupt between his curls.

I laughed dryly. "So this is what you've been up to?"

His fists tightened, further crumpling the paper in his hands. His eyes flashed with anger, despair and confusion.

I sighed and focused my eyes on his desk, not daring to look at him any longer. Under some pieces of paper were old photographs of him and Piper from Wilderness School. Yup, those definitely were the mist memories she had with Jason. I read the latest draft he'd been writing:

Dear Piper,

Remember the mist memories from boarding school with Jason? They were real, but they were with me.

I miss you. I miss when it was just us. I miss the night on the roof.

Yours truly,

Leo Valdez

I tried to keep my voice from cracking. "How long?"

I heard him sigh. "Three weeks."

I balled my fists. Tears started to fall and smudge the ink. I wiped them away as fast as they came.

"How?"

"In a dream," his tone softened now. "Hera came to me in a dream and told me to check an old drawer in Bunker 9. I found the photos and the memories came rushing back."

"How long were you dating back then?"

"Two weeks."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

Silence; then a deep breath.

"No."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because I knew you'd get upset like—"

"I meant why would you throw away months of our relationship for a couple of weeks of your relationship with her? And without even bothering to tell me? Gods damn it, Leo. We've been together since you've first arrived at camp. And what about those promises you made when we were sailing to Greece? You've been keeping these feelings away from me and you've been lying to me, making me believe that there's still something between us and—"

"Oh, calm down," he said with an annoyed expression and tone, which only infuriated me more, "it's not like I did anything were her yet! I didn't kiss her or tell her how I truly felt for her! She just got out of a relationship with Jason around the same time I had that dream. I had to figure out how to talk to her about it. I've been alone in this Bunker for three. Fucking. Weeks. I didn't cheat on you."

"Oh, and that makes everything better?" I countered. "Being in a relationship isn't about not cheating, Leo. It's about being honest and communicating with each other."

"Oh, like you've been communicating with me? After the war, you take go back to Manhattan for school, and you take a job. I haven't seen you much during the holidays because work has been keeping you in the city. And you won't tell me what you even do for a living!"

I took in a deep breath. "I told you I needed to have a life outside of camp! I needed to know first that I could handle myself in the mortal world as a normal human being. I needed this demigod part of my life to be separate as much as possible! I've been in two wars, Leo. I needed time to myself, too. And I was about to tell you guys in a few more days. But I guess now, I'm glad I've kept you out of that part of my life. At least I have an escape from all of this. And now, especially from you."

I took another deep breath and walked to the door, about to let myself out. I turned back again, both our tear-stained eyes meeting each other.

"If it makes you feel any better," I said softly, "I would've hated the idea of us breaking up. But if you really love her, if you really feel like you have this special connection to her and she makes you happy, then I won't get in your way. You could at least have had the decency to talk to me so we could have left on a good note."

He looked at me with wide eyes, clearly regretting his actions. I sighed and looked around the Bunker, possibly for the last time. Lots of memories were definitely created in this room; all just as grand and meaningful as the inventions they made here. But just like some of Hephaestus' contraptions, some of them were flawed and dumped in his scrapyard, no matter how much potential it could have had.

"Goodbye, Leo."

I sat on a rock on the beach that gave me a beautiful view of Long Island Sound. To my left, the sun started to set, casting an orange filter on everything. My heart broke, remembering how everything glowed orange in the Bunker. Leo always left the fires burning when he was working. The sunlight twinkling against the sea reminded me of how small bits of flame peaked through his hair earlier. I remembered how mad he was at me. Or maybe he was mostly mad at himself.

"Hey."

I jumped when someone sat—or rather, landed—beside me. I turned and smiled, seeing one of my good friends back at camp.

"Hey, you're back," I said weakly. "How long have you been here?"

He smiled at me, although he could maybe sense that something was wrong. "Half an hour, maybe? I saw Annabeth making plans to expand camp to have a city. She made me do an aerial inspection and I told her I'll get back to her tonight. That's when I saw you."

"Mhmm," I mumbled, not really knowing what to say. It was silent for a few minutes before I spoke up again, knowing he was just waiting for me to open up.

"I broke up with Leo."

His head quickly turned to me. I guess he wasn't expecting it to be that bad. "What?"

"Oh yeah," I laughed dryly. "Turns out the mist memories Piper had in Wilderness School with you? They were real. But not with you."

His eyes widened. "Oh... With Leo."

"He locked himself in the Bunker for weeks trying to write a letter. It was heartbreaking. Like, truly heartbreaking. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her and how much he missed them. Then he said how much he missed that night with her under the stars and... It hurt. Like hell."

"Oh," he said. "I guess Piper didn't tell me everything then."

"She knew all along?"

He shook his head. "Maybe not everything, but she told me she's been confused about her feelings lately and she'd been having visions or dreams of possible old memories that were messing with her head."

"I'm sorry about you and Piper," I said.

"Don't be," he said. "I understand her. It did hurt, though. But I think I can get over it some day. We're still awkward around each other, but at least we left on a good note."

I scoffed. "Leo couldn't even give me a good ending to our relationship."

"Hey," he said as he put a hand on my shoulder. "You're a great person, y/n. You've done so much, especially for him. It's his loss that he was stupid enough to let go of you."

"I know that."

"Do you really?"

"I do!" I said. "I'm a great person and I know that. But that doesn't mean what he did doesn't hurt me."

"I know," he said. "You'll find someone who'll treat you like the queen that you are. You're a great person, and I'm not just saying this to cheer you up. I truly think you're amazing."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Jason. And you'll find someone great, too. Maybe not as great as me but, then again, who is?"

We both let out a laugh. The conch sounded in the distance, signaling dinner. I moved to stand up before hearing Jason speak up again.

"Hey, do you maybe want to just grab a couple of plates and eat out here?"

I smiled. "Yeah. That sounds good. I don't really want everyone else hounding me about the breakup right now."

I don't know how long it was going to take me to get over Leo. We really did gave something special. It was cruel how the universe gave me something so good, to make me have hope that something was finally going right, then have it yanked away from my arms just as suddenly as it came.

He never cheated on me, but that didn't mean he didn't betray every promise we made to each other. I should have known it was too good to be true. Life has always played cruel jokes on me.

Then again, who's to say that things won't turn out for the better, right?

•••

Tagging: @drvrslcense @bubblybubbubs @dreamerball @quteez @aesthetxcimagines @chasingpj @beingleft @wadewilsonsgreatestfriend

[fuckterfs-deactivated20221212]

Why every single one of the seven are the most powerful demigod of all time:

Percy:

Frank is powerful not just because he's a child of Mars but much of his power is because Poseidon was his ancestor millennia, so basically like a hundred generations ago, and Percy is a DIRECT descendant of Poseidon. Sure he doesn't have the shapeshifting stuff, but he can erupt volcanoes, kill gods, basically manipulate anything fluid, HE COULD DRAIN THE BLOOD FROM PEOPLE and he just doesn't do it because he's a good person, no wonder the gods feared him. If he'd helped Kronos that would've been devastating and he'd probably became more powerful than most of the titans. Percy hadn't really had much training in sword fighting and he'd already wounded Ares, the only reason he couldn't train to be much better is because he trained with "normal" good fighters and can take on a whole cabin alone. He obliterates armies and shatters bridges, he becomes a tornado when fighting. He breathes underwater and talks to fish and horses, he bore the entire weight of the sky. SoN showed us that he didn't need the Achilles curse to be an unstoppable fighting machine, and that's pretty amazing considering he's basically "just a boy". He went through tartarus, survived, and became even stronger from it. He is a great leader and loyal as fuck to his friends, also he's gorgeous. He steals drinks with his powers by manipulating the fluid. He's had childhood trauma and exhibits the fight and the fawn response.

Jason:

He bit a stapler when he was a toddler. He's the son of Zeus and summons thunderbolts. He can fly. He can literally ride the storm, and take it with him to breathe underwater. He can knock people unconscious by creating a vacuum around their head. He can drain the lungs of people. He can yeet pretty much everything. He probably jumpstarts his own car if he accidentally let the lights on over night. He's an excellent fighter and was pressured into being a good leader, but is actually pretty good as a teamplayer, and he's handsome. He steals things with his powers by manipulating the air around it.

Leo:

He can light pretty much anything on fire, he can determine the chemical elements of anything he touches, he can repair pretty much any machine, he is excellent in thinking on his feet and distracting enemies from his plans. He's a great cook. He killed pretty much the most powerful godess to have ascended from chaos. He can't lead, but can cooperate with his friends fairly well, though he works best alone or with machines, also he's hot "in a scrawny way". When he tries to steal drinks he accidentally vaporizes them. He's had childhood trauma and exhibits the fawn response.

Piper:

She can manipulate people's opinions and actions, she can animate "lifeless" things (Festus was an automaton until she made him come alive, he can't be turned off) and negate some elemental magic (Khione didn't do shit to her). She can fight with a dagger, something that's pretty hard, and wouldn't be expected from the average Aphrodite-daughter, she's lesbian (or bi? I'm not sure), she can suddenly turn (even more) beautiful, she can speak french, her nickname isn't without reason "beauty queen". She steals drinks with her powers by convincing people to give them to her.

Annabeth:

She's smart as hell (pun intended), is a great fighter with her dagger, but is good with a sword too, bore the weight of the entire sky, pretty much outsmarts everyone. She faced her worst fears to find out that she's the most powerful child of Athena ever, and outsmarted Arachne on her own hometurf. She went through tartarus, survived and became stronger from it, she's gorgeous and dangerous. She steals drinks with her powers by tricking the former owners of the drink into either giving it to her or leaving it unattended for a while. Her traumatic response is flight into activities, for example the redesign of fucking Olympus.

Frank:

He can be anything he wants, both literally and figuratively. His ancestor are two of the most powerful gods and he's buff even in human form. He knows how to defeat the chinese fingertrap, he can shapeshift, he can fight perfectly with his power, exactly timing his attacks and the shifting, slashing with his sword, biting with bear's teeth, shooting with his bow, and scratching someone to death as a dragon. He has the blessing of Mars, and has the authority to command undead soldiers, he's handsome and buff. He is an excellent roman leader and praetor, and very loyal to his duty and friends. He would never try to steal drinks.

Hazel:

She's come back from the dead but isn't undead, she can manipulate metals, minerals, gems and the mist, so basically anything, she's a sorcerer riding on a wonderful horse. She defeated Gaea's first attempt at waking single-handedly and befriended the untamable horse Arion. She can navigate the labyrinth, and bend it to her will. She can curse people by giving them gems and precious metals, she's gorgeous, and even if she wasn't, she could change her appearance anyways. She would steal a drink by making the owner believe she was actually giving it to them.

Bonus: Nico:

Son of Hades, the first one to find out that there's two camps, necromancer, gay, gorgeous. He drains people's life force if there is justifiable reason for it. He'd steal a drink by threatening the owner pretty effectively with either his sword or a skeleton warrior. His traumatic response type is freeze and fight.

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Hidden Oracle: Chapter 39 (SPOILERS)

Why is Chapter 39 the last chapter? Did they not want to commit to 40?

Looking at the words "Hunk Muffin" in the haiku has me scared. It's the last freaking chapter. What could possibly happen?

"Nico commanded a dispenser from the snack bar and carried it around, yelling, 'The line starts to the left! Orderly queue, guys!' . . . She punched Leo in the arm." Wow, warm welcome. Also, they have a number dispenser at the snack bar? The.. dam snack bar number dispenser?

"the immortal sorceress Calypso." istg she's something different every time they introduce her. She's a goddess, she's a nymph, she's a sorceress... her resumé must be impressive. "Even though Leo was the one getting punched by everyone in camp, I was reasonably sure he was the least uncomfortable one at the table." Oh shit, yeah, it's Leo, Calypso, Percy, and Apollo all at one table together. Percy, your biggest what-if is back! I know Apollo visited Calypso, but it doesn't seem like there should be any awkwardness there. "I hadn't witnessed such a tense greeting since Patroclus met Achilles's war prize, Briseis. (Long story. Juicy gossip. Ask me later.)" I'll hold you to that, Apollo! I want to know what happened!

"Calypso had never liked me, so she pointedly ignored me, but I kept waiting for her to yell, 'BOO!' and turn me into a tree frog." Does that happen a lot? Is that the vibe you got from her after knowing her for so long? I don't think this girl even knows what a tree frog is. She's probably never been to anywhere they're native to.

"Albania was particularly difficult." "Please do not mention Albania!" Nico had better snitch about what happened in Albania in The Sun and the Star. I know, I know, all the Reynas in the "reading PJO" fics are gonna be mad at him, but it's worth it. Also, does this mean Leo and Calypso and Festus had to cross the whole Atlantic to get back to camp? I thought leaving the island landed you wherever you wanted to go. I guess that's just the little raft, then.

"Damien White punched Leo's arm and walked away grinning. I wasn't sure Damien even knew Leo." LMAO that's my boy!

"looking for a way out of the Sea of Monsters." Ah, no wonder they couldn't come back for six months. They got lost in the Hell Ocean. You know what? I want a spin-off book consisting entirely of Leo and Calypso's Horrific Near-Death Experiences in the Sea of Monsters documenting Calypso's first experiences in the mortal world as she wonders whether she would've been better off staying on Ogygia while sprinting for her life from a pack of man-eating sheep.

"Hey, Sherman. Where'd you get the new scar, dude?" I love these little interjections so we know exactly who's punching Leo and how he casually greets them and catches up with them. For example: "Sherman told Leo the story of Crotchkicker McCaffrey and the Demon Peach Baby"

"her invisible aerial servants" Yeah, did she leave them on the island? Are they allowed to leave now that she's gone. I hope they're doing okay.

"Since leaving Ogygia, I have no powers . . . I am fully mortal." Are we gonna get to see Apollo and Calypso bond over both being ex-gods-become-mortal? One had it happen unwillingly and the other chose it. That'd be interesting.

"A few millennia ago, I had opposed her petition for early release from Ogygia because of some... ah, drama between us. (Long story. Juicy gossip. Please do not ask me later.)" WHAT? So she knows he opposed her release and that's why she dislikes him. WHAT'S THE DRAMA? Tellllllll usssssss

"Calypso had lost her powers. Leo felt responsible." Awwwwww "She won't call me Hunk Muffin, though. I dunno why" Ok good, the Hunk Muffin thing isn't as disturbing as I thought it would be.

"H-Meister. You're a hero!" Awwwwwwwwwwwww

"Oh, the middle third of the U.S.! . . . Piece of torta, then." I love Leo saying what we're thinking.

"And you freed Calypso, I see. Well done" For goodness's sake, Chiron. The boy died and came back to life and traveled for six months trying to find home and you're like, "Good job. Well done. Congrats."

"After he lent me his help in defeating the Colossus, it would have been the least I could do." This is progress. Apollo is not asking for/expecting favors with nothing in return. He wants to pay Percy back for his help. Maybe he should do that for the rest of the camp, too, considering they also risked their lives fighting the Colossus. Just a thought.

"Calypso even pecked Percy on the cheek." Calypso! Percy's taken. You're taken.

"geraniums bloomed in my stomach." Nice callback.

"Leo Valdez's Victory Lap World Tour." Imagine being Leo, dying and coming back to life, flying circles around the western hemisphere for six months trying to get home, and when you finally do, you have to immediately get up and save the world a-freaking-gain.

"I missed the whole Roman Empire." Oh yeah, you did. She's gonna be missing a lot of context for this whole quest.

"the Triumvirate might well have orchestrated all our previous troubles with the Titans and giants" Oh wait, did they cause the Great Stirring? I feel like every few days I have this same epiphany over and over again and it never gets old. Every few days I'll be like, Wait, are the Triumvirate and the Great Stirring linked? Did they cause it? Are they profiting off of it? and then three days later I'll realize the same thing again like I'm caught in a time loop. Help me.

"and an overly theatrical arrow." Oh no, the Shakespeare arrow is coming along. I hope this guy's easy to warm up to the same way Meg was.

"preparing rows of marshmallows on what looked like femur bones." I'm pretty sure femur bones are too thick to stick marshmallows on. Unless you got some big freaking marshmallows.

Apollo's going to be traveling with Leo and Calypso? *fist pump* When I was little, Caleo was my OTP! If I had known that the next book would involve them, I would've read it! Wait, I did know. What was I thinking???